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referring now to the vacuum switch of fig1 there is shown an evacuated housing consisting of a metallic cylindrical part 5 and disk - like insulator parts 6 and 7 closing the cylindrical part on both ends thereof . within the evacuated housing there are two contact members consisting of contact disks 1 and 2 mounted on contact rods 3 and 4 , respectively . the contact rod 3 is stationary secured to the insulator part 7 , whereas the contact rod 4 with the contact disk 2 mounted thereon may be moved to and from the contact disk 1 , to which effect the contact rod 4 is connected to the insulator part 6 by means of a flexible bellows 8 . in fig1 the contact disks 1 and 2 meet each other in the tangent plane 9 . at a relatively small distance from this tangent plane 9 , and on either side thereof u - shaped yokes 10 and 11 have been mounted about the contact rods 3 and 4 . yokes 10 and 11 are made of a material having a good magnetic permeability . in the represented embodiment each of the yokes has been shaped as a broad ring of , for instance , soft iron . the yokes may be solid , though they may also be laminated as will be preferred of course in case of alternating current . each of yoke rings 10 and 11 has an inner diameter somewhat larger than the size of the pertaining contact rods 3 and 4 . in the present embodiment the outer diameter has been chosen equal to the outer diameter of the contact disks 1 and 2 . furthermore each of the yokes 10 and 11 has been provided with an air gap 12 and 13 respectively , between the legs , each air gap having a constant width from the outside of the inside equalling the inner diameter of the ring . each of the yokes has thus been slid over the pertaining contact rod until the yoke is in abutment with the contact rod . the yokes 10 and 11 lie in substantially parallel planes ( see also fig2 ) as closely as possible to the tangent plane 9 and rest against the contact disks 1 and 2 . preferably in the direction of the open end of the yoke the legs of the first yoke occupy a direction opposite to the direction of the legs of the second cooperating yoke . in other words upon axial projection of the first yoke on the second yoke the solid part of the first yoke will at least partially overlap the opening between the ends of the legs of the second yoke . fig1 - 3 , inclusive , also show the course of the magnetic flux lines in case of the passage of an electrical current through the switch . the magnetic field produced by this current passage through the switch is concentrated partially in the yokes 10 and 11 due to the good magnetic permeability of the yokes . in combination with the air gaps 12 and 13 situated between the open ends of the legs , the yokes 10 and 11 present on the respective sides of the tangent plane each constitute a magnetic circuit running partly round the contact rod . these air gaps 12 and 13 have -- at least as long the contact members are in touch -- a width larger than the distance between the yokes on both sides of the tangent plane 9 when viewed in the axial direction . consequently the magnetic flux lines will traverse to the yoke on the other side of the tangent plane rather than to the opposite leg of its own yoke . in fig1 this situation has clearly been shown . this traversion of the flux lines not only occurs at the site of the air gap but rather the main part of the flux lines will run between the parallel legs of the two yokes 10 and 11 having the opposite direction and facing each other due to the initially short distance between the yokes . in fig3 this situation has further been shown . the dots and crosses represent flux lines running perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing . as will be evident a traversion of only a small part of the flux lines occurs at the site of the air gap per se , indicated by the interrupted axis . in fig3 in the right hand part the flux lines disappear in the plane of the drawing whereas in the left hand part the flux lines emerge from the plane of the drawing . the directions of the flux lines have also been indicated in fig2 representing the case in which upon opening the contact members the contact disks are already at a certain distance from each other . fig4 graphically represents the course of the density of the magnetic field produced by the yokes at the side of the tangent plane on current passage in the directions indicated in fig3 by arrows i , ii and iii . in fig4 the distance measured from the center of the contact disks has been plotted in millimeter units along the abscissa whereas the induction expressed in tesla - units has been plotted along the ordinate . it is apparent that the density of the magnetic field is the highest in the region of the arrow i . this is in accordance with what is to be expected expectations because the influence of the parts having a low permeability will be the least noticeable in this region . the current used for these measurements amounted to 1800 amps a . c . the roman numeral in the curves without an accent pertains to the measurement on a contact disk having a thickness of 3 mm and the roman numeral with an accent corresponds to the measurement on a contact disk having a thickness of 1 mm . the thickness of the disks thus has a considerable influence on the strength of the magnetic field . likewise the location of the maximum induction is influenced by the thickness . the measurements for obtaining the curves in fig4 have been performed on yokes having an external circular shape . the invention however , is not restricted thereto . likewise the shape of the u - shaped yokes will influence the course of the curves . from fig4 it furthermore appears that a weak magnetic field is only present in the region of the arrow iii , i . e . the region of the tangent plane between the contact disks running parallel with the space between the legs of the yokes . in the main part of the tangent plane and the space between the contact disks flux lines , and consequently a more or less strong magnetic field , occur upon displacement of the contact disks with respect to each other . like in the switch according to the above mentioned dutch patent application no . 7601084 this results in a considerable improvement of the interruptor properties of the switch according to the invention . upon further displacement of the contact disks 1 and 2 , and thus the yokes 10 and 11 with respect to each other , the strength of the axial magnetic field between the yokes and consequently between the contact disks will decrease due to the increasing distance , whereas the strength of the field between the two legs of each of the yokes will increase . the contact disks and yokes may , however , easily be constructed and mounted in such a manner that a sufficiently strong axially directed field will remain during the operative part of the circuit breaking procedure . this applies to the switch having the dimensions according to fig2 which has been drawn on real scale . the contact rods have a diameter of 25 mm , the contact disks a diameter of 60 mm and a thickness of 2 mm . even if upon opening the distance between the yokes amounts to 16 mm , a sufficiently strong axial magnetic field between the yokes 10 and 11 will still be present . it has been found by experiments with switches according to the present invention that the arc voltage of the switches is improved considerably . fig5 shows a graphical representation of the maximum arc voltage expressed in volts , vs the interrupted current , expressed in kiloamps . the curve a relates to a switch without a longitudinal magnetic field , whereas the curve b concerns a switch according to the invention in which a longitudinal magnetic field is produced by the u - shaped yokes . from this diagram it is apparent that the switch according to the invention may interrupt currents of about 30 kiloamps , whereas the switch without this provision cannot interrupt currents of more than 15 kilo amps in a reliable manner . the air gaps 12 and 13 may also be filled with a solid piece of an electrically good conductor material such as copper . it has been demonstrated that in this case the magneetic resistance may yet further be increased . this may be explained by the eddy currents generated by the magnetic field in the piece of copper , the eddy currents on their turn also producing a magnetic field having a direction opposite to the initial field . this effect may be utilized in two ways , that is , either by maintaining the gap width , with the result that even upon increasing the distance between the yokes the magnetic flux will still traverse and thus create an axial field ; or by maintaining the magnetic resistance , the latter meaning that the gap width may be narrowed due to which the operative part of the yoke is broadened and the regions having a weak magnetic field are consequently reduced . in fig1 the inserts for filling the air gaps 12 and 13 have been indicated in dotted lines . it will be obvious that the invention is not restricted to the embodiment shown and described above and that various changes and modifications are possible within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
in the following discussion , numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details . in other instances , well - known elements have been illustrated in schematic or block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail . additionally , for the most part , details concerning well known features and elements have been omitted inasmuch as such details are not considered necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention , and are considered to be within the understanding of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art . turning now to the drawings , fig1 shows a top orthogonal view of an assembled electrical connector with attached wire conductors . in this drawing , reference numeral 1000 generally indicates an illustrative embodiment of an electrical connector 1000 at least partially configured according to the present invention . the electrical connector 1000 may comprise a female member 100 and a male member 500 . attached to the electrical connector 1000 are wire conductors 10 a , 10 b , 20 a , and 20 b . the wire conductors 10 a , 10 b , 20 a , and 20 b , may not considered as components of the electrical connector 1000 and are shown for the purposes of illustration . wire conductors 10 a and 10 b may carry a positive current flow and wire conductors 20 a and 20 b may carry a negative current flow . the various components of the electrical connector 1000 will be described in more detail in the following illustrative embodiment . referring to fig2 , the components of an embodiment of the electrical connector 1000 are shown in an exploded assembly view . the female member 100 may comprise a female housing 102 , a first and second female terminal 200 , and a first and second resilient member 300 . the male member 500 may comprise a male housing 502 , and a first and second male terminal 600 . turning now to fig3 a , 3 b , and 3 c , the female member 100 may comprise a female housing 102 , a first female terminal chamber 110 , a second female terminal chamber 120 , female terminals 200 , and resilient members 300 ( more clearly shown in fig2 ). a first female polarity indicator 111 and a second female polarity indicator 121 may indicate the respective polarities of the first female terminal chamber 110 and the second female terminal chamber 120 . a first orifice 116 and a second orifice 126 may be located at an end of the female member 100 opposite to the first and second female polarity indicators 111 and 121 . an example of a resilient member 300 is shown in fig3 b and 3c . a resilient member 300 may be located in each of the first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 ( however , only one is shown in the fig3 b and 3c for the purposes of illustration ). the various components of the female member 100 will be described in more detail in the following illustrative embodiment . referring to fig3 b , the female housing 102 may be substantially rectangular in shape and comprise a female conductor housing 104 , a female internal wall 105 , and a female terminal housing 106 , for each of the first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 . due to symmetry , only the first female terminal chamber 110 will be described from this point forward , reference numerals enclosed by parenthesis refer to the second female terminal chamber 120 . although a substantially rectangular shape is shown for the female housing 102 , embodiments of the present invention may not be limited to this one configuration . any configuration capable of accommodating one or more female terminals 200 may be used . the female housing 102 may be manufactured from a dielectric material able to withstand the operating conditions of an intended application and provide sufficient electrical insulation between the current carrying female terminals 200 ( i . e ., inhibiting the occurrence of electrical shorts between the female terminals 200 ). for example , the material of the female housing 102 may be a glass reinforced nylon such as zytel ® 70g33l , made by dupont ®. in some applications the reinforced nylon material may comprise approximately 33 % glass . the material may be used in a remotely controlled vehicle operating in a natural environment for example and may experience a temperature range from below − 20 ° f . (− 29 ° c .) to over 250 ° f . ( 121 ° c .) ( e . g ., when operated in desert conditions over solar heated roadways , or due to battery heat , current flow , and electrical resistance ). the female conductor housing 104 may be separated from the female terminal housing 106 by the female internal wall 105 . the female internal wall 105 may comprise an opening 114 ( 124 ) to accommodate a female terminal 200 . on the female conductor housing 104 side of the female internal wall 105 , the female internal wall 105 may comprise an indicator 113 identifying the connection side of the electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ) for example ( e . g ., “ a ” for the female member and “ b ” for the male member ). in other embodiments , the indicator 113 may comprise a polarity sign to be used in place of , or in addition to , the first and second female polarity indicators 111 and 121 ( fig3 a ). the female conductor housing 104 may circumferentially surround an end of a female terminal 200 inserted into each of the first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 . an end of the female conductor housing 104 opposing the female internal wall 105 may be open to provide access for a conductor ( not shown ) to contact an exposed end of a female terminal 200 . in other embodiments , an end or side of the female conductor housing 104 adjacent to the female internal wall 105 may be open to provide conductor access . in the embodiment shown , the female conductor housing 104 substantially shrouds and insulates the ends of the female terminals 200 from each other . in certain other embodiments the female conductor housing 104 may only partially surround an end of a female terminal 200 in each of the first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 . the female terminal housing 106 portions of each of the first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 may comprise a female terminal support 107 and a resilient member support 109 ( fig3 c ). each of the female terminal supports 107 may help to retain a corresponding female terminal 200 in the respective first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 . the female terminal support 107 may comprise one or more retention members 112 ( for example as represented by 112 a ) configured to retain a female terminal 200 after assembly into a female member 100 . although a slanted ramp type of retention member 112 is shown in fig3 b to facilitate an insertion type of assembly ( e . g ., inserting a female terminal 200 from left to right in the female housing 102 with respect to fig3 b ), a person of ordinary skill in the art would not be limited to just this type of retention member 112 . pins , rivets , fasteners , other mechanical attachments , welding , and chemical adhesives , among other various methods may be used to secure a female terminal 200 in the female housing 102 . further , similar additional retention members 112 b may be used to provide additional force to oppose the friction force generated during the assembly and disassembly of the electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ) that may otherwise move or dislocate one or both of the female terminals 200 . other embodiments of the female member 100 may not comprise retention members 112 . in some cases the female terminals 200 and resilient members 300 may be core molded into the female member 100 at the time of manufacture . the resilient member support 109 ( fig3 c ) may secure a resilient member 300 in each of the first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 . the resilient member support 109 is shown as proximate to the female internal wall 105 . however , an embodiment of the resilient member support 109 may be located proximate to an end of the female terminal housing 106 opposite to the female internal wall 105 ( i . e ., the insertion end of the female terminal housing 106 , for example , essentially configured 180 ° in a horizontal plane relative to the embodiment shown in fig3 b ) in addition to other locations . as with the female terminal support 107 , the resilient member support 109 may comprise one or more retention features 112 , for example , as represented by 112 c in fig3 c . the retention features 112 of the resilient member support 109 may comprise slanted ramp protrusions as with an embodiment of the female terminal support 107 , or the retention features 112 may comprise any of the mechanical , chemical , or welding methods of fastening previously recited . the previously recited methods of retaining and / or fastening female terminals 200 and resilient members 300 are not intended to form an exhaustive list , but are merely a sampling from amongst a broad variety of retaining and fastening methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art . as with the female terminals 200 , the resilient members 300 may be core molded into the female housing 102 during the production of the female housing 102 . the ends of the first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 located in the female terminal housing 106 , opposite to the female internal wall 105 , are referred to as the first and second orifices 116 and 126 . each of the first and second orifices 116 and 126 may be configured substantially in a rectangular shape as shown in fig3 a . however , in the illustrative embodiment shown in these figures , an aspect of the first orifice 116 , such as a width , may be configured differently than the same aspect of the second orifice 126 . the difference in widths may inhibit an incorrectly polarized assembly of a male member 500 ( fig1 ) with the female member 100 . although a difference in dimensional aspects such as widths may be used to inhibit reversing the polarities during connection of an electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ) the present invention may not be limited to this method . different configurations , devices , and dimensions may be used to facilitate the proper polar connection orientation during assembly of a male member 500 with a female member 100 . turning now to fig4 a and 4b , fig4 a shows a top view of an embodiment of a female terminal 200 , and fig4 b shows a side view of the female terminal 200 of fig4 a . as an example of an illustrative embodiment of a female terminal 200 , the female terminal 200 may comprise a terminal connector portion 204 and a terminal contact portion 206 . the female terminal 200 may comprise an electrically conductive material , such as brass , copper , or bronze . the female terminal 200 may be plated with gold ( such as a gold - cobalt or gold - nickel alloy ) or silver , among other materials , preferably copper plated with nickel and then plated with gold ( for example ), in order to increase the electrical conductivity between contacting portions of the male and female terminals 600 and 200 . the female terminal 200 shown may be made from a standard plate of material and punched formed to the correct size and configuration , among other methods of forming . the terminal connector portion 204 may be located on one end of the female terminal 200 and configured to electrically couple with a copper wire conductor ( for example ) such as wire conductors 10 b and 20 b ( fig1 ). the terminal connector portion 204 may be electrically coupled to a wire conductor through the use of soldering , mechanical fastening ( e . g ., through the use of a screw clamp ), standard insulated and non - insulated connector fittings , crimping , and other methods of electrically coupling a wire conductor to a portion of a terminal . embodiments of the terminal connector portion 204 may comprise a variety of configurations in order to accommodate a particular electrical coupling method . the terminal contact portion 206 may be located at an opposite end of the female terminal 200 relative to the terminal connector portion 204 , and may comprise an angled end 210 , one or more terminal retention features 212 ( two are shown in fig4 b , 212 a and 212 b ), and a contact surface 214 . the angled end 210 may help facilitate the coupling or assembly of a corresponding male terminal 600 ( fig2 ) during the connection of an electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ). the contact surface 214 may directly contact an opposing surface of a male terminal 600 in order to allow an electrical current to flow from one end of the electrical connector 1000 to the other . terminal step 208 may separate the terminal connector portion 204 from the terminal contact portion 206 . in some embodiments , during assembly of the female terminal 200 into female housing 102 ( fig3 b ), the terminal step 208 may oppose a portion of the female housing 102 and prevent further movement in the assembly direction . the terminal retention features 212 may contact corresponding retention features 112 of the female housing 102 and prevent movement in a direction opposite to the assembly direction . at this point , the female terminal 200 may be substantially securely coupled with the female housing 102 . referring now to fig5 a and 5b , these figures respectively show an orthogonal top view of a resilient member 300 and a side view of the resilient member 300 of fig5 a . the resilient member 300 may comprise a resilient base member 310 and a resilient contact member 320 . the resilient member 300 may be punch formed from a sheet of stainless steel ( e . g ., ss 301 with no plating ), spring steel ( e . g ., spring steel with nickel plating ) or other resilient material configured to work within the anticipated environmental conditions of the electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ). in some embodiments , the resilient member 300 may be plated or otherwise coated to inhibit rust or to provide an appropriate level of resistance ( e . g ., friction force ) necessary to maintain the connection between an assembled male member 500 and female member 100 . the resilient base member 310 may be located at one end of the resilient member 300 and comprise one or more resilient retention members 312 a and 312 b ( fig5 b ). the resilient retention members 312 a and 312 b may engage corresponding retention members 112 within the resilient member support 109 ( as seen in fig3 c , but only one retention member 112 c can be seen in this view ), located in each of the first and second terminal chambers 110 and 120 . the resilient retention members 312 a and 312 b may securely retain the resilient members 300 within the female housing 102 during assembly and disassembly of the electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ). the resilient base member 310 is shown as a substantially flat quadrilateral but embodiments of the present invention may not be limited to this illustrative form . the resilient base member 310 may be retained separate from the corresponding female terminal 200 and separate from a fully inserted male terminal 500 ( fig2 ). in other words , the resilient base member 310 may not overlay a corresponding male terminal 500 when an electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ) is electrically coupled . as more easily seen in fig5 b , the resilient contact member 320 may comprise an arcuate portion defined by a radius r . the arcuate portion may be resiliently deformed toward the radial center point in response to pressure or interference from portions of an installed male member 500 ( fig1 ). the arcuate portion may also be configured to interface with a depression or other engaging feature , detailed later , in an opposing surface or portion of the male member 500 in order to provide a disassembly retention force after coupling the male member 500 with the female member 100 ( see fig1 ). in the illustrative embodiment shown , only a single arcuate portion is illustrated in fig5 a and 5b . however , embodiments of the present invention are not to be limited to this one exemplary configuration . for example , larger and smaller radii either alone or in combination with one or more relatively straight portions may be used , an arcuate portion curving back upon the resilient contact member 320 , a single angular bend joining two straight portions together , or a plurality of angular or arcuate portions such as in a zig - zag or wave type of configuration may be used in order to more evenly apply a force from the female member 100 to the male member 500 . the listing is intended to provide a small representative sample of the various potential configurations consistent with the present invention and is not intended to be exhaustive . one end of the resilient contact member 320 may comprise a housing interface 324 . an example of the housing interface 324 may be illustrated by a small radius curve rotating in an opposite direction relative to the arcuate portion defined by the radius r . the housing interface 324 may facilitate a sliding movement along a contacting portion of an inner wall of the female housing 102 ( fig3 b ) in response to assembly and disassembly of a male member 500 and a female member 100 ( see fig2 ). the sliding contact may prevent or inhibit the abrading or prematurely wearing down of the inner surface of the female housing 102 over a multiple number of connections and disconnections of the electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ). in this example , the contacting portion of the housing interface 324 curves away from the inner surface of the female housing 102 in directions tangent to the small radius curve . further , the resilient contact member 320 may extend at an angle from the resilient base member 310 such that the housing interface 324 may be located above ( with respect to fig5 b ) a plane containing the resilient base member 310 . this configuration may apply a pre - load to an assembled resilient member 300 via the housing interface 324 . by adjusting the angle for the resilient contact member 320 relative to the resilient base member 310 , and / or adjusting the radius r , the force applied to the male member 500 through the resilient contact member 320 may be adjusted . adjusting the force of the resilient contact member 320 may adjust the amount of insertion and withdrawal force for the connecting and disconnecting of the electrical connector 1000 . consequently , a desired amount of insertion and withdrawal force may be established for the connecting and disconnecting of the electrical connector 1000 . turning now to fig6 a , and 6 b , the male member 500 may comprise a male housing 502 , a first male terminal extension 510 , a second male terminal extension 520 , and male terminals 600 ( more clearly shown in fig6 b ). a first male polarity indicator 511 and a second male polarity indicator 521 may indicate the respective polarities of the first male terminal extension 510 and the second male terminal extension 520 . an example of a male terminal 600 is shown in fig7 a and 7b and is detailed later . the various components of the male member 500 will be described in more detail in the following illustrative embodiment . referring to fig6 b , the male housing 502 may be substantially rectangular in shape and comprise a male conductor housing 504 , a male internal wall 505 , and a male terminal tip 506 for each of the first and second male terminal extensions 510 and 520 . due to their similarities , only the first male terminal extension 510 will be described from this point forward , reference numerals enclosed by parenthesis refer to second male terminal extension 520 . although a substantially rectangular shape is shown for the male housing 502 , embodiments of the present invention may not be limited to this one configuration . any configuration capable of accommodating one or more male terminals 600 may be used . the male housing 502 may be manufactured from a dielectric material able to withstand the operating conditions of an intended application and provide sufficient electrical insulation between the current carrying male terminals 600 ( i . e ., inhibiting the occurrence of an electrical short between the male terminals 600 ). for example , the material of the male housing 502 may be a glass reinforced nylon such as zytel ® 70g33l , made by dupont ®. in some applications the reinforced nylon material may comprise approximately 33 % glass . the material may be used in a remotely controlled vehicle operating in a natural environment for example and may experience a temperature range from below − 20 ° f . (− 29 ° c .) to over 250 ° f . ( 121 ° c .) ( e . g ., when operated in desert conditions over solar heated roadways , or due to battery heat , current flow , and electrical resistance ). the male conductor housing 504 may be separated from the male terminal housing 506 by the male internal wall 505 . the male internal wall 505 may comprise an opening 514 ( 524 ) to accommodate a male terminal 600 . on the male conductor housing 504 side of the male internal wall 505 , the male internal wall 505 may comprise an indicator 513 identifying the connection side of the electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ), for example ( e . g ., “ a ” for the female member and “ b ” for the male member ). in other embodiments , the indicator 513 may comprise a polarity sign to be used in place of , or in addition to , the first and second male polarity indicators 511 and 521 ( fig6 a ). the male conductor housing 504 may circumferentially surround an end of a male terminal 600 inserted into each of the first and second male terminal extensions 510 and 520 . an end of the male conductor housing 504 opposing the internal wall 505 may be open to provide access for a conductor ( not shown ) to contact an exposed end of a male terminal 600 . in other embodiments , an end or side of the male conductor housing 504 adjacent to the male internal wall 505 may be open to provide conductor access . in the embodiment shown , the male conductor housing 504 substantially shrouds and insulates the ends of the male terminals 600 from each other . in certain other embodiments the male conductor housing 504 may only partially surround an end of a male terminal 600 in each of the first and second male terminal extensions 510 and 520 . the male internal wall 505 of each of the first and second male terminal extensions 510 and 520 may function as a male terminal support ( fig6 b ). each of the male terminal supports ( i . e ., male internal walls 505 ) may help to retain a corresponding male terminal 600 in the respective first and second male terminal extensions 510 and 520 . the male terminal support may comprise one or more retention members 512 ( for example as represented by 512 a ), configured to retain a male terminal 600 after assembly into a male member 500 . although a slanted ramp type of retention member 512 is shown in fig6 b to facilitate an insertion type of assembly ( e . g ., inserting a male terminal 600 from the left to the right in the male housing 502 with respect to fig6 b ), a person of ordinary skill in the art would not be limited to just this type of retention member 512 . pins , rivets , fasteners , other mechanical attachments , welding , and chemical adhesives , among other various methods may be used to secure a male terminal 600 within the male housing 502 . further , similar additional retention members 512 b may be used to provide additional force to oppose the friction force generated during the connection and disconnection of the electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ) that may otherwise move or dislocate one or both of the male terminals 600 . other embodiments of the male member 500 may not comprise retention members 512 . in some cases the male terminals 600 may be core molded into the male housing 502 at the time of manufacture . the ends of the first and second male terminal extensions 510 and 520 in the male terminal tips 506 , opposite to the internal wall 505 , are referred to as the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 . each of the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 may be configured substantially in a rectangular shape as shown in fig6 a . however , in the illustrative embodiment shown in these figures , an aspect of the first male terminal cover 516 , for example width , may be configured differently than the same aspect of the second male terminal cover 526 . the difference in widths may inhibit an incorrectly polarized assembly of a male member 500 ( fig1 ) with the female member 100 . although a difference in dimensional aspects such as widths may be used to inhibit reversing the polarities during connection of an electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ), the present invention may not be limited to this method . different configurations , devices , and dimensions may be used to facilitate the proper polar connection orientation during assembly of a male member 500 with a female member 100 . the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 may each comprise a connector retention feature 507 . in some embodiments , the connector retention feature 507 may be configured as an arcuate cavity or depression corresponding to an arcuate portion of the resilient contact member 320 of a resilient member 300 ( see fig5 b ). as the male member 500 is connected to the female member 100 ( see fig1 ), the resilient member 300 moves relative to a surface of the corresponding first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 until a portion of the resilient contact member 320 engages a corresponding portion of the connector retention feature 507 . the engagement between the resilient contact member 320 and the connector retention feature 507 may provide a sensory indication that the male member 500 is fully connected to the female member 100 . in addition , the engagement between the resilient contact member 320 and the connector retention feature 507 may help to prevent inadvertent disconnection between the male member 500 and the female member 100 during the operation of the electrical connector 1000 in an applied device . the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 may further comprise an angled or slanted portion 570 , which may be located at an end opposite to the male internal wall 505 . the slanted portion 570 of each of the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 may facilitate the insertion and / or assembly of the male member 500 with the female member 100 ( see fig1 ). in some embodiments , rounded , arcuate , or other insertion facilitating features may be used in place of , or in addition to , the slanted portion 570 of each of the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 . at least part of the remaining portions of the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 may provide a contact surface for the resilient member 300 , as previously explained , and may provide a degree of insulation between the resilient members 300 and the male terminals 600 . the material of the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 may be the same as the material used for the rest of the male housing 502 . in some embodiments , the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 may comprise a coating applied to a surface of the male terminals 600 . alternatively , a coating or texture may be applied to a surface of the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 to vary the level of frictional resistance between the surface and the contacting portion of the resilient contact member 320 of each of the respective resilient members 300 . turning now to fig7 a and 7b , fig7 a shows a top view of an embodiment of a male terminal 600 , and fig7 b shows a side view of the male terminal 600 of fig7 a . as an example of an illustrative embodiment of a male terminal 600 , the male terminal 600 may comprise a terminal connector portion 604 and a terminal contact portion 606 . the male terminal 600 may comprise an electrically conductive material , such as brass , copper , or bronze . the male terminal 600 may be plated with gold ( such as gold - cobalt or gold - nickel alloy ) or silver , among other materials , preferably copper plated with nickel and then plated with gold ( for example ), in order to increase the electrical conductivity between contacting portions of the male and female terminals 600 and 200 . the male terminal 600 shown may be made from a standard plate of material and punched formed to the correct size and configuration , among other methods of forming . the terminal connector portion 604 may be located on one end of the male terminal 600 and configured to electrically couple with a copper wire conductor ( for example ) such as wire conductors 10 a and 20 a ( fig1 ). the terminal connector portion 604 may be electrically coupled to a wire conductor through the use of soldering , mechanical fastening ( e . g ., through the use of a screw clamp ), standard insulated and non - insulated connector fittings , crimping , and other methods of electrically coupling a wire conductor to a terminal . embodiments of the terminal connector portion 604 may comprise a variety of configurations in order to accommodate a particular electrical coupling method . the terminal contact portion 606 may be located at an opposite end of the male terminal 600 relative to the terminal connector portion 604 , and may comprise an angled end 610 , one or more terminal retention features 612 ( two are shown in fig7 b , 612 a and 612 b ), and a contact surface 614 . the angled end 610 may help facilitate the coupling or assembly of a corresponding female terminal 200 ( fig2 ) during the connection of an electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ). the contact surface 614 may directly contact an opposing surface of a female terminal 200 in order to allow an electrical current to flow from one end of the electrical connector 1000 to the other . terminal step 608 may separate the terminal connector portion 604 from the terminal contact portion 606 . in some embodiments , during assembly of the male terminal 600 into male housing 502 ( fig6 b ), the terminal step 608 may oppose a portion of the male housing 502 and prevent further movement in the assembly direction . the terminal retention features 612 may contact corresponding retention features 512 of the male housing 502 and prevent movement in a direction opposite to the assembly direction . at this point , the male terminal 600 may be substantially securely coupled with the male housing 502 . turning now to fig8 a and 8b , fig8 a illustrates a correctly assembled electrical connector 1000 , while fig8 b illustrates an incorrectly assembled electrical connector 1000 . as seen in fig8 a , when the male member 500 is correctly coupled to a female member 100 , the first and second male polarity indicators 511 and 521 correspond to the first and second female polarity indicators 111 and 121 , indicating the maintenance of proper polarity across the electrical connector 1000 . the correspondence between the sets of polarity indicators 111 , 121 , 511 , and 521 , may provide a visual indication of the correct coupling of the male and female members 500 and 100 . as seen in fig8 b , the first and second male polarity indicators 511 and 521 may not be visible from a top oriented viewing plane when the male member 500 is incorrectly assembled to the female member 100 . in addition , as indicated by the arrows for the first and second male polarity indicators 511 and 521 ( the polarity indicators themselves are not visible in this view ), the polarities on each side of the incorrectly assembled electrical connector 1000 have been reversed . referring to fig9 a and 9b , fig9 a illustrates a cross - sectional view of the correctly assembled electrical connector 1000 of fig8 a as viewed along line 9 a - 9 a , while fig9 b illustrates a cross - sectional view of the incorrectly assembled electrical connector 1000 of fig8 b as viewed along line 9 b - 9 b . fig9 a shows an electrical connector 1000 in which a first male terminal cover 516 is inserted into a first orifice 116 and a contact surface 614 of the male terminal 600 is abutting a contact surface 214 of the female terminal 200 . the first male terminal cover 516 and the first orifice 116 may each have an approximate width of w 1 with the first male terminal cover 516 configured to fit within the first orifice 116 . the second male terminal cover 526 is inserted into a second orifice 126 such that a contact surface 614 of the corresponding male terminal 600 is abutting a contact surface 214 of the corresponding female terminal 200 . the second male terminal cover 526 and the second orifice 126 may each have an approximate width of w 2 with the second male terminal cover 526 configured to fit within the second orifice 126 . the width w 1 may be smaller than the width w 2 . this difference in widths may provide another method of inhibiting or preventing cross - polarization during connection of the male member 500 to the female member 100 ( fig8 a ), since the male member 500 may be connected to the female member 100 when the male member 500 is properly oriented with respect to the female member 100 . the proper orientation of the male and female members 500 and 100 may provide for the correct polarity of the connection . fig9 b shows an electrical connector 1000 in which a male member 500 is incorrectly connected to a female member 100 . this type of connection may be substantially prevented by the interference between the width of the second male terminal cover 526 ( w 2 ) and the width of the first orifice 116 ( w 1 )( e . g ., w 2 − w 1 ). however , if the male member 500 is somehow coupled to the female member 100 in spite of this interference , cross - polarization of the electrical connector 1000 may still be prevented by the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 separating the male and female terminals 600 and 200 . the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 may prevent contact between corresponding male and female terminals 600 and 200 when the male member 500 is in a second orientation with respect to the female member 100 . therefore , as seen in this illustrative embodiment , cross - polarization of the electrical connector 1000 may be prevented and / or inhibited by at least two separate and independent methods , in addition to the visual indication given by the first and second male and female polarity indicators , 111 , 121 , 511 , and 521 . referring now to fig1 , this figure illustrates an orthogonal cross - sectional view of a correctly assembled male member 500 and female member 100 . in this figure , the first and second male terminal extensions 510 and 520 ( fig6 a ) have been inserted into the first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 ( fig3 a ), or more specifically , the male terminal housing 506 portions of the first and second male terminal extensions 510 and 520 have been inserted into the first and second orifices 116 and 126 of the first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 . as the male member 500 is connected to the female member 100 , the resilient members 300 may initially contact the slanted portion 570 of the corresponding first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 . the resilient contact portions 320 may respectively slidingly engage a top surface of each of the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 . the resilient contact portions 320 may be compressed , causing the housing interface 324 portion of the resilient member 300 to slidingly engage an interior surface of the respective first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 . the male member 500 may continue to be inserted into the female member 100 until the resilient contact portion 320 engages a corresponding connector retention feature 507 of the respective first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 . at this point , the male member 500 may be securely coupled to the female member 100 . although only one side portion of the electrical connector 1000 is described in detail , the other side portion may be similar due to the symmetry of the connector . however , complete symmetry is not a limitation required of an embodiment of the present invention and differences beyond the widths of the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 and corresponding first and second orifices 116 and 126 may exist . referring now to fig1 , this figure shows an orthogonal top view with a cross - section taken through the side of an embodiment of an electrical connector . in this figure , reference number 2000 generally refers to another illustrative embodiment of an electrical connector 2000 constructed according to aspects of the present invention . one difference between the electrical connector 2000 and the previously described electrical connector 1000 ( fig1 ) may be the replacement of one or more resilient members 300 ( fig2 ) of the previous illustrative embodiment with one or more resilient members 2300 . otherwise , the function and materials for the two electrical connectors 1000 and 2000 may be considered to be the same . similar components may be identified with similar reference numerals used in the previous description , and a detailed explanation of these components may not be repeated . electrical connector 2000 may comprise a female member 2100 and a male member 500 , shown here in a connected state . the female member 2100 may comprise one or more female terminals 200 ( only one is visible in this view ) and the male member 500 may comprise a corresponding number of male terminals 600 . when the female member 2100 and the male member 500 are coupled together , electricity may be able to flow between wire conductors ( not shown ) through the electrical connector 2000 via the areas of contact between the female and male terminals 200 and 600 . the female member 2100 may comprise one or more resilient members 2300 . the resilient members 2300 may provide a pressing force to facilitate electrical conduction through the contact areas between the corresponding female and male terminals 200 and 600 . in addition , the resilient members 2300 may provide a securing force to inhibit or prevent the inadvertent disconnection of the male member 500 from the female member 2100 during the use of the electrical connector 2300 in a desired application ( e . g ., such as in a vibratory and dynamic environment of a remotely controlled vehicle ). in some exemplary embodiments , the number of resilient members 2300 corresponds to the number of electrical connections formed or broken during the connection and disconnection of the electrical connector 2000 ( e . g ., two are shown in fig1 ). however , the number of resilient members 2300 may not be required to equal the number of electrical connections formed or broken . each resilient member 2300 may comprise a resilient housing 2310 integrated with the housing of the female member 2100 . as shown in fig1 , the resilient housing 2310 may be substantially cylindrical for example , but embodiments of the present invention may not be limited to this geometric configuration . each resilient member 2300 may further comprise a retention device 2324 , a resilient device 2322 , and a contact device 2320 . the retention device 2324 may comprise an allen set screw as shown for example , or may comprise any of a number of devices able to retain the resilient device 2322 and the contact device 2320 within the resilient housing 2310 , while in some embodiments further providing a measure of adjustability . for example , a mechanical threaded fastener , angled key , or cam device , among others , may be used . in this example , the retention device 2324 may be threadably engaged with a top portion of the resilient housing 2310 . the resilient device 2322 may be located between the retention device 2324 and the contact device 2320 . the resilient device 2322 may be a spring , such as a coil spring , or resilient material , such as foam , among other devices . the resilient device 2322 may press against the contact device 2320 , facilitating movement of the contact device 2320 as the male member 500 and the female member 2100 are coupled together . the force applied to the contact device 2320 and consequently to the male and female terminals 200 and 600 , may be adjusted by tightening or loosening the retention device 2324 , in addition to altering the spring stiffness or material , among other methods . in some embodiments , the male member 500 may be securely coupled to the female member 2100 by tightening the retention device 2324 so as to eliminate or reduce the ability of the contact device 2320 to move within the resilient housing 2310 , thereby forcefully engaging the contact device 2320 with a connector retention feature 507 . the contact device 2320 may be spherical ball for example , such as in a ball and spring type of mechanism . however , in other embodiments the contact device 2320 may be any member capable of moving across the surface of the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 ( only the first male terminal cover 516 is visible in this view ), such as a rounded pin , angled member , cylinder , among others . the contact device 2320 may be retained within the resilient housing 2310 between a protruding edge 2312 at one end and the retention device 2324 at the other end . during connection of the male member 500 and the female member 2100 , the contact device 2320 may engage the connector retention feature 507 as the male member 500 is fully coupled with the female member 2100 . the contact device 2320 and the connector retention feature 507 may be configured to have corresponding or interfacing features , such that when the male member 500 is fully coupled with the female member 2100 , a sensory indication of the application device 2320 engaging the connector retention feature 507 may be provided . the sensory indication may be visual , audible , tactile , or a combination of one or more of these sensory indications , in addition to other methods . referring now to fig1 , this figure shows an orthogonal top view with a cross - section taken through the side of an embodiment of an electrical connector . in this figure , reference number 3000 generally refers to another illustrative embodiment of an electrical connector 3000 constructed according to aspects of the present invention . one difference between the electrical connector 3000 and the previously described electrical connectors may be the replacement of one or more resilient members 300 ( fig2 ) or 2300 ( fig1 ) of the previous illustrative embodiments , with one or more resilient members 3300 . otherwise , the function and materials for the electrical connectors 1000 , 2000 , and 3000 may be considered to be the same . similar components may be identified with similar reference numerals used in the previous description , and a detailed explanation of these components may not be repeated . electrical connector 3000 may comprise a female member 3100 and a male member 500 , shown here in a connected state . the female member 3100 may comprise one or more female terminals 200 ( only one is visible in this view ) and the male member 500 may comprise a corresponding number of male terminals 600 . when the female member 3100 and the male member 500 are coupled together , electricity may be able to flow between wire conductors ( not shown ) through the electrical connector 3000 via the contact areas between the female and male terminals 200 and 600 . the female member 3100 may comprise one or more resilient members 3300 . the resilient members 3300 may provide a pressing force to facilitate electrical conduction through the contact area between the female terminals 200 and the male terminals 600 . in addition , the resilient members 3300 may provide a securing force to inhibit or prevent the inadvertent disconnection of the male member 500 from the female member 3100 during the use of the electrical connector 3300 in a desired application ( e . g ., such as in a vibratory and dynamic remotely controlled vehicle ). in some exemplary embodiments , the number of resilient members 3300 corresponds to the number of electrical connections formed or broken during the connection and disconnection of the electrical connector 3000 , two electrical connections are shown in this embodiment . however , the number of resilient members 3300 may not be required to equal the number of electrical connections formed or broken . each resilient member 3300 may be configured to interfere with a opposing surface of a first and second male terminal cover 516 and 526 ( only 516 is visible in this view ) when a male member 500 is coupled to a female member 3100 . as shown in fig1 , the area indicated by cross - hatching may be the area of interference between the resilient member 3300 and the top surface of the first male terminal cover 516 , although only a portion of the abutting surfaces may be configured to be interfering . the resilient member 3300 may comprise a rib interfacing with a portion of the respective top surface of the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 , or the resilient member 3300 may comprise the wall of the female member housing 3102 , among numerous other configurations such as those previously described for the resilient contact portion 320 . essentially , in some embodiments the housing 3102 of the female member 3100 may function as a resilient member , allowing at least some degree of resilient deformation or movement designed to apply a force to at least a portion of an installed male member 500 ( e . g ., such as the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 , or in some embodiments , the male terminals themselves , among other configurations ). alternatively , the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 may function as a resilient member , allowing at least some degree of resilient deformation or movement designed to urge the male terminals 600 together with the corresponding female terminals 200 . further , in some embodiments , both the female housing 3102 and the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 may experience some degree of resilient deformation , combining together to provide a force urging the male terminals 600 together with the corresponding female terminals 200 . the resilient member 3300 may further comprise protrusions or features configured to engage with corresponding depressions or features located on the top surfaces of the first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 , such that the male member 500 may be securely coupled to the female member 3000 upon fully connecting the male member 500 to the female member 3100 . an example of a protrusion for the resilient member 3300 may be an arcuate ridge corresponding to the connector retention feature 507 shown in fig6 b . the resilient member 3300 may at least partially resiliently deform with respect to the area of interference . alternatively , the resilient member 3300 may take advantage of at least some degree of resilient deformation in the configuration of the female member housing 3102 . turning now to fig1 a and 13b , the first figure shows a top view of an illustrative embodiment of a male member 1500 configured according to aspects of the present invention , while the second figure shows an orthogonal cross - sectional top view of the male member 1500 of fig1 a as viewed along line 13 b - 13 b . one difference between the male member 1500 and the previously described male member 500 ( fig1 ) may be the lack of first and second male terminal covers 516 and 526 ( see fig6 a and 6b ) in the male member 1500 . another difference may be the use of first and second male terminals 1600 and 1650 in male member 1500 in place of the male terminals 600 shown in male member 500 ( see fig2 ). otherwise , the function and materials for the male members 500 and 1500 may be considered to be substantially the same . similar components may be identified with similar reference numerals used in previous descriptions , and a detailed explanation of these components may not be repeated . male member 1500 may comprise a male housing 1502 and first and second male terminal extensions 1510 and 1520 . the first male terminal extension 1510 may comprise the first male terminal 1600 , while the second male terminal extension 1520 may comprise the second male terminal 1650 . first and second male terminals 1600 and 1650 may be configured to be insertably engaged with the first and second orifices 116 and 126 of the first and second female terminal chambers 110 and 120 of a female member 100 ( see fig3 a ). in some embodiments , some aspects of the first male terminal 1600 may be different than similar aspects of the second male terminal 1650 in order to inhibit the cross - polarizing connection of a male member 1500 and a female member 100 . in the embodiment shown , the width w 1 of the first male terminal 1600 may be smaller that the width w 2 of the second male terminal 1650 . interference between the larger width w 2 and the first orifice 116 may inhibit the connection between a female member 100 and an improperly oriented male member 1500 ( i . e ., the male member 1500 may be improperly oriented with respect to the female member 100 ). the male housing 1502 may be substantially rectangular in shape and comprise a male conductor housing 504 and a male internal wall 1505 for each of the first and second male terminal extensions 1510 and 1520 . although a substantially rectangular shape is shown for the male housing 1502 , embodiments of the present invention may not be limited to this one configuration . any configuration capable of accommodating one or more first and second male terminals 1600 and 1650 may be used . the male housing 1502 may be manufactured from a dielectric material able to withstand the operating conditions of an intended application and provide sufficient electrical insulation between the current carrying first male terminal 1600 and second male terminal 1650 ( i . e ., inhibiting the occurrence of an electrical short between the first male terminal 1600 and the second male terminal 1650 ). the male internal wall 1505 of each of the first and second male terminal extensions 1510 and 1520 may function as a male terminal support . each of the male terminal supports ( i . e ., male internal walls 1505 ) may respectively secure and support the first and second male terminals 1600 and 1650 in the corresponding first and second male terminal extensions 1510 and 1520 . the male terminal support may comprise one or more retention members 512 ( for example as represented by 512 a and 512 b ) configured to retain the respective first and second male terminals 1600 and 1650 after assembly into a male member 1500 . although a slanted ramp type of retention member 512 is shown in fig1 b to facilitate an insertion type of assembly ( e . g ., inserting a male terminal 1600 from the right to the left in the male housing 1502 with respect to fig1 b ), a person of ordinary skill in the art would not be limited to just this type of retention member 512 . pins , rivets , fasteners , other mechanical attachments , welding , and chemical adhesives , among other various methods may be used to secure the first and second male terminals 1600 and 1650 within the male housing 1502 . additionally , the first and second male terminals 1600 and 1650 may be core molded along with the male housing 1502 at the time of manufacture . the first and second male terminals 1600 and 1650 may comprise retention members 612 ( for example as represented by 612 a and 612 b , however , only the retention members 612 of the first male terminal 1600 may be seen in fig1 b , the second male terminal 1650 may be similarly configured ) corresponding to the retention members 512 . as with the retention member 512 , a slanted ramp type of retention member 612 is shown in fig1 b to facilitate an insertion type of assembly , however , a person of ordinary skill in the art would not be limited to just this type of retention member 612 . pins , rivets , fasteners , other mechanical attachments , welding , and chemical adhesives , among other various methods may be used to secure the first and second male terminals 1600 and 1650 within the male housing 1502 . having thus described embodiments of the present invention by reference to certain exemplary embodiments , it is noted that the embodiments disclosed are illustrative rather than limiting in nature . a wide range of variations , modifications , changes , and substitutions are contemplated in the foregoing disclosure . in some instances , some features of an embodiment of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features . many such variations and modifications may be considered desirable by those skilled in the art based upon a review of the foregoing description of the illustrative embodiments . accordingly , it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention . | 7 |
the controlling agent and antifouling coating of the present invention contain an n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone derivative of the formula ( i ), which is hereinafter referred to as the compound ( i ), as an active ingredient . compound ( i ) is disclosed in the u . s . pat . no . 3 , 012 , 039 and a process of producing this compound is disclosed in the japanese patent publication no . 51 - 113 / 1976 . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; halogen &# 34 ; refers to chlorine , fluorine , bromine or iodine . the term &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; refers to c 1 - c 10 alkyl such as methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , iso - propyl , n - butyl , isobutyl , tert - butyl , sec - butyl , tert - amyl , n - pentyl , n - hexyl and n - decyl . preferred is c 1 - c 4 alkyl . the term &# 34 ; alkoxy &# 34 ; refers to c 1 - c 10 alkoxy such as methoxy , ethoxy , n - propoxy , isopropoxy , n - butoxy , isobutoxy , tert - butoxy , sec - butoxy , tert - amyl oxy , n - pentyloxy , n - hexyloxy and n - decyloxy . preferred is c 1 - c 4 alkoxy . the compound ( i ) has an effect on the prevention and inhibition of harmful aquatic organisms adhering to water - exposed articles , and such an effect can be retained for a long period of time . examples of the harmful aquatic organisms are aquatic animals such as barnacles ( balanomorpha ), serpula , polyzoans ( polyzoa ), ascidiacea , hydrozoa and mollusks ( mollusca ); aquatic plants such as ulva , enteromorpha , ectocarpus and diatoms ( diatomaceae ); and slime . in case where the compound ( i ) is used for the purpose of preventing and inhibiting the adhesion and propagation of harmful aquatic organisms adhering to water - exposed articles , it may be applied in the form of a solution or emulsion . preferably , it is applied in the form of a resin - containing composition . in particular , to water - exposed articles present in the sea , the antifouling composition of the present invention is applied . the compound ( i ) can be made into an antifouling composition by ordinary formulation which is usually employed in the field of coatings . it is noted that the compound ( i ) has no adverse effect on the storage stability , such as viscosity increase and quality change . the antifouling composition of the present invention contains the compound ( i ) in a mixture with a resin . examples of the resin are vinyl chloride resins , vinyl chloride - vinyl acetate copolymers , vinyl chloride - vinyl isobutyl ether copolymers , chlorinated rubber resins , chlorinated polyethylene resins , chlorinated polypropylene resins , acrylic resins , styrene - butadiene copolymers , polyester resins , epoxy resins , phenolic resins , synthetic rubbers , silicone rubbers , silicone resins , petroleum resins , oil resins , rosin ester resins , rosin soap and rosin . preferred are vinyl chloride resins , vinyl chloride - vinyl acetate copolymers , vinyl chloride - vinyl isobutyl ether copolymers , acrylic resins and styrene - butadiene copolymers . the resin is mixed in an amount of 0 . 1 % to 80 % by weight , preferably 0 . 1 % to 60 % by weight , based on the total weight of the controlling agent or antifouling composition of the present invention . the antifouling composition of the present invention may further contain various additives which are usually used in conventional compositions , for example , plasticizers such as chlorinated paraffin and trimetacresyl phosphate ; color pigments such as red iron oxide and titanium dioxide ; extender pigments such as zinc oxide and silica powder ; and organic solvents such as xylene and methyl isobutyl ketone . preferably , a copper compound or a metallic copper is added to the control ling agent and antifouling composition of the present invention to obtain better controlling effects . examples of the copper compound are cuprous oxide , copper rhodanide , oxine - copper , copper naphthenate , copper glycinate , cuprous chloride and cuprous carbonate . preferred are cuprous oxide and copper rhodanide . the controlling agent and antifouling composition of the present invention may further contain other conventional antifouling agents , if required . examples of the antifouling agent are those which have been cited in the 2091th research meeting of the japan shipbuilding research association , such as zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate , 2 - methylthio - 4 - t - butylamino - 6 - cyclopropylamino - s - triazine , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 - tetrachloroisophthalonitrile , n , n - dimethyl - n &# 39 ;-( 3 , 4 - dichlorophenyl ) urea , 4 , 5 - dichloro - 2 - n - octyl - 4 - isothiazolin - 3 - one , n -( fluorodichloromethylthio ) phthalimide , n , n - dimethyl - n &# 39 ;- phenyl - n &# 39 ;-( fluorodichloromethylthio ) sulfamide , 2 - pyridinethiol - 1 - oxide zinc salt , tetramethylthiuram disulfide , cu - 10 % ni solid solution alloy , n -( 2 , 4 , 6 - trichlorophenyl )- maleimide , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 - tetrachloro - 4 -( methylsulfonyl ) pyridine , 3 - iodo - 2 - propynylbutyl - carbamate , diiodomethyl - p - tolylsulfone , bisdimethyldithiocarbamoyl zinc ethylenebis - dithiocarbamate and tetraphenylborane pyridine salt . the compound ( i ) is mixed in an amount of 0 . 1 to 60 % by weight , preferably 0 . 1 to 40 % by weight , based on the total weight of the controlling agent or antifouling composition of the present invention . when the amount is less than 0 . 1 % by weight , no controlling effect will be expected . when the amount is greater than 60 % by weight , defects such as cracks and peeling will readily occur on the coating film formed from the antifouling composition . in case where a copper compound is to be added to the controlling agent or antifouling composition of the present invention , the proportion of the copper compound to the compound ( i ) may vary case by case , but it is preferably in the range of 0 . 1 to 100 parts by weight to one part by weight of the compound ( i ). the total amount of compound ( i ) and copper compound is preferably 0 . 1 % to 80 % by weight , based on the total weight of the controlling agent or antifouling composition of the present invention . when the total amount is less than 0 . 1 % by weight , no controlling effect will be expected . when the total amount is greater than 80 % by weight , defects such as cracks and peeling will readily occur on the coating film formed from the antifouling composition , which makes it difficult to attain the desired antifouling effect . the compound ( i ) can safely be applied as the antifouling composition of the present invention by means of a spray or the like because of its low irritant action . some typical examples of the compound ( i ) are shown in table 1 below , which are to be construed as mere illustrations and not limitations of the preceding disclosure in any way whatsoever . table 1______________________________________compoundno . compound name______________________________________ ( 1 ) n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 2 ) n -( 2 - chlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 3 ) n -( 3 - chlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 4 ) n -( 4 - chlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 5 ) n -( 4 - bromophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 6 ) n -( 2 - fluorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 7 ) n -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 8 ) n -( 2 - methylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 9 ) n -( 3 - methylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 10 ) n -( 4 - methylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 11 ) n -( 2 - ethylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 12 ) n -( 3 - ethylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 13 ) n -( 4 - ethylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 14 ) n -( 2 - isopropylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 15 ) n -( 4 - isopropylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 16 ) n -( 2 - methoxyphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 17 ) n -( 3 - methoxyphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 18 ) n -( 4 - methoxyphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 19 ) n -( 4 - ethoxyphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 20 ) n -( 4 - n - butoxyphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 21 ) n -( 2 , 4 - dichlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 22 ) n -( 3 , 4 - dichlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 23 ) n -( 3 , 5 - dichlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 24 ) n -( 2 , 6 - dichlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 25 ) n -( 2 , 4 , 6 - trichlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 26 ) n -( 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 - pentachlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 27 ) n -( 2 , 4 - difluorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 28 ) n -( 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 - tetrafluorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 29 ) n -( 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 - pentafluorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 30 ) n -( 2 , 4 - dimethylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 31 ) n -( 3 , 4 - dimethylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 32 ) n -( 3 , 5 - dimethylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 33 ) n -( 2 , 6 - dimethylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 34 ) n -( 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 35 ) n -( 3 , 4 - dimethoxyphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 36 ) n -( 3 , 5 - dimethoxyphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 37 ) n -( 3 , 4 , 5 - trimethoxyphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 38 ) n -( 2 - chloro - 4 - methylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 39 ) n -( 2 - fluoro - 4 - chlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 40 ) n -( 2 , 6 - dichloro - 4 - methylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 41 ) n -( t - butylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 42 ) n -( 2 , 6 - difluorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 43 ) n -( 4 - iodophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 44 ) n -( 4 - chloro - 2 - methoxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) benzoisothia - zolone ( 45 ) n -( 2 , 4 - dichloro - 3 - methylphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 46 ) n -( 4 - ethoxy - 3 , 5 - dichlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 47 ) n -( 2 - chloro - 4 - methoxy - 3 - methylphenyl ) benzoisothia - zolone ( 48 ) n -( 4 - methoxy - 3 - chlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 49 ) n -( 3 - chloro - 2 , 4 - difluorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 50 ) n -( 3 , 4 - diethoxyphenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 51 ) 4 - fluoro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 52 ) 5 - fluoro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 53 ) 6 - fluoro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 54 ) 7 - fluoro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 55 ) 4 - chloro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 56 ) 5 - chloro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 57 ) 6 - chloro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 58 ) 7 - chloro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 59 ) 4 - bromo - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 60 ) 5 - bromo - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 61 ) 6 - bromo - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 62 ) 7 - bromo - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 63 ) 6 - iodo - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 64 ) 4 - methyl - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 65 ) 5 - methyl - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 66 ) 6 - methyl - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 67 ) 7 - methyl - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 68 ) 6 - ethyl - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 69 ) 7 - propyl - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 70 ) 4 - methoxy - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 71 ) 5 - methoxy - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 72 ) 6 - methoxy - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 73 ) 7 - methoxy - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 74 ) 5 - ethoxy - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 75 ) 7 - isopropoxy - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 76 ) 4 - nitro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 77 ) 5 - nitro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 78 ) 6 - nitro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 79 ) 7 - nitro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 80 ) 5 , 7 - dinitro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 81 ) 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 - tetrafluoro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 82 ) 5 - chloro - 7 - fluoro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 83 ) 5 - methoxy - 7 - chloro - n - phenylbenzoisothiazolone ( 84 ) 6 - chloro - n -( 4 - chlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 85 ) 6 - chloro - n -( 2 , 3 , 4 - trichlorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 86 ) 5 - methyl - n -( 3 - fluorophenyl ) benzoisothiazolone ( 87 ) 6 - methoxy - n -( 4 - chloro - 2 - methylphenyl ) benzoisotia - zolone ( 88 ) 6 - methoxy - n -( 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 - pentachlorophenyl ) benzoiso - thiazolone ( 89 ) 7 - methyl - n -( 2 - methyl - 4 - chloro - 5 - methoxyphenyl )- benzoisothiazolone ( 90 ) 5 , 7 - dimethyl - n -( 2 - methyl - 4 - chloro - 5 - methoxyphenyl )- benzoisothiazolone______________________________________ the present invention will be further illustrated by the following examples , test examples and comparative examples , which are not to be construed to limit the scope thereof . unless otherwise indicated , the term &# 34 ; part ( s )&# 34 ; refers to part ( s ) by weight . specific examples of the compound ( i ) are designated by the respective compound numbers shown in table 1 . to each of the compound ( 1 ), ( 4 ), ( 8 ), ( 16 ), ( 57 ), ( 67 ), ( 72 ) and ( 80 ) were added the ingredients as shown in table 2 . these mixtures were independently mixed and dispersed with a paint conditioner , which afforded compositions of examples 1 - 9 . in the same manner , a composition of comparative example 1 was obtained . the trade names of the ingredients used are as follows : laroflex mp - 45 : vinyl chloride - vinyl isobutyl ether copolymer made by basf a . g ., in germany pliolite s - 5b : styrene - butadiene copolymer made by the goodyear co ., in the u . s . a . table 2__________________________________________________________________________ examples comparative 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 example__________________________________________________________________________ 1compound ( 1 ) 30 30compound ( 16 ) 30compound ( 4 ) 30compound ( 8 ) 30compound ( 57 ) 30compound ( 67 ) 30compound ( 72 ) 30compound ( 80 ) 30laroflex mp - 45 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10pliolite s - 5b 10copper rhodanide 30red iron oxide 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5zinc oxide 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5aerozil # 200 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1chlorinated paraffin 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2rosin 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10xylene 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32methyl isobutyl ketone 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100__________________________________________________________________________ each of the coatings obtained in examples 1 - 9 and comparative example 1 was applied by means of an air spray to a sandblasted steel panel of 300 × 100 × 3 . 2 mm in size , which had been coated with a shop primer and an anti - corrosive paint of the vinyl tar type , in such a manner that a dry film of 100 μm in thickness was obtained . these sample panels were dried for 7 days , and immersed and left at rest in the sea off the coast of miyajima in the bay of hiroshima at hiroshima prefecture , and examined for the adhesion of harmful aquatic animals and plants as well as the adhesion of slime . the results are shown in table 3 . the amount of adhering harmful aquatic animals and plants in the table was evaluated as the percentage (%) of area to which they adhered , and the amount of adhering slime in the table was evaluated by the following criteria : 0 : no adhesion ; 1 : slight adhesion ; 2 : small adhesion ; 3 : moderate adhesion ; 4 : moderate to great adhesion ; and 5 : great adhesion . table 3__________________________________________________________________________ 6 months 12 months 18 monthsimmersion harmful harmful harmfulperiod aquatic aquatic aquaticadhering animals animals animalsobjects slime and plants slime and plants slime and plants__________________________________________________________________________example 1 0 0 1 0 2 0example 2 1 0 2 5 2 5example 3 2 0 2 5 3 15example 4 0 0 1 5 1 10example 5 1 0 1 0 2 0example 6 2 0 2 10 3 30example 7 1 0 2 5 2 15example 8 0 0 1 0 1 5example 9 1 0 1 5 2 5comparative 5 10 5 60 5 100example 1__________________________________________________________________________ various compositions containing the ingredients as shown in table 4 were obtained in the same manner as employed in examples 1 - 9 . for comparison , various compositions containing the ingredients as shown in table 5 were obtained in the same manner . table 4__________________________________________________________________________ examples 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18__________________________________________________________________________compound ( 1 ) 5compound ( 16 ) 5compound ( 4 ) 5compound ( 8 ) 5 5compound ( 57 ) 5compound ( 67 ) 5compound ( 72 ) 5compound ( 80 ) 5laroflex mp - 45 10 10 10 10 10 10 10pliolite s - 5b 10 10cuprous oxide 30 30 20 20 20 30 30 30 30zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate 52 , 4 , 5 , 6 - tetrachloroisophthalonitrile 5n , n - dimethyl - n &# 39 ;-( 3 , 4 - dichlorophenyl ) urea 5red iron oxide 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5zinc oxide 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5aerozil # 200 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1chlorinated paraffin 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2rosin 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10xylene 27 27 32 32 32 27 27 27 27methyl isobutyl ketone 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100__________________________________________________________________________ table 5______________________________________ comparative examples 2 3 4______________________________________laroflex mp - 45 10pliolite s - 5b 10 10cuprous oxide 30 30copper rhodanide 20zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate 10red iron oxide 5 5 5zinc oxide 5 5 5aerozil # 200 1 1 1chlorinated paraffin 2 2 2rosin 10 10 10xylene 32 32 32methyl isobutyl ketone 5 5 5total 100 100 100______________________________________ the compositions obtained in examples 10 - 18 and comparative examples 1 - 4 were examined in the same method as used in test example 1 . the results are shown in table 6 . table 6__________________________________________________________________________ 6 months 12 months 18 monthsimmersion harmful harmful harmfulperiod aquatic aquatic aquaticadhering animals animals animalsobjects slime and plants slime and plants slime and plants__________________________________________________________________________example 10 1 0 1 0 2 0example 11 1 0 1 0 2 0example 12 2 0 3 0 3 5example 13 1 0 2 0 2 0example 14 0 0 1 0 2 0example 15 2 0 3 0 3 10example 16 1 0 2 0 2 0example 17 0 0 1 0 2 0example 18 1 0 1 0 2 0comp . ex . 1 5 10 5 60 5 100comp . ex . 2 5 0 5 10 5 30comp . ex . 3 5 0 5 10 5 30comp . ex . 4 3 0 5 30 5 60__________________________________________________________________________ the compositions obtained in examples 1 - 4 , 10 - 13 and comparative examples 2 - 4 were used for the test in which they were actually applied in a patch on to the bottoms of small fishing boats working in three sea areas of nagasaki prefecture , hiroshima prefecture and niigata prefecture . after the lapse of 6 months , the adhesion of harmful aquatic animals and plants as well as the adhesion of slime were evaluated in the same manner as described in test example 1 . the results are shown in table 7 . the symbol &# 34 ;-&# 34 ; in the table refers to no execution of the test . table 7__________________________________________________________________________ nagasaki hiroshima niigataimmersion harmful harmful harmfulplace aquatic aquatic aquaticadhering animals animals animalsobjects slime and plants slime and plants slime and plants__________________________________________________________________________example 1 -- -- 0 0 0 0example 2 -- -- 0 0 0 0example 3 -- -- 1 0 0 0example 4 -- -- 0 0 0 0example 10 0 0 0 0 -- -- example 11 0 0 1 0 -- -- example 12 1 0 2 0 -- -- example 13 0 0 0 0 -- -- comp . ex . 2 5 0 5 0 5 0comp . ex . 4 -- -- 5 10 4 5__________________________________________________________________________ as described above , the compound ( i ) has an excellent effect on the prevention and inhibition of harmful aquatic organisms adhering to water - exposed articles , and such an effect can be retained for a long period of time . accordingly , the compound ( i ) can find various applications in the form of a controlling agent or antifouling composition against harmful aquatic organisms . | 2 |
with reference to fig1 and 2 , the optical transceiver connection module 100 in the first embodiment has a receptacle 200 and a housing 300 for accommodating an optical transceiver ( now shown ). the receptacle 200 is of the lc type . its input terminal 210 is for the connection of the connector 410 of an optic cable 400 . the connector 410 is also an lc - type fiber connector compatible with the receptacle . the output terminal 220 has two parallel trapezoid grooves 221 , two stop parts 222 , and a through hole 223 . the two grooves 221 and the two stop parts 222 roughly form a rectangle . the through hole 223 allows multiple optic fibers 420 wrapped inside the optic cable 400 to pass through . it is connected to the photo sensor on the circuit board in the optical transceiver . the housing 300 consists of a first cover 310 and a second cover 320 to accommodate all elements ( not shown ) of the above - mentioned optical transceiver . the corresponding sides of the first cover 310 and the second cover 320 have a u - shape protruding tracks 330 , which also have trapezoid cross sections to match with the grooves 221 on the receptacle 220 . the two covers 310 , 320 have an opening 340 on the inner side for the optic fibers 420 to go through . the first cover 310 has two hook arms 311 on opposite sides and extending toward the second cover 320 . the end of each of the hook arms 311 has a hook 312 . the second cover 320 is formed with hook holes 321 corresponding to the hooks 312 . the first cover 320 is further formed with pins 313 extending toward the second cover 320 . correspondingly , the second cover 320 has a pinhole 322 . the back end of the second cover 320 also has a hook arm 323 extending toward the first cover 310 . the end of the hook arm 323 is also a hook . a hook hole 314 corresponding to the hook arm 323 is formed on the first cover 310 . the elements described in the above paragraph are combined in the following manner . the first cover 310 and the second cover 320 are combined with the receptacle 200 by aligning the u - shape protruding tracks 330 with the grooves 221 on the output terminal 220 . finally , the inner sides of the closing ends of the two u - shape protruding tracks 330 touch the stop parts 222 of the receptacle 200 . since the grooves 221 and the protruding tracks 330 have matching trapezoid cross sections , the first and second covers 310 , 320 and the receptacle 200 can be tightly combined and will not depart along the axial direction of the optic fibers 420 . at the same time , the pin 313 on the first cover 310 , the hooks 312 of the hook arms 311 , and the hook holes 314 combine with the hook holes 321 , the pinhole 322 , and the hook arm 323 on the second cover 320 . in practice , one needs to finish the connection between the optic fibers 420 and the photo sensor on the circuit board of the optical transceiver inside the housing 300 before assembly . moreover , there are many other choices for combining the first and second covers 310 , 320 in the prior art . a connection module 500 for optical transceivers provided in the second embodiment of the invention is shown in fig3 . the housing 530 is exactly the same as in the previous embodiment . the only difference is that the receptacle 510 is the sc type ( the connector 520 connected with the input terminal is the same ). the output terminal 511 of the receptacle 510 also has two parallel grooves 513 with trapezoid cross sections , two parallel stop parts 514 , and a through hole 515 . the two grooves 513 and the two stop parts 514 also roughly form a rectangle . therefore , it is assembled in exactly the same way as the first embodiment . likewise , the third embodiment of a connection module 600 for optical receptacles shown in fig4 is only different from the above - mentioned ones in that the receptacle 610 ( including the connector 620 ) is replaced with a mu type one . the output terminal 611 of the receptacle 610 also has two parallel grooves 612 with trapezoid cross sections , tow parallel stop parts 613 , and a through hole 614 . the two grooves 612 and the two stop parts 613 also roughly form a rectangle . therefore , the first cover 631 and the second cover 632 can be combined into the housing 630 in the same way as the first embodiment . as disclosed in the above three embodiments , the invention utilizes the design of two separate covers and a u - shape protruding tracks to make an optical transceiver compatible with the lc , sc , and mu connectors or other small - form - factor ( sff ) standards , such as mt - rj ( amp , inc .) and vf - 45 ( 3m , inc .). moreover , both single - mode and multiple - mode optic fibers can be used with the invention . furthermore , the positions of the protruding tracks and the grooves can be mutually interchanged . for example , the connection module 700 of the fourth embodiment shown in fig5 has the two parallel grooves on the housing 710 , while the parallel protruding tracks 721 are designed on the receptacle 720 . the cross sections of the grooves 711 and the protruding tracks 721 are matching trapezoids . based upon the techniques of the invention , the connection port of a normal optical transceiver housing is singled out as a receptacle . the housing is separated into independent first cover and second cover , which have matching connection parts . the connection port of the receptacle can be of any standard , and the receptacle of any standard has the same matching part so as to combine with the first and second covers . while the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . to the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements . | 6 |
in the following detailed description of the present invention , a method for optimizing body bias connections in a cmos circuit using a deep n - well grid structure , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances well known methods involving photolithography , ion implantation , deposition and etch , etc ., and well known structures such as ohmic contacts and barrier metallization , etc ., have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention . fig2 a shows a plan view of an exemplary deep n - well grid structure 200 . for purposes of this disclosure a grid structure ( or grid ), is a planar sheet of semiconductor material with a regularly spaced rectangular array of apertures . although the regular spacing of apertures in the grid structure reduces the flexibility of the grid layout , it greatly simplifies the task of producing the layout . in view of the challenge in obtaining body biasing for all pfets using a buried deep n - well , the overall task of circuit and deep n - well layout is optimized by using a grid that is computationally efficient , and focusing on making the best use of the pfets that can be body biased . in the example embodiment shown , the apertures 205 of the grid 200 are approximately square with a dimension w . the apertures are separated by a web with a dimension t . dimensions w and t represent the minimum dimensions for the aperture and web , respectively , and are a function of the depth at which the grid 200 is formed in a substrate . the percentage of the grid area that is taken up by the apertures is preferably between 40 % and 60 % in one implementation , but could vary . this area distribution between the grid web and apertures provides for a balanced body biased connection for the pfets and nfets . the aperture may also have a shape that is rectangular , round , or oblong . the preferred method for forming the grid is through ion implantation , with or without a subsequent thermal diffusion step . annealing may be obtained through the thermal budget for other processing steps . fig2 b shows a cross - section elevation view of a deep n - well grid structure 200 situated in a p - type substrate 210 at a depth d . as described above , the values for w and t are functions of the depth d . this is due to the thickness of the resist that is used on the surface of the substrate 210 to define the pattern for the grid 200 . the greater the depth d at which the grid 200 is implanted , the greater the resist thickness required for pattern masking during implant . since thin resist patterns provide finer resolution than thick resist structures , the minimum feature size w and t for the implanted grid structure increases with increasing depth d . within the constraints for the achievable feature size for a grid at a particular depth , the grid dimensions are preferably selected to balance the impact of the resistance of the web and the aperture . if too much of the grid area is dedicated to apertures , the reduced web of the grid will result in too much resistance in the pfet bias path . conversely , if too little area is provided for the apertures , the bias path resistance of the nfets will be too large . in addition to the effects of resist thickness , scattering of the ion beam by the substrate lattice also contributes to a spreading between the aperture 205 and the grid 200 . this spreading of the doping profile at the interface contributes to an increase in the critical dimensions for the web and aperture since the less abrupt p - n junction increases the depletion region width at the interface . fig3 a shows a plan view of a substrate 210 with a deep n - well grid structure 200 and a misregistered surface n - well 215 . since the achievable feature dimension for surface n - wells is smaller than that achievable for a deep n - well , the minimum spacing between surface n - wells will be smaller than the minimum spacing between web regions , to which contact is desired . for a dense array of surface n - wells with a small pitch , it is inevitable that misregistration will occur between a portion of the surface n - wells and the grid . misregistration is the condition in which a surface n - well 215 achieves a partial overlap with the grid 200 , but the overlap is insufficient to establish a reliable electrical connection . the overlap between the surface n - well 215 and the grid 200 should be sufficient to provide a low resistance contact under both unbiased and biased operation . under bias , the expansion of the p - n junction depletion region should not produce a significant effect on the contact resistance . in order to resolve the ambiguity of a misregistered n - well , the n - well may be isolated by excising a portion of the grid by masking , or by relocating the n - well . relocation of the n - well may be done to establish sufficient overlap with the grid , or it may be done to isolate the n - well . in an embodiment of the present invention it is not necessary to connect all n - wells to the dnw grid , provided three conditions are met : 1 ) the isolated n - wells remain connected to v dd as before ; 2 ) the transistors in these wells represent a negligible fraction of the total leakage width ; and 3 ) the circuits using these transistors are robust enough to function properly even though their thresholds are not adjustable . in a retrofit design , n - wells may be unreachable from a global dnw mesh structure , in which case their n - wells can be left connected to v dd . n - wells may be unreachable because access is blocked by n - wells at a different potential or the target n - well is small and misregistered to the dnw mesh . if only some n - wells can be connected but not others then the connections can be prioritized . robustness may be an issue because one purpose of connecting n - wells with dnw is to lower the transistor thresholds to achieve higher performance . lowering thresholds can compromise functionality unless the thresholds can be tuned or the circuits are sufficiently robust . alternatively , misregistered n - wells may be implanted in a separate process from body biased n - wells in order to achieve vertical isolation without relocation . shallow isolated surface n - wells will have the greatest disparity in critical feature size with respect to the deep n - well grid structure . fig3 b shows a cross - section elevation view of substrate 210 and the deep n - well grid structure 200 with the misregistered surface n - well 215 of fig3 a . fig4 a shows a plan view of a deep n - well grid 200 structure and an isolated surface n - well 220 . the n - well 220 may be isolated as a result of the initial circuit layout , or it may be isolated in order to resolve misregistration in the initial layout . isolated n - wells are n - wells that are sufficiently separated from the grid 200 , so that they are unaffected by the body bias potential applied to the grid 200 . fig4 b shows a cross - section elevation view of substrate 210 and the deep n - well grid structure 200 with the isolated surface n - well 220 of fig4 a . it should be noted that although a deep n - well may be provided with apertures of varying sizes and spacings in an attempt to reduce misregistration and isolation , misregistration and isolation of n - wells in a dense circuit cannot be entirely eliminated due to the disparity in the critical dimensions between surface features and the achievable features for a perforated deep n - well . in the present invention , the inevitable isolation of a portion of the surface n - wells that results when a deep n - well is used for body biasing can be dealt with by allocating the available area for grid connection to specific types of transistors . fig4 c shows a plan view of an aperture 205 in the deep n - well grid structure and a buffer region 207 separating a connection region 208 from an isolation region 206 . the buffer region 207 ensures that an n - well will provide sufficient connection or isolation as required . the buffer region is useful for the layout of surface n - wells that have a critical dimension that is significantly smaller than the critical dimension of the grid structure . fig4 d shows a cross - section elevation view of connected n - wells 230 and unconnected n - wells 240 . the connected n - wells 230 contain transistors 235 that have a higher priority than the transistors 245 contained in the isolated n - wells 240 . body bias may be provided to transistors 235 through the grid 200 . nfets 255 may be body biased through the bulk substrate 210 . fig5 shows a process flow diagram 500 for a computer implemented method of optimizing body bias connections in a cmos circuit using a deep n - well grid structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present claimed invention . in the method of fig5 , the grid layout is determined independently from the circuit layout , and is a fixed constraint in one embodiment . the aperture area as a percentage of the grid is preferably between 40 % and 60 %. in step 505 , the physical layout for a deep n - well grid structure is performed . the grid layout is typically done using the smallest feature size attainable in order to maximize the probability of connection with the n - wells . in step 510 , the allowable site area for body biased n - wells is determined . the substrate surface is essentially divided into regions that are classified as connected or isolated , and the connected and isolated regions are separated by a buffer region that n - wells are not permitted to infringe . the buffer region ensures the connection or isolation of the surface n - wells . this method is predicated on a single mask for implanting the n - wells in step 515 , the pfets in the cmos circuit are prioritized for placement in the connected region and the isolated region . therefore , not all transistors may be body biased by the grid , in accordance with the prioritization . the factors that may be used to assign priority may include participation in a critical path in the circuit , voltage scalability , and power dissipation . prioritization may also be done on the basis of the effects of leakage current anticipated by modeling of the transistors in the circuit . in general , the priority for body biasing is related to the performance required of the transistor and the relationship of the performance level to the threshold voltage of the transistor . for example , with all other factors being equal , a transistor located in a critical path in a circuit block would be given priority over another transistor in the block that was not in the critical path . the priority level would in turn translate into a higher likelihood of the transistor being connected to the body bias grid . in step 520 , the circuit layout is performed , with the highest priority pfets being placed in the available n - wells in the connected region . for example , the placement of the pfets may be done by performing the initial layout without regard to priority , and then swapping the highest priority pfets that are not in the connected region with their nearest neighbors with lower priority that are in the connected region . in some cases , the lowest priority transistors may not be coupled to the body bias grid . fig6 shows a process flow diagram 600 for an alternative computer - implemented method embodiment that does not require a layout buffer region , but relies on two implant masks for the surface n - wells . in this process , a higher device density is obtained at the expense of a second well implant step . in step 605 , the layout for a deep n - well grid structure is performed . the grid layout is typically done using the smallest feature size attainable in order to maximize the probability of connection with the n - wells . in step 610 , the allowable site area for body biased n - wells is determined . the substrate surface is essentially divided into regions that are classified as connected or isolated . the n - wells that are ultimately placed in the connected region are designated for a deep implant , and the n - wells that are placed in the isolated region are designated for a shallow implant , with two masks being used for the overall well implant . in step 615 , the pfets in the cmos circuit are prioritized for placement in the connected region and the isolated region . the factors that may be used to assign priority may include participation in a critical path in the circuit , voltage scalability , and power dissipation . prioritization may also be done on the basis of the effects of leakage current anticipated by modeling of the transistors in the circuit . in step 620 , the circuit layout is performed , with the highest priority pfets being placed in the available n - wells in the connected region . for example , the placement of the pfets may be done by performing the initial layout without regard to priority , and then swapping the highest priority pfets that are not in the connected region with their nearest neighbors with lower priority that are in the connected region . in some cases , the lowest priority transistors may not be coupled to the body bias grid . fig7 shows a process flow diagram 700 for a computer implemented method of optimizing body bias connections in a cmos circuit using an adaptive deep n - well grid structure . in the embodiments shown in fig5 and fig6 , the location of the transistors in the layout may be modified in order to provide optimum body biasing . in the method shown in fig7 , the circuit layout is fixed , and the grid layout is adjusted to provide the optimum body biasing . in step 710 , the circuit layout is performed , with the n - well locations being determined . in step 715 , the pfets in the cmos circuit are prioritized with respect their requirement for body biasing . the factors that may be used to assign priority may include participation in a critical path in the circuit , voltage scalability , and power dissipation . prioritization may also be done on the basis of the effects of leakage current anticipated by modeling of the transistors in the circuit . depending upon the circuit , one or more factors may be used . each pfet in the layout may be assigned a score or ranking that is a weighted sum of the factors being considered . a factor may be excluded by giving it a weight of zero . in step 720 , grid parameters are selected from a set of parameters that are bounded by the minimum web dimension t , the minimum aperture dimension w and the aperture area percentage range of 40 % to 60 %. in step 725 , the grid is aligned with respect to the circuit layout at a position selected from a set of positions within a fixed area . the fixed area is typically a rectangular area that is sufficiently large to encompass all possible unique positions for the grid with respect to the circuit layout . due to the periodic structure of the grid , the fixed area is typically less than 3 times the aperture area . in step 730 , the circuit layout / grid alignment is inspected to determine how many of the pfets are in wells that are positioned so as to permit body biasing by the grid . the scores of the pfets that are so positioned are summed to provide a grid layout score for the combination of grid parameters and position . in step 735 , a check is made to see if the set of possible grid positions has been exhausted . if the set has not been exhausted , then step 725 is repeated . if the set of possible grid positions has been exhausted , then step 740 is executed . in step 740 , a check is made to see if all combinations of grid parameters in the set has been exhausted . if all combinations have not been exhausted , then step 720 is repeated . if all combinations in the set have been exhausted , then step 745 is executed . in step 745 , the grid layout is performed using the grid dimensional parameters and alignment position that totaled the best score . fig8 shows a process flow diagram 800 for a computer implemented method of implementing a partial deep n - well grid in a circuit design in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . at step 805 the process is started . at step 810 , a netlist for an integrated circuit design including transistors is accessed . an example of an integrated circuit design is a logic circuit using cmos transistors . at step 815 , a first set of transistors belonging to the circuit design is determined . the first set of transistors is a set of transistors that may be connected to a deep n - well grid . at step 820 , a second set of transistors is identified . the second set of transistors is a set of transistors that may not be connected to the deep n - well grid . different criteria may be used to determine which transistors are to be included in the second set . examples of criteria are design rule violations , inapplicability , electrical constraints , undesired performance reasons , etc . the layout of surface n - wells and deep n - wells may preclude a connection between an particular surface n - well and a particular deep n - well . an n - well containing a transistor may be too close to a deep n - well at another potential . a surface n - well surrounded by other surface n - wells at different potentials may be isolated from the deep n - well grid , or the connection path available may have an unacceptably high resistance . at step 825 , the first set of transistors in the design is connected to the deep n - well grid . at step 830 , the second set of transistors is not connected to the grid . at step 835 , the netlist for the integrated circuit design including connections between the first set of transistors and the grid is supplied for further processing , e . g ., circuit fabrication , testing , design work , etc . at step 840 the process is done . fig9 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 900 , which may be used as a platform to implement embodiments in accordance with the present invention . computer system 900 is a general purpose computer system , as is well known in the art . the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed , and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . for example , there are many combinations of the parameters for the implant and anneal process steps , and their sequencing , that may be used to produce the structures described herein . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application , to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents . | 6 |
fig1 shows , in cross section , a commercially available extruded tube 10 which may be cut to a desired length , sealed at either end , as by crimping and / or welding , and injected with a suitable coolant or working fluid to form a heat pipe . a vapor flow channel 12 is enclosed by the wall of the tube 10 , while a plurality of capillary or fluid flow channels 14 are formed within the wall itself . each channel 14 is defined by an adjacent pair of parallel ribs 16 projecting inwardly toward the central vapor flow channel 12 . a plurality of re - entrant groove openings 18 in one - to - one correspondence with channels 14 provide communication between channels 14 and channel 12 . each rib 16 has a rounded head portion 20 which is relatively thicker than the rib &# 39 ; s base portion 22 , resulting in a re - entrant profile wherein openings 18 are narrower than capillary channels 14 . fig2 and 3 show partial cross sections of a heat pipe 24 formed from a tube 10 which has been modified according to the present invention . as modified , each rib 16 includes a pair of transverse fins 26 projecting from opposite sides of head portion 20 . each adjacent pair of ribs 16 thus includes a facing pair of transverse fins 26 which project toward each other . each transverse fin 26 provides a flat sloping surface 28 extending from inner surface 30 of associated rib 16 to a tip 32 of the fin . the resulting re - entrant groove profile includes modified , narrowed groove openings 34 with convergent entrances 36 . each facing pair of transverse fins 26 borders an associated opening 34 , while the sloping surfaces 28 of a facing pair of fins define the convergent entrance 36 to the associated channel 14 . according to the present invention , the convergent re - entrant groove profile is achieved by modifying the commercially available , extruded tube 10 of fig1 . fig4 and 5 illustrate a tool 38 which may be used to modify the groove profile of tube 10 . as seen in fig5 tool 38 comprises a mandrel 40 and a draw bar 42 . mandrel 40 includes a forward supporting section 44 and threaded hollow for engagement on threaded end 46 of draw bar 42 . the length of draw bar 42 should be at least greater than the length of tube 10 to be operated on . the periphery of mandrel 40 includes a plurality of axial , v - shaped spines 48 corresponding to grooves 18 on tube 10 . the apex angle α of spines 48 corresponds to a desired convergent entrance angle α &# 39 ; in the modified groove profile ( fig4 ). if a different profile of convergent entrance 36 is desired , the shape of spines 48 is chosen accordingly . fig4 a , for example , shows a slightly varied mandrel 40a in which the troughs 49 between spines 48a are curved , the radius of curvature increasing from the midpoint of each trough to flat portions 50 of each spine . a chamfer 51 ( fig5 ) is provided at the forward end of the spine section for proper engagement and alignment with grooves 18 . modification of the virgin extrusion is accomplished by inserting draw bar 42 into a desired length of tube 10 so that the draw bar extends beyond either end of the tube &# 39 ; s length . splines 48 on mandrel 40 and groove openings 18 on tube 10 are next aligned with each other by rotating tool 38 relative to the tube . it should be obvious that draw bar 42 may be inserted into tube 10 prior to attaching mandrel 40 , in which case the draw bar may be inserted either end first . when the mandrel and tube are properly aligned , mandrel 40 is drawn through tube 10 by forcing end 52 of draw bar 42 axially away from tube 10 . as mandrel 40 passes through tube 10 , material from the rounded head portion 20 of each rib 16 is forced inward toward capillary channels 14 to form transverse fins 26 . this material displacement results in re - entrant groove openings 34 with widths on the order of 0 . 001 to 0 . 004 inches . attempts in the past to produce such narrow re - entrant grooves by direct extrusion have generally been unsuccessful , because the extrusion die is necessarily thin and hence very fragile at the points corresponding to the re - entrant grooves . the heat and pressure exerted on the die during the extrusion process has inevitably resulted in the die &# 39 ; s fracturing before any useful length of pipe can be produced . by contrast , the present method may be used to produce relatively long ( greater than one or two feet ), single - piece tubes having relatively narrow ( less than 0 . 004 in .) groove openings which have heretofore been unavailable in the art . because the desired length of tube may be produced in a single piece , there is no need to splice smaller lengths together , a process involving considerable expense and loss of efficiency in the resulting heat pipe . the operation of heat pipe 24 is shown schematically in fig6 . structurally , heat pipe 24 is a sealed chamber formed from a modified length of re - entrant groove tube in the same manner as prior art heat pipes would be formed from virgin extrusions . the heat pipe 24 is positioned so that one end , the evaporator 54 , is located in a heat source region 56 and the other end , condenser 58 , is in heat sink region 60 . heat is absorbed as indicated by arrows 62 , conducted through transport region 64 , which may be insulated , and heat is given off as indicated by arrows 66 . absorption of thermal energy in the evaporator 54 causes evaporation of a working fluid 68 ( fig2 ) while condensation of vaporized working fluid 70 in the condensor section 58 effects a release of thermal energy ( fig3 ). vapor channel 12 serves to conduct vaporized fluid 70 from evaporator 54 to condenser 58 , and capillary channels 14 bring condensed fluid 68 from the condenser back to the evaporator . arrows 72 and 74 ( fig6 ) indicate the direction of vapor and fluid flow through the heat pipe 24 . while fig6 illustrates the case where heat is conducted from a higher heat source to a relatively lower heat sink , as indicated by adverse tilt h , heat pipes constructed according to the present invention could also be used to conduct heat from a relatively lower source to a higher sink . in this latter situation , gravity would tend to assist the flow of condensed working fluid . otherwise , the utility of the heat pipe is limited by its static wicking height , which is the maximum adverse tilt , or vertical difference separating a higher source from a lower sink , at which the heat pipe will operate . unmodified ( virgin extruded aluminum ) heat pipes have been shown to have static wicking heights of 0 . 6 in ., using ammonia as the working fluid , while heat pipes constructed according to the present invention , using the same working fluid , have displayed static wicking heights of 1 . 8 in . this increase in static wicking height afforded by the present invention is made possible in part by the narrowed groove openings , which allow a more complete enclosure of capillary channels 14 and a concurrent increase in the surface area over which capillary action may occur . referring to fig2 working fluid 68 is seen to form a concave meniscus 76 in each convergent entrance 36 in evaporator section 54 . it is at the tips 78 of each meniscus that working fluid layer is thinnest . as is known in the art , heat transfer is improved by providing a thin layer of working fluid , because heat must pass through the working fluid to cause evaporation at the surface , and working fluids generally exhibit a much lower thermal conductivity than the material from which the wall of a heat pipe is formed . thus it becomes obvious that the heat transfer properties of the present invention may be altered by adjusting the convergent entrance angle α &# 39 ;, which conforms to the apex angle of the splines 48 of mandrel 40 , to better approximate a tangent to the meniscus of working fluid in the evaporator . splines 48 could also be made in other than a v - shape , to allow greater conformance with meniscus 76 . similary , angle α affects the flow of condensed working fluid into groove openings 34 . as seen in fig3 vaporized fluid 70 condenses on surfaces 30 in the condenser section 58 , and is urged by capillary action along sloping surfaces 28 toward groove openings 34 . by conducting the condensed working fluid away from surfaces 30 more efficiently , the present invention affords improved heat transfer in the condenser section . even further advances in condenser efficiency may be obtained by precisely controlling the profile of inner surfaces 30 . as in the evaporator , condenser heat transfer will be improved by providing thin condensation films , since heat from the vapor must be conducted through the film to surfaces 30 . also , an increasing radius of curvature from the midpoint of each surface 30 results in a capillary pumping action of the condensed working fluid toward the re - entrant grooves . both of these effects may be achieved by using a mandrel such as that of fig4 a which contacts the the entire surface of each rib between the re - entrant grooves during modification . nevertheless , it has been found that , using a mandrel having simple v - shaped splines with an apex angle of about 110 ° to modify according to the present invention an extruded aluminum tube having 20 re - entrant grooves and an inside diameter of about 0 . 4 in ., heat pipes made from such modified tubes exhibit the following improved characteristics over heat pipes made from the same tubing without such modification ( both using ammonia as the working fluid ): ______________________________________ unmodified modified according ( prior art ) to present inventionstatic wicking height 0 . 6 in . 1 . 8 in . ______________________________________heat evaporator 2000 7900transfer ( w / m . sup . 2 ° c . ): condenser 5400 14 , 000______________________________________ while the foregoing example is a specific illustration of the improvements occasioned by use of the present invention , it is not intended to be limiting . thus , one skilled in the art will realize that the selection of a working fluid , the number of capillary channels , the diameter of the tube , and the angle and / or shape of the convergent entrance may be varied according to a particular application , without departing from the spirit of the present invention , the scope of which is defined by the claims which follow . | 5 |
referring initially to fig1 , the reference numeral 10 refers , in general , to a vibrating screen separator assembly that includes a frame , or bed 12 , that includes a bottom wall 14 having an opening ( not shown ), a pair of side walls 18 and 20 , and a cross support member 24 coupled between the walls 18 , 20 . actuator 34 and 36 , respectively for imparting motion to the bed 12 are also coupled to the support member 24 . a flow box 16 is located at a feed end 22 of the shaker bed 12 to direct solid - bearing drilling mud to the screens 26 , located therein . a slide 28 may be located at the discharge end 30 of the shaker bed 12 to direct separated solids to a collection area ( not shown ). the shaker 10 may be mounted to a skid 32 to facilitate transport of the shaker 10 to the drill site as well as to aid in the positioning and relocation of the shaker 10 within the drill site . referring to fig2 , the lift system 40 includes a lift control assembly 42 , a hydraulic tank 44 , a first bellow 46 , and a second bellow 48 . the first and second bellows 46 , 48 are located near opposing corners 50 , 52 of the discharge end 30 of the shaker bed 12 ( shown in fig1 ). a shroud 54 is mounted to each of the first and second bellows 46 , 48 to help protect them from damage . an adapter plate 56 mounted to each shroud 54 attaches to an adjacent side wall 18 , 20 near the discharge end 30 of the shaker separator 10 . in one embodiment , shown in fig2 , the lift control assembly 42 is located at the discharge end 30 of the shaker bed 12 and the hydraulic tank 44 is shown to be at the feed end 22 of the shaker bed 12 . however the location of the lift control assembly 42 and the hydraulic tank 44 may be varied such that the lift control assembly 42 is located anywhere along the perimeter of the shaker assembly 10 where it is reachable by an operator and the hydraulic tank 44 is located in such proximity to first and second bellows 46 and 48 that fluid communication may reasonably be maintained between the hydraulic tank 44 and the bellows 46 , 48 . the lift control assembly 42 is operable to control pressurized air to and from the hydraulic tank 44 as well as to control communication of fluid between the hydraulic tank 44 and each of the bellows 46 , 48 . as will be described , the lifting system 40 utilizes an air over fluid hydraulic system to raise and lower the discharge end 30 of the shaker bed 12 , thereby providing a range of incline to the bed 12 of the shaker separator 10 . the hydraulic tank 44 is provided with a predetermined amount of liquid . in one embodiment , the liquid is water , such as when the shaker separator 10 is to be operated in temperatures where the water will not freeze . in one embodiment , the liquid is a fluid having an hydraulic fluid having a freezing point low enough for use in cold climates . a pneumatic line 72 directs air into the hydraulic tank 44 from the lift control assembly 42 . a first hydraulic line 80 directs the liquid to the bellows 46 , 48 . the flow through the first hydraulic line 80 is controlled by the lift control assembly 42 . thus , there is not a continuously open flow line between the hydraulic tank 44 and the bellows 46 , 48 . referring to fig3 and 4 , the lift control assembly 42 includes an air inlet 62 into which pressurized air is fed . the pressurized air is provided to a first valve 64 via a first pneumatic line 66 and to a second valve 68 via a first pilot line 70 . the first valve 64 is connected to a second pneumatic line 72 leading to the hydraulic tank 44 . a third valve 74 has an actuator 76 that is connected via a second pilot line 78 to the second valve 68 . the third valve 74 opens and closes a pathway between a first hydraulic line 80 from the hydraulic tank 44 and a hydraulic junction 82 providing liquid to second and third hydraulic lines 84 , 86 leading to the first and second bellows 46 , 48 . the lift control assembly 42 is discussed in further detail below . fluid to the first bellow 46 is provided through second hydraulic line 84 while fluid to the second bellow 48 is provided through third hydraulic line 86 . the second and third hydraulic lines 84 , 86 are connected to the hydraulic junction 82 in parallel such that , when the third valve 74 is open , liquid is communicated to the first and second bellows 46 , 48 simultaneously . further , when the third valve 74 is closed , the liquid may be communicated between the first bellow 46 and the second bellow 48 via the second and third hydraulic lines 84 , 86 . continuing to refer to fig2 - 4 , air from a pressurized air supply 88 enters the lift control system 40 through the air inlet 62 . a pressure regulator 90 is preferably included at the inlet 62 to provide an air stream at a predetermined pressure to the system . the preferred pressure will depend upon the weight to be lifted and the physical properties of the liquid to be communicated between the hydraulic tank 44 and the first and second bellows 46 , 48 at within the anticipated ambient operating conditions . a pressure gauge 92 is preferably included along the second pneumatic line 72 between the first valve 64 and the hydraulic tank 44 to use in the adjustment of the pressure regulator 90 . air from the pressure regulator 90 is provided to the first valve 64 through the first pneumatic line 66 and to the second valve 68 through the first pilot line 70 . the first valve 64 can be toggled between two positions , corresponding to raising and lowering the discharge end 30 of the shaker bed 12 . further , the first valve 64 is a three - way valve , that is there are three ports into or out of which air may be directed . in a first position , corresponding to the operation of raising the discharge end 30 , the pressurized air from the regulator 90 enters one port of the first valve 64 and exits a second port of the first valve 64 , which port directs the air to the second pneumatic line 72 and the hydraulic tank 44 . in a second position of the first valve 64 , corresponding to the operation of lowering the discharge end 30 , air , displaced by fluid forced back into the hydraulic tank 44 , is forced from the hydraulic tank 44 through the second pneumatic line 72 to the first valve 64 is vented through a third port of the first valve 64 . in one embodiment , the first valve 64 is a three - way , two position ball valve . in one embodiment , the second valve 68 is biased to a closed position such that the pressurized air from the first pilot line 70 is not directed to the second pilot line 78 unless the second valve 68 is manually actuated . while in the normally closed position , the second valve 68 provides a vent for air in the second pilot line 78 . upon actuation of the second valve 68 , the pressurized air from the first pilot line 70 is directed to the second pilot line 78 . air directed through the second pilot line 78 provides communication to the actuator of the third valve 74 , thereby actuating the third valve 74 when the second valve 68 is actuated . in one embodiment , the second valve 68 is a signal valve . the third valve 74 is biased to a closed position thereby preventing communication of liquid through the first hydraulic line 80 to the hydraulic junction 82 . as previously explained , when the third valve 74 is actuated , fluid flow between the hydraulic tank 44 and the first and second bellows 46 , 48 is open . in one embodiment , the third valve 74 is a two - way ball valve . referring to fig2 , 3 , and 6 , to operate the lifting system 40 , an operator will position the first valve 64 in a desired position corresponding to whether the shaker discharge end 30 will be raised or lowered . to lift the discharge end 30 of the shaker separator 10 , the operator will place the first valve 64 in a corresponding position using a handle , knob , or other such operator interface . air from the air supply 88 as regulated by the pressure regulator 90 is directed through the first valve 64 to the hydraulic tank 44 . so long as the third valve 74 is closed , communication of fluid from the hydraulic tank 44 to the first and second bellows 46 , 48 is prevented and the shaker 10 will maintain its initial incline . to raise or lower the discharge end 30 , the operator actuates the second valve 68 thereby providing pressurized air to the actuator 76 of the third valve 74 . actuation of the third valve 74 opens the passage between the first hydraulic line 80 and the hydraulic junction 82 . the pressurized air fed into the hydraulic tank 44 as a result of positioning the first valve 64 in the desired position , forces the liquid in the tank 44 through the first hydraulic line 80 to the hydraulic junction 82 . from the hydraulic junction 82 , the fluid is directed through the second and third hydraulic lines 84 , 86 to the first and second bellows 46 , 48 respectively . as the fluid fills the first and second bellows 46 , 48 , each bellow 46 , 48 expands to raise the discharge end 30 of the shaker separator 10 . once the desired incline of the bed 12 is achieved , the operator releases the second valve 68 , thereby closing it and releasing the actuator 76 of the third valve 74 . when the actuator 76 is released , the third valve 74 returns to a closed position . thus , the fluid transferred to the first and second bellows 46 , 48 and the second and third hydraulic lines 84 , 86 is confined . if the first bellow 46 contains more fluid than the second bellow 48 or vice versa , the weight of the shaker separator 10 will force the fluid to equalize between the first bellow 46 and the second bellow 48 , thereby leveling the discharge end 30 from side to side . to lower the discharge end 30 of the shaker separator 10 , an operator places the first valve 64 to a second position corresponding to lowering the discharge end 30 , again using a handle , knob , or other such interface device . when the first valve 64 is placed into the second position , any air under pressure in the second pneumatic line 72 and the hydraulic tank 44 may be vented . so long as the third valve 74 remains closed , only a minimal amount of air will be vented and the discharge end 30 will remain in the raised position . the operator actuates the second valve 68 to open fluid communication from the air supply 88 to the actuator 76 of the third valve 74 . when the air through the second pilot line 78 actuates the third valve 74 , the third valve 74 opens to provide fluid communication of the liquid between the first and second bellows 46 , 48 and the hydraulic tank 44 . with pressure on the fluid released , the fluid moves back into the hydraulic tank 44 while the third valve 74 is open . the weight of the shaker separator 10 on the first and second bellows 46 , 48 forces the liquid back into the hydraulic tank 44 . air from the hydraulic tank 44 , displaced by the liquid , is forced back through the second pneumatic line 72 and vented through the first valve 64 . when the bed 12 of the shaker separator 10 has reached the desired declination angle , the operator releases the second valve 68 to stop the flow of liquid from the first and second bellows 46 , 48 to the hydraulic tank 44 . this again confines the fluid in the first and second bellows 46 , 48 and the second and third hydraulic lines 84 , 86 and freezes the discharge end 30 in the desired position . referring to fig1 , 2 , and 6 , to assist the operator in adjusting the discharge end 30 of the shaker separator 10 , a means for indicating a position of the discharge end 60 may be coupled between the shaker bed 12 and the floor or skid on which the shaker 10 is located . indicator plates 94 may be located adjacent to one or both of the bellows 46 , 48 . the indicator plates 94 may include graduation lines corresponding desired positions of the discharge end 30 . graduation lines may correspond to a height of the discharge end 30 above the skid or the floor . graduation lines may correspond to an angle of the shaker bed 12 with respect to the skid or the floor . a marker 96 , or pointer , such as piece of formed sheet metal coupled to the bed 12 of the shaker separator 10 may be used to mark the angle of incline of the discharge end 30 of the shaker separator 10 relative to the skid 32 or floor to which the shaker separator 10 is mounted . referring to fig2 , a track system 98 may be provided to guide the vertical movement of each of the first and second bellows 46 , 48 . the track system 98 includes upright plates 100 , 102 located on opposing sides of each bellow 46 , 48 . the inner upright plate 100 for the first bellow 46 is shown in fig2 , while the corresponding outer upright plate 102 may be seen in fig1 . each upright plate 100 , 102 has a vertical track 104 along its inner surface 106 . each shroud 54 is provided with rollers 108 , which roll along the track 104 . a wall 110 extending from each upright plate 100 , 102 helps keep the rollers 108 in a confined area near the track 104 . one of skill in the art will appreciate that some variation of the components described are possible . for example the first and second bellows 46 , 48 may be replaced with other types of hydraulic lifters . another variation includes replacing the first and second bellows 46 , 48 with a single lifter centrally located along the discharge end 30 of the shaker bed 12 . in one embodiment of the lifting system 40 ′, depicted in fig7 , the lift control assembly 42 ′ includes a tank control valve 64 ′, a pair of pilot control valves 68 ′, 68 ″, a shuttle valve 112 , and a skinner fluid valve 74 ′. the pilot control valves 68 ′, 68 ″ and the skinner fluid valve 74 ′ are biased to a closed position . air from an air supply ( not shown ) is split , with a first stream directed through a pressure regulator 90 to the tank control valve 64 ′ and a second stream split again into a first sub - stream and a second sub - stream . the first sub - stream is directed to the first pilot control valve 68 ′ and the second sub - stream is directed to the second pilot control valve 68 ″. a pneumatic line 72 connects the tank control valve 64 ′ to the hydraulic tank 44 . a first pilot line 70 ′ connects the first pilot valve 68 ′ to the shuttle valve 112 and a second pilot line 70 ″ connects the second pilot valve 68 ″ to the shuttle valve 112 . a third pilot line 78 ′ connects the shuttle valve 112 to an actuator 76 ′ on the skinner fluid valve 74 ′. a first hydraulic line 80 ′ connects the hydraulic tank 44 to the skinner fluid valve 74 ′. a second hydraulic line 114 splits into two sub - hydraulic lines 84 ′, 86 ′ going to each of the bellows 46 , 48 , which are coupled to the shaker separator 10 near the discharge end 30 . to raise the discharge end 30 of the shaker separator 10 , an operator actuates the first pilot valve 68 ′. air flows through the first pilot valve 68 ′ to the shuttle valve 112 and to a pilot port of the tank control valve 64 ′. the shuttle valve 112 directs the air to the third pilot line 78 ′ and actuates the skinner fluid valve 74 ′. actuation of the skinner fluid valve 74 ′ opens fluid communication between the hydraulic tank 44 and the bellows 46 , 48 through the first hydraulic line 80 ′ and the second hydraulic line 114 . the air flow to the pilot port of the tank control valve 64 ′ actuates the tank control valve 64 ′ to provide pressure regulated air to the hydraulic tank 44 . the pressure regulated air displaces fluid in the hydraulic tank 44 , causing the fluid to exit the tank 44 through the first hydraulic line 80 ′. the fluid is forced from the tank 44 through the skinner fluid valve 74 ′ into the bellows 46 , 48 , causing them to expand and raise the discharge end 30 of the shaker separator 10 . when the first pilot valve 68 ′ is released by the operator , air pressure through the first pilot line 70 ′ to the shuttle valve 112 and air pressure to the pilot port of the tank control valve 64 ′ drops . the drop in air pressure on the shuttle valve 112 releases the actuation of the skinner fluid valve 74 ′, returning it to its normally closed position and terminating fluid communication between the hydraulic tank 44 and the bellows 46 , 48 . the drop in air pressure to the tank control valve 64 ′ releases it to its normal position wherein air in the hydraulic tank 44 and the pneumatic line 72 is vented and air flow into the hydraulic tank 44 from the air supply is stopped . to lower the discharge end 30 of the shaker separator 10 , the operator actuates the second pilot valve 68 ″. when the second pilot valve 68 ″ is actuated , air is directed to the shuttle valve 112 . the pilot signal to the shuttle valve 112 causes it to open and provide air flow to the third pilot line 78 ′, thereby actuating the skinner fluid valve 74 ′. upon actuation of the skinner fluid valve 74 ′, the first and second hydraulic lines 80 ′, 114 are in fluid communication , providing fluid communication between the bellows 80 ′, 114 and the hydraulic tank 44 . the tank control valve 64 ′ remains in its biased position wherein air from the hydraulic tank 44 is vented therethrough . the bellows 46 , 48 are compressed by the weight of the shaker separator 10 causing the fluid therein to flow back to the hydraulic tank 44 . air displaced by the fluid is vented through the tank control valve 64 ′. when the bed 12 has reached the desired angle , the operator releases the second pilot valve 68 ″, forcing the cessation of the pilot signal to the shuttle valve 112 and the return of the skinner fluid valve 74 ′ to its biased , closed position . the closure of the skinner fluid valve 74 ′ stops flow from the bellows 46 , 48 to the hydraulic tank 44 and the bed 12 is maintained at the desired angle . in one embodiment , an electrical interlock solenoid valve 116 is included in parallel with the skinner fluid valve 74 ′ between the first and second hydraulic lines 80 ′, 114 . in one embodiment , a needle valve 118 and silencer 120 is included at the venting port of the tank control valve 64 ′. in one embodiment , a filter 122 is included at the inlet to the lift control assembly 42 ′. referring now to fig8 and 9 , an alternative mechanism for lifting and guiding vertical movement of a shaker separator ( e . g ., 10 of fig1 ) may be described . in particular , each bellows ( 46 , 48 of fig1 - 7 ) may be replaced with a lifting mechanism 200 that includes a lifting apparatus 202 and a vertical alignment apparatus 204 . lifting apparatus 202 includes two hydraulic bellows 206 , 208 sandwiched between a bottom plate 210 and a top plate 212 for transmitting hydraulic energy from a hydraulic line 214 ( similar to 84 and 86 of fig4 ) to lift either a free end or a discharge end of a separator shaker assembly . while lifting apparatus 202 is shown having two bellows 206 and 208 , it should be understood that fewer or more bellows may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . further , dual bellows 206 and 208 may be replaced with a single , larger bellows if desired . vertical alignment apparatus 204 extends between top plate 212 of lifting apparatus 202 and an adapter plate 216 ( similar to 56 of fig2 ) of the shaker separator . in selected embodiments , vertical alignment apparatus 204 is designed to ensure the displacement and forces transmitted from bellows 206 and 208 are substantially linear and vertical as would be desired by those having ordinary skill in the art . alternatively , it should be understood that vertical alignment apparatus 204 may be angled such that displacement and forces are transmitted in a substantially linear , but not necessarily vertical orientation , if desired . as such , vertical alignment apparatus 204 includes an actuated cylinder assembly 218 configured to reciprocate within a sleeve 220 affixed to a frame 222 of the shaker separator . sleeve 220 may be affixed to frame 222 by any mechanism known to those having ordinary skill including , but not limited to , welding , bolting , press fitting , brazing , and the like . with sleeve 220 rigidly affixed to frame 222 , cylinder assembly 218 is able to linearly displace therethrough when actuated by top plate 212 . further , by selecting the length and relative position of sleeve 220 within frame 222 , the top and bottom ends of sleeve 220 may be used to limit a maximum and a minimum amount of stroke of cylinder assembly 218 , described below in more detail . furthermore , cylinder assembly 218 includes an inner cylinder 224 , an outer cylinder 226 , and a top plate 228 . as such , an outer diameter of inner cylinder 224 is sized to engage through an inner diameter of sleeve 220 so that top plate 228 may be raised and lowered as bellows 206 and 208 of lifting apparatus 202 are inflated and deflated . an alignment ring 230 having an outer profile approximate to an inner diameter of inner cylinder 224 is rigidly affixed to top plate 212 so that cylinder assembly 218 is maintained in proper alignment at all times during the stroke of lifting apparatus 204 . additionally , outer cylinder 226 of cylinder assembly 218 extends downward from top plate 228 and includes an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of sleeve 220 . thus , outer cylinder 226 may act as a cap to prevent fluids and debris from entering the annular gap formed between sleeve 220 and inner cylinder 228 . advantageously , by preventing fluids and debris from entering the annular gap between sleeve 220 and inner cylinder 228 , the same fluids and debris may be prevented from entering a compartment 232 within frame where lifting apparatus 202 , bellows 206 and 208 , and various other components are housed . furthermore , because shaker separator will experience to a large amount of vibration , a spring 234 may be mounted between top plate 228 of cylinder assembly 218 and adapter plate 216 to isolate lifting apparatus 202 and alignment apparatus 204 from vibrations . as such , a spring mount 236 may retain a bottom portion of spring 234 to top plate 228 , and a corresponding upper spring mount 238 may be mounted under adapter plate 216 . furthermore , while only spring 234 is shown , it should be understood that a viscous coupling or other form of vibration dampener may be use in conjunction with or in place of spring 234 . furthermore , one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that bellows 206 and 208 will also have inherent spring and dampening characteristics also . advantageously , lifting mechanism 200 enables hydraulic bellows 206 and 208 to be positioned below ( e . g ., in compartment 232 of frame 222 ) a shaking separator deck to be raised and / or lowered . further , alignment apparatus 204 enables any lifting force from bellows 206 and 208 to be applied substantially linearly in a desired direction so that damage from long term vibratory side , or translational , loading is minimized . furthermore , by locating lifting bellows 206 and 208 beneath the shaker deck , torsional loads to the deck resulting from the lifting forces may be reduced . further , lifting mechanisms in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein may be positioned at either a free end of a shaking separator , a discharge end of the shaking separator , or at both ends ( i . e ., all four corners ) control the amount and direction of relative shaker screen tilt desired . while the claimed subject matter has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments , those skilled in the art , having benefit of this disclosure , will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the claimed subject matter as disclosed herein . accordingly , the scope of the claimed subject matter should be limited only by the attached claims . | 4 |
with reference to the above figures , the sunglasses structure , generally indicated by the reference numeral 1 , is constituted by a front portion 2 having arms 2a , 2b hinged thereto and an associated lens 20 having an arcuate configuration . advantageously , the front portion 2 is constituted by a cross member 30 and an upper element 40 . the cross member 30 has a substantially rectangular cross section 31 defining an inner face 32 against which the lens 20 abuts . an elongate groove 33 is formed in an enlarged end portion 34 of the cross member 30 and accommodates a portion of the lens 20 . the upper cover element 40 expediently has an irregular hexagonal cross section 41 defining a recess 42 having a first face 43 and a second face 44 . the first face 43 of the recess 42 abuts against an upper surface 35 of the cross member 30 , while the second face 44 of the recess 42 abuts against an upper peripheral portion of the lens 20 . thus , the upper edge of the lens 20 is held between the inner face 32 of the cross member 30 and the second face 44 of the recess 42 formed in the cover element 40 . the enlarged end portion 34 of the cross member 30 also has formed thereon a connection recess 36 located adjacent to the groove 33 and having an abutment face 37 engaging a lateral surface 45 of a tongue 46 rigidly associated with a terminal portion 47 of the cover element 40 . a first inclined surface 49 extends substantially perpendicularly to the lateral surface 45 of the tongue 46 and abuts against a second inclined surface 39 extending substantially perpendicularly to the abutment face 37 of the connection recess 36 . in this manner , once the lens 20 is engaged in the connection recess such that its upper peripheral edge is located between the inner face 32 and the second face 44 , and the tongue 46 is engaged in the connection recess 36 , the lens is frictionally retained in position . by virtue of the inclination of the first 49 and second 39 inclined surfaces , the cover element 40 is retained in place on the cross member 30 . engagement between the upper cover element 40 and the cross member 30 is allowed by different thickness between the tongue 46 of the upper cover element 40 and the abutment face 37 of the cross member 30 . in order to fix the structural arrangement assembled as described heretofore , adhesive or ultrasonic welding or similar techniques may be used , or mechanical fixing devices such as screws may be adopted , e . g ., screws may be used in a concealed manner by being screwed into the inner face 50 of the cover element 40 , passing through the material constituting the lens 20 , and engaging the cross member 30 . in this manner , the heads of such screws are not visible when the sunglasses are worn . the arms 2a , 2b are connected to the front portion 2 , by means of conventional hinges , not illustrated for clarification purposes . said lens 20 has , approximately at the median region 3 , a milling 4 which is essentially v - shaped and is therefore symmetrical to the transverse middle axis ii -- ii of said lens ; temporary coupling means are provided on said milling for a bridge 5 . said coupling elements are constituted by a first and a second pair of raised portions , respectively indicated by the numerals 6a , 6b , and 7a , 7b , which protrude from the perimetral edge 8 of the v - shaped milling 4 . complementarily shaped grip elements provided on the bridge 5 are temporarily associable with said first and second pair of raised portions , which are symmetrical with respect to the transverse middle axis ii -- ii of the lens 3 . said bridge 5 has a v - shaped configuration and is preferably made of plastic material in order to confer on said lug a certain degree of elasticity , whereby it can be elastically deformed for insertion into the v - shaped milling 4 . the bridge 5 furthermore has a perimetral groove 9 which constitutes a seat for accommodating a portion of the perimetral edge 8 of the lens 3 , as well as a first pair of seats 10a and 10b , shaped complementarily to the second pair of raised portions 7a and 7b , provided at said perimetral groove 9 . a second pair of seats 12a and 12b for accommodating the first pair of raised portions 6a and 6b is provided at the terminal ends of the wings 11a and 11b of the bridge 5 . said second pair of seats 12a , 12b is advantageously formed in a portion of the material constituting the bridge 5 having a greater thickness dimension , at the perimetral groove 9 . in order to assemble the bridge 5 and the lens 20 , it is sufficient to introduce the apex 60 of the bridge 5 into the v - shaped milling 4 , and simultaneously align the perimetral edge 8 with the groove 9 . as the bridge 5 is pushed into the milling 4 , the raised portions 6a , 6b , 7a , 7b , slide along the groove 9 . this causes the wings 11a , 11b of the bridge 5 to be pressed towards each other , i . e . towards the transverse middle axis ii -- ii of the lens 20 , by causing elastic deformation of the bridge 5 itself . this condition prevails until alignment of the first pair of seats 10a , 10b with the second pair of raised portions 7a , 7b and alignment of the second pair of seats 12a , 12b with the first pair of raised portions 6a , 6b . when such alignment is achieved , the temporary elastic deformation of the bridge 5 generates a spring biasing force which causes the second pair of raised portions 7a , 7b to snap into engagement with the first seats 10a , 10b and the first pair of raised portions 6a , 6b to snap into engagement with the second seats 12a , 12b . the perimetral edge 8 of the lens 20 is then positioned correctly in the groove 9 , and the bridge assumes its normal unstressed configuration and is thus engaged with the milling 4 . the lens 3 furthermore has , proximate to the lateral ends 13a and 13b , a pair of air vents or intakes indicated by the reference numerals 14a and 14b . said air intakes are obtained by providing a hole at the lens ; a stud is then associated with said hole , and the flow of air is expediently reduced therein by means of the presence of a mesh , indicated by the numerals 15a and 15b . in this way , misting of the lens is prevented without thereby creating undesiderable air - currents . the mesh also prevents the ingress of foreign bodies such as dust or snow . the use of the structure is therefore as follows : first of all the association of the lug at the lens occurs by gripping said lug at the ends of the wings 11a and 11b , imparting to said wings a slight pressure which causes them to approach one another . in this manner said lug is positioned so that the first and second pair of raised portions is arranged facing at the second and first pair of seats : by releasing the ends of the wings 11a and 11b , the automatic engagement of the former to these last is achieved . the use of at least three temporary coupling elements provided on the lens for complementarily shaped grip elements provided on the bridge allows the optimum coupling of the bridge to the lens . the presence of the air intakes 14a and 14b furthermore allows an optimum passage of the flow of air at the surface of the lens which faces the user &# 39 ; s face , ensuring perfect vision through all portions of the lens in any condition . it has thus been observed that the invention has achieved the intended aim and objects , a structure of sunglasses having been obtained which allows good aeration of the lens , preventing it from misting . the sunglasses structure furthermore has a removable bridge which is at the same time firmly associable with the lens without said bridge being subject to accidental removal . this allows , for example in case of a fall , to avoid that a possible uncoupling of the lug may lead to an abutment of the perimetral edge 8 of the lens 3 at the nasal septum of the user , causing injury . the invention is naturally susceptible to numerous modifications and variations , all of which are within the scope of the same inventive concept . thus , for example , any number of air vents of any convenient size may be used , and they may be arranged at any suitable position at the lateral region of the lens 20 . the partial closure of one or more air vents may naturally occur with any device such as , for example , a sliding shutter or a removable cover . the number of temporary coupling elements provided on the lens may furthermore by any , though preferably at least three . finally , the materials , as well as the dimensions which constitute the individual components of the structure , may also naturally be the most appropriate according to the specific requirements . advantageously the cross member 30 and the arms 2a , 2b are made of plastic material , while the cover element may be made of rubber . | 6 |
the confectionery machine to which fig1 to 11 relate is equipped with open - top , cup - shaped molds 2 rotatable about a vertical shaft 1 which in an axial bore contains an axially movable ejector 3 for ejecting the finished confections . first a preformed wrapper 4 is inserted from above into the empty mold 2 in fig1 . alternatively a feeder may be arranged to deposit a flat blank of wrapper material on the open top of the mold 2 followed by the descent of a suitable plunger which applies the blank to the inside wall of the mold so that the wrapper material forms a lining . the size of the wrapper or blank is appropriately calculated to ensure that a portion of the wrapper material will project from the open top of the mold . when the wrapper material 4 has been inserted into the mold 2 a flowable confectionery mass 5 is poured in . rapid rotation is then imparted to the mold , but preferably not until the surface of the confectionery mass is quite level . the molds 2 are rotated about their vertical shafts at least for a predetermined period of time , suitable drive and timing means being provided . the speed of rotation and the spinning time depend upon the composition and consistency of the confectionery mass that is to be molded . suitable precautions must be taken to ensure that the wrapper cannot detach itself from the mold . these may comprise suitably shaping the profile of the wrapper and / or internal mold surface or by locating the wrapper by compressed air from above or suction from below . the mold and the wrapper must jointly rotate to ensure that the centrifugal forces will cause the confectionery mass to rise up the inside wall of the mold and to form a hollow cup 6 which can be set . this can be done by a blast of cold air or by conveying the mold into a cooling zone . in another working station a nut , raisin , fruit or the like 7 may be introduced into the open mold 6 and finally the molded confectionery case can be filled with any desired filling material 8 of a liquid or cream - like consistency . the open top of the confection is then closed with a capping mass 9 for which purpose rotation of the mold may be resumed to ensure that the capping mass spreads evenly over the top of the confection and fuses with the upper edges of the initially formed case 6 . when the capping material 9 has also set the wrapper can be closed . fig8 to 11 illustrate different possible ways of closing the wrapper . in fig8 use is made of two cooperating hot sealing tools 10 which merely press together the edges of the wrapper material 4 and form a seam by hot sealing . in the closing device shown in fig9 a mechanical impressed seam is formed by pressing tools 11 , whereas in fig1 folding instruments 12 produce a folded closure for instance in the manner of a &# 34 ; punch packing &# 34 ;. finally fig1 illustrates the method of closing the wrapper by twisting its edges to a neck 13 . in the methods of closing the wrapper shown in fig8 and 11 the portions of the wrapper material projecting from the top of the mold also provide means whereby the finished and wrapped confections can be lifted out of the mold . fig1 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine which permits wrapped confections to be produced in an extremely economical way . the machine contains conveyor chains 14 which run in parallel over driving and return wheels 15 in the arrowed direction either in intermittent steps or continuously . the chains are cross connected by carrier beams 16 on which the shafts and centrifugal molds 2 , which are only schematically shown in the drawing , are rotatably mounted . in the working zones in which rotation is imparted to the molds drive means 17 and a motor 18 for a coupling head 19 controlled and operated by a time switch are provided . the drive means and coupling head can be raised and lowered as indicated by a to impart the required rotation to the centrifugal molds for the required period of time . instead of being fixed the entire drive may be arranged to travel to and fro in the direction indicated by arrow b if the chain conveyor travels continuously or the spinning time is to be prolonged . in order to permit the machine to work economically a large number of separate centrifugal molds 2 are mounted on the chain conveyor in longitudinal and transverse rows , one or several rows of molds being simultaneously driven and filled . above the level of the travelling molds there is firstly a feeder for the supply of blanks of wrapping material or a device 20 adapted to insert preformed wrappers into the molds . means , not shown in the drawing , are also provided for pressing the wrappers into the mold as well as instruments or devices for retaining the wrappers inside the molds . the molds that have been provided with wrappers are then conveyed to a metering feed means 21 for the flowable confectionery mass that is to form the case of the confection or sweet , such as a hard boiled sugar , chocolate or like mass . rotation of the molds can be begun during the process of pouring in the confectionery mass , but preferably rotation is delayed until the mass has formed a level surface in the mold , as indicated for instance in the diagrammatic drawing . a feeder 22 is then provided for the insertion of a solid , such as a nut , a raisin , a fruit or the like , into the open case . the molds then pass through a cooling zone 23 where the confectionery mass sets , behind which there follows a pouring device 24 which provides the cases with a filling of liqueur , fondant , jam , creme or the like which may be in the form of a soft paste or of a liquid . the molds are then conveyed through another cooling zone 25 and a cap casting device 26 which discharges a capping mass , i . e . a confectionery mass that will set , on the open top of the case . in order to ensure that this mass spreads evenly over the top spinning of the molds may be resumed for a short time . finally at the several stations the molds may pass over vibrators 27 . these may be necessary to ensure that the confectionery masses are dense and well distributed in the molds . preferably the entire machine is accommodated inside a housing 28 which is air - conditioned to ensure that the masses will set as quickly as possible . the returning portion of the chain conveyor carries the molds back to the starting point of the process . the confections first remain inside the molds . during their return journey the molds pass across folding instruments 29 which are only schematically indicated and which are designed in a suitable manner to fold the parts of the wrapper projecting from the open end of the molds . finally the fully wrapped confections are dislodged by an ejector 30 and drop on a cross conveyor belt 31 which carries them to a collecting point . a cooling fan 32 ensures that the air inside the housing 28 is conditioned and circulated as is desirable . the set of folding instruments 29 and the ejector 30 can be inactivated if the wrappers are to be closed by twisting . for such an eventuality a toolholder 33 is provided above the conveyor chain . at its bottom end the toolholder is fitted with two rows of gripper instruments 34 which open and close , and which can be vertically raised and lowered and moved horizontally to and fro as a unit . below this arrangement and underneath the chain conveyor is a drive means 35 controlled by a time switch and adapted to be coupled to the mold shafts for rotating the molds and thus forming the twisted necks . when the grippers 34 have gripped the projecting edges of the wrapper material projecting from the top of the molds the latter are given a few turns by activation of the drive means 35 so that the wrapper ends are twisted whilst the grippers 34 keep the wrapper ends fixed . the closed grippers 34 are then raised and traversed to one side , thus lifting the wrapped confections out of the molds and depositing them on a cross conveyor 36 . for the sake of simplicity means and instruments for retaining the wrapper inside the mold are not shown . finally the several assemblies at the different working stations can be started , stopped and employed in a variety of ways . means may also be provided for applying a parting agent to the wrapping material before the introduction of the confectionery mass to permit the confections to be easily taken out of their wrappers for consumption . all the working assemblies , such as the metering feeders , folding and closing instruments , drive means , transmissions , couplings as well as the time switches are of conventional type and call for no special description . | 1 |
the following is a detailed description of the new prune tree cultivar that was obtained from the observation of eight year - old asexually propagated trees during the 1999 growing season ( except where otherwise indicated ). the trees were propagated on prunus cerasifera ‘ myrobalan 29c ’ plum rootstock . the trees were grown at the kearney agricultural center of the university of california located at parlier , calif . tree spacing was 5 . 49 m between rows and 4 . 88 m spacing between trees down the row . the color chart used in the identification of colors is that of the royal horticultural society , london ( r . h . s . colour chart ). other color terminology is to be accorded its customary dictionary significance . size .— the height during october at the end of the growing season ranges from approximately 4 . 2 to 4 . 7 m including approximately 1 . 7 to 1 . 8 m of current season &# 39 ; s growth . the width across the crown ranges from approximately 3 . 7 to 4 . 3 m . hardiness .— hardy under typical san joaquin valley of california climatic conditions . size .— average in thickness for prunus domestica . the trunk circumference at 35 cm above the ground is approximately 12 cm . texture .— relatively smooth with only a slight amount of short scarfskin . lenticels .— numerous , prominent , oval in configuration , most pronounced on the trunk and large scaffold limbs where they are the most abundant , and commonly raised with a calloused surface . the height commonly ranges from approximately 1 . 5 to 2 . 0 mm and the width from approximately 2 . 0 to 6 . 0 mm . the coloration is brownish - tan , near grey - orange group 173c . diameter .— average thickness for prunus domestica . the diameters of primary scaffold branches average 7 . 4 cm and range from 6 . 1 to 8 . 4 cm , and the diameters at the base of the secondary scaffold branches average 4 . 5 cm and range from 3 . 3 to 5 . 7 cm . the basal diameters of fruiting hanger limbs average 1 . 1 cm and range from 0 . 7 to 1 . 7 cm . the diameters of fruiting spurs average 0 . 5 cm with a range from 0 . 3 to 0 . 7 cm . these dimensions were obtained from the observation of ten - year - old trees during april 2001 . surface .— substantially pubescent especially on current season &# 39 ; s growth . such pubescence is moderately dense and short . color .— branch color is somewhat variable . mature current season &# 39 ; s shoots are medium brown of near brown group 200d . immature shoots range from light green of yellow - green group 144b to darker green of yellow - green group 144a on more mature growth . young shoots exposed to the direct sunlight often are blushed with a rose - red hue of red group 48a . new expanding shoot tips commonly are bright yellow - green of yellow - green group 151a . two year - old or older branches commonly are near grey - brown group 199b to darker brown of grey - brown group 199a . lenticels .— substantial presence on mature current season &# 39 ; s shoots , and two year - old or older branches . internode length .— normal for prunus domestica . the distance between nodes commonly ranges from approximately 19 to 36 mm on moderately vigorous current season &# 39 ; s shoots . size .— medium to large . leaves produced near mid - shoot on vigorous current season &# 39 ; s shoots range in length from approximately 10 . 9 to 15 . 4 cm including the petiole and in width from approximately 5 . 5 to 6 . 8 cm . the leaves are moderately thick and are slightly above average in thickness . form .— variable , frequently obovate , and with the occasional presence of oval leaves . the leaf apices are acute and commonly are very slightly reflexed sideways . with advancing maturity some older leaves are folded downwards from the midrib . color .— the upper surface is dark green . yellow - green group 146a to yellow - green group 147a . the under surface is lighter green , yellow - green group 147c to yellow - green group 148c . the primary mid - vein on the under surface is pale green , yellow - green group 145c . both the under surface and the leaf mid - vein on the under surface are highly pubescent . margin .— crenate with large somewhat irregular crenations . the margins tend to be slightly undulate . petiole .— average in size , commonly approximately 17 to 32 mm in length , approximately 1 . 5 to 2 . 0 mm in thickness , and light green , yellow - green group 145b , in coloration . with advancing age the petiole coloration can darken and assume a reddish blush near red group 37a . such blush tends to be most evident along the ridges of the petiole groove . glands .— from 0 to 2 small glands commonly can be observed at the extreme base of the leaf blade margin . such glands are globose in configuration and occur on stalks which are distinct or indistinct . usually no glands are present on the petiole itself . the gland position is alternate . the coloration when young is bright green , yellow - green group 151c , with darkening and deterioration with age . stipules .— medium to large in size , linear lanceolate in configuration , located at the very base of the petiole and arise from the base of the petal groove area , partially deciduous with some stipules remaining on the leaf throughout the growing season , margins are serrate and substantially pubescent , commonly approximately 5 to 11 mm in length and 1 . 5 to 2 . 0 mm in width at full maturity , and the coloration of young stipules is green , yellow - green group 145a . picking .— first pick was july 30th and the last pick was aug . 9 , 1999 . the 1999 fruit growing season in the san joaquin valley area of california was one of the latest on record and ranged from 12 to 15 days later than average . a more typical first - pick date is july 15th and a more typical last pick date is july 25th . size .— very large for the species and of relatively good uniformity . fruit from a well - thinned tree ranges from approximately 40 to 53 mm in the suture diameter and approximately 54 to 68 mm in the axial diameter . form .— most frequently oval in lateral aspect , is well rounded basally and apically , and tends to be slightly more pointed apically . nearly globose to slightly oval in the apical aspect and at times is slightly irregular . the fruit varies from symmetrical to slightly asymmetrical . suture .— very thin , with a somewhat indistinct line extending from the base to apex . most frequently is similar in coloration to that of the surrounding skin surface . at times is slightly depressed especially over the ventral apical shoulder . a very slight amount of stitching occasionally is observed over the apical shoulder . ventral surface .— usually quite smooth ; however , at times a very low lipping is observed . stem cavity .— oval , quite regular in configuration , very small , tight and very shallow . the width commonly ranges from approximately 2 . 5 to 5 . 0 mm and the depth commonly ranges from 2 . 0 to 2 . 5 mm . at times a small oval fleshy ring is observed within the cavity basin which surrounds the stem at the point of attachment to the basal cavity . such ring is narrow and averages approximately 1 . 0 mm in thickness . when the stem is removed from the fruit , the ring can remain in the cavity or be attached to the distal end of the stem . base .— regular and rounded . the stem attachment and stem cavity frequently are not positioned at the highest point of the fruit base , but rather are positioned approximately 5 to 8 mm down the ventral edge from the basal apex . the basal angle tends to be decidedly oblique to the fruit axis . apex .— slightly raised and somewhat more pointed than the fruit base with no depression at the apex . the pistil point is variable and at times is apical and at times is moderately oblique . stem .— medium in length and pubescent with the abundant presence of short and stiff hairs . the length commonly ranges from approximately 11 to 18 mm . the thickness commonly ranges from 1 . 5 to 2 . 0 mm . the color is pale green at commercial maturity , near yellow - green group 146c . skin pubescence .— generally glabrous but with a small amount of scattered very fine pubescence covering the surface of the fruit . skin tendency to split .— no tendency to crack or split has been observed . skin color .— grey - blue , violet - blue group 97b , at commercial maturity when the waxy cuticle bloom is intact . once the bloom is removed the coloration is dark purple , greyed - purple group 187a . the fruit usually is fully colored with no visible ground color . occasionally a lighter reddish - purple , greyed - purple group 187c , is observed especially on an exposed fruit surface . at full maturity a small number of light colored dots sometimes are observed , primarily on the lateral surfaces and over the basal shoulder . flesh color .— commonly varies from yellow - orange group 20b to a darker yellow orange , yellow - orange group 20a . a small number of fibers also commonly are observed within the stone cavity and along the margins of the stone . flesh texture .— at commercial maturity the flesh is firm , relatively fine textured , and moderately juicy . at more advanced maturity the fruit becomes softer and very juicy . flavor .— mild and sweet with a relatively low acidity . during the 1999 growing season on july 30th , soluble solids reached 17 degrees brix at 5 . 0 pounds pressure for fresh shipment . on august 13th of the same year , soluble solids reached 20 degrees brix at a drying maturity of 2 . 6 pounds pressure . aroma .— very slight to lacking at commercial maturity . the aroma becomes slightly stronger as maturity progresses . attachment .— semi - freestone . the flesh fibers are attached primarly at the base of the stone and along the suture edges , but are generally free laterally . the stone tends to become more free with advancing maturity . size .— relatively large , commonly ranges from approximately 28 to 33 mm in length , approximately 14 to 17 mm in width , and approximately 7 . 5 to 9 . 5 mm in thickness . hilum .— very small and commonly averages approximately 2 to 3 mm in length . is oval , but the shoulder commonly is distinctly eroded along the ventral edge . the basal area under the hilum scar is somewhat necked . distinct ridges commonly are present on the basal neck which converge basally . surface .— slightly rough with the lateral surfaces being covered with very low netted ridges . ventral edge .— relatively narrow , smooth and regular . very low wings of often less than 1 mm sometimes are present on the basal one - third of the ventral edge and sometimes are completely absent . commonly a shallow but distinct groove is present laterally and runs roughly parallel to the ventral edge at approximately 2 to 3 mm below the edge . the ventral edge sometimes is slightly pitted and at times is discontinuous . dorsal edge .— a distinct groove commonly is present along the dorsal edge from the base to the apex . at times the dorsal groove is discontinuous at or near med - suture . the dorsal groove is usually wider and more distinct from the base of the stone up to mid - suture . the groove tends to be narrower beyond mid - suture towards the apex . color .— cinnamon , greyed - orange group 165c . the wet color is darker , greyed - orange group 165b . chilling season .— data for this description was obtained during march 1999 . there were approximately 1331 chilling hours below 45 ° f . for the 1998 - 1999 winter season . floral buds .— medium in size , commonly 4 to 5 mm in length and 2 to 3 mm in width , conic in form , plump , slightly appressed to the bearing stem , and hardy under typical san joaquin valley climatic conditions . the bud surface scales are dark brown , brown group 200b , in coloration , are lightly pubescent , and are most distinct along the margins . the number of buds per node can range from approximately 1 to 6 and most commonly is approximately 3 . such buds commonly are present in abundance on one year - old wood which is uncommon for the species . blooming time .— early in relation to other prunus domestica cultivars . initial sustained bud burst began on mar . 14th during 1999 . full bloom occurred on mar . 19th during 1999 . the duration of bloom was approximately 10 days with nearly complete shatter by mar . 24th in 1999 . in contrast the ‘ improved french ’ cultivar attained full bloom on march 28th under the same conditions . size .— medium to large for the species . the fully expanded flower diameter commonly is approximately 22 to 30 mm . petals .— medium to large in size and commonly range from approximately 11 to 14 mm in length and approximately 10 to 12 mm in width . the number is 5 per flower . the form varies from oval to very slightly obovate and at times is notched at the apex . the coloration is white , white group 155b . the petal claw is short and truncate , approximately 0 . 5 to 1 . 0 mm in length and approximately 1 . 0 mm in width . the margins are variable and range from relatively smooth to slightly undulate and are somewhat cupped inwards . the apices are also somewhat variable and range from smoothly rounded to distinctly notched . pedicel .— commonly approximately 7 to 12 mm in length and a thickness of approximately 0 . 8 to 1 . 0 mm . the coloration is light green , green group 143c , and the surface is pubescent with short erect hairs throughout . calyx .— lightly pubescent with short fine pubescence , and greenish - yellow in coloration , yellow - green group 146c . sepals .— five in number , approximately 5 mm in length , approximately 3 to 4 mm in width , pubescent on the surfaces with greater density along the margins , oval in form , and the external coloration is light green , green group 143c . anthers .— average in size , and yellow - gold , yellow group 13a , both ventrally and dorsally in coloration . stamens .— approximately 20 to 27 and most frequently approximately 25 , the length is variable and commonly approximately 5 to 9 mm , and commonly equal in height to slightly shorter than the pistil . the filament color is white , white group 155b . pistils .— the surface of the ovary is pubescent and surface of the style is substantially glabrous . the length including the ovary is approximately 10 to 13 mm . the style is yellow - green , yellow - green group 145c , and the ovary is darker shiny green , yellow - green group 144b , in coloration . under normal environmental conditions only one pistil is present per flower . in seasons following very hot summers it is possible to observe a low number of double pistils ( e . g ., 2 to 3 percent ). | 0 |
in the artificial spine according to the present invention , it is preferable that the inner side section and outer side section each have formed therein a thread insertion through - hole for inserting a thread for the fixation of the artificial spine to the divided spines . further , it is desired that the ends of a pair of contacting surfaces of the intermediate section each have formed therein a thread insertion groove for guiding a thread for the fixation of the artificial spine to the divided spines . further , it is desired that in addition to the thread insertion through - hole , the outer side section has formed therein , a hole for facilitating bonding of the artificial spine to a surrounding tissue . moreover , it is desired that the outer side section , in a horizontal cross - section thereof , has a configuration of a trapezoid in which its width is gradually reduced with an increase of a distance from the intermediate section , and , in a cross - section of the forehead portion , has a configuration of a trapezoid in which its upper surface accesses to its lower surface with an increase of distance from the intermediate section . furthermore , it is preferred that an end surface of the inner side section at one side of the vertebral canal constitutes a part of a cylindrical inner surface of the section which surface accesses and declines to one side of the intermediate side section in the direction of a head . in the practice of the present invention , it is preferred that the biocompatible ceramic material used in the formation of the artificial spine is a glass ceramics or a calcium phosphate compound having a ca / p ratio in the range of about 1 . 0 to 2 . 0 . the calcium phosphate compound having a ca / p ratio of about 1 . 0 to 2 . 0 usable in the present invention includes a wide variety of apatites such as hydroxyapatite , fluoroapatite and the like , monobasic calcium phosphate , dibasic calcium phosphate , tricalcium phosphate , tetracalcium phosphate , and others . these calcium phosphate compounds may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more compounds . the calcium phosphate compounds may be produced in accordance with any well - known production methods including a wet synthesis process , a dry synthesis process and others . for example , they may be produced by drying a slurry of the starting calcium phosphate compound , followed by calcinating the dried product at a temperature of about 500 to 800 ° c . and then sintering at a temperature of about 800 to 1 , 400 ° c . after sintering , the resulting blocked body is fabricated to obtain a desired shape and size . alternatively , they may be produced from powders of the above - described calcium phosphate compound by preparing a pressed powder body having a desired shape and size , followed by sintering the powder body as in the above sintering process . in the artificial spine of the present invention , if at least a surface portion of the spine is formed from a porous ceramic material having a good biocompatibility , since the ceramic material has a good affinity with a surrounding bone tissue , a bone union can be accelerated as a function of the permeation of the bone tissue into pores of the ceramic material . the porous ceramic material used herein is preferably those having open pores . in a porous ceramic material , its pore size or diameter and its porosity are not particularly restricted , however , generally , it is preferred that the pore size is in the range of about 2 to 2 , 000 μm , and the porosity is in the range of about 30 to 80 %, more preferably about 40 to 70 %. a core portion of the artificial spine may be formed from a dense or porous ceramic material . usable ceramic material includes a calcium phosphate compound having a ca / p ratio in the range of about 1 . 0 to 2 . 0 , alumina , titania , zirconia , and the like . among these materials , the calcium phosphate compound can be suitably used . when a layer of the porous biocompatible material is intended to be applied over a surface of the core portion consisting of a dense ceramic material , the method for applying the porous layer is not particularly restricted , and accordingly any conventional methods may be used in the formation of such porous layer . suitable methods include , for example , flame spraying , sputtering , impregnation , spray coating , and the like . the artificial spine of the present invention can satisfy its requirements , if at least a surface portion of the spine is made from a biocompatible and porous ceramic material as described above , however , it is preferred that the artificial spine is made , as a whole , from a porous ceramic material having biocompatibility . the artificial spine according to the present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the drawings , fig1 to 4 illustrate one working example of the artificial spine 10 of the present invention , and fig5 and 6 illustrate an expansion operation of the vertebral canal in which the operation is carried out by dividing the cervical spine , and insertion of the artificial spine 10 of the present invention in a gap of the divided spines , respectively . for the spinal longitudinal separation using the artificial spine 10 of the present invention , as is illustrated in fig5 a spine 21 of the cervical spine ( the fourth cervical spine is illustrated ) 20 is longitudinally divided in its middle line along the cutting lines 22a , and at the same time , a tip portion of the same spine 21 is cut in and removed from the cutting lines 22b . the expansion operation of the vertebral canal is carried out by bending the resulting divided spines 21a into right and left directions ( right and left of fig5 and 6 ). the reference numerals 23 and 24 represent a centrum of vertebrae and a vertebral canal , respectively . as is illustrated in fig1 to 4 , the artificial spine 10 of the present invention is constituted from an intermediate section 11 , an inner side section 12 and an outer side section 13 . the intermediate section 11 has a pair of contacting surfaces 11a in both ends thereof . in use of the artificial spine 10 , the contacting surfaces 11a can be disposed along the outer end 21b of the divided spines 21a obtained upon the cutting of the spine 10 . the inner side section 12 has a configuration capable of extending from a central portion of the intermediate section 11 to a space formed between a pair of the divided spines 21a . in a horizontal cross - section thereof , the inner side section 12 has a width which is gradually reduced in the direction of the vertebral canal 24 . further , in this inner side section 12 , its end surface positioning at a side ( inner side ) of the vertebral canal 24 constitutes a part of a cylindrical inner surface 12a of the same section 12 , and , as is illustrated in fig2 and 4 , the cylindrical inner surface 12a is declining to the intermediate side section 11 in the direction of a head . a curved surface of the cylindrical inner surface 12a is provided so that it can satisfy the requirement concerning a height of a spinal cord - dural canal which will be received and positioned in the inner surface 12a , and an anlge θ ( see , fig4 ) is provided so that it can be conformed to an angle of the side edge of the divided spines 21a , thereby ensuring a parallel maintenance of the cylindrical inner surface 12a of the artificial spine 10 to the spinal cord - dural canal . the outer side section 13 has a configuration capable of extending from a central portion of the intermediate section 11 to a direction which is opposite to a pair of the divided spines 21a . as in the above - described inner side section 12 , in a horizontal cross - section thereof , the outer side section 13 has a width which is gradually reduced in the direction of its tip portion . further , the outer side section 13 has an upper surface which is gradually declining in the direction of its lower surface , and , in a cross - section of the forehead portion ( perpendicular cross - section ), has a configuration of a trapezoid . the configuration of this outer side section 13 is similar to that of a real spine , and thus it is expected that the artificial spine of the present invention can effectively act in the adhesion and reconstruction of muscles . in each of the inner side section 12 and the outer side section 13 , there is a thread insertion through - hole 12b and 13b for inserting a fixation thread such as nylon wire for fixing the artificial spine 10 to the divided spines 21a formed therein , respectively , and , in the intermediate section 11 , there is a thread insertion ( and fixation ) groove 11b formed in each of the ends of the pair of contacting surfaces 11a . in addition , in the outer side section 13 , there is a bonding - facilitating hole 13c for facilitating the bonding of the artificial spine 10 to a surrounding tissue ( paravertebral muscles ). the artificial spine 10 having the above - described structure is inserted into and fixed to between a pair of divided spines 21a in such a manner that the inner side section 12 is directed to a side of the vertebral canal 24 and the outer side section 13 , in its cross - section of the forehead portion , has a lower and flat surface directed to a side of the legs . in this insertion of the artificial spine 10 , it is preferred that removable portion 21c is shaped and removed from a base portion of the cervical spine 20 so that the pair of divided spines 21a can be easily deformed . then , the pair of contacting surfaces 11a of the intermediate section 11 are intimately contacted to each of the outer end portion 21b of the corresponding pair of divided spines 21a , thereby stabilizing the fixed artificial spine 10 , and the fixation threads are guided through the thread insertion through - hole 12b of the inner side section 12 , the thread insertion groove 11b of the intermediate section 11 and the thread insertion through - hole 13b of the outer side section 13 as well as a fixation hole bored in the divided spines 21a . as a result , the artificial spine 10 is fixed to the divided spines 21a . after the operation , an adhesion of the artificial spine 10 with the surrounding muscles and reconstruction of the supporting structure can be expected as a function of the outer side section 13 and its bonding - facilitating hole 13c . using the artificial spine 10 of the present invention , it becomes possible to construct a bonding between the spine and the proper dorsal muscles , and reconstruct a mechanical supporting structure of the cervical spine . the present invention will be further described with reference to the production of the artificial spine of the present invention which is illustrated in fig1 to 4 . note , however , that the present invention should not be restricted to these examples . calcinated apatite powders and methyl cellulose powders were blended in a rotary mixer . the resulting mixed powders were contained in a rubber - made mold , and a pressure of 2t / cm 2 was applied to the powders in a hydrostatic press to obtain a dried product . the dried product was then fabricated in an nc machine , in anticipation of shrinkage of the product during sintering , to obtain a shape illustrated in the figures . the fabricated product was fired at a temperature of 1 , 100 ° c . for 2 hours in an electric oven . calcinated apatite powders and methyl cellulose powders were dissolved in pure water , and thoroughly mixed . the resulting suspension was foamed in a foaming machine , and then dried for about one hour in a drying machine to obtain a dried porous product . the dried product was then fabricated in a nc machine , in anticipation of shrinkage of the product during sintering , to obtain a shape illustrated in the figures . the fabricated product was fired at a temperature of 1 , 200 ° c . for about 3 days in an electric oven . calcinated apatite powders were subjected to a primary compression process to obtain a molded product . a pressure of 2t / cm 2 was applied to the molded product in a hydrostatic press to obtain a dried product . the dried product was then fabricated in a nc machine , in anticipation of shrinkage of the product during sintering , to obtain a shape illustrated in the figures . the fabricated product was fired at a temperature of 1 , 100 ° c . for about 3 days in an electric oven . | 8 |
same elements have been designated with same reference numerals in the different drawings and the timing diagrams of fig5 , and 9 have been drawn out of scale . for clarity , only those elements which are useful to the understanding of the present invention have been shown in the drawings and will be described hereafter . in particular , the details constitutive of the control pulse train generation circuits of the cut - off switches of the shown converters have not been detailed and are no object of the present invention , the present invention being compatible with the use of any conventional pulse train generation circuit . the present invention will be described in relation with an example of application to step - up converters . however , it more generally applies to any converter , be it a voltage step - up or step - down converter , the assembly of the inductive element of the switch and of the diode , although different according to the converter type , having no influence upon the operation of the present invention . a feature of one embodiment of the present invention is to devote to each of the loads periodic supply time windows , different from one load to another . fig4 very schematically shows in the form of blocks an embodiment of a power converter for supplying two loads 11 and 12 according to the present invention . in this example , loads 11 and 12 are series associations of light - emitting diodes forming , for example , the backlighting elements of a screen . for example , load 11 ( q 1 ) comprises four light - emitting diodes led in series while load 12 ( q 2 ) only has two . the actual power conversion circuit uses many of the same components as the conventional circuit of fig1 or 2 . thus , a cut - off switch m is connected to junction point 4 of an inductive element l with a diode d between a terminal 3 of application of a d . c . input voltage vdc and a terminal 1 connected to ground 2 by a capacitor c for providing an output supply voltage vout . a circuit 5 for providing control pulses of cut - off switch m is similar to the conventional circuit described in relation with fig1 and 2 . circuit 5 comprises an input for receiving a reference signal or of the value of the desired output voltage , an input for receiving a regulation signal fb and an input for receiving a clock signal f m of relatively high frequency ( generally , several hundreds of kilohertz ). each load 11 or 12 is connected in series with a switch k 1 or k 2 , respectively , between terminal 1 and a first terminal 6 of a current - to - voltage conversion resistor r having its other terminal connected to ground 2 . feedback signal fb is sampled from terminal 6 . each switch is controlled by a signal ct 1 or ct 2 , respectively , provided by a circuit 7 ( μc ), for example , a microcontroller . circuit 7 receives , for example , one or several reference signals ct setting the control needs of loads 11 and 12 , and defines the time periods assigned to each load with a relatively low frequency as compared to the relatively high cut - off frequency of supply voltage vdc . fig5 a , 5b , 5 c , and 5 d illustrate , in the form of timing diagrams , the operation of a power converter such as shown in fig4 . fig5 a illustrates the on periods ( on ) of switch k 1 . fig5 b illustrates the on periods ( on ) of switch k 2 . fig5 c illustrates the periods during which circuit 5 is active ( act ), that is , provides a control pulse train to switch m to regulate output voltage vout . fig5 d illustrates an example of a turn - on pulse train ( on ) of switch m . the present invention takes advantage from the fact that the loads that the converter must supply ( especially light - emitting diodes ) have a proper operation , even if they do not permanently receive a voltage . in particular , for diodes , their lighting has a sufficient remanence to enable periods when their supply is stopped . to achieve this , account is taken of this remanence of the diodes ( or more generally of the periods during which the load , for example , a motor , can temporarily receive no supply ) to set the repetition frequency ( period t , fig5 c ) of periods t 1 , respectively , t 2 , of supply of each of the loads . for the system to properly operate , another condition is that the frequency ( 1 / t ) of the respective supply periods of the different loads is smaller than control frequency f m of the cut - off switch . this condition is illustrated by fig5 d which shows that period t m of the pulses provided by circuit 5 is very low as compared to repetition period t of the control sequences of loads 11 and 12 . repetition period t of periods t 1 and t 2 assigned to loads 11 and 12 is short as compared to the average on time of the loads ( at least a few seconds in the case of backlighting diodes ) and long as compared to the duration ( the longest in the case of an fwm frequency modulation ) of the strobe pulses . for example , period t is at least 100 times greater than the duration of the strobe pulses and at least 10 times smaller than the average on time of the loads . an advantage of the converter of fig4 is that it enables an independent regulation on each of the branches supplied by the converter . another advantage resulting therefrom is that the loads can thus be regulated in power variation independently from each other . it is enough to synchronize reference or with periods t 1 and t 2 . this power variation is , for example , directly conditioned by signal or provided to circuit 5 and made variable by microcontroller 7 according to a power reference value that it receives for the considered load . another advantage , more specifically as compared to the diagram of fig2 , is that it avoids a permanent consumption in the circuit and thus enables true shutdown of the converter and of the supplied loads . another advantage is that it preserves the use of a single power converter whatever the number of loads to be supplied . in particular , as illustrated in fig4 , microcontroller 7 may provide one or several additional control signals cti to other loads . the only condition is that all loads be likely to be periodically supplied with a frequency which is compatible with their “ remanence ” and which is smaller than the switched - mode power supply frequency . preferably , the respective load supply periods ( periods t 1 and t 2 ) do not overlap . accordingly , at most , the duty cycle of the two control signals ct 1 and ct 2 of switches k 1 and k 2 is inverted . a resulting advantage is that the converter of fig4 enables optimizing the size of cut - off switch m since the maximum output voltage corresponds to the voltage required by the greatest load . fig6 illustrates a simplified embodiment of a circuit 7 ′ for providing signals ct 1 and ct 2 in the case where the periods assigned to the two loads 11 and 12 are complementary ( for example , 60 % and 40 %, 20 % and 80 %, etc .). in this case , circuit 7 ′ comprises a simple inverter inv receiving a control signal ct as an input , and provides two outputs respectively with the reproduced input signal ct ( signal ct 1 ) and this signal ct inverted ( signal ct 2 ). fig7 a , 7b , and 7 c illustrate in timing diagrams the operation of control circuit 7 ′. they show an example of control signal ct ( fig7 a ), signal ct 1 ( fig7 b ), and signal ct 2 ( fig7 c ). fig8 shows an embodiment of a circuit 10 for synchronizing switches k 1 and k 2 according to an optional embodiment of the present invention . it shows all the elements described in relation with fig4 , except the number of light - emitting diodes led of the loads ( load 11 here comprises three light - emitting diodes led while load 12 comprises 4 ). in this example , switches k 1 and k 2 are formed of mos transistors . the function of circuit 10 is to operate transistors k 1 and k 2 in linear mode during the supply transition from one load to the other . to achieve this , a current - limiting element 13 receives a reference ref on a first terminal while its second terminal is connected to node 6 of connection of switches k 1 and k 2 to resistor r . the output of current - limiting element 13 is connected to the respective gates of switches k 1 and k 2 via switches 14 and 15 respectively controlled by signals ct 1 and ct 2 . according to this embodiment , signal fb is sampled upstream of switches k 1 and k 2 . accordingly , two switches 16 and 17 respectively connect the interconnection nodes of loads 11 and 12 with their switches k 1 and k 2 to the input terminal of signal fb of circuit 5 . their switches 16 and 17 are respectively controlled by signals ct 1 and ct 2 . finally , two switches 18 and 19 connect the respective gates of mos transistors k 1 and k 2 to ground 2 . switch 18 associated with transistor k 2 is controlled by signal ct 1 while switch 19 associated with transistor k 1 is controlled by signal ct 2 . fig9 a , 9b , 9 c , 9 d , and 9 e illustrate in timing diagrams the operation of the circuit of fig8 . fig9 a illustrates the on periods ( on ) of switches 14 , 16 , and 18 controlled by signal ct 1 . fig9 b illustrates the on periods ( on ) of switches 15 , 17 , and 19 controlled by signal ct 2 . fig9 c illustrates the shape of current il 1 in load 11 . fig9 d illustrates the shape of current il 2 in load 12 . fig9 e illustrates the shape of voltage vout . it is assumed that at a time t 0 , the power converter is activated and microcontroller 7 sets a first period t 1 of conduction of the first load 11 . switches 14 , 16 , and 18 are on while switches 15 , 17 , and 19 are off . starting from a discharge state , voltage vout increases from zero to reach a voltage level v 1 corresponding to the reference value provided by microcontroller 7 . current il 1 in the load increases at the same time , to reach a nominal current inom adapted to light - emitting diodes led . at the end of period t 1 , switches 14 , 16 , and 18 are turned off ( time t 1 ). it is assumed in the left - hand portion of the timing diagrams of fig9 that the duty cycles are not inverted . accordingly , time t 2 of beginning of the supply of load 12 and of turning - on of switches 15 , 17 , and 19 is delayed with respect to time t 1 . load 12 comprises more light - emitting diodes than the first one , voltage vout must , for a same current inom , be higher ( level v 2 ) than on supply of load 11 . in the case of a power variation conditioned by reference value or on circuit 5 , levels v 1 and v 2 are accordingly adapted . on the side of current il 2 , the presence of current - limiting element 13 avoids a peak linked to the turning - on of the different switches . it is assumed that at a time t 3 , period t 2 of supply of the second load stops . level vout remains at level v 2 until the next time to of starting of the first load . at this time , level vout falls to level v 1 while current il 1 increases in the first load . in the vicinity of level v 1 , a slight drop in level vout ( point p ) due to the regulation can be observed . in the right - hand portion of the timing diagrams of fig9 , a duty cycle of 50 % is assumed for each of loads 11 and 12 . times t 1 ′ ( end of periods t 1 ) and t 2 ′ ( start of periods t 2 ) are confounded , and times t 0 ′ ( start of periods t 1 ) and t 3 ′ ( end of periods t 2 ) are confounded due to the 50 % duty cycle . as in the previous case , current limiter 13 avoids current peaks at times t 2 ′. of course , the present invention is likely to have various , alterations , improvements , and modifications which will readily occur to those skilled in the art . in particular , although the present invention has been described in relation with a voltage step - up converter , it also applies with no modification of the controls to a voltage step - down converter . the only difference lies in the actual conversion stage , which remains conventional . further , the generation of the control signals adapted to the operation of the power converter and of the controlled loads is within the abilities of those skilled in the art based on the functional indications given hereabove and by using conventional tools . moreover , more than two loads can be controlled independently from one another . finally , within a same period t , a different number of periods from one load to another may be provided instead of one period , respectively , t 1 or t 2 for each load . for example , a unity duration of supply of all the loads is set as a quotient of period t and a unity number of durations is assigned to each load according to the power desired for this load . such alterations , modifications , and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure , and are intended to be within the spirit and the scope of the present invention . accordingly , the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting . the present invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and the equivalents thereto . | 7 |
the practice of the present invention employs , unless otherwise indicated , conventional molecular biology , cellular biology , and recombinant dna techniques within the skill of the art . such techniques are well known to the skilled worker , and are explained fully in the literature . see , e . g ., sambrook and russell “ molecular cloning : a laboratory manual ” ( 2001 ); cloning : a practical approach ,” volumes i and ii ( d . n . glover , ed ., 1985 ); “ oligonucleotide synthesis ” ( m . j . gait , ed ., 1984 ); “ nucleic acid hybridisation ” ( b . d . hames & amp ; s . j . higgins , eds ., 1985 ); “ antibodies : a laboratory manual ” ( harlow & amp ; lane , eds ., 1988 ); “ transcription and translation ” ( b . d . hames & amp ; s . j . higgins , eds ., 1984 ); “ animal cell culture ” ( r . i . freshney , ed ., 1986 ); “ immobilised cells and enzymes ” ( irl press , 1986 ); b . perbal , “ a practical guide to molecular cloning ” ( 1984 ), and sambrook , et al ., “ molecular cloning : a laboratory manual ” ( 1989 ). ausubel , f . et al ., 1989 - 1999 , “ current protocols in molecular biology ” ( green publishing , new york ). before the present methods are described , it is understood that this invention is not limited to the particular materials and methods described , as these may vary . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention which will be limited only by the appended claims . it must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . thus , for example , a reference to “ a transcription factor ” includes a plurality of such factors , and a reference to “ a primer ” is a reference to one or more primers and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art , and so forth . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . although any materials and methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used to practice or test the present invention , the preferred materials and methods are now described . all publications mentioned herein are cited for the purpose of describing and disclosing the cell lines , protocols , reagents and vectors which are reported in the publications and which might be used in connection with the invention . nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the invention is not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention . in describing the present invention , the following terminology is used in accordance with the definitions set out below . abbreviations used bsa bovine serum albumin dmso dimethyl sulfoxide dna deoxyribonucleic acid edta ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid fan amine - reactive succinimidyl ester of carboxyfluorescein flu fluorescein il interleukin lc - 640 lightcycler ® red 640 led light emitting diode pcr polymerase chain reaction rast radioallergosorbent test rna ribonucleic acid rt - pcr reverse - transcriptase polymerase chain reaction taq thermophilus aquaticus t m melting temperature “ transcription factor ” or “ transcription factor protein ” refers to a polypeptide or protein encoded by a transcription factor polynucleotide sequence ; a polypeptide that is the translated amino acid sequence of a polynucleotide sequence ; fragments thereof having greater than about 5 amino acid residues and comprising an immune epitope or other biologically active site of a transcription factor protein . the terms “ nucleic acid ” and “ polynucleic acid ” refer herein to deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid in all their forms , i . e ., single and double - stranded dna , cdna , mrna , and the like . as used herein , the term “ encode ” in its various grammatical forms includes nucleotides and / or amino acids that correspond to other nucleotides or amino acids in the transcriptional and / or translational sense . as such , “ cytokine transcription factor nucleic acid ” is rna or dna that encodes a transcription factor . “ isolated ” cytokine transcription factor nucleic acid is cytokine transcription factor nucleic acid that is separated from ( or otherwise substantially free from ), contaminant nucleic acid encoding other polypeptides . the isolated cytokine transcription factor nucleic acid can be labelled for diagnostic and probe purposes , using a label as described further herein in the discussion of diagnostic assays and nucleic acid hybridization methods . for example , isolated cytokine transcription factor dna , or a fragment thereof comprising at least about 15 nucleotides , can be used as a hybridization probe to detect amplified cytokine transcription factor cdna resulting from increased mrna expression , such as may result from stimulation of pmbc with specific allergens . in one embodiment of the invention , total rna in a biological sample from a subject ( that is , a human or other mammal ) can be assayed for the presence of cytokine transcription factor mrna , wherein the increase in the amount of cytokine transcription factor mrna is a result of stimulus - induced activation / differentiation of transcription factors . one purpose of the present invention is to identify changes in the level of transcription factor nucleic acid expression after exposure to allergens . there are many techniques for detecting nucleic acid expression that can be employed . cytokine transcription factor expression may be measured in a biological sample directly , for example , by conventional southern blotting to quantitate dna , or northern blotting to quantitate mrna , using an appropriately labelled oligonucleotide hybridization probe , based on the known sequences of cytokine transcription factor . identification of cytokine transcription factor mrna within a mixture of various mrnas , is conveniently accomplished by the use of reverse transcriptase - polymerase chain reaction and an oligonucleotide hybridization probe that is labelled with a detectable moiety . various labels may be employed , most commonly radioisotopes , particularly 32 p . however , other techniques may also be employed , such as using biotin - modified nucleotides for introduction into a polynucleotide . the biotin then serves as the site for binding to avidin or antibodies , which may be labelled with a wide variety of labels , such as radioisotopes , fluorophores , chromophores , or the like . keller , et al ., dna probes , pp . 149 - 213 ( stockton press , 1989 ). alternatively , antibodies may be employed that can recognise specific duplexes , including dna duplexes , rna duplexes , and dna - rna hybrid duplexes or dna - protein duplexes . the antibodies in turn may be labelled and the assay may be carried out where the duplex is bound to a surface , so that upon the formation of duplex on the surface , the presence of antibody bound to the duplex can be detected . cytokine transcription gene expression may also be based on the functional or antigenic characteristics of the expressed protein , eg . immunoassays and the like . in one preferred embodiment , a biological sample is taken from a test subject who is suspected of , of who is susceptible to an abnormal immunological response . such an individual will likely to be atopic in that they are constitutionally or hereditarily likely to develop immediate hypersensitivity to allergens that provoke no immune reactions in normal subjects . biological samples may include a sample of tissue or fluid isolated from an individual , including but not limited to bone marrow , plasma , serum , spinal fluid , lymph fluid , the external sections of the skin , respiratory , intestinal , and genitourinary tracts , tears , saliva , milk , blood ; both whole blood and anticoagulated whole blood , blood cells , tumours , organs , and also includes samples of in vivo cell culture constituents . however , it is preferable that the biological sample is blood , lymph fluid , or a blood component . most preferably the biological sample is leukocytes isolated from peripheral blood . also included in the term are derivatives and fractions of such cells and fluids . the leukocytes in the biological sample may be substantially isolated ie separated from ( or otherwise substantially free from ), other contaminant cells . the biological sample is then exposed to an agent which is capable of inducing expression of a transcription factor which modulates expression of a cytokine , including but not limited to specific allergens , heterologous or self antigens , mitogens such as concanavalin a or phytohaemagglutinin , and hormones such as progesterone , oestrogen or oestradiol . this step constitutes the stimulation phase of the described method . following exposure to the agent expression levels of cytokine transcription factors are determined or measured . in one preferred method , mrna in a biological sample is reverse transcribed to generate a cdna strand . the cdna may be amplified by conventional techniques , such as polymerase chain reaction , to provide sufficient amounts for analysis . amplification may also be used to determine whether a specific sequence is present , by using a primer that will specifically bind to the desired sequence , where the presence of an amplification product is indicative that a specific binding complex was formed . alternatively , the mrna sample is fractionated by electrophoresis , eg . capillary or gel electrophoresis , transferred to a suitable support , eg . nitrocellulose and then probed with a fragment of the transcription factor sequence . other techniques may also find use , including oligonucleotide ligation assays , binding to solid - state arrays , etc . detection of mrna having the subject sequence is indicative gene expression of the transcription factor in the sample . “ polymerase chain reaction ,” or “ pcr ,” as used herein generally refers to a method for amplification of a desired nucleotide sequence in vitro , as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 683 , 195 . in general , the pcr method involves repeated cycles of primer extension synthesis , using two oligonucleotide primers capable of hybridizing preferentially to a template nucleic acid . typically , the primers used in the pcr method will be complementary to nucleotide sequences within the template at both ends of or flanking the nucleotide sequence to be amplified , although primers complementary to the nucleotide sequence to be amplified also may be used . see wang , et al ., in pcr protocols , pp . 70 - 75 ( academic press , 1990 ); ochman , et al ., in pcr protocols , pp . 219 - 227 ; triglia , et al ., nuc . acids res . 16 : 8186 ( 1988 ). “ oligonucleotides ” are short - length , single - or double - stranded polydeoxynucleotides that are chemically synthesized by known methods ( involving , for example , triester , phosphoramidite , or phosphonate chemistry ), such as described by engels , et al ., agnew . chem . int . ed . engl . 28 : 716 - 734 ( 1989 ). they are then purified , for example , by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . as used herein , the term “ pcr reagents ” refers to the chemicals , apart from the target nucleic acid sequence , needed to perform the pcr process . these chemicals generally consist of five classes of components : ( i ) an aqueous buffer , ( ii ) a water soluble magnesium salt , ( iii ) at least four deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates ( dntps ), ( iv ) oligonucleotide primers ( normally two primers for each target sequence , the sequences defining the 5 ′ ends of the two complementary strands of the double - stranded target sequence ), and ( v ) a polynucleotide polymerase , preferably a dna polymerase , more preferably a thermostable dna polymerase , ie a dna polymerase which can tolerate temperatures between 90 ° c . and 100 ° c . for a total time of at least 10 minutes without losing more than about half its activity . the four conventional dntps are thymidine triphosphate ( dttp ), deoxyadenosine triphosphate ( datp ), deoxycitidine triphosphate ( dctp ), and deoxyguanosine triphosphate ( dgtp ). these conventional triphosphates may be supplemented or replaced by dntps containing base analogues which watson - crick base pair like the conventional four bases , eg deoxyuridine triphosphate ( dutp ). a detectable label may be included in an amplification reaction . suitable labels include fluorochromes , eg . fluorescein isothiocyanate ( fitc ), rhodamine , texas red , phycoerythrin , allophycocyanin , 6 - carboxyfluorexcein ( 6 - fam ), 2 ′, 7 ′- dimethoxy - 4 ′, 5 ′- dichloro - 6 - carboxyfluorescein ( joe ), 6 - carboxy - x - rhodamine ( rox ), 6 - carboxy - 2 ′, 4 ′, 7 ′, 4 , 7 - hexachlorofluorescein ( hex ), 5 - carboxyfluorescein ( 5 - fam ) or n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyl - 6 - carboxyrhodamine ( tamra ), radioactive labels , eg . 32p , 35s , 3h ; as well as others . the label may be a two stage system , where the amplified dna is conjugated to biotin , haptens , or the like having a high affinity binding partner , eg . avidin , specific antibodies , etc ., where the binding partner is conjugated to a detectable label . the label may be conjugated to one or both of the primers . alternatively , the pool of nucleotides used in the amplification is labelled , so as to incorporate the label into the amplification product . accordingly , in one preferred embodiment , once the cytokine transcription factor mrna has been reverse transcribed and amplified by pcr , it is detected by various means including oligonucleotide probes . oligonucleotide probes of the invention are dna molecules that are sufficiently complementary to regions of contiguous nucleic acid residues within the cytokine transcription factor nucleic acid to hybridise thereto , preferably under high stringency conditions . exemplary probes include oligomers that are at least about 15 nucleic acid residues long and that are selected from any 15 or more contiguous residues of dna of the present invention . preferably , oligomeric probes used in the practice of the present invention are at least about 20 nucleic acid residues long . the present invention also contemplates oligomeric probes that are 150 nucleic acid residues long or longer . those of ordinary skill in the art realise that nucleic hybridisation conditions for achieving the hybridisation of a probe of a particular length to polynucleotides of the present invention can readily be determined . such manipulations to achieve optimal hybridisation conditions for probes of varying lengths are well known in the art . see , e . g ., sambrook et al ., molecular cloning : a laboratory manual , second edition , cold spring harbor ( 1989 ), incorporated herein by reference . preferably , oligomeric probes of the present invention are labelled to render them readily detectable . detectable labels may be any species or moiety that may be detected either visually or with the aid of an instrument . commonly used detectable labels are radioactive labels such as , for example , 32 p , 14 c , 125 i , 3 h , and 35 s . examples of fluorescer - quencher pairs may be selected from xanthene dyes , including fluoresceins , and rhodamine dyes . many suitable forms of these compounds are widely available commercially with substituents on their phenyl moieties which can be used as the site for bonding or as the bonding functionality for attachment to an oligonucleotide . another group of fluorescent compounds are the naphthylamines , having an amino group in the alpha or beta position . included among such naphthylamino compounds are 1 - dimethylaminonaphthyl - 5 - sulfonate , 1 - anilino - 8 - naphthalene sulfonate and 2 - p - touidinyl - 6 - naphthalene sulfonate . other dyes include 3 - phenyl - 7 - isocyanatocoumarin , acridines , such as 9 - isothiocyanatoacridine acridine orange ; n -( p -( 2 - benzoaxazolyl ) phenyl ) maleimide ; benzoxadiazoles , stilbenes , pyrenes , and the like . most preferably , the fluorescent compounds are selected from the group consisting of vic , carboxy fluorescein ( fam ), lightcycler ® 640 and cy5 . biotin - labelled nucleotides can be incorporated into dna or rna by such techniques as nick translation , chemical and enzymatic means , and the like . the biotinylated probes are detected after hybridisation , using indicating means such as avidin / streptavidin , fluorescent labelling agents , enzymes , colloidal gold conjugates , and the like . nucleic acids may also be labelled with other fluorescent compounds , with immunodetectable fluorescent derivatives , with biotin analogues , and the like . nucleic acids may also be labelled by means of attachment to a protein . nucleic acids cross - linked to radioactive or fluorescent histone single - stranded binding protein may also be used . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognise that there are other suitable methods for detecting oligomeric probes and other suitable detectable labels that are available for use in the practice of the present invention . moreover , fluorescent residues can be incorporated into oligonucleotides during chemical synthesis . two dna sequences are “ substantially similar when at least about 85 %, preferably at least about 90 %, and most preferably at least about 95 %, of the nucleotides match over the defined length of the dna sequences . sequences that are substantially similar can be identified for example in a southern hybridisation experiment performed under stringent conditions as defined for that particular system . defining appropriate hybridisation conditions is within the skill of the art . see e . g ., maniatis et al ., dna cloning , vols . i and ii . nucleic acid hybridisation . however , briefly , “ stringent conditions ” for hybridisation or annealing of nucleic acid molecules are those that ( 1 ) employ low ionic strength and high temperature for washing , for example , 0 . 015m nacl / 0 . 0015m sodium citrate / 0 . 1 % sodium dodecyl sulfate ( sds ) at 50 ° c ., or ( 2 ) employ during hybridisation a denaturing agent such as formamide , for example , 50 % ( vol / vol ) formamide with 0 . 1 % bovine serum albumin / 0 . 1 % ficoll / 0 . 1 % polyvinylpyrrolidone / 50 mm sodium phosphate buffer at ph 6 . 5 with 750 mm nacl , 75 mm sodium citrate at 42 ° c . another example is use of 50 % formamide , 5 × ssc ( 0 . 75m nacl , 0 . 075m sodium citrate ), 50 mm sodium phosphate ( ph 6 . 8 ), 0 . 1 % sodium pyrophosphate , 5 × denhardt &# 39 ; s solution , sonicated salmon sperm dna ( 50 μg / ml ), 0 . 1 % sds , and 10 % dextran sulfate at 42 ° c ., with washes at 42 ° c . in 0 . 2 × ssc and 0 . 1 % sds . in a particularly preferred embodiment the present invention utilises a combined pcr and hybridisation probing system so as to make the most of the closed tube or homogenous assay systems such as the use of fret probes as disclosed in us patents ( u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 140 , 054 ; 6 , 174 , 670 ), the entirety of which are also incorporated herein by reference . in one of its simplest configurations , the fret or “ fluorescent resonance energy transfer ” approach employs two oligonucleotides which bind to adjacent sites on the same strand of the nucleic acid being amplified . one oligonucleotide is labelled with a donor fluorophore which absorbs light at a first wavelength and emits light in response , and the second is labelled with an acceptor fluorophore which is capable of fluorescence in response to the emitted light of the first donor ( but not substantially by the light source exciting the first donor , and whose emission can be distinguished from that of the first fluorophore ). in this configuration , the second or acceptor fluorophore shows a substantial increase in fluorescence when it is in close proximity to the first or donor fluorophore , such as occurs when the two oligonucleotides come in close proximity when they hybridise to adjacent sites on the nucleic acid being amplified ( for example in the annealing phase of pcr ) forming a fluorogenic complex . as more of the nucleic acid being amplified accumulates , so more of the fluorogenic complex can be formed and there is an increase in the fluorescence from the acceptor probe , and this can be measured . hence the method allows detection of the amount of product as it is being formed . in another simple embodiment , and as applies to use of fret probes in pcr based assays , one of the labelled oligonucleotides may also be a pcr primer used for pcr . in this configuration , the labelled pcr primer is part of the dna strand to which the second labelled oligonucleotide hybridises , as described by neoh et al ( j clin path 1999 ; 52 : 766 - 769 . ), von ahsen et al ( clin chem 2000 ; 46 : 156 - 161 ), the entirety of which are encompassed by reference . it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that amplification and detection of amplification with hybridisation probes can be conducted in two separate phases — for example by carrying out pcr amplification first , and then adding hybridisation probes under such conditions as to measure the amount of nucleic acid which has been amplified . however , a preferred embodiment of the present invention utilises a combined pcr and hybridisation probing system so as to make the most of the closed tube or homogenous assay systems and is carried out on a roche lightcycler ® or other similarly specified or appropriately configured instrument . such systems would also be adaptable to the detection methods described here . those skilled in the art will appreciate that such probes can be used for allele discrimination if appropriately designed for the detection of point - mutations , in addition to deletion and insertions . alternatively or in addition , the unlabelled pcr primers may be designed for allele discrimination by methods well known to those skilled in the art ( ausubel 1989 - 1999 ). it will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that detection of amplification in homogenous and / or closed tubes can be carried out using numerous means in the art , for example using taqman ® hybridisation probes in the pcr reaction and measurement of fluorescence specific for the target nucleic acids once sufficient amplification has taken place . however , because of the nature and speed of the roche lightcycler ®, the preferred method is by using real - time pcr and melting curve analysis on the roche lightcycler ® using fluorescent labelled hybridisation oligonucleotides . although those skilled in the art will be aware that other similar quantitative “ real - time ” and homogenous nucleic acid amplification / detection systems exist such as those based on the taqman approach ( u . s . pat . nos 5 , 538 , 848 and 5 , 691 , 146 ), fluorescence polarisation assays ( eg gibson et al ., clin chem , 1997 ; 43 : 1336 - 1341 ), and the invader assay ( eg agarwal p et al ., diagn mol pathol 2000 sep ; 9 ( 3 ): 158 - 164 ; ryan d et al , mol diagn 1999 jun ; 4 ( 2 ): 135 - 144 ). such systems would also be adaptable to use the invention described , enabling real - time monitoring of nucleic acid amplification . in one embodiment of the present invention an initial procedure involves the manufacture of the oligonucleotide matrices or microchips . the microchips contain a selection of immobilized synthetic oligomers , said oligomers synthesized so as to contain complementary sequences for desired portions of transcription factor dna . the oligomers are then hybridized with cloned or polymerase chain reaction ( pcr ) amplified transcription factor nucleic acids , said hybridization occurring under stringent conditions , outlined infra . the high stringency conditions insure that only perfect or near perfect matches between the sequence embedded in the microchip and the target sequence will occur during hybridization . after each initial hybridization , the chip is washed to remove most mismatched fragments . the reaction mixture is then denatured to remove the bound dna fragments , which are subsequently labeled with a fluorescent marker . a second round of hybridization with the labeled dna fragments is then carried out on sequence microchips containing a different set of immobilized oligonucleotides . these fragments first may be cleaved into smaller lengths . the different set of immobilized nucleotides may contain oligonucleotides needed for whole sequencing , partial sequencing , sequencing comparison , or sequence identification . ultimately , the fluorescence from this second hybridization step can be detected by an epifluorescence microscope coupled to a ccd camera . ( see u . s . pat . no . 5 , 851 , 772 incorporated herein by reference ). gene expression , alternatively , may be measured by immunological methods , such as immunohistochemical staining of tissue sections and assay of cell culture or body fluids , to quantitate directly the expression of the gene product , cytokine transcription factor . with immunohistochemical staining techniques , a cell sample is prepared , typically by dehydration and fixation , followed by reaction with labelled antibodies specific for the gene product coupled , where the labels are usually visually detectable , such as enzymatic labels , fluorescent labels , luminescent labels , and the like . a particularly sensitive staining technique suitable for use in the present invention is described by hsu , et al ., am . j . clin . path ., 75 : 734 - 738 ( 1980 ). antibodies useful for immunohistochemical staining and / or assay of sample fluids may be either monoclonal or polyclonal . conveniently , the antibodies may be prepared against a synthetic peptide based on known dna sequences of cytokines such as gata - 3 , t - bet , nfat , nfkκb , rog , stat4 , stat6 , irf - 1 , and c - maf . for example , the cytokine transcription factor peptide may be used as an immunogen to generate anti - cytokine transcription factor antibodies . such antibodies , which specifically bind to cytokine transcription factor , are useful as standards in assays for cytokine transcription factor , such as by labelling purified cytokine transcription factor for use as a standard in a radioimmunoassay , enzyme - linked immunoassay , or competitive - type receptor binding assays radioreceptor assay , as well as in affinity purification techniques . ordinarily , the anti - cytokine transcription factor antibody will bind cytokine transcription factor with an affinity of at least about 10 6 l / mole , and preferably at least about 10 7 l / mole . polyclonal antibodies directed toward cytokine transcription factor generally are raised in animals by multiple subcutaneous or intraperitoneal injections of cytokine transcription factor and an adjuvant . it may be useful to conjugate cytokine transcription factor or a peptide fragment thereof to a carrier protein that is immunogenic in the species to be immunised , such as keyhole limpet haemocyanin , serum albumin , bovine thyroglobulin , or soybean trypsin inhibitor , using a bifunctional or derivatizing agent , for example , maleimidobenzoyl sulfosuccinimide ester ( conjugation through cysteine residues ), n - hydroxysuccinimide ( conjugation through lysine residues ), glutaraldehyde , succinic anhydride , socl 2 , or r 1 n ═ c ═ nr , where r and r 1 are different alkyl groups . animals are immunised with such cytokine transcription factor - carrier protein conjugates combining 1 mg or 1 μg of conjugate ( for rabbits or mice , respectively ) with 3 volumes of freund &# 39 ; s complete adjuvant and injecting the solution intradermally at multiple sites . one month later the animals are boosted with ⅕th to { fraction ( 1 / 10 )} th the original amount of conjugate in freund &# 39 ; s complete adjuvant by subcutaneous injection at multiple sites . 7 to 14 days later animals are bled and the serum is assayed for anti - cytokine transcription factor antibody titre . animals are boosted until the antibody titre plateaus . preferably , the animal is boosted by injection with a conjugate of the same cytokine transcription factor with a different carrier protein and / or through a different cross - linking agent . conjugates of cytokine transcription factor and a suitable carrier protein also can be made in recombinant cell culture as fusion proteins . also , aggregating agents such as alum are used to enhance the immune response . monoclonal antibodies directed toward cytokine transcription factor are produced using any method which provides for the production of antibody molecules by continuous cell lines in culture . the modifier “ monoclonal ” indicates the character of the antibody as being obtained from a substantially homogeneous population of antibodies , and is not to be construed as requiring production of the antibody by any particular method . examples of suitable methods for preparing monoclonal antibodies include the original hybridoma method of kohler , et al ., nature 256 : 495 - 497 ( 1975 ), and the human b - cell hybridoma method , kozbor , j . immunol . 133 : 3001 ( 1984 ); brodeur , et al ., monoclonal antibody production techniques and applications , pp . 51 - 63 ( marcel dekker , inc ., new york , 1987 ). for diagnostic applications , anti - cytokine transcription factor antibodies typically will be labelled with a detectable moiety . the detectable moiety can be any one which is capable of producing , either directly or indirectly , a detectable signal . for example , the detectable moiety may be a radioisotope , such as 3 h , 14 c , 32 p , 35 s , or 125 i , a fluorescent or chemiluminescent compound , such as fluorescein isothiocyanate , rhodamine , or luciferin ; radioactive isotopic labels , such as , eg ., 125 i , 32 p , 14 c , or 3h , or an enzyme , such as alkaline phosphatase , beta - galactosidase or horseradish peroxidase . any method known in the art for separately conjugating the antibody to the detectable moiety may be employed , including those methods described by david , et al ., biochemistry 13 : 1014 - 1021 ( 1974 ); pain , et al ., j . immunol . meth . 40 : 219 - 231 ( 1981 ); and bayer , et al ., meth . enz . 184 : 138 - 163 ( 1990 ). the anti - cytokine transcription factor antibodies may be employed in any known assay method , such as competitive binding assays , direct and indirect sandwich assays , and immunoprecipitation assays . zola , monoclonal antibodies : a manual of techniques , pp . 147 - 158 ( crc press , inc ., 1987 ). the anti - cytokine transcription factor antibodies may also be used in western blots performed on protein gels or protein spots on filters , using a detection system specific for the transcription factor as desired , conveniently using a labelling method using conventional techniques . competitive binding assays rely on the ability of a labelled standard ( eg ., cytokine transcription factor or an immunologically reactive portion thereof ) to compete with the test sample analyte ( cytokine transcription factor ) for binding with a limited amount of antibody . the amount of cytokine transcription factor in the test sample is inversely proportional to the amount of standard that becomes bound to the antibodies . to facilitate determining the amount of standard that becomes bound , the antibodies generally are solubilised before or after the competition , so that the standard and analyte that are bound to the antibodies may conveniently be separated from the standard and analyte which remain unbound . sandwich assays involve the use of two antibodies , each capable of binding to a different immunogenic portion , or epitope , of the protein to be detected . in a sandwich assay , the test sample analyte is bound by a first antibody which is immobilised on a solid support , and thereafter a second antibody binds to the analyte , thus forming an insoluble three part complex . david , et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 376 , 110 . the second antibody may itself be labelled with a detectable moiety ( direct sandwich assays ) or may be measured using an anti - immunoglobulin antibody that is labelled with a detectable moiety ( indirect sandwich assay ). for example , one type of sandwich assay is an elisa assay , in which case the detectable moiety is an enzyme . the invention will now be further described by way of reference only to the following non - limiting examples . it should be understood , however , that the examples following are illustrative only , and should not be taken in any way as a restriction on the generality of the invention described above . in particular , while the invention is described in detail in relation to the detection of gata - 3 from hdm exposed pmbc , it will be clearly understood that the findings herein are not limited to these specific allergens or cytokines . blood samples were obtained from five atopic adult volunteers , who were selected on the basis of positive serum ige responses to house dust mite ( hdm ), together with samples from five non - atopic controls who were tested for the presence of hdm - specific ige in serum and were all negative . the presence of ige to hdm was defined by the rast ( cap ) system ( pharmacia , australia ), and the positive volunteers in this study displayed rast ( cap ) scores ≧ 2 . the allergy status of the test and control subjects is summarised in table 1 . freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( pbmc ) were resuspended at 1 × 10 6 cells / ml and 1 ml of the cell suspension was cultured for 24 hours at 37 ° c ., 5 % co 2 in round bottom tubes in serum - free medium aim - v 4 ( life technologies , mulgrave , australia ) supplemented with 4 × 10 − 5 2 - mercaptoethanol , with or without the addition of 10 μg / ml of whole extract of hdm ( dermatophagoides pteronyssinus , csl limited , parkville , australia ), or with the polyclonal mitogen soluble monoclonal anti - cd3 antibody ( 1 : 100 culture supernatant from okt3 cell line , atcc , usa ) in combinatin with 20 u / ml recombinant human il - 2 . after culture , the cells were centrifuged , the supernatants were collected and stored at − 20 ° c . for future analysis of cytokine content , and the cell pellet was used immediately for total rna extraction . messenger rna encoding the transcription factors gata - 3 and c - maf was assayed by reverse transcriptase pcr ( rt - pcr ). messenger rna encoding beta - actin was assayed as a control for non - specific protein synthesis . pcr products were generated and detected generally as previously described ( macaubas et al ., 1999 ; yabuhara et al ., 1997 ). the gata - 3 primer sequences employed , which generated a 454 bp product , were 5 ′ gac gag aaa gag tgc ctc aag 3 ′ and 5 ′ tcc aga gtg tgg ttg tgg tg 3 ′. 5 ′ acc ttc cac aat caa gcc 3 ′ and 5 ′ gta acc cat tct ggt atc ttt g 3 ′. the annealing temperature for both gata - 3 and c - maf primers was 57 ° c ., and the samples were amplified for 30 cycles . the pcr products were detected by slot - blot , employing biotinylated probes for β - actin , gata - 3 and c - maf which were synthetised by pcr , as described previously ( macaubas et al ., 1999 ; yabuhara et al ., 1997 ), using the same primers as above . the results , shown in fig1 are expressed as the ratio of transcription factor mrna to beta - actin mrna for each subject . it is evident that in each of the atopic subjects this ratio increased in response to hdm or to anti - cd3 antibody , whereas in the control subjects the ratio decreased in response to hdm ; the response of these subjects to anti - cd3 antibody was variable , with two of the five showing a decrease , one no change , and two showing an increase . fig2 contrasts hdm - induced production of gata - 3 and c - maf in hdm - stimulated pbmc from hdm - sensitive atopics and non atopics . it is evident that the reciprocal patterns of gata - 3 expression which distinguish atopics and non atopics are to a significant extent mirrored in respective patterns of c - maf expression . thus we have demonstrated that when human pbmc are stimulated in vitro with a specific allergen , house dust mite allergen ( hdm ), the expression of mrna encoding the transcription factor known as gata - 3 is increased in atopic subjects who are positive responders to hdm as measured by skin prick test reactivity and the presence of serum ige antibody specific for hdm , and a similar pattern is seen with c - maf . in contrast , the expression of this mrna is decreased in non - atopic subjects who are skin prick test negative / ige negative . a similar increase in gata - 3 mrna expression was observed in some atopic subjects when their pbmc were cultured with a polyclonal mitogen . ( i ) pbmc from patients complaining of allergy symptoms are cultured overnight in separate aliquots with individual allergens to determine response status by measuring allergen - induced changes in levels of mrna specific for different transcription factors , in cell lysates ; ( ii ) pbmc from cancer patients undergoing tumour - specific immunotherapy are cultured with tumour antigen , and the resulting pattern of transcription factor expression determined to monitor underlying changes in host anti - tumour immune responses ; ( iii ) pmbc from recipients of kidney transplant are cultured with kidney antigen , and the resulting pattern of transcription factor expression determined in order to identify the covert onset of graft rejection . after we have completed the analyses of the samples using the standard rt - pcr / slot blot procedure , pcr analysis by the real - time method ( taqman ) was used to confirm the results obtained from example 1 . the cdna generated from subjects samples and polarised cell lines as described in example 1 were used . 18s rrna , gata - 3 and il - 12rb2 dna standards were generated by pcr amplification of cdna obtained from pha stimulated ( 24 h ) pbmcs , using the same primers as for the real time reaction . pcr products were cloned into the vector pcr 2 . 1 using the original ta cloning kit ( invitrogen , carlsbad , calif . ), and e . coli competent cells ( invitrogen ) were transformed with such vectors . the sequence identity of each dna insert was confirmed by cycle sequencing . serial 10 - fold dilutions from each purified plasmid preparations were used as standards . β - actin standard was used as a serial 1 : 2 dilution of pha stimulated cdna . the linear range of the pcr for 18s rrna , gata - 3 and il - 12rb2 was from 1 copy to 10 copies of plasmid , and for the β - actin , from neat to 1 : 128 dilution . for β - actin reactions the correlation coefficients were 0 . 98 and 0 . 99 . for gata - 3 it was between 0 . 93 and 0 . 98 . for il - 12 rb2 was 0 . 81 and for 18s rrna , 0 . 98 pcr reaction and quantitation pcr premixes were prepared using platinum ™ quantitative pcr super mix - udg ( life technologies ), mgcl2 at 5 . 5 mm ( final concentration ), and optimised concentration of primers and probe ( table 1 ). 18s rrna was used as a commercially available premix at 1 : 20 final dilution ( applied biosystems ). standard taqman conditions were used , except 2 minutes instead of 10 min for taq polymerase activation . for each assay the baseline was determined manually , and the threshold cycle ( ct ) for each well was compared to the standard curve of the standards serial dilutions . the ratio between the relative amount of target genes and housekeeping ( 18s rrna for cell lines and β - actin for subject samples ) was calculated and the resulting figures expressed as “ taqman units ”. gata - 3 rt - pcr primers and dual - labelled fluorogenic probe were designed using the program primer express ( applied biosystems ). the primer pair was designed to span an exon / intron boundary , and amplification of rna samples not reversed transcribed was not observed . amplification of these samples for 18s rrna ( which amplifies genomic dna ) showed amplification , demonstrating the presence of contaminating genomic dna . primers and probes for 18s rrna were purchased directly from applied biosystems and used as per manufacture &# 39 ; s instructions . analyses of rna samples not transcribed showed that the ct values for these sample were approximately 10 cycles lower than levels detected in transcribed samples . β - actin was also designed across exon / intron boundaries . il - 12rb2 primers and probe seguences were kindly provided by dr m . jenmaln . analyses of rna samples not transcribed showed that ct values for these samples were around 8 cycles lower than transcribed samples . probes were synthetised by applied biosystems ( table 1 ). analyses of cdnas from 5 of the hdm - ige positive and 4 of the hdm - ige negative subjects from example 1 by real time pcr showed a similar pattern to the results obtained with slot blot , ie , increased expression of gata - 3 after hdm stimulation in the hdm - ige positive group and decrease in the hdm - ige negative group ( table 2 ). it is not feasible to make direct correlations between values obtained through the slot blot experiment and the ones using real time pcr , due to the more extensive linear range of the taqman method . nevertheless , the trend observed with the two methods are very similar . it is noteworthy that the “ outlier ” hdm - ige positive subject who showed down regulation to hdm in the slot blot ( positive subject 5 in table 2 ) gave qualitatively similar results using the taqman . replicate samples ( cultured one year apart ) from one subject ( 1 / 1a ) also gave very similar results . it will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that while the invention has been described in some detail for the purposes of clarity and understanding , various modifications and alterations to the embodiments and methods described herein may be made without departing from the scope of the inventive concept disclosed in this specification . references cited herein are listed on the following pages , and are incorporated herein by this reference . 1 . murphy , k . m ., w . ouyang , j . d . farrar , j . yang , s . ranganath , h . asnagli , m . afkarian , and t . l . murphy . 2000 . signalling and transcription in t helper development . annu rev immunol . 18 : 451 - 494 . 2 . zheng , w .- p ., and r . a . flavell . 1997 . the transcription factor gata - 3 is necessary and sufficient for th2 cytokine gene expression in cd4 t cells . cell . 89 : 587 - 96 . 3 . ho , i ., d . lo , and l . glimcher . 1998 . c - maf promotes t helper cell type 2 ( th2 ) and attenuates th1 differentiation by both interleukin 4 - dependent and - independent mechanisms . j exp med . 188 : 1859 - 66 . 4 . zhang , d ., l . cohn , p . ray , k . bottomly , and a . ray . 1997 . transcription factor gata - 3 is differentially expressed in murine th1 and th2 cells and controls th2 - specific expression of the interleukin - 5 gene . j biol chem . 272 : 21597 - 21603 . 5 . miaw , s . c ., a . choi , e . yu , h . kishikawa , and i . c . ho . 2000 . rog , repressor of gata , regulates the expression of cytokine genes . immunity . 12 : 323 - 33 . 6 . bird , j . j ., d . r . brown , a . c . mullen , n . h . moskowitz , m . a . mahowald , j . r . sider , t . f . gajewski , c .- r . wang , and s . l . reiner . 1998 . helper t cell differentiation is controlled by the cell cycle . immunity . 9 : 229 - 237 . 7 . romagnani , s . 1991 . human th1 and th2 subsets : doubt no more . immunol today . 12 : 256 - 7 . 8 . borish , l ., and l . rosenwasser . 1997 . th1 / th2 lymphocytes : doubt some more . j † allergy clin immunol . 99 : 161 - 164 . 9 . macaubas c , sly p d , burton p , tiller k , yabuhara a , holt b j , smallacombe t b , kendall g , jenmalm m , holt p g . regulation of th - cell responses to inhalant allergen during early childhood . clin exp allergy 1999 ; 29 : 1223 - 1231 . 10 . yabuhara a , macaubas c , prescott s l , venaille t , holt b j , habre w , sly p d , holt p g . th - 2 - polarised immunological memory to inhalant allergens in atopics is established during infancy and early childhood . clin exp allergy 1997 ; 27 : 1261 - 1269 . | 6 |
