text
stringlengths 1.55k
332k
| label
int64 0
8
|
|---|---|
referring first to fig1 to 4 , which show an embodiment of the mounting bracket 1 according to the invention , it is seen that the bracket 1 consists of a body part 3 and a clip part 5 . the body part 3 has a mounting hole 7 , to accept a mounting screw ( not shown but conventional ). the body part 3 further has first and second outer support legs 9 , 11 connected to a main body 13 of the body part 3 , which carries the mounting hole 7 , by first and second transition portions 15 , 17 . each of the respective first and second transition portions 15 , 17 has a respective first or second central slot 19 , 21 . the main body 13 has opposite first and second snap flanges 23 , 25 . each of the first and second snap flanges 23 , 25 is formed by a sloped section 23 a , 25 a and a holding ridge 23 b , 25 b . the first and second outer support legs 9 , 11 each have a respective first support leg aperture 27 and a second support leg aperture 29 . the clip part 5 has a web portion 31 which is provided with an opening 33 , adapted to correspond in size and position to the mounting hole 7 of the body part 3 . from the web portion 31 project first and second transverse locating projections 35 , 37 which are engageable in the first and second central slots 19 , 21 of the first and second transition portions 15 , 17 . the clip part 5 is further provided with opposite first to fourth flexible tongues 39 , 41 , 43 and 45 also projecting from the web portion 31 . in use with the body part 3 and clip part 5 assembled , the flexible tongues are positioned oppositely alongside the first and second transition portions 15 , 17 . each of the first , second , third and fourth flexible tongues 39 , 41 , 43 and 45 has a respective first to fourth retaining ledge 47 , 49 , 51 , 53 . these first to fourth retaining ledges 47 , 49 , 51 , 53 each engage over a respective first , second , third and fourth support surface 55 , 57 , 59 , 61 on the mounting bracket body part 3 . to guide the respective retaining ledges 47 , 49 , 51 , 53 of the flexible tongues 39 , 41 , 43 , 45 onto the relevant support surfaces 55 , 57 , 59 , 61 , the support surfaces are each provided with a first ramp surface 63 ( fig3 ), a second ramp surface 65 ( fig1 ), a third ramp surface 67 ( fig3 ) and a fourth ramp surface 69 ( fig1 ). the first , second , third and fourth flexible tongues 39 , 41 , 43 and 45 are further provided with a respective outwardly directed first , second , third or fourth detent projection 71 , 73 , 75 , 77 for a purpose later to be described . also projecting from the web portion 31 in the same direction as the various other projections , is a set of first , second , third and fourth flexible arms 79 , 81 , 83 and 85 . outwardly projecting from each of the first , second , third and fourth flexible arms is a respective first , second , third or fourth distance element 87 , 89 , 91 or 93 . these distance elements are provided for a purpose later to be described . fig5 and 6 illustrate a first step of mounting the brackets 1 to a mounting surface 101 . such a mounting surface 101 is usually vertically positioned in the vicinity of a window or other architectural opening . moreover , as shown in fig6 , such a mounting surface 101 may be recessed , so as to define a boundary surface 103 . fig5 and 6 also show a side guiding rail 105 , but only in a temporary position , in which it is used to space and align the mounting brackets 1 . when mounting side guiding rails on vertical wall surfaces of a building it is often problematic to correctly align and space the various mounting brackets used in the mounting of a single rail . it is therefore that the mounting bracket according to the invention is adapted to substantially simplify the alignment and positioning of a plurality of mounting brackets . as best seen in fig6 the guiding rail 105 in cross - section has a pair of first and second mounting legs 107 , 109 parallel to one another . with the arrangement described in reference to fig1 - 4 , it has now become possible to temporarily clamp one of the first or second mounting legs . 107 , 109 between the first and third flexible tongues 39 , 43 and the first and third flexible arms 79 , 83 or between the second and fourth flexible tongues 41 , 45 and the second and fourth flexible arms 81 , 85 of the clip part 5 of the mounting bracket 1 . this results in the arrangement as shown in fig5 and 6 , whereby several of a plurality of mounting brackets 1 a , 1 b can be spaced and clampingly positioned along the length of a guiding rail 105 intended to be eventually mounted on the brackets 1 a , 1 b once these have been properly attached to the wall surface 101 . the mounting brackets 1 a , 1 b are temporarily held in position by friction provoked by the resiliency of the flexible tongues and arms helped by the relevant first , second , third and / or fourth detent projections 71 , 73 , 75 and / or 77 . this greatly assists in accurately positioning the mounting brackets 1 a , 1 b on the mounting surface 101 and to ensure that these are properly aligned before fasteners are mounted to the holes 7 . once the brackets have been properly attached to the wall surface the guiding rail 105 can be taken from its temporary position and repositioned for proper and final mounting . when the mounting brackets 1 , 1 a , 1 b are to be mounted close to a boundary surface 103 , such as also shown in fig5 and 6 , then the first and third distance elements 87 , 91 will ensure the proper distance of the mounting brackets from the boundary surface 103 . it is convenient to position the lower most mounting bracket 1 a level with the lower longitudinal end of the guiding rail 105 to have an accurate reference for the vertical position of the side guiding rails . additionally , the side guiding rail can be provided with an end plug or end cap 111 . reference will now be made to fig7 and 8 which show the subsequent steps of mounting the guiding rail 105 onto the mounting bracket 1 . the bracket 1 , in fig7 , has been mounted to the vertical mounting surface 101 using the procedure of fig5 and 6 . it is further seen that the distance element 87 has served to appropriately space the bracket 1 from the recess wall surface 103 . the guiding rail 105 can now be positioned with its first mounting leg 107 snuggly against the recess wall surface 103 . when the guiding rail 105 is now pushed in the direction of arrow 113 , first and second detent portions 115 , 117 will deflect the distance elements 87 , 89 mounted on the flexible arms 79 , 81 inwardly and allow the first and second detent portions 113 , 115 of the guiding rail 105 to become engaged by the respective first and second snap flanges 23 , 25 of the bracket 1 . the guiding rail 105 will thereupon be retained in its mounted position as shown in fig8 . a further feature of the invention is the end cap 111 , already announced in fig5 , which will now be further explained in reference to fig9 to 11 . generally the guiding rail 105 includes a guide channel 119 , which is bounded by an exterior flange 121 and an intermediate flange 123 . to ensure that the guiding rail 105 is supported in a vertical direction , without totally relying on the friction between the mounting brackets 1 and the first and second detent portion 115 , 117 , the end cap 111 is arranged to co - operate with one of the mounting brackets 1 , which is in a lower most position . the intermediate flange 123 is provided with a screw receiving formation 125 , in which a screw fastener 127 ( fig1 ) can be engaged to firmly attach the end cap 111 to the guiding rail 105 . the end cap 111 is also provided with an inwardly projecting hook portion 129 with which it can engage the second support leg aperture 29 of the second outer support leg 11 . thus a positive connection is established between the guiding rail 105 and the superimposed mounting hole 7 and opening 33 by which the mounting bracket 1 is fastened to a surface with another screw fastener ( not shown but conventional ). it is thus believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description . the invention is not limited to any embodiment herein described and , within the purview of the skilled person ; modifications are possible which should be considered within the scope of the appended claims . equally all kinematic inversions are considered inherently disclosed and to be within the scope of the present invention . the term comprising when used in this description or the appended claims should not be construed in an exclusive or exhaustive sense but rather in an inclusive sense . expressions such as : “ means for . . . ” should be read as : “ component configured for . . . ” or “ member constructed to . . . ” and should be construed to include equivalents for the structures disclosed . the use of expressions like : “ critical ”, “ preferred ”, “ especially preferred ” etc . is not intended to limit the invention . features which are not specifically or explicitly described or claimed may be additionally included in the structure according to the present invention without deviating from its scope . | 4 |
for purposes of the discussion herein , the terms “ printer ” and “ plotter ” are used interchangeably . fig1 is a block schematic diagram that represents an exemplary system embodiment of the invention . the system is referred to herein by the general reference number 100 . system 100 is comprised generally of image source 110 , mask generator 120 and printer 130 , coupled via means known in the art including , without limitation , hard wiring such as metallic conductors or fiber optics , electromagnetic radiation such as visible light , laser , infrared , ultraviolet , microwave , radio frequency , or other suitable means of coupling . although fig1 shows only a single image source 110 , a single mask generator 120 and a single printer 130 , in actual practice any number of image sources 110 , mask generators 120 and printers 130 may coupled . image source 110 may comprise , without limitation , a computer , a scanner , a facsimile machine , a web - enabled device or other suitable means for providing an image . image source 110 provides image data to mask generator 120 , preferably in the form of binary data such as a bit map , but alternatively in any suitable form capable of being received and processed by mask generator 120 . mask generator 120 includes random number selector 121 and constraint controller 122 . mask generator 120 preferably comprises software . in alternative embodiments mask generator 120 may comprise firmware or an asic , or other suitable hardware or software means for generating masks . mask generator 120 receives image data from image source 110 , generates masks from the image data using random numbers received from random number selector 121 and constraints from constraint controller 122 , and sends the completed masks to printer 130 for printing on media . random number selector 121 is any conventional means of generating random numbers or such as may be known in the future , such that as more nearly perfect random number generators are developed they may be incorporated into the invention . random number selector 121 is preferably a module of mask generator 120 software . in alternative embodiments random number selector 121 may comprise firmware or an asic , or other suitable hardware or software means for randomly selecting numbers . mask generator 120 sends a request for a random number to random number selector 121 , which randomly selects a number and provides it to mask generator 120 . linkage of the range of all possible random numbers and the range of the number of passes selected may be by means of a mathematical hash function , or any other suitable hardware or software means of achieving such linkage . constraint controller 122 may comprise a module of mask generator 120 software . in alternative embodiments constraint controller 122 may comprise firmware or an asic , or other suitable hardware or software means for adjustably controlling constraints selected by one or more operators . constraint controller 122 is preferably provided with means for setting and adjusting one or more of the following parameters and constraints : horizontal , vertical and diagonal spacing of dots printed in a single pass , both within a mask and at boundaries where masks in a row abut each other ; advancing and retracting a page for extended drying time between passes ; operator control and adjustment of these constraints allows total control and customization so that optimal masks can be generated for virtually any application , to accommodate any media type and any apparatus . preferably , quality constraints may be overridden when necessary or desired by using fuzzy logic or any other suitable technique and a selected prioritization of quality constraints , but physical constraints such as maximum pen - firing frequency and carriage velocity cannot . printer 130 comprises , without limitation , any sort of apparatus which can incrementally produce a hard copy of an image or text by depositing “ ink ” on a “ page ”, including but not limited to , any conventional computer peripheral printers , graphics plotters , copiers , facsimile machines or any other suitable means for printing . image source 110 , and mask generator 120 with random number selector 121 and constraint controller 122 , may be co - located with or be separate from printer 130 , so that image processing and mask generation can be performed offline , thereby distributing memory and processor requirements and reducing such requirements for the printer 130 . this configuration is particularly advantageous in a networked environment , where memory and processor requirements are proportionately greater according to the number of network users and thus more likely to either overload the more limited memory and processor capacity of a typical printer , or require that an inordinately large and expensive amount of memory and processor capacity be built into the printer 130 . in addition , distributed memory and processing is more easily and inexpensively scalable as a network is expanded . the word “ ink ” is used generically herein , and refers to any suitable colorant which is or can be used by a “ printer ” to form an image on a “ page ”, including but not limited to , dye - based inks , uv based inks , dyes , liquid or dry toners , pigments , powders , glazes , paints or any other suitable colorant . the word “ page ” is used generically herein , and refers to any sort of media upon which a “ printer ” can deposit “ ink ” to form an image or text , including but not limited to , paper , transparency stock , polymers or plastics such as mylar , cloth or woven materials such as linen , metals , ceramics or any oither suitable media . fig3 a through fig3 d show , as examples only and without limitation , four masks generated pursuant to the method disclosed herein for an image to be printed in four passes using four colors ( cyan , magenta , yellow and black ). each of the four masks shown is used for each of the four colors , one mask per color per pass , and the masks are then rotated to another color for the next pass , until all four colors have been printed in four passes . as an example : on the first pass , the mask of fig3 a may be used for cyan , the mask of fig3 b for magenta , the mask of fig3 c for yellow , and the mask of fig3 d for black ; on the second pass , the mask of fig3 b may be used for cyan , the mask of fig3 c for magenta , the mask of fig3 d for yellow , and the mask of fig3 a for black ; and so on . fig2 is a flow diagram that represents an exemplary method embodiment of the invention . the method is referred to herein by the general reference number 200 . the system 200 provides for generation of pseudo - random printmasks for inkjet printers . at a step 203 , initialize all entries in mask to indicate no pass has yet been selected and no pass number has been tried yet . at a step 204 , to determine the number of the pass on which a pixel in any column of any row of mask will be printed , randomly select a number between one and the number of passes to be made . at a step 205 , store pass number currently selected in data structure of pass numbers attempted in each column until row is completed . at a step 206 , if all pass numbers have been attempted for current column and column is first column in row , return to step 202 , reset constraints , and repeat steps 202 through 206 . if all pass numbers have been attempted for current column and column is not first column in row , back up one column and repeat steps 204 through 206 for pass numbers not already attempted at that column . if pass number currently selected has not been attempted , proceed to next step . at a step 207 , check whether pass number currently selected satisfies constraints . if yes , store pass number currently selected in mask and repeat steps 204 through 207 for next column of this row . if no , repeat steps 204 through 207 until sequence of pass numbers is selected that satisfies constraints , skip step 208 and proceed to step 209 . if all pass numbers have been attempted at all previous columns and no sequence can be found which satisfies constraints , proceed to step 208 . at a step 208 , if all constraints have already been reset within permissible limits or constraints cannot be reset for some reason , employ fuzzy logic or any other suitable technique to select sequence of pass numbers which optimize image quality and throughput within constraint limits . store sequence of pass numbers selected and proceed to step 209 . at a step 209 , repeat steps 204 - 208 until entire mask is generated . at a step 210 , repeat steps 204 - 209 until masks for entire image are generated . at a step 211 , send masks for entire image to printer for printing . as an example only and without limitation , table 1 set forth below shows an embodiment of the algorithm which accomplishes the method set forth herein : those skilled in the art will recognize that table 1 sets forth only one example of the algorithm which accomplishes the method set forth herein , and that many and various alternative embodiments can be devised which are within the concept , scope and spirit of this invention . the following is an example of applying the above - described method and algorithm to the design of a simple mask . the process begins with mask generator 120 obtaining a digitized image , typically a bitmap , from image source 110 . various constraints are set in constraint controller 122 . one constraint is the size of the mask to be generated , typically a function of the resolution and throughput speed desired . “ size ” as used herein refers to the number of pixels in the mask , not the physical dimensions of the mask . for this example , it will be assumed that two masks will be required , tiled horizontally across the page , each mask containing 10 pixels in a grid pattern of 5 columns by 2 rows . in actual practice , masks typically contain many thousands of pixel , but the example chosen is sufficient for illustrative purposes . the number of passes to be taken by the printer over each swath is selected , in this case 4 passes being chosen . another constraint is the maximum pen - firing frequency recommended by its manufacturer for consistent and reliable operation , which is a function of the speed of the print head carriage and the density of the image ( resolution ) selected . in this instance , it will be assumed that this constraint will require that there be at least two pixels horizontally between pixels of the same color printed in the same pass . further constraints regarding avoidance of bleeding are selected , in this instance meaning that no two pixels may be printed on the same pass if they are horizontally , vertically or diagonally adjacent . beginning with the first pixel of the first mask , at row 1 , column 1 , mask generator 120 obtains from random number selector 121 a number selected at random . linkage of the range of all possible random numbers and the range of the number of passes ( here , between 1 and 4 ) may be provided by means of a mathematical hash function . for this example , the first number selected at random is pass number 2 . mask generator 120 checks a table of pass numbers attempted at each pixel , verifies that pass number 2 has not been attempted yet at the first pixel , and records pass number 2 in the table . mask generator 120 checks whether pass number 2 satisfies the selected constraints in constraint controller 122 , and after determining that it does , records pass number 2 in the first mask at column 1 , row 1 , as shown in fig4 a . moving to column 2 of row 1 , mask generator 120 obtains another randomly selected pass number , in this example pass number 1 . checking the table of pass numbers attempted at each pixel , mask generator 120 determines that pass number 1 has not yet been attempted for the second pixel , and records pass number 1 in the table of pass numbers attempted at each pixel . after verifying that pass number 1 satisfies the selected constraints in constraint controller 122 , mask generator 120 records pass number 1 in the first mask at column 2 , row 1 , as shown in fig4 b . moving to column 3 of row 1 , mask generator 120 obtains a randomly selected number from random number generator 121 , in this example pass number 1 . checking the table of pass numbers attempted at each pixel mask generator 120 determines that pass number 1 has not been previously attempted at the third pixel , then records pass number 1 in the table . mask generator 120 then checks to see whether the number 1 satisfies the selected constraints in constraint controller 122 , but discovers that a constraint is violated because pass number 1 has already been recorded for the second pixel in the first mask , and if pass number 1 is also recorded in the mask for the third pixel , then two horizontally adjacent pixels would be printed during the same pass . mask generator 120 therefore obtains another randomly selected pass number from random number selector 121 , in this case the number 2 . mask generator 120 verifies that pass number 2 has not already been attempted at the third pixel , and records pass number 2 in the table of pass numbers attempted at each pixel . mask generator 120 then checks the selected constraints in constraint controller 122 , and after verifying that pass number 2 does not violate any constraint , records pass number 2 in the mask at column 3 , row 1 , as shown in fig4 c . by the same process , pass number 3 is recorded for column 4 , row 1 , as shown in fig4 d , and pass number 4 is recorded for column 5 , row 1 , thereby completing row 1 of the first mask as shown in fig4 e . by the same process , at column 1 , row 2 , pass number 3 is recorded , as shown in fig4 f . at column 2 , row 2 , pass number 2 is randomly selected on the first attempt , but fails to satisfy the constraint requiring that no two diagonally adjacent pixels be printed in the same pass , since pass number 2 has already been recorded in column 1 , row 1 , and column 3 , row 1 . pass number 1 and then pass number 3 are randomly selected and attempted , but fail to satisfy constraints on vertically and horizontally adjacent pixels being printed on the same pass . on the next attempt , pass number 2 is selected at random again , but is immediately rejected as having already been attempted at that pixel . finally , pass number 4 is randomly selected and , not having been attempted previously and satisfying all constraints , is recorded in the first mask at column 2 , row 2 , as shown in fig4 g . at column 3 , row 2 , as shown in fig4 h , all 4 possible pass numbers are attempted and rejected as violating at least one constraint on printing adjacent pixels on the same pass : 1 violates the diagonally adjacent constraint with the 1 in column 2 , row 1 ; 2 violates the vertically adjacent constraint with the 2 in column 3 , row 1 ; 3 violates the diagonally adjacent constraint with the 3 in column 4 , row 1 ; and , 4 violates the horizontally adjacent constraint with the 4 in column 2 , row 2 . mask generator 120 therefore records no pass number for column 3 , row 2 . instead , as shown in fig4 i , mask generator 120 erases all entries for pass numbers attempted at column 3 , row 2 , and backs up one column to column 2 , row 1 , erases the pass number stored there , and checks to see if a different pass number will work there , as well as allow a pass number to be picked for the current pixel at column 3 , row 2 , which does not violate any constraint . however , the table of pass numbers attempted shows that all pass numbers have already been attempted at column 3 , row 2 , so mask generator 120 erases all the entries for pass numbers attempted there and backs up an additional column to column 1 , row 2 . now back at column 1 , row 2 , mask generator 120 obtains a randomly selected number from random number selector 121 . the next randomly selected pass number is 3 , but mask generator 120 rejects it because pass number 3 has already been attempted there . obtaining randomly selected pass number 4 on the next attempt , mask generator 120 verifies that it has not been attempted before and that it satisfies all constraints , then records pass number 4 in column 1 , row 2 , as shown in fig4 j . moving forward again to column 2 , row 2 , pass number 2 is randomly selected . because the previous pass numbers attempted there have been erased , pass number 2 is allowed to progress to the constraint checking step , where it fails because of the diagonally adjacent constraint . when pass number 1 is next randomly selected it fails the vertically adjacent constraint . and when pass number 4 is randomly selected next , although it was checked and verified and recorded previously in column 2 , row 2 , it now fails the horizontally adjacent constraint because mask generator 120 has backed up and changed the entry in column 1 , row 2 , to pass number 4 . when pass number 3 is finally randomly selected for column 2 , row 2 , it satisfies the constraints and is recorded there , as shown in fig4 k . returning to column 3 , row 2 , where the current regression began , mask generator 120 again attempts various randomly selected pass numbers until it comes up with 4 , which now satisfies the constraints and is recorded , as shown in fig4 l . similarly pass numbers 1 and 2 are selected , checked , verified and recorded in the last two pixels of the first mask , which is now complete , as shown in fig4 m . mask generator 120 next begins to fill in the second mask by the same process as the first mask , but now additionally considers the selected constraints with respect to border conditions where the two masks abut . receiving from random number generator 121 a randomly selected pass number 2 for column 1 , row 1 of the second mask , mask generator 120 determines that it does not work because pass number 2 has already been selected for column 5 , row 2 , of the first mask and would violate the diagonally adjacent constraint . next receiving from random number generator 121 a randomly selected pass number 4 for column 1 , row 1 of the second mask , mask generator 120 determines that it does not work either because pass number 4 has already been selected for column 5 , row 1 , of the first mask and would violate the horizontally adjacent constraint . when pass number 1 is selected it is checked , verified and recorded for column 1 , row 1 , of the second mask , as shown in fig4 n . skipping ahead , when mask generator 120 gets to column 1 , row 2 , of the second mask , neither 2 nor 4 can be selected . 2 would violate the horizontally adjacent constraint because 2 has already been recorded for column 5 , row 2 , of the first mask , and 4 would violate the diagonally adjacent constraint because 4 has already been recorded for column 5 , row 2 . additionally , pass number 1 cannot be chosen for column 1 , row 2 , of the second mask because pass number 1 has already been selected for column 1 , row 1 , of the second mask , and would violate the vertically adjacent constraint . thus , since pass number 1 was selected for column 1 , row 1 , of the second mask , and neither 2 nor 4 will work because of constraints at the boundary with the first mask , 3 will by process of elimination end up being selected as the pass number for column 1 , row 2 , of the second mask . the process is repeated until the second mask is completed , after which mask generator 120 sends the two completed masks to printer 130 for printing . the invention has general applicability to various fields of use relating to printers , copiers , and facsimile machines , whether stand - alone or networked , or any other type of device which creates images or text by incremental deposition of dots of colorant on a recording medium . further , the mask generation algorithm herein disclosed can be used in any case where multipass printing is involved in an inkjet printer and their constraints related to : ( b ) restriction regarding rendering of a same pixel by two separate inks in the same pass ; and ( c ) any other restriction dictated by print - quality or plotter hardware which prohibit some of the masks allowable because of the above constraints . because most inkjet printers perform multipass printing , the masks used in any currently available inkjet printer can be constructed using the algorithm herein . it should be noted that the mask generation algorithm herein disclosed is complete . this means that if there is a mask satisfying the constraints specified above , it is possible to find a mask irrespective of the complexity involved . if there is no such mask possible , the algorithm also provides this information . thus , the mask generation algorithm can be used to determine if the plotter hardware imposes any unreasonable constraints which hinders construction of good quality mask . this aspect of the invention is used to improve the plotter hardware . although preferred embodiments are disclosed herein , many variations are possible which remain within the concept , scope , and spirit of the invention , and these variations would become clear to those skilled in the art after perusal of this application . | 6 |
referring to the drawings , the radial piston pump 1 as shown in fig1 has a substantially plate - shaped pump housing 2 formed with a continuous longitudinal bore 3 and a cylindrical recess 4 joining the latter . a control pin 5 is fixed a force fit , within the longitudinal bore 3 , and which protrudes into the recess 4 . rotatably disposed on the control pin 5 , in the radial recess 4 , is a rotor 6 in which are formed a plural number of radially oriented piston bores 7 wherein pistons 8 are slidably movable . the pistons 8 with the outer ends thereof protruding from the piston bores 7 are supported on the inner face of a stroke ring 9 which by means of an anti - friction bearing is disposed eccentrically relative to the control pin 5 within the recess 4 . the inner ends of the pistons 8 define pumping chambers in the piston bores 7 . the radially internal ends of the piston bores 7 are stepped within the rotor 6 and are connected to piston stem bores 10 which terminate in the central bearing bore 11 of the rotor 6 . as noted above , the stem bores 10 create throttle restrictions , as the ratio between the diameters of the piston bores 7 and stem bores 10 is between 1 : 4 to 1 : 7 . formed in the control pin 5 , in the plane of the piston stem bores 10 , are control orifices 12 , 13 which upon rotation of the rotor 6 successively communicate with the piston stem bores 10 . the control orifice 12 is located in the intake area of the pistons 8 and , through a suction bore 14 , is in communication with a suction channel 15 extending within the control pin 5 in the longitudinal direction , which suction channel 15 is in communication with a suction connection 16 . the control orifice 13 is located in the pressure area of the pistons 8 and , through the pressure bore 17 , is connected to a pressure channel 18 formed within the control pin 5 in parallel to the suction channel 15 . the pressure channel 18 terminates in an annular groove 19 which is in communication with a pressure connection 20 . the rotor 6 , through a coupling 21 , is driven by a shaft 22 extending through a cover 23 closing the recess 4 . the configuration of the control orifices 12 , 13 in the control pin 5 is shown in fig3 and 4 . the layout of the flow cross - sections of the control orifice 12 located in the area of the suction stroke of pistons 8 determines the maximum volumetric rate and filling level and insures a damping of the pressure pulsations on the intake side . the control orifice 12 is subdivided in three different areas , with the first one commencing at a location of about 30 °, viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotor 6 marked by arrow x following the suction - mode dead center et resulting from the lowest space between the control pin 5 and the stroke ring 9 creating a minimum volume of the pumping chambers in the bores 7 . the area is configured as a restriction groove 24 of small cross - section . the restriction groove 24 is in the form of a triangular groove having an aperture angle of about 60 °. the aperture width thereof , preferably , is between 0 . 7 and 1 . 2 mm . it is especially at low speeds that the restriction groove 24 insures a defined partial filling of the piston bores 7 , preventing an excessive pressure decrease before reaching the suction bore 14 , thereby reducing pressure pulsations . the narrow restriction groove 24 directly terminates in the suction bore 14 forming the second section of the control orifice 12 , which is located at a space of about 140 ° from the suction - mode dead center et . the suction bore 14 is joined by a filling groove 26 of larger cross - section , forming the third section , with the filling groove 26 terminating in the compressed - mode dead center at . it is especially the position of the suction bore 14 that determines the effective full - load speed regulation of the radial piston pump 1 , with the filling groove 26 of a comparatively large cross - section improving mainly the filling level at speeds below the full - load speed regulation . by selecting the length of the filling groove 26 to be short , conversely , a heavy restriction of the suction flow , in the piston stem bores 10 , can be largely foregone , thereby reducing the susceptibility of the pump to clogging by the entrance of dirt . if a low full - load speed regulation is desired , the suction bore 14 can be disposed immediately before the compressed - mode dead center at , foregoing a filling groove 26 . the control orifice 13 in communication with the pressure connection 20 , in the area of the compressed - mode dead center at , is separated by a web 27 from the filling groove 26 . it is subdivided into two sections , a damping groove 28 and a pressure groove 29 . the cross - section of the damping groove 28 is small . tests have shown that triangular grooves having an aperture angle of about 60 ° and an aperture width of between 0 . 6 and 1 mm are adequate for a large variety of end - use applications . the angular range of the damping groove 28 , in the described embodiment , is 40 °. the damping groove 28 firstly serves to avoid the gradient of the pressure rise in the piston bores 7 at speeds above the full - load speed regulation . at such speeds , the piston bores 7 , when opening into communication with the control orifice 13 , in part are filled with pressure fluid and in part with vapor . due to the high systems pressure prevailing in the control orifice 13 , pressure fluid flows back into the piston bores 7 , thereby filling the same . in this connection , a pressure decrease occurs and immediately thereafter , in view of the displacement work of the pistons 8 , a renewed rise in the pressure to the level of the systems pressure takes place . due to the throttling effect of the damping groove 28 , the return flow in the piston bore 7 is damped while the pressure fluid , through the retraction movement of the pistons 8 , is compressed therein . in this manner , a comparatively slow pressure equilibrium is achieved between the piston bores 7 and the pressure connection 20 , and the pressure pulsations are substantially reduced . moreover , the cross section of the pressure groove 29 joining the damping groove 28 which , although markedly larger , is reduced to a minimum value , and also contributes to the damping of pressure pulsations . the pressure groove 29 extends to the suction - mode dead center et , thereby permitting delivery of the pistons 8 until the maximum retraction position is reached . the pressure bore 17 terminates in the end of the pressure groove 29 adjacent the suction - mode dead center et , thereby equally contributing to the damping effect of the pressure groove 29 . fig5 shows a projection in a plane for a preferred solution which differs from the one of fig4 . the essential difference over fig4 resides in that a restriction groove 24 , on the intake side , is eliminated , and also on the pressure side , the pressure control groove 28 has a check valve 32 ( roughly corresponding to the previously described damping groove ). also the surface of the control pin 5 no longer passes into the pressure groove 29 , but is rather separated therefrom by a separating web 30 . the communication is effected through a radial bore 31 symbolically shown in fig5 as line 31 a . the radial bore 31 and , hence , the damping groove 28 , through a check valve 32 and a damping channel d , are in communication with the pressure connection 20 . the pressure control opening is configured as a pressure groove 29 which , through the pressure bore 17 and a pressure channel 18 , is in communication with the pressure connection 20 as previously described in connection with fig1 . the check valve 32 may be provided in the radial bore 18 , in the pressure channel d , and even at the end of the pressure channel d in the connecting area toward the pressure connection 20 within the housing . the diameter of the radial bore 31 , in this instance , is shown slightly smaller than the diameter of the bores 14 and 17 . however , the radial bore 31 may be of the same diameter as the afore - mentioned bores . also , the width and the diameter of the radial groove 28 shown in fig5 are substantially uncritical so that it may be of the same width as the grooves 26 and 29 . also , it is possible to provide between grooves 28 and 29 or in lieu of groove 28 , a plural number of single series - arranged grooves which , respectively through a check valve of their own , are in communication with the pressure connection 20 . this will insure an enhanced output and a reduced noise development . compared to fig4 in addition , the restriction groove 24 has been foregone as this will permit a substantial simplification of the configuration of the grooves which now will all be of the same shape . the reduced output and the increased noise caused thereby is extremely low so that this is deemed to be a solution preferred over the one of fig4 . the position of the suction bore 14 over the filling groove 26 is substantially uncritical as long as only the intake bore 14 is in the area of the filling groove 26 . the length of the filling groove substantially is determined by the desired throttling effect as the filling level of the respective pump cylinder increases with the length of the filling groove 26 . basically , fig5 clearly shows that the pressure - sided control orifice 13 according to fig4 has been subdivided into two grooves by a separating web 30 , with the stepped pressure control groove 28 accepting pressure fluid from the piston bore 7 ( fig1 and 2 ), thereby substantially contributing to the rating of the pump , whereas a return flow from the groove 29 , through the channels 18 , d , from the groove 29 under a higher pressure into the pressure control groove 28 is prevented from occurring by the check valve 32 . the angular position of the grooves and bores as shown in fig5 is not imperative . a distributed position of the type as shown in fig6 has rather also proved to be successful . it shows , in accordance with fig3 but with a reverse direction of rotation of the rotor , or the channels 15 , 18 and d extending normal to the viewer &# 39 ; s plane , with the individually shown angles being sized as follows : a = 110 °; b = 70 °; c = 20 °. | 5 |
fig1 shows a filter cigarette making machine which comprises a distributor unit ve ( e . g ., of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 185 , 644 to heitmann and used in the aforementioned protos machine ), a rod treating unit se ( e . g ., of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 280 , 516 to reuland and used in the protos machine ), and a filter tipping unit fa ( e . g ., of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 281 , 670 to heitmann and used in the protos machine ). the distributor unit ve comprises a so - called distributor v ( also called hopper ) which serves to form a thin layer of tobacco particles and to convert such thin layer into a narrow stream s . the unit ve further comprises a temperature monitoring or measuring device t which generates signals denoting the temperature of successive increments of the stream s . the device t can comprise a conventional semiconductor which is installed in a channel for the tobacco stream and is influenced by changes in the temperature of successive increments of the stream s which is conveyed in a direction to the left . the temperature measuring device t is followed by a moisture measuring or monitoring device f which generates signals denoting the moisture content of successive increments of the stream s . a suitable moisture measuring device is disclosed in commonly owned u . s . pat . no . 3 , 979 , 581 to reuland . the device f is followed by an adjustable stream trimming or equalizing device e which removes the surplus from and thus converts the stream s into a rod - like filler which enters the rod treating unit se . a suitable trimming or equalizing device is used in the protos machine . the device e converts the stream s into a rod - like filler which has a predetermined cross - sectional outline as a result of removal of the surplus of tobacco extending from one or more sides of the stream to thus smoothen the external surface of the trimmed stream . an electric motor or other suitable means can be used to move the trimming device e relative to the stream s so as to change the plane of removal of the surplus and hence the quantity of fibrous material per unit length of the filler . reference may be had to numerous u . s . patents of the assignee of the present application . thus , the device e can influence the mass flow of fibrous material into the rod treating unit se . the rod treating unit se comprises a conventional wrapping device fo which drapes the filler into a continuous web of wrapping material ( such as a strip of cigarette paper which is drawn from a reel or another suitable source ). the wrapping device fo is followed by a conventional paster b which applies a film of adhesive to one longitudinally extending marginal portion of the running web of wrapping material before such marginal portion is folded over the other marginal portion to complete the conversion of the web into a tubular body surrounding the equalized filler and to form with the other marginal portion of the web a seam extending in parallelism with the axis of the thus obtained cigarette rod . the seam is thereupon heated or cooled by a sealer n ( e . g ., a conventional tandem sealer ) to promote rapid setting of the adhesive . the cigarette rod is monitored by a hardness measuring device h , e . g ., a device of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 921 , 644 to von der lohe , in british pat . no . 1 , 422 , 992 or in german offenlegungsschrift no . 22 41 774 . the device h generates signals denoting the hardness of successive increments of the filler in the cigarette rod . the device h is followed by a measuring or monitoring device d which generates signals denoting the mass flow ( quantity or mass per unit length ) of the filler in the cigarette rod . a suitable mass flow or density measuring device is manufactured by the assignee of the present application and is known as nsr . this device employs a source of corpuscular radiation ( e . g ., a source of beta rays ) and an ionization chamber which serves as a transducer and transmits signals denoting the mass per unit length of the filler in the cigarette rod . the device d is followed by a cutoff m which subdivides the cigarette rod into a file of discrete plain cigarettes z of unit length or multiple ( e . g ., double ) unit length , and such cigarettes are caused to move sideways by a transfer device a of the type used in the aforediscussed protos cigarette maker . the thus diverted cigarettes z enter the filter tipping unit fa . the unit fa comprises an applicator am ( used in the aforediscussed max 80 assembly of the protos machine ) which attaches to each cigarette z one or more filter mouthpieces by using uniting bands made of so - called tipping paper which is drawn off a bobbin or from another suitable source and is draped around the abutting ends of filter mouthpieces and the respective cigarettes z . reference may be had to u . s . pat . no . 4 , 281 , 670 to heitmann . the thus obtained filter cigarettes fz are introduced into an adjustable perforating apparatus pe wherein their wrappers are provided with perforations to alter their permeability and hence the rate of admission of atmospheric air into tobacco smoke . as a rule , the apparatus pe applies one or more annuli of perforations in the region where the filter mouthpiece of the filter cigarette fz abuts the respective tobacco - containing portion ( either a cigarette z or a portion of a cigarette z ). the perforating apparatus pe can employ one or more lasers as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 281 , 670 to heitmann or a spark generating device of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 247 , 754 to baier . if the device of baier is used , the outer layers of the filter mouthpieces are preferably permeable to air . the reference character sl denotes an apparatus which is used to adjust or regulate the operation of the perforating apparatus pe in accordance with a feature of the present invention . filter cigarettes fz1 which issue from the perforating apparatus pe are introduced into a permeability measuring or monitoring device p which generates and transmits signals denoting the actual permeability of the wrappers of rod - shaped articles fz1 . a suitable monitoring device is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 177 , 670 to heitmann . tested filter cigarettes fz2 are transported to storage , to a further processing station or to a packing machine . defective filter cigarettes fz2 are segregated from satisfactory filter cigarettes and are delivered to a device ( not shown ) which recovers the particles of tobacco and returns them to the magazine of the distributor v . the machine of fig1 further comprises a signal comparing stage vg1 whose input a receives a reference signal denoting the desired permeability of the wrappers of articles fz1 , whose input b receives signals from the output of the measuring device p , and whose output c transmits difference signals to the adjusting apparatus sl to regulate the making of perforations in dependency on a plurality of parameters including the mass per unit length of the filler of the cigarette rod . a second signal comparing stage vg2 has an input a which receives a reference signal denoting the desired mass flow ( mass per unit length of the filler ), a second input b receiving from the device d signals which denote the actual mass flow of the filler , and an output c which transmits signals to the aforementioned electric motor or other suitable means for adjusting the device e and for thus changing the mass flow . a third signal comparing stage vg3 has an input a receiving a reference signal denoting the desired hardness of the filler , an input b receiving signals from the device h and denoting the actual hardness of the filler , and an output c which transmits difference signals to the input a of a function generator fg . the signal at the output c of the stage vg3 is further transmitted to the input a of the stage vg2 . the signals pg at the output of the function generator fg are transmitted to the input a of the stage vg1 which , in turn , transmits signals to the adjusting apparatus sl . the signals ps are stored in the function generator fg and are modified in accordance with changes in characteristics of the input signals sg . it is assumed that the condensate k in the smoke which develops during smoking of tested filter cigarettes fz2 is at least substantially constant i . e ., that the taste of the smoke changes little or not at all . the input a1 of the function generator fg receives signals from the moisture measuring device f , and the input a2 of the function generator receives signals from the temperature measuring device t . such signals influence the output signals ps . the input a3 of the function generator fg can receive signals from a device ( not shown ) which monitors the blend ( mixture ) of the material forming the stream s . regulation of output signals ps in dependency on signals from the devices f and t is desirable and advantageous because the hardness of the filler depends on the temperature and moisture content of fibrous material forming the stream s . the distributor v forms a homogeneous shower of tobacco particles , and such shower is converted into the narrow stream s . the devices t and f respectively generate signals which denote the temperature and the moisture content of successive increments of the stream s , and such signals are transmitted to the corresponding inputs a1 and a2 of the function generator fg . the stream s is equalized by the device e , and the resulting filler is draped into cigarette paper in the wrapping device fo to form with the wrapping material a continuous cigarette rod . the wrapping material is coated with adhesive by the paster b , and the seam is conditioned by the sealer n upstream of the hardness measuring device h . the device h transmits to the input b of the signal comparing stage vg3 signals which denote the hardness of successive increments of the filler in the cigarette rod , and successive increments of the filler in the rod are then monitored by the device d which transmits signals to the input b of the signal comparing stage sg2 , such signals denoting the mass per unit length of the filler in the cigarette rod . the cutoff m subdivides the rod into discrete cigarettes z which are deflected by the device a to enter the tipping device am which turns out filter cigarettes fz . the filter cigarettes fz are treated in the perforating apparatus pe which provides the wrappers of the plain cigarettes , the wrappers of the uniting bands and / or the wrappers of the filter mouthpieces with one or more rows or other arrays of perforations to thus increase the permeability of the wrappers . the operation of the apparatus pe is regulated by the adjusting apparatus sl in accordance with the signals at the output c of the signal comparing stage sg1 . filter cigarettes fz1 which leave the apparatus pe are monitored in the device p which transmits signals denoting the permeabilities of the wrappers to the input b of the stage sg1 . such signals are compared with signals ps at the input a of the stage sg1 , and the signals at the output c of the stage sg1 are indicative of differences between the characteristics of signals ps and signals from the device p to adjust the apparatus pe accordingly by way of the apparatus sl . the device p ensures that the permeability of each filter cigarette fz2 matches or sufficiently approximates that which is denoted by reference signals ps transmitted by the output of the function generator fg . if the device h transmits a signal whose intensity and / or another characteristic deviates from the corresponding characteristic of the selected reference signal at the input a of the stage vg3 , the output c of the stage vg3 transmits a signal sg to the input a of the function generator fg . at the same time , the signal which is generated by the stage vg3 is transmitted to the input a of the stage vg2 whose output c then transmits a signal to adjust the level of the trimming device e , i . e ., to change the mass flow of fibrous material in the path leading to the device d . the signals which are generated by the device d are compared with those at the input a of the stage vg2 to ensure that the adjustment of the level of the trimming device e is completed as soon as the mass flow reaches a value which is denoted by the characteristics of the signal at the input a of the stage vg2 . the signal which is transmitted to the input a of the function generator fg influences the function generator to transmit a modified output signal ps which is transmitted to the adjusting apparatus sl by way of the stage vg1 to influence the perforating action at pe . the intensity and / or another characteristic of the output signal ps can also be influenced by signals which are applied to the inputs a1 , a2 , a3 of the function generator fg , i . e ., by changes in the moisture content , temperature and / or mixture of fibrous material . such signals influence the characteristics of the input signal sg . fig2 shows a modified filter cigarette making machine wherein all such units , stages , devices and apparatus which are identical with or clearly analogous to the corresponding components of the machine of fig1 are denoted by similar reference characters . the device h of fig1 ( which directly ascertains the hardness of the filler of the cigarette rod ) is replaced with a device fk which is designed to indirectly monitor the hardness of the filler ( e . g ., in a manner as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 280 , 516 , in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 290 , 436 or in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 284 , 087 ) and to transmit appropriate signals to the input a1 of a first function generator fg1 which replaces the signal comparing stage vg3 of fig1 . the function generator fg1 transmits output signals sg which are applied to the input a of the signal comparing stage sg2 as well as to the input a1 of a second function generator fg2 . signals sg at the output of the function generator fg1 denote the desired mass flow of fibrous material . the operation of the function generator fg1 is based on the assumption that the hardness h of the filler is at least substantially constant . the inputs a2 and a3 of the function generator fg1 receive signals from the moisture measuring device f and from the temperature monitoring device t , respectively . the input a4 of the function generator fg1 receives a signal denoting the mixture or blend of fibrous material forming the stream s . the signal sg at the output of the function generator fg1 is compared with the signal at the input b of the stage vg2 , and the latter transmits a signal which is used to adjust the level of the equalizing device e until the signal from the mass flow measuring device d matches the signal from the output of the function generator fg1 . the signals ps at the output of the second function generator fg2 are transmitted to the input a of the stage vg1 whose mode of operation is analogous to that of the similarly referenced stage in the machine of fig1 . the operation of the second function generator fg2 is based on the assumption that the quantity of condensate k in the smoke is substantially constant . the input a2 of the function generator fg2 receives a signal which is indicative of a characteristic of fibrous material , e . g ., of the mixture of tobacco particles which form the stream . fig3 shows certain detail of a distributor or hopper which can be used in the machine of fig2 and contains a filling power or firmness measuring device fk2 which can be used in lieu of the device fk . two carded drums 1 and 2 are provided to draw tobacco particles from a magazine 3 , and two picker rollers ( not referenced ) are used to expel fibrous material from the carding of the drums 1 , 2 and to propel the expelled particles onto the upper reach of the endless belt 4 of a belt weigher or scale 6 . a transducer 8 generates signals which denote the quantity of fibrous material on the upper reach of the belt 4 of the weigher 6 , and such signals are transmitted to a regulator 9 for a motor 11 which drives the belt 4 at a variable speed . a feeder 7 supplies the removed surplus from the equalizing device e . the arrangement is such that the right - hand end of the belt 4 delivers fibrous material at a constant rate into an upright duct 12 wherein the upper level of the accumulated column of fibrous material is monitored by one or more photoelectric cells 13 or other suitable monitoring means in a manner which is described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 185 , 644 to heitmann . signals which are generated by the monitoring means 13 are transmitted to an evaluating circuit 14 which controls the operation of a variable - speed motor 16 for a carded drum 17 serving to draw fibrous material from the outlet at the lower end of the duct 12 . fibrous material which is entrained by the carding of the drum 17 is expelled by a picker roller 18 which propels the material onto a belt conveyor 19 corresponding to the conveyor 41 in fig1 of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 185 , 644 to heitmann . heavier particles of fibrous material ( such as fragments of tobacco ribs ) are intercepted by a trough 21 , and the lighter particles advance into the stream forming zone to be used for the formation of the stream s . if the filling power of fibrous material in the duct 12 remains unchanged , the drum 17 withdraws fibrous material at the rate at which the upper end of the duct 12 receives fibrous material from the belt 4 of the weigher 6 . when the filling power of fibrous material changes , the drum 17 withdraws more fibrous material per unit of time than before ( while its rpm remains unchanged ) if the filling power of fibrous material decreases , and the drum 17 withdraws less fibrous material per unit of time ( while its rpm remains unchanged ) if the filling power of the fibrous material increases . the level of the column of fibrous material in the duct 12 then changes , and such change is detected by the monitoring means 13 which induces the evaluating circuit 14 to alter the rpm of the drum 17 so that the rate of withdrawal is again constant and the drum 17 again draws a stream wherein the mass flow is constant . thus , the signal at the output of the evaluating circuit 14 is indicative of the filling power of fibrous material in the distributor v and can be transmitted to the input a1 of the first function generator fg1 of fig2 in lieu of the signal from the filling power measuring device fk . it is further possible to connect the output of the evaluating circuit 14 with the regulator 9 for the motor 11 so that the speed of the belt 4 of the weigher 6 can be caused to conform to the changed filling power of fibrous material . the perforating apparatus pe can be designed to provide certain first portions of the wrappers with holes by means of one or more lasers and certain second portions of the wrappers with holes which are formed with spark discharge as disclosed in the patent to baier . the signals which are applied to the input a3 of the function generator fg of fig1 or to the input a4 of the function generator fg1 of fig2 can be determined empirically . an important advantage of the improved apparatus and of the machine which embodies such apparatus is that the regulation of permeability of the wrappers does not affect the taste of the smoke and / or the quantity of condensate in the smokers &# 39 ; products so that it is possible to accurately report the quantities of condensate on the packs for cigarettes and the like . without further analysis , the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that , from the standpoint of prior art , fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of my contribution to the art and , therefore , such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the appended claims . | 8 |
fig1 is a flowchart of a method for performing motion estimation and compensation to fractional pixel accuracy using polyphase prediction filters as part of a video compression / decompression technique in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig1 a is a schematic block diagram of a video encoder which uses motion compensation as part of its video compression process . this fig1 a is representative of video encoders compliant with such standards as mpeg - 1 , mpeg - 2 , mpeg - 4 , h . 263 , and h . 26l ( proposed ). fig2 is a schematic block diagram of a system including an apparatus for performing motion estimation and compensation to fractional pixel accuracy using polyphase prediction filters as part of a video compression / decompression technique in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig2 shows a video encoder 100 and a video decoder 200 . fig2 shows a motion estimator 101 and a motion compensator 201 as elements of the video encoder 100 , and it shows a motion compensator 201 as an element of video decoder 200 . a communication channel 150 is shown interfacing video encoder 100 , presumably at a first location , to video decoder 200 , which is presumably at a second location . communication channel 150 provides a means for transmitting compressed video data from video encoder 100 to video decoder 200 . alternatively , video encoder 100 and decoder 200 may be co - located and the communication channel 150 used to transmit compressed video data to a storage medium such as an image server . the video data may then be compressed , transmitted to the storage medium , retrieved from the storage medium , and decompressed . fig3 is a schematic block diagram of the motion estimator 101 of the apparatus of fig2 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . motion estimator 101 includes a reference image buffer 110 , a current image buffer 120 , a polyphase filter 170 , a video block comparator 130 , a video block estimator 140 , and a polyphase filter coefficient bank 160 . in fig3 , the output of the reference image buffer 110 interfaces to the polyphase filter 170 and also to the video block comparator 130 . the outputs of the polyphase filter 170 , the reference image buffer 110 and of the current image buffer 120 interface to inputs of video block comparator 130 in order to input macroblocks of video data to video block comparator 130 . the video block comparator can select between the reference image buffer 110 and the output of polyphase filter , as one of its inputs ; the signal from reference image buffer 110 can be utilized in place of the signal from polyphase filter 170 when phase shift or pixel interpolation is not required . an output of video block comparator 130 connects to an input of video block estimator 140 . an output of video block estimator 140 connects to an input of video block comparator 130 , and another output of video block estimator 140 connects to an input of the polyphase filter coefficient bank 160 . an output of polyphase filter coefficient bank 160 connects to an input of polyphase filter 170 . fig3 a illustrates encoder data interface 180 and decoder data interface 190 . encoder data interface 180 interfaces to signals 131 , 133 and 135 from motion estimator 101 , and to communications channel 150 . decoder data interface 190 interfaces to communications channel 150 and to signals 131 , 133 , and 135 to the motion compensator in the decoder . fig4 is a schematic block diagram of the motion compensator 201 of the apparatus of fig2 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . motion compensator 201 includes a polyphase filter coefficient bank 260 and a video compensation module 270 . an output of polyphase filter coefficient bank 260 connects to an input of video compensation module 270 . a motion vector signal 131 connects to an input 131 of polyphase filter coefficient bank 260 . a residual error macroblock signal 133 connects to a first input 133 of video compensation module 270 . a reference macroblock signal 135 connects to a second input 135 of video compensation module 270 . in an embodiment of the present invention , connections 131 , 133 , and 135 may be separate , dedicated interfaces to motion estimator 101 , for example in a video encoder 100 . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention connections 131 , 133 , and 135 may be interfaces to decoder data interface 190 , for example in a video decoder 200 . the various elements illustrated in fig2 , 3 , 3 a , and 4 may be dedicated hardware elements such as circuit boards with digital signal processors or may be software running on a general purpose computer or processor such as a commercial , off - the - shelf pc . also , the various elements may be embedded in a single video processing chip . the various elements may be combined or separated according to various embodiments of the present invention . in an embodiment of the present invention , a motion estimation method provides motion compensation prediction to minimize the data bits that are required to be transmitted . an embodiment of the present invention also provides for less expensive and less complex structures and mechanisms for encoding and decoding video . one of the motion estimation methods searches for the ( locally ) most - similar macroblock ( denoted as the reference macroblock ) in the integer positions first and then refines to fractional positions by using the reference macroblock and data around it . referring to fig5 , the reference macroblock 112 is first found in the reference video image 111 and its surrounding data are used in the refining prediction ( estimation ) process through filtering using a set of polyphase prediction filters . in an embodiment of the present invention , polyphase prediction filters perform motion compensated prediction to fractional pixel accuracy . a polyphase filter structure is used to directly produce an optimized translation of the predicted video macroblock . the polyphase filter structure has the same number of phases as the number of fractional pixel positions required by the video compression algorithm . for example , in a system with ¼ - pixel resolution , the polyphase prediction filters have four unique phases for the horizontal axis , and four unique phases for the vertical axis . in the case of ⅛ - pixel resolution , for example , the polyphase filters have eight unique phases for each axis . it is also recognized that the 8 - phase filter can also be used in ¼ - pel position interpolation . other embodiments are contemplated in which the set of coefficients for one axis is the same as the set of coefficients for the other axis . for example , in fig6 , a current macroblock 122 of video data has moved with respect to a reference macroblock 112 of video data . more specifically , any given pixel 123 in the current macroblock 122 has moved ¼ of a pixel in the horizontal direction and ⅜ of a pixel in the vertical direction . in other words , the current macroblock 122 of video data has moved to a new fractional pixel position 113 with respect to the reference macroblock 112 . polyphase prediction filters may be used to translate the reference macroblock 112 accounting for the fractional pixel movement and associated phase shift . in the example , the polyphase filter structure supports eight phases or fractional pixel positions between integer pixel positions , thus providing a fractional pixel accuracy of ⅛ pixel . in h . 26l prediction , it is necessary to perform a series of tests depending on the relative position of the desired sub - pixel location with respect to the integer - pixel positions . an embodiment of the present invention uses a well - defined and regularized method that applies equally to all fractional - pixel positions without having to consider the relative position of the desired interpolated pixel with respect to the integer - pixel data . the regular structure enables the design of simple hardware for the application of motion translation of reference macroblock data . embodiments of the present invention are simple to implement and do not require performing tests on the relative positions of fractional - pixels . further embodiments of the present invention do not require performing different levels of filtering . the simplicity reduces production and operation costs . for example , the polyphase structure may be expressed by a single fir filter with loadable coefficients . particular coefficients are selected by a simple decision based on the fractional - pixel position . the implementation may be effected by very simple hardware and software . referring to fig1 , in step 10 , a particular set of polyphase prediction filters is selected based on a desired fractional pixel resolution . if a ⅛ pixel fractional pixel resolution is desired , then a set of eight polyphase prediction filters are selected , one filter for each phase between integer pixel locations . the same eight filters may be used for both horizontal and vertical directions or separate , dedicated sets of filters may be selected for each axis . as an illustration and corresponding to the motion estimation method described above , steps 20 and 30 in fig1 show one of the embodiments of the invention . in step 20 , a current macroblock 122 of video data is compared to the macroblocks whose top - left corner starts at integer positions in a reference image 111 . the comparison is accomplished by video block comparator 130 ( see fig3 ). video block comparator 130 selects a reference macroblock 112 that is closest ( or locally closest ) to the current macroblock 122 ( see fig6 ). in step 30 , polyphase prediction filters are applied to the selected reference macroblock 112 and its neighboring data according to the fractional pixel positions to generate estimated macroblocks to compare with the current macroblock and get the final closest estimated reference macroblock , which may start at a fractional pixel . fig7 shows an example of a fractional pixel array bounded by four integer pixels 450 on the corners and comprising a set of fractional pixels 460 . the array comprises a total of 81 pixel positions . the polyphase filter structure 400 is used to generate the set of estimated macroblocks of video data . in one embodiment of the present invention , the polyphase filter structure 400 comprises a bank of polyphase filter coefficients 410 from which to select , and a 6 - tap fir filter structure 420 to which the filter coefficients may be applied . in fig3 , the structure is represented by the polyphase filter coefficient bank 160 and polyphase filter 170 . each phase of the polyphase filter structure , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , is designed to perform the correct phase shift for the fractional - pixel location , improving the resulting picture quality . the improvement is especially noticeable where fine horizontally or vertically oriented detail in the picture travel across the active displayed region . when only bilinear interpolation is used , the picture may exhibit phase shifts that are characterized by a pulsating effect on such details . the use of the correct interpolative phases in accordance with an embodiment present invention minimizes the pulsating effect and other artifacts generated as a consequence of improperly shifting the interpolative fractional - pixel phase . for each row of pixels in the pixel array of fig7 , there is a corresponding set of polyphase filter coefficients for vertical interpolation filtering . similarly , for each column of pixels in the array , there is a corresponding set of polyphase filter coefficients for horizontal interpolation filtering which may be the same or different from the set of filter coefficients for the rows . to generate a particular estimated macroblock of video data from the original reference macroblock , the 6 - tap fir filter is loaded up with integer pixel values from the reference macroblock . for example , to generate the estimated macroblock corresponding to a shift in position of 3 fractional pixel positions in the horizontal direction ( i . e . the ⅜ shift shown in fig6 ), the polyphase filter coefficients corresponding to the third phase of the eight phases is applied to the fir filter 420 . the fir filter is loaded with six integer pixel values from the reference macroblock 112 at filter input 430 , three integer pixels 114 to the left of the fractional pixel of interest 113 and three integer pixels 115 to the right . each integer pixel value in the filter 420 is multiplied by its corresponding filter coefficient . the products are then summed to generate the new fractional pixel value at filter output 440 corresponding to the horizontal component of fractional pixel position 113 . the filtering process is performed for all integer pixels in the reference macroblock to generate the estimated macroblock corresponding to horizontal movement of three - phases ( i . e . three fractional pixel locations in the horizontal direction ). filtering is then performed similarly in the vertical direction on the horizontally translated data to obtain the final estimated macroblock of video data . as shown in the example of fig6 , the vertical shift corresponds to ¼ = 2 / 8 or two fractional pixel positions . the filtering process of step 30 is performed for each of the possible fractional pixel positions 460 . the result is multiple estimated macroblocks of video data , one macroblock for each fractional pixel position . video block estimator 140 is structured to select the filter coefficients from polyphase filter coefficient bank 160 via connection 146 , which coefficients are provided to polyphase filter 170 via connection 147 . the polyphase filter 170 creates an estimated macroblock from reference image data using the coefficients so provided . the video block estimator also directs the video block comparator 170 via signal 145 to compare the estimated macroblocks from the polyphase filter . in an embodiment of the present invention , a set of eight phases of 6 - tap filter coefficients include the following : phase 0 filter : 0 0 256 0 0 0 phase 1 filter : 5 − 21 249 30 − 8 1 phase 2 filter : 8 − 34 228 68 − 17 3 phase 3 filter : 9 − 38 195 111 − 27 6 phase 4 filter : 8 − 35 155 155 − 35 8 phase 5 filter : 6 − 27 111 195 − 38 9 phase 6 filter : 3 − 17 68 228 − 34 8 phase 7 filter : 1 − 8 30 249 − 21 5 in step 40 , the video block comparator 130 compares the estimated macroblocks to the current macroblock 122 to determine the estimated macroblock that is most similar to the current macroblock 122 . if the current macroblock 122 did indeed move by an exact number of fractional pixel positions , then the chosen estimated macroblock is typically very similar to the current macroblock 122 and it may have exactly the same value . however , it is often the case that the movement of the current macroblock is in between the fractional pixel locations . even though the fractional pixel prediction may get close to estimating the current macroblock , a residual error will typically still exist between the two . in step 50 , the video block comparator 130 computes the residual error between the chosen estimated macroblock and the current macroblock 122 for each pixel position . the result is a residual error macroblock that is output from video block comparator 130 at output 133 . if the difference between the chosen estimated macroblock and the current macroblock 122 is small , then the residual error macroblock may be represented with a small number of digital bits . in step 60 , video block estimator 140 computes a motion vector that is output from video block estimator 140 at output 131 . the motion vector represents the fractional pixel movement component between the final reference macroblock as described above and the current macroblock 122 . the motion vector may also be represented as a small number of digital bits . the reference macroblock 112 is also output from the video block comparator 130 at output 135 . in step 70 , the motion vector , and the residual error macroblock , usually after they are processed and coded in certain form , are transmitted over a communication channel 150 to either a video storage device or to a video decoder 200 at a remote location . the ( usually processed and coded ) motion vector and the residual error macroblock represent the compressed video data for the current macroblock 122 of video data . as a result , video data may be transmitted much more efficiently and may be re - created later . once the data is compressed and transmitted and / or stored as a motion vector and a residual error macroblock , a current macroblock may be re - created by applying the motion vector and residual error macroblock to the reference macroblock of video data as shown in step 80 . referring to fig4 , the motion vector at input 131 selects the correct polyphase filter coefficients from the polyphase filter coefficient bank 260 in motion compensator 200 corresponding to the fractional pixel motion of the current macroblock with respect to the reference macroblock . the video compensation module 270 applies the selected polyphase filter coefficients to the reference macroblock 112 and its neighboring data that is input to the video compensation module 270 at input 135 to generate the estimated macroblock . the video compensation module 270 filters the reference macroblock 112 , as previously described , to generate the estimated macroblock . the video compensation module 270 then applies the residual error macroblock , input to video compensation module 270 at input 133 , to the estimated macroblock to generate the compensated macroblock which is a reconstruction of the current macroblock 122 . the process is known as video reconstruction . as a result , the current macroblock 122 is reconstructed . the reconstructed data may be selectively stored to be used as reference pictures for future pictures . an embodiment of the present invention comprises applying a polyphase interpolative structure for the h . 26l codec in the form of an 8 - phase , 6 - tap polyphase filter . the method may be applied to other codecs that require more accurate fractional pixel prediction , bearing in mind that the number of phases in the structure corresponds to the number of desired fractional pixel positions . there is no restriction on the number of taps in each phase . in summary , certain embodiments of the present invention afford an approach to achieve efficient video compression / decompression of macroblocks of video data to fractional pixel accuracy by reducing the residual error data to be stored or transmitted . in an embodiment of the present invention used in h . 26l prediction , a general form polyphase filter structure computes the fractional - pixel prediction for macroblocks of pixel data . the polyphase structure consists of 8 phases , each phase comprising six coefficients . the number of phases corresponds to the number of fractional pixel locations needed to perform up to ⅛ - pixel prediction . each ⅛ - pixel location is assigned a set of coefficients corresponding to one phase of the polyphase filter structure . the computation of a fractional pixel position is done using a six - tap filter structure . the six - tap filter is implemented using one embodiment of a fir filter structure . in the embodiment , it is not necessary to perform any other operation for the desired fractional pixel position other than selecting the set of coefficients assigned to the position as indicated by the corresponding phase of the polyphase filter . for two - dimensional prediction , the polyphase interpolation is performed first in one direction ( horizontal or vertical ) and then the resulting data is polyphase interpolated in the other direction . the regularized structure of an embodiment of the present invention enables the interpolation for any fractional pixel location regardless of the number of fractional pixel positions . further , the same set of coefficients may be used to perform larger fractional - pixel positions . for example , the same set of coefficients used for ⅛ - pixel interpolation may be used for ¼ - pixel interpolation provided the correct phase is selected . for example , the selected phases may be 0 , 2 / 8 , 4 / 8 , 6 / 8 . while the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
while the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which particular embodiments and methods of implantation are shown , it is to be understood at the outset that persons skilled in the art may modify the invention herein described while achieving the functions and results of this invention . accordingly , the descriptions which follow are to be understood as illustrative and exemplary of specific structures , aspects and features within the broad scope of the present invention and not as limiting of such broad scope . the present invention comprises a method of identifying and treating patients who suffer from certain known psychiatric disorders . as suggested by this introductory statement , the specific steps involved with this method comprise two separate stages : first , the identification of patients and the preparation for surgical intervention ; and second , the actual surgical procedure . with respect to the first of these stages , that is the pre - operative steps , the identification of suitable patients begins with the accumulation of physical , chemical , and historical behavioral data on each patient . a collection of patients who have been identified as exhibiting similar clinical symptoms are then grouped together and subject to a series of common non - invasive brain imaging studies . these brain imaging studies are intended to identify the regions of the brain , and more particularly , the regions of the orbitofrontal cortex , which exhibits clinically recognizable deviation from normal electrica and / or metabolic activity . several diagnostic tools are useful in this capacity , including fluoro - deoxyglucose - positron - emission tomography ( fdg - pet ), electro - encephalography ( eeg ), magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ), and magnetoencephelagraphy . in the present invention , psychiatric disorders such as affective disorder ( including major depression and bipolar disorder ), anxiety disorder ( including general anxiety disorder , obsessive compulsive disorder , and panic disorder ) and substance abuse disorder are identified as having a probable commonality in frontal lobe activity associated with the orbitofrontal cortex . therefore , once a patient has been identified as exhibiting abnormal clinical behavior symptomatic of one of these disorders , subsequent pre - operative brain imaging scans are used to support the presumption that the abnormal signals associated with the disorder are being associated with this region of the frontal cerebral cortex , and then surgical intervention with electrical and / or chemical stimulation is taken . surgical intervention comprises the second stage of the treatment . it is the specific use of the electrical stimulator and / or drug - delivery catheter , for treatment of psychiatric disorders which comprises the inventive step in the present method , and not the implantation technique itself . more particularly , the standard neurosurgical techniques for implantation of an electrical stimulation device and / or drug delivery device into the brain may be utilized . in fact , referring to fig3 and 5 , in which a side cross - section of a human brain having the aforementioned types of stimulation is provided , it shall be understood that the impantation of electrodes and or catheters into various regions of the brain , specifically the ofc is known . in particular , fig3 shows a stimulation electrode implanted within the ofc in accordance with a method that is an aspect of the present invention . fig4 shows the stimulation electrode implanted epidurally ( subdurally ) to the ofc . fig5 shows a catheter implanted within the ofc . it is the application of this technique for the treatment of psychiatric disorders which has not previously been described . this technique , therefore , is as follows . patients who are to have an electrode and / or catheter implanted within the ofc , first have a steroetactic head frame , such as the leksell , crw , or compass , is mounted to the patient &# 39 ; s skull by fixed screws . subsequent to the mounting of the frame , the patient undergoes a series of magnetic resonance imaging sessions , during which a series of two dimensional slice images of the patient &# 39 ; s brain are built up into a quasi - three dimensional map in virtual space . this map is then correlated to the three dimensional stereotactic frame of reference in the real surgical field . in order to align these two coordinate frames , both the instruments and the patient must be situated in correspondence to the virtual map . the head frame is therefore rigidly mounted to the sugical table . subsequently , a series of reference points are established relative aspects of the frame and patient &# 39 ; s skull , so that the computer can adjust and calculate the correlation between the real world of the patient &# 39 ; s head and the virtual space model of the patient mri scans . the surgeon is able to target any region within the stereotactic space of the brain within 1 millimeter precision . initial anatomical target localization is achieved either directly using the mri images , or indirectly using interactive anatomical atlas programs which map the atlas image onto the steroetactic image of the brain . in the present invention , the target space is that occupied by the orbitofrontal cortex . one form of the surgical aspect of the invention involves the placement of an electrode and / or drug - delivery cathter within the ofc substance itself . this surgery can be performed under either local or general anaesthetic . an initial incision is made in the scalp , preferably 3 - 4 centimeters lateral to the midline of the skull , anterior to the coronal suture . a burr hole is then drilled in the skull itself ; the size of the hole being suitable to permit surgical manipulation and implantation of the electrode . this size of the hole is generally about 14 millimeters . the dura is then opened , and a fibrin glue is applied to minimize cerebral spinal fluid leaks and the entry of air into the cranial cavity . a guide tube cannula with a blunt tip is then inserted into the brain parechyma to a point approximately one centimeter from the target tissue . at this time physiological localization starts with the ultimate aim of correlating the anatomical and physiological findings to establish the final stereotactic target structure . physiological localization using single - cell microelectrode recording is preferable for definitive target determination . sole reliance on anatomical localization can be problematic because of the possible discrepancies between the expected location ( expected from the visualization provided by the virtual imaging of the mri ) and the actual position within the skull . microelectrode recording povides exquisite physiological identification of neuronal firing patterns via direct measures of individual single unit neuronal acitivity . single - cell microelectrode recordings obtained from intralaminar thalamic cells typically have a characteristic bursting activity . in addition to microelectrode recording , microstimulation and or macrostimulation may be performed to provide further physiological localization . once the final target nuclei have been identified in the real spatial frame of reference , the permanent electrode and / or drug - delivery catheter is implanted . general principles guiding the final implantation of an electrode involve the placement of the electrode in a , region , and in an orientation , allowing for maximal efficacy while minimizing the undesired side effects . the currently used brain stimulating electrodes are quadripolar electrodes . the electrode itself is approximately 1 - 1 . 5 millimeter diameter flexible elastomeric sheath which contains four wound wire leads . the leads terminate at the distal and proximal ends of the sheath in four electrically insulated cylindrical contact pad . the contact pads at the distal end are less than 2 millimeters in length and are separated by an insulating distance , for example between 0 . 5 and 2 millimeters . at the proximal end , which is anywhere from 25 to 50 centimeters distance from the distal end , a corresponding series of contacts are provided so that the electrode may be coupled to a potential source , or to a coupling lead which permits remote disposition of the signal source . the drug delivery cathter is a silastic tube similar to the one used in the intrathecal drug delivery systems commonly in use . with regard to catheter placement , care is taken not to place the catheter directly within a vascular structure . this can be achieved by combing data from conventional and / or magnetic resonance angiography into the stereotactic targeting model . the distal portion of the cathter has multiple orifices to maximize delivery of the agent while minimizing mechanical occlusion . the proximal portion of the catheter can be connected directly to a pump or via a metal and / or plastic hollow connector , to an extending cathter . the second aspect of the invention involves the placement of an electrode and / or drug - delivery catheter epidurally and / or subdurally in the region of the ofc . this is also a stereotactic procedure done either under local or general anaesthesia . in this case , however , a frameless based stereotactic system is used ( smn , steatlth , cygnus etc .). in these systems , fiducials , a type of marker , is placed on the patient &# 39 ; s scalp prior to preoperative imaging studies . these markers form a virtual frame around which the stereotactic targeting model is built . next , curivlinear incision is made behind the hairline , approximately 0 . 5 cm anterior to the pinna , extending from the root of the zygoma to the midline . next , a limited “ pterional - type ” craniotomy is fashioned with particular care in gaining access to the orbital surface of the frontal lobe . the electrodes could then be placed in the epidural and / or subdural space and secured with non - absorbable suture . the drug catheter would be placed in the subdural and ideally the subarachnoid space . further intraoperative physiological localization measures would proceed as above . the initial application of the electrical signal through the electrode is then attempted . the range of signal types are between 0 . 1 to 20 volts , with a pulse width of 10 microseconds to 1000 microseconds , and a frequency of 2 to 2500 hertz . the stimulation can be monopolar or bipolar depending upon the specific relative potentials applied to the electrical contacts relative to the patient &# 39 ; s tissue . various stimulation parameters are tested to assess side effects ( such as motor contraction , paresthesias , visual disturbance , pain , and autonomic modulation ) or clinical efficacy . with regard to a chemical based system , the drug - delivery pump may be programmed with an initial nominal dose scheme . psychiatric disorders treated by electrostimulation and / or pharmacotherapy , however , may take up to six months to demonstrate clinical efficacy . long term adjustment of the signal and / or dosage being applied by the power source and / or drug - delivery pump may be required to optimize the outcome . if the patient &# 39 ; s symptoms do not subside , the surgeon will attempt to adjust all of the parameters until they do . as is readily obvious to anyone who has witnessed the unnecessary surgical procedure associated with the remote localization of the power source and / or drug - delivery system , it is desirable the burr cap structure itself comprise the signal and / or drug source . however , as that option is not presently available the signal source generator and / or drug - delivery system must be disposed at a remote site in the patient &# 39 ; s body . a specially designed plastic cap is generally provided to seat in the burr hole , and permit the proximal end of the electrode to pass out through the skull . the incision in the patient &# 39 ; s skull is then sutured closed with the electrode temporarily stored under the skin . if the patient is not already under general anaesthesia , the patient is so disposed and a tunnel is formed under the dermal layers , connecting the incision in the scalp to the remote location for the signal generator and / or drug pump ( usually the infraclavicular region , beneath the collar bone — where cardiovascular pace makers are implanted or the paraumbilical region ). subsequent joining of the electrode and / or catheter to a coupling ( extending ) lead and / or cathteter from the signal source and / or drug - delivery pump to the brain electrode and / or cathter is then necessary , however , generally the manner in which the electrode and / or cathter and the extending lead and / or catheter are coupled utilizes the same terminal contacts and / or connections as would be used for direct coupling to the power source and or drug - delivery system . once the sugery is complete , a non - contrast ct scan is taken to ensure that there is no intracranial hematoma . subsequently , various stimulation parameters are programmed and patients are assessed for any side effects as well as clinical efficacy . as behavioral and related cognitive improvement may not occur immediately , long - term benefits may not be achieved until multiple adjustments are accomplished . while there has been described and illustrated specific embodiments of new and novel methods of treatment for psychiatric disorders , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications are possible without deviating from the broad spirit and principle of the present invention which shall be limited solely by the scope of the claims appended hereto . | 0 |
preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which like reference numerals represent the same or similar elements . as shown in fig1 and 2 , magnetic tack 1 includes a knob 10 , a non - magnetic cover 16 secured to a circular plate 14 , and a circular magnet 15 contained between plate 14 and cover 16 . pin or projection 20 connects to knob 10 . as shown in fig2 circular plate 14 may be made of a ferromagnetic material and includes central hole 14 a , top side 14 b , and bottom side 14 c . as shown in fig2 and 7 , knob 10 has a knob head 11 and knob body 12 . knob 10 is positioned against circular plate 14 . knob 10 can be of any convenient shape . knob 10 may be made of any material . as shown in fig2 a , and 3 b , circular magnet 15 is toroidal in shape and has a central hole 15 a . magnet 15 may be made of any “ hard ” ( permanent ) magnetic material . circular magnet 15 is encased by plate 14 and by non - magnetic cover 16 as shown in fig2 , 5 , and 6 . cover 16 has top side 16 d and side wall 17 and circumscribes magnet 15 . flange 16 c on bottom side 16 b of cover 16 helps contain circular magnet 15 . continuous flange 18 on top side 16 d also maintains magnet 15 in place relative to plate 14 . the continuous flange 18 holds the magnet 15 in place more securely than if prongs or tabs are used . however , it is within the scope of the invention to use a plurality of prongs or tabs . preferably , continuous flange 18 extends about the entire periphery of non - magnetic cover 16 . non - magnetic cover 16 and circular magnet 15 have central holes 16 a and 15 a , respectively , which are substantially axially aligned with center hole 14 a of washer plate 14 . a projection or pin 20 extends through magnet 15 and is secured to knob body 12 from the bottom side 14 b of plate 14 . the pin 20 shown in fig8 is press fitted into knob body 12 . projection or pin 20 , sometimes called a rod , rivet or screw , is made of a soft - magnetic material . the existence of pin 20 serves to facilitate the magnetic attraction of the device to a soft - magnetic surface by making a magnetic circuit that channels magnetic flux from magnet 15 . pin 20 may be solid or hollow , that is , having an interior bore . the advantage of using a solid pin is explained in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 021 , 891 and 4 , 453 , 294 . the advantages of using a hollow pin are explained in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 722 , 126 and 5 , 933 , 926 . the disclosures of those patents are incorporated herein by reference . it is also within the scope of the invention to use a partially hollow pin as shown , for example , in british patent specification no . 1 , 519 , 246 . some of the components used in the magnetic tack may be interchangeable with those used in the magnetic snaps shown in the aforesaid patents . the top surface of pin 20 a should preferably extend through the magnet annulus 15 a and cover 16 and be flush with bottom surface of cover 16 b but this is not required . in another embodiment , as shown in fig9 knob body 12 is affixed to the cover / magnetic / plate assembly by pin 30 that is screw - fitted into knob body 12 . in another embodiment , as shown in fig1 , knob head 10 has an internal undercut 50 . knob body 12 is affixed to the cover / magnetic / plate assembly by a kwik rivet stem pin 40 . the kwik rivet stem pin 40 is crush fitted into knob body 12 . an alternative embodiment shown in fig1 depicts a magnetic tack with solid magnet 22 , soft magnetic material plate 23 with side walls 23 a , cover 24 , and knob 10 . the side walls 23 a serve to facilitate the magnetic attraction of the device to a soft - magnetic surface by making a magnetic circuit that channels magnetic flux from magnet 22 . knob 10 is attached by an appropriate means , such as gluing , soldering , or welding . another embodiment is shown in fig1 a and 12 b . it is similar to the embodiment of fig1 except that non - magnetic cover 25 is attached to plate 23 having side walls 23 a . this embodiment has a series of tabs 26 extending through slots 27 in plate 23 . tabs 26 are folded over to fasten the cover to the plate 23 . knob 10 is attached by an appropriate means , such as gluing , soldering , or welding . in place of the tabs shown , the cover can be press fit into side walls 23 a , or it can be glued , soldered , or welded in place to side walls 23 a . still another embodiment combines both side walls and a pin , as shown in fig1 , 12 a , 12 b and 12 c . cover 28 can attach either inside or outside the side walls 23 a . knob 10 can be attached by any of the methods previously described . various changes and modifications may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . as an example , the flange in the non - magnetic cover can be a series of tabs , rather than a continuous piece . as another example , the knob may be welded to the top side of the plate rather than secured to the pin . | 8 |
the contention resolution system of the invention provides a method and system for enhancing a simple indication of acceptance to ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status that also carries information about whether or not a channel intends to attempt re - initiation of an operation . this information informs the control unit ( cu ) of the channel &# 39 ; s intentions regarding the re - initiation of the i / o operation , thereby eliminating the need for the cu to wait for the channel . the elimination of the wait time , which can be well over 10 ms , allows the cu to return a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to other channels almost immediately . this may significantly reduce the probability that these other channels will experience timeouts waiting for the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status , thereby reducing error recovery problems that commonly occur using existing technology . the use of new bits in the ‘ status - acceptance ’ information unit ( iu ) eliminates these timeouts in most cases , without requiring any re - definition of the ficon usage of fibrechannel transport - layer facilities . the contention resolution system utilizes single - byte command code sets - 3 mapping protocol ( fc - sb - 3 ) of status in response to a request to initiate channel program execution . information regarding fc - sb - 3 can be found in “ fibre - channel single - byte command code sets - 3 , ( fc - sb - 3 ),” rev 1 . 6 , by the american national standards institute and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . an enhanced form of a status - acceptance packet that a channel sends in response to the ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ status is described . the new status - acceptance packet includes a new field that indicates whether or not the channel intends to re - initiate a channel program for the device . this indication eliminates the need for a control unit to wait for the channel to re - initiate the operation in the case where the channel is not going to re - initiate the operation , thereby significantly enhancing overall performance . referring now to fig1 , a typical configuration in which the contention resolution system may be implemented is described . fig1 includes channels 101 a - 101 c that are under the control of host computing systems ( also referred to herein as ‘ hosts ’) a - c , respectively . hosts a - c refer to enterprise servers such as ibm &# 39 ; s z900 ™ servers . hosts a - c are attached to a fibrechannel fabric 102 . a fibrechannel fabric refers to a network transport that provides switching and interconnection capabilities for large enterprise servers and storage area networks . an example of a fibrechannel fabric is a mcdata ™ fibre optic switch model ed6140 . control units ( cus ) 103 and 104 refer to shared storage subsystems and are also attached to fibrechannel fabric 102 . each control unit 103 , 104 controls three input / out ( i / o ) devices ( also referred to herein as simply “ devices ”). control unit 103 controls devices 103 a - 103 c , and control unit 104 controls devices 104 a - 104 c . each of control units 103 and 104 may be an ibm ™ totalstorage enterprise storage server 2105 - 800 ™. an example of a device 103 a - 103 c includes a hard drive attached to a control unit . also included in fig1 is a sample status - acceptance packet 106 . status - acceptance packet 106 refers to data transmitted by a channel in response to a device ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status as will be described further herein . in order to access a device 103 a - c , 104 a - c , a channel 101 a - c sends a command that initiates a channel program to the cu 103 , 104 that controls the particular device . a channel program includes a sequence of commands that designate the operations that the device is to perform on behalf of the channel . if the cu 103 , 104 accepts the command , then it performs internal operations that cause the device ( one of 103 a - c , 104 a - c ) to execute the command , as well as subsequent commands in the channel program . each device 103 a - c , 104 a - c is capable of executing only a single channel program at a time . if another channel attempts to initiate a channel program to a device that is currently executing a channel program with a different channel , the respective control unit responds with a status indicating “ device - busy ”. after a cu 103 , 104 has sent a device - busy indication for a given device ( one of 103 a - c , 104 a - c ) to the appropriate channel ( one of 101 a - c ), it is said to ‘ owe ’ the channel a ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ indication when the device becomes not busy . the ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ indication is in a status packet . when the channel receives the device - no - longer busy indication in a status packet , it accepts the status by sending a status - acceptance packet . subsequently , if channel still needs to initiate the channel program , it re - initiates the channel program by sending a new command . as indicated above , the fc - sb - 3 protocol incurs a problem if , during the time when a device is busy , the cu controlling the device receives requests from several channels to initiate new channel programs with the same device . in this scenario , the cu responds to all of the channels 101 a - c ( except the channel for which it is executing a channel program ) with a ‘ device - busy ’ status , because the device can process only one channel program at a time . when the device completes the channel program and becomes not busy , the cu needs to send a ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ indication to all of the channels to which it previously sent a ‘ device - busy ’ status . at this time , the cu can either send a ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ status to all the channels simultaneously , or it can send the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to a single channel at a time . in many cases , use of either of these alternative results in some of the channels timing out while waiting for the device - no - longer - busy status , as explained above . the indication of intent to re - initiate a channel program as described in this invention informs the cu of the channel &# 39 ; s intentions regarding re - initiation of an i / o operation , thereby eliminating the need for the cu to wait for the channel . the elimination of the wait time , which can be well over 10 milliseconds , allows the cu to return a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to other channels almost immediately . this significantly decreases the probability that these other channels will experience timeouts waiting for the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status , thereby reducing error recovery problems . such compounded error recovery problems are common using today &# 39 ; s existing technology . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the capabilities of the present invention described herein may be implemented in software , firmware , hardware or some combination thereof . the contention resolution system describes the content of , and processing rules for , an enhanced form of status - acceptance packet that the channel sends in response to a device ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status . the enhanced form of status - acceptance packet 106 contains header fields 11 and a control header field ch that are present in the current status - accepted packet , and a re - initiate field that indicates to the cu whether or not the channel intends to re - initiate a channel program for the device . the re - initiate field can be defined as part of the control parameters field of the control header of the current status - accepted packet . details of the fc - sb - 3 protocol and the current status - accepted packet may be found in “ fibre channel - single - byte command - code sets - 3 mapping protocol ( fc - sb - 3 ), rev 1 . 6 , by the american national standards institute . since there are several bits in the control parameters field of the control header of the current status - accepted packet that are currently reserved and set to zero , two of these currently - reserved may be used for the re - initiate field as shown in the table below . 00 no indication of intention to re - initiate 01 no intent to re - initiate 10 intend to re - initiate 11 reserved if the re - initiate field is set to b ‘ 01 ’, it indicates that the channel does not wish to reinitiate the channel program . in this case , the cu may immediately send a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to another channel or all of the channels to which the cu owes a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status , whichever is applicable . if the re - initiate field is set to b ‘ 10 ’, it indicates that the channel does intend to initiate a channel program within a specified time period . in this case , the cu waits for the specified time period for the channel to initiate the channel program . if the cu does not receive a new command from the channel initiating a new channel program within the specified time period , the cu sends a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to another channel for which it previously sent a ‘ busy ’ status or to all of the channels to which it owes a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status , whichever is applicable . existing channel implementations do not set either of the bits in the re - initiate field , as the field is currently reserved . thus , if the re - initiate field is set to b ‘ 00 ’, the cu waits a model - dependent timeout for a command initiating a new channel program from the channel . this model - dependent timeout is usually longer than the pre - specified timeout that the control unit waits if the re - initiate field were set to b ‘ 10 ’. the reason for this longer timeout period for this case is because existing channel implementations that do not implement re - initiate field do not usually initiate a new channel program as quickly as newer channel implementations which do implement re - initiate field . as indicated above , the contention resolution system provides an enhanced form of status - acceptance packet that a channel sends in response to a device ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status . the new status - acceptance packet includes a new field that indicates to the cu whether or not the channel intends to re - initiate a channel program for the device . fig2 illustrates a process describing how a channel uses the contention resolution system . at step 200 , the process of fig2 begins when a channel such as channel 101 a , having previously received a ‘ device - busy ’ indication , receives a status packet indicating a ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ indicator at step 202 . at step 204 , it is determined whether the channel 101 a intends to re - initiate the channel program . if the channel does not intend to re - initiate the channel program , the re - initiate bits are set to 10 at step 206 and the process exits at step 208 . if , on the other hand , the channel 101 a intends to re - initiate the operation at step 204 , the re - initiation bits are set to 01 at step 210 . in this case , the channel 101 a re - initiates the channel program at step 212 and exits the process at step 214 . fig3 illustrates a flow diagram describing how a control unit uses the contention resolution system . at step 302 , the process of fig3 begins when a device ( such as device 103 a ) controlled by a control unit 103 becomes busy at step 302 . when the device 1003 a completes its operations at step 304 ( e . g ., completes the channel program that it is executing , it becomes not busy at step 306 . at this time , the cu 103 determines if it owes a device ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to any channels 101 a - c at step 308 . if the cu 103 does not owe a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to any channels 101 a - c , it exits the procedure at step 310 . if the cu 103 owes a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to at least one channel at step 308 , it sends a status packet indicating a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ to one of the channels at step 312 and the cu waits for a status - acceptance packet . alternatively , the cu may send a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to all of the channels to which it owes a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status . the channel to which the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status is sent may be selected in any manner by the cu . however , if the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status is owed to both channels that do and do not support the contention resolution system of the invention , the cu preferably selects the channels that support the contention resolution system before attempting to select channels that do not support the contention resolution system . in this manner , potentially long delays that are caused when a channel is selected that does not support this invention are avoided . when the status - acceptance packet is received at step 314 , one of three actions may occur . if the re - initiate field is set to b &# 39 ; 01 &# 39 ;, indicating that the channel does not intend to re - initiate the channel program , the process returns to step 308 whereby the cu again determines if it owes a ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ status to another channel , and proceeds as described above in steps 310 - 314 . if the re - initiate field is set to b &# 39 ; 10 &# 39 ;, indicating that the channel intends to re - initiate the channel program , the cu waits a short time for a command that initiates a new channel program from the channel at step 316 . if the re - initiate field is set to b &# 39 ; 00 &# 39 ;, indicating that the channel does not support the contention resolution system of the invention , then the cu waits a longer period of time for a command that initiates a new channel program from the channel at step 322 . the wait time for the case where the re - initiate field is set to b &# 39 ; 10 &# 39 ; is relatively short compared to the wait time used if the re - initiate field were set to b &# 39 ; 00 &# 39 ; because only newer channels set the re - initiate field to b &# 39 ; 01 &# 39 ;, and these newer channels are able to reinitiate a new channel program more quickly than older channels . if the cu receives a command initiating a new channel program from the channel to which it sent the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ indication before the timeout expires ( at either of steps 318 and 324 ) it begins execution of the channel program at step 320 . upon completion of the execution , the process returns to step 306 where the device again becomes not busy . when a cu completes an operation and owes a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to other channels , it may use a variety of algorithms to decide which of the channels to send the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status . one such algorithm may be for the cu to send the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to some or all of the channels simultaneously . this method of selection might be advantageous in situations where many of the channels implement this invention and do not intend to re - initiate the channel program . in this case , the cu would be able to immediately determine that multiple channels did not intend to re - initiate channel program , thereby eliminating the need to send device - no - longer - busy status to each channel serially . as can be seen from the above , the contention resolution system provides the means to significantly enhance channel operations and reduce the incidences of channel timeouts with the use of a new status packet ( i . e ., status - acceptance packet ) that is sent in response to a device ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status . the status - acceptance packet includes a field that indicates whether or not the channel intends to re - initiate a channel program for a particular device . this indication eliminates the need for a control unit to wait for the channel to re - initiate the operation in the case where the channel is not going to re - initiate the operation . as described above , the present invention can be embodied in the form of computer - implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing those processes . the present invention can also be embodied in the form of computer program code containing instructions embodied in tangible media , such as floppy diskettes , cd - roms , hard drives , or any other computer - readable storage medium , wherein , when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer , the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention . the present invention can also be embodied in the form of computer program code , for example , whether stored in a storage medium , loaded into and / or executed by a computer , or transmitted over some transmission medium , such as over electrical wiring or cabling , through fiber optics , or via electromagnetic radiation , wherein , when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer , the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention . when implemented on a general - purpose microprocessor , the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits . while the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims . | 7 |
fig1 shows a prior art cam . in fig1 the cam includes a 4 row by 4 column core cell array . the four core cells 110 of each row are connected to a respective word line wl1 , wl1 , wl2 or wl3 and a respective match line ml0 , ml1 , ml2 or ml3 . the four match lines are connected to an encoder 112 . the four core cells 110 of each column are connected to a pair of bit lines bl0 , bln0 ; bl1 , bln1 ; bl2 , bln2 ; or bl3 , bln3 . the bit lines for differential data are connected to reference word storage and bit line drivers 114 which receive input data d for loading the contents of the cam and for the search reference word . data stored in the array &# 39 ; s core cells are searched by applying a reference word on the bit lines . the match lines are pulled low by any mismatched bit to which they are connected . in rows where the reference data matches the stored data exactly , the match line remains high . the encoder 112 selects a single row in the case of multiple matches , and provides a hit signal along with the binary address of the selected row . that row can then be accessed for subsequent reads and writes . the hit signal is a binary signal indicating whether a match was found . see a paper by k . j . schultz et al . entitled &# 34 ; architectures for large - capacity cams &# 34 ;, integration : the vlsi journal , vol . 18 , pp . 151 - 171 , 1995 , which is incorporated herein by reference . cams of sufficient capacity for many functions are not possible due to density and architectural factors : density -- because one normally needs to include a one - bit comparator ( xor or xnor gate ) with each bit core cell ; architectural -- because to do two - dimensional decoding ( necessary to achieve a reasonable array aspect ratio for a large memory ), there must be either ( a ) multiple words along a match line , or ( b ) multiple collinear match lines in a single physical row or column . to solve the density problem , standard ram core cells are used . the embodiment employs 6 - transistor core cells , with one - bit comparators shared between multiple core cells . tdm sharing of the comparator , to get 8 ( more generally , s ) cells along a match line , and a plurality of match lines running above a given core cell ( generally , m ; in the embodiment , 2 ), and a plurality of collinear match lines in each memory core column ( generally , the number of blocks b divided by the number of lobes l , i . e . : b / l ; in an embodiment , 4 ), and the product of m *( b / l ) giving the number of match lines for each core column ; this is 8 in the embodiment . fig2 shows a cam according to an embodiment of the present invention . in fig2 the cam includes a 4 row by 4 column core cell array . the core cell 210 is a static random access memory ( sram ) cell . the four core cells 210 of each row are connected to a respective word line wl1 , wl1 , wl2 or wl3 . the four core cells of each column are connected to a pair of bit lines bl0 , bln0 ; bl1 , bln1 ; bl2 , bln2 ; or bl3 , bln3 . each pair of the bit lines is connected to a respective comparator 212 . the four comparators 212 are connected to a match line ml and a pair of data lines d and dn . the match line ml is connected to an encoder 214 . the data lines and the bit lines for differential data are connected to reference word storage and bit line drivers 216 which receive input data d for loading the contents of the cam and for the search reference word . data is stored in one row of the array &# 39 ; s core cells 210 by driving the data to be written onto the bit lines bl / bln from the bit line drivers 216 , and asserting one of the four word lines wl . data stored in the core cell array is searched by storing the reference data in the reference word storage 216 , and driving it onto the data lines d / dn . subsequently , the four word lines wl0 , wl1 , wl2 , and wl3 are asserted in sequence . the assertion of each word line wl causes the data stored in the core cells 210 of the accessed row to be read onto the bit lines bl / bln . the data on each bit line pair bl / bln are compared to the reference data on the data lines d / dn in the comparators 212 . the match line ml is pulled low by any mismatched bit in any of the four comparators 212 . if the reference data matches the stored data exactly , the match line remains high . it should be clear that a series of four operations ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; sub - cycles &# 34 ;) is required to compare all of the data in the array of fig2 to the reference data on d / dn , with one operation ( sub - cycle ) corresponding to the assertion of each word line wl . if this series of operations is performed as part of a single external clock cycle , the user perceives the search of the array as a single operation . a plurality of match lines ml converge on the encoder 214 , one match line from each array of core cells , such as the one represented in fig2 . in the case of at least one match line ml remaining high in a given sub - cycle , the encoder 214 selects a single match line ( corresponding to a single core cell array ), and provides a binary hit signal along with the binary address of the matched core cell array . this address may be combined with a knowledge of the number of the sub - cycle ( corresponding to the number of the wl ), to uniquely determine which individual row of core cells matched the reference data . note that the individual words of the cam need not be organized as shown in fig2 although they may . the preferred embodiment , described following , employs the plurality of core cells connected to each word line wl to store the same bit ( of n ) of different words . words are oriented in columns , with one bit of each word in each array ( hereinafter , &# 34 ; sub - block &# 34 ;), and the n bits of each word located in the n sub - blocks of each block , and the n bits of each word being compared in the same sub - cycle due to their connection to word lines which are activated in the same sub - cycle . fig3 shows a detail of the core cell 210 shown in fig2 . the core cell is a well known sram storage element which includes two cmos inverters . in fig3 the drains of a p - channel fet 310 and an n - channel fet 312 , which define one cmos inverter , are connected to the gates of a p - channel fet 314 and an n - channel fet 316 , which define the other cmos inverter . similarly , the drains of the fets 314 and 316 are connected to the gates of the fets 310 and 312 . the sources of the fets 310 and 314 are connected to the voltage terminal of the supply voltage + vdd . the sources of the fets 312 and 316 are connected to the ground terminal . the junction ( node c ) of the drains of the fets 310 and 312 is connected to source of an n - channel fet 318 , the drain of which is connected to the bit line bl . the junction ( node cn ) of the drains of the fets 314 and 316 is connected to the drain of an n - channel fet 320 , the source of which is connected to the bit line bln . fig4 shows a detail of a possible embodiment of the comparator 212 shown in fig2 . in fig4 the sources of n - channel fets 410 and 412 are connected to the bit line bl . the sources of n - channel fets 414 and 416 are connected to the bit line bln . the drains of the fets 410 and 414 are connected to the voltage terminal of the supply voltage + vdd . the drains of the fets 412 and 416 are connected to the match line ml . the gates of the fets 410 and 416 and the gates of the fets 414 and 412 are connected to the pair of data lines d / dn . fig5 shows a detail of the 4 - transistor comparator of fig4 the 4 - transistors being four n - channel fets 510 - 516 . also , fig5 shows one of the core cells ( an instance of 210 from fig2 ) and an inverter 518 used to control the match line ml . during a search operation , the write signal will be logically low , and the match line ml will be high ( at or neat the positive supply + vdd ). also during a search , one of the lines d / dn will be asserted high , while the other will be held low . at the same time , the core cell will draw current from either bl or bin , with the current drawn from bl if the stored data is a logical &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, and drawn from bin if the stored data is a logical &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. fig5 shows current being drawn from both bl / bln for illustrative purposes , only . fig5 assumes that the data line d has been asserted high , and dn is being held low . if the core cell is drawing current from bin , the stored data matches the reference data , and the match line must be unaffected by the comparator . in this case , the fet 514 sources the necessary current drawn by the core cell . if the core cell is drawing current from bl , the stored data mismatches the reference data , and the match line must be discharged . this occurs through the fet 512 , as shown . in the event of a match of the opposite polarity , the fet 510 would source current through bl to the core cell . in the event of a mismatch of the opposite polarity , the fet 516 will conduct current from the match line ml to the bit line bln . this circuit shown in fig5 is also active in a write operation . during such an operation , the write signal is logically high , and as a result , the match line ml is pulled low . the data logically opposite of that to be written is driven onto the lines d / dn . to write a logical &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to the core cell , dn is high , the fet 510 holds bl high , and the fet 516 pulls bin low . to write a logical &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; to the core cell , d is high , the fet 514 holds bin high , and the fet 512 pulls bl low . it is recognized that numerous extensions to the circuit of fig5 are obvious to anyone skilled in the art , including , but not limited to , an implementation with p - channel fets , more complicated driver circuitry on ml , or sense circuitry inserted between the 4 transistors and the match line ml . fig6 shows a detail of the comparator of fig4 and 5 , further augmented with three additional fets and two signal lines ( read and rd ) to enable a read operation . the fets are n - channel fets 610 - 616 and 620 - 624 . the signal line rd ( or read data line ) runs in parallel with the differential d / dn lines . the read signal must be bussed in some manner to all comparator structures , such as the one shown in fig6 on the memory chip . a read is initiated by asserting a word line ( not shown in fig6 ), which enables the data stored in the core cell to be passed to the bit lines bl / bln . also as part of the operation , the read signal is asserted , turning on the fet 622 . note that the fet 624 is intended to provide an even load on bl / bln ; it may be implemented as shown , replaced by other circuitry with the same function , or omitted entirely . the match line ml will be asserted at comparators associated with a selected ( addressed ) word , and the single - ended data on bl will be passed through the series the fets 622 and 620 to the line rd . fig7 shows a detail of the comparator augmented in an alternative manner to implement read functionality . here , two additional data lines rd / rdn are employed , along with two additional fets , but no additional control signals . the fets are n - channel fets 710 - 716 and , 720 and 722 . during a read operation , a word line is asserted , and core cell data is passed onto bl / bln , in the same way as in the description of the previous figure . also as in the previous figure , a match line ml is asserted high to select a comparator circuit for data transfer onto the read data line , which in this case is differential ( rd / rdn ). read data is passed differentially onto rd / rdn through the fets 720 and 722 , and the differential nature of the read operation tends to achieve more noise immunity , in addition to a higher speed or lower power operation . the disadvantage of the implementation shown in fig7 is that , with all match lines ml at a logical high value during a search operation , the state of the read data lines rd / rdn will have an effect on the bit lines bl / bln . fig8 shows a view of the metal layers present in ( or above ) each core cell . layers of second metal and higher are shown . the transistors employed to store and access a bit of information are beneath these layers . the comparator function is not performed in this core cell . power buses are not shown , for simplicity . fig8 may be compared to fig3 to appreciate the way in which the core cell fits into the architecture . the bit lines bl / bln run vertically in second layer metal . the word line wl runs horizontally in third layer metal . the match lines do not make connection with the core cell , and hence are not shown in fig3 . however , they are required to run above the core cells in fourth layer metal . in fig8 match lines are shown ; more generally , the parameter m represents the number of match lines running above each core cell . while we believe the choice of layers shown in fig8 is the optimum for most 4 or 5 layer technologies , it is obvious that the concept extends to any rearrangement and reassignment of the layers , or to the use of layers above the fourth layer of metal . fig9 shows a block diagram of the entire chip , in the embodiment . the data bus d may be single - ended or differential ; the latter implementation has been chosen for the previous detailed figures . the data bus d may use the same physical pins and bus for both search and write functions , or the search function may be supported through a &# 34 ; search port &# 34 ;, and the write function through a &# 34 ; processor port &# 34 ;. the processor port , if provided , may or may not also have read capability , using the ain bus shown , and a q bus ( not shown ). the purpose of aout is to provide to the user the physical address where the searched - for data resides ; this is the result of the search operation . it may be observed that the search thus accomplishes an address compression function , from the bit width of d to the bit width of aout . the chip , in the embodiment shown in fig9 has a total of 8 blocks , divided into 2 lobes ( l and r ), each of these aligned vertically . two blocks ( more generally , m blocks ) aligned horizontally and belonging to different lobes , share the same physical d bus ( 36 bits wide , in the case of the embodiment ). each block has 512 ( more generally , c ) columns and 1024 ( more generally , m * c ) match lines . four blocks have their match lines , 4096 ( more generally , 2 * l * c * m ) in total number , converge on each rom , where an encoding to 12 bits of aout takes place . one of the 2 roms is selected , this selection providing a 13th bit of aout , resulting in an encoding of 8k unique match lines . the 8k match lines are tdm - shared in a deterministic sequence of 8 ( more generally , s ) internal cycles . a counter in conjunction with the encoding circuitry produces an 8 - to - 3 ( more generally , s - to - log 2 ( s )) encoding of this timing information , resulting in a total 64k - to - 16 bit address encoding to aout . to deal with the possible occurrence of a plurality of match lines remaining logically high , indicating that more than one entry in the cam is identical to the searched - for data , multiple match detection and / or resolution capability may or may not be provided . each block is divided into 36 ( more generally , n ) sub - blocks , one per bit of d , as shown in fig1 a - c . the conceptual view of xor gates and pull - downs , shown in the upper right portion of fig1 a - c , corresponds to 2 instances of the comparator circuit shown in previous figures . as shown , each of the 2 ( more generally , m ) match lines per column per block has one pull - down per sub - block ( equivalently , one pull - down per bit ), for a total of n pull - downs per match line . each sub - block has 16 rows of cells ( more generally , m * s ), with 8 ( more generally , s ) rows associated with each match line . control of row - access , through word line ( wl ) assertion , is by 8 - bit ( more generally , s - bit ) circulating shift registers , implementing 8 - way ( more generally , s - way ) tdm sharing of the comparators . the row number selected by each shift register is the same , and this row number is coordinated to be the same as the counter value , held in the encoder &# 39 ; s 3 - bit counter mentioned above . during write and read operations , the word lines are not controlled by the shift registers , but instead by a standard row decoder , which is physically located in the central spine between the two lobes , and may be shared between horizontally adjacent blocks . there is a plurality of instantiations of the identical 3 - to - 8 ( more generally , log 2 ( s )- to - s ) decode function in this spine , either m / 2 * n * b in number , if the function is shared between horizontally adjacent blocks , or m * n * b if it is not so shared . the total number of core cells in the horizontal ( y ) dimension is 512 columns / lobe * 2 lobes = 1024 columns ( more generally , c * l ). this corresponds to 1 column / 8 match lines * 8k match lines = 1024 columns . the total number of core cells in the vertical ( x ) dimension = s * m rows / sub - block * n sub - blocks / block * b / 2 blocks = s * m * n *( b / l ) rows . this equals 8 * 2 * 36 * 8 / 2 = 2304 rows in the embodiment . the number of columns per lobe , or columns per block , can thus be calculated as w /( s * m * b ), where w is the number of words in the cam . in write and read operations , the match lines will be driven outward from the roms , accomplishing their second function as outputs of 13 - to - 8k decoders ( more generally log 2 ( w / s )- to - w / s decoders ). the 13 - bit input is a 13 - bit field of ain , and the remaining 3 bits of ain are the bits driven to the multiple 3 - to - 8 ( more generally , log 2 ( s )- to - s ) word line decoders in the spine , as described above . the tdm sharing is hidden from the user . all 8 ( more generally , s ) serial operations occur during one externally - supplied clock cycle , and it appears to the user as a single - cycle operation . the s internal cycles are self - timed , using an internal timing loop , such that one cycle begins immediately after the previous cycle has completed . the self - timing mechanism may be realized with the circuitry shown , for a single block , in fig1 a and b . as shown in fig1 a and b , the top - most sub - block of each block has its shift register and word line driver circuitry augmented by a driver for a model word line mwl , which is asserted every sub - cycle , regardless of the state of the shift register . this model word line mwl passes over the width of the block , as shown . it then continues in a vertical dimension toward the rom . upon reaching the bottom of the block , it is redirected horizontally , before it performs its function as the clock for the match line amplifiers . these amplifiers may be single - ended or differential ; they may have a reference input supplied from a single or multiple paths or sources ; and they may operate on voltage or current mode principles . the model word line , as it is routed both horizontally and vertically , may or may not be loaded in such a way as to emulate load on an actual word line or match line . it may also be buffered , as required . fig1 shows how the model word lines mwl , further acting as match line amplifier clocks , are combined to create a timing source for sub - cycles 2 through 8 ( sub - cycle 1 is initiated by the system clock ). when all of the model / clock signals have made positive transitions , the output of an and gate 810 is asserted , and the next sub - cycle begins . alternatively , the next sub - cycle may be initiated after the first falling edge of any of the model / clock signals . this latter mechanism is demonstrated in the timing diagram of fig1 . note that it is not necessary that the time interval associated with each sub - cycle be sufficient to allow the rom encoding operation to complete . if necessary , the outputs of the match line amplifiers may be latched on the falling edge of their clock , and the actual rom encoding function may be pipelined into the following sub - cycle . internal serialization of the function is hidden from the user , who needs only to apply the slower system clock to the chip . simple integration with self - timed embedded memory architectures ( see co - pending united states patent application entitled &# 34 ; multi - port ram &# 34 ; filed by g . f . r . gibson on may 9 , 1996 , which claims priority from u . s . provisional application ser . no . 60 / 001 , 856 filed on aug . 3 , 1995 , which is incorporated herein by reference ). easy binning of parts during at - speed test -- increase the system clock frequency until the part fails . in write and read operations , a full external cycle is used for the operation ; from an internal chip viewpoint , this operation is relatively slow . power considerations must be addressed in the circuit design , since standard memory design power reduction techniques such as blocking and selective activation cannot be employed due to the nature of the operation the entire contents of the memory must be searched in one external clock cycle . some possible circuit design guidelines are now summarized . to perform a search , the data in the core cell selected by the shift register is first read onto the local bit lines bl / bln . the core cell transistors in fig3 numbered 312 , 318 , 316 , and 320 and transistors 410 , 412 , 414 , and 416 of fig4 must be sized such that the current sunk through the core cell is precisely supplied either from the match line ml through 412 or 416 ( in the case of a comparison mismatch ) or from 410 or 414 ( in the case of a match ). this prevents the voltage on the bit lines bl / bln from drooping , and removes the need for a precharge phase of the search sub - cycle . the current should be very small , and it is likely that minimum - sized devices will be used in this path . current may be further reduced by using an n - channel pull - up fet on the word line wl during searches . it is also important that the voltage level on the match lines does not droop , to avoid the need to precharge these nodes . this is a challenging circuit design task , since the match line voltage should remain relatively constant , while currents anywhere between 0 times and n times the single - cell read current are sourced from a single match line . sensing , to determine whether a match line ml is logically &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; low &# 34 ;, may be performed with a differential current sensing circuit . the reference current would in this realization be approximately one - half of a cell read current , and may be generated by an additional model ( or &# 34 ; dummy &# 34 ;) match line . it may be mirrored for input to multiple current comparators . as mentioned above , match lines perform the dual functions of sensing matches during a search operation , and of selecting words for write and read operations . based on the circuit of fig5 a write decode requires that 1 of 8k match lines be asserted low to select 8 words , while 1 of every 8 word lines is asserted high . a more general statement of these conditions follows : match lines are used for selection of a unique cam word , possibly in conjunction with the assertion of one or more word lines . a unique decoding is not necessarily accomplished by either the match lines alone ( though it may be ), nor the word lines alone , but by their combined effect . a fraction 1 / m of the memory is selected by the match lines ( one or more in actuality being asserted ), and the fraction 1 / w of the memory is selected by the word lines ( one or more in actuality being asserted ), such that their unique intersection , 1 / wm , accomplishes a full decoding of a wm - word cam for reading or writing operations . it is possible that w = 1 in the above explanation . a read function may be added to the same basic circuit , using either of the circuits shown in fig6 and 7 . any transistor - level embodiment of this cam architecture which involves voltage - mode match sensing is a relatively straightforward extension of the information presented herein , and should be obvious to anyone skilled in the art . a design alternative for higher throughput would be to tdm share only 4 ways , and provide one comparator for every 4 ram cells . this will approximately double power dissipation , as well as increasing chip area . it may be a legitimate &# 34 ; high - performance &# 34 ; implementation option . there are several features that may be added to provide extended functionality : the rom and other encoding circuitry may be augmented by circuitry capable of detecting the condition of multiple match lines remaining high , or the logically equivalent occurrence of multiple match lines remaining high among the s sub - cycles that comprise a search operation . insofar that the above multiple match functionality may be too expensive to provide , provide instead ( at the user &# 39 ; s option ) a two - cycle write operation , wherein : the first cycle is actually a search operation to determine whether the data to be written already exists in the memory , leading to abortion of the write operation if this is found to be the case , and the second cycle , if allowed to complete , is the actual write operation . one of the bits in the n - bit word may be a &# 34 ; valid / emptyn &# 34 ; bit , which may be reset to zero in all word locations of the cam in a single operation . this ensures that all data present in the memory at power - up is incapable of matching any searched - for data . all successful searches will require that &# 34 ; valid / emptyn &# 34 ;= 1 . additional ram storage ( with an output bus denoted qram ) may be provided on - chip in a separate array , addressable by the aout bus , most likely with one pipeline cycle delay between the outputs of aout and qram . although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail , it should be appreciated that numerous variations , modifications , and adaptations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims . | 6 |
referring now to the drawings , wherein similar parts of the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 are identified by like reference numerals , there is seen in fig1 a perspective view of a typical smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 including a smart wallet 12 and a smartphone 14 which have been paired and are in electronic communication using one of many varying radio frequency means . in this fig1 perspective view of the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 configuration , there is illustrated the smart wallet 12 having a main on / off button 15 , a finger print sensor 16 that when the correct user &# 39 ; s finger print is recognized , the smart wallet 12 is unlocked , whereby the top latch link 18 and the bottom latch link 19 are retracted to open the smart wallet 12 and reveal the contents inside . using an application stored on the smartphone 14 and viewed on the smartphone screen 13 , the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 can be controlled with respect to security information stored on the smart wallet 12 and the smartphone 14 , and through communications passed between them using a wifi or bluetooth connection 11 . referring to fig2 a , a block diagram 20 of exemplary hardware components for the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 is shown . in a preferred embodiment , a biometric leader is realized as fingerprint module 23 . microprocessor 24 controls the actions of the range detection , for example with sound generator 21 and vibrator 22 , and also with authentication of the user via the fingerprint module 23 . a security parameter index ( spi ) is associated with a wallet owner &# 39 ; s biometric signature . microprocessor 24 communicates to wireless module 25 via a general purpose input / output ( gpio ), for example , and includes antenna 26 . it is preferred that both processor 24 and wireless module 25 are low power consuming and concurrent with the latest advancements in such electronics . further , wireless module 25 is configured , according to for example , short range low power protocols as defined by either bluetooth , wifi , zigbee ( ieee 802 . 15 . 4 ), radio frequency identification ( rfid ), z - wave , or ultra - wideband ( uwb ). fig2 b illustrates a smartphone hardware block diagram 30 for the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 , wherein a microprocessor 32 is integrated with a wireless module . similarly , the integrated processor and wireless module 32 control sound generator 34 and vibrator 36 , and is electronically connected to antenna 38 . fig3 a shows software block diagram 40 for the smart wallet 12 component within the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 of the present invention . this software component block diagram 40 includes application layer modules such as a registration , login , authentication , range detection module 42 , a wireless stack 44 , a security library 46 , a biometric middleware module 48 , an operating system 50 , and device drivers 52 . the operating system 50 includes all the services such as interprocess communications , memory management , clock , and file system . device drivers 52 include wireless , flash , i / o ports , timers , fingerprint reader and others . sitting on top of the os 50 are the wireless communication stack 44 , biometric library ( middleware ) 48 , and security library 46 . the application layer 42 includes applications such as sync , user registration , user authentication , and range detection , for example . fig3 b illustrates software block diagram 60 for the smartphone component 14 within the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 of the present invention . the smartphone software block 60 comprises applications including pairing and range detection 62 , communications stack 64 , system services and device drivers 66 . software on the electronic smartphone 14 is simpler than software on the smart wallet 12 . according , no full featured operating system is provided but instead a simple round - robin loop , where each software module , pairing and range detection 62 , communications stack 64 and system services and device drivers 66 is given a time slice of a cpu . fig4 depicts a block diagram illustration of hardware and radio frequency connected components 80 for the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 of the present invention . possible rf connections include : connection to a ( key fob ) dongle 82 , connection to a cell phone or smartphone 84 , connection to an automobile access control system 86 , connection to a building or home door lock 88 , and connection to a mobile computing device 90 to the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 . while the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 ( rf ) link is active , devices within the transmission range can monitor for and establish a connection with the smart wallet 12 . when a link is established the connecting device can be interrogated and ascertain the type of device which it is connected to smart wallet 12 and the connected devices capabilities . in the case of a connection with a ( key fob ) dongle 82 , the two devices pair and monitor for device separation . if separation greater than a preset level is detected audible and visual alarms are sounded . in the case of a connection with a smartphone or cell phone 84 or a mobile computing device 90 the two devices pair and a preinstalled application is loaded on the device providing enhanced capabilities , including setting the alarm range detection , sounding an alarm on the smart wallet 12 for finding a lost device within the transmission radius , a remote open function and a battery level monitoring function . in the case of a connection with a vehicle 86 , the vehicle authenticates that the smart wallet 12 is authorized to access the vehicle , and if granted unlocks the door and enables the ignition system . in the case of a connection with a access control door lock 88 , the door lock authenticates that the smart wallet 12 is authorized to access the seemed area , and if granted , activates the door lock open mechanism . in all of the above cases , if preconfigured , the pairing operation can also include a successful biometric authorization in addition to the described pairing operation to gram access to the paired devices protected operations within the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 . fig5 depicts a block diagram illustration of the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 100 having a radio frequency ( rf ) connection to multiple hardware and software components for the system . referring now to fig5 in detail , there is illustrated a functional design for a smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system bluetooth locking system 110 , connected via a wireless connection 130 , to any of a variety of mobile devices 150 , including all of those examples shown in fig4 above . in this regard , referring now to fig5 the following outline of operations provides a functional design for a smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 110 connected to any mobile device 150 . as previously described the mobile device 150 is one of a variety of devices which are enabled to communicate over a wireless connection 130 with a smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 110 . any smartphone mobile device 150 would include the rf module 151 , an application processor 152 , as display 153 , a keypad 154 and a speaker 155 , as shown . fig6 depicts a block diagram illustration of the system components for the biometric and bluetooth enabled case lock assembly including the motor control , lock . bluetooth antenna and bluetooth module as well as optional mass storage , gps and motion sensor . fig7 depicts a block diagram illustration of the hardware components for the biometric and bluetooth enabled case lock assembly , including the main processor , speaker driver and speaker , as well as the usb port and battery power supply configurations . fig8 depicts a block diagram illustration of the hardware components for the biometric and bluetooth enabled case lock assembly , including the fingerprint reader , internal lights and user interface . referring now to fig5 , and fig6 and 8 , the following outline provides a hardware design for a smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 with all optional equipment included . items listed as ‘ standard equipment ’ will be included on all smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 product designs . items listed as ‘ optional equipment ’ may be included or omitted in any combination in a specific design as may be required by a final product specification definition . the system processor 117 ( standard equipment ) controls the overall operation of the smart wallet : system 110 unit . for example , the following operations are facilitated by the system processor : a . interprets the user &# 39 ; s inputs and convert them into commands which control the fingerprint enrollment and identification process . b . controls lock motor and monitors lock motor position feedback operation . c . controls and interprets commands passed from the user &# 39 ; s external bluetooth device . d . manages system power usage . e . controls the operation of all led &# 39 ; s ( status leds and hood light ). f . monitors and records motion sensor data . g . monitors and records temperature sensor readings . h . manages the real time clock for time - lock and alarm operation . i . supports usb communication for direct connect setup and firmware updating . j . monitors the battery voltage and reports battery status via status leds and bluetooth . k . optionally monitors and records gps data . l . microphone input for voice controlled operation . the bluetooth le rf module ( standard equipment ) 116 controls the bluetooth radio link to the users &# 39 ; smartphone or other compatible intelligent device 150 . it also receives commands and alerts from the external device 150 and passes them to the system processor 117 for action . additionally rf module 116 receives command and control data from the system processor 117 and passes that data to the external device 150 via the bluetooth link throe the mobile device rf module 151 . the fingerprint sensor ( standard equipment ) 111 is the device on which the users places their finger to enroll a finger or to unlock the device . a fingerprint compressor ( standard equipment ) receives commands from the system processor and then controls the operation of the fingerprint sensor . a usb interface ( standard equipment ) is used both to provide charging power for the battery and to control and setup the device with the individual user preferences and also allows reading the mass storage memory if equipped . the battery ( standard equipment ) provides all power to the system during normal operation . a power supply ( standard equipment ) will serve to provide the system with the regulated voltages that are required for the system to operate . the battery charger ( standard equipment ) provides controls and monitors the battery charge cycle when the unit is plugged into a usb port or usb wall charger . numerous status leds ( standard equipment ), and custom display ( optional equipment ) 118 are used to convey unit status and also to prompt the user to perform some action like placing a linger on or lifting a finger from the fingerprint touch sensor . the functioning of these varying color status leds and custom display may be as follows : a . a green led blinks slowly when battery is charging and is on solid when the battery is fully charged . one long blink indicates user should place their finger on the fingerprint sensor . green led is off when in standby mode . b . a red led flickers at a slow rate to indicate the battery is in need of charging . one long blink indicates the user should lift their finger from the fingerprint sensor . red led is off when in standby mode . c . a blue led conveys the current state of the bluetooth link . an internal lighting ( standard equipment ) can be used , and may be configured in the form of an illuminated frame around the case . these lights illuminate the contents of the case momentarily when opened in low light conditions . a lock status switch ( standard equipment ) signals the main processor when the lock motor has completed the full unlock / relock cycle . an activate / power button ( standard equipment ) powers the unit on if it is off and requests the user to input a fingerprint to unlock the unit . if the unit is already on or in standby mode the unit will just request that the user inputs a fingerprint to unlock the unit . the bluetooth enable button ( standard equipment ) is used to enable and disable the bluetooth link to the user &# 39 ; s external device . a reset button ( standard equipment ) is used to reset the system . the reset button is accessed via a small diameter hole somewhere on the device . the button is activated by inserting the tip of a paperclip straight into the hole until it clicks . this is used to restart the main processor in the event of trouble . the unit will restart with all previous settings intact . an alarm will sound for a few seconds and the user will be prompted to place their finger on the fingerprint reader . a lock motor control ( standard equipment ) provides power to the lock motor when requested by the system processor . the lock motor ( standard equipment ) is an electromechanical device which unlocks and relocks the unit . an alarm amplifier ( standard equipment ) is present within the system . it amplifies the low power audio signals from main processor to the high power signal required by the alarm speaker . the alarm speaker ( standard equipment ) provides the sounds which alert the user about a status change of the device , or other alarms which may require their attention . a wifi connectivity ( optional equipment ) module 116 allows longer distance control , access a id monitoring of the unit through wifi communications . a gps sensor ( optional equipment ) 115 allows global position information to be monitored and recorded . the gps sensor 115 also allows for gps aware security . the temperature sensor ( optional equipment ) 120 allows the monitoring of environmental conditions in the device which may be detrimental to the contents . an alarm may be triggered or the temperature profile may be recorded over time for later analysis . an axis accelerometer ( optional equipment ) 113 can be used to prevent the device from being opened while not being held at a specific angle . can also be used to detect or record rough handling of the device . may also trigger an alarm if not handled as instructed . can also be used where a specific set of motions is required to allow for low level authentication operations . can also be used in multi - factor authentication where both a specific set of motions and a biometric operation are required to authenticate a given operation . an axis magnetometer ( optional equipment ) 114 can be programmed to trigger an alarm if the device is physically moved . it also may provide a virtual lock in place function . an axis gyroscope ( optional equipment ) may be programmed to trigger an alarm when the device is rotated in any axis at a rate greater than a fixed value . the display ( optional equipment ) 118 may take the form of a custom display 118 . a custom display may be added for applications that require re complex user interaction . the keypad ( optional equipment ) 119 may be included to facilitate user interaction . a custom keypad may he added for applications that require more complex user interaction . a mass storage device ( option equipment ) may be within the system unit . this mass storage device would allow storage and recall of sensor history data such as temperature , motion and when and where the device was opened . the mass storage device can also securely store and recall multiple user passwords . using the ( rf ) link the passwords can be securely transferred to unlock user accounts , door access codes and point of sale pin numbers using the bluetooth enabled case biometric functions . the microphone input ( optional equipment ) 112 allows voice activation of various features . developing voice recognition systems such as alexa , siri , and goggle voice among others provide high quality voice command access to multiple devices including home lights , door locks , temperature control , streaming media players among other uses . with a bluetooth enabled case lock and the cell phone connected to each other high security voice operations such as garage door operation can use the multi - device authentication of this system . in addition , the bluetooth enabled case can use its limited voice recognition capabilities to control operation of the case . referring now to fig9 there is shown a smart wallet 12 in the unlocked open position illustrating the various internal features . the smart wallet 12 upper portion 202 and lower portion 204 swing open at the resistance hinge 206 when unlocked . the upper portion 202 includes one or more locking lug tabs 208 and 209 , and an led lighted frame 210 . the smart wallet 12 lower portion 204 includes a card storage area 212 , one or more locking lug accepting slots 214 and 216 , as well as an internal led lighted bluetooth activation button 218 to provide for bluetooth activation once the smart wallet 12 is unlocked and opened using the external biometric reader mechanism or password opening steps . a usb port 220 is located on the power portion 204 of the smart wallet 12 . referring now to fig1 a and 10b there is shown an exploded view of the smart wallet 12 illustrating the various components which make up the physical construction of same . in fig1 a , from top to bottom , the components shown include : a bottom case 250 , a lower frame member 252 , a bottom foam liner 254 , a molded foam inner frame member 256 , and an inner liner 258 with a cut out inner bluetooth activation button window , a pca cover 260 and a battery 262 . moving now to fig1 b , from top to bottom , the physical components of the smart wallet 10 include : a gear assembly 264 , a printed circuit board ( pcb ) 226 , a lower frame member 268 , a flex circuit speaker 270 , a home button 272 and a top case member 274 . it should be noted that this smart wallet system may also take the form of a smart locking case , and that this anticipated smart locking case may be equipped similarly to the smart wallet 12 but be in the form of a small , medium or large locking case such as an attache case , brief case , or other form of luggage , etc . any locking case so equipped would be controllable and controlled through the smartphone application as described and disclosed herein . within this case locking system may be any combination of the standard and optional equipment as described above for the smart wallet 12 system . fig1 a , 11b , 11c , and 11d represent smartphone screen shots for a mobile application ( app ) stored on the smartphone 14 for controlling the smart wallet . in fig1 a there is shown a home screen 280 for the mobile app . on this home screen 280 , the user may choose from a variety of connection options including wifi , zigbee , bluetooth and z - wave , by pushing the corresponding button to activate that type of connection with the smart wallet ( not shown ). in fig1 b the next menu screen is the enter password screen 282 in which the user enters the appropriate password 284 for the type of connection chosen . fig1 c then shows a lock / unlock screen 286 , in which the user may unlock or lock a door by pushing the lock button 288 , as accessed by the type of connection chosen in fig1 a . fig1 d shows another possible lock / unlock screen 290 in which the user may lock or unlock a vehicle by pushing the lock button 292 . these screen shots , and this mobile app are just examples of various means in which the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled smart wallet system 10 can be used to access , open , lock and unlock various other devices through wireless communications means . the biometric and bluetooth enabled case lock 10 shown in the drawings and described in detail herein disclose arrangement of elements of particular construction and configuration for illustrating preferred embodiments of structure and method of operation of the present application . it is to be understood , however , that elements of different construction and configuration and other arrangements thereof ; other than those illustrated and described may be employed for providing a case lock 10 in accordance with the spirit of this disclosure , and such changes , alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this design as broadly defined in the appended claims . further , the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the u . s . patent and trademark office and the public generally , and especially the scientists , engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology , to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application . the abstract is neither intended to define the inventing of the application , which is measured by the claims , nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way . | 6 |
fig2 diagrammatically illustrates a radiation generator 20 according to the invention . this radiation generator includes a chamber 21 which is generally closed but with one side 210 open to let pass the beams emitted by the chamber . the chamber 21 includes a source 211 that can produce an initial radiation r 0 . typically this is a source containing a plasma . the initial radiation includes beams whose wavelength corresponds to a desired range of wavelengths . in a preferred but not limiting embodiment of the invention , the desired range of wavelengths falls within the interval [ 0 - 100 nm ]. this desired range of wavelengths can thus be located in the euv spectrum . the chamber 21 can thus produce initial radiation in which a significant quantity of beams correspond to the desired wavelength range . as mentioned previously , it is possible however that undesirable effects can be associated with the emission from the source : the initial radiation can also contain beams whose wavelengths do not correspond exactly to the desired range ; and it is also possible that the source 211 may emit a certain amount of debris with the initial radiation . in order to prevent these undesirable effects , the generator 20 includes resources for filtering the initial radiation . these filtering resources can introduce a controlled distribution of the refraction index of the beams in a control region 212 traversed by the initial radiation , to selectively deflect the beams of the initial radiation according to their wavelength . the beams of a desired wavelength are then recovered ( in particular using resources which will be described in this text ). such embodiment makes use of a physical principle similar to that , for example , which causes the deflection of light beams in the presence of a gradient of the refraction index of the air ( the particular case of air with high temperature gradients ). in the embodiment illustrated in fig2 , the control region is located inside of the chamber itself 21 . note that it is also possible for this control region to be located outside the chamber 21 , downstream of the latter on the trajectory of the initial radiation . control of the distribution of the refraction index in the control region can be achieved by controlling the electron density distribution in the control region . in this regard , it is possible to exploit the relationship linking the refraction index η to the electron density n e : η =( 1 − n e / n c ) 1 / 2 , where n represents a critical electron density value beyond which the beams are no longer able to pass , since this value of n c is related to the wavelength of the beams concerned . returning to the method of implementation illustrated in fig2 , the control region 212 is therefore located in the chamber 21 , and this control region is thus in the plasma associated with the source 211 . control of the electron density distribution in the control region allows one to influence the trajectories of the different beams of the initial radiation , according to the wavelength of these beams . this is illustrated in fig2 , which shows two general trajectories of two types of beam : beams of a first wavelength λ1 , these beams have the trajectory r 1 ; and beams of a second wavelength λ2 , which is shorter than the first wavelength λ1 , these beams have the trajectory r 2 . in a preferred embodiment of the invention which is illustrated here , an electron density distribution is established in the control region such that the electron density is greater at a distance from a median initial radiation emission line than it is on the median initial radiation emission line . the “ median initial radiation emission line ” corresponds , in the embodiment shown in fig2 , to the straight line a . note that in the embodiment illustrated here , the chamber is typically in the shape of a round cylinder , and that the initial radiation is emitted with a generally axi - symmetrical distribution of the beams , around line a . the configuration of the electron density distribution desired in this embodiment is illustrated diagrammatically in fig3 , which shows electron density curves . in this figure , it can be seen that the electron density value is greater at the edges of the chamber ( distanced from line a ) than in the middle of this chamber ( close to line a ). it can also be seen that the three electron density curves that are shown diverge in the peripheral region of the chamber . such an electron density distribution is opposite to the electron density distribution that can normally be observed in the chamber of a radiation source . in the case of a chamber of known type , one generally observes a higher density at the center of the chamber . the density configuration shown in fig3 is therefore specific , and it is created by design for the embodiment of the invention described here . in order to create such an electron density distribution in the control region , energy is injected into the plasma of the chamber 21 along the line a . this input of energy can be effected , for example , by a beam of electrons or by a laser beam , directed into the control region along the axis defined by line a . this input of energy is illustrated diagrammatically by arrow e . it is used to ionize the plasma in the control region , along line a . prior to this input of energy , it was possible to establish an electric voltage at the terminals of the chamber containing the plasma , the terminals being spaced along the general direction defined by the median initial radiation emission line . fig3 diagrammatically represents such terminals 2121 and 2122 . it is thus possible to create an electron density distribution of the type shown in fig3 . note that such a distribution can be obtained by starting from a density distribution of a known type , in which the density is higher at the center of the chamber . the input of energy and the ionization associated with it is used in this embodiment to “ invert ” the density configuration , and to obtain a higher density close to the peripheral walls of the chamber . fig3 shows three density distribution curves as mentioned . these three curves are generally coincident in the central region of the chamber ( close to line a ), but have different values of density close to the walls of the chamber . these three curves correspond to successive states of the electron density distribution , when ionization of the central zone of the control region has been effected . at the end of such an ionization , there can be an electron density which is already higher at the periphery of the control region . if , however , one then allows the plasma thus ionized to develop , this configuration will then become accentuated , and the value of the density will again increase at the periphery . in fact the high - density electrons present in great quantity at the periphery of the chamber will have a tendency to cause the internal walls of this chamber to melt , single layer of wall coating by single layer of wall coating . this melting leads to an additional input of electrons at the periphery of the chamber , which still further increases the electron density in this area . fig2 specifically represents a window 222 which is positioned at the focal point of the beams on the trajectory r 2 . this window corresponds to a resource for recovery of beams of a desired wavelength , from amongst the beams of the initial radiation . it has been seen that the different beams emitted by the initial radiation r 0 were deflected in a different manner , by the electron density distribution which existed in the control region , according to their wavelength . this selective deflection causes the beams associated with a given wavelength to converge toward a specific point on line a , referred to herein as the “ focal point ”. the position of the focal point on line a ( a position that can be defined by a curvilinear abscissa of a marker linked to the line a ) therefore depends on the wavelength associated with this focal point . fig2 shows focal points f 1 and f 2 associated respectively with the beams of trajectories r 1 and r 2 . the window 222 is thus positioned at focal point f 2 . the function of this window is to allow to pass only the beams arriving at line a generally at focal point f 2 ( that is the beams of wavelength λ2 ). to this end , window 222 includes an opening 2220 which is preferably centered on line a . this window thus forms an advantageous resource for recovering only the beams of a desired wavelength . it thus improves filtration of the beams emitted by the initial radiation . in this way , it is possible to have windows in any desired position on line a , according to the wavelength that one wished to isolate . it can therefore be seen that the invention allows beams of a desired wavelength ( or at desired wavelengths , to be exact ) to be isolated in an efficient manner . with respect to the invention , there is no exposing of a filtration resource , such as a multi - layer mirror , to debris that can damage it . with respect to the invention , the fact that the desired beams are recovered at a specific point toward which they were deflected already allows a large part of any debris emitted by the source 21 to be avoided . implementation of recovery resources such as a window allows the quantity of debris to be reduced still further . the result is that at the end of this filtration , there is very little or no debris . note that downstream of the focal point of the beams that need to be recovered , it is possible to create resources for optical conditioning of the beam formed by these filtered beams . in particular , this optical conditioning can be a collimation and / or a focusing process . the recovered beam can therefore be sent directly toward a lithography mask . it is also possible to direct the recovered beam toward additional filtering resources , if so desired . such additional filtering resources can include a multi - layer mirror like those which constitute the filtering resources that are known currently . the layers of such a multi - layer mirror are designed ( in composition and thickness ) so that the mirror selectively reflects only the beams of a given wavelength ( according to a condition known as the bragg condition , which links the reflectivity of the mirror to the wavelength of the incident beams ). in this variant , several filtering resources are used in series . the resource that is furthest upstream , which performs a selective deflection of beams and their recovery , provides protection for the resource furthest downstream ( the multi - layer mirror ) from the debris emitted by the source . note finally that it is possible to implement the invention in a device that includes a multiplicity of sources of initial radiation , each associated with resources that can be used to control a distribution of the refraction index in an associated control region . this mode of implementation is illustrated diagrammatically in fig4 . in this figure , a multiplicity of chambers 21 i which are similar to the chamber 21 already described , direct their respective radiation along respective median lines ai , which converge toward a central optic 23 . the central optic can thus receive the beams emitted by one or more chambers 21 i , according to the chambers that are active . the distance between the optic 23 and each chamber is adjusted to select the radiation filtering wavelength associated with each active chamber . it is also thus possible to cause beams of different wavelengths , coming from different chambers , to arrive at the optic 23 . the optic 23 is able to redirect the received beams toward the exterior , and therefore toward other optical processing resources ( such as a lithography mask ) for example . | 6 |
referring to fig1 , there is shown an interior wall 102 of an enclosure for holding and carrying freight of various kinds . the enclosure can be , without limitation , a cargo carrying truck trailer or van , a rail car or other type of cargo container . two rails 104 and 106 are fixably attached to interior wall 102 , in a horizontal orientation and in spaced apart relationship with one another . a frame 108 is mounted upon rails 104 and 106 , for slidable motion therealong in a horizontal direction , that is , motion either to the left or right as viewed in fig1 . frame 108 comprises side members 108 a and 108 b , and top and bottom members 108 c and 108 d , respectively . while not shown , top frame member 108 c is provided with rollers or other conventional mechanisms for engaging rail 104 , such as in a groove thereof ( not shown ), in order to allow easy travel of top member 108 c along rail 104 . bottom member 108 d is likewise provided with such rollers or other conventional mechanisms ( not shown ), to allow easy travel of member 108 d along rail 106 . thus , frame 108 can be moved along rails 104 and 106 with a minimal amount of manual effort , over a pre - specified path of travel . the path of travel could comprise the entire length of wall 102 , or alternatively could be limited to a selected section thereof . fig1 also shows frame 108 provided with a locking mechanism , such as a pin or plunger 114 . when frame 108 has been moved to a selected position , pin 114 may be inserted into one of a series of complementary holes ( not shown ) located along rail 106 to retain frame 108 at the selected position . referring further to fig1 , there is shown a lower panel segment 110 , joined to frame 108 by means of hinges 116 or the like . hinges 116 support lower panel 110 for rotational or pivotal movement with respect to frame 108 , about a vertical axis . more particularly , lower panel segment 110 is supported for rotation between a position wherein it is in perpendicular relationship with wall 102 , as shown in fig1 , and a position wherein lower panel 110 is in abutting or closely spaced relationship with wall 102 , as shown in fig2 . in this latter position , lower panel 110 is moved into a recessed space or recess defined by frame 108 , as discussed hereinafter in connection with fig2 . fig1 further shows an upper panel segment 112 having an edge 112 a that is joined to the upper edge of lower panel 110 by means of hinges 118 or the like . upper panel 112 can thereby be pivoted or rotated with respect to lower panel 110 , about a horizontal axis . more particularly , upper panel 112 can be rotated between a horizontal orientation as shown in fig1 , and a vertical orientation as shown in fig2 , described hereinafter . by supporting upper panel segment 112 in the horizontal mode shown in fig1 , the upper panel can provide a convenient shelf for carrying parcels or other goods . upper panel segment 112 also acts to protect goods that are stored under it , such as from other goods that fall from a higher location in the freight carrying enclosure . in one useful embodiment , upper panel 110 could be supported at approximately one - half the distance from the floor to the ceiling of the freight enclosure , so that load carrying pallets that were “ half high ” ( not shown ) could be placed under upper panel segment 112 . in the horizontal mode shown in fig1 , upper panel 112 and freight carried thereby is supported in part by lower panel 110 , attached to frame 108 . upper panel 110 can be further supported , proximate to edge 112 b thereof that opposes edge 112 a , by means of a bracket 122 attached to side member 108 a of frame 108 . bracket 122 can usefully be pivoted to a horizontal position , and locked therein to support upper panel 112 as shown in fig1 . bracket 122 can also be pivoted downward to a vertical position when not needed , so that it may be kept out of the way . alternatively , or in addition , a rotational or pivotable leg 120 may be attached proximate to edge 112 b of upper panel 112 . the leg would be rotated into the position shown in fig1 , in order to support panel 112 and goods carried thereon in a horizontal mode . it will be understood that various other means besides those shown , which are well known by those of skill in the art and are within the scope of the invention , may alternatively be employed to support upper panel 112 in its horizontal position . in a further configuration described hereinafter in connection with fig4 , a panel segment similar to lower panel 110 , and attached to another slidable frame 108 , is positioned so that its upper edge can receive and support edge 112 b of upper panel segment 112 . fig1 further shows a locking pin 124 or similar device slidably attached to lower panel segment 110 , by means of brackets 124 a or the like . when frame 108 is held in a pre - specified position by means of pin 114 as described above , locking pin 124 is aligned with a well or socket 126 , when lower panel 110 is moved to its perpendicular position as shown by fig1 . thereupon , pin 124 is moved downward into socket 126 , to lock lower panel 110 into the perpendicular position , and to thereby provide rigid support for upper panel 112 . socket 126 is formed in the floor 138 of the freight enclosure . as is further shown by fig1 , a pin 128 mounted on upper panel segment 112 is positioned in complementary relationship with a socket structure , or other device 132 , that is mounted on lower panel segment 110 . thus , when the upper panel is rotated into its vertical position , pin 128 can be inserted into socket structure 132 . the two panel segments are thereby firmly joined together , to form a full or complete panel . the members 108 a - d of frame 108 collectively define a recess 130 adjacent to wall 102 . this recess is sized to receive the full panel , when panel segment 112 is in its vertical mode , and panel segment 110 is rotated into abutting relationship with wall 102 . latches 134 and 136 are mounted on frame 108 , for use in retaining the full panel in recess 130 . panel segments 110 and 112 respectively comprise flat , thin rectangular members formed of suitable material , such as wood , wire mesh , metal , or composite . referring to fig2 , there are shown both panel segments 110 and 112 vertically oriented and rotated into recess 130 , in abutting relationship with wall 102 . latches 132 and 134 are set to firmly retain the panel segments in the recess . a sectional view provided by fig3 indicates that the thickness of panel segments 110 and 112 is substantially the same as the thickness of the members 108 a - d that respectively form frame 108 . as a result , when the full panel comprising both segments is moved into recess 130 , the panel is flush with frame 108 , and thus does not obstruct or interfere with activity in the freight carrying enclosure . it will be seen that the system components shown by fig1 and 2 provide a high degree of flexibility . the sliding frame 108 allows the panel segments to be located at a range of positions along the length of the enclosure . thus , as further described hereinafter , one or both panel segments can be used to secure loads of varying lengths . upper panel segment 112 , when in a horizontal mode , provides a very useful shelf for carrying smaller sized goods , and thus has great utility in a small parcel environment . to accommodate large sized freight , both panels can be moved into the recess 130 , and thus kept out of the way . as a further benefit , existing cargo carrying vehicles and containers can be readily retrofitted with the respective components needed for embodiments of the invention . referring to fig4 , there is shown the partitioning configuration of fig1 together with a similar configuration 402 , which comprises a slidable frame 408 , a lower panel segment 410 and an upper panel segment 412 . components of configuration 402 are similar or identical to the respectively corresponding components of the fig1 configuration . thus , frame 408 is substantially similar to frame 108 , and is mounted for slidable movements along rails 104 and 106 . frame 408 comprises members 408 a - d , corresponding to members 108 a - d , respectively , of frame 108 . panel segments 410 and 412 are similar to segments 110 and 112 , respectively , and are similarly connected to one another and to frame 408 . components 416 - 418 , 424 - 426 and 434 - 436 have substantially the same forms and functions as components 116 - 118 , 124 - 126 and 134 - 136 , respectively . in one useful implementation , all the latches 134 - 136 and 434 - 436 are respectively recessed , to avoid being an obstruction or interference when the corresponding panels are received into recesses 130 and 430 of the frames 108 and 408 . referring further to fig4 , there is shown upper panel 112 supported by foldable leg 120 as described above . however , upper panel 412 is not provided with a foldable leg . instead , frame 408 is moved along rails 104 and 106 to position the edge 412 b of upper panel 412 upon edge 112 a of upper panel 112 , and on the upper edge of lower panel 110 . thus , panel segment 412 is supported in its horizontal mode by the combined action of lower panel segments 110 and 410 . while fig4 shows only two partitioning configurations , it is to be understood that any reasonable number of configurations 402 could be located along wall 102 b , in spaced relationship with one another , to form an array . each upper panel 412 would be supported in its horizontal mode by the lower panel segment 112 immediately to its right , as viewed in fig4 . only the upper panel segment at the end of the array would require other support , such as leg 120 or bracket 122 as described above . usefully , each upper panel 412 is also provided with a support member such as leg 120 . a panel 412 can then be supported independently of an adjacent lower panel 110 , if desired . in yet another embodiment of the invention , one or more frames 408 could be fixably attached to wall 102 , so that they were not horizontally movable , while one or more other frames 108 or 408 were allowed to move horizontally . this could further enhance the adaptability of the system disclosed herein . referring to fig5 a , there are shown two of the configurations as shown by fig1 , respectively mounted to opposing internal walls 102 and 502 of a freight carrying enclosure 500 . to secure a load of a particular length , each of the upper panels 112 is rotated to its vertical position , and the two configurations are moved the same distance along the walls 102 and 502 , wherein such distance is equal to the particular load length . the two panels 110 are thus brought into closely spaced relationship , and are joined together with a latch 506 . the two upper panels 112 are similarly placed in closely spaced relationship , and joined by a latch 504 . latches 508 and 510 are further provided , to secure the lower edges of the two full panels . fig5 b shows an arrangement similar to that of fig5 a , except that the two upper panel segments 112 are rotated to their horizontal positions . this may be done to accommodate a load of reduced height , or to provide shelves as described above . embodiments of the invention described above show the lower segment 110 attached to a slidable frame , for rotation about a vertical axis , with upper panel segment 112 being rotatably supported on the upper edge of the panel segment 110 . however , in other embodiments of the invention , the upper panel segment could be attached to the slidable frame , for rotation about a vertical axis . a lower panel segment would then be rotatably supported on the lower edge of such upper panel segment , for rotation between horizontal and vertical positions . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention , the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . | 1 |
fig1 shows the overall structure of a rotary head type digital tape recorder , which is the so - called r - dat . a drum 1 has a diameter of 30 mm and rotates at 2000 rpm and a pair of magnetic heads 2a and 2b are attached to drum 1 and are separated by an angular interval of 180 °. a magnetic tape 3 is obliquely wound around drum 1 with a wrap angle of 90 ° and magnetic tape 3 extends between reel hubs 4a and 4b of a tape cassette and is moved at a speed of 8 . 15 ( mm / sec ) in the standard mode by a capstan 5 and a pinch roller 6 according to the well - known operation . magnetic heads 2a and 2b alternately come into contact with magnetic tape 3 , so that oblique tracks 7a and 7b are formed on the magnetic tape 3 , as shown in fig2 . the tape width a of the magnetic tape 3 is typically 3 . 81 mm , and the magnetic gap of one rotary head 2a is inclined by an angle + α with respect to the direction perpendicular to the track . the magnetic gap of the other rotary head 2b is inclined by the angle - α with respect to the direction perpendicular to the track . the angles of the magnetic gaps of the magnetic heads 2a and 2b are referred to as the + azimuth and - azimuth , respectively , and in this embodiment α = 20 °. the magnetic heads 2a and 2b are alternately selected by a head change - over switch 8 . a recording signal from a terminal r of a recording / reproducing switch 9 is supplied to magnetic heads 2a and 2b through rotary transformers ( not shown ). the signals reproduced by magnetic heads 2a and 2b are taken out at a terminal p of the recording / reproducing switch 9 through the rotary transformers . an analog input audio signal fed in at an input terminal 10 is supplied to an a / d converter 12 through a low - pass filter 11 and converted into a digital audio signal . in the standard mode , the sampling frequency is selected as 48 khz and 16 - bit linear digitization is employed . the digital audio signal from the a / d converter 12 is supplied to a recording signal processor 13 , where the error correction coding process of the digital audio signal and conversion into the recording data format are performed . in this case , an id signal ( pcm - id ) to identify the on / off state of the preemphasis of the signal to be recorded , the sampling frequency , the number of digitization bits , and the like is added . in addition , the subcodes such as program number , time code , and the like of the signal to be recorded and the id signal for the subcodes are formed by a subcode encoder ( not shown ) and are supplied to recording signal processor 13 from a terminal 14 . the serial recording data for every track is generated from recording signal processor 13 synchronously with the rotation of magnetic heads 2a and 2b . the recording data is supplied to head change - over switch 8 through a recording amplifier 15 and terminal r of recording / reproducing switch 9 . the recording data is alternately supplied to magnetic heads 2a and 2b by head change - over switch 8 . during playback the signals reproduced by the magnetic heads 2a and 2b are supplied to a reproducing amplifier 16 through head change - over switch 8 and terminal p of recording / reproducing switch 9 . the output signal of the reproducing amplifier 16 is supplied to a pll 17 , where the clocks synchronized with the reproduction signal are extracted . the reproduction signal is subjected to processing for error correction , interpolation , and the like in a reproduction signal processor 18 . the reproduced , processed digital audio signal is supplied to a d / a converter 19 . the analog audio signal output from d / a converter 19 is fed to an output terminal 21 through a low - pass filter 20 . the subcodes and subcode id are separated in reproduction signal processor 18 and are fed out at an output terminal 22 . a subcode decoder ( not shown ) is connected to the output terminal 22 , and the control data and the like are formed from the subcodes . suitable control signals to control head change - over switch 8 and recording / reproducing change - over switch 9 are produced by a timing controller 23 . timing controller 23 also generates clock signals and timing signals that are used in recording signal processor 13 and in reproduction signal processor 18 . the portion of data that is recorded in one track is called one segment . fig3 a shows an arrangement of the data of one segment that is recorded by one rotary head . assuming that a unit amount of the recording data is one block , 196 blocks ( 7500 μs ) of data are included in one segment . eleven block margins are provided in both ends of one segment , which correspond to the ends of a track . subcodes 1 and 2 are recorded adjacent the margins , and these two subcodes are the same data recorded twice . generally , the subcode includes the program number and the time code . a run - in interval of two blocks of the pll and a postamble interval of one block are arranged on both sides of the recording area of eight blocks of the subcode . to improve the ability to discriminate data inter - block gaps of three blocks , in which no data is recorded , are provided at the beginning and end of data blocks . a five - block pilot signal for automatic track finding ( atf ) is recorded between two inter - block gaps of three blocks each . the pcm signal that has been subjected to the recording processing is recorded in an area of 128 blocks that is preceded by a run - in interval for the pll of two blocks . the pcm signal is derived from the data corresponding to the audio signal for a period of time equal to 15 ms when the rotary head rotates one - half of a full rotation . the pcm signal comprises stereophonic pcm data for two channels consisting of the left ( l ) and right ( r ) channels and the parity data of the error detection / correction codes . when one segment as shown in fig3 a is recorded / reproduced by magnetic heads 2a , data le is recorded in the left - half portion of the 128 block pcm signal recording area and data ro is recorded in the right - half portion . the data le consists of the even number designated data of the l channel and the parity data concerned with that data . the data ro consists of the odd number designated data of the r channel and the parity data concerned with this data . the odd numbers and even numbers are based on the order when counted from the beginning of the interleave blocks . one segment of data having the same constitution as that of the foregoing track is recorded in the next track that is formed by the other magnetic head . in that next track data re is recorded in the left - half portion of the data interval in the one segment of data in the other track , and data lo is recorded in the right - half portion . the data re consists of the even number designed data of the r channel and the parity data concerned with that data . the data lo consists of the odd number designed data of the l channel and the parity data with respect to this data . the reason why the even number designated data and the odd number designed data of each channel are separately recorded in two adjacent tracks and the data of the l and r channels is recorded in the same track is to prevent the continuous data of the same channel from becoming erroneous due to dropouts and the like . fig3 b shows a data construction of one block of the pcm signal . a block sync signal of eight bits , in which eight bits equals one symbol , is added to the beginning of one block and the pcm - id of eight bits is then added . the block address is added after the pcm - id . the error correction coding processing of the simple parity kind is performed with respect to two symbols , w1 and w2 , comprising the pcm - id and block address , respectively . the eight - bit parity code is then added after the block address . as shown in fig3 d , the block address is constituted by seven bits excluding the most significant bit ( msb ). the most significant bit is set to &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; to indicate that the block is the pcm data block . the seven bit block address sequentially changes from ( 00 ) to ( 7f ) in hexadecimal notation . the pcm - id that is recorded in each block having a block address whose lower three bits are ( 000 ) ( 010 ) ( 100 ) ( 110 ) is determined . an optional code of the pcm - id can be recorded in each block having a block address whose lower three bits are ( 001 ) ( 011 ) ( 101 ) ( 111 ). subcodes id1 to id8 each consisting of two bits and the frame address of four bits are included in the pcm - id . the identification information is defined for each of the id1 to id7 subcodes . one block includes thirty - two id8 subcodes . for example , the id1 subcode is the format id indicating the kind of application , whether audio or otherwise , for the data . the on / off state of the preemphasis and the characteristics of the preemphasis are identified by subcode id2 . the sampling frequency is identified by subcode id3 . the foregoing subcodes id1 to id7 and the frame address have the same data in the segment of the interleave pair . fig3 c shows a data structure of one block of the subcodes . the data constitution is similar to that of the foregoing pcm block . as shown in fig3 e , the most significant bit of the symbol w2 of the subcode block is set to &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; thereby indicating that the block is the subcode block . the lower four bits of the symbol w2 are used as the block address . eight bits of the symbol w1 and three bits in the symbol w2 , except the msb and the block address in symbol w2 , are used as the subcode id . the error correction coding using simple parity is executed with regard to the two symbols , w1 and w2 , of the subcode block and the parity code of eight bits is added after the block address subcode id . the data of the subcode id that is recorded in the even number designated block addresses has the least significant bit of the block address set at &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; which differs from the data of subcode id that is recorded in the odd number designated block address , wherein the least significant bit of the block address is set at &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. the subcode id includes the control id used to designate the producing method , the time code , and the like . the subcode data is subjected to error correction coding processing using a reed - solomon code similar to the pcm data . the processes of the error detection / correction codes are executed every 128 blocks of the data that is recorded in one segment . fig4 a shows a code construction of one segment of the data that is recorded by one magnetic head 2a , and fig4 b shows the code construction for one segment of the data that is recorded by the other magnetic head 2b . the pcm signal having sixteen digitization bits is divided into upper eight bits and lower eight bits and subjected to processing of the error detection / correction codes in which eight bits are used as one symbol . data of 4096 symbols ( 128 × 32 = 4096 ) is recorded in one segment and , as shown in fig4 a , the coding processes of an error detection code c1 and an error correction code c2 are executed with respect to each of the vertical and horizontal directions of the two - dimensional arrangement of the data comprising the even number designated data le of the l channel consisting of the symbols ( l0 , l2 , . . . , l1438 ) and the odd number designated data ro of the r channel consisting of the symbols ( r1 , r3 , . . . , r1439 ). the twenty - eight symbols in the vertical direction are subjected to the coding process of the c1 code using the ( 32 , 28 , 5 ) reed - solomon code . parity data p of four symbols of the c1 code is arranged at the last position of the two - dimensional arrangement . on the other hand , the fifty - two symbols in the horizontal direction are subjected to the coding process of the c2 code using the ( 32 , 26 , 7 ) reed - solomon code . the coding of the c2 code is secured with respect to twenty - six pairs of every two symbols among the fifty - two symbols . parity data q consisting of six symbols is generated with respect to one code series . the parity data q consisting of a total of twelve symbols of the c2 code is arranged in the central portion of the two - dimensional code arrangement . a coding process similar to the c2 code is performed with regard to the other fifty - two symbols of the pcm data arranged in the horizontal direction . parity data q is arranged in the central portion of the two - dimensional arrangement . each error correction of the c1 code and the c2 code is made with respect to the series of 128 symbols . the code construction shown in fig4 b is obtained by replacing the even number designated pcm signals of the l channel in the code construction of fig4 a by even number designated pcm signals ( r0 , r2 , . . . , r1438 ) of the r channel and by replacing the odd number designated pcm signals of the r channel by the odd number designated signals pcm signals ( l1 , l3 , . . . , l1439 ) of the l channel . a complete pcm block is formed by adding the sync signal , pcm - id , block address , and parity to the vertically arranged thirty - two symbols , as shown in fig3 b . this invention relates to error correction of the reproduced data in the reproduction signal processor of the above - described rotary - head , digital audio tape recorder and fig5 shows one embodiment of such a reproduction signal processor . the reproduced signal is fed in at an input terminal 31 to a demodulator 32 and each ten - bit symbol is demodulated into an eight - bit symbol . when the data was recorded on the magnetic tape , eight bits making one symbol were subjected to digital modulation to convert it into a desirable pattern of ten bits in order to reduce the low - frequency component as much as possible . the reproduced demodulated data from demodulator 32 is supplied to a data bus 35 through a data register 33 and a buffer 34 . the data from demodulator 32 is also fed to a c1 syndrome check circuit 36 , and error detection is performed by the c1 code . the c1 syndrome check circuit 36 has a simplified circuit structure for calculating a syndrome for every series of c1 codes and for checking whether there is an error from the syndrome without executing error correction . the result of this check indicative of the presence of absence of an error of the c1 syndrome check circuit 36 is supplied to a pointer generation circuit 37 . pointer generation circuit 37 generates a c1 pointer indicating the presence of absence of an error for every series of 128 c1 codes . the c1 pointer is fed to data bus 35 also through data register 33 and buffer 34 . since the direction of the c1 code series coincides with the direction of the data arrangement with which the data was recorded / reproduced , the error detection operation by the c1 syndrome check circuit 36 is performed in parallel with , and simultaneously with , the writing of the reproduced data into a buffer ram 40 . buffer ram 40 and an error correction circuit 41 are also connected to data bus 35 , and the reproduced data is stored in buffer ram 40 and is subjected to error correcting processing using a reed - solomon code in error correction circuit 41 . buffer ram 40 has memory areas specifically allotted for the reproduced data and the pointer . the error corrected pcm signal and the pointer are also supplied to an interpolating circuit 42 , wherein uncorrectable errors are interpolated . then , the reproduced error corrected pcm signal is fed out at an output terminal 43 and supplied to d / a converter 19 of fig1 . also , the subcodes are subjected to processing such as error correction and the like by a subcode decoder ( not shown ) and made available at the output terminal for the subcodes . interpolating circuit 42 performs average - value interpolation , the holding of a previous value , or some other kind of interpolation with respect to pcm signal words specified by the pointer among the pcm signals subjected to the error correction processing . in addition , a block address detection circuit 38 receives the output of demodulator 32 and operates to detect the reproduction block address . the detected reproduction block address is then supplied to an address generation circuit 39 that generates a reproduction address used as an address signal for buffer ram 40 . the reproduction address used to write the reproduction data of one segment ( 32 symbols × 128 blocks ) in accordance with the order from the first block to the 128th block . an address for error correction circuit ( ecc ) 41 is also generated by address generation circuit 39 , and the address for ecc 41 is also supplied to buffer ram 40 . the address for ecc 41 is used to read out the data from buffer ram 40 for the respective c1 and c2 decoding and to write the error corrected data and a pointer into buffer ram 40 . in this reproduction signal processor , a frame address detector for detecting a frame address from pcm - id in the reproduced data , a frame address decision circuit for deciding whether the detected frame address is correct , an interpolation control circuit for controlling the interpolating circuit and the like are also provided but are not shown in the interest of clarity and brevity . the c1 pointer is developed by c1 syndrome check circuit 36 and pointer generation circuit 37 in parallel with the writing of the demodulated data into buffer ram 40 . this development of the c1 pointer is done as the first c1 decoding , the first c2 decoding is then performed , the second c1 decoding is carried out , and the second c2 decoding can be further performed by error correction circuit 41 . fig6 is a timing chart of the decoding operation according to one embodiment of the present invention and shows a reference pulse dref in synchronism with the rotation of rotary heads 2a and 2b . because the rate of revolution of rotary heads 2a and 2b is 2000 rpm , the period of the reference pulse dref is 30 ms , and the rotary head 2a reproduces data from the magnetic tape 3 during a 15 ms period having a low level , while the rotary head 2b reproduces data from the magnetic tape 3 during a 15 ms period having a high level . consequently , an rf signal shown in fig6 b is produced and a represents the output of rotary head 2a and b represents the output of rotary head 2b . in fig6 b , each of the rf signals is numbered successively corresponding to the reproduced signals from the respective tracks . as described above , the first c1 decoding is performed in synchronism with the timing of the rf signal , as represented in fig6 c . a change of the contents of the data area of buffer ram 40 is indicated in fig6 e , and a change of the contents of the pointer area is indicated in fig6 f . to store reproduced data having a period of 15 ms , a 32 k - bit memory capacity is needed , and for this data area a memory capacity of 192 k - bits ( 3 × 6 = 192 ) is prepared . a memory capacity of 64 k - bits ( 8 × 8 = 64 ) is prepared for the pointer area and buffer for the subcode . the reproduced , demodulated data is written into the data area of buffer ram 40 sequentially , such that the reproduced data from track 1 to track 6 is written into each 32k - bit area sequentially , and the reproduced data of track 7 is written into the same area as the reproduced data of track 1 . for example , looking at the processing of the reproduced data of track 3 , the c1 decoding is carried out at the timing when the reproduced data is provided . a not - updated pointer ( ng ) is set beforehand in a previous rotation period in the pointer area where the c1 pointer of track 3 is written , as shown in fig6 f . the c1 pointer generated by the first c1 decoding is written into the pointer area at the timing when the reproduced data is written into the data area . in the rotation period in which the reproduced rf signals of next successive tracks 5 and 6 are provided , as shown in fig6 d , the c2 decoding , the second c1 decoding , and the second c2 decoding are carried out with respect to the reproduced data of track 3 . this decoding process is performed by error correction circuit 41 and at the completion of the decoding the decoded data , which is shown by , in fig6 e , has all been stored in the data area of buffer ram 40 . meanwhile , the c1 pointer and c2 pointer developed by the above - mentioned decoding process are stored in the pointer area of buffer ram 40 . in this example , since an interleave format that is completed with two tracks is applied , after the decoding of tracks 3 and 4 data is output for a period indicated at t2 , following the decoding of the reproduced data of track 3 and following the decoding of the reproduced data of the track 4 . t1 is a period in which data is output after the decoding of tracks 1 and 2 . in this case , the data is output with the points ( 3 , c1 - c2 ) and ( 4 , c1 - c2 ) of the pointer area . the time allowed for the first c2 decoding , the second c1 decoding , and the second c2 decoding is 15 ms . the first c1 decoding is performed with the timing of the rf signal , and the decoding of the remaining three stages is done in the rotation period after the writing of data into the data area of buffer ram 40 . for this reason , it is possible to complete the decoding process within this time without increasing the processing speed , which processing speed increase is typically required by the prior art . because the decoding of the rf signal is performed in the period of 15 ms in which the rf signal is obtained , each of the c1 decoding and c2 decoding can be done only once , conventionally . the decoding operation is sequentially performed and is illustrated in the flow chart of fig7 a - 7c . as a first step , the c1 pointer of ng , for example , ( 91 ) h is set into the pointer area of the buffer ram 40 , the use of h refers to the hexadecimal notation , then the first c1 decoding is performed as follows . the ng pointer is rewritten into the c1 pointer ( c1p ) ( 00 ) h developed in the absence of an error at pointer generation circuit 37 or into the c1 pointer ( ff ) h in the presence of an error . the c1 pointer is read out of the pointer area of the buffer ram , and a constant needed for erasure correction is calculated . see step 51 in fig7 b . the first c2 decoding is performed as follows . correction of double errors is performed at steps 52 and 53 of fig7 b , the c2 pointer c2p is developed at steps 54 , 55 , 56 , and 57 for c2 decoding depending on the correction operation as shown below , and the c2 pointer c2p is written into the pointer area of buffer ram 40 . the following listing shows the various values for the first c2 decoding . the second c1 decoding is performed as follows . correction of double errors is carried out at steps 52 and 53 of fig7 b , the c1 pointer c1p is developed at steps 54 , 55 , 56 , and 57 for c1 decoding depending on the correction operation as shown below , and the c1 pointer c1p is written into the pointer area of buffer ram 40 . the following listing shows the code values for the second c1 decoding . no error : in the case of c1p =( 91 ) h , c1p =( 81 ) h is established . in the case of c1p ≠( 91 ) h , c1p =( 80 ) h is established . correction of one error : in the case of c1p =( 91 ) h , c1p =( 85 ) h is established . in the case of c1p ≠( 91 ) h , c1p =( 84 ) h is established . the second c2 decoding is performed as follows . correction of double errors is carried out at steps 52 and 53 of fig7 b , the c2 pointer c2p is developed at steps 54 , 55 , 56 , and 57 for c2 decoding depending on the correction operation as shown below , and the c2 pointer c2p is written into the pointer area of the buffer ram 40 . the following listing shows the code values for the second c2 decoding . the c1 pointer c1p and the c2 pointer c2p are output to interpolating circuit 42 of fig5 with the decoded data , and an interpolating operation is performed based on such pointer information . each of the least significant bits of the c1 pointer and the c2 pointer has information indicative of the presence or absence of an error . a least significant bit of &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; means an error , while a least significant bit of &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; means the absence of an error . the use of an eight - bit code for the c1 pointer and the c2 pointer permits the checking of the tape running system , for example , so as to enable the state of an error and the state of correction processing to be monitored by upper bits of the pointer . in this embodiment , the ng pointer indication that data is not updated is set beforehand in the pointer area allotted for the c1 pointer of buffer ram 40 before the first c1 decoding is executed , and the c1 pointer is rewritten depending on the result of the first c1 decoding . therefore , it can be detected that the data is not updated by reading out the c1 pointer after the first c2 decoding . if old data is left partially or completely without the updating in buffer ram 40 , an erroneous correction operation is performed , so that an abnormal sound may be generated . nevertheless , because in this embodiment it can be detected with certainty that the data of buffer ram 40 is not updated , the possibility of erroneous correction can be lessened . also , as compared with a method for destroying the contents of the buffer ram with a random series , for example , an m series after reading out decoded data from the buffer ram , there are the advantages that the method of this embodiment does not need a random series generating circuit , that the data stored in the buffer ram can be identified from the beginning of decoding as one that is not updated , and the possibility of erroneous correction can be lowered . as described above , in a product code error correction capability increases with an increased number of performances of the c1 decoding and c2 decoding . for example , as represented in fig8 cross - points of the series of c1 codes , which can correct a two - symbol error , and the series of c2 codes , which can correct a two - symbol error , form information symbols . an error pattern of error symbols of sixteen cross - points , represented by o and • is shown in fig8 . in a conventional error correction system for sequentially performing the c1 decoding and the c2 decoding , seven error symbols indicated at • are corrected , while nine error symbols indicated at o remain as they are without being corrected . all error symbols , however , can be corrected by performing the c1 decoding and the c2 decoding once again after the initial c1 decoding and the c2 decoding are completed . having described a specific preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that precise embodiment , and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims . for example , in the above - described embodiment , the invention has been applied to the processing of a reproduced signal of a rotary head digital tape recorder , however , the invention can be applied equally to the decoding of reproduced signals of other recording media , such as an optical disc . this invention can achieve the increased repetition number of the c1 code decoding and c2 code decoding in the vertical and horizontal directions of a product code so as to improve the error correction capability . the invention also has the advantage that the problem of a power consumption increase will not take place , because the invention differs from a conventional system that has a processor for error correction with an increased operational frequency to raise a processing speed . | 6 |
