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with reference to fig1 the substrate for the plc is shown at 11 . the substrate may be glass or other suitable rigid support . the preferred substrate material is silicon which is used in so - called optical bench technology for high quality optical integrated circuits . the technology used in processing state of the art plcs follows , in some respects , silicon ic wafer fabrication . with reference again to fig1 two waveguides are shown at 12 and 13 , with a coupling section where the waveguides run parallel and closely spaced to one another . the length of the coupling section is designated l . the coupling region , i . e . the space between the waveguides along the coupling section , is designated 14 in the figures . the basic operation of a directional coupler is well known . it splits lightwaves coherently in a manner similar to a beam splitter in bulk optics . the input lightwave to waveguide 12 is p i and the output lightwave from waveguide 13 is p o . when the waveguides are closely spaced , as in fig1 the evanescent tail of the lightwave in waveguide 12 extends into waveguide 13 and induces an electric polarization . the polarization generates a lightwave in waveguide 13 , which couples back to waveguide 12 . in the example given , the two waveguides are single mode and are parallel and identical in structure in the coupling region . both waveguides bend away from each other at the ends as shown , and gradually decouple . the input lightwave p i and the output lightwave p o are related by : where k is the coupling ratio . the coupling ratio is strongly affected by the coupling region , and in particular by the core - to - cladding refractive index difference which is temperature dependent . this dependency can be utilized to adjust the coupling ratio after the fabrication of the waveguides has been completed . the basic structure for accommodating this thermo - optic control is shown in fig2 which is a section through 2 -- 2 of fig1 . in this view the silicon substrate 21 , the lower cladding layer 22 and the upper cladding layer 23 can be seen . the waveguides are shown at 12 and 13 , and are viewed in the coupling section where the waveguides are closely spaced . the coupling region is shown at 14 . the thermal control means is shown at 24 and the heat transfer is represented schematically at 25 . the control means is typically a resistive strip , such as chrome , or nickel chrome . electrodes , not shown in this view , are typically gold or copper contact pads at the ends of the strip wire , and are connected to a power source . according to the invention , the silica region above and between the waveguides 12 and 13 is replaced by a polymer material which has a refractive index that is relatively more sensitive to temperature changes than conventional waveguide materials . this improvement is depicted schematically in fig3 where the polymer material is shown at 31 covering the waveguides 12 and 13 , and extending into the coupling region 14 . the heating element is shown at 24 and the heat transfer is represented by arrows 25 . the principal difference between this structure and the prior art structure of fig2 is that the material in the coupling region 14 has a relatively high dependence of refractive index on temperature change . the cladding material in fig2 is sio 2 , or a doped silica , with a temperature dependence of refractive index , dn / dt , of the order of + 10 - 5 /° c . polymers have dn / dt that is consistently in the range - 0 . 5 × 10 - 4 /° c . to - 4 × 10 - 4 /° c . consequently , a much larger change in the effective index is possible for the same change in temperature . the following specific procedure is given by way of one example of how to practice the invention . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a variety of variations can be used to achieve equivalent results . the process steps will be described in conjunction with fig4 - 14 . with reference to fig4 a 15 μm oxide layer 22 is grown on a 5 &# 34 ; silicon wafer 21 by high pressure oxidation to form the lower cladding layer for the waveguides . as shown in fig5 the core layer 33 for the waveguides is deposited over lower cladding layer 22 by cvd deposition of doped sio 2 using established cvd techniques . typical cvd deposition processes use precursors of silane or halogenated silane and hydrogen , with hydrides or halides of phosphorus or germanium for the doping material . the level of doping is such as to create an index difference between core layer 33 and cladding layer 22 of 0 . 3 - 1 . 5 %. the thickness of the core layer in this example is approximately 5 μm . the manufacture of waveguides for plcs adopts many of the techniques used in optical fiber technology that are well known and widely used . the specifics of the glass technology form no part of the invention . the waveguides are then defined by lithography . the feature sizes are relatively large , for example 5 μm waveguides with 3 μm spacing , so photolithography is generally suitable , although other lithography methods , e . g . methods using electron beam or x - ray actinic radiation , can also be used . a lithographic mask layer is applied over cladding layer 33 and patterned as shown in fig6 to produce mask features 35 corresponding to the waveguides . the core layer 33 is then etched , using mask 35 , to produce waveguides 12 and 13 . the structure after etching , and after removal of the mask 35 , is shown in fig7 . the etching technique is preferably reactive ion etching ( rie ) which will etch through a relatively thick silica layer without excessive undercut and produce relatively steep sidewalls . the sidewalls shown in these figures , which are not necessarily to scale , are shown as vertical for simplicity . the next step , shown in fig8 is to apply etch stop layer 36 to the waveguides 12 and 13 as shown . the etch stop layer can be any suitable material with a useful etch selectivity relative to the upper cladding layer . the preferred technique , again patterned after widely used silicon technology , is to use a polysilicon layer . the polysilicon layer is blanket deposited using cvd and the waveguides are masked . the polysilicon layer is etched using rie , plasma , or any suitable process to form the etch stop 36 , around the waveguides as shown in fig8 . the thickness of the etch stop may be in the range 0 . 5 - 2 . 0 μm . the upper cladding layer 23 is then deposited over and between the waveguides as shown in fig9 . this layer is typically bpteos ( silica codoped with boron and phosphorus ) having the same index as the lower cladding layer 21 . the cladding layer is then masked with mask 37 as shown in fig1 . the mask opening 38 corresponds approximately with the width of the two waveguides 12 , 13 and coupling section 14 , and with the width of etch stop layer 36 . upper cladding layer 23 is then rie etched through to the etch stop layer 36 as shown in fig1 . the etch stop layer 36 is removed , leaving the waveguides exposed as shown in fig1 . the opening 39 in cladding layer 23 over and between the waveguides 12 and 13 is then filled with the polymer according to the invention . the prepolymer may be applied by spinning , by syringe , or by suitable technique , and then cured to produce the polymer fill 41 as shown in fig1 . a wide variety of polymers are useful as the localized cladding material according to the invention . desired properties of the polymer include : low loss at wavelengths of interest ( 1 . 