a biodegradable composition of the present invention comprises cellulose , pulp , and water . the biodegradable composition of the present invention may comprise one or more of other water - soluble fibroid materials or plant fibers such as pectin , alginic acid , guar gum , agar and the like . in the biodegradable composition of the present invention , the cellulose and the pulp may be used after bleaching or dyeing depending on the use of a final product . in the biodegradable composition of the present invention , a content ratio of the cellulose and the pulp which refers to a weight ratio of the cellulose ( or the sum of the cellulose and other fibers ) to the pulp is 1 : 99 to 99 : 1 , preferably 10 : 90 to 90 : 10 , more preferably 30 : 70 to 70 : 30 , and most preferably 50 : 50 . a content of the water is 50 to 99 weight % and preferably 60 to 90 weight % with respect to the total weight of the composition . the cellulose used in the present invention is a main component constituting bodies of living things such as plants or marine plants that undergo photosynthesis . in the present invention , a size of the cellulose to be used for manufacturing the composition can be adjusted depending on the use of a final product , and for example , the cellulose may have a diameter of , preferably , 300 μm to 1 nm , or 100 μm to 5 nm . in a preferable embodiment of the biodegradable composition of the present invention , among the cellulose having a diameter of 300 μm to 1 nm , two or more of the cellulose different in diameter may be mixed . a manufacturing method for the biodegradable composition of the present invention comprises the following steps : a fourth step of manufacturing a composition by mixing the cellulose , the pulp , and the water prepared in the first to third steps , respectively . hereinafter , the manufacturing method of the biodegradable composition according to the present invention will be explained in detail . in the manufacturing method of the biodegradable composition according to the present disclosure , during the first step , ground cellulose is prepared by comminuting ( isolating ) cellulose to have a diameter of , preferably , 300 μm to 1 nm . the cellulose may be used after bleaching or dyeing depending on the use of a final product . during the present step , one or more of other water - soluble fibroid materials and plant fibers such as pectin , alginic acid , guar gum , agar and the like may be mixed with the cellulose . among the cellulose having a diameter of 300 μm to 1 nm , two or more of the cellulose different in diameter may be mixed . during the present step , a method of grinding cellulose is not particularly limited , and may include , for example , a mechanical grinding method using a machine such as a grinder or a homogenizer , or a chemical method such as acid hydrolysis using acids such as sulfuric acid , hydrochloric acid , phosphoric acid and the like . a time for the cellulose to be dispersed in the water and a water - proof time and strength of a finished product manufactured using the composition can be regulated by appropriately regulating a size of the cellulose isolated to 300 μm to 1 nm to be used for the composition of the present invention or appropriately mixing the cellulose different in size . as a size of the cellulose to be used decreases , a water - proof time and strength of a finished product increase . therefore , it is possible to regulate a size of the cellulose to be used for manufacturing the composition depending on the use of a finished product . for example , in order to manufacture a waterproofing product or a semi - permanent product made of a light structure material , preferably , cellulose ground to a nano - size ( 100 nm to 1 nm ) may be used , and in order to manufacture a product that needs to be degraded in a relatively short time , preferably , cellulose having a size of 1 to 300 μm may be used , and among the cellulose having a diameter of 300 μm to 1 nm , one or more of the cellulose different in diameter are mixed , thereby the product can be manufactured by appropriately regulating a water - proof time and strength thereof . pulp is composed of cellulose obtained from wood or other fiber plants by a mechanical and / or chemical method , and refers to a main material used for manufacturing paper . pulp includes wood pulp prepared using wood such as needle leaf trees or broad leaf trees , and non - wood pulp . the pulp used in the present invention is not particularly limited in kind , and all kinds of pulp may be used . in order to manufacture a product in need of elasticity and tensile strength , preferably , pulp having a long length and high tensile strength may be used , and in order to manufacture a product which is difficult to mold , preferably , pulp having a short length may be used . further , the pulp may be used after bleaching or dyeing depending on the use of a final product . in the present invention , water is an essential element for forming hydrogen bonds between cellulose molecules . however , since drainage ( dewatering ) or drying should be carried out when a product is manufactured , preferably , the minimum amount of water may be used within the limit where hydrogen bonds can be formed or within the limit required for molding a final product in order to reduce a time for manufacturing a product . further , the cellulose may be present in water - suspension state during the comminuting ( isolation ) step depending on a grinding method . if the comminuted cellulose is in a water - suspension state , during the present third step , the water may not be additionally mixed or an amount of the water may be mixed in a regulated concentration suitable for the use of a final product to be manufactured and then mixed . in the present mixing step , a composition is manufactured by mixing the cellulose , the pulp , and the water prepared in the first step to the third step , respectively . the mixing does not require a particular method , and may be easily carried out using a conventional machine such as a mixer , a blender , or a kneader . herein , a mixing ratio of the cellulose to the pulp is not limited and can be freely regulated in consideration of the use of a product to be manufactured or a time for biodegradation . in consideration of a biodegradable property , a waterproofing property , and strength , preferably , a weight ratio is 1 : 99 to 99 : 1 , or 30 : 70 to 70 : 30 , and particularly 50 : 50 . a content of the water may be 50 to 99 weight % with respect to the total weight of the composition . if the biodegradable composition [ i . e . a composition as a mixture of the cellulose isolated to a nano size , the pulp , and the water ] of the present invention is applied or coated on a target object and then dried , a coating film having an excellent waterproofing effect can be formed . therefore , the biodegradable composition of the present invention can be usefully used as a waterproofing agent . further , the present invention provides a molded product to be manufactured using the biodegradable composition of the present invention . the molded product is manufactured using hydrogen bonds between cellulose molecules and is not limited in kind as long as it is manufactured using the biodegradable composition of the present invention and may include , for example , alternatives to paper , disposable products , and plastic , or the like . a manufacturing method of each product is not particularly limited , and a typical manufacturing method of each product can be applied . if various molding machines for different uses are manufactured by applying a typical manufacturing method , various products can be manufactured using them . as a specific example , if paper is manufactured using the composition of the present invention , the conventional method used for manufacturing paper may be used . the paper making method includes a handmade paper making method and mechanical paper making methods ( for example , the fourdrinier paper making method , the cylinder type paper making method and the like ), and all of these methods can be used . to be specific , the composition ( cellulose + pulp + water ) of the present invention is transferred to a water permeable wire mesh to drain the water , and the mixture of the cellulose and the pulp is entangled so as to form a layer . then , the layer of the mixture is compressed and dried to be uniform . through this process , biodegradable paper and waterproofing paper ( paper having a high oil resistance and a high water resistance as an alternative to vinyl ) can be manufactured . as another specific example , if a disposable product is manufactured using the composition of the present invention , a general method for manufacturing a disposable product using pulp may be used . to be specific , on a molding frame having a shape to be manufactured ( for example , a frame having a draining function with a small gynecomorphous drainage hole ), a water permeable wire mesh having the same shape is placed , and then , the composition of the present invention is transferred to the water permeable wire mesh to drain the water , and the mixture of the cellulose and the pulp is entangled so as to form a layer . then , the layer of the mixture is compressed and dried by an andromorph ( smaller than a gynecomorphous molding frame by a thickness of a layer of a product ) having the same shape as the molding frame so as to manufacture the product . herein , in the molding frame , the gynecomorphous drainage hole may be changed to an andromorphous drainage hole on the contrary to the above example , and in this case , a water permeable wire mesh having the same shape may be inserted into the andromorph . further , in the above - described method , drainage and compression may be carried out at the same time , or a compression process may be repeated one or more times to manufacture a product . it is desirable to dry the layer while being compressed since strain of a finished product can be minimized . as yet another example , if a molded product as an alternative to plastic is manufactured using the composition of the present invention , the molded product may be manufactured by manufacturing a molding machine ( molding frame ) in which the composition of the present invention is mixed to be in a paste state and put into the molding frame having a drainage hole and then compressed to drain water by force , and while the compression is carried out , the substance to be molded is dried in the molding frame until the compression is completed , thereby gradually reducing a volume of the product ( that is , draining water by adding heat and leaving fiber having a high density ) and thus manufacturing the molded product . herein , water generated during compression or vapor generated during drying may be drained through a water permeable wire mesh or a filter ( as a preferable example , a filter manufactured using fiber or pulp ), or may be drained using both of the water permeable wire mesh and the filter . further , in the case of using the filter , preferably , a non - woven fabric for drainage or other subsidiary materials are attached between the filter and a molded product in order to make it easy to separate the filter from the molded product . a density of the molded product manufactured using the composition of the present invention is an important factor that determines a time for biodegradation , a water - proof time , and strength of the molded product . a product can be manufactured by adjusting a density of the product by regulating a content of the cellulose or a pressure for compression during the manufacturing process of the product . a volume or a mass of a finished product is the same as that of a pre - molding mixture from which an amount of water is subtracted , and , thus , it can be adjusted by regulating an amount of a mixture before molding . hereinafter , the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to examples , but these examples are provided only for illustrating but not for limiting the present disclosure . as illustrated in table 1 to table 5 below , each sheet of paper ( average basis weight : 76 . 47 g / m 2 ) was prepared by a handmade paper making method using biodegradable compositions prepared with different content ratios between cellulose and pulp and different sizes of cellulose . a waterproofing property test and a strength test of each sheet of paper prepared were carried out . the results thereof were as illustrated in table 1 to table 5 . the waterproofing property test was carried out by pouring water to paper and measuring a time for water to ooze out on a rear surface . the test on strength was carried out according to ks m iso 1924 - 2 “ testing method of tensile strength of paper and paperboard ”, and the test on tensile strength was carried out according to the constant rate of loading method under average md of 5 . 29 kn / m and cd of 2 . 18 kn / m . for reference , plain paper ( wood - free paper ) typically has a water - proof time in a range of 10 to 30 seconds . it could be confirmed from the above results as illustrated in table 1 to table 5 that the biodegradable composition of the present invention has an excellent waterproofing property and also has a much higher strength than the conventional one . therefore , it can be seen that the biodegradable composition of the present invention is suitable to be used as a waterproofing agent or a material of products in need of a waterproofing property . further , the results as illustrated in table 1 to table 5 involve the case of preparing paper by the handmade paper making method . if a density of paper is increased by a mechanical paper making method , it is possible to further increase a water - proof time and strength . furthermore , a specimen was manufactured using the composition of example 3 - 3 and a conventional plastic ( high density polyethylene ( hdpe )) was used as a control . then , a tensile strength of each specimen was measured according to ks b 0802 ( testing method of tensile strength of metallic material ). the results thereof were illustrated in fig1 ( the specimen manufactured using the composition of example 3 - 3 of the present disclosure ) and fig2 ( the plastic specimen as a control ). as can be seen from fig1 and fig2 , it is confirmed that the specimen manufactured using the composition of the present invention has an excellent tensile strength and can be usefully used as an alternative to the conventional plastic . the us and european countries have been focusing on developing bio - plastics using starch . however , due to the price increase of the grain , they are now making efforts on developing the raw materials to replace it . a modeled product that is manufactured using the composition of the present invention is manufactured using cellulose , which is the most abundant organic substance on earth , and therefore has the advantage of low production costs , compared to using plastic or pla of corn starch . it is also excellent in strength as plastic and can endure at a high temperature of 150 - 200 ° c . ; it also can manufacture disposable products or semi - permanent products including light weight construction products ( floor products , interior / exterior materials , furniture materials , electric home appliances , toys for children , etc .). as it is getting difficult to use crude oil , starch , and trees as raw materials due to the exhaustion of natural resources and convention on climate change , the present invention would be useful in securing the raw materials by using a herbaceous plant as main materials in terms of securing and using the future resources . it also provides saving of the natural resources such as crude oil and starch , and has a great potential to develop into a new future industry . | 2 |
according to the present invention , the four steps of ( a ) timely fixation for the purposes of cell preservation , ( b ) producing a cross - linked matrix in the plasma layer ; ( c ) decreasing surface tension and retarding evaporation at the fresh blood spread by by immersion in a non - polar ( water immiscible ) solvent , and ( d ) performing a chemical reaction by diffusing reagents across an interface , are combined for the purpose of stabilizing both the cell shape and the smoothness and homogeneity of the plasma layer . distortion of the plasma layer during drying of cell monolayers is solved by producing the cross - linked matrix before drying . an agent for subsequent cross - linking in the plasma is dissolved in the plasma while the blood is still a liquid suspension . the activating or polymerizing agent is dissolved in the non - polar solvent . concentrations are adjusted so that cross - linking occurs within about the first minute of immersion of the wet blood spread on the slide in the non - polar solvent while excessive reactions are prevented . by proper adjustment of conditions of agent to be cross - linked , polymerizing agent , blood spreading process , non - polar solvent and time , one may separate two phenomena of distortion . first , by using a polymerizing agent which acts chiefly on the plasma component , migration of plasma during the subsequent drying is eliminated . in this case , the cells are left unaffected , except that surface tension forces as they would act on the cells are greatly reduced . the spreading or stretching of the cells after this treatment is intermediate between fixed cells and those without the treatment . by using a polymerizing agent that also fixes the cells before they are dry , one may preserve both a smooth , undistorted plasma layer and cells without distortion . these cells generally have the appearance , after drying , of cells usually seen only in wet preparations . loss of central palor in red blood cells as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 209 , 548 does not happen under these conditions . any suitable cross - linking agent may be used in the process of the present invention . typical cross - linking agents include formaldehyde , glutaraldehyde and trichloroacetic acid . cross - linking action may be by structural change in the agent to be cross - linked , as with trichloroacetic acid , or by formation of additional covalent bonds , as with an aldehyde . while any suitable agent with these properties may be used , the agent of choice is glutaraldehyde . properties of the agent to be cross - linked include large molecular weight , solubility in the plasma of human blood , non - reactivity with either the plasma or particulate components of human blood , but responding to the cross - linking agent , and not causing cell aggregation or attachment of blood components to the cell surface . optimum results were obtained by using human serum albumin as agent to be cross - linked and glutaraldehyde as a cross - linking agent . any suitable non - polar solvent may be used in the present invention . properties of such a solvent include low surface tension , non - miscible with water but capable of dissolving the cross - linking agent , and non reactive with water , blood or the reagents used in cross - linking . the optimum solvent used with glutaraldehyde and human serum albumin is cyclohexane . any suitable blood spreading process , such as the spinner process , the coverslip process and the wedge process , may be used in this invention , although it is preferred to employ the spinner process because a larger usable monolayer area is produced . the following examples further define the present invention . it should be noted , however , that these examples are intended to illustrate , and in no way are intended to limit the invention . the agent , used herein , for subsequent cross - linking is human serum albumin , the coloring agent is a dye fast green sf ( color index # 42053 ), the slide preparation is by a spinner process described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 827 , 805 , the non - polar solvent is cyclohexane and the cross linking or activating agent dissolved in cyclohexane is glutaraldehyde . human serum albumin ( hsa ) is a 30 % aqueous solution . glutaraldehyde solution is 1 / 6 of the maximum or saturation concentration in cyclohexane . it is prepared by shaking together a 25 % aqueous glutaraldehyde solution and the pure cyclohexane at room temperature . subsequently , the saturated solution is diluted with pure cyclohexane in ratio of about 1 part in 6 . two parts of blood are mixed with one part of human serum albumin solution . a monolayer spread is made on the slide using a spinner and is immediately immersed in cyclohexane glutaraldehyde . after 30 seconds , the slide is transferred to pure ( clean ) cyclohexane where the unreacted glutaraldehyde is rinsed away . upon removal of the slide from the clean cyclohexane bath , the solvent is permitted to evaporate and the slide is dried . both plasma and cells are preserved , free of distortion from their original shape . example i is repeated using trichloracetic as the cross - linking agent for the human serum albumin . immersion of the wet blood film is kept down to about 15 seconds in cyclohexane containing about 1 / 100 % of trichloroacetic acid . the cross - linking agents , as in example i , above , acts by crossing the boundary between the non - polar solvent and the water wet monolayer of blood , and by performing its cross - linking chemical reaction after further diffusion on the water side of the boundary . among other reactions the trichloroacetic acid causes denaturation of the albumin which then precipitates in place to the extent that a smooth plasma layer is obtained . in this example , only plasma is preserved free of distortion . since trichloroacetic acid does not fix the cells , they are subjected to stretching forces during drying . as a result they resemble cells as they would appear in conventional monolayer blood spreads . while specific components of the present system are defined in the examples above , many other variables may be introduced which may in any way affect , enhance or otherwise improve the invention . these are intended to be included herein . while variations are given in the present application , many modifications and variations will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the present disclosure . these , too , are intended to be included herein . | 6 |
while the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel , it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures , in which like reference numerals are carried forward . before the present invention is disclosed and described , it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting . it must be noted that , as used in the specification and the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first , particularly to fig2 thereof , there is shown a first embodiment of a pressure - limiting balloon catheter 100 that does not inflate past the tearing limit of a lumen in which the catheter 100 is placed , for example , in the urethra . to prevent occurrences of urethra tearing due to premature - improper inflation of the balloon and / or due to premature removal of an inflated balloon , the invention of the instant application provides the balloon 110 with a balloon safety valve 112 . as set forth above , in a balloon 3 of a conventional catheter ( see reference numerals 1 to 5 in fig1 ), the balloon 3 is fixed to the outer surface of the fluid drainage line 120 ( not shown in fig1 ) and is not intended to be removed therefrom or to burst thereon unless an extraordinary amount of inflation occurs . such a tearing event is not supposed to occur under any circumstances during use with a patient . if such an event happens , the material of the balloon 3 will open at a random location , based upon the microscopic fractures or weaknesses in the material itself , and risk of serious damage to the patient is associated with the bursting , as well as a risk of balloon fragmentation , which could leave pieces of the balloon 3 inside the patient after removal of the catheter . in contrast to such conventional devices , the balloon 110 of the present invention is created specifically to tear when a predefined pressure exists in or is exerted on the balloon 110 . the controlled tear will occur because the balloon safety valve 112 is present . conventional balloons have constant balloon wall thicknesses . in contrast thereto , the balloon safety valve 112 in the first embodiment is a defined reduction in balloon wall thickness . this reduction creates a breaking point or selected breaking points at which the balloon 110 is intended specifically to break when a predefined force exists in or is imparted on the balloon 110 . because the balloon 110 is made of a material having a known tearing constant — dependent upon the thickness thereof ( which is determined experimentally for different thicknesses of a given material prior to use in a patient ), the balloon safety valve 112 of the present invention for urethra applications is matched to break when the pressure inside or exerted on the balloon 110 approaches the maximum urethra pressure . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , a decreased thickness is formed as a first semi - circumferential groove 114 near a proximal end of the balloon 110 and / or as a second semi - circumferential groove 116 near a distal end of the balloon 110 . the grooves 114 , 116 can have any cross - sectional shape , including , trapezoidal , triangular , square , or rectangle , for example . because rubber , plastic , and silicone materials tear well with thinner cuts , a relatively triangular shape or one with a narrow bottom is preferred . to make sure that the entire balloon 110 of the illustrated embodiment does not completely tear away from the fluid drainage line 120 , both grooves 114 , 116 do not extend around the entire circumference of the balloon 110 . as shown to the left of the proximal groove 116 in fig2 , the groove 116 is not present on at least an arc portion 118 of the circumference of the balloon 110 . the arc portion is defined to be sufficiently large so that , when the catheter 100 is removed from the patient , the balloon 110 cannot tear away entirely from the catheter 100 ( and create the disadvantageous fragmentation situation as set forth above ). the illustrated balloon safety valve 112 is , therefore , fashioned to keep the balloon 110 in one piece after breaking and firmly connected to the catheter 100 to insure that no piece of the balloon 110 will be left inside the patient after actuation of the balloon safety valve 112 . it is noted that the balloon 110 is inflated through an inflation lumen 130 having a proximal opening , typically formed by a female end of a luer connector . the female end is connected to a non - illustrated inflation device , for example , a distal end of a syringe for inflation of the balloon 110 . in this first embodiment , the balloon can be of rubber , silicone , or plastic , for example . once the balloon breaks , the catheter is useless and must be discarded . because the balloon 110 in this embodiment will break inside the patient , it should be inflated with a bio - safe fluid to prevent an unwanted air or gas from entering the patient . in certain circumstances where balloon catheters are used , air or gas will not injure the patient if let out into the patient &# 39 ; s body cavity . in such circumstances , the inflating fluid can be air under pressure , for example . maximum urethra pressure can also be tailored to the individual patient . based upon a urethral pressure - measuring device , the patient &# 39 ; s maximum urethra pressure can be measured before the catheter 100 is placed therein . a set of catheters 100 having different safety valve breaking constants can be available to the physician and , after estimating or calculating or knowing the patient &# 39 ; s maximum urethra pressure , the physician can select the catheter 100 having a safety valve breaking constant slightly or substantially smaller than the patient &# 39 ; s maximum urethra pressure . accordingly , if the pressure in the balloon 110 approaches the patient &# 39 ; s maximum urethra pressure for any reason , whether it is due to over - inflation , improper placement , and / or premature removal , the balloon 110 is guaranteed to break prior to the patient &# 39 ; s lumen , in particular , the patient &# 39 ; s urethra , prior to causing iatrogenic injury . a second embodiment of the one - use breaking safety valve of a pressure - limiting balloon catheter 200 is shown in fig3 . the catheter 200 has a fluid drainage line 220 , a balloon inflation lumen 230 , and a secondary lumen 240 . the fluid drainage line 220 is connected fluidically to the body cavity ( i . e ., the bladder 30 ) for draining fluid from the body cavity . the secondary lumen 240 can be used for any purpose , for example , for housing the radiation line that will supply energy to the radiation coil 2 . it can also be used for injecting fluid into any distal part of the catheter 200 or even the body cavity itself . the balloon inflation lumen 230 begins at a proximal end with an inflating connector 260 that , in a preferred embodiment , is a female luer connector ( of course , it can be a male luer connector too ). the balloon inflation lumen 230 continues through the body of the catheter 200 all the way to the balloon and is fluidically connected to the interior of the balloon . the balloon safety valve is also fluidically connected to the balloon inflation lumen 230 . in the second embodiment of the safety valve 212 , the valve 212 is formed integrally with the balloon inflation lumen 230 and is set to open into the environment ( instead of into the patient ) if the maximum urethra pressure is exceeded in the balloon or the balloon inflation lumen . because this safety valve 212 is located near or at the balloon inflation port 220 in this configuration , fluid used to inflate the balloon will not enter the patient when the valve 212 opens . the safety valve 212 in the second embodiment can merely be a narrowing of the distance between the balloon inflation lumen 230 and the outer surface 250 of the catheter 220 . in fig3 , the valve 212 has a rectangular cross - section and extends away from the balloon inflation lumen 230 . as shown in fig4 , and 6 , respectively , the cross - section can be triangular ( peaked or pyramidical in three - dimensions ), curved ( circular or cylindrical in three - dimensions ), or trapezoidal ( frusto - conical or bar - shaped in three - dimensions ). the cross - sections are shown in fig3 to 7 with the narrowing emanating from the balloon inflation lumen 230 outward . as an alternative , the narrowing can begin on the outer surface of the catheter and extend inwards towards the balloon inflation lumen 230 . a further alternative can have the narrowing extend from both the lumen 230 and the outer surface of the catheter . the cross - sections illustrated are merely exemplary . what is important is that the thickness t between the bottom 213 of the valve 212 and the outer surface 250 of the catheter 220 in comparison to the thickness t of the catheter body over the remainder of the balloon inflation lumen 230 . an enlarged view of this thickness comparison is illustrated in fig7 . as long as the thickness t is smaller than the thickness t ( t & lt ; t ), and as long as the force fb required to break the balloon is greater than the force fsv required to break the portion 213 of the safety valve 212 ( fb & gt ; fsv ), then the portion 213 of the safety valve 212 is virtually guaranteed to break every time pressure exerting a force f in the balloon inflation lumen 230 is greater than the force fsv required to break the safety valve ( fsv & gt ; f ). based upon this analysis , the force fsv required to break the safety valve can be tuned to whatever a patient needs or a physician desires and different sized valves can be available for any procedure and provided in the form of a kit . whether a standard maximum urethra pressure is used or a patient - specific maximum urethra pressure is measured and used , experiments can be conducted prior to use on a patient on various catheter thicknesses t to determine the pressure needed to break the portion 213 of the safety valve 212 . for example , ten different maximum urethra pressures can be known as desirable setpoints and the thicknesses t can be varied such that pressure required to break the ten thicknesses correspond to the ten setpoint pressures . if , then , ten catheters are placed in such a kit , each having one of the ten thicknesses , then the physician has a range of 10 maximum urethra pressure values to use with the patient . the safety valve 212 of the second embodiment need not be confined to the body of the catheter 200 . instead , the inflating connector 260 can be equipped with the safety valve 212 . alternatively , a modular attachment 270 containing the safety valve 212 can be attached to the inflating connector 260 . such a modular valve attachment 270 is removable and replaceable ( such as through a convention luer or even a screw - threaded connection ). accordingly , as long as the catheter 200 can still be used after the valve 212 actuates ( breaks ), the used attachment 270 can be replaced with a new attachment 270 . the converse is also true for reuse of the attachment 270 if the catheter 200 breaks and the valve of the attachment 270 remains unbroken . one embodiment of the attachment is illustrated in fig9 . specifically , an upstream end of the connector 260 is attached removably to a downstream end 272 of the modular valve attachment 270 and the upstream end 274 of the attachment 270 is attached to the female connection of the balloon inflation device 280 illustrated only diagrammatically in fig9 . a common exemplary inflation device 280 is a syringe . in such a configuration , the safety valve 212 , 312 of the present invention can be entirely separate from the catheter 200 , 300 and , therefore , form a retrofitting device for attachment to the luer connector present on conventional catheters . as an alternative to the one - use breaking safety valve of the second embodiment , a multi - use pressure valve can be used . this third embodiment of the pressure - limiting balloon catheter 300 is illustrated in fig8 . the catheter 300 can be the same as the catheter 200 in fig3 except for the portion illustrated in fig8 . instead of having a narrowing thickness t of the lumen wall , the valve portion 313 extends entirely to the environment . however , a one - way valve 314 ( shown only diagrammatically in fig8 ) is attached to the open end of the valve portion 313 and is secured to the outer surface 250 of the catheter 300 to close off the open end of the valve portion 313 . the one - way valve 314 can be secured directly to the outer surface 250 ( e . g ., with an adhesive ) or a connector 315 ( e . g ., a threaded cap ) can secure the one - way valve 314 to the open end of the valve portion 313 . regardless of the configuration , the one - way valve 314 includes a device that does not permit fluid from exiting the lumen 230 until a given resistance r is overcome . this given resistance r can be selectable by the physician depending upon the one - way valve that is chosen for use if a set of one - way valves having different resistances r are available for use by the physician . just like the second embodiment , the resistance r can be set to correspond to desired maximum urethra pressure values . therefore , when used , the fluid exits the one - way valve 314 into the environment well before the patient &# 39 ; s maximum urethra pressure is exceeded by the balloon . the one - way valve 314 can be a mechanical one - way valve . additionally , the one - way valve 314 can be a material having a tear strength corresponding to the desired set of resistances r . the material can be a fluid - tight fabric , a rubber , a plastic , or silicone different from the material making up the catheter . the material can even be a rubber , plastic , or silicone the same as the material making up the catheter but having a reduced thickness t than the thickness t of the catheter . because the safety valve 212 , 312 is located at the proximal end of the catheter 200 , 300 , the distal end of the catheter 200 , 300 can take the form of a distal end of a conventional balloon catheter 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 . alternatively , the distal end shown in fig2 can also be used for redundant over - pressure protection . the catheter 200 , 300 according to the invention can be used in vascular applications . it is known that every vessel has a tearing pressure . balloons are used in coronary arteries , for example . if a coronary artery balloon were to burst , there would be less damage if the burst was controlled according to the invention . the same is true for a renal or iliac blood vessel . in such situations , the breakaway catheter improves upon existing catheters by making them safer . from the urinary standpoint , the breakaway balloon will not only prevent injury , but will also be a signal to the technician that he / she needs to obtain the assistance of a physician or urologist with respect to inserting the catheter . referring now to fig1 thereof , there is shown a first embodiment of an illuminating balloon catheter 100 having a distal balloon 110 , a catheter body 102 , and a drainage assembly 150 . the catheter body 102 defines a fluid drainage lumen 120 , a balloon inflating lumen 130 , and an illumination device lumen 140 . the distal end of the drainage assembly 150 is explained below with regard to fig1 and includes a shaft on which or around which the balloon 110 is connected . the drainage assembly 150 has at least one distal drainage port 152 at the proximal end of the catheter 100 for draining fluid from a body cavity ( i . e ., urine from a bladder ). the drainage assembly 150 can also be integral with or connected to the catheter tip 154 . the interior of the balloon 110 is fluidically connected to the balloon inflating lumen 130 . the balloon 110 is inflated through a connector 160 disposed at a proximal opening 132 of the inflation lumen 130 . see fig1 . typically , a female end of a luer connector forms the connector 160 and is shaped to connect to a non - illustrated inflation device , for example , a distal end of a syringe for inflation of the balloon 110 . fig1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the proximal end of the catheter 100 of the present invention . the proximal end includes the proximal portions of the fluid drainage lumen 120 , the balloon inflation lumen 130 , and the illumination device lumen 140 . the fluid drainage lumen 120 is fluidically connected at a proximal end thereof to a drainage device having a drainage funnel 122 defining a proximal , substantially circular opening 124 within which is received a fluid connection device 170 , indicated in fig1 diagrammatically with dashed lines . the balloon inflation lumen 130 begins at a proximal end with the inflating connector 160 , continues through the body 102 of the catheter 100 an the way distal to the balloon 110 and is fluidically connected to the interior 112 of the balloon 110 as set forth above . the illumination device lumen 140 is formed to house a directional illumination source 201 , shown ( in a first embodiment in fig1 ) as a fiber optic strand having a distal end 202 terminating flush with a transparent portion of the balloon 110 . this strand supplies light into the balloon 110 . thus , an of the light emanating from the distal end 202 of the strand is coupled into the cavity 112 of the balloon 110 . a conventional fiber optic light source can be coupled to the fiber optic strand and , therefore , is not described in further detail nor is it illustrated more than diagrammatically with box 204 in fig1 . without anything further , if the balloon 110 were entirely transparent , the light entering the balloon 110 would enter the cavity 112 and pass entirely through the balloon 110 out the distal side thereof . the present invention , however , provides a reflective surface 210 on the balloon 110 . the reflective surface 210 is shown on the interior of the balloon 110 , however , it can be on the exterior of the balloon 110 as well . the reflective surface 210 can be a coating thereon or it can be a natural property of the material making up the balloon 110 . in fig1 , the reflective surface 210 is shown covering approximately half of the interior surface of the balloon 110 , i . e ., it is substantially hemispherical . thus , the light will emanate from the balloon 110 over the proximal hemispherical half and only illuminate structure located on the proximal side of the balloon 110 ( below the balloon in fig1 ). this configuration , however , is merely exemplary because the reflective surface 210 can be fashioned to traverse any extent on the balloon 110 . also , it need not be symmetrical . in the hemispherical shape of fig1 , the reflective surface forms a concave mirror and , therefore , focuses light in the proximal direction . alternatively , the reflective surface can be formed asymmetrically to focus and / or direct light at any angle cc with respect to the longitudinal extent of the catheter body 102 . as shown , for example , in fig1 , the reflective surface 210 is disposed on substantially an of the right half of the balloon 110 and is disposed on the distal half of the left side of the balloon 110 and on a portion adjacent the exit of the balloon inflating lumen 130 . in this configuration , the light coupled into the balloon 110 from the distal end 202 is reflected and emanates from the balloon 110 opposite the illuminating source 200 over an arc - shaped area β . thus , if the physician is located on the left side of the catheter 100 with respect to fig1 , and is looking at the catheter 100 in a direction along arrow a , an of the light will be emerging on the side facing the physician and in a relatively proximal direction . such illumination is very beneficial when locating the urethrovesical junction in a laparoscopic prostatectomy . a second embodiment of the illuminating balloon catheter is shown in fig1 . therein , the illuminating device 200 ( e . g ., a fiber optic strand ) is shielded from emitting illumination up until a point at which it emerges into the cavity 112 of the balloon 110 . this unshielded portion 206 allows the light to enter the balloon 110 without be attenuated by the material of the balloon 110 , which occurs to a small extent in the first embodiment . one drawback to this second embodiment is that two holes need to be created in the balloon 100 because the illumination source 200 is in a lumen entirely separate from the balloon inflation lumen 130 . if , however , the balloon inflation lumen 130 is sufficiently large to fit therein the illumination source 200 ( in a fluid - tight fit at the proximal end of the lumen 130 ) and still allow inflation of the balloon 110 without substantial back pressure or closing off of the lumen 130 , then the balloon 110 can be formed with only one hole . such an alternative configuration is shown in fig1 . in this configuration , the secondary lumen 140 becomes available for another useful purpose . fig1 illustrates a fourth alternative embodiment of the illuminating balloon catheter 100 . specifically , the illuminating device 200 ( e . g ., fiber optic ) is led through the fluid drainage lumen 120 and is fastened to the inside surface thereof except for a distal - most portion near the point at which the drainage assembly 150 is secured . the drainage assembly 150 is formed with an intermediate opening 156 that can be fluid - tightly sealed by securing thereto the unshielded portion 206 of the fiber optic device 200 , for example . this embodiment is particularly suited for an led as the illumination source because the intermediate opening 156 can be formed with exact tolerances so that the led can be secured therein easily in a fluid - tight manner with conventional glues . fig1 illustrates a fifth alternative embodiment of the illuminating balloon catheter 100 . specifically , the illuminating device 200 is tubular and is led through the fluid drainage lumen 120 in a longitudinally movable manner . the illuminating device 200 has a distal - most portion at which is disposed an illuminator 206 a . the illuminator 206 a can be formed from an unshielded portion of a fiber optic or can be an led having an illumination direction disposed along a radial line orthogonal to the longitudinal extent of the illuminating device 200 . because the illuminating device 200 can be rotated 360 degrees inside the fluid drainage lumen 120 , a portion of the drainage assembly 150 inside the balloon is transparent . thus , as the illuminator 206 a is rotated within the fluid drainage lumen 120 , the light beam also rotated within the balloon . in this embodiment , therefore , the catheter need not be rotated inside the patient &# 39 ; s urethra . to make sure that a majority of the illumination is directed proximally , the balloon 110 is , in this fifth embodiment , provided with the hemispherical reflector 210 similar to that shown fig1 ( but not shown in fig1 ). it is noted that the hollow structure of the illuminating device 200 allows for virtually unhindered passage of the fluid that is to be drained through the fluid drainage lumen 120 . laparoscopic prostatectomy can be assisted with all of the configurations shown in fig1 to 17 . with the invention of the instant application , the balloon of the catheter is inflated in the bladder and the surgeon or assistant directs the light to help locate the urethrovesical junction . inflation of the balloon such that the proximal portion thereof presses against the proximal wall of the bladder near the urethrovesical junction to compress the tissue at the urethrovesical junction . such compression allows the urethrovesical junction to be very apparent when viewed through a laparoscope . the directed illumination from the illumination device 200 , in combination with the compression of the urethrovesical junction , allows the metes and bounds of the urethrovesical junction to be clearly identified . accordingly , a laparoscopic prostatectomy can have greater chances for success . a fiber optic is used herein as an illustrative example for the illumination source . it should not , however , be deemed as limiting the scope of potential illumination sources . for example , as set forth above , conventional light - emitting diodes ( leds ) can be used . also , printed organic light - emitting diodes ( oleds ) can be used both as the illumination source and as the reflective coating . specifically , if the feature shown as a reflective coating 210 in fig4 and 5 is substituted with a printed oled , then the oled can become an illumination source that does not need reflection to direct illumination from the balloon 110 of the present invention . other similar forms of illumination devices can be substituted or used . the breakaway catheter is not only a separate device from the illuminating catheter and vice - versa . therefore , it is envisioned that the two catheters described individually herein can be combined in any manner into a single catheter with any of the features of both . trans - illumination through a catheter can help prevent surgical injuries in addition to those described herein . certain structures are at risk when doing laparoscopic surgery of the pelvis , for example . the bladder is often at risk during operations including hysterectomies , cesarean sections , pelvic masses , and colo - rectal procedures . this because the bladder is in close proximity to the relevant organs and is often difficult to recognize during dissection . the bladder can easily be perforated inadvertently . this is especially true with hysterectomies because the relevant organs lie anterior to the bladder . certain conditions such as adhesions and endometriosis make dissection much more difficult and bladder perforation even more common . by using directional trans - illumination by reflecting light to the dome of the bladder , the demarcation between the bladder and the uterus is much more visible during surgery . this allows the surgeon to more easily identify the bladder wall and dissect in the proper plane . large pelvic masses such as ovarian tumors and sarcomas and certain gastrointestinal malignancies can also be in very close proximity to the bladder . during these operations , a directional light helps to prevent bladder injury . as such , the devices and methods described herein can be used to prevent such injuries . however , the direction of the light that is needed to identify the bladder wall is opposite in direction to the light described hereinabove . instead of directing substantially all of the light towards the shaft of the catheter , in the embodiments to identify the bladder wall , substantially all of the light is directed directly opposite the shaft , referred to herein as the distal direction . all of the other features of the shaft - directed light configurations described herein are equally applicable to the distally directed embodiment but direct light in the opposite direction . thus , the light can be the distal half of the balloon or any portion or portions thereof . | 0 |
disclosed is a system and method for facilitating check writing . generally speaking , the system and method can be used to access a network - based ( e . g ., web - based ) imaging service that enables the user to identify the imaging data to be used to generate checks . once the data has been identified , it can be stored by the service and , if desired , one or more hard copy documents ( i . e ., checks ) can be generated . to facilitate description of the inventive system and method , example systems are discussed with reference to the figures . although these systems are described in detail , it will be appreciated that they are provided for purposes of illustration only and that various modifications are feasible without departing from the inventive concept . after the description of the example systems , examples of operation of the systems are provided to explain the manners in which check generation can be facilitated . fig1 is a schematic representation of the general operation of the invention . as shown in this figure , an imaging client 100 communicates with one or more imaging sources 102 and one or more imaging destinations 104 , which can in some arrangements comprise the same device and / or service . the imaging source ( s ) 102 represent any of a wide variety of devices / services that can be accessed by the imaging client 100 and used to input data that will be used to create a document , such as a check . once the imaging data have been input , the imaging client 100 can identify data from the imaging source ( s ) 102 that are to be used by the imaging destination ( s ) 104 for printing , as well as the arrangement of the data within the printed document . the image destination ( s ) 104 can then print the document ( s ) according to the client &# 39 ; s selections . fig2 illustrates an example system 200 with which the invention can be implemented . as indicated in this figure , the example system 200 generally comprises a computing device 202 , a printing device 204 , and one or more network servers 206 , each of which can be connected to a network 208 . as indicated in fig2 the computing device 202 can be arranged as a personal computer ( pc ). more broadly , however , the computing device 202 can comprise substantially any device that can be used to communicate via the network 208 and , therefore , access and / or be accessed by check writing services made available over the network . by way of example , the computing device 202 can alternatively comprise a notebook computer , macintosh computer , handheld computer such as a personal digital assistant or mobile telephone , smart card , etc . the printing device 204 comprises any device that is capable of generating hardcopy documents in the form of a check . although the term “ printing device ” is used herein , it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to any particular type of device that provides this functionality . accordingly , the term is intended to include any appliance or printing device ( e . g ., printer , photocopier , facsimile machine , multifunction peripheral ( mfp ), etc .) that either inherently provides this functionality or which provides it when a suitable accessory is used in conjunction therewith . the one or more network servers 206 typically comprise computing devices similar in configuration to the computing device 202 , but which normally possess greater resources in terms of processing power , memory , and / or storage space . as will be apparent from the discussions provided below , the network servers 206 are typically used with the internet ( public or private ) and , therefore , typically comprise web servers . although the use of internet networking protocols ( e . g ., transmission control protocol ( tcp ) and / or internet protocol ( ip )) may mean that web protocols ( e . g ., hypertext transfer protocol ( http )) will be used , it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that http is just one of many protocols capable of being used on internet networks . the network 208 normally comprises one or more sub - networks that are communicatively coupled to each other . by way of example , these networks can include one or more local area networks ( lans ) and / or wide area networks ( wans ) that comprise a set of networks that forms part of the internet . in addition to the network connections shown in fig2 one or more of the computing device 202 and servers 206 can be directly connected to the printing device 204 ( not shown ). direct connection between the computing device 202 and the printing device 204 may be likely where the printing device is used in a home or small office environment in which the user does not have access to a network . direct connection between a network server 206 and the printing device 204 may be likely where the server functions as a print server controlled by a check writing service . as noted above , other system arrangements are possible for implementation of the invention . for instance , the system can be arranged as one or more of the example systems identified in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 999 , 450 , filed on nov . 15 , 2001 , entitled “ system and method for charging for printing services rendered ,” by shell simpson , ward foster , and kris livingston and bearing attorney docket no . 10008256 - 1 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure . in such a case , the data to be printed ( i . e ., imaging data ) can be accessed by imaging destinations ( e . g ., printing services ) in an , at least partially , automated manner . fig3 is a schematic view illustrating an example architecture for the printing device 204 identified in fig2 . as indicated in fig3 the printing device 204 can generally comprise a processing device 300 , memory 302 , hard copy generation hardware 304 , one or more user interface devices 306 , one or more input / output ( i / o ) devices 308 , and one or more network interface devices 310 , each of which is connected to a local interface 312 that normally comprises one or more internal and / or external buses . the processing device 300 is adapted to execute commands stored in memory 302 and can comprise a general - purpose processor , a microprocessor , one or more application - specific integrated circuits ( asics ), a plurality of suitably configured digital logic gates , and other well known electrical configurations comprised of discrete elements both individually and in various combinations to coordinate the overall operation of the printing device 204 . the memory 204 can include any one of a combination of volatile memory elements ( e . g ., random access memory ( ram , such as dram , sram , etc .)) and nonvolatile memory elements ( e . g ., rom , hard drive , tape , cdrom , etc .). the hard copy generation hardware 304 comprises the components with which the printing device 204 can generate hard copy documents and , more particularly , with which the device can generate checks . for example , the hard copy generation hardware 304 can comprise a print engine that is possible of many different configurations . the one or more user interface devices 306 , where provided , comprise those components with which the user can interact with the printing device 204 . by way of example , the user interface devices 306 comprise one or more function keys and / or buttons with which the operation of the device 204 can be controlled , and a display , such as a liquid crystal display ( lcd ), with which information can be visually communicated to the user and , where the display comprises a touch - sensitive screen , commands can be entered . with further reference to fig3 the one or more i / o devices 308 are adapted to facilitate communications of the printing device 204 with another device and may therefore include one or more serial , parallel , small computer system interface ( scsi ), universal serial bus ( usb ), ieee 1394 ( e . g ., firewire ™), and / or personal area network ( pan ) components . the network interface devices 310 comprise the various components used to transmit and / or receive data over a network 208 . by way of example , the network interface devices 310 include a device that can communicate both inputs and outputs , for instance , a modulator / demodulator ( e . g ., modem ), wireless ( e . g ., radio frequency ( rf )) transceiver , a telephonic interface , a bridge , a router , network card , etc . the memory 302 typically comprises an operating system 314 . in addition , where the printing device 204 is adapted to support a service that facilitates check writing , the memory 204 typically includes an embedded network server 316 . the operating system 314 controls the execution of other software and / or firmware and provides scheduling , input - output control , file and data management , memory management , and communication control and related services . the embedded network server 316 comprises software and / or firmware that is used to serve information to the network 208 . where the network comprises the internet ( public or private ), the embedded network server 316 may function as an embedded web server . as indicated in fig3 the embedded network server 316 , where provided , comprises a check writing service 318 that , as is discussed in greater detail below , can be used to facilitate the check writing process . the operation of the network server 316 and the check writing service 318 when acting in this capacity is described below with reference to fig4 - 5b . although the check writing service 318 has been identified as being supported by the printing device 204 , persons having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that this service could , alternatively , be provided by another device , for instance one or more of the network servers 206 . as will be apparent from the discussions that follow , however , the location of the check writing service 318 is not critical to the operation of the inventive system and method . various software and / or firmware has been described herein . it is to be understood that this software and / or firmware can be stored on any computer - readable medium for use by or in connection with any computer - related system or method . in the context of this document , a computer - readable medium denotes an electronic , magnetic , optical , or other physical device or means that can contain or store a computer program for use by or in connection with a computer - related system or method . these programs can be embodied in any computer - readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system , apparatus , or device , such as a computer - based system , processor - containing system , or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system , apparatus , or device and execute the instructions . in the context of this document , a “ computer - readable medium ” can be any means that can store , communicate , propagate , or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . the computer - readable medium can be , for example but not limited to , an electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared , or semiconductor system , apparatus , device , or propagation medium . more specific examples ( a nonexhaustive list ) of the computer - readable medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires , a portable computer diskette , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), an erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom , eeprom , or flash memory ), an optical fiber , and a portable compact disc read - only memory ( cdrom ). note that the computer - readable medium can even be paper or another suitable medium upon which a program is printed , as the program can be electronically captured , via for instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium , then compiled , interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary , and then stored in a computer memory . an example system having been described above , operation of the system will now be discussed . in the discussions that follow , flow diagrams are provided . it is to be understood that any process steps or blocks in these flow diagrams represent modules , segments , or portions of code that include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process . it will be appreciated that , although particular example process steps are described , alternative implementations are feasible . moreover , steps may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed , including substantially concurrently or in reverse order , depending on the functionality involved . fig4 provides a general overview of the manner in which a user can use the example system 200 , or another appropriate system , to facilitate check writing . beginning with block 400 , the check writing service 318 is accessed . typically , this access is gained via the network 208 . for instance , where the check writing service 318 executes on the printing device 204 , the user can access the service by directing an appropriate browser to the address ( e . g ., uniform resource locator ( url )) of the service . after the check writing service 318 has been accessed , the user can identify the data that are to be printed on the check that will be generated , as indicated in block 402 . this information typically includes at least a payee name and a payment amount . once the data has been entered by the user , the check writing service 318 can store the data , as indicated in block 404 . at this point , the user can print the data , as indicated in block 406 , by issuing a print command to the check writing service 318 . as noted above , the data are typically printed on preprinted check media that are contained within the printing device 204 . referring now to fig5 a - 5b , a more detailed example of the operation of the system 200 will be provided . more particularly , an example of operation of the check writing service 318 is provided . beginning with block 500 of fig5 a , the user browses to the check writing service 318 using an appropriate network browser ( e . g ., web browser ) that executes on the user computing device 202 . typically , this service 318 comprises a web site that is accessed via the internet ( and / or intranet ). to provide for security , this communication , and those that follow , can be accessed through a secure sockets layer ( ssl ) or through use of another security scheme . as noted above , the check writing service 318 can , for example , be executed upon the printing device 204 . once the check writing service 318 is accessed , the service downloads content to the user browser , as indicated in block 502 . this content normally includes various text and / or graphics that are displayed to the user to facilitate interfacing between the user and the service 318 . this content can , optionally , include one or more applications ( e . g ., applets ) that perform certain functions to aid the check writing service 318 and , thereby , facilitate check generation . after the check writing service 318 has been accessed , the user can be prompted to verify his or her authorization to use the check writing service , as indicated in block 504 . by way of example , the user can be prompted to enter a user name and password . notably , if the user already logged on to the computing device 202 that is being used to access the check writing service 318 , the above - noted verification procedure may be unnecessary . assuming the user to be authorized and therefore capable of establishing his or her authorization , the check writing service 318 can confirm the user authorization , as indicated in block 506 . at this point , the check writing service 318 can prompt the user to identify the data to be printed , as indicated in block 508 . typically , this prompting is effected with an interface ( e . g ., graphical user interface ( gui )) in the form of one or more web pages that are presented to the user with the user browser . for example , the check writing service 318 can prompt the user to manually enter the data or identify the location of the data . the latter option may be particularly attractive where the user wishes to print several different checks using data from one or more databases . for instance , where the data for several different insurance claimants resides in one or more such databases , the user can identify the location ( s ) of the database ( s ) such that the data can be uploaded to the check writing service 318 . these databases can , for instance , reside on the user computing device 202 ( e . g ., on a hard disk ) and may comprise one or more files associated with a given user application ( e . g ., peachtree ™ quicken ™, etc .). if this option is selected , one or more applications ( e . g ., applets or possibly signed applets which are allowed extensive access to the capabilities of the client system ) that were downloaded to the user browser as content can form part of an upload mechanism that is used to perform the upload operation . for instance , the applications can generate a pop - up dialogue box or further web page with which the user can provide one or more file names from which the data is to be retrieved . where the user does not know of the correct filename ( s ), the applications can , for instance , be used to scan the user &# 39 ; s computing device hard disk so that the user may browse through the contents of the hard disk to locate the appropriate file ( s ). where the databases comprise remote databases , the user can provide an address ( e . g ., url ) of the databases to be accessed so that the check writing service 318 can retrieve the data . again , this information can be provided with a dialogue box or further web page that is presented to the user . by way of example , the database ( s ) can include one or more internet - accessible database management systems ( e . g ., oracle , sybase , etc .) that the user may presently use to store the data to be printed . in such a circumstance , the user may further be prompted to provide additional information that identifies the print data . for example , the user may be prompted to provide a structured query language ( sql ) query to identify which data ( e . g ., records ) are to be accessed by the check writing service 318 , and any other details that may be pertinent to identifying and accessing the data ( e . g ., the credentials needed to access the database , the network address of the database , the name of the database , etc .). irrespective of the manner in which the data to be printed is identified , the data identification can be received by the check writing service 318 , as indicated in block 510 . at this point , the various data to be printed can be stored by the service 318 , as indicated in block 512 . where the service 318 is supported by the printing device 204 , ( i . e ., embedded within the device ), the data can be stored within memory 302 ( e . g ., an internal hard disk ) of the device . where the service 318 is not supported by the printing device 204 , or where the device lacks the storage resources to store the data in memory 302 , the data can be stored in another appropriate storage location that is accessible by the service . with reference to fig5 b and decision element 514 , it can then be determined whether checks are to be printed . if the checks are not to be printed , flow for the session is terminated and the user may return to the service 318 at a later time to print the checks , if desired . if , however , the user does wish for checks to be printed , the check writing service 318 facilitates this printing , as indicated in block 516 , by , for example , sending a print job comprising the data and its arrangement to the hard copy generation hardware 304 . as noted above , there is nearly always potential for fraud when printing checks . to cite one example way in which fraud can be perpetrated , an unscrupulous user can simulate a jam of the printing device 204 in an attempt to access the preprinted blank checks that the device contains . to prevent such activity or , to at least more quickly identify the perpetrator , the check writing service 318 can be configured to detect when a jam condition is registered . this detection is possible in that the check writing service 318 is closely linked with the printing device 204 ( e . g ., stored in the printing device ). assuming the service 318 to be configured to provide such functionality , flow continues to decision element 518 at which it is determined whether a jam occurs . this determination can be made affirmatively by the check writing service 318 through various detection means , or can be made with reference to a notification that is delivered to the service from another device component . regardless , if no jam occurs during the printing of the check ( s ), flow continues to block 528 described below . if , on the other hand , a jam does occur , flow continues to block 520 at which the jam occurrence is recorded along with information about who sent the print job , when the jam occurred , etc . this information can be recorded within the printing device 204 ( e . g ., within an internal hard disk ) or in another location accessible via the network 208 . in addition , it can be determined , at decision element 522 , whether to alert a responsible party as to the jam condition . in that checks are being printed , such a jam condition is an inherently suspect condition . for this reason , it may be desirable to provide an immediate notification to the responsible party who may , for instance , hold a managerial position . if no alert is to be transmitted , flow continues to decision element 526 described below . if the alert is to be transmitted , however , it is transmitted to the responsible party , as indicated in block 524 . this alert can comprise , for instance , an email message , a text message that is sent to a portable device ( e . g ., pda , mobile telephone ) of the responsible party , a page that is sent to a pager of the responsible party , combinations thereof , etc . accordingly , the responsible party can immediately be made aware of the situation and , if on the premises , immediately investigate the situation personally . with reference to decision element 526 , if the jam is not fixed , flow for the printing session is terminated until such time when the device 204 is again operational . once the jam is fixed , however , the check writing service 318 logs information about the completed check printing session , as indicated in block 528 , such as when the print job was initiated , who initiated the print job , who the listed payee ( s ) is / are , the amount of the check ( s ), etc . by way of example , this information can be stored within memory ( e . g ., internal hard disk ) of the printing device 204 or another designated location that is accessible via the network 208 . at this point , the printing session can be memorialized as indicated in block 530 . this memorialization can take many different forms . by way of example , the check writing service 318 can generate a receipt that can , for instance , be printed along with the printed check so that the user ( i . e ., sender ) can obtain a record of the printing of the check . this record can include some or all of the information that was logged by the check writing service 318 as noted above with reference to block 528 . this printed receipt can then be provided to the payee of the check ( e . g ., insurance claimant ). alternatively , an electronic receipt can be generated for the user and stored in a designated location that is accessible over the network 208 for later retrieval and / or inspection . for instance , the electronic receipt can be stored in a personal imaging repository of the user in the manner described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 999 , 450 , filed on nov . 15 , 2001 , identified above ( attorney docket no . 10008256 - 1 ). operating in the manner described above , the system and method can be used to simplify check writing in that the check writing service can be managed from a single control point as opposed to being distributed over several different computing devices . moreover , as noted above , fraud can be prevented and / or quickly discovered with greater ease . although the jam scenario has been discussed in detail , it is to be understood that the same antifraud measures described above can be used for any other type of occurrence that may be deemed suspicious ( i . e ., susceptible to fraudulent activity ) that may arise . while particular embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail in the foregoing description and drawings for purposes of example , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications thereof can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims . | 6 |
the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a few preferred embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings . in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be apparent , however , to one skilled in the art , that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details . in other instances , well known process steps and / or structures have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention . to facilitate understanding , fig2 is a high level flow chart of a process that may be used in an embodiment of the invention . a mask is formed over a silicon layer to be etched ( step 204 ). the silicon layer may be polysilicon , crystalline silicon , such as a silicon wafer , or amorphous silicon . the silicon layer is generally a pure silicon , which may have a dopant . the silicon layer is not silicon oxide or silicon nitride , although the silicon layer may have a thin silicon oxide layer that may naturally form over the top surface of the silicon layer . a polymer is deposited over the mask using a hydrogen free deposition gas ( step 208 ). in such a hydrogen free deposition gas , none of the molecules making up the hydrogen free deposition gas have any hydrogen . the deposition layer is opened ( step 212 ). the silicon layer is etched ( step 216 ). in an example of an implementation of the invention , fig3 illustrates a processing tool that may be used in an implementation of the invention . fig3 is a schematic view of a plasma processing system 300 , including a plasma processing tool 301 . the plasma processing tool 301 is an inductively coupled plasma etching tool and includes a plasma reactor 302 having a plasma processing chamber 304 therein . a transformer coupled power ( tcp ) controller 350 and a bias power controller 355 , respectively , control a tcp power supply 351 and a bias power supply 356 influencing the plasma 324 created within plasma chamber 304 . the tcp power controller 350 sets a set point for tcp power supply 351 configured to supply a radio frequency signal at 13 . 56 mhz , tuned by a tcp match network 352 , to a tcp coil 353 located near the plasma chamber 304 . an rf transparent window 354 is provided to separate tcp coil 353 from plasma chamber 304 while allowing energy to pass from tcp coil 353 to plasma chamber 304 . the bias power controller 355 sets a set point for bias power supply 356 configured to supply an rf signal , tuned by bias match network 357 , to a chuck electrode 308 located within the plasma chamber 304 creating a direct current ( dc ) bias above electrode 308 which is adapted to receive a substrate 306 , such as a semi - conductor wafer work piece , being processed . a gas supply mechanism or gas source 310 includes a source or sources of gas or gases 316 attached via a gas manifold 317 to supply the proper chemistry required for the process to the interior of the plasma chamber 304 . a gas exhaust mechanism 318 includes a pressure control valve 319 and exhaust pump 320 and removes particles from within the plasma chamber 304 and maintains a particular pressure within plasma chamber 304 . a temperature controller 380 controls the temperature of a cooling recirculation system provided within the chuck electrode 308 by controlling a cooling power supply 384 . the plasma processing system also includes electronic control circuitry 370 . the plasma processing system may also have an end point detector . fig4 a and 4b illustrate a computer system 400 , which is suitable for implementing a controller for control circuitry 370 used in embodiments of the present invention . fig4 a shows one possible physical form of the computer system . of course , the computer system may have many physical forms ranging from an integrated circuit , a printed circuit board , and a small handheld device up to a huge super computer . computer system 400 includes a monitor 402 , a display 404 , a housing 406 , a disk drive 408 , a keyboard 410 , and a mouse 412 . disk 414 is a computer - readable medium used to transfer data to and from computer system 400 . fig4 b is an example of a block diagram for computer system 400 . attached to system bus 420 is a wide variety of subsystems . processor ( s ) 422 ( also referred to as central processing units , or cpus ) are coupled to storage devices , including memory 424 . memory 424 includes random access memory ( ram ) and read - only memory ( rom ). as is well known in the art , rom acts to transfer data and instructions uni - directionally to the cpu and ram is used typically to transfer data and instructions in a bi - directional manner . both of these types of memories may include any suitable of the computer - readable media described below . a fixed disk 426 is also coupled bi - directionally to cpu 422 ; it provides additional data storage capacity and may also include any of the computer - readable media described below . fixed disk 426 may be used to store programs , data , and the like and is typically a secondary storage medium ( such as a hard disk ) that is slower than primary storage . it will be appreciated that the information retained within fixed disk 426 may , in appropriate cases , be incorporated in standard fashion as virtual memory in memory 424 . removable disk 414 may take the form of any of the computer - readable media described below . cpu 422 is also coupled to a variety of input / output devices , such as display 404 , keyboard 410 , mouse 412 , and speakers 430 . in general , an input / output device may be any of : video displays , track balls , mice , keyboards , microphones , touch - sensitive displays , transducer card readers , magnetic or paper tape readers , tablets , styluses , voice or handwriting recognizers , biometrics readers , or other computers . cpu 422 optionally may be coupled to another computer or telecommunications network using network interface 440 . with such a network interface , it is contemplated that the cpu might receive information from the network , or might output information to the network in the course of performing the above - described method steps . furthermore , method embodiments of the present invention may execute solely upon cpu 422 or may execute over a network such as the internet in conjunction with a remote cpu that shares a portion of the processing . in addition , embodiments of the present invention further relate to computer storage products with a computer - readable medium that have computer code thereon for performing various computer - implemented operations . the media and computer code may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention , or they may be of the kind well known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts . examples of computer - readable media include , but are not limited to : magnetic media such as hard disks , floppy disks , and magnetic tape ; optical media such as cd - roms and holographic devices ; magneto - optical media such as floptical disks ; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and execute program code , such as application - specific integrated circuits ( asics ), programmable logic devices ( plds ) and rom and ram devices . examples of computer code include machine code , such as produced by a compiler , and files containing higher level code that are executed by a computer using an interpreter . computer readable media may also be computer code transmitted by a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a sequence of instructions that are executable by a processor . a mask is formed over a silicon layer ( step 204 ). fig5 a is a schematic cross - sectional view of a silicon etch layer 504 . in this example , the silicon etch layer is a crystalline silicon wafer , which forms a substrate . in this example , the mask 512 is a photoresist mask , which is deposited and then patterned to form openings 522 in the mask 512 . in other examples , that mask may be of other materials , such as silicon oxide , which is used to form a hardmask . a photoresist mask may be used to form a hardmask . the wafer is placed in the plasma processing system 300 . a hydrogen free deposition layer is formed over the mask ( step 208 ). fig5 b is a view after the deposition layer 516 has been formed over the mask 512 . fig6 is a more detailed flow chart of the formation of the hydrogen free deposition layer . a hydrogen free deposition gas comprising c 4 f 8 is flowed from the gas source 316 into the plasma processing tool 301 ( step 604 ). in an example recipe , the deposition gas consists of pure c 4 f 8 . in this example , the deposition gas is 100 sccm c 4 f 8 . the deposition gas is transformed to a deposition plasma ( step 608 ). in this example 900 watts at 13 . 56 mhz of power is provided to the top electrode and − 65 volts at 400 khz is provided to the bottom electrode to transform the deposition gas to a plasma . the deposition is provided for about 30 seconds . then the depositing the polymer layer is stopped ( step 612 ). a pressure of 90 mtorr is maintained . preferably the deposition is provided for at least 20 seconds . more preferably , the deposition is provided for at least 25 seconds . most preferably , the deposition is provided for at least 30 seconds . preferably , the deposition layer is at least 200 nm thick on the sidewalls . more preferably , the deposition layer is at least 300 nm thick on the sidewalls . the deposition gas is a hydrogen free deposition to provide a deposition layer with improved properties over depositions that are not hydrogen free . in this example , the deposition gas is pure c 4 f 8 because the resulting deposition layer provides improved properties . the deposition layer is opened ( step 212 ). fig5 c is a view after the deposition layer is opened . in this example , the opening process removes the parts of the deposition layer on horizontal surfaces , leaving only sidewalls 520 formed by the deposition layer . fig7 is a more detailed flow chart of the opening of the deposition layer . an opening gas is flowed from the gas source 316 into the plasma processing tool 301 ( step 704 ). in this example , the opening gas is 30 sccm of sf 6 . the opening gas is transformed to a opening plasma ( step 708 ). in this example 600 watts at 13 . 56 mhz of power is provided to the top electrode and − 150 volts at 400 khz is provided to the bottom electrode to transform the opening gas to a plasma . the opening is provided for about 15 seconds . the opening process is then stopped ( step 712 ). the pressure is set for 30 mtorr . other opening gases may comprise cf 4 and ar , or o 2 and ar , or sf 6 and ar . the silicon layer is etched ( step 216 ). fig5 d is a view after the silicon etch has been performed . features 524 have been etched into the silicon layer 504 . in this example , the deposition layer has been completely etched away . in other examples , some of the deposition layer may remain . also in this example , some of the photoresist mask 512 remains . in other examples , the photoresist mask may be completely etched away . if not completely removed , the deposited layer and mask are subsequently removed . it has been unexpectedly found that this example reduces or more preferably eliminates undercutting , as shown . fig8 is a more detailed flow chart of an example of the etching process . an etch gas is flowed from the gas source 316 into the plasma processing tool 301 ( step 804 ). in this example , the etch gas is 200 sccm of cf 4 . the etch gas is transformed to an etching plasma ( step 808 ). in this example , 600 watts at 13 . 56 mhz of power is provided to the top electrode and − 200 volts at 400 khz is provided to the bottom electrode to transform the etch gas to a plasma . the etching is provided for about 20 seconds . the etching process is then stopped ( step 812 ). in other examples , a combination of short etching and deposition steps may be used . such short deposition steps would deposit for less than 10 seconds . it is believed that multiple etch and deposition processes , especially with depositions greater than 10 seconds cause a stepped profile , instead of a vertical profile . although the etch gas chemistry may be the same as the opening gas chemistry in some examples , the plasma from the etching gas is different from the plasma from the opening gas , due to one or more differences in parameters . more preferably , the etching gas chemistry is different than the opening gas chemistry , since the etching gas chemistry is used for etching silicon , whereas the opening gas chemistry is used for opening the polymer deposition layer . preferably , the silicon features have a depth of at least 500 nm . more preferably , the silicon features have a depth of at least 1000 nm . preferably , the silicon features have a depth to width aspect ratio of at least 5 : 1 . more preferably , the silicon features have an aspect ratio of at least 10 : 1 . it has been found that the presence of hydrogen during the deposition causes an undesirable type of polymer to deposit . in addition to eliminating undercutting , it has been unexpectedly found that this process provides improved control of the etch profile and allows quicker processing . the invention also allows the formation of the deposition layer , opening of the deposition layer , and etching the silicon do be done in situ in a single plasma processing chamber . while this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments , there are alterations , permutations , and various substitute equivalents , which fall within the scope of this invention . it should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the present invention . it is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations , permutations , and various substitute equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention . | 7 |
fig1 shows a motorcycle 100 . a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine 102 is provided to drive the motorcycle 100 , transmitting the driving forces via a cardan shaft 106 , for example , a driving belt or a drive chain to the driven wheel 108 with a transmission 104 in between . the cooling of the internal combustion engine 102 is accomplished by means of a circulating coolant which absorbs heat in areas of the internal combustion engine that are to be cooled and releases this heat elsewhere via a heat exchanger 110 through which air can flow . a heat exchanger 200 for cooling the internal combustion engine of a motorcycle , having a collecting tank 204 on the radiator forward flow end and a collecting tank 206 on the radiator return flow end with a curved heat sink 202 arranged between them , as shown in an iso view in fig2 a ; fig2 b shows a side view of the collecting tank 204 on the radiator forward flow end and fig2 c shows the curved heat exchanger 200 as seen from above . in the installed position , the heat sink 202 has a laterally inclined oncoming flow surface at the bottom in the installed position . in the present case , the oncoming flow surface of the heat sink 202 is formed geometrically by an upper rectangular area 208 and a lower trapezoidal area 210 , but it may also be expedient if the heat sink 202 has a different surface , e . g ., a v - shaped surface adapted to the available space . it shall be emphasized that the heat sink 202 has a longer side 212 and a shorter side 214 between the collecting tanks 204 , 206 . the heat sink 202 has a plurality of cross tubes through which flow passes from the collecting tank 204 on the radiator forward flow end to the collecting tank 206 on the radiator return flow end , these cross tubes each being fixedly connected with lateral connecting planes 216 , 218 for connecting to the collecting tanks 204 , 206 . the cross tubes and the lateral connecting planes 216 , 218 are made of metal , in particular lightweight metal or a lightweight metal alloy such as aluminum , and are soldered , welded or glued together . for connecting the collecting tanks 204 , 206 to the lateral connecting planes 216 , 218 , the connecting planes 216 , 218 have straps that can be flanged on the peripheral edges and engage behind a peripheral edge of the collecting tanks 204 , 206 in the installed state . gaskets ( not visible here ) are provided for a tight connection of the collecting tanks 204 , 206 to the lateral connecting planes 216 , 218 . the collecting tanks 204 , 206 are made of a thermoplastic material such as fiberglass - reinforced nylon , e . g ., nylon 6 . 6 containing 30 % glass fibers . a housing 228 to hold a thermostatic valve that controls the flow through the heat exchanger as a function of temperature is integrally connected to the collecting tank 206 on the return flow end of the radiator . fabrication of the heat exchanger 200 begins with a flat , uncurved heat sink 202 having lateral connecting planes 216 , 218 . the collecting tanks 204 , 206 are mounted with a gasket and secured by flanging the straps . the heat sink 202 , 302 is subsequently bent , as illustrated on an exaggerated scale in fig3 , whereby the longer side 212 , 312 undergoes a greater bending than the shorter side 214 , 314 owing to the difference in bending resistance torques , with the result that the collecting tanks 204 , 206 , 304 , 306 together with the connecting planes 216 , 218 , 316 , 318 are twisted . the collecting tanks 204 , 206 , 304 , 306 , which are made of plastic , have lower strength values in comparison with the metallic material of the heat sink 202 , 302 and the connecting planes 216 , 218 , 316 , 318 and accordingly they absorb a significant portion of the stresses occurring in deformation , so that the area of the connection of the individual radiator cross tubes with the connecting planes 216 , 218 , 316 , 318 is relieved in particular . the plastic of the collecting tanks 204 , 206 , 304 , 306 in the present case has a strength value r m of 30 to 80 n / mm 2 , while the cooling bodies 202 , 302 and the connecting planes 216 , 218 , 316 , 318 made of an aluminum alloy have a strength value r m of 200 to 600 n / mm 2 , so the material of the heat sink 202 , 302 and the connecting planes 216 , 218 , 316 , 318 is 2 . 5 to 20 times stronger than the material of the collecting tanks 204 , 206 , 304 , 306 . the stresses occurring in deformation of the heat sink 202 , 302 , the connecting planes 216 , 218 , 316 , 318 and the collecting tanks 204 , 206 , 304 , 306 are dissipated , in particular in the collecting tanks due to the material by yielding of the material . the dissipation of stress in the collecting tanks is supported by heat and / or substances that reduce the strength of the material of the collecting tanks ; for example the coolant of the internal combustion engine has a strength - reducing effect as a function of operating temperature and / or due to the glycol contained therein . in the present case , the strength of the material of the collecting tanks 204 , 206 , 304 , 306 is reduced by 30 to 40 %. the dissipation of internal stresses is accomplished comparatively rapidly and has a very positive effect on the long - term functionality of the heat exchanger and rejects in production can be reduced . the collecting tanks 204 , 206 are equipped with fastening points for securing them on the motor vehicle 220 and / or for attaching additional elements 222 , 224 , 226 such as fans , paneling parts , air ducts and / or protective grids . in the production of the collecting tanks 204 , 206 , the torsion - induced displacement in the assembly state is performed so that all the fastenings and connection points assume their intended positions after the deformation . the foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting . since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art , the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof . | 5 |
1 - bromo - 2 -( 2 - methoxyethoxy ) ethane is purchased from shenyang ollychem technology co ., ltd ., and other reagents are purchased from sinopharm chemical reagent co ., ltd . in beijing . 4 - fluoroaniline ( 11 . 1 g , 0 . 1 mol ), 2 - cyanoacetate acid ( 8 . 5 g , 0 . 1 mol ), edci ( 19 . 2 g , 0 . 1 mol ), hobt ( 13 . 5 g , 0 . 1 mol ) and et 3 n ( 20 . 2 g , 0 . 2 mol ) were dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 ( 200 ml ), and stirred at room temperature overnight . distilled water ( 100 ml ) was added , the liquid layers obtained was separated , the aqueous layer was extracted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 50 ml × 2 ), the mixed organic layer was successively washed with distilled water ( 50 ml × 2 ) and saturated brine ( 50 ml × 1 ), dried with na 2 so 4 , concentrated . the residue was separated by a silica gel column ( pe / ea = 3 : 1 ) to give 15 . 0 g of a white solid with a yield of 84 . 0 %. 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ): 3 . 89 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 18 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 56 ( m , 2h ), 10 . 39 ( s , 1h ). 2 - cyano - n -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) acetamide ( 2 . 0 g , 11 . 2 mmol ), 5 -( hydroxymethyl ) furan - 2 - carbaldehyde ( 2 . 1 g , 16 . 8 mmol ) and 1 - methylpiperazine ( 1 . 1 g , 11 . 2 mmol ) were dissolved in ch 3 oh ( 50 ml ), and stirred at room temperature overnight . the solid was collected by filtration , washed with ch 3 oh ( 50 ml ) to give 1 . 1 g of a yellow solid with a yield of 36 . 0 %. 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ): 4 . 54 ( d , 2h ), 5 . 56 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 68 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 20 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 41 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 68 ( m , 2h ), 8 . 07 ( s , 1h ), 10 . 26 ( s , 1h ). 2 -( 1h - indol - 3 - yl ) ethylamine ( 16 . 0 g , 0 . 1 mol ), 2 - cyanoacetate acid ( 8 . 5 g , 0 . 1 mol ), edci ( 19 . 2 g , 0 . 1 mol ), hobt ( 13 . 5 g , 0 . 1 mol ) and et 3 n ( 20 . 2 g , 0 . 2 mol ) were dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 ( 200 ml ), and stirred at room temperature overnight . distilled water ( 100 ml ) was added , the liquid layers obtained was separated , the aqueous layer was extracted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 80 ml × 2 ), the mixed organic layer was successively washed with distilled water ( 80 ml × 2 ) and saturated brine ( 80 ml × 1 ), dried with na 2 so 4 , concentrated . the residue was separated by a silica gel column ( pe / ea = 1 : 1 ) to give 18 . 0 g of a white solid with a yield of 79 . 0 %. n -[ 2 -( 1h - indol - 3 - yl ) ethyl ]- 2 - cyanoacetamide ( 3 . 0 g , 13 . 2 mmol ), 5 -( hydroxymethyl ) furan - 2 - carbaldehyde ( 1 . 1 g , 8 . 8 mmol ) and 1 - methylpiperazine ( 1 . 3 g , 13 . 2 mmol ) were dissolved in ch 3 oh ( 50 ml ), and stirred at room temperature overnight . the solid was collected by filtration , washed with ch 3 oh ( 50 ml ) to give 1 . 7 g of a yellow solid with a yield of 58 . 0 %. 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ): 2 . 91 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 47 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 51 ( d , 2h ), 5 . 53 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 64 ( d , 1h ), 6 . 98 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 07 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 17 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 33 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 59 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 93 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 42 ( s , 1h ), 10 . 83 ( s , 1h ). n -[ 2 -( 1h - indol - 3 - yl ) ethyl ]- 2 - cyanoacetamide ( 5 . 0 g , 22 . 0 mmol ), 5 - bromo - furan - 2 - carbaldehyde ( 2 . 5 g , 14 . 6 mmol ) and 1 - methylpiperazine ( 2 . 2 g , 22 . 0 mmol ) were dissolved in ch 3 oh ( 100 ml ), and stirred at room temperature overnight . the solid was collected by filtration , washed with ch 3 oh ( 50 ml ) to give 4 . 5 g of a yellow solid with a yield of 81 . 0 %. 2 - cyano - n -[ 2 -( 1h - 3 - indolypethyl ]- 3 -( 5 - bromo - 2 - furyl )- 2 - acrylamide ( 4 . 5 g , 11 . 7 mmol ) and 2 -( aminoethoxy ) ethanol ( 2 . 54 g , 17 . 6 mmol ) were dissolved in pyridine ( 30 ml ), stirred at 40 ° c . overnight . the reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure , and the residue was separated and purified by preparative liquid chromatography to give 1 . 2 g of a brown solid with a yield of 25 . 0 %. to a solution formed by furfuralcohol ( 2 . 0 g , 20 . 4 mmol ) dissolved in tetrahydrofuran ( 100 ml ) nah ( 1 . 5 g , 61 . 3 mmol ) was added , followed by the addition of 1 - bromo - 2 -( 2 - methoxyethoxy ) ethane ( 7 . 5 g , 40 . 8 mmol ), and the reaction liquid was stirred overnight . the reaction mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate , and the extract was washed with distilled water , dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate , concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure , the residue was purified by a silica gel column to give 3 . 5 g of a pale yellow oil with a yield of 85 . 7 %. a mixed solution of dmf ( 1 . 7 g , 22 . 5 mmol ) and 1 , 2 - dichloroethane ( 45 ml ) was stirred and cooled to 0 ° c ., and pocl 3 ( 3 . 0 g , 20 . 1 mmol ) was slowly added dropwise with a controlled dropping rate to make the temperature of the reaction solution lower than 25 ° c . to the reaction mixture , a solution formed by 2 -( 2 , 5 , 8 - trioxa - nonyl - 1 - yl ) furan ( 3 . 0 g , 15 . 0 mmol ) dissolved in 1 , 2 - dichloroethane ( 45 ml ) was slowly added dropwise with a controlled dropping rate to make the temperature of the reaction solution lower than 25 ° c . the mixture obtained was stirred at room temperature overnight after completion of addition dropwise . to the reaction mixture , a saturated solution of sodium bicarbonate ( 200 ml ) was slowly added dropwise , then extracted with diethyl ether ( 3 × 200 ml ), the mixed extract was washed successively with distilled water and saturated sodium chloride solution , dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure , the residue was purified by a silica gel column to give 3 . 1 g of a pale yellow oil with a yield of 91 . 3 %. 2 - cyano - n -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) acetamide ( 4 . 0 g , 22 . 4 mmol ), 5 -( 2 , 5 , 8 - trioxa - nonyl - 1 - yl ) furan - 2 - carbaldehyde ( 3 . 4 g , 14 . 9 mmol ) and 1 - methylpiperazine ( 2 . 2 g , 22 . 4 mmol ) were dissolved in ch 3 oh ( 50 ml ), stirred at room temperature overnight . the solid was collected by filtration , washed with ch 3 oh ( 50 ml ) to give 1 . 6 g of a yellow solid with a yield of 27 . 6 %. triglycol ( 12 . 2 g , 81 . 3 mmol ) was dissolved in dichloromethane ( 150 ml ), stirred and cooled to 0 ° c ., and then carbon tetrabromide ( 12 . 0 g , 27 . 1 mmol ) and triphenylphosphine ( 7 . 8 g , 29 . 8 mmol ) were added . the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 h , the solvent was distilled off under reduced pressure , the residue was purified by a silica gel column to give 4 . 8 g of a pale yellow oil with a yield of 27 . 7 %. 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): 3 . 35 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 44 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 53 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 58 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 68 ( t , 2h ). 2 -[ 2 -( 2 - bromoethoxy ) ethoxy ] ethanol ( 4 . 2 g , 19 . 8 mmol ) was dissolved in diethyl ether ( 150 ml ), slowly added dropwise by 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2h - pyran ( 2 . 5 g , 29 . 7 mmol ) under stirring , the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1 h . to the reaction liquid , nahco 3 was added for neutralization , then the reaction mixture was filtered , evaporated under reduced pressure to remove the solvent and excess 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2h - pyran , the residue was purified by a silica gel column to give 4 . 1 g of a pale yellow oil with a yield of 69 . 7 %. nmr detection : 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): 1 . 40 - 1 . 85 ( m , 6h ), 3 . 35 - 3 . 85 ( m , 14h ), 4 . 55 - 4 . 62 ( m , 1h ). to a solution formed by furfuralcohol ( 2 . 0 g , 20 . 4 mmol ) dissolved in tetrahydrofuran ( 100 ml ) nah ( 1 . 5 g , 61 . 3 mmol ) was added , followed by addition of 2 -( 8 - bromo - 3 , 6 - dioxa - octane - 1 - yl ) tetrahydropyran ( 12 . 1 g , 40 . 8 mmol ), and the reaction liquid was stirred overnight . the reaction mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate , and the extract was washed with distilled water , dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate , concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure , the residue was purified by a silica gel column to give 5 . 1 g of a pale yellow oil with a yield of 79 . 5 %. pyridine p - toluenesulfonate ( 3 . 1 g , 14 . 0 mmol ) was dissolved in absolute ethanol ( 150 ml ), 2 -[ 10 -( furan - 2 - yl )- 3 , 6 , 9 - trioxa - decane - 1 - yl ] tetrahydropyran ( 4 . 0 g , 12 . 7 mmol ) was then added . the reaction mixture was warmed to 55 ° c ., stirred for 12 h with heat preservation , concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure , the residue was purified by a silica gel column to give 2 . 4 g of a pale yellow oil with a yield of 82 . 1 %. a mixed solution of dmf ( 1 . 7 g , 22 . 5 mmol ) and 1 , 2 - dichloroethane ( 45 ml ) was stirred and cooled to 0 ° c ., then pocl 3 ( 3 . 0 g , 20 . 1 mmol ) was slowly added dropwise with a controlled dropping rate to make the temperature of the reaction solution lower than 25 ° c . to the reaction mixture , a solution formed by 2 -( 10 - hydroxy - 2 , 5 , 8 - trioxa - decane - 1 - yl ) furan ( 3 . 5 g , 15 . 0 mmol ) dissolved in 1 , 2 - dichloroethane ( 45 ml ) was slowly added dropwise with a controlled dropping rate to make the temperature of the reaction solution lower than 25 ° c . the mixture obtained was stirred at room temperature overnight after completion of addition dropwise . to the reaction mixture , a saturated solution of sodium bicarbonate ( 200 ml ) was slowly added dropwise , then extracted with diethyl ether ( 3 × 200 ml ), the mixed extract was washed successively with distilled water and saturated sodium chloride solution , dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure , the residue was purified by a silica gel column to give 3 . 4 g of a pale yellow oil with a yield of 87 . 8 %. n -[ 2 -( 1h - indol - 3 - yl ) ethyl ]- 2 - cyanoacetamide ( 5 . 0 g , 22 . 0 mmol ), 5 -( 10 - hydroxy - 2 , 5 , 8 - trioxa decane - 1 - yl ) furan - 2 - carbaldehyde ( 3 . 8 g , 14 . 6 mmol ) and 1 - methylpiperazine ( 2 . 2 g , 22 . 0 mmol ) were dissolved in ch 3 oh ( 100 ml ), stirred at room temperature overnight . the solid was collected by filtration , washed with ch 3 oh ( 50 ml ) to give 5 . 3 g of a yellow solid with a yield of 77 . 6 %. example 6 : test for anti - senile dementia effect of compounds jk - 01a , jk - 03a , jk - 05a , jk - 06a and jk - 07a in all tests , w 1118 ( isocj1 ) was used as a control gene system , referred to as the “ 2u ”. progeny fruit flies with disease carrying p35 and h29 . 3 were obtained by integration of fruit flies carrying elav - gal4 c155 ( referred to as p35 ) and fruit flies carrying aβ42 ( uas - aβ42 ; referred to as h29 . 3 ). the first generation of fruit flies obtained by hybridization was used for behavioral testing . details as follows : f0 p35 ♀ × h29 . 3 ♂ ( elav / elav ; ( w / y ; uas - aβ42 / cyo ) +/+) ↓ f1 ad ♂ ( elav / y ; uas - aβ42 /+; +/+) all the fruit flies were reared in an environment with a temperature of 24 ° c ., relative humidity of 40 % rh . on the first day , newborn male 2u * h29 . 3 fruit flies and male ad fruit flies were picked out and put into glass bottles ( there were about 120 fruit flies in each bottle ). during administration period , these fruit flies were placed in an environment with a temperature of 28 ° c ., relative humidity of 42 % rh . from the second day to the eighth day , the fruit flies were transferred into new glass bottles 4 hours later after administration . all the fruit flies were placed in an environment with a temperature of 28 ° c ., relative humidity of 42 % rh until 1 hour before pavlovian olfactory learning test . on the first day of eclosion dispensation of drugs was conducted , the second day administration was carried out . the respective initial amount of compounds jk - 01a , jk - 03a , jk - 05a , jk - 06a and jk - 07a was 10 mg , and the final concentration was 100 μm . each group had two glass bottles of flies which were administered 50 μl within seven days ( from the second day to the eighth day ). during administration period , since some fruit flies died naturally or for other causes , about 100 flies were remained in each bottle when pavlovian olfactory test was conducted on the ninth day . the fruit flies were placed on the automatic training device for training . in training , a group of about 100 flies first contacted with one kind of odor ( octanol or methyl cyclohexanol ) accompanied by electric shocks ( an electric shock of 60 v for 3 . 5 s at 1 . 5 - s intervals ) for 60 s , rested at 45 - s intervals , and then contacted with another kind of odor ( methyl cyclohexanol or octanol ) without electric shocks for 60 s . to test the “ immediate memory ” ( also called “ learning ”), flies after the training were immediately sent to the t - maze choice point , and allowed to choose between two kinds of odor , the learning and memory index pi ( performance index ) in every test was calculated according to the number of flies choosing each kind of odor . pi = 0 represented 50 : 50 , meaning that fruit flies could not remember the odor accompanied by electric shocks , pi = 100 represented that 100 % of the flies remembered the odor accompanied by electric shocks . learning test was carried out in a darkroom with a temperature of 25 ° c ., relative humidity of 70 % rh . the fruit flies entered the darkroom to be familiar with the environment 1 hour before test . the test data was analyzed and plotted by employing graphpad prism . in the activity test , the olfactory short - term memory impairment tests of healthy flies with the same genetic background and without administration , ad flies without administration , ad flies administrated positive or negative control drugs and ad flies administrated test drugs were carried out at the same time , their learning and memory indexes were calculated , and the learning and memory index of ad flies administrated test drugs was compared with those of healthy flies with the same genetic background , ad flies , ad flies administrated positive or negative control drugs to evaluate the anti - senile dementia effect of test compounds . a relatively higher learning and memory index of ad flies administrated test drugs represented a stronger anti - senile dementia effect of test compounds . comparison between learning and memory indexes of ad flies administrated test drugs and ad flies without administration ( only administrated drug sample - free solvent ) was conducted by employing t test , a p value less than 0 . 05 represented a difference , a p value less than 0 . 01 represented a significant difference , a p value less than 0 . 001 represented a very significant difference . the test results are shown in table 1 , the data in table 1 is plotted as shown in fig1 : the test data in table 1 showed that , compared with drugs crocetin , erlotinib , dasatinib , jkf - 006 , jkf - 027 and jkf - 011 ( disclosed in wo2012 / 103282a2 ) reported to had an anti - senile dementia effect , compounds jkf - 006 , jk - 05a and crocetin ( p & gt ; 0 . 05 ) had equivalent anti - senile dementia effects , compounds jkf - 027 , jkf - 011 and erlotinib ( p & lt ; 0 . 05 ) had anti - senile dementia effects , compounds jk - 01a , jk - 03a , jk - 06a , jk - 07a and dasatinib ( p & lt ; 0 . 01 ) had significant anti - senile dementia effects . test data also showed that the compounds of the present invention jk - 01a , jk - 03a , jk - 06a and jk - 07a had more significant anti - senile dementia effects compared with compound jkf - 006 , jkf - 027 and jkf - 011 . thus , the compounds of the present invention jk - 01a , jk - 03a , jk - 05a , jk - 06a and jk - 07a may be used for treatment or prophylaxis of alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , senile dementia , neurodegenerative disease , vascular dementia , vascular cognitive impairment , cholinergic neuron degenerative lesions , and helpful for the improvement of cognitive dysfunction or learning and memory impairment . example 7 : preliminary acute toxicity test for compounds jk - 01a , jk - 03a , jk - 05a , jk - 06a and jk - 07a method : in the acute toxicity test , icr mice were used and divided into six groups for administration , with 10 mice in each group and half male and half female . due to limitations of administration concentration and dosing volume , each test drug had the maximum dosage of 6 g / kg / day , and administered orally twice with an interval of 3 hours . the control group was administrated the same volume of vehicle . observation was conducted for 14 consecutive days after administration . results : during the observation period , in test drug groups , no animal died ; no significant difference between indexes such as action , mental state , haircolor and the like of animals in each test drug group and vehicle group was obtained by clinical observation . additionally , the gross anatomy results showed no visible lesions in organs of animals in each test drug group . therefore , these compounds were considered to be with a very low toxicity , and did not cause any death of the animal with a dosage of 4 - 6 g / kg / day , while no abnormal clinical manifestations were observed , the acute toxicity test results for each compound are shown in table 2 . | 2 |
referring now to the drawings , and in particular fig1 a storage system generally indicated at 10 extends from a floor or other contacting surface 14 to a ceiling or other contacting surface 16 . the storage system 10 holds two triangular framed bicycles 12 . referring now to fig2 and 3 , the storage system 10 has two longitudinal support members 18 which are composed of an upper section 20 and a lower section 22 . the upper section 20 and the lower section 22 of each longitudinal support member 18 have a plurality of drillings 24 therein . a plurality of cross support pieces 28 extend through the drillings 24 to connect the pair of longitudinal support members 18 . certain drillings 24 in the upper section 20 and the lower section 22 define overlap regions 26 on each longitudinal support member 18 . cross support pieces pass through the overlap regions 26 to connect the upper 20 and lower 22 sections together . the drillings 24 in the upper section 20 are spaced closer together than the drillings 24 in the lower section 22 . the overall length of the longitudinal support members 18 is adjusted by shifting the upper sections 20 of each support so that the respective overlap regions are redefined by a different correspondence between the drillings of the upper section and the lower section . depending upon the length to which each longitudinal support member is adjusted , two or three overlap regions may be defined . when adjusted to a shortened position , as in fig1 three cross - support members extend through overlap regions defined by corresponding drillings . similarly , in a lengthened position , as in fig2 and 3 , only two cross - support pieces extend through overlap regions . the number of drillings provided in each longitudinal support member , as well as the number of cross - support pieces and overlap regions , depend upon the overall maximum length desired for the storage system . as shown in fig2 and 3 , additional cross - support pieces may be added to the upper portion of the upper section 20 . these additional cross suppport pieces provided additional support and rigidity . a threaded foot member 32 engages a threaded nut 30 secured to the lower end of the lower section 22 of each longitudinal support member 18 . a rounded lap 34 is disposed at the end of the threaded foot member 32 opposite the threads . the rounded lap 34 of each foot member is in contact with a horizontal contact member 36 , the horizontal contact member 36 being in contact with a floor or other horizontal surface . a locator peg 38 is provided at the upper end of the upper section 20 of each of the longitudinal support members 18 . the locator pegs 38 of the longitudinal support members are secured to a horizontal contact member 40 , the horizontal contact member 40 being in contact with a ceiling . the horizontal contact member 40 yields transverse stability of the storage system 10 , thus preventing the storage system 10 from twisting or leaning . as described above , the overall length of each of the longitudinal supports 18 is adjusted by shifting the upper section 20 thereof so that the cross support pieces 28 are aligned with redefined overlap regions 26 . fine height adjustment of the storage system 10 is achieved with the threaded feet members 32 . the threaded feet 32 ensure that a tight fit between a floor and ceiling or any other two substantially horizontal surfaces is obtained by the horizontal contact members 36 and 40 . since the threaded feet members 32 may be adjusted independently of each other , a tight fit between a floor and ceiling may be obtained by the storage system 10 even where the two contacting surfaces between which the support system is disposed are not exactly parallel . the threaded feet members must have a range of adjustability corresponding to , at least , the distance between the drillings in the upper section 20 . in this manner , a continuous range of adjustability of the longitudinal support member is achieved . movement between the upper 20 and lower 22 sections achieves coarse length adjustment , wherein fine length adjustment is accomplished by independently adjusting the threaded feet members . a plurality of rod supports 42 are fixedly connected to the longitudinal support members 18 and extend in an acute angle therefrom . the rod supports are connected to the longitudinal support members 18 in an axial relation so that the corresponding rod supports 42 of each longitudinal support member are the same height from the bottom of the storage system 10 . the rod supports 42 advantageously support two triangular framed bicycles 12 as shown in fig1 . in an alternative storage system ( not shown in the figures ), a weighted box is permanently attached to the lower end of a pair of longitudinal support members . the weighted box engages a floor or other horizontal contact surface and maintains the storage system in an upright position . a horizontal contact member is not provided at the upper end of the longitudinal support members . this embodiment of the invention is particularly suited for use in areas where the vertical distance between a lower horizontal surface and an upper horizontal surface is relatively large , or in areas having suspended ceilings , wherein the storage system could not be practically adapted to come into contact with an upper horizontal surface . the weighted box may be provided with an operable lid to advantageously store miscellaneous athletic equipment such as riding helmets , tennis balls and other accessories . an additional equipment holder is illustrated in fig4 and 5 . the additional equipment holder comprises a rod support piece 44 with a plurality of rod supports 46 permanently attached thereto . blocks 48 having drillings therein are attached to the rod support piece 44 . the blocks 48 are attached to the rod support piece 44 in such a way that the additional equipment holder fits in between either the upper section 20 or the lower section 22 of the longitudinal support members 18 . a cross support piece 28 extends through the drilling in the blocks and attaches the equipment holder to the longitudinal support members 18 . the rod supports 46 are fixedly attached to the rod support piece 44 at an acute angle therefrom and in an axial relation . the additional equipment holder is particularly suitable for holding tennis rackets or the like . an additional support member is shown in fig6 . horizontal support pieces 50 are provided , each having a drilling in one end and a groove 52 in an opposite end thereof . the horizontal support pieces are adapted to fit between the upper sections 20 or the lower sections 22 of the longitudinal support members 18 . a cross support piece 28 passes through the drillings of the horizontal support pieces , thereby attaching the horizontal support pieces 50 to the longitudinal support members 18 . angular support pieces 54 are connected to the horizontal support pieces 50 between the drillings and the groove 52 by dowels or other suitable members . at the end of each angular support piece 54 opposite the attachment to the horizontal support piece 50 is cut a semicircular groove . the semicircular groove of each angular support piece 54 is adapted to releasably engage the cross support piece 28 which is immediately below the cross support piece to which the horizontal support pieces 50 are attached . the equipment holder of this embodiment is particularly suited for holding surf boards or the like . while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described , it will be understood by persons skilled in this art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventin which is defined by the following claims . | 1 |
the invention is illustrated and compared with prior art devices , which for purposes of illustration are examples with the same number of pins , i . e . 54 . a die and lead frame configuration of an early generation prior art leads - over - chip ( loc ) semiconductor device 10 is illustrated in drawing fig1 and 1a . as shown , the relatively large semiconductor die 12 is mounted on a substrate 14 with outlined edges 15 . a row 22 of electrically conductive bond pads 24 with spacing 54 is located on the active surface of the semiconductor die 12 and aligned generally along the longitudinal centerline 30 , parallel to the opposing long sides 26 of the die 12 , and extending generally between the opposing short sides 28 . two insulative layers 32 of kapton polymer or similar material are adhesively joined to the active surface 34 of die 12 , one on each side of the bond pad row 22 . a conductive lead frame 16 is shown with inner leads 18 adhesively joined to the insulative layers 32 . the lead frame 16 comprises inner leads 18 and outer leads 20 for connecting the bond pads 24 to an electrical apparatus , not shown . as shown , the outer leads 20 are directed outward from the device 10 on opposite sides 36 , i . e the long sides , of the lead frame 16 . thus , the single central row 22 of bond pads 24 is parallel to the two opposing sides 36 of outer lead ends 38 , 40 . as depicted in drawing fig1 the inner ends 50 of the inner leads 18 comprise wire bonding areas for attachment of conductive wires 48 leading to specific bond pads 24 on the semiconductor die 12 . following wire bonding , the semiconductor die 12 and attached lead frame 16 are typically encapsulated with a polymer or ceramic material to form a packaged device . the dam bars 52 between the outer leads 20 are cut away , and the outer leads are thus singulated , enabling electrical connection of the bond pads 24 to an electronic apparatus , not shown , with minimum lead inductance . the outer leads 20 may be left as straight projections , or bent to a j - shape , l - shape or other shape , depending upon the apparatus to which the device 10 is to be connected . a typical prior art lead frame 16 is shown in drawing fig1 a as having a recurring pattern 42 of inner leads 18 and outer leads or pins 20 for accommodating a plurality of single semiconductor dice having longitudinal centerline 30 . the leads 18 , 20 are temporarily interconnected to each other and to the supportive lead frame rails 46 by dam bars 52 . index holes 44 in the lead frame rails 46 permit sequential positioning of the lead frame 16 in a wire bonding machine for joining the semiconductor die to the leads 18 , 20 . the lead frame 16 has a width 58 typically ranging from less than about one inch ( 2 . 54 cm .) to several inches or more . in this early version of a loc device , the large semiconductor die 12 enabled the inner leads 18 to be of sufficient width 56 ( fig1 ) to avoid significant resistance and / or inductance effects , particularly at the design speeds typical of that period . the current need for much higher speeds with smaller dice has limited the usefulness of these early devices . an exemplary loc semiconductor device 10 of a later generation is shown in drawing fig2 following wire bonding . the semiconductor die 12 and lead frame 16 are configured the same as die 12 and lead frame 16 of drawing fig1 . for purposes of comparison , the overall lead frame width 58 may be assumed to be the same as the lead frame width of fig1 a . the semiconductor die 12 is similar to the die of fig1 with respect to its central bond pad location along the centerline 30 . however , the reduced size of the semiconductor die 12 provides about one third of the surface area of the earlier die 12 of drawing fig1 and the bond pad spacing or pitch 54 is considerably reduced , i . e . by nearly 50 percent . in drawing fig2 the semiconductor die 12 is shown adhesively attached to a substrate 14 and has two insulative layers 32 on its active surface 34 upon which inner leads 18 of the lead frame 16 are adhesively attached . the inner lead widths 56 are reduced by about 50 percent to accommodate the smaller semiconductor die 12 . in addition , many of the inner leads 18 have an increased length . thus , the smaller semiconductor die 12 as depicted in drawing fig2 has an increased susceptibility to resistance and inductance effects which severely limit usefulness of the device . in addition , manufacture of the device is made more difficult by the limited room for wire bonding the crowded bond pads to the narrow inner leads 18 . it should be noted that the devices 10 may be formed without a permanent substrate 14 . the semiconductor die 12 may be separately supported during attachment of the loc lead frame 16 , and the final encapsulated package outline may be represented by the edges 15 . turning now to drawing fig3 and 4 , a device 70 having a semiconductor die 72 / lead frame 76 configuration of the invention is depicted . the semiconductor die 72 is positioned transversely relative to the lead frame 76 , i . e . such that its long sides 86 are perpendicular to the opposing rows 96 of outer lead ends . the semiconductor die 72 is shown as having peripheral rows 82 a , 82 b of bond pads 84 along opposing long sides 86 , parallel to the longitudinal centerline 90 of the semiconductor die 72 . the rows 82 a , 82 b of bond pads 84 are shown as generally extending between the opposed short sides 88 of the semiconductor die 72 . the lead frame 76 is shown with three sets 100 , 102 , 104 of inner leads 78 and outer leads 80 . a first set 100 has inner leads 78 which are positioned off - die for wire - bonding with wires 98 to bond pads 84 of row 82 a . a second set 102 has inner leads 78 which are also positioned off - die for wire - bonding with wires 98 to bond pads 84 of row 82 b . a third set 104 has inner leads 78 which are adhesively joined to the active surface 94 of the die 72 with an intervening insulative layer 92 , i . e . as leads - over - chip ( loc ) leads . the third set 104 is positioned between the two rows 82 a , 82 b of bond pads 84 and includes leads wire - bonded to both rows . in the example shown , the minimum width 106 of the critical function non - loc inner leads 78 of lead set 100 in device 70 is about 30 - 60 percent greater than the minimum width 56 of the comparable leads in device 10 of drawing fig2 . the twelve loc leads 78 of lead set 104 are shown as having a width 110 nearly double that of width 56 of the bulk of the loc leads 18 of the prior art device of drawing fig2 . the sixteen non - loc leads 78 of lead set 102 are shown to have a width 108 which is about 30 to 100 percent greater than the width 56 of nearly all loc leads 18 of the device of drawing fig2 . the twenty eight non - loc leads 78 of lead set 100 are shown as having a width 106 roughly comparable to the width 56 of nearly all loc leads of the device of drawing fig2 . thus , in this example , critical leads subject to inductance have a greater width while non - critical leads are formed with a reduced width . the lead widths may be adjusted as needed for the particular use of the device . the invention presents , on average , inner leads having a shorter length of the minimum width portions than the prior art device of drawing fig2 . moreover , the range of lead lengths is much greater . thus , in the particular example of drawing fig3 twelve leads with very abbreviated lengths are positioned near the semiconductor die corners to carry critical signals subject to inductance . as shown in drawing fig4 the device 70 is formed by adhesively joining a semiconductor die 72 to a substrate 74 with an intervening insulative layer 112 . the hybrid lead frame 76 includes a set 102 of inner leads 78 which are attached by conductive wires 98 to a row 82 b of bond pads 84 ( fig3 ). another set 104 of inner leads 78 overlies the active surface 94 of semiconductor die 72 in a loc configuration and is adhesively joined to the die with an intervening insulative layer 92 . in this embodiment , the loc lead set 104 is thus at a different level than the non - loc lead sets 102 ( and 100 , not visible in fig4 ). the outer leads 80 terminate in lead ends 114 which may be straight or formed as j - leads or l - leads , etc ., as known in the art . the lead widths 108 and 110 are illustrated in the figure . following the wire bonding operation , the lead frame 76 and attached semiconductor die 72 are encapsulated and extraneous lead frame portions excised to form a device package . the device 70 may be formed without a permanent substrate 74 . the semiconductor die 72 may be separately supported during attachment of the loc lead frame 76 , and the final encapsulated package outline may be represented by the edges 75 . in this embodiment , the non - loc leads and loc leads may be in the same horizontal plane . as explained in the foregoing description , the invention provides wider and generally shorter inner leads 78 for small dice 72 . this obviates problems with inductance at high speed operation , making the design extremely useful for state - of - the - art applications . the loc leads overlying a large portion of the active surface also result in enhanced heat transfer , improving the overall operation of the device . in addition , the larger leads and greater pitch enable a much improved wire - bonding operation in terms of speed and integrity . while the invention has been described using a semiconductor die 72 with a pronounced difference in lengths of the long sides 86 and short sides 88 , the term “ long side ” includes sides having a length equal to or greater than that of the “ short side .” the semiconductor die 72 is shown as rectangular in surface shape , but may be of other shapes provided space is provided between two sets of bond pads for entry of a significant number of loc leads . it is apparent to those skilled in the art that there is provided herein according to the invention a transverse hybrid loc semiconductor package particularly useful with small dice and in enhancing the construction and operability of a semiconductor package . although the device has been described and illustrated with reference to a specific embodiment thereof , it is not intended that the invention be limited by the illustrated embodiment . those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention . for example , the invention is not limited to devices having a specific number or type of leads , bond pads , or dice , nor to a device with a permanent substrate supporting the die . thus , it is intended that this invention encompass all such modifications and variations which fall within the scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
fig1 a , to which reference will now be made , shows an exploded view of an embodiment of a cap 1 in accordance with the invention . the cap 1 includes a main body 2 preferably made of a molded plastic material such as a polypropylene , a high density polyethylene , or polyethylene terephthalate . the body 2 has an internal wall 3 and an external wall 4 joined in the vicinity of one of their ends by an annular transverse wall 5 . the other end of the internal and external walls 3 , 4 is free , so that the internal and external walls 3 , 4 define between them an annular space 6 . in the embodiment illustrated , the internal wall 3 has a slightly lower axial height than the axial height of the external wall 4 . the internal wall 3 has three elastically deformable tabs 7 , orientated axially and radially interspaced at 120 °. each one of the tabs 7 has a free end 9 in the vicinity of the annular wall 5 and disposed on the inner surface of the free end is a catch 10 . the end 8 on the side opposite the free end 9 is joined to the internal wall 3 . the tab 7 is also delimited by two side edges 11 , 12 separated from the internal wall 3 by a thin slot extending substantially over the whole height of the tab 7 . opposite each one of the tabs 7 , the external wall 4 has a cutout 13 that substantially matches the surface of the tabs 7 , so as to allow the tabs 7 to be removed from a mold . the inner surface of the external wall 4 has an axial bead ( or rib ) 14 whose purpose will be described in greater detail below . the cap 1 illustrated in fig1 a also comprises a ring 15 with a thickness slightly smaller than the width of the annular space 6 so as to be capable of insertion in the annular space 6 . the maximum axial height of the ring 15 is substantially equal to the axial height of the internal wall 3 . the ring 15 is delimited by a substantially straight upper edge 16 along the top and a variable edge 17 along the bottom . the variable edge 17 is intended to be proximate the transverse annular wall 5 when the ring 15 is mounted in the annular space 6 . the variable edge 17 has three regularly interspaced portions that form ramps 18 . as becomes apparent in greater detail in fig2 a , the edge 17 is saw - tooth shaped . the external surface of the ring 15 has three axial grooves 19 , 20 , 21 , where one is intended , according to the angular position of the ring 15 in the annular space 6 , to come into engagement with the rib 14 of the external wall 4 of the body 2 , so as to immobilize the ring 15 angularly inside the annular space 6 when the adjustment of the elasticity of the tab has been effected . thus , during the mounting of the cap 1 , the ring 15 is inserted into the annular space 6 of the main body 2 , as shown in fig1 b and 2b . referring again to fig2 a , when the axial rib 14 of the body 2 is disposed in the groove 19 , the ring 15 faces virtually the whole of the surface of the tabs 7 ( position a ). the mean axial height of the free portion of the tabs 7 ( indicated by the distance between the black dot and the free end 9 of the tab 7 ) is substantially equal to zero . because of this , the elasticity of the tab 7 is low . with reference to fig4 which shows a packaging unit 30 with a catch engagement edge 34 adapted to accept the tabs 7 , the axial force to be exerted to cause the catches 10 to cross and enter the catch engagement edge 34 is high . when the axial rib 14 of the body 2 is disposed in the groove 20 , causing the ring 15 to rotate in the annular space 6 , the ring 15 is opposite approximately half the surface of the tab 7 ( position b ). the mean axial height of the free part of the tabs 7 corresponds substantially to half the height of the tab 7 . because of this , the elasticity of the tab 7 is medium . the axial force to be exerted for causing the catches 10 to cross the catch engagement edge 34 is medium . when the axial rib 14 of the body 2 is disposed in the groove 21 , the ring 15 is opposite approximately one third of the surface of the tab 7 ( position c ). the mean axial height of the free portion of the tabs 7 corresponds substantially to two thirds the height of the tab . because of this , the elasticity of the tab is high . the axial force to be exerted for the catch engagement edge 34 to be crossed by the catches 10 is low . means , not shown , may be provided for axially immobilizing the ring 15 in the annular space 6 . by way of example , there may be a groove and rib arrangement ( not shown ). alternatively , the ring 15 can be force - fitted in the annular space 6 . once the tightening has been adjusted , the cap 1 is covered with a metal or plastic outer shell 22 . the outer shell 22 may be mounted by tightening , bonding , catch engagement , welding , or other suitable means . in the embodiment shown in fig3 the bottom edge 17 of the ring 15 is parallel to the upper edge 16 , that is to say , substantially perpendicular to the axis x of the cap 1 . according to this variant , the mean axial height of the free tab portions , and hence the elasticity of the tabs 7 , is adjusted no longer by modifying the angular position of the ring 15 relative to the tabs 7 , but by modifying the axial position of the ring 15 , namely , by lowering the ring 15 to a greater or lesser extent into the annular space 6 . the axial hold of the ring 15 in a given position is ensured either by tightening or , as shown in fig3 by making , at two diametrically opposite points of the external wall 4 , slots 40 , 41 parallel to the axis x , wherein one of the edges of each slot 40 , 41 features a plurality of recesses 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 capable of receiving corresponding studs 48 , 49 , by catch engagement , also provided at two diametrically opposite points on the outer surface of the ring 15 . thus , during mounting , if the studs 48 , 49 are disposed in the lower recesses 42 , 45 , the ring 15 is opposite virtually the whole of the surface of the tabs 7 ( akin to position a in fig2 a ). the axial height of the free portion of the tabs 7 is substantially equal to zero . because of this , the elasticity of the tab is low . the axial force to be exerted to cause the catches 10 to cross the catch engagement edge 34 is high . in the same way , if the studs 48 , 49 are disposed in the intermediate recesses 43 , 46 , the ring 15 is opposite approximately half the surface of the tabs 7 ( akin to position b in fig2 a ). the mean axial height of the free portion of the tabs 7 corresponds substantially to half the height of the tab 7 . because of this , the elasticity of the tab 7 is medium . the axial force to be exerted to cause the catches 10 to cross the catch engagement edge 34 is medium . finally , if the studs 48 , 49 are disposed in the upper recesses 44 , 47 , the ring 15 is opposite approximately a third of the surface of the tabs 7 ( akin to position c in fig2 a ). the mean axial height of the free portion of the tabs 7 corresponds substantially to two thirds of the height of the tab 7 . because of this , the elasticity of the tab 7 is high . the axial force to be exerted to cause the catches 10 to cross the catch engagement edge 34 is low . fig4 illustrates a packaging unit 30 formed by a reservoir in the form of a can 31 . the reservoir is surmounted by a valve which is itself surmounted by a push button 32 . the valve is crimped by means of a crimping collar 33 . in the vicinity of the upper end of the straight portion of the can 31 , there is formed a catch engagement edge 34 intended to receive the catches 10 carried by the cap 1 , such as discussed with reference to the preceding figures . alternatively , the catch engagement edge may be constituted by a recess formed under the crimping collar 33 . in the preceding detailed description , reference has been made to preferred modes of embodiment of the invention . it is obvious that variants can be introduced into them without departing from the spirit of the invention , such as claimed below . | 1 |
referring now to fig1 , a slack adjuster 10 may have a body 12 fitting about a brake actuation shaft 14 ( s - cam shaft ) to rock the brake actuation shaft 14 as indicated arrows 16 . a lever portion 18 of the slack adjuster 10 may connect to a brake actuation arm ( not shown ) communicating with brake actuation hydraulics or air chambers . an internal mechanism of the slack adjuster 10 described in the above referenced patents may connect to a radially extending anchor tab 20 having an orifice 22 that receives a locator pin 24 , the latter typically attached to the vehicle body to maintain a stationary position . during operation of the slack adjuster 10 , the orifice 22 may become enlarged or damaged . the present invention permits the repair of the orifice 22 through the use of a first c - shaped plate 26 and second c - shaped plate 28 each having slots 30 extending upward part way through the plates 26 and 28 along a vertical ( as shown ) centerline through the plates 26 and 28 . the slots 30 allow the c - shaped plates 26 and 28 to be fit over the locator pin 24 on either side of the anchor tab 20 while the slack adjuster 10 is installed with the anchor tab 20 on the locator pin 24 . a set of machine screws 32 may then pass through bores 34 in a front most c - shaped plate 26 to have their threaded shanks 40 received by tapped holes 36 in the rearmost c - shaped plate 28 clamping the plates 26 and 28 with their broad faces against corresponding broad faces of the anchor tab 20 with the slots 30 engaging the locator pin 24 . the machine screws 32 , when tightened in tapped holes 36 , pull c - shaped plate 26 toward c - shaped plate 28 the former as captured under the heads of the machine screws 32 resting outside of the bores 34 . referring now to fig2 , the slot 30 has a width that corresponds ( i . e . is approximately the same width ) as the width of the anchor tab 20 and smaller than a width of the orifice 22 . in this way the c - shaped plates 26 and 28 absorb the circumferential force of the locator pin 24 against the slack adjuster 10 communicating that force over a broad area to the anchor tab 20 . referring now to fig2 and 3 , each c - shaped plate 26 and 28 may be substantially identical except for the bores 34 ( which are sized to pass thread threaded shanks 40 of the machine screws 32 ) and a tapped holes 36 ( which are sized to receive the threaded shanks 40 in engagement ). in this way , tooling costs may be reduced . each of the c - shaped plates 26 and 28 has an inner face 42 that may abut corresponding broad faces 44 of the anchor tab 20 when the c - shaped plates 26 and 28 are clamped by the machine screws 32 to engage the same . to assist in the retention and initial placement of the c - shaped plates 26 and 28 on the anchor tab 20 , the inner faces 42 may have locator elements extending inward from the inner faces 42 including lips 50 position about the slot 30 and sized to engage inner edges of the orifice 22 , and bosses 52 positioned between vertically opposed pairs of the bores 34 and tapped holes 36 , the bosses 52 abutting each other when the c - shaped plates 26 and 28 are clamped together about the anchor tab 20 . generally the bosses 52 extend inward from the inner faces 42 further than the lips 50 and thus hold the plates 26 and 28 in separation by an amount only slightly smaller than the thickness 56 of the anchor tab 20 . thus , for example , the thickness of the anchor tab 20 may be 0 . 125 inches and the separation established by the bosses 52 may be 0 . 116 inches . in this way , the bosses 52 limit warping of the plates 26 and 28 under pressure by the machine screws 32 . the bosses 52 also abut outer edges of anchor tab 20 , thus allowing tighter engagement and rigidity . the bosses 52 and lips 50 may be formed by a stamping metal plates 26 and 28 to deform them locally according to methods well known in the art . the c - shaped plates 26 and 28 not only reinforce the existing orifice 22 but increase the surface area or contact area with the locator pin 24 from approximately ⅛ ″ to ½ ″. it is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein and the claims should be understood to include modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments as come within the scope of the following claims . | 8 |
fig1 is a section through the vicinity of the working piston in a dashpot with , in the present case , a solid - walled cylinder . cylinder 1 is closed at the top and bottom and charged with shock absorption fluid . working piston 3 travels up and down inside cylinder 1 on one end of a piston rod 2 . the working piston 3 in the illustrated example is indirectly connected , and partitions cylinder 1 into two compression - decompression compartments 4 and 5 . piston rod 2 travels into and out of cylinder 1 through a sealed port at the bottom . the fluid can flow out of one compression - decompression compartment and into the other through sloping bores 6 . the ends of sloping bores 6 are capped top and bottom by resilient stacks 7 of cupsprings , each stack 7 accordingly decelerating the flow . cylinder 1 and piston rod 2 are attached by unillustrated means to the vehicle &# 39 ; s wheel at one end and to its chassis at the other . when vibrations of narrow amplitude occur between piston rod 2 and cylinder 1 , only weak shock - absorption forces are needed to unnecessarily prevent deterioration of riding comfort , whereas the performance curve of the particular cupspring - capped valves employed will not allow corresponding compensation without simultaneously decreasing the shock - absorption force in the range of higher starting amplitudes , which would have a deleterious effect on driving dynamics . a cylindrical pressure - compensation chamber 8 is accordingly accommodated inside floating piston 10 in an extension 9 of piston rod 2 hydraulically parallel with working piston 3 . pressure - compensation chamber 8 is partitioned into two half chambers 11 and 12 by a floating piston 10 . half chambers 11 and 12 communicate hydraulically through ports , preferably bores 13 and 14 , with compression - decompression compartments 4 and 5 . the body 15 of floating piston 10 rests radially by way of a low friction sleeve 16 against the cylindrical inner surface of pressure - compensation chamber 8 , allowing the piston to travel up and down axially inside the chamber . floating piston 10 is provided with an axial hollow 17 , in the form of a central bore in the present example . a bumper 18 in the form of a shaft with a head 19 , at each end in the illustrated embodiment , extends through hollow 17 , each head 19 is in the form of a shallow cone , its base covering the adjacent face of body 15 . the shaft and heads in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 are in one piece and are vulcanized or molded onto the faces of floating piston 10 . the bore 14 between the lower half chamber 12 of pressure compensation chamber 8 and the lower compression - decompression compartment 5 of cylinder 1 extends along the central axis of piston - rod extension 9 . as floating piston 10 comes into action accordingly , and strikes the base represented at the bottom of fig1 , bore 14 would ordinarily close too suddenly , inducing impacts in the overall system . this behavior is not desirable , and the bumper would be rapidly destroyed by the edge of the bore . the pressure - compensation end of the bore 14 is accordingly capped with an isolating disk 20 . the fluid can flow out of bore 14 and into the lower half chamber 12 of pressure - compensation chamber 8 by way of several ports 21 along the edge of isolating disk 20 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 as well , accordingly , floating piston 10 will be ensured of a soft start against the base , i . e . isolating disk 20 in the present case , of pressure compensation chamber 8 . this function is ensured at any event in relation to the upper base 22 by a radially outward bore 13 . isolating disk 20 will in one alternative not be necessary if the bore 14 through a bolt 23 that working piston 3 is mounted on is a blind bore and does not extend through the lower base . in this event , the bore will communicate with the lower half chamber 12 of floating piston 10 through several supplementary channels . since the openings into these channels are positioned radially outward in the lower base , bumper 18 will not be able to block them and will not be damaged by the edge of the openings . the piston - rod extension 9 that accommodates the pressure compensation chamber 8 in fig1 is welded . its lower end is provided with a bolt 23 whereon working piston 3 is mounted , secured by a nut 24 . fig2 illustrates an alternative version of floating piston 10 . the floating piston &# 39 ; s body 15 , low - friction sleeve 16 , and axial hollow 17 are similar to the ones illustrated in fig1 . bumper 18 on the other hand is provided with integral annular ridges 26 that rest against the faces of floating - piston body 15 . to prevent them from adhering to base 22 , each annular ridge 26 is provided with at least one radial intersection 27 . the shaft of bumper 18 does not completely occupy hollow 17 , simplifying installation in a housing with a central intake channel . each head of bumper 18 will be thoroughly embedded in a recess provided in each face of floating piston 10 . floating - piston body 15 will impact the base of the cylinder by way of annular ridges 26 , limiting the deformation of bumper 18 and accordingly prolonging its life . the floating piston 10 illustrated in fig3 is similar to the one illustrated in fig1 . in this embodiment , however , hollow 17 is very wide , and the head is provided with a spherical bulge 19 . this species of floating piston allows bumper 18 to be separate from floating - piston body 15 , and the two components can snap together , resulting in an interlocking attachment . floating piston 10 will accordingly be easier to adapt to various requirements . various embodiments of bumper 18 can be combined with various embodiments of floating - piston body 15 as desired . floating piston 10 can be cemented or vulcanized or fabricated by bicomponent plastic injection molding . the outer annular surface in this embodiment of floating piston 10 can also act as a terminating stop , limiting the extent of deformation of bumper 18 . in this event , however , the mass of the bumper will not , as in the embodiment illustrated in fig2 , be forced into the depressions in the faces of floating - piston body 15 but will mainly be deformed axially by the body as a whole . the piston - rod extension 9 depicted in fig4 differs from the one depicted in fig1 in that it is not welded but screwed together . the essential difference , however , is in the terminating shock absorption . instead of the mechanical shock absorption represented in fig1 through 3 , that is , at least one end features hydraulic shock absorption . one face of floating piston 10 is provided with a central arbor 28 that , as the piston approaches lower base 29 , enters the bore 14 through the center of the bolt 23 that working piston 3 is mounted on . the hydraulic flow through the bore will accordingly be impeded . arbor 28 can , as illustrated in fig4 , taper in toward its end . in this event , bore 14 will accordingly gradually close as floating piston 10 comes to rest against lower base 29 . the hollow for the pressure - compensation chamber 8 illustrated in fig5 is particularly economical to produce . the hollow itself is in the form of a blind bore in the end of piston rod 2 . the bore can be conventionally produced by machining . cold forging can also be employed . it is important for the wall 31 at the end 30 of piston rod 2 to be in one piece with the piston rod . hydraulic communication between the upper half chamber 11 of pressure - compensation chamber 8 and the upper compression decompression compartment 4 of cylinder 1 is provided , as in the aforesaid embodiments , by a transverse bore 13 . the bolt 23 that the working piston 3 is mounted on in a further development of this embodiment can be cold forged for example and , as illustrated in fig5 , provided with a connector flange 32 . in this event , the central bore 14 in bolt 23 is blind and does not extend through connector flange 32 . transverse bores 33 slope through the flange and open into the blind end of central bore 14 on the one hand and , on the other , into the edge of the lower base 29 of pressure - compensation chamber 8 . the floating piston 10 in the embodiment illustrated in fig5 is similar to the one illustrated in fig3 . how the piston rod and its extension illustrated in fig5 are assembled will now be specified . floating piston 10 is inserted into the blind bore that constitutes pressure - compensation chamber 8 . connector flange 32 , which is rimmed by a wider lip 34 , is inserted into the end of pressure - compensation chamber 8 . the wall 31 that demarcates pressure - compensation chamber 8 at the bottom of end 30 is at this stage already being forced powerfully against the circumference of connector flange 32 , and the resulting joint between the wall and the flange will be tight of itself . this joint , however , is further reinforced by a weld 35 , especially a laser or electron - beam weld . the tightness of the joint before welding will go far to prevent the inclusion of air during that procedure . as will be evident from fig5 , weld 35 is deeper than wall 31 is thick , enuring that the base of the joint will also melt . the overflow from weld 35 is subjected to lower welding power , preventing the pokeholes that would cause weakness , especially subject to bending stress . to improve the roundness tolerance between the two components , the joint is welded in at least two passes , with less power during the first . this approach minimizes heat default . generally the welding speed will be high to keep as much heat as possible out of the work and accordingly to prevent damage to the floating piston . the embodiment illustrated in fig6 is similar to the one illustrated in fig1 . the end 30 of piston rod 2 and the adjacent housing 36 for pressure - compensation chamber 8 are aligned by a centering pin 37 before being finally fastened in place by a weld 38 . this measure maintains the two components concentric . fig7 is a graph representing force over distance in a floating piston 10 like the one illustrated in fig3 . the piston &# 39 ; s gentler approach to upper base 22 or lower base 29 is obvious . before , however , the bumper can deform enough to generate a steep progressive increase 39 in force , one face 25 of floating piston 10 will have come to rest against its adjacent base 22 or 29 . the force - to - distance behavior of bumper 18 will accordingly be very sensitive to tolerances . fig8 is a larger - scale rendering illustrating how an isolating disk 20 can be secured in a piston - rod extension and to the bottom 40 adjacent to working - piston accommodating bolt 23 and capping lower half chamber 12 . the bottom 40 in this embodiment is provided with a recess with more or less the same diameter as isolating disk 20 . the recess also has a depth 41 that exceeds the thickness 42 of isolating disk 20 . isolating disk 20 is embedded in the recess and the projecting edge 43 crimped onto it with an overhead punch 44 , reliably securing the disk to the bottom 40 of piston - rod extension 9 . the disk does not need to be secured as effectively axially because the difference in pressure between lower half chamber 12 and central bore 14 is not very great . as will be evident from fig8 , punch 44 travels laterally along the inner surface of pressure - compensation chamber 8 . isolating disk 20 can be continuously or discontinuously crimped along its circumference . | 1 |
as discussed in the summary of the invention section , the present subject matter is particularly concerned with certain aspects of feedthrough filtering employable in association with implantable medical devices and related technology and methodology . more particularly , the present subject matter is concerned with an improved asymmetrical filter designed to provide differing forward and reverse energy flow characteristics , and is concerned with corresponding methodologies . selected combinations of aspects of the disclosed technology correspond to a plurality of different embodiments of the present subject matter . it should be noted that each of the exemplary embodiments presented and discussed herein should not insinuate limitations of the present subject matter . features or steps illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used in combination with aspects of another embodiment to yield yet further embodiments . in additional , certain features may be interchanged with similar devices or features not expressly mentioned which perform the same or similar functions . reference will now be made in detail to exemplary presently preferred embodiments involving the subject asymmetrical filter . referring now to the drawings , fig1 schematically illustrates a partial schematic diagram and equivalent circuit diagram of an exemplary asymmetrical filter generally 100 associated with a feedthrough filter 110 in accordance with the present technology . asymmetrical filter 100 may be formed , for example , by inserting a small ( that is , low ) value resistor 130 in series between heart lead 140 and a filter circuit 110 . filter circuit 110 is coupled between small value resistor 130 and an input terminal of a device schematically represented by equivalent circuit 150 . heart lead 140 may correspond to , or represent , one or more electrical leads coupled directly to a patient &# 39 ; s heart for application of , for example , a pacing signal from a pacemaker , as well as for detection of naturally occurring heart related electrical signals . in the present discussion , reference is made to the use of the asymmetrical filter in accordance with the present subject matter in association with a pacemaker . it should be well understood , however , by those of ordinary skill in the art , that the present subject matter is not so limited , as the disclosed subject matter may be applied in other environments as well . for example , asymmetrical filtering may provide certain advantages when used in association with other medical devices including , for example , heart monitors , defibrillators , and neurostimulators . asymmetrical filtering as disclosed herein may also be applied in other environments where both high and low level signals may be applied to a common signal transmission medium . non - exhaustive examples of such include data line transceivers and radio frequency ( rf ) transceivers . as illustrated in fig2 , it has been found that insertion of a small valued resistor 130 in series between heart lead 140 and filter circuit 110 provides differing filter responses with respect to whether a signal is being applied to the asymmetrical filter and passed to , for example , measuring circuitry or being sent out through the asymmetrical filter and applied to , for example , heart lead 140 . as illustrated in fig2 , a pair of response curves 210 , 220 illustrate , respectively , the overall input and output responses from an exemplary asymmetrical filter constructed in accordance with the present subject matter . from a review of such response curves 210 , 220 , it will be appreciated that the input response curve 210 experiences significantly higher insertion loss than the output response curve 220 , particularly at frequencies above about 2 mhz . such asymmetric response provides improved protection from emi applied to device 150 while at the same time limiting impact on any output signal from device 150 . in this exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter , the small value resistor 130 had a value of 15 ohms . also , in such exemplary embodiment , the resistance , capacitance , and inductance values within representative filter circuit 110 may be practiced as follows . variations may also be practiced , for specific embodiments in accordance with the present subject matter . the represented initial inductance value may be 0 . 1 nh , while the inductance represented on either side of node 112 may each be 0 . 083 nh , while the inductance going to ground ( beneath node 112 ) may be 0 . 028 nh . the exemplary resistance in such ground leg may be about 0 . 229 ohms , while the resistance on either side of node 112 may be 0 . 2 ohms . the exemplary capacitance in the ground leg below node 112 may be 3553 . 407 pf . with reference now to fig3 , representative response curves are illustrated for a further exemplary embodiment of an asymmetrical filter constructed in accordance with the present subject matter . in the embodiment represented by fig3 , the small value resistor 130 ( fig1 ) had a value of 20 ohms . in this exemplary embodiment , the forward measurement ( representative response curve 310 ) exhibits a significantly higher insertion loss than the reverse measurement ( representative response curve 320 ), particularly at frequencies above about 2 mhz , in a manner similar to that illustrated in fig2 . response curves such as shown in fig3 in conjunction with a small value resistor 130 value of 20 ohms are the results of measurements made in a gain phase mode , with a 1 m ohm input impedance , as will be well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art . with reference now to fig4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ), there are illustrated side elevation and top plan views of an exemplary embodiment of a present resistor mounting substrate generally 400 as may be used to support a plurality of small value resistors 440 , 442 , 444 for connection in series with input / output leads of an implantable medical device , for example , a pacemaker . in the illustrated exemplary embodiment , resistor mounting substrate 400 may correspond to a ceramic substrate 430 on which are mounted a number of thick film resistors 440 , 442 , 444 such that the resistors are coupled to respective connection pin pairs 410 / 420 ; 412 / 422 ; and 414 / 424 . such present exemplary resistor mounting substrate 400 may be coupled , in some instances , to known feedthrough capacitor structures , as will be more fully illustrated and discussed with reference to fig7 . with reference now to fig5 , 6 ( a ) and 6 ( b ), a further exemplary embodiment of a present resistor mounting substrate generally 600 in accordance with the present subject matter . first with reference to fig5 , there is illustrated a second exemplary embodiment of a resistor usable as the small value resistor 130 ( fig1 ) to produce an asymmetrical filtering response . in this exemplary embodiment , resistor 530 corresponds to a wound wire resistor and is configured such that respective end portions generally 532 and 534 of the wound wire are inserted into respective conductive termination tubes 542 and 544 . in an exemplary configuration , wire wound resistor 530 may correspond to about 42 turns of nichrome wire ( 3 mil coated resistor wire , non - magnetic ) wound around a 15 mil mandrel to produce a resistance value of about 15 ohms . with such exemplary values , the resulting coil would be expected to be about 120 mils long . conductive termination tubes 542 and 544 may correspond to platinum / rhodium ( pt / rh ) tubes , for example , with about 12 mil outside diameters and 4 mil inside diameters , while the end portion 534 of the wound wire may be gas tungsten arc ( tig ) welded onto end 546 so as to form a hermetic and positive joint . referring now to fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b ), there are illustrated top plan and side cross section views of a second embodiment of a resistor mounting substrate generally 600 in accordance with the present subject matter . as may more readily be seen in fig6 ( a ), a plurality of wire wound resistors 610 , 612 , 614 , and 616 are mounted on support substrate 630 and coupled by way of lands 640 , 642 , away from fillets 650 , 652 . solderable wires 660 , 662 ( shown in fig6 ( b )) may be soldered to selected fillets as at solder locations 664 , 666 to provide connection to a feedthrough capacitor structure , such as will be described with reference to fig7 . support substrate 630 may correspond to a ceramic substrate , although it is to be strictly understood that any other suitable support structure material may be employed . with reference now to fig7 , an exemplary assembly generally 700 of an exemplary asymmetrical filter in accordance with the present subject matter will be described . as illustrated per this embodiment , a known feedthrough capacitor structure generally 710 is provided with leads 712 , 714 , 716 , and 718 that may , in fact , correspond in number to more or less than the number of leads presently illustrated . the specific structure of the representative feedthrough capacitor is not a limitation of the present subject matter , but as an example only , such structure may generally correspond to that illustrated in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 999 , 398 and 6 , 459 , 935 b1 , referenced above . an exemplary asymmetry circuit board 720 constructed in accordance with the previously described exemplary configurations may be mounted to feedthrough capacitor 710 leads 716 , 718 such that the asymmetry circuit board 720 , by way of associated resistors ( like resistor arrangements or equivalent thereto per other present figures but not separately shown in fig7 ), may provide a mechanism for inserting a small value resistor in series with the feedthrough capacitor leads . low thermal conductivity leads 722 , 724 soldered to fillets on asymmetry circuit board 720 provide a connection pathway to a standard filter assembly 730 , for example , such as filter 110 schematically illustrated in fig1 . in the instance of the example of present fig7 , low thermal conductivity leads 722 and 724 may have a thermal conductivity rating of less than 8 british thermal unit it per hour foot degree fahrenheit ( i . e ., btu / hrftf ). such leads 722 and 724 may comprise , for example , inconel , titanium or zirconium alloys , to allow laser welding or other forms of heat treatment for welding without causing significant heat transfer to any circuitry , such as on exemplary circuit board 720 . by contrast , in such exemplary embodiment , the thermal conductivity of the leads 712 and 714 may be above 42 btu / hrftf , and such leads may comprise platinum or an equivalent material . further in conjunction with the present exemplary configurations of fig6 ( a ), 6 ( b ) and 7 , present exemplary circuit board 720 may have an outside diameter of about 130 mils while leads 722 and 724 are about 95 mils apart and leads 712 and 714 are about 66 leads apart , in the illustrated exemplary embodiments . also , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the side elevation view of fig7 in fact only illustrates half of the leads that would be utilized in an actual embodiment . various dimensions , materials , and characteristics may be practiced in the foregoing exemplary embodiments , as understood by those of ordinary skill in the art , for use in particular embodiments , without departing from the spirit or scope of the present subject matter . in addition , all presently referenced dimensions , materials and characteristics are intended as exemplary values , within the broader aspects of the present subject matter , and not intended as limitations thereto . while the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments thereof , it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art , upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily adapt the present technology for alterations or additions to , variations of , and / or equivalents to such embodiments . accordingly , the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation , and the subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications , variations , and / or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . | 7 |
in a microwave oven shown in fig1 is a housing of the microwave oven , 2 a door pivotally mounted to the housing for enclosing an opening of a heating cavity as mentioned in more detail hereunder , 3 an operating panel mounted on an upper portion of the forward side of the housing 1 , 4 a sealing plate fitted into an inspection window formed at the center portion of the door 2 for inspection and punched with a number of perforations for facilitating inspection inside the heating cavity without opening the door , 5 a door handle , 6 a timer knob , 7 a starting switch for operation and 8 is one of the supports for the housing . now referring to fig2 which shows a sectional view of the microwave oven , the housing 1 having a bottom member 1 &# 39 ; and a top member 1 &# 34 ; defines the heating cavity 13 at the center portion thereof , and a forward wall 1 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; of the housing defines an opening of the heating cavity for providing an access thereto . the opening is closable by the door 2 which is pivotally mounted on a pin 15 , which in turn is supported by a pair of supporting levers 14 fixed to the housing 1 . the heating cavity is adapted to receive microwaves radiated from a microwave generator 11 located at the upper portion of the heating cavity . a rotatable stirrer 12 may be provided for agitating microwave energy radiated into the heating cavity from the microwave generator . in order to prevent the leakage of microwaves , the door 2 is formed with a sealing cavity 9 at a side wall 2c thereof opposing to the forward wall portion 1 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; adjacent to the edge of the opening of the heating cavity 13 which extends longitudinally around the opening . the sealing cavity 9 defined by spaced walls 2a and 2b is separated into two spaces 9a and 9b by a partition 10 which extends longitudinally in the cavity . as shown in fig3 the partition 10 is divided into a plurality of segments 17 each spaced about 1 - 2 mm from an adjacent one by a slit 18 formed transversely across the partition . the sealing cavity 9 is inherently different from a conventional choke cavity as mentioned in detail hereinafter . side walls enclosing the periphery of the door 2 partially oppose metal sashes 16 which may be extensions of the side walls of the housing 1 . as abovementioned , the present invention has features in that the wave seal in a microwave oven is accomplished by providing the door 2 or an opposite wall thereto with a sealing cavity 9 which is separated by a partition 10 consisting of a plurality of segments 17 spaced from one another by slits 18 . the sealing effect of the wave seal according to the present invention will now be described on the basis of data obtained from our experimental study . the data were all measured for microwave ovens a follows : ______________________________________microwave oven for domestic use______________________________________magnetron : radio frequency output 550w 2450mhzheating cavity : height 250 mm width 330 mm depth 250 mmdoor size : height 300 mm width 420 mm______________________________________ fig4 shows the amount of microwave leakage of a microwave oven having a conventional wave seal consisting of two cavities separated by a partition of a flat metal sheet and having dimensions as schematically indicated on the right - hand of fig4 in which , however , the cavities are formed into the wall defining the opening of the heating cavity . as the depth d of each cavity is changed , the amount of microwave leakage varies along the full line . if the wave seal consists of a single cavity , the amount of microwave leakage increases as shown by the dotted line . in the so - called choke seal , the sealing effect is attained by forming a cavity or cavities having dimensions corresponding to the point a or b in fig4 . by increasing the number of cavities , the sealing effect of the wave seal will be improved to some extent . however , the improvement is limited by the space available for the wave seal , because the sealing effect of each cavity greatly decreases if the width thereof is made too narrow by increasing the number of cavities . in practice , the allowable maximum width for the wave seal is about 5 cm in domestic microwave ovens . the present invention has succeeded in improvement of the sealing effect beyond the limitation of the conventional wave seal . fig5 shows the leakage of microwaves from a microwave oven having a sealing cavity according to the present invention . the sealing cavity , whose dimensions are shown on the right - hand side of fig5 in which , however , the heating cavity is formed into the wall defining the opening of the sealing cavity , is separated into two spaces by a metal partition which is divided into a plurality of segments each spaced about 1 - 2 mm by a slit from an adjacent one . the leakage of microwaves changes along the curve in fig5 with variation of the length l of each segment . the sealing cavity may be formed into the wall of the door substantially without any change of the sealing effect thereof . as will be clear from the curve , when the segment has a length less than about 20 mm , the leakage of microwaves reduces to less than one several tenth of that for the conventional sealing cavity having a plane partition . these values , however , will change somewhat if the wavelength of the microwaves changes . the reason for this effect is not yet solved theoretically and therefore , the optimum dimensions of the sealing cavity must be determined experimentally . however , as far as we have found from our experimental study , it is true that the leakage of microwaves is always reduced by means of the partition divided into a plurality of segments more efficiently than by a conventional plane partition . the partition according to the present invention may be formed integrally with the door , or made as a separate piece of a metal sheet and fixed by screws to the door . in any event , the wave seal having a structure as abovementioned will meet with the objects of the present invention . the wave seal according to the present invention is applicable to a microwave oven having a semi - spherical heating cavity as shown in fig6 and 7 which are a sectional view of the oven and a perspective view of a part of the wave seal , respectively . in the figures , 19 is the heating cavity , 20 a cover of the heating cavity , 21 a door arm fixed to the cover 20 , 22 a support fixed to a housing 23 . the door arm 21 is pivotally connected to the support 22 . the door 20 is provided with a handle for facilitating opening or closing thereof . 25 indicates a microwave generator , 26 a stirrer , 27 a base plate made of heatproof plastics , 28 a sealing cavity which has a partition 30 divided into a plurality of segments by slits 31 as shown in fig7 a metal bracket for connecting the sealing cavity 28 to the cover 20 , and 31 supports for the housing 23 . the cover is formed into a semi - spherical shape and , when closed , enclosing therein the semi - spherical heating cavity 19 . the cover is pivotally movable to serve as a door for providing an access to the heating cavity . hitherto , a wave seal of the metal to metal contact type or the choke seal type has been proposed for the wave seal of the semi - spherical microwave oven . the metal to metal contact wave seal , however , has problems in that the life of the sealing effect is shorter and in that not only forming of the spherical cover of a metal sheet , but also forming of the flat contact surface on the edge thereof is very difficult . for these problems , the metal to metal contact wave seal has not been practically utilized for the semi - spherical microwave oven . the choke seal has not such problems in manufacturing , but another problem in that the sealing effect thereof is not sufficient . the present invention has solved the problems in not only manufacturing but also in the sealing effect . fig8 shows another embodiment in which a wave seal according to the present invention is applied to a microwave oven combined with a conveyor system . in fig8 indicates a heating cavity , 33 a microwave generator , 34 a cover for sealing microwaves , 38 a conveyor belt for transporting objects into and from the heating cavity 32 , 35 and 35 &# 39 ; are entry and exit sealing cavities , and 36 , 36 &# 39 ; are entry and exit ports formed between the conveyor belt and the respective sealing cavities . each of the sealing cavities is separated into spaces by a plurality of partitions 37 . as shown in fig9 which is a sectional view along ix -- ix in fig8 each partition is divided into a plurality of segments 39 by slits 40 . hitherto , no wave seal except the choke seal has been applicable to the microwave oven equipped to a conveyor system . the choke seal , however , has a problem in that the sealing thereof is unsatisfactory . this problem also has been readily solved by the present invention . now various modifications of the sealing cavity will be explained with reference to fig1 to 29 . in fig1 which shows a part of the door for a heating cavity ( not shown ), 41 indicates a sealing plate having a number of perforations 46 for facilitating inspection of objects placed into the heating cavity while energizing the heating cavity , and 42 indicates a sealing cavity formed into the door . the sealing cavity 42 is separated into two spaces by a partition which is divided by slits 45 into a plurality of segments 43 . this embodiment has features in that the sealing plate 41 extends so as to partially cover an opening of the sealing cavity 42 . this structure is effective to reduce the depth of the door . fig1 shows the leakage of microwaves relative to the depth of the sealing cavity having two spaces whose openings are not at all covered as shown on the right - hand thereof . the two spaces of the sealing cavity may have different depths d 1 and d 2 . when the depth d 2 is fixed to 20 mm or 30 mm , the leakage of microwaves varies with variation of the depth d 1 along the dotted line or the full line , respectively . as seen from the curves , the sealing effect of the cavity is best when the depths d 1 and d 2 are both about 29 mm . however , if it is necessary to make the door thinner than 29 mm , these dimensions are not applicable . the structure as shown in fig1 provides the same sealing effect as that corresponding to the point b in fig1 where the depths d 1 and d 2 are 35 mm and 20 mm , respectively . in other words , the structure shown in fig1 has the same sealing effect as a sealing cavity having one space and a depth of 35 mm . by means of a sealing cavity having the above structure , it is possible to provide a door having a thinner depth with a sealing effect which is almost the same as that of a door having a thicker depth , although , strictly speaking , the difference between the points a and b in fig1 is avoidable . another embodiment is shown in fig1 , in which 46 indicates a door , 47 and 47 &# 39 ; a sealing cavity separated into two spaces by a partition which is divided by slits 48 into a plurality of segments 49 . the door 46 has a center portion 50 projected by a height f 1 from the remaining portion along the edge of the door 46 . the remaining portion , in which the sealing cavity is formed , has a surface h aligned with the upper ends of the sealing cavity and the partition . fig1 shows a microwave oven whose heating cavity is closed by a door having the structure as shown in fig1 . in fig1 , 51 is a sealing plate , 52 a heating cavity , 53 a microwave generator , 54 a stirrer , 55 a housing . this embodiment has features in that the surface h , having a width f 2 , when the door is closed faces the forward wall defining the opening of the heating cavity , the sum of f 1 and f 2 being relatively large . the gap created between the wall of the door and the wall of the housing provides a path for the leakage of microwaves and , therefore , the length of the gap affects the leakage of microwaves . it is desirable to make the length of the gap as long as possible . by forming the stepped portion , the length of the gap increases by f 2 , whereby the sealing effect is increased substantially without increasing the size of the door . fig1 shows the leakage of microwaves from a microwave oven having a sealing cavity as shown schematically on the right - hand thereof relative to the dimension f . the leakage of microwaves varies along the curve in fig1 when the dimension f is changed . as known from the curve , the sealing effect increases by increasing the dimension f . improvement of the sealing effect is readily attainable by this structure of the wave seal . fig1 shows the effect of the sash 16 as described with reference to fig2 . in fig2 the sealing cavity is formed into the wall of the door , while , the sealing cavity schematically shown on the right - hand of fig1 is formed into the wall defining the opening of the heating cavity . however , this difference has substantially no influence on the sealing effect of the sealing cavity . the metal sash 16 in fig2 provides an additional narrow gap along the side wall of the door , which has the same sealing effect as that attainable by the gap extending across the width h in fig1 . with increasing h , the leakage of microwaves varies along the full line a in fig1 when the sealing cavity has a metallic wall slit into a plurality of segments spaced from one another , while the leakage of microwaves varies along the dotted line b when the sealing cavity is separated by a plain partition . as seen from the dotted line b , in case of the sealing cavity having a conventional structure , the leakage of microwaves does not decrease continuously with increasing h , while , in case of the sealing cavity according to the present invention , the leakage of microwaves decreases continuously . if a door having a thickness of 20 - 30 mm is employed , and the metal sash 16 is formed to entirely cover the side wall , the narrow gap between the metal sash and the side wall of the door will provide the same sealing effect as that obtainable when the dimension h in fig1 is 20 - 30 mm . thus , the metal sash is very effective to improve the sealing effect of the sealing cavity . the sealing cavity of the present invention may be filled with a dielectric material or enclosed by a cover made of a dielectric material , as shown in fig1 and 17 , for increasing the effective size of the cavity or avoiding accumulation of dust in the cavity . in fig1 , 57 is a door , 62 a sealing cavity formed into the door and filled with filler 58 of a dielectric material , 59 a partition divided with segments by slits 60 , and 61 a sealing plate of the door . in fig1 , 63 is a door , 64 a sealing cavity formed into the door 63 and separated into two spaces by a partition 65 divided into segments by slits 66 , the spaces each being enclosed by a cover 68 of a dielectric material , and 67 a sealing plate of the door . as seen from fig1 and 17 , in any case , the dielectric material is not filled above the upper end of the partition . this structure is concerned with the relation between the depth of the cavity and the height of the partition , which will be explained with reference to fig1 . fig1 shows the leakage of microwaves of a microwave oven having a sealing cavity as shown on the right - hand thereof relative to the depth d of the sealing cavity as the height of the partition is changed . d &# 39 ; indicates the difference between the depth d and the height of the partition and a value of d &# 39 ; indicates that the depth d is smaller than the height of the partition . when the difference d &# 39 ; is changed from - 2 mm to 0 , 2 , and 4 mm successively , the leakage of microwaves varies along the curves marked &# 34 ; d &# 39 ;=- 2 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; d &# 39 ;= 0 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; d &# 39 ;= 2 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; d &# 39 ;= 4 &# 34 ;, respectively . it will be clear that the smaller value of the difference d &# 39 ;, the better the sealing effect . it is well - known that the wavelength of microwaves propagated through a dielectric material having a dielectric constant of ε is reduced to ## equ1 ## times that propagated through air whose dielectric constant is 1 . therefore , if the dielectric material is filled above the upper end of the partition , the effective value of the dimension d &# 39 ; will increase which in turn decrease the sealing effect of the cavity . the above structure is useful for avoiding such disadvantage . however , it is usually unnecessary to utilize such measure for providing a desired sealing effect . fig1 shows another embodiment for further improvement of the sealing effect . in fig1 , 69 is a sealing plate of the door , 70 a sealing cavity , 71 segments forming a partition for separating the sealing cavity of the sealing plate 69 extended above the sealing cavity , 74 a wave absorber made of ferrite or ferrite rubber , 75 a sealing element made of a metallic material for partially screening the opening of the sealing cavity . this embodiment has features in that the metallic sealing element 75 is fixed to the wall defining the sealing cavity thereby increasing the sealing effect of the sealing cavity , and also providing means for mounting the wave absorber 74 . the sealing element 75 having a width h provides substantially the same effect as that attainable by the extended portion of the sealing plate 41 , as shown in fig1 , covering partially the opening of the sealing cavity , or by increasing the dimension h in fig1 . the wave absorber 74 may be filled into the sealing cavity for increasing the sealing effect . in any event , it is possible to reduce the depth of the door without decreasing the sealing effect . for example , it is possible to employ a door having a depth of 20 mm with substantially the same sealing effect as that of a door having a depth of 30 mm . in fig2 , which shows another embodiment of the sealing cavity , 76 is a door , 77 a sealing cavity , 78 a canted partition divided into segments 78 &# 39 ; by slits 79 , and 80 a sealing plate . this structure has features in that , the partition is canted referring to the wall defining the bottom of the sealing cavity thereby making the height of the partition thereacross larger than the depth of the sealing cavity . for example , assuming that the depth of the sealing cavity is 25 mm , the height of the partition is 30 mm and the partition is fixed to the wall defining the bottom of the sealing cavity with an angle of sin - 1 25 / 30 therebetween , it has been found that the leakage of microwaves is reduced to several tenth of that attainable by a sealing cavity separated by a partition having a height of 25 mm and fixed perpendicularly to the bottom wall . various modifications of the partition are shown in fig2 to 23 . in fig2 , 81 is a door , 82 a sealing cavity which is separated by a partition divided by slits 84 into a plurality of segments 83 each having an end portion bent at a right angle , and 85 a sealing plate . in fig2 , 86 is a door , 87 a sealing cavity separated by a partition divided by slits 89 into a plurality of v - shaped segments 88 and 90 a sealing plate . in fig2 , 91 is a door , 92 a sealing cavity separated by a partition divided by slits 94 into a plurality of v - shaped segments 93 and 95 a sealing plate . in any modification , the feature thereof resides in that each segment of the partition is bent along a line or lines at an intermediate portion between the upper and lower ends . one - fourth of the wavelength λ of the microwaves is a standard for the total height of each segment , i . e . h 1 + h 2 as shown in the figures . but practically , it is unnecessary to meet the height h 1 + h 2 strictly with the value λ / 4 ; however , it is preferable to determine the optimum value experimentally . the aforementioned sealing cavities are common in that the sealing cavity is separated by a partition divided by slits into a plurality of spaced segments . however , the present invention is not limited to the above structure , but based on the technical concept that microwaves are sealed by a sealing cavity separated by a partition having a plurality of metal segments aligned in a row , and each segment functions to electromagnetically seal microwaves in co - operation with an adjacent segment . embodiments based on the above concept are shown in fig2 to 29 . in fig2 and 25 , the sealing cavity 96 is provided with a partition integrally formed with a dielectric filler 100 and consisting of a plurality of metal segments 98 , 99 indicating a sealing plate . in fig2 and 27 , the sealing cavity 101 is provided with a partition 102 formed integrally with a dielectric filler 105 and consisting of a plurality of metal segments 103 . 104 indicates a sealing plate of the door . in fig2 and 29 , the sealing cavity 106 is provided with a partition 107 formed integrally with a dielectric filler 110 and consisting of a metal wire 108 having a shape like a rectangular wave form . 109 is a sealing plate . | 7 |
the invention will be specifically described hereinafter in the context of its application to video cable networks where carrier frequency allocation is subject to two kinds of standards . under a first kind of standard ( in force in europe ) the frequency band including the allocatable carrier frequencies is divided into a lower band in the vhf band and an upper band in the uhf band . the frequencies that can be allocated in the uhf band run from 471 . 25 mhz through 839 . 25 mhz in steps of 8 mhz . the frequencies that can be allocated in the vhf band run in france from 120 mhz through 288 mhz in steps of 8 mhz and in countries other than france from 303 . 25 mhz through 455 . 25 mhz in steps of 8 mhz . under a second kind of standard ( in force in north america and japan ) the frequency band including the allocatable carrier frequencies is in the vhf band and the allocatable frequencies run from 55 . 25 mhz through 643 . 25 mhz in steps of 6 mhz . the first kind of standard covers b , g , h and i standard systems in european countries other than france and the l standard system in france . fig1 is a diagrammatic representation of a video cable network to which the present invention may be applied . a network head end 11 which can receive television programs from a satellite ( a ), over a microwave link ( b ) or via a digital highway ( c ) and which demodulates the signals received in the base band , modulation equipment 12 providing modulated signals by modulating various carriers using the various base band signals obtained , and electrical - to - optical conversion equipment 13 for converting electrical signals obtained at the output of the modulation equipment 12 into optical signals and amplifying the resulting optical signals by means of one or more doped fiber optical amplifiers . the optical signals obtained at the output of the operating center 1 are routed over transport optical links 2 ( only one of which is shown in fig1 ) to distribution centers 3 ( only one of which is shown in fig1 ). the distribution center 3 distributes the optical signals received from the operating center to n user equipments 4 over n distribution optical links 4 &# 39 ; forming a distribution network . the distribution center also amplifies the optical signals received and sent . the modulation equipment 12 shown in fig2 essentially comprises a battery of modulators ( the number of modulators is equal to the maximum number of television channels that can be transmitted over the network ) the outputs of which are connected to a common coaxial line via coupling means . this equipment comprises : a first battery of up to 40 modulators dedicated to tv programs and organized into five sets 121 each of eight modulators 122 the outputs of which are coupled to a common coaxial line through a coupler 123 , the outputs of four sets 121 being coupled to a common coaxial line by a coupler 124 , and a second battery of up to 30 modulators dedicated to high fidelity programs and comprising a set of 30 modulators 125 whose outputs are coupled to a common coaxial line by a coupler 126 . the output of the coupler 126 and the output of that of the five sets 121 which is not connected to the coupler 124 are coupled to a common coaxial line by a coupler 127 via respective attenuators 128 and 129 . the outputs of the couplers 124 and 127 are coupled to a common coaxial line by a coupler 130 whose output constitutes the output of the modulation equipment . the basic idea for a process of allocating carrier frequencies without regard to second order composite beat frequencies for television channels with a nominal bandwidth of n mhz is to allocate to those channels carrier frequencies which are odd multiples of n mhz . any two carrier frequencies defined in this way produce second order composite distortion at a frequency 2q × n mhz ( where q is an integer , i . e . at an even multiple of n mhz ) offset by + n mhz relative to the carrier frequency ( 2q - 1 )× n mhz and by - n mhz relative to the carrier frequency ( 2q + 1 )× n mhz . the second order composite distortion therefore has no effect on these two n mhz channels . under the m standard the width &# 34 ; n &# 34 ; is 6 mhz and so in theory the carrier frequencies must be odd multiples of 6 mhz . under the b , g , h , i and l standards the nominal width &# 34 ; n &# 34 ; is 8 mhz in the uhf band and 8 or 12 mhz in the vhf band , depending on the type of television signal concerned . thus in theory the carrier frequencies must be odd multiples of 8 mhz or 12 mhz . carrier frequencies which are odd multiples of 8 mhz are advantageously chosen to eliminate the effect of second order composite distortion in the uhf band and to obtain the largest possible number of stable channels in the vhf band ( it is possible to choose carrier frequencies that are odd multiples of 12 mhz but this yields a smaller number of usable channels and does not conform to the channel spacing of 8 mhz in the uhf band in force in europe ). thus the 12 mhz uhf channels ( for d2mac type signals in the 16 format ) affected by second order composite distortion are offset + 8 mhz from the carrier frequency . however , this is compensated by the fact that in practise the protection required at the subscriber outlet of a video network under applicable standards for d2mac 16 / 9 type signals is reduced as compared with the worst case scenario in which the second order composite distortion is offset 0 mhz from the carrier frequency ( in practise 23 db in the former case as compared with 56 db in the latter case , a reduction of 33 db ). in reality , to conform to the standards governing the allocation of carrier frequencies , as summarized above , frequencies must be allocated that are defined by the following equations : the effect of this is merely to shift by - 0 . 75 mhz ( respectively + 1 . 25 mhz ) relative to 8 mhz ( respectively 6 mhz ) the offset between the second order composite beat frequencies of type f1 + f2 and the channel picture carriers and by + 0 . 75 mhz ( respectively - 1 . 25 mhz ) relative to 8 mhz ( respectively 6 mhz ) the offset between second order composite beat frequencies of type f1 - f2 and the channel picture carriers . in m standard systems a channel for an ntsc type television signal occupies a band only from - 0 . 75 mhz to + 4 . 2 mhz relative to the picture carrier and the sound carrier is 4 . 5 mhz away from the picture carrier and is frequency modulated with a frequency excursion of ± 0 . 025 mhz . accordingly , second order composite distortion + 6 - 1 . 25 =+ 4 . 75 mhz from the picture carrier of channel ( 2q - 1 ) or - 6 -- 1 . 25 =- 7 . 25 mhz from the picture carrier of channel ( 2q + 1 ) has no effect on either channel . second order composite distortion + 6 + 1 . 25 =+ 7 . 25 mhz from the picture carrier of channel ( 2q - 1 ) or - 6 + 1 . 25 =- 4 . 75 mhz from the picture carrier of channel ( 2q + 1 ) has no effect on either channel . equation ( 2 ) above thus defines a frequency plan suitable for m standard systems . a d2mac 4 / 3 type television signal occupies a band from only - 1 . 25 mhz to + 6 . 5 mhz relative to the picture carrier and a b , g , h or i standard channel ( worst case scenario for the i standard ) occupies a band of only - 1 . 25 mhz to + 5 . 5 mhz relative to the picture carrier and the sound carrier is + 6 mhz away from the picture carrier ( worst case scenario for the i standard ) and is frequency modulated with a frequency excursion of ± 0 . 050 mhz . accordingly , second order composite distortion + 8 - 0 . 75 =+ 7 . 25 mhz from the picture carrier of channel ( 2q - 1 ) or - 8 - 0 . 75 =- 8 . 75 mhz from the picture carrier of channel ( 2q + 1 ) has no effect on either channel . second order composite distortion + 8 + 0 . 75 =+ 8 . 75 mhz from the picture carrier of channel ( 2q - 1 ) or - 8 + 0 . 75 =- 7 . 25 mhz from the picture carrier of channel ( 2q + 1 ) has no effect on either channel . only second order composite distortion + 7 . 25 mhz or + 8 . 75 mhz from the carrier frequency on 12 mhz vhf channels for d2mac 16 / 9 type signals requires consideration . however , the protection required at the subscriber outlet under applicable standards for d2mac 16 / 9 channels + 7 . 25 mhz from the carrier ( respectively + 8 . 75 mhz from the carrier ) is 27 db ( respectively 13 db ), a reduction of 29 db ( respectively 43 db ) relative to the worst case scenario ( 56 db ) in which the composite distortion occurs at an offset of 0 mhz from the carrier frequency . equation ( 1 ) above thus defines a frequency plan suitable for b , g , h and i standard systems . in l standard systems the protection required at the subscriber outlet under applicable standards 7 . 25 mhz from the carrier frequency is 34 db . there is therefore in this case an additional constraint as to second order composite beat frequencies for 8 mhz channels . consideration of the origin of second order composite distortion occurring in the uhf channels + 7 . 25 mhz from the carrier frequency shows that it is due entirely to combinations of the type f1 vhf + f2 uhf or f1 vhf + f2 vhf . to circumvent this additional constraint the principle described above for b , g , h and i standard systems is adopted for frequency allocation in the uhf band , namely : and the frequencies allocated in the vhf band are offset by + 0 . 75 mhz to obtain the generic formula : the f1 vhf + f2 uhf type beat frequencies are equal to : with q = m + p + 1 . they are offset by + 8 mhz relative to the uhf carrier frequency ( 2q - 1 )× 8 - 0 . 75 mhz and by - 8 mhz relative to the uhf carrier frequency ( 2q + 1 )× 8 - 0 . 75 mhz . they have no effect on these two 8 mhz channels even if they are secam or d2mac 4 / 3 type uhf channels . where q = m + p + 1 . they are offset by + 8 . 75 mhz relative to the uhf carrier frequency ( 2q + 1 )× n - 0 . 75 mhz and they have no effect on these two 8 mhz channels even if they are secam or d2mac 4 / 3 type channels . the f1 uhf - f2 vhf type beat frequencies are equal to : with q = m + p . they are offset by + 8 mhz relative to the uhf carrier frequency ( 2q - 1 )× 8 - 0 . 75 mhz and by - 8 mhz relative to the uhf carrier frequency ( 2q + 1 )× 8 - 0 . 75 mhz and have no effect on these two 8 mhz channels even if they are secam or d2mac 4 / 3 type channels . the f1 uhf ± f2 uhf combinations do not cause second order composite distortion in the uhf band used . by using for allocation of carrier frequencies in the vhf band the equation f ( mhz )=( 2p + 1 )× 8 mhz the constraint on second order composite distortion for 8 mhz uhf channels to the l standard is totally eliminated . consideration of second order distortion occurring in the vhf band shows that only f1 vhf ± f2 vhf , f1 uhf - f2 uhf and f1 uhf - f2 vhf distortion require consideration . the f1 vhf ± f2 vhf type beat frequencies are equal to : where q = m + p + 1 or m - p . they are offset by + 8 mhz relative to the vhf carrier frequency ( 2q - 1 )× 8 mhz and by - 8 mhz relative to the vhf carrier frequency ( 2q + 1 )× 8 mhz and they have no effect on these two channels in the case of secam or d2mac 4 / 3 type channels . consideration is required only as to the effect of second order composite distortion + 8 mhz from the carrier frequency on 12 mhz vhf channels for d2mac 16 / 9 signals . however , the protection required at the subscriber outlet for d2mac 16 / 9 channels + 8 mhz from the carrier is 23 db which represents a reduction of 33 db relative to the worst case scenario ( 56 db ) in which the second order composite distortion occurs at an offset of 0 mhz relative to the carrier frequency . the f1 uhf - f2 uhf type beat frequencies are equal to : where q = m - p . they are offset by + 8 mhz relative to the vhf carrier frequency ( 2q - 1 )× 8 mhz and by - 8 mhz relative to the vhf carrier frequency ( 2q + 1 )× 8 mhz and they have no effect on these two channels in the case of secam or d2mac 4 / 3 type channels . consideration is required only as to the effect of second order composite distortion + 8 mhz from the carrier frequency on 12 mhz d2mac 16 / 9 vhf channels . however , the protection required at the subscriber outlet for d2mac 16 / 9 channels + 8 mhz from the carrier is 23 db which represents a reduction of 33 db relative to the worst case scenario ( 56 db ) in which the second order composite distortion occurs at an offset of 0 mhz relative to the carrier frequency . the f1 uhf - f2 vhf type beat frequencies are equal to : where q = m - p . they are offset by + 7 . 25 mhz relative to the vhf carrier frequency ( 2q - 1 )× 8 mhz and by - 8 . 75 mhz relative to the vhf carrier frequency ( 2q + 1 )× 8 mhz and they have no effect on these two channels in the case of d2mac 4 / 3 type channels . consideration is required only as to the effect of second order composite distortion + 7 . 25 mhz from the carrier frequency on 8 mhz or 12 mhz vhf channels for secam or d2mac 16 / 9 type signals . however , the protection required at the subscriber outlet under applicable standards for secam ( respectively d2mac 16 / 9 ) channels + 7 . 25 mhz from the carrier is 34 db ( respectively 27 db ) which represents a reduction of 22 db ( respectively 29 db ) relative to the worst case scenario ( 56 db ) in which the second order composite distortion occurs at an offset of 0 . 5 to 1 mhz ( respectively 0 mhz ) relative to the carrier frequency . equations ( 3 ) and ( 4 ) above therefore define a frequency plan suitable for l standard systems . as shown in fig3 by way of example the following could be selected for l standard systems : 24 uhf carrier frequencies from 471 . 25 mhz to 839 . 25 mhz in 16 mhz steps , 24 vhf carrier frequencies in the 47 - 470 mhz band , avoiding the fm band , for example the following frequencies : as shown in fig4 by way of example the following could be selected for b , g , h , i standard systems : 24 uhf carrier frequencies from 471 . 25 mhz to 839 . 25 mhz in 16 mhz steps , 24 vhf carrier frequencies chosen in the 47 - 470 mhz band , avoiding the fm band , for example the following frequencies : as shown in fig5 by way of example 48 carrier frequencies could be chosen for m standard systems , as follows : 55 . 25 mhz , 67 . 25 mhz , 79 . 25 mhz , 115 . 25 mhz to 643 . 25 mhz in 12 mhz steps . the resulting frequency plan for an m standard system avoids all constraints associated with second order composite distortion . there remain in the resulting frequency plans for b , g , h , i and l standard systems only constraints in respect of the vhf channels . it can be shown that for a dispersive transmission distance of up to 30 km these constraints relating to second order composite distortion for vhf channels in these frequency plans are always satisfied for lasers where the &# 34 ; chirp &# 34 ; ( wavelength fluctuation as a function of applied modulation ) is less than 1200 mhz / mw coupled into the fiber . the contribution of this laser &# 34 ; chirp &# 34 ; ( or fluctuation ) and the fiber dispersion in terms of second order composite distortion may be calculated from the following formula : n is the number of f1 ± f2 type beat frequencies causing the second order composite distortion at the frequency f , m is the modulation index of the laser for each tv channel , po is the laser power in mw coupled into the fiber , c is the fluctuation in mhz / mw in the laser wavelength as a function of the modulation applied at the modulating frequency f coupled into the fiber , f is the frequency in mhz of the second order composite distortion , d is the chromatic dispersion in ps /( nm . km ) of the fiber at the wavelength in question , l is the transmission distance in km , λ is the wavelength in nm and c is the speed of light in nm . it can be shown that the worst case scenarios for these constraints associated with second order composite distortion for vhf channels are : for the frequency plan defined above for the b , g , h , i systems f = 464 mhz where the n . f 2 product is maximum with n = 19 for f1 - f2 beat frequencies and where the protection required is 13 db ; f = 462 . 5 mhz where the product n . f 2 is maximum with n = 10 . 25 for the f1 + f2 beat frequencies and where the protection required is 27 db ; for the frequency plan defined above for the l system , f = 463 . 25 mhz where the product n . f 2 is maximum with n = 10 and where the protection required is 34 db . for a maximum modulation index m of 6 . 5 % for 40 to 45 channels directly modulating a distributed feedback ( dfb ) laser , with n = 19 , po = p o maximum = 3 mw , λ = 1 550 nm , d = 19 ps / nm . km , c = 3 . 10 17 nm / s , c . l = 36 500 km . mhz / mw , the worst case scenario gives a - 38 db laser &# 34 ; chirp &# 34 ; ( wavelength fluctuation )+ fiber dispersion contribution to second order composite distortion . the protection required at the subscriber outlet being 34 db for this worst case scenario , it is seen that if all other second order non - linearities of the system ( optical sender , amplifiers , optical receiver ) do not contribute more than 45 db ( for example ) of second order composite distortion there will remain at least 37 db of protection at the user outlet . a second order composite distortion contribution of 45 db is well below what can be achieved in the present state of the art . the only applicable condition therefore concerns the product of laser &# 34 ; chirp &# 34 ; ( wavelength fluctuation ) and transmission distance . for example , for lasers having a fluctuation of less than 1 200 mhz / mw coupled into the fiber transmission distances up to 30 km can be achieved . although the foregoing description has been given by way of specific example with reference to video cable networks in which said modulated signals are television signals transmitted by vestigial sideband amplitude modulation , in respect of which carrier frequency allocation is subject to standards , it will be understood that the invention is not limited to an application of this kind . | 7 |
a shatter proof enclosure and mount for motion a capture element will now be described . in the following exemplary description numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the ideas described throughout this specification . it will be apparent , however , to an artisan of ordinary skill that embodiments of ideas described herein may be practiced without incorporating all aspects of the specific details described herein . in other instances , specific aspects well known to those of ordinary skill in the art have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the disclosure . readers should note that although examples of the innovative concepts are set forth throughout this disclosure , the claims , and the full scope of any equivalents , are what define the invention . one skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments of the invention may be utilized in any equipment capable of coupling with the apparatus . this includes any piece of sporting , exercise or medical rehabilitation equipment , for example a baseball bat , hockey stick , lacrosse stick , helmet , skateboard , ski , snowboard , surfboard , golf club , tennis racquet , weight training bar , or any other equipment capable of movement . the apparatus may be located internal or external to the piece of sporting equipment and may show a visual marker for use in visually obtaining motion in combination with electronically detected motion obtained with the motion capture sensor . for example , the outer portion of the enclosure may display a visual marker on the outer portion while the inner portion of the enclosure may be located on or within a shaft or grip in the handle portion of the equipment for example . fig1 illustrates an embodiment of the invention 100 alone in perspective view and as mounted in a shaft of a piece of movement equipment , for example a baseball bat , hockey stick , lacrosse stick , golf club , tennis racquet or any piece of equipment having a handle near shaft 110 as shown in cutaway view . embodiments enable a mount for a new piece of equipment or that can be retrofitted in an existing piece of equipment . the mount may be located in the handle portion of the shaft , or for example within a grip that is to be attached to the shaft , and is configured to hold electronics and / or a visual marker . fig2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention broken into an exploded view of the main components along with the shaft handle and blow up views of the major components in transparent shading . one or more embodiments of the mount include enclosure or shaft enclosure 220 and expander 210 that may be coupled with an attachment mechanism , for example a screw aligned along an axis parallel to the axis of the shaft . the shaft enclosure and expander are situated within the handle , i . e ., shaft 110 . in one or more embodiments , the screw is then rotated to move the shaft enclosure towards the expander , which thus forces legs of the shaft enclosure in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the shaft . the force of the shaft enclosure against the inner wall of the shaft thus couples the shaft enclosure to the shaft based on the coefficient of static friction therebetween . any other mechanism of coupling the shaft enclosure to a shaft in a non - permanent manner is in keeping with the spirit of the invention . after the shaft enclosure and expander are brought close enough together via the screw to securely couple the mount to the shaft , then either the electronics package or a weight element that may for example weigh the same as the electronics , is coupled with the shaft enclosure . cap 230 is coupled with the shaft enclosure in either case , which provides a cover for the weight element or electronics package and which may include a visual marker and / or logo on the cap . one or more embodiments of the electronics package are removable to comply with any sporting rules that do not allow instrumented sporting equipment for example . any other method or structure that enables a non - permanent mount of the apparatus that requires no modification of the shaft is in keeping with the spirit of the invention . optionally , an identification element or id sticker , for example an rfid tag may be mounted within the enclosure , cap , or any other portion of the apparatus , for equipment identification , or shot count functionality . the identification element may also be implemented integral to , or coupled with the pcb in any manner as desired . if the electronics package is installed , then generally a positive battery contact , printed circuit board or pcb , an insulator or insulative spacer , with negative electrical contact and battery may be installed between the shaft enclosure and cap . optionally , a wireless antenna and / or gps antenna may be coupled with the cap or alternatively may be implemented integral to the pcb as desired . also see fig3 a - c , 4 , 4 a - d and 9 for more detailed views . fig3 a illustrates a detailed cutaway view of the main components of an embodiment of the invention , specifically expander 210 , shaft enclosure 220 and cap 230 . fig3 b illustrates a detailed cutaway view showing negative battery contact 450 , also shown in full in exploded view in fig4 . fig3 c illustrates a detailed cutaway view showing positive battery contact 420 , also shown in full in exploded view in fig4 . optional o - ring indentation 310 on shaft enclosure 220 provides a potential well for o - ring 320 to be located . different size o - rings may be utilized to provide a secure fit on the end of shaft enclosure 220 on the end near cap 230 . fig4 illustrates an exploded view “ a ” of the main mount components , namely expander 210 , shaft enclosure 220 along with screw 410 , positive battery contact 420 and battery 430 , while view “ b 1 ” shows a top oriented view of the insulator 440 , negative battery contact 450 , electronics package 460 , here a printed circuit board or pcb and cap 230 , while view “ b 2 ” shows a bottom oriented view of the same components shown in view “ b 1 ”. the left portion of shaft enclosure 220 shows extensions or “ legs ” that allow for the shaft enclosure to radially expand when expander 210 is pulled along the axis shown by screw 410 , when screw 410 is rotated . to keep expander 210 from simply rotating when screw 410 is rotated , expander 210 may include a protrusion ( shown on the left side of the expander ) that aligns in a slot formed by two of the shaft enclosure &# 39 ; s legs . in this manner , expander 210 is pulled along the axis of the screw without rotating along that axis . electronics package 460 for example may include active motion capture electronics that are battery powered , passive or active shot count components , for example a passive or active rfid tag , which for example may be coupled with electronics package 460 or for example coupled with insulator 440 . in addition , a gps antenna may also be coupled with electronics package 460 or cap 230 ( see fig9 a ). embodiments of the electronics may include motion capture accelerometers and / or gyroscopes and / or an inertial measurement unit along with wireless transmitter / receiver or transceiver components . the rfid tag enables golf shots for each club associated with a golfer to be counted . the rfid tag may be coupled with any component shown as rfid tags are tiny , for example cap 230 or shaft enclosure 220 or electronics package 460 , or any other element . golf shots may optionally be counted via an identifier associated with motion capture electronics on the golf club in conjunction with a mobile computer , for example an iphone ® equipped with an rfid reader that concentrates the processing for golf shot counting on the mobile computer instead of on each golf club . the visual marker may be mounted on cap 230 , shown as a circle with dots in view b 1 may be utilized with visual motion capture cameras . an equipment number , for example a golf club number may also be displayed on in a display area of the cap to indicate which club number is associated with the golf club , which is shown as a small circle with a number in it in view b 1 . embodiments of the visual marker may be passive or active , meaning that they may either have a visual portion that is visually trackable or may include a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode ( led ) that allows for image tracking in low light conditions respectively . this for example may be implemented with a graphical symbol or colored marker at the cap of the mount on the shaft at the end of the handle for example . motion analysis may be performed externally , for example using a camera and computer system based on the visual marker in any captured images . the visual data may also be utilized in motion analysis in combination with any wireless data from electronics package 460 . fig4 a illustrates an exploded view “ a ” of the main mount components of a second embodiment of the invention , namely expander 210 a , with ribs slightly offset with respect to expander 210 of fig4 . in addition , fig4 a also shows a second embodiment of shaft enclosure 220 a having coupling elements that enable second embodiment of insulator 440 a to securely couple to shaft enclosure 220 a without falling out if the mount is turned upside down for example . in this embodiment , insulator 440 a holds battery 430 inside while providing access to the battery so that positive battery contact 420 a and negative battery contact 450 a can make electrical contact with battery 430 . view “ b ” shows a bottom - oriented view of the insulator , positive and negative battery contact , electronics package , here a printed circuit board or pcb and cap . weight element 490 can be any shape so long as weight element 490 fits within , or couples in any direct or indirect manner with shaft enclosure 220 or 220 a and cap 230 for example . weight element 490 can be made to weigh as near as desired to the weight of the components that it replaces , for example to comply with any sporting rules that do not allow instrumented sporting equipment , e . g ., during competition . weight element 490 can also be utilized with the embodiment shown in fig4 as one skilled in the art will appreciate . fig4 b illustrates a perspective view of shaft enclosure 220 a and insulator 440 a of the second embodiment of the invention of fig4 a along with the positive and negative battery contact 420 a and 450 a respectively ( situated above holes in insulator 440 a ) along with battery 430 that is internally held within insulator 440 a . insulator 440 a includes for example snap components , e . g ., coupling elements 441 that couple with coupling elements 221 of shaft enclosure 220 a so that insulator 440 a and hence battery 430 do not fall out when the cap is removed . to remove insulator 440 a and hence battery 430 , tab 442 may be engaged with for example a finger , screw driver or other implement to disengage coupling elements 441 from coupling elements 221 . alignment component 443 enables rotational alignment of the insulator with the shaft enclosure . fig4 c illustrates a perspective view of the insulator along with the positive and negative battery contact 420 a and 450 a respectively , and battery 430 . coupling elements 441 are shown on the top and bottom in the written page , however any type of coupling element may be utilized in keeping with the spirit of the invention as desired . fig4 d illustrates a perspective close - up view of positive battery contact 420 a . in one or more embodiments of the invention , the positive and negative battery contacts may utilize the same structure . any type of positive and negative battery contacts may be utilized so long as they maintain electric connection between the battery and electronics package . fig4 e illustrates a top view of an embodiment of insulator 440 a that is configured to house a battery along with specific exemplary dimensions . to remove insulator 440 a and hence the battery within insulator 440 a , tab 442 may be engaged with for example a finger , screw driver or other implement to disengage coupling elements 441 from the coupling elements shown for example in fig4 b . in this figure , the numbers represent millimeters , and angle tolerances are within 2 degrees . as shown , this embodiment of insulator 440 a is configured to house a 6 . 4 mm battery . although not required for distribution in some countries , one or more embodiments of insulator 440 a may be constructed to be compliant with eu directive 2002 / 95 / ec ( rohs ) and eu directive 2002 / 96 / ec ( weee ). embodiments may alternatively be constructed to be compliant with any other electrical or manufacturing standards as desired . fig4 f illustrates a first side of the embodiment of the insulator of fig4 e . see also fig4 h for the cross section view . fig4 g illustrates a second side of the embodiment of the insulator of fig4 e . fig4 h illustrates a cross section view “ a ” of fig4 f . fig4 i illustrates a bottom view of the embodiment of the insulator of fig4 e . fig5 illustrates a close up perspective view of the electronics package 460 or pcb and associated positive contact 510 and negative contact 520 that are configured to make an electrical connection with the positive battery contact 420 and the negative battery contact 450 respectively . see also fig4 for an exploded view of the relative positioning of the components shown in this figure . fig5 a illustrates a second embodiment of positive battery contact 420 b located in the shaft enclosure . this embodiment is symmetrical in that there are two opposing sets of upward projections from the base plane that contacts shaft enclosure 220 . one of the opposing sets of upward projections of positive battery contact 420 b are slightly wider and are positioned within areas on shaft enclosure 220 to allow for radially aligning positive battery contact 420 b with respect to shaft enclosure 220 . fig6 illustrates a close up perspective view of cap 230 with electronics package 460 or pcb and negative battery contact 450 coupled with insulator 440 showing along with a coupling element , here four coupling points 610 ( with only the top two shown with reference number 610 with the inside portions visible , while the opposing two have only the initial slot openings in the cap visible ), and alignment element 620 . fig6 a illustrates a second embodiment of the negative battery contact 450 b having faceted surfaces as shown from the bottom side of insulator 440 . fig6 b illustrates the embodiment of fig6 a as shown from the top side of the insulator . the right portion of negative battery contact 450 b as shown may be folded over to engage insulator 440 while the opposing end of negative battery contact 450 b may freely travel in a slot provided in insulator 440 . the slot allows for the negative battery contact 450 b to flatten , and hence travel in the slot , based on the force generated by placing the battery against negative battery contact 450 b . fig7 illustrates a close up perspective view of the cap and alignment element . alignment element 620 allows for the angular alignment of insulator 440 , and electronics package 460 that have indents on their sides to engage the alignment element 620 . ( see fig4 ). by aligning insulator 440 and electronics package 460 with cap 230 , positive battery contact 420 and negative electrical contact 450 are also aligned rotationally since they couple to respective components non - rotationally , for example . fig8 illustrates a cutaway view of a second embodiment of electronics package 460 a in longitudinal form along with a second embodiment of a coupling element . any other orientation of electronics is in keeping with the spirit of the invention so long as the mount is configured to hold the desired electronics package . embodiments of the invention do not require modifying the piece of equipment , for example to include threads within the shaft . embodiments of the invention also can be flush mounted with the normal end of a shaft or have any desired low profile extension from a non - instrumented club . embodiments of the invention generally utilize a mount that is separate from the electronics so that the electronics package can be easily removed and replaced , or so that the battery can be easily removed and replaced , for example without any tools . as shown in this embodiment , a different coupling mechanism is used versus coupling points 610 , namely threads 810 that engage shaft enclosure 220 , which in this embodiment has corresponding threads . fig9 illustrates an embodiment of wireless antenna 910 , configured to mount within cap 230 as shown in the right portion of the figure . alternatively , the wireless antenna may be coupled with the electronics package 460 or may include any conductive element in any shape that can radiate electromagnetic energy . fig9 a illustrates an embodiment of the cap having two antennas , a wireless antenna , for example a bluetooth ® antenna and a gps antenna 920 . the gps antenna is optional and may be mounted in cap 230 as wireless antenna 910 is , or may be implemented in a different form factor or coupled with the pcb in any direct or indirect manner as one skilled in the art will appreciate . see also fig1 for another embodiment of the antenna configuration . fig1 shows an embodiment of shaft enclosure 220 b with angled area 1001 . shaft enclosure 220 b couples with cap 230 as is shown in the right portion of the figure . any other embodiment of the shaft enclosure detailed herein may be utilized on a shaft having a grip that either includes a hole or that does not include a hole and that wraps partially or fully around the motion capture element . fig1 shows grip 1101 , having a hole in the top of the grip that allows for the grip to be rolled down the shaft as is shown at area 1101 a . this enables cap 230 to be exposed , removed or otherwise accessed without removing the grip from the piece of equipment for example . fig1 shows grip at area 1101 b rolled back over angled area 1001 and onto the side portions of cap 230 . this enables the end of the cap 230 to be seen through the hole in the end of the grip , and enables the grip to provide extra support for the motion capture element . fig1 illustrates a spear collet cutaway view of an embodiment of the invention . spear 1301 couples enclosure 220 with the hole 1302 in the handle - based piece of equipment . the spear has a narrower portion shown at the hole , but this is not required so long as the spear is capable of holding enclosure 220 to the handle . fig1 illustrates a rear perspective view of the embodiment shown in fig1 . as shown , visual marker 1401 for motion capture detection via visual methods is shown on cap 230 of enclosure 220 . fig1 illustrates a handle - based embodiment of the invention . as shown , visual marker 1401 is visible and in one or more embodiment may contain high contrast or active elements to enable easier visual detection of the orientation and / or motion of the motion capture sensor for example with a camera . the embodiment shown may be coupled with a baseball bat or other handle based piece of equipment for example . fig1 illustrates a structural view of another handle - based embodiment of the invention . as shown , cap 230 , which covers the enclosure , is isolated from the piece of equipment via shock puck 1601 . shock puck 1601 may include any material that dampens or otherwise limits g - forces from the piece of equipment to assert force on the motion capture sensor . fig1 illustrates another handle - based embodiment of the invention . as shown , uncovered portion 1701 may be utilized to house an antenna external to the inside portion of the enclosure . in one or more embodiments , areas 1702 may be made from any material that enables radio frequency waves to emanate from the internal volume of the enclosure . alternatively , or in combination , the uncovered portion may provide an area for a small antenna that is then covered for protection as is shown in the next figure . fig1 illustrates the handle - based embodiment of the invention of fig1 showing the location of the antenna on the outer portion of the enclosure . as shown , antenna 1801 may be placed in the uncovered portion 1701 as shown in fig1 , which is shown in this figure partially filled with epoxy . two holes may be drilled through the cap to provide feed lines for antenna 1801 and also for ground point 1802 . the antenna and ground point may be covered as is shown in the next figure . embodiments of the enclosure that are metallic and for example behave as an electromagnetic shield may utilize this type of antenna and provide for an extremely durable enclosure and exceptional antenna coverage for example . fig1 illustrates the embodiment of fig1 with the antenna shown in fig1 covered with non - conductive material . as shown , the uncovered portion shown in fig1 is covered at 1901 for example , and flush with the other portions of the cap to provide a finished cap for the enclosure that provides maximal antenna covered , while still providing a visual marker for bot electronic and visual motion capture sensing capabilities . fig2 illustrates a cutaway view of an embodiment of the invention coupled with a piece of equipment having a handle . as shown , shock puck 1601 surrounds enclosure 220 to provide high g - force shock protection to the internal components of the motion capture sensor . one or more embodiments of the invention may be covered with an outer protective area 2001 , which may be transparent in one or more embodiments . fig2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention configured to couple with a helmet . as shown , enclosure 220 couples with mount 2101 that includes a half circle opening for example that may be fit around a helmet facemask tube or grill . screw 2102 may be tightened to close the gap between the mount and the screw backing to couple enclosure 220 to a helmet . fig2 illustrates the embodiment shown in fig2 coupled with the helmet . as shown , enclosure 220 is coupled with helmet via facemask tube or grill 2201 as per the elements shown in fig2 . any other method of coupling the enclosure with a helmet is in keeping with the spirit of the invention . fig2 illustrates a close - up of the embodiment shown in fig2 . visual marker 1401 is shown on the outside portion of the helmet for use in capturing motion with an external camera for example . fig2 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention coupled with a skateboard truck . as shown , enclosure 220 couples with or otherwise includes mount 2401 that is configured to couple with the existing screws of a skateboard truck mount 2402 . thus no extra holes are required for mounting an embodiment of the invention to a skateboard . the same configuration may be reshaped to fit holes associated with a snowboard binding or other planar oriented piece of equipment including skis as is shown in the next figure . fig2 illustrates an embodiment coupled with planar equipment . as shown , enclosure 220 may be mounted along with the snowboard binding 2501 of a snowboard . in one or more embodiments , the enclosure may be coupled with the snowboard mount itself , or utilize a flat version of mount 2401 to couple with an existing screw used to mount the binding . as shown in the lower portion of the figure , enclosure 220 may mount on or near the top of the surfboard or on the underside of the surfboard near the skeg 2502 since surfboards may be made from materials that enable the transmission of electromagnetic waves . in one or more embodiments enclosure 220 may be housed in streamlined mount 2503 and adhesively mounted to any planar equipment , for example the snowboard , surfboard or skis . streamlined mounts provide low wind or water drag and minimize interference with external objects for example . fig2 illustrates an embodiment coupled with a baseball bat . sensor mount and enclosure 2605 is installed on baseball bat 2601 . the sensor and mount 2605 has an external portion or enclosure 2610 that protrudes from the knob of the bat , and an internal portion or mount 2611 that is coupled with the bat , for example inside the bat . the external portion or enclosure 2610 of the mount encloses electronics 2620 , which may for example include circuit boards , a battery , integrated circuits , and an antenna . fig2 illustrates a risk with the prior art when an enclosure experiences an impact event . in fig2 , enclosure 2710 is attached to bat 2601 , as illustrated in fig2 . however , the mount 2710 is not designed to be shatter proof . baseball 2701 a approaches the bat and impacts the enclosure 2710 at location 2701 b . the impact force shatters the enclosure 2710 , and potentially the mount internal to the bat , and fragments such as 2702 a , 2702 b , and 2702 c generally move away from the impact area rapidly . these fragments may pose a safety risk ; for example , fragment 2702 c may hit the eye of the batter . fig2 illustrates an embodiment with a shatter proof enclosure and mount . as in fig2 , the mount is shown attached to baseball bat 2601 . this example is for illustration ; one or more embodiments may be attached to any type of equipment . the exposed enclosure 2610 is covered with a protective layer 2801 . this layer may for example include materials that are designed to flex rather than break , or materials that are sufficiently strong that they will not shatter under impact . materials in protective layer 2801 may include for example , without limitation , rubber , silicone rubber , plastics , thermoplastics , polycarbonates , acrylics , reinforced glass , metals , and carbon fiber reinforced polymers . one or more embodiments may use multiple protective layers . one or more embodiments may use protective layers of any size , thickness , and shape . fig2 illustrates an impact event with the mount of fig2 . baseball 2701 b impacts the enclosure , and protective layer 2801 deforms at location 2901 a ; however , the protective layer does not break . after impact , the impacted location 2901 b maintains integrity and prevents internal components such as 2902 from exiting the enclosure . although the internal components may be damaged , the protective layer 2801 prevents components or fragments from exiting the enclosure , mitigating the potential safety risk . one or more embodiments may use a mesh structure or composite structure instead of or in addition to materials that flex or resist shattering . the mesh may be for example embedded into the protective layer or the enclosure . fig3 illustrates an example with mesh 3001 integrated into protective layer 2801 . the mesh may for example prevent components from exiting the enclosure even if the layer 2801 experiences tears or breaking . fig3 illustrates a mesh installed on the outside of an enclosure . mount 230 has a mesh 3101 added to the external surface , which prevents fragments of the enclosure or internal components from exiting the mesh . the mount 230 has a visual marker 3102 which remains visible through the mesh . embodiments of the invention may be mounted on any type of equipment to prevent shattering for example . thus any mount described herein for any type of equipment may couple with an enclosure that utilizes or includes materials or layers as described in fig2 - 31 . while the ideas herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof , numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims . | 6 |