before explaining embodiments of the present invention , a data recorder according to the present invention will be described . the data recorder records / reproduces digital data to / from a cassette tape with a rotating head . fig3 is a front view showing the data recorder . fig4 is a rear view of the data recorder . as shown in fig3 and 4 , the data recorder is composed of two units that are an upper unit and a lower unit . the lower unit is literally disposed below the upper unit . the lower unit is a tape drive controller 1 . the upper unit is a digital information recorder 2 . the tape drive controller 1 has a front panel that includes a button 3 and a plurality of light emitting diodes 4 . the button 3 is used to perform the loading / unloading processes for a cassette tape . the light emitting diodes 4 represent whether or not a cassette tape has been loaded , whether or not the power has been turned on , and so forth . the digital information recorder 2 has a front panel with a cassette tape loading / unloading opening 5 . in addition , the digital information recorder 2 has a detachable panel 6 . inside the detachable panel 6 , other operation buttons are disposed . as shown in fig4 on the rear panels of the tape drive controller 1 and the digital information recorder 2 , a plurality of connectors are disposed . on the rear panel of the lower tape drive controller 1 , a data input / output connector 11 , a control connector 12 , an rs232c connector 13 , two scsi connectors 14 and 14b , an ac power input connector 15 , and a dc power output connector 16 are disposed . on the rear panel of the digital information recorder 2 , a data input / output connector 21 , a control connector 22 , and an rs232c connector 23 are disposed . by connecting a dedicated cable to the dc power output connector 16 of the tape drive controller 1 , power is supplied to the digital information recorder 2 . the data input / output connectors 11 and 21 are connected with a dedicated cable . data is sent and received between the controller 1 and the recorder 2 . the control connectors 12 and 22 are connected with a dedicated cable . thus , control signals are exchanged between the controller 1 and the recorder 2 . the rs232c connectors 13 and 23 are used for diagnosis purposes . as shown in fig5 when a host computer 20 is connected to the data recorder , the scsi connectors 14a and 14b are used . when the host computer 20 sends for example a read command to the data recorder , it outputs data to the host computer 20 . the digital information recorder 2 records / reproduces data to / from a cassette tape with rotating heads . ( in the following description , the rotating heads may be treated as a single head for convenience .) fig6 shows the arrangement of the heads used in the recorder 2 . four record heads ra , rb , rc , and rd and four reproduction ( playback ) heads pa , pb , pc , and pd are disposed on a drum 25 that rotates at a predetermined speed in the direction shown in fig6 . the heads ra and rb are adjacently disposed . this relation applies to pairs of heads rc and rd , heads pa and pb , and heads pc and pd . the extended directions of each pair of heads are different from each other . the extended directions are referred to as azimuths . referring to fig6 the heads ra and rc are disposed at an interval of 180 ° and have a first azimuth . the heads rb and rd are disposed at an interval of 180 ° and have a second azimuth . the heads pa and pc have the first azimuth . the heads pb and pd have the second azimuth . with the different azimuths , cross talks can be prevented between adjacent tracks . each of the adjacent heads is integrally composed as one head . the integrally composed head is referred to as a double - azimuth head . a tape ( for example , 1 / 2 inch wide ) that is led out of the cassette is helically wound around the periphery of the drum 25 for an angle range of 180 ° or greater . the tape is supplied at a predetermined speed . thus , when a signal is recorded to the tape , in the first half period of one rotation of the drum 25 , the heads ra and rb scan the tape . in the second half period , the heads rc and rd scan the tape . when a signal is reproduced from the tape , in the first period , the heads pa and pb scan the tape . in the second period , the heads pc and pd scan the tape . fig7 shows a track pattern on the tape of the digital information recorder 2 . longitudinal tracks are disposed in the width direction of the tape . helical tracks are disposed between the longitudinal tracks . a control signal is recorded on an upper longitudinal track 26 . a time code is recorded on a lower longitudinal track 27 . the time code represents the position in the longitudinal direction of the tape . for example , the time code is an smpte time code . whenever the drum 25 is rotated , the head ra and rb form two helical tracks ta and tb at the same time . thereafter , the heads ra and rb form two helical tracks tc and td at the same time . on each helical track , a first half portion and a second half portion are separately formed . between the first half portion and the second half portion of each helical track , a record area 28 is disposed . the record area 28 is used to record a tracking pilot signal . the smpte time code was developed for a video signal for use with a vcr or the like . the minimum unit of the smpte time code is a frame ( 1 / 30 second ). as will be described later , in the data recorder , data that can be recorded on the four tracks ta to td shown in fig5 is defined as a logical data unit ( referred to as track set ). when 16 tracks accord with one frame of a video signal , a sub - digit ( values 0 , 1 , 2 , and 3 ) lower than the digit of the frame of the time code is defined . this time code is also referred as id . since the smpte time code has a user data area , such a modification can be performed . fig8 is an outlined block diagram showing a system structure of the tape drive controller 1 and the digital information recorder 2 . the controller 1 has a system controller 31 . the system controller 31 in controller 1 has the following functions . the system controller 31 is connected to the host computer through the scsi controller 32 . a drive controller 34 is disposed between the buffer memory 33 and the tape drive controller 1 . data that is read from the buffer memory 33 is supplied to a c2 encoder 35 through the drive controller 34 . the c2 encoder 35 is connected to a track interleave circuit 36 and a c1 encoder 37 . the c2 encoder 35 and the c1 encoder perform an error correction encoding process for record data with a product code . the track interleave circuit 36 controls the distribution of data to tracks so as to improve the error correction performance in the recording / reproducing processes . when data is recorded on the tape , it is recorded as sync blocks separated by a synchronous ssignal . in this case , the track interleave circuit 36 adds a block synchronous signal to the output signal of the c2 encoder 35 . the c1 encoder 37 generates a c1 parity . thereafter , data is randomized and words are interleaved in a plurality of sync blocks . digital data that is output from the c1 encoder 37 is supplied to the digital information recorder 2 . the digital information recorder 2 encodes digital data received from a channel code encoder 38 . the resultant record data is output to the record heads ra to rd through an rf amplifier 39 . the heads ra to rd record the record data on the tape . the rf amplifier 39 performs a process corresponding to partial response class 4 ( pr ( 1 , 0 , - 1 ). data reproduced from the tape by the reproduction heads pa to pd is supplied to a channel code decoder 42 through an rf amplifier 41 . the rf amplifier 41 includes a reproducing amplifier , an equalizer , and a viterbi decoder . the output data of the channel code decoder 42 is supplied to the tape drive controller 1 . the output data of the channel code decoder 42 is supplied to a c1 decoder 43 . the c1 decoder 43 is connected to a track deinterleave circuit 44 . the track deinterleave circuit 44 is connected to a c2 decoder 45 . the c1 decoder 43 , the track deinterleave circuit 44 , and the c2 decoder 45 perform the reverse processes of the c1 encoder 37 , the track interleave circuit 36 , and the c2 encoder 35 , respectively . the reproduction ( read ) data received from the c2 decoder 45 is supplied to the buffer memory 33 through the drive controller 34 . the digital information recorder 2 has a system controller 46 . in addition , the digital information recorder 2 has a fixed head 47 for the longitudinal tracks on the tape . the head 47 is connected to the system controller 46 . the head 47 records / reproduces a control signal and a time code . the system controller 46 is connected to the system controller 31 of the tape drive controller 1 through a bidirectional bus . a mechanism controller 48 is connected to the system controller 46 . the mechanism controller 48 includes a servo circuit that drives a motor 50 through a motor drive circuit 49 . the system controller 46 has for example two cpus . the system controller 46 communicates with the tape drive controller 1 , controls recording / reproducing of a time code , controls recording / reproducing timings , and so forth using the cpus . the mechanism controller 48 has for example two cpus . the mechanism controller 48 controls a mechanical system of the digital information recorder 2 with the cpus . in particular , the mechanical controller 48 controls the rotation of the head and tape system , the tape speed , the tracking operation , loading / unloading processes of the cassette tape , and the tape tension . the motor 50 includes a drum motor , a capstan motor , a reel motor , a cassette mounting motor , a loading motor , and so forth . the digital information recorder 2 has a dc - dc converting circuit 52 that receives a dc voltage from a power supply unit 51 of the tape drive controller 1 . the digital information recorder 2 also has position sensors ( such as a tape end detecting sensor ), a time code generating / reading circuit , and so forth ( that are not shown ). fig9 shows the layout of the entire tape ( in a cassette , for example ). the entire tape is referred to as physical volume . the tape has a leader tape . between the pbot ( physical beginning of tape ) and the peot ( physical end of tape ) of a physical tape , a recordable area is between the lbot ( logical beginning of tape ) and the leot ( logical end of tape ). the recordable area is defined because the tape tends to be damaged at the beginning and end of the tape and thereby the error rates thereof are high . for example , the invalid area between the pbot and the lbot is defined 7 . 7 ± 0 . 5 m . in addition , the invalid area between the peot and leot is defined 10 m or greater . to manage one or more logical volumes ( referred to as partitions ), a vsit ( volume set information table ) is recorded at the beginning of the record area . the vsit includes the number of volumes recorded on the tape and position information of the logical volumes on the tape . the position information includes physical ids of vits of up to 512 logical volumes , end physical ids and logical ids of vits . the vsit further includes a flag indicating presence or absence of uit of each logical volume . the position at the beginning of the vsit is defined as the position of 0 - id . an id is an address corresponding to the position of every set of four tracks on the tape . ids are simply incrementally assigned from the vsit area to the dit area of the last volume . the length of one vsit is 1 - id . a logical volume is composed of a dit ( directory information table ), an uit ( user information table ), and a user data area . the dit has information for managing a file in the logical volume . the length of one dit is 40 - ids . the uit is optional . the uit is user information for managing a file . in fig9 hatched areas are run - up areas . with run - up areas , data tracks are servo - locked . dotted areas are position tolerance areas . with the position tolerance areas , when the vsit and the dit are updated , valid data can be prevented from being erased . as shown in fig1 a , the vsit is repeatedly recorded ten times so as to improve the reliability of data . thus , the vsit area is composed of 10 track sets (= 10 - ids ). the vsit area is followed by a retry area composed of 90 track sets or more . as shown in fig1 b , the dit is repeatedly recorded seven times . as shown in fig1 c , the dit is composed of six tables . the six tables are a vit ( volume information table ), a bst ( bad spot table ), an lidt ( logical information table ), an fit ( file information table ), a ut ( update table ), and a uit ( user information table ) disposed in the order . each of the vit , the bst , the lidt , and the ut has the length of 1 - id . the fit has the length of 20 - ids . the remaining area for 16 - ids is reserved . next , each table of the dit will be described . the id address of the vit is a physical id at the beginning of volumes written in the vsit . the logical id of the vit is the logical id at the beginning of the volumes written in the vsit . the vit includes a volume label and volume information such as a start physical id of the first data block in the physical volume and the last physical id thereof . the id address of the bst is the physical id of the vit plus 1 , whereas the logical id thereof is the logical id of the vit plus 1 . the bst includes information of logically invalid data . the logically invalid data is data that is treated invalid because of presence of the same track set id . for example , as shown in fig1 , a hatched area a is logically invalid data . a write retry operation and a write operation associated therewith cause logically invalid data . when a write operation is performed , if an error takes place , a write retry is automatically performed and an error location thereof is output . the error location is stored in the bst . when a read operation is performed , the bst represents an invalid area . the logically invalid data is also referred to as bad spot . the bst can manage top physical ids and last physical ids of up to 14592 bad spots . the id address of the lidt is the physical id of the vit plus 2 , whereas the logical id thereof is the logical id of the vit plus 2 . the lidt is a data table for a high speed block space and a locating operation . in other words , the lidt includes logical ids and physical ids of pointers 1 to 29 , file numbers , and the first block number of the id data in the block management table . the id address of the fit is the physical id of the vit plus 3 , whereas the logical id thereof is the logical id of the vit plus 3 . the fit is composed of two types of data corresponding to tape marks . the tape marks are file delimiter codes . the n - th data pair accords with an n - th tape mark counted from the beginning of the volume . one data of each pair is the physical id of the n - th tape mark . this value is the physical track set of the tape mark . the other data of the pair is the absolute block number of the tape mark n . this value is the absolute block number of the last block with the same file number as the tape mark . the position of the tape mark can be detected . thus , a desired physical position on the tape can be accessed at a high speed . the id address of the ut is the physical id of the vit plus 39 . the ut is information that represents whether or not a volume has been updated . before a volume has not been updated , a word ( four bytes ) that represents the update status of the ut is ffffffffh ( h represents hexadecimal notation ). after a volume has been updated , the word is 00000000h . the uit is optional . the uit is an area of for example 100 - ids . the uit is a user accessible data table for storing a user header . in this example , 1 - id is assigned to each track set composed of four helical tracks . the logical structure of a data block is defined for each track set . fig1 shows the structure of a logical track set . as shown in fig1 , a header information area , a user data area and a footer information area are included in one track set . the header information area consists of management information of related track set . the id and another information of above mentioned table ( vsit , vit , and bst , etc . . . ) are included the header information area , for example . the user data area includes the data is sent block by block in a burst manner from host computer , and block management table which manages the data blocks . a code indicated end of this track set is written into the footer information area . fig1 shows the logical formats of the data recorder . the vsit is recorded for each physical volume such as one volume of tape . a dit is recorded for each logical volume ( partition ). the dit includes five tables that are a vit , a bst , an lidt , an fit , and a ut . in addition , the dit includes a uit as optional . in addition , the track set is defined every four helical tracks , the user data area in the track set includes four types of track sets that are a user data track set , a tape mark track set , an eod ( end of data ) track set , and a dummy track set . fig1 is a block diagram showing a system structure of the tape drive controller 1 . reference numeral 61 is a main cpu . reference numeral 70 is a two - port ram . reference numeral 80 is a bank memory . reference numeral 81 is a sub cpu . the main cpu 61 is a cpu that manages the entire system . in association with the main cpu 61 , a cpu bus 62 is disposed . each structural portion of the tape drive controller 1 is connected to the cpu bus 62 . in other words , a rom ( flash rom ) 63 , pios ( parallel i / os ) 64 and 65 , a control panel 66 , an lcd 67 , a timer 68 , an rs232c interface 69 , a two - port ram 70 , and a ram 71 are connected to the cpu bus 62 . the pio 65 is connected to a button on the front panel . the lcd 67 is a display unit that displays the operation state of the drive so that the user can know it . the rs232c interface 69 is connected to a serial terminal . the ram 71 is a work ram for use with firmware . the ram 71 has a down - load area of programs and temporarily stores header information ( vsit / dit ). an im bus 74 is connected to the cpu bus 62 through a unidirectional controlling device 73 . an s - ram 72 , a bank memory 80 , and an scsi controller 75 are connected to the im bus 74 . the host computer is connected to the scsi controller 75 through a bus 76 . the s - ram 72 is a back - up ram with a condenser . the s - ram 72 is used for a script memory . in addition , the s - ram 72 is a memory which holds data of the logger . after the power of the system is turned off , this memory can hold data for around two days . the two - port ram 70 stores five types of packets for communicating information between the two cpus 61 and 81 . the five types of packets are ( 1 ) a command transmission packet that is used when the main cpu 61 requests the sub cpu 81 to perform an operation , ( 2 ) an end status reception packet that is used when the end status of the operation of the sub cpu 81 is sent corresponding to a command requested by the main cpu 61 , ( 3 ) a command status that is a flag representing the progress status of a command , ( 4 ) a drive management status table used to inform the main cpu 61 of the status of the drive ( this table is rewritten by the sub cpu 81 at predetermined periods ), and ( 5 ) a data send / receive packet that is a buffer used when the firmware on the drive ( recorder ) side is down - loaded through the scsi bus or when a diagnosis on the drive side is activated with the serial port of the main cpu 61 . the bank memory 80 is a buffer memory for data . the sub cpu 81 is a cpu that controls the drive . in association with the sub cpu 81 , a cpu bus 82 is disposed . the cpu bus 82 is connected to a rom ( flash rom ) 83 , a ram ( work ram ) 84 , a timer 85 , an rs232c interface 86 , an rs422 interface 87 , a pio ( parallel i / o ) 88 , and a dma controller 89 . in addition , the cpu bus 82 is connected to the two - port ram 70 and the bank memory 80 . the bank memory 80 stores data that is written to the tape or data that is read from the tape . the bank memory 80 has for example eight memory banks in which write data or read data is stored . the dma ( direct memory access ) controller 89 stores data written to the drive to the bank memory 80 . the rs232c interface 86 is used for a self diagnosis . the rs422 interface 87 is a communication means with the drive . fig1 shows an example of the use of a data recorder according to the present invention . in this case , as an example of the above - described four types of track sets , a user data track , on which user data is written , will be described . a data recorder 101 composed of a tape drive controller 1 and a digital information recorder 2 is connected to a host computer 100 through a scsi bus 76 . when data is written on a magnetic tape loaded in the data recorder 101 , data is sent block by block in a burst manner from the host computer 100 to the data recorder 101 through the scsi bus 76 . when the data recorder 101 receives the data , a main cpu 61 of the tape drive controller 1 adds management information such as header information and footer information to the data . the resultant data is written as a track set to a bank memory 80 . the data is sent from the bank memory 80 to the digital information recorder 2 through an rs422 interface 87 and a pio 88 . the resultant data is written on a magnetic tape . fig1 a to 16d show steps for forming a track set . in fig1 a to 16d , the top position of the track set is disposed on the left side . first , the host computer 100 sends a write command to the data recorder 101 through the scsi bus 76 so as to cause the data recorder 101 to write data on the magnetic tape . the write command is sent to a scsi controller 75 of the data recorder 101 and then stored in an s - ram 72 . the cpu 61 reads the write command from the s - ram 72 . the cpu 61 sends a data read command to the scsi controller 75 . after the host computer 100 issues the write command , it sends data to be written on the magnetic tape to the data recorder 100 . the data is sent block by block in a burst manner . the data is sent to the scsi controller 75 and then written to a predetermined data area of the bank memory 80 . as shown in fig1 , the bank memory 80 stores the data as track sets written on the tape . thus , the data is written at a position relevant to a track set in the bank memory 80 . in other words , first data is written from the top position of the user data area shown in fig1 in the direction of the last position thereof . when data is written to the bank memory 80 , the main cpu 61 forms a block management table relevant to the data . fig1 shows an example of the content of the block management table . in the block management table area , block management tables that are eight word long are formed . word 0 represents an id of a data block ( for example , the first data block ) managed by the block management table . word 1 represents a file number relevant to the data block managed by the block management table . word 2 represents a block number of the data block managed by the block management table . word 3 represents an absolute block number used to manage the logical block number of the data block in the volume . word 4 represents the top position of the data area used to manage the start address of 1 - id to be referenced . word 5 represents the data size of the block managed by the table ( in bytes ). in addition , word 5 represents information of whether or not the block is a part of a large block and information of whether or not the block is followed by another block . word 6 represents the total number of bytes of the block managed by the table . word 7 is reserved . &# 34 ; offset in id &# 34 ; represents the position of each of the above - described words in the track set ( in bytes ). as represented with &# 34 ; offset in id &# 34 ; shown in fig1 , block management tables are successively written from the last position of the track set . fig1 a shows the state that first user data and a block management table relevant thereto are written in a track set . as shown in fig1 , the size of one block management table is fixed at eight words . in addition , the last position of the block management table area in which the block management table is formed is also fixed . the first block management table is written from the position that is earlier than the last position of the block management table area for the size of the block management table . in the example shown in fig1 , since the reserved area preceded by the block management table area starts at the position of byte 117024 , the block management table is written from the position of byte 116992 that is earlier than the position of byte 117024 for 32 bytes . in such a manner , a block management table relevant to the first block is formed . next , a second block is written . the second block is just preceded by the first block . after the second block is written , a block management table relevant thereto is formed . the second block management table is formed from the position that is earlier than the top position of the first block management table for 32 bytes ( namely , from the position that is earlier than the position of the second block management table for the size thereof in the direction of the last position of the track set ). fig1 b shows the state that a second block and a block management table relevant thereto are written . in such a manner , user data is written from the top position of the track set . in contrast , block management tables are formed from the last position of the track set . when the data area has a blank space , a third block , a fourth block , and so forth are written in the same manner as the second block . thus , blocks and block management tables relevant thereto are written . fig1 c shows the state that a third block and a block management table relevant thereto are written in the track set . when the size of a blank area between the position of the last user data in the user data area and the top position of the last block management data in the block management data area becomes a predetermined value ( for example 48 bytes or less ) or when the number of block management tables exceeds a predetermined value ( for example , 512 ), blocks and block management tables relevant thereto are written no more . when the last block cannot be fully written in the track set , the block is divided and the portion that is not written in the track set is written in the next track set . the information of which the block is divided is written in a relevant block management table . after the last block is written , a block terminate code is written to the last position of the last block . in addition , as header information , a format id and sub - code data are added at the top position of the track set . the format id is for example ( ffff0000h ). fig1 shows an example of the content of the sub - code data . referring to fig1 , the effective number of block management tables relevant to blocks written in the track set is written to the sub - code data as effective block table count . after the header information of the track set is written , an id end code ( 0f0f0f0fh ) that represents the last position of the track set is written after the block management table area . thus , as shown in fig1 d , one track set is formed . when the track set is stored in the bank memory 80 in such a manner , the main cpu 61 causes a two - port ram 70 to store a command so as to write the track set on the tape . the command stored in the two - port ram 70 is read by a sub - cpu 81 . the sub cpu 81 sends the write command to a system controller 46 of the digital information recorder 2 . in addition , the sub cpu 81 sends a command to a dmac 89 so that it sends particular data stored in the bank memory 80 to the drive controller 34 of the tape drive controller 1 . thus , the dmac 89 sends the data to the drive controller 34 through the pio 88 . when the system controller 46 receives the write command , a motor is controlled so as to write the data on the tape . in addition , after the data is sent to the drive controller 34 , the output data thereof is sent to a signal processing portion that is composed of a c2 encoder 35 , a track interleave circuit 36 , a c1 encoder 37 , a channel encoder 38 , and an rf amplifier 39 . data that has been signal - processed in the signal processing portion is sent to a head . thus , the data is recorded on the tape . fig2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a track set written on the tape in the above - described manner . each track set is composed of four helical tracks of the tape . a format id ( ffff0000h ) is written in the first four bytes . the format id is followed by a sub code area of 136 bytes . sub code data is written in the sub code area . the sub code data includes management information of block management tables . the sub code area is followed by a data area that ends at the position of byte 117023 . the data area is used for user data and block management tables . blocks of the user data are managed by relevant block management tables . as described above , the user data is written from the top position of the data area ( namely , the position of byte 140 ). block management tables are written from the last position of the data area ( namely , the position of byte 117023 ). at this point , the first block is managed corresponding to the last block management table . the second block is managed corresponding to a block management table followed by the last block management table . in such a manner , blocks are managed corresponding to block management tables relevant thereto . a reserved area is formed from the position of byte 117024 for 12 bytes . the value of the reserved area is always &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the reserved area is followed by an id end code ( 0f0f0f0fh ) that represents the last position of the track set . next , a data reading process for reading data written on the magnetic tape will be described . data on the magnetic tape is read by a head . the resultant data is signal - process by a signal processing portion composed of an rf amplifier 41 , a channel decoder 42 , a c1 decoder 43 , a track deinterleave circuit 44 , and a c2 decoder 45 . the resultant data is written track set by track set to a bank memory 80 . the data written to the bank memory 80 is read by the main cpu 61 . the main cpu 61 determines whether or not the sub code in a track set represents user data . when the track set represents user data , a relevant block management table is read corresponding to an address represented by the sub code . block data is read corresponding to the content of the block management table for the length of the block data . in addition , the main cpu 61 sends a data transfer command to the scsi controller 75 . when the scsi controller 75 receives the data transfer command , it sends block data read from the bank memory 80 to the host computer through the scsi bus 76 . when a plurality of data blocks have been written in the data area , block management tables relevant to the data blocks are read in the direction of the top position of the track set . at this point , whenever a block management table is read , a data block relevant thereto is sent to the host computer in the above - described manner . as described above , an id end code is written at the last position of the track set . when data is written on the magnetic tape , the above - described signal processing portion detects the id end code and sends it to an rf portion such as the rf amplifier 39 . thus , a data error such as a data deviation that takes place between the scsi controller 75 that is an interface with the host computer and the signal processing portion can be detected . in addition , when data is read from the magnetic tape , since the host computer detects the data on the tape , the host computer can detect a data error such as a data deviation that takes place between the rf portion and the scsi controller 75 . since the id end code is written in such a manner , erroneous data can be prevented from being sent to the host computer . when a detected id end code is different from a predetermined value , it can be determined that a data error takes place . as described above , according to the present invention , user data is successively written from the top position of the data area . in contrast , block management tables are successively written from the last position of the data area . thus , a blank area can be effectively prevented in the data area . consequently , the record area can be effectively used . in addition , according to the present invention , since the id end code is written at the last position of a track set , even if an id error or the like takes place between the scsi controller and the signal processing portion , since it can be detected when data is written to the tape , the host computer can be informed of the error . although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to best mode embodiments thereof , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes , omissions , and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . | 6 |
an embedded power management point of load delivery control circuit assembly 10 is illustrated in fig1 . a control board 14 is interposed between a power integrated circuit 12 , such as a d - c to d - c power converter , and a motherboard 15 of an electronic device . for example , the electronic device may be a small cellular phone , which requires optimal use of the printed circuit board real estate in order to reduce the size of the device . the power ic 12 may contain control circuitry for a synchronous buck converter , a control mosfet , a synchronous mosfet , over - current / over - voltage protection and over - temperature protection . alternatively , power ic 12 maybe a power supply module of any other suitable or desired architecture and construction . embedded passive devices , such as resistors , capacitors and inductors may be added in layers appended to the die surface . power transistors such as field effect transistors ( fets ) are embedded in control board 14 interposed between the power ic and the motherboard . a suitable process for assembling control board 14 with embedded active semiconductor devices is shown in fig2 a - 2f , but it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the illustrated process . in fig2 a , an electrically insulating mask layer 22 is applied to a conductive layer 24 which may be conductive surface on a insulating layer 21 of a conventional ball grid array 23 ( see fig1 ) or a land grid array style package . conductive layer 24 may alternatively be a copper foil of a direct bonded copper ( dbc ) element , the upper conductive component of an insulated metal substrate ( ems ) or a copper foil element used in a printed wiring board . alternatively the conductive layer may form part of a complex leadframe assembly such as those used in power electronics applications . as the next step , as shown in fig2 b , a conductive adhesive 26 is applied to at least a portion of the exposed conductive surface 24 as defined by a mask layer 22 such as a conventional solder mask . the conductive adhesive 26 may be a solder or an electrically conductive epoxy die attach adhesive , or any other suitable or desired material , applied , for example , by screen printing . in the next step , as shown in fig2 c , an active semiconductor device 28 , such as a fet or ic , is mounted such that electrical contact is made between electrodes 71 , 73 on one major surface of the semiconductor device and the conductive adhesive 26 . for example , the semiconductor device may be connected by contact pads on its surface . this surface may contain a solderable metal or metal containing adhesive , an array of solder bumps or an array of metallic or polymeric studs , or any other suitable or desired structure . the other major surface 75 is a metallization on the body of die 77 . for a power device , this may be the back metallization , for an ic , this can be metallization on the electrodes . likewise , other semiconductor and passive devices such as diodes , mesfets or igbt &# 39 ; s , capacitors , resistors or inductors may be mounted and spaced in relationship to device 28 . for example , as shown in fig8 a - 8d a resistor 79 and a second mosfet 78 device may be placed on the adhesive 26 deposited on the copper foil 24 . then , semiconductor device 28 and spaced devices 78 and 79 may be embedded in an electrically insulating encapsulant 21 , such as a pre - preg adhesive bonding ply or similar adhesive film and a laminated core 23 formed of a dielectric backed copper foil or simply a copper foil may be applied , as shown in fig2 d . the resulting control board 14 module is illustrated in fig1 and 2 e . conductive layer 24 may be etched at 29 to define contacts and wire traces as shown in fig1 and 2 f . wire traces 25 and pads 27 may be incorporated in laminated core 23 either before or after incorporation in control board 14 by any suitable or desired process , such as by drilling holes , followed by metallization and patterning . to add further layers of passive and / or other active semiconductor devices to either surface of the control board , the fabrication process described above in connection with fig2 a - 2f is repeated , with connections between layers made by metallized vias , as described in more detail below . fig3 a - 3i illustrate an example of a process for embedding passive devices in a structure such as control board 14 . fig3 a illustrates an embedded ic device 30 , for example , a control ic , with contact pads 31 on one of its surfaces . in fig3 b , a passivation layer 33 is shown applied over contact pads 31 . a portion of the passivation layer 33 is then removed , such as by etching , to expose at least some of the contact pads 31 ( see fig3 c ). next a metallization layer 50 , for example in the form of electroplated copper , is applied to the surface of ic 30 over contact pads 31 , as shown in fig3 d , and patterned by etching , to produce conductive pattern tracks 35 as shown in fig3 e . other suitable processes for creating the pattern tracks shown in fig3 e include vapor deposition , sputtering or screen printing . alternatively , a nonmetallic , conductive pattern may be used in place of the patterned metallization layer . for example , an electrically conductive paste may be printed on the surface to form the desired contact pattern 35 and subsequently cured . next , passive components 32 , 34 may be deposited on or between the tracks of contact pattern 35 , such as by screen printing a resistive paste 32 or a dielectric paste 34 for resistors and capacitors , respectively . similarly an inductor may be formed by a spiral pattern in copper layer 50 . an electrically insulating material having a high dielectric constant , such as a polymer / ceramic composite is printed on the surface of a first electrically conductive contact and a second electrically conductive contact is positioned opposite of the first electrically conductive contact sandwiching the electrically insulating material between the two conductive contacts . in fig3 g , a second passivation layer 37 is applied , and portions of the passivation are removed to reveal pattern tracks 35 and contacts 31 for the underlying passive components 32 and 34 , and ic 30 . subsequent steps of plating and etching and / or printing may be used to build up additional layers of passive electronic components as required . additional layers of passivation and conductive traces may be applied to build up and form a pad grid array 39 having electrically conducting contact pads 36 separated by an insulating grid 38 , as shown in fig3 i . this pad grid array 39 may be used with balls of solder in a conventional ball grid array for connecting the integrated circuit 30 and passive components 32 , 34 with another circuit board or a semiconductor device , as shown in fig1 , for example . the resulting three - dimensional structure of active and passive components , when electrically connected to an external circuit such as motherboard 15 , can be used to provide embedded power management control with minimum utilization of motherboard area . as an example of an embedded semiconductor device constructed according to the principles of this invention , fig4 shows a circuit diagram of a control board 14 including an ic 40 which functions as a half - bridge gate driver , and one or more embedded mosfet or igbt devices 6 and 7 of which control the current flow between the positive and negative dc rails ( dc + and dc − or gnd ) and the output node 125 connected to a motor . also included are an embedded bootstrap capacitor 41 , a bootstrap resistor 43 and a diode 45 which forms part of the bootstrap circuit required to drive the high side mosfet 121 , and embedded resistors 101 - 106 which control the current into and out of the gates of the power devices 6 and 7 . it should be noted that the circuit diagram is intended to be a generic one that represents a typical half bridge . resistors 101 through 106 may not be present on all driver circuits . one terminal of each of the resistors 101 through 103 are connected to the gate of the high side device 7 . the opposite terminals of each resistor are connected to individual pins on the control ic 40 . resistors 104 through 106 are connected in a similar configuration but to the gate of the low side device 6 . bootstrap capacitor 41 , bootstrap resistor 43 and diode 45 are electrically connected to the half - bridge gate driver integrated circuit 40 by integrated wire traces , contact pads and ball grid arrays . in one application , by connecting embedded bootstrap capacitor 41 in parallel with an electrolytic tank bootstrap capacitor ( not shown ), capacitor 41 can act as a fast charge tank for the gate charge only and the electrolytic tank capacitor keeps the voltage ripple ( δv bs ) across the parallel bootstrap capacitors within acceptable limits . alternatively , embedded bootstrap capacitors 41 may be used without an electrolytic tank capacitor if the limitations of using only ceramic or polymer / ceramic capacitors as the bootstrap capacitor 41 are acceptable . selecting the value of bootstrap capacitor 41 is known to limit duty - cycle and on - time of the power mosfets , because the charge on the bootstrap capacitor 41 must be refreshed periodically . specific sizing of bootstrap capacitors 41 is known in the art , as described in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 696 , 711 , filed oct . 29 , 2003 , now u . s . pat . no . 6 , 859 , 087 , issued feb . 22 , 2005 . the capacitance size of an embedded bootstrap capacitor 41 is defined by the area , thickness and dielectric constant of the insulating layer , for example . thus , the embedded bootstrap capacitor 41 may be sized and the dielectric constant selected such that the embedded capacitor 41 or capacitors meet the requirements for a bootstrap capacitor 41 of the power management control device 10 . wiring traces and wiring contacts may be provided by the embedding process described above such that embedded capacitor 41 is electrically coupled , along with as a bootstrap capacitor for an integrated power management control circuit including completing the bootstrap circuit , as shown in fig4 . the mosfets 6 , 7 of fig4 may be any power transistor . for example , an insulating gate bipolar transistor igbt , such as irgp30b120k ( d ), and irg4ph30k ( d ) manufactured by international rectifier corporation may be used . preferably , the mosfets embedded in the control boards are a flip fet or fetky devices which may be mounted using automated pick and place equipment . alternatively , these devices may be any mosfet with a suitable surface contact that may be attached to tracking layer 24 . a heat sink ( 150 ) may be attached to one or more surfaces of control board 14 . preferably , the thermal resistance between the heat sink and the heat - generating devices such as diodes 120 - 123 and power transistors 6 , 7 is reduced by making thermal pathways to the embedded heat - generating devices . for example , thermal pathways may be provided by placing heat - generating devices near one of the surfaces of the control board , by using thermally conductive materials to conduct heat from the surface of the heat - generating device or both . the heat sink may be used for both embedded and non - embedded heat - generating devices . fig5 illustrates a heat sink 150 sandwiched between a control board 152 and another non - embedded device 154 . fig6 a - 6c are examples of three possible contact pattern layers that maybe used to couple embedded passive electronic components such as resistors 43 and 101 - 106 , diodes 45 , 120 , 122 and capacitor 41 . for example , the process described in connection with fig3 a - 3i may be used to build up embedded passive components connected by the contact pattern shown in fig6 a and 6b . the contact layer of fig6 a is disposed above the contact layer shown in fig6 b , which is disposed above the contact layer shown in fig6 c . in one example , high side voltage v eh is coupled to a first wire trace segment 70 , as shown in fig6 b . the first wire trace segment 70 is coupled to a second wire trace segment 72 by a third wire trace segment 71 , the third segment being disposed on the contact layer shown in fig6 a . by coupling these segments 70 , 71 , 72 in this manner , these wire traces 70 , 71 , 72 avoid making electrical contact with another wire trace segment 73 , which is shown in fig6 b . thus , an embedded power management control circuit 10 may be coupled to embedded passive devices by a three - dimensional network formed by coupling a plurality of contact pattern layers , each disposed at least partially above the other . in one example , stacking each of the contact layers 31 , 33 , 35 disposes each layer directly above the other , providing a circuit board surface no larger than that required for the active semiconductive devices that are to be mounted on the control board 14 , such as a power integrated circuit 12 . by limiting the area of the control board 14 , valuable real estate on the surface of the motherboard ( not shown ) is conserved . although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof , many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art . it is preferred , therefore , that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein , but only by the appended claims . | 7 |
turning first to the roadmap of our said fig1 , this involves an idealized theoretical explanatory scheme consisting of a hot - side surface s h and a juxtaposed cold - side carrier charge - to - electricity converter surface s c separated by a small vacuum gap g . on the cold side , there is schematically shown a first quantum well w c1 having a lower electron potential level 1 and an upper level 2 and wherein an electron is introduced or supplied into the lower level or state 1 from a source of electrons called a reservoir r 1 , which may be at relative ground potential . as later explained , in practical implementation , the well w c1 may be inherently provided in a quantum dot , such as an appropriate semi - conductor dot , and the electron reservoir r 1 may be a conductor of a conducting network interconnecting such dots in an array or matrix of dots distributed along the cold - side s c as later more fully described in connection with the embodiments of fig2 and 3 . electrostatic coupling to charges on the hot side surface s h produces a quantum - correlation . this appears schematically in fig1 as a well w h with two levels connected to an electron reservoir r a . as an electron is supplied from the cold - side reservoir r 1 to the cold - side level 1 of the well w c1 , accordingly , coulomb electrostatic coupling between that electron and a charge on the hot side produces a quantum correlation between the cold side electron and such carrier , providing electrostatic interaction u that leads to excitation energy transfer from the hot side to the cold side , thereby elevating the electron in the cold - side well w c1 up to higher potential level or state 2 , as indicated by the upward arrow portion shown below the symbol u . from this upper state 2 , the electron may tunnel , as shown schematically at v , through a potential barrier pb to a matched level 2 1 in a second quantum dot well w cr on its way to a second reservoir r 2 which is at elevated voltage relative to ground , as schematically illustrated at +. the well w cr permits only one level — level 2 1 . the two cold - side reservoirs r 1 and r 2 are connected together through an electrical load , so - labeled . thus , when elections are promoted in the first quantum well w c1 , they have the possibility of tunneling to the second well w cr and then continuing on to do electrical work before ending up in the first reservoir r 1 at ground . the levels of the hot - side relax to an electron reservoir r a comprising a continuum of excitation levels , wherein the level “ a ” is coupled to each level in the reservoir with matrix element m 2 and m 3 . electric fields between an electron on the hot side well w h and an electron on the cold side , couple the product states | b & gt ;| 1 & gt ; and | a & gt ;| 2 & gt ; with coupling u such that excitation transfer can occur across the gap g . level 1 of the well w c1 , in turn , relaxes to reservoir r 1 with matrix element m 1 and level 2 1 of well w cr relaxes to reservoir r 2 with matrix element m 4 . in coulomb - coupling energy is transferred from a hot - side electron to a cold - side electron through the coulomb force between the two electrons . the basic mechanism of the device is that high temperature on the hot side results in excited electrons in the hot - side image , with excitation transferred via electrostatic interaction coupling u ( between the hot - side charge , which is itself coupled to excited electrons and phonon modes , and the cold - side electron ) to promote a cold - side electron from level 1 to level 2 in well w c1 . the invention of fig1 can also functions as a refrigerator where the load is a power source providing energy into the system to cool the cold - side down and to heat up the hot - side . in summary , thus , an electron reservoir on the cold side supplies an electron to a lower state ; and coupling with the hot side causes the electron to be promoted to an excited state , and then the electron proceeds to a second electron reservoir at elevated potential . an electrical load connected between the two reservoirs can be driven from the electrical current caused by the promoted electrons . such a scheme can work with either electrons or holes . we have called it a “ single carrier converter ” since , in accordance with the invention , it is only a single carrier that is promoted at a time ( either an electron or a hole but not both ), as opposed to a photovoltaic in which electron - hole pairs are created and photon exchange coupling occurs , namely an electron on the hot side emits a photon and an electron on the cold side accepts the photon . this photon exchange coupling is in contrast to coulomb coupling . the magnitude of the photon exchange coupling and the coulomb coupling have different distance dependencies ( that is , the distance between the hot - side and the cold - side ) where coulomb coupling has a 1 / r 3 dependence on distance while the photon exchange coupling has a 1 / r dependence . coulomb coupling dominates over the photon exchange coupling at narrow distances roughly shorter than the wavelength corresponding to the energy separation of the cold - side single level and higher level excitation quantum state elements divided by 2π or at distances roughly shorter than λ / 2π . at larger distances , the coulomb coupling decays rapidly . fig2 presents an exploded view of a preferred physical structure of a thermal - electric converter constructed in accordance with the invention to operate in accordance with the methodology thereof as outlined in fig1 . as explained previously , the cold - side surface s c of the device is shown juxtaposed to the hot - side heat emitter surface s h with a small vacuum gap g there between . the cold - side converter comprises an array of appropriate semi - conductor small elements or dots , two of which are shown as “ dot 1 ” and “ dot 2 ”, implemented as by well - known chip technology and in a chip substrate matrix schematically illustrated by s . in practice , these semi - conductor converter dots may assume any desired geometry , such as the rectangular boxes or bar elements shown , supporting and serving as quantum - confined electron energy excitation state wells ( w c1 and w cr , fig1 ) along ( at or near ) the surface s c . other forms of these semi - conductor elements may include small cylinders or wires , small quantum - well sheets or even molecules . the array of dot elements or the like will be conductor - interconnected , as earlier mentioned by , a network of conductors feeding and outputting electrons to and from the respective elements ( reservoir r 1 , r 2 , etc . in fig1 ) interconnecting the array of dot elements in series and / or in parallel fashion , as appropriate , and also formed into the substrate matrix s of the converter chip side of the device . in the device of fig2 , moreover , segments of these electron “ reservoir ” conductors are shown at “ reservoir 1 ” ( r 1 in fig1 ) and at “ reservoir 2 ” ( r 2 in fig1 ) as rectangular cross - section bus portions . in accordance with the invention , in an appropriately dimensioned structure , the charge in the quantum dot on the cold side surface s c will couple to a charge on the nearby conductive hot - side surface s h , providing a coupling to surface currents , resulting in the two - level system model of the invention herein presented . in the device of fig2 , the hot side surface s h may accordingly be a simple flat surface comprising aluminum oxide or a metal , semi - metal or highly doped semiconductor . the metal surface has surface charges and the charges act as an effective dipole with zero energy separation that is coupled to thermally excited electrons and phonons . across the gap g , the cold - side is shown as comprising the before - mentioned two quantum dots on the surface s c ; dot 1 having two levels ( well w c1 of fig1 ) and they couple to the hot - side dipole via the electrostatic coulomb coupling interaction before described . dot 2 has one level ( in well w cr of fig1 ) and it couples to the excited upper level of dot 1 ( state 2 in well w c1 of fig1 ) through the tunneling ( v ). the lower level of dot 1 ( level 1 in well w c1 ), as before stated , relaxes to the ground voltage conductor reservoir 1 ( r 1 in fig1 ). the dot 2 level relaxes to conductor reservoir 2 which is at the elevated voltage +. reservoir conductor 1 is shown having a horizontal branch bus portion extending from the vertical leg of the bus conductor in order to couple the lower level of dot 1 , the branch being oriented horizontally to dot 1 and facing the center of dot 1 , with a distance . reservoir conductor 2 is shown parallel to dot 1 and it runs parallel along the surface s c next to dot 2 , with a distance . where desired , these dot and conductor elements may also be oriented at other angles , including substantially perpendicular to the plane of the surface s c . the converter elements may comprise an array of semi - conductor elements that are chip - integrated along the cold surface in a matrix substrate and interconnected by a network of electron reservoir conductors or buses , interleaved within the chip substrate to provide the appropriate series and / or parallel connections amongst and between the elements of the array . the cold - side structure is repeated as an array over the surface s c as shown in fig3 , with the reservoir 1 conductor buses linked together , and the reservoir 2 conductor buses linked together , and within reservoirs 1 and 2 connected through the load as in fig1 . in one embodiment , a simulated specific structural design of this implementation , we obtained the following exemplary results . the temperature on the hot - side is 1300k , and that on the cold - side , 300k . dot 1 has x × y × z dimension 120 å × 100 å × 100 å and is of the preferred material insb . the energy separation of the dot 1 levels is 0 . 2 ev . the relaxation time of insb at 0 . 2 ev is 1 · ps . the hot - side is metallic copper , in this equipment , of which relaxation time at 0 . 2 ev is 0 . 57 fs . in one embodiment , dot 2 has dimension 50 å × 100 å × 100 å and is horizontally pointing to the top part of dot 1 . ( fig2 is not drawn to scale ). dot 2 is of material ga 0 . 31 in 0 . 69 sb but may also be comprised of other materials as described herein . the distance between dot 1 and dot 2 is 100 å . reservoir 1 branch is horizontally positioned 50 å away from the center of dot 1 . reservoir 2 is located 50 å next to dot 2 . both reservoirs are preferably made up of n - type insb doped such that its relaxation time at 0 . 2 ev is 10 ps . the relaxation time for an n - type insb with doping level 3 × 10 17 cm − 3 at 0 . 2 ev is 52 ps , and it is expected that the relaxation time will decrease to zero as the doping increases , since this is the behavior at dc . therefore there exists a doping level with any desired relaxation time . the surrounding matrix material substrate on the cold side may be gasb . in other embodiments , the quantum element dimensions , spacing there between and materials may differ as described herein . electrostatic interaction increases with smaller vacuum gap thickness . radiative heat transport occurs between the hot and cold region , however , if two surfaces are close together , the amount of useful power transferred from the hot to cold side increases much more rapidly because of the effects of coulomb coupling . in a vacuum , coulomb coupling dominates over photon contribution by the absorption wavelength in the divided by 2π . for example , the absorption wavelength corresponding to 0 . 2 ev is 6 . 2 μm , and hence the gap should be below about 1 μm for that case in a vacuum . in the calculations , coulomb coupling dominates below about 500 angstroms because of the dielectric constants . therefore if the gap between the hot surface and the cold surface is sufficiently small , the effects of transverse photon generation are minimized relative to the amount of thermal energy transferred by the coulomb interaction . the converted power per unit area is improved as the gap becomes smaller at very small distances due to coulomb - coupling interactions . the amount of power converted per unit area is important since it fundamentally impacts the cost of power conversion . if the gap between the hot surface and the cold surface is sufficiently small the converted power per unit area will be increased due to coulomb - coupling interactions . gaps below 50 - 100 nanometers with a lower limit as small as practically possible such as 1 nanometer may facilitate the maximization of the amount of thermal energy transferred by the coulomb interaction . shown in fig4 and fig5 are the power on load density and efficiency , respectively , as a function of voltage for the device . an initial estimate for maximum power per unit active area is 202 w / cm 2 occurring at voltage 107 mv . fig5 shows that the maximum efficiency 49 . 8 % occurs at voltage 129 mv . while the invention has been described with references to its preferred embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teaching of the invention without departing from its essential teachings . | 7 |
illustrated in fig1 is a perspective and exploded view of an automotive swash plate type compressor 10 for propelling refrigerant gas through a cooling circuit . the compressor 10 comprises a two - piece cylinder block 12 , 14 which is provided with a plurality of reciprocating pistons 16 . for clarity , fig1 depicts only one of such reciprocating piston 16 . in practice , each piston 16 reciprocates within cylinder bore 18 . each piston 16 is in communication with the swash plate 20 which is fixably mounted on an axially extending rotateable shaft 22 . the reciprocating motion of each piston 16 within its associated cylinder bore successively siphons , compresses , and discharges refrigerant gas . a pair of pivoting shoes 24 are positioned between each piston 16 and swash plate 20 . the shoe 24 transfers the rotational motion of the swash plate 20 to the linear motion of the piston 16 . the swash plate 20 has two facial surfaces 26 ( only one shown for clarity ) which contact the shoe 24 . rotation of the shaft 22 causes the swash plate 20 to rotate between the cylinder blocks 12 , and 14 . the facial surfaces 26 contact the shoes 24 and are subjected to a shear - type frictional contact with shoe 24 . an end surface 28 may contact the piston 16 if the piston 16 is slightly skewed or bent . end surface 28 and the facial surfaces 26 are coated to prevent wear from the contact with piston 16 and shoes 24 . the surface coating 30 should also have a low coefficient of friction to increase the efficiency of the compressor . the shape of swash plate 20 according to the present invention may be the same as those of the conventional swash plates . the material composing the matrix of swash plate body 20 should be aluminum or aluminum alloy . the aluminum alloy can be , for example , aluminum - high - silicon type alloy , aluminum - silicon magnesium type alloy , aluminum - silicon - copper - magnesium type alloy and , aluminum alloys containing no silicon . swash plate 20 is usually made from an aluminum or aluminum alloy material to make it light - weight and strong . aluminum and aluminum alloys containing hypereutectic silicon , that is more silicon than is required to form a eutectic crystalline structure , are often used . while the surface coating 30 of the present invention may be used with hypereutectic aluminum , it is primarily intended for use on non - hypereutectic aluminum and aluminum alloys having less than 12 . 5 % by weight of silicon . hard grains , as used herein means grains having average particle diameters of 20 through 100 micrometer and a hardness greater than 300 on the vickers hardness scale or , more preferably , having a hardness greater than 600 on the vickers hardness scale , such as a primary crystal silicon . for example , aluminum - high - silicon type alloy can be considered as one of materials suitable materials for swash plate body 20 . because alsil alloy contains about 13 % to 30 % by weight of silicon meaning that alsil alloy contains more silicon than is required to form a eutectic crystal structure , alsil alloy has primary crystal silicon dispersed in the matrix structure . also alsil has superior characteristics and could withstand very severe sliding operations at the swash plate . other materials having the hard grains and possibly applicable to swash plate body 20 are the intermetallic compounds of : aluminum - manganese ; aluminum - silicon - manganese ; aluminum - iron - manganese ; aluminum - chromium and the like . conventionally , swash plate body 20 is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy directly contacts shoes 24 . however , according to the present invention , during operation with surface coating layer 30 , on swash plate body 20 contacts shoes 24 so that the frictional resistance with the shoes is greatly reduced . while it is only necessary to coat facial surface 26 having contact with shoes 24 , for ease of manufacture the entire swash plate body 20 is coated . according to the present invention , the swash plate body 20 has a surface coating layer 30 . the surface coating layer 30 is formed on the surface of swash plate body 20 at least on the part of the surface having slidable contact with shoes 24 . the surface coating layer 30 may , however , be formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20 . the surface coating layer 30 acts to reduce frictional resistance with shoes 24 and prevents the occurrence of seizure at the sliding facial surface 26 of the swash plate 20 . the present invention surface coating layer 30 is composed primarily of tin , modified with cobalt . if surface coating layer 30 is composed only of tin the coefficient of friction will be lowered but at the same time , the surface coating layer becomes rather soft due to the characteristics of tin and , as a result , surface coating layer 30 will be susceptive to abrasion . in particular , by weight percent based on the total weight of the tin / cobalt surface coating 30 comprises 0 . 2 - 2 . 1 wt . % cobalt and the balance being tin , more preferably being 98 . 9 to 99 . 7 wt . % tin and 0 . 3 to 1 . 1 wt . % cobalt and most preferably 0 . 5 to 0 . 9 wt . % cobalt and the balance being tin . it is found by the inventors of the present invention that the coexistence of tin and cobalt in the matrix structure of surface coating layer 30 provides a low coefficient of friction as well as improved hardness , so that high abrasion resistance is obtained . in addition , the adhesion of the coating to the swashplate 20 is improved by the addition of cobalt . surface coating 30 maybe applied to the swash plate 20 by means of a conversion coating . an aqueous tin bath is prepared according to convention and then cobalt chloride is dissolved in the bath and the aqueous solution is heated to a temperature above 120 ° f . the concentration of cobalt in the bath is that necessary to provide a coating on the swash plate of 0 . 2 - 2 . 1 wt . % cobalt with the balance being tin . preferably the bath is in between 120 ° f . and 150 ° f . to provide that amount of cobalt / tin on swash plate 20 , the bath generally comprises 0 . 003 to 0 . 03 wt . % cobalt chloride and 6 - 7 . 2 wt . % potassium stannate . more preferably , maintaining the same amount of potassium stannate , 0 . 005 - 0 . 015 wt . % cobalt chloride and most preferably 0 . 007 - 0 . 013 wt . % cobalt chloride . additionally the bath comprises conventional materials like chelates and ph buffers . preferably the source of the cobalt ion is cobalt chloride , compounds such as cobalt nitrate do not demonstrate the same results . before applying surface coating 30 , the swash plate 20 is exposed to a cleaning solution which removes surface oils and prepares the part for the coating application . cleaning methods typically include solvent , acid or alkaline washings . the parts are then exposed to the solution for 5 - 6 minutes to coat . the thickness of the surface coating 30 is preferably from 0 . 8 to 2 . 5 microns . applicants found that if the surface coating layer 30 has a thickness of less than 0 . 8 microns , the coefficient of friction will not be sufficiently lowered . on the other hand , if the surface coating layer 30 has a thickness of more than 2 . 5 micrometers , the surface coating layer 30 will be susceptive to problems concerning its strength such as to resist peeling - off . according to the present invention , the coefficient of friction between swash plate 20 and shoe 24 is small so that the smooth sliding of shoe 24 on the swash plate 20 is ensured . the surface coating layer 30 is superior in strength thereby reducing the amount of abrasion which occurs thereon . still further , seizure of the shoe 24 to the surface of swash plate 20 is prevented even when a liquid refrigerant is compressed or the compressor is operated under unfavorable circumstances such as insufficient lubrication of the sliding parts caused by leaks of refrigerant gas to the outside of the compressor . consequently , by the effects described above , the swash plate compressor according to the present invention can satisfactory withstand very severe use and achieve long service life . example 1 : according to the swash plate type compressor as shown in fig1 the swash plate 20 is composed of a swash plate body 20 made of an aluminum alloy containing 10 - 12 . 5 % by weight of silicon , and the surface coating layer 30 ( number will have to be added to the figure ) formed on the whole surface of the swash plate body 20 . the surface coating layer 30 consists of tin and cobalt as described below . the surface coating layer 30 was formed by the following process : the swash plate 20 was cleaned with alkaline cleaner at 140 ° f . for 5 minutes . the swash plate body 20 is immersed for 5 minutes into a aqueous bath solution which contains 6 . 6 wt . % potassium stannate and 0 . 007 wt . % cobalt chloride by weight , and which was kept at 130 °- 147 ° f . it was then taken out from the sn / co bath and water washed . as a result , a surface coating layer 30 consisting of tin and cobalt was formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20 . the resultant surface coating layer 30 had a thickness of 1 . 0 micrometers and was composed of 99 . 5 wt . % tin , and 0 . 5 wt . % cobalt by weight . example 2 : the swash plate body 20 as in example 1 , wherein the surface coating layer 30 was formed by the following process : the swash plate 20 was cleaned with alkaline cleaner at 140 ° f . for 5 minutes . the swash plate body 20 is immersed for 5 minutes into a aqueous bath solution which contains 6 . 6 wt . % potassium stannate and 0 . 005 wt . % cobalt chloride by weight , and which was kept at 130 °- 147 ° f . it was then taken out from the sn / co bath and water washed . as a result , a surface coating layer 30 consisting of tin and cobalt was formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20 . the resultant surface coating layer 30 had a thickness of 1 . 0 micrometers and was composed of 0 . 36 wt . % cobalt and the balance being tin . example 3 ( a comparative example ): the swash plate body as in example 1 and 2 was coated with a sn coating composition , not according to the present invention as follows : the swash plate body 20 is immersed for 5 minutes into a aqueous solution which contains 6 . 6 wt . % potassium stannate , and which was kept at 130 °- 147 ° f . it was coated , taken out from the solution and water washed . as a result , a surface coating layer 30 having a thickness of 1 . 0 micrometers was composed of 100 wt . % tin was formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20 . fig2 a and 2b illustrates the comparison of the two hour calorimeter test administered to three different coatings prepared above . the calorimeter test measures accelerated wear and loss of adhesion of a typical tin coating . test samples are subject to the same conditions and then the wear of the coating is compared . the assembled compressor is subjected to both high and low speed usage . a test compressor pump was run for 1 hour at point 19 , which stimulates low speed usage , and 1 hour at point 26 conditions , which stimulates high speed usage . at point 19 , and 26 the compressor is subjected to 1000 and 3000 rpms respectively . the data comparing the three coatings prepared in examples 1 - 3 is compiled in table 1 . the wear of both facial surfaces 26 of the swash plate body 20 was compared . ______________________________________wt . % co loss of adhesionin solution front surface ( mm ) rear surface ( mm ) ______________________________________0 150 10 . 4 56 . 8 23 . 76 4 . 15 39 . 93 20 . 46 43 . 8 40 . 2 194 . 940 . 005 0 0 0 0 38 0 0 0 0 6 . 3 170 . 4 00 . 007 0 0 0 0 18 0 16 . 8 0 0 70 0 0 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0______________________________________ as indicated in fig2 a , 2b and table 1 , the adhesion measured for swash plates 20 having the surface coating layer 30 in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention were much higher than that for the conventional type coating described in comparative example 3 . also , a comparison between different levels of cobalt of the present invention , shows that the addition of higher levels of cobalt in the composition of the surface coating layer is effective in improving the adhesion and wear resistance of the swash plate 20 . thus , surface coating layer 30 of the comparative example 3 , containing only tin , is more susceptive to rapid abrasion than a coating of tin and cobalt according to the present invention . as is apparent from the test results shown in fig2 a and 2b , according to the present invention , the occurrence of loss of adhesion of the coating is greatly reduced due to the effect of the surface coating layer 30 although the swash plate type compressor is operated under severe conditions . swash plates 20 coated with the tin / cobalt coating do not exhibit the poor adhesion caused by poor wear resistance of pure tin coating because of the added cobalt . a standard tape adhesion test was administered on the samples prepared in examples 1 - 3 . the test measures the amount of coating that can be removed when placed under stress . 3m 610 cellophane tape was applied to the coated swashplates in 2 - 3 mm strips . the tape was rubbed with a rubber eraser to ensure the adhesion of the tape and then the tape was removed in one quick motion in which a 90 degree angle was kept between the tape and the surface of swash plate 20 . the coating with no cobalt , ( all tin ) showed poorest adhesion . adhesion improved correspondingly with increasing amounts of cobalt in the coatings , i . e ., the cobalt / tin coating with 0 . 005 wt . % co had improved adhesion over the 0 . 005 wt . % cobalt / tin coating . also , according to the present invention , even in the state where the surface coating layer 30 of the swash plate 20 is gradually reduced by abrasion , the primary crystal silicon dispersed on the surface of the swash plate body 20 was exposed and sticks on the swash plate surface 20 . since primary crystal silicon has a great hardness , the further abrasion of the surface coating layer 30 is prevented . it will be obvious to those of skill in the art that various modifications variations may be made to the foregoing invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow . | 8 |
as has been previously indicated , the process of the present invention is directed to provide a means for cracking heavy hydrocarbon feedstock without the need for the large amount of dilution steam . previously , this large steam requirement was necessary to provide the partial pressures required to suppress coke formation in the radiant section of the cracking furnace . the heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks contemplated are naphtha , kerosene , atmospheric gas oil , vacuum gas oil and resid . further , the process of the invention is capable of being performed in conventional furnace apparatus , however , as will be seen , a furnace uniquely suited and specifically designed for the process of the present invention is also provided . the process of the invention is conveniently characterized as &# 34 ; duocracking &# 34 ;. as best seen in fig1 a conventional furnace 2 comprised of a convection zone 6 , and a radiant zone 8 , is provided with convection and radiant section lines capable of performing the process of the present invention . the convection zone 6 of the present invention is arranged to receive a feedstock inlet line 10 for the light hydrocarbon feedstock and an inlet line 18 for a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock . coils 12 and 20 through which the light hydrocarbon feedstock and heavy hydrocarbon feedstock pass respectively are located in the convection zone 6 of the furnace 2 . lines 14 and 22 are provided to deliver dilution steam to the convection coils 12 and 20 , respectively . the radiant zone 8 is provided with coils 16 for cracking the light hydrocarbon feedstock to high conversion , and coils 24 for partially cracking the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock . a common coil 26 is also provided in which the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock is cracked to high severity by any one of the four modes explained earlier and the effluent from the light hydrocarbon is in effect , quenched to terminate the reactions . an effluent discharge line 28 is provided and conventional quench equipment such as a usx ( double tube exchanger ) and / or a tlx ( multi - tube transfer line exchanger ) are afforded to quench the cracked effluent . the system also includes a separation system 4 which is conventional . as seen in fig1 the separation system 4 is adapted to separate the quench effluent into residue gas ( line 32 ), ethylene product ( line 34 ) propylene product ( line 36 ) butadiene / c 4 product ( line 38 ), raw pyrolysis gasoline / btx product ( line 40 ), light fuel oil product ( line 42 ), and fuel oil product ( line 44 ). optionally , a line 24a is provided to deliver the partially cracked heavy hydrocarbon directly from the convection coil 20 to the common line 26 . under certain conditions , the heavy hydrocarbon can be partially cracked in convection zone 6 thereby rendering further cracking in the radiant zone unnecessary . in essence , the process of the present invention is conducted by delivering a light hydrocarbon feedstock such as ethane , propane , normal and iso - butane , propylene , mixtures thereof , raffinates or naphthas through line 10 to the convection coils 12 in convection section 6 of furnace 2 . heavy hydrocarbon feedstock such as naphtha , kerosene , atmospheric gas oil or vacuum gas oils are delivered through line 18 to the convection coils 20 . dilution steam is delivered by line 14 to convection coils 12 through which the light hydrocarbon feedstock is being passed . it is preferable that the dilution steam be superheated steam at temperatures in the range of 800 ° f . to 1000 ° f . the dilution steam is mixed with the light hydrocarbon feedstock at approximately 0 . 3 to 0 . 6 pound of steam per pound of feedstock . the composite of light feedstock and dilution steam is elevated in temperature to approximately 1000 ° f . to 1200 ° f . in convection section 6 . thereafter , the heated hydrocarbon is passed through coil 16 in radiant section 8 of furnace 2 . in the radiant section , the light hydrocarbon feedstock is preferably cracked under high severity conditions to temperatures between 1500 ° f . and 1700 ° f . at residence times of about 0 . 1 to 0 . 3 seconds . at the same time , the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock is delivered through line 18 to convection coils 20 in convection zone 6 of furnace 2 . dilution steam is delivered by line 22 to convection coils 20 to mix with the heavy hydrocarbon in a ratio of about 0 . 15 to 0 . 20 pound of steam per pound of hydrocarbon . the mixture is elevated to a temperature between 850 ° f . and 1200 ° f .- preferably 900 ° f . and 1000 ° f . in convection zone 6 of furnace 2 . thereafter , heavy hydrocarbon feedstock from convection section 6 is delivered to radiant coils 24 wherein it is partially cracked under low to medium severity conditions to a temperature of about 1250 ° f . to 1450 ° f . at residence times of about 0 . 05 to 0 . 20 seconds . the partially cracked heavy hydrocarbon feedstock is delivered to the common line 26 and the completely cracked light hydrocarbon pyrolysis gas from line 16 is also delivered to common line 26 . in common line 26 , the completely cracked light feedstock effluent provides heat to effect more complete cracking of the partially cracked heavy hydrocarbon . concomitantly , the light hydrocarbon feedstock effluent is quenched by the lower temperature partially cracked heavy hydrocarbon feedstock in common line 26 . the composite mixture is further cracked , then quenched in conventional quench equipment and thereafter separated into the various specific products . furnace 102 of fig2 has been developed particularly for the process of the present invention . as in the conventional furnace , a convection zone 106 and a radiant zone 108 are provided . however , a separate coil 120 in the convection zone for the passage of heavy hydrocarbon is provided and a separate coil 112 for the passage of light hydrocarbon are also provided . radiant zone 108 is arranged with a radiant coil 116 and a plurality of burners 140 for high severity cracking of the light hydrocarbon feedstock . practice has taught that coil 116 can be a multi - tube coil with the burners having a composite capacity of firing to achieve a conversion level of about 60 to 65 % ethane , 85 to 95 % propane , 90 to 95 % c 4 &# 39 ; s , 95 to 98 % of raffinate or light naphtha conversion . a short coil of 116 will provide a low residence time but higher coil outlet temperature . such a short coil will enhance selectivity . a longer coil of 116 which can bring about the above - mentioned conversions of lighter components can also be used to provide a lower coil outlet temperature . either of them can be used to advantage as is known to those who are well versed in this art . an array of radiant burners 140 will provide the necessary heat to bring about high severity cracking of the light hydrocarbon in coils 116 . radiant section 108 is also provided with a coil 124 for partial cracking of the heavy hydrocarbon which can be a single tube . an array of burners 142 will provide the heat necessary to partially crack the heavy hydrocarbon . an array of burners 146 located opposite common tube 126 will provide discrete heating of common tube 126 in which the heavy hydrocarbon is completely cracked and the light hydrocarbon effluent is quenched . the heat available in the light hydrocarbon effluents now provide enthalpy for continued decomposition of heavy hydrocarbon . by selecting appropriate flow quantities of light and heavy hydrocarbon streams , the requisite amount of heat for the completion of heavy hydrocarbon decomposition can be provided . however , tube 126 can now be discretely fired by burners 146 so as to provide additional heat needed over and above that supplied from the light hydrocarbon effluents . maintaining coil 126 inside the firebox environment provides an atmosphere for the heavy hydrocarbon to isothermally absorb the heat from the light effluents under controlled conditions . the heavy hydrocarbon which instantly reaches a higher temperature due to mixing is maintained at the mixed temperature of about 1400 ° f . for a short residence time of about 0 . 02 to 0 . 05 second to bring about the desired conversion level . maintaining coil 124a shadowed from direct radiation provides an atmosphere for heavy hydrocarbon to adiabatically absorb heat from light effluents . the successive introduction of light hydrocarbon cracked effluents into the heavy hydrocarbon stream in coil 124a , would also provide a controlled increasing temperature profile with respect to heavy hydrocarbon . higher conversion levels of heavy hydrocarbon are achieved by increasing the mixture temperature to 1500 °- 1600 ° f . by adding additional heat if required by burners 146 . under these increased firing conditions , lower residence times of 0 . 01 to 0 . 02 seconds effect the complete conversion of the heavy hydrocarbons . an example of the process of the present invention compared with a conventional process reveals the yield advantages of the invention . in the example , the following process conditions were maintained : ______________________________________ conventional duocracking______________________________________feedstock kuwait gas oil kuwait gas oil 100 lbs / hr 100 lbs / hr ( line 18 ) equivalent equivalent ethane 59 lbs / hr ( line 10 ) gas oilcracking severity * 2 . 2 2 . 2convection exit ( line 20 ) ( line 12 ) temperature 1050 ° f . 1000 ° f . 1160 ° f . dilution steamlb / lb hydrocarbon 1 . 07 0 . 18 0 . 5radiant zone ( line 24 ) ( line 16 ) residence time 0 . 3 sec 0 . 1 0 . 25exit temperature 1480 ° f . 1453 ° f . 1525 ° f . supplementary dilutionlb of cracked 0 . 0 0 . 89 ( line 26 ) ethane + steam / lbof heavy gas oiltotal dilution lb / lb 1 . 07 1 . 07of heavy gas oilduocracking coilresidence time 0 . 06exit temperature 1525 ° f . yields , wt % of hgo 12 . 5 13 . 0ch . sub . 4ultimate c . sub . 2 h . sub . 4 23 . 0 26 . 4c . sub . 3 h . sub . 6 13 . 0 13 . 2c . sub . 4 h . sub . 6 3 . 5 2 . 6total olefins 39 . 5 42 . 2c . sub . 5 - 400f . 16 . 1 14 . 3btx 9 . 7 10 . 1400f .+ 25 . 9 24 . 4______________________________________ * defined as kinetic severity function , analytical . the duocracking yield data reported in the example are only the gas oil contributions in the combined cracking process . the ethane contribution was obtained by allowing the ethane to crack under identical process conditions as the mixture . the ethane contribution was then subtracted from the mixture yields to obtain only the gas oil contribution under duocracking process conditions . | 2 |
in the following description , like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views . also in the following description , such terms as “ forward ,” “ rearward ,” “ left ,” “ right ,” “ upwardly ,” “ downwardly ,” and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms . also , the illustrations and descriptions are for disclosing various embodiments of a breakaway vest and do not limit the vest to any particular embodiment disclosed . fig1 shows one embodiment of a safety garment 10 of the present invention . while the garment depicted is a vest , and in particular a breakaway vest , the present invention is inclusive of other breakaway garments as well , for example , breakaway jackets . vest 10 includes front panel 4 ( also shown individually in fig2 ) coupled to back panel 7 ( also shown individually in fig3 ). front panel 4 includes upper portion 20 and bottom portion 22 , and back panel 7 includes upper portion 24 ( see fig3 ) and bottom portion 26 ( see fig3 ). front panel 4 includes a pair of front panel sections , depicted here as section 42 and section 43 , which are joined by donning fastener 51 . donning fastener 51 is configured to facilitate donning , securing , and removing the garment , and is , in this embodiment , depicted as zipper 51 . zipper 51 may be any of the variety of zippers available , and may be for example , a tooth or coil style zipper and may be locking or non - locking . preferably zipper 51 is a separating zipper . zipper 51 includes a first tape 52 ( a ) on one side of the zipper and a second tape 52 ( b ) on the opposite side of the zipper . while , as depicted , first tape 52 ( a ) is shown on the left of the zipper and second tape 52 ( b ) is shown on the right of the zipper , “ first ” and “ second ” are not intended to impart any positional limitation . for example , in other embodiments , tape 52 ( a ) may be the second tape and tape 52 ( b ) may be the first tape . in other embodiments , the donning fasteners can be conventional means for closing a garment , but not elongated strips of hook and loop fasteners . for example , others may desire buttons , snaps , hooks , buckles , or loops , all of which are within the scope of the present invention . fig2 shows a first safety fastener 62 of the present embodiment . first safety fastener 62 is configured to allow panels to separate under tension above a breakaway threshold . while the tension may vary from embodiment to embodiment , in some embodiments 1 pound , 2 pounds , 3 pounds , or 4 pounds of tension may be ideal . still others may prefer more or less tension . somewhat similarly , others may desire a breakaway threshold tension based on current or future ansi standards or recommendations . those skilled in the art will recognize that the threshold tension may be adjusted , for example , in hook and loop embodiments , by increasing the number of hooks and loops per unit of area , or by using larger , stronger , or more rigid hook and loop fasteners . in the embodiment of fig2 , first safety fastener is a hook and loop fastener , e . g . velcro , and includes a first tape 62 ( a ) and a second tape 62 ( b ). the “ first ” and “ second ” adjectives are used for descriptive purposes and are not intended to impart any numeric or positional limitations to first safety fasteners of the present invention . zipper 51 is connected at first tape 52 ( a ) to the first section 42 of front panel 4 . hook and loop fastener 62 , is connected at side 62 ( a ) to the second tape 52 ( b ) of zipper 51 . the second side of hook and loop fastener 62 ( b ) is connected to the second section 43 of front panel 4 . when in use , hook and loop side 62 ( a ) is fastened to hook and loop side 62 ( b ) until it is torn away by tension . those skilled in the art will recognize that either 62 ( a ) or 62 ( b ) may be either the hook or the loop portion of the hook and loop fastener . zipper 51 is used to put on and remove the vest during everyday use . such a configuration allows for the safety garment to be easily donned and secured over bulky uniforms and clothing , while at the same time increases a wearer &# 39 ; s safety by allowing the garment to be easily torn off in the event it becomes entangled . while in the preferred embodiments , front panels have a pair of sections , e . g ., first section 42 and second section 43 , other embodiments of the invention may have additional sections . for example , some embodiments of the invention may include three sections in the front panel , wherein , for example , the donning fastener connects a first and second section and wherein the safety fastener connects a second and third section . all such embodiments are considered to be within the scope of the present invention . in preferred embodiments , the front and back panels of the garments of the present invention are coupled by a plurality of second safety fasteners . preferably , the plurality of second safety fasteners includes a pair of upper safety fasteners 92 and 93 , and a pair of lower safety fasteners 94 and 95 , configured to connect front panel 4 with back panel 7 . in the preferred embodiment , the plurality of second safety fasteners include hook and loop fasteners , with mating portions of hook and loops shown generally as horizontal strips 64 , 65 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 77 and 78 ( seen in various figures ). as shown in fig1 , in some embodiments , it may be desirable to position upper safety fasteners 92 and 93 drop - shoulder , for example , to increase comfort and prevent safety fasteners from snagging of uniforms or tools located about uniforms . preferably , lower safety fasteners 94 and 95 connect the lower front portion 22 of panel 4 to the lower back portion 26 of panel 7 with arms 12 and 13 ( also visible in fig3 ), which are positioned to wrap around a wearer &# 39 ; s waist . while arms are preferable for practicing certain embodiments of the present invention , for example , for allowing a single vest to fit a variety of wearers wearing a variety of clothing or uniforms , in other embodiments front portion 22 , may connect to back portion 26 directly , e . g ., without the use of arms . fig5 shows vest 10 on a wearer 106 , who may be , for example , a police officer . vest 10 includes tool access 38 that is defined , at least in part , by either the front or back panel . tool access 38 is configured to allow a wearer to access tools , e . g ., gun 39 , located on the wearer &# 39 ; s belt , hip or lower leg region , and allow vest 10 to be torn away under tension without becoming caught on tools located in the same region . in the preferred embodiment shown , the depicted tool access 38 is defined at its sides by both portion 34 of the front panel and by portion 37 of the back panel , and to some extent , at its top by arm 12 . preferably , tool access 38 has a height of about 7 inches and width of about 8 inches , which allows wearers to access multiple , or a variety of different , tools . while only one tool access is shown , the opposite side of vest 10 may include a similar tool access . others may wish to practice the present invention using other configurations for the tool access . most embodiments of the garment of the present invention may also include high - visibility coloring or a reflective portion , and many embodiments , e . g ., high visibility safety vests , will preferably include both high visibility coloring and reflective tape . for example , referring to the vest shown in fig1 , portion 46 may be considered to be any high visibility coloring , and will preferably be a high visibility coloring in compliance with ansi safety standards , and tape 83 may be considered to be reflective tape . other portions of the vest may also be considered to be either high visibility or reflective as well . referring to the back view of panel 7 shown in fig4 , other reflective and high visibility portions may be seen . for example , portions 57 and 58 may be high visibility , while a portions 88 and 89 , which are shown in chevron formation , may be reflective tape . fig4 also shows a band of material 45 is secured along four axes 46 , 47 , 48 and 49 to the panel 7 to form a clip capable of receiving and retaining items such as radio microphones and pens . numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in the foregoing description , together with details of structure and function . the novel features are pointed out in the appended claims . the disclosure , however , is illustrative only , and changes may be made in detail , especially in matters of shape , size , and arrangement of parts , within the principle of the invention , to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the general claims are expressed . | 0 |
the present invention will be described with reference to an ep catheter utilized in cardiac ep studies , such as the afocus ii eb diagnostic catheter of st . jude medical , atrial fibrillation division , inc ., which can provide access to difficult - to - reach portions of atrial anatomy , in particular the right superior and inferior pulmonary veins . the catheter described , depicted and claimed herein also provides relatively faster cardiac activity data collection ( especially in duodecapolar configurations ) by rapidly providing the necessary detail to efficiently diagnose complex cardiac arrhythmias . it should be understood , however , that the present teachings can be applied to good advantage in other contexts as well , such as radiofrequency ( rf ) ablation catheters or other diagnostic cardiac catheters . referring now to the drawings , fig1 a and 1b depict an ep catheter 10 according to a first aspect of the present invention . fig1 a is a plan view including a partially exploded depiction of an exemplary ep catheter 10 having a distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 with ep diagnostic , or mapping , electrodes 20 ( as depicted herein arranged in an exemplary decapolar configuration ), with the partially exploded depiction illustrating the catheter 10 in both a undeflected and a deflected configuration ( denoted as “ c ” and “ d ” respectively ). the off - axis , or peripheral , junction of the single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop to the neck region of the catheter allows 180 degree deflection in on the order of 50 mm ( as illustrated in said “ d ” configuration ). fig1 b is a plan view of the exemplary ep catheter 10 illustrated in fig1 a in an undeflected configuration ( i . e ., configuration “ c ” of fig1 a ). fig1 b shows an approximate minimum length for the catheter body of on the order of about 110 cm , although other lengths can be employed according to this disclosure . fig1 c is an enlarged view of the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 of the exemplary ep catheter 10 of fig1 a ; namely , an illustration of a pair of electrodes 20 residing on a segment 16 ′ of the offset shaft - to - loop axis , single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 . the lateral edges 20 ′ of electrodes 20 are bonded to the adjacent relatively smaller ( e . g ., 4f ) diameter biocompatible tubing ( e . g ., ptfe or the like ) of portion 16 with a biocompatible material such as a polyurethane matrix composed of polycin 936 and vorite 689 ( mixed 52 : 48 percent , as an example ) produced by caschem inc . of bayonne , n . j . fig1 d is an elevational side view in partial cross section of a neck portion 18 formed just proximal of the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 of the exemplary ep catheter 10 depicted in fig1 a and 1b . as shown , an extended braid tube / spring assembly 50 surrounds a variety of subcomponents of catheter 10 and is itself wrapped by a relatively smaller diameter biocompatible tubing 18 that covers the neck region and transitions the outer diameter to the about 4 f distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 . where the extended braid tube / spring assembly 50 terminates at its distal edge a small amount of medical grade adhesive polymer 20 ″ ( e . g ., like the polymer 20 ′ used at the edges of electrodes 20 ) can be applied . a polyimide tube 56 ′ passes through the assembly 50 ( and neck region 18 ) and into the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 and isolates a plurality of elongate conductive strands 70 ′ ( shown in fig4 b ) that couple the electrodes 20 , 46 to remote circuitry via a handle ( 22 as shown in fig1 a and 1b ) having a mass termination where the conductors 70 pass through the handle to couple to an ep recording system or other diagnostic equipment , for example . a flat wire subassembly 52 , which includes segment of flat wire 59 , is coupled to an activation wire 54 and is adapted to impart and release tension to deflect the proximal end 16 in a plane defined by the flat wire subassembly 52 ( via manipulation of the handle , such as by rotation or linear actuation members , and the like ). the flat wire subassembly 52 is sometimes described as a planarity member or element because it promotes such planar deflection . a short segment of polyimide tubing 56 ′ surrounds a junction of several components ; namely , a lubricous tubing member 58 ( e . g ., peek tubing ) that receives a proximal end of an elongate shape memory member 30 ( formed of nitinol , for example ) that is preformed into a desired dimension and configuration for distal portion 16 . in one embodiment , the distal portion 16 has an overall outer diameter of about 15 mm ( i . e ., for the outermost loop ) with a 4 f dimension for portion 16 ′ and 1 mm ( wide ) platinum electrodes 20 and a 2 mm ( long ) tip electrode 46 . in this embodiment , the electrodes 20 can be spaced apart in bipolar pairs or evenly ( e . g ., about 3 mm , 5 mm or other nominal spacing between them ). in a bipolar pair configuration the electrode spacing can vary , of course , although in on embodiment the spacing for 1 mm ( wide ) ring - type electrodes is 1 mm per bipolar pair with 2 . 5 mm between pairs . in this embodiment the spacing between the tip electrode 46 to the most distal ring - type electrode 20 can be 1 mm or 2 mm or other value . in the embodiments depicted herein the diameter of the outer loop of the distal portion 16 is fixed ( e . g ., at about 15 , mm , 20 mm or less than about 33 mm , or more , if desired ). at the junction of the flat wire subassembly 52 with the nitinol wire 30 wrapped in , for example , peek tubing urethane adhesive ( denoted by reference numeral 26 in fig2 b ) can be applied between , above , and around the components within the polyimide tubing 56 ′ to encapsulate same . similarly , urethane adhesive 26 can be impregnated into the interstices of the neck region 18 and distal portion 16 to reduce or eliminate any migration of the nitinol wire 30 or peek tubing 58 or polyimide tube 60 ( surrounding conductor 70 ′) during use . in general , ep catheter 10 can include an elongate catheter body 12 , which , in some embodiments , is tubular ( e . g ., it defines at least one lumen therethrough ). catheter body 12 includes a proximal region 14 , a distal portion 16 , and a neck region 18 between proximal region 14 and distal portion 16 . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the relative lengths of proximal region 14 , distal portion 16 , and neck region 18 depicted in fig1 a and 1b are merely illustrative and can vary without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention but likely should not have a magnitude of less than about 110 cm . of course , the overall length of catheter body 12 should be long enough to reach the intended destination within the patient &# 39 ; s body . catheter body 12 will typically be made of a biocompatible polymeric material , such as polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ) tubing ( e . g ., teflon ® brand tubing ). of course , other polymeric materials , such as fluorinated ethylene - propylene copolymer ( fep ), perfluoroalkoxyethylene ( pfa ), poly ( vinylidene fluoride ), poly ( ethylene - co - tetrafluoroethylene ), and other fluoropolymers , can be utilized . additional suitable materials for catheter body 12 include , without limitation , polyimide - based thermoplastic elastomers ( namely poly ( ether - block - amide ), such as pebax ®), polyester - based thermoplastic elastomers ( e . g ., hytrel ®), thermoplastic polyurethanes ( e . g ., pellethane ®, estane ®), ionic thermoplastic elastomers , functionalized thermoplastic olefins , and any combinations thereof . in general , suitable materials for catheter body 12 can also be selected from various thermoplastics , including , without limitation , polyamides , polyurethanes , polyesters , functionalized polyolefins , polycarbonate , polysulfones , polyimides , polyketones , liquid crystal polymers and any combination thereof . it is also contemplated that the durometer of catheter body 12 can vary along its length . in general , the basic construction of catheter body 12 will be familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art , and thus will not be discussed in further detail herein . referring now to fig2 a which is a close up isometric view of the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 of the exemplary ep catheter 10 of fig1 a and 1b ( with a perspective view of connecting elements within interior portions of the catheter body , or shaft , illustrated ) according to some embodiments of the present invention . as illustrated , the proximal and distal ends of the flat wire subassembly 52 ( e . g ., implemented to promote planarity during deflection ) are emphasized . fig2 b is an isometric illustration of the neck region 18 and the single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop distal portion 16 , polyimide tubing 56 , and the flat wire subassembly 52 . fig2 b ′ is an enlarged isometric fragmented view of the interior details of the ends of the various connecting elements within the interior of the catheter body 14 , 18 of fig2 a . as depicted , the proximal end of a flattened peek tube 58 that contains the nitinol wire 30 is adhered with urethane adhesive 26 ( or other suitable medical grade adhesive ) to segment of flat wire 59 of the flat wire subassembly 52 and wrapped in polyimide tubing 56 ′ for containment . the proximal end of the flat wire subassembly 52 couples via a segment of polyimide tubing 56 filled with urethane adhesive 26 that also encapsulates the smaller diameter polyimide tubing 61 where the activation wire 54 resides . a gap of about 1 - 2 mm between the tubing 56 and the distal end of extended braid / spring subassembly 50 should be optionally maintained ( as depicted ) and the activation wire 54 and conductor wires 70 ( within polyimide tube 60 ) are conveyed through braid / spring subassembly 50 to a handle or other remote location . fig2 c is an enlarged fragmented plan view of the interior details of the ends of the connecting elements within the interior of the catheter body shown in fig2 a . as depicted , the flattened section of the peek tubing 58 disposed within the polyimide tubing 56 ′ can comprise a 1 mm segment to promote adhesion to the urethane adhesive 26 impregnated therein and thus to the flat wire subassembly 52 , including segment of flat wire 59 . similarly , the proximal end of the flat wire subassembly 52 can be surrounded by polyimide tubing 56 and impregnated with urethane adhesive ( not shown ) to promote mechanical coupling to the adjacent extended braid / spring subassembly 50 . a suitable biocompatible compound 20 ″ ( e . g ., such as polymer 20 ′) can be applied to the junction between the outer covering for distal portion 16 ′ and the neck region 18 . fig3 is an elevational view showing exemplary dimensions of the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 of the exemplary ep catheter 10 of fig1 a and 1b according to an embodiment of the present disclosure . for example , the “ plane ” of the single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop distal portion 16 can be on the order of 2 mm to the neck region 18 , although other dimensions can be used if desired . whatever dimension is used the wire support length therefrom should be a reasonable length . fig4 a depicts the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 of the exemplary ep catheter 10 of fig1 a and 1b ( with cross references to details shown in fig4 b and 4c ). in the illustrated embodiment the single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop distal portion 16 includes evenly - spaced ten - pole electrodes 20 with a nominal separation between adjacent electrodes 20 . of course , other dimensions can be used for the electrodes 20 and the spacing therebetween . at the proximal end of the catheter body 12 ( not specifically shown ) a plurality of individually electrically insulated elongate conductors 70 emerge and are adapted to be individually coupled to mass termination terminal 72 within a handle for ultimate electrical communication with an ep recording system , an electroanatomical localization and visualization system ( e . g ., such as the ensite system of st . jude medical , inc . operating the onemap facility or other similar systems for monitoring cardiac activity and providing one or more visual representations of same ). fig4 b is an enlarged fragmentary view in partial cross section and partial cut - away of the distal tip electrode 46 and two ring - type electrodes 20 and flat wire subassembly 52 connection within the catheter body 12 , respectively , shown in fig4 a . each electrode 20 , 46 couples via an elongate conductor 70 ′ in fig4 b to remote ep recording and / or localization and visualization equipment . a biocompatible adhesive 21 ( e . g ., loctite adhesive ) can be applied to the junction of the biocompatible tubing 16 of the distal portion 16 and the electrode 46 to eliminate body fluid ingress therein . a so - called safety wire ( or element ) 71 can couple to the electrode 46 and a proximal location to reduce or eliminate the chance that the electrode 46 might separate from the catheter assembly 10 . fig4 c is an enlarged fragmentary view in partial cross section of the catheter body near the neck region shown in fig4 a and indicates a cross sectional view along lines a - a therein which is reflected in fig5 hereinbelow described . the dimensions indicated on fig4 c are merely exemplary and illustrative and not intended as limiting in any way . fig5 is a cross - sectional view of the ep catheter 10 illustrated in fig4 c taken along line a - a as shown in fig4 c . the biocompatible tubing overlaying next region 18 includes ( electrode 20 ) conductor wires , denoted by reference numeral 70 in fig5 , surrounded by polyimide tubing 60 and nominally spaced from nitinol wire 30 by a space impregnated with urethane adhesive 26 . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that electrodes 20 can be ring - type electrodes or any other electrodes suitable for a particular application of ep catheter 10 . for example , where ep catheter 10 is intended for use in a contactless ep study , electrodes 20 can be configured as described in u . s . application ser . no . 12 / 496 , 855 , filed 2 jul . 2009 , which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein . of course , in addition to serving sensing purposes ( e . g ., cardiac mapping and / or diagnosis ), electrodes 20 can be employed for therapeutic purposes ( e . g ., cardiac ablation and / or pacing ). referring again to the present disclosure in general , various handles and their associated actuators for use in connection with deflecting ep catheters are known , and thus handle 22 will not be described in further detail herein except that is has a means for imparting tension ( e . g ., push - pull knob 24 depicted in fig1 a and 1b , although other biasing structures can of course be used ) to an activation wire . in use , ep catheter 10 is introduced into a patient &# 39 ; s body proximate an area of interest , such as a pulmonary vein ostium . of course , ep catheter can be introduced surgically ( e . g ., via an incision in the patient &# 39 ; s chest ) or non - surgically ( e . g ., navigated through the patient &# 39 ; s vasculature to a desired site ). activation wire 54 can be actuated in order to deflect proximal region 14 of catheter body 12 such that distal portion 16 is oriented generally towards the ostium of interest . electrodes 20 can then be employed for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes . all directional references ( e . g ., upper , lower , upward , downward , left , right , leftward , rightward , top , bottom , above , below , vertical , horizontal , clockwise , and counterclockwise ) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader &# 39 ; s understanding of the present invention , and do not create limitations , particularly as to the position , orientation , or use of the invention . joinder references ( e . g ., attached , coupled , connected , and the like ) are to be construed broadly and can include intermediate members between a connection of elements and relative movement between elements . as such , joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other . it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting . changes in detail or structure can be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims . | 0 |
the present invention is an extensile fluidic muscle actuator ( fam ) that achieves compressive force generation and extensile motion output with a supplementary motion conversion feature that changes the normal direction of force and motion with just a small increase in friction , weight , and cost . fig1 and 2 show the extensile fluidic muscle actuator in a non - pressurized state . fig3 is a cross section of the embodiment of fig1 - 2 . with combined reference to fig1 - 2 and 3 , the actuator body 1 comprises an elastic fluid bladder 2 surrounded by a stiff braided mesh sleeve 3 . end fittings 4 , 5 are attached to each end to seal the bladder 2 and allow for connection of the actuator 33 to other components . in the preferred embodiment , a swage tube 6 is plastically deformed around the end fittings 4 , 5 , braided sleeve 3 and bladder 2 to provide a fluid seal and a strong mechanical connection . this swaging process is described in full detail in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 456 , 139 for “ fluidic artificial muscle actuator and swaging process therefor .” any other conventional method of attaching these components could also be used with this invention , including hose clamps , crimping , wire winding , adhesive based approaches , etc . normally , when the elastic fluid bladder 2 is filled with fluid , the stiff braided sleeve 3 radially expands and axially contracts , yielding compressive and contractive force generation , respectively . however , the present invention accomplishes compressive force generation and extensile motion output with a direction change mechanism . the direction change mechanism is attached to the actuator body via the two end fittings 4 , 5 . one end fitting is designated the fixed end fitting 4 , as it does not generally move upon pressurization of the actuator . the other end fitting is designated as the moving end fitting 5 . as best seen in fig3 ( a - c ) , pushrod 7 is affixed to the internal end 8 of the moving fitting 5 . pushrod 7 passes through a seal housing 9 which is attached to the fixed end fitting 4 . the seal housing 9 contains at least one sealing element 10 which provides a pressure tight seal around the circumference of the pushrod 7 . additionally , linear bearings 11 may be included on one or both sides of the seal 10 to maintain alignment of the pushrod 7 relative to the seal housing 9 . the pushrod 7 extends from its mounting point on the moving end fitting 5 through the entire internal length of the actuator body 1 , through and then past the seal housing 9 . the actuator 33 may be connected to the system or machine in which it is being employed via the pushrod and fixed end fitting 4 / seal housing 9 . with this arrangement , compressive force and extensile motion are created by the actuator 33 upon internal pressurization of the bladder 2 . specific details of the above - described components follow . the elastic fluid bladder 2 is preferably made from a low modulus , high strain elastic material , including , but not limited to , an elastomer or rubber . silicone , polyurethane , and latex rubbers are the preferred materials , although any suitable material may be used without changing the invention . these materials allow for the large strains associated with pressurization , while minimizing the amount of energy required for their expansion . in the preferred embodiment , the bladder 2 is substantially cylindrical in shape , although other shapes of bladders can be used . wall thickness 12 of the bladder 2 is chosen to ensure that the operating pressure can safely be maintained without rupture , when coupled with the braided sleeve 3 . additional wall thickness may or may not be desired to allow for material loss during long term actuation cycling due to braided sleeve 3 / bladder 2 interactions , such as friction . accordingly , the bladder 2 and / or braid 3 materials may be coated in a complementary material to reduce friction , heating , etc . examples include , but are not limited to , ptfe , graphite , and dry film lubricants . the braided sleeve 3 preferably comprises a web of fiber filaments 13 that are braided in a helical fashion to form a sleeve that can expand or contract in diameter . while this is the preferred embodiment , the sleeve may alternatively be comprised of separate layers of helically wrapped filaments that are stacked instead of woven , where , in the case of two layers , the two individual layers encircle the bladder in opposing directions . in another embodiment , the filaments may be aligned with the length axis 15 of the actuator . these filaments could then be embedded into a soft ( e . g . elastomer or rubber ) matrix to maintain the spacing between fibers . filament material can be any suitable high strength , high modulus material . low friction and high wear resistance are also desirable in the braid material to reduce actuator self - heating and to extend fatigue life . favored materials include , but are not limited to , aramid fibers , para - aramid , poly - p - phenylenebenzobisoxazole ( pbo ) fibers , carbon , or fiberglass fibers . polymers such as nylon , polyether ether ketone ( peek ), polyester ( pet ), and ultra high molecular weight polyethylene ( uhmwpe ), etc . are also suitable . metallic filaments ( steel , stainless steel , titanium , etc .) can also be used , although they are not generally preferred . the sleeve filament density ( distance between strands ) and initial angle 14 of the braid 3 can be varied to influence the stiffness , force generation , deflection range , and other important actuator performance properties . initial braid angle of the sleeve 14 is defined as the angle between a braid filament 13 and the longitudinal axis 15 of the actuator when the braid 3 is tight against the pressure bladder 2 and the actuator is at its resting length 16 ( no internal pressure , no external loading ). the end fittings 4 , 5 are preferably constructed from a lightweight , but strong , material such as aluminum , titanium , plastic , fiber reinforced polymer , or similar . these can be machined , molded , or manufactured in any other way that allows for the necessary features and tolerances to be produced . the fittings 4 , 5 in the preferred embodiment shown include several features that are related to the aforementioned swaging manufacturing method . also shown are the swage tubes 6 which clamp the bladder 2 and braided sleeve 3 onto the end fittings 4 , 5 . the design features of the swage tubes 6 need not be described in detail as they are conventional components . the moving end fitting 5 is provided with some means of attachment for the pushrod 7 . for example , the pushrod 7 may be attached preferably to the center of the inside face of the internal end 8 of the moving fitting 5 . in the shown embodiment , moving end fitting 5 is provided with a tapped hole 17 that allows the pushrod 7 to screw into the internal end 8 of the moving fitting 5 . preferably , this tapped hole 17 is of a smaller diameter than the pushrod 7 , creating a step down in the diameter of the pushrod 7 that provides a mating face to ensure that the fitting 5 and pushrod 7 are parallel . any other attachment means could be used instead of threading , including adhesive bonding , through pins , clips , etc . alternatively , the pushrod 7 and moving fitting 5 could be manufactured as a single part . if desired , the pushrod 7 could be attached to the fitting 5 in a non - rigid manner . for example , a ball and socket joint or a universal joint could be integrated between the two , allowing angular rotation , but still transmitting the compressive forces . such an approach might be useful if lateral loads or moments on the actuator 33 needed to be accommodated . the fixed end fitting 4 can be of two basic designs , one that is designed to connect to a separate external seal housing 9 ( as shown ), or one that is integrally formed with the seal housing 9 . in the embodiments shown in fig3 , the seal housing 9 is an external component that attaches to the fixed end fitting 4 . many options exist for the attachment between these components , although it is necessary that the pushrod 7 be able to travel through the fitting 4 and into the seal housing 9 without interference . the embodiment shown incorporates a threaded hole 18 of large enough diameter that the hollow threaded extension of the seal housing 19 can have sufficient strength to handle the actuation forces , while the hole into the seal housing is large enough to provide clearance for the pushrod 7 . alternatively , the body of the end fitting 4 could be extended past the end of the swage tube 6 and the exposed external surface could be given threads or any other means of attachment to the seal housing 9 . the fixed end fitting 4 can also be designed to accommodate the seal housing 9 internally . if the direction change mechanism is a removable unit , then the seal housing 9 can be sized to fit inside of the end fitting 4 and be attached in a manner as to allow installation and removal of the direction change mechanism at will . if a permanent direction change mechanism were desired , the components and features of the seal housing 9 could be integrated into the design of the fixed end fitting 4 such that the two functions are performed by a single component . the pushrod 7 is designed to carry the actuation forces from the moving end fitting 5 to the system or machine into which the actuator 33 is installed . therefore , it must be made from a suitably strong and stiff material . metals or composite materials are preferred . the loading is primarily compressive , so compressive strength and critical buckling load of this component are paramount . the critical buckling load of the pushrod 7 can be increased without increasing its weight by using a tube instead of a solid rod . it is preferred that the portion of the pushrod 7 that comes in contact with the pressure seal 10 and the optional linear bearings 11 in the seal housing 9 have mechanical properties amenable to use with such components . examples of properties that may be desired include high surface hardness , good wear resistance , low surface roughness , and low friction . two preferred materials for obtaining these properties include heat treated metals and ceramics . the pushrod 7 could be made entirely from such materials , or if a lighter weight option were desired , bearing surface sleeves made from these high hardness materials could be installed around a pushrod made from a lighter material . for example , a heat - treated , precision ground 17 - 4ph stainless steel , thin - walled tube can be bonded to the outside of a carbon fiber / epoxy rod or tube . fluidic muscle actuators typically have maximum strokes 20 on the order of 25 - 40 % of their resting active length 16 . for this reason , it is not necessary that a bearing surface sleeve cover the entire length of the pushrod 7 . all that is required is to cover the portion that comes in contact with the seals 10 and bearings 11 . the external end 22 of the pushrod 7 may include some means of connection ( such as threads as shown , rod end bearings , through holes , snap rings , etc .) for ease of integration and force transfer . while any such feature is within the scope of this invention , a modular approach is preferred . for example , the end of the pushrod 22 may be supplied with a specified standard size of male thread . an adapter block having the female equivalent threads on one side can be screwed thereto , and the adapter block may have any number of different features on the other side as a matter of design choice . this would simplify adaptation of the actuator 33 to different systems or different attachment schemes within the same system . for example , adapter blocks could be provided with different sized male or female threads , through holes , clevis pins , rod end bearings , snap rings , plain bearings , etc . this would eliminate the need to replace or modify the pushrod 7 whenever changes to the mounting scheme were desired . the pushrod 7 may be a single part or alternatively may be made of any number of separate parts that combine to perform the functions described herein . constructing the pushrod 7 from multiple parts gives more flexibility to its design and allows different portions of the components to be optimized to perform different functions . as one of many examples , the multi - part pushrod 21 shown here is made by combining a tube 29 with two rod segments 30 , 32 . the tube portion 29 gives high buckling strength and large volume fill for the portion of the pushrod that stays internal to the actuator over the full deflection range . one of the rod segments 30 allows for attachment to the moving end fitting 5 , preferably via a threaded extension 31 . the second rod segment 32 allows for effective sealing and attachment to the external system . the seal housing 9 contains the components needed to allow the pushrod 7 to slide in and out of the actuator body 1 with minimal loss of the pressurized actuating fluid , and to do so with minimal friction . the primary component needed to perform this function is a sealing element 10 of some form . any suitable single acting or double acting seal may be used , with the exact geometry and materials used being optimized for the operating fluid , pressure levels , and external environmental factors expected . in the shown embodiment , a symmetrical buna - n rubber u - cup rod seal is used . other preferred embodiments include , but are not limited to , rod hat seals , v - packing seals , rod t seals , and o - rings . preferred materials for the seal 10 include natural , polyurethane , and silicone rubbers , as well as polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ) and similar low friction materials . in addition to the sealing element 10 , it may be desirable to include linear bearings 11 into the seal housing 9 to help maintain alignment of the pushrod 7 relative to the seal 10 . linear bearings are particularly well suited to applications where pushrod alignment is critical , or where significant lateral ( perpendicular to the pushrod ) forces are expected . a single linear bearing can be installed on either side of the sealing element 10 , or two or more can be included , with at least one on either side of the seal to better maintain alignment through the seal . in the preferred embodiment shown , one plain linear bearing is installed on either side of the seal 10 . preferred materials for these bearings include high strength , low friction polymers ( nylon , peek , roulon , vespel etc .) or composite materials that provide the required strength and low friction by combining two or more different materials . ptfe lined aluminum and glass fiber filled ptfe are two preferred composite material bearing solutions . metallic bearings are also an option , although they are not preferred . alternatively , if the seal housing 9 were made from a suitable material , plain linear bearings could be included as integral features of the housing itself . for example , the housing 9 could be machined or molded from high strength , low friction polyetheretherketone ( peek ), with precise linear bearing features included into the machining process or in the mold . careful material selection for the seal housing 9 is critical to successful design of the component . in the embodiment shown , the seal housing 9 is a primary structural component that must carry the actuation loads between the active region of the fluidic muscle 23 and the structure or machine into which the actuator 33 is mounted . for this reason the material used for its construction must be suitably strong . for high cycle applications , the fatigue resistance of the seal housing , and of all other components , may also be an important design consideration . expected operating temperatures will also guide material selection . finally , manufacturing cost is also an important material selection driver . the preferred materials include metals ( steel , aluminum , magnesium , etc . ), polymers , and fiber reinforced polymers . an optional addition to the invention that may be useful in particularly dirty operating environments is a shaft wiper around the pushrod 7 . this would be installed such that it wiped the external portion of the pushrod clean as the pushrod 7 contracted back into the body of the actuator 1 , thereby limiting the exposure of the linear bearings 11 and the seal 10 to dirt , grit , abrasive particles , or anything else that might reduce their effectiveness and life cycle duration . this component can be included into the seal housing 9 or can be installed separately . in the embodiments shown , the sealing element 10 is contained within the seal housing 9 by a seal retainer 24 , 25 that is designed to be easily separated , facilitating installation and removal of the seal 10 and / or the linear bearings 11 . when assembled , the seal retainer 24 , 25 and seal housing 9 hold the seal 10 completely captive , such that its alignment is maintained and it is unable to migrate or leave the body of the actuator 1 . thus , one of the multiple functions of the combination of seal housing 9 and seal retainer 24 , 25 is similar to that of a two - piece gland . two different means of creating such a multiple part seal housing are shown in fig3 . at fig3 ( a ) , one embodiment 24 uses screws to attach the seal retainer 24 to sealing element 10 . at fig3 ( b ) , another embodiment 25 has the two parts thread into each other . these are only two of many possible solutions , and the invention is not intended to be limited to these specifically noted embodiments . the invention encompasses any appropriate method of designing and fabricating the seal housing 9 , whether it be a single part , multiple parts , or an integral part of the end fittings as discussed earlier . in order for the actuator 33 to operate , it is necessary to have at least one fluid port which allows for flow of the operating fluid , resulting in pressurization or exhaustion of the actuator . this feature is mentioned separately from the above components because it may be incorporated into the actuator 33 at many different places . the fluid port can be anything that connects the inside of the active portion of the actuator to a source of pressurized fluid . the port must be designed such that it can be effectively sealed to prevent pressure loss . two different embodiments are shown here as examples . the embodiments shown in fig3 ( a - c ) have the fluid port 26 as part of the seal housing 9 . in this case , a pressure fitting would be connected to the shown port 26 to allow for attachment to any manner of fluid piping system . this embodiment allows for the fluid piping to remain stationary as the fluidic muscle 33 is actuated . another embodiment shown in fig7 has a threaded fluid port 27 integral to the moving end fitting 5 . in this case , the pressure fitting connects directly to the moving end fitting 5 and the fluid piping provides sufficient slack to move with the end fitting as the muscle 33 is actuated . an important feature of this embodiment is the passage by which the pressurized fluid is able to travel through the end fitting 5 and into the interior of the actuator . it is important that the material removed to allow passage of the fluid does not interfere with the ability of the end fitting 5 to attach to the pushrod 7 and transfer loads through it . one of many possible solutions is shown here . a radial pattern of through - holes 28 allows passage of the fluid while maintaining a web of material through which the actuation loads can be transferred from the moving end fitting 5 to the pushrod 7 . the radial pattern of fluid ports 28 allows for fluid flow from the open end of the end fitting 5 into the internal portion of the actuator , while retaining sufficient material connection between the pushrod 7 mounting point and the end fitting to transfer the actuation loads from the bladder / braided sleeve / moving end fitting assembly into the pushrod . many other options exist for placement of the fluid port , including , but not limited to , the fixed end fitting 4 , the end of a hollow pushrod , etc . additionally , multiple fluid ports could be included into the actuator . for instance , a dedicated fluid fill port could be included into the seal housing 9 or fixed end fitting 4 , and a dedicated fluid exhaust port could be included into the moving end fitting 5 , or vice versa . any number or combination of ports could also be used to increase fluid flow rates into and out of the actuator . fig8 shows a cross section view of an embodiment which includes an outer casing around the fluidic muscle actuator . outer casing 34 is an optional feature which surrounds the fluidic muscle actuator . the casing attaches to the actuator at the fixed end , either to the seal housing 9 , the swage tube 6 , the fixed end fitting 4 , or by some other means . the length of this tubular casing then extends over the fluidic muscle actuator . this casing may be provided with a casing end fitting 35 , which serves as a mounting point for the actuator ( into the system or machine in which it operates ). in this embodiment , mounting the actuator at the casing end fitting 35 and at the end of the pushrod 7 will provide the desired reversal of the actuator force and displacement . this casing may also be used without such an end fitting as a means of protecting the fluidic muscle actuator . in this instance , it may still be desirable to have an outer casing end fitting 35 of some form to seal the open end of the outer casing 34 . fig9 shows the experimentally measured force versus displacement behavior of an extensile fluidic muscle actuator as described above . the extensile behavior of the actuator is shown at three different internal operating fluid pressures . increasing pressure increases force and displacement . the contractile behavior of the same fluidic muscle tested without the displacement conversion device detailed in this invention is also shown here . the magnitudes of force and displacement are similar , showing the effectiveness of this device . having now fully set forth the preferred embodiment and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention , various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept . it is to be understood , therefore , that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth in the appended claims . | 5 |
fig1 is an isometric view of a probe assembly 10 capable of measuring the contact potential difference between a vibrating electrode and a semiconductor substrate . a semiconductor substrate 12 is placed upon a flat upper surface of grounded wafer chuck 14 . an electrode 16 is positioned parallel to and suspended a distance d ag of about 1 . 0 mm above a pecvd oxide layer deposited upon a frontside surface of semiconductor substrate 12 . electrode 16 is mechanically coupled to a vibrating reed 18 . signal cable 20 electrically couples electrode 16 to a measurement system ( not shown ) and a direct current ( dc ) bias voltage network ( not shown ). power supply cable 22 supplies electrical power to vibrating reed 18 during use . optical cable 24 is coupled to a light source 25 and provides high intensity illumination 26 during use . wafer chuck 14 and probe assembly 10 are able to move in relation to one another in order to allow all areas of the frontside surface of semiconductor substrate 12 to be probed . electrode 16 is very small , about 3 . 0 mm in diameter , and substantially transparent . thus electrode 16 is preferably made of thin , loosely - woven strands of an electrically conductive material . suitable materials for electrode 16 include gold and platinum . fig2 is a partial cross - sectional view of semiconductor substrate 12 and electrode 16 . a frontside surface 17 of semiconductor substrate 12 has an pecvd oxide layer 28 formed thereupon . the thicknesses of typical pecvd oxide layers ( d 0x ) range from 1 , 000 to 5 , 000 angstroms . electrical charges exist within pecvd oxide layer 28 . the net electrical charge in pecvd oxide layer 28 is neutralized by an equal and opposite net charge in a space charge region 30 of semiconductor substrate 12 . space charge region 30 exists in semiconductor substrate 12 from frontside surface 17 to a depth d sc of about 80 to 100 angstroms . the difference in electrical potential between electrode 16 and semiconductor substrate 12 ( v ms ) is given by : where v ag is the potential difference across the air gap separating electrode 16 and pecvd oxide layer 28 , v ox is the potential difference across pecvd oxide layer 28 , v sp is the potential difference across space charge region 30 ( i . e ., the surface barrier potential ) of semiconductor substrate 12 , and c is a constant which depends on the difference in the work functions of electrode 16 and semiconductor substrate 12 . the value of v ox is directly related to the net electrical charge in pecvd oxide layer 28 . the work function of a material is the energy necessary to remove an electron from an atom of the material . a contact potential difference exists between any two conducting solids with different work functions . during use , power is applied to vibrating reed 18 via power supply cable 22 , causing vibrating reed 18 to vibrate sinusoidally at a frequency of about 100 hz . mechanically coupled to vibrating reed 18 , electrode 16 also vibrates sinusoidally at a frequency of about 100 hz . electrode 16 thus moves alternately closer and farther away from the frontside surface of silicon substrate 12 . when electrode 16 is closest to the frontside surface , distance d ag is about 0 . 5 mm . when electrode 16 is farthest away from the frontside surface , distance d ag is about 1 . 5 mm . when electrode 16 is vibrating , the distance between electrode 16 and semiconductor substrate 12 varies sinusoidally . the capacitance between two parallel conducting plates varies inversely with the distance between them . any electrical potential difference between vibrating electrode 16 and semiconductor substrate 12 creates a sinusoidal electrical voltage between the two conductors moving in relation to one another . in fig1 a direct current voltage v dc applied between electrode 16 and silicon substrate 12 by the dc bias voltage network ( not shown ) via signal cable 20 results in the configuration shown in fig3 : as described in p . edelman , et al ., &# 34 ; new approach to measuring oxide charge and mobile ion concentration ,&# 34 ; ( referenced above ), adjusting the magnitude of v dc to a value which results in a zero potential difference across the air gap separating electrode 16 and pecvd oxide layer 28 causes the amplitude of the sinusoidal electrical voltage developed between vibrating electrode 16 and semiconductor substrate 12 to go to zero . the magnitude of v dc is then equal to the contact potential difference v cpd between electrode 16 and silicon substrate 12 . when the intensity of high intensity illumination 26 is zero : when semiconductor substrate 12 is subjected to a continuous beam of high intensity illumination 26 through electrode 16 and pecvd oxide layer 28 as shown in fig4 photons may penetrate semiconductor substrate 12 to a depth of about 10 μm as shown . the energies of incident photons may be absorbed at any point along the path of penetration of high intensity illumination 26 . if the energies of the incident photons are greater than the bandgap energy of the material of semiconductor substrate 12 , photons penetrating the semiconductor material are eventually absorbed , producing excess charge carriers ( holes and electrons ) within semiconductor substrate 12 . these excess charge carriers diffuse to the surface of semiconductor substrate 12 , where they become separated by the electric field of space charge region 30 and produce a surface photovoltage . under continuous illumination , the number of excess charge carriers reaches an equilibrium condition and the surface photovoltage becomes constant . high intensity illumination produces a surface photovoltage which is equal and opposite to the surface barrier potential v sp . see , p . edelman , et al ., &# 34 ; surface charge imaging in semiconductor wafers by surface photovoltage ( spv ),&# 34 ; proceedings of the materials research society meeting , san francisco , calif ., april , 1992 ( incorporated herein by reference ). thus the contribution of the surface barrier potential v sp is cancelled by the equal and opposite surface photovoltage produced by a continuous beam of high intensity illumination 26 . the value of v dc applied between vibrating electrode 16 and silicon substrate 12 which causes the amplitude of the sinusoidal electrical voltage between the two conductors to go to zero changes by an amount equal to the surface barrier potential v sp : measurement of v cpd with semiconductor substrate 12 subjected to a continuous beam of high intensity illumination 26 thus results in a value equal to v ox ( plus a constant ). the value of v ox ( plus a constant ) allows detection and an assessment of the net charge in pecvd oxide layer 28 . alternately , light source 25 and optical cable 24 may be deleted from probe assembly 10 . without high intensity illumination , probe assembly 10 may be used to measure the contact potential difference v cpd : a conventional spv apparatus 31 as shown in fig5 may be used to measure surface barrier potential v sp of semiconductor substrate 12 . spv light source 32 includes a high intensity illumination source 34 as described above and a rotating chopper 36 . rotating chopper 34 modulates a beam of monochromatic light 38 produced by illumination source 34 . spv light source 32 thus produces a train of monochromatic light pulses 40 with constant photon flux φ . the train of monochromatic light pulses 40 passes through a housing 42 and strikes the surface of semiconductor substrate 12 resting on electrically grounded wafer chuck 14 . pickup electrode 44 sends an electrical signal reflecting the magnitude of the surface photovoltage produced by semiconductor substrate 12 to lock - in amplifier 46 . lock - in amplifier 46 is synchronized with rotating chopper 36 of spv light source 32 via an electrical signal from spv light source 32 . lock - in amplifier 46 provides an output signal reflecting the resultant magnitude of surface photovoltage produced by semiconductor substrate 12 . as shown in fig6 the train of monochromatic light pulses 40 has an associated modulation period ` t ` and modulation frequency ` f `, where f = 1 / t . it is noted that the modulation frequency ` f ` of the train of monochromatic light pulses 40 is not related to the wavelength or frequency of the beam of monochromatic light 38 . light modulation frequencies from 0 hz to about 40 . 0 khz may be used to analyze the presence , indicated by charge , of mobile surface ions ( from 0 hz to about 300 hz ), interface states ( from about 300 hz to about 5 . 0 khz ), and near - surface recombination ( from about 5 . 0 khz to about 40 . 0 khz ). as before , excess charge carriers diffuse to the surface of the semiconductor substrate where they become separated by the electric field of the surface space charge region and produce a surface photovoltage . in a semiconductor substrate doped with p - type material , surface photovoltage increases when an incident light pulse strikes the surface of the semiconductor substrate , and decreases when the light is blocked by rotating chopper 36 of spv light source 32 . in a semiconductor substrate doped with n - type material , surface photovoltage decreases when an incident light pulse strikes the surface of the semiconductor substrate , and increases when the light is blocked by rotating chopper 36 of spv light source 32 . the number of excess charge carriers and the surface photovoltage eventually reach an equilibrium condition . as described above , high intensity illumination produces a surface photovoltage which is equal to the surface barrier potential v sp . the value of v sp determined using conventional spv apparatus 31 may be subtracted from the value of v cpd measured using probe assembly 10 to obtain the value of v ox ( plus a constant ): measurement of v cpd using probe assembly 10 and v sp with conventional spv assembly 31 thus also allows detection and assessment of the net charge in pecvd oxide layer 28 . it is noted that in the second embodiment , electrode 16 need not be substantially transparent . thus electrode 16 may be a thin sheet of conductive material such as gold or platinum . in a manufacturing environment , statistical process control ( spc ) is commonly used to maintain control of a process and improve yields . continuous process monitoring allows operating personnel to make necessary changes to keep a process under control . control charts aid the process monitoring function . see , k . ishikawa , guide to quality control , chapt . 7 , asian productivity organization , 1982 ( incorporated herein by reference ). one type of control chart applicable to pecvd oxide charge assessment is an x - r control chart . an x - r control chart is actually two charts in one . in each chart , parameter values are plotted on the y ( vertical ) axis versus chronological sample subgroups ( i . e ., lots ) on the x ( horizontal ) axis . thus each data point on an x - r control chart represents a value for a specific sample subgroup . each subgroup typically contains from two to five samples . a first average ( x ) chart is a graph of the average subgroup parameter values versus sample subgroup number ( fig7 ). a horizontal line through the center of the averages chart ( cl x ) is the overall average . the overall average is computed as the sum of the averages of all subgroups divided by the number of subgroups . an upper control limit ( ucl x ) and a lower control limit ( lcl x ) define maximum allowable deviations from cl x . as defined herein , the values of cl x , ucl x , and lcl x are the control parameters for an average ( x ) chart . a second range ( r ) chart is a graph of the largest differences between subgroup parameter values ( i . e ., subgroup range ) versus subgroup number ( fig8 ). a horizontal line through the center of the r chart ( cl r ) is the average of all subgroup range values . the average of all subgroup range values is computed as the sum of the range values of all subgroups divided by the number of subgroups . an upper control limit ( ucl r ) and a lower control limit ( lcl r ) define maximum allowable deviations from cl r . as defined herein , the values of cl r , ucl r , and lcl r are the control parameters for a range ( r ) chart . a process which is in control will have average and range values that ( i ) remain within the areas of the charts bounded by the ucls and lcls , and ( ii ) vary above and below cl x ( average chart ) and cl r ( range chart ) in a random pattern . in region a of fig7 average and range values meet these requirements . thus in region a of fig7 the process is in control . in region b , however , the average values remain above the overall average cl x , indicating that the process is out of control . the range values in region b do not exceed ucl r . thus the average values associated with subgroups have increased in region b , but the ranges associated with these subgroups have not changed appreciably from those in region a . changes need to be made to the process to bring it back into control before ucl x is exceeded . measured values of v ox ( plus a constant ) may be used as pecvd oxide charge derivative values . an x - r control chart to evaluate a pecvd oxide deposition process is formed by first measuring pecvd oxide charge derivative values for a number of semiconductor substrates . the measurement data is divided into k subgroups according to measurement order . the average pecvd oxide charge derivative values are calculated for each subgroup : ## equ1 ## where each subgroup contains n pecvd oxide charge derivative values and x n is the nth pecvd oxide charge derivative value in a given subgroup . the range of pecvd oxide charge derivative values for each subgroup is calculated : where max ( x ) is the largest pecvd oxide charge derivative value in the kth subgroup and min ( x ) is the smallest pecvd oxide charge derivative value in the kth subgroup . next the overall average of the pecvd oxide charge derivative values ( cl x ) is calculated : ## equ2 ## the average of the range values of pecvd oxide charge derivative values for all subgroups ( cl r ) is calculated : ## equ3 ## the ucls and lcls are calculated : ## equ4 ## where the values of factors a 2 , d 4 , and d 3 may be taken from table 1 below : table 1______________________________________factors for ucl and lcl calculationsn a . sub . 2 d . sub . 4 d . sub . 3______________________________________2 1 . 880 3 . 267 03 1 . 023 2 . 575 04 0 . 729 2 . 282 05 0 . 577 2 . 115 06 0 . 483 2 . 004 07 0 . 419 1 . 924 0 . 076______________________________________ the x - r control chart is generated using the computed values for the overall average ( cl x ), the average of the range values ( cl r ), and the ucls and lcls . the average and range values of pecvd oxide charge derivative values for each subgroup are then plotted on the x and r charts , respectively . the pecvd oxide deposition process may then be evaluated as described above with respect to net charge based upon an interpretation of the x - r control chart . it will be appreciated to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that this invention is believed to be capable of detecting and assessing the net charge in a pecvd oxide layer deposited on a surface of a semiconductor substrate . furthermore , it is also to be understood that the form of the invention shown and described is to be taken as exemplary , presently preferred embodiments . various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims . it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such modifications and changes . | 7 |
fig1 shows in top view from above a right glove , consisting of a unified glove body h , while the glove body has a hand part 1 and a cuff 2 adjacent to the latter . the inventive configuration of the glove h is used primarily in variants lying tightly and directly against the hand of the wearer , preferably made from liquid - tight , elastic material , such as rubber , serving preferably as examining or operating gloves . nevertheless , the benefits of the inventive glove design also extend to all other kinds of gloves , such as fabric or leather gloves or even all kinds of disposable gloves made of plastic , as are customary in supermarkets and gas stations . now , on a peripheral segment on the outside of the cuff 2 there is provided , for example , a looplike gripping aid 3 a . this at least one gripping aid 3 a is provided on a peripheral part of the cuff 2 , which covers the wristbone region of the hand on the outside , although this statement must be considered merely an approximate positioning in the peripheral direction . the gripping aid 3 a can also extend across a certain angular region in the peripheral wristbone region . looking in the lengthwise direction , the gripping aid 3 a can be situated in very different positions , and for gloves with very short cuffs 2 it can even be moved to the region of the actual hand part 1 and lie in the region of the wrist or even the edge of the hand . these gripping aids and all others yet to be explained are advantageously so little removed from the glove body h or stand out so little from it that they can be easily and firmly grasped , on the one hand , but in no way impede the work or examination procedures , etc . they are also so far away from the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 that there is no danger of touching with one glove - protected hand the tissue ( skin ) of the opposite hand when putting on or taking off the gloves fig2 shows the gripping aid 3 a in larger scale , it being evident that this gripping aid 3 a is made as a single piece with the glove cuff 2 and is raised above the surface of the cuff 2 opposite the skin of the wearer such that one or even several fingers of the other hand or even a helping implement can be inserted for manipulating the glove . this helping implement can be , say , a hook or the like , which can be fixed in place or held by the other hand . any type of gripping aid 3 a can be provided in any meaningful orientation relative to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 . fig2 shows a slanting arrangement , for example , of a loop - shaped gripping aid similar to fig1 , which optimally allows a pulling force to be exerted from the wristbone region of the glove obliquely across the back side of the hand to the thumb side . fig3 shows the start of the pulling off process of a pair of gloves according to the invention in perspective view . besides the gripping aid 3 a in the wristbone region of the cuff 2 already described in connection with fig1 and fig2 , an additional gripping aid 3 is preferably provided on the glove h of the other hand , being provided at a position opposite the back hand part 4 , when seen in the peripheral direction , or at a place which is adjacent thereto on at least one side . the first gripping aid , as well as the further gripping aid 3 , could also be designed as structures extending for approximately 180 °, from the wristbone region to the inner surface of the hand . after grasping the gripping aid 3 on the left glove in fig3 with the other , i . e ., right hand ( fig3 ), the gripping aid 3 a arranged in the wristbone region on the outer side of the second , right glove , as shown in fig4 , can be grasped by the left hand in an ergonomically favorable position of both hands and forearms to each other . the skin of the wearer does not make any contact with any dirty or contaminated outer surface of the gloves . as the hands are further moved apart , as can be seen in fig5 and 6 , the gloves will be pulled off diametrically opposite and substantially at the same time from the forearms and then also from the surface of the hand or the back of the hand , and a portion of the gloves with its normally outside situated surface will already be drawn into the other respective glove . as the hands are moved further apart and the gloves are also pulled off from the fingers of both hands , the gloves will finally be fully turned inside out and joined together as they continue to be drawn into each other , as can be seen in fig7 to 10 . thus , as can be seen in fig1 , after pulling off the gloves the user can hold and handle them without coming into contact with their potentially dirty or contaminated outer surface . the gripping aid 3 , 3 a configured and arranged according to the invention not only facilitates the pulling off of the gloves , as explained above , but the user can also more easily slip on the glove by grasping a loop or the like ( 3 , 3 a ) and slipping on the glove by pulling on it in the direction of the arm or body . the same can be done by a helper , who may already be wearing ( sterile ) gloves , as shown in fig1 , thereby ensuring excellent sterility . furthermore , this second person can stretch the glove apart by pulling the gripping aids 3 , 3 a apart , if it has two or more of them , and thereby widening the opening of the glove h . the user of the glove can then slip more easily into the expanded glove opening ( and the glove ). if the cuff 2 of the glove h has already been somewhat turned inside out , or if the exterior gripping aids 3 , 3 a have been lost or slipped through the fingers , the further pull - off process can also be facilitated by providing at least one gripping aid 3 b in addition on the inside of the cuff 2 , as shown in fig1 . preferably , such a gripping aid 3 b on the inside of the cuff 2 will lie closer to the hand part 1 of the glove h than a gripping aid 3 , 3 a on the outside of the cuff 2 . other kinds of gripping aids 3 , 3 a , 3 b , their configurations , arrangements and orientations are then represented as examples , but not limited thereto , in fig1 to 54 . besides gripping aids 3 , 3 a in the above described embodiment as a loop with a continuous opening , gripping aids 3 , 3 a in a tongue or flap configuration can also be provided , as is shown in fig1 and 14 for a gripping aid 3 arranged on the inside of the hand . this flaplike gripping aid 3 normally lies flat on the surface of the cuff 2 , as is also advantageously the case with the looplike and all other configurations of gripping aids 3 , 3 a , 3 b . fig1 shows , in top view , a gripping aid 4 extending across a broad peripheral region , extending around the wristbone region proper onto the side of back of the hand and also the hand &# 39 ; s bottom surface of the cuff 2 , as is clearly recognizable in the view from behind of fig1 . the gripping aid 4 of fig1 and 16 is also different in construction from the gripping aids 3 , 3 a , 3 b explained thus far , namely , it is designed as a pocket closed off in front , i . e ., toward the hand part 1 of the glove h , and open at the rear . configurations with central ridge and thus a pocket open both in front and at the rear are also possible , into which the fingers of the other hand or also other helping implements can be inserted from the front and / or from behind for pulling the gloves on and off and thus firmly holding the gripping aid . another embodiment of the gripping aid is shown in fig1 and 18 , where an elevation 4 a running around the entire periphery of the cuff 2 is provided as the gripping aid . this elevation 4 a can be formed by a bulge of the material of the cuff 2 itself or by additional material which is applied to the cuff 2 . for making the bulge 4 a — as for any kind of gripping aids in the form of bulges — the dipping glove mold can be provided with a corresponding projection . this projection after the dipping and finishing of the glove can remain on the dip mold , be removed from the glove , or even be left inside it . the dip mold can also have a permanent bulge . of course , gripping aids 4 running around the entire cuff 2 can be provided for pairs of gloves , as well as for individual gloves . these all - around gripping aids 4 could also be in the form of pockets , both with backward pointing opening , i . e ., toward the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 , or being open in front , or alternating in both directions . fig1 shows other gripping aids 4 in bulge configuration , which are designed as essentially circular symmetrical elevations of the cuff 2 and are hollow and open toward the inside of the glove . the latter embodiment can also be provided for the all - around elevation 4 a of fig1 and 18 . an embodiment of the gripping aid similar to that of fig1 and 18 is shown in fig2 and 21 . two ridges lying close together in the direction of the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 and being oriented essentially perpendicular to this axis form a gripping aid 4 all around the cuff 2 with the exception of four interruptions . the ridges of the gripping aid 4 extend essentially across an angular region of around 45 ° and are located — in terms of the periphery — on the side of the back of the hand , the outer wristbone region , the thumb side , and the inner hand surface of the cuff 2 . fig2 shows a cuff with gripping aids 4 similar to fig2 in side view , again designed as two ridges lying next to each other and divided by four interruptions into four separate regions . but whereas fig2 shows an embodiment in which the gripping aid 4 is formed by additional material placed on the cuff 2 , the ridges of fig2 are formed by protuberances of the cuff 2 itself , preferably open toward the inside , preferably cavities that are formed during the dipping process in the manufacturing . the gripping aid 3 of the left glove of a pair of gloves according to the invention runs on the back hand side of the wristbone region essentially parallel with the rear edge 5 of the cuff , then merges into a segment which runs obliquely in the direction of this rear edge 5 to the inside of the hand , and from there again runs largely parallel to the edge 5 for a short distance . the gripping aid 3 a provided in the upper wristbone region of the right glove of a pair of gloves is designed in the shape of two half - tubes , oriented obliquely to the axis of the cuff 2 , running in the direction from the wristbone side to the thumb side . the user can slip the fingers of his other hand and / or a helping implement into the half - tube - shaped gripping aid from either side . fig2 shows a cuff of a left glove of a pair of gloves as in fig2 and 24 , in top view . an oblong pocket , open in front and in the rear , is applied as a gripping aid 3 — indicated by dotted lines — on the hand inner surface of the cuff 2 and peripherally in the thumb region , i . e ., the bottom side in fig2 . the lengthwise axis of the pocket serving as the gripping aid 3 , and in identical fashion its central inner ridge , joined to the cuff 2 , is inclined relative to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 , for example , here it subtends an angle of around 40 ° with this lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 . the gripping aid 3 — in each of its configurations — can be arranged at such an angle to the axis of the glove , even clearly deviating from an arrangement oriented normal to the lengthwise axis , that at least one finger of the opposite hand can ergonomically , easily and firmly grasp and hold the gripping aid . fig2 shows the cuff of the right glove of the pair of gloves with gripping aid 3 a arranged at the upper wristbone side , which like the gripping aid 3 of fig2 is designed as a pocket open on both sides . fig2 and 28 show the cuffs of fig2 and 26 in a view from behind , revealing the position of the gripping aids on the periphery , as well as their extent along the periphery . another embodiment and also arrangement of gripping aids 3 and 3 a of a matched pair of gloves — similar to the pairs of fig2 to 28 — are shown by fig2 and 30 . again , the dotted representation of the gripping aid 3 in fig2 indicates that it is located on the underside of the cuff 2 , the inner surface of the hand in terms of periphery , whereas the gripping aid 3 a on the opposite glove of fig3 is placed on the back hand side of the cuff 2 . the lengthwise axis of the gripping aids 3 , 3 a are now oriented here exactly perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the glove and the gripping aids 3 , 3 a extend across a peripheral angular range of around 90 ° of the cuff 2 . as is especially evident in the views from behind of fig3 and 32 , the gripping aids 3 , 3 a are formed , for example , by pockets open in front and behind , yet whose central ridge has two interruptions , thus forming two openings through which a finger of the other hand or also a helping implement can be inserted for even better grasping of the gripping aids 3 , 3 a . certain cross section shapes can also serve for better grasping of the gripping aids 3 , 3 a . thus , fig3 shows a shape of a gripping aid similar to the greek letter omega , which can also pass into a mushroomlike configuration with outer margin curved downward . a similar upward broadening of the cross section of the gripping aid of fig3 , in the shape of the letter “ y ”, also facilitates the firm holding of the gripping aid . another variant of the gripping aid is shown in fig3 , which corresponds in cross section or side view to two triangles , having one side parallel to and facing each other . a gripping aid cross section in the shape of adjacent , rounded ridges is shown in fig3 . preferable , however , are upwardly broadening shapes , such as gripping aids with the cross section or side view in the form of a triangle placed on its tip , as shown in fig3 . for many applications , however , even pockets open in front can be advantageous as gripping aids , such as for the configuration of the inventive glove shown in fig3 and 39 for example . as made clear by the rear view of the cuff 2 in fig3 , a pocket - shaped gripping aid 4 can also run essentially around the entire periphery of the cuff 2 and only be divided into separate regions by small interruptions . the individual pocket - shaped regions extend in terms of angle across somewhat more than 90 °, they are positioned at the back of the hand region , the inside of the hand , the wristbone region and the thumb region of the periphery of the cuff 2 and separated from each other by narrow regions of cuff with no gripping aid . as can be seen in fig4 , as many individual gripping aids or gripping aid segments as desired can be provided adjacent to each other , with or without spacing from each other . for example , this is shown in fig4 by means of four individual loops arranged on an oblique line in the upper wristbone region of the cuff 2 , each of which is slightly separated from the neighboring loop , and each loop being itself oriented in the direction from the wristbone region to the thumb side of the hand , so as to exert an optimal pulling action in this direction . fig4 is a top view of a cuff with yet another embodiment of the gripping aid 3 a on the back of the hand side of the cuff 2 . a pocket - shaped gripping aid 3 a with perpendicular orientation to the lengthwise axis of the glove is additionally provided with openings in the region forming the top side of the pocket . these openings can be , for example , in the form of slots ( far left ), essentially circular ( middle ) or elliptical holes ( far right ), and when the openings have a preferential direction this direction can in principle have any desired orientation relative to the lengthwise axis of the gripping aid 3 a and / or the cuff 2 of the glove . as shown by another embodiment in fig4 , two or more different configurations of gripping aids 3 , 3 a can also be combined on the same glove , as well as different positions and orientations of the gripping aids relative to each other and / or to the lengthwise axis of the glove . in the example of fig4 , a straight , ridgelike elevation oriented perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the glove is provided on the back of the hand side of the cuff 2 as the gripping aid 3 a , and a pocket - shaped gripping aid 3 , likewise perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 , is provided diametrically opposite on the inside of the hand . the position in terms of periphery is clearly shown in fig4 . of course , several gripping aids 3 , 3 a can take up different positions in the lengthwise direction of the glove not only on different gloves , but also on the same glove . thus , in the exemplary embodiment of fig4 , the ridgelike upper gripping aid 3 a is further away from the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 than the pocket - shaped lower gripping aid 3 , which is farther from the hand part 1 of the glove . in any case , however , the gripping aid 3 , 3 a , or 4 lying closest to the rear edge 5 is so far from the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 that there is no danger of touching the skin or clothing of the wearer , no longer covered by the cuff 2 , when grasping the gripping aid 3 , 3 a , or 4 with a dirty or contaminated glove . fig4 is a view of a cuff 2 with loop - shaped gripping aid 3 a , oriented parallel to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 . an entirely different embodiment of a gripping aid 3 a is shown by fig4 . it is designed as a thread lying against the cuff 2 in serpentine fashion in its state of rest , which can be lifted up from the cuff 2 by the other hand and used to exert a pulling in basically any desired direction . several gripping aids , even of different design , can also be directly adjacent to each other , as is shown for example in fig4 . here , on either side of a central loop - or tongue - shaped gripping aid , with a lengthwise hole in addition for secure grabbing , there are arranged looplike gripping aids . the different adjacent gripping aids 3 d could be oriented identical or parallel , but they could also have different orientation to each other , as shown . for example , fig4 shows an embodiment in which the outer ends of the outer loop - shaped regions of the gripping aid 3 d are shifted toward the hand part 1 of the glove . fig4 likewise shows a cuff according to the invention with a gripping aid 3 a with different orientation at different positions on the periphery , but the different regions of the gripping aid 3 a are configured essentially identical , namely , as a pocket - shaped structure with slits in the upper pocket boundary . but here , in contrast to the gripping aid 3 d of fig4 , the outer ends of the outer segments of the gripping aid 3 a are shifted in the direction of the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 . to facilitate the grasping and holding of the gripping aids when putting on or pulling off the gloves , various measures can be taken to improve the grip of the surface in the region of the gripping aids . thus , as shown for example in fig4 , grooves can be present , running in the lengthwise direction or the peripheral direction of the cuff 2 when the gripping aids are of oblong shape and also when the gripping aids 4 travel around the periphery . these grooves can also be formed by folding of the material of the cuff 2 , which at the same time lets one expand the region of the gripping aid , which can thus be held even more easily and simply . besides grooves as in fig4 , differently structured surface regions are also possible for the gripping aids . besides simply roughened surfaces , knobs or other eminences can also be provided over an area . the knobs themselves can have various configurations , such as substantially hemispherical , dowel shaped , conical or pyramidal , and so on . different configurations can also be provided in adjacent regions , as is shown for example for the peripheral , interrupted gripping aid 4 of fig4 . fig4 also reveals that not only the gripping aid itself ( as in fig4 ), but also the intervening regions x can be provided with a stretchable design , such as grooves or folds or stretchable material . fig5 shows a gripping aid 3 a raised up somewhat above the surface of the cuff 2 , here , for example , the back hand side . it consists of a flap - shaped part , whose central region is higher than the side parts and which is also provided with a lengthwise hole oriented transverse to the cuff 2 . fig5 shows in top view another embodiment of a cuff 2 according to the invention with a pocket - shaped gripping aid 3 a , which on one lengthwise segment is open toward the back , toward the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 , and on the adjoining segment ( to the right in the drawing ) it is open toward the front , toward the hand part 1 of the glove . in addition , to enhance the grip , the outer surface of the gripping aid 3 a is provided with a waffle imprint , for example . fig5 shows , as an example , that the gripping aids of the invention can not only adjoin each other in the peripheral direction as well as the lengthwise direction of the cuff 2 , 11 but also overlap each other . here , four looplike gripping aids are provided on the back hand side of the cuff 2 , every two loops being arranged to intersect in a cross . the individual loops are each inclined by substantially 45 ° relative to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 , for example , and every two crosswise pairs of loops are positioned alongside each other at substantially the same distance from the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 , for example . fig5 shows a tongue - shaped gripping aid 3 a on the back hand part of the cuff 2 , pointing toward the hand part 1 of the glove , with reinforcement fibers incorporated in the gripping aid 3 a itself and the connection region . this type of reinforcement of the connection or transition region of gripping aid and cuff can be provided , of course , for any configuration of gripping aid and cuff . as an example for gripping aids manufactured separately and then placed on the cuff 2 , fig5 shows a loop - shaped gripping aid 3 a for the back hand side of the cuff , which has tablike enlargements 3 c at its ends facing the cuff 2 , by which the gripping aid 3 a can preferably be glued to the cuff 2 . but a peripheral gripping aid can also be constructed after the embodiment shown in fig5 and 56 . here , a closed band or one with both ends fastened to the glove is passed through the cuff 2 of the glove in several places , here eight places , preferably sealed off or tightly joined to the material of the cuff at the points of passage , for example , it is glued or welded . the result is several loops ( here , four ) as exterior gripping aids 3 , 3 a on the outside of the glove , and at the same time the interior segments of the band ( here again four ) could be used as inner gripping aids 3 b , if the points of passage through the cuff 2 are sufficiently far apart . fig5 shows another embodiment of a gripping aid 3 , 3 a in which edge segments branching to the outside are joined by a straight segment lying parallel to the rear edge 4 of the cuff 2 . on the cuff 2 of fig5 there is positioned a group of adjacent gripping aids 3 at a distance from each other , also for example with different orientation relative to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 and of different configurations , i . e ., a flap - shaped gripping aid 3 with lengthwise hole 6 at the center and two loop - shaped gripping aids 3 at the sides . the dashes represent a gripping aid 3 a , for example designed here as a pocket open on at least one side , which is also provided on the hand inner surface of the cuff 2 . fig5 shows as an example that peripheral gripping aids 5 can also be provided in groups . furthermore , fig5 shows as an example that these peripheral gripping aids 5 can also be oriented obliquely to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 , and also in a different way for each of the gripping aids 5 of the group , of course . fig6 and 61 are representations of gripping aids 3 extending over a relatively large angular range from the outer wristbone region across the back hand region of the cuff 2 and changing their orientation relative to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 twice in their course , for example . whereas the gripping aid 3 of fig6 consists of three segments , merging directly one into another , fig6 shows a group with , say , three individual gripping aids 3 of different orientation and at a short distance from each other . | 0 |
in fig4 an ion mirror 60 in accordance with the present invention is shown . seven traces 62 having rectangular frame - like configurations are positioned in a sequential manner . the number of traces 62 is not critical to the invention . the traces 62 are made of stainless steel material . however , the traces 62 can be fabricated with other metals having similar conductive characteristics , such as nickel . preferably , the traces 62 have sufficient rigidity so that the traces 62 are able to maintain their rectangular shape . in the preferred embodiment , the traces 62 are covered by an ion mirror shell 64 , such that the traces 62 are affixed to the interior surface of the ion mirror shell 64 . the ion mirror shell 64 is illustrated in a transparent form in order to highlight the traces 62 . the ion mirror shell 64 is composed of polymer material , such as polyimide . preferably , non - conductive kapton ® is used to form the ion mirror shell 64 . however , other polymer materials can be utilized to create the ion mirror shell 64 . the traces 62 are electrically insulated from each other by the ion mirror shell 64 . the ion mirror shell 64 along with the traces 62 create a hollow conduit for passage of ion packets . situated on top of each trace 62 are l - shaped fast - on connectors 66 ( only six are illustrated ). the fast - on connectors 66 are attached to the traces 62 through the ion mirror shell 64 in order to provide voltages to the traces 62 when voltages are applied to the fast - on connectors 66 . the traces 62 of the ion mirror 60 are functionally equivalent to the mirror plates 32 of the ion mirror 44 in fig2 . similarly , a back plate 68 , located at the end of the ion mirror 60 , is functionally equivalent to the mirror back plate 34 of the ion mirror 16 . preferably , the back plate 68 is designed to attach to the ion mirror shell 64 by fasteners , e . g . clips . a conventional wire - mesh grid 70 is positioned within the rectangular hollow conduit created by the ion mirror shell 64 . the wire - mesh grid 70 is supported by two grid frames 72 . the grid frames 72 are similarly shaped as the traces 62 to fit into the rectangular hollow conduit . the wire - mesh grid 70 and the grid frames 72 may be electrically coupled to an adjacent trace 62 . the ion mirror shell 64 is supported by a brace plate 74 . the brace plate 74 is designed to be attached to a mass spectrometer . the brace plate 74 has a rectangular aperture to hold the ion mirror shell 64 . preferably , the brace plate 74 is soldered to one of the traces 62 that is positioned in the aperture of the brace plate 74 . the connection between the brace plate 74 and the trace 62 will be described in detail with reference to fig5 . the ion mirror 60 operates in an identical manner as the ion mirrors 16 in fig1 . signals of varying voltage are applied to the traces 62 through the fast - on connectors 66 . a separate voltage may be applied to the wire - mesh grid 70 . if the wire - mesh grid 70 is electrically coupled to the adjacent trace 62 , the separate voltage is not required . a voltage may also be applied to the back plate 68 . the voltages on the traces 62 , the wire - mesh grid 70 , and the back plate 68 generate an electrostatic field gradient within the hollow conduit of the ion mirror 60 . a packet of ions enters the ion mirror 60 through the aperture of the ion mirror 60 and traverses toward the back plate 68 . the electrostatic field gradient within the hollow conduit decelerates the ions as they approach the back plate 68 . the electrostatic field gradient eventually redirects the ions almost 180 degrees and accelerates the ions away from the back plate 68 . the ion mirror 60 can be positioned within a mass spectrometer , such that the packet of ions entering the ion mirror 60 is redirected toward another ion mirror or a detector . although the ion mirror 60 has a rectangular box - like shape , other geometrical shapes can also be utilized . for example , the ion mirror shell 64 could be configured into a circular tube - like shape . in this embodiment , the hollow conduit of the ion mirror 60 is circular . the back plate 68 can also be circular to fit into the circular conduit . the wire - mesh grid 70 and the grid frames 72 can be circular as well . however , the operation of a circular ion mirror 60 would be identical to the rectangular ion mirror 60 . the geometrical configuration of the ion mirror 60 is not critical to the invention , as long as the desired electrostatic field gradient within the hollow conduit of the ion mirror 60 can be generated . fig5 is an illustration of the ion mirror 60 that is in the process of being shaped into a desired geometrical form , i . e . rectangular box - like configuration . the back plate 68 and the wire - mesh grid 70 with the grid frames 72 are positioned to conform to the hollow conduit of the ion mirror shell 64 when shaped . initially , traces 62 are deposited or etched onto a flexible substrate , such as kapton ®. the traces 62 are configured in long strips on the ion mirror shell 64 . the long strips will contour into the rectangular frame - like structures when the ion mirror shell 64 is folded around the back plate 68 and the grid frames 72 . the second trace 62 from the far left includes two tabs 76 . the tabs 76 are part of that trace 62 . the tabs 76 can be folded out and soldered to the brace plate 74 . in other words , the tabs 76 can be folded away from the hollow conduit created by the ion mirror shell 64 when shaped . the ion mirror shell 64 includes two holes to allow the tabs 76 to be folded out through the ion mirror shell 64 . after the ion mirror shell 64 is folded into the rectangular box - like shape , the traces 62 can be soldered to hold each trace 62 in the rectangular frame - like configuration . preferably , the traces 62 will slightly overlap when folded . the back plate 68 may be glued to the ion mirror shell 64 . the back plate 68 may include clips to secure the back plate 68 onto the ion mirror shell 64 . the grid frames 72 can also be glued to the ion mirror shell 64 . alternatively , the grid frames 72 can be soldered to the adjacent trace 62 . the adjacent trace 62 can be configured to form tabs ( not shown ) similar to the tabs 76 in order provide an area to solder the adjacent trace 62 to the grid frames 72 . the wire - mesh grid 70 is positioned in place by the grid frames 72 . an ion mirror having a circular tube - like structure can also be formed using similar methods as described above . in this embodiment , the back plate 68 , the grid frames 72 , and the wire - mesh grid 70 will have circular shapes instead of the rectangular shapes shown in fig5 . the ion mirror shell 64 can then be rolled into the circular tube - like shape . the soldering of traces 62 can be accomplished in the same manner as described previously . the back plate 68 and the grid frames 72 can also be affixed to the ion mirror shell 64 in the manner as described above . using a similar design as the ion mirror 60 , other optical path devices can be constructed . in fig6 an einzel lens 80 in accordance with the present invention is shown . a lens shell 82 defines the shape of the einzel lens 80 . the lens shell 82 has a circular tube - like shape . the shape of the lens shell 82 provides a circular conduit through the einzel lens 80 . the hollow conduit is designed to accommodate a propagation path of a packet of ions through the einzel lens 80 in a time - of - flight mass spectrometer . identical to the ion mirror shell 64 , the lens shell 82 can be composed of a polymer material , preferably kapton ®. formed on the surface of the lens shell 82 are two lateral traces 84 , upper and lower traces 86 , and three focus traces 88 . the lateral , upper , and lower vertical traces 84 and 86 are rectangular sheets that have been contoured to fit onto the curved surface of the lens shell 82 . similar to the traces 62 of the ion mirror 60 , the traces 84 , 86 and 88 can be made of stainless steel , nickel , or other metal having similar conductive characteristics . preferably , the traces 84 , 86 and 88 are affixed to the interior surface of the lens shell 82 . a brace plate 90 is attached to the lens shell 82 . the brace plate 90 is designed to be attached to a mass spectrometer . although not shown in fig6 fast - on connectors can be attached to each of the traces 84 , 86 and 88 to provide voltages of varying degrees . in operation , the einzel lens 80 functions in an identical manner as the conventional einzel lens 50 in fig3 . initially , voltages are applied to the traces 84 , 86 and 88 , thereby creating an electrical field within the circular conduit of the einzel lens 80 . a packet of ions enters the input aperture , the left open end of the circular conduit created by the lens shell 82 . the electrical field created by the lateral traces 84 , the upper and lower traces 86 , and the focus traces 88 induces the ions to form a narrower packet . the effects of such an electrical field on moving ions are well known to persons skilled in the art . the narrowed packet of ions exits through the output aperture , the right open end of the circular conduit , and then travels to another optical path element , such as an ion mirror , or to a detector . the einzel lens 80 shown in fig6 could be configured into another geometrical shape . in an alternative embodiment , the einzel lens 80 has the same rectangular box - like shape as the ion mirror 60 . the only modifications needed to construct the rectangular einzel lens 80 are to configure the lens shell 82 along with the traces 84 , 86 and 88 into a rectangular box - like shape . utilizing the configuration of the einzel lens 80 , an entire non - reflecting linear time - of - flight mass spectrometer may be constructed . by increasing the length of the lens shell 82 , a pulser and a detector can be placed in the lens shell 82 , creating an integrated linear time - of - flight mass spectrometer . a circular pulse plate and a circular pulse exit plate can be attached to the lens shell 82 to the left of the horizontal traces 84 . the detector can be placed to the right of the vertical traces 86 . other designs of an integrated linear time - of - flight mass spectrometer are also possible using similar configurations . for example , an integrated linear time - of - flight mass spectrometer having two einzel lenses may be constructed . in another embodiment , resistive material is used to create an electrostatic field gradient within an optical path device . fig7 shows an ion mirror shell 92 having two traces 94 at opposite ends of an area of resistive material 96 . the traces 94 can be identical to the traces 62 of the ion mirror 60 in fig5 . the area of resistive material 96 may be formed by depositing or silk screening the resistive material onto the ion mirror shell 92 . alternatively , the area of resistive material 96 may be formed prior to being affixed to the ion mirror shell 92 . preferably , the resistive material 96 has a higher electrical resistance that the traces 94 to provide a uniform voltage drop across the area of resistive material 96 when a potential difference is formed across the traces 94 . the ion mirror shell 92 along with the traces 94 and the resistive material 96 can be utilized to create another embodiment of the ion mirror 60 in fig4 . the ion mirror shell 64 and the traces 62 of the ion mirror 60 can be replaced by the ion mirror shell 92 , the traces 94 , and the resistive material 96 . the traces 94 and the resistive material 96 can be configured to be functionally equivalent to the traces 62 of the ion mirror 60 . in the modified ion mirror 60 , the traces 94 and the resistive material 96 will operate to create the electrostatic field gradient needed to redirect an incoming packet of ions . a similar configuration may be utilized to replace the focus traces 88 of the einzel lens 80 in fig6 . instead of having three focus traces 88 , the einzel lens 80 may have resistive material placed between two focus traces in order to manipulate packets of ions . the traces - and - resistive material configuration of fig7 may be used in other optical path devices to generate various electrostatic field gradients . in addition , the traces - and - resistive material configuration may be modified to create non - conventional electrostatic fields within an optical path device . instead of having only one area of resistive material , a number of areas of resistive material can be employed . an area of resistive material may be subjected to one or more potential differences supplied by two or more traces . each area of resistive material would then create a particular electrostatic field . the areas of resistive material could vary in size and shape to create a wide range of electrostatic fields . the electrostatic fields created by the areas of resistive material can then be used in an optical path device to manipulate ions . | 7 |