3 - 1 . 6 μm ), adherent , thermally stable , hydrolytically stable , crack resistant , and an index in the range 1 . 3 - 1 . 6 μm . preferred polymers are fluorinated polymers and silicon - based polymers ( siloxanes ). the former include partially or fully fluorinated polymers , such as copolymers of perfluoro - 2 , 2 - dimethyldioxole and tetrafluoroethylene sold under the tradename teflon af ® by dupont ; ring - cyclized homopolymers of perfluoro ( allyl vinyl ether ) sold under the tradename cytop ® by asahi glass co . ; terpolymers of tetrafluoroethylene , hexafluoroethylene , and vinylidene fluoride sold under the tradename thv fluoroplastic ® by 3m ; copolymers of perfluoro - 2 , 1 - dimethyldioxole and chlorofluoroethylene ; and terpolymers of perfluoro - 2 , 2 - dimethyldioxole , tetrafluoroethylene and chlorotrifluoroethylene . suitable fluorinated polymers further comprise fluoroacrylates and / or their copolymers with hydrocarbon - based ( non - fluorinated ) acrylates ( and / or methacrylates ), fluorinated urethanes , fluorinated epoxies , fluorinated vinyl ethers , and fluorinated vinyl esters . mixtures of any of these fluorinated polymers , copolymers or terpolymers may also be used . fluoroacrylates comprise esters of acrylic add and predominantly fluorinated alcohols , diols , or polyols . fluoromethacrylates comprise esters of methacrylic acid and predominantly fluorinated alcohols , diols , or polyols . suitable silicon based polymers include poly ( dimethylsiloxane ) s , poly ( diphenylsiloxane ) s , poly ( methylphenylsiloxane ) s , and copolymers of these . the silicon - based polymers further comprise poly ( siloxane ) s and poly ( silsesquioxane ) s having one or more pendant organic groups such as alkyl having 1 - 8 carbon atoms , or aryl or aralkyl combinations of alkyl ( 1 - 8 carbon atoms ) and aromatic moieties containing acrylate . copolymers or mixtures of any of these silicon - based polymers also may be used . further descriptions and examples of suitable materials can be found in copending application ser . no . 08 / 926 , 210 filed sep . 9 , 1997 , incorporated herein by reference . the polymers can be applied to the etched waveguide structure as a liquid or can be cast from solution . a preferred process is to fill the etched recess 38 in fig1 with a liquid monomer or oligomer mixture , and cure the prepolymer in situ by baking or by uv radiation , depending on the curing mechanism . filling the recess may be carried out in two steps to compensate for substantial shrinkage in each step . adhesion promoters may also be included in the prepolymer mixture . the heating element 43 is formed on the surface of the polymer fill 41 as shown in fig1 . the heating element can be a resistive strip of e . g . chrome or nickel chrome applied by evaporating or sputtering a layer of the resistive material and patterning the layer by a standard lift - off process . gold electrode pads are provided at the ends of the strip heater also using a lift - off technique . heat from element 43 , represented by arrows 45 , changes the refractive index of the polymer material in the coupling region 14 and thus changes the coupling ratio between waveguides 12 and 13 . other approaches will occur to those skilled in the art for fabricating directional couplers according to the foregoing teachings . for example , if materials are found for the core and the cladding with sufficient etch selectivity between them , the etch stop layer can be omitted . another alternative is to utilize the mask used to pattern the waveguides from the core layer as an etch stop layer , and carefully control the etch process to stop at or near the interface between the cladding layers . an overetch into the lower cladding layer , or a slight underetch , may be tolerated and still obtain the benefits of the invention . an embodiment of the invention is presented for 5 × 5 μm waveguides , λ = 1550 nm , a short coupling length of l = 850 μm , a waveguide separation of 3 μm in the coupling region , and an upper cladding dn / dt =- 4 × 10 - 4 . a simplifying assumption is that the upper cladding material completely surrounds the waveguides in the coupling section instead of being restricted to 3 sides as it is in practice . the simulated results will provide insight into the design tradeoffs , but are expected to underestimate the temperature change needed due to this assumption . the device length is chosen so that , at its lowest operating temperature , 100 % of the input light couples to the crossport . when the temperature is increased to its highest operating value , the cladding index decreases , the waveguides are more highly confined ( larger . increment . ), and the coupling is reduced to its minimum value . the temperature change needed to induce a coupling change from 100 % to 5 % is calculated to be 80 ° c . the coupling ratios versus temperature change are shown in the following table , along with the effective . increment .. the nominal temperature (. increment . t = 0 ) was chosen so that . increment .= 0 . 65 %, a standard value . table i______________________________________δt (° c .) δ (%) κ______________________________________ - 10 . 0 0 . 37 100 % 0 . 0 94 % 10 . 0 71 % 20 . 0 46 % 30 . 0 28 % 40 . 0 17 % 50 . 0 11 % 60 . 0 8 % 70 . 0 5 % ______________________________________ a second example was simulated using a longer coupling length of l = 1700 μm . the results are shown in table ii . table ii______________________________________t (° c .) δ (%) κ______________________________________ - 10 . 0 0 . 37 0 % 0 . 0 23 % 10 . 0 82 % 20 . 0 99 % ______________________________________ in this case a 30 ° c . rise in temperature effects a change in coupling from 0 % to 99 %. for finer control of the coupling ratios , the shorter lengths are better . however , for a large coupling range , a longer coupling length is required to minimize the temperature change needed . the waveguide structures in the devices described herein are conventional waveguides with a strip - like configuration and typically rectangular , or preferably essentially square , in cross section . the heating element for heating the material in the coupling region is described as an electrical resistance heater but any suitable heating device such as a laser or other light source could be used . it would appear that the most straightforward way of implementing the invention as described above is to deposit the polymer material so as to fill the gap created by etching the upper cladding . however , as an alternative , only the coupling region need be filled with polymer , and a cladding material deposited over the polymer material to essentially reconstitute the upper cladding layer over the coupler . also the composition of the cladding material in this embodiment may be selected for more effective heat transfer to the buried polymer coupling region . a variation on the approach just described is to apply the polymer to the coupling region prior to depositing the upper cladding layer . in this way the etch stop layer can be dispensed with , saving deposition , etch and lithographic steps . in the embodiments described above a polymer material is suggested as the material with a high dependence of refractive index relative to the materials conventionally used for the upper cladding layer . however , other materials may be found that provide similar results . the essential requirement according to the invention is for the fill material in the coupling region to have a dn / dt = y , and the upper cladding material having a dn / dt = x , where y ≧ 5x . polymer waveguides are relatively lossy in the 1550 nm region , typically in the 1 db / cm range , compared to less than 0 . 