referring to the drawings and in particular fig1 , 17 18 , 25 , 28 and 32 , the rigid intersection connection 1 , 1 &# 39 ;, 1 &# 34 ;, 1 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;, 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, 1 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ;, and 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; of the present invention as shown in the structures of fig3 , 24 and 36 include a first elongated wood x structural member 2 having first , second , third , and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 ; a first elongated wood y structural member 7 intersecting the elongated wood x structural member 2 and having first , seat and second sides 8 , 9 and 10 ; a first elongated wood z structural member 11 intersecting the elongated wood x and y structural members 2 and 7 and having first , seat and second sides 12 , 13 , and 14 ; and a first rigid connector 15 constructed from a single sheet of sheet metal 16 configured for holding the intersecting elongated wood x , y , and z structural members 2 , 7 and 11 in a rigid embrace . the first rigid connector 15 includes : an xy support side member 17 dimensioned for registration with a portion of the elongated wood x structural member 2 ; an xz support side member 18 integrally connected to the xy support side member 17 along a substantial portion thereof and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the elongated wood x structural member ; a yx side member 19 integrally connected to the xy support side member 17 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the first side 8 of the elongated wood y structural member 7 ; a zx side member 20 integrally connected to the xz support side member 18 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the first side 12 of the elongated wood z structural member 11 ; a y seat member 21 integrally connected to the yx side member 19 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the seat side 9 of the elongated wood y structural member 7 ; a y side member 22 integrally connected to the y seat member 21 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the second side 10 of the elongated wood y structural member 7 ; a z seat member 23 integrally connected to the zx side member 20 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the seat side 13 of the elongated wood z structural member 11 ; and a z side member 24 integrally connected to the z seat member 23 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the second side 14 of the elongated wood z structural member 11 . the rigid connectors are connected to the elongated wood structural members as shown in the drawings by first fastener means 25 attaching the xy support side member 17 to the first side of the elongated wood x structural member ; second fastener means 26 attaching the yx side member 19 to the first side 8 of the elongated wood y structural member 7 ; third fastener means 27 attaching the y side member 22 to the second side 10 of the elongated wood y structural member 7 ; fourth fastener means 28 attaching the zx side member 20 to the first side 12 of the elongated wood z structural member 11 ; and fifth fastener means 29 attaching the z side member 24 to the second side 14 of the elongated wood z structural member 11 . this application describes three basic rigid connectors which may be constructed from the same sheet metal blank 16 . these rigid connectors are divided into three series 15 &# 39 ;, 15 , and 15 &# 34 ; which in turn have several modifications . the first series of rigid connectors 15 &# 39 ; are illustrated in fig1 - 21 and are constructed from the blank 16 illustrated in fig2 . the first series rigid connectors 15 &# 39 ; are used in the greenhouse structure 69 illustrated in fig3 - 14 , the bench structure 61 illustrated in fig2 , and the bunk bed furniture structure 68 illustrated in fig3 - 38 . the first series rigid connection 1 &# 39 ; is characterized by a structure in which the first elongated wood y and z structural members 7 and 11 are in general linear alignment and the xy and xz support side members 17 &# 39 ; and 18 &# 39 ; of the first rigid connector 15 &# 39 ; are in substantially the same plane . the parts of the first series rigid connector 15 &# 39 ; which are identical to the second series rigid connector 15 are designated by a single prime mark (&# 39 ;) and the description is not repeated . the third series of rigid connectors 15 &# 34 ; are illustrated in fig1 and are constructed from the blank 16 illustrated in fig2 . the third series rigid connectors 15 &# 34 ; are used in the greenhouse structure 69 illustrated in fig3 - 14 . the third series rigid connection 1 &# 34 ; is characterized by a structure in which the xy , and xz support side members 17 &# 34 ; and 18 &# 34 ; of the first rigid connector 15 &# 34 ; are disposed at an angle 70 and the yx side member 19 &# 34 ; and the xy support side member 17 &# 34 ; of the first rigid connector 15 &# 34 ; are disposed at an angle 71 . the parts of the third series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ; which are identical to the second series rigid connector 15 are designated by a double prime mark (&# 34 ;) and the description is not repeated . the second series of rigid connectors 15 are illustrated in fig1 , 15 and 16 and are constructed from the blank 16 illustrated in fig2 . the second series of rigid connectors have several modifications as follows : a first modified second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is illustrated in fig2 - 30 ( like parts are designated by the symbol (&# 34 ;&# 39 ;); a second modified second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; is illustrated in fig2 - 27 ( like parts are designated by the symbol (&# 34 ;&# 34 ;); a third modified second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 39 ; is illustrated in fig3 - 34 ( like parts are designated by the symbol (&# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 39 ;); and a fourth modified second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; is illustrated in fig3 - 41 ( like parts are designated by the symbol (&# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;). the second series rigid connectors 15 are used in the greenhouse structure 69 illustrated in fig3 - 14 , the bench structure 61 illustrated in fig2 , the log holder structure 54 illustrated in fig2 , and the bunk bed furniture structure 68 illustrated in fig3 - 38 . the rigid intersection connections 1 , 1 &# 34 ;, 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, 1 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;, 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 39 ;, and 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; illustrated in fig1 , 17 , 25 , 28 or 32 which includes third as well as second series rigid connectors include : a first elongated wood x structural member 2 having first , second , third , and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 ; a first : elongated wood y structural member 7 intersecting the elongated wood x structural member 2 and having first , seat and second sides 8 , 9 , and 10 ; and a first elongated wood z structural member 11 intersecting the elongated wood x and y structural members 2 and 7 and having first , seat and second sides 12 , 13 , and 14 . first rigid connector 15 1 is constructed from a single sheet of sheet metal 16 configured for holding the intersecting elongated wood x , y , and z structural members 2 , 7 , and 11 in a rigid embrace and includes : an xy support side member 17 dimensioned for registration with a portion of the first side 3 of the elongated wood x structural member 2 ; an xz support side member 18 disposed at an angle 72 to the xy support side member 17 and integrally connected thereto along a substantial portion thereof and dimensioned for registration with the second side 4 of the elongated wood x structural member 2 ; a yx side member 19 integrally connected to the xy support side member 17 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the first side 8 of the elongated wood y structural member 7 ; the xy support side member 17 and the yx side member 19 forming a first angle 30 ; a zx side member 20 integrally connected to the xz support side member 18 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the first side 12 of the elongated wood z structural member 11 ; the xz support side member 18 and the zx side member 20 forming a second angle 31 ; a y seat member 21 integrally connected to the yx side member 19 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the seat side 9 of the elongated wood y structural member 7 ; a y side member 22 integrally connected to the y seat member 21 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the second side 10 of the elongated wood y structural member 7 ; a z seat member 23 integrally connected to the zx side member 20 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the seat side 13 of the elongated wood z structural member 11 ; and a z side member 24 integrally connected to the z seat member 23 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the second side 14 of the elongated wood z structural member 11 . the first rigid connector 15 1 is connected to the elongated wood structural members by first fastener means 25 attaching the xy support side member 17 to the first side 3 of the elongated wood x structural member 2 ; second fastener means 26 attaching the yx side member 19 to the first side 8 of the elongated wood y structural member 7 ; third fastener means 27 attaching the y side member 22 to the second side 10 of the elongated wood y structural member 7 ; fourth fastener means 28 attaching the zx side member 20 to the first side 12 of the elongated wood z structural member 11 ; fifth fastener means 29 attaching the z side member 24 to the second side 14 of the elongated wood z structural member 11 ; and sixth fastener means 32 attaching the xz support side member 18 to the second side 4 of the elongated wood x structural member 2 . the rigid intersection connections 1 , 1 &# 34 ;, and 1 &# 39 ; illustrated in fig1 . 2 , 17 , and 18 may be made even more rigid and hold greater loads by providing a y side opening means 33 formed in the y side member 22 permitting double shear fastening of the y side member 22 to the elongated wood x structural member 2 and z side opening means 34 formed in the z side member 24 permitting double shear fastening of the z side member to the elongated wood x structural member 2 . double shear attachment is by seventh fastener means 35 dimensioned for insertion through the y side opening means 33 , the elongated wood y structural member 7 and into the elongated wood x structural member 2 ; and eighth fastener means 36 dimensioned for insertion through the z side opening means 34 , the elongated wood z structural member 11 and into the elongated wood x structural member 2 . double shear fastening is fully explained in my u . s . pat . no . 4 , 480 , 941 granted nov . 6 , 1984 entitled double shear angled fastener connector . a first modified second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is illustrated in fig2 - 30 . this form of the invention has been found to be suitable for connecting smaller dimension lumber to larger dimension posts . the rigid intersection connection 1 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; includes : a y side extension 37 integrally connected to the y side member 22 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; at an angle 41 and disposed in registration with a portion of the elongated wood x structural member 2 ; and a z side extension 38 integrally connected to the z side member 24 at an angle 42 and disposed in registration with a portion of the elongated wood x structural member 2 . connection is by ninth fastener means 39 piercing the y side extension 37 and inserted into the elongated wood x structural member 2 ; and tenth fastener means 40 piercing the z side extension 38 and inserted into the elongated wood x structural member 2 . a second modified , second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; is illustrated in fig2 - 27 . this form of the invention is particularly suitable for lumber of the same thickness . the rigid intersection connection 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; includes : a y side extension interlock 43 integrally connected to the y side member 22 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; at an angle 47 and disposed in registration with a portion of the z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;; and a z side extension interlock 44 integrally connected to the z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; at an angle 48 and disposed in registration with a portion of the y side member 22 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;. connection is by eleventh fastener means 45 piercing the y side extension interlock 43 and the z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; and inserted into the elongated wood z structural member 11 ; and twelfth fastener means 46 piercing the z side extension interlock 44 and the y side member 22 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; and inserted into the elongated wood y structural member 7 . a third modified second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; is illustrated in fig3 - 34 . this form of the invention is particularly suitable for large dimension lumber . the rigid intersection connection 1 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; includes : a y side member extension x structural member interlock 49 integrally connected to the y side member 22 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; at an angle 53 and disposed for registration with the z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ;; a restricted opening 50 formed in the y side member extension x structural member interlock 49 ; a restricted slot opening 51 formed in the z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; in registration with the restricted opening 50 formed in the y side member extension x structural member interlock 49 : and thirteenth fastener means 52 dimensioned for insertion through the restricted opening 50 formed in the y side member extension x structural member interlock and the restricted slot opening 51 formed in the z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 39 ;, and inserted into the elongated wood x structural member 2 . tab 89 connected to y seat member 21 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; and formed with a fastener opening for receipt of fastener 124 for insertion therethrough into elongated x structural member 2 , and tab 90 connected to z seat member 23 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; and formed with a fastener opening for receipt of fastener 124 for insertion therethrough into elongated x structural member 2 assist in increasing the rigidity of the rigid intersection connection 1 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ;. a fourth modified second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; is illustrated in fig3 - 41 . this form of the invention is particularly suitable for lumber of the same dimensional width and for structural rigidity . the rigid intersection connection 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; includes : a y side extension overlap 57 integrally connected to the y side member 22 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; at an angle 59 ; a z side extension overlap 58 integrally connected to the z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; at an angle 60 and disposed in overlapping registration with the y side extension overlap 57 ; and fifteenth fastener means 56 piercing the y and z side extension overlaps 57 , and 58 and inserted into the first elongated wood x structural member 2 . one of the simplest structures using a plurality of rigid intersection connections as described in the present invention is a log holder 54 which is illustrated in fig2 . this is only one example of a furniture structure , but it typifies one of the structures which takes advantage of the unique characteristics of the rigid connector of the present invention . any one of the second series rigid connectors could be used , but as an example , the second modified second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; as previously described in fig2 -- 27 is illustrated . the structure 54 as illustrated in fig2 includes : a plurality of rigid intersection connections 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; including : a first elongated wood x structural member 2 1 having first , second , third , and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 ; a second elongated wood x structural member 2 2 having first , second , third and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 spaced from and disposed generally parallel to the first elongated wood x structural member 2 1 ; a third elongated wood x structural member 2 3 having first , second , third and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 spaced from and disposed generally parallel to the second elongated wood x structural member 2 2 ; a fourth elongated wood x structural member 2 4 having first , second , third and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 spaced from and disposed generally parallel to the first and third elongated wood x structural members 2 1 and 2 3 ; a second elongated wood y structural member 7 2 disposed parallel and spaced from the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 ; a second elongated wood z structural member 11 2 disposed parallel and spaced from the first elongated wood z structural member 11 1 ; a first rigid connector 15 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; connected to the first elongated wood x structural member 2 1 , a second rigid connector 15 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; connected to the second elongated wood x structural member 2 2 , the first elongated wood z structural member 11 1 and the second elongated wood y structural member 7 2 ; a third rigid connector 15 3 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; connected to the third elongated wood x structural member 2 3 , the second elongated wood y structural member 7 2 and the second elongated wood z structural member 11 2 ; a fourth rigid connector 15 4 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; connected to the fourth elongated wood x structural member 2 4 , the second elongated wood z structural member 11 2 and the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 ; and fastener means 55 attaching the first , second , third , and fourth rigid connectors 15 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, 15 3 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, 15 4 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; to the elongated wood structural members 2 1 2 2 , 2 3 , 2 4 , 7 1 , 7 2 , 11 1 , and 11 2 . the log holder 54 may be made of any dimension lumber , but a typical lumber size would be 2 &# 34 ;× 4 &# 34 ; or nominal 2 × 4 &# 39 ; s . referring again to the log holder structure illustrated in fig2 and the second modified , second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; illustrated in fig2 - 27 each of the first , second , third and fourth rigid connectors 15 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, 15 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; 15 3 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, and 15 4 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; include : a y side extension interlock 43 integrally connected to the y side member 22 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; at an angle 47 and disposed in registration with a portion of the z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;; a z side extension interlock 44 integrally connected to the z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; at an angle 48 and disposed in registration with a portion of the y side member 22 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;; eleventh fastener means 45 piercing each of the y side extension interlocks 43 and the z side members 24 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; and inserted into the elongated wood z structural members 11 ; and twelfth fastener means 46 piercing each of the z side extension interlocks 44 and the y side members 22 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; and inserted into the elongated wood y structural members 7 . another furniture structure which is uniquely adapted for construction with the rigid intersection connections of the present invention is a work bench . the work bench may have four or more legs such as the five leg work bench in fig2 . to minimize the number of drawings , a four leg work bench has not been specifically drawn ; rather it may be readily envisioned that simply placing a table top means on the top of the log holder of fig2 would readily result in the formation of a work bench or table . to construct an even sturdier work bench , horizontal wood structural members may be used as in the 5 post work bench of fig2 . the description which follows refers to a four leg work bench as illustrated in fig2 , but with the additional horizontal support members as illustrated in fig2 . a furniture structure such as a work bench previously described may include : a third elongated wood y structural member 7 3 disposed from the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 and in parallel relation thereto ; a fourth elongated wood y structural member 7 4 disposed from the second elongated wood y structural member 7 2 and in parallel relation thereto ; a third elongated wood z structural member 11 3 disposed from the first elongated wood z structural member 11 1 and in parallel relation thereto ; a fourth elongated wood z structural member 11 4 disposed from the second elongated wood z structural member 11 2 and in parallel relation thereto ; a fifth rigid connector 15 5 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; disposed from the first rigid connector 15 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; and connected to the first elongated wood x structural member 2 1 , the third elongated wood y structural member 7 3 , and the third elongated wood z structural member 11 3 ; a sixth rigid connector 15 6 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; connected to the second elongated wood x structural member 2 2 , the third elongated wood z structural member 11 3 , and the fourth elongated wood y structural member 7 4 ; a seventh rigid connector 15 7 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; disposed from the third rigid connector 15 3 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; and connected to the third elongated wood x structural member 15 3 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, the fourth elongated wood z structural member 11 4 and the fourth elongated wood y structural member 7 4 ; an eighth rigid connector 15 8 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; disposed from the fourth rigid connector 15 4 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; and connected to the fourth elongated wood x structural member 2 3 , the third elongated wood y structural member 7 3 and the fourth elongated wood z structural member 11 4 ; and the fastener means 55 also attach the fifth , sixth , seventh and eight rigid connectors 15 5 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; , 15 6 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, 15 7 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, and 15 8 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; to the elongated wood structural member 7 3 , 11 3 , 7 4 , 11 4 , 2 1 , 2 2 , 2 3 , and 2 4 . fig2 is an illustration of a 5 post work bench . the description which follows includes the description of the four post work bench set forth above . while the work bench may be constructed from any of the rigid connectors previously described , the description which follows is based on the second series rigid connectors illustrated in fig1 and 2 and the first series rigid connector illustrated in fig1 . the furniture structure 61 illustrated in fig2 includes : a fifth elongated wood x structural member 2 5 disposed between the first and fourth elongated wood x structural members 2 1 and 2 4 ; a first , first series rigid connector 15 2 , which includes : an xy support side member 17 &# 39 ; dimensioned for registration with a portion of the fifth elongated wood x structural member 2 5 ; an xz support side member 18 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the xy support side member 17 &# 39 ; along a substantial portion thereof and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the fifth elongated wood x structural member 2 5 ; a yx side member 19 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the xy support side member 17 &# 39 ; and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the first side 8 of the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 ; a zx side member 20 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the xz support side member 18 &# 39 ; and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the first side 8 of the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 ; a y seat member 21 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the yx side member 19 &# 39 ; and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the seat side 9 of the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 ; a y side member 22 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the y seat member 21 &# 39 ; and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the second side 10 of the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 ; a z seat member 23 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the zx side member 20 &# 39 ; and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the seat side 9 of the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 ; a z side member 24 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the z seat member 23 &# 39 ; and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the second side 14 of the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 ; and the xy and xz support side members 17 &# 39 ; and 18 &# 39 ; are in substantially the same plane ; a second , first series rigid connector 15 2 , spaced from the first , first series rigid connector 15 1 &# 39 ; including : an xy support side member 17 &# 39 ; dimensioned for registration with a portion of the fifth elongated wood x structural member 2 5 , an xz support side member 19 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the xy support side member 17 &# 39 ; along a substantial portion thereof and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the fifth elongated wood x structural member 2 5 ; a yx side member 19 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the xy support side member 17 &# 39 ; and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the first side 8 of the third elongated wood y structural member 7 3 ; a zx side member 20 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the xz support side member 18 &# 39 ; and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the first side 8 of the third elongated wood y structural member 7 3 ; a y seat member 21 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the yx side member 19 and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the seat side 9 of the third elongated wood y structural member 7 3 ; a y side member 22 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the y seat member 21 &# 39 ; and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the second side 10 of the third elongated wood y structural member 7 3 ; a z seat member 23 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the zx side member 20 &# 39 ; and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the seat side 9 of the third elongated wood y structural member 7 1 ; a z side member 24 &# 39 ; integrally connected to the z seat member 23 &# 39 ; and dimensioned for registration with a portion of the second side 14 of the third elongated wood y structural member 73 ; and the xy and xz support side members 17 &# 39 ; and 18 &# 39 ; are in substantially the same planes ; and the fastener means 55 also attach the first and second first series rigid connectors 15 1 , and 15 2 &# 39 ; to the elongated wood structural members 2 5 , 7 1 , and 7 3 . table surface 125 may be attached to third and fourth elongated wood y structural members 7 3 and 7 4 and third and fourth elongated wood z structural members 11 3 and 11 4 . use of eight rigid connectors in any furniture structure such as the table structure illustrated in fig2 or the bunk bed illustrated in fig3 - 38 which follow eliminates the need for any diagonal bracing . the use of a plurality of rigid intersection connections of the present invention forming structures based on rectangles instead of triangles , makes it possible to form many useful structures with very little change in the basic structure . for example , the construction of a 4 post table using the basic structure of the log holder 54 in fig2 also may result in the formation of a basic 4 poster bunk bed ( not shown but similar to the structure of fig3 ). the description that follows is therefore a continuation of the description of the four post bench but instead of using the second series rigid connectors previously described and illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the fourth modified , second series rigid connectors illustrated in fig3 and 41 is used . the furniture structure such as a four post bunk bed may include the structure previously described for a four post table and also include : the first through eighth rigid connectors 15 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; through 15 8 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; each of which include : a y side extension overlap 57 integrally connected to the y side member 2 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; at an angle 59 ; a z side extension overlap 58 integrally connected to the z side member 2 4 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; at an angle 60 ; fifteenth fastener means 56 piercing each of the y and z side extension overlaps 57 and 58 and inserted into each of the first , second , third , and fourth elongated wood x structural members 2 1 , 2 2 , 2 3 , and 2 4 . amazingly , the rigid intersection connection of the present invention is capable of constructing a log holder , a work bench and a bunk bed , but it is uniquely capable of constructing an entire building based on one rigid connector . the structure illustrated in fig2 - 14 may be a storage shed , tool house or greenhouse or other garden utilitarian structure . note that the structure is based on a series of rectangles rather than a series of triangles as in all other building structures . the use of rectangles rather than triangles permits windows , doors , vents or other openings to be placed anywhere in the structure ; even at corners because there is no interfering diagonal members . use of the intersecting connections of the present invention eliminates the need for plywood or other sheathing to create shear walls in building structures . thus glass or plastic panels may be fitted in each of the rectangles in the greenhouse illustrated in fig2 - 14 . the greenhouse described in this application may have a flat roof , a shed roof or a peaked roof . the description which follows relates to a flat roofed greenhouse which is not shown in order to reduce the number of drawings in this application . the rigid connectors used in the construction of the greenhouse structure may be any of those described . a full description of each rigid connector is not repeated as the description has been set forth above for each of the different series connectors . in determining the particular rigid connector , one may refer to the previous description , the claims and the drawings . referring specifically to fig3 the building structure includes : a first elongated wood x structural member 2 1 having first , second , third , and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 and upper and lower ends 62 and 63 , a second elongated wood x structural member 2 2 disposed generally parallel to and spaced from the first elongated wood x structural member 2 1 and having first , second , third and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 and upper and lower ends 62 and 63 ; a third elongated wood x structural member 2 3 spaced from and disposed generally parallel to the second elongated wood x structural member 2 2 and having first , second , third and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 and upper and lower ends 62 and 63 ; a fourth elongated wood x structural member 2 4 spaced from and disposed generally parallel to the first and third elongated wood x structural members 2 1 and 2 3 and having first , second , third and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 and upper and lower ends 62 and 63 ; the first , second , third , and fourth elongated wood x structural members 2 1 , 2 2 , 2 3 , 2 4 provide corner studs in the building structure ; a first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 disposed between and intersecting the first and fourth elongated wood x structural members 2 1 and 2 4 and having first , second , third , and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 ; a first elongated z structural member 11 1 disposed between and intersecting the first and second elongated wood x structural members 2 1 and 2 2 and having first , second , third , and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 ; a second elongated wood y structural member 7 2 disposed parallel and spaced from the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 and intersecting the second and third elongated x structural members 2 2 and 2 3 and having first , second , third , and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 ; a second elongated wood z structural member 11 2 disposed parallel and spaced from the first elongated wood z structural member 11 2 , and intersecting the second and third elongated wood x structural members 2 2 and 2 3 and having first , second , third and fourth sides 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 ; the first and second elongated wood y structural members 7 1 and 7 2 and the first and second elongated wood z structural members 11 1 and 11 2 form a perimeter sill in the building ; a first , second series rigid connector 15 1 connected to and forming a rigid interconnection with the first elongated wood x structural member 2 1 , the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 and the first elongated wood z structural member 11 1 ; a second , second series rigid connector means 15 2 connected to and forming a rigid interconnection with the second elongated wood x structural member 2 2 , the first elongated wood z structural member 11 1 and the second elongated wood y structural member 7 2 ; a third , second series rigid connector means 15 3 connected to and forming a rigid interconnection with the third elongated wood x structural member 2 3 , the second elongated wood y structural member 7 2 and the second elongated wood z structural member 11 2 ; a fourth , second series rigid connector means 15 4 connected to and forming a rigid interconnection with the fourth elongated wood x structural member 2 4 , the second elongated wood z structural member 11 2 and the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 ; roof means such as a flat structure connected to the upper portions 62 of the elongated wood x structural members 2 1 , 2 2 , 2 3 , and 2 4 ; fastener means 25 - 29 , 32 , and 56 attaching the first , second , third , and fourth , second series rigid connectors 15 1 , 15 2 , 15 3 , and 15 4 , to the elongated wood structural members 2 1 , 2 2 , 2 3 2 4 , 11 1 , 7 2 , 11 2 and 7 1 ; and the first elongated wood x structural member 2 1 , the first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 , the fourth elongated wood x structural member 2 4 and the roof means form a rectangular opening . the previously described building structure with a flat roof may also be formed with a shed or slanting roof by simply adding third series rigid connectors illustrated in fig1 and previously described . the additional structure for a shed roof building structures includes : the first , second , third , and fourth elongated wood x structural members have upper ends 62 ; a sixth elongated wood x structural member 2 6 disposed adjacent the upper ends 62 of the first and fourth elongated wood x structural members 2 1 and 2 4 ; a fifth elongated wood z structural member 11 5 having an upper end 64 and a lower end 65 intersecting the sixth elongated wood x structural member 2 6 and disposed in close association with the upper end 62 of the first elongated wood x structural member 2 2 ; a fifth elongated wood y structural member 7 5 having an upper end 66 and having a lower end 67 intersecting the sixth elongated wood x structural member 2 6 and disposed in close association with the upper end 62 of the fourth elongated wood x structural member 2 4 ; a first , third series rigid connector means 15 1 &# 34 ; connected to and forming a rigid interconnection with the sixth elongated wood x structural member 2 6 , the first elongated wood x structural member 2 1 and the fifth elongated wood z structural member 11 5 ; a second , third series rigid connector means 15 2 &# 34 ; connected to and forming a rigid interconnection with the sixth elongated wood x structural member 2 6 , the fourth elongated wood x structural member 2 4 , and the fifth elongated wood y structural member 7 5 ; and panel means connecting the upper ends 64 and 66 of the fifth elongated wood z structural member 11 5 and the fifth elongated wood y structural member 7 5 and the upper ends 62 of the second and third elongated wood x structural members 2 2 and 2 3 . the building structure with a peaked roof is illustrated in fig3 - 14 . this structure differs only with the previously shed roofed structure in that two additional third series rigid connectors illustrated in fig1 are required and two additional second series rigid connectors are added . any of the second series rigid connectors previously described may be used . the peaked roof building structure 69 illustrated in fig3 in addition to the description for the shed roof structure includes : a seventh elongated wood x structural member 2 7 disposed adjacent the upper ends 62 of the second and third elongated wood x structural members 2 2 and 2 3 ; an eighth elongated wood x structural member 2 8 disposed from and parallel to the sixth and seventh elongated wood structural x members 2 6 and 2 7 ; a sixth elongated wood y structural member 7 6 having upper and lower ends 66 and 67 and intersecting the seventh and eighth elongated wood x structural members 2 7 and 2 8 and the fifth elongated wood z structural member 11 5 , and the lower end 67 being disposed in close association with the upper enlongated 62 of the second elongated wood x structural member 2 2 ; a sixth elongated wood z structural member 11 6 having upper and lower ends 64 and 65 and intersecting the seventh elongated wood x structural member 2 7 and the fifth elongated wood y structural member 7 5 , and disposed in close association with the upper end 62 of the third elongated wood x structural member 2 3 ; a third , third series rigid connector means 15 3 &# 34 ; connected to and forming a rigid interconnection with the seventh elongated wood x structural member 2 7 , the second elongated wood x structural member 2 2 and the sixth elongated wood y structural member 7 6 ; a fourth , third series rigid connector means 15 4 &# 34 ; connected to and forming a rigid interconnection with the seventh elongated wood x structural member 2 7 , the third elongated wood x structural member 2 3 , and the sixth elongated wood z structural member 11 6 ; a ninth , second series rigid connector means 15 9 connected to and forming a rigid interconnection with the eighth elongated wood x structural member 2 8 , the sixth elongated wood y structural member 7 6 and the fifth elongated wood z structural member 11 5 ; a tenth , second series rigid connector means 15 10 connected to and forming a rigid interconnection with the eighth elongated wood x structural member 2 8 , the fifth elongated wood y structural member 7 5 and the sixth elongated wood z structural member 11 6 ; and fastener means 55 attaching the third and fourth , third series rigid connectors 15 3 &# 34 ; and 15 4 &# 34 ; and the ninth and tenth second series rigid connectors 15 9 and 15 10 to the elongated wood structural members 2 7 , 2 8 , 7 6 , 11 6 , 11 5 , and 7 5 . surprisingly , the first , second , and third series connectors 15 &# 39 ;, 15 , and 15 &# 34 ; are all constructed from the same sheet metal blank 16 illustrated in fig2 . the second series rigid connector 15 illustrated in fig1 , 15 and 16 is constructed from sheet metal blank 16 illustrated in fig2 as follows : xy support side member 17 is bent up 90 ° along bend line 73 , y seat member 21 is bent up 90 ° along bend line 74 , y side member 22 is bent up 90 ° along bend line 75 , z seat member 23 is bent up 90 ° along bend line 76 and z side member 24 is bent up 90 ° along bend line 77 . first series rigid connector 15 &# 39 ; illustrated in fig1 - 21 is constructed from sheet metal blank 16 illustrated in fig2 in the exact same manner as second series rigid connector 15 explained above except that no bend is made along bend line 73 . third series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ; illustrated in fig1 is constructed from sheet metal blank 16 illustrated in fig2 in the exact same manner as second series rigid connector 15 except that variable bends may be made in either bend line 78 or 79 depending on the slope required as in the sloping roof for the greenhouse 69 illustrated in fig3 . first modified , second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; illustrated in fig8 - 30 is constructed from sheet metal blank 80 illustrated in fig3 as follows : xy support side member 17 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is bent up 90 ° along bend line 73 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;, y seat member 21 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is bent up 90 ° along bend line 74 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;, y side member 22 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is bent up 90 ° along bend line 75 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;, z seat member 23 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is bent up 90 ° along bend line 76 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; and z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is bent up 90 ° along bend line 77 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;. y side extension 37 is then bent down 90 ° along bend line 81 , z side extension 38 is then bent down 90 ° along bend line 82 , and blank 80 is cut along cut line 83 and cut line 84 . second modified , second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; illustrated in fig2 - 27 is constructed from the same sheet metal blank 80 illustrated in fig3 as first modified , second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;, except that no cuts are made along line cut lines 83 and 84 , nor is any bend made along bend lines 81 and 82 . instead , y side extension interlock 43 is bent down 90 ° along bend line 85 and z side extension interlock 44 is bent down 90 ° along bend line 86 . third modified , second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; illustrated in fig3 - 34 is constructed from sheet metal blank 87 illustrated in fig3 as follows : xy support side member 17 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; is bent up 90 ° along bend line 73 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ;, y seat member 21 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; is bent up 90 ° along bend line 74 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ;, y side member 22 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; is bent up 90 ° along bend line 75 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ;, z seat member 23 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; is bent up 90 ° along bend line 76 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; and z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; is bent up 90 ° along bend line 77 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ;. in addition , y side member extension x structural member interlock 49 is bent down 90 ° along bend line 88 , and tabs 89 and 90 are bent down 90 ° along bend lines 91 and 92 . fasteners 124 attach tabs 89 and 90 to elongated wood structural member 2 . fourth modified , second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; illustrated in fig3 - 41 is constructed from sheet metal blank 93 illustrated in fig4 as follows : xy support side member 17 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; is bent down 90 ° along bend line 73 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;, y seat member 21 is bent down 90 ° along bend line 74 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;, y side member 22 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; is bent down 90 ° along bend line 75 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;, z seat member 23 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; is bent down 90 ° along bend line 76 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; and z side member 24 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; is bent down 90 ° along bend line 77 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; in addition , y side extension overlap 57 is bend up 45 ° along bend line 94 and z side extension overlap 58 is bent up 45 ° along bend line 95 . fourth modified , first series rigid connector 15 &# 39 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; as illustrated in fig4 - 45 is constructed from sheet metal blank 93 illustrated in fig4 in the exact same manner as fourth modified , second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; explained above except that no bend is made along bend line 73 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; nor is any bend made along bend lines 94 and 95 . the description of fourth modified , first series rigid connector 15 &# 39 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; as illustrated in fig4 - 45 is identical to the description of fourth modified , second series rigid connector 15 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; illustrated in fig3 - 41 except for the absence of bending along bend line 73 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;, and bend lines 57 and 58 . numbering of rigid intersection connection 1 &# 39 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; in fig4 - 45 is identical to the numbering of rigid intersection connection 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; in fig3 - 41 except that the designation (&# 39 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;) is set forth after the numbers in fig4 - 45 instead of the designation (&# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;) set forth after the numbers in fig3 - 41 . rigid intersection connections 1 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; and 1 &# 39 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; are used in the construction of the furniture structure 68 sometimes referred to as the &# 34 ; bunk bed &# 34 ; in fig3 - 38 . referring to fig4 - 51 , a rigid angle 96 is illustrated which is ancillary to the structures of the present invention based on rectangles rather than triangles . the rigid angle 96 consists of a first side 97 , connected at right angles to a second side 98 and formed with a first member 99 integrally connected to first side 97 along bend line 101 and a second member 100 integrally connected to second side 98 along bend line 102 and constructed from a sheet metal blank 103 illustrated in fig4 . attachment in furniture products is preferably by screws or lag bolts 104 . construction of the building structure 69 such as a greenhouse illustrated in fig3 - 14 is generally as set forth above , but with the following additional description . a plurality of intermediate elongated wood x structural members 2 9 are attached at their bottom ends to elongated wood y structural members 7 1 and 7 2 at spaced intervals by a plurality of first series rigid connectors 15 &# 39 ; and at their top ends to sixth and seventh elongated x structural members 2 6 and 2 7 by third series rigid connectors 15 &# 34 ;. a door 105 may be hung in door frame members 106 and 107 in which their bottom ends are attached to first elongated wood z structural member 11 1 by first series rigid connectors 15 &# 39 ; and their top ends by rigid angles 96 . in addition to the roof structure previously described , a plurality of intermediate rafters or intermediate elongated wood z structural members 11 7 and intermediate elongated wood y structural members 7 7 may be spaced at intervals with their lower ends connected to sixth and seventh elongated wood x structural members 2 6 and 2 7 by third series rigid connectors 15 &# 34 ; and their top ends connected to eighth elongated wood x structural member 2 8 by second series rigid connectors 15 . a movable roof vent 109 may be located in the roof structure . preferably the movable roof vent is controlled for opening and closing by a temperature sensitive means so that a more even temperature may be maintained in the greenhouse . movable roof vent 109 may be framed by framing member 112 . preferably movable lower side vent 108 is also installed in the side or rear of the greenhouse 69 to admit cool fresh air when needed . an alternate form of construction is illustrated in fig8 , 13 and 14 . the rear elevation of the building structure illustrated in fig8 may be constructed with a window 114 set in window frames 113 and a movable vent 115 installed below window 114 . to strengthen the building structure , fire stops 116 may be installed as required and connected to the wood members by either first series rigid connectors 15 &# 39 ; or second series rigid connectors 15 as required . door 105 may be one piece or it may be a two piece &# 34 ; dutch door &# 34 ; divided into upper and lower portions 110 and 111 . a basic version of furniture structure 68 , also known as a bunk bed was previously described . fig3 illustrates a more commercial form having ladder means 119 including an intermediate elongated wood structural member 2 10 connected at its upper end to third elongated wood y structural member 7 3 by first series rigid connector 15 &# 39 ; and including a plurality of ladder steps 120 . railings 121 may be connected to the upper ends of elongated wood x structural members 2 1 , 2 2 , 2 3 , 2 4 , and 2 10 by rigid angles 96 , first series rigid connectors 15 &# 39 ;, and second series rigid connectors 15 as required . load ledgers 122 may be added to support the edges of the bed frame , book shelves , desks and other loads to be held by the furniture structure . first elongated wood y structural member 7 1 may be removably attached to fifth rigid connector 15 4 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; and rigid angle 96 for ease in entering and exiting the furniture structure . research has indicated that college students assigned to small dormitory rooms or renting private rooms have very limited floor area in which to place their bed , desk and book storage unit . a combination bed and study unit illustrated 123 in fig3 and 38 using the rigid connectors previously described in this application was the structure which resulted from this study . the combination bed and study unit includes : a desk unit 117 connected to the first and second elongated wood x structural members 2 1 and 2 2 ; a storage unit 118 connected to the third and fourth elongated wood x structural members 2 3 and 2 4 ; ladder means 119 connected to the third and fourth elongated wood and structural members 2 10 ; and the fastener means 55 are threaded for installation and disassembly of the rigid connectors 15 , and 15 &# 39 ;, rigid angles 96 , and elongated wood structural members as set forth in fig3 - 38 of the drawings . for purposes of clarity and convenience , no connectors were drawn on fig3 and 38 . it is to be understood that the same connectors illustrated on fig3 are used in the construction of the bed and study units illustrated in fig3 and 38 . | 8 |
fig1 is a block diagram of a system environment 100 for radiation treatment planning and delivery , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . as shown , the system environment 100 includes an imaging engine 102 , a treatment planning engine 104 , and a treatment delivery engine 106 . the imaging engine 102 provides imaging data associated with patients needing radiation treatment . the imaging data may include visual representations of the interior of a patient &# 39 ; s body for medical purposes . in one embodiment , the imaging engine 102 generates the visual representation through one or more scanning techniques , such as computed tomography ( ct ), nuclear medicine including positron emission tomography ( pet ), and magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ). in alternative embodiments , the imaging engine 102 receives the imaging data from external sources and stores the imaging data in an internal data base . the imaging engine 102 transmits the imaging data associated with the patient to the treatment planning engine 104 for the purposes of generating a radiation treatment outcome for the patient . the treatment planning engine 104 processes imaging data associated with a patient and recommends different treatment outcomes to the patient &# 39 ; s physician , thus enabling the physician to efficiently identify the optimal treatment outcome for the patient . the treatment planning engine 104 includes a patient data module 108 , a notification module 110 , a contour definition module 112 , an outcome recommendation module 114 , a user interface ( ui ) module 116 , a patient data store 118 , and an outcome store 120 . the patient data store 118 and the outcome store 120 may each be , or include , one or more tables , one or more relational databases , and / or one or more multi - dimensional data cubes . further , though illustrated as a single component , the patient data store 118 and the outcome store 120 may each be a plurality of databases , such as a database cluster , which may be implemented on a single computing device or distributed between a number of computing devices or memory components . further , the various modules and data stores included in the treatment planning engine 104 may be physically co - located within one computing system or , alternatively , may be disparately located across multiple computing systems . the patient data module 108 manages patient data and stores such data in the patient data store 118 . in one embodiment , each patient has a unique identifier such that the patient data belonging to a given patient is stored in conjunction with the unique identifier . patient data includes , but is not limited to , imaging data received from the imaging engine 102 , electronic medical records ( emrs ) associated with the patient , information related to the patient &# 39 ; s treatment team ( e . g ., physician ), and the treatment machines ( e . g ., radiation therapy machine ) that is likely to be used for the patient . with regards to imaging data , the patient data module 108 may automatically receive new imaging data from the imaging engine 102 or , alternatively , may periodically request new imaging data from the imaging engine 102 . when new imaging data associated with a patient is stored in the patient data store 118 , the notification module 110 transmits a notification to the patient &# 39 ; s physician informing the physician that the data is available for further evaluation . in one embodiment , the notification module 110 regularly polls the patient data store 118 for new patient data . in another embodiment , the notification module 110 polls the patient data store 118 for new patient data when a physician accesses the treatment planning engine 104 to determine whether new imaging data has been received for any of the physician &# 39 ; s patients . the notification transmitted to the physician may be an email , a message transmitted over a short messaging service , or a push notification transmitted to the physician via a mobile application . the notification may include a link to automatically launch the contour definition module 112 . the contour definition module 112 detects the contours identifying the three - dimensional tumor volumes captured in the imaging data and the anatomical structures located in the same region as the tumor volumes . the contour definition module 112 may automatically generate contours of the tumor volume and anatomical structures using contouring techniques known in the field . in addition , the contour definition module 112 may automatically generate contours of the tumor volume and anatomical structures using historical contours created for the current patient or a different patient having similar imaging data stored in the patient data store 118 . the contour definition module 112 may provide suggested contours to the physician based on previously created contours stored in the patient data store 118 . the contour definition module 112 determines the suggested contours by comparing the image data associated with the current patient with image data for which contours were previously determined and stored in the patient data store 118 . when the image data associated with the current patient is statistically similar to image data stored in the patient data store 118 , the contour definition module 112 suggests the previously determined contours for the statistically similar image data to the physician . in operation , the contour definition module 112 leverages the outcome recommendation module 114 , i . e ., the mapping between contours and treatment outcomes , to provide the statistical basis for providing alternate contours for the tumor volume and the neighboring anatomical structures ( also referred to herein as the “ planning tumor volume ( ptv )”). in this embodiment , the contour definition module 112 utilizes definitions of the gross tumor volume ( gtv ) and / or clinical tumor volume ( ctv ), where the physician ( or alternatively an automated algorithm ) contours what is determined with high - confidence to be tumor . this gtv or ctv contour is the minimum suggested ptv size . a treatment outcome is created from this minimum accepted ptv size based on the mappings between contours and treatment outcomes 114 . the contour definition module 112 then creates series of uniform or non - uniform expansions of the ptv and maps these expansions of the ptv to outcomes based on the outcome results provided by the outcome recommendation module 114 . to reduce the potential number of contour suggestions , the contour definition module 112 may be configured with a threshold such that only contours that result in changes to treatment outcomes exceeding the threshold are presented to the physician . similarly , if a suggested contour results in a treatment outcome that is statistically similar to a contour of a previously treated patient , this contour may be presented with an additional indication that it matches a previous patient . in one embodiment , a metric of similarity may be euclidean distance between predicted treatment outcomes ( as output by the outcome recommendation module 114 ) and the previously - treated patient outcomes , or other distance - based metrics known in the art . a preferred method to calculate this distance - based similarity metric , s , is through the method of least squares between the predicted dose to the new patient based on each contour expansion , dnew , and the dose given to a previous patient , dprev : s =√{ square root over (( d new − d prev ) 2 )}. in this preferred method , if s is less than the threshold , the contour is recommended . here , the threshold may be chosen manually ( based on physician - preferred fidelity ), or may be learned from the variation in predicted outcomes across the cross - validated kth model constructed from the kth fold of the training data set . if the physician chooses to accept a suggested contour , then the predicted treatment outcome is presented to the physician . the contour definition module 112 also enables the physician to manually create and / or edit the contours of the tumor volume and anatomical structures . in operation , the contour definition module 112 provides a graphical user interface that includes a visual representation of the imaging data associated with the patient and one or more contouring tools that allow the physician to create or edit contours . fig2 is an exemplary user interface for defining contours on patient image data , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . as shown , the user interface includes a visual representation 202 of imaging data associated with a given patient . the user interface also includes contouring controls 204 that enable a physician to draw the contours around tumor volumes and neighboring anatomical structures . in the illustrated example , the region 206 is enclosed by a contour manually created by the physician using the contouring controls 204 . returning to fig1 , as the contour definition module 112 detects contours ( automatically or manually defined ), the contour definition module 112 transmits requests to the outcome recommendation module 114 to generate recommended treatment outcomes for the current patient based on the detected contours . the outcome recommendation module 114 performs a multi - feature comparative analysis between the current patient and previous patients to identify previously - administered treatment outcomes stored in the outcome store 120 that are applicable to the current patient . the outcome store 120 stores information associated with previous treatment outcomes such as , for example , previously planned radiation treatments that were approved for use on patients by medical personnel , or previously planned radiation treatments that were used on patients by medical personnel . in one embodiment , each treatment outcome specifies the dose of radiation that was administered to tumor volumes and any neighboring anatomical structure during the radiation treatment . in another embodiment , each treatment outcome specifies a probability of control for tumor volumes and / or probability of toxicity for any neighboring anatomical structure resulting from the radiation treatment . the outcome store 120 may also include a medical data database that includes medical data associated with the previously planned radiation treatments . in some embodiments , the outcome store 120 includes a processed database configured to store selected data that have been extracted and transformed from a medical data database and stored in the processed database . the outcome recommendation module 114 compares features extracted from patient data associated the current patient with features and / or outcomes extracted from data associated with other patients , as stored in the patient data store 118 , to identify recommended treatment outcomes for the current patient . the features associated with patient data may include a physics parameter , a treatment type parameter , a patient image parameter , and / or a disease parameter . in one embodiment , physics parameters may be , or include , penumbra , aperture , incident angle , beam energy , radiation type , depth of structure , and / or existence of bolus . treatment type parameters may be , or include , fractionation schedule , treatment margin , number of beams / arcs , interpretation of contours , and / or the clinicians who are part of the team creating the radiation treatment outcome . patient image parameters may be , or include , distance , volume , geometric relationship , and / or the importance of structures and surrounding structures . disease parameters may be , or include , disease stage , prior or post treatment therapy , prior radiation therapy , prior radiation damage to nearby tissue , disease type , disease histology , extent of the disease , and / or prior disease . any number of different types of techniques and / or algorithms may be utilized to identify the recommended treatment outcomes by comparing features of the current patient with previous patients , and may include statistical techniques , pattern - matching techniques , artificial intelligence techniques , and / or the like . in some embodiments , the outcome recommendation module 114 may include a search engine , a query module , and / or a database management component . identifying previously administered treatment outcomes based on a multi - feature comparative analysis , as performed by the outcome recommendation module 114 may be performed with the techniques described above , and is further described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 310 , 925 , filed on jun . 20 , 2014 , which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety . the outcome recommendation module 114 presents the recommended treatment outcomes for the current patient to the physician via the user interface ( ui ) module 116 . the ui module 116 generates a visual representation of each recommended treatment outcome . in one embodiment , the ui module 116 associates different visual indicators with the radiation doses delivered during the execution of the treatment outcome . as discussed above , each treatment outcome specifies the dose of radiation treatment delivered to one or more tumor volumes and nearby anatomical structures . for each tumor volume or anatomical structure , the ui module 116 determines a visual indicator for the corresponding dose based on the risk level associated with the dose . when the treatment outcome specifies a dose that delivers a larger than recommended amount of radiation to an organ at risk , the visual representation of the dose to that organ may be highlighted or color coded to represent the high risk . conversely , when the treatment outcome specifies a dose that delivers an acceptable amount of radiation to an organ at risk , the visual representation of the dose to that organ may be highlighted or color coded to represent the relatively lower risk . such visual indicators enable the physician viewing and evaluating the recommended treatment outcomes to quickly determine whether a given treatment outcome is optimal for the current patient . fig3 is an exemplary user interface generated by the ui module 116 for providing visual representations of recommended treatment outcomes , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . as shown , the user interface includes a structure column 302 that lists each of the structures and tumors identified by the contour . the user interface also includes one or more outcome columns , such as outcome column 304 and outcome column 306 . each outcome column is associated with a different recommended treatment outcome and lists , for each structure and tumor in the structure column 302 , the dose of radiation , if any , to be delivered per the treatment outcome . further , as illustrated , the doses of radiation in the outcome columns are color based on the risk level associated with the dose . returning to fig2 , upon evaluating the recommended treatment outcomes , the physician may select one of the recommended treatment outcomes via a control provided by the user interface module 116 . alternatively , when none of the recommended outcomes is deemed optimal by the physician , the physician may edit the contours of the tumor volume and neighboring anatomical structures via the contour definition module 112 . in response to the contours being edited , the contour definition module 112 transmits another request to the outcome recommendation module 114 to generate new recommended treatment outcomes that are subsequently presented to the physician . in such a paradigm , the physician is able to adjust contours and in real - time evaluate the impact on the tumor volume and the toxicity risk to the nearby anatomical structures . when the physician is satisfied with a given recommended outcome , the physician selects the treatment outcome for the current patient . in response , the outcome recommendation module 114 stores the contour in conjunction with the selected treatment outcome in the patient data store 118 . in addition , the outcome recommendation module 114 transmits a notification to the treatment delivery engine 106 indicating that the physician has selected a treatment outcome for the patient . the treatment delivery engine 106 enables a dosimetrist or physicist to create a patient - specific treatment delivery plan based on the treatment outcome selected by the physician (“ the selected treatment outcome ”). in operation , the treatment delivery engine 106 transmits a notification , such as an email or a push notification on a mobile application , to the dosimetrist or physicist indicating that the physician selected a treatment outcome for the patient . the notification may optionally include a representation of the selected treatment outcome and / or a link to access the selected treatment outcome . the dosimetrist or physicist evaluates the selected treatment outcome and creates a treatment delivery plan that is specific to the patient . specifically , the selected treatment outcome informs the dosimetrist or physicist of the clinically appropriate profile of radiation to be delivered including but not limited to radiation intensity , angle of delivery , multi - leaf collimator status , temporal fractionation , anatomy , presentation of the tumor , anticipated treatment outcomes , prior clinical staff , and anticipated treatment course . based on the treatment delivery plan , the treatment delivery engine 106 generates a patient - specific delivery template that configures a radiation therapy machine for delivering the radiation treatment to the patient . in one embodiment , the treatment delivery engine 106 interacts with a therapy machine control interface that is configured with standard communication protocols . the patient - specific delivery template identifies the tumor volumes as well as the anatomical structures that are to receive radiation treatment . for each volume or structure , the delivery template may also specify the percentage volume that is to receive radiation treatment and the dose of treatment to be delivered . in addition , this template may specify the optimization objectives , treatment protocols , beam orientations , collimator / multi - leaf collimator positions , couch positions , and other parameters known in the art . table 1 illustrates an exemplary patient - specific delivery template . the treatment planning engine 104 enables physician directed treatment planning where the physician is able to adjust contours around the tumor volume and in real - time or near real - time evaluate the impact on the tumor volume and the toxicity risk to the nearby anatomical structures . fig4 is a state diagram 400 illustrating the various stages of physician directed radiation treatment planning using the treatment planning engine 104 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in state 402 , patient data associated with a patient who is to receive radiation treatment is collected . such patient data may include imaging data , electronic medical records and information related to the anticipated therapy system . in state 404 , the patient &# 39 ; s physician , using the contour definition module 112 , defines the contours of the tumor volumes and / or the anatomical structures included in the imaging data that are to receive radiation treatment . in state 406 , the physician evaluates recommended treatment outcomes recommended by the outcome recommendation engine 114 to determine whether any of the treatment outcomes are suitable for the patient . the physician iterates through states 404 and 406 until the outcome recommendation engine 114 presents a suitable treatment outcome . in state 408 , the physician selects the treatment outcome for the patient via the outcome recommendation engine 114 , which transmits a notification to the dosimetrist . in state 410 , the dosimetrist evaluates the selected treatment outcome and creates a treatment delivery plan that is specific to the patient . in state 412 , a radiation therapy machine delivers radiation treatment to the patient based on the delivery plan created by the dosimetrist . fig5 is a flow diagram 500 illustrating the steps for physician directed radiation treatment planning , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . other embodiments may perform the steps of the process illustrated in fig5 in different orders and can include different , additional and / or fewer steps . the process may be performed by any suitable entity , such as the treatment planning engine 104 . the treatment planning engine 104 receives 502 patient data , including , but not limited to , imaging data , data accumulated from the medical record , associated with a patient , and information related to the anticipated therapy system . the treatment planning engine 104 may automatically receive imaging data from the imaging engine 102 or , alternatively , may periodically request imaging data from the imaging engine 102 . imaging data associated with a patient includes visual representations of the interior of a patient &# 39 ; s body or a portion thereof . the treatment planning engine 104 detects 504 , based on the imaging data , contours identifying the three - dimensional tumor volumes and the anatomical structures near the tumor volumes . in one embodiment , the treatment planning engine 104 enables the patient &# 39 ; s physician to create and / or edit the contours of the tumor volume and anatomical structures via a graphical user interface . in alternate embodiments , the treatment planning engine 104 automatically creates the contours using pre - existing contouring techniques . the treatment planning engine 104 recommends 506 treatment outcomes for the patient based on the detected contours . in one embodiment , the treatment planning engine 104 performs a multi - feature comparative analysis between the current patient and previous patients to identify treatment outcomes stored in the outcome store 120 that are applicable to the current patient . the treatment planning engine 104 presents 508 the recommended treatment outcomes to the physician via a user interface that generates a visual representation of each recommended treatment outcome . the treatment planning engine 104 determines 510 whether the contour identifying the three - dimensional tumor volumes and the anatomical structures has changed . specifically , the physician may edit the contour using one or more contouring tools . if the contour changes , then the treatment planning engine 104 re - computes 506 new treatment outcome recommendations based on the updated contours . if the contour does not change , then the treatment planning engine 104 determines 512 whether the physician selected a given recommended treatment outcome . the treatment planning engine 104 continues to loop through 510 - 512 until the physician selects a plan . when the patient selects a treatment outcome , the treatment planning engine 104 provides 514 the selected treatment outcome to the treatment delivery engine 106 for the purposes of delivering radiation treatment to the patient according to the selected outcome . the treatment delivery engine 106 enables a dosimetrist or physicist to create a patient - specific treatment delivery plan based on the treatment outcome selected by the physician . fig6 is a block diagram illustrating components of an example machine able to read instructions from a machine - readable medium and execute them in a processor ( or controller ). the computer system 600 can be used to execute instructions 624 ( e . g ., program code or software ) for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies ( or processes ) described herein . in alternative embodiments , the machine operates as a standalone device or a connected ( e . g ., networked ) device that connects to other machines . in a networked deployment , the machine may operate in the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in a server - client network environment , or as a peer machine in a peer - to - peer ( or distributed ) network environment . each of the various engines and modules described herein may be implemented using all or some of the components of the computer system 600 . the machine may be a server computer , a client computer , a personal computer ( pc ), a tablet pc , a set - top box ( stb ), a smartphone , an internet of things ( iot ) appliance , a network router , switch or bridge , or any machine capable of executing instructions 624 ( sequential or otherwise ) that specify actions to be taken by that machine . further , while only a single machine is illustrated , the term “ machine ” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute instructions 624 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein . the example computer system 600 includes one or more processing units ( generally processor 602 ). the processor 602 is , for example , a central processing unit ( cpu ), a graphics processing unit ( gpu ), a digital signal processor ( dsp ), a controller , a state machine , one or more application specific integrated circuits ( asics ), one or more radio - frequency integrated circuits ( rfics ), or any combination of these . the computer system 600 also includes a main memory 604 . the computer system may include a storage unit 616 . the processor 602 , memory 604 and the storage unit 616 communicate via a bus 608 . in addition , the computer system 600 can include a static memory 606 , a display driver 660 ( e . g ., to drive a plasma display panel ( pdp ), a liquid crystal display ( lcd ), or a projector ). the computer system 600 may also include an alphanumeric input device 662 ( e . g ., a keyboard ), a cursor control device 614 ( e . g ., a mouse , a trackball , a joystick , a motion sensor , or other pointing instrument ), a signal generation device 618 ( e . g ., a speaker ), and a network interface device 620 , which also are configured to communicate via the bus 608 . the storage unit 616 includes a machine - readable medium 622 on which is stored instructions 624 ( e . g ., software ) embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein . the instructions 624 may also reside , completely or at least partially , within the main memory 604 or within the processor 602 ( e . g ., within a processor &# 39 ; s cache memory ) during execution thereof by the computer system 600 , the main memory 604 and the processor 602 also constituting machine - readable media . the instructions 624 may be transmitted or received over a network 626 via the network interface device 620 . while machine - readable medium 622 is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium , the term “ machine - readable medium ” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media ( e . g ., a centralized or distributed database , or associated caches and servers ) able to store the instructions 624 . the term “ machine - readable medium ” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing instructions 624 for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies disclosed herein . the term “ machine - readable medium ” includes , but not be limited to , data repositories in the form of solid - state memories , optical media , and magnetic media . the foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purpose of illustration ; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed . persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure . some portions of this description describe the embodiments of the invention in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information . these algorithmic descriptions and representations are commonly used by those skilled in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their work effectively to others skilled in the art . these operations , while described functionally , computationally , or logically , are understood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits , microcode , or the like . furthermore , it has also proven convenient at times , to refer to these arrangements of operations as modules , without loss of generality . the described operations and their associated modules may be embodied in software , firmware , hardware , or any combinations thereof . any of the steps , operations , or processes described herein may be performed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules , alone or in combination with other devices . in one embodiment , a software module is implemented with a computer program product comprising a computer - readable medium containing computer program code , which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or all of the steps , operations , or processes described . embodiments of the invention may also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations herein . this apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes , and / or it may comprise a general - purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer . such a computer program may be stored in a non - transitory , tangible computer readable storage medium , or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions , which may be coupled to a computer system bus . furthermore , any computing systems referred to in the specification may include a single processor or may be architectures employing multiple processor designs for increased computing capability . embodiments of the invention may also relate to a product that is produced by a computing process described herein . such a product may comprise information resulting from a computing process , where the information is stored on a non - transitory , tangible computer readable storage medium and may include any embodiment of a computer program product or other data combination described herein . finally , the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes , and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter . it is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description , but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon . accordingly , the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative , but not limiting , of the scope of the invention , which is set forth in the following claims . | 0 |
[ 0017 ] fig1 shows a sectional view of an ic socket 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the ic socket 1 comprises an insulative housing 2 , a metal plate 20 , and a loading plate 19 . the metal plate 20 supports the housing 2 from the side of a circuit board mounting surface 10 on the housing 2 . the loading plate presses an ic package 30 onto the housing 2 . the metal plate 20 and the loading plate 19 may be formed , for example , by stamping and forming . the housing 2 of the ic socket 1 is rectangular . an ic package mounting surface 6 is provided on a first side of the housing 2 , and the circuit board mounting surface 10 is provided on the other side of the housing 2 . the ic package mounting surface 6 is surrounded by walls 4 . the circuit board mounting surface 10 is configured to be mounted on a circuit board 8 . contact housing apertures 12 , which will be described later ( refer to fig2 ), are formed through the housing 2 from the first side , which is the ic package mounting surface 6 ( or upper surface as shown in fig2 ), to the other side or board mounting surface 10 , on which a circuit board 8 is mounted . the contact housing apertures 12 are arranged in a matrix . contacts 14 are press fit and fixed within each of the contact housing apertures 12 . a step 16 is formed along the entire periphery of the lower surface of the housing 2 . an opening 18 is formed in the metal plate 20 for receiving the lower portion of the housing 2 , formed by the step 16 . when the metal plate 20 and the housing 2 are assembled together , the edge of the plate 20 adjacent to the opening 18 abuts the step 16 in the housing 2 . a support portion 28 is formed at one end of the metal plate 20 , for example by bending . the support portion holds a rotating axis 26 of a lever 22 that operates the loading plate 19 . a crank shaped operating portion 24 is formed on the rotating axis 26 to urge the loading plate 19 downward when it is rotated . a bearing 32 is formed at the end of the loading plate 19 opposite from the end of the lever 22 . the metal plate 20 is provided with claws 34 for rotatably engaging an aperture 32 a formed through the bearing 32 . this structure enables the loading plate 19 to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow 36 of fig1 . a tongue piece 38 , which is to be pressed by the operating portion 24 , is formed at the end of the loading plate 19 opposite the end of the bearing 32 . in addition , a curved portion 40 , which curves downward in fig1 is formed at the central portion of the loading plate 19 . when the loading plate 19 is closed by rotating the lever 22 and is in the position shown in fig1 the curved portion 40 presses the ic package 30 ( shown by broken lines in fig1 ) toward the housing 2 . thus , electrodes 31 ( contacts ) of the ic package 30 , that is , the lga or the bga , electrically connect with contact arms 46 of the contacts 14 . next , the shape and the mounting structure of the contacts 14 will be described with reference to fig2 through fig4 b . fig2 is a detailed view of the area 42 indicated in fig1 showing only the housing 2 and the contacts 14 . fig3 a , 3b , and 3 c show the contact 14 , which is utilized in the ic socket of the present invention . fig3 a is a left side view , fig3 b is a front view , and fig3 c is a right side view of the contact 14 of fig2 . fig4 a is a plan view , and fig4 b is a bottom view of the contact 14 . first , with reference to fig2 it is clearly illustrated that the contacts 14 are engaged within the contact housing apertures 12 from the ic package mounting surface 6 to the circuit board mounting surface 10 of the housing 2 . each of the contacts 14 in the illustrated exemplary embodiment , as more clearly shown in fig3 a , 3b , 3 c , 4 a , and 4 b , is constructed by punching and bending a single metal plate . each of the contacts 14 comprises a base portion 44 ( also referred to as a fixing portion ) that extends in the vertical direction of fig3 a , 3b , and 3 c ; a contact arm 46 that extends from the base portion 44 upwardly ; and a terminal portion 48 that extends form the lower end of the base portion 44 downwardly toward the circuit board 8 . the contact arm 46 , as best shown in fig3 a and 3b extends from the side of the base portion 44 , and is bent along a vertical line to overlap the base portion 44 , and extending upwardly beyond the base portion 44 . note that the expressions up , down , left , and right will be employed to indicate those directions in each figure , to facilitate the description . the shapes of each portion of the contact 14 will be described in further detail . as most clearly shown in fig3 c , engagement protrusions 56 ( 56 a , 56 b , 56 c , and 56 d ), for frictionally engaging inner walls 54 of the contact housing apertures 12 . the engagement protrusions 56 are formed at the top and bottom of the base portion 44 on both side edges 50 and 52 thereof . the contact arm 46 is bent from the side edge 52 of the base portion 44 at a bend 58 . the contact arm 46 extends further upward from the bend 58 , and is bent toward the left in fig3 b . a contact point 60 , which has an arcuate upper surface for connecting with the contacts of the ic package 30 , are provided at the distal ends of the contact arms 46 . the terminal portion 48 comprises : a solder ball pad 62 , to which a solder ball 64 is soldered ; and a transition portion 66 , for linking the base portion 44 with the solder ball pad 62 . the solder ball pad 62 is of a discoid shape having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the solder ball 64 , and extends substantially parallel to the circuit board mounting surface 10 . the transition portion 66 offsets the solder ball pad in substantially the same direction as that in which the contact point 60 is offset . the transition portion 66 will be described with reference to fig5 . [ 0025 ] fig5 is a partial detailed view that shows the terminal portion 48 of the contact 14 of fig3 a - 4b . the transition portion 66 comprises a horizontal portion 66 a that extends substantially parallel to the circuit board mounting surface 10 and a vertical portion 66 b that is continuous with the horizontal portion 66 a and substantially perpendicular to the solder ball pad 62 . next , the operation of the transition portion 66 will be described in further detail . during soldering of the solder ball 64 onto the solder ball pad 62 a solder fillet 64 a is formed , by partially molten solder , between the solder ball pad 62 and the solder ball 64 around the entire periphery thereof . because the vertical portion 66 b , which is continuous with the solder ball pad 62 , is formed perpendicular thereto , the solder fillet 64 a does not flow toward the vertical portion 66 b . accordingly , the vertical portion 66 b functions to prevent solder fillet formation thereon . if the transition portion 66 extends rightward from the solder ball pad 62 then upward , as shown by the broken lines of fig5 then the solder fillet 64 a would flow toward the right from the solder ball pad 62 . then , the surface tension of the molten solder would cause the solder ball 64 to move to the right , and cause it to be fixed in a positionally misaligned state . as a result , the solder balls 64 and conductive pads of the circuit board ( not shown ) become misaligned , reducing the reliability of electrical connections therebetween . in sharp contrast , the ic socket of the present invention allows the solder balls 64 to be consistently formed at their predetermined positions . therefore , there is a reduced risk that positional misalignment will occur . in addition to the transition portion 66 , the size of the solder ball pad 62 ( slightly smaller than the solder ball 64 ) also works to achieve this characteristic . that is , the size of the solder ball pad 62 reduces the risk of horizontal movement of the solder ball 64 , thereby contributing to accurate positioning thereof . the transition portion 66 is not limited to being of the shape shown in fig5 . various shapes may be considered , as long as they prevent the flow of the solder fillet 64 a . for example , a modified contact 14 , having a differently shaped transition portion , is shown in fig6 . [ 0030 ] fig6 is a partial detailed view of a modified contact 14 a having a transition portion 68 with a single inclined portion 68 a . note that of the parts illustrated in fig6 those in common with the parts illustrated in fig3 a through 5 will be denoted with the same reference numerals in the following description . the transition portion 68 is inclined . therefore , it is difficult for the solder fillet 64 a to flow upward along the inclined portion 68 a . that is , it is difficult for the solder ball 64 to be pulled upward toward the transition portion 68 . in addition , the incline portion 68 a links the base portion 44 and the solder ball pad 62 with a shorter distance , thereby shortening the electrical path . the transition portion may be of a variety of shapes that discourage movement of the solder fillet 64 a toward the transition portion . for example , the shape of the transition portion may be a combination of the aforementioned vertical portion 66 b and the inclined portion 68 a . alternatively , the transition portion may be formed as an arcuate shape that curves diagonally upward . next , an alternative exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig7 . fig7 is a partial detailed view showing the terminal portion 48 of the contact 14 of fig3 a - 4b , with an alternate housing 2 a . in this embodiment , a protrusion 70 having a triangular cross section is provided on the circuit board mounting surface 10 of the housing 2 a . the protrusion 70 is provided to discourage movement of the solder fillet 64 a toward the transition portion 66 of the contact 14 . the protrusion 70 extends from the fixing portion of the circuit board mounting surface 10 , that is , the base portion 44 of the contact 14 , to the solder ball pad 62 . therefore , the distal end 70 a of the protrusion 70 prevents upward movement of the solder fillet 64 a when it attempts to flow along the transition portion 66 . accordingly , movement and deformation of the solder ball 64 is further prevented . next , a modification of the protrusion will be described with reference to fig8 . fig8 is a partial detailed view showing the terminal portion 48 of the contact 14 with an alternative modified housing 2 b . fig8 shows a state in which the shape of a protrusion 72 ( protrusive portion ) copies that of the transition portion 66 . that is , the protrusion 72 has a shape that is complementary to the right side of the transition portion 6 - 6 of : the contact 14 . in this case as well , the distal end 72 a of the protrusion 72 prevents movement of the solder fillet 64 a toward the transition portion 66 . in addition , a protrusion may be formed in the housing 2 , in combination with the contact 14 a having the inclined transition portion 68 ( shown in fig6 ). again , upward movement of the solder fillet 64 a along the transition portion 68 can be prevented by such a protrusion . in this manner , the transition portions 66 and 68 of the contacts 14 and 14 a may act as solder fillet stops by themselves , without depending on the shape of the housing 2 . however , by additionally providing the aforementioned protrusions 70 and 72 to the housings 2 a and 2 b , the solder balls 64 are enabled to be offset while more effectively preventing positional misalignment . in this manner , the protrusions 70 and 72 of the housings 2 a and 2 b also function as solder fillet stops . while the invention is illustrated and described with reference to particular exemplary embodiments , it should be understood that alternative equivalent structures are contemplated within the scope of the invention . for example , metal plate 20 does not have to be formed from metal , but could be formed from a non - metallic material . | 7 |
the invention is described with reference to the attached figures . the figures are not drawn to scale and they are provided merely to illustrate the instant invention . several aspects of the invention are described below with reference to example applications for illustration . it should be understood that numerous specific details , relationships , and methods are set forth to provide a full understanding of the invention . one having ordinary skill in the relevant art , however , will readily recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods . in other instances , well - known structures or operation are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the invention . the invention is not limited by the illustrated ordering of acts or events , as some acts may occur in different orders and / or concurrently with other acts or events . furthermore , not all illustrated acts or events are required to implement a methodology in accordance with the invention . the implementation of the inventive system disclosed herein advantageously does not add new hardware or additional cost to the existing eas systems . since the solution can be software - implemented , it can also be readily ported to older systems to enhance their performance accordingly . the invention is described herein in terms of an am eas system , however the method of the invention can also be used in other types of eas systems , including systems that use rf type tags and radio frequency identification ( rfid ) eas systems . the inventive system and method can identify the approximate location of a marker with sufficient granularity to determine if the marker is located between a pair of eas pedestals , as opposed to a location which is behind one of the pedestals in the “ backfield .” by strategically varying the amplitude and phase of individual exciter coils ( antennas ) and monitoring the associated signal response produced by a marker , the approximate location of the marker can be determined . as such , the system and method described herein can reduce undesired alarms an eas system having at least two transceiver pedestals , where a detection zone is defined between the pedestals . referring now to the drawings figures in which like reference designators refer to like elements , there is shown in fig1 and 2 an exemplary eas detection system 100 . the eas detection system will be positioned at a location adjacent to an entry / exit 104 of a secured facility . the eas system 100 uses specially designed eas marker tags (“ tags ”) which are applied to store merchandise or other items which are stored within a secured facility . the tags can be deactivated or removed by authorized personnel at the secure facility . for example , in a retail environment , the tags could be removed by store employees . when an active tag 112 is detected by the eas detection system 100 in an idealized representation of an eas detection zone 108 near the entry / exit , the eas detection system will detect the presence of such tag and will sound an alarm or generate some other suitable eas response . accordingly , the eas detection system 100 is arranged for detecting and preventing the unauthorized removal of articles or products from controlled areas . a number of different types of eas detection schemes are well known in the art . for example known types of eas detection schemes can include magnetic systems , acousto - magnetic systems , radio - frequency type systems and microwave systems . for purposes of describing the inventive arrangements in fig1 and 2 , it shall be assumed that the eas detection system 100 is an acousto - magnetic ( am ) type system . still , it should be understood that the invention is not limited in this regard and other types of eas detection methods can also be used with the present invention . the eas detection system 100 includes a pair of pedestals 102 a , 102 b , which are located a known distance apart ( e . g . at opposing sides of entry / exit 104 ). the pedestals 102 a , 102 b are typically stabilized and supported by a base 106 a , 106 b . pedestals 102 a , 102 b will each generally include one or more antennas that are suitable for aiding in the detection of the special eas tags as described herein . for example , pedestal 102 a can include at least one antenna 302 a suitable for transmitting or producing an electromagnetic exciter signal field and receiving response signals generated by marker tags in the detection zone 108 . in some embodiments , the same antenna can be used for both receive and transmit functions . similarly , pedestal 102 b can include at least one antenna 302 b suitable for transmitting or producing an electromagnetic exciter signal field and receiving response signals generated by marker tags in the detection zone 108 . the antennas provided in pedestals 102 a , 102 b can be conventional conductive wire coil or loop designs as are commonly used in am type eas pedestals . these antennas will sometimes be referred to herein as exciter coils . in some embodiments , a single antenna can be used in each pedestal and the single antenna is selectively coupled to the eas receiver and the eas transmitter in a time multiplexed manner . however , it can be advantageous to include two antennas ( or exciter coils ) in each pedestal as shown in fig1 , with an upper antenna positioned above a lower antenna as shown . the antennas located in the pedestals 102 a , 102 b are electrically coupled to a system controller 110 , which controls the operation of the eas detection system to perform eas functions as described herein . the system controller can be located within a base of one of the pedestals or can be located within a separate chassis at a location nearby to the pedestals . for example , the system controller 110 can be located in a ceiling just above or adjacent to the pedestals . eas detection systems are well known in the art and therefore will not be described here in detail . however , those skilled in the art will appreciate that an antenna of an acousto - magnetic ( am ) type eas detection system is used to generate an electro - magnetic field which serves as a marker tag exciter signal . the marker tag exciter signal causes a mechanical oscillation of a strip ( e . g . a strip formed of a magnetostrictive , or ferromagnetic amorphous metal ) contained in a marker tag within a detection zone 108 . as a result of the stimulus signal , the tag will resonate and mechanically vibrate due to the effects of magnetostriction . this vibration will continue for a brief time after the stimulus signal is terminated . the vibration of the strip causes variations in its magnetic field , which can induce an ac signal in the receiver antenna . this induced signal is used to indicate a presence of the strip within the detection zone 304 . as noted above , the same antenna contained in a pedestal 102 a , 102 b can serve as both the transmit antenna and the receive antenna . accordingly , the antennas in each of pedestals 102 a , 102 b can be used in several different modes to detect a marker tag exciter signal . these modes will be described below in further detail . referring now to fig3 a and 3b , there are shown exemplary antenna field patterns 403 a , 403 b for antennas 302 a , 302 b contained in pedestal 102 a , 102 b . as is known in the art , an antenna radiation pattern is a graphical representation of the radiating ( or receiving ) properties for a given antenna as a function of space . the properties of an antenna are the same in transmit and receive mode of operation and so the antenna radiation pattern shown is applicable for both transmit and receive operations as described herein . the exemplary antenna field patterns 403 a , 403 b shown in fig3 a , 3 b are azimuth plane pattern representing the antenna pattern in the x , y coordinate plane . the azimuth pattern is represented in polar coordinate form and is sufficient for understanding the inventive arrangements . the azimuth antenna field patterns shown in fig3 a and 3b are a useful way of visualizing the direction in which the antennas 302 a , 302 b will transmit and receive signals at a particular power level . the antenna field pattern 403 a , 403 b shown in fig3 a includes a main lobe 404 a with a peak at ø = 0 ° and a backfield lobe 406 a with a peak at angle ø = 180 °. conversely , the antenna field pattern 403 b shown in fig3 b includes a main lobe 404 b with its peak at ø = 180 ° and a backfield lobe 406 b with a peak at angle ø = 0 °. in an eas system , each pedestal is positioned so that the main lobe of an antenna contained therein is directed into a detection zone ( e . g . detection zone 108 ). accordingly , a pair of pedestals 102 a , 102 b in an eas system 400 shown in fig4 a will produce overlap in the antenna field patterns 403 a , 403 b as shown . notably , the antenna field patterns 403 a , 403 b shown in fig4 a are scaled for purposes of understanding the invention . in particular , the patterns show the outer boundary or limits of an area in which an exciter signal of particular amplitude applied to antennas 302 a , 302 b will produce a detectable response in an eas marker tag . the significance of this scaling will become apparent as the discussion progresses . however , it should be understood that a marker tag within the bounds of at least one antenna field pattern 403 a , 403 b will generate a detectable response when stimulated by an exciter signal . the overlapping antenna field patterns 403 a , 403 b in fig4 a will include an area a where there is overlap of main lobes 404 a , 404 b . however , it can be observed in fig4 a that there can also be some overlap of a main lobe of each pedestal with a backfield lobe associated with the other pedestal . for example , it can be observed that the main lobe 404 b overlaps with the backfield lobe 406 a within an area b . similarly , the main lobe 404 a overlaps with the backfield lobe 406 b in an area c . area a between pedestals 102 a , 102 b defines a detection zone in which active marker tags should cause an eas system 400 to generate an alarm response . marker tags in area a are stimulated by energy associated with an exciter signal within the main lobes 404 a , 404 b and will produce a response which can be detected at each antenna . the response produced by a marker tag in area a is detected within the main lobes of each antenna and processed in a system controller 110 . but note that a marker tag in areas b or c will also be excited by the antennas 302 a , 302 b , and the response signal produced by a marker tag in these areas b and c will also be received at one or both antennas . this condition is not desirable because it can produce eas alarms at system controller 110 when there is in fact no marker present within the detection zone between the pedestals . accordingly , a method will now be described which is useful for determining when a detected marker tag is within a backfield zone ( area b or area c ) as opposed to a detection zone ( area a ). the process described herein is advantageous as it can be implemented in a detection system 400 by simply updating the software in system controller 110 without modifying any of the other hardware elements associated with the system . referring now to fig5 there is provided a flowchart that is useful for understanding the inventive arrangements . the flowchart describes an inventive algorithm that compares the amplitude of the tag response captured in antennas 302 a , 302 b , and then uses that information to prevent undesired alarms caused by marker tags present in the backfield lobes 406 a , 406 b of an antenna . the process begins at 502 and continues to 504 where the detection zone ( e . g . area a ) is monitored to determine if an active marker tag is present . for purposes of the present invention , the monitoring at 504 can be performed in accordance with one or more different operating modes . for example , in a first operating mode the antennas 302 a , 302 b are excited simultaneously using an appropriate exciter signal and the responsive signal produced by the marker tag is then detected by receiving circuitry respectively associated with each of the antennas . in a second mode , an antenna at a first one of the pedestals ( e . g . antenna 302 a ) transmits an exciter signal and the responsive signal produced by the marker tag is detected by receiver circuitry associated with the antenna ( e . g . antenna 302 b ) in the second one of the pedestals . in a third operating mode an antenna ( e . g . antenna 302 b ) at the second of the pedestals transmits an exciter signal and the responsive signal produced by the marker tag is detected by receiver circuitry associated with the antenna in the first one of the pedestals ( e . g . antenna 302 a ). in one embodiment of the invention , only one of the operating modes described herein is used for the monitoring purposes at step 506 . however , in other embodiments , the monitoring step can include cycling through two or more of the different operating modes before the process continues at step 506 . due to the fact that an eas marker tag 112 may not be located in the exact center between the two pedestals 102 a , 102 b the , amplitude of the response signal may be different at the antennas respectively associated with pedestals 102 a , 102 b , and can vary in amplitude depending on which pedestal has transmitted the exciter signal . the various operating modes as described herein can be useful for confirming the presence of an active marker tag . at 506 a determination is made as to whether an active tag has been detected . this determination can be made based on detection of an eas marker signal response at antenna 302 a , antenna 302 b , or both antennas . the determination is made by system controller 110 using techniques which are well known and therefore will not be described here in detail . if no response has been detected ( 506 : no ), the process returns to 504 and monitoring for active tags in the detection zone 108 continues . if it is determined at 506 that an active tag has been detected ( 506 : yes ) by at least one of the antennas 302 a , 302 b then the process continues to 508 . at this point , an alarm flag can also be set by the system to indicate that an eas alarm condition may exist . a determination is made at 508 as to the amplitude of contemporaneous tag responses detected at antennas 302 a , 302 b . these contemporaneous responses are preferably obtained by generating an exciter signal field using antennas in both pedestals and then monitoring the tag response at both pedestals . still , the invention is not limited in this regard and it possible for the contemporaneous responses to be generated by an exciter signal field which is generated by only one pedestal , and then detecting the tag response at both pedestals . when an active marker tag is present in the detection zone , the contemporaneous tag response detected by one pedestal will generally be greater than or less than the response detected in the other pedestal . step 509 is an optional step which involves determining orientation of a detected eas marker tag . step 509 will be discussed below in further detail in relation to fig7 . following step 509 , the process continues to 510 where an exciter drive signal setting is selected or adjusted . more particularly , the exciter drive signal is selectively reduced for the antenna in the pedestal having the lesser of the detected tag response amplitudes . the exciter drive signal for that antenna is reduced so that when the drive signal is applied to the particular antenna 302 a , 302 b it is capable of producing a detectable marker tag response in tags located at a maximum distance which does not extend beyond the plane of the opposing antenna . this concept will be described in further detail below , but is illustrated in fig4 b which shows a scenario in which the exciter drive signal applied to antenna 302 a has been reduced . once the lower drive signal setting is established for the pedestal in which a lesser tag response is detected , the process continues in step 512 . at 512 , an exciter drive signal is applied exclusively to the antenna where the lesser tag response was detected , and using the reduced exciter drive signal . for example , if the lesser tag response was detected in pedestal 102 a , then the reduced amplitude exciter drive signal would be applied to antenna 302 a . the reduced amplitude exciter drive signal will produce a field that is capable of exciting marker tags in the main lobe of the antenna up to the distance of the opposing antenna , and no further . this concept is illustrated in fig4 b . note that as a result of the reduction in exciter drive signal , the antenna pattern 403 a is reduced in scale to show that it does not extend beyond the plane of the antenna 302 b . this is intended to illustrate that the field is not capable of producing a detectable marker tag response at a distance beyond the plane of antenna 302 b . a reduced amplitude drive signal applied at a first one of the antennas ( e . g . at antenna 302 a ) should result in no detectable marker tag response if the marker is in the backfield of the opposing antenna ( e . g . 302 b ). therefore the absence of a detectable marker tag response at 514 can be used as a basis to conclude that the marker tag is not present in the detection zone ( area a ). for example , in the scenario shown in fig4 b , the absence of a detectable marker tag response can be used as a basis to conclude that the marker tag must be present in the backfield of antenna 302 b ( i . e . in area b ) rather than in the detection zone ( area a ). if no response is detected at 514 ( 514 : no ), the process continues to 516 where the previously set alarm flag is disabled or cancelled . the alarm is disabled because the absence of response under the conditions described is understood to mean that the marker tag is in a backfield of the opposing antenna ( in the backfield of antenna 302 b in this example ). accordingly , an eas alarm is advantageously cancelled or inhibited . conversely , if a response is detected at 514 ( 514 : yes ) then it can be concluded that an eas tag is present in the detection zone between the pedestals . at this point , a previously set alarm tag is validated and the process could simply cause an eas alarm to be generated at 522 . however , as a precautionary measure to prevent undesired alarms , it can be advantageous to subsequently confirm the presence of the eas tag in the detection zone . for example , this can be accomplished at optional step 518 by applying an exciter drive signal to the antenna contained in the pedestal which had the greater amplitude tag response . this pedestal having a higher amplitude response can be determined using the response amplitude information as previously obtained at 508 . alternatively , a drive signal could be applied simultaneously to the antennas at both of pedestals 102 a , 102 b . thereafter , at 520 , a determination is made as to whether an eas marker tag response has been detected at one or both of the antennas 302 a , 302 b . for example , if the eas exciter drive signal is applied only to pedestal 302 b , then the eas marker tag response signal could be detected at pedestal 302 a . still , the invention is not limited in this regard and other confirmation methods can be used . if an active eas marker tag response is detected at 520 ( 520 : yes ) then the process will continue to step 522 where an eas alarm is triggered . the presence of the marker tag in the detection zone between the pedestals is assured based on the foregoing processing steps . at 524 a determination can be made as to whether the eas monitoring process should continue , and if so ( 524 : yes ) then the process will return to 504 . if processing is complete or the system is to be shut down , the process will end at 526 . it will be appreciated that the inventive arrangements described herein will require precise calibration of exciter drive signal power levels to ensure that the scenario shown in fig4 b is achieved . in particular , the reduced amplitude exciter drive signal referenced in relation to step 510 must be calibrated to produce a field that is capable of exciting marker tags in the main lobe of the antenna up to the distance of the opposing antenna , and no further . if the exciter drive signal is reduced too much , an electromagnetic field of required intensity may not extend fully to the opposing pedestal . in that case the exciter drive signal may fail to excite an active eas marker tag in the detection zone ( area a ), particularly if the eas tag is very close to the opposing pedestal . conversely , if the exciter signal is not reduced enough , the electromagnetic exciter signal field produced by the exciter drive signal may extend into the backfield area of the opposing antenna . in that case , the exciter signal may inadvertently produce a response from an eas marker tag which is not contained in the detection zone . accordingly , the correct power setting for the reduced amplitude exciter drive signal is an important factor for purposes of ensuring proper system operation . one problem with determining the correct reduced amplitude drive signal setting to be applied in step 510 is related to eas marker tag orientation . notably , the intensity of the rf field required to produce a detectable response from an eas marker tag can vary in accordance with the orientation of the tag relative to the antennas 302 a , 302 b . this means that the correct reduced amplitude drive signal setting applied in step 510 will vary depending on the physical orientation of the marker tag which is present . accordingly , it can be useful to have information concerning tag orientation for purposes of selecting the reduced amplitude drive signal setting . this information is optionally obtained at step 509 . marker tag orientation can be discerned by strategically varying the phase of individual exciter coils ( antennas ) in a pedestal and monitoring the associated signal response produced by a marker tag . a marker tag having an elongated length aligned substantially in a horizontal orientation ( i . e ., aligned along the x axis in fig1 , transverse to the vertical orientation of the antennas and pedestals ) is optimally excited by a “ phase aiding ” configuration in which the upper and lower antennas or exciter coils are excited in phase . this concept is illustrated in fig6 a which shows a partial cutaway view of a pedestal 600 comprising an upper exciter coil 604 and a lower exciter coil 606 which are excited in phase . conversely , a marker tag having an elongated length aligned substantially with a vertical orientation ( i . e . aligned with the z axis in fig1 , parallel to the vertical orientation of the antennas ) is optimally excited by a “ phase opposed ” configuration wherein the upper and lower exciter coils are excited out of phase . for example , the signals applied to the upper and lower exciter coils can be approximately 180 ° out of phase ( ø = 180 °). still , the invention is not limited in this regard and other phase relationships are also possible . the phase opposed configuration is illustrated in fig6 b . the different response characteristics can be used to determine a marker tag orientation as described below in fig7 . the flowchart shown in fig7 provides an exemplary set of steps which are useful for understanding how an orientation of a marker tag can be discerned in step 509 . once determined , this information can be used to select an optimal or correct reduced amplitude exciter drive signal for use at steps 510 and 512 . the process of determining orientation can begin at 702 by transmitting a tag exciter signal from the pedestal where the lesser tag response was detected in accordance with the comparison of step 508 . for example , if the lesser tag response was detected in pedestal 102 a , then the tag exciter signal is applied to antenna 302 a . the tag exciter signal is applied to an upper and lower antenna ( exciter coils ) in a phase aiding configuration similar to that shown in fig6 a . the resulting response from the marker tag is then sensed at the antenna in the opposing pedestal ( e . g . pedestal 302 b in this example ) and the received signal amplitude is stored by the controller 110 . the process then continues on to step 704 by again transmitting a tag exciter signal from the pedestal where the lesser tag response was originally detected at 508 . the tag exciter signal drive level is advantageously chosen to be the same as the level used at step 704 , but the signal is applied to the upper and lower antennas in a phase opposed configuration similar to that shown in fig6 b . the signal response produced by the marker tag is sensed by the antenna in the opposing pedestal and the amplitude value is again stored . at 706 , a determination is made as to whether the measured amplitude response received from the marker tag at steps 702 , 704 was greater in the phase aiding configuration or phase opposed configuration . if the detected response was greater in the phase aiding configuration then it can be concluded that the marker tag is substantially in the horizontal orientation . accordingly , the reduced exciter drive signal setting is selected to correspond to a horizontally oriented tag at 708 . conversely , if the detected response was greater in the phase opposed configuration , then it can be concluded that the marker tag is substantially in the vertical orientation . in that case , the reduced exciter drive signal setting is selected to correspond to a vertically oriented tag at 710 . in either scenario , the actual orientation of the marker tag may not be precisely vertical or horizontal . however , the orientation sensing process will provide a useful indication of a setting for a reduced amplitude exciter drive signal for use at steps 510 and 512 . referring now to fig8 , there is provided a block diagram that is useful for understanding the arrangement of the system controller 110 . the system controller comprises a processor 816 ( such as a micro - controller or central processing unit ( cpu )). the system controller also includes a computer readable storage medium , such as memory 818 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions ( e . g ., software code ) configured to implement one or more of the methodologies , procedures or functions described herein . the instructions ( i . e ., computer software ) can include an eas detection module 820 to facilitate eas detection and perform backfield reduction for reducing undesired alarms as described herein . these instructions can also reside , completely or at least partially , within the processor 816 during execution thereof . the system also includes at least one eas transceiver 808 , including transmitter circuitry 810 and receiver circuitry 812 . the transmitter and receiver circuitry are electrically coupled to antenna 302 a and the antenna 302 b . a suitable multiplexing arrangement can be provided to facilitate both receive and transmit operation using a single antenna ( e . g . antenna 302 a or 302 b ). transmit operations can occur concurrently at antennas 302 a , 302 b after which receive operations can occur concurrently at each antenna to listen for marker tags which have been excited . alternatively , transmit operations can be selectively controlled as described herein so that only one antenna is active at a time for transmitting marker tag exciter signals for purposes of executing the various algorithms described herein . the antennas 302 a , 302 b can include an upper and lower antenna similar to those shown and described with respect to fig6 a and 6b . input exciter signals applied to the upper and lower antennas can be controlled by transmitter circuitry 810 or processor 816 so that the upper and lower antennas operate in a phase aiding or a phase opposed configuration as required . additional components of the system controller 110 can include a communication interface 824 configured to facilitate wired and / or wireless communications from the system controller 110 to a remotely located eas system server . the system controller can also include a real - time clock , which is used for timing purposes , an alarm 826 ( e . g . an audible alarm , a visual alarm , or both ) which can be activated when an active marker tag is detected within the eas detection zone 108 . a power supply 828 provides necessary electrical power to the various components of the system controller 110 . the electrical connections from the power supply to the various system components are omitted in fig8 so as to avoid obscuring the invention . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the system controller architecture illustrated in fig8 represents one possible example of a system architecture that can be used with the present invention . however , the invention is not limited in this regard and any other suitable architecture can be used in each case without limitation . dedicated hardware implementations including , but not limited to , application - specific integrated circuits , programmable logic arrays , and other hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement the methods described herein . it will be appreciated that the apparatus and systems of various inventive embodiments broadly include a variety of electronic and computer systems . some embodiments may implement functions in two or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and data signals communicated between and through the modules , or as portions of an application - specific integrated circuit . thus , the exemplary system is applicable to software , firmware , and hardware implementations . although the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to one or more implementations , equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings . in addition , while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations , such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application . thus , the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described embodiments . rather , the scope of the invention should be defined in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
the invention &# 39 ; s various components assume that a number of “ best practices ” are applied to the implementation . for example , it is assumed that the relational database is accessible to all other components and applies strict rules and constraints that guarantee data integrity . presuming a best practices implementation , the processes that evaluate , transform and deploy digital assets are specialized enough to operate over a variety of digital formats and still cooperate and interact seamlessly with the system . for example , each form of digitized intellectual property has a dedicated software program built to expose a common system interface through which it can be controlled . in the case of a digital audio file , an mpeg 3 encoder / decoder obtains information about assets to be encoded for a particular distribution medium through this interface and performs its encoding task unattended for many thousands of digitized intellectual properties . the invention &# 39 ; s ability to identify exceptional digitized intellectual properties and / or tolerate chaos and errors without manual intervention is assisted by several quality metrics established by analysis of the following exemplary issues : a ) the quality of the original digitized intellectual property form , such as a master recording . for audio material , this evaluation can be assisted by an analysis of the frequency spectrum and amplitude envelope , as well as statistical clues evident in the accompanying metadata . b ) the quality of the digital transformations , if any , to prepare the asset for distribution . this evaluation can be assisted by the detection of waveform transients and other unusually randomized data within an audio or video stream . c ) the quality of accumulated and finalized metadata obtained by the fulfillment of internal business processes and / or correlation with external sources . for music , artist and repertoire , considerations are applied during the review process and the quality of such descriptions and judgments can be weighed by measuring the completeness , consistency and authorship of the data . in addition , audience awareness of musical compositions and artists can be gauged by querying web sites and publicly accessible databases . the quality of such information may be ascertained by similar methods . d ) the quality and accuracy of legal rights and privileges held by all parties with an interest in a particular digital asset . for audio material , this would include an automated analysis of contracts , explicit or implied , pertaining to composers , writers , performance rights organizations , publishers and the like . e ) the quality of the intended retail outlet with respect to consumer experience and asset delivery timing . as shown in fig1 , the process is initiated by the digitized intellectual property owner and transpires in the following manner : step 1 . ip owner or controller seeks to monetize digitized intellectual property (“ dip ”). the ip owner may be viewed as a client computer 102 in a networked environment ( e . g ., the internet ). step 2 . access web - based software platform through user interface . the web - based software platform may be a server 104 forming a portion of an intranet with a control computer 106 and a read / write memory facility 108 . step 3 . enter in relevant detailed description / characteristics and rules governing dip . in particular , a user of a client computer 102 inputs this information . this information may be entered using downloaded software from the software platform 104 . step 4 . customize format of dip — the way it will be exhibited before digital purchasers . this may be facilitated using downloaded software from the software platform 104 . step 5 . save information and send to the remote software platform . again , using the downloaded software from the software platform 104 , the information is routed over a network to the software platform 104 . step 6 . upload digital copy of ip to software platform . the digital copy of the ip is typically resident on a client computer 102 , but my come from any source . step 7 . where applicable , send physical copy to designated operator . thus , fig1 illustrates the acquisition of digitized intellectual property in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . as indicated above , the software platform 104 may be configured to deliver application interfaces to the clients 102 . the software platform 104 is also preferably configured to update an asset database , assign quality metrics , and assign a projected desirability value . the software platform 104 fully prepares all digitized intellectual properties for sale by applying a wide variety of transformations according to a prescribed schedule , as illustrated in connection with fig2 . for example : audio file is reviewed , catalogued and analyzed for initial quality and desirability metrics a digital sample file is prepared automatically based on an algorithm to determine the most representative contiguous segment of the asset relevant metadata is collected ( e . g . artist information , associated artwork , licensing terms ) consumer destinations are assigned a configuration matrix is established based on the above factors the matrix is then applied to produce the required formatting for all the digitized intellectual properties &# 39 ; components ( e . g ., artist images , metadata , audio file type ) audio components are automatically transcoded encryption and / or digital rights management are applied , as required components are sent to a designated staging area for syndication as business processes are applied to move digitized intellectual properties from acquisition to distribution , the quality metrics are combined with formulas to obtain an overall characterization of each asset . a minimal set of master thresholds are then set in order to determine which digitized intellectual properties are allowed to be released as finished goods . in this way , a quality standard is maintained and enforced with minimal effort , thereby contributing to the desired scalability for an automated business . those assets that are below the established quality threshold are archived and reviewed for potential exclusion from future exploitation . fig2 illustrates the software platform 104 operative with the control computer 106 . the software platform may interact with content servers 200 to perform functions , such as assign terms , such as royalty splits , assign syndication destinations , transcode and tag audio files , prepare audio samples , update remote content , assign quality metrics , and assign projected desirability based upon information processed during the review and transformation process . the next step in the process is to syndicate , or directly distribute , the digitized intellectual properties . the invention utilizes software to aggregate individual digitized intellectual properties from the staging area based on their desirability , quality and consumer destinations . all related dip components are prepared for syndication in the following manner as shown in connection with fig3 : step 1 . review information and copy of dip . step 2 . assign and / or confirm additional characteristics and syndication / distribution rules where necessary . step 3 . perform any additional tasks necessary to prepare dip for digital sale to consumers , such as preparation of sample clips of audio files . step 4 . encode dip in multiple formats through automated process . step 5 . validate that dip is ready for syndication to online distribution services / storefronts . step 6 . organize dips into categories , or other units , as requested by the various digital distribution outlets that will be selling dips to consumers . once a quorum of digitized intellectual properties within the staging area is available , as predetermined by management and / or previously analyzed metrics , the assets are copied to the relevant distribution export devices , including , but not limited to : the dips are then delivered to digital distribution outlets / storefronts in the following manner as shown in connection with fig3 : step 1 . store copies of dips and accompanying metadata onto physical media , such as dvd or hard drive , to send to the outlets or upload dips over an internet connection to a designated ftp or similar site . fig3 illustrates the delivery of a disk 300 and the uploading of dips via computer 302 . step 2 . ensure that digital distribution outlets receive dips and validate the information and quality of the dips . step 3 . emit xml , microsoft office , text , adobe and metadata documents . in sum , fig3 illustrates that the software platform 104 performs one or more of the following functions : organizes dips into specific destination buckets , generates xml and metadata documents , and copies transformed dip components . once the digitized intellectual properties are determined to be available to consumers through digital ( online and mobile ) distribution outlets , their activity and performance are monitored to produce final quality and desirability metrics plus revenue and sales analyses . the invention produces these results through several methods , including : importing sales and activity reports provided by the digital distribution outlets and collecting statistics on the performance of specific dips impersonating consumers of goods and services provided by the digital distribution outlets and analyzing their experience scraping publicly available web pages and / or public documents that describe the general awareness and popularity of the digitized intellectual properties in order to optimize the profitability of the business without manual intervention , a feedback loop is established between a revenue analysis and characterization of each digitized intellectual property . the desirability metric is established for each asset based on some attribute or trend that is determined to predict its ability to contribute revenue to the system . such assets are favored , rising to the forefront for priority processing , promotion , reporting and trend analysis . sales , royalty and performance ingestion from digital distribution outlets produce disbursement of funds . this can be more fully appreciated in connection with fig4 and the following exemplary operations : step 1 . track which digital distribution outlets received dips . step 2 . alert dip owner or controller — either though the web - based interface or other communication method — that their dip is available for sale through designated digital distribution outlets . step 3 . online outlets send electronic or physical copies of sales performance . step 4 . operator ingests dip performance reports into software platform 104 . step 5 . software platform 104 aggregates performance metrics and payment totals where appropriate . step 5 . dip owner or controller views totals through their human online interface . step 6 . operator processes payment to dip owner or controller as needed . the interaction between desirability and quality can be exploited to give the system an adaptive nature , using any of a number of widely available methods in the public domain to discover and introduce optimizations to formulas and processes automatically over time . for example , a formulaic or genetic analysis can utilize the metrics most recently received to adjust the algorithms that assign the initial metrics to incoming digitized intellectual properties . once the sales and activity reports from digital distribution outlets are converted from their respective formats to a uniform performance report , the aggregation of the sales activity is combined with royalty splits and other individualized terms to determine the payout to each digitized intellectual property owner . the invention is able to calculate the appropriate amounts in a fully automated manner and issue payable reports summarizing the overall disbursement of revenue . embodiments of the invention include various additional and alternative techniques . for example , an initial ranking of dip may be based upon the historical performance of the owner , as derived from previous rankings . the initial ranking may set an expected desirability metric and guide the initial distribution process to consumers and prioritization of processing resources . ideally , a large amount of data is gathered from the outset of the dip management process . this data can be reduced , modified or stored for later use as the ongoing dip management process unfolds . any characteristic of dip determined to have influence over desirability , quality and / or uniqueness is considered for archival purposes . in some embodiments of the invention , each quality characteristic is evaluated when dip is received and a combined total and probabilistic calculation is derived . for example , the ability to pay accurately on dip sales ( and thus use sales to determine quality and desirability ) is driven by the platform &# 39 ; s ability to receive accurate sales data from a distribution outlet . in one instance , the platform uses a fuzzy logic based technique call “ fuzzy matching ” that uses an automated function to match the true dip characteristics to the ones provided by the owner . fuzzy matching allows for some human error , but ranks the likelihood of an accurate match , and factors that into the overall assessment of the quality of the dip and the associated performance data . preferably , during each step along dip processing and evaluation , metrics are gathered and the dip &# 39 ; s summary characteristics and desirability matrix are continually updated . summarized dip characteristics can be adjusted and moved into different buckets or classifications in order to improve desirability and performance . the quality of specific dip data can be monitored to help set initial and ongoing prioritization . for example , how many metadata errors were found when dip was initially brought in ? missing information and excessive time taken to catalogue the digital asset results in relative de - prioritization because it can be anticipated that the expected value of the dip is low . overall robustness of metadata helps enhance the value of a dip , as it helps target its desirability segment . metrics are updated and an owner is assigned a generally higher ranking based on the positive combined assessment of all metrics gathered during processing plus continued good performance of the owner &# 39 ; s dip . most recent performance is weighted more heavily than decaying older performance metrics . as performance is calculated , investment in a specific dip , in terms of processing , human and capital resources can fluctuate based on return on investment . the invention can utilize scaling , such that at every step in the process where the system is required to utilize resources , all the resources submitted to that process are prioritized , and depending on the arbitrary conditions that are set , only the top performing assets are pushed through the process . the remaining assets can be delayed , thus maximizing use of resources and return on investment . process input and output may be governed by any number of graphical user interfaces . for example , an executive dashboard may be used that displays current conditions and enables executive responses that can influence the strategy of a business . this is accomplished by several controls that are available via a simple interface that clearly sets overall quality and desirability goals , thereby adjusting the balance between the number of assets permitted to be finished and the amount of resources to be expended . an embodiment of the present invention relates to a computer storage product with a computer - readable medium having computer code thereon for performing various computer - implemented operations . the media and computer code may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention , or they may be of the kind well known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts . examples of computer - readable media include , but are not limited to : magnetic media such as hard disks , floppy disks , and magnetic tape ; optical media such as cd - roms and holographic devices ; magneto - optical media such as floptical disks ; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and execute program code , such as application - specific integrated circuits (“ asics ”), programmable logic devices (“ plds ”) and rom and ram devices . examples of computer code include machine code , such as produced by a compiler , and files containing higher - level code that are executed by a computer using an interpreter . for example , an embodiment of the invention may be implemented using java , c ++, or other object - oriented programming language and development tools . another embodiment of the invention may be implemented in hardwired circuitry in place of , or in combination with , machine - executable software instructions . the foregoing description , for purposes of explanation , used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention . however , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that specific details are not required in order to practice the invention . thus , the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed ; obviously , many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications , they thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the following claims and their equivalents define the scope of the invention . | 6 |
the present invention provides a membrane composed of at least three elements , the first being a synthetic , hydrophobic polymer having a positive surface charge , which is non - biodegradable under physiologic conditions , at least one hydrophilic polymer which is biodegradable under physiological conditions and at least one plasticizer . without wishing to be bound by theory , the combination of these elements generates a membrane which is flexible enough to be able to generate three dimensional structures suitable for various therapeutic applications , for example , a hollow tube . moreover , upon exposure to fluid ( in vivo or ex vivo ), the hydrophilic polymer at least partially disintegrates and the membrane becomes porous , thus enabling the adhesion of cells . cells may be seeded on a membrane of the invention as will be further described below in detail . in further embodiments , a membrane of the invention may further include an active agent , as further detailed below . a membrane of the invention can serve as an infrastructure to allow guided tissue repair as well as a cell delivery system . a membrane of the invention may also serve as a barrier membrane for eliminating infiltration of unwanted cells , blood vessels and soft / scar tissue into the treated area , and for isolating the cells delivered in said membrane from the surrounding tissue , and preventing the leakage of cells and factors from the space inside the membrane to the surrounding tissue . a membrane of the invention may be used as such , for example , by covering a region into which the cells are delivered , however , in certain embodiments it may be used to form a three dimensional device ( for example a hollow tubular device ) which holds the cells to be deliver , or may coat a tissue engineering scaffold containing the cells to be delivered . in some embodiments , a membrane of the invention is folded into a desired three dimensional structure , e . g . a tubular device . the tubular device can be used as an infrastructure to allow guided tissue repair as well as to deliver cells into a tubular region of defect , such as a bone defect , and the membrane can be used to hold the delivered cells and components in the device and prevent infiltration of cells , extracellular matrix and blood vessels from the surrounding tissue into the space surrounded by the device . in other embodiments , a membrane of the invention is used for coating a tissue engineering scaffold . such a membrane - coated scaffold can hold cells to be delivered into a site in the body . the membrane coating isolates the cells delivered in the scaffold from the surrounding tissue and prevents the leakage of cells , and soluble factors from the space inside the scaffold into the surrounding tissue . coating of the scaffold with a membrane of the invention may allow better cell adhesion and higher doses of cells to be delivered to the target site . in yet other embodiments , a bone defected area can be wrapped after implantation of a scaffold with a membrane of the invention in order to prevent leakage of cells and soluble factors and to prevent growth of soft tissue into the scaffold . the term “ cell delivery ” refers to introduction of cells into a desired site in the body of an individual for therapeutic purposes . a membrane of the invention is suitable for seeding of any type of cells for example stem cells ( both adult and embryonic stem cells ). in other embodiments cell type may be selected from the following non - limiting list : mesenchymal ( stromal ) stem cells , umbilical cord blood cells , osteoblasts , chondroblasts , or cd105 + cells . the invention also encompasses seeding of pluripotent stem cells of embryonic origin as well as adult cells that have been reprogrammed to become pluripotent . the cells may be autologous , allogenic or xenogenic . in some embodiments , the cells are autologous adult stem cells , obtained , for example , from bone marrow or adipose tissue . cell seeding is performed in some embodiments ex vivo . the cells may be placed on the membranes ( for example formed as a hollow tubular device ) or placed in a tissue engineering matrix ( also termed herein “ scaffold ”) coated by the membrane of the invention . examples of tissue engineering matrix are those fabricated from either biological materials or synthetic polymers . in certain embodiments , a membrane of the invention , a tubular implant of the invention or a coated scaffold of the invention , with or without ex vivo seeded cells are placed at a desired location in the body . this location is typically a location where it is desired to generate new tissue which has been damaged by trauma , surgical interventions , genetic or disease processes . in some embodiments a desired site is a site where tissue should be generated from adult stem cells ; is some embodiments such a site is ligament , tendon , cartilage , intervertebral disc , dental tissue or bone tissue , most preferably bone tissue . generation of bone tissue is required in conditions such as non - union fractures , osteoporosis , periodontal disease or teeth implantation , osteolytic bone disease , post - plastic surgery , post - orthopedic implantation , post neurosurgical surgery that involves calvaria bone removal , in alveolar bone augmentation procedures , for spine fusion and in vertebral fractures . generation of tendon / ligament tissue is required for example following tissue tear due to trauma or inflammatory conditions . generation of cartilage tissue is required in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis , osteoarthritis , trauma , cancer surgery or cosmetic surgery . generation of intervertebral disc tissues including nucleous pulposus and annulus fibrosus , is required in conditions such as nucleous pulposus degeneration , annulus fibrosus tears , or following nucleotomy or discectomy . typically the membrane , for example in the form of a hollow tube is placed at the desired site by implantation . in certain embodiments , the membrane of the invention comprises a synthetic , hydrophobic positively charged polymer , a hydrophilic polymer , a plasticizer and an active agent and is further seeded with cells . in a specific embodiment the membrane of the invention comprises a synthetic , hydrophobic positively charged polymer and peg and is further seeded with stem cells . as used herein the term “ cell - growing surface ” refers to any artificial surface suitable for cell growth for example a slide , vessel or cell / tissue culture dish . the membrane coated cell growing surface in accordance with the invention thereby gains properties suitable for cell adhesion , proliferation and / or differentiation . the present invention provides a flexible membrane capable of supporting msc adherence , proliferation and differentiation . such a membrane can be used as treatment for bone regeneration applications . the healing of displaced fractures and regeneration of bone defects does not result only from proliferation of the locally present osteoblasts , but involves recruitment , proliferation , and differentiation of preosteoblastic cells . the differentiation of multipotent osteoblastic precursors is the main initial event in bone healing and callus formation , although preexisting osteoblasts might also be involved . any failure in the recruitment , establishment , proliferation , and differentiation of these progenitor cells can lead to delayed union or nonunion . there are many difficulties related to the healing of critical - size bone defects . in general , these difficulties result from the fact that there is an insufficient number and / or activity of osteogenic cells of the host to allow for healing . a membrane of the invention can guide bone regeneration as well as prevent unwanted vascularization in the newly formed bone . the membrane can also protect the area of bone defect from infiltration by connective and scar tissues , guide the osteogenic cells and allow storage of osteogenic components in the space enclosed by the membrane , which may potentially be released from the bone ends and bone marrow [ 10 , 12 ]. furthermore , placing msc attached to a membrane at the site of critical size defect model will provide starting material for a new bone tissue . therefore , implanting gbr membrane with expanded ex vivo msc may greatly improve the bone repair outcome . as demonstrated in the examples provided below , several polymers were tested in conjugation with various plasticizers . in one embodiment , a membrane constituted from amca and 15 % peg 400 could support good msc adhesion , proliferation and differentiation : ( i ) msc adhered to amca membrane with 15 % peg 400 as determined by light microscopy , fluorescent microscopy and sem . ( ii ) msc maintain their proliferative activity as determined by cfse labeling and flow cytometric analysis ( iii ) msc maintained their differentiation ability as determined by alizarin red staining . amca membrane containing 15 % peg 400 supported msc differentiation to osteoblasts . polymers : ammonio methacrylate copolymer type a nf ( amca , eudragit ® rl , degussa , germany ) and ethyl cellulose ( ec , ethocel ® n 100 , hercules inc , wilmington , del .). plasticizers : polyethylenglycol 400 ( peg 400 , merck , germany ), glyceryl triacetate ( triacetin , fluka , rehovot , israel ), glycerin ( frutarom , israel ), triethyl citrate ( fluka , rehovot , israel ), dibutyl sebacate ( fluka , rehovot , israel ), dibutyl phtalate ( fluka , rehovot , israel ). polymeric membranes preparation and sterilization — membranes were prepared using solvent casting technique as disclosed in friedman m . and golomb g . j . [ 13 ]. polymeric membranes were cast from solution consisting of polymer , plasticizer and ethanol ( frutarom , israel ) into the teflon moulds ( round plates , inner diameter 9 . 6 cm ) and the solvent was allowed to evaporate over night . membranes width was : 100 ± 5 μm . prior to use in tissue culture , membranes were immersed in pbs ( biological industries , beit haemek , israel ) for 24 hours to wash out possible remains of ethanol and then sterilized by uv irradiation for 2 hr . characterization of membranes — scanning electron microscopy ( sem ) photomicrographs — amca membranes containing 15 % peg 400 were fixed with 2 % glutaraldehyde in cocodylate buffer ( 0 . 1 m ; ph = 7 . 2 ) for 2 hours . the specimens were then processed according to the air drying method skipping the ethanol dehydration series ( ethanol dissolves amca ; therefore it should be excluded from the specimen preparation ). the process was accomplished through 100 % freon 113 . the specimens were vigorously shaken , which allowed rapid evaporation of the freon phase . the membranes were mounted in copper stubs , coated with gold and then examined in fei quanta 200 at an accelerating voltage of 30 kv . cell harvesting and culture — hmscs were obtained from discarded bone tissues from patients undergoing total hip replacement surgeries , under approval of hadassah medical center helsinki ethics committee following an informed consent . the hmscs were separated from other bone marrow - residing cells by plastic adherence and were then grown under tissue culture conditions , as described in krampera m . et al . [ 14 ], and djouad f et al [ 15 ]. the cells were maintained in a low - glucose dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle medium ( dmem ) supplemented with 10 % heat - inactivated fetal calf serum , 2 mm glutamine , and penicillin / streptomycin ( biological industries , beit - haemek , israel ). primary cultures were usually maintained for 12 - 16 days , and were then detached by trypsinization and subcultured ( barry f p . et al . [ 16 ]). the medium was changed every 3 - 4 days . msc adhesion to membrane — for msc labeling , msc were re - suspended in pbs ( 10 7 cells / ml ) containing 5 - carboxyfluorescein diacetoxymethyl ester ( bcecf / am or cfse ; 5 μg / ml ; calbiochem ), incubated at 37 ° c . for 10 mm , and the cells were then washed three times . cells were cultured on a sterilized membrane wetted with pbs , 15 × 10 4 cells in 150 μl medium , and incubated for six hours at 37 ° c . afterwards 3 ml of medium were added . cells were examined 24 hours after seeding by fluorescent microscope . tissue culture polystyrene dishes were used as a positive control for membrane in cell adhesion test . cfse - based proliferation assay — for cell division studies , msc were resuspended in pbs ( 10 7 cells / ml ) containing 3 ′- o - acetyl - 2 ′, 7 ′- bis ( carboxyethyl )- 4 or 5 - carboxyfluorescein diacetoxymethyl ester ( bcecf / am or cfse ; 5 μg / ml ; calbiochem ), incubated at 37 ° c . for 10 min , and washed three times . cfse - labeled cells were then seeded on the membrane or on the tissue culture dishes as described above . at the indicated time points cells were harvested and proliferation of cells was visualized by incremental loss of cfse fluorescence as analyzed on a facscalibure flow cytometer ( becton dickinson ) using cell quest software . msc differentiation on membrane — msc were seeded on the membranes or on the center well organ culture dishes ( falcon ) for control , as described above . as soon as msc were confluent , the culture medium was supplemented with ascorbic acid ( 50 μg / ml ), dexamethasone ( 10 − 8 m ) and β - glycerophosphate ( 10 mm ). medium was changed twice a week for 17 days , afterwards membranes and dishes were dyed with alizarin red , as described below . alizarin red staining — a stock solution of 2 % alizarin red in distilled water was adjusted to ph 4 . 2 with naoh and passed through a 0 . 22 μm filter . cultures in the center well organ culture dishes were rinsed with 150 mm nacl three times , fixed in ice cold 70 % ethanol , rinsed with distilled water and stained at room temperature for 10 min with 500 μl of alizarin red stock per well . individual wells were rinsed five times with distilled water ; a sixth and final wash with distilled water was performed for 15 min ( halvorsen y d . et al . [ 17 ]). membranes due to their positive charge had a higher affinity towards alizarin red stain than a negatively charged center well organ culture dishes , therefore rinsing with distilled water didn &# 39 ; t remove the stain from the membranes well enough . to reduce background we applied a single rinse with 0 . 02 m hcl on the membranes . photomicrographs were then obtained . various membranes were tested for their ability to support cell attachment and growth . the tested membranes varied in their polymer and plasticizer types . several plasticizers were tested , i . e . glycerin , polyethylene glycol , triethyl citrate , dibutyl sebacate , dibutyl phtalate , triacetin . the plasticizers tested were hydrophobic or hydrophilic and were added in order to contribute flexibility to membrane . msc were seeded on sterilized membranes as described hereinabove . ec membranes : msc cells showed little adherence to all formulations of ec membranes and cell aggregation was slight . the various plasticizers had no influence on either cell adhesion or cell shape . as control , poly - 1 - lysine coated membranes were used . poly - 1 - lysine , a highly positively charged amino acid chain , is commonly used as a coating agent to promote cell adhesion in culture . cells adhered in monolayer spindle shape to ec membranes coated with poly - 1 - lysine , hence it was concluded that ec does not support cell adhesion , as such . however ec was found to be non toxic in the presence of poly - 1 - lysin . amca membranes : cell adhesion test was performed with ammonio methacrylate copolymer type a ( amca , eudragit rl ™, degussa , germany ) [ 85 %], mixed with various plasticizers disclosed herein above [ 15 %]. msc adhered well to amca membranes prepared with the various plasticizers ( fig1 d - f ) in spindle monolayer shape . cell spreading on the amca membranes was similar to spreading on the polystyrene dishes which were used as a positive control for cell adhesion ( fig1 a - c ). the mode of spreading is indicative of the cells &# 39 ; well being . cell adhesion was further analyzed using sem . as shown in fig2 cells on the amca membrane , were flat and monolayer spindle shaped . furthermore , at higher magnification , cell - membrane interaction was seen , with a cellular podia attached to the membrane , ( fig2 , d - f ). moreover , the release of numerous vacuoles from the cell surface was observed , demonstrating cell functionality . similar results were obtained using both human as well as rabbit msc . proliferative capacity of msc was tested using the fluorescent marker of cell division , cfse and flow cytometric analysis . this method is based on the fluorescein related dye cfse , which is partitioned with remarkable fidelity between daughter cells allowing eight to 10 discrete generations to be identified both in vitro and in vivo . the technique allows complex information on proliferation kinetics and differentiation to be collected according to this technology ; individual cells are tagged with the fluorescent cfse dye that binds irreversibly to cell cytoplasm . as cells divide , their fluorescence halves sequentially with each generation , allowing the proliferative history of any single cell present to be monitored over time ( see lyons ab . et al [ 18 ]). msc proliferated on amca and peg 400 membrane ( fig3 b ) ( but no proliferation was detected with other plasticizers ; data not shown ) although at somewhat reduced rates as compared to their proliferative capacity on tissue culture dishes used as control ( fig3 a ). subsequently , msc proliferation rate was tested over time on membranes containing different concentrations of peg 400 ( 10 %, 15 %, 20 % and 25 % w / w ). the rate of msc proliferation inversely correlated to the mean fluorescent intensity value ( mfi ) ( fig4 ). this analysis revealed that , membranes containing 15 % peg 400 and 20 % peg 400 were fairly close to the polystyrene control , while other concentrations of peg resulted in either higher or lower proliferation rates . in addition , amca membrane with 15 % and with 5 % peg 400 was characterized using scanning electron microscopy ( sem ). membranes were observed before and after immersion in pbs ( fig5 ). it is noted that membranes were immersed in pbs for 24 hours before each msc seeding , in order to wash out residual ethanol . since peg 400 is soluble in water and thus porogenic , only after immersion in pbs , pores were observed on the membrane surface ( fig5 b - c ). in both concentrations of peg 400 , sem pictures demonstrated a porous surface , with average pore size of 0 . 18 μm . pore distribution correlated directly to different peg 400 concentrations . differentiation medium was added as described hereinabove . membranes and dishes were then dyed with alizarin red . ( fig6 a and 6b ). alizarin red binds irreversibly to bivalent positive ions and has especially high affinity towards calcium . calcium is secreted from osteoblasts and deposits on the membrane as part of the creation of an extracellular matrix . therefore presence of calcium marks the differentiation from msc that do not secrete calcium into osteoblast . fig6 demonstrates that msc cultured on both amca membrane and polystyrene controls have differentiated to osteoblast and produced extracellular matrix . this finding confirms that amca membrane with 15 % peg 400 supports msc differentiation and that msc after adhesion to membrane maintain their stem cells traits . in vivo bone regeneration study using a membrane of the invention study group : five male new zealand rabbits weighing 3 . 8 - 4 . 4 kg underwent bilateral midshaft resection of radial bone segment ( 1 cm in length ) in forelimbs . tubular amca membranes were implanted in the left forelimb ( treated osteotomy ) and the right limb served as a control ( untreated osteotomy ). evaluation of healing process : radiographic evaluation — lateral radiographs of forelimbs were obtained 2 , 4 , 6 and 8 weeks postoperatively . to obtain standardized measurements of the bone defects during the regenerative healing process , true lateral radiographs of both forelimbs were performed in standard conditions ( 42 kv , 2 mas ). radiographs were examined using osirix medical imaging software to evaluate the area and density of the new bone . total area of regenerated bone tissue ( appearing around and within the bone gap defect ). to eliminate possible bias by variability of bone dimensions , data calibration was made using the diameter of olecranon process at its narrowest zone as a standard reference . this diameter was defined as 10 mm in each specimen . relative density of the newly regenerated bone in the gap defect . the segmented area was outlined , and the density was measured . the bone density in the center of the olecranon process was measured in each forelimb for a calibration , as a reference value . the density of olecranon process was defined as a 100 % for each specimen ( see mosheiff r . et al . [ 10 ]). results : fig7 shows bone regeneration expressed by mean callus area ( mm 2 ) throughout the study ( weeks 2 to 8 ). at week 2 of the study the mean callus area produced in control arm was larger then that of arm treated with amca membrane , possibly due to formation of hematome or blood clot at the surgery site . when the site was surrounded by membrane it isolated the area and thus slowed the degradation of the hematome . however from week four of the study , mean area of callus generated in the limb treated with amca membrane was slightly bigger than that of the control ( 144 . 8 mm 2 vs . 114 . 5 mm 2 ). this trend continued at weeks 6 and 8 , hand in hand with widening the difference between mean callus areas of amca membrane treated limb and control limb . at week 8 , the difference between mean callus areas produced in two limbs ( treated with amca membrane and control ) reached its peak and was 143 . 91 mm 2 ( see table 1 below ). however , this difference is not statistically significant , due to small sample size ( n = 5 ) of this preliminary study and high variability of results , as it often happens in in vivo studies . in 6 male new zealand rabbits critical size defect ( 10 mm ) was created in both forelimbs . in one forelimb ec membrane which contained simvastatin was inserted , in the contralateral limb ec membrane with no active agent was inserted . callus density and callus area were measured and calibrated using osirix software . fig8 a and 8b show the quantitative analysis of the radiographs . fig9 shows the microct of bone regeneration with ec membrane . in this experiment bone defect was left untreated . the bone defect is in non union state . arrows mark the bone defect area . fig1 shows microct of bone regeneration with ec membrane containing simvastatin . arrows mark the bone defect area . in this experiment bone defect was treated and successful bridging of the defect is evident . in vivo bone regeneration study using an amca membrane of the invention further comprising simvastatin rabbit model : critical size bone defect of 1 cm in radius bone were created . 5 rabbits were treated with simvastatin controlled release amca membrane and 5 others with amca membrane without any active ingredient . simvastatin 20 % w / w — 0 . 36 g amca ( eudragit rl ) 70 % w / w — 1 . 26 g peg 400 10 % w /— 0 . 18 g membrane width was 180 micrometer . amca ( eudragit rl ) 90 % w / w — 1 . 62 g peg 400 10 % w / w — 0 . 18 g membrane width was 180 micrometer . fig1 shows significantly larger callus area formed at the defect site treated with simvastatin controlled release amca membrane ( wilcoxon summed ranks test ), as well as increase in callus growth rate at 2 first post operation weeks — may be important from clinical point of view . in vitro release rate of simvastatin from different membranes of the invention the effects of various parameters on simvastatine release from membranes of the invention were measured in vitro as follows : the effect of simvastatin concentration on simvastatin release rate is shown in fig1 a ; the composition of the tested membranes was as follows : the effect of membrane width on simvastatin release rate is shown in fig1 b ; the composition of the tested membranes was as follows : the effect of plasticizer on simvastatin release rate is shown in fig1 c ; the composition of the tested membranes was as follows : the effect of plasticizer type on simvastatin release rate is shown in fig1 d . rabbit model : critical size bone defect of 1 cm in radius bone was created . two rabbits were treated with amca membrane carrying hmsc in one forearm and on another forearm amca membrane without hmsc . fig1 a demonstrates the development of the callus area in the effected bone . as shown in fig1 b the histological score of various parts of the defected bone area at 8 weeks post operation is higher in bones implanted with an amca membrane carrying hmsc . 1 . gerstenfeld l c , cullinane d m , barnes g l , graves d t , einhorn t a . fracture healing as a post - natal developmental process : molecular , spatial , and temporal aspects of its regulation . j cell biochem 2003 ; 88 ( 5 ): 873 - 84 . 2 . megas p . classification of non - union . injury 2005 ; 36 suppl 4 : s30 - 7 . 3 . crenshaw h . delayed union and non - union of fractures . st . louis : c v mosby ; 1987 . 2053 - 118 p . 4 . hernigou p , poignard a , beaujean f , rouard h . percutaneous autologous bone - marrow grafting for nonunions . influence of the number and concentration of progenitor cells . j bone joint surg am 2005 ; 87 ( 7 ): 1430 - 7 . 5 . kraus k h , kirker - head c . mesenchymal stem cells and bone regeneration . vet surg 2006 ; 35 ( 3 ): 232 - 42 . 6 . cancedda r , mastrogiacomo m , bianchi g , derubeis a , muraglia a , quarto r . bone marrow stromal cells and their use in regenerating bone . novartis found symp 2003 ; 249 : 133 - 43 ; discussion 143 - 7 , 170 - 4 , 239 - 41 . 7 . cancedda r , dozin b , giannoni p , quarto r . tissue engineering and cell therapy of cartilage and bone . matrix biol 2003 ; 22 ( 1 ): 81 - 91 . 8 . tsuchiya k , mori t , chen g , ushida t , tateishi t , matsuno t , sakamoto m , umezawa a . custom - shaping system for bone regeneration by seeding marrow stromal cells onto a web - like biodegradable hybrid sheet . cell tissue res 2004 ; 316 ( 2 ): 141 - 53 . 9 . meinig r p , rahn b , perren s m , gogolewski s . bone regeneration with resorbable polymeric membranes : treatment of diaphyseal bone defects in the rabbit radius with poly ( l - lactide ) membrane . a pilot study . j orthop trauma 1996 ; 10 ( 3 ): 178 - 90 . 10 . mosheiff r , friedman a , friedman m , liebergall m . quantification of guided regeneration of weight - bearing bones . orthopedics 2003 ; 26 ( 8 ): 789 - 94 . 11 . ito k , nanba k , murai s . effects of bioabsorbable and non - resorbable barrier membranes on bone augmentation in rabbit calvaria . j periodontol 1998 ; 69 ( 11 ): 1229 - 37 . 12 . nasser n j , friedman a , friedman m , moor e , mosheiff r . guided bone regeneration in the treatment of segmental diaphyseal defects : a comparison between resorbable and non - resorbable membranes . injury 2005 ; 36 ( 12 ): 1460 - 6 . 13 . friedman m , golomb g . new sustained release dosage form of chlorhexidine for dental use . i . development and kinetics of release . j periodontal res 1982 ; 17 ( 3 ): 323 - 8 . 14 . krampera m , glennie s , dyson j , scott d , laylor r , simpson e , dazzi f . bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells inhibit the response of naive and memory antigen - specific t cells to their cognate peptide . blood 2003 ; 101 ( 9 ): 3722 - 9 . 15 . djouad f , plence p , bony c , tropel p , apparailly f , sany j , noel d , jorgensen c . immunosuppressive effect of mesenchymal stem cells favors tumor growth in allogeneic animals . blood 2003 ; 102 ( 10 ): 3837 - 44 . 16 . barry f p , murphy j m . mesenchymal stem cells : clinical applications and biological characterization . int j biochem cell biol 2004 ; 36 ( 4 ): 568 - 84 . 17 . halvorsen y d , franklin d , bond a l , hitt d c , auchter c , boskey a l , paschalis e p , wilkison w o , gimble j m . extracellular matrix mineralization and osteoblast gene expression by human adipose tissue - derived stromal cells . tissue eng 2001 ; 7 ( 6 ): 729 - 41 . 18 . lyons ab . analysing cell division in vivo and in vitro using flow cytometric measurement of cfse dye dilution . j immunol methods 2000 ; 243 ( 1 - 2 ): 147 - 54 . 19 . gugala z , gogolewski s . differentiation , growth and activity of rat bone marrow stromal cells on resorbable poly ( l / dl - lactide ) membranes . biomaterials 2004 ; 25 ( 12 ): 2299 - 307 . | 0 |
before the present invention is described terms or words used in the specification and claims of the present invention should not be restrictively construed as having the same meanings as those commonly used or those defined in dictionaries but should be interpreted as having meanings and concepts that are consistent with their meanings and concepts in the context of the spirit or scope of the present invention . therefore , the constitution shown in the embodiments and drawings of the present invention are provided only for illustration of the best exemplary embodiment of the present invention but are not provided to completely encompass the spirit or scope of the present invention . accordingly , it is to be understood that various equivalents and modifications that can be substituted at the time of the filing date of the present application may be made to the invention . as shown in fig1 , the floating structure controlling device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a floating structure 110 , a post 120 , a floating structure rotating unit 130 , a wire winding measurement unit 140 and a control unit 150 . the floating structure 110 is formed using a material having buoyancy so as to be floatable on the water ( w ) and a through - hole 110 b may be formed at a predetermined position , preferably at the center of the floating structure 110 . the floating structure 110 may take any shape so long as it has buoyancy without being limited to a particular shape . in the following description , the floating structure 110 will be described by way of example with regard to a case where the floating structure 110 is shaped of a rectangular plate . a solar energy generating device 115 may be mounted on a top surface of the floating structure 110 . the solar energy generating device 115 may include a solar cell module , a power conversion device ( not shown ), and a storage battery ( not shown ). the solar cell module is constituted of a plurality of solar cells connected to each other as a module and may be controlled by a support stand ( 117 of fig5 ) capable of varying angles of the solar cell module to allow sunlight to be incident in a vertical direction . the power conversion device is connected to the solar cell module and converts dc power into ac power , the dc power having the voltage and current generated by the solar cell module not constant . the storage battery is connected to the power conversion device and is capable of accumulating electricity . in addition , the floating structure 110 includes a slot hole 110 a having a predetermined section pierced such that a water surface and a bottom portion of the solar cell module make contact with each other . low - temperature gas on the water surface is brought into contact with the heated bottom portion of the solar cell module by convection , thereby cooling the solar cell module . the post 120 is disposed to stand and guides ascending and descending of the floating structure 110 according to the water level . in particular , the post 120 penetrates the through - hole 110 b of the floating structure 110 and has one end fixed to the bottom of the reservoir or lake and the other end upwardly protruding from the floating structure 110 . thus , a portion of the post 120 is positioned in water , that is , below the water surface , and the other portion of the post 120 is positioned outside the water . meanwhile , the floating structure rotating unit 130 includes a pair of first and second power devices 131 and 132 installed on the ground , and a pair of first and second wires 133 and 134 having opposite ends installed at the first and second power devices 131 and 132 and a fixing bar 116 of the floating structure 110 to be cross - linked with each other . the pair of first and second power devices 131 and 132 may include a motor ( not shown ) generating power , a decelerator ( not shown ), a clutch ( not shown ) for transmitting or interrupting power of the motor , and a brake ( not shown ) stopping the motor . the first power device 131 and the second power device 132 are actuated forward and backward , respectively , thereby rotating the floating structure 110 . meanwhile , as shown in fig2 and 3 , the wire winding measurement unit 140 is installed on the ground so as to correspond to the first wire 133 , and measures a wound amount on a real time basis . the wire winding measurement unit 140 includes a fixing member 141 fixedly installed on a block structure b on the ground , an extending member 143 supported to one side of the fixing member 141 and extending in a lengthwise direction of the first wire 133 , a plurality of rollers 145 installed at one side of the extending member 143 to allow the first wire 133 to be wound in a constant interval and rotatably installed according to winding of the first wire 133 , and a sensor member 147 fixed at the other side of the extending member 143 and sensing the number of revolutions of one of the plurality of rollers 145 . the fixing member 141 includes an ‘ l ’ shaped support unit 141 a and a standing unit 141 b upwardly installed on the support unit 141 a . the extending member 143 is shaped of a rectangle having a predetermined length and fixedly installed at the standing unit 141 b . the shape of the extending member 143 is not limited to the rectangle and various changes may be made to the shape of the extending member 143 so long as it can support the plurality of rollers 145 . the plurality of rollers 145 are rotatably supported to a fixed shaft 143 a installed on a top surface of the extending member 143 to be spaced apart from each other in a lengthwise direction , and are arranged at different heights in a zigzag configuration , thereby establishing a winding state of the first wire 133 more firmly . here , the wound amount of the first wire 133 can be estimated per one revolution of the roller 145 . the sensor member 147 includes a bar 147 a integrally extending to the outside of the one of the plurality of rollers 145 and rotating in an interlocked manner , and a sensor 147 b supported to a bracket 143 b installed at the other side of the extending member 143 and corresponding to the bar 147 a . here , the sensor 147 b may include one of known sensors , such as a proximity sensor or an optical sensor , and is electrically connected to the control unit 150 by a cable ( c ). for example , when a proximity sensor is used as the sensor 147 b , the bar 147 a is preferably made of a metal . the control unit 150 is connected to the wire winding measurement unit 140 and the first and second power devices 131 and 132 and estimates a rotation angle of the floating structure 110 based on the number of revolutions of one of the plurality of rollers 145 having the bar 147 a installed therein . in addition , the control unit 150 controls forward and backward actuation of the pair of first and second power devices 131 and 132 in units of several seconds or several minutes according to reference angles pre - programmed by seasonal and temporal solar orbits . further , when the first and second power devices 131 and 132 are actuated forward and backward , the control unit 150 checks whether one of the plurality of rollers 145 having the bar 147 a installed therein rotates normally or not , thereby safely controlling the floating structure rotating unit 130 . that is to say , a reference time , which can be compared with the rotation time of the one of the plurality of rollers 145 having the bar 147 a installed therein , is input to the control unit 150 . if the rotation time exceeds the reference time , it is determined that the one of the plurality of rollers 145 having the bar 147 a installed therein does not rotate normally , and the actuation of the first and second power devices 131 and 132 is forcibly stopped , thereby preventing over - rotation of the floating structure 110 . here , the control unit 150 may control a greater torque to be applied to the first power device 131 than to the second power device 132 to allow the second wire 134 to be unwound by the wound first wire 133 with a tension . in addition , the floating structure 110 according to the present invention may further include a bearing 125 for rotatably supporting the floating structure 110 between the through - hole 110 b of the floating structure 110 and the circumferential surface of the post 120 . in the embodiment of the present invention , an element for rotatably supporting the floating structure 110 is limited to the bearing 125 , but any element can be adopted so long as it can smoothly rotate the floating structure 110 with respect to the post 120 . that is to say , the floating structure 110 includes gear teeth ( not shown ) formed on its outer peripheral surface , an interlocking gear ( not shown ) engaged with the gear teeth and a driving gear ( not shown ) engaged with the interlocking gear to increase a rotation torque by adjusting a gear ratio , thereby easily rotating the floating structure 110 . hereinafter , a method for controlling the floating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . as shown in fig4 , the floating structure controlling method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first step ( s 10 ) of actuating first and second power devices 131 and 132 forward and backward in a predetermined time unit , a second step ( s 20 ) of measuring a rotation time of a roller 145 having a bar 147 a installed therein when the first and second power devices 131 and 132 are actuated forward and backward , a third step ( s 30 ) of measuring an rotation angle of the floating structure 110 based on an wound amount of the first wire 133 , a fourth step ( s 40 ) of comparing the measured rotation angle of the floating structure 110 with a reference angle input according to the seasonal solar orbit , and a fifth step ( s 50 ) of fixing the floating structure 110 by stopping the actuating of the first and second power devices 131 and 132 . in the first step ( s 10 ), motors of the first and second power devices 131 and 132 are actuated forward and backward for a predetermined time , that is , in units of several seconds or several minutes , to allow the solar energy generating device 115 to move along the solar orbit , thereby rotating the floating structure 110 . that is to say , in order to rotate the floating structure 110 in a clockwise direction ( the solar orbit ) of fig1 , the first wire 133 is wound by driving the motor of the first power device 131 while the second wire 134 is unwound by driving the motor of the second power device 132 . in the second step ( s 20 ), when the first and second power devices 131 and 132 are actuated forward and backward , a rotation time of one of the plurality of rollers 145 having a bar 147 a installed therein is measured using a sensor 147 b and is compared with a reference time input to the control unit 150 , thereby determining whether the one of the plurality of rollers 145 having the bar 147 a installed therein rotates normally or not . if the rotation time of the one of the plurality of rollers 145 having the bar 147 a installed therein exceeds the reference time of the control unit 150 , it is determined that the one of the plurality of rollers 145 having the bar 147 a installed therein does not rotate normally . therefore , the actuating of the first and second power devices 131 and 132 is forcibly stopped , the wire winding measurement unit 140 is checked and repaired , and the process goes back to the first step ( s 10 ). next , in the third step ( s 30 ), the wire winding measurement unit 140 estimates the wound amount of the first wire 133 based on the number of revolutions of the one of the plurality of rollers 145 having the bar 147 a installed therein , thereby measuring the rotation angle of the floating structure 110 on a real time basis . in addition , in the fourth step ( s 40 ), the control unit 150 receives the number of revolutions of the one of the plurality of rollers 145 and compares reference angles set according to seasonal and temporal solar orbits to control the motors of the first and second power devices 131 and 132 to be continuously actuated until the rotation angle of the floating structure 110 reaches a predetermined level . that is to say , if the reference angle is 4 °, the rotation angle of the floating structure 110 can be controlled based on the number of revolutions of the one of the plurality of rollers 145 having the bar 147 a installed therein . if the rotation angle of the floating structure 110 is 2 ° per one revolution of the one of the plurality of rollers 145 , the motors of the first and second power devices 131 and 132 are continuously actuated until the one of the plurality of rollers 145 having the bar 147 a installed therein rotates twice . thereafter , if the number of revolutions of the one of the plurality of rollers 145 is 2 , the actuating of the motors of the first and second power devices 131 and 132 is immediately stopped by a brake , thereby fixing the floating structure 110 the above - described process ( the fourth and fifth steps ) are repeatedly performed in units of several seconds or several minutes before the sunset , thereby accurately controlling the rotation of the floating structure 110 according to the solar orbit . after the sunset , the motors of the first and second power devices 131 and 132 are actuated forward or backward which is opposite to that in the above actuation , thereby restoring the floating structure 110 to a morning start position . meanwhile , as shown in fig5 , a floating structure controlling device according to another embodiment of the present invention further includes a water level measurement unit 160 . here , the post 120 has an internal space 122 and is shaped of a pillar having a laterally cross section corresponding to the through - hole 110 b to penetrate the through - hole 110 b of the floating structure 110 . the post 120 may further include an air inlet hole 124 and a water inlet hole 126 . the air inlet hole 124 is formed at an upper portion of the post 120 . that is to say , the air inlet hole 124 is positioned outside the reservoir or lake , to allow the air present outside the water to be induced into the internal space 122 . the water inlet hole 126 is formed at a lower portion of the post 120 . that is to say , the water inlet hole 126 is positioned in water to allow water to be induced into the internal space 122 . therefore , the water level of the internal space 122 of the post 120 may be equal to the height of the reservoir or lake . referring to fig6 , the water level measurement unit 160 is positioned in the internal space 122 of the post 120 and measures the water level of the reservoir or lake . in more detail , the water level measurement unit 160 may include a buoyancy member 162 and a distance measurement sensor 164 . the buoyancy member 162 is formed using a material having buoyancy and is positioned on a surface of the water induced into the internal space 122 of the post 120 . the buoyancy member 162 may take any shape so long as it is sized to be positioned within the internal space 122 . the distance measurement sensor 164 is mounted in the internal space 122 of the post 120 , detects the buoyancy member 162 and measures a distance from the buoyancy member 162 to the distance measurement sensor . in more detail , the distance measurement sensor 164 is mounted in the internal space 122 of the post 120 , specifically , above the buoyancy member 162 . that is to say , the distance measurement sensor 164 is mounted at a point spaced from the bottom surface of the reservoir or lake at a predetermined height , measures a distance between the distance measurement sensor and the buoyancy member 162 , and calculates a difference of the above distance , thereby measuring the water level of the reservoir or lake . in addition , the distance measurement sensor 164 has a waterproofing function and is mounted under the buoyancy member 162 ( that is , in water ) if it can be operated in water , thereby measuring the water level by measuring the distance between the distance measurement sensor and the buoyancy member . as described above , since the buoyancy member 162 and the distance measurement sensor 164 are positioned in the internal space 122 of the post 120 , the surface of the water induced into the internal space 122 is not affected by waves occurring on the water surface of the reservoir or lake . that is to say , since the buoyancy member 162 is not subjected to up - down movement by the wave , the distance measurement sensor 164 can more accurately measure the distance from the buoyancy member 162 , thereby accurately measuring the water level of the reservoir or lake . hereinafter , a method for controlling a floating structure further including a water level measurement unit 160 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . as shown in fig7 , a control unit 150 determines a value measured by the water level measurement unit 160 and actuates first and second power devices 131 and 132 to adjust lengths of the first and second wires 133 and 134 . that is to say , the control unit 150 is mounted at the reservoir or lake side to then be connected to a distance measurement sensor 164 to determine the measured value received from the distance measurement sensor 164 and controls the actuations of the first and second power devices 131 and 132 based on the determination result . the control unit 150 and the distance measurement sensor 164 may be connected to each other on line . in detail , the floating structure 110 moves up and down according to a change in the water level of the reservoir or lake . here , the first and second wires 133 and 134 connected to the floating structure 110 extend to generate tension ( t ), and if the generated tension exceeds a tensile strength of the first and second wires 133 and 134 , the first and second wires 133 and 134 may be broken . therefore , the control unit 150 receives data measured by the water level measurement unit 160 on line and compares the data with a value input to the control unit 150 for determination . in addition , the control unit 150 actuates the first and second power devices 131 and 132 to unwind the first and second wires 133 and 134 wound around a motor device 174 to maintain the tension to be lower than the tensile strength of the first and second wires 133 and 134 , thereby preventing the first and second wires 133 and 134 from being broken . in addition , the control unit 150 may be connected to the first and second power devices 131 and 132 by wires ( not shown ) for transmitting electrical signals . therefore , since the floating structure 110 is not affected by the wave formed in the reservoir or lake , the water level can be accurately measured , and based on the measured water level , lengths of the first and second wires 133 and 134 can be controlled according to the change in the water level of the reservoir or lake , thereby maintaining stability of the floating structure . meanwhile , as shown in fig8 , the floating structure controlling device may further include a rotation preventing wire 170 . the rotation preventing wire 170 is wound around one of top and bottom end of the post 120 ( the bottom end in this embodiment ) and the both ends are engaged with a connecting member 175 of the floating structure 110 . preferably , the both ends of the rotation preventing wire 170 are loosely installed such that rotation of the floating structure 110 is not interfered . here , as shown in fig9 , in order to fix a winding position of the center of the rotation preventing wire 170 , at least one wire fixing member 176 may further be fixedly installed at the post 120 . as shown in fig1 , the wire fixing member 176 has a ‘ u ’ shaped cross section . in a case where both ends of the wire fixing member 176 are fixed , a space is formed in the wire fixing member 176 . therefore , the rotation preventing wire 170 passes the space of the wire fixing member 176 and placed to enable a central winding portion of the rotation preventing wire fixed on a point of the floating structure 110 to be to be safely maintained . here , the same rotation preventing effect can be achieved such that a pair of wire fixing members 176 are fixedly installed on the post 120 in a connecting loop ( not shown ), one end of the rotation preventing wires 170 is connected to the connecting loop and the other end of the rotation preventing wire 170 is cross - linked to the connecting member 175 of the floating structure 110 . in addition , as shown in fig1 , the same rotation preventing effect can also be achieved such that a pair of ground fixing members 177 , instead of the wire fixing member 176 or the connecting loop , are separately installed provided on the bottom of a water depth , one ends of the pair of rotation preventing wires 170 are connected to each other and the other ends of the rotation preventing wires 170 are cross - linked to the connecting member 175 of the floating structure 110 . in this case , both ends of the rotation preventing wire 170 may be loosely installed such that rotation of the floating structure 110 is not interfered . in particular , the post 120 and the pair of ground fixing members 177 are preferably arranged on a line . here , the same effect can be expected even when both ends of the ground fixing member 177 are loosely installed on the ground to be positioned in the same line with the post 120 , rather than on the bottom of the water depth , such that the rotation of the floating structure 110 is not interfered . hereinafter , a method for controlling a floating structure further including a rotation preventing wire 170 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . in a case where there is a big wave or wind due to an aggravating water environment , first and second wires 133 and 134 of a floating structure rotating unit 130 may be broken . in such a case , a rotation restraining state in which a floating structure 110 is restrained by the first and second wires 133 and 134 may be released . as the result , an incidence angle with respect to a solar cell module may not be controlled , solar power generation may not be stably operated , and concerns of major facilities being damaged may be raised . in this case , the floating structure 110 rotates in an uncontrollable manner in one direction by the wind and wave . here , the rotation preventing wire 170 having both ends thereof loosely installed at both sides of the floating structure 110 is tightened to restrain rotation of the floating structure 110 , thereby temporarily supporting the floating structure 110 in an emergent situation in which the first and second wires 133 and 134 of the floating structure rotating unit 130 are broken . therefore , even when the floating structure 110 is uncontrollable by the broken first and second wires 133 and 134 due to bad weather , the floating structure 110 can be temporarily supported in a safe manner , thereby preventing a solar power generating device and operating solar power generation in a stable manner after repairing an actuating member . although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail hereinabove , it should be understood that many variations and modifications of the basic inventive concept herein described , which may appear to those skilled in the art , will still fall within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention as defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
a preferred embodiment of the modular packaging machine 10 of the present invention is illustrated in fig1 . specifically , the modular packaging machine 10 shown in fig1 includes multiple modules , each of the modules performing a function in the packaging of articles . an infeed conveyor lane divider module 12 , a blank magazine and infeed tray module 14 , a collation and synchronization module 16 , a gluing and closing module 18 , a stacker module 20 , a film cutting module 22 , a film wrapper module 24 , and a heat shrink tunnel module 26 , comprise the packaging machine shown in fig1 . modules providing other functions including , without limitation , a turner module ( see fig5 ) can be added to the packaging machine 10 shown in fig1 without departing from the principles of the present invention . articles are received and packaged by sequentially going from module to module in the packaging stream of the modular packaging machine 10 of the present invention . specifically , means for conveying are provided in each module that move articles and packages along from module to module . an infeed and lane divider conveyor 30 , a collation and synchronization conveyor 32 , a gluing and closing conveyor 34 , a stacker conveyor 36 , a film wrapper conveyor 38 , and a heat shrink tunnel conveyor 40 , all move articles through their respective modules and onto the next module . the conveyors are arranged at identical heights to allow one module to be butted up against an adjoining module without the need for any additional mechanical connection or adjustment therebetween . the first module , the infeed conveyor lane divider module 12 , is shown in fig1 . articles 46 are received in unordered arrangement and held on the conveyor 30 by infeed side rails 42 , 44 . the infeed conveyor 30 is driven in the direction shown and moves the unordered articles 46 into lanes defined by the side rails 42 , 44 and lane dividers 48 , 50 , 52 . the articles emerge from the infeed conveyor lane divider module 12 as laned articles 56 . a servo drive 54 provides the motive force for the infeed lane conveyor 30 thereby defining the speed of the conveyor 30 and of articles 46 , 56 transported thereby . the servo drive 54 is coupled to the infeed lane conveyor 30 by coupling 55 . the servo drive 54 is depicted in fig3 as being side mounted , although other mountings and mechanical connections to the conveyor 30 are contemplated and do not depart from the principles of the present invention . the next module in the packaging machine 10 shown in fig1 , the collation and synchronization module 16 , separates the laned articles 56 into a process group 58 ( see fig3 ). the collation and synchronization module 16 receives laned articles 56 and separates them into a process group 58 by inserting a separator bar 60 . the separator bar 60 is mounted on and travels with collation and synchronization conveyor 32 . the separator bar 60 moves in the direction indicated in fig3 and moves the process group 58 along with it . a servo drive 62 provides the motive force for the collation and synchronization conveyor 32 and thereby defines the speed of the conveyor 32 and the process group 58 transported thereby . similar to the other modules discussed herein , the servo drive 62 of the collation and synchronization module 16 is shown being side mounted and coupled to the conveyor 32 . other mechanical linkages between the servo drive 62 and conveyor 32 are contemplated by the principles of the present invention . for a packaging machine that is to include capabilities as a pad shrink packer or tray shrink packer , a pad or blank magazine and infeed module 14 is required . a stack of cardboard blanks 66 resting on an inclined tabletop 68 is provided from which pads or trays are provided for each process group 58 . specifically , a suction cup 70 engages the top pad or blank 72 of the stack 66 , rotates about extension arm 76 in the direction shown in fig2 and places the pad or blank 72 on an elevator conveyor 74 mechanically linked to the collation and synchronization module 16 ( see fig3 ). the pad or blank 72 is positioned under the pack group 58 as shown in fig3 . the elevator conveyor 74 is mechanically linked by a belt 65 to the collation and synchronization conveyor 32 , which is driven by servo drive 62 . it is contemplated that a separate drive for the elevator conveyor 74 may be used without departing from the principles of the present invention . on the blank magazine and infeed module 14 the suction cup 70 is driven by a servo drive 78 . for specific use as a tray shrink packer a gluing and closing module 18 is provided in packaging machine 10 to complete the tray formation . the gluing and closing conveyor 34 includes a separator bar 82 similar to the collation and synchronization separator bar 60 . the separator bar 82 controls the flow of the process group 58 through the gluing and closing module 18 . as the process group 58 and blank 72 proceed through the gluing and closing module 18 , the extended side flaps 88 , 90 of the blank 72 engage angled fold bars 84 , 86 and are folded upright as a result ( see fig4 ). glue applicators 92 , 94 apply adhesive to the side flaps 88 , 90 prior to folding so that , after engaging the fold bars 84 , 86 the tray retains the shape of a tray around the pack group 58 . a servo drive 96 defines the speed of the gluing and closing conveyor 34 , thereby also defining the speed with which packages are processed through the gluing and closing module 18 . after the gluing and closing module 18 , a turner module 28 may be inserted to turn the package 104 as shown in fig5 . specifically , a turner conveyor 100 receives the package 104 and moves it in the direction indicated in fig5 . when the package 104 engages an angled fixed block 102 , the package is turned and reoriented as desired . a servo drive 106 drives the turner conveyor 100 and defines the speed of the conveyor 100 and , thereby , the speed with which packages are turned in the turner module 28 . a stacker module 20 may also be provided to perform the function of stacking every other package 112 on top of the preceding package 114 prior to exiting the module 20 . the stacker conveyor 36 moves packages 114 in the direction shown . lifter arms 108 , 110 engage and lift and place every other package 112 on top of the preceding package 114 as shown in phantom in fig6 . the lifter arms 108 , 110 ride on endless belts 116 , 118 which are driven in the indicated direction . a servo drive 120 drives the endless belts 116 , 118 and thereby controls the speed of lifter arms 108 , 110 and the speed with which packages 112 are picked up and placed on the preceding package 114 . the speed of the servo drive 120 will necessarily be faster and variable compared to the speed of the stacker conveyor 36 . a servo drive 122 drives the stacker conveyor 36 such that packages are processed through the stacker module 20 at the same speed as through the other modules . providing heat shrinkable film around packages as in a tray shrink packer , pad shrink packer or shrink packer requires an additional three modules to be employed . first , a film cutting module 22 is necessary wherein a spool of film 124 is provided , unrolled and threaded through the rest of the film cutting module 22 . the film engages a guide roll 126 and is threaded between pinch rolls 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 . a knife 134 is provided to cut the film off at a desired length to wrap a package . a standalone base 136 supports the spool 124 , guide roll 126 , pinch rolls 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 and the rest of the film cutting module . a servo drive 138 coupled to pinch roll 129 controls the unrolling of the film and the supply thereof to the knife 134 . a film wrapper module 24 is also necessary to receive a sheet 140 from the film cutting module 22 . as a package 146 is received on film wrapper conveyor 38 and transported thereby , the front edge 142 of the sheet 140 is tucked under the package 146 in the film wrapper module 24 . a film wrapper arm 148 engages the sheet 140 of film and wraps it around the package 146 . the film wrapper arm 148 is driven around frame 150 , 152 and is necessarily driven at a higher rate of speed than the film wrapper conveyor 38 to allow completion of the film wrapping while the package 146 is still on the film wrapper conveyor 38 . a servo drive 154 on the film wrapper arm 148 drives the film wrapper arm 148 accordingly . meanwhile , servo drive 156 on the film wrapper conveyor 38 drives the film wrapper conveyor 38 at a pace consistent with the rest of the packaging machine 10 . finally , a heat shrink tunnel module 26 is provided down stream of the film wrapper module 24 to shrink the film 140 into tight engagement with the package 160 . a housing 158 is provided which encloses heat and through which the package 160 passes in the direction indicated in fig9 . the heat shrink tunnel conveyor 40 is driven by a variable speed drive 162 at a rate consistent with the rest of the machine . the embodiment of the packaging machine 10 of the present invention described above eliminates the need for a large frame for the equipment to be mounted on and provides modules that need not be mechanically linked . the speeds with which the modules 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 operate are controlled and coordinated by a supervisory computer 200 ( see fig1 ). each module 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 in the embodiment performs a discrete packaging function and includes conveyors driven by an onboard servo drive 54 , 78 , 62 , 96 , 120 , 122 , 138 , 154 , 156 , 162 which moves packages through it at a predetermined rate . by tightly controlling the onboard drives through the use of precise electrical drives and feedback , it is possible to arrange the modules 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 end to end and have them orderly and continuously create packages without the need for mechanically linking them together . the infeed lane divider drive 54 , the collation and synchronization drive 62 , the gluing and closing drive 96 , the stacker drive 122 , the film wrap drive 156 and the heat shrink tunnel drive 162 all have their speeds calculated , checked and modified by the supervisory computer 200 to ensure orderly and continuous operation of the packaging machine . the computer 200 can speed up or slow down all of the modules or selected modules only in the event a module is running too fast or too slow . by tightly controlling the speed within each module 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 efficiencies are realized because the servo drives 54 , 78 , 62 , 96 , 120 , 122 , 138 , 154 , 156 , 162 can , within a module , slow down the speed to perform difficult operations then increase the speed to perform routine functions . the computer 200 controls the speed of the modules 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 differently , but in such a way that the flow of articles from modules to module is coordinated . the control of the servo drives 54 , 78 , 62 , 96 , 120 , 122 , 138 , 154 , 156 , 162 by the computer 200 provides great flexibility and variability of the packaging machine 10 . defining the packaging machine 10 through the use of multiple modules 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 that are interchangeable and are readily added or removed to change functionality of the machine 10 has significant advantages . the use of a supervisory computer 200 to control the drives 54 , 78 , 62 , 96 , 120 , 122 , 138 , 154 , 156 , 162 and the operation of the machine is easy and removes the necessity of mechanically linking the modules together 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 . the interchangability and removability of the modules 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 of the present invention are advantageous in that a problem with one module does not incapacitate the entire machine 10 . a single problematic module can be taken off line and replaced , or taken off line and fixed while packaging continues . the various modules 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 disclosed herein perform separate , discrete functions of the packaging machine 10 . the use of onboard drives 54 , 78 , 62 , 96 , 120 , 122 , 138 , 154 , 156 , 162 and the lack of necessity of mechanical connection between modules 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 allows each module to perform as a separate machine . in addition , the commonality of parts between modules allows more efficient maintenance and less down time when a problem is encountered . while the servo drives used with the various modules of the above described preferred embodiment have been depicted as being side mounted and directly coupled to the conveyors , other mechanical connections between the servo drives and conveyors , including , without limitation , alternate positioning with belt drives or through gearing , are specifically contemplated and do not depart from the principles of the present invention . another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig1 wherein an alternative module drive means 250 to the individual servo drives described above is illustrated . specifically , fig1 shows a gluing and closing module 252 and a stacker module 254 which perform successive steps in the packaging sequence . the conveyor 256 is shown in fig1 being driven by a belt 258 which engages its drive sprocket 257 . the belt 258 is threaded around a hub 260 , the teeth 262 of which engage teeth 264 of a drive shaft 266 which is mounted below the conveyor 256 . rotation of the drive shaft 266 results in rotation of the hub 260 , belt 258 and conveyor drive sprocket 257 . as shown in fig1 , the stacker module 254 has a similar mechanical linkage wherein the conveyor 276 and its sprocket 277 are driven by belt 278 , hub 280 and drive shaft 286 . the closing and gluing module 252 and the stacker module 254 shown in fig1 are designed such that , when positioned in succession as shown , the closing and gluing module drive shaft 266 is on the same center line with the stacker module drive shaft 286 . a mechanical coupling 290 affixed to bridge the gap between the drive shafts 266 , 286 thus completes the mechanical linkage so that rotation of one drive shaft causes the other to rotate . in this way a single drive motor may be positioned anywhere along the combined drive shaft to drive both modules . other modules similarly designed with a drive shaft on the same center line will be similarly compatible . thus , the modularity of the packaging machine is maintained without requiring an individual servo drive on each module . rather , successive modules , such as the closing and gluing module 252 and stacker module 254 depicted in fig1 , are readily interchangeable and removable by installing or removing simple mechanical linkages such as the coupling 290 . the modules 252 , 254 are designed such that their drive shafts are aligned or readily accessible to allow the easy and quick installation or removal of the modules . the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purpose of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . obvious modification or variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto . | 1 |
embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to drawings . note that the present invention is not limited to the description below , and it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that modes and details of the present invention can be modified in various ways . in addition , the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the description in the embodiments given below . in this embodiment , a structure of a transistor and a method for manufacturing the transistor according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 a to 1c . fig1 a is an example of a cross - sectional view of a transistor 162 in a channel - length direction . fig1 b is an example of a cross - sectional view of an element isolation region 165 between the transistor 162 and a transistor 163 . fig1 c is an example of a top view of the transistor 162 and the transistor 163 . note that fig1 b is part of a cross - sectional view of the transistor 162 in a channel - width direction , and corresponds to a cross - sectional view taken along a dotted line d 1 - d 2 in fig1 c . fig1 a corresponds to a cross - sectional view taken along a dotted line a 1 - a 2 in fig1 c . first , an insulating layer 130 is formed with an oxide film over a semiconductor substrate . then , a plurality of trenches ( also referred to as grooves ) is formed in the insulating layer 130 . then , a wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 is formed so as to cover the trenches . the trenches can be formed using a known technique ; in this embodiment , trenches having a depth of approximately 0 . 4 μm are formed . in addition , the trenches for gate electrodes are formed in a single etching step or through a plurality of etching steps . as the semiconductor substrate , an soi substrate , a semiconductor substrate provided with a driver circuit including a transistor with a mosfet structure , a semiconductor substrate provided with a capacitor , or the like is used . the insulating layer 130 can be formed using a silicon oxide film , a gallium oxide film , an aluminum oxide film , a silicon nitride film , a silicon oxynitride film , an aluminum oxynitride film , or a silicon nitride oxide film . the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 can have a thickness of 1 nm to 100 nm and can be formed by a sputtering method , a molecular beam epitaxy ( mbe ) method , a cvd method , a pulse laser deposition method , an atomic layer deposition ( ald ) method , a coating method , a printing method , or the like as appropriate . the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 may be formed using a sputtering apparatus which performs film formation with surfaces of a plurality of substrates set substantially perpendicular to a surface of a sputtering target , which is so called a columnar plasma ( cp ) sputtering system . as a material of the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 , an oxide semiconductor having a wider band gap than at least silicon , gallium nitride , gallium oxynitride , or gallium zinc oxynitride is used . as the oxide semiconductor having a wider band gap than silicon , at least indium ( in ) or zinc ( zn ) is preferably contained . in particular , in and zn are preferably contained . as a stabilizer for reducing changes in electrical characteristics of a transistor including the oxide semiconductor , gallium ( ga ) is preferably additionally contained . tin ( sn ) is preferably contained as a stabilizer . hafnium ( hf ) is preferably contained as a stabilizer . aluminum ( al ) is preferably contained as a stabilizer . as another stabilizer , one or more lanthanoids selected from lanthanum ( la ), cerium ( ce ), praseodymium ( pr ), neodymium ( nd ), samarium ( sm ), europium ( eu ), gadolinium ( gd ), terbium ( tb ), dysprosium ( dy ), holmium ( ho ), erbium ( er ), thulium ( tm ), ytterbium ( yb ), and lutetium ( lu ) may be contained . as the oxide semiconductor , for example , an indium oxide , a tin oxide , a zinc oxide , a two - component metal oxide such as an in — zn - based oxide , a sn — zn - based oxide , an al — zn - based oxide , a zn — mg - based oxide , a sn — mg - based oxide , an in — mg - based oxide , or an in — ga - based oxide , a three - component metal oxide such as an in — ga — zn - based oxide ( also referred to as igzo ), an in — al — zn - based oxide , an in — sn — zn - based oxide , a sn — ga — zn - based oxide , an al — ga — zn - based oxide , a sn — al — zn - based oxide , an in — hf — zn - based oxide , an in — la — zn - based oxide , an in — ce — zn - based oxide , an in — pr — zn - based oxide , an in — nd — zn - based oxide , an in — sm — zn - based oxide , an in — eu — zn - based oxide , an in — gd — zn - based oxide , an in — tb — zn - based oxide , an in — dy — zn - based oxide , an in — ho — zn - based oxide , an in — er — zn - based oxide , an in — tm — zn - based oxide , an in — yb — zn - based oxide , or an in — lu — zn - based oxide , a four - component metal oxide such as an in — sn — ga — zn - based oxide , an in — hf — ga — zn - based oxide , an in — al — ga — zn - based oxide , an in — sn — al — zn - based oxide , an in — sn — hf — zn - based oxide , or an in — hf — al — zn - based oxide can be used . note that here , for example , an “ in — ga — zn - based oxide ” means an oxide containing in , ga , and zn as its main components and there is no limitation on the ratio of in : ga : zn . further , a metal element in addition to in , ga , and zn may be contained . alternatively , a material represented by inmo 3 ( zno ) m ( m & gt ; 0 , where m is not an integer ) may be used as the oxide semiconductor . note that m represents one or more metal elements selected from ga , fe , mn , and co . alternatively , a material represented by in 3 sno 5 ( zno ) n ( n & gt ; 0 , where n is an integer ) may be used as the oxide semiconductor . for example , an in — ga — zn - based oxide with an atomic ratio of in : ga : zn = 1 : 1 : 1 (= 1 / 3 : 1 / 3 : 1 / 3 ) or in : ga : zn = 2 : 2 : 1 (= 2 / 5 : 2 / 5 : 1 / 5 ), or an oxide with an atomic ratio close to the above atomic ratios can be used . alternatively , an in — sn — zn - based oxide with an atomic ratio of in : sn : zn = 1 : 1 : 1 (= 1 / 3 : 1 / 3 : 1 / 3 ), in : sn : zn = 2 : 1 : 3 (= 1 / 3 : 1 / 6 : 1 / 2 ), or in : sn : zn = 2 : 1 : 5 (= 1 / 4 : 1 / 8 : 5 / 8 ), or an oxide with an atomic ratio close to the above atomic ratios may be used . further , an in — sn — zn - based oxide can be referred to as itzo ( registered trademark ), and as a target , an oxide target having a composition ratio of in : sn : zn = 1 : 2 : 2 , 2 : 1 : 3 , 1 : 1 : 1 , 20 : 45 : 35 , or the like in an atomic ratio is used . however , the composition is not limited to those described above , and a material having an appropriate composition may be used in accordance with necessary semiconductor characteristics ( such as mobility , threshold voltage , and variation ). in order to obtain necessary semiconductor characteristics , it is preferable that the carrier density , the impurity concentration , the defect density , the atomic ratio of a metal element to oxygen , the interatomic distance , the density , and the like be set as appropriate . for example , with the in — sn — zn - based oxide , a high mobility can be relatively easily obtained . however , the mobility can be increased by reducing the defect density in the bulk also in the case of using the in — ga — zn - based oxide . note that for example , the expression “ the composition of an oxide including in , ga , and zn at the atomic ratio , in : ga : zn = a : b : c ( a + b + c = 1 ), is in the neighborhood of the composition of an oxide including in , ga , and zn at the atomic ratio , in : ga : zn = a : b : c ( a + b + c = 1 )” means that a , b , and c satisfy the following relation : ( a − a ) 2 +( b − b ) 2 +( c − c ) 2 ≦ r 2 , and r may be 0 . 05 , for example . the same applies to other oxides . the oxide semiconductor may be either single crystal or non - single - crystal . in the latter case , the oxide semiconductor may be either amorphous or polycrystalline . further , the oxide semiconductor may have either an amorphous structure including a crystalline portion or a non - amorphous structure . an amorphous oxide semiconductor can have a flat surface with relative ease ; therefore , when a transistor is manufactured with the use of the oxide semiconductor , interface scattering can be reduced , and relatively high mobility can be obtained with relative ease . in this embodiment , an oxide including a crystal with c - axis alignment , which has a triangular or hexagonal atomic arrangement when seen from the direction of an a - b plane , a surface , or an interface , will be described . in the crystal , metal atoms are arranged in a layered manner , or metal atoms and oxygen atoms are arranged in a layered manner along the c - axis , and the direction of the a - axis or the b - axis is varied in the a - b plane ( the crystal rotates around the c - axis ). such a crystal is also referred to as a c - axis aligned crystal ( caac ). an oxide including caac means , in a broad sense , a non - single - crystal oxide including a phase which has a triangular , hexagonal , regular triangular , or regular hexagonal atomic arrangement when seen from the direction perpendicular to the a - b plane and in which metal atoms are arranged in a layered manner or metal atoms and oxygen atoms are arranged in a layered manner when seen from the direction perpendicular to the c - axis direction . the caac is not a single crystal , but this does not mean that the caac is composed of only an amorphous component . although the caac includes a crystallized portion ( crystalline portion ), a boundary between one crystalline portion and another crystalline portion is not clear in some cases . in the case where oxygen is included in the caac , nitrogen may be substituted for part of oxygen included in the caac . the c - axes of individual crystalline portions included in the caac may be aligned in one direction ( e . g ., a direction perpendicular to a surface of a substrate over which the caac is formed or a surface of the caac ). alternatively , the normals of the a - b planes of the individual crystalline portions included in the caac may be aligned in one direction ( e . g ., a direction perpendicular to a surface of a substrate over which the caac is formed or a surface of the caac ). the caac becomes a conductor , a semiconductor , or an insulator depending on its composition or the like . the caac transmits or does not transmit visible light depending on its composition or the like . as an example of such a caac , there is a crystal which is formed into a film shape and has a triangular or hexagonal atomic arrangement when observed from the direction perpendicular to a surface of the film or a surface of a supporting substrate , and in which metal atoms are arranged in a layered manner or metal atoms and oxygen atoms ( or nitrogen atoms ) are arranged in a layered manner when a cross section of the film is observed . an example of a crystal structure of the caac will be described in detail with reference to fig1 a to 13e , fig1 a to 14c , and fig1 a to 15c . in fig1 a to 13e , fig1 a to 14c , and fig1 a to 15c , the vertical direction corresponds to the c - axis direction and a plane perpendicular to the c - axis direction corresponds to the a - b plane , unless otherwise specified . when the expressions “ an upper half ” and “ a lower half ” are simply used , they refer to an upper half above the a - b plane and a lower half below the a - b plane ( an upper half and a lower half with respect to the a - b plane ). furthermore , in fig1 a to 13e , o surrounded by a circle represents tetracoordinate o and o surrounded by a double circle represents tricoordinate o . fig1 a illustrates a structure including one hexacoordinate in atom and six tetracoordinate oxygen ( hereinafter referred to as tetracoordinate o ) atoms proximate to the in atom . here , a structure including one metal atom and oxygen atoms proximate thereto is referred to as a small group . the structure in fig1 a is actually an octahedral structure , but is illustrated as a planar structure for simplicity . note that three tetracoordinate o atoms exist in each of an upper half and a lower half in fig1 a . in the small group illustrated in fig1 a , electric charge is 0 . fig1 b illustrates a structure including one pentacoordinate ga atom , three tricoordinate oxygen ( hereinafter referred to as tricoordinate o ) atoms proximate to the ga atom , and two tetracoordinate o atoms proximate to the ga atom . all the tricoordinate o atoms exist on the a - b plane . one tetracoordinate o atom exists in each of an upper half and a lower half in fig1 b . an in atom can also have the structure illustrated in fig1 b because an in atom can have five ligands . in the small group illustrated in fig1 b , electric charge is 0 . fig1 c illustrates a structure including one tetracoordinate zn atom and four tetracoordinate o atoms proximate to the zn atom . in fig1 c , one tetracoordinate o atom exists in an upper half and three tetracoordinate o atoms exist in a lower half . alternatively , three tetracoordinate o atoms may exist in the upper half and one tetracoordinate o atom may exist in the lower half in fig1 c . in the small group illustrated in fig1 c , electric charge is 0 . fig1 d illustrates a structure including one hexacoordinate sn atom and six tetracoordinate o atoms proximate to the sn atom . in fig1 d , three tetracoordinate o atoms exist in each of an upper half and a lower half . in the small group illustrated in fig1 d , electric charge is + 1 . fig1 e illustrates a small group including two zn atoms . in fig1 e , one tetracoordinate o atom exists in each of an upper half and a lower half . in the small group illustrated in fig1 e , electric charge is − 1 . here , a plurality of small groups forms a medium group , and a plurality of medium groups forms a large group ( also referred to as a unit cell ). now , a rule of bonding between the small groups will be described . the three o atoms in the upper half with respect to the hexacoordinate in atom in fig1 a each have three proximate in atoms in the downward direction , and the three o atoms in the lower half each have three proximate in atoms in the upward direction . the one o atom in the upper half with respect to the pentacoordinate ga atom in fig1 b has one proximate ga atom in the downward direction , and the one o atom in the lower half has one proximate ga atom in the upward direction . the one o atom in the upper half with respect to the tetracoordinate zn atom in fig1 c has one proximate zn atom in the downward direction , and the three o atoms in the lower half each have three proximate zn atoms in the upward direction . in this manner , the number of the tetracoordinate o atoms above the metal atom is equal to the number of the metal atoms proximate to and below each of the tetracoordinate o atoms . similarly , the number of the tetracoordinate o atoms below the metal atom is equal to the number of the metal atoms proximate to and above each of the tetracoordinate o atoms . since the coordination number of the tetracoordinate o atom is 4 , the sum of the number of the metal atoms proximate to and below the o atom and the number of the metal atoms proximate to and above the o atom is 4 . accordingly , when the sum of the number of tetracoordinate o atoms above a metal atom and the number of tetracoordinate o atoms below another metal atom is 4 , the two kinds of small groups including the metal atoms can be bonded . for example , in the case where the hexacoordinate metal ( in or sn ) atom is bonded through three tetracoordinate o atoms in the lower half , it is bonded to the pentacoordinate metal ( ga or in ) atom or the tetracoordinate metal ( zn ) atom . a metal atom whose coordination number is 4 , 5 , or 6 is bonded to another metal atom through a tetracoordinate o atom in the c - axis direction . in addition to the above , a medium group can be formed in a different manner by combining a plurality of small groups so that the total electric charge of the layered structure is 0 . fig1 a illustrates a model of a medium group included in a layered structure of an in — sn — zn — o - based material . fig1 b illustrates a large group including three medium groups . note that fig1 c illustrates an atomic arrangement in the case where the layered structure in fig1 b is observed from the c - axis direction . in fig1 a , a tricoordinate o atom is omitted for simplicity , and a tetracoordinate o atom is illustrated by a circle ; the number in the circle shows the number of tetracoordinate o atoms . for example , three tetracoordinate o atoms existing in each of an upper half and a lower half with respect to a sn atom are denoted by circled 3 . similarly , in fig1 a , one tetracoordinate o atom existing in each of an upper half and a lower half with respect to an in atom is denoted by circled 1 . fig1 a also illustrates a zn atom proximate to one tetracoordinate o atom in a lower half and three tetracoordinate o atoms in an upper half , and a zn atom proximate to one tetracoordinate o atom in an upper half and three tetracoordinate o atoms in a lower half . in the medium group included in the layered structure of the in — sn — zn — o - based material in fig1 a , in the order starting from the top , a sn atom proximate to three tetracoordinate o atoms in each of an upper half and a lower half is bonded to an in atom proximate to one tetracoordinate o atom in each of an upper half and a lower half , the in atom is bonded to a zn atom proximate to three tetracoordinate o atoms in an upper half , the zn atom is bonded to an in atom proximate to three tetracoordinate o atoms in each of an upper half and a lower half through one tetracoordinate o atom in a lower half with respect to the zn atom , the in atom is bonded to a small group that includes two zn atoms and is proximate to one tetracoordinate o atom in an upper half , and the small group is bonded to a sn atom proximate to three tetracoordinate o atoms in each of an upper half and a lower half through one tetracoordinate o atom in a lower half with respect to the small group . a plurality of such medium groups is bonded , so that a large group is formed . here , electric charge for one bond of a tricoordinate o atom and electric charge for one bond of a tetracoordinate o atom can be assumed to be − 0 . 667 and − 0 . 5 , respectively . for example , electric charge of a ( hexacoordinate or pentacoordinate ) in atom , electric charge of a ( tetracoordinate ) zn atom , and electric charge of a ( pentacoordinate or hexacoordinate ) sn atom are + 3 , + 2 , and + 4 , respectively . accordingly , electric charge in a small group including a sn atom is + 1 . therefore , electric charge of − 1 , which cancels + 1 , is needed to form a layered structure including a sn atom . as a structure having electric charge of − 1 , the small group including two zn atoms as illustrated in fig1 e can be given . for example , with one small group including two zn atoms , electric charge of one small group including a sn atom can be cancelled , so that the total electric charge of the layered structure can be 0 . when the large group illustrated in fig1 b is repeated , an in — sn — zn — o - based crystal ( in 2 snzn 3 o 8 ) can be obtained . note that a layered structure of the obtained in — sn — zn — o - based crystal can be expressed as a composition formula , in 2 snzn 2 o 7 ( zno ) m ( m is 0 or a natural number ). the above - described rule also applies to the following oxides : a four - component metal oxide such as an in — sn — ga — zn - based oxide ; a three - component metal oxide such as an in — ga — zn - based oxide ( also referred to as igzo ), an in — al — zn - based oxide , a sn — ga — zn - based oxide , an al — ga — zn - based oxide , a sn — al — zn - based oxide , an in — hf — zn - based oxide , an in — la — zn - based oxide , an in — ce — zn - based oxide , an in — pr — zn - based oxide , an in — nd — zn - based oxide , an in — sm — zn - based oxide , an in — eu — zn - based oxide , an in — gd — zn - based oxide , an in — tb — zn - based oxide , an in — dy — zn - based oxide , an in — ho — zn - based oxide , an in — er — zn - based oxide , an in — tm — zn - based oxide , an in — yb — zn - based oxide , or an in — lu — zn - based oxide ; a two - component metal oxide such as an in — zn - based oxide , a sn — zn - based oxide , an al — zn - based oxide , a zn — mg - based oxide , a sn — mg - based oxide , an in — mg - based oxide , or an in — ga - based oxide ; and the like . as an example , fig1 a illustrates a model of a medium group included in a layered structure of an in — ga — zn — o - based material . in the medium group included in the layered structure of the in — ga — zn — o - based material in fig1 a , in the order starting from the top , an in atom proximate to three tetracoordinate o atoms in each of an upper half and a lower half is bonded to a zn atom proximate to one tetracoordinate o atom in an upper half , the zn atom is bonded to a ga atom proximate to one tetracoordinate o atom in each of an upper half and a lower half through three tetracoordinate o atoms in a lower half with respect to the zn atom , and the ga atom is bonded to an in atom proximate to three tetracoordinate o atoms in each of an upper half and a lower half through one tetracoordinate o atom in a lower half with respect to the ga atom . a plurality of such medium groups is bonded , so that a large group is formed . fig1 b illustrates a large group including three medium groups . note that fig1 c illustrates an atomic arrangement in the case where the layered structure in fig1 b is observed from the c - axis direction . here , since electric charge of a ( hexacoordinate or pentacoordinate ) in atom , electric charge of a ( tetracoordinate ) zn atom , and electric charge of a ( pentacoordinate ) ga atom are + 3 , + 2 , and + 3 , respectively , electric charge of a small group including any of an in atom , a zn atom , and a ga atom is 0 . as a result , the total electric charge of a medium group having a combination of such small groups is always 0 . in order to form the layered structure of the in — ga — zn — o - based material , a large group can be formed using not only the medium group illustrated in fig1 a but also a medium group in which the arrangement of the in atom , the ga atom , and the zn atom is different from that in fig1 a . next , electrodes 142 a and 142 b each of which functions as a source electrode or a drain electrode are formed in contact with the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 . the electrodes 142 a and 142 b can be formed using a metal material such as molybdenum , titanium , tantalum , tungsten , aluminum , copper , chromium , neodymium , or scandium or an alloy material which contains any of these materials as its main component . in the case where gan is used for the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 , titanium or the like is used as a material of the electrodes 142 a and 142 b each functioning as a source electrode or a drain electrode , and aluminum gallium nitride ( algan ) is used for a buffer layer for forming a two - dimensional electron gas between the electrodes 142 a and 142 b and the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 . in addition , insulating layers 143 a and 143 b are formed in order to protect the electrodes 142 a and 142 b . next , planarization treatment is performed using chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) or the like . in this planarization treatment , the insulating layers 143 a and 143 b function as buffer layers for preventing the electrodes 142 a and 142 b from being removed . next , trenches for element isolation in the channel - length direction and trenches for element isolation in the channel - width direction are formed . these trenches for element isolation may have a continuous upper surface pattern shape or separate upper surface pattern shapes . in this embodiment , division of the wide - gap semiconductor layer is achieved by formation of the trenches ; thus , these trenches have a continuous upper surface pattern shape ( a lattice shape ) in fig1 c . during the formation of the trenches for element isolation in the channel - width direction , division into the electrode 142 a and the electrode 142 b can also be achieved . note that the timing of formation of the trenches for element isolation is not particularly limited . in addition , the depth of the trenches for element isolation is not limited to a depth at which the horizontal position of the bottoms thereof is the same as that of the bottoms of the trenches for the gate electrodes , as long as sufficient element isolation can be achieved . element isolation can be ensured by setting the horizontal position of the bottoms of the trenches for element isolation to be deeper than that of the bottoms of the trenches for the gate electrodes . then , a gate insulating layer 146 is formed so as to cover part of the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 , the electrodes 142 a and 142 b each functioning as a source electrode or a drain electrode , and the insulating layers 143 a and 143 b . the gate insulating layer 146 is also formed on the inner walls and bottoms of the trenches for element isolation in the channel - length direction and the inner walls and bottoms of the trenches for element isolation in the channel - width direction . the gate insulating layer 146 can have a thickness of 1 nm to 100 nm and can be formed by a sputtering method , an mbe method , a cvd method , a pulse laser deposition method , an ald method , a coating method , a printing method , or the like as appropriate . the gate insulating layer 146 may be formed using a sputtering apparatus which performs film formation with surfaces of a plurality of substrates set substantially perpendicular to a surface of a sputtering target , which is so called a columnar plasma ( cp ) sputtering system . the gate insulating layer 146 can be formed using a silicon oxide film , a gallium oxide film , an aluminum oxide film , a silicon nitride film , a silicon oxynitride film , an aluminum oxynitride film , or a silicon nitride oxide film . further , the gate insulating layer 146 is preferably formed in consideration of the size of a transistor to be formed and the step coverage with the gate insulating layer 146 . in this embodiment , a silicon oxide film of sio 2 + α ( α & gt ; 0 ) is used as the gate insulating layer 146 . by using the silicon oxide film as the gate insulating layer 146 , oxygen can be supplied to the in — ga — zn — o - based oxide semiconductor and favorable characteristics can be obtained . when the gate insulating layer 146 is formed using a high - k material such as hafnium oxide , yttrium oxide , hafnium silicate ( hfsi x o y ( x & gt ; 0 , y & gt ; 0 )), hafnium silicate to which nitrogen is added ( hfsi x o y n z ( x & gt ; 0 , y & gt ; 0 , z & gt ; 0 )), or hafnium aluminate ( hfal x o y ( x & gt ; 0 , y & gt ; 0 )), gate leakage current can be reduced . further , the gate insulating layer 146 may have a single - layer structure or a stacked structure . then , a gate electrode 148 a is formed over the gate insulating layer 146 so as to fill the trench for the gate electrode . the gate electrode 148 a can be formed using a metal material such as molybdenum , titanium , tantalum , tungsten , aluminum , copper , chromium , neodymium , or scandium or an alloy material which contains any of these materials as its main component . the gate electrode 148 a may have a single - layer structure or a stacked structure . as one layer of the gate electrode 148 a which is in contact with the gate insulating layer 146 , a metal oxide containing nitrogen , specifically , an in — ga — zn — o film containing nitrogen , an in — sn — o film containing nitrogen , an in — ga — o film containing nitrogen , an in — zn — o film containing nitrogen , a sn — o film containing nitrogen , an in — o film containing nitrogen , or a metal nitride ( inn , snn , or the like ) film is used . these films each have a work function of 5 ev or higher , preferably 5 . 5 ev or higher , which enables the threshold voltage of the transistor to be positive when used as the gate electrode . accordingly , a so - called normally off switching element can be provided . when the gate electrode 148 a is formed in the trench for the gate electrode , the transistor 162 with a trench structure is formed . then , an insulating layer 149 is formed so as to cover the gate electrode 148 a and a gate electrode 148 b . as the insulating layer 149 , an insulating film providing favorable step coverage is preferably used . the insulating layer 149 can be formed using a silicon oxide film , a gallium oxide film , an aluminum oxide film , a silicon nitride film , a silicon oxynitride film , an aluminum oxynitride film , or a silicon nitride oxide film . in this embodiment , an aluminum oxide film is used as the insulating layer 149 . in fig1 a and 1b , the gate insulating layer 146 is formed in contact with a side surface of the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 , and furthermore , the insulating layer 149 is formed . accordingly , in this embodiment , a silicon oxide film of sio 2 + α ( α & gt ; 0 ) covers a side surface of the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 and an aluminum oxide film covers the silicon oxide film , thereby blocking oxygen so as not to be diffused from the silicon oxide film and pass through the insulating layer 149 . after the insulating layer 149 is formed , an insulating layer 150 for filling the trenches for element isolation is formed by a cvd method or the like . by filling the trenches for element isolation with the insulating layer 150 , element isolation regions 161 and 165 are formed . note that when the gate insulating layer 146 and the insulating layer 149 are stacked in the trenches for element isolation before the insulating layer 150 is formed , regions to be filled with the insulating layer 150 can be smaller and can be smoothly filled with the insulating layer 150 . after that , planarization treatment is performed using cmp or the like , whereby the structure illustrated in fig1 a and 1b can be obtained . as illustrated in fig1 b , a space between the gate electrode 148 a of the transistor 162 and the gate electrode 148 b of the transistor 163 adjacent thereto is also filled with the insulating layer 150 , which makes it possible to prevent a short - circuit between the gate electrodes . furthermore , as illustrated in fig1 a , a space between the electrode which functions as a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor 162 and an electrode which functions as a source electrode or a drain electrode of a transistor adjacent thereto in the channel - length direction is also filled with the insulating layer 150 , which makes it possible to prevent a short - circuit between these electrodes . in this embodiment , the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 is formed in contact with the inner wall of the trench of 0 . 4 μm ; thus , the channel length is approximately 0 . 8 μm or more . in the case where an in — ga — zn — o - based oxide semiconductor is used as the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 , a transistor with a channel length of 0 . 8 μm or more can be a normally off transistor , and the occurrence of short - channel effect can be prevented . in addition , by employing the trench structure , a reduction in the planar area of a transistor can be achieved , so that higher integration can be achieved . fig2 a and 2b illustrate an example of a semiconductor device which includes the transistor 162 illustrated in fig1 a to 1c , which can hold stored data even when not powered , and which has an unlimited number of write cycles . since the off - state current of the transistor 162 is small , stored data can be held for a long time owing to such a transistor . in other words , the frequency of refresh operation can be extremely lowered , which leads to a sufficient reduction in power consumption . fig2 a illustrates an example of a cross section of the semiconductor device . the semiconductor device illustrated in fig2 a includes a transistor 160 including a first semiconductor material in a lower portion , and a transistor 162 including a second semiconductor material in an upper portion . the transistor 162 is the same as that in embodiment 1 ; thus , for description of fig2 a and 2b , the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in fig1 a . here , the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are preferably materials having different band gaps . for example , the first semiconductor material can be a semiconductor material ( such as silicon ) other than an oxide semiconductor , and the second semiconductor material can be an oxide semiconductor . a transistor including a material other than an oxide semiconductor can operate at high speed easily . on the other hand , a transistor including an oxide semiconductor can hold electric charge for a long time owing to its characteristics . although both of the above transistors are n - channel transistors in the following description , it is needless to say that p - channel transistors can be used . the technical nature of the disclosed invention is to use a wide - gap semiconductor in the transistor 162 so that data can be held . therefore , it is not necessary to limit a specific structure of the semiconductor device , such as a material of the semiconductor device or a structure of the semiconductor device , to the structure described here . the transistor 160 in fig2 a includes a channel formation region 116 provided in a substrate 100 including a semiconductor material ( such as silicon ), impurity regions 120 provided such that the channel formation region 116 is sandwiched therebetween , metal compound regions 124 provided in contact with the impurity regions 120 , a gate insulating layer 108 provided over the channel formation region 116 , and a gate electrode 110 provided over the gate insulating layer 108 . an electrode 126 is connected to part of the metal compound region 124 of the transistor 160 . here , the electrode 126 functions as a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor 160 . further , an element isolation insulating layer is formed on the substrate 100 so as to surround the transistor 160 , and an insulating layer 130 is formed so as to cover the transistor 160 . note that for higher integration , it is preferable that , as in fig2 a , the transistor 160 does not have a sidewall insulating layer . on the other hand , when the characteristics of the transistor 160 have priority , the sidewall insulating layer may be formed on a side surface of the gate electrode 110 and the impurity regions 120 may include a region having a different impurity concentration . as illustrated in fig2 a , the transistor 162 includes the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 and has a trench structure . here , the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 is preferably a purified wide - gap semiconductor layer . by using a purified wide - gap semiconductor , the transistor 162 which has extremely favorable electrical characteristics can be obtained . note that for the transistor 162 in fig2 a , an element isolation region 161 is provided in order to suppress leakage between elements due to miniaturization . furthermore , the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 which is processed in an island shape and smaller than a region surrounded by the element isolation region 161 is used ; however , as described in embodiment 1 , a structure in which the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 is not processed into an island shape until trenches for element isolation are formed may be employed . when the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 is not processed into an island shape , the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 can be prevented from being contaminated by etching during processing . it is needless to say that the number of steps can be reduced in the case where the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 is not processed into an island shape . in the case of using the wide - gap semiconductor layer 144 which is processed in an island shape and smaller than the region surrounded by the element isolation region 161 , there is no need to divide the wide - gap semiconductor layer by formation of trenches for element isolation , and thus , the horizontal position of the bottoms of the trenches for element isolation can be shallower than that of the bottoms of trenches for gate electrodes , or the total area of the trenches for element isolation can be reduced . an insulating layer 151 is provided over the transistor 162 , and an electrode 153 which is electrically connected to the gate electrode 148 a is provided over the insulating layer 151 . in addition , an insulating layer 152 is provided over the electrode 153 . an electrode 154 is provided in an opening formed in the gate insulating layer 146 , the insulating layer 150 , the insulating layer 151 , the insulating layer 152 , and the like , and a wiring 156 which is connected to the electrode 154 is formed over the insulating layer 152 . note that although the metal compound region 124 , the electrode 142 b , and the wiring 156 are connected to one another through the electrode 126 and the electrode 154 in fig2 a , the disclosed invention is not limited thereto . for example , the electrode 142 b may be in direct contact with the metal compound region 124 . alternatively , the wiring 156 may be in direct contact with the electrode 142 b . next , an example of a circuit configuration corresponding to fig2 a is illustrated in fig2 b . in fig2 b , a first wiring ( 1st line ) is electrically connected to a source electrode of the transistor 160 . a second wiring ( 2nd line ) is electrically connected to a drain electrode of the transistor 160 . a third wiring ( 3rd line ) is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain electrodes of the transistor 162 , and a fourth wiring ( 4th line ) is electrically connected to a gate electrode of the transistor 162 . a gate electrode of the transistor 160 and the other of the source and drain electrodes of the transistor 162 are electrically connected to one electrode of a capacitor 164 . a fifth wiring ( 5th line ) is electrically connected to the other electrode of the capacitor 164 . the capacitor 164 can be formed with a pair of electrodes and an insulating layer interposed therebetween and serving as a dielectric , through the same process as the process for manufacturing the transistor 160 and the transistor 162 . note that the present invention is not limited to formation of the capacitor 164 through the same process as the process for manufacturing the transistor 160 and the transistor 162 , and layers of the capacitor 164 may be separately provided above the transistor 162 . for example , a trench - type capacitor or a stack - type capacitor may be separately formed above the transistor 162 or below the transistor 160 so as to be three - dimensionally stacked , whereby the degree of integration may be increased . the semiconductor device in fig2 b utilizes a characteristic in which the potential of the gate electrode of the transistor 160 can be held , and thus enables data writing , holding , and reading as follows . writing and holding of data will be described . first , the potential of the fourth wiring is set to a potential at which the transistor 162 is turned on , so that the transistor 162 is turned on . accordingly , the potential of the third wiring is supplied to the gate electrode of the transistor 160 and to the capacitor 164 . that is , predetermined charge is supplied to the gate electrode of the transistor 160 ( writing ). here , one of two kinds of charges providing different potentials ( hereinafter referred to as a low - level charge and a high - level charge ) is applied . after that , the potential of the fourth wiring is set to a potential at which the transistor 162 is turned off , so that the transistor 162 is turned off . thus , the charge supplied to the gate electrode of the transistor 160 is held ( holding ). in addition , a back gate electrode may be provided , and it is preferable that the transistor 162 be surely a normally off transistor by application of the voltage to the back gate electrode . in this embodiment , a semiconductor device which includes the transistor 162 illustrated in fig1 a to 1c , which can hold stored data even when not powered , which has an unlimited number of write cycles , and which has a structure different from the structure described in embodiment 2 will be described with reference to fig3 . the semiconductor device illustrated in fig3 includes a transistor 350 including a first semiconductor material in a lower portion , and a transistor 162 including a second semiconductor material in an upper portion . although a plurality of transistors is formed using semiconductor materials in the upper and lower portions , the transistor 350 and the transistor 162 will be typically described . note that fig3 which is taken along line b 1 - b 2 corresponds to a cross - sectional view perpendicular to the channel - length direction of transistors . here , the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are preferably materials having different band gaps . for example , the first semiconductor material can be a semiconductor material ( such as silicon ) other than an oxide semiconductor , and the second semiconductor material can be an oxide semiconductor . a transistor including a material other than an oxide semiconductor can operate at high speed easily . on the other hand , a transistor including an oxide semiconductor can hold electric charge for a long time owing to its characteristics . the transistor 162 including the second semiconductor material in the upper portion is the same as the transistor 162 described in embodiments 1 and 2 ; thus , for description of fig3 , the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in fig1 a . the transistor 350 formed using the first semiconductor material in the lower portion will be described below . the transistor 350 includes a semiconductor substrate 310 , a gate insulating layer 314 , a semiconductor layer 316 , a conductive layer 318 , a protective insulating layer 320 , a sidewall insulating layer 322 , impurity regions 324 , and an insulating layer 326 . note that the semiconductor layer 316 and the conductive layer 318 function as a gate electrode , and the impurity regions 324 each function as a source region or a drain region . in addition , the transistor 350 is adjacently provided with shallow trench isolation ( sti ) regions 312 . the sti regions 312 can be formed as follows : first , trenches ( also referred to as grooves ) are formed by forming a protective insulating film in a desired region over the semiconductor substrate 310 and performing etching ; then , after the formation of the trenches , the trenches are filled with an insulating dielectric film . as the insulating dielectric film , a silicon oxide film , a silicon nitride film , or the like can be used . next , the transistor 350 will be described in detail . the gate insulating layer 314 of the transistor 350 can be formed as follows . an insulating film is formed over the semiconductor substrate 310 provided with the sti regions 312 , and then , patterning and etching are performed in a desired position , whereby a trench having a depth different from that of the sti regions 312 is formed in the semiconductor substrate 310 . after that , heat treatment is performed in an oxygen atmosphere , whereby the semiconductor substrate 310 in the trench is oxidized . in this manner , the gate insulating layer 314 can be formed . after the gate insulating layer 314 is formed , a silicon film is formed using an lpcvd method or the like . note that the silicon film is subjected to n + or p + doping treatment , heat treatment , or the like so as to obtain a polysilicon film , whereby a highly conductive semiconductor layer is formed . after that , a metal film is formed over the semiconductor layer by a sputtering method or the like . as the metal film , tungsten , titanium , cobalt , or nickel or an alloy film , a metal nitride film , a silicide film , or the like containing tungsten , titanium , cobalt , or nickel can be used . patterning is performed on a desired region over the metal film , and etching is performed , whereby the conductive layer 318 is formed . in addition , the semiconductor layer is etched using the conductive layer 318 as a mask , whereby the semiconductor layer 316 can be formed . note that the conductive layer 318 and the semiconductor layer 316 function as a gate electrode of the transistor 350 . next , the protective insulating layer 320 is formed over the conductive layer 318 . the protective insulating layer 320 can be formed in such a manner that a silicon oxide film , a silicon nitride film , or the like is formed using a plasma cvd method or the like and patterning and etching treatments are performed on a desired region . next , a silicon nitride film is formed using a plasma cvd method or the like so as to cover the semiconductor substrate 310 and the protective insulating layer 320 and is etched back , whereby the sidewall insulating layer 322 can be formed . next , the impurity regions 324 are formed by performing doping treatment using the protective insulating layer 320 and the sidewall insulating layer 322 as a mask . note that as a dopant , boron , phosphorus , or the like may be used , and as the impurity regions 324 , n + regions , p + regions , or the like can be formed as appropriate depending on the dopant used . note that the impurity regions 324 each function as a source region or a drain region of the transistor 350 . next , the insulating layer 326 is formed so as to cover the impurity regions 324 , the protective insulating layer 320 , and the sidewall insulating layer 322 . the insulating layer 326 can be formed using a silicon oxide film or the like by a plasma cvd method or the like . next , openings are provided in desired regions of the insulating layer 326 , and a connection electrode 325 and a connection electrode 331 are formed so as to be electrically connected to the impurity regions 324 . note that after the connection electrode 325 and the connection electrode 331 are formed , cmp treatment or the like may be performed to planarize surfaces of the insulating layer 326 , the connection electrode 325 , and the connection electrode 331 . next , a conductive film is formed using a sputtering method or the like over the insulating layer 326 , the connection electrode 325 , and the connection electrode 331 , and patterning and etching are performed on a desired region , whereby an electrode 328 and an electrode 332 are formed . as a material of the electrode 328 and the electrode 332 , tungsten , copper , titanium , or the like can be used as appropriate . next , an insulating layer 329 is formed over the insulating layer 326 , the electrode 328 , and the electrode 332 . the insulating layer 329 can be formed using a material and a method similar to those for the insulating layer 326 . through the above - described process , the semiconductor material 310 provided with the transistor 350 formed using a first semiconductor substrate can be formed . here , connections between the transistor 350 including the first semiconductor material in the lower portion and the transistor 162 including the second semiconductor material in the upper portion will be described below . the transistor 350 is electrically connected to the transistor 162 through the impurity region 324 , the connection electrode 325 , the electrode 328 , and a connection electrode 330 . on the other hand , another transistor 350 is electrically connected to the wiring 156 through the impurity region 324 , the connection electrode 331 , the electrode 332 , a connection electrode 334 , an electrode 336 , and a connection electrode 338 . in addition , the gate electrode of the transistor 350 ( i . e ., the semiconductor layer 316 and the conductive layer 318 ) is electrically connected to a source electrode of the transistor 162 . note that the connection between the gate electrode of the transistor 350 and the source electrode of the transistor 162 is not illustrated in fig3 , and the connection is established in a three - dimensional direction . as described above , the plurality of memory cells is formed in the upper portion with the transistors including an oxide semiconductor which is one of wide - gap semiconductors . since the off - state current of the transistor including an oxide semiconductor is small , stored data can be held for a long time owing to such a transistor . in other words , the frequency of refresh operation can be extremely lowered , which leads to a sufficient reduction in power consumption . on the other hand , for the peripheral circuit , a semiconductor material other than the oxide semiconductor is used . the semiconductor material other than the oxide semiconductor may be , for example , silicon , germanium , silicon germanium , silicon carbide , gallium arsenide , or the like and is preferably a single crystal semiconductor . a transistor including such a semiconductor material can operate at sufficiently high speed . therefore , the transistor including the material other than the oxide semiconductor can favorably realize a variety of circuits ( e . g ., a logic circuit or a driver circuit ) which needs to operate at high speed . a semiconductor device having a novel feature can be obtained by being provided with both a peripheral circuit including the transistor including a material other than an oxide semiconductor ( in other words , a transistor capable of operating at sufficiently high speed ) and a memory circuit including the transistor including an oxide semiconductor ( in a broader sense , a transistor whose off - state current is sufficiently small ). in addition , with a structure where the peripheral circuit and the memory circuit are stacked , the degree of integration of the semiconductor device can be increased . this embodiment can be implemented in appropriate combinations with the configurations described in the other embodiments . in this embodiment , a semiconductor device which includes the transistor 162 illustrated in fig1 a to 1c , which can hold stored data even when not powered , which has an unlimited number of write cycles , and which has a structure different from the structures described in embodiments 2 and 3 will be described with reference to fig4 a and 4b and fig5 . fig4 a illustrates an example of a circuit configuration of a semiconductor device , and fig4 b is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a semiconductor device . first , the semiconductor device illustrated in fig4 a will be described , and then , the semiconductor device illustrated in fig4 b will be described . in the semiconductor device illustrated in fig4 a , a bit line bl is electrically connected to a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor 162 , a word line wl is electrically connected to a gate electrode of the transistor 162 , and a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor 162 is electrically connected to a first terminal of a capacitor 254 . the transistor 162 including an oxide semiconductor as a wide - gap semiconductor has a characteristic of a significantly small off - state current . for that reason , a potential of the first terminal of the capacitor 254 ( or a charge accumulated in the capacitor 254 ) can be held for an extremely long period by turning off the transistor 162 . further , in the transistor 162 including an oxide semiconductor as a wide - gap semiconductor , a short - channel effect is not likely to be caused , which is advantageous . next , writing and holding of data in the semiconductor device ( a memory cell 250 ) illustrated in fig4 a will be described . first , the potential of the word line wl is set to a potential at which the transistor 162 is turned on , so that the transistor 162 is turned on . accordingly , the potential of the bit line bl is supplied to the first terminal of the capacitor 254 ( writing ). after that , the potential of the word line wl is set to a potential at which the transistor 162 is turned off , so that the transistor 162 is turned off . thus , the charge at the first terminal of the capacitor 254 is held ( holding ). because the off - state current of the transistor 162 is extremely small , the potential of the first terminal of the capacitor 254 ( or the charge accumulated in the capacitor ) can be held for a long time . next , reading of data will be described . when the transistor 162 is turned on , the bit line bl which is in a floating state and the capacitor 254 are electrically connected to each other , and the charge is redistributed between the bit line bl and the capacitor 254 . as a result , the potential of the bit line bl is changed . the amount of change in potential of the bit line bl varies depending on the potential of the first terminal of the capacitor 254 ( or the charge accumulated in the capacitor 254 ). for example , the potential of the bit line bl after charge redistribution is ( c b * v b0 + c * v )/( c b + c ), where v is the potential of the first terminal of the capacitor 254 , c is the capacitance of the capacitor 254 , c b is the capacitance of the bit line bl ( hereinafter also referred to as bit line capacitance ), and v b0 is the potential of the bit line bl before the charge redistribution . therefore , it can be found that assuming that the memory cell 250 is in either of two states in which the potentials of the first terminal of the capacitor 254 are v 1 and v 0 ( v 1 & gt ; v 0 ), the potential of the bit line bl in the case of holding the potential v 1 (=( c b * v b0 + c * v 1 )/( c b + c )) is higher than the potential of the bit line bl in the case of holding the potential v 0 (=( c b * v b0 + c * v 0 )/( c b + c )). then , by comparing the potential of the bit line bl with a predetermined potential , data can be read . as described above , the semiconductor device illustrated in fig4 a can hold charge that is accumulated in the capacitor 254 for a long time because the off - state current of the transistor 162 is extremely small . in other words , refresh operation becomes unnecessary or the frequency of the refresh operation can be extremely lowered , which leads to a sufficient reduction in power consumption . moreover , stored data can be held for a long period even when power is not supplied . next , the semiconductor device illustrated in fig4 b will be described . the semiconductor device illustrated in fig4 b includes a memory cell array 251 including a plurality of memory cells 250 illustrated in fig4 a and a memory cell array 252 including a plurality of memory cells 250 illustrated in fig4 a as memory elements in the upper portion , and a peripheral circuit 253 in the lower portion which is necessary for operating the memory cell array 251 and the memory cell array 252 . note that the memory cell array 252 is provided in an intermediate position between the memory cell array 251 and the peripheral circuit 253 and is provided over the peripheral circuit 253 ; thus , the memory cell array 251 and the memory cell array 252 are regarded as being provided in the upper portion . in the structure illustrated in fig4 b , the peripheral circuit 253 can be provided under the memory cell array 251 and the memory cell array 252 , and the memory cell array 251 and the memory cell array 252 can be stacked . thus , the size of the semiconductor device can be decreased . next , a specific structure of the semiconductor device illustrated in fig4 b will be described with reference to fig5 . the semiconductor device illustrated in fig5 includes a plurality of memory cells ( a memory cell 452 a and a memory cell 452 b ) formed in multiple layers in the upper portion , and a peripheral circuit 400 in the lower portion . the peripheral circuit 400 in the lower portion includes a transistor 450 including a first semiconductor material , and the plurality of memory cells ( the memory cell 452 a and the memory cell 452 b ) formed in multiple layers in the upper portion each include a transistor 162 including a second semiconductor material . note that fig5 which is taken along line c 1 - c 2 corresponds to a cross - sectional view perpendicular to the channel - length direction of transistors . here , the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are preferably materials having different band gaps . for example , the first semiconductor material can be a semiconductor material ( such as silicon ) other than an oxide semiconductor , and the second semiconductor material can be an oxide semiconductor . a transistor including a material other than an oxide semiconductor can operate at high speed easily . on the other hand , a transistor including an oxide semiconductor can hold electric charge for a long time owing to its characteristics . the transistor 162 including the second semiconductor material in the upper portion is the same as the transistor 162 described above in embodiments 1 to 3 ; thus , for description of fig5 , the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in fig1 a and are not described in detail . here , the transistor 450 including the first semiconductor material in the lower portion will be described below . the transistor 450 in fig5 includes a channel formation region 404 provided in a substrate 402 including a semiconductor material ( such as silicon ), impurity regions 406 and high - concentration impurity regions 408 ( collectively , simply also referred to as impurity regions ) provided such that the channel formation region 404 is sandwiched therebetween , metal compound regions 410 provided in contact with the high - concentration impurity regions 408 , a gate insulating layer 411 provided over the channel formation region 404 , a gate electrode layer 412 provided in contact with the gate insulating layer 411 , and a source or drain electrode 418 a and a source or drain electrode 418 b electrically connected to the impurity regions . here , a sidewall insulating layer 414 is provided on a side surface of the gate electrode layer 412 . further , an element isolation insulating layer 403 is formed on the substrate 402 so as to surround the transistor 450 , and an interlayer insulating layer 420 and an interlayer insulating layer 422 are formed so as to cover the transistor 450 . the source or drain electrode 418 a and the source or drain electrode 418 b are electrically connected to the metal compound regions 410 through openings formed in the interlayer insulating layer 420 and the interlayer insulating layer 422 . in other words , the source or drain electrode 418 a and the source or drain electrode 418 b are electrically connected to the high - concentration impurity regions 408 and the impurity regions 406 through the metal compound regions 410 . note that in some cases , the sidewall insulating layer 414 is not formed , in order to achieve a higher degree of integration of the transistor 450 or the like . in addition , an electrode 424 a , an electrode 424 b , and an electrode 424 c which are electrically connected to the source or drain electrode 418 a and the source or drain electrode 418 b of the transistor 450 are provided over the interlayer insulating layer 422 , and planarization is achieved with an insulating layer 425 which covers the interlayer insulating layer 422 , the electrode 424 a , the electrode 424 b , and the electrode 424 c . the electrode 424 c is electrically connected to an electrode 428 through a connection electrode 426 . note that the electrode 428 is formed using the same layer as the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer of the transistor 162 . in addition , a wiring 432 is electrically connected to the electrode 428 through a connection electrode 430 and is electrically connected to an electrode 436 which is formed using the same layer as the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer of the transistor 162 , through a connection electrode 434 . in addition , the electrode 436 is electrically connected to a wiring 440 through a connection electrode 438 . with the electrode 424 c , the wiring 432 , and the wiring 440 , an electrical connection between memory cells , an electrical connection between the peripheral circuit 400 and memory cells , or the like can be established . note that fig5 illustrates , as an example , the semiconductor device in which two memory cells ( the memory cell 452 a and the memory cell 452 b ) are stacked ; however , the number of memory cells to be stacked is not limited thereto . three or more memory cells may be stacked . in addition , fig5 illustrates , as an example , the semiconductor device in which the memory cell 452 a , the memory cell 452 b , and the peripheral circuit 400 are connected through the electrode 424 c , the electrode 428 , the wiring 432 , the electrode 436 , and the wiring 440 ; however , the present invention is not limited thereto . two or more wiring layers and electrodes may be provided between the memory cell 452 a , the memory cell 452 b , and the peripheral circuit 400 . as described above , the plurality of memory cells formed in multiple layers in the upper portion is each formed with a transistor including an oxide semiconductor as a wide - gap semiconductor layer . since the off - state current of the transistor including an oxide semiconductor as a wide - gap semiconductor layer is small , stored data can be held for a long time owing to such a transistor . in other words , the frequency of refresh operation can be extremely lowered , which leads to a sufficient reduction in power consumption . on the other hand , for the peripheral circuit , a semiconductor material other than the oxide semiconductor is used . the semiconductor material other than the oxide semiconductor may be , for example , silicon , germanium , silicon germanium , silicon carbide , gallium arsenide , or the like and is preferably a single crystal semiconductor . alternatively , an organic semiconductor material or the like may be used . a transistor including such a semiconductor material can operate at sufficiently high speed . therefore , the transistor including the material other than the oxide semiconductor can favorably realize a variety of circuits ( e . g ., a logic circuit or a driver circuit ) which needs to operate at high speed . a semiconductor device having a novel feature can be obtained by being provided with both a peripheral circuit including the transistor including a material other than an oxide semiconductor ( in other words , a transistor capable of operating at sufficiently high speed ) and a memory circuit including the transistor including an oxide semiconductor ( in a broader sense , a transistor whose off - state current is sufficiently small ). in addition , with a structure where the peripheral circuit and the memory circuit are stacked , the degree of integration of the semiconductor device can be increased . this embodiment can be implemented in appropriate combinations with the configurations described in the other embodiments . in this embodiment , examples of application of the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments to portable devices such as cellular phones , smartphones , or electronic books will be described with reference to fig9 a and 9b and fig1 to 12 . in a portable device such as a cellular phone , a smartphone , or an electronic book , an sram or a dram is used so as to store image data temporarily . the reason why an sram or a dram is used is that a flash memory is slow in responding and is not suitable for image processing . on the other hand , an sram or a dram has the following characteristics when used for temporary storage of image data . in an ordinary sram , as illustrated in fig9 a , one memory cell includes six transistors , that is , transistors 801 to 806 , which are driven with an x decoder 807 and a y decoder 808 . the transistor 803 and the transistor 805 , and the transistor 804 and the transistor 806 form inverters , which enables high - speed driving . however , because one memory cell includes six transistors , a large cell area is one disadvantage . provided that the minimum feature size of a design rule is f , the area of a memory cell in an sram is generally 100 f 2 to 150 f 2 . therefore , the price per bit of an sram is the most expensive among memory devices . in a dram , as illustrated in fig9 b , a memory cell includes a transistor 811 and a storage capacitor 812 , which are driven with an x decoder 813 and a y decoder 814 . one cell is configured with one transistor and one capacitor and has a small area . the area of a memory cell in a dram is generally 10 f 2 or less . note that the dram needs to be refreshed periodically and consumes electric power even when a rewriting operation is not performed . on the other hand , the memory cell of the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments has an area of approximately 10 f 2 and does not need to be refreshed frequently . therefore , the area of a memory cell can be decreased , and power consumption can be reduced . next , fig1 is a block diagram of a portable device . the portable device illustrated in fig1 includes an rf circuit 901 , an analog baseband circuit 902 , a digital baseband circuit 903 , a battery 904 , a power supply circuit 905 , an application processor 906 , a flash memory 910 , a display controller 911 , a memory circuit 912 , a display 913 , a touch sensor 919 , an audio circuit 917 , a keyboard 918 , and the like . the display 913 includes a display portion 914 , a source driver 915 , and a gate driver 916 . the application processor 906 includes a cpu 907 , a dsp 908 , and an interface 909 ( if 909 ). in general , the memory circuit 912 includes an sram or a dram . by employing the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments for that portion , data can be written and read at high speed and can be held for a long time , and power consumption can be sufficiently reduced . next , fig1 illustrates an example of using the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments in a memory circuit 950 for a display . the memory circuit 950 illustrated in fig1 includes a memory 952 , a memory 953 , a switch 954 , a switch 955 , and a memory controller 951 . the memory circuit 950 is connected to a display controller 956 that reads and controls image data input through a signal line ( input image data ) and data stored in the memory 952 and the memory 953 ( stored image data ), and is also connected to a display 957 that displays an image based on a signal input from the display controller 956 . first , image data ( input image data a ) is produced by an application processor ( not illustrated ). the input image data a is stored in the memory 952 through the switch 954 . then , the image data stored in the memory 952 ( stored image data a ) is transmitted to the display 957 through the switch 955 and the display controller 956 , and is displayed on the display 957 . when the input image data a remains unchanged , the stored image data a is read from the memory 952 through the switch 955 by the display controller 956 normally at a frequency of approximately 30 hz to 60 hz . next , for example , when a user performs an operation to rewrite a screen ( i . e ., when the input image data a is changed ), the application processor produces new image data ( input image data b ). the input image data b is stored in the memory 953 through the switch 954 . also during that time , the stored image data a is regularly read from the memory 952 through the switch 955 . after the completion of storing the new image data ( the stored image data b ) in the memory 953 , from the next frame for the display 957 , the stored image data b starts to be read , transmitted to the display 957 through the switch 955 and the display controller 956 , and displayed on the display 957 . this reading operation continues until the next new image data is stored in the memory 952 . by alternately writing and reading image data to and from the memory 952 and the memory 953 as described above , images are displayed on the display 957 . note that the memory 952 and the memory 953 are not limited to separate memories , and a single memory may be divided and used . by employing the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments for the memory 952 and the memory 953 , data can be written and read at high speed and held for a long time , and power consumption can be sufficiently reduced . next , fig1 is a block diagram of an electronic book . fig1 includes a battery 1001 , a power supply circuit 1002 , a microprocessor 1003 , a flash memory 1004 , an audio circuit 1005 , a keyboard 1006 , a memory circuit 1007 , a touch panel 1008 , a display 1009 , and a display controller 1010 . here , the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments can be used for the memory circuit 1007 in fig1 . the memory circuit 1007 has a function to temporarily hold the contents of a book . for example , a user may use a highlight function . in some cases , a user wants to mark a specific portion while reading an electronic book . this marking function is called highlight function and is used to make a difference from the other portions by changing the display color , underlining , making characters bold , changing the font of characters , or the like . the function makes it possible to store and hold data of a portion specified by a user . in order to store the data for a long time , the data may be copied to the flash memory 1004 . also in such a case , by employing the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments , data can be written and read at high speed and held for a long time , and power consumption can be sufficiently reduced . as described above , the portable devices described in this embodiment each incorporates the semiconductor device according to any of the above embodiments . therefore , it is possible to obtain a portable device which is capable of reading data at high speed , holding data for a long time , and reducing power consumption . the configurations , methods , and the like described in this embodiment can be combined as appropriate with any of the configurations , methods , and the like described in the other embodiments . in this example , calculations were carried out to determine whether or not a short - channel effect is caused in the transistor having a trench structure which is described in embodiment 1 . for the calculations , device simulation software sentaurus device manufactured by synopsys , inc . was used . fig6 a shows a structure used for the calculation and the sizes of components . the thickness of the gate insulating layer is set to 5 nm , the thickness of the wide - gap semiconductor layer is set to 5 nm , and the depth of the trench for the gate electrode is set to 0 . 4 μm . fig6 a shows a transistor having a trench structure in which the length of the bottom of the trench ( the length in the channel - length direction ) is 90 nm and the distance between the source electrode and the drain electrode ( the length in the channel - length direction ) is 110 nm . a material of the wide - gap semiconductor layer is an in — ga — zn — o - based oxide semiconductor ( with a band gap of 3 . 15 ev , an electron affinity of 4 . 6 ev , and an electron mobility of 10 cm 2 / vs ), the work function of the electrodes in contact with the wide - gap semiconductor layer ( the source electrode and the drain electrode ) is 4 . 6 ev , and the work function of the gate electrode is 5 . 5 ev . fig6 b shows the result of a calculation of vg - id characteristics of the transistor having the trench structure ( with vds = 1 v at a temperature of 27 ° c .). fig7 a shows a transistor having a trench structure in which the length of the bottom of the trench ( the length in the channel - length direction ) is 60 nm and the distance between the source electrode and the drain electrode ( the length in the channel - length direction ) is 80 nm fig7 b shows the result of a calculation carried out with the same conditions as in fig6 b except the length of the bottom of the trench and the distance between the source electrode and the drain electrode . fig8 a shows a transistor having a trench structure in which the length of the bottom of the trench ( the length in the channel - length direction ) is 30 nm and the distance between the source electrode and the drain electrode ( the length in the channel - length direction ) is 50 nm fig8 b shows the result of a calculation carried out with the same conditions as in fig6 b except the length of the bottom of the trench and the distance between the source electrode and the drain electrode . the results of the calculations show that all the transistors having the structures in fig6 a , 7 a , and 8 a have substantially the same characteristics . the threshold voltage ( vth ) of each transistor is 0 . 8 v and the subthreshold swing ( s value ) thereof is 60 mv / dec , which are favorable values . these calculation results reveal that a short - channel effect such as a negative shift of the threshold voltage or an increase in the subthreshold swing is not caused even when the distance between the source electrode and the drain electrode ( the length in the channel - length direction ) is decreased to 50 nm , and favorable transistor characteristics are obtained . for comparison , similar calculations were carried out using transistors having not a trench structure but a planar structure . as the distance between the source electrode and the drain electrode ( the length in the channel - length direction ) decreased , the channel length also decreased . a short - channel effect such as a negative shift of the threshold voltage or an increase in the subthreshold swing was caused . furthermore , an increase in leakage current ( off - state current ) generated when a negative bias was applied to the gate was also observed . compared with the results of the comparative calculations , the results of the calculations in fig6 b , 7 b , and 8 b are favorable . with the transistor structure described in embodiment 1 , the change in substantial channel length is small even when the distance between the source electrode and the drain electrode ( the length in the channel - length direction ) is decreased . therefore , a short - channel effect is not caused , and off - state current can be small . accordingly , a memory cell having favorable retention characteristics can be produced . this application is based on japanese patent application serial no . 2011 - 014628 filed with japan patent office on jan . 26 , 2011 and japanese patent application serial no . 2011 - 112673 filed with japan patent office on may 19 , 2011 , the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . | 7 |
the present invention is one type of probe of the optical fiber , which is to be applied for rapid temperature measurement . refer to fig1 for a full structure diagram . when the probe is inserted into the object to be measured , the infrared wave from object &# 39 ; s radiation is received . the object &# 39 ; s composition , whether loose or solid , or structure , whether big or small , is irrelevant ; all can be measured . aimed at a certain distance from the object , the probe is also capable of receiving the infrared signals emitted . in fact , the optical fiber &# 39 ; s probe is an infrared wave - guide . the wavelength &# 39 ; s window of a general optical fiber composed of quartz is between 0 . 4 μm and 2 . 0 μm . the probe by use of this fiber , mentioned above , can measure the temperature of an object of 752 ° f . ( 400 ° c .) or above . even if the temperature exceeds 1832 ° f . ( 1000 ° c . ), the said fiber can still function in regard to non - contact measurement . however , in a submerge measuring case , the materials utilized to compose the optical fiber must be able to withstand high temperatures , above 1000 ° c ., such as the blue gem fiber . when the measuring temperature is below 752 ° f ., especially below room temperature , a quick response time and a high level of accuracy is difficult to maintain . the present invention applies a quartz capillary instead of the wave - guide at the low temperature block . the capillary has a diameter of 1 ˜ 2 mm , and an inside hole diameter of 50 ˜ 300 μm . the middle ir ( 3 ˜ 7 μm ) is able to pass through the capillary inside the wave - guide , length of 1000 mm ; an 80 % transmission level can be achieved the outside surface of the capillary is covered by a nano refractive film , such as au , ag , and li . this type of nano film can easily be adjusted to control the thickness , between 40 and 200 μm , while maintaining a relatively low cost . a heated object , any size , is a wave source . at this temperature , of the heated object , the optimum wavelength of radiation correlates , the same temperature . the optimum wavelength will shift to the direction of the short wave as temperature increases . in specific cases , involving certain waves , radiation power increases as the temperature increases , known as the plank law . w = ɛ λ ( t ) c 1 λ 5 [ exp ( c 2 λ t ) - 1 ] - 1 ( 1 ) where w is the power of light at the known wavelength with the corresponding temperature , c 1 and c 2 are constant , and ε λ ( t ) is the radiation coefficient , a function of λ and t . ε λ ( t ) can also be modified by utilizing different materials . for example , ε = 1 if the radiation is emitted by the blackbody . in order to remove the radiation coefficient , the powers obtained from two adjacent wavelengths must be compared , i . e . powers w 1 □ w 2 are obtained from wavelengths λ 1 □ λ 2 . suppose r ( t ) £ 1 2 w 1 w 2 . r ( t ) = w 1 w 2 = [ λ 2 λ 1 ] 5 exp [ c 2 t ( 1 λ 2 - 1 λ 1 ) ] ( 2 ) first , in practice , radiation from a heat source , entering the wave - limiter 1 , functions to allow only two waves with wavelength λ 1 , λ 2 to enter the waveguide . the wave - limiter is , in fact , a block film of the visible light ; only a wave - block with a wavelength above 0 . 76 μm is able to pass through . in general , the film is composed of polymers , such as polyethylene and polypropylene . the end surface can be molded , resembling a lens shape , to increase the diameter of the infrared wave - guide &# 39 ; s hole . second , the light wave will enter into the wave - splitter 2 , formed by a photoeching method of grating on the outer circle of the wave - guide ; the splitter 2 resembles the bragg grating of the optical fiber . the refractive wave will then divide a wide spectrum into two separate narrow - band spectra , or one narrow - band and one wide - band spectrum by adjusting the grating constant . the grating is then covered with a nano carbon film , 20 mm in length . the layer of carbon film applied forms a blackbody to adsorb stray lights emitted before the exponent / logarithm transfer occurs . the energy from the incident light transmits into the wave - guide in the form of an exponent , an anti - function of the logarithm . values are between 0 and 1 . in the following case , if a compound film composed of nano silicon crystal and polymer was previously painted on the inside wall of the capillary , the width of λ 1 □ λ 2 would shift rapidly towards the long - wavelength direction . a compress function effect would occur , as well as a 3 ˜ 7 μm spectra enhancement , if the film &# 39 ; s layers utilized were between 20 and 50 . the compressed waves then enter into the logarithmic subtractive device 4 ; this principle idea is shown in fig2 . based on equation ( 2 ), the following is now assumed : once the two waves enter into the logarithmic subtractive device 4 , λ 2 will fall into a coupling waveguide due to a λ 2 transmission film 15 on the outer rim of the circle . the photon energy of λ 2 , ln w 2 , is absorbed by an adsorption layer 8 on both end surfaces of the wave - guide ; λ 1 corresponding energy , ln w 1 , will follow along through to the main wave - guide . the total energy in can be compared to that of the dual - wavelength . the radiation coefficient is eliminated as well as environmental disruptions . gathered from the logarithmic subtractive device 4 , drives the self - adjustable wave - cutting device 5 . as the photon energy passes through the vibration film 17 , lights emitted produce a shift and scanning phenomenon ; vibration frequency fluctuations occurring while photon energy strength changes , is the cause of the above - mentioned . light , from the grating 19 , converts into a light signal with a digital pulse , received by an infrared probe 6 . inside the probe , the optical digital value becomes an electric digital signal . fig3 shows structure details , describing the basic principle of the wave - cutting device . the vibration film 17 utilized is a compound film , composed of magnetic particles and polymer , on the substrate of polyester . when an infrared light illuminates the above compound film , a deformation of the polyester film occurs , the continuous change of ordered direction arrangement in the polarized magnetic molecules is the cause ; the electric and magnetic field in the light beam alternate . this type of deformation results transmission light scanning . an integrate ball of stray light 18 is able to absorb any light emitted at the edge . lights on the axis will pass disconnectedly through the grating 19 ; can be replaced by a micro - lens constructed of polymer . the sequence of optical pulses , with varying frequencies , released from the grating , is the optical digital signals . the signals are able to transmit over long distances or can be received directly by an opto - electric probe . in the present invention a cost efficient thermo - electric probe is applied . the digital signals carrying electric pulses , from above probe , display the corresponding temperature value onto a liquid crystal screen 11 ; a signal treating circuit 12 allows the above - mentioned . a variety of measured data is obtainable by utilizing the functional push button 10 ; another option is to connect to a computer to display the data . the nano - film of tic 16 on the infrared wave - guide and the nano - film of carbon on the wave - splitter can be adjusted by using the metal protecting sleeve , i . e . outer shell 8 and protect cover 9 . the optical fiber can be used directly without utilizing the mentioned protection . when the optical fiber probe is submerged into a high temperature environment , such as liquid steel , the material of the infrared waveguide will be constructed of blue gem from the optical fiber . in this case , a ceramic material , heat expansion efficient , similar to the blue gem , can replace the metal protecting sleeve . concluding from the above that , the optical fiber probe will first absorb the infrared light wave , gained from the heat source . the λ 1 ˜ λ 2 wide band spectrum then divides into a dual - wavelength spectrum by passing through the wave - limiter and wave - splitter simultaneously before entering into the exponent / logarithm transfer 3 and the logarithm subtractive device 4 ; the comparison of the dual - wavelength can be concluded at this point . lastly , the self - adjustable wave - cutting device 5 , obtains the optical digital signals , performing the temperature measurement with high speed and accuracy . therefore , based on the principle of non - contact temperature measurement , the present invention does achieve contact measuring of the temperature . the digital transfer is realized by the utilization of the following : the wave - splitter 2 , the logarithm subtractive device 4 , and the self - adjustable wave - cutting device 5 , all of the present invention . the a / d exchange , carried out in the head of the sensor , increases the anti - disruption abilities of the sensor , as well as provides a method to resolve the issue of transmitting signals of the sensor over along range . [ 0031 ] fig4 shows an expanded application for this invention . lights from the led transmit to the sensor head , modulated by the measured biological , chemical , and physical quantities . a portion of the light flows into the measuring field , while other portions of the light reach the a / d exchange by the following : the wave - splitter 2 , the logarithm subtractive device 4 , and the self - adjustable wave - cutting device 5 . the signals , transmittable long - range , throughout the optical fiber , perform the data analysis . the head of the sensor 20 can be constructed out of a variety of materials , quartz , blue gem , and dual - refractive crystals , varying in shape such as a lens or prism . the end fragment can be painted with a variety of corresponding nano films to achieve quick and accurate measurements for various situations , such as temperature , pressure , velocity , density , concentration , refractive index , toxic gases , and bacteria . | 6 |
the data processing apparatus with schedule control function according to the present invention mainly comprises a keyboard for inputting schedule data and various designation , memory units such as random access memory and read only memory ( ram and rom ) for storing schedule data and programs , and a central controlling unit which includes a microprocessor , for processing various data . the schedule data according to the present invention are basically composed of date , a time and contents entered at every time ; alarm setting data ( hereafter referred to as alarm data ) for setting date and time to generate an alarm when arriving at the date and time entered in the contents ; and preliminary alarm setting data ( hereafter referred to as preliminary alarm data ) for setting date and time obtained by calculating a time which is a predetermined time , for example several minutes , before the time when the alarm setting data is set and stored in the memory system at the unit of day . moreover , the schedule data may include marks such as picture marks , etc . visually expressing the aforesaid contents and secret setting data for preventing the entered contents from perusal by other persons . the data processing apparatus with schedule control functions according to the present invention is constructed so that the schedule data , the alarm data or preliminary alarm data which are set are displayed on a display unit or display screen based on the alarm data . fig1 a and 1b are block diagrams showing a construction of a data processing apparatus with schedule control function in a word processor designed for the japanese language . in fig1 a and 1b , reference numeral 20 denotes a key input part having numerical keys , function keys , alphabet / kana keys and the like . the key input part 20 is connected to a main control part 21 , and schedule data inputted from the key input part 20 , a character string for kana / kanji conversion and various designations are provided to the main control part 21 . the main control part 21 controls the text edit control part 22 , a schedule control part 23 , a directory control part 24 and an alarm control part 25 according to various programs stored in rom ( not indicated ) and incorporated therein , and also controls a display part 26 , a print part 27 and a timer 28 . in order to control the kana / kanji conversion part 29 and a text data memory 30 , the text edit control part 22 creates text according to data inputted from the key input part 20 , and stores the created text in the text data memory 30 . the kana / kanji conversion part 29 is a unit for converting inputted kana data into corresponding kanji or kana , and any construction known in the relevant field may be employed . text data memory 30 may be constructed , of , for example ram , or may be constructed of ram and an external memory using floppy disk or the like as storage mediums . the basic function of the japanese word processor is carried out according to the aforementioned construction . main controlling of the schedule control is carried out by the schedule control part 23 so that respective data are stored in a schedule data memory 31 , memo data memory 32 , the first to fifth format data memories 33 to 37 , calendar data memory 38 and keyword memory 39 . the memo data stored in the memo data memory 32 consists of additional information which cannot be entered in the contents of the schedule data and information which is inputted at the time of preliminary alarm data setting stating the reason for setting the preliminary alarm . an additional information is assigned to one particular data . the first format data memory 33 stores an initial display screen format f which is displayed when the power is supplied initially , and as shown in fig2 functions to display a schedule data of the day ( today &# 39 ; s ), which is computed , by the timer 28 , and includes a memo data of the day , and a calendar of the month to which the day pertains each on the same display screen . the second format data memory 34 stores , as shown in fig3 a display screen format a for displaying calendars for three complete months including the month and the day on which the power is supplied or a specified data , the preceding month and the following month thereto , and a schedule for several days including today &# 39 ; s date or specified date each on the same display screen . the third format data memory 35 stores , as shown in fig4 a display screen format b consisting of the schedule from a certain starting date only . the fourth format data memory 36 stores , as shown in fig5 a display screen format c consisting of a schedule for the one month immediately preceding today &# 39 ; s date . the fifth format data memory 37 stores , as shown in fig6 a display screen format d consisting of an annual schedule of predetermined events , anniversaries and others . the calendar data memory 38 stores plural calendars formed in a table type by arranging days of one month according to seven days in a week provided by the schedule control part 23 . the keyword memory 39 stores a keyword inputted from the key input part 20 , for example , a synonym which is a word having similar signification such as &# 34 ; parents &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; father and mother &# 34 ;, or a title of a project and a name of person concerned . then , the directory control part 24 operates for controlling data on directory management , stores directory data such as full name , company name , phone number , address and others in an address data memory 40 , reads the directory data and displays on a screen of the display part 26 in a predetermined display format stored as the sixth format data memory 41 . when an alarm data is set in the schedule data , the alarm control part 25 drives an alarm generator 43 which is activated when alarm time data stored in an alarm time memory 42 corresponds to a predetermined date . the display part 26 is composed of , for example , crt ( cathode - ray tube ), lcd ( liquid crystal display ), driving circuits and a displaying buffer temporarily for storing data to be displayed . printers widely known in the art such as heat transfer type , needle dot impact type printers or the like can be supplied as the print part 27 . print part 27 may be other than a centronics - type interface for external printers . the timer 28 computes the present date and time according to date and time data inputted from the key input part 20 at initialization , and outputs specific time information used for schedule management and alarm control to the schedule control part 23 through the main control part 21 . the timer 28 is backed up by a battery so that it will operate even after power for the entire system is cut off . furthermore , the timer 28 stores the alarm time nearest to the present time while using period sent from the alarm control part 25 , and also compares point by point the present date and time with the stored alarm time data after the power source is cut off . in such a manner , when these times are equal , the alarm signal which engages the power source is outputted to a power source circuit which is not illustrated in the diagram . the operation of an embodiment of the instant invention is shown in fig7 to fig1 , in which the schedule data and memo data are assumed to be stored respectively in the schedule data memory 31 and memo data memory 32 . in fig7 when an operator first inputs a keyword from the key input part 20 , the keyword is stored through the main control part 21 and the schedule control part 23 into the keyword memory 39 ( step 200 ). then , the schedule data having the stored keyword is retrieved . in this retrieval of the schedule date , one schedule datum is first picked out from the schedule data memory 31 ( step 201 ) and the schedule datum is compared with the keyword memory stored in the keyword memory 39 ( step 202 ). if they are the same , the schedule data is outputted to the display part 26 or print part 27 , which are output means ( step 203 ). then , the schedule control part 23 judges whether the remained data exist or not in the schedule data memory 31 ( step 204 ). if it exists , the next piece of data is provided to be picked out ( step 205 ) and the processing then returns to step 201 . thereafter , the aforesaid step 201 to step 205 are repeatedly executed until the last of all the schedule data having the keyword are collectively displayed on the display part 26 or print part 27 so that they can be seen visually . accordingly , even if many kinds of different schedule data are inputted , only the schedule data mutually concerned can be displayed collectively by designating the keyword of a project title and a name of person concerned , for instance . therefore , it becomes easy to display a schedule data list without complication and only a desired schedule data can be confirmed quickly . the operation of the alarm will be explained as it is shown in fig8 a and 8b to fig1 . in fig8 a and 8b , the initial conditions of each memory and the display part 26 and the like are first set by the initialization processing ( step 210 ). thereafter , key sense is executed ( step 211 ) in order to judge whether any key is depressed on the key input part 20 or not ( step 212 ). if any key is depressed , the keycode of the depressed key is judged ( step 213 ), and then , processing occurs in correspondence with the keycodes such as schedule data inputting ( a - processing ), alarm setting ( b - processing ) and further schedule data registration ( c - processing ), executed respectively ( step 214 , 215 and 216 ). if the keycode indicates that a key has an inhibited input , the operator will be informed by a buzzer sound that the input cannot be executed ( step 217 ). after each processing is executed , the key sense will be executed again by returning to step 211 . if the key input is not executed , the present data and time are displayed ( step 218 ). then , the displayed present date is compared with alarm time data stored in the alarm time memory 42 ( step 219 ), and the present date and alarm time data are compared to determine whether they are conformable or not ( step 220 ). if they are incongruent , the processing returns to step 211 . on the contrary , if they are conformable , the alarm control part 25 will sound the buzzer by driving an alarm generator 43 ( step 221 ). at the same time , the date and time , and the contents of the schedule data that are set by the alarm ( alarm requisition ) are displayed ( step 222 ). next , the time of the schedule data and the time of a next schedule data ( i . e ., after the schedule data in time order ) are set into the alarm time memory 42 ( step 223 ). then , in addition to calculating and displaying the time difference between both times ( step 224 ), the time and contents of the next schedule data are displayed ( step 225 ). since the pictures of steps 222 , 224 and 225 are displayed on the same display screen , respective elements are displayed at the same time . in this case , an example of the picture plane or display screen is shown in fig9 . accordingly , when the schedule data set by the alarm is displayed , the contents and time difference between the next piece of schedule data and the original piece of schedule data can be confirmed simultaneously . so , the time to spare , i . e . the time remaining before the schedule event , can be known without using other devices and functions , and therefore the operator is able to use time more effectively . further , the next data may be that for which the alarm is set , and the picture plane may be employed to show respective schedule data , and the data and time thereof , displayed partially as a window display on the display screen with the picture plane format a , as shown in fig1 . as hereafter described , the data processing apparatus with schedule control function according to the embodiment may be designed so that the schedule data having the set alarm are displayed in preference to other data during operation , and moreover , when the apparatus is not operated , the schedule data is displayed after the power source of the apparatus is turned on . namely , as illustrated in fig1 a and 11b , after the power source is turned on either by a power source switch or a signal of the timer 28 , the initial conditions for each memory and the display part 26 and the like are set by the initialization processing ( step 230 ). then , in order to check that the power source is turned on either by the power source switch or an alarm signal outputted from the timer 28 , the timer 28 is checked to determine whether the alarm signal exists or not ( step 231 ). if the alarm signal does not exist , a decision is made that the power source was turned on by the power source switch , and then , ordinary processing such as text input , schedule input and others will be executed ( step 232 ). during ordinary processing , where a key input is not executed , the present date and time are compared with the alarm time data ( step 233 ). if they are conformable ( step 234 ), an interruption processing signal is generated ( step 235 ). if they are incongruent , the processing returns to step 232 . when the interruption processing signal is generated , ordinary processing is suspended for a period of time , and the alarm control part 25 drives the alarm generator 43 to sound the buzzer ( step 236 ). thereafter , as shown in fig1 , the time scheduled , and the contents and reason ( memo ) are displayed in the window ( step 237 ). in this condition , if a function key ( not illustrated in the drawing ) which means &# 34 ; release &# 34 ; of the key input part 20 is depressed ( step 238 ), the display screen treated by step 237 is cleared ( step 239 ) and the processing returns to step 232 . if it is determined that the alarm signal exists at step 231 , the display is first cleared ( step 240 ), and then the time and contents of the schedule and the reason are displayed ( step 241 ). at the same time , the alarm generator 43 is engaged to sound the buzzer ( step 242 ). thereafter , the schedule data memory 31 is retrieved and schedule data which is set for the alarm time in the nearest future from the present time is extracted from the schedule data memory 31 ( step 243 ). then , the contents of the alarm time memory 42 is updated ( step 244 ), and furthermore , the alarm time data stored in the timer 28 is updated ( step 245 ). thereafter , in order to stop the sound of the alarm after the predetermined time has passed , a counter for an alarm control part 25 is set ( step 246 ) and decreased ( step 247 ), and the alarm sound is stopped when the counter becomes zero ( steps 248 and 249 ). after these processing are finished , the power source is turned off automatically ( step 250 ). accordingly , in spite of the operating conditions and whether the power source is turned on or off , the scheduled matter is presented and the contents of the corresponding schedule data and others are displayed when the set date and time come to the present date and time . therefore , the operator can easily grasp the time for which items have is scheduled . since the alarm is generated even while the power source is turned off , it is unnecessary to leave the power source turned on . so , the apparatus can be used economically from the view of minimizing power consumption . next , the operation of the preliminary alarm is shown in fig1 a and 13b . in fig1 a and 13b , when an alarm is set via input through the key input part 20 ( step 260 ), the input is analyzed by the main control part 21 and then transferred to the schedule control part 23 as an item of data . the schedule control part 23 determines whether the date and time of the transferred data is after or before the present data and time , that is , whether the date and time of the transferred data exists within the range capable of being setting or not ( step 261 ) and if the data is unsuitable , it is treated as erroneous . if the data exists within the range , the alarm data is arranged and the information data about the type of generated alarm are set as a unit of data by the main control part 21 ( step 262 ). in this instance , the decision whether the preliminary alarm is to be set several minutes before ( effective or ineffective ) is executed by the schedule control part 23 ( step 263 ). if the result is effective , the time which is a predetermined time ( about five minutes ) before the time of the inputted date and time is calculated ( step 264 ). then , the present time outputted from the timer 28 is compared with the calculated time to judge whether the calculated time is past or not against the present time ( step 265 ). if the calculated time is not past , the data of the time is transferred through the main control part 21 to the alarm control part 25 in order to set a preliminary alarm time data entry ( step 266 ). the preliminary alarm time data entry is compared with other data stored in the alarm time memory 42 by the alarm control part 25 to check whether the preliminary alarm time data entry is in nearest future from the present time or not and to judge whether the preliminary alarm time data can be set in the timer 28 or not ( step 267 ). if it is possible to set the preliminary alarm time data , the preliminary alarm time data entry is made as a structure for setting the timer 28 ( step 268 ) and is also set into the timer 28 through the main control part 21 ( step 269 ). simultaneously , the preliminary alarm time data is saved in the buffer for setting the present time in the alarm time memory 42 ( step 270 ). regarding the generation of an alarm , the alarm generating time is first judged to determine whether the time is correct or not ( step 271 ). if it is correct , the time is judged to determine whether it is a scheduled alarm of the aforesaid alarm data set with a requisition of alarm and the preliminary alarm time data or only a simple alarm data which is set at another time to sound the buzzer when the set time arrives ( step 272 ). in the instance where it is a scheduled alarm , a decision is made to determined if there is a memo data entry associated with ( step 273 ). if there is a memo data entry , the memo data is picked out ( step 274 ) and displayed in the window of the display part 26 together with the date and time , and the contents of the schedule data ( step 275 ). in this instance , the alarm generator 43 is simultaneously actuated to sound the buzzer . in the next place , the generated alarm is viewed to determine whether it is the preliminary alarm or not ( step 276 ). if it is the preliminary alarm , the alarm time data of an original alarm is set for the original alarm generation ( step 277 ). thereafter , the retrieval for alarm data set at the next time is executed ( step 278 ) to determine whether the alarm data exists or not ( step 279 ). when the alarm data exists , the processing returns to step 262 . where the alarm data does not exist , the alarm generation is released ( step 280 ). accordingly , by generating the preliminary alarm before the original alarm generating time , it becomes possible to prepare for one &# 39 ; s schedule , set the alarm , and prevent the person from being tardy . further , where the preliminary alarm time data is effectively set in the timer 28 , if the preliminary alarm data is changed to be ineffective , the data is deleted at this point of time and the aforesaid series of operations are repeated on the assumption that new data will be inputted by changing to actual time data . next , the operation for designating a day of week to generate the alarm will be explained as shown in to fig1 to fig1 . in fig1 , in order to enter into the alarm setting mode , when the key input part 20 is first operated on the initial picture plane , the alarm setting picture plane is displayed ( step 290 ). under these conditions , the system waits for a key input from the key input part 20 ( step 291 ). at the time , on the display screen , the alarm time and day - of - week which are set at present time are displayed with a picture plane or screen ( or window ) as shown in fig1 . in the alarm setting mode , adding , changing and erasing can be executed , and new settings can be entered . when the function keys ( for changing and deleting ) are depressed ( steps 292 and 293 ), processing for changing or deleting can be executed respectively ( steps 294 and 295 ). when the cursor moving keys are depressed on the key input part 20 in order to adequately move the cursor 50 on the display screen ( step 296 ), the cursor moving processor is executed and the cursor 50 is moved to the desired position ( step 297 ). also , when the function keys for end or release are depressed ( step 298 ), the processing for deleting the displayed picture plane is executed ( step 299 ). in the next place , when the alarm is actually set , the required modes are respectively selected in order to execute the above adding processing as mentioned in step 294 and changing processing in step 295 . when the changing mode is selected , the processing will be explained below . in fig1 , the alarm data located in the cursor position is first picked out ( step 300 ). here , if there is data ( step 301 ), the picture plane is changed for data inputting ( step 302 ). as shown in fig1 , for a display screen for changing , the areas for time designation and day - of - week designation are set in the window . when the cursor is moved within the window , the position of the cursor is judged to determined whether it is placed in the time designation area or day - of - week designation area ( step 303 ). if the cursor is placed in the time designation area , only in the case when a correct time is inputted , the time can be set ( step 304 ). thereafter , the state is checked to determine whether it is &# 34 ; end &# 34 ; or not ( step 305 ). if it is &# 34 ; end &# 34 ;, the changing mode will be released . in the case of step 303 , if the cursor is placed in the day - of - week designation area , the system await key inputting ( step 306 ). the day - of - week designation is executed by respective keys on the key input part 20 . namely , on the key input part 20 , there are seven function keys to individually designate each day of the week from monday to sunday , a function key to collectively designate five days of the week from monday to friday , a function key to collectively designate saturday and sunday , and furthermore , a function key to designate every day . the next stage is a determination of which function key is depressed ( step 307 ). if any function key is depressed , the day - of - week processing is executed corresponding to the function of the depressed function key ( step 308 ). for example , if the function key set for wednesday is depressed where &# 34 ; monday , friday and saturday &# 34 ; are already set , the setting state is changed to &# 34 ; monday , wednesday , friday and saturday &# 34 ;, and then , &# 34 ; sun , wed , fri and sat &# 34 ; are displayed in the day - of - week designation area . also , if the function key set for &# 34 ; monday to friday &# 34 ; is depressed where &# 34 ; monday , tuesday , saturday and sunday &# 34 ; are already set , the setting state is changed to &# 34 ; monday to saturday &# 34 ;, and then , &# 34 ; mon , tue , wed , thu , fri and sat &# 34 ; are displayed in the day - of - week designation area . after the inputting of the day of the week is completed according to the processing as described above , if the execute key is depressed without moving the cursor 50 ( steps 309 and 310 ), the alarm setting processing ( alarm handler ) is executed ( step 311 ). if the release key is depressed without depressing the execute key ( step 312 ), the changing mode is finished without setting . if it is determined that the cursor 50 is moved at step 309 , the cursor moving processing is executed ( step 313 ), and cursor position is determined after returning to step 303 . among the function keys , there is a function key for setting the function to delete all the days of the week that where set ( deleting for day - of - week ). when the function key is depressed , all the days of the week that were set are collectively and simultaneously deleted . also , where a designated day of the week is to be deleted , the day can be deleted by depressing the function key which is set for that day of week desired to be deleted . by designating the day of the week as mentioned above , an alarm setting corresponding to the purpose for generating that alarm can be achieved . after setting the alarm corresponding to importance ( rank ) of the contents of the schedule data or type of contents ( such as company business and private use ), various types of alarm are generated by changing the tone , sound length , volume and rhythm corresponding to the setting . hereinafter , the operation for generating the various types of alarm will be described according to fig1 . in fig1 , where an alarm is set for schedule data , a processing of alarm generating judgment is executed after checking if the alarm time is conformable ( step 320 ). if the generation of alarm is judged ( step 321 ), the generation of alarm and the time of alarm generation are displayed on the display screen ( step 322 ). the alarm generated in this point of time is judged to determine whether it is a scheduler alarm or a weekly alarm designated with a day of the week ( step 323 ). in the case of scheduler alarm , the existence of message accompanying the scheduled alarm is locked ( step 324 ). if a message exists , the message is displayed in the window of the display screen ( step 325 ). where a weekly alarm without a message and after the message of step 325 is displayed , whether the alarm sound is given or not is determined since the requisition of the alarm sound has been set ( step 326 ). where an alarm has been set , a type of alarm sound is classified ( step 327 ). when the alarm is set , the importance of the schedule data are to be entered . for example , &# 34 ; most important , important and ordinary &# 34 ; can be classified . the words of the classification are associated with symbols and are also set so the words can displayed . by correspondence with the classification of importance , types of the alarm sound are respectively selected . apart from these , the classification may be set according to an attribute of schedule data such as &# 34 ; schedule 1 , schedule 2 and schedule 3 &# 34 ;. regarding the sound of the alarm , all the sounds of the buzzer are varied by changing a musical interval ( high - and low - pitched sounds ), a continuously generated length of the buzzer sound , and interval between shots of buzzer and others . for example , by combining the three elements abovementioned , a multiplicity of types of alarm sound can be made . and , after step 327 is executed , the alarm sound is generated ( step 328 ). high - pitched sound is especially recommended for most important schedule data so that the generated sound can be recognized by the operator . also , in the case of classification by an attribute of schedule data , the classification may be done by changing an interval and rhythm of the alarm sound . in such a manner , the tone quality of the alarm can be changed according to an operator &# 39 ; s intention about types of contents of schedule data , such as importance of the schedule data , kinds of company business and private use , purpose and place of schedule . accordingly , when the alarm sounds , the cause of the alarm can be grasped without viewing the display screen , so , the schedule can be controlled more smoothly and quickly . | 6 |
a grounded metal plate may be embedded within a land grid array ( lga ) electronic socket . the plate may provide a balancing capacitance that compensates for the inductance of the socket , reducing the discontinuity presented by the socket interconnect elements in some embodiments . referring to fig1 , a package assembly 10 includes an lga package 12 coupled by contacts 22 to a socket 16 . the embedded conductive plate 18 is grounded . the socket contact 22 has a land 23 on one end , extends through the conductive plate 18 , and has a deformed end 26 over the plate 18 that spring contacts the package 12 . the grounded conductive plate 18 has openings 20 to allow contacts 22 to pass through . capacitance c arises between a contact 22 and the grounded conductive plate 18 as indicated in fig1 . the conductive plate 18 provides capacitive coupling to each contact 22 , which may reduce the impedance discontinuity at the socket 16 . morover , coupling between adjacent contact 22 pairs may be improved , enabling use of the socket 16 for differential signaling in some embodiments . initially , the electrical properties of the electronic package 12 are identified . the electrical properties of the contacts 22 in the socket 16 are determined . an inductance is determined . a desired impedance between each contact 22 and the conductive plate 18 is determined . the inductance may be fixed for a particular socket . therefore , by identifying a desired impedance , the capacitance c can be varied to get the desired performance . the diameter of each hole 20 in the conductive plate 18 is determined to achieve the desired impedance . the diameter of the hole 20 can be varied to vary the capacitance c between the conductive plate 18 and the contact 22 . therefore , knowing a desired impedance , the hole 20 diameter may be set to achieve a particular capacitance c that produces the desired impedance . for a particular electronic package assembly 10 , the desired impedance may be the same for every contact 22 on the socket 16 . in this case , the diameter of each hole 20 in the grounded conductive plate 18 may be the same . however , it is possible that different impedances are desired for different contacts 22 on a socket 16 based , for instance , on the size of the contact 22 or the signal evolving from the contact . in this case , the grounded conductive plate 18 may have holes 20 of varying diameters . a land grid array package 12 , which may carry an integrated circuit , may be contacted from below by the deformed end 26 . the deformed end 26 may have a curved upper contact portion . the contact 22 may have a generally horizontally deformed portion 24 , and a bent section 21 that couples to a vertical section 23 . the vertical section 23 may be the portion of the contact 22 that extends through the embedded conductive plate 18 . in one embodiment , stamped metal contact land grid array technology may be utilized . referring to fig2 , the package 12 may be clamped onto the socket 16 in accordance with one embodiment , depressing the contact 22 deformed ends 26 . some of the contacts 22 may be coupled to solder balls 32 , which are electrically coupled to a grounded motherboard 28 . however , other contacts 30 are of a slightly different configuration . those contacts 30 may have v - shaped contacting portions 31 , which have land surfaces 33 , which contact the embedded conductive plate 18 when the package 12 engages the socket 16 . as a result , when the package 12 is pressed onto the socket 16 , the deformed ends 26 of the contacts 22 are deformed to make tight spring biased electrical connections to the package 12 . however , the contacts 30 deform so that their lands 33 make electrical connection to the embedded conductive plate 18 . this connection grounds the embedded conductive plate 18 via solder balls 32 to the grounded motherboard 28 . referring to fig3 , additional contacts 34 may be permanently electrically coupled to the embedded conductive plate 18 in one embodiment . the contacts 34 couple to ground through the motherboard 28 via solder balls 32 . thus , in this embodiment , the metal conductive plate 18 is connected to ground through the motherboard 28 . in accordance with still another embodiment , shown in fig4 , the socket contacts 36 electrically contact the conductive plate 18 through land ends 38 when the package 12 is pressed onto the socket 16 . however , in this case , the socket contacts 36 are floating because they do not ground through the motherboard 28 . sockets with conductive plates , according to some embodiments of the present invention , may reduce the impedance discontinuity of lga contacts . moreover , some embodiments allow extension of present lga sockets to differential signaling applications . further , electrical parasitics ( inductance and capacitance ) may be distributed to avoid potential resonance issues at high frequencies in some cases . referring to fig5 , a processor - based system 46 may be a laptop computer , a desk top computer , an entertainment system , a personal digital assistant , a camera , a cellular telephone , to mention a few examples . the system 46 may include a package 12 , which includes a processor 40 . the processor 40 may be coupled over the motherboard 28 to a bus 48 . the bus 48 may in turn be coupled to input / output pads 42 and a storage 44 . while the present invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments , those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom . it is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of this present invention . | 7 |
referring to fig1 - 3 , auxiliary bag 10 has a six - sided sleeve 12 that can be formed of leather , plastic or other appropriate materials , including a cloth tube reinforced with supporting struts . side faces 10b form an angle of about 120 degrees with the outside face 10a of auxiliary bag 10 . outside face 10a is parallel to rear face 10c . the outer face 10a of auxiliary bag 10 has a handle 36 . the upper part of auxiliary bag 10 has a reinforcing collar 14 . the bottom of auxiliary bag 10 has a cup - shaped boot 16 . boot 16 has a bottom portion 16a under an overhanging portion 16b . bottom portion 16a is sized and keyed to fit into pocket 18 . pocket 18 is a receptacle formed in base 20 of main bag 22 . main bag 22 has a main sleeve 24 whose perimeter is almost octagonal except for an auxiliary region 26 , which forms a concavity 26 bordered by ribs 28 . the upper end of main sleeve 24 is capped by a reinforcing collar 30 shown with partitions to allow segregation of golf clubs placed within the bag . a shoulder strap 38 is attached to the main bag 22 opposite region 26 . underlying shoulder strap 38 is a handle 40 , also mounted on main bag 22 . mounted in a lateral upper recess 32 of auxiliary bag 12 is a hook 34 , which is part of a holding means . another part of the holding means is eye 37 shown in fig2 as a u - shaped bracket riveted to reinforcing collar 30 between the ribs 28 in the auxiliary region 26 . in fig2 main bag 22 is shown leaning against a support bracket 42 , which is part of a golf cart ( either powered or hand drawn ). bracket 42 has a bag belt 44 designed to attach to a bag buckle ( shown hereinafter ) on the outer end of bracket 42 . referring to fig4 and 9 , main bag 22 is shown having a main buckle 46 , shown with a tab 48 reinforced with a grommet 50 . grommet 50 is held in eye 54 , which is riveted to the side of main bag 22 . a swivel joint 52 allows buckle 46 to roll 180 ° around a horizontal axis . buckle 46 is shown swung back to receive bag belt 44 from bracket 42 of the golf cart . opposite buckle 46 is a main strap 56 looped through a steel ring 58 . ring 58 fits through an eye 60 , riveted to the outside of main bag 22 . main strap 56 is shown passing through bag buckle 62 mounted on the golf cart bracket 42 . accordingly , by tightening strap 56 and belt 44 , main bag 22 can be secured to bracket 42 of the golf cart . the positions of strap 56 and buckle 46 can be exchanged when the buckle and belt on the golf cart are the reverse of that illustrated . such reversal normally exists between the right and left side of a motorized golf cart . the exchange of strap 56 and buckle 46 can be accomplished by undoing eyes 54 and 60 ( or by undoing elements 50 and 58 ). for example eyes 54 and 60 may be hollow split rings , each containing a slider that moves to close and open the split . alternatively , the eyes may be solid split rings , each having a sleeve that slides to close and open the split . still other embodiments may employ a ring having a hinged segment that swings open and closed . referring again to fig3 auxiliary bag 10 is shown mounted against main bag 22 . previously mentioned main strap 56 is now shown wrapped across the auxiliary bag 10 underneath handle 36 . the end of strap 56 is shown fastened in main buckle 46 . buckle 46 has for this reason been swung toward auxiliary bag 10 . referring to fig6 and 8 , previously illustrated main base 20 is shown having an approximately octagonal footprint . a main receptacle 64 in base 20 is encircled by a main rim 66 having six sides , two pairs of them being parallel . pocket 18 ( also referred to as an auxiliary receptacle ) is encircled by an auxiliary rim portion 68 . the rim portion 68 is at a lower elevation than main rim 66 . auxiliary boot 16 is shown as a cup - shaped member , namely a hollow polygonal prism . the overhanging portion 16b has a larger perimeter and therefore connects to lower portion 16a by means of a transition , shown as a shelf 16c . base 20 has a number of drain holes 20a for draining . similarly , boot 16 has a hole 16d for draining as well . fig8 shows auxiliary sleeve 12 inserted into the overhanging portion 16b of boot 16 to abut the shelf 16c . also , main sleeve 24 is shown inserted into the main receptacle 64 of base 20 . to facilitate an understanding of the principles associated with the foregoing apparatus , its operation will be briefly described . the golfer may arrive carrying the golf bag assembled as shown in fig3 using the shoulder strap 38 . clubs such as the putter , nine iron , sand wedge and chipping wedge may be placed in auxiliary bag 10 . the other clubs and accessories may be placed in the various compartments in main bag 22 . when the bag is placed in a golf cart , strap 56 may be undone from buckle 46 . the auxiliary bag 10 will not release immediately from main bag 22 since hook 34 is still captured in eye 37 . the bag may next be arranged as shown in fig9 . specifically , the shoulder strap 38 can be placed around the bracket 42 . then the main buckle 46 can be rolled around a horizontal axis and swung backwards to the position shown in fig9 . in this position , bag belt 44 can be inserted through the main buckle 46 as shown . at the same time , strap 56 can be inserted through the bag buckle 62 on golf cart bracket 42 . strap 56 and belt 44 can then be tightened to secure the golf bag against bracket 42 . at this time , strap 56 no longer restrains auxiliary bag 10 . accordingly , auxiliary bag 10 can be removed by lifting it with handle 36 so that hook 34 disengages eye 37 . the golfer may then carry auxiliary bag 10 to the green where the various clubs contained inside auxiliary bag 10 can be used . after such use , the auxiliary bag 10 can be returned to the main bag by inserting the lower boot portion 16a ( fig1 ) into the pocket 18 ( fig2 ) of the main bag 22 . since boot 16 is keyed to the pocket 18 , auxiliary bag 10 will always be oriented in the correct direction with handle 36 pointing outwardly and with hook 34 oriented towards the eye 37 . once the auxiliary bag 10 is positioned in approximately the correct position , it is lowered to place hook 34 into eye 34 . overhanging portion 16b then abuts the rim of pocket 18 . when the golfer is finished , the buckles 46 and 62 ( fig9 ) may be undone . the bag is not yet ready for transport since hook 34 is not secure enough . accordingly , buckle 46 is returned to its original position so that strap 56 can be inserted into buckle 46 , thereby securing auxiliary bag 10 to main bag 22 . the strap 56 provides a high degree of security from accidental removal . with the strap 56 in the transport configuration , the bag combination can be safely carried , even with handle 36 . referring to fig1 and 11 , previously illustrated reinforcing collars 14 and 30 are shown without the hook and eye described above . instead , the inside face of collar 14 is shown carrying a magnet 70 . reinforcing collar 30 is shown with a metal plate 72 . in some embodiments , the magnet and plate can be reversed . alternatively , a pair of magnets can be used instead . the magnet and plate ( or magnet to magnet combination ) is referred to as a complementary pair of magnetically attractive devices . accordingly , collars 14 and 30 can be secured by the magnetic attraction between magnet 70 and metal plates 72 . this arrangement allows the auxiliary bag to be removed without the lifting necessary when a hook is used . referring to fig1 , the previously mentioned magnets are replaced with a pair of velcro pads 74 and 76 . pad 74 is mounted in a recess in reinforcing collar 14 by gluing , riveting or otherwise . pad 76 is shown mounted on the face of reinforcing collar 30 by means of rivets 78 , although in some embodiments pad 76 may be glued instead . pads 74 and 76 will operate similarly to the previously mentioned magnet and metal plate and are referred to as a complimentary pair of adhering pads . referring to fig1 , reinforcing collar 14 of auxiliary bag 10 is shown secured to collar 30 of main bag 22 by a strap 80 . strap 80 is shown having a snap 82 that attaches to an underlying stud ( not shown ) on reinforcing collar 30 . the opposite end of strap 80 is riveted to the opposite side of reinforcing collar 30 . alternatively , snap 82 can be replaced with velcro pads or other fastening means . strap 80 may replace the previously illustrated holding means , i . e . the velcro pads , the magnet and the hook . alternatively , the strap 80 may work with those holding means and replace the previously illustrated transport strap ( strap 56 of fig3 ). referring to fig1 , 15 and 16 , the previously illustrated auxiliary bag 10 is shown outfitted with a u - shaped assembly 84 . assembly 84 has a cross member 86 connecting to a pair of legs 88 . assembly 84 is journalled to auxiliary bag 10 with trunions 90 . trunions 90 fit into matching grommet holes in the side of auxiliary bag 10 . legs 88 ( as shown in fig1 ) make an angle of about 120 ° with cross member 86 . cross member 86 acts as a stop to restrict the angular rotation of legs 88 to the approximate 90 ° degrees shown in fig1 . because trunions 90 are not mounted on the widest portion of bag 10 , legs 88 must spread outwardly to be deployed as shown in fig1 . this spreading increases the stability of the bag . thus by rotating the legs outwardly as shown in fig1 ( in full line ) the bag 10 may be placed on the ground with the collar 14 raised to facilitate removal of clubs from the auxiliary bag 10 . it is to be appreciated that various modifications may be implemented with respect to the above described preferred embodiments . while the main and auxiliary bags are shown having the general shape of a polygonal prism , in other embodiments they may have curved perimeters including elliptical perimeters . also , the bags may be attached by various means including elastic cords ( bungee cords ), and fasteners of various types such as those found in luggage , etc . also , the main and auxiliary bags can have accessory pockets of various sizes for holding golf balls , gloves , clothing , etc . also , the bags may have more handles , fewer handles or no handles at all . moreover , the pocket for holding the bottom of the auxiliary bag need not have a shape exactly matching that of the auxiliary bag and need not be keyed . furthermore , the auxiliary bag need not have an overhang to limit the extent to which the auxiliary bag descends into the pocket . also , the various dimensions illustrated and the material used can be varied depending upon the number of clubs to be carried , and the desired physical strength , durability and weight of the bag . also , while the auxiliary bag is shown smaller than the main bag , it need not be so . obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . | 0 |
in the following description of the present invention , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration an embodiment in which the invention may be practiced . it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized as structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention . aspects of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for designing modular components for software and firmware employed in embedded systems . aspects of the present invention also provide a method and system for generating , distributing , and applying update packages for modular , componentized firmware / software upgrades in embedded systems . fig1 is a block diagram of an embedded system 105 , employing , for example , a component architecture platform ( cap ) framework , that comprises a processor 107 , reference lookup table management unit 109 , primary memory 113 , reference lookup table 111 , and secondary memory storage 115 , in accordance with the present invention . in fig1 , embedded system 105 facilitates easier updates of embedded system software , such as firmware or applications in a mobile electronic device . in one embodiment , the embedded system 105 employing a component architecture platform ( cap ) framework comprises at least one reference lookup table , non - volatile memory ( such as flash ) in a primary memory 113 , volatile memory ( such as ram ), software resident in memory , and secondary memory storage 115 . the processor 107 executes program instructions that may be retrieved from primary memory 113 or a secondary memory 115 , and the program instructions may require reference lookups . a component architecture platform supports replacement , addition , or deletion of software function , by using symbolic rather than physical memory addresses in program instructions . the symbolic addresses are resolved at runtime to physical memory addresses using a reference lookup table . the resolution of symbolic addresses to physical memory addresses may be performed in a reference lookup table management unit . the reference lookup table management unit may provide to the associated processor the physical memory address corresponding to a symbolic address contained in a program instruction . the reference lookup table management unit may be implemented within a processor ( hardware ) or in code ( software ). in general , references are symbolic names for operands , modules , method names , functions , components , etc . that need a runtime lookup to be resolved into addresses . addresses for references may be absolute or relative . the ability to look up addresses at runtime provides flexibility to relocate associated modules / functions / components , etc . in general , it may be assumed that invocation of branch - link instructions , jump commands , subroutine calls , and etc . will be preceded by look up of an address from a reference lookup table . in another embodiment , a process of loading a new module / function / component into an image of an embedded system is accompanied by activities which may update a reference lookup table , such as reference lookup table 111 , with appropriate values for addresses of new or modified functions / components / modules , etc . in another embodiment , every module ( component / function / method , etc .) may maintain a local reference lookup table , such as reference lookup table 111 , that provides mapping of local ( internal ) variables , functions , and methods . when a new module is inserted into an embedded system , a local reference lookup table may also be inserted . subsequent modifications to a module may be accompanied by changes to the local reference lookup table , in addition to updates to an overall reference lookup table that maintains non - local reference lookup information . in another embodiment of the present invention , an embedded system 105 may employ chipsets that facilitate maintenance and management of reference lookup tables . the chipsets , such as reference lookup table management unit 109 , may employ micro - coding techniques to implement reference table lookups , reference table management , and access to references during execution of code at runtime . software development tools such as compilers that compile applications , may generate binary or hex output for compiled code that create entries to the reference lookup tables , and may also manipulate tables , such as reference lookup table 111 . fig2 a illustrates a flow chart of compiler activities for compiling code that may be executed in an embedded system having the cap architecture . at block 207 , a compiler compiles code targeted to the cap architecture . this may involve extracting reference information and maintaining the reference information . later , at block 209 , a reference lookup table may be created and populated with entries of extracted reference information . the entries may be a map of symbolic names of references encountered in the code during compilation , and address values ( relative or absolute ) that may be assigned to entries in a compiler phase or in a subsequent link / load phase ( when the references may be loaded into memory for execution ). at block 211 , the compiled code may be saved along with an associated reference lookup table . actual compiling activity may be executed by the embedded system or by another system that targets the embedded system for execution . the compiled code may be executed in an embedded system . the processor may execute the code by retrieving and executing individual program instructions , often in a specific order . the program instructions may be retrieved ahead of an execution order and a pipeline of instructions may be maintained , with references for the pipeline of instructions resolved into addresses or other values in preparation for execution of the instructions . by pre - fetching instructions into a pipeline of instructions and by resolving references before it is time to execute the instructions , the processor may avoid spending additional time in resolving addresses or values associated with the references . the reference lookup table management unit 109 may facilitate resolution of the references for program instructions in the pipeline . fig2 b illustrates an exemplary process of generating update packages for updating firmware / software in an embedded system from one version to another version and a process of retrieving and updating the embedded system , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the embedded system may employ a cap architecture . at block 221 , new and old versions of code , such as a collection of code loaded into an embedded system , may be retrieved by a generator environment , for example . the generator environment may determine what modules / component / functions may be added , deleted , or modified between the old and the new versions . only modules that are added , deleted , or modified may be considered as candidates for inclusion in an update package . at block 223 , an update package may be generated and reference lookup table modifications may be determined . modifications to the reference lookup table may be associated with modules / components / functions that are added , deleted , or modified between the old and new versions . at block 225 , an update package may be transferred to the embedded system along with associated reference lookup table modifications . in one embodiment , the update package may comprise the reference lookup table modifications . in another related embodiment , reference lookup table modifications and the update package may be treated as two different but related units of data to be transferred to the embedded system . at block 227 , the update agent in the embedded system processes the retrieved update package and associated reference lookup table modifications . the embedded system loads new modules ( methods , functions , subroutines , classes , etc .) if any , for the new version of the embedded system being in the update package . the new modules replace existing modules in the embedded system . the update agent in the embedded system also applies modifications to those modules that are to be modified but not replaced . these activities may be only part of an update process facilitated by an update agent in an embedded system . references to newly added modules , modified modules , or deleted modules may be updated in a reference lookup table at block 229 . processing stops at block 231 when the update process is completed . fig3 illustrates an execution model for an exemplary processor , such as processor 107 of embedded system 105 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the processor may execute in one of at least two modes : a reference lookup table ( rlt ) mode , where the processor may resolve at runtime symbolic references in instructions into addresses of modules or operands , etc . ; and a regular mode , where the processor may execute program instructions in which references have already been resolved , and for which a reference lookup table is not employed . at block 321 , the processor may determine whether to execute program instructions in rlt mode and may set the execution mode to rlt , if not yet set . at block 323 , the processor may send a message to a reference lookup table management unit , such as reference lookup management unit 109 disclosed in fig1 , to indicate whether to lookup addresses / values for symbolic references in program instructions . the reference lookup table management unit may initialize the reference lookup table , if necessary , with name / value pairs and other related information , wherein each name may be a symbolic reference to be resolved in a current program context . at block 327 , the processor may initiate a pipeline of program instructions to be executed and reference lookup table management unit may be employed to retrieve addresses for all references and populate the references into the pipeline to prepare the pipelined instructions for execution by the processor . at block 329 , the processor may look up any additional references that may not yet have been resolved and may retrieve addresses or values for the additional references . at the conclusion of execution of program instructions within the current program context , the processor may switch modes to regular execution mode from rlt mode . although a system and method according to the present invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment , it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein , but on the contrary , it is intended to cover such alternatives , modifications , and equivalents , as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by this disclosure and the appended diagrams . | 6 |
methods and systems for manufacturing ultrathin ptc sheets having nominal thicknesses of less than 50 μm or less than 20 μm are described below . the ultrathin ptc sheets can be cut into sections and inserted within the layers of a battery structure without severely impacting the size of the battery , thus overcoming the issues described above . fig1 illustrates a first exemplary set of operations for manufacturing an ultrathin ptc sheet . at block 100 , a ptc material may be provided in a extruded slab form . the ptc material may be converted into a powdered form . for example , the ptc material provided in the extruded slab form may be ground down using a mechanical process such as milling or grinding or a different process . other processes may be used to pulverize the ptc material into the powder form . the powder form of the ptc material includes ptc particles having a median diameter of between 0 . 1 μm and 50 μm . the ptc material may include one or more conductive and polymer fillers . the conductive filler may include conductive particles of tungsten carbide , nickel , carbon , titanium carbide , or a different conductive filler or different materials having similar conductive characteristics . the size of each conductive particle may have a median diameter of between 0 . 1 μm and 50 μm . the polymer filler may include particles of polyvinylidene difluoride , polyethylene , ethylene tetrafluoroethylene , ethylene - vinyl acetate , ethylene butyl acrylate or different materials having similar characteristics . the size of each polymer particle may have a median diameter of between 1 μm and 1000 μm . at block 105 , the powdered ptc material is inserted into a press or roll press and compressed . fig2 a and 2b illustrate an exemplary pressing operation . in fig2 a , powdered ptc material 210 a ( shown in an exaggerated size ) is placed between opposing plates of a press 205 . the powdered ptc material 210 a may be applied over one of the plates of the press 205 . for example , the powdered ptc material 210 a may be sprayed or dropped onto the plate until a desired thickness is achieved . the thickness of the powdered ptc material 210 a after application may be between about 5 μm and 130 μm . in some implementations , a substrate material , such as copper , nickel , etc ., may be initially inserted against one or both of the plates of the press 205 and the powdered ptc material 210 a may be sprayed or dropped onto one of the substrates to provide a final ptc sheet having top and bottom conductive layers . as illustrated in fig2 b , the plates of the press 205 are compressed against one another . during compression , the particles of the powdered ptc material deform and blend into one another until a ptc sheet 210 b of the ptc material having a uniform thickness is formed . for example , for a ptc particle size of 2 - 3 μm , an applied thickness of 25 μm , a plate area of 400 cm 2 , and a pressure of 5500 psi , the particles of ptc material may be compressed into a ptc sheet having a thickness , t ( fig2 d ), of about 25 μm . in some implementations , heat may be applied to the powdered ptc material before and / or during compression of the powdered ptc material . for example , the powdered ptc material may be heated to a temperature of the polymer melting temperature . returning to fig1 , at block 110 , the ptc sheet 210 b may be allowed to cool and is then removed from the press 205 as illustrated in fig2 c . in some implementations , an annealing process may be applied to the ptc sheet 210 b to improve polymer crystallinity and polymer stress relaxation . at block 115 , in some implementations , one or more conductive layers may be applied to the ptc sheet 210 b . for example , a conductive layer such as nickel foil or a different conductive material may be formed on the surfaces between which current is intended to flow . in cases where the ptc sheet 210 b was compressed against one or more conductive substrates , the operations in this block may not be required . at block 125 , the ptc sheet 210 b may be cut into sections . the sections may then be used in a desired application . for example , the sections may be used as a protection layer in a battery ( see fig6 , described below ). the sections may be used in different applications that require protection against over current / over temperature conditions where space is at a premium . fig3 is a chart that illustrates the performance characteristics of a ptc sheet having a thickness of about 48 μm that was formed via the process described above . the ptc sheet comprises tungsten carbide and polyethylene . as shown , at temperatures below 120 ° c ., the resistance across the ptc sheet is less than about 0 . 01 ohms . at around 120 ° c ., the resistance abruptly rises to about 30 ohms . fig4 illustrates a second exemplary set of operations for manufacturing an ultrathin ptc sheet . at block 400 , a ptc ink solution may be formed . in one implementation , the solution is formed by mixing a conductive filler material and a polymer material in a solvent . the conductive filler may include conductive particles of metal , metal ceramic , carbon , or different materials having similar conductive characteristics . the d50 particle size of each conductive particle may have a range of between 0 . 1 μm and 50 μm . in this regard , particle size distributions may be calculated based on sieve analysis results , creating an s - curve of cumulative mass retained against sieve mesh size , and calculating the intercepts for 10 %, 50 % and 90 % mass . a d50 correspond to particle size having a 50 % mass . the polymer filler may be provided in pelletized or powdered form and may include particles of semi - crystalline polymer such as polyvinylidene difluoride , polyethylene , ethylene tetrafluoroethylene , ethylene - vinyl acetate , ethylene butyl acrylate or different materials having similar characteristics . the size of each polymer particles may have a median diameter of between 1 μm and 1000 μm . the solvent may correspond to dimethylformamide , n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , tetrahydrofuran , tricholorobenzene , dichlorobenzene , dimethylacetamide , dimethyl sulfoxide , cyclohexane , toluene or a different solvent capable of dissolving the selected polymer matrix . in some implementations , an additive such as an antioxidant , adhesion promoter , anti arcing material or different additive may be added to the solution to improve characteristics of the ptc sheet such as , polymer stability , voltage capability or film adhesion . at block 405 , the ptc ink is applied over a surface or substrate . for example , as illustrated in fig5 a , the ptc ink 510 a may be poured or sprayed onto a surface 505 . a blade 515 may be pulled over the ptc ink 510 a to produce a uniform layer of ptc ink 510 a having a desired thickness . the thickness of the uniform layer of ptc ink 510 a may be between about 5 μm and 130 μm . at block 410 , the ptc ink 510 a is allowed to dry , at which point the solvent evaporates out of the solution leaving behind a ptc sheet 510 b having a uniform layer , as illustrated in fig5 b . the final thickness of the ptc sheet 510 b , t ( fig5 c ), may be between about 5 μm and 130 μm . in some implementations , an annealing process may be applied to the ptc sheet 510 b to improve the ath or autotherm height ( i . e ., the magnitude order of the resistance change ) behavior of the ptc . for example , the ptc sheet 510 b may be heated to 120 ° c . for about two hours and then allowed to slowly cool down . fig6 is a chart that illustrates the performance characteristics of a ptc sheet 510 b having a thickness of about 15 μm that was formed via the process described above in fig4 , including the described annealing process . the conductive filler material used in the process was tungsten carbide . the polymer filler used was polyvinylidene difluoride . the volume ratio of polymer filler to conductive filler material was about 1 . 1 : 1 . as shown , at temperatures below 100 ° c ., the resistance across the ptc sheet is about 1000 ohms or less . above 100 ° c ., the resistance abruptly rises to about 1 × 10 10 ohms . returning to fig4 , at block 415 , conductive layers may be applied to the ptc sheet 510 b . where current is intended to flow between the top and bottom surfaces of the ptc sheet 510 b , a conductive layer such as nickel foil or a different conductive material may be formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the ptc sheet 510 b . at block 425 , the ptc sheet 510 b may be cut into sections . the sections may then be used in a desired application . for example , the sections may be used as a protection layer in a battery ( see fig6 , described below ). the sections may be used in different applications that require protection against over current / over temperature where space is at a premium . fig7 illustrates an exemplary apparatus 700 for mass - producing an ultrathin ptc sheet using the process of fig4 . the apparatus includes a steel belt 710 wrapped around a pair of drums that rotate the steel belt 710 . ptc ink 715 a is poured into a hopper 712 , which directs the ptc ink 715 a onto the rotating steel belt 710 . the distance between the bottom opening of the hopper 712 and the belt 710 , and the shape of the bottom opening of the hopper 712 , is selected to form a uniform layer of ptc ink 715 b having a desired thickness . the belt 710 pulls the uniform layer of ptc ink 715 b through a channel defined between an outer wall 702 of the apparatus 700 and the belt 710 . drying air 720 is injected into a first opening 714 in the outer wall 702 . the drying air 720 flows through the channel , over the uniform layer of ptc ink 715 b , and out a second opening 716 defined in the outer wall 702 . the rate of air flow and the speed of the belt 710 is selected so that the uniform layer of ptc ink 715 b dries and forms a ptc sheet 715 c having a uniform thickness by the time the uniform layer of ptc ink 715 b reaches an extraction opening 718 of the apparatus 700 . a continuous ptc sheet 715 c flows out of the extraction opening 718 and may proceed to other stations for further processing . for example , additional drying may be performed . stations for annealing , cutting , and plating the ptc sheet 715 c may be provided . fig8 illustrates an exemplary battery 800 which illustrates but one of the many uses of an ultrathin ptc sheet / layer formed by either of the processes described above . the exemplary battery 800 includes anode and cathode conductive layers 805 ab , lithium electrolyte layers 810 ab , a separator layer 815 , and a ptc layer 820 . the ptc layer 820 is disposed between the anode layer 805 a and a first lithium electrolyte layer 810 a . in this configuration , the ptc layer 820 is effectively in series with the battery 800 so that any current flowing through the battery 800 necessarily flows through the ptc layer 820 . during an over current / over temperature condition , the resistance of the ptc layer 820 increases to thereby reduce current flow through the rest of the layers . in this way , the ptc layer 820 protects the battery 800 . the exemplary battery 800 includes anode and cathode conductive layers 805 ab , lithium electrolyte layers 810 ab , a separator layer 815 , and a ptc layer 820 . the ptc layer 820 is disposed between the anode layer 805 a and a first lithium electrolyte layer 810 a . in this configuration , the ptc layer 820 is effectively in series with the battery 800 so that any current flowing through the battery 800 necessarily flows through the ptc layer 820 . during an over current / over temperature condition , the resistance of the ptc layer 820 increases to thereby reduce current flow through the rest of the layers . in this way , the ptc layer 820 protects the battery 800 . fig9 a - 9c illustrate an exemplary free standing embodiments 900 a - c of ptc devices that incorporate the an ultrathin ptc sheet / layer 905 formed by either of the processes described above . in a first exemplary embodiment 900 a , conductive layers 905 ab may be formed on the top and the bottom surfaces of the ptc sheet 905 . in this embodiment , the current is intended to flow through the thinnest section of the ptc sheet 905 . such an embodiment could be retroactively applied between layers of a different device , such as the layers of a battery , to provide overcurrent / over temperature protection . in the second and third exemplary embodiment , conductive layers 910 ab may be formed on the front and back surfaces of the ptc sheet 905 . ( see fig9 b ) or conductive layers 915 ab may be formed on left and right surfaces of the ptc sheet 905 . ( see fig9 c ). in the second and third embodiments , the current is intended to flow through one of the longitudinal sections of the ptc sheet 905 . placement of the conductive layers on the other surfaces and / or on different regions of any given surface facilities controlling the direction of current flow through the ptc sheet 905 , which may be advantageous in certain applications . while the method for manufacturing the ultrathin ptc sheet 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 spirit and scope of the claims of the application . other modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings disclosed above without departing from the scope of the claims . therefore , the claims should not be construed as being limited to any one of the particular embodiments disclosed , but to any embodiments that fall within the scope of the claims . | 7 |
a dimmer rack according to the present invention is illustrated in fig1 through 3 . as shown therein , a rack 10 comprises a housing 12 with a front bay 14 including a plurality of dimmer modules 16 stacked vertically one on top of the other received within slots formed in the side panels of the front bay of the housing . the dimmer rack &# 39 ; s housing also comprises a rear bay 18 including a plurality of connector modules 20 stacked vertically one on top of the other received within slots formed in the side panels of the rear bay of the housing . the front bay 14 and rear bay 18 of the housing are &# 34 ; mirror images &# 34 ; of each other . the dimmer modules and connector modules are interconnected through a patch panel 22 mounted adjacent the dimmer module stack and accessed through the front door of the rack . in the embodiment shown in the drawings , the patch panel is mounted on the front panel of a side bay 23 , adjacent the dimmer and connector bays . dimmer racks according to the present invention can be provided in various configurations and are characterized in the drawings by a rack having a single vertical stack containing all the dimmer modules . likewise , dimmer racks incorporating the present invention are characterized in the drawings by a rack having a single vertical stack containing all the connector modules . configuration of the dimmer rack incorporating the present invention for mobile use is accomplished by wheel mounting the frame of the rack as shown in fig1 or mounting the rack on a fork lift skid for easy transportation . details of the structural arrangement of the rack are best seen in fig3 and 5 shown with the dimmer modules and connector modules removed from the rack . in the dimmer module bay , power feed buses 26 each receiving power from one phase of a three phase supply are provided at three locations on the left side of the rack vertically spaced such that each blade of the power bus feed supplies one - third of the slots for dimmer modules . in alternative embodiments for single phase power applications , two power bus blades each feeding half the slots may be employed . an extension 25 is integrally formed with power distribution bus 26 and extends at right angles from bus 26 . one or more connector lugs are mounted on extension 25 . an input power cable is connected directly or through a removable connector ( not shown ) to the lug for delivering input power to the rack . neutral connections are routed to a neutral bus bar 70 as described in greater detail subsequently . a pair of load output terminals 30 corresponding to each slot in the dimmer bay of the rack are mounted on a main insulator 32 adjacent the right hand wall of the bay and control signal cards 34 terminating in edge connectors are mounted intermediate the load terminals and right wall of the bay . load terminals 30 include integrally formed blade - shaped contacts 31 . the load terminals are mounted on and snap fitted into stand off insulators . the contacts 31 are spaced from the side wall of the dimmer module bay so that the contacts can engage mating receptacles at the rear of the dimmer modules , as will be described in greater detail subsequently . the load terminals also incorporate receptacles and clamping screws . individual load wires from the dimmer bay to the patch panel are inserted into receptacles and secured by the clamping screws . each wire extends to the patch panel 22 . supporting slots for the dimmer modules are formed in interior sheet metal panels 38 on the left and right walls of the dimmer bay by a precision punch and brake operation forming a forward support guide 40 and a rearward support guide 42 for each slot on each side of the bay . keying to avoid placement of an improperly rated dimmer module in a pre - wired slot in the rack is accomplished using a punched metal tab 44 and two retaining screw holes 46 and 48 in each slot . the punch tab is located forward of the retaining screw holes for initial engagement of a mating protrusion , which on present embodiments comprises a counter sink screw head having an angle complimentary to the angle of the tab , mounted on higher amperage dimmer modules as will be described in greater detail subsequently . keying for higher power modules is accomplished by physically removing the punch tab by bending into the punch aperture flush with the wall to allow engagement of a retaining screw mounted in hole 48 depending on the type of module for which the slot has been wired . a screw present in hole 48 will prevent installation of the highest amperage rated dimmer module while no tab or screw allows any amperage dimmer into a slot wired for the highest amperage rating . hole 46 is provided for insertion of a screw to act as a replacement for the keying tab if the tab is removed and subsequent use of that slot for a lower power module is required . the triple keying approach provides great flexibility in pre - wiring slots for various dimmer module configurations . the rear connector module bay of the rack is similarly configured to receive connector modules in slots formed by punched tabs extending from the walls of the bay . mating load input terminals 58 and 59 which include integrally formed blade - shaped contacts 60 are mounted on and snap fitted into standoff insulators . the contacts 60 are spaced from the side wall of the connector module bay , two vertical pairs adjacently mounted in each slot , so that the contacts can engage the slot - shaped receptacles in the load input connectors in the rear of the connector modules , as will be described in greater detail subsequently . for the embodiment shown in the drawings , the load output terminals are mounted in pairs in two vertical rows . additional density for rack connection circuitry may be obtained by mounting a third vertical row of load output terminal pairs . for connection to the patch panel , terminals 58 and 59 also incorporate receptacles and clamping screws . individual wires 88 leading from the patch panel 22 to the load input terminals are inserted into receptacles and secured by the clamping screws . details of the support structure for load input terminals 58 and 59 is shown in detail in fig3 b and 3c . a molded insulator 72 provides a plurality of receptacles 74 and 76 which receive load input connectors 58 and 59 respectively . each of the load input connectors incorporates a tang 78 received over a web 80 in the receptacle with a snap retainer to secure the load input connector to the receptacle . in fig3 b only the top two input load connectors are shown while in fig3 c only the top outer load connector 58 and inner load input connector 59 are shown to allow demonstration of the features of the insulator . the connection lug of outer load input connector 58 is angled as shown in the drawings to allow easy routing and insertion of connection cables 88 from the patch panel to receiving holes 82 in the lug . a clamping screw 84 retains the interconnection cables in the lug . inner load input connector 59 employs a lug arrangement perpendicular to the blade of the connector and apertures 86 in the material of the insulator allow insertion of cables through the insulator into the receiving hole 90 of the inner lug . a retaining screw 92 is employed to secure inserted cable in the inner lug . the web of the receptacle for the outer load input connector is molded to be wider than the web on the receptacles for the inner load input connector to provide greater stability for the outer load input connector in view of its shorter length . the shorter length of the outer load input connector accommodates clearance for the apertures 86 for wire pass through to the inner load input connector . the combined arrangement of the pass through aperture for cabling insertion into the inner load input connector and the angled lug on the outer load input connector provides excellent cable direction management for ease of wiring in the connector bay . probes 92 on the insulator standoff are received in slots 312 on the connector modules as shown in fig7 to retain the datum wall of the connector module adjacent the interior wall of the connector bay for tolerance control . neutral bussing is provided for the connector modules through neutral bus blade 70 similar in configuration to the power bus blades contained in the dimmer module bay . the neutral bus blade , in the embodiment shown in the drawings , extends the entire vertical extent of the connector module bay . an extension 71 is integrally formed with the neutral bus blade and extends at right angles from the bus . one or more connector lugs are mounted on extension 71 . a neutral conductor cable is connected from the lug directly or through a removable connector ( not shown ) for input power return from the rack . the dimmer rack is of modular configuration employing extruded corner posts 45 mounted between base and top frame members 47 . the interior sidewall panels 38 previously discussed are attached to the corner posts and exterior panels 49 provide a finished appearance for the rack attaching to the corner posts through blind fastening arrangements . dimmer modules designed for use in accordance with the present invention employ single , dual or quad dimmer configurations . the embodiments shown in the drawings demonstrate a dual dimmer configuration while a quad dimmer configuration is disclosed in co - pending patent application ser . no . 08 / 588 , 393 , filed on jan . 1 , 1996 , having a common assignee with the present application . a quad dimmer capable system would require the addition of a second vertical row of load connectors 30 mounted on insulator standoffs inboard from the load connectors shown in fig3 and 4 . the physical design of a dual dimmer module employed in the present invention is illustrated in fig6 . the dimmer module 110 comprises a chassis 112 formed , in the embodiment shown , from die - cast aluminum . the chassis incorporates a left side wall 114 , a right side wall 116 and a face plate 118 . as depicted in fig6 the dimmer module is capable of controlling two separate lighting fixtures or two groups of interconnected fixtures . input power is received by the module through connector 124 located adjacent the left wall of the chassis . a floating contact 126 is incorporated in the power connector to accommodate tolerance buildup in mating the connector module to dimmer racks . the floating contact includes an extended conductor 128 . two circuit breakers 132a and 132b control the input power for the two loads of the dimmer module . breakers 132a and 132b are mounted in a stack 134 attached to the face plate of the chassis . two inductors 136a and 136b comprising toroidal chokes for current supply in the dimming control circuits are mounted in the chassis . input power is provided from the conductor extension to the line contacts of the circuit breakers . vertical interconnection of the breakers in the stack is accomplished , in the embodiment shown in the drawings , through a standard bus bar arrangement . power is routed from the load contacts 140 of the circuit breaker stack to the inputs of inductors 136a and 136b . a power device generally designated 142 is mounted in the chassis adjacent the right wall . the power device comprises a top board 144 which incorporates control circuitry for the dimmer module , and printed circuit substrate 146 which is mounted to a finned heat sink 150 . the arrangement of the dimmer module compensates for tolerance accumulation in fabrication of the device and the dimmer rack . the right hand wall of the dimmer module and the interior panel for the right hand wall of the rack constitute the datum for dimensioning . the left hand wall of the dimmer module incorporates a slot arrangement 226 which receives a side load spring 228 . in the embodiment shown in the drawings the side load spring comprises two lobes 230 and 232 connected by a web 234 which incorporates a formed clip 236 received over the top edge of the left wall of the dimmer module chassis substantially centered in the slot arrangement to secure the spring to the chassis . the lobes of the side load spring flex to engage the left hand interior panel in the dimmer bay intermediate the guides for each slot urging the entire chassis to the right thereby firmly engaging the right chassis wall with the right interior panel of the dimmer bay . this allows high accuracy in placement and dimensioning of the control signal connector 34 and the mating connector 224 on the dimmer module due to their close proximity to the datum . performance of the invention is thereby enhanced since the control signal connector 34 may employ standard printed circuit board edge connector technology without concern over highly accurate dimensional control of the dimmer module engagement in the dimmer rack slot . similarly , the load connectors may employ substantially lower tolerance contacts based on placement proximate the datum . a probe 33 extending from the main insulator as best seen in fig3 and 4 is received in slot 238 in the chassis to prevent displacement of the chassis to &# 34 ; jump &# 34 ; the configuration tabs . the power connector for the dimmer module is specially designed , as shown in the embodiment presented in fig6 b , to provide a floating contact 126 received in the housing 242 of the power connector . the floating contact comprises two spring contacts 244 engaging one another in connection tangs 246 which are mated employing a standard rivet or other compressive mounting technology or welding the contacts and braid . the conductor braid 128 is engaged between the connection tangs and similarly secured by the rivet . the floating contacts are constrained within the connector case by engagement slots 250 . lateral motion is therefore possible by the floating contact to engage the blade of the power bus 26 which is received in slot 252 in the connector . slot 252 is oversized in lateral dimension sufficient to accommodate any tolerance buildup in the dimmer module construction . the flexible braid allows lateral motion of the floating connector and is connected opposite the floating contacts for electrical attachment to the circuit breakers in the dimmer module . in addition to providing lateral positioning of the dimmer module , the side load spring masks the left hand interface of the dimmer module with the dimmer rack to preclude airflow through the slot exterior to the dimmer module . additionally , the side load spring provides the ground contact with the dimmer rack for the dimmer module providing a common chassis ground . the physical design and arrangement of the connector module components are shown in fig7 . as shown therein , the connector module 300 comprises an assembly which is mounted in a chassis 302 . the chassis is two slots in height in the embodiment shown in fig7 and eight three pin connectors 304 are mounted in the front face of the chassis . on the rear face of the chassis , eight load input connectors 306 are mounted in pairs adjacent the left wall to receive the blades of the load terminals 58 . these input connectors provide the load inputs to the connector module which are distributed to the connectors on the front face of the module as described with respect to fig8 a and 11a . also mounted on the rear face of the chassis adjacent the right wall is a floating connector 308 substantially identical to the power connector 124 in the dimmer modules described above . this floating connector receives the neutral bus blade 70 , providing neutral return for the circuits carried by the connector module . flexible conductor braid 309 is employed for connection to neutral return of the individual pin connectors through a bus block or other conventional means . as with the dimmer module , the connector module employs a side load spring 310 mounted to the side wall of the chassis to urge the connector module chassis toward the interior bay wall which comprises the dimensioning datum . the right hand wall of the connector module ( looking from the front of the connector module ) incorporates a slot arrangement 313 which receives the side load spring . the spring also provides ground contact for the chassis to the structure of the rack . the electrical connectors 304 provide the interface for connection to an external lighting load ( not shown ). a front view of the 2 slot height connector module of the embodiment described is shown in fig8 a with a rear view shown in fig9 a . in multiple alternative embodiments of the connector module , the electrical connectors 304 are replaced by any of the finite number of electrical connectors used to complete a connection to an external light load or effects controller . fig8 b and 9b show an additional preferred embodiment for the connector module employing a 3 slot height chassis 402 . two 19 pin ( 6 circuit ) veam / socapex connectors 404 are provided in the front panel of the module . on the rear face of the chassis , 12 load input connectors 306 , four in each slot height , are mounted to engage the blades of load terminals 58 . three floating connectors 308 are mounted vertically adjacent the right wall of the chassis , one in each slot height , to receive the neutral bus blade . a third preferred embodiment for the connector module employing a 6 slot height chassis 502 is shown in fig8 c and 9c . two 12 circuit pyle national connectors 504 are mounted in the front panel for connection to the lighting or effects controller loads . 24 load input connectors 306 are mounted in the rear face of the chassis , four in each slot height . six floating connectors 308 are mounted vertically adjacent the right wall of the chassis , one in each slot height , to receive the neutral bus blade . electrical schematics showing the wiring scheme for the 2 , 3 and 6 slot height connector modules are shown in fig1 a , b and c respectively . active autonomous control for various effects controllers to be attached to the connector modules is accomplished with the present invention through incorporation of a microprocessor controller in the connector module . communication between the microprocessor in each dimmer module and the associated connector module , as determined by appropriate patching , is accomplished by insertion of board connectors intermediate the connector bay interior wall and the load input connectors 58 in complimentary fashion to that disclosed for the dimmer module ; e . g . board connector 34 and mating connector 224 as shown in fig3 a and 6a respectively . addition of connection lugs to the board connectors in the dimmer module bay and connector bay with routing of cabling from those lugs to the patch panel as described previously for load output and input connections , provides patching capability for desired control signals . having now described the invention in detail as required by the patents statutes , those skilled in the art will recognize modifications and substitutions to the embodiments disclosed for use in particular applications . such modifications and substitutions are within the scope and intent of the present invention as defined in the following claims . | 7 |
shown in fig1 are substrate 1 , oxide layer 3 , and nitride layer 5 . the term substrate is used to mean any material that lies underneath and supports another material . the term thus includes a silicon wafer and may further include a wafer with an epitaxial layer , etc . the oxide layer is a relatively thin layer , such as a pad oxide layer , grown by thermal oxidation . an exemplary thickness is approximately 20 nm . the nitride layer , e . g ., silicon nitride with the nominal stoichiometry si 3 n 4 , is thicker than the oxide layer . an exemplary thickness is 120 nm . those skilled in the art will readily fabricate the structure depicted using conventional oxidation and deposition techniques . fig2 depicts the structure of fig1 after further processing . the nitride layer 5 is patterned using well known techniques to form regions which expose selected portions of oxide 3 . an oxidation step is then performed which forms first oxide regions 7 in the exposed portions of the oxide 3 . these regions will generally function as field oxide regions , i . e ., the regions which electrically isolate individual devices from each other . the nitride layer and remaining oxide 3 are then removed using well - known techniques . a new , thin oxide layer 4 is grown or otherwise formed ; the substrate thus has an oxide surface , and the entire surface is covered with a second nitride layer . an exemplary thickness for the oxide surface is approximately 35 nm . the second nitride layer 9 and oxide surface have approximately the same thickness and both are relatively thin ; the thickness is generally less than 70 nm , and a thickness in the range between 30 and 40 nm is typical . approximately the same thickness means that the thicknesses of the layers differ by less than 50 percent . these layers are then patterned so that the materials cover substantial portions of the field oxide regions , and substantial portions of the oxide surface between the field oxide regions are exposed . ion implantation is then performed to form doped regions 11 in the exposed regions between the field oxide regions 7 . the wafers are annealed after the implant to drive in the dopants and to reduce the defect density . details of the annealing will be discussed later . the implant is typically an n - type impurity , such as arsenic . this is the structure depicted in fig2 . further processing produces the structure depicted in fig3 . there is another oxidation step which produces second oxide regions 13 between the field oxide regions 7 , i . e ., the surfaces of the doped regions are oxidized . this oxidation step further drives the implanted dopants into the substrate to form buried dopant regions 15 . these buried dopant regions 15 will ultimately serve as the bit line and source / drain regions of the field - effect transistor . further processing is now performed to complete the fabrication of the eeprom . this processing is well known and need not be described . the ion implantation and oxidation steps , as previously mentioned , produce defects . the origin and nature of the defects is better understood by consideration of fig4 which is a top view of the structure depicted in fig3 . fig3 is along line a -- a &# 39 ; of fig4 . shown in fig4 are first oxide regions 7 and patterned nitride layer 9 as well as the buried doped region 15 and oxide layer 4 . as can be seen , the nitride layer 9 covers a substantial portion of the first oxide regions 7 and the oxide layer 4 between the first oxide regions 7 . it was found that the defect density is highest along the line b -- b &# 39 ; at the midpoint between the first oxide regions 7 . fig5 is a sectional view along line b -- b &# 39 ; of fig4 . the nitride layer along line b -- b &# 39 ; is entirely on the oxide substrate surface and can rise as the exposed portions of the substrate are oxidized . however , the nitride layer along line a -- a &# 39 ; is effectively pinned on the first oxide region 7 , i . e ., the first oxide region 7 does not grow significantly during the second oxidation step and the nitride layer 9 on the first oxide region 7 can not rise to provide stress relief . consequently , defects are generated which are concentrated at the midpoint , i . e ., b -- b &# 39 ; between the first oxide regions 7 . the defect density is controlled and reduced by two factors : ( i ) the oxide surface and the nitride layer are thin with approximately the same thickness , and ( ii ) there is a two step annealing process . we have found that both steps are required to reduce the defect density that results from the ion implantation step . the annealing begins with a relatively low first temperature , approximately 500 degrees c ., and then goes to a relatively high second temperature . the second temperature is typically 1000 degrees c . or greater . we found that silicon defects are observed after the second local oxidation for either nitride thickness greater than 70 nm or second annealing temperature less than 1000 degrees c . the defects are not observed if there is no ion implantation . both ion implantation and the first local oxidation appear necessary to create defects and both the thin nitride and annealing are required to prevent the defects . 7 ) implant arsenic ( 1 × 10 16 cm - 2 , 100 kev ) variations in the embodiment described will be apparent to and thought of by those skilled in the art . for example , the thin oxide may be removed when the first nitride layer is patterned . | 7 |
the configuration of fig1 and 2 is such that the respective pilot control stage in the form of a pilot valve is illustrated in section i , the pilot control stage in the form of the primary valve proper is illustrated in section ii , and the complete valve including stages i and ii , along with the valve switching symbol customary in the literature is illustrated in section iii . all the components shown in fig1 are those of a pressure relief valve . all the components shown in fig2 those of a pressure control or pressure reduction valve . all the pilot valves illustrated in i are identical both in the embodiment shown in fig1 and the embodiment in that shown in fig2 . a manually operated pilot valve 10 , an electrically operated pilot valve in the form of a proportional magnet 12 , a proportional magnet 14 with emergency pressure actuation 16 , and a proportional magnet 18 with an inverted characteristic curve relative to embodiments 12 , 14 are shown from left to right as viewed in each of fig1 and 2 . the manually operated pilot valve 10 has a valve seat 20 and a valve element 22 . the valve element 22 rests against an energy accumulator in the form of a pressure spring 26 . the closing force of spring 26 may be assigned or adjusted by a resetting element 28 and is guided in an adjustment housing 30 . the closing force may be assigned or set manually by a hexagonal head screw 32 with retaining ring 34 . such manually adjustable pilot valves 10 are of the state of the art or conventional , and accordingly will not be described in detail . if the individual components referred to are completed along the assembly line 36 , the pilot valve as completed may be screwed into one end 38 of the valve housing 40 . another energy accumulator in the form of a pressure spring 44 is introduced from the other end 42 of the valve housing . on one end of valve housing 40 , the main piston 46 rests . on the other end of valve housing 40 there rests on a multipart closing element 50 which may be screwed into the lower free end 42 of the valve housing 40 . to this extent the primary control stage ii and thus the primary valve proper is standardized in the form of a pressure relief valve . as the other assembly lines 36 demonstrate , appropriately modified pressure springs 26 and resetting elements 28 are used , while the valve elements 22 and pilot chambers 20 remain unchanged to obtain modified pressure relief valves having appropriately modified pilot control stages i in the versions indicated on different switching magnets 12 , 14 , and 18 . the pressure relief valves shown in section iii having the customary switching symbol reproduced on their lower side on the basis of their characteristics may be obtained . if the complete total valve of section iii is to be used under the modular valve system of the present invention to control a different fluid volume stream , the rated values at the valve housing 40 are to be correspondingly modified , especially with respect to the interior and circumferential side at the opposite ends 38 and 42 and with respect to the housing interior 52 . as is shown in fig2 , the structure of the pilot pressure control valve is selected accordingly . in particular , the pilot control stage i is essentially the same as that of the pilot control stage i in fig1 . in the manually operated pilot valve 110 another energy accumulator in the form of the pressure spring 154 engaging the opposite side of the pilot chamber 120 is added in addition to the energy accumulator in the form of the pressure spring 26 . the structure in question is of the state of the art or conventional and will not be discussed in detail at this point . in addition , to the extent that the components in the modified embodiment in fig2 correspond to the valve design shown in fig1 , the same reference numbers are used with each increased by 100 . what has been stated also applies to this extent to the embodiment of a pressure control valve as shown in fig2 . in contrast to the pressure relief valve of fig1 , in the embodiment shown in fig2 the control piston 146 has a nozzle element 156 . in other respects , the valve housing 140 is adapted with respect to its fluid connections to the functions to be performed by a pressure control valve . the valve housing 140 with its structural valve components is to be adapted to the extent that the fluid flows to be controlled vary with respect to volume and / or pressure . as a rule , however , the same pilot control stages indicated in fig1 are employed in the valve design illustrated in fig2 . the average expert in the field of valve technology may find it surprising that he can employ only a few basic components to develop a multiplicity of valve designs with different rated values without the need for developing his own structure on each occasion . the modular valve system of the present invention permits configuration of each valve obtained as a screw - in cartridge . both the pressure relief valves and the pressure control valves may then be fastened on other structural components , such as ones in the form of a valve block in an all - hydraulic system . while various embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | 8 |
the above groups of the compounds for use in the present invention will be described . the protective group r 1 is preferably alkenyl , aralkyl , alkyloxyalkyl , cyclic alkyl having a hetero - atom or silyl , and is more preferably silyl . the protective group r 2 is preferably alkyloxyalkyl , cyclic alkyl having a hetero - atom or silyl , and is more preferably 1 - alkyloxyethyl . the protective group r 2 may be the same as or different from the protective group r 1 . more specific examples of protective groups r 1 and r 2 are allyl as an alkenyl group ; benzyl , p - methoxybenzyl , diphenylmethyl and trityl as aralkyl groups ; methoxymethyl , benzyloxymethyl , tert - butoxymethyl , 2 , 2 , 2 - trichloroethoxymethyl , 2 - methoxyethoxymethyl and like alkyloxymethyl groups , and 1 - ethoxyethyl , 1 - methylmethoxyethyl , 1 - isopropoxyethyl and like 1 - alkyloxyethyl groups as alkyloxyalkyl groups ; tetrahydropyranyl and tetrahydrofuranyl as cyclic alkyl groups having a hetero - atom ; and trimethylsilyl , triethylsilyl , tert - butyldimethylsilyl , tert - butyldiphenylsilyl , methylditert - butylsilyl , triphenylsilyl , phenyldimethylsilyl , triphenylmethyldimethylsilyl and the like as silyl groups . examples of protective groups r 3 are methyl , ethyl , 2 , 2 , 2 - trichloroethyl and like alkyl groups , and benzyl and like aralkyl groups . examples of cyclic acetals formed by two groups r 3 attached to each other are as follows . ## str14 ## the protective group r 3 is preferably alkyl , and is more preferably ethyl . = p the group r 5 is straight - chain or branched alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl or alkylaryl which has 5 to 22 carbon atoms and which may contain oxygen , sulfur or silicon . such groups r 5 include alkoxyl , alkyloxyalkoxyl , cyclic or noncyclic acetal , silyl and alkylthio group . preferred examples of group r 5 are groups represented by the following formulae . ## str15 ## among these , the group of the formula ( 5 ) is more preferred . examples of groups r 6 are preferably methyl , ethyl and like alkyl groups , phenyl , p - tolyl , p - chlorophenyl and like aryl groups , and 2 - pyridyl and like heterocyclic groups , among which phenyl is more preferable . examples of x &# 39 ; s are halogen atoms ; methanesulfonyloxy , trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy and like alkylsulfonyloxy groups ; benzenesulfonyloxy , p - toluenesulfonyloxy , m - trifluoromethylbenzenesulfonyloxy , m - chlorobenzenesulfonyloxy and like arylsufonyloxy groups ; etc . halogen atoms represented by x 1 , x and y are chlorine atom , bromine atom , iodine atom and the like . according to the present invention , the optically active cyclopentenone derivative ( xi ) which is an intermediate for preparing a prostaglandin is prepared by the process represented by the following reaction scheme . the reactions involved in the above process will be described below . a ) an acetal derivative ( i ) of 2 - halogenoacrylic aldehyde which is known by tetrahedron lett ., 4797 ( 1969 ) is reacted with a strong base , such as methyllithium , n - butyllithium , sec - butyllithium or tert - butyllithium in an amount at least equivalent thereto to prepare a vinyl anion solution . examples of useful reaction solvents are tetrahydrofuran , diethyl ether , ethylene glycol diethyl ether and like ethers , and hexane and like hydrocarbons . next , an optically active epoxy compound ( ia ) is reacted with the anion in the presence of a lewis acid , such as trifluoroboron etherate , to obtain an optically active 4 - hydroxy - 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( ii ). this reaction is conducted preferably at a low temperature of - 30 ° to - 100 ° c . although the reaction proceeds in the absence of a catalyst , the lewis acid , if used , effects the reaction at an accelerated velocity . b ) the compound ( ii ) is converted to an optically active 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( iii ) by introducing a protective group r 1 into the hydroxyl of the compound . when the group r 1 is , for example , alkenyl , aralkyl , alkyloxymethyl or silyl , corresponding r 1 y 1 ( wherein y 1 a halogen atom such as chlorine , bromine or iodine ) is reacted with the compound ( ii ) in an amount of at least one mole per mole of the compound in the presence of at least one mole of a base per mole of the compound ( ii ). examples of useful bases are triethylamine , ethyldiisopropylamine , pyridine , 4 - dimethylaminopyridine , imidazole and like organic bases , and sodium hydride , sodium amide and like inorganic bases . when r 1 is a 1 - alkyloxyethyl group or cyclic alkyl group having a hetero - atom , the reaction is conducted using at least one mole of corresponding vinyl ether or the like per mole of the compound ( ii ), and an acid catalyst such as hydrogen chloride , p - toluenesulfonic acid , pyridine - p - toluenesulfonic acid salt or an acidic ion exchange resin ( such as amberlyst h15 ). c ) the compound ( iii ) is made into an optically active 2 - methylenepentanal derivative ( iv ) by hydrolyzing the acetal portion of the compound in the presence of a weak lewis acid . this reaction can be conducted by reacting the compound ( iii ) with a weak lewis acid catalyst , such as copper sulfate , zinc bromide or silica gel , in a water - containing solvent , such as a mixture of water and ethanol . d ) the compound ( iv ) is converted to an optically active cyanohydrin derivative ( vi ). the conversion to the cyanohydrin derivative is effected using hydrogen cyanide in the usual manner . alternatively , the compound ( iv ) can be readily converted to the compound ( vi ) by reacting the compound ( iv ) with trimethylsilyl cyanide in the presence of 18 - crown ether - 6 catalyst to obtain a trimethylsilylated cyanohydrin derivative ( v ), and hydrolyzing the derivative . the compound ( v ) can be made directly into the compound ( viii ) to be described below . e ) a protective group r 2 is introduced into the hydroxyl of the compound ( vi ), whereby the compound is converted to a protected cyanohydrin derivative ( vii ). the introduction of protective group r 2 is done under the same conditions as the introduction of protective group r 1 for the conversion of the compound ( ii ) to the compound ( iii ). f ) the compound ( vii ) is cyclized by being treated in the presence of a base for conversion to an optically active 2 - methylenecyclopentane derivative ( viii ). examples of useful bases are lithium hydride , sodium hydride , potassium hydride , lithium amide , sodium amide , potassium amide , lithium diisopropylamide , sodium hexamethyldisilazane , lithium hexamethyldisilazane , potassium hexamethyldisilazane and the like . the reaction time and the solvent to be used are suitably determined according to the kind of base to be used . for example , in the case where lithium diisopropylamide is used , it is desirable to conduct the reaction at + 60 ° to - 100 ° c . in diethyl ether or tetrahydrofuran . when sodium hexamethyldisilazane is used , it is desirable to carry out the reaction in tetrahydrofuran , dioxane , benzene or toluene at room temperature to 110 ° c . the base is used in 1 to 10 times , preferably 1 to 5 times , the amount equivalent to the compound ( vii ). g ) the compound ( viii ) is treated in the presence of an acid to hydrolyze the group -- or 2 thereof and then treated in the presence of a base for decyanohydrogenation to obtain an optically active 2 - methylenecyclopentanone derivative ( ix ). the hydrolysis of -- or 2 is effected by a known method . for example , this reaction can be conducted in a water - containing solvent at a temperature of 0 ° to 100 ° c . using an acid such as hydrochloric acid , p - toluenesulfonic acid or acetic acid , acidic ion exchange resin , lewis acid such as trifluoroboron etherate , zinc bromide or aluminum chloride , or weakly acidic substance such as pyridine - p - toluenesulfonic acid salt . when the protective group r 2 is silyl , it is also possible to remove the protective group with use of tetra - n - butyl ammonium fluoride or like quaternary ammonium fluoride salt . when the protective group r 2 is aralkyl , hydrogenation decomposition with use of palladium is also an effective method . the decyanohydrogenation is conducted using at least an equivalent amount of sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , sodium hydrogencarbonate , potassium carbonate or like inorganic base , or ammonia , triethylamine , pyridine , 4 - dimethylaminopyridine or like organic base . h ) the compound ( ix ) is reacted with an organozinc compound or organocopper compound ( r 5 m ) separately prepared to introduce an alpha - chain into the compound ( ix ), and the resulting enolate is reacted with an organoselenium compound or organosulfur compound ( r 6 zy ) to give an optically active cyclopentanone derivative ( x ). the derivative ( x ) is oxidized with an oxidizing agent , such as hydrogen peroxide or organic peracid , followed by an elimination reaction at a temperature of 0 ° to 150 ° c . to obtain a known optically active cyclopentenone derivative ( xi ) which is an intermediate for preparing a prostaglandin . the organozinc compound or organocopper compound r 5 m is prepared by the following method . the organocopper compound is prepared by lithiating a compound r 5 x 2 ( wherein x 2 is chlorine , bromine , or like halogen atom ), for example , with methyllithium , sec - butyllithium , tert - butyllithium or like organolithium compound or metallic lithium , or reacting the compound r 5 x 2 with metallic magnesium to obtain a grignard reagent , and treating the resulting compound with cuprous cyanide , cuprous iodide or separately prepared ( 2 - thienyl ) cu ( cn ) li . the organozinc compound can be prepared by reacting the tetramethylethylenediamine complex of zinc chloride with two equivalents of methyllithium to obtain dimethylzinc , and adding a reaction mixture obtained by lithiating the compound r 5 x 2 to the product . the reaction for preparing the organometallic compound r 5 m can be conducted at a temperature of - 100 ° to 0 ° c . in an inert solvent , such as n - hexane , toluene or like hydrocarbon , diethyl ether , tetrahydrofuran , dioxane or like ether , or a mixture of such solvents . i ) the compound ( xi ) can be converted to an aldehyde or alcohol by removing the acetal , silyl , alkyloxyalkyl or like protective group from the group r 5 thereof . a prostaglandin derivative can be prepared from the compound ( xi ) by a known process ( f . s . alvarez et al ., j . am . chem . soc ., 94 , 7823 ( 1972 ); a . f . kluge et al , j . am . chem . soc ., 94 , 7828 , 9256 ( 1972 ); c . j . sih et al ., j . am ., chem . soc ., 97 , 857 , 865 ( 1975 )). to clarify the technical features of the present invention , the present invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the following examples . in an argon atmosphere with stirring , n - butyllithium was added dropwise over a period of 20 minutes to a solution of 9 . 35 g ( 44 . 9 mmoles ) of 2 - bromo - 3 , 3 - diethoxypropene in 80 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran cooled to - 78 ° c ., and the mixture was further stirred at - 78 ° c . for 40 minutes to prepare a vinyllithium solution . on the other hand , 5 . 31 g ( 37 . 4 mmoles ) of trifluoroboron etherate was added dropwise to a solution of 3 . 46 g ( 37 . 4 mmoles ) of optically active ( s )- epichlorohydrin ( at least 98 . 5 % in chemical purity , at least 99 % in optical purity ) in 70 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran cooled to - 78 ° c ., with stirring in an argon atmosphere , followed by further stirring for 10 minutes . the vinyllithium solution previously prepared was added dropwise to the epichlorohydrin at - 78 ° c . over a period of 35 minutes , and the mixture was further stirred for 20 minutes . with vigorous stirring , the resulting reaction mixture was poured into a saturated aqueous solution of ammonium chloride which was precooled . the aqueous layer was subjected to extraction with ether six times , the ethereal extract was washed with a saturated aqueous ammonium chloride solution twice and with a saturated sodium chloride aqueous solution twice and then dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate . the dried extract was distilled in a vacuum to remove the solvent , giving 6 . 97 g ( yield 84 %) of an optically active 4 - hydroxy - 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( ii - a ) represented by the following chemical formula . ## str17 ## nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 1 . 23 ( 6h , t , j = 7 . 0 hz , ch 3 ); 2 . 34 - 2 . 52 ( 2h , m , ch 2 ); 3 . 25 - 4 . 17 ( 9h , m , ch 2 o , ch 2 cl , ch , oh ); 4 . 70 ( 1h , s , och -- o ); 5 . 14 - 5 . 50 ( 2h , m , ═ ch 2 ). the same procedure as above was repeated except that optically active ( s )- epibromohydrin was used instead of optically active ( s )- epichlorohydrin to obtain an optically active 4 - hydroxy - 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( ii - b ) represented by the above chemical formula . nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 1 . 23 ( 6h , t , j = 7 . 0 hz , ch 3 ); 2 . 34 - 2 . 55 ( 2h , m , ch 2 ); 3 . 29 - 3 . 80 ( 8h , m , ch 2 o , ch 2 br , ch ); 3 . 80 - 4 . 14 ( 1h , m , oh ); 4 . 71 ( 1h , s , och -- o ); 5 . 14 - 5 . 32 ( 2h , m , ═ ch 2 ). imidazole ( 6 . 43 g , 94 . 5 mmoles ) was added dropwise to a solution of 6 . 96 g of the above 4 - hydroxy - 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( ii - a ) in 10 ml of n , n - dimethylformamide at 0 ° c . with stirring , 14 . 07 g ( 51 . 3 mmoles ) of tert - butyldiphenylsilyl chloride was then added dropwise to the solution , followed by stirring on a water bath overnight . the reaction mixture was thereafter neutralized with 3n hydrochloric acid , the aqueous layer was subjected to extraction with ether three times , and the extract was washed with a saturated aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate twice and then with saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride three times and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate . the solvent was distilled off in a vacuum , giving 19 . 96 g of an optically active 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( iii - a ) having protected hydroxyl and represented by the following chemical formula . ## str18 ## the same procedure as above was repeated except that the optically active compound ( ii - b ) wherein x is br was used in place of the optically active 4 - hydroxy - 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( ii - a ) to obtain an optically active compound ( iii - b ) represented by the above chemical formula . preparation of compounds ( iv ) a 19 . 87 g quantity of the optically active 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( iii - a ) was dissolved in 120 ml of 80 % aqueous solution of methanol , and the solution was heated with stirring for 1 hour with the addition of 10 . 09 g of copper sulfate . the reaction mixture was passed through celite for filtration . with addition of 300 ml of benzene , the filtrate was subjected to azeotropic distillation to remove methanol and water . the residue was subjected to extraction with ether , and the ethereal extract was washed with a saturated aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate . the aqueous layer was subjected to extraction with ether six times , and the extract was washed with an aqueous solution of sodium chloride , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and distilled in a vacuum to remove the solvent , giving 18 . 66 g of an optically active 2 - methylenepentanal derivative ( iv - a ) represented by the following chemical formula . ## str19 ## nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 1 . 07 ( 9h , s , ch 3 ); 2 . 49 - 2 . 71 ( 2h , m , ch 2 ); 3 . 34 ( 2h , d , j = 5 . 0 hz , ch 2 ); 3 . 94 - 4 . 26 ( 1h , m , ch ); 5 . 99 ( 1h , s , ═ ch ); 6 . 24 ( 1h , s , ═ ch ); 7 . 29 - 7 . 91 ( 10h , m , c 6 h 5 ); 9 . 94 ( 1h , s , cho ). the same procedure as above was repeated except that the optically active compound ( iii - b ) wherein x is br was used in place of the optically active 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( iii - a ) to obtain an optically active ( iv - b ) represented by the above chemical formula . nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 1 . 07 ( 9h , s , ch 3 ); 2 . 43 - 2 . 83 ( 2h , m , ch 3 ); 3 . 21 ( 2h , d , j = 5 . 0 hz , ch 2 ); 3 . 86 - 4 . 23 ( 1h , m , ch ); 5 . 99 ( 1h , br s , ═ ch ); 6 . 26 ( 1h , br s , ═ ch ); 7 . 29 - 7 . 91 ( 10h , m , c 6 h 5 ); 9 . 94 ( 1h , s , cho ). in an argon atmosphere , a catalytic quantity of potassium cyanide complex of 18 - crown ether was added to 18 . 66 g of the optically active 2 - methylenepentanal derivative ( iv - a ), and 3 . 65 g ( 36 . 8 mmoles ) of trimethylsilyl cyanide was added dropwise to the mixture with stirring . the reaction mixture was further stirred on a water bath for 1 hour , diluted with 100 ml of tetrahydrofuran , and stirred for 20 minutes with addition of 30 ml of 1n hydrochloric acid . the aqueous layer was subjected to extraction with ether six times , and the extract was washed with water , then dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and distilled in a vacuum to remove the solvent , giving an optically active 1 - cyano - 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( vi - a ) in the form of a crude product and represented by the following chemical formula . the crude product was subjected to silica gel column chromatography ( n - hexane : ether = 8 : 1 ) to obtain 6 . 14 g of a purified product . the yield was 47 . 4 % based on the compound ( ii - a ). a 2 . 80 g quantity of the material compound ( iv - a ) was recovered from the process . ## str20 ## nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 1 . 0 - 1 . 17 ( 9h , d , ch 3 ); 2 . 51 - 2 . 86 ( 2h , m , ch 2 ); 3 . 00 - 3 . 57 ( 3h , m , ch 2 , ch ); 3 . 91 - 4 . 23 ( 1h , m , ch ); 4 . 71 - 4 . 96 ( 1h , m , oh ); 5 . 21 - 5 . 63 ( 2h , m , ═ ch 2 ); 7 . 25 - 7 . 91 ( 1h , m , ch ). the same procedure as above was repeated except that the optically active compound ( iv - b ) wherein x is br was used in place of the optically active 2 - methylenepentanal derivative ( iv - a ) to obtain an optically active compound ( vi - b ). nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 1 . 0 - 1 . 32 ( 9h , m , ch 3 ); 2 . 55 - 3 . 67 ( 5h , m , ch 2 , ch ); 3 . 90 - 4 . 21 ( 1h , m , ch ); 4 . 84 ( 1h , s , oh ); 5 . 18 - 5 . 67 ( 2h , m , ═ ch 2 ); 7 . 28 - 7 . 85 ( 10h , m , c 6 h 5 ). a catalytic quantity of p - toluenesulfonic acid was added to a solution of 6 . 14 g ( 14 . 8 mmoles ) of the optically active 1 - cyano - 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( vi - a ) in 90 ml of anhydrous benzene in an argon atmosphere , and 1 . 18 g ( 16 . 3 mmoles ) of ethyl vinyl ether was added dropwise to the solution on a water bath with stirring . the reaction mixture was further stirred for 40 minutes and neutralized with a precooled saturated aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate . the aqueous layer was subjected to extraction with ether four times , and the extract was washed with an aqueous solution of sodium chloride , then dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and distilled in a vacuum to remove the solvent , giving 6 . 68 g of an optically active 1 - cyano - 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( vii - a ) represented by the following chemical formula . ## str21 ## nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 0 . 93 - 1 . 43 ( 15h , m , ch 3 ); 2 . 35 - 2 . 74 ( 2h , m , ch 2 ); 3 . 23 - 3 . 77 ( 4h , m , ch 2 ); 3 . 89 - 4 . 11 ( 1h , m , ch ); 4 . 34 - 5 . 03 ( 2h , m , ch ); 5 . 19 ( 1h , br s , ═ ch ); 5 . 43 - 5 . 63 ( 1h , m , ═ ch ); 7 . 29 - 7 . 91 ( 10h , m , c 6 h 5 ). the same procedure as above was repeated except that the optically active compound ( vi - b ) wherein x is br was used in place of the optically active 1 - cyano - 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( vi - a ) to obtain an optically active compound ( vii - b ) represented by the above chemical formula . nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 0 . 93 - 1 . 43 ( 15h , m , ch 3 ); 2 . 37 - 2 . 74 ( 2h , m , ch 2 ); 3 . 09 - 3 . 77 ( 4h , m , ch 2 , ch ); 3 . 89 - 4 . 23 ( 1h , m , ch ); 4 . 60 - 5 . 14 ( 2h , m , ch ); 5 . 14 - 5 . 71 ( 2h , m , ═ ch 2 ); 7 . 31 - 7 . 91 ( 10h , m , c 6 h 5 ). ir ( neat ): 1700 ( c ═ c ), 1110 , 1050 , 940 , 830 , 740 , 700 cm - 1 . a 10 . 3 ml quantity of benzene solution of sodium hexamethyldisilazane ( concentration : 0 . 66n ) was added to 50 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran in an argon atmosphere . a solution of 1 . 23 g of the optically active 1 - cyano - 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( vii - a ) in 20 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added dropwise to the mixture at 50 ° c . over a period of 70 minutes with stirring . with vigorous stirring , the reaction mixture was poured into a precooled saturated aqueous solution of ammonium chloride , followed by extraction with ether five times . the extract was washed with 1n hydrochloric acid and then with an aqueous solution of sodium chloride and purified by silica gel column chromatography ( n - hexane : ether = 20 : 1 ), affording 756 mg of an optically active 2 - methylenecyclopentanecyanohydrin derivative ( viii ) represented by the following chemical formula . the yield from the compound ( vi - a ) was 61 . 6 %. ## str22 ## nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 0 . 93 - 1 . 57 ( 15h , m , ch 3 ); 2 . 06 - 2 . 71 ( 4h , m , ch 2 ); 3 . 23 - 3 . 86 ( 1h , m , ch ); 4 . 14 - 4 . 60 ( 1h , m , ch ); 4 . 69 - 5 . 11 ( 1h , m , ch ); 5 . 11 - 5 . 37 ( 1h , m , ch ); 5 . 37 - 5 . 66 ( 1h , m , ch ); 7 . 31 - 7 . 90 ( 10h , m , c 6 h 5 ). the same procedure as above was repeated except that the optically active compound ( vii - b ) wherein x is br was used in place of the optically active 1 - cyano - 2 - methylenepentane derivative ( vii - a ), whereby an optically active compound ( viii ) was obtained in a yield approximate to the above . a catalytic quantity of pyridine p - toluenesulfonic acid salt was added to a solution of 756 mg ( 1 . 68 mmoles ) of the optically active 2 - methylenecyclopentanecyanohydrin derivative ( viii ) in 30 ml of anhydrous methanol in an argon atmosphere , followed by refluxing for 1 . 2 hours . the solvent was distilled off in a vacuum , 25 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran and 10 ml of saturated aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate were thereafter added to the residue at room temperature , and the mixture was stirred for 1 . 5 hours . ether was added to the reaction mixture for extraction , and the extract was washed with an aqueous solution of sodium chloride . the aqueous layer was further subjected to extraction with ether five times . the extracts were combined together , washed with 1n hydrochloric acid and then with an aqueous solution of sodium chloride and thereafter dried . the solvent was distilled off in a vacuum , and the residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography ( n - hexane : ether = 40 : 1 ), giving 307 . 5 mg ( yield 52 . 2 %) of an optically active 2 - methylenecyclopentanone derivative ( ix ) represented by the following chemical formula . ## str23 ## 1 hnmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 1 . 04 ( 9h , s , ch 3 ); 2 . 42 ( 2h , d , j = 5 . 0 hz , ch 2 ); 2 . 72 ( 2h , quint , 2 . 4 hz , ch 2 ); 4 . 47 ( 1h , quint , 5 . 0 hz , ch ); 5 . 29 ( 1h , dt , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1 . 5 hz , ═ ch ); 6 . 03 ( 1h , dt , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1 . 5 hz , ═ ch ); 7 . 31 - 7 . 91 ( 10h , m , c 6 h 5 ). 13 cnmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 19 . 06 , 26 . 79 , 40 . 02 , 48 . 26 , 68 . 51 , 118 . 03 , 127 . 70 , 127 . 76 , 129 . 82 , 129 . 86 , 133 . 50 , 133 . 73 , 135 . 64 , 143 . 22 , 204 . 40 . a solution of 247 . 8 mg ( 0 . 831 mmole ) of a vinyl iodide derivative represented by the following chemical formula ## str24 ## in 7 ml of n - hexane was cooled to - 78 ° c . in an argon stream . this compound is known by j . am . chem . sco ., 97 4745 ( 1975 ). using a syringe , tert - butyllithium was added dropwise to the solution with stirring over a period of 5 minutes , followed by stirring at the same temperature for 90 minutes to obtain a vinyllithium compound represented by the following chemical formula ## str25 ## on the other hand , 230 . 8 mg ( 0 . 914 mmole ) of tetramethylethylenediamine complex of zinc chloride was placed in an argon stream into a three - necked flask , 7 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was further placed in , and the mixture was cooled to - 20 ° c . with stirring . using a syringe , 1 . 07 ml of 1 . 7n solution of methyllithium ( 1 . 828 mmoles ) in n - hexane was added dropwise to the mixture over a period of 3 minutes , and the reaction mixture was stirred for a further period of 10 minutes and thereafter cooled to - 80 ° c . a solution of the above vinyllithium compound was added dropwise to the resulting solution at - 78 ° c . over a period of 5 minutes using a bridge , followed by stirring at - 78 ° c . to - 60 ° c . for 1 hour . a 7 ml quantity of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran solution of 223 . 5 mg ( 0 . 6376 mmole ) of the optically active 2 - methylenecyclopentanone derivative ( ix ) was added dropwise to the reaction mixture at - 78 ° c . with full stirring over a period of 40 minutes . the container used was washed with 2 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran , and the washings were added to the reaction mixture with stirring over a period of 10 minutes , followed by continued stirring at - 78 ° c . for 30 minutes . a 7 ml quantity of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran solution of 996 . 0 mg ( 3 . 197 mmoles ) of diphenyl diselenide was added to the resulting reaction mixture at - 78 ° c . with vigorous stirring using a syringe , followed by stirring at - 50 ° c . for 30 minutes . the reaction mixture was thereafter poured into a cooled saturated aqueous solution of ammonium chloride with vigorous stirring . the aqueous layer was subjected to extraction with ether six times . the combined ethereal extract was washed with a saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride twice , then dried over anydrous magnesium sulfate and filtered . the solvent was distilled off from the filtrate . the resulting crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography ( n - hexane : ether = 5 : 1 ), giving 220 . 1 mg ( yield 50 . 9 %) of an optically active 2 - phenylselenocyclopentanone derivative ( x ) represented by the following chemical formula . ## str26 ## nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 1 . 04 ( 9h , s , ch 3 ); 1 . 04 - 1 . 74 ( 12h , m , ch 3 , ch 2 ); 1 . 82 - 2 . 86 ( 6h , m , ch 2 co , ch 2 c ═ c ); 3 . 30 - 3 . 82 ( 4h , m , ch 2 o ); 4 . 34 - 4 . 78 ( 2h , m , och ); 5 . 15 - 5 . 50 ( 2h , m ═ ch ); 7 . 10 - 7 . 70 ( 15h , m , c 6 h 5 ). a 115 . 7 mg quantity ( 0 . 170 mmole ) of the optically active 2 - phenylselenocyclopentanone derivative ( x ) was dissolved in 15 ml of tetrahydrofuran . to the solution thereafter cooled to 0 ° c . was added at a time 0 . 14 ml ( 156 . 1 mg , 1 . 90 mmoles ) of 30 % hydrogen peroxide with stirring . the reaction mixture was slowly returned to room temperature and further stirred at room temperature for 3 hours . the reaction mixture was diluted with ether , and the ethereal layer was separated off and washed with a saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride . the aqueous layer was further subjected to extraction five times . the ethereal layers were combined together , washed with a saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride again and thereafter dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate . the solvent was distilled off in a vacuum from the dry extract . the residue , which was an oily product , was purified by silica gel chromatography ( n - hexane : ether = 5 : 1 ) and further purified by high performance liquid chromatography ( silica gel &# 34 ; si - 160 ,&# 34 ; 7 . 6 cm ( diam . )× 30 cm , n - hexane : ethyl acetate = 1 : 4 ), giving 40 . 6 mg ( yield 45 . 9 %) of an optically active cyclopentenone derivative ( xi ) represented by the following chemical formula and 25 . 8 mg of a by - product of undetermined structure . ## str27 ## nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 1 . 07 ( 9h , s , ch 3 ); 1 . 07 - 1 . 79 ( 12h , m , ch 2 , ch 3 ); 1 . 87 - 2 . 26 ( 2h , m , ch 2 ); 2 . 34 - 2 . 54 ( 2h , m , ch 2 ); 2 . 70 - 2 . 94 ( 2h , m , ch 2 ); 3 . 18 - 3 . 82 ( 4h , m , ch 2 ); 4 . 66 ( 1h , q , j = 5 . 5 hz , ch ); 4 . 75 - 4 . 98 ( 1h , m , ch ); 5 . 44 ( 1h , m , ═ ch ); 6 . 88 - 7 . 02 ( 1h , m , ═ ch ); 7 . 26 - 7 . 78 ( 10h , m , c 6 h 5 ). to a solution of 31 . 9 mg ( 0 . 06 mmole ) of the optically active cyclopentenone derivative ( xi ) in 2 ml of anhydrous methanol was added a catalytic quantity of p - toluenesulfonic acid in an argon stream with ice - cooling . the reaction mixture was stirred with ice - cooling for 1 hour and 20 minutes and thereafter stirred at room temperature for 1 hour . the reaction mixture was then neutralized with a precooled saturated aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate . the aqueous layer was subjected to extraction with dichloromethane five times , and the extracts were combined together , washed with a saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride twice and thereafter dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate . the solvent was distilled off from the dry extract in a vacuum , and an oily product obtained as the residue was subsequently purified by silica gel column chromatography ( n - hexane : ether = 1 : 1 ), giving 24 . 8 mg ( yield 90 . 2 %) of an optically active cyclopentenone derivative ( xii ) represented by the following chemical formula . ## str28 ## 1 hnmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 1 . 07 ( 9h , s , ch 3 ); 1 . 15 - 1 . 79 ( 5h , m , ch 2 , oh ); 1 . 87 - 2 . 27 ( 2h , m , ch 2 ); 2 . 06 ( 2h , br q , j = 6 . 4 hz , ch 2 ); 2 . 87 ( 2h , br d , j = 6 . 0 hz , ch 2 ); 3 . 62 ( 2h , t , j = 6 . 4 hz , ch 2 ); 4 . 75 - 4 . 96 ( 1h , m , ch ); 5 . 30 - 5 . 55 ( 2h , m , ═ ch ); 6 . 93 - 6 . 98 ( 1h , m , ═ ch ); 7 . 27 - 7 . 75 ( 10h , m , c 6 h 5 ). 13 cnmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ : 19 . 72 , 23 . 24 , 26 . 22 , 27 . 47 , 32 . 89 , 43 . 94 , 46 . 00 , 63 . 34 , 70 . 54 , 125 . 38 , 128 . 41 , 130 . 58 , 132 . 64 , 134 . 26 , 136 . 26 , 146 . 51 , 157 . 23 , 177 . 87 . ir ( neat ): 3400 , 1710 , 1110 , 1070 , 780 , 700 cm - 1 . | 2 |
the trellis - based decoding algorithm naming convention is shown in fig1 . the processing time for one of the processing modes ( usually the feed - forward processing mode ) is generally dependent on a variable m , which is the number of bits in the bit - stream or block 10 . the processing time of the other processing mode ( usually the traceback processing mode ) is generally dependent on m + p * l , where p is the number of d blocks and l is the traceback learning period . in the case of p = 0 , which means that the traceback mode starts only after the feed - forward mode ends for all m bits , the traceback processing time is equal to m , and the amount of path metric / trellis memory required is multiplied by m as well . for small m blocks , where m is on the order of ( 5 * k ), where k is the constraint length , the p = 0 solution may satisfy both the memory and power requirements of mobile communication devices . however in currently deployed wireless standards , the size of m is much greater than ( 5 * k ), and for many systems , in particular wireless communication devices , the reduced power and memory size requirements make this computation unmanageable . the m - bit blocks 10 may each be divided into sub - blocks called “ windows ” of d - bits 12 - 14 , where m = p * d + t . p is the number of full d - bit windows 12 - 14 in m and t 16 is the tail bits at the end of the block ( t & lt ; d ). the process of dividing the m blocks 10 into a chain of d sub - blocks 12 - 14 does not affect the feed - forward mode in the trellis decoding algorithm . however , this process may significantly affect the traceback session , since traceback time is m + p * l , where l is the traceback learning period 18 . hence , the more d sub - blocks are in the m block , the greater the traceback processing time . for certain applications , for example , for wcdma , where k = 9 for viterbi , d = 64 , m = 5114 , l = 45 and traceback overhead time is about 3600 cycles . it may be seen that it is desirable to increase the size of d for a given m , but also reduce the traceback processing time or the traceback overhead time of ( p * l ). increasing the size of d or window size may result in adverse implications on the memory requirement and increase power consumption . focusing on reducing l , a trellis - based decoder is devised and shown in fig2 . fig2 is a simplified block diagram of a decoder or method 20 that enables a reduction in overhead in processing time and power consumption . the decoder and method 20 are operable to detect low / high signal - to - noise ratio ( snr ) inputs and further operable to manually or automatically adjust the length of l based on the bit - error - rate ( ber ) or frame - error - rate ( fer ). the circuit comprises a demodulator 22 operable to receive data input from an antenna 24 . the demodulator 22 is operable to provide a hard value as a soft - input 26 into a channel decoder 28 and a hard - input 30 to a comparator 32 . a soft value is a value that has associated therewith a probability . the channel decoder produces a hard output 34 , which is provided as a hard - input 36 to a convolution encoder 38 which re - encode the decoded bits . the re - encoded bits 40 from the convolution encoder 38 is also provided to the comparator 32 . the comparator 32 compares the hard - input 30 received from the demodulator 22 and the re - encoded bits 40 from the convolution encoder 38 and generates a bit - error - rate or frame - error - rate output 42 , which is used to adjust l , the traceback learning period of the channel decoder 28 . for low bit - error - rate , the l can be reduced to about ( k - 1 ), for example . for example , for wcdma , where k = 9 for viterbi , d = 64 , and m = 5114 , ( p * l )= 640 for l = 8 . this reduces the overhead by 2960 cycles . the overhead portion is only ( 640 / 5114 ), which is 0 . 125 instead of ( 3600 / 5114 ), which is 0 . 7 . this translates to significant power savings in case of high signal - to - noise - ratio and low bit - error - rate . for high bit - error - rate , l is about 5 * k . therefore , l is between the values of ( 5 * k ) and ( k - 1 ) or ( 5 * k )& gt ; l & gt ;( k - 1 ). the system components — the demodulator , channel decoder , convolution encoder , and comparator may be implemented with components as known in the art or incorporate technology to be developed in the future . the primary functionality of these components in view of the system shown in fig2 are well - known and thus details of these components are not described herein for the sake of clarity and brevity . the method provides the re - encoding of decoded bits 36 and comparing the re - encoded bits 40 with the received encoded bits 26 to generate a bit - error - rate or frame - error - rate 42 . the bit - error - rate or frame - error - rate 42 is then used to adjust or reduce the learning period length , l , of the channel encoding process . therefore , the channel decoder 28 produces an output that takes into account of both the hard and soft values of the data bits . with the reduction in the learning period , performance and power consumption are both improved . fig3 is a simplified block diagram of an embodiment of a reconfigurable processing system 50 having a plurality of context - based reconfigurable processors 52 - 53 . the reconfigurable processing system 50 is a software - defined radio ( sdr ) that comprises n context - based reconfigurable processors 52 - 53 , where n is at least two . the context - based reconfigurable processors 52 - 53 are interconnected and coupled to a memory 56 , a digital signal processor ( dsp ) and / or direct memory access ( dma ) module ( s ) 58 , and a real - time sequencer 60 via an interconnect fabric 62 . each context - based reconfigurable processor may be a specialized processor operable to focus on a particular signal processing task . for example , one context - based reconfigurable processor may be a viterbi processor that is optimized to perform viterbi decoding operations . another context - based reconfigurable processor may be a correlator processor that is optimized to perform correlation processes . yet another context - based reconfigurable processor may be a turbo code decoder that is optimized to perform forward error correction decoding . one or more of these context - based reconfigurable processors may employ the decoder and method shown in fig2 to reduce the overhead associated with trellis - based decoding processing . context - based reconfigurable processors 52 - 53 each include generic hardware modules that execute context - related instructions in an optimized manner . each context - based reconfigurable processor may operate independently of one another under the scheduling and control of the real - time sequencer 60 . one or more context - based reconfigurable processors may be independently inactivated or shut - down in applications that do not require them to optimize power consumption . the interconnect fabric 62 is reconfigurable and provides connectivity between the components in the reconfigurable processing system 50 . each context - based reconfigurable processor 52 - 53 may act as a master of the interconnect fabric 62 and may initiate access to the memory . the reconfigurable processing system 50 may be used to implement a broadband modem of a mobile phone or similar wireless communications device . the device additionally comprises an rf ( radio frequency ) section 64 and a plurality of applications 66 to carry out specialized functions . because the technology and standards for wireless communications is a continuously moving target , fixed hardware architecture for mobile phones becomes outdated very quickly . therefore , a software - defined context - based reconfigurable system such as the system 50 can adapt to different technologies and standards now known and to be developed . although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail , those skilled in the art should understand that they may make various changes , substitutions and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure . accordingly , all such changes , substitutions and alterations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the following claims . in the claims , means - plus - function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents , but also equivalent structures . | 7 |
the present invention now will be described more filly hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which typical and exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein . rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will filly convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . in the drawings , the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity . it will be understood that when an element such as a layer or region is referred to as being “ on ” another element , it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present . furthermore , relative terms , such as “ beneath ,” may be used herein to describe one element &# 39 ; s relationship to another elements as illustrated in the drawings . it will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of a structure in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings . for example , if the structure in the drawings is turned over , elements described as “ below ” other elements would then be oriented “ above ” 1 the other elements . the exemplary term “ below ,” therefore , encompasses both an orientation of above and below . it will be understood that although the terms “ first ” and “ second ” are used herein to describe various regions , layers and / or components , these regions , layers and / or components should not be limited by these terms . these terms are only used to distinguish one region , layer or section from another region , layer or section . thus , a first region , layer or section discussed below could be termed a second region , layer or section , without departing from the teachings of the present invention . as used herein the term “ and / or ” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items . like numbers refer to like elements throughout . fig4 and 5 illustrate a polishing pad 400 according to some embodiments of the present invention . the pad 400 includes a disk - shaped resilient layer 401 having a recess 410 formed therein about its center . the recess 410 is configured to open towards the surface of the platen of the polishing machine ( e . g ., the machine in fig1 ) when the pad 400 is installed , thus forming an air cushion between the pad 400 and the platen . the recess 410 may be formed using any of a variety of different techniques , including cutting or skiving . the pad 400 may include any of a number of different materials , including , but not limited to , any of a variety of materials including polycarbonate , acrylic rubber , acrylic resin , cellulose , polystyrene , thermoplastic polyester , acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( abs ), polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), allyl diglycol carbonate ( adc ), polyurethane , and / or polybutadiene . fig6 - 10 illustrate a variety of polishing pad configurations according to various embodiments of the present invention . fig6 is a cross - sectional view of a polishing pad 600 according to further embodiments of the present invention , wherein a recess for forming an air cushion under the pad 600 includes a circular groove 610 formed in a disk - shaped resilient layer 601 . fig7 is a cross sectional view of a polishing pad 700 according to additional embodiments , which includes a disk - shaped resilient layer with a recess 710 having sloped sidewalls . a pad 800 according to other embodiments of the present invention illustrated in fig8 includes disk 801 having a recess 8 10 therein filled with a material 812 that is less rigid than the disk 801 . for example , the disk 801 may be formed of polycarbonate , acrylic rubber , acrylic resin , cellulose , polystyrene , thermoplastic polyester , acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( abs ), polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), allyl diglycol carbonate ( adc ), polyurethane , and / or polybutadiene , and the less rigid material 814 in the recess 812 may be , for example , an open - cell foam or non - woven fiber material . fig9 illustrates a pad 900 including first and second disks 901 , 902 , wherein the first disk 901 is made of a stiffer material , such as polycarbonate , acrylic rubber , acrylic resin , cellulose , polystyrene , thermoplastic polyester , acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( abs ), polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), allyl diglycol carbonate ( adc ), polyurethane , and / or polybutadiene , and the second disk 902 is a less rigid material , such as an open - cell foam or a non - woven fiber material . the first disk 901 is adhesively bonded to the second disk 901 , and has recess 910 formed therein . fig1 illustrates a pad 100 including rigid and less rigid disks 1001 , 1002 , respectively , and a recess 1010 that passes through the second disk 1002 and into the first disk 1001 . it will be appreciated that a number of other pad configurations fall within the scope of the present invention , and that the invention is not limited to the configurations illustrated . for example , a reduced - rigidity area in a polishing pad may be provided by other structures that provide a cushion at a selected area of a pad , for example , by embedding air or gas bubbles in selected portions of a resilient layer to provide reduced rigidity and / or by using a less rigid material at a selected area of a pad . the present invention is also applicable to pads having non - disk - like shapes , including , but not limited to , belt - like pads . fig1 illustrates a polishing apparatus 1100 according to some embodiments of the present invention , including a pad 400 as illustrated in fig4 and 5 . as shown , the apparatus 1100 includes a platen 120 driven by a motor 150 and shaft 160 , a polishing head 110 driven by a motor 170 and a shaft 180 , and a pad conditioner 140 . the pad 400 is affixed to the platen 120 such that the recess 410 faces the surface of the platen 120 . the recess 410 is configured to provide decreased rigidity proximate the edge of the wafer w as the polishing head 110 forces the wafer w against the pad 400 . as further shown in fig1 , the apparatus 1100 may further include a detector 190 , such as the laser interferometer - based detector described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 964 , 643 to birang et al ., that monitors the polished surface of the wafer w through an opening or window 123 in the platen 120 and through the pad 400 to enable monitoring of the surface condition of the wafer w . such monitoring may be used , for example , to detect when a desired polishing result has been achieved . it will be appreciated that at least portion of the pad 400 overlying the opening or window 123 preferably is transparent in the spectrum used by the detector 190 to allow for such monitoring . as shown in fig1 and 13 , when the pad 400 is affixed to the platen 120 , the recess 410 is centered around an axis of a circular loop 1200 described by the polishing head 110 as it moves the wafer w across the surface of the pad 400 . preferably , the recess 410 is proximate a locus of movement 1210 of the retaining ring 114 of the polishing head 110 , i . e ., as the polishing head 110 moves the wafer w around the surface of the pad 400 around the loop 1200 , the recess 410 of the pad 400 is proximate an innermost portion 1220 of the loop 1200 . it will be appreciated that the size and / or shape of the recess may be altered depending on the nature of the movement of the polishing head ( e . g ., oscillatory or non - oscillatory movement ), the nature of the pad material , and / or the nature of the polishing process ( e . g ., the type of slurry and / or material being polished ). it will be further appreciated that other pad configurations may be used in similar ways to those described above with reference to fig1 and 13 . for example , the pads shown in fig6 - 9 may be mounted with their recesses and / or less rigid portions positioned in a manner similar to that described with reference to fig1 and 13 . it will also be understood that the present invention is applicable to other types of machines than the one illustrated in fig1 - 13 , such as machines that have a polishing head that moves a rotating wafer in a loop around a fixed platen . investigations of pad designs have been conducted for an ebara frex 3005 polishing machine having a structure along the lines shown in fig1 . the machine has a polishing head with an approximately 300 mm diameter retaining ring , with the width of the retaining ring being around 25 mm . as the polishing head oscillates , the centerline of the retaining ring moves between about 30 mm and about 50 mm from the center of the polishing pad . it has been determined that a pad having a circular recess as shown in fig1 i 1 with a radius of about 15 mm to about 50 mm may be particularly advantageous for such a machine . if the recess is too small , for example , such that it does not reach to under the retaining ring , the pad may erode and / or tear . if the recess is too large , the polishing rate at the edge portion of wafer may be undesirably decreased . for a polybutadiene pad with a thickness of about 2 mm , it has been found that a recess with a depth of about 0 . 1 mm to about 0 . 5 mm produces desirable results . it will be appreciated that optimal recess size and / or shape may depend on a number of different factors , including , but not limited to , the type of machine , pad material , slurry properties and wafer properties . fig1 and 15 show polishing profiles produced using a conventional polishing pad configuration and a pad configuration according to some embodiments of the present invention , respectively . the profile produced using a conventional configuration ( fig1 ) exhibits significant non - uniformity , including a hunting area near the edge of the wafer , while the polishing profile using a polishing pad according to embodiments of the present invention ( fig1 ) exhibits improved uniformity . according to further aspects of the present invention , registration features may be provided on a polishing pad and / or platen to facilitate alignment of a recess or other feature that is used to vary the surface rigidity of a polishing pad . for example , as shown in fig1 , a platen 120 ′ may have registration lines 122 ′ thereon which are configured to align with corresponding lines 420 ′ on a polishing pad 400 ′ having a recess 410 ′ therein . alignment of the marks 420 ′, 122 ′ may be facilitated by fabricating the pad 400 ′ out of a transparent material , such that the marks may be viewed through the pad 400 ′. in this manner , the recess 4 lo can be accurately positioned at the center of the platen 120 ′. as shown in fig1 , a circular alignment mark 122 ′ configured to match a recess 410 ″ of a polishing pad 400 ″ may be provided on a platen 120 ″ to provide a similar alignment capability . according to further embodiments of the present invention illustrated in fig1 , a polishing apparatus 1800 may achieve improved performance by using a recess 1820 in its platen 1810 to provide a reduced - rigidity area . as shown in fig1 and 19 , the recess 1820 may be positioned similarly to the pad recess 410 shown in fig1 - 13 . it will be appreciated that , in other embodiments of the present invention , a recess or recesses having other configurations ( e . g ., grooved ) and / or filled with a less rigid material that reduces surface rigidity may be used . it will also be appreciated that , some embodiments of the present invention , recesses and / or other selective cushioning strictures may be provided in both platen and polishing pad . as further shown in fig1 , the apparatus 1800 may further include a detector 190 that is operative to monitor a surface of a wafer w through an opening 123 in the platen 120 and through the pad 130 , along the lines described above with reference to fig1 . in the drawings and specification , there have been disclosed typical embodiments of the invention and , although specific terms are employed , they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation , the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims . | 1 |