the controller 10 of fig1 includes the back panel 11 attached to its casing which consists of the top 12 , the sides 13 and 14 , the front 15 , and the bottom 16 . at the front 15 appear the on - off switch 19 and a weak - battery indicator and rate - selection switches which the figure does not show . however , the cover 20 for the rotary selection switches appears behind the front panel 15 . behind the front panel 15 appears a z - shaped metal bracket 23 . the screws 24 hold the front leg 25 of the z bracket 23 to the front panel , receiving the assistance of the posts 26 in this task . the screw 28 , along with an additional screw beneath it , similarly holds the back leg 29 of the z bracket 23 to the front panel 15 . the post 30 extends from the front panel 15 to the screw 28 to provide an attachment for the latter to the former . the front panel 15 of the controller 10 has the opening 31 into which can fit a casette . the casette generally has a greater height than does the controller . moreover , the connections leading to and from the casette extend out of the controller &# 39 ; s top and bottom , respectively . accordingly , an opening 33 in the bottom 16 and a similar opening 34 in the top 12 ( seen in fig2 ) allow for the insertion of the casette into the controller 10 through the front panel 15 . as shown in fig1 the opening 33 in the bottom panel 16 has a shape of an inverted &# 34 ; l .&# 34 ; the lateral leg of the l - shaped opening permits the movement of the casette from the left to the right . the opening 34 in the top panel 12 has the same shape as the bottom panel &# 39 ; s opening 33 . as the casette enters the controller 10 through the front panel 15 , it snugly fits between the metal plate 37 and the upper arm 38 . as shown in fig2 the lower arm 39 sits below the upper arm 38 and also serves to orient the casette . moreover , as discussed below with regards to fig4 the two arms 38 and 39 fit snugly around a protuberance on the casette to orient the latter in a vertical direction . the plate 37 and the arms 38 and 39 form part of a single metal holder . they connect together through the back piece 40 which also has the upper leg 41 and the bottom leg 42 . the top of the upper leg 41 sits inside of a groove provided in the upper track 44 . as seen in fig2 the track 44 has the thick , short section 45 which sits in front of the upper leg 41 . the screws 47 retain the upper track 42 to the back leg 29 of the z bracket 23 . similarily , the lower leg 42 sits in a groove formed in the lower track 49 . similar to the upper track 44 , the lower track 49 includes the short thick section 50 which sits in front of the lower leg 42 . its thin , long section 51 sits behind the lower leg 42 . the screws 52 attach the lower track 49 to the back leg 29 of the z bracket 23 . the grooves in the tracks 44 and 49 allow the upper and lower legs 41 and 42 to slide to the left and right in fig1 to 3 . since the legs 41 and 42 must slide to the right and left in the tracks 44 and 49 , they should encounter the minimum possible resistence as they do so . correspondingly , the tracks 44 and 49 may assist this objective by having a composition of a low - friction material such as teflon ® ( manufactured by e . i . du pont de nemours & amp ; co ., wilmington , del . the legs 41 and 42 move laterally , as does the entire metal holder 54 which includes the legs 41 and 42 , the back piece 40 , the plate 37 and the arms 38 and 39 . when the metal holder 54 occupies its leftward position shown in fig1 and 2 , it allows for the insertion of a casette between the plate 37 and the arms 38 and 39 . when the metal holder 54 has moved furthest to the right as in fig3 it places a casette in the position where the controller 10 may open and close the casette &# 39 ; s valves . furthermore , with the holder 54 in the position of fig3 a casette cannot move towards the front or the rear of the controller 10 . the shape of the openings 33 and 34 in the bottom 15 and the top 11 , respectively , prohibits this latter type of motion . preventing the casette from moving forward or backward has particular importance when the casette occupies the position that the holder 54 in fig3 would place it . there , the casette would engage the alignment pins 57 and 58 as well as the inlet valve member 59 and the outlet valve member 60 . moving the casette forward and back while engaged with these items could damage the casette and possibly the components of the controller . where the holder 54 occupies the position of fig2 and retains a casette , neither the alignment pins 57 and 58 nor the valve members 59 and 60 can engage the casette . however , the openings in the casette which engage these components fall on straight lines passing through the components &# 39 ; individual centers . moreover , each of the valve members moves along the same line that leads to the appropriate opening in the casette . to provide its motion to the right and left , the metal holder 54 has the slotted opening 63 in its bottom piece 40 . the pin 64 extends into the slot 63 and contacts its sides . in turn , the pin 64 rigidly attaches to the circular disc 65 which may rotate about its center . most of the back of the disc 65 has a flat configuration which lies against the back leg 29 of the z bracket 23 . the shaft 66 , shown in fig1 passes through the back leg 29 of the z bracket 23 and rigidly adjoins the circular disc 65 . in fact , the disc 65 and the shaft 66 may simply form part of a single piece . turning the shaft 66 thus has the effect of rotating the disc 65 . moreover , the knob 57 , located on the outside of the back panel 11 , attaches firmly to the shaft 66 to allow for the manual rotation of the latter . the end of the shaft 67 closest to the disc 65 has screw threads formed on it . this allows for the attachment of the bolt 68 on the side of the bracket &# 39 ; s leg 29 opposite the disc 65 . the bolt 68 thus presses the washer 69 and 70 against one side of the leg 29 of the z bracket 23 and holds the disc 65 against the other side of the leg 29 . consequently , the bolt 68 and the washer 70 keep the disc 65 pressed against the back leg 29 in the position shown in fig2 and 3 . forming the washer 70 and the disc 65 of a low - friction material , such as teflon ®, allows them to rotate relative to the back plate 29 although the bolt 68 firmly squeezes them against it . rotate they must in order to move the holder 54 to the right and left which carries the casette from its insertion position to its operational position . specifically , after placing the casette between the plate 37 and the arms 38 and 39 , the casette and , thus , the holder 54 , must move to the right as seen in fig1 through 3 . to accomplish this , the operator turns the knob 67 to the right ( in fig1 ). this rotates the shaft 66 in the same direction and results in a clockwise rotation of the disc 65 . as the disc 65 begins to rotate , the pin 64 moves initially towards the top of the slot 63 . however , the rotation of the disc 65 causes it to contact and bear against the right side of the slot 63 . further clockwise rotation of the disc 65 forces the pin 64 to push against the right side of the slot 63 and move the holder 54 to the right . during the first half of the journey of the holder 54 from the position of fig2 to that in fig3 the pin 64 moves towards the top of the slot 63 and very nearly reaches it . during the second half of the journey , the pin 64 continues to move to the right . however , it now travels downward in the slot 63 . at the end of the journey , the pin 64 has moved the holder 54 to the position shown in fig3 . once again , however , it has a location at the bottom of the slot 63 . removing the casette from the controller 10 reverses the process which places the casette in its operational position described above . first , the attendant rotates the knob 67 to the left in fig1 . this induces a counterclockwise rotation of the disc 65 . the pin 64 , attached to the disc 65 , begins to rise in the slot 63 . it also contacts the left side of the slot 63 and moves the holder 54 to the left . for a while , the pin 64 continues to rise in the slot 63 while it moves the holder 54 to the left . subsequently , however , the pin 64 descends in the slot 63 until the holder 54 has reached the left position . when the holder 54 returns to the position shown in fig1 and 2 , the attendant may again disengage the casette and the controller from each other . since the pin 64 has a rigid attachment to the disc 65 , it travels over the circumference of a circle as it moves between the positions of fig2 and 3 . to allow for this required motion of the pin 64 , the slot 63 must have a length equal to the radius of that circle plus , of course , the width of the pin 64 itself . when the casette occupies its operational position within the controller 10 , the metal holder 54 and , thus , the pin 64 , occupy the position shown in fig3 . specifically , the pin 64 lies as far to the right at the disc 65 can move it . alternatively , if the slot 63 had its bottom located slightly below the configuration shown in the figures , the pin 64 would actually lie somewhat below its position in fig3 . in either case , to disengage the casette from the controller , the pin 64 initially moves upward and has no component of motion to the left . subsequently , of course , it does move to the left . however , physically pushing the pin 64 to the left , when in the position in fig3 cannot cause it to rotate in the counterclockwise direction . only an upward force can begin the movement of the pin 64 along its arc and , thus , produce counterclockwise rotation of the disc 65 . in particular , if the holder 54 attempted to push the pin 64 to the left in fig3 it could not effect any motion of the pin 64 or the disc 65 . moreover , when a casette sits in the holder 54 , pushing the casette to the left cannot move the pin 64 or rotate the disc 65 in the direction that would disengage the casette from the controller 10 . the pin 64 and the disc 65 prevent motion of the casette to the left which represents the direction it must move to disengage from the controller 10 . consequently , the pin 64 and the slot 63 lock the holder 54 and , thus , the casette in a position in which the controller 10 can effectively operate the inlet and outlet valves on the casette . the pin 64 and the disc 65 prevent disengagement of the casette from the controller 10 due to an inadvertant force , such as from an accidental knocking . similarly but less importantly , pin 64 in fig2 can only move upwards in order for the holder 54 to move to the right . an accidental force applied against the holder 54 or against the casette retained in the holder 54 cannot cause movement of the casette toward the engagement position . the locking of the bracket to the left of fig2 does provide a benefit , however . after the removal of the casette from the holder 54 , the holder 54 remains properly aligned with the opening 31 in the front panel 15 . there , it can readily receive the insertion of a subsequent casette . after a casette enters between the plate 37 and the arms 38 and 39 in fig1 and 2 , it receives transportation to the right until the holder 54 has the position shown in fig3 . with the holder 54 in this configuration , a casette 75 will occupy its operational position as in fig4 . the casette 75 includes the base section of plastic 76 and the plastic cover slip 77 . fused together , they hold the elastomeric membrane 78 between them . the cover slip 77 has the protuberance 81 which barely fits between the upper arm 38 and the lower arm 39 to roughly align the casette 75 in the controller 10 . in order to provide a fine adjustment of the casette 75 , the controller 10 includes the alignment pins 57 and 58 attached to the middle leg 84 of the z bracket 23 . normally , the plastic cover slip 77 occupies a position between the base plastic section 76 and the middle leg 84 . however , the base plastic section 76 includes the circular protuberances 85 and 86 which actually extend through openings 87 and 88 , respectively , in the cover slip 77 . the protuberances 85 and 86 have the depressions 89 and 90 formed in them . to closely align the casette 75 and the controller 10 , the alignment pins 57 and 58 fit into the depressions 89 and 90 . the pins 57 and 58 , thus , directly provide substantially no alignment of the cover section 77 although it normally sits between the base plastic section 76 and the middle leg 84 . however , the openings 87 and 88 in the cover slip 77 surround the protuberances 85 and 86 . this produces the necessary alignment of the cover slip 77 to both the base section of plastic 76 and the controller 10 . a critical alignment , of course , exists between the base plastic section 76 and the valve members 59 and 60 . the valve members 59 and 60 must properly sit upon the inlet valve face 93 and the outlet valve face 94 , respectively , to control the amount of fluid passing through the casette 75 . the valve seats 93 and 94 , however , form part of the base section of plastic 76 . its proper alignment results directly from the insertion of the alignment pins 57 and 58 into the openings 89 and 90 which also form part of the base plastic section 76 . alternatively , the alignment pins 57 and 58 could snugly fit into appropriately sized depressions in the cover section 77 . however , the correct alignment of the valve members 59 and 60 relative to the valve seats 93 and 94 would then depend upon the orientation of the cover slip 77 to the base plastic section 76 . the direct insertion of the pins 57 and 58 into the openings 89 and 90 in the base section 76 eliminates the need for an absolutely precise alignment between the base section 76 and the cover slip 77 . the valve members 59 and 60 must , nonetheless , move through the openings 97 and 98 in the cover slip 77 . making the openings 97 and 98 appreciably larger than needed for the valving members 59 and 60 eliminates the criticality of the alignment of the cover slip 77 to either the base section 76 or to the controller 10 . fig4 shows a close fit between the alignment pin 57 and the opening 89 . at the other end of the drawing , however , the pin 58 appears to have a loose fit within the opening 90 . in fact , the opening 90 has an oblong shape which allows motion in its inside of the pin 58 in the direction towards and away the opening 89 at the casette &# 39 ; s other end . the opening 90 , however , fits close to the pin 58 in the direction into and out of the paper . when the pin 57 sits in the opening 89 , the only allowed motion of the casette 75 relative to the controller 10 involve a rotation around the pin 57 . the close fit of the opening 90 to the front and back of the pin 58 , as seen in fig4 specifically prevents this type of motion . thus , the looseness of the oblong opening 90 does not detract from the precise alignment of the casette 75 in the controller 10 . it merely eliminates the criticality of the distance of the pin 58 away from the pin 57 . similarly , the opening 87 in the cover slip 76 tightly fits around the circular protuberance 85 of the basic plastic section 76 . at the other end , the cover section 76 has an oblong opening 88 which allows some leeway to the circular protuberance 86 . again , the sides of the sides of the oblong opening 88 closely approach the protuberance 86 . no misalignment between the two sections of plastic can result . it merely lowers the exactness with which the manufacturing process must locate the opening 88 relative to the protuberance 86 . the controller 10 and the casette 75 operate cyclicly . the cycle of operation begins with the closing of the outlet port 101 . this occurs when the outlet valve member forces the membrane 78 to seat upon the outlet valve face 94 . retracting the inlet valve member 59 allows the membrane 78 to contract to the configuration shown in fig4 . this opens the inlet port 102 . fluid may then flow from the inlet channel 103 through the inlet port 102 . it arrives at the metering chamber 103 located between the membrane 78 and the portion 104 of the base section 76 located between the inlet and outlet ports 102 and 101 , respectively . as the fluid enters the metering chamber 103 , the membrane 78 expands until it contacts the concave depression formed in the cover plastic section 77 . at this point , the membrane 78 can expand no further and , consequently , the metering chamber 103 has reached its maximum volume . the slot 107 in the cover plastic section 77 allows for the equalization of the air pressure between the cover section 77 and the membrane 78 . fig5 shows the configuration of the membrane 78 in the region of the outlet port 101 when the valve member 60 has closed it . as shown there , the valve member 60 has extended towards the outlet valve face 94 . when it moves in that direction , it contacts the membrane 78 , stretches it , and forces it to seat tightly upon the valve face 94 . with the membrane 78 seated upon the face 94 , no fluid can pass out the outlet port 101 . to continue the cycle of operation , the controller inserts the inlet valve 59 until it stretches the membrane 78 sufficiently to seat upon the valve face 93 of the inlet port 102 . then , the controller retracts the outlet valve member 60 which allows for the contraction of the membrane 78 in the region of the outlet port 101 . as the membrane 78 there contacts , it moves away from the outlet valve face 94 which , thus , opens the outlet port 101 . with the outlet port 101 open , the fluid from the metering chamber 104 may pass through the outlet port 101 , the outlet channel 110 , and to the patient . the controller completes the cycle of operation by again inserting the outlet valve member 60 to cause the membrane 78 to close the outlet port 101 . when all of the fluid from the metering chamber 104 has passed out of the casette 75 , the middle portion of the membrane 78 contracts to the flat position shown in fig4 . to move the valving members 59 and 60 , the controller 10 includes the e - frame electromagnet , shown generally at 117 in fig1 to 3 . screws and posts 119 attach the electromagnet 117 to the front leg 25 of the z - shaped bracket 23 . as seen in fig2 and 3 , the electromagnet 117 includes the coil 118 which surrounds the magnet &# 39 ; s middle leg 119 . the back 120 of the magnet 117 connects its middle leg 119 to its side legs 120 and 121 . when current flows along the leads 122 to the magnet 117 , it induces the ends of both the legs 120 and 121 to become magnetic poles of the same type . thus , the side legs 120 and 121 may both have a north pole at their ends . reversing the current in the leads 122 causes the opposite magnetic pole to appear at the ends of the legs 120 and 121 . following the example given above , reversing the current in the leads 122 produces a south magnetic pole at the ends of the legs 120 and 121 . adjacent to the end of the leg 120 sits the permanent magnet 125 , while the permanent magnet 126 has a location in proximity to the end of the other side leg 122 . both of the permanent magnets 125 and 126 connect to the same rocker arm 127 . however , the magnets 125 and 126 present opposite magnetic poles to the e - frame electromagnet 117 . in other words , if the permanent magnet 125 has its north pole lying closest to the end of the side leg 120 , then the permanent magnet 126 has its south pole lying closest to the end of the side leg 121 . as stated above , the current passing along the leads 122 and through the coil 118 can cause the ends of both side legs 120 and 121 to become south magnetic poles . when that occurs , the south magnetic pole on the side leg 120 attracts the north magnetic pole on the permanent magnet 125 . simultaneously , the south magnetic pole on the leg 121 repels the south pole on the permanent magent 126 to produce the configuration shown in fig2 . reversing the direction of the current in the leads 122 and the coil 118 produces the opposite effect , or north magnetic poles at the ends of the side legs 120 and 121 . in this instance , the resulting north magnetic pole on the side leg 120 repels the north magnetic pole of the permanent magnet 125 . further , the north magnetic pole on the side leg 121 attracts the south magnetic pole on the permanent magnet 126 . this reversal of attraction and repulsion causes the rocker arm 127 to rotate about its pivot point 128 located on a line passing through the center leg 119 of the e - frame electromagnet 117 . the rocker arm 127 will continue to rotate until the permanent magnet 126 makes actual contact with the side leg 121 and produces the configuration shown in fig3 . in general , the rotating of the rocker arm 127 about its pivot point 128 moves the valve members 59 and 60 to open and close the inlet and the outlet valves on the casette 75 . to provide the interconnection between the rocker arm 127 and the valve members 59 and 60 , the spring member 131 attaches to the former with the aid of the screw 132 . additional screws at the pivot point 128 attach the side 133 of the spring member 131 to the middle leg 119 electromagnet 117 . the spring member 131 in turn has the two legs 135 and 136 . each of the legs 135 and 136 has a slot in its end barely large enough to allow it to fit into grooves provided near the end of the movable valve member 59 and 60 , respectively . the end of the valve members 59 and 60 with these grooves lie on the same side of the middle leg 84 of the z bracket 23 as the rocker arm 127 . fig1 shows the slot in the leg 135 with barely sufficient room to enter the groove in the end of the inlet valve member 59 . as the rocker arm rotates about the pivot point 128 between the two positions shown in fig2 and 3 , the spring member 131 rotates between its two positions , which also appear in those figures . in the position in fig2 the leg 136 of the connecting member 131 lies closer to the middle plate 84 and thus to the casette that the holder 54 would retain . this situation , in particular , receives illustration in fig4 . the leg 136 thus projects the outlet valve member sufficiently far through the plate 84 to cause the membrane 78 to close off the outlet port 101 . the other leg 135 of the spring member 131 retracts the inlet valve member 59 which , in turn , opens the inlet port 102 . when the connecting member changes its position from that of fig2 to that in fig3 the opposite result occurs . specificially , it thrusts the inlet valve member 59 through the middle plate 84 to close the inlet valve . it then retracts the outlet valve member 60 sufficiently to allow the casette &# 39 ; s outlet 101 to open . the composition of the spring member 131 should provide it with a modicum of inherent resiliency or &# 34 ; springiness &# 34 ;. moreover , it should have a location sufficiently close to the middle plate 84 that a leg 135 or 136 must flex when forcing a valve member , 59 or 60 , respectively , to close its appropriate valve in the casette . as a result , when the rocker arm 127 changes positions , the spring member causes the other valve member to start moving and close off its valve in the casette . the other leg , during this time , starts to unbend , but keeps its valve member in the position where its valve stays closed . thus , the spring member 131 , with the flexing legs 132 and 133 and a close location to the middle plate 84 , when it changes its position , causes the open valve to close before it allows the closed valve to open . this prevents a period of time during which both valves in the casette could open and permit an unknown amount of fluid to pass to the patient . if no current flows along the leads 122 to the coil 118 , no magnetic pole will appear at the end of either the side legs 120 or 121 . however , the permanent magnetic poles 125 and 126 still remain . both of these would then exert an attractive force upon the ferromagnetic material of the side legs 120 and 121 . the pole creating the greater force would move to and actually contact the leg nearest it while the other pole would then move from its leg . however , the permanent magnetic poles 125 and 126 have very nearly the same strength . thus , the pole lying closer to the e - frame would actually move towards its leg . accordingly , with no current in the electromagnet 117 , a magnetic bistable device results ; either the permanent pole 125 makes contact with the e - frame to create the configuration shown in fig2 . or , the magnetic pole 126 would attract itself to the bottom leg 121 to produce the situation in fig3 . one of these two situations must result because of the bistable magnetic device created by the permanent magnets 125 and 126 in proximity to the electromagnet 117 without any current in it . moreover , each of the situations in fig2 and 3 place one of the movable valve members 59 or 60 in a position where it closes its valve in the casette . in fig2 the outlet would close will , in fig3 the inlet would close . thus , one of the valves in the casette would necessarily have to close as long as the casette remained engaged in the controller 10 . this occurs even if no current passed to the electromagnet 117 . under no circumstances would the controller 10 allow fluid to pass in an uncontrolled manner to the patient . in the figures , the magnetic bistable device includes the ferromagnetic material of the electromagnetic 117 . other powering devices , however , could move the rocker arm 127 . examples include mechanical or pneumatic motive means . nonetheless , placing ferromagnetic material in the locations of the side legs 120 and 121 and permanent magnets 125 and 126 on the rocker arm 127 would still produce the magnetic bistable device . this would continue to assure the closure of at least one valve in a casette placed in the controller 10 . when using the electromagnet 117 , the rocker arm 127 with its pivot point 128 should not make direct contact with the middle leg 119 of the electromagnet 117 . if it did contact , it could provide a shunt for the magnetic field through the middle leg 119 of the electromagnet 117 . the shunt would provide a circuit between the permanent magnet making actual contact with a side leg . the shunt would reduce the field strength of the other side leg which repels the other permanent magnet . moreover , displacing the rocker arm 127 slightly from the middle leg 119 of the electromagnet 117 prevents the grinding of the two components and the concommitant production of coarse fillings between them which could interfere with the free rotation of the rocker arm 127 . instead of having the two attached permanent magnets 125 and 126 , the rocker arm 127 may simply take the form of a long permanent magnet having its poles near the location of the magnets 125 and 126 . that would assure the rocker arm 127 of magnetic poles of equal strength . moreover , such a permanent magnet could not have an induced pole at its middle . consequently , the magnetic field could not shunt across the middle of the rocker arm 127 to the middle leg 119 of the electromagnet 117 . however , the rocker arm 127 should still remain slightly removed from the middle leg 119 . this prevents the grinding of the two together as the rocker arm 127 rotates and the production of filings from either component to interfere with the free rotation of the rocker arm 127 . fig6 shows a metal holder 41 with arms 143 and 144 slightly different from the arms 38 and 39 of the prior figures . the openings 145 and 146 in the arms 143 and 144 , respectively , allow the alignment pins 147 and 148 to pass through and reach the casette 75 . as shown in fig7 the alignment pins 147 and 148 form part of an alignment block 149 which sits behind the middle leg 150 of a z bracket corresponding to the bracket 23 of fig1 . the bracket &# 39 ; s middle leg 150 has the similar openings 151 and 152 through it . these again allow the alignment pins 147 and 148 to reach the casette . the snap rings 157 and 158 clamp on to the alignment pins 147 and 148 . they affix the alignment block 149 to the z bracket &# 39 ; s middle leg 150 . the alignment block 149 also has the protuberances 159 and 160 oriented in the same direction as the alignment pins 147 and 148 . the middle leg 150 has the openings 161 and 162 into which fit the protuberances 159 and 160 . the other side of the mounting block 150 has the protuberances 165 and 166 . these generally fall at the same location as the protuberances 159 and 160 , but on the other side . the opening 167 passes through the mounting block 149 and centers itself in the proturberances 159 and 165 . the second opening 168 also passes through the alignment block 159 and has a central location in the protuberances 160 and 166 . the openings 167 and 168 serve a dual purpose . first , they guide the valving members 59 and 60 to their proper locations relative to the inlet 102 and the outlet 101 on the casette 75 . secondly , the alignment block 149 has a composition of a low frictional material . delrin 500 cl ®, an acetal resin manufactured by the e . i . du pont de nemours & amp ; co ., represents a good example of such a material . its surface has a low coefficient of friction . the valving members 59 and 60 protract and retract to operate the valves on the casette . sliding on the material of the alignment block 149 , they encounter substantially no frictional resistence from the surfaces of the openings 167 and 168 . fig8 shows the front of the alignment block 149 prior to its assembly on the z bracket &# 39 ; s middle leg 150 . this surface shows the alignment pins 147 and 148 , the protuberances 159 and 160 , and the openings 167 and 168 . the side view of fig9 shows these components as well as the protuberances 165 and 166 on the side of the alignment block 149 opposite to the protuberances 159 and 160 . the openings 167 and 168 through these protuberances appear in phantom in the figure . fig9 also shows a small ridge 170 on the back of the alignment block 149 . the ridge 170 provides the alignment block 149 with greater structural rigidity . fig1 shows the ridge 170 passing down the middle of the back of the alignment block 149 . as suggested above , the alignment pins 147 and 148 provide the fine alignment of the casette 75 within the controller 10 . the openings 167 and 168 guide the valving members 59 and 60 as they operate the openings 101 and 102 in the casette 75 . consequently , the same section of material that aligns the casette also guides the valve members . the alignment pins 147 and 148 do not attach to a separate section of material which then either guides the valve members or would include further sections of material to perform that function . the resulting alignment would then not only depend upon the orientation of the casette relative to the alignment pins 147 and 148 . the casette &# 39 ; s proper placement would also depend upon the correct orientation of the pins 147 and 148 to , for example , the z bracket &# 39 ; s middle leg 150 . utilizing the single molded block 149 assures the correct orientation of the alignment pins 147 and 148 to the guiding openings 167 and 168 . | 0 |
as seen in fig1 and 2 , a resistor 10 includes a rectangular conductive carrier plate 10a , 10b that carries a serpentine resistive track 15 disposed beneath a protective insulator lacquer layer 20 . at two opposed edges of the resistor 10 the resistive track 15 is electrically connected to one of the carrier plates 10a and 10b by a respective strip - shaped metallic layer 16 . the internal construction of the resistor is best seen in fig2 . as illustrated , the carrier plate comprises the two plate elements 10a and 10b which are electrically separated from one another by a continuous gap 11 parallel to the strip - shaped metallic layers 16 . the gap 11 , which is also visible in fig3 is filled with a solid insulating material 12 , such as an epoxy resin , which holds the two plate elements 10a and 10b together in a mechanically stabilizing manner and together with them forms the carrier plate . of course , other possible techniques for mechanically joining plate elements 10a and 10b can be used as , for example , a suitable insulation structure between the plate elements and the resistance track 15 . between the resistive track 15 and the carrier plate 10a , 10b there is an insulating layer 18 which , like the ends of the resistive track , terminates somewhat set back from the lateral edges of the plate elements 10a and 10b . see fig2 . the edge regions of the plate elements which are thus exposed are covered by the metallic layers 16 which , as shown in fig2 extend at the ends of the resistive track 15 onto their surface directed away from the carrier plate . as shown , the surface of the resistor 10 between connector layers 16 is covered by the protective lacquer layer 20 mentioned above . the insulating layer 18 comprises a thermostable adhesive film of as good thermal conductivity as possible , for instance a film of polyimide plastic material covered with a suitable adhesive . the plate elements 10a and 10b , and conveniently also the metallic layers 16 , preferably comprise copper . the resistive track 15 is preferably formed from a cuni or another alloy that has proved satisfactory for precision resistors . the outwardly exposed surfaces of the copper components , and particularly the large connecting surfaces of the plate elements 10a and 10b serving for the soldering of the resistor to a circuit board , may be tinned to protect them from corrosion and to improve their solderability . in a typical embodiment the illustrated smd resistor 10 has a length of about 7 mm and an overall thickness of about 0 . 8 mm . the manufacture of the described resistor 10 can be effected in by the steps schematically illustrated in fig4 ( a ) through 4 ( f ). firstly , a composite film or foil as shown in fig4 ( a ) is produced , in a size corresponding to the number of the desired resistors , from a thin metallic resistive sheet 15 &# 39 ; and a thin adhesive film 18 &# 39 ; constituting the insulating layer 18 ( fig2 ). as already mentioned , more than two thousand resistors can be manufactured together without problems . parallel rows of elongate holes 22 are produced in this large area of composite film , the position of which corresponds to the strip - shaped metallic layers 16 ( fig1 ) which are to be produced later . the elongate holes 22 can be produced with an automatic boring machine or may be stamped out . in the currently preferred method each row includes a plurality of elongate holes 22 which are space apart in their longitudinal direction and whose length is only somewhat greater than the breadth of the components to be produced . the prebored thin composite film is laminated , as shown in fig4 ( b ), onto a thicker copper sheet or plate 10 &# 39 ;, for instance about 0 . 7 mm thick , of appropriate size which is subsequently to constitute the carrier plates 10a and 10b ( fig2 ). the mechanical joining together of this laminate can be effected in a manner known per se , as in a multilayer vacuum press . as shown in fig4 ( c ), the resistive film 15 &# 39 ; is subsequently photolithographically structured and etched , in a manner which is not shown , so that the resistive tracks 15 for the individual resistors are produced . these resistive tracks are then adjusted on their common support ( panel ) in a manner known per se , as by mechanical milling with a computer controlled micromilling cutter . after the adjustment has been performed , the etched structure is covered , in a screen printing process , by the protective lacquer layers 20 , for instance of epoxide resin . the edge regions 24 of the surfaces of the resistive tracks 15 at the elongate holes 22 and the regions of the copper plate 10 &# 39 ; situated beneath the elongate holes 22 remain exposed . the next method step , as shown in fig4 ( d ), is a galvanic copper plating of the regions which are not covered by the protective lacquer layers 20 to produce the metallic layers 16 ( fig1 and 2 ), which electrically connect the copper plate 10 ° to each of the resistive tracks 15 . the thickness of the metallic layers 16 can be about 30 to 50 μm . as shown in fig4 ( e ), the gaps 11 ( fig2 and 3 ) for electrically separating each pair of plate elements 10a and 10b of each resistor are produced in plate 10 &# 39 ; below the resistive tracks and between each pair of metallic layers 16 . this is preferably effected by etching the copper plate 10 &# 39 ; from the rear ( bottom ) side of the laminate . subsequently , but before splitting the laminate into the individual resistors , the gaps 11 are filled with epoxide resin or a similar suitable insulating material 12 , as shown in fig2 and fig4 ( f ). this can be performed in a manner corresponding to the screen printing technique . only after completing all the method steps described above are the resistors separated , in the example in question , as shown in fig4 ( f ). one technique for separation is the use of a coordinate stamp which separates the resistors successively along cut lines which extend centrally along the length of the elongate holes 22 through the metallic layers 16 and perpendicularly thereto along the length of the edges of the resistive tracks so that smd resistors are produced in the form shown in fig1 - 3 . the separated resistors can be subsequently galvanically tinned together on all sides , for instance in a metallic cage , and then require only cleaning and electrical testing in automatic testing apparatus . deviations from the described method sequence are possible . in particular , it is possible to alter the order of individual method steps including the steps explained with references to fig4 ( a ), ( b ) and ( c ). in order to explain an exemplary use for resistors of the type described herein , two electrically separate current terminals 30 , 31 of a printed circuit board 35 are shown in fig5 . each terminal 30 , 31 terminates in a tin plated connector pad 32 . the geometrical position of the separated connector pads 32 corresponds approximately to the form and size of the connector surfaces 19 on the underside of the resistor 10 ( fig3 ) which are to be soldered to these connector pads 32 . the location of an smd resistor on printed circuit board 35 is shown by phantom outline 10 in fig5 . as mentioned above , the resistors of the type described herein generally do not require a four - pole construction . the usual electrical / electronic connections can instead be provided by the connector pads 32 ( fig5 ) in the form of additional leads 34 on the printed circuit board 35 , conveniently in the illustrated geometrical arrangement , in which they are connected in the gap between the connector pads 32 , to the centers thereof and pass out through that gap perpendicular to the length of the current terminals 30 , 31 . | 8 |
referring now to fig1 - 3 , a dual variable cam timing phaser 10 can be driven by power transferred from an engine crankshaft ( not shown ) to be delivered to a concentric camshaft 12 for manipulating two sets of cams ( not shown ). a portion of a variable cam timing ( vct ) assembly 10 is illustrated including the concentric camshaft 12 having an inner shaft 12 a and an outer shaft 12 b . primary rotary motion can be transferred to the concentric camshaft 12 through the sprocket ring 52 of annular flange 16 operably associated with drive stator 14 . secondary rotary motion , or phased relative rotary motion between inner camshaft 12 a and outer camshaft 12 b , can be provided by the dual variable cam timing phaser 10 . the phaser 10 can include the drive stator 14 to be connected by an endless loop , flexible , power transmission member for rotation with the engine crankshaft . two concentric driven rotors 20 , 30 can be associated with the stator 14 . each rotor 20 , 30 can be connected for rotation with a respective one shaft 12 a , 12 b of the concentric camshaft 12 supporting the corresponding two sets of cams . the drive stator 14 and the driven rotors 20 , 30 are all mounted for rotation about a common axis . a plurality of radially stacked , vane - type hydraulic couplings 40 , 50 for coupling the driven rotors 20 , 30 for rotation with the drive stator 14 enable the phase of the driven rotors 20 , 30 to be adjusted independently of one another relative to the drive stator 14 . the plurality of radially stacked , vane - type hydraulic couplings can include a radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 and a radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 . the radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 can include at least one radially outer located vane 22 and at least one corresponding radially outer located cavity 20 a associated with the radially outer located rotor 20 to be divided by the at least one radially outer located vane 22 into a first outer variable volume working chamber 20 b and a second outer variable volume working chamber 20 c . the radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 can include at least one radially inner located vane 32 and at least one corresponding radially inner located cavity 30 a adjacent the radially inner located rotor 30 to be divided by the at least one radially inner located vane 32 into a first inner variable volume working chamber 30 b and a second inner variable volume working chamber 30 c . the radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 can include a combination of an outer vane 22 and cavity 20 a associated with the outer rotor 20 to define first and second outer variable volume working chambers 20 b , 20 c . the combination of the outer vane 22 and cavity 20 a can be defined by the stator 14 having a wall portion 14 a with a radially outer surface 14 b defining the outer vane 22 , and the outer rotor 20 surrounding the radially outer surface 14 b of the stator 14 to define the outer cavity 20 a . the radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 can include a combination of an inner vane 32 and cavity 30 a associated with the inner rotor 30 to define first and second inner variable volume working chambers 30 b , 30 c . the combination of the inner vane 32 and cavity 30 a can be defined by the stator 14 having a wall 14 a with a radially inner surface 14 c defining the inner cavity 30 a , and the inner rotor 30 having an outer surface 30 d defining the inner vane 32 . as best seen in fig1 and 2 , the drive stator 14 is connected to the annular flange 16 and associated sprocket ring 52 through fasteners 24 . outer rotor 20 is connected to inner concentric camshaft 12 a through end plate 34 , outer fasteners 36 and central fastener 38 . inner rotor 30 is directly connected to an outer surface 42 of outer concentric camshaft 12 b . in operation , a dual variable cam timing phaser 10 provides radially outer annular spaces or cavities 20 a and radially inner annular spaces or cavities 30 a with respect to the drive stator 14 and the concentrically located driven outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 . the annular spaces or cavities 20 a , 30 a are divided into segment - shaped or arcuate variable volume working chambers 20 b , 20 c , 30 b , 30 c by outer and inner vanes 22 , 32 extending radially from a surface of the outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 and one or more vanes or walls 18 extending radially from a surface of the drive stator 14 . as hydraulic fluid is admitted into and expelled from the various chambers 20 b , 20 c , 30 b , 30 c , the vanes 22 , 32 rotate relative to one another and thereby vary the relative angular position of the driven outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 with respect to each other and with respect to the stator 14 . referring now to fig4 - 6 , and as previously described with respect to fig1 - 3 , a dual variable cam timing phaser 10 can be driven by power transferred from an engine crankshaft ( not shown ) to be delivered to a concentric camshaft 12 for manipulating two sets of cams ( not shown ). a portion of a variable cam timing ( vct ) phaser assembly 10 is illustrated including the concentric camshaft 12 having an inner camshaft 12 a and an outer camshaft 12 b . primary rotary motion can be transferred to the concentric camshaft 12 through the assembly of sprocket ring 52 to annular flange 16 operably associated with drive stator 14 . secondary rotary motion , or phased relative rotary motion between inner camshaft 12 a and outer camshaft 12 b , can be provided by the dual variable cam timing phaser 10 . the phaser 10 can include the drive stator 14 to be connected for rotation with the engine crankshaft . two concentric driven rotors 20 , 30 can be associated with the stator 14 . each rotor 20 , 30 can be connected for rotation with a respective one of the concentric camshafts 12 supporting the corresponding two sets of cams . the drive stator 14 and the driven rotors 20 , 30 are all mounted for rotation about a common axis . a plurality of radially stacked , vane - type hydraulic couplings 40 , 50 for coupling the driven rotors 20 , 30 for rotation with the drive stator 14 enable the phase of the driven rotors 20 , 30 to be adjusted independently of one another relative to the drive stator 14 . in this configuration , the stator 14 includes a radially outer wall portion 14 d , and a radially inner wall portion 14 f . the plurality of radially stacked , vane - type hydraulic couplings can include a radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 and a radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 . the radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 can include at least one radially outer located vane 22 and at least one corresponding radially outer located cavity 20 a associated with the radially outer located rotor 20 to be divided by the at least one radially outer located vane 22 into a first outer variable volume working chamber 20 b and a second outer variable volume working chamber 20 c . the radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 can include at least one radially inner located vane 32 and at least one corresponding radially inner located cavity 30 a adjacent the radially inner located rotor 30 to be divided by the at least one radially inner located vane 32 into a first inner variable volume working chamber 30 b and a second inner variable volume working chamber 30 c . the radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 can include a combination of an outer vane 22 and cavity 20 a associated with the outer rotor 20 to define first and second outer variable volume working chambers 20 b , 20 c . the combination of the outer vane 22 and cavity 20 a can be defined by the stator 14 having a radially outer wall portion 14 d with an inner surface 14 e defining the outer cavity 20 a , and the outer rotor 20 having an outer surface 20 d defining the outer vane 22 . the radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 can include a combination of an inner vane 32 and cavity 30 a associated with the inner rotor 30 to define first and second inner variable volume working chambers 30 b , 30 c . the combination of the inner vane 32 and cavity 30 a can be defined by the stator 14 having a radially inner wall portion 14 f interposed radially between the outer rotor 20 and the inner rotor 30 . the inner wall portion 14 f can have a radially inner surface 14 g defining the inner cavity 30 a , and the inner rotor 30 can have an outer surface 30 d defining the inner vane 32 . as best seen in fig4 - 5 , the outer wall portion 14 d of drive stator 14 is connected to the flange 16 and associated sprocket ring 52 through fasteners 24 . outer rotor 20 is connected to inner concentric camshaft 12 a through end plate 34 , outer fasteners 36 , and central fastener 38 . the inner wall portion 14 f of drive stator 14 is connected to the flange 16 and associated sprocket ring 52 through fasteners 26 . the inner rotor 30 is connected directly to an outer surface 42 of the outer concentric camshaft 12 b . in operation , a dual variable cam timing phaser assembly provides radially outer annular spaces or cavities 20 a and radially inner annular spaces or cavities 30 a with respect to the drive stator 14 and the concentrically located driven outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 . the annular spaces or cavities 20 a , 30 a are divided into segment - shaped or arcuate variable volume working chambers 20 b , 20 c , 30 b , 30 c by outer and inner vanes 22 , 32 extending radially from a surface of the outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 and one or more vanes or walls 18 extending radially from a surface of the drive stator 14 . as hydraulic fluid is admitted into and expelled from the various chambers 20 b , 20 c , 30 b , 30 c , the vanes 22 , 32 rotate relative to one another and thereby vary the relative angular position of the driven outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 with respect to each other and with respect to the stator 14 . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but , on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims , which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law . | 5 |
fig1 shows one embodiment of a parking brake actuator 10 according to the present invention including a motor 12 . the motor 12 is preferably a direct current motor , and drives a gear train 14 of any suitable configuration to rotate a screw 16 . a nut 18 is threadingly engaged with the screw 16 such that the nut translates linearly as the screw rotates . the nut 18 is fixed to a tube 20 , which in turn is pivotably attached to a force balancer 22 . a pair of cables 24 and 26 , one for each of the rear wheel brakes , is attached to the force balancer 22 . a single cable configuration is also acceptable and functions identically except the force equalization is performed external to the apparatus in fig1 . a force transducer or other suitable force sensor measures the tension in cables 24 and 26 . the force may be measured in terms of motor current or by any other conventional standard . the force transducer relays the measured force back to a controller 28 , which operates the motor 12 until a preset load registers at the transducer . for instance , the motor 12 may continue to operate until zero pounds of force is indicated . further details of this arrangement are described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 930 , 890 filed aug . 16 , 2001 , entitled “ multiple hall effect position sensor ” and hereby incorporated by reference . once the preset load is achieved , a control program advantageously instructs the controller 28 to transition from operation within a force control mode to a position control mode . a position sensor is provided to furnish information to the controller 28 to reliably release the parking brake without brake damage due to brake drag from under release , and to avoid undue vibration and damage to the parking brake system due to over - release . in a preferred embodiment , the position sensor takes the form of a slide potentiometer shown schematically at 30 provided proximate the nut 18 . in conjunction with the position sensor , a compliant spring element 32 detects any change in the desired steady load on the cables 24 and 26 . the compliant element 32 may be a bellville washer , and is disposed around the screw 16 between a pair of flat washers 34 and 36 . the flat washer 34 in turn bears against a relatively stationary shoulder 38 , while the flat washer 36 bears against a thrust bearing 40 and a retaining nut 42 to fix the flat washer 36 relative to the screw 16 . in effect , the compliant element 32 extends to take up any slack in the cables 24 and 26 . the position x p of the nut 18 as measured by the potentiometer 30 is equal to the deflection x s of the compliant element 32 subtracted from the position x n of the nut relative to the screw . because the nut 18 is fixed relative to the screw 16 , x s is equal to the inverse of x p . also because the nut 18 is fixed , any drop in cable tension t is equal to the spring rate k s of the compliant element multiplied by the change in position x s of the compliant element . combining these two equations , the change in the absolute position x p of the nut is equal to the inverse of the change in cable tension divided by the spring rate k s of the compliant element . knowing the spring rate of the compliant element thus allows the system to determine the change in cable force from a change in potentiometer output . if the change in cable force is greater than a predetermined value the actuator can reapply or release as the measured change in force dictates . in practice , the sensitivity and usable range are determined by the stiffness and active length of the compliant element , and the compliance of the loading system including the brake cables and wheel brake mechanisms . while the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is presently considered to be preferred , various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for instance , slots may be provided in the periphery of the plunger to serve as the anti - rotation feature , or a permanent magnet with annular pole pieces and a non - magnetic housing may be substituted for the like parts described above . the scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims , and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents are intended to be embraced therein . | 5 |
in fig1 of the drawings there is shown a microprocessor 10 which includes the following components :— an internal clock 12 to provide the timing signals for operation of the microprocessor . the internal clock 12 stores the time and date as well as the clock which times when a new instruction should be read . internal clock 12 can be programmed to accommodate longer instructions by varying the length of the clock cycle . registers 14 - 16 are basically intermediate storage devices used to store temporary data . the microprocessor still relies on the registers to perform this task but allows the use of the register to be used more for storing important and common data rather than an intermediate storage device in between its final destination . the registers store an n — bit word as well as some of the basic flags . flags are reminders of what occurred in the last arithmetic logic units ( alu ) 30 - 32 output results . such flags are :— carry — if the last operation generated a carry from the most significant bit parity — if the number of one bits in the result of the last operation was even ( even parity or odd ( odd parity ) these flags are only stored for each associated register and the instruction set decoder 34 must decide if the flags will have an influence on the next calculation . registers 14 - 16 will also be connected to the instruction set decoder 34 as will any flags associated with each register . because more than one operation can occur at once we need to store the associated flags for each register . the flag attachment to each register is ideal for a solution to the problem , that more than one operation will occur at once but this is only a suggestion and there are many ways of implementing flags in the microprocessor architecture . ( this is unlike some traditional architecture which only has one flag register ) 12 . compare functions such as greater than , less than and equal to 14 . any other common or required function can be added to enable microprocessor 10 to have access to these required functions . the alu 30 - 32 can change from a simple adder to a complex unit that can perform many arithmetic and logical functions . therefore if the alu cannot perform a function directly , several instructions will be necessary in order to produce the desired result . internal memory 36 - 38 can comprise cache , general purpose internal memory , stacks , internal sound card , and other internal functions like video , modem etc . external memory 40 - 42 can comprise cache , general purpose memory , internal sound card , and other internal functions like video , modem etc . except unlike internal memory 36 - 38 external memory is not on the microprocessor per se and the read and write speed is a lot slower than internal memory 36 - 38 . an internal instruction set 44 comprises a set of instructions which may be a single command or a set of commands to comprise a procedure . it could even be capable of calling other basic instructions in an instruction based procedure . there may be more than one internal instruction set types like ram for temporary and eeprom for critical instructions ( or critical procedures ). the instruction set decoder 34 interprets the instruction set into timed control signals to the registers 14 - 28 , alus 30 - 32 , internal clock of microprocessor 12 , memories 36 - 44 and xy or grid connector 46 and / or any other device to be controlled by the microprocessor . address registers 18 - 28 are basically registers that hold the current or next address for a particular portion of memory . in traditional microprocessors there is only one address register which limits you to read data sequentially . whereas microprocessor 10 has a number of address registers one for each main segment ( or memory chip ) of memory . this allows the microprocessor to read the data from one address and write it to another address assuming that there are two distinct memory segments . where a segment is a physically different memory , like memory chips or a hard - drive then every memory segment will have its own address register . xy connector 46 controls an x - y grid which is formed of x bus lines 50 - 62 and y bus lines 64 - 78 . thus xy connector 46 will interconnect a component on the x bus e . g . alu 30 to a component on the y bus e . g . register 14 . the interconnection can be made in various ways as shown in fig5 to 7 . the basic interconnection is shown in fig5 where each intersection or node of a y bus line with an x bus line contains switches ( not shown ) which can be activated by a control register or similar under program control . to simplify the description only one bus line is shown with a more complete description of the bus discussed with reference to fig6 and 7 . the number of control bits in the control register to select the appropriate switch positions can be calculated as follows :— where n is the number of bits in the control register ; x is the number of x bus lines ; and y is the number of y bus lines . thus each bit will control one associated switch . if required , the number of bits can be reduced by compressing the data because not all possible combinations of switching will be required . fig6 shows a second embodiment where a bi - directional switch 80 with a single position . there is shown a bus of 4 wires for simplicity but the bus width can be any number i . e . b = 1 to n , where b is the bus width and n is an integer . using the 4 wire bus scheme there would need to be 4 bi - directional rotary switches per each x unit or for each y unit . fig6 shows alu 1 30 ( a y unit ) connected to any x unit ( registers 14 , 16 a , 16 b , 16 c ) via the position of the rotary switch . the problem with this solution is that there is only one possible switch location which limits the microprocessor architecture . this solution will however provide a simpler design to implement . a further option for the limiting to the one position is to have two switches so that the possibility of two or more positions can be made available by adding another switch . the third embodiment shown in fig7 overcomes the problem by having a bi - directional switch 82 with multiple positions . this is particularly efficient and flexible method of implementation of switching . fig7 shows all the bus connections . this example also uses a 4 - wire bus , where when one node is closed then all 4 switches associated with that node also close . fig7 shows how the x bus is connected to the y bus via 4 bi - directional switches . therefore for a b size bus we would therefore require b switches per node . for the example shown in fig7 there are 4 nodes , which can connect the alu 30 to registers 14 , 16 a , 16 b , 16 c in any combination . all 4 nodes can be connected to registers 14 , 16 a , 16 b , 16 c , or some can be closed . accordingly , there are 16 possible combinations in this example for what nodes can be closed and open . the operation of microprocessor 10 is shown in fig2 . in this example the switch positions have been labelled as 86 - 96 . the switch positions 86 - 96 have been set by xy connector 46 in its control register . this results in the following operations :— external memory 42 → external memory 40 → register 16 ( switches 94 , 96 ) output of alu 32 → register 16 c ( switch 92 ) this set of connections shows the potential for microprocessor 10 to perform multiple operations in a single clock cycle . obviously only one datum ( word ) can be output on to any data bus but multiple components can read the particular data bus . for example , where the external memory 42 is stored into external memory 40 , it can also be stored into register 16 as seen above . from the above it can be clearly seen that a bad programmer could easily cause a bus crash . accordingly , there must be software and hardware error checking hardware error handling is performed by reading the instruction set before it is performed , or while it is in the process of being performed . this is achieved by reading the instruction set and performing a simple check to see that no two components are output onto the same data bus . when an error occurs the software is halted and a fatal error message is returned . this method of error handling is basically a back up if the software error handling does not work . for software error handling a preferred method is to put checks into the software so that before the software compiles its programs , it performs a check to see if the instruction set will perform a fatal error . therefore the error can be fixed before it occurs by the software developer . again this has limitations because it is very difficult to predict some outcomes of complex software . in the description of the prior art an example was given which showed a traditional method of operation for adding three numbers together from memory . the example took at least 7 clock cycles . the same example will now be shown with reference to microprocessor 10 . 3 . register 14 + register 16 a → register 16 b , memory 36 → register 16 c such a sequence of operations takes 4 clock cycles and results in a 175 % increase in speed from the traditional method . again with reference to the prior art example microprocessor 10 can perform a single operation in one clock cycle or it the instruction set memory could be programmed to perform a whole operation which could comprise a number of sub - commands . you could also write a program just in simple instructions a clock cycle at a time , rather than an instruction which takes around 4 clock cycles in the prior art . this would allow an instruction containing several clock cycles with no definite length . if the numbers in steps 1 and 2 above are from different memories then two buses can be used to download both numbers to two registers in one cycle as shown in the following example :— 2 . register 14 + register 16 a → register 16 b , memory 36 → register 16 c this will provide a 233 % increase in speed from the traditional method . if the alus 30 , 31 , 32 can be timed and operate quick enough to be able to be operated in cascade , then a further increase in speed can be obtained as follows :— 1 . register 14 + register 16 a → register 16 b , reg 16 b + memory 40 → memory 36 this results in a 350 % increase in speed over the traditional method . fig4 shows a further operation that is made possible with the invention . in this operation two alus 30 , 32 are used that allows the programmer to achieve a very quick calculation . as the output of alu 32 must wait for the output of alu 30 , the total time of these two operations must be smaller than one clock cycle of microprocessor 10 . assuming a hypothetical 1 second clock cycle , and an alu time of 0 . 4 seconds , then the total time to perform the two alu operations would be 0 . 8 seconds . such time would allow the result to be stored into memory , assuming that the data can be stored immediately . if the alu takes 0 . 55 seconds to perform its operation then both alu operations would take 1 . 1 seconds which is too slow for microprocessor 10 whose hypothetical clock runs at 1 second . thus the total operation would take 2 seconds to complete as 2 clock cycles are required . to overcome this problem internal clock 12 could be slowed to a hypothetical 1 . 2 seconds . as the two alu operations are completed within 1 . 1 seconds then the complete calculation is completed within 1 . 2 seconds ( 1 clock cycle ) and thus there would be a saving of a hypothetical 0 . 8 seconds from the previous 2 seconds taken by the previous example . the internal clock 12 can be slowed by hardware or software solutions . in software , an instruction can be sent to internal clock 12 to slow down . in hardware , circuit elements can be used to sense the need to slow down the clock in order to perform the operation . in fig3 there is shown a diagram of the loading procedures for a computer ( not shown ) which includes microprocessor 10 of the invention . the loading procedures are as follows :— critical procedure 100 : when a computer starts up it must initiate a few basic or “ bootstrap ” operations so that it knows where to start loading the operating system for example . therefore this critical procedure 100 is loaded when the computer is turned on and loads the main set of instructions 102 together with the operating system . these critical instructions would be few in number and very simple so that they would not need to be changed in the future . main set of instructions 102 : the main set of instructions 102 are the basic set of instructions which are critical in the start - up procedure . they would normally be written by the operating system programmer to be used for the operating system essential instructions . the operating system instructions would be required to operate the operating system , for example a windows based operating system . program instructions 104 , 106 : each program , if it requires , can have its own set of instructions , and therefore can be as many sets of program instructions as long as there is sufficient memory . fig3 shows the critical procedures 100 which would be used to start up the computer and load the operating system 102 which would load its own set of instructions . programs 104 , 106 would have their own set of instructions , if required . all the different programs can use each others &# 39 ; instructions , if required . software compilers could be developed so as to create an optimal set of instructions for a particular program so that it minimises memory space required and maximises speed and performance . therefore a modest programmer could continue to write programs in languages such as c ++, visual basic and many other languages . the programmer would not need to worry about developing the instruction set because the compiler develops the optimal set . the flexibility of microprocessor 10 enables a software developer to have full control over the computer while not increasing the computer in complexity . microprocessor 10 can have different programs working on a different set of instruction sets while also being able to implement a basic set of instructions . microprocessor 10 is also capable of deleting and adding new instructions as they are needed . the use of microprocessor 10 in a computer system allows a software developer to have full control of what he or she wants the computer to perform . the software developer can write his or her own instruction set and then to use that instruction set in their software . this enables the software developer full control over the microprocessor and the computer . microprocessor 10 can also simulate other microprocessors and the hardware level rather than at software level which is difficult and ineffective . if a programmer encountered a fundamental problem eg the y2k problem he or she could simply re - write the instruction set to calculate dates and store dates in an improved way . in the embodiments shown in fig8 and 9 the same numerals have been used , where applicable , to indicate similar integers to those used in fig1 to 7 to avoid repetition of description . in fig8 there is shown a similar arrangement to that shown in fig1 but the positions of some components have been changed . such changes allow for the flexibility of the invention . the switch nodes a 1 , a 2 , b 1 , b 2 etc each have n switches , where n is the bus size , eg for a 8 parallel bus n = 8 . fig8 illustrates a single grid where data can only travel in the x or y directions but this can be extended to multiple grids as shown in fig9 . fig9 includes a first grid 98 which corresponds to fig8 . a second grid 100 is linked to first grid 98 by nodes z 1 and z 2 . the exact number and linking of the z nodes can vary to suit requirements . in the embodiment shown , node z 1 links node c 1 of first grid 98 to node c 1 of second grid 100 and node z 2 links node c 4 of first grid 98 to node a 1 of second grid 100 . as each connection is made in the architecture the number of switching units ( or nodes ) required will increase and also the complexity of programming will also increase . the advantage of this method is that you can have two processors operating independently of each other but can also communicate with each other . it is not necessary to have every node in grid 98 connecting to a corresponding node in grid 100 . there is also no limit to the number of grids 98 , 100 that can be connected . although grids 98 , 100 are identical in the embodiment shown this is not necessary and variations can occur to suit requirements . there may be one instruction set decoder 34 as shown to control both grids 98 , 100 or there could be a dedicated one instruction set decoder for each grid 98 , 100 . each grid 98 , 100 would require communication to each other via a separate data bus or via control signals . for example this would enable one grid to communicate to the next grid and request information or a function . although the preferred embodiments have shown limited components the invention can have any number of registers , alus , internal memory and external memory of any size . any component ( alu , register internal or external memory ) can be connected together in many combinations and more than one connection can take place in one clock cycle . in the preferred embodiment the registers 14 - 28 are shown on the y bus but they can be on the x bus or in any combinations on either bus . the buses can either be serial or parallel . parallel bus will be quicker but to create a serial bus ie b = 1 would be much easier as only one switch would be required per node unlike n switches for an n - bit bus . the invention will be understood to embrace many further modifications as will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art and which will be deemed to reside within the broad scope and ambit of the invention , there having been set forth herein only the broad nature of the invention and certain specific embodiments by way of example . | 6 |
fig1 is a schematic of the electronics which amplifies and conditions the signal from a triboelectric probe 1 inserted into a flow pipe fp . the electronics provides a standard instrumentation current output 19 , and a 0 to 8 v . voltage output , drives a meter 20 , and inputs a signal to a threshold circuit 21 ( comprising an op amp in two stages with differential adjustment , fig1 a ), which actuates a relay 24 . the single ended signal is directed through a low noise coaxial cable 2 , a low noise current limiting resistor 3 , then through a relay 5 contact closure to an op amp 10 configured as a voltage to current converter . an over voltage protection device 4 protects against excessive voltages , together with the current limiting resistors they provide an intrinsically safe network , allowing the probe to be used in hazardous areas . over voltage devices 1a and 1b limit the maximum voltage within the probe itself . a low noise , low drift op amp 10 directs the signal current from the probe 1 through resistor 6 and 7 . this configuration produces a low output impedance signal voltage at the op amp output 8 . the signal voltage equals the signal current multiplied by the effective resistance of resistor 6 whose voltage drop is modified by a voltage divider which has gain adjustment ( step ) means ( not shown ). since the signal current may be in either ( direction ), the voltage signal at op amp 10 output 8 can be either a positive or negative voltage . an absolute value circuit 12 produces a positive voltage at its output 12a equal in magnitude to the positive or negative voltage magnitude at its input 12b . fig2 shows a more detailed schematic of this circuit . if a positive voltage is applied to the input 34 of op amp 35 , the op amp 35 drives its output 35a positive forward biasing the diode 36 , reverse biasing diode 41 , and driving the input 38 of op amp 39 positive , which in turn drives the output 40 positive . diode 41 is reversed bias . resistors 43 and 44 provide feedback to input 42 of op amp 35 to cause the whole absolute value circuit to act as a follower with a gain of + 1 . when the signal is a negative voltage applied to input 34 , the output 35a drives negatively thereby reverse biasing diode 36 and forward biasing diode 41 . op amp 35 acts to cause the input 42 to go negatively until it equals the negative signal input . the negative voltage at input 42 causes a current through resistor 43 . the input 38 of op amp 39 is held at zero volts by resistor 37 , and the output 40 drives positive enough to supply the current through resistor 44 to equal the current through 43 and hold the input 45 at zero volts . resistors 43 and 44 are equal ensuring the positive voltage at output 40 equals the negative voltage value at input 42 and also input 41 -- the signal input . the gain is - 1 . the circuit thus produces an output positive voltage equal in magnitude to the positive or negative voltage magnitude input . referring back to fig1 the positive voltage at the absolute value circuit output 12a is directed , through switch 13 , to a one pole low pass filter composed of a capacitor 15 and an adjustable resistor 14 , which allows the time constant to be trimmed . a voltage follower buffer op amp 16 receives the filtered signal at node 16a and drives : a milliammeter 20 scaled to read appropriately by resistor 21 ; a comparator 21 which closes relay contacts available to the user and lights a red led when a selected threshold is exceeded ; and a voltage to current converter circuit 18 suitable as an instrumentation output . fig3 is a more detailed schematic of the voltage to current circuit 18 . a voltage signal 0 volts to 8 volts is input at node 46 and creates a current through resistor 47 into input 49 of op amp 51 . this current is balanced by the current through resistors 61 and 48 holding input 49 at 0 volts . op amp 51 drives its output 50 to a voltage necessary to produce the balance at input 49 . the output 50 voltage is applied to a voltage divider formed by resistors 52 and 53 and the divided voltage is applied to the input 54 of op amp 55 . op amp 55 responds by turning on fet 59 , driving a current through resistor 57 and the fet 59 to a point of use 60 . this current increases to where the voltage across resistor 57 at the input 56 equals the voltage at input 54 . the value of resistor 57 determines the current value delivered through fet 59 . by varying resistor 61 , its current changes and the output 50 of op amp 51 changes to maintain the current balance at input 49 . by this mechanism the subsequent current output throgh fet 59 can be trimmed to a convenient level to represent a zero or full scale signal ( 4 ma ). as the signal at 46 goes positive , the voltage across 57 increases thereby increasing output current at 60 up to 20 ma at 8 volts . referring back to fig1 the output of op amp 10 , the input current to voltage converter , is temperature sensitive and it is automatically zeroed each minute . in fig1 when switch 11 is closed the integrating amplifier 27 drives a current through resistor 26 to input 10a forcing the output 8 to zero volts . during this time the input current from the probe 1 is decoupled by input relay 5 , so the integrating amplifier 27 is balancing out temperature caused offsets . the integrating amplifier 27 stores the voltage necessary to maintain the offset balancing current when switch 11 is opened and relay 5 closes . relay 5 also connects the signal input to 10a during the zeroing sequence to prevent charge build - up on cable 2 . the auto zeroing would cause all the outputs to go to their zero levels . however , switch 13 , resistor 14 and capacitor 15 act as a track and hold circuit . the last signal , before auto zeroing , is represented by the voltage on capacitor 15 , and before the auto zero can change this voltage , switch 13 opens . this holds the voltage on capacitor 15 and the outputs to their last values while auto zeroing occurs . when auto zero is complete switch 11 opens , and , after the new signal levels are established through to the absolute value circuit output 12a , switch 13 closes . the requisite delay is formed in delay circuit 30 . timing circuit 33 provides the timing signals necessary to auto zero approximately each minute and lights a yellow led when the auto zero is active . a capacitively coupled probe 1p with ovp , which produces an ac signal , can be used with the aforementioned circuitry . with this probe 1p and switch , with sections 29 , 32 , and 17 , places the auto zero function in continuous operation and directs the signal from the current to voltage converter op amp output 8 directly to the voltage to current converter 18 . it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments , improvements , details , and uses can be made consistent with the latter and spirit of the foregoing disclosure and within the scope of this patent , which is limited only by the following claims , construed in accordance with the patent law , including the doctrine of equivalents . | 6 |
referring to fig1 and 2 , there is shown a first embodiment of a plastic clip - on valve plate assembly , generally shown at 10 . fig3 through 9 show an alternate embodiment of the plastic short runner valve plate assembly , generally shown at 100 . referring now to fig1 and 2 , the valve plate 12 includes a widened portion 14 and tabs a and b for securing the member in a widened area of a slot in a short runner valve shaft 16 . tabs a and b are compressible for installation , and then flare out to lock , hold and secure the plate in the shaft . the plate is self - centering and is lighter and easier to assemble than short runner valve plates of the past . referring now to fig3 a similar protrusion 114 of valve plate 112 stops the clip on the valve plate from traveling too far into the slot portion 116 of the shaft 118 . in this embodiment , a resilient clip portion 120 is included for engaging the outer surface of the shaft . tabs 122 prevent the clip from being withdrawn from the slot by engaging shelf 124 in the wide area of the slot . in a preferred embodiment , a pair of resilient clip portions 120 and 120 a are provided for stabilizing the valve plate 112 on the shaft 118 . the clip portion 120 includes a resilient base portion 126 , a shaft engagement portion 128 and a ramp portion 130 . as shown in fig3 the ramp portion 130 deflects arms 120 and 120 a over the shaft 118 until engagement portion 128 engages the shaft against abutment 114 . this secures the plate 112 to the shaft 118 and the position is locked in place via the deflectable tab 122 . the clips of the present invention may be readily constructed of a suitable plastic or polymer material , such as a 25 % to 40 % carbon fiber loaded ppa ( polythalamide ) or a nylon 66 ™ polyamide material , and are lightweight and easy to install in the shafts . preferably , the valve plate is injection molded in a single piece . these plates are also self - centering in the short runner valve orifice . referring now to fig9 a sectional of the valve plate 112 is shown . the difference being that a pre - designed indentation 101 is provided . this indentation reduces the amount of plastic where the clip 102 a joins the body of the valve plate 100 . this allows and compensates for curing characteristics of the injection mold plastic . this indentation 101 provides for a more constant thickness part which is less susceptible to warpage during cure . the rib 103 is configured to be an injection gate during manufacturing of the part . referring now to fig1 and 11 , a method and apparatus for lubricating a short runner valve shaft at the anti - chatter or shaft biasing locations is shown generally at 300 . an applicator 302 is provided which is insertable into shaft biasing device cavity or orifice 304 ( such as shown in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 992 , 370 ). the applicator 302 is inserted into the cavity 304 and a lubricant is injected through hollow opening 306 in the applicator 302 . therefore , the anti - chatter device is secured in the cavity or orifice 304 . a suitable lubricant such as grease or the like may be utilized . thus , the subject lubrication apparatus and method enhances the runner valve biasing or anti - chatter system by adding lubrication . this results in improved performance of the short runner valve system . the lubrication reduces the friction associated with the biasing load or anti - chatter device . this provides for improved system performance , including faster response times , increased durability and reduced actuator torque requirements . those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms . therefore , while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof , the true scope of the invention should not be so limited , since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings , specification and following claims . | 8 |
fig1 is a schematic view showing an alkali metal thermoelectric power generator in accordance with an embodiment of this invention , in which three thermoelectric converters , converters no . 1 , no . 2 , and no . 3 , are connected in electrical series to one another . the sodium in these thermoelectric converters is caused to circulate by a common pump 107 . at the same time , these thermoelectric converters are thermally connected to one another through connection pipes 120a , 120b , 120c , etc . the structure of the thermoelectric converters shown in fig1 will be described in connection with converter no . 1 . referring to fig1 the open end of an evaporator 111 , which is in the form of a tubular body with one end open that is formed of metal , and the open end of a solid electrolyte tube 102 , which is also in the form of a tubular body with one end open , are connected to each other to define a first region 150 on the inside . a porous electrode 103 having a sufficient number of pores to allow passage of sodium is provided on the outer surface of the solid electrolyte tube 102 in such a manner as to be in electrical contact with it . an anode 114 , which is in electrical contact with this porous electrode 103 , extends through a condenser shell 105 to the exterior while being electrically insulated therefrom . provided on the inner surface of the solid electrolyte 102 is a first wick 112 made of a foam nickel with pores , stainless steel mesh or the like ( having a pore radius , for example , of 0 . 003 cm ). the pores in the wick 112 is approx . 100 % filled with liquid sodium , and this liquid sodium is in contact with the inner surfaces of the solid electrolyte tube 102 and the evaporator 111 . attached to the outer periphery of the evaporator 111 is a metal condenser shell 105 in the form of a tubular body with one end open , which defines a second region 151 . provided on the inner surface of the condenser shell 105 is a second wick 115 , whose pore radius is greater than that of the first wick 112 by not less than a digit . the second wick 115 does not necessarily have to be filled with liquid sodium . a cathode 113 is provided on the outer surface of the condenser shell 105 in such a manner as to be in electrical contact therewith . the condenser shell 105 is provided with a sodium extraction pipe 116a , and the evaporator 111 is provided with a sodium return pipe 116b and a connection pipe 120a . the open end of the connection pipe 120a is situated in the space zone of the first region 150 , and at least a part of that section of the connection pipe 120a which is outside the first region 150 consists of an electrically insulating pipe section 121 . the respective sodium extraction pipes of the three thermoelectric converters no . 1 to no . 3 , each constructed as described above , are connected to the respective sodium return pipes through a pump inlet header 123 , a common pump 107 , a common check valve 124 , and a pump outlet header 125 . further , the respective connection pipes 120a , 120b , and 120c of these thermoelectric converters are connected to one another through a connection pipe header 122 . these thermoelectric converters are connected in electrical series to one another , and the electric circuit thus formed includes a power load 126 . the basic operation of these thermoelectric converters is substantially identical to that of the conventional heat - pipe - type amtec shown in fig5 so that the following description of their basic operation will be focused on those points which constitute the features of the power generator of the present invention . in order to simplify the description , it will be assumed in the following that the power generator of this invention is operated in an environment where gravity can be neglected as in space . this , however , should not be construed as restrictive to the effects of this invention under gravitation . as shown in fig1 the thermoelectric power generator of this invention is composed of a plurality of thermoelectric converters connected in series to one another . sodium is condensed in the respective second regions of these thermoelectric converters and is returned to the respective first regions thereof by the common pump 107 . the pumping force acting on the sodium at this time consists of the pressure obtained by subtracting the sodium vapor pressure in the respective first regions ( e . g ., 125 , 000 pa at 1175k ) from the sum of the delivery pressure of the pump 107 ( e . g ., 130 , 000 pa ) and the capillarity pressure of the respective first wicks 112 of the thermoelectric converters ( e . g ., approx . 7500 pa when the pore radius is 0 . 003 cm ). here , the sodium vapor pressure in the respective second regions is neglected since it is very low . further , the capillarity pressure of the second wicks 115 is also neglected since their pore radius is larger than that of the first wicks by not less than a digit . the capillarity pressure is not active when the wicks are filled with sodium to a sufficient degree , and is active when they are not filled with sodium sufficiently . accordingly , if the respective outputs of the thermoelectric converters , the flow resistances in the respective return pipes , etc . are not uniform , the capillarity pressure acts in such a manner that those of the respective first wicks which are filled with sodium to a smaller degree are supplied with more sodium , so that an excess or deficiency in the respective sodium amounts of the thermoelectric converters can be avoided even though the returning of the sodium in these thermoelectric converters is effected by a common pump . the respective sodium extraction pipes 116a and the respective sodium return pipes 116b of the thermoelectric converters need a relatively low flow rate ( e . g ., approx . 50 mg / s when the output of the thermoelectric converters is 100 w ), so that they can be made sufficiently thin ( their inner diameter may , for example , be 1 mm ). thus , it is easy to make their electrical resistance approx . one hundred times greater than the internal resistance of the thermoelectric converters ( which ranges from 1 to 2 mω in the case of 100 w converters ). therefore , the loss currents ( the bypass currents ), which flow through the sodium extraction pipes 116a and the sodium return pipes 116b when the respective electrodes of the thermoelectric converters are connected in series to one another , can be reduced to a negligible degree , so that the provision of a common pump does not result in deterioration in the power generation efficiency . the respective first regions 150 of the thermoelectric converters are connected to one another by the connection pipes 120a , etc ., and the respective open ends of the connection pipes are positioned in the respective inner spaces of the first regions . this arrangement provides the following effect . if the respective thermal inputs to the individual thermoelectric converters differ from one another , as in the case where condensed solar energy is utilized , the temperature and pressure in the first region 150 of a thermoelectric converter which receives a relatively large thermal input ( e . g ., converter no . 1 ) become higher than those of a thermoelectric converter which receives a relatively small thermal input ( e . g ., converter no . 2 ). as a result , some of the vapor sodium in the high temperature region of converter no . 1 is conducted through the connection pipe 120a and the connection pipe header 122 and condenses in the first region of converter no . 2 , thereby trnasferring heat and effecting temperature equalization . this action causes the sodium amount in the first region of converter no . 1 to decrease and that of converter no . 2 to increase . when the liquid sodium in converter no . 2 has been augmented to such an extent as to exceed the amount needed for the 100 % filling of the first wick of the converter , the capillarity pressure that has been acting on the sodium return pipe disappears . in converter no . 1 , on the other hand , the liquid sodium in the first wick 112 decreases , so that the capillarity pressure is active . accordingly , the sodium supply to the first region 150 of converter no . 1 from the pump 107 increases , and , at the same time , sodium is also supplied thereto from the first region of converter no . 2 via the pump outlet header 125 . therefore , the respective temperatures in the thermoelectric converters can be equalized without causing a deficiency in the amount of sodium liquid in the first region of a thermoelectric converter which receives a relatively large thermal input from the heat source . further , since the respective open ends of the connection pipes 120a , etc . are situated in the respective inner space zones of the first regions 150 , it is only vapor sodium that pass through these connection pipes . since vapor sodium has no electrical conductivity , the bypass currents flowing through the connection pipes can be reduced by making their diameter and thickness small even when they are formed of metal . further , by forming at least a part of each connection pipe as a ring - like insulator , as indicated at 121 , the respective first regions can be perfectly prevented from being conductively connected to one another through the connection pipes . next , the operation of the check valve 124 , which is provided on the delivery side of the pump 107 , will be described . during normal operation of the power generator , this check valve 124 allows passage of the liquid sodium from the pump 107 , supplying the respective first regions of the thermoelectric converters with liquid sodium . when the heat supply to the thermoelectric converters and the operation of the pump 107 are stopped in the non - operating state of the power generator , the check valve 124 is closed since the sodium pressure in the first regions 150 are higher than that in the second region 151 . this causes the communication between the first and second regions to be cut off , so that there is no fear of the sodium in the first regions flowing back to the second regions even if the pump 107 is stopped . when the thermoelectric converters are heated at the start of the power generator , the sodium vapor pressure in the first regions becomes higher and enables the power generation to be quickly started since the communication between the first and the second regions is then blocked by the check valve 124 . another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig2 . fig2 is a schematic diagram showing the construction of an alkali metal thermoelectric power generator in which a plurality of ( three in this example ) thermoelectric converters whose structure is different from that of the thermoelectric converters shown in fig1 are connected in electrical series . the structure of these thermoelectric converters will be described in connection with converter no . 1 . referring to fig2 an evaporator 411 , which is in the form of a metal tubular body with one end open , and a solid electrolyte 402 , which is also in the form of a tubular body with one end open and whose diameter is smaller than that of the evaporator 411 , are arranged in such a manner that their open ends are directed in the same way to form a substantially concentric duplex - tube structure , the respective open ends of these tubes being connected together . a first region 450 is defined between the evaporator 411 and the solid electrolyte 402 of this duplex - tube structure . a porous electrode 403 having a sufficient number of pores to allow passage of sodium is provided on the inner surface of the solid electrolyte tube 402 in such a manner as to be in electrical contact therewith . an anode 414 , which is in electrical contact with this porous electrode 403 , extends through a condenser shell 405 to the exterior while being electrically insulated therefrom . further , provided on the outer surface of the solid electrolyte 402 is a first wick 412 consisting of a foam nickel with pores , stainless mesh , etc . ( whose pore radius is , for example , 0 . 003 cm ). the pores in the wick 412 are 100 % filled with liquid sodium , and this liquid sodium is in contact with the solid electrolyte 402 and the evaporator 411 . the condenser shell 405 , which is in the form of a metal tubular body with one end open , is connected to the condenser 411 in such a manner as to close the open end of the solid electrolyte tube 402 , whereby a second region 451 is formed inside the solid electrolyte tube 402 and the condenser shell 405 . provided on the inner surface of the condenser shell 405 is a second wick 415 whose pore radius is larger than that of the first wick 412 by not less than one digit . this second wick 415 does not necessarily have to be filled with liquid sodium . a cathode 413 is provided on the outer surface of the evaporator 411 in such a manner as to be in electrical contact therewith . the condenser shell 405 is provided with a sodium extraction pipe 416a , and the evaporator 411 is provided with a sodium return pipe 416b and a connection pipe 420a . the open end of the connection pipe 420a is situated in the space zone of the first region 450 , and at least a part of that portion of this connection pipe which is outside the first region consists of an electrically insulating pipe section 421 . although the layout of the first and second regions in these thermoelectric converters is different from that in the thermoelectric converters shown in fig1 there is no difference between these two layouts of thermoelectric converters in terms of their function . thus , as in the example shown in fig1 the respective sodium extraction pipes of converters no . 1 to no . 3 are connected to the respective sodium return pipes through the pump inlet header 424 , a common pump 407 , a common check valve 424 , and a pump outlet header 425 . the respective connection pipes 420a , 420b , and 420c of these thermoelectric converters are connected to one another through a connection pipe header 422 . further , these thermoelectric converters are connected in electrical series , and the electric circuit they form includes a power load 426 . this embodiment provides an effect similar to that of the embodiment shown in fig1 . fig3 and 4 are schematic views showing thermoelectric converter structures suited for the power generator of this invention . in the thermoelectric converter shown in fig3 which has a structure similar to that of the embodiment shown in fig1 a heat insulating layer 500 is provided between a joint section 127 , which joins the solid electrolyte tube 102 with the evaporator 111 , and the first region 150 . this heat insulating layer 500 preferably consists of a vacuum heat insulating layer formed by evacuating the inner space of a duplex tube formed of a heat resistant metal . in the thermoelectric converter shown in fig4 which has a structure similar to that of the embodiment shown in fig2 a heat insulating layer 600 is provided between a joint section 427 , which joins the solid electrolyte tube 402 with the evaporator 411 , and the first region 450 . by virtue of such a heat insulating layer , the temperature of the joint section can be made lower than that of the first region , so that , even if the maximum temperature that the joint section can withstand is lower than the temperature of the first region , the joint section can be protected from damage . as will be apparent from the above , the present invention provides the following advantages : in a power generator in which a plurality of thermoelectric converters are connected in electrical series to one another , each thermoelectric converter can be supplied with sodium by a common pump whithout involving any excess or deficiency in the sodium amount even if the thermal input distribution , the flow resistance in the piping , the characteristics of the thermoelectric converters , etc . are not uniform . at the same time , the respective temperatures of the thermoelectric converters can be equalized . by virtue of these advantages , the power generator can be made lighter , and its power generation efficiency can be enhanced . | 7 |
various embodiments of ssl devices with dielectric insulation and associated methods of manufacturing are described below . the term “ microelectronic substrate ” is used throughout to include substrates upon which and / or in which ssl devices , microelectronic devices , micromechanical devices , data storage elements , read / write components , and other features are fabricated . the term “ lattice dislocation ” generally refers to a crystallographic defect or irregularity within a crystal structure . a lattice dislocation can include a v - defect , an edge dislocation , a threading ( or screw ) dislocation , and / or a combination thereof . a person skilled in the relevant art will also understand that the technology may have additional embodiments , and that the technology may be practiced without several of the details of the embodiments described below with reference to fig2 a and 2 c - 3 f . fig2 a and 2 c - 2 f are cross - sectional views of a portion of a microelectronic substrate 100 undergoing a process for forming an ssl device in accordance with embodiments of the technology . the ssl device can be an led , an oled , a ld , a pled , and / or other suitable devices . in the following description , common acts and structures are identified by the same reference numbers . even though only particular processing operations and associated structures are illustrated in fig2 a and 2 c - 2 f , in certain embodiments , the process can also include forming a lens , a mirror material , support structures , conductive interconnects , and / or other suitable mechanical / electrical components ( not shown ). as shown in fig2 a , an initial operation of the process can include forming an ssl structure 101 and an optional buffer material 103 on a substrate material 102 . the substrate material 102 can include a silicon ( si ) wafer ( e . g ., with a si ( 1 , 1 , 1 ) crystal orientation ), aluminum gallium nitride ( algan ), gan , silicon carbide ( sic ), sapphire ( al 2 o 3 ), a combination of the foregoing materials , and / or other suitable substrate materials . in certain embodiments , the optional buffer material 103 can include aln , gan , zinc nitride ( znn ), and / or other suitable materials . in other embodiments , the optional buffer material 103 may be omitted , and the ssl structure 101 may be formed directly on the substrate material 102 . the ssl structure 101 can include a first semiconductor material 104 , an active region 106 , and a second semiconductor material 108 stacked one on the other . in one embodiment , the first and second semiconductor materials 104 and 108 include an n - type gan material and a p - type gan material , respectively . in another embodiment , the first and second semiconductor materials 104 and 108 include a p - type gan material and an n - type gan material , respectively . in further embodiments , the first and second semiconductor materials 104 and 108 can individually include at least one of gallium arsenide ( gaas ), aluminum gallium arsenide ( algaas ), gallium arsenide phosphide ( gaasp ), gallium ( iii ) phosphide ( gap ), zinc selenide ( znse ), boron nitride ( bn ), algan , and / or other suitable semiconductor materials . the active region 106 can include a single quantum well (“ sqw ”), mqws , and / or a bulk semiconductor material . as used hereinafter , a “ bulk semiconductor material ” generally refers to a single grain semiconductor material ( e . g ., ingan ) with a thickness greater than about 10 nanometers and up to about 500 nanometers . in certain embodiments , the active region 106 can include an ingan sqw , ingan / gan mqws , and / or an ingan bulk material . in other embodiments , the active region 116 can include aluminum gallium indium phosphide ( algainp ), aluminum gallium indium nitride ( algainn ), and / or other suitable materials or configurations . the ssl structure 101 and the optional buffer material 103 can be formed on the substrate material 102 via mocvd , molecular beam epitaxy (“ mbe ”), liquid phase epitaxy (“ lpe ”), hydride vapor phase epitaxy (“ hvpe ”), and / or other suitable epitaxial growth techniques . it has been observed , however , that the ssl structure 101 formed via the foregoing techniques typically includes a high density of lattice dislocations . for example , as shown in fig2 a , the ssl structure 101 can include a plurality of indentations 110 in the ssl structure 101 . three indentations 110 are shown in fig2 a for illustration purposes , and the dimensions of the indentations 110 are exaggerated for clarity . as shown in fig2 a , the indentations 110 can include a plurality of sidewalls 111 extending into the ssl structure 101 . in the illustrated embodiment , the indentations 110 individually include sidewalls 111 extending from a surface 108 a of the second semiconductor material 108 into the active region 106 and the first semiconductor material 104 . in other embodiments , at least some of the indentations 110 can include sidewalls that extend only into the active region 106 , or the indentations can extend into the optional buffer material 103 or even into the substrate material 102 . in any of the foregoing embodiments , the ssl structure 101 can also include edge dislocations , threading dislocations , and / or other lattice dislocations ( not shown ). without being bound by theory , it is believed that various structural and / or operational conditions may cause the formation of the indentations 110 during processing . for example , it is believed that indentations 110 may form due to different crystal growth rates along different crystal facets of the substrate material 102 ( or the optional buffer material 103 ). it has been observed that epitaxial growth along certain crystal facets ( e . g ., c - plane ) results in lower surface energy than other crystal facets ( e . g ., m - plane ). as a result , epitaxial growth may propagate along certain crystal facets faster than others to form the indentations 110 . it is also believed that contaminant particles on the surface of the substrate material 102 and / or other epitaxial growth conditions may also cause the indentations 110 to form . the indentations 110 can cause low optical efficiencies of the ssl structure 101 when the microelectronic substrate 100 is processed in accordance with conventional techniques . for example , as shown in fig2 b , a conductive material 112 ( e . g ., silver ) is formed on the second semiconductor material 108 as an electrical contact in accordance with conventional techniques . the conductive material 112 includes a first portion 112 a on the surface 108 a of the second semiconductor material 108 and a second portion 112 b in contact with the first semiconductor material 104 . thus , the second portion 112 b of the conductive material 112 forms carrier passages 113 electrically connecting the first and second semiconductor materials 104 and 108 . as a result , charge carriers ( i . e ., holes and electrons ) from the first and second semiconductor materials 104 and 108 may bypass the active region 106 and combine non - radiatively in the carrier passages 113 . such non - radiative recombination can thus cause low optical efficiencies in the ssl structure 101 . several embodiments of the process can at least reduce or eliminate the risk of forming bypassing carrier passages 113 by incorporating an insulation material in the ssl structure 101 . as shown in fig2 c , another operation of the process includes depositing an insulating material 118 on the ssl structure 101 . the insulating material 118 can include a first insulating portion 118 a on the surface 108 a of the second semiconductor material 108 and a second insulating portion 118 b in the indentations 110 . in the illustrated embodiment , the insulating material 118 generally conforms to the surface 108 a and the sidewalls 111 of the indentations 110 . in other embodiments , the insulating material 118 can partially or substantially fill the indentations 110 , as described in more detail later with reference to fig2 f . the insulating material 118 can include silicon dioxide ( sio 2 ), silicon nitride ( sin ), hafnium silicate ( hfsio 4 ), zirconium silicate ( zrsio 4 ), hafnium dioxide ( hfo 2 ), zirconium dioxide ( zro 2 ), aluminum oxide ( al 2 o 3 ), and / or other suitable materials with a dielectric constant higher than about 1 . 0 at 20 ° c . under 1 khz . techniques for forming the insulating material 118 can include chemical vapor deposition (“ cvd ”), atomic layer deposition (“ ald ”), spin - on coating , thermal oxidation , and / or other suitable techniques . fig2 d shows another operation of the process , in which the first insulating portion 118 a ( fig2 c ) of the insulating material 118 is removed from the ssl structure 101 while the second insulating portion 118 b remains in the indentations 110 . as a result , the insulating material 118 does not cover the surface 108 a of the second semiconductor material 108 . in one embodiment , removal of the first insulating portion 118 a is stopped when the surface 108 a of the second semiconductor material 108 is exposed . in other embodiments , at least a portion of the second semiconductor material 108 may be removed beyond the surface 108 a . techniques for removing the first insulating portion 118 a of the insulating material 118 include chemical - mechanical polishing (“ cmp ”), electro - chemical - mechanical polishing (“ ecmp ”), wet etching , drying etching , laser ablation , and / or other suitable material removal techniques . fig2 e shows a subsequent operation of the process , in which a conductive material 120 is formed on the ssl structure 101 with the insulating material 118 . as shown in fig2 e , the conductive material 120 includes a first conductive portion 120 a and a second conductive portion 120 b . the first conductive portion 120 a is in contact with the surface 108 a of the second semiconductor material 108 forming an electrical contact for the ssl structure 101 . the second conductive portion 120 b is within the indentations 110 and in contact with the second insulating portion 118 b . in certain embodiments , the conductive material 120 can include indium tin oxide (“ ito ”), aluminum zinc oxide (“ azo ”), fluorine - doped tin oxide (“ fto ”), and / or other suitable transparent conductive oxide (“ tcos ”). in other embodiments , the conductive material 120 can include copper ( cu ), aluminum ( al ), silver ( ag ), gold ( au ), platinum ( pt ), and / or other suitable metals . in further embodiments , the conductive material 120 can include a combination of tcos and one or more metals . techniques for forming the conductive material 120 can include mocvd , mbt , spray pyrolysis , pulsed laser deposition , sputtering , electroplating , and / or other suitable deposition techniques . the ssl device formed in accordance with several embodiments of the foregoing process can have improved optical efficiencies over conventional devices by eliminating bypassing carrier passages 113 ( fig2 b ). for example , as shown in fig2 e , the second insulating portion 118 b electrically insulates the second conductive portion 120 b from the active region 106 the first semiconductor material 104 . the second insulating portion 118 b can thus prevent the second conductive portion 120 b from forming carrier passages that would otherwise bypass the active region 106 by directly connecting the first and second semiconductor materials 104 and 108 . as a result , non - radiative recombination of charge carriers ( i . e ., holes and electrons ) in bypassing carrier passages can be at least reduced or generally eliminated in the ssl structure 101 . even though the insulating material 118 is shown as generally conformal to the ssl structure 101 in fig2 c - 2e , in certain embodiments , the insulating material 118 can also have other configurations . for example , as shown in fig2 f , the second portion 118 b of the insulating material 118 can substantially or completely fill the indentations 110 , the second portion 118 b of the insulating material 118 can even extend beyond the surface 108 a of the second semiconductor material 108 . subsequently , portions of the insulating material 118 that extend beyond the surface 108 a may be removed via cmp , ecmp , and / or other suitable techniques . thus , the second insulating portion 118 b can be generally coplanar with the surface 108 a of the second semiconductor material 108 . in other examples , the insulating material 118 can partially fill the indentations 110 and / or have other suitable configurations . in further examples , the insulating material 118 may be formed before forming the second semiconductor material 108 , as described in more detail below with reference to fig3 a - 3e . fig3 a - 3e are cross - sectional views of a portion of a microelectronic substrate 100 undergoing another process for forming an ssl device in accordance with additional embodiments of the technology . as shown in fig3 a , an initial operation of the process can include forming a first semiconductor material 104 and an active region 106 on a substrate material 102 ( with an optional buffer material 103 ) via mocvd , mbe , lpe , hvpe , and / or other suitable epitaxial growth techniques . the active region 106 has a surface 106 a facing away from the first semiconductor material 104 . as described above with reference to fig2 a , it is believed that various structural and / or operational conditions may cause the formation of indentations 210 ( three are shown for illustration purposes ) during epitaxial growth , as shown in fig3 a . in the illustrated embodiment , the indentations 210 have a plurality of sidewalls 211 extending from the surface 106 a of the active region 106 into the first semiconductor material 104 . in other embodiments , at least some of the indentations 210 can also have sidewalls extending into the optional buffer material 103 and / or the substrate material 102 . as shown in fig3 b , another operation of the process includes depositing the insulating material 118 on the microelectronic substrate 100 such that the first insulating portion 118 a is on the surface 106 a of the active region 106 and the second insulating portion 118 b is in the indentations 210 . as shown in fig3 c , the process can further include removing the first insulating portion 118 a ( fig3 b ) of the insulating material 118 from the microelectronic substrate 100 in a fashion generally similar to that described above with reference to fig2 d . the material removal operation may be stopped when the surface 106 a of the active region 106 is exposed while the second insulating portion 118 b remains in the indentations 210 . as shown in fig3 d , a subsequent operation of the process includes forming the second semiconductor material 108 on the microelectronic substrate 100 via mocvd , mbe , lpe , hvpe , and / or other suitable epitaxial growth techniques . the first semiconductor material 104 , the active region 106 , and the second semiconductor material 108 form a different embodiment of the ssl structure 101 . in one embodiment , the second semiconductor material 108 may grow into the indentations 210 via a combination of lateral and vertical growth . thus , the second semiconductor material 108 includes a first semiconductor portion 108 a on the surface 106 a of the active region 106 and a second semiconductor portion 108 b in the indentations 210 . in other embodiments , the indentations 210 may be filled with a filler material ( e . g ., aln , not shown ) before the second semiconductor material 108 is formed . in further embodiments , the second semiconductor material 108 may have other suitable configurations . in any of the foregoing embodiments , the second insulating portion 118 b of the insulating material 118 electrically insulates the second semiconductor material 108 from the first semiconductor material 104 and the active region 106 . in the illustrated embodiment , the second semiconductor material 108 has a generally planar surface 108 a facing away from the active region 106 . as shown in fig3 e , another operation of the process can include forming a conductive material 120 on the generally planar surface 108 a for electrical connection to the second semiconductor material 108 . in other embodiments , the second semiconductor material 108 can also have a non - planar surface ( not shown ) and / or have other suitable structural configurations . fig3 f shows another embodiment of the process in which the second insulating portion 118 b of the insulating material 118 can substantially fill the indentations 210 , which can be generally similar to the operation described above with reference to fig2 e . in the illustrated embodiment , the insulating material 118 is generally coplanar with the surface 106 a of the active region 106 . in other embodiments , the insulating material 118 can be non - planar with the surface 106 a and / or have other suitable configurations . from the foregoing , it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration , but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the disclosure . many of the elements of one embodiment may be combined with other embodiments in addition to or in lieu of the elements of the other embodiments . accordingly , the disclosure is not limited except as by the appended claims . | 7 |
fig1 shows an rf mixer 10 constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . rf signals are applied to the rf mixer 10 at the rf input 1 . in this example , the rf signals applied to the rf input 1 range in frequency from dc to 1 . 5 ghz . an lo signal is applied by a local oscillator ( lo ) to a lo port 2 of the rf mixer 10 . the lo signal is adjusted in frequency over a frequency range from 2 . 4 ghz to 3 . 9 ghz , so that the frequency difference between the lo signal and the rf signal is 2 . 4 ghz . the frequency difference signal , or intermediate frequency ( if ) signal , produced by the rf mixer 10 from the rf and lo signals has a frequency of 2 . 4 ghz and is supplied by the rf mixer 10 at an if port 9 . alternatively , another mixing product produced by the rf mixer 10 , such as a frequency sum signal of the lo signal and rf signal provides the if signal at the if port 9 . the rf signal and lo signal couple through coupled transmission line sections 6a and 6b so that the rf signal and lo signal are superimposed and are both present at the junction node 7 positioned between mixer diodes d1 and d2 . the impedance z in looking back from junction node 7 toward the rf input 1 is matched to the system &# 39 ; s 50 ohm characteristic impedance over a broad frequency range encompassing the lo signal frequency range of 2 . 4 - 3 . 9 ghz and the frequency range of the lo signal &# 39 ; s harmonics generated by mixing diodes d1 and d2 . the impedance z in may be matched using an attenuator 3 or other known impedance matching structure . as a result of the matched impedance z in , reflections of the lo signal and its harmonics between the rf input 1 and the junction node 7 are minimized . typically , the power of the lo signal is sufficient to form current conduction waveforms in each diode d1 and d2 that approximate a square wave . the square wave rapidly traverses between an &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; or non - conducting state and an &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; or conducting state of each of the diodes d1 and d2 , significantly reducing distortion caused by nonlinear impedance variations of diodes d1 and d2 when the diodes operate at low current levels . the lo signal drives diode d1 to the conducting ( low resistance ) state , while diode d2 is in the non - conducting ( high resistance ) state and alternately drives diode d2 to the conducting state while diode d1 is in the non - conducting state . the matched impedance z in prevents harmonics of the lo signals present in the square wave from reflecting from the impedance z in and combining with the applied lo signals at various amplitudes and phases to distort the current conduction waveform of diodes d1 and d2 . thus , the matched impedance z in reduces distortion in the rf mixer 10 . the transmission line 6a connects to two signal branches of the rf mixer 10 at the junction node 7 . in the first branch , diode d1 connects between the junction node 7 and a transmission line tl1 . transmission line tl1 connects in series between diode d1 and terminating resistor r1 . r1 also connects to ground g . a second branch , similar to the first branch includes diode d2 , transmission line tl2 and terminating resistor r2 , and connects to junction node 7 in parallel with the first branch . diodes d1 and d2 have matched resistances in the conducting state and other matched performance parameters that balance signals in each of the two signal branches of the rf mixer 10 . diodes d1 and d2 connect to junction node 7 in opposite polarity and alternately conduct , depending on the polarity of the waveform of the lo signal present at the junction node 7 . when either diode is in the conducting state , the impedance at junction node 7 is nominally 40 ohms , equal to the sum of one terminating resistor r1 or r2 , depending on whether diode d1 or d2 is conducting , and the diode resistance in the conducting state , which in this case is approximately 20 ohms . in this example , the transmission lines tl1 and tl2 are each 1 / 20th of a wavelength long at the if frequency ( 2 . 4 ghz ) and each have a characteristic impedance of 20 ohms . even harmonics generated by the alternate conduction of diodes d1 and d2 circulate in transmission lines tl1 and tl2 and are terminated in resistors r1 and r2 . conversion efficiency , which is the ratio of the if signal power at the if port 9 to the rf power applied to the rf port 1 , generally decreases as the values of r1 and r2 increase while distortion performance generally improves as r1 and r2 increase . a value of 20 ohms for resistors r1 and r2 provides the desired trade - off between distortion performance and conversion efficiency for the rf mixer 10 in rf spectrum analyzer applications . conversion efficiency may be improved at the expense of distortion performance , by decreasing the value of resistors r1 and r2 or by replacing resistors r1 and r2 with short circuit connections to ground g . the length and characteristic impedance of transmission lines tl1 and tl2 may also be adjusted . a dumbbell resonator 11 couples the signals at the fixed if frequency ( 2 . 4 ghz in this example ) from the short transmission line segments tl1 and tl2 to the output transmission line tl3 . the output transmission line tl3 provides the if signal at the rf mixer 10 &# 39 ; s if port 9 . in the absence of the dumbbell resonator 11 , the physically short transmission lines tl1 and tl2 provide insufficient coupling to the output transmission line tl3 at the if port 9 . in this example , the dumbbell resonator 11 and the output transmission line tl3 are printed on an internal layer of a four - layer printed circuit ( pc ) board . the transmission lines tl1 and tl2 are printed on a top external layer of the pc board , and a ground plane is formed on the bottom external layer of the pc board . the dumbbell resonator 11 has a high impedance line 13 that is centered about the junction node 7 and transmission lines tl1 and tl2 . at each end of the high impedance line 13 is a low impedance transmission line 15 . the resulting dumbbell resonator 11 provides efficient coupling of if signals to the output transmission line tl3 while reducing coupling of signals beyond the frequency range of the if signal and suppressing the coupling of unwanted mixing products and lo signal harmonics outside of the if signal &# 39 ; s frequency range . the length of the dumbbell resonator 11 may be empirically determined to selectively couple signals at the if frequency to the if port 9 . depending on the desired coupling characteristics , the low impedance transmission lines 15 may be omitted , forming the dumbbell resonator 11 simply from the high impedance transmission line 13 as shown in fig2 a . alternatively , shunt capacitors c shown in fig2 b are connected between each end of the dumbbell resonator 11 and the ground g to change the physical size and frequency selectivity of the dumbbell resonator 11 . the transmission lines tl1 and tl2 are each parallel to a portion of the high impedance line 13 of the dumbbell resonator 11 . the output transmission line tl3 is also parallel to the high impedance line 13 and provides an if signal at the if port 9 of the rf mixer 10 . the transmission lines tl1 and tl2 and the output transmission line tl3 in this example are formed by printing a conductor over a planar ground g . according to an alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in fig3 a pair of output transmission lines 23a , 23b connect to ground . adjacent or opposite ends of each transmission line 23a , 23b provide a pair of if signals at if ports 19a and 19b , that have equal amplitudes and opposite phases . adjacent ends of output transmission lines 23a , 23b are shown connected to ground g . these two if signals provide an &# 34 ; in phase &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; out - of - phase &# 34 ; signal that may be used to drive other circuitry within an rf spectrum analyzer or other system . | 7 |
we have now unexpectedly discovered that under certain conditions thiophene can be directly acylated to give thiophenecarbonyl chloride ( thenoyl chloride ) in good yields . the reaction is run using substantially equimolar quantities of thiophene , phosgene and aluminum chloride . the critical aluminum chloride catalyst however may be used in excess without lowering yields such as in 5 - 10 % excess . a common organic solvent is used which is chemically inert to the reactants , which is of a polarity that the phosgenealuminum chloride acylation complex ( see g . olah above ) is maintained intact and which is liquid at the temperature of the reaction . such solvents may be selected from the common halogenated solvents for example chloroform , carbon tetrachloride , methylene chloride , tetrachloroethylene , toluene , nitrobenzene , chlorobenzene , dichlorobenzene , o - xylene , cymene , carbon disulfide , dimethylsulfoxide or liquid phosgene . mixtures of the common organic solvents mentioned may also be used . the temperature of the reaction has been found to be critical to obtaining a favorable ratio of acid chloride to ketone . normally the temperature is selected from the range of about 0 ° c . down to just above the freezing point of the reaction mixture . advantageously a temperature is selected from about - 15 ° to - 25 ° c . some acid chloride is obtained at higher temperatures such as at room temperature but the tendency of the acid chloride to react with thiophene to form thiophene ketone makes the reaction less attractive at relatively high temperatures . the reaction occurs as soon as the thiophene is contacted with the catalyst - phosgene mixture . the reaction mixture is therefore worked up so that continued contact is minimal . another factor which we have found that should be controlled to insure a high yield of the desired thiophenecarbonyl chloride is the state of concentration of the reactants , especially the thiophene , in the solvent . higher concentrations of thiophene yield higher quantities of the ketone by - product . in practice we have found that from 5 - 10 % of the thiophene per reaction mixture gives good yields . substantially more of the thiophene increases the ratio of ketone . for example 15 - 20 % of thiophene gives relatively more ketone . because of the easy , almost instantaneous , reaction of the ingredients , the temperature effect and the dilution factor , the process of this invention may advantageously be carried out in a continuous stream reaction or a flow through reactor although we have not to date so carried out the reaction in this manner . the lewis acid catalyst , aluminum chloride , has also proved to be specific to date in our hands . zinc chloride , titanium tetrachloride , boron trifluoride etherate , stannic chloride , iodine and no catalyst gave little acid chloride . ferric chloride at 3 hours and - 20 ° c . gave some product . any convenient isolation procedure well known in the art can be used to isolate the desired thiophene carbonyl chloride . we have found that the use of neutral , basic or weakly aqueous media tends to yield undesirable proportions of thiophenecarboxylic acid . strongly acid media such as 25 % hydrochloric acid or various aqueous acid solutions of ph & lt ; 1 are therefore advantageously used in the work - up procedure . alternatively the product can be used in situ by methods known to the art . the following are intended to exemplify this invention and to describe the best method known at this time for carrying out this invention . all temperature are on the centigrade scale . a solution of 0 . 01 mole ( 990 mg ) of phosgene in 16 ml of methylene chloride was cooled in dry ice / carbon tetrachloride to - 20 °. to this was added 1 . 34 g ( 0 . 01 mole ) of anhydrous aluminum chloride to form a grey slurry . a solution of 0 . 8 ml ( 0 . 01 mole ) of thiophene in 8 ml of methylene chloride was slowly added ( addn time ˜ 20 min ). immediately after the addition the mixture was poured into iced 25 % hydrochloric acid with stirring , the color changed from red to yellow and the organic phase was separated . the aqueous acid was extracted twice with methylene chloride and the organic phases combined then dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate . gas liquid chromatography ( on a 6 &# 39 ; column of 3 % dimethylsilicone packing ( ov - 101 ) initial temp 70 ° final temp 200 ° programmed at 10 °/ min ) shows little or no thiophene and 96 to 100 % acid chloride ( less than 5 % of ketone ). the acid chloride may be distilled at 85 ° c . at aspirator pressure to give water white liquid analyzed to contain no 3 - isomer ( 99 . 8 % acid chloride ). these catalysts were also tried on same scale under same reaction conditions . no reaction occurred . with equimolar amounts of fecl 3 after 3 hours at - 20 ° c . a small amount of product was detected by gas liquid chromatography . | 2 |
referring to fig1 and 2 , a dispenser pack is designed to hold toothpaste in the internal space 8 of a container 1 . in this embodiment the container consists of a collapsible impermeable bag 1 enclosed by a rigid plastic shell 1 ′ with a hole 11 through its base . this is a known mode of containment for viscous products sensitive to air ; the bag 1 collapses gradually as product is dispensed while the outer shell 1 ′ protects and supports it . a pumping arrangement is secured at the top of the container 1 , consisting essentially of an elastomeric discharge tube unit 3 secured over the opening of the container 1 , and a housing body 2 which locates and supports the tube unit 3 in relation to the container shell 1 ′ and a movable actuating button 5 mounted beside the tube unit 3 . the tube unit 3 is shown in isolation in fig6 . it is a one piece elastomeric moulding , e . g . of rubber or thermoplastic elastomer , and has a cylindrical side wall 32 which is tilted away from the upright axis of the dispensing package . the top of the tube converges to a so - called duckbill valve 33 , constituted by opposed convergent faces 35 leading to a linear outlet slit 36 . in a known manner , this readily opens to allow paste to pass out ( arrow a , fig2 ), but any negative pressure behind the outlet acts , in concert with the material &# 39 ; s resilience , to pull the slit 36 firmly shut and make an airtight seal . the base of the cylindrical tube 32 flares out as an integral annular cap 34 having a peripheral upwardly - opening u - channel 35 . in the assembled pack ( see fig1 ) this fits down inside a thickened locating rim 13 of the collapsible bag 1 , which in turn fits in a locating groove 12 at the top of the container shell 1 ′. the lower edge of the body shroud 2 has an annular projection 21 which fits down into the u - channel 35 to lock the assembly together , in combination with a snap engagement between shroud 2 and shell 1 ′. this forms a sealed , open communication between the container interior 8 and the cylindrical discharge channel 31 in the elastomeric tube 32 , closed at the top end by the slit valve 33 . the body 2 provides a shroud or casing with an eccentric top opening 23 through which the convergent tip of the elastomer tube projects . the body 2 also provides an inclined interior abutment 26 against which one side of the tube 32 rests . opposite that abutment the housing or body 2 has a side opening 24 which exposes the actuating surface 51 of the actuating element 5 . looking at fig1 in conjunction with fig5 the actuating element 5 is a one - piece plastic unit , mounted pivotingly through studs 52 to either side of the nozzle unit ( see also fig8 , showing clips 15 to receive the studs 52 pivotably ). the element s can then be pivoted by pressing on its actuating surface 51 between the positions shown in fig1 and 2 . the operating ( front ) surface of the element 5 features two downwardly - dependent limbs 54 , 57 one behind the other . the front limb 54 presents a generally flat engagement surface 55 . the rear limb 57 projects to below the bottom edge of the front limb 54 and carries a forwardly - projecting flange 53 . the limbs 54 , 57 are resiliently flexible relative to one another and to the actuating surface 51 . in the rest condition ( fig1 ) the dimensions of the element and the positioning of the pivots 52 , 15 are such that the forwardly - projecting flange 53 indents a lower part of the elastomeric tube wall 32 as seen in fig1 . however the tube channel 31 remains substantially open at this region , and most of the tube interior 31 above is fully open . as the actuator 5 is pushed forwardly , towards the position of fig2 , an initial event is further indentation of the lower part of the tube 32 by the projecting flange 53 . assuming an initial condition with the container and nozzle channel 31 full of paste , the effect of this is to tend to block off the escape route from the discharge channel 31 back into the container space 8 . as the button 5 is further advanced , the extent of this blockage increases and at the same time , the front engaging surface 55 of the front limb 57 swings into progressive and compressive engagement with the tube wall 32 ; the opposing abutment 26 reacts to these forces so that the internal discharge channel 31 is gradually compressed and the nozzle tip 33 keeps its position . the flattening of the channel 31 expels paste from the nozzle tip ( arrow a in fig2 ) until the button 5 reaches the limit of its stroke . during the stroke the force against the end of forward flange 53 causes its supporting limb 57 to deflect back relative to the surrounding parts of the element 5 . this flexibility avoids excessive forces being applied against the tube wall and hindering the movement of the button . when the button is released , the resilient re - expansion of the tube wall 32 pushes the button back to its start position and generates a negative pressure which draws paste material up into the nozzle space 31 from the container space 8 , the bag 1 collapsing slightly to compensate and venting air entering the intermediate space between bag 1 and shell 1 ′ through vent hole 11 . this dispensing action has a number of advantages , in particular the avoidance of any discrete springs or metal parts in the product path , the absence of discrete valve components , but nevertheless a positive pumping action from the valve effect of the flange 53 . fig3 and 4 show some variants , in which the pumping action is the same as in the first embodiment . in the fig3 embodiment the cylindrical elastomeric tube 32 and its duckbill valve 33 are the same as before , but the lower end stops short instead of flaring to form a cap . the container is a rigid plastics container 101 with a sliding follower piston 102 having a sealing lip 103 forming a movable base . the top of the container is closed by a flat top wall 104 having an oblique spigot 105 onto which the bottom end of the cylindrical elastomer tube 32 fits tightly . in this embodiment an abutment structure 126 to support the tube 32 is formed as integral upward projections from the container roof 104 ; see also fig8 which shows this embodiment . the clips 15 for the pivoting button can be formed also on the roof 104 , whereas for the first embodiment they would project in from the skirt of the housing 2 . note from fig8 that the abutment 126 need not provide an extended surface to support the tube 32 adequately . here , three edge engagements suffice . note also from fig3 that the follower plate has a downwardly - flaring sealing lip 103 which allows minor quantities of trapped air to escape during filling of the pack . fig4 ( a ) shows the top of the fig3 dispenser at the end of the dispensing stroke . the action is the same as in the first embodiment , except that the tube 32 needs to deform across the top of the spigot 105 . in this embodiment the casing 2 is primarily to support the rubber nozzle 33 , and for aesthetic purposes . fig4 ( b ) shows an alternative follower plate construction where the follower plate sealing lips 203 will not allow trapped air to escape and a central vent 205 is provided instead . fig7 shows an alternative construction of the discharge tube 132 , adapted for dispensing a larger volume without increasing the stroke of the actuating element 5 . this is done by making the cross - section of the tube 133 generally oblong , with a larger dimension w transverse to the stroke and a smaller dimension d along the stroke . the nozzle outlet is the same size as before , however . fig9 and 10 show a further embodiment in which , instead of a swinging button 5 acting against a fixed abutment 26 , the dispenser provides a pair of similar pivoted buttons 5 to either side of the discharge tube 32 to act counter to one another . here , the tube 32 is upright ( axial to the container ) and the buttons 5 are identical . such a construction may enable a greater relative displacement of the tube wall by the lower flanges ( a more positive inlet valve function ) and also a more progressive urging of material along the tube channel 31 in the downstream direction as the elements 5 swing together . the body casing 2 has a pair of corresponding openings 24 to expose the two buttons 5 . fig1 and 12 show a further variant . here the compressible rubber discharge tube 232 is fitted on a top spigot 205 of a screw cap 206 which can be freely transferred from one container to another , e . g . a conventional toothpaste tube . this embodiment features an indirect drive mechanism for the actuating elements 215 . a surrounding casing 202 has an upper pivot 71 at which a pair of opposed actuating levers 7 are pivoted so that they can be swung between the raised and lowered positions seen in fig1 , 12 . a common lower pivot 215 mounts the bottom ends of a pair of opposed actuating elements 215 , each having an inwardly bent supporting arm 256 and a medial forwardly - projecting portion 255 adapted to press the respective side of the tube 232 . the initial inclination of the actuating portions 255 brings their lower ends 253 into engagement initially with the lower part of the tube 232 to provide an inlet valve effect by partial blockage at the lower end . the upper ends of the support elements 256 enter recesses in the undersides of the operating levers 7 and are retained there in slide tracks 72 for the necessary freedom of action . the lever mechanism gives a significant mechanical advantage , making this suitable for use by children . fig1 , 14 and 15 show a further embodiment , in which the pumping mechanism is different from the previous embodiments . the tube 3 , with deformable wall 332 and duckbill valve 333 , is the same as before , except the lower end has an annular projection 336 . the tube 3 fits tightly over an inner spigot 61 of a container cap 6 , with the annular projection 336 of the tube 3 abutting against a flat top portion 62 of the container cap 6 . the cap has sidewall 63 with horizontal portions 64 for locating between a rigid container shell 201 ′ and the housing body 2 . the inner spigot 61 has an inner screw thread 65 , dimensioned such as to allow the container cap 6 to directly replace the cap of a squeeze container containing paste or gel , e . g . a conventional toothpaste tube . fig1 shows the arrangement with a toothpaste tube 201 in place . the one - piece movable actuator element 5 of the previous embodiments , with two downwardly dependent limbs 54 , 57 , is replaced with a laterally movable button 80 and leaf spring 81 . the leaf spring 81 has a forwardly projecting flange 83 , for indenting the lower part of the deformable tube wall 332 , acting as a blocking portion . situated above this flange 83 is a flat vertical portion 85 , for compressing the tube and expelling flowable product through the duckbill valve 333 . a horizontal top portion 84 of the leaf spring 81 is slottedly located between two closely spaced projections 801 of the inner wall of the actuating button 80 . fig1 and 17 show a further embodiment , in which the pumping action is different again from the previous embodiments . the dispenser structure is mounted on a container having a follower piston 302 . when the tube is compressed by actuating a compression member 405 , if the force required to open the duckbill valve 433 is less than the force required to push the follower piston 302 backwards , product will be dispensed through the duckbill opening 436 . a specific or discrete blocking portion or inlet valve at the inlet end of the tube 3 is therefore not necessary . fig1 and 19 show further embodiments , in which the tube 3 is formed from a two - shot moulding process and has portions of deformable material x and portions of rigid material y . the tube comprises a deformable wall 532 of deformable material x . an actuator member 9 , 9 ′ is disposed behind the deformable wall 532 , for deforming it in a similar manner to that described in the previous embodiments of the invention . a ring - shaped elastomeric member 538 with central hole 5381 , and a resiliently biased rigid valve member 539 covering the hole 5381 , combine to provide an outlet valve to the tube 3 . a duckbill valve as used in previously described embodiments could instead be provided at the outlet end , although it is understood that various other types of outlet valve are acceptable . the remaining parts of the tube 3 , including the flare 534 at the base of the tube 3 , are of rigid material y . using a two - shot moulding process to produce a tube of this kind is substantially cheaper than producing an entirely elastomeric tube , as elastomeric injection form materials tend to be rather expensive . fig1 and 19 also show variations in construction of the movable actuator element 9 , 9 ′ for providing lateral deformation of the deformable wall 532 of the tube 3 . in both examples the pivot point 92 , 92 ′ of the actuator element is adjacent the outlet end of the tube 3 , unlike the embodiments described previously ( e . g . fig5 ( c )). a blocking portion 93 , 93 ′ is provided at the bottom of the actuator element for indenting the inlet end of the deformable wall 532 of the tube 3 , thus acting as an inlet valve . fig1 shows a blocking portion 93 projecting from a flexible semicircular portion 931 of the actuator element 9 . the flexibility avoids , in use , excessive forces being applied against the tube wall and hindering full movement of the actuator element . fig1 shows the blocking portion 93 ′ projecting from a flexible tube portion 931 ′; a variation to the semicircular region 93 described above . the actuator elements of fig1 and 19 have different structures . fig1 shows an actuator element 9 with an arcuate compression portion 95 that , as it rotates around the pivot point 92 , pushes a flexible projection 94 that extends from the rigid flare 534 at the base of the tube 3 such that its flat front facet 96 lies against the deformable wall 532 of the tube 3 . such a construction enables a progressive urging of material in the downstream direction . the actuator element shown in fig1 comprises , as a compression portion , a flexible limb 95 ′ extending upwardly from an upstream region , with a flat front facet 96 ′ for engagement with the deformable wall 532 of the tube 3 as the actuator element rotates around the pivot point 92 ′. such a construction again enables a progressive urging of material in the downstream direction . | 1 |
schematically depicted in fig1 is a pumpless water heater heating system 10 that embodies principles of the present invention and includes an instantaneous gas water heater ( igwh ) 12 having a burner section 14 supplied with gaseous fuel via a gas supply line 16 , and a storage type water heater ( swh ) 18 having a water storage tank 20 with electric heating elements 22 extending into the interior of tank 20 . igwh 12 has a water inlet 24 , and a water outlet 26 , and tank 20 has a water inlet 28 and a water outlet 30 . a water line 34 is interconnected between the igwh inlet 24 and the tank inlet 28 , and a water line 38 is interconnected between the igwh outlet 26 and the tank inlet 28 and extends from the tank inlet 28 downwardly through the interior of the tank 20 to a bottom portion thereof . valve 36 is operatively connected as shown in the water line 34 . valve 36 is a bypass valve controllable to allow a selectively variable flow or an orifice to allow a fixed amount of incoming cold water therethrough via the line 34 in the direction of the arrows in line 34 . a cold water inlet line 32 ( through which incoming cold water is flowed to the system ) is connected as shown in the line 34 between the igwh inlet 24 and the valve 36 as shown . during a demand for hot water supply from the system 10 , pressurized hot water at temperature t tank is discharged from the tank outlet 30 to the open fixture ( s ) served by line 42 while at the same time pressurized cold water , at temperature t cold , from a source , is flowed through line 32 into the segment of the line 34 between the igwh outlet 26 and the bypass valve 36 . a portion of this incoming pressurized cold water is flowed into the through igwh 12 and discharged therefrom , into the line 38 , as heated water , at temperature t hot . the balance of the incoming pressurized cold water bypasses igwh 12 and flows through the valve 36 into the line 34 where it mixes with line 38 to become t mix , which flows into the interior of the tank 20 via line 40 . as needed ( for example during standby periods of the system 10 ), the electric heating elements 22 may be energized to maintain t tank at an appropriate level . it is important to note that the unique use of the cold water bypass valve 36 in the overall interconnecting flow circuitry of the system 10 advantageously permits full flow from tank 20 while allowing a constant volume of t mix into the tank inlet 28 . the selective bypassing of cold inlet water around igwh 12 helps reduce pressure loss and limited flow in the heat exchanger portion of igwh 12 . the bypass ratio of valve 36 may be fixed or adjustable with respect to the outlet temperature t hot . as previously mentioned herein , system 10 efficiently functions without the expense of a pump and its associated recirculation piping ( although such a pump and associated recirculation piping could be appropriately added to the system if desired ). instead , the “ driving ” force selectively flowing the tempered water to the plumbing fixture ( s ) via pipe 42 is simply the pressure of the cold water source coupled to the pipe 40 . additionally , the combination system 10 is provided with improved hot water supply from tank 18 due to the provision of the cold water bypass valve 36 in the piping circuitry interconnecting igwh 12 and swh 18 . an alternate embodiment 10 a of the previously described pumpless water heating system 10 is schematically depicted in fig2 . system 10 a is identical to system 10 with the exceptions that ( 1 ) valve 36 is replaced with a mixing valve , representatively a thermostatically controlled mixing valve 46 . . the mixing valve 46 allows cold water from line 32 to bypass igwh 12 and mix with t mix from line 38 and flow into tank 20 as t mix through line 40 . this feature provides for substantially improved temperature control of t mix by providing a controlled mix of t cold from line 32 and t hot discharged from igwh 12 . an alternate embodiment 10 b of the previously described pumpless water heating system 10 is schematically depicted in fig3 . system 10 b is identical to system 10 with the exceptions that valve 36 is replaced with a thermal switch ( ie “ aquastat ) 48 and a normally closed solenoid valve 50 . the thermal switch 48 allows cold water from line 32 to bypass igwh 12 and mix with t hot from line 38 and flow into tank 20 as t mix through line 40 . this feature allows for better utilization of the igwh 12 during low usage ( flow ) periods by eliminating unnecessary amounts of t cold into tank 20 . during high usage ( flow ) periods , t hot from igwh 12 will decrease below the set temperature of thermal switch 48 thus activating solenoid 50 to provide a greater volume of t mix into tank 20 . an alternate embodiment 10 c of the previously described pumpless water heating system 10 is schematically depicted in fig4 . system 10 c is identical to system 10 b with the exceptions that thermal switch 48 is replaced with a flow sensor 52 and a relay 54 . the flow sensor 52 sends a signal to relay 54 when a predetermined amount of flow is passing through igwh 12 to activate solenoid valve 50 . flow sensor 52 can be integral to igwh 12 or installed in lines 32 , 38 , or 40 . this feature allows for an alternate means to detect heavy usage ( flow ) periods based on flow conditions rather than temperature conditions . as previously mentioned in alternate embodiment 10 b , solenoid 50 will only activate during high usage ( flow ) periods in order to make best utilization of igwh 12 . an alternate embodiment 10 d of the previously described pumpless water heating system 10 is schematically depicted in fig5 . system 10 c is identical to system 10 b with the exceptions that thermal switch 48 is replaced with flow switch 56 . the flow switch 56 sends a signal to solenoid valve 50 when a predetermined amount of flow is passing through line 32 . this feature allows for a direct signal to solenoid 50 without the use of additional electronics as describe in alternate embodiment 10 c . as previously mentioned in alternate embodiment 10 b , solenoid 50 will only activate during high usage ( flow ) periods in order to make best utilization of igwh 12 . in any of alternate embodiments 10 a , 10 b , 10 c and 10 d , valve 36 as shown in fig1 could be added to line 32 to provide a fixed amount of the incoming fluid to bypass igwh 12 . as can be readily seen from the foregoing , the representatively illustrated embodiments 10 , 10 a , 10 b , 10 c , 10 d of the pumpless water heater system of the present invention , compared to conventional combination instantaneous / tank type water heater systems , provide improved water temperature and flow rate control , while at the same time eliminating the complexity and cost of an associated mechanical pumping system . while the pumpless systems 10 , 10 a , 10 b , 10 c , 10 d illustrated and described herein are representatively water heating systems , principles of the present invention are not limited to water heating but could be alternatively employed to advantage in conjunction with supply systems for other types of fluids . additionally , while as previously mentioned herein the systems 10 , 10 a , 10 b , 10 c , 10 d are representatively of pumpless configurations , various types of pumps and associated recirculation systems could be appropriately incorporated therein if desired . in yet a further alternative embodiment , the flow circuitry described herein may be disposed within a self - contained unit that can be operably integrated such that an instantaneous fluid heater could be connected to any fluid storage vessel . the foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as being given by way of illustration and example only , the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited solely by the appended claims . | 8 |
the following description relates to an example of the present invention where the stapling unit takes the form of a well - known saddle stitcher , i . e . an apparatus in which two stapling heads provided in a stapling station apply two staples from below along a central line of the sheet stack and at a distance from the sheet edges . when the sheet stack has been stapled it is moved out of the stapling station and folded about said central line which includes the staples to form a booklet which is moved downwards through a nip between withdrawal rollers . accordingly , the stapling heads are located below the sheet stack to be stapled while the anvils cooperating with said heads are arranged above said sheet stack . of a stapling device of this type , the drawing only shows one stapling head , generally denoted 1 , of a stapling station including two stapling heads of which one is located in a fixed position relative to the edges of the sheets to be stapled and the other is adjustable so that different sizes or formats of sheets can be handled . analogously the drawing only shows a partial longitudinal view of an anvil base 3 which is designed as a c - shaped profiled bar and to the lower surface of which a single anvil 5 is secured which is adapted for cooperation with stapling head 1 . the anvil base 3 extends horizontally and in the adjustment direction of the stapling head , whose position can be adjusted to suit different sheet sizes or formats , and comprises , in addition to the anvil 5 illustrated , a number of further anvils which are each aligned to a corresponding stapling position in which they cooperate with a stapling head during a stapling operation . stapling head 1 has a stapling gap or staples ejection opening 7 which terminates at the upper surface thereof opposite anvil 5 and includes between its two edges a widened section 11 through which a staple can be ejected during the stapling operation . the stapling gap 7 takes the form of an elongate slot whose uninterrupted edge is formed at one longer side and two smaller sides by a metal plate 9 of the housing which is welded to the body of the stapling head that forms the edge of the slot on the second longer side . the length and width of the widened section 11 are adapted to the corresponding dimensions of the staple to be ejected . anvil 5 has two arcuate anvil surfaces 13 each adapted in a manner known in the art to cooperate with one of the legs of a staple and taking the form of an indentation in that surface of anvil 5 which faces stapling head 1 . by means of screws 15 received with play in bores of anvil base 3 and of nuts 16 , anvil 5 is connected to the lower surface of anvil base 3 such that the anvil surfaces 13 are aligned with respect to the stapling gap 7 of stapling head 1 . stapling head 1 is movable in a manner known in the art such that it can be moved between a retracted position ( illustrated in fig2 ) and an operative position in which its upper side including stapling gap 7 is moved close to the lower side of a sheet stack which rests with its upper side against anvil 5 . in the retracted position in which the stapling head 1 is shown in the figs . an adjustment piece 19 can be attached to it , as is illustrated in fig2 . adjustment piece 19 is an extrusion - molded plastic plate having two broad surfaces or sides as shown , and whose contour resembles a star with four points . on one of its broad sides which faces the stapling head 1 when the adjustment piece 19 is attached to it , a fitting means in the form of a rib - type projection 21 forms an integral unit with adjustment piece 19 . the length and the width of projection 21 are adapted to the internal length and width of the stapling gap 7 and its widened section 11 so that projection 21 can only be inserted into stapling gap 7 in a position determined by widened section 11 , and when inserted , ensures that adjustment piece 19 is positively and precisely locked in its position opposite stapling head 1 . on the side of adjustment piece 19 opposite projection 21 , two integrally molded round positioning pins 23 project vertically from the plane of the plastic plate of adjustment piece 19 . their free ends have sloping faces 24 . the positioning pins 23 are located at the ends of the star points which extend at right angles to projection 21 so that the connecting line between the positioning pins 23 runs at right angles to the axis of the rectilinear projection 21 . the positioning pins 23 , which serve as fitting means , are adapted for positively engaging complementary fitting means of the anvil 5 , these means taking the form of positioning bores 25 and 27 . as can be inferred from the figs ., positioning bore 25 is a round hole while positioning bore 27 is an oblong hole which extends in the direction of the connecting line with the other positioning bore 25 . an anvil 5 is connected with anvil base 3 in that the parts are pre - assembled such that anvil 5 is attached loosely and with play by means of the screws 15 and nuts 16 to the anvil base 3 in a position corresponding more or less to the predetermined position of the stapling head . subsequently , the adjustment piece 19 is fixed on stapling head 1 in that projection 21 is inserted into stapling gap 7 while stapling head 1 is in its retracted position . stapling head 1 is now moved to its operative position , i . e . in the direction towards anvil 5 . the positioning pins 23 are received in the facing openings of the positioning bores 25 and 27 of anvil 5 . any deviations from the proper position of the positioning pins 23 and the positioning bores 25 and 27 are corrected during such movement by the opening edges contacting the sloping end faces 24 ( fig2 ) of the positioning pins 23 , the anvil 5 being correspondingly aligned relative to anvil base 3 because the screws 15 and nuts 16 are not yet tightened and the screw holes in the anvil base 3 offer sufficient play for a suitable alignment . after the positioning pins 23 have been received in the positioning holes 25 and 27 and anvil 5 has thus been aligned , the screws 15 and nuts 16 can be tightened . stapling head 1 is returned to its retracted position shown in fig2 and adjustment piece 19 removed from stapling head 1 . this procedure is analogously applied to all anvils 5 of anvil base 3 . if the anvils are of the type used in connection with a stapling head that can be adjusted to different sheet sizes or formats , the stapling head is set to the stapling position required and the anvil used is correspondingly aligned and mounted to anvil base 3 . if the adjustment piece 19 is an extrusion - molded and integrally formed plastic component the positioning bore 27 is advantageously an oblong hole because it allows a simple and inexpensive molding tool to be used , the distance , by which the positioning pin 23 associated with positioning bore 27 is spaced from the other positioning pin 23 , not calling for a narrow manufacturing tolerance . the accurate alignment position of anvil 5 is not impaired by the oblong shape of positioning bore 27 . deviations in the transverse direction of the anvil base 3 are avoided by the engagement of one positioning pin in positioning bore 25 . the danger of a longitudinal deviation in the direction of anvil base 3 does not exist because the oblong hole of the positioning bore 27 is not broader in that direction than the positioning pin 23 associated with it . the above description and the drawings are confined to features essential to describing an embodiment of the invention . inasmuch as features are disclosed in the description and drawings , therefore , and not mentioned in the claims , they also serve if necessary to define the subject matter of the invention . the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to a presently preferred embodiment , but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention . | 8 |
the aforementioned problems created a need to re - locate the product selection buttons over to the new sign - face area that now holds the large product - size decals . now , a customer can both read and understand what products are available and push the product selection button that is located near ( just above , below , or next to ) the decal , thus operating like the pepsico , d466 , 941 vending machine . see drawing fig2 for an outline drawing of the vending machine with the preferred 12 new product decals in the sign - face area and with the 12 round selection buttons located under each decal . the re - location of the product selection buttons created another problem of the holes or cutouts in the vending machine door being empty or vacant , also confusing customers who think the product selection buttons should still be there . thus , there was a need to cover these holes to discourage a vandal from using these holes to vandalize the vending machine , and to make it obvious to the customer that there are no longer selection switches at that location . previous to this invention , applicants &# 39 ; assignee , triteq lock and security , llc invented a vandal panel for this vintage model vending machine as described in patent applications ser . nos . 10 / 908 , 445 filed may 12 , 2005 ; 60 / 521 , 655 filed jun . 12 , 2004 and d487 , 777 . in these patent applications , it was taught that the panel would cover the majority of the edge of the door in order to discourage bending of the door for forced entry and would provide steel material around the selection buttons on the door to discourage vandals from using tools to break - away buttons . in the new invention described herein , the panel will now completely cover the location where the selection switches were previously located ( thus covering the holes or cut - outs in the door that remain ) and will usually cover the majority of the edge of the door from top to bottom , thus enhancing the vandalism security even more than in prior versions of this panel . this panel 23 ′ is shown on the right side of the door in drawing fig2 . the re - location of the buttons to the sign - face area offers an advantage in that additional product selection buttons can be added to enhance sale - ability of cold - drink products . the pepsico vendor of d466 , 941 has proven that 12 selection buttons in a vending machine that only vends 9 different product brands is an advantage because now up to 3 of the brands can have two or more selection buttons . for example , there may only be one out of 9 columns dedicated to vending diet pepsi , but with the new selection button configuration of this invention two ( or more ) selection buttons may be mounted and electrically wired to the vending control board for diet pepsi , giving the customer more than one selection button to press ( for example ; one selection button may be located on the left of the sign - face and one on the right ). a possible location of the switch control board and wiring to the re - located switches is shown in drawing fig3 . the switch control board and schematic is shown in drawing fig4 - 6 . the object of this board is to facilitate the wiring of many different models and manufacturers of vending machines during this era to provide the additional product selection switches to operate for all models . by plugging in the switch connectors to various terminations on the control board facilitates the flavor selection label switch to dispense from various columns . jumpers are provided on the control board that facilitate the various models of vendors . these jumpers serve to allow one control board to function with a variety of manufacturer &# 39 ; s models . an interconnection cable from the control board is provided to allow proper connection to each vendor models drawing fig7 is a detail view of the changeable product decal 30 as it is attached to the new sign - face 32 of the invention . the decal 30 attaches inside of the vendor or the inside surface of the sign - face 32 . as shown in the figure , the decal 30 has one hole 32 in the lower right corner and a tongue of material 31 protruding at the top of the decal . this invention has at least 2 , or preferred 3 fasteners 36 for attaching the decal . these fasteners 36 may have very flat heads 38 so they do not stick out from the outside of the sign - face preventing any scratching a customer . the first ( lower ) fastener 36 is a screw that goes through the hole 34 in the decal and attaches to a nut fastener 40 on the inside of the sign - face 32 . the nut holds the decal to the sign - face inner surface . at the top of the decal , fasteners 2 and 3 ( at least one required , two preferred ) go through the sign - face and also connect to at least one nut 40 on the inside of the sign - face . the surface of the nut ( s ) or an optional plastic retainer is used to contact with the decal and hold it in place . the top two fasteners are configured to allow the decal to move . this movement is required when the sign - face is deformed . the deformation cause the decal to slide out from under the plastic or alternately between the nuts . nuts with grooves under can be also considered as and alternate construction . the top and bottom fasteners can be a common nut and bolt or specialized fasteners using ribbed edges on the circumference to secure them into the sign - face . in one embodiment such as a refurbishment , shown in fig1 , the frame of the center column will stay approximately the size as it exists today on the vendors . in another embodiment , the frame center column will extend higher , possibly to the top edge of the door , and possibly to the product delivery chute or lower , in order to provide additional strength for the door . in another embodiment of the invention ( for a refurbishment or retrofit application ) the existing signs above and below the column may continue to exist unaltered , and the new sign will only extend vertically up to the existing sign ( s ). in still another embodiment ( such as new door manufacturing ) shown in fig1 and 13 , the sign would extend to areas vertically that are above and / or below the center column 23 and into the areas of the existing signs . the advantage of this embodiment is that one sign would be used to extend across the door both horizontally and vertically instead of a plurality of signs across the door . an additional feature of these embodiments where the new sign either partially or completely covers the center column is the application of a cover panel over the new sign ( as described in previous embodiments ). this panel would act to further protect the currency collection devices ( like the center column vandal panels described in previous embodiments ). this panel would act to either partially or completely sandwich the new sign or signs with the structure of the center column behind the signs that the currency collection devices are mounted to . this panel would either partially or completely cover the entire center column . this panel would typically fasten to the center column associated with the structure of the door . in another embodiment of the invention , the center column will consist of a removable strong - box 48 or structure that can be inserted or removed from the center column frame of the door , see fig1 . this strong - box or structure may consist of 3 , 4 , 5 or 6 sides , and will typically be rectangular in shape to fit into the frame . the strong - box consist of a door for one of it &# 39 ; s sides containing of a latch and lock arrangement . the advantage of this box is to 1 ) provide separate mounting of the currency storage components separate from the center column frame , 2 ) allow mounting of these components in a separate labor operation away from the vending machine , and next allow the complete installation of the strong - box and currency components in one separate operation . lastly , if the vendor and strong - box is attacked by vandals , the strong - box can be easily replaced by a new strong - box with little or no repair required for the center column frame . in still another embodiment , as shown in fig1 , 16 and 17 a , b , c , the dollar bill validator is mounted to a separate mounting plate 49 in the center column . this plate is attached to the frame by large bolts to insure the frame will not be damaged during an attack . in an attack the validator and the plate may be damaged while the damage to the frame is minimal or non - existent , and both the validator and the plate can be easily replaced by removing / installing a new plate to the frame . in addition , the mounting of the plate to the frame may also include springs under tension in order to provide a shock - mount 50 from the plate to the frame . under attack , the shock - mounts can absorb some or all of the force , thus reducing the damage to the validator , plate and frame . in addition to the above - described features of the currency collector mounting plate , the plate allows more than one type or model of currency acceptor device to be mounted to it . the plate provides an adjustment feature of allowing the currency collector to be shifted within the column in any one or more or the combination of 6 directions or positions in the x , y , and z direction thus compensating and allowing for the different shapes and dimensions of the different models to each properly mount within and protruding from the column . in a further embodiment , shown in fig2 , the invention utilizes flavor cards of a different configuration than the typical flavor cards used in the previous embodiments . the advantages to these cards are as follows : the present labels are typically 10 mils thick so they can support themselves inside the buttons . a label that is held within holders as shown in fig1 - 20 can be thinner for example 5 mils . it is desirable to mask or darken the areas around the perimeter of the flavor labels for cosmetic purposes . this darkening can be achieved using new geometry for the labels , this geometry would use an over lapping systems to achieve the desired results . another masking or darkening solution can come from utilize an alternate mounting frame to hold the labels and provide the masking effect . these cards 51 may also provide a mounting hole 52 or slot 53 as shown in fig2 . this hole or slot may interface to a product selection switch mounted to the signfront . thus , the mounting of the product selection switch can also be utilized as at least one mounting fastener or holder for one or more flavor cards , thus eliminating the holder in fig1 - 20 . if no holder is utilized , the thickness of the label may be required to be 10 mils . in still another embodiment , shown in fig1 , 19 and 20 , the invention provides a holder for the flavor label cards which is an improvement to the prior art , in particular myatt us2004 / 0139640 . this holder can be an apparatus that is located behind the external sign - face attached to the door and the holder is attached exclusively to the rear - side of the sign . the holder may be made of rigid material such as a molded plastic structure and slightly curved to accommodate the curve of the sign . in the rigid embodiment , the holder will also serve to provide a stiffening structure so that pressing of the product selection buttons mounted on the sign will not cause the convex shaped sign to flex inwardly . in another embodiment shown in fig2 the holder may be flexible such as a flexible sheet of plastic in order to be less costly . in one embodiment , shown in fig1 - 20 the new holder will be attached primarily by using the product selection switches as fasteners for the holder . in other embodiments it may be attached by fasteners or by a combination of the switches and fasteners . other features of the holder may include utilizing the mounting frame as shown in fig1 - 20 to hold the labels and provide the darkening effect . in another alternative embodiment the coin return slot is re - located to an area that is several inches lower than located on the machine today . it would be located in an area that is much closer to the product delivery chute , thus improving the delivery of the coin from the coin changer . a further embodiment of this invention , includes a sign comprising an area that is translucent so a customer could view the operation of the vending machine mechanism . this area could be complimented with lights behind the sign that would attract a customer to look inside the vending machine while a product is being vended . in an alternative embodiment of this invention , the traditional florescent light that will traditionally completely backlight the sign would be either replaced or supplemented with locally and strategically placed individual lights that would selectively back light certain areas of the sign or the labels attached to the sign . these lights could be individually controlled to illuminate in a certain sequence ( s ) depending on if the machine is in a pre - vending mode , in the process of vending , or in a post - vending mode of operation . in addition , individual lights could be placed behind the product identification decals and selectively illuminated , flashed , or not - illuminated to indicate a product is either sold - out or in the process of vending . cold cathode bulbs ( for example 4 ″ or so in length ) or led or other light sources are examples of the individual light sources . in yet another embodiment , the product selection switches now mounted to the sign can employ lights to illuminate the button ( pressed for a product selection ) of the switch . as described above for the decal lighting , these lights could be individually controlled to illuminate in a certain sequence ( s ) depending on if the machine is in a pre - vending mode , in the process of vending , or in a post - vending mode of operation . in addition , individual lights could be selectively illuminated , flashed , or not illuminated to indicate a product is either sold - out or in the process of vending . led lights would be a typical example of the individual light sources for the buttons . in a further embodiment of the invention , a sound producing device such a speaker and a sound generator can be employed to randomly produce sounds that will attract potential customers of the vending machine , and can also be controlled to produce additional specific sounds depending on which product selection button is pressed . drawing fig1 shows the traditional soft drink vending machine manufactured from the 1980 &# 39 ; s through year 2001 . a large convex sign - face decal area is above the product delivery chute , and the customer interface vertical column is along the right - hand edge of the vending machine door . since 2001 many of the manufacturers changed their vending machines to large button configuration where the product selection buttons are located more in the sign - face area or center of the machine and are larger , about the size of the products they intend to vend . for examples , see patent numbers d466 , 941 ( pepsico , inc . version ) and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 230 , 426 ( the coca - cola company version ). these newer machines with the larger buttons have proven to be more effective than the older machines in selling products and , in some situations , in curtailing forced entry vandalism . due to the large number of the older vending machines in the field ( such as shown in drawing fig1 ) it is advantageous to convert the older machines to utilize the features and benefits of the newer machines so less older machines need to be scraped and obsolete . this conversion consists of replacing the original center sign - face with a new center sign - face that will hold product selection labels that can be easily mounted and removed . several inventors succeeded in doing this , see us2004 / 0139640 ( myatt ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 023 , 870 , and us 2004 / 0128889 , but their attachment apparatus and methods have not proven to be as fast , convenient , or reliable as the vending machine operators have expected . in addition , the new sign - face as described in myatt has created confusion among customers in it &# 39 ; s application because it looks like the vending machine described and introduced by pepsico in d466 , 941 wherein the selection buttons are re - located to the sign - face area , but the myatt invention still operates using the product selection buttons along the right side edge , see location 2 on the cover page of the publication . thus , customers already familiar with the new pepsico d466 , 941 vendor become confused when operating the invention . referring to the drawings in more detail , fig1 ( prior art ) depicts the front of a typical beverage vending machine 20 . the front of a typical beverage vending machine may include a printed , generally full - length sign 21 , usually of semi - flexible plastic typically held to the machine in a known manner by trim pieces and illuminated by lighting positioned in the interior of the vending machine . product is selected by utilizing a vertical , selection panel 23 that is located to the right side of the front of the machine . the selection panel 23 includes small , rectangular product identification windows 24 through which product indicia of the corresponding product contained within the machine can be viewed . the windows 24 can incorporate switches , or separate switches in the form of buttons can be provided adjacent the windows , as is known , so that product is selected by pushing either the actual window 24 or a button adjacent to the window . a consumer must currently make a selection based solely on the small , rectangular product indicia associated with each window 24 . an additional feature as shown in drawing fig8 - 11 is to add strengthening bar 44 , 46 ( or bars ) that would either run vertically or horizontally ( or both ) behind the decals and switches to keep the curved lexan panel from flexing when a customer pushes a button . in an alternative embodiment , a retrofit ( or modification at the factory ) the traditional vendor design such as described in patent d466 , 941 is by removing the individual lexan buttons and hardware and mounting the buttons and the plastic cover of the center column , and installing a single curved or flat lexan panel with the labels attached to the panel and mount the individual switches to the panel . the advantage to this configuration would be to construct the large buttons to the sheetmetal door and instead replace the lexan buttons with a single lexan panel with flavor labels and simpler to mount selection switches . since the vendor has the customer interface area ( bill validator , coin acceptor , etc ) in the center column , this cover would be removed also and the lexan panel would now cover the center column and provide cut outs for the bill validator , coin acceptor , etc . the difference between this embodiment and the earlier embodiments is that the vendor provides the customer interface in the center column and machine . the customer still has the customer interface in the original area along the right edge of the door . in accordance with the present invention , a retrofit kit can be supplied for various types of older style vending machines that allows the upgrading of the appearance of the machine to a style similar to the marketing graphics of new vending machines merely by the replacement of the existing sign 21 with the present invention sign / holder assembly as described above and , optionally , the graphics associated with the selection panel 21 and selection panel windows 25 and buttons 24 . the only modifications to the vending machine or other components needed to retrofit the older style machine are disconnecting the previous selector button wiring and connect the new selector operators . the cost of the retrofit is but a fraction of the cost of the replacement of the machine . the present invention retrofit kit uses the machine &# 39 ; s existing signage lighting and can be installed on the vending machine with the same tools required to change the sign 21 and in approximately the same amount of time . thus , the preferred new style marketing graphics can be used on an older style vending machine without incurring the cost of replacing the entire vending machine . since signage is routinely replaced at 3 - 5 year intervals , the cost of the retrofit can be further reduced by retrofitting machines at the time signage replacement would be otherwise desired or required ( including signage replacement required because of damage or vandalism to the sign ). graphics for the holder openings , selection panel 21 and buttons 24 are easily replaceable , either as group units or individually , to change images and / or product selections . it is intended that aspects of the invention as described above can be used in any number of different combinations and permutations . it should be understood that various aspects of the present invention may be combined in a variety of ways such as different flavor card or decal attachments may be used with the product selection buttons , circuit board , panel center column or vandal panel or other features . the sign face panel may have a holder arrangement attached to its rear side or additional panels may be provided , such for example as in chirnomas et al . pub . no . us 2004 / 0128889 published jul . 8 , 2004 . craven u . s . pat . no . 5 , 255 , 968 had an outer panel and an inner sign face panel that may be removed and replaced . chirnomas added replaceable flavor cards to the second panel . myatt et al . us 2004 / 0139640 provided an improved holder for flavor cards . applicant has disclosed here several alternative holder arrangements . thus , unless otherwise stated in the claims , it is applicants &# 39 ; intention to include various different versions of attachments for flavor cards or decals within the scope of its broadest claims . | 6 |
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended . any alterations and further modifications of the inventive feature illustrated herein , and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein , which would normally occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure , are to be considered within the scope of the invention claimed . the embodiments of the present invention are useful for the treatment and prevention of a wide range of disorders , including , for example , inflammatory bowel disease ( ibs ), crohn &# 39 ; s disease ( cd ), irritable bowel syndrome ( ibs ), ulcerative colitis ( uc ), nausea , vomiting , anorexia , cachexia , all forms of pain ( i . e . acute , chronic , neuropathic , etc . ), gastrointestinal tract distress ( i . e . heartburn , indigestion , stomachache , etc . ), migraine headaches , postmenstrual syndrome ( pms ), cancer , neurodegenerative diseases like lou gehrig &# 39 ; s disease , huntington &# 39 ; s disease , alzheimer &# 39 ; s dementia , parkinson &# 39 ; s disease and parkinsonian - type symptoms , spinal - cord injuries ; hiv / aids , agitation , insomnia , depression , muscle spasms , spasticity from multiple sclerosis , glaucoma , autism spectrum disorder ( asd ), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( adhd ), post - traumatic stess disorder ( ptsd ), and anxiety disorders . the actives used in the embodiments of the present invention affect the human physiology in positive ways including the improvement of the immune system , prevention or treatment of certain cancers , and reduction of inflammation . those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments of the present invention may be used to treat any and all medical conditions that respond favorably thereto . the effects of the following cannabinoids : cbd , cbda , cbg , cbga , cbc , cbca , delta - 9 thca , delta - 9 thc and / or delta - 8 thc , as well as the very important group of physiologically active compounds called terpenes and flavonoids need to be present at certain percentages to optimize the clinical effects on each type of symptom and / or disease for which the product is being used . the embodiments of the present invention also recognize the importance of the ratios of each of the aforementioned actives . these cannabinoids are also temperature sensitive and the embodiments of the present invention recognize the significance of temperature during each relevant step of making the product . for instance , keeping the temperature controlled along with the amount of the acid form of thc and / or cbd may have a profound effect on certain conditions mentioned earlier . some of the drawbacks associated with prior art cannabinoid formulations surround the route of administration and the dosage form used . ease of dosage adjustment is a critical component with the use of cannabis as a treatment . the delivery system disclosed herein offers easy adjustment of the dose needed by the patient , which improves the overall outcome of the use of cannabis therapy . the embodiments of the present invention are directed to a dosage form that is solid at room temperature . in one embodiment , the dosage form is a lozenge or troche . in either instance , the product may be refrigerated or frozen without harm . advantageously , with a melting point of approximately & gt ; 38 ° c . ( 100 . 4 ° f . ), the lozenge or troche dissolves at body temperature within the mouth of a user where the majority of absorption takes place resulting in optimizing the dose absorbed and avoiding the variables of oral absorption and first pass metabolizm . formulation begins by combining polyethylene glycol with approximate molecular weights of 1300 to 1650 g / mol with specific forms of gum acacia , citric acid , stevia extract powder , oils of peppermint , menthol and cream de mint at specific temperatures with a range of cannabis extracts providing specific doses that include the following compositions singularly or in combination : ( i ) delta - 9 tetrahydrocannabinol in the decarboxylated form in doses ranging from 5 mg to 240 mg ( 0 . 5 % to 25 . 26 % by weight ); ( ii ) tetrahydrocannabinolic acid ( thc - a in the natural , non - decarboxylated form ) in doses of 5 mg to 240 mg ( 0 . 5 % to 25 . 26 % by weight ); ( iii ) cannabidiol ( cbd ) in doses of 5 mg to 240 mg with a delta - 9 thc content less than or equal to 0 . 3 mg ( making this dosage form legal in all states of the united states ); and cannabidiol ( cbd ) in doses of 5 mg to 240 mg ( 0 . 5 to 21 . 26 % by weight ) in combination with delta - 9 tetrahydrocannabinol in a 53 : 1 ratio ( cbd : thc ), or down to a ratio of 0 . 001 : 1 ( cbd : thc ), of delta - 9 thc in the decarboxylated and non - decarboxylated forms at specific temperatures . another possible active includes delta - 8 tetrahydrocannabinol . other oils such as sweet orange oil , ginger oil , mango , tangerine , etc ., may be substituted or used in combination with oils of peppermint , menthol and cream de mint . the dosage range may increase to 500 mg with the use of pure cannabidiol or tetrahydrocannabinol ( i . e ., crystals ). temperature control is necessary in the processing of cannabis extracts . as a result , the embodiments of the present invention recognize and use temperatures necessary to optimize cannabinoid , terpene and flavonoid content and ratios . temperatures in the range of approximately − 109 ° f . to 212 ° f . ( at normal atmospheric pressure ; temperatures change with negative pressures which allow for extraction and processing using different methods ), maintain certain percentages of all cannabinoids and retain natural terpene and flavonoid content in the extracts thereby resulting in more medicinal value being retained instead of isolating one active . notwithstanding the importance of the natural mixture of actives , it has been recognized in the instant embodiments of the present invention that one active can be used in the troche providing its own unique physiologic and clinical value . depending on the embodiment , cannabis , c . sativa , c . indica , c . ruderalis and hybrids in the raw material are used to create specific ratios of cbd to thc . percentages range from 24000 : 1 cbd : thc ( i . e ., 240 mg cbd to 0 . 01 mg thc ) to 1 : 24000 cbd : thc ( i . e ., 0 . 01 mg cbd to 240 mg thc ). in another embodiment , percentages range 200 , 000 : 1 cbd : thc and 1 : 200 , 000 cbd : thc . the embodiments of the present invention contemplate dosage forms with a total weight of between approximately 0 . 5 grams and 2 . 01 grams , depending on the formulation of the actives , size of the lozenge or troche . this dosage form can be used for all natural , semi - synthetic and synthetic derivatives of all cannabinoids . handling and processing of the extract is significant in the proper delivery of the actives with the associated terpenes and flavonoids , all which synergistically work to improve the medicinal value of the cannabinoids chosen for the particular ailment under treatment . assembly of the lozenge or troche comprises : ( i ) preparing a proprietary base of polyethylene glycol with molecular weights of 1300 to 1650 g / mol , gum acacia , stevia extract , citric acid and magnasweet ® ( formed of base products comprising monoammonium glycyrrhizinate and ammonium glycyrrhizinate ) by melting the same at a temperature of approximately 58 ° c . to 64 ° c . at normal atmospheric pressure ; ( ii ) adding the desired cannabis extract in amount based on the goals of the dosage per troche , symptom treatment or disease state treatment ( e . g ., 20 mg cbd dose with 1 - 2 mg of thc is effective for treating patients with autism , arthritis , and seizures ); ( iii ) adding desired essential oils based on the treatment goals , flavoring and / or allergy avoidance ; and ( iv ) adding solution to a lozenge or troche mold device to deliver accuracy of dosage desired . range of standard deviation is & lt ; 5 % in weight and less than 10 % stated active goals . an exemplary method of producing 900 troches comprises : ( i ) measuring 670 grams of peg 1450 ( or peg 1500 +/− peg 300 ) ( the 670 grams of peg makes up approximately 75 % to 90 % total weight ); ( ii ) melting the 670 grams of peg to a maximum temperature of approximately 60 ° c .- 70 ° c . ( many devices work ; stir / hot plate , heated mix / pump / delivery automation — if used under vacuum , temperatures will be lower under automation assembly lines ); ( iii ) once the peg is melted , adding powders ( citric acid — 0 . 17 % to 1 . 2 % by weight , stevia ( or luo han gou )— 0 . 46 % to 3 . 1 % by weight , acacia gum — 0 . 08 % to 2 . 0 %, and magnasweet ®— 0 . 02 % to 0 . 06 % by weight ) and mixing until suspended uniformly ; ( iv ) adding 1 mg to 500 mg of active cbd and thc to each troche in ratios of 24000 : 1 to 1 : 1500 ( e . g ., for a 5 mg troche add 2 . 5 mg of cbd and 2 . 5 mg of thc if a 1 : 1 ratio is desired and add 4 . 6875 mg of cbd and 0 . 325 mg of thc if a 15 : 1 ratio is desired . for a 240 mg troche add 120 mg of cbd and 120 mg of thc for a 1 : 1 ratio and 225 mg of cbd and 15 mg of thc if a 15 : 1 ratio is desired ) ( v ) adding 26 . 22 ml of essential oils ( e . g ., 20 . 2 ml of peppermint , 4 . 6 ml of menthol ( made by dissolving 10 gm menthol crystals into 6 ml of peppermint oil and 2 ml of 99 . 9 % etoh ) and 1 . 5 ml of cream de mint , and mixing to uniformity ( the concentration of active oil extract is variable to determine total volume of oil and base to be added ); ( vi ) maintaining temperature between approximately 58 ° c . and 63 ° c . ; ( vii ) once completely mixed using a micro pipette to deliver 900 micro liters per troche ( for the dosage form of 0 . 9725 gm / troche ); and ( viii ) allowing mixture to cool at room temperature . another exemplary method of producing 900 troches each including 60 mg of thc with approximately 4 mg of cbd comprises : ( i ) measuring 772 gm of peg 1450 ( or peg 1500 +/− peg 300 ) ( the peg makes up approximately 87 % of total weight , based on a 62 . 5 % thc oil containing 5 . 1 % cbd ); ( ii ) melting the 772 gm of peg to a maximum temperature of approximately 60 ° c .- 70 ° c . ( many devices work ; stir / hot plate , heated mix / pump / delivery automation — if used under vacuum , temperatures will be lower under automation assembly lines ); ( iii ) once the peg is melted , adding 86 . 4 gm stated concentration cannabis extract oil ; ( iv ) adding a mixed set of powders ( citric acid — 0 . 17 % to 1 . 2 % by weight , stevia ( or luo han gou )— 0 . 46 % to 3 . 1 % by weight , acacia gum — 0 . 08 % to 2 . 0 % by weight , and magnasweet ®— 0 . 02 % to 0 . 06 % by weight ) and mixing until suspended uniformly ; ( v ) adding 10 ml of essential organic oils ( e . g ., 9 . 7 ml sweet orange oil and 0 . 3 ml organic peppermint oil ); ( vi ) mixing to uniformity , maintaining temperature between approximately 58 ° to 63 ° c . ; ( vii ) once completely mixed using a micro pipette to deliver 900 micro liters per troche ( for the dosage form of 0 . 9725 gm / troche ); and ( viii ) allowing mixture to cool at room temperature . another exemplary method of producing 120 gelatin - based troches that are 40 mg total ( 24 mg cbd and 16 mg cbd ) using a 500 mg thc / cbd per gram concentration cannabis extract oil comprises : ( i ) measuring 122 . 5 gm gelatin ( special gelatin base making up approximately 91 % of total weight , again depending on extract concentration ) and melting ( many different methods to melt ) to a temp of approximately 34 ° c .- 40 ° c . ; ( ii ) once melted , adding 7 . 2 grams of active ( based on stated concentration ) using a sir / hot plate or other mixing device including a closed automated injection system , ( iii ) adding a mixed set of powders ( in approximate amounts of the following : stevia ( or luo han gou )— 0 . 25 % to 0 . 45 % by weight , acacia gum — 0 . 6 % to 1 . 1 % by weight , citric acid — 0 . 5 % to 0 . 8 % by weight , magnasweet ® 0 . 04 % to 0 . 06 % by weight and silica — 0 . 32 % to 0 . 81 % by weight ) and mixing until suspended uniformly ; ( iv ) adding organic essential oils ( e . g . orange oil 1 . 0 % to 1 . 3 %, peppermint oil 0 . 02 % to 0 . 04 %); ( v ) mixing to uniformity , maintaining temperature between approximately 34 ° c .- 40 ° c . ; ( vi ) once completely mixed using a micro pipette to deliver 900 micro liters per troche ( for the dosage form of 1 . 089 gm / troche ); and ( vii ) allowing mixture to cool at room temperature . pectin may also be used to produce the troches . polysaccharides formed of pectin or gelling agents can modify the density of the gelatin troche are in the range of 20 , 000 to 400 , 000 g / mol molecular weight . as set forth above , the gelatin - based troche may also include silica gel or silicon dioxide for purposes of dispersing ingredients . it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the formulations set forth above , are exemplary such that variations fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the amount of oil used may vary based on concentration . more specifically , when using 560 mg thc / 1 gm oil versus 764 mg thc / 1 gm oil , the peg base volume changes appropriately to maintain volume and correct dose , but density and weight changes . moreover , different oils may be used in different amounts . for example , ginger is a potent oil such that a few drops may suffice whereas other oils may be used in units of milliliters . the combinations of oils may also differ . for example , a formulation may include peppermint oil but no extra menthol or cream de mint while another formulation may use ginger , orange and mint oil . that is , the oils provide a desired level of flavoring in addition to the therapeutic value of oils ( e . g ., peppermint oil ). in addition , while not having the desired flavor , the troche can be made using the peg , gelatin , pectin , fatty acid and / or wax base and cannabis extract only . or in another embodiment , the troche can be made using the peg , gelatin , pectin , fatty acid and / or wax base , cannabis extract and oil only . or in another embodiment , the troche can be made using the peg , gelatin , pectin , fatty acid and / or wax base , cannabis extract and one or more of the following : gum acacia , citric acid , stevia extract powder , luo han gou or , monoammonium glycyrrhizinate and ammonium glycyrrhizinate . the embodiments of the present invention demonstrate an improved efficacy that is unexpected compared to utilizing the same dose of the same active source of cannabis oil . in one particular example , the formulation comprising peg and high dose mint oil formula provides unexpected results as described herein . in one embodiment , a high concentration ( 99 %- 99 . 9 %) cbd derived from hemp is used to achieve the desired ratio . in other embodiments , the ratios are determined by the strain of cannabis that includes different amounts of cbd and thc . the embodiments of the present invention avoid the traditional pitfalls of medicating with other orally ingested cannabinoids such as capsules , elixirs , infused food products , sprays , etc ., and topically applied agents . being a pharmaceutical product , the lozenge or troche provides clear separation from the confusion associated with traditional preparations of natural cannabinoid infused products , including candy bars , chocolate , butter , baked goods , etc ., that produce unreliable and varied clinical responses that are not always the same or reproducible . the use of the lozenge or troche offers a method of reduced variability in the pharmacokinetics of the cannabinoids resulting in clinical outcomes that are consistent from dose to dose . although the invention has been described in detail with reference to several embodiments , additional variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims . | 0 |
the preferred embodiment of the present invention is utilized within the field of nuclear logging operations . while the discussion of the preferred embodiment is in the context of wireline logging operations , it will be appreciated that the same apparatus and method used herein may be readily applied to measurement while drilling ( mwd ) and logging while drilling ( lwd ) techniques . fig1 is a simplified schematic of wireline nuclear logging operations . in fig1 a borehole 10 has been drilled into an earth formation 12 . a nuclear logging sonde 14 is lowered on an armored , multiconductor cable 16 into the borehole 10 to a desired depth of investigation . it will be appreciated that many elements associated with wireline logging , such as a winch system , winch control , depth system , logging platform and other elements have been eliminated from fig1 for the purpose of simplicity , as such elements are not required to obtain an understanding of the present invention . it will further be appreciated that while sonde 14 is depicted as a single tool in the borehole 10 , the sonde 14 may often be part of a logging string which may include other specialized logging instrumentation . the sonde 14 illustrated in fig1 is a conventional dual spaced nuclear tool ( dsnt - ii ) having a nuclear source 18 , a near detector 20 and a far detector 22 . the sonde 14 detectors 20 and 22 are conventionally described as the near and far detectors , respectively , relative to their position from the nuclear source 18 . the sonde 14 nuclear source 18 may be an isotopic neutron source , which generates fast neutrons as a result of radioactive decay or a neutron generator . in a typical neutron generator , deuterium ions are accelerated by an externally induced potential to strike a deuterium or tritium target to yield an isotope of helium , fast neutrons and fixed energy difference . these fast neutrons have a characteristic energy peak of approximately 3 mev where the target is deuterium and 14 mev where the target is tritium . these reactions are described in further detail in knoll , pp . 36 - 37 and typical nuclear generators are further described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 546 , 512 . in the exemplary logging sonde 14 of fig1 the neutron source is an 18 curie americium - beryllium isotopic source . it will be appreciated that other isotopic sources and nuclear accelerators capable of producing fast neutrons may be used in conjunction with the preferred embodiment . to make a measurement , the operator of the logging equipment will issue a command from the surface instrumentation system 26 to the sonde 14 to unmask or activate the nuclear source 18 and irradiate the formation 12 with fast neutrons . it will be appreciated that the specific nuclear logging techniques will differ as to what is being measured . for example , a nuclear logging sonde may measure epithermal neutrons or capture gamma rays . in the exemplary sonde 14 of fig1 the dsnt tool is designed to count thermal neutrons . as described above , the fast neutrons undergo collisions with the nuclei of atoms naturally occurring in the formation until they reach thermal speeds . these thermal neutrons are then counted by the near 20 and far 22 detectors on sonde 14 . the detectors utilized in the dsnt tool of fig1 are of the helium - 3 proportional counter type . typical designs of helium - 3 proportional counters are described in detail in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 240 , 971 or 3 , 102 , 198 , which are incorporated by reference , and in the jeter or knoll references . the detectors 20 and 22 respond to the reaction of atomic particles with the detector gas with a resulting change in electrical potential on electrode 36 ( fig2 ). these changes in potential across an energy spectrum are measured and processed by the detector electronics ( not shown in fig1 ) and output to the tool telemetry electronics 24 , where it is further processed and transmitted via cable 16 to the surface instrumentation system 26 . the 3 he counter and the associated circuitry of the preferred embodiment are set forth in greater detail in fig2 . a simplified cross - sectional view of an exemplary 3 he proportional counter and its associated circuitry is depicted in fig2 . the detector 28 is comprised of a cylindrical pressure housing 30 transparent to thermal and epithermal neutron flux , having pressure tight ends 32 and 34 , which are likewise transparent to thermal and epithermal neutron flux , secured thereon . this forms a pressure tight volume within the interior of the detector 28 . a metal electrode 36 is disposed along the cylindrical axis of detector 28 and is supported at each end by connecting rods 38 and 40 . the connecting rods 38 and 40 are secured in , but insulated from , the detector 28 walls 30 and ends 32 and 34 by means of insulating plugs 42 and 44 . the insulating plugs 42 and 44 may be composed of quartz , ceramic or some other suitable dielectric material . a gas pressurization tube 46 is connected to detector 28 through a pressure valve 48 and is in fluid communication with the interior of detector 28 through end 32 . the detector 28 is pressurized with 3 he gas through tube 46 and valve 48 to the desired pressure levels and the valve 48 is closed to seal the 3 he within the detector 28 . it will be appreciated that where the detector 28 is intended to measure solely epithermal neutron flux , the detector 28 may be covered with a metal shield 29 ( fig5 ), such as cadmium , to eliminate the thermal neutron flux . electrode 36 is in electrical communication with a high voltage external dc power source 50 through resistor 52 , with the other electrode of the power source 50 being tied to ground 54 . the housing 30 of detector 28 is likewise tied to ground 56 . the preferred embodiment of the present invention further includes a pure beta - minus source 60 located in the interior of the detector 28 . the beta - minus source 60 may be in a gaseous or solid form based on the particular isotopic source selected . the particular nature of the beta - minus source 60 and its operation within the preferred embodiment will be discussed in greater detail below . typically , a thermal neutron reaction within a 3 he proportional counter of the type depicted in fig2 will deposit approximately 765 kev ( 0 . 765 mev ), causing a distribution peak at this level in the energy spectrum as a result of the kinetic energy released by proton and triton reaction products . the beginning point for the thermal neutron distribution in 3 he counters is typically detected at about 0 . 5 mev . the energy deposited by the thermal neutrons creates a change in voltage on electrode 36 , which is measured by amplification circuitry 58 across resistor 52 . the output from amplification circuitry 58 is fed to a second amplifier 62 . the output from amplifier 62 is input into a limiting circuit 64 . the limiting circuit 64 is used to define the three threshold energy levels and two energy windows utilized within the preferred embodiment . the thresholds and windows are utilized to eliminate counts attributable to background noise or the beta source and to form an error signal for the purposes of gain stabilization , as will be described further below . the limiting circuit 64 outputs the thermal neutron counts to telemetry circuitry 24 , which transmits the count data to the surface instrumentation system 26 via armored cable 16 , where it is then processed as part of the logging information . the limiting circuit 64 also outputs the error signal to the gain stabilization circuitry 66 , which is essentially a negative feedback loop . the gain stabilization circuitry 66 , in turn , controls the voltage output for power supply 50 . thus , the error signal may be used to stabilize detector 28 response to the beta - minus source 60 about the known energy characterization peak for the beta - minus source 60 . the manner in which amplifier 62 , limiting circuitry 64 and gain stabilization circuitry 66 are utilized to achieve gain stabilization is discussed further below and in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 976 , 878 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . the exemplary construction of detector 28 and its associated circuitry is incorporated within both the near and far detectors 20 and 22 of fig1 . the use of two detectors in nuclear tools is common and results in the desired measurements being less dependent on lithology and borehole - size effects . the specifics of neutron measurement and its interpretation are outside of the scope of the present invention and will not be discussed herein . as noted above , wraight teaches the introduction of an alpha source into the detector 28 of fig2 for the purposes of detector operation verification and gain stabilization . the alpha source taught was an isotope of americium or uranium . the alpha particles emitted have a characterization peak of approximately 4 . 4 mev . wraight also teaches that the amount of alpha source may be selected such that a predetermined count rate distribution from the alpha source may be measured for the purposes of verification and gain stabilization . the energy spectrum observed by a detector 28 utilizing the alpha source taught by wraight is depicted in prior art fig3 . the energy spectrum / count rate depicted in fig3 shows a background noise level dropping off to a base count level prior to the increasing counts attributable to thermal neutrons , which peaks at approximately . 765 mev . the count rate continues to decrease until it detects the alpha source having a characterization peak of 4 . 2 mev . the existence of this peak verifies that the detectors 20 and 22 are operational . further , two count rates , c 1 and c 2 are measured on each side of alpha source peak for the purposes of gain stabilization according to the method described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 976 , 878 . alternatively , gain stabilization may be accomplished according to the method described . in knoll , pp . 730 - 32 . however , the use of americium or uranium as an alpha source , as taught by wraight , carries with it the additional problem that there is no acceptable quantity of either material on the exempt list . thus , they are subject to stricter nrc licensing controls . the preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes a beta - minus source 60 instead of an alpha source . the beta - minus source 60 may be selected from a group of isotopes having a sufficiently long half - life to minimize the amount of servicing required for detectors 20 and 22 . moreover , the beta - minus source should be selected such that its energy characterization peak is above background noise level but sufficiently below the beginning of the energy spectrum for thermal neutrons , approximately 0 . 5 mev . lastly , the beta - minus source should be selected from those isotopes for which there exist exempt quantities per nrc regulations . a non - exclusive list of beta - minus sources , along with their respective energy characterization end point and half - life is set forth in table 1 below : table 1______________________________________nuclide half - life endpoint energy ( mev ) ______________________________________tritium (. sup . 3 h ) 12 . 26 y 0 . 0186carbon (. sup . 14 c ) 5730 y 0 . 156chlorine (. sup . 36 cl ) 3 . 08 * 10 . sup . 5 y 0 . 714nickel (. sup . 63 ni ) 100 y 0 . 067strontium (. sup . 90 sr ) 27 . 7 y 0 . 546technetium (. sup . 99 tc ) 2 . 12 * 10 . sup . 5 y 0 . 292______________________________________ it will be appreciated that the isotopes set forth in table 1 are exemplary and that other beta - minus emitting sources may be utilized within the preferred embodiment of the present invention . moreover , while each of the above isotopes is described in terms of its endpoint energy level , the peak characterization for each may be readily determined by one of ordinary skill in the art . however , problems may arise with the use of some of the isotopes in the preferred embodiment . tritium has a relatively low energy characterization peak and it may be difficult to distinguish the tritium peak from the background noise for the purposes of verification and gain stabilization . chlorine - 36 may also prove difficult to utilize within the preferred embodiment , since its end point energy approaches the expected distribution for thermal neutrons . accordingly , the preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes a beta - minus source having an energy characterization peak unaffected by the noise level and below the expected energy distribution for thermal neutrons . the sources best suited to utilization within the preferred embodiment include carbon - 14 , nickel - 63 , strontium - 90 and technetium - 99 . federal regulations , 10 c . f . r . § 30 . 70 schedules a and b , require that for strontium - 90 to be utilized as an exempt source that it be limited to a radioactivity level of 0 . 1 microcuries , the lowest radioactivity level of all of the above suggested beta sources . it will be appreciated that a lower radioactivity level may be utilized for all of the recommended beta sources to achieve a known count rate , such as ten counts per second . accordingly , a beta - minus source having a radioactivity level of 0 . 1 microcuries or less ( 100 nanocuries ) may be utilized within the preferred embodiment . fig4 a is a graphic representation of a distribution of observed energies and related count rates in a sonde 14 of fig1 utilizing the detector 28 and circuitry exemplified in fig2 . a count peak in the range of less than 0 . 5 mev is shown , followed by the energy peak characteristic of thermal neutrons at 0 . 765 mev . associated with this first energy peak are three thresholds , t 1 , t 2 and t 3 , and two energy windows , w 1 and w 2 . the beta particles emitted by the beta - minus source 60 create the first energy peak and verify the operation of the 3 he detectors . the limiting circuitry 64 measures two count rates in two energy windows , w 1 and w 2 , of a predetermined width on either side of the beta energy peak threshold t 2 . it will be appreciated that the bandwidth of the energy windows w 1 and w 2 , as well as the location of thresholds t 2 and t 3 , will vary with energy distribution and characteristic peak for the specific beta - minus source in use . the relation of the three threshold levels and two windows to the background noise and thermal neutron distribution is further depicted in fig4 b , which expands a portion of fig4 a . the count rate is initially high at very low energy levels , attributable to background noise . the first threshold t 1 is defined in the limiting circuit 64 as the cut - off point for the background noise . the second threshold t 2 is defined within limiting circuit 64 as the expected energy characterization peak for the selected beta source . the third threshold t 3 defined in limiting circuit 64 represents the energy endpoint distribution for the selected beta source . it will be appreciated that the energy characterization peaks t 2 and endpoint t 3 for various beta sources may be readily determined by one of ordinary skill in the art . all counts at energy levels below threshold t 3 are attributable to either background noise or the beta minus source 60 . the limiting circuit 64 outputs count rates above threshold t 3 to the telemetry circuitry 24 , thereby eliminating noise and beta source counts . thus , the preferred embodiment avoids the problems of introducing distribution skew and statistical uncertainty attributable to alpha source counts in wraight . two energy windows w 1 and w 2 are also defined within limiting circuit 64 . the energy windows w 1 and w 2 are of an equal , predetermined bandwidth and are centered and offset a predetermined energy amount from threshold t 2 . it will be appreciated that the window &# 39 ; s w 1 and w 2 bandwidth , as well as their positioning in the energy spectrum will be dependent upon the energy distribution for the selected beta source . the number of counts for windows w 1 and w 2 for a predetermined time period should be statistically equivalent due to the energy distribution for the beta source . the count period for windows w 1 and w 2 will be a function of the radioactivity level of the beta source , which itself is determined by the amount of source material selected . the number of counts for windows w 1 and w 2 for a predetermined period of time is compared by limiting circuit 64 , which forms an error signal as a function of the difference in counts . according to u . s . pat . no . 3 , 976 , 878 , an error signal , which is a function of the difference in the counts ( w 1 - w 2 ), may be used to control a circuit parameter . in fig2 the error signal is fed to gain stabilization circuitry 66 , which in turn controls the output from the high voltage power supply 50 . the voltage on electrode 36 is varied as a function of the error signal provided gain stabilization circuitry 66 such that the counts for windows w 1 and w 2 are statistically equivalent , thereby centering the detector response 28 to the beta source 60 . as a result , the detector response to thermal neutron flux is also centered about its characteristic energy peak of 0 . 765 mev . this technique is further discussed in the &# 39 ; 878 patent . alternatively , the counts may be compared with a known reference source as described in knoll , pp . 730 - 32 . further , desired number of counts for the beta - minus source may be readily selected by properly selecting the amount of beta - source material within nrc exempt guidelines . thus , the preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a means for self verification and gain stabilization for a 3 he detector utilizing nrc exempt isotopes . an additional advantage is the fact that the energy spectrum for the beta - minus source is well below the expected distribution for thermal neutrons . the measured distribution of thermal neutrons in the preferred embodiment , those counts above t 3 , is not affected by the spike in the high energy range characteristic of the alpha calibration sources claimed in wraight . the above disclosure and discussion of the preferred is explanatory and exemplary of the present invention . it will be appreciated that changes may be made on construction or selection of the detector , detector gas , circuitry , beta - minus source or establishment of the various energy thresholds or windows may be made without departing from the spirit of the claimed invention . | 6 |