1 db / cm for glass waveguides . for the hybrid structures described here ( glass core and lower cladding , polymer upper cladding ), the loss in the hybrid region depends on the temperature ( i . e . core confinement ). for the nominal temperature where the polymer index matches the glass lower cladding , a loss of 0 . 3 db / cm is estimated , decreasing to 0 . 16 db / cm when the polymer upper cladding is heated by 50 ° c . ( assuming the polymer dn / dt =- 4 × 10 - 4 ). this calculation assumes that the loss scales linearly with the amount of power traveling in the glass versus polymer . the remainder of the device will enjoy the lower loss afforded by glass waveguides . various additional modifications of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art . all deviations from the specific teachings of this specification that basically rely on the principles and their equivalents through which the art has been advanced are properly considered within the scope of the invention as described and claimed .	6
it should be understood at the outset that although an illustrative implementation of one or more embodiments are provided below , the disclosed systems and / or methods may be implemented using any number of techniques , whether currently known or in existence . the disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations , drawings , and techniques illustrated below , including the exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and described herein , but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents . hips refers to any elastomer - reinforced vinylaromatic polymers . the vinylaromatic monomers may include , but are not limited to , styrene , alpha - methylstyrene and ring - substituted styrene . hips may further include comonomers , including methylstyrene ; halogenated styrenes ; alkylated styrenes ; acrylonitrile ; esters of ( meth ) acrylic acid with alcohols having from 1 to 8 carbons ; n - vinyl compounds such as vinylcarbazole , maleic anhydride ; compounds which contain two polymerizable double bonds such as divinylbenzene or butanediol diacrylate ; or combinations thereof . the comonomer may be present in an amount effective to impart one or more user - desired properties to the composition . such effective amounts may be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art with the aid of this disclosure . for example , the comonomer may be present in the styrenic polymer composition in an amount of from 1 wt . % to 99 . 9 wt . % by total weight of the reaction mixture , alternatively from 1 wt . % to 90 wt . %, alternatively from 1 wt . % to 50 wt . %. the elastomeric material is typically embedded in the polystyrene matrix . examples of elastomeric materials include conjugated diene monomers include without limitation 1 , 3 - butadiene , 2 - methyl - 1 , 3 - butadiene , 2 - chloro - 1 , 3 butadiene , 2 - methyl - 1 , 3 - butadiene , and 2 - chloro - 1 , 3 - butadiene . alternatively , the hips includes an aliphatic conjugated diene monomer as the elastomer . without limitation , examples of suitable aliphatic conjugated diene monomers include c 4 to c 9 dienes such as butadiene monomers . blends or copolymers of the diene monomers may also be used . likewise , mixtures or blends of one or more elastomers may be used . in an embodiment , the elastomer comprises a homopolymer of a diene monomer , alternatively , the elastomer comprises polybutadiene . the elastomer may be present in the hips in amounts effective to produce one or more user - desired properties . such effective amounts may be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art with the aid of this disclosure . for example , the elastomer may be present in the hips in an amount of from 1 wt . % to 20 wt . %, alternatively from 2 wt . % to 15 wt . %, alternatively 5 wt . % to 11 wt . % based on the total weight of the hips . in an embodiment , a hips suitable for use in this disclosure may have a melt flow rate of from 1 g / 10 min . to 40 g / 10 min ., alternatively from 1 . 5 g / 10 min . to 20 g / 10 min ., alternatively from 2 g / 10 min . to 15 g / 10 min as determined in accordance with astm d - 1238 ; a falling dart impact of from 5 in - lb to 200 in - lb , alternatively from 50 in - lb to 180 in - lb , alternatively from 100 in - lb to 150 in - lb as determined in accordance with astm d - 3029 ; an izod impact of from 0 . 4 ft - lbs / in to 5 ft - lbs / in , alternatively from 1 ft - lbs / in to 4 ft - lbs / in , alternatively from 2 ft - lbs / in to 3 . 5 ft - lbs / in as determined in accordance with astm d - 256 ; a tensile strength of from 2 , 000 psi to 10 , 000 psi , alternatively from 2 , 800 psi to 8 , 000 psi , alternatively from 3 , 000 psi to 5 , 000 psi as determined in accordance with astm d - 638 ; a tensile modulus of from 100 , 000 psi to 500 , 000 psi , alternatively from 200 , 000 psi to 450 , 000 psi , alternatively from 250 , 000 psi to 380 , 000 psi as determined in accordance with astm d - 638 ; an elongation of from 0 . 5 % to 90 %, alternatively from 5 % to 70 %, alternatively from 35 % to 60 % as determined in accordance with astm d - 638 ; a flexural strength of from 3 , 000 psi to 15 , 000 psi , alternatively from 4 , 000 psi to 10 , 000 psi , alternatively from 6 , 000 psi to 9 , 000 psi as determined in accordance with astm d - 790 ; a flexural modulus of from 200 , 000 psi to 500 , 000 psi , alternatively from 230 , 000 psi to 400 , 000 psi , alternatively from 250 , 000 psi to 350 , 000 psi as determined in accordance with astm d - 790 ; an annealed heat distortion of from 180 ° f . to 215 ° f ., alternatively from 185 ° f . to 210 ° f ., alternatively from 190 ° f . to 205 ° f . as determined in accordance with astm d - 648 ; a vicat softening of from 195 ° f . to 225 ° f ., alternatively from 195 ° f . to 220 ° f ., alternatively from 200 ° f . to 215 ° f . as determined in accordance with astm d - 1525 ; and a gloss 60 ° of from 30 to 100 , alternatively from 40 to 98 , alternatively from 50 to 95 as determined in accordance with astm d - 523 . in an embodiment , the polymerization reaction to form hips may be carried out in a solution or mass polymerization process . mass polymerization , also known as bulk polymerization refers to the polymerization of a monomer in the absence of any medium other than the monomer and a catalyst or polymerization initiator . solution polymerization refers to a polymerization process in which the monomers and polymerization initiators are dissolved in a non - monomeric liquid solvent at the beginning of the polymerization reaction . the liquid is usually also a solvent for the resulting polymer or copolymer . the polymerization process can be either batch or continuous . in an embodiment , the polymerization reaction may be carried out using a continuous production process in a polymerization apparatus comprising a single reactor or a plurality of reactors . for example , the polymeric composition can be prepared using an upflow reactor . reactors and conditions for the production of a polymeric composition