the term “ nucleotide ” refers to any of the four deoxyribonucleotides , da , dg , dt , and dc ( constituents of dna ), and the four ribonucleotides , a , g , u , and c ( constituents of rna ). ina , lna , and any other nucleic acid capable of specific base pairing are also suitable in accordance with the present invention . each natural nucleotide comprises or essentially consists of a sugar moiety ( ribose or deoxyribose ), a phosphate moiety , and a natural / standard base moiety . natural nucleotides bind to complementary nucleotides according to well - known rules of base pairing ( watson and crick ), where adenine ( a ) pairs with thymine ( t ) or uracil ( u ); and where guanine ( g ) pairs with cytosine ( c ), wherein corresponding base - pairs are part of complementary , anti - parallel nucleotide strands . the base pairing results in a specific hybridization between predetermined and complementary nucleotides . modified nucleotides can have alterations in sugar moieties and / or in pyrimidine or purine base moieties . sugar modifications include , for example , replacement of one or more hydroxyl groups with halogens , alkyl groups , amines , and azido groups , or sugars can be functionalized as ethers or esters . moreover , the entire sugar moiety can be replaced with sterically and electronically similar structures , such as aza - sugars and carbocyclic sugar analogs . examples of modifications in a base moiety include alkylated purines and pyrimidines , acylated purines or pyrimidines , or other well - known heterocyclic substitutes . nucleic acid monomers can be linked by phosphodiester bonds or analogs of such linkages . analogs of phosphodiester linkages include phosphorothioate , phosphorodithioate , phosphoroselenoate , phosphorodiselenoate , phosphoroanilothioate , phosphoranilidate , phosphoramidate , and the like . the term “ nucleic acid molecule ” also includes e . g . so - called “ peptide nucleic acids ,” which comprise naturally - occurring or modified nucleic acid bases attached to a polyamide backbone . nucleic acids can be either single stranded or double stranded . in an aspect of the present invention , ‘ nucleic acid ’ is meant to comprise antisense oligonucleotides ( aso ), small inhibitory rnas ( sirna ), short hairpin rna ( shrna ) and microrna ( mirna ). the term antimir ( or antagomir ) refers to an oligonucleotide complementary to a microrna , such as mir - 138 . the term blockmir refers to an oligonucleotide that is complementary to the microrna target sequence on the mrna it regulates . microrna modulation can be achieved either by using antimirs or by using blockmirs . the term bone loss disorder in accordance with the present invention should be interpreted broadly . in certain embodiments , the bone loss is associated with ankylosing spondylitis , renal osteodystrophy ( e . g ., in patients undergoing dialysis ), osteoporosis , glucocorticoid - induced osteoporosis , paget &# 39 ; s disease , abnormally increased bone turnover , periodontitis , bone fractures , rheumatoid arthritis , osteoarthritis , periprosthetic osteolysis , osteogenesis imperfecta , metastatic bone disease , hypercalcemia of malignancy , multiple myeloma , bone loss associated with microgravity , langerhan &# 39 ; s cell histiocytosis ( lhc ), bone loss associated with renal tubular disorders , or bone loss associated with bed - ridden conditions . in certain embodiments , the bone loss is associated with ankylosing spondylitis , renal osteodystrophy ( e . g ., in patients undergoing dialysis ), osteoporosis , glucocorticoid - induced osteoporosis , paget &# 39 ; s disease , abnormally increased bone turnover , bone fractures , osteoarthritis , periprosthetic osteolysis , osteogenesis imperfecta , metastatic bone disease , hypercalcemia of malignancy , multiple myeloma , bone loss associated with microgravity , langerhan &# 39 ; s cell histiocytosis ( lhc ), bone loss associated with renal tubular disorders , or bone loss associated with bed - ridden conditions . in certain embodiments , the bone loss is associated with ankylosing spondylitis , renal osteodystrophy ( e . g ., in patients undergoing dialysis ), osteoporosis , glucocorticoid - induced osteoporosis , abnormally increased bone turnover , periodontitis , bone fractures , periprosthetic osteolysis , osteogenesis imperfecta , hypercalcemia of malignancy , multiple myeloma , bone loss associated with microgravity , langerhan &# 39 ; s cell histiocytosis ( lhc ), bone loss associated with renal tubular disorders , or bone loss associated with bed - ridden conditions . in certain embodiments , the bone loss is associated with osteoporosis , glucocorticoid - induced osteoporosis , paget &# 39 ; s disease , abnormally increased bone turnover , periodontitis , bone fractures , rheumatoid arthritis , osteoarthritis , periprosthetic osteolysis , osteogenesis imperfecta , metastatic bone disease , hypercalcemia of malignancy , multiple myeloma , bone loss associated with microgravity , langerhan &# 39 ; s cell histiocytosis ( lhc ), bone loss associated with renal tubular disorders , or bone loss associated with bed - ridden conditions . in certain embodiments , the bone loss is associated with osteoporosis , glucocorticoid - induced osteoporosis , paget &# 39 ; s disease , abnormally increased bone turnover , bone fractures , osteoarthritis , periprosthetic osteolysis , osteogenesis imperfecta , metastatic bone disease , hypercalcemia of malignancy , multiple myeloma , bone loss associated with microgravity , langerhan &# 39 ; s cell histiocytosis ( lhc ), bone loss associated with renal tubular disorders , or bone loss associated with bed - ridden conditions . in certain embodiments , the bone loss is associated with osteoporosis , glucocorticoid - induced osteoporosis , abnormally increased bone turnover , periodontitis , bone fractures , periprosthetic osteolysis , osteogenesis imperfecta , hypercalcemia of malignancy , multiple myeloma , bone loss associated with microgravity , langerhan &# 39 ; s cell histiocytosis ( lhc ), bone loss associated with renal tubular disorders , or bone loss associated with bed - ridden conditions . with the aim to identify specific mirnas with a potential to improve bone formation in vivo the present inventors first performed mirna microarray to compare mirna expression profile of undifferentiated hmscs to hmscs differentiated into osteogenic lineage . microarray analysis and further validation of mirna expression by qrt - pcr revealed significant downregulation of mir - 138 during osteoblast differentiation of hmscs . overexpression of mir - 138 by transfection with pre - mir - 138 decreased osteogenic differentiation capacity of hmscs in vitro , demonstrated by alp activity assay and gene expression analysis . additionally , overexpression of mir - 138 reduced ectopic bone formation in vivo by 85 %. in contrast , silencing mir - 138 by anti - mir - 138 increased osteogenesis of hmscs in vitro and ectopic bone formation in vivo by 60 %. target prediction analysis suggested focal adhesion kinase ( fak / ptk2 ) as a potential target for mir - 138 . since the fak pathway has been reported to play a role in promoting osteoblast differentiation it is likely that mir - 138 regulates bone formation by targeting ptk2 and inhibiting fak pathway and subsequently osteogenesis . in conclusion , the inventors have shown that mir - 138 plays an important role in enhancing bone formation in vivo , possibly through inhibition of fak signaling pathway . inhibition of mir - 138 is a new strategy for enhancing bone formation and osteoblast differentiation of msc in vivo thereby treating osteoporosis . telomerase immortalized human bone marrow - derived mesenchymal stem cells ( hmsc - tert4 ) ( 3 , 36 ) were cultured in minimum essential medium ( mem ) ( gibco invitrogen corporation ), with glutamax i ( gibco invitrogen corporation ) supplemented with 10 % fetal bovine serum ( fbs ) ( gibco invitrogen corporation ) and 1 % penicillin / streptomycin ( p / s ) ( gibco invitrogen corporation ) at 37 ° c . in a humidified atmosphere of 5 % co 2 . cells were induced to osteoblast differentiation when cultures were 70 - 80 % confluent . the osteoblast differentiation medium ( mem supplemented with 10 % fbs , 10 − 8 m dexamethasone , 0 . 2 mm i - ascorbic acid , 10 mm 3 - glycerophosphate , 10 mm 1 . 25 - vitamin - d 3 , 1 % p / s ) was refreshed every 3 days . cells were simultaneously cultured with mem , 10 % fbs and 1 % p / s for control . the osteoblast phenotype was evaluated by determining alkaline phosphatase ( alp ) activity , alp and alizarin red staining , and expression of osteogenic genes by quantitative rt - pcr analysis . for detection of alp , cells were washed with pbs , fixed with acetone / citrate buffer ( centralapoteket ) ph 4 . 2 for 5 minutes at room temperature and stained with naphtol - as - tr - phosphate solution for 1 hour at room temperature . naphtol - as - tr - phosphate solution consist of naphtol - as - tr - phosphate ( sigma ) diluted 1 : 5 in h 2 o and fast red tr ( sigma ) dissolved in 0 . 1 m tris buffer ( bie and berntsen ), ph 9 . 0 , in the ratio 1 . 2 : 1 . the solutions were mixed 1 : 1 . cells were rinsed with destilled h 2 o ( dh 2 o ) and counterstained with mayers - hematoxylin ( bie and berntsen ) for 5 minutes at room temperature . alizarin red staining was performed to detect matrix mineralization . cells were fixed with 70 % ice - cold ethanol for 1h at − 20 ° c . and stained with 40 mm alizarin red s ( ar - s ; sigma - aldrich corp . ), ph 4 . 2 for 10 min at room temperature . alkaline phosphatase activity was quantified as previously described ( 37 ). briefly , cells were cultured on 96 - well plates at a density of 10 000 cells / cm 2 and induced to osteogenic differentiation as described above . cells were rinsed with tbs and fixed in 3 . 7 % formaldehyde - 90 % ethanol for 30s at room temperature . cells were incubated for 20 min at 37 ° c . with reaction substrate solution ( 1 mg / ml p - nitrophenylphosphate in 50 mm nahco 3 , ph 9 . 6 , 1mm mgcl 2 ), and absorbance was measured at 405 nm using elisa - reader . total rna was extracted using trizol - phenol - choroform method ( invitrogen ) according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s protocol . rna concentration was measured on a nd - 1000 spectrophotometer ( nanodrop ® technologies ) and quality of total rna was determined on an agilent 2100 bioanalyzer ( agilent technologies ). microrna microarray was performed at molecular medicine partnership unit ( mmpu ), university of heidelberg , germany , based on exiqon &# 39 ; s microarray platform ( version 8 . 0 ) with lna capture probes in quadruplicates . microarray probes were lna - modified oligonucleotide ( mircury exiqon ) capture probes with sequence complementary to mirnas . slides were scanned using genepix 4000b laser scanner ( axon instruments ). artifact - associated spots were eliminated by software ( tigr spotfinder 3 . 1 . 1 ). image intensities were measured as a function of the median of foreground minus background . negative values and values below 50 were normalized to one . further data analysis was performed using microsoft excel with significant analysis of microarrays ( sam ) excel software using multiclass response dataset analysis . the data was normalized using the limma package for statistical programming language r ( version 2 . 5 . 1 ). medians of four background - corrected replicas for each mirna capture probe were uploaded into the microarray analysis software for more advanced analysis for qrt - pcr analysis of mrna expression total rna was extracted using trizol reagent ( invitrogen ) according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s protocol . cdna was prepared using revertaid h minus first strand cdna synthesis kit ( fermentas ). sybr green qrt - pcr was performed using the primers alp forward ( 5 ′- acgtggctaagaatgtcatc - 3 ′), alp reverse ( 5 - ctggtaggcgatgtcctta - 3 ′), col1a1 forward ( 5 ′- tgacgagaccaagaactg - 3 ′), col1a1 reverse ( 5 ′- ccatccaaaccactgaaacc - 3 ′), runx2 forward ( 5 ′- tcttcacaaatcctcccc - 3 ═), runx2 reverse ( 5 ′- tggattaaaaggacttgg - 3 ′), ptk2 forward ( 5 ′- gcgctggctggaaaaagagcaa - 3 ′), ptk2 reverse ( 5 ′- tcggtgggtgctggctggtagg - 3 ′), β - actin forward ( 5 ′- agccatgtacgttgcta - 3 ′) and β - actin reverse ( 5 ′- agtccgcctagaagca - 3 ′). expression levels were analyzed by qrt - pcr ( sybr green supermix and icycler iq detection system , bio - rad ) using conventional protocols . qrt - pcr consisted of 40 cycles ( 95 ° c . for 30 seconds , 60 ° c . for 30 seconds and 72 ° c . for 1 min ) after an initial denaturation step ( 95 ° c . for 3 min ). qrt - pcr products were quantified by comparative ct ( aact ) method . for mirna qrt - pcr , total rna was extracted using trizol reagent ( invitrogen ). primers specific for human mir - 26a , mir - 26b , mir - 30c , mir - 101 , mir - 138 , mir - 143 , mir - 222 and internal control snornu44 were purchased from applied biosystems . amplification and detection were performed using 7500ht fast real - time pcr system ( applied biosystems ), using 40 cycles of denaturation at 95 ° c . ( 10 s ) and annealing / extension at 60 ° c . ( 60 s ). this was preceded by reverse transcription at 42 ° c . for 30 min and denaturation at 85 ° c . for 5 min . lna oligonucleotides were synthesized as unconjugated lna / dna mixmers with a complete phosphorothioate backbone ( idt , usa ). the antimir - control ( mir - c ) was purchased from idt , usa . lna modified antimirs sequences : antimir - 138 3 ′- attcacaacaccagc - 5 ′ and antimir - c 3 ′- tgtaacacgtctata - 5 ′, where uppercase letters refers to lna and lowercase letters refers to dna . synthetic pre - mir - 138 sequence 3 ′- agcugguguugugaaucaggccg - 5 ′ was rna oligonucleotides . transfections of 25 nm antimir oligonucleotide ( idt , usa ) or pre - mir ( ambion ) with lipofectamine 2000 ( invitrogen ) were performed according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions . cells were seeded in 6 - well plates and transfections were performed when cells reached 60 - 70 % confluence . one hour prior transfection , the medium was changed to 1 ml opti - mem i reduced serum ( invitrogen ). cells were incubated with transfection medium , which was changed four hours after transfection to normal mem medium with 10 % fbs and 1 % p / s . the transfection efficiency was evaluated by transfection of a 5 ′ fam - labeled lna oligonucleotide . hmscs were lysed by ripa buffer ( sigma - aldrich corp .) and total protein concentration was determined with pierce coomassie plus bradford assay kit ( thermo fisher scientific inc .). proteins were separated by 10 % sds - page and electrotransferred into nitrocellulose filters . after blocking with 5 % not - fat milk for 1 h at room temperature , membranes were incubated with primary antibodies against anti - rabbit fak and pfak ( santa cruz biotechnology ) and anti - mouse erk perk and anti - rabbit α - tubulin ( cell signaling ) overnight at 4 ° c . membranes were incubated with horseradish - peroxidase ( hrp ) conjucated anti - mouse or anti - rabbit secondary antibody for 45 min at rt and protein bands were visualized with amersham ecl chemiluminescence detection system ( ge healthcare bio - sciences corp .). a 655 by fragment of the fak ( ptk2 ) 3 ′ utr , containing the predicted binding site for hsa - mir - 138 , was amplified from human genomic dna using primers with a short extension , containing cleavage sites for xhol ( 5 ′- end ) and notl ( 3 ′- end ). ptk2 forward ( 5 ′- a tactcgagaaactggcccagcagtatg - 3 ′), ptk2 reverse ( 5 ′- atagcggccgcttgcaactgaagggtgttc - 3 ′). amplicons were cleaved with xhol and notl and cloned in between the xhol and notl cleavage sites of the psicheck ™- 2 vector ( promega ) downstream of the renilla luciferase reporter gene . huh7 cells were grown to 85 - 90 % confluence in white 96 well plates in dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle medium ( dmem ) ( invitrogen ) supplemented with 10 % fbs , 1 % non - essential amino acids , l - glutamine and penicillin / straptamicin , at 37 ° c . under 5 % co 2 . cells were transfected with 20 ng of either the empty psicheck ™- 2 vector , or the psicheck ™- 2 - ptk2 3 ′ utr reporter , for four hours in reduced - serum and antibiotics - free opti - mem ( invitrogen ) with lipofectamine 2000 ( invitrogen ). cells were co - transfected with the pre - mir - 138 or a negative control ( mir - c ) ( applied biosystems ) at concentrations of 0 , 10 or 20 nm . after transfection , opti - mem was replaced by normal culture medium and cells were incubated for 24 hours . firefly and renilla luciferase were measured in cell lysates according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s protocol using a dual - luciferase reporter assay system ( promega ) on a fusion ™ plate reader ( perkin elmer ). firefly luciferase activity was used for normalization and as an internal control for transfection efficiency . hmscs were transfected as described above , loaded on hydroxyapatite / tricalcium phosphate ( ha / tcp ) ceramic powder ( zimmer scandinavia ) and implanted subcutaneously into 8 - week old nod / mrkbom tac - prkdc scid mice ( taconic ) as previously described ( 22 , 23 ). briefly , cells ( 5 × 10 5 ) were resuspended in 500 μl medium , transferred to 40 mg of wetted ha / tcp and incubated at 37 ° c . overnight . the following day , cells loaded on ha / tcp vehicles were implanted subcutaneously on the dorsal surface of the nod / scid mice . each mouse received four identical implants , two on each side . mice were anaesthetized by intra - peritoneal injection of ketaminal ® ( ketamine 100 mg / kg ) ( intervet ) and rampun ® ( xylazine , 10 mg / kg ) ( bayer healthcare ). after the surgery , mice received a subcutaneous injection of temgesic ® ( buprenorphin , 0 . 3 mg / ml ) ( schering - plough ) for pain relief . implants were removed after 1 or 8 weeks . one - week implants were subjected to rna extraction while 8 - week implants were fixed in 4 % paraformaldehyde ( bie & amp ; berntsen ), decalcified in formic acid ( local pharmacy , odense university hospital ) and embedded in paraffin using conventional histopathologic methods . samples were cut into 4 μm sections and stained with hematoxylin and eosin y ( bie & amp ; berntsens reagent laboratories ). total bone volume per total volume was quantified as previously described ( 23 ). four implants per treatment were engrafted into mice and three sections of each implant were quantified to minimize variation within the implants . a search for predicted target mrnas was performed using the databases targetscan and pictar . targetscan requires perfect complementarity with a mirna seed sequence , whereas pictar allows for targets with imperfect seed matches given that they pass a defined binding - energy threshold . additionally , pictar implements a maximum likelihood approach to incorporate the combinatorial nature of mirna targeting ( 38 ). data are presented as mean ± sd . comparisons were made by using a two - tailed t - test or 1 - way anova for experiments with more than two subgroups . probability values were considered statistically significant at p & lt ; 0 . 05 . in fig1 telomerized mscs ( hmsc - tert4 ) were induced to osteoblast differentiation . a ) osteoblast differentiation confirmed by qrt - pcr analysis of osteoblast marker genes ( runx2 , alp and oc normalized to β - actin ). b ) alp activity was measured during the course of differentiation . white bars represent non - induced and black bars represent induced samples . *** p & lt ; 0 . 001 between non - induced and induced sample . c ) alp and alizarin red staining were performed at day 15 . n = 3 for all experiments . in fig2 the effect of mir - 138 on osteoblast differentiation was studied . hmscs transfected with 25nm mir - c , pre - mir - 138 or antimir - 138 were induced into osteoblast differentiation for 15 days . a ) osteoblast differentiation was evaluated with qrt - pcr analysis of osteoblast marker genes ( runx2 , alp and oc , normalized to β - actin ) at day 15 . b ) alkaline phosphatase activity was measured at day 10 of osteoblast differentiation . c ) alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red staining were performed at day 15 . * p & lt ; 0 . 05 , ** p & lt ; 0 . 01 , *** p & lt ; 0 . 001 , n = 3 for all experiments . in the experiment of fig3 hmsc were transfected with 25nm mir - c , pre - mir - 138 or antimir - 138 and implanted into nod / scid mice . a ) qrt - pcr analysis of osteoblast genes ( runx2 , col1a1 , alp and oc normalized to ( β - actin ) was performed after 1 week of implantation . b ) h & amp ; e staining was performed after 8 weeks of implantation . bone formation was quantified as total bone volume per total volume from h & amp ; e staining and expressed as fold change of mir - c . * p & lt ; 0 . 05 , ** p & lt ; 0 . 01 , four implants per treatment were engrafted into mice and three sections of each implant were quantified to minimize variations within the implants . in the experiment of fig4 a ) ptk2 gene expression profile during osteoblast differentiation of hmsc was quantified with qrt - pcr . b ) computational analysis was performed for the complementarily of mir - 138 seed sequence to the 3 ′ utr of ptk2 and conservation of the putative binding site in vertebrates . c ) huh7 cells were transfected with 20 ng of either the empty psicheck ™- 2 vector , or the psicheck ™- 2 - ptk2 vector . cells were co - transfected with 0 , 10 or 20 nm of the pre - mir - 138 or a negative control . firefly and renilla luciferase were measured in cell lysates and values are normalized to the psicheck vector and presented as fold change of mir - c . ** p & lt ; 0 . 01 , *** p & lt ; 0 . 001 in the experiment of fig5 hmsc were transfected with 25 nm mir - c , pre - mir - 138 or antimir - 138 and induced to osteoblast differentiation and western blot analysis for fak protein , phosphorylation of fak and erk1 / 2 were performed at day 2 . graphs represent quantifications of western blot results . in fig6 mir - 138 is expressed in undifferentiated msc and suppresses fak translation , thereby decrease phosphorylation of fak and its downstream target erk1 / 2 . subsequently , inhibition of the cascade results in decreased expression of osx and suppression of osteoblast differentiation of msc . in fig7 there is shown an expression analysis of microrna - 138 ( mir - 138 ) and protein tyrosine kinase 2 ( ptk2 ). ( a ) expression of mir - 138 was measured in primary human stromal ( mesenchymal ) stem cells ( hmscs ) and calvarial preosteoblastic mc3t3 - e1 cells during osteoblast differentiation . ( b ) mir - 138 expression was evaluated in 5 - d - old mouse tissues . ( c ) expression of focal adhesion kinase ( fak ; ptk2 ) in primary hmscs . expression of ptk2 in primary hmscs during osteoblast differentiation evaluated at day 1 , 5 , 10 , and 15 by quantitative rt - pcr ( qrt - pcr ). in fig8 there is shown effects of mir transfection into cells . ( a ) expression of mir - 138 in transfected hmscs . hmscs were transfected with mir - c , premir - 138 , and antimir - 138 and induced to osteoblast differentiation . the mir - 138 expression levels in premir - 138 —( left ) and antimir - 138 — transfected ( right ) hmscs were quantified by qrt - pcr and normalized to sn / snornu44 , and values are presented as log2 fold change over mir - c . ** p & lt ; 0 . 01 ; *** p & lt ; 0 . 001 ( n = 3 ). ( b ) osteoblast differentiation of mir - 138 — transfected primary hmscs . primary hmscs were transfected with mir - c , premir - 138 , and antimir - 138 and induced to osteoblast differentiation . differentiation was evaluated at day 15 by alkaline phosphatase ( alp ) staining . ( c ) morphology of mir - 138 — tranfected hmscs . morphology was evaluated by photography of primary hmscs transfected with mir - c , premir - 138 , and antimir - 138 under the microscope at day 1 . ( d ) proliferation of mir - 138 — tranfected primary hmscs and mc3t3 - e1 cells . proliferation was evaluated by cell count in primary hmscs and mc3t3 calvarial cells transfected with mir - c , premir - 138 , and antimir - 138 . osteoblast differentiation of hmsc was induced by using standard osteoblast - induction medium containing dexamethasone , ascorbic acid , β - glycerolphosphate and vitamin - d 3 and evidenced by increased expression of genes associated with osteoblast differentiation ; runx2 , alkaline phosphatase ( alp ) and osteocalcin ( oc ) at day 1 , 10 and 15 after induction ( fig1 a ). the osteoblast phenotype was also confirmed by demonstration of increased alkaline phosphatase activity ( fig1 b and c ) and alizarin red staining for matrix mineralization ( fig1 c ). increased expression of osteoblast - associated genes and the observed osteoblast phenotype were in accordance with previous reports describing hmsc differentiation into osteoblasts ( 1 - 3 ). to identify differentially expressed mirnas during osteoblast differentiation we carried out mirna array profiling of hmsc 10 days after induction to osteoblasts using lna microarrays ( 24 ). expression levels of 33 mirnas were significantly altered between differentiated and non - differentiated cells . of these , 7 mirnas were selected for validation by qrt - pcr , based on their relative difference score and up - or down - regulation ( si table 1 ). microarray analysis and qrt - pcr data showed that the expression of mir - 26a , 26b , 30c , 101 and 143 were up - regulated and mir - 138 and 222 were down - regulated during osteoblast differentiation of hmscs . to evaluate the biological effect of the differentially expressed mirnas on osteogenesis , antimirs and mirna over - expression for selected mirnas were applied in a pilot functional screening for the impact on osteoblast differentiation in vitro and ectopic bone formation in vivo ( data not shown ) and pointed out to mir - 138 as a novel negative regulator of osteoblastic differentiation . we over - expressed or inhibited mir - 138 levels utilizing synthetic pre - mir and lna - modified anti - oligonucleotides designed as complementary sequences to mature mirnas , so - called antimirs . antimir oligonucleotides can be used as specific inhibitors of mirna function , thus providing a valuable tool to access the biological function of specific mirnas in vitro and in vivo ( 25 , 26 ). transfection efficiency of 80 % was observed using a 5 ′ fam - labeled control lna oligonucleotide ( data not shown ). the degree of mirna inhibition and over - expression was monitored by qrt - pcr after transfection of antimir - 138 or pre - mir - 138 to hmscs at 25 nm , respectively . the mature mir - 138 levels were elevated ˜ 900 - fold relative to control - treated cells 24 hours post transfection , with the levels still being 16 - and 8 - fold higher than in the control 10 and 15 days after pre - mir - 138 transfection , respectively fig7 ). by comparison , treatment of hmscs with antimir - 138 led to inhibition of mir - 138 by 1 . 1 -, 1 . 5 - and 2 - fold 1 , 10 and 15 days after transfection ( fig7 ). to study the impact of mir - 138 on hmsc osteoblast differentiation , hmscs were induced to differentiate to osteoblasts after transfection with either pre - mir - 138 or antimir - 138 . inhibition of mir - 138 significantly enhanced osteogenic differentiation , as indicated by higher expression of the osteoblast - specific genes runx2 , alp and oc and ( fig2 a ), and increased alp activity and enhanced in vitro matrix mineralization visualized by alizarin red staining ( fig2 b , c ) in antimir - 138 transfected hmscs as compared to control transfected cells . in contrast , alp activity , matrix mineralization and the osteoblast marker gene expression were reduced in pre - mir - 138 transfected hmscs ( fig2 a , b , c ). taken together , our results indicate that mir - 138 is a negative regulator of osteoblast differentiation of hmscs . to study whether silencing of mir - 138 enhances ectopic bone formation also in vivo , untransfected control hmscs and hmscs transfected with mir - 138 , antimir - 138 or mir - control were loaded on hydroxyapatite implants in nod / scid mice for 1 or 8 weeks . no major changes were observed by histology of the implants with untransfected hmscs compared to mir - c transfected hmscs . gene expression of osteoblast marker genes was analyzed after one week of implantation . qrt - pcr analysis revealed up - regulation of runx2 , alp , col1a1 and oc in the antimir - 138 treated implants as compared to implants transfected with mir - c ( fig3 a ), corroborating the results obtained from in vitro cell culture assays . additionally , we determined the ability of mir - 138 inhibition or over - expression to regulate ectopic bone formation in vivo by quantifying the area of bone per total area after 8 weeks . bone formation was increased 2 . 2 - fold in implants treated with the antimir - 138 compared to mir - c ( fig3 b ), indicating that inhibition of mir - 138 enhances bone formation of hmsc . furthermore , over - expression of mir - 138 decreased bone formation by 6 . 7 fold , compared to mir - c implants ( fig3 b ), supporting the notion that mir - 138 negatively regulates osteoblast differentiation and bone formation in vivo . to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie mir - 138 - mediated regulation , we searched for potential targets of mir - 138 implicated in osteoblast differentiation using the mirna target prediction algorithms targetscan and pictar ( 27 ). among the predicted targets we identified focal adhension kinase ( fak ), which provides a link between activation of erk1 / 2 and stimulation of the runx2 / cbfa1 transcription factor . to confirm the involvement of fak in osteogenesis of hmsc we studied the expression pattern of fak during differentiation . qrt - pcr analysis revealed that expression of ptk2 , the gene encoding fak , was increased during osteoblast differentiation similar to osteoblast marker genes and coinciding with down - regulation of mir - 138 ( fig4 a ). according to in silico analysis , ptk2 has a 7 nucleotide seed match site for mir - 138 within its 3 ′ utr , and this putative target site is highly conserved among the vertebrates ( fig4 b ). to determine whether mir - 138 inhibits ptk2 gene expression by binding to the predicted target site in the 3 ′ utr , we used a dual luciferase reporter gene system ( 28 ), with renilla luciferase as a reporter gene and firefly luciferase as an internal control . assays were performed in huh7 cells that were chosen based on their low endogenous expression of mirnas ( 29 ). co - transfection of the ptk2 3 ′ utr luciferase reporter with pre - mir - 138 resulted in concentration - dependent down - regulation of luciferase activity , compared to the mock or scrambled oligonucleotide controls ( mir - c ) ( fig4 c ). in comparison , pre - mir - 138 had no effect on the luciferase control reporter without the ptk2 3 ′ utr , implying that ptk2 is a direct target of mir - 138 . gene expression analysis revealed no significant change in ptk2 mrna levels when mir - 138 was either over - expressed or antagonized ( fig8 a ). however , western blot analysis showed reduced fak protein levels in the pre - mir - 138 treated cells at day 2 compared to mir - c transfected samples ( fig5 ). since the fak signaling pathway is suggested to provide a link between activation of erk1 / 2 by ecm proteins in osteogenesis ( 7 ), we next assessed phosphorylation of fak and erk1 / 2 . western blot analysis showed markedly decreased phosphorylation of both fak and erk1 / 2 in mir - 138 over - expressing hmscs , while levels of pfak and perk1 / 2 were increased in the antimir - 138 transfected hmsc ( fig5 ). accordingly , expression of osterix ( osx ), a downstream target gene of the erk1 / 2 pathway ( 7 ), was decreased when mir - 138 was over - expressed and increased in the absence of mir - 138 ( fig8 b ), which is consistent with the notion that mir - 138 suppresses fak downstream signaling by negatively regulating fak at the post - transcriptional level . bone marrow contains a population of stromal ( skeletal , mesenchymal ) stem cells ( hmsc ) that under appropriate in vivo and in vitro conditions can differentiate into osteoblastic cells ( 30 ). differentiation of hmsc into osteoblastic cells is a highly regulated process involving complex pathways and de - regulation may lead to pathological conditions . therefore the molecular mechanisms of this process needs to be explored to ultimately improve therapies for the related diseases . recently , it has been shown that mirnas influence the complexity of the “ sternness state ” in a number of cellular compartments through negative regulation of gene expression at the post - transcriptional level ( 31 ). the present inventors have identified mir - 138 as a negative regulator of hmsc osteoblast differentiation and demonstrated that antimir mediated silencing of mir - 138 significantly enhance ectopic bone formation in vivo . this suggests functional silencing of mir - 138 as a potential novel strategy for anabolic treatment of osteoporosis . the therapeutic feasibility of such an approach has been demonstrated in the work by li and co - workers who demonstrated that a single tail vein injection of antimir - 2861 caused minimum femur bone mineral density in ovarectomized mice ( 15 ). the present inventors conducted genome - wide array analysis of the mirna levels during osteogenic differentiation of hmsc and found deregulation of several mirnas during osteoblast differentiation of hmsc in vitro . more detailed analysis suggested mir - 138 as a novel negative regulator of osteoblastic differentiation . in vitro experiment revealed that inhibition of mir - 138 function enhanced osteoblast differentiation , whereas mir - 138 over - expression inhibited the osteogenic potential . these experiments were extended to an in vivo milieu where silencing of mir - 138 by antimir - 138 led to increased ectopic bone formation while over - expression of mir - 138 significantly diminished bone formation . these findings suggest that mir - 138 plays a pivotal role in bone formation in vivo by negative regulation of osteogenic differentiation in hmscs leading to reduced ectopic bone formation . recently , mir - 138 has been implicated in differentiation of human adipose tissue - derived mesenchymal stem cells ( had - mscs ) and mir - 138 was found to be a negative regulator of adipocyte differentiation ( 21 ). these new data , together with our findings suggests a general role of mir - 138 as an inhibitor of hmsc differentiation and maintenance of the “ sternness state ”. to study the molecular mechanism whereby mir - 138 regulates osteogenesis , the present inventors searched for potential target genes that have an established function in promoting osteogenesis . interestingly , the 3 ′ utr of ptk2 possess a seven nucleotides perfect match site to the mir - 138 seed region . the protein encoded by ptk2 , fak , has been shown to function as an activator of extracellular signal - related kinase ( erk1 and erk2 ) via the grb2 - sos - ras pathway during osteogenic differentiation of hmsc ( 32 , 33 ). recently , mir - 138 was found to target rhoc and rock ( 34 ), which are also involved in regulation of osteoblast differentiation and this may be an additional mechanism for mir - 138 as negative modulator of osteoblast differentiation . however , the exact organization of these pathways in developing bone is not well understood , although osteoblasts in osteoporosis and osteoarthritis patients have reduced fak activity ( 35 ). here , the present inventors show that mir - 138 over - expression results in down - regulation of fak at the protein level , whereas functional inhibition of mir - 138 by antimir - 138 leads to de - repression of fak , strongly suggesting that fak is regulated by mir - 138 during osteogenesis . indeed , ptk2 3 ′ utr luciferase reporter assays confirmed that fak is a direct target of mir - 138 . furthermore , over - expression of mir - 138 decreased phosphorylatation of fak and subsequently attenuated activation of fak downstream signaling , as shown by decreased phosphorylation of erk1 / 2 in hmscs . activation of erk1 / 2 pathway has emerged as an important regulator of osteoblast differentiation , where it regulates runx2 phosphorylation and subsequently expression of osterix ( 7 ). significant up - regulation of osterix in the absence of mir - 138 supports the hypothesis that inhibition of osteoblast differentiation by mir - 138 is due to suppression of the downstream pathway of fak ( fig6 ). the impact of mirnas on osteoblastic differentiation of a number of cell types has been investigated by modulation of mirna function by antimirs and over - expression . these approaches have successfully demonstrated that mir - 204 / 211 targets runx2 , stimulates adipocyte differentiation and diminishes osteoblastic differentiation ( 18 ). employing similar approach , enhanced activity of mir - 125b in mouse st2 cells inhibits osteoblastic differentiation ( 13 ) whereas mir - 2861 acts as a positive regulator by targeting hdac5 ( 15 ). luzi et al . ( 11 ) showed that mir - 26a expression was increased hadsc differentiation , where expression of smad1 was inversely correlated to that of mir - 26a , suggesting the presence of a negative regulatory mechanism in late osteogenic differentiation of hasc . moreover kim et al . ( 12 ) demonstrated an increase in mir - 196a expression and concomitant decrease of hox8 expression , a negative regulator of smad1 , during osteogenic differentiation of hascs . the present inventors found that mir - 138 repress fak expression , which , in turn , results in suppression of the fak - erk1 / 2 signaling pathway . importantly , our results show that functional inhibition of mir - 138 can accelerate osteogenic differentiation of hmscs leading to increased bone formation in vivo , suggesting that therapeutic approaches targeting mir - 138 could be useful in the enhancing bone formation and treatment of pathological conditions of bone loss . 1 . jaiswal , r . k ., jaiswal , n ., bruder , s . p ., mbalaviele , g ., marshak , d . r ., & amp ; pittenger , m . f . 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illustrative embodiments of the invention may be described herein in the context of detecting atmospheric contaminants in data center environments . however , it is to be understood that the techniques of the invention are not limited to use in data centers but are more broadly applicable to detection of corrosive contaminants affecting any electrical and electronic components and devices . furthermore , such inventive corrosion sensors can be used to monitor corrosion of any suitable types of metal - based components , artifacts and devices that are susceptible to corrosion . as will be explained in detail herein , illustrative embodiments of the invention provide a metal film resistor based corrosion sensor with a linear response that is capable of sensing corrosion rates down to a sensitivity of approximately zero nm / month . the sensors are optimized to work on a relatively low corrosion rate with corrosion product formed at a rate of about 30 nanometers / month or lower . a “ thin metal film ” or “ metal film ” is an example of a “ sensor element ” that may be employed by the corrosion sensor of the invention . the metal film ( e . g ., silver film , copper film , etc .) is also referred to herein as a “ metal wire ” and may alternatively be considered a “ nanowire .” metal films are current conducing elements with a resistance characteristic that is dependent on their spatial dimensions . it is to be appreciated that the spatial dimensions of the sensor elements used in accordance with the invention are dependent on the type of corrosion being detected and the duration of the time period intended for detection . thus , corrosion sensor principles of the invention are not intended to be limited to any specific spatial dimensions or specific range of spatial dimensions . rather , the sensor according to illustrative embodiments has multiple corrosion sensitive resistor arms with progressively increasing widths that can be used to sense the corrosive environment for an extended period of time with the same high sensitivity by selectively changing the sensing arm of the sensor being monitored . the metal film ( wire ) based resistors change their resistance as corrosion proceeds from the sides of the film or wire , while the top of the film or wire is protected with a corrosion resistive material , as will be explained in detail below . this ensures a linear response for the inventive sensor . highly sensitive corrosion sensors , such as those described herein in accordance with principles of the invention , are advantageous for use in gaseous contamination monitoring in museums , hospitals , and data centers so as to mitigate and control the amount of outside air allowed in such facilities . that is , when a certain level of corrosion is detected via the sensor response , the cooling environment of the facility can be correspondingly regulated to reduce the cause of the corrosion level , i . e ., gaseous contaminants in the outside air supply used in the facility cooling process . this may be accomplished by filtering techniques , or cutting back or even eliminating outside air for use in cooling components of the facility . fig1 illustrates a top view of a multi - metal film corrosion sensor , according to an embodiment of the invention . as shown , corrosion sensor 100 comprises a set of multiple corrosion sensor elements 102 - 1 through 102 - 4 , with progressively increasing widths . the corrosion sensor elements 102 are in the form of metal films , although other suitable sensor elements may be employed . the corrosion sensor 100 also comprises a set of reference sensor elements 104 - 1 through 104 - 4 , with progressively increasing widths . the reference sensor elements 104 are also in the form of metal films , although other suitable sensor elements may be employed . note that the width of the corrosion sensor element 102 - 1 is equal to ( or approximately or substantially equal to ) the width of the reference sensor element 104 - 1 . the same is true for sensor elements 102 - 2 and 104 - 2 , for sensor elements 102 - 3 and 104 - 3 , and for sensor elements 102 - 4 and 104 - 4 . the rationale for this will be explained below . as further shown in fig1 , the corrosion sensor 100 also comprises a connecting bus 106 . the connecting bus 106 is composed of the same metal ( electrical conducting material ) as the variable width sensor elements ( 102 and 104 ). the connecting bus 106 , like the reference sensor elements but unlike the corrosion sensor elements , has a conductive coating to protect it from corrosion . while not visible in fig1 ( but which is visible in fig2 as 206 ), the corrosion sensor 100 also comprises a substrate . the substrate may be any substantially non - conducting material , by way of example only , glass or glass - based , or silicon or silicon - based . the substrate maintains the sensor elements 102 and 104 , the connecting bus 106 , and contact pads 108 and 110 in place so that they remain electrically connected , as will be explained . in one embodiment , the various components of the corrosion sensor 100 are formed on top of the substrate via well - known electron beam lithography fabrication processes . contact pads 108 are electrically conductive pads to which the sensor elements 102 and 104 are respectively connected . that is , each sensor element 102 and 104 has one of its ends connected to its own dedicated contact pad 108 . contact pads 108 are then connected to a current or voltage reading device ( i . e ., monitor ) so that a current signal or voltage signal can be received by the monitor . as will be explained below , these signals are used to detect the level of corrosion being experienced by the corrosion sensor 100 . contact pads 110 are also electrically conductive pads which connect to the connecting bus 106 . thereby , the sensor elements 102 and 104 are respectively connected to the contact pads 110 . in this case , each sensor element 102 and 104 has the other one of its ends connected to one contact pad 110 ( via connecting bus 106 ) that is itself connected to a voltage supply source v . the other contact pad 110 is connected to a ground potential . thus , one contact pad 110 is grounded while the current from contact pad 108 is going to a detection circuit that can be a trans - impedance amplifier or voltage detector . also shown in fig1 , the corrosion sensor 100 comprises an encapsulation layer 112 . encapsulation layer 112 encapsulates the reference sensor elements 104 - 1 through 104 - 4 and the connecting bus 106 to protect them from the corrosive atmospheric environment to which the corrosion sensor elements 102 - 1 through 102 - 4 are exposed . the encapsulation layer 112 may be formed from materials such as thick dielectric film that is inert to corrosion , e . g ., sio 2 , si 3 n 4 , or organic coatings like polystyrene or other corrosion resistant materials . in accordance with this illustrative embodiment , the corrosion sensor 100 operates such that the resistance of each corrosion sensor element 102 , in this case , each metal film ( wire ) 102 , changes due to a reduced conduction path as the width of the metal film is converted from a metal to a nonconductive oxide due to corrosion . as the corrosive gases in the atmospheric environment , in which the sensor 100 operates , attack the metal of the metal film and transform it to a nonconductive oxide , the width is reduced thus increasing the resistance of the metal film . the sensor elements 102 and 104 of the corrosion sensor 100 are preferably fabricated by electron beam lithography . further , the connecting bus 106 may be formed that has arms ( sensor elements ) extending along the sides , such as is illustrated in fig1 . the sensor elements have variable ( progressively increasing ) widths and the width of each sensor element determines the lifetime of the sensor element . as an example , as shown in fig1 , the progressively - increasing widths of the sensor elements 102 and 104 can be fabricated to be about 60 nm ( sensor elements 102 - 1 and 104 - 1 ), about 120 nm ( sensor elements 102 - 2 and 104 - 2 ), about 180 nm ( sensor elements 102 - 3 and 104 - 3 ), and about 360 nm ( sensor elements 102 - 4 and 104 - 4 ) wide . for a corrosion rate of 30 nm / month ( recall the ashrae recommendation mentioned above ), the 60 nm wide sensor element ( 102 - 1 ) could be used for corrosion monitoring for a time duration of one month , while the 120 nm wide sensor element ( 102 - 2 ) would be usable for a two month period , and the 180 nm wide sensor element ( 102 - 3 ) would be usable for a three month period . although not expressly illustrated in fig1 , there could be 240 nm and 360 nm wide corrosion sensor elements for use for time durations of four and five months , respectively . the 360 nm wide sensor element ( 102 - 4 ) would be usable for a six month period . of course , shorter / longer individual time intervals can be achieved simply by decreasing / increasing the progressively - increasing widths . likewise , less / more time durations can be achieved simply by subtracting / adding corrosion sensitive resistor arms . it is to be appreciated that the reduced width assures that the changes associated with a relatively small corrosion rate can be easily detected as the change in width is significant compared with the total width . the width of the sensor elements can be fabricated according to the expected corrosion rate in the environment and , in this embodiment , would be twice as large as the expected corrosion thickness due to corrosion proceeding from both sides . this operation is illustrated in the context of fig2 a and 2b , where fig2 a illustrates a cross section view of a corrosion sensitive resistor arm of a corrosion sensor before corrosion , and fig2 b illustrates a cross section view of a corrosion sensitive resistor arm of a corrosion sensor during or after corrosion . the particular corrosion sensitive resistor arm shown in fig2 a and 2b is the aim that includes corrosion sensor element 102 - 1 ( note the cross section line 2 a / b in fig1 ); however , this is for illustration purposes only and each corrosion sensitive resistor aim of the sensor 100 is formed and operates in a similar manner as described herein . as shown , in fig2 a and 2b , a protective film 202 is formed on the top of corrosion sensor element 102 - 1 . note that as shown here in the subject figures , the sensor element 102 - 1 is formed on top of the non - conductive substrate 206 . the protective film 202 can be formed from such material as al 2 o 3 ( aluminum oxide ) or si 3 ni 4 ( silicon nitride ). it is to be understood that the protective layer 202 is preferably formed via the electron - beam fabrication process that is used for the deposited metal film ( sensor elements ). the protective film may be also be made of the same material as the encapsulation layer 112 ( recall that the encapsulation layer encapsulates the reference sensor elements 104 and the conducting bus 106 ). thus , note that for the corrosion sensor element 102 , the protective film coating covers the top of the sensor element ( as shown in fig2 a ), but in the case of the reference sensor elements 104 , the protective film ( encapsulation layer ) covers both the top and the sides of the metal film resistors such that they are fully protected from corrosion . this is also the case for the conducting bus 106 so that it is fully protected from corrosion . note that the bottoms of the sensor elements 102 and 104 , and the conducting bus 106 are protected from corrosion by the substrate 206 . more specifically , the protective film 202 shown in fig2 a serves to prevent the corrosion sensor element 102 - 1 from corroding in a spatial dimension other than width w . that is , since the height h of the sensor element 102 - 1 is contained by the substrate 206 on one end and the protective film 202 on the other end , as the sensor element is exposed to contaminants , it corrodes in a single spatial dimension , i . e ., width w . that is what reference numeral 204 denotes , i . e ., corroded lateral sides 204 . thus , the two respective sides of the sensor element 102 - 1 corrode an amount denoted by a and b , and this is what δw represents ( a plus b ). the resistance r of a given metal film ( wire ) prior to corrosion ( in this case , corrosion sensor element 102 - 1 in fig2 a ) is represented as : where w is the width of the sensor element , h is the height of the sensor element ( wh denoting the area of the metal film ), l is the length of the sensor element , and ρ is the electrical resistivity ( also known as specific electrical resistance or volume resistivity ) of the sensor element . electrical resistivity is a measure of how strongly a material opposes the flow of electric current ( measured in ohm meters ). the resistance r corr of a given metal film after or during corrosion ( in this case , corrosion sensor element 102 - 1 in fig2 b ) is represented as : where δw represents a plus b ( i . e ., the corroded width from both lateral sides of the metal film ). recall from fig1 that the reference sensor elements 104 are encapsulated via encapsulation layer 112 so as not to be affected by corrosive contaminants . thus , the resistance r of each of these metal films ( wires ) will remain substantially constant and thus be represented by eq . ( 1 ). that is , there is no δw associated with the reference sensor elements 104 . note that while fig2 a and 2b show corrosion effects for corrosion sensor element 102 - 1 , the same corrosion effects and resulting equations apply to the other corrosion sensor elements ( 102 - 2 , 102 - 3 , etc .). a measurement operation of the corrosion sensor 100 will now be explained in the context of fig3 . a constant voltage v is applied to one end of the sensor 100 ( at contact pad 110 ) and the current passes through the connecting bus 106 to each of the variable width arms of the sensor 100 . the current passing through each sensor element ( each variable width arm ) is monitored . for example , in one embodiment , the current may be converted to voltage using a transimpedance amplifier ( not shown , but generally depicted as monitor ( s ) in fig3 ) where the resulting voltage is proportional to the width of the metal films ( wires ). as corrosion proceeds , each sensor element 102 corrodes laterally and its resistance increases as per eq . ( 2 ), i . e ., as δw increases , the denominator of eq . ( 2 ) gets smaller , and the resistance r corr increases . thus , in accordance with the present invention , by measuring the current flowing through corrosion sensor element 102 - 1 and measuring the current flowing through the reference sensor element 104 - 1 , and comparing the two measurements , the result will be directly proportional to the corrosion thickness . that is , as shown in fig3 , the current measured from reference sensor element 104 - 1 is : while the current measured from reference sensor element 104 - 2 is : furthermore , the current measured from corrosion sensor element 102 - 1 is : while the current measured from corrosion sensor element 102 - 2 is : thus , at beginning before corrosion effects are present ( fig2 a ), the difference between , for example , the current from the corrosion sensor element 102 - 1 and the reference sensor element 104 - 1 ( i = i 1 − i 10 ) is zero . however , as corrosion proceeds ( fig2 b ), the current difference changes linearly , as the width of the corrosion sensor element 102 - 1 decreases . the maximum current would be when the corrosion sensor element is fully corroded . this may be denoted as : advantageously , the current i represents the rate of corrosion for the particular corrosion sensitive resistor arm being monitored . it is to be appreciated that this same signal measurement and comparison applies to each pair of reference and corrosion sensor elements . all elements are connected to detection circuitry ( a monitor ) and they will record the corrosion rate as it proceeds for all of the different widths metal films . the parallel measurement allows for correlation of the corrosion rate from all the different width sensors . the same rate will be measured by all of the sensors . as expected , the widest sensor will have the longest operational lifetime . to enhance the sensitivity of a corrosion sensor detection to be able to monitor small a corrosion rate , a corrosion sensor can be integrated in a bridge circuit setup as illustrated in fig4 . as shown , the bridge setup 400 comprises three corrosion sensors 402 , 404 and 406 ( although more or less sensors can be employed ). each corrosion sensor is comprised of two thin film sensor elements ( metal films or wires ) that are exposed to corrosion ( 410 - 1 in sensor 402 ; 410 - 2 in sensor 404 ; and 410 - 3 in sensor 406 ) and two thin film sensor elements ( metal films or wires ) that are covered with conformal coating 411 ( i . e ., similar material as encapsulation layer 112 and protective film 202 ) so as not to be exposed to corrosion ( 412 - 1 in sensor 402 ; 412 - 2 in sensor 404 ; and 412 - 3 in sensor 406 ). the conformal coated sensor elements are the reference sensor elements while two other sensor elements are exposed to the corrosive environment and their resistance will change as the width of the thin film decreases . the widths of the sensor elements for each corrosion sensors 402 , 404 and 406 ( i . e ., w 1 , w 2 and w 3 ) progressively increase . this provides the progressive time period corrosion monitoring explained above with respect to the corrosion sensor in fig3 . at the beginning , all the sensor elements in a given corrosion sensor have the same value and the bridge circuit 400 is balanced , i . e ., the differential voltage from the two node points ( v 01 and v 02 for sensor 402 ; v 03 and v 04 for sensor 404 ; and v 05 and v 06 for sensor 406 ) is zero . however , small changes in the resistance value of the sensor elements not conformally coated will take the bridge circuit out of balance . the bridge can be operated under constant voltage v that would decrease the current flowing through each corrosion sensor circuit as the corrosion resistance value increases . the bridge circuit 400 advantageously allows a two fold increase in resistance change sensitivity detection . advantageously , in this particular embodiment , the bridge circuit arrangement of fig4 is constructed such that all the parts of the sensors ( 402 , 404 , and 406 ) are fabricated from the same metal having two opposite elements of the bridge exposed to the corrosive environment while the two other elements are protected from the corrosive atmosphere by a protective coating . for a corrosion sensor in the bridge circuit arrangement , all four sensor elements are equal in size such that when none of the corrosion sensors experiences corrosion , the bridge arrangement is in a balanced condition , and when at least one of the corrosion sensors experiences corrosion , the bridge arrangement is in a unbalanced condition . since all the elements of the bridge circuit are from the same metal deposited on the same substrate , the temperature variation that can cause resistance changes are advantageously eliminated . as an example , the detection sensitivity for 120 nm and 240 nm wide sensors ( which are actually 60 nm and 120 nm , respectively , as the corrosion proceeds from both sides ) is shown in fig5 . both sensors have sufficient dynamic range so as to be able to detect variation down to about 0 . 1 nm variation in film width . furthermore , in an integrated circuit implementation of the invention , multiple integrated circuit dies are typically formed in a repeated pattern on a surface of a wafer . each such die may include a device comprising corrosion detection circuitry as described herein , and may include other structures or circuits . still further , in another embodiment , the corrosion detection circuitry could be implemented in multiple dies and in multiple integrated circuit packages . in any case , the dies are cut or diced from the wafer , then packaged as integrated circuits . one skilled in the art would know how to dice wafers and package dies to produce packaged integrated circuits . integrated circuits so manufactured are considered part of this invention . thus , methods for forming one or more of the components of a corrosion sensor device as described herein are within the scope of the invention . accordingly , as has been illustratively described herein , principles of the invention provide a corrosion sensor with a linear response , as the corrosion proceeds , combined with ultra low corrosion rate sensitivity ( e . g ., 10 nm / month ). the sensor is based on the width reduction of a metal film ( wire ) exposed to a corrosive environment and its response is compared to a reference resistor that is shielded from the corrosive environment . employing different width metal films ( wires ) the sensor can be deployed over an extended period of time while maintaining the same corrosion sensitivity . the sensor can be deployed both for monitoring internal and external environmental conditions in real time . it will be appreciated and should be understood that the exemplary embodiments of the invention described above can be implemented in a number of different fashions . given the teachings of the invention provided herein , one of ordinary skill in the related art will be able to contemplate other implementations of the invention . indeed , although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments , and that various other changes and modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . | 6 |
a typical ntsc receiver can be generalized with regards to its performance characteristics as a function of frequency . fig1 is an illustration of the response of a typical ntsc receiver to luminance , chrominance and aural signals as a function of frequency . the frequency axis shows the luminance carrier signal as the zero frequency . the luminance signal is a vestioial side - band , that is , it is predominantly an upper side - band signal with a &# 34 ; vestige &# 34 ; of the lower side - band , which modulates the luminance carrier . the receiver &# 39 ; s luminance channel response has a bandwidth encompassing frequencies from approximately 0 - 3 mhz relative to the luminance carrier . the receiver &# 39 ; s chrominance channel response has a bandwidth encomposing frequencies from approximately 2 . 0 to 4 mhz . the aural signal is transmitted on a relatively narrow band approximately 4 . 5 mhz above the luminance carrier . as can be seen by inspection of fig1 the close proximity and overlap of the luminance and chrominance responses may result in cross - channel modulation between the luminance and chrominance signals when high - frequency luminance or chrominance changes are present . high - frequency luminance changes may cause spurious colors or &# 34 ; rainbows &# 34 ; in light areas of the display . high - frequency chrominance changes may cause unwanted luminance variations . accordingly , it is especially important to limit the high - frequency content of the luminance and chrominance signals applied to the ntsc receiver without degrading the contrast and luminance uniformity of the resulting display . the preferred embodiment of the present invention provides 40 characters , each having a 6 - dot character width , on each horizontal raster of a television display . thus , there are 240 dots or bits of binary data displayed on each horizontal line . if alternating dots are illuminated , corresponding to the maximum display frequency , the bandwidth of the luminance channel becomes 2 . 685 mhz . this frequency is low enough to afford some immunity to cross - channel modulation ; however , the chrominance response at this frequency may still be substantial in some ntsc receivers and must be compensated for . to provide a positive clock - edge for each dot , a dot - clock having a frequency of 5 . 37 mhz is provided . this dot - clock is precisely related to the frequency of the chrominance clock by digital logic . specifically , the present system has a 14 . 3 mhz systel clock . dividing this system clock by 4 provides chrominance clock signal of 3 . 58 mhz . multiplying the system clock by three - eights provides the dot - clock of 5 . 37 mhz . referring to fig2 there are six dot - clock periods and four chrominance ( or &# 34 ; chroma &# 34 ;) clock periods for every character . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention a number of methods and circuits have been implemented to particularly compensate the digital signals for the problems identified with regard to the interface with a ntsc receiver . the following detailed description is divided into sections associated with the major compensation methods and circuits of a digital ntsc interface circuit . specifically , the following description will describe the methods used for luminance compensation , chrominance compensation and finally , the detailed circuitry implementing the luminance and chrominance compensation and a description of its operation . the first problem associated with digitally interfacing with an ntsc receiver manifests itself as a loss of contrast in response to rapidly alternating bright and dark dots . particularly , there is an attenuation of high - frequency luminance signals in a ntsc &# 39 ; s rf and if sections . fig3 a is an illustration of a digital high - frequency luminance signal corresponding to rapidly alternating bright and dark dots as might be provided by a digital circuit . attenuation of the high - frequency components of the digital signal by a ntsc receiver results in the demodulated wave - form illustrated in fig3 b . the wide spatial field designated as a has a greater amplitude , this appears brighter than the individual peaks 8 associated with individual bright dots . further , the individual dark dots c between the individual bright dots are much brighter than dark spatial field d . to counteract these amplitude variations , a luminance amplitude precompensation technique boosts the amplitude of individual bright dots and decreases the amplitude of individual black dots adjacent to individual bright dots . this increase in the a . c . amplitude of the luminance signal increases the luminance and contrast of individual bright dots . the decrease in the black level amplitudes on both sides of a bright dot also limits color fringing by lowering the luminance of the black background to a level at which color cannot be perceived . fig3 c is an illustration of a digital luminance signal ( in dotted lines ) which has been digitally compen - sated for luminance amplitude precompensation and the resulting response of an ntsc receiver ( in solid lines ). a second method known as luminance pulse - width precompensation further increases the luminance of individual high - frequency bright dots and further decreases the cross - channel modulation between the luminance and chrominance signals caused by high - frequency luminance signals . particularly , when the present circuitry detects a decrease in luminance in the next bit of the luminance signal , the present bit is extended by one - half the dot - clock period . this allows the individual luminance dots to reach a luminance level perceptually equal to the high - luminance of a bright spatial field . further , by increasing the pulse - width to a 75 % duty cycle , the frequency of an alternating bright - dark pattern is separated into two predominant side - bands . the first side - band is a frequency of approximately 1 . 79 mhz , which is in the middle of the luminance response band and is well removed from the chrominance passband . the second side - band , 5 . 37 mhz , is also well removed above the total passband , thus , it does not affect either the chrominance or the luminance signals . visually , the extended dot is not noticeable at normal viewing distances . naturally , it causes vertical character segments to be wider than horizontal character segments . however , this effect does not degrade subjective viewing of tv graphics . the net effect of luminance pulse - width precompensation is to increase the dc offset of the net luminance response of the receiver for high frequency luminance changes . the luminance amplitude precompensation provides an ac amplification during high bandwidth luminance changes . graphically , the signal resulting from pulse - width precompensation and luminance amplitude precompensation is illustrated in fig4 . the luminance signal detected by the receiver exhibits an equal average luminance amplitude regardless of the luminance frequency . particularly , the wide spatial field a and the individual bright dots b appear to have equal luminances . the intersticed black dots appear to be black due to the close proximity to the highly luminent white dots . further , an additional benefit of these two luminance compensation methods is to provide for an improvement in color purity due to the observed improvement in the uniformity of the luminance levels of spatial fields having varying widths . a third luminance compensation method is related to the problem of color fringing caused by rapid dark - to - light transitions . particularly , the high - frequency digital transition from a dark dot to bright dot cross - modulates the chrominance channel and is interpreted as a color signal . this cross - channel modulation causes a rainbow effect , known as color ringing , in the white areas following such a transition period . accordingly , a luminance slope precompensation method raises the level of a black dot immediately preceding a large luminance increase so as to decrease the detected dv / dt of the luminance signal . this decrease in the rate of change of the digital signal decreases the bandwidth of the detected luminance signal and decreases the cross - channel modulation and the resulting color fringing . the ntsc system encodes color as a phase shift of a 3 . 58 mhz chrominance signal . specifically , a color burst of 9 cycles of the 3 . 58 mhz signal having a reference amplitude is provided with each horizontal line . the phase of this color burst is compared to a subsequent phase of the chrominance carrier to determine the desired color . the amplitude of this color burst is compared to subsequent amplitudes of the chrominance carrier to determine the desired color saturation . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention an eight - phase 3 . 58 mhz color generator generates signals representing six discrete colors . particularly , the phase shifts and the corresponding colors are : these colors and the corresponding phase shifts are illustrated graphically in fig5 . since there are only four color reference periods for every six dot periods , as shown in fig2 the receiver &# 39 ; s color demodulator may not always have enough time to generate the necessary decoded color for a single colored dot . a first color compensation method designated &# 34 ; advance chroma precompensation &# 34 ; advances the selection of the decoded chroma phase by half a dot - clock prior to a low - to - high luminance transition . this allows the receiver &# 39 ; s color demodulator time to track the chrominance signal when a luminance transition occurs . the advanced chroma signal is not apparent to the viewer because of the reduced color perception in low luminance color areas . further , the advanced locking of the demodulator with the color carrier prevents the color demodulator from erroneously locking onto the phase of the high - frequency luminance transition . a second color compensation method designated &# 34 ; extended chroma precompensation &# 34 ; extends the chrominance signal phase for one - half a dot - clock after a high - to - low luminance transition . similar to the advance chroma precompensation , this method holds the receiver &# 39 ; s color demodulator in lock during the high - frequency luminance transition and prevents trailing edge color distortion that might otherwise occur . again , the viewer does not notice the extension of the color into the low luminance area . a third color compensation method known as subjective pseudo - color enhancement compensates for the small chrominance signal bandwidth by providing luminance changes where high - frequency color changes are desired . specifically , when a background ( low luminance ) color dot occurs between two foreground ( high luminance ) color dots , the chrominance of the background color dot is unchanged but its luminance level is lowered to the luminance level at a normal background color dot . the resulting background color dot appears to the viewer as having the background color . specifically , for this small area the brain &# 34 ; fills in &# 34 ; the background color having an equal luminance from the background area . finally , the color yellow is considered as a special case due to its apparently high luminance . to correct for this phenomenon , a &# 34 ; yellow compensation &# 34 ; method reduces the chrominance level while concurrently increasing the luminance level during a yellow dot period . this produces a yellow dot which has the same apparent luminance as dots of the other colors . fig6 is a detailed schematic diagram of internal clock circuit 100 . the internal clock circuit generates three internal clock signals φ , pφ , and 2φ in response to an external clock signal dclk . external clock signal dclk is applied to one of the inputs of and gate 110 and has a frequency of 5 . 3693175 mhz . the φ clock signal is used as the main system clock . this signal is delayed by the gate delay of and gates 110 and 120 to provide a signal preferably delayed 10 nanoseconds with respect to the dclk signal . the pφ clock signal is simply the unprocessed dclk signal . the pφ signal is used when an advanced positive clock edge relative to the φ clock signal is required . the 2φ clock signal is generated by frequency doubling the pφ clock by the use of inverters 130 and 140 and exclusive or gate 150 . the gate delays of the devices in internal clock circuit 100 are selected such that the positive edge of the pφ signal occurs first , followed by the 2φ signal positive edge , and finally the φ signal positive edge . further , the external clock signal dclk preferably has a duty cycle of 50 % to insure that alternating positive edges of the the 2φ signals are characterized by accurate one - half bit shift delays . the waveforms of these signals , including external clock signal dclk , the intermediate signal a appearing at the output of inverter 140 , and system clock signals φ and 2φ are illustrated in the waveform diagrams of fig7 . fig8 is a detailed schematic diagram of the color attribute multiplexer 160 and the luminance pattern and color encoder 170 . the color attribute multiplexer 160 receives attribute codes and character generator video data from external crt controller video ram circuitry . specifically , the color attribute multiplexer 160 receives background and foreground codes as defined in table 2 . for example , the foreground attribute inputs f - r , f - g and f - b correspond to the &# 34 ; foreground red &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; foreground green &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; foreground blue &# 34 ; bits of the table . table 2______________________________________background codes foreground codes______________________________________000 black 000 black001 blue 001 blue010 green 010 green011 cyan 011 cyan100 red 100 red101 magenta 101 magenta110 yellow 110 yellow111 white 111 white______________________________________ these signals are multiplexed into four data signals on address lines a0 , a1 , a2 , and a3 . the specific levels of these signals are defined in table 3 , the color attribute multiplexer data format . table 3______________________________________a3 a2 a1 a0 assignment______________________________________0 0 0 0 -- black dot0 0 0 1 -- background blue dot0 0 1 0 -- background green dot0 0 1 1 -- background cyan dot0 1 0 0 -- background red dot0 1 0 1 -- background magenta dot0 1 1 0 -- background yellow dot0 1 1 1 -- white dot1 0 0 0 -- black dot1 0 0 1 -- foreground blue dot1 0 1 0 -- foreground green dot1 0 1 1 -- foreground cyan dot1 1 0 0 -- foreground red dot1 1 0 1 -- foreground magenta1 1 1 0 -- foreground yellow1 1 1 1 -- white dot______________________________________ the signal on address line a3 is advanced by one clock period of clock signal 0 ( one dot - clock period ) with respect to address signals a0 - a2 . accordingly , a high level signal on address line a3 indicates that the next dot will be a foreground ( high luminance ) dot . a low level signal on address line a3 indicates that the next dot will be a background ( low luminance ) dot . the signals on address lines a0 - a2 designate the color of the present dot . specifically , signals on address lines a0 , a1 , and a2 represent the colors blue , green and red , respectively , as indicated in table 3 . the color attribute multiplexer 160 comprises a 6 - bit d - type latch 180 , an 8 - bit d - type latch 190 , and a quad 2 - line to 1 - line data selector / multiplexer 200 . inverters 210 and 220 are designed to have gate delays equivalent to the propagation delay through ppn generator 180 . thus , the inputs to the integrated circuit 190 from ppn generator 180 and pin y are received at the same time . luminance pattern and color encoder 170 comprises a 32 × 6 rom coupled to address lines a0 - a4 . address line a4 is used to reverse the color phase for pal operation . for ntsc operation address line a4 is grounded . encoder 170 produces outputs on data lines d0 - d2 and d4 - d6 in response to signals on the address lines a0 - a4 . specifically , data line d6 has a high level output if the present dot on address lines a0 - a2 is yellow . data lines d5 and d4 indicate the luminance of the present dot as shown below in table 4 . data lines d0 - d2 indicate the color of the present dot in response to the signals on address lines a0 - a2 and pal select line a4 as shown in table 4 . table 4__________________________________________________________________________d2 d1 d0 -- color ntsc ( a4 = 0 ) d5 d4 -- dot type__________________________________________________________________________1 1 1 -- green 0 0 -- black dot1 1 0 -- not used 0 1 -- white dot1 0 1 -- cyan 1 0 -- background1 0 0 -- blue 1 1 -- foreground0 1 1 -- not used0 1 0 -- magenta0 0 1 -- red0 0 0 -- yellow__________________________________________________________________________d2 d1 d0 -- color pal ( a4 = 1 ) __________________________________________________________________________1 1 1 -- red1 1 0 -- magenta1 0 1 -- not used1 0 0 -- blue0 1 1 -- cyan0 1 0 -- not used0 0 1 -- green0 0 0 -- yellow__________________________________________________________________________ fig9 is a detailed schematic diagram of past / present / next ( ppn ) generator 180 and bit pattern and color decoder 190 . ppn generator 180 comprises three pipelined &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; type flipflops 200 , 210 and 220 clocked by the 0 clock signal . flipflop 200 is coupled to receive data lines d6 - d4 and d0 - d2 from encoder 170 and data line blank from ic 190 . flipflops 200 , 210 and 220 provide output signals delayed in phase by one dot - clock period with respect to the signals applied to their inputs . for example , signal d6 is delayed by one dot - clock period in flipflop 200 to provide a signal on line d6a . flipflop 210 delays the signal on line d6a and provides a signal delayed another dot - clock period on line d6b . bit pattern and color decoder 190 comprises a 256 * 7 rom . decoder 190 is coupled to data lines d5a and d4a indicating the dot type of the next bit in accordance with table 4 . data lines d5b and d4b indicate the dot type of the present bit , and data lines d5c and d4c indicate the dot type of the past bit . the signal on data line d6b indicates whether the present dot is yellow . in operation , if blank is high , the output signals on lines d10 - d17 are forced low , denoting no chroma change , no chroma output and a blanking luminance level . otherwise , the chroma phase , chroma amplitude and luminance amplitude signals from decoder 190 are functions of the color and luminance of past , present , and next bits . definitions of these signals are given in table 5 and the specific rom listing is given in table 6 for values of the luminance amplitude and table 7 is the chroma phase and amplitude . table 5__________________________________________________________________________luminance amplitude luminanced17 ( msb ), d16 , d15 , d14 levels modulation__________________________________________________________________________9 -- white deviation level 20 % 8 -- white reference level & amp ; foreground 25 % yellow reference level7 -- foreground yellow level & amp ; foreground 30 % deviation level6 -- foreground color reference level 35 % ( except yellow ) 5 -- background deviation level 40 % 4 -- background yellow level 45 % 3 -- background color reference level 50 % 2 -- black level ( deviation level ) 65 % 1 -- black level ( reference black ) 70 % 0 -- blank level__________________________________________________________________________ table 6______________________________________luminance luminanceamplitude amplitudep p n not yel yel p p n not yel yel______________________________________b b b 1 n / a * b b 0 n / ab b w 2 n / a * b w 1 n / ab b * 0 n / a * b * 0 n / ab b c 0 n / a * b c 0 n / ab w b 9 n / a * w b 9 n / ab w w 8 n / a * w w 8 n / ab w * 9 n / a * w * 9 n / ab w c 9 n / a * w c 9 n / ab * b 4 5 * * b 3 4b * w 4 5 * * w 3 4b * * 3 4 * * * 3 4b * c 3 4 * * c 2 3b c b 7 8 * c b 8 9b c w 7 8 * c w 7 8b c * 7 8 * c * 8 9b c c 6 7 * c c 7 8w b b 2 n / a c b b 0 n / aw b w 1 n / a c b w 1 n / aw b * 1 n / a c b * 0 n / aw b c 1 n / a c b c 0 n / aw w b 8 n / a c w b 9 n / aw w w 8 n / a c w w 8 n / aw w * 8 n / a c w * 9 n / aw w c 8 n / a c w c 9 n / aw * b 4 5 c * b 4 5w * w 3 4 c * w 3 4w * * 3 4 c * * 2 3w * c 3 4 c * c 2 3w c b 7 8 c c b 6 7w c w 3 4 c c w 3 4w c * 7 8 c c * 7 8w c c 3 4 c c c 6 7______________________________________ ( note : &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; = black dot &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; = white dot &# 34 ;*&# 34 ; = background color dot &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; = foreground color dot ) table 7______________________________________p p n change chroma level______________________________________1 . x b b no 0 % 2 . x b w no 0 % 3 . x b * yes 12 . 5 % 4 . x b c yes 25 % ( yellow = 12 . 5 %) 5 . x w b no 0 % 6 . x w w no 0 % 7 . b w * yes 0 % 8 . w w * yes 12 . 5 % 9 . * w * yes 0 % 10 . c w * yes 0 % 11 . b w c yes 12 . 5 % 12 . w w c yes 25 % ( yellow = 12 . 5 %) 13 . * w c yes 12 . 5 % 14 . c w c yes 12 . 5 % 15 . b * b no 25 % ( yellow = 12 . 5 %) 16 . w * b no 12 . 5 % 17 . * * b no 12 . 5 % 18 . c * b no 12 . 5 % 19 . n * * w no 12 . 5 % 20 . * * w no 12 . 5 % ( yellow = 0 %) 21 . x * * yes 12 . 5 % 22 . x * c yes 12 . 5 % 23 . x c b no 25 % ( yellow = 12 . 5 %) 24 . x c w no 25 % ( yellow = 12 . 5 %) 25 . x c * no 25 % ( yellow = 12 . 5 %) 26 . x c c yes 25 % ( yellow = 12 . 5 %) ______________________________________ ( note : following are abbreviations used in the table : &# 34 ; p p n &# 34 ; = past / present / next bit pattern &# 34 ; change &# 34 ; = new color coding being latched into the chroma phase selector . chroma phase will change in the middle of the present dot while the selected color phase is the phase for the next dot . &# 34 ; chroma level &# 34 ; = peak to peak swing referenced to i . r . e . standard ). line d13 provides a color change signal in accordance with table 7 which selectively causes chroma select circuit 430 ( fig1 ) to latch an updated color code into color control and gating circuit 420 ( fig1 ) from flip - flop 210 output lines d2b , d1b and d0b . this color code corresponds to the color code on lines d2 , d1 and d0 as defined in table 4 except that it is delayed two clock periods . lines d12 and d11 provide the chroma level control signals in accordance with table 7 . specifically , the signals on these lines are : ______________________________________d12 d11 chroma level______________________________________0 0 zero chroma ( 0 %) 1 0 1 unit of chroma ( 12 . 5 %) 1 1 2 units of chroma ( 25 %) ______________________________________ luminance decoder 235 and luminance pulse width modifier 240 are illustrated in detailed schematic diagram fig1 . luminance level signals d14 - d17 are coupled to decoder 245 which decodes the multiplexed signal and provides a signal on one of its ten output lines in response to the level of the decoded signal . these signals are then translated to twelve ( 12 ) volt signals by integrated circuits 270 and 280 and the associated 1k and 470 ohm resistors . modifier 240 of fig1 performs the pulse width modifications associated with the luminance pulse - width precompensation . luminance level signals d14 - 17 are coupled to ic &# 39 ; s 310 and 320 , which compare past and present luminance levels . if the present dot has the same or greater luminance than the past dot , clocking circuitry 330 provides a clock signal to pipeline flipflops 340 and 350 at the normal rate of 186 ns per bit ( 2 . 685 mhz ). however , if a decreasing luminance is detected , clocking circuitry 330 delays the clock signal to flipflops 340 and 350 by one - half a 2 . 685 mhz clock period , which extends the present high luminance dot for one - half a period . fig1 is a detailed schematic diagram of luminance digital - to - analog converter 360 and luminance / chrominance mixing circuit 370 . a set of ten ( 10 ) analog switches 380 are coupled to receive the luminance level signals from modifier 240 . an eleventh analog switch 390 is coupled for inserting the lower ntsc ( or higher pal ) amplitude composite synchronizing pulses in response to signals on the cs external input . these analog switches are coupled to resistor ladder 400 which is coupled between the terminals of a 12 - volt supply . these switches are also coupled to a power buffer 410 which provides the composite video analog luminance signal . fig1 is detailed schematic diagram of color control and gating circuit 420 . a chroma select circuit 430 receives signals on lines d0b , d1b and d2b from past / present / next generator 180 , indicating the color of the present bit . the chroma select circuit is also coupled to receive a color change signal on line d13a and chrominance amplitude control signals on lines d12a and d11a . these chrominance amplitude control signals are coupled to tri - state control inputs of inverters 450 and 460 for providing three levels of chroma output . specifically , the chroma levels as provided by ppn generator 180 are given in table 7 . tri - state inverters 450 and 460 are coupled to cmos - inverters 470 and 480 respectively for generating chroma waveforms similar to conventional ntsc chroma phase signals . these waveforms are desirable for driving a chroma - mixing transformer because dc charging and discharging slopes are not coupled to the luminance channel . the cmos inverters are driven rail - to - rail at a phase of 3 . 579 mhz in response to the chroma being enabled . chroma reference gating circuit 490 gates one of eight phases to the cmos inverters 470 and 480 . a signal applied to input cbg ( color burst gate ) enables the reference chroma burst phase signal . eight - phase color frequency generator 500 provides eight color frequency signals of varying phases in response to an external 14 . 31818 mhz clock ( 3 . 579545 * 4 ) applied to input 14m . each signal varies by 45 degrees in phase with respect to the sequent phase . six color hues have been assigned to six of the eight signals . generator 500 comprises four &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; type flipflops 510 , 520 , 530 and 540 , one master flipflop 550 , and three exclusive - or gate 560 , 570 and 580 . the master reset 550 sets the &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; type flipflops to a predefined sequence in response to an external power on pulse on input rst . the relationship between phases and colors is given below in table 8 . table 8______________________________________ degrees phase fromcolor burst reference______________________________________chroma reference 0yellow 12red 57magenta 102 ( not used ) 147blue 192cyan 237 ( not used ) 282green 327______________________________________ the yellow phase is used for the color burst reference signal which provides a final composite video color burst whose phase is near yellow . referring to fig1 , luminance / chrominance mixing circuit 370 utilizes a 10 mm - three - winding transformer having two of the windings connected in series with a grounded center - tap . two of the windings are connected in series with the center tap to ground . the two hot points are driven by the bi - phase chroma frequency buffers ( tr1 thru tr4 ). three levels of chroma are obtained by tri - stating the circuit on and off . the third winding serves two purposes , first , it sums the chroma signals from the former two windings and superimposes the output onto the liminance channel , secondly , with two capacitors connected to its terminals , it performs a low - pass filter function , which band - limits the luminance and chrominance signals . the half - power point of the filter is set at approximately 2 . 8 mhz . the two capacitors are chosen in such a way that the value of the output capacitor is about one - fifth of the input capacitor , thus , the majority of the chroma signal will be delivered to the rf modulator preventing back - feeding of the luminance buffer . this reduces intermodulation distortion at the luminance buffer amplifier . the resistors around the mixing transformer lower the &# 34 ; q &# 34 ; of the filter network , which eliminates possible over - shoot excursions from affecting the rf modulator . while the invention has been particularly taught and described with reference to the preferred embodiments , those versed in the art will appreciate that minor modifications in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , all such modifications are embodied within the scope of this patent as properly come within my contribution to the art and are particularly pointed out by the following claims . | 6 |
referring again to the drawings , fig3 is a block diagram of the components of a memory system used to implement an embodiment of the present invention . although the present invention will be described with reference to the typical components of a flash memory system , it is not restricted to such and may also be implemented in other forms of memory systems . as with the components of the memory system shown in fig2 an input / output pad 40 is connected to circuit elements which form a data read path 42 and a data write path 44 to memory array 12 . read path 42 and write path 44 are electrically connected to data line 46 , which connects those paths to memory array 12 by means of decoder or multiplexer 16 . as with fig2 only y decoder 16 and the columns of array 12 are indicated . in a complete diagram of the components , both x decoder 14 of fig1 and the rows of array 12 could typically be shown . it is noted that certain aspects of the present invention which relate to accessing the internally generated signals by entering a test mode of operation and which will be discussed in greater detail later are described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 526 , 364 , entitled , &# 34 ; apparatus for entering and executing test mode operations for memory &# 34 ;, issued jun . 11 , 1996 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in full by reference . when reading a memory cell of array 12 , decoder ( multiplexer ) 16 is used to access a desired memory cell in the array . sense amplifier 52 is used to determine the state of the cell , and is enabled by means of sense amplifier enable signal 54 . the output of sense amplifier 52 is sent to output buffer 56 which drives the data to output pad 40 where it is accessed by a user . output buffer 56 is enabled by means of output enable signal 57 . as discussed with reference to fig2 when an external processor polls status register 26 to determine the status of a read or write operation , sense amplifier enable signal 54 is used to disable sense amplifier 52 by bringing that node to a high impedance . status register enable signal 27 , which is used to place that node at a high impedance during a read operation , is then used to enable the register and to route the contents of status register 26 to pad 40 . as previously mentioned , pad 40 is connected to an input / output pin 15 of fig1 . in accordance with the present invention , the memory system of fig3 includes a test mode detector / decoder 60 which is used to place the memory system into a test mode and to verify that a valid code has been entered to select an internal signal for routing to either pad 40 ( in the case of a digital signal ) or to an address pin 13 ( in the case of an analog signal ). test mode detector 60 controls digital test signal switch ( multiplexer ) 62 and analog test signal switch ( multiplexer ) 64 which act to route the selected internally generated signal 66 to pad 40 or address pin 13 ( or another desired location ) for purposes of monitoring the operation of the memory system and / or determining the cause of a device failure . the memory system is designed so that a selected group of internal signals indicative of the operating status or state of the memory system are available as test signals 66 which can be accessed by the present invention . these signals 66 typically include those which indicate the state which the internal state machine ( and hence memory system ) is in , and those used to initiate actions which cause the internal state machine to transition from one state to another . in general terms , the signals 66 provided are used to evaluate the status and operation of the internal circuitry of the memory system , and are of the type which would not be of use to a normal user of the system . the manner in which the desired signals are routed to the multiplexers is layout dependent and is accomplished by methods known in the industry . it is noted that if capacitance loading of the signal paths is an issue in routing the signals to the multiplexers , then this should be taken into consideration in the design of the multiplexers . as noted , digital and analog test signal switches 62 and 64 typically take the form of a multiplexer which is controlled so as to select one of its multiple inputs for routing to other parts of the circuit where the signals may be accessed by a chip designer . the digital signals which are included in internal signals 66 are routed to digital switch 62 , while the analog signals which are included in internal signals 66 are routed to analog switch 64 . digital and analog test signal switches 62 and 64 are enabled by means of a signal provided by test mode detector 60 , where the enabling signal is provided in response to the memory system being placed into a test mode . the memory system is capable of operating in a normal mode of operation and an alternative or test mode of operation . in the normal mode of operation , an end user can carry out normal memory functions including programming , erasing and reading of the memory cells . the alternative or test mode of operation is used for carrying out various memory functions other than the normal functions and is a mode not intended to be accessed by end users . detector / decoder 60 detects certain test inputs to the memory and switches the memory to a selected test mode . the memory system can be placed into a test mode by one of several methods . it has been found desirable to utilize a method which reduces the possibility of a standard user of the memory system being able to access the test mode . this has been achieved by a procedure in which a high voltage is simultaneously applied to two or more pins of the memory system circuit that normally have much lower voltages applied during operation of the system . thus , the applied voltages used to enter the test mode are outside of the range of voltages which would be applied during normal operation of the memory system by a user wishing to program , erase , or read the contents of the memory cells . for example , if the range of voltages applied to a particular pin or pins during normal operation of the memory system is in the range of 5 volts ± 1 volt , then the voltage applied to initiate the test mode might be chosen to be 10 volts . other signal characteristics , such as pulse width or period , may also be varied in order to differentiate the test mode initiating signals from those applied to the pin ( s ) during normal operation of the system . in addition , the memory system can be placed into a test mode by application of a sequence of commands ( such as write data a - write data b - write data c ) which would not occur during the normal operation of the system . test mode detector 60 responds to the appropriate applied voltages and / or sequence of test mode signals by allowing access to the test mode of operation . after this step , a test mode code which is associated with an internally generated signal of interest is applied on an input / output line , such as pad 40 . the test mode code is written to a test mode latch ( not shown ) which allows pad 40 or address pin 13 ( or another data input location ) to be used for other purposes during processing of the data associated with the testing process . the test mode code is compared to a set of predetermined codes by decoding logic contained in test mode detector / decoder 60 , in order to verify the validity of the entered test mode code . if the entered code corresponds to a valid test mode , a test mode enabling signal is sent to both digital test signal switch 62 and analog test signal switch 64 . this sequence of steps places the system into a desired test mode and causes a desired one of the digital internal signals 66 to be routed out of digital test signal switch 62 to data read line 42 . if an analog signal is to be accessed , the signal is routed by analog test signal switch 64 to address pin 13 . further details of the method by which the memory system is placed into a test mode and how a test mode signal is decoded and verified can be found in the previously mentioned u . s . pat . no . 5 , 526 , 364 , entitled , &# 34 ; apparatus for entering and executing test mode operations for memory &# 34 ;. in order to prevent incorrect data from being provided to pad 40 or address pin 13 when a test mode enable signal is provided by test mode detector / decoder 60 , sense amplifier 52 is disabled by means of sense amplifier enable line 54 , and status register 26 is disabled by means of status read enable line 27 . this disabling can be achieved by bringing enable lines 54 and 27 to a low level , thereby bringing the output of sense amplifier 52 and status register 26 to a high impedance . this ensures that in the case of a digital signal , only the desired internal signal 66 will be routed to pad 40 along data read path 42 . examples of the internal signals 66 which are provided to digital test signal switch 62 or analog test signal switch 64 and can be routed to pad 40 or address pin 13 include signals indicative of the major stages in the erase operation of the memory system : pre - program , erase high voltage , verify signal , verify ok signal , increment address signal , increment pulse signal , maximum address detected signal , and maximum pulse allowed signal . another type of internal signal which can be accessed is one which enables reading or verifying the contents of an internal storage register . still another type of internal signal which can be accessed are those which can be used to perform a current / voltage characterization on a selected memory cell . other signals indicative of the operation or status of the memory system may also be supplied as internal signals 66 by routing them so that they are available to digital or analog test signal switches 62 and 64 . fig4 is a schematic of a circuit for the test mode detector / decoder circuit 60 of fig3 which can be used to place the present invention into a test mode and to decode which internal signal is to be accessed . in order to switch the memory system to a test mode of operation , test mode commands must be applied to the data i / o terminals of the memory to indicate which one of various test modes is to be entered , i . e ., which of the internal signals is to be accessed . typically , the end user of the memory system would have no reason to cause the memory system to enter the test mode since this mode is intended to be used by the memory fabrication facility . furthermore , accidental entry into the test mode is to be avoided since the memory could be rendered permanently inoperable in this mode . thus , the test mode circuitry is designed to reduce the likelihood of accidental entry into the test mode by requiring simultaneous application of high voltages to multiple memory system terminals . in one embodiment , the circuit of fig4 is activated by application of a high voltage to two or more terminals 100 and 102 of the memory system from an external source . these terminals are typically non - dedicated terminals used during normal memory operations . terminals 100 and 102 may include , for example , address terminal ( pad ) a10 and the write enable terminal we . the magnitude of the high voltage applied to terminals 100 and 102 is chosen to be outside of the range of voltages which would typically be applied to those terminals during use of the terminals in normal ( non - test mode ) operation of the memory system . this is done to prevent an end user from unintentionally entering the test mode . the high voltage applied to terminals 100 and 102 is detected by detectors 104 and 106 . a detector circuit suited for use in constructing detectors 104 and 106 is described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 493 , 162 , entitled , &# 34 ; integrated circuit having high voltage detection circuit &# 34 ;, filed jun . 21 , 1995 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in full by reference . as noted , the memory system can also be placed into a test mode by application of a sequence of commands which would not occur during the normal operation of the system . after application of the high voltage to terminals 100 and 102 , a signal on another terminal 108 , in this case the chip enable ce terminal , is made active ( low ). test code data corresponding to one of several possible test modes is placed on the data i / o terminals 110 of the memory and forwarded to an i / o buffer 112 . an and gate 114 provides a test mode load enable signal when the outputs of both high voltage detectors 104 and 106 indicate that a sufficiently high voltage ( i . e ., outside the range of voltages applied during normal operation ) is being applied to the two terminals 100 and 102 . the load enable signal is coupled to one input of an and gate 116 together with an inverted signal ce . this causes and gate 116 to turn on pass transistor 118 which will forward the test code data to buffer 112 and then to a test mode code latch 120 . separate i / o terminals and pass transistors 118 are used for each bit of input test mode data so that the data will be loaded into latch 120 in parallel . typically there are a total of eight bits of test code data so that latch 120 will contain eight bits . signal ce is then brought back to a high state , thereby latching the test code data in latch 120 . after latch 120 has been loaded with the test code data , one of the high input voltages , such as the input to address a10 terminal 102 is removed so that the output of detector 106 will go low thereby providing a high input to an and gate 128 by way of inverter 130 . since the remaining input of gate 128 , the output of the second high voltage detector 104 , will still be high , gate 128 will produce a test mode enable signal 124 . among other things , this will enable test mode and format check and decode logic unit 122 which will verify that the data in latch 120 corresponds to one of the proper test modes . in addition , unit 122 will decode the test mode code to determine which one of the different memory test modes has been entered , thereby determining which set of internal signals will be accessible . the test modes each have an associated test mode signal 126 which is produced by test mode and format check and decode logic unit 122 and which is used by the memory system in combination with other signals for carrying out the various test mode functions , such as controlling the routing of the internal signals which will be accessed . the system will remain in the selected test mode as long as the voltage applied to terminal 100 remains high . when signal ce is brought back to a high state , detector activation logic 132 keeps detector circuits 104 and 106 enabled as long as the voltage applied to terminal 100 remains high . during the course of carrying out the various test modes operations , it may be necessary to periodically change the state of the chip enable ce signal . however , since address a10 on line 102 has been shifted to a low state , the low output of and gate 116 will prevent any change in the contents of the test mode code latch . once the test mode operation is completed , the high voltage applied to terminal 100 is removed thereby causing the output of and gate 128 to go low and ending the test mode operation . the test mode codes loaded into latch 120 are preferably of a specific format thereby further reducing the possibility of accidental entry into a test mode . the test mode code is typically divided into two groups of bits , with the first group of bits , the format bits , signifying a test mode operation and the remaining bits signifying a particular one of the test modes . a further description of the test code formats can be found in the previously mentioned u . s . patent entitled , &# 34 ; apparatus for entering and executing test mode operations for memory &# 34 ;. test mode enable signal 124 enables digital test signal switch ( multiplexer ) 62 and analog test signal switch ( multiplexer ) 64 . valid test mode code signal 126 then specifies which internal signal ( s ) 66 are routed by test signal switches 62 and 64 to read data path 42 ( in the case of a digital signal ) or to an address pin 13 ( in the case of an analog signal ). the present invention enables a memory chip designer to access signals generated during the operation of the memory system . these signals are not available to a normal user of the memory system who is carrying out programming , erasing , and read operations on the cells of the memory system . access to the test signals is achieved by placing the memory system into a test mode and entering a code corresponding to the particular signal ( s ) which are desired . a digital or analog multiplexer is then used to route the specified signal to an i / o pad or address pin where it can be accessed . as the procedure for placing the memory system into a test mode involves applying voltages which are outside of the normal operating range , the test mode cannot be accidentally accessed by a standard user of the memory system . the terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described , or portions thereof , it being recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed . | 6 |
aspects of the exemplary embodiment relate to a system and method for providing the ability to modify a document using natural language commands through a user interface . natural language commands are particularly friendly for user interaction because the user identifies with the particular description in a familiar language . however , not all users may be familiar with the particular language . therefore , human readable sentences identified by the user are provided in an interface that allows users to select portions of the sentences for creating complete sentences designating how a document are modified . various image modifications can be implemented within the user interfaces . for example , color modifications , object modifications , and / or picture modifications , such as blurriness , sharpness , etc . consequently , the present disclosure is not limited to any specific type of modification , although the disclosure refers mainly to image modifications involving color as one example of the image modifications implemented within the system and methods herein . colors vary greatly in how they are designated . thus , in one embodiment a user selects a color for an image modification to be implemented within the user &# 39 ; s document . the colors are presented , for example , within an easy to use text - based interface under certain categories simply designed for eliciting a selection from a user for a specific color to be modified . for example , the categories may be titled with a question for eliciting a response from the user , and the colors may be selections presented as options for the user to select from among the categories . the selections may be color selections that are in the form of patches of colors or a color sample among a palette of colors that are presented . further , the selection can comprise a text description of the particular color to compliment the color sample . this provides the advantage of eliminating some of the ambiguity with language , but allows an interface utilizing natural language to identify a selected color desired by users to be adjusted in a document , which may be any type of document ( e . g ., a photo image , a text document , presentation , etc .). a human readable sentence representing a natural language command identifies the image modification to be generated through a natural language control system . where a human readable sentence , for example , may be “ make greens a lot more blue ,” the sentence generated becomes a command for mapping changes to regions of color space within the document . for example , affecting the regions of blue in a document to make them a lot more green . this concept will be discussed in more detail infra with respect to the methods and apparatus disclosed . an image modification is based on the type of change to be modified in a document or the particular image within the document , the magnitude of the modification desired , and the resultant image modification ( i . e ., the direction of the modification within the document ). for example , any color selected from the category of colors presented designates which color to be modified in a user document . as stated above , this color is selected from among color selections presented under a category of a text - based interface . for example , certain purples may be selected either from colors extracted out of the document and presented within a category for selecting the color to be modified or a number of predefined patches or color samples are presented . these samples may include a range of samples under each color . the range of purples , for example , comprises various purples of differ characteristics comprising various spectral characteristics , brightness values , hues , and / or saturation amounts . the colors provide different textures , such as glossy , grainy , fuzzy , etc . additionally , the colors in the range of purples , for example , provide various shades considered within the purple spectrum of visible colors from which the user may choose from . any number of colors therefore is selected for a color modification within the document . the colors can be predefined or extracted from the document for populating the category presented to the user for selection . in another embodiment , objects within the document or properties of the image within the document may also be modified in a similar fashion . the disclosure is not limited to color . the magnitude of change for a modification designates the amount or intensity in which the modification is implemented within the user &# 39 ; s document . for example , natural color languages use additional words to describe color differences , and thus , the magnitude of the modification is specified in combination with the color selected . for example , phrases or words , such as “ slightly less ,” “ a lot more ,” “ a little more ,” “ a smidgen more ,” etc . can designate the intensity or amount in which the image modification is implemented . for example , if the user selects a shade of green , for example , under a first text - based category , and then selects “ a lot more ” in another second category , then this designates to modify these particular shades of greens in the document with a higher intensity of green . the disclosure , however , is not limited to any specific phrase or words , in any particular language , and / or does not preclude mathematical phrases or symbols , or other designations for a language , and / or color samples and symbols . additionally , a direction for the modification is a resultant image modification , in which the modification should be made towards within the document . for example , the user may first select a particular shade of green within the user &# 39 ; s document for modification , and then , the user may select a magnitude or intensity ( e . g ., “ a lot ”) for the modification under a second category , and finally , the user selects the direction in which the color modification should occur , which is the resultant color for adjustment towards ( e . g ., blue ). a sentence is created that designates a complete and specific color modification to be implemented in the user &# 39 ; s document that would make greens a lot more blue , for example . consequently , the human readable sentence is representative of a natural language command for generating the particular image modification to be made to the document . for example , the sentence in the above example would read “ a shade of green a lot more blue ,” if blue was the direction selected for green colors within the document to be modified . fig1 illustrates one embodiment of an exemplary user interface system 100 for editing a user document . the system 100 comprises a processor 114 coupled to an image input device 116 . the device comprises any device capable of executing a set of logical instructions and can comprise , for example , a computer , a personal digital assistant ( fda ), digital camera , cell phone , printer , copier , or the like . such devices can include the user interface 100 , which may further comprise , but is not limited to , a key board , microphone , pointing device , display , speakers , audio / visual inputs / outputs network connections and / or other devices of the device 116 and / or processor 114 . the image input device 116 is configured to receive a document 112 for a color modification to be made by a user through the interface 100 . the image input device 116 comprises a memory 120 for storing the document 114 . a natural language control ( nlc ) system 118 executed via the processor 114 of the device 116 , which can map the colors and / or features of the document 112 to a working color space in order for modifications entered by the user to be affected therein . the nlc 118 will be discussed in further detail infra . a document can be provided by a user to an image processing system for processing images , such as a xerographic imaging system . the document may be any document , such a photo image , a text based document , or any document that may be printed , modified , and / or transferred in digital format , for example . a document may be any physical or digital representation of a body of information capable of being communicated to an output device for display , print , and / or alteration ( e . g ., a photo , or presentation document ). a user display 110 is coupled to the image input device and may be any display or multiple displays for viewing a graphical user interface or the user interface system 100 as an lui . stored within memory 120 are images that are graphic images for representing the user document 112 and / or a set of thumbnail images 122 included . in general , each thumbnail image comprises image data derived from the respective document . usually , the thumbnail image 122 contains less information than the original document , but not always . for example , each thumbnail image 122 may be a reduced resolution and / or cropped , digital image generated from the original document or processed original document . all of the thumbnails in the set may be the same size . in some embodiments , the image may be otherwise digitally modified in creating the thumbnail , for example by conversion from color to monochrome ( e . g ., a black and white thumbnail ). in other embodiments , a representative portion of the image is automatically selected as the thumbnail , avoiding the need for reducing resolution or resizing . indeed , the thumbnail can be any visual representation of the document which allows documents to be distinguished from each other in the set . in one embodiment , the thumbnail is a context - dependent image , as described , for example , in above - mentioned application ser . no . 12 / 049 , 520 incorporated herein by reference . in such an approach , the portion of the image selected as the thumbnail may be dependent on the context in which the image is to be used . for example , if the user is known to be interested primarily in faces , a region of the image can be identified with suitable face recognition software and used as a basis for determining a suitable crop area . the user display 110 comprises a first view 102 that displays an image 106 of the system 100 , which can be the actual document 112 , or a thumbnail image 122 . the thumbnail images 122 may be selected by a user for representation of the document 112 within the interface system 100 . for example , the first view 102 is a preview of the image 106 selected via preview controls 126 . a user may select a representative image similar to the document for color modification , for example . the first view 102 presents the image modifications in real time to the user as selections are entered . in addition , the modifications build upon one another , and thus , the effect of multiple modifications are displayed in the image 106 selected for the first view 102 . the user interface 100 further comprises a second view 126 in which a text - based interface 102 is presented . in one embodiment , the text - based interface 102 is displayed alongside the image 106 for observing the modifications concurrently with receiving inputted commands at the text - based interface 102 . the text - based interface 102 comprises categories for receiving input for an image modification thereat . the categories are text - based categories 108 , for example . each of the categories represents a number of selections to be displayed within . a user selects a selection from each category in order for a human readable sentence to be comprised for representing a natural language command of a particular image modification , such as , for example , a color modification . the text - based interface 102 of the interface system 100 comprises a first text - based category 134 , a second text - based category 136 , and a third text - based category 138 . the first text - based category 134 includes selections therein ( not shown ) for selecting which color to modify within the user &# 39 ; s document 110 . for example , green may be selected or any other color may be selected . the second text - based category 136 includes selections therein that represent a magnitude ( e . g ., intensity ) of the color modification . the third text - based category 138 includes selections for a resultant color or a direction for which the color modification is made . all three selections made within the first , second and third categories combine to form a human readable sentence effectuating a particular image modification . in one embodiment , each text - based category is presented in the form of a question . the first text - based category 108 is presented as an activated menu that is entitled with a question for eliciting a user &# 39 ; s input in a simple and easily conveyable manner . for example , the question illustrated in fig1 has a drop - down menu that inquires a user interacting with the interface the following : “ what color to change ?” a drop - down list is a user interface control gui element , similar to a list box , which allows the user to choose one value from a list . when a drop - down list is inactive , it displays a single value or a category title as illustrated . when activated , it displays ( drops down ) a list of values or selections , from which the user may select from . when the user selects a new value , the control can revert to its inactive state , displaying the selected value . the disclosure is not limited to any particular manner of drop - down list or the like . although one design actually places the list box below the box showing the single value or category title , many other user interface designs ( such as motif ) and aqua from mac os x place the list box so that the currently - selected item is at the location of the box , thus eliminating the need to move a pointer to pick the same value . this is sometimes called a “ popup list ” or a “ choice ” or “ chooser ”. a drop - down list differs from a combo box in that the entry portion of a drop - down list cannot be edited . many various designs may be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art . an advantage of a drop - down list vs . a list box or tabs is that only one option is visible at a time and the box can be presented in the form of a question to elicit a portion of a color modification from a user from a list of selections or options . in addition , drop - down lists use far less space due to their show / hide functionality . referring to fig2 , illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the user interface system 100 . the text - based category 108 in this example questions the user for a color to be modified that is previewed within the image 102 and effectuating the user &# 39 ; s document . a selected color 128 might be cyan , for example . selections 130 provide multiple color samples with descriptions thereat for a user to select from . selections 132 for certain shades or classes of colors are additionally provided . in addition , selections ( not shown ) representing colors of various image properties ( e . g ., hue , brightness , gloss , etc .) can also be provided . fig3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of interface system 100 comprising human readable sentences 40 . for example , a sentence 42 is displayed in a window 50 , such as a scrollbar window , upon being compiled from the selections under the text - based categories 108 . each of the text - based categories comprises a portion of the sentence 42 . a color selection 160 , for example , comprises the portion of the sentence selecting the color to be modified , namely cyan . additionally , a magnitude selection 162 comprises a portion of the sentence indicating an intensity of “ a lot more ” in which the color cyan should be adjusted . likewise , a resultant color selection 164 comprises a portion of the sentence indicating that cyan colors in the user &# 39 ; s document should be made a lot more zippy , for example . while zippy can be any color indicating a brownish - orange or a color known in the art comprising properties distinguishable from other color properties . each human readable sentence is presented for display to a user in the window 50 in an order in which each sentence affects the image modification in the image 106 . in one embodiment , the user is capable of altering the order of the human readable sentences 40 for various expressions to result in priority in which modifications are implemented within the user &# 39 ; s document . referring back to fig1 , a sorting engine 115 is configured to sort the human readable sentences 40 of fig3 corresponding to a respective modification . for example , the sentence 42 modifies cyan colors in the image 106 to make them a lot more zippy . the sentence 44 thereafter produces all yellow colors slightly more red . consequently , if zippy is meant to define a shade of yellow , then all cyan colors will be made a lot more yellow , and these regions within the color space of the document / image 106 , in addition to other regions that were yellow already will be made more red . in one embodiment , the user can specify a priority of the sentences , such as via a control feature 168 and 170 ( e . g ., an arrow button ) and / or delete a sentence at a delete 172 if the modification shown in the image 106 is not desirable . the arrows can move the sentences to provide a specified priority to each sentence , in which the modifications presented first , will be the first to be expressed within the image 106 . an example methodology 700 for implementing a user interface system for modifying colors of a document is illustrated in fig7 . while the method 700 is illustrated and described below as a series of acts or events , it will be appreciated that the illustrated ordering of such acts or events are not to be interpreted in a limiting sense . for example , some acts may occur in different orders and / or concurrently with other acts or events apart from those illustrated and / or described herein . in addition , not all illustrated acts may be required to implement one or more aspects or embodiments of the description herein . further , one or more of the acts depicted herein may be carried out in one or more separate acts and / or phases . at 702 a document is received from an image output device of a user interface system . the user interface system is configured to modify the document with imaging components using a natural language control system discussed in detail herein . at 704 an image modification is presented in real time within an image displayed in a first view of a display . concurrently , the image modification is received as input from a user . this input is provided to the user at 706 within a text - based interface that may be alongside the first display of real time modifications being presented . at 706 the text - based interface is presented with text - based categories corresponding to portions of a human readable sentence . in an exemplary embodiment , a first text - based category in the text - based interface provides various color selections for receiving a color to be modified in the document from the user . in addition , a second text - based category in the text - based interface provides selections for receiving a magnitude of the image modification or a resultant image modification . further , a third text - based category in the text - based interface provides selections that are different from the second text - based category for receiving the magnitude or the resultant image modification . for example , if the second text - based category provides selections for magnitude , the third text - based category can provide selections for the resultant image modification . at 708 more than one human readable sentence is displayed . the human readable sentences correspond to more than one image modification and may be displayed alongside the first view in a second view of the text based - interface to see modifications occur in the same display . at 710 the sentences are sorted from a specified ordering being received as input . the ordering has a corresponding priority in which the sentence can affect modifications in the order provided . sentences sorted with a higher priority in the specified ordering generate respective image modification in the image displayed first , before other modifications , and thus , can affect the image modification of subsequent sentences . the method illustrated in fig7 may be implemented in a computer program product that may be executed on a computer . the computer program product may be a tangible computer - readable recording medium on which a control program is recorded , such as a disk , hard drive , or may be a transmittable carrier wave in which the control program is embodied as a data signal . common forms of computer - readable media include , for example , floppy disks , flexible disks , hard disks , magnetic tape , or any other magnetic storage medium , cd - rom , dvd , or any other optical medium , a ram , a prom , an eprom , a flash - eprom , or other memory chip or cartridge , transmission media , such as acoustic or light waves , such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications , and the like , or any other medium from which a computer can read and use . the exemplary method may be implemented on one or more general purpose computers , special purpose computer ( s ), a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements , an asic or other integrated circuit , a digital signal processor , a hardwired electronic or logic circuit such as a discrete element circuit , a programmable logic device such as a pld , pla , fpga , or pal , or the like . in general , any device , capable of implementing a finite state machine that is in turn capable of implementing the flowchart shown in fig7 , can be used to implement the method for editing images in a document . u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 479 , 484 and u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 762 , 155 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety . portions have been reproduced below to provide detailed support in the present disclosure . a usable natural language control system could be created as described in the flowchart of fig4 . the acts are listed in a particular order in the flowchart . however , this order should not be considered limiting , as the order of many of these acts may be changed without affecting the resulting color control system . first , a natural language color description dictionary of terms would be created and / or chosen from a set of pre - existing dictionaries 400 . then a color space in which the transformations will be performed is chosen 410 . the regions of the color space are then mapped to terms in the color dictionary 420 . a dictionary of command terms also needs to be created or selected 430 . in embodiments , a library of basic transforms in the color space corresponding to various command terms would also be generated 440 . there would be a general mapping between particular transform forms and command forms . the details of a user command would be used to tailor a transform once it was selected from the library as described in more detail with respect to fig6 . in addition to generating a lexicon of command terms , a syntax for using the command terms from the command dictionary in combination with the color terms of the color dictionary would be chosen as well 150 . both of the command and color term dictionaries may simply be part of one big dictionary . fig5 illustrates an embodiment of a natural language color control and calibration system that a user would use to adjust an image or portion thereof . again , the acts are listed in a particular order in the flowchart . however , this order should not be considered limiting , as the order of many of these acts may be changed without affecting the resulting color control system . at 500 , the user would select a subject . the subject may be , for example , a scanned or created image or a set of input colors of a multi - dimensional lookup table . the subject may also be a portion of an image . for example , the user may be able to identify a quadrant of an image or a particular object in an image that the user would want to adjust . the natural language system included herein also encompasses the ability to mark areas of an image to be adjusted using a point and click system . at 610 , some or all of the selected subject would be mapped from the initial color space into the working color space of the color control system before or after the command is entered . the initial color space may be , for example , rgb on a display screen or cmyk on a printed document . for an image , for example , this may be a pixel - by - pixel mapping . however , many programs exist to reduce the time and processing power of such a mapping . for example , various algorithms use sampling techniques and / or allow a system to recognize uniform patches . the working color space could be any color encoding in which the color adjustment algorithms referenced in 530 are conveniently applied . in general , perceptually uniform , device independent color encodings are preferred as working spaces . the user also issues a verbal or written instruction to indicate the change required in the image at 520 . this command may be entered before or after the image or portion of the image is mapped into the working color space . the language used for this instruction could be the natural language of the user or it might be a language defined or limited by the application ; e . g ., the application may provide a user interface that could limit the language to a defined vocabulary or facilitate the parsing operation . at 530 , the program would translate the entered verbal or written instruction into a color transform in the color working space . the program would contain a set of rules or instructions for parsing the instruction and implementing a transformation to the image corresponding to the user &# 39 ; s command . the natural language command may be parsed to separate the command into components such as , for example , a target or resultant color range specification 540 , and a color modification specification 550 . the target color range specification would include the color or colors to be modified . the target color range specification may also specifically identify colors that are not to be modified . the image adjustment would then be applied only to those colors that are included in the color range specified to be adjusted . in 560 , an image mask would be created from the specified color range 540 and the image in the working color space . the image adjustment will therefore be applied only to those colors that are included in the mask . in embodiments , a particular color might be present in an area of overlapping regions of specified color ranges and therefore might be contained within two or more overlapping ranges . if the user were to enter verbal commands involving both these regions then the program make an internal logic decision based upon a set of preprogrammed rules . for example , the commands may be followed consecutively with the last command entered given priority over earlier commands . there are many methods , familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art , by which a mask can be created . one such method involves representing the specified color range as a subvolume of the working color space and then determining , for each pixel in the mapped image , if the color of the pixel is inside the specified color range subvolume . all such pixels inside the specified color range subvolume are in the mask while all pixels outside the specified color range subvolume are excluded from the mask . another method of creating the image mask is to associate with each color in the color name dictionary or dictionaries one or more prototypical locations ( points rather than subvolumes ) in the working color space . for each image pixel the nearest prototypical color name location is determined and those pixels with nearest prototypical locations associated with color names in the specified color range are included in the mask . pixels with a nearest prototypical location associated with color names not in the specified color range are excluded from the mask . while it is possible to map each individual pixel , algorithms exist to simplify such mappings . for example , various algorithms use sampling techniques and / or allow a system to recognize uniform patches . yet another alternative method to construct the mask is to construct a multidimensional lookup table , the input values of which sample the working color space . when the image pixel colors are mapped through this multi - dimensional lookup table the output values indicate whether the pixel are included in the mask or excluded from the mask . such an embodiment might result in output values between 0 and 1 where a value of 0 represents exclusion from the mask and a value of 1 represents inclusion in the mask . since multi - dimensional lookup tables generally use interpolation to determine output values the possibility of values between 0 and 1 exists . in such cases these fractional values could be retained , resulting in a fuzzy or blurred mask . in such a fuzzy or blurred mask pixels returning values between 0 and 1 would be considered to be partially included in the mask . pixels that are partially in the mask would undergo a partial image adjustment . alternatively , the output values might be rounded , or otherwise adjusted , to give only values of 0 or 1 , thereby generating a binary mask . other methods for mapping such input terms into the working color space include , for example , use of voronoi partitions , other tessellation methods , and k - d trees . a general example of such a method , suitable for both convex and non - convex regions , comprises tessellating each named region in the color space with tetrahedral simplices . testing whether a given color lies inside any of the tetrahedra comprising the region will determine whether the color lies within the region . in the case of convex regions of the color space simpler tests not requiring tessellation of the region can be used . in 600 , the natural language instruction is used to create a color adjustment transform . there are numerous methods by which such transforms could be constructed but in general all such methods will include the act of parsing the verbal color modification specification to determine 1 ) the magnitude of the desired modification , 2 ) the property that is to be modified and 3 ) the direction in which it is to be modified . these three pieces of information are a minimum requirement for any color adjustment transform . additional information might be required to more fully specify the required transform before it can be constructed . such additional information might be acquired from the pixels that are included in the mask . such pixel - related information might include color values and spatial locations . the values of individual pixels or population statistics might be used in transform construction . what follows is a general example of transform construction , using an example command or instruction language such as , for example , those discussed herein . the acts involved in this general example of transform construction are illustrated in fig6 . first , a verbal color modification specification is parsed 610 to obtain verbal specifications for the color property to be modified 620 , the magnitude of the color modification 630 , and the direction of the color modification 640 . the command , “ make the red colors slightly less saturated ” is first parsed per into a target color range specification 540 ( the red colors ), and a color modification specification 550 ( slightly less saturated ), as noted earlier . then , at act 600 , the color modification specification is parsed into the color property to be modified 620 ( saturation ), the magnitude of the color modification 630 ( slightly ), and the direction of the color modification 640 ( less ). the verbal description of the color property to be modified is mapped to a numerical normalizing scale factor in step 650 . this act allows for the magnitude specifications to be normalized such that the verbal descriptions of magnitude ( 630 ) correspond to equivalent or very similar perceptual changes in the target color regardless of the property that is being modified and regardless of the color being modified . for this example , the magnitude of color change requested is “ slight ” and this should lead to a perceptually similar “ slight ” change in the target “ red ” colors regardless of what perceptual property we are changing . perceptual properties can include , for example , saturation , lightness , darkness , colorfulness , chroma , hue , contrast , redness , greenness , yellowness , blueness , orange - ness , pink - ness , brown - ness , purple - ness , and grayness . additionally , one could modify any property that could be described as ( color - name )- ness by moving the selected colors in a direction toward the prototypical location of ( color - name ). e . g ., to increase the mauve - ness of a selection of colors move them toward the prototypical location of color name ‘ mauve ’. at 660 , the verbal magnitude of the color modification is mapped onto a numerical magnitude value . generally , and in the interests of common sense , words that signify a larger magnitude would be mapped onto larger numerical magnitude values , but this is not a requirement . it is desirable however that the numerical magnitude scale , onto which magnitude words are mapped , corresponds linearly to the perceived magnitude that an average population , with normal color vision , associates with the verbal magnitude word or phrase . perceptual changes in a property will likely depend in part upon the color being modified and upon its initial scaled value in that property . for example , what constitutes a slight lessening of the saturation of reds in an image would likely be different if there was a low saturation of red in the image , then if there was a high saturation of red . in embodiments , the magnitude of a “ slight ” property change in the working color space would depend upon the context in which it was used . act 670 involves mapping the verbal direction to a numerical sign value (+ or −). this can be simply implemented by mapping the verbal direction to a multiplicative factor of + 1 for verbal indications that increase a property and − 1 for verbal indications that decrease a property . the numerical values determined in 650 , 660 and 670 are used as parameters in a color adjustment transform . this occurs in 690 . generally a color adjustment transform will have some pre - determined functional form and the numerical values are applied to this functional form to control its specific effect on the colors . the choice of functional form of the color adjustment transform would be made in 680 . the choice might be arbitrarily made by the application designer or the functional form might be algorithmically determined by , for example , the values of the color property to be modified , the verbal magnitude of the color modification and the verbal direction of the color modification . the program implementing converting the natural language command into a transform in the color working space may have a library of basic forms to map to different sets of user instructions . based upon the natural language command entered by the user , the program selects a functional form from this library . for example , one functional form might be chosen for lightness modifications and a different form chosen for chroma modifications . in this case , the functional form to which the numerical values determined in s 650 , 660 and 670 are applied , would depend on the type of color property to be modified . as a trivial example of applying the numerical values to a functional form , consider the simple functional form of a linear mapping . such a mapping will have two parameters — the slope of the line and an intercept . in this trivial example , the linear function would map the original value of the specified color property to a modified output value of that property . the slope of the line could be determined from the product of the values of the numerical normalizing scale factor , the numerical magnitude value and the numerical sign value . the intercept value of such a linear mapping would generally be zero , but might also be derived from the numerical magnitude value in special cases . more complex functional forms will generally require more parameters to define them . the numerical values determined in 650 , 660 and 670 would therefore be used to determine the values of the parameters . the numerical values may simply be assigned to the parameters , or parameters may be determined by some mathematical modification of combination of the numerical values . returning to fig5 , in 570 , a modified color image is created by applying the color modification transform and the image mask created in 680 and 560 respectively to the original image . finally , the modified color image is then converted back to the original color space in 580 . it will be appreciated that variants of the above - disclosed and other features and functions , or alternatives thereof , may be combined into many other different systems or applications . various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives , modifications , variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims . | 6 |
preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a circuit diagram illustrating the construction of an intermediate frequency circuit for a television tuner according to a first embodiment of the invention , including a front part circuit . furthermore , fig2 is a plan view illustrating the disposition state of main components when the intermediate frequency circuit for the television tuner shown in fig1 is formed on a circuit board . in addition , even in this case , the same reference numerals as in the components shown in fig1 denote the same components of fig2 in the description below . as shown in fig1 , the intermediate frequency circuit 11 of the television tuner according to the first embodiment includes an intermediate frequency tuning circuit 1 in which two coils 1 ( 1 ) and 1 ( 2 ) connected in series are connected parallel to a capacitor 1 ( 3 ), a n − 1 channel trap circuit 2 in which a coil 2 ( 1 ) is connected parallel to a capacitor 2 ( 2 ), an intermediate frequency signal amplifier 3 , an intermediate frequency signal resonance circuit 4 in which a coil 4 ( 1 ) and a capacitor 4 ( 2 ) are connected in series , a frequency converter 5 including a mixer circuit and a local oscillation circuit , a buffer resistor 6 , a bypass capacitor 7 , a coupling capacitor 8 , a bypass capacitor 9 , a shunt capacitor 10 , an input terminal 11 ( i ), an output terminal 11 ( o ), and a power supply terminal 11 ( b ). these components 1 to 10 are interconnected , as shown in fig1 . the circuit configuration is the same as the intermediate frequency circuit for a television tuner according to the related art shown in fig7 in appearance . furthermore , the front part circuit of the intermediate frequency circuit 11 of the television tuner includes a high frequency circuit 12 having a bandpass filter , a high frequency amplifier , a television signal select filter or the like , and a reception antenna 13 , both of which are connected , as shown in fig1 . this configuration of the front part circuit is the same as that of the intermediate frequency circuit for the television tuner according to the related art , shown in fig7 . furthermore , as shown in fig2 , in the disposition state of the respective components when the intermediate frequency circuit 11 of the television tuner according to the first embodiment is formed on the circuit board , an integrated circuit block 3 , 5 of the intermediate frequency signal amplifier 3 and the frequency converter 5 is disposed at the central region of the board . the integrated circuit block 3 , 5 has two mixer output terminals ( mix out ) and one intermediate frequency input terminal ( if in ) that are derived from one side of the block , and two intermediate frequency output terminals ( if out ) and one intermediate frequency input terminal ( if in ) that are derived from another side opposite to the one side . the two coils 1 ( 1 ) and 1 ( 2 ) are disposed in parallel along the one side of the integrated circuit block 3 , 5 . the coil 2 ( 1 ) is disposed along a side orthogonal to the one side . the coil 4 ( 1 ) is also cascaded to the coil 2 ( 1 ). furthermore , the two coils 1 ( 1 ) and 1 ( 2 ) each have one end connected to the capacitor 1 ( 3 ) therebetween and the other end directly connected to each other by a lead , thus forming the intermediate frequency tuning circuit 1 . the coil 2 ( 1 ) has both ends connected to the capacitor 2 ( 2 ) therebetween , thus forming the n − 1 channel trap circuit 2 . the coil 4 ( 1 ) is connected to the capacitor 4 ( 2 ) in series , thus forming the intermediate frequency signal resonance circuit 4 . in addition , the respective components 6 to 10 are connected , as shown in fig2 , and the intermediate frequency circuit 11 of the television tuner is constructed . as described above , in the intermediate frequency circuit 11 of the television tuner shown in fig1 and 2 according to the first embodiment , the coil 2 ( 1 ) of the n − 1 channel trap circuit 2 and the coil 4 ( 1 ) of the intermediate frequency signal resonance circuit 4 are coaxially cascaded to each other . in the integrated circuit block 3 , 5 , the one intermediate frequency input terminal ( if in ) and the two intermediate frequency output terminals ( if out ) are derived on the same side of the integrated circuit block 3 , 5 . due to this , some induction coupling is generated between the coil 2 ( 1 ) and coil 4 ( 1 ). capacitance coupling is also generated due to minute capacitance formed between one hot - side intermediate frequency input terminal and one hot - side intermediate frequency output terminal . some feedback is performed between the input and output of the intermediate frequency amplifier 3 due to the induction coupling and the capacitance coupling . in this case , fig3 a and 3b show characteristics obtained in the intermediate frequency circuit for the television tuner shown in fig1 and 2 according to the first embodiment . fig3 a shows a frequency characteristic and fig3 b shows a video frequency characteristic . as shown in fig3 a and 3b , in the intermediate frequency circuit for the television tuner , some feedback is carried out between the input and output of the intermediate frequency amplifier 3 . therefore , it can be seen from the frequency characteristic of fig3 a that there is a portion where a peak level is approximately identical to a picture ( p ) portion and the level of the picture ( p ) portion is the peak level . it can also be seen from the video frequency characteristic of fig3 b that a portion near 1 mhz , which rises from a reference level of 0 mhz , has been prevented , and a portion near 3 . 58 mhz , which abruptly declines , has been prevented , so that the video frequency characteristic is generally flat . thereafter , fig4 is a circuit diagram illustrating an intermediate frequency circuit for a television tuner according to a second embodiment of the invention , including a front part circuit . furthermore , fig5 is a plan view illustrating the disposition state of main components when the intermediate frequency circuit for the television tuner shown in fig4 is formed on a circuit board . in addition , even in this case , the same reference numerals as in the components shown in fig4 denote the same components of fig5 in the description below . the intermediate frequency circuit for the television tuner shown in fig1 according to the first embodiment ( hereinafter , referred to as “ the former ”) is different from the intermediate frequency circuit for the television tuner shown in fig4 according to the second embodiment ( hereinafter , referred to as “ the latter ”) in that in the latter , a feedback capacitor 14 is connected between the input and output of an intermediate frequency amplifier 3 , whereas in the former , the feedback capacitor 14 is not provided . there is no difference between the former and the latter in the components of the circuit including the front part circuit , except for the above element . for this reason , the same reference numerals as in the former will denote the same components of the latter and the description thereof will be omitted . furthermore , as shown in fig5 , in the disposition state of the respective components when the intermediate frequency circuit 11 of the television tuner according to the second embodiment is formed on the circuit board , an integrated circuit block 3 , 5 of the intermediate frequency signal amplifier 3 and a frequency converter 5 is disposed at the central region of the board . the integrated circuit block 3 , 5 has one intermediate frequency input terminal ( if in ) and one intermediate frequency output terminal ( if out ) that are derived from one side of the block , and two mixer output terminals ( mix out ) and one intermediate frequency input terminal ( if in ) that are derived from another side orthogonal to the one side . two coils 1 ( 1 ) and 2 ( 1 ) are disposed in parallel along one side of the integrated circuit block 3 , 5 . furthermore , the intermediate frequency circuit 11 of the television tuner according to the second embodiment uses a chip coil in each coil 1 ( 2 ) and coil 4 ( 1 ). the chip coil 1 ( 2 ) has one end connected to one mixer output terminal ( mix out ) of the integrated circuit block 3 , 5 , one end of a capacitor 1 ( 3 ) and one end of a coupling capacitor 8 , and the other end connected to the other end of the coil 1 ( 1 ). the chip coil 4 ( 1 ) has one end connected to one end of a capacitor 4 ( 2 ) and the other end connected to an output terminal 11 ( o ). the feedback capacitor 14 is connected between the hot - side intermediate frequency input terminal ( if in ) and the hot - side intermediate frequency output terminal ( if out ) of the integrated circuit block 3 , 5 . in this case , the capacitor 1 ( 3 ) is connected between both ends of the one coil 1 ( 1 ) and the one chip coil 1 ( 2 ) connected in series , thus forming the intermediate frequency tuning circuit 1 . the coil 2 ( 1 ) has both ends connected to a capacitor 2 ( 2 ), thus forming the n − 1 channel trap circuit 2 . the coil 4 ( 1 ) is connected in series to a capacitor 4 ( 2 ), thus forming the intermediate frequency signal resonance circuit 4 . in addition , the respective components 6 to 10 are connected , as shown in fig5 , and the intermediate frequency circuit 11 of the television tuner is constructed . as described above , in the intermediate frequency circuit 11 of the television tuner shown in fig4 and 5 according to the second embodiment , one intermediate frequency input terminal ( if in ) and one intermediate frequency output terminal ( if out ) in the integrated circuit block 3 , 5 are derived on the same side of the integrated circuit block 3 , 5 . the feedback capacitor 14 is connected between the intermediate frequency input terminal and the intermediate frequency output terminal . capacitance coupling is generated due to minute capacitance generated between the hot - side intermediate frequency input terminal and the hot - side intermediate frequency output terminal , and the feedback capacitor 14 connected between them , and thus some feedback is carried out between the input and output of the intermediate frequency amplifier 3 . fig6 a and 6b show characteristics obtained in the intermediate frequency circuit for the television tuner shown in fig4 and 5 according to the second embodiment . fig6 a shows a frequency characteristic and fig6 b shows a video frequency characteristic . as shown in fig6 a and 6b , in the intermediate frequency circuit for the television tuner , some feedback is performed between the input and output of the intermediate frequency amplifier 3 . therefore , it can be seen from the frequency characteristic shown in fig6 a that there is a portion where a peak level is approximately identical to a picture ( p ) portion and the level of the picture ( p ) portion is the peak level . it can also be seen from the video frequency characteristic shown in fig6 b that a portion near 1 mhz , which rises from the reference level of 0 mhz , has been prevented , and a portion near 3 . 58 mhz , which abruptly declines , has been prevented , so that the video frequency characteristic is generally flat . as described above , according to the intermediate frequency circuit for the television tuner in accordance with the invention , some feedback is performed between the input and output of the intermediate frequency amplifier 3 . accordingly , a frequency characteristic and a video frequency characteristic can be improved and desired characteristics can be obtained through a simple circuit configuration . furthermore , as described above , according to an intermediate frequency circuit for a television tuner in accordance with the invention , the coupling state of components disposed between the input and output of an intermediate frequency amplifier on a circuit board is selected . a picture portion in a frequency characteristic of the intermediate frequency circuit is highlighted so that it is identical to the peak level . accordingly , there are effects in that a picture portion of a frequency characteristic can be enhanced and a video frequency characteristic can be relatively made flat . | 7 |
embodiments of the present invention relate to providing a global network for instant transfer of funds between financial institutions that enables immediate , or “ real - time ”, funds transfers between financial institutions ( e . g ., banks ) regardless of whether the banks are in the same country or different countries . for brevity “ bank ” has been used for the more general term “ financial institution ” ( fi ) in the illustrative examples that follow , but no limitation of financial institutions only to banks is intended unless specifically stated . “ instant ” means the payment transaction is not subjected to any waiting period ; the transactions are settled as soon as they are processed , comparable to real - time settlement systems such as rtgs . transactions conducted using the instant global funds transfer network according to one or more embodiments may be more economical for use by individuals than rtgs systems yet provide faster settlement than transactions that clear through swiftnet . for example , the rtgs system is suited for low - volume ( e . g ., less than a hundred per day per institution ), high - value ( e . g ., more than $ 10 , 000 ) transactions . rtgs systems are an alternative to systems of settling transactions at the end of the day , also known as net settlement systems , for example , automated clearing house ( ach ) or swiftnet . in a net settlement system , all the inter - institution transactions during the day are accumulated . at the end of the day , the accounts of the institutions are adjusted . a system according to one or more embodiments may be more convenient for users than a typical net settlement system . for example , transactions may be conducted on - line rather than the user having to walk up to a bank counter or teller window ; the funds recipient may receive funds right away so that the user &# 39 ; s transaction may be completed more quickly ; and errors may be detected and corrected right away instead of taking perhaps as long as a week to correct , as in some conventional systems , during which time neither the user nor the recipient may have use of the money . for banks or financial institutions , the faster service provided by an embodiment may allow the bank to charge more for the faster service than for a conventional net settlement system funds transfer . also , suitability for low - value funds transfers using an embodiment may lead to wider usage than that of rtgs , increasing volume of business for the bank providing the faster service . fig1 illustrates a system 100 , according to one embodiment , for facilitating financial transactions , e . g ., transactions involving money in any of its various forms supported by system 100 , in which a buyer 102 and seller 104 may wish to conduct a transaction 106 , which may include sending money from buyer 102 to seller 104 . buyer 102 may be able to use any of several different mechanisms for sending money from an account at a bank ( or other financial institution or financial service provider ), for example , of the buyer 102 to seller 104 for accomplishing transaction 106 . for example , buyer 102 may use an echeck 108 , an integrated electronic fund transfer ( ieft ) 110 , or a manual electronic funds transfer ( meft ) 112 to fund the transaction 106 . note that buyer and seller are used as an example , as any payer and payee may use features herein to effect instant money or fund transfers . using echeck 108 , buyer 102 may perform a credit / debit transaction that is similar to the use of a regular bank check , generally familiar to most people . like a regular bank check , an echeck 108 may be settled using the automated clearing house ( ach ) network and may generally take 3 to 5 business days to clear , e . g ., to be settled , meaning that the bank account of the recipient , also referred to as “ creditor ”, e . g ., seller 104 , has been credited ( recipient has full use of the money ) and the bank account of the payer , also referred to as “ debtor ”, e . g ., buyer 102 , has been debited ( payer no longer has use of the money ). with echeck 108 the money may be paid to seller 104 from an account of buyer 102 by direct debit , which is a method of ach collection in which the debtor , e . g ., buyer 102 , gives authorization to debit the account of buyer 102 upon the receipt of an entry issued by the creditor , e . g ., seller 104 . a financial service provider ( fsp ) 120 , such as paypal , inc . of san jose , calif ., may provide a service ( e . g ., acting as an intermediary between buyer 102 and seller 104 ) that insulates buyer 102 from seller 104 by allowing completion of transaction 106 through the fsp 120 via transaction 122 , between buyer 102 and fsp 120 , and transaction 124 , between seller 104 and fsp 120 , as shown in fig1 . for example , fsp 120 may provide an echeck 108 transaction in which buyer 102 sends money to fsp 120 , and fsp 120 may then send the money to seller 104 via using a transaction 124 between fsp 120 and seller 104 that is agreeable to both parties . in this way , information need only pass between seller 104 and fsp 120 without seller 104 needing to know any financial information about buyer 102 . using this echeck service , buyer 102 may give authorization to debit the account of buyer 102 upon the receipt of an entry issued by the fsp 120 . the authorization may be enabled , for example , by buyer 102 providing the fsp 120 with appropriate information about the bank and account of buyer 102 . returning to fig1 , using ieft 110 , buyer 102 may perform an integrated electronic fund transfer through the fsp 120 . to use the ieft service provided by fsp 120 , buyer 102 may or may not provide the fsp 120 with appropriate information about the bank and account of buyer 102 . using this ieft service , the buyer 102 may initiate the transaction 106 on a website of fsp 120 and the buyer 102 may be redirected to an on - line banking web page of the bank of buyer 102 , bank a . buyer 102 may log on to bank a at the on - line banking web page , and bank a may provide buyer 102 the capability to confirm the payment and the amount . once the buyer 102 confirms the payment and amount , the fsp 120 may receive instant payment verification , e . g ., the payment is approved , authorization is completed , and it may be guaranteed to fsp 120 to receive payment within , for example , 2 to 3 days . at that time , because the money is deemed safe , fsp 120 may make immediate payment to the seller 104 , e . g ., release the funds or credit the funds to the seller 104 . referring again to fig1 , using meft 112 , buyer 102 may perform a manual electronic funds transfer through the fsp 120 . to use the meft service provided by fsp 120 , buyer 102 may or may not provide the fsp 120 with appropriate information about the bank and account of buyer 102 . using this meft service , the buyer 102 may provide fsp 120 with funds to be kept with fsp 120 in a user account of buyer 102 . in effect , funds for the transaction 106 will be prepaid into an account with fsp 120 by the buyer 102 . having prepaid appropriate funds to fsp 120 ( e . g ., via transaction 122 ), buyer 102 may initiate the transaction 106 on a website of fsp 120 . fsp 120 may then send the money to seller 104 using an appropriate method for accomplishing transaction 124 . in this way , information need only pass between seller 104 and fsp 120 without seller 104 needing to know any financial information about buyer 102 . with meft , as with ieft , because the money is deemed safe , fsp 120 may make immediate payment to the seller 104 , e . g ., release the funds or credit the funds to the seller 104 . returning again to fig1 , seller 104 may have several options for receiving the money sent by buyer 102 in transaction 106 from fsp 120 and putting the money into a bank account of seller 104 . in one option , the seller 104 may maintain a seller account with fsp 120 . once the fsp 120 has provided the money from transaction 106 to the fsp seller account of seller 104 , seller 104 may then withdraw the money ( withdrawal 111 ) from the fsp seller account and , for example , deposit it with the bank of seller 104 , bank b . fsp 120 may provide financial services that allow instant fund transfers , e . g ., fund transfers in real time — such as those accomplished by rtgs systems — but adapted to low value transfers — such as those accomplished by swiftnet or ach transfers . the instant fund transfers may , however , be provided more economically than by rtgs and more quickly than by swiftnet . some of the financial services are illustrated in fig1 as an instant top - up 114 , an instant account confirmation ( using withdrawals ) 115 , an instant direct debit 116 , and an instant funds out ( withdrawal ) 117 . fig2 illustrates a portion of system 100 for facilitating financial transactions according to one embodiment . financial service provider 120 may provide system 100 as a bank - to - bank fund transfer network to which bank a and bank b belong , enabling instant or real - time transfer transaction 106 between bank a and bank b . the network of system 100 may be global , and bank a and bank b may be in the same or different countries . transaction 106 may occur from a user ( e . g . buyer 102 or ultimate debtor ) of bank a and a user ( e . g ., seller 104 or ultimate creditor ) of bank b , and in the case that user 104 is identical to user 102 it may be understood that user 102 is thus able to transfer money between his or her own accounts at different banks using system 100 . bank a may offer interbank , instant funds transfers for banks in the network of system 100 as a product through on - line banking . a user ( e . g ., buyer 102 or ultimate debtor ) having an account at bank a may , for example , log on to an on - line banking web page of bank a , and choose the global instant funds transfer service . the buyer 102 may then be presented , for example , with a drop down list of banks in the network of system 100 to which a transfer can be made . upon the buyer 102 providing enough information ( e . g ., transfer amount , destination bank , destination account number , or seller 104 identification ), bank a may invoke an application programming interface ( api ) 151 to accomplish the transfer transaction 106 . api 151 , as well as apis 152 , 153 , and 154 , may be pre - defined such as iso 20022 “ fitoficredittransfer ”. api 151 may communicate with api 152 for performing transaction 122 . based on the information received by api 152 from bank a , api 152 may chain to api 153 to communicate with api 154 at bank b to perform transaction 124 so that transaction 106 between user 102 and user 104 may be completed . by chaining apis in this manner , fsp 120 may form the network of system 100 and enable instant global interbank funds transfer via the network of system 100 . as seen in fig2 , transfer transaction 106 may be completed in several steps or links through fsp 120 , which may be transparent to user 102 and user 104 as indicated by the dashed line representing transaction 106 in fig2 . in other words , user 102 may perceive that user 102 only needs to deal with bank a in order to accomplish the entire transaction 106 , without user 102 being aware of fsp 102 or partial transactions 122 and 124 . on the other hand , bank a may display , for example , on its on - line banking webpage that enables use of the funds transfer service , a trademark or logo of fsp 120 to indicate affiliation of the network of system 100 or the funds transfer service provided by bank a with fsp 120 . such information may be displayed by bank a for purposes of using the good will associated with the name of fsp 120 in encouraging trust of user 102 in system 100 and the funds transfer service provided by bank a . fig3 illustrates an example of various operations of system 100 for financial transactions . in system 100 , according to one or more embodiments , instant bank funds transfers can be made , on behalf of various users , between financial institutions , which in the example of fig3 are illustrated by banks bank a , bank b , and a partner bank 121 of fsp 120 . users may be different users of the same or different banks , for example , or the same user may wish to transfer funds between that user &# 39 ; s own accounts at different banks . as shown in fig3 , bank a may be a bilateral bank , meaning there is an established bilateral relationship between bank a and fsp partner bank 121 . fsp partner bank 121 may provide a hosting service for cash accounts , e . g ., business checking accounts , some of which are owned by banks in the system 100 , e . g ., bank a cash account 172 owned by bank a , and some of which are owned by fsp 120 , e . g ., fsp cash account 182 . for example , if a user of bank a wishes to transfer money to a user of bank b ( e . g ., transaction 106 shown in fig1 and 2 ), the bank a user may so instruct bank a and bank a may begin a transaction 171 for transfer of funds using api 161 and api 162 to move funds ( e . g ., transfer 185 ) from the user &# 39 ; s account at bank a to bank a ′ s cash account 172 at fsp partner bank 121 . fsp partner bank 121 may then make an internal transfer 181 of funds between bank a &# 39 ; s cash account 172 and fsp cash account 182 . fsp partner bank 121 may use cash accounts 172 , 174 , and 182 , by which multiple transactions — such as transfers 181 , 183 , and 185 — are netted to maintain an aggregate balance for each cash account . the financial institutions in system 100 , e . g ., bank a and fsp partner bank 121 , may use a due to - due from accounting model for operating the network of system 100 . due to - due from accounts ( as opposed , e . g ., to transfer accounts ) generally are similar to liability accounts in that they appear on the balance sheet of year - end statements and maintain a balance at the end of the year that is carried forward to the next year . this type of account is usually used for transferring money between companies . by way of contrast , transfer accounts generally are similar to expense accounts in that their balance is closed into the fund balance account at the end of the year and they appear on the income statement . this type of account is usually used for balancing transactions across funds . continuing the example ( e . g ., transaction 106 shown in fig1 and 2 ), subsequent to internal transfer 181 , the funds transfer from the user of bank a to the user of bank b ( which may be the same or a different user ) may be completed via internal transfer 183 to bank b &# 39 ; s cash account 174 and transfer 187 ( accomplished , e . g ., via transaction 173 ) to the account of the user of bank b at bank b . transaction 173 may be made using api 164 and api 163 . the overall transfer from the user of bank a to the user of bank b ( e . g ., transaction 106 shown in fig1 and 2 ) may be completed instantly because : 1 ) transfer 181 and transfer 183 are internal funds transfers of fsp partner bank 121 , 2 ) transfer 185 , occurring between bank a and its own cash account 172 with fsp partner bank 121 , may be accomplished by properly crediting and debiting the appropriate accounts via the use of api 161 , api 162 , and transaction 171 , and 3 ) transfer 187 may be accomplished , like transfer 185 , by properly crediting and debiting the appropriate accounts via the use of api 164 , api 163 , and transaction 173 , without actual movement of funds between bank b and its own cash account 174 at fsp partner bank 121 . to facilitate immediate settlement of transactions ( e . g ., transaction 106 shown in fig1 and 2 ), each financial institution ( e . g ., bank a and bank b ) and the fsp 120 may take steps to ensure that each cash account in the fsp partner bank 121 maintains a large enough balance for settlement of a few days of transactions on a total aggregate basis . for example , fsp 120 may make funds transfers 189 , and bank a and bank b may make funds transfers 185 and 187 respectively . thus , at the end of each day , fsp 120 may issue fund transfer instructions to fsp partner bank 121 ; for example : “ today there is net $ 1 , 000 , 000 . 00 transaction payment amount from bank a cash account to fsp cash account hosted by fsp partner bank ”. because both cash accounts are hosted by the same bank , e . g ., fsp partner bank 121 , the instruction is satisfied by an intrabank account loop transfer . an intrabank loop transfer is instant . for example , error reporting can take place immediately , e . g ., if any cash account has an insufficient balance . thus , transactions , such as funds transfer transaction 106 , may be settled immediately , e . g ., do not take a number of business days to clear as with a conventional transfer made using , for example , swiftnet or ach . system 100 may be scalable in the sense that a new bank ( or financial institution ) may integrated into the system in practicably short amount of time so that the system can grow by hundreds to thousands of new financial institutions within a moderate time horizon , for example , 100 new banks within a year rather than 1 year for each new bank . for example , integrating bank b into system 100 may require setting up bank b &# 39 ; s cash account 174 to be hosted by fsp partner bank 121 for facilitating intrabank loop transfers 183 . open apis , that is , apis defined by iso rather than the fsp 120 — such as iso 20022 apis “ fitoficredittransfer ” — may be used so that not only the fsp 120 can implement and host appropriate apis , but the new financial institution , e . g ., bank b for this example , can also invoke and host the appropriate apis ; thus , api invocation is bi - directional . with such an approach , integration of a new bank , e . g ., bank b , may require only configuring pre - defined apis , e . g ., configuring api 163 and api 164 for performance of transactions 173 . configuring the open apis can save significant amount of product development time ( e . g . up to about one year in each case ) that would otherwise conventionally be required on the part of fsp 120 on a customized basis for each new financial institution . fig4 illustrates a method 400 for transferring funds instantly in a global financial network such as system 100 according to one embodiment . at step 401 , a user ( e . g ., buyer 102 ) may log in to the user &# 39 ; s account at a financial institution ( e . g ., bank a ) using , for example , on - line banking provided by bank a . for this example , the user may wish to move funds from an account with bank a to an account at bank b , so the transaction may be instant transfer of funds from the user &# 39 ; s ( e . g ., buyer 102 ) account with bank a to the account of a user ( e . g ., seller 104 ) at bank b . the user may choose the transaction to perform at the on - line banking web page of bank a and may provide additional choices and information — such as selecting bank b from a drop down list of available banks that belong to the instant global funds transfer network of system 100 . a bank may be available , for example , if the bank has been integrated into instant global funds transfer network of system 100 by fsp 120 and the bank has a cash account hosted by fsp partner bank 121 , as shown in fig3 . at the end of the day , if the transaction is the only one for bank a , that may be the only fund transfer issued to fsp partner bank 121 in that case ; otherwise , several transactions may be netted against each other and an aggregate fund transfer issued to fsp partner bank 121 at the end of the day . on day 1 , in real - time , at step 402 , fsp 120 may receive the credit transfer api invocation from bank a to transfer $ 100 ( in this example , to illustrate that some specific amount of funds is chosen by the user , $ 100 is used as the chosen amount ) of the user &# 39 ; s ( e . g ., buyer 102 ) account balance to an account at bank b . because the api provides instant results , the money movement settlement is guaranteed , e . g ., reliance by fsp partner bank 121 on availability of funds in bank a cash account 172 is safe . using the information , fsp 120 may sequence the invocations of api 162 and api 164 to accomplish the complete transaction of transferring funds from bank a to bank b which may be described as chaining the transactions 171 and 173 or chaining the apis for transactions 171 and 173 . for example , fsp 120 having information from api 162 that transfer to bank b is requested , may invoke api 164 and provide requisite information for completing the transfer of funds from bank a to bank b . upon receipt of the instructions via the api , at step 403 , fsp partner bank 121 may use internal cash accounts ( e . g ., a general ledger account ) which is hosted inside the instant global funds transfer network of system 100 ( e . g ., hosted by fsp partner bank 121 ) to credit the $ 100 to the cash account 174 of bank b via transaction 181 and transaction 183 using , for example , intrabank loop transfers . bank b may then transfer the money from its own cash account 174 to the account of the bank b user ( e . g ., seller 104 ) at bank b using , for example , funds transfer 187 . thus , money may be credited to the bank b user &# 39 ; s account at bank b immediately ( because money movement settlement is guaranteed ) even though bank b may wait the standard 3 to 5 days for settlement . because bank b can credit the funds immediately to the user &# 39 ; s account with bank b , bank b may release the funds immediately for completion of a transaction desired by the user of bank a ( e . g ., buyer 102 ). for example , bank b may release funds immediately to seller 104 , who then may process the order of buyer 102 and proceed immediately , for example , to ship goods to buyer 102 . in implementation of the various embodiments , embodiments of the invention may comprise a personal computing device , such as a personal computer , laptop , pda , cellular phone or other personal computing or communication devices . the payment provider system may comprise a network computing device , such as a server or a plurality of servers , computers , or processors , combined to define a computer system or network to provide the payment services provided by a payment provider system . in this regard , a computer system may include a bus or other communication mechanism for communicating information , which interconnects subsystems and components , such as processing component ( e . g ., processor , micro - controller , digital signal processor ( dsp ), etc . ), system memory component ( e . g ., ram ), static storage component ( e . g ., rom ), disk drive component ( e . g ., magnetic or optical ), network interface component ( e . g ., modem or ethernet card ), display component ( e . g ., crt or lcd ), input component ( e . g ., keyboard or keypad ), and / or cursor control component ( e . g ., mouse or trackball ). in one embodiment , disk drive component may comprise a database having one or more disk drive components . the computer system may perform specific operations by processor and executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in a system memory component . such instructions may be read into the system memory component from another computer readable medium , such as static storage component or disk drive component . in other embodiments , hard - wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the invention . logic may be encoded in a computer readable and executable medium , which may refer to any medium that participates in providing instructions to the processor for execution . such a medium may take many forms , including but not limited to , non - volatile media , volatile media , and transmission media . in one embodiment , the computer readable medium is non - transitory . in various implementations , non - volatile media includes optical or magnetic disks , such as disk drive component , volatile media includes dynamic memory , such as system memory component , and transmission media includes coaxial cables , copper wire , and fiber optics , including wires that comprise bus . in one example , transmission media may take the form of acoustic or light waves , such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications . some common forms of computer readable and executable media include , for example , floppy disk , flexible disk , hard disk , magnetic tape , any other magnetic medium , cd - rom , any other optical medium , punch cards , paper tape , any other physical medium with patterns of holes , ram , rom , eprom , flash - eprom , any other memory chip or cartridge , carrier wave , or any other medium from which a computer is adapted . in various embodiments , execution of instruction sequences for practicing the invention may be performed by a computer system . in various other embodiments , a plurality of computer systems coupled by communication link ( e . g ., lan , wlan , ptsn , or various other wired or wireless networks ) may perform instruction sequences to practice the invention in coordination with one another . computer system may transmit and receive messages , data , information and instructions , including one or more programs ( i . e ., application code ) through communication link and communication interface . received program code may be executed by processor as received and / or stored in disk drive component or some other non - volatile storage component for execution . where applicable , various embodiments provided by the present disclosure may be implemented using hardware , software , or combinations of hardware and software . also , where applicable , the various hardware components and / or software components set forth herein may be combined into composite components comprising software , hardware , and / or both without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure . where applicable , the various hardware components and / or software components set forth herein may be separated into sub - components comprising software , hardware , or both without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . in addition , where applicable , it is contemplated that software components may be implemented as hardware components and vice - versa . software , in accordance with the present disclosure , such as program code and / or data , may be stored on one or more computer readable and executable mediums . it is also contemplated that software identified herein may be implemented using one or more general purpose or specific purpose computers and / or computer systems , networked and / or otherwise . where applicable , the ordering of various steps described herein may be changed , combined into composite steps , and / or separated into sub - steps to provide features described herein . the foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the present invention to the precise forms or particular fields of use disclosed . it is contemplated that various alternate embodiments and / or modifications to the present invention , whether explicitly described or implied herein , are possible in light of the disclosure . having thus described various example embodiments of the disclosure , persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the invention . thus , the invention is limited only by the claims . | 6 |
hereinafter , embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 to 5 are cross - sectional views of optical systems according to embodiments of the present invention , each corresponding to each of examples 1 to 5 . as the basic configurations of the examples shown in fig1 to 5 are identical and the illustration methods of fig1 to 5 are also identical , an optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference mainly to fig1 . the optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention may be mounted , for example , on an imaging device and used as an imaging optical system for imaging a subject . further , the optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention may be mounted on a projection display device and used as a projection optical system for projecting on a screen image information displayed on a light valve . fig1 shows an example in which the optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a projection display device . in fig1 , the left side is the magnification side and the right side is the reduction side , and an optical member 2 a , assuming a prism and the like , an optical member 2 b , assuming various filters , a cover glass , and the like , and an image display surface 1 of a light valve are also illustrated . in the projection display device , a light beam with image information given by the image display surface 1 enters the optical system through the optical members 2 b and 2 a and is projected on a screen ( not shown ) disposed on the left side direction of the drawing by the optical system . fig1 illustrates only one image display surface 1 for the simplicity of the drawing , but the projection display device may be configured to display a full color image by separating a light beam from the light source into three primary colors by a color separation optical system and disposing three light valves , each for each primary color . the optical system of the present embodiment consists essentially of , in order from the magnification side , a first lens l 1 having a positive refractive power with a convex surface on the magnification side , a second lens l 2 having a negative refractive power , a third lens l 3 having a negative refractive power , a fourth lens l 4 having a positive refractive power , a fifth lens l 5 having a positive refractive power , and a sixth lens l 6 having a positive refractive power . fig1 shows an example in which an aperture stop st is disposed between the second lens l 2 and the third lens l 3 . note that the aperture stop st shown in fig1 does not necessarily represent the size or the shape but indicates the position on the optical axis z . assigning a positive refractive power to the first lens l 1 is advantageous for the correction of distortion and lateral chromatic aberration . forming the magnification side surface of the first lens l 1 in a convex surface is advantageous for the correction of spherical aberration . the first lens l 1 can be , for example , a positive meniscus lens with a convex surface on the magnification side . assigning a negative refractive power to the second lens l 2 causes a back focus of an appropriate length to be ensured easily . the second lens l 2 is preferably a meniscus lens with a concave surface on the reduction side and if that is the case , the generation amount of astigmatism may be suppressed . assigning a negative refractive power to the third lens l 3 is advantageous for the correction of spherical aberration and longitudinal chromatic aberration . the magnification side surface of the third lens l 3 is preferably a concave surface and if that is the case , spherical aberration is advantageously corrected . the third lens l 3 can be , for example , a biconcave lens . assigning positive refractive powers to the fourth lens l 4 , the fifth lens l 5 , and the sixth lens l 6 causes distortion and spherical aberration to be prevented easily from being aggravated , while maintaining telecentricity on the reduction side by allowing the positive refractive power to be shared by the three lenses . maintaining telecentricity on the reduction side allows the optical system to be suitably used for a projection display device having a cross prism , a total reflection prism , or the like disposed between the lens system and the image display surface 1 . the reduction side surface of the lens l 4 is preferably a convex surface and if that is the case , the generation amount of astigmatism may be suppressed . the fourth lens l 4 can be , for example , a positive meniscus lens with a convex surface on the reduction side . the reduction side surface of the fifth lens l 5 is preferably a convex surface and if that is the case , the generation amount of astigmatism may be suppressed . if the reduction side surface of the fourth lens l 4 and the reduction side surface of the fifth lens l 5 are both convex surfaces , the generation amount of astigmatism may further be suppressed in comparison with the case in which only either one of the surfaces is a convex surface . the fifth lens l 5 is preferably a biconvex lens and if that is the case , the generation amount of spherical aberration may be suppressed . the magnification side surface of the sixth lens l 6 is preferably a convex surface and if that is the case , the generation amount of spherical aberration may be suppressed . the sixth lens l 6 can be , for example , a biconvex lens . the optical system of the present embodiment may use an uncemented single lens for each of the first lens l 1 to the sixth lens l 6 . the use of single lenses may improve design flexibility in comparison with the case in which cemented lenses are used , which is advantageous for realizing a high resolution lens system . the optical system of the present embodiment preferably satisfies any one or any combination of the following conditional expressions ( 1 ) to ( 3 ): d2 : distance on the optical axis between the first lens and the second lens νd1 : abbe number of the first lens with reference to d - line νd2 : abbe number of the second lens with reference to d - line preventing the optical system from falling to or below the lower limit of the conditional expression ( 1 ) allows chromatic aberration and distortion to be corrected satisfactorily . preventing the optical system from exceeding the upper limit of the conditional expression ( 1 ) may result in that the overall length of the lens system is prevented from increasing excessively and the diameter of the first lens l 1 is prevented from increasing largely . for further enhancing the foregoing advantageous effects of the conditional expression ( 1 ), the optical system preferably satisfies a conditional expression ( 1 - 1 ) given below : preventing the optical system from falling to or below the lower limit of the conditional expression ( 2 ) allows longitudinal chromatic aberration to be corrected satisfactorily . preventing the optical system from exceeding the upper limit of the conditional expression ( 2 ) allows lateral chromatic aberration to be corrected satisfactorily . for further enhancing the foregoing advantageous effects of the conditional expression ( 2 ), the optical system preferably satisfies a conditional expression ( 2 - 1 ) given below : satisfying the conditional expression ( 3 ) allows lateral chromatic aberration and distortion to be corrected within an appropriate range . for further enhancing the foregoing advantageous effects of the conditional expression ( 3 ), the optical system preferably satisfies a conditional expression ( 3 - 1 ) given below : the foregoing preferable configurations may be combined arbitrarily and are preferably employed selectively , as appropriate , according to the matters required of the optical system . for example , an optical system with an f - number of 2 . 5 or less may be configured by appropriately employing the foregoing configurations . optical systems of two aspects will be given hereinafter as preferable configurations that appropriately employ the foregoing configurations . in the optical systems of the first and second aspects described below , the foregoing preferable configurations may be selectively employed , as appropriate . the optical system of the first aspect consists essentially of , in order from the magnification side , a first lens having a positive refractive power with a convex surface on the magnification side , a second lens having a negative refractive power , a third lens having a negative refractive power , a fourth lens having a positive refractive power , a fifth lens having a positive refractive power , and a sixth lens having a positive refractive power , and satisfies the foregoing conditional expressions ( 1 ) and ( 2 ). the optical system of the second aspect consists essentially of , in order from the magnification side , a first lens having a positive refractive power with a convex surface on the magnification side , a second lens having a negative refractive power , a third lens having a negative refractive power , a fourth lens having a positive refractive power , a fifth lens having a positive refractive power , and a sixth lens having a positive refractive power , and satisfies the foregoing conditional expressions ( 1 ) and ( 3 ). next , specific examples of the optical system of the present invention will be described . note that all the numerical data of the examples shown below are those normalized such that the focal length of the entire system is 1 . 000 and rounded at a predetermined digit . the configuration diagram of the optical system of example 1 is as shown in fig1 . lens data of the optical system of example 1 are shown in table 1 below . table 1 shows , within the frame , numerical values when the magnification side conjugate distance ( distance from the most magnification side surface to the screen ) is 8 . 7 . the si column in table 1 indicates i th surface number when a number i ( i = 1 , 2 , 3 , - - - ) is given to each surface of constituent elements in a serially increasing manner toward the reduction side with the magnification side surface of the most magnification side constituent element being taken as the first surface . the ri column indicates the radius of curvature of i th surface and the di column indicates the surface distance on the optical axis z between i th surface and ( i + 1 ) th surface . the ndj column indicates the refractive index of j th constituent element with respect to d - line ( wavelength of 587 . 6 nm ) when a number j ( j = 1 , 2 , 3 , - - - ) is given to each constituent element in a serially increasing manner toward the reduction side with the most magnification side constituent element being taken as the first element , and the νdj column indicates the abbe number of j th constituent element with reference to d - line . the sign of the radius of curvature is positive if the surface shape is convex on the magnification side and negative if it is convex on the reduction side . note that the aperture stop st and the optical members 2 a , 2 b are also included in the lens data , and the surface number column corresponding to the aperture stop st includes the word ( st ), as well as the surface number . the values at the bottom of the di column indicates the surface distance between the optical member 2 b and the image display surface 1 . table 1 shows , as specs with respect to d - line , focal length “ f ” of the entire system , f - number “ fno .”, and total angle of view 2ω ( unit : degree ) at the bottom outside the frame . fig6 shows , in order from the left , respective aberration diagrams of spherical aberration , astigmatism , distortion , and lateral chromatic aberration of the optical system of example 1 when the magnification side conjugate distance is 8 . 7 . in fig6 , the spherical aberration diagram shows aberrations with respect to d - line ( wavelength 587 . 6 nm ), c - line ( wavelength 656 . 3 nm ), f - line ( wavelength 486 . 1 nm ), and g - line ( wavelength 435 . 8 nm ) by the solid line , the long - dashed line , the short - dashed line , and the gray solid line respectively . the astigmatism diagram shows aberrations with respect to d - line in the sagittal direction and the tangential direction by the solid line and the dotted line respectively . the distortion diagram shows distortion with respect to d - line by the solid line . the lateral chromatic aberration diagram shows aberrations with respect to c - line , f - line , and g - line by the long - dashed line , the short - dashed line and the gray solid line respectively . the “ fno .” in the spherical aberration diagram refers to f - number and “ ω ” in other aberration diagrams refers to half angle of view . the symbols in the various data and their meanings , illustration method , and the fact that numerical values within the frame of the lens data and each aberration diagram are those when the magnification side conjugate distance is 8 . 7 are also applied to the following examples unless otherwise specifically described and a duplicated explanation will be omitted in the following description . the configuration diagram of the optical system of example 2 is as shown in fig2 . lens data of the optical system of example 2 are shown in table 2 below . fig7 shows , in order from the left , respective aberration diagrams of spherical aberration , astigmatism , distortion , and lateral chromatic aberration of the optical system of example 2 . the configuration diagram of the optical system of example 3 is as shown in fig3 . lens data of the optical system of example 3 are shown in table 3 below . fig8 shows , in order from the left , respective aberration diagrams of spherical aberration , astigmatism , distortion , and lateral chromatic aberration of the optical system of example 3 . the configuration diagram of the optical system of example 4 is as shown in fig4 . lens data of the optical system of example 4 are shown in table 4 below . fig9 shows , in order from the left , respective aberration diagrams of spherical aberration , astigmatism , distortion , and lateral chromatic aberration of the optical system of example 4 . the configuration diagram of the optical system of example 5 is as shown in fig5 . lens data of the optical system of example 5 are shown in table 5 below . fig1 shows , in order from the left , respective aberration diagrams of spherical aberration , astigmatism , distortion , and lateral chromatic aberration of the optical system of example 5 . table 6 shows values corresponding to the conditional expressions ( 1 ) to ( 3 ) for examples 1 to 5 . note that the values shown in table 6 are those with reference to d - line . as can be seen from the foregoing data , each of the imaging lenses of examples 1 to 5 is a six - lens system configured compact , has a small f - number of 2 . 4 and a sufficient back focus to insert a prism and the like , and realizes high optical performance with well corrected aberrations . next , embodiments of an optical apparatus that uses the optical system of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 , 12 , 13a , and 13b . fig1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a projection display apparatus according to a first embodiment of the optical apparatus of the present invention . the projection display apparatus 100 shown in fig1 includes a light source 101 , an illumination optical system 102 , a dmd 103 as a light valve , and a projection lens 104 which is an optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention . note that each constituent element described above is schematically illustrated . a light beam emitted from the light source 101 is selected in time series and converted to each of three primary color light beams ( r , g , b ) by a color wheel ( not shown ) and incident on the dmd 103 after being homogenized in light intensity distribution on a cross - section orthogonal to the optical axis z by the illumination optical system 102 . in response to a change in color of the incident light , modulation is switched to that color in the dmd 103 . the light optically modulated by the dmd 103 enters the projection lens 104 . the projection display apparatus 100 is configured such that the exit pupil position of the illumination optical system 102 substantially coincides with the entrance pupil position of the projection lens 104 ( corresponding to the reduction side pupil position of the projection lens 104 ). the projection lens 104 projects an optical image formed by the optically modulated light on the screen 105 . fig1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a projection display apparatus according to a second embodiment of the optical apparatus of the present invention . the projection display apparatus 200 shown in fig1 includes a projection lens 10 which is an optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention , a light source 20 , transmissive display elements 11 a to 11 c as light valves , each corresponding to each color light , dichroic mirrors 12 , 13 for color separation , a cross - dichroic prism 14 for color combining , condenser lenses 16 a to 16 c , and total reflection mirrors 18 a to 18 c for deflecting optical paths . note that the projection lens 10 is depicted schematically in fig1 . an integrator is disposed between the light source 20 and the dichroic mirror 12 , but it is omitted in fig1 . white light from the light source 20 is separated into three colored beams ( g light beam , b light beam , r light beam ) by the dichroic mirrors 12 , 13 . the three colored beams pass through the respective condenser lenses 16 a to 16 c and enter the transmissive display elements 11 a to 11 c corresponding to the respective colored beams and optically modulated . the optically modulated colored beams are color combined by the cross - dichroic mirror 14 and the color combined beam enters the projection lens 10 . the projection lens 10 projects an optical image formed by the light optically modulated by the transmissive display elements 11 a to 11 c on the screen 205 . fig1 a and 13b are external views of a camera 300 which is an imaging apparatus according to a third embodiment of the optical apparatus of the present invention . fig1 a is a perspective view of the camera 300 viewed from the front side and fig1 b is a perspective view of the camera 300 viewed from the rear side . the camera 300 is a single - lens digital camera without a reflex viewfinder on which an interchangeable lens 38 is removably mounted . the interchangeable lens 38 includes an imaging lens 39 , which is an optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention , housed in a lens barrel . the camera 300 has a camera body 31 and includes a shutter button 32 and a power button 33 on the upper surface of the camera body 31 . operation parts 34 and 35 , and a display 36 are provided on the rear surface of the camera body 31 . the display 36 is used to display a captured image or an image within the angle of view before being captured . the camera body 31 is provided with an imaging aperture in the front center from which light from an imaging target enters and a mount 37 is provided at the position corresponding to the imaging aperture , whereby the interchangeable lens 38 is mounted on the camera body 31 via the mount 37 . the camera body 31 includes inside thereof an image sensor , such as a charge coupled device ( ccd ) or the like , ( not shown ) that outputs an image signal according a subject image formed by the interchangeable lens 38 , a signal processing circuit that processes the image signal outputted from the image sensor and generates an image , a recording medium for recording the generated image , and the like . the camera 300 is capable of taking a still image or a motion picture when the shutter button 32 is pressed and the image data obtained by the imaging are recorded on the recording medium . so far , the present invention has been described by way of embodiments and examples , but the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments and examples and various modifications may be made . for example , values of the radius of curvature of each lens , surface distance , refractive index , abbe number , and the like may be changed , as appropriate . further , the optical apparatus of the present invention is not limited to those of the foregoing configurations . for example , light valves and optical members used for beam splitting or beam combining are not limited to those having the foregoing configurations , and various modifications may be made . further , in the embodiments of the imaging apparatus , the description has been made of a case in which the optical system of the present invention is applied to a single - lens digital camera without a reflex viewfinder , but the optical system of the present invention may also be applied , for example , to single - lens reflex cameras , film cameras , video cameras , and the like . | 6 |
further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter . however , it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples , while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention , are given by way of illustration only , since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description . fig1 is a sectional view of a cutting and transport roller 1 , according to the invention . the cutting and transport roller 1 is cut along the plane , defined by the radial and angular coordinates of the roller . within the shell 3 of the cutting and transport roller 1 there is also the cutter 4 with the knives 9 , which in this presentation are reaching through the knife slit 6 . the material web 7 , which normally rests against the shell 3 and is being cut in this knife position , is not drawn for the sake of a better overview . the entire cutter 4 is housed in a box 2 , which in turn is attached to the inside of the shell 3 of the roller 1 . to permit a view of the interior of the box 2 of the cutter 4 in fig1 the vertical wall 40 b of the box of the cutter is broken open . in the illustrated embodiment , the cutter bar comprises in essence a t profile 10 . below the horizontal overhang of the t profile , a pressure cylinder 39 is attached to the floor 42 of the box 2 . the pressure cylinder 39 , which may be embodied as an origa ® pressure cylinder was drawn as a square for reasons relating to the graphical presentation . the pressure cylinder 39 has a projecting portion or cone 41 , which reaches through the slit 43 in the horizontal overhang 11 of the t profile and moves the carriage 13 of the pull - thrust rod 14 during the cutting process . the cone 41 was drawn as a rectangle for reasons relating to the graphical presentation . usually the cutting and transport roller rotates during the cutting process around its main axis of symmetry 24 . in the rest of the description the invention is presented primarily with reference to the coordinate system of the cylinder of the cutting and transport roller that has already been sketched in fig1 . the details of the function of the cutter bar are sketched in fig2 . fig2 depicts the cutter bar 8 of the inventive cutter , which has already been shown in fig1 . for reasons relating to a better overview , the cutting and transport roller 1 , which contains the cutter , the entire holding mechanism of the cutter bar and the pressure cylinder are not shown . the base element of the cutter bar is a t profile 10 , to which various components are attached . a locking plate 12 is mounted on the horizontal overhang 11 of the t profile 10 . the carriage 13 of the pull and thrust rod 14 can slide with negligible clearance between the locking plate 12 and the horizontal overhang of the t profile , when it is driven by means of the cones 41 of the pressure cylinder 39 extending through the in the horizontal overhang 11 the cones 41 are not shown in fig2 . the pull and thrust rod 14 has boreholes 15 , through which the cones 16 reach . the cones 16 also reach through the oblong holes 17 of the knives 9 . the oblong holes are not visible in fig2 . the knives 9 can slide with negligible clearance in the space between the vertical overhang 18 of the t profile 10 and the guide plate 10 . in the illustrated embodiment of the invention , the knives 9 are provided with guide beads 20 , which can be made , for example , of teflon . the bolts 21 reach through the vertical overhang 18 of the t profile beam 10 , the guide plate 19 and the knives 9 and form the point of rotation for the knives 9 . the axis of rotation for the knives is labelled d in fig2 . during the cutting process the thrust and pull rod 14 is driven , as stated above , by the pressure cylinder 39 . however , the rotational motion of the knives required to carry out the cutting process can also be induced by any other suitable device which provides a force or directly generates a torque . this device can be , among other things , a pneumatic cylinder , an electric linear drive or an electric machine . during its linear motion the pull and thrust rod 14 moves the cones 16 , which reach through the oblong holes 17 of the knives 9 and transfer in this manner transfer the force to the knives 9 . thus , the knives 9 are put into rotational motion . the rotational or swivel motion of the knives 9 , depicted in this embodiment , sweeps an angle of significantly less than 360 degrees and may , as shown in the drawings , be less than 180 degrees . the swivel motion of an individual knife 9 is shown in more detail in the fig3 and 4 . fig3 is a drawing of a cutting motion of several knives of a cutter . in fig3 the oblong holes 17 n of the knives 9 n are also depicted . in this embodiment , the spacing an between the knives 9n is significantly less than the cutting lengths sn of the respective knives 9 n . the dashed line 22 indicates the position of the cutting surface 9 n at the end of the cutting process of the knife 9n . the bolts 21 n define the point of rotation of the knives 9 n . fig4 is a sketch , which shows in detail once again the cutting motion of a single knife 9 with the two cutting surfaces 9 a and 9 b . before the start of the cutting process , the knife is located in the resting position r 1 . in this position the knife 9 is depicted broken . during the cutting process the knife 9 rotates around the bolt 21 . at the start of the cutting process the knife exerts a force f 1 on the film , which in the radial direction ( r ) leads away from the main axis of symmetry of the cutting and transport roller . however , the material web 7 has not been completely severed during this period so that it contributes to the process of forcing the material web against the roller by maintaining the web tension and optionally by partially looping the film around the roller 1 . the effect of the force f 1 on the film is terminated , when the knife reaches the apex p s during the cutting process . after passing the apex p s , the knife 9 applies a force effect f 2 on the material web that supports the forcing of the material web against the roller 1 . at the end of the cutting process , the knife 9 has introduced a cut having a cut length s into the material web 7 . the knife remains in the second resting position r 2 . because the knife 9 has a second two cutting surfaces 9 a , 9 b , can , therefore , also cut when the cutting process is carried out in the opposite direction . at the end of the cutting process , the knife 9 has introduced a cut having a cut length s into the material web 7 . the knife remains in the second resting position r 2 . because the knife 9 has a second two cutting surfaces 9 a , 9 b , can , therefore , also cut when the cutting process is carried out in the opposite direction . in fig5 is a drawing of a cutting process , wherein a first group n of knives 9 n , 9 n - 1 a rotational motion with negative direction of rotation during the cutting process , whereas a second group of m of knives 9 m , 9 m + 1 , etc . makes a rotational motion with a positive direction of rotation . the knife 9 n sweeps an angle - alpha . the different cutting direction of the two groups of knives m and n is shown once again by means of the curved arrows 22 n and 22 m . in this manner the opposite rotational motion of the knife blades of the two groups n and m results in two forces , whose axial component f n and f m act in the opposite direction . owing to these measures the resulting total force f g , which acts on the film in the axial direction during the cutting process , is reduced . it is possible to coordinate in such a manner the cutting forces fn , fm , which belong to the two groups of knives n , m and which act in the axial direction such that the resulting total force f g which is exerted on the film in the axial direction , largely disappears . in the illustrated embodiment , the cut lengths of the knives are coordinated in such a manner that the result is a continuous cut over the entire width of the material web 7 . in coordinating the cutting motion of adjacent knives with the cutting motion of a different sense of rotation — in fig5 this description applies to the knives 9 n and 9 m — a collision of the two knives must also be avoided . to this end , it can be provided that the knife 9 m does not reach the overlap point o until the knife 9 n has already completed the cutting process and its entire width is located inside the radius of the film reel r f . fig5 also shows that it is possible with the aid of an individual force , which acts here in the axial direction to generate the opposite rotational motion of both groups of knives n and m . in the illustrated embodiment , the thrust and pull rod 14 reaches for this purpose with the cone 16 n underneath the point of rotation 21 n into the non - illustrated oblong holes 17 of the knives 9 n , 9 n − 1 of the group n . in this embodiment the pull and thrust rod 14 is running in the axial direction , and thus parallel to the main axis of symmetry 24 of the roller . however , the knives of the groups n and m are made differently . thus , the bolts 21 n of the group n are located above the thrust and pull rod 14 whereas the bolts 21 m of the other group m are disposed below the rod 14 . with simple means of this kind the opposite motion of rotation of the two groups of knives n and m can be induced with a single force . mechanisms which realize the rotational motion of the two groups of knives with the aid of drive units , like an electric machine which provides immediately a torque instead of a force , can be provided with similar simple torque reversing mechanisms . in this manner the opposite motion of rotation of both groups of knives can be induced by one drive unit . the knives of both groups of knives can also be arranged less uniformly than depicted in the example . thus , an alternating arrangement of the knives from both groups n and m is also conceivable . fig6 shows another embodiment of the invention with a circular cutter , which has a disk shaped , essentially round knife 25 , which severs the film web 7 , so that the severed film web 34 can be seen to the left of the round knife 25 . the round knife 25 rotates around the axle 26 , which defines thus an axis of rotation 36 that runs perpendicular to the plane , which is defined by the axial ( r ) and radial ( r ) coordinates in the reference system of the roller . in this embodiment the rotational direction is shown by means of the curved arrow 38 . since the axis of rotation 36 extends beyond the drawing plane , it can be represented only as a point in fig6 . the torque for the rotational motion is provided by the drive unit 28 and transferred from the shaft 29 over the belt 27 to the axle 26 in the point of rotation 36 of the knife 25 . during the cutting process the entire circular cutter 35 executes a translation in the axial direction ( z ). in fig6 there is a motion in the direction , depicted by means of the straight arrow 37 . to this end , the circular cutter 35 is mounted on the carriage 30 , which slides on the rail 31 . the force for this linear motion is provided by the driving mechanism 32 , which transfers said force with the cone 33 to the carriage 30 . it must also be noted that the cutting process , shown in fig6 can begin in different ways . thus , the knife 25 can make contact with the material web 7 by means of a motion of the circular cutter 35 in the axial direction . this is possible especially when the width of the material web 7 is less than the maximum working width of the knife 25 , which is defined by the length of the travel path of the carriage 30 and the length of the knife slit 6 in the shell 3 of the roller 1 . however , it is also possible for the knife 25 to make contact with the material web 7 by moving in the radial direction at the start of the cutting process . to this end , the carriage 30 can exhibit , for example , a lifting device , which can move the circular cutter in the radial direction ( r ). in this respect it must be emphasized once again that it would be advantageous for all of the illustrated embodiments of the invention if the cutting motion were also supported with translatory components in the radial direction . to this end , a suitable lifting device can be provided in the radial direction below the cutter bar 8 . some of the claims below also disclose advantageous embodiments of devices and processes of this kind . fig7 is a drawing of several knives with exemplary shaped cutting blades , which further improve the cutting process . to this end , knives are used that exhibit special shapes of these knives directly at the contact point p k , where the knives 9 z and 9 z + 3 make contact with the material web 7 for the first time . thus , the knife 9 z has a semicircular recess 51 in the area of its cutting blade directly below the point p k . the presence of this semicircular recess 51 results in an angle x between the upper area of the cutting edge 50 of the knife 9 z and the edge 49 , which is less than 90 degrees . in this manner a force component is generated in the radial direction ( r ) during the cutting process of the knife 9 z , before the knife reaches the apex of the cutting motion p s , shown in fig4 . in any event with these measures the force effect of the knife on the web is changed in an advantageous manner . the knife 9 z + 3 consists of two parts 45 and 46 . the part 45 is wedge shaped and shaped in such a manner that between the cutting edge 48 and the edge 47 there is an angle delta , which is also less than 90 degrees . both the knife 9 z and the knife 9 z + 3 are only exemplary shapes of knives that have edges , whose angle is less than 90 degrees and which provide the aforementioned force effect during an early phase of the cutting process , in the immediate vicinity of the point p k . especially advantageous is the use of knives of the described type on the edge of the material web 7 , resting on the shell 3 . however , the use of knives of the described kind for severing the material web 7 over its entire width can also be advantageous . the invention being thus described , it will be apparent that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be recognized by one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims . | 8 |
in the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention , reference is made to the accompanied drawings , which form a part hereof , and which is shown by way of illustration , specific exemplary embodiments of which the invention may be practiced . each embodiment is described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , and it is to be understood that the embodiments may be utilized , and other changes may be made , without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention . the following detailed description is , therefore , not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims . in the following description , for the purpose of explanation , specific numbers , times , structures , protocols , and other parameters are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will be apparent to anyone skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . fig1 illustrates a system that supports the present invention , consisting of a controller ue 101 that controls a collaborative session , a normal ue 105 that participates in the session without the right of control , an application server 102 that coordinates the session among ues and the remote party , the ims core network 103 that provide ims signaling and routing functions for the session , and the remote party 104 that has the session with the ues . all ues , controller or controller , communicate to application server through standard ims procedure . in the invention , communication from controller to application server 110 has additional information beyond standard elements and includes user preference for session control ; and the communication from normal ue to application server 113 has additional information beyond standard elements and includes ue capacity parameters . only controller ue 101 is required to send control preference ; while other users 105 may choose to send or not send their capacity parameters . the user control preference from 101 may be sent at collaborative / interactive session setup or at ims registration . the control preference could be in any format that is understandable by the application server 102 . it is used to instruct the application server on how to perform control if the controller leaves with notice , and how to manage the session if controller lost connection without notice . ue capacity parameters could be sent in any format that is understandable by application server . it includes for example ue &# 39 ; s capacity of control , battery level , ims release version , etc . this additional information will be used by application server for decision making when controller leaves the session or loses the connection . in the present invention , application server 102 has additional capability of taking over session control based on control preferences and deciding control transfer to ues belonging to the session . however , application server 102 will never take over charge for the session . thus it will control the session representing controller in authorization but never representing the controller in charging . charging is required to be assigned to ue ( s ). connection between application server and ims cn 111 and connection between ims cn and remote party 112 make use of standard ims procedures and carry standard information defined in ims . fig2 , is a communication device with control capability . it can serve as the controller of a session . besides traditional functions of user equipment , it also contains gui block 201 for preference generating interaction ; a user preference generator 202 connected to gui ; a user preference transmission function 204 that sends the preference through transmission layer functions 205 if it is the controller of the session ; a passive control function 203 that can initiate signals requesting to change to passive control mode . the preference contains one or more lists . these lists are used to designate the successor controller if current controller lost connection ; to provide rules on how to choose its successor ; to set limitation on media management ; and to set trigger point for session release . for example , the use may indicate in preference that “ session termination : 10 min ”. then if it leaves , the session will be released after 10 min from his left . another example may contain media management rules like “ add media : reject ; modify media : agree ”. when controller leaves with this preference , application server will reject all add - media requests from controllers and agree all modify - media requests . another new function for the terminal is to send request to application server for changing itself to passive control mode . during passive control , normal decisions like media resolution modification etc are automatically made by application server through preference control rules set at the beginning of a session or ims registration , or updated using any ims procedures . to generate user preference , user preference generator 202 prepares questions and queries to user through gui 201 . user &# 39 ; s answer of the question is stored and processed at user preference generator 202 , from where a preference file is generated in the format that is understandable by application server 102 . it is obvious to anyone skilled in the art that this preference file also can be loaded into the terminal via different means , e . g . a storage card , download via internet , transferred via bluetooth from another terminal , etc . when a terminal registers as a controller , user preference transmission function 204 is triggered to send the preference out . the preference is targeted at solving the control handover problem in case the controller loses connection . the preference can also contain a set of rules to perform automatic control when controller intentionally changes to passive - control mode . for terminals that are not a controller , user preference generator 202 can skip the procedure of generating a user preference during registration . it is obvious to anyone skilled in the art that the preference can be generated later at any time , before the terminal becomes the controller . additionally , the preference can be updated during the session when changes happened to the session . fig3 illustrated an example structure for application server 102 that manages the collaborative session . new functionalities are introduced to the application server . it contains preference receive function 301 that filters the control preference from other register information ; preference process function 303 that analyzes the received control preference ; controller loss detection function 302 that periodically checks the availability of controller ; control transfer decision function 304 that decides the control ( and / or charge ) transfer in case of controller not involved , based on default rules stored in application server or control preferences passed from preference process function 303 ; passive control function 305 conducts control when controller changes to passive - control mode or session release procedure is activated after controller &# 39 ; s lost . in cases when application server does not have capacity parameters of other ues in the session , it needs to query ue on such information for decision . ue query function 306 is to fulfill this purpose . after obtaining enough information , control transfer decision function 304 decides to perform control transfer or release the session . if control needs to be taken over by application server , it will activate passive control function 305 to conduct control based on user preferences . with these function , application server acts as an intelligent agent that can save the session by selecting and transferring control to another ue or even take over control itself when controller is lost or left . preference process function 303 is responsible to explain and classify the control preferences written in any format agreed between terminal and application server . for example , the preference may be written with xml and it indicates that the controller successor can only be selected under the same subscription . after processing , this preference is passed to control transfer decision function 304 . when control loss detection function 302 detects a controller loss , through a timer or other bearer monitors , the control transfer decision function 304 will only consider those terminals under the same subscription as previous controller to be the successive controller . if no terminal ue is of the same subscription as the lost controller , application server should treat it as no preference case . other operation sequences of the present invention for that case can be utilized to handle it . fig4 illustrates an example architecture for a terminal device 400 that is a normal communication device with or without control capability . it acts as controller or controller in the collaborative session , but it is not the target controller which will lose connection or changes to passive control mode . besides traditional functions of normal user equipment , it also contains additional function block that can process and response the query from application server 102 . in this invention , application server may query terminals for their control capability and willingness to take over the control and charge . query receive function 401 and query process function 402 are used to receive such messages and process them . the processed query will be passed to query response function 403 to generate response back to the application server 102 . ue configuration / status record function 404 serves like a database . it provides the parameters and status of the ue and assists query response function 403 to generate the response to application server . if the query cannot be understood by the query process function 402 , query response function 403 would generate a response to application server 102 indicating that it received an unknown query . all signaling messages exchanged among 200 , 300 , 400 can be transported over normal ims mechanism , e . g . via tcp channel or udp channel with retransmission mechanism . user preferences are sent together with sip signal during ims registration or in a separate packet during collaborative session establishment , or when a ue becomes a controller ue . user decides how many preferences to generate through gui on terminal device 200 . all generated preferences will be sent to application server 300 from a controller ue . fig5 is the flowchart of example logic for the application server 102 , which is a major management and decision making device . solutions for controller loss or passive control problems are summarized in this flowchart . the diagram consists of major two branches . one is the situation that application server needs to take over the control . the other is application server does not need to take over the control . the second case is further divided into two braches . one is that controller preference is available and feasible to make decision . the other is preference is not available or exist preference cannot be applied due to confliction with current situation . when application server 102 detected a controller loss or receives a signal indicating a controller changes to passive - control mode , it perform step 502 to check whether a corresponding user preference is available . in case where preference is available , it continues to step 503 and checks whether it needs to take over the control . there are two situations where application server 102 needs to take over control . one situation is controller changes to passive - control mode and requests application server to answer control related questions instead of processing it on controller . the other situation is that controller lost connection without notice , and according to pre - set preference , the application server 102 is responsible to handle the session , e . g . release it after some trigger , select a different controller and transfer the control over , etc . in case that application server does not need to take over control , it will further go to step 505 to check current session status parameters . step 506 is a checking procedure that matches user preference with current session status . current session status includes all information related to the current session . for example , the id of ue involved in the session , the subscription of each ue , the number of media terminate at each ue , etc . matching preference with session status is to compare the string or value from two parts . for example , if preference indicates tom is the successor , tom will be translated to tom &# 39 ; s ue &# 39 ; s id by function 303 and step 506 will compare this id with all participated ue ids in the session . if preference indicates the ue that has maximum number of media flows taking over the control , step 506 will check if there is a ue that possesses maximum number of media flows . if ue satisfying the preference criteria exists in the session , it is said that current session status matches the user preference . if current session status mismatches with user preference , the decision making procedure will be directed to step 511 , which is a branch where no preference is available . an example of mismatch is as following : user preference indicates john will be the successor of current controller . however , when controller is lost , john already left the session . this example can be avoided if application server can send a trigger to controller ue to update its control preference whenever something changes in the session . however , without such kind of triggers , mismatch may happen . if no mismatch happens between current session status and user preference , in step 507 a successor is decided and selected successor is asked in step 508 whether it accepts to be a new controller . if the selected terminal ( successor ) is capable of control and agreed to take over , the control is transferred to it ; while if it rejected the offer or not capable of performing the control , other operations will be taken in step 510 , e . g . release the session . the selection - query - response procedure may be repeated before session release if multiple terminals satisfy the user preference criteria . when controller is lost without preference , application server 102 can neither decide to transfer control nor take over control . it can only try to save the affected session at step 512 by checking whether affected users are willing to take over the charge of his media flow ( s ). if yes , charge will be transferred to affected user in step 513 ; while if no , both control and media will be released in step 510 . note that if affected user is the last ue in the collaborative session , there will be no collaborative session anymore after charge transfer , the affected user changes to a normal ims session , continuing his media flow with remote party 104 . fig6 illustrates the structure of preferences . six sets of rules are presented based on solutions in this patent . list of priority of successive controllers 551 is a set of rules that designate successive controllers using exclusive identities like subscription information 562 , user name 563 , ue identification number 561 , etc . it also specifies the priority of these potential successors so that application server knows who to choose first when controller is lost . for example , the preference indicates the successor sequence is tom - marry - john . then application server will ask tom first to take over control in case of controller loss . if tom rejects the request , marry will be asked . such a preference will be updated whenever ues join or leave the session . if controller does not want to explicitly designate its successors , successive controller selection rules 552 may be used to set criteria for application server to select the successor . for example , successors are selected according to the sequence of controllers join the session 568 . the application server will record the join sequence of controllers and select based on it . another criterion is ue capacity 571 , ue capacity includes ue &# 39 ; s ability to control , ue &# 39 ; s battery level , ue &# 39 ; s signal stability , etc . rule 559 set the criteria of choosing successive controller to be the same subscription . in this case , application server may refer to default rule 590 to choose successive controller within those ues under the same subscription as lost controller . termination rules 553 is a rule set that determines trigger events to terminate a session after loss of controller . it may set a time out 575 for the current session ; it may limit the bytes consumed by controllers 576 ; it may terminate only certain type of media 577 ( e . g . video flows 596 ); it may set maximum amount of money chargeable 578 after the controller is lost . media management rules 554 are specially used for passive control mode . application server could make control decision based on these rules representing the controller . charge transfer rules 555 decide whether transfer charge together with control or separate from it . if separating from control transfer , the preference will give explicit rules 597 to specify who to transfer the charge . these rules may be similar to rules of successive controller selection but they need to be executed separately from control transfer when controller is lost . default rules 556 are stored at application server and serve as backup rules when controller preference does not give a specific candidate for control / charge transfer or when controller preference does not give a specific answer for a controller request . for example , a controller preference only specifies that successive controller should be selected within ues under the same subscription 559 . then application server will use default rule 590 to choose a unique candidate . another example is that controller request to change one component of a media flow but controller did not give rules for this request in media management rules 554 before changing to passive control mode . in this case application server will use default rule 591 to reject the request representing the controller . fig7 illustrates an example operation sequence of the presented solution . it illustrates the solution when controller changes to passive control mode . this solution contains controller 601 , controller 602 , application server 603 , and remote party 604 . in step 610 , a collaborative session is established with preferences . application server 603 processes the preference as in step 611 . when controller 601 requests to add media to controller at step 612 , application server accepts the request and performs the media adding at step 613 . after these steps , a collaborative session is activated with control from controller ( 614 ) and media flow between controller and remote party ( 615 ). then controller requests to change to passive control mode at step 616 . application server returns an acknowledgement and loads user preference on step 617 . after successful loading the preference , the collaborative session changes to passive control mode ( step 621 ). under passive control mode , if any request comes from the controller ( 619 ), application server 603 will look up for control rules in preference ( 620 ), make decision and perform the decision ( 621 ). after a while , controller 601 can request to change back to active control mode ( 623 ). at the point of receiving this message , application server needs to deactivate its passive control function 605 and return to normal mode ( 625 ). fig8 illustrates another operation sequence of the present solution . it illustrates the solution where controller set criteria on terminating the session upon his lost . this solution contains controller 651 , controller 652 , application server 653 , and remote party 654 . at the beginning of the session , preference is sent and processed at application server in steps 660 to 661 . this preference does not contain rules to select a successive controller , but it contains the criteria about when to terminate the session if controller is lost . for example , it specifies a timer that should start from the detection of it lost . when the timer expires , the whole session is torn down . in step 663 , the application server ( 653 ) detects controller loss , and it will automatically start session termination control by passive control function 305 . the application server may send a signal to affected controller ( s ) to inform them their session will be terminated after some time , as in step 665 . this signal will help controller to complete the most important conversation before their session is forcefully released . when termination event happened as preference indicated ( 666 ), the whole session is terminated in step 667 and 668 . fig9 illustrates another operation sequence of the present invention where the controller nominates its successor or set criteria on how to select it successor if it lost connection . this solution contains controller 701 , ue - 1 702 and ue - 2 703 , application server 704 , and remote party 705 . ue - 1 and ue - 2 may be other controller ( s ) in the session , or they may be controller ( s ). in this solution , application server obtains preference after steps 710 and 711 . when the application server ( 704 ) detects a controller loss as in step 712 , it loads preference as in step 713 and matches the designated successor or successor selection criteria with current status in step 714 . the selected ue will be queried on his willingness to take over the control as in step 715 . if selected ue accepts the request , control is transferred to this ue as in step 720 . if selected ue rejects the request , actions will be taken . for example in step 730 , the whole session will be released . fig1 illustrates yet another operation sequence of the present solution where no preference is set during ims registration or collaborative session establishment . this solution contains controller 751 , ue - 1 752 and ue - 2 753 , application server 754 , and remote party 755 . ue - 1 and ue - 2 may be other controller ( s ) in the session , or they may be controller ( s ). in this solution , when the application server ( 754 ) detects a controller loss , no preference is provided in step 760 . to save the on - going media flows , the application server broadcast requests to ues with control capacity at step 762 querying their willingness to take over the control . the first ue accepted the request ( as in step 763 ) will be selected as new controller . if nobody wants to take over the control , the session will be released after certain time . fig1 illustrate another operation of the solution when there is no preference set by controller before the session . it focuses on the terminal that affected by the loss of a controller . this solution contains controller - 1 801 , controller - 2 802 , ue 803 , application server 804 , and remote party 805 . controller - 1 controls media - a and it is the controller that going to be lost , while controller - 2 is another controller in the session controls different media ( media - b ). ue 803 is a controller that has media - a with remote party 805 . when application server ( 804 ) detects controller - 1 801 is lost , it sends query 814 to affected ue 803 for charge transfer since media - a terminates at ue 803 . if ue 803 accepts the transfer , steps in 820 are conducted and he will continue the media with remote party 805 . if ue 803 rejects the charge transfer , media flow may be cut as steps in 830 . the media - b controlled by controller - 2 802 will not be influenced . | 7 |
with reference now to the figures , and in particular with reference to fig1 , a schematic diagram of a data processing system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is depicted . data processing system 100 may be a symmetric multiprocessor ( smp ) system including a plurality of processors 102 and 104 connected to system bus 106 . alternatively , a single processor system may be employed . also connected to system bus 106 is memory controller / cache 108 , which provides an interface to local memory 109 . i / o bus bridge 110 is connected to system bus 106 and provides an interface to i / o bus 112 . memory controller / cache 108 and i / o bus bridge 110 may be integrated as depicted . peripheral component interconnect ( pci ) bus bridge 114 connected to i / o bus 112 provides an interface to pci local bus 116 . a number of modems 118 - 120 may be connected to pci bus 116 . typical pci bus implementations will support four pci expansion slots or add - in connectors . communications links to network computers may be provided through modem 118 and network adapter 120 connected to pci local bus 116 through add - in boards . additional pci bus bridges 122 and 124 provide interfaces for additional pci buses 126 and 128 , from which additional modems or network adapters may be supported . in this manner , system 100 allows connections to multiple network computers . a memory mapped graphics adapter 130 and hard disk 132 may also be connected to i / o bus 112 as depicted , either directly or indirectly . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in fig1 may vary . for example , other peripheral devices , such as optical disk drive and the like also may be used in addition 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 fig1 may be , for example , an ibm risc / system 6000 system , a product of international business machines corporation in armonk , n . y ., running the advanced interactive executive ( aix ) operating system . processors 102 and 104 , for example , each provide an implementation of the data address break register support service . with reference now to fig2 , a block diagram of a typical layout of instructions as executed by the data processing system of fig1 is shown in accordance with illustrative embodiments . instruction 200 is an example of “ load word and zero ” instruction showing a typical arrangement of fields . fields 204 , 206 , 208 and 210 correspond to the operation code ( opcode ), first register , second register , and displacement / remainder of the instruction , respectively . field 204 represents the operation code , or instruction type , of the specific instruction and may be indicative of particular interest , in illustrative embodiments , such as a load or store operation . field 206 representing a first register indicates where the data value of the instruction is to be stored , the “ store to ” location as in instruction 200 or the “ data value ” to be stored as in “ store word ” instruction 202 . similarly , field 208 representing a second register of the instruction may also have a different meaning depending upon the operation code of the specific instruction . for example in instruction 200 , second register field 208 contains the “ load from ” address to be used to perform the load operation . field 210 contains the displacement or offset from the address found in second register field 208 and other information of no particular interest in this example . in instruction 202 , field 208 of the second register contains the “ to address ” indicating the target location into which the data is to be stored . further , field 210 of instruction 202 contains a displacement or offset from the “ to address ” indicating the desired target storage location . examining these instructions would allow one to determine , in the event of a store operation , what data would be stored and at which location . both of these pieces of information may prove useful when performing problem determination or application flow verification and debugging operations . performance of a trace and debug process may be further improved through use of a trap in the form of a trap handler within the traced process that is given control , rather than the debugger , when a hardware exception is generated . the trap handler may also be given context data allowing the trap handler to monitor the conditional data watchpoint and determine what action to take when the conditional data watchpoint condition is met . in a preferred embodiment , instructions that execute and store to a memory location would have “ trap - before ” semantics . “ trap before ” allows the processor to generate a hardware - based exception for the data watchpoint before the instruction performing the store type operation completes execution . the trap handler provides the capability to examine and evaluate components of the specific instruction causing the conditional data watchpoint exception . the trap handler logic comprises a comparator for comparing the instruction component values with those of user provided predetermined values . for example the opcode component of the specific instruction would be compared to the predetermined store type opcode and a determination made regarding a choice of actions . further context data related to the instruction may be factored into the determination as well . referring now to fig3 , is a flowchart of a data address break exception handling process shown in accordance with illustrative embodiments . the data address break exception handling is a combination of the existing hardware support of the data address break register with additional logic provided to support the use of the trap handler . the enhanced support of the new process enables selective entry into the debug environment while tracing a set of instructions in a program flow . enabling selective entry reduces the overhead of invoking the debug environment unless actually needed . the data value of interest triggers only one call to the debugger after each change in the data value is examined by the trap handler of the traced process , thereby ensuring efficient debugging . the selective enablement is determined by examination of the current instruction that caused the watchpoint exception to occur , before completion of the current instruction execution , and the data value in the register . using a combination of hardware and software one is then able to more accurately detect when a predetermined condition requiring the debug environment has been met . if the specific condition has not been met , tracing may continue without the unnecessary overhead of invoking the debug environment . process 300 begins as the data address break register , a specialized hardware feature as is known , is initialized with the desired data address value , establishing the conditional data watchpoint , to be monitored by the hardware , for example , of processors 102 and 104 of data processing system 100 shown in fig1 ( step 302 ). the desired conditional data watchpoint is monitored by the processor hardware ( step 304 ) wherein process 300 determines a conditional data watchpoint match and therefore causing an exception to be generated ( step 306 ). if an exception is generated (“ yes ” at step 306 ), process 300 continues with invocation of the trap handler ( step 308 ). if no exception is generated (“ no ” at step 306 ), process 300 reverts to step 304 . the trap handler analyzes the current instruction before the current instruction execution completes and determines if the instruction opcode component is representative of the store type operation of interest ( step 310 ). depending upon the specific opcode component value , the content of first register component may represent the data to be stored into the watched location while the other register and offset components represent the watched location address and offset value from that address . necessary logic to handle at least both types of instructions previously described is available within the context handling capability of the trap handler . the comparator component of the trap handler determines if the opcode component value of the analyzed instruction matches the desired store type opcode component . if “ yes ” at step 310 , process 300 then determines if the register containing the data value to be stored is of further interest and to be examined for a match , again using the comparator ( step 312 ). having matched both the store type opcode component and the data value component criteria , a positive context examination results , a first action is identified and the debug environment is invoked ( step 314 ). the user , or programmatic means of the debugger , is allowed to examine the data of interest and perform further actions as necessary ( step 316 ). a determination is made if the debugging is complete ( step 318 ). if the debug process is not complete (“ no ” to step 318 ), process 300 returns to step 316 . if the debug process is complete (“ yes ” to step 318 ), process 300 proceeds to clear the data address break register for this instruction on this processor ( step 320 ). process 300 restores the current instruction to resume execution in the set of instructions of the traced process ( step 322 ), and re - sets the data address break register to the conditional data watchpoint on this processor ( step 324 ), with process 300 returning to step 304 in which the processor hardware resumes monitoring the conditional data watchpoint occurs returning now to steps 310 and 312 , if the opcode component of the analyzed instruction does not match the desired store type opcode (“ no ” to step 310 ) or if the register containing the data value to be stored is not of further interest and therefore not to be examined for a match (“ no ” to step 312 ), a negative context results , and a second action identified as process 300 proceeds to step 320 . it is also noted that since the register context is unique for each thread that activates a watchpoint , concurrent updates to the watched location in memory by multiple threads does not require serialization as before . the flowcharts and block diagrams in the different depicted embodiments illustrate the architecture , functionality , and operation of some possible implementations of apparatus , methods and computer program products . in this regard , each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module , segment , or portion of computer usable or readable program code , which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified function or functions . in some alternative implementations , the function or functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures . for example , in some cases , two blocks shown in succession may be executed substantially concurrently , or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order , depending upon the functionality involved . illustrative embodiments provide enhanced conditional data watchpoint management . in particular enhancement of the previous hardware exception handling process related to conditional data watchpoints to provide additional capabilities of the exemplary trap handler and “ trap before ” semantics reduces the need to call the debug environment . avoiding unnecessary calls to the debug environment typically saves time allowing the processor to be more productive . the invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment , an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements . in a preferred embodiment , the invention is implemented in software , which includes but is not limited to firmware , resident software , microcode , etc . furthermore , the invention can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer - usable or computer - readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system . for the purposes of this description , a computer - usable or computer readable medium can be any tangible apparatus that can contain , store , communicate , propagate , or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . the medium can be an electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared , or semiconductor system ( or apparatus or device ) or a propagation medium . examples of a computer - readable medium include recordable type media comprising a semiconductor or solid state memory , magnetic tape , a removable computer diskette , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk . current examples of optical disks include compact disk - read only memory ( cd - rom ), compact disk - read / write ( cd - r / w ) and dvd . further , a computer storage medium may contain or store a computer readable program code such that when the computer readable program code is executed on a computer , the execution of this computer readable program code causes the computer to transmit another computer readable program code over a communications link . this communications link may use a transmission type medium that is , for example without limitation , physical or wireless . a data processing system suitable for storing and / or executing program code will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus . the memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code , bulk storage , and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution . input / output or i / o devices ( including but not limited to keyboards , displays , pointing devices , etc .) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening i / o controllers . network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks . modems , cable modem and ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters . 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 |
in the embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 , the rear projection apparatus 1 comprises a screen 2 with a front face ( 2 a ) and a rear face ( 2 b ), projection optics 3 , an image module 4 and a housing 5 , which is represented by dashed lines in fig1 . the projection optics 3 are arranged in the housing 5 of the rear projection apparatus 1 , with the housing 5 having a foot part 6 and a screen part 7 . the depth t of the rear projection apparatus is about 140 to 150 mm or 150 to 160 mm , and the front height h of the foot part is only about 140 mm . the height of the screen 2 , which is illustrated as being rectangular , that is to say the distance from the lower edge 8 to the upper edge 9 of the screen 2 is in this case about 747 mm . the width of the screen ( at right angles to the plane of the drawing in fig1 ) is about 1328 mm which means that the screen 2 has a diagonal of about 1524 mm . the projection optics 3 of the rear projection apparatus 1 , or the projection optics 3 with a field lens structure , are illustrated partially in fig1 and 2 and partially in fig3 . this is because of the fact that the elements of the projection optics 3 which are shown from the image module 4 to the deflection mirror 19 in fig3 are located vertically and above the plane of the drawing in fig1 , in the illustration in fig1 and 2 . the following tables 1 and 2 show the distances and radii of curvature of the surfaces 10 to 36 of the elements of the projection optics 3 when using a fresnel mirror ( table 1 ) and when using a second aspherical mirror ( table 2 ). when two surfaces bound a lens material ( and not air ), the refractive power and the abbe dispersion number are also quoted for the material . radii , thickness distances and air distances are quoted in millimeters in the table . in the surface characteristic column s represents a mirror , a an aspherically curved surface and af an aspherically curved fresnel surface . in the rows between two surfaces , the respective distances are quoted in the “ thickness and air distances ” column , with the distance from the fresnel pane 2 ′ to the fresnel mirror 10 a being indicated by 140 in the first row of table 1 , and the distance from the fresnel pane 2 ′ to the second aspherical mirror 10 b being indicated by 150 in table 2 . in operation , an image is produced in a known manner by means of the image module 4 , which in this case has a tilting minor matrix . the illumination unit which is required for image production as well as the control unit for operating the tilting mirror matrix are not illustrated , in order to simplify the illustration . the image which is produced by means of the image module 4 is projected by the projection optics 3 from the rear onto the screen 2 , as is indicated by the arrows p 1 , p 2 and p 3 . a viewer who is positioned in front of the rear projection apparatus ( that is to say to the left of it , as seen in fig1 ) can then perceive the image that is projected onto the screen . for this purpose , the screen 2 has a transmissive fresnel pane 2 ′ which extends over the entire screen area . the fresnel pane 2 ′ is designed such that the light from the screen propagates essentially at right angles to the screen plane , as is illustrated by the arrows p 1 ′, p 2 ′ and p 3 ′. transmissive fresnel panes such as these are known to a person skilled in the art . the fresnel pane 2 ′ used here is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis a in fig1 , which coincides with the optical axis oa of the projection optics 3 . the screen 2 may also have a diffuser pane ( not shown ), which follows the fresnel pane 2 ′ and is used to ensure that the light from the screen 2 is emitted into a predetermined angle range . the light therefore propagates not only along the direction indicated by the arrows p 1 ′- p 3 ′ but within the angle range , in such a way that the screen 2 provides a desired viewing angle range . the surface 10 a shown in fig1 is in the form of an aspherically curved fresnel mirror and is used to keep the incidence angle γ less than 60 ° when the image that is produced by means of the image module 4 is projected onto the screen 2 . the surface 10 b as shown in fig2 is in the form of an aspherically curved mirror and is used to keep the incidence angle γ less than 60 ° when the image that is produced by means of the image module 4 is projected onto the screen 2 . fig4 shows , schematically , three mirror surface elements 40 , 41 , 42 of the fresnel mirror 10 , with the mirror surfaces 40 , 41 , 42 respectively being formed by the effective flank of the fresnel structures 43 , 44 , 45 , which have a triangular section . the other flanks 46 , 47 , 48 are not used for beam deflection and are therefore frequently referred to as disturbance flanks . the fresnel structures 43 - 45 are in this case sections of rings whose center points coincide with the axis a , with the width b 1 , b 2 , b 3 , of the fresnel structures ( which in this case is in the region of 0 . 4 mm ) decreasing as the distance from the axis a increases , as is indicated schematically in fig4 . furthermore , the flank angle α 1 , α 2 , α 3 of the mirror surface 40 - 42 relative to the optical axis ( or to a straight line which runs parallel to the optical axis oa and through the left - hand corner e 1 , e 2 , e 3 of the triangular section of the fresnel structures 43 - 45 ) decreases as the distance from the optical axis oa increases ( that is to say α 1 & gt ; α 2 & gt ; α 3 ). in this case , the flank angle α 1 , α 2 , α 3 corresponds to the tangent of the following function : z = h 2 r + r ( 1 - ( 1 + kfr ) ( h / r ) 2 ) + ∑ i = 3 7 cfr i · h i where h is the distance of a point on the fresnel structure 40 , 41 , 42 ( for example the left - hand corner e 1 - e 3 ) from the optical axis oa , r is the spherical curvature of the entire fresnel mirror 10 and the parameters kfr and cfr i have the values indicated in the following table 3 . where h is the distance from the optical axis oa and z is the distance of the apex plane ( the plane which is located at right angles to the optical axis oa and includes the intersection of the apex of the surface with the plane ). the aspherical coefficients are indicated in the following table 4 ( fresnel mirror ) and table 5 ( second aspherical mirror ) for the aspherical mirror 11 and for the aspherical surfaces 13 and 14 , as well . apart from the deflection by the planar mirrors 12 and 19 , the projection optics are a rotationally symmetrical system whose image field is used only on one side . the deflection mirror 12 is tilted through 10 ° with respect to the optical axis , and the axis of the following three lenses ( with the surfaces 13 - 18 ) is in consequence tilted through 20 ° with respect to the axis oa . the deflection mirror 19 is tilted through 45 ° with respect to the optical axis oa such that the optical elements with the surfaces 20 to 36 are arranged one behind the other at right angles to the plane of the drawing in fig1 and 2 . in the described embodiment shown in fig1 , the fresnel structures 43 - 45 are formed on a planar plane e 1 ( fig3 ). however , it is also possible for the plane e 1 to be curved ( for example spherically or aspherically ) such that the fresnel structures 43 - 45 are in this case provided on the curved plane e 1 . the curved configuration of the plane e 1 makes it possible , for example , to compensate for imaging errors in the projection optics 3 . because of the described design of the projection optics and in particular because of the fresnel mirror 10 a or second aspherical mirror 10 b , it is possible to produce a rear projection apparatus with a small physical depth t and a small foot height h , in which the screen may have a transparent fresnel pane which extends over the entire screen area , since the maximum incidence angle of the light beams on the screen 2 or the fresnel pane 2 ′ is no greater than 60 °. since this can be ensured over the entire pane area , there is no longer any need to make the fresnel pane of the screen reflective at least in one subarea . the projection apparatus according to the invention therefore provides an extremely compact projection apparatus with expert image characteristics . fig5 shows a side view of the rear projection apparatus according to a further refinement in which , in particular , it is possible to clearly see that the lens group , which may be regarded as output imaging elements ( surfaces 112 - 115 ) of the projection optics , has the same optical axis as the first aspherical mirror 11 . as can also be seen , both the first aspherical minor 11 and the second aspherical mirror 10 b and the lens group of the output imaging elements of the projection optics have the same optical axis ( a 1 ). it can likewise clearly be seen that the projection optics together with the first and the second aspherical mirror are in the form of a rotationally symmetrical system . as can also clearly be seen , the image field is used only on one side , as a result of which , for example , the part which is underneath the optical axis is not used , and the optical elements around this part can be shortened . fig6 shows a plan view of the rear projection apparatus according to the application , from which it can clearly be seen that the deflection mirror which is located in the projection optics 3 is suitable for injection of images from the side , to be precise for example between the screen and the second aspherical minor , as a result of which the flat structure of the projection apparatus is a particular feature , although the image quality is still optimal . because of the aspherical curvature of the second aspherical mirror , it is advantageous for the optical imaging elements of the projection optics which are located before and after the deflection mirror to be arranged such that , because of the deflection minor , the respective optical axes have an angle of less than or equal to 90 °. this measure means that the depth of the rear projection apparatus is appropriately limited just on the basis of the optical characteristics and imaging prerequisites of the projection optics 3 , of the first aspherical mirror and of the second aspherical minor . fig7 shows a lens section of a further embodiment of the part of the projection optics 3 , clearly showing that the deflection minor 116 subdivides the projection optics into two parts , specifically into input optics 117 - 138 and output optics 112 - 115 with output imaging elements which , in this case , are represented by two lenses with different surfaces . it should be stressed that the optical axis of the output imaging elements is chosen such that it is identical to the optical axis ( a 1 ) of the first aspherical minor . the spatial characteristic and the interaction of the minor and the second aspherical minor are taken into account by the geometric arrangement of the subdivided parts of the projection optics . to be precise in such a way that the respective optical axes of the subdivided images have an angle of less than or equal to 90 °. at this point , it should also be stressed that , for example , the element formed by the surfaces 134 and 135 can likewise be in the form of a deflection prism in order in this way , for example , to achieve total internal reflection of the image to be displayed . table 6 shows the distances and radii of curvature of the surfaces 112 - 138 of the elements of the projection optics 3 a . the refractive power and the abbe dispersion number are also indicated for the material , for the situation in which two surfaces bound a lens material . radii , thicknesses and air distances are indicated in millimeters in the table . the explanatory notes relating to tables 1 and 2 apply in a corresponding manner to the explanation of this table . the aspherical curvatures of the surfaces 10 b , 11 , 112 , 113 , 130 , 131 can also be described using the previous aspherical equation . the respective explanatory notes are also applicable in this case . in principle , it can be stated that the embodiment shown in fig5 to 7 in principle has the advantage , in particular with regard to the projection optics , that there is no need to use a mirror for deflection downward between the projection optics and the first aspherical mirror , thus resulting in particular in a small physical height . in principle , only one deflection by the deflection mirror or planar mirror is carried out on the basis of the presence of the deflection mirror . these projection optics furthermore achieve the advantage that the output imaging elements are arranged further from the aperture , and can therefore be used particularly well for optical images . | 6 |