the present invention consists of a solid fulvestrant composition showing improved solubility characteristics with respect to the solubility of the solid active principle . the problem of solubility of fulvestrant , as described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 774 , 122 , in a solution of castor oil and at least one alcohol is solved by the addition of a non - aqueous ester - type solvent miscible with castor oil . the present invention provides a new solution to this technical problem , not by addition of a solvent , but by obtaining dried solid fulvestrant , preferably through a lyophilization process , and preferably amorphous . lyophilization is a drying process , in which the solvent or suspension medium are crystallized at low temperatures and then sublimated directly from solid state to vapor state ( 1 ). the problem we encountered was that fulvestrant is practically insoluble in water ( 3 ) and that the overwhelming majority of lyophilizates of pharmaceutical solutions are lyophilized from simple aqueous solutions ( 2 ). given that fulvestrant is practically insoluble in water , it cannot be used as a lyophilization solvent . we have solved this technical problem , among others , by means of lyophilization with organic solvents or using solvent - non - solvent systems . the use of organic solvents in the lyophilization is not found in the state - of - the - art ( 4 ), and additionally the scientist should keep in mind that the use of organic co - solvent / water systems may cause a myriad of problems ( 2 ). we have developed processes for lyophilizing fulvestrant employing pure organic solvents such as acetic acid , dimethylsufoxide and tert - butanol , and in addition solvent - non - solvent systems consisting of organic solvents and water as non - solvent , for example , acetic acid : water , ethanol : water , tert - butanol : water . the lyophilized solid pharmaceutical compositions of fulvestrant of the present invention have solubility characteristics which are not observed for the solid pharmaceutical active principle . this improved solubility makes it suitable to be used as a pharmaceutical product of rapid dissolution but with no need of using benzyl benzoate as a solvent for castor oil . the lyophilizate should be reconstituted within a reasonable period , typically of less than 2 minutes ( 5 ); if reconstitution time is excessive , that is , more than 3 minutes , the user may get impatient or frustrated ( 6 ). we have compared dissolution time of a fulvestrant lyophilizate to a pharmaceutical active comprising solid fulvestrant and found that the fulvestrant lyophilizate is dissolved in less than 2 minutes , whereas the pharmaceutical active of solid fulvestrant required more than 60 minutes . this comparison was performed by dissolving fulvestrant at a concentration of 50 mg / ml , using a solvent comprising castor oil and benzyl benzoate - free alcohol mixtures . another important fact of the present invention is that when carrying out the methods of manufacturing lyophilizates there was no variation in purity associated to the active principle used in the same , and this consideration is made keeping in mind that the method of usp 34 monograph on fulvestrant is used for determining related compounds . furthermore , it should be noted that there was no degradation either during the process of reconstituting lyophilizates , using a solvent comprising castor oil and benzyl benzoate - free alcohol mixtures . the lyophilizate and its reconstituted form meet the required impurity values established in the ich guidelines for impurities in final products , thus allowing for using this product as an injectable medicament which , given the characteristics of solvents and active principle and that it is administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously , could be used as a sustained - release product of fulvestrant . herein , the term solid refers to non - liquid states , or solutions , but to lyophilization powders or plugs , either in a crystalline or amorphous state . another object of the present invention is a kit comprising two containers , one containing the solid fulvestrant , preferably lyophilized and amorphous , of the present invention and the other containing the solubilizing composition of the present invention . in a first embodiment of the kit , it comprises the containers and a syringe . in a second embodiment , it comprises a prefilled syringe containing said two containers . in a third alternative of said containers , syringe and transfer system , said transfer system connects both containers with the syringe . this third option turned out to be the most efficient , as demonstrated in the examples . the needle - free transfer system allowed for transferring the solvent to the syringe , from the syringe to the lyophilizate and then the reconstituted form to the syringe , rapidly and with a minimum effort . furthermore , the risk of injuries to health workers due to needle manipulation , as well as product contamination , are reduced to a minimum because the solvent vial - transfer system - lyophilized vial system is a closed system . thus , another object of the present invention is the use of a transfer system for connecting the containers containing the solubilizing composition , the container containing the solid fulvestrant of the present invention and a syringe . another object of the present invention is a process for obtaining the composition of claim 1 comprising the following steps of : a . dissolving the active pharmaceutical principle fulvestrant in a lyophilization solvent selected from the group consisting of acetic acid , dimethylsulfoxide , tert - butanol and mixtures thereof , where preferably said solid composition containing less than 0 . 5 % organic solvents is obtained ; further , lyophilization comprises cooling the product obtained in step a to at least − 20 c for at least 5 hours , working under a pressure higher than 500 mtorr . after this time has elapsed , the pressure is lowered to below 500 mtorr . after at least 3 hours , heating of the system is started with a difference of at least 5 ° c . between two consecutive temperatures , the heating being ramp - or step - wise and each step being of an extension of at least 3 hours . the final temperature of the system comprises from 0 to 50 ° c . to a 100 ml beaker , fitted with a magnetic stirrer , 35 ml glacial acetic acid , merck lot k 36685863 , is added . the beaker is placed on an ika model ms2 minishaker magnetic stirrer plate . seven hundred mg fulvestrant from scinopharm , lot # 70850aa003 were weighed using an ohaus model adventurer balance . stirring of acetic acid is started and fulvestrant is slowly added which is rapidly dissolved . after all fulvestrant was added stirring is continued for 5 minutes . after this time has elapsed , stirring is stopped and the solution is dosed using a 5000 ul eppendorf research micropipette into 50 ml schott type i glass vials , with a 12 . 5 ml volume . vials are pre - capped with helvoet pharma bromobutyl lyophilization stoppers and lyophilized using a virtis advantage lyophilizer . the lyophilization cycle is shown in table 1 . once the lyophilization process is completed , vials are capped and crimped with aluminum seals . the lyophilizate thus obtained has a very good aspect . titer and purity of one lyophilizate vial are analyzed by hplc , and compared to scinopharm fulvestrant used in the manufacture of the lyophilizate . hplc determinations were carried out on a waters hplc system with a waters 1525 binary pump , waters 717 autosampler , and a waters 2996 diode array detector ; the hplc column used for determining titer and purity is an agilent eclipse xdb - c8 3 . 5u 4 . 6 × 150 rapid res column ; the chromatographic method corresponds to us pharmacopeia ( usp , 34 ( 2011 )) monograph on fulvestrant . the titer of the lyophilizate was the same as that of scinopharm fulvestrant , 99 . 2 %. fulvestrant and lyophilizate total impurities were 0 . 1 %. a physical characterization of a sample of lyophilized fulvestrant was performed . the physical characterization was made by x - ray diffraction , differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric assays . the x - ray assay was carried out in a philips x &# 39 ; pert with a pw3710 unity using cukα radiation = 1 . 54 a . records were obtained in the range of 3 °& lt ; 2θ & lt ; 40 °. a step of 0 . 02 ° in 2θ was used with a time counting of 2 seconds per step . fig5 shows a diffraction diagram of the sample which has a typical diffraction pattern corresponding to an amorphous sample . the differential scanning calorimetry assay was performed with a shimadzu dsc 60 . a sample of 2 . 29 mg was placed on an aluminum sampleholder , and heated at 10 ° c ./ min from room temperature to 200 ° c . work was carried out under n 2 with a flow of 30 ml / min the thermogravimetric assay was performed with a shimadzu tg 50 . the sample was placed in an aluminum sampleholder . it was heated from room temperature to 400 ° c . with heating rate of 10 ° c ./ min , under dry air flow of 40 ml / min fig6 shows a differential scanning calorimetry diagram and a thermogravimetric diagram . an endothermic signal characterized by an onset temperature to = 49 +/− 1 ° c . and an enthalpy variation of 11 +/− 2 j / g was observed , which as may be appreciated in the thermogravimetric diagram does not correspond to mass loss . this lyophilizate was made with scinopharm fulvestrant . a comparison of diffraction diagrams of the starting material , diagram 1 , and the lyophilizate , diagram 5 , shows that during the lyophilization process there was a transformation or change of the crystalline state of fulvestrant from crystalline , the state of the starting material , to amorphous , the state of the lyophilized material . when comparing the results of the thermal study of scinopharm and sicor fulvestrant , it is concluded that the melting point of fulvestrant is 102 +/− 2 ° c . and the enthalpy of fusion is 50 +/− 4 j / g . the lyophilizate has an endothermic signal characterized by an onset temperature to = 49 +/− 1 ° c . and an enthalpy variation of 11 +/− 2 j / g , which is different from the crystalline fulvestrant used for manufacturing the lyophilizate . to a 10 ml beaker , fitted with a magnetic stirrer , 2 . 5 ml of tert - butanol tedia lot # 904088 was added and then heated to 30 ° c . the beaker was placed on an ika ms2 minishaker magnetic stirring plate , establishing plate conditions of agitation at 400 to 600 rpm and a temperature of 30 ° c . forty - nine mg fulvestrant from scinopharm , lot # 70850aa003 were weighed using an ohaus model adventurer balance . fulvestrant is slowly added . after all fulvestrant was added stirring is continued for 5 minutes a clear solution was obtained . after this time , stirring is stopped and with using a 5 ml syringe and needle ( darling ) the solution is dosed into an 11 ml type i glass vial from nuova ompi . the vial is pre - capped with a helvoet pharma bromobutyl lyophilization stopper and lyophilized using a virtis advantage lyophilizator . the lyophilization cycle is shown in table 2 . once the cycle is completed , vials are withdrawn from the lyophilizator , canned and crimped with aluminum seals . the lyophilizate thus obtained has a very good aspect . titer and purity of the lyophilizate is analyzed by hplc , and compared to scinopharm fulvestrant used in the manufacture of the lyophilizate . hplc determinations were carried out on an hplc waters with a waters 1525 binary pump , waters 717 autosampler , and a waters 2996 diode array detector ; the hplc column used for determining titer and purity is an agilent eclipse xdb - c8 3 . 5u 4 . 6 × 150 rapid res column ; the chromatographic method corresponds to us pharmacopeia ( usp , 34 ( 2011 )) monograph on fulvestrant . the titer of the lyophilizate was the same as that of scinopharm fulvestrant , 99 . 2 %. fulvestrant and lyophilizate total impurities were 0 . 1 %. a physical characterization of a sample of lyophilized fulvestrant was performed . the physical characterization was made by x - ray diffraction , differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric assays . the x - ray assay was carried out in a philips x &# 39 ; pert with a pw3710 unity using cukα radiation = 1 . 54 a . records were obtained in the range of 3 °& lt ; 2θ & lt ; 40 °. a step of 0 . 02 ° in 2θ was used with a time counting of 2 seconds per step . fig7 shows a diffraction diagram of the sample which has a typical diffraction pattern corresponding to an amorphous sample . the differential scanning calorimetry assay was performed with a shimadzu dsc 60 . a sample of 3 . 10 mg was placed on an aluminum sampleholder , and heated at 10 ° c ./ min from room temperature to 200 ° c . work was carried out under n 2 with a flow of 30 ml / min the thermogravimetric assay was performed with a shimadzu tg 50 . the sample was placed in an aluminum sampleholder . it was heated from room temperature to 400 ° c . with heating rate of 10 ° c ./ min , under dry air flow of 40 ml / min fig8 shows a differential scanning calorimetry diagram and a thermogravimetric diagram . thermal signals were observed between room temperature and 70 ° c ., probably associated with the mass loss detected by thermogravimetry . other thermal signals were observed from 70 ° c . to 90 ° c . which apparently did not correspond to mass loss . this lyophilizate was made with scinopharm fulvestrant . a comparison of diffraction diagrams of the starting material , diagram 1 , and the lyophilizate , diagram 7 , shows that during the lyophilization process there was a transformation or change of the crystalline state of fulvestrant from crystalline , the state of the starting material , to amorphous , the state of the lyophilized material . when comparing the results of the thermal study of scinopharm and sicor fulvestrant , it is concluded that the melting point of fulvestrant is 102 +/− 2 ° c . and the enthalpy of fusion is 50 +/− 4 j / g . the lyophilizate does not show the endothermic signals which are characteristic of phase change phenomena . to a 50 ml beaker , fitted with a magnetic stirrer , 12 . 5 ml dimethylsulfoxide malinckroff lot # 904088 was added with the aid of a 5000 ul eppendorf research micropipette . the beaker was placed on an ika ms2 minishaker magnetic stirring plate , establishing plate conditions of agitation at 400 to 600 rpm . two hundred and fifty mg fulvestrant from scinopharm , lot # 70850aa003 were weighed using an ohaus model adventurer balance . fulvestrant is slowly added . after all fulvestrant was added stirring is continued for 5 minutes a clear solution was obtained . after this time , stirring is stopped and with using a 5 ml syringe and needle ( darling ) the solution is dosed into a 50 ml type i glass vial from schott . the vial is pre - capped with a helvoet pharma bromobutyl lyophilization stopper and lyophilized using a virtis advantage lyophilizator . the lyophilization cycle is shown in table 3 . once the cycle is completed , vials are withdrawn from the lyophilizator , capped and crimped with aluminum seals . fulvestrant is slowly added . after all fulvestrant was added stirring is continued for 5 minutes a clear solution was obtained . then , with the aid of a 5000 ul eppendorf research micropipette , 1 ml of water was added , and after 2 minutes additional 1 ml water was added . after the addition of water the solution is transformed into a suspension . stirring is stopped and with the aid of a 5 ml syringe and needle ( darling ) the solution is dosed into an 11 ml type i glass vial from nuova ompi . the vial is pre - capped with a helvoet pharma bromobutyl lyophilization stopper and lyophilized using a virtis advantage lyophilizator . the lyophilization cycle is shown in table 4 . once the cycle is completed , vials are withdrawn from the lyophilizator , capped and crimped with aluminum seals . the aspect of the lyophilizate thus obtained is not good . titer and purity of the lyophilizate is analyzed by hplc , and compared to scinopharm fulvestrant used in the manufacture of the lyophilizate . hplc determinations were carried out on an hplc waters with a waters 1525 binary pump , waters 717 autosampler , and a waters 2996 diode array detector ; the hplc column used for determining titer and purity is an agilent eclipse xdb - c8 3 . 5u 4 . 6 × 150 rapid res column ; the chromatographic method corresponds to us pharmacopeia ( usp , 34 ( 2011 )) monograph for fulvestrant . the titer of the lyophilizate was the same as that of scinopharm fulvestrant , 99 . 2 %. fulvestrant and lyophilizate total impurities were 0 . 1 %. lyophilization of fulvestrant from acetic acid and water at a ratio of 1 : 1 by volume to a 5 ml beaker , fitted with a magnetic stirrer , 1 ml glacial acetic acid , merck lot k 36685863 was added with the aid of a 5000 ul eppendorf research micropipette . the beaker was placed on an ika ms2 minishaker magnetic stirring plate , establishing plate conditions of agitation at 200 to 300 rpm . forty - nine mg fulvestrant from scinopharm , lot # 70850aa003 were weighed using an ohaus model adventurer balance . fulvestrant is slowly added . after all fulvestrant was added stirring is continued for 5 minutes a clear solution was obtained . then , with the aid of a 5000 ul eppendorf research micropipette , 1 ml of water was added . after the addition of water the solution is transformed into a suspension . stirring is stopped and with the aid of a 5 ml syringe and needle ( darling ) the solution is dosed into an 11 ml type i glass vial from nuova ompi . the vial is pre - capped with a helvoet pharma bromobutyl lyophilization stopper and lyophilized using a virtis advantage lyophilizator . the lyophilization cycle is shown in table 5 . once the cycle is completed , vials are withdrawn from the lyophilizator , capped and crimped with aluminum seals . the lyophilizate thus obtained has a good aspect . titer and purity of the lyophilizate is analyzed by hplc , and compared to scinopharm fulvestrant used in the manufacture of the lyophilizate . hplc determinations were carried out on an hplc waters with a waters 1525 binary pump , waters 717 autosampler , and a waters 2996 diode array detector ; the hplc column used for determining titer and purity is an agilent eclipse xdb - c8 3 . 5u 4 . 6 × 150 rapid res column ; the chromatographic method corresponds to us pharmacopeia ( usp , 34 ( 2011 )) monograph for fulvestrant . the titer of the lyophilizate was the same as that of scinopharm fulvestrant , 99 . 2 %. fulvestrant and lyophilizate total impurities were 0 . 1 %. lyophilization of fulvestrant from ethanol and water at a ratio of 1 : 2 by volume to a 5 ml beaker , fitted with a magnetic stirrer , 0 . 5 ml baker anhydrous ethanol is added with the aid of a 1000 ul eppendorf research micropipette . the beaker was placed on an ika ms2 minishaker magnetic stirring plate , establishing plate conditions of agitation at 200 to 300 rpm . forty - nine mg fulvestrant from scinopharm , lot # 70850aa003 were weighed using an ohaus model adventurer balance . fulvestrant is slowly added . after all fulvestrant was added stirring is continued for 5 minutes a clear solution was obtained . then , with the aid of a 5000 ul eppendorf research micropipette , 1 ml of water is added . after the addition of water the solution is transformed into a suspension . stirring is stopped and with the aid of a 5 ml syringe and needle ( darling ) the solution is dosed into an 11 ml type i glass vial from nuova ompi . the vial is pre - capped with a helvoet pharma bromobutyl lyophilization stopper and lyophilized using a virtis advantage lyophilizator . the lyophilization cycle is shown in table 6 . once the cycle is completed , vials are withdrawn from the lyophilizator , capped and crimped with aluminum seals . the lyophilizate thus obtained has a good aspect . titer and purity of the lyophilizate is analyzed by hplc , and compared to scinopharm fulvestrant used in the manufacture of the lyophilizate . hplc determinations were carried out on an hplc waters with a waters 1525 binary pump , waters 717 autosampler , and a waters 2996 diode array detector ; the hplc column used for determining titer and purity is an agilent eclipse xdb - c8 3 . 5u 4 . 6 × 150 rapid res column ; the chromatographic method corresponds to us pharmacopeia ( usp , 34 ( 2011 )) monograph for fulvestrant . the titer of the lyophilizate was the same as that of scinopharm fulvestrant , 99 . 2 %. fulvestrant and lyophilizate total impurities were 0 . 1 %. a 50 ml schott , type i , glass vial is placed on an ohaus adventurer balance . then , 3 . 12 g merck ethanol , 4 . 17 g sigma - aldrich benzyl alcohol and 12 . 70 g sigma - aldrich castor oil are added . with the aid of a 1000 ul eppendorf research micropipette , 5 ml of the previously prepared solvent was added into an 11 ml nuova ompi type i of glass vial . the vial is capped with a solution s - additive plug from westpharma and crimped with an aluminum seal . the process for reconstituting a vial of lyophilizate of example 1 with the solvent of said example , using a needle - less transfer system transfer device 20 / 20 w / 150 mic filter sterile from westpharma , fig9 , is as follows : 1 . seals are removed from the containers ( vials ) containing the solid fulvestrant composition of the invention and the solubilizing composition . 2 . the cover of the package containing the transfer system is removed . 3 . the transfer system is placed on the top of the vial containing the solvent and the cap is pierced using one of the punches of the transfer system . 4 . the vial with solvent is inverted together with the transfer device . 5 . the transfer system is placed on top of the vial containing the lyophilizate and the cap is pierced using the free punch of the transfer system . 6 . the protecting cover of the syringe of the transfer system is removed . 7 . the protecting cover of the 10 ml darling syringe is removed , and the syringe is introduced into the luer lock of the transfer system . 8 . the valve of the transfer system is mounted to remove the solvent , which is extracted with the syringe . 9 . the transfer system valve is turned to connect the syringe and the lyophilizate . 10 . the complete content of the syringe is discharged into the lyophilizate vial . 11 . after the reconstituted solution is formed , the transfer system is turned 180 degrees to withdraw this solution with the aid of a syringe . using a sper scientific timer , it was determined that less than 90 seconds were required for reconstituting the lyophilizate . using a 50 ml schott type i glass vial , 250 mg scinopharm fulvestrant lot # 70850aa003 are weighed . with the aid of a 10 ml darling syringe and needle , 5 ml of the solvent of example 7 are extracted and added to the vial containing scinopharm api fulvestrant . it was determined that more than 60 minutes were required to completely dissolve fulvestrant in the solvent using a sper scientific timer . titer and purity of the reconstituted fulvestrant of example 7 are analyzed by hplc , and compared to scinopharm fulvestrant as used for manufacturing the lyophilizate . hplc determinations were carried out on an hplc waters with a waters 1525 binary pump , waters 717 autosampler , and a waters 2996 diode array detector ; the hplc column used for determining titer and purity is an agilent eclipse xdb - c8 3 . 5u 4 . 6 × 150 rapid res column ; the chromatographic method corresponds to us pharmacopeia ( usp , 34 ( 2011 )) monograph for fulvestrant . the titer of the lyophilizate was the same as that of scinopharm fulvestrant , 99 . 2 %. fulvestrant and lyophilizate total impurities were 0 . 1 %. stability test of the fulvestrant solution in acetic acid during 6 hours at room temperature to a 10 ml beaker , fitted with a magnetic stirrer , 2 . 5 ml glacial acetic acid , merck lot k 36685863 , is added . the beaker is placed on an ika model ms2 minishaker magnetic stirrer plate . fifty mg fulvestrant from scinopharm , lot # 70850aa003 were weighed using an ohaus model adventurer balance . stirring of acetic acid is started and fulvestrant is slowly added which is rapidly dissolved . after all fulvestrant was added stirring is continued for 5 minutes . stirring is stopped and the solution is left at room temperature for 6 hours , then dissolution is analyzed in terms of titer and purity by hplc , and compared to scinopharm fulvestrant as used for manufacturing the lyophilizate . hplc determinations were carried out on an hplc waters with a waters 1525 binary pump , waters 717 autosampler , and a waters 2996 diode array detector ; the hplc column used for determining titer and purity is an agilent eclipse xdb - c8 3 . 5u 4 . 6 × 150 rapid res column ; the chromatographic method corresponds to us pharmacopeia ( usp , 34 ( 2011 )) monograph for fulvestrant . the titer of the solution was 99 . 2 %, the same as the one of scinopharm fulvestrant , i . e . 99 . 2 %. fulvestrant and lyophilizate total impurities in the solution were 0 . 1 %. the sample of fulvestrant to be analyzed was manufactured by scinopharm , lot # 70850aa003 . the physical characterization was made by x - ray diffraction , differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric assays . the x - ray assay was carried out in a philips x &# 39 ; pert with a pw3710 unity using cukα radiation = 1 . 54 a . records were obtained in the range of 3 °& lt ; 2θ & lt ; 40 °. a step of 0 . 02 ° in 2θ was used with a time counting of 2 seconds per step . fig1 shows a diffraction diagram of the sample which has a typical diffraction pattern corresponding to a crystalline sample . the differential scanning calorimetry assay was performed with a shimadzu dsc 60 . a sample of 1 . 68 mg was placed on an aluminum sampleholder , and heated at 10 ° c ./ min from room temperature to 200 ° c . work was carried out under n 2 with a flow of 30 ml / min the thermogravimetric assay was performed with a shimadzu tg 50 . the sample was placed in an aluminum sampleholder . it was heated from room temperature to 400 ° c . with heating rate of 10 ° c ./ min , under dry air flow of 40 ml / min fig2 shows a differential scanning calorimetry diagram and a thermogravimetric diagram . an endothermic signal characterized by an onset temperature to = 49 +/− 1 ° c . and an enthalpy variation of 11 +/− 2 j / g was observed , which as may be appreciated in the thermogravimetric diagram does not correspond to mass loss and presumably corresponds to the melting point , which confirms that the crystalline state of fulvestrant is a crystal . the sample of fulvestrant to be analyzed was manufactured by sicor , lot # 4233500210c . the physical characterization was made by x - ray diffraction , differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric assays . the x - ray assay was carried out in a philips x &# 39 ; pert with a pw3710 unity using cukα radiation = 1 . 54 a . records were obtained in the range of 3 °& lt ; 2θ & lt ; 40 °. a step of 0 . 02 ° in 2θ was used with a time counting of 2 seconds per step . fig3 shows a diffraction diagram of the sample which has a typical diffraction pattern corresponding to a crystalline sample . the differential scanning calorimetry assay was performed with a shimadzu dsc 60 . a sample of 2 . 82 mg was placed on an aluminum sampleholder , and heated at 10 ° c ./ min from room temperature to 200 ° c . work was carried out under n 2 with a flow of 30 ml / min . the thermogravimetric assay was performed with a shimadzu tg 50 . the sample was placed in an aluminum sampleholder . it was heated from room temperature to 400 ° c . with heating rate of 10 ° c ./ min , under dry air flow of 40 ml / min fig4 shows a differential scanning calorimetry diagram and a thermogravimetric diagram . an endothermic signal characterized by an onset temperature to = 103 +/− 1 ° c . and an enthalpy variation of 49 +/− 2 j / g was observed , which as may be appreciated in the thermogravimetric diagram does not correspond to mass loss and presumably corresponds to the melting point , which confirms that the crystalline state of fulvestrant is a crystal . it may be appreciated upon comparing the results of scinopharm and sicor fulvestrant that the x - ray diffraction diagram , the melting point and fusion enthalpy are very similar . syringeability and injectability of different solvents using needles and using a transfer system syringeability and injectability are key parameters for the design of parenteral products . the first term refers to the ability of the injectable to readily pass through a needle when transferred from one vial to another ; the second term refers to the ability to be injected . the syringeability includes factors such as easy extraction , obstruction and foam formation as well as precision of metered doses . the injectability includes the pressure or force required for the injection , flow uniformity and non - obstruction ( 13 ). the syringeability of the solvent and the reconstituted solution of example 7 were assayed using 3 systems : the first system consisted of a 10 ml darling syringe , with 23 g needles , the second system employed a 10 ml darling syringe , with 18 g needles , both needles had a length of 3 . 8 cm , and the last one was the transfer system described in example 7 . the assay consisted in extracting the solvent describe in example 7 , injecting it in the lyophilizate vial , reconstituting the lyophilizate and extracting it from the vial containing it . when the solvent extraction assay was carried out with the syringe and 23 g needle system we discovered that no solvent could be extracted . this is due to the high viscosity of the solvent and the high caliper of the syringe . therefore it was decided to use a syringe with lower needle caliper , i . e . having a greater diameter hole of the needle , performing the assay with an 18 g needle . but the result was the same as before , nothing could be extracted . the selection of a 23 g needle is supported by the fact that the reconstituted fulvestrant , like the original product faslodex , is administered intramuscularly . according to reference ( 14 ), needles comprising from 21 to 23 g and with a length from 2 . 5 cm to 3 . 8 cm should be used for intramuscular injections ; a 23 g needle is used for the original product , faslodex . the use of a transfer system , another object of the present invention , allowed for passing solvent to the syringe , from the syringe to the reconstitution vial and from the latter to the syringe almost immediately and with no need to exert any force . 2 d . l . teagarden , d . s . baker , practical aspects of lyophilization using non - aqueous co - solvent systems ; european journal of pharmaceutical sciences , 15 , 115 - 133 , 2002 . 4 l . rey , j . may ; freeze drying / lyophilization of pharmaceutical and biological products , 3 edition ; informa healthcare ; p . 25 , 2010 . 5 l . rey , j . may : freeze drying / lyophilization of pharmaceutical and biological products , 3 edition ; informa healthcare , p . 325 , 2010 . 6 t . a . jennings : lyophilization introduction and basic principles ; informa healthcare , p . 428 , 2008 . 11 david e . alonso et al . : understanding the behavior of amorphous pharmaceutical systems during dissolution ; pharmaceutical research , 27 , 4 , 2010 12 sharad b . murdande et al . : solubility advantage of amorphous pharmaceuticals : ii ; application of quantitative thermodynamic relationships for prediction of solubility enhancement in structural diverse insoluble pharmaceuticals ; pharmaceutical research , 27 , 2704 - 2714 , 2010 . 13 f . cilurzo et al . ; injectability evaluation : an open issue ; aaps pharmscitech 07 / 005 / 2011 . | 0 |
fig1 depicts a portion of the internet 110 , to which are attached a service provider system 102 , computer 104 , network 106 , and customer system 108 , as well as other resources that are not shown . provider 102 is able to provide management resources to customer system 108 over the internet 110 . customer system 108 can assume many different configurations that can be set up with monitoring by the present invention . referring to fig2 , a block diagram of a data processing system 200 that may be implemented as a server in a system is depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . data processing system 200 can be a symmetric multiprocessor ( smp ) system including a plurality of processors 202 and 204 connected to system bus 206 . alternatively , a single processor system may be employed . also connected to system bus 206 is memory controller / cache 208 , which provides an interface to local memory 209 . i / o bus bridge 210 is connected to system bus 206 and provides an interface to i / o bus 212 . memory controller / cache 208 and i / o bus bridge 210 may be integrated as depicted . peripheral component interconnect ( pci ) bus bridge 214 connected to i / o bus 212 provides an interface to pci local bus 216 . a number of modems may be connected to pci local bus 216 . typical pci bus implementations will support four pci expansion slots or add - in connectors . communications links may be provided through modem 218 and network adapter 220 connected to pci local bus 216 through add - in connectors . additional pci bus bridges 222 and 224 provide interfaces for additional pci local buses 226 and 228 , from which additional modems or network adapters may be supported . in this manner , data processing system 200 allows connections to multiple network computers . a memory - mapped graphics adapter 230 and hard disk 232 may also be connected to i / o bus 212 as depicted , either directly or indirectly . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in fig2 may vary . for example , other peripheral devices , such as optical disk drives and the like , also may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted . the depicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention . the data processing system depicted in fig2 may be , for example , an ibm eserver pseries system , a product of international business machines corporation in armonk , n . y ., running the advanced interactive executive ( aix ) operating system or linux operating system . fig3 depicts the elements used with the general - purpose agent , according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention . for example , customer system 108 contracts with provider 102 of fig1 , specifying that a specific vendor &# 39 ; s monitoring / management product be used . exemplary vendors for monitoring / management products are international business machines of armonk , n . y . and bmc software , of houston , although many other vendors also produce this type of products . this exemplary embodiment will be explained with reference to monitoring and management products by tivoli , a division of international business machines , inc . computer system 302 can be , for example , a server or group of servers , such as the server shown in fig2 . the system can be configured as a multiprocessing server with a number of programs running on it , a network of dedicated servers , or a combination of dedicated and multi - processing servers . in this example , computer system 302 , which is connected to the internet , is a multi - processing server contains four applications that will be monitored by tivoli . the applications are ( 1 ) sap 304 , an integration application platform available from sap america , lester , pa ., ( 2 ) websphere ® application server ( was ) 306 , a product of international business machines of armonk , n . y ., ( 3 ) domain name server ( dns ) 308 , a program that communicates with other dns programs on the internet to resolve user addresses , and ( 4 ) db2 ® 310 , a database product of international business machines . general - purpose agent ( gpa ) 312 is installed on system 302 , either when the operating system is deployed or when the system administrator determines that the agent is needed . since this embodiment is designed to work with the monitoring / management programs of a specific vendor , the monitoring / management program to be used on the server is shown as vendor agent 311 . vendor agent 311 may have been installed prior to the operation of gpa 312 . alternatively , gpa 312 can install vendor agent 311 , which will perform the actual management and monitoring needed for the applications on this server . in either case , it is necessary to know the preferred policies and configurations , as well as determining whether a license is needed for vendor agent 311 . in the presently preferred embodiment , general - purpose agent 312 is written in perl ® ( practical extraction and report language ) or in java ®, an object oriented programming language that is movable from one machine to another . both of these languages are commonly available on a wide variety of machines at installation , gpa 312 contains the address of agent manager 314 , so that when gpa 312 begins execution , it is able to immediately contact agent manager 314 . in the preferred embodiment , the agent manager maintains an inventory of servers being managed by associated agents ; at any time that the address of the agent manager is changed , the associated agents are provided a new address at which to contact the agent manager . agent manager 314 is able to provide scanners and additional agents to the system as needed . additionally , agent manager 314 communicates with policy - based engine 316 . policy - based engine 316 can access a best practice database 318 , which contains guidelines according to industry or vendor standards , regarding the specific practices and configurations needed to monitor / manage various applications . the policies or rules in the database can be created by means of an expert system or a similar tool . a sample of the rules found on the best practice database 318 is shown in box 320 . the sample rules include the following : ( a ) use proactive analysis component ( pac ) ( a product of ibm tivoli ®), ( b ) use sap best practices file # 1 ( for instructions on what elements should be monitored ), ( c ) use sap software configuration file # 3 ( to set the configuration of various settings within sap ), and ( d ) a license is required and must be managed ; ( a ) use pac , ( b ) use was best practices file # 5 , and ( c ) a license is required and must be managed ; ( a ) use process monitor # 7 , and ( b ) use file system # 9 ( no license required ) ( a ) use pac , ( b ) use db2 best practices file # 2 , and ( c ) a license is required and must be managed . agent manager 314 and policy - based engine 316 can be instantiated on a single server , such as a server in provider system 102 of fig1 , although they can also be on separate servers . likewise , best practices database 318 is preferably available from a central location , such as a storage unit in provider system 102 . those skilled in the art would understand that the preceding rules are merely exemplary , and that many other rules could be present in the best practice database 318 . furthermore , the database 318 can be extended to include user or organization preferences that can override the “ best practice ” policies of the industry at large . fig4 depicts the flow of operations for the general - purpose agent , in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the process begins with gpa 312 being installed on system 302 . at the time of installation , general - purpose agent 312 is given the address of agent manager 314 , which oversees the process . as soon as gpa 312 is executed , it contacts agent manager 314 ( step 402 ). initially , gpa 312 requests a generalized scanner , which is able to manage a variety of systems , from agent manager 314 ( step 404 ). agent manager 314 responds by sending a scanner ( step 406 ). gpa 312 will install the scanner and cause it to scan server 110 ( step 408 ). in the presently preferred embodiment , the scan is produced as an xml file , which is then sent to the agent manager 314 ( step 410 ). a sample scan is shown below . & lt ;? xml version =“ 1 . 0 ” encoding =“ utf - 8 ”?& gt ; & lt ; inventory_scan date =“ xx / xx / xxxx ” time =“ xx : xx : xx ”& gt ; & lt ; scan_target id =“ 801 ” address =“ 10 . 1 . 1 . 1 ”& gt ; & lt ; application_discovered id =“ 001 ”& gt ; & lt ; application_name & gt ; websphere application server & lt ;/ application_name & gt ; & lt ; application_version & gt ; 5 . 1 & lt ;/ application_version & gt ; & lt ;/ application_discovered & gt ; & lt ; application_discovered id =“ 002 ”& gt ; & lt ; application_name & gt ; ibm db2 database server & lt ;/ application_name & gt ; & lt ; application_version & gt ; 8 . 1 & lt ;/ application_version & gt ; & lt ;/ application_discovered & gt ; & lt ; application_discovered id =“ 003 ”& gt ; & lt ; application_name & gt ; domain name server & lt ;/ application_name & gt ; & lt ; application_version & gt ; 4 . 9 & lt ;/ application_version & gt ; & lt ;/ application_discovered & gt ; & lt ; application_discovered id =“ 004 ”& gt ; & lt ; application_name & gt ; sap & lt ;/ application_name & gt ; & lt ; application_version & gt ; 7 . 2 & lt ;/ application_version & gt ; & lt ;/ application_discovered & gt ; & lt ;/ scan_target & gt ; & lt ;/ inventory_scan & gt ; agent manager 314 forwards the information from the xml file to policy - based engine 316 for analysis ( step 412 ). once policy based engine ( pbe ) 316 determines the applications currently installed on system 110 , pbe can access best practice database 318 to determine the setup agents and settings necessary to initialize vendor agent 311 ( step 414 ). pbe 316 notifies agent manager 314 of needed agents and agent manager 314 is then able to push the appropriate agents down to general - purpose agent 312 ( step 416 ). in this example , the files found at 320 are sent to the system , along with appropriate agents for instantiating the desired settings and configurations . as the final step , general - purpose agent 312 oversees the installation of the appropriate agents and the initialization of settings and configurations as directed by agent manager 314 ( step 418 ). the process is then complete . although this process up to this point has been described as a one - time process , once gpa 312 has been installed , this program 312 can be triggered periodically to ensure that the system continues to be updated with current settings and configurations , as desired by management . using this method and system , an automated program can replace a great deal of human effort , removing much of the tedium from the installation and maintenance of management / monitoring programs . as systems grow more complex , it can be more difficult to determine the best vendor for the given system . in this embodiment of the invention , the user can specify desired limitations , but allow the system to determine the best monitoring product or products using a vendor - neutral database , as will be described . in this version , separate vendor - neutral agents will be sent to each server in the system for discovery and installation , although the decisions will be made looking at the overall system and the user constraints . fig5 depicts the elements used in an exemplary embodiment of the vendor - neutral version of the invention . in this example , computer system 502 has three dedicated servers 502 , 504 , 506 , each of which will receive a copy of vendor - neutral agent ( vna ) 512 . like the general - purpose agent 312 , vendor - neutral agent 512 is preferably written in perl or in java . in this exemplary embodiment , server 502 contains sap web application server , server 504 contains oracle application server , and server 506 contains db2 . because vna 512 will be choosing the best vendor agent , the vendor agent is not yet present on the server . again , there is a manager of agents 514 and a policy - based engine 516 . there is also a combined policy and weightings database 518 . in addition to the “ best practices ”, database 518 contains weightings for each of the monitoring / management programs that can be used with each server application . for example , under sap web application server , the database 518 shows three exemplary monitoring programs that are available to monitor this application : ccms internal is rated a 10 ( the highest rating ); when used with sap web application server , bmc is rated a 9 ; and tivoli is rated an 8 ; other ratings exist for monitoring programs used with oracle application server and db2 . database 518 also contains similar information as was shown in best practice database 318 , although this information is provided for each of the multiple vendors supported , rather than for a single vendor . the customer can also provide their preferences 515 for vendor agents used . exemplary choices can be ( a ) the best tool to monitor each server , ( b ) the single vendor that provides the best overall monitoring for all of the existing applications , or ( c ) a specific vendor , as long as they are in the top three vendors for each application to be monitored . in this manner , the customer can express a preference without having to personally check each server . the preferences 515 can alternatively be expressed as weightings in the database 518 . although database 518 is shown here as a centralized database , it is not required . preferably the information regarding weightings and best practices are easily accessible by policy based engine 516 ; but they can be stored at different locations and maintained by different entities . fig6 depicts the flow of operations for the vendor neutral agent , in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the process begins with the vendor - neutral agent ( vna ) 512 being installed on each server in computer system 502 , e . g ., servers 504 , 506 , 508 . at the same time , the agent manager also receives user preferences ( step 601 ). at the time of installation , each vna 512 is given the address of agent manager 514 . as each vna 512 begins execution , it contacts agent manager 514 ( step 602 ). initially , each vna 512 requests a scanner from agent manager 514 ( step 604 ). agent manager 514 responds by sending a scanner to each agent 512 ( step 606 ). vna 512 will install the scanner and cause it to scan the server it resides on ( step 608 ). again , a scan is produced in xml and sent to the agent manager 514 ( step 610 ), as shown below . & lt ;? xml version =“ 1 . 0 ” encoding =“ utf - 8 ”?& gt ; & lt ; inventory_scan date =“ xx / xx / xxxx ” time =“ xx : xx : xx ”& gt ; & lt ; scan_target id =“ 801 ” address =“ 10 . 1 . 1 . 1 ”& gt ; & lt ; application_discovered id =“ 001 ”& gt ; & lt ; application_name & gt ; oracle application server & lt ;/ application_name & gt ; & lt ; application_version & gt ; 9 . 0 & lt ;/ application_version & gt ; & lt ;/ application_discovered & gt ; & lt ;/ scan_target & gt ; & lt ;/ inventory_scan & gt ; where the multi - processing operating system contains a number of dedicated servers , the scans from the agents on dedicated servers will contain only their single application . it will be necessary to have scans from all of the agents in order to proceed . alternatively , the agent manager 514 can be instructed to proceed when a given percentage of the servers have responded . agent manager 514 forwards the information from the xml files for each server and from customer preferences 515 to policy - based engine 516 for analysis ( step 612 ). policy based engine ( pbe ) 516 then determines the applications currently installed on system 502 and accesses best practice database 518 to determine the monitoring / management programs necessary to manage system 502 ( step 614 ). using the scans , customer preferences 515 , and database 518 , pbe 516 determines the desired monitoring program and configuration for each server . for example , given the weightings shown and the three customer choices presented earlier , a customer choosing ( a ) a best tool for each server would be given ccms for server 504 , bmc for server 506 , and tivoli for server 508 ; a customer choosing ( b ) a single best tool would receive tivoli on all three servers 504 , 506 , 508 , because of the cumulative score ; and a customer choosing ( c ) bmc as long as it was in the top three choices would receive bmc on all three servers 504 , 506 , 508 . once a decision is made , policy - based engine 516 also determines best practice files to accompany each monitoring program . pbe 516 notifies agent manager 514 of needed programs and agent manager 514 is then able to push the appropriate agents down to each of the vendor - neutral agents 512 on servers 504 , 506 , 508 ( step 616 ). as the monitoring programs are sent , so also are the various configuration files that specify the best practices . as the final step , each vendor neutral agent 512 oversees the installation and configuration of the monitoring / management agents as directed by agent manager 514 ( step 618 ). the process is then complete . it is worth noting that if , in the exemplary embodiment of fig5 and fig6 , one of the servers is a multiprocessor running several applications , the vendor neutral embodiment can decide to install several monitoring / management agents on that server to monitor the various applications . this decision will depend not only on the applications running on the server , but also on the weightings and user preferences , as do the other decisions . it is also possible to break out parts of the system , such as license management , in order to easily supplement existing options . the advantages of this system are numerous . most basically , automating the process allows monitoring to be quickly installed on a system without tedious searching and decision - making by administrators . the use of a policy - based engine allows different policies for different clients or situations , without the need to change coding in any way . any of the databases , such as best practices , weightings , and best configuration , as well as user preferences , can be dynamically updated without affecting the rest of the system . as new versions of the management / monitoring software become available , the gpa or vna can be utilized to instantiate the new software . the general - purpose agent is very simple , with its only purpose being to download and execute programs and to return information , yet at the same time it is flexible , since its programming language allows it to run under many different operating systems . thus , the disclosed invention allows the task of setting up new monitoring programs to be handled quickly , easily , and with little error . it is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functioning data processing system , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes of the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of a computer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution . examples of computer readable media include recordable - type media , such as a floppy disk , a hard disk drive , a ram , cd - roms , dvd - roms , and transmission - type media , such as digital and analog communications links , wired or wireless communications links using transmission forms , such as , for example , radio frequency and light wave transmissions . the computer readable media may take the form of coded formats that are decoded for actual use in a particular data processing system . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention , the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . | 6 |
polyglycerol esters are described herein via an alphanumeric coding system . the first digit identifies the degree of polymerization , the second digit the degree of esterification , and the capital letter the type of acid . abbreviations employed are as follows : thus , for example , 2 - 2 - eh identifies diglycerol esterified with two moles of 2 - ethylhexanoic acid and 6 - 5 - s identifies hexaglycerol esterified with five moles of stearic acid . the polyglycerol ester should be incorporated into the resin , prior to processing , in an amount sufficient to lubricate the material . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; processing &# 34 ; is to be understood in the conventional manner . thus , the thermoplastic material must be compounded prior to processing and conversion into a finished article . the resin material such as pvc , is compounded in a conventional manner by mixing the thermoplastic resin and requisite lubricant together with additives employed in such mixtures , e . g . heat stabilizers , fillers , pigments , flame retardants and the like to form a homogeneous blend . this homogeneous blend ( often referred to as a &# 34 ; compound &# 34 ;) may be in the form of a powder , chip , or granule and is &# 34 ; processed &# 34 ; to a finished shaped article conventionally using any of a variety of techniques such as injection molding , extrusion , compression molding , blow molding , and calendering . generally from about 0 . 10 to 5 parts ( preferably about 0 . 5 to 2 . 0 parts ) of the ester per hundred parts of the resin ( phr ) is sufficient . if desired , more than one ester may be employed . the lubricated materials of the present invention are well suited for the production of molded and extruded products , particularly vinyl siding compositions and rigid sheet profiles . the polyglycerol ester lubricants of the present invention may be incorporated into a variety of thermoplastic materials which can be molded by extrusion or injection techniques . the lubricants described herein are suitable for use in thermoplastic compounds , whether they are polycondensates or polyaddition compounds . they are particularly suited for use with chlorinated polymers such as pvc , polyvinylidene chloride , chlorinated polyethylene , as well as copolymers thereof derived , for example , from vinyl acetate , acrylic esters , ethylene propylenediene , ethylene vinyl acetate , maleic esters , etc . the lubricants can also be used in other thermoplastics such as polystyrene and copolymers thereof including abs , and related abs multipolymers ; polyacrylic acid esters , polymethacrylic acid esters , polyamides , polycarbonates , polyurethanes , polyphenylene sulfides , polyphenylene oxides and copolymers thereof . where a copolymer is used , the amounts of the comonomers that are used in the various copolymers will depend , inter alia , on the properties required of the molding . blends of these plastic resins may also be used in the lubricated compositions . the choice of the resin will depend upon the use to which the article is to be put . especially preferred thermoplastic materials include the polymers and copolymers of polyvinyl chloride , acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene and polypropylene . the following examples are offered to more fully illustrate the invention , but are not to be construed as limiting the scope thereof . five polyglycerol esters ( 2 - 2 - s , 3 - 2 - s , 4 - 2 - s , 6 - 2 - s , 8 - 2 - s ) were evaluated for fusion properties , dynamic heat stability , and mill stick properties . the control sample contained no lubricant . glycerol monostearate ( 1 - 1 - s ) was used as the comparative internal lubricant ; xl - 165 ( hoechst ), a paraffin wax , was used as the comparative external lubricant . preparation of compound one was carried out according to the following procedure . a henschel mixer was charged with 100 parts of a pvc resin , k value 56 , and mixed at 2300 rpm to 167 ° f . at this point , 1 . 5 phr of dibutyltin bis ( isooctylmercaptoacetate ) were added and mixing continued to 239 ° f . this masterbatch was discharged onto kraft paper and allowed to cool to 77 ° f . performance tests were conducted using blends of this masterbatch and the required amount of lubricant . these blends were prepared by hand mixing the masterbatch and lubricant for five minutes in a container . the test procedures are set forth below with the results described in table 1 . a brabender plasticorder , model epl - v302 , was equipped with a no . 6 roller head , roller blades , and a quick loading chute . the roller head was allowed to equilibrate at 320 ° f . for 15 minutes . the blades were turned on at 30 rpm , and 55 . 0 gms of sample were introduced into the mixing bowl through the quick loading chute in a maximum of 20 seconds . the fusion torque and time were recorded . the quick loading chute was removed two minutes after fusion . the torque and stock temperatures were recorded at 10 and 15 minutes after fusion . the torque at 15 minutes after fusion is identified as the equilibrium torque . a brabender plasticorder , model epl - v302 , was equipped with a no . 6 roller head , roller blades , and a quick loading chute . the roller head was allowed to equilibrate at 369 ° f . for 15 minutes . the blades were turned on at 70 rpm , and 55 . 0 gms of sample were introduced into the mixing bowl through the quick loading chute in a maximum of 20 seconds . the quick loading chute was removed one minute after fusion . two minutes after fusion , the rotors were stopped , a sample removed from the bowl with a warm spatula , and the rotors restarted immediately ( sampling was completed in a maximum of five seconds ). the hot sample was molded into a one - half inch button with a hand mold press . excess was trimmed off the button with a scissors and returned to the bowl . sampling was repeated periodically . torque was recorded at each sampling . degradation was taken as an increase of 100 meter - grams in torque . the front roll of a two - roll mill was set at 338 ° f . ( 23 . 5 rpm ) and the back roll at 347 ° f . ( 33 . 0 rpm ). rolls were hardened , carbonized mild steel ; each measured 13 &# 34 ; long with a diameter of 6 &# 34 ; and was set for a sheet thickness of 0 . 030 inch . two hundred grams of sample were banded using a mill knife until a uniform sheet formed on the back roll . the rolls were re - adjusted for a sheet thickness of 0 . 035 inch . the sheet was milled until sticking occurred . this was determined by periodically cutting the formed sheet with the mill knife until the sheet could not be easily removed from the roll . table 1__________________________________________________________________________performance vs . degree of polymerizationcompound onefusion properties dynamic stability mill sticktime , min . equilibrium torque , mg . time , min . time , min . conc ., phr conc ., phr conc . phr conc . phr0 . 25 0 . 50 1 . 00 2 . 00 0 . 25 0 . 50 1 . 00 2 . 0 1 . 00 1 . 00__________________________________________________________________________control 0 . 9 2400 23 . 3 5 . 01 - 1 - s1 . 2 1 . 5 1 . 7 2 . 2 2400 2350 2250 2080 26 . 3 6 . 01 - 2 - s1 . 2 1 . 3 2 . 8 8 . 3 2370 2360 2300 2220 26 . 0 17 . 02 - 2 - s1 . 2 1 . 5 3 . 3 8 . 8 2300 2280 2280 2200 27 . 3 22 . 03 - 2 - s2 . 9 5 . 3 7 . 0 9 . 3 2350 2330 2280 2150 24 . 5 23 . 04 - 2 - s4 . 2 6 . 5 8 . 2 10 . 4 2360 2340 2290 2270 24 . 0 28 . 06 - 2 - s3 . 2 6 . 0 & gt ; 30 2370 2340 25 . 8 & gt ; 608 - 2 - s1 . 3 11 . 3 & gt ; 30 2400 2300 28 . 5 & gt ; 60xl - 1652 . 3 & gt ; 30 2340 28 . 8 14 . 0__________________________________________________________________________ from the data in table 1 above , it is readily apparent that typical internal lubrication was demonstrated by 1 - 1 - s , viz . essentially no change in fusion time as lubricant concentration was increased . in addition , the mill stick time of 1 - 1 - s was quite short , typical of internal lubrication . similarly , xl - 165 demonstrated properties of an external lubricant -- prolonged fusion times with increasing lubricant concentration and a mill stick time of 14 minutes as compared to 6 minutes for gms . equilibrium torques were comparable for the control , 1 - 1 - s , and xl - 165 . as previously noted , the lubrication properties of polyglycerol enters change from combined internal / external to external characters as the degree of polymerization increases from two to eight . this is demonstrated by the increase of fusion times as the concentration of lubricant is increased . this is exemplified by comparing fusion times of 2 - 2 - s , 3 - 2 - s , and 4 - 2 - s to 1 - 1 - s . prolonged fusion times and over lubrication is shown by 6 - 2 - s and 8 - 2 - s . the increase in mill stick times as dp increases is an indication of external lubrication in milling and calendering operations . equilibrium torque values for all the polyglycerol esters were comparable . equilibrium torque should not increase by the use of lubricants . dynamic heat stability times of the polyglycerol esters listed in table 1 were equal to or better than the control and the internal and external comparators . this is a manifestation of lubrication wherein the lubricant reduces internal friction in the polymer melt and consequently sustains or prolongs the heat stability of the polymer . further evidence for lubricity imparted by additives to plastics systems are the effects produced on surfaces formed by extrusion . in general , external lubricants will produce glossy surfaces . this is expected since external lubricants prevent polymers from sticking to metal surfaces by providing a thin layer of lubricant at the polymer - metal interface of the processing equipment . this is caused by the insolubility of the lubricant in the polymer system permitting the lubricant to be present at the surface of the extruded polymer . internal lubricants are soluble in the fused polymer systems allowing polymer chains to slide over each other which reduces the frictional heat build - up in the polymer . internal lubricants do not migrate to the polymer surface and , therefore , finished products have a non - glossy or matte appearance . preparation of compound two for this example was carried out in a manner similar to that of example one . a henschel mixer was charged with 100 parts of a pvc resin , k value 64 , and mixed at 2800 rpm to 167 ° f . at this point two phr of dibutyltin bis ( isooctylmercaptoacetate ) were added and mixing continued to 180 ° f . two phr of a polymeric acrylic processing aid ( k - 120n , rohm and haas ) and 0 . 8 phr of calcium stearate were added and mixed to 203 ° f . six phr of a polymeric acrylic impact modifier ( km - 330 , rohm and haas ) and 12 phr of titanium dioxide were added and mixed to 230 ° f . this masterbatch was discharged onto kraft paper and allowed to cool to 77 ° f . performance tests were conducted using blends of this masterbatch and the required amount of lubricant . these blends were prepared by hand mixing the masterbatch and lubricant for five minutes in a container . the brabender plasticorder of example one was allowed to equilibrate at 365 ° f . for 15 minutes . the blades were turned on at 75 rpm and 55 . 0 gms of sample were introduced into the mixing bowl through the quick loading chute in a maximum of 20 seconds . the fusion torque and time were recorded . the quick loading chute was removed two minutes after fusion . the torque and stock temperatures were recorded at 10 and 15 minutes after fusion . the torque at 15 minutes after fusion is identified as the equilibrium torque . the brabender plasticorder of example one was allowed to equilibrate at 365 ° f . for 15 minutes . the blades were turned on at 120 rpm and 55 . 0 gms of sample were introduced into the mixing bowl through the quick loading chute in a maximum of 20 seconds . the remainder of the procedure was as in example one . a brabender plasticorder , model epl - v302 , was equipped with a 0 . 75 &# 34 ; extruder with a 3 / 1 compression ratio screw , an adjustable ribbon die ( 2 &# 34 ; width ), and a vibrating hopper . the three zones of the extruder were set at 347 , 356 , and 365 ° f .-- the die at 374 ° f .-- and allowed to equilibrate for 15 minutes . about 1500 grams of material were extruded . the middle third of the extrudate were used for measurements after air cooling to 77 ° f . a mallinckrodt 60 ° pocket glossmeter , model 4020 , was used to determine gloss by moving the instrument over the extruded tape until a maximum reading was obtained . table 2 below provides 60 ° gloss data in the compound of this example showing changes in surface gloss of extruded tapes as the degree of polymerization of polyglycerol esters increases from two to eight . overall , surface gloss of these esters is high , indicative of external lubricity , as compared to the internal lubricant 1 - 1 - s in this filled plastic system . it was noted 1 - 2 - s provided low gloss demonstrating that it too , like 1 - 1 - s , is acting as an internal lubricant . polyglycerol ester 3 - 2 - s shows a drop in gloss as compared to 2 - 2 - s and 4 - 2 - s ; it is more of an internal lubricant than its neighbors . while this cannot be explained on a structural basis , it is obviously more soluble in the polymer than 2 - 2 - s and 4 - 2 - s . on the overall , the polyglycerol esters provided smooth extruded surfaces at all concentrations at the three screw speeds investigated . table 2______________________________________performance vs . degree of polymerizationcompound two60 ° gloss readings40 rpm 75 rpm 120 rpmconc ., phr conc ., phr conc . phr0 . 50 1 . 00 1 . 50 0 . 50 1 . 00 1 . 50 0 . 50 1 . 00 1 . 50______________________________________con - 9 . 8 10 . 3 8 . 9trol1 - 1 - s 7 . 6 6 . 1 7 . 11 - 2 - s 8 . 2 9 . 8 15 . 62 - 2 - s 28 . 2 38 . 5 51 . 2 37 . 0 50 . 2 61 . 4 41 . 2 61 . 3 63 . 23 - 2 - s 10 . 3 12 . 3 12 . 3 13 . 6 19 . 2 21 . 4 19 . 3 37 . 1 31 . 24 - 2 - s 13 . 7 27 . 0 40 . 2 26 . 0 48 . 1 65 . 1 38 . 2 53 . 3 70 . 56 - 2 - s 9 . 8 10 . 4 42 . 4 16 . 8 22 . 4 53 . 9 19 . 0 33 . 2 77 . 68 - 2 - s 15 . 6 16 . 7 50 . 6 19 . 2 29 . 5 65 . 1 23 . 8 39 . 2 80 . 2xl - 165 16 . 3 39 . 2 ( 1 ) 26 . 5 52 . 9 ( 1 ) 40 . 2 82 . 1 ( 1 ) ______________________________________ ( 1 ) does not extrude ; partially fused . the lubrication properties of polyglycerol esters were investigated keeping the degrees of polymerization and esterification constant while varying the type of acid used for esterification . variations in normal acid lengths from c 8 to c 22 were studied . an unsaturated acid , oleic , was compared to a commercial grade of stearic acid . the lubrication properties imparted by esterifying with 2 - ethylhexanoic acid as compared to a 50 / 50 mixture of caprylic / capric acids was included . the fusion time , equilibrium torques obtained during fusion time , dynamic heat stability , and gloss readings were determined in compound two of this example and are set forth in table 3 below . table 3______________________________________performance vs . acid typecompound twofusion properties1 . 5 phr dynamic stability 60 ° gloss eq . 1 . 5 phr 1 . 5 phrtime , min torque , mg time , min percent______________________________________control 1 . 9 2230 15 . 6 8 . 92 - 2 - eh 2 . 2 2250 16 . 0 13 . 82 - 2 - c 2 . 3 2230 16 . 5 11 . 22 - 2 - o 2 . 9 2220 18 . 3 14 . 62 - 2 - s 3 . 2 2120 18 . 7 63 . 22 - 2 - b 3 . 7 2120 19 . 8 82 . 1______________________________________ all of these polyglycerol esters demonstrated lubrication properties . variations in acid chain length had no effect on fusion time or equilibrium torque during fusion . it was notable that dynamic heat stability improved as the length of the acid chain increased . as previously noted , &# 34 ; degree of polymerization &# 34 ;, evidence for lubricity is shown by the surface gloss of extruded products . gloss increased with increasing molecular weight of the acid which indicates external lubrication is provided by esters of this type . this is not unexpected since an increase of molecular weight provided by the longer chain acids would give the incompatibility required for external lubrication . a change from internal to external lubrication was observed as the concentration of 2 - 2 - s was increased for each screw speed . the gloss of 2 - 2 - o was much lower than that of its saturated analog , 2 - 2 - s , indicating 2 - 2 - o is more soluble in the plastic system than 2 - 2 - s . therefore , 2 - 2 - o has more internal lubricating properties than 2 - 2 - s . compound one was addressed for mill stick times as in example one and the results are set forth in table 4 below . table 4______________________________________performance vs . acid typecompound one mill stick , 1 . 0 phr time , min . ______________________________________control 62 - 2 - eh 92 - 2 - c 122 - 2 - s 222 - 2 - o 382 - 2 - b & gt ; 60______________________________________ external lubricity increased as acid chain length increased as shown by the increase of mill stick time from 9 minutes for 2 - 2 - eh to greater than 60 minutes for 2 - 2 - b , as shown in table 4 above . lubricity of a number of esters as a function of the degree of esterification was studied as exemplified by mill stick times in compound one . this was shown by changing the degree of esterification and keeping the degree of polymerization and acid type constant . degrees of polymerization of two and six were selected . the diglycerol esters demonstrated internal lubricity ( short mill stick times ); the hexaglycerol esters showed external lubricity ( long mill stick times ). the results are set forth in table 5 below . table 5______________________________________performance vs . degree of esterificationcompound one mill stick , 0 . 5 phr min . ______________________________________control 52 - 1 - s 72 - 2 - s 142 - 3 - s 96 - 2 - s 376 - 3 - s 376 - 5 - s 356 - 6 - s 33______________________________________ in the present example , compound three was prepared in a manner similar to examples one and two . a henschel mixer was charged with 100 parts of a pvc resin , k value 65 , and mixed at 1800 rpm to 167 ° f . at this point , 1 . 5 phr of dibutyltin bis ( isooctylmercaptoacetate ) were added and mixing continued to 180 ° f . one phr of a polymeric acrylic processing aid ( k - 120 nd , rohm and haas ) and 1 . 5 phr of calcium stearate were added and mixed to 203 ° f . twelve phr of titanium dioxide , 8 . 0 phr of a polymeric acrylic impact modifier ( km - 323b , rohm and haas ), and 3 . 0 phr of atomite were added and mixed to 230 ° f . this blend was discharged onto kraft paper and allowed to cool to 77 ° f . one hundred parts of this masterbatch were hand mixed for five minutes in a container with 1 . 5 phr of 2 - 2 - s . the procedure was as in examples one and two . the brabender plasticorder roller head was allowed to equilibrate at 338 ° f . for 15 minutes . the blades were turned on at 60 rpm and 55 . 0 gms of sample were introduced into the mixing bowl . both rolls of a two - roll mill were set at 320 ° f . the back roll rotated at 33 . 0 rpm ; the front roll at 23 . 5 rpm . rolls were hardened , carbonized mild steel ; each measured 13 &# 34 ; long with a diameter of 6 &# 34 ; and was set for a sheet thickness of 0 . 030 inch . two hundred grams of sample were banded using a mill knife . the rolls were then adjusted to a sheet thickness of 0 . 040 &# 34 ; and the sheet was then cut and re - banded for five minutes and removed from the mill . the sheet was cut into one inch squares before cooling to room temperature . these squares were placed on glass strips in a forced air oven at 374 ° f . squares were removed periodically from the oven until degradation occurred . degradation was taken as change of color to a deep brown . compound three was studied for fusion and static stability at 1 . 5 phr of 2 - 2 - s . the compound is a typical profile formulation and the results are set forth in table 6 below . table 6______________________________________compound three1 . 5 phr lubricant fusion static equilibrium stability time , min . torque , mg time , min . ______________________________________control 1 . 5 2100 75 - 802 - 2 - s 1 . 6 1700 80 - 85______________________________________ lubricity was indicated by the decrease in equilibrium torque and increase in static stability over the control . a series of experiments were carried out to demonstrate the lubrication properties of polyglycerol esters in abs and polypropylene . one hundred parts of a high impact extrusion grade acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene resin were mixed in a henschel mixer at 1800 rpm to 150 ° f . one quarter phr of octadecyl - 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxyhydrocinnamate was added and mixed at the same speed to 180 ° f . material was discharged onto kraft paper and cooled to 77 ° f . one hundred parts of the above blend were hand mixed for five minutes in a container with 0 . 5 phr of 2 - 2 - s . a brabender plasticorder , model epl - v302 , was equipped with a no . 6 roller head , roller blades , and a quick loading chute . the roller head was allowed to equilibrate at 356 ° f . for 15 minutes . the blades were turned on at 50 rpm and 55 . 0 gms of sample were introduced into the mixing bowl through the quick loading chute in a maximum of 20 seconds . fusion occurred immediately . the quick loading chute was removed two minutes after fusion . the equilibrium torque and stock temperature were recorded at 15 minutes after fusion . there was no sticking to the sides of the bowls when 2 - 2 - s was used . a parallel run , without lubricant , caused considerable sticking and , hence , difficult clean out . ease of clean out is a sign of positive lubrication as shown in table 7 below . the stock temperature of 2 - 2 - s was lower than that of the control which indicates less frictional heat build - up . this is an additional sign of lubrication provided by a polyglycerol ester . one half phr of 2 - 2 - s was hand mixed for five minutes in a container with 100 parts of an unstabilized polypropylene homopolymer . both rolls of a two - roll mill were set at 356 ° f . the back roll rotated at 33 . 0 rpm ; the front roll at 23 . 5 rpm . rolls were hardened , carbonized mild steel ; each measured 13 &# 34 ; long with a diameter of 6 &# 34 ; and was set for a sheet thickness of 0 . 030 inch . two hundred grams of sample were banded with a mill knife . the rolls were then readjusted to a sheet thickness of 0 . 035 inch . the sheet was milled until sticking occurred . this was determined by periodically cutting the formed sheet with the mill knife until the sheet could not be easily removed from the roll . polypropylene mixed with 2 - 2 - s gave twice the mill stick time as polypropylene by itself . those observations are manifestations of lubrication provided by polyglycerols esters . table 7______________________________________abs and polypropyleneresin systems , 0 . 5 phr lubricantabs poly - fusion propyleneequilibrium temperature , mill sticktorque , mg ° c . cleanout time , min______________________________________control 2150 189 difficult 3 . 02 - 2 - s 2100 186 very easy 6 . 0______________________________________ the invention having been thus described , it will be appreciated that various departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the following claims . | 2 |
referring to the drawings , fig1 shows an exploded view of a gas - measuring device 19 with the measuring cuvette 1 intended for installation . the gas - measuring device 19 shown is preferably used as a stationary gas - measuring device in plants of the pharmaceutical , chemical or petrochemical industry or in heating systems or power plants . the principal components of the gas - measuring device 19 , namely , a housing part 22 for receiving the electronic system , a housing part 20 , in which a radiation source as well as a detector are arranged , a bracket 8 , to which a reflector is fastened and which has two legs 9 , between which the mount 7 for fixing the measuring cuvette 1 is located , a cap 23 , as well as the measuring cuvette 1 with the holding - down device 10 are shown . a window 24 is provided in the outer wall of the housing part 20 . the radiation emitted by the radiation source can exit the window 24 and radiation arriving from the sample chamber 3 , during the operation , passes through before the arriving radiation falls on the detector . furthermore , a bracket 8 for receiving a mirror 15 is provided on the housing part 20 . the mirror 15 is arranged on the side of the bracket 8 facing away from the housing part 20 . the mount 7 for the measuring cuvette 1 is located between the two legs 9 . the measuring cuvette 1 is inserted in this case such that the lower end of the measuring cuvette 1 , which end has either an opening 17 towards the sample space 3 or a window element 27 , is directed with a stop face 18 against a corresponding stop face of the housing part 20 . an o - ring is inserted in this case as a sealing element 14 between the housing part 20 and the measuring cuvette 1 in order to seal the sample space 3 against the surrounding area . the holding - down device 10 , which presses the measuring cuvette 1 against the housing part 20 , having the radiation source and the detector , is fastened on the opposite side by means of two screws . the radiation source is an incandescent lamp , which emits a continuous radiation spectrum corresponding to an incandescent lamp temperature . the measuring cuvette 1 is designed with a cylindrical housing wall 2 and has two hose connections 5 , to which corresponding hoses for introducing and removing the process gas to be analyzed can be connected . the analysis of the process gas present in the sample space 3 of the measuring cuvette 1 takes place by directing infrared radiation from the radiation source in the housing part 20 through the sample space 3 onto a mirror 15 fastened to the bracket 8 , from where the radiation is reflected and is directed again through the sample space 3 and finally falls on the detector likewise arranged in the housing part 20 . the radiation received by the detector is finally analyzed to determine how far or how much radiation was absorbed by the process gas within the sample space 3 in order to make it possible to obtain information on the species and / or composition of the process gas . the measuring cuvette 1 is replaceable and is fixed during the operation in the mount 7 of the stationary gas - measuring device 8 , which mount is provided therefor , between the two legs 9 of the bracket 8 by means of the holding - down device 10 fastened to the bracket 8 . the measuring cuvette 1 is additionally shown in the mounted state in fig2 . the housing part 20 of a gas - measuring device 19 , in which a radiation source as well as a detector are provided , is located under the measuring cuvette 1 . two legs 9 of a bracket 8 , which carries in the upper area a reflector element 15 , preferably a mirror or a reflection coating and in the interior space 7 of which the measuring cuvette 1 is accommodated between the legs 9 , extend upwards from the housing part 20 . the measuring cuvette 1 is fixed by means of the holding - down device 10 screwed tightly to the bracket 8 and is pressed lightly against the housing part 20 of the gas - measuring device 19 such that reliable sealing is guaranteed in this area between the sample space 3 of the measuring cuvette 1 and the surrounding area . a screw cap 11 for fastening a window element 4 , preferably a sapphire disk , is located on the vessel wall 2 of the cuvette 1 in the upper area of the measuring cuvette 1 , the screw cap 11 provided as a fastening element 6 additionally having a height - adjustable adjusting element 13 in the form of a seal bonnet . this bonnet 13 is moved during the mounting relative to the measuring cuvette 1 such that secure sealing is achieved in the upper area between the seal bonnet 13 and the bracket 8 having the reflector 15 of the gas - measuring device 19 . fig3 shows a measuring cuvette 1 designed according to the present invention , which has a cylindrically shaped housing wall 2 . the housing wall 2 has two ports 5 , which are used to admit and remove process gas and to which admission and discharge hoses can be fastened . a sample space 3 , which is filled with process gas during the operation of the measuring cuvette 1 and which is half open downwardly , is located in the interior of the measuring cuvette 1 . the lower , open end 17 of the measuring cuvette 1 is sealed with an o - ring 14 during the mounting of the process gas cuvette 1 against the top side of a stationary gas - measuring device . an external thread 26 , which is arranged according to the present invention on the housing wall 2 and to which a screw cap 11 is screwed as a fastening element 6 , is located at the opposite , other end of the measuring cuvette 1 . the thread 26 is usually a right - hand thread . a sapphire disk is arranged as a window element 4 between the screw cap 11 and the housing wall 2 of the measuring cuvette 1 . this sapphire disk is pressed onto the housing wall 2 of the measuring cuvette 1 by means of the screw cap 11 and thus fixed . to guarantee the necessary sealing , a sealing element 12 in the form of an o - ring , which is compressed by the pressure of the screw cap 11 onto the sapphire disk 4 , is provided between the sapphire disk 4 and the housing wall 2 . furthermore , a seal bonnet , which is adjustable in height by means of an external thread located on the screw cap 11 , is located as an adjusting element 13 on the screw cap 11 in the upper area . this thread as well as the seal bonnet 13 are provided with a left - hand thread in order to prevent the screw cap 11 from loosening when the seal bonnet 13 is tightened by force transmission by means of friction . if the seal bonnet 13 is screwed upwards onto the surface of the mount 7 , which surface is to be sealed , especially onto the surface of the bracket 8 , a stationary gas - measuring device , the force applied for the screw cap 11 leads to tightening and to a further compression of the o - ring 12 . if the seal bonnet 13 is loosened , it reaches a stop 16 after a few turns and is blocked . the screw cap 11 and the seal bonnet 13 can then be unscrewed in no time . a flat packing is located as a sealing element 21 on the seal bonnet 13 in order to guarantee sealing between the seal bonnet 13 and the mount 7 , especially between the seal bonnet 13 and the bracket 8 having the reflector 15 , above the cuvette 1 . the flat packing 21 has a free aperture in order to avoid undesired shadowing at the mirror 15 . on the one hand , reliable sealing can be ensured between the seal bonnet 13 and the bracket 8 having the reflector 15 by means of the height - adjustable seal bonnet 13 described , and , on the other hand , length tolerances of the mount , especially of the bracket 8 , can be compensated in a simple manner . when mounting the measuring cuvette 1 , this is first inserted into the mount 7 between the legs 9 of the bracket 8 , and the holding - down device 10 is fastened at the bracket 8 of the mount 7 , and corresponding surfaces of the holding - down device 10 and of the housing wall 2 of the measuring cuvette 2 abut against one another , and the measuring cuvette 1 is pressed in the direction of the housing of the gas - measuring device 19 having the radiation source and the detector . the seal bonnet 13 arranged on the screw cap 11 is finally moved upwards by means of a screwing motion until reliable sealing is achieved between the seal bonnet 13 and the bracket 8 having the reflector . the flat packing 21 provided between the seal bonnet 13 and the bracket 8 is slightly compressed in the process . fig4 shows a sectional view through a measuring cuvette 1 , which is placed on a housing part 20 of a gas - measuring device 19 having a radiation source and detector and is sealed by means of an o - ring 14 . in the direction of the housing part 20 in which the radiation source and the detector are located , the measuring cuvette 1 has a half - open sample space 3 with a lower opening 17 , which infrared radiation emitted by the radiation source can enter unhindered . an opening 24 tightly covered with a sapphire disk is provided for this in the housing part 20 of the gas - measuring device 19 . in its upper area , the housing wall 2 of the measuring cuvette 1 has an external thread 26 , which is designed as a right - hand thread and onto which a screw cap 11 is screwed as a fastening element 6 . a window element 4 in the form of a sapphire disk is fixed on the upper end of the housing wall 2 by means of the screw cap 11 . to guarantee the necessary sealing in this area , an o - ring is clamped as a sealing element 12 between the sapphire disk 4 and the housing wall 2 . in addition , the screw cap 1 has , on its upper circumference , an external thread , which is designed as a left - hand thread in this case . a seal bonnet 13 is screwed , in turn , onto this left - hand thread for height adjustment and thus for adjusting the effective length of the measuring cuvette 1 , i . e ., the distance between the lower end facing the housing part 20 with the radiation source and the detector , and the opposite end of the measuring cuvette 1 facing the bracket 8 with the reflector 15 . detail view “ a ” shows an enlarged view of the embodiment of the screw cap 11 screwed onto the housing wall 2 with the height - adjustable seal bonnet 13 screwed , in turn , thereon . this view also shows clearly how the seal 12 is clamped in between the sapphire disk 4 and the top end of the housing wall 2 and thus ensures reliable sealing of the sample space 3 against the surrounding area . in the mounted state of the measuring cuvette 1 shown in fig4 with the sample space 3 and a free internal diameter for receiving the process gas , this measuring cuvette 1 is seated on the surface of the housing part 20 having the radiation source and the detector of a stationary gas - measuring device . it is ensured in any case that the screw cap 11 used as a fastening element 6 including the seal bonnet 13 and seals 13 , 21 make possible the free passage of the radiation through the interior space of these components , so that the ray path between the radiation source and the reflector 15 , preferably mirror , or between the reflector element 15 and the detector is not shadowed . fig5 shows a special embodiment of a measuring cuvette 1 designed according to the present invention . an essential feature is that the measuring cuvette 1 shown has a connection element 25 for an open - end wrench , so that simple tightening and loosening of the screw cap 11 is possible . by using suitable torque wrenches , it can be guaranteed in this connection that the screw cap 11 used as a fastening element 6 for the disk 4 is tightened with a defined torque in order to thus guarantee reliable sealing without the screw cap 11 becoming tightened excessively . the height - adjustable seal bonnet 13 is screwed , in turn , onto the screw cap 11 by means of a left - hand thread and carries a flat packing 21 . the screw cap 11 is first screwed onto the thread 26 of the housing wall 2 of the measuring cuvette 1 during mounting in order to thus hold and fix the sapphire disk 4 in the desired position . it is only then that the measuring cuvette 1 is fastened within the mount 1 of a gas - measuring device 19 . the process gas to be analyzed is admitted and removed via the respective connection elements 5 provided on the housing wall 2 , especially hose connections . furthermore , fig6 shows in a sectional view a measuring cuvette 1 designed according to the present invention , whose sample space 3 is not half open but has a second window element 27 in the form of a sapphire disk . this second window element 27 is arranged in the lower area facing the housing part 20 of a gas - measuring device 19 having a radiation source and a detector and is sealed by means of an o - ring 14 . the upper area of the measuring cuvette 1 is designed , in turn , with a screw cap 11 , which has , moreover , a height - adjustable seal bonnet 13 . the upper sapphire disk 4 as well as a seal 12 arranged between the sapphire disk 4 and the top end of the housing wall 2 , especially in the form of an o - ring , is fixed reliably in the desired position by means of the screw cap 11 located in the upper area . the two sapphire disks 4 , 27 used represent two optically transparent window elements , and the measuring cuvette 1 is , in turn , seated on one side on the surface of a housing part of a stationary gas - measuring device 19 having a radiation source and detector . the sample space 3 is defined in this case by a disk 4 , 27 sealed with an o - ring 12 , 14 both upwardly and downwardly . the lower sapphire disk is now pressed by the slight pressure generated by means of the holding - down device 10 against the stop face of the housing part 20 . however , it is also conceivable according to a special embodiment that fastening elements 6 , preferably with a screw cap , are provided at both ends of the measuring cuvette 1 in order to fasten the disks 4 on the housing wall of the measuring cuvette 1 . in any case , both disks 4 , 27 are transparent to radiation in the spectral range relevant for the measurement , especially in the infrared range . a height - adjustable seal bonnet 13 , on which a flat packing 21 is , furthermore , arranged , is located , in turn , in the upper area of the screw cap 11 . the flat packing 21 is used here to seal gaps that may develop above the measuring cuvette 1 between the measuring cuvette 1 and the bracket 8 of the cuvette mount 7 of the stationary gas - measuring device . the lower o - ring 14 arranged on the side of the housing part with the radiation source and the detector is compressed by a pressing force , which is generated by means of a holding - down device 10 . the needed pressing force is preferably generated in the upper area , in turn , by means of a height - adjustable seal bonnet 13 by this being moved in the direction of the bracket 8 having the reflector element 15 of the stationary gas - measuring device . while specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles . | 6 |
referring to fig1 which shows a model fish 10 floating in water 9 contained in a hemispherical vessel 8 mounted on a housing 7 . the model fish 10 has a mouth 10a to which is attached a fine string 11 which is connected to a small permanent magnet 12 disposed in a depressed portion of the base of the vessel 8 . the model fish 10 is , in this way , connected to the small permanent magnet 12 . as can be seen from fig2 the housing 7 contains a direct current cell 5 and a circuit 6 which converts the direct current into alternating current . in the center of the housing 7 , below the depressed portion of the vessel 8 , is disposed a coil 1 wound around a former 2 which contains a central core 4 and lies within an open - mouthed cylinder of magnetic material 3 . the open - mouthed cylinder of magnetic material 3 has a base which extends to form a magnetic path from the central core 4 below the former 2 . the curved wall of the open - mouthed cylinder 3 forms a peripheral pole 3a of the electromagnetic assembly while the upper end of the central core 4 forms an axial pole 4a . direct current from the cell 5 is converted into alternating current by the circuit 6 , shown in fig3 . the alternating current is supplied to a coil 1 . nand gates 1c 1 and 1c 2 constitute a multivibrator circuit and nand gates 1c 3 and 1c 4 regulate the output of the multivibrator circuit and supply the output of the multivibrator circuit through input resistances to the bases of transistors tr 1 - tr 4 arranged in a balanced bridge circuit . the coil 1 is connected across terminals a and b which are connected respectively to the junctions of the collector of the transistor tr 1 and the emitter of the transistor tr 2 and the junction of the collector of the transistor tr 3 and the emitter of the transistor tr 4 . the direct current cell 5 is connected through a switch 5 across the common collector junction of the transistors tr 2 and tr 4 and the common emitter junction of the transistors tr 1 and tr 3 . circuit 6 operates as follows . when the output of nand gate 1c 3 is high , the transistors tr 1 and tr 4 are switched on through input resistances r 3 and r 4 so that the terminal a becomes negative and the terminal b becomes positive . alternatively , when the output of nand gate 1c 4 is high , the transistors tr 2 and tr 3 are switched on through input resistances r 5 and r 6 so that the terminal a becomes positive and the terminal b negative . the change of polarity of the lines of magnetic force generated by the coil 1 changes the forces on the small permanent magnet 12 and causes it to vibrate . this vibration is transmitted through the fine string 11 to the model fish 10 floating in the water 9 . when iron is used for the open - mouthed magnetic cylinder 3 and for the central core 4 , there is created a strong magnetic field . therefore , there is provided a separation between the poles 3a and 4a and thus preventing the permanent magnet 12 from becoming attracted to either of the poles which would restrict or prevent its movement . due to the changes in the magnetic force , in accordance with the frequency of the alternating current , the model fish 10 connected to the permanent magnet 12 through the string 11 moves irregularly while floating in the water 9 . this irregular movement simulates a live fish searching for bait and swimming about . when the permanent magnet 12 turns , the fine string 11 twists and thus shortens its length . this shortening , draws the model fish 10 down to the bottom of the vessel 8 . when the resistance to the twisting of the fine string 11 overcomes the turning action of the permanent magnet 12 , the fine string 11 unwinds and elongates . this elongation causes the model fish 10 to ascend abruptly in the water 9 as if to pick up bait . this very interesting and attractive movement resembles the movement of a live fish . the use of a direct current cell rather than main current makes the toy fish safe and suitable as an ornament . diode d and resistor 7 are connected in parallel across the cell 5 and the switch s . their junction provides a constant current power supply icvdd for the integrated circuit nand gates in the circuit 6 . it will be understood that each of the elements described above , or two or more together , may also find a useful application in other types of magnetically movable model toys differing from the types described above . while the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a magnetically movable model toy , it is not intended to be limited to the details shown , since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention . without further analysis , the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that , from the standpoint of prior art , fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention . | 0 |
it has been found that the fluoroquinolones of general formula ( i ), as well as their salts , possess an especially advantageous anti - pneumocystis activity , and are thus entirely suitable for the preparation of a medicinal product intended for the preventive and / or treating of pneumocystosis of man and / or of animals . among the products of general formula ( i ), the products mentioned below are the preferred products : pefloxacin , enoxacin , norfloxacin , ofloxacin , ciprofloxacin , sparfloxacin , fleroxacin , lomefloxacin or temafloxacin . rats weighing 200 to 250 g , immunosuppressed by two subcutaneous injections per week of hydrocortisone acetate ( 25 mg ) and a protein - poor diet , are used . some rats additionally receive doxycycline ( 10 mg ) subcutaneously twice weekly , so as to prevent the occurrence of infections other than pneumocystosis . after two weeks of immunosuppression , the existence of a progressive pneumocystosis is verified by sacrificing some rats and counting the pneumocystis present per gram of lung . the products tested for their anti - pneumocystis activity are dissolved in isotonic phosphate buffer at the desired concentration . they are administered intraperitoneally for two weeks . 2 /-- immunosuppressed rats receiving doxycycline only during the first two weeks of the study . another group of immunosuppressed rats , receiving doxycycline during the first two weeks of the study , receives the combination trimethoprim ( 40 mg / kg )/ sulphamethoxazole ( 200 mg / kg ) subcutaneously twice weekly during the last two weeks of the study . two groups of animals are treated with the product under study ; they comprise immunosuppressed rats receiving doxycycline only during the first two weeks of the study , and then : 1 /-- the product under study ( 50 mg / kg ) twice daily intraperitoneally during 14 days ; 2 /-- the product under study ( 100 mg / kg ) twice daily intraperitoneally during 14 days . at the end of the four weeks , all the rats are sacrificed , the lungs are removed and the pneumocystis carinii are counted . at autopsy the lungs of the control animals of the 1st and 2nd groups were brownish - grey with broad oedematous areas . in contrast , those of the animals treated with the test product and with the trimethoprim / sulphamethoxazole combination ( 3rd control group ) were pink and showed no pathological sign . the mean lung weights do not differ and are lower than those of the control animals . the control rats of groups 1 and 2 had a mean of 3 . 7 × 10 7 and 2 . 6 × 10 7 pneumocystis per lung . the animals treated with the test product had a mean of 1 . 3 × 10 5 pneumocystis ( 50 mg / kg ) and 8 . 9 × 10 4 pneumocystis ( 100 mg / kg ), respectively , per lung . these values are very close to those obtained following treatment with the trimethoprim / sulphamethoxazole combination ( 2 . 4 × 10 4 pneumocystis ). in another series of trials , the control group consists of immunosuppressed rats receiving doxycycline ( 10 mg ) subcutaneously twice weekly throughout the trial period ( 4 weeks ). another group of immunosuppressed rats receives the combination trimethoprim ( 40 mg / kg )/ suphamethoxazole ( 200 mg / kg ) subcutaneously twice weekly from the start of immunosuppression . the products under study are administered orally to immunosuppressed rats on the basis of 100 mg / kg 3 times weekly . the action of pefloxacin , temafloxacin and ofloxacin is studied . after 4 weeks of immunosuppression , all the animals are sacrificed and the intrapulmonary pneumocystis carinii are quantified . pefloxacin , temafloxacin and ofloxacin administered orally produce a decrease in the number of pneumocystis carinii . table i__________________________________________________________________________activity against murine pneumocystosis group receiving trimethoprim / 1st control 2nd control pefloxacin pefloxacin sulphamethoxazole group + doxycyline group + doxycyline 50 mg / kg i . p . 100 mg / kg i . p . 40 / 200 mg / kg s . c . ( 4 weeks ) ( 6 rats ) ( 2 weeks ) ( 4 rats ) ( 5 rats ) ( 5 rats ) ( 5 rats ) __________________________________________________________________________initial 241 ± 17 238 ± 15 237 ± 12 238 ± 12 232 ± 8weight ( g ) weight + 145 ± 16 147 ± 9 164 ± 6 163 ± 6 177 ± 104 weeksrats dead 3 0 0 2 1 ( yeast ) rats sacrificed 3 4 5 3 4lung 144 ± 0 . 31 1 . 36 ± 0 . 28 0 . 95 ± 0 . 04 0 . 86 ± 0 . 04 1 . 00 ± 0 . 15weight ( g ) number of 3 × 10 . sup . 7 ± 1 . 7 × 10 . sup . 7 1 . 7 × 10 . sup . 7 ± 2 . 4 × 10 . sup . 7 1 . 4 × 10 . sup . 5 ± 1 × 10 . sup . 5 9 . 8 × 10 . sup . 4 ± 12 × 10 . sup . 4 2 . 3 × 10 . sup . 4 ± 2 . 9 × 10 . sup . 4pneumocystis / gof lungnumber of 3 . 7 × 10 . sup . 7 ± 2 . 1 × 10 . sup . 7 2 . 6 × 10 . sup . 7 ± 2 . 8 × 10 . sup . 7 1 . 3 × 10 . sup . 5 ± 1 × 10 . sup . 5 8 . 9 × 10 . sup . 4 ± 10 × 10 . sup . 4 2 . 4 × 10 . sup . 4 ± 2 . 8 × 10 . sup . 4pneumocystisper lung__________________________________________________________________________ after the first two weeks of immunosuppression , 3 rats were sacrificed : number of pneumocystis = 2 × 10 . sup . 6 / g of lung . table ii__________________________________________________________________________activity against murine pneumocystosis group receiving trimethoprim / control group + pefloxacin temafloxacin ofloxacin sulphamethoxazole . doxycyline 100 mg / kg p . o . 100 mg / kg p . o . 100 mg / kg p . o . 40 / 200 mg / kg s . c . ( 4 weeks ) ( 15 rats ) ( 5 rats ) ( 5 rats ) ( 5 rats ) ( 10__________________________________________________________________________ rats ) initial 223 ± 18 237 ± 13 210 ± 6 236 ± 9 237 ± 14weight ( g ) weight + 164 ± 22 183 ± 18 160 ± 12 205 ± 25 178 ± 114 weeksrats dead 2 0 0 0 1rats sacrificed 13 5 5 5 9number of 4 . 8 × 10 . sup . 6 8 . 0 × 10 . sup . 3 6 . 1 × 10 . sup . 5 7 . 9 × 10 . sup . 5 2 . 0 × 10 . sup . 3pneumocystis / g 2 . 1 × 10 . sup . 6 - 1 . 1 × 10 . sup . 7 3 . 0 × 10 . sup . 2 - 2 . 1 × 10 . sup . 5 2 . 1 × 10 . sup . 5 - 1 . 8 1 . 4 × 10 . sup . 5 - 4 . 4 × 10 . sup . 6 1 . 0 × 10 . sup . 3 - 3 . 3 × 10 . sup . 3of lung__________________________________________________________________________ the present invention relates to the production of a medicinal product containing at least one product of general formula ( i ), optionally in salt form , in the pure state or in the form of a pharmaceutical composition in combination with one or more compatible diluents or adjuvants . the compositions may be used for the purposes of cure or of prevention in subjects exhibiting an immunodeficiency and / or infected with pneumocystis carinii and / or possessing a risk of contamination with pneumocystis carinii . naturally , the constitution of these compositions will be adapted to the particular case of the digestive tract of the immunosuppressed subjects . as solid compositions for oral administration , tablets , pills , hard gelatin capsules , powders or granules may be used . in these compositions , the active product according to the invention is mixed with one or more inert diluents or adjuvants such as sucrose , lactose or starch . these compositions may comprise substances other than diluents , e . g . a lubricant such as magnesium stearate . as liquid compositions for oral administration , solutions which are pharmaceutically acceptable , suspensions , emulsions , syrups and elixirs containing inert diluents such as water or liquid paraffin may be used . these compositions may also comprise substances other than diluents , e . g . wetting , sweetening or flavoring products . the compositions for parenteral administration can be sterile solutions , aqueous or non - aqueous , suspensions or emulsions . as a solvent or vehicle , propylene glycol , a polyethylene glycol , vegetable oils , especially olive oil , and injectable organic esters , e . g . ethyl oleate , may be employed . these compositions can also contain adjuvants , especially wetting , tonicity , emulsifying , dispersant and stabilizing agents . the sterilization may be carried out in several ways , e . g . using a bacteriological filter , by irradiation or by heating . they may also be prepared in the form of sterile solid compositions which can be dissolved at the time of use in sterile water or any other sterile injectable medium . the compositions intended for use in the form of liquid aerosols can be stable sterile solutions or solid compositions dissolved at the time of use in pyrogen - free sterile water , saline or any other pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle . the aerosols can also be dry aerosols intended for direct inhalation , in which the finely divided active principle is combined with a water - soluble solid diluent or vehicle having a particle size of 30 to 80 microns , such as , e . g ., dextran , mannitol or lactose . in human therapy , the doctor will determine the dosage he considers most suitable in accordance with a preventive or curative treatment , in accordance with the age , weight , degree of infection and other factors specific to the subject to be treated . in general , the doses are between 1 and 5 g per day orally for an adult . the examples which follow illustrate compositions according to the invention intended for the treatment of pneumocystosis : tablets are prepared containing a 400 - mg dose and having the following composition : core : wheat starch , gelatin , talc , magnesium stearate , sodium carboxymethylstarch q . s . one core ; coating : hydroxypropylmethylcellulose , ethylcellulose , dibutyl sebacate , titanium oxide , talc , polyoxyethylene glycol 6 , 000 . tablets are prepared containing an 800 - mg dose and having the following composition : core : wheat starch , gelatin , talc , magnesium stearate , sodium carboxymethylstarch q . s . one core ; coating : hydroxypropylmethylcellulose , ethylcellulose , dibutyl sebacate , titanium oxide , talc , polyoxyethylene glycol 6 , 000 . the present invention also relates to compositions for preventive or curative veterinary use against pneumocystosis : the compositions for veterinary use may be used in the various injectable dosage forms described above for administration in man . they can also be animal feeds or concentrated mixtures intended for animal feeding , containing a sufficient quantity of the derivative of general formula ( i ). more specifically , they can take the form of water - soluble powders to be mixed with the feed . generally speaking , the dosage to be employed will be that which is most suitable in accordance with the animal &# 39 ; s weight , the degree of injection and other specific factors which may be involved , it being understood that the appropriate dose for producing an effect can vary within fairly wide limits . although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments , it is evident that many alternatives and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description . accordingly , the invention is intended to embrace all of the alternatives and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . the above references are hereby incorporated by reference . | 0 |
referring first to the connector shown in perspective in fig1 two ribbon cables are shown at 10 and 11 , with the connector assembly shown at 12 . the connector assembly is formed in three , essentially planar , fiber retaining members 13 , 14 and 15 . each of the fiber retainer members 13 , 14 and 15 contain v - grooves 16 for positioning the fibers 19 in precise alignment with respect to one another . the connector assembly includes slots 17 adapted to accommodate alignment and retaining members 18 that appear in phantom in fig2 . fig2 is a cross section taken through 2 -- 2 of fig1 and shows the v - grooves 16 in greater detail . within the v - grooves are fibers 19 which have been stripped of the polymer in the figure . alternatively the fibers may be incorporated into the connector with the plastic coating intact . however , because the outer dimension of the coating typically has less dimensional control than the outer dimension of the cladding it is generally preferred to strip the fibers prior to placing them in the v - grooves . also shown in fig2 are slots 17 that are adapted to engage alignment and retaining pins . the alignment and retaining pins are incorporated in a mating connector part shown at 30 in fig3 . the mating connector part is identical to the part appearing in fig1 and 2 except for the retaining pins , designated 18 . as will be evident , one part of the completed connector has pins , and the other slots to engage the pins . the connector halves shown in fig2 and 3 also typically have additional means for interlocking the halves together . such means do not form any part of this invention but a suitable spring clip interlocking arrangement is shown and described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 818 , 058 , granted apr . 4 , 1989 to bonanni . as will be evident from an examination of fig2 it is essential that the v - grooves are made with precision and that the grooves in each of the plates 13 , 14 and 15 of the assembly are aligned with the grooves in the adjoining plate . the fibers 19 are typically 125 microns in diameter so a v - groove structure that accommodates such fine elements must meet rigid dimensional specifications , and is prone to misalignment if the v - grooves in the plates 13 , 14 and 15 are not in exact mating relationship . the connector halves shown in fig1 and 2 have a slight gap between them . the reason for the gap is that the space allowed in the v - grooves of mating connector parts is intentionally made smaller than the diameter of the fibers so that the fibers are under pressure from the connector parts , and are firmly gripped in the connector . if desired the connector halves can be made to mate together without pressing on the fibers , but it is preferable that the fibers not be loose within the connector . thus the choice of a gap preserves the aforementioned grip on the fibers even in the case where there is a variation in the diameter of the fibers . in a typical case the width of the v - groove , measured from the maximum ( i . e . at the top of the groove ) is approximately 140 microns , and the diameter of the fiber is approximately 125 microns , leaving a gap between the connector parts of approximately 18 . 6 microns . for the surfaces of the connector parts to exactly touch , the diameter of the fiber would be 114 . 25 microns . in the preferred case the gap is in the range of 10 microns to 30 microns . the manufacture of a stacked multifiber connector , e . g . one that connects two or more ribbon cables , presents a unique problem when contrasted with a single ribbon cable connector . in the latter case both v - groove members can be made from the same mold thus ensuring precise registration between the v - grooves in both halves of the connector . for illustration , consider the case in which plate 14 is removed from the connector assembly of fig2 . plates 13 and 15 can be made identical so that the v - groove arrays are identical and there is no mis - alignment problem . however , when two or more rows of v - grooves are required in order to make a stacked multifiber array cable , the intermediate plate 14 poses the problem of precisely aligning the v - grooves on one side of the plate with those on the other . to better illustrate the problem , consider the molds used to make parts 13 , 14 , and 15 . in fig4 an injection mold cavity is shown for molding a part similar to top plate 13 or bottom plate 15 . the figure shows mold plates 41 and 42 forming an elongated rectangular cavity 43 , with a plurality of v - shaped ridges 44 extending parallel to one another along the length ( the z - dimension in fig4 ) of the cavity . the ridges are spaced from one another at a uniform distance leaving a series of planar gaps 45 between the ridges . the ridges have essentially the shape of an inverted &# 34 ; v &# 34 ; to produce a v - groove as the inverse replica on the finished part . the injection molds are typically made from master molds which are high precision replicas of the actual parts being made . the master may be made , for example , from single crystal silicon , and the v - grooves etched by known photolithographic masking techniques and known crystallographic etch processes that form very precise grooves . these known techniques have been perfected in the silicon integrated circuit technology and , while very effective in the application described here , form no part of this invention . the nickel mold that is made by electroforming from the silicon master is an inverse replication of the grooved silicon structure and can be used as the mold to form parts such as 13 , 14 and 15 . other techniques for manufacturing the master molds are also suitable such as mechanical micromachining . other methods for forming the inverse replica can be used such as chemical vapor deposition or electroless plating . techniques other than injection molding for creating the connector parts of this invention are also available . among these are compression molding and as die stamping . as is evident from fig2 the parts 13 and 15 are typically very similar , and can be identical . accordingly , both parts can be made from the same mold , or from molds made with the same master . during molding of connector parts , the two halves of the mold 41 and 42 , are typically carefully registered but the registration is not critical since there are no critical features on the top half 41 . contrast this with the mold shown in fig5 for molding part 14 , the intermediate plate of connector 12 . here the critical features , e . g . the v - grooves and the spacing between the v - grooves , can be replicated precisely on both halves 51 and 52 of the mold , but precise alignment between the critical features when the mold is opened and closed is not necessarily assured . fig5 illustrates , for example in the region circled , the potential for misalignment . a slight offset of plate 51 with respect to plate 52 will result in a useless attempt to form part 14 because the v - grooves cannot later register with the v - grooves in both the upper and the lower plate ( 13 or 15 ). to assure critical alignment between the v - grooves on both sides of the resulting injection molded intermediate plate , and in accordance with the method of the invention , the following alignment procedure is followed . first , and with reference to fig6 a primary alignment step is made by inserting at least two primary alignment dowels , shown here as 63 and 64 , in at least two of the v - grooves . a single dowel can be used if desired but at least two are recommended . more than two dowels can also be used . if two dowels are used it is recommended that they be placed substantially apart , i . e . in v - grooves that are separated by other v - grooves . the dowels are preferably cylindrically shaped , however it is possible to use rods with other cross sections . a many - sided polygon cross section for example could form the equivalent of a cylindrical shape . the two pieces of the mold , 61 and 62 , are then temporarily mated together as shown . thereafter , alignment registration means , which are here shown as holes 64 and 65 , are drilled or otherwise formed through both halves 61 and 62 of the mold . the two parts of the mold are then separated sufficiently for the alignment dowels to be removed , and the mold is again mated together as shown this time in fig7 . at this point secondary alignment pins 74 and 75 are inserted into the holes 64 and 65 . the mold parts 61 and 62 are now precisely registered and the mold is ready to be used for manufacturing connector parts . the completed mold is then used in a conventional way to mold connector parts like part 14 of fig2 . it has been found that highly filled polymers such as polyphenylene sulfide and liquid crystal polymers , both known in the art , provide good dimensional stability and low shrinkage during the molding operation . while these materials exhibit low shrinkage , dimensional changes during the molding operation are still finite , and it is recommended that the size ( volume ) of the mold be deliberately oversized to compensate for the shrinkage . in the case of polyphenylene sulfide the increase should be about 0 . 4 %. known epoxy adhesives can be used for mating together the molded connector parts . although two holes 64 and 65 , and two pins 74 and 75 appear in the schematic cross section of fig7 any number of alignment holes and alignment pins may be used . for example two pairs of alignment holes and alignment pins , spaced approximately at the corners of a square , can be used . the use of alignment holes and alignment pins is a preferred means for effecting registration between the mold halves , but other means may be chosen by those skilled in the art . the pins are shown here is removable , but they may also be installed permanently . the holes are shown through both halves of the mold but they need only extend part of the distance through the second mold half . the primary alignment step described above is a key step in the molding process . although the means for achieving the primary alignment are shown here as dowels , i . e . cylindrical bodies , other shapes may be used instead . for example , elliptically shaped alignment pins may offer an advantage in some cases in that the use of an elliptical cross section allows the ratio of the spacing between the plates 61 and 62 to the lateral separation of the grooves to be larger than would be the case using alignment pins with a circular cross section thus giving more design flexibility . the term dowels as used herein is intended to define elongated pins with a variety of possible cross section shapes . the primary alignment members perform at least four important operations in aligning the upper mold piece with respect to the lower mold piece . assuming the pieces are plate shaped having major x - and y - axes , the dowels preserve alignment ( tilt ) in both the x - and y - directions . they also ensure a proper z - direction spacing , which results in a precise and uniform spacing between the sets of v - grooves in the finished piece . finally , and significantly , the primary alignment dowels ensure that the points of the v - grooves are precisely opposite to one another , resulting in v - grooves that are precisely registered from the top side of the resulting part 14 to those on the under side . for the primary alignment means , in the preferred case , the dowels are chosen to have a diameter that approximates the spacing between the two mold sections as measured at respective points between the v - grooves . this is to ensure that the alignment dowel engages the two sidewalls of adjacent v - groove ridges during the primary alignment operation . the preferred dimensional requirements will be specified in relation to the dimensions shown in fig8 . fig8 is a schematic representation of one primary alignment dowel 81 shown between two mold plates 82 and 83 and engaging the sidewalls of two adjacent v - shaped ridges 84 on both halves of the elongated rectangular cavity 85 . to describe the optimum dimensional relationships for the invention the diameter of the dowel 81 is designated d , and the thickness of the elongated rectangular cavity 85 on each half of the mold is designated t , the angle of the v - grooves is designated a , the width of the grooves is designated v , and the nominal distance between grooves is g . using these designations it is preferred that the diameter d of the primary alignment dowels should exceed or approximate the separation between planar portions of the two halves of the mold , i . e . the dimension 2t . if the dowel is made from a material that is somewhat compressible then the nominal diameter of the dowel could exceed 2t and still be effective . if the dowel is elliptical , as suggested earlier , then the diameter of the dowel in the larger dimension of the ellipse would approximate 2t . in most cases it is preferred that d equals 2t plus or minus 20 %. it is preferred that the separation g between grooves be approximately equal to the diameter of the coated fiber , i . e . typically 250 microns . recognizing that 2t determines the thickness of the molded part 14 it is preferred that this dimension be a 1x to 8x multiple of the separation between adjacent grooves . in the preferred case where that separation is approximately 250 microns that range becomes 250 microns to 8000 microns . the angle α of the v - grooves is typically 70 . 5 degrees , which is the angle resulting from the crystallographic etching technique referred to above . if another technique is used to form the master dies then the angle a may vary from this value . the diameter of the primary alignment dowels d should approximate the separation between halves of the mold , i . e . should be approximately 2t . while the multifiber cables in the drawings above are shown with eight v - grooves to accommodate up to eight fiber waveguides the size of the cable and the number of fibers can be varied as desired . this invention is applicable to connectors having as few as two v - grooves . however , typically , fiber cables have several fibers and the invention was made to solve problems in cables with high fiber count , i . e . six or more fibers in each planar series of v - grooves . the connector shown in fig1 and 2 has two stacked plates , but more can be added to accommodate large arrays of fibers . an advantage of stacking the connectors is that arrays can be added or subtracted in a main connector assembly as desired . also one linear array can be modified or repaired without disturbing another linear array . the invention has been described in terms of v - grooved fiber support structures . the v - groove structure is commonly used and is convenient because of the aforementioned method ( crystallographic etching ) sometimes used to form the silicon master dies for these parts . however , on examination of the v - grooves with the fibers in place , e . g . see fig2 it becomes evident that the grooves do not have to be exactly v - shaped . for example , since no part of a round fiber reaches the bottom of the v it is obvious that the v - groove can be truncated and still serve the function desired . a truncated v - groove array with fibers in place would resemble the arrangement shown in fig6 where 63 and 64 would be fibers in place of alignment members and 61 and 62 would be connector parts in place of mold parts . the comparison is schematic only to show a truncated form of v - groove . the term v - groove or v - grooves used in this specification and in the appended claims is intended to include such modifications in groove shape . various additional modification and deviations of the invention as described may occur to those skilled in the art . all such variations which basically rely on the principles and techniques through which this invention has advanced the art are to be considered within the scope of this invention , and within the scope of the appended claims and any equivalent thereof . | 6 |
in one embodiment of the invention the co - crystallisation agent is selected from aromatic heterocycles containing at least one basic nitrogen atom , and is preferably selected from pyridine , pyrimidine , pyrazine , pyridazine , pyrazole , thiazole , isothiazole , oxazole , isoxazole ; their derivatives functionalized with c 1 - c 6 alkyl ; c 2 - c 6 alkenyl ; c 2 - c 6 alkyl groups containing an epoxy group ; c 3 - c 7 cycloalkyl groups ; benzyl groups ; c 6 - c 10 aryl groups ; c 1 - c 6 alkoxyl groups ; halides ; carboxyamide ; carbonyl optionally in the form of an acetal or a ketal deriving from a c 1 - c 6 alcohol or optionally in the form of a cyclic ketal deriving from a c 2 - c 6 alkane - 1 , 2 - diol or a c 2 - c 6 alkane - 1 , 3 - diol ; hydroxyl ; c 1 - c 6 - alkoxycarbonyl groups ; sulfhydryl ; c 1 - c 6 alkylthio groups ; c 1 - c 6 - alkylsulfinyl groups ; c 1 - c 6 - alkylsulfonyl groups ; sulfonamide ; and benzocondensed derivatives thereof , such as quinoline and isoquinoline . in one embodiment said aromatic heterocycles useful as co - crystallisation agents are selected from pyridine and derivatives of pyridine of general formula ( i ) wherein l is selected from —( ch 2 ) n —, wherein n is 0 or an integer between 1 and 6 , and — c ( o )— nh —( ch 2 ) m — nh — c ( o )—, wherein m is an integer between 2 and 6 , and wherein in said compound ( i ) one or both pyridine rings can be benzocondensed . in a preferred embodiment the compounds of formula ( i ) are selected from 4 , 4 ′- bipyridyl , 4 -[ 2 -( 4 - pyridinyl ) ethyl ] pyridine and n , n ′- bis ( 4 - pyridylcarbonyl )- 1 , 6 - hexanediamine . in another embodiment of the invention the co - crystallisation agent is an aliphatic amine of formula r 1 r 2 r 3 n wherein r 1 , r 2 and r 3 are independently selected from the group containing hydrogen , c 1 - c 6 alkyl and c 3 - c 7 cycloalkyl ; or r 1 is as defined above and r 2 and r 3 , taken together with the nitrogen atom to which they are bonded , form a 4 - 7 member nitrogenous heterocyclic ring optionally containing one oxygen or sulphur atom or a further nitrogen atom , said further nitrogen atom being substituted by an r 1 group as defined above ; or the aliphatic amines are selected from the group of bicyclic tertiary amines of formula ( ii ) wherein p , q and r are independently selected from the integers 2 or 3 . examples of aliphatic amines useful for the purposes of the present invention are triethylamine , diisopropylethylamine , tributylamine , n - methylpiperidine , n - methylmorpholine and n , n ′- dimethylpiperazine . in a preferred embodiment the bicyclic tertiary amine of formula ( ii ) is 1 , 4 - diazabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane . in another embodiment of the invention , the co - crystallisation agent is an organic or inorganic halide . when an organic halide is used , it is preferably a tetraalkyl ammonium halide of formula r 4 n + x − wherein each r can independently be a c 1 - c 6 alkyl and x − is a halide . in a preferred embodiment the organic halide is tetrabutyl ammonium halide , preferably tetrabutyl ammonium chloride or tetrabutyl ammonium iodide . in another embodiment of the invention , the co - crystallisation agent is an inorganic halide , and is preferably an alkali or alkaline - earth metal or transition metal halide selected from iron and zinc , or a tin halide . examples of inorganic halides usable as co - crystallisation agents according to the present invention are iodides such as cuprous iodide and potassium iodide ; chlorides such as ammonium chloride , magnesium chloride , potassium chloride , stannous chloride , calcium chloride , ferric chloride , sodium chloride and zinc ( ii ) chloride . in a preferred embodiment the inorganic halide is calcium chloride or zinc ( ii ) chloride . in another embodiment of the invention , the co - crystallisation agent is an inorganic phosphate , such as monobasic ammonium phosphate , dibasic ammonium phosphate , dibasic magnesium phosphate , tribasic magnesium phosphate , monobasic calcium phosphate , dibasic calcium phosphate , tribasic calcium phosphate , calcium pyrophosphate , ferric phosphate , ferric pyrophosphate , monobasic potassium phosphate , dibasic potassium phosphate , tribasic potassium phosphate , potassium pyrophosphate , sodium aluminium phosphate , monobasic sodium phosphate , dibasic sodium phosphate , tribasic sodium phosphate or sodium pyrophosphate . in another embodiment of the invention the co - crystallisation agent is an alkali or alkaline - earth metal or transition metal carboxylate . examples of carboxylates useful for the purpose of the present invention are acetates , such as calcium acetate , sodium acetate and zinc acetate ; citrates , such as ammonium citrate , calcium citrate , iron ( iii ) citrate , ammonium iron ( iii ) citrate , sodium citrate and potassium citrate ; and benzoates , such as sodium benzoate . in the co - crystals according to the invention , ipbc and the co - crystallisation agent are present in a molar ratio ranging between 2 : 1 and 4 : 1 . co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and pyridine in a 1 : 1 molar ratio ; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and 4 -[ 2 -( 4 - pyridinyl ) ethyl ] pyridine in a 2 : 1 molar ratio ; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and 4 , 4 ′- bipyridine in a 2 : 1 molar ratio ; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and 1 , 4 - diazabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane in a 2 : 1 molar ratio ; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and tetrabutyl ammonium iodide in a 3 : 1 molar ratio ; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butyl carbamate and tetrabutyl ammonium chloride in a 2 : 1 molar ratio ; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and calcium chloride in a 4 : 1 molar ratio ; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and zinc chloride in a 4 : 1 molar ratio co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and n , n ′- bis ( 4 - pyridylcarbonyl )- 1 , 6 - hexanediamine in a 2 : 1 molar ratio . co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and 4 -[ 2 -( 4 - pyridinyl ) ethyl ] pyridine in a 2 : 1 molar ratio , having characteristic x - ray powder diffraction ( xrpd ) peaks at 2θ angle values of 5 . 12 , 5 . 68 , 11 . 44 , 16 . 95 , 22 . 22 , 22 . 66 , 24 . 97 and 27 . 88 ± 0 . 05 °, and unit cell dimensions [ a = 30 . 666 ( 3 ) b = 4 . 9869 ( 4 ) c = 21 . 068 ( 2 )] and [ α = 90 . 00 β = 92 . 115 ( 6 ) γ = 90 . 00 ]; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and 4 , 4 ′- bipyridine in a 2 : 1 molar ratio , having characteristic x - ray powder diffraction ( xrpd ) peaks at 2θ angle values of 6 . 23 and 21 . 93 ± 0 . 05 °, and unit cell dimensions a = 28 . 683 ( 2 ) b = 4 . 9270 ( 4 ) c = 21 . 429 ( 2 )] and [ α = 90 . 00 β = 99 . 92 ( 2 ) γ = 90 . 00 ]; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and tetrabutyl ammonium iodide in a 3 : 1 molar ratio , having characteristic x - ray powder diffraction ( xrpd ) peaks at 2θ angle values of 9 . 28 , 14 . 48 , 16 . 32 , 17 . 73 , 20 . 25 , 20 . 69 , 21 . 10 , 21 . 33 , 22 . 26 , 22 . 90 , 23 . 60 , 23 . 97 , 24 . 30 , 25 . 01 , 26 . 13 , 26 . 51 , 27 . 90 and 28 . 40 ± 0 . 1 °, and unit cell dimensions [ a = 10 . 7688 ( 9 ) b = 20 . 204 ( 2 ) c = 23 . 735 ( 2 )] and [ α = 90 . 00 β = 94 . 778 ( 2 ) γ = 90 . 00 ]; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and calcium chloride in a 4 : 1 molar ratio , having characteristic x - ray powder diffraction peaks ( xrpd ) at 2θ angle values of 9 . 67 and 22 . 28 ± 0 . 05 °; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and n , n ′- bis ( 4 - pyridylcarbonyl )- 1 , 6 - hexanediamine in a 2 : 1 molar ratio , having characteristic x - ray powder diffraction ( xrpd ) peaks at 2θ angle values of 11 . 83 and 22 . 78 ± 0 . 05 °, and unit cell dimensions [ a = 29 . 4501 ( 18 ) b = 5 . 1100 ( 3 ) c = 27 . 9417 ( 17 )] and [ α = 90 . 00 β = 118 . 566 ( 3 ) γ = 90 . 00 ]; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and pyridine in a 1 : 1 molar ratio , having a 13 c - nmr spectrum substantially as depicted in fig2 wherein the chemical shift may vary from 4 . 00 ppm up to 14 ppm ; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and 1 , 4 - diazabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane ( dabco ) in a 2 : 1 molar ratio , having an orthorhombic unit cell , pccn , a : 9 . 8955 ( 7 ); b : 31 . 623 ( 2 ); c : 8 . 9335 ( 6 ) and v = 2795 . 55 a 3 ; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and tetrabutylammonium chloride in a 2 : 1 molar ratio , having an ir spectrum substantially as depicted in fig2 ; co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and zinc chloride in a 4 : 1 molar ratio , having a dsc plot substantially as depicted in fig2 , showing two peaks at 118 ° c . and 139 ° c . “ characteristic peaks in the xrpd spectrum ” means peaks with a relative intensity exceeding 40 % compared with the peak of greatest intensity , taken as 100 . the crystallisation methods used to prepare the co - crystals according to the invention comprise slow and fast evaporation of solutions containing ipbc and the co - crystallisation agent in the desired stoichiometric ratios , wherein the formation of the co - crystal takes place in solution by slow and fast evaporation of the solvent ; fast precipitation from quasi - saturated solvent solutions containing ipbc and the co - crystallisation agent ; grinding ( dry or in the presence of drops of solvent ) of a mixture of ipbc and the co - crystallisation agent ; melting of the mixture of ipbc and the co - crystallisation agent ; mechano - chemical solid - phase synthesis in a ball mill ; or a combination of said methods . the choice of one or more of said methods is made on the basis of the physical state ( solid or liquid ) of the ipbc and / or the co - crystallisation agent at the temperature at which the formation of the co - crystal is conducted . in one embodiment of the invention , the co - crystals are synthesised in solution . if both ipbc and the co - crystallisation agent are in the solid state , each substance , in the exact molar ratios , is dissolved separately in a suitable solvent , such as methanol , ethanol , chloroform , dichloromethane , acetonitrile or ethyl acetate . the two solutions are then mixed together , and the resulting mixture is left to evaporate . the evaporation is performed slowly if a single crystal is to be obtained or rapidly , for example with the aid of a vacuum evaporation system , if the co - crystal is to be obtained in powder form . however , if the co - crystallisation agent is a liquid , a quasi - saturated solution of ipbc is prepared in a suitable solvent , such as methanol , ethanol , chloroform , dichloromethane , acetonitrile or ethyl acetate . the liquid co - crystallisation agent is then added to said solution in an exact molar ratio . the resulting mixture is left to evaporate . the evaporation is performed slowly if a single crystal is to be obtained or rapidly , for example with the aid of a vacuum evaporation system , if the co - crystal is to be obtained in powder form . in another embodiment of the invention , the co - crystals are synthesised in the solid state . ipbc and the co - crystallisation agent , weighed in the exact molar ratio desired for the co - crystal , are mixed together and placed in a metal container of various dimensions . one or more metal balls of various dimensions are introduced into the container . the container is placed in a ball mill and vibrated with a frequency of 10 - 30 hz for a time ranging between 5 and 30 minutes , depending on the dimensions of the container . the product recovered from the container is the co - crystal , which requires no further purification . the co - crystals according to the invention containing ipbc are suitable to protect industrial materials such as adhesives , glues , paper , cardboard , leather , wood and wood - based materials , coating materials , paints , plastic materials , industrial coolants , industrial lubricants , metalworking fluids , body care products such as wet wipes , toilet paper , cosmetics , and other materials which can be infested or decomposed by micro - organisms . examples of micro - organisms which can cause the degradation or deterioration of industrial materials , against which the co - crystals according to the invention can be advantageously used , are bacteria , fungi ( in particular fungi and moulds that attack wood ), yeasts , algae and mucous organisms such as slime . specific examples are micro - organisms of the genus alternaria , such as alternaria tenuis , aspergillus , such as aspergillus niger , chaetomium , such as chaetomium globosum , coniophora , such as coniophora puetana , lentinus , such as lentinus tigrinus , penicillium , such as penicillium glaucum , polyporus , such as polyporus versicolor , aureobasidium , such as aureobasidium pullulans , sclerophoma , such as sclerophoma pityophila , trichoderma , such as trichoderma viride , escherichia , such as escherichia coli , pseudomonas , such as pseudomonas aeruginosa , and staphylococcus , such as staphylococcus aureus . depending on their chemico - physical properties , the co - crystals according to the invention can be incorporated in formulations such as solutions , emulsions , suspensions , powders , foams , pastes , granules , tablets and inhalers , or microencapsulated in polymers . the formulations according to the invention can be prepared by conventional methods . for example , the formulations can be prepared by mixing the co - crystals with diluents , such as liquid solvents or gases liquefied under pressure , and / or with solid diluents , if necessary also using surfactants , such as emulsifying agents and / or dispersing agents and / or foaming agents . if the diluent used is water , organic solvents can also be used as co - solvents . the solvents usable are aromatic solvents such as toluene and xylene ; chlorinated aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons such as dichloromethane and chlorobenzene ; aliphatic hydrocarbons such as cyclohexane ; alcohols such as butanol , ethylene glycol and their ethers and esters ; ketones such as acetone and ethyl methyl ketone , or cyclohexanone ; highly polar solvents such as water , dimethyl sulphoxide and dimethylformamide . examples of gases liquefied under pressure are liquids which are gaseous at room pressure and temperature , such as halogenated hydrocarbons , butane , propane , nitrogen and carbon dioxide . suitable solid diluents are pulverised natural or synthetic minerals such as kaolins , clays , talc , gypsum , quartz , fossil flours , and silica , alumina and silicate powders . suitable emulsifying and / or foaming agents are , for example , non - ionic or anionic emulsifying agents such as polyoxyethylene esters with fatty acids , ethers between polyoxyethylene and fatty alcohols , alkyl - or aryl - sulphonates , and alkylsulphates . an example of a suitable dispersing agent is methylcellulose . the formulations generally contain between 0 . 1 % and 95 % by weight of the co - crystals , preferably between 2 % and 75 % by weight . a further object of the present invention is therefore compositions with a biocidal activity containing a co - crystal of ipbc according to the invention and at least one solvent or diluent . the compositions according to the invention can also contain additives which assist the process of obtaining the composition and , if necessary , other biocidal agents such as agents with an antimicrobial , fungicidal , bactericidal , herbicidal , insecticidal or algaecidal activity . in this case , the co - crystals according to the invention and the other biocidal agents can be present in solution , suspension or emulsion . the solvents or diluents can be water or conventional organic solvents . compositions containing a co - crystal according to the invention and another biocidal agent as active ingredients can present a broader action spectrum than the individual active ingredients and / or a synergic effect . examples of other biocidal agents which can be present in the compositions according to the invention include azaconazole , bromuconazole , cyproconazole , dichlorobutrazole , diniconazole , diuron , hexaconazole , metconazole , penconazole , propiconazole , tebuconazole , dichlofluanid , tolylfluanid , fluorfolpet , methfuroxam , carboxin , cyclohexyl - benzo [ b ] thiophene carboxamide s , s - dioxide , fenpiclonil , 4 -( 2 , 2 - difluoro - 1 , 3 - benzodioxol - 4 - yl )- 1h - pyrrole - 3 - carbonitrile , butenafine , imazalil , n - methyl - isothiazolin - 3 - one , 5 - chloro - n - methyl - isothiazolin - 3 - one , n - octyl - isothiazolin - 3 - one , dichloro - n - octyl - isothiazolinone , mercaptobenzothiazole , thiocyano - methylthiobenzothiazole , tiabendazole , benzisothiazolinone , n -( 2 - hydroxypropyl ) aminomethanol , benzyl hemiformal , n - methylol - chloroacetamide , n -( 2 - hydroxypropyl ) aminomethanol , glutaraldehyde , omadine , zn - omadine , dimethyl dicarbonate , 2 - bromo - 2 - nitro - 1 , 3 - propanediol , bethoxazin , o - phthaldialdehyde , 2 , 2 - dibromo - 3 - cyano - propionamide , 1 , 2 - dibromo - 2 , 4 - dicyano - butane , 1 , 3 - bis ( hydroxymethyl )- 5 , 5 - dimethylimidazolidine - 2 , 4 - dione ( dmdmh ), tetramethylolacetylenediurea ( tmad ), ethylene glycol hemiformal , p - hydroxybenzoic acid and p - hydroxybenzoic acid esters ( parabens ), such as ethyl p - hydroxybenzoate ( e214 ), ethyl - p - hydroxybenzoate sodium salt ( e215 ), propyl p - hydroxybenzoate ( e216 ), propyl p - hydroxybenzoate sodium salt ( e217 ), methyl - p - hydroxybenzoate ( e218 ) and methyl - p - hydroxybenzoate sodium salt ( e219 ), carbendazim , chlorophene , 3 - methyl - 4 - chlorophenol and o - phenylphenol . the weight ratio between the co - crystals of the invention and the other biocidal agents can vary within a wide range . said ratio preferably ranges between 50 : 1 and 1 : 50 . the compositions with antimicrobial activity of the invention contain the co - crystals of the invention or a mixture of the co - crystals of the invention and another biocidal agent in a concentration of between 0 . 1 % and 95 % by weight , preferably between 0 . 1 % and 60 % by weight . the concentrations at which the co - crystals of the invention or their combination with another biocidal agent are used depend on the nature and incidence of the micro - organisms to be controlled , and the composition of the material to be protected . the ideal quantity for use can be determined by a series of tests . in general , for most applications the concentration is between 0 . 001 % and 5 % by weight , preferably between 0 . 05 % and 2 % by weight , depending on the material to be protected . compositions containing the co - crystals of the invention have better physical and chemical properties ( such as greater solubility in water and greater heat stability ) and workability properties ( such as better powder flowability and better compressibility for tablet formation ) than compositions containing ipbc . a further object of the invention is therefore the use of a co - crystal or composition of the invention as biocide in industrial products , in particular as a preservative , antibacterial , fungicide or algaecide , especially in paints , coatings , metalworking fluids , protection and preservation of wood , and in body care products or cosmetic formulations . fig1 : api ir spectrum of the co - crystal of example 3 . fig1 : api ir spectrum of the co - crystal of example 4 . fig1 : api ir spectrum of the co - crystal of example 5 . fig2 : 13 c - nmr of the co - crystal of example 6 . fig2 : ball and stick representation from single crystal analysis of the co - crystal of example 7 . dabco hydrogen atoms are omitted for clarity . fig2 : pictures of cones of pure ipbc ( a , c ) and co - crystal ( ipbc ) 4 : cacl 2 ( b , d ) powders , taken after flowing the powders through the funnel . the ir spectra were obtained with a nicolet nexus ftir spectrophotometer equipped with the u - atr device . the values are reported as wave numbers , and are rounded to 1 cm − 1 after automatic assignment . the melting points were obtained by differential scanning calorimetry ( dsc , mettler toledo 823e ). single - crystal x - ray diffraction the data were collected at different temperatures with a bruker kappa apex ii diffractometer with mo - kα radiation ( λ = 0 . 71073 ) and a ccd detector . the bruker kryoflex device was used for the low - temperature acquisitions . the structures were resolved and refined with the sir2004 and shelxl - 97 programs respectively . the refinement was performed by the full - matrix least squares method on f 2 . the hydrogen atoms were placed using standard geometric models and with their thermal parameters based on those of their geminal atoms . the x - ray powder diffraction experiments were conducted with a bruker d8 advance diffractometer operating in reflection mode with ge - monochromatic cu kα1 radiation ( λ = 1 . 5406 å ) and with a position - sensitive linear detector . the powder diffraction data was collected at room temperature with a 20 interval of 5 - 40 °, using increments of 0 . 016 ° and an exposure time of 1 . 5 s per increment . co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and 4 -[ 2 -( 4 - pyridinyl ) ethyl ] pyridine in a 2 : 1 molar ratio ( co - crystal 1 ) this example demonstrates the ability of ipbc to co - crystallise with a neutral aromatic amine able to act as halogen bond acceptor , such as 4 -[ 2 -( 4 - pyridinyl ) ethyl ] pyridine . rapid precipitation of the two compounds in a quasi - saturated acetonitrile solution leads to the formation of a solid white powder with a melting point of between 81 ° c . and 83 ° c . single - crystal x - ray diffraction demonstrates that in the co - crystal , ipbc and 4 -[ 2 -( 4 - pyridinyl ) ethyl ] pyridine are present in a molar ratio of 2 : 1 , as shown in fig1 . the basic structural pattern in the co - crystal is a trimer unit wherein 4 -[ 2 -( 4 - pyridinyl ) ethyl ] pyridine acts as bridge between two ipbc molecules via two halogen bonds i - - - n . the dimensions and angles of the crystallographic unit cell are [ a = 30 . 666 ( 3 ) b = 4 . 9869 ( 4 ) c = 21 . 068 ( 2 )] and [ α = 90 . 00 β = 92 . 115 ( 6 ) γ = 90 . 00 ] respectively . the ir spectrum of the co - crystal and its characteristic bands are reported in fig2 . fig3 shows the x - ray powder diffraction ( xrpd ) of the co - crystal , the main peaks of which , in the 5 - 40 ° 2θ value range , are shown in table 1 . the dsc thermogram of co - crystal 1 is reported in fig4 . the co - crystal thus obtained has a higher melting point , higher thermal stability , better workability and higher degree of crystallinity than ipbc . it is easily manageable in the operations required to form tablets , such as compression . co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and 4 , 4 ′- bipyridine in a 2 : 1 molar ratio ( co - crystal 2 ) this example demonstrates the ability of ipbc to co - crystallise with another neutral aromatic amine able to act as halogen bond acceptor , such as 4 , 4 ′- dipyridine . in this case the formation of the co - crystal was effected by slow precipitation from an ethanol solution , which leads to the formation of a white powder . the basic structural motif in the co - crystal is a trimeric unit , bonded via halogen bonds , consisting of one molecule of 4 , 4 ′- bipyridine and two molecules of ipbc , as shown in fig5 . the co - crystal is a solid crystalline product with a melting point of between 112 ° c . and 114 ° c . the dimensions and angles of the crystallographic unit cell are [ a = 28 . 683 ( 2 ) b = 4 . 9270 ( 4 ) c = 21 . 429 ( 2 )] and [ α = 90 . 00 β = 99 . 92 ( 2 ) γ = 90 . 00 ] respectively . the ir spectrum of the co - crystal and its characteristic bands are reported in fig6 . fig7 shows the x - ray powder diffraction ( xrpd ) of the co - crystal , the main peaks of which , in the 5 - 40 ° 2θ value range , are shown in table 2 . the dsc thermogram of co - crystal 2 is reported in fig8 . the co - crystal thus obtained has a higher melting point , higher thermal stability , better workability and higher degree of crystallinity than ipbc . it is easily manageable in the operations required to form tablets , such as compression . co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and tetrabutyl ammonium iodide in a 3 : 1 molar ratio ( co - crystal 3 ) this example demonstrates the ability of ipbc to co - crystallise with a halide deriving from an organic salt such as tetrabutylammonium iodide . the co - crystal was formed by mechano - chemical synthesis in a ball mill , using a stoichiometric ratio of 1 : 3 between tetrabutyl ammonium iodide and ipbc . the co - crystal obtained contains one molecule of tetrabutyl ammonium iodide and three molecules of ipbc , as shown in the graphical representation in fig9 . the co - crystal is a solid crystalline product with a melting point between 42 ° c . and 47 . 5 ° c . the dimensions and angles of the crystallographic unit cell are a = 10 . 7688 ( 9 ) b = 20 . 204 ( 2 ) c = 23 . 735 ( 2 )] and [ α = 90 . 00 β = 94 . 778 ( 2 ) γ = 90 . 00 ] respectively . the ir spectrum of the co - crystal and its characteristic bands are reported in fig1 . fig1 shows the x - ray powder diffraction ( xrpd ) of the co - crystal , the main peaks of which , in the 5 - 40 ° 2θ value range , are shown in table 3 . the dsc thermogram of co - crystal 3 is reported in fig1 . the co - crystal thus obtained has a lower melting point , higher solubility and better workability in an aqueous medium than ipbc . in particular , its aqueous solubility is approx . 40 % greater than that of ipbc . co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and calcium chloride in a 4 : 1 molar ratio ( co - crystal 4 ) this example demonstrates the ability of ipbc to co - crystallise with a halide deriving from an inorganic salt such as calcium chloride . the co - crystal was formed by mechano - chemical synthesis in a ball mill , using a stoichiometric ratio of 1 : 4 between calcium chloride and ipbc . the composition of the co - crystal was detected by analysing the dsc trace , where the presence of peaks of the starting products was not observed . the co - crystal is a solid crystalline product with a melting point of 83 - 86 ° c . the ir spectrum of the co - crystal and its characteristic bands are reported in fig1 . fig1 shows the x - ray powder diffraction ( xrpd ) of the co - crystal , the main peaks of which , in the 5 - 40 ° 2θ value range , are shown in table 4 . the dsc thermogram of co - crystal 4 is reported in fig1 . the co - crystal thus obtained has a higher melting point , higher solubility and better workability in an aqueous medium than ipbc . in particular , its aqueous solubility is approx . 50 % greater than that of ipbc . co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and n , n ′- bis ( 4 - pyridylcarbonyl )- 1 , 6 - hexanediamine in a 2 : 1 molar ratio ( co - crystal 5 ) in this example , ipbc was co - crystallised with n , n ′- bis ( 4 - pyridylcarbonyl )- 1 , 6 - hexanediamine by slow evaporation from alcohol solutions and by mechano - chemical synthesis in a ball mill , using a ratio of 1 : 2 between the co - crystallisation agent and ipbc . in the co - crystal obtained there is a ratio of 1 : 2 between the co - crystallisation agent and ipbc , as shown in the graphical representation in fig1 . the co - crystal is a solid crystalline product with a melting point of 132 ° c . the dimensions and angles of the crystallographic unit cell are [ a = 29 . 4501 ( 18 ) b = 5 . 1100 ( 3 ) c = 27 . 9417 ( 17 )] and [ α = 90 . 00 β = 118 . 566 ( 3 ) γ = 90 . 00 ] respectively . the ir spectrum of the co - crystal and its characteristic bands are reported in fig1 . fig1 shows the x - ray powder diffraction ( xrpd ) of the co - crystal , the main peaks of which , in the 5 - 40 ° 2θ value range , are shown in table 5 . the dsc thermogram of co - crystal 5 is reported in fig1 . the co - crystal thus obtained has a higher melting point , higher thermal stability , better workability and higher degree of crystallinity than ipbc . it is easily manageable in the operations required to form tablets , such as compression . co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and pyridine in a 1 : 1 molar ratio ( co - crystal 6 ) the co - crystal was prepared dissolving in the 1 : 1 molar ratio ipbc in pyridine . the cocrystal is liquid at room temperature , but the formation of a halogen bonded system between ipbc and pyridine can be confirmed looking at the chemical shift variation of 13 c - nmr for the carbon bound to iodine . previous studies have demonstrated that the 13 c signals of the iodinated carbons of iodoethynyl moieties undergo major low - field shifts on changing the solvent from chloroform to dimethylsulphoxide as a consequence of the xb occurring with the oxygen atoms of the solvent . [ ref . rege , p . d . ; malkina , o . l . ; goroff , n . s . j . am . chem . soc . 2002 , 124 , 370 - 371 . gao , k . ; goroff , n . s . j . am . chem . soc . 2000 , 122 , 9320 - 9321 .]. the ≡ c — i signals of deuterochloroform solutions of pure ipbc is at 3 . 68 ppm , in the cocrystal with pyridine the ≡ c — i chemical shift varies from 4 . 00 ppm up to 14 ppm depending of the concentration of pyridine used , as shown in fig2 . co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and 1 , 4 - diazabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane ( dabco ) in a 2 : 1 molar ratio ( co - crystal 7 ) in this example , ipbc was co - crystallised with the bicyclic tertiary amine 1 , 4 - diazabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane ( dabco ), to give a co - crystal ipbc : dabco with molar ratio 2 : 1 . ipbc was co - crystallised with dabco by slow evaporation from alcohol / haloalkane solutions , using a ratio of 1 : 2 between the co - crystallisation agent and ipbc . the structure of the ipbc . dabco co - crystal from single crystal crystallographic analysis is shown in fig2 , wherein dabco hydrogen atoms are omitted for clarity . crystallographic data : orthorhombic , pccn , a : 9 . 8955 ( 7 ); b : 31 . 623 ( 2 ); c : 8 . 9335 ( 6 ) and v = 2795 . 55 a 3 . co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and tetrabutylammonium chloride ( tbacl ) in a 2 : 1 molar ratio ( co - crystal 8 ) in this example , ipbc was co - crystallised with tetrabutylammonium chloride ( tbacl ) to give a ipbc : tbacl co - crystal with molar ratio 2 : 1 . the co - crystal was formed by heating the two components up to 50 ° c . using a stoichiometric ratio of 1 : 2 between tetrabutyl ammonium chloride and ipbc . the formation of a halogen bonded co - crystal between ipbc and tbacl can be confirmed looking at the ir wave number variation for c ≡ c group . the triple bond stretching band is at 2198 cm − 1 in the pure ipbc while it is red - shifted at 2181 cm − 1 for the ( ipbc ) 2 : tbacl cocrystal , as shown in fig2 . co - crystal containing 3 - iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and zinc chloride in a 4 : 1 molar ratio ( co - crystal 9 ) this example demonstrates the ability of ipbc to co - crystallise with a halide deriving from a transition metal , such as zinc chloride , to give a ipbc : zncl 2 co - crystal with molar ratio 4 : 1 the co - crystal was prepared using the same procedure employed for example 4 . the formation of a halogen bonded cocrystal between ipbc and zncl 2 can be confirmed looking at the dsc plot ( fig2 ) showing two peaks at 118 ° c . and 139 ° c . ( mixture of polymorphs ) and the absence of the ipbc melting peak . evaluation of flowing characteristics of powders containing the halogen bonded ( ipbc ) 4 : cacl 2 complex or pure ipbc in this example the angle of response of powders containing the halogen bonded ( ipbc ) 4 : cacl 2 complex of example 4 was compared to that of powders containing pure ipbc ( fig2 ). the angle of response estimates the flow characteristics of the powders , the use of pure ipbc in industrial products faces significant manufacturing drawbacks . ipbc is difficult to handle because it tends to be clumpy and sticky , this implies that it cannot be fed easily from the blending equipment and the automatic feeding device . fig2 shows that the cohesive properties of powder for co - crystal ( ipbc ) 4 : cacl 2 are drastically different compared to the pure ipbc . co - crystal ( ipbc ) 4 : cacl 2 has values of angle of repose between 13 ° and 20 ° which indicates that it has excellent free - flow powder characteristic . on the contrary for the pure ipbc it is impossible to evaluate any angle of repose since the cohesive forces in the powder are too strong and its powder does not form an appropriate cone shape but tends to aggregate in irregular pillared shape . the cylindrical shape of ipbc cones indicates clearly the high cohesion of the powders , while the flat cone shape of co - crystal ( ipbc ) 4 : cacl 2 indicates improved flow powder properties . | 0 |
while the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms , there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated . it should be understood that the title of this section of this specification , namely , “ detailed description of the invention ”, relates to a requirement of the united states patent office , and does not imply , nor should be inferred to limit the subject matter disclosed herein . referring now to the figures and briefly to fig1 and 2 , there is shown a roller pad printer 10 embodying the principles of the present invention . the printer 10 is configured to print high quality indicia onto relatively long objects o or to print large ( and long ) images onto objects o . the printer 10 includes a frame 12 onto which the various components are mounted . a cliché 14 is flat and rests on a platform 15 and a printing roller pad 16 is a cylindrical roll - type pad . in fig3 , the cliché 14 is fed from an ink supply 18 . the ink is supplied to the cliché 14 using apparatus and methods that will be recognized by those skilled in the art . in one known configuration , an ink cup 20 is conveyed over the cliché 14 and ink is deposited into the etched regions in the cliché 14 . excess ink is wiped from the cliché 14 , typically by a wiper blade 22 that is formed as part of or integral with the ink cup 20 . ink is supplied to the ink cup 20 by the ink supply system 18 . in fig4 , the ink is picked up from the cliché 14 and transferred onto the roller pad 16 , by compressing the roller pad 16 and the cliché 14 against one another and moving the two relative to one another . in a present printer 10 , the roller pad 16 is carried on a carriage 24 ( a carriage roll assembly ) such that the carriage 24 is moved ( as indicated by the arrow at 26 ), longitudinally along the cliché 14 , or rolled across the flat cliché 14 to pick up ink or transfer ink onto the pad of the roller pad 16 . it will be appreciated that contact between and the relative motions of the roller pad 16 and the cliché 14 must be carried out in a controlled manner so that the location of the image ( ink ) transferred onto the pad is accurately controlled for subsequent transfer onto the object o . the roller pad 16 can be a driven element . in such an arrangement , the drive includes a motor 28 that rotates the roller pad 16 in an indexed manner so as to accurately control the angular position of the roller pad 16 relative to the cliché 14 . this type of arrangement can be used , for example , when printing on “ relief ” type raised surfaces that may have insufficient contact area with the roller pad to effectively rotate the roller pad during print operation . alternately , the roller pad 16 can be non - driven roller ( e . g ., an idler roll ), and can be rotated by friction ( between the roller pad 16 and the cliché 14 ) and movement of the carriage 24 relative to the stationary cliché 14 . the carriage 24 is then moved transversely ( as indicated by the arrow at 30 ) from over the cliché 14 to a position over the item or object o to be printed / decorated . in fig3 , the carriage 24 is shown in phantom in a second position for illustration only ; those skilled in the art will appreciate there is only one carriage / roller 24 / 16 assembly in the machine 10 and which is slidably movable . the roller pad 16 is then brought into contact with the item o onto which the ink or decoration is to be transferred , and the two are moved relative to one another . again , in the present printer , the carriage 24 is moved relative to the item o ( also as indicated by the arrow at 26 ) and as such , the pad 17 of the roller pad 16 is rolled across the surface of the item o , and the item o is decorated . the present system 10 has been found to be advantageous when printing large areas of ink ( decoration ) or when printing long decorations onto relatively flat items o . the present system 10 allows for these printing scenarios by using a novel combination of traditional linear motion pad printers and the side - to - side printing of rotary pad printers . by using this novel hybrid arrangement , images can be printed on an item from one side to the other side , across the item , rather than the center - out distribution of traditional pad printing . importantly , the present roller pad printer 10 allows the use of a flat cliché 14 ( akin to traditional pad printing techniques ) and in some instances , will allow modification of traditional pad printers ( e . g ., printing machines ) with a roller pad for more flexibility in the types and sizes of decorations that can be printed and with more flexibility in the types and sizes of items onto which printing can be applied . moreover , the present pad printer 10 can be used to apply printing on a smaller and / or a batch basis rather than on a continuous basis , thus providing significantly more flexibility than known rotary printing systems . although the present roller pad 16 is described as being a driven element , as discussed above , the roller pad can be a non - driven or idler roller pad that is rotated by the action of friction between the moving roller pad 16 and relatively stationary cliché 14 or item o . in such an arrangement , it may be desirable to monitor the position of the roller pad 16 ( angular as well as linear ) to determine / monitor / control the location of the roller pad 16 relative to the decoration etched in the cliché and / or the location of the roller pad relative to the item . the illustrated printer 10 is of the type that uses a non - driven roller pad when printing , but is driven ( by the motor 28 ) to return the roller pad to its initial position each time it is “ reset ” to begin a new cycle . it has also been found to be desirable to commence each inking and printing cycle with the roller pad 16 in the same angular position so that the ink pattern is transferred onto the same location on the roller pad 16 . it is also anticipated that printer 10 can be used to print cylindrical or round parts , by using a motor driven pad roll , and / or motor driven part fixture to rotate the part under the pad and apply the image . this would be advantageous when printing low volumes of parts that do not justify a fully automated continuous motion style rotary pad printer , or when printing several different sizes and shapes of parts , which are difficult to accommodate in rotary pad printer part transfer systems , but easily accommodated with job specific tooling in traditional pad printing . it will also be appreciated that although the present printer 10 is described as a traditional printer , the printer , the is the printing function , can be integrated with or within another device , such as a robotic system . for example , the carriage 24 can be integrated into the arm of a robot , and that such modifications , changes , alterations and the like are within the scope and spirit of the present printing system and are to be construed as such . all patents referred to herein , are incorporated herein by reference , whether or not specifically done so within the text of this disclosure . in the disclosure , the words “ a ” or “ an ” are to be taken to include both the singular and the plural . conversely , any reference to plural items shall , where appropriate , include the singular . from the foregoing it will be observed that numerous modification and variations can be effectuated without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present invention . it is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated is intended or should be inferred . the disclosure is intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims . | 1 |
throughout the following description , specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention . however , the invention may be practiced without these particulars . in other instances , well known elements have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention . accordingly , the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative , rather than a restrictive , sense . this invention provides displays capable of rendering images with high dynamic ranges . displays according to the invention comprise two light modulating stages . light passes through the stages in series to provide an image which has an increased dynamic range . fig1 illustrates schematically a display 10 according to a simple embodiment of the invention . the sizes of elements and distances between them in fig1 are not to scale . display 10 comprises a light source 12 . light source 12 may , for example , comprise a projection lamp such as an incandescent lamp or an arc lamp , a laser , or another suitable source of light . light source 12 may comprise an optical system comprising one or more mirrors , lenses or other optical elements which cooperate to deliver light to the rest of display 10 . in the illustrated embodiment , light from light source 12 is directed toward a first light modulator 16 . light source 12 preferably provides substantially uniform illumination of first light modulator 16 . light modulator 16 comprises an array of individually addressable elements . light modulator 16 may comprise , for example , a lcd ( liquid crystal display ), which is an example of a transmission - type light modulator or a dmd ( deformable mirror device ), which is an example of a reflection - type light modulator . display driver circuitry ( not shown in fig1 ) controls the elements of light modulator 16 according to data which defines an image being displayed . light which has been modulated by first light modulator 16 is imaged onto a rear - projection screen 23 by a suitable optical system 17 . light from a small area of first light modulator 16 is directed by optical system 17 to a corresponding area on rear - projection screen 23 . in the illustrated embodiment , optical system 17 comprises a lens having a focal length f . in general , the optical system 17 which images light modulated by first light modulator 16 onto rear - projection screen 23 may comprise one or more mirrors , lenses or other optical elements . such an optical system has the function of imaging light modulated by the first light modulator onto a second light modulator . in the illustrated embodiment , rear - projection screen 23 comprises a second light modulator 20 and a collimator 18 . a main function of collimator 18 is to cause light which passes through rear - projection screen 23 to be directed preferentially toward a viewing area . collimator 18 may comprise a fresnel lens , a holographic lens , or , in the alternative , another arrangement of one or more lenses and / or other optical elements which will guide light in the direction of a viewing area . in the illustrated embodiment , collimator 18 causes light to travel through the elements of second light modulator 20 in a direction which is generally normal to screen 23 . as light incident from collimator 18 travels through second light modulator 20 it is further modulated . the light then passes to a diffuser 22 which scatters the outgoing light through a range of directions so that a viewer located on an opposite side of diffuser 22 from first light modulator 16 can see light originating from the whole area of screen 23 . in general , diffuser 22 may scatter light to a different angular extent in the horizontal and vertical planes . diffuser 22 should be selected so that light modulated by second light modulator 20 is scattered through a range of angles such that the maximum scatter angle is at least equal to the angle subtended by screen 23 when viewed from a desired viewing location . rear - projection screen 23 may differ in area from first light modulator 16 . for example , rear - projection screen 23 may be larger in area than first light modulator 16 . where this is the case , optical system 17 expands the beam of light modulated by first light modulator 16 to illuminate a larger corresponding area on rear - projection screen 23 . second light modulator 20 may be of the same type as first light modulator 16 or a different type . where first and second light modulators 16 and 20 are both of types that polarize light , second light modulator 20 should , as much as is practical , be oriented so that its plane of polarization matches that of the light incident on it from first light modulator 16 . display 10 may be a color display . this may be achieved in various ways including : making one of first light modulator 16 and second light modulator 20 a color light modulator ; providing a plurality of different first light modulators 16 operating in parallel on different colors ; and , providing a mechanism for rapidly introducing different color filters into the light path ahead of second light modulator 20 . as an example of the first approach above , second light modulator 20 may comprise an lcd panel having a plurality of pixels each comprising a number of colored sub - pixels . for example , each pixel may comprise three sub - pixels , one associated with a red filter , one associated with a green filter and one associated with a blue filter . the filters may be integral with the lcd panel . as shown in fig1 a , light source 12 , first light modulator 16 and optical system 17 may all be parts of a digital video projector 37 located to project an image defined by a signal 38 a from a controller 39 onto the back side of rear - projection screen 23 . the elements of second light modulator 20 are controlled by a signal 38 b from controller 39 to provide an image to a viewer which has a high dynamic range . as shown in fig2 , a display 10 a according to the invention may comprise one or more additional light modulation stages 24 . each additional light modulation stage 24 comprises a collimator 25 , a light modulator 26 and an optical system 27 which focuses light from light modulator 26 onto either the next additional light modulation stage 24 or on collimator 18 . in device 10 a of fig2 there are two additional light modulation stages 24 . devices according to this embodiment of the invention may have one or more additional light modulation stages 24 . the luminance of any point on output diffuser 22 can be adjusted by controlling the amount of light passed on by corresponding elements of light modulators 16 , 20 and 26 . this control may be provided by a suitable control system ( not shown in fig2 ) connected to drive each of light modulators 16 , 20 and 26 . as noted above , light modulators 16 , 20 and 26 may all be of the same type or may be of two or more different types . fig3 illustrates a display 10 b according to an alternative embodiment of the invention which includes a first light modulator 16 a which comprises a deformable mirror device . a deformable mirror device is a “ binary ” device in the sense that each pixel may be either “ on ” or “ off ”. different apparent brightness levels may be produced by turning a pixel on and off rapidly . such devices are described , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 441 , 791 and , 4 , 954 , 789 and are commonly used in digital video projectors . light source 12 and first light modulator 16 ( or 16 a ) may be the light source and modulator from a commercial digital video projector , for example . fig4 illustrates a front - projection - type display 10 c according to the invention . display 10 c comprises a screen 34 . a projector 37 projects an image 38 onto screen 34 . projector 37 comprises a suitable light source 12 , a first light modulator 16 and an optical system 17 suitable for projecting an image defined by first light modulator 16 onto screen 34 . projector 37 may comprise a commercially available display projector . screen 34 incorporates a second light modulator 36 . second light modulator 36 comprises a number of addressable elements which can be individually controlled to affect the luminance of a corresponding area of screen 34 . light modulator 36 may have any of various constructions . for example , light modulator 36 may comprise an array of lcd elements each having a controllable transmissivity located in front of a reflective backing . light projected by projector 37 passes through each lcd element and is reflected back through the lcd element by the reflective backing . the luminance at any point on screen 34 is determined by the intensity of light received at that point by projector 37 and the degree to which light modulator 36 ( e . g . the lcd element at that point ) absorbs light being transmitted through it . light modulator 36 could also comprise an array of elements having variable retro - reflection properties . the elements may be prismatic . such elements are described , for example , in whitehead , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 959 , 777 entitled passive high efficiency variable reflectivity image display device and , whitehead et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 215 , 920 entitled electrophoretic , high index and phase transition control of total internal reflection in high efficiency variable reflectivity image displays . light modulator 36 could also comprise an array of electrophoretic display elements as described , for example , in albert et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 172 , 798 entitled shutter mode microencapsulated electrophoretic display ; comiskey et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 120 , 839 entitled electro - osmotic displays and materials for making the same ; jacobson , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 120 , 588 entitled : electronically addressable microencapsulated ink and display ; jacobson et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 323 , 989 entitled electrophoretic displays using nanoparticles ; albert , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 300 , 932 entitled electrophoretic displays with luminescent particles and materials for making the same or , comiskey et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 327 , 072 entitled microcell electrophoretic displays . as shown in fig6 a and 6b , screen 34 preferably comprises a lens element 40 which functions to direct light preferentially toward the eyes of viewers . in the illustrated embodiment , lens element 40 comprises a fresnel lens having a focal point substantially coincident with the apex of the cone of light originating from projector 37 . lens element 40 could comprise another kind of lens such as a holographic lens . lens element 40 incorporates scattering centers 45 which provide a desired degree of diffusion in the light reflected from screen 34 . in the illustrated embodiment , second light modulator 36 comprises a reflective lcd panel having a large number of pixels 42 backed by a reflective layer 43 and mounted on a backing 47 . where light modulator 36 comprises an array of elements having variable retro - reflection properties , the elements themselves could be designed to direct retro - reflected light preferentially in a direction of a viewing area in front of screen 34 . reflective layer 43 may be patterned to scatter light to either augment the effect of scattering centers 45 or replace scattering centers 45 . as shown in fig4 , a controller 39 provides data defining image 38 to each of first light modulator 16 and second light modulator 36 . controller 39 could comprise , for example , a computer equipped with a suitable display adapter . controller 39 may comprise image processing hardware to accelerate image processing steps . the luminance of any point on screen 34 is determined by the combined effect of the pixels in first light modulator 16 and second light modulator 36 which correspond to that point . there is minimum luminance at points for which corresponding pixels of the first and second light modulators are set to their “ darkest ” states . there is maximum luminance at points for which corresponding pixels of the first and second light modulators are set to their “ brightest ” states . other points have intermediate luminance values . the maximum luminance value might be , for example , on the order of 10 5 cd / m 2 . the minimum luminance value might be , for example on the order of 10 − 2 cd / m 2 . the cost of a light modulator and its associated control circuitry tends to increase with the number of addressable elements in the light modulator . in some embodiments of the invention one of the light modulators has a spatial resolution significantly higher than that of one or more other ones of the light modulators . when one or more of the light modulators are lower - resolution devices the cost of a display according to such embodiments of the invention may be reduced . in color displays comprising two or more light modulators , one of which is a color light modulator ( a combination of a plurality of monochrome light modulators may constitute a color light modulator as shown , for example , in fig6 ) and one of which is a higher - resolution light modulator , the higher - resolution light modulator should also be the color light modulator . in some embodiments the higher - resolution light modulator is imaged onto the lower - resolution light modulator . in other embodiments the lower - resolution light modulator is imaged onto the higher - resolution light modulator . fig5 illustrates one possible configuration of pixels in a display 10 as shown in fig1 . nine pixels 42 of a second light modulator 20 correspond to each pixel 44 of a first light modulator 16 . the number of pixels 42 of second light modulator 20 which correspond to each pixel 44 of first light modulator 16 may be varied as a matter of design choice . pixels 44 of the higher - resolution one of first and second light modulators 16 and 20 ( or 36 ) should be small enough to provide a desired overall resolution . in general there is a trade off between increasing resolution and increasing cost . in a typical display the higher - resolution light modulator will provide an array of pixels having at least a few hundred pixels in each direction and more typically over 1000 pixels in each direction . the size of pixels 42 of the lower - resolution one of the first and second light modulators determines the scale over which one can reliably go from maximum intensity to minimum intensity . consider , for example , fig5 a which depicts a situation where one wishes to display an image of a small maximum - luminance spot on a large minimum - luminance background . to obtain maximum luminance in a spot 47 , those pixels of each of the first and second light modulators which correspond to spot 47 should be set to their maximum - luminance values . where the pixels of one light modulator are lower in resolution than pixels of the other light modulator then some pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator will straddle the boundary of spot 47 . this is the case , for example , in fig5 a . outside of spot 47 there are two regions . in region 48 it is not possible to set the luminance to its minimum value because in that region the lower - resolution light modulator is set to its highest luminance value . in region 49 both of the light modulators can be set to their lowest - luminance values . if , for example , each of the first and second light modulators has a luminance range of 1 to 100 units , then region 47 might have a luminance of 100 × 100 = 10 , 000 units , region 48 would have a luminance of 100 × 1 = 100 units and region 49 would have a luminance of 1 × 1 = 1 units . as a result of having one of the light modulators lower in resolution than the other , each pixel of the lower - resolution light modulator corresponds to more than one pixel in the higher - resolution light modulator . it is not possible for points corresponding to any one pixel of the lower - resolution light modulator and different pixels of the higher - resolution light modulator to have luminance values at extremes of the device &# 39 ; s dynamic range . the maximum difference in luminance between such points is determined by the dynamic range provided by the higher - resolution light modulator . it is generally not a problem that a display is not capable of causing closely - spaced points to differ in luminance from one another by the full dynamic range of the display . the human eye has enough intrinsic scatter that it is incapable of appreciating large changes in luminance which occur over very short distances in any event . in a display according to the invention which includes both a lower - resolution spatial light modulator and a higher - resolution spatial light modulator , controller 39 may determine a value for each pixel of the lower - resolution spatial light modulator and adjust the signals which control the higher - resolution spatial light modulator to reduce artefacts which result from the fact that each pixel of the lower - resolution spatial light modulator is common to a plurality of pixels of the higher - resolution spatial light modulator . this may be done in any of a wide number of ways . for example , consider the case where each pixel of the lower - resolution spatial light modulator corresponds to a plurality of pixels of the higher - resolution spatial light modulator . image data specifying a desired image is supplied to the controller . the image data indicates a desired luminance for an image area corresponding to each of the pixels of the higher - resolution spatial light modulator . the controller may set the pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator to provide an approximation of the desired image . this could be accomplished , for example , by determining an average or weighted average of the desired luminance values for the image areas corresponding to each pixel of the lower - resolution light modulator . the controller may then set the pixels of the higher - resolution light modulator to cause the resulting image to approach the desired image . this could be done , for example , by dividing the desired luminance values by the known intensity of light incident from the lower - resolution light modulator on the corresponding pixels of the higher - resolution light modulator . processing to generate the signals for driving the light modulators may be performed on the fly by controller 39 , may be performed earlier by controller 39 or some other device and integrated into the image data or some processing may be performed earlier and controller 39 may perform final processing to generate the control signals . if the low - resolution pixels are too large then a viewer may be able to discern a halo around bright elements in an image . the low resolution pixels are preferably small enough that the appearance of bright patches on dark backgrounds or of dark spots on bright backgrounds is not unacceptably degraded . it is currently considered practical to provide in the range of about 8 to about 144 , more preferably about 9 to 36 , pixels on the higher - resolution light modulator for each pixel of the lower - resolution light modulator . the sizes of steps in which each of pixels 42 and 44 can adjust the luminance of point ( s ) on the image are not necessarily equal . the pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator may adjust light intensity in coarser steps than the pixels of the higher - resolution light modulator . for example , the lower - resolution light modulator may permit adjustment of light intensity for each pixel over an intensity range of 1 to 512 units in 8 steps while the higher - resolution light modulator may permit adjustment of the light intensity for each pixel over a similar range in 512 steps . while pixels 42 and 44 are both illustrated as being square in fig5 , this is not necessary . pixels 42 and / or 44 could be other shapes , such as rectangular , triangular , hexagonal , round , or oval . the pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator preferably emit light which is somewhat diffuse so that the light intensity varies reasonably smoothly as one traverses pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator . this is the case where the light from each of the pixels of the lower - resolution light modulator spreads into adjacent pixels , as shown in fig7 . as shown in fig7 a , the intensity profile of a pixel in the lower - resolution light modulator can often be approximated by gaussian spread function convolved with a rectangular profile having a width d 1 equal to the active width of the pixel . the spread function preferably has a full width at half maximum in the range of 0 . 3 × d 2 to 3 × d 2 , where d 2 is the center - to - center inter - pixel spacing , to yield the desired smoothly varying light intensity . typically d 1 is nearly equal to d 2 . in the embodiment of fig5 , each pixel 42 comprises three sub pixels 43 r , 43 g and 43 b ( for clarity fig5 omits sub pixels for some pixels 42 ). sub - pixels 43 r , 43 g and 43 b are independently addressable . they are respectively associated with red , green and blue color filters which are integrated into second light modulator 20 . various constructions of lcd panels which include a number of colored sub - pixels and are suitable for use in this invention are known in the art . for front projection - type displays ( for example the display 10 c of fig4 ), it is typically most practical for first light modulator 16 to comprise a high - resolution light modulator which provides color information and for light modulator 36 to comprise a monochrome light modulator . light modulator 36 preferably has reasonably small addressable elements so that the boundaries of its elements do not form a visually distracting pattern . for example , light modulator 36 may have the same number of addressable elements as projector 37 ( although each such element will typically have significantly larger dimensions than the corresponding element in light modulator 16 of projector 37 ). projector 37 may have any suitable construction . all that is required is that projector 37 be able to project light which has been spatially modulated to provide an image onto screen 34 . fig6 illustrates a display system 10 d according to a further alternative embodiment of the invention . system 10 d comprises a screen 34 which has an integrated light modulator 36 as described above with reference to fig4 . system 10 d comprises a projector 37 a which has separate light modulators 16 r , 16 g and 16 r for each of three colors . light modulated by each of light modulators 16 r , 16 g and 16 r is filtered by a corresponding one of three colored filters 47 r , 47 g and 47 b . the modulated light is projected onto screen 34 by optical systems 17 . a single light source 12 may supply light to all three light modulators 16 r , 16 g , and 16 b , or separate light sources ( not shown ) may be provided . as will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure , many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof . for example : diffuser 22 and collimator 18 could be combined with one another ; diffuser 22 and collimator 18 could be reversed in order ; multiple cooperating elements could be provided to perform light diffusion and / or collimation ; the order in screen 23 of second light modulator 20 collimator 18 and diffuser 22 could be varied ; the signal 38 a driving first light modulator 16 may comprise the same data driving second light modulator 20 or may comprise different data . accordingly , the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims . | 6 |