are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 777 , 210 , which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . in yet another embodiment , the polymerization reaction may be carried out in a plurality of reactors with each reactor having an optimum temperature range . for example , the polymerization reaction may be carried out in a reactor system employing a first and second polymerization reactor that are either continuously stirred tank reactors ( cstr ) or plug - flow reactors . in an embodiment , a polymerization reactor for the production of hips of the type disclosed herein comprising a plurality of reactors may have a first reactor ( e . g ., a cstr ), also known as the prepolymerization reactor , and a second reactor ( e . g ., cstr or plug flow ). the product effluent from the first reactor may be referred to herein as the prepolymer . when the prepolymer reaches the desired conversion , it may be passed through a heating device into a second reactor for further polymerization . the polymerized product effluent from the second reactor may be further processed and is described in detail in the literature . upon completion of the polymerization reaction , hips is recovered from the second reactor and subsequently processed such as through devolitalization , without being bound by theory , it is believed that a crosslinking reaction may occur in the elastomeric phase when the polymer melt runs through the devolitalization section of polymerization reactor . the exposure to the relatively high temperature in the devolitalization section ( including the devolitalization preheater ) may initiate the crosslinking of the elastomeric material , such as polybutadiene chains , through a free radical mechanism . in one embodiment of the present disclosure , the number of crosslinking ( as measured by the swell index of hips ) may be controlled by addition of a retarding chemical agent to the polymer melt prior to the devolitalization section to slow the crosslinking reaction . in certain embodiments of the present disclosure , due to the free radical nature of the crosslinking reaction , the crosslinking retarder can be a chain transfer agent . in an embodiment , the chain transfer agent may be a mercaptan , thiol , or halocarbon , such as carbon tetrachloride , and combinations thereof . examples of mercaptan chain transfer agents include n - octyl mercaptan , t - octyl mercaptan , n - decyl mercaptan , n - dodecyl mercaptan ( ndm ), t - dodecyl mercaptan , tridecyl mercaptan , tetradecyl mercaptan , n - hexadecyl mercaptan , t - nonyl mercaptan , ethyl mercaptan , isopropyl mercaptan , t butyl mercaptan , cyclohexyl mercaptan , benzyl mercaptan and mixtures thereof . ethylbenzene is another alternative as a retarder chain transfer agent . in certain embodiments of the present disclosure , the concentration of the chain transfer agent added to the polymer melt is between 50 and 150 ppm ( by weight ), 50 and 1000 ppm ( by weight ) or by between 1 ppm and 1 % ( by weight ). alternatively , the retarder can be a free radical scavenger such as a phenolic antioxidant . the retarder can also be a crosslinking coagent , chosen from a polyfunctional ( meth ) acrylic monomer , allylic compound or metal salt of unsaturated monocarboxylic acids . use of crosslinking coagents with phenolic retarders not only delays the scorching in the elastomeric phase but also reduces the elastic modulus and increases elongation of rubber . the retarder may also improve the rubber utilization efficiency and physical properties of hips . the chosen crosslinking retarding agent can be one of chain transfer agents , free radical scavengers or coagents or any combination of those . in certain embodiments of the present disclosure , the concentration of the crosslinking agent added to the polymer melt is between 50 and 150 ppm ( by weight ), 50 and 1000 ppm ( by weight ) or by between 1 ppm and 1 % ( by weight ). in another embodiment of the present disclosure , the retarding agent is a tertiary amine oxide , such as n , n , n - trialkylamine oxide , wherein at least one n is a methyl group and remaining ns are c14 - c24 saturated aliphatic chains . in one embodiment of the present disclosure , one n is a methyl group and the other two ns are c14 - c24 saturated aliphatic chains . in certain embodiments , the tertiary amine oxide can be injected prior to the devolitalizer with the use of a solvent such as an aliphatic or aromatic solvent . examples include heptanes or ethylbenzene , respectively . the tertiary amine oxide / solvent solution may be homogenous or a suspension . in certain embodiments of the present disclosure , the concentration of the tertiary amine oxide added to the polymer melt is between 50 and 150 ppm ( by weight ), 50 and 1000 ppm ( by weight ) or by between 1 ppm and 1 % ( by weight ). in still another embodiment , in place of the tertiary amine oxide , a tertiary amine could be used as the retarding agent . while not bound by theory , it is believed that with the presence of peroxides and oxygen and under high temperatures , the tertiary amine oxides is formed from the corresponding amine . an example of such a tertiary amine is 2 , 6 - di - tert - butyl - 4 -( dimehtylamino ) methylphenol . in certain embodiments of the present disclosure , the concentration of the tertiary amine added to the polymer melt is between 50 and 150 ppm ( by weight ), 50 and 1000 ppm ( by weight ) or by between 1 ppm and 1 % ( by weight ). in certain embodiments of the present disclosure , the swell index of the hips is improved to 15 to 25 over that when no retardant is used . in an embodiment , the hips may also comprise additives as deemed necessary to impart desired physical properties , such as , increased gloss or color . examples of additives include without limitation stabilizers , talc , antioxidants , uv stabilizers , lubricants , plasticizers , ultra - violet screening agents , oxidants , anti - oxidants , anti - static agents , ultraviolet light absorbents , fire retardants , processing oils , mold release agents , coloring agents , pigments / dyes , fillers , and the like . the aforementioned additives may be used either singularly or in combination to form various formulations of the composition . for example , stabilizers or stabilization agents may be employed to help protect the polymeric composition from degradation due to exposure to excessive temperatures and / or ultraviolet light . the additives may be added after recovery of the hips , for example during compounding such as pelletization . these additives may be included in amounts effective to impart the desired properties . effective additive amounts and processes for inclusion of these additives to polymeric compositions are known to one skilled in the art . for example , the additives may be present in an amount of from 0 . 