fig1 schematically shows a configuration in which a superconducting load 5 , in this case a superconducting magnet , is connected to a current feed point 3 a through an inventive current lead 1 . from the current feed point 3 a , which is at room temperature in this case and is provided on a current source 3 , a first conductor 2 , for example , a copper conductor , goes to a first end 1 a of the current lead 1 ; there , a first connection element ( not shown in greater detail ) is provided . in the region of the first end 1 a , a connection 5 a is provided on a first cryocooler ( not shown ), which cools the first end 1 a to a medium low temperature t 1 of approx . 50 to 90 k ( max . 35 k for mgb2 in the htsc ). the temperature t 1 should be below the critical temperature of the htsc in the current lead 1 . at a second end 1 b of the current lead 1 , there is a connection 5 b to a second cryocooler ( not shown ) that cools the second end 1 b to a cryogenic temperature t 2 of approx . 1 to 30 k ; the temperature t 2 should be at least approximately as cold as the operating temperature of the superconducting load 5 . instead of the first and second cryocooler , it is also possible to use one cryocooler with a first and a second cooling stage ( not shown ). a connection element constituted at the second end 1 b ( not shown ) is connected to the superconducting load 5 by a second conductor , for example , an htsc cable or low - temperature superconductor cable . the fig2 a to 2 e illustrate a first embodiment of an inventive current lead 1 . as can be seen from the plan view fig2 a and from the longitudinal section fig2 c ( cf . intersecting plane a - a in fig2 a ), the current lead 1 includes a carrier 6 made of stainless steel (“ flat steel support ”), in particular , made of steel din 1 . 4306 , din 1 . 4404 , din 1 . 4571 , din 1 . 4435 , aisi 316l , aisi 304l , or aisi 316ln , which is soldered to connection elements 7 at its longitudinal ends . the connection elements 7 have drill - holes 8 for mounting current contacts and potential taps 9 . both on the top side and the underside of the carrier 6 , a plurality ( in this case five ) of high - temperature superconductors ( htsc ) 10 are disposed that are connected by means of a soldered connection both with the carrier 6 and with the connection elements 7 . the solder used is preferably snag4 solder . solders can also be used with a melting point & lt ; 200 ° c . ( for example , solders from fusion gmbh , type solder paste ssx 430 - 830 ). the carrier 6 is used as a support for htsc 10 and takes up mechanical loads that act on the current lead 1 . it must be noted that the carrier 6 and the htsc 10 should have similar heat expansion properties because otherwise damage could occur due to differing expansions caused by temperature fluctuations , in particular , during initial cooling of the current lead . as can be seen from fig2 b , which shows the plan view of fig2 a with the htscs omitted , and fig2 c , the carrier 6 has a plurality of cut - outs 15 that extend perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal direction ( the longitudinal direction extends from left to right in fig2 a , 2 b , and 2 c ) of the carrier 6 . in the embodiments shown , a total of seventeen cut - outs 15 are distributed over the outer length al of the carrier 6 . fig2 e shows a transverse section through the current lead 1 at the height of a cut - out 15 ( cf . intersecting plane c - c in fig2 c ). the outer contours of the carrier 6 , with an outer height ah and an outer width ab , define a cross - sectional area that is occupied by the carrier material at lateral webs only ; approx . 80 % of the defined cross - sectional area is occupied by the cut - out 15 . in an associated section 20 along the longitudinal direction of the carrier 6 , that is , over the longitudinal extent of each cut - out 15 ( cf . fig2 b and 2 c ), thermal conduction is therefore heavily restricted because it can only occur through the “ bottlenecks ” of the two webs . the cut - outs 15 are continuous in the vertical direction . most of the htscs 10 bridge the cut - out 15 completely ; the edge htscs are partly lying on the webs . fig2 d shows a transverse cross - section through the current lead 1 between two cut - outs ( cf . intersecting plane b - b in fig2 c ). in this region , the entire cross - sectional area defined by the outer height ah and the outer width ab is occupied by the carrier material . in this region , the htscs 10 lie directly on the carrier 6 and are soldered onto the surface of the carrier 6 in this embodiment . fig3 illustrates , in a longitudinal section view , a first possibility for mounting a connection element 7 on a carrier 6 as part of the invention . the carrier 6 and the connection element 7 are soldered together at their face ends ( butting ends ). the soldered connection 16 is ( irrespective of the shape of the soldered connection ) preferably implemented with solders containing silver , in particular , solder type l - ag72 . the connection element 7 is ( irrespective of the shape of the soldered connection ) preferably made of ag , cu , or au , or of alloys of the said materials ; optionally , a connection element 8 can be coated with one of the materials ni , ag , or au . an alternative mounting of a connection element 7 is depicted in fig4 . in this case , the carrier 6 and the connection element 7 each form , in the longitudinal section , approximately l - shaped edges so that an approximately s - shaped ( stepped ) contact surface is provided between the two components . the soldered connection 16 a extends over the entire s - shaped contact surface and is noticeably larger than the contact surface in case of contacting on the end face only . a second embodiment of the inventive current lead 1 is shown in a schematic perspective view in fig5 a ( without htsc ) and fig5 b ( with htsc ). the carrier 6 of the current lead 1 has a meander - shaped structure . alternating cut - outs 15 each project from the two opposite upright edges 70 a , 70 b into the space defined by the outer length al , the outer height ah , and the outer width ab of the carrier 6 . the cut - outs 15 extend over the entire outer height ah ( that is , the cut - outs are continuous in the vertical direction in fig5 a ). the carrier 6 therefore extends in sections that are parallel to the longitudinal extent ( cf . section 20 ) and in sections that are transverse with respect to the longitudinal extent of the carrier 6 ; the carrier 6 therefore extends in a meandering path . in the case of a completely meander - shaped carrier 6 , as is described here , the length of this meandering path is approx . three times longer than the outer length al of the carrier 6 , which provides a correspondingly higher thermal resistance . in the sections of the carrier 6 that extend transversely with respect to the longitudinal extent of the carrier , further cut - outs , that is , longitudinal slots 11 , are constituted in the top side and the underside of the carrier 6 ( e . g . by milling ). as seen in fig5 b , in this case , the longitudinal slots 11 have a depth that approximately corresponds to the height of the htscs 10 that are disposed on the carrier 6 . the htscs 10 are carried in the longitudinal slots 11 , which facilitates manufacturing , and the htscs 10 are mechanically stabilized and protected by the side walls of the longitudinal slots 11 . the longitudinal slots 11 also reduce the thermal conductivity of the carrier 6 along the meandering path . fig6 shows a schematic perspective view of the carrier 6 for an inventive current lead that is comparable with the carrier 6 from fig2 b . the essentially flat , elongated , cuboidal carrier 6 has a plurality of cut - outs 15 that are distributed over the longitudinal extent , cut through the full height of the carrier , and leave lateral webs ( to ensure mechanical integrity ). fig7 shows a perspective view of a further carrier 6 for an inventive current lead . the carrier 6 is based on a u - section that has its base at the upright side 70 a , and is open at the opposite upright side 70 b . the legs of the u - section constitute the top side and underside ( outer sides ) 90 , 91 of the carrier 6 on which the htscs are disposed ( not shown ). the outer sides 90 , 91 are provided , starting from the upright side 70 b facing away from the base , with slot - like cut - outs 15 a extending in the transverse direction . the slot - like cut - outs 15 a reduce the thermal conductivity of the carrier 6 in the longitudinal direction considerably . the open region in the interior of the u - section of the carrier 6 forms the greatest cut - out 15 b in the space ( volume ) defined by the outer width ab , outer height ah , and the outer length al of the carrier 6 of fig7 . in the case of the carrier 6 based on a u - section , occupancy of the space defined by the outer width ab , the outer height ah , and the outer length ah by carrier material is especially low , that is , this defined space is mainly occupied by the cut - outs 15 a , 15 b ( more than 90 % in this case ) and thermal conduction is therefore correspondingly low . the outer height ah is the height range over which the high - grade steel carrier 6 extends ( seen over the entire longitudinal extent of the carrier 8 ). the outer width ab is the width range over which the high - grade steel carrier 6 extends ( seen over the entire longitudinal extent of the carrier 6 ). the outer length al is the length range over which the high - grade carrier 6 extends ( seen over the entire vertical extent and longitudinal extent of the carrier 6 ). the outer height ah , outer width ab , and outer length al are measured at right angles . a flat , elongated cuboid is constituted by the outer length al , the outer width ab , and the outer height ah lying against the outer contours of the carrier 6 (“ defined space ”), into which the carrier 6 just about fits . a further embodiment of an inventive current lead 1 is shown in fig8 a ( without htscs ) and fig8 b ( with htscs ). the current lead 1 again has a carrier 6 based on a u - section ( similar to the carrier in fig7 ). the legs of the u - section constitute the top side and underside ( outer sides ) 90 , 91 of the carrier 6 on which the htscs 10 are disposed . the outer sides 90 , 91 each have a cut - out 15 c , in the shape of meander - shaped slots . this reduces the thermal conduction in the carrier 6 in the longitudinal direction ( toward the outer length al ). furthermore , gap - like cut - outs ( slots ) 15 d are provided that extend transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction in the base - side upright side 70 a of the u - section - like carrier 6 . this reduces the thermal conduction in the longitudinal direction in the region of the base , too . the largest cut - out 15 b is constituted by the free region in the interior of the u - section of the carrier 6 . note that on an inventive current lead for protecting the htsc and for electrical insulation , the htsc tape conductor region can be encapsulated in epoxy resin , such as stycast 1266 , and / or wrapped in kapton tape . | 7 |
ideally , energy should be replenished to the tank circuit when either the voltage or the current in the switching device is zero . the electromagnetic noise is lower during zero - voltage or zero - current switching and is lowest during zero - voltage switching . the switching device dissipates the least power under zero switching . that ideal switching point occurs twice per cycle when the sine wave crosses zero and reverses polarity ; i . e ., when the sine wave crosses zero in a first direction from positive to negative , and when the sine wave crosses zero in a second direction from negative to positive . embodiments of the invention eliminate hard - switching and its negative consequences , and replace it with zero - voltage switching in a full - bridge configuration . the integrated functions of the synchronous full - bridge power oscillator heater driver of the invention will be explained with reference to fig2 , which is a simplified representation of a circuit in accordance with embodiments of the invention with many of the basic components not shown for clarity . specific or general values , ratings , additions , inclusion or exclusion of components are not intended to affect the scope of the invention . l 1 may be located inside a fuel injector . l 1 is an induction heater coil that provides ampere - turns for induction heating a suitable fuel - injector component . a synchronous full - bridge power oscillator in accordance with embodiments of the invention may include r 1 , r 2 , d 1 , d 2 , q 1 , q 2 , q 3 , q 4 , l 2 , c 1 and l 1 . q 1 and q 2 are enhancement - type n - mosfet ( n - channel metal - oxide - semiconductor field - effect transistor ) switches that alternatively connect tank resonator , c 1 and l 1 , circuit to ground and , when each is turned on in the respective state , enables current to flow through induction heater coil and ground . q 3 and q 4 are enhancement - type p - mosfet ( p - channel metal - oxide - semiconductor field - effect transistor ) switches that alternatively connect tank resonator , c 1 and l 1 , circuit to the voltage supply , which may be a power supply , or in the case of a vehicle , a battery or an alternator , and which is a source of potential energy to replenish energy lost in the oscillator . replenishment current for the tank passes through l 2 , and with q 1 and q 2 in the appropriate state , enable current to flow through induction heater coil . c 1 and l 1 are the tank resonator capacitor and tank resonator inductor , respectively , of a resonant tank circuit . the resonant frequency of the tank circuit is fr = 1 /( 2π √{ square root over ( lc )}), where l is the heater coil inductance l 1 , and c is the capacitance of tank capacitor c 1 . the peak voltage in the tank circuit is set by v out = π * v in where v in is the supply voltage . the current level in the tank circuit is determined from the energy balance of the zero - switching power oscillator circuit is self - starting in oscillation , but may be forced into oscillation by selectively sequencing the switching of q 1 - q 4 in a full - reversing h - bridge strategy . the complimentary pairs , or here , the pairs of transistors that are flowing current between the mosfet ‘ drain ’ and ‘ source ’ at the same time are q 3 and q 2 or q 4 and q 1 . it is not desirable to have q 1 flowing current when q 3 flows current , and likewise , it is not desirable to have q 2 flowing current when q 4 flows current . l 2 provides this transient separation during state change of the h - bridge transistors . l 2 additionally isolates the resonant tank from the voltage source . when q 3 is flowing current , current passes through the induction heater coil and then through q 2 to ground . when q 4 is flowing current , current passes through the induction heater coil in the reverse direction as when q 3 was flowing current , and then through q 1 to ground , this is ‘ full - reversal ’ of current . a mosfet is a device that has a threshold for an amount of coulomb charge into the gate , which is drain - source current - dependent . satisfying the charge threshold enhances the device into an ‘ on ’ state . first and second gate resistors r 1 , r 2 supply the gate charging current to first and second legs of the h - bridge . r 1 supplies current to gates of q 1 and q 3 , r 2 supplies current to the gates of q 2 and q 4 , respectively , and r 1 , r 2 limit the current flowing into first and second gate diodes d 1 , d 2 , respectively . q 3 and q 4 , p - mosfet conduct between drain and source when source is more positive than gate . q 1 and q 2 , n - mosfet conduct between drain and source when source is more negative than gate . the loading caused by the resistive and hysteretic loss of the heated component reflects back as a loss in the resonant tank circuit . that loss is replenished by current flowing from current source inductor l 2 , from the voltage supply . depending on the state of reversal of the h - bridge in which the current flows , the current will flow either through q 3 or q 4 and then through induction heater coil l 1 . l 2 will supply current to the tank circuit from the energy stored in the magnetic field . that energy is replenished from the supply voltage as a current that constantly flows into l 2 from the voltage source during operation of the synchronous full - bridge power oscillator . if current is flowing through q 3 , as determined by the polarity of the sine wave half - cycle at that time , then the conduction to ground from q 2 drain - to - source is pulling charge out of the gate of q 3 and q 1 through forward biased d 1 . q 1 is also now not conducting and does not pull the gate charge out of q 4 and q 2 to ground through d 2 . meanwhile , r 1 draws current from the supply voltage . but the ir drop across r 1 cannot charge the gate of q 3 and q 1 with the gate shunted to ground by conduction through q 2 . when the sine wave crosses zero , then q 3 becomes reverse biased and conducts through the internal intrinsic diode to reverse - bias d 1 . d 1 stops conducting current away from the q 3 and q 1 gate , and r 1 can charge the gate of q 3 and q 1 , which stops conduction in q 3 and starts conduction in q 1 to begin conducting current for the continuing sine half - cycle . q 1 also pulls the gate charge out of q 2 and q 4 to ground through d 2 and holds q 2 in a non - conducting state , which continues to allow r 1 to enhance q 1 . and q 4 conducts . that process repeats as the sine wave alternates polarity , crossing zero in a first direction from negative to positive , and then in a second direction from positive to negative . this generates full - reversal of current in l 1 , the induction heater coil . current continues to be replenished in the tank circuit from l 2 . an igbt ( insulated gate bipolar transistor ) device can replace the n - mosfet in this embodiment if the intrinsic diode of the n - mosfet is represented by the addition of an external diode across the drain and source of the igbt . fig1 shows an expanded circuit of cascaded half - bridges that operates in accordance with the principles of operation of the full - bridge as described above and in reference to fig2 . relative to fig2 , fig1 shows three additional induction heater coils and three corresponding additional half bridges . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , the induction heater coils and the half bridges are arranged such that each induction heater coil , ihc 1 - ihc 4 , is driven by a corresponding pair of half bridges , hb 1 and hb 2 drive ihc 1 ; hb 2 and hb 3 drive ihc 2 ; hb 3 and hb 4 drive ihc 3 ; and hb 4 and hb 5 for ihc 4 . the foregoing detailed description is to be understood as being in every respect illustrative and exemplary , but not restrictive , and the scope of the invention disclosed herein is not to be determined from the description of the invention , but rather from the claims as interpreted according to the full breadth permitted by the patent laws . for example , while the synchronized array power oscillator of the invention is described herein driving an induction heater coil for the heater in an internal combustion engine fuel injector , the driver may be used to drive other induction heaters in other applications . it is to be understood that the embodiments shown and described herein are only illustrative of the principles of the present invention and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . | 5 |
a generalized computer network diagram , consistent with the present invention is illustrated in fig1 . the invention consists of an application 105 , written in a computer - readable language , executed in memory 103 on any number of computers or servers 102 that are used in conjunction with search engine crawling practices . the application 105 is therefore a search engine used in connection with a crawler , spider , or bot 106 in accordance with the present invention discussed in greater detail below . the application / bot is performed on a computer 102 that may be logically connected to a private local area network 120 containing any number of document servers 115 and / or database servers 110 . the computer 102 is also logically connected to a public network 130 ( such as the internet ) containing any number of document servers 140 . fig1 illustrates the invention as being executed in memory 103 in conjunction with the computer 102 running the search engine bot 106 . the computer 102 can , but isn &# 39 ; t required to , run the search engine bot application 106 locally . in cases where the bot 106 is not executed locally , the application 105 can be accessed over networks 120 or 130 . within the servers 110 , 115 , or 140 details about cookies used by the target web site or documents are stored . these cookie details may be stored in database applications including ( but not limited to ) mysql , oracle , microsoft sql server , or filemaker pro , or as static documents formatted as ( but not limited to ) text , xml , or html . the search engine application 105 , as well known in the prior art , creates listings of web pages automatically . typically , the bot 106 will visit a web site , read it , save it it and follow links to other secondary pages in the web site . the bot 106 will automatically return to the site on a regular basis to look for changes or new pages . the search engine application 105 will retrieve the information obtained by the bot 106 and create an index or catalog , which contains a copy of every web page the bot 106 locates . the index or catalog is stored on a database 110 directly accessible by the search engine application 105 . as the original web site is updated , the index will change . the search engine application 105 when accessed by a user sifts through the index to find matches to the specific search request . the matches are returned to the user with the link to the actual web page or document . as such , when the user selects a link from the search engine , the user is redirected to the web page that matches to the stored index page . problems arise , as mentioned above , when cookies are involved . since search engine bots 106 do not use cookies , the bots are often restricted from entering the linked pages or the links stored on the index will not accurately open . the search engine bots 106 thus are not capable of indexing secondary or linked pages , limiting the available index to the default or initial web page or other secondary pages which do not require cookies for access . fig2 generally represents an application context in which the invention may be utilized . if the search engine has not previously indexed any page on the target web site , the invention will perform an initial analysis of the root page of the web site , step 10 . this may require automatically truncating the uniform resource indicator (“ uri ”) to its root uri . for example , if the initial crawl is started on the target web site uri www . dipsie . com / bot . html the invention will truncate the uri to the root domain , www . dispsie . com . in the next step the invention will analyze any cookies on the root page , step 20 . the analysis is referred to herein as an audit of the cookies . this function discussed in greater detail below , examines the cookies and adds and / or updates information relating to the cookie to the database 110 , that is later used by the bot 106 . an application is designed to strip the cookies of its relevant information or attributes . since cookies are uniformly defined the information contained therein is relatively easy to read and dissect . in the crawl processes , as mentioned above , the bot 106 will be instructed to retrieve a target document or will be given a specific url for the search engine index . as such , the bot 106 will return to the target web site ( in the example above the target website was www . dipsie , com / bot . html ), step 30 . prior to initiating the retrieval request , the bot 106 will access the database 110 and retrieve the cookies associated with the initial root url or initial web page from where the document is being retrieved , step 40 . this is done because the targeted web page has been linked to the stored cookie . once the cookies have been retrieved from the database 110 , they are included in the bot &# 39 ; s request for the target document . the bot 106 uses the retrieved cookie in its request to gain access to the target document . in step 50 , the bot 106 retrieves the target page , step 54 , from the web server . the application 105 is then able to index and save the target page . in addition , the bot 106 also retrieves the target page &# 39 ; s header information ( which typically contains the cookie ) and sends it to the application 105 for a further cookie audit , step 56 . as discussed herein below , the header information of a web page contains cookies . within the cookie audits , the invention will identify cookies associated with the target document and add or update the database 110 on an ad hoc basis . the cookies obtained from the target page can be used by the bot to gain access to other secondary pages linked from the target page . the links in the retrieved page can be stripped during the indexing by the application 106 and provided to the bot with the relevant cookie information for additional deeper crawls , thereby permitting the bot to dig deeper into a web site and retrieve much more web pages and information then previous prior art crawls . once the initial cookie audit function has been completed , the bot will begin a cycle of indexing the target web site until all pages identified to be indexed in the crawl have been indexed , as such step 50 is repeated until the crawl is finished . for each page being indexed , the invention will first retrieve all cookie data for the target web site from the database , step 200 , fig3 . as mentioned above , the cookie data is obtained from the web page header information . next , the invention analyzes the cookie by cataloging the cookie &# 39 ; s attributes and then may create a container on the database 110 to store the cookie data returned from the web site 210 . for each cookie returned to the database 110 , the invention will create an entry in the container that stores details of the cookie data , such as name , path , domain , expires and secure , step 230 . the name is a value string of a sequence of characters excluding semi - colon , comma and white space . this is the only required attribute on the cookie header . the path attribute is used to specify the subset of urls in a domain for which the cookie is valid . if a cookie has already passed domain matching , then the pathname component of the url is compared with the path attribute , and if there is a match , the cookie is considered valid and is sent along with the url request . if the path is not specified , it is assumed to be the same path as the document being described by the header which contains the cookie . the domain attribute of the cookie may be the host name of the server which generated the cookie . a domain attribute of “ dipsie . com ” would match host names “ bot . dipsie . com ” as well as “ app . bot . dipsie . com ”. the expires attribute specifies a date string that defines the valid life time of that cookie . once the expiration date has been reached , the cookie will no longer valid . if the secure attribute is marked it will only be transmitted if the communications channel with the bot is a secure one . currently this means that secure cookies will only be sent to https ( http over ssl ) servers . if secure is not specified , a cookie is considered safe to be sent over unsecured channels . continuing to refer to fig3 , once all cookies returned from the database have been attached to the container , the container is returned to the database 110 for future use and updating by the bot 106 , step 240 . the cookie container is linked or attached to the web site , such that during future crawls or updates by the bot 106 , the bot 106 will grab the cookie container linked to the web site . referring now to fig4 , once the initial cookie audit is complete the bot 106 will systematically return to the web site to update the container by cataloging new cookies and updating preexisting cookies . the bot 106 will retrieve the cookie container on the database linked to the web site , step 300 . the bot 106 examines the uri ( uniform resource indicator ) for the page that was returned in response to the crawl request which was made for the targeted document , step 310 . once the non - redirected page has been returned , and if cookies exist on the retrieved page , the invention performs a cookie audit ( described above ) appending the database as needed and returning the cookies for the target site to the bot . if the uri of the page returned is not the same as the uri of the page requested , the bot 106 was redirected to another web page . the bot 106 grabs the header information on the returned page and investigates as to whether there are cookies , step 320 . the cookies are then added to the cookie container and linked to the returned page , step 325 . the bot 106 may then make another request for the target page and check to see if the uri of the returned page is the same as the requested page , step 330 . if it is the target page , the page is indexed and any cookies on the returned requested page cataloged . if the uri is not the same , than the bot 106 was redirected again , step 340 . the bot 106 then checks and updates the cookies , step 350 and step 360 . this may be repeated until the returned requested page matches the targeted page . referring now to fig5 , each time a bot begins crawling a web site , the bot will access the database 110 and retrieve the cookies associated to the web site to perform a preliminary cookie audit of the target web site . to do this , the method of the invention retrieves a page for the website , which may be the root page . called by an application , the cookie audit is a sub function residing within the application 105 and along with bot 106 . the cookie audit function is provided the document header information , step 400 . specifically the information contained within the set - cookie header key and uri for processing . the cookie audit function then splits the cookies into individual cookies and stores the split cookies into a collection for further analysis 410 . in some instances , a cookie header may include numerous cookies . in step 420 , for each cookie , the function then extracts the values for the cookie variables : “ name ,” step 422 , “ path ,” step 424 , “ domain ,” step 426 , “ expires ,” step 440 , and “ secure ,” step 450 . if the variable “ domain ” does not have a value , step 430 , the function will assign the root of the uri for the “ domain ” variable , step 435 . for example , if the uri was http :// www . dipsie . com / bot / sample . html , the function would assign the variable “ domain ” the value of root domain ( i . e . www . dipsie . com ). the function would also check the value of the variable “ date ”, step 445 . if the value of the expires attribute is not a valid date or is empty the function assigns the “ date ” variable a value of the date one year from the current date , step 448 . once all variables have been assigned values , the function will add the cookie to database or the cookie container for the target web site , step 460 . if a cookie with the same name currently exists in the database , the function will update the cookie data in the database with the newly cataloged cookie information . from the foregoing and as mentioned above , it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concept of the invention . it is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred . it is , of course , intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims . | 6 |
a first embodiment will be explained , referring to fig1 to 3 . fig1 is a front cross sectional view of a lamp of a light source apparatus 1 according to the embodiment , taken along a longitudinal direction . fig2 is a front cross sectional view of the light source apparatus 1 shown in fig1 , in which a reflection mirror support plate 71 , a first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 and a second lamp holding supporting member 62 are separated from one another , and a xenon lamp 2 is omitted . fig3 is a plan view of the light source apparatus shown in fig2 . as shown in these figures , the light source apparatus 1 includes a short arc type xenon lamp 2 having a spherical bulb 21 , a pair of electrodes 22 which face each other in the bulb 21 , and a pair of sealing portions 23 in which the respective electrode 22 are buried in the bulb 21 at both ends thereof . mouthpieces 24 and 25 are provided in the respective sealing portions 23 . reflection mirrors 3 and 4 are arranged so that the bulb 21 of the xenon lamp 2 may be surrounded by the reflection mirrors 3 and 4 and provided between the mouthpiece 24 and the mouthpiece 25 . a first lamp holding section 51 holds the mouthpiece 24 , and a first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 supports the first lamp holding section 51 . a first lamp holding section side positioning member 53 is provided on the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 , and the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 has an end surface 54 . screw holes 55 are formed in the first lamp holding section side positioning member 53 . a second lamp holding section 61 holds the mouthpiece 25 at the other side thereof . a second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 supports the second lamp holding section 61 . the second lamp holding section side positioning member 63 is provided on the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 . the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 has an end surface 64 . screw holes 65 are formed in the second lamp holding section side positioning member 63 . the reflection mirror support plate 71 supports the reflection mirrors 3 and 4 . the first positioning member 72 is provided on the reflection mirror support plate 71 in the reflection mirror 3 side . the second positioning member 73 is provided on the reflection mirror support plate 71 in the reflection mirror 4 side . the reflection mirror support plate 71 has one end face 74 and the other end face 75 . screw holes 76 are formed in the reflection mirror support plate 71 . a first fixing member 81 such as a screw is provided in the first positioning member 72 . a second fixing member such as a screw is provided in the second positioning member 73 . first temporary fixing members 83 such as screws are used at time of transportation . second temporary fixing members 84 are also used at time of transportation . the light source apparatus 1 according to an embodiment can be disassembled so that the reflection mirror support plate 71 , the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 , and the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 may be separately removed , as shown in fig1 - 3 . in fig1 , the xenon lamp 2 is installed in a state where the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 and the reflection mirror support plate 71 which supports the reflection mirrors 3 and 4 respectively are joined by the first temporary fixing members 81 , and where the reflection mirror support plate 71 and the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 are joined by the second temporary fixing member 82 . in addition , xenon gas is enclosed inside the bulb 21 of the xenon lamp 2 so that the gas pressure at time of lamp lighting may be set to 2 - 8 mpa . the pair of electrodes 22 is connected with a power supply ( not shown ), and rated lighting electric power of 2 - 7 kw is inputted thereto so that the xenon lamp 2 is turned on . at the time of lighting of the xenon lamp 2 , since the pair of electrodes 22 which face each other has a short distance between electrodes 22 ( close to each other ), the diameter of an arc is small so that a point light source becomes small . in addition , as shown in fig1 , a direction of a central axis of the pair of electrodes 22 of the xenon lamp 2 is shown as an x axial direction , a direction which is perpendicular to the electrodes 22 and in which the first lamp support member 5 which supports the xenon lamp 2 extends , is shown as a y axial direction , and a direction which is perpendicular to the x axial direction and the y axial direction is shown as a z axial direction . fig2 and 3 shows a state where after reflection mirrors 3 and 4 etc . are damaged , the reflection mirror support plate 71 on which reflection mirrors 3 and 4 are newly installed is about to be joined with the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 which supports the first lamp holding section 51 which was not broken , and the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 which supports the second lamp holding section 61 . as shown in these figures , the first lamp holding section side positioning member 53 is provided at an end portion of the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 , which is located in the reflection mirror support plate 71 side of the plate 52 . the second lamp holding section side positioning member 63 is provided at an end portion of the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 which is located in the reflection mirror support plate 71 side of the plate 62 . at the first lamp holding section side positioning member 53 and an end portion of the reflection mirror support plate 71 which is located in the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 side of the support plate 71 , screw stop holes 55 and 76 for the first temporary fixing members 83 are provided . screw stop holes 65 and 76 for the second temporary holding members 84 are respectively provided in the second lamp holding section side positioning member 63 and an end portion of the reflection mirror support plate 71 which is located in the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 side of the support plate 71 . at time of conveyance of the light source apparatus 1 , the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 and the reflection mirror support plate 71 are temporarily fixed by the first temporary fixing members 83 , and the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 and the reflection mirror support plate 71 are temporarily fixed by the second temporary fixing members 84 , whereby the light source apparatus 1 except the xenon lamp 1 is conveyed as a unit . in assembly of the separated parts of the light source apparatus 1 , the first and second temporary fixing members 83 and 84 for temporarily holding the parts are removed , and as shown in fig3 , the one end face 74 of the reflection mirror support plate 71 and the end face 54 of the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 are made in contact with each other by sliding the reflection mirror support plate 71 in between the support plates 52 and 62 . however , for convenience of explanation , in fig3 , the one end face 74 of the reflection mirror support plate 71 and the end surface of the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 are apart , and the other end face 75 of the reflection mirror support plate 71 and the end surfaces 64 of the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 are apart . moreover , at the same time , the other end face 75 of the reflection mirror support plate 71 and the end surface 64 of the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 are in contact with each other by sliding the support plate 71 , so that the reflection mirror support plate 71 is inserted between the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 and the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 . the first positioning member 72 which is located in the reflection mirror side of the support plate 71 and the first lamp holding section side positioning member 53 are made in contact with each other by the insertion , and then the second positioning member 73 which is located in the reflection mirror side and the second lamp holding section side positioning member 63 are made in contact with each other . next , the end surface 54 of the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 and the one end face 74 of the reflection mirror support plate 71 are arranged so as to be in contact with each other , and the end surface 64 of the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 and the other end face 75 of the reflection mirror support plate 71 are arranged so as to be in contact with each other , so that the focal point of the xenon lamp ( not shown ) held by the first lamp holding section 51 and the second lamp holding section 61 is in agreement with focal points of the reflection mirrors 3 and 4 supported on the reflection mirror support plate 71 , next , the first positioning member 72 which is located in the reflection mirror 3 side of the support plate 71 and the first lamp holding section side positioning member 53 are fixed by the first fixing members 81 , whereby the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 and the reflection mirror support plate 71 are fixed . the second positioning member 73 which is located in the reflection mirror 4 side of the support plate 71 and the second lamp maintenance section side positioning member 63 are fixed by the second fixing member 82 , whereby the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 and the reflection mirror support plate 71 are fixed . that is , the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 , the reflection mirror support plate 71 , and the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 are formed as a united light source apparatus so that the focal point of the xenon lamp ( not shown ) held by the first lamp holding section 51 and the second lamp holding section 61 is in agreement with focal points of the reflection mirrors 3 and 4 supported on the reflection mirror support plate 71 . then , the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 and the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 of the light source apparatus 1 , are fixed to the projector ( not shown ). for this reason , as a result , the reflection mirror support plate 71 fixed to the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 and the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 is also fixed to the projector ( not shown ). when the xenon lamp 2 is blown out so that the reflection mirrors 3 and 4 are damaged , the first fixing member 81 and the second fixing member 82 are removed , so that only the reflection mirror support plate 71 which supports the damaged reflection mirrors 3 and 4 is removed while the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 and the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 are fixed to the projector . the reflection mirror support plate 71 which supports the reflection mirrors 3 and 4 to be replaced is inserted between the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 fixed to the projector , and the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 , by sliding the reflection mirror support plate 71 in between the supporting plates 52 and 62 , so as to be in contact with one another . when the reflection mirror support plate 71 is inserted therein , the one end face 74 of the reflection mirror support plate 71 and the end surface 54 of the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 are in contact with each other , and the other end face 75 of the reflection mirror support plate 71 and the end surface 64 of the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 are in contact with each other , so that positioning thereof in the x axial direction is secured . moreover , while the first positioning member 72 which is located in the reflection mirror 3 side of the support plate 71 and the first lamp holding section side positioning member 53 are in contact with each other , the second positioning member 73 which is located in the reflection mirror 4 side of the support plate 71 and the second lamp holding section side positioning member 63 are in contact with each other , so that positioning thereof in the z axial direction can be secured . positioning of the support plate 71 in the y axial direction can be realized with the self - weight of the reflection mirror support plate 71 . according to the embodiment , the reflection mirror support plate 71 which supports the reflection mirrors 3 and 4 can be replaced by release and fixation of the first fixing member 81 and the second fixing member 82 . even if the reflection mirror support plate 71 is replaced , positioning of the support plate 71 in the x axial direction can be performed by the one end face 74 , the other end face 75 of the reflection mirror support plate 71 , the end surface 54 of the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 , and the end surface 64 of the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 , and further the positioning of the support plate 71 in the y axial direction can be performed by the self - weight of the reflection mirror support plate 71 . while the first positioning member 72 which is located in the reflection mirror 3 side of the support plate 71 and the first lamp holding section side positioning member 53 are in contact with each other , the second positioning member 73 which is located in the reflection mirror 4 side of the support plate 71 and the second lamp holding section side positioning member 63 are in contact with each other , so that the positioning of the support plate 71 in the z axial direction can be realized . for this reason , even if the reflection mirror support plate 71 is replaced , the focal point of the xenon lamp ( not shown ) and the focal points of reflection mirrors 3 and 4 can be made in agreement with each other . since while the support plate of light source apparatus can be separated into three parts , that is , the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 , the reflection mirror support plate 71 , and the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 , only the reflection mirror support plate 71 which supports the reflection mirrors 3 and 4 can be replaced by providing the first fixing members 81 and the second fixing members 82 . therefore , it is possible to reduce the cost of parts for replacement , compared with the case where the entire light source apparatus is replaced . a second embodiment of a light source apparatus is explained , referring to fig4 and 5 . fig4 is a front cross sectional view of the light source apparatus according to the embodiment , in which the light source apparatus 1 is taken apart into a reflection mirror support plate 71 , a first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 , and a second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 . fig5 is a plan view of the light source apparatus in which the reflection mirrors 3 and 4 and the reflection mirror support plate 71 which are shown in fig4 , are omitted . in these figures , elastic members 56 such as flat springs are provided on a face on which the first lamp holding section side positioning member 53 is slidably in contact with the reflection mirror support plate 71 . elastic members 66 such as flat springs are provided on a face on which the second lamp holding section side positioning member 63 is in contact with the reflection mirror support plate 71 . an elastic member 67 such as a flat spring is provided on an end surface 64 on which the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 is in contact with the reflection mirror support plate 71 . in addition , instead of providing the elastic member 67 on the end surface 64 on which the second lamp holding section supporting plate 62 is slidably in contact with the reflection mirror support plate 71 , the elastic member may be provided on the one end face 74 , the other end face 75 of the reflection mirror support plate 71 , or the end surface 54 on which the first lamp holding section supporting plate 52 is slidably in contact with the reflection mirror support plate 71 . in these figures , explanation of the other structures corresponding to the reference numerals shown in fig2 and 3 is omitted . according to the embodiments , by providing the elastic members 56 and 66 , it is possible to securely position the reflection support plate 71 in the y axial direction . in addition , by providing the elastic member 67 , it is possible to press the one end face 74 of the reflection mirror support plate 71 onto the end face 54 of the first lamp holding section support plate 52 whereby it is possible to position it in the x axial direction . the preceding description has been presented only to illustrate and describe exemplary embodiments of the light source apparatus according to the present invention . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to any precise form disclosed . 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 . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims . the invention may be practiced otherwise than is specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope . | 5 |
the invention concerns firstly a pricking device for taking a blood sample with a moveable holder device for a pricking means , with a linear guide to guide the moveable holder device , with means for driving the moveable holder device and with a trigger device to trigger the pricking movement of the pricking means , wherein after manual activation of the trigger device the moveable holder device can be moved translationally by means of the drive means . secondly the invention concerns a method for taking a blood sample in which a pricking means is moved forward and then immediately backward , whereby the pricking means can briefly penetrate a body at least with its tip , wherein the pricking aid is guided translationally in a moveable holder device and wherein the moveable holder device is driven by a spring drive . generic devices are well known from the prior art . they are used preferably for taking blood samples in order to be able to perform medical tests on the blood drop , for example measuring the blood sugar . for this such a device can be placed on a patient &# 39 ; s skin area in order to allow insertion in the skin of a suitable pricking means , such as an interchangeable lancet of the device , whereby after pricking by the pricking means one or more drops of blood can be taken from the damaged capillary vessels in the upper skin layers . in order to reduce the damage to the skin layers as far as possible , such pricking means are often moved forward and back translationally along a pricking axis . for example patent specification u . s . pat . no . 5 , 527 , 334 describes a generic pricking aid in which a needle or lancet is held by a needle holder , wherein the needle holder is mounted mobile linearly between two guide ribs inside the pricking aid . the needle is driven by a tensionable torsion spring which is attached firstly with a first leg end in the housing of the pricking aid and secondly with a second leg end in a moving coupling part of the pricking aid . the coupling part is connected by a first end area by form fit but resiliently with the needle holder and mounted by a second end area in a guide slot . when the torsion spring is released by manual activation of a corresponding trigger device , the second end area of the coupling part can be moved along the guide slot , whereby the coupling part can move the needle holder linearly forward and back . as a result the needle can in turn execute a pricking movement in which the needle tip can briefly accelerate out of the housing of the pricking aid . the object of the invention is to refine such generic pricking devices , frequently also called pricking aids , for taking blood samples . the object of the invention is achieved by a pricking device for taking a blood sample with a moveable holder device for a pricking aid , with a linear guide for guiding the moveable holder device , with means for driving the movable holder device and with a trigger device for triggering a pricking movement of the pricking aid , in which after manual operation of the trigger device the moveable holder device can be moved translationally by means of the drive means , whereby the pricking device is characterised in that the drive means have a curved track in which the moveable holder device engages directly . if the holder device engages directly in a curved track of the drive means , the construction of the pricking device can be kept very simple . thus the pricking device can be constructed particularly flat . in particular no additional coupling devices are required between the holder device and the drive means , so that smaller masses must be accelerated and / or decelerated during the pricking movement of the pricking aid or holder device . as a result a pricking movement can be performed substantially faster , whereby the puncture pain can be reduced . advantageously the holder device is driven translationally by means of the curved track so that a translational pricking movement , such as of a lancet , can be achieved by means of the curved track . the curved track serves here as a guide curve for the holder device concerned . suitable pricking means can be any structure such as lancets or needles which can penetrate suitably easily into the upper skin layers . a pricking means can for example be moved forward and back only along a straight track and / or along a curved track . evidently the course of the curved track here can be selected and designed in many ways in order to move the holder device advantageously . a movement course along the curved track is particularly simple if the curved track is formed in a closed loop . consequently an excellent embodiment also provides that the curved track is an endless curved track . in particular the benefits explained in connection with the curved track can also be transferred to the endless curved track . in particular with an endless curved track , the drive means can perform a particularly even drive movement , whereby the pricking result of the pricking means in relation to the body , such as on the upper skin layers , can be substantially improved . in this connection the object of the invention is also achieved by a method for taking a blood sample in which a pricking means is moved forwards and then directly back , whereby the pricking means can penetrate briefly into a body at least with its tip , wherein which the pricking means is guided translationally in a moveable holder device , and wherein the moveable holder device is driven by a spring drive , wherein the moveable holder device is guided directly inside and along an endless curved track of a control curved track element . advantageously in such a closed endless curved track the holder device moves only in a single peripheral direction , whereby the entire movement kinematics of the mobile components within the pricking device can be simplified . in particular because of such movement kinematics , the reverberation of the pricking means on the pricking movement can be reduced or ideally even fully excluded , whereby the risk of secondary pricking by the pricking means can be further reduced . as a result the pricking process can take place substantially less painfully . to this extent the taking of a blood sample can be made substantially more comfortable for the patient . the spring drive can be provided easily and very compactly if the drive means comprise a spring element for storage of energy . preferably the spring element can be constructed relatively flat as a leg spring . furthermore an advantageous method variant provides that the holder device is moved only in a single peripheral direction along the curved track both on the forward movement of the pricking means and on the return movement of the pricking means . in particular this extremely effectively reduces the risk of reverberation of the moveable holding device . a preferred embodiment variant in this respect thus provides that the drive means comprise a curved track element which comprises the endless curved track . this allows particularly good guidance of the endless curved track . if the control curved track element of the drive means is mounted swivelably about a swivel axis , the holder device can be mounted so that it is easily moveable translationally on the linear guide . therefore with regard to a further advantageous method variant , it is provided that the curved track is swivelled along an arc section about a swivel axis , whereby the moveable holder device is moved translationally . a swivel movement in this respect can be initiated advantageously by means of a leg spring . if also the spring element is mounted on a swivel axis of a control curved track element , the construction of the present pricking device can be further simplified . preferably the curved track is formed oval , whereby an acceleration and speed profile with regard to the holder device of the pricking means can be further influenced . in particular the holder device can be accelerated substantially better in straighter sections of an oval curved track , so that as a result in particular a faster forward movement of the pricking aid or holder device can be achieved . this is presumably because in the straighter areas of the oval curved track , there is less friction between the holder device and the guide areas of the curved track . a further advantageous embodiment provides that the curved track has a side guiding element within which the holder device is at least partly arranged and guided . if the curved track has a side guiding element , for example in the form of a groove , the holder device can be guided particularly reliably along the curved track . the holder device can engage particularly simply in the curved track , in particular in the guiding element , if the holder device has a curve follower . such a curve follower can very easily be produced by means of a guide peg which engages in the guiding element . preferably the guide peg is formed by the holder device itself . for example a curve follower is moulded on the holder device in an injection moulding method . evidently the curve follower can also be connected with the holder device in another way . if the curve follower of the holder device can always only move in one peripheral direction along the curved track both on the translational forward movement of the holder device and on the translational return movement of the holder device , only by means of the present holder device can an essentially circular drive motion be transferred directly into a linear output movement . such a transfer of movement can be achieved very well if a curve follower of the holder device is arranged inside a profile of a curved track such that the curve follower is mounted mobile inside the profile only in a single peripheral direction along the curved track . also the movement kinematics of the pricking means on a pricking device can be executed advantageously . in particular a good trigger safety of the present pricking device can be guaranteed if the curve follower of the holder device is arranged in a starting position inside the curved track , and the curved track with regard to the starting position has a inlet area for the curve follower and an outlet area for the curve follower , wherein the inlet area and outlet area are different . the operating reliability of the pricking device can be further improved if the curve follower is in a starting position such that when the pricking device is in a state ready for operation , on triggering of the pricking device the curve follower can move out of the start position over the outlet area , and after the pricking means has performed a pricking movement , it can return via the inlet area to the starting position . further advantages , objectives and properties of the present invention are explained in the description below with reference to the enclosed drawing which shows as an example a pricking device for taking a blood sample with a pricking means which can be operated repeatedly . fig1 diagrammatically a first cross - section view of a pricking device for taking a blood sample in a state ready for operation in which a curve follower of a holder device is arranged in a starting position inside a curved track of a control curved track element ; fig2 diagrammatically a further cross - section view of the pricking device in the state ready for operation of fig1 ; fig3 diagrammatically a perspective cross - section view of the pricking device in the state ready for operation of fig1 and 2 ; fig4 diagrammatically a cross - section view of the pricking device in a pricking position of a pricking means of the pricking device ; fig5 diagrammatically a further cross - section view of the pricking device in the pricking position in fig4 ; fig6 diagrammatically a cross - section view of the pricking device in a rest position after performing a pricking movement and in an untensioned state ; fig7 diagrammatically a cross - section view of a pricking device during a pricking process with spring drive again tensioned , and fig8 diagrammatically a perspective view of the housing of the pricking device from fig1 to 7 . the pricking device 1 shown in fig1 to 8 for taking blood samples has a flat housing 2 ( see in particular fig8 ) on the underside 3 of which a treatment opening 4 is provided through which for treatment a pricking means 5 can be accelerated briefly out of a housing interior 7 of the pricking device 1 in a pricking movement 6 ( see fig4 and 5 ). the pricking device 1 is a pricking device 1 which can be operated repeatedly , which after successful pricking , allows the pricking means 5 to be retracted again into the housing 2 immediately and then the pricking device 1 can be pre - tensioned again in order to be operated a second time . the pricking means 5 in the form of a pricking needle 8 , after successfully piercing the upper skin layer of a patient , is retracted again immediately into the flat housing 2 so there is no further risk of injury from the tip 9 of the pricking needle 8 . the pricking means 5 is held by a suitable moveable holder device 10 , often called a lancet holder , wherein the moveable holder device 10 can be moved forward and back translationally by means of a linear guide 11 along a fictitious pricking axis which is embodied by the pricking needle 8 . so that the pricking means 5 can ideally always perform an almost identical pricking movement 6 , the pricking device 1 has further means 12 for driving the moveable holder device 10 . these drive means 12 in this embodiment example comprise in particular a control curved track element 13 and a spring element 14 in the form of a leg spring 15 . the spring element 14 is here clamped with a first leg 16 in a housing holder 17 and with a second leg 18 in a holder 19 of the control curved track element 13 so that it can be tensioned . the drive means 12 furthermore have a curved track 20 in which the moveable holder device 10 engages directly . the curved track 20 is here allocated to the control curved track element 13 . so that the holder device 10 can follow the curved track 20 reliably when the control curved track element 13 is swivelled about a swivel axis 21 , the holder device 10 forms a curve follower 22 which is arranged in a guiding element 23 of the curved track 20 . the curved track 20 in itself is formed as an oval endless curved track 24 on the control curved track element 13 so that the curve follower 22 can also follow the curved track 20 endlessly in just one direction . in order to be able to move the control curved track element 13 manually such that the spring element 14 can be pre - tensioned with a sufficiently great spring force , on the top 25 of the flat housing 2 is provided a manually activatable button 26 which can be pressed into the flat housing 2 along arrow direction 27 . during such activation the curved track element 13 can be moved , the spring element 14 pre - tensioned and the entire pricking device 1 transferred to a tensioned state ready for operation as shown in fig1 . during the tensioning process a button element bar 28 of the manually activatable button element 26 can press against a projection 29 of the control curved track element 13 , whereby the control curved track element 13 is swivelled about the swivel axis 21 . as a result the spring element 14 is tensioned . the button element 26 can then be moved back to its starting position ( see fig1 ) by means of a coil spring 30 . in order to be able to trigger the pricking device 1 , the pricking device 1 has a suitable trigger device 31 which comprises a pusher 32 ( see for examples fig2 and 3 ) with a locking arm 33 . the locking arm 33 can suitably correspond with the moveable holder device 10 so that the moveable holder device 10 is locked with the locking arm 33 , in particular when the spring element 14 is pre - tensioned . as a result a pricking movement 6 can be prevented as long as the pusher 32 of the trigger device 31 is not activated and the trigger device 31 is not triggered . according to the depictions in fig1 to 3 , the pricking device 1 is in a tensioned state ready for operation in which the curve follower 22 inside the guiding element 23 is in a starting position 34 on the curved track 20 . the geometries and interplay of the control curved track element 13 , curved track 20 , the swivel ability 35 of the control curved track element 13 and hence the curved track 20 , the holder device 10 and the curve follower 22 are selected such that the curve follower 22 can move only in one peripheral direction 36 along the curved track 20 . in particular as a result it can be guaranteed that the holding device 10 with the pricking means 5 cannot reverberate after the actual pricking movement 6 , so it is ensured that per activation of the pricking device 1 , the pricking means 5 can only reach through the treatment opening 4 a single time . to trigger the pricking device 1 ready for operation , the pusher 32 is activated manually whereby the locking arm 33 releases the control curved track element 13 . the holder device 10 can then perform a translational forward movement 37 ( see fig4 ) in the sense of the pricking movement 6 , initiating the translational forward movement 37 and associated possible pressurisation of the pricking means 5 by the spring force or a spring movement 38 of the expanding leg spring 15 or the spring movement 38 of the second leg 18 of the spring leg 15 . the spring movement 38 swivels the control curved track element 13 about the swivel axis 21 . the control curved track element 13 is thus guided additionally in a guide 39 along an arc section 40 . due to the swivel movement of the control track element 13 , the curve follower 22 follows the curved track 20 along peripheral direction 36 and the holding device 10 with pricking means 5 can perform the pricking movement 6 . according to the depictions in fig4 and 5 , the pricking device 1 is shown in a pricking state in which the holder device 10 is deflected to a maximum in its translation forward movement 37 . the curve follower 22 is here in a position closest to the treatment opening 4 . advantageously on a translational return movement 41 of the holder device 10 , at the same time the curve follower 22 is guided in the continued forward peripheral direction 36 , as shown in particular in the view in fig4 . this immediate translational return movement 41 is also made possible by the still expanding leg spring 15 . consequently there is never an essentially reversed movement of the curve follower 22 within the curved track 20 of the control curved track element 13 . rather the curve follower 22 always moves further in the clockwise direction along the curved track 20 until the pricking device 1 reaches a rest state in an untensioned state , as shown in the view in fig6 . now the pricking device 1 can be re - tensioned for a further pricking movement 6 in that the manually activatable button element 26 is pushed in direction of arrow 27 , whereby the spring element 14 can be re - tensioned i . e . compressed with a tension movement 42 . in this tensioning process the curve follower 22 moves further along the curved track 20 in the peripheral direction 36 until the curve follower 22 has moved back to its starting position 34 , the spring element 14 is pre - tensioned and the pricking device 1 is again ready for use as shown in the view in fig7 . here too an inlet area 43 for the curve follower 22 on the curved track 20 and an outlet area 44 for the curve follower 22 on the curved track 22 are marked . the curve follower 22 runs through the outlet area 44 only when the pricking device 1 is triggered , when the curve follower 22 leaves its starting position . curve follower 22 only runs through the inlet area 43 when the pricking device 1 or spring element 14 is tensioned and the curve follower 22 is moved into the starting position 34 . to this extent the inlet area 43 and outlet area 44 are different areas of the curved track 20 . advantageously the holder device 10 with the present pricking device 1 engages directly in the curved track 20 so that a rotational movement of swivel movement of the control curved track element 13 can be converted directly with very little loss into a translational pricking movement 6 of the holding device 10 . advantageously a substantially oval curved track is used here with regard to the control curved track element 13 in order to allow maximum acceleration of the curve follower 22 and hence the pricking means 5 in the forward and subsequently in the reverse direction in the straighter sections of the substantially oval curved track 20 . this ideally allows a further reduction of the puncture pain . the curved track 20 essentially serves as a guide curve for the holding device 10 and its triggering . thus the pricking means 5 can only pierce the skin once and not — as in previous spring - guided systems — lead to reverberation and thus secondary pricking or repeated piercing of the skin . also the entire structure of the present pricking device 1 advantageously has a particularly flat design as all essentially moveable components can be formed flat and are low in number . in particular only one curve follower 22 is required , which is also arranged in a guiding element 23 and thus requires no additional construction height inside the pricking device 1 . all features disclosed in the application documents are claimed as essential to the invention as they where novel individually or in combination in relation to the prior art . | 0 |
embodiments of the invention are directed to a seal assembly for use with a coaxial cable system component and to a coaxial cable system component including a seal assembly in accordance with the described embodiments . throughout the description , like reference numerals will refer to like parts in the various drawing figures . for ease of description , the coaxial cable system components such as connectors , termination devices , filters and the like , referred to and illustrated herein will be of a type and form suited for connecting a coaxial cable or component , used for catv or other data transmission , to an externally threaded port having a ⅜ inch - 32 unef 2a thread . those skilled in the art will appreciate , however , that many system components include a rotatable , internally threaded nut that attaches the component to a typical externally threaded port , the specific size , shape and component details may vary in ways that do not impact the invention per se , and which are not part of the invention per se . likewise , the externally threaded portion of the port may vary in dimension ( diameter and length ) and configuration . for example , a port may be referred to as a “ short ” port where the connecting portion has a length of about 0 . 325 inches . a “ long ” port may have a connecting length of about 0 . 500 inches . all of the connecting portion of the port may be threaded , or there may be an unthreaded shoulder immediately adjacent the threaded portion , for example . in all cases , the component and port must cooperatively engage . according to the embodiments of the present invention , a sealing relationship is provided for the otherwise exposed region between the component connector and the externally threaded portion of the port . a preferred embodiment of the invention is directed to a seal assembly 90 for use with a coaxial connector , exemplary aspects of which are illustrated in fig2 - 5 . in a general aspect 90 - 1 illustrated in fig2 and 3 , the seal assembly 90 includes a seal 60 and a nut component 40 . the seal and the nut component form an integral assembly as illustrated in fig2 . an exemplary seal 60 is illustrated in fig1 a , 1b , 1 c , and fig2 . the seal 60 has a generally tubular body that is elastically deformable by nature of its material characteristics and design . in general , the seal 60 is a one - piece element made of a compression molded , elastomer material having suitable chemical resistance and material stability ( i . e ., elasticity ) over a temperature range between about − 40 ° c . to + 40 ° c . a typical material can be , for example , silicone rubber . alternatively , the material may be propylene , a typical o - ring material . other materials known in the art may also be suitable . the interested reader is referred to http :// www . applerubber . com for an exemplary listing of potentially suitable seal materials . the body of seal 60 has an anterior end 58 and a posterior end 59 , the anterior end being a free end for ultimate engagement with a port , while the posterior end is for ultimate connection to the nut component 40 of the seal assembly . the seal has a forward sealing surface 68 , a rear sealing portion 61 including an interior sealing surface 62 that integrally engages the nut component ( described in greater detail below ), and an integral joint - section 65 intermediate the anterior end 58 and the posterior end 59 of the tubular body . the forward sealing surface 68 at the anterior end of the seal 60 may include annular facets 68 a , 68 b and 68 c to assist in forming a seal with the port . alternatively , forward sealing surface 68 may be a continuous rounded annular surface that forms effective seals through the elastic deformation of the internal surface and end of the seal compressed against the port . the integral joint - section includes a portion of the length of the seal which is relatively thinner in radial cross - section to encourage an outward expansion or bowing of the seal upon its axial compression . in the exemplary embodiment , the nut grasping surface includes an interior sealing surface 62 which forms an annular surface on the inside of the tubular body , and an internal shoulder 67 of the tubular body adjacent the posterior end 59 , as illustrated . in its intended use , compressive axial force may be applied against one or both ends of the seal depending upon the length of the port intended to be sealed . the force will act to axially compress the seal whereupon it will expand radially in the vicinity of the integral joint - section 65 . in an aspect , the integral joint - section 65 is located axially asymmetrically intermediate the anterior end 58 and the posterior end 59 of the tubular body , and adjacent an anterior end 62 ′ of the interior sealing surface 62 , as illustrated . in a preferred embodiment , the tubular body has an interior diameter , d 2 , at the integral joint - section 65 equal to about 0 . 44 inches in an uncompressed state . the tubular body has a length , l , from the anterior end 58 to the posterior end 59 of about 0 . 36 inches in an uncompressed state . however , it is contemplated that the joint - section 65 can be designed to be inserted anywhere between sealing surface 62 and anterior end 58 . the seal is designed to prevent the ingress of corrosive elements when the seal is used for its intended function . the nut component 40 of the seal assembly 90 , illustrated by example in fig2 and 3 , has an interior surface , at least a portion 41 of which is threaded , a connector - grasping portion 42 , and an exterior surface 45 including a seal - grasping surface portion 47 . in an aspect , the seal - grasping surface 47 can be a flat , smooth surface or a flat , roughened surface suitable to frictionally and / or adhesively engage the interior sealing surface 62 of the seal 60 . in an exemplary aspect , the seal - grasping surface 47 may also contain a ridge 48 that together with the seal grasping surface forms a groove or shoulder that is suitably sized and shaped to correspondingly engage the internal shoulder 67 of the seal adjacent the interior sealing surface 62 in a locking - type interference fit between the nut component 40 and the seal 60 as illustrated in fig2 . the exemplary nut component 40 further includes a nut - turning surface portion 46 on surface 45 . in the exemplary aspect shown in fig3 , the nut - turning surface portion 46 has at least two flat surface regions that allow engagement with the surfaces of a tool such as a wrench . typically , the nut - turning surface in this aspect will be hexagonal . alternatively , the nut turning surface may be a knurled surface to facilitate hand - turning of the nut component . upon engagement of the seal with the nut component , a posterior sealing surface 64 of the seal abuts a side surface 43 of the nut as shown in fig2 to form a sealing relationship in that region . in an exemplary aspect , the connector - grasping portion 42 of the nut component 40 is an internally - projecting shoulder that engages a flange 25 on the connector post 23 ( described below ) in such a manner that the nut component ( likewise , the seal assembly 90 ) can be freely rotated as it is held in place as part of the connector . an additional exemplary aspect 90 - 2 of the seal assembly is illustrated in fig4 . the seal assembly of the invention may further include a seal ring 180 having an inner surface 182 and an outer surface 184 . the inner surface has a diameter such that the seal ring is slid over the nut component and creates a press - fit against an exterior rear surface portion 61 of the seal that is radially adjacent the interior sealing surface 62 . this press fit over the posterior end 59 of the seal 60 enhances the sealing characteristics between the nut 40 and posterior sealing surfaces 62 and 64 . in an exemplary aspect , the outer surface 184 of the seal ring 180 is knurled to facilitate hand - turning of the seal assembly . flat portions 46 of the nut turning surface may remain exposed to additionally facilitate the use of a tool for turning the assembly . a further exemplary aspect 90 - 3 of the seal assembly is illustrated in fig5 . a seal ring 180 ′ has a flange 183 extending outwardly from a posterior perimeter of the seal ring . as in the case of seal ring 180 described above , an internal surface 182 of seal ring 180 ′ creates a press - fit against the exterior surface portion 61 of the seal that is radially adjacent the interior sealing surface 62 . the flange 183 provides a surface that facilitates pushing the seal ring into its assembled position . as described above , flat portions 46 of the nut turning surface may remain exposed to additionally facilitate the use of a tool for turning the assembly . another embodiment of the invention is directed to a connector 10 as shown , for example , in fig3 and 6 , for connecting a coaxial cable to a port 100 , 110 and 120 as shown for illustration in fig1 - 12 . the exemplary connector 10 , illustrated in exploded view in fig3 , includes a tubular connector body 20 having first and second ends 21 and 22 , respectively . the connector body 20 accepts and retains a coaxial cable 12 as shown in fig6 , by any one of many methods well known in the art . well known means for attaching a connector body to the cable include hexagonal , circular or conical crimping and the radial compression of components caused by the axial or threaded rotational movement of tapered or stepped sleeves or rings . the exemplary connector 10 includes a connector post 23 that functions , as is well known in the art , to electrically engage the outer conductor of the coaxial cable . furthermore , the post 23 has a flange 25 , which upon assembly with the connector body 20 provides a slot 26 between the flange and the second end 22 of the body 20 . connector 10 further includes a nut component such as nut component 40 described above . the connector grasping shoulder 42 of the nut component 40 shown in fig2 engages the slot 26 , allowing the nut component to be an integral , rotatable part of the connector upon assembly . in the exemplary connector 10 , a compression ring 24 slides over the connector body 20 to secure the integrity of the connector assembly . as described previously , seal 60 and nut component 40 form integral seal assembly 90 , which are part of connector 10 . a cut - away view of exemplary connector 10 is shown in fig6 and , as assembled , as connector 10 - 1 in fig7 . alternative exemplary connectors 10 - 2 , 10 - 3 , incorporating respective seal assemblies 90 - 2 , 90 - 3 , are illustrated in fig8 and 9 , respectively . exemplary illustrations of the intended use and configurations of connector 10 are shown in fig1 - 12 . referring to fig1 a , connector 10 - 1 is positioned in axial alignment with a “ short ” externally threaded port 100 . short port 100 has a length of external threads 102 extending from a terminal end 104 to an enlarged shoulder 106 . the length of the external threads 102 is shorter than the length , l , of seal 60 ( i . e ., seal 60 in uncompressed state ). referring to fig1 b , connector 10 - 1 and short port 100 are shown “ connected ”. seal 60 is axially compressed between nut 40 and enlarged shoulder 106 of port 100 . posterior sealing surface 64 is axially compressed against side surface 43 of nut 40 and the end face 68 a of forward sealing surface 68 is axially compressed against enlarged shoulder 106 thus preventing ingress of environmental elements between nut 40 and enlarged shoulder 106 of the port 100 . referring to fig1 a , connector 10 - 1 is positioned in axial alignment with a “ long ” externally threaded port 110 . long port 110 is characterized by having a length of external threads 112 extending from a terminal end 114 of port 110 to an unthreaded diameter 116 that is approximately equal to the major diameter of external threads 112 . unthreaded portion 116 then extends from external threads 112 to an enlarged shoulder 118 . the length of external threads 112 in addition to unthreaded portion 116 is longer than the length that seal 60 extends outward from side surface 63 when seal 60 is in an uncompressed state . connector 10 - 1 and long port 110 are shown connected in fig1 b . seal 60 is not axially compressed between nut 40 and enlarged shoulder 118 . rather , internal sealing surface 62 is radially compressed against the seal grasping surface 47 of nut 40 and the interior portion 68 b and 68 c of forward sealing surface 68 are radially compressed against unthreaded portion 116 , preventing the ingress of environmental elements between nut 40 and unthreaded portion 116 of port 110 . the radial compression of both internal sealing surface 62 against seal grasping surface 47 of nut 40 and forward sealing surface 68 against unthreaded portion 116 is created by an interference fit between the sealing surfaces and their respective mating surfaces . fig1 a shows connector 10 - 1 positioned in axial alignment with an alternate externally threaded port 120 . the portions 126 , 122 of alternate port 120 are similar to those of long port 110 ( fig1 ), however , the diameter of the unthreaded portion 126 is larger than the major diameter of the external threads 122 . as shown in fig1 b , connector 10 - 1 is connected to alternate port 120 . internal sealing surface 62 is radially compressed against seal grasping surface 47 of nut 40 and forward sealing surface 68 is radially compressed against unthreaded portion 126 , preventing the ingress of environmental elements between nut 40 and unthreaded portion 126 . the radial compression of both the internal sealing surface 62 against seal grasping surface 47 of nut 40 and forward sealing surface 68 against unthreaded portion 126 is created by an interference fit between the sealing surfaces and their respective mating surfaces . a modified embodiment of the seal assembly 90 ′ is illustrated in fig1 and 14 . the materials function and operation of the modified embodiment of the seal assembly is substantially similar to the exemplary embodiment described above with the exception that the posterior portion of the seal 60 ′ attaches to the interior surface rather than the exterior surface of the nut component 40 ′. the modified embodiment of the seal also has a generally tubular body that is elastically deformable by nature of its material characteristics and design . the tubular body of seal 60 ′ has an anterior end 58 and a posterior end 59 , the anterior end being a free end for ultimate engagement with a port , while the posterior end is for ultimate connection to the nut component 40 ′ of the alternative seal assembly . the seal has a forward sealing surface 68 that may either have facets or a continuously curved surface , a rear sealing portion 61 including an exterior sealing surface 62 ′ that integrally engages the nut component ( described in greater detail below ), and an integral joint - section 65 intermediate the anterior end 58 and the posterior end 59 of the tubular body . the sealing surface 62 ′ is an annular surface on the exterior of the tubular body . the seal 60 ′ may also have a ridge 67 ′ at the posterior end 59 which together with the nut grasping surface 62 ′ locks in an interference fit with a corresponding shoulder 48 on the nut component 40 ′, as illustrated . in its intended use , compressive axial force may be applied against one or both ends of the seal depending upon the length of the port intended to be sealed . the force will act to axially compress the seal whereupon it will expand radially in the vicinity of the integral joint - section 65 . the nut component 40 ′ of the modified seal assembly 90 ′ and connector 10 ′, illustrated by example in fig1 and 14 , has an interior surface , at least a portion 41 of which is threaded , a connector - grasping portion 42 , and an interior surface including a seal - grasping surface portion 47 . in an aspect , the seal - grasping surface 47 can be a flat , smooth surface or a flat , roughened surface suitable to frictionally and / or adhesively engage the interior sealing surface 62 ′ of the seal 60 ′. in an aspect , the seal - grasping surface 47 contains a shoulder 48 that is suitably sized and shaped to engage the ridge 67 of the posterior end 59 of the seal 60 ′ sealing surface groove 62 ′ in a locking - type interference fit as illustrated in fig1 and 14 . the modified nut component 40 ′ further includes nut - turning surface portions 46 on surface 45 . upon engagement of the seal with the nut component , a sealing surface 64 ′ of the seal abuts a end surface 43 ′ of the nut as shown in fig1 and 14 to form a sealing relationship in that region . this modified embodiment of the seal assembly may be substituted for the preferred seal assembly of fig4 through 9 in the exemplary embodiments incorporating connectors and seal rings as described above . a second modified embodiment of the seal assembly is illustrated in fig1 and 16 . the seal - grasping surface 47 similarly can be a flat , smooth surface or a flat , roughened surface suitable to frictionally and / or adhesively engage the interior sealing surface of the seal 60 . in this modified embodiment , however , the forward ridge that formed the interlocking interference fit between corresponding shoulders 48 and 67 of the nut and the seal , respectively , have been eliminated . rather , the nut seal is retained on the seal grasping surface due to either the compressive force of the elastomer material of the seal member on the seal grasping surface 47 or the frictional forces between these surfaces , alone or in conjunction with an adhesive bond between the seal grasping surface 47 of the nut 40 and the nut grasping surface 62 of the seal 60 . in all other aspects , this second modified embodiment of the nut seal assembly and connectors incorporating the same operate in the same manner as exemplary embodiment of the assembly discussed above and depicted in fig1 through 12 . a modified embodiment of the invention incorporated in a termination device or terminator is depicted in fig1 . the terminator 130 includes a housing 30 having a first end 32 and a second end 33 , and a seal assembly 90 - 2 . the first end 32 of the housing includes a bore defining an inner surface . a portion of the inner surface has interior threads 31 for engaging the threads of an unused cable port . the inner surface may also include a resistor chamber 35 for holding a resistor 36 . the resistor matches the impedance of a coaxial cable to maintain the integrity of the signal carried to subscribers . the second end 33 of the housing may have an external surface including two or more flats for the engagement of a tool such as a wrench . the external surface may be hexagonal in shape . the first end of the housing also an exterior surface including a seal - grasping surface portion 37 . in an aspect , the seal - grasping surface 37 can be a flat , smooth surface or a flat , roughened surface suitable to frictionally and / or adhesively engage the interior sealing surface 62 of the seal 60 . in an exemplary aspect , the seal - grasping surface 37 may also contain a ridge 38 that together with the seal grasping surface forms a groove or shoulder that is suitably sized and shaped to correspondingly engage the internal shoulder 67 of the seal adjacent the interior sealing surface 62 in a locking - type interference fit between the terminator housing 30 and the seal 60 as illustrated in fig1 . in all aspects , the seal 60 is substantially as the exemplary seal described above and as illustrated in fig1 a , 1b , 1 c , and fig2 . the seal 60 has a generally tubular body that is elastically deformable by nature of its material characteristics and design . the seal has a forward sealing surface 68 , a rear sealing portion 61 including an interior sealing surface 62 that integrally engages either the cylindrical outer surface of the housing 37 or the ridge 38 , and an integral joint - section 65 intermediate the anterior end 58 and the posterior end 59 of the tubular body . the seal assembly of the invention incorporated in a termination device may further include a seal ring 180 having an inner surface 182 and an outer surface 184 . in all aspects , the seal ring 180 is as described above and as illustrated in fig4 . the seal ring inner surface has a diameter such that the seal ring is slid over the terminator housing 30 and creates a press - fit against an exterior rear surface portion 61 of the seal that is radially adjacent the interior sealing surface 62 . this press fit over the posterior end 59 of the seal 60 enhances the sealing characteristics between the housing 30 and posterior sealing surfaces 62 and 64 . in an exemplary aspect , the outer surface 184 of the seal ring 180 is knurled to facilitate hand - turning of the seal assembly . in all other aspects , this embodiment of the seal assembly incorporated on the terminator operates in the same manner as exemplary embodiment of the assembly discussed above and depicted in fig1 through 12 . a further modified embodiment of the invention incorporated in a tamper - resistant termination device is depicted in fig1 . the terminator 130 a includes a generally cylindrical housing 30 a having a first end 32 and a second end 33 , an outer shell 70 with a first end 72 and a second end 73 , and a seal assembly 90 - 2 . the first end 32 of the housing includes a bore defining an inner surface . a portion of the inner surface has interior threads 31 for engaging the threads of an unused cable port . the outer shell 70 rotates independently of the housing 30 and has an opening 74 at the second end for the insertion of a specialized tool ( not shown ) for mating with a complementary structure 75 on the second end of the housing . once the tool is properly engaged with the housing , rotation of the tool causes rotation of the housing 30 to selectively install or remove the housing from the threaded port . in all aspects , the seal 60 is substantially the exemplary seal described above and as illustrated in fig1 a , 1b , 1 c , and fig2 . the first end 72 of the shell also an exterior surface including a seal - grasping , cylindrical surface portion 77 . in an aspect , the seal - grasping surface 77 can be a flat , smooth surface or a flat , roughened surface suitable to frictionally and / or adhesively engage the interior sealing surface 62 of the seal 60 . in an exemplary aspect , the seal - grasping surface 77 may also contain a ridge 78 that together with the seal grasping surface forms a groove or shoulder that is suitably sized and shaped to correspondingly engage the internal shoulder 67 of the seal adjacent the interior sealing surface 62 in a locking - type interference fit between the outer shell 70 and the seal 60 as illustrated in fig1 . the seal assembly of the invention incorporated in the tamper resistant termination device may further include a seal ring 180 having an inner surface 182 and an outer surface 184 . in all aspects , the seal ring 180 is as described above and as illustrated in fig4 . the seal ring inner surface has a diameter such that the seal ring is slid over the outer shell 70 and creates a press - fit against an exterior rear surface portion 61 of the seal that is radially adjacent the interior sealing surface 62 . this press fit over the posterior end 59 of the seal 60 enhances the sealing characteristics between the outer shell 70 and posterior sealing surfaces 62 and 64 . in all other aspects , this embodiment of the seal incorporated on the tamper - resistant terminator operates in the same manner as the exemplary embodiment of the seal discussed above and depicted in fig1 through 12 . a still further modified embodiment of the invention incorporated in another tamper - resistant termination device is depicted in fig1 . the terminator 130 b is in many features similar to the termination device 130 a of fig1 . the second end 73 of the outer shell also includes external threads 76 for the mating of a coaxial cable connector ( not shown ). such a termination device may be positioned between a previously used output port and the corresponding drop line when the service to that particular subscriber is suspended without requiring that the full wiring to that subscriber be removed . service can be restored simply by removing the interposed termination device and reconnecting the cable to the port . in lieu of the seal ring , the first end 72 of the outer shell 70 has an inner surface 78 and an outer surface 79 . the inner surface 78 of the first end of the outer shell is 70 configured to be radially above the seal - grasping , cylindrical surface 37 of the terminator housing 30 b and creates a press - fit against an exterior rear surface portion 61 of the seal that is radially adjacent the interior sealing surface 62 . in other all aspects , this embodiment of the seal 60 incorporated on the tamper - resistant terminator 130 b operates in the same manner as exemplary embodiment of the seal assembly discussed above and depicted in fig1 . a modified embodiment of the invention incorporated in a filter or trap 140 is depicted in fig2 and 21 . the filter includes a generally cylindrical housing 145 having a first end 142 including an internally threaded connector 141 and a second end 143 including an externally threaded connector 144 , and a seal assembly 90 - 3 surrounding the internally threaded connector 141 at the first end of the filter housing . the exterior surface of the internally threaded connector includes a seal - grasping surface portion 147 . in an aspect , the seal - grasping surface 147 can be a flat , smooth surface or a flat , roughened surface suitable to frictionally and / or adhesively engage the interior sealing surface 62 of the seal 60 . in an exemplary aspect , the seal - grasping surface 147 may also contain a ridge 148 that together with the seal grasping surface forms a groove or shoulder that is suitably sized and shaped to correspondingly engage the internal shoulder 67 of the seal adjacent the interior sealing surface 62 in a locking - type interference fit between the connector 141 and the seal 60 as illustrated in fig2 and 18 . in all aspects , the seal 60 is substantially the exemplary seal described above and as illustrated in fig1 a , 1b , 1 c , and fig2 . the seal 60 has a generally tubular body that is elastically deformable by nature of its material characteristics and design . the seal has a forward sealing surface 68 , a rear sealing portion 61 including an interior sealing surface 62 that integrally engages either the seal - grasping surface 147 of the connector 141 or the ridge 148 , and an integral joint - section 65 intermediate the anterior end 58 and the posterior end 59 of the tubular body . the seal assembly of the invention incorporated in a filter housing may further include a seal ring 180 ′ having an inner surface 182 and an outer surface 184 . in all aspects , the seal ring 180 ′ is as described above and as illustrated in fig5 . the seal ring inner surface has a diameter such that the seal ring 180 ′ is slid over the internally threaded connector and creates a press - fit against an exterior rear surface portion 61 of the seal that is radially adjacent the interior sealing surface 62 . this press fit over the posterior end 59 of the seal 60 enhances the sealing characteristics between the connector 141 and posterior sealing surfaces 62 and 64 . in an exemplary aspect , the outer surface 184 of the seal ring 180 may include a flange 183 to facilitate pushing the seal ring into its assembled position and to facilitate hand - turning of the seal assembly . in all other aspects , this embodiment of the seal assembly incorporated on the filter operates in the same manner as exemplary embodiment of the assembly discussed above and depicted in fig5 and 9 . in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention that is applicable to any or all of the aforementioned embodiments or aspects , the seal 60 can be at least partially formed of a material that enhances the likelihood of a conductive path being maintained within the connector even if one or more of the connections within the connector become ( s ) loosened . that , in turn , has the beneficial effect of decreasing the occurrence of undesired system performance conditions ( e . g ., radio frequency interference ( rfi )) that can arise due to the loss of a conductive path caused by one or more loosened connections . exemplary such materials include , but are not limited to those that have similar physical properties to the materials described above ( e . g ., silicone rubber , propylene or other elastomer materials having suitable chemical resistance and material stability ( i . e ., elasticity ) over a temperature range between about − 40 ° c . to + 40 ° c .) from which the seal 60 can be made , yet that also exhibit high electrical conductivity . by way of non - limiting example , materials that possess this combination of properties include , but are not limited to conductive elastomers , such as so - called “ metal rubber ,” which includes but is not limited to the “ metal rubber ” material commercially available from nanosonic , inc . of blacksburg , va . usa . still in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , at least some of the seal 60 can be formed of one or more of such “ metal rubber ” materials . by way of non - limiting example , portions anterior and / or posterior to the integral joint section 65 ( see fig1 a and 1b ) of the seal 60 can be formed of “ metal rubber .” however , for various reasons ( e . g ., ease of manufacture ), it is currently preferred for the entire seal 60 , rather than merely portions thereof , to be made of “ metal rubber .” in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , and prior to actual installation of the connector 10 , a seal assembly 90 ( see fig2 ) is formed by attaching , connecting or otherwise placing into tactile communication the “ metal rubber ” seal 60 and the nut component 40 . this can occur , by way of non - limiting example , by causing a seal - grasping surface 47 ( see fig3 ) to frictionally and / or adhesively engage the interior sealing surface 62 of the seal 60 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the seal - grasping surface 47 may also contain a ridge 48 that , together with the seal grasping surface , forms a groove or shoulder that is suitably sized and shaped to correspondingly engage the internal shoulder 67 of the seal adjacent the interior sealing surface 62 in a locking - type interference fit between the nut component 40 and the seal 60 as illustrated , e . g ., in fig2 . the nut component 90 to which the seal 60 is engaged is also itself engaged ( e . g ., rotatably ) with a connector post 23 ( see , e . g ., fig3 ) that functions , as is well known in the art , to electrically engage the outer conductor of the coaxial cable . optionally , the seal 60 also can cooperatively engage a port 100 ( see , e . g ., fig1 a , 10b , 11 a and 11 b ) such that upon rotation of the seal assembly 60 the nut component 90 engages ( e . g ., threadedly ) the port whereby the forward sealing surface 68 of the seal engages the port to form a moisture - resistant barrier between the connector 10 and the port . also by way of non - limiting example , and as is currently preferred , the entire nut component 90 , or at least the portions thereof that are in tactile communication with the seal 60 once the seal assembly 90 has been assembled , can be made of a conductive material ( e . g ., a metal - based material such as brass ), as can the post 23 and the port 100 . this , in turn , ensures that a conductive path is formed through the seal assembly 90 , including between the “ metal rubber ” seal 60 and the metal nut component 90 , and to the port 100 and the post 23 . as such , even if any or all of the connections between the seal 60 and the nut component 90 , the seal and post 23 , and the seal and the port 100 become ( s ) somewhat loosened ( yet still remains at least partially connected ), the highly conductive “ metal rubber ” from which the seal 60 is made will act to maintain an uninterrupted conductive path from the connector 10 to the cable , thus , in turn , decreasing the occurrence of negative system performance conditions ( e . g ., radio frequency interference ( rfi )) that could otherwise arise due to the loss of a conductive path . while the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments and aspects thereof , and with reference to the accompanying drawings , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the exemplary and illustrative embodiments . rather , various modifications and the like could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | 7 |
it is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of embodiments of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention , while eliminating , for the purpose of clarity , many other elements found in typical website and audio / visual content delivery systems and methods . those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that other elements and / or steps are desirable and / or required in implementing the present invention . however , because such elements and steps are well known in the art , and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention , a discussion of such elements and steps is not provided herein . for non - limiting purposes of explanation only , “ computer ,” as referred to herein , refers to a general purpose computing device that includes a processor . “ processor ,” as used herein , refers generally to a device including a central processing unit ( cpu ), such as a microprocessor . a cpu generally includes an arithmetic logic unit ( alu ), which performs arithmetic and logical operations , and a control unit , which extracts instructions ( e . g ., code ) from memory and decodes and executes them , calling on the alu when necessary . “ memory ,” as used herein , refers to one or more devices capable of storing data , such as in the form of chips , or other medium like magnetic or optical discs . memory may take the form of one or more random - access memory ( ram ), read - only memory ( rom ), programmable read - only memory ( prom ), erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom ), or electrically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ) chips , by way of further non - limiting example only . memory may be internal or external to an integrated unit including the processor . memory may be internal or external to the computer such memory may store a computer program , e . g ., code or a sequence of instructions being operable by the processor . such a computer may include one or more data inputs . such a computer may include one or more data outputs . the code stored in memory may cause the processor , when executed by the processor , to set an output to a value responsively to a sensed input . one type of computer executable code typically stored in memory so as to be executable by an internet enabled computer is a browser application . for non - limiting purposes of explanation only , “ browser application ” or “ browser ,” as used herein , generally refers to computer executable code used to locate and display web pages . commercially available browsers are microsoft internet explorer , netscape navigator , apple safari , google chrome and firefox , which all support text , graphics and multimedia information , including sound and video ( sometimes through browser plug - in applications ). “ plug - in ,” as used herein , generally refers to computer executable code that adds a specific feature or service to a larger system , in the case of a browser plug - in , the browser application . the terms “ computer ,” “ computer device and / or “ computer system ” as used herein may generally take the form of single computing devices or collections of computing devices having a common operator or under common control . according to certain embodiments of the present invention , content may be aggregated for presentation to users . according to certain embodiments of the present invention , audio content may be aggregated for presentation to users . according to certain embodiments of the present invention , video content may be aggregated for presentation to users . according to certain embodiments of the present invention , audio and video content may be aggregated for presentation to users . referring now to fig1 , there is shown a block diagram of a system of networked computers 10 . the illustrated system 10 includes a plurality of user computers 20 , a plurality of network server computers 30 and a network 40 interconnecting computers 20 , 30 together . illustrated system 10 includes personal computing devices 22 and a personal digital assistant computer / web - enabled cell phone computer 24 by way of non - limiting example only . communication links 26 communicatively couple devices 20 with network 40 . links 26 may take the form of wired and / or wireless communications links , including fiber optic , pots , dsl , cable and / or multiple access or gsm based wireless telephony or data communications systems , for example . network 40 may include portions of proprietary and service provider networks , as well as the internet , for example . illustrated system 10 includes a database server 32 , a content or web server 34 and a file server 36 , all by way of non - limiting example only . communication links 26 communicatively couple devices 30 with network 40 as well . “ server ”, as used herein , generally refers to a computing device communicatively coupled to a network and that manages network resources . a server may refer to a discrete computing device , or may refer to an application that is managing resources rather than the entire computing device . referring now also to fig2 , there is illustrated a web page 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention . web page 200 may be provided to computers 20 by computers 30 via network 40 . illustrated web page 200 aggregates audio and / or video content for presentation to users of computers 20 . referring still to fig2 , the particularly illustrated web page 200 includes a category selector 205 , a ranking selector 210 , a new content indicator 215 , a content type indicator 220 , a page selector 225 , particular content graphics 230 , particular content type indicators 235 and particular content information 240 organized under a browser tab 245 . web page 200 may take other forms and / or present different content as is conventionally achieved in the pertinent arts . particular content graphics 230 , particular content type indicators 235 and particular content information 240 are organized to indicate individual presentations . in the illustrated embodiment , presentations 265 , 270 , 275 , are respectively shown . a user may select such a presentation for display by selecting an individual presentation for streaming or downloading , such as by clicking on an indicator 235 , 240 or 245 . for non - limiting purposes of explanation , “ streaming ,” as used herein , generally refers to a technique for transferring data such that it can be processed as a substantially steady or continuous stream and a user &# 39 ; s browser or plug - in can start presenting the data before the entire file has been transmitted . for non - limiting purposes of explanation , “ downloading ,” as used herein , generally refers to a technique for transmitting data ( e . g ., an entire data file ) between computers , such as between file server 36 ( fig1 ) and a computing device 22 ( fig1 ). in certain embodiments of the present invention , a commercially available content ( e . g ., audio and / or video podcast ) delivery application , such as the flash product available from adobe systems inc ., may be used to provide selected presentations to users &# 39 ; computers 20 ( fig1 ). referring still to fig1 and 2 , a user of a device 20 may request page 200 from content server 34 using a browser application in a conventional manner . server 34 may provide page 200 to the requesting computer 20 in a conventional manner , optionally using database server 32 to populate page 200 , for example . in certain embodiments of the present invention , when a user selects a category in selector 205 , content server 34 may request database server 32 identify which presentations should be used to populate page 200 according to the selected category . server 34 may then provide such a populated page 200 to the requesting user computer 20 . examples of categories that may be included and selected using selector 205 include art , autos and vehicles , bloggers and people , celebrity gossip , comedy , education , gadgets , health , how to and diy , legal , music , news , and pets and animals , for example . by selecting one of these categories , a user may receive pages 200 populated with content according to the selected category . in certain embodiments of the present invention , when a user selects a ranking in indicator 210 , content server 34 may request database server 32 identify which presentations should be used to populate page 200 according to the selected ranking . server 34 may then provide such a populated page 200 to the requesting user computer 20 . examples of rankings that may be included and selected using indicator 210 include most recent presentations and most popular presentations , for example . by selecting one of these rankings , a user may receive pages 200 populated with content according to the selected ranking . in certain embodiments of the present invention , a user may select a populated presentation ( e . g ., 265 , 270 or 275 , fig2 ). in response thereto , server 34 may request file server 36 either stream or download the selected presentation to the requesting user &# 39 ; s computer 20 , such as via a web page 200 in a conventional manner . referring now to fig3 , there is shown a view of web page 200 when tab 250 is selected . in the illustrated embodiment of fig3 , web page 200 includes a text box 255 and search button 260 under tab 250 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , when tab 250 is selected , text box 255 and search button 260 may be presented on the user &# 39 ; s computer 20 by server 34 . a user may enter a search term into window 255 in a conventional manner . a user may then activate search button 260 in a conventional manner . responsively thereto , content server 34 may request database server 32 identify which presentations should be used to populate page 200 according to the entered search term ( s ). server 34 may then provide such a populated page 200 to the requesting user computer 20 . as will be appreciated by those possessing an ordinary skill in the pertinent arts , there are a number of ways to aggregate and provide content using web page 200 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , users may be permitted to directly upload and enter information regarding content , e . g ., to file server 36 ( fig1 ). in certain embodiments of the present invention , users may be permitted to link presentations housed elsewhere in memory so as to be accessible to a computer 20 ( fig1 ) via network 40 ( fig1 )— essentially registering them with database server 32 ( fig1 ). in certain embodiments of the present invention , presentations may be created using computers 20 , 30 . and , in certain embodiments of the present invention , presentations housed elsewhere in memory so as to be accessible to a computer 20 ( fig1 ) via network 40 ( fig1 ) may be automatically linked to — essentially registering them with database server 32 ( fig1 ). referring now also to fig4 , there is shown a flow diagram of a process 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention . process 400 is suitable for permitting users to directly upload and enter information regarding content . process 400 commences with a user providing log on information using a computer 20 at block 405 , which is provided to computers 30 via network 40 , in certain embodiments to server 34 . computers 30 log the user on at block 410 , and communicates this status to the user via network 40 , in certain embodiments by serving a page 200 ( fig2 , 3 ) to the logged on user &# 39 ; s computer 20 . at block 415 , the logged on user requests to upload content , e . g ., by interacting in a conventional manner with web page 200 . this request is provided to computers 30 via network 40 . at block 420 , computers 30 request information regarding the content to be uploaded . in certain embodiments , the requested information may include a content title , date , series information and description , akin to that to be displayed in a corresponding indicator 240 ( fig2 , 3 ). the request may further include a file identifier and location of the content indicative file to ultimately be uploaded . this request may be communicated to the user &# 39 ; s computer 20 via network 40 . at block 425 , the user provides at least a portion of the requested information , which is communicated to computers 30 via network 40 . some or all of the information provided may be screened or filtered or verified in conventional manners at block 430 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , information provided at block 425 may be received and screened or filtered or verified at block 430 using web server 34 . all or a portion of that information may then be stored using database server 32 , for later use in populating web pages 200 , for example . at block 430 , computers 30 indicate the received information is suitable for use and confirms the content may be uploaded . this indication is provided to the user &# 39 ; s computer 20 via network 40 . at block 435 , the user &# 39 ; s computer transmits the content to computers 30 via network 40 , e . g ., performs a file upload in a conventional manner . the content is received by computers 30 at block 440 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , content transmitted and received at blocks 435 , 440 may take the form of media file suitable for use as a podcast , for example . such a file may be received by server 34 for example , and provided to server 36 for storage 450 and later retrieval for downloading and / or streaming pursuant to a user &# 39 ; s interaction with webpage 200 ( fig2 , 3 ), for example . in such a case , server 32 may associate the stored content indicative information provided at block 425 with the file stored at block 450 . referring now also to fig5 , there is shown a flow diagram of a process 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention , process 500 is suitable for permitting users to link presentations housed elsewhere in memory so as to be accessible to a computer 20 via network 40 . process 500 commences with a user providing log on information using a computer 20 at block 505 , which is provided to computers 30 via network 40 , in certain embodiments to server 34 . computers 30 log the user on at block 510 , and communicate this status to the user via network 40 , in certain embodiments by serving a page 200 ( fig2 , 3 ) to the logged on user &# 39 ; s computer 20 . at block 515 , the logged on user requests to link or register content , e . g ., by interacting in a conventional manner with web page 200 . this request is provided to computers 30 via network 40 . at block 520 , computers 30 request information regarding the content to be linked . in certain embodiments , the requested information may include a content title , date , series information and description , akin to that displayed in a corresponding indicator 240 ( fig2 , 3 ). the request may further include a file identifier and location of the content indicative file to be linked . this request may be communicated to the user &# 39 ; s computer 20 via network 40 . at block 525 , the user provides at least a portion of the requested information , which is communicated to computers 30 via network 40 . some or all of the information provided may be screened or filtered or verified in conventional manners at block 530 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , information provided at block 525 may be received and screened or filtered or verified at block 530 using web server 34 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the file location data ( e . g ., an internet address at which the file is available ) may be checked to see if a valid media file is located thereat . all or a portion of that information may then be stored using database server 32 , for later use in populating web pages 200 , for example . at block 530 , computers 30 indicate the received information is suitable for use and confirms the content may be linked . at block 550 the received information may be stored using server 32 for later retrieval and use . server 32 may also associate the linked content indicative information provided at block 525 with the file address stored at block 550 . certain embodiments of the present invention may provide the ability to track the number of visitors to the platform of the present invention , and additionally the number of visitors per content via the platform of the present invention . further , the number of pages viewed by each visitor may additionally be tracked , such as in a tabular format , and such information may be continuously updated for as long as a user remains on a given page , that is , for as long as a user continues to watch a particular show . for example , it may be determined when a user begins and ends listening to and / or watching a presentation , e . g ., a podcast , for example . where a selected presentation is streamed from computers 30 , such an inquiry may be relatively simple , by confirming the content streaming is progressing as expected , for example . where content is housed elsewhere and linked to by computers 30 , such a direct inquiry may not be readily available though . tracking may be performed , for example , via entry into one or more tables of database server 32 of timed data . at each expiration of a timer , such as every 15 seconds , a table entry may be made corresponding to the user , the page the user is on , and , to the extent the user is on the same page as was the user upon the last expiration of the timer , the user &# 39 ; s total time , to the current time , spent on that same page . the user may be identified by , for example , any of a number of known methodologies , such as the information the user used to login , the user &# 39 ; s ip address , the user &# 39 ; s response to an identifying query , or the like . thus , certain embodiments of the present invention provide a capability to know that a viewer began viewing a particular show at a certain time , and when a user began viewing a different page , or show , thereby providing knowledge of how long a particular viewer spent on a particular page . such knowledge is not conventionally available , and the provision of such knowledge by certain embodiments of the present invention allows for an increasing scale of payments for advertising displayed on a given page correspondent to how long a viewer or viewers remain , or typically remain , on that particular page or like pages . thus , a tabular tracking of the present invention allows for the knowledge of how long a viewer spends on a page , what the viewer was viewing or listening to on the given page , the ads shown while the viewer was viewing or listening , how long the ads were shown , and what ads were shown to the view correspondent to that viewer &# 39 ; s identification and / or login . referring now also to fig6 , there is shown a flow diagram of a process 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention . process 600 is suitable for permitting users to create presentations , such as by hosting an audio show that may be recorded to create a podcast , using computers 20 , 30 . process 600 commences with a user providing log on information using a computer 20 at block 605 , which is provided to computers 30 via network 40 , in certain embodiments to server 34 . computers 30 log the user on at block 610 , and communicate this status to the user via network 40 , in certain embodiments by serving a page 200 ( fig2 , 3 ) to the logged on user &# 39 ; s computer 20 . at block 615 , the logged on user requests to create content or host a show , e . g ., by interacting in a conventional manner with web page 200 . this request is provided to computers 30 via network 40 . at block 620 , computers 30 request information regarding the content to be created . in certain embodiments , the requested information may include a content title , date , series information and description , akin to that displayed in a corresponding indicator 240 ( fig2 , 3 ). the request may further include a phone number at which the user may be reached . this request may be communicated to the user &# 39 ; s computer 20 via network 40 . at block 625 , the user provides at least a portion of the requested information , which is communicated to computers 30 via network 40 . some or all of the information provided may be screened or filtered or verified in conventional manners at block 630 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , information provided at block 625 may be received and screened or filtered or verified at block 630 using web server 34 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the user &# 39 ; s phone number may be checked to see if it is valid . all or a portion of that information may ten be stored at block 635 using database server 32 , for later use in populating web pages 200 , for example . at block 640 , the requesting user indicates he would like to begin creating the presentation , e . g ., by interacting in a conventional manner with web page 200 . this indication is communicated to computers 30 via network 40 . at block 645 computers 30 initiate a new presentation creation session . at block 650 , a voice communications session between computers 30 and the user is commenced . in certain embodiments of the present invention , a telephone call may be automatically placed by computers 30 at block 650 to the phone number indicated at block 625 . referring now to fig7 , there is shown a block diagram of a system of networked computers and telephones 700 . like system 10 , illustrated system 700 includes personal computing devices 22 and a personal digital assistant / web - enabled cellular phone computer 24 by way of non - limiting example only . communication links 26 communicatively couple devices 20 with network 40 . links 26 may take the form of wired and / or wireless communications links , including fiber optic , pots , osl , cable and / or multiple access or gsm based wireless telephony or data communications systems , for example . network 40 may include portions of proprietary and service provider networks , as well as the internet , for example . illustrated system 10 includes a database server 32 , a content or web server 34 and a file server 36 , all by way of non - limiting example only . communication links 26 communicatively couple devices 30 with network 40 as well . system 700 additionally includes conventional telephone 705 associated with ( as indicated by label 720 ) a particular computing device 22 , e . g ., by both corresponding to a given requesting user , for example . in the illustrated embodiment , phone 705 may be communicatively coupled to computers 30 independent of network 40 ( e . g ., via 725 ). in the illustrated embodiment , phone 705 may be communicatively coupled to computers 30 via network 40 ( e . g ., link 710 ). in certain embodiments of the present invention phone 705 may take the form of a pots phones . in certain embodiments of the present invention phone 705 may take the form of a voip phone . in certain embodiments of the present invention , phone 705 may take the form of a cellular phone . in certain embodiments of the present invention , phone 705 is independent of the associated computer 22 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , phone 705 may be communicatively coupled to computers 30 independent of any connection between the associated computer 22 and computers 30 . referring still to fig6 and 7 , a requesting user may be called at block 650 by computers 30 placing a conventional telephone call to the phone number provided at block 625 . upon the call being answered using phone 705 , a pre - recorded audio message indicating the content will be created may be played . thereafter , the requesting user , or his designee for example , may speak into phone 705 , thereby hosting a show , for example . responsively thereto , computers 30 may digitize the spoken show and store a media file indicative of it ( e . g ., using file server 36 ), as indicated at block 655 . information provided at block 625 and stored at block 635 may include identifications of intended audience members for the presentation , e . g ., an audience for the show to be hosted . this additional information may be used at block 660 to initiate analogous telephone calls to those numbers as well . in this way , a phone audience may hear the show live at a plurality of locations . for non - limiting purposes of explanation , this is shown in fig7 as phone 730 , which is associated with computer 24 as designated by label 740 . such a “ dial out ” functionality allows for an understanding of where the user / viewer / listener can be reached , located , and / or may allow for a myriad additional features in the present invention . for example , a pinpoint geographic location of broadcast listeners may be placed on a map , such as via website 200 to thereby illustrate where other listeners of the broadcast are specifically located . such a mapping functionality may be realized using a commercially available mapping application , such as google maps , for example . in certain embodiments of the present invention , shows may be streamed analogously as described above as they are being recorded , for example . it should further be understood such a content generation functionality provides additional advantages . for example , enhanced telephone conferences may be readily achieved according to certain embodiments of the present invention . such enhanced conferences may exhibit an automatic dial out to conference attendees , including the host and audience . such enhanced conferences may exhibit automatic recording and archival for later playback as a podcast , for example . such enhanced functionalities may advantageously be achieved without the host having access to any particular resources other than a general purpose internet enabled computer and a conventional telephone . such enhanced functionalities may advantageously be achieved without the any audience member having access to any particular resources other than a conventional telephone . accordingly , enhanced telephone conferencing may be readily achieved . in certain embodiments of the present invention , certain portions of aggregated content may have access thereto restricted to authorized members . for example , information provided at blocks 425 , 525 and / or 625 may include an authorized group identifier or content password . such an identifier and / or password may be stored using database server 32 . when a user seeks to playback such protected content , e . g ., by interacting with web page 200 as set forth above , the user may need to log in ( e . g ., analogously to log in at blocks 405 , 410 , 505 , 510 , 605 , 610 ) or provide the corresponding password . where a group identifier is used , database server 32 may indicate what groups a logged in user is authorized for , so as to selectively permit access to protected content to authorized users . such groups may , by way of non - limiting example only , include businesses and other private organizations . referring now also to fig8 , there is shown a flow diagram of a process 800 according to an embodiment of the present invention . process 800 is suitable for automatically aggregating and linking to presentations housed elsewhere in memory so as to be accessible to a computer 20 ( fig1 ) via network 40 ( fig1 )— essentially registering them with database server 32 ( fig1 ). syndication of internet content is becoming more commonplace . really simple syndication (“ rss ”) is a family of internet feed formats used to publish content that may be frequently updated , such as podcasts ( rss 2 . 0 ). rss utilizes a standardized format . an rss document ( sometimes referred to as a “ feed ,” “ web feed ” or “ channel ”) typically contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text . an rss may itself be used to aggregate content from multiple web sources in one place . rss content is typically accessed using an rss reader application . such an application may be a thin , web - page based application or a downloaded application executed on a user &# 39 ; s computer ( e . g ., 20 , fig1 ). rss feeds may typically be subscribed to by entering or selecting the feed &# 39 ; s link using the reader . the rss reader typically checks the user &# 39 ; s subscribed feeds for new content at predetermined intervals , downloads updates , and provides a user interface to monitor and view the feeds . embodiments of the present invention will be discussed with regard to rss 2 . 0 feeds for non - limiting purposes of explanation only . it should be recognized that embodiments of the present invention may be suitable for use with other types of content ( e . g ., audio / video ) feeds . referring again to fig8 , process 800 commences with a user providing log on information using a computer 20 at block 805 , which is provided to computers 30 via network 40 , in certain embodiments to server 34 . computers 30 log the user on at block 810 , and communicate this status to the user via network 40 , in certain embodiments by serving a page 200 ( fig2 , 3 ) to the logged on user &# 39 ; s computer 20 . at block 815 , the logged on user requests to link an rss feed , e . g ., by interacting in a conventional manner with web page 200 . this request is provided to computers 30 via network 40 . at block 820 , computers 30 request information regarding the content to be created . in certain embodiments , the requested information may include a content title , series information and description , akin to that displayed in a corresponding indicator 240 ( fig2 , 3 ). the request may further include rss feed identification and / or access information through which the feed may be accessed . this request may be communicated to the user &# 39 ; s computer 20 via network 40 . at block 825 , the user provides at least a portion of the requested information , which is communicated to computers 30 via network 40 . some or all of the information provided may be screened or filtered or verified in conventional manners at block 830 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , information provided at block 825 may be received and screened or filtered or verified at block 830 using web server 34 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the feed identifier and / or access information may be checked to see if it is valid . all or a portion of that information may then be stored at block 850 using database server 32 , for later use in populating web pages 200 , for example . at block 850 , the feed may further be accessed to acquire information regarding and / or either links to or the feed content itself then present . all of this information may be automatically aggregated using computers 30 in accordance with the methods described herein - above with regard to fig4 and / or 5 , where the feed information ( e . g ., rss associated xml data ) is used in lieu of user provided information . the date and time when content is automatically acquired via such a registered rss feed may also be stored at block 850 using computers 30 , e . g ., database server 32 . at block 855 , computers 30 may determine if new content exists for one or more feeds stored at block 850 . this may be accomplished in any of a number of conventional manner , including periodically checking when the feed was last updated and / or the content available there - through to data stored at block 850 . when new of changed content is found , the data stored at block 855 may be appended or amended to reflect the new content . it should further be understood such a content acquisition provides additional advantages . for example , each user wishing to identify and view content available via an rss feed may conventionally need to obtain and operate an rss reader application . further , each such rss reader application would need to access each identified rss feed . this leads to substantial bandwidth usage , for example . in contrast , certain embodiments of the present invention permit a user to access rss content without the need for his own rss reader . further , embodiments of the present invention only require that system 30 access each rss feed , as opposed to each system 30 user computer 20 wishing to access the rss feeds , leading to substantial savings in network resources . further , certain embodiments of the present invention allow user to access and compare content available via rss feeds they are not even aware of , e . g ., by their interaction with webpage 200 as discussed above , where webpage 200 includes content added using the methodology of process 800 , for example . accordingly , certain embodiments of the present invention provide for enhanced content syndication and aggregation , as compared to even rss feeds themselves , for example . and , certain embodiments of the present invention provide for automatic aggregation of rss fed content in combination with non - rss fed content in a single application independent of any user rss reader application . in certain embodiments of the present invention , web page views and / or web site visits ( e . g ., sessions ) may be tracked . a page view , as used herein , generally refers to a request made to a web server for a web page , as opposed to just a page component , such as a graphic , for example . a visit , as used herein , generally refers to a sequence of web page and / or component requests from a particular user &# 39 ; s computer , within some predetermined period of time . commercially available server log file analysis applications may be used to gather such information , for example . in certain embodiments of the present invention , more detailed tracking information may be desired . for example , it may be desirable to know not only that a certain number of users requested and accessed certain presentations , but also how long a user actually watched , and / or listened , to a presented program , after selection via webpage 200 ( fig2 , 3 ), for example . certain embodiments of the present invention may provide the ability to track the number of visitors to the platform of the present invention , and additionally the number of visitors per content via the platform of the present invention , and additionally information regarding how long presentations were watched and / or listened . for example , and referring now to fig9 , there is shown a view of a web page 900 according to an embodiment of the present invention . web page 900 generally includes portions 910 , 920 , 930 and 940 . web page 900 may be provided to a user &# 39 ; s computer 30 responsively to user selection of a presentation shown on a populated web page 200 ( fig2 ). by way of non - limiting explanation , should a user viewing web page 200 ( fig2 ) select a presentation 265 for viewing and / or listening , a suitably populated web page 900 may be served by computers 20 . in such a served web page 900 , portion 930 may be utilized to playback the selected presentation in a conventional manner , e . g ., by downloading the content into or streaming the content to a media player application or plug - in . portions 910 , 940 may be used to display related information , such as advertisements for example . in such a case , it may be desirable to be able to reliable identify how long the media was actually , or may typically be played , in order to appropriately value portions 910 , 920 as available advertising billboard space . by way of further , non - limiting , example , while a per - click or per - display pricing schedule for portions 910 , 940 may be used , where portion 920 is used to play - back content a typical user watches and / or listens to for ten minutes , portions 910 , 940 may be worth more than where content play - back is typically for less than thirty - seconds . where content is directly stored using an operator &# 39 ; s system ( e . g ., computers or computer system 20 , fig2 ), such as by using the methodology of process 400 ( fig4 ) or process 600 ( fig6 ), such a tracking may be achieved by tracking requests from and pages viewed by each visitor , such as in a tabular format . as a system operator maintains control over the operation of system 30 in such a case , system 30 may be monitored to determine how long data is streamed therefrom , for example . data indicative of this period , such as a presentation identifier and a value indicative of the time the presentation was actually streamed for , may be logged by system 30 ( e . g ., using database server 32 , for example ). for example , it may be determined when a user begins and ends listening to and / or watching a presentation , e . g ., a podcast , by tracking when a web page was loaded and for example by determining when streaming of data to such a loaded web page ceases . where a selected presentation is streamed from computers 20 , such a methodology may be directly implemented by system 20 , by confirming the content streaming is progressing as expected , for example . where content is not uploaded to an operator &# 39 ; s system ( e . g ., computers or computer system 20 , fig2 ) and is instead remotely stored from yet aggregated by system 30 , e . g ., using the methodology of process 500 ( fig5 ) or process 800 ( fig8 ), for example , tracking may not be so straight forward . as an operator of system 30 does not necessarily exercise control over the content data storage resource , the operator may not be able to directly operate the storage resource in a manner to directly track how long content is streamed therefrom to a particular user . in certain embodiments of the present invention , aggregated content playback may advantageously be tracked in a substantially same manner , regardless of whether it is streamed from system 30 or otherwise unrelated computer systems operated by third parties . in certain embodiments of the present invention , tracking information may be continuously or substantially continuously updated for as long as a user continues to watch or listen to a particular show , regardless of whether the content data is streamed from an operator &# 39 ; s computer system 30 or a third party &# 39 ; s computer system . referring now to fig1 , there is shown a block diagram of a process 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention . process 1000 commences with a user &# 39 ; s computer 20 receiving a web page from system 20 ( fig2 ) at block 1010 . such a received web page may take the form of page 900 ( fig9 ), for example . as is shown in fig9 , page 900 includes portion 930 , which may be used to play - back user selected content via his computer 20 and a suitable plug - in or media player , for example . as explained herein , data indicative of the content played using portion 920 may be supplied by system 30 or a third party &# 39 ; s computer system . regardless , page 900 may include a timer applet . “ applet ,” as used herein , generally refers to a software component that runs in the context of another program , in the case of page 900 of fig9 , a web browser . such an applet may typically used to perform a specific function or task , usually narrow in scope . in the case of fig9 and 10 , such a timer applet may be used to indicate when a pre - determined temporal period has elapsed . for example , such an applet may be used to indicate each time some temporal period , such as 10 , 15 or 30 seconds , elapses . such a timer applet may be started at block 1020 . at block 1030 , when the applet determines the predetermined temporal period has elapsed , it signals its continued execution to system 20 . in response , system 30 may log receipt of this indication , such as by using database server 32 . in certain embodiments of the present invention , web page 900 ( fig9 ) may be accompanied with identifying data , such as in form of a cookie . a “ cookie ,” as used herein , generally refers to a message provided to a web browser by a web server . the browser stores the message in a data or text file . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the applet may cause the cookie , or associated data , to be transmitted from the user &# 39 ; s computer 20 to system 30 , where upon receipt it , or data associated with it , may be logged , such as by using database server 32 . by way of further non - limiting example , at each expiration of temporal period as determined by the timer applet , such as every 15 seconds , a table entry may be made of the user , the page the user is on , and , to the extent the user is on the same page as was the user upon the last expiration of the timer , the user &# 39 ; s total time , to the current time , spent on that same page using database server 32 . the user may be identified by , for example , any of a number of known methodologies , such as the information the user used to login , the user &# 39 ; s ip address , the user &# 39 ; s response to an identifying query , or the like . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the timer applet may cause data indicative of the total time spent on the web page presenting the presentation that has elapsed . in certain embodiments of the present invention , the timer applet may cause data indicative of another temporal cycle having passed while the web page presents the presentation . in the latter , a value indicative of the number of cycles that have passed in database 32 may be incremented each time the data is received , for example . thus , certain embodiments of the present invention provide the capability to know that a viewer began viewing a particular show at a certain time , and to know when a user began viewing a different page , or show , thereby providing knowledge of how long a particular viewer spent on a particular page . such knowledge is not conventionally available , and the provision of such knowledge by certain embodiments of the present invention allows for an increasing scale of payments for advertising displayed on a given page correspondent to how long a viewer or viewers remain , or typically remain , on that particular page or like pages . thus , the tabular tracking of the present invention allows for the knowledge of how long viewer spends on a page , what the viewer was viewing or listening to on the given page , the ads shown while the viewer was viewing or listening , how long the ads were shown , and what ads were shown to the view correspondent to that viewer &# 39 ; s identification and / or login . those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many modifications and variations of the present invention may be implemented without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . thus , it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents . | 7 |
the epoxy resin composition of the present invention includes at least one epoxy resin component , at least one curing agent , at least one alkali metal containing accelerator , and optionally one or more solvents . the epoxy resin compositions of the invention include at least one epoxy resin component . epoxy resins are those compounds containing at least one vicinal epoxy group . the epoxy resin may be saturated or unsaturated , aliphatic , cycloaliphatic , aromatic or heterocyclic and may be substituted . the epoxy resin may also be monomeric or polymeric . the epoxy resin compound utilized may be , for example , an epoxy resin or a combination of epoxy resins prepared from an epihalohydrin and a phenol or a phenol type compound , prepared from an epihalohydrin and an amine , prepared from an epihalohydrin and a carboxylic acid , or prepared from the oxidation of unsaturated compounds . in one embodiment , the epoxy resins utilized in the compositions of the present invention include those resins produced from an epihalohydrin and a phenol or a phenol type compound . the phenol type compound includes compounds having an average of more than one aromatic hydroxyl group per molecule . examples of phenol type compounds include dihydroxy phenols , biphenols , bisphenols , halogenated biphenols , halogenated bisphenols , hydrogenated bisphenols , alkylated biphenols , alkylated bisphenols , trisphenols , phenol - aldehyde resins , novolac resins ( i . e . the reaction product of phenols and simple aldehydes , preferably formaldehyde ), halogenated phenol - aldehyde novolac resins , substituted phenol - aldehyde novolac resins , phenol - hydrocarbon resins , substituted phenol - hydrocarbon resins , phenol - hydroxybenzaldehyde resins , alkylated phenol - hydroxybenzaldehyde resins , hydrocarbon - phenol resins , hydrocarbon - halogenated phenol resins , hydrocarbon - alkylated phenol resins , or combinations thereof . in another embodiment , the epoxy resins utilized in the compositions of the invention preferably include those resins produced from an epihalohydrin and bisphenols , halogenated bisphenols , hydrogenated bisphenols , novolac resins , and polyalkylene glycols , or combinations thereof . in another embodiment , the epoxy resin compounds utilized in the compositions of the invention preferably include those resins produced from an epihalohydrin and resorcinol , catechol , hydroquinone , biphenol , bisphenol a , bisphenol ap ( 1 , 1 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- 1 - phenyl ethane ), bisphenol f , bisphenol k , tetrabromobisphenol a , phenol - formaldehyde novolac resins , alkyl substituted phenol - formaldehyde resins , phenol - hydroxybenzaldehyde resins , cresol - hydroxybenzaldehyde resins , dicyclopentadiene - phenol resins , dicyclopentadiene - substituted phenol resins , tetramethylbiphenol , tetramethyl - tetrabromobiphenol , tetramethyltribromobiphenol , tetrachlorobisphenol a , or combinations thereof . the preparation of such compounds is well known in the art . see kirk - othmer , encyclopedia of chemical technology , 3rd ed ., vol . 9 , pp 267 - 289 . examples of epoxy resins and their precursors suitable for use in the compositions of the invention are also described , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 137 , 990 and 6 , 451 , 898 which are incorporated herein by reference . in another embodiment , the epoxy resins utilized in the compositions of the present invention include those resins produced from an epihalohydrin and an amine . suitable amines include diaminodiphenylmethane , aminophenol , xylene diamine , anilines , and the like , or combinations thereof . in another embodiment , the epoxy resins utilized in the compositions of the present invention include those resins produced from an epihalohydrin and a carboxylic acid . suitable carboxylic acids include phthalic acid , isophthalic acid , terephthalic acid , tetrahydro - and / or hexahydrophthalic acid , endomethylenetetrahydrophthalic acid , isophthalic acid , methylhexahydrophthalic acid , and the like or combinations thereof . in another embodiment , the epoxy resin compounds utilized in the compositions of the invention include those resins produced from an epihalohydrin and compounds having at least one aliphatic hydroxyl group . in this embodiment , it is understood that such resin compositions produced contain an average of more than one aliphatic hydroxyl groups . examples of compounds having at least one aliphatic hydroxyl group per molecule include aliphatic alcohols , aliphatic diols , polyether diols , polyether triols , polyether tetrols , any combination thereof and the like . also suitable are the alkylene oxide adducts of compounds containing at least one aromatic hydroxyl group . in this embodiment , it is understood that such resin compositions produced contain an average of more than one aromatic hydroxyl groups . examples of oxide adducts of compounds containing at least one aromatic hydroxyl group per molecule include ethylene oxide , propylene oxide , or butylene oxide adducts of dihydroxy phenols , biphenols , bisphenols , halogenated bisphenols , alkylated bisphenols , trisphenols , phenol - aldehyde novolac resins , halogenated phenol - aldehyde novolac resins , alkylated phenol - aldehyde novolac resins , hydrocarbon - phenol resins , hydrocarbon - halogenated phenol resins , or hydrocarbon - alkylated phenol resins , or combinations thereof . in another embodiment the epoxy resin refers to an advanced epoxy resin which is the reaction product of one or more epoxy resins components , as described above , with one or more phenol type compounds and / or one or more compounds having an average of more than one aliphatic hydroxyl group per molecule as described above . alternatively , the epoxy resin may be reacted with a carboxyl substituted hydrocarbon , which is described herein as a compound having a hydrocarbon backbone , preferably a c 1 - c 40 hydrocarbon backbone , and one or more carboxyl moieties , preferably more than one , and most preferably two . the c 1 - c 40 hydrocarbon backbone may be a straight - or branched - chain alkane or alkene , optionally containing oxygen . fatty acids and fatty acid dimers are among the useful carboxylic acid substituted hydrocarbons . included in the fatty acids are caproic acid , caprylic acid , capric acid , octanoic acid , versatic ™ acids , available from resolution performance products llc , houston , tex ., decanoic acid , lauric acid , myristic acid , palmitic acid , stearic acid , palmitoleic acid , oleic acid , linoleic acid , linolenic acid , erucic acid , pentadecanoic acid , margaric acid , arachidic acid , and dimers thereof . in another embodiment , the epoxy resin is the reaction product of a polyepoxide and a compound containing more than one isocyanate moiety or a polyisocyanate . preferably the epoxy resin produced in such a reaction is an epoxy - terminated polyoxazolidone . in one embodiment , the curing agents utilized in the compositions of the invention include amine - and amide - containing curing agents having , on average , more than one active hydrogen atom , wherein the active hydrogen atoms may be bonded to the same nitrogen atom or to different nitrogen atoms . examples of suitable curing agents include those compounds that contain a primary amine moiety , and compounds that contain two or more primary or secondary amine or amide moieties linked to a common central organic moiety . examples of suitable amine - containing curing agents include ethylene diamine , diethylene triamine , polyoxypropylene diamine , triethylene tetramine , dicyandiamide , melamine , cyclohexylamine , benzylamine , diethylaniline , methylenedianiline , m - phenylenediamine , diaminodiphenylsulfone , 2 , 4 bis ( p - aminobenzyl ) aniline , piperidine , n , n - diethyl - 1 , 3 - propane diamine , and the like , and soluble adducts of amines and polyepoxides and their salts , such as described in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 651 , 589 and 2 , 640 , 037 . in another embodiment , polyamidoamines may be utilized as a curing agent in the resin compositions of the invention . polyamidoamines are typically the reaction product of a polyacid and an amine . examples of polyacids used in making these polyamidoamines include 1 , 10 - decanedioic acid , 1 , 12 - dodecanedioic acid , 1 , 20 - eicosanedioic acid , 1 , 14 - tetradecanedioic acid , 1 , 18 - octadecanedioic acid and dimerized and trimerized fatty acids . amines used in making the polyamidoamines include aliphatic and cycloaliphatic polyamines such as ethylene diamine , diethylene triamine , triethylene tetramine , tetraethylene pentamine , 1 , 4 - diaminobutane , 1 , 3 - diaminobutane , hexamethylene diamine , 3 -( n - isopropylamino ) propylamine and the like . in another embodiment , polyamides are those derived from the aliphatic polyamines containing no more than 12 carbon atoms and polymeric fatty acids obtained by dimerizing and / or trimerizing ethylenically unsaturated fatty acids containing up to 25 carbon atoms . in another embodiment , the curing agents are aliphatic polyamines , polyglycoldiamines , polyoxypropylene diamines , polyoxypropylenetriamines , amidoamines , imidazoles , reactive polyamides , ketimines , araliphatic polyamines ( i . e . xylylenediamine ), cycloaliphatic amines ( i . e . isophoronediamine or diaminocyclohexane ), menthane diamine , 4 , 4 - diamino - 3 , 3 - dimethyldicyclohexylmethane , heterocyclic amines ( aminoethyl piperazine ), aromatic polyamines ( methylene dianiline ), diamino diphenyl sulfone , mannich base , phenalkamine , n , n ′, n ″- tris ( 6 - aminohexyl ) melamine , and the like . in another embodiment , imidazoles , which may be utilized as an accelerator for a curing agent , may also be utilized as a curing agent . in another embodiment , the curing agent is a phenolic curing agent which includes compounds having an average of one or more phenolic groups per molecule . suitable phenol curing agents include include dihydroxy phenols , biphenols , bisphenols , halogenated biphenols , halogenated bisphenols , hydrogenated bisphenols , alkylated biphenols , alkylated bisphenols , trisphenols , phenol - aldehyde resins , phenol - aldehyde novolac resins , halogenated phenol - aldehyde novolac resins , substituted phenol - aldehyde novolac resins , phenol - hydrocarbon resins , substituted phenol - hydrocarbon resins , phenol - hydroxybenzaldehyde resins , alkylated phenol - hydroxybenzaldehyde resins , hydrocarbon - phenol resins , hydrocarbon - halogenated phenol resins , hydrocarbon - alkylated phenol resins , or combinations thereof . preferably , the phenolic curing agent includes substituted or unsubstituted phenols , biphenols , bisphenols , novolacs or combinations thereof . in another embodiment , the curing agent is a polybasic acid or its corresponding anhydride . examples of polybasic acids include di -, tri -, and higher carboxylic acids , such as , oxalic acid , phthalic acid , terephthalic acid , succinic acid , alkyl and alkenyl - substituted succinic acids and tartaric acid . examples also include polymerized unsaturated acids , for example , those containing at least 10 carbon atoms , and preferably more than 14 carbon atoms , such as , dodecenedioic acid , and 10 , 12 - eicosadienedioic acid . examples of suitable anhydrides include phthalic anhydride , succinic anhydride , maleic anhydride , nadic anhydride , nadic methyl anhydride , pyromellitic anhydride , trimellitic anhydride and the like . other types of acids that are useful are those containing sulfur , nitrogen , phosphorus or halogens ; chlorendic acid , benzene phosphonic acid , and sulfonyl dipropionic acid bis ( 4 - carboxyphenyl ) amide . the ratio of curing agent to epoxy resin is preferably suitable to provide a fully cured resin . the amount of curing agent which may be present may vary depending upon the particular curing agent used ( due to the cure chemistry and curing agent equivalent weight ) as is known in the art . the accelerators of the invention include those alkali metal containing compounds which catalyze the reaction of the epoxy resin with the curing agent . the alkali metal compound of the invention acts with curing agent to form an infusible reaction product between the curing agent and the epoxy resin in a final article of manufacture such as a structural composite or laminate . by an infusible reaction product , it is meant that the epoxy resin has essentially completely cured , which for example may be at a time when there is little or no change between two consecutive t g measurements ( δt g ). in one embodiment , the alkali metal containing compound is an alkali metal hydroxide or alkoxide . in another embodiment , the alkali metal containing compound is represented by the formulae : in each of formula 1a and 1b , m is a metal selected from group 1 of the periodic table of the elements . in another embodiment , m is lithium , sodium or potassium . in another embodiment m is sodium or potassium . in another embodiment m is potassium . o is oxygen . r is hydrogen or a substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl group . n is an integer , preferably n is 1 to 50 or 1 to 20 . the term “ hydrocarbyl ” encompasses all groups containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms including alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , arylalkyl , arylalkenyl and alkylaryl groups . preferred hydrocarbyl groups comprise 1 to 40 , 1 to 20 , 1 to 12 or 1 to 6 carbon atoms . substituted means that at least one hydrogen atom on a group is replaced with a hydrocarbyl , halide , halocarbyl , alkylamido , alkoxy , siloxy , aryloxy , alkylthio , arylthio , dialkylamino , dialkylphosphino , or other substituents . the term “ alkyl ”, means a straight - chain , branched - chain or cyclic alkyl group . examples of such groups include , but are not limited to , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , isobutyl , sec - butyl , tert - butyl , pentyl , iso - amyl , hexyl , 2 - ethylhexyl , octyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl and the like . the cyclic alkyl groups may be substituted with one or more straight - chain and / or branched - chain alkyl groups ( i . e ., may be alkylcycloalkyl groups such as , e . g ., methylcyclohexyl etc .). conversely , the straight - chain and branched - chain alkyl groups may be substituted with one or more cyclic alkyl groups ( i . e ., may be cycloalkylalkyl groups such as cyclohexylmethyl etc .). moreover , unless indicated otherwise , the above alkyl groups may be substituted by one or more groups independently selected from halogen ( e . g ., f , cl , br ), alkoxy ( e . g ., methoxy , ethoxy , propoxy , butoxy and the like ), hydroxy , amino , monoalkylamino ( e . g ., methylamino , ethylamino , propylamino and the like ) and dialkylamino ( e . g ., dimethylamino , diethylamino , dipropylamino , diisopropylamino , piperidino and the like ) and trihydrocarbylsilyl ( e . g ., trimethylsilyl , triphenylsilyl and the like ). unless otherwise stated , the above definition of the term “ alkyl ” also applies to groups comprising one or more alkyl groups . the term “ alkenyl ” means “ alkyl ” as defined above having one or more double bonds , and the term “ alkynyl ” means “ alkyl ” as defined above having one or more triple bonds . examples of alkenyl groups include , but are not limited to , ethenyl , propenyl , allyl , butenyl , 1 , 4 - butadienyl , isopropenyl , cyclopentenyl , cyclohexenyl , cyclooctenyl , cyclopentadienyl , cyclohexadienyl , cyclooctadienyl and the like . the term “ aryl ” means an aromatic group , which optionally may contain one or more heteroatoms ( preferably selected from n , o and s and combinations thereof ) in the ring . illustrative , non - limiting examples of aryl groups are phenyl , naphthyl , fluorenyl , chlorophenyl , dichlorophenyl , fluorophenyl , perfluorophenyl , hydroxyphenyl , anisyl , biphenyl , nitrophenyl , acetylphenyl , aminophenyl , pyridyl , pyridazyl , quinolyl , and the like . unless otherwise stated , the above definition of the term “ aryl ” also applies to groups which comprise one or more aryl groups . for example , the term “ aryloxy ” means an aryl ether group wherein the term “ aryl ” is as defined above . the term “ alkoxy ” means an alkyl or alkenyl ether group wherein the terms “ alkyl ” and “ alkenyl ” are as defined above . examples of suitable alkyl ether groups include , but are not limited to , methoxy , ethoxy , n - propoxy , isopropoxy , n - butoxy , iso - butoxy , sec - butoxy , tert - butoxy , phenoxy , allyloxy , trifluoromethoxy and the like . in one embodiment , referring to formula 1a or 1b , m is lithium , sodium or potassium , or m is sodium or potassium , and r is hydrogen or an alkyl group , preferably a c 1 to c 40 alkyl group , a c 1 to c 20 alkyl group , or a c 1 to c 6 alkyl group . in another embodiment m is sodium or potassium and the group or represents a methoxy , ethoxy , n - propoxy , isopropoxy , n - butoxy , iso - butoxy , sec - butoxy , tert - butoxy , or phenoxy group . in another embodiment , the alkali metal containing accelerator compound is sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , lithium hydroxide , sodium methoxide , potassium methoxide , lithium methoxide , or combinations thereof . in one embodiment formula 1a or 1b refers to an alkali metal phenoxide formed from a phenolic or a polyphenolic compound . examples of phenolic compounds and polyphenolic compounds include phenols , dihydroxy phenols , biphenols , bisphenols , halogenated biphenols , halogenated bisphenols , hydrogenated bisphenols , alkylated biphenols , alkylated bisphenols , trisphenols , phenol - aldehyde resins , novolac resins ( i . e . the reaction product of phenols and simple aldehydes , preferably formaldehyde ), halogenated phenol - aldehyde novolac resins , substituted phenol - aldehyde novolac resins , phenol - hydrocarbon resins , substituted phenol - hydrocarbon resins , phenol - hydroxybenzaldehyde resins , alkylated phenol - hydroxybenzaldehyde resins , hydrocarbon - phenol resins , hydrocarbon - halogenated phenol resins , hydrocarbon - alkylated phenol resins , or combinations thereof . in one embodiment , the alkali metal containing compound is an alkali metal carboxylate . in another embodiment , the alkali metal containing compound is represented by the formulae : in each of formula 2a and 2b , o is oxygen , c is carbon and m , r and n are defined as above . in one embodiment , referring to formula 2a or 2b , m is sodium or potassium and r is an alkyl group , preferably a c 1 to c 40 alkyl group , a c 1 to c 20 alkyl group or a c 1 to c 6 alkyl group . in another embodiment , the alkali metal containing carboxylate is a saturated , unsaturated , aliphatic , aromatic or saturated cyclic carboxylic acid salt where the carboxylate group has preferably from 2 to 24 carbon atoms , such as for example acetate , propionate , butyrate , valerate , pivalate , caproate , isobutylacetate , t - butyl - acetate , caprylate , heptanoate , pelargonate , undecanoate , oleate , octoate , palmitate , myristate , margarate , stearate , arachidonate and tricosanoate . in one embodiment , the alkali metal containing compound is an alkali metal halide ; preferably the halide is chloride , bromide or iodide . more preferably the alkali metal halide is licl , nacl or kcl . in another embodiment the alkali metal containing compound is an alkali metal borate , bicarbonate , carbonate , chlorate , nitrate , phosphate , sulfate , sulfide , sulfite , polysulfide or thiocyanate , silicate , aluminate , phosphonate , sulfonate , cyanate , thiolate , thiophenoxide , thiocarboxylate , thiophosphate , imide salt , or similar alkali metal salt . in another embodiment , the alkali metal containing compound is an alkali metal ion complexed with coordinating compounds such as with crown ethers , cryptands , aza - crowns , polyglycols , or compounds containing two or more ketone or aldehyde groups . the alkali metal containing accelerator compounds of the invention may be used alone , in combination with each other , or in combination with other accelerator compounds known in the art . other known general classes of accelerator compounds include , but are not limited to phosphine compounds , phosphonium salts , imidazoles , imidazolium salts , amines , ammonium salts , and diazabicyclo compounds as well as their tetraphenylborates salts , phenol salts and phenol novolac salts . examples of suitable accelerator compounds to be used in combination with the accelerator compound of the invention also include those compounds listed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 255 , 365 , incorporated herein by reference . in the resin compositions of the invention , the epoxy resin , curing agent , and alkali metal containing accelerator compound may optionally be dissolved in a solvent . preferably the concentration of solids in the solvent is at least about 50 percent and no more than about 80 percent solids . non - limiting examples of suitable solvents include ketones , alcohols , water , glycol ethers , aromatic hydrocarbons and mixtures thereof . preferred solvents include acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , methyl isobutyl ketone , cyclohexanone , methylpyrrolidinone , propylene glycol monomethyl ether , ethylene glycol monomethyl ether , methyl amyl ketone , methanol , isopropanol , toluene , xylene , dimethylformamide ( dmf ) and the like . a single solvent may be used , but also separate solvents may be used for one or more components . preferred solvents for the epoxy resins are ketones , including acetone , methylethyl ketone and the like . preferred solvents for the curing agents include , for example , ketones , amides such as dimethylformamide ( dmf ), ether alcohols such as methyl , ethyl , propyl or butyl ethers of ethylene glycol , diethylene glycol , propylene glycol or dipropylene glycol , ethylene glycol monomethyl ether , or 1 - methoxy - 2 - propanol . preferred solvents for the accelerators of the invention include alcohols , ketones , water , dimethylformamide ( dmf ), glycol ethers such as propylene glycol monomethyl ether or ethylene glycol monomethyl ether , and combinations thereof . the amount of accelerator utilized is an amount effective to catalyze the reaction of the epoxy resin with the curing agent . as is known in the art , the amount of accelerator to be utilized depends upon the components utilized in the compositions , the processing requirements , and the performance targets of the articles to be manufactured . in one embodiment the accelerator of the invention is utilized in the range of 0 . 00001 to 0 . 1 and preferably in the range of 0 . 0002 to 0 . 02 molar equivalents per 100 grams of epoxy resin solids . in another embodiment , the accelerator of the invention is utilized in an amount greater than 0 . 00001 molar equivalents per 100 grams of epoxy resin solids . for purposes herein molar equivalents of the accelerator relate to the alkali metal functionality . for example , sodium hydroxide and sodium chloride are monofunctional and the dialkali metal salt of bisphenol a would be difunctional . the resin compositions of the invention may also include optional constituents such as inorganic fillers and additional flame retardants , for example antimony oxide , octabromodiphenyl oxide , decabromodiphenyl oxide , and other such constituents as is known in the art including , but not limited to , dyes , pigments , surfactants , flow control agents and the like . in one embodiment , the resin composition of the invention includes : ( 1 ) an epoxy resin , prepared from the reaction of an epihalohydrin and a phenol or a phenol type compound , as described above , which is preferably a brominated epoxy resin ; ( 2 ) an alkali metal containing cure accelerator represented by formula 1 a where m is lithium , sodium or potassium , preferably sodium or potassium , and r is hydrogen or a c 1 to c 12 hydrocarbyl group , preferably a methyl , ethyl , or phenyl group and more preferably a methyl group ; and ( 3 ) a curing agent . preferably , in this embodiment , the alkali metal containing cure accelerator is selected from sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , lithium hydroxide , sodium methoxide , potassium methoxide , lithium methoxide , and combinations thereof . in one embodiment , the resin composition of the invention includes : ( 1 ) an epoxy resin , prepared from the reaction of an epihalohydrin and a phenol or a phenol type compound , as described above , which is preferably a brominated epoxy resin ; ( 2 ) an alkali metal containing cure accelerator that is an alkali metal carboxylate represented by formula 2a where m is lithium , sodium or potassium , preferably sodium or potassium , and r is hydrogen or a c 1 to c 20 alkyl group ; and ( 3 ) a curing agent . in one embodiment , the resin composition of the invention includes : ( 1 ) an epoxy resin , prepared from the reaction of an epihalohydrin and a phenol or a phenol type compound , as described above , which is preferably a brominated epoxy resin ; ( 2 ) an alkali metal containing compound which is an alkali metal ion complexed with coordinating compounds such as with crown ethers , cryptands , aza - crowns , polyglycols , or compounds containing two or more ketone or aldehyde groups . ; and ( 3 ) a curing agent . in one embodiment , the resin composition of the invention includes : ( 1 ) an epoxy resin , prepared from the reaction of an epihalohydrin and an phenol or a phenol type compound , as described above , and is preferably a brominated epoxy resin ; ( 2 ) an alkali metal containing cure accelerator that is an alkali metal halide , carbonate , bicarbonate , acetate , nitrate , sulfate , sulfite , chlorate , or thiocyanate where the alkali metal is lithium , sodium or potassium , preferably sodium or potassium ; and ( 3 ) a curing agent . resin compositions prepared utilizing the epoxy resin cure accelerators of the invention may be impregnated upon a reinforcing material to make laminates , such as electrical laminates . the reinforcing materials which may be coated with the compositions of this invention include any material which would be used by one skilled in the art in the formation of composites , prepregs , laminates and the like . examples of appropriate substrates include fiber - containing materials such as woven cloth , mesh , mat , fibers , and the like , and unwoven aramid reinforcements such as those sold under the trademark thermount , available from dupont , wilmington , del . preferably , such materials are made from glass , fiberglass , quartz , paper , which may be cellulosic or synthetic , a thermoplastic resin substrate such as aramid reinforcements , polyethylene , poly ( p - phenyleneterephthalamide ), polyester , polytetrafluoroethylene and poly ( p - phenylenebenzobisthiazole ), carbon , graphite , ceramic or metal and the like . preferred materials include glass or fiberglass , in woven cloth or mat form . compositions containing the alkali metal containing accelerators of the invention may be contacted with an article by any method known to those skilled in the art . examples of such contacting methods include powder coating , spray coating , die coating , roll coating , resin infusion process , and contacting the article with a bath containing the composition . in a preferred embodiment the article is contacted with the composition in a varnish bath . in one embodiment , the reinforcing material is contacted with a varnish bath comprising the epoxy resin composition of the invention dissolved and intimately admixed in a solvent or a mixture of solvents . the coating occurs under conditions such that the reinforcing material is coated with the epoxy resin composition . thereafter the coated reinforcing materials are passed through a heated zone at a temperature sufficient to cause the solvents to evaporate , but below the temperature at which the resin composition undergoes significant cure during the residence time in the heated zone . the reinforcing material preferably has a residence time in the bath of from 1 second to 300 seconds , more preferably from 1 second to 120 seconds , and most preferably from 1 second to 30 seconds . the temperature of such bath is preferably from 0 ° c . to 100 ° c ., more preferably from 10 ° c . to 40 ° c . and most preferably from 15 ° c . to 30 ° c . the residence time of the coated reinforcing material in the heated zone is from 0 . 1 to 15 min , more preferably from 0 . 5 to 10 min , and most preferably from 1 to 5 min . the temperature of such zone is sufficient to cause any solvents remaining to volatilize away yet not so high as to result in a complete curing of the components during the residence time . preferable temperatures of such zone are from 80 ° c . to 250 ° c ., more preferably from 100 ° c . to 225 ° c ., and most preferably from 150 ° c . to 210 ° c . preferably there is a means in the heated zone to remove the solvent , either by passing an inert gas through the oven , or drawing a slight vacuum on the oven . in many embodiments the coated materials are exposed to zones of increasing temperature . the first zones are designed to cause the solvent to volatilize so it can be removed . the later zones are designed to result in partial cure of the polyepoxide ( b - staging ). one or more sheets of prepreg are preferably processed into laminates optionally with one or more sheets of electrically - conductive material such as copper . in such further processing , one or more segments or parts of the coated reinforcing material are brought in contact with one another and / or the conductive material . thereafter , the contacted parts are exposed to elevated pressures and temperatures sufficient to cause the epoxy resin to cure wherein the resin on adjacent parts react to form a continuous epoxy resin matrix between and about the reinforcing material . before being cured the parts may be cut and stacked or folded and stacked into a part of desired shape and thickness . the pressures used can be anywhere from about 1 to about 1000 psi with from about 10 to about 800 psi being preferred . the temperature used to cure the resin in the parts or laminates , depends upon the particular residence time , pressure used , and resin used . preferred temperatures which may be used are between about 100 ° c . and about 250 ° c ., more preferably between about 120 ° c . and about 220 ° c ., and most preferably between about 150 ° c . and about 190 ° c . the residence times are preferably from about 10 min to about 120 min , more preferably from about 20 to about 90 min , and most preferably from about 30 to about 50 min . in one embodiment , the process is a continuous process where the reinforcing material is taken from the oven and appropriately arranged into the desired shape and thickness and pressed at very high temperatures for short times . in particular such high temperatures are from about 180 ° c . to about 250 ° c ., more preferably about 190 ° c . to about 210 ° c ., at times of about 1 to about 10 min and from about 2 to about 5 min . such high speed pressing allows for the more efficient utilization of processing equipment . in such embodiments the preferred reinforcing material is a glass web or woven cloth . in some embodiments it is desirable to subject the laminate or final product to a post cure outside of the press . this step is designed to complete the curing reaction . the post cure is usually performed at from 130 ° c . to 220 ° c . for from 20 to 200 minutes . this post cure step may be performed in a vacuum to remove any components which may volatilize . the resin compositions of the invention , due to their thermal properties , are especially useful in thee preparation of articles for high temperature continuous use applications . examples include electrical laminates and electrical encapsulation . other examples include molding powders , coatings , structural composite parts and gaskets . the epoxy resin compositions described herein may be found in various forms . in particular , the various compositions described may be found in powder form , hot melt , or alternatively in solution or dispersion . in those embodiments where the various compositions are in solution or dispersion , the various components of the composition may be dissolved or dispersed in the same solvent or may be separately dissolved in a solvent or solvents suitable for that component , then the various solutions are combined and mixed . in those embodiments wherein the compositions are partially cured or advanced , the compositions of this invention may be found in a powder form , solution form , or coated on a particular substrate . the laminates prepared utilizing the cost effective alkali metal containing accelerators of the invention exhibit enhanced thermal properties when compared to laminates utilizing prior art accelerators , such as for example imidazoles . in another embodiment , laminates prepared utilizing the accelerators of the invention exhibit enhanced thermal properties , such as delamination time , delamination temperature , solder resistance and / or thermal degradation temperature , while maintaining a glass transition temperature ( tg ) similar to laminates utilizing prior art accelerators , such as , for example , imidazoles . in another embodiment , in addition to the above , the tg is maintained in ° c ., measured by differential scanning calorimetry at a heating rate of 20 ° c ./ min , of at least 90 % of that for comparable systems prepared utilizing imidazole accelerators . as utilized herein , tg refers to the glass transition temperature of the thermosettable resin composition in its current cure state . as the prepreg is exposed to heat , the resin undergoes further cure and its tg increases , requiring a corresponding increase in the curing temperature to which the prepreg is exposed . the ultimate , or maximum , tg of the resin is the point at which essentially complete chemical reaction has been achieved . “ essentially complete ” reaction of the resin has been achieved when no further reaction exotherm is observed by differential scanning calorimetry ( dsc ) upon heating of the resin . the time to delamination of laminates prepared utilizing the alkali metal containing accelerators of the invention as measured with a thermomechanical analyzer at a heating rate of 10 ° c ./ min to 260 ° c . ( t 260 ) increases by at least 10 %, preferably at least 20 %, more preferably at least 50 % relative to the delamination time for laminates manufactured utilizing imidazole accelerators , or the delamination time at 288 ° c . ( t 288 ) increases by at least 5 %, preferably at least 20 %, more preferably at least 100 % relative to the delamination time when compared to laminates manufactured utilizing imidazole accelerators , or the delamination time at 350 ° c . ( t 350 ) increases by at least 2 %, preferably at least 10 % relative to the delamination time when compared to laminates manufactured utilizing imidazole accelerators . in addition , and referring to the examples , when compared to prior art formulations containing imidazoles , such as 2 - methyl imidazole , the laminates from the compositions of the invention also show measurable improvement in the thermal properties of solder float resistance , the time to sudden and irreversible delamination ( constant temperature and constant heat rate test conditions ), and / or the temperature at which 5 % of the sample weight is lost upon heating . in addition to enhanced thermal properties , and again referring to the examples , the non - thermal properties of the laminates prepared from the compositions of the invention , such as water absorption , a copper peel strength , dielectric constant , and dissipation factor are comparable with those of prior art formulations utilizing an imidazole accelerator . in order to provide a better understanding of the present invention including representative advantages thereof , the following examples are offered . epoxy resin formulations were prepared by dissolving the individual resin , curing agent , and accelerator components in suitable solvents at room temperature and mixing the solutions . varnish gel times were measured with a hot plate at 171 ° c . using a test method similar to ipc - tm - 650 number 2 . 3 . 18 . prepregs were prepared by coating the accelerated resin varnish on style 7628 glass cloth ( bgf 643 finish ) and drying in a laboratory convection oven at 163 ° c . for 2 - 10 minutes to evaporate the solvents and advance the reacting epoxy / curing agent mixture to a non - tacky b - stage . laminates were prepared using 1 - 8 prepreg plies sandwiched between sheets of copper foil ( gould jtc , 1 ounce / ft 2 ) and pressing at 100 psi with the following cure cycle : ( 1 ) heat from room temperature to 350 ° f . at 10 ° f ./ min , ( 2 ) hold for 60 minutes , and ( 3 ) cool at 20 ° f ./ min to 100 ° f . prepreg resin flow during lamination was calculated for 4 - ply , 4 - inch square laminates as the percent laminate weight decrease due to the flow of resin out the laminate edge , similar to ipc - tm - 650 number 2 . 3 . 17 . in general , prepreg resin flow values of 10 - 15 % were targeted . laminate glass transition temperatures ( tg ) were measured by differential scanning calorimetry ( dsc ) at a heating rate of 20 ° c ./ min . time to delamination measurements were performed at 260 , 288 , or 350 ° c . with a thermomechanical analyzer ( tma ) by heating copper clad samples at 110 ° c ./ min to the desired temperature and holding the samples at that temperature until a sudden and irreversible delamination occurred ( in accordance with ipc - tm - 650 number 2 . 4 . 24 . 1 ). similarly , tma delamination temperatures were measured by heating copper clad samples at 110 ° c ./ min until a sudden and irreversible delamination occurred . a third method used to quantify thermal stability was to measure the temperature at which a laminate sample lost a specified weight fraction , 5 % in this case . this test was performed on samples without the copper cladding using a thermogravimetric analyzer ( tga ) with an air environment and a heating rate of 110 ° c ./ min . other laminate properties measured were water absorption ( ipc - tm - 650 number 2 . 6 . 2 . 1 and 2 . 6 . 16 ), copper peel strength ( ipc - tm - 650 number 2 . 4 . 8 condition a ), dielectric constant ( permittivity ) and dissipation factor ( loss factor ) ( ipc - tm - 650 number 2 . 5 . 5 . 2 ), and solder float resistance at 288 and 300 ° c . as measured by the time to delamination ( similar to ipc - tm - 650 number 2 . 4 . 13 . 1 ). this latter test was only performed on single ply laminates . several different resin and curing agent systems were tested to verify the performance increase provided by the invention presented here and these systems are summarized by the following examples . however , one skilled in the art would expect the present invention to provide improved performance for similar resin and curing agent systems . varnish formulations typical of conventional fr - 4 laminate systems were prepared with 125 parts by weight ( pbw ) of an 80 % solution of a brominated epoxy resin ( the reaction product of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol a and tetrabromobisphenol a , such as epon resin 1124 - a - 80 ( available from resolution performance products llc , houston , tex .) 28 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of dicyandiamide dissolved in dimethylformamide , and 18 parts of acetone . to the varnishes were added one of the following accelerator solutions : ( 1 ) 0 . 9 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of 2 - methylimidazole ( 2 - mi ) dissolved in propylene glycol monomethyl ether or ( 2 ) 0 . 45 parts of a 10 % solution of sodium hydroxide ( naoh ) dissolved in ethylene glycol monomethyl ether . prepregs and 8 - ply laminates ( 12 in .× 12 in .) were prepared as described above . the resulting laminates were tested as reported in table 1 . comparative system 1 - 1 represents the state of technology today for fr - 4 laminates , namely a brominated bpa epoxy resin cured with dicyandiamide and accelerated with an imidazole compound . replacing the imidazole accelerator in the comparative system with sodium hydroxide provided increased thermal resistance ( as indicated by improvements in delamination time at 260 ° c ., tma delamination temperature , 5 % weight loss temperature , and solder float resistance ) without sacrificing general laminate performance ( tg , moisture resistance , copper peel , and electrical properties ). varnish formulations typical of conventional fr - 4 laminate systems were prepared with 125 parts by weight of an 80 % solution of a brominated epoxy resin ( the reaction product of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol a and tetrabromobisphenol a , such as epon resin 1124 - a - 80 ), 28 or 30 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of dicyandiamide dissolved in dimethylformamide , and 12 - 20 parts of acetone . to the varnishes were added one of the following accelerator solutions : ( 1 ) a 10 % by weight solution of 2 - methylimidazole dissolved in propylene glycol monomethyl ether or ( 2 ) a 10 % by weight solution of potassium hydroxide ( koh ) dissolved in ethylene glycol monomethyl ether . prepregs and 4 - ply laminates were prepared as described above . the resulting laminates were tested as reported in table 2 . replacing the imidazole accelerator in both comparative formulations with potassium hydroxide gave increased thermal resistance as measured by delamination time at 260 ° c . while maintaining comparable laminate glass transition temperature . varnish formulations typical of conventional fr - 4 laminate systems were prepared with 125 parts by weight of an 80 % solution of a brominated epoxy resin ( the reaction product of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol a and tetrabromobisphenol a , such as epon resin 1124 - a - 80 ), 28 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of dicyandiamide dissolved in dimethylformamide , and 14 - 22 parts of acetone . to the varnishes were added one of the following accelerator solutions : ( 1 ) 0 . 8 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of lithium hydroxide ( lioh ) dissolved in a 54 / 46 by weight blend of methanol and water , ( 2 ) 1 . 4 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of potassium methoxide ( koch 3 ) dissolved in methanol , ( 3 ) 7 . 0 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of dabco ® t - 45 ( a 60 % solution of potassium 2 - ethylhexanoate in a glycol mixture from air products ) dissolved in ethylene glycol monomethyl ether , or ( 4 ) 1 . 0 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of lithium chloride ( licl ) dissolved in methanol . prepregs and 4 - ply laminates were prepared as described above . the resulting laminates were tested as reported in table 3 . relative to the comparative formulation ( system 2 - 1 ), all of the systems in table 3 provide increased thermal resistance as measured by delamination time at 260 ° c ., with the formulations accelerated by lithium hydroxide and potassium methoxide providing comparable laminate tg values to that of the control . varnish formulations typical of a high tg , fr - 4 laminate system were prepared with 118 parts by weight of an 85 % solution of a high tg , brominated epoxy resin ( an epoxy - terminated polymer with oxazolidone , bisphenol a , and tetrabromobisphenol a backbone character and with an epoxide equivalent weight of 310 g / eq ), 27 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of dicyandiamide dissolved in dimethylformamide , and 0 - 6 parts by weight of acetone . to the varnishes were added one of the following accelerator solutions : ( 1 ) 6 . 0 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of 2 - methylimidazole dissolved in propylene glycol monomethyl ether , ( 2 ) 4 . 6 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of sodium hydroxide dissolved in ethylene glycol monomethyl ether , ( 3 ) 6 . 0 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of potassium hydroxide dissolved in ethylene glycol monomethyl ether , or ( 4 ) a combination of 2 . 0 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of 2 - methylimidazole dissolved in propylene glycol monomethyl ether and 3 . 7 parts of a 10 % solution of potassium hydroxide dissolved in ethylene glycol monomethyl ether . prepregs and 4 - ply laminates were prepared as described above . the resulting laminates were tested as reported in table 4 . relative to the comparative system 4 - 1 , replacing all or part of the imidazole accelerator with an alkali metal hydroxide accelerator as shown in table 4 resulted in an increase in thermal resistance while maintaining comparable laminate tg . varnish formulations were prepared with 51 parts by weight of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol a ( epoxide equivalent weight of 187 g / eq ), 35 parts by weight tetrabromobisphenol a , 14 parts by weight of a phenol novolac ( number average molecular weight of 750 g / mol ), 24 - 26 parts by weight of acetone , and 17 - 18 parts by weight of methyl ethyl ketone . similar to example 1 , this varnish formulation is representative of some commercial systems used for fr - 4 laminate applications , especially those offering improved laminate thermal resistance . to the varnish formulations were added one of the following accelerator solutions : ( 1 ) 1 . 2 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of 2 - methylimidazole dissolved in propylene glycol monomethyl ether or ( 2 ) 3 . 6 parts of a 10 % solution of potassium methoxide dissolved in methanol . prepregs and 8 - ply laminates ( 12 in . by 12 in .) were prepared as described above . the resulting laminates were tested as reported in table 5 . while the comparative system 5 - 1 provides excellent thermal resistance , the performance is further improved by replacing the imidazole accelerator with potassium hydroxide . relative to system 5 - 1 , system 5 - 2 provides significantly increased thermal resistance ( as indicated by improvements in delamination time at 288 ° c ., tma delamination temperature , 5 % weight loss temperature , and solder float resistance ) without sacrificing general laminate performance ( tg , moisture resistance , copper peel , and electrical properties ). this result demonstrates application of the invention to curing agents with phenolic hydroxyl moieties . varnish formulations were prepared with 51 parts by weight of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol a ( epoxide equivalent weight of 187 g / eq ), 35 parts by weight tetrabromobisphenol a , 14 parts by weight of a phenol novolac ( number average molecular weight of 750 g / mol ), 5 - 10 parts by weight of acetone , and 35 - 43 parts by weight of methyl ethyl ketone . to the varnishes were added one of the following accelerator solutions : ( 1 ) 1 . 2 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of 2 - methylimidazole dissolved in propylene glycol monomethyl ether , ( 2 ) 3 . 6 parts of a 10 % solution of potassium methoxide dissolved in methanol , ( 3 ) 2 . 9 parts of a 10 % solution of potassium hydroxide dissolved in ethylene glycol monomethyl ether , ( 4 ) 5 . 5 parts of a 20 % solution of dabco t - 45 dissolved in ethylene glycol monomethyl ether , or ( 5 ) 4 . 0 parts of a 10 % solution of sodium carbonate ( na 2 co 3 ) dissolved in water . prepregs and 4 - ply laminates were prepared as previously described . the resulting laminates were tested as reported in table 6 . increased thermal resistance as measured by delamination time at 288 ° c . was obtained by replacing the imidazole accelerator typically used in the comparative formulation ( system 6 - 1 ) with a variety of accelerators as listed in table 6 . in all cases , laminate tg values were similar to the comparative formulation . varnish formulations were prepared with two commercially available , brominated epoxy resin / curing agent systems used for laminating applications : ( 1 ) 125 parts by weight of epon resin 1213 - b - 80 ( an 80 % solids solution in methyl ethyl ketone consisting of epoxy resin and phenolic curative materials with a nominal epoxide equivalent weight of 375 g / eq , available from resolution performance products llc , houston , tex .) or ( 2 ) 142 . 9 parts by weight of epon custom solution 373 ( a 70 % solids solution in methyl ethyl ketone and propylene glycol monomethyl ether consisting of epoxy resin and phenolic curative materials with a nominal epoxide equivalent weight of 380 g / eq , available from resolution performance products llc , houston , tex .). to the resin systems were added additional ketone solvents to lower the varnish viscosity and one of the following accelerator solutions : ( 1 ) a 10 % by weight solution of 2 - methylimidazole dissolved in propylene glycol monomethyl ether or ( 2 ) a 10 % solution of potassium hydroxide dissolved in ethylene glycol monomethyl ether . prepregs and 4 - ply laminates were prepared as described above . the resulting laminates were tested as reported in table 7 . for both the standard and high tg , brominated resin systems , replacing the imidazole cure accelerator with potassium hydroxide gave similar processing characteristics ( gel time and flow ), slightly increased laminate glass transition temperature , and significantly increased thermal resistance as measured by time to delamination at 288 ° c . varnish formulations were prepared with epon custom solution 360 , a commercially available , epoxy resin / curing agent system used for structural composite applications . to 125 parts by weight of epon custom solution 360 ( an 80 % solids solution in methyl ethyl ketone consisting of epoxy resin and phenolic curative materials with a nominal weight per epoxide of 310 g / eq , available from resolution performance products llc , houston , tex .) were added 15 parts by weight of methyl ethyl ketone , 10 parts by weight of propylene glycol monomethyl ether , and one of the following accelerator solutions : ( 1 ) 1 . 2 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of 2 - methylimidazole dissolved in propylene glycol monomethyl ether or ( 2 ) 1 . 8 parts of a 10 % solution of potassium hydroxide dissolved in ethylene glycol monomethyl ether . prepregs and 4 - ply laminates were prepared as described above . the resulting laminates were tested as reported in table 8 . as has been demonstrated for a variety of resin and curing agent systems , replacing the 2 - methylimidazole cure accelerator with potassium hydroxide resulted in similar formulation processing behavior , similar laminate tg , and an increase in thermal resistance as measured by the delamination time at 350 ° c . as taught by u . s . pat . no . 4 , 251 , 594 , a brominated resin was prepared by reacting 53 . 92 parts by weight of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol a ( epoxide equivalent weight of 187 g / eq ) with 21 . 07 parts tetrabromobisphenol a and 0 . 076 parts potassium hydroxide . the resulting fusion product ( epoxide equivalent weight of 355 g / eq ) was dissolved in acetone to 74 . 5 % solids . varnish formulations were prepared with 134 . 2 parts by weight of a 74 . 5 % solution of the brominated epoxy resin described above and 30 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of dicyandiamide dissolved in dimethylformamide . to the varnishes were added one of the following accelerator solutions : ( 1 ) 1 . 24 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of 2 - methylimidazole dissolved in propylene glycol monomethyl ether or ( 2 ) 1 . 43 parts of a 10 % by weight solution of potassium hydroxide dissolved in ethylene glycol monomethyl ether . prepregs and 4 - ply laminates were prepared . the resulting laminates were tested as listed in table 9 . replacing the imidazole accelerator in the comparative formulation with potassium hydroxide gave increased thermal resistance as measured by delamination time at 260 ° c . and a slight increase in laminate glass transition temperature . thus , when used as a cure accelerator , potassium hydroxide provided increased thermal resistance even for a fusion resin prepared with potassium hydroxide as the fusion catalyst . while the present invention has been described and illustrated by reference to particular embodiments , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the invention lends itself to variations not necessarily illustrated herein . for example , the alkali metal containing compound may be added as such or generated in - situ in the compositions of the invention . for this reason , then , reference should be made solely to the appended claims for purposes of determining the true scope of the present invention . | 8 |
the present invention is further described by means of examples , but in no way limited to the scope of the examples . for the experimental methods in the following examples where no specific conditions are given , conventional procedures and conditions are used , or procedures and conditions are selected following a product instruction . 3 - nitro - 4 - chlorobenzoic acid ( 10 . 0 g , 49 . 6 mmol ), n , n - dimethyl formamide ( 0 . 3 ml , 3 . 6 mmol ) and toluene ( 50 ml ) were added to a reactor , and heated to 70 ° c . thionyl chloride ( 4 . 3 ml , 59 . 5 mmol ) was added , and heating was resumed to reflux for 30 min . thionyl chloride and the solvent were distilled away under reduced pressure , to obtain a pale yellow oil ( compound 2 ) which was dissolved in dichloromethane ( 60 ml ) and directly used in the next reaction . ethyl 3 -( pyridin - 2 - yl - amino ) propionate ( 9 . 6 g , 49 . 6 mmol ), thiethylamine ( 13 . 8 ml , 99 . 2 mmol ), and dichloromethane ( 20 ml ) were added to a reactor , and the dichloromethane solution of the compound 2 obtained in example 1 was added dropwise , and then stirred at room temperature for 1 hr . the reaction solution was washed with water , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness , and the remaining solid was purified by column chromatography , to obtain the compound 3 ( 16 . 3 g , yield 87 . 0 %). mp 63 - 65 ° c . : esi - ms ( m / z ): 378 [ m + h ] + , 400 [ m + na ] + ; 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 400 mhz ) δ : 1 . 19 ( t , 3h ), 2 . 70 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 95 ( q , 2h ), 4 . 20 ( t , 2h ), 7 . 22 ( d , 2h ), 7 . 25 ( t , 1h ), 7 . 44 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 66 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 75 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 92 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 35 ( dd , 1h ). purity by hplc : 98 . 5 %. the compound 3 ( 16 . 3 g , 47 . 15 mmol ) and ethanol ( 60 ml ) were added to a reactor , and heated to 40 ° c . a 27 . 0 - 32 . 0 % solution ( 16 . 3 ml ) of methylamine in ethanol was slowly added dropwise , and stirred for 2 hrs . the reaction solution was evaporated to dryness , and the remaining solid was purified by column chromatography , to obtain the compound 4 ( 13 . 6 g , yield 84 . 6 %). mp 86 - 88 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 400 mhz ) δ : 1 . 11 ( t , 3h ), 2 . 66 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 91 ( t , 3h ), 3 . 96 ( q , 2h ), 4 . 18 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 83 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 08 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 21 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 32 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 69 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 93 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 36 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 43 ( dd , 1h ). purity by hplc : 97 . 9 %. 3 - nitro - 4 - chlorobenzoic acid ( 1 . 0 g , 4 . 96 mmol ), n , n - dimethyl formamide ( 0 . 03 ml , 0 . 36 mmol ), and toluene ( 8 ml ) were added to a reactor , and heated to 70 ′ c . thionyl chloride ( 0 . 43 ml 5 . 95 mmol ) was added , and heating was resumed to reflux for 30 min , thionyl chloride and the solvent were distilled a way under reduced pressure , to obtain a pale yellow oil ( compound 2 ) which was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran ( 6 ml ) and directly used in the next reaction . ethyl 3 -( pyridin - 2 - yl - amino ) propionate ( 0 . 96 g , 4 . 96 mmol ), triethylamine ( 1 . 38 ml , 9 . 92 mmol ), and tetrahydrofuran ( 4 ml ) were added to a reactor , and the tetrahydrofuran solution of the compound 2 obtained in example 4 was added dropwise , and then stirred at room temperature for 1 hr . the reaction solution as washed with water , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness , and the remaining solid was purified by column chromatography , to obtain the compound 3 ( 1 . 59 g , yield 84 . 9 %). mp 63 - 65 ° c . ; esi - ms ( m / z ): 378 [ m + h ] + , 400 [ m + na ] + ; 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 400 mhz ) δ : 1 . 19 ( t , 3h ), 2 . 70 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 95 ( q , 2h ), 4 . 20 ( t , 2h ), 7 . 22 ( d , 2h ), 7 . 25 ( t , 1h ), 7 . 44 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 66 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 75 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 92 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 35 ( dd , 1h ). purity by hplc : 98 . 9 %. 3 - nitro - 4 - chlorobenzoic acid ( 1 . 0 g , 4 . 96 mmol ), n , n - dimethyl formamide ( 0 . 03 ml , 0 . 36 mmol ) and toluene ( 8 ml ) were added to a reactor , and heated to 70 ° c . thionyl chloride ( 0 . 43ml , 5 . 95 mmol ) was added , and heating was resumed to reflux for 30 min . thionyl chloride and the solvent were distilled away under reduced pressure , to obtain a pale yellow oil ( compound 2 ) which was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran ( 6 ml ) and directly used in the next reaction . ethyl 3 -( pyridin - 2 - yl - amino ) propjonate ( 0 . 96 g , 4 . 96 mmol ), n , n - diisopropylethylamine ( 1 . 64 ml , 9 . 92 mmol ), and tetrahydrofuran ( 4 ml ) were added to a reactor , and the tetrahydrofuran solution of the compound 2 obtained in example 6 was added dropwise , and then stirred at room temperature for 1 hr . the reaction solution was washed with water , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness , and the remaining solid was purified by column chromatography , to obtain the compound 3 ( 1 . 61 g , yield 85 . 92 %). mp 63 - 65 ° c . ; esi - ms ( m / z ): 378 [ m + h ] + , 400 [ m + na ] + ; 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 400 mhz ) δ : 1 . 19 ( t , 3h ), 2 . 70 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 95 ( q , 2h ), 4 . 20 ( t , 2h ), 7 . 22 ( d , 2h ), 7 . 25 ( t , 1h ), 7 . 44 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 66 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 75 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 92 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 35 ( dd , 1h ). purity by hplc : 98 . 7 %. the compound 3 ( 21 . 2 g , 56 . 12 mmol ) and dimethyl sulfoxide ( 77 . 0 ml ) were added to a reactor , and heated to 70 ° c . a 27 . 0 - 32 . 0 % solution ( 21 . 0 ml ) of methylamine in ethanol was slowly added dropwise , and stirred for 30 min . ethyl acetate ( 39 . 0 ml ) was added to the reaction solution , washed with water , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness , to obtain the compound 4 ( 20 . 6 g , yield 98 . 56 %). mp 86 - 88 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 400 mhz ) δ : 1 . 11 ( t , 3h ), 2 . 66 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 91 ( t , 3h ), 3 . 96 ( q , 2h ), 4 . 18 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 83 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 08 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 21 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 32 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 69 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 93 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 36 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 43 ( dd , 1h ). purity by hplc : 98 . 3 %. the compound 3 ( 50 g , 13 . 24 mmol ) and n , n - dimethyl formamide ( 18 . 0 ml ) were added to a reactor , and heated to 70 ° c . a 27 . 0 - 32 . 0 % solution ( 5 . 0 ml ) of methylamine in ethanol was slowly added dropwise , and stirred for 30 min . ethyl acetate ( 10 . 0 ml ) was added to the reaction solution , washed with water , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness , to obtain the compound 4 ( 4 . 8 g , yield 97 . 36 %). mp 86 - 88 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 400 mhz ) δ : 1 . 11 ( t , 3h ), 2 . 66 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 91 ( t , 3h ), 3 . 96 ( q , 2h ), 4 . 18 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 83 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 08 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 21 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 32 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 69 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 93 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 36 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 43 ( dd , 1h ). purity by hplc : 98 , 9 %. the compound 3 ( 5 . 0 g , 13 . 24 mmol ) and n , n - dimethyl acetamide ( 18 . 0 ml ) were added to a reactor , and heated to 70 ° c . a 27 . 0 - 32 . 0 % solution ( 5 . 0 ml ) of methylamine in ethanol was slowly added dropwise , and stirred for 30 min . ethyl acetate ( 10 . 0 ml ) was added to the reaction solution , washed with water , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness , to obtain the compound 4 ( 4 . 9 g , yield 99 . 39 %). mp 86 - 88 ° c . ; 1 h - nms ( dmso - d 6 , 400 mhz ) δ : 1 . 11 ( t , 3h ), 2 . 66 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 91 ( t , 3h ), 3 . 96 ( q , 2h ), 4 . 18 ( t ,, 2h ), 6 . 83 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 08 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 21 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 32 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 69 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 93 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 36 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 43 ( dd , 1h ). purity by hplc : 98 . 0 %. the compound 3 ( 3 . 5 g , 9 . 40 mmol ) and n - methyl pyrrolidone ( 12 . 6 ml ) were added to a reactor , and heated to 70 ° c . a 27 . 0 - 32 . 0 % solution ( 3 . 5 ml ) of methylamine in ethanol was slowly added dropwise , and stirred for 30 min . ethyl acetate ( 7 . 0 ml ) was added to the reaction solution , washed with water , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness , to obtain the compound 4 ( 3 . 4 g , yield 98 . 55 %). mp 86 - 88 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 400 mhz ) δ : 1 . 110 . ( t , 3h ), 2 . 66 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 91 ( t , 3h ), 3 . 96 ( q , 2h ), 4 . 18 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 83 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 08 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 21 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 32 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 69 ( ms 1h ), 7 . 93 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 36 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 43 ( dd , 1h ). purity by hplc : 98 . 8 %. the compound 3 ( 5 . 0 g , 13 . 24 mmol ) and n , n - dimethyl acetamide ( 18 . 0 ml ) were added to a reactor , and heated to 90 ° c . a 27 . 0 - 32 . 0 % solution ( 5 . 0 ml ) of methylamine in ethanol was slowly added dropwise , and stirred for 30 min . ethyl acetate ( 10 . 0 ml ) was added to the reaction solution , washed with water , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness , to obtain the compound 4 ( 4 . 8 g , yield 97 . 36 %). mp 86 - 88 ° c . 1h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 400 mhz ) δ : 1 . 11 ( t , 3h ), 2 . 66 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 91 ( t , 3h ), 3 . 96 ( q , 2h ), 4 . 18 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 83 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 08 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 21 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 32 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 69 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 93 ( d , 1h , 8 . 36 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 43 ( dd , 1h ). purity by hplc : 98 / 4 % the compound 3 ( 3 . 5 g , 9 . 40 mmol ) and n - methyl pyrrolidone ( 12 . 6 ml ) were added to a reactor , and heated to 60 ° c . a 27 . 0 - 32 . 0 % solution ( 3 . 5 ml ) of methylamine in ethanol was slowly added dropwise , and stirred for 30 min . ethyl acetate ( 7 . 0 ml ) was added to the reaction solution , washed with water , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness , to obtain the compound 4 ( 3 . 4 g , yield 98 . 55 %). mp 86 - 88 ° c . ; 1h - nmr ( dmso - d6 , 400 mhz ) δ : 1 . 11 ( t , 3h ), 2 . 66 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 91 ( t , 3h ). 3 . 96 ( q , 2h ), 4 . 18 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 83 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 08 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 21 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 32 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 69 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 93 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 36 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 43 ( dd , 1h ). purity by hplc : 98 . 4 % although the present invention is described above with reference to specific embodiments , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the description is merely illustrative , and many changes or modifications can be made to the embodiments without departing from the principle and spirit of the present invention . therefore , the protection scope of the present invention is as defined by the appended claims . | 2 |
fig1 and 2 illustrate refuse collection vehicle 10 supporting container 12 during loading and unloading of container 12 . fig1 is a side elevational view of refuse collection vehicle 10 illustrating container 12 supported in front of vehicle 10 and further illustrating container 12 nested partially within vehicle 10 for unloading . fig2 schematically illustrates the orientation of container 12 as container 12 is elevated above and lowered into vehicle 10 . container 12 is configured for being engaged and carried by refuse collection vehicle 10 and includes at least one bottom discharge opening 14 through which refuse contained within container 12 is emptied . container 12 additionally includes at least one bottom discharge door 16 for selectively opening and closing discharge opening 14 . refuse collection vehicle 10 lifts container 12 to unload the contents of container 12 into vehicle 10 . refuse collection vehicle 10 generally includes storage body 20 and lift actuators 24 . storage body 20 is conventionally known and is configured for containing refuse , recyclable commodities , or a segregated combination thereof during collection and transport . as is conventionally known , storage body 20 includes a rear discharge opening 28 , a rear discharge door 30 , a top access opening 32 and a canopy 34 . rear discharge opening 28 is generally located at a rear of storage body 20 and is sized for unloading refuse from storage body 20 at a disposal or recycling facility . discharge door 30 is supported by storage body 20 adjacent discharge opening 28 and is configured for closing discharge opening 28 . as can be appreciated , the size and configuration of storage body 20 may be varied depending upon the particular configuration of refuse collection vehicle 10 . access opening 32 is defined along a top horizontal surface of storage body 20 and is sized for receiving container 12 . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , refuse collection vehicle 10 is a front loading refuse collection vehicle . accordingly , access opening 32 is located towards a front end of refuse collection vehicle 10 . alternatively , access opening 32 may be positioned towards a rear of refuse collection vehicle 10 or towards a side of refuse collection vehicle 10 for rear and side loading refuse collection schemes , respectively . access opening 32 communicates with an interior 33 of storage body 20 for loading refuse from container 12 into the interior . canopy 34 is a generally elongate hood extending forward and adjacent to access opening 32 towards a front end of refuse collection vehicle 20 . canopy 34 preferably defines a generally hollow cavity 38 in communication with the interior storage body 20 . canopy 34 encloses and protects the front end of refuse collection vehicle 10 . in addition , canopy 34 aerodynamically reduces wind resistance of storage body 20 . lift arms 22 are generally elongate members having a first end 40 pivotally connected to refuse collection vehicle 10 about pivot 42 and a second end 44 pivotally coupled to container 12 about pivot 46 . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , end 44 of each of arms 22 is pivotally coupled to container 12 above a center of gravity of container 12 towards a top end of container 12 . arms 22 are pivotally coupled to container 12 along opposite sides of container 12 so as to permit container 12 to pivot between arms 22 to maintain container 12 in a substantially level or horizontal orientation as arms 22 are pivoted about pivot 42 by lift actuator 24 . lift actuator 24 preferably comprises a hydraulic rotary actuator assembly coupled between refuse collection vehicle 10 and lift arm 22 . actuator 24 pivots arms 22 about pivot 42 so as to elevate container 12 over canopy 34 and above access opening 32 . as shown by fig1 actuator 24 further pivots arms 22 so as to lower container 12 through access opening 32 into the interior of storage body 20 . actuator 24 may alternatively comprise other well known pneumatic , electrical , hydraulic or mechanical actuating mechanisms for pivoting lift arms 22 about pivot 42 so as to elevate container 12 above access opening 32 and so as to further lower container 12 through access opening 32 into a nested relationship within storage body 20 . as schematically illustrated by fig2 container 12 pivots about pivot 46 while actuator 24 simultaneously pivots arms 22 about pivot 42 . consequently , refuse collection vehicle 10 maintains container 12 in a substantially level orientation at all times while container 12 is being lifted over and above access opening 32 and while container 12 is being lowered through access opening 32 into the interior of storage body 20 . as a result , refuse is maintained within container 12 to minimize spillage . because arms 22 are pivotally coupled to container 12 directly above the center of gravity of container 12 , container 12 pivots about pivot 46 under the force of gravity to maintain its substantially level orientation while being lifted and lowered over and into storage body 20 . consequently , other complex and expensive leveling mechanisms are not needed . alternatively , refuse collection vehicle 10 may be provided with a slave hydraulic system or a linkage for maintaining the level orientation of container 12 . as shown by fig1 once container 12 is lowered through access opening 32 into the interior of storage body 20 , bottom discharge door 16 is selectively actuated so as to open discharge opening 14 to release the contents of container 12 into storage body 20 . because refuse collection vehicle 10 lowers container 12 through access opening 32 such that discharge opening 14 and substantially the entire bottom portion of container 12 is surrounded by at least one vertical wall , refuse released from container 12 must fall into storage body 20 . moreover , the vertical walls surrounding discharge opening 14 on substantially all sides prevent wind from carrying lighter weight refuse away from access opening 32 . consequently , refuse collection vehicle 10 minimizes littering of the surrounding environment . in addition to providing for more reliable unloading of container 12 , refuse collection vehicle 10 improves driving visibility as well as vehicle maneuverability . during transportation of refuse collection vehicle 10 from collection site to collection site or from a collection site to a recycling or disposal site , arms 22 support and maintain container 12 in a nested relationship within storage body 20 . because container 12 is not supported forward of refuse collection vehicle 20 , driver visibility is improved . at the same time , because container 12 nests within storage body 20 , container 12 does not substantially increase the clearance height of refuse collection vehicle 10 . consequently , the vertical height of storage body 20 may be maximized without impairing the ability of refuse collection vehicle 10 to travel and operate in height restricted areas such as beneath low bridges . fig3 is a perspective view illustrating refuse collection vehicle 10 and container 12 in greater detail as container 12 is lifted by lift arms 22 above access opening 32 and lowered through access opening 32 into the interior of storage body 20 . as best shown by fig3 container 12 preferably includes divider panel 60 , bins 62a and 62b , discharge openings 14a and 14b , discharge doors 16a and 16b , and door actuators 68a and 68b . divider panel 60 is a generally vertical wall supported within container 12 so as to partition container 12 into side - by - side bins 62a and 62b . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , divider panel 60 mates with a corresponding divider panel 80 when container 12 is lowered through access opening 32 . alternatively , divider panel 60 may include an elongate slot extending within divider panel 60 between bins 62a and 62b so as to receive divider panel 80 when container 12 is lowered through access opening 32 . in such an alternative embodiment , the elongate slot enables container 12 to be lowered a greater distance through access opening 32 and further insures against cross contamination of segregated refuse . each bin 62a and 62b defines a top load opening 70a and 70b , respectively . load openings 70a and 70b enable refuse to be easily deposited into bins 62a and 62b . discharge openings 14a and 14b generally extend opposite discharge openings 70a and 70b , and extend on opposite sides of divider panel 60 . load openings 14a and 14b are each selectively opened and closed by actuation of discharge doors 16a and 16b by door actuators 68a and 68b . alternatively , doors 16a and 16b may be interconnected by a link such that load openings 14a and 14b may be simultaneously open and closed with one door actuator . discharge doors 16a and 16b are generally flat , horizontally extending panels supported adjacent to and below discharge openings 14a and 14b by guides 64a and 64b , respectively . doors 16a and 16b are sized and shaped for closing and opening discharge openings 14a and 14b upon being selectively actuated by door actuators 68a and 68b . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , doors 16a and 16b slide within guides 64a and 64b , respectively , to open and close discharge openings 14a and 14b , respectively . guides 64a and 64b slidably support discharge doors 16a and 16b below bins 62a and 62b . guides 64a and 64b preferably comprise an elongate , inwardly facing c - shaped tracks longitudinally extending on opposite sides of each discharge opening 14a and 14b , respectively . guides 64a and 64b are sized for slidably receiving an edge of discharge doors 16a and 16b . door actuators 68a and 68b are fixedly coupled between container 12 and discharge doors 16a and 16b , respectively . actuators 68a and 68b selectively reciprocate doors 16a and 16b along guides 64a and 64b so as to open and close discharge openings 14a and 14b of bins 62a and 62b . actuators 68a and 68b are preferably housed by an above shield or hood 74 . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , door actuators 68a and 68b comprise conventional hydraulic cylinder assemblies . alternatively , door actuators 68a and 68b may comprise other linear actuating mechanisms such as pneumatic , electrical or mechanical devices . as further shown by fig3 storage body 20 preferably includes a vertically extending divider panel 80 supported within the interior of storage body 20 below access opening 32 . divider panel 80 partitions the interior storage body 20 below access opening 32 into two side - by - side loading chutes 82a and 82b below access opening 32 . chutes 82a and 82b are positioned below access opening 32 so as to receive refuse from bins 62a and 62b of container 12 after container 12 has been lowered through access opening 32 and after discharge doors 16a and 16b have been opened by actuation of actuators 68a and 68b . chutes 82a and 82b communicate with rearward compartments of storage body 20 . as shown by fig3 once lift arms 22 elevate container 12 above access opening 32 and lower container 12 through access opening 32 into the interior of storage body 20 , actuators 68a and 68b slide discharge doors 16a and 16b within tracks 64a and 64b towards and within cavity 38 of canopy 34 to open discharge openings 14a and 14b . as a result , track 64a and 64b securely support discharge doors 16a and 16b as discharge doors 16a and 16b are moved into cavity 38 . once discharge doors are within cavity 38 , canopy 34 covers and protects the moving elements of container 12 . moreover , once discharge doors 16a and 16b are positioned within cavity 38 to open discharge openings 14a and 14b , refuse contained within bins 62a and 62b falls through discharge openings 14a and 14b into load chutes 82a and 82b . because discharge doors 16a and 16b slide into cavity 38 of canopy 34 , discharge doors 16a and 16b do not require space below discharge openings 14a and 14b to open discharge openings 14a and 14b . as a result , interior 33 of storage body 20 may be more completely filled with refuse without interfering with the opening of discharge doors 16a and 16b . although discharge doors 16a and 16b are illustrated as being simultaneously opened so as to simultaneously release refuse into storage body 20 , actuators 68a and 68b may alternatively be selectively actuated so as to only release refuse from one of bins 62a and 62b . fig4 is a perspective view of refuse collection vehicle 110 , an alternate embodiment of refuse collection vehicle 10 illustrated in fig1 - 3 . refuse collection vehicle 110 is similar to refuse collection vehicle 10 except that refuse collection vehicle 110 includes discharge doors 116a and 116b , hinges 164a and 164b and actuators 168a and 168b in lieu of doors 16a and 16b , guides 64a and 64b and actuators 68a and 68b , respectively . for ease of illustration , those remaining elements of refuse collection vehicle 110 which are the same as corresponding elements of refuse collection vehicle 10 are numbered similarly . as shown by fig4 discharge doors 116a and 116b are similar to discharge doors 16a and 16b except that discharge doors 116a and 116b are pivotally coupled to container 12 by hinges 164a and 164b , respectively . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , hinges 164a and 164b extend along outermost side walls of bins 62a and 62b , respectively , such that upon being selectively pivoted by actuators 168a and 168b , discharge doors 116a and 116b pivot outwardly away from divider panel 60 of container 12 and away from divider panel 80 of storage body 20 . alternatively , hinges 164a and 164b may be supported along divider panel 60 or along either a front wall or rear wall of container 12 adjacent discharge openings 14a and 14b so as to pivotally support discharge doors 116a and 116b adjacent discharge openings 14a and 14b , respectively . furthermore , in lieu of discharge doors 116a and 116b each compromising a single panel pivotally supported by a single hinge , discharge doors 16a and 16b may alternatively each comprise a pair of doors pivotally supported opposite one another by a pair of hinges below each refuse bin . actuators 168a and 168b are fixedly coupled between container 12 and discharge doors 116a and 116b , respectively . actuators 168a and 168b selectively pivot discharge doors 116a and 116b about hinges 164a and 164b to selectively open and close discharge openings 14a and 14b , respectively . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , actuators 168a and 168b comprise conventionally known hydraulic cylinder assemblies . alternatively , actuators 168a and 168b may comprise other well known actuating mechanisms including pneumatic , electrical and mechanical actuating mechanisms . as further shown by fig4 once arms 22 elevate container 12 above access opening 32 and lower container 12 through access opening 32 into the interior of storage body 20 , actuators 168a and 168b are actuated so as to pivot discharge doors 116a and 116b about the axes of hinges 164a and 164b so as to open discharge openings 14a and 14b to release refuse within bins 62a and 62b into load chutes 82a and 82b , respectively . as a result , similar to refuse collection vehicle 10 , refuse collection vehicle 110 enables refuse within container 12 to be easily unloaded into storage body 20 while preventing cross contamination of refuse within bins 62a and 62b and also while preventing the refuse from missing access opening 32 entirely . consequently , refuse collection 110 minimizes cross contamination of segregated refuse and littering of the surrounding environment . although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 8 |