various exemplary embodiments , features , and aspects of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings . among the functions ( information ) cited and described below , those that are not specially and in detail described , are information publicly disclosed in a site of microsoft developer network ( msdn ) as of apr . 27 , 2006 . the url of the site of msdn is http :// msdn . microsoft . com / library / default . asp . in the following description , usb is an abbreviation for universal serial bus which enables bidirectional communication . since the usb is a publicly known interface , detailed description of the usb shall be omitted . fig1 is a block diagram of a configuration of a peripheral apparatus control system including an information processing apparatus and a peripheral apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 , an information processing apparatus 1 is a typical pc . the pc 1 includes a hardware which is described later with reference to fig2 . further , an os 2 is installed in the pc 1 . an mfp 3 includes a color scanner and a color inkjet printer . the mfp 3 as described is an example of a peripheral apparatus according to the present embodiment . it is to be noted that a printer , a copier , a fax machine , a scanner , a digital camera , or any apparatus comprising such functions can also be used as the peripheral apparatus of the present embodiment . the mfp 3 includes a hardware configuration described later with reference to fig3 . the mfp 3 and the pc 1 are connected via a usb interface 9 which enables bidirectional communication . an application 30 and an application 60 include a file in an executable file format (*. exe , etc .). the application 30 is an example of an application according to the present embodiment and serves as an uninstaller configured to delete a driver such as a printer driver or a scanner driver . the application 60 is an updater configured to upgrade such a driver . a printer driver 50 is described later in detail referring to fig4 . an inf 70 is an information file of the printer driver 50 . fig2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the pc 1 . as shown in fig2 , the pc 1 includes a random access memory unit ( ram 1201 ) and a hard disk drive unit ( hdd 1202 ) as a storage unit , and also a keyboard unit ( kbd 1203 ) as an example of an input unit . further , the pc 1 includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 1204 as a control unit , a liquid crystal display ( lcd 1205 ) as an example of a display unit , a network board ( nb 1207 ) as an example of a communication control unit , and a bus 1206 connecting the above - mentioned components of the pc 1 . a portable compact disc read - only memory ( cd - rom ) or an internal read - only memory ( rom ) can also be used as the storage unit . modules of the pc 1 illustrated in fig1 ( i . e ., the applications 30 and 60 and the printer driver 50 ) are stored in the hdd 1202 , read out by the ram 1201 as needed , and executed by the cpu 1204 . thus , the cpu 1204 realizes functions of these modules illustrated in fig1 . fig3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the mfp 3 . in fig3 , a cpu 15 includes a microprocessor . according to a program stored in a rom 16 , the cpu 15 which is a central processing apparatus of the mfp 3 controls a ram 17 , a communication unit 18 , a recording unit 19 , and a scanning unit 20 . in fig3 , two - way arrows represent an address data bus . the rom 16 stores a program configured to allow the mfp 3 to perform a recording ( printing ) process or transmit a recording ( printing ) status to the pc 1 under control of the printer driver 50 . the ram 17 temporarily stores print data which is sent from the pc 1 to be printed by the recording unit 19 . the communication unit 18 controls communication via usb and includes a connection port for the usb interface 9 . the recording unit 19 includes a recording unit comprising an inkjet - type recording head , color ink tanks , a carriage , and a recording paper feeding mechanism , and also an electric circuit comprising an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ) which generates a print pulse on the recording head based on the print data . according to a printing operation regarding an application which enables printing , a content ( image data ) of a file opened by the application is temporarily stored in the hdd 1202 of the pc 1 as a spool file in an enhanced metafile ( emf ) format . the content is converted into print data including a command for controlling the mfp 3 by the printer driver 50 , and then sent to the mfp 3 via the usb interface 9 . the print data is received by the mfp 3 , converted into a print pulse by the recording unit 19 , and printed on recording paper . the scanning unit 20 includes a scanning unit including a charge - coupled device ( ccd ) and a scanning light source , and also an electric circuit including an asic configured to process image data scanned by the ccd . the image data controlled by a control command sent from the pc 1 and scanned by the scanning unit 20 is sent to the pc 1 via the usb interface 9 . fig4 illustrates a configuration of a printer driver of the pc 1 . the printer driver 50 installed in the pc 1 includes a plurality of modules , that is , a print processor 33 , a graphics driver 34 , a user interface ( ui ) module 35 , a language monitor 36 , a port monitor 37 , and a class driver 38 . the application 30 enables printing and reading , and also includes an installer of a driver , an uninstaller for deleting a driver , and an updater for upgrading a driver . a graphics device interface ( gdi ) 31 is a part of the os 2 . a printer queue 32 is a part of a spooler 40 and used when queuing a print job . the print job in a queue is displayed on a printer queue folder . the print processor 33 changes a print layout or executes a special processing of a print image . the graphics driver 34 is a core of an image processing performed by the printer driver . based on a rendering instruction sent from the gdi 31 , the graphics driver 34 performs image processing for printing and creates a print control command . the ui module 35 provides and controls a user interface of the printer driver . the language monitor 36 controls transmission and reception of data as a communication interface . the port monitor 37 transmits data sent from the language monitor 36 to an appropriate port and receives data sent from the mfp 3 via the class driver 38 . the class driver 38 is a low level module which is the closest to the port . according to the present embodiment , the class driver 38 is a usb printer class driver and controls a usb port . although a scanner driver of the mfp 3 has a different architecture from the printer driver 50 , a basic concept of the scanner driver is similar to that of the printer driver 50 in that it includes an os module and an independent hardware vendor ( ihv ) module . for this reason , detailed description of the scanner driver of the mfp 3 is omitted . fig5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an uninstall process of a driver according to the present embodiment . in step s 51 , the user runs an uninstaller 30 of the mfp 3 and the uninstaller 30 starts the following process . in step s 52 , the uninstaller 30 searches an inf 70 which contains a hardware id of the mfp 3 from the all driver infs installed in the os 2 using a plurality of apis provided by the os 2 . in addition , a device information set is created . next , in step s 53 , the uninstaller 30 confirms that the printer driver 50 is to be deleted . then , in step s 54 , the uninstaller 30 determines whether the printer driver 50 is being used . if the uninstaller 30 determines that the printer driver 50 is being used ( yes in step s 54 ), the process proceeds to step s 55 . in step s 55 , an error message is displayed informing the user that the printer driver 50 is being used and the process ends . on the other hand , if it is determined that the printer driver 50 is not being used ( no in step s 54 ), the process proceeds to step s 56 . in step s 56 , the uninstaller 30 makes an api call by which the mfp 3 is removed from a device manager in terms of software . in other words , a device eject api is called and the device manager inactivates an instance of the mfp 3 . in this way , plug and play is not enabled by the os 2 even if a signal for the plug and play is sent from the mfp 3 . until an api for activating the instance is called , the plug and play signal from the mfp 3 is not detected . in other words , when the mfp 3 is removed by the api call in terms of software , plug and play does not occur . next , in step s 57 , the uninstaller 30 deletes the printer driver 50 . in step s 58 , the uninstaller 30 makes an api call to delete a device information set created in step s 52 . although the os 2 re - enumerates the entire device tree when this api is called , since the mfp 3 is already removed by an eject process in terms of software from the device manager of the os 2 in step s 56 , the mfp 3 is not detected by the plug and play function of the os 2 even if the mfp 3 is connected to the pc 1 . and s 52 , device information set is created . fig6 is a flowchart showing an example of an upgrade process of a driver according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in step s 61 , the user runs an updater 60 of the printer driver 50 of the mfp 3 . in step s 62 , the updater 60 detects and determines whether the printer driver 50 is installed . if the printer driver 50 is not detected ( no in step s 62 ), the process ends . on the other hand , if the printer driver 50 is detected ( yes in step s 62 ), the process proceeds to step s 63 . in step s 63 , the updater 60 compares a version of a printer driver in an updater package and a version of the printer driver 50 which is already installed . if it is determined that the version of the installed printer driver 50 is new ( no in step s 63 ), the process ends . on the other hand , if it is determined that the version of the installed printer driver 50 is old ( yes in step s 63 ), the process proceeds to step s 64 . in step s 64 , the updater 60 displays a dialog asking the user whether the user wishes to update the printer driver . next , in step s 65 , the updater 60 determines whether the user has determined to update the printer driver . if the user has determined not to update the printer driver ( no in step s 65 ), the process ends . on the other hand , if the user has determined to update the printer driver ( yes in step s 65 ), the process proceeds to step s 66 . in step s 66 , the updater 60 searches the inf 70 which contains a hardware id of the mfp 3 from the all driver infs installed in the os 2 using a plurality of apis provided by the os 2 . in addition , a device information set is created . next , in step s 67 , the updater 60 confirms that the printer driver 50 is to be deleted . then , in step s 68 , the updater 60 determines whether the printer driver 50 is being used . if the updater 60 determines that the printer driver 50 is being used ( yes in step s 68 ), the process proceeds to step s 69 . in step s 69 , an error message will be displayed informing the user that the printer driver 50 is being used and the process ends . on the other hand , if it is determined that the printer driver 50 is not in use ( no in step s 68 ), the process proceeds to step s 70 . in step s 70 , the updater 60 makes an api call by which the mfp 3 is removed from a device manager in terms of software . next , in step s 71 , the updater 60 deletes the printer driver 50 . in step s 72 , the updater 60 makes an api call to delete a device information set created in step s 66 . although the os 2 re - enumerates the entire device tree when this api is called , since the mfp 3 is already removed by an eject process in terms of software from the device manager of the os 2 in step s 70 , the mfp 3 is not detected by the plug and play function of the os 2 even if the mfp 3 is connected to the pc 1 . next , in step s 73 , a new printer driver is set up by the updater 60 . then , in step s 74 , the updater 60 displays a dialog message requesting the user to connect the mfp 3 and the pc 1 . if the mfp 3 is already connected to the pc 1 , the updater 60 displays a dialog message requesting the user to unplug the usb cable and plug it back in . fig7 illustrates an example of the dialog message . next , when the user reconnects the usb cable , the os 2 puts the mfp 3 which has been removed in terms of software , back to the device manager and installs the printer driver by the plug - and - play function . fig8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a driver uninstall process according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in fig8 , steps s 51 , s 52 , s 53 , s 54 , and s 55 are the same as those described above with respect to fig5 , thus their description is omitted herein . in step s 54 , if it is determined that the printer driver 50 is not in use ( no in step s 54 ), the process proceeds to step s 80 . in step s 80 , the uninstaller 30 deletes the driver by turning off power supplied to the device , as described below with respect to fig9 . next , in step s 58 , the uninstaller 30 makes an api call to delete a device information set created in step s 52 . although the os 2 re - enumerates the entire device tree when this api is called , since the pc 1 is unable to communicate with the mfp via the usb interface 9 since the power to the device is turned off in step s 80 , the mfp 3 is not detected by the plug and play function of the os 2 even if the mfp 3 is connected to the pc 1 . fig9 is a flowchart illustrating a deletion process of the driver when power to the device is turned off . it is to be noted that either the uninstaller 30 or the updater 60 can follow the process described below . in the present embodiment , however , the uninstaller 30 is chosen for the sake of simplicity . in step s 1001 , power to the device is turned off and the driver is deleted . then , the installer 30 performs a following process . in step s 1002 , the uninstaller 30 checks a printer queue 32 to see if a print job is in a queue . then , in step s 1003 , the uninstaller 30 determines whether the print job is available . if it is determined that a print job is available ( yes in step s 1003 ), the process proceeds to step s 1013 . in step s 1013 , the uninstaller 30 displays a message on the display unit that , for example , a print job is present . an example of the message displayed in step s 1013 is described below with respect to fig1 . on the other hand , if it is determined that a print job is not present ( no in step s 1003 ), the process proceeds to step s 1004 . in step s 1004 , using a status request command 90 described below with respect to fig1 , the uninstaller 30 confirms a status of the mfp 3 from status reply commands which the mfp 3 returns to the uninstaller 30 . the status reply commands are described below with respect to fig1 . in step s 1005 , the uninstaller 30 determines whether the mfp 3 is in the printing process based on the status confirmed in step s 1004 . if it is determined that the mfp is in the printing process ( yes in step s 1004 ), the process proceeds to step s 1013 . in step s 1013 , the uninstaller 30 displays a message on the display unit indicating that , for example , the mfp 3 is the printing process . on the other hand , if it is determined that the mfp is not in the printing process ( no in step s 1005 ), the process proceeds to step s 1006 . in step s 1006 , the uninstaller 30 determines whether an error has occurred in the mfp 3 based on the status confirmed in step s 1004 . if the uninstaller 30 determines that an error has occurred in the mfp 3 , ( yes in step s 1006 ), the process proceeds to step s 1013 . in step s 1013 , the uninstaller 30 displays , for example , a message informing the user that an error has occurred . on the other hand , if the uninstaller 30 determines that an error has not occurred in the mfp 3 ( no in step s 1006 ), the process proceeds to step s 1007 . in step s 1007 , the uninstaller 30 determines whether the mfp 3 is on - line and on standby based on the status confirmed in step s 1004 . if the uninstaller 30 determines that the mfp 3 is not on - line and on standby ( no in step s 1007 ), the process proceeds to step s 1013 . in step s 1013 , the uninstaller 30 displays a message informing the user , for example , that the mfp 3 is not on - line and on standby . on the other hand , if the uninstaller 30 determines that the mfp 3 is on - line and on standby ( yes in step s 1007 ), the process proceeds to step s 1008 . in step s 1008 , the uninstaller 30 issues and transmits a power - off command to the mfp 3 as described below with respect to fig1 . then in step s 1009 , the uninstaller 30 confirms a status of an usb port of the pc 1 to which the usb interface 9 is connected . next , in step s 1010 , the uninstaller 30 determines whether the mfp 3 is in a power - off state . if it is determined that the mfp 3 is in a power - off state ( yes in step s 1010 ), the process proceeds to step s 1014 . in step s 1014 , the uninstaller 30 deletes the printer driver 50 and the process ends . on the other hand , if it is determined that the mfp 3 is in a power - on state ( no in step s 1010 ), the process proceeds to step s 1011 . in step s 1011 , the uninstaller 30 waits for a certain period of time ( e . g ., 1 second ). after that , in step s 1012 , the uninstaller 30 determines whether a time - out has occurred ( e . g ., 1 minute has passed ). if the uninstaller 30 determines that the time - out has occurred ( yes in step s 1012 ), the process proceeds to step s 1013 . in step s 1013 , the uninstaller 30 displays a message on the display unit informing the user , for example , that power is not turned off . on the other hand , if the uninstaller 30 determines that the time - out has not occurred ( no in step s 1012 ), the process returns to step s 1009 . when an ok button 89 , which is displayed together with the message displayed in step s 1013 , is selected by the user , the process of deleting the driver by the power - off of the device ends . the uninstaller 30 performs the process of determining an error of mfp 3 in step s 1006 , which is described below with respect to fig1 . for example , if a warning about a status which does not affect the deletion of the printer driver 50 , such as a paper out warning 92 or an ink low warning 94 , is detected in step s 1004 , the process proceeds to perform the deletion process of the printer driver 50 . however , if an error which may affect the deletion of the printer driver 50 , such as a paper - jam error 93 or an ink - out error 95 , is detected in step s 1004 , the printer driver 50 will not be deleted . in this way , operability is improved while safety is enhanced in the process of the deletion of the printer driver 50 . fig1 illustrates an example of a message ( e . g ., warning dialog message ) which is displayed on the display unit when the printer driver 50 can not be deleted . a warning dialog message 88 notifies the user of a status of the mfp 3 and what the user needs to do . when the ok button 89 is selected , the warning dialog message 88 disappears . fig1 illustrates a status request command which is transmitted from the pc 1 to the mfp 3 to confirm a status of the mfp 3 . although data transmitted from the pc 1 to the mfp 3 via the usb interface 9 is binary data , in fig1 , the binary data is converted into text data for ease of understanding . fig1 illustrates a status request command 90 . when the mfp 3 receives the status request command 90 transmitted from the pc 1 to the mfp 3 , the mfp 3 prepares to transmit a status reply command illustrated in fig1 to the pc 1 . this process of preparing is described below with respect to fig1 . according to the status request command 90 sent from the pc 1 , the mfp 3 transmits a status reply command which indicating a present status of preparation , to the pc 1 . in this way , the pc 1 confirms the status of the mfp 3 . fig1 illustrates status reply commands which are issued to indicate a status of the mfp 3 . a printing status 91 ( sts : printing ) is issued to warn the user that the mfp 3 is in the printing process . a paper out status 92 ( sts : paperoutwarning ) is issued to warn the user that the print paper is not set in the mfp 3 . the paper - jam error 93 ( sts : paperjamerror ) is issued when a paper jam occurs in the mfp 3 . the ink low warning 94 ( sts : inklowwarning ) is issued when ink is running low . the ink - out error 95 ( sts : inkouterror ) is issued when little ink is left in the mfp 3 . a scanning status 96 ( sts : scanning ) is issued when the mfp 3 is in a process of scanning . an on - line status 97 ( sts : online ) is issued when the mfp 3 is on - line and on a standby state . when the mfp 3 is in a plurality of statuses , for example , a sts : printing , paperoutwarning , inklowwarning 98 is issued . this command is issued when the mfp 3 is in a process of printing but recording paper is not set , and ink is running low . fig1 illustrates a power - off command 99 ( cmd : shutdown ) sent from the pc 1 to the mfp 3 via the usb interface 9 to turn off power to the mfp 3 . when the mfp 3 receives the power - off command 99 , the power to the mfp 3 is turned off as illustrated in fig1 . fig1 is a flowchart illustrating a process of the mfp 3 when the mfp 3 receives data from the pc 1 . in step s 1501 , the mfp 3 receives the data from the pc 1 . next , in step s 1502 , the mfp 3 confirms the data sent from the pc 1 . then , in step s 1503 , the mfp 3 determines whether the data is the status request command 90 . if it is determined that the data is the status request command 90 ( yes in step s 1503 ), the process proceeds to step s 1504 . in step s 1504 , the mfp 3 confirms the status of the mfp 3 . next , in step s 1505 , the mfp 3 generates and stores a status reply command indicating the state . then , the process of receiving the data ends . on the other hand , if it is determined that the data is not the status request command 90 in step s 1503 , ( no in step s 1503 ), the process proceeds to step s 1506 . in step s 1506 , the mfp 3 determines whether the data is the power - off command 99 . if it is determined that the data is the power - off command 99 ( yes in step s 1506 ), the process proceeds to step s 1507 . in step s 1507 , the power to the mfp 3 is turned off . then , the mfp 3 ends the process of receiving the data and remains in a power - off state . in step s 1506 , if it is determined that the data is not the power - off command 99 ( no in step s 1506 ), the process proceeds to step s 1508 . in step s 1508 , the mfp 3 performs a process according to the received data and the process of receiving the data ends . fig1 is a flowchart illustrating a process of the mfp 3 when the mfp 3 receives the data acquisition request from the pc 1 . in step s 1601 , the mfp 3 receives the data acquisition request transmitted from the pc 1 . in step s 1602 , the mfp 3 sets the status reply command which is stored in step s 1505 of fig1 in a data transmission buffer . next in step s 1603 , the mfp 3 transmits the data ( status reply command ) set in the data transmission buffer to the pc 1 . then , the process of receiving the data acquisition request ends . the data acquisition request is created using a protocol which is standardized according to a standard usb specification . fig1 illustrates an example of a flowchart for an upgrading process of the driver according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 , descriptions of steps s 61 - s 69 are omitted herein since these steps are the same as described above with respect to fig6 . in step s 81 , the updater 60 deletes the driver by turning off power to the device , as described with respect to fig9 . next , in step s 72 , the updater 60 makes an api call to delete a device information set created in step s 66 . although the os 2 re - enumerates the entire device tree when this api is called , since the mfp 3 is already removed from the device manager of the os 2 by an eject process in terms of software in step s 70 , the mfp 3 is not detected by the plug and play function of the os 2 even if the mfp 3 is connected to the pc 1 . next , in step s 73 , a new printer driver is set up by the updater 60 . then , in step s 74 , a dialog message is displayed by the updater 60 requesting the user to connect the mfp 3 and the pc 1 . if the mfp 3 is already connected to the pc 1 , the updater 60 displays a dialog message requesting the user to unplug the usb cable and plug it back in . referring now to a memory map illustrated in fig1 , a configuration of a data processing program which can be read out by a peripheral apparatus control system including an information processing apparatus and a peripheral apparatus according to the above - described embodiments will be described . fig1 is a memory map of a storage medium configured to store various types of data processing programs which can be read out by the peripheral apparatus control system . although not illustrated , information for managing a program group stored in a storage medium , for example , version information and author information are stored in this storage medium . furthermore , although not illustrated , information which relies on the os on a program readout side , for example , an icon or the like used for identifying a program , can also be stored in the storage medium . in fig1 , a storage medium 64 is a hard disk . a directory information management unit 65 controls data which is dependent on various types of programs . a program storage unit 66 stores programs for installing various programs in the information processing apparatus and a decompression program which is used when a program to be installed is compressed . also , each function realized by an execution of a process of each flowchart illustrated in fig5 , 8 , 9 , 14 , 15 , and 16 according to the above - described embodiments can also be realized by an information processing apparatus using a program installed from an outside device . in this case , the above - described embodiments can also be applied when an information group including a program is provided to the information processing apparatus or a peripheral apparatus from a storage medium such as a cd - rom , a flash memory , a floppy disk , or an outside storage medium via a network . as described above , a storage medium storing a software program code which realizes a function of the above - described embodiments is supplied to the peripheral apparatus control system or the information processing apparatus , or the peripheral apparatus . thus , the object of the above - described embodiments can be also achieved when a computer ( or a cpu or a mpu ) of the peripheral apparatus control system or the information processing apparatus , or the peripheral apparatus reads and executes the program code stored in such a storage medium . in this case , the program code itself read out from the storage medium realizes the novel functions described in the above - described embodiments . thus , the storage medium which stores the program code constitutes the above - described embodiments . as a storage medium which provides the program code , a floppy disk , a hard disk , an optical disk , a magneto - optical disk , a cd - rom , a cd - r , a magnetic tape , a non - volatile memory card , a rom , or an eeprom , etc . may be used . a function of the above - described embodiments is realized not only when the computer executes the program code . for example , an os or the like , which runs on a computer , can execute a part or whole of the actual processing based on an instruction of the program code so that a function of the above - described embodiments can be achieved . further , the uninstaller and the updater ( driver updater ) were described in the above - described embodiments as an example , but the application 30 according to the embodiments is not limited to such examples . that is , the application 30 can be an arbitrary application configured to delete a driver of an installer or the like adapted to update or install a driver of a peripheral apparatus . furthermore , according to the above - described embodiments , a pc was described as an example of the information processing apparatus , however , the information processing apparatus can be also a dvd video player , a game console , a set - top box , or an internet appliance . further , according to the above - described embodiments , an mfp was selected as an example of the peripheral apparatus , however a peripheral apparatus such as a printer , a copier , a facsimile machine , a scanner , a digital camera , or a multifunction apparatus having these functions can also be used . furthermore , according to the above - described embodiments , usb interface was used to interface the pc and the mfp . however , the pc and the mfp can also be connected via ethernet , wireless local area network ( wireless lan ), institute of electrical and electronics engineers ( ieee ) 1394 , bluetooth , infrared data association ( irda ), parallel , or serial interface . thus , according to the above - described embodiments , the user can delete the device driver without being disturbed by the driver reinstall processing even when the device is connected to the apparatus . while the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments . the scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all modifications , equivalent structures , and functions . this application claims priority from japanese patent application no . 2006 - 188242 filed jul . 7 , 2006 , which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . | 6 |
the headgear 10 of this invention is shown in fig1 – 3 , and comprises an upper helmet portion 11 defining an integrally formed , outer central reinforcing ridge 12 and a corresponding interior reinforcing grid area 13 . into the grid area 13 are mounted removable or rechargeable lithium ion battery packs 14 and 15 which connect to a circuit board 16 , the circuit itself being shown in fig4 . wire connections from the batteries to the circuit board and to the led arrays are shown in fig5 . a rearwardly installed led array 17 is mounted on the upper helmet portion 11 and are connected to the circuit board and driven by the battery packs . the led array 17 is shielded by a transparent acrylic sheet 18 mounted on the exterior of the upper helmet 11 . the front area of the upper helmet 11 is provided with an enclosure 20 shielded by a curved , transparent acrylic sheet 21 which protects an enclosed , front facing led array 22 . an interfitting helmet portion 25 is configured to interlock with the upper helmet portion 11 , the two helmet portions being secured together vertically by screws 26 . the helmet portion 25 defines a flat portion 27 which registers with grid area 13 and contacts the lower sides of the battery packs 14 , 15 thereby securing the battery packs in place . as indicated , the front area of the helmet 25 defines the enclosure 20 into which the front facing led array 22 is mounted . the led array 22 is driven through the circuit board 16 from the battery packs 14 and 15 as shown in fig4 , similarly to the led array 17 and the circuit of fig4 , which will be described , infra . fig3 – 5 show an on - off switch 28 connected to the circuit board 16 and circuit of this invention . fig3 also shows a charging outlet pin 29 for the battery packs 14 and 15 , the charging pin being adjacent to the on - off switch 28 . the batteries also may be removed for recharging or replacement . an integrally formed , reinforcing wrap - around section 11 a on the helmet portion 11 defines bores 30 coinciding with bores ( not shown ) in the helmet portion 25 through which pass screws 31 which horizontally secure the helmet portions 11 and 25 together . the screws 26 and 31 thereby secure the helmet portions 11 and 25 both vertically and horizontally . if desired , an edge liner 25 a of injection molded polypropylene may be employed to engage the edges between the helmet portions 11 and 25 , and thereby effect additional securement between the two helmets . as shown in fig3 , a protective foam head enclosure 32 such as constructed from polyurethane or polystyrene foam is provided to cushion the wearer &# 39 ; s head from impact against the much harder abs plastic materials of both the helmet portions 11 and 25 . similar bores ( not shown ) in the head enclosure 32 register with the bores 30 and enable the helmet portions 11 and 25 and the head enclosure to be secured together using the screws 31 . the circuit shown in fig4 and 5 enables a relatively long and uniform battery power output before charging is required . the lithium ion batteries jp 1 and jp 3 shown in fig4 and 5 each deliver about 6600 milliamps at 7 . 2 volts and are isolated from each other by a diode d 3 . when the on - off switch 28 ( fig3 ) is turned on at jp 1 , the batteries jp 1 and jp 3 will turn on a comparator such as an op amp comparator jp 2 , e . g . an lm358 . the comparator jp 2 shows a direct coupled amplifier configuration driven from the battery jp 1 through transistors pnp q 1 and npn q 2 , and through the coupling resistance r 7 to the input pin 1 of jp 2 . resistances r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 6 / r 4 respectively will protect a zener d 1 , q 1 , r 5 - jp 2 and led arrays d 2 ( 17 , 22 ) from excessive current / voltage . battery power from jp 3 is applied to the voltage divider r 5 and then to pin 2 of jp 2 , while pins 3 , 4 of jp 2 are both at ground . obviously , the op amp comparator jp 2 is driven by both batteries jp 1 and jp 3 . capacitor c 1 and resistance r 8 are both grounded , and provide ripple filtering , and r 8 also shunts voltage from pin 3 of the jp 2 to the zener d 1 . jp 2 ( at pin 8 ) also drives the zener which functions as a shunt to maintain the load voltage constant for changing current / voltage variations due to running down of the batteries . in the reverse conduction condition as shown , the zener d 1 also reduces ripple voltage . when the switch 28 ( fig3 ) is turned on at jp 1 , and voltage from the voltage divider r 5 exceeds the pin 3 reference voltage , the comparator jp 2 ( lm358 ) will turn on , and hence transistors q 1 and q 2 ( driven from jp 1 and jp 3 ) will then turn on the led arrays d 2 ( 17 , 22 ). typically , the lumen output of the present device for about 93 leds is about 4000 mcd @ 20 milliamps for 5 – 5½ hours using 7 . 2 volt batteries . moreover , the device of this invention frees up the wearer &# 39 ; s hands when viewing an operating field , especially in an emergency situation . it will be appreciated that while a zener diode is preferred for use in the circuit described , other semiconductor devices with similar turn - on characteristics may be utilized , and they are described in the “ scr manual , including triacs and other thyristors ” sixth edition , 1979 by general electric , and incorporated herein , by reference . additionally , the circuit of this invention may be employed for illuminating purposes other than in a helmet , such as an led array in a flashlight ; to function as a traffic signal ; as an led turn on device used with an alarm detection system ; and so forth . | 0 |
identical element or elements of identical function are shown with the same reference characters in all the figures . the diagrams in the figures are schematic and not necessarily to scale . without restricting its generality , the computed tomography device 11 is only examined below to the extent that this is deemed necessary for an understanding of the invention . the computed tomography device 11 shown in fig4 has a gantry 12 with a stationary part 13 and a part 14 that can be rotated about a system axis 15 . in the present exemplary embodiment of the invention the rotatable part 14 has an x - ray system , which comprises an x - ray radiation source 16 and an x - ray radiation detector 17 , which are disposed opposite one another on the rotatable part 14 . during operation of the computed tomography device 11 x - ray radiation 18 is emitted from the x - ray radiation source 16 in the direction of the x - ray radiation detector 17 , penetrates a measurement object and is detected by the x - ray radiation detector 17 in the form of measurement data or measurement signals . the computed tomography device 11 also has a patient couch 19 to support a patient p to be examined . the patient couch 19 comprises a couch base 20 , on which a patient support plate 21 provided to actually support the patient p is disposed . the patient support plate 21 can be moved relative to the couch base 20 in the direction of the system axis 15 in such a manner that it can be introduced , together with the patient p , into the opening 22 of the gantry 12 for the recording of 2d x - ray projections of the patient p , e . g . during a spiral scan . the computational processing of the 2d x - ray projections recorded using the x - ray system and the reconstruction of slice images , 3d images or a 3d data record based on the measurement data or measurement signals of the 2d x - ray projections take place using a schematically illustrated image computer 23 of the computed tomography device 11 . the computed tomography device 11 also has a computing unit 24 , which can be and is used to execute computing programs to operate and control the computed tomography device 11 . the computing unit 24 does not have to be configured as a separate computing unit 24 here but can also be integrated in the computed tomography device 11 . in the present exemplary embodiment of the invention a computing program 25 is loaded into the computing unit 24 , which implements the inventive method for performing a dynamic ct examination on a patient p . the computing program 25 here represents a specific operating mode for the computed tomography device 11 and can be loaded into the computing unit 24 from a portable data medium , for example from a cd 26 or memory stick , or even from a server 27 via a network 28 , which may be a public or internal clinic or hospital network . for a dynamic ct examination of the patient p according to the invention , for example for a dynamic ct examination of the body region of the patient p containing the liver using contrast agent , in the present exemplary embodiment of the invention a diaphragm 30 is assigned to the x - ray radiation source 16 , the diaphragm 30 having two diaphragm elements or diaphragm blades 31 and 32 , which can be moved in the two directions of the system axis 15 . the movement of the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 can be brought about by one or more electric drives ( not shown ), which are activated at least indirectly by the computing unit 25 . during the dynamic ct examination of the body region of the patient p containing the liver , a scan region s is first defined in the direction of the system axis 15 , in which x - ray projections of the body region of the patient p are recorded from different directions over approx . 50 seconds . the scan region s , when viewed in the direction of the system axis 15 , is larger than the width b of the x - ray radiation detector 17 . in order to be able to record x - ray projections from the entire scan region s periodically , the patient support plate 21 must be moved forward and back periodically between a first end position e 1pl and a second end position e 2pl . if in this process the x - ray radiation detector 17 were covered continuously over its entire width b when viewed in the direction of the system axis 15 by the x - ray radiation beam 18 originating from the x - ray radiation source 16 , a relatively high dose of x - ray radiation would be applied to the patient p in the central body section of the body region to be scanned or examined , since a sort of over - scanning would take place there , without being able to use the additional information usefully . for this reason the diaphragm elements 31 , 32 of the diaphragm 30 are moved by a program controller counter to the patient support plate 21 in the direction of the system axis 15 from a first end position e 1diaphragm into a second end position e 2diaphragm . the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 here have a selectable opening width w when viewed in the direction of the system axis 15 , so that , when it strikes the x - ray radiation detector 17 , when viewed in the direction of the system axis 15 , the x - ray radiation beam 18 originating from the x - ray radiation source 16 only covers part of the detector surface of the x - ray radiation detector 17 . as the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 are being moved and x - ray projections are being recorded , the opening width w remains constant . the patient support plate 21 and the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 are moved by a program controller in opposite directions relative to one another so that , as the patient support plate 21 is being moved from its first end position e 1pl into its second end position e 2pl and at the same time the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 are being moved from their first end position e 1diaphragm into their second end position e 2diaphragm , the x - ray radiation beam 18 covers the x - ray radiation detector 17 completely when viewed in the direction of the system axis 15 . to this end the movement speeds for the patient support plate 21 and the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 should be selected or set correspondingly inter alia as a function of the size of the scan region s , the opening width w of the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 and the width b of the x - ray radiation detector 17 when viewed in the direction of the system axis 15 . these settings are assisted by the computing program 25 , which preferably also has a graphical user interface , which can be displayed on the display apparatus of the computing unit 24 . in the present exemplary embodiment of the invention the x - ray radiation source 16 is an x - ray tube 16 with a spring focus . in the present exemplary embodiment of the invention the x - ray tube 16 has two focuses f 1 and f 2 offset in the direction of the system axis 15 . this makes it possible , as the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 are being moved in the direction of the system axis 15 , to move the respectively active focus , used to generate x - ray radiation , likewise in the direction of the system axis 15 , in order to be able to generate an appropriate x - ray radiation beam 18 for the scan . the sequence of the dynamic ct examination is illustrated in fig5 to 8 for four time points of a periodic movement . fig5 shows the initial situation , in which the patient support plate 21 is in its first end position e 1pl and the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 are in their first end position e 1diaphragm . in the present exemplary embodiment of the invention the opening width w of the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 is selected so that approximately a quarter of the detector surface of the x - ray radiation detector 17 is covered by the x - ray radiation beam 18 originating from the focus f 1 of the x - ray tube 16 . therefore with this configuration only part of the body region of the patient p to be scanned is penetrated by the x - ray radiation beam 18 . the patient support plate 21 is now moved first in the direction of the arrow a and the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 are moved in the opposite direction at the same time in the direction of the arrow b . fig6 shows the arrangement from fig5 at a time point , when the patient support plate 17 has been moved a little in the direction of the arrow a and the diaphragm blades have been moved a little in the direction of the arrow b . fig7 shows the arrangement from fig5 at a time point when the change from focus f 1 to focus f 2 has taken place , so that the focus follows the movement of the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 . fig8 shows the arrangement from fig5 at a time point when the patient support plate 17 has reached its end position e 2pl and the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 have reached their end position e 2diaphragm . the end position e 2pl is also the reversal point for the movement of the patient support plate 17 , which now moves in the direction of the arrow b . the end position e 2diaphragm is correspondingly the reversal point for the movement of the diaphragm blades 31 , 32 , which now move in the direction of the arrow a , therefore once again counter to the patient support plate 21 . to this extent the sequence is now reversed ( see also fig8 to fig5 ). the end positions e 1pi and e 1diaphragm also represent reversal points for the movements . while the patient support plate 21 and the diaphragm blades are moved forward and back periodically between their end positions , x - ray projections of the body region of the patient p to be examined are recorded continuously with the rotatable part 14 rotating about the patient p , from which projections slice images are preferably reconstructed with the aid of the image computer 23 . since the slice images generally follow one another in time , the liver can be displayed in different phases produced by the contrast agent , as described above . it can be seen from fig5 to 8 that as a result of the inventive method no over - scanning takes place in the central body region of the body region of the patient p to be examined or scanned , so that a smaller dose of x - ray radiation is applied to the patient p than with a scan , in which only the patient support plate is moved periodically between its end positions with the x - ray radiation detector being covered completely with each x - ray projection ( see also fig3 ). the dose profile d shown in fig9 is also more homogeneous . the simultaneous movement of patient support plate 21 and diaphragm blades 31 , 32 also means that a higher scan speed is achieved than with the movement of the patient support plate 21 alone . also , to achieve the same scan speed as with the method in which only the patient support plate is moved , the speed of the patient support plate can be reduced as a result of the opposing movement of the diaphragm blades , so that the patient is also exposed to slower acceleration speeds to reach the respective speed . since the movement and positioning of the diaphragm blades can take place very quickly , dynamically triggered heart recordings are also possibly with the inventive method . for these the patient is moved forward and back with the patient support plate between two end positions according to his / her heart rate . if variations occur in the patient &# 39 ; s heart rate , which , due to the inertia of the patient support plate , cannot be compensated for by a corresponding change in the movement speed of the patient support plate , the movement speed of the diaphragm blades is matched to the changed heart rate instead , in order to achieve the desired triggering during the recording of x - ray projections . it is clear from this that the movement speeds of the patient support plate and the diaphragm blades do not have to be constant but can vary or be matched to the recording situation . in contrast to the described exemplary embodiment of the invention the focus of the x - ray radiation source does not necessarily have to be a spring focus . the x - ray radiation source can therefore also have just one stationary focus . the described embodiment of the invention should generally only be considered to be exemplary . in particular settings such as the opening width of the diaphragm blades , the scan region , etc . can also be selected differently . although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art , it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of their contribution to the art . | 0 |
exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings . in the following description , a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein has been omitted for clarity and conciseness . fig6 is an internal schematic diagram of a data receiver for mpe - fec in a mobile broadcasting receiver according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in fig6 the receiver is equal in structure to the conventional receiver of fig3 , and a detailed description of the equal parts will not be given herein . a datagram extractor 613 , unlike a conventional extractor , uses an interface scheme which immediately transmits an ip datagram to an application controller upon detecting that the ip datagram determined that there is no error by detecting a crc included in a mpe - fec section as a result of the mpe - fec processing . however , if it is determined that there is an error in the burst , the datagram extractor 613 acquires error - corrected ip datagrams by performing a mpe - fec rs decoding process , so as to selectively transmit the parts untransmitted to the ap chip . a viterbi decoded signal is input to a rs decoder 311 after undergoing a convolutional deinterleaver ( not shown ), and converted into a ts packet therein . as described in fig3 , the process of ofdm demodulation , viterbi decoding , and convolutional deinterleaving is called a “ preprocessing process .” the ts packet is input to a checker 312 and the datagram extractor 613 . then the checker 312 receives ts packets , detects sections of them , and performs crc check thereon , thereby verifying reliability of ip datagrams which are payloads in the sections . the datagram extractor 613 , before it stores the ip datagram reliability - verified by the crc check in a buffer 314 which stores the mpe - fec data , transmits the ip datagram to an application controller 612 via a datagram controller 611 , thereby removing an unnecessary waiting time and reducing a processing time . in addition , in order to correct an error of an error - included section by the crc , the datagram extractor 613 stores the mpe - fec data in the buffer 314 for storing the mpe - fec data , so that the ip datagram part of the error - included section undergoes error or erasure processing by the crc . thereafter , a datagram including an error , as a result of crc check in one burst , is error - corrected by a mpe - fec rs decoder 315 , and then delivered to the application controller 612 via the datagram controller 611 . the datagram controller 611 selects datagrams to be transmitted to the application controller 612 . the datagram controller 611 first transmits ip datagrams with the crc =‘ good ’ among the datagrams to be transmitted from the datagram extractor 613 to the application controller 612 , and for an ip datagram part with crc =‘ bad ’, the datagram controller 611 receives the output of the mpe - fec rs decoder 315 and transmits it to the application controller 612 . if one datagram is divided into several sections during its transmission , the datagram controller 611 transmits the sections to the application controller 612 in units of datagrams using a section number “ section_number ” and a last section number “ last_section_number ” included in a mpe section header . herein , because the last section number means the number of sections constituting one datagram and the section number means a position of a received section in the datagram , it is possible to find out the datagram from the section using the section number and the last section number . therefore , if there is an error - included (“ crc = bad ”) section among the sections constituting one datagram as a result of the crc check , the datagram controller 611 transmits the datagram to the application controller 612 after performing the mpe - fec decoding thereon using the rs decoder 315 , instead of directly transmitting the datagram to the application controller 612 . for example , assume that a burst composed of 10 mpe - fec sections is received . also , assume that the mpe - fec sections are individually allocated numbers 1 to 10 in their received order , and errors have occurred in the 3 rd and 7 th sections . in this case , the conventional receiver transmits the sections to the application controller of the mobile broadcasting receiver in the following manner . here , the receiver stores the sections in the buffer 314 , which is a mpe - fec memory , error - corrects the sections using the rs decoder , which is a second decoder , and sequentially transmits the sections with section numbers 1 to 10 . however , the new receiver according to the present invention immediately transmits the crc =‘ good ’ sections with section numbers 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 and 10 to the application controller , upon detecting them . the receiver transmits the 3 rd and 7 th error correction - required sections to the application controller 612 after error correction using the rs decoder 315 . therefore , as the signal quality is higher , the amount of data immediately transmitted to the application controller 612 after being decoded in the first rs decoder 311 in the baseband channel chip increases , thereby contributing to a reduction in the time required for transmitting all datagrams to the application controller 612 . fig7 and 8 show two processing timing diagrams for a mpe - fec processing scheme applied to a mobile broadcasting terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . fig7 illustrates a timing diagram for a crc =‘ good ’ channel environment and , conversely , fig8 illustrates a timing diagram for a crc =‘ bad ’ channel environment . in duration 701 , as described above and illustrated in fig7 , the receiver converts an rf signal into a baseband signal and performs an ofdm synchronization process thereon before the burst , in order to receive one burst . in a dvb - h system supporting ca , the receiver should receive an entitlement control message ( ecm ) before the burst . therefore , at time 701 , the receiver receives an rf signal , performs an ofdm synchronization process thereon , and receives and decodes an ecm for conditional access . the receiver receives data transmitted in the burst and performs ofdm modulation thereon in duration 702 , performs viterbi decoding in duration 703 , and performs an rs decoding process in duration 704 . the time required for this is approximately 10 ms . however , because the new receiver outputs the datagram to the application controller 612 for the crc =‘ good ’ data , data is output in duration 707 . in addition , because there is no crc error in fig7 , datagrams are directly input to the application controller without being stored in the buffer . therefore , the duration 707 and the duration 705 are the same time duration . if , however , there is a crc error , the datagrams should undergo mpe - fec decoding in duration 706 . here , because it is assumed in fig7 that there is no error , the receiver , upon expiration of the duration 707 , can immediately perform audio / video decoding in the application controller 612 without mpe - fec decoding in the duration 706 , thereby providing the service . therefore , the new receiver in the present invention , compared with the conventional receiver , rapidly delivers the datagrams to the application processor 612 , thereby reducing the total processing time . particularly , in the good - channel environment where a signal - to - noise ratio ( snr ) is high , if the crc check result is ‘ good ’ in all sections as shown in fig7 , the datagrams detected in all sections output from the first rs decoder 311 are delivered to the application controller 612 in their received order , so there is no need to activate the second rs decoder 315 . therefore , in the conventionally required delay time of “ 200 × n + 25 ” ms except for the 10 - ms processing time required until section detection , the 25 - ms time for mpe - fec decoding is not required , and if the crc check result is ‘ good ’ after completion of the crc check in 1 - burst duration , the receiver immediately transmits datagrams increasing the data processing time , thereby contributing to a noticeable reduction in the channel switching time . in particular , as the number n of parallel services increases , the reduction effect of the processing time increases , thereby further increasing the reduction effect of the channel switching time . for example , assuming that the receiver supports five ( 5 ) parallel services per burst , the use of the existing mpe - fec processing method causes a delay time of about 1 second , but the proposed mpe - fec processing method in the present invention decreases by about 1 second the channel switching time because it does not need the delay time in the good - channel environment . fig8 illustrates the case where the snr is low ( i . e . the number of crc =‘ bad ’ sections increases .). duration 801 of fig8 is equal to the duration 701 of fig7 , duration 802 is equal to the duration 702 , duration 803 is equal to the duration 703 , and duration 804 is equal to the duration 704 . however , because there are the crc =‘ bad ’ sections according to the crc check result , the receiver should store the crc =‘ bad ’ sections and the crc =‘ good ’ sections in the buffer 314 , perform an error correction on the stored sections , and then output the resulting sections to the application controller 612 . therefore , the time 807 required for the outputting datagrams to the application controller 612 is longer than that of fig7 . for example , if the channel condition is poor , the amount of error - corrected datagrams increases . the present invention provides two processing methods for the case where there are the crc =‘ bad ’ sections . one method delivers only the crc =‘ good ’ sections to the application controller 612 and performs the a / v mpeg decoding thereon . another method delivers the crc =‘ good ’ sections and the error - corrected datagrams to the application controller 612 and performs the a / v mpeg decoding thereon . in the former method , because it delivers only the crc =‘ good ’ sections to the application controller 612 , as the snr is lower , the number of sections delivered to the application controller 612 decreases , causing a reduction in performance after mpeg decoding . therefore , this method may suffer from image degradation , but can contribute to a reduction in the channel switching time . however , the latter method can improve the a / v mpeg decoding performance even in the low - snr environment , because error - corrected datagrams are delivered to the application controller 612 in the baseband channel chip after the crc =‘ good ’ sections are first delivered to the application controller 612 . for example , fig8 shows the second exemplary method which can facilitate improvement in the image quality , but increases in the channel switching time compared with the former method . however , compared with the conventional method , this method has the same image quality but can advantageously reduce the channel switching time . in addition , the new method has a sufficient processing time for data transmission to the chip constituting the application controller 612 , thereby reducing the operation speed and thus reducing power consumption . in particular , the new method increases the reduction effect of the channel switching time , as the snr is higher and the number of parallel services is greater . fig9 is a flow diagram illustrating mpe - fec signal processing in a mobile broadcasting terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . an rf unit ( not shown ) of a receiver receives a burst signal in step 900 , wherein m is set to 1 ( m = 1 ). thereafter , an rs decoder 311 of the receiver performs the rs decoding in units of ts packets in step 902 . in step 904 , a checker 312 of the receiver detects an m th section , checks the crc thereof , and outputs the crc result . based on the crc check result on the detected m th section , received from the checker 312 , a datagram extractor 613 of the receiver determines in step 906 whether the crc check result of the section is ‘ good ’. if it is determined that the crc check result is not ‘ good ’, the datagram extractor 613 proceeds to step 910 . otherwise , the datagram extractor 613 proceeds to step 908 . in step 908 , the datagram extractor 613 of the receiver transmits a datagram with a section header and crc excluded therefrom to an application controller 612 via a datagram controller 611 . however , when the datagram extractor 613 proceeds to step 910 because the crc check result is not ‘ good ’, the datagram extractor 613 buffers the datagrams in a buffer 314 . thereafter , the datagram extractor 613 of the receiver determines in step 912 whether the current section is at the end of the burst . if it is determined that the current section is at the end of the burst , i . e . if the current section is an end of the data transmitted by the time slicing technique as described in fig1 , the datagram extractor 613 proceeds to step 916 . otherwise , the datagram extractor 613 proceeds to step 914 where it increases the value m by 1 and then repeats the above process from step 904 . after proceeding to step 916 , the datagram controller 611 determines whether there is any datagram untransmitted to the application controller 612 , by checking section numbers . if it is determined that there is an untransmitted datagram ( s ), i . e . if there is data to be decoded by a rs decoder 315 as there is a crc =‘ bad ’ section , the datagram controller 611 error - corrects the crc =‘ bad ’ datagram using the rs decoder 315 in step 918 , and transmits the untransmitted datagram to the application controller 612 in step 920 . however , there is no datagram untransmitted to the application controller 612 , the application controller 612 ends the routine and waits for the next burst . the mpe - fec processing scheme of the present invention , unlike the conventional scheme of delivering sections in their received order , preferentially delivers a datagram of a crc =‘ good ’ section to the application controller 612 . therefore , for the datagrams delivered to the application controller 612 , there is a need for an additional process of reordering the datagrams . a description thereof will be made below with reference to fig1 . in an upper layer signal processing process , the application controller 612 performs reordering in one datagram taking the order of data included in a realtime transport protocol ( rtp ) header . therefore , the application controller 612 has no additional load , even though the proposed mpe - fec scheme is applied thereto . in particular , because the application controller 612 has a processing delay time that should be secured for synchronization datagrams through which audio and video are transmitted , it is possible to prevent an additional processing delay time by performing the reordering for the time . fig1 is a flow diagram illustrating an operation performed in an application controller during mpe - fec processing in a mobile broadcasting terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in step 1000 , an application controller 612 detects an rtp header from a received datagram and detects order of the datagram . thereafter , in step 1002 , the application controller 612 reorders the datagrams accorder to their orders and stores the reordered datagrams . because this process is performed depending on the rtp headers , the application controller 612 has no additional processing delay time and / or no additional load as described above . in step 1004 , the application controller 612 sets synchronization . the synchronization setting process matches synchronizations of audio and video data . in step 1006 , the application controller 612 performs mpeg decoding and outputs the decoded data to a corresponding output unit . that is , as for an audio signal , the application controller 612 outputs the audio signal through a speaker ( not shown ), and as for a video signal , the application controller 612 outputs the video signal through a display device ( not shown ) such as a monitor or a liquid crystal display ( lcd ). because the reordering process performed in the application controller 612 is for reordering orders of the error - corrected datagrams , the amount of the error - corrected datagrams noticeably decreases in the higher - snr environment , thus reducing the amount of datagrams to be reordered . as can be understood from the foregoing description , the use of the new mpe - fec processing scheme in the present invention can reduce the channel switching time at the dvb - h receiver . in particular , the reduction effect of the channel switching time increases , as the snr is higher and as the number of parallel services is greater . in addition , the number of required calculations decreases in a higher - snr environment , contributing to a decrease in power consumption of the channel chip . furthermore , as the proposed adaptive processing technique uses a distributed processing scheme for preferentially transmitting the crc =‘ good ’ sections to the application controller , it has a sufficient data processing time , thereby reducing the operation speed and thus reducing power consumption . in addition , the proposed method is equal to the existing method in terms of the demodulation performance , while reducing the channel switching time and the power consumption . while the invention has been shown and described with reference to a certain preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 8 |
with reference to the accompanying drawings , the present invention will now be explained in more detail . fig1 shows a schematic diagram in explanation of an agglutination immunoassay system of the present invention . reference numeral 10 shows a microtiter plate including a number of wells . in the microtiter plate 10 , for example , there are provided 96 wells in an 8 × 12 matrix , that is , 8 wells in the direction y , and 12 wells in the direction x . a number of the microtiter plates 10 , with a test sample being injected into each well thereof , are held in a supply stack 12 in a supply station a . the microtiter plates 10 are successively transported one by one to a pipetting station b where an agglutination reagent is pipetted into each well of the microtiter plate 10 . more specifically , a pipetting unit 14 is moved onto each well of the microtiter plate 10 by driving means ( not shown ), and a predetermined amount of the reagent is successively added to each of the wells of the microtiter plate 10 . when it is supposed that the direction vertical or normal to the plane of this figure is x ( not shown ), and the direction normal to the direction x is y , a first well in the first column of the microtiter plate 10 is positioned right under the pipetting unit 14 , and the reagent is pipetted into the first well . the pipetting unit 14 is then successively moved in the direction x and the reagent is successively pipetted into the wells in the first column of the microtiter plate 10 . the microtiter plate 10 is then moved in the direction y in such a manner that the second column in the microtiter plate 10 comes right under the pipetting unit 14 . the reagent is successively pipetted into the wells in the second column of the microtiter plate 10 by the pipetting unit 14 in the same manner as mentioned above . the same operation is repeated so that the reagent is pipetted into all of the wells of the microtiter plate 10 . this reagent comprises magnetic - material containing particles having immobilized thereon an antigen or antibody which specifically binds to the desired analyte . therefore , by detecting the presence or absence of an immune reaction when this reagent is mixed with a test sample , the presence or absence of an antibody or antigen in the test sample is detected . furthermore , since the particles in this reagent contains a magnetic material such as ferrite , magnetic force has an effect on the particles . an example of a test sample that can be employed in the present invention is a diluted blood serum to check whether or not a specific antibody is present therein . the amount of such a test sample is , for example , about 25 μl , and the amount of the reagent is also about 25 μl . when the addition of the reagent to all the wells of the microtiter plate 10 has been finished , the microtiter plate 10 is then transported to an agitation station c , which comprises vibration means 16 . the microtiter plate 10 is vibrated by the vibration means 16 , so that the mixing of the reagent pipetted in the pipetting station b and the test sample is promoted . in an example of the present invention , the agitation is performed for about 5 minutes to secure the occurrence of an immune reaction . the microtiter plate 10 is transported to the agitation station c from the supply station a , for instance , by a transport belt ( not shown ) to which the microtiter plate 10 is attached thereto through a holder ( not shown ). when the agitation of the reagent and the test sample is finished in the agitation station c , the microtiter plate 10 is then transported to a magnetic precipitation and microtiter plate recovery station d , passing over an inclination station e and an imaging station f . in the magnetic precipitation and microtiter plate recovery station d , there is provided a vertically movable magnetic plate 18 including magnets , which are disposed right under each well of the microtiter plate 10 , so that the magnetic - material containing particles in the mixture of the reagent and the test sample are magnetically precipitated to the bottom of each well . in the microtiter plate 10 for use in the present invention , each well thereof has a circular - cone - shaped or v - shaped bottom ( hereinafter referred to as v - shaped bottom ), so that the particles are magnetically precipitated on the lowermost portion in the center of the v - shaped bottom of each well . when such magnetic precipitation occurs , the precipitated particles in each well appear as a black spot when viewed form above or from under the well . such magnetic precipitation is carried out by positioning the microtiter plate 10 on the magnetic plate 18 for about 1 minute . when this magnetic precipitation has been finished , the microtiter plate 10 is then transported back to the inclination station e , which is positioned adjacent to the agitation station c . in the inclination station e , the microtiter plate 10 is allowed to stand at an inclination , for example , at an inclination of 60 °, for about 2 minutes . the precipitated particles are caused to flow along the bottom of the well under the influence of gravity . however , the degree or state of the flow of the precipitated particles largely depends upon whether or not an immune reaction has occurred . more specifically , when the desired analyte , that is , an antibody or antigen , is present in the test sample and an immune reaction occurs between the analyte and the sensitized magnetic - material containing particles in the reagent , the analyte and the sensitized magnetic - material containing particles agglutinate together . the agglutinated particles are precipitated by the application of magnetic force thereto . the thus precipitated particles relatively firmly agglutinate together so that even when the particles are allowed to stand at an inclination , the particles hardly flow along the bottom of the well even under the influence of gravity . in sharp contrast to this , when no immune reaction occurs , the above - mentioned agglutination reaction does not occur . therefore the precipitated particles are associated very weakly and loosely so that when the particles are allowed to stand at an inclination , the particles readily flow along the bottom of the well under the influence of gravity . therefore , when there occurs no immune reaction , that is , when the desired antibody or antigen is not present in the test sample , the particles form a long and narrow spindle - shaped developed pattern when allowed to stand at an inclination . in this case , even when the well is inclined , it does not occur that the particles flow out of the well because of the surface tension of the liquid containing the particles therein and also because of the small size of the well . the thus formed spindle - shaped developed pattern , once formed , is not readily returned to its original shape even when the well is returned to its original horizontal position . thus , after the microtiter plate 10 is allowed to stand at an inclination for a predetermined period of time , the microtiter plate 10 is transported to the imaging station f . in the imaging station f , there are provided a ccd camera 20 serving as an imaging device below the microtiter plate 10 , and a lighting device 22 above the microtiter plate 10 . the microtiter plate 10 is moved between the ccd camera 20 and the lighting device 22 . in the example shown in fig1 the microtiter plate 10 is intermittently moved by a pitch corresponding to the diameter of the well in the direction y in the imaging station f , whereby the image of the developed pattern of the precipitated particles is determined in each well of the microtiter plate 10 is taken by the ccd camera and output therefrom as image signals . the thus output image signals corresponding to the image of the developed pattern of the precipitated particles in each well are subjected to data processing by a data processing apparatus ( not shown ) and analyzed , whereby whether or not the suspected antigen or antibody is present in the test sample in accordance with the developed pattern of the sensitized magnetic - material containing particles . normally , the moving pitch of the microtiter plate 10 is the same in the directions of both x and y . the lighting device 22 comprises a cold cathode tube 22a and a diffuser plate 22b for achieving uniform lighting free from flickering . when the imaging operation is thus finished , the microtiter plate 10 is again moved onto the magnetic plate 18 in the magnetic precipitation and microtiter plate recovery station d . a recovery stack 24 is provided above the magnetic plate 18 . the microtiter plate 10 placed on the magnetic plate 18 is recovered and placed into the recovery stack 24 by moving the magnetic plate 10 upward . thus , in this example , the magnetic plate 18 is disposed below the recovery stack 24 , and the microtiter plate 10 can be recovered into the recovery stack 24 by the magnetic plate 18 as mentioned above . in the magnetic precipitation and microtiter plate recovery station d , both the precipitation of the magnetic - material containing particles by the application of magnetic force and the recovery of the microtiter plate 10 can be performed , thereby minimizing the size and space of the agglutination immunoassay system . furthermore , in this agglutination immunoassay system , the supply stack 12 and the recovery stack 24 are disposed at the opposite ends of this system , so that the supply and recovery of microtiter plates can be smoothly performed easily and automatically , and the supply stack 12 and the recovery stack 24 can also be easily and automatically exchanged with another supply stack and recovery stack , respectively . fig2 is a perspective external view of an apparatus incorporating the above - mentioned agglutination immunoassay system . reference symbol a indicates the supply station a ; reference symbol b , the pipetting station b ; reference symbol c , the agitation station c ; reference symbol e , the inclination station ; reference symbol f , the imaging station ; and reference symbol d , the magnetic precipitation and microtiter plate recovery station . in front of the pipetting station b , there is provided a reagent table 30 on which a reagent bottle 32 is placed . the pipetting unit 14 sucks a predetermined amount of a reagent from the reagent bottle 32 and insects a predetermined amount of the reagent into each well of the microtiter plate 10 . on the front left side of this apparatus , there is provided an operation panel 34 for various operations , and on the front right side , there is also provided a printer 36 for printing out the results of the assays conducted . fig3 is a block diagram of the functions of the apparatus shown in fig2 . a control section 40 is connected to the operation panel 34 and controls various actions of this apparatus . more specifically , a drive section 44 which serves as a microtiter plate driving mechanism is controlled by a controller 42 , so that the microtiter plate 10 is transported to a predetermined position . furthermore , a drive section 48 which serves as an imaging device moving mechanism is controlled through a controller 46 , so that the movement of the ccd camera 20 is controlled . a control section 40 controls the timing for fetching image data from each well into the ccd camera 20 . an image data memory 52 and a data processing section 50 , serving as a shape detection section as well as a judging section , are connected to the ccd camera 20 , and process the image data from the ccd camera 20 and judge whether or not an immune reaction has occurred . the results of the judgement are output by the printer 36 . an image memory 52 stores the image data with a capacity of storing image data for at least one well . with reference to fig4 the imaging operation at the imaging station f will now be explained . first of all , it is confirmed whether or not the microtiter plate 10 and the ccd camera 20 are positioned at the respective starting positions by step s1 . when it is confirmed that the microtiter plate 10 and the ccd camera 20 are positioned at the respective starting positions , the microtiter plate 10 is moved in the direction y in such a manner that the wells in the first column in the microtiter plate 10 are positioned right above a predetermined track of the ccd camera 20 by step s2 . the ccd camera 20 is then moved in the direction x in such a manner that the first well comes right above the ccd camera 20 by step s3 . in this state , the image data of the first well is fetched into the data processing section 50 through the image memory 52 by step s4 . the thus fetched image data is processed by the data processing section 50 as will be explained later , so that judgement is made as to whether or not an immune reaction has occurred . when the fetching of the image data for the first well has been finished , detection is made as to whether or not the ccd camera 20 is positioned at the last well in the first column in the microtiter plate 10 in the direction x . when the ccd camera 20 has not yet reached the final well , the operation is returned to step s3 , so that the ccd camera 20 is moved by one pitch in the direction x up to the next well in the first column of the microtiter plate 10 . as a result , the second well in the first column of the microtiter plate 10 is positioned right above the ccd camera 20 . in this state , the image data of the second well is fetched into the image memory 52 through the data processing section 50 and processed by the data processing section 50 , so that judgement is made as to whether or not an immune reaction has occurred , in the same manner as in step s4 . the same step as mentioned above is repeated . when the fetching and processing of the image data for all the wells in the first column in the direction x are finished , the operation is moved onto step s5 at which yes is attained . it is then judged whether or not the ccd camera 20 is at the last well in the direction y by step s6 . when the ccd camera 20 has not yet reached the last well in the direction y , the moving direction of the ccd camera 20 is reversed ( x =- x ) by step s7 . thus , the operation is returned to step s2 . at that moment , the microtiter plate 10 is moved by one pitch in the direction x , and the fetching and processing of image data are repeated in the same manner as in steps s3 to s5 . when the successive fetching and processing of the image data for all the wells in the microtiter plate 10 are finished , the operation is moved onto step s6 at which yes is attained , so that the fetching of all the image data for one microtiter plate 10 is completed . more specifically , as illustrated in fig5 when the ccd camera 20 is moved in the direction x and comes to the last well in the direction x , the microtiter plate 10 is moved by one pitch in the direction x . this operation is repeated , so that the image data for all the wells in the microtiter plate 10 are fetched . when the magnetic - material containing particles are precipitated at the bottom of the well and allowed to stand at an inclination , the precipitated particles may flow along the bottom of the well under the influence of gravity to form a long and narrow spindle - shaped developed pattern . a microtiter plate in general use includes a number of wells , for instance , 96 wells ( 8 wells in direction x and 12 wells in direction y ). however , if the image data for all the wells is obtained by one imaging shot , the differences in the shot angle with respect to each well in one microtiter plate cannot be ignored , in particular , with respect to the wells in the peripheral portions of the microtiter plate . the result is that the flowing direction of the precipitated magnetic - material containing particles in each well , when viewed from one imaging device , differs depending upon the location of the well in the microtiter plate . accordingly , the length of the developed pattern of the flowed particles in each well is also differently observed depending upon the location of the well . thus , the shape of the developed pattern of the flowed , precipitated particles cannot be precisely detected or observed by a conventional apparatus using such a single imaging device . in sharp contrast , in the present invention , image data or image signals are independently obtained from each well by an imaging device , so that the problems caused by the difference of the shot angle can be completely eliminated , and therefore the shape of the developed pattern of the flowed , precipitated particles can be accurately detected . with reference to fig6 to 9 , how the occurrence of an immune reaction is detected by processing the image data fetched into the data precessing section 50 from each well one by one will now be explained . with reference to fig6 the image data from one well is fetched by step s11 . in this example of the present invention , the quantity of image data that can be obtained by the ccd camera 20 from the developed pattern of the flowed , precipitated particles in each well is 512 × 128 pixels , with 256 gradations of lightness from 0 to 255 . the smaller the value , the smaller the transparency or the greater the darkness . the value &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; is black . as mentioned previously , when the magnetic - material containing particles are precipitated at the bottom of the well and allowed to stand at an inclination , a spindle - shaped developed pattern of the precipitated particles is formed , with an axis extending in the same direction as that of the inclination , for instance , as shown in fig7 ( a ). this axis is referred to as the axis of the developed pattern of precipitated particles . the position of this axis is calculated and determined by step s12 . when the microtiter plate at an inclination is returned to a horizontal position for imaging the developed pattern of the flowed , precipitated particles by the ccd camera 20 , the above - mentioned axis of the developed pattern of precipitated particles is also horizontal extending in the same as that the direction y in which the precipitated particles have flowed , the developed pattern of the flowed , precipitated particles is imaged by the ccd camera 20 , with the flowed , precipitated particles being positioned in such a horizontal position . from the image signals obtained by the ccd camera 20 , for instance , data of 32 lines with intervals of 16 pixels perpendicular to the horizontal direction y , are picked up and a black portion in the developed pattern is determined . the center of each of the perpendicular lines in the black portion is calculated , and the average of the values of the calculated centers is obtained , whereby the above - mentioned axis of the developed pattern of the precipitated particles is calculated and determined . the axis of the developed pattern may also be obtained by the method of least squares . after the axis of the developed pattern of the precipitated particles is thus determined , for example , four horizontal lines which are above and parallel to the axis of the developed pattern of the precipitated particles , and another four horizontal lines which are below the axis and parallel to the axis are selected . thus , a total of nine horizontal lines including the axis are selected as illustrated in fig7 ( b ) by step s13 . the pixel data of the above 9 horizontal lines are picked up . fig8 shows an example of such pixel data for 9 pixels × 5 horizontal lines , just for explanation . the above picked up pixel data is then converted into binary values by use of a predetermined threshold value , such as 1 !, 0 !, by step s14 . fig9 shows the binary data converted from the data shown in fig8 by using a threshold value of 150 . in fig9 the portions 0 ! are judged as &# 34 ; black &# 34 ; because of the presence of a particle pixel . a logical sum of the binary data for the nine horizontal lines is calculated by step s15 . in other words , even if there is only one 0 ! in the nine data in the vertical direction , the data at the corresponding horizontal position is made 0 !. from the data for one line thus obtained , the number of pixels which continuously have a value of 0 ! is counted , whereby the length of the developed pattern of the flowed , precipitated particles pattern is calculated as a representative length of the developed pattern by step s16 . the result of this calculation is output by step s17 . thus , a representative length of the developed pattern of the flowed , precipitated particles for each well can be determined . when an immune reaction occurs , the precipitated particles agglutinate firmly with a relatively strong agglutination force , so that the precipitated particles hardly flow under the influence of gravity . in contrast , when no immune reaction occurs , the precipitated particles do not agglutinate and therefore easily flow even under the influence of gravity . therefore , in accordance with the representative length of the representative length of the developed pattern of the flowed , precipitated particles , the presence or absence of an antibody or antigen in the test sample can be judged as (+) present , (-) absent or (±) equivocal . for instance , the judgment is made by a length of 125 pixels or more as being &# 34 ; negative or absent (-)&# 34 ;, a length of 75 pixels or less as being &# 34 ; positive or present (+)&# 34 ;, and a length of 76 to 124 pixels as being (±) equivocal . the results for all the wells in the microtiter plate 10 are thus printed out by the printer 36 . fig1 schematically shows a transportation mechanism for transporting the microtiter plate 10 from the inclination station e to the imaging station f to the magnetic precipitation and microtiter plate recovery station d . the microtiter plate 10 is held by a holder 60 . the holder 60 is in the shape of a frame and holds the peripheral portion of the microtiter plate 10 . at one end portion of the holder 60 ( on the left side thereof in fig1 ), there is provided a rotating shaft 60a which extends in the direction x normal to the moving direction y of the microtiter plate 10 , so that the microtiter plate 10 can be inclined as indicated in fig1 by the alternate long and short line in the inclination station e by the rotating shaft 60 with which a rotation drive mechanism ( not shown ) is engaged . the holder 60 is attached to a belt 62 which is moved from the inclination station e to the magnetic precipitation and microtiter plate recovery station d . the belt 62 is disposed on the back side of this apparatus relative to the holder 60 . the belt 62 is trained over a pair of pulleys 64 and 66 . the pulley 66 can be driven in rotation by a stepping motor 68 . by the rotation of the pulley 66 which is driven in rotation by the stepping motor 68 , the microtiter plate 10 can be moved between each station and intermittently in the direction y in the imaging station f . the magnetic precipitation and microtiter plate recovery station d comprises a microtiter plate recovery stack 24 which is disposed above the belt 62 , and the magnetic plate 18 which is disposed below the belt 62 . the magnetic plate 18 is mounted on the upper end of a rod 70 which is vertically movable by a motor 72 . the rod 70 is moved upward with the microtiter plate 10 being positioned on and held by the magnetic plate 18 , whereby the magnetic - material containing particles in each well are precipitated by the application of magnetic force thereto . after the imaging process , the rod 70 is moved upward with the microtiter plate 10 being placed on the magnetic plate 18 , so that the microtiter plate 10 is inserted into the lower opening of the microtiter recovery stack 24 , whereby the microtiter plate 10 is recovered and set in the microtiter recovery stack 24 . a pinion 72a is attached to the motor 72 , and a rack 70a is attached to the rod 70 , so that the rod 70 can be moved vertically by the rack 70a and pinion 72a . in this apparatus , position detectors such as photoelectric sensors are provided in each unit . fig1 is a perspective view of the moving mechanism for the ccd camera 20 . as shown in fig1 , the ccd camera 20 is fixed to a support member 80 . the support member 80 is also fixed to a guide member 84 through a support member 82 . the guide member 84 holds a rail member 86 and is movable along the rail member 86 . the support member 82 is fixed to a belt 88 . the belt 88 is trained over a pulley 92 which is rotated by a stepping motor 90 . thus , the ccd camera 20 can be moved by a predetermined distance by the rotational drive of the stepping motor 90 . japanese patent applications nos . 7 - 110960 and 7 - 110962 respectively filed may 9 , 1995 are hereby incorporated by reference . | 8 |
the invention will be now described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments . those skilled in the art will recognize that many alternative embodiments can be accomplished using the teachings of the present invention and that the invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated for explanatory purposes . fig1 a to 4l are step - wise sectional views showing procedures for fabricating a semiconductor device 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention . this embodiment will describe an exemplary case where the present invention is applied to formation of a multi - layered wiring structure based on the dual - damascene process . the description herein will be made on a method of forming interconnects / wirings and vias by so - called , via - first process . procedures up to formation of a multi - layered wiring structure shown in fig1 a will be described . first , on an underlying insulating film 201 formed on a semiconductor substrate ( not shown ), an etching stopper film 202 , a first interlayer dielectric film 203 , and a first protective film 204 are sequentially stacked . the etching stopper film 202 is typically composed of a sic film or a sicn film . the first interlayer dielectric film 203 can be configured using low - dielectric - constant materials such as polyhydrogen siloxanes such as hsq ( hydrogen silsesquioxane ), msq ( methyl silsesquioxane ) and mhsq ( methylated hydrogen silsesquioxane ); aromatic - group - containing organic materials such as polyaryl ether ( pae ), divinyl siloxane - bis - benzocyclobutene ( bcb ) and silk ( registered trademark ); sog , fox ( flowable oxide ), cytop ( registered trademark ), bcb ( benzocyclobutene ), and sioc and so forth . of these , it is particularly preferable to use materials having sio structure such as polyhydrogen siloxane and sioc . it is also allowable to use a porous film of these materials for the first interlayer dielectric film 203 . a porous sioc film or a porous polysiloxane film having a dielectric constant of 2 . 7 or below can be used as the first interlayer dielectric film 203 . the first protective film 204 is typically composed of a sio 2 film . the film - to - be - etched in this embodiment may be any of insulating films such as interlayer dielectric films , protective films , etching stopper films and interlayer dielectric films . an interconnect trench is then formed in the first interlayer dielectric film 203 and the first protective film 204 , and the interconnect trench is filled with a barrier film 208 and an interconnect metal film 209 . the barrier film 208 is formed in the interconnect trench by sputtering . the barrier film 208 is configured , for example , by ta , tan , ti , tin or any stacked structures of these materials . the interconnect metal film 209 is formed on the barrier film 208 typically by electroplating . the interconnect metal film 209 is configured typically using a copper film . thereafter , portions of the barrier film 208 and the interconnect metal film 209 formed outside the interconnect trench are then removed by cmp ( chemical mechanical polishing ), to thereby form a lower interconnect 255 . next , on the lower interconnect 255 , an etching stopper film 211 , an interlayer dielectric film 212 , an etching stopper film 213 , a second interlayer dielectric film 216 , and a second protective film 217 are sequentially stacked . after formation of the interlayer dielectric film 212 in the above process , it is preferable to planarize the surface of the interlayer dielectric film 212 by cmp , in order to reduce any irregularity produced during the cmp process in the formation of the lower interconnect 255 . this makes it possible to keep planarity of the individual layers even when the multi - layered wiring structure is formed , and to more stably fabricate the semiconductor device . the etching stopper film 211 and the etching stopper film 213 may be formed using a material same with that used for the etching stopper film 202 . the interlayer dielectric film 212 and the second interlayer dielectric film 216 may be formed using a material same with that used for the first interlayer dielectric film 203 . the second protective film 217 may be formed using a material same with that used for the first protective film 204 . next , a first resist film 220 is formed on the second protective film 217 . a multi - wiring structure having a structure shown in fig1 a is thus formed . the first resist film 220 ( approximately 300 to 500 nm thick ) may be configured using a material same with that used for the lower resist film generally employed in the three - layered resist process , which is typically a novolac - base positive photoresist . the first resist film 220 may also be formed using a polyimide resin or thermosetting phenol resin . next , an intermediate film 222 ( approximately 50 to 100 nm thick ) is formed on the first resist film 220 ( fig1 b ). in this embodiment , the intermediate film 222 is formed typically by using teos as a film - forming gas , by the cvd process under a reduced pressure of approximately 3 torr , at 300 ° c . or below , more preferably 200 ° c . or below . the intermediate film 222 may be formed at a temperature of 100 ° c . or above . the intermediate film 222 may be formed also by the two - frequency plasma cvd process . adoption of this process successfully suppresses or controls film stress of the intermediate film 222 . one frequency in this process can be set to 1 mhz or below . adoption of this condition is successful in making the intermediate film 222 have compressive stress , even when the intermediate film 222 is formed at a temperature relatively as low as 300 ° c . or below , and more preferably 200 ° c . or below . the intermediate film 222 designed to have compressive stress can be reduced in the hygroscopicity of its own . the intermediate film 222 can typically be formed by the two - frequency plasma cvd process using a higher frequency component of 13 . 56 mhz and a lower frequency component of approximately 500 khz . the film forming gas adoptable herein may be teos , and any additional oxidative gases such as o 2 . thereafter , a second resist film 224 ( approximately 150 to 300 nm thick ) is formed on the intermediate film 222 ( fig1 c ). the second resist film 224 can be configured using a material similar to that generally used for the upper resist film in the three - layered resist process , and is typically a positive chemical amplification resist . a three - layered resist film 225 is thus formed . next , a viahole is formed in the interlayer dielectric film 212 , the second interlayer dielectric film 216 , and the second protective film 217 , masked by thus - formed three - layered resist film 225 . diameter of the viahole herein can be approximately 0 . 1 μm . first , the second resist film 224 is patterned to have a predetermined geometry , to thereby form an opening ( fig2 d ). if any misalignment should occur , the second resist film 224 can be removed by o 2 ashing ( at approximately 250 ° c .). because the intermediate film 222 in this embodiment is composed of a material having a large ashing resistance , the ashing will be only less affective to the intermediate film 222 . after removal of the second resist film 224 , re - formation of the second resist film 224 onto the intermediate film 222 makes it possible to restart the patterning of the second resist film 224 . the intermediate film 224 , masked by the second resist film 224 , is then patterned to have a predetermined geometry , to thereby form an opening ( fig2 e ). next , the first resist film 220 , masked by the second resist film 224 and intermediate film 222 , is patterned to have the predetermined geometry , to thereby form an opening ( fig2 f ). next , under masking by thus - patterned three - layered resist film 225 , a viahole 226 is made in the interlayer dielectric film 212 , the etching stopper film 213 , the second interlayer dielectric film 216 , and the second protective film 217 , using a publicly - known lithographic technique and an etching technique ( fig2 g ). the etching stopper film 211 has a function of stopping etching for forming the viahole 226 . although the second resist film 224 and the intermediate film 222 are still shown in the drawing , it is also allowable to configure the second resist film 224 using a material removable in the process of forming the opening in the intermediate film 222 , and to configure the intermediate film 222 using a material removable in the process of forming the opening in the first resist film 220 . this facilitates removal of the three - layered resist film 225 in the later process step . the three - layered resist film 225 is removed thereafter , and similarly to the case of three - layered resist film 225 , a three - layered resist film 235 comprising a third resist film 230 , an intermediate film 232 and a fourth resist film 234 is formed ( fig3 h ). next , using the three - layered resist film 235 , an interconnect trench is formed in the second interlayer dielectric film 216 and the second protective film 217 . first , the fourth resist film 234 is patterned to have a predetermined geometry . next , the intermediate film 232 , masked by the fourth resist film 234 , is patterned to have a predetermined geometry , to thereby form an opening . next , the third resist film 230 , masked by the fourth resist film 234 and the intermediate film 232 , is patterned to have a predetermined geometry , to thereby form an opening ( fig3 i ). by the way , formation of interconnects and vias according to the via - first process as described in the above have suffered from a problem in that resolution failure of resist ( resist poisoning ) was likely to occur when the chemical amplification resist was used . this sort of problem is more likely to occur when a low - k film is used as the interlayer dielectric film . the chemical amplification resist comprises a photo - acid generator generating an acid under irradiation of light , and a compound catalyzed by the generated acid , and can form a resist pattern by altering the alkali solubility thereof based on an acid - catalyzed reaction . as for the chemical amplification resist , it is considered that presence of any basic impurities , such as amines , in the lower layer of the resist film may result in resolution failure , possibly by a mechanism such that the acid catalyst generated by irradiating the chemical amplification resist with light is undesirably neutralized by the basic impurities , such as amines , so that the compound in the chemical amplification resist cannot alter its alkali solubility , and therefore the resist film cannot dissolve into an aqueous alkali solution . it is therefore preferable to provide a nitrogen - source - free layer under the chemical amplification resist . in this embodiment , the intermediate film 222 and the intermediate film 232 , placed under the second resist film 224 and the fourth resist film 234 , respectively , are formed without using nitrogen - containing gas such as n 2 o , and this raises another effect of improving resolution of the second resist film 224 and the fourth resist film 234 . next , by using the three - layered resist film 235 , patterned to have a predetermined geometry as described in the above , as a mask , and by using a publicly - known lithographic technique and an etching technique , a interconnect trench 236 is formed in the second interlayer dielectric film 216 and the second protective film 217 ( fig3 j ). the process results in formation of the viahole 226 and the interconnect trench 236 communicating with each other , on the lower interconnect 255 . also the fourth resist film 234 and the intermediate film 232 are removed in this process . thereafter , the three - layered resist film 235 used for forming the interconnect trench 236 is completely removed using a release solution , and the etching stopper film 211 exposed at the bottom of the viahole 226 is etched off ( fig4 k ). next , a barrier film 240 is formed by sputtering in the viahole 226 and the interconnect trench 236 . next , a interconnect metal film 242 is formed , on the barrier film 240 , typically by the electroplating process so as to fill the viahole 226 and the interconnect trench 236 . next , portions of the barrier film 240 and the interconnect metal film 242 formed outside the interconnect trench 236 are removed by cmp . the semiconductor device 200 is thus completed . the semiconductor device having a desired number of layers of multi - layered wiring structure can be fabricated by the dual - damascene process , by repeating the process steps of forming the interconnect , forming thereon the via electrically connecting the interconnect , and further forming the interconnect . as described in the above , the method of fabricating the semiconductor device 200 of this embodiment is successful in raising the ashing resistance of the intermediate films , because the intermediate film 222 in the three - layered resist film 225 , and the intermediate film 232 in the three - layered resist film 235 are formed by the cvd process using teos as a source gas . this makes it possible to reduce adverse effect of ashing possibly exerted on the intermediate film 222 or the intermediate film 232 when the second resist film 224 on the intermediate film 222 or the fourth resist film 234 on the intermediate film 232 , respectively , is removed by ashing . thus - formed intermediate film 222 has a low hygroscopicity , and this raises another advantage of raising stability when the intermediate film 222 or the intermediate film 232 is kept formed and allowed to stand for a while . the intermediate film 222 or the intermediate film 232 , containing no nitrogen source , also makes it possible to suppress resist poisoning and to improve the resolution , even when a chemical amplification resist film is used for the upper second resist film 224 or the fourth film 234 , respectively . for example , a problem of resist poisoning has conventionally arisen for the case where the film - to - be - etched , which comprises the first interlayer dielectric film 203 , the interlayer dielectric film 212 , the second interlayer dielectric film 216 and so forth , was configured using a porous sioc film ( typically having a dielectric constant of 2 . 7 or below ). this is supposedly because an amine - base releasing solution infiltrated into the porous sioc film , or a nitrogen source contaminated into the film during plasma treatment can affect the resist film . it was , however , confirmed that the method of fabricating a semiconductor device of the present invention successfully suppressed the resist poisoning even when the first interlayer dielectric film 203 , the interlayer dielectric film 212 , the second interlayer dielectric film 216 and so forth were configured using the porous sioc film . this is supposedly because the intermediate film 222 does not contain any nitrogen sources , and because the upper chemical amplification resist was prevented from being affected by the lower film - to - be - etched even when it contains a nitrogen source . fig5 and fig6 are structural drawings respectively showing the semiconductor device 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention . detailed structure of the lower layers under the three - layered resist film 235 herein is not shown , simply referring to as an object - to - be - etched 229 . as shown in fig5 , the three - layered resist film 235 may also be configured as having an anti - reflection film 244 between the third resist film 230 and the intermediate film 232 . the anti - reflection film 244 herein may be configured typically using sion or sioc . for an exemplary case where the anti - reflection film 244 is configured using sion , sion can be formed using sih 4 and n 2 o gases at 200 ° c . or below in a parallel - plate - type plasma cvd apparatus . the anti - reflection film 244 is preferably formed in the same apparatus in which the intermediate film 232 is formed . enrichment of the si composition of the anti - reflection film 244 can increase the attenuation coefficient of light . this makes the film less light - transmissible . also the three - layered resist film 225 can similarly be configured . as shown in fig6 , the three - layered resist film 235 can be configured also as having an anti - reflection film 246 provided between the intermediate film 232 and the fourth resist film 234 . the anti - reflection film 246 herein can be configured typically by using a novolac resin added with an anti - reflection component . this makes it possible to improve wetting property between the fourth resist film 234 and the underlying layer . also the three - layered resist film 225 can similarly be configured . the three - layered resist film 235 and / or the three - layered resist film 225 may include both the anti - reflection film 244 and the anti - reflection film 246 . as described in the above , provision of the anti - reflection film in the three - layered resist film 235 and in the three - layered resist film 225 contributes to well - controlled resist patterning . structural changes in a teos - sio 2 film , a sih 4 — sio 2 film , and a sog film before and after ashing were investigated . the individual films were prepared as follows . a mixed gas of teos and o 2 ( ratio of flow rate of 1 : 10 ) was used as a film forming gas , and the film was formed by the two - frequency plasma cvd process at 200 ° c . under a reduced pressure of approximately 3 torr . output power was adjusted to approximately 100 w for the higher frequency ( 13 . 56 mhz ), and at approximately 200 w for the lower frequency ( approximately 500 khz ). the film was formed by the cvd process at 200 ° c ., using a mixed gas of sih 4 and n 2 o ( ratio of flow rate of 1 : 20 ), under a reduced pressure of approximately 3 torr . a chemical liquid of sog was dropped through a coater , sintered at approximately 200 ° c . on a hot plate , to thereby form the film . three thus - prepared films were subjected to o 2 ashing at approximately 250 ° c ., and were investigated into their changes in ft - ir spectra , rates of change in the film thickness , and rates of change in the refractive indices before and after the ashing . fig7 a to 7c are charts showing changes in the ft - ir spectra . as is obvious from fig7 a , the teos - sio 2 showed almost no changes between spectra before ashing ( init ) and after ashing ( ash ). as is obvious from fig7 b , the sih 4 — sio 2 film after ashing showed increase in the si — oh bond as compared with that before ashing ( init ). as is obvious from fig7 c , the ashing of the sog film resulted in disappearance of ch 3 group and increase in h — oh . fig8 is a chart showing changes in the film thickness . making now reference to the film thickness before ashing , the teos - sio 2 film showed almost no changes in the film thickness even after the ashing repeated three times . on the other hand , the sog film showed a considerable shrinkage of the thickness after only a single time of ashing . as for the sih 4 — sio 2 film , although the degree of which was not so considerable as the sog film showed , it showed changes in the film thickness as compared with the teos - sio 2 film . this may be ascribable to brittleness of the film . fig9 is a chart showing changes in the refractive index . making again reference to the refractive index before ashing , the teos - sio 2 film showed almost no changes in the refractive index even after the ashing repeated three times . on the other hand , the sih 4 — sio 2 film showed a considerable change in the refractive index after only a single time of ashing . as for the sog film , although the degree of which was not so considerable as the sih 4 — sio 2 film showed , it showed changes in the refractive index as compared with the teos - sio 2 film . this may be ascribable to modification of the film quality due to destruction of si — ch 3 bonds . as described in the above , the teos - sio 2 film was proved to show almost no structural changes before and after the ashing , and to show a high resistance against the ashing . the teos - sio 2 film and the sih 4 — sio 2 film formed similarly to as described in example 1 were kept for one month in a clean room atmosphere ( 23 ° c . ), and then subjected to the ft - ir measurement . fig1 a shows an ft - ir chart for the teos - sio 2 film , and fig1 b shows an ft - ir chart for the sih 4 — sio 2 film . as is obvious from fig1 b , h — oh bond appeared in the sih 4 — sio 2 film , as compared with the as - deposited film , indicating moisture absorption . on the other hand , the teos - sio 2 film showed no peak for h — oh bond even after one month , indicating no moisture absorption . this is supposedly because teos , which is a source gas for the teos - sio 2 film , has si bonded to four o atoms , so that also the resultant low - temperature cvd film has a large ratio of content of si — o bond , ensuring a stable structure . the low - temperature formation of the film may allow existence of si — h bond , but with only a small ratio of content , so that the film is supposed to remain stable . on the contrary , the sih 4 — sio 2 film is supposed to destabilize due to a large content of si — h bond . the teos - sio 2 film was formed similarly to as described in example 1 , and subjected to measurement of film stress at room temperature . the compressive stress was found to be approximately 50 mpa . in this embodiment , the teos - sio 2 film was formed by the two - frequency plasma cvd process , wherein the low frequency component set to as low as 1 mhz or below was supposed to contribute to the well - controlled film stress , by virtue of ion bombardment effect . this was supposed to be successful also in reducing the hygroscopicity . the present invention has been described based on the embodiments and examples . it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the above - described embodiments and examples are only of exemplary purposes and can be modified in various ways , and that any modifications will be included in the scope of the present invention . for example , the interconnects and the vias in the above - described embodiments were formed by so - called via - first process of the dual - damascene process , but the present invention is applicable also to various processes including so - called , trench - first process , middle - first process , and even to single - damascene process . it is apparent that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments , that may be modified and changed without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . | 7 |
in one aspect of the invention is a toilet bar , including but not limited to the following : ( a ) fatty acid soap ( s ) in the total concentration range of about 5 to 75 % by wt . ; ( b ) free c6 to c22 carboxylic acid ( s ) in the total concentration range of about 4 to 40 % by wt . ; ( preferably where the carboxylic acid ( s ) are c6 to c18 or c12 to c18 carboxylic acid ( s )): ( c ) non - soap synthetic detergent ( s ) in the total concentration range of about 2 to 60 % by wt . ; ( d ) a maximum of about 20 % by wt . of water ; ( preferably a maximum of about 15 , 12 , 10 , 8 , 6 , 4 or 3 % by wt . of water ); and ( e ) an effective concentration of pyran type odor masking agent ( s ) having the structure of i , ii or a blend thereof to reduce perceptible malodor in the toilet bar composition wherein r1 and r2 can be the same or different and are either hydrogen , alkyl , alkoxyl , alkenyl , alkylaryl , aryl or alkynyl , optionally substituted ( preferably r1 and r2 are either hydrogen , c1 to c6 alkyl , c1 to c6 alkenyl , c1 to c6 alkoxyl , benzyl or phenyl and more preferably r1 is methyl or ethyl , and r2 is hydrogen ) and r3 is alkyl ester or alkenyl ester ( preferably c1 - c5 alkyl or alkenyl ester ). advantageously , the inventive toilet bar has a yield stress in the range of about 20 kpa to 400 kpa at 25 ° c . and 50 % rh measured as described below . preferably , the odor masking agent ( s ) is / are in the total concentration range of about 0 . 0005 to 0 . 25 % by wt . ( preferably with a minimum value of about 0 . 0025 or 0 . 004 and a maximum value of about 0 . 025 , 0 . 01 , 0 . 005 or 0 . 025 ). more preferably the inventive toilet bar further includes one or more polyol ( s ) in a total concentration range of about 0 . 01 to 30 % by wt . ( preferably with a minimum value of about 0 . 4 or 0 . 7 and a maximum value of about 2 , 3 , 7 or 10 % by wt .). most preferably these polyol ( s ) is / are selected from dipropylene glycol , propylene glycol , glycerin , or polyethylene glycol ( s ) in the mw range of about 200 to 1500 or blends thereof . advantageously the polyol ( s ) have a viscosity under about 1000 cps at 30 c . advantageously the non - soap anionic surfactant ( s ) is / are selected from c8 to c14 acyl isethionates ; c8 to c14 alkyl sulfates , c8 to c14 alkyl sulfosuccinates , c8 to c14 alkyl sulfonates ; c8 to c14 fatty acid ester sulfonates , derivatives , or blends thereof . in a preferred embodiment , the odor masking agent is maltol ( fig . a ), ethyl maltol ( fig . b ) or a blend thereof . in another aspect of the invention is a process for manufacturing a reduced odor toilet bar including but not limited to the steps of where steps a to c are in no particular sequence : a ) blending one or more nonsoap anionic surfactants optionally with soap to form a detergent blend ; b ) dispersing or dissolving pyran type odor masking agent ( s ) having the structure of i or ii or a blend thereof in a sufficient amount of one or more polyol ( s ) to form an odor masking preblend to reduce perceptable malodor in the toilet bar , where r1 and r2 can be the same or different and are either hydrogen , alkyl , alkoxyl , alkenyl , alkylaryl , aryl or alkynyl , optionally substituted and r3 is alkyl ester or alkenyl ester ; c ) adding the odor masking preblend to the detergent blend and mixing until homogenous to form a final blend ; and finally d ) extruding the final blend followed by cutting and stamping to form reduced odor toilet bars . surfactants , also known as detergents , are an essential component of the inventive toilet bar composition . they are compounds that have hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions that act to reduce the surface tension of the aqueous solutions they are dissolved in . useful surfactants include soap ( s ), and non - soap anionic , nonionic , amphoteric , and cationic surfactant ( s ), and blends thereof . the inventive toilet bar composition contains one or more non - soap anionic detergent ( s ) ( syndets ). preferably the syndet ( s ) have a zein value of 50 or less . zein value may be measured using the test method described below . advantageously such non - soap anionic detergent ( s ) or surfactant ( s ) may be used in one preferred embodiment in the range of about 35 to 40 % by wt . or in another preferred embodiment in a total concentration range of about 45 to 55 % by wt . or a further preferred embodiment in a total concentration range of about 2 to 20 % by wt . anionic surfactants may advantageously constitute about 50 , 60 , 70 , 80 , 90 or 95 % by wt . or more , of these amounts . the anionic detergent active which may be used may be aliphatic sulfonate ( s ), such as a primary alkane ( e . g ., c 8 - c 22 ) sulfonate ( s ), primary alkane ( e . g ., c 8 - c 22 ) disulfonate ( s ), c 8 - c 22 alkene sulfonate ( s ), c 8 - c 22 hydroxyalkane sulfonate ( s ) or alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonate ( s ) ( ags ); or aromatic sulfonate ( s ) such as alkyl benzene sulfonate . the anionic may also be alkyl sulfate ( s ) ( e . g ., c 12 - c 18 alkyl sulfate ) or alkyl ether sulfate ( including alkyl glyceryl ether sulfates ). among the alkyl ether sulfate ( s ) are those having the formula : wherein r is an alkyl or alkenyl having 8 to 18 carbons , preferably 12 to 18 carbons , n has an average value of greater than 1 . 0 , preferably greater than 3 ; and m is a solubilizing cation such as sodium , potassium , ammonium or substituted ammonium . ammonium and sodium lauryl ether sulfates are preferred . the anionic may also be alkyl sulfosuccinate ( s ) ( including mono - and dialkyl , e . g ., c 6 - c 22 sulfosuccinate ( s )); alkyl and acyl taurate ( s ), alkyl and acyl sarcosinate ( s ), sulfoacetate ( s ), c 8 - c 22 alkyl phosphate ( s ) and phosphate ( s ), alkyl phosphate ester ( s ) and alkoxyl alkyl phosphate ester ( s ), acyl lactate ( s ), c 8 - c 22 monoalkyl succinate ( s ) and maleate ( s ), sulphoacetate ( s ), and alkyl glucoside ( s ) and the like . r 4 conhch 2 ch 2 o 2 cch 2 ch ( so 3 m ) co 2 m wherein r 4 ranges from c 8 - c 22 alkyl and m is a solubilizing cation . wherein r 1 ranges from c 8 - c 20 alkyl and m is a solubilizing cation . wherein r 2 ranges from c 8 - c 20 alkyl , r 3 may be h or c 1 - c 4 alkyl and m is a solubilizing cation . monoacyl and / or diacyl c 8 - c 18 isethionate surfactants having the general formula : wherein r is an alkyl group having 8 to 18 carbons , and m is a mono or divalent cation such as , for example , sodium , potassium , ammonium , calcium and magnesium or other mono and divalent cations may be used . preferably the isethionates have an average iodine value of less than 20 . the inventive toilet bar composition includes soap . the term “ soap ” is used here in its popular sense , i . e ., the alkali metal or alkanol ammonium salts of aliphatic alkane - or alkene monocarboxylic acids preferably having about 6 to 22 carbon atoms , more preferably about 6 to about 18 or about 12 to 18 carbon atoms . they may be further described as alkali metal carboxylates of aliphatic hydrocarbons . sodium , potassium , mono -, di - and tri - ethanol ammonium cations , or combinations thereof , are suitable for purposes of this invention . in general , sodium soaps are used in the compositions of this invention , but from about 1 % to about 25 % of the soap may be potassium soaps . the soaps may contain unsaturation in accordance with commercially acceptable standards . excessive unsaturation is normally avoided to minimize color and odor issues . advantageously such soap ( s ) may be used in one preferred embodiment in the range of about 15 to 25 % by wt . or in another preferred embodiment in a total concentration range of about 7 to 10 % by wt . or a further preferred embodiment in a total concentration range of about 60 to 70 % by wt . soaps may be made by the classic kettle boiling process or modern continuous soap manufacturing processes wherein natural fats and oils such as tallow or coconut oil or their equivalents are saponified with an alkali metal hydroxide using procedures well known to those skilled in the art . alternatively , the soaps may be made by neutralizing fatty acids , such as lauric ( c12 ), myristic ( c14 ), palmitic ( c16 ), or stearic ( c18 ) acids with an alkali metal hydroxide or carbonate . specific examples of useful pyran type odor masking agents for the inventive toilet bar preferably include compounds with the structures described above , and the following specific compounds with the structures below and the like : one or more amphoteric surfactants may be used in this invention . amphoteric surfactants may be used from about 1 , 2 or 3 % by wt . to about 5 , 6 or 7 % by wt . when necessary . such surfactants include at least one acid group . this may be a carboxylic or a sulphonic acid group . they include quaternary nitrogen and therefore are quaternary amido acids . they should generally include an alkyl or alkenyl group of 7 to 18 carbon atoms . they will usually comply with an overall structural formula : r 1 —[— c ( o )— nh ( ch 2 ) n —] m — n + —( r 2 )( r 3 ) x — y where r 1 is alkyl or alkenyl of 7 to 18 carbon atoms ; r 2 and r 3 are each independently alkyl , hydroxyalkyl or carboxyalkyl of 1 to 3 carbon atoms ; x is alkylene of 1 to 3 carbon atoms optionally substituted with hydroxyl , and suitable amphoteric surfactants within the above general formula include simple betaines of formula : r 1 — n + —( r 2 )( r 3 ) ch 2 co 2 − r 1 — conh ( ch 2 ) n — n + —( r 2 )( r 3 ) ch 2 co 2 − in both formulae r 1 , r 2 and r 3 are as defined previously . r 1 may in particular be a mixture of c 12 and c 14 alkyl groups derived from coconut oil so that at least half , preferably at least three quarters of the groups r 1 have 10 to 14 carbon atoms . r 2 and r 3 are preferably methyl . a further possibility is that the amphoteric detergent is a sulphobetaine of formula : r 1 — n + —( r 2 )( r 3 ) ( ch 2 ) 3 so 3 − r 1 — conh ( ch 2 ) m — n + —( r 2 )( r 3 )( ch 2 ) 3 so 3 − where m is 2 or 3 , or variants of these in which —( ch 2 ) 3 so 3 − is replaced by in these formulae r 1 , r 2 and r 3 are as discussed previously . amphoacetates and diamphoacetates are also intended to be covered in the zwitterionic and / or amphoteric compounds which are used such as e . g ., sodium lauroamphoacetate , sodium cocoamphoacetate , and blends thereof , and the like . one or more nonionic surfactants may also be used in the toilet bar composition of the present invention . when present , nonionic surfactants may be used at levels as low as about 1 , 2 or 3 % by wt . and as high as about 10 , 15 or 20 % by wt . in the inventive toilet bars . the nonionics which may be used include in particularly the reaction products of compounds having a hydrophobic group and a reactive hydrogen atom , for example aliphatic alcohols , acids , amides or alkylphenols with alkylene oxides , especially ethylene oxide either alone or with propylene oxide . specific nonionic detergent compounds are alkyl ( c 6 - c 22 ) phenols ethylene oxide condensates , the condensation products of aliphatic ( c 8 - c 18 ) primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols with ethylene oxide , and products made by condensation of ethylene oxide with the reaction products of propylene oxide and ethylenediamine . other so - called nonionic detergent compounds include long chain tertiary amine oxides , long chain tertiary phosphine oxides and dialkyl sulphoxide , and the like . the nonionic may also be a sugar amide , such as a polysaccharide amide . specifically , the surfactant may be one of the lactobionamides described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 389 , 279 to au et al . titled “ compositions comprising nonionic glycolipid surfactants issued feb . 14 , 1995 ; which is hereby incorporated by reference or it may be one of the sugar amides described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 009 , 814 to kelkenberg , titled “ use of n - poly hydroxyalkyl fatty acid amides as thickening agents for liquid aqueous surfactant systems ” issued apr . 23 , 1991 ; hereby incorporated into the subject application by reference . an optional component in compositions according to the invention is a cationic skin feel agent or polymer , such as for example cationic celluloses or polyquarterium compounds . advantageously cationic skin feel agent ( s ) or polymer ( s ) are used from about 0 . 01 , 0 . 1 or 0 . 2 % by wt . to about 1 , 1 . 5 or 2 . 0 % by wt . in the inventive toilet bars . cationic cellulose is available from amerchol corp . ( edison , n . j ., usa ) in their polymer jr ( trade mark ) and lr ( trade mark ) series of polymers , as salts of hydroxyethyl cellulose reacted with trimethyl ammonium substituted epoxide , referred to in the industry ( ctfa ) as polyquaternium 10 . another type of cationic cellulose includes the polymeric quaternary ammonium salts of hydroxyethyl cellulose reacted with lauryl dimethyl ammonium - substituted epoxide , referred to in the industry ( ctfa ) as polyquaternium 24 . these materials are available from amerchol corp . ( edison , n . j ., usa ) under the tradename polymer lm - 200 , and quaternary ammonium compounds such as alkyldimethylammonium halogenides . a particularly suitable type of cationic polysaccharide polymer that can be used is a cationic guar gum derivative , such as guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride ( commercially available from rhone - poulenc in their jaguar trademark series ). examples are jaguar c13s , which has a low degree of substitution of the cationic groups and high viscosity , jaguar c15 , having a moderate degree of substitution and a low viscosity , jaguar c17 ( high degree of substitution , high viscosity ), jaguar c16 , which is a hydroxypropylated cationic guar derivative containing a low level of substituent groups as well as cationic quaternary ammonium groups , and jaguar 162 which is a high transparency , medium viscosity guar having a low degree of substitution . particularly preferred cationic polymers are jaguar c13s , jaguar c15 , jaguar c17 and jaguar c16 and jaguar c162 , especially jaguar c13s . other cationic skin feel agents known in the art may be used provided that they are compatible with the inventive formulation . other preferred cationic compounds that are useful in the present invention include amido quaternary ammonium compounds such as quaternary ammonium propionate and lactate salts , and quaternary ammonium hydrolyzates of silk or wheat protein , and the like . many of these compounds can be obtained as the mackine ™ amido functional amines , mackalene ™ amido functional tertiary amine salts , and mackpro ® cationic protein hydrolysates from the mcintyre group ltd . ( university park , ill .). in a preferred skin cleansing embodiment of the invention having a hydrolyzed protein conditioning agent , the average molecular weight of the hydrolyzed protein is preferably about 2500 . preferably 90 % of the hydrolyzed protein is between a molecular weight of about 1500 to about 3500 . in a preferred embodiment , mackpro ™ wwp ( i . e . wheat germ amido dimethylamine hydrolyzed wheat protein ) is added at a concentration of 0 . 1 % ( as is ) in the bar . this results in a mackpro ™ wwp “ solids ” of 0 . 035 % in the final bar formula for this embodiment . one or more cationic surfactants may also be used in the inventive toilet bar composition . when desired , cationic surfactants may be used from about 0 . 1 , 0 . 5 or 1 . 0 % by wt . to about 1 . 5 , 2 . 0 or 2 . 5 % by wt . examples of cationic detergents are the quaternary ammonium compounds such as alkyldimethylammonium halogenides . other suitable surfactants which may be used are described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 723 , 325 to parran jr . titled “ detergent compositions containing particle deposition enhancing agents ” issued mar . 27 , 1973 ; and “ surface active agents and detergents ” ( vol . i & amp ; ii ) by schwartz , perry & amp ; berch , both of which are also incorporated into the subject application by reference . in addition , the toilet bar composition of the invention may include 0 to about 15 % by wt . optional ingredients as follows : sequestering agents , such as tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate ( edta ), ehdp or mixtures in an amount of about 0 . 01 to 1 %, preferably about 0 . 01 to 0 . 05 %; and coloring agents , opacifiers and pearlizers such as zinc stearate , magnesium stearate , tio 2 , egms ( ethylene glycol monostearate ) or lytron 621 ( styrene / acrylate copolymer ) and the like ; all of which are useful in enhancing the appearance or cosmetic properties of the product . perfumes may be included at levels of less than about 2 , 1 , 0 . 5 or preferably less than about 0 . 3 , 0 . 2 or 0 . 1 % by wt . the compositions may further comprise preservatives such as dimethyloldimethylhydantoin ( glydant xl1000 ), parabens , sorbic acid etc ., and the like . the compositions may also comprise coconut acyl mono - or diethanol amides as suds boosters , and strongly ionizing salts such as sodium chloride and sodium sulfate may also be used to advantage . antioxidants such as , for example , butylated hydroxytoluene ( bht ) and the like may be used advantageously in amounts of about 0 . 01 % or higher if appropriate . skin conditioning agents such as emollients are advantageously used in the present invention for personal toilet bar compositions . hydrophilic emollients including humectants such as polyhydric alcohols , e . g . glycerin and propylene glycol , and the like ; polyols such as the polyethylene glycols listed below , and the like and hydrophilic plant extracts may be used . advantageously humectants may be used from about 0 . 01 , 0 . 2 or 1 . 0 % by wt . to about 3 , 5 or 10 % by wt . in a toilet bar . humectants may also confer the ability for the bar to retain water . hydrophobic emollients may be used in the inventive toilet bar . advantageously hydrophobic emollients may be used from about 5 , 10 or 15 % by wt . to about 20 , 25 , 30 , 35 , 40 , 45 % by wt . in the inventive toilet bar . the term “ emollient ” is defined as a substance which softens or improves the elasticity , appearance , and youthfulness of the skin ( stratum corneum ) by increasing its water content , and keeps it soft by retarding the decrease of its water content . ( a ) silicone oils and modifications thereof such as linear and cyclic polydimethylsiloxanes ; amino , alkyl , alkylaryl , and aryl silicone oils ; ( b ) fats and oils including natural fats and oils such as jojoba , soybean , sunflower , rice bran , avocado , almond , olive , sesame , persic , castor , coconut , mink oils ; cacao fat ; beef tallow , lard ; hardened oils obtained by hydrogenating the aforementioned oils ; and synthetic mono , di and triglycerides such as myristic acid glyceride and 2 - ethylhexanoic acid glyceride ; ( c ) waxes such as carnauba , spermaceti , beeswax , lanolin , and derivatives thereof ; ( e ) hydrocarbons such as liquid paraffin , petrolatum , microcrystalline wax , ceresin , squalene , pristan and mineral oil ; ( f ) higher fatty acids such as lauric , myristic , palmitic , stearic , behenic , oleic , linoleic , linolenic , lanolic , isostearic , arachidonic and poly unsaturated fatty acids ( pufa ); ( g ) higher alcohols such as lauryl , cetyl , stearyl , oleyl , behenyl , cholesterol and 2 - hexydecanol alcohol ; ( h ) esters such as cetyl octanoate , myristyl lactate , cetyl lactate , isopropyl myristate , myristyl myristate , isopropyl palmitate , isopropyl adipate , butyl stearate , decyl oleate , cholesterol isostearate , glycerol monostearate , glycerol distearate , glycerol tristearate , alkyl lactate , alkyl citrate and alkyl tartrate ; ( i ) essential oils and extracts thereof such as mentha , jasmine , camphor , white cedar , bitter orange peel , ryu , turpentine , cinnamon , bergamot , citrus unshiu , calamus , pine , lavender , bay , clove , hiba , eucalyptus , lemon , starflower , thyme , peppermint , rose , sage , sesame , ginger , basil , juniper , lemon grass , rosemary , rosewood , avocado , grape , grapeseed , myrrh , cucumber , watercress , calendula , elder flower , geranium , linden blossom , amaranth , seaweed , ginko , ginseng , carrot , guarana , tea tree , jojoba , comfrey , oatmeal , cocoa , neroli , vanilla , green tea , penny royal , aloe vera , menthol , cineole , eugenol , citral , citronelle , borneol , linalool , geraniol , evening primrose , camphor , thymol , spirantol , penene , limonene and terpenoid oils ; and preferred hydrophobic emollient moisturizing agents are selected from fatty acids , di and triglyceride oils , mineral oils , petrolatum , silicone oils , and mixtures thereof ; with fatty acids being most preferred for the toilet bar . advantageously such fatty acids may be used in one preferred embodiment in the range of about 25 to 30 % by wt . or in another preferred embodiment in a total concentration range of about 20 to 25 % by wt . or in a further preferred embodiment in a total concentration range of about 2 to 10 % by wt . the krafft point of a surfactant is defined as the temperature ( or more precisely , the narrow temperature range ) above which the solubility of a surfactant rises sharply . at this temperature the solubility of the surfactant becomes equal to the critical micelle concentration . it may be determined by locating the abrupt change in slope of a graph of the logarithm of the solubility against temperature or 1 / t or can be rapidly estimated using the rapid estimation procedure described below . the inventive toilet bar may contain particles that are greater than 50 microns in average diameter that help remove dry skin . not being bound by theory , the degree of exfoliation depends on the size and morphology of the particles . large and rough particles are usually very harsh and irritating . very small particles may not serve as effective exfoliants . such exfoliants used in the art include natural minerals such as silica , talc , calcite , pumice , tricalcium phosphate ; seeds such as rice , apricot seeds , etc ; crushed shells such as almond and walnut shells ; oatmeal ; polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene beads , flower petals and leaves ; microcrystalline wax beads ; jojoba ester beads , and the like . these exfoliants come in a variety of particle sizes and morphology ranging from micron sized to a few mm . they also have a range of hardness . some examples are given in table a below . table a material hardness ( mohs ) talc 1 calcite 3 pumice 4 - 6 walnut shells 3 - 4 dolomite 4 polyethylene ˜ 1 advantageously , active agents other than skin conditioning agents defined above may be added to the inventive toilet bar . these active ingredients may be advantageously selected from bactericides , vitamins , anti - acne actives ; anti - wrinkle , anti - skin atrophy and skin repair actives ; skin barrier repair actives ; non - steroidal cosmetic soothing actives ; artificial tanning agents and accelerators ; skin lightening actives ; sunscreen actives ; sebum stimulators ; sebum inhibitors ; anti - oxidants ; protease inhibitors ; skin tightening agents ; anti - itch ingredients ; hair growth inhibitors ; 5 - alpha reductase inhibitors ; desquamating enzyme enhancers ; anti - glycation agents ; or mixtures thereof ; and the like . these active agents may be selected from water - soluble active agents , oil soluble active agents , pharmaceutically acceptable salts and mixtures thereof . the term “ active agent ” as used herein , means personal care actives which can be used to deliver a benefit to the skin and / or hair and which generally are not used to confer a skin conditioning benefit , such are delivered by emollients as defined above . the term “ safe and effective amount ” as used herein , means an amount of active agent high enough to modify the condition to be treated or to deliver the desired skin care benefit , but low enough to avoid serious side effects . the term “ benefit ,” as used herein , means the therapeutic , prophylactic , and / or chronic benefits associated with treating a particular condition with one or more of the active agents described herein . what is a safe and effective amount of the active agent ( s ) will vary with the specific active agent , the ability of the active to penetrate through the skin , the age , health condition , and skin condition of the user , and other like factors . preferably the personal toilet bar compositions of the present invention comprise from about 0 . 0001 % to 50 %, more preferably from about 0 . 05 % to 25 %, even more preferably about 0 . 1 % to 10 %, and most preferably about 0 . 1 % % to 5 %, by weight of the active agent component ( s ). a wide variety of active agent ingredients are useful for the inventive personal toilet bar compositions and include those selected from anti - acne actives , anti - wrinkle and anti - skin atrophy actives , skin barrier repair aids , cosmetic soothing aids , topical anesthetics , artificial tanning agents and accelerators , skin lightening actives , antimicrobial and antifungal actives , sunscreen actives , sebum stimulators , sebum inhibitors , anti - glycation actives and mixtures thereof and the like . anti - acne actives can be effective in treating acne vulgaris , a chronic disorder of the pilosebaceous follicles . nonlimiting examples of useful anti - acne actives include the keratolytics such as salicylic acid ( o - hydroxybenzoic acid ), derivatives of salicylic acid such as 5 - octanoyl salicylic acid and 4 methoxysalicylic acid , and resorcinol ; retinoids such as retinoic acid and its derivatives ( e . g ., cis and trans ); sulfur - containing d and l amino acids and their derivatives and salts , particularly their n - acetyl derivatives , mixtures thereof and the like . antimicrobial and antifungal actives can be effective to prevent the proliferation and growth of bacteria and fungi . nonlimiting examples of antimicrobial and antifungal actives include b - lactam drugs , quinolone drugs , ciprofloxacin , norfloxacin , tetracycline , erythromycin , amikacin , 2 , 4 , 4 ′- trichloro - 2 ′- hydroxy diphenyl ether , 3 , 4 , 4 ′- trichlorocarbanilide ( triclocarban ), phenoxyethanol , 2 , 4 , 4 ′- trichloro - 2 ′- hydroxy diphenyl ether ( triclosan ); and mixtures thereof and the like . anti - wrinkle , anti - skin atrophy and skin repair actives can be effective in replenishing or rejuvenating the epidermal layer . these actives generally provide these desirable skin care benefits by promoting or maintaining the natural process of desquamation . nonlimiting examples of antiwrinkle and anti - skin atrophy actives include vitamins , minerals , and skin nutrients such as milk , vitamins a , e , and k ; vitamin alkyl esters , including vitamin c alkyl esters ; magnesium , calcium , copper , zinc and other metallic components ; retinoic acid and its derivatives ( e . g ., cis and trans ); retinal ; retinol ; retinyl esters such as retinyl acetate , retinyl palmitate , and retinyl propionate ; vitamin b 3 compounds ( such as niacinamide and nicotinic acid ), alpha hydroxy acids , beta hydroxy acids , e . g . salicylic acid and derivatives thereof ( such as 5 - octanoyl salicylic acid , heptyloxy 4 salicylic acid , and 4 - methoxy salicylic acid ); mixtures thereof and the like . skin barrier repair actives are those skin care actives which can help repair and replenish the natural moisture barrier function of the epidermis . nonlimiting examples of skin barrier repair actives include lipids such as cholesterol , ceramides , sucrose esters and pseudo - ceramides as described in european patent specification no . 556 , 957 ; ascorbic acid ; biotin ; biotin esters ; phospholipids , mixtures thereof , and the like . non - steroidal cosmetic soothing actives can be effective in preventing or treating inflammation of the skin . the soothing active enhances the skin appearance benefits of the present invention , e . g ., such agents contribute to a more uniform and acceptable skin tone or color . nonlimiting examples of cosmetic soothing agents include the following categories : propionic acid derivatives ; acetic acid derivatives ; fenamic acid derivatives ; mixtures thereof and the like . many of these cosmetic soothing actives are described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 985 , 459 to sunshine et al ., issued jan . 15 , 1991 , incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . artificial tanning actives can help in simulating a natural suntan by increasing melanin in the skin or by producing the appearance of increased melanin in the skin . nonlimiting examples of artificial tanning agents and accelerators include dihydroxyacetaone ; tyrosine ; tyrosine esters such as ethyl tyrosinate and glucose tyrosinate ; mixtures thereof , and the like . skin lightening actives can actually decrease the amount of melanin in the skin or provide such an effect by other mechanisms . nonlimiting examples of skin lightening actives useful herein include aloe extract , alpha - glyceryl - l - ascorbic acid , aminotyrosine , ammonium lactate , glycolic acid , hydroquinone , 4 hydroxyanisole , mixtures thereof , and the like . also useful for the inventive personal toilet bar compositions are sunscreen actives . a wide variety of sunscreen agents are described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 087 , 445 , to haffey et al ., issued feb . 11 , 1992 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 073 , 372 , to turner et al ., issued dec . 17 , 1991 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 073 , 371 , to turner et al . issued dec . 17 , 1991 ; and segarin , et al ., at chapter viii , pages 189 et seq ., of cosmetics science and technology , all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety . nonlimiting examples of sunscreens which are useful in the compositions of the present invention are those selected from the group consisting of octyl methoxyl cinnamate ( parsol mcx ) and butyl methoxy benzoylmethane ( parsol 1789 ), 2 - ethylhexyl p - methoxycinnamate , 2 - ethylhexyl n , n - dimethyl - p - aminobenzoate , p - aminobenzoic acid , 2 - phenylbenzimidazole - 5 - sulfonic acid , oxybenzone , mixtures thereof , and the like . sebum stimulators can increase the production of sebum by the sebaceous glands . nonlimiting examples of sebum stimulating actives include bryonolic acid , dehydroetiandrosterone ( dhea ), orizanol , mixtures thereof , and the like . sebum inhibitors can decrease the production of sebum by the sebaceous glands . nonlimiting examples of useful sebum inhibiting actives include aluminum hydroxy chloride , corticosteroids , dehydroacetic acid and its salts , dichlorophenyl imidazoldioxolan ( available from elubiol ), mixtures thereof , and the like . also useful as actives in the inventive personal toilet bar compositions are protease inhibitors . protease inhibitors can be divided into two general classes : the proteinases and the peptidases . proteinases act on specific interior peptide bonds of proteins and peptidases act on peptide bonds adjacent to a free amino or carboxyl group on the end of a protein and thus cleave the protein from the outside . the protease inhibitors suitable for use in the inventive personal toilet bar compositions include , but are not limited to , proteinases such as serine proteases , metalloproteases , cysteine proteases , and aspartyl protease , and peptidases , such as carboxypepidases , dipeptidases and aminopepidases , mixtures thereof and the like . other useful active ingredients in the inventive personal toilet bar compositions are skin tightening agents . nonlimiting examples of skin tightening agents which are useful in the compositions of the present invention include monomers which can bind a polymer to the skin such as terpolymers of vinylpyrrolidone , ( meth ) acrylic acid and a hydrophobic monomer comprised of long chain alkyl ( meth ) acrylates , mixtures thereof , and the like . active ingredients in the inventive personal toilet bar compositions may also include anti - itch ingredients . suitable examples of anti - itch ingredients which are useful in the compositions of the present invention include hydrocortisone , methdilizine and trimeprazine , mixtures thereof , and the like . nonlimiting examples of hair growth inhibitors which are useful in the inventive personal toilet bar compositions include 17 beta estradiol , anti angiogenic steroids , curcuma extract , cycloxygenase inhibitors , evening primrose oil , linoleic acid and the like . suitable 5 - alpha reductase inhibitors such as ethynylestradiol and , genistine mixtures thereof , and the like . nonlimiting examples of desquamating enzyme enhancers which are useful in the inventive personal toilet bar compositions include alanine , aspartic acid , n methyl serine , serine , trimethyl glycine , mixtures thereof , and the like . a nonlimiting example of an anti - glycation agent which is useful in the compositions of the present invention would be amadorine ( available from barnet products distributor ), and the like . except in the operating and comparative examples , or where otherwise explicitly indicated , all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material ought to be understood as modified by the word “ about ”. the following examples will more fully illustrate the embodiments of this invention . all parts , percentages and proportions referred to herein and in the appended claims are by weight unless otherwise illustrated . physical test methods are described below . the following inventive toilet bar compositions may be formulated according to the manufacturing methods described below : useful synthetic detergent toilet bars according to the present invention ( inv .) as compared to a comparative bar ( comp .) can be prepared according to table 1 : useful combination toilet bars according to the present invention ( inv .) as compared to a comparative bar ( comp .) can be prepared according to table 2 : useful synthetic toilet bars with maltol and / or ethyl maltol and reduced fragrance level according to the present invention ( inv .) as compared to a comparative bar ( comp .) can be prepared according to table 3 : useful synthetic toilet bars with maltol and / or ethyl maltol in place of some or all of the maltol and reduced fragrance level according to the present invention ( inv .) as compared to a comparative bar ( comp .) can be prepared according to table 4 : in the syndet bar process , first melt the emollients and structurants by heating above 90 c in a z - blade mixer . then add the anionic surfactants in the mixer and homogenize the mass to form the base . other optional ingredients such as titanium dioxide , brighteners and clays can be added to the mixer at this time . the free water content of the mass is optimally adjusted to about 5 - 6 %. the resulting doughy or flowable liquid mass is then chill roll milled . the milled mass is added in the chip mixer and the rest of the minor ingredients such as color , optional fragrance and specialty ingredients are added and mixed . ethyl maltol is added at this point and mixed with the base . it has been observed that the pre - dilution of ethyl maltol ( em ) in polyol ( s ) or perfume ( s ) provides better dispersion in the final product . different types of polyols may be used to solubilize em . surprisingly it was observed that the color and the odor of the inventive toilet bar were more stable in dipropylene glycol ( dpg ) after aging for 4 weeks at 43 ° c . another observation is that in the initial stage one can detect the characteristic odor of maltol , which is described as a fruity candy - like odor , but on aging for a period of about 2 - 3 weeks this characteristic odor slowly disappears and the bar becomes nearly odorless provided that the bar does not contain added perfume . in the instant invention in a preferred embodiment , a premix is made separately with em and the polyol ; e . g . em is mixed with dpg at 0 . 5 % by wt . level . this pre - mix is added in the base at 0 . 1 - 2 . 0 % level or more as desired in the chip - mixer . the mixed mass is then milled / refined and extruded . the extruded bars are stamped and cartoned / wrapped . the combar toilet bars can be made by mixing the maltol blend with the base and other ingredients in the chip mixer . then the mixed mass can be processed to get the final bar by the method mentioned above . flowable and castable inventive compositions can be made using art recognized and other equivalent techniques . suitable compositions may be made by adding low kraftt point surfactants / structurants / emollients / humectants / solvents , etc ( preferably surfactant kp & lt ; 30 c ) and / or water in a total range of 10 - 30 % by wt ., preferably greater than 10 %, 12 %, 14 , and 15 % by wt . very high levels are preferably avoided in order to minimize the mush factor of the cast melt toilet bar . in a preferred embodiment , a mixture of sodium cocoyl isethionate , and magnesium cocoyl isethionate is structured by using an effective quantity of sodium stearate or 12 hydroxystearic acid in presence of emollients for skin conditioning such as e . g . glycerin , propylene glycol and / or fatty alcohols . these emollients act as solubilizers which are needed to obtain a homogeneous liquid at elevated temperature which on cooling yields a hard bar as determined by its yield stress . optionally a quantity of cosurfactants with krafft point preferably less than 30 c can also be used in the formulations . in addition to the inventive odor masking agent , optional fragrance , sunflower seed oil , scl and mgcl 2 , the remainder of the ingredients are added in a mixer . the mixture is heated to about 90 c and mixed slowly to make a homogeneous liquid . scl and mgcl 2 is added slowly and dissolved at about 100 c . once the mass is homogeneous , the temperature is brought to about 80 c and sunflower seed oil is added slowly with continuous mixing . fragrance is optionally added to the homogeneous mass preferably at about 70 c to avoid fragrance deterioration . this homogeneous off - white liquid is poured into molds . the molds are cooled by suitable cooling techniques or under ambient conditions to obtain solid bars . a ) analytical method for estimating the maltol , ethyl maltol or its derivatives and analogues content of a toilet bar . pyran type odor masking compounds such as maltol and ethyl maltol can be quantified using the following solid phase micro extraction ( spme ) headspace sampling method applied to the toilet bar . a ctc analytics pal automated spme sampling system was used to sample the headspace of bar soap samples . the spme fiber was then desorbed into a gc - ms . the following parameters were used : column : spb - 1 30 m × 0 . 25 mm × 0 . 25 um thickness ( 100 % methyl silicone column obtained from supelco ( belleton , pa .). b ) method for calculation of yield stress with cheese cutter device an approximate value for yield stress can be determined by the cheese cutter method . the principle of the measurement is that a wire penetrating into a material with a constant force will come to rest when the force on the wire due to stress balances the weight . the force balance is : m = mass driving wire ( actual mass used in calculation is the mass placed on the device plus the weight of the arm which adds to the extra weight on the sample ) cut a square of soap and position on the yield stress device . place a mass on the yield stress device while holding the arm . 400 g is an appropriate mass , although less might be needed for a very soft material . gently lower the arm so the wire just touches the soap and let the arm go . stop the vertical motion of the arm after one minute , and push the soap through the wire horizontally to cut a wedge out of the sample . take the mass off the device and then measure the length of the cut in the sample . the wire would continue to cut the soap at a slow rate , but the length of the cut made by the wire in one minute is taken as the final value . measure the temperature of the soap while the test proceeds . a 400 gram weight is used on the yield stress device and a 22 mm slice is measured where the wire has cut the soap after 1 minute . assuming the diameter of the wire is 0 . 6 mm , the approximate yield stress is ( 3 / 8 ) ( 400 + 56 ) [ g ] 9 . 8 [ m / sec 2 ] 10 - 3 [ kg / g ] 22 [ mm ] 0 . 6 [ mm ] 10 - 6 [ m 2 / mm 2 ] = 1 . 3105 pa or 130 kpa optionally an instron testing device ( supplied by instron co ., boston , mass .) may be used instead of a weight to apply stress to the wire contacting the bar . make up a 10 % by wt . solution of surfactant or other sample in water . if needed , heat the system to dissolve the sample completely . transfer the clear solution to a glass test tube . place the test tube in a beaker equipped with a stirrer and filled with sufficient water to evenly cool the surfactant or sample solution . the solution should be cooled with continuous stirring and the temperature should be continuously recorded . note the temperature when the crystallization process begins such that the solution becomes turbid . this temperature is taken as the krafft point . if the crystallization temperature is below room temperature , add ice to the beaker to cool the test tube below room temperature to measure the subambient krafft point . the inventive toilet bar composition ( especially for personal cleansing of the skin and hair ) preferably has a zein solubility of under about 50 , 40 , 30 , and most preferably under about 25 using the zein solubility method set forth below . the lower the zein score , the milder the product is considered to be . this method involves measuring the solubility of zein ( corn protein ) in cleansing base solutions as follows : 0 . 3 g of cleansing base and 29 . 7 g of water at room temperature ( 25 c ). are mixed thoroughly . to this is added 1 . 5 g of zein , and mixed for 1 hour . the mixture is then centrifuged for 30 minutes at 3000 rpm . after centrifugation , the pellet is extracted , washed with water , and dried in a vacuum oven for 24 hours until substantially all the water has evaporated . the weight of the dried pellet is measured and percent zein solubilized is calculated using the following equation : the % zein is further described in the following references : e . gotte , skin compatibility of tensides measured by their capacity for dissolving zein protein , proc . iv international congress of surface active substances , brussels , 1964 , pp 83 - 90 . while this invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments thereof , it is apparent that numerous other forms and modifications of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art . the appended claims and this invention generally should be construed to cover all such obvious forms and modifications which are within the true spirit and scope of the present invention . | 2 |
fig1 schematically illustrates a vehicle seat 1 , with a backrest 4 and a seat part 6 . a pivoting means 13 is connected both to the backrest 4 and to the seat part 6 and has a gearwheel 8 and a tab 10 with a toothing 9 . the backrest 4 can be rotated about a first axis of rotation 5 . in this case , the first axis of rotation 5 is located at a minimum distance from the support surface 15 of the backrest 4 in order to increase the seat comfort of the vehicle seat 1 ( for example with regard to the first axis of rotation 5 possibly pressing through ). in the normal position , the gearwheel 8 is located in a rear stop position 11 of the tab 10 or on a stop 11 . the second axis of rotation 7 which is virtual and is produced by the pivoting means 13 is also illustrated . fig1 furthermore illustrates a further backrest 3 . in this exemplary embodiment , the seat part 6 of the vehicle seat 1 is at the same time also seat part 6 for the further backrest 3 . however , it is also conceivable for the backrest 4 and the further backrest 3 , with in each case separate seat parts 6 , to form a vehicle seat 1 . fig2 shows , schematically , the vehicle seat 1 in an armrest position . by rotation of the backrest — partially about the first axis of rotation 5 and partially about the second axis of rotation 7 — the gearwheel 8 migrates forward along the toothing 9 in the direction of the seat part 6 and therefore leaves the rear stop position 11 of the tab 10 . the tab 10 remains unchanged in its position in this case . in the example , the backrest 4 has no contact with the seat part 6 . a latching means 14 which is intended to prevent inadvertent rotation of the backrest 4 is located in the region of the first axis of rotation 5 . the further backrest 3 which remains upright in the armrest position of the backrest 4 is also illustrated . fig3 illustrates the backrest 4 in the loading position . in this case , the backrest 4 together with the further backrest 3 is rotated about the first axis of rotation 5 until the backrest 4 and the further backrest 3 are in contact with the seat part 6 or are substantially horizontal . the tab 10 pivots forward about the first axis of rotation 5 in the direction of the seat part 6 . the gearwheel 8 remains in the rear stop position 11 in the toothing 9 ( starting from the normal position during a folding - down operation ) or the gearwheel 8 migrates along the toothing 9 to the rear stop position 11 ( starting from the armrest position during a folding - down operation ). fig4 shows , schematically , the backrest 4 in the armrest position , with the further backrest 3 adopting the normal position . the gearwheel 8 also migrates forward here in the direction of the seat part 6 and is located in a front region of the tab 10 . in this exemplary embodiment , the head restraint of the backrest 4 is in contact with the seat part 6 . fig5 illustrates the vehicle seat 1 , with a four - bar mechanism 12 being provided in this example as the pivoting means 13 . the backrest 4 has been rotated and is in the armrest position . the second backrest 3 is illustrated here in a normal position . if the backrest 4 adopts a loading position , the four - bar mechanism is essentially completely extended ( not illustrated ). fig6 shows , schematically , the four - bar mechanism 12 its joint with points a , b , c , d . a first lever is produced between the points a and b , a second lever between the points a and d , a third lever between the points b and c , and a fourth lever between the points c and d . however , the points c and d are fixedly connected rotatably to the backrest 4 . in the normal position and in the armrest position , the points a and b are fixedly connected to the seat part 6 . during a rotation of the backrest from the normal position into the armrest position , the point d moves on a semicircular path around the point a , as illustrated , and at the same time the point c moves on a semicircular path around the point b . by this means , a virtual second axis of rotation 7 is produced approximately at the point shown in fig1 . when the further backrest 3 is folded down from the normal position into the loading position , the entire four - bar mechanism 12 is rotated about the point a which essentially coincides with the first axis of rotation 5 . in this case , the four - bar mechanism remains essentially entirely extended . | 1 |
preferred compounds of the invention are those in which x is -- ch ═ ch --. preferred substituent groups for r 1 are phenyl and substituted phenyl , while preferred groups for r 2 are alkyl or cycloalkyl . phenyl and substituted phenyl groups are preferred for r 3 . as used throughout this specification and the appended claims , the term &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; denotes a branched or unbranched saturated hydrocarbon group derived by the removal of one hydrogen atom from an alkane . the term &# 34 ; lower alkyl &# 34 ; denotes alkyl of from one to four carbon atoms . the term &# 34 ; alkoxy &# 34 ; denotes an alkyl group , as just defined , attached to the parent molecular residue through an oxygen atom . compounds of the present invention are prepared by the general synthetic methods outlined in the following reaction scheme . referring to the reaction scheme , the β - ketoester , represented by ethyl acetoacetate , is condensed with the desired carboxaldehyde , represented by 4 - fluorobenzaldehyde , 1 , to produce the condensation product 2 . this reaction is generally carried out in toluene under reflux with azeotropic removal of water , and in the presence of a base such as piperidine acetate ( formed in situ from piperidine and glacial acetic acid ). ## str6 ## the condensation product , 2 , is further condensed with the desired amidine , represented in the reaction scheme by acetamidine hydrochloride . ureas , thioureas , and guanidines may also be employed in this reaction . the reaction is generally carried out in a high - boiling alcoholic solvent such as n - butanol under reflux in the presence of a base such as triethylamine . the resulting dihydropyrimidine , 3 , is next aromatized to the pyrimidine , 4 , by heating with powdered sulfur for a period of 1 - 3 hours in the absence of a solvent , generally at a temperature of about 130 °- 150 ° c . compound 4 is then reduced by the action of diisobutyl aluminum hydride ( dibal ) in dichloromethane at - 78 ° c . to produce the alcohol , 5 . the alcohol , 5 is then oxidized to the corresponding aldehyde , 6 , by the method of swern ( swern , et al , j . org . chem ., 43 : 2480 ( 1978 )). this reaction is generally carried out in dichloromethane at - 78 ° c . witting reaction of the aldehyde , 6 , with an ylide such as methyl ( triphenylphosphoranylidene ) acetate in methylene chloride at room temperature produces the trans - ester , 7 , in high yield . the ester , 7 , is reduced to the corresponding alcohol , 8 , using two equivalents of diisobutyl aluminum hydride at - 78 ° c . alternatively , the unsaturated ester , 7 , is reduced over pd / c by the action of hydrogen to produce the saturated ester , 9 , which is then reduced by the action of dibal to produce the corresponding alcohol which is then carried forward in the sequence of steps to produce the product having the saturated ethyl bridge ( x = ethylene in generic formula i ). the alcohols , 8 or 10 , are oxidized to the corresponding aldehydes , 11a or 11b , by swern oxidation , followed by an aldol condensation with the sodium lithium dianion of ethyl acetoacatate at - 78 ° c . in tetrahydrofuran ( see kraus , et al , j . org . chem ., 48 : 2111 ( 1983 ) to form the 5 - hydroxy - 3 - oxo - 6 - heptenoic acid esters , 12a , and 12b . the product of this condensation is then reduced in a sequence of steps in which it is first dissolved in a polar solvent such as tetrahydrofuran under a dry atmosphere . a small excess of triethylborane and catalytic amounts of 2 , 2 - dimethylpropanoic acid are next added . the mixture is stirred at room temperature for a short period , after which it is cooled to a temperature preferably between about - 60 ° c . and - 80 ° c . dry methanol is added , followed by sodium borohydride . the mixture is kept at low temperature for 4 - 8 hours before treating it with hydrogen peroxide and ice water . the substituted 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid ethyl esters , 13a and 13b , are isolated having the preferred r * , s * and r * , r * configurations , respectively . the esters , 13a and 13b , may be utilized as such in the pharmaceutical method of this invention , or may be converted , if desired , to the corresponding acid salt forms , such as the sodium salt , employing basic hydrolysis by generally well - known methods . the free acids , produced by neutralization of the sodium salts , can be dehydrated to the lactone , i by heating the acids in an inert solvent such as toluene with concomitant azeotropic removal of water . in the ring - opened dihydroxy acid form , compounds of the present invention react to form salts with pharmaceutically acceptable metal and amine cations formed from organic and inorganic bases . the term &# 34 ; pharmaceutically acceptable metal cation &# 34 ; contemplates positively charged metal ions derived from sodium , potassium , calcium , magnesium , aluminum , iron , zinc and the like . the term &# 34 ; pharmaceutically acceptable amine cation &# 34 ; contemplates the positively charged ions derived from ammonia and organic nitrogenous bases strong enough to form such cations . bases useful for the formation of pharmaceutically acceptable nontoxic base addition salts of compounds of the present invention form a class whose limits are readily understood by those skilled in the art . ( see , for example , berge , et al , &# 34 ; pharmaceutical salts ,&# 34 ; j . pharm . sci ., 66 : 1 - 19 ( 1977 )). the free acid form of the compound may be regenerated from the salt , if desired , by contacting the salt with a dilute aqueous solution of an acid such as hydrochloric acid . the base addition salts may differ from the free acid form of compounds of this invention in such physical characteristics as melting point and solubility in polar solvents , but are considered equivalent to the free acid forms for purposes of this invention . the compounds of this invention can exist in unsolvated as well as solvated forms . in general , the solvated forms , with pharmaceutically acceptable solvents such as water , ethanol , and the like , are equivalent to the unsolvated forms for purposes of this invention . the compounds of this invention are useful as hypocholesterolemic or hypolipidemic agents by virtue of their ability to inhibit the biosynthesis of cholesterol through inhibition of the enzyme 3 - hydroxy - 3 - methyl - glutaryl - coenzyme a reductase ( hmg - coa reductase ). the ability of compounds of the present invention to inhibit the biosynthesis of cholesterol was measured by a method ( designated csi screen ) which utilizes the procedure described by r . e . dugan et al , archiv . biochem . biophys ., ( 1972 ), 152 , 21 - 27 . in this method , the level of hmg - coa enzyme activity in standard laboratory rats is increased by feeding the rats a chow diet containing 5 % cholestyramine for four days , after which the rats are sacrificed . the rat livers are homogenized , and the incorporation of 14c - acetate into nonsaponifiable lipid by the rat liver homogenate is measured . the micromolar concentration of compound required for 50 % inhibition of sterol synthesis over a one - hour period is measured , and expressed as an ic50 value . the activities of several representative examples of compounds in accordance with the present invention appear in table 1 . for preparing pharmaceutical compositions from the compounds described by this invention , inert , pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can be either solid or liquid . solid form preparations include powders , tablets , dispersible granules , capsules , cachets , and suppositories . a solid carrier can be one or more substances which may also act as diluents , flavoring agents , solubilizers , lubricants , suspending agents , binders , or tablet disintegrating agents ; it can also be an encapsulating material . in powders , the carrier is a finely divided solid which is in a mixture with finely divided active compound . in tablets , the active compound is mixed with the carrier having the necessary binding properties in suitable proportions and compacted in the shape and size desired . table 1______________________________________ ## str7 ## csi ic . sub . 50x r . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 r . sub . 3 μmole / liter______________________________________chch 4 - fluoro - ch . sub . 3 phenyl 0 . 15 phenylchch 3 , 5 - dimethyl - ch . sub . 3 phenyl 0 . 22 phenylchch 4 - fluoro - ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 0 . 13 phenyl______________________________________ for preparing suppository preparations , a low - melting wax such as a mixture of fatty - acid glycerides and cocoa butter is first melted , and the active ingredient is dispersed homogeneously therein , as by stirring . the molten homogeneous mixture is then poured into convenient sized molds and allowed to cool and solidify . the powders and tablets preferably contain 5 to about 70 % of the active ingredient . suitable solid carriers are magnesium carbonate , magnesium stearate , talc , sugar , lactose , pectin , dextrin , starch , tragacanth , methyl cellulose , sodium carboxymethyl cellulose , a low - melting wax , cocoa butter , and the like . the term &# 34 ; preparation &# 34 ; is intended to include the formulation of the active compound with encapsulating material as carrier providing a capsule in which the active component ( with or without other carriers ) is surrounded by a carrier , which is thus in association with it . similarly , cachets are included . tablets , powders , cachets , and capsules can be used as solid dosage forms suitable for oral administration . liquid form preparations include solutions , suspensions , and emulsions . as an example may be mentioned water or water - propylene glycol solutions for parenteral injection . liquid preparations can also be formulated in solution in aqueous polyethylene glycol solution . aqueous solutions for oral use can be prepared by dissolving the active component in water and adding suitable colorants , flavoring agents , stabilizers , and thickening agents as desired . aqueous suspensions for oral use can be made by dispersing the finely divided active component in water with viscous material , i . e ., natural or synthetic gums , resins , methyl , cellulose , sodium carboxymethyl cellulose , and other well - known suspending agents . preferably , the pharmaceutical preparation is in unit dosage form . in such form , the preparation is subdivided into unit doses containing appropriate quantities of the active component . the unit dosage form can be a packaged preparation , the package containing discrete quantities of preparation , for example , packeted tablets , capsules , and powders in vials or ampoules . the unit dosage form can also be a capsule , cachet , or tablet itself or it can be the appropriate number of any of these packaged forms . in therapeutic use as hypolipidemic or hypocholesterolemic agents , the compounds utilized in the pharmaceutical method of this invention are administered to the patient at dosage levels of from 40 mg to 600 mg per day . for a normal human adult of approximately 70 kg or body weight , this translates to a dosage of from about 0 . 5 mg / kg to about 8 . 0 mg / kg of body weight per day . the dosages , however , may be varied depending upon the requirements of the patient , the severity of the condition being treated , and the compound being employed . determination of optimum dosages for a particular situation is within the skill of the art . the following examples illustrate particular methods for preparing compounds in accordance with this invention . these examples are illustrative and are not to be read as limiting the scope of the invention as it is defined by the appended claims . preparation of [ r * , s * ( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid and [ 4α , 6β ( e )]- 6 -[ 2 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ] ethenyl ] tetrahydro - 4 - hydroxy - 2h - pyran - 2 - one piperidine ( 4 . 0 ml ) and glacial acetic acid ( 12 ml ) were added to a stirred solution of ethyl acetoacetate ( 127 . 5 ml , 1 . 0 mol ) and 4 - fluorobenzaldehyde ( 136 . 52 g , 1 . 1 mol ) in 200 ml of toluene . this mixture was heated under reflux for four hours with azeotropic removal of water . the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and concentrated . the residue was flash chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with toluene , to produce 226 . 0 g of crude product which was then distilled to yield 186 . 2 g of a mixture of cis - and trans - ethyl 2 -[( 4 - fluorophenyl ) methylene ]- 3 - oxobutanoate , bp 160 °- 170 ° c . at 5 mm hg . proton nmr spectrum ( cdcl 3 ): δ 1 . 0 - 1 . 3 ( triplet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 2 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 4 . 0 - 4 . 3 ( quartet , 2 protons ), and δ 6 . 7 - 7 . 0 ( multiplet , 3 protons ). to a solution of 100 g ( 0 . 42 mol ) of cis - and trans - ethyl 2 -[( 4 - fluorophenyl ) methylene ]- 3 - oxo - butanoate in 700 ml of n - butanol was added , with stirring , 48 . 0 g ( 0 . 502 mol ) of acetamidine hydrochloride and 58 . 3 g ( 0 . 576 mol ) of triethylamine . the resulting mixture was heated under reflux for two hours and then cooled to room temperature and concentrated under vacuum . the residue was partitioned between ethyl acetate and 1m hydrochloric acid solution . the organic layer was extracted with 1m hydrochloric acid solution and the combined acid solutions were washed with diethyl ether and then made basic with saturated potassium carbonate solution . the basic solution was extracted with ethyl acetate , the organic layer filtered and concentrated to yield 75 . 7 g of ethyl 6 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 1 , 6 - dihydro - 2 , 4 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinecarboxylate . proton nmr spectrum ( cdcl 3 ): δ 1 . 0 - 1 . 3 ( triplet , 3 protons ), δ 1 . 8 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 2 ( triplet , 3 protons ), δ 3 . 9 - 4 . 1 ( quartet , 2 protons ), δ 5 . 4 ( singlet , 1 proton ), 6 . 8 - 7 . 4 ( multiplet , 4 protons ), and 8 . 1 - 8 . 4 ( broad singlet , 1 proton ). ethyl 6 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 1 , 6 - dihydro - 2 , 4 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinecarboxylate ( 75 . 7 g , 0 . 274 mol ) and 9 . 67 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of powdered sulfur were heated together at 130 °- 150 ° c . for three and one - half hours . after hydrogen sulfide evolution had ceased , the melt was cooled to room temperature and flash chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with 10 % ethyl acetate / hexane , to yield 48 . 7 g of ethyl 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinecarboxylate . proton nmr spectrum ( cdcl 3 ): δ 1 . 0 ( triplet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 5 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 6 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 4 . 1 ( quartet , 2 protons ), and δ 7 . 5 - 7 . 7 ( multiplet , 2 protons ). to a solution of 46 . 5 g ( 0 . 169 mol ) of ethyl 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinecarboxylate in 500 ml of dichloromethane at - 78 ° c . under nitrogen was added 340 ml of a 1m solution of diisobutylauminum hydride ( 0 . 339 mol ) in dichloromethane . the resulting mixture was stirred at - 78 ° c . for one - half hour and then the reaction was quenched by the addition of a saturated aqueous solution of sodium sulfate ( 48 . 15 g , 0 . 34 mol ). the cooling bath was removed and the mixture was vigorously stirred for twenty minutes and then filtered through celite ®. the filter cake was thoroughly washed with chloroform and the combined filtrate and washings were dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and evaporated to yield 31 . 14 g of 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinemethanol , mp 174 °- 176 ° c . proton nmr spectrum ( cdcl 3 ): δ 2 . 2 ( triplet , 1 proton ), δ 2 . 6 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 65 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 4 . 55 ( doublet , 2 protons ), δ 7 . 0 - 7 . 2 ( multiplet , 2 protons ), and δ 7 . 5 - 7 . 7 ( multiplet , 2 protons ). to a solution of 12 . 9 ml ( 0 . 147 mol ) of oxalyl chloride in 250 ml of dichlormethane at - 78 ° c . under nitrogen was added dropwise , over a period of two minutes , a solution of 21 ml ( 0 . 295 mol ) of dimethylsulfoxide in 20 ml of dichloromethane . 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinemethanol ( 31 . 14 g , 0 . 134 mol ) in 150 ml of dichloromethane and 50 ml of dimethylsulfoxide was added dropwise over a period of twenty - five minutes . the resulting mixture was stirred for an additional twenty minutes at - 78 ° c . and then 93 . 2 ml ( 0 . 67 mol ) of triethylamine was added and the cooling bath was removed . the solution was then allowed to warm to room temperature and 200 ml of a saturated aqueous solution of ammonium chloride was added . the mixture was stirred vigorously , chloroform was added , and the phases separated . the organic layer was washed successively with water and brine solution , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate , filtered , and evaporated to yield 31 . 0 g of 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidine - carboxaldehyde . proton nmr spectrum ( cdcl 3 ): δ 2 . 7 ( singlet , 6 protons ), δ 7 . 0 - 7 . 2 ( multiplet , 2 protons ), δ 7 . 4 - 7 . 6 ( multiplet , 2 protons ), and δ 9 . 9 ( singlet , 1 proton ). 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinecarboxaldehyde ( 31 g , 0 . 134 mol ) and methyl ( triphenylphosphoranylidene ) acetate ( 46 . 6 g , 0 . 139 mol ) in 500 ml of dichlormethane were stirred at room temperature for twenty - four hours . the solution was then concentrated and flash chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with 20 % ethyl acetate / hexane , to give 36 . 3 g of methyl 3 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 2 - propenoate . proton nmr spectrum ( cdcl 3 ): δ 2 . 6 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 7 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 3 . 7 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 5 . 9 ( doublet , 1 proton ), and δ 7 . 0 - 7 . 7 ( multiplet , 5 protons ). to a solution of 30 g ( 0 . 104 mol ) of methyl 3 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 2 - propenoate in 400 ml of dichloromethane at - 78 ° c . under nitrogen was added , in a dropwise manner , 231 ml of a 1m solution of diisobutylaluminum hydride ( 0 . 231 mol ). the resulting solution was stirred at - 78 ° c . for one hour , after which the reaction was quenched by the addition of a saturated solution containing 38 . 0 g ( 0 . 231 mol ) of sodium sulfate . the mixture was stirred vigorously , filtered through celite ®, and the filter cake washed with chloroform . the filtrate and washings were combined , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate , filtered , and evaporated to yield 26 . 6 g of ( e )- 3 -[ 4 -( fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 2 - propen - 1 - ol . proton nmr spectrum ( cdcl 3 ): δ 2 . 5 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 7 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 4 . 0 ( broad multiplet , 2 protons ), δ 5 . 5 - 5 . 8 ( doublet of triplets , 1 proton ), δ 6 . 2 - 6 . 5 ( doublet , 1 proton ), δ 6 . 9 - 7 . 1 ( mulitplet , 2 protons ), and δ 7 . 4 - 7 . 6 ( multiplet , 2 protons ). a solution of oxalyl chloride ( 10 . 3 ml , 0 . 118 mol ) in 40 ml of dichloromethane was cooled to - 78 ° c . under a nitrogen atmosphere . a solution of dimethylsulfoxide ( 16 . 8 ml , 0 . 236 mol ) in 20 ml of dichloromethane was added dropwise with stirring over a period of two minutes . five minutes after addition was complete , a solution of 27 . 72 g ( 0 . 107 mol ) of ( e , uns / e / )- 3 -[ 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 2 - propen - 1 - ol in 100 ml of dichloromethane was added dropwise . this solution was stirred at - 78 ° c . for thirty minutes and then 75 ml ( 0 . 537 mol ) of triethylamine was added and the cooling bath removed . the mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and the reaction was quenched by the addition of 200 ml of saturated ammonium chloride solution . the organic layer was separated and the aqueous layer was extracted with chloroform . the combined organic layers were washed with water and then brine solution , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate , and evaproated to yield 21 . 27 g of ( e )- 3 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 2 - propenal . proton nmr spectrum ( cdcl 3 ): δ 2 . 6 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 7 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 6 . 1 - 6 . 4 ( multiplet , 1 proton ), δ 7 . 0 - 7 . 6 ( multiplet , 5 protons ), and δ 9 . 5 ( doublet , 1 proton ). step 9 -- preparation of [ r * , s * ( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 5 - hydroxy - 3 - oxo - 6 - heptenoic acid , ethyl ester a solution of ethyl acetoacetate ( 11 . 65 ml , 0 . 0914 mol ) in 50 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added dropwise with stirring to a suspension of sodium hydride ( 2 . 39 g , 0 . 0992 mol ) in anhydrous tetrahydro furan at 0 ° c . under nitrogen . the resulting mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for ten minutes , after which n - butyl lithium ( 38 . 1 ml , 2 . 4m solution in tetrahydrofuran , 0 . 0914 mol ) was added dropwise . the resulting orange solution was stirred for an additional ten minutes and then cooled to - 78 ° c . a solution of ( e )- 3 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 2 - propenal ( 21 . 27 g , 0 . 083 mol ) in 100 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added dropwise . the resulting solution was stirred for thirty minutes , and the cooling bath was removed , after which the reaction was quenched by the addition of 12 ml of glacial acetic acid . the pale orange solution was then stirred at room temperature for two hours after which it was partitioned between diethyl ether and water . the organic layer was separated , washed successively with saturated sodium bicarbonate solution , water , and brine soluiton , dried , and evaporated . this yielded 33 . 7 g of [ r * , s * ( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 5 - hydroxy - 3 - oxo - 6 - heptenoic acid , ethyl ester . flash chromatography on silica gel , eluting with 10 % methanol / chloroform yielded 27 . 5 g of pure material . proton nmr spectrum ( cdcl 3 ): δ 1 . 2 ( triplet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 4 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 5 ( doublet , 2 protons ), δ 2 . 6 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 3 . 4 ( singlet , 2 protons ), δ 4 . 1 ( quartet , 2 protons ), δ 4 . 5 ( multiplet , 1 proton ), δ 5 . 5 ( doublet of doublets , 1 proton ), δ 6 . 5 ( doublet , 1 proton ), and δ 6 . 9 - 7 . 5 ( multiplet , 4 protons ). step 9 -- preparation of [ r * , s * ( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid , ethyl ester to a solution of 27 . 5 g ( 0 . 071 mol ) of [ r * , s * ( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 5 - hydroxy - 3 - oxo - 6 - heptenoic acid , ethyl ester and 0 . 73 g ( 0 . 0071 mol ) of pivalic acid in 140 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran under a dry air atmosphere at room temperature was added a 1m solution of triethylborane ( 28 . 4 ml , 0 . 0784 mol ) in a dropwise manner . this solution was stirred for five minutes before 20 ml of air was bubbled through the solution . the mixture was then cooled to - 78 ° c . and 18 ml of methanol and 2 . 96 g ( 0 . 0784 mol ) of sodium borohydride were added . this mixture was stirred at - 78 ° c . for six hours and then poured into 140 ml of ice cold 30 % hydrogen peroxide solution at 0 ° c . this mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then diluted with water and extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic layer was separated , washed extensively with water and brine solution , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and evaporated to yield 25 . 7 g of [ r * , s * ( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid , ethyl ester which was used in the next step without further purification . step 10 -- preparation of [ r * , s * ( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid , and the sodium salt [ r * , s * ( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid , ethyl ester ( 25 . 7 g ) was dissolved in 300 ml of tetrahydrofuran and 30 ml of methanol and 66 . 2 ml of 1m sodium hydroxide solution ( 0 . 0662 mol ) was added in one portion at room temperature . this mixture was stirred for one hour at room temperature and then concentrated under vacuum to yield crude [ r * , s *( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid , sodium salt , melting range 135 °- 150 ° c . the salt was taken up in water , acidified with 6m hydrochloric acid , and the acidic solution extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic layer was washed successively with water and brine solution , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate , and evaporated to yield [ r * , s * ( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid . the [ r * , s * ( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid from step 10 was dissolved in a mixture of 525 ml of toluene and 175 ml of ethyl acetate and the resulting mixture was heated under reflux for five hours with the azeotropic removal of water . the reaction mixture was then cooled to room temperature , concentrated and the residue recrystallized from ethyl acetate to yield 11 . 14 g of [ 4α , 6β ( e )]- 6 -[ 2 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ] ethenyl ] tetrahydro - 4 - hydroxy - 2h - pyran - 2 - one , mp 145 °- 147 ° c . proton nmr spectrum ( cdcl 3 ): δ 1 . 6 - 1 . 9 ( multiplet , 2 protons ), δ 2 . 57 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 6 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 2 . 7 ( singlet , 3 protons ), δ 4 . 3 ( multiplet , 1 proton ), δ 5 . 2 ( multiplet , 1 proton ), δ 5 . 6 ( doublet of doublets , 1 proton ), δ 6 . 6 ( doublet , 1 proton ), δ 7 . 1 - 7 . 3 ( multiplet , 2 protons ), and δ 7 . 5 - 7 . 6 ( multiplet , 2 protons ). infrared spectrum ( kbr pellet ): principal absorption peaks at 3250 , 1737 , 1606 , 1545 , 1511 , 1422 , 1358 , 1230 , 1160 , 1069 , and 1037 cm - 1 . preparation of [ 4α , 6β ( e )]- 6 -[ 2 -[ 4 -( 3 , 5 - dimethylphenyl )- 6 - methyl - 2 - phenyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ] ethenyl ]- tetrahydro - 4 - hydroxy - 2h - pyran - 2 - one and [ r * , s * -( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid employing the general method of example 1 , but employing 3 , 5 - dimethylbenzaldehyde and benzamidine hydrochloride in step 1 , there was obtained ] r * , s * ( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid , as the sodium salt , melting range 214 °- 220 ° c . ( dec ) and [ 4α , 6β ( e )]- 6 -[ 2 -[ 4 -( 3 , 5 - dimethylphenyl )- 6 - methyl - 2 - phenyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- ethenyl ] tetrahydro - 4 - hydroxy - 2h - pyran - 2 - one , mp 145 °- 147 ° c . preparation of [ r * , s * -( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 6 - methyl - 2 - phenyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid and [ 4α , 6β ( e )]- 6 -[ 2 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 6 - methyl - 2 - phenyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ] ethenyl ] tetrahydro - 4 - hydroxy - 2h - pyran - 2 - one employing the general methods of examples 1 , there was obtained [ r * , s * -( e )]- 7 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 6 - methyl - 2 - phenyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 6 - heptenoic acid as the sodium salt , melting range 110 °- 120 ° c . and [ 4α , 6β ( e )]- 6 -[ 2 -[ 4 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 6 - methyl - 2 - phenyl - 5 - pyrimidinyl ]- ethenyl ] tetrahydro - 4 - hydroxy - 2h - pyran - 2 - one , mp 165 °- 167 ° c . | 2 |
a number of improvements to leadless package designs are described below . in the following description , numerous specific details - are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be understood , however , to one skilled in the art , that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details . in other instances , well known process operations have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention . as described in the background section of the application , conventional semiconductor packaging processes result in a package with a plurality of solder - plated contacts exposed on the bottom surface of the package . fig5 a illustrates a compact solder joint 150 that results when the package is mounted to a circuit board attach pad 151 which in turn is part of a printed circuit board 153 . note that in fig5 a a portion of molding material 125 remains adhered to the underside of the contact 109 ( and under the tie bar stub 112 ) after a conventional singulation cut . the tie bar stubs 112 are exposed at the peripheral edges of the package and are substantially co - planer with the package edge 154 . the exposed portion of the tie bar stub 112 does not serve as an attachment point for the leadless lead frame package . thus , the solder joint 150 between the contact 109 and the printed circuit board attach pad 151 is confined to a relatively small area ( i . e ., the area of the contact pad ). although the solder joint 150 of fig5 a works well in a wide variety of application , in some applications it may be desirable to provide better solder joint visibility to better facilitate visual inspection of the solder joints and / or inspection by certain types of inspection machines . a weaker , less visible solder joint results because the molding material 125 partially obscures the joint . as can be appreciated by one skilled in the art , in some circumstances better visual confirmation of the solder joint of a particular package is desirable both for quality assurance and for troubleshooting purposes . referring next to fig5 b , a package in accordance with the present invention will be described . fig5 b illustrates a leadless lead frame package attached to a printed circuit board 153 . in this illustration , the molding material previously attached to the underside of the contact 109 is removed such that the solder joint 152 fills a larger region and is readily visible from the side of the package . one advantage of the present embodiment is that the solder joint 152 may be more easily inspected . whereas the molding material 125 in fig5 a obstructs the view of solder joint 150 , the solder joint 152 of the present invention ( referring to fig5 b ) can readily be seen at the peripheral edge of the package . therefore , the resulting solder joint 152 may be visually inspected for joint integrity . in some applications , the exposed solder joint 152 may also be more easily probed and tested since the solder joint can be readily accessed from the side of the package . for a fixed sized lead frame , this permits the use of somewhat larger solder joints which provides a greater potential mechanical strength to the joint due both to the increased area of attachment between the contact 109 and the landing pad 158 of the printed circuit board and to the increased volume of solder material in solder joint 152 . in other applications , this permits the use of smaller device areas while maintaining the same solder joint footprint , which may be used to facilitate higher density lead frame panels . referring next to fig3 - 4 , 5 b , and 6 b , a method of producing the described packages will be explained . generally , the lead frame panels may be formed and assembled using any appropriate process . by way of example , in a particular embodiment illustrated in fig6 b — a lead frame panel 180 is patterned to define a plurality of device areas and a matrix of tie bars . each device area includes a multiplicity of conductive contacts that are attached to an associated tie bar . during assembly , dice are attached to die attach pads 181 or otherwise positioned within associated device areas ( e . g ., on a support tape if die attach pads are not provided ). the dice are then electrically connected to the contacts ( e . g ., by wire bonding 182 ) and a casing is molded 183 or otherwise provided that encapsulates the die and connectors while leaving the bottom surfaces of the contacts exposed . after the encapsulation has cured 184 , portions of the contacts adjacent to the tie bars are undercut without severing the tie bars 185 . by way of example , the undercutting can be accomplished by a partial depth sawing operation along the tie bars . this undercutting exposes a side and an underside surface of the contacts . the lead frame package is then buffed 186 and solder - plated 187 using industry standard techniques . after the lead frame package has been marked 188 , tested 189 , and singulated 190 it is ready for shipping 191 or attachment to an electronic component as described above . it should be apparent that the primary difference between the present invention , and earlier processes is the addition of the partial cut 185 . this step is generally illustrated in fig3 . in fig3 , a partial sawing operation is illustrated . in this operation , a relatively wide blade 131 is passed along the tie bar axis . the blade 131 removes portions of the encapsulating molding ( see above fig2 c 125 ), the tie bar 111 , and the tie bar stub 112 thereby exposing the side and underside surfaces of adjacent contacts 109 . cleaning the molding material from the contacts 109 and their corresponding side and underside surfaces allows those surfaces to be solder - plated in a subsequent step . in the embodiment shown , a circular saw blade 131 is used , although it should be appreciated that any suitable technique may be used to remove the molding material to expose the contact side and underside surfaces including , but not limited to : grinding , etching , laser cutting , gouging , and other chemical and mechanical techniques . furthermore , the partial sawing operation may be accomplished in single or multiple operational steps . in the described embodiment , the width of the blade 131 is slightly wider than the width of the molding material 125 as shown in fig3 , therefore cleaning the molding material from the contacts 109 and their corresponding side and underside surfaces . the same result may be achieved using narrower blades in successive passes along the tie bar axes . fig4 a illustrates the resultant undercut surfaces from the partial saw pass . the exposed undercut surfaces created by the partial saw pass may now be solder - plated to facilitate attachment to printed circuit boards or other electronic devices . solder plating the exposed surfaces prevents surface oxidation of the contacts 109 that inhibits a reliable solder connection to a printed circuit board or other electronic device . solder plating 140 attaches to all exposed metallic surfaces including the adjacent contacts 109 , the tie bar stub 112 , the tie bar 111 , and the die attach pads 107 . solder plating does not attach to the molding material 125 . once the contacts have been solder - plated , the lead frame panel is ready to be singulated or separated into individual devices . referring to fig4 b , the singulation cut is accomplished by conventional means . in the present embodiment shown , a singulation blade 141 is passed along each tie bar axis on the lead frame panel . singulation removes the tie bar 111 , a portion of the tie stub 112 , and a portion of the molding material 125 leaving exposed molding and contact surfaces discussed below . it should be appreciated that the singulation blade 141 is generally narrower than the blade 131 described above for use in making the undercut . with this arrangement , a gap is created between the side of the contact 109 and the edge of a package , which leaves the outside edges of the contacts 109 , as well as the undersides of the tie bar stubs 112 , exposed prior to solder plating . the ends of the tie bars stubs 112 are also exposed , however , they are not solder - plated . the singulated packages may then be attached to a printed circuit board or other appropriate substrate using standard attachment techniques ( e . g ., soldering ). fig5 b illustrates a finished and singulated leadless lead frame package mounted on a printed circuit board 153 . as seen therein , the solder joint 152 fills an area to the peripheral side of the contact and under the tie bar stub 112 ( which , in the version illustrated in fig5 a , is occupied by the molding material ). this provides a strong , high quality joint that can be readily seen and accessed from the side as described above . it should be apparent that because the area of attachment of the contact 109 has been increased , the size of the landing pad 158 on the printed circuit board may need to be increased a corresponding amount . the larger solder joint 152 provides a more robust connection between the contact 109 and the printed circuit board landing pad 158 as well as a visual inspection point for solder joint integrity and a convenient test site that can be reached by conventional test probes over the prior art . referring next to fig7 a , another embodiment of the present invention will be described . fig7 a is a 3 - dimensional perspective view of a contact 109 having a well 701 created as a result of etching the contact surface 703 . before a die is attached to the lead frame panel as in step 1001 in fig1 , the lead frame panel is selectively etched at the intersection of the contact 109 and the tie bar 111 . etching the contact 109 has the advantage of eliminating a partial cutting step as in step 185 in fig6 b . when the tie bars are etched to reduce their thickness , the simplest approach to forming the wells is to etch the wells at the same time that the tie bars are being etched . it may be appreciated by one skilled in the art that etching may be accomplished by a variety of methods well known in the art . fig7 b is a diagrammatic top view of a pair of contacts 109 having a well 701 as shown in fig7 a . as shown in fig7 b , the well 701 is aligned along the axis of the tie bar 111 , which is part of a lead frame panel . the well 701 is sized such that the well 701 leaves an exposed region on both contacts after the singulation cut . singulation cut - lines 702 demark the portions of the contact 109 and the tie bars 111 that are removed during singulation of the panel . the side wall 705 of the well 701 must be thick enough to withstand taping , encapsulating , and tape removal without collapsing as well as narrow enough to provide a reasonably sized well 701 . further , the leading ed ge 704 of the contact 109 must be accordingly sized to resist collapse during singulation and / or other subsequent manufacturing . in another embodiment , a singulation cut as demarked by the singulation cut - lines 702 leaves a portion of the exposed well continuous side surface 706 and the well bottom surface 707 of the contact 109 as illustrated in fig7 c — a diagrammatic cross sectional side view of an embodiment of the present invention . when the package is ultimately attach ed by soldering to an electronic device , the solder flows to the undercut portions of the contact formed by the well side surface 706 and the well bottom surface 707 resulting in a stronger , more easily inspected and tested joint . in one particular described embodiment , the etching creates an exposed well having an average depth of approximately 0 . 1 mm and an average circumference of approximately 0 . 3 mm . it is desirable in some embodiments to restrict the exposed well to within approximately 0 . 05 mm of the nearest side surface of the contact . it should be appreciated that the shape of the wells may be widely varied . for example , fig8 a - 8c illustrate other suitable well geometries . fig8 a is a diagrammatic top view of a pair of contacts 109 having an ovate shaped well 801 . one advantage of this embodiment is that the undercut region 805 of the contact after singulation , as demarked by the singulation cut - lines 702 , is larger than a similarly sized circle as illustrated in fig7 b . fig8 b , a diagrammatic top view of a pair of contacts 109 having a substantially rectangular shaped well 803 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention . the rectangular shaped well provides an even larger undercut region 806 than a similarly sized ovate well as illustrated in fig8 a with similar advantages . another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig8 c . fig8 c is a diagrammatic top view of a pair of contacts 109 having circular shaped wells 804 . in this embodiment , the contacts 109 are connected to the tie bar 111 by tie bar stubs 112 . here , a smaller well 804 must be etched on each contact 109 to create an exposed region 807 in the resulting semiconductor package . as can be appreciated by one skilled in the art , a variety of well shapes may be achieved by selectively etching the lead frame surface depending on the particular manufacturing requirements . fig9 is a diagrammatic cross sectional side view of a small section of a lead frame panel in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention illustrating the exposed well 701 of the contact 109 protected from encapsulation material 125 prior to a singulation cut as demarked by singulation cut - lines 702 . prior to encapsulation , adhesive tape 801 is adhered to the bottom surface 802 of the lead frame panel . the adhesive tape 801 seals the well 701 thus preventing encapsulating material 125 from filling the void therein . the adhesive tape 801 also serves to ensure the encapsulating material 125 is substantially co - planer with the bottom surface 802 of the lead frame panel . fig1 is a flow chart illustrating a modified packaging process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . note in particular , the first step 1000 wherein a lead frame pattern is provided with etched wells . etching is accomplished by any means common in the art to provide any of a number of shaped wells as described above . it may be appreciated that etching the lead frame pattern eliminates a subsequent partial cut step 185 as illustrated in fig6 b . as a further advantage , well etching may be accomplished at the same time as the lead frame is etched to create device areas , contacts , and tie bars . once the pattern has been provided , packaging of the device follows conventional manufacturing steps 1001 - 1010 as illustrated in fig1 . although only a few embodiments of the invention have been described in detail , it should be understood that the present invention might be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . for example , it should be apparent that the described undercutting may be used with a wide variety of packaging processes and the application of the invention is not limited to the particular packaging processes described . as suggested , a variety of methods may be utilized to accomplish the partial sawing . further , the depth and width of the partial sawing may be widely varied . by way of example , the initial cut may have an average depth of approximately 0 . 125 mm and an average width of approximately greater than 0 . 25 mm . specific depths and widths of the partial saw are dependent on a particular application and are contemplated in this application . in the primary embodiment described , a single sawing pass using a relatively wider blade is used to accomplish the undercutting . however , it should be appreciated that the same effect can be realized using multiple passes of a thinner blade . in the illustrated embodiments , narrower tie bar stubs 112 are used to couple the contacts to narrow tie bars 111 . the narrowed tie bars and tie bar stubs tend to be preferred to minimize the risk of shorting between contacts due to copper ( or other metal ) streaking during sawing . however , the invention may also be used in embodiments where tie bar stubs are not used and / or thicker tie bars are used . in other applications , the tie bar stubs may be the same width ( or wider ) than the contacts providing additional surfaces to which the solder can adhere . moreover , in another embodiment of the present invention the distance between the bottom surface portions of adjacent contacts in adjacent device areas are spaced to no more than approximately 0 . 45 mm . spacing between the contacts is critical because of the partial cut operation . in particular , if the spacing is too narrow , the partial cut operation will remove an excessive amount of contact material thus compromising the electronic and mechanical integrity of the contact . alternatively , if the contact spacing is too wide , then the partial cut operation may remove material only from the tie bar stubs rather than from the contacts . additionally , the size , geometry and placement of the described wells may be widely varied without departing from the spirit of the invention . as suggested above , the wells can be circular , oval , rectangular , square , elongated or any appropriate geometry and the size of the side walls can be varied to meet the needs of a particular embodiment . as suggested above , when it is known that the described process will be used , the lead frame panels may be designed to take advantage of the greater strength solder bonds that are achievable . by way of example , the size of the contact pads that are co - planer with the bottom surface of the package can be reduced while maintaining overall joint strength . the invention may be used in conjunction with any suitable conductive lead frame material . in present applications , copper and copper alloy - 42 are the most common lead frame materials , but the invention may be used in conjunction with lead frames made from other materials , including aluminum and other metals . a number of conventional package processing techniques have been described as being used to accomplish specific steps in the formation of the described devices . it should be apparent that in most cases these processing techniques can be widely varied and a wide variety of alternative conventional processes may be used in their place . accordingly , the present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive , and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein , but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
fig1 a – 1 b illustrate the formation of an electronic component 10 that includes an airdome enclosure according to the present teachings . the airdome enclosure of the electronic component 10 protects the electronic component 10 and forms a set of air spaces 29 and 30 that provide electrical isolation among the subcomponents of the electronic component 10 . the relatively low dielectric constant associated with the air in the air spaces 29 and 30 hinder the formation of undesirable parasitic capacitances among the subcomponents of the electronic component 10 . the electronic component 10 is formed onto a substrate 11 . example materials for the substrate 11 include silicon and gallium - arsenide . other substrate materials include metal , plastic , circuit board materials , organic film , etc . the electronic component 10 includes a series of layers deposited onto the substrate 11 . the layer materials deposited onto the substrate 11 may be selected and patterned into the particular subcomponents for the electronic component 10 . for example , the layers may be deposited and patterned to form transistor subcomponents , capacitor subcomponents , resistor subcomponents , etc ., depending on the particular design of the electronic component 10 . the materials of these layers may include any combination of metal and dielectric materials . in one embodiment , the series of layers deposited onto the substrate 11 include a first , a second , and a third metal layer . example methods for forming the metal layers include evaporation , sputtering , and plating . the first metal layer is patterned into a set of metal structures 12 , 13 , and 14 . the second metal layer is patterned into a set of metal structures 15 and 16 . a dielectric material is deposited over the metal structures 12 – 16 and patterned to form what will be the air spaces 29 and 30 and then the third metal layer is deposited over the dielectric material that covers the metal structures 12 – 16 . the third metal layer is then patterned into a set of metal structures 17 , 18 , and 19 . the dielectric material is then removed to reveal the air spaces 29 and 30 . the dielectric material deposited over the metal structures 12 – 16 and patterned to form what will be the air spaces 29 and 30 may be a photo - resist or some other type of dielectric material . the patterning of the third metal layer forms a ledge 20 on the structure 17 and a ledge 21 on the structure 18 with an air gap 40 in between the ledges 20 and 21 . the patterning of the third metal layer also forms a ledge 22 on the structure 18 and a ledge 23 on the structure 19 with an air gap 42 in between the ledges 22 and 23 . the air gaps 40 – 42 may be formed to the most narrow possible gap width given the process technology used to form the electronic component 10 . in one embodiment , the width of each air gap 40 – 42 is between 1 and 3 microns . a dielectric overcoat is then deposited onto the electronic component 10 to form a set of dielectric films 26 – 28 . the dielectric films 26 – 28 form a seal 70 in the air gap 40 and a seal 72 in the air gap 42 but do not fill in the air spaces 29 – 30 . example materials for the dielectric overcoat include silicon - dioxide , silicon - nitride , or a combination of silicon - dioxide and silicon - nitride , a plastic molding compound , or an organic molding compound . the dielectric overcoat may be deposited using a dry process in which a gas reaction is used to form the dielectric material . the dielectric overcoat may be deposited using a wet process in which a liquid form of glass is applied and then heated . the dielectric overcoat may be formed by depositing an organic film followed by a curing step . the width and / or shapes of the air gaps 40 – 42 may be selected to allow the dielectric overcoat to form the seals 70 – 72 while preventing the dielectric overcoat from entering and filling the air spaces 29 and 30 . the widths and / or shapes of the air gaps 40 – 42 may be selected in response to the viscosity of the dielectric overcoat during deposition and / or the process temperature during deposition . the air spaces 29 and 30 may be filled with a air or low pressure gases during the deposition of the dielectric overcoat . fig2 is a cut - away perspective view of the electronic component 10 that shows a set of dielectric regions 50 – 52 of the dielectric overcoat that form seals in the air gaps 40 – 42 . this view also shows a set of dielectric regions 60 – 64 that form seals in openings on the top of the metal structure 18 . the openings on the top of the metal structure 18 may be formed during cleanout of process material . fig3 shows an embodiment in which the third metal layer includes a pair of valleys 80 – 82 . the valleys 80 – 82 are shaped so as to impede the movement of dielectric material through the air gaps 40 – 42 into the air spaces 29 and 30 during formation of the dielectric overcoat . as before , the dielectric material underneath the third metal layer is removed after patterning of the air gaps 40 – 42 to reveal the air spaces 29 and 30 . the valleys 80 – 82 may be shaped by shaping the dielectric material , e . g . a photo - resist , underneath the third metal layer . for example , the v - shaped dips of the valleys 80 – 82 may be formed with a photo - masking step and exposure of the photo - resist . alternatively , a single photo - mask may be employed with specially designed aperture patterns using opc ( optical proximity correction ) algorithms . if a dielectric material is used underneath the third metal layer then that dielectric material may be subjected to a second photo - masking and etching to produce the v - shaped dips for the valleys 80 – 82 . an airdome enclosure according to the present techniques may be used in any type of electronic component including active components and passive components . in addition , an airdome enclosure according to the present techniques may be used for any component , electronic or otherwise , that may benefit from the protection provided from an external environment . the foregoing detailed description of the present invention is provided for the purposes of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiment disclosed . accordingly , the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