1 wt . % to 50 wt . %, alternatively from 1 wt . % to 40 wt . %, alternatively from 2 wt . % to 30 wt . % based on the total weight of the composition . the embodiments having been generally described , the following examples are given as particular embodiments of the disclosure and to demonstrate the practice and advantages thereof . it is understood that the examples are given by way of illustration and are not intended to limit the specification or the claims in any manner . hips batch polymerization was run to test the effectiveness of saret sr516 , a mixture of coagent and scorch retarder acquired from sartomer . the hips batch polymerization was run according to the formulation and conditions as listed in table 1 . the sr516 ( 1000 ppm relative to the feed by weight ) was pre - dissolved in ethylbenzene ( eb ) and added into the reaction mixture 15 minutes before the polymer reaction ends at the targeted conversion ( 70 - 75 %). after the batch reaction , the polymer was devolatilized ( to remove residual monomers and other volatile compositions ) in a vacuum oven at 225 ° c . and pressures less than 10 torr . the devolitalized final polymer was then submitted for swell index measurements . rubber crosslinking in hips was evaluated by swelling of the gel phase in toluene . the gel phase represents a mixture of ps - grafted pb , partially crosslinked pb and ps occluded within rubber particles , which is determined after removal of the ps matrix by solubilization . the swelling index is used here as an indirect measurement of the rubber crosslinking density , i . e ., the higher the swelling , the lower the pb crosslinking . in a separate run , sr516 was replaced by ndm and all other procedures remained the same . compared to the baseline reaction without the use of retarding agent , both sr516 and ndm experiments showed higher swell indices ( a gauge of crosslinking in rubber particles of hips ) with devolitalization time . the swell index from the sr516 batch reaction was consistently higher at all three devolitalization times . the gpc results confirmed that the molecular weights of the polystyrene phase from sr516 reaction were consistent with the baseline reaction while the ndm run led to lower molecular weights as expected . the results of example 1 may be found in fig2 . hips batch reactions similar to example 1 were run to test the effectiveness of 2 , 6 - di - tert - butyl - 4 -( dimethylamino ) methyl phenol ( or , aminomethylphenol ). in one experiment , 50 ppm ( relative to the feed ) of aminomethylphenol ( dissolved in eb ) was delivered into the hips reaction 15 min before the end of reaction and prior to the devol . the swell index was monitored with the devolitilzation time , as an indirect measure of rubber crosslinking density change through the devolitilzation process . with the addition of aminomethylphenol , the swell index of rubber particles stayed above 16 through the 90 min of devolitilzation . compared to the control ( without the use of retarding chemical agent ), the aminophenol showed an obvious crosslinking retarding performance . in another experiment , a higher concentration of aminomethylphenol ( 1000 ppm , relative to the feed ) was added into the reaction . no gels of rubber were recovered after centrifugation and the swell index could not be measured . the effect of aminomethylphenol concentration on the rubber crosslinking was also studied . the results showed ( fig3 ) that 50 - 100 ppm of aminophenol was able to increase the swell index up to 5 units even at the longest devolitilzation time . use of a lower concentration led to a decreased effect on the swell index . on the other side , a higher concentration of aminophenol gave a swell index as high as 32 . the results were consistent with the earlier observation that when 1000 ppm of aminophenol was used , no swell index could be measured , even at the longest devolitilzation time ( 90 min ). to study the effect of tertiary amine oxide , a selected , aliphatic tertiary amine oxide , n , n , n - trialkylamine oxide ( cas # 204933 - 93 - 7 ), was tested in batch polymerizations . at a concentration of 50 - 100 ppm ( relative to the feed ), the aliphatic amine oxide gave a swell index improvement , comparable to the efficacy of aminomethylphenol , after 90 min of devolitilzation . the effectiveness of this aliphatic amine oxide seemed even better at shorter devol time ( fig3 ). further lab studies of the tertiary amine oxide revealed that the addition of tertiary amine oxide in the feed did not seem to improve the swell index as did the later - stage addition of the chemical in polymerization . a hips batch was run with 50 ppm ( relative to the feed ) of aminomethylphenol ( dissolved in eb ) delivered into the reaction 15 min before the end of batch polymerization . use of aminomethylphenol was able to improve the swell index almost 5 units compared to the control polymerization where no aminomethylphenol was added ( table 2 ). gpc measurements showed that the molecular weights of hips involving aminomethylphenol was close to the control polymerization . the tensile elongation and impact resistance of hips with higher swell index were improved . a hips batch polymerization was also run with 250 ppm ( relative to the feed ) of tertiary amine oxide ( genox ep , dispersed in eb ) delivered into the reaction 15 min before the end of batch polymerization . it was observed ( table 3 ) that both izod impact resistance and tensile elongation of hips were higher , at comparable rubber content and rubber particle size but higher swell index . while various embodiments have been shown and described , modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and teachings of the disclosure . the embodiments described herein are exemplary only , and are not intended to be limiting . many variations and modifications of the subject matter disclosed herein are possible and are within the scope of the disclosure . where numerical ranges or limitations are expressly stated , such express ranges or limitations should be understood to include iterative ranges or limitations of like magnitude falling within the expressly stated ranges or limitations ( e . g ., from about 1 to about 10 includes , 2 , 3 , 4 , etc . ; greater than 0 . 10 includes 0 . 11 , 0 . 12 , 0 . 13 , etc .). for example , whenever a numerical range with a lower limit , r l , and an upper limit , r u , is disclosed , any number falling within the range is specifically disclosed . in particular , the following numbers within the range are specifically disclosed : r = r l + k *( r u − r l ), wherein k is a variable ranging from 1 percent to 100 percent with a 1 percent increment , i . e ., k is 1 percent , 2 percent , 3 percent , 4 percent , 5 percent , . . . 50 percent , 51 percent , 52 percent , . . . , 95 percent , 96 percent , 97 percent , 98 percent , 99 percent , or 100 percent . moreover , any numerical range defined by two r numbers as defined in the above is also specifically disclosed . use of the term “ optionally ” with respect to any element of a claim is intended to mean that the subject element is required , or alternatively , is not required . both alternatives are intended to be within the scope of the claim . use of broader terms such as comprises , includes , having , etc . should be understood to provide support for narrower terms such as consisting of , consisting essentially of , comprised substantially of , etc . accordingly , the scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above but is only limited by the claims which follow , that scope including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims . each and every claim is incorporated into the specification as an embodiment of the present disclosure . thus , the claims are a further description and are an addition to the embodiments of the present disclosure . the discussion of a reference is not an admission that it is prior art to the present disclosure , especially any reference that may have a publication date after the priority date of this application . the disclosures of all patents , patent applications , and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference , to the extent that they provide exemplary , procedural , or other details supplementary to those set forth herein .	2