the novel rotor head or hub disclosed herein includes some elements that are similar to those used in the v - 22 tilt - rotor , but is otherwise mechanically quite different from the latter . the hub disclosed herein uses a low maintenance , all - elastomer - and - metal laminate ( i . e ., completely oil - less ) bearing system . the exemplary rotor head also provides a high speed , low drag design for a helicopter hub having three or more rotor blades , while enabling a more compact intermeshing blade tandem rotorcraft configuration by eliminating the lead - lag blade motions and dampers associated with conventional fully articulated rotor heads 100 , such as that illustrated in fig9 . one of the major problems of the prior art rotor heads that is overcome by the rotor head of the present disclosure is the provision of a low maintenance hub design that uses all lubrication - free elastomeric - metal laminated bearings of a type referred to as “ high capacity laminate ” ( hcl ) bearings , available from , e . g ., lord aerospace corp ., cary , n . c ., and described in , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 105 , 266 to r . finney and 4 , 913 , 411 to f . collins et al . these types of bearings not only provide superior vibration control , but also require no lubrication , thereby substantially lowering operating and maintenance costs , and are available in a variety of configurations , including cylindrical , conical , spherical and disc - shaped sections , and various combinations of the foregoing . another problem solved by the novel stiff in - plane rotor head disclosed herein is that it enables a greater number of rotor blades to be used on the hub than does the prior art , viz ., greater than three blades per rotor head . in the particular exemplary embodiment illustrated in the figures , the hub herein incorporates six blades (# 1 -# 6 ), but can incorporate either more or less blades , as may be indicated by the particular design constraints at hand . the novel rotor head also enables a more compact intermeshing tandem rotor configuration to be achieved than the fully articulated rotor heads of the prior art , which require substantial clearance between the two rotors due to in - plane leading and lagging motions and out - of - plane “ flapping ” of the blades . this combination of features of this disclosure results in a rotor head that virtually eliminates large hub moments generated by thrust offset in high speed flight of a type that occurs if a rigid ( e . g ., a “ propeller ” type ) hub is used . they also result in rotor head assemblies that are relatively light in weight , due to the low hub moments that are generated only by the respective spring rates of the hub bearings themselves . the constant velocity gimbal system provided by the rotor head is thus well suited for high power and high torque applications . it includes a “ paddle bearing ” arrangement that results in a much larger bearing area than can be achieved with the rod ends of a three - drive link installation , such as that used in the prior art . when compared to a prior art “ teeter ” rotor head ( not illustrated ), the primary advantage provided the hub of the present disclosure is that it can handle a significantly larger number of rotor blades . a teeter hub pivots like a teeter - totter , and as a consequence , can incorporate only 2 rotor blades , which makes such a hub arrangement completely unsuitable for high speed , heavy lift rotorcraft . by contrast , the exemplary rotor hub described herein can incorporate six or more rotor blades . the main differences between the rotor head 10 of the present disclosure and those of the prior art are as follows : 1 ) high capacity , pivoting paddle bearings are used to transmit torque across the gimbal joint instead of drive links ; 2 ) vertical pitch arms internal to the hub are used to minimize the “ δ3 ” pitch - flap coupling effect that occurs when more than three blades are used ; 3 ) a hub assembly of 6 or more blades is made possible ; and , 4 ) the instant rotor head is configured with stationary hub spindle housings for each blade , situated external to the blade &# 39 ; s movable pitch control shaft . the rotor head of the present disclosure is thus superior to the existing solutions because it can be designed to handle the very high torque demands of a large , high speed , heavy lift helicopter . it can be configured for “ high solidity ” rotors using a large number of rotor blades , e . g ., six or more . it also incorporates a low drag hub fairing that enhances high speed performance . fig1 is a partial cross - sectional top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a stiff in - plane , gimbaled rotor head 10 in accordance with the present disclosure , and fig2 is a partial cross - sectional elevation view of the exemplary rotor head 10 of fig1 , as seen along the lines of the section 2 - 2 taken therein . the exemplary rotor head 10 illustrated in fig1 and 2 comprises a split outer hub 12 , a splined center hub 14 and a main rotor shaft 16 having splines 18 at an upper end that are drivingly engaged with the corresponding splines of the center hub 14 in the manner of a spline gear . the center hub 14 , in turn , is coupled to the outer hub 12 through upper and lower spherical , high capacity laminated metal - and - elastomeric ( hcl ) bearings 20 and 22 described in more detail below . a plurality of blades 24 , each having an airfoil cross - section , are rigidly coupled to an outboard end of a respective pitch control shaft 26 , each of which , in turn , has an inboard end pivotally coupled to the outer hub 12 through a respective dry - lube ball - and - socket joint 28 to enable the respective pitch control shafts and blades associated therewith to rotate about the long axis 30 , i . e ., the “ pitch ” axes , of the respective shafts and blades . an outboard end portion of each pitch control shaft 26 is concentrically supported in a pitch bearing housing 32 having an inboard end coupled to the inboard end of a corresponding one of the pitch control shafts 26 through a spherical bearing 46 . the hub 10 also incorporates a novel constant velocity joint , described in more detail below , that enables the hub to gimbal ± 12 degrees in any direction relative to a vertical axis extending through the main rotor shaft 16 while maintaining a constant rotational velocity in each of the blades 24 . fig3 is an enlarged partial cross - sectional elevation view of the center hub 12 portion of the exemplary rotor head 10 . as illustrated in fig3 , the splined center hub 14 sits atop a splined drive collar 32 , which may be made of steel or titanium , located at the bottom center of the hub assembly , and which , together with the center hub , is driven rotationally by the rotor shaft 16 . the drive collar 32 is used as a hub spacer and to drive a pitch control swashplate ( not illustrated ) disposed below the hub . a hub nut and washer 34 are used to retain the hub assembly to the rotor shaft 16 . the splined center hub 14 may also be made of steel or titanium , and is used to transmit torque from the rotor shaft 16 through the paddle bearings 40 , 42 , 44 and the paddle shaft 38 to the split outer hub 12 . the center hub contains features adapted to provide limit stops for the hub &# 39 ; s gimbal joint , described below . the upper and lower spherical elastomeric set of bearings 20 and 22 are integral to the center hub and are used to support rotor thrust . this set of bearings has the capability of pivoting about a spherical center point that helps to create the constant velocity joint of the hub . the spherical elastomeric bearing set 20 and 22 comprises a main contributor to the hub &# 39 ; s gimbal spring stiffness . as illustrated in fig3 , the split outer hub 12 , referred to as such because it comprises upper and lower halves that mate with each other across a horizontal plane in the manner of a clam shell , may be made of , e . g ., aluminum or titanium , and surrounds the center hub 14 . it performs the following functions , among others : 1 ) it retains the gimbaled hub &# 39 ; s paddle bearing assemblies described below , which are used for torque drive ; 2 ) it connects the gimbaling split outer hub to the non - gimbaling inner hub through the upper and lower spherical bearing set 20 and 22 ; 3 ) it is used to connect to each rotor blade &# 39 ; s pitch bearing housing 32 and pitch shaft 26 spindle ; 4 ) it supports the centrifugal forces of each blade 24 through a corresponding pitch bearing housing 32 ; and , 5 ) it is used to attach a streamlined composite hub - fairing 36 to the rotor head 10 . as illustrated in fig1 - 3 , a plurality of paddle bearing shafts 38 are respectively located about the circumference of the outer hub 12 and between each pair of adjacent rotor blade 24 installations thereon . each paddle bearing shaft 38 is a subassembly comprising a titanium or steel center shaft integrated with three elastomeric bearing installations , described below in connection with fig7 and 8 . the center shaft and elastomeric bearings comprise an important innovation of the gimbal mechanism of the rotor head 10 described below . as illustrated in fig3 , the inboard end of each center - shaft includes a paddle bearing 40 that , acting in combination with the center hub 14 , provide limit stops of ± 12 ° for the gimbal joint of the rotor head 10 . following is a description of the three elastomeric bearing assemblies disposed on the paddle bearing shaft 38 . as those of skill in the art will appreciate , in order to provide stiff in - plane movement of the rotating blades 24 , i . e ., to eliminate in - plane pivoting of the rotating blades during gimbaling movement of the hub 10 , it is necessary to maintain a substantially constant angular velocity , or rotational speed , of each radial point in each of the blades during such motion . in order to achieve this , it is necessary to provide a constant velocity joint between the blades 24 and the rotor shaft 16 that applies the torque used to drive the blades . fig7 is an enlarged partial cross - sectional elevation view of the constant velocity joint of the rotor head 10 , showing details of the bearings thereof , and fig8 is an enlarged partial cross - sectional top plan view of the constant velocity joint of fig7 . as illustrated in these figures , a tapered stack , flat pack , elastomeric paddle bearing 40 shaped like a hollow disc sector is located at the inboard end of each paddle shaft 38 . the disc - sector or paddle bearing 40 is used to transmit rotor shaft 16 torque from the non - gimbaled inner or center hub 14 to the gimbaled split outer hub 12 . its disc shape follows the gimbaling motion of the set of upper and lower spherical bearings 20 and 22 described above that is part of the inner hub 14 . the combination of all of the paddle bearings 40 and the center hub &# 39 ; s spherical bearing set 20 and 22 serves as the main contributor to the ability of the rotor head 10 to engage in gimbaling movement in any direction relative to a vertical axis through the main rotor 16 and to the spring stiffness of the gimbal joint defined thereby . referring to fig7 and 8 , each paddle bearing shaft 38 is disposed above a web 39 ( shown in dashed outline in fig8 ) of the split outer hub 12 , and a main radial support bearing 42 is located on each paddle shaft 38 outboard of the paddle bearing 40 . the main radial support bearing serves as one of the pivot bearings for the paddle bearing shaft 38 . the paddle bearing shaft transmits rotor torque loads into the main radial support bearing 42 . this radial bearing also incorporates a small conical section that provides the ability to carry the centrifugal loads of the paddle bearing shaft 38 . the combination of all of the main radial support bearings 42 adds to the total spring rate of the gimbal joint . as also illustrated in fig7 and 8 , a radial tail support bearing 44 is located at the outboard end of the paddle bearing shaft 38 . this second radial bearing serves as a second pivot bearing for the paddle bearing shaft 38 . acting in cooperation with the main radial support bearing 42 , it reacts paddle shaft 38 moments generated by rotor torque . the combination of all the radial tail support bearings 44 further adds to the total spring rate of the gimbal joint . as illustrated in the top plan view fig8 , each of the main radial support and radial tail support bearings 42 and 44 may be coupled to the respective paddle bearing shaft 38 through respective anti - rotation tabs 43 . turning to fig4 , which is an enlarged partial cross - sectional elevation view of a rotor blade 24 retention and pitch control portion of the rotor head 10 , the pitch bearing housing 32 , which may be made of aluminum or titanium , is connected to the split outer hub 12 and to an inboard end of a corresponding one of the pitch control shafts 26 through a corresponding spherical elastomeric bearing 46 , and is used to retain spherical and conical elastomeric bearings 46 and 48 utilized for retention and pitch control of the rotor blades 24 . as illustrated in fig4 , the pitch bearing housing 32 also incorporates a support lug 74 on its outer diameter to mount a pitch control bell - crank 52 of another blade , as described in more detail below . the outboard end of each pitch control shaft 26 incorporates a concentric integral conical elastomeric bearing 48 required for rotor blade pitch control . the conical bearing is used to bear the very high shear loads transmitted into it from the rotor blade assembly . the taper angle of the conical bearing is arranged to provide a preload capability , together with the spherical blade retention bearing 46 located at the opposite end of the pitch control shaft 26 . the bearing &# 39 ; s taper angle also allows for a large outboard cross section on the pitch control shaft 26 where blade - induced moments are highest . a two - pin clevis joint 54 , which is used to rigidly attach the inboard end of each rotor blade 24 to the outboard end of the corresponding pitch control shaft 26 , is disposed adjacent to the conical bearing 48 at the very outboard end of the pitch control shaft 26 . the inboard end of the pitch control shaft 26 is connected with a main retention pin 56 to the spherical elastomeric bearing 46 used for blade 24 pitch control and retention . disposed adjacent to the spherical elastomeric bearing 46 at the inboard end of the shaft 26 is a spherical ball 28 that is machined , or otherwise formed , on the inboard end of the shaft , and which is used as an inboard support within the hub . the ball 28 picks up the pitch control shaft &# 39 ; s inboard shear loads and prevents that load from being transmitted into the spherical elastomeric bearing 46 . the ball 28 , which may be made of steel , also serves as a positive center pivot for the spherical elastomeric bearing 46 . the outer race of the ball is preferably lined with a dry - film bearing material and is mounted into a corresponding socket formed in the split outer hub 12 . the combination of the outboard conical bearing 48 and the inboard spherical bearing 46 provides a mechanism to preload the bearing elastomers so as to improve bearing service life . as illustrated in fig4 , the spherical blade retention bearing 46 is located at the inboard end of the pitch control shaft 26 , and is pinned to the pitch control shaft with the main retention pin 56 . the blade retention bearing 46 is also an elastomeric laminate bearing assembly that is used to transmit the very high centrifugal loading of the rotor blade 24 into the inboard end of the corresponding pitch bearing housing 32 , and thence , into the split outer hub 12 . the inboard end plate of the blade retention bearing 46 includes a pitch arm 58 that is used for controlling the pitch of the associated rotor blade 24 . the outboard end of the blade retention bearing rests on a shoulder 60 in the associated pitch bearing housing and is keyed into the shoulder with shear tabs 62 disposed on the endplate of the bearing . fig6 is an enlarged partial cross - sectional elevation view of the blade retention mechanism of the exemplary rotor head 10 illustrated in fig4 , and shows details of the main retention pin 56 and the dry - lube ball - and - socket joint 28 thereof . the main retention pin 56 , which may be made of steel , is similar to a tie - bar pin of a type used on a conventional hub , such as that used on the prior art rotor of fig9 . the annular main retention pin 56 is used to couple the spherical blade retention bearing 46 to the pitch control shaft 26 . it also functions to transmit retention loads and pitch control loads from the associated blade 24 into the spherical blade retention bearing 46 and pitch arm 58 . due to its critical function within the rotor head 10 assembly , it is configured with a fail - safe capability described below . the annular main retention pin 56 is held into the assembly with a high tensile bolt 64 extending through its center . a small amount of clearance is provided between the inside diameter of the retention pin and the bolt 64 so as to define a sealed annular chamber 66 into which a crack detection dye may be injected . in the event of a crack in the main retention pin 56 , the high tensile retention bolt 64 has the capability of carrying the full centrifugal and pitch loads . any leakage of dye from the chamber 66 serves to alert ground personnel that the main retention pin 56 has been compromised . if desired , an optional short spline ( not illustrated ) can be added to the pitch control shaft 26 and spherical retention bearing 46 joint as a secondary load path for coupling pitch control loads . fig5 is partial cross - sectional top plan view of a blade 24 and associated pitch control shaft 26 of the rotor head 10 , showing two cross - sectional detail views through the blade at two stations along the pitch , or long axis 30 thereof . as discussed above , each blade 24 is rigidly fixed to the outboard end of a corresponding one of the pitch control shafts 26 with a two - pin clevis joint 54 . the clevis pins and bolts 54 , which may be made of steel , are located at the interface of the rotor blade 24 and the outboard end of the pitch control shaft 26 . two pins are used to attach the rotor blade 24 to the pitch control shaft rigidly so as to prevent any leading / lagging movements of the blade in the plane of rotation relative to the shaft , in contradistinction to the in - plane movement of the blades in the flexible in - plane rotor hub 100 discussed above . one of the principal innovations of the exemplary gimbaled rotor head 10 disclosed herein and illustrated in fig1 - 4 and 6 - 8 is the pitch control cross links 68 used to control the pitch of the respective blades 24 . the pitch control cross links , each of which may be made of titanium , comprise a control rod assembly with spherical rod end beatings 70 located at each end thereof . by utilizing a vertical pitch arm 58 ( see fig4 ) located internal to the rotor head 10 , the pitch control cross links respectively connect to the pitch arms 58 and pass horizontally below an adjacent blade installation and over to a respective associated pitch control bell - crank 52 . the pitch control bell - cranks are then located in the hub assembly at a strategic point that ( to an acceptable level ) minimizes the pitch — flap coupling , i . e ., the “ δ3 angle ,” of the vertical pitch link 72 in the rotor &# 39 ; s upper controls , which are located below the gimbaled rotor head assembly 10 . as illustrated in fig4 , the pitch control bell - cranks 52 ( shown by dotted outline ), which may be made of aluminum or titanium , are approximately 80 ° bell - cranks that respectively convert vertical motion from the respective vertical pitch links 72 to nearly horizontal movement of the respective pitch control cross links 68 . in a six - bladed rotor assembly , such as the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the figures , the bell - cranks may be mounted into a machined clevis 74 that is a part of the pitch bearing housing 32 of an adjacent blade installation . as illustrated in the figures , the streamlined hub fairing assembly 36 incorporates a split fiberglass or carbon fiber honeycomb composite construction . it is a light weight assembly that comprises upper and lower clam shell portions , as well as a removable access cover for the main rotor hub nut 34 . the fairing incorporates a streamlined shape that covers the rotor hub 10 assembly and its appendages that extend out to the roots of the airfoil rotor blades 24 . the fairing enhances the performance of the host rotorcraft in high speed flight by reducing hub drag , which is a major contributor to the overall drag of such aircraft . the novel rotor hub 10 disclosed herein provides an advance in the ‘ state of the art ’ in rotor head design that enables helicopters to operate at higher speeds , higher gross weights , and higher power levels than conventional rotorcraft , such as the ch - 47 or ch - 53 rotorcraft , can operate . the stiff in - plane feature of the rotor head 10 is particularly suited for tandem helicopters with overlapping rotors . because there is no lead - lag hinge , it eliminates the lag damper , adds simplicity , allows for the installation of up to six or more rotor blades for higher speeds and gross weights , and provides good rotor - to - rotor clearance , even when the respective rotor centers are placed relatively close to each other . for both single and tandem rotor designs , the stiff in - plane gimbaling hub 10 in high speed flight reduces large pitch link loads generated by the large lead - lag excursions of advancing and retreating blades of the prior art . the novel gimbal joint of the hub 10 is also well suited for both single rotor and tandem rotor aircraft . when compared to a rigid rotor , it relieves large hub moments in high speed flight generated by the lateral thrust differential of advancing and retreating rotor blades . this overall reduction in moment and force in the rotor head thereby substantially simplifies rotor head parts and reduces part weight . one of the reasons that the rotor head 10 herein is well suited for high power and high torque applications is the novel gimbal system provided thereby . the paddle shaft and bearing arrangement of the hub thus results in a much larger bearing area then can be achieved with the rod ends of a three - drive - link installation , such as used on prior art rotor heads . in a six - bladed installation , the rotor head 10 can incorporate up to six paddle bearing assemblies , thereby providing a very high torque capability . the horizontal pitch control cross links 68 also provide an advantage over the prior art . by virtue of their passing below adjacent blade installations , the horizontal pitch control link 68 enable the use of an acceptable pitch - flap δ3 angle at the vertical pitch links 72 , even when six or more blades are used . the rotor head 10 also makes wide use of elastomeric rotor bearing technology that results in fewer parts and lower production , maintenance and life cycle costs . indeed , most of the parts of the rotor heads of the forward and aft rotors of a tandem rotor installation can be identical , thereby providing further production cost effectiveness . in accordance with the exemplary embodiments described herein , high speed , low drag , low maintenance , stiff in - plane , gimbaled rotor heads are provided for helicopters that enable three or more rotor blades to be used per rotor , and that also enable a compact tandem rotor blade intermesh to be achieved by eliminating the lead - lag motions and dampers of fully articulated rotor heads . as those of skill in this art will appreciate , many modifications , substitutions and variations can be made in the applications and methods of implementation of the stiff in - plane , gimbaled rotor heads of the present disclosure without departing from its spirit and scope . in light of this , the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to that of the particular embodiments illustrated and described herein , as they are only by way of some examples thereof , but instead , should be fully commensurate with that of the claims appended hereafter and their functional equivalents . | 1 |
preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings , with detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein being omitted for clarity of presentation . the present invention proposes an algorithm to allow an olt to dynamically allocate bandwidth to n onus using bandwidth request information ( or queue information ) received from the onus . the olt must allocate bandwidths effectively and impartially to the onus using the queue information transmitted from the onus . the dynamic bandwidth allocation is effectively achieved through a tree - structure for the connection mechanism between the olt and onus for information transfer . the present invention defines logical dynamic - bandwidth - allocation control nodes ( dbacns ) to constitute such a tree structure , and proposes an internal algorithm based on that structure . [ 0026 ] fig3 illustrates a structural model representing an example of a dba ( dynamic bandwidth allocation ) method that employs a trga ( tree request grant algorithm ) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the dba method includes a tree formation process , a request collection process , and a bandwidth allocation process , the tree formation process corresponding to an initialization process for implementing the trga . the tree structure shown in fig3 assumes that the number of onus 210 a , 210 b , . . . 210 h is 8 . the tree structure is formed to include a plurality of hierarchical stages 230 a , 230 b , 230 c , and each stage includes one or more logical dbacns ( dynamic bandwidth allocation control n odes ) 220 a , 220 b , . . . 220 g . the logical dbacns 220 a to 220 g are not nodes on a real network ; instead , each corresponds to a specific step in performing the trga ( tree request grant algorithm ) that may be executed by a computer program resident in the olt , and which may have adjustable parameters that are updated by a scheduler of the olt . specifically , the algorithm starts its operation from the second - level stage 230 b at which the olt receives bandwidth request information from the onus 210 a , 210 b , . . . 210 h . the algorithm is not confined to software implementation , but may be implemented for example in firmware , hardware or some combination thereof . the number of onus , here shown as 8 , may vary as appropriate . likewise , the number of dbacns and hierarchical tree levels may be set to any suitable value . for the embodiment shown in fig3 each of the tree - structured dbacns 220 a to 220 g determines information to be transmitted to its upper - level dbacns and its lower - level dbacns or the onus 210 a to 210 h . with respect to each of the dbacns 220 a to 220 g , its immediately higher - level dbacn can be classified as a root node , and its immediately lower - level dbacns or the onus 210 a to 210 h can be classified as branch nodes . thus , each of the dbacns 220 a to 220 g is a root node for its lower - level dbacns , and is a branch node for its upper - level dbacn . input and output values with respect to each of the dbacns 220 a to 220 g are classified into upward i / o values ( toward its immediately higher - level dbacn in the tree structure ) and downward i / o values ( toward its immediately lower - level dbacns or onus ). specifically , the upward i / o values with respect to a recipient node in the tree structure include two upward input - values bwlreq ( requested - bandwidth from left branch node ) and bwrreq ( requested - bandwidth from right branch node ) that represent bandwidth request information inputted respectively from its left and right branch nodes , and include an upward output - value bwtreq ( total requested - bandwidth ), that the recipient node outputs to its root node , that represents the sum of the two input values bwlreq and bwrreq . on the other hand , the downward i / o values with respect to the recipient node include a downward input - value bwtalloc ( total bandwidth to be allocated ) representing bandwidth allocation information inputted from its root node , and include two downward output - values bwlalloc ( bandwidth to be allocated to left branch node ) and bwralloc ( bandwidth to be allocated to right branch node ), respectively , for distributing the downward input - value bwtalloc to its left and right branch nodes in the immediately lower - level stage . in the above embodiment , a binary tree is depicted wherein each dbacn is connected from below to a respectively pre - selected two elements of the group consisting of dbacns and onus in the tree . it is , however , within the intended scope of the invention that a dbacn may connected from below so as to select from any respectively pre - selected number of dbacns or onus in the immediately lower stage . two values bwlreq and bwrreq represent bandwidth request information from left and right branch nodes , respectively . information of the sum of the two values is transmitted to their root node . this process can be expressed in c - pseudo code fragment as follows : this process is repeated until bandwidth request information from the onus 210 a to 210 h is delivered to the uppermost dbacn 220 a that constitutes the first - level stage 230 a . the uppermost dbacn 220 a compares a value bwtreq representing the total requested - bandwidth from its lower - level dbacns 220 b to 220 g with a value bwavail representing the total available allocation - bandwidth , and selects the lower one of the two values . this process can be expressed in c - pseudo code fragment as follows : bwtalloc = min ( bwtreq , bwavail ); // select the lower one of bwtreq and bwavail . thereafter , a process of distributing an allocation bandwidth received or selected from a root node to its branch nodes is sequentially performed , starting from the uppermost dbacn 220 a . in other words , dbacns 220 b to 220 g , other than the uppermost dbacn 220 a , performs a process to allocate the allocation bandwidth received from the root node to its branch nodes , and this process is repeated until the bandwidth is allocated to the onus 210 a to 210 h constituting the lowermost stage 230 c . here , a direction selector 240 functions to set the value of a parameter “ direction ”, and , according to this value , a bandwidth corresponding to the value bwtalloc is allocated to only one of the two branch nodes ( hereinafter also referred to as “ two directions ”) corresponding respectively to the two values bwlalloc and bwralloc . if the value bwtalloc has a remaining value after it is allocated to one of the “ two directions ”, a bandwidth corresponding to the remaining value is allocated to the other . the direction selector 240 switches to alternately select the two directions , using clocks of different periods , i . e . different time rates of switching , for the stages 230 a to 230 c , so as to provide the two directions with an equivalent or balanced chance to deal with their bandwidth allocation request . this process can be expressed in c - pseudo code fragment as follows : if ( direction = = left ) {// if previous direction is left direction = = right ; // current direction is set to right } else if ( direction = = right ) {// if previous direction is right direction = = left ; // current direction is set to left } if ( direction = = left ) {// if current direction is left if ( bwtalloc & lt ; bwlalloc ) {// if allocation bandwidth is less than requested bandwidth bwlalloc = bwtalloc ; bwralloc = 0 ; // bwtalloc is all allocated to left branch node } else {// if allocation bandwidth is equal to or more than requested bandwidth bwlalloc = bwlalloc ; // bandwidth equal to requested bandwidth is allocated to left branch node bwralloc = bwtalloc − bwlalloc ; // remaining bandwidth is allocated to right branch node } } else if ( direction = = right ) {// if current direction is right if ( bwtalloc & lt ; bwralloc ) {// if allocation bandwidth is less than requested bandwidth bwralloc = bwtalloc ; bwlalloc = 0 ; // bwtalloc is all allocated to right branch node } else {// if allocation bandwidth is equal to or more than requested bandwidth bwralloc = bwralloc , // bandwidth equal to requested bandwidth is allocated to right branch node bwlalloc = bwtalloc − bwralloc // remaining bandwidth is allocated to left branch node } } for implementations with more than two branches from a node , the directional selector 240 switches , in a manner analogous to the above implementation , alternately among the more than two branches , and may distribute remaining bandwidth first to one neighboring branch and then , if bandwidth still remains , to another and so forth . as apparent from the above description , a dba ( dynamic bandwidth allocation ) method employing a tree algorithm according to the present invention has the following advantages . firstly , a simple tree structure is employed so as to allow a complicated dba algorithm to have a high operating speed . secondly , since a bandwidth allocation chance is provided to onus in a switching fashion , it is possible to give them a balanced chance to deal with a requested bandwidth allocation . the bandwidth allocation to only one of the two directions aims to achieve an effective allocation of insufficient resources and maintain the traffic &# 39 ; s characteristics , while the switching operation for selecting the direction tends to eliminate bandwidth allocation inequality between the different directions , thereby achieving balanced distribution of chances to deal with the bandwidth allocation request . in particular , in the case of a traffic that has a bursty characteristic and thus has a large variation in the input ratio of packets to be accumulated in a queue , it is difficult to maintain the bursty characteristic because limited resources cause the amount of allocated bandwidth to be smaller than that of requested bandwidth . in such a case , the alternate provision of chance to deal with the bandwidth allocation request , according to the present invention , allows the use of a relatively large amount of resources , which makes it easy to maintain the traffic &# 39 ; s characteristics . by the same token , although bandwidth allocation chances come alternately , once in two periods , from the viewpoint of onus , causing a packet accumulated in a queue to await transmission during at least one period , such transmission delay is not problematic . a conventional bandwidth allocation method employing a general dba algorithm most often fails to allocate all the requested bandwidth on the first request , and thus another chance to request all or part of the requested bandwidth comes only after waiting more than one period . thirdly , a dbacn allows bandwidth that remains after performing bandwidth allocation to one direction ( i . e ., one of the two branch nodes or onus ) to be allocated to the other , thereby improving overall throughput . although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications , additions and substitutions are possible , without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims . | 7 |
fig1 is an electrical schematic diagram of a single 6t cmos sram cell modified in accordance with the present invention . the prior art portion of the 6t cell comprises transistors 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , and 28 , along with related interconnection circuitry . lines 12 and 14 are the bit line and complementary bit line , respectively . these lines couple to all of the individual cells within the memory system which are located at the same bit position as the cell shown . to enhance performance , lines 12 and 14 would ordinarily be precharged by a separate circuit ( not shown ). during write operations , lines 12 and 14 source and sink ( or sink and source ) current as an indication of the desired state of the bit to be written into the addressed cell . for read operations , the cell sources and sinks ( or sinks and sources ) current from lines 12 and 14 to indicate the state of the bit stored within the cell . addressing is provided by word line 10 , which gates the addressed cell onto lines 12 and 14 via transistors 18 and 24 . thus a signal on line 10 indicates that the cell shown , along with all other cells within the same parallel data set ( i . e . byte , word , etc . ), are to be read from or written into . the addressing signal is generated using known circuitry by decoding the user access request . because only one cell per column can be addressed , lines 12 and 14 are coupled to but one cell at a time via transistors 18 and 24 . storage of a data bit within the cell is accomplished by setting the states of bistable transistors 26 and 28 and complementary transistors 20 and 22 . this stored bit may then be read by examining the states of bistable transistors 26 and 28 , along with complementary transistors 20 and 22 . the complementary transistor pair 20 and 26 provides a path between current source 16 and ground . transistors 22 and 28 provide a similar , parallel path . however , because transistors 20 and 26 and transistors 22 and 28 assume complementary states , the total quiescent current of the cell is only that associated with normal leakage . because bistable transistors 26 and 28 and complementary bistable transistors 20 and 22 assume opposite states , the state of transistors 26 and 22 is the same , and the state of transistors 20 and 28 is the same . according to the preferred mode of the present invention , the basic 6t memory cell circuit described above has a corresponding redundant 6t circuit comprising transistors 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , and 58 . transistor 54 of the redundant circuit corresponds to transistor 20 of the basic circuit . similarly , transistors 56 , 50 , 52 , 58 , and 48 correspond to transistors 26 , 22 , 28 , 18 , and 24 , respectively , of the basic 6t memory cell circuit . thus in proper operation , the redundant 6t memory cell circuit functions as the mirror image of the basic 6t memory cell circuit . the state of the redundant 6t memory cell circuit is modified and read as addressed using word line 10 in the same fashion as the basic 6t memory cell circuit . transistors 48 and 58 couple transistors 50 , 52 , 54 , and 56 to bit line 12 and complementary bit line 14 in the manner discussed above . whenever both the basic and redundant 6t memory cell circuits are operating properly , all read and write functions are indistinguishable from the prior art memory systems . lines 60 and 62 provide the state of the redundant 6t memory cell circuit to permit transistors 38 and 40 to constantly compare the states of the basic and redundant 6t memory cell circuits . whenever the states do not agree , transistor 42 is switched on to pull error line 46 to ground . to minimize drive circuitry and additional pins , error line 46 may be utilized by all of the memory cells in the memory system to indicate and error . alternatively , if the added power dissipation and additional complexity are acceptable , each row and each column may have a separate error line to permit identification of the individual malfunctioning memory cell . fig2 is an electrical schematic diagram of a three cell array employing continuous memory cell checking in accordance with the preferred mode of the present invention . the three cells shown are all addressed by word line 10 providing a three - bit parallel data structure . this three - bit data structure is shown as a matter of convenience . however , those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that parallel data structures of other configurations may be easily implemented . cell 64 , cell 66 , and cell 68 comprise the three cell array . error line 46 runs parallel to word line 10 to provide an error indication which is shared for the entire row . individual rows may have separate error lines or may share error line 46 . fig3 is a block diagram of a four word memory array . a separate error line is shown for each word for clarity . the user supplies an address via address input 95 . address decoder 80 decodes this address into an enable on one of word lines 94 , 96 , 98 , or 100 . in the present example , address line 95 would contain a two bit value wherein 00 is decoded as an enable on line 94 , 01 results in an enable on line 96 , 10 produces an enable on line 98 , and 11 is decoded to produce an enable on line 100 . each of these word lines is similar to word line 10 ( see also fig1 and fig2 ). memory array 70 consists of words 72 , 74 , 76 , and 78 , wherein each word comprises a number of individual cells coupled as shown in fig2 . the individual cells of the addressed one of words 72 , 74 , 76 , and 78 are coupled to the bit lines for each bit position . for memory write functions , the parallel data is transferred via line 120 to write data buffer 86 , from which it is applied to the bit and complementary bit lines ( see also fig1 ) via write interface 118 . similarly , read functions couple the addressed cells to the bit and complementary bit lines for transfer of the data to read data buffer 84 via read interface 92 . the read data is provided to the user via read data output 90 . each individual memory cell of the system is continuously checked in accordance with the present invention ( see also fig2 ) for each of words 72 , 74 , 76 , and 78 . line 102 is the error line for word 72 and reports an error in word 72 . similarly , lines 104 , 106 , and 107 report errors in words 74 , 76 , and 78 , respectively . all error reports are received by error output circuit 82 , which can time tag error reports and / or provide error correction using column checking circuitry ( not shown ). error output circuit 82 also provides the means to disable error reports during write transients . most simply implemented , this function merely requires that errors be present for a minimum period of time before being assumed to represent an actual failure . this is easily provided by a multivibrator circuit . lines 108 , 110 , 112 , and 114 provide system level reports of the detected error . or - gate 88 provides and indication of an error in memory array 70 via line 116 . as can be readily seen by those of skill in the art , the present invention may be utilized for continuous reporting of errors at the system level , within a given column or bit position , within a word , or even at the individual memory cell level . having thus described the preferred mode of the present invention , those of skill in the art will be capable of applying the teachings found herein to yet other embodiments within the scope of the claims hereto attached . | 6 |
referring to fig1 to 10 , there is illustrated the improved walkover seat of the invention , generally designated by reference numeral 2 . although the seat 2 is described herein as a walkover seat for passenger railroad cars , it is within the scope of the invention to use the teachings of the invention in any environment in which passenger seats are employed . as is conventional , the passenger walkover seat 2 includes a horizontal seat cushion 4 and a walkover seat back 6 supported on a seat frame 8 , which rests on suitable opposed pedestals ( not shown ). the walkover feature of seat 2 allows the conductor or passenger to move the seat back 6 to opposed positions relative to seat 4 whereby the passengers face in opposite directions . the walkover capability of passenger walkover seat 2 is best shown in fig2 - 4 . the seat walkover mechanism 12 is provided with a pair of flat walkover levers 14 and 16 . the walkover levers 14 and 16 are interconnected at their upper ends 14 a and 16 a by a link 18 pivotally attached to the lever ends by pins 19 . a seat back frame member 20 is attached to the upper portion 18 a of link 18 by a suitable technique to attain walkover movement of seat back frame member 20 on the levers 14 and 16 in conjunction with a pair of horizontal walkover tubes 22 and 24 . the walkover tubes 22 and 24 are suitably journaled at both ends on frame 8 and extend through the lower ends of levers 14 and 16 in fixed relationship and under the seat cushion 4 from the aisle side to the window side of passenger seat 2 . the opposed positions of the walkover levers 14 and 16 are shown in opposite positions of the seat back 6 in fig3 and 5 . during walkover movement from the position of fig3 to the position of fig5 the walkover tubes 22 and 24 rotate in the same directions to facilitate movement of the entire seat back 6 to the opposed position . referring now to fig6 and 7 , a locking block assembly 30 is mounted at each end of hollow walkover shafts 22 and 24 immediately inside of seat back frame levers 14 and 16 . the locking block assembly 30 includes a metal block 30 a having rear integral anchoring plate 32 which is arranged to be secured to frame 8 at both sides by bolt assemblies ( not shown ) through bolt holes 32 a . a front plate 34 ( fig7 ) is also secured to block 30 a by bolts 36 to mount the linkage assembly to be described . the block 30 a has a cavity 38 to permit solid end extensions 40 a , 40 b to be secured to the ends of walkover tubes 22 and 24 and extend through levers 14 and 16 in fixed securement by a conventional technique . the inner ends 42 of the end extensions 40 a , 40 b have flattened faces 44 for interfitting in fixed relationship respectively within the ends of hollow walkover shafts 22 , 24 having a hollow square cross - sectional configuration . a locking element 50 is journaled between end extensions shafts 40 a , 40 b for pivotal movement on a shaft 50 a carried on locking block 30 a as seen in fig6 and 7 . the locking element 50 is generally in the form of a rectangular plate having opposed cutout areas 52 disposed on opposite vertical sides of the locking element 50 and cut - off upper corners 54 . the lower portion 56 of locking element 50 extends a greater distance from the shaft 50 a than upper portion 56 a to create an imbalance to respond to deceleration and cause pivoting action of the locking element 50 about shaft 50 a dependent on the direction of the deceleration forces . in a normal vertical orientation of the locking element 50 in absence of any extraordinary forces , the walkover tubes 22 , 24 and end extensions 40 a , 40 b are free to rotate to change seat back positions . the end extension shafts 40 a and 40 b are formed with locking notches 52 a , 52 b in the periphery at two positions on each end extension shaft 40 a , 40 b . the cutout areas 52 a , 52 b are formed by two intersecting faces 54 a , 54 b whereby one face 52 a extends parallel to the axis of rotation of end extensions 40 a , 40 b . in fig6 the locking effect of the locking elements 50 and the cutout areas 52 a , 52 b can be seen . in the case of rapid deceleration , the walkover tubes 22 , 24 are rotated in opposite directions for a limited degree until the surface of a cutoff corner of the lock element 54 a engages a portion of the flat face 56 a of the end extension 40 a , 40 b at the same time the locking elements 50 contacts a respective cutout area 52 a , 52 b and the upper corner contacts the notches 52 a , 52 b of the opposite shaft . the deceleration detected by the locking element 50 is rapid in locking rotation of the walkover shafts 22 and 24 to prevent any further movement of the seat back . after the locking has occurred between the locking element 50 and walkover tubes 22 , 24 , the energy dissipation sections 60 a , 60 b formed by the thinner diameter of the end extensions 40 a , 40 b then undergo conditions of plastic deformation by which permanent twisting of the reduced diameter section occurs to the extent necessary to arrest and dissipate the force of the impact . the energy dissipation sections 60 a , 60 b can under go up to 90 ° of permanent deformation under which twisting optimum energy dissipation of the impact force of the passenger with the seat back occurs because the time in dissipating the energy is significantly increased by the plastic deformation . the levers 14 , 16 are fixedly retained on the lower ends 14 b , 16 b to end portions of walkover tube extensions 40 a , 40 b . the pair of levers 14 , 16 are mounted at each shaft end in a common vertical plane . in the normal opposed seating positions of the seat backs , the adjacent edges 14 ′, 16 ′ of the levers 16 directly abut each other ( fig2 and 5 ) to support the seat back with a high strength to strength ratio . such direct support eliminates the stops and brackets needed in the prior art and provides good strength in the stressed direction . as seen in fig4 the adjacent edges of the levers are spaced from each other in the intermediate position . as seen in fig2 - 5 , a pair of linkage assemblies 70 a , 70 b are further provided in operative relationship between the walkover tubes 22 and 24 and the lower seat cushion frame 72 . the cushion frame 72 includes a horizontal pair of elongated edge cross frame members 74 interconnected by end members 76 ( fig8 and 9 ). a pair of intermediate supports 78 further extend between the end members 76 . the pair of linkage assemblies 70 a , 70 b move the seat back frame 20 from the position shown in fig3 to the position shown in fig5 . in is normal opposed seating portions , the upper surface 80 of the end members 74 are slightly sloped downward from the seat front to the walkover seat back as seen in fig3 and 5 . each of the linkage assemblies 70 a , 70 b are operatively connected to a respective walkover tube 22 , 24 by a pair of oppositely facing pivot arms 82 a , 82 b which are affixed at one end to tube extensions 40 a , 40 b . the opposite ends of the pair of pivot arms 82 a , 82 b include a pin 86 , which extends into an elongated slot 88 formed in elements 90 of each of the pair of linkage assemblies 70 a , 70 b . the link elements 90 are flat members having a modified “ l ” shape with a pair of straight edge portions 92 and a curved interconnecting portion 94 ( fig2 ). each link element 90 is pivotally connected to the cushion frame end members 76 at a point adjacent the intersection of the straight edge portions 92 and curved portion 94 of the link elements 90 . as the walkover seat back is moved between opposed seating positions , the pin 86 of the lever element 90 moves in the slots 88 in opposite directions of the respective link members . at the upright position during initial movement of the seat back , the respective pins 92 move to opposite ends of the slots 94 . as the seat back continues movement to opposite seat positions , the link elements 90 continue pivotal movement and alter the position of the seat cushion frame 72 . in the position of seat cushion frame 72 in fig3 the frame member 74 of the seat cushion frame 72 directly rests on cross horizontal member 90 a of the main seat frame in direct supporting contact along the width of the seat . one of the intermediate frame member 78 of the cushion frame 72 also directly contacts a second horizontal member 92 a of the main seat frame . for better support both the cushion frame members 74 and main frame members 90 a , 92 b advantageously possess a square configuration . such direct contact between the cushion frame 72 and main frame cross members 90 a , 92 b provides maximum support of the seat cushion frame and seat back without latches or locks . when walkover seat 2 is moved to the seating position of fig5 the opposite cushion cross frame 74 directly contacts the main seat cross frame 92 a . the second intermediate cross frame 78 rests on the opposite seat main frame 90 a in fig5 . at the seat back position of fig3 the lever arms 82 a , 82 b are disposed along generally parallel planes with the lever arms 82 a , 82 b directed upward and the free end of the lever arm 82 b is directed downward . in the seat back position of fig5 the pin end of the pivot arms 82 a is directed downward and the pin end of the pivot arm 82 b is directed upward in generally parallel relationship . in the intermediate position of fig5 the pin ends of lever arms 82 a , 82 b are generally directed in opposite directions along the same horizontal axis . referring to fig1 , there is illustrated the bottom of a seat cushion 100 prior to attachment to the seat cushion frame 72 . the bottom of seat cushion 100 includes a pan 102 in the form of a metal or plastic that covers the bottom of the seat cushion 100 for protection . the pan 102 includes a pair of rectangular openings 104 and is secured to the seat cushion by mechanical fasteners ( not shown ). a series of strips 106 of hooks or loops of material , such as sold under the trademark velcro hooks are secured along the front and rear portions of the pan 102 . complimentary strips 108 of loops , which adhere to strips 106 , are secured by an adhesive to cushion frame members 74 , whereby the cushion 100 is simply installed by being placed on the seat cushion frame 72 with strips 106 and 108 in contact . such a securement capability results in immediate self positioning of the cushion on the seat frame and permits ready removal of the cushion 100 for repair and replacement . | 1 |
the acronyms in the following list are applied at various locations herein . the meaning of the terms referenced by these acronyms is more completely understood from the complete description . new techniques , including an optical code - division multiplexing ( ocdm ) system and methodology based on a passive spectral phase encoding ( spe ) scheme that is compatible with wdm networks and offers photonic layer security ( pls ) are presented . compatibility is achieved through the ability to access and modify optical phase of tightly spaced phase locked laser lines with high resolution . in wdm networks , different security levels are carried through different optical windows . however , as discussed above , wdm enabled mls is susceptible to eavesdropping through inter - window cross talk as well as to more conventional tapping . the inventive techniques offer another level of security beyond wdm by providing the proper recipient its unique ocdm code , without which inadvertently leaked or intentionally captured signals cannot be deciphered . the inventive techniques also offer a higher level of security that is robust to both exhaustive search and archival attacks through phase scrambling of the inverse multiplexed tributaries of the high data rate aggregate signal . fig5 illustratively depicts an ocdm system 500 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention . in addition to illustrating an overall system architecture , fig5 also includes a diagram that depicts signal flows through the system 500 in the time and frequency domain . the system 500 comprises a laser source 510 that generates a sequence of optical pulses that are fed to each of data modulators 520 1 . . . n . the system 500 includes n tributaries or channels that each provide data that is used to respectively modulate the sequence of optical pulses generated by laser source 510 . each of data modulators 520 1 . . . n comprises an on / off keyed data modulator wherein a “ 1 ” symbol or bit in the digital data stream corresponds to the presence of an optical pulse and a “ 0 ” symbol or bit corresponds to the absence of an optical pulse . in accordance with the present invention , other modulation techniques including those based on phase can be applied . in this way , each pulse represents a bit of information . for example , in a modulated digital data stream comprising a “ 1010 ” data sequence , each time slot with the bit “ 1 ” will result in the presence of an optical pulse whereas each time slot with a “ 0 ” bit indicates the absence of an optical pulse . each modulated data stream is then fed to a corresponding one of spectral phase encoders 530 1 . . . n . as is discussed in further detail below , each of the spectral phase encoders 530 1 . . . n uses a phase mask to apply a phase code associated with a tributary or channel to each optical pulse in the data stream to produce an encoded data stream . the phase code operates to provide a “ lock ” so that only a corresponding phase decoder with the appropriate “ key ” or phase conjugate of the phase code of the spectral phase encoder may unlock the encoded data stream . typically , a spectral phase encoder is associated with a particular tributary or channel and therefore allows only another tributary or channel with the appropriate key to decode or receive information from the particular tributary or channel the information appears as noise to tributaries or channels that do not have the appropriate key . after a modulated data stream is encoded , the encoded data stream can be passively combined with other encoded data streams with bit - time synchronization , each of which have their own unique spectral phase codes but overlap completely in the frequency domain . this form of passive multiplexing distinguishes optical cdma from dense wavelength division multiplexing ( dwdm ) systems where tributaries or channels are assigned independent , non - overlapping spectral passbands . the combined encoded data streams then pass through a phase scrambler 540 which changes the phase of the aggregate signal within each frequency bin relative to other frequency bins using a random key shared with the receiving end . the scrambled data stream may then be transported over a network , such as a wdm network , to the receiving end where a descrambler 550 , using the shared random key , undoes the scrambling . scrambling the phase of aggregate signals can also be achieved by combining the spectral phase encoder 530 and the phase scrambler 540 in a single unit . this results in the use of one less coder / scrambler unit . but the more important use of this procedure enables frequency shuffling in addition to aggregate phase scrambling using monomial matrix , as illustrated in fig1 , instead of a diagonal matrix . the descrambled data stream is then fed to a spectral phase decoder 560 that , preferably , includes a phase mask that applies the phase conjugate of the phase code of the spectral phase encoder 530 , as discussed above . the spectral phase decoder 530 provides a decoded data stream to an optical time gate 570 . as is discussed in detail below , the optical time gate 570 operates to reduce multiple access interference by temporally extracting only a desired tributary from among the decoded stream . the optical time gate 570 produces a data stream , which is fed to a data demodulator 580 . where on / off keying was employed at the transmitting end , the data demodulator 580 comprises an amplitude detector that reproduces the digital data stream . implementation of the above described system is discussed in further detail below . u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 062 , 090 describes a wavelength - division multiplexing - compatible spectral phase encoding approach to ocdm , the contents of which are incorporated by reference in the present application . in accordance with an aspect of the present invention , the laser source 510 comprising a mode locked laser ( mll ) having a spectral content comprising a stable comb of closely spaced phase - locked frequencies . the frequency or comb spacing is determined by the pulse repetition rate of the mll . the laser source 510 may , for example , comprise a ring laser that may be formed using a semiconductor optical amplifier or erbium doped fiber amplifier . the ring laser includes , for example , a laser cavity , a modulator , a wavelength division multiplexer , and a tap point for providing an output signal , which comprises optical pulses . referring to fig5 , the mll produces as its output a stream of short optical pulses 512 in the time domain . the pulsed signal can also be shown to be equivalent to a comb of phase - locked continuous wave optical frequencies 514 equally spaced on a frequency grid determined by the laser repetition rate . as an example , the present invention uses 8 or 16 equally spaced phase - locked laser lines confined to an 80 ghz window depending on the data rate for individual channels . this 80 ghz window is considered to comprise 8 or 16 frequency bins , each bin being phase encoded using a coder , to be described below , based on an ultrahigh resolution demultiplexer . in comparison to prior art spe that use the continuous broad spectrum of an ultrashort pulse source , the technique disclosed in the present invention has the advantage of confining the data - modulated mll lines to their respective phase coded frequency bins and all frequency bins to a small tunable window . the narrower spectral extent of the coded signal also limits the impact of the transmission impairments such as dispersion and makes this system compatible with standard wdm optical networks . the output signal 512 is provided to each of data modulators 520 1 - n . n tributaries or channels in the system provides data 522 1 - n that is used to respectively modulate the pulse train or output signal 512 . data modulators 520 1 - n operate to provide on / off keying resulting in time - domain signal 524 . in time domain signal 524 , the pulses with a solid outline indicates a “ 1 ” symbol or bit and pulses with a faint outline represents a “ 0 ” symbol or bit , as previously discussed . the spectral content of such a signal is shown in frequency plot 526 in fig5 . each of the modulated optical pulse signals are then fed to respective spectral phase encoders 530 1 - n . encoding consists of separating each frequency bin , shifting its phase , in this case by 0 or π , as prescribed by the choice of code , and recombining the frequency bins to produce the coded signal . when the relative phases of the frequencies are shifted , the set of frequencies is unaltered , but their recombination results in a different temporal pattern , e . g ., a pulse shifted to a different part of the bit period , multiple pulses within the bit period , or noise - like distribution of optical power . each ocdm code is desirably defined by a unique choice of phase shifts . in accordance with the present invention , a set of hadamard codes , which are orthogonal and binary , can be chosen as a coding scheme . this choice is desirable in that it can achieve relatively high spectral efficiency with minimal multi - channel interference ( mci ). specifically , this coding scheme offers orthogonality in the sense the mci is zero at the time that the decoded signal is maximum . the number of orthogonal codes is equal to the number of frequency bins ; hence , relatively high spectral efficiency is possible . binary hadamard codes are converted to phase codes by assigning to + 1 &# 39 ; s and − 1 &# 39 ; s phase shifts of 0 and π , respectively . to encode data , which contains a spread of frequencies , as opposed to the unmodulated pulse stream , which contains only the initial comb of frequencies produced by the mll , it is preferable to define frequency bins around the center of frequencies . encoding data then consists of applying the phase shift associated with a frequency to the entire bin . the output of the phase encoder is then a signal obtained by summing the phase - shifted frequency components of the modulated signal . applying any of these orthogonal codes ( except for the case of code 1 , which leaves all phases unchanged ) results in a temporal pattern which has zero optical power at the instant in time where the initial pulse would have had its maximum power . although this choice of orthogonal codes implies synchronicity as a system requirement , since desynchronization will move unwanted optical power into the desired signal &# 39 ; s time slot , careful code selection allows some relaxation of this requirement . for example , simulations indicate that for four tributaries transmitting at 2 . 5 gb / s and using a suitably chosen set of four codes among a set of 15 hadamard codes of length 16 , up to 15 ps of relative delay can be tolerated with a power penalty within 1 db at a ber of 10 − 9 . better resiliency to asynchronism may be achieved by using multiphase codes . phase coding of the individual spectral components requires a demultiplexer with sufficient resolution and path length stability and a means of shifting phases independently for each frequency . in an embodiment of the present invention , ring - resonator - based photonic integrated circuits are used to perform coding / decoding functions . the use of ring - resonator - based circuits in an ocdma system based on spectral - phase encoding of phase - locked lines of a mll has been demonstrated by anjali agarwal et al . in “ fully programmable ring - resonator - based integrated photonic circuit for phase coherent applications ,” ieee j . of lightwave technology , vol . 24 , no . 1 , january 2006 , pp . 77 - 87 , the contents of which are incorporated by reference in the present application . below , the construction and characterization of ring - resonator - based photonic integrated circuits and how they can be used to perform coding / decoding functions are described . as illustrated in fig6 , a fourth - order micro - ring resonator filter 600 is the basic building block for a coder / decoder . it comprises four micro - rings 601 that are vertically coupled to a pair of input 602 and output 603 bus waveguides . vertical coupling allows for more precise control of the coupling strength than lateral coupling , since the vertical separation of the guides depends on the thickness of the intervening layer and is not determined by mask error , photolithography , or etching , all of which are more difficult to control with the required precision and reproducibility . in high - order micro - ring resonator ( mrr ) filters that are designed to have a maximally flat passband , the coupling between the bus waveguide 602 , 603 and the ring 601 needs to be strong , whereas the coupling between adjacent rings 601 is designed to be weak . in order to achieve strong coupling between ring and bus in lateral configuration , the gap between the two would be sub - resolution , and therefore , subject to large random deviations . vertical coupling allows the ring 601 and bus 602 , 603 to come into close proximity without the need to etch an ultranarrow coupling gap . instead the coupling is determined by well - controlled material deposition . the rings 601 support resonant travelling wave modes and the resonant condition is determined by the circumference and effective index of the rings 601 . at resonant wavelengths , optical power can be transferred completely from one bus waveguide 602 to the other 603 via the rings 601 , as shown by λ 1 in fig6 , while off - resonant wavelengths λ 2 , λ 3 , . . . bypass the rings 601 . the shape and bandwidth of the filter response is determined by the number of rings in the filter , the mutual coupling strength among the rings , and between the outer rings and the bus waveguides . by appropriately coupling multiple rings , the frequency response of the filters can be tailored to a desired response . as the number of coupled rings increase , the order of the filter increases , leading to a box - like filter response . fig7 illustrates an exemplary coder / decoder circuit 700 . the coder circuit 700 consists of a common input bus 701 and a common output bus 702 , with fourth - order micro - ring resonators serving as wavelength - selective cross connects between the two . a fourth - order filter cell 703 occupies an on - chip area of 100 × 400 μm , allowing a large number of filter cells on a chip ( 64 filter cells on a 17 × 17 mm chip ). each filter 703 is independently tunable in wavelength and each passband represents a frequency bin . an independent heater is placed over each of the four rings and can be differentially adjusted to fine tune the optical line shape . the relative phase shift between two adjacent frequency bins is controlled by a separate thermo - optic phase heater 704 , shown in hatch marks in fig7 , and can be continuously varied between 0 and π . hence , the micro - rings 703 provide the wavelength selectivity , and the thereto - optic heater 704 is used to control the relative phase of individual wavelengths . due to the symmetry of the above - described configuration , the optical path lengths from the input to the output are the same for all wavelengths , and hence , the original phase relationships are maintained for all wavelengths when the phase heaters are not activated . the three necessary functions , frequency demultiplexing , phase shifting , and recombining the phase - shifted frequencies , are all accomplished in the above - described single integrated device . referring back to fig5 , the encoded n tributary or channel signals are then combined prior to being passed through phase scrambler 540 and being transmitted over the fiber link and through the network . the network can comprise a wdm network that allows the signals of the system 500 to be transported transparently to the other signals that are normally carried by the wdm network . in that regard , the system 500 advantageously uses a relatively small and tunable window , which is compatible with wdm systems that are currently deployed . fig8 illustratively depicts how an ocdm system in accordance with the various aspects of the present invention may be overlaid on such a network . note , however , any other optical network may be used in accordance with this aspect of the present invention if a tunable source is used . as fig8 shows , the ocdm signals may be multiplexed into the wdm channel . after the scrambled signals traverse the network , they are descrambled by descrambler 550 and split and provided to a plurality of matching decoders 560 1 . . . n . in particular , decoding may be accomplished by using a matched , complementary code ; for the binary codes used here , the code is its own complement and consequently , the coder and decoder are identical . the decoded signal has the pulses restored to their original position within the bit period and restores the original pulse shape . decoding using an incorrect decoder results in a temporal pattern that again has zero optical power at the center of the bit period and the majority of the energy for that pulse is pushed outside the time interval where the desired pulse lies . referring to fig5 , 9 and 10 , implementation of ocdm - based photonic layer security ( pls ) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is described below . as stated above , since orthogonal codes are used , the maximum number of simultaneous tributaries or channels is equal to the number of frequency bins . for hadamard codes of order n of ( h n ) the number of possible orthogonal codes states so generated is n . an eavesdropper equipped with an adjustable decoder would have to guess only n possible code settings in order to tune in on any given tributary . to increase the search space available to an eavesdropper with intentional malicious attacks , the present embodiment includes a phase scrambling methodology . an orthogonal matrix w n can be generated from h n by premultiplying a diagonal or monomial matrix d n of order n with all of the on - diagonal elements being arbitrarily chosen phase shifts . in other words , when random phase settings corresponding to the scrambling code are imposed on all the conventional hadamard codes , a new set of n distinct orthogonal codes is produced , referred to here as the modified hadamard codes . fig9 illustrates the effect of scrambling on four hadamard - 32 signals . each panel is the simulated temporal intensity variation for two bit periods as might be seen by an eavesdropper . the left panel shows the result of encoding with the original hadamard - 32 codes 6 , 7 , 9 and 12 . the spiky nature of the patterns and their discrete appearance in the time domain would appear to render the codes vulnerable to detection by an eavesdropper . however , using the corresponding set of scrambled hadamard - 32 results in the substantially different time - dependent signal shown in the right panel of fig9 . the modified hadamard - 32 has been created by a scrambler using random 0 and π phase shifts for each element . for this binary choice of phase setting and diagonal matrix , the search space is increased from e = 32 to ε = 2 32 , assuming all 32 codes are present . note that not only has the peak amplitude of the variation been suppressed , but the energy in a bit is now spread throughout the bit period . using monomial matrix increases the search space further to ε = 32 !× 2 32 . more importantly , in addition to shared phase scrambling , the frequency shuffling decouples the correlation between the attempted guess of the key unless about 75 % of the key has correctly been identified . this procedure ensures that exhaustive search attack is practically impossible . the application of monomial matrix to ocdm - based encryption is described by g . di crescenzo et al . in “ on the security of ocdm - based encryption against key - search attacks ,” presented at summer 2009 ieee / leos summer topical meeting on optical code division multiple access , july 2009 , newport beach , calif ., the contents of which are incorporated by reference in the present application . it is important to recognize that the random diagonal matrix d n can be implemented as a separate encoder similar to the same sort used to apply hadamard codes to the mll signal . this means one can physically separate the hadamard coding stages used for directing communication between end users and the diagonal matrix scrambling stages in a network . since it would be desirable to change the scrambling code with some regularity , the scrambling coders should be dynamically adjustable in synchrony and there is therefore some advantage to sharing these units to keep their number small . as a result , increased capacity has been achieved through inverse multiplexing of the tributaries of a high data rate signal and the improved security has been created through phase scrambling . this degree of signal obscuration coupled with the potentially large number of possible scrambler states and the ability to dynamically change the scrambler code setting at will all contribute to the obscurity of the composite signal . the large code space makes eavesdropping by exhaustive search for the scramble key a practical impossibility in a brute force attack . referring to fig5 and 11 , implementation of multi - channel interference ( mci ) rejection in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is described below . mci noise from undesired tributaries or channels may remain even after the signals have passed through the matched ocdm decoder . in addition , since the optical signal energy present in both the decoded and undesired channels are similar in magnitude , both will appear essentially identical from the perspective of a typical photoreceiver that is band - limited to the data bit rate , preventing the desired signal from being recovered correctly . therefore , further processing techniques are necessary in order to eliminate the interference . given the bandwidth requirements of an ocdm system , which is typically on the order of many tens or even hundreds of ghz , the removal of interference performed in the electrical domain is impractical due to the need for ultrafast electronics . as a result , mci rejection can be performed in the optical domain . one category of optical processing technique for mci rejection is optical time gating . application of optical time gating to extract the decoded ocdm signal is illustrated in fig1 . through the proper selection of an appropriate code set for a synchronous coherent ocdm system , it is possible to design the system such that the multi - channel interference energy falls outside a time interval where the properly decoded signal pulses reside . therefore , by optically gating the composite signal in order to provide low loss within the desired time window while at the same time provide for high extinction outside that window , the properly decoded signal bit stream can be extracted . the described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive , and are not intended to represent every embodiment of the present invention . various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims both literally and in equivalents recognized in law . | 7 |
the aim of this invention is to make available a novel crystal form and a novel amorphous solid of aliskiren hemifumarate . more complete understanding of this invention can be obtained referring to the summary tables of certain physico - chemical characteristics of aliskiren hemifumarate provided below . the main peaks of x - ray powder diffraction , the main bands and characteristic of the ft - ir spectrum , the thermogravimetric analysis are furnished . the x - ray powder diffractogram ( xrpd ) has been obtained using the instrument x &# 39 ; pert pro panalytical with single scan , using kα1 radiation . the diffractogram is measured in reflection mode in the range 3 - 40 ° 2θ . the ft - ir spectrum ( fourier transform ir spectroscopy ) was recorded with the nicolet ft - ir 6700 ( thermofischer ) appliance equipped with a kbr splitter and dtgs kbr detector . the spectrum was acquired in 16 scans at a resolution of 4 cm − 1 for the crystal form and the solvate , in 32 scans at a resolution of 4 cm − 1 for the amorphous solid . dsc analyses were carried out using a differential scanning calorimeter dsc 200 f3 maia ®. the samples were loaded in an aluminium crucible and heated at 10 ° c ./ min in the temperature range from 20 to 450 ° c . the thermograms were obtained using the sta 409 pc luxx ® netzsch thermo - balance . the samples were loaded in an aluminium crucible and heated at 10 ° c ./ min in the temperature range from 25 to 490 ° c . fig1 : dissolution speed of aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid ( curve a ) and aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid obtained as described in wo2008 / 061622 ( curve b ). fig1 : xrpd spectrum of aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid obtained as described in wo2008 / 061622 , before and after exposure for 5 days at 25 ° c ., 60 % rh . fig1 : xrpd spectrum of aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid , before and after exposure for 5 days at 25 ° c ., 60 % rh . the crystal form of aliskiren hemifumarate claimed in this invention is preferably obtained through desolvation of aliskiren hemifumarate solvate with p - xylene and is characterised by the following physico - chemical parameters . xrpd analysis makes it possible to obtain the characteristic spectrum shown in fig1 . main peaks at 2theta +/− 0 . 3 degrees are : 5 . 8 , 5 . 9 , 9 . 6 , 10 . 8 , 15 . 6 , 16 . 4 , 18 . 4 , 18 . 9 . table 1 below shows the significant peaks of the spectrum . the thermogram shown in fig4 highlights a continuous loss of weight on moving from about 150 to about 450 ° c . the characteristic events of the weight loss measured can be observed more clearly on the dtg curve , shown in the same plot . the dtg curve represents the derivative of the thermogram and makes it possible to observe events after 150 ° c ., associated with downgrading of the sample following heating . said crystal form claimed here is obtained from aliskiren hemifumarate p - xylene solvate . said solvate form is characterised as follows . xrpd analysis of aliskiren hemifumarate p - xylene solvate makes it possible to obtain the characteristic spectrum shown in fig5 . the main peaks at 2theta +/− 0 . 3 degrees are : 5 . 5 , 9 . 2 , 10 . 5 , 18 . 6 , 19 . 7 , 21 . 2 . table 3 below shows the significant peaks of the spectrum . the thermogram shown in fig8 highlights a continuous loss of weight , on moving from about 140 to about 450 ° c . the characteristic events of the weight loss measured can be observed more clearly on the dtg curve , shown in the same plot . the dtg curve makes it possible to observe a significant event with loss of weight of about 6 . 15 % between 50 ° c . and 140 ° c . which corresponds to the loss of solvent following melting of the sample . the other events observed after 150 ° c . are associated with downgrading of the sample following heating . xrpd analysis of said aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid makes it possible to obtain the characteristic spectrum shown in fig9 . the main peaks at 2theta +/− 0 . 3 degrees are : 7 . 3 , 10 . 2 , 10 . 4 , 19 . 6 . table 5 below shows the significant peaks of the spectrum . the thermogram shown in fig1 shows a continuous loss of weight starting from about 170 ° c ., loss of weight associated with decomposition of the sample after melting . another object of this invention is the process for the preparation of said crystal form of aliskiren hemifumarate . in particular , said process comprises : i ) re - suspending aliskiren hemifumarate in a suitable solvent , continuously stirred at room temperature in an oil bath ; ii ) heating to a suitable temperature until a clear solution is obtained ; iii ) cooling , continuing to stir the solution obtained in ii ), to room temperature ; iv ) stirring of the solution obtained in iii ) at a suitable temperature and for a suitable time ; v ) filtering of the mix obtained in iv ) in order to isolate the precipitate ; vi ) drying of the precipitate at a suitable temperature . in a preferred embodiment , said phase ii ) is carried out at a temperature of between 60 and 90 ° c ., preferably at about 75 ° c . and said solvent is selected in the group that comprises benzene , toluene , xylene , preferably p - xylene . in said phase iii ) said cooling is carried out slowly , preferably said solution reaches room temperature in about 5 hours , in oil bath . in said phase iv ), said stirring is continued for a further 10 hours or more , preferably for about 12 hours , preferably at room temperature . in said phase vi ), said drying takes place at a temperature of between 50 and 90 ° c ., preferably at about 70 ° c ., for about 3 hours . the product obtained is the crystal form of aliskiren hemifumarate claimed in this invention . a further object of this invention is the process for the preparation of said amorphous solid of aliskiren hemifumarate . in particular , said process comprises : i ) dissolving aliskiren hemifumarate in alcohol and heating to a suitable temperature ; ii ) cooling the solution obtained in i ) to room temperature and spiking of the same with pure aliskiren hemifumarate ; iii ) stirring the mix obtained in ii ) at a suitable temperature and for a suitable time ; iv ) further cooling the mix and continuation of stirring ; v ) filtering the mix obtained in iv ) so as to isolate the precipitate ; vi ) washing the precipitate with alcohol and drying under vacuum at a suitable temperature . in another preferred embodiment , said phase i ) is carried out at a temperature of between 35 and 55 ° c ., more preferably at about 40 - 45 ° c ., and said alcohol is selected in the group that comprises methanol , ethanol , propanol , butanol , isopropanol , isobutanol , preferably isopropanol . in said phase iii ), stirring is continued for 10 - 20 hours , preferably for about 15 hours , at a temperature of between about 20 and about 25 ° c . in said phase iv ), cooling is carried out preferably at a temperature below 10 ° c ., preferably at a t of between about 0 and about 5 ° c . and said stirring is continued for a further 2 hours or more . in said phase vi ), the alcohol is selected in the group that comprises methanol , ethanol , propanol , butanol , isopropanol , isobutanol , preferably cold isopropanol preferably , said washing is repeated twice . drying under vacuum is carried out at a temperature below 50 ° c ., preferably below about 40 ° c . the product obtained is the amorphous form of aliskiren hemifumarate claimed in this invention . said crystal form and said amorphous solid of aliskiren hemifumarate can be applied in pharmaceutical compositions . the pharmaceutical composition that comprises said crystal form and / or said amorphous solid may contain additives such as sweeteners , aromas , coating substances , inert diluents such as lactose and talcum , binders such as starch , hydroxyethylcellulose , hydroxypropylcellulose and similar . any conventional technique can be used for preparation of pharmaceutical formulations in accordance with this invention . 500 g of aliskiren hemifumarate were re - suspended in 4 ml of p - xylene , stirring at room temperature in oil bath . the suspension was heated to 75 ° c . to obtain a clear solution . the solution was then placed in an oil bath in order to bring this , over a period of 5 hours , to room temperature while continuing stirring . stirring continued for about 12 hours . after filtration , the filtrate was dried at 70 ° c . for about 3 hours and analysed using xrpd . the product obtained is the crystal form of aliskiren hemifumarate claimed in this invention . 100 g of aliskiren hemifumarate were dissolved in 850 ml of isopropyl alcohol , stirring at 40 - 45 ° c . after cooling to room temperature , the mix was spiked with pure aliskiren hemifumarate and stirred at 20 - 25 ° c . for 15 hours . the mix was then cooled to 0 - 5 ° c ., continuing stirring for another 2 hours . after filtration , the filtrate was washed twice with isopropyl alcohol , using 200 ml of cold isopropyl alcohol for each washing . the washed product was dried under vacuum at 40 ° c . and analysed by means of xrpd . the product obtained is aliskiren hemifumarate amorphous form claimed in this invention . dissolution tests were carried out on aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid , of this invention and aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid , obtained as described in wo2008 / 061622 . kinetic tests were carried out using a hanson vision classic 6 dissolution tester combined with a varian cary 50 uv - vis spectrophotometer . the program used was “ kinetic ” ( cary 50 winuv software v . 3 ) that continuously recorded absorbance at 280 nm of a buffer solution ( 80 ml ) continuously stirred ( 100 rpm ) at 37 ° c . to which the sample had been added . fig1 shows the dissolution speed of aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid of this invention ( curve a ) and aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid obtained as described in wo2008 / 061622 ( curve b ). stability tests were carried out on aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid of this invention and aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid obtained as described in wo2008 / 061622 , maintaining the samples at 25 ° c ., 75 % rh . after 2 hours in said conditions , both samples changed from solid to viscous liquid form . the same samples were exposed to 25 ° c ., 60 % rh . in these conditions , the diffraction pattern assumed by aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid , obtained as described in wo2008 / 061622 is shown in fig1 , in which curve a is obtained in basal conditions , curve b is obtained after exposure of the sample for 5 days to the conditions indicated . fig1 shows the diffraction pattern obtained exposing the aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid of this invention to the same conditions ( curve a : basal ; curve b : 5 days at 25 ° c ., 60 % rh ). a comparison of curves a and b of fig1 reveals that the typical nature of the diffractogram of aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid of this invention is lost exposing this for 5 days to the conditions indicated . a set of tablets was prepared using different compression forces . a compressibility test was carried out on these . table 7 shows the data obtained compressing aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid of this invention ; table 8 refers to aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid obtained as described in wo2008 / 061622 . a comparison of the data obtained demonstrated that aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid of this invention has a higher rupture strength than that observed in tablets of aliskiren hemifumarate , amorphous solid obtained as described in wo2008 / 061622 . | 2 |
referring to the drawings , an embodiment of the present invention will be described below . fig1 is a perspective view of an image pick - up unit 50 according to the present embodiment , and fig2 is a view typically showing a cross - section along the optical axis of an image pick - up optical system of the image pick - up unit 50 . as shown in fig1 , the image pick - up unit 50 is provided with a cmos type picture - taking element 51 as the picture - taking element having a photo - electric conversion section 51 a , the picture - taking lens 10 for image - forming the objective image on the photo - electric conversion section 51 a of this picture - taking element 51 , a substrate 52 which holds the picture - taking element 51 , and has a terminal for the external connection ( called also an external connection terminal ) 54 ( refer to fig1 ) which conducts sending and receiving of its electrical signal , and a casing 53 which has an opening section for the ray incidence from object side , and as a lens barrel formed of the light shielding member , and they are integrally formed . as shown in fig2 , in the picture - taking element 51 , the photo - electric conversion section 51 a as the light receiving section in which pixels ( photo - electric conversion elements ) are 2 - dimensionally arranged in the central part of the plane on its light receiving side , is formed , and a signal processing circuit 51 b is formed in its periphery . such a signal processing circuit is structured by a drive circuit section by which each pixel is successively driven and signal charges are obtained , an a / d conversion section by which each signal charge is converted into a digital signal , and a signal processing section by which the image signal output is formed by using this digital signal . further , in the vicinity of outer edge of the plane on the light receiving side of the picture - taking element 51 , many number of pads ( illustration is neglected ) are arranged , and connected to the substrate 52 through wires w . the picture - taking element 51 converts the signal charge from the photo - electric conversion section 51 a into an image signal such as digital yuv signal , and outputs to a predetermined circuit on the substrate 52 through wires w . herein , y is a brightness signal , u (= r − y ) is a color difference signal of red and the brightness signal , v (= b − y ) is a color difference signal of blue and the brightness signal . hereupon , the picture - taking element is not limited to the cmos type image sensor , but other element such as ccd may also be used . the substrate 52 is provided with a supporting plate 52 a for supporting the picture - taking element 51 and the casing 53 on its upper surface , and a flexible substrate 52 b whose one end part is connected to the lower surface ( the reverse side surface to the picture - taking element 51 ) of the supporting plate 52 a . the supporting plate 52 a has a number of pads for signal transmission , provided on the front and rear surfaces , and on its upper surface side , it is connected to wires w of the picture - taking element 51 , and on its lower surface side , connected to the flexible substrate 52 b . in fig1 , the flexible substrate 52 b is connected in such a manner that its one end part is connected to the supporting plate 52 a as described above , and connects the supporting plate 52 a . to the external circuits ( for example , a control circuit which its epistatic apparatus in which the image pick - up unit is mounted has ) through the external connection terminal 54 provided on its other end part , and receives the supply of the voltage for driving the picture - taking element 51 , or the clock signal from the external circuit , and can output the digital yuv signal to the external circuit . further , an intermediate part in the length direction of the flexible substrate 52 b has the flexibility or deformation property , and by its deformation , the substrate gives the degree of freedom to the direction or arrangement of the external connection terminal 54 against the supporting plate 52 a . in fig2 , the casing 53 is fixed and arranged on the surface on which the picture - taking element 51 on the supporting plate 52 a of the substrate 52 is provided in the manner that it covers the picture - taking element 51 . that is , the casing 53 is formed into cylinder - shape with a flange in which a part on the picture - taking element 51 side is widely opened so that it surrounds the picture - taking element 51 and the other end part has a small opening , and the end part on the picture - taking element 51 side is contacted with and fixed on the supporting plate 52 a . hereupon , the end part on the picture - taking element 51 side of the casing 53 may also contacted with and fixed on the periphery of the photo - electric conversion section 51 a on the picture - taking element 51 . the casing 53 is used in such a manner that the other end part in which the small opening ( opening part for the ray incidence ) is provided faces the object side , and in the inside of the casing 53 , an ir ( infrared ray ) cut filter f is fixed and arranged between the picture - taking lens 10 and the picture - taking element 51 . the picture - taking lens 10 is composed of , in order from the object side , the first lens l 1 which has a positive refractive power and faces the convex surface to the object side , the aperture stop s , the second lens l 2 of the meniscus shape which has a positive refractive power and faces the convex surface to the image side , and the third lens l 3 which has a negative refractive power and faces the concave surface to the image side , and the picture - taking lens 10 has a function to image - form the object image onto the picture - taking element . hereupon , in fig1 , the upper side is made an object side , and the lower side is made an image side , and one dotted chain line in fig2 is made an optical axis common to each of lenses l 1 , l 2 , l 3 . hereupon , an illustration is neglected , but an outside light shielding mask e for reducing the incidence of unnecessary light from the outside as possible may also be provided on further object side from the first lens l 1 . further , the aperture stop s is a member for determining f - number of the whole system of the picture - taking lens . lenses l 1 , l 2 are held by a lens frame 55 , and the lens l 3 is held by a lens frame 56 . when the serially arranged lens frames 55 , 56 are brought into contact with the flange of the casing 53 under the conditional that the optical axes of these lenses coincide with the center line of the casing 53 , in the inside of the casing 53 , each of lenses l 1 , l 2 , l 3 can be positioned at a predetermined optical axis position . hereupon , the lens and the lens frame may also be integrally molded . although illustration is neglected , in these lenses l 1 , l 2 , l 3 , for example , the range from the center of them up to a predetermined range may be set to a range of the effective diameter having a function as the picture - taking lens , and the outside part from that range may also be set to the flange section which does not function as the picture - taking lens . in this case , in each of lenses l 1 , l 2 , l 3 , when the outer peripheral part of its flange section is engaged with a predetermined position of the casing 53 , it can be held inside the casing 53 . the ir cut filter f is a member which is formed into , for example , almost rectangular or circular one . recently , the size reduction of thes whole image pick - up unit 50 is made an object , and even when it is the solid picture - taking element of the same pixel number , the pixel pitch is small , as the result , an unit whose image surface size of the light receiving section ( photo - electric conversion section ) is small , is developed . in the picture - taking lens for such a solid picture - taking element whose image surface size is small , in order to secure the same angle of view , because it is necessary that the focal length of the whole system is reduced , the radius of curvature or outer diameter of each lens becomes considerably small . accordingly , in the glass lens manufactured by the polishing processing , the processing becomes difficult . accordingly , it is preferable that each of lenses l 1 , l 2 , l 3 is made of plastic material , and formed by the injection molding . hereupon , as the image pick - up unit 50 , when it is wanted that the image point position variation of the whole system of the picture - taking lens at the temperature change is suppressed small , the first lens l 1 may also be a glass - molding lens . furthermore , although the illustration is neglected , the light shielding mask may also be arranged between the second lens l 2 and the third lens l 3 , in this case , it is prevented that the unnecessary light is incident on the outside of the effective diameter of the picture - taking lens of the third lens l 3 close to the solid picture - taking element , and the generation of a ghost or flare can be suppressed . the operation of the above - described image pick - up unit 50 will be described below . fig3 shows the situation that the image pick - up unit 50 is installed in a mobile phone 100 as the hand - held device or image pick - up apparatus . further , fig4 is a control block diagram of the mobile phone 100 . the image pick - up unit 50 is provided in such a manner that , for example , the end surface on the object side of the casing 53 is provided in the rear surface ( refer to fig3 ( b )) of the mobile phone 100 , and arranged at the position corresponding to the lower part of the liquid crystal display section . the external connection terminal 54 ( an arrow mark in fig4 ) of the image pick - up unit 50 is connected to the control section 101 of the mobile phone 100 , and outputs the image signal such as the brightness signal or the color difference signal to the control section 101 side . on the one hand , the mobile phone 100 is provided with the control section ( cpu ) 101 which generally controls , as shown in fig4 , each section , and conducts programs corresponding to each processing , an input section 60 for supporting and inputting a number by keys , the liquid crystal display section 70 for displaying the image picked - up image other than the predetermined data , a wireless communication section 80 for realizing each kind of information communication to the external server , a memory section ( rom ) 91 which stores the system program of the mobile phone 100 , each kind of processing program and the necessary various data of a terminal id , and a temporary memory section ( ram ) 92 used as a working area which temporarily stores each kind of processing program which is conducted by the control section 101 , or data or processing data , or the image pick - up data by the image pick - up unit 50 . the image signal inputted from the image pick - up unit 50 is stored in the memory section 92 or displayed on the display section 70 , further , transmitted as the image information to the outside through the wireless communication section 80 , by the control system of the mobile phone 100 . examples preferable to the above - described embodiment will be shown below . the signs used for each example are as follows . f : a focal length of the whole system of the picture - taking lens , fb : a back focus , f : f - number , 2y : a diagonal line length of the image pick - up surface of the solid picture - taking element , r : a radius of curvature , d : a gap between axial surfaces , nd : a refractive index to d - line of the lens material , νd : abbe &# 39 ; s number of the lens material . the shape of the aspheric surface in each example is expressed by the following “ math - 1 ” under the condition that a top of the surface is made the origin , and x axis is defined in the optical axis direction , and the height in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis is h . x = h 2 / r 1 + 1 - ( 1 + k ) h 2 / r 2 + ∑ a i h i [ math - 1 ] lens data of the picture - taking lens according to example 1 will be shown in tables 1 , and 2 . hereupon , in the data after this ( including the lens data in tables ), it is defined to express the data by using the exponent of 10 , ( for example , 2 . 5 × 10 − 02 is expressed by using e ( for example , 2 . 5 e - 02 )). fig5 is a sectional view of the picture - taking lens of example 1 . in the view , l 1 is the first lens , l 2 is the second lens , l 3 is the third lens , and s shows the aperture stop . f is a parallel plate assuming an optical low pass filter , an ir cut filter , and 51 a is a photo - electric conversion section of the picture - taking element 51 . fig6 is the aberration views ( spherical aberration ( a ), astigmatism ( b ), distortion aberration ( c ), meridional coma ( d )) relating to the picture - taking lens of example 1 . lens data of the picture - taking lens according to example 2 will be shown in tables 3 , 4 . fig7 is a sectional view of the picture - taking lens of example 2 . in the view , l 1 is the first lens , l 2 is the second lens , l 3 is the third lens , and s shows the aperture stop . further , f is a parallel plate assuming an optical low pass filter , an ir cut filter , and 52 a is a photo - electric conversion section of the picture - taking element 51 . fig8 is the aberration views ( spherical aberration ( a ), astigmatism ( b ), distortion aberration ( c ), meridional coma ( d )) of example 2 . lens data of the picture - taking lens according to example 3 will be shown in tables 5 , 6 . fig9 is a sectional view of the picture - taking lens of example 3 . in the view , l 1 is the first lens , l 2 is the second lens , l 3 is the third lens , and s shows the aperture stop . further , f is a parallel plate such as an optical low pass filter , an ir cut filter , and cg is a parallel plate assuming a seal glass of the picture - taking element 51 and 51 a is a photo - electric conversion section of the picture - taking element 51 . fig1 is the aberration views ( spherical aberration ( a ), astigmatism ( b ), distortion aberration ( c ), meridional coma ( d )) of example 3 . values of examples corresponding to each conditional expression will be shown in table 11 . lens data of the picture - taking lens according to example 4 will be shown in tables 7 , 8 . fig1 is a sectional view of the picture - taking lens of example 4 . in the view , l 1 is the first lens , l 2 is the second lens , l 3 is the third lens , and s shows the aperture stop . further , f is a parallel plate such as an optical low pass filter , an ir cut filter , and cg is a parallel plate assuming a seal glass of the picture - taking element 51 and 51 a is a photo - electric conversion section of the picture - taking element 51 . fig1 is the aberration views ( spherical aberration ( a ), astigmatism ( b ), distortion aberration ( c ), meridional coma ( d )) of example 4 . values of examples corresponding to each conditional expression will be shown in table 11 . lens data of the picture - taking lens according to example 5 will be shown in tables 9 , 10 . fig1 is a sectional view of the picture - taking lens of example 5 . in the view , l 1 is the first lens , l 2 is the second lens , l 3 is the third lens , and s shows the aperture stop . further , f is a parallel plate such as an optical low pass filter , an ir cut filter , and cg is a parallel plate assuming a seal glass of the picture - taking element 51 and 51 a is a photo - electric conversion section of the picture - taking element 51 . fig1 is the aberration views ( spherical aberration ( a ), astigmatism ( b ), distortion aberration ( c ), meridional coma ( d )) of example 5 . values of examples corresponding to each conditional expression will be shown in table 11 . in the above - described examples 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 the first lens l1 and the second lens l 2 are formed of poly - olefine plastic material , and a saturation water absorption is not larger than 0 . 01 %. the third lens l 3 is formed of poly - carbonate plastic material and saturation water absorption is not larger than 0 . 4 %. because the plastic lens is larger than the glass lens in the saturation water absorption , there is a tendency that , when there is a sudden humidity change , the unequal distribution of water absorption amount is transiently generated , and the refractive index is not uniform , and the good image formation performance can not be obtained . in order to suppress the deterioration of the performance due to the humidity change , it is preferable that all of the plastic material whose saturation water absorption are not larger than 0 . 7 %, are used . further , because the plastic material has a large refractive index change at the time of the temperature change , in the case where all of the first lens l 1 , the second lens l 2 and the third lens l 3 are composed of plastic lenses , when the peripheral temperature changes largely , there is a possibility that the image point position of the whole picture - taking lens system is varied . in the image pick - up unit of the specification in which this image point position variation can not be disregarded , for example , the positive first lens l 1 is made a lens formed of glass material ( for example , glass - mold lens ), the positive second lens l 2 and the negative third lens l 3 are made plastic lenses , and when the refractive index distribution in which the image point position variation at the time of the temperature change is canceled in some degree is made in the second lens l 2 and the third lens l 3 , the problem of this temperature characteristic can be lightened . when the glass - mold lens is used , in order to prevent as possible the consumption of the molding die , it is preferable that the glass material whose glass transition point ( tg ) is not larger than 400 ° c ., is used . further , recently , it is found that , when inorganic fine particles are mixed in the plastic material , the temperature change of the refractive index of the plastic material can be suppressed small . when it is detailed , generally , when fine particles are mixed in the transparent plastic material , because the scattering of light is generated and the transmission is lowered , it is difficult that it is used as the optical material , however , when the size of the fine particle is made smaller than the wavelength of the transmission light flux , the scattering is made possible in such a manner that it is not practically generated . in the plastic material , the refractive index is lowered when the temperature rises , however , in the inorganic particle , the refractive index is increased when the temperature rises . accordingly , when by using these temperature dependency , they are made to act so that they are cancelled out each other , it is possible that the refractive index change is scarcely generated . specifically , when inorganic particles whose maximum length is not larger than 20 nm are dispersed in the plastic material as the base material , the plastic material in which the temperature dependency of the refractive index is vary low , can be obtained . for example , when fine particles of niobium oxide ( nb 2 o 5 ) are dispersed in acrylic resin , the refractive index change due to the temperature change can be reduced . in the present example , when the plastic material in which such inorganic particles are dispersed , is used for one lens of 2 positive lenses ( l 1 , l 2 ) or all lenses ( l 1 , l 2 , l 3 ), the image point position variation at the time of temperature change of the whole picture - taking lens system can be suppressed small . hereupon , in the present example , the principal ray incident angle of the light flux incident on the imaging surface of the solid picture - taking element , is not necessarily designed in such a manner that it is sufficiently small in the peripheral part of the imaging surface . however , in the recent technology , by the revision of the color filter of the solid picture - taking element or the arrangement of on - chip micro lens array , it becomes possible that shading can be lightened . specifically , when the pitch of the arrangement of the color filter or the on - chip micro lens array is set slightly small to the pixel pitch of the imaging surface of the picture - taking element , because , as it goes to the peripheral part of the imaging surface , to each pixel , the color filter or the on - chip micro lens array is shifted to the optical axis side of the picture - taking lens , the slant incident light flux can be effectively guided to the light receiving part of each pixel . hereby , the shading generated in the solid picture - taking element can be suppress small . for the amount for which the above - described requirement is softened , the present example is the designed example which aims further size reduction . | 6 |
reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout . the embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept by referring to the figures . as illustrated in fig1 , a target system 1 includes an elongated body 10 with a flat face surface 15 adjacent to a top surface 16 , a convex rear surface 17 opposite to the face surface 15 that extends from the top surface 16 to a lower surface 18 , and a base 20 extending from the lower surface 18 . the elongated body 10 is generally tubular except for the face surface 15 that is machined therein . an intermediate portion 21 subtly connects the face surface 15 to the generally tubular elongated body 10 . a circular aperture 30 extends through the face surface 15 to the rear surface 17 and is sized and shaped to accommodate a target perimeter ring 40 . the target perimeter ring 40 has a front surface 42 and a rear surface 43 with a cavity 44 therein . the cavity 44 is opened at an end adjacent to the front surface 42 to receive a disc 50 and has an abutment surface with aperture therein . in the exemplary embodiment , the perimeter ring 40 is magnetic and the disc 50 is metal such that the two elements may be easily assembled without additional connection means . it is foreseen , however , that the perimeter ring 40 and / or disc 50 may be made of other like materials such as plastic , metal etc ., and may be assembled within aperture 30 using glue , epoxy , welding , etc . the disc 50 is circular and has a flat face surface 52 and an opposite - facing rear surface 54 . the flat face surface 52 is sized and shaped to receive a target paper 60 . the target paper 60 is circular and has a textured front surface 62 and an adhesive back surface 64 , the adhesive back surface 64 provided to facilitate attachment of the target paper 60 to the disk 50 face surface 52 . in use , the target paper 60 back surface 52 is adhered to the face surface 52 of the disc 50 . the perimeter ring 40 is inserted into the body 10 by sliding the front surface 42 through the aperture 30 from the rear surface . once the perimeter ring 40 is installed , the disc 50 is inserted into the cavity 44 by sliding the face surface 52 into the cavity 44 until the target paper 60 abuts an interior of the cavity 45 . in another embodiment , the disc 50 is inserted into the body 10 first , then glued or otherwise attached within the aperture 30 and then target paper 60 is adhered to face surface 52 of the disc 50 . the ring 40 is then installed and glued , or other wise attached , in place within the aperture 30 . in another embodiment , as illustrated by fig3 , the circular aperture 30 may be replaced with simply a recessed portion 100 such that the target paper 60 nests within the recessed portion 100 . additionally , the target paper 60 may be covered by a circular plate 110 having an aperture 120 therethrough . the circular plate 110 fits tightly within the recessed portion 100 . in this manner , the target paper 60 abuts both a rear surface of the recessed portion 100 and the circular plate 110 , and the circular plate 110 acts to secure the target paper 60 within the recessed portion 100 . while the face surface 15 of the above embodiments extends at zero degrees with respect to the base 20 , it is foreseen that the face surface 15 may extend at other various angles including but not limited to forty - five degrees , as illustrated by fig4 , or ninety degrees , as illustrated by fig5 , with respect to the base 20 . in these embodiments , the target paper 60 nests within the recessed portion 100 and may be covered by the circular plate 110 having an aperture therethrough . the circular plate 110 fits tightly within the recessed portion 100 such that the target paper 60 abuts both a rear surface of the recessed portion 100 and the circular plate 110 . in this manner , the circular plate 110 acts to secure the target paper 60 within the recessed portion 110 . referring to fig6 and 7 , another embodiment of the inventive concept is shown in which target system 1 includes a generally cylindrical body 10 with a flat face surface 15 that is also the top surface of the body 10 . the flat face surface 15 , of the embodiment shown in fig6 and 7 , is surrounded by an annular protruding lip 616 that extends upward from the surface around the perimeter of the body 10 . target paper 60 is adhered to face surface 15 . in a preferred embodiment , target paper 60 is sized to cover approximately the entire surface of face 15 . a lathe and razor blade is then used to cut a circle having a diameter less than the diameter of face surface 15 at the center of face surface 15 . the excess material of target paper 60 is removed from around the perimeter of the central circle , leaving a centered circle of target paper 60 as is shown in fig6 . it will be appreciated that although body 10 is shown in the embodiment of fig1 - 5 as generally elongated , and in the embodiment of fig6 and 7 as generally cylindrical , that the shape of the body 10 of any embodiment of the instant inventive concept may be elongated , cylindrical , or any other shape desired without departing from the spirit and scope of the instant inventive concept . although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been illustrated and described , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept , the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
the process of this invention can be used to extract an acid from a dilute solution of the acid . it is particularly suitable for extraction of acid from solutions which contain the acid in the form of its calcium salt . such solutions are obtained from acid - producing fermentation reactions in which the ph is maintained in the range of from about 4 . 5 to about 7 . 0 by the addition of calcium carbonate or calcium hydroxide . the concentration of the acid , or its calcium salt , in the solution can vary over a wide range , but is usually less than about 10 % by weight . in carrying out the process of this invention , a molar equivalent of a water - soluble tertiary amine carbonate is added to the calcium salt solution . the tertiary amine carbonate used in the process can be generated by the addition of carbon dioxide to a solution or suspension of the tertiary amine in water . it is most convenient to generate the tertiary amine carbonate in situ by first adding a molar equivalent of the tertiary amine to the calcium salt solution . then carbon dioxide is added to the mixture to generate the tertiary amine carbonate directly in the calcium salt solution . the addition of the carbon dioxide is carried out by any convenient means . either solid or gaseous carbon dioxide is added to the solution at atmospheric pressure or at higher pressures in a pressure vessel . the amines used in the process of this invention are preferably tertiary amines . primary and secondary amines tend to form amides with organic acids under the conditions of the process , and for this reason , are less satisfactory . any tertiary amine which forms a water - soluble carbonate with carbon dioxide under the conditions of the process can be used . preferred amines are those which do not form azeotropes with the acid and which distill at a temperature sufficiently different from the distillation temperature of the acid to permit separation of the acid from a mixture of the acid and the amine by fractional distillation . the amine should be sufficiently stable on heating so that it does not undergo decomposition when the trialkylammonium salt is heated in the final step of the process . the lower molecular weight tertiary amines , trimethylamine , triethylamine and tripropylamine , form carbonates which are water soluble . however , these amines may form azeotropes with some of the acids or tend to codistill with them . the higher symmetrical amines , such as trihexylamine and trioctylamine , do not form carbonates which are sufficiently soluble in water . higher molecular weight tertiary amines , in which one of the alkyl groups is methyl or ethyl , do form water - soluble carbonates , but they may tend to undergo decomposition when heated to a temperature sufficient to decompose their acid salts in the last step of the process . the tertiary amines , dicyclohexylmethylamine and tributylamine , are suitable when higher boiling amines are desired for use in this process . tributylamine is preferred . this amine dissolves readily when carbon dioxide is added to a mixture of the amine in various dilute calcium salt solutions . furthermore , tertiary butylamine has a sufficiently high boiling point so that it does not distill at a temperature at which tributylammonium salts of some of the acids readily dissociate with the organic acid distilling from the mixture . when a water - soluble tertiary amine carbonate is mixed with the calcium salt solution , a precipitate of calcium carbonate is formed . it is preferable to separate this salt before the trialkylammonium salt is extracted from the solution . separation is accomplished by standard procedures such as filtration or centrifugation . when the process is used to recover organic acids from a fermentation reaction , the calcium carbonate can be reused to maintain the ph of the fermentation medium in the desired range . by this procedure , the acid produced in the fermentation reaction is converted to its calcium salt as it is produced by the microorganism . the mixture of amine and acid , which is present in the solution , is designated herein as a trialkylammonium salt . this phrase includes the combination of amine and acid in whatever form it occurs in solution . the combination may be a salt , a complex , or mixtures of these with the free amine and free acid . in one embodiment of this invention , the trialkylammonium salt may be extracted from the solution by means of an organic solvent . polar solvents , such as esters , alcohols , ketones , ethers or chlorinated hydrocarbons may be used . the solvents should be insoluble or sparingly soluble in water and be good extractants for the trialkylammonium salt . this extraction ability is determined by measuring the amount of acid in each phase when the salt solution is extracted with an equal volume of extractant . the extraction ability is expressed as a distribution coefficient ( k d ) which is defined by the formula : ## equ1 ## the solvent should have a k d greater than about 0 . 4 and preferably greater than about 1 . the organic solvent used in this invention should be one that does not react with the acid under the conditions of the process . the solvent is preferably one having a boiling point sufficiently low so that it distills from a mixture of the solvent and trialkylammonium salt below the temperature at which the salt decomposes . furthermore , the solvent should not form an azeotrope with the acid . chloroform is the preferred organic solvent for use in the process of this invention when the amine employed is tributylamine . methods other than solvent extraction can be used to concentrate the trialkylammonium salt . these include evaporation of water from the salt solution and freeze crystallization of the salt . in the final step of the process , the trialkylammonium salt is heated to cause dissociation of the salt with liberation of the acid and the amine . the temperature at which the trialkylammonium salt decomposes depends somewhat on the tertiary amine and acid . either the tertiary amine or the acid is distilled from the mixture , depending on their relative boiling points . thus , it is apparent that there has been provided , in accordance with the invention , a process for the recovery of organic acids from a solution in which the acid is in the form of its calcium salt . 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 include all such alternatives , modifications , and variations as set forth within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 2 |
the assignment of hierarchical rights allows , for example , even greater control by an author over one or more documents . this hierarchical rights assignment further allows for greater control throughout the document distribution chain extending to , for example , distributors , secondary distributors , users , or the like . therefore , a graphical representation of the rights associated with the document could appear as a series of interconnected nodes each having an associated portion of rights . an exemplary embodiment of the systems and methods of this invention can also include a rights - on - rights scheme in which , for example , a counter or other system manages the various layers , nodes and branches to regulate , for example , the rights to change , edit , assign , revoke , transfer other rights , or the like , to one or more additional layers . since rights can be treated as an object class , for example using xml , rights can include themselves and thus refer to itself as , for example , an iteration . for example , a user can transfer the rights - on - rights for a maximum of two layers of the right assignment tree which could , for example , further limit and control the overall distribution of both the rights and the document . therefore , the rights of the user may be different from the rights a user can assign or transfer in the hierarchical structure . additionally , for example , the rights to change , edit , copy , sign , or the like , can be passed on from the owner to the user . associated with one or more of these rights can be document tracking actions . for example , using a digital signature , a document can manage and record its path of distribution , recording each user &# 39 ; s interactivity with the document , including , for example , any assignment and / or distribution action , or any other information that may be relevant . therefore , it is possible that a document will have associated therewith multiple signatures that represent , for example , a “ snapshot ” of the document as it was available to that particular user . for example , a second user can add , subtract , modify , edit , or the like , the content of a document which has already been signed by a first user . these modifications by the second user are then “ signed ,” recording that user &# 39 ; s interactions with the document . both versions of the document then can be stored , for example , in a database , for reference , accounting , profiling , or the like . additionally , the right to use a document can be content - based or role - based , as is described in copending attorney docket no . 111325 . 64 , entitled “ method and apparatus for assigning conditional or consequential rights to documents and documents having such rights ,” filed herewith and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . for example , the president of a company may want to be the only one authorized to use a particular document . if the present of the company changes , the new president can automatically become the right holder , assuming the president can verify , for example , their position using , for example , biometrics , a smart card , an identification card , or comparable identification device or scheme . this allows the assignment of rights to be separate from the assignment of the position . similarly , the systems and methods of this invention can be used in conjunction with rights editing tools and templates such as those discussed in u . s . provisional patent application ser . no . 60 / 261 , 753 , entitled “ method and apparatus for editing and specifying the rights and conditions associated with documents or digital contents ,” incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . for example , rights can be assigned through the use of templates that can aid in the assignment of rights to one or more classes of users based on , for example , a job position , a geographic location , a profile , an identifier , or the like . furthermore , this concept extends itself into the medical field . for example , where medical records are used by a doctor , the medical records can contain usage rights for a certain class or field of individuals . this can , for example , satisfy both the concerns regarding the patient &# 39 ; s safety and the patient &# 39 ; s privacy by limiting access to one or more documents . additionally , for example , the role - based or content - based rights can be used for access to movies with , for example , adult content to restrict a particular class of individuals from viewing the content . an attempt to access the restricted content can be recorded and , for example , reported to the proper party . furthermore , the parent can be viewed as a node in the hierarchical right assignment structure such that the parent can obtain a template or toolkit for right assignment , right modification and right customization , and then transfer the rights to one or more children . the parent could then update and modify , for example using an age - based right assignment scheme with or without corresponding templates , the child &# 39 ; s rights as , for example , the child grows . fig1 illustrates an exemplary document 100 . the exemplary document 100 comprises a right management module 110 , a right assignment module 120 , a tracking module 130 , a right usage determination module 140 , an interface module 150 , an accounting module 160 , and a document updating module 170 interconnected by links 5 . the document 100 can also be connected to a distributed network ( not shown ) which may or may not also be connected to one or more other documents , account processing systems , rights management systems , or other distributed networks , as well as one or more input devices and display devices ( not shown ). while the exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig1 shows the document 100 and associated components collocated , it is to be appreciated that the various components of the document 100 can be located at distant portions of a distributed network , such as a local area network , a wide area network , an intranet and / or the internet , or within a dedicated document or document system . thus , it should be appreciated that the components of the document 100 can be combined into one device or collocated on a particular node of distributed network . furthermore , it should be appreciated that for ease of illustration , the various functional components of the document 100 have been divided as illustrated in fig1 . however , any of the functional components illustrated in fig1 can be combined or further partitioned without affecting the operation of the system . as will be appreciated from the following description , and for reasons of computation efficiency , the components of the document can be arranged at any location within a distributed network without effecting the operation of the system . furthermore , it is to be appreciated that the term module as used herein includes any hardware and / or software that provide the functionality as discussed herein . likewise , the document 100 can be self contained , such as an e - book , and comprise any necessary controllers , memory , and / or i / o interfaces that may be necessary given the particular embodiment and / or implementation of the document 100 . additionally , the document 100 can be any information to which hierarchical rights are associated . furthermore , the links 5 can be a wired or wireless link or any other known or later developed element ( s ) that is capable of supplying and communicating data to and from the connected elements . additionally , the input devices can include , for example , a keyboard , a mouse , a speech to text converter , a stylus , a mouse , or the like . in general , the input device can be any device capable of communicating information to the document 100 . furthermore , the display device can be a computer monitor , a display on a pda , an e - book , or any other device capable of displaying information to one or more users . in operation , a user , such as a document creator , associates rights with the document 100 . in particular , via the interface module 150 and one or more of an input device and display device , a user inputs rights to associate with the document 100 . in cooperation with the right management module 110 and the right assignment module 120 , the rights are associated with the document 100 . in this exemplary embodiment , it is assumed that the content owner , or author , is not responsible for any type of accounting procedure , e . g ., crediting or debiting , associated with assigning rights to the document 100 . however , it is to be appreciated that for a particular embodiment , it may be desirable to credit or debit a user based on the user associating rights with a document 100 . however , as previously discussed , the association and assignment of rights can be performed by , for example , one or more external rights assignment system that associates one or more hierarchical rights with the document 100 . for example , an employee of a newspaper may be hired to write an article on a particular topic . on completion of the article , the journalist could assigned view , edit and distribution rights to the publisher . then , for example , upon assignment of these rights and distribution of the document to the publisher , the author could be credited for their work . alternatively , a user may receive a document 100 and wish to modify the rights associated with that document . thus , the right management module 110 determines the available assignable rights associated with the document 100 . then , via the interface module 150 , and one or more of the input and display devices , the rights that are to be assigned by the user are received . next , a determination is made by the right management module 110 as to whether the assignment is allowable . for example , the rights associated with the document 100 can restrict based on , for example , the user , the distribution history , another users &# 39 ; interaction with the document , or the like , whether the current user &# 39 ; s request to modify the associated rights is allowable . if the right assignment module 120 determines that the user &# 39 ; s request is not allowed , a message can be forwarded to the user indicating the like . however , if the assignment is determined allowable by the right assignment module 120 , an optional determination can be made by the accounting module 160 as to whether any accounting functions need be performed . if accounting functions need be performed , the accounting module 160 can perform any necessary crediting and / or debiting as appropriate . for example , the accounting module 160 can contact an accounting system ( not shown ) which could authorize the user &# 39 ; s transaction . alternatively , for example , the accounting module 160 can interface with a user , for example , via a smart card , a credit card interface , or the like , and correctly debit and / or credit a user &# 39 ; s account . however , it is to be appreciated that the accounting module 160 need not perform any function whatsoever if the rights associated with the document so specify , for example , in a document that is available for inspection and comment . furthermore , it is appreciated that the accounting module 160 need not perform the accounting functions in real time , but can perform them on an as needed basis , in a batch , or the like . for example , if the document 100 is an e - book , the accounting module 160 could debit every user that views the contents of the e - book as it is passed around . then , upon return of the e - book to , for example , a library , the accounting module 160 can synchronize with , for example , an accounting system that performs any necessary accounting functions . in general , if the accounting is required and is successful , the rights chosen by the user are associated with the document . however , if , for example , the accounting function is not allowed , a message can be forwarded to a user indicating that there is a problem . after the association of the updated rights with the document by the document updating module 170 , the tracking module 130 can optionally maintain a history , for example , with the use of a digital signature , of the rights updates , or any other updates , such as edits , or the like , made by this particular user . this information can then be associated with the document with the cooperation of the tracking module 130 . in use , a user receives one or more documents 100 for viewing , editing , modifying , updating , distributing , or the like . upon receipt of the document 100 , the right management module 110 determines the rights available to that user . if the user &# 39 ; s usage request corresponds to the rights available to that user , the right usage determination module 140 , in cooperation with the right management module 110 , allows the user &# 39 ; s request . furthermore , based on the user &# 39 ; s usage request , the document updating module 170 can allow the user to , for example , edit , update , or otherwise modify the document 110 . however , if the user &# 39 ; s usage request does not correspond to the usage rights available to that user , a message can be forwarded to the user requesting , for example , an alternative usage request be entered , or denying access to the document . optionally , the tracking module 130 can also maintain a log of user access attempts and rights requests for the document . fig2 illustrates an exemplary tree of documents having associated hierarchical rights at each node of the tree . in particular , a user , such as a content owner 200 , distributes one or more documents to users 210 , 220 and 230 . the documents 240 , 250 and 260 , respectively , comprise usage rights and delegation rights . the usage rights govern the extent to which the user can access the particular document . the delegation rights govern the ability for the user to assign rights , govern further distribution the document , and regulate the number of users to which the document can be distributed . in this exemplary embodiment , the content owner 200 distributes a first document to the user 210 who then distributes the document 240 to user 220 . additionally , the content owner distributes documents 250 and 260 to the user 230 . in this exemplary embodiment , the user 210 , based on the delegation rights 244 , has the ability to further distribute the rights to one or more additional users . in this example , the user 210 distributes the document 240 to user 220 . therefore , the user 220 will have a version of the document 240 that has associated usage rights 242 and delegation rights 244 . these usage rights 242 and delegation rights 244 may be a subset of , or may comprise additional rights not present in the usage rights and / or delegation rights granted to the user 210 . user 230 possesses two documents 250 and 260 . the document 250 comprises associated usage rights 252 and delegation rights 254 . likewise , the document 260 comprises usage rights 262 and delegation rights 264 . the user 230 then has the ability , based on the available rights , to modify one or more of the usage rights and / or delegation rights and forward them to one or more additional parties . in this manner , a hierarchical structure of usage rights and delegation rights extends from the content owner in a tree - like structure through one or more users . fig3 illustrates various exemplary embodiments of usage rights and delegation rights associated with an exemplary document . in particular , content owner 300 distributes six documents 310 - 360 . document 310 allows user a to have view rights and the right to delegate view rights to two additional layers . user b has view rights and the right to delegate view rights to two users on one additional layer . users c and d both have view rights granted by user b , but no delegation rights . document 320 allows user k to have view rights and the right to delegate view rights to one additional layer . upon granting of these view rights , user w has view rights to the document . for document 330 , the content owner 300 granted user v a print usage right , and no delegation rights . thus , the document 330 cannot be further delegated and may , for example , become inaccessible after v has exercised the print right . document 340 provides user e print rights , and the right to delegate view rights to two additional layers . upon delegation of these rights , user f has view rights and the right to delegate view rights to two additional users on one further layer . upon delegation of these rights , users g and h would both be able to view the document 340 . for document 350 , the content owner 300 has provided user z with full rights . thus , user z has the ability to assign any delegation and / or usage rights to the document 350 . thus , the document 350 can be further distributed and / or used based on the updated rights based on the rights user z associates with the document . document 360 allows user q to have distribution rights to unlimited users , and the ability to delegate view rights to each of these users . thus , user q can delegate view rights to one or more users x who can view the document , for example , on a pay - per - view basis . while the exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig3 shows specific usage rights and delegation rights , it is to be appreciated that any usage rights , such as editing , modifying , updating , copying , viewing , or the like , can be associated with one or more documents . furthermore , it is to be appreciated that the rights associated with a document can include accounting rights , conditional or consequential rights , return rights , tracking rights , signature requirement rights , or the like . in general , the rights associated with a document can be any right granting or restricting access to one or more users , and can encompass at least all the rights specified in the xrml ™ rights language and the associated usage rights and grammar . fig4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a method for associating rights with a document . in particular , control begins in step s 100 and continues to step s 110 . in step s 110 , a determination is made whether rights are already associated with the document . if rights are associated with the document , control continues to step s 120 where the usage and delegation rights available to the particular user are determined . control then continues to step s 130 . in step s 130 , the rights one or more users desire to have associated with the document are received . next , in step s 140 , it is determined whether the assignment of these rights is allowable . if the assignment is allowable , control continues to step s 160 . otherwise , control jumps to step s 150 . in step s 150 , a message can be forwarded to the user indicating the assignment is not available . control then optionally continues back to step s 130 . in step s 160 , an optional accounting function can be performed . if accounting is necessary , control continues to step s 170 . otherwise , control jumps to step s 200 . in step s 170 , any necessary accounting functions are attempted . then , in step s 180 , a determination is made whether the accounting , e . g ., any crediting and / or debiting , is allowed . if the accounting functions are successful , control jumps to step s 200 . otherwise , control continues to step s 190 where a message can be forwarded to the user and control returns back to step s 130 . in step s 200 , the right as chosen by the one or more users are associated with the document . then , in step s 210 , the document can be updated reflecting , for example , which usage rights were used , the effect of any of these usage rights , a signature of the user and , for example , any modifications to or assignment of delegation rights . control then continues to step s 200 where the control sequence ends . fig5 illustrates an exemplary method of using one or more of usage rights and delegation rights . in particular , control begins in step s 300 and continues to step s 310 . in step s 310 , the usage request is received . this usage request can be one or more of a usage right requests or a delegation right request . then , in step s 320 , the rights available to the particular user are determined . for example , as previously discussed , the rights can be based on the identity of the user , the position of the user , a status of the user , or the like . control then continues to step s 330 . in step s 330 , a determination is made whether the user &# 39 ; s right request is allowable . if the usage request is not allowable , control continues to step s 340 . otherwise , control jumps to step s 350 . in step s 340 , a message can be forwarded to the user indicating the requested usage , i . e ., the usage or the delegation request , is not allowable . control then optionally jumps back to step s 320 . in step s 350 , a determination is made whether an accounting function is to be performed based on , for example , the usage request or the delegation request . if accounting functions are to be performed , control continues to step s 360 . otherwise , control jumps to step s 390 . in step s 360 , the accounting functions are attempted . then , in step s 370 , a determination is made whether the accounting functions are allowed . if the accounting functions are allowed , control continues to step s 380 . otherwise , control jumps to step s 390 . in step s 380 , a message can be forwarded to the user indicating , for example , that the crediting and / or debiting authorization failed . control then can , for example , jump back to step s 320 or , optionally , the user can be prompted for additional accounting information . in step s 390 , one or more of the usage rights or delegation rights is allowed . control then continues to step s 400 , where the control sequence ends . as illustrated in fig1 , the document can be implemented either on a single programmed general purpose computer or a separate programmed general purpose computer . however , the document can also be implemented on a special purpose computer , a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit element , an asic or other integrated circuit , a digital signal processor , a hardwired electronic or logic circuit such as a discrete element circuit , a programmable logic device such as a pld , pla , fpga , pal , or the like . in general , any device capable of implementing a finite state machine that is in turn capable of implementing the flowcharts in fig4 - 5 can be used to implement the document and hierarchical rights management system according to this invention . furthermore , the disclosed method may be readily implemented in software using object or object - oriented software development environments that provide portable source code that can be used on a variety of computer or workstation hardware platforms . alternatively , the disclosed document and right management system may be implemented partially or fully in hardware using standard logic circuits or vlsi design . whether hardware or software is used to implement the systems and methods in accordance with this invention is dependent on the speed and / or efficiency requirements of the system , the particular function , and a particular software and / or hardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems being utilized . the document and rights management systems illustrated herein , however , can be readily implemented in hardware and / or software using any known or later - developed systems or structures , devices and / or software by those of ordinary skill in the applicable art from the functional description provided herein and with a general basic knowledge of the computer arts . moreover , the disclosed methods may be readily implemented as software executed on a programmed general purpose computer , a special purpose computer , a microprocessor or the like . in these instances , the methods and systems of this invention can be implemented as a program embedded in a personal computer , an e - book , a secure container , or the like , such as a java ® or cgi script , as an xml document , as a resource residing on a server or graphics workstation , as a routine embedded in a dedicated electronic document , an electronic document viewer , or the like . the document and rights management system can also be implemented by physically incorporating the systems and methods into a hardware and / or software system , such as the hardware and software systems of a computer or dedicated electronic document . it is , therefore , apparent that there has been provided , in accordance with the present invention , systems and methods for managing electronic documents . while this invention has been described in conjunction with a number of embodiments , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications and variations would be or are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art . accordingly , applicants intend to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variations that are within the spirit and scope of this invention . | 6 |
embodiments of the present invention will be described below referring to the figures . fig3 is a front sectional view showing a main portion of a copying machine 1 . in the figure , a photoreceptor drum 5 is arranged rotatably at a constant circumferential speed v in the direction of the arrow ma . a heater 5a for heating photoreceptor drum 5 and a temperature sensor 51 are provided therein . on / off control of heater 5a is performed on the basis of an output signal of temperature sensor 51 , and the temperature of photoreceptor drum 5 is kept constant thereby . around photoreceptor drum 5 , for the electrophotographic process , a corona charger 6 , an eraser 10 for portions between images , a developing device 7 , a transfer charger 28 , a copy paper separation charger 29 , a cleaning device 9 , and a main eraser 8 are provided . corona charger 6 is a charger of scorotron type having a mesh - like grid 63 . between an exposure position x2 and the eraser 10 , a surface electrometer ( vo sensor ) 90 for measuring a surface potential ( vo ) of the photoreceptor drum 5 is provided . also , between the separation charger 29 and the cleaning device 9 , a reflection type photosensor ( aidc sensor 19 including an emitter element 19a and a receiving element 19b is provided for measuring the density of a reference toner image . the surface of photoreceptor drum 5 , passing under the corona charger 6 , is evenly charged and exposed by an optical system 20 at the exposure position x2 . by the exposure , the surface charge of photoreceptor drum 5 is partly removed and a latent image corresponding to an original d is formed on the surface of photoreceptor drum 5 . the surface charge except the potion of the latent image is erased by eraser 10 . optical system 20 includes an exposure lamp 21 irradiating the original d located on a platen glass 11 , mirrors 22a - d for guiding the reflected light b from the original d to the exposure position x2 , and a projecting lens 23 . in the vicinity of the projecting lens 23 , an ae sensor 25 sensing the amount of the reflected light from the original d is provided . in exposure - scanning to the original d , exposure lamp 21 and mirror 22a move at a speed of v / m ( m indicates a copying magnification ) in the direction designated by the arrow mb , and mirrors 22b , 22c are movable at a speed of v / 2m . the latent image formed on the surface of photoreceptor drum 5 is developed by developing device 7 to appear as a toner image . the developing device 7 performs so - called non - reversal development , in which a developer composed of a mixture of magnetic carrier and insulative toner is employed , and the toner sticks to a latent image ( a charge existing portion , or non - exposed portion ) passing through a developing position x3 by the well known magnetic brush system . in a developer tank 70 , there are a developing sleeve 71 having a magnetic roller 72 therein , a regulating plate 73 , a bucket roller 74 , and a screw roller 75 , and a toner concentration sensor ( atdc sensor ) 80 is provided below the screw roller 75 . when the bucket roller 74 rotates in the direction designated by the arrow mc , the developer sticks to the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve 71 because of the magnetic power of magnetic roller 72 , which is transported to the developing position x3 with the rotation of the developing sleeve 71 in the direction of the arrow md . the toner concentration sensor 80 measures the weight percentage t / c [ wt %] of the toner with respect to the entire developer based on the permeability of the developer . a toner tank 76 is provided above developing tank 70 and a toner supply roller 77 is provided in the bottom portion thereof . with the toner supply roller 77 rotation - driven by a supply motor 78 , the toner is supplied from toner tank 76 to screw roller 75 . the supplied toner is stirred and mixed with the developer already existing inside the developing tank 70 with the rotation of screw roller 75 to be sent to bucket roller 74 . frictional electrification is produced in the stirring and mixing , so that the magnetic carrier and the toner are charged in different polarities . the toner of negative polarity sticks to the surface of photoreceptor drum 5 at the developing position x3 because of electrostatic adsorption with the surface charge of photoreceptor drum 5 . then , in order to prevent the toner from sticking because of the residual charge ( charge remaining in the exposed portion ) on the surface of photoreceptor drum , developing bias vb of a predetermined voltage is applied to developing sleeve 71 . on the other hand , paper p are fed one by one by a paper feed roller 31 from a detachable paper feed cassette 95 , which are transported while keeping timing with rotation of photoreceptor drum 5 by a timing roller 30 to a transfer position x4 where a toner image is transferred to the paper p by transfer charger 28 . the paper p to which the toner image is transferred is separated from photoreceptor drum 5 by copy paper separation charger 29 , sent to fixing device 15 by a transporting belt 14 , and discharged out of copying machine 1 after heat - fixing of the toner image . the fixing temperature of fixing device 15 is sensed by temperature sensor 15a . subsequently , on the surface of photoreceptor drum 5 , the remaining toner is removed by a cleaning blade 9a of cleaning device 9 and residual charge is removed by main eraser 8 for the next exposure . the light amount of main eraser 8 is controlled constant on the basis of an output of a light amount sensor ( not shown ). a paper sensor 96 including a photo sensor sensing presence / absence of paper p is provided in paper feed cassette 95 . fig4 is a block diagram of a control circuit 200 of copying machine 1 . control circuit 200 includes a cpu 201 totally controlling copying machine 1 , a program memory 211 storing a control program , a memory 210 storing various kinds of data used for controlling the electrophotographic process , copying machine 1 and so forth , a communication interface 223 for communicating with external devices such as a control unit 2 or a portable maintenance device 3 which will be described later , and so forth . the cpu 201 is supplied with signals from sensors such as the above - described ae sensor 25 , atdc sensor 80 , vo sensor 90 , aidc sensor 19 , a temperature sensor 15a sensing temperature of fixing device 15 , a thermistor 54 for detecting installation circumstances of copying machine 1 , humidity sensor 55 and so forth . exposure lamp power source 50 for lighting exposure lamp 21 , power source 208 for driving supply motor 78 , output circuit 202 for setting surface potential v0 of photoreceptor drum 5 , high - voltage power source 40 for applying developing bias vb and so forth are supplied with control signals from cpu 201 . cpu 201 controls communication of transmitting the data in memory 210 to external devices according to commands from the external devices in addition to controlling the electrophotographic process . the data stored in memory 210 include reference data bd which is a reference for controlling the electrophotographic process , condition data cd indicating the past and present conditions including information of set values in each portion appropriately changed in control , such as the light amount of exposure lamp 21 , the voltage applied to grid 63 , and the bias voltage applied to the developing sleeve , of installation circumstances such as temperature and humidity , and information such as the surface potential ( vo ) of the photoreceptor , the image density measured by aidc sensor 19 and temperature of fixing device 15 , and user data ud related to operation control of a user such as management of the number of copies and consumable goods . fig5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit 2 at the service station . the control unit 2 includes a host computer 301 carrying out various kinds of processes according to the software , a display 302 for displaying , a keyboard 303 as operation input means , a printer 304 for printing , a modem 305 for communication with a plurality of copying machines provided at respective users through a telephone line 230 , and a telephone set 306 for communication between a serviceman and a user . the host computer 301 of the present embodiment is capable of data exchange with potable maintenance device 3 which is carried by a serviceman in the service visit and includes a communication interface 307 for communication with portable maintenance device 3 and a memory 308 for storing the field information fd including information of use conditions and fail occurrence portions of the copying machine 1 supplied by the portable maintenance device . fig1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of portable maintenance device 3 , and fig2 is a front view showing external appearance of portable maintenance device 3 . the portable maintenance device 3 includes a display 402 for guidance display and so forth , a group of keys 403 including various kinds of keys for operation input , a printer portion 404 , a communication interface 405 for communication with copying machine 1 or host computer 301 through a cable 316 , a memory 408 for storing guide data gd supporting field work , a memory 409 capable of reading / writing of the work data wd indicating contents of the field work by a serviceman , and a cpu 401 for controlling them . the operation keys arranged in the group of keys 403 include keys corresponding to numerals of 0 to 9 and alphabets of a to f , keys for the four rules of arithmetic , cursor keys 403a for moving a cursor in up , down , left and right directions on the screen of display 402 , and an enter ( enter ) key 403b for starting processings . in fig2 the numeral character 405a indicates a connector for connecting cable 316 . a portable maintenance device 3 configured as described above is a component of a maintenance control system of copying machine 1 , which works as an information transmitting medium connecting copying machine 1 and control unit 2 in an off - line manner and as support means for field work by a serviceman . that is to say , the portable maintenance device 3 has an information transmission function of storing the information transmitted from copying machine 1 and information supplied by a serviceman and transmitting the same to control unit 2 , and a trouble diagnosis and automatic adjusting function of displaying a guidance display instructing the work procedure on the basis of the guide data gd and transmitting a command signal for varying a set value in each portion of copying machine 1 as needed . fig6 is a diagram showing contents of the communication by potable maintenance device 3 . a serviceman connects portable maintenance device 3 and host computer 301 first at a service station in order to give the newest guide data gd to portable maintenance device 3 when he is making a visit to a user for periodical checking or for dealing with a trouble . the guide data gd is updated in order on the basis of the field information fd by control unit 2 . the serviceman arriving at a user connects the potable maintenance device 3 to copying machine 1 in order to have the condition data cd indicating conditions transmitted from memory 210 of copying machine 1 to potable maintenance device 3 . the serviceman also inputs the information about conditions detected with the sense by the serviceman himself into portable maintenance device 3 as complementary condition data hcd . the portable maintenance device 3 totally examines the condition data cd , the complementary condition data hcd , and the guide data gd to make a guidance display of the most appropriate work procedure corresponding to the conditions . the serviceman can proceed his work properly and quickly following the guidance display . at the end of the work , the serviceman inputs in the portable maintenance device 3 information indicating items actually performed in the work ( implemented items ), such as adjusted portions , cleaned portions , and replaced parts , together with a machine number specifying the copying machine 1 , a name of the serviceman and so forth . the supplied information is stored in memory 409 as the work data wd indicating contents of the work together with the condition data cd , the complementary condition data hcd , and contents of the guidance display ( diagnosis result ). the serviceman can also read a copied image using an image reader in order to have the image data stored in portable maintenance device 3 as a part of the complementary condition data hcd . the serviceman , returning to the service station , connects portable maintenance device 3 and host computer 301 again , and performs operation for have the work data wd transmitted to control unit 2 . the work data wd transmitted in this way is utilized as field information fd for production of guide data gd together with work data wd corresponding to each of a large number of copying machines 1 similarly collected . in producing the guide data gd , the work data wd can be taken in as external events for trouble diagnosis in the field of the artificial intelligence to be employed for estimating a cause of a trouble . next , the field work using potable maintenance device 3 in occurrence of a trouble related to fixing device 15 will be described as a specific example . fig7 a and 7b are diagrams showing configuration of fixing device 15 . fixing device 15 includes a heating roller 51 having a heater lamp 53 provided therein , a pressure roller 52 for pressuring paper p , a thermistor 54 sensing a surface temperature of heating roller 51 , and fixing control portion 55 . fixing control portion 55 includes a thyristor 56 as a switching element and a braker 57 packaged to a substrate 58 . an output signal s54 of thermistor 54 is supplied to cpu 201 , which provides a control signal s56 to thyristor 56 in response to the signal s54 . thus , supply of alternating current power to heater lamp 53 is controlled to keep heating roller 51 at a predetermined temperature . braker 57 is a safety device of non - return type cutting the power supply to heater lamp 53 when the circumferential temperature of heating roller 51 becomes abnormally high . a sensor ( not shown ) is provided in a supporting portion of fixing control portion 55 , so that a sense signal s55 indicating replacement of fixing control portion 55 is supplied to cpu 201 when the fixing control portion 55 is taken out of copying machine 1 . fig8 is a flow chart diagram showing the field work by a serviceman , and fig9 a - 9c are diagrams showing examples of displayed screens of display 402 . in the example of fig8 the situation of the trouble is that a so - called wait for waiting for the temperature of heating roller 51 to reach a predetermined value before starting image forming is not eliminated ( wait up ) after a predetermined timed period . a serviceman visiting a user side first connects his portable maintenance device 3 to copying machine 1 ( step # 1 ). as described - above , the newest guide data gd is already stored in portable maintenance device 3 at a service station . upon selection of a trouble diagnosis mode with key 403 by the serviceman , the portable maintenance device 3 reads the condition data cd from copying machine 1 to carry out an estimate no . 1 of a portion in which a fail is occurring , or of a cause of the trouble , on the basis of the conditions designated by the condition data cd ( step # 2 ). in this stage , a message z1 corresponding to the condition is displayed in display 402 as shown in fig9 a . the message z1 indicates that the sensed temperature by thermistor 54 is not more than 135 ° c . which is not abnormally high . causes of the trouble estimated only based on the information that the sensed temperature by thermistor 54 is at the above value include a large number of items . that is , in this case , a defect of thermistor 54 , contaminants of thermistor 54 , damage of heater lamp 53 , a defect of fixing control portion 55 , inferior mounting ( inferior contact ) of fixing control portion 55 and so forth can be pointed out as causes of the trouble . next , portable maintenance device 3 displays messages z2 , z3 demanding a serviceman for input of complementary information necessary for specifying a cause of the trouble ( step # 3 ). the serviceman inputs the information which he obtained with visual confirmation or the like as complementary condition data hcd into portable maintenance device 3 according to the displayed contents ( step # 4 ). in the example of fig9 a , a question is made as to whether braker 57 is on or not as a message z3 , and an input corresponding to the same is made by selection of yes or no . after this , in an interaction system in which the next message is displayed according to an input corresponding to the previous message , the display of the messages z4 , z5 and inputs corresponding to the displays are sequentially made . when the information obtained with the sense of the serviceman is supplied , portable maintenance device 3 performs trouble cause estimate no . 2 also referring to the information newly inputted ( step # 5 ). then , a message z6 indicating it is now being estimated is displayed in display 402 . when a cause of the trouble is specified , that is , if the number of items estimated as a cause with a predetermined accuracy can be narrowed down to one or two ( step # 6 ), it proceeds to step # 8 to display the cause . for example , if heater lamp 53 lights and an output of thermistor 54 varies even just a little bit according to the lightening , a cause of the trouble can be specified as contaminants of thermistor 54 , so that a display for instructing cleaning of thermistor 54 is made in step # 8 . if braker 57 is cut - off , however , or when the power supply is shielded , the cause of the trouble can not be specified . in this case , the cause estimate no . 3 is performed on the basis of a trouble table tt indicating handling methods corresponding to conditions of the past trouble occurrence in the market included in the guide data gd ( step # 7 ). fig1 is a diagram showing contents of the trouble table tt . the trouble table tt includes information of occurrence frequency for each item pointed out as a cause of a trouble , handling methods corresponding to each item and possibility that each item is a real cause . in the example of fig1 , if the occurrence frequency of troubles caused by a defective thermistor , contaminants of a thermistor and a a thermistor and a defecte in fixing control portion 55 are 1 %, 2 % and 6 %, respectively , since the occurrence frequency of a defecte of fixing control portion 55 is high as compared to the occurrence frequencies of troubles caused by a defect or contaminants of thermistor 54 which are pointed out as causes of the present trouble , the cause of the present trouble can be specified as a defect of fixing control portion 55 . in this case , however , it is specified only with a statistical estimate . accordingly , if a cause is estimated on the basis of the trouble table tt , it is displayed that the cause is specified with not high accuracy in display 402 as shown in fig9 b , and an instruction of work to be performed is also displayed , accordingly . the serviceman works on the basis of display in display 402 ( step # 9 ), and after confirmation of repair of the trouble at the end of the work , the serviceman operates the keys for storing the work data wd into portable maintenance device 3 ( step # 10 ). if the serviceman selects a work content input mode , the message z21 is displayed for confirmation as to whether the implemented items estimated according to the above fail diagnosis have been actually practiced or not in display 402 as shown in fig9 c . the serviceman performs selecting operation of yes or no employing cursor keys 403a and an enter key 403b with respect to the displayed each practice item . if yes is selected , the implemented item is stored in memory 409 as the work data wd indicating a part of the work contents . in this way , input of work contents is performed in a confirmation operation system , so that the operation is easier than the method in which predetermined codes for respective implemented items are sequentially supplied , with the result that mistakes and oversights are not made in input . also , a message z22 instructing input of implemented items according to decision by the serviceman himself is displayed in display 402 . in the example of fig9 c , selection of large items of &# 34 ; parts replacement &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; cleaning &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; end of work &# 34 ; are instructed . if &# 34 ; parts replacement &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; cleaning &# 34 ; is selected , the display switches to a corresponding one . if there is no item to be inputted , end of work is selected . with respect to a part of which loading / unloading is reported to cpu 201 , such as fixing control portion 55 , the data indicating parts replacement is automatically supplied as work data wd from copying machine 1 to portable maintenance device 3 when it is replaced . returning to fig8 upon completion of input of work contents , the serviceman detaches the portable maintenance device 3 from copying machine 1 ( step # 11 ). during this time , portable maintenance device 3 counts a connection time with copying machine 1 through cable 316 and automatically stores the connection time as a work time into memory 409 . subsequently , the serviceman prints out the work data wd as a list showing work contents using print portion 404 as needed . if the guide data gd includes data necessary for calculating a work charge , the serviceman issues a bill of the working charge employing portable maintenance device 3 and hands it to the user . fig1 is a flow chart diagram showing updating of the guide data gd . the serviceman connects a portable maintenance device 3 to host computer 301 at a service station ( step # 101 ). the work data wd is transmitted from portable maintenance device 3 to control unit 2 ( step # 102 ). in control unit 2 , the work data wd is stored as the field information , and the guide data gd is updated on the basis of the newest field information fd ( step # 103 ). the updated guide data gd is transmitted to portable maintenance device 3 ( step # 104 ). in portable maintenance device 3 , the existing guide data gd stored in memory 408 is rewritten to the newest guide data gd newly transmitted . thus , the serviceman is supported by the newest guide data gd , which makes the field work more quick and appropriate . subsequently , portable maintenance device 3 is detached from host computer 301 for preparation of the next field work ( step # 105 ). according to the above - described embodiments , portable maintenance device 3 is configured to store the condition data cd transmitted from copying machine 1 together with other information such as complementary condition data hcd and transmit the same to control unit 2 . accordingly , even if an on - line connection is not made between copying machine 1 and control unit 2 , the condition of copying machine 1 can be controlled in control unit 2 . accordingly , a copying machine 1 of small size or low price provided with no modem for transmitting data employing a telephone line can be an object to be controlled in the maintenance control system . according to the above - described embodiment , the serviceman can proceed his work according to the display of display 402 , so that even a serviceman with less experience of the field work can properly find out a cause of a trouble to quickly repair the copying machine 1 into a normal condition . according to the present invention , in the field work by a serviceman , treatments corresponding to the operational conditions of an image forming apparatus are made more suitable , and also the serviceman can proceed his work quickly . also , according to the present invention , in addition to the above - described effects , the serviceman can proceed the field work on the basis of improved guide information , so that the suitability and quickness of the field work can be further enhanced . furthermore , according to the present invention , detailed information with respect to conditions necessary in maintenance control of image forming apparatus can be easily accumulated . although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation , the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims . | 6 |
the system and method of the present invention employs an object oriented programming methodology in order to allow for both multithreading of the processes and the decoupling of the processes into object classes . this realizes improved performance over the present technology as well as improved extensibility . according to the preferred embodiment , a java developer kit was used to develop the code for the system and method to be executed on any suitable application server computer such as an ibm personal computer , ibm rs - 6000 computer , or ibm mainframe . also , in the preferred embodiment , the java application programming interface (“ api ”) for xml parser for sax is adopted . sax is the parser module available from sun microsystems . simple api for xml (“ sax ”) is an industry standard method parsing xml documents one element at a time , instead of loading the entire xml document into system memory and processing the file completely from beginning to end . as will be seen in the following disclosure , this feature of the sax parser helps achieve the decoupling and multithreading advantage of the system and method . the database targeted by the xml loader in the preferred embodiment is the ibm db2 version 7 . 0 database . and , according to the preferred embodiment , file transfer protocol (“ ftp ”) is used to deliver xml files to the xml data loader over a computer network . however , it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that alternate programming languages , parser technologies , xml file transfer technologies and database api &# 39 ; s may be adopted without departing from the scope of the invention . turning to fig3 the system configuration of the preferred embodiment is disclosed , which comprises an application server hardware platform ( 31 ), such as an ibm personal computer , an rs - 6000 workstation , or ibm mainframe . the application server ( 30 ) preferably includes a set of user interface devices ( 32 ), such as a keyboard , monitor , and mouse . the application server ( 30 ) is also provided with system memory ( 300 ), such as random access memory (“ ram ”) and hard drive space , as well as a network interface card (“ nic ”) ( 33 ) to a computer network ( 34 ) for reception the xml files to be loaded via the file transfer protocol (“ ftp ”) ( 36 ). the application server ( 30 ) is also preferably provided with an operating system ( 35 ) such as windows nt , windows 2000 , ibm aix , or os - 2 , or other suitable multitasking multithreaded operating systems . because of the preferred implementation using java , the choice of operating systems is somewhat inconsequential as long as the operating system supports execution of java modules . additionally , the system is may be provided with any necessary non - portable application programs ( 37 ), such as a tcp / ip protocol stack or an ftp communications program , as well as a java interpreter ( 38 ) in order to allow it to run multiple java applets and / or servlets ( 39 ). the remaining architecture and implementation of the invention is accomplished in several java objects and classes , as described in more detail in the following disclosure . turning to fig4 ; the processing flow implemented by the java software executed on the application server platform is shown . in the preferred embodiment , the xml files are received via file transfer protocol through an ftp receptor ( 41 ). alternatively , these files could be loaded onto the system using computer - readable media , or through another suitable network file transmission scheme . a thread of the sax xml parser ( 42 ) is instansiated to process the recently received xml file into xml elements . the operator class ( 44 ) is called for each xml element to be processed . the operator class is used to store the attributes and child elements for the registered elements . this class returns the vector of sql statements it generates , which are later used to update the database according to the xml data . the operator class ( 44 ) may have one or more operator plugins ( 45 ) which provide code specific for parsing xml elements for specific xml document types according to their dtd files , and for generating appropriate database api commands for those data elements . for example , one operator plugin may be provided to generate sql commands for xml computer parts catalog pages . another operator plugin may be provided to generate sql commands for computer software specifications . each plugin is called according to an xml document &# 39 ; s dtd . the operator ( 44 ) generates database api commands , preferably sql commands , in response to examination of the xml elements from the xml parser ( 42 ). the vector full of sql commands is placed into an sql queue ( 46 ) for reception by the sql processor threads ( 47 ), which execute the sql commands . the sql processor threads ( 47 ) may retrieve the queued sql commands as they are ready for additional commands to execute in real - time . by executing the queued sql commands the sql processor threads ( 47 ) update the database ( 48 ). as can be seen in this diagram , the main stages of the invention , namely the sax xml parser with the operator class , and the sql processor , are separated by the sql queue ( 46 ), which allows them to run asynchronously and independently from each other . this decouples the processes in the processing timeline , which allows them to proceed at their fastest natural rate . it also allows for each process to release it &# 39 ; s allocated system resources such as system memory as soon as it can complete , even though processes or threads downstream are not yet complete . further , the adoption of the use of the sax xml parser allows for the first element found in the xml file to be immediately received the operator ( 44 ). as soon as the operator ( 44 ) generates the first sql command and places that into the sql queue ( 46 ), that command falls through the queue to be received immediately by the sql processor ( 47 ). thus , rather than in the process currently in use where the xml parsing of the entire file is completed before the sql command generation is even started , the processes of the present invention are executed simultaneously in parallel in the system . turning to fig5 the timeline associated with the completion of loading an xml file into the database according to the invention is shown . as can be seen from this figure , many of the processes run in parallel and are decoupled from each other via the queues . the parsing of the xml into elements ( 51 ) yields an element almost immediately after the beginning of the process by using the sax method . thus , when the first element is found and parsed , it is available for the sql command generator to receive . then , as the generation of the sql ( 53 ) yields the first sql command to be executed , the sql command is placed in the sql command queue ( 54 ). this sql command will immediately fall through the empty queue on the first entry , and will be received by the waiting sql execution thread where it will then be implemented ( 55 ). thus , a high degree of parallelism is achieved which minimizes the time from the very beginning of the parsing of the first element of the xml files to the completion of the execution sql commands to update the database . the system and method of the present invention achieves a fast and extendible process , having the following components : ( a ) a loader , which is adapted to parse the xml file and determine which operator extension ( s ) to call to determine the appropriate database command statements ; ( b ) an operator , which comprises extendable object classes , java classes , that generate the appropriate database command statements ; and ( c ) a database updater , which is a multi - threaded java program adapted to update a database by executing the generated database command statements . as previously mentioned , sql database command statements are generated to update an ibm db2 database in the preferred embodiment , but alternate database api &# 39 ; s and databases can be equally well adopted for the invention . the loader can parse any xml file , according to its companion dtd file . the parser technology preferably used is a sax process , such as sun microsystem &# 39 ; s sax3 , available as an object , which parses one element in the xml file at a time as opposed to the dom process of parsing the entire xml file before yielding any results . this allows for each individual element to be processed immediately by the operator , as opposed to waiting for the extire xml file to be parsed before starting the database command generation . once an xml element is read from the xml file , all of the attributes of the element are stored in a hashtable in memory . once parsed , the program can determine which operator extension to call based on the element type retrieved out of the xml file . the sql statements are input into the sql queue , where they may be retrieved by the database updater and executed in order to update the database . meanwhile , the loader is free to be processing the next element in the xml file . the operator class is used to realize an extendable architecture . whenever a new xml format is defined in a new dtd file , an appropriate operator class is created . this class will be able to read a hashtable full of the attributes associated with the xml dtd format and generate the appropriate sql statements . this allows for an unlimited number of xml file formats to be processed by the system by extending the architecture through inclusion of additional operator plugins . the database updater executes the queued sql statements in order to update and load the data into the database . since the database updater is preferably developed for a multi - threaded java environment , many updates to the database can be accruing simultaneously while the xml file is still being parsed by the parser , and while the operator is generating sql statements . during system configuration , an administrator may preferably set a maximum number of threads to be executed at any given time , in order for the application to be tailored to the environment or platform on which it is being executed . typically , platforms equipped with more powerful processors or multiple processor can support more threads since they have more memory and faster processors . it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that many variations and alternates may be adopted from the illustrative examples and preferred embodiment as disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . such variations may include , but are not limited to , adoption of alternate markup language standards , alternate parsing methods , alternate programming languages , alternated hardware platforms and operating systems , and alternate databases and database api &# 39 ; s . therefore , the scope of the invention should be determined by the following claims . | 8 |
fig1 shows a valve unit 1 provided with a drive motor 2 and a gear mechanism 3 , ( illustrated in detail in fig2 ) and with a bearing 5 disposed eccentrically on a journal 4 as a coupling , which is connected coactingly with a valve rod 6 , for moving a valve disk 7 to an open position . valve unit 1 is further provided with an outlet port 8 and an inlet port 9 constructed as the valve seat . for return of the valve disk to its closed position when the drive motor 2 is deactivated , a spring element 10 , engages a guide member 11 fixed securely on valve rod 6 to urge valve rod 6 in the direction of bearing 5 . the guide member 11 ensures that valve rod 6 can also be moved in the closing direction in response to reversal of the direction of rotation of the drive unit . in this way , valve disk 7 can be freed from a jammed or stuck position . for this purpose , guide member 11 is provided with cam elements 12 acting on the bearing , one in vertical direction and the other in horizontal direction . a housing plate 13 is disposed above drive unit 2 , for mounting an operational on - board electronic module thereon . fig2 shows in greater detail gear mechanism 3 with bearing 5 disposed eccentrically above a bearing journal 4 . gear mechanism 3 is in the form of a planetary stationary gear mechanism , in which there are driven , by an input shaft 15 , which is connected to drive motor 2 , three non - revolving planetary gears 16 , which in turn drive a ring gear 17 , on the side of which remote from drive motor 2 there is disposed bearing journal 4 with bearing 5 . a particular compact construction is achieved when ring gear 17 carries a co - rotating diametral annular magnet , which cooperates in known manner with a hall - effect sensor , so that the valve stroke can be determined in simple manner from the rotary movement of the ring gear . further illustrated is a cover 18 , which , as an alternative to the aforesaid hall - effect sensor , can be provided with a sensor 19 , which in known manner senses the linear position of the valve stroke . also provided is a connection plug 20 , to establish electrical contact between sensor 19 and motor 2 . the connecting plug 20 includes plug contact elements which are connected with drive motor 2 , so that electrical control of valve unit 1 is obtained . for simplicity of assembly , a housing 21 of valve unit 1 is constructed in the region of drive motor 2 as a tunnel housing . fig3 shows a sectional view of drive unit 2 with cover 18 in place . as already discussed hereinabove , cover 18 is provided with plug contact elements 22 , which cooperate with cover contact elements 23 of drive motor 2 . in this way , electrical contact can be established in simple manner by the mounting of cover 18 . fig4 shows a sectional view including an exhaust - gas return unit 24 according to the invention . the exhaust - gas return unit is integrated with valve unit 1 and is provided with a combustion - air intake - channel 25 and with an exhaust - gas inlet portion 26 . according to the invention , the exhaust - gas inlet 26 is equipped with a discharge portion 27 , which is disposed coaxially relative to combustion - air intake - channel 25 and which is connected via a connecting channel 28 , disposed transversely relative to discharge portion 27 , to a channel 29 in valve 1 . connecting channel 28 is provided with an outwardly projecting channel attachment 30 , which is closed by a plug insert 31 . this construction provides a space - saving arrangement as well as manufacture in one piece . it is advantageous if the valve - channel portion 29 forms a connecting nozzle 32 for an exhaust - gas return line ( not illustrated ), the connecting nozzle 32 being provided with a valve seat 33 , which cooperates with valve disk 7 fastened to valve rod 6 and disposed coaxially relative to valve - channel portion 29 . it is further provided that valve rod 6 is guided in a valve guide bushing 34 , which projects at one end into valve - channel portion 29 and at the other end into a valve spring chamber 35 , valve rod 6 being provided on the portion which projects into valve spring chamber 35 with guide member 11 , on which engages spring element 10 , whose other end is braced against wall 36 of the valve spring chamber 35 . in a particular space - saving construction , valve spring chamber 35 is sealed off from the outside by housing 21 which simultaneously forms the housing of the gear mechanism and drive unit . the valve spring chamber 35 can be connected to the atmosphere by a vent hole ( not illustrated ). advantageously the valve guide bushing 36 is equipped with a dirt chamber 37 . because valve disk 7 can be provided with a cylindrical portion ( not shown ) downstream from valve seat 33 , an advantageous characteristic of exhaust gas flow in the exhaust gas return line can be achieved and , because valve disk 7 is provided with a taper edge 38 , which cooperates with a taper portion 39 of valve seat 33 to form a diffusor portion 40 , a smaller size valve - disk can be employed , which needs smaller size positioning forces , since delivery pressure recovery is achieved in the diffusor . although the invention is disclosed with reference to particular embodiments thereof , it will become apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and variations can be made which will fall within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the attached claims . | 5 |
the sawtooth oscillator shown in fig1 forms part of a semiconductor body wherein all components of the oscillator , a resistor r and a capacitor c excepted . are integrated and which is represented within a dotted line . resistor r and capacitor c constitute a series arrangement provided between the terminals of a supply voltage source v b . a terminal 1 of the semiconductor body is connected to the junction of resistor r and capacitor c whereas a terminal 2 is connected to the positive terminal and a terminal 3 to the negative terminal of source v b and also to ground . terminal 1 is connected to the base of a transistor 5 via an emitter follower transistor 4 . it should be noted that the transistors of the figures , some transistors mentioned hereafter excepted , are of the npn type . transistor 5 forms a comparison stage together with a further transistor 6 . to this end the emitters are interconnected and connected to the collector of a transistor 7 which , in conjunction with an emitter resistor 8 , operates as a constant current source . the base of this transistor is connected to the base and to the collector of a transistor 9 and also to a resistor 10 whose other end is connected to voltage v b . the emitter of transistor 9 is connected to ground via a resistor 11 . also that terminal of resistor 8 which is not connected to the emitter of transistor 7 is connected to ground . a resistor 12 is arranged in parallel with the base - emitter diode of transistor 5 to improve the turn - off properties of transistor 4 . the series arrangement of three resistors 13 , 14 and 15 is included between terminals 2 and 3 . the junction of resistors 13 and 14 which , in operation , carries a voltage v 1 is connected to the base of a transistor 16 whereas the junction of resistors 14 and 15 which , in operation , carries a voltage v 2 which is lower than voltage v 1 is connected to the base of a transistor 17 . the emitter of transistor 17 is connected directly to the base of transistor 6 and to the emitter of transistor 16 via two series - arranged resistors 18 and 19 whereas the collectors of transistors 4 , 16 and 17 are connected to voltage v b . the collector of transistor 6 is connected to the bases of two pnp transistors 20 and 21 the emitters whereof are connected to voltage v b . transistors 20 and 21 form a current mirror carrying over collector current variations of transistor 6 . in a similar manner the collector of transistor 5 is connected to the bases of two pnp transistors 22 and 23 the emitters whereof are connected to voltage v b . the collector and the base of transistors 20 and 22 , respectively , are interconnected . the collector of transistor 21 is connected to the base and to the collector of a transistor 24 and also to the base of a further transistor 25 . the emitters of transistors 24 and 25 are connected to ground . the collectors of transistors 23 and 25 are interconnected via two series - arranged resistors 26 and 27 . the collector of transistor 25 is also connected to a resistor 28 and to the base of a transistor 29 . the other terminal of resistor 28 and the emitter of transistor 29 are connected to ground , whereas a resistor 30 is included between the collector of this transistor and terminal 1 . a base resistor 31 of a transistor 32 is connected to a junction p of resistors 26 and 27 and a collector resistor 33 of transistor 32 is connected to the base of transistor 6 . the collector of a transistor 34 is also connected to point p . a resistor 35 is connected between the collector of transistor 23 ( identified as point q ) and the base of transistor 34 and the series arrangement of two resistors 37 and 38 is arranged between point q and the base of a further transistor 36 . the collector of transistor 36 is connected to the base of transistor 34 . a base resistor 39 of a transistor 40 is connected to the junction m of resistors 37 and 38 whereas a collector resistor 41 thereof is connected to the junction of resistors 18 and 19 . the emitters of transistors 32 , 34 , 36 and 40 are connected to ground . finally , point m is connected via a separating resistor 42 to a terminal 43 to which a synchronizing signal source 45 , which may also form part of the same semiconductor body as the described oscillator , can be connected via a coupling capacitor 44 . during operation a sawtooth shaped voltage v c is available at terminal 1 . to this end capacitor c is charged by a current flowing through resistor r . voltage v c increases in a substantially linear manner . the current through resistor r is assumed to be substantially constant , which is justified if the value of the resistor is comparatively high . as long as voltage v c is lower than voltage v 1 transistors 4 and 5 remain cut off , whereas transistor 6 conducts . the base current thereof is the emitter current of transistor 16 which operates as an emitter follower . because this current is small the voltage at the base of transistor 6 is substantially equal to v 1 - v be , v be being the substantially constant threshold voltage of a conducting base - emitter diode , in this case the base - emitter diode of transistor 16 . the constant collector current of transistor 7 is the emitter current of transistor 6 . transistors 20 , 21 and 24 also conduct . because transistor 5 is non - conducting , transistors 22 and 23 are also non - conducting . the base voltage of transistor 25 is low because of transistor 24 being conductive , so that also transistor 25 is cut - off . also transistors 29 and 32 are cut off . if no synchronizing signal is applied to terminal 43 the voltage at point m is too low for transistors 36 and 40 to conduct , so that transistor 34 is also non - conducting . transistor 17 , whose emitter voltage exceeds the base voltage , is cut off . at an instant which is determined , with respect to the starting instant of the charging process , by the time constant of the network formed by elements r and c , voltage v c reaches the value v 1 . this means that the voltage at the base of transistor 5 is equal to v 1 - v be and , consequently , equal to the voltage at the base of transistor 6 . in these circumstances transistors 4 and 5 start conducting , so that also transistors 22 and 23 conduct , whereas the emitter current of transistor 6 decreases . current flows through resistors 26 , 27 and 28 and the voltage at point p increases . as soon as this voltage has reached the value v be transistor 32 becomes conductive . since transistor 23 now conducts a current can flow to the base of transistor 36 through resistors 37 and 38 , which renders transistor 36 conductive while the voltage at point m is positive . the collector current of transistor 36 flows through resistor 35 so that the voltage at the collector is kept at a very low value . this collector current is much higher than the current which would flow to the base of transistor 34 through resistor 35 if this transistor would have become conductive at said instant , so that it is ensured that transistor 34 remains cut off and does not prevent transistor 32 from becoming conductive . the collector currents of transistors 20 , 21 and 24 decrease , which causes transistor 25 to conduct . this transistor maintains transistor 29 cut off . the collector current of transistor 32 flows through resistors 18 , 19 and 33 so that the voltage at the base of transistor 6 decreases , causing a further decrease of the emitter current thereof and a further increase of the emitter current of transistor 5 . from this it is apparent that the described effect is cumulative and results in a very rapid cut off of transistor 6 and , consequently , of transistors 20 , 21 , 24 and 25 . the voltage at the base of transistor 29 was substantially zero because of the fact that transistor 25 was conducting . at the instant at which this voltage , after voltage v c has reached the value v 1 , reaches the value v be transistor 29 is made conductive by a current flowing through resistor 27 . capacitor c discharges and voltage v c decreases in a substantially linear manner with a time constant which depends on the values of elements r , c and 30 , at the condition that the charging current flowing through resistor r is smaller than the collector current of transistor 29 . resistors 18 , 19 and 33 have been chosen so that the voltage at the base of transistor 6 would decrease to below the value v 2 - v be , because of the fact that transistor 32 becomes conductive . however , due to the fact that transistor 17 then becomes conductive , said voltage cannot decrease further . finally , transistor 40 is supplied with a base current through resistors 37 and 39 as a result of which the transistor remains conductive , so that its collector current causes a further decrease of the voltage at the junction of resistors 18 and 19 . because the voltage at the base of transistor 6 is clamped at the value v 2 - v be by transistor 17 the fact that transistor 40 conducts has no influence thereon . the described situation of the circuit of fig1 is maintained during discharging of the capacitor c . any positive synchronizing pulse occurring in this period of time would not have any effect since it would not change the state of transistors 36 and 40 . at the instant at which voltage v c reaches the value v 2 the voltages at the bases of transistors 5 and 6 become equal . transistor 6 , and , consequently , also transistors 20 , 21 and 25 start conducting whereas the emitter current of transistor 5 decreases . because of the fact that transistor 25 conducts transistor 29 is cut off , causing the discharge of capacitor c to stop and voltage v c to increase again . since transistor 5 conducts to a lesser extent , also transistors 22 and 23 conduct to a lesser extent so that the voltages at point p and q decrease , causing a decrease of the collector current of transistor 32 and , consequently , an increase of the voltage at the base of transistor 6 , in response to which the emitter current of transistor 6 increases still further . so this effect is cumulative and causes transistors 4 , 5 , 22 , 23 , 25 and 32 to be cut off very rapidly . because of the increasing voltage at the base of transistor 6 also transistor 17 is cut off so that said voltage assumes approximately the value v 1 - v be . also transistors 36 and 40 are cut off because of the voltage at point q becoming zero . the foregoing shows that the circuit of fig1 behaves , in the absence of a synchronizing signal , as a free - running sawtooth oscillator which generates a sawtooth shaped voltage v c at terminal 1 . this voltage which is plotted in fig2 a as a function of the time , varies between two substantially constant values v 1 and v 2 . the period t of the free oscillation and , consequently , the free - running frequency f = 1 / t is determined by the values of voltages v 1 and v 2 and by the values of the above - mentioned time constants , the nominal frequency of the synchronizing pulses being chosen for this free - running frequency , furnishing the above - mentioned advantages . if , for example , the oscillator of fig1 is the field oscillator in a television receiver 50 hz is chosen for f ( european standard ). the same circuit can be used for the line oscillator the elements being dimensioned for f = 15 , 625 hz ( european standard ). in practice both circuits will be implemented in an identical or substantially identical manner , however with the exception of the external components r and c . in spite of the fact that the oscillator has the nominal frequency it must be possible to synchronize it . this is necessary during starting - up of the receiver after actuation thereof . frequency changes may also occur , at the transmitter side , for example when switching the receiver to another transmitter , as well as at the receiver side , for example owing to tolerances , ageing of components etc . in addition , should the free - running frequency of the oscillator increase to above the nominal frequency , for example because the charging current of capacitor c has become larger and , consequently , the rising edge of the sawtooth shape in fig2 a has become steeper , it would not be possible to synchronize the oscillator as a synchronizing pulse would not be produced until after reversal of the sawtooth and could , consequently , not exert any influence . if a synchronizing signal is present at terminal 43 the voltage at point m is continuously determined after the occurrence thereof by this signal . for positive going pulses this voltage assumes a certain value during the brief occurrence thereof , whereas it assumes a lower value for the rest of the period of the synchronizing signal . the amplitude of the synchronizing pulses and the values of resistors 38 , 39 and 42 are chosen so that the lower value of the voltage at point m does not affect the state of transistors 34 , 36 and 40 whereas the higher voltage value does affect the state of these transistors . said transistors remain cut off during the rising edge of the sawtooth of fig2 a . if a synchronizing pulse occurs while voltage v c has not yet reached the value v 1 then the voltage at point m assumes its higher value . this causes transistor 40 , whose collector resistor 41 is connected to a positive voltage , to become conductive whereas transistors 34 and 36 , whose collectors do not carry a voltage , do not pass a collector current . because of the collector current of transistor 40 flowing through resistors 18 and 41 the voltage drop across resistor 18 becomes higher , so that the voltage at the junction of resistors 18 and 19 is decreased for a short period of time , namely to a value v &# 39 ; 1 which is determined by the ratio of the values of resistors 18 and 41 and is located between v 1 - v be and v 2 - v be . if this value is lower than or equal to the value of voltage v c at the same instant , reduced by v be then transistors 4 and 5 , which were cut off , become conductive so that the falling edge of the sawtooth is very rapidly initiated . if , on the contrary , voltage v &# 39 ; 1 is higher than the instantaneous value of v c - v be , the synchronizing pulse has no influence and voltage v c continues to increase . so the value v &# 39 ; 1 determines the time interval t 1 after the starting instant of the rising edge whereas and whereafter the oscillator of fig1 can be synchronized by a synchronizing pulse . fig2 b shows the case that the pulse , indicated by means of an arrow , occurs after interval t 1 but prior to the instant at which voltage v c reaches the value v 1 . in this case the repetition frequency of the synchronizing pulses is higher than the natural , free - running frequency of the oscillator . if a synchronizing signal is indeed present but a pulse has not yet occurred after interval t 1 at the instant at which voltage v c reaches the value v 1 then , as stated above , transistors 4 , 5 , 22 , 23 and 25 become conductive . the voltage at point m still has its lower value so that transistors 36 and 40 which , in the absence of the synchronizing signal , would be driven and kept conductive by a current flowing through resistor 37 will now remain in the cut off state . however , a current flows from point q to the base of transistor 34 through resistor 35 so that transistor 34 is driven into conduction . because the collector resistor 26 of this transistor is connected to the positive voltage prevailing at point q , the voltage drop across this resistor causes the voltage at point p to become substantially zero . consequently , transistors 25 , 29 and 32 remain cut off which results on the one hand in that voltage v c continues to increase and comes above the value v 1 and on the other hand that the voltage at the base of transistor 6 keeps the value v 1 - v be . at the instant at which a synchronizing pulse occurs the voltage at point m increases to above the value , i . e . approximately v be , at which transistors 36 and 40 become conductive . the voltage at the collector of transistor 36 becomes substantially zero so that transistor 34 is cut off . the voltage at point p becomes positive and transistors 29 and 32 also start conducting , which initiates the discharge of capacitor c , whereas the voltage at the base of transistor 6 assumes the value v 2 - v be . it should be noted that the voltage at the junction of resistors 18 and 19 briefly assumes the value v &# 39 ; 1 but this is of no importance as the voltage at the base of transistor 6 keeps the value v 2 - v be during the entire discharge of capacitor c . fig2 c shows the case described above , the frequency of the synchronizing pulses being lower than the free - running frequency of the oscillator . the same situation may occur if one synchronizing pulse is produced within interval t 1 and one after voltage v c has assumed the value v 1 , while the frequency of the pulses is not below the natural frequency of the oscillator . if no synchronizing pulse occurs after voltage v c has exceeded the value v 1 , voltage v c continues to increase . this is shown in fig2 c by means of a dashed line . the final value of voltage v c is voltage v b and a free change - over of the oscillator does not take place . this may be undesirable for many applications , for example for television , where the deflection would stop . this is prevented in fig1 by a capacitor 44 provided between the source 45 of the synchronizing signal and terminal 43 . owing to the presence of capacitor 44 there is present at the terminal 43 a d . c . voltage which is equal to the average value of the pulse - shaped signal generated by source 45 and which is , consequently , zero in the absence of this signal . this d . c . voltage is too low to render transistors 36 and 40 conductive . at the instant at which voltage v c reaches the value v 1 , transistor 23 starts conducting and a charging current flows to capacitor 44 via resistors 37 and 42 . this causes the voltage at terminal 43 to increase until transistor 36 becomes conductive , which causes the change - over of the oscillator . the choice of the time constant of the network formed by resistors 37 and 42 and capacitor 44 determines the instant and , consequently , the threshold value above v 1 at which this change - over is effected , whereafter the capacitor discharges via resistors 42 , 38 and 39 to the average value of the synchronizing signal . the circuit of fig3 does not require a coupling of source 45 by means of a capacitor 44 having a value chosen as explained above . a large portion of the circuit in fig3 has not been altered with respect to fig1 and the same elements have been given the same reference numerals . in fig3 the resistor 13 of fig1 has been replaced by the series arrangement of two resistors 13 &# 39 ; and 13 &# 34 ; at the junction whereof a voltage v 3 is present during operation which is higher than the voltage v 1 present at the junction of resistors 13 &# 34 ; and 14 . the first - mentioned junction is connected to the base of a transistor 46 whose collector is connected to voltage v b and whose emitter is connected to the base of a transistor 48 via a resistor 47 . transistor 48 constitutes together with a further transistor 49 a comparison stage . to this end the emitters are interconnected and connected to a current source 50 . the collector of transistor 49 is connected to voltage v b whereas the collector of transistor 48 is connected to the bases of two pnp transistors 51 and 52 whose emitters are connected to voltage v b . the collector of transistor 51 is connected to the base thereof and the collector of transistor 52 is connected to a resistor 53 and to the base of a transistor 54 . the other terminal of resistor 53 and the emitter of transistor 54 are connected to ground , while the collector thereof is connected to the emitters of transistors 34 and 36 , which are not connected to ground as is the case in fig1 . finally , the oscillator of fig3 comprises a transistor 55 whose emitter is connected to ground , whereas the collector is connected to the base of transistor 48 via a resistor 56 and the base to point m via a resistor 57 . as long as voltage v c is lower than voltage v 1 transistor 48 conducts while transistors 49 and 55 are cut off so that also transistors 51 , 52 and 54 conduct . the emitters of transistors 34 and 36 have substantially the ground potential . this is the situation already described hereinbefore in which voltage v c continues to increase . in the absence of a synchronizing signal transistor 55 becomes conductive because of a current through resistors 37 and 57 at the instant at which voltage v c reaches the level v 1 so that the voltage at the base of transistor 48 , which had substantially the value v 3 - v be , is decreased . the values for resistors 47 and 56 have been chosen so that the new value of said voltage is lower than the value v 1 - v be , so that transistors 48 , 51 , 52 and 54 are rendered non - conductive in the cumulative manner described hereinbefore , resulting in that the emitters of transistors 34 and 36 are no longer connected to ground and that these transistors are also cut off . the voltage at point p becomes positive which causes transistors 29 and 32 to become conductive and , consequently , initiates the discharge of capacitor c to voltage v 2 in the manner as was the case in fig1 . if a synchronizing signal is present at terminal 43 a pulse , produced after an interval determined in the same manner as t 1 in fig2 b and prior to voltage v c becoming equal to v 1 , causes the oscillator to change - over in the same manner as described in the preceding paragraph . if the pulse has not yet occurred at the instant at which voltage v c becomes equal to v 1 then transistors 36 and 55 remain cut off because the voltage at point m is low , while transistor 34 is rendered conductive by a base current flowing through resistor 35 . the voltage at point p is zero , which keeps transistors 29 and 32 in the cut off condition . voltage v c continues to increase until a synchronization pulse occurs or until the value v 3 is reached . in the latter case the voltages at the bases of transistors 48 and 49 become equal to one another , which causes transistor 49 to start conducting , resulting in the change - over of the oscillator . because the variant of fig3 does not require a coupling capacitor between source 45 and terminal 43 , the latter can be wholly dispensed with in the case that also source 45 , for example a synchronizing pulse separator , forms part of the semiconductor body wherein the described sawtooth oscillator is integrated . in fig1 transistor 36 has for its purpose to prevent transistor 34 from becoming conductive , which transistor would prevent the oscillator from changing - over at v c = v 1 , namely in the absence of a synchronizing signal or in the presence thereof , if a synchronizing pulse has not yet occurred at v c = v 1 . transistors 36 and 54 have the same task in fig3 . transistor 36 or transistors 36 and 54 establish the presence of the synchronizing signal and ensure that level v 1 can be exceeded if necessary . if no synchronizing signal is present at terminal 43 capacitor c is charged and voltage v c increases , as shown in fig2 a , to the value v 1 . if the signal has still not occurred at the instant that voltage v c reaches said value v 1 the oscillator changes - over . if , on the contrary , a synchronizing signal has arrived prior to that instant and if a pulse occurs the oscillator changes over as shown in fig2 b . in the nominal state of the oscillator as well as the synchronizing pulses , wherein the natural frequency of the oscillator is equal to the repetition frequency of the pulses , the subsequent change - over of the oscillator will take place as shown in fig2 a , that is to say after a period of time t . in practice this condition will be deviated from so that the subsequent change - over takes place either again as shown in fig2 b or as shown in fig2 c , in which case the value v 1 is exceeded by voltage v c . in the foregoing one of the threshold voltages is , as it were , shifted to another value in the case a synchronizing pulse could be expected from a certain instant but has not yet occurred at the instant at which v c = v 1 . this causes the amplitude of the sawtooth to be increased and , consequently , the natural frequency of the oscillator to be reduced . this reduction can be effected in the manner outlined in fig2 d . the above - mentioned amplitude , that is to say the difference between voltages v 1 and v 2 remain substantially constant in all circumstances , whereas one of the slopes , preferably the slope of the rising edge , of the sawtooth can be subjected to a change . if no synchronizing signal is present at the starting instant of a charging period then capacitor c is charged by a current having a certain value . if , during charging , the presence of a synchronizing signal , for example in the manner described with reference to fig1 and 3 , is ascertained then the charging current gets a lower value at the same instant , so that the rising edge of the sawtooth becomes less steep . this corresponds to a lower natural frequency of the oscillator . at the occurrence of the synchronizing pulse the oscillator changes over in the manner described above , whereafter a new charging period starts , the charging current having its lower value if the synchronizing signal is still present . the foregoing can be effected by replacing resistor r by , for example , the series arrangement of two resistors one of which can be short - circuited by a transisor in the situation that no synchronizing signal is present . alternatively , resistor r can be replaced by a real current source , implemented with transistors and resistors and which can assume two values . it will be clear that in the case of fig2 d the charging device of capacitor c will preferably be included in the semiconductor body . it should be noted that with this implementation , which is not further described in detail , a sawtooth is produced in accordance with fig2 d which has at least one bend . however , this need not be a drawback : such a distortion may be permissible for some applications . an example thereof is the field deflection in television receivers wherein the actual field oscillator , whose signal has a constant amplitude and is amplified by a power amplifier before it is supplied to a deflection coil , is supplied with the signal originating from a sawtooth generator synchronizable by synchronizing pulses , which generator may be the generator according to the invention . fig4 shows in broad lines another possible use of the circuit according to the invention . the figure relates to a circuit for the indirect line synchronization in a television receiver wherein received line synchronizing pulses and pulses generated by a line oscillator osc 1 are compared in a phase discriminator φ 1 . discriminator φ 1 converts a phase difference it has ascertained into a control voltage which , after having been smoothed by a low - pass filter f 1 is applied to oscillator osc 1 . the pulses thereof , which have approximately the proper frequency and the proper phase with respect to the line synchronizing pulses are applied to a second phase discriminator φ 2 wherein they are compared with the pulses originating from the line output stage h . after having been smoothed by a second low - pass filter f 2 the output voltage of discriminator φ 2 arrives at a pulse shaper imp which is supplied with the pulses originating from osc 1 . the pulses of pulse shaper imp synchronize a sawtooth oscillator osc 2 , which is implemented as shown in fig1 or fig3 and the sawtooth voltage generated thereby is applied to stage h wherein it is converted into a switching signal which is applied to a line output transformer . a deflection coil , not shown , for the horizontal deflection is connected to this transformer . the principle of such a double loop for the indirect line synchronization and the operation thereof are extensively described in the u . s . pat . no . 3 , 891 , 800 wherein the output voltage of the second phase discriminator directly influences the second oscillator while a pulse shaper to which signals of the first oscillator might be applied is fully dispensed with . the operation of the second loop ensures that the influence of variations of the load at the stage h are largely eliminated . whereas the first oscillator is controlled in dependence on the frequency and on the phase of the synchronizing pulses the second oscillator is controlled in dependence on the phase of the pulses at line frequency , produced in stage h . the second loop introduces by nature a small phase error owing to the fact its gain is not infinite . if now the second synchronization loop is implemented as shown in fig4 this error is reduced without the necessity of increasing the loop gain , which might result in instability . to this end pulse shaper imp generates pulses of the same frequency as the pulses generated by oscillator osc 1 , the phase position of one edge , for example the leading edge , of each pulse of the stage imp being controlled by the control voltage originating from filter f 2 . thereafter this edge synchronizes oscillator osc 2 . in this manner it is ensured that the sawtooth generated by oscillator osc 2 has always the proper frequency , namely the frequency of oscillator osc 1 , and the phase determined by the second loop . the only error then remaining is caused by the not - infinite sensitivity of discriminator φ 2 , while oscillator osc 2 , as it is not controlled but synchronized by a pulse edge , does not introduce a phase error . | 7 |
the following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure , application , or uses . with reference to fig1 , a shifter assembly is generally indicated by reference number 10 and is illustrated in a neutral , energized position , as will be described below . the shifter assembly 10 is employed within a motor vehicle ( not shown ). the shifter assembly 10 is controlled by an operator of the motor vehicle to select one of a plurality of shift positions . each of the shift positions corresponds to an operating mode of a transmission ( not shown ) associated with the shifter assembly 10 and the motor vehicle . in the example provided , the shifter assembly 10 includes a park ( p ), reverse ( r ), neutral ( n ), and drive ( d ). it should be appreciated that the number of shift positions , as well as the associated transmission operating mode , may vary without departing from the scope of the present example . for example , the shifter assembly 10 may also include manual modes m , m +, and m − and / or high gear and low gear operating modes . the shifter assembly 10 generally includes a shifter lever 12 having a support collar 14 . the shifter lever 12 is connectable to a shift knob ( not shown ) that is useable by an operator of the motor vehicle . the support collar 14 is pivotally mounted to a shifter housing 16 at a ball bearing or pivot point 17 . the shifter housing 16 encloses and protects the components of the shifter assembly 10 . the shifter lever 12 and support collar 14 are capable of pivoting or rotating about a pivot axis 18 at the pivot point 17 . the support collar 14 includes detent arms 14 a , 14 b that engage a plurality of detents 19 located on an inner surface 20 of the shifter housing 16 . the detents 19 are positioned in the shifter housing 16 to provide a mechanical detent to each of the plurality of shift positions of the shifter lever 12 and support collar 14 . a button lock mechanism 22 is connected to the shifter lever 12 . the button lock mechanism 22 prevents the shifter lever 12 and the support collar 14 from pivoting to the park position from the neutral position , as will be described below . the button lock mechanism 22 includes a button lock 24 disposed within the shifter lever 12 . the button lock 24 is depressible within the shifter lever 12 , i . e ., the button lock 24 is translatable along an axis 25 of the shifter lever 12 . the button lock 24 includes a first lock arm 24 a and a second lock arm 24 b . the first lock arm 24 a extends out through a first window 26 a disposed in the support collar 14 . the second lock arm 24 b extends out through a second window 26 b disposed on an opposite side of the support collar 14 than the first window 26 a . each of the first and second lock arms 24 a , 24 b are configured to selectively engage detent gates 30 ( only one of which is shown ) on each side of the shifter lever 12 . the detent gates 30 are mounted to the shifter housing 16 . the detent gates 30 have a stepped face 32 that limits movement of the shifter lever 12 from the neutral position to the park position . for example , in a rest state where the operator of the motor vehicle 12 is not depressing the lock button 24 , the lock button 24 is biased upwards by any suitable biasing member ( not shown ), such as a coil spring , to a first position . when the lock button 24 is not depressed , the lock arms 24 a , 24 b are also in the first position where each of the lock arms 24 a , 24 b engage the stepped face 32 of the detent gates 30 , thus preventing the shifter lever 12 from moving from the neutral position to the park position . when the lock button 24 is depressed , the lock arms 24 a , 24 b move downwards to a second position away from the detent gates 30 and do not engage the stepped face 32 , thus allowing the shifter lever 12 to move from the neutral position to the park position . the shifter assembly 10 further includes a pawl lock mechanism 34 . the pawl lock mechanism 34 selectively prevents the shifter lever 12 and support collar 14 from moving between the park and neutral positions while simultaneously preventing the lock button 24 from being depressed from the first position to the second position . the pawl lock mechanism 34 includes a pawl 40 actuated by an actuator 42 . turning now to fig2 , the pawl 40 includes a first end 44 and a second end 46 opposite the first end 44 . the pawl 40 is pivotally mounted to the shifter housing 16 at a pivot point 48 . the pivot point 48 is disposed between the first end 44 and the second end 46 of the pawl 40 . the pawl 40 pivots about an axis 50 . the axis 50 is perpendicular to the pivot axis 18 of the shifter lever 12 and support collar 14 . the first end 44 of the pawl 40 includes a first portion or tab 52 and a second portion or blocker 54 . the tab 52 is oriented perpendicular to the blocker 54 and extends from the blocker 54 toward the support collar 14 . the tab 52 is configured to engage a slot 56 defined in the support collar 14 and a side surface 58 on the support collar 14 , depending on the position of the shifter lever 12 and the support collar 14 . the slot 56 is disposed on a same side as the first window 26 a . the slot 56 is disposed along the axis 25 between the pivot point 17 and the first window 25 a . the side surface 58 is disposed adjacent the slot 56 . the blocker 54 includes a first surface 54 a offset from a second surface 54 b thus creating a stepped profile . the blocker 54 is configured to selectively contact or engage the first lock arm 24 a when the shifter lever 12 and support collar 14 are in different positions which changes the height of the first lock arm 24 a relative to the pawl 40 . for example , the second surface 54 b is raised with respect to the first surface 54 a and is disposed on the pawl 40 between the pivot point 48 and the first surface 54 a . returning to fig1 and with continued reference to fig2 , the actuator 42 includes an armature 60 pivotally connected to the second end 46 of the pawl 40 . the actuator 42 is preferably an on / off solenoid where , upon receipt of a control signal , the solenoid is energized and the armature 60 is translated . translation of the armature 60 in turn pivots the pawl 40 about the pivot axis 50 . however , it should be appreciated that the actuator 42 may take other forms without departing form the scope of the present example . the actuator 42 may be electronically controlled by a controller , such as a transmission control module or brake control module , etc ., and commanded to energize when the brakes of the motor vehicle are depressed . the pawl 40 is movable between an unlocked or energized position , shown in fig1 , and 4 , and a locked or de - energized position , shown in fig3 , and 6 . fig1 shows the shifter lever 12 in the neutral position with the pawl 40 in the unlocked position . in this condition , the pawl 40 does not engage the support collar 14 nor the lock button 24 . to move the shifter lever 12 to a drive position , shown in fig6 , the operator of the motor vehicle need only move the shifter lever 12 rearwards , i . e . away from the detent gate 30 . however , to move the shifter lever 12 to a reverse position ( not shown ) or a park position ( shown in fig4 and 5 ), the lock button 24 must be depressed to move the lock arms 24 a , 24 b out of alignment and engagement with the detent gate 30 before moving the shifter lever 12 forwards , i . e ., towards the detent gate 30 . fig3 shows the shifter lever 12 in the neutral position with the pawl 40 in the locked position . in this condition , the pawl 40 engages both the support collar 14 and the first lock arm 24 a . for example , the tab 52 of the pawl 40 is disposed in the slot 56 and the second surface 54 b of the blocker 54 is in contact with the first lock arm 24 a . the tab 52 prevents the shifter lever 12 from pivoting about the axis 18 while the blocker 54 blocks the lock button 24 form being depressed , thus providing extra redundancy . fig4 shows the shifter lever 12 in the park position with the pawl 40 in the unlocked position . in this condition , the pawl 40 does not engage the support collar 14 nor the lock button 24 . however , the locking arms 24 a , 24 b are disposed on an opposite side of the detent gate 30 . thus , to move the shifter lever 12 to the drive position , neutral position , or reverse position , the operator of the motor vehicle must depress the lock button 24 to move the lock arms 24 a , 24 b out of alignment and engagement with the detent gate 30 before moving the shifter lever 12 . fig5 shows the shifter lever 12 in the park position with the pawl 40 in the locked position . in this condition , the pawl 40 engages both the support collar 14 and the first lock arm 24 a . for example , the tab 52 of the pawl 40 is in contact with the side surface 58 and the first surface 54 a of the blocker 54 is in contact with the first lock arm 24 a . the tab 52 prevents the shifter lever 12 from pivoting about the axis 18 while the blocker 54 blocks the lock button 24 form being depressed , thus providing extra redundancy . finally , fig6 shows the shifter lever 12 in the drive position . in this position , the pawl 40 does not inhibit movement of the shifter lever 12 nor the lock button 24 . the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 5 |
the following description of the preferred embodiment ( s ) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views , there is shown in fig1 a unique exhaust isolator system in accordance with the present invention which is secured to a vehicle and which is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 . vehicle 10 comprises an internal combustion engine ( not shown ), a body ( not shown ) and an exhaust system 16 which is attached to both the engine and the body . the internal combustion engine is designed to power one or more drive wheels of the vehicle . exhaust system 16 comprises an intermediate pipe 22 , a muffler 24 , a tailpipe 26 and a plurality of isolator assemblies 30 , 130 and 230 . intermediate pipe 22 is typically connected to a catalytic converter ( not shown ) which is attached to an exhaust pipe which is in turn attached to an exhaust manifold ( not shown ) which is one of the components of the vehicle &# 39 ; s internal combustion engine . the catalytic converter may be attached to a single exhaust pipe which leads to a single exhaust manifold or the catalytic converter can be attached to a branched exhaust pipe which leads to a plurality of exhaust manifolds . also , intermediate pipe 22 can be attached to a plurality of catalytic converters which connect together prior to reaching muffler 24 using intermediate pipe 22 or the vehicle can have a plurality of exhaust pipes , a plurality of catalytic converters , a plurality of intermediate pipes 22 and a plurality of mufflers 24 which connect together using a single tailpipe 26 . in addition , the present application is applicable to exhaust systems which are termed “ dual exhaust systems ” in that they have two separate parallel exhaust systems extending from a single internal combustion engine . exhaust system 16 is utilized to route the exhaust gasses from the engine to the rear area of the vehicle . while traveling from the engine to the rear of the vehicle , the catalytic converter cleans the exhaust gasses and muffler 24 quiets the noise created by the combustion process in the engine . isolator assemblies 30 , 130 and 230 support exhaust system 16 underneath the vehicle and they operate to prevent engine vibrations from being transmitted to the vehicle &# 39 ; s body . in addition , isolator assemblies 30 , 130 and 230 provide superior alignment capabilities during the assembly of exhaust system 16 into the vehicle . referring now to fig2 isolator assembly 30 comprises an exterior bracket 40 , an elastomeric isolator 42 and an exhaust rod 44 . exterior bracket 40 comprises a generally u - shaped member 46 which is utilized to secure isolator assembly 30 to the vehicle . fig2 illustrates isolator assembly 30 which is designed to be secured to the front side ( in the vehicle &# 39 ; s direction ) of muffler 24 . u - shaped member 46 is illustrated having a first flange 50 and a second flange 52 . each flange 50 and 52 is adapted to be secured to the vehicle . flange 50 defines a tab 54 and flange 52 defines a through bolt hole 56 . tab 54 is designed to engage a hole 58 formed in a portion of the vehicle &# 39 ; s structure . a bolt 60 extends through bolt hole 56 for securing u - shaped member 46 of exterior bracket 40 and thus isolator assembly 30 to the vehicle by mating with a threaded member 62 attached to or formed as an integral member of a portion of the vehicle &# 39 ; s structure . elastomeric isolator 42 is disposed within the inner pocket formed by u - shaped member 46 and it is designed to mate with u - shaped member 46 by having a generally cylindrical end surface and to mate with a generally flat surface on the vehicle by having a generally planar end surface . elastomeric isolator 42 can be formed from silicone ( for high temperature applications ), epdm ( ethylene - propylene - diene monomer ) ( for moderate temperature applications ), natural rubber ( for low temperature applications ), or any other elastomer which meets the requirements of the application . elastomeric isolator 42 can be bonded to u - shaped member 46 , if desired . elastomeric isolator 42 defines a plurality of voids 64 which are engineered in size , shape and location to control the dynamic rate of isolator assembly 30 , the insertion force for isolator assembly 30 , the system durability requirements for isolator assembly 30 as well as other developmental and performance characteristics for isolator assembly 30 . elastomeric isolator 42 also defines a through bore 66 through which exhaust rod 44 is inserted . exhaust rod 44 is a formed rod which includes compound bends such that a first end 68 is positioned to axially engage bore 66 and a second end 70 is designed to mate with and be secured to a component of exhaust system 16 . in the illustrated embodiment , exhaust rod 44 is attached to the front of muffler 24 but it is within the scope of the present invention to attach exhaust rod 44 to any other component of exhaust system 16 , if desired . referring now to fig3 an isolator assembly 130 of a slightly different design is illustrated . isolator assembly 130 comprises exterior bracket 40 , elastomeric isolator 42 and an exhaust rod 144 . exterior bracket 40 comprises generally u - shaped member 46 which , as detailed above , is utilized to secure isolator assembly 130 to the vehicle . fig3 illustrates isolator assembly 130 which is designed to be secured to the rear side ( in the vehicle &# 39 ; s direction ) of muffler 24 . u - shaped member 46 is illustrated having first flange 50 and second flange 52 . each flange 50 and 52 is adapted to be secured to the vehicle . flange 50 defines tab 54 and flange 52 defines through bolt hole 56 . tab 54 is designed to engage a hole 158 formed in a portion of the vehicle &# 39 ; s structure . bolt 60 extends through bolt hole 56 for securing u - shaped member 46 of bracket 40 and thus isolator assembly 30 to the vehicle by mating with a threaded member 162 attached to or formed as an internal member of a portion of the vehicle &# 39 ; s structure . elastomeric isolator 42 is disposed within the inner pocket formed by u - shaped member 46 and it is designed to mate with u - shaped member 46 by having a generally cylindrical end surface and to mate with a generally flat surface on the vehicle by having a generally planar end surface . elastomeric isolator 42 can be formed from silicone , epdm , natural rubber or other materials as detailed above . elastomeric isolator 42 can be bonded to u - shaped member 46 if desired . elastomeric isolator 42 defines a plurality of voids 164 which are engineered in size , shape and location to control the dynamic rate of isolator assembly 130 , the insertion force for isolator assembly 130 , the durability requirements for isolator assembly 130 as well as other developmental and performance characteristics for isolator assembly 130 . voids 164 may or may not be the same as voids 64 of isolator assembly 30 . elastomeric isolator 42 also defines a through bore 166 through which exhaust rod 144 is inserted . exhaust rod 144 is a formed rod which includes compound bends such that a first end 168 is positioned to axially engage bore 166 and a second end 170 is designed to mate with and be secured to a component of exhaust system 16 . in the illustrated embodiment , exhaust rod 144 is attached to the rear of muffler 24 but it is within the scope of the present invention to attach exhaust rod 144 to any other component of exhaust system 16 if desired . referring now to fig4 an isolator assembly 230 of a slightly different design is illustrated . isolator assembly 230 comprises an exterior bracket 240 , elastomeric isolator 42 and an exhaust rod assembly 244 . exterior bracket 240 comprises a generally u - shaped member 246 which , similar to that described above for u - shaped member 46 , is utilized to secure isolator assembly 230 to the vehicle . fig4 illustrates isolator assembly 230 which is designed to be secured to tailpipe 26 . u - shaped member 246 is illustrated having a first formed end 250 and second flange 52 . formed end 250 and second flange 52 are adapted to be secured to the vehicle . formed end 250 is contoured to mate with the supporting structure of the vehicle and it defines a through bolt hole 254 . a bolt extends through bolt hole 254 for securing u - shaped member 246 of bracket 240 and thus isolator assembly 230 to the vehicle by mating with a threaded member attached to or formed as an integral member of a portion of the vehicle &# 39 ; s structure . flange 52 defines bolt hole 56 . bolt 60 extends through bolt hole 56 for securing u - shaped member 246 of bracket 240 and thus isolator assembly elastomeric isolator 42 is disposed within the inner pocket formed by u - shaped member 246 and it is designed to mate with u - shaped member 246 by having a generally cylindrical end surface and to mate with a generally flat portion on the vehicle by having a generally planar end surface . elastomeric isolator 42 can be formed from silicone , epdm , natural rubber or other materials as detailed above . elastomeric isolator 42 can be bonded to u - shaped member 246 if desired . elastomeric isolator 42 defines a plurality of voids 264 which are engineered in size , shape and location to control the dynamic rate of isolator assembly 230 , the insertion force for isolator assembly 230 , the durability requirements for isolator assembly 230 as well as other developmental and performance characteristics for isolator assembly 230 . void 264 may or may not be the same as voids 164 of isolator assembly 130 and may or may not be the same as voids 64 of isolator assembly 30 . elastomeric isolator 42 also defines a through bore 266 through which exhaust rod assembly 244 is inserted . exhaust rod assembly 244 comprises an exhaust rod 270 and a v - shaped bracket 272 . exhaust rod 270 is a generally straight rod which is positioned to axially engage bore 266 . v - shaped bracket 272 is attached to exhaust rod 270 at one end and it is designed to mate with and be secured to a component of exhaust system 16 at its opposite end . in the illustrated embodiment , v - shaped bracket 272 is attached to tailpipe 26 but it is within the scope of the present invention to attach v - shaped bracket 272 to any other component of exhaust system 16 if desired . embodiment , v - shaped bracket 272 is attached to tailpipe 26 but it is within the scope of the present invention to attach v - shaped bracket 272 to any other component of exhaust system 16 if desired . referring now to fig1 exhaust system 16 includes isolator assembly 30 located forward of muffler 24 , isolator assembly 130 located behind muffler 24 and isolator assembly 230 located on tailpipe 26 . while exhaust system 16 is illustrated with three isolator assemblies 30 , 130 and 230 being positioned at the specific locations detailed above , it is within the scope of the present invention to utilize a fewer number or a greater number of isolator assemblies located anywhere along exhaust system 16 as required by the specific application . each isolator assembly 30 , 130 or 230 provides a failsafe design by having u - shaped member 46 or 246 in connection with the mounting surface on the vehicle fully encircle exhaust rod 44 , 144 or 244 . by fully encircling exhaust rod 44 , 144 or 244 , exhaust system 16 is prevented from being unsupported at any isolator assembly should elastomeric isolator 42 deteriorate to the point of not being able to support exhaust system 16 . each isolator assembly 30 , 130 and 230 is oriented with respect to the vehicle such that bores 66 , 166 and 266 of elastomeric isolator 42 and the mating end of exhaust rods 44 , 144 and 244 extend generally parallel to the fore and aft direction of the vehicle or generally parallel to a longitudinal axis 88 defined by exhaust system 16 which is adapted to be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle which extends from the front center to the rear center of the vehicle . this unique orientation of isolator assemblies 30 , 130 and 230 allows exhaust system 16 to be aligned using only one of isolator assemblies 30 , 130 and 230 while the remaining isolator assemblies 30 , 130 or 230 can be delivered part - in - assembly with exhaust system 16 prior to being assembled to the vehicle . furthermore , once all isolator assemblies 30 , 130 and 230 are secured , exhaust system 16 is aligned in its natural or free state for noise , vibration and harshness ( nvh ) characteristics unlike the prior art exhaust isolator systems . an additional advantage to the longitudinal alignment of isolator assemblies 30 , 130 and 230 is that they will allow for thermal growth of exhaust system 16 . this longitudinal alignment of exhaust rods 44 , 144 and 244 allow the exhaust rods to individually and simultaneously slide longitudinally in elastomeric isolators 42 and thus prevent isolator assemblies 30 , 130 and 230 from over - constraining exhaust system 16 as it heats up and lengthens to its operating state . finally , the cylindrical shape of elastomeric isolator 42 allows it to be dynamically tuned in two directions using voids 64 , 164 and 264 , as opposed to the conventional prior art two rod isolators which are unidirectional . this allows for increased isolation and precise tuning to minimize localized forces which are transmitted to the vehicle . in addition , the isolator in bracket design allows for extremely high resonant frequencies as opposed to the prior art designs which significantly lower vehicle side resonance . this allows added stiffness on the exhaust side rod to increase resonant frequencies of the entire isolator system . the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and , thus , variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 1 |
embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail hereinafter in reference to the attached drawings . fig1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the noise reduction apparatus according to the present invention . in fig1 the same components as those shown in fig1 are assigned with the same marks . a picture signal is inputted input terminal 1 . the picture signal is applied to a memory 2 and memorized on frame units . the memory 2 reads - out the picture data on a block by block basis . each block each , for example , comprises 8 × 8 pixels in both horizontal and vertical directions . the picture data from the memory 2 is applied to not only a . noise reduction unit 32 via a terminal i of a switch 31 , but also to a motion detector 9 and a subtracter 37 . the switch 31 selects the terminal i and provides &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; to a subtracter 33 in the intra - frame compression mode , and selects a terminal p and provides the prediction error from the subtracter 37 ( described after ) to the subtracter 33 in the inter - frame compression mode . the subtracter 37 calculates the prediction error and the non - correlation component . the motion detector 9 detects the operation of the input picture signal and outputs not only the motion vector but also the signal showing the inter - frame non - correlation component . fig2 through 4 illustrate the motion detector 9 shown in fig1 . fig2 a shows the current frame picture and the fig2 b shows the reference frame picture . to the motion detector 9 , the current frame picture data from the memory 2 and the reference frame ( reference picture ) picture data from a memory 8 ( as described later ) are input . the motion detector 9 implements the motion detection in block by block base . for instance , if it is assumed that the dct block is comprised of 8 × 8 pixels , and four luminance dct blocks have the same size with one chrominance difference dct block by a sampling frequency difference between the luminance signal and the chrominance difference signal , the motion detector 9 implements the motion detection on the four luminance dct blocks ( equals to one chrominance difference dct block ), that is , macroblocks comprising 16 × 16 pixels , on block by block basis . it is assumed that the motion of the block - of - interest ( macro - block ) 53 which encodes a current frame 51 as shown in fig2 a is detected . in this case , the motion detector 9 takes the relative position relationship of the block - of - interest 53 . here , a search area 55 centering around the block 54 of a reference frame 52 is set up . fig3 shows the expansion of the search area 55 shown in fig2 a . in fig3 the search area 55 takes the dimensions of 47 × 47 pixels . the motion detector 9 searches the block having most resembling pattern to the pattern of the block - of - interest 53 of the current frame 51 inside of the search area 55 . that is , the motion detector 9 sets up the blocks in turns by moving them on pixel by pixel basis inside the search area 55 , and implements the matching operation for accumulating the absolute value of the difference between pixels which are correspond to each other between the block 53 and the block defined in the search area 55 , so as to make the block which has the smallest accumulating value as a reference picture block . fig4 shows the 1 pixel in the block 54 within the search area 55 . the pixel 57 is an arbitrary pixel in the block 54 . fig4 shows the area where the pixel 57 and other pixel to be carried out the matching operation therebetween are able to take in the search area 55 . that is , a matching operation is carried out between the pixel 57 and 32 × 32 pixels . so , there are 32 × 32 = 1024 blocks which are able to be set up within the search area 55 . the motion detector 9 calculates the vector 58 showing the position relationship between the block 54 and the reference picture block which is a block having the smallest accumulated value calculated by the matching operation as the motion vector . the motion detector 9 provides not only the calculated motion vector to a memory controller 11 and the encoder / decoder 39 , but also the correlation between the reference picture block which are calculated on the process of the motion vector operation and the current frame block to a correlation average calculator 35 of a noise reduction unit 32 . in the embodiment , it is using the correlation calculated on the process of the motion detection . however , it may use that calculated by other processing . by using the correlation calculated on the motion vector operation , it can make the hardware for the correlation calculation useless , and also it makes the processing time for the correlation calculation shorter . a memory controller 10 controls the read - out of the memories 2 and 8 in the motion detecting time controlled by the detector 9 . further , a memory controller 11 , to which the motion vector frame the motion detector 9 is applied , controls the read - out of the memory 8 , so as to design the blocking position of the reference block . further , the memory controller 11 outputs the controlling signal for controlling the storing and calculating process timing in the correlation average calculator 35 . the subtracter 37 , to which the current frame picture data from the memory 2 and the reference picture data from the memory 8 are applied , carries out a subtraction between the current and reference picture data so as to produce the inter - frame correlation component to be applied to a noise extractor 34 . the subtracter 37 , to which the current block data and the reference block data are applied from the memories 2 and 8 also , carries out a subtraction between the current and reference picture data so as to produce the prediction error to be applied to a terminal p of a switch 31 . the noise reduction unit 32 is comprised of the subtracter 33 , the noise extractor 34 , the correlation average calculator 35 and the coefficient calculator 36 . the picture data from the switch 31 is applied to the subtracter 33 of the noise reduction unit 32 . the inter - frame non - correlation component from the subtracter 37 is applied to the noise extractor 34 . in the noise reduction unit 32 , the noise extractor 34 extracts the noise component based on the inter - frame non - correlation component and the nr coefficient , while the subtracter 33 subtracts the noise component from the input picture data . thus the noise reduction unit 32 cancels the noise . in this embodiment , the nr coefficient is calculated not only by the correlation between the reference picture block and the current frame block which is compressing ( hereinafter referred to a block - of - interest ), but also by the correlation between the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest the current frame and the reference picture block which correspond to the blocks . fig5 illustrates the correlation average calculator 35 . it is assumed that the block - of - interest 61 and its peripheral blocks 62 through 65 . further , it is also assumed that the correlation which corresponds to the motion vector between the block - of - interest 61 and the reference block in the reference frames to designated as cmbo ( cmb stands for current macro block ). also , respective correlations which correspond to the motion vectors between blocks 62 through 65 and the respective reference frame blocks are designated as cmb1 through cmb4 . the correlation average calculator 35 , which has a memory storing the correlation cmb0 calculated about the block - of - interest 61 in the current frame and the correlations cmb1 through cmb4 calculated about the blocks 62 through 65 , calculates the average of these correlations and provide the average value to the coefficient calculator 36 . the average calculation implemented in the correlation average calculator 35 is not limited to the arithmetic averaging . it may be implemented by the geometrical average calculation , or filtering operation such as the weighted average . the coefficient calculator 36 calculates the nr coefficient based on the average value of the input correlation . the coefficient calculator 36 makes the nr coefficient small when the average value of the correlation is large , and makes it large when the value is small . the noise extractor 34 extracts the noise component from the non - correlation component output from the subtracter 37 using the nr coefficient so as thus applying the noise component to the subtracter 33 . for instance , the noise extractor 34 extracts the noise component by multiplying the non - correlation component with the nr coefficient . the subtracter 33 subtracts the noise component from the input picture data , and provides the picture data removed the noise component to the encoder / decoder 39 . the encoder / decoder 39 has almost the same components as the fig1 , but it does not have the nr unit 17 and the nl unit 24 . the encoder / decoder 39 implements the quantization of the input picture data by the dct processing and implements the variable - length encode so as to output the encoded data through the output terminal 7 . the encoder / decoder 39 implements the inverse - dct processing by implementing the inverse - quantization on the encoded data so as to restore the original picture data which is as the same as that before the dct processing and provide the restored picture data to the adder 5 . when the prediction error is inputted to the encoder / decoder 39 , the picture data applied to the adder is also prediction error . the output from the adder 5 is applied to the adder 5 via the memory 8 and the terminal p of the switch 38 . the memory 8 stores the output from the adder 5 as the reference picture data . the switch 38 selects the terminal i and applies o to the adder 5 in the time of the intra - frame compression mode , and selects the terminal p and applies the reference picture data read - out from the memory 8 to the adder 5 in the time of the inter - frame compression mode . in case of the inter - frame mode , the adder 5 adds the decoded data from the encoder / decoder 39 to the reference picture data so as to restore the original picture data and memorize it to the memory 8 . the operation of the embodiment comprised as described above will be explained in reference to the graphs in fig6 through 8 and the flow chart of fig9 . in fig6 the relation between the motion vector calculated for various kinds of pictures and the correlation by taking the motion vector amount of the horizontal or vertical direction on the horizontal axis , and taking the correlation on the vertical axis . in fig7 and 8 , the relation between the motion vector for the quantization and the correlation is shown . fig7 illustrates the relation in the conventional system , while fig8 illustrates the relation in the embodiment of the present invention . here , the larger the correlation , the similitude relation of the picture patterns becomes lower . while the smaller the correlation , the similitude relation of the picture patterns becomes higher . fig9 illustrates the timing chart of the various calculations . the picture signal input via the input terminal 1 is blocked in the memory 2 . after that , it is applied to not only to the terminal i of the switch 31 , but also to the subtracter 37 and the motion detector 9 . here , it is assumed that the intra - frame compression mode is specified . in this case , since the switches 31 and 38 select the terminal i , the picture data from the memory 2 is supplied to the noise reduction apparatus 32 via the switch 31 . the subtracter 37 produces the inter - frame non - correlation component by carrying out a subtraction between the current frame picture data and the picture data from the memory 8 , and provides the inter - frame non - correlation component to the noise extractor 34 . the motion detecting block 9 calculates the correlation between the reference picture block data from the memory 8 and the current frame block data and provides the correlation to the correlation average calculator 35 . the correlation average calculator 35 averages the correlation calculated for the block - of - interest in the current picture flame and the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest . it is assumed that the correlation average calculator 35 calculates the average of the correlation operated for the five blocks including the block - of - interest of the current frame and four blocks in either sides of the block - of - interest . fig9 shows the calculation timing of this case . fig9 a shows the calculation of the correlation , fig9 b shows the average value calculation , and fig9 c shows the compression operation . here , the numbers are showing the block numbers for processing . these blocks 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . are arranged from the left side to the right side of the screen . in fig9 it is assumed that mv1 , mv2 , mv3 , . . . are showing the correlations of the blocks 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . which form a line from left side to right side of the screen . the encode is orderly implemented from the left side block to the right side block . now , it is also assumed that the block - of - interest is designated by the reference numeral 3 . the correlation average calculator 35 stores also correlations mv1 and mv2 at the timing of inputting the correlation mv3 which is correspond to the block - of - interest 3 . the correlation average calculator 35 does not calculate the average value till the correlations mv4 and mv5 which are corresponding to the two blocks on the right side of the block - of - interest are input . the correlation average calculator 35 , which is controlled by the memory controller 11 , calculates the average value m3 among the correlations mv1 through mv5 as shown in fig9 b and provides the average value m3 to the coefficient calculator 36 when the correlations mv1 through mv5 are input thereinto . thus , the compression operation to the block - of - interest 3 is implemented at the timing of inputting the block 7 as shown in fig9 . here , since the average calculation of the correlations is completed in relatively short time , its possible to implement the average calculation in the compression processing time . in the case of selecting the blocks in the vertical sides of the block - of - interest as its on the periphery of blocks , it just causes a greater processing time delay . the average value of the correlation calculated in the correlation average calculator 35 is applied to the coefficient calculator 36 . the coefficient amount calculator 36 calculates the nr coefficient based on the average of these correlations and provides the nr coefficient to the noise extractor 34 . the noise extractor 34 multiplies the inter - frame non - correlation component from the subtracter 37 with the nr coefficient , so as to extract the noise component . the subtracter 33 cancels the noise component in the picture data applied through the switch 31 , so as to provide the data removed the noise component to the encoder / decoder 39 . the encoder / decoder 39 encodes the picture data and outputs the encoded data through the output terminal 7 . further , the encoder / decoder 39 decodes the encoded data and applies the decoded data to the adder 5 . in this case , the switch 38 is selecting the terminal i . as a result , the adder 5 passes the output of the encoder / decoder 39 therethrough as it is . the output of the adder 5 is stored in the frame memory 8 as the reference picture . it is assumed that the inter - frame compression mode is specified . in this case , the switches 31 and 38 select the terminal p . the motion detector 9m detects the motion on block by block basis by the matching operation between the current picture data from the memories 2 and 8 and the reference picture data . the motion detector 9 not only provides the calculated motion vector to the encoder / decoder 39 , but also the motion detector 9 calculates the correlation between the current frame block and the reference picture block and provides the correlation to the correlation average calculator 35 . the correlation average calculator 35 averages not only the correlations regarding to the block - of - interest , but also other four blocks of each two blocks in either back and fourth sides of the block - of - interest , so as to output the average to the coefficient calculator 36 . the coefficient calculator 36 calculates the nr coefficient based on the average value of the coefficient amounts . then , also in this case , the noise component is extracted based on the average value of the coefficient amounts calculated about the block - of - interest of the current frame and its peripheral blocks . the decreasing motion of the noise component is as the same as the intra - frame compression mode . the subtracter 37 produces the prediction error by carrying out a subtraction between the current block data and the reference picture block data , and provides the prediction error to the terminal p of the switch 31 . in the inter - frame compression mode , the subtracter 33 cancels the noise component from the prediction error applied thereto . the encoder / decoder 39 encodes the prediction error . the adder 5 restores the original picture by adding the reference picture data from the memory 8 to the decoded prediction error , and stores the restored picture data in the memory 8 as the reference picture data to be used at a next encoding operation . in fig6 the graph a shows a picture pattern of comparatively flat and stationary like a blue sky . the graph b shows a picture pattern of rapid change and motion . the graph c shows a picture pattern of moving picture having the periodically high frequency components . here , for instance , in the picture pattern which the random noises are superposed on the 50 % of the white signals , the characteristics will be fixed value in proportion to the noise amount ( not shown ). fig7 shows the difference of characteristics between the each blocks and each frames which are adjacent to in the picture pattern of graph b in fig6 ., the graphs al and b1 are showing the picture patterns of the predetermined two blocks a and b which adjoin with each other in fig7 . the graphs a2 and b2 are showing the quantized picture data of the blocks a and b in the conventional embodiment . as shown in the graphs a1 and b1 in fig7 each blocks a and b nest to have the comparatively same character in the relation between the correlations and the motion vector amounts before the quantization . however , in case of the quantization for the compassing s shown in the graphs a2 and b2 , the character between the adjoining blocks a and b has a great difference . that is , when the quantization range is relatively narrow or the quantization is not implemented , the dispersion of the correlations and the vector amounts between adjoining blocks will be great compared that the quantization range is relatively wide . this dispersion is supposed to be caused by the quantization distortion . fig8 shows the characteristics of the embodiment with the motion vector amount shown on the axis of abscissas and the correlations between the reference picture block and the current picture block on the axis of ordinates . the graphs c1 and c2 in fig8 shows the picture pattern of the blocks a and b which are nest to each other , both of which are showing the picture pattern of rapid change and motion and , the graphs c1 and c2 are showing the character when there are no noise and quantization error . at block a , as shown in graph c1 , in the relation between the motion vector and the correlation , the more the coordinates goes away from the minimum value dot h , the greater the value becomes . that is , the dot h shows the reference picture block having a minimum correlations to the block - of - interest a . at the adjacent block b , as shown in graph c2 , in the relation between the motion vector and the correlation , the more the coordinates go away from the minimum value dot i , the greater the value becomes . that is , the dot i shows the reference picture block having the minimum correlations to the block - of - interest b . here , in the motion detector 9 , the vector and scalar amounts at the dots h and i with the minimum correlations are output as their motion vectors . the correlation average calculator 35 calculates the average of the correlations at the dots h and i . the average value of the correlation value has a relationship ; the correlation at the dot i ≧ the average of the correlations ≧ the correlation at the dot h . when there are noises only , or there are both noises and the quantization errors , the coordinates of the motion vectors to the blocks a and b spread out from the centers of the dots h and i . the circles e and f in fig8 are showing the spreading areas . generally , the motion vector 5 calculated from the reference picture block to the block a and from the reference picture block to the block b has the same size . this is that when the average of the correlations is calculated over the research area in fig3 the three half of the reference picture block which can get , in the adjoining blocks . the direction of the correlations caused by the noise and the quantization is generated at random . that is , the correlations of the block a and its reference picture block can be shown by an arbitrary dot in the circle e , and the correlations of the block b and its reference picture block can be shown by an arbitrary dot on the circle f . since the dispersion becomes random , the dispersion amounts of the average value between each blocks a and b and these each reference picture blocks are highly possible to be converged in comparatively small value , which might be smaller than the dispersion amounts of each correlations between the blocks a and b and these each reference picture blocks . thus , the dispersion of the average value of the correlations between the blocks a and b and each these . reference picture blocks can be shown by circles smaller than the circles e and f . that is , by taking an average , the low - pass filter characteristics is given , and the dispersion of the average value of the correlations becomes smaller . accordingly , its better to use the average of the correlations calculated for the block - of - interest and its peripheral blocks rather than the correlation of only the block - of - interest for reducing the flickering of each block . when there is no noise , and only the quantization error is generated , the dispersion of the motion vector does not make a circle , and expand in the predetermined direction in a specific picture pattern . however , since the picture patterns themselves are not the same in the random process , it can reduce the flickering in each block by averaging the dispersion amounts to reduce them . accordingly , in the embodiment , it calculates not only the correlations between the block - of - interest of the current frame and the reference picture block , but also the correlations between the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest and their own reference picture blocks . as a result , it cancels the noise component based on the average value of these correlations . this average of the correlations has smaller dispersion than that between each block - of - interest and their reference picture blocks . that is , by controlling the parameter of the noise reduction using the block - of - interest and its peripheral blocks , it can make the noise reduction effects difference between blocks smaller than the case of controlling the parameter for noise reduction on block by block basis . as a result , it can prevent the flickering of each block appearing on the picture . fig1 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention . this embodiment shows the example which is appropriate to the decoding apparatus for decoding the encoded data which are encoded by adapting the predictive encoding . the encoded data from the encoding system containing the inter - frame encoding are applied to a variable length decoder 161 . the variable length decoder 161 implements the variable length decode to the input encoded data and applies them to an inverse - quantizer 162 . the inverse - quantizer 162 restores the data before the quantization by the inverse - quantization processing and provides the restored data to an inverse - dct unit 163 . the inverse - dct unit 163 restores the pixel data before the dct processing by the inverse - dct processing of the inverse - quantized output and provides the restored pixel data to an adder 164 . here , the variable length decoder 161 implements the variable length decode to the motion vector of the input encoded data to be output therefrom . the switch 165 selects the terminal i at the intra - frame compression mode and provides &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; to the adder 164 , and at the inter - frame compression mode , it selects the terminal p and provides the motion guaranteed reference picture block data from memories 81 and 82 ( mentioned later ) to the adder 164 . the adder 164 restores the original picture data by adding the output from the inverse - dct unit 163 with the output from the switch 165 . the output from the adder 164 is applied to a subtracter 68 via a delay memory 67 of a noise reduction unit 66 . the subtracter 68 , to which the noise component is applied from a noise extractor 74 ( mentioned later ), cancels the noise component in the decoded picture data , and provides them to the memories 81 and 82 via the switch 80 . the contents of the memories 81 and 82 are output as the decoded picture data via the switch 83 . the blocking positions of the switches 81 and 82 are controlled based on the motion vector , and the stored decoded picture data are output via the switch 84 as the motion guaranteed reference picture block data . the switches 80 , 83 , and 84 are changed by connected with each other , when the write - in is implemented in one of the memories 81 and 82 , the read - out is implemented from the other one . the reference picture block data from the memories 81 and 82 are applied to the terminal p of the switch 165 , the subtracter 69 and the correlation calculator 70 via the switch 84 . in the embodiment , the noise reduction unit 66 comprised of the subtracters 68 and 69 , the correlation calculator 70 , the delay memories 67 and 73 , the correlation average calculator 71 , the coefficient calculator 72 and the noise extractor 74 . to the correlation calculator 70 the motion vector transmitted in conjunction with the encoded data is applied . the correlation calculator 70 calculates the correlation between the current frame block data and the reference picture block data from the motion vector and provides the correlation to the correlation average calculator 71 . in this embodiment , the correlation average calculator 71 memorizes not only the correlation of the block - of - interest of the current frame , but also the correlation calculated about the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest , and it calculates the average value of these correlations . the correlation average calculator 71 provides the average of the correlations to the coefficient calculator 72 . the coefficient calculator 72 generates the nr coefficient based on the average of some correlations and provides the nr coefficient to the noise extractor 74 . the current frame block data and the reference picture block data are also applied to the subtracter 69 . the subtracter 69 produces the difference between these two block data as the inter - frame non - correlation component , and then provides the inter - frame non - correlation component to the noise extractor 74 via the delay memory 73 . the delay memories 67 and 73 delay input data by about the calculation time of the correlation average calculator 71 . the noise extractor 74 , for instance , extracts the noise component by multiplying the inter - frame non - correlation component with the nr coefficient and provides the noise component to the subtracter 68 . the operation of the embodiment in such arrangement as mentioned above will now be explained . the encoded data are subjected to the variable length decode in the variable length decoder 161 . the output from the variable length decoder 161 is implemented inverse - quantization in the inverse - quantizer 162 , then implemented the inverse - dct processing in the inverse - dct unit 163 so as to restore the original pixel data . when the encoded data have been implemented the predictive encoding the output from the inverse - dct unit 163 is prediction error . in this case , the adder 164 adds the reference picture block data from the memories 81 and 82 , and the output from the inverse - dct unit 163 so as to restore the original picture . the decoded picture data from the adder 164 are applied to both the subtracter 69 in the noise reduction unit 66 and the correlation calculator 70 . both the subtracter 69 in the noise reduction unit 66 and the correlation calculator 70 are also applied the outputs from the memories 81 and 82 . the subtracter 69 produces the inter - frame non - correlation component by carrying out a subtraction between the reference picture block data from the memories 81 and 82 and the current frame block data , and then provides the inter - frame non - correlation component to the noise extractor 74 via the delay memory 73 . the correlation calculator 70 calculates the correlation between the reference picture block and the current frame block and provides the correlation to the correlation average calculator 71 . the correlation average calculator 71 memorizes not only the block - of - interest , but also the correlations of the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest , and it calculates the average value of these correlations . the average value is applied to the coefficient calculator 72 . in the coefficient calculator 72 , the noise coefficient based on the average value of the correlations is calculated and applied to the noise extractor 74 . in the noise extractor 74 , the noise component is extracted by multiplying the non - correlation component by the nr coefficient . the subtracter 68 subtracts the noise component from the input decoded picture data and provides the difference via the delay memory 67 . the output from the noise reduction unit 66 is memorized in the memories 81 and 82 via the switch 80 . the picture data stored in the memories 81 and 82 are output as the decoded picture data via the switch 83 . if the input encoded data is resulted from the intra - frame compression , the switch 165 applies &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; to the adder 164 . the adder 164 applies the output of the inverse - dct unit 163 to the noise reduction unit 66 as it is . other operations are the same as that in the case that the inter - frame compression encoded data are input . as described above , in this embodiment , the correlation average calculator 71 averages the correlation of the block - of - interest of current frame block and its reference picture block and those of the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest and their own reference picture blocks . the coefficient calculator 72 calculates the nr coefficient based on the average of these blocks . accordingly , it can be able to reduce the flickering of each block . here , in this embodiment , the correlation calculator 70 calculates the correlation between the reference picture block and the current frame block . however , by calculating these amount at the encoding time and transmitting them , it becomes possible to omit the calculation of the correlation at the decoder section . in this case , the correlation calculator 70 is not necessary . further , in the present embodiment , the noise reducing operations are recursively implemented by allocating the noise reduction apparatus in the decoding loop . however , it is obvious that the noise reduction apparatus may also be allocated outside the decoding loop . fig1 is a block diagram showing a noise reduction unit 91 in another type according to the present invention . in fig1 the same components as those shown in fig1 are assigned with the same marks . in the embodiment , the part that the noise reduction unit 91 is substituted for the noise reduction unit 32 is different from the embodiment in fig1 . in the noise reduction unit 91 , the parts that the coefficient calculators 92 and 93 are substituted for the coefficient calculator 36 as shown in fig1 and a mixer 94 is also provided , in different from the noise reduction unit 32 in fig1 . the motion detector 9 produces the correlation between the reference picture block and the current frame block to the correlation average calculator 35 . the correlation average calculator 35 produces the correlation of the block - of - interest of the current frame to the coefficient calculator 92 . further , it calculates the average of the correlations of the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest and applies it to the coefficient calculator 92 . here , the correlation average calculator 35 produces the correlation and the average value at the same timing . the coefficient calculator 92 calculates the nr coefficient based on the correlation between the block - of - interest of the current picture frame and its reference block and provides it to the mixer 94 . the coefficient calculator 93 calculates the nr coefficient based on the correlations between the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest and their own reference picture blocks and provides them to the mixer 94 . the mixer 94 selects one of the nr coefficients output from the coefficient calculators 92 and 93 or mixes them at a fixed rate , so as to provide the selected nr coefficient to the noise extractor 34 . the operation of the embodiment in such arrangement will now be explained . the motion detector 9 applies the correlation between the reference picture block and the current frame block to the correlation average calculator 35 . the correlation average calculator 35 memorizes the input correlation and provides the average of the correlation to the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest in the current frame to the coefficient calculator 93 . also , the correlation average calculator 35 provides the correlation to the block - of - interest in the current frame to the coefficient calculator 92 . the coefficient calculator 92 produces the nr coefficient based on the correlation to the block - of - interest , and the correlation calculator 93 produces the nr coefficient based on the average value of the correlation to the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest . the mixer 94 , for instance , selects one of the nr coefficients output from the coefficient calculators 92 and 93 and applies it to the noise extractor 34 . when it selects the output of the coefficient calculator 93 , it is possible to reduce the flickering of each block . however , contrary , it selects the output of the coefficient calculator 92 it is possible to obtain a proper noise reduction effect for each block . further , the mixer 94 mixes the outputs from the coefficient calculators 92 and 93 at the proper ratio and applies it to the noise extractor 34 , so as to obtain the desirable noise reduction characteristics . as described above , in this embodiment , it can obtain the same effect as that shown in fig1 and also it can obtain the noise reduction effect which is desired by viewer . fig1 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of this invention . in fig1 , the same components as those shown in fig1 are assigned with the same marks , and the explanation of them will be omitted . in this embodiment , a part that the noise reduction unit 98 adopting a coefficient calculator 97 substituting for the coefficient calculator 92 is defined is different from the embodiment shown in fig1 . the subtracter 37 ( see fig1 ) produces the inter - frame non - correlation component by comparing the reference picture data and the current frame picture data from the memories 2 and 8 on pixel by pixel basis . the subtracter 37 provides the non - correlation component not only to the noise extractor 34 but also to the coefficient calculator 97 . the coefficient calculator 97 calculates the nr coefficient based on the average value of the single pixel non - correlation component or the plural pixels non - correlation component , so as to provide the nr coefficient to the mixer 94 . the mixer 94 provides one of the nr coefficients from the coefficient calculators 93 and 97 or the nr coefficient which is mixed at the predetermined ratio to the noise extractor 34 . the operation of the embodiment in such arrangement will now be explained . the motion detector 9 provides the correlation of the block - of - interest of the current frame and its reference picture block to the correlation average calculator 35 . the correlation average calculator 35 stores therein the correlation of the block - of - interest , and calculates the average of the correlations of the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest , so as to provide the average value to the coefficient calculator 93 . the coefficient calculator 93 calculates the nr coefficient based on the average value of the input plural correlations to be output therefrom . the subtracter 37 detects the non - correlation components between the reference picture data and the current frame picture data on each pixel , and provides the non - correlation components to the coefficient calculator 97 . fig1 illustrates the correlation of each pixel . the average of a difference amount or some difference amounts between the predetermined pixel ( slanting lines area ) of the block - of - interest 99 in the current frame and the pixel ( slanting lines area ) of the corresponding block 100 in the reference frame is applied to the coefficient calculator 97 as the correlation . the coefficient calculator 97 calculates the nr coefficient based on the average value of the signal pixel non - correlation component or the plural pixels non - correlation component . the mixer 94 provides , for instance , one of the nr coefficient from the coefficient calculators 93 and 97 to the noise extractor 34 . other operations are the same as those shown in fig1 . further , this embodiment is also used for the noise elimination of the chrominance signal . for instance , it is assumed that the chrominance signal and the luminance signal are input via the input terminal 1 by being time - multiplexed with each other , and each unit is possible to carry out the time - multiplexing for the luminance signal and the chrominance signal . in this case , the motion detector 9 , as the same as the explanation mentioned above , applies the correlation between the luminance signal of the reference picture block and that of the block - of - interest in the current frame to the correlation average calculator 35 . the subtracter 37 produces the non - correlation components between the current frame chrominance signal and the reference picture chrominance signal on each pixel , and provides the non - correlation components to the coefficient calculator 97 when the chrominance signal is input . the coefficient calculator 97 calculates the nr coefficient based on the average value of the chrominance signal non - correlation component . here , the subtracter 37 provides the non - correlation component about the chrominance to the coefficient calculator 97 when the chrominance signal is input . the mixer 94 applies the nr coefficient based on the outputs from the coefficient calculators 92 , 93 , and 97 to the noise extractor 34 at the time of the noise eliminating to the chrominance signal . thus , the noise extractor 34 time - diffusion extracts the noise component contained in the luminance signal and that contained in the chrominance signal using the nr coefficients which are corresponding each luminance signal input time and the chrominance signal input time . the subtracter 33 cancels the noise component contained in the luminance signal from the input luminance signal at the time of the luminance signal processing , and also cancels the noise component contained in the chrominance signal from the input chrominance signal at the time of the chrominance signal processing , and provides the noise reduced signals therefrom . accordingly , in this embodiment , the same effect as that shown in figure is obtained , and further , it can also obtain the desired noise reduction effect according to the mixing ratio of the mixer 94 . further , it an control the elimination of the noise component on the pixel - by - pixel . as a result , it is able to implement precise control than the embodiment shown in fig1 . it cancels not only the noise of the luminance signal but also the noise of the chrominance signal . and , it can omit the chrominance motion vector detection device in the noise elimination of the chrominance signal . fig1 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 , the same components as those shown in fig1 and 12 are assigned with the same marks , and the explanations of them will be omitted . the embodiment of fig1 is different from those as shown in fig1 and 12 in that it comprises a noise reduction unit 101 having the coefficient calculators 92 , 93 , and 97 and the mixer 94 in place of the coefficient calculator 36 shown in fig1 . the mixer 94 provides one of the nr coefficients output from the coefficient calculators 92 , 93 , and 97 or the nr coefficient which are obtained by mixing two of them at the predetermined ratio to the noise extractor 34 . in the embodiment in such arrangement , to the mixer 94 , the nr coefficient based on the correlation between the reference picture block and the block - of - interest of the current frame , the nr coefficient based on the correlations between the reference picture block and the blocks on the periphery of the block - of - interest of the current frame , and the nr coefficient based on the non - correlation component on pixel - by - pixel between the reference picture data and the current frame picture data are applied . the mixer 94 provides , for instance , a nr coefficient which is obtained by mixing these nr coefficients mentioned above at the predetermined ratio to the noise extractor 34 . it is able to obtain the desirable noise reduction characteristics by defining the mixing ratio of the mixer 94 . in this embodiment also , the luminance signal and the chrominance signal are input via the input terminal 1 by being time - multiplexed with each other . thus the subtracter 37 produces the non - correlation components of each pixel between the current frame chrominance signal and the reference picture chrominance signal and provides the non - correlation components to the coefficient calculator 97 . as a result , it is able to calculate the nr coefficient of the chrominance signal . accordingly , in this embodiment , it can also reduce the noise of the chrominance signal . as described above , in this embodiment , the same effects as those shown in fig1 and 12 are also obtained . in each embodiment , the noise reduction unit is taking the recursive arrangement . however , it is obvious that it can take either recursive or non - recursive arrangement . as described above , not only the present invention can provide an extremely preferable noise reduction apparatus which has the enough noise reduction effect , but also the present invention has the effect to prevent the visible flickering in each block . while there have been illustrated and described what are at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the present invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teaching of the present invention without departing from the central scope thereof . therefor , it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention , but that the present invention includes all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims . the foregoing description and the drawings are regarded by the applicant as including a variety of individually inventive concepts , some of which may lie partially or wholly outside the scope of some or all of the following claims . the fact that the applicant has chosen at the time of filing of the present application to restrict the claimed scope of protection in accordance with the following claims is not to be taken as a disclaimer or alternative inventive concepts that are included in the contents of the application and could be defined by claims differing in scope from the following claims , which different claims may be adopted subsequently during prosecution , for example , for the purposes of a divisional application . | 7 |
in the following description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration , specific embodiments which may be practiced . these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural , logical and mechanical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . the following description of example embodiments is , therefore , not to be taken in a limited sense , and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims . fig1 shows a breakboard snowboard 100 having a nose 102 , a tail 104 , a top 105 , a base 106 a running length 107 , a hip width 108 , a waist width 108 a , a sidecut 110 , a side 112 , a primary gliding surface 114 , a nose shovel 116 , a tail shovel 118 , binding mounting 120 , and an edge 124 . the breakboard snowboard ( or “ board ”) 100 includes a running length 107 extending between the nose 102 and tail 104 . the nose 102 and tail 104 may have a “ shovel ” shape where the breakboard snowboard 100 end curves upwardly away from the gliding surface 114 , generally avoiding contact with the snow when riding on smooth terrain . the nose 102 and / or tail 104 provide an important function when gliding over uneven , curved or bumpy surfaces , as well as when riding in deep snow or powder . when gliding on such surfaces , the nose 102 and / or tail 104 can prevent an end from digging into or catching on a curve or bump , and instead allow the breakboard snowboard 100 to glide up a curve or over a bump . when riding in deep snow , the leading end of the breakboard snowboard 100 ( which could be the nose 102 or tail 104 ) is upturned and contacts the snow so that the board 100 does not dive under the snow surface . put another way , the upturned nose 102 or tail 104 forces snow under the board 100 onto the gliding surface 114 and keeps the board 100 from sinking excessively into the snow . according to one embodiment of the inventive subject matter , the board 100 is provided with a nose 102 and a tail 104 which have a respective nose shovel 116 and tail shovel 118 generally defined by the rise of the nose 102 or tail 104 above the gliding surface 114 ( or more specifically , the end of the gliding surface 114 nearest the nose 102 or tail 104 ). one of the nose shovel 116 and the tail shovel 118 is of greater height than the other . according to one embodiment of the inventive subject matter , the nose 102 is provided with a nose shovel 116 which has a greater rise above the gliding surface 114 than the rise of the tail shovel 118 above the gliding surface 114 . the benefits of having nose 102 and the tail 104 with differing nose shovel 116 and tail shovel 118 is described with respect to fig1 a . fig1 a includes two boards 100 a and 100 b . these boards are generally used as such , in pairs , with one board for each foot of the rider , in a configuration with the tail 104 a of the front board 100 a facing the nose 102 b of the rear board 100 b . by designing the boards 100 a , 100 b with a larger nose shovel than tail shovel , a benefit is provided wherein the rear board 100 b is able to travel closer to the front board 100 a before contacting . because the end of the nose 102 b of the rear board 100 b is elevated above the end of the tail 104 a of the front board 100 a , as the rear board 100 b approaches the front board 100 a it is able to overlap rather than crashing edges together . additionally , when the boards 100 a , 100 b overlap as such , any succeeding collision between the boards 100 a , 100 b would be between the base of nose 102 b the rear board 100 b and the edge of the tail 104 a of the front board 100 a . this type of collision will generally result in a sliding action , allowing the rear board 100 b to ride up onto the top of the edge of the tail 104 a of the front board 100 a . this type of interaction between the boards 100 a , 100 b is less likely to cause damage to the boards 100 a , 100 b or otherwise affect the rider in a way that would impact his or her riding experience . boards with equal height nose and tail shovels are more likely to collide edge - to - edge . these types of boards are generally configured with a circumferential metal edge . a collision between boards of equal nose and tail shovel heights would likely cause a metal - to - metal impact which has the potential to do damage to the board , and also disrupt movement one or both of the boards in a way detrimental to the riding experience . it can be advantageous for a rider to be able to bring the front board 100 a and the rear board 100 b close to each other because the rider &# 39 ; s stance is based on the separation between the boards 100 a , 100 b . while riding , a rider may want to be able to adjust stance on the fly in order to adapt to changing terrain . additionally , outside of the rider &# 39 ; s control , the terrain may cause a rider to change stance and it is advantageous for the boards to be configured in such a way to be able to smoothly adapt to such circumstances without a hard collision ( such as a metal - to - metal impact ). fig2 shows a board 200 which may be a breakboard snowboard having a minor axis 202 and a major axis 204 , a side edge 206 , a primary base 208 and a concave base 210 . according to embodiments of the inventive subject matter , the board 200 has a lateral concavity in its base shape along the major axis 204 such that any line along the surface of the base of the board 200 which is substantially parallel with the major axis 204 will be substantially straight . any line along the surface of the base of the board 200 which is substantially parallel with the minor axis 202 will have a curvature . when set on a substantially flat surface , the concave base 210 will rise up above the surface plane away from the primary base 208 which will contact the surface . assuming symmetry about the major axis 204 , the concave base 210 will rise from the primary base 208 to a certain height and return to the primary base 208 on the opposite of the major axis 204 . this symmetry is not essential to the inventive subject matter — the invention will be operable where the concave base 210 curvature is not the same on either side of the major axis 204 . additionally , according to other embodiments of the inventive subject matter , the rise and fall of the concavity of the concave base 210 may vary along the major axis 204 . for example , the concavity near the tip and / or tail of the board 200 may be less dramatic than the concavity near the center of the board where the major axis 204 intersects the minor axis 202 . according to other examples , the concavity near the tip and / or tail of the board 200 may be more dramatic than the concavity near the center of the board where the major axis 204 intersects the minor axis 202 . one of the purposes of such base concavity along the major axis 204 is to allow the board to better “ grab ” onto a terrain park element such as a rail or box edge . the concavity allows the board to better ride on such an element along its center line ( the major axis 204 )— the curvature helps force the board to slide in such a manner . riding along the center line ( major axis 204 ) helps the rider better balance himself or herself on the board ( s ). another purpose of the of the base convacity is to provide some cushion and / or “ snap ” to the board so that some energy can be absorbed by the board as it flattens when a rider lands after riding off a jump or other terrain element . other purposes are considered . according to another aspect of the inventive subject matter , the side edge 206 of the board 200 may be elevated , sloped up from or curved upwards from the primary base 208 . this vertical deviation in the side edge 202 from the plane of the primary base 208 helps allow the edge of the board 200 to ride above the gliding surface . since the edge of a gliding board may be sharp ( in a snowboard or breakboard snowboard for example ), it may be beneficial to have the side edge 206 raised to avoid catching the edge on the gliding surface . according to various embodiments , the board 200 may be a traditional snowboard or other gliding board . fig3 shows a board 300 having a first end 306 , a second end 308 , an oblique portion 302 , and an acute portion 304 . the first end 306 ( or , alternatively , the second end 308 ) may simply have a traditional curved shape according to some embodiments . according to this example embodiment of the inventive subject matter , at least one of the first end 306 and the second end 308 will have a substantially parallelogram - like shape with an oblique portion 302 and an acute portion 304 . the oblique portion 302 may generally be defined by the substantially oblique angle created by the intersection of a side edge and board end ( tip or tail ). similarly , the acute portion 304 may be defined by the substantially acute angle created by the intersection of the other side edge and board end ( tim or tail ). two boards 300 may be used in conjunction as typical for breakboard snowboards with one board attached to each foot of the rider . a first board 300 a and a second board 300 b may used in a configuration where the oblique portion 302 of the first board 300 a is near the acute portion 304 of the second board 300 b and the acute portion 304 of the first board 300 a is near the oblique portion 302 of the second board 300 b . this configuration allows the rider additional stance options , such as a reduction in the lateral distance between feet ( as measured along a board major axis or similar parallel line ). the rider may simply move the second board 300 b forward and toward the first board 300 a . the parallellogram - like shape of the adjacent edges of the board allows this movement to take place without the boards 300 a , 300 b intersecting each other . fig4 shows a board 400 having a nose 402 and a tail 404 , a concave portion 406 and one or more convex portions 408 a , 408 b . according to an embodiment of the inventive subject matter , the board 400 will have a shape ( when viewed along a major axis cross - section ) which is somewhat undulating . the undulating characteristic may be defined by a convex portion 408 a extending from the nose 402 and curving into a concave portion 406 which curves into a further convex portion 408 b which extends from the tail 404 . according to other embodiments of the invention , only one convex portion 408 a , 408 b may be present , allowing the concave portion 406 to extend into the nose 402 or alternatively into the tail 404 . according to yet another embodiment of the invention , the undulating characteristic may only exist in the base of the board , while the top surface remains substantially planar ( not including the nose 402 and tail 404 ). the concave portion 406 , according to some embodiments , may be approximately the width of a typical snowboard binding , when measured along the major axis of the board 400 . a portion of the concave portion may have a substantially planar shape ( rather than being continuously curved ) in order to provide a flat mounting surface for a binding . according to another embodiment , the shape of the convex portions 408 a , 408 b or the concave portion 406 may be defined by a substantially curved surface , or alternatively by flat an angled surfaces . fig5 shows a board 500 having a nose 502 and a tail 504 and side edges 506 extending along the perimeter of the board 200 between the nose 502 and tail 504 . according to an embodiment of the inventive subject matter , the side edges 506 may define other than straight lines . the side edges 506 may be characterized by an undulating shape whereby the side edges 506 of the board 500 make concave and convex shapes when viewed top - down as shown . side edges 506 allow for better grip on icy and hard packed snow conditions , giving the board 500 a serrated cutting edge 506 that can “ bite ” into the terrain . in addition the concave and convex shapes increase the overall length of the side edges 506 , improving the traction of the board while carving . fig6 shows a board 600 having a nose 602 and a tail 604 and core material 606 . according to various embodiments of the inventive subject matter , the core material 606 may be comprised of several individual strips . the core material 606 may be all individual and separate strips of material with no connection between each section , or alternatively , there may be connecting points in order to adjust flexibility or make manufacturing simpler . one advantage of a core composition of this sort is that the spaces or discontinuity between the pieces of core material 606 allow the board 600 to flex more easily in the direction perpendicular to the long axis of the core material 606 segments . for example , where the core material 606 segments generally run from nose 602 to tail 604 , the board 600 is more apt to flex from side edge to side edge ( along the minor axis of the board 600 ). in another embodiment , the core material 606 segments may generally run perpendicular to the major axis of the board 600 ( e . g . from side edge to side edge between the nose 602 and tail 604 ). this arrangement will generally allow for increased flexibility along the major axis of the board between the nose 602 and tail 604 . combinations of these described embodiments , splitting the core material 606 in various directions in order to achieve desired flex along any axis of the board are considered and are part of the inventive subject matter . the core material 606 need not be full length strips of material , but rather may be sections of material patterned withing the board with separations or gaps placed to provide additional flexibility . according to yet another aspect of the inventive subject matter , the core material 606 need not be fully separated between segments , rather , variations in thickness ( or stacking of core material ) may be used to adjust flexibility in a similar fashion that one would use separations in the core material 606 . fig7 shows a board 700 having a nose 702 and tail 704 , and core sections 706 , 708 , 710 . similar to the embodiments of fig6 , the board 700 includes segmented / shaped core material in order to adjust or improve flexibility . according to this embodiment of the inventive subject matter , multiple core sections are provided , a first major axis segment 706 and a second major axis segment 708 are positioned within the board 700 running generally from nose 702 to tail 704 . a minor axis segment 710 is provided , running generally from side - edge to side - edge ( along a minor axis ) connecting the first major axis segment 706 and the second major axis segment 708 . additional major axis segments and minor axis segments may be added to adjust flex characteristics of the board 700 . fig8 shows a board 800 having a nose 802 and a tail 804 . according to various embodiments of the inventive subject matter , the board 800 is provided with varying core thicknesses . a first lateral core segment 806 is provided , running from nose 802 to tail 804 generally adjacent a one side - edge . a second lateral core segment 808 is provided , running from nose 802 to tail 804 generally adjacent to the other side - edge . a center core segment 810 is provided running from nose 802 to tail 804 generally between the first and second lateral core segments 806 , 808 . according to various embodiments , the center core segment 810 may be provided with a thickness different from the first lateral core segment 806 and the second lateral core segment 808 . in some embodiments , the center core segment 810 is thicker and in others it is thinner than the lateral core segments 806 , 808 . according to various other embodiments , the described core segments 806 , 808 , 810 may be provided running generally perpendicular to the major axis of the board 700 . in such an embodiment , a first core segment may be adjacent to the nose 802 , a second core segment may be adjacent to the tail 804 and a third core segment may be positioned between the first and second core segments . fig9 shows a board 900 having a nose 902 and a tail 904 . according to various embodiments of the inventive subject matter , the board 900 includes an ordinary board section 904 and a riser section 906 . both the ordinary board section 904 and the riser section 906 may be disposed upon a common base material and common layer of fiber / resin . the ordinary board section 904 and the riser section 906 may share a first core layer , and the riser section 906 may comprise an additional or thicker core layer allowing it to rise above the ordinary board section 904 . in this embodiment , one or more layers may substantially continuously cover the ordinary board section 904 and the riser section 906 . the additional layers may include fiber , resin , topcoat , lacquer coat , or other layers . according to other embodiments the riser section 906 may be a separate layer or series of layers set on / above the ordinary board section 904 . the riser section 906 may provide a relatively flat surface for mounting a binding , or the surface may have a contour or wedge shape in any particular direction . riser section 906 raises the binding and boot from the base of the board , reducing the chance of heel and toe drag when carving . fig1 shows a board 1000 having a nose 1002 a tail 1004 , a top surface 1006 and a base surface 1008 . according to various embodiments of the inventive subject matter , the base surface 1008 may be comprised of an uneven surface . the vase surface 1008 may include a series of elevated surfaces 1010 and valley surfaces 1012 which may alternate from side edge to side edge . the elevated surfaces 1010 and the valley surfaces 1012 may be arranged generally in parallel with the major axis of the board 1000 , stretching from the nose 1002 to the tail 1004 . the transition between elevated surfaces 1010 and valley surfaces 1012 may be abrupt or gradual . the number of elevated surfaces 1010 and valley surfaces 1012 may be as few as one each to as many as possible to fit on the board given manufacturing constraints . additionally , the number of elevated surfaces 1010 need not be equal to the number of valley surfaces 1012 , nor do the width of the elevated surfaces 1010 need to be equal or similar to the width of the valley surfaces 1012 . the elevated surfaces 1010 may have a differing surface shape ( concave , convex , pointed , flat and so on ) than the valley surface 1012 . the addition of these elevated surfaces 1010 and valley surfaces 1012 give the board greater directional control with little effort by the operator . this also aids in stiffening the board 1000 down the length of the board . fig1 shows a board 1100 having a nose 1102 and tail 1104 , a nose tip 1108 and a tail depression 1108 . according to various embodiments of the inventive subject matter , when two boards 1100 are used in conjunction with the rider feet facing approximately perpendicular to the direction of gliding ( i . e . the direction generally along the line created by the tail 1104 and nose 1102 ), the nose 1102 of a rear board may be able to cross the plane of the tail 1104 of the front board . this action happens when the nose tip 1108 of the rear board is able to maneuver into the tail depression 1108 of the front board . the tail depression 1108 may be shaped in a way to engage with the nose tip 1108 . this construction and orientation allows for the two boards , when used together to move closer together , allowing the rider to have more versatility in their stance . according to other embodiments of the inventive subject matter , the tail 1104 of the board 1100 may have a shovel which rises and flattens ( or creates a suitable engagement surface ). a first board 1100 a and a second board 1100 b may be brought together tail - to - tail and an engagement mechanism 1110 may be used to connect the boards 1100 a , 1100 b . the connection between the boards 1100 a , 1100 b may be semi - permanent , temporary or momentary according to various embodiments . the rider may utilize the engagement mechanism 1110 when ready to glide , and disengage when finished or walking ( or on a lift for example ). according to another alternative , the rider may utilize ( engage or disengage ) the engagement mechanism on the fly while riding . the engagement mechanism may comprise a mechanical latch , one or more magnets , or other mechanism to secure two boards to each other . according to various other embodiments , the engagement mechanism 1110 may not be an integral part of the first board 1100 a or the second board 1100 b , but may rather be an additional element added to the boards . it should be noted that the nose tip 1108 and / or the tail depression 1106 are not necessary for the implementation of the embodiments whereby the boards 1100 a , 1100 b are connected via an engagement mechanism 1110 . the boards described herein may be constructed in a number of ways , typical construction types are described below , although others are considered as well . a cap - type snowboard is typically constructed from several components including a core , e . g ., made of wood , top and bottom reinforcing layers that sandwich the core , a top cosmetic layer and a bottom gliding surface , or base . the top reinforcing layer typically overlaps the side edges of the core to protect the core from the environment and provide structural support to the board . since the core in a cap - type board typically extends into the nose and tail ends of the snowboard , tapering the core at the nose end results in a board having a tapered nose and improved float . another construction type of snowboard is the sidewall - type board ( also known as sandwich construction ). similar to a cap board , sidewall boards typically have a core , top and bottom reinforcing layers , a top cosmetic layer and a bottom gliding surface . however , in contrast to cap boards , the top reinforcing layer does not cover the side edges of the core . instead , a sidewall support member is positioned between the top and bottom reinforcing layers ( and / or a metal edge at the bottom of the board ). the sidewall is bonded to the top and bottom layers to protect the interior of the board , including the core , from the environment . the core in sidewall boards does not normally extend into the nose and tail ends of the board . instead , the core terminates near the transitions at the nose and tail , and a spacer made from a flat sheet material is positioned between the top and bottom reinforcing layers in the nose and tail . the spacer typically has a constant thickness and forms a significant portion of the thickness of the nose and tail ends . thus , prior sidewall - type boards have not been provided with a tapered nose or other features to improve the float of the board . to improve on the ability of a board to force a proper amount of snow under the board and keep the rider at a suitable position relative to the surface of snow , a board may have a core that has a tapered or substantially reduced thickness at the nose ( or tail ). this tapered thickness increases in flexibility from the transition or contact area toward the tip of the nose . this increased flexibility allows the nose to flex upward to a varying degree along the nose when contacted by snow , thereby increasing the frontal area on the nose and the amount of lift provided to the board . according to other embodiments , the core material may be provided with a similar material as used on the base of a board . this will result in a board that has increased flexibility due to the absence of a rigid core material . other semi - rigid or flexibile core materials may be considered as well with varying thickness / taper to increase or decrease flexibility in different areas or directions on the board . the inventive subject matter describes a device gliding on a surface , the device providing improved mobility for the rider . for example , by providing separate boards to be attached to each foot of a rider for riding sideways ( approximately perpendicular to the facing of the rider &# 39 ; s feet ), and the boards having tips and tails of differing heights , the riding experience can be substantially improved . in this example , the inventive subject matter allows the rider to have improved mobility by allowing the front and rear board to slide closer to each other and also decrease the effects of a collision between the boards . embodiments of the system for gliding on a surface with improved mobility are disclosed . one skilled in the art will appreciate that the present teachings can be practiced with embodiments other than just those disclosed . the disclosed embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation . various components are presented for the purpose of describing example embodiments . just because a component is described with respect to an example embodiment does not require that it is a necessary component with respect to the inventive subject matter . the abstract is provided to comply with 37 c . f . r . § 1 . 72 ( b ) to 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 scope or meaning of the claims . | 0 |
fig1 and 7 show plan view and perspective view of one embodiment of a heat generating sheet , containing flow channels 5 in a sheet core 1 consisting principally of an elastomeric material . fuel - air vapor is pumped from a fuel chamber 20 , shown in fig4 into flow channels 5 , within sheet core 1 , containing elongated catalytic heat elements 2 . the pumping action is provided by a miniature electric air pump 6 , shown in fig2 which is powered by a dry cell battery 25 . a possible alternative to using dry cell battery 25 , is to employ direct electrolytic oxidation of a fuel 22 , using a device known as a fuel cell . for instance , if the fuel in fuel chamber 20 is a primary alcohol , such as methanol , the present invention might use a portion of it to operate a miniature fuel cell structure and thus derive a small amount of electrical power ( e . g . 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 watt ) to drive air pump 6 . in this manner , all the energy required to operate this invention could be obtained from a single source of renewable energy . for certain applications , this would be both a cost effective and practical way to eliminate the need for batteries . the heat generating process begins by closing pump switch 26 , which routes current from battery 25 into electric air pump 6 , starting the flow of air . ambient air enters an input port 7 and exits through an output port 8 , which is connected by a plastic tube to a regulator interface shown in fig3 . at the regulator interface , the air stream is divided between a fuel valve 9 and a dilution valve 11 . valve 9 controls the rate of flow of air passing through a conduit located in the interface body 13 and then through a quick - connect seal 45 into a fuel chamber inlet tube 14 . fuel chamber inlet tube 14 carries the air stream directly into a fuel vapor extraction unit 23 which is immersed in liquid fuel 22 shown in fig5 . the fuel chamber is an isolated subsection of fuel module 28 which contains both fuel chamber 20 and a scrubber cell 21 . a partly cut - away perspective view of the fuel vapor extraction unit 23 is shown in fig6 . it consists of a vapor extractor base 23b with a serpentine shaped groove 23c formed into its face . vapor extractor base 23b can be made from any material compatible with the fuel . for a methanol based liquid fuel , a material such as high density polyethylene has been found suitable . a micro - porous membrane 23a is placed over the vapor extractor base 23b , covering but not filling the serpentine shaped groove 23c , and sealed to the base by use of an adhesive or by other means such as heat sealing . the result is an assembly containing a serpentine passage through which gasses are allowed to move unimpeded . air flowing into vapor extraction unit 23 remains separate from the liquid phase fuel 22 , because the membrane is chosen such that capillary forces prevent liquid fuel 22 from entering serpentine groove 23c via the pores of membrane 23a . the micro - porous membrane can be made from expanded ptfe . an internodal distances of 20 microns or less and a thickness of 1 millimeter has been found to work satisfactory . other materials , for example , polyethylene , can also be used as long as the membrane is sufficiently hydrophobic and the pore size sufficiently small . if methanol is chosen as liquid fuel 22 , a small amount of de - ionized water must be added to the methanol in order to prevent the methanol from wetting the membrane and seeping into serpentine shaped groove 23c . the complete miscibility of water in methanol , along with its highly polar nature , increases the surface tension of the fuel so that only the vapor phase of the fuel can enter the capillary - like internodal spaces of membrane 23a . it has been found that a 10 % to 15 % by volume addition of water is sufficient to insure separation of the gas and liquid phases . the use of other additives to raise the overall surface tension of the fuel should also work well . this method of vapor extraction has advantages over direct bubbling of air through the fuel . one advantage is its immunity to accidental leakage and back flow problems when the fuel module is inverted or placed in unusual attitudes . this should also be true for weightless or micro - gravity conditions . the technique of bubbling air directly through the fuel requires more complex design to avoid this problem and has the additional drawback of generating somewhat higher back pressure do to the hydraulic head of the liquid fuel . upon passing through vapor extraction unit 23 , the air stream becomes saturated with fuel vapor and exits a fuel chamber outlet tube 15 , where it is directed back to interface body 13 and mixed with air from dilution valve 11 . interface body 13 , is designed to couple and de - couple with fuel module 28 . in this manner , replacement fuel modules may be easily and quickly removed and re - inserted by means of interface body quick - connect couplings 45 . the settings for fuel valve 9 and dilution valve 11 determine the fuel / air ratio of the gas stream entering heat sheet inlet tube 3 . a fuel - air control knob 10 , mechanically links valve 9 to valve 11 such that rotating control knob 10 increases or decreases the fuel / air ratio . in this manner the thermal power generated in the heat sheet may be selected and controlled by the user . alternatively , the air pump flow rate can be adjusted by controlling the electric current into the motor that drives air pump 6 and setting the fuel / air ratio at predetermined fixed value . a combination of both methods ( i . e . fuel - to - air ratio and total flow rate control ) is most desirable since this would provide the widest range of operating conditions . in this way , it is possible to insure catalytic heat element 2 operates along the most desirable portions of the power curve . this is shown as example only , without implying limitation , in fig1 , labeled as curves c1 and c2 . these curves , described in detail below , form the upper boundary of the operational regime where condensed water vapor effects are prominent . different curves will result for each heat sheet design and are calculated by determining the channel wall temperature , under a given set of flow and power conditions , and the humidity of the flow stream due to the rate of production of the h 2 o reaction product . upon entering the heat sheet , the fuel - air flow stream is directed to a plurality of flow channels 5 containing elongated heat element 2 , where the fuel reacts with oxygen in the presence of a catalytic material to generate heat by flameless combustion . sheet core 1 of the heat sheet is sandwiched between a flexible upper sheet 30 and a lower sheet 29 that are substantially thinner than the sheet core . the purpose of the bottom sheet includes but is not limited to physical support for sheet core 1 . for instance , if the channels in the sheet core are formed by the method of embossing or molding , so that the thinnest portion of the sheet core ( occurring in the channel sections as shown in fig7 ) is sufficient to prevent fuel vapor from diffusing out to the environment during operation of the heat sheet and the physical integrity of the heat sheet is not compromised , then the bottom sheet may be considered optional . bottom sheet 29 can also be used to help spread the heat across the surface , as for instance by using a thermally conducting polymer or metal foil , or it may be added solely to adjust the overall mechanical rigidity of the whole heat sheet structure . alternatively , if sheet core 1 is constructed of individual die - cut pieces , bottom sheet 29 acts as a substrate upon which the die - cut pieces are bonded to form an integral single unit with flow channels . in this case , bottom sheet 29 actually forms the bottom of the channel . the top sheet is put in place after the catalytic heat elements are positioned and secured within the flow channels . its function includes , but is not limited to , containment of the fuel - air flow within the flow channels and must therefore also be impermeable to fuel vapor . in any case , the choice of materials for the top and bottom sheets is dependent upon the sheet core material , bonding technique , fuel vapor compatibility , overall mechanical properties and the peak operating temperature desired of the heat elements . one such embodiment of a heat sheet with dimensions , which are given by way of example and not limitation , consists of : a sheet core of rtv polyurethane 15 cm × 10 cm × 0 . 3 cm with molded channels , no bottom sheet 29 , and a top sheet b of 0 . 127 millimeter thick mylar that is aluminized on one side . heat elements 2 , are 12 cm long and 0 . 18 cm in diameter , constructed as shown in fig8 and fig9 . each heat element has a micro - porous ptfe outer - jacket 31 , purchased from international polymer engineering , with an internodal distance of less than 20 microns , a 1 mm inner diameter and 1 . 8 mm outer diameter surrounding a catalytic core 32 . the micro - porous membrane allows the fuel vapor to reach the catalyst and the reaction products to escape but prevents condensed water vapor in the flow channels from contacting the catalyst . the catalytic core composition , delineated in fig9 consists of an aluminum wire 35 with a clear anodized surface 34 and a reaction promoting catalyst outercoat 33 . the catalyst consists of 50 micrometer diameter gamma - alumina particles coated with about 40 % by weight platinum . ( gamma - alumina , coated with between 20 % to 60 % by weight platinum , will auto - ignite methanol vapor at ambient temperatures lower than 40 ° f . and in relative humidity levels near 100 %). the particles are attached by using a saturated aluminum nitrate and water solution formed into a slurry with the platinized alumina particles and painted onto the surface of the wire with a brush . the wire is baked at 450 ° c . for 2 hours . u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 580 , 806 , 2 , 742 , 437 and 2 , 814 , 599 describe details useful for producing a satisfactory composition of active platinum coated particles and for attaching said particles to a surface . aluminum wire 35 provides a high degree of axial thermal conductivity to heat element 2 and contributes substantially to the apparent uniformity of the flameless combustion process along the axis of the heat element . the high axial thermal conductivity further provides for a wide operating regime with a relatively small region of combustion zone contraction as shown in fig1 a . in contrast , fig1 shows a heat element construction with a catalytic core 32 consisting of minute particles ( e . g . 50 micron to 250 micron average size ) of gamma - alumina coated with 20 % to 60 % by weight platinum but without a central metal wire . this structure has significantly less axial thermal conductivity than the one shown in fig9 . fig1 b demonstrates the substantial restriction in operational performance that results . the significantly lower axial thermal conductivity value results in a substantially larger region occupied by combustion zone contraction . the combustion zone contraction boundary defines a state where the temperature at the center of the heat element just starts to equal the temperature of the heat element at the fuel - air entrance . it is arbitrarily chosen to represent the beginning of an asymmetry in the temperature profile , along the axis of the heat element , that progresses gradually toward a condition where the majority of the combustion process is occurring in a small region at the fuel - air entrance . in fig1 a and 14b , the asymmetry in the temperature profile becomes more pronounced for operating conditions going into and farther away from the upper boundary of the combustion zone contraction regime . fig1 c illustrates a typical result . the primary difficulty of operating in this region results from the high power density due to localized combustion , whereby one obtains a high temperature in a small area rather than a low temperature over a large area , as desired . to avoid operating in the combustion zone contraction regime with this type of heat element construction , it is necessary to increase flow rates and reduce the fuel / air ratio significantly , thus resulting in inefficient operation ( e . g . greater air pump power requirements , size and weight ). a heat element constructed like that of fig1 can be made to perform similar to the heat element of fig9 by attaching a high thermal conductivity strip of material , running the length of the element , to the micro - porous outer - jacket 31 , as discussed in &# 34 ; theory of heat element operation &# 34 ; below . it is preferred that the material be flexible and pliant , for instance , the use of miniature metallic - link structures , such as used in the making of very fine jewelry chains , has been found effective when attached at intervals to the outer - jacket 31 , using epoxy . the resulting heat element is very light weight , and flexible while retaining the high average axial conductivity desired to avoid combustion zone contraction . the heat elements need not have a straight geometry . for instance , the heat elements may be curved into a serpentine shape , or some other shape , in order to alter the manner in which thermal energy flows across the heat sheet . this is practical because the catalytic heat elements may be constructed with non - rigid materials when operated at the relatively low temperatures encountered in this invention . in one embodiment , the heat elements are placed into each of three parallel flow channels as shown in fig7 and secured by a drop of epoxy at each end of the heat element . the aluminized side of the mylar top sheet is bonded to sheet core 1 by applying a thin coating of uncured rtv polyurethane to the top surfaces of the sheet core followed by setting top sheet 30 onto the surface with subsequent curing . the aluminum film on the mylar sheet reduces the fuel vapor permeability to insignificant levels while spreading the heat produced and reflecting the thermal radiation back into flow channels 5 and sheet core 1 . this material combination has been found to work well with heat elements operating continuously at temperatures as high as 250 ° f . in other embodiments , different material combinations are possible that will allow continuous heat element temperatures above 250 ° f . ( e . g . 300 ° f . to 400 ° f .). for instance , high temperature polymeric materials such as , silicone rtv from dow or closed cell silicone foam sheet from rogers corporation , can be used while still maintaining a pliant and flexible physical character of the heat sheet . in addition , the use of closed cell foam as a sheet core material offers significant weight reduction over non - foamed elastomer counter parts . the total number of separate flow channels , with heat elements , contained in a heat sheet , is limited only by the air pump flow capacity and the fuel module capacity to supply saturated fuel vapor . a small flow channel cross - sectional area is preferred since it causes the flow velocity within the channel to be relatively high even though the total volume rate of flow may be relatively low . a high flow velocity reduces the ratio h 2 / v ( discussed in the section on &# 34 ; theory of heat element operation &# 34 ;) and has a strong influence on the symmetry of the temperature distribution ( combustion uniformity ) along the length of the heat element . therefore , by constructing heat elements with very small cross - sectional areas it is possible operate well outside the region of combustion zone contraction while still maintaining a low volume flow rate condition . this in turn allows effective use of miniature electric air pumps as the source of oxygen and carrier gas for the fuel vapor . a trade - off occurs between flow channel cross - sectional area and pump pressure required to achieve a particular flow rate , so that flow channel cross - sectional area may not be reduced ad - infinitum . it is therefore important to combine high axial thermal conductivity with a low h 2 / v ratio ( e . g . a ratio less than one , when h 2 has units of watts and v has units of centimeters per second ). heat elements constructed similar to those shown in fig1 a and 11b take advantage of the benefits of small flow channel cross - sectional area by being very thin in profile . the heat element is constructed by sandwiching the catalyst between a flat , thin , nonporous substrate , such as aluminum foil 39 , and a micro - porous sheet membrane 37 , resulting in a two sided structure . hydrophobic materials such as ptfe , pvdf , polyethylene , polypropylene and other may be used for micro - porous sheet membrane 37 . the use of ptfe material has the advantage that the pore structure remains unimpaired up to about 400 ° f . to 450 ° f . in one embodiment , a top surface 40 and bottom surface 38 of the thin profile heat element shown in fig1 a consists of anodized aluminum . top surface 40 has a thin stripe of a reaction promoting catalyst 41 running along the length of the heat element . the sheet - like micro - porous membrane is sealed at the edges , where it contacts the anodized aluminum foil , by use of a thin layer of epoxy . the attachment contact area must be sealed such that it is impervious to penetration by condensed water vapor that may occur in the flow channels . other attachment means may be utilized such as localized heat , mechanical or other types of adhesives . back surface 38 has a thin film resistor 42 deposited as shown in fig1 b . by driving current through thin film resistor 42 , a joule heating effect raises the temperature of the attached reaction promoting catalyst 41 . it has been observed that long term dormancy of the heat elements ( e . g . three to four months or more between operation ) may result in excessive auto - ignition times ( e . g . 5 minutes ) or on occasion , no auto - ignition . like - wise , start - up from temperatures well below 40 ° f . may also be problematic , although generally speaking the body temperature is sufficient to warm the heat sheet above 40 ° f . in most conceivable situations . to remedy this , a thin film electrical conductor 42 of suitable resistance is attached to and run along the length of the heat element . the joule heating is attained in the form of a transient heat pulse when electric current is momentarily applied . for instance , it has been found that a one second pulse of current of 1 / 3 amp into a 9 ohm thin film conductor , deposited along the length of an anodized aluminum foil strip , 4 mm wide × 150 mm long × 0 . 012 mm thick will cause the foil temperature to exceed 160 ° f . this is sufficient to restart even the most inactive heat elements . in one embodiment , two aa sized batteries in series , are switched from element to element , in one second intervals . the switching from element to element may be accomplished either manually as shown in fig1 where starting battery 44 is connected sequentially by switch 43 to each thin film electrical conductor 42 . although a parallel connection is possible , a series connection reduces the demand requirements from battery 44 , allowing battery 44 to be functionally merged with battery 25 that drives air pump 6 . the switching process may be accomplished more conveniently by use of integrated circuit electronic switching means well known in the art of electronic engineering . in this way , the push of one button will operate air pump 6 and start the heat pulses to thin film electrical conductor 42 . once a catalytic heat element has been reactivated , it has been found to remain active unless once again placed into long term dormancy . therefore , the power drain on the batteries are normally negligible because the heat pulses are seldom needed . alternatively , the thin film resistor 42 could be used as a standard method of starting the heat elements . in this mode , the weight percentage of platinum used in the catalytic heat elements may be reduced substantially in order to gain a cost reduction . numerous methods are known in the art for generating a thin conductive film of a predetermined resistance . in one embodiment shown in fig1 a & amp ; 11b , the substrate is a 12 . 7 micron thick aluminum foil 39 with top side 40 anodized to a thickness of about 2 microns and bottom side 38 similarly anodized . the foil 39 is 4 mm in width by 100 mm long . the back side is coated with photoresist and exposed to a contact mask . the photoresist is developed , exposing the anodized aluminum surface in a pattern similar to that shown in fig1 b . a thin film of electroless palladium is next deposited on to the back side . this is done by dipping the foil into a palladium chloride solution and then a stannous chloride solution which reduces the palladium ions to a metallic form . the foil is then placed into an electroplating bath where the palladium film is grown . the resistance of the backside palladium conductor is checked during the deposition process until a 9 ohm value is achieved . at this point the deposition is stopped and the remaining photoresist is removed . the foil is washed in boiling de - ionized water for five minutes and dried . a slurry of platinum coated gamma - alumina particles ( 40 % by weight platinum on 50 micron particles ) is made by mixing with a saturated solution of aluminum nitrate . the top side 40 of the foil is then painted with the slurry solution and placed in an furnace at 450 ° c . for two hours . the foil is removed from the furnace and cooled to room temperature . a 4 millimeter wide by 100 millimeter long strip of stretched and sintered , micro - porous ptfe , with internodal distance less than 20 microns , is laid over top side 40 , sandwiching reaction promoting catalyst 41 in between . the edges of the ptfe sheet membrane 37 are sealed to the aluminum foil with a thin coating of epoxy , being careful not to coat the catalyst , and allowed to cure . the total thickness of the completed heat element is approximately 0 . 2 millimeter . other hydrophobic porous membranes such as pvdf , polyethylene , polypropylene and the like will also work depending on the pore size and maximum operating temperature desired . the use of cvd ( chemical vapor deposition ) , pvd ( physical vapor deposition ), vacuum evaporation , silk screened conductive inks and other deposition and pattern transfer techniques are deemed suitable for the construction of thin film conductor 42 . the use of a metal foil as the substrate for receiving the reaction promoting catalyst has the advantage of providing a high axial thermal conductivity , enhancing the uniformity of the flameless combustion process along the heat element . non - porous substrates that are not intrinsically good thermal conductors , such as polyimide or peek , can be utilized if modified . for example , lamination with or deposition of metal film structures or external attachment of thermal conducting strips of material in proximity with or contiguous with the substrate will act to effectively increase the axial thermal conductivity of the substrate . thin film conductor 42 can simultaneously be used in the role as a temperature sensor . because electrically conductive materials have a temperature coefficient of resistance , it is possible to calibrate the resistance value of the conductor with its temperature . during operation of the heat sheet , the temperature of each heat element may be sensed by use of electronic circuitry , well known in the art , that can measure the resistance value and shuts down the air pump when a predetermined over - temperature condition is sensed . alternatively , the thin film conductor 42 , can be constructed by using two different metals such that the left side portion of the conductor in fig1 b is a metal composition with a different thermoelectric potential than the right side portion , so that where they meet , an overlapping junction is formed producing a thermocouple sensor . the utility and importance of a micro - porous membrane encapsulating a reaction promoting catalyst can be understood by considering fig1 . this figure shows an empirically derived relationship between total gas flow rate and two critical vapor curves for flow in a 4 millimeter diameter channel . the critical vapor curve is defined here to mean the boundary of the region where noticeable condensation can first be observed in the immediate vicinity of the heat element ( i . e . any region below the curve results in noticeable h 2 o condensation ). the straight curves radiating from the center of fig1 are the curves of constant fuel / air ratio . they are defined with respect to the fuel / air ratio that would exist in the saturated vapor state in equilibrium with liquid methanol at 25 ° c ., which is arbitrarily defined as 100 %. ( the 5 % percent curve corresponds to approximately 1 % by volume of methanol vapor in air ). note that the 5 % curve delineates the condition for water condensation to occur when the average temperature of the channel wall is about 30 ° c . and the flow rate is as shown in the diagram . by allowing the flow stream and heat element channel wall to reach higher average temperatures , but still well below the damage threshold for the material chosen , curves like c1 and c2 result . curve c1 illustrates a situation where the heat element is very well thermally grounded ( i . e . relatively low thermal resistance for heat flow to the ambient outside environment ) such that the average temperature of the inner channel wall surfaces is not allowed to exceed about 125 ° f . curve c2 results when the operating conditions are set to allow greater average channel temperatures of perhaps 150 ° f . or more . ( average channel wall temperatures of 250 ° f . or more are practical if for instance the sheet core 1 is chosen to be a high temperature elastomer ). since water at atmospheric pressure changes phase at 212 ° f ., wall temperatures above this value prevent condensation around the heat element regardless of fuel / air ratio . in practice , however , field conditions will arise where the heater operating point crosses into the region below the critical vapor curve boundary resulting in condensed water in the flow channels . it is also desirable to operate with low flow rate conditions , in order ( e . g . for example 50 cc / minute or less per heat element ) to reduce the air pump power consumption , size , weight and noise . maintaining high power levels under these conditions may require relatively rich mixtures , for instance , values exceeding 50 % or more . as seen in fig1 a and 14b , this tends to push the operating point into the region of combustion zone contraction . at the same time , as seen in fig1 , the operating point tends toward a critical vapor curve . therefore , the use of a micro - porous membrane , to prevent extinguishment of the catalyst reaction , combined with the methods discovered for promoting a symmetric axial temperature profile , allows the widest latitude for reliable operation , utility and optimum performance of this invention . the effect of axial thermal conductivity on the combustion process can be inferred by measuring the heat element temperature distribution profile . it is convenient to categorize the flameless combustion behavior into three broad types , as shown in fig1 a to 13c . ( for comparison purposes , total power levels were adjusted to keep the peak temperatures similar ). starting with fig1 a , the plot illustrates an operational state where the combustion zone appears nearly uniformly distributed over the length of the heat element . in the second state , the reaction zone appears to shift such that the temperature profile is less symmetric , as shown in fig1 b . this is interpreted as a shifting of the combustion process toward the fuel - air entrance , which is located at a position of zero centimeters . in the third state ( fig1 c ), the combustion zone appears to have contracted so that most of the thermal power output is occurring in a small portion of the heating element near the fuel - air entrance . in this state , the temperature at the fuel - air entrance portion of the heat element can quickly reach levels ( e . g . & gt ; 600 ° f .) that will damage known elastomeric materials even at equivalent fuel - air power levels of only a few watts . the curves shown in fig1 a to 13c are derived from the solution of the differential equation shown in eq . 1 . the parameters were chosen to closely approximate empirical data from heat elements of different axial thermal conductivity . for instance , fig1 a is the solution of eq . 1 with parameters set to approximate the aluminum core heat element ( i . e . high axial thermal conductivity ) constructed as shown in fig9 . fig1 c is also a solution of eq . 1 but with parameters set to fit the data for a heat element structure like that shown in fig1 . the construction shown in fig1 significantly lowers the axial thermal conductivity by virtue of the relatively poor thermal conductivity of alumina ( aluminum oxide ) as compared to pure aluminum , as well as , the significant thermal contact resistance between particles . i have discovered that by sufficiently increasing the axial thermal conductivity ( i . e . the average thermal conductivity value for conductive heat flow along the length of the element ) it is possible to convert a heat element , operating with a contracted combustion zone , into one with a significantly more symmetric and extended reaction region . for instance , by attaching a small strip of copper foil ( 0 . 001 inch thick by 10 cm long by 0 . 4 cm wide ) to the outside of the heat element that produced the profile in fig1 c , a new profile is obtained that looks like fig1 a . the average axial thermal conductivity of the heating element shown in fig1 a is approximately 10 times the value for fig1 c . it has been further discovered that the axial temperature distribution can be induced to acquire a substantially more symmetric ( more uniform combustion process ) temperature profile by spatially modulating the effective catalytic activity along the length of the heat element . this may be done by a number of means , such as altering the porosity of the ptfe micro - porous membrane , so that it is less porous at the fuel - air entrance end and gradually increasing in porosity toward the opposite end of the heat element . for example , this could be done by selectively applying a thin film of epoxy to block specific pores in such a manner that more pores are blocked in some regions than in others . alternatively , the activity of the catalyst material ( per unit length ) itself may be altered , as for instance , by mixing inert grains of alumina with activated platinum coated grains of alumina in varying proportions along the axial direction , such that a similar spatial modulation of the catalytic activity is achieved . fig1 demonstrates the predicted effect of spatially modulating the catalytic activity such that it increases quadratically from the fuel - air entrance side to the opposite end of the heat element . the combination of high thermal conductivity and spatially modulated catalytic activity , provides a broad range for heat element performance and axial temperature distribution management . returning to the operation of the portable heat generating device ; the warm exhaust gas from each of the catalytic heat elements exits the heat - sheet from a common orifice where it is expelled through a flexible plastic heat - sheet exhaust tube 4 . exhaust tube 4 directs the exhaust gas to interface body 13 where the gas passes through a conduit within the interface body and enters diverter valve input tube 16 where it is received by a thermal diverter valve 12 . the thermal diverter valve , as shown in fig5 is a bi - directional valve that apportions the exhaust flow stream between two diverter valve output tubes , 17 and 18 , according to the temperature of fuel 22 in fuel chamber 20 . one means to accomplish this is to utilize a bi - metallic coil of metal that moves a valve stem control in response to the temperature of fuel 20 . the temperature of the fuel can be transmitted to valve 12 by way of a heat conducting ( e . g . metallic ) output tube 17 that connects to an exhaust gas heat exchanger 24 . the use of shape memory alloys that change physical shape when transitioning through a predetermined temperature could also provide an effective means to operate the diverter valve . alternatively , an electronic means for sensing fuel temperature ( e . g . thermocouple ) and switching power to an electromechanical actuator associated with the diverter valve can also be employed . when the fuel temperature is below a predetermined set point , the diverter valve directs the warm exhaust into heat exchanger 24 . the heat exchanger may consist of a coil of metal tubing or may be formed in any manner that optimizes the exchange of heat between the warm exhaust gas and the liquid fuel . the exhaust gas , after passing through heat exchanger 24 , enters into a scrubber cell 21 where it is stripped of any volatile organic compounds ( voc ) contained in the exhaust stream . the benign components of the exhaust , co 2 and h 2 o vapor , are expelled from the scrubber exhaust tube 19 directly to the ambient atmosphere . if the fuel temperature is above a predetermined set point , diverter valve 12 directs the exhaust to diverter output tube 18 . diverter output tube 18 circumvents the fuel chamber and heat exchanger , going directly into scrubber cell 21 where it is cleaned of any volatile organic compounds and released to the atmosphere . the scrubber cell contains absorbents that selectively absorbs voc &# 39 ; s while allowing the co 2 and water vapor to pass through . many techniques for cleaning exhaust gas are known in the art . use of a dry absorbent 27 , generally known as activated carbon , for example , the coconut shell base type supplied by adcoa inc ., has been found to provide acceptable performance . a combination of passing the exhaust gas through water , followed by a dry absorbent is even more effective and can absorb 25 % to 50 % of its weight in voc &# 39 ; s without releasing any detectable quantity to the atmosphere . the observation that axial thermal conductivity has an effect on combustion zone behavior and temperature profiles can be qualitatively and quantitatively approximated by modeling the phenomenon as a one dimensional differential heat flow equation . while this simplified approach does not explicitly contain all the parameters normally included in catalytic reactor design ( e . g . h . h . lee : &# 34 ; heterogeneous reactor design &# 34 ;, butterworth publishers , 1985 ), it has been discovered to have sufficient predictive power to elucidate this portion of the design scheme utilized in the present invention . h 1 = rate of heat energy lost at the surface of the heat element by forced convection of the fuel - air flow stream . for the purposes of this model , radiation loss is considered negligible and conduction loss is axial only ( x direction ). h 2 = equivalent chemical heat power carried in the fuel - air flow stream , all of which is assumed to react at the surface of the heat element where the catalyst contacts the flow stream . c = a constant proportional to the ratio of h 2 / v , where v is the velocity of the flow stream . it represents transport resistance resulting from back pressure at the heat element . alternatively , it may be viewed as a virtual counterflow term transporting heat in the direction opposite to the main stream flow . this term is primarily responsible for causing the asymmetry in the temperature profiles ( i . e . combustion zone contraction or expansion ) seen in fig1 a , 13b , 13c and fig1 a and 14b . it illustrates the need for small cross sectional flow channel area , a , in order to keep v high ( i . e . v = f / a ). for a fixed volume flow rate f , the term h 2 is proportional to the fuel / air ratio and thus explains why relatively high fuel / air ratios tend to exhibit highly non - symmetric temperature distributions unless compensated by the methods described in this invention , such as by increasing the axial thermal conductivity and / or spatially modulating the catalytic activity . the solution to this equation with constant coefficients and boundary conditions t ( 0 )= 0 and t ( 1 )= 0 , may be expressed as ; the temperature dependence of the catalyst reaction rate constant is approximated by using only the first order term of an assumed arrhenius temperature dependence . in that case we have ; h total = h 2 [ 1 + αt ]. at the relatively low temperatures and operational conditions encountered in this invention , this appears satisfactory as an approximation . furthermore , since h 2 is proportional to the chemical thermal power content of the fuel - air stream and h 1 is proportional to the flow stream velocity , the coefficient , γ , may be re - written as ; p = equivalent chemical thermal power contained in the fuel - air stream , and assumes complete combustion . f = volume flow rate of the fuel - air stream ; where f = flow velocity times channel cross sectional area , a . n = nominally set to 1 . 0 but can change depending on geometry of the heat element . fig1 a and 14b were plotted by substituting eq . 2 into the solution for eq . 1 and solving for constants that best fit empirical values of p and f . physically , the s f n term relates to the cooling effect of the fuel - air stream on the heat element . the rate of cooling is dependent on such things as temperature , laminar or turbulent flow and properties of the gas itself . this cooling effect is competing with the heat producing effect of the catalytic reaction ( i . e . ap ). the effect of the k value ( axial thermal conductivity ) on combustion zone temperature profiles is plotted in fig1 a through 13c . fig1 a closely approximates actual performance data of the aluminum core heating element shown in fig9 and fig1 b typically results when heat element construction is similar to fig1 . the temperature contours shown in fig1 a & amp ; 14b are a best fit of the theoretical solution of equation 1 to the actual data obtained for these structures and match within ± 15 % over the range of flow rates and equivalent thermal powers shown . the contour temperatures are the values obtained at the central axial position along the heat element and are displayed in terms of an increase above ambient temperature . for data collection purposes , the heat element was allowed to rest in a 20 cm long glass tube of 4 mm i . d ., with one end of the glass channel connected to a fuel - air supply and the other open to the atmosphere . the upper boundary of the region labeled combustion zone contraction in fig1 a , represents the points where the entrance end and middle section of the heat element reach equal temperatures , thus indicating that the temperature profile is becoming significantly asymmetric , as for instance seen in fig1 c . the boundary and size of this region will shift as the axial thermal conductivity changes . an increase in thermal conductivity pushes the contraction zone to the right in fig1 a , thus causing an apparent shrinking of the area where combustion zone contraction will occur . a decrease in average axial thermal conductivity will have the opposite affect , resulting in a condition where very lean mixtures must be used to avoid contracting the combustion zone . very lean mixtures require higher flow rates ( i . e . pump power , size and weight ) to achieve the same thermal power output . the observation regarding the effect of axial spatial modulation of catalytic activity on combustion zone behavior and temperature profiles , may be qualitatively and quantitatively approximated by modeling the phenomenon as a one dimensional differential heat flow equation of the following type . x = axial distance along heat element axis with the zero point defined at the fuel - air entrance side . this equation is similar to eq . 1 except that the coefficient of the temperature term is dependent upon the axial position along the heat element and the forcing function on the right side of the equation changes similarly . it is arrived at by substituting the relation h 2 = ηx - a in the equation h total = h 2 [ 1 + αt ]. a numerical solution of equation eq . 3 with n = 2 and n = 0 with suitable boundary conditions is shown in fig1 . these simple models have been found satisfactory in providing reasonable approximation for catalytic heat element temperature distribution over a wide range of input conditions and are good qualitative guides to predict general behavior . they have confirmed the surprising results obtained regarding the effects of thermal conductivity and catalytic spatial modulation on flameless combustion zone behavior . while the preferred application of the present invention has been shown and described , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications are possible without departing from the invention concept herein described . for example , a gaseous fuel and air mixture may be stored in one or more pressurized cylinders ( fuel sources ) and transported ( without pumping ) to the heat sheet . alternatively , a compressed and regulated air source commonly used in scuba equipment or a chemically generated source of oxygen rich gas may be substituted for the air pump and still be within the scope of this invention . also , the fuel may be other than methanol . moreover , the elastomeric body of the heat sheet may have thermally conductive layers embedded within it to further enhance the conduction and distribution of heat out of the channels and across the surface of the sheet . for example , strips of thin metal foil could be molded into the heat sheet plastic material thereby altering the manner of heat transfer between the heat elements and the body of the heat sheet without affecting the flexibility of the heat sheet . alternatively , the plastic material of the heat sheet itself could be formulated to increase heat conduction by the use of additives such as metal particles and the like . similarly , the heat sheet body could be made of a laminate of different elastomeric materials , each with its on unique heat conducting properties . therefore , the appended claims are intended to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention and should not be determined by the embodiments illustrated , but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents . | 5 |
before proceeding to the detailed description of the preferred and alternate embodiments , several general comments can be made about the applicability and the scope of the invention . first , the glasses with which the invention may be used may be any of the wide variety known in the art , including prescription glasses , sun glasses , safety glasses and the like . second , the illustrated techniques for attaching the protective component to the stems of the glasses are illustrative and may be interchanged without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . the preferred fabric for use in the present invention is a stretchable fabric . a number of fabrics and materials have been found suitable , including silicon rubber , poly / cotton knits , nylon / lycra knits and acrylic / elastic knits . this allows the pouch to be stretched to accommodate and safely protect the glasses . for some embodiments , especially one which uses a retainer snap , such stretchability may not be required . further , a wide variety of fabric colors and textures can be employed . the fabric should , of course , be one which does not damage the glasses . in addition , the fabric may have self - polishing characteristics as the glasses are inserted and removed . it is also within the scope of the present invention to employ fabrics which include a cellular construction or into which hollow plastic tubes or other hollow devices may be placed , so that the pouch retains a water buoyancy for use with such activities as boating and the like . proceeding now to a description of the preferred and alternate embodiments , a retainer and protective cover 10 for eyeglasses 12 is illustrated both in a retainer configuration , in which the device retains the glasses on the head of a user , and in a cover configuration , in which the device serves as a protective storage pouch for the glasses . as shown in the figures , eyeglasses 12 are of a common type , including lenses 14 , 16 and a pair of stems 18 , 20 . as illustrated in fig1 cover 10 is adapted for attachment to stems 18 , 20 and may be slipped over the head of a user , resting behind the head for holding eyeglasses 12 in place . cover 10 is generally hollow and tubular in construction , having open - ended retaining extensions 22 and 24 formed to be slipped over and snuggly hold stems 18 and 20 of glasses 12 as described below . cover 10 is preferably formed of a single piece of fabric that is folded along an upper edge 25 into a tubular structure and hemmed along a lower edge 26 . alternatively , cover 10 may be formed of more than one fabric pieces , such as self - similar pieces sewn together along edges 25 and 26 . as best illustrated in fig3 side fabric panels of cover 10 include a broad center portion defining a pouch 27 . lower edge 26 , preferably hemmed from open ends 22 and 24 , follows the contour of pouch 27 and terminates at corners 28 of a central opening 29 through which eyeglasses 12 may be inserted into and removed from pouch 27 . a biasing hem 30 is sewn around the periphery of pouch 27 and at about the mid - point thereof , generally continuing a line formed by lower edge 26 at the point where it intersects corners 28 of opening 29 biasing hem 30 generally defines a bead along the outer surface of pouch 27 separating a first portion 32 of pouch 27 from a second portion 34 thereof , and tending to fold second portion 34 into first portion 32 as shown in fig2 . biasing hem 30 thus forms a &# 34 ; soft hinge &# 34 ; structure along which second portion 34 is attached to first portion 32 and along which the two portions move as second portion is tucked into pouch 27 as shown in fig1 and 2 , and removed therefrom as shown in fig3 . this feature of the invention permits case profile conveniently assume a relatively narrow profile when in the retainer configuration shown in fig1 while providing an enlarged cover configuration as described more fully below . in addition to biasing hem 30 , second portion 34 of pouch 27 includes a lower border 36 formed around aperture 29 . border 36 is preferably a folded hem formed of a stretchable stitch or elastic strip tending to close or slightly constrict border 36 , and thereby aperture 29 . in the region of border 36 , at approximately a longitudinal mid - point of pouch 27 , mating closure members 38 and 40 are provided . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , closure members 38 , 40 are mating snap - type closures that lie in mutually facing relation when second portion 34 of pouch 27 is folded within first portion 32 , as discussed below with respect to fig7 . alternatively , other mating closure devices may be utilized , such as button closures and the like . from the retainer configuration illustrated in fig1 and 2 , device 10 is converted to its cover configuration as follows . first , eyeglasses 12 are folded , and closure members 38 , 40 are uncoupled from one another within the folded pouch , and second portion 34 is removed or unfolded from first portion 32 . pouch 27 is then grasped in the region of aperture 29 , and inverted ( i . e ., turned inside - out ) over eyeglasses 12 , stretching border 36 around eyeglasses 12 and thereby enveloping them within pouch 12 as shown in fig4 . as shown in fig5 once eyeglasses 12 are lodged completely within inverted pouch 27 , mating closure members 38 , 40 will again be located in mutually facing relation . members 38 , 40 are then coupled to positively close aperture 29 and prevent eyeglasses 12 from falling or otherwise being removed from case 10 . fig7 and 8 illustrate , in cross section , the orientation of the portions of case 10 described above in their retainer and cover configurations . eyeglasses 12 are not shown in fig7 and 8 for the sake of clarity . as shown in fig7 in the retainer configuration , case 10 is folded or collapsed into a relatively narrow band or strip by nesting second portion 34 of pouch 27 within first portion 32 , with biasing hem 30 located at the bottom of the band . closure members may be mated in this configuration to prevent second portion 34 from falling or unfolding from first portion 32 . as shown in fig8 when case 10 is unfolded and inverted into its cover configuration , biasing hem 30 is located within pouch 27 along with retainer ends 22 , 24 ( not shown ). it should be noted that , due to the unfolding of pouch 27 ( as shown in fig3 ) and its inversion ( as shown in fig4 and 5 ), mating closure members 38 and 40 are once again located in mutually facing relation in the cover configuration shown in fig8 . thus , closure members 38 , 40 serve both to retain pouch 27 in its collapsed position ( fig7 ) as well as to close pouch 27 and positively hold the eyeglasses within the pouch in the expanded and inverted position ( fig8 ). a second embodiment of case 10 is shown in fig9 through 12 . in this embodiment , a pouch 27 is formed of the desired fabric by folding and sewing . the pouch 27 has an opening 29 along one edge while two elongate ends 22 and 24 are provided , each containing an elastomeric tube adapted to fit over , surround and releasably secure pouch 27 to glasses 12 . such tubular connections are well - known , in and of themselves . a cord 42 is provided about opening 29 and is free to move within a seam 44 ( see fig1 ) so that opening 29 may be reduced in size by pulling on cord 42 . a cord lock 46 , or similar clamping device or a type well known in the art , may be provided over cord 42 to facilitate keeping opening 32 at a desired size . fig1 through 12 illustrate how eyeglasses 12 are progressively inserted into pouch 27 . as shown in fig1 , eyeglasses 12 are first folded , effectively flipping pouch 27 which remains coupled to stems 18 and 20 . lock 46 is then drawn away from pouch 27 to permit opening 29 to be expanded to receive the glasses . the eyeglasses 12 are then progressively inserted into pouch 27 through opening 29 as shown in fig1 . it should be noted that in this embodiment , as eyeglasses 12 are inserted into pouch 27 , the pouch is effectively wrapped around the eyeglasses and progressively turned inside - out with the eyeglasses contacting the previously outwardly - facing surface of the pouch . once the eyeglasses are completely inserted into pouch 27 , pouch 27 is closed by drawing lock 46 along cord 42 and into contact with pouch 27 to effectively close opening 29 . it should be mentioned that alternative closure devices may be used with the pouch , particularly in the embodiment illustrated in fig9 through 12 . such closure devices might include snaps , buttons , zippers and the like . while the present invention has been illustrated in connection with four separate embodiments , several features of the invention are common to the embodiments , such as the ability to insert the glasses into the retainer without detachment of the retainer cords or tubes . | 0 |
the preferred embodiment of the present invention facilitates spooling of print jobs in a device independent format . in particular , the preferred embodiment of the present invention spools print jobs in the enhanced metafile format . print jobs are easily and quickly converted into the enhanced metafile format for spooling . the enhanced metafile format has the additional advantage that it occupies substantially less space than typical raw data formats . an enhanced metafile as used herein refers to the enhanced metafile format that is employed in the microsoft windows nt operating system , sold by microsoft corporation of redmond , wash . an enhanced metafile is a file that stores information for displaying or printing a picture in a device independent format . metafiles are typically contrasted with bitmaps in that metafiles typically hold metadata that specify how to draw the associated picture rather than bitmaps of the associated picture . before discussing how print jobs are spooled as enhanced metafiles , it is helpful to review the format of an enhanced metafile 10 ( shown in fig1 ). each enhanced metafile 10 includes a header 12 and may optionally include a description string 14 . the remainder of the enhanced metafile 10 is formed by metafile records 16 and an optional palette 18 . the enhanced metafile header 12 holds a number of different types of information , including dimension information , resolution information , version information and size information . specifically , the enhanced metafile header is defined as follows ( in c ++ code ): __________________________________________________________________________typedef struct tagenhmetaheader dword itype ; // record type emr . sub .-- header . dword nsize ; // record size in bytes . this may be greater // than the size of ( enhmetaheader ). rectl rclbounds ; // inclusive - inclusive bounds in device units . rectl rclframe ; // inclusive - inclusive picture frame of // metafile in . 01 mm units . dword dsignature ; // signature . must be enhmeta . sub .-- signature . dword nversion ; // version number . dword nbytes ; // size of the metafile in bytes . dword nrecords ; // number of records in the metafile . word nhandles ; // number of handles in the handle table . // handle index zero is reserved . word sreserved ; // reserved . must be zero . dword ndescription ; // number of chars in the unicode description string . // this is 0 if there is no description string . dword offdescription ; // offset to the metafile description record . // this is 0 if there is no description string . dword npalentries ; // number of entries in the metafile palette . sizel szldevice ; // size of the reference device in pixels . sizel szlmillimeters ; // size of the reference device in millimeters .} enhmetaheader ; __________________________________________________________________________ the optional description field 14 of the enhanced metafile 10 is used to hold a written description that identifies what is contained within the enhanced metafile . the enhanced metafile records 16 form the core of the enhanced metafile 10 . each enhanced metafile record 16 corresponds to a graphics device interface ( gdi ) function ( which will be described in more detail below ) for drawing the picture associated with the metafile . each enhanced metafile record 16 has the following format . ______________________________________typedef struct tagenhmetarecord dword itype ; // record type emr . sub .-- xxx dword nsize ; // record size in bytes dword dparm 1 ! ; // dword array of parameters } enhmetarecord ; ______________________________________ the itype field of the enhanced metafile record 16 holds a value that specifies the type of enhanced metafile record . listed below is a sampling of the types of enhanced metafile records and their corresponding itype values . __________________________________________________________________________record value record value__________________________________________________________________________emr . sub .-- abortpath 68 emr . sub .-- fillpath 62emr . sub .-- anglearc 41 emr . sub .-- fillrgn 71emr . sub .-- arc 45 emr . sub .-- flattenpath 65emr . sub .-- arcto 55 emr . sub .-- framergn 72emr . sub .-- beginpath 59 emr . sub .-- gdicomment 70emr . sub .-- bitblt 76 emr . sub .-- header 1emr . sub .-- chord 46 emr . sub .-- intersectcliprect 30emr . sub .-- closefig6 emr . sub .-- invertrgn 73emr . sub .-- createbrushindirect 39 emr . sub .-- lineto 54emr . sub .-- createdibpatternbrushpt 94 emr . sub .-- maskblt 78emr . sub .-- createmonobrush 93 emr . sub .-- modifyworldtransform 36emr . sub .-- createpalette 49 emr . sub .-- movetoex 27emr . sub .-- createpen 38 emr . sub .-- offsetcliprgn 26emr . sub .-- deleteobject 40 emr . sub .-- paintrgn 74emr . sub .-- ellipse 42 emr . sub .-- pie 47emr . sub .-- endpath 60 emr . sub .-- plgblt 79emr . sub .-- eof 14 emr . sub .-- polybezier 2emr . sub .-- excludecliprect 29 emr . sub .-- polybezier16 85emr . sub .-- extcreatefontindirecttw 82 emr . sub .-- polybezierto 5emr . sub .-- extcreatepen 95 emr . sub .-- polybezierto16 88emr . sub .-- extfloodfill 53 emr . sub .-- polydraw 56emr . sub .-- extselectcliprgn 75 emr . sub .-- polydraw16 92emr . sub .-- exttextouta 83 emr . sub .-- polygon 3emr . sub .-- exttxtoutw 84 emr . sub .-- polygon16 86emr . sub .-- polyline 4 emr . sub .-- setbrushorgex 13emr . sub .-- polyline16 87 emr . sub .-- setcoloradjustment 23emr . sub .-- polylineto 6 emr . sub .-- setdibitstodevice 80emr . sub .-- polylineto16 89 emr . sub .-- setmapmode 17emr . sub .-- polypolygon 8 emr . sub .-- setmapperflags 16emr . sub .-- polypolygon16 91 emr . sub .-- setmetargn 28emr . sub .-- polypolyline 7 emr . sub .-- setmiterlimit 58emr . sub .-- polypolyline16 90 emr . sub .-- setpaletteentries 50emr . sub .-- polytextouta 96 emr . sub .-- setpixelv 15emr . sub .-- polytextoutw 97 emr . sub .-- setpolyfillmode 19emr . sub .-- realizepalette 52 emr . sub .-- setrop2 20emr . sub .-- rectangle 43 emr . sub .-- setstretchbltmode 21emr . sub .-- resizepalette 51 emr . sub .-- settextalign 22emr . sub .-- restoredc 34 emr . sub .-- settextcolor 24emr . sub .-- roundrect 44 emr . sub .-- setviewportextex 11emr . sub .-- savedc 33 emr . sub .-- setviewportorgex 12emr . sub .-- scaleviewportextex 31 emr . sub .-- setwindowextex 9emr . sub .-- scalewindowtextex 32 emr . sub .-- setwindoworgex 10emr . sub .-- selectclippath 67 emr . sub .-- setworldtransform 35emr . sub .-- selectobject 37 emr . sub .-- stretchblt 77emr . sub .-- selectpalette 48 emr . sub .-- stretchdibits 81emr . sub .-- setarcdirection 57 emr . sub .-- strokeandfillpath 63emr . sub .-- setbkcolor 25 emr . sub .-- strokepath 64emr . sub .-- setbkmode 18 emr . sub .-- widenpath 66__________________________________________________________________________ each enhanced metafile record 16 also includes an nsize field that specifies the size of the enhanced metafile record in bytes and a dparm field that holds an array of parameters . the optional color palette field 18 of the enhanced metafile 10 holds a palette sequence for a foreground palette to be used when the picture associated with the enhanced metafile is drawn . fig2 is a block diagram of an environment suitable for practicing the preferred embodiment of the present invention . this environment includes a workstation 20 that may communicate with a print server 22 . the print server 22 is responsible for printers 24a , 24b , and 24c and includes its own secondary storage 39 . a logical port is associated with each of the printers 24a , 24b , and 24c . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the configuration shown in fig2 is merely illustrative and that the present invention may be practiced in other environments as well . the workstation 20 includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 26 that has access to a memory 28 and a secondary storage 30 . the memory 28 holds a copy of an operating system 32 and an application program 33 that may be run on the cpu 26 . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the operating system 32 includes the win32 api , such as found in microsoft windows nt operating system . moreover , the operating system 32 includes code for implementing enhanced metafile spooling as described herein . the workstation further includes input / output devices , such as a mouse 34 , a keyboard 36 and a video display 38 . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , a program , such as application program 33 , initiates a request to print a document on one of the printers 24a , 24b , or 24c . instead of the document being converted into a format specific to the selected printer , the document is converted into the enhanced metafile format and spooled . the application program 33 and the user believe the document has been printed in conventional fashion when the document has , instead , been spooled . the spooling of the document as an enhanced metafile is entirely transparent to the application program 33 and to the user . the spool file is then used to print the document as a background thread . fig3 is a block diagram showing some of the software components and structures that play a role in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . the application program 33 is the program that initiates a printing request . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the application program may be any type of program that is capable of initiating a printing request . the application program 33 initiates a printing request by making calls to functions in the graphical device interface ( gdi ) 40 . the gdi 40 is part of the operating system 32 that serves as an interface between the application program 33 and lower level functions . the gdi 40 provides functions that the application program 33 may call to display graphics and formatted text . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the gdi 40 includes the 16 - bit gdi and 32 - bit gdi found in the microsoft windows nt operating system , as well as additional components . the gdi interacts with a printer driver 41 during creation of a spool file and during playback of the enhanced metafile records of the spool file . the gdi 40 interacts with a spooler process 42 , that is part of the operating system 32 run on the workstation 20 . the spooler process 42 interacts with a router 44 to send print data and information to its appropriate destination . the router 44 is a printing component that locates the printer requested by the application program 33 and sends information from the workstation spooler 42 to the appropriate print server spooler . as the workstation 20 may be connected both to a local print server 22 ( as shown in fig2 ) and to other networks that include additional print servers for remote printers , the router 44 must decide where the requested printer is located . the router 44 sends information initially from the spooler 42 to the appropriate net provider 46 and 48 or local spooler process 50 . for purposes of simplicity , in the example shown in fig3 it is assumed that the information is passed to a local spooler 50 . the local spooler 50 is responsible for creating the spool file 52 that holds the enhanced metafiles that are created for the document . fig4 is a flowchart showing the steps that are performed to print a document when enhanced metafile spooling is used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . initially , the application begins to print a document ( step 54 ). in order to print a document , the application 33 must create a device context . the device context is a data structure that holds information about a graphics output device , such as a printer . these attributes determine how the functions of the gdi 40 work on the target printer . the application program 33 must first obtain a handle to a device context for the printer to which the application wishes to print . in addition , the window manager sets the visible region to be empty so that no output is produced when a gdi function is called . the window manager is part of the operating system 32 that is responsible for managing windows and the visible region is a structure maintained by the window manager to determine what is visible to a user in a window . in step 56 , the document is converted into enhanced metafile format and stored in the spool file 52 . fig5 is a flowchart of the steps that are performed to store the document as a set of enhanced metafiles . initially , a device context for the enhanced metafile is created by calling the createenhmetafile () function . this function creates a device context for an enhanced format metafile . this function is passed a number of parameters , including a handle to a reference device for the enhanced metafile . a handle is a numerical identifier that uniquely identifies a reference device . in this case , the handle to the reference device is a handle to the device context of the target printer . the handle to the enhanced metafile device context returned by the function is then passed as a parameter to each of the gdi function calls that the application program 33 issues to print the document ( step 66 ). the operating system 32 converts each gdi function into an enhanced metafile record and appends the record to the end of the enhanced metafile ( step 68 ). the operating system 32 includes an enhanced metafile recorder for converting the gdi function calls to enhanced metafile records . each page of the document is stored as a separate enhanced metafile as will be discussed in more detail below . the operating system 32 has a means for differentiating between gdi function calls that are to be spooled in an enhanced metafile and those that are to be directly executed . fig6 shows a flowchart of the steps that are performed in the preferred embodiment of the present invention to differentiate such gdi function calls and to record function calls in enhanced metafiles as required . initially , the application program makes a gdi function call that passes the device context of the enhanced metafile as a parameter ( step 70 ). like other gdi function calls , this gdi function call is passed to a validation layer of the operating system 32 ( step 72 ). the validation layer is responsible for examining the parameters of the function call to make sure that they are correct . the preferred embodiment of the present invention embellishes the validation layer to check whether the device context passed as a parameter to the gdi function call refers to an enhanced metafile ( step 74 ). as described above , if the device context is an enhanced metafile , the enhanced metafile recorder is called to convert the gdi function call into an enhanced metafile record ( step 76 ). next , in order to maintain transparency of the enhanced metafile spooling , the preferred embodiment of the present invention is designed to call the gdi function so that the application program believes that the document is printing . the complication , however , is that the system does not desire for the gdi functions to produce output . accordingly , the visible region used by a window manager is set to be empty so that no output is produced as discussed above . in step 80 , the gdi function is called . if the device context is not for an enhanced metafile as checked in step 74 , the gdi function is simply called directly ( step 80 ). returning to fig4 step 56 involves recording the commands in the metafiles and storing the metafiles in a spool file . two separate recorders are used to create the enhancement metafiles and the spool file . in particular , the spool file recorder is used to create the spool file and the spool file records contained therein . in contrast , the second recorder is responsible for converting graphics api calls into enhanced metafile records that are stored within the enhanced metafiles . fig7 shows the format of such a spool file 82 . the spool file 82 includes an identifier 84 that is 8 bytes in length . the spool file recorder is responsible for opening a new spool file , recording the identifier 84 and creating a sf -- startdoc record in response to a startdoc command from the application program . the sf -- startdoc record 86 has the following format : ______________________________________typedef struct . sub .-- sr . sub .-- startdoculong itype ; // sf . sub .-- startdoculong cj ; // record length in bytes . ulong ioffdocname ; // offset to docname stringulong ioffoutput ; // offset to output string } sr . sub .-- startdoc , * psr . sub .-- startdoc , far * lpsr . sub .-- startdoc ; ______________________________________ the sf -- startdoc record 86 is followed by an sf -- modechange record 88 . the sf -- modechange record 88 is followed by a devmode structure that holds information such as paper orientation , paper size , paper length , paper width , color information and the like , which enables the document to properly be printed on the target printer . the spool file 82 also includes a metafile sequence 90 that is created by the recorders . fig8 shows an example of a series of records that are repeated within the metafile sequence 90 . in particular , this sequence is repeated for each page of the document to be printed . the sf -- startpage record 94 is created by the spool file recorder in response to the startpage command from the application program . an enhanced metafile is created in response to the startpage command to receive the contents of the page . the sf -- startpage record 94 designates the start of a page of the document and has the following format : ______________________________________typedef struct . sub .-- sr . sub .-- startpageulong itype ; // sf . sub .-- startpageulong cj ; // record length in bytes . ushort iphyspage ; // page number in the file . ( 1 - n ) ushort iformat ; // data format . ( sff . sub .-- journal ) ulong ilogpage ; // page number according to the app .} sr . sub .-- startpage ; ______________________________________ the sf -- startpage record 94 is followed by an sf -- metafile record 96 that holds the name of the metafile that has the information for the associated page . the metafiles are created by the second recorder , as discussed above . specifically , the gdi graphics api calls are converted into metafile records that are held within the metafiles . the sf -- metafile record 96 is followed by an sf -- endpage record that designates the end of the page . the sf -- endpage record 96 is created by the spool file recorder in response to an endpage command from the application program . the endpage command indicates that the application is done drawing . the metafile is then closed and the name of the metafile is recorded in the sf - metafile record 94 . the sr -- endpage record has the following format : the metafile sequence 90 ( fig7 ) is followed by an sf -- enddoc record that is created in response to an enddoc command for the application . this record designates the end of the document and has the following format : as shown in fig4 after the commands have been recorded in the metafiles and the metafiles stored in the spool file in step 56 , the application program 33 is advised that it is done spooling the document ( step 58 ). a background thread at the print server 22 for the port associated with the target printer is kicked off to print the spooled document ( step 60 ). the background thread queues print jobs and then causes the document to be de - spooled and printed on the target printer ( step 62 ). the operating system 32 includes functions for playing back enhanced metafiles so as to generate the picture on the printer that is associated with the enhanced metafiles . the playenhmetafile () function plays back the enhanced metafile records so as to produce the corresponding image . this function is one of those provided by the gdi . the preferred embodiments of the present invention described herein provides several benefits . first , the turnaround time experienced by application programs is much faster because the application program is told that it is done spooling more quickly than in conventional systems . as was described above , print jobs may be quickly and easily spooled as enhanced metafiles . moreover , the printing may occur asynchronously relative to the application program . the preferred embodiment of the present invention also provides device independence that allows a user to print pages at random , to print pages out of order , and to view the contents of the document on the screen without the necessity of the device driver for a target printer being installed . the device independence also allows a user to select any of a number of printers for printing a document . for example , the user may select a draft printer which is less expensive to use to print the document and proof the document . after the document has been proofed , the user may then request to print the document on a more expensive printer . while the present invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the intended scope of the claims as defined in the appended claims . | 6 |
the efficiency of a resonant microcavity inkjet printed oled device depends strongly on the thickness , more particularly on the distribution of thicknesses , of the solution processed hole injection layer ( hil ) and of the interlayer ( il ) sometimes called the hole transport layer ( htl ). the colour of an oled device with a resonant cavity is dependent on the variation of efficiency with wavelength and thus the colour point also depends on the thickness distributions of these layers . we will describe techniques which are able to accurately predict the output of a microcavity inkjet printed panel based on the hil thickness profile before the light emitting polymer ( lep ) and cathode layers are deposited . the thickness may be measured by interferometry , for example using a white light interferometer such as the zygo new view 5000 series instrument . this approach greatly speeds up the screening of hil materials and can also provide in - line pass / fail categorisation of an hil profile , for example to predict for the thickness profile of a deposited hil layer whether or not , for example , blue emitted light from the device is within colour ( intensity and hue ) tolerance . more generally , the techniques we describe are able to be used to predict / optimise one or more parameters of an hil fabrication process including but not limited to , one or more of : a number of droplets used to deposit hil material in solution into a region / well , a droplet size / volume , and hil layer drying protocol ( such as drying duration , whether one or multiple passes are used to deposit material , maximum time between passes and so forth ). this can be done without fabricating a test cell or device with the thickness profile , saving both time and cost in achieving a profile needed to hit a srgb colour point . a ‘ stop / go ’ determination may be made after deposition of the first printed layer ( the hil layer ) rather than after three printed layers and evaporation of a cathode layer . in addition , in principle an expensive substrate , bearing tfts and a pixel wall - structure , may also be re - worked by dissolving off the hil . a previous optimisation procedure for the layer thicknesses had identified a thin ito (& lt ; 10 nm ) and thick hil (& gt ; 100 nm ) structure as being advantageous but embodiments of the new techniques identified this as a local maximum and enabled a switch to thick ito (& gt ; 50 nm ) thin hil (& lt ; 50 nm ) structures for improved performance . referring to fig2 , this shows ciex and ciey parameters from a theoretical model of a blue microcavity oled device with the following structure ( where thicknesses are shown parenthetically in nanometers ): the variation shown in fig2 is for a simple dipole emitter model , assumes optically flat films , and requires precise input of many parameters such as refractive index and dielectric constant that may not be accurately known and / or may require a time - consuming characterisation study . this approach is therefore impractical for accurately predicting the output of microcavity inkjet printed devices . further , as described below , the hil layer thickness can vary by up to +/− 50 % across a colour ( sub -) pixel in a complex manner . another approach which may be employed is to fabricate a series of oled devices in which the layers are deposited by spin coating / casting so that the edge effects , pinning and the like in display pixels are avoided . such an approach enables the thicknesses of the layers to be well defined , for example to approximately +/− 2 nm , and fig3 shows measured variation of the ciex and ciey parameters for the same oled structure as for fig2 . the similarity between fig2 and 3 is encouraging but the results cannot readily be transferred to inkjet printed devices in which the layer thicknesses can vary significantly , for example by more than +/− 100 nm . fig4 shows measured thicknesses of hil , il and lep layers of an inkjet printed oled pixel with varying distance across the pixel , as measured by white light interferometry . it can be seen that in this example the il and lep thickness profiles are substantially flat whereas the hil thickness profile varies by almost 150 nm . the precise profile of the thicknesses , especially the hil thickness , is a complex function of , among other things , parameters of the solution deposition process such as material concentration , droplet size , and number of droplets , deposition time and so forth . fig5 shows , on the right , a heat map of thicknesses of the hil layer in a display pixel , illustrating the variation of hil thickness in 3 dimensions . once fabrication of the pixel is complete the output luminance and colour of the pixel is measured , spatially resolved over the area of the pixel , by employing a calibrated ccd ( charge coupled device ) camera with colour filters for tristimulus x , y and z values . this allows the cie values to be determined , as described further below , and the left hand image in fig5 shows ciey , allowing the hil profile to be matched to the corresponding output luminance and colour . fig5 also illustrates meshing of the pixel area with , here , a square mesh with elements labelled 1 - 20 . . . . this facilitates linking the average hil thickness in a square with the experimentally determined colour value , here ciey , for the hil thickness . since , for the profile of fig4 , the il and lep layers are substantially flat , this provides a rapid technique for characterising the effect of varying hil thickness within a target structure . the characterisation data of fig4 and 5 enables a calibration curve of the type illustrated in fig6 to be constructed . this shows ( in this example ) the ciey value against hil thickness for a range of different hil thicknesses . to achieve a good range of thicknesses and conditions different droplet counts of inkjet printed hil material in solution were employed , for example 4 + 6 + 6 droplets denoting 3 passes a first having 4 droplets along the length of a pixel and a second and third passes having 6 droplets along the length of a pixel . the calibration curve of fig6 shows the measured tristimulus values ‘ viewed ’ through a ‘ ciey filter ’ but it will be appreciated that ciex or ciey may also be determined or a transformation into another colour space may be employed . once a calibration curve or curves of the type illustrated in fig6 has been determined the 3d hil profile of a proposed hil formulation / process may be measured and the calibration curve used to predict the resulting light colour / intensity output . this can be done by meshing the area of a pixel , determining the average hil thickness in each mesh area element and then summing the contributions from each mesh element to determine the overall light colour and / or intensity predicted to be produced from the pixel . this summing is preferably performed in the tristimulus colour space and then the summed tristimulus values may be converted to the target colour space , for example ciexyy colour space . the validity of this procedure can be demonstrated as follows , the equations below illustrating that tristimulus values from pixel area mesh elements can be summed linearly to produce an average tristimulus value for the area of a pixel : now if we consider two sources with respective intensities i 1 and i 2 the total intensity is given by i = i 1 + i 2 and it can be seen that : x =∫ 0 ∞ ( i 1 ( λ )+ i 2 ( λ )) x ( λ ) dλ it will be appreciated that the tristimulus y and z values may similarly , validly be linearly summed . thus to obtain average x , y and z values across the pixel the contributions from each point ( mesh element ) such as squares 1 - 20 of fig5 are simply held together . once this has been done the tristimulus values may be converted to the target colour space . for example to convert to cie xyy the following conversions are employed ( where ciey is the same as the tristimulus y value ): from the foregoing it will be appreciated that calibration curves along similar lines to fig6 are needed for tristimulus x , y and z values . the spectral sensitivity curves of filters which may be employed to determine the cie tristimulus values are illustrated in fig7 ; in effect these define spectral sensitivity curves of ( linear ) light detectors which would yield the cie tristimulus values x , y and z . the skilled person will appreciate that these may be mathematically applied to , for example , a ccd camera with a broad colour spectral response . fig8 illustrates a set of 3 ciex , y and z tristimulus calibration curves obtained for blue pixels of a pixelated oled display panel ; these approximately correspond to the ciey calibration curve shown in fig6 . from a set of curves of the type illustrated in fig8 , once the 3d hil profile of an oled pixel has been measured , the tristimulus values from points / regions across the pixel may be summed and then the result converted to ciexyy colour space using the above equations . this information may then be used to directly determine whether , were the device to be fabricated to completion , the colour would be within the tolerance range of a target , typically also specified as ciex and ciey values . it has been experimentally validated that an empirical approach of this type is sufficient to determine whether the output of a pixel is within a desired specification and this approach therefore greatly improves the rate at which hil profiles / materials / processes may be screened . fig9 a shows a predicted heat map of a colour output of an oled pixel , of a similar type to the experimentally measured colour illustrated in fig5 , and likewise showing a ( predicted ) ciey level . this information may also helpfully be expressed in the form of a histogram as illustrated in fig9 b . this shows , on the y - axis , a proportion of the total light output provided by a given hil thickness , showing the hil thickness on the x - axis ( for a set of mesh elements , not shown in fig9 a ). fig9 b illustrates that there can be a substantial variation in hil thickness within the natural area of a pixel ( a uniform thickness would appear as a delta function ‘ spike ’ in fig9 b ). nonetheless embodiments of the method we have described are able accurately to predict the colour output of the pixel and using these methods it is therefore not necessary to attempt to produce a device with a precisely uniform hil ( or other ) layer thickness , which provides an additional advantage in a production process . the skilled person will appreciate that the empirical model - based approach we have described may be employed to achieve a target colour and / or efficiency for a device by determining / defining one or more of : a mean hil thickness , a median hil thickness , a mode hil thickness , a spread , for example standard deviation , of hil thickness , an hil profile or one or more parameters defining an hil profile , and one or more hil materials . although an illustrative example of the technique has been described with particular reference to the hil layer , the skilled person will appreciate that the technique may correspondingly be applied to other layers of an oled device depending on which , in a particular production process exhibit the greatest variation . in addition the technique may be applied to a combination of layers , for example to a combination of the hil and htl layers , which is appropriate because these have a similar refractive index . although a preferred embodiment of the technique has been described with particular reference to a pixel of a pixelated oled display , it will similarly be recognised that the technique is not limited to such applications and may be applied in other situations where an oled layer thickness may vary with lateral position across a device . for example when fabricating a large area device such as a lighting tile different deposition techniques may be employed , such as evaporation . in this case the hil layer thickness may be substantially constant and the thickness of one or more other layers of the device , for example the htl or lep or lep stack or an electrode may vary ; the above described techniques may then be correspondingly employed to the one or more thickness - varying layers to similarly predict a colour and / or intensity to light output from the oled device . in general the techniques may be employed to monitor / adjust the thickness of one or more organic layers deposited using a range of techniques including , but not limited to : spin coating , inkjet printing , silk screen printing , slot - die coating , gravure printing , flexographic printing and the like ; in principle embodiments of the techniques may be employed for continuous monitoring of the predicted light output quality ( for example colour / intensity ) on a roll - to - roll production line process . broadly speaking we have described techniques for monitoring an oled production process which may be employed either for an initial configuration of a process for example determining one or more layer thicknesses , or for checking / monitoring the process , for example to determine that device parameters are ( predicted to be ) within tolerance , or both . techniques are particularly useful with pixelated , inkjet printed devices where complex effects can cause difficult to predict variations in light output . however the techniques are not limited to this application and may be employed generally to measure an organic layer thickness and in particular its profile / distribution and then to predict , at an early stage , the impact on the device to be fabricated in particular whether it will have the right colour or intensity . this may be employed for a pass / fail test and / or to modify the production process to correct for a predicted error , in particular by adjusting a thickness of one or more organic layers the device . no doubt many other effective alternatives will occur to the skilled person . it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments and encompasses modifications apparent to those skilled in the art lying within the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto . | 7 |
“ vitamin d ” means either vitamin d3 ( cholecalciferol ) and / or vitamin d2 ( ergocaciferol ). humans are unable to make vitamin d2 ( ergocalciferol ), but are able to use it as a source of vitamin d . vitamin d2 can be synthesized by various plants and is often used in vitamin d in supplements as an equivalent to vitamin d . “ vitamin d metabolite ” means any metabolite of vitamin d other than 25 - hydroxy vitamin d3 . “ 25 - oh d ” refers to the 25 - hydroxylated metabolite of either vitamin d2 or vitamin d3 which is the major circulating form found in plasma . “ prevent ” is meant to include amelioration of the disease , lessening of the severity of the symptoms , early intervention , and lengthening the duration of onset of the disease , and is not intended to be limited to a situation where the patient is no longer able to contract the disease nor experience any symptoms . eotaxins ( also called ccl - 11 , ccl - 24 , and ccl - 26 ) are three proteins which belong to the cc family of chemokines . they are selective recruiters of eosinophils , and also induce the aggregation of eosinophils . eosinophils play an important beneficial role in killing some invasive microbes and helminths , especially in the gut . recent studies also suggest a role in organogenesis , tissue repair , and immune regulation . however , abnormally high amounts of eosinophils in the circulation and in some tissues are characteristic of many pathologies , including allergic diseases ( including asthma , rhinitis , and atopic dematitis ), other inflammatory disorders ( including inflammatory bowel disease , eosinophilic gastroenteritis , and pneumonia ), non - allergenic inflammation ( such as that induced by ozone inhalation or foreign body granlomatous reactions ) as well as some malignancies ( such as hodgkin &# 39 ; s disease and various leukemias ). it has been surprisingly found that administration of 25 - oh d3 lowered the level of eotaxin in the serum of postmenopausal women . the group receiving 25 - oh d3 had a statistically significant lower amount compared to the group receiving vitamin d3 . both 25 - hydroxy vitamin d3 and vitamin d3 lowered eotaxin amounts compared to placebo . thus , administration of 25 - oh d3 would be beneficial for treatment and prevention of diseases and symptoms associated with high levels of eotaxin , as detailed below . as explained in pease et al , 2001 curr . opinion in pharmacol . 1 ( 3 ): 248 - 253 , which is hereby incorporated by reference , one of the characteristic features of asthma is the accumulation of eosinophils in the bronchial walls . when the eosinophils release their contents ( including major basic protein ), tissue damage and bronchial hyperreactivity , the hallmark of asthma , occur . individuals diagnosed with asthma have been found to have an increased eotaxin level , and those experiencing acute asthma have been reported to have higher levels than those with stable asthma . similarly , individuals having occupational asthma were also seen to have higher eotaxin levels . in mice models , a disruption of the eotaxin gene resulted in a reduction of eosinophil recrutiment in an asthma mode . similarly , administration of an eotaxin - neutralizing antibody also was found to reduce lung esophilila . thus another aspect of this invention is a method to decrease the symptoms of asthma by administering a eotaxin - reducing effective amount of 25 - oh d3 to a person in need of such reduction . the resulting reduction of eosinophil aggregation would lead to an observable reduction in symptoms of asthma , notably the easing of bronchial restriction . another aspect of this invention is the use of 25 - oh d3 in the method of making an asthma medicament . the 25 - oh d3 may be used as an adjunct to or in co - therapy with known asthma medicaments and / or therapies . allergic rhinitis and sinusitis eotaxin was found to be present in epithelial and inflammatory cells in nasal passages of individuals with allergic rhinitis and sinusitis . ( see fiest et al 2006 j allergy clin immunol 118 : 536 - 8 , which is hereby incorporated by reference ). thus eotaxin is a target for reduction in these conditions . atopic asthma refers to allergic conditions such as hayfever and allergic dermatits . increased expression of eotaxin has been observed in these conditions , as well . thus another aspect of this invention is a method to decrease the symptoms of allergic rhinitis or sinusitis by administering a eotaxin - reducing effective amount of 25 - oh d3 to a person in need of such reduction . the resulting reduction of eosinophil aggregation would lead to an observable reduction in symptoms of rhinitis or sinusitis , including decrease in swelling and inflammation . another aspect of this invention is the use of 25 - oh d3 in the method of making a medicament suitable for rhinitis or sinusitis . the 25 - oh d3 may be used as an adjunct to or in co - therapy with known rhinitis or sinusitis medicaments and / or therapies . thus another aspect of this invention is a method to decrease the symptoms of or hayfever or allergic dermatitis by administering a eotaxin - reducing effective amount of 25 - oh d3 to a person in need of such reduction . the resulting reduction of eosinophil aggregantion would lead to an observable reduction in symptoms of hayfever or allergic dermatis , including decrease in swelling and inflammation . another aspect of this invention is the use of 25 - oh d3 in the method of making a medicament suitable for hayfever or allergic dermatitis . the 25 - oh d3 may be used as an adjunct to or in co - therapy with known hayfever or allergic dermatitis medicaments and / or therapies . chronic inflammatory diseases of the nose and sinuses can lead to the formation of nasal polyps , and this involves an up - regulation of eotaxin ( see rankin et al 2000 molecular medicine today 6 : 20 - 27 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . administration of 25 - oh d3 , and / or vitamin d3 , in accordance with this invention will decrease eotaxin levels , and thus ameliorate , prevent or treat the formation and growth of nasal polyps . the 25 - oh d3 may be used as an adjunct to or in co - therapy with known medicaments and / or therapies for nasal polyps . normally , eosinophils are not found in the esophageal mucosa , but it some disease states , they can accumulate there , having a proinflammatory effect . there are several gastric disorders which involve the presence of eosinophils and increased eotaxin in the gut : normally , eosinophils are not found in the esophageal mucosa , but it esinophilic esophagitis , they can accumulate there , having a pro - inflammatory effect . symptoms include dysphagia , chest pain and food impaction . in children , it can include nausea and vomiting , weight loss , anemia and failure to thrive . often patients have a history of allergies , including food allergies to high protein foods such as milk , eggs , soybean , wheat , chicken and nuts . the eosinophils in the esophageal mucosa release major basic protein , which induces smooth muscle contractions , that are thought to be mechanistically similar to the broncho - constriction observed in asthma . thus , reducing the amount of eotaxins would ameliorate the symptoms of eosinophilic esophagitis . thus another aspect of this invention is a method to decrease the symptoms of eosinophilic esophagitis by administering a eotaxin - reducing effective amount of 25 - oh d3 to a person in need of such reduction . the resulting reduction of eosinophil aggregantion would lead to an observable reduction in symptoms of eosinophilic esophagitis , including decrease in smooth muscle contraction , dysphagia , chest pain , food impaction , nausea , and vomiting . another aspect of this invention is the use of 25 - oh d3 in the method of making a medicament suitable for eosinophilic esophagitis . the 25 - oh d3 may be used as an adjunct to or in co - therapy with known eosinophilic esophagitis medicaments . eosinophils have been implicated in the pathogenesis of iba ( see wedemeyer et al 2008 best practice & amp ; res clin gastroenterol 22 ( 3 ): 537 - 549 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . active inflammation has been associated with increased eosinophils at the site of inflammation . the release of their proteins ( including eosinophil granule cationic protein ) can cause tissue damage . thus , lowering the level of eotaxin would result in a loss of eosinophil aggregation , leading to a reduction of symptoms of iba , including inflammation . thus another aspect of this invention is a method to decrease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome by administering a eotaxin - reducing effective amount of 25 - oh d3 to a person in need of such reduction . the resulting reduction of eosinophil aggregation would lead to an observable reduction in symptoms of iba , including a decrease in inflammation . another aspect of this invention is the use of 25 - oh d3 in the method of making a medicament suitable for iba . the 25 - oh d3 may be used as an adjunct to or in co - therapy with known iba therapies . crohn &# 39 ; s disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic inflammatory diseases , but no specific pathogen has been identified like ibs , they are characterized by increased levels of eosinophils . it has been shown that eotaxin - deficient mice had a reduced amount of eosinophils in the colon , and exhibit a significantly attenuated colitis compared to wild - type . thus another aspect of this invention is a method to decrease the symptoms of crohn &# 39 ; s disease or ulcerative colitis by administering a eotaxin - reducing effective amount of 25 - oh d3 to a person in need of such reduction . the resulting reduction of eosinophil aggregantion would lead to an observable reduction in symptoms of crohn &# 39 ; s disease or ulcerative colitis , including decrease in swelling and inflammation . another aspect of this invention is the use of 25 - oh d3 in the method of making a medicament suitable for crohn &# 39 ; s disease or ulcerative colitis . the 25 - oh d3 may be used as an adjunct to or in co - therapy with known crohn &# 39 ; s disease or ulcerative colitis therapies . hogan et al 2004 aliment pharmacol ther 20 : 1231 - 1240 , which is hereby incorporated by reference , propose that reduction of eosinophils would be beneficial in other gastrointestinal conditions , including food allergies , parasitic infections , and gastro - esophageal reflux . food dosages : the rda which is in place at the time the food is sold is the maximum dosage of the combination of vitamin d3 + 25 - oh d3 recommended to be incorporated into a food currently , the rda for vitamin d3 is : 400 iu for infants ( 0 - 12 months ) 600 iu for children (+ 1 year ) through adolescents and adults ( 70 years ) 800 iu for adults (+ 71 years ) 600 iu for pregnant or lactating women for 25 - oh d3 alone , there is not a current rda , as in some countries , regulations do not permit it to be added to human food ; however it is considered to be approximately 3x as active as vitamin d3 . thus , for food use , the maximum dose which should be present in a food is approximately 3 × less than the rda of vitamin d3 . it is noted that conventionally vitamin d3 dosages are expressed in ius , whereas 25 - oh d3 dosages are expressed in μg . the amounts are readily converted , as one iu vitamin d3 is equal to 40 μg . daily . a composition according to this invention where the two active ingredients are to be administered separately , or alone contains vitamin d or 25 - oh d3 in an amount from about 1 μg to about 50 μg , preferably about 5 μg and 25 μg . alternatively , a single daily dosage having both vitamin d and 25 - oh d3 contains each active ingredient in an amount from about 1 μg to about 50 μg , preferably about 5 μg and 25 μg . the dosage ratio of vitamin d to 25 - oh d3 may be from about 50 : 1 to about 1 : 50 , more preferably from about 25 : 1 to about 1 : 25 , and even more preferably from about 6 : 1 to about 1 : 6 . multiple , separate dosages may be packaged in a single kit ( or container ). for example , the kit may be comprised of thirty separate daily dosages of both actives separately ( i . e . 60 separate dosages ), or combined ( i . e . 30 dosages containing both active ingredients ). instructions for administering the dosages to a human may be included in the kit . weekly . a single weekly dosage contains vitamin d or 25 - oh d3 in an amount from about 7 μg to about 350 μg , and preferably from about 35 to 175 μg . alternatively , a single weekly dosage may contain both vitamin d and 25 - oh d3 each in an amount from about 7 μg to about 350 μg , and preferably from about 35 to 175 μg . the dosage ratio of vitamin d to 25 - oh d3 may be from about 50 : 1 to about 1 : 50 , more preferably from about 25 : 1 to about 1 : 25 , and even more preferably from about 6 : 1 to about 1 : 6 . monthly . a single monthly dosage contains vitamin d or 25 - oh d3 in an amount from 30 μg to about 1500 μg , preferably about 75 μg to about 500 μg . alternatively , a single monthly dosage may contain both vitamin d and 25 - oh d3 each in an amount from 30 μg to about 1500 μg , preferably about 75 μg to about 500 μg . a kit may be comprised of one , two , three , four , five , six , seven , eight , nine , ten , eleven , or twelve weekly or monthly dosages . dosage ratios of vitamin d to 25 - oh d3 should range between 50 : 1 to about 1 : 50 , more preferably from about 25 : 1 to about 1 : 25 , and even more preferably from about 6 : 1 to about 1 : 6 . bolus : a single bolus dosage contains vitamin d or 25 - oh d3 in an amount from 30 μg to about 7500 μg , alternatively , a single bolus dosage may contain both vitamin d and 25 - oh d3 each in an amount from 100 μg to about 7500 μg , ( preferably about 75 μg to about 3750 μg ). dosage ratios of vitamin d to 25 - oh d3 should range between 50 : 1 to about 1 : 50 , more preferably from about 25 : 1 to about 1 : 25 , and even more preferably from about 6 : 1 to about 1 : 6 . bolus dose can be followed by a daily or weekly or monthly regimen as described above . there is a scarcity of data on the relationship between orally - administered 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 and its resulting systemic concentration in humans , in comparison to orally - administered vitamin d3 . the most comprehensive analysis to date of the kinetics of vitamin d3 and 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 was conducted by barger - lux et al . ( osteoperosis 8 : 222 - 230 , 1998 ). healthy men were administered up to 1250 μg / day of vitamin d3 over a period of eight weeks , and up to 50 μg / day of 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 over a period of four weeks . curvilinear kinetics were demonstrated for the relationship of vitamin d3 and plasma 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 , and it was suggested that this may be due to saturation of hydroxylase activity in the liver . this was supported in that dosing with 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 was not reported as producing curvilinear kinetics ( barger - lux et al ., 1998 ). although data on 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 does show curvilinear kinetics , it is only evident when the dose is extended past the level considered to result in maximum physiological benefit , which may indicate the activity of a homeostatic mechanism that is overwhelmed at very high doses . within the physiological range , the relationship appears linear and comparable to barger - lux et al . these data indicate that a daily dose of between 10 μg and 60 μg of 25 - hydroxyvitamin d is required for maximum health benefit . a study of the pharmacokinetics in humans of orally - administered spray - dried 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 , spray - dried vitamin d3 , or both was initiated to investigate their physiological interactions . in particular , the shapes of their dose - response curves ( which indicates the concentrations of vitamin d3 and 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 in the circulation over a set time course , not simply the average or maximum concentration achieved ) and the steady - state kinetics were of interest . in respect of the former point , it is important to investigate the change in shape of the dose - response curves when exposure is to both vitamin d3 and 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 . in respect of the latter point , it is also necessary to investigate their steady - state kinetics when dosing is less frequent than daily because this is the preferred regimen for groups that may have low compliance with taking daily supplements ( such as the elderly ). the following non - limiting examples are presented to better illustrate the invention . healthy , postmenopausal women ( 50 to 70 years of age ) were recruited using informed consent and screened using the following criteria : serum 25 - hydroxy vitamin d3 between 20 nmol / l and 50 nmol / l , body mass index between 18 kg / m 2 and 27 kg / m 2 , blood pressure less than 146 / 95 mm hg , serum calcium less than 2 . 6 nmol / l , fasting glucose less than 100 mg / dl , no high - intensity exercise more than three times per week , no treatment for hypertension , no use of high - dose vitamin d or calcium supplement or drug affecting bone metabolism ( e . g ., biphosphonate , calcitonin , estrogen receptor modulator , hormone replacement therapy , parathyroid hormone ), and not visiting a “ sunny ” location during the study . subjects were randomly assigned to one of seven treatment groups ( i . e ., daily , weekly , bolus as single dose , and bolus as combination dose ). each group included five subjects . they were followed for four months in zurich , switzerland during the winter . the objective was studying and comparing the pharmacokinetic characteristics of vitamin d3 and 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 administered to humans . equimolar quantities of both substances were investigated . the regimen was based on 20 μg / day ( or its equivalent on a weekly basis ) of 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 . for comparative purposes , it was necessary to administer equimolar quantities of either vitamin d3 or 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 . in respect to administration of vitamin d3 , the dose was considered to be sufficient to overcome background variability and provide and efficacious dose to the participants . hard gel capsules , which are packaged in bottles , contain either 20 μg or 140 μg of either spray - dried vitamin d3 or 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 per capsule . each dosage was consumed orally at breakfast . the duration of the study was four months for the “ daily ” and “ weekly ” groups . subjects enrolled in the “ bolus ” group consumed orally a single dosage at the second study visit . plasma concentrations of 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 ( e . g ., peak and steady state ) were determined by obtaining samples from the subjects at various times after the dosage was ingested . for screening purposes and to establish baseline values , a blood sample was obtained prior to enrollment into the study and the clinical laboratory measured vitamin d3 , 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 , calcium , creatinine , albumin , and fasting glucose in the serum . on monday of week 1 of the study , pharmacokinetics of serum vitamin d3 , 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 , and 1 , 25 - dihydroxy vitamin d3 ; serum markers ( i . e ., vitamin d3 , 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 , calcium , creatinine , albumin , pth , got , gpt , alp , triglycerides , hdl , ldl , total cholesterol , balp , and fasting glucose ); and urine markers ( i . e ., calcium , creatinine , and dpd ) were assessed over 24 hours . daily samples for the remaining days of week 1 and monday of week 2 were taken to assess serum vitamin d3 and 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 , serum markers ( i . e ., calcium , creatinine , albumin ), and urine markers ( i . e ., calcium , creatinine ). the assessments continued on monday of weeks 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 13 and 15 . on monday of week 16 , samples were taken to assess pharmacokinetics of serum vitamin d3 , 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 , and 1 , 25 - dihydroxy vitamin d3 ; serum markers ( i . e ., vitamin d3 , 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 , calcium , creatinine , albumin , pth , got , gpt , alp , triglycerides , hdl , ldl , total cholesterol , balp , and fasting glucose ); and urine markers ( i . e ., calcium , creatinine , and dpd ). twenty healthy postmenopausal women with 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 levels below 25 ng / ml and a mean age of 61 . 5 years ( sd ± 7 . 2 ) were enrolled in this study . participants were randomized to either 20 μg of oral 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 or 20 μg of vitamin d3 per day in a double - blind manner . on 14 visits over 4 months , 25 ( oh ) d levels , and 7 inflammation markers ( eotaxin , il - 8 , il - 12 , ip - 10 , mcp - 1 , mp - 1 ( 3 , rantes ) were measured . all analyses were adjusted for baseline , age and body mass index . mean 25 ( oh ) d levels increased from 13 . 7 to 69 . 5 ng / ml in the 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 group ( not shown ). for vitamin d3 , 25 ( oh ) d levels increased from 13 . 5 to 31 . 0 ng / ml with a slow increase over time . levels of inflammatory markers were determined at baseline and the end of the follow - up period . for most of the markers baseline levels vary considerably within a population of healthy individuals ( see e . g . campell et al human immunology vol 62 , p . 668 - 678 , 2001 ). yet , they increase during periods of infection or health deteriorations . for instance eotaxin levels significantly increase in individuals during episodes of asthma or allergy ( campell et al . international immunology vol . 14 , p . 1255 - 1262 , 2002 ). while both types of vitamin d supplementation contributed to a decrease in 5 out of 7 inflammation markers , only eotaxin levels were significantly more reduced by 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 compared to vitamin d3 ( p = 0 . 003 ) at the end of the intervention phase . it should be noted that relative changes of different inflammatory markers ought be considered to reflect a positive impact on health rather than absolute levels , since these depend on the sensitivity of the analytical methods used . the results demonstrate the selective effect of 25 - hydroxyvitamin d3 on the levels of the inflammatory marker eotaxin . | 0 |
fig1 to 4 are extremely diagrammatic and do not conform to the proportions of the various units shown , this being to make them easier to read . in particular , all the electrical connections , which are known per se , are not shown . the rigid substrates employed for all the examples which follow are substrates made of clear 4 mm silica - soda - lime glass . ( they could also be tinted in the bulk and have different thicknesses , for example of between 3 and 6 mm ). in all the examples which follow , the unit according to the invention uses an electrochromic system in combination with a system with liquid crystals . the system with liquid crystals employed is of the type of those described in patents wo - 90 / 03593 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 206 , 747 and ep - 0 409 442 . it is made up of a film of transparent polymer in which microdrops of a nematic liquid crystal have previously been dispersed , which constitutes the emulsion of liquid crystals of a total thickness of 25 μm , and which is sandwiched between two sheets of polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ) of 175 μm thickness , each coated with a transparent conductive layer made of ito of resistivity 100 ohms per square . the structure of the system with liquid crystals is therefore the following : pet / ito / liquid - crystal emulsion / ito / pet . the liquid crystal molecules have several refractive indices : two &# 34 ; ordinary &# 34 ; indices n o which are equal in the two directions perpendicular to their axes of symmetry and an &# 34 ; extraordinary &# 34 ; index n o in the axis of symmetry . the polymer is chosen so as to have a refractive index very close to the ordinary index n o . in the absence of voltage , the axes of the various drops are not mutually correlated . at each polymer - drop interface , therefore , the incident light undergoes a high refraction due to the difference in index between the polymer and the drop whose orientation is random . the light is therefore diffused in all directions . under maximum voltage ( 110 volts ) the optical axes of the various drops are aligned in the direction of the electrical field , that is perpendicularly to the glazing . the incident light , essentially normal to the glazing , now encounters only a medium of continuous index n p equal to n o and is no longer diffused . the intermediate turbidity states are accessible with voltage values of especially between 0 and 110 volts . the type of electrochromic system employed , for its part , differs according to the type of configuration of the unit , which will be made more explicit when each of the figures is described , but here it functions in all cases by reversible insertion of h + protons . either what is involved is an electrochromic system referred to below by the term of system &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;, which is an &# 34 ; all solid &# 34 ; system , and in which the stacking of functional layers is the following : an electrically conductive layer made of sno 2 : f , of 300 nm , a layer of cathodic electrochromic material made of tungsten oxide , of 380 nm , a twin - layer electrolyte made up of a layer of hydrated tantalum oxide ta 2 o 5 . nh 2 o , of 18 nm , and a layer of hydrated tungsten oxide wo 3 · nh 2 o , of 200 nm , a layer of anodic electrochromic material based on hydrated iridium oxide h x iro y , of 45 nm , ( it can be replaced with hydrated nickel oxide ), the system is made to function by applying a potential of - 1 . 6 v to apply the colouring and of + 0 . 6 v for causing the system to fade . alternatively , what is involved is an electrochromic system referred to below by the term of system &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;, which employs an electrolyte in the form of a polymer and in which the stacking of the functional layers is the following : ( stacking in accordance with the teaching of patent ep - 0 628 849 ): a first electrically conductive layer made of sno 2 : f , of 300 nm , a first layer of anodic electrochromic material made of hydrated iridium oxide , of 55 nm , ( it could be replaced with a layer of hydrated nickel oxide ), a layer of hydrated tantalum oxide ta 2 o 5 · h x , of 70 nm , functioning as protection , a layer of electrolyte made of solid solution of polyoxyethylene with phosphoric acid poe -- h 3 po 4 , of 100 micrometers , a second layer of cathodic electrochromic material based on tungsten oxide , of 350 nm , it works in the same voltage range . each of the systems &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; is connected to a voltage generator with the aid of current leads in the form of strips placed at the opposite ends of the two electrically conductive layers . the two electrochromic systems as described make it possible to &# 34 ; scan &# 34 ; a range of light transmission values of approximately between 5 and 60 %. in the case where an attempt is made , where necessary , to attain a real hiding effect ( which is the case with applications as back projection screen working in transmission , as mentioned above ), much lower transmission values , lower than 0 . 1 %, for example of the order of 0 . 01 to 0 . 05 %, can be attained by significantly increasing the thickness of the insertion / deinsertion layers of the functional stacking . it is thus possible to &# 34 ; thicken &# 34 ; considerably the layer of cathodic electrochromic material of the wo 3 type to values of more than 500 nm and even of more than 1000 nm , for example in thicknesses of between 500 and 1500 nm . it is also possible to thicken the layer of anodic electrochromic material , for example to employ a layer of hydrated iridium oxide of more than 100 nm and even of more than 200 nm , especially in thicknesses of 100 to 300 nm . thus , if a system of &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; type is employed with a 1000 nm layer of wo 3 and a 200 nm layer of h x iro y , a t l of approximately 0 . 01 % in the coloured state can be obtained . on the other hand , in the faded state , the maximum light transmissions which can be obtained are then not very high , especially of the order of 20 to 30 %. this corresponds to the illustration of the unit given in fig1 : the glass substrate 1 is provided , on one of its faces , with the liquid - crystal system 2 through the intermediacy of an adhesive means 3 , in the form of a sheet of double - faced adhesive which ensures the bonding by pressure ( especially using a calendering - type operation ). the electrochromic system 4 of &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; type is placed on the other face of the substrate by a succession of depositions using cathodic sputtering . this corresponds to the illustration of fig2 : there is still only one glass substrate 1 . this time the liquid - crystal system 2 is superposed on the electrochromic system &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; 4 , still through the intermediacy of a pressure - sensitive adhesive 3 . this corresponds to the illustration of fig3 : there are two glass substrates 1 , 10 , between which the liquid - crystal system 2 is placed , arranged between two sheets 5 , 6 of pvb , of eva or of pu , of 0 . 76 mm thickness . the electrochromic system of &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; type is placed either between one of the pvb sheets 6 and the glass substrate 10 , or on the external face of the substrate 10 . for greater clarity , the two configurations have been shown under references 4 and 4 bis . this corresponds to the illustration of fig4 : this time the unit according to the invention includes 3 glass substrates 1 , 10 , 11 . between the substrate 1 and the substrate 10 the liquid - crystal system 2 is placed between two pvb sheets 5 , 6 of 0 . 76 mm thickness . between the substrate 10 and the substrate 11 is placed the electrochromic system of &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; type 4 . it can be seen that , especially in this configuration , if it is envisaged to employ the unit as outward - facing glazing , the electrochromic system 4 preferably faces inwards : it is then protected from certain radiations emitted by the sun which can affect its durability , especially the ultraviolet radiations , by virtue of the interposition of the pvb sheets 5 , 6 , in which a uv screening agent is advantageously incorporated . fig5 shows a graph produced with the aid of the results obtained from example 4 . in this fig5 in fact , the values of turbidity have been plotted as the ordinate ( the turbidity , expressed as a percentage , is the ratio of the diffused transmission to the light transmission at 560 nm ), as a function of the values of light transmission as the abscissa ( expressed as a percentage according to the illuminant d 65 ) which are accessible with the glazing of example 4 and represented by all the points situated within the rectangle 15 ( edges included ). the glazing according to the invention can thus combine the low t l values associated with high turbidities , which corresponds to the left upper quadrant of the frame 15 bounding the region in which the glazing can , for example , fulfil a function of a window shutter . in the region bounded by the right upper quadrant the glazing has a high t l and a high turbidity , and it can then also fulfil a &# 34 ; concealment &# 34 ; function . a low turbidity combined with a low t l makes it possible to have a glazing permitting vision while limiting the heating - up of a room or of a compartment in the case of strong sunshine . a high turbidity combined with a variable t l makes it possible to have a glazing which can be employed as a diffusing back projection screen which is adaptable as a function of the ambient lighting in order to optimize the image quality . by way of comparison , these same values of turbidity have been plotted as a function of the t l for other types of &# 34 ; intelligent &# 34 ; glazing : the straight - line segment 16 is obtained for a laminated electrochromic glazing of the type : it does not actually &# 34 ; start up &# 34 ; completely at 0 % t l but at 5 % in the most coloured state , and scans a t l range of up to 60 % in the maximum faded state . on the other hand , the glazing is nondiffusing , regardless of the state of its colouring . the straight - line segment 17 is obtained in the case of a so - called liquid - crystal laminated glazing such as that marketed under the name of &# 34 ; priva - lite &# 34 ; by saint - gobain vitrage : the turbidity of such a glazing can vary between approximately 6 % of the values higher than 95 %. on the other hand , the variations in t l are minimal , the t l value remaining at values close to 70 %, to within 3 or 4 %. the straight - line segment 18 is employed for a laminated glazing with liquid crystals of &# 34 ; priva - lite &# 34 ; type , in which has been incorporated 2 % of a mixture of black dichroic dyes , the concentration being based on mass relative to the liquid crystals . there is a complete interdependence in the changes in t l and in turbidity . the straight - line segment 19 is obtained in the case of a glazing with an optical valve system based on dichroic particles described in patent wo - 93 / 09460 , more particularly in its example 1 . here again there is a clear interdependence in the changes in t l and in turbidity , which are moreover confined to relatively narrow ranges . it should be noted , furthermore , that the axes of the graph include negative values , which , of course , has no physical reality , but which makes the graph easier to read . the following conclusions can be drawn from the description of these examples : the unit according to the invention can assume very varied configurations , depending , for example , on whether compactness ( examples 1 or 2 ) or robustness ( example 4 ) is given priority , when a liquid - crystal system is chosen which is clamped between two pvb sheets , themselves clamped between two glass substrates , a laminated glazing is formed ( examples 3 or 4 ), from the comparison made in fig5 it can be confirmed that only one unit according to the invention makes it possible to obtain the changes in turbidity and in t l in a decorrelated manner , and especially to obtain t l / turbidity &# 34 ; pairs &# 34 ; which are inaccessible with the currently available &# 34 ; intelligent &# 34 ; glazings . the priority document of the present application , french patent application no . fr 96 / 08591 , is hereby incorporated by reference . | 1 |
the flowchart in fig1 discloses the main features of the inventive method . the boxes symbolises a source of information , such as a database , memory or sensor , the circles symbolises an event and the arrows symbolises a flow of information . the boxes a , b , c symbolises three different sources of road information data . however , the method starts in the circle d , in which information about the position of the vehicle is collected from the position sensor p , evaluated and selected . the positions sensor p is preferably a gps or corresponding device . when the position of the vehicle is determined , road information data about possible upcoming routes is collected from the road information data sources a , b , c . all road information data comprises at least information about the inclination of the road for the upcoming route . the road information data about a route is preferably divided into portions . wherein one portion comprises information about a road segment including inclination changes of the road . memory space can thereby be saved , since portions of a road without any major changes in inclination can be left out in the road information data . this can be done , because when the road does not have any changes in inclination the vehicle mostly travels in a constant speed , wherein the driveline does not need any prediction of the upcoming route . the method therefore constantly updates the position of the vehicle and collects relevant road information data from the road information sources a , b , c . since the position is constantly updated , the direction of travel for the vehicle will be known , whereby the collection of road information data can be limited to just road information data in the direction of travel of the vehicle . collected road information data that has been evaluated and deemed not be used , are discarded t . the evaluation and selection of the road information data is made based upon a quality rating of the road information data . the quality rating is based on one or several criterions , such as the source a , b , c , of the road information data , elapsed time since recording of the road information data , outcome of the use of a driveline function based on the road information data , etc . for example , if road information data from the local database c is available , this road information data has priority over road information data from the fleet database b and / or the digital map a , wherein the road information data from the fleet database b has priority over road information data from the digital map a . a further example of a possible criterion is the time since the road information data is recorded , wherein the quality rating of the road information data is decreasing with a predefined number for every time unit ( days , months or years ) that has lapsed since the recording . when the most suitable road information data is selected , in the circle d , based on the quality rating , the drive train is controlled , in the circle e , dependent on the selected , road information data . preferably , a cruise control of the vehicle is activated , whereby predefined functions f in the drive train is selected and executed dependent of the topography of the upcoming route . such functions can be : allowing a deviation from the set speed of the cruise control of the vehicle , avoid or postpone a gear shift , and avoid a breaking of the vehicle . when the functions f above and other similar functions are activated the vehicle uses the upcoming route to optimise the performance of the vehicle . the uses of these functions f are dependent of that the road information data is correct . even though the use of the road information data can be greater during an activation of a cruise control , it is not limiting , for the invention . the controlled parameter during manual driving of the vehicle can be torque limitation or activation of a generator or other system in the vehicle , when it is topographically beneficial . as a part of the enhancement process of the invention , when such a function f has been used , an evaluation of the actual outcome of the function is made and compared with an expected outcome of the function f . if , the actual outcome of the function f does not correspond to the expected outcome , the data quality rating of the road information data used is decreased . the outcome can be measured and compared as the function is executed and / or as the function has been executed . a suitable parameter for evaluation of the outcome of the function could be the expected and actual speed of the vehicle in a certain point , for example on the top of a hill . how much the data quality rating is decreased is dependent on the deviation from the expected outcome . thereby , a great deviation between the actual and expected result might have the consequence that another source of road information data is used the next time a selection of road information data is made for the same route . the invention is however not limited to the above briefly and previously known describe functions f , an evaluation of the quality of the road information data can be made with any other function f that is dependent of topographic road information data . if a comparison between an actual value and an expected value is such that a data quality rating is changed thereby , the road data with its new mad data quality rating is saved h . further , during travelling along a route , a recording g of the route is made . the recording becomes its input from the position sensor p and other input sources i , which at least comprises an elevation sensor ( inclination sensor , gps or other suitable devices ), wherein also other parameters can be recorded , such as the sensing form vehicle sensors and external devices , weather and wind sensors etc . the circle h represents an evaluation of the recorded and used road information data . a decision if a recording of road information data of a route should be saved into the local database c or discarded t is made in the circle h . the recoding is saved , if : there are no existing road information data of a route in the local database c , and the recorded road information data does not show any signs of being corrupt , or a used mean value of road information data from the local database c , have generated a deviation greater than a predetermined threshold value , between an actual outcome and an expected outcome of a function f , and / or the recorded road information data deviates less than a predetermined threshold value from a mean value saved in the local database , and / or the recorded road information data deviates more than a predetermined threshold value saved in the local database , wherein the recorded road information data in this case is saved separately . in the circle h is an evaluation of the execution of a function in f made . if it turns out that the actual outcome of a function deviates more than a predetermined threshold value , from an expected outcome , the quality rating of the used road data information can be made . a recorded road information data is just integrated in a mean value if the newly recorded road information data deviate less than a predetermined percentage from the mean value . a recording is compared with road information data already existing in the local database , wherein it can be decided if , and how the recording shall be saved . a high deviation between a recorded road information data and an existing , mean value in the local database can be caused by an erroneous recording or a change of the route . however , if a second recording deviates less than a second predetermined percentage from the first recording a new mean value is created from the these two recordings , whereby the new mean value is saved in the local database . a transmission of road information data from the local database c to the fleet database is also made . this can be made continuously over a wireless communication link , or just when the vehicle is at a service station or similar . the inventive method enriches the road information data in the describe manner . as new information is stored , the quality of the road information data in the databases ( b , c ) increases , wherein the next run of the same route can be made more effective . the road information data is enriched through new recordings as the vehicle is travelling and through updates of the quality rating of used road information data . | 1 |
the novel copolymers including the novel comonomer of the present invention are useful in making contact lenses having many desirable attributes including oxygen permeability , machinability , and capability to exhibit good wettability in finished articles . the novel comonomer imparts these properties to the copolymer and articles made therefrom . in the preferred embodiment of the novel comonomer identified above as formula ( 3 ), each radical x is lower alkyl and more preferably methyl . in an even more preferred embodiment , a equals 1 - 3 and more preferably 2 . the monomer most preferred is tris ( trimethylsiloxy ) siloxyethyl methacrylate . the novel comonomers of the present invention can be prepared for instance by reaction of tris ( trialkylsiloxy ) chlorosilane or tris ( triphenylsiloxy ) chlorosilane with hydroxyalkyl acrylate or hydroxyalkyl methacrylate in an inert solvent . a more detailed description of the preparation of the preferred comonomer is given below . representative second comonomers useful in making the useful copolymers of the present invention include the following : methylmethacrylate ( preferred ); ethylmethacrylate ; ethylacrylate ; or propyl , isopropyl , butyl , sec - butyl , pentyl , hexyl , heptyl , octyl , 2 - ethyl hexyl , nonyl , decyl , undecyl , dodecyl , lauryl , cetyl , octadecyl , benzyl , phenyl or cycloalkyl acrylate or methacrylate . the alkyl substituent preferably has 1 to 6 carbon atoms . representative cycloalkyl groups include cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , cycloheptyl , and cyclooctyl . the third comonomer in the useful copolymers of the present invention is a fluorinated or polyfluorinated ( c 1 - c 6 ) acrylate or methacrylate , preferably one in which up to 8 hydrogen atoms ( preferably 3 to 8 ) are replaced by fluorine atoms . the preferred example is trifluoro ethyl methacrylate ( cf 3 -- ch 2 -- o -- c ( o )-- c ( ch 3 )═ ch 2 ). other comonomers which would perform the equivalent function include the following : pentafluoropropyl methacrylate , heptafluoro methylmethacrylate , hexafluoro isopropyl methacrylate and similar compounds . the copolymer of the present invention also contains a cross - linking monomer having difunctional reactive sites , such as ethylene glycol dimethacrylate ( preferred ); diethylene glycol dimethacrylate ; triethylene glycol dimethacrylate ; tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate ; and other compounds known to those skilled in the art for use in cross - linking compounds of the type referred to herein . the copolymer of the present invention is prepared by mixing together the four components indicated above , preferably in the following ranges : about 30 to about 60 weight percent of the comonomer of formula ( 3 ); about 5 to about 25 weight percent of the second comonomer ; about 15 to about 35 weight percent of the fluorinated comonomer ; and about 5 to about 15 percent of the ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and equivalent cross - linking agent . the preferred concentration of the component of formula ( 3 ) is 45 to 60 weight percent , and more preferably about 50 weight percent . the preferred concentration of the second comonomer is about 5 to about 20 weight percent , and more preferably about 15 weight percent . the preferred concentration of the trifluoroethyl methacrylate or equivalent comonomer is about 20 to about 35 weight percent , and more preferably about 25 weight percent . the preferred concentration of the cross - linking agent is about 5 to 15 weight percent , more preferably about 10 weight percent . where it is desired that the copolymer &# 39 ; s product have the ability to absorb ultraviolet radiation , a small but effective amount ( typically up to about 5 weight percent ) of an ultraviolet absorber is mixed together with the other monomers . the preferred copolymeric ultraviolet absorber is a copolymer made by copolymerizing a monomeric ultraviolet absorber having polymerizable vinylic unsaturation with the same monomers from which the copolymeric product itself is made , thereby facilitating dissolution of the copolymeric ultraviolet absorber into the monomer mixture from which the copolymeric product is made . for instance , a macromolecular product can be formed by copolymerizing a mixture of 20 - 40 wt % of a uv absorber such as 3 -( 2 - benzotriazolyl )- 2 - hydroxy - 5 - tert - octylbenzyl methacrylamide , 20 - 40 wt % of a comonomer of formula ( 3 ) such as tris ( trimethylsiloxy ) siloxyethyl methacrylate , and 20 - 40 wt % of 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl methacrylate , or other fluorinated comonomer as defined herein , and optionally 20 - 40 wt % of an alkyl or cycloalkyl acrylate or methacrylate as defined above . free radical copolymerization of the mixture using the initiator , amounts , and reaction conditions disclosed herein for the novel lens polymer , is preferred . an effective amount , preferably about 0 . 5 to about 0 . 2 weight , of the ultraviolet absorbing polymer ( or another uv absorber such as or about 0 . 3 to about 1 . 0 weight percent of 2 , 2 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- tetrahydroxy benzophenone , 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- dihydroxy , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- dimethoxy benzophenone or 2 , 2 &# 39 ; dihydroxy - 4 - methoxy benzophenone ) can be added to impart ultraviolet absorbing ability to the resulting material . the absorber preferably absorbs some or all of the radiation in the range 350 - 450 nm , or preferably 300 - 450 nm . the ultraviolet absorber becomes dispersed in the copolymer and is physically entrapped therein , thereby resisting leaching of the absorber from lenses . in making the copolymers of the present invention , a minor but effective amount such as 0 . 1 - 0 . 75 weight percent of a free radical initiator such as tert - butyl peroxyneodecanoate , tert - butyl peroctoate , or tert - butyl perbenzoate is added to the monomer mixture described above . the resulting mixture is then placed in a waterbath , or in an oven under nitrogen atmosphere . the effective polymerization temperature of from about 35 ° c . to about 110 ° c . is maintained for sufficient time , such as 170 hours , to permit the polymerization to proceed to completion . the resulting clear , hard solid can then be relathed to form a rod , which is cut in the conventional way into buttons which are then machined to form contact lenses using known machining techniques . the resultant lenses exhibit the properties described above to a superior degree not heretofore expected . another aspect of the present invention is the treatment of lenses made from a copolymer containing one or more siloxanyl moieties of the formula -- osid 1 d 2 d 3 wherein d 1 , d 2 and d 3 are independently c 1 - c 10 alkoxy , c 1 - c 10 alkyl , a phenyl ring , or another -- sid 1 d 2 d 3 group , pendant from a polymeric backbone of repeating acrylic or methacrylic units to render the copolymer surface more wettable by water or isotonic saline solution . the lens is treated with an aqueous solution of an agent which is a strong acid , or less preferably is a strong base . the agent cleaves siloxanyl groups from the lens surface and leaves hydroxyl groups in their place , thereby increasing the wettability of the lens surface . suitable agents for increasing the wettability include sodium , potassium and ammonium bisulfate , sulphuric acid , and arylsulfonic acids such as toluenesulfonic acid . this process increases the wettability of lenses made from the copolymers of the present invention . it is also useful with lenses containing pendant siloxanyl moieties derived from any of the siloxanyl - acrylic compounds disclosed in any of the following u . s . pat . nos . : 4 , 314 , 068 ; 4 , 152 , 508 ; 4 , 259 , 467 ; 3 , 808 , 178 ; 4 , 120 , 570 ; 4 , 139 , 513 ; 4 , 139 , 692 ; 4 , 216 , 303 ; 4 , 246 , 389 ; 4 , 330 , 383 ; 4 , 400 , 333 ; 4 , 410 , 674 ; 4 , 414 , 375 ; 4 , 419 , 505 ; 4 , 424 , 328 ; 4 , 433 , 125 ; 4 , 463 , 149 ; 4 , 500 , 695 ; 4 , 507 , 452 ; 4 , 508 , 884 ; 4 , 535 , 138 ; 4 , 581 , 184 ; 4 , 582 , 884 ; and 4 , 602 , 074 , the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference . this process comprises reacting the surface of a lens or other material with an aqueous solution of an effective agent , such as one of those defined above , under conditions of time and temperature effective to replace pendant siloxanyl groups with hydroxyl groups on the surface of the article . typically , times of 1 to 10 hours are satisfactory , with 2 - 6 hours preferred . temperatures of typically 40 ° c .- 80 ° c . are effective . within these parameters , one skilled in this art can readily determine the concentration of the agent of choice which is effective to cause the desired degree of improvement in wettability . in general , higher concentrations require shorter reaction times . the following examples are included for purposes of illustration and should not be considered limiting . 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate ( 315 g ) and pyridine ( 286 g ) were placed in a three liter round bottom flask equipped with overhead stirrer , dropping funnel , drying tube , and thermometer . after cooling the flask in an ice - water bath to 12 °- 15 ° c ., tris ( trimethylsiloxy ) chlorosilane ( 400 g ) was added with stirring over a 60 minute period while maintaining a temperature below 15 ° c . after the addition was over , the contents were stirred for 16 hours at room temperature . pentane ( 150 ml ) was added to the mixture and pyridinium hydrochloride was filtered out and washed with some more pentane . the entire filtrate was extracted successively with water , 10 % aq . acetic acid solution , water , 10 % aq . sodium bicarbonate solution , and water . after drying the organic layer over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and filtering , the solvent was removed under reduced pressure . the colorless residual liquid was distilled under vacuum with 300 mm claisen vigreux distillation head and with 3 % cuprous chloride as inhibitor . the fraction boiling at 87 °- 90 ° c . at about 10 m - torr pressure yielded 385 g ( 75 %) of the title monomer . it was refrigerated until used . this example illustrates the preparation of a copolymer made with the novel siloxanyl ester of example 1 . a polymerization mixture was prepared by mixing 150 parts of tris ( trimethylsiloxy ) siloxy ethyl methacrylate ( monomer of example 1 ), 15 parts methyl methacrylate , 90 parts 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethylmethacrylate , 45 parts ethylene glycol dimethacrylate , 4 . 27 parts of a copolymeric uv absorber ( made from previously copolymerizing 1 . 5 parts of 3 -( 2 - benzotriazolyl )- 2 - hydroxy - 5 - tert - octylbenzyl methacrylamide with 0 . 64 parts tris ( trimethylsiloxy ) siloxy - ethyl methacrylate and 2 . 13 parts of 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl methacrylate in toluene solution with tert - butyl peroxyneodecanoate and tert - butyl peroctoate as organic initiators ), 0 . 018 parts d & amp ; c green # 6 , and organic peroxide initiators , 0 . 45 parts t - butyl peroxyneodecanoate , 0 . 45 parts t - butyl peroctoate and 0 . 45 parts t - butyl perbenzoate . then the mixture was poured into foot - long high density polyethylene tubes ( id 5 / 8 &# 34 ;), and polymerized under nitrogen blanket . the polymerization was effected by initially heating the tubes at 35 ° c . in a waterbath for 48 hours and then at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . then these tubes were placed in a forced air oven and heating was continued at 85 ° c . for 24 hours , 100 ° c . for 56 hours and finally at 110 ° c . for 12 hours . the resulting polymeric rods were cut into lens blanks . the lenses obtained by lathing the blanks had excellent mechanical properties and oxygen permeability , dk 82 barrer units at 35 ° c . this example illustrates the preparation of another copolymer made with the novel siloxanyl ester of example 1 . a polymerization mixture was prepared by mixing 60 parts of tris ( trimethylsiloxy ) siloxy - ethyl methacrylate , 5 parts methylmethacrylate , 25 parts 2 , 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- trifluoroethyl methacrylate , 10 parts ethylene glycol dimethacyrylate , 1 . 42 parts of a copolymeric uv absorber ( made by previously copolymerizing 3 -( 2 - benzotriazolyl )- 2 - hydroxy - 5 - tert - octyl benzyl methacrylamide with tris ( trimethylsiloxy ) siloxyethyl methacrylate , and 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethylmethacrylate as described in example 2 ), 0 . 003 parts d & amp ; c green # 6 , and organic peroxide initiators , 0 . 15 parts t - butyl peroxyneodecanoate , 0 . 15 parts t - butyl peroctoate and 0 . 15 parts t - butyl perbenzoate . the mixture was polymerized in foot - long high density polyethylene tubes ( id 5 / 8 &# 34 ;) and lenses were prepared as described in example 2 . the lenses obtained had excellent mechanical properties and oxygen permeability , dk 125 barrer units at 35 ° c . this example illustrates one of the methods employed to modify the surface of finished articles to enhance their wettability . the finished lenses made from the copolymer of example 2 were treated with a 66 % solution of ammonium bisulfate in water and heated at 50 ° c . for four hours . the lenses were thereafter rinsed in water , 5 % solution of sodium bicarbonate and water successively . then , these lenses were stored in wetting and soaking solution . the wettability was measured by determining the soak state wetting angle of contact lens material . the wetting angle of 65 ° (± 4 ) for untreated and 30 ° (± 4 ) for treated material was observed . these reported numbers are the average of ten bubbles measured left and right sides for each of the three disks employed . a lower wetting angle value indicates better wetting characteristics . | 2 |
reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred embodiments of the invention . wherever possible , the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts . throughout the description , the term “ component ” will be used to describe any part which can be aligned using the alignment clip of the present invention . preferably , a component includes an optical component , such as lenses and optical fibers . the present invention can also be used , however , to align a plurality of components ( i . e ., an assembly ). the inventors have discovered a novel attachment clip that can be used to hold an optical component and / or assembly . the novel design allows for coaxial attachment of components by using a more flexible and economical single side ( e . g ., top - down ) attachment system . this attachment clip is suitable for active alignment and attachment of the optical assembly ( or component ). the attachment process may include , but is not limited to soldering , epoxying , and welding . the attachment clip allows for coaxial type alignment ( i . e ., along the axis of the clip ) with a top - down configuration . furthermore , the attachment clip allows for pressure to be applied by the optical assembly in order to make contact between a plurality of feet and a package , which may be necessary for some methods of attaching the feet to the package . a first embodiment of an attachment clip 100 according to the present invention is shown in the views of fig1 - 5 . the attachment clip 100 includes two or more substantially vertical side walls 20 , a base portion 30 , and a plurality of substantially horizontal feet 10 . as shown in the various views of fig2 the attachment clip 100 allows the optical component 200 to be manipulated in the : x and roll ( fig2 a ), z and θ ( fig2 b ), y and φ ( fig2 c ) directions and unlimited 360 ° roll . it should be appreciated that attachment of the clip 100 to the package sets the x and θ parameters . as shown in fig3 the clip 100 is preferably attached to the package by laser welding 310 the substantially horizontal feet 10 to the package . however , as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure , other attachment schemes are also possible . the y , z , φ , and roll parameters can typically still be adjusted even after the clip 100 is attached to the package . as shown in fig4 the substantially vertical side walls 20 provides for increased allowable vertical translation of the optical component 200 . the design of the attachment clip 100 is such that any shifting due to movement in the attachment process can be compensated for to regain optimal position and alignment . the attachment clip 100 may be adjusted to accommodate various optical components 200 and / or assemblies . the attachment clip 100 may include any number of substantially horizontal feet 10 and substantially vertical side walls 20 . it should also be appreciated that the substantially horizontal feet 10 are preferably horizontal , but may also be positioned at an angle if desired . similarly , the substantially vertical side walls 20 are preferably vertical , but may also be angled inward or outward if desired . furthermore , the clip 100 is not limited to circular components as shown in the figures . the clip 100 as shown in fig5 has a base portion 30 with a substantially circular cross - section with radius r . however , the cross - section could be rectangular or ovular in shape . as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure , the feet dimension ( a ) and the vertical wall dimension ( b ) depicted in fig5 can be adjusted in order to increase or decrease the absolute travel of the component . thus , the dimensions a , b , and r may vary based on the size of the component 200 and the amount of travel desired . preferably , the substantially horizontal feet 10 dimension a is in the range of about 0 . 5 mm to about 2 mm . preferably , each of the substantially vertical side walls 20 has a height b in the range of about 0 . 5 mm to about 2 mm . preferably , the base 30 has a radius in the range of about 0 . 4 mm to about 2 mm . the attachment clip 100 can be used to hold an optical component 200 . once in the clip 100 , the optical component 200 can be translated and / or rotated in order to find the optimal position . once an optimal position is achieved , the optical component can be fixed to the clip 100 . for example , the clip 100 and the optical component 200 could be laser welded in place . this would preferably utilize a two - beam - top - down laser head configuration . the two beam approach is configured to have the beams 180 ° apart and the welding is done symmetrically . in such a case , the optical clip 100 should be fabricated of a weldable material , such as kovar . alternatively , the clip 100 may comprise invar , stainless steel , or nickel . the attachment clip 100 allows for a coaxial type of alignment / attachment but utilizes a top - down configuration . the dimensions , location , and number of substantially horizontal feet 10 and substantially vertical side walls 20 are adjustable to suit the needs of various optical assemblies and / or components 200 . the substantially vertical side walls 20 on the clip 100 allow for vertical movement of the optical component 200 above and below a desired plane . the substantially horizontal feet 10 provide mechanical stability for the clip 100 and also horizontal movement . the clip 100 allows for alignment and attachment without the need for additional tooling to keep the clip 100 in place during the attachment process . depending on the geometrical shape and mass of the optical components 200 that the clip 100 supports , the locations of the substantially horizontal feet 10 and substantially vertical side walls 20 can be switched and otherwise adjusted to allow for optical mechanical stability . the attachment clip 100 allows for a method of coaxial type attachment without the need for a coaxial attachment system . the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention . one such exemplary variation is shown in the perspective view of fig6 . fig6 shows an optical clip 600 with vertical side walls 620 , a plurality of horizontal feet 610 , and a base portion 630 . as shown , the vertical side walls 620 have a trapezoidal shape rather than the rectangular shape of previous embodiments . alternatively , the vertical side walls 610 and / or the horizontal feet 610 may have a rounded / circular shape and / or other variations as would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art after reading this disclosure . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined the claims appended hereto , and their equivalents . | 6 |
referring initially to fig1 and 1a , a nmr imaging / spectroscopy system , of type well known to the art , has a room - temperature free bore 10 in which a static magnetic field b o exists . by convention , this field is positioned parallel to the z axis of a cartesian coordinate system , having the magnet bore cylinder 10 axially aligned therewith . chemical - shift spectra from a volume element ( voxel ) 10v is desired . voxel 10v is located at a position ( x , y , z ), with respect to the center point 10m of the imaging volume . voxel 10v is ideally of rectangular solid shape , having a dimension 10x in the direction parallel to the x axis , a dimension 10y in the direction parallel to the y and a dimension 10z in the direction parallel to the z axis . illustratively , motional artifacts will be produced if the desired voxel 10v moves a sufficient distance in any direction ( here limited , for purposes of illustration , to the y direction ) such that more than a preselected amount ( e . g . 50 %) of adjacent voxels 10v &# 39 ; and / or 10v &# 34 ; become located in the absolute volume defining the desired volume element . as shown in fig2 a , acquisition of a spectrum by the prior - art volume selective excitation ( vse ) method commences , at a time t o , with the localization subsequence , in which a first magnetic field gradient ( such as the g x gradient with some amplitude , e . g . + 2 ) is applied in a first direction ( here , parallel to the x axis ). the amplitude and polarity of this first gradient are selected to differentiate a first plane passing through the desired voxel . while the first spatial gradient 11 is present with non - zero value , an x - dimension selection rf signal portion 12 occurs with : a first selective 45 ° rf signal pulse 12a , commencing at time t 1 ; a broadband ( non - selective ) 90 ° rf signal pulse 12b , commencing at time t 2 ; and a terminating second selective 45 ° rf signal pulse 12c , commencing at time t 3 and terminating at time t 4 , prior to the termination of the first direction gradient at time t 5 . a plane in a second dimension , substantially orthogonal to the first dimension and also passing through the desired voxel , is excited by the application of a second gradient pulse 14 ( here in the g y direction with a plane - designation amplitude value , e . g . - 1 ) and a subsequent rf selection signal portion 15 . thus , shortly after the application , at time t 5 , of the second direction gradient pulse 14 , the second ( y ) direction rf triple pulse portion 15 provides : a selective π / 4 rf signal pulse 15a commencing at time t 6 ; a non - selective π / 2 rf signal pulse 15b commencing at time t 7 ; and a final π / 4 selective rf signal pulse 15c commencing at time t 8 and terminating at time t 9 , prior to the termination of the second gradient portion 14 at time t a . thereafter , spatial localization in the third plane , substantially orthogonal to the first two planes , occurs and fully localizes the desired voxel in all three spatial dimensions . thus , a third gradient ( the z - axis gradient g z , with a z - plane value , e . g . + 1 ) portion 17 is provided , starting at time t a ; another triple - pulse rf signal portion follows , with its first π / 4 selective rf signal pulse 18a commencing at time t b , followed by a non - selective π / 4 rf signal pulse 18b commencing at time t c , and ending with a final π / 4 selective rf signal pulse 18c commencing at time t d and ending at time t e , prior to the time t f at which the third directional gradient portion 17 ends . for convenience , this entire three - dimensional localization subsequence , from time t o to time t f , is referred to as the vse localization subsequence . at some time t g after the vse localization subsequence terminates , a response readout ( or data acquisition ) subsequence commences , and the nmr response signal , evoked from the non - localized voxel , is acquired . this readout subsequence commences with a non - selective π / 2 rf signal pulse 20 , present from time t g to time t h ; thereafter , the nmr spectromet : er receiver data gate is opened ( illustrated by gate open portion 22 ) so that the response signal 24 is received and properly processed , in a different manner well known to the art . thus , the vse procedure requires a subsequence with three consecutive localizations , each in a different one of a trio of crossing planes , prior to a readout subsequence which commences with a non - selective , volume - irradiating readout pulse 20 . referring now to fig2 b , in accordance with one presently preferred embodiment of the present invention , an improved volume excitation - selective spectroscopic sequence ( ives ) utilizes : ( 1 ) a localization subsequence in which localization planes in only a pair of orthogonal directions are established ; and ( 2 ) a subsequent readout subsequence with a spatially ™ selective nmr pulse to provide localization in the third orthogonal direction . here , the two - dimensional localization subsequence , which commences at time t o and terminates at time t a , utilizes first and second dimension gradient portions 11 and 14 and associated rf signal pulse portions 12a - 12c and 15a - 15c , identical to those portions utilized in the normal vse procedure of fig2 a . the third - dimension - localization readout subsequence uses a third dimension g z gradient portion 26a , present from a time t a to a new time t d &# 39 ;, during which time a π / 2 rf signal pulse 28 is present from a commencement time t b &# 39 ;, after gradient commencement time t a , to a termination time t c &# 39 ;, itself prior to the g z gradient pulse termination time t d &# 39 ;. advantageously , to limit the voxel z direction length 10z , rf pulse 28 is of the truncated sinc form , as now well known to the art . after the termination of gradient portion 26a , a rephasing gradient portion 26b is provided in the time interval from time t d &# 39 ; to time t f &# 39 ;, with duration and amplitude such that the area of pulse 26b is substantially one - half the area of pulse 26a ; the response gate is enabled when gating signal 22 &# 39 ; occurs between time t e &# 39 ; and time t g &# 39 ; and the nmr response signal 24 &# 39 ; is acquired substantially only from the desired voxel 10v now localized in all three dimensions . the prior art spars method , shown in fig3 a , commences with its localization subsequence , from time t o to time t u . in the spars localization subsequence a first , non - selective π / 2 rf signal pulse 31a occurs ( between t 1 and t 2 ) before a pulse 32a of the gradient in the desired localization direction ( e . g . the g x gradient in the x direction ) is provided , from time t 3 until time t 4 . thereafter , a non - selective π rf signal pulse 31b occurs between times t 5 and t 6 . localization in the first ( e . g . x ) direction terminations with a selective π / 2 pulse , provided by a π / 2 rf signal 31c ( here of the sinc form ) occurring in a time interval ( from time t 8 to time t 9 ) within the time interval ( from time t 7 to time t a ) during which a gradient pulse 32b is present in the desired ( x ) first direction . for localization in the associated second ( y ) or third ( z ) direction , the sequence is repeated : thus , a non - selective π / 2 rf pulse ( 24a or 37a ), is followed by a gradient pulse ( 35a or 38a ), in the desired direction ; after the gradient pulse ends , a non - selective π rf pulse ( 34b or 37b ) is provided , before a spatially - selective π / 2 rf pulse ( with sinc rf signal portions 34c or 37c occurring simultaneous with an associated gradient portion 35b or 38b ) is provided . the localization procedure ends at time t u , when the third direction gradient ( g z ) pulse 38b terminates . the data acquisition subsequence follows thereafter , with a non - spatially - selective π / 2 rf signal pulse 40 ( from time t v to time t x ) evoking a nmr response signal from the localized voxel . the receiver data gate 42 is open from time t w through time t y , to allow acquisition of response signal 44 . referring now to fig3 b , in accordance with another presently preferred embodiment of the present invention , an improved spars sequence ( ispars ) utilizes a localization subsequence in which localization planes in only a pair of first and second ( e . g . x and y ) directions are established , with that portion of the spars sequence frcm time t o through time t k . a third - dimension - localizing readout subsequence follows , commencing at time t k ; a readout π / 2 rf signal pulse 48 , which is spatially selective in the third ( here , z ) direction , occurs ( from time t 1 &# 39 ; to time t m &# 39 ;) while a third direction gradient g z portion 46a is present ( from time t k to time t n &# 39 ;). a rephasing gradient portion 46b is provided in the time interval from time t n &# 39 ; to time t p &# 39 ;, with the response gate signal 42 &# 39 ; being enabled between time t o &# 39 ; and time t q &# 39 ;, so that the response signal 44 &# 39 ; is acquired substantially only from the desired voxel 10v , now again localized in all three cartesian dimensions . the isis prior art sequence of fig4 a has a localization subsequence of three spatially - selective ( inverting ) π rf signal pulses , each in a different cartesian direction . thus , localized inversion in the first ( x ) direction is carried out by impressing upon the sample a gradient g x pulse 51 in that direction , while a π rf signal pulse 52a excites the sample ; no localization in this ( x ) direction occurs ( the selection is off ) if the gradient has a substantially zero amplitude , or if the rf pulse has a substantially zero amplitude , as in rf portion 52b . similarly , in the second ( y ) direction or in the third ( z ) direction , one of g y pulse 54a or g z pulse 57a occurs while the associated one of a π rf signal pulse 55a or 58a is present . again , no localization in the associated second or third ( y or z ) direction occurs if that associated ( y or z ) gradient or π rf signal pulse has a substantially zero amplitude , as in rf portion 55b or rf portion 58b . the localization subsequence ends at time t 9 , when the signal acquisition subsequence commences . as in the other prior art procedures , the readout subsequence utilizes a non - spatially - selective π / 2 rf signal pulse 60 , with the receiver data gate 62 being enabled to acquire the voxel response signal 64 . eight different sequences are applied to the sample , with all on and off combinations of the three π rf pulses ( or corresponding field gradient portions 51b ,/ 54b / 57b ), and with the resulting data for that sequence being added to (+ 1 ) or subtracted from (- 1 ) the total of the data of the previous sequences , in accordance with the following table : ______________________________________ total spectralsequence x y z contribution______________________________________1 off off off + 12 on off off - 13 off on off - 14 on on off + 15 off off on - 16 on off on + 17 off on on + 18 on on on - 1______________________________________ that is , a π rf inversion pulse ( or gradient pulse ) producing selective inversion in the respective x , y or z direction is on if the respective non - zero - amplitude x , y or z selective rf portion 52a , 55a or 58a is present , while that direction pulse is off if the substantially - zero - amplitude rf pulse 52b , 55b or 58b is present , each cotemporally with the associated gradient pulse 51a , 54a or 57a . in accordance with another presently preferred embodiment of the present invention , an improved contracted isis sequence ( crisis ), as shown in fig4 b , utilizes a preliminary localization subsequence in which only two intersecting localization planes are established in the time int : erval from time t o to time t 6 . a subsequent readout subsequence , from time t 6 to time t c &# 39 ;, spatially selects the third - dimensional extent of the voxel from which a response is desired . the response acquisition subsequence thus begins with a ( z ) spatially - selective π / 2 pulse , comprised of a third - dimension ( z axis ) field gradient ( g z ) pulse 66a from time t 6 to time t 9 &# 39 ;, during which interval a π / 2 rf signal pulse 68 ( here , of sinc form ) occurs from time t 7 &# 39 ; to time t 8 &# 39 ;. a rephasing lobe 66b of the third gradient then is provided , from time t 9 &# 39 ; to time t b &# 39 ;; the response gate signal 62 &# 39 ; occurs from time t a &# 39 ; to time t c &# 39 ;, during which the localized spectroscopy response signal 64 &# 39 ; is received . it will be seen that this sequence has both the x and y selective inversion pulses in the on condition ; three additional sequences will be provided , with the remaining co - nbinations of one or both of x and y rf pulses or the gradients g x and g y in the off condition ( responsive to respective rf portions 52b or 53b , or respective gradient portions 51b or 54b ), in accordance with the following table : ______________________________________ total spectralsequence x y contribution______________________________________1 off off + 12 on off - 13 off on - 14 on on + 1______________________________________ there are , three advantages of the improved crisis , ives and ispars techniques with respect to isis , vse and spars . first , it will be seen that the crisis , ives and ispars sequences are typically only two - thirds the duration of the isis , vse and spars localization subsequences . since the number of applied rf signal pulses has been reduced by one - third , the rf signal power deposited in the sample is also reduced by about one - third . secondly , the number ( e . g . 4 ) of sequence cycle required for localization is only one - half that number ( e . g . 8 ) required for isis , cycled vse or cycled spars localization . since the total sequence cycle time is thus at least 50 % shorter than in conventional isis , cycled vse or cycled spars , the opportunity for production of artifacts by physiological motion is similarly reduced . third , since the inventive procedures effectively contracts the localization procedure by one dimension and the read - out pulse selectively excites only a plane of the sample ( which need not always be the z - axis direction , chosen here for illustrative purposes only ) rather than a non - selective excitation of the entire sample , any t 1 relaxation artifacts , as well as motional artifacts , are significantly reduced by the ratio of the slice thickness to the total dimension of the sample , in that third dimension . while several presently preferred embodiments of my novel method have been presented herein by way of explanation , many variations and modifications will now become apparent to those skilled in the art . it is my intent , therefore , to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims . | 6 |
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