in the present invention , the participation process for players of a game requires providing at least two options to a participant ( or player ) for his selection . these two options relate possible and potential outcomes of an event on which the player is predicting or betting upon . as such , this keeps the game simple by having the participant to simply select a choice from a small handful of choices ( normally two , in this case ). there may be any number of choices that may be made available to a player , for example two , three , four etc . each player will be provided with a unique user id . this user id will allow the system to identify the player and may be the player &# 39 ; s facebook account ( or other social media accounts e . g . twitter , instagram , etc . ), email address , mobile phone number or the like . the system then receives and obtains the selection made from the player and the system then issues an identifier that is unique to that player . in other words , the player will have to choose one answer in those options / choices made available to him . once he has done so , the system automatically and randomly assigned him an identifier that is unique to that entry made by the player . if the player wishes to make another selection , he can play the game multiply times , in which case , each entry ( or choice made by him ) will assign him a unique identifier . as such , if he has multiple entries , he will be assigned multiple identifiers — each identifier unique to each entry . the unique identifier is obtained from a set of identifiers representing possible values associated with the outcome of the event . the winner is then determined by comparing the outcome of the event with the player &# 39 ; s identifier value . in a preferred embodiment , the identifier is automatically and randomly assigned to the participant . the set of identifiers represent all possible values that are associated with the outcome of the event , the event being the subject of the question . for example , returning to the example question —“ will apple stock price closed above usd500 or below usd500 on the 8 aug . 2013 ?”. the possible identifiers may be all values from usd400 to usd600 . the total number of identifiers may be set and pre - determined by the game organiser or developer . if a player selects the option “ below usd500 ”, then the system will automatically and randomly assign him an identifier from the set of identifiers that are below usd500 , i . e . between usd400 to usd499 . likewise , if a player selects the option “ above usd500 ”, then the system will automatically and randomly assign him an identifier from the set of identifiers that are above usd500 , i . e . between usd501 and usd600 . the introduction of the unique identifier speeds up the process of identifying the winner or winners automatically in a prediction game ( when the result is released ). in an embodiment of the present invention , the unique identifier is randomly issued to the player by the system . preferably , any data processing module known to the skilled person will be able to carry out this function . the identifiers may be arranged in a table consisting of rows and columns . this feature allows the position of the specific winner or winners to be identified and communicated using rows and columns . additionally , the rows and columns method of arranging the cells allow the additional patterns of further other winners ( for example , consolation prize winners ) to be specifically defined during the setup stage . fig1 shows an example of how the identifiers are arranged in rows and columns , for example in the form of a table . with reference to fig1 , the identifiers will be populated from the left to the right , starting from the top left - most cell . if there are too many identifiers and their numbers run into the thousands , then the rows and columns may be spread over a few pages . in the example provided in fig1 , a board could be made up of 10 columns × 9 rows which equates to go identifiers per board . and if there are 900 identifiers allow for each choice , then there will be 900 / 100 = 10 boards needed to display the identifiers . if one page displays a board , then 10 pages will be needed to display 10 boards . the “ row and column ” arrangement allows for the quick identification of the winner and / or consolation prize winners . this will be described in greater detail below . the winner of the game / contest is identified once the outcome of the event is known . this is done by comparing the outcome of the event with the player &# 39 ; s identifier to determine if he wins the game . as mentioned earlier , a player can have more than one identifier in the event where he plays the game more than once . in other words , a player gets more than one identifier when he makes more than one selection . each selection will offer him a unique identifier . this increases the player &# 39 ; s chances of winning the game . returning to the example question —“ will apple stock price closed above usd500 or below usd500 on the 8 aug . 2013 ?”. if the outcome of the event is below usd500 , then all the players who made the selection “ below usd500 ” stand a chance to win the game . the winner is identified almost instantaneously by comparing the actually closing price of the stock to his unique identifier . this means that if the closing price is usd450 , then the player with the unique identifier 450 wins the game . the present invention obviates the requirement for a further draw to pick a winner from those players who selected the option that represents the winning outcome . the identifiers may be configured in any way that suits the possible outcomes of the event . different decimal places ( and other formats ) may also be provided ( this will be described in detail below ). its numbers may also be determined in order to restrict or allow the number of participants in any given game . in addition to one winner , the system may also provide for the selection of consolation winners . this will be described in detail below . the following example further illustrates the system and method of playing the game according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig2 shows a flow chart showing a summary of the system and method . the organiser of the game will initiate a new game by setting up a new question 100 . the question will be one which asks players ( i . e . participants to the game ) to make a prediction . for example , any one of the following questions may be asked : 1 . “ what is the close price of apple stock on the 8 oct . 2013 ?” the organizer will then set up various dates 105 . this allows the organizer to set the starting / closing dates of the game . in an embodiment of the invention , the game may be a contest . as such , the organiser will have to set the start / close dates for players to participate in the competition by answering the question via making a selection . the closing date may be the same as the date for the release of the results of the contest . since the identifiers are automatically allocated by the system , the system is opened for participation up to the last second before the result is released . automatic and random assigning of identifiers by the system would also mean that no participant needs to wait until the last minute prior to closing of the contest to make his selection . this means that making the selection early on or later during the contest would have no impact on his chances of winning . the game may be played in an online internet environment . for example , the game may be offered to players via social network platforms such as facebook ® and the like . in a preferred embodiment , the system may extract profiles of the players , for example profile pictures . the rules of the game will also be explained and provided to players 110 . the rules include instructions to participants on how to play the game , including providing information on the “ game type ” ( for example , the total number of winners that will be decided upon ) and what the identifiers represent and hence how the winner or winners are identified using the identifiers . at least two options ( or choices ) may be provided to each player for the players &# 39 ; selection 115 . these options relate to potential outcomes of an event associated with the question asked . with reference to the above three questions , the following options may be available to those questions : in the above examples , only two options are presented to the players . there may be no limitation to the number of options that may be presented to the players . upon making a selection , the system will issue an identifier to that player . further , the organizer may also indicate the “ game type ” that may be available to the players : fig3 shows a flow chart to illustrate how an organizer generates the set of identifiers that will be assigned or issued to the player . for each option ( possible outcomes ) presented to the players , each option will have its respective set of identifiers . as such , for each option , a starting identifier number will first be provided 205 and the order of increment ( or decline as the case may be ) is then provided 210 . the total number of identifiers to generate is also provided 215 and this will result in the generation of the entire set of numbers that will be available to players . at the start of the game , a player may be asked to sign in at a graphical user interface or web page in an online environment as set up by the organizer . the player may sign up using his mobile phone number or email address , or social media accounts , for example facebook ® account . this allows the organizer to recognize the player and possibly extract certain useful personal particulars of the player , including the player &# 39 ; s profile picture . when an identifier is assigned to a player , the profile picture of the player may be posted in that position in the set of identifiers ( in this case , a table of identifiers ) at that location where the identifier is placed in the set / table . fig4 illustrates how the winner is determined . the set of identifiers represents possible values associated with the outcome of the event . once the event is over , the identifier that represents the outcome of the event will be the winning identifier . the player with that winning identifier is identified as the winner of the game . this will be further illustrated below . in an embodiment of the invention , the organizer can manually enter and input the result ( for example , the closing price of the stock ) into the system . the system will trigger an algorithm to check if there is or are any specific winner by performing the following steps : ( a ) check for the identifier that tallies with the result value entered ; a . if the identifier has not been issued , then there is no winner in the game , b . if the identifier has been issued to a player , then the player who was assigned that identifier wins the game ; the winner or winners may be notified via email . if there are no winners , then no action needs to be taken . there will be no winner if there is no player that was issued that winning identifier . the system &# 39 ; s algorithm will further check if the game allows for additional winners , in particular consolation winners . consolation prize winners may be identified with reference to the winner of the game . as the unique identifier may be created automatically by the system via a random algorithm , some players will be allocated an identifier that may have a high chance of winning while others will be allocated an identifier that has little or no chance of winning . for a game to have consolation prize winners , the organiser of the gamer will need to select from a list of possible options , in particular possible patterns on the table of identifiers to identify the additional winners . the at least one consolation winner can be determined by comparing the identifier of the at least one consolation winner with reference to the identifier of the winner . in an embodiment of the invention , since the identifiers may be arranged in a table , the identifier of the at least one consolation winner is proximate to the identifier of the winner in the table of identifiers . by “ proximate ”, and with reference to the comparison between identifiers of consolation winners and identifiers of the winner , it is meant to include identifiers of the consolation winners that are close to the identifier of the winner . fig5 ( a ) to ( f ) show the various examples where consolation prize winners may be identified . in fig5 ( a ), all the identifiers surrounding the winning identifier may be considered the consolation prize winners . in fig5 ( b ), alternate identifiers may be considered the consolation prize winners . alternatively , as shown in fig5 ( c ) to ( e ) entire row or column or table may be identified as consolation prize winners . fig5 ( f ) shows a further alternative to the selection and identification of consolation prize winners . in fig5 ( f ), the consolation winners are identified based on the “ day high closed ” value and the “ day low closed ” value . in this example shown , there are only two consolation winners — the identifier that represents the highest stock price and the identifier that represents the lowest stock price recorded within the day . as such , consolation prize winners can be determined from the start of the game by pre - determining the selection of identifiers that correspond to alternative outcomes of the event . in these examples , additional consolation prize winners may only be identified if there is a winner in the game . fig6 ( a ) to ( c ) show pictorial summaries of an example of a game according to an embodiment of the present invention . the pictorial summaries may be a graphical user interface of the present system . in this example , the prediction question posed to players is “ will apple stock price close above us $ 500 or below us $ 500 on the 8 oct . 2013 ” 600 and the two options (“ above ” or “ below ”) 605 are provided to players for selection . fig6 ( b ) shows the two separate set of identifiers 610 a , 610 b associated with either option 610 ( a )/ 610 ( b ) from which an identifier is issued to each player . fig6 ( c ) shows the identification of the winner . fig7 ( a ) to ( c ) show pictorial summaries of an example of a game according to another embodiment of the present invention . the pictorial summaries may be a graphical user interface of the present system . in this example , the prediction question posed to players is “ who will win the coming france presidential elections ” 700 and options of sarkozy and hollande 705 are provided to players for selection . fig7 ( b ) shows the set of identifiers 710 from which an identifier is issued to each player . fig7 ( c ) shows the identification of the winner . fig8 ( a ) to ( c ) show pictorial summaries of an example of a game according to another embodiment of the present invention . the pictorial summaries may be a graphical user interface of the present system . in this example , the prediction question posed to players is “ who will win this friday soccer match ?” 800 and options of chelsea and liverpool 805 are provided to players for selection . fig8 ( b ) shows the set of identifiers 810 from which an identifier is issued to each player . fig8 ( c ) shows the identification of the winner . whilst there has been described in the foregoing description preferred embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood by those skilled in the technology concerned that many variations or modifications in details of design or construction may be made without departing from the present invention . | 0 |
to aid in the understanding of this disclosure the following definitions are provided : analytical geoquery language ( agl ): a language used to express a series of steps for creating a geovisualization , analysis , and or general computation . agl interpreter : a computer program that takes as input a valid agl program and produces the ( possibly geovisual ) result of that program . agl program : a syntactically and semantically correct set of statements to perform a function using agl . spatial information : data which is associated with any type of coordinate information or a coordinate itself . visualization machine : an computation entity used to define and describe the geovisual capabilities required to generate any geovisualization described by a valid agl program . visualization program : a program that takes data as input and renders the result in the form of pictures and other information rather than merely text . visualization adapter : a program that purports to be a visualization machine and maps the required abstract capabilities onto the specific actual capabilities of real visualization programs . visualizer : a program or environment capable of creating visual representations of information . the instant disclosure describes various embodiments of methods and systems for interacting with one or more geospatial data servers . in fact , more than one geospatial data server and other external data sources may be queried concurrently to present a geovisual representation in response to the single query . while the embodiments below describe coordinate space in the context of the planet earth , it should be noted that the following disclosure is applicable to any theoretical space ( e . g ., another planet or a subset of earth &# 39 ; s real space , e . g ., a city or a server room relative to a corporate computer network ). in one embodiment , an agl interpretation layer provides a capability within the data injection frameworks of one or more geovisualization applications for new predicates to be created and applied unpredictably at runtime thereby allowing a user to produce the desired view without having to restart a user session or re - enter the entire and possibly complex query . in another embodiment , an agl interpreter can simultaneously translate a user request for information into the proper data injection technique of more than one geovisualization application and render the result of a single request in both applications . in yet another embodiment , the agl interpreter can interact with other data processing capabilities such as , but not limited to , external web pages , web services , simulation engines , and database repositories . a single agl expression could be deployed across each of the supported geovisualization environments simultaneously . thus , agl interpretation provides a “ write once , render anywhere ” capability . referring now to fig1 , a system 100 is shown in which an example agl session may be implemented . input from a user ( 121 ) at an input and visualization device ( 120 ) or a user initiated application ( not shown ) is received at block 110 . translation engine ( 130 ) performs the interpretation process 200 , described below , and possibly other processing . translation engine ( 130 ) may reference internal data ( 131 ) or request other informational data ( e . g ., across a network ) from an external data source ( 140 ). this external data source may include informational data , such as , an faa web page listing flight delays for a particular region or airport . after translation , the user query is sent to one or more geospatial data servers ( 150 and 160 ) which return a visual result to the display of the user input and visualization station ( 120 ). note that each of the one or more geospatial data servers ( 150 and 160 ) may require one or more particular visualization adapters ( 135 or 136 ) which act in an analogous manner to a plug - in for a web browser ( i . e ., they translate a common formatted input into the format required for a particular geospatial data server ). also note that , the result may be displayed on a separate visualization device from where the user ( 121 ) input the request , as shown with display 125 . further , explaining by way of a non limiting example with example pseudo code for explanatory purposes , system 100 may be used by a marketing team to investigate the performance of a particular advertisement and sales campaign . consider a retail store wanting to determine if an expansion in a billboard advertisement program is required , and if so , the actual location to place more billboards . as each patron pays their bill , the cashier requests the patron &# 39 ; s phone number . the phone number may also be indexed against a reverse phone directory to determine the home address of each patron . the phone number , home address , and purchase data information may be stored in a data store such as a database ( e . g ., external data source 140 ). the agl user 121 may later query the system 100 and obtain a geovisual plot of all locations that generated a purchase and the locations of existing billboards . this geovisual plot may provide much more intuitive information than a tabular representation of the same data . this is because the user will be able to visualize on the surface of the earth the actual locations of purchasing customers relative to existing billboards . using dynamic predicates this user may then refine the geovisual plot with an analytical filter to display a pie chart for each zip code representing the percentage of purchases over a certain dollar amount . & gt ; foreach ( zip z in customerzipstxdistinct ) chart ( count from junesalestx where customerhomeaddress . zipcode = z and invoiceamount & gt ; 50 . 00 , count from junesalestx where customerhomeaddress . zipcode = z , z ); next , the user may further refine the geovisual plot to display a median location based on both zip codes and dollar amounts to determine a preferred location for the next billboard or alternatively determine that some billboards are not generating any sales . if the median location is determined to be too close to an existing billboard location the user may restrict the data to exclude all purchases from a particular area to knowingly alter the median by changing a single set of input data while keeping all other available data in an unbiased manner . furthermore , all of these steps may be performed in a single user session utilizing dynamic predicates . the results are displayed to a user in a geospatial context . thus , these results may be more intuitive regarding both refinement decisions and determining where the best potential location of a new billboard might be . referring now to fig2 a diagram of process ( 200 ) is shown to generally describe the acts performed by the “ translation engine ” when processing a user &# 39 ; s query . process 200 is described based on an embodiment utilizing an interpretation technique for clarity . however , it should be understood that other techniques generally known to those of skill in the art ( e . g ., source to source compilation , cross compilation , etc . could also be used ). furthermore , these other techniques can also be considered a special case of the more general interpretation technique . process 200 is an iterative process . that is , for a single visualization result to be rendered for presentation to a user several iterations of process 200 may be required . the iterative nature is shown by the dotted line ( 270 ) connecting the termination point ( 260 ) to the starting point ( 210 ) of process 200 . the number of iterations may be dependent upon how a user structures the agl program text ( 210 ). for a given visualization it may be possible for a user to describe the entire visualization in one “ hunk ” of agl text represented at the start of the program or a user may elect to describe the visualization using several distinct “ hunks ” of program text that are fed sequentially to the translation engine to converge upon a visualization . process 200 begins with block 210 when the agl text program ( or program hunk ) that is given to the translation engine as input from a user . next , at block 215 , lexing is performed . lexing is the process of carving the program text into individual words ( called lexemes ) and establishing each lexeme &# 39 ; s roles within the text . lexing is somewhat similar to diagramming a sentence from a natural language . next , flow continues to block 220 where parsing is performed . parsing is the process of examining the lexemes and ensuring they conform to the grammar of the agl language ( formally , the context free grammar ). next , flow continues to block 225 to generate an intermediary representation . this is the process of changing the input from a text oriented representation into a more data structure driven representation in order to make computational analysis and interpretation easier . after the intermediary representation has been generated , a context sensitive analysis is performed at block 230 . this is the process of verifying that the semantics of the program are logical . for example , there are many grammatically valid english sentences that are nonsensical , e . g . “ the dog bit his wing .” grammatically valid , but illogical since dogs do not have wings . the goal of context sensitive analysis ( csa ) is to detect similar types of errors in program text — for example invoking a three argument function but only passing two arguments . at block 235 optimization may be performed . optimization is the process of transforming the intermediary representation into a new semantically equivalent intermediary representation that is in some way more desirable than the former representation . interpretation is performed at block 240 and is the process of examining the program in intermediary representation form and computing the result of that program . during interpretation , zero or more of the sub processes of blocks 245 , 250 or 255 may occur . block 245 represents “ environmental modification / retrieval ” which is the process of representing and retrieving the state of an ongoing program . this state may influence the result of the current program hunk or future program hunks . for example , if the agl program hunk where “ num j = 3 ;” this is the part of the system that tracks the assignment of j to three and also provides the value of j to future uses of j in the current or upcoming program hunks . block 250 represents “ adaptation ” which is the process of outputting a visualization element to one of the “ geospatial data servers .” in the example of nasa world wind this could be the act of drawing a point or line on the screen , or in the case of google maps , adding a new line of javascript code to a file on disk . block 255 represents “ input / output ” which is the process of showing non visualization results , e . g . textual components , to a user or other types of interaction such as but not limited to , user interaction , web services requests , socket connections , etc . after interpretation is completed flow continues to block 260 where another iteration may be performed . agl may also be used to provide for persistent queries where the visualization is updated periodically either via a timer or based on changes in the underlying data . agl may further be used to provide delta visualization of data changes between different points in time . agl may still further be used to provide analytical capability such as rendering of a pie chart or histogram associated with the geospatial data being visualized , derived from geospatial data or data generated by the environment itself . the description above is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention as claimed and is provided in the context of the particular examples discussed above , variations of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the claims appended hereto are not intended to be limited by the disclosed embodiments , but are to be accorded their widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . also , the foregoing examples have been presented in the context of a human generating the dynamic queries allowed within agl . it is also possible for a computer program to utilize this same dynamic interface . one of skill in the art , given the benefit of this disclosure , will recognize that the inventive nature of this disclosure is not limited to the airline industry . other examples of industries and uses include but are not limited to : marketing where agl could study the effectiveness of advertising campaigns in different geographies ; environmental impact monitoring where agl could visualize which operational centers are impacted by a weather event ; health monitoring where agl could be used to visualize health impacts based on pollution reports or clinical diagnostic reports ; travel by providing visualization of regional content ( e . g ., all gas stations within 15 miles with unleaded less than $ 3 . 90 ); realty where agl could visualize house searching information based on purchase criteria ; etc . various changes in the details of the illustrated operational methods are possible without departing from the scope of the following claims . for instance , illustrative interpretation process 200 may perform the identified steps in an order different from that disclosed here . alternatively , some embodiments may combine the activities described herein as being separate steps . similarly , one or more of the described steps may be omitted , depending upon the specific operational environment the method is being implemented in . in addition , acts in accordance with fig1 and 2 may be performed by a programmable control device executing instructions organized into one or more program modules . a programmable control device may be a single computer processor , a special purpose processor ( e . g ., a digital signal processor , “ dsp ”), a plurality of processors coupled by a communications link or a custom designed state machine . custom designed state machines may be embodied in a hardware device such as an integrated circuit including , but not limited to , application specific integrated circuits (“ asics ”) or field programmable gate array (“ fpgas ”). storage devices for persistently storing information , sometimes referred to as computer readable medium , suitable for tangibly embodying program instructions include , but are not limited to : magnetic disks ( fixed , floppy , and removable ) and tape ; optical media such as cd - roms and digital video disks (“ dvds ”); and semiconductor memory devices such as electrically programmable read - only memory (“ eprom ”), electrically erasable programmable read - only memory (“ eeprom ”), programmable gate arrays and flash devices . | 6 |
the core of the composite panel of the present invention comprises a thermoplastic material . a thermoplastic material must be chosen which , when exposed to flames , does not form droplets but rather tends to form a compact crust . suitable thermoplastic may include olefinic thermoplastic polymers such as polyethylene , polypropylene and the like . in accordance with the present invention , the thermoplastic core should be in the form of a foamed thermoplastic core rather than a compact core . the preferred thermoplastic material is a rigid pvc ( polyvinylchloride ) without plasticizers . the pvc core is less flammable than polyethylene which is normally used in the prior art . by foaming the pvc the density thereof can be lowered thereby allowing for easy forming of the composite panel as will be explained hereinbelow . the preferred thickness of the thermoplastic core is from 1 to 10 mm . in order to improve the fire resistant properties of the composite panel , inorganic filling powder is added to the plastic core material . suitable inorganic powders include metallic oxides and / or hydroxides . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , a mixture of sb 2 o 3 and al ( oh ) 3 in proportion of weight of from 1 : 3 to 1 : 5 and preferably about 3 : 10 is preferred . the total inorganic powder addition should be in the range of from 7 to 20 % by weight and preferably about 13 % by weight of the weight of the pvc so as to increase the index of oxygen as will be expounded on hereinbelow . the particle size of the sb 2 o 3 and al ( oh ) 3 ranges from about 0 . 2 to 10 microns . the al ( oh ) 3 particles are coated with 2 % by weight with respect to the al ( oh ) 3 of stearic acid . the stearic coating aids in providing a good homogeneous distribution of the al ( oh ) 3 and also of the sb 2 o 3 in the pvc . as noted above , the composite panel of the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a foamed thermoplastic core and therefore a blowing agent is employed in the manufacture of the foamed core material . the preferred blowing agent employed for the preferred thermoplastic core of pvc leads to a foamed core having fine pores dispersed therein , the pores containing a non - combustable gas mixture of 55 % n 2 , 15 % co 2 , 15 % co and 15 % nh 3 . by coating the foamed core with the impervious metallic layers the gas mixture remains in the foamed core and since said mixture is a non - combustible gas it improves the fire resistance of the rigid pvc . it should be appreciated that other non - combustable gas blowing agents may be employed . by applying the blowing agent the density of the pvc is reduced from 1 . 4 g / cm 3 in its homogeneous compact condition to a density of 0 . 8 g / cm 3 in its foamed condition when pulverized with 13 % by weight sb 2 o 3 and al ( oh ) 3 . the reduction in the density of the core material results in an increase in the specific stiffness of the composite panel thereby allowing the panel to be readily shaped at room temperature . the density is preferably in the range of from 0 . 5 to 1 . 2 g / cm 2 . as can be seen in fig1 the gas bubbles produced by the blowing agent are distributed in a homogeneous manner in the rigid pvc core . the gas bubbles are situated under a thin layer of pvc and do not appear as crevices or pits on the surface of the pvc core . this even distribution of the gas bubbles is achieved by means of a direct intensive cooling of the extruded pvc strip at the end of the extrusion die , for example screw extruders and subsequent smooth rolls . the smooth external surfaces of the foamed core is important in that it allows for good adherence between the core and the metallic cover layers with only a thin , evenly distributed layer of adhesive of about 15 microns . a thin evenly distributed layer of adhesive is important in the overall flame behavior of the composite because , as pointed out above with regard to the prior art , the adhesive itself may lead to combustion . the adhesives used to bond the plastic core to the metallic layers must not , when exposed to heat , become soft so that there is no shear strength at the interface between the core layer and the covering layers . if softening occurs the core will be able to slip out from between the cover layers and expose the adhesive to the fire . furthermore , adhesives which do not contribute to the fire must be chosen , for example adhesives which are not easily combustible or are not very exothermic in burning . besides the usual two component adhesives based on epoxy - resin and / or polyurethane , thermoplastic fusion adhesives of good heat resistance are used , for example a copolymer or graft polymer of olefin containing 70 - 90 weight percent ethylene or propylene , 3 - 9 % of an aliphatic unsaturated c 3 to c 5 carbonic acid and 1 - 20 % of a c 1 to c 8 alkylic ester of an aliphatic unsaturated c 3 to c 5 carbonic acid is preferred . a further preferred adhesive comprises vinyl - resin , acrylic - resin and epoxy - resin which is applied in an organic solution . the adhesive layer may have a thickness of from 5 to 100 microns , preferably 10 to 20 microns and ideally about 15 microns . the metallic covering layers are preferably made of aluminum , copper , iron or an alloy based on one of these metals , the thickness of the strips used being 0 . 1 - 2 mm . the process for surface treatment of al cover layers and application of the adhesive is as follows . the al cover layers are degreased by means of an alkaline degreasing agent . in order to improve the weather resistance of the strips they are treated with an aqueous solution of chromates and phosphates . the strips are then rinsed and dried and the side of the strip which is to be laminated to the core is coated with a priming layer of 2 . 5 g / m 2 of a solution of mixed polymer vinylchloride and vinylacetate . an adhesive having a dry thickness of about 15 microns comprising vinyl - resin , acrylic - resin and epoxy - resin is applied in an organic solution to the strip . the adhesive is dried in a run - through air floater oven and the outside of the composite is simultaneously lacquered . the production of the composite is a continuous process . the extruded and calibrated core of foamed rigid pvc with the additives mentioned is laminated on both sides with the al - strip , pretreated with adhesive and decorative lacquer , in a laminater . the composite panels of the present invention have superior flammability properties when compared to composites heretofore known while remaining readily formable at room temperature . according to the ubc and the nfpa codes the composite panels of the present invention rate as class i and class a materials respectively . both the sb 2 o 3 and al ( oh ) 3 additives as well as a foamed core , preferably of pvc , account for the superior properties of the present invention . the sb 2 o 3 and al ( oh ) 3 additives improved the fire resistance of rigid pvc by increasing the lowest oxygen index ( loj ) from 45 % o 2 to 52 % o 2 , the loj being the amount of oxygen in a mixture of o 2 and n 2 in which a test specimen can be inflamed . the thermal decomposition of pvc generates hcl . it is probable that the chlorine reacts at high temperatures with the al - covering layers to give alcl 3 resulting in an increase in temperatures due to this exothermic reaction . however , by means of the addition sb 2 o 3 , the chlorine from the pvc is bounded . at burning temperatures , the al ( oh ) 3 desintegrates into al 2 o 3 and h 2 o with a relatively high need of heat . the result is a withdrawal of heat from the hot core which produces a cooling effect . the generated water acts as an internal fire extinguisher . the reduced density of the foamed core also results in a lower calorific value of the flammable part , the pvc , which is reduced from about 6500 to 3200 kcal / kg . this decreased value leads to a clear improvement with the properties &# 34 ; flame spread &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; fuel contribution &# 34 ; according to astm e 84 . the classification according to ubc and nfpa is based on the test according to astm e 84 . the composite panel can be shaped at room temperature without machining . this property is principally achieved by means of a relatively sturdy core layer of rigid foamed pvc with a density of 0 . 5 - 1 . 2 g / cm 3 , preferably about 0 . 8 g / cm 3 which does not allow for the metallic cover layers to bend in . as noted previously , known composite panels are not difficult to inflame or non - combustible according to astm e 84 test on which the classification of the corresponding ubc and nfpa classes are based . this invention may be embodied in other forms or carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof . the present embodiment is therefore to be considered as in all respects illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency are intended to be embraced therein . | 4 |
referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views , fig1 illustrates a tractor 5 drawing an agricultural implement , e . g ., a planter 10 , comprising a toolbar 14 operatively supporting multiple row units 200 . an implement monitor 50 preferably including a central processing unit (“ cpu ”), memory and graphical user interface (“ gui ”) ( e . g ., a touch - screen interface ) is preferably located in the cab of the tractor 10 . a global positioning system (“ gps ”) receiver 52 is preferably mounted to the tractor 10 . turing to fig2 , an embodiment is illustrated in which the row unit 200 is a planter row unit . the row unit 200 is preferably pivotally connected to the toolbar 14 by a parallel linkage 216 . an actuator 218 is preferably disposed to apply lift and / or downforce on the row unit 200 . an opening system 240 preferably includes two opening discs 244 rollingly mounted to a downwardly - extending shank 254 and disposed to open a v - shaped trench 38 in the soil 40 . a pair of gauge wheels 248 is pivotally supported by a pair of corresponding gauge wheel arms 260 ; the height of the gauge wheels 248 relative to the opener discs 244 sets the depth of the trench 38 . a depth adjustment rocker 268 limits the upward travel of the gauge wheel arms 260 and thus the upward travel of the gauge wheels 248 . continuing to refer to fig2 , a seed meter 230 such as that disclosed in applicant &# 39 ; s co - pending international patent application no . pct / us2012 / 030192 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference , is preferably disposed to deposit seeds 42 from a hopper 226 into the trench 38 , e . g ., through a seed tube 250 disposed to guide the seeds toward the trench . the seed meter 230 is preferably driven by an electric drive 310 configured to drive a seed disc within the seed meter . a seed sensor 305 ( e . g ., an optical or electromagnetic seed sensor configured to generate a signal indicating passage of a seed ) is preferably mounted to the seed tube 250 and disposed to send light or electromagnetic waves across the path of seeds 42 . a closing system 280 including one or more closing wheels is pivotally coupled to the row unit 200 and configured to close the trench 38 . turning to fig3 , a planter monitoring and control system 300 is schematically illustrated . the monitor 50 is preferably in electrical communication with components associated with each row unit 200 including the drives 310 , and the seed sensors 305 . the monitor 50 is preferably in electrical communication with at least one vacuum sensor 340 and the gps receiver 52 . the vacuum sensor 340 is preferably a transducer configured to generate a signal related to a pressure associated with one or more seed meters 230 . in one embodiment , the vacuum sensor 340 is disposed to measure a pressure ( i . e ., vacuum level ) in a pneumatic line supplying vacuum to one of the seed meters 230 . in another embodiment , the vacuum sensor 340 is disposed to measure a pressure inside one of the seed meters 230 . the monitor 50 is preferably in electrical communication with a vacuum switch 345 ; the vacuum switch is preferably configured to selectively activate or deactivate a vacuum impeller in fluid communication with the seed meters 230 for pulling a vacuum in the seed meters . continuing to refer to fig3 , in embodiments in which the row unit 200 includes a seed conveyor , the monitor 50 is preferably in electrical communication with a seed conveyor drive 315 configured to drive the seed conveyor . the seed conveyor is preferably configured to convey seeds from the meter 230 to the trench 38 ; the seed conveyor is preferably one of the embodiments disclosed in applicant &# 39 ; s co - pending pct / us2012 / 057327 , the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference . continuing to refer to fig3 , the monitor 50 is preferably in electrical communication with a cellular modem 330 or other component configured to place the monitor 50 in data communication with the internet , indicated by reference numeral 335 . via the internet connection , the monitor 50 is preferably enabled to receive planting prescriptions and other data . in fig3 , two row units 200 - 1 , 200 - 2 are illustrated with associated components labeled with like suffixes . it should be appreciated that the planter 10 may include a larger plurality of row units , e . g ., 16 or 48 row units . turning to fig6 , the seed meter 230 is shown in operation with the cover 232 removed for illustrative purposes . in operation , a seed disc 234 rotates along the direction indicated by an arrow a . a vacuum imposed on one side of the seed disc 234 ( opposite the side shown in fig6 ) creates a vacuum differential on seed apertures 235 formed in the seed disc such that seeds 42 become entrained on the apertures . thus the seed disc 234 rotates past a seed pool 43 at approximately the 6 o &# 39 ; clock position and carries entrained seeds 42 along a seed path defined by the seed apertures 235 . a portion of the seed path is preferably adjacent to a singulator 237 configured to strip all but one seed from each seed aperture . the vacuum is preferably substantially cut off at a seed release location , e . g ., where the seed path intersects a plane pc . thus as seeds 42 reach the plane pc they are released from the disc and fall from the meter into the seed tube 250 . a brush 238 is preferably mounted to the cover 232 . the brush 238 is preferably disposed to contact the seed disc 234 along its length and brush debris from the seed disc as the seed disc rotates . the brush 238 is preferably disposed to retain seeds 42 in the seed pool 43 such that the seeds do not fall directly out of the meter without being carried out by the seed apertures 235 as described above . referring to fig4 and 5 , the drive 310 comprises an electrical assembly 311 shielded by a cover 312 and a gearbox 313 shielded by a cover 314 . the electrical assembly 311 is in electrical communication with a motor 315 ( e . g ., a 12 volt electric motor ) and configured to control an operating speed of the motor 315 . the motor 315 drives an input gear ( not shown ) of the gearbox 313 . the drive 310 is mounted to the seed meter 230 . the seed meter is preferably of the type disclosed in applicant &# 39 ; s co - pending international patent applications no . pct / us2012 / 030192 and pct / us2013 / 051971 , the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety by reference . specifically , the drive module 310 is mounted to a cover 232 shielding the seed disc 234 housed within the meter 230 . the gearbox 313 includes an output gear 316 adapted to drive the seed disc 234 by sequential engagement with gear teeth 236 arranged circumferentially around a perimeter of the seed disc 234 . turning to fig7 , a process 700 for unloading seeds from a seed disc 230 is illustrated . at step 705 , the monitor 50 preferably commands the vacuum switch 345 to activate the vacuum impeller such that the seed meters 230 impose a vacuum across the seed apertures 235 . at step 710 , the monitor 50 preferably commands the drives 310 to rotate the seed discs 234 in a first direction , thus loading seeds 42 on the seed discs . referring to fig6 , the first direction is preferably in the direction of the arrow a , i . e ., such that one of the seed apertures 235 moves from the seed pool 43 to the plane pc before passing the brush 238 . after step 710 the operator may carry out planting operations . at step 715 the monitor 50 preferably identifies one or more seed unload conditions ; in a preferred embodiment , the seed unload conditions are one of the seed unload conditions identified using a process 800 illustrated in fig8 and described later herein . once a seed disc unload condition has been identified at step 720 , the monitor 50 preferably commands the drives 310 to rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction . on the view of fig6 , the second direction is preferably opposite the direction of the arrow a . at step 725 , the monitor 50 preferably determines whether an unloading rotation threshold has been met . the threshold may comprise a rotation of the seed disc 232 , a rotation of the drive 310 , or a time of rotation ( preferably at a specified or minimum rotational rate ) of the drive or seed disc . once the threshold has been met at step 725 , the monitor preferably commands the motor to stop driving the seed discs at step 730 . the threshold applied at step 725 is preferably selected such that seeds 42 will not be released from the meter upon reduction of vacuum in the seed meter 230 . for example , referring to fig6 , seeds 42 along the seed path between a plane pv and the plane pc will be released from the meter 230 when the seeds are released from the seed disc 232 ( e . g ., by loss of vacuum ). the plane pv intersects the seed path at a location vertically above an upper end of the brush 238 ( i . e ., such that a vertical plane intersects both the upper end of the brush and the intersection of the plane pv and the seed path ) such that seeds 42 released counterclockwise ( on the view of fig6 ) of the plane pv and clockwise of a lower portion of the brush will be retained in the meter 230 upon being released from the seed disc 232 . thus the threshold applied at step 725 preferably corresponds to a seed disc rotation of at least an angle b ( fig6 ) sufficient to rotate a seed aperture 235 from the plane pc to the plane pv . the angle b may be approximately 45 degrees . the threshold applied at step 725 preferably corresponds to a seed disc rotation greater than the angle b , e . g ., a quarter - rotation , half rotation , full rotation , or two full rotations of the seed disc 232 . the process 700 may be carried out with respect to individual meters or a plurality of meters . in one embodiment , if a seed disc unload condition is identified as to a single meter at step 715 , steps 720 , 725 , 730 are carried out as to that single meter . in a second embodiment , if a seed disc unload condition is identified as to a single meter at step 715 , steps 720 , 725 , 730 are carried out as to all of the meters on the planter 10 . in either embodiment , steps 720 , 725 , 730 are preferably carried out on a meter - by - meter basis ; that is , the monitor 50 carries out step 725 using a motor encoder signal from a given drive 310 in order to determine whether the threshold has been met for that drive , and stops that drive at step 730 when the threshold has been met for that drive . thus it should be appreciated that the drives 310 associated with various row units may not stop simultaneously . turning to fig8 , a preferred process 800 for identifying a seed disc unload condition is illustrated . at step 805 , the monitor 50 preferably determines whether any of the drives 310 are currently being commanded to plant ( e . g ., drive the seed discs at a non - zero rate ). if no drives 310 are being commanded to plant , at step 810 the monitor 50 preferably determines whether a command to shut off the vacuum impeller has been entered to the monitor by the operator . if so , then at step 815 , the monitor 50 preferably identifies an unload condition ( e . g ., determines that an unload condition has been met such that step 715 and subsequent steps of process 700 are carried out ). at step 817 , the monitor 50 waits for the unload process to complete for all the seed meters on the planter , and then subsequently at step 819 commands the vacuum switch 345 to turn off the vacuum impeller . if no command has been entered to shut off the vacuum impeller , then at step 820 the monitor 50 preferably determines whether any of the signals generated by the vacuum sensors 340 are below a minimum threshold . a low pass filter is preferably applied to the vacuum sensor signals , or another suitable filter is applied such that very brief variations in the signal are ignored in performing step 820 . the minimum threshold applied preferably corresponds to a vacuum pressure of between 9 . 5 and 11 inches of water and preferably about 10 inches of water . if any filtered vacuum sensor signal is below the minimum threshold , then at step 825 the monitor 50 preferably identifies an unload condition . if no filtered vacuum sensor signal is below the minimum threshold , then at step 830 the monitor preferably determines whether any seed conveyor drive 315 has been commanded to turn off . if so , then at step 835 the monitor 50 preferably identifies an unload condition , at step 837 waits for one of the seed meters , and then subsequently at step 839 turns off the seed conveyor drive 315 associated with that meter . steps 837 , 839 are preferably repeated for each associated pair of seed meters 230 and seed conveyor drives 315 . it should be appreciated that a seed meter and seed conveyor are associated if they are part of the same row unit , i . e ., such that the meter is supplying seed to the seed conveyor . the foregoing description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements . various modifications to the preferred embodiment of the apparatus , and the general principles and features of the system and methods described herein will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art . thus , the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments of the apparatus , system and methods described above and illustrated in the drawing figures , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 0 |
the following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention , and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements . various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . referring to fig1 there is shown a pictorial illustration of one embodiment of the miniaturized micro - fabricated double condenser in accordance with the present invention . this embodiment includes a charger 101 d and two aspiration capacitors in series 102 a , 102 b and 105 a , 105 b . both aspiration capacitors would nominally be held at the same voltage , but optionally may use separate high voltage power supplies to reduce the likelihood that the current signals to the respective electrometers would be confounded ; only one differentiation of the i / v curve of the second condenser 10 b would give the number of particles in a given size bin . ( see fig5 a .) the first condenser 102 a , 102 b serves two critical functions : it acts like the sheath air , separating the response of the different particle sizes so they are not confounded , and it serves as an ion trap , reducing the prevalence of combined charging . with this design , the i / v vs . mobility ( k ) characteristic is the same for a given set of design parameters , and so various settings of potential ( v ) and flow rate ( q ) can be selected that will maximize the possible range of sampled critical mobilities ; discussed in more detail herein . the size distribution is determined from the i / v vs . k characteristic as shown by eq . 8 . ( see paragraph 49 .) differentiating eq . 8 with respect to critical mobility k c results in eq . 9 . ( see paragraph 49 .) plotting i 3 / v 3 vs . k c for all settings of v 3 and q a , results in a curve where the slope of the curve at each selected value of k c provides the number of particles in the mobility range k d to k c . see fig5 a - 5d and fig6 a - 6b . the series embodiment of the present invention supports a sweep v and / or q operation . this embodiment supports the linear sweep of voltage and / or flow rate , and is able to measure a continuously varying i / v response . this embodiment could be extended in this way to give a direct ( non - differentiated ) measurement of the particle size distribution . the linear sweeping of v and q will obviate the need to differentiate the resulting in curve . there are four parameters of interest to the characterization of charging efficiency : intrinsic charging efficiency ( ε i ), the fraction of originally neutral particles which become charged within the charger ; extrinsic charging efficiency ( ε e ), the fraction of originally neutral particles which emerge out of the charger carrying at least one unit of charge ; diffusion loss ( ld ), the fraction of particles lost in the charger through diffusion to the walls ; and electrostatic loss ( le ), the fraction of particles lost in the charger through electrical attraction to the plates that create the corona - inducing field . the four parameters are represented as : ε e =( c 2 − c 3 )/ c o eq . 2 ld =( 1 − ε i )( 1 − c 1 / c o ) eq . 4 four measurements are undertaken for each corona voltage ( v 1 ), flow rate ( q a ), and particle size ( dp ) combination to be characterized in order to calculate the above four parameters : first , the cpc measured concentration ( c o ) when the charger and an electrostatic precipitator ( esp ) are bypassed ; second , the cpc measured concentration ( c 1 ) when the voltages of both charger and esp are zero ; third , the cpc measured concentration ( c 2 ) when the charger is at its set point voltage and the esp is set at voltage ( v ir ) sufficient to remove the free ions only ; and fourth , the cpc measured concentration ( c 3 ) when the charger is at its set point voltage and the esp is set a voltage ( v pr ) sufficient to remove all charged particles . testing the present embodiment of the miniaturized micro - fabricated double condenser 10 shown in fig2 includes a radioactive neutralizer in order to re - neutralize the charged mono - disperse aerosol provided by a differential mobility analyzer ( dma ). first , an optimum corona voltage ( v 1 ) can be selected . then , over the range of condenser voltages ( v 2 = v 3 = v ) and aerosol flow rates ( q a ) for each particle diameter ( dp ), the curve of i 3 / v 3 vs . k c will be recorded , and then numerically differentiated once to determine the number of particles in a given size bin ( as described earlier ), where the bin extent is defined by the mobility range k d to k c , with the capacitances determined by the direct measurement method and the relative measurement method . the bins can be adjusted until each mono - disperse aerosol is detected by a single bin . this will provide the relationship between d p and k c that will be used for calculating the size distribution of a poly - disperse aerosol . it will be appreciated that the present invention also enables a size distribution measurement of a poly - disperse aerosol . ( see fig7 ). the size distribution measurement is made by measuring the mobility distribution of a poly - disperse aerosol ; assigning a d p to each mobility bin ; correcting the counts in each bin using the charger extrinsic efficiency for each bin &# 39 ; s q a and d p ; and correcting the counts in each bin with the charge distribution ( which will shift the multiply - charged fraction of a bin to larger d p bins ). the system may be further extended with a single new ncas device that implements the series / parallel design for direct measurement of the size distribution or a ncas device and electronic circuit suitable to implement the v and / or q sweep method . referring still to fig1 there is shown pictorial illustration of one embodiment of the miniaturized micro - fabricated double condenser 10 in accordance with the present invention . the components of the micro - fabricated corona ionizer are deposited on an insulating substrate 103 . one possible material for insulating substrate 103 is glass ; although it will be appreciated that any suitable insulating substrate may be used . anchor 101 is deposited on substrate 103 . a typical material for anchor 101 is copper ; although it will be appreciated that any suitable anchoring material may be used . grids 101 a , 101 b are suitably deposited and anchored on the substrate 103 such that they are parallel to probe 101 d and equidistant from probe 101 d . in this configuration , the corona ionizer forms a flow - through ionizer , which is useful for creating micro - fabricated particulate sensors . probe 101 d is deposited with anchor 101 c but is undercut so that it is suspended above substrate 103 . the radius of the tip of probe 101 d is typically less than approximately 20 μm , while the suspension height of probe 101 d above substrate 103 is typically less than 500 μm . still referring to fig1 , differential mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b are deposited on the substrate 103 such that airflow passing the ionizer is directed between mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b . when a potential difference is applied between mobility separator 102 a and 102 b , an electric field is created between them . when charged particulates enter the space between mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b , they are deflected by the electric field . the amount of deflection is dependent upon the mobility of the particulates and the strength of the applied field . by varying the voltage applied to mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b , particulates of different mobility can be made to impinge on mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b and the resultant current can be measured as discussed herein to determine the concentration of particulates with a given mobility . it will be understood that a relationship can be established between a particle &# 39 ; s mobility and its diameter . ( see fig4 a and fig4 b .) with general regard to aerosol technology and particle measurement , reference can be had to flagan , r . c . ( 1998 ). “ history of electrical aerosol measurements .” aerosol science and technology 28 ( 4 )”; and , hinds , w . c . ( 1999 ). “ aerosol technology : properties , behavior , and measurement of airborne particles .” new york , john wiley & amp ; sons . see also fig3 , where there is shown a graphical depiction of calculations verifying scalability of design to nanometer dimensions and operating parameter ranges in accordance with the present invention shown in fig1 . charged particles not collected by mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b flow into the second series connectable condenser 10 b . condenser 10 b includes mobility separator plates 105 a and 105 b deposited on substrate 104 . mobility separator plates 105 a and 105 b are suitably charged to collect charged particles of interest . referring also to fig2 there is shown an operational control method diagram for the measurement of number - size distribution of airborne nanometer - particles in accordance with the present invention shown in fig1 . the control board 214 applies a control voltage to the high voltage power supply ( hvps ) 211 driving a high voltage output ( v 1 ) to the micro - fabricated corona charger 26 . a corona develops on the end of the probe pin 101 a , and electrons from the corona , propelled by the electrical field , drift between the condenser plates 102 a , 102 b . this establishes a leakage current between pin 101 d and plates 101 a , 101 b which is amplified by a corona electrometer 22 and recorded by measurement board 21 . the average number of charges acquired by each particle can be determined based on a function of charger voltage , aerosol flow rate , and particle diameter . still referring to fig2 , pump 210 is adjusted to pull aerosol at a desired flow rate ( q ) thru the miniaturized micro - fabricated double condenser 10 . flow rate is monitored by flow meter 29 . still referring to fig2 , hvpss 212 , 213 provide high voltage outputs ( v 2 v 3 ) establishing electric fields in condenser 27 and condenser 28 , respectively . the inertial impactor 25 , filters the aerosol 217 to pass particle diameters of interest to the corona charger 26 . it will be appreciated that any suitable method for filtering particles of interest may be used . the aerosol then passes thru the corona charger 26 and its particles are ionized . the charged particles of the aerosol then flow into the first condenser 27 and begin to flow toward the condenser plate 102 a or 102 b with the opposite charge . charged particles with an electrical mobility greater than the critical mobility of the condenser for this flow rate and voltage are collected on the condenser plate 102 a or 102 b . ( this includes the air molecules ionized by the corona .) the critical mobility of the first condenser is : k c = q a /( 4π c 1 v 2 ) eq . 5 when the charged particles stick to the condenser plate 102 a or 102 b , the particle transfers it charge , which become a current that is amplified by the electrometer 23 and recorded by measurement board 21 . charged particles not collected by the first condenser flow into the second condenser 28 where they are driven to the opposite charged plate of this condenser as described earlier . charged particles with a critical mobility greater than the critical mobility k d of both condensers combined but less than k c , because the particles were not collected in the first condenser 27 , are collected in the second condenser 28 . the critical mobility k d of both condensers combined is described as : k d = q a /( 4π ( c 1 + c 2 ) v 3 ) eq . 7 it will be understood that there is also a fraction of charged particles with mobilities less than k d that gets collected ; this can be taken into account , as shown in the data analysis below . the current from these collected charges is amplified by electrometer 24 and recorded by measurement board 21 . the aerosol with whatever particles still remain in it passes that the flow meter and pump and exits the instrument . this process is repeated over a range of airflow q a and voltage ( v 2 , v 3 ) values , with the current from the second condenser 28 recorded at each setting . the airflow and voltage values are selected to provide values of the critical mobilities that will define particle diameter ranges that are of interest . the recorded data is arranged as i 3 / v 3 vs . k c and differentiated once in accordance with eq . 9 . this information , along with eq . 8 below , and the corrections calculated from the instrument characterization ( described above ) results in the number vs . diameter distribution , f ( k ), of the aerosol sample , the desired measurement . i 3 / v 3 = 4π e [ c 1 k c ∫ k d k c f ( k ) dk +( c 1 + c 2 )∫ 0 k d kf ( k ) dk − c 1 ∫ 0 k e kf ( k ) dk ] eq . 8 i 3 = second separator current v 3 = second separator voltage c 1 = condenser 1 capacitance c 2 = condenser 2 capacitance e = electron charge k c = first condenser critical mobility k d = second condenser critical mobility f ( k )= mobility spectrum of the sample aerosol still referring to fig2 , control board 214 may be any suitable computer / microcontroller . for example , computer / microcontroller 214 and measurement board 21 may be , or include , a “ mote ” 215 . as used in this disclosure , the term “ mote device ” or “ mote ” typically indicates an autonomous or semi - autonomous computing ; communication , actuating , and / or sensing device as described in the mote literature ( e . g ., intel corporation &# 39 ; s , or crossbow inc .&# 39 ; s mote literature ). certain embodiments of the mote device ( s ) 215 can be fabricated to be relatively small ( typically less than several inches in dimension , often a fraction of an inch ). certain embodiments of mote systems ( s ) can be relatively inexpensive to produce , and can be designed to stand up to relatively harsh and / or external environments . many embodiments of mote systems ( s ) 215 , or simply “ motes ”, as described in this disclosure can provide a wide variety of parameter sensing and / or actuating functionalities . such parameter sensing may be controlled ( and / or light or display device actuated ) using computer - based sensing , electro - mechanical sensing , magnetic sensing , and / or other sensing techniques . certain embodiments of mote device ( s ) and networks can be located at remote , hostile , external , or inaccessible location ( s ); and can be wirelessly networked . still referring to fig2 , control board 214 may also include a global positioning satellite ( gps ) transceiver 216 for determining location information associated with particle measurements . in addition , control board 214 may also include a radio frequency identification tag ( rfid ) 218 , passive , active , or a hybrid . rfid tags are well known in the art and need not be discussed here . it will be appreciated that the invention described herein advantageously provides particle diameter measurement and particle count for a range of nanoparticle diameters over a range of operating conditions suitable for on - board exhaust sampling of spark and compression ignition vehicles and for road - side exhaust sampling in a miniaturized package . the effect of the first condenser is to simplify the data inversion and to improve the signal - to - noise ratio . and , as described above , the two condensers working in tandem sweep through a range of voltage settings , and the particles collected by the second condenser are measured by a single electrometer . it will be further appreciated that the miniaturized voltage - stable , and feedback - controlled instrument package includes a novel , micro - fabricated nanoparticle charging and sorting device ( ncas ) ( see fig1 ). using the separator portion of the ncas device as an aspiration capacitor , also known as an ion condenser ) advantageously removes , the requirement for a separate particle separation step using a faraday cup ; this further reduces the size and weight of the device . another advantage of the present invention is that the parallel condenser plates 102 a , 102 b and 105 a , 105 b , are held at a potential voltage difference and the current through that circuit is monitored as the charged particles of the sample aerosol are collected on one of the condenser plates and release their electrons . referring also to fig8 there is shown a pictorial illustration of an alternate charger + series / parallel aspiration capacitor embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 . this embodiment requires at least three ncas devices , or one enhanced ncas device integrating the function of at least three of the ncas devices . this embodiment allows for the direct ( non - differentiated ) measurement of the particle size distribution . in essence , the parallel capacitors 8 a , 8 b ( held at slightly different voltages ) do the work of the double differentiation . still referring to fig8 , differential mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b are deposited on the substrate 103 such that airflow passing the ionizer is directed between mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b . when a potential difference is applied between mobility separator 102 a and 102 b , an electric field is created between them . when charged particulates enter the space between mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b , they are deflected by the electric field . the amount of deflection is dependent upon the mobility of the particulates and the strength of the applied field . by varying the voltage applied to mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b , particulates of different mobility can be made by control board ( fig2 - 214 ) to impinge on mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b and the resultant current can be measured by measurement board ( fig2 - 21 ) as discussed herein to determine the concentration of particulates with a given mobility . it will be understood that a relationship can be established between a particle &# 39 ; s mobility and its diameter . charged particles not collected by mobility separator plates 102 a and 102 b flow into condensers 8 a and 8 b . condenser 8 a includes mobility separator plates 108 c and 108 d deposited on substrate 103 c . mobility separator plates 108 c and 108 d are suitably charged to collect charged particles of interest . similarly , condenser 8 b includes mobility separator plates 108 a and 108 b deposited on substrate 103 b . mobility separator plates 108 a and 108 b are suitably charged to collect charged particles of interest . referring also to fig9 , there is a pictorial illustration of an alternate switchable series condenser configuration of the present invention shown in fig1 . switching the segmented condenser sections via control board ( fig2 - 214 ) into varying lengths , for example 9 e and 9 f , allows the overall ratio of critical mobilities to be varied , providing for a user - selectable accuracy / precision tradeoff . still referring to fig9 , condenser stages 9 c and 9 d can be switched off or on in the high voltage and electrometer circuits ( see fig2 ), so that the critical mobility of the two stages 9 c , 9 d can be equally raised or lowered . also , using one condenser in each stage and then the other would extend the time between cleaning or condenser replacement . it should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention . thus , 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 that fall within the scope of the appended claims . for example , referring again to fig1 , it will be understood that in the event of a malfunction of the second condenser 10 b , the invention can operate in charger + single aspiration capacitor mode . this mode uses a single ncas device plus an electrometer circuit to measure the current induced by the charges collected to the separator plates 102 a and 102 b . this mode requires a double differentiation , but now of the i / v curve . operationally this is accomplished as two single differentiations for the tangent intercepts to determine the number of particles in a single size bin . in addition , the present invention and embodiments are constricted with suitable materials to withstand and operate in a temperature range of approx . − 20 to 300 c ( from the ambient temperatures in the winter of northern climates to tailpipe exhaust temperatures ); relative humidity from zero to fully saturated ( encountered in both the ambient air and in direct vehicle exhaust ); particle compositions both hydrophobic and hydrophilic ; particle morphologies both simple and agglomerated ( to cover both the nucleation and the accumulation modes of the particle spectrum , the latter especially an issue with diesel exhaust , which forms long - chain agglomerates ); a particle diameter range of 10 - 300 nm to cover the high end of the nucleation mode and the low end of the accumulation mode ; and a size - bin resolution sufficient to clearly differentiate the two modes . | 6 |
the following describes embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings . fig2 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of a semiconductor memory device that relates to the first embodiment . in fig2 the semiconductor memory device 1 includes a control unit 102 , a volatile memory 103 , a non - volatile memory 104 , a selector 101 , and a power - supply unit 105 . the power - supply unit 105 supplies power to the control unit 102 , when the power - supply unit 105 has received power from outside of the semiconductor memory device . the control unit 102 controls operations of the semiconductor memory device 1 . the control unit 102 receives a reference signal from outside of the semiconductor memory device 1 , and performs data copying between the volatile memory 103 and the non - volatile memory 104 ( i . e . save or restore ), according to the reference signal . fig3 is a flow chart showing operations that the control unit executes , for performing data copy between the volatile memory 103 and the non - volatile memory 104 . in fig3 the control unit 102 first refers to a reference signal ( s 1 ). when the reference signal has changed from l to h ( s 2 : yes ), the control unit 102 , judging that the power supply has begun , shuts out any access to the volatile memory 103 from outside , so that the control unit 102 may access the volatile memory 103 . more specifically , the control unit 102 inputs a select signal ( l ) to the selector 101 ( s 7 ). after this , the control unit 102 reads data from the non - volatile memory 104 , and copies the read data to the volatile memory 103 ( i . e . restoring of data ) ( s 8 ). after completion of restoring the data in the volatile memory 103 , the control unit 102 inputs a select signal ( h ), so as to permit access from outside to the volatile memory 103 ( s 9 ). on the contrary to the above , when the reference signal has changed from h to l ( s 3 : yes ), the control unit 102 , judging that the power supply has stopped , inputs a select signal ( l ) to the selector 101 ( s 4 ). after this , the control unit 102 copies data having been stored in the volatile memory 103 to the non - volatile memory 104 ( saving of data ) ( s 5 ), and inputs a select signal ( h ) to the selector 101 ( s 9 ). if the judgment in step s 3 is in the negative ( s 3 : no ), or after steps s 6 and s 9 , the control will be passed to s 1 again , and the reference signal will be referred to . the selector 101 receives a select signal having been sent from the control unit 102 as in the above , and switches between two modes in which access to the volatile memory is allowed differently . that is , when receiving a select signal ( h ), the selector 101 allows access from outside the semiconductor memory device 1 to the volatile memory 103 ; and when receiving a select signal ( l ), the selector 101 allows the control unit 102 to access the volatile memory 103 . the selector 101 receives , from a party that has been allowed an access , a control signal , an address signal , and a data signal , and transmits the received signals to the volatile memory 103 . when receiving a data signal from the volatile memory 103 , the selector 101 transfers the data signal to the party that is allowed an access . here , the volatile memory 103 and the non - volatile memory 104 have a same capacity . in copying data , the control unit 102 refers to a source memory from the beginning in sequence , and writing of data in a destination memory is also performed from the beginning in sequence . in order to access these memories , the control unit 102 outputs a control signal and an address signal , so as to perform read / write of data . when receiving power from outside the semiconductor memory device 1 , the power - supply unit 105 supplies power to the control unit 102 and the like , and at the same time , accumulates power inside the power - supply unit 105 . the power - supply unit 105 accumulates power in itself up to an amount that is sufficient for saving data from the volatile memory 103 to the non - volatile memory 104 , as a preparation to the stop of power supply . when detecting the stop of power supply from outside , the power - supply unit 105 supplies the accumulated power to the control unit 102 , and the like . note here , that the accumulation of power is realized by integrating a power accumulating means that is both chargeable / dischargeable and has a small power capacity , in the semiconductor memory device 1 . examples for the power accumulating means are a ferroelectric capacitor , a reactance device , and a thin - film battery . according to the above , the semiconductor memory device 1 is able to save data from the volatile memory 103 into the non - volatile memory 104 , without receiving any external power supply . as a reference signal , other signals may be used such as so - called ce ( chip enable ), and cs ( chip select ). by using such signals , the effect of the present invention is achieved without increasing the number of pins at the semiconductor memory device 1 . therefore , the semiconductor memory device 1 according to the present invention is mountable on a circuit board , in the same manner as existing semiconductor memory devices . in the above description , the volatile memory 103 may be sram and dram ; the non - volatile memory 104 is desirably a ferroelectric ram , for example . with use of ferroelectric ram , the amount of power required for copying data between the volatile memory 103 and the non - volatile memory 104 will be reduced . accordingly , it becomes possible to reduce the size of the power - supply unit 105 . the non - volatile memory 104 may also be a flash memory . as in the above , the volatile memory 103 , the non - volatile memory 104 , the control unit 102 , the power - supply unit 105 , and the like are integrated into one chip . as a result , an amount of power required for saving data when the power supply stops is reduced to the amount that is enough for the semiconductor memory device 1 to copy the data . therefore , it becomes unnecessary to have a large - scale backup power source in saving data . in addition , in the semiconductor memory device 1 , the number of rewriting performed for the non - volatile memory 104 is reduced . this is because the semiconductor memory device 1 only performs rewriting for the volatile memory 103 as long as it receives power from outside . as a result , the non - volatile memory 104 according to the present invention has much enhanced erase / write cycle endurance , compared to a conventional non - volatile memory . practically speaking , the non - volatile memory 104 allows unlimited erase / write cycles , in number . furthermore , the semiconductor memory device 1 achieves the same access speed as that of the conventional volatile memory , since only the volatile memory portion will be allowed access from outside the semiconductor memory device 1 . therefore , the present invention provides a semiconductor memory device that does not require a large - scale backup power source , allows practically an unlimited number of rewriting , and achieves the same access speed as the conventional volatile memory . next , a semiconductor memory device according to the second embodiment is described as follows . the structure of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment is almost the same as that of the first embodiment , except for the capacity of the non - volatile memory . fig4 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment . in fig4 the semiconductor memory device 2 includes , just as the semiconductor memory device 1 , a selector 201 , a control unit 202 , a volatile memory 203 , a non - volatile memory 204 , and a power - supply unit 205 . in particular , the non - volatile memory 204 consists of n memory areas , from memory area # 1 to memory area # n . the memory areas each have the same capacity as that of the volatile memory 203 . besides inputting and outputting the same kind of signals as the control unit 102 , the control unit 202 receives an area - select signal from outside the semiconductor memory device 2 . according to the received area - select signal , the control unit 202 selects a memory area from the memory areas # 1 -# n of the non - volatile memory so as to perform data copy between the selected memory area and the volatile memory 203 . that is , when the reference signal has changed from l to h , the control unit 202 inputs a select signal ( l ) to the selector 201 , copies data from the non - volatile memory 204 corresponding to the received area - select signal to the volatile memory 203 , and inputs a select signal ( h ) to the selector 201 . conversely , when the reference signal has changed from h to l , the control unit 202 inputs a select signal ( l ) to the selector 201 , copies data from the volatile memory 203 to the non - volatile memory 204 corresponding to the received area - select signal , and inputs a select signal ( h ) to the selector 201 . in the first embodiment , in order to increase the capacity of the semiconductor memory device 1 , the capacity of the volatile memory 103 should be increased , whereas the present embodiment is able to increase the capacity of the semiconductor memory device 2 as a non - volatile memory device , without increasing the capacity of the volatile memory 203 . therefore , the second embodiment has advantages of reducing cost for producing a semiconductor memory device , and reducing the device - size . next , a semiconductor memory device according to the third embodiment is described as follows . the structure of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment is almost the same as that of the second embodiment , except that the non - volatile memory is increased in number , instead of in capacity . fig5 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment . as shown in fig5 the semiconductor memory device 3 includes a selector 301 , a control unit 302 , a volatile memory 303 , non - volatile memories 3041 - 304 n , and a power - supply unit 305 . the non - volatile memories 3041 - 304 n each have the same capacity as that of the volatile memory 303 , and receive power from the power - supply unit 305 . in addition to having the same structure as the control unit 202 in the second embodiment , the control unit 302 has n interfaces used for accessing each of the non - volatile memories 3041 - 304 n . the control unit 302 selects one of the non - volatile memories 3041 - 304 n according to the area - select signal received from outside the semiconductor memory device 3 , and performs data copy between the selected non - volatile memory and the volatile memory 303 . according to the above construction , unlike the semiconductor memory device 2 in the second embodiment , the number of erase / write cycles is counted for each non - volatile memory independently . therefore , the life of the overall semiconductor memory device 3 will be further prolonged . note here that users may also use the semiconductor memory device 3 as an extremely long - life non - volatile memory having the same capacity as the volatile memory 303 . use of the semiconductor memory device 3 in this way further increases the maximum possible number of erase / write cycles by n - times . it is also possible to manipulate a reference signal and an area - select signal whenever necessary , so as to have the semiconductor memory device 3 perform data copy between the non - volatile memory 304 and the volatile memory 303 . this enables use of the semiconductor memory device 3 as a large - capacity non - volatile memory . next , a semiconductor memory device according to the fourth embodiment is described as follows . the structure of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment is almost the same as that of the first embodiment , except for not requiring an input of a reference signal from outside . fig6 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment . in fig6 the semiconductor memory device 4 includes a selector 401 , a control unit 402 , a volatile memory 403 , a non - volatile memory 404 , and a power - supply unit 405 . the power - supply unit 405 inputs a power - condition signal to the control unit 402 . while receiving power from outside the semiconductor memory device 4 and supplying power to the control unit 402 and the like , the power - supply unit 405 outputs h as a supply - condition signal . conversely , while supplying power using the power accumulated in itself , the power - supply unit 405 outputs l as a supply - condition signal . when the control unit 405 detects that the supply - condition signal has changed from l to h , the control unit 402 inputs a select signal ( l ) to the selector 401 , copies data from the non - volatile memory 404 to the volatile memory 403 , and inputs a select signal ( h ) to the selector 401 . on the other hand , when detecting that the supply - condition signal has changed from h to l , the control unit 402 inputs a select signal ( l ) to the selector 401 , copies data from the volatile memory 403 to the non - volatile memory 404 , then inputs a select signal ( h ) to the selector 401 . note here that the selector 401 , upon receiving an input of a select signal ( l ) from the control unit 402 , permits the control unit 402 to access the volatile memory 403 . in this way , the control unit 402 is allowed to perform data copy between the volatile memory 403 and the non - volatile memory 404 . conversely , when receiving a select signal ( h ), the selector 401 permits access from outside the semiconductor memory device 4 to the volatile memory 403 . next , a semiconductor memory device according to the fifth embodiment is described as follows . the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment is a combination of the structure of the semiconductor memory device of the second embodiment and that of the fourth embodiment , except for permitting an access from outside to the non - volatile memory as well . fig7 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of the semiconductor memory device according to the present embodiment . in fig7 the semiconductor memory device 5 includes a selector 501 , a control unit 502 , a volatile memory 503 , a non - volatile memory 504 , and a power - supply unit 505 . just as in the second embodiment , the non - volatile memory 504 is comprised of n memory areas , from memory area # 1 to memory area # n , and the memory areas each have the same capacity as that of the volatile memory 503 . when the supply - condition signal has changed from l to h , the control unit 502 inputs a select signal ( l ) to the selector 501 , copies data from the non - volatile memory 504 corresponding to the received area - select signal to the volatile memory 503 , and inputs a select signal ( h ) to the selector 501 , just as in the second embodiment . conversely , when the supply - condition signal has changed from h to l , the control unit 502 inputs a select signal ( l ) to the selector 501 , copies data from the volatile memory 503 to the non - volatile memory 504 corresponding to the received area - select signal , and inputs a select signal ( h ) to the selector 501 . an area - select signal is also inputted to the selector 501 , as well as to the control unit 502 . upon receiving an access request from an external apparatus ( e . g . cpu ) outside the semiconductor memory device 5 , the selector 501 refers to the inputted address signal . when the address contained in the address signal designates the memory area that is designated by the area - select signal , the selector 501 has the external apparatus access the volatile memory 503 . on the other hand , when the address signal inputted by the external apparatus ( e . g . cpu ) requesting access does not designate the memory area that is designated by the area - select signal , the selector 501 has the external apparatus access the non - volatile memory 504 . note that in this case , only a request for reading data from the non - volatile memory will be accepted , and not a request to write data to the non - volatile memory 504 . in the semiconductor memory device 5 described in the above , when it is necessary to write data , the data will be restored to the volatile memory 503 , while when it is only required to read data , the data will be directly read from the non - volatile memory 504 . consequently , the semiconductor memory device 5 allows users to refer to a large amount of data , without requiring a large volatile memory in capacity . furthermore , the semiconductor memory device 5 is capable of reading a large amount of data at high speeds , since the speed of reading data from the non - volatile memory is substantially the same as the speed of reading data from the volatile memory . this invention so far has been explained on the basis of the preferred embodiments ; however , needless to say , the embodiments of this invention are not limited to the ones mentioned above . the following describes other possible modifications . ( 1 ) the amount of power to be accumulated in the power - supply unit from the viewpoint of ensuring reliability in retaining stored data , the power to be accumulated such as in the power - supply unit 105 may be about 10 times as much as the amount actually required for copying between the volatile memory and the non - volatile memory . as an example , the amount of power is calculated for a case where ferroelectric ram is used as a non - volatile memory . here , for writing data in a 1 - bit cell in the ferroelectric ram , the following are assumed : cell current of 1 μa , writing voltage of 5v , and writing time of 100 nsec . then the energy required for writing data in the 1 - bit cell is expressed as : suppose here that 1 kb data is to be transferred from the volatile memory to the non - volatile memory . then , the energy required to write all the data to the non - volatile memory is calculated as follows : even if the amount of power required for transferring data from the volatile memory to the non - volatile memory is added to the above - calculated value , the total amount of energy required for copying data from the volatile memory to the non - volatile memory will never exceed the value calculated by multiplying 0 . 14wh by 10 . this means that the amount of power required for copying data in the present invention is much less than the amount required by the conventional technology that entails operation of the whole circuit for data backup . as a consequence , reduction of cost in accumulating power will be realized by the present invention . in all the mentioned embodiments , the capacity of the non - volatile memory is made to be greater than that of the volatile memory . however , the capacity of the non - volatile memory may be smaller than that of the volatile memory . in such a case , arrangements may be made such as saving only a part of the memory area from the volatile memory , and accepting external designation of memory area to be saved . as described earlier , the present invention enables the power - supply unit in the semiconductor memory device to accumulate a required amount of power in itself , so as to use the accumulated power for the data copy performed between the volatile memory and the non - volatile memory . therefore , when the external power supply to the semiconductor memory device stops , the data initially stored in the volatile memory will be saved to the non - volatile memory , without being lost . for example , a so - called contact less integrated circuit card receives power through radio waves sent from outside . if the semiconductor memory device relating to the present invention is applied to such contact less integrated circuit cards , data stored at the semiconductor memory device will not be lost , even when there is an accidental power loss , such as when the card is placed out of reach of the radio waves . furthermore , the memory access from outside the semiconductor memory device will only be directed to the volatile memory portion . as a result , it will greatly reduce the erase / write cycles to be performed for the non - volatile memory portion , to practically remove the limitation on number of erase / write cycles . this will further speed up the memory access . accordingly , for example , the present invention shortens time required for reading a large amount of data ( e . g . file data ) from the semiconductor memory device . still further , the amount of power that is required to be accumulated in the semiconductor memory device will be 10 times as much as the amount necessary for copying data from the volatile memory to the non - volatile memory , at the maximum , which is a great reduction in the amount of power to be accumulated , compared to the conventional technology . as a result , it becomes further possible to downscale the circuit including the semiconductor memory device . although the present invention has been fully described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , unless such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention , they should be construed as being included therein . | 6 |
preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described referring to fig1 to 7 . illustrated in fig1 to 4 is a film hold - down mechanism in a photographic processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention . there are provided first transfer rollers 1 , a negative brush 2 , magnetic heads 3 , a solenoid 4 , a perforation detecting sensor 5 , and second transfer rollers 6 , which are aligned in a row from the first transfer rollers 1 to the second transfer rollers 6 . a photographic film , having a series of magnetic recording tracks provided thereon as denoted by a ( referred to , a film hereinafter ) is transferred along a transfer path from the first transfer rollers 1 to the negative brush 2 , the magnetic heads 3 , the solenoid 4 , the perforation detecting sensor 5 , and the second transfer rollers 6 as driven by the first and second transfer rollers 1 , 6 . while the film a is being carried between the first transfer rollers 1 and second the transfer rollers 6 , it is pressed down by a downward displacement of the magnetic heads 3 across the transfer path which extends tangent to the first and second transfer rollers 1 , 6 . a pressing member 7 is located on the opposite side of the path of the film a relative to each of the two magnetic heads 3 . the pressing member 7 includes two contact plates 8 each of which are biased by a spring 7a towards the corresponding magnetic head 3 . the magnetic head 3 has a back or upper surface 3a linked to a substantially square shape actuator frame 9 . the actuator frame 9 is in turn connected to a movable plunger 4a of the solenoid 4 disposed on the spring 7a side as shown in fig1 . when the solenoid 4 is energized , the movable plunger 4a is attracted to move from an original location shown in fig1 to the location shown in fig2 . accordingly , the actuator frame 9 is moved in a downward direction denoted by the arrow in fig2 and applies a moderate pressing force to the backs 3a of the respective magnetic heads 3 . the magnetic heads 3 press against the yielding force of the springs 7a of the pressing members 7 , thus allowing the displacement of the magnetic heads 3 towards the film a . simultaneously , the film a which is sandwiched between the magnetic heads 3 and the contact plate 8 is adequately secured due to the counter action of the springs 7a . as the film a travels from the first transfer rollers 1 to the negative brush 2 , the magnetic heads 3 , the solenoid 4 , the perforation detecting sensor 5 , and the second transfer rollers 6 , the film &# 39 ; s perforations are detected , counted , and translated to a pulse signal indicating a predetermined record track . the signal actuates the solenoid 4 ( or a motor ) for displacement of the magnetic heads 3 to a target track on the film a . the displacement of the magnetic heads 3 produces a tension on the film a thus allowing the magnetic heads 3 to accurately read and write any magnetic record data on the film a . fig5 to 7 illustrate a film hold - down mechanism in a photographic processing apparatus showing another embodiment of the present invention . as best shown in fig5 a film a is passed from first transfer rollers 1 to a brush 2 , magnetic heads 3 , sets of rollers 11 , a perforation detecting sensor 5 , and second transfer rollers 6 , similar to the previous embodiment . the two magnetic heads 3 are disposed between the brush 2 and the perforation detecting sensor 5 which are spaced by a given distance from each other . each of the magnetic heads 3 has an arcuate head surface 3b . two rollers 11 , 11 are disposed opposite to the arcuate head surface 3b of the magnetic head 3 . the roller are rotatably supported by a bracket 12 and are spaced from each other by a small distance . the bracket 12 supporting the two rollers 11 , 11 has a spring 13 mounted on the bottom thereof . the spring 13 is connected to a movable plunger 10 of a solenoid 4 . as the movable plunger 10 is driven , the rollers 11 to moved to and from the magnetic heads 3 . when the film a is introduced , the rollers 11 are separated from the magnetic heads 3 to ease the feeding of the film a to a transfer path . accordingly , upon energization of the solenoid 4 , the movable plunger 10 moves towards the magnetic heads 3 and lifts up the rollers 11 which in turn press the film a against the arcuate head surfaces 3b of their respective magnetic heads 3 . by then , a target track on the film a has been identified by counting the number of pulses from the perforation detecting sensor 5 . as the target track on the film a between the two rollers 11 is pressed against the arcuate head surface 3b of the corresponding magnetic head 3 , the film deflects a bit and comes into close contact with the arcuate head surface 3b , thereby allowing the magnetic head 3 to read the magnetic record data without error or to write any magnetic record data thereto accurately . the rollers 11 in the bracket 12 rotate in the direction of transfer as the film a is transferred . also , there is a sufficient space about the rollers 11 and between the film a and the brackets 12 to prevent the capture and accumulation of dirt and dust . furthermore , the rollers 11 come into virtually no frictional contact with the advancing film a , thus reducing the possibility of injuring the film a . | 6 |
terms used in various embodiments of the present invention will be described in brief first , and then the various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail . with respect to the terms in the various embodiments of the present invention , the general terms which are currently and widely used are selected in consideration of functions of structural elements in the various embodiments of the present invention . however , meanings of the terms may be changed according to an inventor &# 39 ; s intention , a judicial precedent , appearance of a new technology , and the like . further , in a certain case , a term arbitrarily selected by the applicant may be used . in such a case , the meaning of the term will be described in detail at the corresponding part in the description of the present invention . thus , the terms used in various embodiments of the present invention should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the overall contents of the embodiments of the present invention instead of simple titles of the terms . fig1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration of a card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention , and fig2 is a perspective view illustrating the coupled state of the card reader according to the embodiment of the present invention . the configuration of the card reader 10 will be described with reference to fig1 and 2 . the card reader 10 includes a card reader main body 20 , a contact type card identification module 30 , a circuit board 40 having a non - contact type card identification module 70 mounted thereon , a card insertion opening 50 ; and a rotation guide unit 60 . the card reader main body 20 is configured such that the contact type card identification module 30 , the circuit board 40 , the card insertion opening 50 , and the rotation guide unit 60 , which will be described below , may be provided therein . the contact type card identification module 30 is provided in the card reader main body 20 to identify a contact type card 11 , which will be described below . the circuit board 40 has the non - contact type card identification module 70 mounted thereon for identifying a non - contact type card 12 , which will be described below , and is provided in the card reader main body 20 . the card insertion opening 50 , into which both the contact type card 11 and the non - contact type card 12 may be inserted , is formed in the card reader main body 20 . the rotation guide unit 60 is rotatably provided in the card insertion opening . the rotation guide unit 60 passes the contact type card 11 through the card insertion opening 50 according to the rotation thereof such that the contact type card identification module 30 may identify a magnetic stripe ( not illustrated ) provided on the contact type card 11 . in addition , the rotation guide unit 60 restricts the movement of the non - contact type card 12 according to the contact therewith after the non - contact type card 12 is inserted into the card insertion opening 50 such that the non - contact type card identification module 70 may identify an ic chip 12 a provided in the non - contact type card 12 . namely , the rotation guide unit 60 passes the contact type card 11 through the card insertion opening 50 while rotating at the same time as making contact with the contact type card 11 . in addition , the rotation guide unit 60 restricts the movement of the non - contact type card 12 within the card insertion opening 50 without rotating when it makes contact with the non - contact type card 12 that is inserted into the card insertion opening 50 . as described above , the single card insertion opening 50 is formed in the card reader main body 20 such that both the contact type card 11 and the non - contact type card 12 may be identified and used at the same moment they are inserted into the card insertion opening 50 . accordingly , both the contact type card 11 and the non - contact type card 12 can be used in the single card reader , instead of a contact type card reader and a non - contact type card reader , thereby enhancing the use of the product and reducing the cost required for additionally purchasing a product . as illustrated in fig1 , a cover 90 is provided on the exterior of the card reader main body 20 . the cover 90 is coupled to the card reader main body 20 to protect the card reader main body 20 . further , first and second connection terminals 41 and 42 are mounted on the circuit board 40 to electrically connect the card reader main body 20 and external electronic devices ( not illustrated ). the first connection terminal 41 may include a connection jack , and the second connection terminal 42 may include a usb terminal . in this embodiment , the first and second connection terminals 41 and 42 are exemplified by the connection jack and the usb terminal , respectively , but they are not limited thereto . namely , any other configurations that may be electrically connected with the external electronic devices ( not illustrated ) may be applied as various modified examples of the first and second connection terminals 41 and 42 . the electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes all information and communication devices and multimedia devices , such as a portable multimedia player ( pmp ), an mp3 player , a navigation , a game player , a notebook , a netbook , an advertising panel , a tv , a digital broadcasting receiver , a personal digital assistant , and a smart phone , as well as all kinds of mobile communication terminals which operate according to communication protocols corresponding to various communication systems , and application devices thereof . further , as illustrated in fig1 , a battery unit 80 is provided in the card reader main body 20 to supply power to the contact type card identification module 30 and the non - contact type card identification module 70 . the contact type card identification module 30 is constituted by a magnetic head unit in which a magnetic stripe reader ( msr ) is installed to detect data stored in the magnetic stripe ( not illustrated ) that is provided on the contact type card 11 . namely , at the same moment the contact type card 11 makes contact with the rotation guide unit 60 when passing through the card insertion opening 50 , the rotation guide unit 60 rotates to pass the contact type card 11 . in other words , the magnetic head unit detects and reads the data stored in the magnetic stripe of the contact type card 11 at the same moment the magnetic stripe ( not illustrated ) of the contact type card 11 passes through the magnetic head unit . here , the contact type card 11 may be a magnetic card having a magnetic stripe provided thereon . the contact type card 11 is exemplified by the magnetic card in this embodiment , but it is not limited thereto . namely , any other card configurations from which the magnetic head unit may read data at the same moment they make contact with the magnetic head unit may be applied as various modified examples of the contact type card 11 . as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the non - contact type card identification module 70 is constituted by a reader that reads information stored in the ic chip 12 a that is provided within the non - contact type card 12 . namely , if the rotation guide unit 60 restricts the movement of the non - contact type card 12 while making contact with it at the same moment the non - contact type card 12 is inserted into the card insertion opening 50 , the reader reads the information stored in the ic chip 12 a of the non - contact type card 12 . here , the non - contact type card 12 may be an ic card having the ic chip 12 a therein . likewise , the non - contact type card 12 is exemplified by the ic card in this embodiment , but it is not limited thereto . namely , any other card configurations that may not make contact with the reader may be applied as various modified examples of the non - contact type card 12 . more specifically , as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the rotation guide unit 60 includes a rotation hole 61 , a rotary part 62 , a rotation hinge part 63 , and a resilient member 64 . the rotation hole 61 is formed in the card reader main body 20 in order to rotate the rotary part 62 therein and restrict the rotation of the rotary part 62 . the rotary part 62 is provided in the rotation hole 61 in order to pass the contact type card 11 through the card insertion opening while rotating at the same time as making contact with the contact type card 11 and to restrict the movement of the non - contact type card 12 within the card insertion opening while making contact with the non - contact type card 12 . the rotation hinge part 63 is located adjacent to the rotation hole 61 to rotatably support the rotary part 62 . the resilient member 64 is coupled to the rotary part 62 and provides a resilient force in order to rotate the rotary part 62 . the resilient member 64 may be constituted by a wire spring , and other types of springs , such as a coil spring and a plate spring , may be employed for the resilient member 64 , as well as the wire spring . further , a contact stopper 61 a is formed in the rotation hole 61 such that the rotary part 62 makes contact with the contact stopper 61 a to restrict the movement of the non - contact type card 12 after the non - contact type card 12 is inserted into the card insertion opening 50 . namely , the contact stopper 61 a restricts the rotation of the rotary part 62 while making contact with one end of the rotary part 62 . in other words , when the contact type card 11 is inserted into an inlet at one side of the card insertion opening 50 , the contact type card 11 makes contact with the rotary part 62 to rotate the rotary part 62 while separating the end of the rotary part 62 from the contact stopper 61 a . in this way , the contact type card 11 passes through the card insertion opening 50 . after the contact type card 11 passes through the card insertion opening 50 , the rotary part 62 rotates by the resilient member 64 and returns to the original position , in which case the end of the rotary part 62 makes contact with the contact stopper 61 a so that the rotation of the rotary part 62 is restricted by the contact stopper 61 a . when the non - contact type card 12 is inserted into an inlet at the opposite side of the card insertion opening 50 , the non - contact type card 12 makes contact with the rotary part 62 so that the movement of the non - contact type card 12 is restricted by the rotary part 62 . namely , the non - contact type card 12 inserted into the card insertion opening 50 is identified by the non - contact type card identification module 70 that is provided in the card reader main body 20 . herein , the assembly of the card reader will be described with reference to fig1 and 2 . first , the rotary part 62 is rotatably coupled to the card reader main body 20 in which the card insertion opening 50 is formed as illustrated in fig1 and 2 . in this case , the rotary part 62 is provided so as to be rotatable within the rotation hole 61 that is formed in the card reader main body 20 to receive the rotary part 62 therein . the rotary part 62 is rotatably coupled to the rotation hinge part 63 that is located adjacent to the rotation hole 61 to support the rotation of the rotary part 62 . the rotation hinge part 63 is screw - coupled to the card reader main body 20 . in other words , the rotation hinge part 63 has hinge holes 63 a formed on opposite sides thereof , and hinge arms 62 a of the rotary part 62 are coupled to the hinge holes 63 a . in this case , the resilient member 64 is mounted on one of the hinge arms 62 a of the rotary part 62 in order to apply a resilient force to the rotary part . further , the contact type card identification module 30 and the circuit board 40 on which the non - contact type card identification module 70 is mounted are provided in the card reader main body 20 . in this case , the contact type card identification module 30 and the non - contact type card identification module 70 are arranged side by side in the card reader main body 20 . the battery unit 80 is provided in the card reader main body 20 to supply power to the non - contact type card identification module 70 . the cover 90 is mounted on the exterior of the card reader main body 20 . hereinafter , the operation of the card reader will be described in more detail . fig3 is a plan view illustrating a state in which the contact type card 11 is inserted into the card insertion opening 50 of the card reader main body 20 according to the present invention . fig4 is an enlarged plan view of portion a of fig3 . fig5 is a plan view illustrating a state in which the non - contact type card 12 is inserted into the card insertion opening 50 of the card reader main body 20 according to the present invention . fig6 is a side view illustrating the state in which the card reader , according to the present invention , is used for the non - contact type card 12 . fig7 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the non - contact type card 12 and the rotation guide unit 60 make contact with each other in the card reader according to the embodiment of the present invention . as illustrated in fig3 and 4 , the contact type card 11 is inserted into the card insertion opening 50 through one side thereof and passes through the card insertion opening 50 . namely , when the contact type card 11 starts from one side of the card insertion opening 50 and passes through the card insertion opening 50 from the left to the right , the contact type card 11 makes contact with the rotary part 62 of the rotation guide unit 60 at the same moment it is inserted into the card insertion opening 50 , and the rotary part 62 rotates at the same moment the contact - type card 11 is brought into contact with the rotary part 62 , and passes the contact type card 11 through the card insertion opening 50 . when the contact type card 11 passes through the rotary part 62 , the contact type card identification module 30 provided in the card reader main body 20 reads data stored in the magnetic stripe ( not illustrated ) that is provided on the contact type card 11 . the contact type card identification module 30 imparts the data , which is read from the magnetic stripe , to the external electronic devices ( not illustrated ) through the first and second connection terminals 41 and 42 . as illustrated in fig3 , after the contact type card 11 passes through the card insertion opening 50 , the rotary part 62 rotates again by the resilient member 64 and returns to the original position . at this time , the end of the rotary part 62 makes contact with the contact stopper 61 a formed in the rotation hole 61 so that the rotation of the rotary part 62 is restricted . in a case where a user uses the non - contact type card 12 , the non - contact type card 12 is inserted into the card insertion opening 50 through the opposite side thereof . namely , when the non - contact type card 12 is inserted into the card insertion opening 50 from the right to the left , the non - contact type card 12 makes contact with the rotary part 62 and stops . in other words , as illustrated in fig5 , when the non - contact type card 12 starts from the opposite side of the card insertion opening 50 and is inserted thereinto from the right to the left , the non - contact type card 12 does not completely pass through the card insertion opening 50 , and makes contact with the rotary part 62 in a position that exceeds half of the card insertion opening 50 so that the movement of the non - contact type card 12 is restricted . the rotary part 62 does not rotate because the rotary part 62 makes contact with the contact stopper 61 a . in this case , as illustrated in fig7 , the non - contact type card 12 corresponds to the non - contact type card identification module 70 provided in the card reader main body 20 and is close to the non - contact type card identification module 70 . the non - contact type card identification module 70 reads and identifies the information of the ic chip 12 a ( not illustrated ) that is provided in the non - contact type card 12 . further , an rf module ( not illustrated ) and an antenna ( not illustrated ) that are provided in the non - contact type card identification module 70 receive the signal of the non - contact type card 12 , and the signal is imparted to a signal processing unit ( not illustrated ) of the non - contact type card identification module 70 . the signal processing unit ( not illustrated ) transmits the signal to the external electronic devices ( not illustrated ) through the first and second connection terminals 41 and 42 . in a case where a user uses an existing contact type card ( not illustrated ) or non - contact type card ( not illustrated ), the user has to have separate card readers ( not illustrated ) so that it costs a lot to purchase the products . further , an existing card reader that is usable for both a contact type card and a non - contact type card , which has separate card insertion openings for them , causes an inconvenience to a user because the user has to insert a contact type card into the card insertion opening dedicated to a contact type card in order to use it , and has to insert a non - contact type card into the separate card insertion opening dedicated to a non - contact type card in order to use it . accordingly , in order to overcome the shortcoming , the card reader 10 ( illustrated in fig1 ) of the present invention is configured such that both the contact type card 11 ( illustrated in fig3 ) and the non - contact type card 12 ( illustrated in fig5 ) are used through the single card insertion opening 50 ( illustrated in fig1 ). therefore , it is possible to enhance user convenience and to reduce the cost required to purchase a product because there is no need to additionally purchase an existing card reader according to use . according to the various embodiments of the present invention , the single card insertion opening is formed in the single card reader main body to identify both a contact type card and a non - contact type card passing through the card insertion opening so that it is possible to use only the single card reader instead of existing contact and non - contact type card readers that are separately provided , thereby enhancing the use of the product and reducing the cost required for additionally purchasing a product . in addition , both a contact type card and a non - contact type card can be used through the single card insertion opening formed in the single card reader main body so that it is possible to further enhance the use of the product . while the present invention has been shown and described with reference to certain embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims . | 6 |
the following sections provide a detailed explanation of the invention and how to practice the invention . we explain first how to select and administer a macromolecular contrast medium ( mcm ). we then give an overview of the methods for imaging the change over time of the signal intensities of a tumor and blood to obtain dynamic signal intensity responses for these tissues . we then explain how to apply the responses to a kinetic model to calculate tumor microvascular permeability . finally , we explain how to determine the histopathologic grade of the tumor from a standard curve of permeability values . contrast media can be used for resolving adjacent tissues which are similar upon imaging but histologically or physiologically different , and in functional studies of organs such as the kidney . several classes of compounds have been explored as potential contrast agents . for mri , these classes include superparamagnetic iron oxide particles , nitroxides , and paramagetic metal chelates . see , mann j . s . and brasch r . c . in handbook of metal - ligand interactions in biological fluids : biorganic medicine vol . 2 , berthon , g ., ed ., marcel dekker , inc ., new york , n . y . ( 1995 ). for ct scans , these classes include iodinated hydrocarbons , such as benzene rings . for positron emission tomography and radionuclide imaging , these classes include short lived radioisotopes . because the capillary endothelium of tumors and injured tissues exhibit high permeability rates relative to normal tissue , mcm passively diffuses into these tissues . the poorly developed or absent lymphatic system of tumors and some tissues limits the rate of movement of macromolecules out of these tissues . this combination ( enhanced permeability and retention ) is used during imaging of these tissues . the tumors and injured tissues are seen by imaging as a time - dependent increased intensity in the interstitial space ( mann and brasch , supra ). the prolonged retention within the vascular compartment of tumors and some injured tissues provides nearly a constant level of enhancement for more than one hour after administration . the mcm of this invention include contrast agents attached to a large backbone . the backbone can be a protein , such as albumin , a polypeptide , such as poly - l - lysine , a polysaccharide , a dendramer , or a rigid hydrocarbon or other compound with a small molecular weight but a larger effective molecular size . the preferred backbones of this invention are compounds that when passed through a gel filtration matrix , behave similarly to a peptide of 30 kd . this invention also encompasses mcm that is formed in vivo . a contrast medium is administered to an animal and the medium attaches to a large backbone , such as albumin or polysaccharides . in mri , contrast media improve the image obtained by altering t 1 and t 2 of hydrogen protons . in the presence of an external magnetic field , protons produce a weak fluctuating field which is capable of relaxing neighboring protons . this situation is dramatically altered in the presence of a strong paramagnet ( such as a contrast agent ). a single unpaired electron in a contrast agent induces a field which is nearly 700 times larger than that produced by protons and fluctuates with a frequency component which is in a range that profoundly affects boh the t 1 and t 2 values of nearby protons . thus in a t 1 - weighted imaging sequence , the paramagnetic contrast media causes the protons of nearby hydrogen nuclei to release far greater amounts of energy to reach equilibrium after a r - f pulse and appear as very bright areas in an mr image . in a t 2 - weighted image , the protons in tissues that take up the contrast medium release less energy to reach equilibrium and appear darker in an mri . normally , paramagnetic lanthanides and transition metal ions are toxic in vivo . therefore , it is necessary to incorporate these compounds into chelates with organic ligands . acceptable chelates include : 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetraazacyclododecane - n , n &# 39 ;, n &# 34 ;, n &# 34 ;&# 39 ;- tetraacetic acid ( dota ); 1 , 4 , 7 , 1 0 - tetraazacyclododecane - n , n &# 39 ;, n &# 34 ;- triacetic acid ( do3a ), 1 , 4 , 7 - tris ( carboxymethyl )- 10 -( 2 - hydroxypropyl )- 1 , 4 , 7 , 10 - tetraazacyclododecane ( hp - do3a ), and more preferably , diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid ( dpta ). paramagnetic metals of a wide range are suitable for chelation . suitable metals are those having atomic numbers of 22 - 29 ( inclusive ), 42 , 44 and 58 - 70 ( inclusive ), and having oxidation states of 2 or 3 . those having atomic numbers of 22 - 29 ( inclusive ), and 58 - 70 ( inclusive ) are preferred , and those having atomic numbers of 24 - 29 ( inclusive ) and 64 - 68 ( inclusive ) are more preferred . examples of such metals are chromium ( iii ), manganese ( ii ), iron ( ii ), cobalt ( ii ), nickel ( ii ), copper ( ii ), praseodymium ( iii ), neodymium ( iii ), samarium ( iii ), gadolinium ( iii ), terbium ( iii ), dysprosium ( iii ), holmium ( iii ), erbium ( iii ) and ytterbium ( iii ). chromium ( iii ), manganese ( ii ), iron ( iii ) and gadolinium ( iii ) are particularly preferred , with gadolinium ( iii ) the most preferred . see published pct application wo 94 / 27498 . gadolinium ( gd ) is a lanthanide metal with an atomic weight of 157 . 25 and an atomic number of 64 . it has the highest thermal neutron capture cross - section of any known element and is unique for its high magnetic moment ( 7 . 98 at 298 ° k .). this is reflected in its seven unpaired electrons ( crc handbook of chemistry and physics , 75th ed ., lide , d . r ., ed ., 1995 ). the preferred mmcm is albumin -( gd - dpta ) 30 . albumin -( gd - dpta ) 30 is prepared by the method of ogan ( supra ). the molecular weight of albumin -( gd - dpta ) 30 is 92 kd . the distribution volume of albumin -( gd - dpta ) 30 is 0 . 05 l / kg which closely approximates the blood volume . plasma half life is approximately 3 hours with a delayed renal elimination over days . see , schmiedl , u ., et al ., invest . radiol . 22 ( 9 ): 713 ( 1987 ). typically , the administration of contrast media for imaging tumors is parenteral , e . g ., intravenously , intraperitoneally , subcutaneously , intradermally , or intramuscularly . thus , the invention provides compositions for parenteral administration which comprise a solution of contrast media dissolved or suspended in an acceptable carrier , preferably an aqueous carrier . the concentrations of mcm varies depending on the strength of the contrast agent but typically varies from 0 . 1 μmol / kg to 100 μmol / kg . a variety of aqueous carriers may be used , e . g ., water , buffered water , 0 . 9 % saline , 0 . 3 % glycine , hyaluronic acid and the like . these compositions may be sterilized by conventional , well known sterilization techniques , or may be sterile filtered . the resulting aqueous solutions may be packaged for use as is , or lyophilized , the lyophilized preparation being combined with a sterile solution prior to administration . the compositions may contain pharmaceutically acceptable auxiliary substances as required to approximate physiological conditions , such as ph adjusting and buffering agents , tonicity adjusting agents , wetting agents and the like , for example , sodium acetate , sodium lactate , sodium chloride , potassium chloride , calcium chloride , sorbitan monolaurate , triethanolamine oleate , etc . one of skill in the art will realize that mcmi can be used by various methods , for instance mri , ct , pet or radionuclide scanning . for example , mcm for ct scanning interrupt the x - rays used to image and appear as bright areas . radioisotopes that accumulate in tissues appear as bright areas in pet or radionuclide scanning . signal intensity values ( or bright areas in an image ) can be obtained for every image time point from the tumor , from normal tissue , preferably the inferior vena cava ( ivc ) or normal muscle , and from the phantom ( corn oil , water or contrast media ). preferably , 4 - 6 regions of interest with a minimum of 30 pixels / regions can be analyzed over several different anatomical image slices using an image analysis program , e . g ., mr vision , menlo park , calif . these images can then be used to generate the dynamic signal intensity response of the tissues . mri has been used to visualize tumors in situ since the 1960 &# 39 ; s ( belfi , c . a ., et al ., int . j . oncology biol . phys . 20 : 497 ( 1991 ). success in imaging tumors is based on the differences between the spin - lattice relaxation time ( t 1 ) and the spin - spin relaxation time ( t 2 ) between malignant and normal tissue . t 1 and t 2 are measurements of time which depend on the magnetic field and pulsing radio waves that perturb the equilibrium of the magnetic moment of hydrogen nuclei of the cells in the tissue being imaged . after stimulation by the pulsing radio waves , the nuclei , returning to their equilibrium state lose energy by emitting radio waves and by transferring energy to surrounding molecules . the process by which energy is lost to the environment is called &# 34 ; relaxation .&# 34 ; bradley , w . and tosteson , h ., in nuclear magnetic resonance imaging in medicine , kaufman , l ., et al ., eds ., igaku - shoin , ltd . new york , 1981 . t 1 is the longitudinal magnetic relaxation time , and t 2 , the transverse magnetic relaxation time . t 1 measures the time it takes the sample initially to become polarized in the fixed external magnetic field . it is also the time constant of return to equilibrium in the fixed magnetic field after a radio frequency ( r - f ) pulse . the surrounding protons (&# 34 ; the lattice &# 34 ;) absorb energy given off by other protons and dampen the oscillations of the proton caused by the r - f pulse . this dampening effect causes the sample to return to equilibrium . therefore , t 1 is sometimes referred to as the &# 34 ; spin lattice relaxation time .&# 34 ; t 2 is a measure of how long the resonant nuclei hold the temporary transverse magnetization . it indicates the relationship between the strength of the external field and the strength of the local internal fields caused by surrounding molecules . after an r - f pulse , the protons become synchronized and begin wobbling around the axis of the magnetic field (&# 34 ; precess &# 34 ;) together . however , if the protons experience locally different magnetic fields , they will precess at different frequencies , quickly getting out of phase . this dephasing causes the collective transverse magnetization to average to zero . because the exchange of energy from one spinning proton to another spinning proton causes dephasing , the transverse magnetic relation time t 2 is also called the &# 34 ; spin - spin relaxation time .&# 34 ; although other nuclei can be imaged by mri , such as 19 f ( meyer , k . l ., dissertation abstracts int &# 39 ; l 53 ( 5 ): 2428b ( 1992 ), the preferred nuclei is 1 h . this is the most abundant spin - bearing nucleus in the human body , being found predominantly in fat and water . the hydrogens associated with proteins and other building blocks of tissues have very short t 2 values and therefore do not contribute directly to the mri signal . the most routinely used imaging sequence is the spin - echo . its popularity is attributable to its ability to produce images which display variations in t 1 , t 2 and spin density , ρ , of tissues . the spin - echo sequence consists of 90 ° and 180 ° r - f pulses repeated every tr ( repetition time of the sequence ) seconds . the signal is referred to as an echo because it comes about from the refocussing of the transverse magnetization at an echo time ( te ) after the application of the 90 ° pulse . a t 1 - weighted image is one in which image contrast displays differences in the t 1 of the tissues . a t 1 - weighted image is produced when the spin echo sequence produces a tr ≦ t 1 and te & lt ; t 2 . a t 2 - weighted image is one in which image contrast displays differences in the t 2 of the tissues . a spin - echo sequence produces a t 2 - weighted image when tr & gt ; t 1 and te ≧ t 2 . spin density weighting is an image where contrast displays differences in spin density of the tissues . a spin - echo sequence produces a p - weighted image when tr & gt ; t 1 and te & lt ; t 2 . the goal of the mri scientist is to maximize the contrast to noise ratio between tissues . by varying tr and te , the clinician has a tremendous amount of flexibility to select the desired contrast between two tissues . to do so , the parameters mentioned above can be optimized or contrast agents can be utilized when mr imaging . many different types of tissue and tumors can be imaged by mri , including , but not limited to , brain , mammary , and any solid tumor found in any soft tissue in the body ( including liver , pancreas , ovaries , etc .) mmcm - mri can be used to enhance the contrast of vascular structures of non - diffuse tumors , such as breast , lung , prostate , head and neck ( squamous ), rectal , testicular , bladder and ovarian carcinomas , soft tissue and central nervous system tumors and multiple myelomas . for in vivo measurements , the tumor or tissue host is typically placed within a radiofrequency coil with an external intensity standard , preferably a 5 mm diameter tube filled with corn oil , water or contrast media . this is referred to as the &# 34 ; phantom &# 34 ; and is used to correct for instrument anomalies . various types of images can be obtained . two types of images are three - dimensional spoiled gradient and two - dimensional spin warp proton . the images can be t 1 - weighted , t 2 - weighted or ρ - weighted . images can obtained through sections of the tumor with a tr of from 200 msec to 50 msec and a te of 6 msec to 1 msec . the thickness of each section can be from 1 to 5 mm with 2 to 3 mm being preferable , the field of view can be from 50 × 50 mm to 100 × 100 mm in a two dimensional image to 40 × 40 × 40 mm to 100 × 100 × 50 in a three dimensional image . the data matrix of a three dimensional image can range from 100 × 100 × 5 to 200 × 200 × 256 . the total image acquisition time can range from 0 . 5 to 2 minutes ( van dijke , supra ). see also , cohen , f . m ., et al ., investigative radiology 29 ( 11 ): 970 ( 1994 )). in a preferred embodiment , the tumor hosts being imaged are placed supine within a radiofrequency coil of ± 10 - 30 g / cm , preferably ± 20 g / cm . t 1 - weighted axial single section images are obtained with the following settings : repetition times of 2000 - 50 msec , an echo time of 1 - 2 msec , preferably 1 . 4 msec , a field - of - view of about 50 × 50 × 16 mm , a pixel matrix of 1200 - 1300 , preferably 1282 , and an effective slice thickness of 1 - 5 mm , preferably 2 - 3 mm . those of skill in the art will recognize that mri can be performed with various parameters depending in part , on the location of the tumor being imaged and the particular mri apparatus being utilized . it is important for clear imaging that the host remain still during the imaging process . animal test subjects usually must be anesthetized . it may be necessary to anesthetize small children as well . in any event , the area to be imaged must be secured so that it does not move during the imaging process . from the description above , one of skill can appreciate that mcm can be used to determine the leakiness of tumor microvessels by the accumulation of mcm into the interstitial space of the tumor over time . to determine the microvascular permeability of a tumor , a kinetic model of microvessel &# 34 ; leakiness &# 34 ; is generated . curve fittings algorithms are used to find the change in relaxation rates of the imaged tissues before and after mcm administration . for example , in mr imaging , from the change in relaxation rates , parameters important to determining the microvascular permeability are determined . precontrast relaxation rates ( r 1 ) ( 1 / t 1 ) estimates for normal tissue and tumor are obtained by curve fittings based on more than two , preferably 5 unenhanced three dimensional image sets with tr &# 39 ; s varying from 50 msec to 2000 msec . postcontrast r 1 values are calculated based on signal intensity and knowledge of precontrast values . the precontrast r 1 for each response is then subtracted from the postcontrast r 1 to obtain the change in the longitudinal relaxation rate , δr 1 , at all postcontrast time points . δr 1 is taken to be directly proportional to the local paramagnet concentration in a tissue . again , in mr imaging , the functional characteristics , fractional blood volume ( fbv ), fractional leak rate ( flr ), fractional reflux rate ( frr ), and permeability surface area product ( ps ), which is directly related to the microvascular permeability , are estimated from the δr 1 data . one model used to analyze the δr 1 data obtained from the vena cava and tumor is shown in fig1 . in fig1 the kinetics of mmcm disappearance from the blood following bolus intravenous injection is described by a single compartment , the inferior vena cava ( ivc ). the turnover rate of contrast media is k and the initial condition of the ivc is ic ( before the addition of contrast media ). the tumor model is composed of two compartments , tumor blood ( b ) and tumor interstitial water ( iw ). the kinetics of fractional transport of mcm from b to iw is designated the flr and from iw to b as frr . as described above , the leakiness of the tumor microvasculature allows mcm to accumulate in the interstitial space of the tumor . the fpv of the tumor is a proportionality constant , determined by the size of the tumor . in one embodiment , four parameters of the model ( k , ic , flr , frr and fpv ) are fitted to the δr 1 data from the ivc and from the tumor using the saam ii program ( saam institute , seattle wa ). in another , more preferred embodiment , a linear regression analysis is used to compare the slopes of tissue and blood responses to mmcm to determine microvascular permeability . microvascular permeability can be estimated as the product of fbv ( after correction for hematocrit to yield an estimate of the plasma volume of the tissue ) and flr . the figure obtained is then multiplied by 60 to convert to hours . various different statistical analyses can be done to correlate the microvascular permeability results obtained by imaging to the histological results obtained by the s - b - r system , i . e ., a high microvascular permeability value is indicative of malignancy and a low microvascular permeability value is indicative of benign status . a preferred method is the two - tail , paired t - test . for this analysis , a correlation value of greater than 0 . 70 , preferably greater than 0 . 80 with a probability of correlation of preferably less than 0 . 05 is assigned statistically significant . we found that tumors with a permeability value of 0 were benign or were determined to be the lowest grade of malignancy by the s - b - r grading system . tumors with a permeability value of 0 . 01 to 0 . 05 corresponded with tumors of moderate grade malignancy . tumors with a permeability value greater than 0 . 05 corresponded to high grade tumors , however there was some overlap in permeability values between the moderate and high grade tumors . an aspect of this invention is the comparison of the permeability values of the tumors to the histopathologic grade of the tumors to create a standard value , values or curve that can be generally applied to a variety of tumors . to accomplish this , a number of tumors of different grades of malignancy are examined histopathologically and a comparison of the histopathology to the microvascular permeability made to generate standards . histological evaluation of tumors consists of the removal of cells from the host , and examining the cells for structural features . the cells can be fixed in a formaldehyde solution prior to examination . in addition , the cells may be embedded in paraffin and sliced prior to examination . for enhanced viewing of certain cellular structures , the cells may be stained with a chemical stain or by immunological staining . in one embodiment , angiogenesis is measured by fixing and staining individual tumor cells and examining them microscopically for structures indicative of newly formed vasculature . tumor cells can be removed from the host animal through a needle biopsy wherein a small sample of the tumor is removed for analysis or through surgical biopsy wherein the entire tumor is removed from the host animal . alternatively , if the tumor is readily accessible , the entire tumor can be excised or tumor cells scraped off with a scalpel or other instrument capable of removing cells . once the cells are removed from the host animal , they can either be fixed in solutions well known in the art prior to embedding , or they can be frozen in liquid n 2 and embedded directly without fixation . an incomplete list of fixation solutions include : buffered formal saline ( 10 % formalin , 150 mm nacl , ph 7 . 0 ); b5 fixative ( mercuric chloride - formalin mixture ); 8 % glutaraldehyde ; 2 . 5 % osmium tetroxide ; paraformaldehyde ; and more preferred , formalin ( 37 % formaldehyde ) ( all are available from sigma chemicals , st . louis , mo .). after the cells have been fixed , they are embedded in a solid support which can be sliced thinly , e . g ., 2 - 5 μm . embedding media are well known in the art . the most common embedding media for light microscopy is paraffin and compounds containing paraffin , however other media , such as araldite ®, durcupan ®, glycol methacrylate , and hydroxypropyl methacrylate as well as other appropriate media can be used . after fixation , the tumor sections are stained to better identify cellular structures . for example , to assay for angiogenesis based on microvascular density , the number of endothelial clusters are viewed by staining the sectioned tumor with labeled antibodies to von willebrand &# 39 ; s factor and / or factor viii or other proteins , including acidic fibroblastic growth factor , angiogenin , basic fibroblastic growth factor , heparinase , interleukin - 8 , placenta growth factor , platelet - derived endothelial growth factor , prostaglandins e 1 and e2 and tumor necrosis factor - α , all of which are highly specific for endothelial cells or are stimulators of angiogenesis . see , brasch , r . c ., diaginostic imaging , june 1996 , p73 . in another embodiment , sectioned tumors are immunostained with antibodies to vascular endothelial growth / permeability factor ( vegf , pf ) to measure the angiogenic activity of the tumor . see , strugar , j . f ., et al , j . neurosurg . 83 : 682 ( 1995 ). cells that are to be analyzed by the s - b - r system for tumor malignancy are examined for three types of structures : ( 1 ) mitotic structures ; ( 2 ) anaplasia , or nuclear pleomorphism ; and ( 3 ) ductoglandular differentiation . the presence and / or absence of these structures determines the degree of differentiation exhibited by the tumor cell . a well differentiated cell ( e . g ., normal breast tissue cell ) is considered non - malignant and given a low s - b - r score . an undifferentiated cell or a cell which contains indices of frequent mitosis is considered malignant and given a high s - b - r score . it is necessary to stain the tumor sections to be examined microscopically so that the structural elements indicative of malignancy are evident . a preferred cellular stain is hematoxylin and its counterstain , eosin ( howell , l . p ., et al , am j . clin . pathol . 101 : 262 ( 1994 )). hematoxylin preferentially stains nuclear structures . in addition to chemical stains , immunological stains have been used to determine the presence of differentiation factors which may indicate the degree of malignancy of the cells . other stains used in light microscopy are well known in the art and can be used if desired . for immunological staining , the label conjugated to the antibody which binds to the structural elements is typically an enzyme that reacts with a specific substrate ( i . e ., alkaline phosphatase or β - galactosidase ), a fluorophore , a radioisotope or any number of compounds known to those of skill which afford increased visibility of microscopic structures . to prepare a comparison between the accepted s - b - r grading system and the microvascular permeability as measured by imaging techniques , imaged tumors are examined by the s - b - r grading system . in a preferred embodiment , either the entire tumor or a portion is removed and frozen in liquid n 2 . the tumor then is fixed in formalin , preferably 5 - 20 %, most preferably 10 %, embedded in an embedding media , preferably paraffin and sectioned in the same plane as the mri images , to the desired thickness with a microtome , preferably about 5 - 100 μm , most preferably 5 μm . see , van dijke , supra . it is anticipated that the method of grading tumors can be incorporated into a commercial kit or system for grading certain types of tumors . the kit would incorporate a system wherein an algorithm is used to assign a grey scale to the regions of interest from the permeability values collected from the imaging . the grey scale values could be combined to form an image wherein the regions of interest which accumulated the most mcm would appear the brightest . the combined grey scale image could then be compared to previously obtained controls that had been correlated with histopathologic grade to grade the tumor being imaged . in a preferred embodiment , the algorithm performs a simple linear regression analysis . the data analyzed are the slopes of response of both tissue and blood to mmcm . in other words , the permeability over time is plotted . the slope of the permeability of the tissue is compared to the slope of the permeability of blood . if the slopes are the same , the tissue is not more permeable to mmcm than blood and likely is not pathogenic . if the slope is greater than the slope of blood , the degree of difference is proportional to the degree of malignancy . a simple statistical analysis can then be done , assuming the null hypothesis is no difference in slopes , to determine the confidence level of the analysis . if the null hypothesis is rejected because p & lt ; 0 . 05 , the reciprocal of this p value can be calculated and presented as a simple grey scale superimposed on the image . thus , the more unlikely the null hypothesis in a given pixel or group of pixels , the brighter the pixel or group of pixels . in addition to the algorithm and instructions for use , the kit may contain mcm needed to enhance the image of the tumor . the following examples are offered to illustrate , but not to limit the claimed invention . n - ethyl - n - nitrosurea ( enu ) is an alkylating agent and a potent carcinogen that induces tumors of varying grade and location in rats , depending on the site of injection , the dose , the age and the sex of the rat ( mandybur , t . i ., et al ., radial . res . 101 ( 3 ): 460 ( 19850 . mammary cells are the primary target cells when 45 - 180 mg / kg enu is administered intraperitoneally into 30 day old female rats ( stoica , g ., et al ., anticancer res . 11 ( 5 ): 1783 ( 1991 ). pharmacologically , enu acts without the necessity of enzymatic activation on cellular targets including dna , various species of rna and a variety of proteins . the histologic spectrum of induced mammary tumors using this model has been shown to be similar to the spectrum of histologies encountered in humans ( stoica , supra ). following a single intraperitoneal administration of 180 mg / kg enu , malignant breast tumors develop in up to 100 % of rats after an average of 92 days . at lower doses of 45 mg / kg approximately 42 % of the rats developed fibroadenomas ( stoica , supra ). for this study enu ( sigma chemicals , st . louis , mo . ), was dissolved shortly before administration in sterile saline to a concentration of 10 mg / ml . fifty 30 - day - old female sprague dawley rats were randomly divided in two groups . one group ( n = 35 ) received a single intraperitoneal dose of 45 mg / kg enu and the other group ( n = 15 ) received 180 mg / kg enu intraperitoneally . animals were observed daily for tumor development . when tumors became apparent , tumor growth was allowed until the tumors reached a diameter of 1 - 1 . 5 cm . criteria for elimination of animals from the study were as follows : 1 ) no visible tumor observed within 160 days ; 2 ) no visible tumor in the mammary fat pad ; and 3 ) animal demise . fourteen of the 15 rats ( 93 %) in the high enu dose group ( 180 mg / kg ) and of the 35 rats ( 57 %) of the low dose group ( 45 mg / kg ) developed mammary tumors . two rats were eliminated because of non - mammary tumors , a synovial sarcoma and an undifferentiated limb sarcoma . fourteen rats did not develop any tumor by 180 days after enu administration . the 34 mammary tumors covered a broad spectrum of pathology from benign to highly malignant . see table 1 . the lower enu dose tended to induce more benign tumors and vice versa . before mri , the animals were anesthetized by an intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg / kg pentobarbital . a 23g butterfly cannula ( abbott laboratories , north chicago , ill .) was inserted in a tail vein for contrast medium injection . after completion of imaging procedures , the animals were killed and tumors were removed for histological analysis . mr imaging was performed using a 2 . 0 tesla system ( omega csi - ii ; bruker ; fremont , cailf .). the anesthetized rats described in example 1 were placed supine within a &# 34 ; bird - cage &# 34 ; radiofrequency coil ( inner diameter 4 . 5 cm , length 7 . 6 cm ). axial t 1 - weighted 3d - spoiled gradient recalled ( spgr ) sequences were obtained using the following settings : repetition times ( tr ) of 2000 - 50 msec , an echo time ( te ) of 1 . 4 msec , one acquisition , a field - of - view of 50 × 50 × 16 mm , a 1282 pixel matrix and an effective slice thickness of 2 mm . precontrast spgr sequences included multiple tr of 50 - 2000 msec for calculating baseline relaxation rates ( r 1 = 1 / t 1 ) dynamic postcontrast images were performed with tr fixed at 50 msec . albumin -( gd - dtpa ) 30 ( 0 . 03 mmol gd / kg ), randomly ordered , was injected via the tail vein . three precontrast and 30 postcontrast images were acquired during 1 hour at 2 minutes intervals . qualitatively , benign tumors were noted to enhance uniformly throughout following administration of mmcm , consistent with the absence of necrosis on histology . all malignant tumors showed a strong enhancement of the periphery or rim ; however , the enhancement response of the tumor center varied from weak to strong , apparently as a function of central tumor necrosis . following administration of the macromolecular albumin -( gd - dtpa ) 30 , two dynamic patterns of tumor signal enhancement were observed . in some cases the tumor response tended to decrease over 60 minutes and to parallel the response of blood in the vena cava ; this response corresponded histologically to benign tumors ( fig2 ). the tumor enhancement for malignant tumors , relative to blood signal , was noted to increase over time ( fig2 ). after the animals were sacrificed , all tumors were removed , fixed in 10 % formalin , embedded in paraffin and sectioned in the same plane as the mr - images . hematoxylin - eosin staining was performed for histological analyses . tumors were graded for level of malignancy using the s - b - r method ( le doussal , supra ). for this method each tumor is assigned from 1 to 3 points in each of the three categories , structures counted at 10 high power fields at the most mitotic active area using a field diameter of 0 . 44 mm . the lowest score possible , even for a benign tumor , is 3 . the highest score , indicative of a poorly differentiated malignancy , is 9 . all benign tumors were diagnosed as fibroadenomas with variable amounts of fibrous and adenomatous tissue . all carcinomas were intraductal adenocarcinomas . histologic analysis using the s - b - r score resulted in the following classification : benign fibroadenomas ( fig3 ) and low grade carcinomas ( s - b - r = 3 - 5 ; fig3 ) demonstrated more than 75 % of ductoglandular formations within the tumor , nuclei with minimal variation in size and shape and five or less mitotic figures , counted at 10 high power fields at the most mitotic active area using a field diameter of 0 . 44 mm . both histologic entities could be only differentiated by minimal invasion of the carcinomas . high grade carcinomas ( s - b - r = 8 - 9 ) demonstrated less than 10 % of ductoglandular formations within the tumor , nuclei with marked variation in size and shape and more than 11 mitotic figures at 10 high power fields . moderate grade carcinomas ( s - b - r 6 - 7 ) showed patterns in between low and high grade carcinomas . comparison between mr imaging of microvascular permeability of tumors and histological staining average signal intensities ( si ) for the whole tumor , the tumor rim and blood within the vena cava were measured in the central section in two to four operator - defined regions - of - interest ( roi ; minimum of 30 pixels / region ). r 1 precontrast ( r 1 pre = 1 / t 1 pre ) was calculated from signal intensities of rois in a set of preliminary 3d - spgr images obtained with tr values of 50 , 100 , 200 , 400 , 800 and 2000 msec . these values were fit to equation 1 with m o . being the external magnetic field strength . r 1 postcontrast ( r 1 post = 1 / t 1 post ) was calculated from the measured signal increase in each roi using equation 2 : the changes in the relaxation rate ( δr 1 = 1 / t 1 post - 1 / t 1 pre ), which were assumed to be directly proportional to the gadolinium concentration , were used for the kinetic analysis . kinetic analysis of tumor enhancement responses was limited to the tumor rim ; the tumor rim is typically the most vascularized and least necrotic region and is less subject to elevated interstitial pressure , which is a primary determinant of drug distribution in the tumor center ( jain , supra ). furthermore , previous mri tumor studies have shown the tumor rim to be the region most representative of viable tumor tissue ( van dijke , supra ) and the most responsive to chemotherapy ( aicher , k . p ., et al ., cancer res . 50 ( 22 ): 7376 ( 1990 )), radiotherapy ( cohen , f . m ., et al ., invest . radiol . 29 ( 11 ): 970 ( 1995 )) and angiogenesis inhibition . blood δr 1 data were fitted to a monoexponential decay for tumors imaged in the presence of albumin -( gd - dtpa ) 30 . tissue δr 1 data were fitted to a bidirectional , 2 - compartmental ( albumin -( gd - dtpa ) 30 ) kinetic model . using saam - computer software ( mcguire , r . a . and berman , m ., endocrinology 103 ( 2 ): 567 ( 1978 )), a modification of the renkin - crone equation was applied to δr 1 data to derive tumor permeability surface area product ( ps ) measurements ( shames , d . m . et al ., magn . res . in med . 29 : 616 ( 1993 )) and the data extrapolated to time zero to derive the fractional blood volume ( schwickert , h . c ., et al ., radiology 198 : 893 ( 1996 )). statistical analysis was performed using a &# 34 ; statistical analysis system &# 34 ;( sas ) software package with an ibm 4043 computer . statistical significance was assigned if p & lt ; 0 . 05 . kinetic analysis of the dynamic δr 1 data from tumor rim and blood using a two - compartmental bidirectional model yielded estimates of blood volume ( bv ) and permeability surface area product ( ps ). for each contrast medium , these mri - derived physiological parameters were examined for differences between benign and malignant tumors and for correlations with the s - b - r histologic score . with respect to fractional blood volume ( fbv ) estimates , no significant difference was observed between benign and malignant tumor groups with either contrast medium ( p & gt ; 0 . 05 ), although there was a tendency for higher blood volumes in malignant tumors ( fig4 ). analysis of albumin -( gd - dtpa ) 30 data showed a significant difference in mean ps products between benign tumors and carcinomas ( p & gt ; 0 . 05 ). all 10 benign tumors had ps products of zero , while the ps values in 24 carcinomas ranged from zero to 0 . 09 ml / cm 3 h ( table 1 ). albumin -( gd - dtpa ) 30 derived ps values correlated strongly with histologic tumor grade ( r 2 = 0 . 76 ; p & lt ; 0 . 001 , table 1 ). some overlap in ps values was observed for benign tumors and low grade carcinomas with no measurable macromolecular permeability . however , a macromolecule hyperpermeability was exclusively found in carcinomas . thus , microvascular permeability as measured by ps values correlated well with malignancy . table 1______________________________________specificity of albumin -( gd - dtpa ). sub . 30 mri forbreast tumor differentiationby quantitative estimates of microvascular permeability albumin - ( gd - dpta ). sub . 30histology grade ps & lt ; . 005 ps & gt ; . 005______________________________________benign tumors 3 10 / 10 0 / 10carcinomas 5 / 24 19 / 24low grade 4 - 5 5 / 6 1 / 6moderate gr . 6 - 7 0 / 6 6 / 6high grade 8 - 9 0 / 12 12 / 12______________________________________ table 2______________________________________comparison of permeability values and s -- b -- rhistopathologic graderat number s -- b -- r grade permeability value______________________________________ enu - 1 7 . 0239enu - 2 . 0032enu - 3 . 0000enu - 4 . 0000enu - 5 6enu - 6 . 0440enu - 7 4enu - 8 . 0000enu - 9 8enu - 10 8enu - 11 . 0798enu - 12 . 0134enu - 13 . 0902enu - 14 5______________________________________ | 6 |
referring to fig1 , there is shown the apparatus 10 of the present invention for forming an oversize circular pipe . the apparatus includes spiral pipe forming machine 12 along with the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 . the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 has a bottom end 16 of sharpest curvature supported on the bed 18 of the forming machine 12 . a frame structure 20 extends upwardly from the floor upon which the machine 12 rests . frame structure 20 includes several rollers 22 that are positioned in various locations so as to ride against the exterior surface of the circular pipe produced by the apparatus 10 . a cross bar 24 extends across the narrow diameter portion of the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 so as to maintain the structural integrity of the forming head . a beam 26 is secured to an external structure , or is secured to frame 20 , if required . struts 28 serve to connect the cross bar 24 to the beam 26 and to maintain the structural integrity of the ellipse formed by the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 . the machine 12 is a conventional spiral pipe forming machine such as those manufactured by spiral - helix , inc . of buffalo grove , ill . this spiral pipe forming machine 12 includes a frame 30 and a control cabinet 32 . a plurality of control knobs , gauges and dials 34 are located on the control panel 36 for controlling and monitoring the operation of the machine 12 . a roller housing 38 is mounted on the frame 30 . the roller housing 38 contains a plurality of rollers which bend the edges of the metal strip 40 in predetermined shapes for forming a lockseam , and which may form corrugation grooves and stiffening ribs in the metal strip 40 . an upper drive roller 42 and a lower drive roller 44 are rotatably mounted within the frame 30 adjacent to the roller housing 38 . the upper drive roller 42 pulls the continuous metal strip 40 into the frame 30 through the roller housing 38 , and over the lower drive roller 44 . the drive rollers then cooperate to push the metal strip 15 between the upper guide plate 46 and the lower guide plate 48 into the forming head 14 . the forming head 14 curls the metal strip in a helical manner so that the outer pre - formed edges of the strip 40 are adjacent to each other and mesh therewith . the helically - curled strip thus takes the shape of a spiral cylinder . the adjacent , mated edges of the strip are then compressed between a support roller and a clenching roller so as to form a proper lock seam . the metal strip 40 is continuously pushed by the drive rollers 42 and 44 through the forming head 14 , in spiral manner , so that the spiral pipe is continuously produced with a spiral lockseam . as the spiral pipe is formed , it will move out of the forming head 14 in a spiral manner . that is , the pipe and its leading edge will simultaneously rotate and move forward in the axial direction of the pipe . the pipe will be continuously produced until its reaches its desired length . at that point , a pipe cutting and notching apparatus will notch and sever the pipe into a section . importantly , in fig1 , it can be seen that the frame 30 includes a frame portion 50 that is positioned adjacent to the periphery of the forming head 14 . this frame portion 50 is essential for the proper positioning of the drive rollers 42 and 44 . the drive rollers 42 and 44 push the metal strip 40 between the upper guide plate 46 and the lower guide plate 48 and into the support arm 52 . support arm 52 pushes down on the support roller and holds it in place . as such , the metal strip 40 will start to follow a path along the interior surface 54 of the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 . as a result , the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 will create an elliptically - shaped spiral pipe , rather than the circular - shaped pipe of the prior art . as can be seen , the location of the frame portion 50 would create a obstruction relative to the support arm 52 and the location of the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 if the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 were of a circular configuration . the frame 50 creates an inherent barrier to the expansion of duct diameters beyond forty - eight inches in diameter . if the forming head 14 were circular , then extensions would have to be formed outwardly of the machine 12 in an inconvenient and unreliable manner . so as to accommodate the location of the frame 50 , the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 is positioned so that the sharp curvature of the forming head 14 is located at the support arm 52 and on the bed of the machine 12 . as a result , the sides adjacent to the frame portion 50 can extend upwardly therefrom in generally spaced relationship and non - interfering relationship with frame portion 50 . the support frame 20 will maintain the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 in its desired orientation above the machine 12 . as a result of the structure of the present invention , it is now possible to form circular pipe having diameters of greater than forty - eight inches . in order to determine the proper ellipse for the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 , it is first necessary to understand the desired diameter of the ultimate circular pipe . once the desired diameter is determined , then it is necessary to know the spacing between the support arm 20 and the frame portion 50 . as a result , a properly shaped ellipse of the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 can be calculated . as an example , if the ultimate diameter of the circular pipe is 100 inches then the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 will have a narrow diameter of 85 inches and a wide diameter of 114 inches . fig2 is an isolated view showing the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 of the present invention . the forming head 14 is formed of a steel material having a proper ellipse for the purposes of installation on the machine 12 . the bottom end 16 of the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 should be positioned under the support arm 52 . as a result , a suitable slotted area 60 should be formed at the bottom 16 so as to allow the metal strip 40 to be introduced thereinto . the metal strip 40 is free to be driven along the interior surface 54 in a continuous and spiral manner . the exterior surface 62 can be supported by the frame structures described hereinbefore . after the machine 12 has driven the metal strip 40 through the interior of the elliptically - shaped forming head , a length of elliptically - shaped spiral pipe will be formed . however , it is important consideration of the present invention that the ultimate goal is to produce a section of circular pipe of constant diameter . as such , the elliptically - shaped spiral pipe will need to be converted into circular pipe . fig3 shows the manner in which this conversion can occur . as can be seen in fig3 , a first section 70 of spiral pipe has been positioned in a desired location . this first section 70 is of a circular configuration . the second section 72 illustrates the spiral pipe as formed by the process 10 of the present invention . spiral pipe 72 will initially be of elliptical form . however , within the concept of the present invention , it is easy to form the elliptically - shaped spiral pipe section 72 into a circular pipe section by simply securing the end 74 of section 72 to the end 76 of section 70 . since the pipe section 72 is elliptically shaped , it can be easily manipulated , maneuvered and adjusted so as to conform with the edge of the circular spiral pipe 70 . after connecting the end 74 to the end 76 by various means , such as welding , tapping , adhesive , sealants , or other means , the second pipe section 72 will have its desired circular configuration . within the concept of the present invention , although the ultimate result of the use of the elliptically - shaped forming head 14 is the creation of elliptically - shaped spiral pipe , the spiral pipe is of a configuration that can be easily manipulated for movement and configuration into a circular design of constant diameter . fixtures and other supports can be employed so as to maintain the circular orientation of the elliptically - shaped section 72 during its installation onto the circular section 70 . fig4 shows an alternative embodiment of the elliptically - shaped forming head 80 of the present invention . forming head 80 has an elliptically - shaped configuration as in the previous embodiment of the forming head 14 . however , a first break 82 is formed on one side of the forming head 80 and a second break 84 is formed on an opposite side of the forming head 80 . these breaks 84 and 82 are cuts through the wall thickness of the forming head 80 . the breaks 82 and 84 are particularly configured so that the forming head 80 can be manipulated for size adjustments and for producing spiral pipe of different diameters . in fig4 , it can be seen that an insert element 86 has been positioned between the edges of the break 82 . similarly , another insert element 88 has been positioned between the edges 84 . as a result , the wide diameter of the elliptically - shaped forming head 80 is greater by a function of the length of the insert elements 86 and 88 . generally , each of the insert elements 86 and 88 has a u - shaped configuration in which the inner surface 90 of the insert element 86 is flush with the interior surface 92 of the forming head 80 . similarly , the inner surface 94 of the insert 88 is flush with the interior surface 92 of the forming head 80 . as a result , there will be no interruption or obstruction of the travel of the metal strip during the formation of the elliptically - shaped spiral pipe . as will be described hereinafter , when the insert elements 86 and 88 are removed , the breaks 82 and 84 will be closed such that the interior surface 92 of forming head 80 is contiguous and flush with itself . fig6 illustrates the configuration of the insert element 86 as positioned on the forming head 80 . the insert element 86 is positioned in the area of the break 82 . as can be seen in fig5 , break 82 will have a first edge 100 and a second edge 102 . a first flange 104 extends outwardly of the exterior surface 106 of the forming head 80 at break 100 . a second flange 108 extends outwardly of the exterior surface 106 of the forming head 80 at break 102 . importantly , the first insert element 86 includes a third flange 110 positioned in juxtaposition against an interior surface of the first flange 104 . the insert element 86 also includes a fourth flange 112 which is positioned in juxtaposition against an inside surface of the second flange 108 . bolts 114 serve to secure the first flange 104 to the second flange 110 . similarly , bolts 116 are used to secure the second flange 108 to the fourth flange 112 . as a result , the insert element 86 will fill in the space between the edges 100 and 102 of break 82 . a similar structure , such as that shown in fig5 , is employed in association with the second break 84 and the second insert element 88 on the other side of the forming head 80 . in fig6 , it can be seen how the first insert element 86 is positioned between the first flange 104 and the second flange 108 . insert element 86 has a surface 120 positioned between the edge 100 and the edge 102 of break 82 . the inner surface 90 will be flush with the inner surface 92 of the forming head 80 . the insert element 86 also shows the third flange 110 and the fourth flange 112 . the bolts 114 join the first flange 104 to the third flange 110 in surface - to - surface relationship . similarly , bolts 116 join the second flange 108 to the fourth flange 112 in surface - to - surface relationship . suitable bolt holes are formed through each of the flanges 104 , 108 , 110 and 112 so that proper alignment of the surfaces 90 and 92 can be achieved . in fig7 , it can be seen how the insert element 86 has been removed . as a result , the break 82 is closed so that the edges 100 and 102 are in juxtaposition . the inside surface 92 of the forming head 80 will be continuous and flush . the first flange 104 is joined the second flange 108 through the use of bolts 122 . removal of the insert element 86 will cause the maximum diameter of the elliptically - shaped forming head 80 to be reduced in size . if it is necessary to make minor adjustments in the diameter in the forming head 80 , then the insert elements 86 and 88 can be suitably employed . as a result , the present invention eliminates the need for constantly scrapping , reforming or otherwise taking other expensive measures for the remedying of diameter discrepancies in the elliptically - shaped spiral pipe . the foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof . various changes in the details of the illustrated construction or in the steps of the describesd method can be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the true spirit of the invention . the present invention should only be limited by the following claims and their legal equivalents . | 1 |
the starting material , 15 - keto pgb 1 methyl ester , is represented by the formula : ## str1 ## trace amounts of pgb 1 occur in mammalian organisms and in certain species of coral . however , various synthetic methods for preparing it are known , but due to the lack of large scale synthetic laboratory facilities , synthesis of the starting material for the present invention is adapted from earlier smaller scale synthesis . see polis , b . d . et al ., studies on pgb x a polymeric derivative of prostaglandin b 1 : i - synthesis and purification of pgb x , naval air development center report nadc - 78235 - 60 , ( oct . 30 , 1978 ). five gram of 15 - keto pgb 1 methyl ester is dissolved in 100 ml of ethanol and 100 ml of 2 . 0n koh base solution is added . the resultant mixture is heated at 80 ° c . with the absorption characteristics of 15 - keto pgb 1 and pgb x being monitored during the course of the reaction . the uv absorption maximum for 15 - keto pgb 1 is 296 nm and the uv absorption maximum for pgb x is at 243 nm . the reaction , which takes approximately four hours , is completed when the pgb x activity reaches a maximum as determined by the in vitro mitochondrial test for restoration of oxidative phosphorylation . during the course of the reaction , the base solution hydrolyzes the 15 - keto pgb 1 methyl ester to the salt form . the mixture is then cooled and shaken with equal parts of water and isobutanol , and acidified to ph 3 . 0 with 2 . 3n hclo 4 , which has the unique advantage of converting the pgb x into a free acid soluble in isobutanol and converting the potassium to a relatively insoluble potassium perchlorate salt in water . the mixture is then allowed to settle into separate isobutanol and water layers . the water and impurities therein are removed and the remaining isobutanol layer containing active pgb x is washed and separated twice with 100 ml of water . the pgb x in the isobutanol layer is then shaken with 100 ml of 0 . 1m nahco 3 which converts the pgb x to a water - soluble salt form . the aqueous nahco 3 layer containing pgb x , and the isobutanol and impurities dissolved therein , settle into separate layers and the isobutanol layer removed . the remaining nahco 3 layer containing pgb x is acidified to ph 3 . 0 with an acid , such as 1 . 0n hcl , to convert the pgb x back to its isobutanol - soluble acid form , insoluble in water and shaken with 100 ml of isobutanol . the water and other impurities therein are then removed , and the remaining isobutanol is first washed with 100 ml h 2 o , two times , to remove excess acid , and then evaporated under reduced pressure to to leave a residue of approximately 4 g ( 80 % yield ) of crude pgb x . the crude pgb x is then separated by molecular exclusion chromotography into fractions by monitoring the column effluent with a refractive index detector . best results from the standpoint of increased purification and recovery of pgb x were obtained with methanol as the carrier solvent and a gel filtration packing , such as sephadex lh20 manufactured by pharmacia , inc . charges of 2 g of 20 % pgb x in methanol are injected on a 95 cm × 5 cm column of the adsorbent and chromatography is carried out at a flow rate of 20 ml per minute . fractions are collected at one minute intervals with the course of chromatographic separation monitored by a refractive index detector . fig1 represents the chromatogram for pgb x in methanol collected in forty tubes of discrete fractions . the fractions in tubes of selected refractive indices are combined to form six fractions which are dried and assayed for in vitro mitochondrial pgb x activity . although pgb x is distributed in most of the fractions , highest activity of pgb x appears in fraction 2 . the molecular weight range in this fraction is usually between 2200 and 2500 , or approximately 6 - 7 monomeric units . the purification of pgb x resulting from one chromatography is shown in table i below : table i__________________________________________________________________________ weight pgb . sub . x activitymolecular mg per % mg per % fractionweight fraction recovery units / mg fraction recovery__________________________________________________________________________starting 4190 0 . 86 36031 4300 500 12 . 0 0 . 89 445 12 . 42 2200 - 2500 1490 35 . 6 1 . 00 1490 41 . 43 1300 990 23 . 7 0 . 64 634 17 . 64 800 490 11 . 7 0 . 11 54 1 . 55 350 100 2 . 5 0 . 05 5 0 . 16 -- 10 0 . 3 -- -- -- __________________________________________________________________________ the pgb x activation of oxidative phosphorylation of degraded mitochondria disclosed in the patent application ser . no . 635 , 947 supra employs the warburg technique . pgb x activation in the present application is demonstrated as follows . mitochondria are isolated by a modification of the method disclosed by hogeboom , g . h . et al ., cytochemical studies of mammalian tissues i . isolation of intact mitochondria from rat liver , journal of biological chemistry , vol . 172 , page 619 ( 1948 ). rats are decapitated , and their livers excised as rapidly as possible and washed with 0 . 3m sucrose ( enzyme grade ) containing 5 × 10 - 4 m edta ( ethylene diamine tetra - acetic acid ), ph 7 . 35 . the livers are homogenized ( glass barrel , teflon pestle ) in the same solution and the mitochondria separated by differential centrifugation . the nuclei are sedimented at 1000 g for 15 minutes . the yield of mitochondria is increased by rehomogenizing the nuclei in three volumes of sucrose - edta and centrifuging at 1000 g . the 1000 g supernatant layers are combined and centrifuged at 10 , 000 g for 15 minutes to sediment the mitochondria . the mitochondrial pellet is homogenized in sucrose - edta and centrifuged at 6000 g , rehomogenized in fresh sucrose - edta and centrifuged at 4000 g . the supernatant layers from both the 10 , 000 g and 6000 g centrifugations are removed by aspiration while the 4000 g supernatant layer was &# 34 ; poured hard &# 34 ; to remove the &# 34 ; fluffy layer .&# 34 ; to increase the yield of mitochondria , the &# 34 ; fluffy layer &# 34 ; is homogenized with two volumes of sucrose - edta and centrifuged at 6000 g . the 6000 g supernatant layer is &# 34 ; poured hard &# 34 ; and the pellets from both the 4000 g and 6000 g centrifugations are homogenized in sucrose - edta and centrifuged at 600 g to separate any cellular debris or nuclei that might still remain . after determining the protein content by the biuret method , disclosed in kingsley , g . r ., journal of laboratory chemical medicine , vol . 27 , p . 840 ( 1942 ), the mitochondrial suspension is diluted with coldsucrose - edta to make a final concentration of 100 mg protein per ml . usually 1 . 3 g of mitochondria are isolated from a 100 g of rat liver . the mitochondria are then stored at 4 ° c . prior to assaying the pgb x , the mitochondria are further degraded by incubation at 28 ° c . in the absence of the phosphate acceptor adp ( adenosine diphosphate ). since the degree of degradation required for the pgb x effect varied with each mitochondrial preparation as well as the time of storage , preliminary incubations of varying times are run to determine the optimum degree of degradation . for this purpose , an aliquot of aged mitochondria ( usually of the amount needed for one day &# 39 ; s use ) is diluted with cold distilled water and centrifuged to 6000 g . the supernatant is removed and an equivalent volume of 0 . 15 m sucrose plus 2 . 5 × 10 - 4 m edta is added , and the mitochondria suspended by gentle mechanical mixing . the optimal degradation time is determined by adding 4 mg of mitochondria each into four beakers containing 0 . 1 ml of 0 . 1m phosphate buffer of ph 7 . 35 , 0 . 15 ml of 0 . 2m alphaketoglutarate ( ph 7 . 35 ), 0 . 1 ml of 0 . 1m mgso 4 and water to a total volume of 2 . 01 ml . the beakers are covered and shaken at 28 ° c . for 5 , 10 , 15 and 20 minutes , respectively . at the end of each time period , 0 . 15 ml of a mixture containing 0 . 0333m adp , 0 . 0333m amp ( adenosine monophosphate ) and 0 . 66m kcl is added followed immediately with 0 . 04 ml of 3 . 75 % bovine syrum albumin to give a final volume of 2 . 2 ml . the order of addition and the composition of the reactants are summarized in table ii below . table ii______________________________________ mitochondrialorder of degrading reactionaddition medium mixture______________________________________water 1 . 55 ml 1 . 55 mlphosphate buffer ph 7 . 35 4 . 98 mm 4 . 55 mmα - ketoglutarate ph 7 . 35 14 . 93 mm 13 . 64 mmmgso . sub . 4 4 . 98 mm 4 . 55 mmaged mitochondria 1 . 99 mg / ml 1 . 82 mg / mlsucrose * 5 . 97 mm 5 . 45 mmedta 0 . 010 mm 0 . 009 mmamp -- 2 . 27 mmadp -- 2 . 27 mmkcl -- 45 . 45 mmbovine serum albumin -- 0 . 68 mg / ml______________________________________ * added with mitochondria shaking of the beakers is continued for 20 minutes at which time the reaction is terminated by the addition of 0 . 5 ml of 31 % hclo 4 . the inorganic phosphate concentration is then determined in the protein - free filtrate by the method disclosed in dreisbach , r . h ., submicrogram determination of inorganic phosphate , analytical biochemistry , vol . 10 , no . 169 ( 1965 ). that is , 0 . 5 ml aliquot of protein - free filtrate is added to 3 . 5 ml of water , 1 ml of 10 % ammonium molybdate in 5n h 2 so 4 and 5 ml isobutanol . the mixture is shaken thoroughly and the phases allowed to separate . 0 . 5 ml of the isobutanol layer formed thereby is diluted to 5 . 0 ml with 3 . 2 % h 2 so 4 in ethanol and the absorbane measured at 310 nm wavelength . the phosphate disappearance ( or phosphate p i esterified ) is calculated by the difference from the phosphate concentration found in each beaker at the end of the reaction time period to that in which no reaction has taken place , i . e ., a reaction beaker in which perchloric acid is added prior to the addition of the mitochondria . the degradation time used to show the pgb x effect is chosen as the minimum time required to reduce the level of phosphorylation to less than 5 % of the level shown in fig2 for nondegraded mitochondria . thus , having established the condition for mitochondrial degeneration to near zero phosphorylation , the pgb x effect is shown in fig3 by adding varying amounts of pgb x , e . g ., 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 μg during the predetermined incubation period and prior to the addition of the phosphate acceptor . it is apparent in fig3 that , in the absence of pgb x , the ability of degraded mitochondria to carry out oxidative phosphorylation is markedly inhibited . when pgb x is added in small increments , such as 0 - 2 μg , a recovery of the phosphorylation ability may be noted after a short induction period . at the level of 2 - 4 μg pgb x , a sharp increase in phosphorylation occurs . above 4 μg pgb x , the mitochondria are saturated and phosphorylation levels off . for purposes of quantification , a unit of pgb x activity is defined as the inverse ratio of the amount ( in μg ) of pgb x required to restore 50 % of the phosphorylation ( 3 . 0μ moles esterified phosphate ) to that required by the standard pgb x preparation . for this purpose the best fitting curve of the rising portion of the pgb x concentration - activity curve is calculated by the method of linear regression to yield the value of the constants , a 0 and a 1 in the equation that describes the curve : y = a 0 + a 1 x . by substituting 3 for y and solving for x , the amount of pgb x required for 50 % recovery of activity is obtained . the unit of pgb x activity is then defined as ## equ1 ## the k a values calculated in this manner describe the activity of the various pgb x preparation as follows : when k a = 1 , activity of unknown is equal to activity of standard , in addition , if the total amount of pgb x ( in mg ) is multiplied by the k a value , the numerical figure obtained is essentially a measure of the total activity of the sample . in this manner the recovery of the activity may be followed during any fractionation procedure . from the foregoing , some of the advantages and novel features of the invention should now be apparent . for example , an improved method of synthesizing prostaglandin derivatives pgb x from a starting material of 15 - keto pgb 1 methyl ester is disclosed which substantially reduces processing time with a higher yield of more predictable reproducibility . it will be understood , of course , that various changes in the details and steps , which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention , may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims . | 2 |
in the following description , a magnetic anomaly detector and method making use of the microwave gmi effect are discussed . the magnetic anomaly detector comprises at least one electromagnetic transmission line having at least one conductor acting as a sensing element comprised of a soft magnetic material . in one embodiment , the at least one conductor is an amorphous magnetic wire , 40 to 120 μm in diameter , made of a ni 45 co 25 fe 6 si 9 b 13 mn 2 or similar alloy , for a saturation magnetization of the magnetic wire of around 200 ka / m or emu / cm 3 . this is high enough that a ferromagnetic resonance is detectable in the skin depth of the magnetic wire , but not too high , so that the resonance frequency stays in the low ghz range . this provides advantages concerning the signal to noise ratio and the resolution in frequency of the magnetic anomaly detector as will be described . for ease of reference , the principles of ferromagnetic resonance and the microwave gmi effect will be firstly discussed with reference to fig1 a and 1 b . ferromagnetic resonance ( fmr ) occurs in a thin soft magnetic film 10 when the magnetic film 10 , of thickness t , is submitted simultaneously to a longitudinal static magnetic field , h , and to an alternating magnetic field , h w , oriented along the width w of the film 10 , thus perpendicular to the static magnetic field h . all of the material in the magnetic film 10 participates to the fmr . a strong absorption peak is observed at the resonant frequency , f 0 , where the losses of the magnetic material are at a maximum . in measuring the transverse permeability μ w of the magnetic film 10 , the imaginary part of the permeability peaks , while the real part of the permeability passes through zero at this frequency . if the static magnetic field changes from h to ( h + δh ), the resonant frequency increases to ( f 0 + δf 0 ). fig1 b shows a magnetic wire 20 that forms the central conductor of a coaxial transmission line . although not shown , the coaxial transmission line comprises an outer conductor spaced from and surrounding the magnetic wire 20 . a dielectric in the form of air is interposed between the magnetic wire 20 and the outer conductor . an electromagnetic signal in the ghz range of frequency is provided at the input of the coaxial transmission line by a network analyzer or other similar electronics ( not shown ). the transmission line geometry favors the propagation of a transverse electromagnetic ( tem ) wave along the coaxial transmission line . such propagation is strongly influenced by a static magnetic field h applied to the coaxial transmission line 20 . the electric field component of the tem wave is radial , while the magnetic component h φ of the tem wave , which is in the microwave range , is circumferential . parts of these components penetrate the surface of the magnetic wire 20 to a depth δ given by equation ( 1 ) below : ρ is the electrical resistivity ; f is the frequency ; and μ φ is the circumferential magnetic permeability of the magnetic wire . this modifies the surface impedance of the magnetic wire 20 , which is related to the magnetic wire impedance through a geometrical factor . a static magnetic field , h , applied along the magnetic wire 20 , thus perpendicular to the microwave field h φ , excites a ferromagnetic resonance of the magnetic ions located within the skin depth δ of the magnetic wire 20 ( the microwave gmi effect ). the magnetic moments , m , of the ferromagnetic ions near the magnetic wire surface precess at the resonant frequency . this precession is maintained by the microwave field h φ . the resonant frequency increases with the saturation magnetization of the magnetic wire material and the strength of the applied static magnetic field h . the losses in the magnetic wire 20 are expressed by the real part of its impedance , which shows a peak at the resonant frequency . the imaginary part of the impedance passes through zero at the same frequency . if the static magnetic field changes from h to h + δh , the resonant frequency increases to f 0 + δf 0 . this means that both the peak of the real part of the magnetic wire impedance and the zero crossing of the imaginary part of the magnetic wire impedance , shift on the frequency axis . the physics of the microwave gmi effect are similar to that of the ferromagnetic resonance ( fmr ). the latter phenomenon occurs in transmission lines subjected simultaneously to a static magnetic field , which causes saturation of the transmission line and precession of the spins , and a perpendicular oscillating magnetic field , which provides the energy to maintain the precession and produces the resonance . in order to excite fmr , the frequency of the ac field is equal to that of the larmor frequency of the magnetic material . this frequency increases with the saturation magnetization of the magnetic material and the strength of the applied static magnetic field . the losses induced by the fmr heat the magnetic material . the imaginary part of the permeability of this magnetic material shows a peak while the real part passes through zero at the resonant frequency . turning now to fig2 a magnetic anomaly detector using the microwave gmi effect is shown and is generally identified by reference numeral 100 . as can be seen , magnetic anomaly detector 100 comprises a coaxial transmission line 102 to which a tem electromagnetic wave and a static magnetic field h are applied . the coaxial transmission line 102 has an outer , tubular , non - magnetic metal conductor 104 with large electrical conductivity , surrounding a central , soft magnetic wire 106 exhibiting a large microwave gmi effect in the operating frequency range of the magnetic anomaly detector 100 i . e . in the frequency range of from about 0 . 5 ghz to about 20 ghz . the size and shape of the magnetic wire 106 is selected to provide adequate impedance matching within the operating frequency range . an air gap 108 is provided between the outer conductor 104 and the magnetic wire 106 and acts as a dielectric . a conductive metal disc 110 is provided at one end of the magnetic wire 106 . the disc 110 spans the air gap 108 and contacts the outer conductor 104 to provide an electrical short between the magnetic wire 106 and the outer conductor 104 . shorting the magnetic wire 106 and the outer conductor 104 increases the signal - to - noise ratio of the magnetic anomaly detector 100 as the propagating tem electromagnetic wave travels twice the length of the transmission line 102 . the soft magnetic wire is composed of alloys of ni , co and fe and other elements such as si , b , mn , cu etc . in this particular embodiment , the soft magnetic wire 106 is composed of a ni 45 co 25 fe 6 si 9 b 13 mn 2 alloy . the material used to form the alloy from which the magnetic wire 106 is created , may be amorphous , nanocrystalline or polycrystalline . the amorphous , nanocrystalline or polycrystalline material is processed using sputtering , rapid solidification technology i . e . melt spinning or casting into water , electrodeposition , rolling or other techniques to form the alloy . the magnetic wire 106 has a saturation magnetization of about 200 ka / m ( emu / cm 3 ) and a diameter in the range of 40 to 120 μm . the length of the magnetic wire 106 is selected to be less than a quarter of the wavelength of the propagating tem electromagnetic signal to inhibit the occurrence of an electrical resonance which may overlap with the tem electromagnetic ferromagnetic resonance . during operation of the magnetic anomaly detector 100 , the tem electromagnetic wave , whose electric field component e r is radial and magnetic field component h φ is circumferential , is applied to the transmission line 102 using a network analyzer 112 and propagates through the transmission line 102 . the power of the tem electromagnetic signal generated by the network analyzer 112 at the transmission input of the line should be around 1 mw in order to avoid non - linear effects . the frequency of the tem electromagnetic wave is selected so that the frequency of the magnetic field h φ is in the operating range of the natural ferromagnetic resonance of the magnetic wire material . the magnetic field h φ is also modulated in amplitude , frequency or phase . as discussed above , parts of the tem electromagnetic wave components penetrate the surface of the magnetic wire 106 to the skin depth δ , defined previously . this modifies the impedance of the magnetic wire 106 . the static magnetic field , h , is also applied to the magnetic wire 106 . the static magnetic field h , which is perpendicular to the magnetic field h φ along the magnetic wire 106 , excites a ferromagnetic resonance of the magnetic ions located within the skin depth of the magnetic wire 106 . the static magnetic field h is applied using electromagnetic coils or permanent magnets and is modulated in amplitude , frequency or phase . for example , the static magnetic field h may be ramp , sawtooth , sinusoidal or pulse modulated . the amplitude of the static magnetic field h determines the resonant frequency of the magnetic wire 106 in the operating frequency range of the magnetic anomaly detector 100 while the magnetic field h φ provides the energy for precession at resonance . the resonant frequency increases with the saturation magnetization of the magnetic wire material and the strength of the applied magnetic field h . the losses in the magnetic wire 106 are expressed by the real part of its impedance , which shows a peak at the resonant frequency . the imaginary part of the impedance passes through zero at the same frequency . these two parts are calculated by measuring the reflection coefficient , s 11 , of the transmission line 102 using the network analyzer 112 . the change in resonant frequency is measured using standard techniques either in the frequency or time domain thereby to detect magnetic anomalies . the input impedance of the transmission line 102 is calculated from the complex reflection coefficient for a given frequency and field . the characteristic impedance , z c of the transmission line 102 and longitudinal propagation coefficient , γ , of the tem mode are deduced from the input impedance . the lumped parameters of the transmission line 102 are calculated using the impedance z c and propagation coefficient γ . the external inductance due to the line transmission is subtracted from the total inductance , yielding the intrinsic inductance of the magnetic wire 106 , while the resistance of the external conductor 104 and the conductance of air 108 are negligible compared to those induced by the high permeability and resistivity of the magnetic wire 106 . the impedance spectra of the magnetic wire 106 is measured by sweeping the frequency of the input tem electromagnetic signal in the static magnetic field . fig3 shows the frequency spectra of the real part , r , and the imaginary part , x , of the impedance of a ni 45 co 25 fe 6 si 9 b 13 mn 2 magnetic wire for three static magnetic fields . the frequency is swept from 30 mhz to 6 ghz , while static magnetic fields of 240 , 520 and 1 , 000 oe are applied along the transmission line 102 . the resonant frequency , f 0 , is the frequency value at which the real part r peaks and the imaginary part x is null . at a static magnetic field of 240 oe , f 0 = 2 . 4787 ghz , the resonant frequency increases up to 5 . 4 ghz for a static magnetic field of 1 koe . the importance of keeping this frequency as small as possible is illustrated by a simple calculation . the earth &# 39 ; s magnetic field is about 0 . 25 oe . for example in the case of a magnetic anomaly that amounts to 0 . 02 oe , if this amount is added to the 240 oe static magnetic field , the result h + δh is 240 . 02 oe . using kittel &# 39 ; s equation for the ferromagnetic resonance frequency as represented by equation ( 2 ) below : f 0 2 = ( γμ 0 2 π ) 2 h ( h + m s ) ( 2 ) γ is the gyromagnetic ratio of the electron ; μ 0 is the permeability of the air ; and m s the saturation magnetization of the magnetic alloy , yields a frequency change δf 0 equal to 103 . 2 khz resulting in a reasonably high frequency resolution of the magnetic anomaly detector , δf 0 / f 0 equal to 41 . 66 10 − 6 , or 41 . 66 ppm . although the above embodiment shows a magnetic anomaly detector comprising a single coaxial transmission line , the magnetic anomaly detector may in fact comprise an array of coaxial transmission lines . for example , turning to fig4 , a magnetic anomaly detector comprising three coaxial transmission lines is shown . as can be seen , in this embodiment , the coaxial transmission lines are mounted in an orthogonal ( triaxial ) configuration . this arrangement of coaxial transmission lines is advantageous in that the vector components of the magnetic anomaly can be detected , which helps to spatially locate the source of the magnetic anomaly . fig5 shows yet another magnetic anomaly detector . in this embodiment , the magnetic anomaly detector comprises a four by five array of parallel , coaxial transmission lines . of course larger or smaller arrays of transmission lines can be used . in the above embodiments , the magnetic anomaly detector is described and shown as a coaxial transmission line . those of skill in the art will however appreciate that the magnetic anomaly detector may take other forms . for example , the transmission line may be in the form of a waveguide or stripline with the magnetic conductor being a ribbon , thin film or thick film . although particular embodiments have been described and illustrated , those of skill in the art will appreciate that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the sphere and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims . | 6 |