the composite materials of the invention are formed from a polymer selected from collagen , fibrin or chitosan , which forms the tridimensional structure of the surgical device , on the surface of which chains of the aforementioned polyesters are conjugated ; for this reason , collagen , fibrin and chitosan will also be defined as “ structural polymers ” in the rest of the description . these polymers have free amino groups , — nh 2 , which can be made to react with suitably functionalized polyesters , obtaining the derivatized products of the invention . the polyesters of the invention are synthetic polymers that are non - toxic , biocompatible and immunologically inert , which belong to the category of absorbable materials . among the polyesters , polylactic acid is preferred . polylactic acid has been used since the 1990s in orthopaedic and odontostomatologic applications , and as filler in maxillofacial applications , and its use was approved in europe in 1999 for cosmetic corrections of scars , of signs of ageing and of lipoatrophy due to antiretroviral therapies . this polyester is a bioactive material : through a mild but constant inflammatory reaction in the tissue into which it is injected , it in fact induces a progressive neosynthesis of collagen that leads to an increase and revitalization of the dermal thickness . hereinafter , the polylactic and polyglycolic acids will also be indicated , respectively , with the abbreviations pla and pga , and their copolymers will be indicated as plga . in the present description and in the claims , the amount of polyester chains relative to the amount of the structural polymer is expressed as “ derivatization degree ”; this term means the value , as a percentage , of polyester chains bound in the composite biomaterial relative to the number of free — nh 2 groups in the initial structural polymer ( i . e . the number of — nh 2 groups reacted relative to the total number of initial — nh 2 groups ). the derivatization degree is determined by measuring the number of polyester chains bound in the composite biomaterial and the number of free — nh 2 groups therein . the number of bound polyester chains is measured by subjecting a portion of composite biomaterial to severe acid or basic hydrolysis ( for example , with 6m hydrochloric acid or 3m sodium hydroxide at 70 ° c . ), following which the polyester is liberated in its “ reduced ” form ( lactic acid or glycolic acid ); the amount of polyester is then measured by liquid chromatography . the number of free — nh 2 groups is measured by the method described in the article “ quantitative analysis of n - sulfated , n - acetylated , and unsubstituted glucosamine amino groups in heparin and related polysaccharides ”, j . riesenfeld et al ., analytical biochemistry 188 , 383 - 389 ( 1990 ). the sum of the number of polyester chains and of free — nh 2 groups in the composite biomaterial is equivalent to the number of free — nh 2 groups in the initial structural polymer . then knowing the number of polyester chains and the number of initial free — nh 2 groups , the derivatization degree , dd , is obtained from the formula : dd =( number of bound polyester chains )/( number of initial free — nh 2 groups )× 100 . the degree of derivatization with polyester of the structural polymer can vary widely , and is generally between 1 and 50 %, and preferably between 5 and 30 %. with a derivatization degree below 1 %, the composite material has properties that do not differ substantially from those of the starting structural polymer , in particular as regards the rate of degradation in the organism , and therefore cannot be used for the purposes of the invention . conversely , composite materials with a derivatization degree above 50 % are difficult to produce and , in particular , are excessively lipophilic and are therefore less compatible with the environment of the organism , poorly absorbing organic fluids ( generally water - based ) with adverse effects on the material . the properties of a specific composite material depend both on the nature of the structural polymer and of the polyester used , and on their relative amounts in the composite . in particular , as the derivatization degree increases , the resistance of the composite to biodegradation in vivo increases and its hydrophilicity decreases . with regard to biodegradation , the rate of the phenomenon varies with the derivatization degree because the presence of the polyester chains interferes with the action of the enzymes or cells that trigger the process of degradation of the matrix , leading to a slower absorption process than would occur with the structural polymer alone , said process involving both components of the composite material ; on the other hand , the presence of the structural polymer leads to a higher rate of degradation than for the polyester alone . consequently , a situation occurs in which each of the two polymers forming the composite material partially “ transfers ” its properties to the latter , leading to a material with intermediate characteristics relative to its starting components . conversely , the decrease in hydrophilicity affects the capacity of the composite material to adsorb biological fluids . by controlling the derivatization degree it is thus possible for these characteristics to be finely tuned , to produce a composite that is suitable for the specific requirements of the application . the composite materials of the invention are useful in particular for the production of medical and surgical devices in the form of membrane or felt , in which , as mentioned , the structural polymer constitutes the supporting structure of the device and the polyester determines its fine properties . according to an alternative embodiment of the materials of the invention , the composites described above can be combined with other compounds having biological or pharmacological activity , obtaining a device that will be designated as “ medicated ” hereinafter . these further compounds can be , for example , agents that have antimicrobial activity , antifungal activity , antibiotic activity or other pharmacological activities . protein - based antibiotics and antifungals of the latest generation ( antibiotics of this type are known as peptide or lipopeptide antibiotics ) and growth factors based on glycoproteins are particularly suitable for combining with the structural polymer / polyester composites described above . the peptide ( or lipopeptide ) antibiotics are particularly important as they do not appear to have the problem of development of resistance , after repeated use in therapy . this family includes , for example , but not only : daptomycin , meropenem , which are active against gram - positive organisms ; and pac - 113 , an antifungal similar to histatin . a non - exhaustive list of growth factors that can be conjugated to structural polymer / polyester composites includes : bone morphogenic proteins , known in this field as the bmp family , involved in processes of bone growth and of tissue growth in general , and in particular those known as bmp2 and bmp7 ; fibroblast growth factors ( fgfs ), active in angiogenesis , in wound repair and in embryonic development ; vascular endothelial growth factors ( vegfs ), active in angiogenesis ; epidermal growth factors ( egfs ), active in regulation of cellular growth , proliferation and differentiation ; insulin - like growth factors ( igfs ); platelet - derived growth factor ( pdgf ); and platelet factor 4 ( pf4 ). these factors have been found to be of the utmost importance in initiating the various phases of the process of tissue regeneration of practically all animal tissues . to be able to incorporate these growth factors in a solid support proves to be very important for initiating tissue regeneration , at the very site of application . finally , the composite materials of the invention can be combined with drugs that do not react with the substrate but are simply incorporated in its three - dimensional solid network , for example in the pores of the structural polymer or of the final membranes or felts . these active principles are thus transported to the sites of tissue damage , where either tissue regeneration is required or there is an infection to be eradicated . these drugs can be for example conventional broad - spectrum antibiotics or those with specific action on mrsa ( methicillin - resistant staphylococcus aureus ), on gram - positive or gram - negative organisms , on fungi or viruses . a non - exhaustive list comprises daptomycin , tigecycline , telavancin , bacitracin , streptomycin , isoniazid and vancomycin . the concentration , relative to the total amount of composite , of active principles of the latter type can also be determined at the production site of the material and optimized according to the particular use for which the final surgical device is intended . the pharmacological active principles conjugated to the structural polymer / polyester composites or those incorporated in the structure thereof exert their specific action at the site of application of the surgical device obtained from the composite ; this can take place directly by contact , or more slowly at the time of release , as a result , for example , of degradation of the membrane structure . an example of surgical device obtained with a composite of the invention is a membrane in which two different types of porosity are recognized , a three - dimensional part that is more porous , consisting essentially of the structural polymer , where the cells of the cartilage or the fibroblasts of the skin can enter to construct their natural matrix ; this part is closely connected with the second , consisting essentially of the polyester , in which the pores are much smaller , so that the cells cannot pass through and travel to the lumen of the joint or to the surface of the skin . in this way the cells remain trapped in the biologically active three - dimensional scaffold , in an environment with ideal moisture content for growth and reproduction . at the same time , the non - porous layer , orientated towards the lumen or the contaminated open air , constitutes a protective septum against contaminated dusts and therefore bacterial infections . the product in the form of a membrane of the present invention can be obtained with various derivatization degrees between the two components . this condition makes it possible to have products with characteristics similar to native collagen or to natural fibrin , but with sufficient residence times for performing the functions required in the types of surgery mentioned above . in a second aspect , the invention relates to a process for production of the composites already described . functionalization of the polyester with an activating agent of its free carboxyl group and subsequent purification of the product thus obtained ; reaction in heterogeneous phase between the solid structural polymer , which already has the desired final structure , and the functionalized polyester in solution in a polar aprotic solvent ; purification of the composite material obtained by treatment in aqueous or saline aqueous solutions . for the reaction to be possible , it is necessary to use a solvent that is able simultaneously to wet the structural polymer and dissolve the polyester . solvents suitable for the purposes of the invention are the polar aprotic solvents , including in particular dimethylsulphoxide ( dmso ), n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone ( nmp ) and dimethylformamide ( dmf ). the reagents used for the structural polymer are an unmodified natural collagen in lyophilic form , unmodified fibrin of animal origin ( preferably of human origin ), in the form of thin membrane or of three - dimensional coagulum , and chitosan in solid form , for example in lyophilized or in non - woven tissue form . the polyester used is a commercial product of medical grade , ultrapure . to facilitate the reaction of conjugation on the structural polymer of the polyester , the latter is first functionalized with activating agents of its free carboxyl group . examples of said activation are the reaction with n - hydroxysuccinimide ( nhs ), according to the method described in the article “ new graft copolymers of hyaluronic acid and polylactic acid : synthesis and characterization ”, f . s . palumbo et al ., carbohydrate polymers , vol . 66 ( 2006 ), pages 379 - 385 ; or according to the method described in the article “ folate receptor targeted biodegradable polymeric doxorubicin micelles ”, h . s . yoo et al ., journal of controlled release , ( 2004 ) 96 : 273 - 283 ; alternatively , the polyester can be activated by reaction with 1 , 1 - carbonyldiimidazole ( cdi ), as is known by a person skilled in the art . for carrying out the reaction , the activated polyester is dissolved in one of the solvents mentioned above ; then the structural polymer selected is immersed in the solution thus obtained and it is left to react for a time between 1 and 15 hours , preferably between 2 and 6 hours , at a temperature generally between about 15 and 50 ° c . at the reaction stage , the weight ratio between the starting polyester and the structural polymer is selected in relation to the desired derivatization degree in the final composite material , taking into account that the inventors have observed that the derivatization reaction has practically quantitative yield , i . e . essentially all the functionalized polyester used in the reaction binds to the structural polymer . thanks to the particular type of reaction in heterogeneous phase it is possible to obtain multilayer solid preparations , in which every layer has different structural and microscopic characteristics depending on the use for which it is intended . it is also possible to combine , in the phase of reaction between the structural polymer and the polyester , one or more agents with biological / pharmacological activity described previously , selected from peptide or lipopeptide antibiotics and growth factors . association takes place by absorption and mechanical retention of these agents on the matrix of the structural polymer or , for high derivatization degrees with polyester , between the chains of the latter . in the first case , before submitting the structural polymer to the reaction in heterogeneous phase described above , the desired agents with biological / pharmacological activity are deposited thereon , and optionally the system is dried prior to reaction with the activated polyester . in the second case , said agents are adsorbed on the