the instrument structure provided by the present invention enables increased stability and accuracy in an induction wellbore logging tool and its operational capabilities , which , in turn , results in better quality and utility of wellbore data acquired during logging . the features of the present invention are applicable to improve the structure of a majority of known induction tools . the invention will now be described in more detail and by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 schematically shows a wellbore 1 extending into a laminated earth formation , into which wellbore an induction logging tool as used according to the present invention has been lowered . the wellbore in fig1 extends into an earth formation which includes a hydrocarbon - bearing sand layer 3 located between an upper shale layer 5 and a higher conductivity than the hydrocarbon bearing sand layer 3 . an induction logging tool 9 used in the practice of the invention has been lowered into the wellbore 1 via a wire line 11 extending through a blowout preventor 13 ( shown schematically ) located at the earth surface 15 . the surface equipment 22 includes an electric power supply to provide electric power to the set of coils 18 and a signal processor to receive and process electric signals from the receiver coils 19 . alternatively , the power supply and / or signal processors are located in the logging tool . the relative orientation of the wellbore 1 and the logging tool 9 with respect to the layers 3 , 5 , 7 is determined by two angles , one of which θ as shown in the fig1 . for determination of these angles see , for example , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 999 , 883 to gupta , et al . the logging tool 9 is provided with a set of transmitter coils 18 and a set of receiver coils 19 , each set of coils 18 , 19 being connected to surface equipment 22 via suitable conductors ( not shown ) extending along the wire line 11 . each set of coils 18 and 19 includes three coils ( not shown ), which are arranged such that the set has three magnetic dipole moments in mutually orthogonal directions , that is , in x , y and z directions . the three - coil transmitter coil set transmits t x , t y and t z . the receiver coil receives r x , r y and r z plus the cross components , r xy , r xz and r zy . thus , coil set 18 has magnetic dipole moments 26 a , 26 b , 26 c , and coil set 19 has magnetic dipole moments 28 a , 28 b , 28 c . in one embodiment the transmitter coil set 18 is electrically isolated from the receiver coil set 19 . in an alternative embodiment , each coil in transmitter coil set 18 electrically isolated from each other and each coil in receiver coil set 19 electrically isolated from each other . the coils with magnetic dipole moments 26 a and 28 a are transverse coils , that is they are oriented so that the magnetic dipole moments are oriented perpendicular to the wellbore axis , whereby the direction of magnetic dipole moment 28 a is opposite to the direction of magnetic dipole moment 26 a . furthermore the sets of coils 18 and 19 are positioned substantially along the longitudinal axis of the logging tool 9 . as shown in fig2 a , conventional induction logging tools provide a single transmitter and receiver coil that measure resistivity in the horizontal direction . in the conventional horizontal mode , as shown in fig2 a , the resistivities of adjacent high resistivity sand and low resistivity shale layers appear in parallel , thus the resistivity measurement is dominated by low resistivity shale . as shown in fig1 and 2 b , in the present invention a transverse coil is added to measure resistivity in the vertical direction . in the vertical direction , the resistivity of the highly resistive sand and low resistivity shale are appear in series and thus the vertical series resistivity measurement is dominated by the resistivity of the highly resistive sand . for ease of reference , normal operation of the tool 9 , as shown in fig1 and 2 b , will be described hereinafter only for the coils having dipole moments in the x - direction , i . e . dipole moments 26 a and 28 a . during normal operation an alternating current of a frequency f 1 is supplied by the electric power supply of surface equipment 22 to transmitter coil set 18 so that a magnetic field with magnetic dipole moment 26 a is induced in the formation . in an alternative embodiment , the frequency is swept through a range f 1 through f 2 . this magnetic field extends into the sand layer 3 and induces a number of local eddy currents in the sand layer 3 . the magnitude of the local eddy currents is dependent upon their location relative to the transmitter coil set 18 , the conductivity of the earth formation at each location , and the frequency at which the transmitter coil set 18 is operating . in principle the local eddy currents act as a source inducing new currents , which again induce further new currents , and so on . the currents induced into the sand layer 3 induces a response magnetic field in the formation , which is not in phase with the transmitted magnetic field , but which induces a response current in receiver coil set 19 . the magnitude of the current induced in the sand layer 3 depends on the conductivity of the sand layer 3 , the magnitude of the response current in receiver coil set 19 . the magnitude also depends on the conductivity and thereby provides an indication of the conductivity of the sand layer 3 . however , the magnetic field generated by transmitter coil set 18 not only extends into sand layer 3 , but also in the wellbore fluid and in the shale layers 5 and 7 so that currents in the wellbore fluid and the shale layers 5 and 7 are induced . the overall procedures of the present invention used to ensure proper functioning of a deployed multicomponent induction logging tool is summarized in fig3 . calibration the instrument &# 39 ; s arrays is done , particularly estimating its transfer coefficient 101 . subsequently , a final verification of the tuning and calibration consistency is performed 103 . this is followed by a verification of isolator sufficiency 105 for preventing an axial current flow between the tool &# 39 ; s top and bottom housings / electronics through the feed - through pipe and conductors while logging in the boreholes filled with conductive mud . in further detail , the fully made tool is placed in calibration area which has a small number of external conductive parts that could affect tool readings ( machinery , measurement tools , etc .). for example , positioning the tool at approximately 15 ft ( 4 . 6 m ) above the ground typically reduces the tool reading to a value less than about 10 ms / m . the tool is positioned parallel to the earth with the array to be adjusted pointing normal to the ground . the instrument &# 39 ; s top and bottom housing are interconnected with a borehole conductivity simulator ( bcs ) and the insulator is shorted . fig4 illustrates the bcs , comprising an assembly of conductor 401 and resistor 410 , which electrically couples top housing 405 and bottom housing 404 . a closed circuit is thus created from bottom housing 404 through resistor 410 through top housing 405 through a feed - through pipe running from bottom housing to top housing through mandrel 408 . the value of resistor 410 can be configured to be approximately equal to a total conductance value the tool would experience inside a borehole well according to its specifications . a resistance value of approximately 20 ohms is typically chosen . in this arrangement the tool becomes very sensitive to the axial current that could be induced by the array transmitter in the following loop : “ top housing — shorted feed - through pipe — bottom housing — bcs ”. the magnitude of the current will be proportional to the array coils displacement from their longitudinal alignment and simulator resistor value . to balance the array its transmitter coil may be moved in the plane parallel to the ground . this coil movement is performed until absolute minimum in the array reading is reached . upon adjustment the transmitter coil frame is fixed inside the mandrel with the sets of non - conductive screws and / or with epoxy . shorting the isolator between the upper housing and the mandrel is done to significantly increase the magnitude of the axial current in this test procedure and , therefore , increase accuracy of balancing . a similar positioning may be done in the vertical direction . as discussed below , the tool is more sensitive to mispositioning in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction . suitable positioning screws may be provided in the logging tool to accomplish this movement . after the first horizontal array has been tuned the tool is rotated about its axis and similar procedure has been performed with next horizontal array . generally , the instrument might have a plurality of transverse and tilted arrays so that similar tuning could be developed for each sensor . after balance of all arrays has been completed , the tool isolation short is removed and mandrel is covered with the non - conductive pressure sleeve . calibration of transfer coefficient is done after the instrument is positioned in the low conductive calibration environment and inserted inside the calibrator . the calibration principle lies in introducing a certain magnetic load for calibrating array so that its signal readings are identical to the values to be read while logging a homogeneous formation . this is done with use of a calibrator whose electromagnetic parameters and coupling with the tool are precisely known . using the calibrator , tool loading is achieved by the connecting certain impedance to the terminal of normally - open calibrator loop . thus , the open loop presents an infinitely resistive formation . conversely , by shorting , almost infinitely conductive formation is presented . therefore , any value of the formation conductivity corresponds to its unique value of the calibration loop load . acquiring the calibration signal is typically done in the mode “ calibration load connected — disconnected ”. this difference in the tool reading indicates on how much the tool output voltage swings when the formation conductivity changes from 0 to the calibrated value . to perform calibration the tool array may be oriented normal to the ground as this leads to more consistency in measurements and apparently make its transversal arrays less sensitive to any noise currents that maybe circulating on the earth surface in place of measurement ( machinery , radio - stations , etc .). after the tool transfer coefficient has been determined , the tool readings while the calibrator loop is not loaded reflect environmental conductivity and , in particular , ground conductivity . this data has to be known and stored for further processing . the last step in calibration is verification of the tool symmetry and immunity to axial currents . the overall tool symmetry assumes that the same array reads the same values of the “ ground ” or environmental conductivity while its measurement direction points to ground or from the ground . for these purposes the tool is rotated around its longitudinal axis on 180 °. absence of such a “ direction sensitivity ” would indicate normal tool functioning and ensure respective symmetry while operating in the well bore . for verification of the suppressing axial currents — a modified bcs test may be run with the short removed in the feed - through . thus , connecting and disconnecting the bcs to the tool should result in absolute minimal difference in readings that would indicate for proper operation in the well without formation - dependable offset in the tool data . this modified bcs test could be run as described , or , to reduce calibration time , performed right after the transfer coefficient is determined . turning now to fig5 , one arrangement of the alignment loop is discussed . shown therein is an alignment loop 501 surrounding an array characterized by the transmitter coil 504 directed along an x direction ( t x ) and the receiver coil 508 directed along the x direction ( r x ). bucking coil b x 506 is also shown . this array is denoted as xx , using a nomenclature in which the first letter signifies the orientation direction of the transmitter coil and the last letter signifies the orientation direction of the receiver coil . this nomenclature is generally used herein . the xx and yy arrays in the multi - component tool are ideally aligned at 90 ° from each other . when this alignment is not met , the response of the cross components ( xy , yx ) are affected by part of the reading of the related main component . the alignment measuring method of the present invention is based on analyzing the output of the cross - component system when the tool is rotated inside of an alignment loop . the alignment loop 501 is a stationary loop , lying so that the longitudinal axis of the loop and the longitudinal axis of the well - logging tool are substantially aligned . its dimensions are such as to obtain substantial inductive coupling with the transmitter as well as with the receiver of both xx and yy arrays . an important aspect of the present invention is that no portion of either the transmitter or the receiver coil extend beyond the loop . this is in contrast to prior art devices in which this condition is not satisfied . when this condition is not satisfied , the resulting calibration is sensitive to the position of the calibration loop relative to the transmitter and receiver coils , and is hence suspect . the arrangement shown in fig5 uses a single calibration loop where this condition is satisfied . the single calibration loop axially encompasses the transmitter coil and the receiver coil . a detailed analysis of the signals is given later in this document . the logging tool is supported within the alignment loop by suitable support ( not shown ) that has the capability of rotating the logging tool about its axis through known angles . fig6 illustrates a loop alignment assembly usable for aligning zz arrays in a testing device . transmitter tz 601 , bucking coil bz 603 and receiver rz 605 are disposed along the feed - through pipe 615 and have a common longitudinal axis . alignment loop 610 is substantially coaxial with receiver rz 605 and substantially centered on rz . as with the arrangement of fig5 , the receiver coil is axially encompassed by d the calibration loop 610 . cross component array calibration is discussed next . fig7 illustrates an embodiment for calibration of an xy array using a calibration box . this functions in the same manner as a calibration loop , and may be considered to be one . transmitter 701 and bucking coil 703 are disposed along the feed - through pipe oriented to produce a magnetic moment in an x - direction . receiver 705 is disposed along the same feed - through pipe having an orientation so as to receive components of a magnetic moment in a is disposed along the same feed - through pipe having an orientation so as to receive components of a magnetic moment in y - direction . the alignment loop 710 is disposed at an angle of 45 ° so as to be oriented halfway between the x - direction and the y - direction . to simplify the illustration , the box has been depicted without showing it as extending beyond the transmitter and receiver coils . those skilled in the art would recognize that the alignment loop shown in fig5 and 7 would be bulky and possible difficult to manage under field conditions . an embodiment of the present invention that addresses this problem is discussed next . fig8 illustrated an alternate embodiment for aligning an xy array . alignment loop 815 is located at the tx 801 , and alignment loop 810 is positioned at the rxy cross - component receiver 805 . both alignment loops are oriented along the same direction as their respective transmitter / receiver . a wire 820 electrically couples alignment loop 810 and alignment loop 815 . the individual loops 810 and 815 are easier to handle than a single large box , and by use of the electrical connection 820 , are functionally equivalent to box 501 of fig5 . in the configuration of fig8 , the loop 815 axially encompasses the transmitter coil 801 and tge loop 810 axially encompasses the receiver coil . fig9 illustrates an assembly for orienting of the xz cross - component array . transmitter tx 901 and bucking coil bx 903 are disposed along the feed - through pipe oriented so as to produce a magnetic moment along an x - direction . the receiver rz 905 is disposed along the feed - through pipe and oriented so as to be receptive to z - components of magnetic moments . the alignment loop 920 can be positioned centrally between main x - transmitter 901 and z - cross - component receiver 905 and tilted 45 ° with respect to the tool longitudinal axis 910 . the assembly of fig8 displays small signals during xz array calibration . this signal tends to display a high sensitivity to the angle . fig1 illustrates an alternate embodiment for aligning the xz cross - component array . as in the apparatus shown in fig8 , two loops are used . transmitter tx 1001 and bucking coil bx 1003 are disposed along the feed - through pipe oriented so as to produce a magnetic moment along an x - direction . the receiver rz 1005 is disposed along the feed - through pipe and oriented so as to be receptive to z - components of magnetic moments . alignment loop 1010 is centered on transmitter tx 1001 , and alignment loop 1015 is coaxial with receiver rz 1005 . a wire 1020 electrically couples alignment loop 1010 and alignment loop 1015 . in contrast to the assembly of fig1 , calibration using two alignment devices displays a large signal for the xz array calibration . we next discuss in detail the use of the alignment loop for establishing the coil orientation . when examining a cross - component array , the xy or yx response obtained by rotating the tool inside of the alignment loop has a zero - crossing each time that either a transmitter or a receiver coil is perpendicular to the plane of the loop . whichever coil ( transmitter or receiver ) is substantially aligned with the loop ( enclosed in the same plane ) experiences a maximum coupling with the alignment loop . when the position of the aligned coil is varied around the point of alignment with the alignment loop , the coupling response between them undergoes a slow change corresponding to the variation . the non - aligned coil experiences a minimum coupling with the alignment loop . when the position of the non - aligned coil is varied around this point of minimal coupling , the coupling experiences an abrupt change . the coupling becomes zero when the non - aligned coil achieves perpendicularity with the alignment loop . a practitioner in the art would recognize that the zero - crossings of the coupling response are significantly affected by the coil that is at right angle to the alignment loop , regardless of whether the perpendicular coil is a receiver or a transmitter . the substantially aligned coil plays little or no role in the production of a zero - crossing . the angle between successive zero crossings thereby represents an alignment angle between the two related coils . mathematically , the inductive coupling between two coils resembles a cosine function of the angle between them . thus , the coupling response system of coils made by an aligned system of cross components and an alignment loop is given by the following expression : r ( ϕ ) = k · cos ( ϕ ) · cos ( ϕ - π 2 ) . ( 1 ) sin ( ϕ ) · cos ( ϕ ) = 1 2 sin ( 2 · ϕ ) , ( 3 ) r ( ϕ ) = k · 1 2 · sin ( 2 · ϕ ) . ( 4 ) eqn . ( 4 ) illustrates that there are two cycles of variation for each cycle of tool rotation . by considering a misalignment angle β between transmitter and receiver , the response function can now be expressed as r ( ϕ , β ) = k · cos ( ϕ ) · cos ( ϕ - π 2 + β ) , ( 5 ) where each cosine function characterizes the response of the individual cross component coils . it is easy to see that r ( ϕ , β ) = 0 when ϕ = n · π 2 , ( 6 ) ϕ - π 2 + β = n · π 2 with n = ± 1 , 2 , 3 , … eq . ( 7 ) according to eqn . ( 7 ), the angle between successive zero - crossings represents the alignment angle among the cross component coils . an intuitive graphical approach can therefore be used to measure the misalignment angle between transmitter and receiver . alternatively , the misalignment angle can be obtained simply by using a trigonometric regression function to analyze the response of the system . applying trigonometric identities to eqn . ( 5 ), the response of the misaligned system can be written as r ( ϕ , β ) = k · 1 2 · sin ( 2 · ϕ ) · cos ( β ) + k · cos 2 ( ϕ ) · sin ( β ) r ( ϕ , β ) = k 2 · sin ( 2 · ϕ + β ) + k 2 · sin ( β ) ( 8 ) the last expression in eqn . ( 8 ) indicates that a graphical representation of the coupling response of the misaligned cross component system resembles a sinusoidal function . the period of this sinusoid equals 180 ° and has offsets on both the abscissa and the ordinate . the offset on the abscissa is β , and the offset on the ordinate is ( k / 2 ) sin ( β ). also , the coupling response is of the form a sin ( x + b )+ c , where a = k / 2 , b = β and c =( k / 2 )( sin ( β ). the coefficient b obtained with such fitting represents the misalignment angle . the cross component response can thus be fit to this curve . the sensitivity to possible displacement along the tool &# 39 ; s longitudinal axis or vertically can be analyzed by changes in the product m = m t − c m c − r , where m t − c is the mutual inductance between the transmitter and the alignment coils , and m r − c is the mutual inductance between the alignment and the receiver coils . measurements show that typically there is in general a flexibility of 1 ″ in horizontal positioning , and about half that amount in vertical positioning without substantially affecting the induction response . to properly position the arrays , the transmitter coil of one array is moved in the direction normal to the ground . this coil movement is performed until an absolute minimum in the coupling response is determined . upon adjustment , the transmitter coil frame is fixed inside the mandrel . after the first horizontal array has been tuned , the tool is rotated on its axis and a similar procedure is performed with the other horizontal array . generally , similar tuning can be developed for an instrument having a plurality of transverse and tilted arrays . after balance of all arrays has been achieved , the tool isolation short is removed and mandrel is covered with the non - conductive pressure sleeve . a final verification of the coil balancing and calibration consistency is made . calibration of a transfer coefficient is performed once the instrument is inserted inside the calibrator in the low conductive calibration environment . a magnetic load is introduced suitable for calibrating array , so that its signal readings are identical to the values to be read while logging a homogeneous formation . the magnetic load is introduced using the above - referenced calibrator using known electromagnetic parameters and coupling parameters . the tool loading can be achieved by connecting selected impedance to the terminal of a normally - open calibrator loop . thus , the open loop represents an infinitely resistive formation . once shorted , the closed loop represents an almost infinitely conductive formation ( limited only by internal impedance of the wires of the calibrator loop ). therefore , a calibration loop load can be chosen effectively representing a given formation conductivity values . implicit in the control and processing of the data is the use of a computer program on a suitable machine readable medium that enables the processor to perform the control and processing . the machine readable medium may include roms , eproms , eeproms , flash memories and optical disks . while the foregoing disclosure is directed to the preferred embodiments of the invention , various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . it is intended that all variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims be embraced by the foregoing disclosure . the following definitions are helpful in understanding the scope of the invention : alignment : the proper positioning or state of adjustment of parts in relation to each other ; calibrate : to standardize by determining the deviation from a standard so as to ascertain the proper correction factors ; coil : one or more turns , possibly circular or cylindrical , of a current - carrying conductor capable of producing a magnetic field ; earom : electrically alterable rom ; encompass : to enclose completely eprom : erasable programmable rom ; flash memory : a nonvolatile memory that is rewritable ; machine readable medium : something on which information may be stored in a form that can be understood by a computer or a processor ; misalignment : the condition of being out of line or improperly adjusted ; optical disk : a disc shaped medium in which optical methods are used for storing and retrieving information ; position : an act of placing or arranging ; the point or area occupied by a physical object quadrature : 90 ° out of phase ; and rom : read - only memory . | 6 |
in accordance with the present invention , a method for fabricating vertical cmos electrical components is illustrated in fig1 a through 1s . fig1 a presents the starting point for the present invention and reveals a silicon wafer 10 in cross - section containing a series of alternately doped silicon layers . the first p + layer 12 is a relatively thick silicon wafer and forms the structural substrate for the circuit components to be constructed . the wafer &# 39 ; s thickness depends upon the structural characteristics required and upon the diameter of the wafer used . next , a series of silicon layers are epitaxially deposited on top of the substrate p + layer 12 . first , a thin p + layer 14 (˜ 0 . 03 μms ), a somewhat thicker n layer 16 (˜ 0 . 1 μms ) and another thin p + layer 18 (˜ 3 . 03 μms ) are deposited . the p + - n - p + layer series , subject to further fabrication steps , will form the first vertical transistor above substrate 12 . the n middle layer 16 functions as the first transistor &# 39 ; s channel layer , while the first and second p + layers 14 , 18 may function as source or drain layers , depending upon eventual circuit connections . for this reason , they will be termed source / drain layers for the remainder of the description . next , a thicker n layer 20 (˜ 0 . 3 μms ) is deposited followed by another thin p + layer 22 . these two layers separate the two vertical transistors from one another and are useful for several of the subsequent processing steps . finally , the second vertical transistor region is formed by epitaxially depositing an n + source / drain layer 24 , a p channel layer 26 and another n + source / drain layer 28 , the layers approximately duplicating the layer thicknesses chosen for the first transistor . in the present embodiment , the substrate layer 12 and the first source / drain layer 14 are both of p + semiconductor material , but this is not necessary and various other combinations are also possible . in addition , the substrate serves as a power supply connection v dd to the circuitry . a thick oxide layer 30 ( approximately 0 . 5 to 1 . 0 μms ), deposited over the top n + layer 28 , is masked and etched to form an aperture 32 approximately 1 . 0 μms wide , extending down to upper n + layer 28 , as shown in fig1 b . nitride is deposited along the inner wall of aperture 32 to form a first nitride spacer 34 , approximately 500 å wide . oxide is deposited next to the first nitride spacer 34 , to form an oxide spacer 36 , also approximately 500 å wide . all spacers used in the preferred embodiment are formed in the same way . first , a conformal ( or isotropic ) deposition of the particular material leaves a constant thickness of material , for example nitride , everywhere , especially down the face of a stair - step . in the present instance , the stair - step would comprise the inner wall of aperture 32 . second , an anisotropic vertical etch removes all material along exposed horizontal portions of the wafer , leaving most of the spacer intact along the wall of the stair - step . using the collection of oxide layer 30 , nitride spacer 34 and oxide spacer 36 as a mask , a hole 38 is cut through aperture 32 , through all of the epitaxially - deposited layers 14 through 28 and into the substrate layer 12 , as illustrated in fig1 c . any anisotropic silicon etching process may be employed to cut hole 38 . using electron cyclotron resonance deposition ( ecr ), or other similar anisotropic deposition techniques , the bottom portion of the hole is filled with an oxide deposit 40 to a depth of about 0 . 15 μms , depending on the depth of the etch , so that its top edge aligns closely with the top of layer 12 , as seen in fig1 d . an isotropic clean - up etch removes any oxide left on the side - walls of hole 38 . then , using a furnace or rapid thermal process ( rtp ), a thin layer of high - quality gate oxide 42 is grown along the walls of hole 38 . as familiar to the art , the oxide deposit may be accomplished by raising the substrate to a carefully controlled temperature of approximately 800 ° c . in an oxygen environment . rtp can raise substrate temperature while avoiding substantial interdiffusion of the epitaxial layers . hole 38 is next filled with polysilicon doped with enough impurities to function as a highly - conductive gate post 44 . a chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) process may be used to fill hole 38 with the polysilicon . the polysilicon of gate post 44 is etched back so that its upper edge 45 locates near the center of oxide spacer 36 , but above the upper n + layer 28 . the remaining depression in hole 38 is filled with a nitride layer 46 by depositing a layer of nitride across the wafer , and then etching the nitride back ( with a resist etch - back process ) so that it just fills the depression left in hole 38 . the original oxide layer 30 is removed from the top of wafer 10 using an oxide - selective etch ( such as applying hydrofluoric acid ) leaving the faces of the first nitride spacer 34 exposed , as revealed in fig1 f . next , a vertical silicon etching process etches a trench 48 into the epitaxial layers , using the first nitride spacer 34 and nitride layer 46 as a mask . end - point detection , which is sensitive to dopant concentration of the current etch layer , allows the vertical etching process to end on a particular layer . in the first trech etching , the process ends on or in n + layer 24 , as shown in fig1 g . the exposed faces of n + layer 28 , p layer 26 and n + layer 24 are then coated with a thin protective oxide layer 50 using a rapid thermal oxidation process . a second nitride spacer 52 is applied to the exposed side of first nitride spacer 34 , and down the vertical faces of the first transistors layers 28 , 26 and 24 . the remainder of the exposed oxide layer 50 is then removed , as shown in fig1 h , re - exposing n + layer 24 . using the second nitride spacer 52 as a mask , a second trench 54 is etched through the n + layer 24 , p + buffer layer 22 and into the n buffer layer 20 , as illustrated in fig1 i . a third nitride spacer 56 is deposited along the side of second nitride spacer 52 and the exposed vertical faces of layers 24 , 22 and 20 , and any remaining nitride left on the exposed horizontal areas of n layer 20 is removed as shown in fig1 j . a dopant - selective wet etch then removes the entire n layer 20 up to oxide layer 42 surrounding polysilicon gate post 44 . the resulting structure is shown in fig1 k . thermal oxidation applies a thin oxide layer 58 on all exposed silicon and a second oxide deposition 60 fills in the cavity left between the first and second transistor layers ( i . e . between layers 22 and 18 ). oxide depositions 58 and 60 are then etched back anisotropically , using third nitride spacer 56 as a mask , allowing the next p + layer 18 to be exposed , as shown in fig1 l . next , a fourth nitride spacer 62 , deposited against the third nitride spacer 56 , extends downwards against oxide deposition 60 to p + source / drain layer 18 , as shown in fig1 m . using fourth nitride spacer 62 as a mask , an anisotropic etch excavates a third trench 64 extending through the p + source / drain layer 18 , through n channel layer 16 and into p + source / drain layer 14 , as shown in fig1 n . again , thermal oxidation deposits a thin oxide layer 68 over the exposed vertical faces of the second transistor layers 14 , 16 and 18 and over the exposed horizontal face of layer 14 as illustrated in fig1 p . removing , through appropriate etches , all nitride spacers 34 , 52 , 56 , and 62 and nitride layer 46 leaves the structure as seen in fig1 q . an anisotropic etch removes oxide layer 50a ( the suffix &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; denotes the horizontal components of this conformal oxide layer 50 ) on the horizontal silicon surface of layer 24 , shown in fig1 r . finally , a metal connection 70 of tungsten is grown on the exposed horizontal ledges of all silicon areas ( silicon layers 18 , 24 , and 28 and the upper surface 45 of polysilicon gate post 44 ). the original oxide spacer 36 prevents the connection 70a on gate post 44 from connecting with electrical connection 70b on upper source / drain layer 28 of the upper vertical transistor . the resulting arrangement is revealed in fig1 s . the fabrication of the vertical cmos inverter is now essentially complete . as shown in fig1 s , vertical polysilicon gate post 44 rises from the silicon substrate 12 surrounded by two transistors t1 and t2 . the individual layers of each vertical transistor surround the vertical gate post 44 and mirror its geometry . for instance , if the gate post 44 were round , the transistors and their layers would have a round annular geometry ; if the gate post were square , the transistor layers would have a square annular geometry ( annular in this context describes an enclosed region having a smaller central portion removed of the same boundary shape ). transistor t1 comprises p + source / drain layer 14 , n channel layer 16 and p + source / drain layer 18 , and their associated connections 70a , 70d and substrate layer 12 . transistor t2 comprises n + source / drain layer 24 , p channel layer 26 and n + source / drain layer 28 , and their associated connections 70a , 70b and 70c . the channel length , the distance between the two source / drain layers of an individual transistor , is determined in the preferred embodiment by the epitaxial layer thickness , not the placement and resolution of a photolithographic mask . epitaxial deposition allows for much tighter control over this thickness and therefore over transistor operational characteristics . in addition , by orienting the transistor vertically , in contrast to conventional horizontal technology , and removing any silicon material from the underside of the channel ( that portion below the source / channel / drain regions of a conventional mos transistor and opposite the gate ) any path for spurious parasitic current to flow is removed as with soi transistors . hence , the present novel approach furnishes greater control over transistor operation . the gaps left in the substrate from the trench - etching operations may be filled with a dielectric material , thereby covering the underside of the channel region with an insulator and yielding true silicon - on - insulator transistors . to create a usable integrated circuit , one needs to connect the two transistors to each other , to other transistors and circuit elements on the chip , and / or to connections with the outside world . to accomplish this , a series of steps selectively fill the open areas between the gate post / transistor &# 34 ; islands &# 34 ; and other deposited vias ( electrical posts that penetrate multiple layers in the substrate ) with a dielectric material , and etch the dielectric fill to particular levels to lay down metal interconnections . to illustrate the procedures , fig2 shows one - half of the previously - constructed vertical gate post 44 and transistors t1 and t2 . the first step in the connection procedure consists of filling the substrate up to above top layer 28 with a dielectric material 76 such as an oxide . a first interconnect mask is used to pattern via 72 , which is etched partway to layer 14 leaving oxide insulation layer 68a . via 72 is then filled with a tungsten plug using a blanket deposition of tungsten which then is etched back . a second interconnect mask is employed to expose a portion of the dielectric material around gate post 44 ( and transistors t1 and t2 ) and via 72 . the outline of the masked area can be seen as area w1 in the plan view of the inverter shown in fig3 a . in fig3 a , the inverter island comprises a square vertical gate post 44 surrounded by the stacked , square annular transistors t1 and t2 as previously described . the upper surface of gate post 44 has the metallic connection 70a attached , as shown in fig2 . after the area w1 is exposed by the mask , the dielectric is etched down to the level of source / drain layer 18 of transistor t1 , forming a shelf 78 running from connection 70d on source / drain layer 18 to via 72 . before removal of the second interconnect mask , a silicon implantation into the shelf 78 creates a nucleation layer for selective tungsten deposition . the second interconnect mask is removed and a third interconnect mask is applied , this time exposing area w2 in fig3 a . the dielectric layer 76 is etched in area w2 down to the level of source / drain layer 24 of transistor t2 , exposing a shelf 80 of dielectric running from connection 70c to via 72 . once these shelves 78 and 80 are exposed and implanted with silicon , a second metal deposition forms connections w1 and w2 from the inner source / drain layers 18 and 24 of transistor t1 and t2 to via 72 , effectively connecting these closest layers of the two transistors together . after these connections have been made , the trenches left in the dielectric layer 76 may be refilled to provide a solid substrate . a final masking step constructs a top - level connection w3 , from the top source / drain layer 28 of transistor t2 to another via 82 , which connects the transistors to ground as shown in fig3 a / b . top - level metallic trace can then be fabricated to connect the output via 72 , the input connection 70a for gate post 44 , and the ground via 82 to appropriate other portions of the integrated circuit . the resulting schematic for the inverter may be seen in fig3 b , where appropriate physical portions of the circuit are also noted . in the present embodiment , substrate 12 provides the v dd voltage for circuit operation , through its direct connection with first transistor layer 14 . as can be seen in fig3 a , if the physical area of the gate post 44 determines the fundamental feature size of the integrated chip , the entire inverter requires only two features by six features for fabrication , significantly reducing the horizontal room required per inverter . although the present description focused on an inverter element comprising two transistors and associated vias , the present invention may be adapted to a wide variety of circuit designs . each different circuit embodiment depends only upon how the individual connections w are formed between each transistor layer . for example , one transistor of the vertical pair may remain unconnected , using only one of the vertical transistors from each gate post . or , the transistors between gates may be connected in much more complicated ways to achieve circuit design goals as understood by those skilled in the art of integrated circuitry . further , it is not necessary to fabricate two stacked transistors on top of one another . if only one vertical transistor is required , layers 20 through 28 need not be deposited and the process may be followed by depositing the oxide layer 30 onto the now upper source / drain layer 18 , and proceeding with the remainder of the process steps . or , three or more transistors may be fabricated as necessary for circuitry designs . also , the vertical transistors need not completely encircle the central gate post , but can be further patterned . thereby , several individual transistors at the same level can be formed , each transistor only partially surrounding the gate post . and , as described , the substrate need not provide v dd for circuit operation , and the vertical transistors need not directly contact the substrate . these and other variations upon and modifications to the described embodiments are provided for by the present invention , the scope of which is limited only by the following claims . | 7 |
the present invention pertains to part of a machine for continuously assembling elastic leg disposable diapers . the machine sandwiches a highly absorbent material between a fluid permeable facing sheet and a fluid impervious poly backing sheet . the specific construction of the disposable diaper is the subject of a copending application titled &# 34 ; disposable diaper with elasticised leg openings &# 34 ; by w . sigl and r . frick and assigned to the assignee of the present invention , but the present invention is equally applicable to other disposable diaper designs , including the design disclosed by gore , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 239 , 578 issued dec . 16 , 1980 . the present invention involves the part of the diaper assembly machine that bonds elastic strips to the diaper material for elasticizing the leg openings of the finished diapers . turning now to the drawings , fig1 schematically shows the mechanism whereby differential stretch is imparted to an elastic strip 10 as it is bonded to poly backing sheet 18 . the continuous elastic strip 10 is fed at a generally constant rate v 1 by a fixed stretching roller 12 rotated by shaft 14 . the elastic strip slips off the stretching roller 12 at the tangent point 16 and is picked up by oscillator roller 20 . oscillator roller 20 is journaled for free rotation about shaft 22 secured to a movable oscillator frame 30 . a continuous sheet of poly backing material 18 is also fed around oscillator roller 20 , and receives the elastic at a tangent point 24 . the poly with adhered elastic 28 is then pulled off the oscillator roller 20 for further processing in a diaper assembly line . differential stretch is induced in the elastic strip 10 as it travels over distance x between the tangent points 16 and 24 . the stretch s of the elastic 10 may be defined in terms of the linear density dx / dm of the elastic 10 . with the units of the mass , m , chosen so that the linear density dx / dm of the unstretched elastic 10 is equal to 1 , the elongation e is directly proportional to linear density : where m is the total mass of the elastic strip 10 between the tangent points 16 and 24 . since the process whereby the elastic 10 is carried or taken up by the rollers 12 , 20 is a form of gear engagement , the elongation of the elastic 10 as it is bonded to the poly backing 18 is the same as the elongation of elastic strip 10 between the tangent points . the stretch s may also be defined in terms of the elongation e as : the velocity v 1 of the elastic 10 as it travels around the stretching roller 12 is porportional to the radius and angular velocity of the stretching roller 12 . similarly the velocity v p of the poly backing 18 fed to the oscillator roller 20 is proportional to the radius and the angular velocity of the oscillator roller 20 . the rate at which the elastic 10 between the tangent points 16 , 24 is taken up by the oscillator roller 20 is defined as v 2 , which is fig1 equals v p . v 1 and v 2 are functionally related to the elongation e and stretch s via the mass m of the elastic 10 by the conservation of mass equation : in general , x is not independent of time , and is related to the velocity v s of the tangent point 24 of the oscillator roller 22 with respect to the tangent point 16 of the stretching roller 12 : in fig1 v s = v a , the tangential velocity of the oscillator frame 30 . equations ( 1 ) through ( 4 ) supra completely define the stretch of the elastic strip bonded to the poly 28 . the general solution , however , is non - linear . the solution for de / dt = 0 is of interest since then dx / dt = edm / dt and therefore : or equivalently for fig1 v a = ev 1 - v p . by setting v p = 1 . 5v 1 , for example , v a =- 0 . 5 v 1 for e = 1 and v a =+ 0 . 5 v 1 for e = 2 . the solution for v s = 0 is also of interest since then equation ( 3 ) is linear and has the solutions : ## equ1 ## thus a time constant τ = x / v 2 defines the response of the elongation to changes in v 2 or v 1 . as shown in fig3 if a velocity v which may be either v 1 , v 2 , or v p is switched between two values v l and v h as illustrated by the trapezoidal waveform generally designated 40 , the response of the stretch s as illustrated by the waveform generally designated 50 has a triangular shape caused by a time delay measured by the time constant τ . in practice a stretch s that rapidly changes from a stretched to an unstretched condition is desirable . one method to obtain a rapid change is to reduce the time constant τ by decreasing the distance x . as shown in fig2 the tangent point 16 of the elastic strip 10 with the stretching roller 12 may be made coincident with the tangent of contact 24 with the poly backing 18 by providing the oscillator frame 30 with an arcuate face plate 34 to press the poly backing in contact with the elastic 10 as the elastic slips off the stretching roller 12 . rollers 32 and 36 are provided at the ends of the face plate 34 and journaled to the oscillator frame 30 for free rotation to reduce the sliding friction of the poly backing 18 around the ends of the face plate 34 . the geometry in fig2 indicates that the velocity v 2 at which the elastic 10 is taken up by the poly 18 is the sum of the poly velocity v p and the tangential velocity v a of the oscillator frame 30 . the geometry in fig2 is more complicated than the geometry in fig1 and thus it is desirable to find another way to reduce the delay in the response of the stretch s to changes in velocity v . although the time constant τ is inversely proportional to v 2 , increasing v 2 does not help since the distance on the final diaper product over which the stretch is changing is the result to be minimized and this distance is defined by x and is independent of v 2 . the response of slew rate of the stretch s may , however , be increased by peaking either v 1 or v s while the stretch s is changing , as shown by the waveforms generally designated 60 and 70 in fig3 . the peaking 62 may be adjusted to obtain a desired rate of slew 72 . peaking of v s is easily obtained by varying the tangential velocity v a of the oscillator frame 30 . pursuant to the present invention and as shown in fig4 variations in the tangential velocity v a are generated by the profile of an eccentric cam 102 . a recessed track 107 in the cam 102 is provided to receive a cam follower 106 journaled via pin 110 to bracket 108 fastened to the oscillator frame 30 . the oscillator frame 30 pivots about a shaft 100 affixed to the frame 90 of the diaper making machine . as cam 102 is rotated by a drive shaft 104 of the machine drive 92 , the oscillator frame 30 is tangentially displaced periodically in an upward direction 138 and downward direction 140 through a displacement a . the maximum upward displacement 142 and downward displacement 144 are indicated by phantom lines . in the preferred embodiment , rollers 112 and 120 are journaled to the oscillator frame 30 by shafts 114 and 122 and are positioned about the pivot 100 along a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the oscillator frame , thereby minimizing variations in the feed rate v p caused by variations in the tangential velocity v a of the oscillator frame 30 . the elastic 10 is obtained from a spool 124 which may freely rotate around shaft 126 affixed to the machine frame 90 as the elastic is pulled by a preheat roll 126 driven by a drive shaft 128 of the machine drive 92 . the elastic 10 passes around idler 130 journaled to shaft 132 affixed to the machine frame 90 . the elastic then passes around a stretching chill roller 12 driven by a drive shaft 14 of the machine drive 92 , and glue from a glue gun 134 is applied to the elastic 10 at point 136 . the elastic 10 slips off the stretching chill roller 12 at tangent point 16 . the elastic 10 and poly backing 18 are then both fed to the oscillator roller 20 which is journaled on shaft 22 fixed to the oscillator frame 30 . the elastic 10 , having differential stretch induced by displacement of the oscillator frame 30 , bonds to the poly 18 at the tangent point 24 of the oscillator roller 20 and the poly and bonded elastic 28 are fed around idler roller 116 journaled on shaft 118 fixed to the oscillator frame 30 . from idler roller 116 the poly and bonded elastic 28 pass around roller 120 and exit from the elastic bonding portion of the diaper assembly line . the preferred embodiment of fig4 provides satisfactory differential stretch during the manufacture of diapers even without peaking of the oscillator frame 30 tangential velocity v a . typically the feed rate of the poly backing v p is set about 1 . 5 times the feed rate of the elastic v 1 and a triangular displacement cam profile is used to switch the oscillator frame velocity v a between plus and minus one - half the elastic feed rate v 1 . eighteen inch diapers , for example , may be manufactured using an arc displacement a of three inches , an oscillator frame velocity v a of plus and minus eight feet per minute , an elastic feed rate v 1 of sixteen feet per minute , and a poly feed rate v p of twenty - four feet per minute . the present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims , as well as that of the foregoing description . although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity , it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of examples and that numerous changes in details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed . in fig4 for example , the elastic 10 is bonded to the poly backing 18 , but in alternative diaper designs the elastic 10 could be bonded to the fluid permeable facing sheet by replacing the poly 18 with the fluid permeable facing sheet . moreover , the adhesive could be applied to the poly backing 18 or fluid permeable sheet before bonding to the elastic 10 without substantially affecting the result . these are just a few of the modifications obvious to persons skilled in the art . | 0 |
fig1 illustrates , generally , the environment of offshore drilling . here , surface facilities 10 , including a derrick 12 , are provided above ocean surface 14 . the surface facilities are connected to a subsea wellhead 16 at ocean floor 18 through a riser 20 . several lengths of casing 22a , b , and c , are hung from wellhead 16 sealing off the borehole wall as drilling advances . extended reach drilling plans require the well to deviate from vertical in a controlled manner and can require bend 26a in regions of shallow angle progress 26b , both of which require additional tolerances to dependably pass casing strings . in the preferred embodiment , practice of the present invention begins with setting a large diameter subsea wellhead 16 . see fig2 . alternatively , the wellhead may be provided on a subsea template . the drawworks of the surface facility lowers the subsea wellhead toward the ocean floor 18 on the end of drill string 28 . further , in the preferred embodiment , subsea wellhead 16 is provided with a structural casing 26a and the drill string running the wellhead terminates in a jetting assembly 30 which extends through and slightly out of the bottom of structural casing 26a . referring to fig3 drilling fluid is pumped down drill string 28 through jetting assembly 30 as the subsea wellhead 16 approaches ocean floor 18 . after touchdown , the jetting action sweeps the soft mud at the ocean floor up through annulus 32 between the structural casing and the jetting assembly and out ports 35 . the passage of the drilling fluid and entrained mud is generally illustrated with arrows 37 . structural casing 26a advances into ocean floor 18 as the soft sedimentary material is swept away by the force of the jets . when subsea wellhead 16 is fully set in ocean floor 18 , drill string 28 is released from the subsea wellhead . see fig4 . in the preferred embodiment , each of the joints along the drill string are made up with a right hand rotation and a running tool connection 36 between drill string 28 and subsea wellhead 16 makes up with a left hand rotation such that a right hand rotation of the drill string will unscrew the connection between the drill string and the subsea wellhead without loosening any joint along the drill string . fig4 illustrates the disengaged drill string 28 with jetting assembly 30 being retrieved to the surface . referring now to fig5 drill string 28 is then outfitted with a drill bit 38 and run back into subsea wellhead 16 and through structural casing 22a to drill an interval forming a conductor borehole 40 . drilling fluid circulating through the bit entrains the cuttings and carries those up annulus 32 through the conductor borehole and through the structural casing to discharge the fluid returns and entrained cuttings through ports 35 of subsea wellhead 16 . the flow of fluid returns is diagrammatically illustrated with arrows 37 . operations drilling this interval continue until the conductor borehole is at least as long as necessary to accommodate the conductor casing . then , drill string 28 is retrieved and conductor casing 22b is made up on running tool connection 36 of the drill string ; see fig6 which illustrates running conductor casing 22b on drill string 28 for insertion through wellhead 16 , structural casing 22a and the length of conductor borehole 40b . the conductor casing seals off this initial drilling and extends generally into only mud and soft sediment which is incompetent to hold any significant geothermal pressures . thus , well control over this interval is not a concern and it is not necessary to maintain a hydrostatic head on the borehole wall from the riser . thus , drilling for this interval can safely proceed without a riser . fig7 illustrates conductor casing 22b landed within wellhead 16 and with cementing operations in which cement is circulated into the annulus 42 between conductor casing 22b and the wall of conductor borehole 40b . the circulation of cement 44 is generally illustrated with arrows 46 . notice also that conductor casing 22b seals ports 35 and provides a load and seal area 48 for receiving a surface casing . after cementing , drill string 28 is retrieved and a first riser is lowered into place . see fig8 . unlike the conductor borehole , a well plan to minimize the number of casing strings and maximize the internal diameter of the wellbore during critical initial stages will require that the next interval drilled extend into the depths in formations capable of holding geopressure . therefore , a riser is desired for drilling the next interval . this first riser 50 is a large diameter riser which , in the preferred embodiment , is a light duty riser designed for use only with relatively light drilling mud . since it is designed for light weight mud , the first riser can provide a greater inside diameter without greatly increasing the weight or direct cost of the riser . this also helps to control the indirect cost of the riser in not requiring the buoyancy necessary to offset the increased weight that a riser having the same large internal diameter would entail if provided with the strength for using heavy drilling muds . first riser 50 receives the drill string at its top at surface facility 10 and provides an outlet 52 for the annular flow drilling mud and cuttings returned . further , floating surface facilities will be subject to wave action and a tensioned telescopic connection 54 adjacent surface facilities 10 is necessary to maintain compensated tension over the first riser in order to prevent buckling failure . a flexjoint 56 near subsea wellhead 16 also helps isolate the wellhead from motions at the surface by allowing angular flexure of the riser . connector 57 , preferably an hydraulically actuated pin connection , secures secure the riser to the subsea wellhead . an annular preventer 58 helps control the well and diverters 60 will vent away any minor gas kicks encountered during drilling operations over the next interval . fig9 illustrates the resumption of drilling with drill bit 38 on the end of drill string 28 extending through first riser 50 . the large diameter of light duty first riser 50 permits use of a larger diameter drill bit which , preferably , drills a surface borehole 40c in one pass which is capable of receiving the largest diameter surface casing which conductor casing 22b will dependably pass . drilling mud circulated down the drill string cools the bit and sweeps away cuttings from the bit face , carrying the cuttings up annulus 32 of the borehole and its continuation within the riser and exiting the riser through outlet 52 . the hydrostatic head of the drilling mud also controls the well as drilling advances throughout the surface borehole interval 40c . this also controls the wells on trips necessary to change the bit . in addition , the large diameter light duty riser allows the passage of surface casing 22c , see fig1 , such that the well may be controlled throughout casing operations . the passage of surface casing 26c through first riser 50 is also facilitated by separating the high pressure housing from the surface casing and providing load and seal area 48 within conductor casing 22b for landing the surface casing 26c . the exterior dimensions of the profile 48a necessary to securely seat at load and seal area 48 is less than that required by the integral surface casing and high pressure housing of the prior art . after surface casing string 22c lands at load and seal area 48 , cement 44 is pumped through drill string 28 upon which the surface casing is run and this cement fills up the annular space 42 between the exterior of the surface casing and the wall of surface borehole 40b . thereafter , the running tool connection 36 is disengaged from surface casing 22c and the drill string is retrieved through first riser 50 . it is preferred to activate the seal at load and seal area 48 with the running tool to secure the seal between the surface and conductor casings after cement 44 is in place and before removing the riser and the hydrostatic control it provides . thereafter , riser 50 may be safely removed from subsea wellhead 16 and the high pressure housing may be inserted into the subsea wellhead . see fig1 . high pressure housing 66 is run on drill string 28 after makeup at running tool connection 36 . the high pressure housing has a profile providing a load shoulder and lockdown 68 for securing the housing within the subsea wellhead and extends to seal stab 70 or other means for effecting a seal with the top of surface casing 22c . fig1 illustrates the preferred embodiment of this connection in which the high pressure housing of lands within subsea wellhead 16 with the load and shoulder lockdown 68 engaging the top of conductor casing 22b and seal stab 70 engaging the top of surface casing 22c at tieback sleeve 72 . the drill string releases housing 62 and is retrieved after the high pressure housing is fully secured to subsea wellhead 16 . drilling can now proceed conventionally with a traditional heavy duty second riser 80 . see fig1 . in the preferred embodiment , heavy duty second riser 80 is designed to handle any mud loads necessary to control the well throughout the remainder of the drilling program and the interior dimensions will allow passage of remaining drill bits and subsequent casing . here , second riser 80 provides a ball joint 82 adjacent surface facility 10 . ball joint 82 cooperates with tensioned telescopic connection 54 in allowing for relative motion between surface facility 10 and subsea wellhead 16 induced by wave action at surface 14 . the riser is preferentially provided with buoyancy means 84 such as air cans , syntactic foam or the like to lessen the load on tensioners 55 at telescopic connection 54 and ultimately on surface facility 10 . a subsea blowout preventer 86 is provided in second riser 80 adjacent wellhead 16 and the second riser is connected to the subsea wellhead through an hydraulic connector 88 sealingly engaging the high pressure housing . the economics of using the present two - riser method of drilling can be enhanced with batch drilling programs , drilling multiple wells through the setting of the surface casing before proceeding with operations employing the heavy duty second riser . this eliminates the inefficiencies of frequent loading and offloading of first and second risers . the present invention provides larger diameter early risers which can be used in subsequent drilling to provide additional tolerances for highly deviated intervals , or to eliminate the need for under - reaming or to permit additional intervals for greater depth . other modifications , changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features . accordingly , it is appropriate that the pending claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein . | 4 |
advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods of achieving the advantages and features will be clear with reference to an exemplary embodiment described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings . meanwhile , the terms used in the description are defined considering the functions of the present disclosure and may vary depending on the intention or usual practice of a manufacturer . therefore , the definitions should be made based on the entire contents of the present specification . hereinafter , a fuel injector for a diesel particulate filter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig1 . the attached fig1 is a view for explaining a fuel injector for a diesel particulate filter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure . the fuel injector for a diesel particulate filter ( dpf ) according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure allows heat exchange between a coolant and fuel to be performed , and provides fuel to an exhaust gas line disposed at a front side of the diesel particulate filter during the winter season or in a cold region . the fuel injector for a diesel particulate filter according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure allows heat exchange between a coolant and fuel to be performed by a heat exchanger 10 so as to provide fuel in an unfrozen fluid state to the fuel injector . first and second coolant lines 31 and 32 are disposed upstream and downstream of the heat exchanger 10 , respectively . coolant flows into the first coolant line 31 , and the coolant passing through the heat exchanger 10 is discharged through the second coolant line 32 . the coolant is a fluid that circulates to prevent a diesel engine from overheating , and the coolant is heated such that a temperature of the coolant may be higher than a room temperature . in addition , first and second fuel lines 41 and 42 are disposed upstream and downstream of the heat exchanger 10 , respectively . fuel flows into the first fuel line 41 , and fuel passing through the heat exchanger 10 is discharged through the second fuel line 42 . an hc injector 20 is connected at the other side of the second fuel line 42 . that is , the hc injector 20 is supplied with fuel in a fluid state , and provides fuel to the exhaust gas line disposed at the front side of the diesel particulate filter . meanwhile , a third fuel line 43 branches off from the first fuel line 41 , and an automatic temperature adjusting valve unit 100 is installed at a point where the third fuel line 43 branches off from the first fuel line 41 . the third fuel line 43 is used as a line that provides fuel to the hc dosing module 20 while allowing fuel to bypass the heat exchanger 10 . the automatic temperature adjusting valve unit 100 is a three - way valve , and based on a predetermined temperature , one side of the automatic temperature adjusting valve unit 100 is opened in a specific direction , and the other side of the automatic temperature adjusting valve unit 100 is closed . in more detail , the automatic temperature adjusting valve unit 100 opens a side directed toward the heat exchanger 10 , and closes a side directed toward the hc dosing module 20 in a case in which the current temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature . in addition , in a case in which the current temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature , the automatic temperature adjusting valve unit 100 opens the side directed toward the hc dosing module 20 , and closes the side directed toward the heat exchanger 10 . accordingly , in a case in which the current temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature , fuel flows into the first fuel line 41 , and flows to the hc dosing module 20 while passing through the heat exchanger 10 . in contrast , in a case in which the current temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature , fuel flows to the hc dosing module 20 while bypassing the heat exchanger 10 . on the other hand , in the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure , the temperature set to the automatic temperature adjusting valve unit 100 may be 0 ° c . however , the present disclosure is not limited thereto , and even though a freezing point of water is 0 ° c . under standard atmospheric pressure , the freezing point of water may be varied because atmospheric pressure is changed in a high altitude region , and as a result , the predetermined temperature may be appropriately set in consideration of local atmospheric pressure . in addition , because the temperature may drop in accordance with an air flow rate , the predetermined temperature may be changed in consideration of conditions such as ambient environment . on the other hand , the automatic temperature adjusting valve unit 100 may have a temperature sensor which senses a temperature , and a valve that is operated by a solenoid . the temperature sensor may sense a temperature of fuel , but may be installed at any portion exposed to the atmosphere in the line through which fuel is supplied to the hc dosing module 20 . that is , when there is concern that fuel will become frozen , fuel passes through the heat exchanger , such that fuel may smoothly flow and be injected . as described above , according to the fuel injector for a diesel particulate filter according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure , when the current temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature by measuring a temperature of the fuel line , the coolant line and the fuel line may be connected to the heat exchanger such that fuel is heated , and the heated fuel may be provided to the hc dosing module . accordingly , during the winter season or in a cold region , fuel may be provided to the exhaust gas line , such that it is possible to prevent the dpf from being clogged or prevent performance of the dpf from deteriorating , and particularly , dpf regeneration may be smoothly carried out . the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings , but those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure may be implemented in any other specific form without changing the technical spirit or an essential feature thereof . accordingly , it should be understood that the aforementioned exemplary embodiment is described for illustration in all aspects and are not limited , and the scope of the present disclosure shall be represented by the claims to be described below , and it should be construed that all of the changes or modified forms induced from the meaning and the scope of the claims , and an equivalent concept thereto are included in the scope of the present disclosure . the fuel injector for a diesel particulate filter according to the present disclosure may be used to inject fuel into an exhaust gas line , remove particulate matters using heat from combustion , and carry out dpf regeneration . | 5 |
in the first embodiment shown in fig1 through 6 , a retractor base 1 rotatably supports a take - up shaft 2 to which the inner end of a webbing w is fixed . the take - up shaft 2 is biased by a take - up spring 3 in the webbing taking up direction ( clockwise as viewed on the drawing of fig1 ). within the base 1 and near the both ends of the take - up shaft 2 there are provided relatively large ratchet wheels 4 and 5 formed integrally with the shaft 2 . the ratchet wheels 4 and 5 are engageable with a stopper ( not shown ). when a vehicle speed change sensor ( not shown ) detects a predetermined level of change in vehicle speed , the stopper comes into mesh with the ratchet wheels 4 and 5 to stop the rotation of the shaft 2 in the webbing pulling out or unwinding direction . the take - up shaft 2 has also a relatively small ratchet wheel 6 at the extreme end thereof opposite to the end having the spring 3 . the engagement surface of the ratchet wheel 6 faces in the webbing taking up direction . the ratchet wheel 6 is fixedly mounted on the shaft 2 relative to rotation thereof and therefore it rotates together with the shaft 2 . the ratchet wheel 6 is axially inward pushed by a wave washer 7 . on the take - up shaft 2 is mounted also a cam plate 8 sandwiched between the ratchet wheel 6 and the base 1 . in the vicinity of the ratchet wheel 6 there is provided a ratchet 9 pivotable about a pivot 10 . the ratchet 9 is disposed engageable with the ratchet wheel 6 to lock the shaft 2 against rotation thereof in the webbing taking up direction . the ratchet 9 is urged by a spring 11 toward its engaged position with the ratchet wheel 6 . the form of the cam plate will be described in detail with reference to fig3 . the cam plate 8 has three guide surfaces , that is , a first guide surface 12 , a second guide surface 13 and a third guide surface 14 . as seen from fig3 the first guide surface 12 generally extends circumferentially with a central angle of not less than 360 °. when the webbing is pulled out , the first guide surface 12 guides the ratchet 9 from the position engaged with the ratchet wheel 6 to a disengaged position from the wheel 6 . the second guide surface 13 is so formed as to guide the ratchet 9 , when the webbing is taken up after pulled out , to another disengaged position immediately before the engaged position while keeping the ratchet 9 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 6 and then hold the ratchet 9 in the other disengaged position . of the second guide surface 13 , the portion extending from the beginning point to the entrance point to the holding section for holding the ratchet 9 is common to the end portion of the first guide surface 12 . the third guide surface 14 extends from the end of the second guide surface 13 to the beginning of the first guide surface 12 . when the webbing is a little pulled out after taken up , the third guide surface 14 guides the ratchet 9 from the position held by the second guide surface 13 to the engaged position . the ratchet 9 has a projection 9a serving as a cam follower on the guide surfaces 12 , 13 and 14 , of the cam plate 8 . as described above , along the second guide surface 13 of the cam plate 8 the ratchet 9 is guided to the holding section of the second guide surface 13 passing through the entrance thereto provided in the second guide surface 13 . the entrance portion to the holding section of the second guide surface 13 is formed in such manner that at the time of the webbing being pulled out , the projection 9a of the ratchet 9 can not fall into the entrance but it can enter the entrance at the time of the webbing being taken up , as seen from the drawing . the members mentioned above including the cam plate 8 are covered with a cover member 15 fixed to the base 1 . the manner of operation of the above first embodiment is as follows : fig1 shows the apparatus in the position in which a driver or passenger wears the seat belt . in this position , the tooth of the ratchet 9 is in mesh with a tooth of the ratchet wheel 6 to lock the take - up shaft 2 against rotation thereof in the webbing taking up direction . therefore , the spring force of the take - up spring 3 can not be applied to the wearer through the webbing . accordingly , in this position , no pressure is applied to the wearer . however , since the engagement surface of the ratchet wheel 6 faces in the webbing taking up direction , it is allowed to pull out the webbing from the position shown in fig1 . fig3 shows the apparatus in the position after the webbing has been pulled out a little from the position shown in fig1 . when the webbing is pulled out to the position shown in fig3 the cam plate 8 rotates counterclockwise together with the take - up shaft 2 through frictional engagement with the ratchet wheel 6 . as the cam plate 8 rotates counterclockwise , the ratchet projection 9a rides on the circular part 12b from the chordal part 12a of the first guide surface 12 and therefore the ratchet 9 is disengaged from the ratchet wheel 6 . the webbing taking up force of the spring 3 is then restored . therefore , if the force for pulling out the webbing against the take - up spring 3 is lost , for example , at the position shown in fig3 then the pulled webbing will be rewound on the shaft 2 and returned to the position shown in fig1 at once by the spring 3 . in this manner , the apparatus always remembers the initial belt wearing position shown in fig1 and allows a pull - out and take - up of the webbing within a certain range from the initial position . however , when the webbing w is further pulled out beyond this range , for example , up to the position shown in fig4 and the projection 9a of the ratchet 9 is moved relative to the cam plate 8 along the first guide surface 12 thereof to the extent more than 360 °, the webbing can no longer return back to the position shown in fig1 . in this case , when the force for pulling out the webbing is lost the ratchet projection 9a moves in the opposite direction along the second guide surface 13 and comes into the holding section as indicated by the arrow a in fig5 . since the webbing pulling - out force has been lost , the shaft 2 continues taking up the webbing by the force of the take - up spring 3 while the ratchet 9 remains in the position held by the holding section of the second guide surface 13 . in this manner , after the projection 9a of the ratchet has been caught in the holding section of the second guide surface 13 , the cam plate 8 remains stopped and only the shaft 2 and the ratchet wheel 6 continue rotating until the webbing w is completely taken up on the shaft 2 . after completing the take - up of the webbing , the apparatus waits for the next pull - out of the webbing by a person who will wear the seat belt . namely , it is the waiting position ready for the next use . when a person pulls out the webbing from the waiting position to put it on , the apparatus is brought to the position shown in fig4 passing through the positions shown in fig6 and 3 . after the person has pulled out a suitable amount of the webbing and worn it , the webbing w is rewound up a little by the take - up spring 3 so as to fit it to the wearer . this position is shown in fig5 . in this position , the wearer pulls out further a small amount of the webbing by his hand or by leaning forward . by doing so , the projection 9a of the ratchet 9 comes to chordal part 12a of the first guide surface 12 passing through the third guide surface 14 . thus , the apparatus is brought to the initial position shown in fig1 . as seen from the foregoing , with the retractor of the present invention , the pressure , namely the webbing taking up force applied to the wearer is moderated and it is made possible to wear the seat belt in a comfortably relaxed state . this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the arrangement of the second guide surface . the first guide surface 16 and the second guide surface 17 of the cam plate 15 in the second embodiment have no common part . instead , the second guide surface 17 extends radially inwards returning back from the end of the first guide surface 16 . with this arrangement , pull - out and take - up of the webbing from the initial position , in which a person wears the seat belt and the webbing taking up force applied to the wearer is moderated , is possible so long as the projection 9a of the ratchet 9 is within the range of the first guide surface 16 . different from the first embodiment , it is unnecessary to provide a particular entrance portion to the ratchet holding section of the second guide surface 17 . after the projection 9a of the ratchet 9 has reached the end of the first guide surface 16 , the projection 9a can automatically enter the second guide surface 17 under the influence of the biasing force of the spring 11 . the third guide surface 18 of the second embodiment is formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment . the third embodiment is featured by a long extending first guide surface 19 . the first guide surface 19 of the cam plate 18 in this embodiment extends turning round the center of the cam plate 18 nearly two times . from the end of the first guide surface 19 , the cam surface of the cam plate 18 is turned back radially inwards to form the second guide surface 20 and the third guide surface 21 . therefore , in this embodiment , the webbing w can be returned to the initial belt wearing position in which the above mentioned tension lock is in effect , even after the webbing has been pulled out to the extent corresponding to about two turns of the take - up shaft 2 from the initial wearing position . this broadens the range within which the belt wearer is allowed to move free . fig9 and 10 show the fourth embodiment of the invention wherein like reference numerals to the first embodiment represent the same or corresponding elements . an important difference between the first and fourth embodiments is in the use of steel balls 23 sandwiched between the ratchet wheel 6 and the base 1 . the steel balls 23 are fitted into holes 24 provided in the cam plate 22 for rolling therein . in this embodiment , the cam plate 22 is rotated through the balls 23 which are rolled between the ratchet wheel 6 and the base 1 . consequently , by suitable adjustment of the friction between the ratchet wheel and balls 23 and between balls 23 and base 1 , the number of revolutions of the cam plate 22 may be reduced to nearly a half of the number of revolutions of the take - up shaft 2 and therefore of the ratchet wheel 6 . compared with the first embodiment , therefore , the length of the webbing w required to be pulled out from the initial wearing position for taking up the webbing completely or the range allowable for pull - out and take - up of the webbing during wearing the belt becomes about two times larger in this embodiment . an important merit obtainable from the fourth embodiment is found in that a larger range can be set for pull - out and take - up of webbing from the initial wearing position . other parts of the fourth embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment and so is other operation of the fourth embodiment . fig1 and 12 show the fifth embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , the ratchet wheel 25 is an internal gear . with this change in structure of the ratchet wheel 25 , the configurations of the ratchet 26 and the cam plate 27 are changed accordingly as compared with those of the first embodiment . the ratchet 26 is disposed pivotable about a pivot 28 and is biased clockwise . the cam plate 27 again has a first guide surface 29 , a second guide surface 30 and a third guide surface 31 as shown in fig1 and 12 . the ratchet 26 has a projection 26a which follows the guide surfaces of the cam plate 27 as indicated by the arrows in fig1 . as the belt is unwound , for example , projection 26a will follow the arrow having the curved segments whereby the projection will be captured by guide surface 29 . other points of the fifth embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment . lastly , the sixth embodiment of the invention will be described hereinafter with reference to fig1 through 17 wherein like reference numerals to the first embodiment represent the same or corresponding elements . in this embodiment is used a cam plate 32 as shown in fig1 and 14 . the cam plate 32 has a spiral first guide surface 33 extending through an angle of more than 720 °, a second guide surface 34 having a holding section for holding the ratchet 9 , and a third guide surface 35 extending from the end of the second surface 34 to the beginning of the first surface 33 . when the webbing is pulled out , the first guide surface 33 guides the ratchet 9 from its position engaged with the ratchet wheel 6 to its position of disengagement from the wheel 6 . when the webbing is taken up , the second guide surface 34 guides the ratchet 9 up to a disengaged position immediately before the said engaged position with the wheel 6 while keeping the ratchet 6 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 6 and then holds the ratchet 9 in its holding section . the function of the third guide surface 35 is to guide the ratchet 9 from the position held by the holding section of the second guide surface 34 to the engaged position when the webbing is pulled out a little . the first guide surface 33 includes a chordal part 33a formed at its innermost section . so long as the projection 9a of the ratchet 9 rides on the chordal part 33a , the ratchet 9 remains in engagement with the ratchet wheel 6 . at the outermost section , the first guide surface 33 has an ascending part 33b along which the projection 9a of the ratchet is gradually raised up . a circumferential partition wall 36 is formed between the first and second guide surfaces 33 and 34 and a circumferential partition wall 37 is formed between the chordal part 33a of the first guide surface and the second surface 34 . structure and height of these partition walls are schematically shown in fig1 which is a cross - section taken along a line a -- a in fig1 . the partition wall 36 is h 1 in height and the partition wall 37 is h 2 . the final height of the ascending part 33b of the first guide surface 33 is h 3 . as seen from fig1 , h 1 is smaller than h 3 and the partition wall 36 has a chamfered surface 36a at its outer side . the height h 2 of the partition wall 37 is so predetermined as not to allow the projection 9a to jump over the wall 37 from the outer side to the inner side . the projection 9a can jump over the wall 36 when the ratchet 9 has been guided to the ascending part 33b and it is inwards moved by the force of the spring member 11 . at this time point , the projection 9a runs against the wall 37 passing over the wall 36 without fail and falls in the second guide surface 34 as suggested by the arrow in fig1 . the chamfered surface 36a helps the projection 9a to jump over the wall 36 smoothly . the manner of operation of the above sixth embodiment is as follows : fig1 shows the apparatus in the initial wearing position in which a person wears the seat belt . in this position , the ratchet 9 is in engagement with a tooth of the ratchet wheel 6 to lock the shaft 2 against rotation in the webbing taking up direction . therefore , in this initial wearing position , no pressure is applied to the belt wearer by the take - up spring 3 through the webbing . however , since the engagement surface of the ratchet wheel 6 is oriented in the webbing taking up direction , the webbing is allowed to be pulled out from the initial wearing position . when the webbing is pulled out from the initial position and the cam plate 32 is rotated together with the shaft 2 through frictional engagement with the ratchet wheel 6 , the projection 9a of the ratchet 9 is guided from the chordal part 33a to the part of the first guide surface 33 extending in the circumferential direction . as a result , the ratchet 9 is disengaged from the ratchet wheel 6 and thereby the force of the spring 11 for taking up the webbing is restored . therefore , if the force for pulling out the webbing is lost after the pulling out the webbing to a position as shown in fig1 , then the webbing is again taken up on the shaft 2 by the force of the take - up spring 11 and returned back to the initial wearing position shown in fig1 at once . in this manner , the apparatus remembers the initial wearing position . within a predetermined range corresponding to about two rotations of the shaft 2 from the initial wearing position , pull - out and take - up of the webbing is possible . however , if the webbing is pulled out through over two turns from the initial wearing position and the projection 9a of the ratchet is guided along the first guide surface 33 up to a position beyond the position shown in fig1 , then the projection 9a is introduced into the second guide surface 34 as suggested by the arrow in fig1 . even if the force for pulling out the webbing is lost after the projection being introduced into the second guide surface 34 , the projection 9a will be caught in the holding section of the second guide surface 34 as suggested by the arrow in fig1 . namely , this time , the apparatus and the webbing can not be returned back to the initial wearing position shown in fig1 . after the webbing pulling - out force is lost , the ratchet 9 is held in the holding section of the second guide surface 34 and the shaft 2 is rotated in the webbing taking up direction by the force of the take - up spring 3 until the webbing is taken up completely on the shaft 2 . during this stage of operation , only the shaft 2 and the ratchet wheel 6 continue rotating and the cam plate 32 can not rotate . thus , the apparatus is brought to the waiting position in which it waits for the next pull - out of the webbing . when the webbing is pulled out from the waiting position by a person who wishes to wear the seat belt , the projection 9a is at first moved in the direction opposite to the arrow in fig1 provisionally and thereafter it again gets in the position held by the holding section of the second guide surface 34 . namely , after the person has put the pulled - out webbing w on him , the take - up spring 3 takes up a small amount of the webbing so as to make it fit to the wearer . next , the wearer pulls out the webbing a little to relax it by his hand or by leaning forward . by doing so , the projection 9a of the ratchet 9 is guided to the beginning of the first guide surface 33 passing through the third guide surface 35 of the cam plate 32 . thus , the apparatus is brought to the initial wearing position shown in fig1 in which no pressure is applied to the wearer by the take - up spring . all of the above embodiments can be used in various application forms . for example , the retractor may be used in an active belt system with addition to the retractor such mechanism which brings the ratchet forcedly to a disengaged position operatively associated with the releasing motion of the buckle of the seat belt and then holds it in this position . when the retractor of the invention is used in a passive belt system , there may be added such mechanism which brings the ratchet forcedly to a disengaged position operatively associated with the opening motion of the door and holds it in this position . these application forms have advantages that buffer means according to the invention becomes effective only after the door being opened or the buckle being released and that the webbing taking - up force can be restored simultaneously with the opening of door or with the releasing of buckle and therefore there is required no particular operation to take up the full length of the webbing . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 1 |
fig1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates , somewhat schematically and from the side , a portion of a calorimeter 10 wherein a sample is ignited in accordance with the principles of the invention . fig1 schematically depicts only that part of a calorimeter bomb which is necessary for an understanding of the invention . generally the bomb is constructed in a conventional manner and , for this reason , is only shown notionally by means of dotted lines 12 and not further described herein . the calorimeter includes a removable lid 14 . oxygen from a suitable source 16 can be charged into the interior of the bomb . a conventional electronic control system , schematically represented by a block 18 , which includes temperature sensors and the like , is provided for operating , and monitoring the operation of , the bomb . again no novelty is claimed in respect of these components and , for this reason , as is the case of the oxygen charging system , no further description is included in this specification . inside the bomb and supported in any appropriate manner or by structure of the bomb , are two spaced support members 20 and 22 respectively . these members are for example made from a heat resisting material such as stainless steel and include internal electrical conductors , indicated schematically by dotted lines 19 , which lead from the electronic system 18 to electrodes 24 and 26 which extend towards one another from the respective members 20 and 22 . a funnel - shaped holder 28 , which is made from a suitable heat resisting material , is supported by the electrodes at a central position inside the bomb . a mouth 30 of the funnel faces upwardly and a discharge spout 32 of the funnel faces downwardly and is directly positioned over a crucible 34 which is of known construction and which is suitably supported the crucible , in use of the calorimeter , receives a sample 36 of material which is to be tested . as has been indicated in the preamble of this specification many calorimeters have been developed to the point at which they are substantially completely automated in operation . thus the placing of a sample in the crucible , the closure of the bomb , the charging of the bomb with oxygen , the ignition of the sample and the monitoring of the subsequent reactions , and any other steps save for preliminary work required to ignite the sample , can all be automated and carried out automatically in the correct sequence . a filament wire 38 of a relatively robust construction is positioned inside the conical holder 28 so that it traverses the outlet 32 , effectively reducing the cross sectional area of the outlet , and is connected to and between the electrodes 24 and 26 . a dispensing device 40 is positioned outside the bomb at any appropriate location which depends , at least , on the nature of the dispensing device . any appropriate dispensing device can be used . in this instance a housing of the dispensing device includes a door 42 which is movable by means of an actuator 44 under the control of the electronic unit 18 . the door 42 is movable between a first position at which it exposes an opening 46 in the housing of the dispenser and a second position at which the opening is totally sealed . the arrangement is such that the door , when moved by the actuator , is opened and then closed thereby to allow one pellet 48 , from a plurality of pellets in the housing of the device 40 , to be discharged through the opening . the pellet then falls under gravity action and is guided inside a chute 50 thereby to fall directly into the funnel - shaped holder 28 . the door is designed so that when it closes the opening 46 it simultaneously effectively seals the opening in a gas - tight manner which is well able to withstand the working requirements of the calorimeter . in this example of the invention each pellet 48 is made to a predetermined size from suitable ingredients . for example the pellets may be formed from a precisely formed mixture of benzoic acid and alumina powder which is pelletised and which is then formed into a plurality of pellets , each pellet being of an exact size eg . approximately 0 . 5 mm in diameter , and hence of an exact weight . the pellets should be as small as possible to limit extraneous effects produced in the bomb by the ignition of the pellets . as has been noted the dispenser 40 causes one of the pellets 48 to be passed through the opening 46 into the holder 28 . the important aspect about this step is that it can be carried out totally automatically . in a preferred form of the invention all of the remaining steps in the calorimetric process are also carried out automatically . thus the sample 36 is placed in the crucible 34 and the bomb is closed and charged with oxygen the electronic unit then applies a voltage to the electrodes 24 and 26 which causes a current of a predetermined magnitude to flow through the filament wire 38 for a predetermined period . the pellet 48 which is in the holder initially rests on the filament wire 38 . the filament wire , when heated to the required extent , caused the pellet 48 to be ignited . the pellet commences burning , although it burns relatively slowly due to its composition and structure . ultimately however the pellet is reduced in size sufficiently so that it can fall under gravity action past the filament 38 and through the outlet spout 32 . the pellet continues burning as it falls through the oxygen in the bomb onto the sample in the crucible . the burning pellet , when it impacts the sample , almost instantaneously causes ignition of the sample so that the calorimetric measuring process can be completed . the crux of the invention is that the combustible substance constituted by the pellet is ignited and the pellet is then caused or allowed to migrate , while burning , by gravity or other action , onto or near the sample material under test in the calorimeter thereby causing the sample material to ignited . the aforementioned principle can be used in other ways to cause ignition of the sample material fig2 and 3 , illustrate , somewhat conceptually , two variations of the invention . in the former instance a filament wire 60 is bent with a central loop 62 and is supported between extremities of spaced members 20 a and 22 a which are similar to the members 20 and 22 respectively in fig1 . a dispenser places a combustible substance 64 on the loop the combustible substance could be a pellet of the type described in connection with fig1 alternatively it could be a drop of a combustible liquid such as a mixture of alcohol and water which is made to a suitable ratio of ingredients and which is then placed , for example by means of a drop injection mechanism 66 , of any appropriate construction , directly onto the loop 62 . the mechanism 66 is of a type known in the art , and no novelty is claimed in respect thereof . when activated it produces a single droplet of the combustible liquid mixture which is directed onto the loop 62 . the liquid adheres , due to capillary action or surface tension effects , to the loop 62 . when the filament wire is heated by passing a current through the wire the loop 62 heats the liquid drop which adheres to the loop and the drop is ignited and burns , again relatively slowly , until its size is reduced to such an extent that the drops falls through the loop under gravity action directly onto a sample 68 contained in an underlying crucible 70 . the sample is thereby ignited . the combustible drop 64 is sufficiently small eg . again of the order of 0 . 5 mm in diameter , a size which is similar to the diameter of the loop 62 , to ensure that initially the drop adheres to the loop . also the amount of energy released into the bomb by ignition of the drop is small . in the arrangement shown in fig3 like reference numerals designate like components . the filament wire 60 is not bent to form a loop but instead directly traverses a space between walls of a holder 72 which is supported by the members 20 a and 20 b . a combustible drop 74 , eg of water and alcohol , is introduced into the interior of a housing of the holder through an inlet or upper opening 76 and comes to rest on lower inner surfaces of the holder adjacent an outlet 78 from the holder . when the filament wire is heated by the application of an electric current the drop is ignited and once it has burnt to some extent the pressure which is built up inside the holder by this combustion causes the remainder of the drop to be ejected through the outlet 78 onto a sample 68 in an underlying crucible 70 again it is to be noted , with fig2 and 3 , that the invention makes use of a separate substance which is ignited and , while burning , is allowed to move through the interior of the bomb into contact with the sample material which is then caused to ignite . clearly the principles of the invention can be used in ways other than those described in connection with fig1 to 3 and such variations are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention . | 6 |
in an exemplary embodiment of the detector according to the invention , gallium arsenide gaas is selected as the preferred semiconductor material . based on the atomic numbers of its elements , this is comparable to germanium for the absorption of x - rays , however , it has a band gap of 1 . 43 ev , and is therefore significantly better - suited for detector operation at room temperature than is germanium . gallium arsenide is also the preferred choice from comparable compound semiconductors with respect to the available crystal quality . a gallium arsenide wafer having a thickness of 0 . 6 mm and having a resistivity of 2 . 2 × 10 7 ohm - cm is selected for a test set - up . as shown in fig1 layers serving as electrodes are applied as ohmic contacts 7 on both sides of the gallium arsenide wafer forming the semiconductor body 1 . to that end , a flat , highly doped region 2 is first produced at the two opposite wafer surfaces . for example , an n + - doping , which is approximately 200 nm deep , is produced by diffusion or implantation . this serves the purpose of improving the collection of charge carriers and facilitates the ohmic contact to the next layer . the next layer is a diffusion barrier 3 for the actual metallic electrode layer . for example , the diffusion barrier 3 may be a 13 nm thick germanium layer deposited for this purpose over the highly doped layer region 2 . next , a first metallic contact layer 4 is applied which may be , for example , a 27 nm thick gold layer . a further diffusion barrier 5 covers the contact layer 4 , for example , a 10 nm thick nickel layer . lastly , the actual electrode layer 6 is provided over the further diffusion barrier 5 . the actual electrode layer may , for example , be a 300 nm gold coat . standard thin - film techniques can be employed for the deposition of the layers forming the ohmic contact 7 , for example , vapor - deposition or sputtering or an electrolytic or currentless metal deposition . the layer combination selected for the ohmic contact layers 7 is known in the art for use as a contact for microwave electronic modules of gallium arsenide . it is possible , however , to employ other electrode materials . a condition , however , is that the electrode materials must form a good ohmic contact to the semiconductor and must be stable over a long term and must not degrade the semiconductor properties by virtue of diffusion during long - term operation . a test member which is approximately 1 . 5 cm 2 in size is selected as a photoconductor 8 and is cut from the semiconductor body 1 provided with the ohmic contacts 7 as shown above . the photoconductor 8 is first provided with electrical contacts , and is connected to a test circuit as shown in fig2 . to that end , the photoconductor 8 is connected in series with an 18 volt battery as a constant voltage source 9 , and in series with a protective resistor 10 of , for example , 1 mω . an electrolytic capacitor 11 of 4 μf is connected in parallel with the voltage source 9 , and a further capacitor 12 , for example , of 100 nf is additionally connected in parallel with the electrolytic capacitor 11 . a measuring instrument 14 is connected in parallel with the photoconductor 8 and is coupled to the remainder of the circuit via a third capacitor 13 which may be , for example of 1 μf . the detector element and the circuitry shown in fig2 are built into a housing composed , for example , of sheet aluminum having a thickness of 0 . 5 nm , which serves the purpose of shielding the photoconductor 8 against external electrical interference and against stray light . an oscilloscope having a minimum input sensitivity of 10 μv / cm and a 1 mω input impedance can be used as the measuring instrument 14 . the arrangement shown in fig2 is irradiated with chopped x - rays proceeding from the end face of the detector , i . e ., proceeding parallel to the electrodes 7 . in the exemplary embodiment , the specimen exhibits a dark resistance of approximately 1 mω . correspondingly , a dark current of approximately 10 μa arises given a field strength of approximately 10 2 v / cm . the x - ray pulses which are generated have a duration of 2 milliseconds and produced every 45 milliseconds . the x - ray tube which emits the x - ray pulses is placed at a distance 25 cm from the photoconductor 8 , and is filtered with sheet aluminum having a thickness of 8 mm . the power of the operating voltage generator for the x - ray tube is varied between 20 kv and 55 kv in order to simulate the different absorptions which occur in a transirradiated body . specimen signals between 2 volts and 0 . 1 millivolts are measured at the oscilloscope ( measuring instrument 14 ). this corresponds to a dynamic range of 2 × 10 4 . the shape of the measured signal observed at the measuring instrument 14 is approximately rectangular . this permits conclusions to be made regarding the good response of the photoconductor 8 with regard to a rapid decay of the photocurrent following the trailing edge of the x - ray pulse . the signal - to - noise ratio formed by the quotient of the signal current and dark current is defined as 7 × 10 3 given a power of 55 kv for the x - ray source . further compound semiconductor specimens can be provided with ohmic contacts in the manner set forth above with regard to the gallium arsenide photoconductor 8 shown in fig1 and can be charged with pulsed x - rays in a testing arrangement as shown in fig2 . the characteristics in such a testing circuit are modified according to the respective characteristic data of the semiconductor materials forming the photoconductor 8 . the following table provides information regarding the measured values thereby obtained . __________________________________________________________________________1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8semiconductor specimen specimen u . sub . specimen field strength p . sub . dark u *. sup .) ( signal ) u ( noise ) 9material diameter mm ! thickness mm ! v ! v / cm ! ohm / cm ! mv ! mv ! s / n__________________________________________________________________________cd . sub . 0 . 9 8 1 . 7 16 . 5 9 . 7 · 10 . sup . 1 2 . 8 · 10 . sup . 7 60 10 . sup .- 2 6 · 10 . sup . 3zn . sub . 0 . 1 tecd te . sub . 0 . 9 8 1 . 4 16 . 4 1 . 2 · 10 . sup . 2 3 . 2 · 10 . sup . 7 250 4 · 10 . sup .- 1 2 6 · 10 . sup . 3se . sub . 0 . 1gaas 9 . 2 0 . 6 9 . 1 1 . 5 · 10 . sup . 2 2 . 2 · 10 . sup . 7 700 0 . 1 7 · 10 . sup . 3 ( 216 ) __________________________________________________________________________ *. sup .) given 55 kv / 5 ma xray tube power the detector element constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention has a high signal - to - noise ratio of more than 10 3 in the detection of x - rays even with photoconductors composed of other semiconductor materials other than the type described above in the exemplary embodiment . the same is true for other binary and ternary compound semiconductors which are identified above , but which are not listed in the table . because of the high signal - to - noise ratio , which is an indication of the high sensitivity of the detector , the detector element of the invention is particularly suited for conducting x - ray examinations of the human body . because the detector element directly converts the absorbed x - rays into electrical energy , both the measured conversion efficiency ( 7 %) and the theoretical conversion efficiency ( more than 20 %) signify the advantages of the detector element compared to known x - ray detectors . given , for example , scintillation detectors , conversion efficiencies of only up to 4 % are measured . the signal - to - noise ratio of the detector of the invention is also better than that of a scintillator followed by a si - diode . when the detector element of the invention is employed for medical x - ray examinations , for example , in a computer tomography apparatus , the geometrical quantities of the detector element are optimized in order to obtain as complete as possible absorption of x - rays , and in view of the desired resolution . dependent on the energy of the incident x - rays , the absorption length , i . e ., the length within which the radiation is completely absorbed , amounts , for example , to 2 mm for gallium arsenide , and is approximately 1 mm for cadmium telluride . a suitable detector element can then be constructed having a semiconductor body whose &# 34 ; depth &# 34 ; measured parallel to the incident radiation is slightly larger than the aforementioned absorption length . the thickness of the lamina - shaped semiconductor body is selected according to the desired resolution . known computer tomography systems have a resolution grid of approximately 1 mm , which is also desired for the detector element of the invention . in a tomography apparatus , the individual detectors are arranged parallel to each other to form detector lines or detector arrays . in order to prevent a number of detector elements from responding to a single x - ray quantum , a radiation - tight separation of the individual detector elements is required . this can be achieved using highly absorbent separating elements between the individual detectors . for example , separating plates formed of heavy metal are well - suited for this purpose . the goal is to thereby optimize the ratio of actively useable detector area to non - active detector area because this ratio , in addition to the absolute grid size , determines the sensitivity of the detector element . an x - ray examination using the detector element of the invention can ensue , for example , in a continuous mode . the variation of the incident x - rays can be measured with the aforementioned measuring instrument , or under the recited measuring conditions . it is preferable , however , to implement the x - ray examination in a pulsed mode , which permits absolute values for the strength of the incident radiation to be determined by balancing , as is required for registering a digital x - ray image . in addition to operating using a d . c . voltage source ( for example , a charge accumulator ), a . c . sources can be employed as long as the measurement ensues phase - synchronously with the a . c . source , or the voltage charging of the photoconductor is maintained in phase with the a . c . source such as by triggering . although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art , it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of their contribution to the art . | 6 |
the present invention relates to a method and system for quickly and easily identifying problems in the execution of programs in a computing environment . this process involves four basic activities which include : ( 1 ) characterizing the servers in the computing system and determining any relationships between theses servers , ( 2 ) creating a custom monitoring system for these servers for deployment in the computing environment ( 3 ) transmitting the information describing the relationships between the servers and the information about the deployment configuration for the monitors to a display location and ( 4 ) displaying a hierarchical view of applications to users by importing the server relationship information and deployment configuration information into the display system . the first activity ( characterizing the servers in the computing system and determining any relationships between theses servers ) was described in a previously filed united states patent application 20050278571 to these same inventors , the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference . fig1 is a block diagram of a server based computing system according the present invention . a server system configuration 310 comprises a plurality of connected servers . a server database 312 connects to the computing system and contains information about the servers and the relationships between servers in this system . a server manager program 314 connects to the computing system , monitors the activities on the system and conveys such information to a server configuration and operations display 316 . fig2 illustrates the software modules that comprise the server manager program of the present invention . the program has three basic module components . the first module 318 is the data - gathering module . as mentioned , this module queries devices on the computing system and retrieves information about the different system devices . the queries also produce information about the relationships between the system devices . the characteristic and relational information about a device is stored in the database 330 . some of this information is relational information . fig3 shows the relational information for the servers in fig1 . these database entries represent the different connections or relations between system servers . although not shown in fig3 , the specific connections of the servers can also produce additional capabilities that would be captured as part of the relation between server devices . referring again to fig2 , the second module 320 retrieves the information gathered by module 318 . module 320 then analyzes the information in order to generate a custom monitor configuration to monitor the server activities . the importation module 322 then converts the monitor deployment information and information about the inter - relationships between devices on the computing system to a acceptable for importation to the computer system display . in a computing system , there are management functions that control the operations on the system . part of the management function is a system that monitors computing activities and sends alerts when certain events occur or certain conditions exist . as mentioned , the current systems send these alerts through to the display , but with very little or no details about the nature of the events that triggered the alert . for example , if the information from the data - gathering module is that a certain server is a database server , the monitor deployment module analysis would conclude that the monitor for that server should be database monitor . a database monitoring function tracks activities and information related to activities of a database server . a current problem is that a monitor assigned to monitor the database server may not be a database server monitor . the monitor may be not programmed to monitor activities related to the operations of a database server . therefore , the current monitoring configuration may not match the proper monitor with the appropriate server device . the present invention corrects that problem . this analysis in the monitor deployment is performed for each server device in the system . the particular server configuration will dictate the number of monitors that may be deployed for a particular system . the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the figures . fig4 illustrates a distributed computer system generally designated 10 , a help desk workstation 12 and a documentation management server 20 according to the present invention . distributed computer system 10 comprises a customer workstation 30 coupled by a network 32 and an optional firewall 34 to a distributed server system 40 . the network 32 can be an intranet , the internet or an extranet , and can use a variety of network protocols such as tcp / ip or sna . the distributed server system 40 can take various forms and have various architectures with varying numbers , arrangements and layers of servers , such as those illustrated in fig4 . in fig4 , requests from client workstation 30 for an application are forwarded via the network 32 to a load balancer 50 for a cluster 53 of servers . load balancer 50 then selects server 52 or 54 within the cluster 53 to handle the request , based on their availability or other known load balancing criteria . by way of example , servers 52 and 54 are web servers , i . e . handle requests via the internet for applications represented by web pages . however , in another embodiment of the distributed server system 40 , the client requests are forwarded directly to a single web ( or other type of ) server such as server 52 ( and there is no load balancer 50 or server 54 ). in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 , the application requested by the client workstation 30 does not reside on server 52 ( or 54 ). so server 52 determines , based on an internal configuration file , the ip address of another server or server cluster that contains the requested application . server 52 also includes a program used to communicate with this other server or cluster . in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 , server 52 forwards the customer request to a load balancer 60 for a cluster 63 of application servers . load balancer 60 then selects one application server 62 or 64 in cluster 63 , such as server 62 , to handle the request , based on their availability or other known load balancing criteria . however , in another embodiment of the distributed server system 40 , the client requests are forwarded directly from server 52 to a single application server such as server 62 ( and there is no load balancer 60 or server 64 ). in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 , each of the application servers 62 and 64 comprises a middleware program in addition to the actual application requested by the client workstation 30 . the middleware program is responsible for managing differences in format and protocol , if any , between the client request and the requested application . the application on server 62 is responsible for obtaining the data pertaining to the customer request and performing any computations pertaining to the customer request . in the illustrated embodiment , the application on server 62 can obtain the data from backend database servers 72 , 74 or 76 . each backend database server 72 , 74 and 76 obtains the requested data from one or more data repositories , such as respective disk storages 172 , 174 and 176 . in high availability environments , there will ordinarily be a backup ( backend ) database server in case the primary ( backend ) database server fails . in the illustrated embodiment , backend database servers 72 and 74 can perform this backup role for each other , and a backend database server 78 backs - up database server 76 . in some cases , the application on server 62 generates a web page or other screen to send to the client workstation based on the data , which it obtains . the web page or other screen permits the customer to interactively use the application . in other cases , the middleware program on server 62 or 64 generates the web page or other screen for display on client workstation 30 , based on data supplied by the application . in both cases , the application generally needs to obtain data from one of the database servers 72 , 74 or 76 . in the case of a web server , the data may be a web page itself . in many cases such as illustrated in fig4 , a single application executing on server 62 ( or 64 ) is able to handle the customer request by directly querying backend database servers 72 , 74 or 76 , for the requisite data ( and then processing the data if needed ). however , in other cases also illustrated in fig4 , the single application on server 62 cannot alone handle the customer request , even with data from backend database server 72 , 74 or 76 . for example , if the customer request requires two different services such as one to list homes for sale and another to process a mortgage request , two different applications may be required , one to display the list of the homes for sale and manage the interface to the customer , and the other application to process the mortgage request . in such a case , the application in server 62 may supply one of the services ( and obtain the data for that service from backend database server 72 , 74 or 76 ), but may need to query another server or server cluster for the other application to process the mortgage request ( and obtain the data for that service from another backend database . in the illustrated embodiment , this other cluster 83 of servers comprises a load balancer 80 and application servers 82 and 84 . each of the application servers 82 and 84 comprises the second ( for example , mortgage ) application as noted above which accesses database server 92 or 94 for the requisite data . each of the application servers 82 and 84 also comprises middleware if necessary to interface to the format and protocol of the client request and format a web page or other screen for display at the client workstation . each backend database server 92 and 94 accesses one or more data repositories , such as respective disk storages 192 and 194 . in high availability environments , there will ordinarily be a backup ( backend ) database server in case the primary ( backend ) database server fails . in the illustrated embodiment , backend database servers 92 and 94 can perform this backup role for each other . the foregoing features of server system 40 were known in the industry . “ agent ” programs run on the web servers , application / middleware servers and database servers 52 , 54 , 62 , 64 , 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 82 , 84 , 92 and 94 , respectively within server system 40 to automatically gather configuration and other information about the respective servers and supply the information to server 20 . if the load balancers 50 , 60 and 80 are capable or running agent programs ( for example , have operating systems capable or running agent programs ), then respective agent programs run on the load balancers 50 , 60 and 80 as well . in the illustrated embodiment , agent programs can run on load balancers 50 , 60 and 80 . however , in an alternate embodiment , one or more of the load balancers 50 , 60 or 80 do not include agent programs . ( agent programs that can gather data in a server were known in the art , but have been customized according to the present invention to gather configuration and other information needed to implement the present invention .) a documentation generation program 110 runs on server 20 , receives the configuration and other information supplied by agent programs and automatically generates application support documentation to assist the help desk people troubleshoot and correct customer problems with server system 40 . fig5 is a flow diagram of the steps in the implementation of the method in accordance with the present invention . the initial step 400 is to gather information about the various server devices in the system . this data gathering process involves querying the relational database to retrieve information about the functions of the server devices and the connections of the server devices to other system devices . the queries are designed to gather certain information about a device . for example , the first query could to determine the type of device . if the response were that the device is a database server , the next query could be related to functions of a database server . if the machine were a different server , the next query would be related to that type of server . in step 400 , the agent programs within server system 40 can initiate data gathering . in some cases , a query program can periodically send requests to agent programs to gather the configuration and other data from their respective servers . in other cases , the agent programs initiate their own data gathering activity , either based on their own predetermined schedule or based on occurrence of events or significant changes , such as changes to configuration in their respective servers . in step 410 , agent programs begin the actual data gathering in their respective servers . by way of example , agent programs can comprise script programs that can execute on their respective servers to solicit or read configuration and other information from the operating systems and configuration files within their respective servers . then , agent programs report the information to program 110 in documentation management server 20 . for example , agent programs may gather configuration information from apache httpd . conf configuration file and ibm websphere adminlconfig configuration file . for each of the web servers 52 and 54 , these configuration files contain various types of information such as a list of the urls that lead to / reside on the web server , and for each of these urls ( i ) when the requested application resides on another , application / middleware server , an identification of this other application / middleware server ( by ip address and virtual host ), or ( ii ) when the requested application resides on the web server , a reference to static data files that contain requested information for the application , or ( iii ) when the requested function can be performed by a scripting file ( for example , “ cgi ” script files ) on the web server , and a pointer to the scripting file . for each of the application / middleware servers 62 , 64 , 82 and 84 , these configuration files contain the following types of information : ( a ) a list of the urls that lead to / reside on this web server , and for each of these urls ( i ) when the requested application resides on another , application / middleware server , an identification of the application / middleware server ( by ip address and virtual host ), or ( ii ) when the requested application resides on the web server , a reference to static data files that contain requested information for the application , or ( iii ) when the requested function can be performed by a scripting file ( for example , “ cgi ” or java script files ) on the web server , a pointer to the scripting file and ( b ) for each virtual host in the application / middleware server , ( i ) an identity ( by ip address and database instance or port ) of the connection to the backend database server ( s ) accessed by the virtual host , ( ii ) identities of other application servers that run the same application , ( iii ) identities of other application servers that access the same database , if known . referring again to fig5 , after the completion of the data gathering function , step 420 receives the gathered data at the server monitor configuration module . this retrieval of the information can be from the database or it can be received directly from the data - gathering module . the most common approach would be for the gathered data to be stored in the database prior to transmission to the server monitor configuration module . as mentioned , the retrieved information would comprise information gathered relating to the function of a device and information about the relationships of this device to other devices in the system . step 430 generates a server monitor configuration for positioning monitors in strategic locations in the system . these positioned monitors would track the activities of the server devices and transmit messages or alerts when certain events or conditions occur . step 430 analyzes the type of device and the relationships of the device and then identifies the proper monitor and monitor position to properly track the activities of that device . depending on the device , monitors are positioned at strategic places and are customized to track information related to the device in step 440 . as mentioned , if a device were a database server , the monitor tracking that database server would be designed to track activities of a database server as opposed to activities generally related to another type of device . other devices may have activities that are different from a database server . if a monitor tracking a database server is configured to track or detect activities related to another device and not the database server tracking errors would surely occur . after the deployment of the monitor devices , step 450 imports the relationship information and diagramming information of the system into the display system . this information includes the server relationships and system configuration information to the display system for display to the system users and operators . this data importation involves a conversion of the system configuration information to a format suitable for importation into the display system . in a preferred embodiment , the information is converted to an xml format for importation . in this importation step 450 , the information is also compartmentalized and displayed such that the user knows all relationships between devices and functions of that device . therefore , when an event is detected and reported , the user will first know the monitor that detected the problem . because the user knows the device is which the reporting monitor is assigned , the user can narrow the problem to the area of that device . next , because the user knows the relationships of that device to other devices , the user can also narrow the search for the problem . further , if this problem was detected as the result of the existence of a previously defined situation , the user may be able to immediately identify the type of problem that triggered the monitor detection . with this information , the user can easily and quickly locate and solve system problems as they occur . based on the foregoing , a system , method and program for generating and displaying application support documentation and related troubleshooting documentation have been disclosed . however , numerous modifications and substitutions can be made without deviating from the scope of the present invention . therefore , the present invention has been disclosed by way of illustration and not limitation , and reference should be made to the following claims to determine the scope of the present invention . | 7 |
the following example makes use of tools and methods known per se in the art but previously used for different purposes . an example of these known tools and methods is shown in fig1 . the figure shows a borehole with a formation resistivity imaging logging tool . the tool body 11 carries four circumferentially arranged electrode pads 12 , which can be extended to contact the borehole wall 10 . a current flow is generated between upper electrodes 13 and the electrode pads 12 . insulating parts 14 are arranged in the middle section of the tool to prevent a short - circuiting of the current through the tool body 11 . the tool used in the example is the commercially available fmi ( tm of schlumberger ) tool . the fmi tool generates an electrical image of the borehole from 192 microresistivity measurements . special focusing circuitry ensures that the measuring currents are forced into the formation , where they are modulated in amplitude with the formation conductivities to produce both low - frequency signals representative of petrophysical and lithological information and a high - resolution component that provides the microresistivity data used for generating images and for dip interpretation . the depth of investigation is about 30 inches for the low frequency signal , similar to that of shallow lateral resistivity devices , while the depth of investigation is less than an inch for the high frequency component . the image is normalized through calibration with low - frequency , deeper resistivity measurements from another resistivity measurement tool . in accordance with this example of the invention , the fmi image resistivity is calibrated to other resistivity logs such as focused laterologs or induction logs which are well - known logging tools and measurements in the industry . this image calibration can be an important step where the current flowing through the fmi electrodes is not collimated , hence does not give an accurate measure of the formation &# 39 ; s resistivity . the example of a calibrated resistivity map or image is shown in fig1 b . the map shows a vertical and azimuthal resolution of 0 . 2 in . this means that the dimensions of any feature that is 0 . 2 in . or larger can be readily estimated from the image . the size of features smaller than 0 . 2 in . can be estimated by quantifying the current flow to the electrode . fine - scale details such as 50 - micron fractures filled with conductive fluids are visible on fmi logs . the resulting map is then further processed to derive a homogeneity value as will be described in more detail below . a second known method applied in the present invention is the resistivity measurement on cores . such measurements have been routinely performed in laboratories for many decades . a typical though simplified setup for such measurements is illustrated using fig2 of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 924 , 187 to e . sprunt et al . in this setup , a core 20 is placed in a container 21 enclosed in a compliant material 211 to provide pressure tight sealing around the core 20 . the electrodes 221 , 222 of the resistivity meter 22 contact the surface of the core 20 at two or more points to determine the resistivity of a section of core in the presence of a dc or ac current . also shown is a current source 23 to generate a current along the core length . two ports 24 , 25 allow the core to be flooded with a fluid to change the saturation of it in a controlled manner the example as shown can be replaced by many alternatives . in modern measurements , the efforts made to establish a controlled environment are for example more developed as illustrated by the setups described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 493 , 226 to m . m . honarpour et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 879 , 154 to m . fleury , and many other published sources . with the knowledge of the other parameters , such as saturation s , the measurement of core resistivity can be used to determine the cementation factor m as defined by archie ( eq . [ 1 ]). after the fmi image is recorded at a given depth , it is processed to extract from it a measure of the heterogeneity of the resistivity of the sampled area or volume . this measure is referred hereinbelow as resistive heterogeneity . it is convenient to reduce the resistive heterogeneity of an image to a single value . this can be achieved by determining for example the ratio of high resistivity areas or volumes to the total areas or volumes scanned by the fmi images or by any other equivalent method . the threshold value for high resistivity areas can be set arbitrarily . it is however advantageous to set the threshold such that only clearly recognizable patches of higher resistivity contribute to the heterogeneity measure without being affected for example by the fluid type in the rocks . it is important to note that the resistive heterogeneity thus measured is effectively a value averaged along a circumference of the well . it can therefore be regarded as a good representative value for the section of a layer as intersected by the well at the given depth . by cross - plotting the cementation values m of core samples and the resistive heterogeneity measure a correlation between these values may be observed as evidenced by the plot of fig3 . the observed correlation can be converted into a mathematical relation which transforms the resistive heterogeneity measure derived from an fmi image directly into a value of m without requiring further core measurements . in the present example the data points of fig3 are fitted by linear function where rhm stands for the resistive heterogeneity measure . other types of linear or non - linear fits can be used to derive a general relation between m and the resistive heterogeneity . in a well or reservoir where such a relation as eq . [ 6 ] between cementation factor and resistive heterogeneity measure has been established , it is possible to determine a depth dependent log of cementation factors similar to other log measurement . by applying the relation and above described methods to logging measurements of the fmi or similar logging tool , a cementation factor log can be generated from data already measured or given such a relation the fmi tool or any similar tool can modified to generate a cementation factor log in real - time . an example of such a log is shown in fig4 . the figure shows about 40 depth meters of log . starting from the left , the first curve 40 indicates the values of the cementation factor as derived from the equation [ 6 ]. the three following curves 41 , 42 , and 43 are based on the empirical relationship between porosity measurement and cementation factor of equations [ 2 ], [ 4 ] and [ 5 ], respectively . the values as measured by core experiments are shown in all four plots as circles . the horizontal scale for all curves and cores read 1 . 0 on the left edge and 4 . 0 on the right edge of the tracks . thus the curves 41 , 42 , and 43 are close to the value of 2 in line with the manner in which they are calculated , whereas the measurement in accordance with the present invention has a higher degree of fluctuation as expected from a true depth - point by depth - point logging measurement . with the exponent m known , the saturation at any given depth in the logged well can be established using the above archie law . | 6 |
hereinafter , embodiments of the present invention ( hereinafter referred to as “ embodiments ”) will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . note that , in each figure , the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals , and a duplicated description thereof will be omitted . first , a scroll compressor s according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to fig1 . fig1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the scroll compressor s according to the first embodiment . as shown in fig1 , the scroll compressor s includes a sealed container 1 , an orbiting scroll 3 , a compression mechanism 2 composed of a fixed scroll 4 and a frame 5 , a crankshaft 6 , an oldham ring 7 , an electric motor 8 , a lower bearing 9 and a release valve device 10 . the sealed container 1 is configured such that a lid chamber 1 b is welded to an upper side of a cylindrical case 1 a , and a bottom chamber 1 c is welded to a lower side of the cylindrical case 1 a . further , the lid chamber 1 b is provided with a suction pipe 1 d , and the case 1 a is provided with a discharge pipe 1 e . the compressor mechanism 2 is disposed at an upper portion in the sealed container 1 composed of the case 1 a , the lid chamber 1 b and the bottom chamber 1 c , and the electric motor 8 is disposed at a lower portion in the sealed container 1 . then , machine oil 11 ( lubricating oil ) is stored in a bottom portion of the sealed container 1 . the compression mechanism 2 is configured to include the orbiting scroll 3 , the fixed scroll 4 , and the frame 5 which is fastened to the fixed scroll 4 with a fastener 5 b such as a bolt and supports the orbiting scroll 3 . the orbiting scroll 3 is provided with a spiral orbiting scroll wrap erected from an upper surface side of a base plate thereof , and is provided with an orbiting bearing 3 a , into which an eccentric portion 6 b of the crankshaft 6 is fitted , on a lower surface side of the base plate . the fixed scroll 4 is provided with a fixed scroll wrap , which is erected from a lower surface side of a base plate thereof and intermeshes with the orbiting scroll wrap . the orbiting scroll 3 is orbitably disposed opposite to the fixed scroll 4 , and a suction chamber 12 and a compression chamber 13 are formed by the orbiting scroll 3 and the fixed scroll 4 . the frame 5 is secured to an inner wall surface of the sealed container 1 by welding at an outer peripheral side thereof , and includes a main bearing 5 a for rotatably supporting a main shaft 6 a of the crankshaft 6 . further , a back pressure chamber ( intermediate pressure chamber ) 15 is formed between the orbiting scroll 3 and the frame 5 . the oldham ring 7 is disposed between a lower surface of the orbiting scroll 3 and the frame 5 , and is fitted into a groove formed on the lower surface side of the orbiting scroll 3 and a groove formed in the frame 5 . the oldham ring 7 serves to revolve the orbiting scroll 3 in response to eccentric rotation of the eccentric portion 6 b of the crankshaft 6 , without rotating the orbiting scroll 3 . the electric motor 8 includes a stator 8 a and a rotor 8 b . the stator 8 a is press - fitted into the sealed container 1 , and is secured by welding or the like . the rotor 8 b is rotatably disposed in the stator 8 a . further , the crankshaft 6 is secured to the rotor 8 b . the crankshaft 6 is configured to include the main shaft 6 a and the eccentric portion 6 b . the main shaft 6 a of the crankshaft 6 is supported by the main bearing 5 a provided in the frame 5 at an upper side thereof , and is supported by the lower bearing 9 at a lower side thereof . the eccentric portion 6 b of the crankshaft 6 is formed with the main shaft 6 a eccentrically and integrally , and is fitted into the orbiting bearing 3 a provided on a back surface of the orbiting scroll 3 . when rotating the main shaft 6 a by driving the electric motor 8 , the eccentric portion 6 b rotates eccentrically with respect to the main shaft 6 a so as to revolve the orbiting scroll 3 . further , the crankshaft 6 is provided with an oil supply passage 6 c for guiding machine oil 11 to the main bearing 5 a , the lower bearing 9 and the orbiting bearing 3 a , and is attached with an oil supply pipe 6 d for sucking and guiding the machine oil 11 to the oil supply passage 6 c , at a lower shaft end thereof . when revolving the orbiting scroll 3 by driving the electric motor 8 , gas refrigerant passes through the suction chamber 12 from the suction pipe 1 d , and is guided into the compression chamber 13 formed by the orbiting scroll 3 and the fixed scroll 4 . then , the gas refrigerant in the compression chamber 13 is reduced in volume to be compressed as it moves toward the center between the orbiting scroll 3 and the fixed scroll 4 . the compressed gas refrigerant is discharged from a discharge port 4 a of the fixed scroll 4 to a discharge pressure chamber 14 which is a space in the sealed container 1 , and flows out to the outside through the discharge pipe 1 e . the fixed scroll 4 is provided with the release valve device 10 for discharging the gas refrigerant to the discharge pressure chamber 14 before the compression chamber 13 communicates with the discharge port 4 a , such as when a large amount of liquid refrigerant is sucked during start - up , or when a pressure ratio of discharge pressure to suction pressure , that is , “ discharge pressure / suction pressure ” is low . the pressure ratio when the release valve device 10 operates is quantitatively described as follows . whether or not the release valve device 10 operates , is determined by a relationship between the pressure ratio and a design volume ratio of the scroll wrap . here , the design volume ratio is a ratio of maximum volume to minimum volume ( volume when the compression chamber 13 communicates with the discharge port 4 a ) of the compression chamber 13 , that is , “ maximum volume / minimum volume ”. that is , whether or not the release valve device 10 operates , is determined by a shape of the scroll wrap and operation conditions , and the following relationship is satisfied between the pressure ratio and the design volume ratio . when equation ( 1 ) is satisfied , the release valve device 10 operates . when equation ( 2 ) is satisfied , the release valve device 10 does not operate . here , before describing the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 described later ) included in the scroll compressor s ( see fig1 ) according to the first embodiment , a release valve device 10 e included in a scroll compressor according to a conventional example will be described with reference to fig9 and 10 . fig9 is a cross - sectional view showing a valve open state of the release valve device 10 e according to the conventional example . fig1 is a cross - sectional view showing a valve closed state of the release valve device 10 e according to the conventional example . the scroll compressor according to the conventional example is different in configuration of the release valve device 10 e as compared with the scroll compressor s ( see fig1 ) according to the first embodiment . the other configurations are the same as the first embodiment , and descriptions thereof will be omitted . the release valve device 10 e according to the conventional example includes a valve seat surface 4 d formed integrally with the fixed scroll 4 , a spring 10 a , a valve plate 10 b , a stopper 10 f 5 and a retainer 10 h . on a side ( an opposite side of the wrap ) of the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 ) of the fixed scroll 4 , a housing hole 4 b with a bottom is formed , and a release hole 4 c , which communicates to the side ( side of the wrap ) of the compression chamber 13 from the bottom of the housing hole 4 b , is formed . thus , a flow passage communicating to the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 ) is formed from the compression chamber 13 through the release hole 4 c and the housing hole 4 b . note that , the release hole 4 c is formed smaller in diameter than that of the housing hole 4 b . further , the valve seat surface ( valve seat , protrusion ) 4 d in contact with the valve plate 10 b is formed in a peripheral edge of the release hole 4 c on a side ( side of the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 )) of the housing hole 4 b . that is , the seat valve surface 4 d of the release valve device 10 e according to the conventional example is formed integrally with the fixed scroll 4 . the spring 10 a , the valve plate 10 b and the stopper 10 f 5 are disposed inside the housing hole 4 b formed in the fixed scroll 4 . the spring 10 a is supported by the stopper 10 f 5 at one end thereof , and is in contact with the valve plate 10 b at the other end thereof , to bias the valve plate 10 b in a direction of the valve seat surface 4 d ( release hole 4 c ). the stopper 10 f 5 supports the one end of the spring 10 a and regulates maximum moving distance of the valve plate 10 b . the retainer 10 h is attached to the side of the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 ) of the fixed scroll 4 , to secure the stopper 10 f 5 . when pressure in the compression chamber 13 is lower than the discharge pressure ( pressure in the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 )), the valve plate 10 b is pressed against the valve seat surface 4 d by a biasing force ( an elastic force ) of the spring 10 a and this pressure difference , and the release valve 4 c is in a blocked state . that is , the release valve device 10 e is in a closed state ( see fig1 ). on the other hand , under conditions of the equation ( 1 ), when the pressure in the compression chamber 13 is higher than the discharge pressure ( pressure in the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 )), the valve plate 10 b is pushed up from the valve seat surface 4 d by fluid force , and the release valve 4 c is opened . that is , the release valve device 10 e is in an open state ( see fig9 ). here , when the release valve device 10 e operates ( that is , when the equation ( 1 ) is satisfied ), the release valve device 10 e is opened and closed once per rotation of the crankshaft 6 . in other words , when the release valve device 10 e operates , the valve plate 10 b and the valve seat surface 4 d collide with each other once per rotation of the crankshaft 6 . for example , when the crankshaft 6 rotates at 3 , 000 revolutions per minute , the valve seat 4 d is a severe contact surface in which 180 , 000 collisions are repeated per hour , and it is an important issue to ensure reliability of the valve seat surface 4 d . next , the release valve device 10 included in the scroll compressor s according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig2 . fig2 is a cross - sectional view of the release valve device 10 according to the first embodiment . the release valve device 10 according to the first embodiment includes the spring 10 a , the valve plate 10 b , a valve seat member 10 c having a valve seat surface 10 d and a release hole 10 e , a stopper 10 f having a holding portion 10 g , and a retainer 10 h . on the side of the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 ) of the fixed scroll 4 , the housing hole 4 b with a bottom is formed , and the release hole 4 c , which communicates to the side of the compression chamber 13 from the bottom of the housing hole 4 b , is formed . note that , the release hole 4 c is formed smaller in diameter than that of the housing hole 4 b . while the valve seat surface 4 d of the release valve device 10 e ( see fig9 ) according to the conventional example is formed integrally with the fixed scroll 4 , the valve seat surface 10 d ( see fig2 ) of the release valve device 10 according to the first embodiment is formed in the seat valve member 10 c separated from the fixed scroll 4 . that is , the release hole 10 e is formed in the valve seat member 10 c , and the valve seat surface ( valve seat , protrusion ) 10 d in contact with the valve plate 10 b is provided in a peripheral edge of the release hole 10 e on the side ( side of the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 )) of the housing hole 4 b . then , by housing ( placing ) the valve seat member 10 c in a bottom portion of the housing hole 4 b , the release hole 10 e of the valve seat member 10 c and the release hole 4 c of the fixed scroll 4 communicate with each other . thus , the flow passage communicating to the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 ) from the compression chamber 13 through the release hole 4 c , the release hole 10 e and the housing hole 4 b , is formed . as shown in fig2 , the spring 10 a , the valve plate 10 b , the valve seat member 10 c and the stopper 10 f are arranged inside the housing hole 4 b formed in the fixed scroll 4 . the spring 10 a is supported by the stopper 10 f at one end thereof , and is in contact with the valve plate 10 b at the other end thereof , to bias the valve plate 10 b in a direction of the valve seat surface 10 d ( release hole 10 e ). the stopper 10 f supports the spring 10 a and regulates the maximum moving distance of the valve plate 10 b . the retainer 10 h is attached to the side of the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 ) of the fixed scroll 4 , to secure the stopper 10 f . then , the stopper 10 f is provided with the annular ( cylindrical ) holding portion 10 g , and the valve seat member 10 c is fixed by being sandwiched between the holding portion 10 g and the fixed scroll 4 ( bottom portion of the housing hole 4 b ). basic opening and closing operation of the release valve device 10 according to the first embodiment is the same as the release valve device 10 e ( see fig9 ) according to the conventional example described above , and a description thereof will be omitted . operational effects of the scroll compressor s ( see fig1 ) including the release valve device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described in comparison with the scroll compressor including the release valve device 10 e ( see fig9 ) according to the conventional example . as described above , when using a next refrigerant ( for example , r32 , r290 , r1234ze ) as the refrigerant of the scroll compressor s , the orbiting scroll 3 is formed with a lightweight material such as an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy , in order to downsize and speed up the scroll compressor s . further , in order to prevent efficiency reduction due to expansion of a gap inside the compressor by a difference in linear expansion coefficient , the fixed scroll 4 is formed with the same material as the orbiting scroll 3 , that is , the lightweight material such as the aluminum alloy or the magnesium alloy . on the other hand , the valve plate 10 b of the release valve device 10 is formed with a material such as a rolled steel plate . here , the aluminum alloy or the magnesium alloy has a vickers hardness of about 150 , and when the valve seat surface 4 d is formed integrally with the fixed scroll 4 as the release valve device 10 e ( see fig9 ) according to the conventional example , impact resistance is weak . in contrast , the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment has the valve seat surface 10 d formed in the valve seat member 10 c separated from the fixed scroll 4 . therefore , the material of the valve seat member 10 c ( valve seat surface 10 d ) can be a material having higher impact resistance than that of the material ( for example , aluminum alloy or magnesium alloy ) of the fixed scroll 4 . that is , by forming the valve seat surface 10 d in the valve seat member 10 c separated from the fixed scroll 4 , and by using a material having high vickers hardness as the material of the valve seat member 10 c , it is possible to improve reliability of the valve seat surface 10 d . in particular , even when a lightweight material such as the aluminum alloy or the magnesium alloy having low vickers hardness is used as the orbiting scroll 3 or the fixed scroll 4 , it is possible to ensure reliability of the release valve device 10 . meanwhile , in the scroll compressor including the release valve device 10 e ( see fig9 ) according to the conventional example , cast iron is widely used as the material of the fixed scroll 4 . considering this use results , it is desirable to use a material having a vickers hardness of equal to or more than 250 as the material of the valve seat member 10 c of the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment . as the material used as the valve seat member 10 c having the valve seat surface 10 d , for example , a molding material can be used . in addition , a molding material subjected to nitriding treatment may be used . an iron - based material or a steel material may be used , and an iron - based material or a steel material subjected to nitriding treatment may be used , and further an iron - based material or a steel material subjected to carburizing quenching treatment may be used . a sintered material subjected to steam treatment may be used , and a sintered material subjected to steam treatment and nitriding treatment may be used . thus , in the scroll compressor s including the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment , even when using the lightweight material such as the aluminum alloy and the magnesium alloy as the material of the orbiting scroll 3 and the fixed scroll 4 , it is possible to ensure the reliability of the release valve device 10 . further , by using the lightweight material as the orbiting scroll 3 , it is possible to provide the scroll compressor s capable of high - speed rotation as well as using the next refrigerant . next , the scroll compressor s according to a second embodiment will be described . the scroll compressor s according to the second embodiment is different in configuration of a release valve device 10 a as compared with the scroll compressor s ( see fig1 ) according to the first embodiment . the other configurations are the same as the first embodiment , and descriptions thereof will be omitted . the release valve device 10 a included in the scroll compressor s according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to fig3 . fig3 is a cross - sectional view of the release valve device 10 a according to the second embodiment . the release valve device 10 a according to the second embodiment included the spring ( a first spring ) 10 a , the valve plate 10 b , the valve seat member 10 c having the valve seat surface 10 d and the release hole 10 e , a stopper 10 f 1 having a holding portion 10 g 1 , a pressing spring ( second spring ) 10 i 1 , and the retainer 10 h . the retainer 10 h is attached to the side of the discharging chamber 14 ( see fig1 ) of the fixed scroll 4 , and secures the stopper 10 f 1 via the pressing spring 10 i 1 . then , the stopper 10 f 1 is provided with the annular ( cylindrical ) holding portion 10 g 1 , and the valve seat member 10 c is fixed by being sandwiched between the holding portion 10 g 1 and the fixed scroll 4 ( bottom portion of the housing hole 4 b ). the other configurations and basic opening and closing operation of the release valve device 10 a according to the second embodiment is the same as the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment , and descriptions thereof will be omitted . operational effects of the scroll compressor s including the release valve device 10 a ( see fig3 ) according to the second embodiment will be described . the release valve device 10 a ( see fig3 ) according to the second embodiment has the pressing spring 10 i 1 inserted over the stopper 10 f 1 . by pressing down the pressing spring 1011 and the stopper 10 f 1 by the retainer 10 h , the pressing spring 10 i 1 is deflected , and even when machining accuracy of the housing hole 4 b is low , it is possible to absorb dimension error thereof . that is , even when a length of the housing hole 4 b is short , a tooth bottom ( base plate of the fixed scroll wrap ) of the fixed scroll 4 is prevented from being strongly pressed to be deformed , by contraction of the pressing spring 10 i 1 when the retainer is attached , and thus sliding loss with the orbiting scroll 3 is prevented from increasing . further , even when the length of the housing hole 4 b is long , the valve seat member 10 c is fixed and prevented from moving , by extension of the pressing spring 10 i 1 when the retainer is attached , and thus it is possible to prevent fretting wear or the like which is generated by wear with the housing hole 4 b due to movement of the valve seat member 10 c . further , as for depth machining accuracy of the housing hole 4 b of the fixed scroll 4 according to the second embodiment , high machining accuracy is not required as in the first embodiment , and thus productivity of the fixed scroll 4 , and consequently productivity of the scroll compressor s is improved . next , the scroll compressor s according to a third embodiment will be described . the scroll compressor s according to the third embodiment is different in configuration of a release valve device 10 b as compared with the scroll compressor s ( see fig1 ) according to the first embodiment . the other configurations are the same as the first embodiment , and descriptions thereof will be omitted . the release valve device 10 b included in the scroll compressor s according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to fig4 . fig4 is a cross - sectional view of the release valve device 10 b according to the third embodiment . the release valve device 10 b according to the third embodiment includes the spring ( first spring ) 10 a , the valve plate 10 b , the valve seat member 10 c having the valve seat surface 10 d and the release hole 10 e , a stopper 10 f 2 having a holding portion 10 g 2 , a pressing spring ( second spring ) 10 i 2 , and the retainer 10 h . the retainer 10 h is attached to the side of the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 ) of the fixed scroll 4 , to secure the stopper 10 f 2 . then , the stopper 10 f 2 is provided with the annular ( cylindrical ) holding portion 10 g 2 , and the pressing spring 10 i 2 is disposed between the holding portion 10 g 2 and the valve seat member 10 c . thus , the valve seat member 10 c is fixed by being sandwiched between the pressing spring 10 i 2 and the fixed scroll 4 ( bottom portion of the housing hole 4 b ). the other configurations and basic opening and closing operation of the release valve device 10 b according to the third embodiment is the same as the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment , and descriptions thereof will be omitted . operational effects of the scroll compressor s including the release valve device 10 b ( see fig4 ) according to the third embodiment will be described . the release valve device 10 b ( see fig4 ) according to the third embodiment has the pressing spring 10 i 2 inserted under the stopper 10 f 2 ( holding portion 10 g 2 ). by pressing down the pressing spring 10 i 2 and the stopper 10 f 2 by the retainer 10 h , the pressing spring 10 i 2 is deflected , and even when machining accuracy of the housing hole 4 b is low , it is possible to absorb dimension error thereof in the same manner as the release valve device 10 a ( see fig2 ) according to the second embodiment . this prevents the tooth bottom of the fixed scroll 4 from being deformed as well as preventing the valve seat member 4 c from moving . further , as for depth machining accuracy of the housing hole 4 b of the fixed scroll 4 according to the third embodiment , high machining accuracy is not required as in the first embodiment , and thus productivity of the fixed scroll 4 , and consequently productivity of the scroll compressor s is improved . next , the scroll compressor s according to a fourth embodiment will be described . the scroll compressor s according to the fourth embodiment is different in configuration of a release valve device 10 c as compared with the scroll compressor s ( see fig1 ) according to the first embodiment . the other configurations are the same as the first embodiment , and descriptions thereof will be omitted . the release valve device 10 c included in the scroll compressor s according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to fig5 and 6 . fig5 is a perspective view of a stopper 10 f 3 included in the release valve device 10 c according to the fourth embodiment . fig6 is a cross - sectional view of the release valve device 10 c according to the fourth embodiment . as shown in fig6 , the release valve device 10 c according to the fourth embodiment includes the spring 10 a , the valve plate 10 b , the valve seat member 10 c having the valve seat surface 10 d and the release hole 10 e , the stopper 10 f 3 having a holding portion 10 g 3 provided with cutout portions 10 j , and the retainer 10 h . that is , the stopper 10 f of the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment is provided with the annular ( cylindrical ) holding portion 10 g , whereas as shown in fig5 , the stopper 10 f 3 of the release valve device 10 c according to the fourth embodiment is provided with the cutout portions 10 j in the annular ( cylindrical ) holding portion 10 g 3 thereof . the other configurations and basic opening and closing operation of the release valve device 10 c according to the fourth embodiment is the same as the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment , and descriptions thereof will be omitted . operational effects of the scroll compressor s including the release valve device 10 c ( see fig5 ) according to the fourth embodiment will be described in comparison with the scroll compressor s including the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment . in the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment , when the release valve device 10 operates ( that is , when the equation ( 1 ) is satisfied ), a portion where the flow passage of refrigerant gas flowing to the discharge pressure chamber 14 ( see fig1 ) from the compression chamber 13 is most narrowed , is a gap portion between the valve plate 10 b and an inner peripheral surface of the stopper 10 f ( holding portion 10 g ). flow passage area of the gap portion can be ensured , such as by reducing a diameter of the valve plate 10 b , however , considering constraint that the valve plate 10 b does not depart from the contact surface with the valve seat surface 10 d , or that the valve plate 10 b is not inclined in the stopper 10 f so as not to come off from the spring 10 a , it is not possible to enlarge the gap portion too much . in contrast , in the release valve device 10 c ( see fig5 ) according to the fourth embodiment , the annular ( cylindrical ) holding portion 10 g 3 of the stopper 10 f 3 is provided with the cutout portions 10 j . as shown in fig6 , by providing the cutout portions 10 j , it is possible to increase the flow passage area of the gap portion between the valve plate 10 b and the stopper 10 f 3 , thereby reducing pressure loss of the release valve device 10 c . note that , the release valve device 10 c ( see fig5 ) according to the fourth embodiment has been described as providing the cutout portions 10 j in the holding portion 10 g 3 of the stopper 10 f 3 of the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment , however , it is not limited thereto , and the cutout portions 10 j may be provided in the holding portion 10 g 1 of the stopper 10 f 1 of the release valve device 10 a ( see fig3 ) according to the second embodiment . next , the scroll compressor s according to a fifth embodiment will be described . the scroll compressor s according to the fifth embodiment is different in configuration of a release valve device 10 d as compared with the scroll compressor s ( see fig1 ) according to the first embodiment . the other configurations are the same as the first embodiment , and descriptions thereof will be omitted . the release valve device 10 d included in the scroll compressor s according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to fig7 and 8 . fig7 is an exploded perspective view of the release valve device 10 d according to the fifth embodiment . fig8 is an assembly perspective view taken along a portion of the release valve device 10 d according to the fifth embodiment . as shown in fig7 and 8 , the release valve device 10 d according to the fifth embodiment includes the spring 10 a , the valve plate 10 b , a valve seat member 10 c 4 having the valve seat surface 10 d , the release hole 10 e and protrusions 10 k , a stopper 10 f 4 having a holding portion 10 g 4 provided with grooves 10 i , and the retainer ( not shown ). the valve seat member 10 c 4 is provided with the protrusions 10 k in an outer peripheral portion thereof , and the protrusions 10 k are configured to be fitted into the grooves 10 i formed in the stopper 10 f 4 such as by press - fitting . the other configurations and basic opening and closing operation of the release valve device 10 d according to the fifth embodiment is the same as the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment , and descriptions thereof will be omitted . operational effects of the scroll compressor s including the release valve device 10 d ( see fig7 ) according to the fifth embodiment will be described . with such a structure , as shown in fig8 , it is possible to produce an assembly of the release valve device 10 , and this assembly only has to be inserted into the housing hole 4 b , and thus assembling property of the scroll compressor s is improved . note that , the release valve device 10 d ( see fig7 ) according to the fifth embodiment has been described such that the retainer ( not shown ) presses the stopper 10 f 4 in the same manner as the release valve device 10 ( see fig2 ) according to the first embodiment , however , it is not limited thereto , and the pressing spring 10 i 1 ( see fig3 ) may be placed between the retainer ( not shown ) and the stopper 10 f 4 in the same manner as the release valve device 10 a ( see fig3 ) according to the second embodiment . further , in the same manner as the release valve device 10 c ( see fig5 ) according to the fourth embodiment , the cutout portions 10 j ( see fig3 ) may be provided in positions different from positions where the grooves 10 i are provided in the holding portion 10 g 4 of the stopper 10 f 4 . furthermore , they may be combined . note that , the scroll compressor s according to the embodiments ( first to fifth embodiments ) is not limited to the configurations in the embodiments , and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . in the above embodiments ( first to fifth embodiments ), the release valve devices 10 , 10 a to 10 d are taken as examples , however , the present invention can be applied to valve devices that perform the same operations as the release valve devices 10 , 10 a to 10 d used in the scroll compressor s . as shown in fig1 , the scroll compressor s is provided with the back pressure chamber 15 of a pressure between the suction pressure and the discharge pressure on the back of the orbiting scroll 3 . pressure in the back pressure chamber 15 is regulated by a back pressure control valve 16 provided in a flow passage between the back pressure chamber 15 and the compression chamber 13 , and the back pressure control valve 16 has a check valve structure using a spring similarly to the release valve device 10 and includes a valve seat surface . the back pressure control valve 16 is also a valve device which performs opening and closing operation once per rotation of the crankshaft 6 , and impact resistance of the valve seat surface is required . the present invention can also be applied to the back pressure control valve 16 . further , although not shown , there is also the scroll compressor s provided with a back pressure release valve device ( not shown , for example , the back pressure release valve device of japanese patent publication no . 5022010 ) for communicating the back pressure chamber 15 and the discharge pressure chamber 14 by opening a valve thereof when the pressure in the back pressure 15 is higher than the discharge pressure ( pressure of the discharge pressure chamber 14 ). such a back pressure release valve device ( not shown ) is provided in the frame 5 . here , the frame 5 is fastened to the fixed scroll 4 by the fastener 5 b , and houses the orbiting scroll 3 therein while forming the back pressure chamber 15 . therefore , in order to prevent deformation or the like due to a difference in linear expansion coefficient , it is preferable to form the frame 5 with the same material as the orbiting scroll 3 and the fixed scroll 4 , that is , the lightweight material such as the aluminum alloy or the magnesium alloy . the back pressure release valve device ( not shown ) has the check valve structure using the spring similarly to the release valve device 10 , and includes the valve seat surface . the present invention can also be applied to the back pressure release valve device ( not shown ). however , since operation frequency of the back pressure release valve device ( not shown ) is smaller than that of the release valve device 10 or the back pressure control valve 16 , the back pressure release valve device may remain in the same structure as the conventional release valve device 10 e ( see fig9 ) without using the structure of the release valve devices 10 , 10 a to 10 d of the present invention . 10 g , 10 g 1 , 10 g 2 , 10 g 3 , 10 g 4 : holding portion ( cylindrical portion ) 10 i 1 , 10 i 2 : pressing spring ( second spring ) | 5 |
numerous modifications , variations and adaptations may be made to the particular embodiments of the invention described below without departing from the scope of the invention , which is defined in the claims . fig1 illustrates an example of a zoned mesh network . this network may also be configured as a non - zoned mesh network . the exemplary zoned network is divided into a backbone zone 100 , and four configured zones , zones 101 - 104 . the solid circles in each zone represent network nodes , including 111 - 117 , 121 - 128 , 131 - 135 , and 141 - 146 ; while the numbers within the circles represent node addresses . the dashed circles represent network zones , zones 101 - 104 . network nodes 113 , 122 , 132 , 145 , and 146 are defined herein as boundary nodes because they connect to more than one zone , and may act as proxy nodes . all other nodes are interior nodes , since they are not attached to other zones . this network may be configured in a different manner than illustrated in fig1 , such as a non - zoned network , where all nodes are combined into a single network with no boundary or proxy nodes . in operation , once the mesh network has been defined , for example the topology in fig1 , the user may configure end - to - end connections spanning multiple nodes and / or zones . this process is called provisioning . for each path to be provisioned , a physical path must be selected and configured . each set of physical connections that are provisioned creates an end - to - end connection between the two end nodes that supports a virtual point - to - point link , or in other words , a vp . vps may be assigned statically or dynamically , as required by the user . this vp has an associated capacity , operational state , other attributes , and by an embodiment of this invention , priority values . in one embodiment of the invention , four priorities are assigned to priority profiles , where each priority profile represents a priority schema as assigned by the network operator . at call setup time , the path will be associated with a priority profile as part of the call setup parameters . the connections of a call will obtain the priorities as per the assigned priority profile and will keep these priorities for the life of the call . however the priorities assigned at call setup , can be edited when required . if connections of a call need to be restored , then the restored connection will obtain the same priorities as per the original assigned priority profile . in one aspect of the invention , the new connection &# 39 ; s csp is compared to the chnp or chrp of connections already in place . as will be discussed later , a new connection setup normally does not bump another connection from its nominal path , i . e . the path the network operator chooses as being the most optimum path . in one aspect of the invention , the restored connection &# 39 ; s crp is compared to the chnp or chrp of connections already in place . in one embodiment of the invention , connections of each call will have priority profiles assigned during setup to the vp . these priorities include a connection setup priority ( csp ) used when the connection is being created , a connection restoration priority ( crp ) used when the connection is being restored , a connection hold nominal path priority ( chnp ) used when on the nominal path , and a connection hold restoration path priority ( chrp ) used when on the restoration path . in this version , astn signalling allows for eight ( 8 ) priority levels , with 0 being the highest priority and 7 being the lowest . when a call is setup , a priority profile is assigned to the call . this priority profile provides a mapping to pre - defined settings of the four priorities . although one skilled in the art can see that a very large number of profiles may be constructed , it is anticipated that for network management purposes , the number of profiles remains small . a large number of profiles increase the complexity of understanding the relationship between the priority profiles and the call behavior in the network including connection setup and connection restoration activities . the following table 0 is an example of five profiles of priority settings . an automatic protection setting ( aps ) cos connection is setup with priority profile 1 , an shared mesh ( sm ) cos connection with priority profile 2 , an unprotected cos with priority profile 3 and another unprotected connection with a lower priority level in profile 4 . an extra traffic connection with default priorities , a shared mesh tunnel , a forced restoration and a manual restoration has been added as well for comparison . note that equal priorities will not cause bumping . profile 0 is only to be used for emergency situations . a new call setup using this profile will bump any other connections with priority 1 - 7 and this new call will obtain the highest restoration priority . it can never be bumped . the priority levels above are chosen to create a hierarchical order in priority profiles : profile 0 connections will be restored before any other profile . profile before 1 before profile 2 , 3 , 4 , etc . the csp of profiles 1 to 3 have a lower priority than the crp of the same priority profiles . this gives the restoration of these connections in that priority profile the advantage over connection setup . in general a network operator wants to ensure that restoration attempts of existing connections in the same priority profile have priority over new call setup attempts of that same priority profile . connection setup of a higher order profile will be able to pre - empt restored connections of lower order priority profiles because its csp priority is higher than the chrp . for instance setup of a priority profile 1 connection can pre - empt a restored profile 2 connection . similarly , restoration of a connection of higher order profile will be able to pre - empt a restored connection of a lower order profile because its crp priority is higher then the chrp . for instance restoration of a profile 1 connection can pre - empt a restored profile 2 connection . profile 4 has a chnp of 7 . this allows new connection setup or connection restoration using priority profile 0 , 1 , 2 and 3 to bump connections of priority profile 4 , while they are on their nominal path . effectively , a connection with priorities as per priority profile 4 is similar to a pre - emptable cos . there is a significant difference though . normally pre - emptable cos can only be pre - empted by restoration attempts . in the embodiment of the invention discussed here , in a profile 4 connection can be bumped by new call setup as well as call restoration , when using the priority values as per the table above . except profile 0 and 4 , all profiles have a chnp defined as 1 . this means that a connection on its nominal path can not be bumped by any new connection or restoration attempt . it can only be bumped by a new connection with a csp of 0 or a restoration attempt with a crp of 0 , which in this embodiment is reserved for emergency use by the network operator . a restoration attempt with crp = 0 can also be achieved using the forced restoration . et can only be bumped by a restoration attempt of another cos . a connection with another cos than et will by design never use protection b / w for its connection setup ; only for restoration attempts . in the network case where a shared mesh tunnel is setup , a csp needs to be defined with the setup request to ensure proper routing and use of priorities . however , since a shared mesh tunnel by design cannot be pre - empted nor can it be restored , the chnp and chrp associated with a shared mesh tunnel will be set to 0 and the crp will be set to 7 or in some contemplated embodiments as opposed to the lowest have a n / a to expedite calculation . in a contemplated embodiment , there is a forced restoration command , where the default values of crp and chrp for the forced restoration command are at the highest level . the forced restoration command is only involved with a restoration of a connection ; hence the csp and chnp are not required . the use of the highest priority must of course be used very carefully . another alternative embodiment of this invention would be to have the forced restoration take on the same priority of the connection it is force restoring . this would then mean that a forced restored connection with a low priority can be bumped by a restoration attempt of a connection with a higher priority , which is not consistent use of the forced release command . some network operators may choose to have forced restoration take on the default or operator provided priorities . under a contemplated embodiment , there is a manual restoration is a new command with default values of crp and chrp equal to 7 . the manual restoration command is only involved with a restoration of a connection ; hence the csp and chnp are not required . this command gives the network operator the flexibility to restore a connection with a low priority to allow for bumping of the manual restored connection . under another embodiment , an option would be not to introduce the manual restoration command but expect the network operator to set the appropriate priority levels when the forced restoration command is executed . some network operators may prefer the manual restoration command , since the manual restoration command gives a clear indication that the restoration attempt is of a low priority . the network operator is already familiar with forced command being of higher priority then manual command . when a connection is restored as a result of a forced or manual command , then the restored path will temporarily use the crp and chrp provided by with the forced and manual commands and not the crp and chrp associated with the connection . when non - revertive switching is introduced , it must be determined at that time whether a manual or forced restoration command results in : a new nominal path , obtaining the priorities of the call where the user command shall not be active after it is executed ; or a restoration path , obtaining the priorities as per the user manual or forced command where the command becomes active and needs to be released through a user command . when a forced restoration or manual restoration results in the bumping of a connection , then the network operator should be warned before the bumping is executed . this means that the path needs to be reserved and the next bumping must be confirmed by the operator before the actual bumping is done . the operator shall also be able to find out which connection will be bumped to assess the impact of his / her action . this is merely an example of priority settings . one skilled in the art can understand that many combinations can be defined . in general the priority profile definition should ensure that connection bumping and prioritized restoration will not result in an unstable network , where a situation is created such that connections keep bumping each other in an endless loop . in general , one skilled in the art would wish to define priority values in order to have certain priority profiles representing vps with more important service requirements , and some vps with more cost effective service options . one skilled in the art would recognize there are many ways to determine these priority profile settings . in one embodiment of the invention , the crp priority is equal or lower priority then the chnp and chrp of its own priority profile . similarly , the csp priority is equal or lower priority then the chnp and chrp of its own priority profile . this should prevent uncontrolled bumping in the network . another aspect of the invention is to have the csp equal or lower then the chnp only and the crp equal or lower than the chrp only . in that case a new connection cannot bump a connection in the same protection group and on its nominal path , but can bump a restored connection in the same protection group . the same is true for a restoration attempt ; it can bump a connection on its nominal path , but not on its restoration path and in the same protection group . bandwidth is flooded in bundles per cos . hence , as in the embodiment depicted in fig2 , the bandwidth between node 301 , and node 302 is bundled in 10 g for aps protected bandwidth , and 20 g for unprotected bandwidth . table 1 demonstrates what is being flooded by nodes 301 and 302 for available bandwidth on the link 303 when there is no connection between the two . the numbers in the cells under stsxc indicate the number of connections available of that sts size . assume one sts12c aps connection with a csp priority of 2 is restored to the protected bandwidth on link 303 . the table will then look as follows in table 2 . after adding one connection , the number of available connections has decreased for priority levels 2 and lower . however , the available bandwidth for priority levels 0 and 1 are not decreased , because that bandwidth is available by bumping the lower priority connection . in traditional transmission systems a connection , once established , will be on its nominal path under non - failure scenarios . under failure scenarios the connection may be temporarily switched to a protection path or to a restoration path . switching to a protection path is not further discussed , since a connection on a protection path maintains its chnp or chrp . extra traffic will be dropped by a protection switch . it subsequently can be restored . this could mean that restoration of an extra traffic connection could bump another restored aps connection . at least two types of bumping may be used . these are “ bump when necessary ” and “ bump to obtain best route ” methods . the difference is that “ bump when necessary ” will exhaust all possible routes within the parameters of the connection set - up or restoration attempt before bumping a connection . by contrast , “ bump to obtain best route ” will bump connections to obtain the shortest path if the best route is not available . “ bump when necessary ” is the default used for connection setup and for all restoration purposes . this means that a connection may be routed over a less optimum path , since it will only bump a connection when it cannot find a path with unused bandwidth . using the above example illustrated in table 2 and fig2 , assume head node 301 , needs to calculate a new route x , for example a sts192c aps cos with a csp of 1 and “ bump when necessary ” option . using dijkstra &# 39 ; s algorithm , or another routing algorithm , the head node will first include the bandwidth associated with priority hold value of 7 , which in this case is the chrp . in this situation , there is no bandwidth available at priority level 7 on link 303 , and assuming there is no bandwidth available on the entire astn network at priority level 7 , the head - node 301 will continue to run the route calculating algorithm with decreasing priority values until it finds an available route . assuming there is no bandwidth available on the network for any priority value from 7 up to 2 , node 301 , will run the routing calculation with a priority level of 1 . now a path is available on link 303 . using this method , the connection with the lower priority value will be bumped first , preventing a domino effect where bumped connections subsequently bump other connections . this calculation will only be done up to the csp or crp value . the network operator will likely choose to use “ bump to obtain best route ” when a new connection is requested and it must be routed over the most optimum path . using the example illustrated in table 2 and fig2 , when a head - end node 301 needs to calculate a new route x , here a sts192c aps cos with a csp of 1 and a “ bump to obtain best route ” option , then the routing algorithm at the head end node will immediately include bandwidth with a priority level of 1 , the same as the csp or crp . if the shortest path is from node 301 to node 302 , then connections on link 303 will be bumped . both of the above bumping methods will result in bumping the sts12c aps connection , resulting in table 3 . under certain conditions , a problem may occur with race conditions when bumping , and therefore , the routing software should make use of an identifier called a “ bumping priority ”. using the example above , assume a connection y with priority level 0 has been put in place on link 303 before the other connection could send its reservation request to node 301 , or be set up . the following table would result , with connection y established and connection x attempting to be established : connection x will have a bumping priority equal to the last connection hold priority used in the route calculation . in the above example , the bumping priority will be 1 . once the reservation request arrives at node 301 , it will compare the bumping priority to the values in the table . since connection y has a connection hold priority of 0 , connection x cannot bump connection y . a failure indication will be sent to the head - end of connection x , and a new route must be calculated . a more elaborate example is illustrated in fig3 , which considers the problem of what occurs if a connection cannot bump an intermediate node . in this configuration , connection 411 has a connection hold priority of 4 , connection 412 has a connection hold priority of 3 , and connection 413 has a connection hold priority of 2 . assume another connection 414 with a csp of 2 is to be setup from nodes 401 to 404 , and no free bandwidth is available . if connection 414 is set - up starting at node 401 , then connection 411 may be bumped in order to obtain an end - to - end route from node 401 to node 404 . if the connection hold priority of connection 411 is equal to or greater than 2 , then connection 412 may be bumped because its priority is less than to connection 414 , but the connection 413 cannot , since it has an equal priority to connection 414 . therefore , no bumping shall occur until the complete path has been reserved . in the example above , if connection 411 is t be bumped , then the sub - network connections also need to be taken down before the sub - network connection of the new connection 414 may be created . sub - network connections at both ends of a link need to be completely bumped before the sub - network connections of the new connection are added . in the example in fig3 , the complete path through nodes 401 , 402 , 403 , and 404 is identified and reserved , and sub - network connections are reserved for bumping . reserved for bumping sub - network connection cannot be bumped by another connection other than the one which did the reservation ; and reserved sub - network connections cannot be bumped . only complete sub - network connections may be bumped . when the complete path has been reserved , then the sub - network connections will be bumped if they require it . bumping will not be required if a link between the nodes with unused bandwidth exists . in our example in fig3 , node 404 will send a bumping request to node 403 . once that is complete , node 404 may set up its sub - network connection . node 403 may set up its connection when it receives notification from node 402 that bumping has completed . this method allows for parallelization of bumping and connection setup . once the connection is bumped , the head - end node needs to be informed of this . when a connection is bumped , the complete end - to - end connection is released and finding a new path will be attempted . in fig3 , this means that connection 411 is bumped at nodes 402 and 403 . the resource manager will instigate a connection delete toward the head - end 401 , and tail end 404 . a flow chart of an implementation of the virtual path setup scheme according to a possible embodiment is given in fig4 . initially , the head node will receive a connection setup request , or connection restoration request ( step 200 ). the head node will first determine if there is bandwidth available ( step 201 ). if there is bandwidth available , the connection is set up ( step 202 ). if no bandwidth is currently available , a path will be chosen which has lower priority connections on that path ( step 203 ). should this path not exist ( step 212 ), a failure indication ( step 213 ) will be reported to the head node . if this path exists , the path will be reserved ( step 204 ). in order to guard against a race condition where another connection claims the path before the reservation request arrives , a bumping priority is compared to the chnp or chrp of any connection to be bumped on the path ( step 205 ). if the bumping priority is less than or equal to any chnp or chrp of a connection on the path , a failure indication is reported to the head node ( step 206 ), and any intermediate reservations are released ( step 207 ). control then returns to step 203 to choose another path . if the bumping priority is greater than all chnp or chrp of the connections on the path , the reserved connections will be bumped in order to free bandwidth for the new connection ( step 208 ). the new connection will claim the connection for itself ( step 209 ), and report to the head node of any claimed connection that its connection has been appropriated ( step 210 ). the information regarding this new connection , i . e . the resources available on each node for connections , will be flooded across the network ( step 211 ). switching a connection to a restoration path is mostly done revertive . it is contemplated that restoration may become non - revertive . in case of revertive switching , a connection can be in a restored state and it has a chrp . in case of non - revertive switching , the restored path has become the new nominal path for this call and hence the connection is subject to the same bumping rules as for connections routed on its nominal path , i . e . it has a chnp . therefore , whether restoration is revertive or non - revertive does not affect bumping behavior . in one aspect of the invention , the node reporting failure may stagger the failure reporting to the head - end node in time , such that the highest priority connections may be restored first . the delay in time between reporting failures can be changed by the network operator . when a restored connection is bumped , it will take down its path and the freed up bandwidth will be available for other connection requests , as described above . however , when a connection has failed and is restored , then the nominal path needs to be reserved for when the failure has been corrected and the connection can be reverted back to the nominal path after the wtr has been expired . reuse of the nominal path may be desired so as to reduce the use of bandwidth for restoration purposes . in one aspect of the invention , an option would be to temporarily lower the priority of the failed nominal path . that path would then become available for restoration of connections , including the just failed connection . when the failure is repaired and the connection should be reverted back to its original path , then connections occupying the nominal path may be bumped . in another embodiment of the invention , fig5 a , 5 b , and 5 c depict an example of a virtual path 706 consisting of connections 707 , 708 and 705 between nodes 701 , 702 , 703 and 704 according to an embodiment of the invention . in the top drawing of the exemplary virtual path fig5 a , proposed connection 705 will bump sub - network connections of virtual path 706 at nodes 703 and 704 , due to the priority settings as indicated if no other bandwidth is available . in the middle drawing of fig5 b , connection 705 has bumped the sub - network connections of connection 706 at nodes 703 and 704 . bandwidth on links 707 and 708 may now be made available for other restoration attempts . this is done by temporarily reducing the bandwidth to the lowest priority level , in this embodiment of the invention , 7 . connections using this temporarily available bandwidth should be aware that they will be bumped if their holding priority is lower than the permanent holding priority . in one embodiment of the invention , the temporarily available bandwidth is added to the local pool of available bandwidth and will be distributed throughout the network as per flooding rules . the difference between chnp and chnp - tmp can be distinguished at the local node when the timeslot is assigned . if temporary bandwidth is not flooded separately from the regular available bandwidth , the head - end node may not be able to determine whether a path is routed over temporarily available bandwidth , while a slightly longer path may be available using non - temporarily available bandwidth . in an alternate embodiment of the invention , the above approach can also be used for bandwidth optimization when restoring a connection . for instance assume that is desirable that connection 706 be restored and re - use its nominal path as much as possible . it can do this , because the routing software will allow it to use the bandwidth , whose priority has been reduced to 7 ( as per the example above ). the 706 connection will then be restored as illustrated in the bottom drawing of fig5 c . this makes excellent use of the bandwidth . note that there is no bridge / switch done at nodes 703 or 704 . the connection has been rerouted from the head - end to the tail - end . the drawback of this approach is that the connection cannot be revertive back by bridging at the head - end 701 and tail - end nodes 704 . therefore , in this embodiment of the invention , a connection should not re - use its own path . if two connections would fail or be bumped , then they can use each other &# 39 ; s nominal path and at least one of them can do a ‘ hitless ’ reversion back to its nominal path . the other will be bumped of its restored path by the reversion action of the first one . in another alternate embodiment of the invention , an approach would be to implement bridge / switch functionality at the nodes where restored path begins and ends ( nodes 703 and 704 in the example above ). in that case revertive action is always ‘ hitless ’. to prevent misconnections , the reversion back shall always be coordinated to ensure the complete nominal path has been reclaimed . while a restored path is in the wtr state , it potentially does not need that path anymore . similarly as in protection switching , the wtr can be cancelled ( resulting in immediate reversion ) when the path in wtr state is required for another restoration attempt . this too can be achieved using priority settings . when a call enters wtr , it signals along its restored path to reduce the chrp to its lowest priority level . any other connection requiring this path can then take it . one approach would be to allow bumping of the restored connection , according to the embodiment of the invention . this would mean that traffic will be interrupted when the wtr is cancelled and traffic is bumped back the ( not failed ) nominal path . in an alternate embodiment of the invention , another method would be to first switch traffic back the nominal path before bumping occurs . unless this is implemented for all bumping , this would mean that a connection in wtr state requires special behavior . the above behavior for connections in the wtr state should be valid for when the wtr timer is not set to infinite ( 99 ). when the wtr timer is set to infinite , then the network operator wants to control the reversion back to the nominal path . the chrp of the restored connection with an infinite wtr timer should not be changed . the embodiment of this invention allows a form of path reservation . for instance a call needs to be setup , but the connections of this call need to be tested first . one method to do this is by setting up the connection with a low chnp . this allows this connection to be bumped if the path is required for higher priority connections . after the connection has been tested , its chnp shall be set to the appropriate value . while the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications , and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description . accordingly , it is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications , and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
referring to fig1 ( a ), 1 ( b ), and 1 ( c ), a printing pin 1 is provided inside the guide hole 3 of a frame 2 and is slidable in the lateral direction in fig1 ( a ). the printing pin 1 is made of cemented carbon tungsten and the frame 2 is made of fine ceramics containing materials such as alumina ( al 2 o 3 ). the front end 1a of the printing pin 1 is further slidably held by an end guide 4 . the end guide 4 is made of a hard material such as alumina ( al 2 o 3 ), ruby , or the like so as not to be abraded by the sliding of the printing pin 1 . in the central portion of the frame 2 , hollow portions 5 and 6 are formed in the vertical direction of fig1 ( a ) and 1 ( b ). an elastic tube 7 is disposed inside the hollow portion 5 . the tube 7 is secured to the frame 2 by means of an adhesive material 11 . a pressure transmitting medium 8 and two electrodes 9a and 9b are hermetically sealed into the tube 7 . the pressure transmitting medium 8 is an inactive liquid or gas having electrical insulative properties , such as transformer oil , air , or the like . the electrodes 9a and 9b are covered with insulating materials 10a and 10b except for their ends positioned inside the tube . the ends of the electrodes 9a and 9b are spaced by a distance suitable for electrical discharge , for instance , the distance d 1 = 0 . 5 mm . the tube 7 is adhered to the inner wall of the hollow portion 5 except for a pressing portion 7a formed at its center portion . the printing pin 1 is urged in the rightward direction in fig1 ( a ) in the guide hole 3 by means of a spring 12 . accordingly , the spring 12 enables the rear end 1b of the printing pin 1 to come into contact with the pressing portion 7a of the tube 7 . incidentally , screw holes 19a and 19b for installing this mechanism are formed at the rear of the frame 2 . in the printing mechanism according to a first embodiment , the length f 1h of the frame 2 is 20 . 0 mm , and the width f 1w is 2 . 54 mm ( 0 . 1 inch ). the length p 1l of the printing pin 1 is 8 . 0 mm . additionally , the longitudinal length r 1v of the tube 7 is 11 . 0 mm , the diameter r 1h of the cylindrically - shaped upper and lower portions 7b is 2 . 0 mm . referring to fig2 with respect to the tube 7 , the upper and lower portions 7b to be secured to the inner wall of the hollow portion 5 of the frame 2 are cylindrical , while the pressing portion 7a is flat . furthermore , the thickness of the pressing portion 7a of the tube 7 is thinner than the thickness of the upper and lower portions 7b . that is , the thickness of the upper and lower portions 7b is about 0 . 2 mm , while the thickness of the pressing portion 7a is about 0 . 1 mm . accordingly , a change in the capacity of the pressure transmitting medium 8 is concentrated on the pressing portion 7a . incidentally , stainless spring steel , phosphor spring bronze , or urethane rubber can be selected as the preferable material for the tube 7 . fig3 shows a driving circuit 20 of the printing pin 1 . the electrodes 9a and 9b are connected to the secondary winding of a boosting transformer 13 . the primary winding of the boosting transformer 13 is connected to a capacitor 15 via a switching element 14 . the capacitor 15 accumulates the charge from a dc power supply 17 via a resistor 16 . the switching element 14 is connected to a transformer 18 , and effects the switching operation by means of a control pulse applied to terminals 18a and 18b . accordingly , the charge accumulated in the capacitor 15 flows to the primary winding of the boosting transformer 13 , in dependence upon the switching action of the switching element 14 . this current is boosted by the transformer 13 , and a high voltage is applied to the electrodes 9a and 9b . thus , discharge takes place between the electrodes 9a and 9b . in order to cause discharge between the electrodes 9a and 9b , the dc power supply 17 is set to 200 v , the resistor 16 is set to 200 to 300 ω , and the capacitor 15 is set to 2 - 3 μf . also , the winding ratio of the boosting transformer 13 is set from 10 : 1 to 20 : 1 . in this case , the potential difference between the electrodes 9a and 9b is 2 - 4 kv , and sufficient discharge takes place between the electrodes 9a and 9b . when the discharge takes place between the electrodes 9a and 9b inside the tube 7 , the pressure transmitting medium 8 quickly expands due to the discharge energy . the elastic tube 7 also expands outwardly due to the expansion of the pressure transmitting medium 8 . the greatest expanding deflection of the tube 7 is obtained at the thin pressing portion 7a . accordingly , the pressing portion 7a presses the rear end 1b of the printing pin 1 . thus , the printing pin 1 moves in the left direction in fig1 ( a ) against the biasing force of the spring 12 , and the end 1a protrudes leftwardly . a moving distance of 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm is obtained as the stroke of the printing pin 1 . since the discharge between the electrodes 9a and 9b disappears within a very short interval , the expansion of the pressure transmitting medium 8 is also completed in a very short period . therefore , the pressure of the transmitting medium 8 declines suddenly , and the tube 7 resumes its original configuration . additionally , the printing pin 1 also returns to its original position by means of the spring 12 . since the discharge between the electrodes 9a and 9b is synchronized with a control pulse applied to the terminals 18a and 18b , the printing timing of the printing pin 1 can be controlled by means of this control pulse . incidentally , about 10 μs is selected as the active period ( printing time ) of the control pulse . in general , the speed of increase of pressure within a hermetically sealed container is proportional to the energy released in the container in a given time , and is inversely proportional to the square root of the internal volume of the sealed container . accordingly , it is possible to adjust the impacting force of the printing pin 1 by means of the released energy determined by the capacity of the resistor 16 and capacitor 15 in the driving circuit 20 as well as the internal volume of the sealed container ( tube 7 ). in addition , the appropriate switching period of the printing pin 1 can be obtained by adjusting the time constants of the resistor 16 and the capacitor 15 . the printing mechanism described above has a high printing speed , consumes little energy , and is compact since the mechanism drives only the light - weight printing pin 1 . fig4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ) illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention . a printing pin 21 is slidably provided inside the guide hole 23 of a front frame 22a . the front end 21a of the printing pin 21 is further held by an end guide 24 . a sector - shaped bore is formed continuously to the guide hole 23 inside the front frame 22a . an elastic container 27 is adhered to the inner wall of the bore . a bellows 27a is formed at the front end of the elastic container 27 , which is inserted into the guide hole 23 . the pressure transmitting medium 8 is filled in the elastic container 27 , and sealed by a rear frame 22b . the rear frame 22b is inserted into the front frame 22a from the rightward direction . in other words , a hermetically sealed space is formed by the elastic container 27 and the recessed surface 22b &# 39 ; of the frame 22b . moreover , a pilot pressure is given to the pressure transmitting medium 8 . the two electrodes 29a and 29b are secured to the rear frame 22b . as the rear frame 22b is inserted into the front frame 22a , the front end portions of the electrodes 29a and 29b are disposed practically in the center of the pressure transmitting medium 8 . incidentally , the electrodes 29a and 29b and the rear frame 22b are electrically insulated . the printing pin 21 is urged rightwardly by a spring 32 . the spring 32 enables the rear end 21b of the printing pin 21 to come into contact with the bellows 27a . in the printing mechanism according to the second embodiment , the length f 2h of the combined frame including the front and rear frames 22a and 22b is 25 . 0 mm , and the width f 2w , 2 . 54 mm . the length p 2l of the printing pin 21 is 6 . 0 mm . the length r 2h of the hermetically sealed space formed by the container 27 and the recessed surface 22b &# 39 ; is 12 . 0 mm , and the maximum diameter r 2v of the hermetically sealed space is 10 . 0 mm . the length b 2h of the bellows 27a at the time of shrinkage is 5 . 0 mm , and the maximum diameter b 2v of the bellows is 3 . 0 mm . the capacity of the hermetically sealed space is about 0 . 13 cm 2 . furthermore , the distance d 2 between the end portions of the electrodes 29a and 29b is set to 0 . 5 mm . the electrodes 29a and 29b are connected to the driving circuit 20 shown in fig3 as the same as the first embodiment . when discharge is caused between the electrodes 29a and 29b , the pressure transmitting medium 8 expands . due to this expansion , the bellows 27a of the elastic container 27 expands leftwardly . accordingly , the bellows 27a presses the rear end 21b of the printing pin 21 , and the printing pin 21 projects leftwardly . the stroke of the printing pin 21 is about 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . when the discharge between the electrodes 29a and 29b stops , the pressure of the container 27 instantly decreases . then , the bellows 27a shrinks to its initial configuration . therefore , the printing pin 21 returns leftwardly by means of the restoring force of spring 32 . similarly to the first embodiment , the printing timing of the printing pin 21 is controlled by a control pulse applied to the terminals 18a and 18b of the driving circuit 20 . in the second embodiment , since the printing mechanism drives only the printing pin 21 , the printing operation can repeatedly be carried out at a high speed using a compact and lightweight mechanism . fig5 ( a ), 5 ( b ), and 5 ( c ) show a third embodiment of the present invention . a printing pin 41 is slidably held in the lateral direction in fig5 ( b ) inside the inner cylinder 43 of a cylindrically - shaped front frame 42a . the front end 41a of the printing pin 41 is further held by a guide 44 . a movable electrode 46 is secured to the rear end 41b of the printing pin 41 via an insulator 45 . the printing pin 41 and the movable electrode 46 slide integrally inside the inner cylinder 43 . the insulator 45 is an epoxy adhesive , and the movable electrode 46 is made of platinum , chromium , or copper . a spring 52 urges the printing pin 41 and the movable electrode 46 leftwardly in fig5 ( b ), and presses the movable electrode 46 to a stopper 47 . an electrode terminal 49a is slidably disposed in a terminal frame 50 and urged downwardly so as to slidingly engage with the movable electrode 46 in the frame 42a . a rear frame 42b is attached to the inside of the rear cylinder of the front frame 42a by means of a screw . a stationary electrode 49b is provided on the central axis of the rear frame 42b . a circumferential groove is formed in the surface of the printing pin 41 , and an o - ring 51 is embedded in the groove as a packing . the o - ring 51 is made of silicone rubber . a hermetically sealed space is formed at a portion sandwiched by the o - ring 51 of the inner cylinder 43 of the front frame 42a and the recessed surface 42b &# 39 ; of the rear frame 42b . the pressure transmitting medium 8 is sealed in the hermetically sealed space . the two electrodes 46 and 49b are opposed to each other along the axis of the frame 42a at a distance d 3 of 0 . 5 mm in the pressure transmitting medium 8 . in the printing mechanism according to the third embodiment , the length f 3h of the combined frame including the frames 42a and 42b is 24 . 0 mm . the outer diameter f 3v of the cylinder is 10 . 0 mm , and the inner diameter r 3v is 8 . 0 mm . additionally , the length s 3h from the front end of the frame 42a to the stopper 47 is 9 . 0 mm . the sum length p 3l of the printing pin 41 and the movable electrode 46 is 15 . 0 mm . the length r 3h of the hermetically sealed space is 12 . 0 mm , and the length r 3h , of its major portion , i . e ., the length from the recessed surface 42b &# 39 ; to the stopper 47 , is 8 . 0 mm . furthermore , the distance d 3 between the ends of the electrodes 46 and 49b is set to 0 . 5 mm . the electrodes 49a and 49b are connected to the driving circuit 20 shown in fig3 the same as the first embodiment . when discharge is caused between the electrodes 46 and 49b , the pressure transmitting medium 8 expands . due to this expansion , the movable electrode 46 and the printing pin 41 accept the driving pressure in the left direction in fig5 ( b ). therefore , the end 41a projects leftwardly . the stroke of the printing pin 41 is about 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . when discharge between the electrode 46 and 49b stops , the internal pressure of the pressure transmitting medium 8 instantly decreases . accordingly , the printing pin 41 and the movable electrode 46 return to their original positions at which the movable electrode 46 comes into contact with the stopper 47 , by means of the restoring force of the spring 52 . as in the first embodiment , the printing timing of the printing pin 41 is determined in correspondence with a control pulse applied to the terminals 18a and 18b of the driving circuit 20 . fig6 ( a ), 6 ( b ), and 6 ( c ) show a fourth embodiment of the present invention . a front frame 62a is cylindrically shaped , and a bearing or bushing portion 63 is formed integrally in the inner wall of the frame 62a . a medium container 67 is fitted into the inside of the rear portion of the frame 62a . the container 67 has a bellows 67a at its front portion . the holding portion 63 slidably supports the bellows 67a . the body portion 67b of the container 67 is fixedly secured to the inner wall of the frame 62a . the container 67 is made of spring steel , phosphor spring bronze , or urethane rubber . a movable electrode 66 is secured to the front end of the bellows 67a by means of an epoxy adhesive 70 , which is an electrically insulating material . the central axis of the movable electrode 66 corresponds to the central axis of the bellows 67a . the movable electrode 66 is formed of platinum , chromium , or copper . a printing pin 61 is secured to the front end of the movable electrode 66 by means of an epoxy adhesive 65 . the printing pin 61 is slidably held by a hard pin guide 64 in the lateral direction in fig6 ( b ). the movable electrode 66 slidably contacts with two terminals 69a at its side surface . moreover , the rear end of the movable electrode 66 extends to the inside of the bellows 67a . a rear frame 62b is inserted into the rear portion of the medium container 67 . the outer periphery of the frame 62b is hermetically secured to the inner wall of the container 67 . the inner side of the container 67 and the recessed surface 62b &# 39 ; of the frame 62b form a hermetically sealed space . the pressure transmitting medium 8 is filled in the hermetically sealed space . a fixed electrode 69b is secured on the central axis of the cylindrically shaped frame 62b . the front end of the stationary electrode 69b is opposed to the rear end of the movable electrode 66 at a distance d 4 of 0 . 5 mm . when the pressure transmitting medium 8 expands , the bellows 67a extends in the left direction in fig6 ( b ). the bellows 67a has such a restoring force as to maintain its internal capacity to a minimum . in the printing mechanism according to the fourth embodiment , the sum length f 4h of the frames 62a and 62b is 20 . 0 mm , and the outside diameter f 4v of the frame 62a is 10 . 0 mm . the axial length r 4h of the hermetically sealed container is 10 . 0 mm . the length b 4h of the bellows 67a is 4 . 0 mm , the outer diameter b 4v of the bellows 67a , 8 . 0 mm ; the maximum inner diameter b 4d of the bellows 67a , 5 . 0 mm , and the minimum inner diameter b 4d , of the bellows 67a , 3 . 0 mm . the axial length p 4l combining the printing pin 61 and the movable electrode 66 is 10 . 0 mm . the electrodes 69a and 69b are connected to the driving circuit 20 shown in fig3 the same as the first embodiment . when discharge is caused between the electrodes 66 and 69b , the pressure transmitting medium 8 expands . due to this expansion , the bellows 67a expands leftwardly in fig6 ( b ). accordingly , the movable electrode 66 and the printing pin 61 project leftwardly . the stroke of the printing pin 61 is 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . when discharge between the electrode 66 and 69b stops , the internal pressure of the pressure transmitting medium 8 instantly decreases accordingly , the printing pin 61 and the movable electrode 66 are returned to their withdrawn positions by means of the restoring force of the bellows 67a . the printing timing of the printing pin 61 is controlled by a control pulse applied to the terminals 18a and 18b of the driving circuit 20 . the printing mechanisms of the present invention can be used as the printing head for a line printer . in this case , a plurality of the printing mechanism are arrayed horizontally . in addition , printing mechanisms employing printing wires can be used instead of the printing pins 1a , 21a , 41a and 61 , and the printing mechanisms can be used as a printing head for a serial printer . fig7 shows an example in which printing mechanisms of the first embodiment are combined to form a printing head for a serial printer . nine printing mechanisms 70 have printing wires 1a &# 39 ; instead of printing pins 1a . the driving mechanisms 70 are provided on the side plate 71 &# 39 ; of a frame 71 and arranged linearly . each driving mechanism 70 is installed such that the printing wire 1a &# 39 ; faces a front guide 72 provided at the front end of the frame 71 . the front guide 72 slidably holds the free ends of the printing wires 1a &# 39 ;. a plurality of the free ends of the printing wires 1a &# 39 ; are arranged in a vertical row with equal spacing on the front guide 72 . an intermediate guide 73 is provided between the driving mechanisms 70 and the front guide 72 , and guides the intermediate portion of the printing wires 1a &# 39 ; toward the front guide 72 . the frame 71 is mounted on a known head carrier and performs dot printing while moving in the line direction of the paper . during printing , a driving current is applied to electrodes 9a and 9b selectively at a predetermined timing . fig8 shows an example in which the printing mechanisms of the third or fourth embodiments shown in fig5 ( a ) or fig6 ( a ) are applied to the printing head of a serial printer . each of a plurality of driving mechanisms 80 has a printing wire 1a &# 34 ; instead of the printing pin 41a or 61 . each driving mechanism 80 is installed on the side plate 81 &# 39 ; of a frame 81 of a circular shape . a front guide 82 is provided at the front end of the frame 81 . the front guide 82 is disposed at a position substantially equally distant from each driving mechanism 80 . each driving mechanism 80 is installed such that the printing wire 1a &# 34 ; faces an intermediate guide 83 . a plurality of printing wires 1a &# 34 ; are arranged in a vertical row with equal spacing in the intermediate guide 83 , and their free ends are slidably held by the front guide 82 . the frame 81 is installed on a known head carrier , and performs dot printing while moving in the line direction of the paper . as described above , the printing mechanism of the present invention drives the printing pins by making use of the expansion of the pressure transmitting medium in the hermetically sealed container . accordingly , a compact and lightweight printing mechanism can be obtained , which can perform high - speed printing . furthermore , the driving energy for the printing mechanism can greatly reduced . | 1 |
embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 shows an otp memory ( nonvolatile semiconductor memory device ) according to a first embodiment of the present invention , using an e - fuse element ( a semiconductor element having a mos structure ) as a storage element . the otp memory can be written with information only once . assume here that the otp memory includes a 1024 - bit ( 32 bits × 32 bits ) cell array . referring to fig1 , the otp memory includes a cell array 10 , a row decoder section 20 serving as a row selection control circuit , a sense / data line control section 30 , a buffer / data register section 40 , an internal potential generation circuit / logic circuit section 50 , a voltage control block 60 for controlling a voltage to be applied to a high voltage generation circuit and each of components of the otp memory , and a test control circuit section 70 serving as first and second activation circuits . in the first embodiment , the sense / data line control section 30 composes a test circuit including a write control circuit and a read control circuit ( read circuit ), both of which will be described later . fig2 shows the principal part of the otp memory shown in fig1 . more specifically , fig2 shows a basic arrangement of the cell array 10 , row decoder section 20 , test control circuit section 70 , write control circuit 80 and read control circuit 90 . these are configured to conduct a test on whether information can be written to / read from unprogrammed e - fuse elements by activating a protection transistor ( protection element ) in test mode . the cell array 10 includes a plurality of storage cells ( storage units ) 11 arranged in matrix ( 32 bits × 32 bits ) as shown in fig2 . each of the storage cells 11 has an e - fuse element 12 with two terminals , a protection transistor ( p - type mos transistor ) 13 for decreasing a voltage ( high electric field ) to be applied to the e - fuse element 12 in unprogrammed state , and an n - type mos transistor 14 serving as a selection transistor ( selection switch ) for controlling a connection between each of the e - fuse element 12 and the protection transistor 13 and a data line dl ( dl & lt ; 31 : 0 & gt ;). the protection transistor 13 is connected in parallel to the e - fuse element 12 and connected in series to the n - type mos transistor 14 . these transistors are driven complementarily to each other . in each of the storage cells 11 , the voltage control block 60 applies a potential vbpdd to one of the terminals ( substrate , source and drain ) of the e - fuse element 12 and one of source and drain terminals of the protection transistor 13 . the other terminal ( gate ) of the e - fuse element is connected to a node between the other terminal of the protection transistor 13 and one of source and drain terminals of the n - type mos transistor 14 . the gate terminal of the n - type mos transistor 14 is connected to its corresponding one of thirty - two word lines ( row selection lines ) wl ( wl & lt ; 31 : 0 & gt ;). the other of the source / drain terminals of the n - type mos transistor 14 is connected to its corresponding one of thirty - two data lines dl that intersect the word lines wl almost at right angles . of the storage cells 11 for 1024 bits arranged in matrix , the storage cells 11 for every 32 bits arranged in row direction are connected to a common word line wl . the word line wl is driven by its corresponding one of row decoder circuits ( selectors ) 21 that make up the row decoder section 20 . if one word line wl is driven by its corresponding row decoder circuit 21 , the storage cells 11 for 32 bits connected to the word line wl are selected at the same time . similarly , the storage cells 11 for every 32 bits arranged in column direction are connected to a common data line dl . the data line dl is controlled by its corresponding write control circuit 80 and read control circuit 90 . if one data line dl is controlled by its corresponding circuits 80 and 90 , a desired storage cell 11 can be selected from the storage cells 11 for 32 bits arranged in row direction . the gate terminal of the protection transistor 13 is connected to its corresponding one of thirty - two protection element driving lines pl ( pl & lt ; 31 : 0 & gt ;) that are arranged along the word lines wl , respectively . of the storage cells 11 for 1024 bits arranged in matrix , the storage cells 11 for every 32 bits arranged in row direction have protection transistors 13 connected to a common protection element driving line pl . the protection element driving line pl is driven by its corresponding one of selection driving circuits 71 . the circuits 71 make up the test control circuit section 70 and each have an and circuit . a normal operation signal line al for supplying a normal operation signal is connected to one of input terminals of each of the selection driving circuits 71 . one of word lines wl is connected to the other input terminal of each of the selection driving circuits 71 . in normal operation mode such as information write ( programming ) mode and information read ( reading ) mode , the above normal operation signal is activated and so is a protection element driving line pl corresponding to the selected ( activated ) word line wl by the corresponding selection driving circuit 71 . thus , the protection transistors 13 of the storage cells 11 for 32 bits connected to the same protection element driving line pl are all inactivated . in normal operation mode , the protection element driving lines pl corresponding to word lines wl not selected ( activated ) are inactivated by their respective selection driving circuits 71 . thus , the protection transistors 13 of the storage cells 11 for 32 bits connected to the same protection element driving line pl are all activated . in other words , the protection transistors 13 are activated in the storage cells 11 whose word line wl is inactive . as described above , the source and drain terminals of each of the protection transistors 13 are connected between one terminal ( substrate , source and drain ) of the e - fuse element 12 and the other terminal ( gate ). if , therefore , the protection transistor 13 is activated , both the terminals of the e - fuse element 12 in a non - selected storage cell are short - circuited and the voltage to be applied to the e - fuse element 12 is decreased . when a storage cell 11 is not selected ( e . g ., test mode ), or when no information is written or read , the above normal operation signal is inactivated upon receipt of a test signal test from an external tester , an internal controller ( not shown ) and the like . then , all the protection element driving lines pl are inactivated by their respective selection driving circuits 71 . accordingly , the protection transistors 13 are activated at the same time . when the normal operation signal is active , the protection element driving line pl and word line wl corresponding to each of the row decoder circuits 21 are driven . when a storage cell 11 is selected , its corresponding protection transistor 13 is always inactivated . on the other hand , when the storage cell 11 is not selected , the protection transistor 13 is always activated . this configuration can inhibit a high voltage from being applied to the nonselected ( unprogrammed ) e - fuse element 12 in write mode . it is thus possible to suppress a reduction in the amount of information of the e - fuse element 12 , which is caused by coupling due to parasitic capacitance . when the normal operation signal is inactive ( e . g ., a test signal test is input ), the protection transistor 13 is always activated . when the protection transistor 13 is active , both the terminals of the e - fuse element 12 are short - circuited , and a potential vbpdd is applied to the other terminal ( gate ) of the e - fuse element 12 . this can be considered to be a situation in which the gate insulating film of the e - fuse element 12 is broken ( the e - fuse element 12 is programmed ). for this reason , when the protection transistor 13 is active , a test on whether information can be read from the e - fuse element 12 can be conducted before the information is written thereto , if a power supply voltage vbt ( an intermediate potential of the word line wl in data read mode ) is applied to the gate terminal of the n - type mos transistor 14 in the selected storage cell 11 . similarly , when the protection transistor 13 is active , a test on whether information can be written to the e - fuse element 12 can be conducted before the information is written thereto , if a potential vbpdd is set at a high potential vbp ( a high voltage that exceeds the maximum rating of the e - fuse element 12 ) in the selected storage cell 11 . the row decoder section 20 includes a plurality of row decoder circuits 21 ( thirty - two row decoder circuits in the first embodiment ). the row decoder circuits 21 are provided for their respective word lines wl . a plurality of ( at least four ) row address lines ll are connected to each of the row decoder circuits 21 . each of the row decoder circuits 21 drives its corresponding word line wl in response to a row address signal add & lt ; 4 : 0 & gt ; that is supplied through the row address lines ll . the voltage control block 60 applies a potential vbpbt to the row decoder section 20 , as shown in fig1 . the sense and data line control section 30 is made up chiefly of the write control circuit 80 and the read control circuit 90 . these circuits 80 and 90 are provided for each of data lines dl , as shown in fig2 . the read control circuit 90 is a sense amplifier ( sa ) that senses information ( e . g ., voltage value ) read onto the data line dl from the storage cells 11 by comparing it with a reference value ref generated from a reference potential generation circuit 91 . the write control circuit 80 precharges the data line dl and programs a desired storage cell 1 with information ( applies a stress ). when write data of data input signal di is “ 1 ,” the write control circuit 80 controls its corresponding data line dl such that its voltage becomes low . of the data lines dl precharged with a high voltage , data lines connected to storage cells 11 that are to be written with data “ 1 ” are discharged at once . information can thus be written at once to the storage cells 11 for 32 bits arranged in row direction . the buffer and data register section 40 is used to transfer data between an external device and each of the sense / data line control section 30 and the internal potential generation circuit / logic circuit section 50 . as shown in fig1 , the section 40 controls data input signal di & lt ; 31 : 0 & gt ; and data output signal do & lt ; 31 : 0 & gt ;. as illustrated in fig1 , the internal potential generation circuit / logic circuit section 50 receives various control signals from a controller ( not shown ) to generate a new control signal and an internal potential used for controlling the read control circuit 90 . as illustrated in fig1 , the voltage control block 60 includes a power supply circuit that generates and supplies a potential vbpdd and a potential vbpbt . the voltage control block 60 controls the potential vbpdd such that it is set at a potential vbp ( a high voltage that exceeds the maximum rating of the e - fuse element 12 ) in programming mode , it is set at a power supply voltage vdd in data read mode , and it is set at 0v in standby mode . the voltage control block 60 also controls the potential vbpbt such that it is set at a potential vbp ( a high voltage that exceeds the maximum rating of the e - fuse element 12 ) in programming mode , it is set at a power supply voltage vbt in data read mode ( an intermediate potential of the word line wl in read mode ), and it is set at 0v in standby mode . in the first embodiment , the potential vbpdd is applied to all the storage cells 11 in programming mode and thus the high potential vbp is also applied to a non - selected storage cell 11 that is not to be programmed . however , the activation of the protection transistor 13 prevents the high potential vbp from being applied to both terminals of the e - fuse element 12 in the non - selected storage cell 11 . when the protection transistor 13 is active , a data read operation is performed to conduct a pseudo - test on the same condition of the unprogrammed e - fuse element 12 as that of the element 12 that has been programmed . if the protection transistor 13 is activated , information different from information actually stored in the e - fuse element 12 can be read out as if the gate insulating film of the e - fuse element 12 were broken . it is thus possible to conduct a test on whether information can be written to or read from the e - fuse element 12 without actually writing the information to the e - fuse element 12 . fig3 shows operation timing of the otp memory described above . the data write operation ( programming operation ) of the otp memory will be described briefly with reference to fig3 . in the otp memory , a power supply system ( not shown ) supplies at least three power supply voltages : a power supply voltage vdd of a logic circuit or the like , an intermediate potential vbt used for controlling the word line wl to transfer information of the e - fuse element 12 with efficiency in data read mode , and a high potential vbp for breaking the gate insulating film of the e - fuse element 12 . when the e - fuse element 12 is programmed , a normal operation signal to be supplied to the normal operation signal line al is activated as shown in fig3 . then , the word line wl and data line dl corresponding to a storage cell 11 to which information is written are activated . in other words , one word line wl corresponding to an externally input row address signal add & lt ; 4 : 0 & gt ; is driven by its corresponding row decoder circuit 21 . as the word line wl is activated , its corresponding protection element driving line pl is activated by the selection driving circuit 71 . all the protection transistors 13 connected to the same protection element driving line pl are therefore inactivated when the e - fuse element 12 is programmed . if , in this state , a high potential vbp is applied to the selected storage cell 11 to break the gate insulating film of the e - fuse element 12 , information is written thereto . since the protection transistors 13 of non - selected storage cells 11 are activated , the voltage to be applied to the non - selected e - fuse elements 12 can be decreased . similarly , an intermediate potential vbt is applied to a selected storage cell 11 in read mode to read information . fig4 shows the operation timing of the otp memory described above . a test on whether data can be read from / written to the unprogrammed e - fuse element will be described briefly with reference to fig4 . for example , when a test on whether data can correctly be read from the unprogrammed e - fuse element without actually writing information thereto is conducted , the normal operation signal of a normal operation signal line al is inactivated upon receipt of a test signal test . thus , all the protection element driving lines pl are inactivated irrespective of the state of the corresponding word line wl . accordingly , all the protection transistors 13 connected to the protection element driving lines pl are activated . if a normal read operation is performed in the above state , a selected storage cell 11 supplies a data line dl with information other than the actually stored information . in other words , an output signal ( e . g ., a high voltage or a large current corresponding to the intermediate potential vbt ) is supplied to the data line dl as if the gate insulating film of the e - fuse element 12 were broken . if , therefore , the output signal is captured through , e . g ., the read control circuit 90 , the controller can conduct a pseudo test on whether information can be read out of the unprogrammed e - fuse element 12 . similarly , when a test on whether information can be written correctly to the unprogrammed e - fuse element without actually writing the information thereto is conducted , a normal program is executed while all the protection transistors 13 are active . a selected storage cell 11 supplies a data line dl with information other than the actually stored information . in other words , an output signal ( e . g ., a high voltage or a large current corresponding to the high potential vbp ) is supplied to the data line dl as if the gate insulating film of the e - fuse element 12 were broken . if , therefore , the output signal is captured through , e . g ., the read control circuit 90 , the controller can conduct a pseudo test on whether data can be written to the unprogrammed e - fuse element 12 . when the protection transistor 13 is active , an output signal appearing on a data line dl is detected ( to discriminate between 0 and 1 ). in data read test mode , a pseudo test on whether information can be read out of the e - fuse element 12 can be conducted in accordance with whether a voltage vbt necessary for reading the information is applied to the unprogrammed e - fuse element 12 . similarly , in data write test mode , a pseudo test on whether information can be written the e - fuse element 12 can be conducted in accordance with whether a voltage vbp necessary for writing the information is applied to the unprogrammed e - fuse element 12 . as described above , a signal can be output from the unprogrammed e - fuse element as if the gate insulating film of the e - fuse element were broken . in other words , in test mode , a signal is output from a storage cell when a voltage corresponding to reading is applied to the e - fuse element or when a voltage corresponding to writing is applied to the e - fuse element . information other than information actually stored in the unprogrammed e - fuse element can be read out . a pseudo test on whether information can be written to and read from the e - fuse element without actually writing information to the e - fuse element can easily be conducted . fig5 shows the principal part of an otp memory ( nonvolatile semiconductor memory device ) according to a second embodiment of the present invention , which uses an e - fuse element as a storage element . in this otp memory , the operating point ( reference value ref serving as a threshold value ) of a sense amplifier in a read control circuit 90 can be changed . the same components as those of fig2 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their detailed descriptions are omitted . according to the second embodiment , three or more resistance elements are connected in series to form a reference potential generation circuit ( threshold value generation circuit ) 92 , as shown in fig5 . the reference potential generation circuit 92 has two or more different set values . one of the set values is selected by a selection switch 93 . the selection switch 93 is controlled in accordance with the status of a normal operation signal in a normal operation signal line al . when the normal operation signal is active , the selection switch 93 selects a first set value obtained by dividing a power supply voltage vdd . the selected first set value is supplied to the read control circuit 90 as a reference value ref . in normal read mode , therefore , a sense operation is performed using the first set value as the reference value ref ( to discriminate between 0 and 1 ). when the normal operation signal is inactive , the selection switch 93 selects a second set value other than the first set value . the second set value , which is obtained by dividing the power supply voltage vdd , is selected in response to a test signal test supplied to the normal operation signal line al . in test mode , therefore , a sense operation is performed using the second set value as the reference value ref ( to discriminate between 0 and 1 ). according to the second embodiment described above , in test mode , not only tests on whether data can be read from and written to the unprogrammed e - fuse element 12 are conducted , but also a threshold value serving as a reference value to discriminate between 0 and 1 can be changed . it is thus possible to conduct these tests at different request levels . if the second set value is larger than the first set value , a criterion for discrimination becomes strict and thus a test that satisfies a high - level request can be conducted . on the other hand , if the second set value is smaller than the first set value , the criterion is reduced and thus a test that satisfies a low - level request can be conducted . in both the first and second embodiments described above , an e - fuse element of a conductive film breakdown type as well as an insulating film breakdown type can be used as a storage element that is programmed with information by varying electrical properties irreversibly . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
referring now to the drawing , wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the various views to designate like parts , and more particularly to fig1 - 3 , the so - called closed or endless clamp generally designated by reference numeral 10 which is made from tubular stock realized by any known manufacturing method , includes two plastically deformed so - called “ oetiker ” ears generally designated by reference numeral 13 which are disposed mutually opposite in the ring 11 . each plastically deformable ear 13 includes two outwardly extending leg portions 14 and 15 interconnected by a bridging portion 16 , preferably provided with a reinforcement 17 of any known construction , for tightening the hose 3 onto a nipple 4 by plastic deformation of the ears with the assistance of a pincer - like tightening tool generally designated by reference numeral 20 and provided with jaw - like members adapted to engage in the area of the connection between the ring 11 and the outwardly extending leg portions 14 and 15 , as known in the art . to minimize improper application of the tightening tool 20 , the clamp 10 according to the present invention ( fig2 ) is provided with ridge - like , deep - drawn projections or embossments 30 of more or less conical shape forming male guide profiles and schematically shown in fig2 and 3 which can be realized by deep - drawing . the jaw - like members 21 , in turn , are provided with complementary notch - like cutouts 22 forming female guide profiles whereby the depth h 1 ( fig3 ) of the cutouts 22 is greater than the projecting height h 2 of the projecting male guide profiles 30 in order to avoid a wedging action that might occur when compressive forces are applied to the tip of the projection or embossment 30 during application of the jaw members 21 in the course of tightening of the ear . though the arrangement of the guide profiles of fig2 and 3 are quite feasible , they may entail certain disadvantages as a result of the strengthening of the clamp material by the pressed - out male guide projections 30 in the areas of the connections between the clamping ring and the leg portions 14 and 15 , possibly also affecting the force requirements to plastically deform the ear and the elastic breathing capabilities of the clamp . these disadvantages are avoided in the preferred embodiment of this invention illustrated in fig4 through 8 . fig4 thereby illustrates a typical open clamp made from band material as illustrated in fig1 of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 299 , 012 to hans oetiker and as more fully described therein . the clamp of fig4 again includes a clamping band 11 as well as a so - called “ oetiker ” ear generally designated by reference numeral 13 that consists of outwardly extending leg portions 14 and 15 interconnected by a bridging portion 16 provided with a reinforcing groove or depression 17 . the mechanical connection may include in this type of clamp a so - called guide hook 31 and two cold - deformed deep - drawn support hooks 32 adapted to engage in openings 35 . to assure an inner clamping surface devoid of steps or gaps , the inner clamping band portion 11 b has a tongue - like extension 61 adapted to extend through an opening in the step - like portion 67 formed in the outer clamping band portion 11 a . when the mechanical connection 31 , 32 is engaged in apertures 35 and before the ear 13 is plastically deformed , the inner band portion 11 b extends with its full band width underneath the ear to bridge the gap . according to the present invention , the inner band portion 11 b is provided with a male guide profile 19 in the form of a deep - drawn ridge - like projection or embossment adapted to extend through slot - like openings 12 in outer band portion 11 a on both sides of the leg portions 14 and 15 . the inner ends of the leg portions 14 and 15 are also provided with small cutouts complementary to the male guide profile 19 , whereby the male guide profile 19 preferably extends in the inner band portion continuously from the left beginning thereof in fig4 to the right end . as the inner band portion 11 b is fixed relative to the outer band portion 11 a by the mechanical connection 31 , 32 , 35 , the male guide profile 19 and the slot - like opening 12 only need to extend a short distance to the left of the leg portion 14 of the ear . on the other hand , the slot - like opening 12 to the right of leg portion 15 has to be of sufficient length to permit the male guide profile 19 to slide therethrough until the deformation of the ear reaches its maximum , i . e ., the inner ends of the leg portions 14 and come into contact with one another . the jaw - like members of the tightening tool ( not shown in fig4 - 8 ) are again provided with female guide profiles formed by notch - like cutouts of complementary shape as disclosed in connection with fig3 bearing in mind what was said as regards the dimensions in the embodiment of fig2 and 3 . fig9 illustrates the application of the present invention to a clamp which utilizes a tightening tool with modified jaw - like members 121 having a substantially flat bottom portion as schematically shown in fig9 . the substantially flat bottom portions of the jaw - like members 121 are then provided with notch - like cutouts 130 at the underside thereof which are shaped to engage with the male guide profiles as disclosed in connection with the other embodiments illustrated herein . with a tightening tool of fig9 the male guide profiles may be somewhat extended in length , which in case of the embodiment of fig4 through 8 will also require a lengthening of the slot - like openings . the jaw - like members 12 of fig9 may be modified to suit the requirements of any particular application whereby , for example , the length of the more or less flat bottom portion may be adapted to particular clamp sizes , for instance , by the use of interchangeable jaw members adapted to be selectively installed in pneumatic or hydraulic tightening tools . while i have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with the present invention , it is understood that the same is not limited to the details shown and described herein but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications a known to those skilled in the art . for example , the particular shape and dimensions of the male and female guide parts may be modified to adapt to particular conditions of the band material and / or tightening tools . the slot - like openings 12 may also be straight in cross section ( fig1 ) instead of converging in the upward direction ( fig6 ) in which case the male guide profiles may have a rectilinear portion terminating in a suitably tapering profile with the notch - like cutouts of complementary shape . furthermore , the overlapping outer band portion 11 a alone may also be provided with male profiles 30 ′ ( fig1 ) in lieu of openings 12 and in lieu of the guide profile 19 in the inner clamping band portion . however , in that case , there will be no lateral guidance between the inner and outer band portions 11 b and 11 a which would preclude the inner band portion 11 b from sliding laterally relative to the outer band portion 11 a , especially in the area of overlap . to remedy this shortcoming , the inner band portion 11 b may then also be provided with a male profile 19 ′ of a shape complementary to the internal contours of the male profile 30 ′ so that mutual lateral guidance can then be achieved by engagement of the male guide profile 19 ′ of the inner clamping band portion 11 b from below into the pressed - out male guide profile of the outer clamping band portion 11 a . an additional advantage of the male guide profiles in accordance with this invention resides in the automation possibility with the use of these guide profiles in the clamps to adjust a robot arm carrying the tightening tool by an optical imaging device of conventional construction optically determining coincidence with or deviation of the male guide profile from a predetermined position with a matrix whereby the male profile can also be made more visible by any conventional means such as appropriate lighting and / or painting . the adjustment of the position of the robot arm can be realized by electromechanical , electropneumatic or electrohydraulic means of any conventional type so as to eliminate any non - coincidence of the line formed by the male guide profile with a predetermined line in the matrix , as is conventional with such types of automatic positioning devices . thus , the present invention is capable of numerous modifications as known to those skilled in the art , and i therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims . | 8 |
referring again to the drawings , there is shown in fig1 the forward end of a motorcycle , generally designated as 10 , having a forward wheel 12 secured within a fork 14 , carrying a pair of springs 16 . an upper portion 18 of the fork is secured to the body 20 of the motorcycle so as to be rotatable for steering . secured to the upper end of the fork is an upper fork plate 22 , rotatable with the fork and serves as a handlebar supporting means so that rotation of a handlebar , as 26 , and the plate 22 causes turning of the wheel 12 . secured to the plate 22 is a handlebar mounting means , generally designated as 24 , and by which the handlebar 26 is joined to the plate 22 . forwardly of the plate 22 and independently secured to the motorcycle fork in an instrument mounting casing 28 which carries a speedometer 30 and a tachometer 32 . the handlebar mounting means 24 , as shown in exploded view in fig4 is comprised of two parallel laterally spaced generally upright side plates 34 and 36 having forward lower surfaces 38 and 40 , respectively , abutting the plate 22 , as shown in fig1 and 3 , being secured thereto by bolts 42 . the plates are relieved rearwardly from surfaces 38 and 40 to form tapering undersurfaces 44 and 46 , respectively . above the tapering surfaces , adjacent the rearward end of the plates , are semicylindrical cutaway portions 50 and 52 adapted to receive the lower half of the handlbar . removably securable to the upper rear portion of the plates are handlebar clamping members 54 and 56 , having semicylindrical portions 58 and 60 , respectively , complementary with the portions 50 and 52 for securing the handlebar to the plates 34 and 36 by means of allen screws 62 . forwardly of the members 54 and 56 and at a lower level on the plates 34 and 36 are upper forward flat surfaces 64 and 66 to which a substantially rectangular dashboard plate 68 is secured by cap screws 70 . the dashboard 68 has openings 72 , 74 and 76 which , as shown in fig2 are adapted to receive fuse holders 78 and a lighter 80 . the rearward end of the plate has a cutaway portion 82 which is adapted to accommodate a stem 84 of a dampener knob 86 . the dampener knob is secured to the fork and is used for steering adjustments . other fittings , such as switches and map lights , may be also fitted on the dashboard . for installation of the handlebar mounting device 24 it is necessary to remove the original handlebar mounting means which typically position the handlebar directly above the fork plate . after the handlebar has thus been removed , the plates 34 and 36 are secured to the fork plate 22 and the handlebar is secured in the semicylindrical portions 50 , 52 , 58 and 60 . the fuses , for example , are removed from their usual position and the wires are soldered and extended so that the fuse holders may be secured to the dashboard . in a similar manner , the wire to the lighter may be attached to the dashboard . from the foregoing it may be clearly seen that the handlebar is moved rearwardly and upwardly from its usual position just above the plate 22 and is secured in a rigid device which permits a full turning of the handlebar without the handlebar , mirrors attached thereto , or the handlebar mounting means 24 making contact with the motorcycle fairing or any other parts of the motorcycle body and so as to provide a comfortable gripping position for the rider . the invention and its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form , construction and arrangements of the parts of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof or sacrificing its material advantages , the arrangements hereinbefore described being merely by way of example . i do not wish to be restricted to the specific form shown or uses mentioned except as defined in the accompanying claims , wherein various portions have been separated for clarity of reading and not for emphasis . | 1 |
detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein . it is to be understood , however , that the present invention may be embodied in various forms . therefore , specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system , structure or manner . a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 where the threaded push button 145 of a machine 100 also has a matching threaded ring 130 placed on this threaded push button 145 forming an adjustable stop 135 . the threaded ring 130 and the threaded push button 145 together comprise an adjustable apparatus . the threaded ring 130 can be rotated around the threaded push button 145 moving up and down the threaded push button 145 and thereby limiting the motion of the threaded push button 145 . as the threaded push button 145 is pushed downward using the top 110 it pushes down a moveable cutting die 140 with a cutting surface 142 designed to cut a particular pattern into a sheet of material held in the slot 181 . the cutting surface 142 is at an angle to the sheet of material to make a sharp and uniform cut through that sheet of material . the hole 185 at the lower portion 180 of the machine 100 matches the particular pattern of the moveable cutting die 140 which also assists in making a sharp and uniform cut . because of the angles formed on the cutting surface 142 of the moveable cutting die 140 and the ability to use the threaded ring 130 to limit the motion of the push button 145 , it is possible to have the machine 100 only cut out a portion of the particular pattern designed into the cutting surface 142 of the moveable cutting die 140 . this leaves the sheet of material pierced with a part of the particular pattern of the cutting surface 142 of the moveable cutting die 140 . for example , if the particular pattern was a flower , then the sheet of material might have only the petals of that flower design cut into that sheet of material . the threaded adjustable ring 130 and the threaded push button 145 are manufactured so that the threaded adjustable ring 130 can be placed in a position so that the complete particular pattern can be fully punched out of the sheet of material if so desired . in the view shown in fig1 can be seen more detail of the construction where a spring 141 is used to return the moveable threaded push button 145 to the original starting position following the piercing or punching of a sheet of material . once that sheet of material is processed as desired , then it can be removed from the slot 181 by rotating the base 180 of the machine 100 using the hinge 170 thereby freeing up the sheet of material for easy removal . the slot 181 is designed to accept a variety of thickness of sheets of material while the cutting surface 142 of moveable cutting die 140 is designed to cut a variety of materials . the upper portion 160 and the lower portion 180 hold and align the moveable cutting die 140 and the matching hole 185 and form a frame . a housing 150 completes the machine 100 and secures the threaded push button 145 against the action of the spring 141 . it can be noted in fig1 that the cutting surface 142 is manufactured with that cutting surface 142 at an angle to the sheet of material being processed . this feature is common to all such machines and is similar in operation to the angled cutting action seen in a pair of scissors as they are used to cut . the cutting surface 142 can be formed in a straight line at an angle to the sheet of material or as a curved surface at an angle to the sheet of material . the hole 185 in the lower portion 180 as illustrated in fig1 is also critical to a smooth and sharp cut . that hole 185 must duplicate the pattern in the moveable cutting die 140 so that the cutting die 140 fits precisely into the hole 185 thereby providing the necessary shearing action like a pair of scissors . in operation a sheet of material is placed in the machine 100 and the top 110 of the threaded push button 145 depressed with the threaded ring 130 at its highest point on the threaded push button 145 . the amount of the machine 100 pattern cut into that sheet of material is monitored by slowly pushing down on the threaded push button 145 until the desired cut in that sheet of material is achieved . then the threaded ring 130 is turned down along the threaded push button 145 until it stops any further downward motion of that push button 145 . it may take several iterations until the desired effect is achieved by the user . once that final adjustment is made with the threaded ring 130 , then other sheets of material can be processed by the machine 100 . at any time , the threaded ring 130 can be moved to another position and a different amount of the pattern of the machine 100 cut into a sheet of material . once a cut has been made , it is necessary to remove or move the sheet of material for another cut . since the sheet of material may be only partially cut , removal is difficult with the cut portions of the sheet of material caught up in the hole . one solution as shown in fig1 is a hinge 170 that can release the lower portion 180 of the machine 100 thereby making removal of the sheet of material easy . another embodiment would be to make the base capable of being snapped apart to ease the removal of that sheet of material . still another option would be no hinge 170 or no ability to snap apart the machine 100 . then the user would carefully push down on the cut portion of the sheet of material and then remove it from the machine 100 . [ 0037 ] fig2 shows an external view of the machine 100 where the key feature of the threaded push button 145 and the matching threaded ring 130 can be easily seen and compared with prior art paper punches which do not have such features . as prior art punches have been developed and gotten bigger , the craft industry has developed aids to make it easier to use such punches . these aids are important for large punches or for punching stronger sheets of material . such aids consist of an assembly where the punch is placed inside and the assembly has a long base and a long moveable arm which the user uses to push down on the push button of a prior art punch . the long arm increases leverage and makes the prior art punch easier to use . fig3 illustrates the concept of this invention applied to such an aid where an adjustable threaded element 310 is added to the aid 300 which has corresponding threads manufactured into that aid 300 thereby forming an adjustable apparatus . this machine 300 allows for conventional prior art punches to have an adjustable feature . in use the prior art punch is placed in the machine 300 and the moveable arm 320 pushed down on the prior art punch . the adjustable threaded element is then turned to form a stop to the motion of the moveable arm 310 thereby controlling the motion of the prior art punch and establishing the adjustable feature of his invention . [ 0039 ] fig4 shows another embodiment of the invention where a second slot 481 below the first slot 181 has been added to the machine 100 shown in fig1 along with a second lower portion 480 below the first lower portion 180 and a second hole 485 below the first hole 185 thereby forming a new machine 400 . with this configuration , the first slot 181 can be used to hold a sheet of material where the pattern of the machine 400 is completely punched out while the second slot 481 is used to hold a sheet of material where the pattern is only partially punched and the machine 400 is used as described above in the operation of machine 100 with all of the features and options previously described . as the field of paper punches has evolved , a new style of punch has been developed . this style is shown in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 749 , 278 . this punch uses a thumb actuated lever to create the action of the punch . the adjustable apparatus of the invention can be seen in fig4 where a threaded element 530 has been incorporated into a thumb actuated punch thereby forming machine 500 . a matching threaded portion 535 is incorporated into the housing 550 where the threads of that portion 535 match to those of threaded element 530 and thereby form the adjustable apparatus of the invention . in use a sheet of material is placed in the slot 581 and the lever 520 pushed down to actuate the punch . the threaded element 530 is then turned either up or down to form a stop to the action of the punch and cut the desired pattern into the sheet of material . as shown in fig5 a hinge 570 is incorporated into machine 600 to allow for the lower portion 580 to be moved away from the housing 550 . this then makes removal of the sheet of material easier . as an option the punch could be manufactured with a snap apart lower portion 580 or with that lower portion 580 fixed to the housing 550 . [ 0041 ] fig6 shows another view of the invention where a threaded part 560 is added as a retrofit to a previously manufactured thumb actuated punch . the operation of the machine 500 is otherwise identical to that described above . [ 0042 ] fig7 shows another embodiment of the invention where the adjustable element 730 is incorporated into a punch where a sheet of material is placed into slot 750 and the upper handle 720 and the lower handle 725 are squeezed together rotating around hinge 770 pushing the cutting die 785 through a matching hole in the center support 790 and on through the sheet of material and a corresponding hole in the lower portion 780 . the adjustable element 730 is turned up or down to form the desired pattern in the sheet of material . that adjustable element 730 moves through a hole in the center support 790 when the upper handle 720 and lower handle 725 are squeezed and stops when it contacts the lower portion 780 . the adjustable element 730 and the lower portion 780 form the adjustable apparatus of this invention . while the figures have shown threaded elements to form the adjustable stops of this invention , there are other possible ways to form such stops as would be obvious to anyone skilled in the art . this could include items such as shims of various thickness which would be particularly appropriate for the thumb actuated punches . while the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment , it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth , but on the contrary , it is intended to cover such alternatives , modifications , and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of th invention as defined by the appended claims . | 1 |
reference is first made to fig2 wherein a device for reading a sound waveform in a musical tone generator , generally indicated at 100 and constructed in accordance with the invention , is provided . deice 100 includes a programmable counter 101 for variably dividing an input clock signal having a predetermined frequency f 0 . a scale rom 104 contains a plurality of frequency dividing ratios which are selected in accordance with an input signal s causing scale rom 104 to output a frequency dividing ratio to programmable counter 101 . programmable counter 101 divides frequency f o and outputs a frequency f a based upon a frequency dividing ratio input from scale rom 104 . a duty generator 102 provides an output to waveform rom 105 and to a phase generator 103 . phase generator 103 also provides an output to scale rom 104 . a waveform is stored in digital form as n data points in a waveform rom 105 . the sound waveform is read from waveform rom 105 in accordance with read out signal input from duty generator 102 and phase generator 103 . the read out digital waveform is input to a d / a convertor 106 where an output analog signal is later converted into a sound . the frequency f a is n times as large as a frequency of musical note . sound waveform data as illustrated in fig3 is stored in both waveform rom 105 of fig2 and waveform rom 204 of fig1 . generally , waveform rom 105 is accessed at a predetermined frequency in response to the output of programmable counter 101 . however , in device 100 of fig2 the output of scale rom 104 may be changed at the kth count output during the waveform period , while the waveform is being accessed , thereby instantly changing the frequency dividing ratio . k is represented by the following relationship : wherein n is the last count value output by programmable counter 101 within one period of the sound waveform being read out . therefore , the frequency at which the sound waveform is stored in waveform rom 105 may be changed at any point within the reading out of the waveform . this arises because the pulses of f a are instantly converted into pulses having a different period . if waveform rom 105 is accessed with this new pulse , and that sound waveform is subjected to digital to analog conversion by d / a convertor 106 , it becomes possible for a listener to hear the intended sound as if it had a different frequency . the waveform shown in fig3 also corresponds to the waveform as produced by d / a converter 205 of musical tone generator 200 . this waveform occurs when the sound waveform stored in waveform rom 204 is read out in accordance with the division ratio output by scale rom 203 when scale rom 203 receives the input signal s . in this waveform , by way of example , it is assumed that f a /= 1 , 024hz and n = 32 . the period t for reading out one waveform equalling n / f a is itsequal to 0 . 976563ms . in comparison , the waveform of fig4 represents the output of the wound waveform of fig3 read out from waveform rom 105 of device 100 . fig4 also represents the output of d / a convertor 106 in accordance with the method described below . the seventh and fifteenth period segments are made shorter than the remaining period segments by 1f o ( f o equals 262 , 144hz . the frequency of the musical tone in the waveform of fig3 is 1 / 0 . 976563ms = 1 , 024hz . in comparison , the frequency of the musical tone of the waveform in fig4 that is f a / n , is 1 / 0 . 968933ms = 1 , 032hz . the difference between the frequency of the two waveforms is 8hz corresponding to approximately 0 . 8 % of 1 , 024hz . accordingly , in this example , the frequency is elongated by + 0 . 8 %. however , if the seventh and fifteenth period intervals are elongated by 1 / f o , the musical tone frequency becomes 1 , 016hz . if the 1 . 032hz frequency musical tone and the 1 , 016hz frequency musical tone are adjusted by a frequency of several hz to 10hz the output musical tone sounds as if vibratos have been applied to a 1 , 024hz musical tone . reference is now made to fig5 wherein a circuit diagram of programmable counter 101 is provided . not gate ( inverter ) 501 receives the predetermined frequency signal f o and provides an output to a first flip flop ff1 as the flip flop clock input . flip flop ff1 receives an s ( set ) input from a nand gate 506 and provides an output to a second flip flop ff2 as the c ( clock ) input . flip flop ff2 receives a set input from a nand gate 507 and provides a clock input to a third flip flop ff3 . flip flop ff3 receives a set input from a nand gate 508 and provides a q output to a nand gate 502 . nand gate 502 also receives q outputs from flip flops ff1 , ff2 and provides an inverted input to inverter 503 . inverter 503 provides an output ah which is received by a nor gate 504 . nor gate 504 provides an output axh which is input to a second nor gate 505 which in turn provides an input to nor gate 504 , nor gates 504 and 505 defining a latch . the second input to nor gate 505 is f o . the q outputs of flip flops ff1 and ff2 are connected respectively to the clock inputs of flip flops ff2 and ff3 . a fourth flip flop ff4 receives the axh signal as its d input and the predetermined frequency signal f o as a clock input and produces a q output which is applied to a fifth flip flop ff5 as the d input . flip flop ff5 also receives the frequency signal f o as a clock input and provides a q output which is the d input for a sixth flip flop ff6 . ff6 provides an m output to or gate 510 . or gate 510 also receives an inverted input from the m output of an inverted input of flip flop ff5 and provides an output to a nor gate 511 which outputs a signal rr . nor gate 511 receives a second input from or gate 509 which receives m and q outputs from flip flop ff4 and the m output of ff5 as inverted inputs . flip flops ff4 , ff5 and ff6 receive a reset input at their respective s ( set ) inputs . the signal rr is applied as an r ( reset ) input to flip flops ff1 , ff2 and ff3 . an or gate 512 receives the q output from flip flop ff6 and signal rr as inverted inputs and produces a signal ssm which is input to nand gates 506 , 507 and 509 . nand gate 506 also receives as an input the signal scm6 , nand gate 507 receives as an input the signal scm5 and nand gate 508 receives as an input the signal scm4 . the input frequency signal f o is set at 262 , 144hz . signals scm4 through scm6 to data output by scale rom 104 , as shown in fig1 , with inverted phases . the frequency dividing ratio of scale rom 104 is determined by the values of scm4 , scm5 , scm6 as shown in fig6 . for example , when each of the values is equal to 1 the frequency dividing ratio output by scale rom 104 is 10 and when the value of each of the outputs is 0 the frequency dividing ratio is 3 . accordingly , by changing these signals the frequency dividing ratio output by the by scale rom 104 may be changed at time intervals within the waveform period to effect frequency fine adjustment in accordance with the invention . reference is made to fig7 wherein a timing chart for programmable counter 101 is provided . by way of example , scm4 scm5 , scm6 have respective values ( 1 , 0 , 1 ), i . e . ( scm4 , scm5 , scm6 ) have values ( 0 , 1 , 0 ). flip flops ff1 - 3 form an up counter and their respective q terminal outputs change sequentially from ( 0 , 1 , 0 ), ( 1 , 1 , 0 ), ( 0 , 0 , 1 ), ( 1 , 0 , 1 ), ( 0 , 1 , 1 ) to ( 1 , 1 , 1 ). when all three respective q terminals become 1 nor gate 503 outputs a spike so that a latch circuit consisting of nor gates 504 , 505 form a pulse axh . the axh signal is delayed by flip flops ff4 - 6 , nand gates 509 , 510 and nor gate 511 to create a pulse rr corresponding to three clock pulses of f o . additionally , the ssm signal output by nor gate 512 maintains a high output ( h ) for a period corresponding to 3 . 5 clock pulses of f o . when the ssm signal is low ( l ) a mos transistor connected to a power source v ss of scale rom 104 ( fig1 ) is turned off . the mos transistor is intermittently turned off to reduce power consumption to a low level to maintain a continuous current flow to scale rom 104 . on the other hand , scale rom 104 may be constantly operated , which would allow for the elimination of flip flops ff4 - 6 . flip flops ff1 - 3 are reset when signal rr has a low level ( l ). counting resumes when rr becomes high ( h ). during an initial period as shown in fig7 the operating period to complete counting by flip flops ff1 - 3 corresponds to eight clock pulses of the input frequency fe o . one ssm signal is generated during this period . during this first period , the frequency is divided into eight equal time intervals within the period . because the period of rr corresponds to eight clock pulses of f o , the period of rr is 30 . 5μs and the period of ssm synchronized with rr is also 30 . 5μs . during the second operating period , the operating period has again been divided into eight equal parts . on the other hand , the third operating period is seven clock pulses long . the frequency has been divided into seven equal parts , not the eight equal parts of the prior two operating periods resulting in a shorter operating period equal to 26 . 7μs . the third operating period as shown in fig7 corresponds to the seventh or fifteenth time interval as shown along the abscissa of the waveform presented in fig4 . programmable counter 101 realizes a change in the frequency dividing ratio . when changing the frequency dividing ratio output by scale rom 104 input to programmable counter 101 , the output data scm4 through scm6 of scale rom 104 are varied to change the initial values of the up counter provided by flip flops ff1 - 3 and thereby changing the frequency dividing ratio . during the third operating period as shown in fig7 the input signals ( scm4 , scm5 , scm6 ) have respective values ( 0 , 0 , 1 ) resulting in flip flops ff1 - 3 having respective settings of 1 , 1 , 0 . this changes the frequency dividing ratio to seven ( fig6 ), in effect shortening the operating period to seven pulse counts of the input signal f o . accordingly , the counting of the clock signals is effected starting with this operating period thereby the frequency dividing ratio becomes changed . the timing for changing the frequency dividing ratio is controlled by outputs of duty generator 102 and phase generator 103 . reference is now made to fig8 . duty generator 102 generates a series of duty ratios in eight clock pulses of f o which are utilized for reading the data contained in waveform rom 105 . duty generator 102 includes flip flops ff7 - 9 and a plurality of logic gates 602 - 608 which form seven timing signals , duty 0 to duty 6 . the ssm signal is input through a not gate ( inverter ) 601 as a clock input to flip flop ff7 . flip flop ff7 provides a q output as a clock input for flip flop ff8 which in turn provides a q output as a clock input to flip flop ff9 . flip flop ff7 provides its q output as signal q o . flip flop ff8 provides its q output as signal q 1 . flip flop ff9 provides its q output as signal q 2 . and gate 602 receives signals q o , q 1 and q 2 flip flops ff7 , ff8 and ff9 as inverted inputs and produces an output signal duty 0 . and gate 603 receives signals q 1 , q 2 as inverted inputs and produces an output signal duty 1 . an or gate 609 receives signals q o , q 1 as inverted inputs and provides , as an output , one input to generator 102 and provides a q output q 3 and a q output , the q output being applied as a clock signal for flip flop ff11 . flip flop ff11 provides a q output q 4 . an and gate receives signals q 3 and q 4 as inverted inputs and produces a signal ph1 . an and gate 702 receives the q output from flip flop ff10 and signal q 4 as inverted inputs and produces a signal ph2 . an and gate 703 receives signal q 3 and the q output from flip flop ff10 and ff11 as inverted inputs to produce signal ph3 . an and gate 704 receives the q outputs of flip flop ff10 and q to produce signal ph4 . flip flops ff10 and ff11 divide a frequency by using signal q 2 output by duty generator 102 as a clock and generates pulses ph1 through ph4 . if one period is assumed to be p o , the signal ph1 through ph4 have the same frequency and duty and only differ in their phases as shown in fig1 . the signals ph1 through ph4 are the same as signals ph1 through ph4 as shown in fig3 . the duration during which the respective ph signals are at a high level correspond to one quarter of the period of a certain musical note . these signals are also used in the timing for reading of scale rom 104 . reference is now made to fig1 and 13 wherein a circuit diagram for scale rom 104 is provided . each circle of fig1 represents an n - channel mos transistor as shown in fig1 . additionally , only the output scm4 is shown by way of example . scale rom 104 includes a plurality of n - channel mos transistors arranged in strings of twelve . transistor strings 822 through 842 are connected to a voltage source v ss by respective switches 807 through 850 . each transistor pair and each transistor string 822 through 842 receives an input of respective duty signals . accordingly , the first transistor pair in transistor string 822 receives an input of signal duty o and the last resistor pair and string 822 receives an input of duty 6 . the duty signal is input through a gate pair formed of a not gate 827 and an inverter 829 . phase signals ph1 - ph4 are input through gate pairs 826 which consist of a not gate 831 and an amplifier 833 which receives the inverted output of not gate 831 . the output of each gate pair 826 is output to an individual n - channel mos transistor 801 - 804 . a viv signal is input through a gate pair 126 to an n - channel mos transistor 814 which provides an output to a second n - channel mos transistor 815 which receives the input signal s and produces an output signal scm4 . the duty signals duty 0 through duty 6 are input through gate pair 826 to memory cell transistors 811 , 812 . normally , data is programmed within scale rom 104 by wiring so that on / off control of only one mos transistor is possible with respect to only one row 813 , 816 . furthermore , signals in the direction of the respective rows are selected in accordance with phase signals ph1 through ph4 . selection is carried out between a high frequency and low frequency by the viv signal having a vibrato frequency . additionally , the output of scale rom 104 is selected by the musical scale data s , an output which is delivered to program counter 101 . by way of example , scale rom 104 will be explained in accordance with producing the musical note waveform represented in fig4 . assuming that no vibrato is given , signal viv is high and the right hand portion of the scm4 signal producing portion of scale rom 104 is not used . the wiring is set for the data contained in scale rom 104 as demonstrated by switches 805 through 810 . switches 807 and 808 are set in the on position while switches 809 and 810 are set in the off position . data is programmed by pre - short circuiting the sources and the drain of each transistor by using metal wires 805 and 806 placed across transistor strings 813 , 816 which have been switched to the on position . only transistors 811 and 812 are effective transistors with respect to producing scm4 and inverted signal duty 6 is input to a gate thereof . during the period when duty 6 is high , and while the ssm signal in the divided frequency shown in fig4 are between 0 and 6 , transistor 811 is set off . as a result a transistor string ( node ) 813 is being charged by a power source v do through a signal v g and the data output as signal scm4 is high ( h ). this state corresponds to signal scm4 having a value of 1 as shown fig6 and corresponds to a frequency dividing ratio of eight . subsequentially , to set the ssm signal and the frequency dividing ratio to seven , transistor 811 is set to on and transistor string ( node ) 813 is discharged so that the output level of scm4 becomes low ( l ). during the period ph1 , transistor 811 is set to the on state and transistors 814 , 815 are also in the on state and the output level scm4 becomes low . this corresponds to a 0 output for scm4 as shown in fig6 which results in a frequency dividing ratio of seven assuming the outputs for scm5 and scm6 remain unchanged . during the time period when signal ph2 is selected , when the ssm signal and divided frequency correspond to the time intervals eight through fifteen of fig4 the waveform reading operates in a manner similar to that during ph1 . where signals ph3 and ph4 are selected , corresponding to the time period intervals sixteen through thirty one , the frequency dividing ratio returns to eight and switches 809 and 810 are switched off so that the output level of scm4 does not become low . if switches 809 , 810 are off during ph3 and ph4 , the output level of scm4 becomes unconditionally high and the frequency continues to be divided by eight intervals . when vibratos are to be applied to the musical tone , a clock signal of a vibrato frequency , for example , 4 to 16hz , is obtained by dividing the original frequency and is input at viv . the average frequency dividing ratio for ph1 can be expressed as follows : ## equ2 ## in the first quarter represented by ph1 , there are seven time intervals extending for eight counts and one time interval extending for seven counts . accordingly , the average frequency dividing ratio for time period intervals zero through seven is 7 . 875 . similarly , the average frequency dividing ratio during the period corresponding to ph2 is equal to 7 . 875 while the average frequency dividing ratio in the time period corresponding to ph3 , ph4 is 8 . the overall average frequency dividing ratio for reading one waveform rom 105 may be expressed as follows : ## equ3 ## because two time intervals had an average dividing ratio of 7 . 875 and the remaining two time intervals had an average frequency dividing ratio of 8 , the overall average frequency dividing ratio is 7 . 9375 . if it is assumed the original frequency fe is 262 , 144hz , the average frequency for the waveform can be expressed as ## equ4 ## this is a frequency in which + 8hz is added to a central frequency , 1 , 024hz , to make it possible to have a resolution of approximately 0 . 8 %. accordingly , it becomes possible to apply the vibratos of ± 0 . 8 % with respect to one tone by outputing a frequency of 1 , 032hz while the input signal viv is high and the frequency of 1 , 016hz while the input signal viv is low . accordingly , if the frequency of one tone is 1 , 024hz , the frequency of the tone may be changed to 1 , 016hz and 1 , 032hz within very short time periods in a sound generating apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention so that a vibratory sound may be heard and so that the tone assumes a state in which vibratos may be applied . it should be noted that the scale rom 104 shown in fig8 depicts a configuration for generating vibratos of a single tone . if a plurality of tones , such as eight tones , are required as in the case of a musical tone generator , three bit signals s are required and eight configurations are required for producing each of ssm4 - ssm6 . additionally , flip flops ff7 - 11 of duty generator 102 and phase generator 103 correspond to counter 202 of the prior art . waveform rom 105 is address accessed by output signals q o - q 2 of duty generator 102 and output signals q 3 and q 4 of phase generator 103 . output signals q o through q 4 are decoded by a decoder and incorporated in waveform rom 105 to select an address and five bit data is output . the capacity of the rom is 25 by 5 , equalling 160 bits . by providing a scale rom which provides a variable frequency division ratio in response to a timing signal from a duty generator and a phase generator , it becomes possible to effect a frequency division having a resolution of one or less by changing the frequency dividing ratio of a programmable counter during the operation of a time series . although the period is instantly offset for a small time duration , the sound is not heard by human ears as being a disturbance of the tone . additionally , although the above described embodiment is used in a musical tone generator , the present invention may be implemented in speech production and various alarms . additionally , it becomes possible to operate the system with a low frequency clock of 262khz as compared to the prior art clock having a high frequency of 5 . 2mhz . by utilizing a 262khz oscillator , the system may use a cr oscillator , reducing the cost of the musical generator as well as reducing power consumption by a factor of twenty , making the device more applicable to battery powered devices . furthermore , a small programmable counter may now be used because a pseudo shifted frequency may be obtained by simply changing the frequency dividing ratio data for dividing a frequency into predetermined frequencies to an arbitrary division ratio without using a complex large programmable counter . additionally , because the output characteristics are improved and because the invention uses a low frequency , a programmable counter is better able to process a radio frequency . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description are efficiently obtained and , since certain changes may be made in carrying out the above method and in the constructions set forth without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | 8 |
referring to the drawings , wherein like or similar references indicate like or similar elements throughout the several views , there is shown in fig1 an offshore oil rig from which an apparatus 12 according the present invention is suspended by a hose and cable arrangement 14 . as seen in that figure , apparatus 12 is in the process of being deployed to control a gushing , uncontrolled undersea oil well , the head 16 of which is located at seafloor 18 and from which there is seen a rising plume of crude oil and gas 20 . fig2 illustrates on an enlarged scale apparatus 12 , hose and cable arrangement 14 and oil wellhead 16 . as seen in that figure , wellhead 16 is shown as having a severed top end 22 such as might occur following a catastrophic failure or blowout of the well . apparatus 12 includes a housing 24 and a combined plug and valve device 26 , which is schematically depicted in fig2 . housing 24 is operable to protect and transport device 26 from a point of deployment at or near the water surface , i . e ., from an oil rig , ship or other sea vessel , to the damaged well 16 on seafloor 18 , which distance may be as much as several hundred to several thousand feet . housing 24 is preferably formed from high - strength material such as steel , reinforced plastic or the like that can be fabricated into a three - dimensional shape . while the walls of housing 24 may be fully enclosed , it is preferred that they be constructed as a cage since a cage - like structure renders the housing lighter in weight and therefore more easily manipulated both above and beneath the water surface . in addition , the open spaces of the cage permit fluid flow therethrough . as a consequence , the apparatus passes easily through the seawater as it descends to the damaged wellhead 16 and is less susceptible to being displaced by the oil and gas plume 20 as it is placed over the wellhead . housing 24 carries at least one propulsion and steering means 28 . means 28 preferably comprise biaxially movable , electrically driven propellers or hydraulically operated jets 30 . propellers or jets 30 receive their power , whether electrical or hydraulic , from cables or hoses 32 , as the case may be , that form part of the cable and hose arrangement 14 , which cables or hoses provide input to conventional electrical or hydraulic motors and actuators 34 that drive the propellers or jets 30 as well as control their biaxial positioning . according to a preferred embodiment , means 28 include at least one set of propellers or jets 30 . more preferably , for optimum maneuverability and transport speed , a set of propellers or jets 30 is desirably provided at or near both the top and the bottom of the housing 24 . for clarity of illustration , cables or hoses 32 are shown exteriorly of housing 24 . however , it will be understood that such cables or hoses may be situated interiorly of housing 24 for their protection during transport and operation of apparatus 12 . it is preferable that housing 24 be formed with a first shoulder 36 against which the trailing end of combined plug and valve device 26 may rest during transport of apparatus to a damaged wellhead . such shoulder may be located anywhere along the length of housing 24 so long as it provides a stable seat for device 26 during transport . housing 24 may also be provided with additional unnumbered shoulders for accommodating the upper edges / regions of the of the exposed structure of damaged wellhead 16 . the bottom of housing 24 is open - bottomed and preferably outwardly flared or funnel - shaped as indicated at 38 to assist in placement of the housing over the wellhead 16 . additionally , although not illustrated , housing 24 also desirably carries a global positioning system transmitter and at least one video camera for coarse and fine positioning , respectively , of the housing 24 over the wellhead 16 . fig3 - 8 illustrate on an enlarged scale a presently preferred construction of a combined plug and valve device according to the invention . device 26 is preferably constructed with a hollow conical head portion 40 and a hollow tail portion 42 , both having rearwardly directed jets or nozzles 44 and 46 , respectively . the tail portion is preferably provided with a plurality of fins 47 for guiding the device 26 as it is propelled into a damaged well as described below . the head and tail portions may be securely connected to a hollow central tube 48 via mating threading , welding or other suitable attachment means . the hollow central tube 48 is provided with helical means 50 on and / or in its outer surface . prior to attaching the head and tail portions 40 , 42 to the central tube 48 , a plurality of flat or curved leading plates 52 , each having a central opening ( fig9 a ) with threading corresponding to that of the helical means 50 of tube 48 , are screwed onto the tube . except where otherwise specified , components 40 , 42 , 48 , 50 and 52 ( and subsequently described elements 64 , 68 and 72 ) of device 26 are desirably , although not necessarily , formed from metal such as , for example , steel , aluminum , copper , brass , or the like . as seen in fig5 , plates 52 are preferably slightly bowl - shaped in elevational cross - section so that the plates may flex slightly radially outwardly as they contact other plates in order to increase inter - plate friction and , therefore , reduce the likelihood of slippage between plates as they progress through the incremental flow channel closing process discussed below . each plate 52 includes at least one fluid passageway 54 through which seawater and well oil is initially intended to pass . the plates 52 are slightly smaller in diameter than the inside diameter of the well bore , pipe or tube to be plugged . in this connection , it will be understood that the entire system design , including the already - described components as well as those described below , is easily scalable to fit a well bore of any diameter to control natural gas and crude oil being discharged at any flow rate and pressure . leading plates 52 are separated by consumable spacer means 56 , preferably an annular or ring - like spacer . a preferred spacer material is thermite which burns at predictable rates and is combustible under water . a further advantage of thermite is that it can be ignited simply by electrical resistance heating via application of a sufficiently high electrical current . it does not require a dedicated igniter mechanism which could be problematic in underwater environments . in this regard , fig5 shows an electrical ignition cable 58 which may be carried by a pressurized fluid supply hose 60 ( fig1 and 2 ) that leads from a launching rig or vessel to the apparatus 12 . situated within the ignition cable 58 are several ignition lines 62 each of which leads to a consumable spacer 56 . as described in greater detail below , each ignition line 62 may be independently operated to selectively and progressively ignite the spacers 56 . situated rearwardly of the rearmost spacer 56 is the final leading plate 64 that likewise has at least one fluid passageway 54 . plate 64 is preferably convex on both its forward and rearward surfaces . following installation of plate 56 , a first yieldable member 66 is placed over the tube 48 . like plates 52 and 64 , anchor member 66 is provided with at least one fluid passageway 54 . according to a preferred embodiment , yieldable member 66 is preferably constructed as a resilient or elastomeric disk - like element that both anchors device 26 to a well bore , tube or pipe , but also effectively seals the perimeter of the device against upwardly flowing well fluid . following placement of anchor member 66 , a first threaded backing plate 68 is then installed . like plate 64 , plate 68 has at least one fluid passageway 54 and is preferably convex on both its forward and rearward surfaces . following installation of plate 68 , a second yieldable anchor member 70 having at least one fluid passageway 54 is placed over the tube 48 . following placement of anchor member 70 , at least one other threaded backing plate 72 is screwed onto helical means 50 and preferably secured to tube 48 such as by welding or other suitable affixation means . plate 72 has at least one fluid passageway 54 and may be generally similar in construction to any of plates 52 , 64 and 68 . however , it is preferred that the final backing plate be formed of especially high strength material and / or rigidified by gussets or the like in order to bear the full mass and momentum of the upwardly moving plates as well as the fluid pressure of the gushing well . in addition or in the alternative , additional backing plates may be added to tube 48 in order to bear the potentially tremendous upwardly directed forces exerted by the well fluid and the leading plates of the device itself . lastly , the head and tail portions 40 , 42 are secured to central tube 48 to complete the assembly of the combined plug and valve device 26 . prior to deployment of device 26 , however , the fluid passageways 54 of the several components are brought into alignment in the manner shown in fig3 , 5 and 6 so as to establish one or more substantially unobstructed flow channels through which seawater may freely pass as apparatus 12 is lowered through the water and through which gushing crude oil and natural gas may pass as the apparatus is positioned over an uncontrolled well . it will be appreciated that the combined plug and valve device 26 shown in fig3 - 8 is exemplary only and should not be construed as limiting . it is illustrative of but one version of myriad arrangements of plates and anchor members that may be suitable for plugging damaged undersea wellheads of any diameter and any fluid flow and / or pressure conditions . for instance , there may be as few as one or more than two anchor members depending on well size and conditions . similarly , there may be more or less leading plates 52 and spacers 56 than as depicted in the drawing figures . indeed , if well flow and pressure is modest , it is conceivable that as few as one anchor member , one backing plate , and as few as two leading plates 52 and a single spacer means 56 may be employed to effectively control well fluid flow and anchor the combined plug and valve device 26 to a bore , tube or pipe of a damaged well . following assembly of combined plug and valve device 26 , the tail portion 42 thereof is desirably detachably connected to hose 60 such as by a releasable clamp or the like , either before or after device 26 is placed in housing 24 . in this regard , housing 24 may be provided with an unillustrated access door or hatch on a side wall or top wall thereof in order to facilitate placement of the device 26 within the housing as well as to free tangled , kinked or snagged hoses and / or cables . referring again to fig2 , once housing 24 is stably positioned over wellhead 16 and the combined plug and valve device 26 is aligned with the well bore , pipe or tube to be plugged , water or other fluid is then pumped under pressure into hose 60 . the pressurized fluid enters the combined plug and valve device 26 and is discharged through jets or nozzles 44 , 46 whereby the device is propelled into the well against the pressure of upwardly flowing crude oil and natural gas . upon insertion of the device to a desired depth within the damaged well bore or tubing such as shown in dashed line in fig2 , an optional dense stopper such as a ball - like stop 74 ( fig4 , 5 , 11 and 12 ) may be inserted into the hose whereby it descends through the hose and into the plug and valve device whereupon it settles into a socket 76 at the head portion of device 26 . with the stop 74 seated in the socket 76 , fluid flow through the leading propulsion jets 44 is obstructed such that propulsion fluid flow is limited to the set of trailing jets 46 . and , with propulsion flow limited to the rear jets , such flow may be relatively easily sustained at a level sufficient to counteract the flow of gushing crude oil and gas in order to maintain the combined plug and valve device in an essentially static position with respect to the well bore so that device 26 may be anchored or affixed to the interior wall of the well bore , tube or pipe . upon achieving the desired depth of insertion of the combined plug and valve device 26 into the well , the well shutoff and anchorage procedure can begin . as schematically represented in fig9 a - 9 j , device 26 may be incrementally closed in order to affix the device to the damaged well and establish a desired degree of oil and gas flow through the device . that is , once the combined plug and valve device 26 is positioned in the well bore as described above , at least some of the plate passageways are brought into misalignment in order to restrict pressurized gas and oil flow through the passageways . to achieve that effect , the consumable material above the forwardmost leading plate 52 is ignited and the space between the first plate and second plates is vacated . as this is occurring , pressure from the rising oil and gas pushes upward on the first plate , causing it to rotate and partially obstruct the flow channel established by the previously aligned plate flow passageways . thereafter , the next consumable spacer is ignited and the first and second plates rotate upwardly as a unit until they contact the third plate . this procedure continues until the desired number of spacers have been consumed and the flow channels have been partially or completely blocked . furthermore , as shown in fig1 - 13 , as the mass of the stack of leading plates comes into contact with the forwardmost anchor member 66 , the anchor members 66 and 70 become compressed between plates 64 , 68 and 72 whereby they expand or bulge outwardly into contact with the inner wall of the surrounding well bore , tube or pipe . by way of example , the uncontrolled deepwater horizon well was believed to have produced a gushing well plume with a highly powerful fluid pressure of some 6000 psi . such high pressure would be more than sufficient to push several heavy steel plates upwardly along a helical path to achieve the objectives of the present invention . furthermore , gradual or incremental closing of the combined plug and valve device 26 against such potentially destructive fluid force serves to prevent damage to the device during the process of constricting the well fluid flow while also enabling effective flow control should it be desired to preserve the well as a viable petroleum production site . as to the latter , by virtue of the present invention a previously uncontrolled well may be effectively converted into one producing less flow than in its original state but still constituting a manageable and commercially viable producer of crude oil . turning to fig1 - 13 , the combined plug and valve device 26 is depicted as it would appear at the completion of step 9 j . that is to say , all plate passageways 54 are in misalignment and the anchor members 66 , 70 are in their expanded well - contacting state . so disposed , the device is fully closed wherein all well fluid flow is stopped and the well is effectively “ killed ”. at this point , hose 60 may be released from clamping engagement with the tail portion 42 of device by introducing a pulse of highly pressurized fluid through the hose , which pulse is not be readily dispersible through jets 46 . as such , the sudden pulse or slug of fluid creates a burst of back pressure within the hose which is sufficient to dislodge the hose from clamping engagement with the device 26 . fig1 - 16 reveal an anchorage arrangement in accordance with an alternative embodiment of a combined plug and valve device according to the invention . for brevity , only those features that depart materially in structure and / or function from their counterparts in fig3 - 13 or are otherwise necessary for a proper understanding of the invention will be described in detail in connection with fig1 - 16 . fig1 - 16 schematically illustrate how an alternative anchor member 166 may be deployed to anchor , and preferably seal , a combined plug and valve device to the interior wall of a well bore , tube or pipe 16 . as shown in those figures , a leading plate 152 and a backing plate 172 are positioned at opposite faces of an anchor member 166 . according to this embodiment , anchor member is formed from yieldable metal , is generally bowl - shaped in cross - section , and has a radius of curvature less than backing plate 172 . so constructed , as leading plate 152 moves upwardly against anchor member 166 in the direction of arrow 200 during a sequential passageway closure and anchorage procedure of the kind described above , anchor member 166 is compressed and flattened whereby its outer perimeter becomes radially enlarged . indeed , the material , unstressed diameter and cross - sectional curvature of metal anchor member 166 are desirably selected such that , when the anchor member is properly compressed between leading and backing plates 152 , 172 , it desirably comes into tight compressive contact with and , most preferably , slightly embedded in the interior wall of the well bore , tube , or pipe 16 from which crude oil and natural gas is flowing . once in contact with the well , plate 166 ( or plates 166 , if more than one such plate may be necessary to achieve desired anchoring and sealing ) effectively anchors the combined plug and valve device and permits either no flow or some limited flow through the device as may be desired and as described above in connection with fig3 - 13 . although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed herein . | 4 |
the present invention relates to a process for selectively esterifying α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine by contacting α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine or n - protected - α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine with an alcohol in the presence of a proteolytic enzyme having specific esterase activity . the dipeptide is contacted with the enzyme in an aqueous - alcohol medium in which the alcohol concentration is sufficient to reverse the hydrolytic activity . according to the present invention there is provided a process for esterifying α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine which comprises contacting α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine or n - protected - α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine with an alcohol in the presence of an effective esterifying amount of a serine alkaline proteinase in an aqueous - alcohol medium in which the alcohol concentration is sufficient to reverse the hydrolytic activity of the serine alkaline proteinase . when n - protected α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine is esterified , the n - protecting group is removed following esterification to give the α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine alkyl ester . where r is lower alkyl having 1 - 7 carbon atoms . these lower alkyls are exemplified by methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , pentyl , hexyl , heptyl and the branched chain isomers thereof . the amino group of α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine may be protected by commonly used protecting groups . such groups include , but are not limited to aryl - lower alkyl groups , such as diphenylmethyl or triphenylmethyl groups which may be optionally substituted by halogen , nitro , lower alkyl or lower alkoxy , for example ; benzhydryl , trityl , and di - paramethyoxybenzhydryl ; acyl groups , such as formyl , trifluoroacetyl , phthaloyl , benzenesulphenyl and o - nitrophenylsulphenyl ; groups derived from carbonic acid or thiocarbonic acid , such as carbobenzoxy groups which are optionally substituted in the aromatic radical by halogen atoms , nitro groups or lower alkyl , lower alkoxy or lower carboalkoxy groups , for example , carbobenzoxy , p - bromocarbobenzoxy or p - chlorocarbobenzoxy , p - nitrocarbobenzoxy and p - methoxycarbobenzoxy ; coloured benzyloxycarbonyl groups such as p - phenylazobenzyloxycarbonyl and p -( p - methoxyphenylazo ) benzyloxycarbonyl , tolyloxycarbonyl , 2 - phenyl - 2 - propoxycarbonyl , 2 - tolyl - 2 - propoxycarbonyl and 2 -( parabiphenylyl )- 2 - propoxycarbonyl ; and aliphatic oxycarbonyl groups , such as t - butoxycarbonyl , alkyloxycarbonyl , cyclopentyloxycarbonyl , t - amyloxycarbonyl . a particularly preferred n - protecting group for use in this invention is the carbobenzoxy group . the amino groups can also be protected by forming enamines , obtained by reaction of the amino group with 1 , 3 - diketones , for example benzoylacetone , or acetylacetone . protecting groups are conveniently removed by reactions such as hydrogenolysis ( for instance , in the presence of a palladium black catalyst ), treatment with a hydrohalo acid ( such as hydrobromic , hydrofluoric or hydrochloric acids ) in acetic acid , or treatment with trifluoroacetic acid . the reaction in which the ester bond is formed can be conducted in an aqueous buffer - alcohol solution having a ph which maintains enzyme activity . this is about ph 4 to 7 for serine alkaline proteinase . typical buffer solutions include sodium pyrophosphate buffer solution , citric acid buffer solution , acetic acid buffer solution , or tris - hcl buffer solution . the esterase used in the invention is a serine alkaline proteinase . these enzymes exhibit high esterase activity and selectively act on aromatic amino acids . typical serine alkaline proteinases include subtilisin and alkaline proteinases from various strains of bacillus aspergillis , streptomyces , penicillium , and arthorobacter . a preferred serine alkaline proteinase is subtilisin carlsberg which is commercially available . a catalytic amount of enzyme is employed in the reaction process preferably 10 - 500 mg per 1 mmole of α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine or n - protected - α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine . a calcium salt may also be added to aid enzyme activity . the enzyme may be present in the free state or may be immobilized by binding to a suitable support such as porous glass , polyacrylamide gel , carboxylmethyl cellulose , or aminoethyl cellulose . &# 34 ; immobilized enzymes &# 34 ;, vol . 44 , methods in enzymology , ed . klaus mosback , discusses various methods of enzyme immobilization . the reaction temperature employed is usually in a range of 10 °- 50 ° c ., which is sufficient to maintain enzyme activity . a preferred range is 20 °- 40 ° c . the reaction is conducted in a medium of water and alcohol in which the alcohol concentration is sufficient to reverse the esterase activity of the enzyme . the alcohol concentration may be 10 - 90 % by volume . a preferred alcohol concentration is 30 - 70 % by volume . a more preferred alcohol concentration is 50 - 60 % with 60 % alcohol by volume being optimal . in an especially preferred embodiment of the invention the serine alkaline proteinase is subtilisin carlsberg , a proteinase having specific esterse activity , and the alcohol is methanol which is present in a concentration of 60 % by volume . the aqueous - alcohol mixture contains 5 . 0 mm calcium chloride and has a ph of 5 . 0 , and the reaction is conducted at a temperature of 25 ° c . the reaction proceeds smoothly under these conditions until completed . a preferred reaction period time is 1 to 260 hours . a more preferred reaction period time is 1 - 90 hours . the reaction product is conveniently separated from the reaction system by standard chromatographic techniques and other methods recognized in the art . the invention will appear more fully from the examples which follow . these examples are given by way of illustration and are not to be construed as limiting the invention either in spirit or in scope , as many modifications both in materials and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art . in the examples temperatures are given in degrees centrigrade (° c .) and quantities of materials in parts by weight unless otherwise specified . the relationships between parts by weight and parts by volume is the same as that existing between grams and milliliters . subtilisin carlsberg ( protease type viii , sigma chemical co .) is dissolved in distilled water at a concentration of 40 mg / ml and is dialyzed against distilled water at 5 ° c . 0 . 1 parts by volume of the enzyme solution is mixed with 0 . 9 parts by volume of an aqueous - methanol solution containing 0 . 0056 parts by weight of α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine . the aqueous - methanol solution is prepared by mixing 0 . 6 parts by volume of methanol with 0 . 075 parts by volume of 0 . 33 m sodium acetate , 0 . 225 parts by volume of 0 . 33 m acetic acid and 0 . 002 parts by volume of 2 . 5 m calcium chloride . before adding the enzyme , the aqueous - methanol solution is sonicated for one minute in order to disperse the α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine . the overall ph is adjusted to ph 5 . 0 with dilute hydrochloric acid . the final reaction mixture containing 4 mg / ml of enzyme , 5 . 0 mm calcium chloride , 0 . 1 m acetic acid buffer , 60 % methanol , and 0 . 02 m α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine is allowed to react at about 25 ° c . with continuous agitation for a period of four days . the reaction mixture is run through a sephadex lh - 20 column to separate the enzyme from the dipeptide . the dipeptide fractions are pooled and treated with hydrohalide according to u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 798 , 207 and 4 , 173 , 562 in order to precipitate and purify α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine methyl ester of formula iii . the process of example 1 is repeated except that immobilized enzyme is used as the catalyst . the enzyme is covalently immobilized to cyanogen bromide - activated deae cellulose . the deae cellulose ( pre - swollen de52 , whatman ) is activated by washing 0 . 075 parts by weight with 0 . 1 m sodium bicarbonate and then reacting with 3 parts by volume of cyanogen bromide solution ( 25 mg / ml ). the ph is adjusted and maintained at 11 . 0 with 2 m sodium hydroxide and stirred gently for 6 minutes at 25 ° c . the gel is filtered and washed with 100 parts by volume of 0 . 1 m sodium bicarbonate . 0 . 025 parts by weight of subtilisin carlsberg , dissolved in 0 . 25 parts by volume of 0 . 1 m sodium bicarbonate and dialyzed 4 hrs . v . s . the same buffer at 5 ° c ., is mixed with a cyanogen bromide - activated gel in a closed polypropylene tube ( under argon ) at 5 ° c ., for 17 hr . the bound enzyme is then washed with distilled water and reacted with 5 parts by volume of 1 m ethanolamine ( ph 9 . 0 ) with gentle stirring for 2 hrs . at 25 ° c . the gel is washed twice with distilled water and resuspended in 0 . 3 parts by volume of distilled water . this immobilized enzyme suspension is mixed with 0 . 7 parts by volume of an aqueous / methanol mix such that the final reaction mix contains the same concentration of materials as in example 1 . the reaction is carried out as in example 1 except that the immobilized enzyme is removed by centrifugation prior to purification of the product . substitution of an equivalent quantity of ethanol for the methanol of example 1 and 2 and substantially following the procedures outlined therein affords α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine ethyl ester of formula iv . substitution of 0 . 0125 parts by weight of n - carbobenzoxy - α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine for the α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine of example 1 and 2 and substantial repetition of the procedures detailed therein provides n - carbobenzoxy - α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine methyl ester . reduction of this compound by the method of m . bergmann and l . zervas . ber . 65 : 1192 ( 1932 ) removes the n - protecting carbobenzoxy group to give α - l - aspartyl - l - phenylalanine methyl ester . ## str1 ## | 2 |
u . s . pat . no . 8 , 455 , 298 by apodaca et al . describes a memory cell fabrication process in which a memory cell is formed in a high aspect ratio hole . this hole is formed in a dielectric material , the bottom of which exposes a bitline comprising silicon . fig1 , illustrates such a high aspect ratio hole . into this high aspect ratio hole , a current steering device , such as a diode ( but could be another current steering device , transistor , a four layer diode or scr , or the like ), is formed and then , in series with this current steering device is formed an information storage element ( such as a phase change element , a resistive ram element , a memresistor , or some other element capable of storing one or more bits of information ). these are well known and understood to those skilled in the art . into this high aspect ratio hole , semiconducting material ( such as silicon ) is deposited , or more to the point , is selectively grown in the hole . such selective growth is well known to those skilled in the art . ( many other material choices are available and include other group iv material than silicon such as germanium as well as group iii - v materials such as gaas containing gallium and arsenic ). generally speaking , silicon is grown at an elevated temperature using a silicon source gases such as dichlorosilane , silane , or some other silicon containing gas . to affect this selective growth , this silicon source gas is combined with an etchant ( in gaseous form ) such as hydrochloric acid ( hcl ). the etchant gas will simultaneously etch silicon as that silicon is deposited . where silicon is deposited on a non - silicon surface , the silicon deposited is amorphous in nature and easily removed by the etchant gas . however , where silicon is deposited on a crystalline silicon surface , the crystalline bonds of the lattice hold more strongly to the deposited silicon atoms and those silicon atoms are less easily removed ( etched ) from that surface . to be more specific , at a temperature above the dissociation temperature and a pressure between atmospheric and low pressure , a source gas is introduced along with an etchant gas . the elevated temperature cracks the source gas ( i . e ., separates the components of the source gas ) such as dichlorosilane ( sicl 2 h 2 ) into free si ( the cl 2 and h 2 typically stays intact ) or such as silane ( sih 4 ) into free si . in addition , the etchant gas such as hcl is separated into free h and cl atoms . the free h and the free cl atoms combined with deposited , loosely held silicon to form sih and sicl ( both sih and sicl are gaseous due to the elevated temperatures and / or low pressure ) and are evacuated from the chamber . with silicon epitaxy , for example , the silicon deposited on existing silicon is more strongly bonded than silicon deposited on non - silicon surfaces and does not easily react with the etchant elements ( e . g ., h and cl ). this is why the poly - silicon and amorphous silicon have higher etch rates than crystalline silicon and why this deposition technique is selective to growth on existing , exposed silicon surfaces . selective deposition is typically done with a gas ratio of about 9 : 1 si source to etchant ( hcl ) source . it is notable that as this gas ratio is reduced ( e . g ., as the etchant gas is reduced ) the quality of the resulting silicon crystalline structure will diminish resulting in an increasing number of crystalline imperfections and “ stacking faults ” and a further reduction in the gas ratio will result in non - selective deposition . with this technique , it is possible to grow crystalline silicon selectively in surface features such as holes , trenches or a combination of holes and trenches formed within a dielectric material ( such as sio 2 or sin x ) on top of silicon . silicon exposed in surface features will experience selective epi - silicon growth . when this selective silicon growth technique is employed to deposit silicon in high aspect ratio holes , as shown in fig2 , when the silicon reaches the top of the hole , a dome cap is formed at the surface ( since the silicon growth is not constrained at the surface , it continues to grow in all directions ). however , a key disadvantage of this selective growth process is that simultaneously removing silicon as it is being deposited greatly retards the deposition rate . this reduced deposition rate means that a wafer must remain in the deposition tool for a longer time thereby reducing the throughput rate . lower throughout has a n economic impact as the amortization of the tool is spread across fewer wafers resulting in greater amortized cost per wafer . a solution to this problem , according to the present invention , is to limit the selective deposition of high quality crystalline silicon using the above described selective silicon deposition process to the portion of the formed structure that requires the higher quality , crystalline silicon and then switch the deposition to a lower quality , more rapid deposition process after that point . in other words , when the silicon thickness reaches the thickness of the desired features , reduce to turn off the etch component for faster growth . in the case of the memory cells described in u . s . pat . no . 8 , 455 , 298 by apodaca et al . ( the &# 39 ; 298 invention ), the high aspect ratio hole is filled with a diode ( requiring higher quality , crystalline silicon ) in the bottom of the hole and an information storage element ( where the silicon is initially a volume placeholder but is subsequently removed ) in top of the hole . other devices can require quality silicon in one area with lower quality in another ( as would be the case of a diode formed in a hole where the p - n junction benefits from the higher quality but where a top ohmic contact beyond the active junction does not require high quality silicon or where a top region is subsequently removed to provide a self - aligned volume for a metal contact ). in the instance of the &# 39 ; 298 invention , the present invention can be ideally applied by utilizing the selective deposition for filling the bottom of the hole and then switching to a non - selective deposition process ( e . g ., turning off the etching component of the selective deposition process ) to fill the top of the hole . this dual deposition technique is depicted in fig3 . features having generally similar depths and characteristics will fill at generally the same rate . however , once the features have filled and reach the surface , a mushroom - shaped dome will form above the now filled holes . this can result in a very uneven surface . to prevent this unevenness , the features can be filled near to or approximately to the surface using a selective deposition process as described above , and the switching to a secondary deposition process ( this secondary , non - selective silicon deposition will deposit silicon on both surfaces of the selectively grown silicon as well as one any exposed dielectric material ). this approach will work well when fabricating cross - point diode memory arrays in particular . cross - point diode memory arrays require good quality diodes to provide high forward current to facilitate cell programming and erasing while also providing low reverse leakage current . high quality crystalline silicon is preferred for fabricating diodes having these characteristics . however , on top of these diodes will be a contact or an information storage element . during the fabrication process , the area above the diode will initially be filled with silicon during the silicon deposition process and then later be etched out to provide a cup or some form of recess into which material is then deposited to provide the functionality of an information storage element or contact . since the silicon for the element above the diode will subsequently be removed , that portion need not be made using the same high quality silicon as that used to form the diode . as a result , the same high quality selective silicon deposition process used to form the diode does not have to be used to form the upper portion ; a different deposition process that is faster , lower cost , less selective ( including non - selective ), poly - silicon or amorphous silicon deposition process can be used . ( it is even an option to deposit a material other than silicon , although it is preferable to deposit a material that etches similarly to silicon to simplify any subsequent etch step to remove material at the top of the now filled high aspect ratio hole or feature . also , to better facilitate this subsequent etch , it is desirable to have the surface be generally level such that the distance down that the etch will have to remove is the same everywhere , otherwise the depth of the etch will vary according to the surface topography . this level surface topography can be achieved through planarization ( such as cmp ), but it the surface is covered by silicon in some places and not in others , this planarization step may not achieve the desired level results ( if subsequent planarization is not desired , the finishing deposition to fill the last portion of the hole can be made with either a lower quality , faster growing selective deposition or with a non - selective deposition — it a high aspect ratio remains for the last portion of the hole , a lower quality , faster growing selective deposition is preferred to prevent the hole from closing over the top before the hole is completely filled ). covering the entire surface with the same material is in the high aspect ratio holes will result in a more consistent and level surface because the high points will planarize away more quickly resulting in a smoothing of the surface ; however , it the surface consists of different exposed material , this smoothing of the surface will be less effective .) the present invention will result in a deposition results that is somewhat self - leveling and that reduces certain surface imperfections in growth as well as the boldering or mushroom cap effects that an occur with a purely selective growth process . while it is an element of the present invention to provide better economics by increasing tool throughput , it is also an element of the present invention to provide more uniform coverage of the surface to improve subsequent planarization steps ( e . g ., by cmp or planar etch - back ) to improve yield . this faster growth process according to the present invention , growing silicon slowly for good crystalline silicon and then quickly for finishing silicon , will result in lower costs and improved yields . variations will come to mind . for example rather than simply reduce or eliminate the etchant gasses while keeping the silicon source gas , an entirely different silicon deposition process could be employed following the selective silicon growth process . this might be achieved by initially utilizing dichlorosilane combined with an hcl etchant to grow silicon selectively , but then switching to a non - selective silane or even a lower quality selective process to finish filling the features and provide a surface overcoat to improve subsequent planarization . other variations can involve the rate of change to the low ( or no ) etchant source and this rate of change can be done either slowly or quickly . the point of transition form high quality , crystalline silicon to lower quality poly - silicon or amorphous silicon can occur at a point where any subsequent silicon removal will remove all of the non crystalline silicon or can occur at a point where a portion of the non crystalline silicon might remain ( i . e ., some poly or amorphous silicon may remain at the top for , for example , a better ohmic or electrical contact ). memory device fabrication techniques according to the present invention may be applied to memory devices and systems for storing digital text , digital books , digital music ( such as mp 3 layers and cellular telephones ), digital audio , digital photographs ( wherein one or more digital still images may be stored including sequences of digital images ), digital video ( such as personal entertainment devices ), digital cartography ( wherein one or more digital maps can be stored , such as gps devices ), and any other digital or digitized information as well as any combinations thereof . devices incorporated embodiments of the present invention may be embedded or removable , and may be interchangeable among other devices that can access the data therein . embodiments of the invention may be packaged in any variety of industry - standard form factor , including compact flash , secure digital , multimedia cards , pcmcia cards , memory stick , any of a large variety of integrated circuit packages including ball grid arrays , dual in0line packages ( dips ), soics , plcc , tqfps and the like , as well as in proprietary form factors and custom design packages . these packages may contain just the memory chip , multiple memory chips , one or more memory chips along with other logic devices or other storage devices such as plds , plas , micro - controllers , microprocessors , controller chips or chip - sets or other custom or standard circuitry . the terms and expressions employed herein are used as terms and expressions of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention , in the use of such terms and expressions , of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof . in addition , having described certain embodiments of the invention , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments incorporating the concepts disclosed herein may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as only illustrative and not restrictive . | 7 |
referring now to the drawings and particularly fig1 , there is illustrated a reading and restoration assembly for reusable storage films , generally indicated as 10 , comprised of lower housing or base portion , generally indicated as 12 , on which is mounted a scanning assembly , generally indicated as 14 . the lower housing portion 12 is comprised of a horizontally - mounted front door member 16 , also referring to fig3 and 4 including a vertically and angularly - disposed bottom wall member 18 having inwardly extending vertical side walls 20 and an end wall 22 defining a collection drawer like chamber 24 for receiving scanned storage films , as more fully hereinafter discussed . the width dimension of the door member 16 is greater than the largest width size of any storage film to be processed . the lower housing portion 12 is provided with downwardly depending inner wall members 26 disposed inwardly from the side walls 18 to guide scanned storage films into the collection chamber 24 . a light source , generally indicated as 28 , is positioned in opposing relationship to the collection chamber 24 , at least co - extensive to the height and width dimension of the door member 16 and provides a source of light energy necessary to discharge trapped electrons in scanned storage films to restore imaging capability . the upper scanning assembly 14 is comprised of a cylindrically - shaped support surface 30 for positioning an imaged storage film thereabout and encloses a photomultiplier assembly , generally indicated as 32 . disposed below the photomultiplier assembly 32 , there is provided a transportation assembly generally indicated as 34 including a plurality of roller and belt member assembly 34 for passing an imaged storage film downwardly passed a cylindrically - shaped slot ( not shown ) as described in the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . &# 39 ; 914 to thoms , herein incorporated by reference , for interrogation or scanning by a focusing beam of photons , i . e . light to digitally generate photo - stimulated luminescence to be measured and stored in an appropriate computer assembly , such as described in the aforementioned patent to goodman , et al . the assembly 10 is provided with a control panel , generally indicated as 40 , including a control member for initiating operation of the assembly 10 under the control of a cpu unit prior to positioning of an imaged storage film on the supporting surface . such cpu unit includes programs to process the projected imaged storage film during passage through the assembly 10 and includes indicator lights providing status information on the storage film being processed through completion of the restoration process . in operation , the assembly 10 is activated and an imaged storage film ( not shown ) is positioned about the cylindrically - shaped support surface which is sensed to cause activation of the transportation assembly 32 whereby the roller and belt assemblies 34 are caused to rotate in a manner to effect downwardly displacement of the imaged storage film about the support surface 30 and thence linearly advanced passed the slot wherein a light beam is caused to interrogate and digitally generate photo - stimulated luminescent light which is evaluated and stored , such as disclosed in the aforementioned patent to goodman , et al . during generation of the photo - stimulated luminescent light , the imaged storage film is being introduced into the lower housing portion 12 and guided by wall members towards the collection chamber 22 . a point is reached when the roller and belt assemblies 34 are no longer in contact with the imaged storage film whereupon the thus read storage film is caused to drop by gravity into the collection chamber 22 with a leading edge thereof causing to come to rest against the end wall of the door member of the lower housing portion 12 and sensed by an appropriate control member . upon sensing the positioning of the thus read imaged storage film in the collection chamber , the light source 26 is activated and caused to remain activated for a preselect time to ensure discharge of trapped electrons in the storage film thereby restoring image capabilities of the storage film . an appropriate control member generates a signal on the control panel 40 at completion of the restoration process . it will be appreciated that a plurality of imaged storage films may be sequentially processed before a need to remove process storage film from the collection chamber of the door member 16 by causing the door member 16 to be rotated outwardly thereby permitting physical access to the collection chamber 22 and restored storage film . it is understood that should the interrogating of the storage film generate inadequate or invalid information , that the imaged storage plate is returned to a starting position and an error signal generated to alert user . additionally , it will be understood that the assembly 10 may be used to process storage films which have been restored but not used for a time period and then subject to miscellaneous radiation . while the present invention has been described with respect to the exemplary embodiments thereof , it will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications or changes can be achieved without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . therefore it is manifestly intended that the invention be limited only by the scope of the claims and the equivalence thereof . | 6 |
example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings . for the infection of the neuronal pc - 12 cell line , the cells are seeded in a depression of a 6 - well plate and incubated with the herpes simplex virus strain hf ( atcc , vr260 ) with a viral load of 1 pfu / cell for two hours at 37 ° c . subsequently all virions not absorbed are removed by washing multiple times with buffer ( pbs ). the cells are cultivated for another 24 hours with fresh medium . to develop a latent hsv 1 infection , the cells are subcultivated several times ( 2 to 4 passages ). before the integration into the in vitro test model , a check is carried out that no more virus activity is detectable . to this end , before each passage approx . 1 mm culture supernatant is held back and the degree of infection ( tcid50 ) is determined using a cell - based test assay with vero ( b ) cells . with this method of end dilution , the dilution stage of the material to be tested in which an infection takes place is determined . several dilution stages are hereby prepared in parallel and it is determined at which dilution 50 % of the inoculated cell cultures are infected . to detect the latent infection , alternatively the method of in situ hybridization is used . latency - associated transcripts ( lat ) are detected thereby . the buildup of the in vitro test tissue is carried out according to a protocol optimized for the embedding of the pc 12 cells : fundamentally , the buildup is carried out in two steps . in a first step , the dermal part of the test tissue is built up , wherein primary fibroblasts as well as pc - 12 cells latently infected with hsv1 are integrated into a collagen matrix with type 1 collagen . to this end , respectively 0 . 25 × 10 6 ml fibroblasts and 0 . 14 × 10 6 ml latently infected pc - 12 cells are resuspended free from bubbles in a freshly produced solution of collagen i and the suspension is transferred into an insert of a 24 - well plate . in a second step , the layering of the dermis with human keratinocytes ( 0 . 4 × 10 6 per ml ) takes place , which then form the epidermal layer . before the application of the keratinocytes , the dermal collagen matrix is layered with fibronectin , which then forms the basement membrane . as a negative control , a skin equivalent with non - infected pc 12 cells is built up as test tissue . in a further assay , an immunocomponent , in particular langerhals cells , is integrated into the test model . in a first assay , before seeding of the keratinocytes the immune cells are seeded on or in the biomatrix , in a further assay thereof , immune cells are seeded on or in the biomatrix during or following the seeding of the keratinocytes . the buildup of the in vitro test tissue covers a total of about 21 days . the test tissue goes through different cultivation phases during this time . in the first six days , the so - called submerse phase , the tissue is cultivated completely covered with medium . subsequently , a 14 - day to 15 - day airlift phase follows , wherein the test assays are carried out on the tissue . after the conclusion of the cultivation phase , the test tissue is fixed in a manner known per se optionally in bouin &# 39 ; s fixative solution or by means of histofix ® and subsequently preferably embedded in paraffin . in a manner known per se tissue sections are produced and a hematoxylin and eosin staining ( he ) and additionally or alternatively specific antibody staining are carried out in a manner known per se according to standard protocols . the results of the embedding of the pc - 12 cells are shown in fig4 and 5 . the embedded pc - 12 cells can be shown in the dermis tissue in particular by histological he staining as well as by specific antibody detection . the specific virus reactivation is carried out in a period of at least 7 hours up to a maximum of 25 hours before the end of the cultivation phase , that is , the fixing of the tissue . for specific virus reactivation , the tissue is exposed to uvb radiation . radiation is carried out at a wavelength of 312 nm and an energy equivalent of 1500 mj respectively for 8 minutes . the radiation is repeated at an interval of approx . 24 hours . in an alternative assay , the in vitro test tissue is produced with keratinocytes from the hacat cell line instead of primary keratinocytes . these hacat cells are genetically modified in the form of knock down cell lines : hacat / tlr2δ and hacat / tlr9δ . with the aid of these knock down cell lines , the role of the respective tlr in the scope of an hsv infection can be studied in more detail . to test antiviral active ingredients , a “ time and dose response ” analysis is carried out , with the aid of which the concentration - dependent cytotoxicity and the antiherpetic effect of the individual substance can be examined . the application of the substance to be tested is carried out optionally topically in powder form or dissolved in airlift medium from day 0 of the airlift phase . parallel thereto , a control batch is cultivated analogously with a control substance known to have an anti - viral action ( aciclovir ; 50 μmol / l ). the subsequent immunohistochemical staining with an antibody specific for hsv1 shows the viral load in the microscopic investigation . by comparison of the staining in the control batch , an evaluating statement on the effectiveness of the substance concretely studied can be made . the foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure . individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment , but , where applicable , are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment , even if not specifically shown or described . the same may also be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure , and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure . example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough , and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art . numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components , devices , and methods , to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed , that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure . in some example embodiments , well - known processes , well - known device structures , and well - known technologies are not described in detail . example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough , and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art . numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components , devices , and methods , to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed , that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure . in some example embodiments , well - known processes , well - known device structures , and well - known technologies are not described in detail . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” may be intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . the terms “ comprises ,” “ comprising ,” “ including ,” and “ having ,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , integers , steps , operations , elements , components , and / or groups thereof . the method steps , processes , and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated , unless specifically identified as an order of performance . it is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed . when an element or layer is referred to as being “ on ,” “ engaged to ,” “ connected to ,” or “ coupled to ” another element or layer , it may be directly on , engaged , connected or coupled to the other element or layer , or intervening elements or layers may be present . in contrast , when an element is referred to as being “ directly on ,” “ directly engaged to ,” “ directly connected to ,” or “ directly coupled to ” another element or layer , there may be no intervening elements or layers present . other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion ( e . g ., “ between ” versus “ directly between ,” “ adjacent ” versus “ directly adjacent ,” etc .). as used herein , the term “ and / or ” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items . although the terms first , second , third , etc . may be used herein to describe various elements , components , regions , layers and / or sections , these elements , components , regions , layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms . these terms may be only used to distinguish one element , component , region , layer or section from another region , layer or section . terms such as “ first ,” “ second ,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context . thus , a first element , component , region , layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element , component , region , layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments . spatially relative terms , such as “ inner ,” “ outer ,” “ beneath ,” “ below ,” “ lower ,” “ above ,” “ upper ,” and the like , may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature &# 39 ; s relationship to another element ( s ) or feature ( s ) as illustrated in the figures . spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures . for example , if the device in the figures is turned over , elements described as “ below ” or “ beneath ” other elements or features would then be oriented “ above ” the other elements or features . thus , the example term “ below ” can encompass both an orientation of above and below . the device may be otherwise oriented ( rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations ) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly . | 6 |
fig1 is a block diagram showing a plurality of professionals 110 , 112 , their clients 120 - 126 , and the related recipients 130 , 132 that are interconnected through a computerized system 100 . the computerized system 100 provides an interactive interface to users 110 - 132 that allows users 110 - 132 to store , recall , and share data in the computerized system 100 . in the present description , professionals 110 - 112 are professional service providers such as estate planning attorneys , financial planners , accountants , insurance agents , or human resource providers that provide access to the computerized system 100 to their clients 120 - 126 . this access is provided as a complement to the traditional service offerings of these professionals 110 , 112 . the clients 120 - 126 in the present description are the clients of professionals 110 - 112 who are granted access to the computerized system by working with those professionals 110 - 112 . in fig1 , client a 1 120 and client a 2 122 are so labeled because they access the system 100 through their relationship with professional a 110 , while clients b 1 124 and client b 2 126 are so labeled because they access the system 100 through their relationship with professional b 112 . the recipients 130 , 132 are those individuals that have been designated by the clients 120 - 126 to receive access to the data stored in the computerized system 100 . in fig1 , both recipients 130 , 132 are designated recipients of client a 2 122 , as indicated by labeling the recipients 130 , 132 as a 2 - 1 and a 2 - 2 , respectively . the computerized system 100 includes a set of software instructions or interfaces stored on a non - volatile , non - transitory , computer readable medium 102 , which may take the form of a computer hard drive or flash memory device . a digital processor 104 , such as a general purpose cpu manufactured by intel corporation ( mountain view , calif .) or advanced micro devices , inc . ( sunnyvale , calif .) accesses and performs the software . to improve efficiency , processor 104 may load software stored in memory 102 into faster , but volatile , ram 106 . data operated upon by the software can also be stored in non - volatile memory 102 and retrieved into ram 106 for analysis , recording , and reporting . the computer system 100 further includes a network interface 108 to communicate with other computerized devices across a digital data network . in one embodiment , the network is the internet or an intranet , and the network interface 108 includes tcp / ip protocol stacks for communicating over the network . the network interface 108 may connect to the network wirelessly or through a physical wired connection . instead of being a single computer with a single processor 104 , the computerized system 100 could also implemented using a network of computers all operating according to the instructions of the software . the professionals 110 , 112 , initiate use of the system 100 by customizing the interface that will be seen by themselves , their clients 120 - 126 , and the related recipients 130 - 132 . in certain embodiments of the invention , the service will be offered to the professionals 110 , 112 as a white label service , allowing the professional 110 , 112 to brand the service with his or her own trade dress and thereby more readily integrate the service with their existing service offerings . thus when clients a 1 120 and a 2 122 access the system 100 , the interface will reflect the trade dress , logos , and identity of professional a 110 , while clients b 1 124 and b 2 126 will see the trade dress , logos , and identity of professional b 112 whenever they access the system 110 . after customizing the interface for their clients 120 - 126 , the professionals 110 , 112 instruct their clients 120 - 126 to access the computerized system in order to input personal information into the system . the professional 110 , 112 can then use this information to provide their traditional services ( e . g ., estate planning services for an estate planning attorney , or accounting services for an accountant ). the client &# 39 ; s personal data is preferably collected through a library of interactive forms . this library of forms is provided by the white label service of the entity that operates the computerized system 100 . for example , this allows a new estate planning attorney that wishes to use the system 100 to have immediate access to standard customer forms that have been designed for estate planning attorney clients , while a new accountant would be able to use standard forms designed for accounting clients . each professional 110 , 112 can select the forms that they desire for their business , and , in one embodiment , then customize those forms as he or she desires . when the client 120 - 126 accesses the system 100 , the clients 120 - 126 will see the customized forms selected by their professional 110 , 112 . when the client 120 - 126 has entered information into the selected forms , the professional 110 , 112 will be able to access that information . the information collected from the client is securely stored in the client &# 39 ; s personal digital profile stored on the non - volatile memory 102 of the computerized system 100 . the client 120 - 126 has the ability to augment the information in their digital profile beyond the scope of information needed by the service professional 110 - 112 . the computerized system 100 grants default access to the service provider 110 - 112 to only to those pieces of information needed for the provision of the professional services . in one embodiment , the client controls all access to their data in the digital profile , and even has the ability to change the default access provided to their service professional 110 - 112 . in fact , each time information or content is added , the client 120 - 126 may decide who gets access to that piece of information or content and when that person or persons get access . the client 120 - 126 also designates one or more recipients 130 - 132 that receive conditional access to their digital profile . these recipients are always associated with a particular client 120 - 126 , as recipients a 2 - 1 130 and a 2 - 2 are associated with client a 2 122 . the computerized system 100 grants the recipients 130 - 132 access to some or all of the digital profile of their associated client 122 upon the occurrence of a triggering event , such as the disability or death of the client 122 , or upon a specific date . in one embodiment , if the client 122 fails to specify any other trigger , the computerized system 100 will grant access to the entire digital profile to the recipients upon the death of the client 122 but not before . for each recipient 130 , 132 identified by the client 122 , an email is sent to that recipient 130 , 132 asking them to register with the computerized system 100 so that they can gain access to the digital profile when that information is made available . the system 100 generates regular emails to the client 122 to remind the client 122 to keep the information in their digital profile up to date . the system 100 also generates regular emails to the recipients 130 , 132 to remind the recipients 130 , 132 to keep the information in their digital profile up to date and to inform them that they should contact the service professional 110 upon the occurrence of a triggering event . recipients 130 , 132 are only granted access to their designated information after the service professional 110 has confirmed the triggering event and subsequently enabled access to the recipient 130 , 132 on behalf of the client 122 . the computerized system 100 of fig1 can be implemented as one or more web server computers 200 as shown in fig2 . the server computer 200 is capable of storing information about all of the parties that use the system 100 that were described above in connection with fig1 . in the preferred embodiment , a server computer 200 stores this information in a database 210 . this information can be maintained as separate tables in a relational database , or as database objects in an object - oriented database environment within the database 210 . fig2 shows the database 210 with tables or objects for professionals 220 , clients 230 , and recipients 240 . this allows the database 210 to maintain information about the professionals 110 - 112 , clients 120 - 126 , and recipients 130 - 132 that may access the server computer 200 . in addition , the database 210 stores data of relevance to the client 230 in a digital profile database entity 250 . of course , the table or object entities shown in fig2 should not be considered to show actual implementation details of the database 210 , since it is well within the scope of the invention to implement this type of data using a variety of entity architectures . the entities shown are exemplary , intended only to aid in the understanding of the data maintained by the database 210 in this embodiment . for example , it would be well within the scope of the present invention to divide information about professionals 220 into multiple tables or objects , instead of the single professional database entity 220 shown in fig2 . similarly , it would be possible to implement the database 210 such that information about professionals , clients , and recipients all use a single database table or object , where the role ( professional , client , or recipient ) for each instance is defined using a field within that table or object . finally , it is not even necessary to implement these entities as formal tables or objects , as other database paradigms could also effectively implement these types of data structures . relationships between these entities 220 - 250 are represented in fig2 using crow &# 39 ; s foot notation . for example , fig2 shows that each client 230 is associated through database links with a single professional 220 , while a professional 220 may be associated with multiple clients 230 . relationships in the database 210 can be established through any standard technique for associating , connecting , linking , or otherwise establishing relationships between database entities within a database . from fig2 , it can be seen that each client 230 may have multiple recipients 240 , but each recipient 240 is linked with only a single client 230 . furthermore , we know that each client 230 and each recipient are linked with only a single digital profile record 250 , while professionals 220 that work with many clients 230 will be associated with multiple profile records 250 . the database 210 is used by a web server 260 operating on one or more of the server computers 200 to generate the various interfaces used by the system 100 . in particular , web programming 262 exists that defines how to create a professional interface 264 , a client interface 266 , and a recipient interface 268 using the data in the database 210 . this programming 262 allows the web server 260 to transmit over the world wide web 270 ( or similar wide area network ) a professional interface 280 that can be seen by a browser operating on a computer 290 for the benefit of a professional 110 , 112 . similarly , the web server 260 can manage a client interface 282 on browser operating on a client computer 292 , and a recipient interface 284 operating on a recipient computer 294 . each computer 200 , 290 , 292 , 294 could be a standard personal computer operating a microsoft windows , linux , or apple mac os operating system . alternatively , some of these computers , such as 290 - 294 , could be mobile devices , such as smart phones or tablet computers , operating google android , apple ios , or microsoft windows phone operation system . in addition , these devices 290 - 296 could be a “ smart ” or internet enabled television sets . fig3 is a flow chart showing the process 300 by which the users 110 - 132 utilize the computerized system 10 . for the sake of simplicity , this description will focus on the use of the system 100 by a single professional a 110 and their client a 2 122 , who shares his digital profile with recipient a 2 - 1 130 . this description should not be considered limiting , as the intent of the present invention is to have the system 100 be utilized by numerous professionals 110 , 112 , with each professional 110 , 112 having a plurality of clients 120 - 126 , and with each client 120 - 126 designating a plurality of recipients 130 , 132 . in the first step 310 of process 300 , the professional services provider 110 registers herself with the computerized system 100 . this step must be taken before the professional 110 may offer the product &# 39 ; s services to her clients 120 , 122 . registration includes basic address and contact information as well as the creation of login credentials ( user name , password and security questions ). these login credentials are requested by the system 100 every time a user accesses the system in order to identify and authenticate individual users . at step 312 , the professional services provider 110 will use administrative tools available through the professional interface 280 to customize her experience with the system 100 as well as the experience of her client 122 . professional 110 integrates the system 100 either by using her own custom domain ( i . e ., internet domain name address ) or through use of the system domain controlled by the entity that operates system 100 . if a custom domain is used , the client 122 will be directed to a sub - domain of the professional &# 39 ; s existing domain . the professional 110 creates this sub - domain and then redirects the sub - domain to an address provided by the operator of system 100 . the professional 110 has the opportunity to customize the landing page first viewed by her client 122 with her firm &# 39 ; s logo and contact information . if the system domain is used , the client 122 is directed to the professional &# 39 ; s landing page on the system &# 39 ; s server 200 . the professional 110 also has the opportunity to customize this landing page with their firm logo and contact information . the customization of step 312 also includes the creation and modification of the intake questionnaires that the system 100 provides to client 122 . by so doing , the professional 110 is also defining the intake data that the system 100 will track in the client &# 39 ; s digital profile 250 . the intake forms will be provided to the client 122 through that client &# 39 ; s client interface 282 . these forms will use best - practice data collection techniques appropriate for the professional services provider 110 . however , the system 100 will also support a diversity of business practices and sensitivity . the system &# 39 ; s form engine will enable professional services providers 110 to add , edit , or exclude most form elements according to the needs of their practice . in step 312 , the professional 110 can also customize other elements of their implementation of the computerized system 100 , including the introduction language , fonts , colors , graphics ( including company logo ), messages , contact information , and the body and subject of email messages that are sent to the client 122 and the recipient 130 . in one embodiment , the professional services provider 110 is responsible for the creation of accounts on the computerized system 100 for each of her customers 120 , 122 . this occurs at step 314 . the professional 110 creates a new account for her client 122 using minimal information known about the client , such as their name , contact information and email address . in the case of couples , a tied pair of accounts is created . the professional services provider 110 also provides payment to the manager of the computerized system 100 during account creation . payment information can be remembered at the discretion of the professional services provider 110 to simplify subsequent account creation . with the creation of a new account , an email with a temporary password is sent to the client 122 inviting him to visit the system site ( through client interface 282 ) to begin the intake process . in an alternative embodiment , the computerized system 100 can allow client 122 to create his own account on the system 100 . because every new client account must be associated with a professional 110 , the account creation process requires any client that creates their own account to identify and associate themselves with a professional 110 that uses the system 100 . this alternative embodiment allows a professional 110 to explain to new clients that they must create an account on the system 100 before their first meeting . the professional 110 would provide instructions on how to create the account to new customers , ensuring that the appropriate intake data would be entered into the system before their first meeting . in one embodiment , the system 100 would allow new accounts to be created by client 120 before payment , but would require payment by the professional 110 before information in a client &# 39 ; s digital profile 250 is shared with the professional 110 . upon his first actual use of the system 100 , the client 122 is asked to create a permanent password ( i . e ., login credentials ) as well as security questions and answers that can be used to retrieve a lost or forgotten password . this registration process takes place in step 320 . once the user is logged into their account , the system 100 at step 322 provides the client 122 with a dashboard , which is the home page for the client within the system 100 and provides a summary of client &# 39 ; s account status . the dashboard includes a visual indication of overall percentage to which the client &# 39 ; s digital profile 250 is complete , warnings about recommended actions , and a messaging tool to display and create messages between the client 122 and their professional services provider 110 . the dashboard also includes other information including space for the professional services provider 110 to populate with selected articles , information , static image or message or system default information . one of the primary purposes of the client interface 282 is to allow the client 122 to input data into their digital profile . this intake of information takes place at step 324 , and utilizes several forms designed to collect the information needed to create the client &# 39 ; s profile . the intake information entered at this intake step 324 is stored in the digital profile 250 . the intake information is the type of information that would be useful for the professional 110 to perform her standard services for the client 122 and for recipients to have following the client &# 39 ; s death or disability . for example , with respect to estate planning professionals , intake information includes those items 400 indicated on fig4 . all forms used by the client interface 282 for data input into the digital profile 250 intelligently expand and contract according to the client &# 39 ; s answers thereby streamlining the data entry process . all forms provide appropriate validation and input helpers to help ensure accurate information . professional services providers 110 can customize all forms for receiving intake information 400 according to the diversity and sensitivities of their individual practice using a forms editor . by default , the professional services provider 110 is given read - only access to the client &# 39 ; s intake information 400 to assist in providing their professional services . in some embodiments , permission to access the intake information 400 can be changed by the client 122 as desired . in addition to intake information 400 , the client 122 at step 326 can add additional information and materials to the digital profile 250 , as is shown in fig5 . in particular , the digital profile may include the following categories of information and materials : notes 510 . the note form allows the client 122 create a simple unstructured message to his recipient 130 . the notes 510 are as flexible and open - ended as a standard email message . videos 520 . the video form allows the client 122 to upload and describe videos files 520 . files 530 . the file form allows the client 122 to upload and describe arbitrary digital files 530 . online accounts 540 . the online account form allows the client 122 to identify online accounts 540 and to record the security credentials ( user name , password , security questions , special instructions ) needed to access them . road map 550 . the road map form allows the client 122 to describe the location of tangible assets and important items that exist in the real world rather than in digital format . plan my funeral 560 . the plan my funeral form allows the client 122 to provide notes , suggestions , ideas , or even detailed plans about the client &# 39 ; s desires concerning their funeral service , their visitation or wake , the reception , desires regarding memorials and notifications , and their wishes with respect to burials or cremation . within each category 510 - 560 of information in the digital profile 250 , the client 122 is able to create a nearly unlimited number of records . unlike the information collected on the intake forms 400 , the information created , entered and stored in the rest of the digital profile 250 is not available to the professional services provider 110 unless explicitly granted by the client 122 . in addition , it should be noted that , in the preferred embodiment , the client 122 has ultimate control over whether and with whom to affiliate his digital profile 250 . in other words , the client 122 has the ability to transfer his professional services relationship to another professional 112 so long as that professional 112 is registered with the system 100 . in doing so , the information entered by the client 122 will transfer intact and the same abilities of the previous professional 110 to interact with the intake information 400 will transfer to the new professional services provider 112 . for each data entry 510 - 560 added to the digital profile 250 , the client has the opportunity to identify one or more recipients 130 , 132 of the information 510 - 560 that have access to that data , either immediately or upon the occurrence of some triggering event . as shown at step 328 , each recipient 130 , 132 identified by the client 122 will receive an email instructing her to register herself with the system 100 as a participant in the client &# 39 ; s digital profile 250 . interaction between the recipient 130 and the system 100 will take place through the recipient interface 284 , which may also include customizations specified by the professional 110 working with the client 122 . the client 122 will be notified when their recipient 130 registers with the system 100 through interface 284 . during registration ( step 330 ), the recipient 130 establishes her username and password ( her login credentials ) as well as secret questions and answers that can be used to retrieve a forgotten password . the client 122 will also be notified if there are their recipient 130 fails to register or if email to recipient 130 is rejected or bounces back . after the client 122 enters intake data 400 at step 324 , the professional services provider 110 is able to export the intake data 400 in a format appropriate for printing , or in an export format appropriate for syncing with computer programs utilized by the professional 110 . this occurs at step 332 in process 300 . frequently , the client 122 has hired the professional 110 to generate documents that may themselves be important additions to the client &# 39 ; s digital profile 250 . in one embodiment , the professional 110 is given the ability through their interface 280 ( at step 334 ) to submit digital versions of these documents to the digital profile 250 of her client 122 . the professional 110 has the ability to receive activity reports for her client 122 . these reports will inform the professional services provider of the last time the client 122 has accessed the system 100 . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , the professional 110 will also receive activity reports informing the professional 110 of significant changes or shortcomings in client information , either in the intake form 400 or in the remainder of the digital profile 250 that may impact the provider &# 39 ; s service offerings . at step 340 , the system 100 prompts the professional 110 to maintain regular e - mail contact with each of her clients 122 . the e - mail communication between the professional 110 and her client 122 can take place outside the computerized system 100 . in the preferred embodiment , however , the e - mail communications are managed and tracked by the system 100 so that the professional 110 has a consistent and complete record of communications with client 122 concerning the system 100 . in fact , the communications can be fully generated and automated by the system 100 so that no additional steps are necessary for the professional 110 to send the communications . in other embodiments , the system 100 will suggest e - mail text based on standard language suggested by the system 100 . the professional 110 will have the opportunity to customize the suggested email communication language proposed by the system 100 . in some cases , the system 100 will not send any communication until authorized by the professional 110 . in this way , the system 100 ensures that the client 122 will receive regular email from his professional services provider 110 . in still other embodiments , the professional 110 can modify the level of communication desired with her customer 122 . this level of communication can vary from absolutely no ongoing email communication , to correspondence on a regularly scheduled time basis , to ad hoc email or email notice when the digital profile 250 needs attention for some reason . asking the client 122 to complete or update specific portions of his digital profile 250 ; reminding the client 122 to keep his information up - to - date ; providing the client 122 with relevant information related to the service offerings of the professional 110 ; and advising the client 122 if an information recipient 130 has failed to register or keep contact information current . every recipient 130 who registers himself through the recipient interface 284 at the request of the client 122 becomes a member of that client &# 39 ; s network . recipient 130 will also receive regular email from the professional service provider 110 currently working with that client 122 . these emails serve multiple purposes including : reminding the recipient 130 that he or she has been selected by the client 122 to receive important client information ; reminding the recipient 130 to keep his or her contact information up - to - date ; requesting the recipient 130 to inform the professional service provider 110 about the occurrence of a triggering event ; and indirectly informing the recipient 130 of the services offered by the professional service provider 110 . as was the case with e - mail communication with the client 122 , the professional services provider 110 will have the opportunity to customize the standard content and frequency of email communication with the recipients 130 , 132 . by maintaining ongoing communication with the client 122 and each of the client &# 39 ; s recipients 130 , the professional 110 will be able to improve her relationship with client 122 and develop a relationship with each recipient 130 . this strengthened relationship will allow the professional 110 to increase their ability to market services to those individuals 122 , 130 . more importantly , however , regular communication concerning this system 100 will increase the likelihood that the professional 110 will receive timely notification of a triggering event . in many cases , the triggering event will be the death of the client 122 , and the communication of that event will come from the recipient 130 . upon receiving notice of and confirming a triggering event such as the client &# 39 ; s disability or death ( step 342 ), the professional 110 verifies the occurrence of that event , and then inputs the event into the system 100 through the professional interface 280 at step 344 . upon verification of the triggering event by the professional 110 , the system 100 sends an email notice ( step 346 ) to each recipient 130 identified by the client 122 . this email serves only as an invitation to the recipients 130 to visit their recipient interface 284 of the system 100 in order to view client information designated for the recipient . the emails do not contain any client information stored in the digital profile 250 . the recipient 130 will then log into the system 100 at step 348 using the password she established when she confirmed their status as recipients in the client &# 39 ; s network at step 330 . in the event the recipient 130 has forgotten her password , she is able to retrieve the password by correctly answering the security questions that were established during registration . after logging into the system 100 , recipient 130 will receive read - only access to that portion of the client &# 39 ; s digital profile 250 designated for their viewing ( step 350 ). the level of access to the profile 250 that will be granted will be as specified by the client 122 . the many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the above description . numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art . since such modifications are possible , the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described . rather , the present invention should be limited only by the following claims . | 6 |
fig1 shows a block diagram of an integrated circuit device 100 including a clock path 110 , according to an embodiment of the invention . ic device 100 can be a memory device or a processor . clock path 110 of ic device 100 receives clock signals ck and ck #. the “#” designation in ck # indicates that the ck # signal is inverted with respect to the ck signal . the ck and ck # signals together form a differential signal . thus , the ck and ck # signals can be considered as components of a differential signal . the ck and ck # signals may be external to ic device 100 . clock path 110 includes a clock distribution network ( cdn ) 112 to distribute the ck and ck # signals , or signals generated from the ck and ck # signals , to various locations within ic device 100 . ic device 100 also includes a data path 120 to transfer data within ic device 100 or to transfer data to and from ic device 100 . in fig1 , “ data ” presents the data transfer to and from ic device 100 . ic device 100 uses the ck and ck # signals as timing signals to transfer data on data path 120 . data path 120 may include components , such as data receivers , latches , and deserializers . the data receivers can be differential amplifier ( e . g ., sense - amp based ) data receivers . data on data path 120 includes data transferred to and from memory cells 130 . ic device 100 also includes a bias generator 180 to generate a bias voltage v bias based on a bandgap reference generator 170 . ic device 100 uses bias voltage v bias to control gates of transistors of at least some of the components of clock path 110 . some of the components of ic device 100 , such as clock path 110 and bias generator 180 , can be similar to or identical to the components described below with reference to fig2 through fig1 . fig2 shows a block diagram of an ic device 200 including a clock path 210 having a cdn 212 , according to an embodiment of the invention . clock path 210 includes a receiver 232 to receive a differential clock signal formed by clock signals ck and ck #, which can have a frequency corresponding to a frequency of a clock ( e . g ., system clock ) of a system that includes ic device 200 . clock path 210 uses the ck and ck # signals to generate other clock signals with different phases and different frequencies for internal data capture and transfer within ic device 200 . a buffer 234 receives the ck and ck # signals and generates a 2 - phase differential clock signal that includes clock signals ck 2 and ck 2 #. the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals can be generated to have the same frequency as the frequency of the ck and ck # signals . clock path 210 may include a duty cycle correction circuit ( not shown ) coupled to receiver 232 and buffer 234 to improve duty cycle of the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals . cdn 212 includes a receiver and divider circuit 236 to receive the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals to generate 4 - phase differential clock signals including a first differential clock signal formed by clock signals ck 4 a and ck 4 a #, and a second differential clock signal formed by clock signals ck 4 b and ck 4 b #. the ck 4 a , ck 4 a #, ck 4 b , and ck 4 b # signals can be generated to have a frequency that is one - half of the frequency of the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals . cdn 212 also includes a converter 238 , which is a current - mode logic ( cml ) to cmos signal ( cml - to - cmos ) converter and can include a differential to single - ended signal converter . converter 238 converts four components ( ck 4 a , ck 4 a #, ck 4 b , and ck 4 b #) of the two differential clock signals into four single - ended clock signals ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 on lines 239 for distribution to a clock tree system 240 . as shown in fig2 , clock path 210 includes a combination of both cml - based and cmos - based components . cml - based components include receiver 232 , buffer 234 , receiver and divider circuit 236 , and converter 238 . cmos - based components include inverter circuits 250 and local clock trees 260 . in this description , a cml - based component refers to a component having input nodes to receive input differential signals and output nodes to provide output differential signals . a cmos - based component refers to a component having an input node to receive an input cmos - level signaling and an output node to provide a cmos - level signaling . a differential signal and a cmos signal can make a transition from one signal level to another signal level . the transition can be considered a “ swing ” of the signal . the signal levels can include supply voltage and ground potential levels , which are usually provided through conductors that are sometimes called “ rails ”. the signal swing of cmos signals generated by cmos components are generally greater than the signal swing of differential signals received at or generated by cml - based components . for example , cmos signals can swing from supply voltage level ( e . g ., vcc ) to ground and vice versa ( or rail to rail ). differential signals associated with cml - based components generally have signal swings that are less than rail to rail . as shown in fig2 , inverter circuits 250 and local clock trees 260 are arranged in an h - tree arrangement . inverter circuits 250 can be considered part of a global clock tree of clock tree system 240 . the global clock tree can extend a relatively long distance within ic device 200 . local clock trees 260 can be located locally near data latches and deserializers of ic device 200 . the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals have signal levels corresponding to cmos signal level . clock tree system 240 distributes the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals to inverter circuits 250 and local clock trees 260 for data capture and transfer . each inverter circuit 250 includes four cmos inverters , and each of the four inverters receives one of the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals . each local clock tree 260 can include additional inverters ( not shown ) to further distribute the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals . the single lines between the individual inverter circuits 250 and local clock trees 260 include multiple lines to carry multiple clock signals . fig2 shows these multiple lines as single lines for simplicity . ic device 200 also includes a bandgap reference generator 270 to generate voltage and current that are substantially constant over variations in the fabricating process , operating voltage and temperature . a bias generator 280 generates a bias voltage v bias based on bandgap reference generator 270 , such as based on the voltage or current from bandgap reference generator 270 . ic device 200 uses bias voltage v bias to control the gate of transistors in other components of ic device 200 , including cml - based components . some conventional clock paths may include only cmos inverters or only cml - based components . cmos inverters are generally more susceptible to supply voltage variation than cml - based components . cml - based components generally consume more power than cmos - based components . thus , some conventional clock paths may be sensitive to supply voltage variation or may consume relatively more power . in clock path 210 , however , a combination of both cml - based components and cmos - based components can reduce power consumption , or improve sensitivity to supply voltage variation , or both . cml - based components are generally sensitive to temperature . in some cases , variation in operating temperature can increase the temperature dependency of cml - based components . however , an appropriate value of a bias voltage , such as bias voltage v bias of fig2 , can reduce the temperature dependency of cml - based components , such as the cml - based components in ic device 200 of fig2 . generation of bias voltage v bias is described in more detail below with reference to fig1 through fig1 . fig3 shows a block diagram of a portion of a clock path 310 including a combination of cml - based components and cmos inverters , according to an embodiment of the invention . components of clock path 310 can be used in clock path 210 of fig2 . clock path 310 of fig3 includes additional components similar to those of clock path 210 of fig1 . however , fig3 shows only a portion of clock path 310 to focus on specific components shown therein . as shown in fig3 , clock path 310 includes cml - based components , such as receiver 333 and divider 335 , and cmos - based components such as inverters 350 . receiver 333 receives a differential clock signal ( ck 2 / ck 2 #). divider 335 receives the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals to generate two different differential clock signals , one formed by the ck 4 a and ck 4 a # signals and the other one formed by the ck 4 b and ck 4 b # signals . converter 338 is a cml - to - cmos signal converter and can include a differential to single - ended signal converter . converter 338 converts the two differential clock signals ( ck 4 a / ck 4 a # and ck 4 b / ck 4 b #) into four single - ended clock signals ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 on lines 339 , which correspond to lines 239 of fig2 . a clock tree system 340 includes four inverters 350 , each receiving a corresponding clock signal ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , or ck 4 270 . inverters 350 provide the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals to one or more branch of clock tree system 340 for further distribution . the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals can be used as clock signals for data latches and other components , such as deserializers , to capture and transfer data . fig4 is a timing diagram showing clock signals having different phases and frequencies , according to an embodiment of the invention . the clock signals shown in fig4 correspond to the same signals shown in fig1 , fig2 , and fig3 . as shown in fig4 , the ck and ck # signals have a cycle ( period ) “ t ” or a frequency f 1 = 1 / t . the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals also have a cycle of t or a frequency f 2 = f 1 = 1 / t , which is equal to the frequency f 1 of the ck signal . the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals are 180 degrees ( or ½ of their cycle t ) relative to each other . the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals have a cycle of 2t or a frequency f 4 = 1 / 2t , which is one - half the frequency f 2 of the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals . the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals are 90 degrees ( or ¼ of their cycle 2t ) out of phase relative to each other . the data ( data ) can have a frequency f d equal to four times the frequency f 4 of the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals ( e . g ., f d = 4f 4 = 2 / t ), such that during each clock cycle t , two bits of data can be captured or transferred . data capture and transfer can occur at the edge ( e . g ., rising edge ) of the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals . for example , as shown in fig4 , four data bits b 0 , b 1 , b 2 , and b 3 of the data ( data ) can be captured or can be deserialized using four consecutive rising edges of the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals . fig5 shows a block diagram of a portion of a clock path 510 with a converter 538 located at local clock trees 560 , according to an embodiment of the invention . clock path 510 includes a combination of cml - based components , such as cml receiver 533 , cml divider 535 , cml buffers 550 , and cmos - based components , such as cmos inverter 555 . fig5 shows details of components within only one local clock tree 560 for clarity . local clock trees 560 , however , have similar components . clock path 510 can be considered a variation of clock path 210 of fig2 , with cml buffers 550 in fig5 replacing cmos inverter circuits 250 of fig2 and converter 538 of fig5 located at local clock trees 560 . in fig2 , converter 238 is located outside local clock trees 260 and converts differential signals ck 4 a / ck 4 a # and ck 4 b / ck 4 b # into 4 - phase cmos clock signals ( ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 ). then , clock path 210 distributes the 4 - phase cmos clock signals to local clock trees 260 . in fig5 , however , differential signals ck 4 a / ck 4 a # and ck 4 b / ck 4 b # are distributed to local clock trees 260 by cml buffers 550 . then , converter 538 locally converts differential signals ck 4 a / ck 4 a # and ck 4 b / ck 4 b # into the 4 - phase cmos clock signals ( e . g ., ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 ). fig6 shows a block diagram of a portion of a clock path 610 with clock trees 641 and 642 having different clock phases , according to an embodiment of the invention . clock path 610 includes receivers 633 to receive a differential signal , formed by clock signals ck 2 and ck 2 #, and sends it to clock trees 641 and 642 . the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals are 2 - phase clock signals that clock tree 641 uses as timing signal to capture data ( data ) at latches 621 . clock tree 642 includes a divider 634 and inverter circuit 636 to convert the 2 - phase clock signals ck 2 and ck 2 # into 4 - phase clock signals ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 on lines 639 . clock tree 642 uses the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 signals to deserialize data at deserializer 622 before the data is stored , for example , in memory cells . fig7 shows a block diagram of a portion of a clock path 710 with clock trees 741 and 742 having the same components , according to an embodiment of the invention . clock path 710 receives a differential clock signal , formed by clock signals ck 2 and ck 2 #, at receiver 733 and sends it to clock trees 741 and 742 via cml buffers 734 . each of clock trees 741 and 742 includes a divider 735 , a converter 738 , and a cmos inverter circuit 750 to receive the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals to generate 4 - phase cmos clock signals ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 to capture data ( data ) at data latches 721 or 722 . fig8 shows a schematic diagram of a cml - based component 800 , according to an embodiment of the invention . cml - based component 800 has a differential amplifier configuration with a load 802 and a constant current i . cml - based component 800 includes transistors 803 and 804 to receive a differential clock signal , formed by clock signals ck in and ck in #, and generate a differential clock signal , formed by clock signals ck out and ck out #. cml - based component 800 also includes a transistor 805 having a gate controlled by an enable signal en to activate or deactivate cml - based component 800 . cml - based component 800 further includes a transistor 806 having a gate controlled by a bias voltage v bias . a bias generator , similar to bias generator 280 of fig1 , provides bias voltage v bias . cml - based component 800 with the different amplifier configuration show in fig8 ( or with other different amplifier configurations ) can be used as receiver 232 of fig2 , receiver 333 of fig3 , cml buffers 550 of fig5 , receivers 633 of fig6 , cml buffer 637 of fig6 , and cml buffers 734 of fig7 . fig8 shows an example of a differential amplifier configuration of cml - based component 800 . cml - based component 800 , however , can include other differential amplifier configurations . fig9 shows a schematic diagram of a divider circuit 935 , according to an embodiment of the invention . divider circuit 935 can be used as the divider circuits described above , such as divider 335 of fig3 . in fig9 , divider circuit 935 is a cml latch - based divider circuit with cml latches 911 , 912 , 921 , and 922 . the circuit components , such as transistors n 1 through n 7 and resistors r 1 and r 2 of cml latches 911 , 912 , 921 , and 922 are similar and are arranged in similar ways as shown in fig9 . for clarity , fig9 omits details of cml latches 911 and 921 . cml latches 911 and 912 form two stages ( e . g ., master and slave stages ) of a first divider to receive a different clock signal that includes clock signals ck 2 and ck 2 # and generate a differential signal that includes clock signals ck 4 a and ck 4 a #. as shown in fig9 , the gates of two transistors n 1 and n 2 of cml latch 912 are controlled by clock signals ck 2 and ck 2 #, and the gate of a transistor n 3 is controlled by a bias voltage v bias . a bias generator , which can be similar to bias generator 280 of fig2 , provides bias voltage v bias . the ck 4 a and ck 4 a # signals generated by latches 911 and 912 have a frequency equal to one - half of the frequency of the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals . cml latches 921 and 922 form two stages ( e . g ., master and slave ) of a second divider to receive the same ck 2 and ck 2 # signals and generate a differential signal that includes clock signals ck 4 b and ck 4 b #. cml latches 921 and 922 operate in ways similar to those of cml latches 911 and 912 , except that the ck 2 and ck 2 # signals are swapped at gates of transistors n 1 and n 2 of cml latches 921 and 922 . transistor n 3 of cml latch 922 is controlled by the same bias voltage v bias . divider circuit 935 may provide the ck 4 a , ck 4 a #, ck 4 b , ck 4 b # signals to a converter , such as converter of 238 of fig2 or converter 338 of fig3 , to generate 4 - phase cmos clock signals , such as the ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 clock signals of fig2 and fig3 . fig1 shows a block diagram of an ic device 1000 including a bias generator 1080 , according to an embodiment of the invention . ic device 1000 may include components similar to or identical to those of ic device 100 of fig1 and ic device 200 of fig2 . fig1 shows only a portion of ic device 1000 to focus on bias generator 1080 and bandgap reference generator 1070 . bias generator 1080 generates a bias voltage v bias , which can be used as bias voltage v bias described above with reference to fig1 through fig9 . as shown in fig1 , bias generator 1080 includes generator portions 1010 and 1020 to generate voltages v init and v adj based on a current i ref from bandgap reference generator 1070 . current i ref is a bandgap reference current that is substantially constant over variations in operating voltage and temperature . bias generator 1080 includes a calibrating process to adjust the value of voltage v adj based on the relationship between voltages v init and v adj during the calibrating process . after the value of voltage v adj is adjusted to a selected value , bias generator 1080 stops the calibrating process to maintain the value of bias voltage v bias . as shown in fig1 , bias generator 1080 includes a unity gain amplifier 1050 to provide voltage bias v bias , which is equal to voltage v adj . unity gain amplifier 1050 can act as a filter to improve signal characteristic of bias voltage v bias . generator portion 1010 includes a current source 1012 and a load formed by transistors 1014 and 1016 that are coupled as a diode load and in series with current source 1012 on a circuit path between nodes 1098 and 1099 . node 1098 can include a supply node having a supply voltage vcc . node 1099 can include a ground potential . current source 1012 may include a current mirror to generate current i init based on current i ref , such that current i init can be equal to current i ref . as shown in fig1 , voltage v init is a function of current i init and a resistance across the diode load formed by transistors 1014 and 1016 . generator portion 1020 includes a current source 1022 and a load , formed by a resistor r , coupled in series with current source 1022 on a circuit path between nodes 1098 and 1099 . current source 1022 may include a current minor to generate current i adj based on current i ref . current i adj is an adjustable current . it can be adjusted using a code ( represented by “ code ” in fig1 ). the code can be a digital code having one or more bits . fig1 and fig1 ( described below ) show examples of an adjustable current source that can be used for current source 1022 of fig1 . as shown in fig1 , voltage v adj is a function of current i adj and the resistance of resistor r . thus , the value of voltage v adj can be adjusted by adjusting the value of current i adj . further , since bias voltage v bias is generated based on voltage v adj , bias voltage v bias is also a function of current i adj and the resistance of resistor r . as described above , bias generator 1080 includes calibrating process to adjust the value of bias voltage v bias based on the relationship between voltages v init and v adj . in fig1 , during a calibrating process , a comparator 1030 compares the value of voltage v adj with the value of voltage v init and adjusts the value of voltage v adj based on the results of the comparison . the value of current i init and voltage v init are not adjusted during the calibrating process . thus , the value of voltage v init can be used as a target value during the calibrating process . current source 1022 can be set such that the value of voltage v adj is set to a starting value within a voltage range ( described below ) and less than the value of voltage v init at the beginning of the calibrating process . then , based on the comparison during a calibrating process , a controller 1040 changes the value of the code to change the value of current i adj and increase the value of voltage v adj . the adjustment can repeat until the value of voltage v adj is at least equal to the value of voltage v init . controller 1040 may include a digital counter to set the value of the code corresponding to a count value of the counter . controller 1040 may use the counter to count up , increasing the value of the count value , which can correspond to an increase in the value of current i adj . current source 1022 can be alternatively set such that the value of voltage v adj is set to a starting value within a value range and greater than ( instead of less than , as described above ) the value of voltage v init at the beginning of the calibrating process . then , based on the comparison during a calibrating process , controller 1040 can change the value of the code to change the value of current i adj and decrease the value of voltage v adj . in the alternative way , controller 1040 may use a counter to count down , decreasing the value of the count value , which can correspond to a decrement in the value of current i adj . the adjustment can repeat until the value of voltage v adj is at most equal to the value of voltage v init . the voltage range of voltage v adj ( mentioned above ) can be determined by measuring its values ( e . g ., during design ) for different process variations . thus , the voltage range is known before the value of voltage v adj is set . the voltage range of voltage v init can also be determined by measuring its values for different process corners . based on the voltage ranges , the starting value of v adj at the beginning of the calibrating process can be set to a value within its voltage range ( e . g ., a lowest value in the voltage range ) and less than or greater than the value of voltage v init . bias generator 1080 may perform the calibrating process only one time , for example , only during a power - up sequence of ic device 1000 . after the calibrating process , for example , after the power - up sequence , ic device 1000 may switch one or more of generator portion 1010 , comparator 1030 , and controller 1040 to a lower power mode to save power . such lower power mode may include an idle mode or an off mode . ic device 1000 includes an operating temperature range with a first operating temperature limit lower than a second operating temperature limit . bias generator 1080 may perform the calibrating process to adjust voltage v adj at a temperature that is closer to the first operating temperature limit than the second operating temperature limit . for example , ic device 1000 may have an operating temperature range from 0 ° c . to 100 ° c . and bias generator 1080 may perform the calibrating process at 25 ° c . performing the calibrating process at a relatively lower temperature within operating temperature range may improve performance of device 100 . fig1 shows a block diagram of a bias generator 1180 with a current source 1122 having adjustable parallel current paths 1100 , 1101 , and 1102 , according to an embodiment of the invention . bias generator 1180 can correspond to bias generator 1080 of fig1 . fig1 shows only a portion of generator 1180 to focus on current source 1122 , which can correspond to current source 1022 of fig1 . in fig1 , bias generator 1180 generates a voltage v adj , which can be used to generate a bias voltage ( e . g ., v bias = v adj ) similar to or identical to bias voltage v bias in fig1 . in fig1 , voltage v adj has a value based on the value of a current i adj and the resistance of a resistor r . the value of current i adj can be generated based on bandgap reference generator 1170 . as shown in fig1 , bandgap reference generator 1170 includes a bandgap internal circuitry 1171 , transistors p 0 , and a resistor r ref to generate a bandgap current i ref . current source 1122 includes transistors p 1 through p 9 arranged in a current mirror configuration with transistors p 0 to generate a current i adj based on current i ref . the value of the current i adj is equal to a sum of the values of currents on current paths 1100 , 1101 , and 1102 . each of these current paths can be configured to have different current values . for example , transistors p 1 through p 9 can have different sizes so that currents on current paths 1100 , 1101 , and 1102 can have different values . bias generator 1180 receives a code having bits c 0 , c 1 , and c 2 to select a combination of current paths 1100 , 1101 , and 1102 . fig1 shows current source 1122 having only three current paths 1100 , 1101 , and 1102 as an example . the number of current paths can vary . the values of bits c 0 , c 1 , and c 2 can be controlled by a controller , such as controller 1040 of fig1 . depending on which combination of current paths 1100 , 1101 , and 1102 is selected , the value of current i adj is increased or decreased to adjust the value of voltage v adj . bias generator 1180 may adjust voltage v adj during a calibrating process similar to or identical to the calibrating process described above with reference to fig1 . for example , bias generator 1180 can adjust voltage v adj by changing the values of bits c 0 , c 1 , and c 2 during a calibrating process . fig1 shows a block diagram of a bias generator 1280 having multiple current sources 1220 , 1221 , and 1222 , according to an embodiment of the invention . bias generator 1280 can correspond to bias generator 1080 of fig1 . fig1 shows only a portion of generator 1280 to focus on current sources 1220 , 1221 , and 1222 . bias generator 1280 generates a voltage v adj , which can be used to generate a bias voltage ( e . g ., v bias = v adj ) similar to or identical to bias voltage v bias in fig1 . in fig1 , voltage v adj has a value based on the value of a current i adj and the resistance of a resistor r . the value of current i adj can be generated based on a bandgap current i ref from bandgap reference generator 1270 . each of current sources 1220 , 1221 , and 1222 can include multiple parallel current paths similar to the parallel current paths of current source 1122 of fig1 . bias generator 1280 receives a code ( represented by “ code ” in fig1 ) to control the current on each of current sources 1220 , 1221 , and 1222 . the value of current i adj is equal to the sum of current from current sources 1220 , 1221 , and 1222 . multiple current sources 1220 , 1221 , and 1222 provide bias generator 1280 with more combination of current paths to select , so that current i adj can be adjusted with a finer resolution and a wider range of current value . fig1 is a flow diagram of a method 1300 , according to an embodiment of the invention . method 1300 can be used to generate a bias voltage and clock signals in an ic device . method 1300 includes activity 1310 to enable a bandgap reference generator . after the bandgap reference generator is settled , activity 1320 performs a calibrating process to select a value of a voltage ( e . g ., v adj ) generated based on the bandgap reference generator . the calibrating process in activity 1320 may include activities and operations of a bias generator , such as bias generators 1080 , 1180 , and 1280 of fig1 , fig1 , and fig1 , respectively . after the calibrating process , method 1300 continues with activity 1330 to provide the bias voltage , which is based on the voltage generated during the calibrating process . the bias voltage can be similar to or identical to bias voltage v bias described above with reference to fig1 through fig1 . activity 1330 in fig1 may perform the calibrating process only one time , for example , only during a power - up sequence of the ic device . method 1300 also includes activity 1340 to generate clock signals for data capture and transfer . method 1300 may use the bias voltage provided by activity 1330 to control transistors of cml - based components that method 1300 uses to generate the clock signals . generation of the clock signals in activity 1330 may include activities and operations described above with reference to fig1 through fig9 to generate clock signals , such as ck 2 , ck 2 #, ck 4 a , ck 4 a #, ck 4 b , ck 4 b #, ck 4 0 , ck 4 90 , ck 4 180 , and ck 4 270 . one or more embodiments described herein include apparatus and methods having a clock path with a combination of current - mode logic ( cml ) based and cmos components . the apparatus and methods further include a bias generator to generate a bias voltage for use in some of the components of the clock path . other embodiments , including additional methods and devices , are described above with reference to fig1 through fig1 . the illustrations of apparatus such as ic devices 100 , 200 , and 1000 are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments and not a complete description of all the elements and features of the apparatus that might make use of the structures described herein . the apparatus of various embodiments includes or can be included in electronic circuitry used in high - speed computers , communication and signal processing circuitry , memory modules , portable memory storage devices ( e . g ., thumb drives ), single or multi - processor modules , single or multiple embedded processors , multi - core processors , data switches , and application - specific modules including multilayer , multi - chip modules . such apparatus may further be included as sub - components within a variety of electronic systems , such as televisions , memory cellular telephones , personal computers ( e . g ., laptop computers , desktop computers , handheld computers , tablet computers , etc . ), workstations , radios , video players , audio players ( e . g ., mp3 ( motion picture experts group , audio layer 3 ) players ), vehicles , medical devices ( e . g ., heart monitor , blood pressure monitor , etc . ), set top boxes , and others . the above description and the drawings illustrate some embodiments of the invention to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments of the invention . other embodiments may incorporate structural , logical , electrical , process , and other changes . in the drawings , like features or like numerals describe substantially similar features throughout the several views . portions and features of some embodiments may be included in , or substituted for , those of others . many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding the above description . for example , the embodiments described above may also apply to a cml / cmos cdn that uses two - phase clock signals ( e . g ., ck and ck # or ck 2 and ck 2 #) to capture and transfer data . in the two - phase cml / cmos cdn , a divider ( e . g ., clm divider 535 of fig5 ) can be omitted . the abstract is provided to comply with 37 c . f . r . § 1 . 72 ( b ) requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure . the abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the claims . | 7 |
any suitable liquid epoxy resin or liquid solution of an epoxy resin that can be emulsified can be used in the dilute aqueious sizing compositions of the invention , but it is preferred to use epoxy resins which are themselves liquid at ordinary workplace temperatures , and it is further preferred to use it in combination with a suitable solvent therefor . preferably the weight of solvent , if any , will be not greater than about the weight of epoxy resins . if the solvent is water soluble , at least a portion of it may partition into the aqueous phase of the emulsion . the solvent , if any , will be selected according to well known principles as to its solubility , stability and volatility characteristics . a particularly advantageous solvent is diacetone alcohol . while the structure of the epoxy resins is not narrowly critical , and both linear diepoxide - terminated resins and other types of epoxide resins of equal or higher functionality , such as novolac types , can advantageously be used , the substantially linear diepoxide - terminated reaction products of a bisphenol , such as bisphenol a or bisphenol f or brominated analogues thereof , and an epihalohydrin , such as epichlorohydrin , are preferred . it is further preferred that the epoxy resin be characterized by an epoxy equivalent weight greater than about 250 . any conventional glass fiber lubricant compatible with the emulsified epoxy resin or solution can be used . however , mineral oil is preferred as being a satisfactory lubricant which is readily co - emulsifiable with a broad selection of surfactant systems . as the surfactant for emulsifying the liquid epoxy resin or liquid solution of epoxy resin , ordinarily any of a broad range of surfactants or mixtures of surfactants generally suitable for such purpose can be used . however , predominantly non - ionic surfactant systems are preferred . surfactant systems comprising a major proportion by weight of alkylarylpoly ( alkoxy ) alkanols , and especially c . sub .≧ 6 - alkylarylpoly ( c 2 - 4 - alkoxy )- c 2 - 4 - alkanols , are particularly suitable . the dilute aqueous sizing compositions of the present invention employ , as the sole organosilane coupling agent , 3 - chloropropyltrimethoxysilane or , preferably , hydrolysate thereof . it is preferred that no other component primarily recognized as a coupling agent be included , but this is not meant to exclude components included primarily for some other functional purpose which may be shown to have also some incidental value as a coupling agent . inclusion of polyvinylpyrrolidone in the dilute aqueous sizing compositions of the invention is also advantageous . other conventional components such as anti - static agents , anti - foam agents , stabilizers , thixotropic agents , etc . can also be included if desired . although the proportions of the various components in the dilute aqueous sizing compositions of the invention are not narrowly critical , formulations within approximately the following ranges are generally preferred : ______________________________________ preferred proportion as wt . % of total as wt . % ofcomponent composition epoxy resin______________________________________epoxy resin 1 - 10solvent 0 - 20lubricant 2 - 153 - chloropropyltrimethoxysilane 2 - 15surfactant 15 - 25polyvinylpyrrolidone 2 - 15total non - volatiles 1 . 5 - 15______________________________________ the dilute aqueous sizing compositions of the invention can be prepared following conventional practices . thus a concentrated emulsion of the epoxy resin or epoxy resin solution can be prepared by slowly adding aqueous medium to a premixed blend of epoxy resin , surfactant and , optionally , solvent while subjecting the mixture to high shear agitation . ordinarily a water - in - oil emulsion will form first , but will invert to an oil - in - water emulsion as more of the aqueous medium is added . it is ordinarily advantageous to maintain the components of the concentrated emulsion at a moderately elevated temperature during the emulsification process , but of course care should be taken not to employ temperatures so high as to risk excessive thermal instability or volatilization of any component . the total content of non - volatile components in such a concentrated emulsion is not critical , and can advantageously range from about 35 to about 75 percent by weight . the concentrated emulsion of the epoxy resin or epoxy resin solution can then be mixed with the other components of the dilute aqueous sizing composition and additional water in any convenient order , only low shear agitation being required for mixing . it is , however , preferred that the silane be at least partially hydrolyzed , as by mixing it with a dilute aqueous acid such as acetic or citric acid , preferably before mixing it with the other components of the sizing composition . the dilute aqueous sizing compositions of the invention can be applied to glass fibers to form a light size coating thereon by any convenient method , such as by spraying , drawing the fibers to be sized across a rotating or stationary roll wet with the sizing composition , etc ., and then drying the composition so applied in situ , either before or after collecting the fibers into a package as by winding onto a rotating collet . ordinarily and preferably the sizing composition will be applied to the glass fibers during continuous manufacture thereof , which is typically by attenuating a plurality of streams of molten glass emerging from a reservoir through orifices in a so - called bushing plate and cooling the attenuated fibers to solidify them , immediately following solidification of the fibers . in order to avoid undesirably excessive heating of the dilute aqueous sizing composition as it is applied to the newly formed glass fibers , it may be found advantageous to cool the fibers substantially below their solidification temperature , as by wetting them with water , before the sizing composition is applied . the amount of sizing composition applied to the glass fibers is not narrowly critical , but ordinarily and advantageously a final in situ dried size coating constituting from about 0 . 5 to about 2 . 5 percent of the weight of the glass fibers can be deposited thereon . in adjusting the concentration and / or amount of the dilute aqueous sizing composition to be applied in order to achieve the desired final dried coating weight on the glass fibers , account must be taken out only of the proportion of non - volatile components therein but also of the usual loss of some of the wet coating initially applied to the fibers before it can be dried thereon . the invention can be further understood by considering the following specific examples representing preferred embodiments thereof . a concentrated emulsion of a liquid epoxy resin which was substantially a diglycidoxy - terminated reaction product of bisphenol a and epichlorohydride having epoxy equivalent weight of about 265 to about 355 and obtained from dow chemical co . as a 90 % solution in diacetone alcohol designated der 337 da 90 was first prepared as an intermediate for use in preparing dilute aqueous sizing compositions of the invention . the surfactants employed for emulsifying the epoxy resin were igepal co 897 ( tm / gaf corp . ), a 70 % solution in water of a nonylphenoxypoly ( ethoxy ) ethanol characterized by an hlb index of about 17 . 8 , igepal co 210 ( tm / gaf corp . ), a nonylphenoxypoly ( ethoxy ) ethanol characterized by an hlb index of about 4 . 6 , and methocel mc - 15 ( tm / dow chemical co . ), a methyl cellulose , all non - ionic surfactants . ______________________________________component wt . % ______________________________________epoxy resin 52 . 3diacetone alcohol 5 . 8igepal co 897 8 . 0igepal co 210 1 . 9methocel mc - 15 0 . 1d . i . water balancetotal non - volatiles 60______________________________________ the epoxy resin solution with diacetone alcohol and the principal surfactants were heated to about 150 ° f . and blended together in a tank equipped with cowles high shear disperser . the methocel was pre - mixed with about 1 / 4 of the water , heated to about 150 ° f ., and then slowly added to the other components while the mixture was subjected to high shear agitation and the temperature maintained approximately constant . during this addition the initially formed water - in - oil emulsion inverted to an oil - in - water emulsion . then the balance of the water was added slowly while high shear agitation was maintained . the product was a stable emulsion of about 60 percent by weight total non - volatiles and exhibited the characteristic bluish color of fine particle emulsions . a dilute aqueous sizing composition was prepared from the concentrated epoxy resin emulsion of example 1 using emerlube 7440 ( tm / emery industries ), which contains about 40 % mineral oil , about 20 % amide / ester anti - static agent and about 20 % surfactant in a ratio of about 3 : 1 non - ionic to anionic , pvp - k - 90 ( tm / gaf corp . ), a 22 . 5 % solution of polyvinylpyrrolidone in water , and a - 143 ( tm / union carbide corp . ), 3 - chloropropyltrimethoxysilane , according to the following formulation : ______________________________________component wt . % ______________________________________epoxy emulsion of ex . 1 12 . 1emerlube 7440 0 . 6pvp - k - 90 3 . 5a - 143 0 . 25glacial acetic acid 0 . 20d . i . water balancetotal non - volatiles 9 . 2 ± 0 . 7______________________________________ about half of the water was placed in a tank equipped with a stirrer and a premix of the epoxy emulsion of example 1 with about 150 % of its weight of water was slowly added thereto with stirring . the emerlube 7440 and the pvp - k - 90 were blended together and then about 4 times their combined weight of water was mixed therewith and this mixture was then added slowly to the main mixture with continuous stirring . the balance of the water was then added , followed slowly by the acetic acid and finally by the silane , and stirring continued for about 30 minutes more . this dilute aqueous sizing composition was applied to glass fibers during manufacture to give a dried coating weight thereon of about 1 . 25 ± 0 . 25 % of the weight of the glass fibers . additional dilute aqueous sizing compositions of the invention were prepared , using substantially the same procedure as in example 2 , according to the following formulations : ______________________________________component wt . % ______________________________________epoxy emulsion of ex . 1 11 . 6emerlube 7440 1 . 0pvp - k - 90 2 . 4a - 143 0 . 5glacial acetic acid 0 . 5d . i . water balancetotal non - volatiles 8 . 4 ± 0 . 2______________________________________ this composition was applied to glass fibers during manufacture thereof to give a dried coating weight of about 1 . 50 ± 0 . 15 % of the weight of the glass fibers . ______________________________________component wt . % ______________________________________epoxy emulsion of ex . 1 8 . 05emerlube 7440 1 . 125pvp - k - 90 0 . 84a - 143 0 . 30glacial acetic acid o . 20d . i . water balancetotal non - volatiles 6 . 3 ± 0 . 2______________________________________ this composition was applied to glass fibers during manufacture thereof to give a dried coating weight of about 0 . 83 % of the weight of the fibers . ______________________________________component wt . % ______________________________________epoxy emulsion of ex . 1 4 . 9emerlube 7440 0 . 4pvp - k - 90 1 . 0a - 143 0 . 2glacial acetic acid 0 . 2d . i . water balancetotal non - volatiles 3 . 3 ± 0 . 3______________________________________ this dilute aqueous sizing composition of the invention was applied to glass fibers during manufacture thereof to give a dried coating weight thereon of about 0 . 65 ± 0 . 15 % of the weight of the glass fibers . the dilute aqueous sizing compositions of the invention can be advantageously employed to deposit lightweight size coatings on either conventional e - glass type fibers or on high - strength s - glass ( tm / owens - corning fiberglas corp .) type fibers , and the sized glass fibers so produced can advantageously be incorporated as reinforcing elements in various matrix resins , particularly epoxy resins but also unsaturated polyester and other resins . glass fibers sized with the compositions of the invention exhibit excellent processing characteristics , particularly exhibiting fast and thorough wetting of the sized glass fibers by liquid epoxy and other matrix resins , and produce superior shear and tensile strength in epoxy and other matrix resins in which they are incorporated as reinforcing elements . numerous variations and modifications of the invention as specifically described will be apparent to those skilled in the art , and are contemplated as within the scope of the invention . | 2 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.