structural polymer / polyester composite already produced . in both cases , the kinetics of release of the agent with biological / pharmacological activity essentially follows the degradation of the composite . at the end of the conjugation reaction , the composite obtained is purified simply by treatment in aqueous or saline aqueous solutions . once the composite material is obtained , comprising or not comprising the aforementioned pharmacologically active peptide ( or lipopeptide ) compounds , it is possible optionally to proceed with incorporation of further drugs or medicinal products in the composite , dissolving or suspending the latter in a solvent that is able to wet the composite , causing them to be adsorbed in the pores thereof , and finally removing the solvent , for example by evaporation at reduced pressure . the solvent in which this operation is performed can be the same medium used in the first reaction , if it is compatible with the selected pharmacological compound ; alternatively , it is possible to dry the composite obtained from the structural polymer / polyester conjugation reaction ( and optional peptide - or lipopeptide - type pharmacological agent ) and soak it in a new solvent compatible with the selected pharmacological compound . the invention will be further illustrated by means of the following examples . the synthesis is carried out by the method described in the article of h . s . yoo et al . cited above . 2 . 4 g of pla of average molecular weight 8 kda is dissolved in 30 ml of dichloromethane . first 0 . 25 g of the condensing agent dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( dcc ), and then 0 . 14 g of nhs , are added to this solution , and left to react at room temperature for 24 hours . after this time , the reaction mixture is concentrated by partial evaporation of the dichloromethane and the product is precipitated in absolute ethanol and washed several times with the same solvent . the solid obtained is then filtered and dried under vacuum . a crystalline white solid is obtained , at a yield above 80 wt . % relative to the weight of the starting pla . the 1 h - nmr spectrum confirms that activation of the carboxyl group of pla with nhs has taken place . the activation yield , expressed as ratio of moles of nhs bound to the moles of single chains of pla , is 90 %. the 1 h - nmr spectrum of the product pla - nhs ( cdcl 3 ) shows signals at : □ 1 . 5 and □ 1 . 6 ( d , 3h , — o — co — ch ( ch 3 )— oh ; □ 3h , o — co — ch ( ch 3 )— o —), □ 2 . 80 ( m , 4h , — oc — ch 2 — ch 2 — co —); □ 4 . 3 and □ 5 . 2 ( m , 1h , — o — co — ch ( ch 3 )— oh ; m , 1h , — o — co — ch ( ch 3 )— o —). 1 gram of pla with average molecular weight 8 kda is dissolved at 50 mg / ml in dmso . then 40 mg of cdi is added . it is left to react at room temperature for 2 - 3 hours . the product is precipitated by pouring the solution directly into 100 ml of hexane . the precipitate is washed with two 50 - ml portions of absolute ethanol . after filtration , the precipitate is dried under vacuum . preparation of a membrane based on collagen derivatized at 10 % with polylactic acid a membrane in lyophilized form based on collagen with dimensions of about 25 cm 2 and with a thickness of about 5 mm , weighing 250 mg , is placed in a glass petri dish . in a 10 - ml glass test tube , 15 mg of activated polylactic acid ( produced as described in example 1 ) is dissolved in 6 ml of dmso . the solution is added directly on the surface of the collagen membrane in the petri dish . the dish is closed and put in a stove at 40 ° c . and it is left to react for 4 hours . the dish is then taken out of the stove and the membrane is removed , and is immersed in a 500 - ml glass beaker containing 300 ml of physiological saline at 0 . 9 % nacl . it is stirred gently for 2 hours . the operation is repeated once , stirring gently for 4 hours , and twice more using purified water instead of physiological saline . the membrane is removed and is left to dry in the stove at 37 ° c . for 24 - 48 hours . a sample of the product is measured for the derivatization degree , which is found to be equal to 10 %. preparation of a membrane based on collagen derivatized at 20 % with polylactic acid the procedure of example 3 is repeated , the only difference being that 30 mg of activated polylactic acid ( produced as described in example 1 ) dissolved in 6 ml of dmso is used for the derivatization reaction . preparation of a membrane based on collagen derivatized at 50 % with polylactic acid the procedure of example 3 is repeated , the only difference being that 75 mg of activated polylactic acid ( produced as described in example 1 ) dissolved in 8 ml of dmso is used for the derivatization reaction . preparation of a membrane based on collagen derivatized at 20 % with polylactic acid the procedure of example 3 is repeated , with the differences that 21 . 5 mg of activated polylactic acid in 6 ml of dmso is used for the derivatization reaction , and that the pla is activated with cdi , as described in example 2 . preparation of a membrane based on collagen derivatized at 50 % with polylactic acid the procedure of example 6 is repeated , the only difference being that 54 mg of activated polylactic acid ( produced as described in example 2 ) dissolved in 6 ml of dmso is used for the derivatization reaction . preparation of a membrane based on chitosan derivatized at 10 % with polylactic acid a chitosan felt / tissue with dimensions of about 25 cm 2 and with a thickness of about 2 mm , weighing 150 mg , is placed in a glass petri dish . in a 10 - ml glass test tube , 17 mg of activated polylactic acid ( produced as described in example 1 ) is dissolved in 6 ml of dmso . the solution is added directly on the surface of the chitosan felt / tissue in the petri dish . the dish is closed and put in a stove at 40 ° c . and it is left to react for 4 hours . the dish is then taken out of the stove and the felt / tissue is removed , and is immersed in a 500 - ml glass beaker containing 300 ml of physiological saline at 0 . 9 % nacl . it is stirred gently for 2 hours . the operation is repeated once , stirring gently for 4 hours , and twice more using purified water instead of physiological saline . the felt / tissue is removed and is left to dry in the stove at 37 ° c . for 24 - 48 hours . preparation of a membrane based on fibrin derivatized at 20 % with polylactic acid a membrane in lyophilized form based on fibrin with dimensions of about 15 cm 2 and with a thickness of about 3 mm , weighing 250 mg , is placed in a glass petri dish . in a 10 - ml glass test tube , 50 mg of activated polylactic acid ( produced as described in example 2 ) is dissolved in 6 ml of dmso . the solution is added directly on the surface of the fibrin membrane in the petri dish . the dish is closed and is put in a stove at 40 ° c . and it is left to react for 4 hours . the dish is then taken out of the stove and the membrane is removed , and is immersed in a 500 - ml glass beaker containing 300 ml of physiological saline at 0 . 9 % nacl . it is stirred gently for 2 hours . the operation is repeated once , stirring gently for 4 hours , and twice more using purified water instead of physiological saline . the felt / tissue is removed and is left to dry in the stove at 37 ° c . for 24 - 48 hours .	2
as shown in fig1 , a first preferred embodiment of a differential amplifier according to the present invention is realized in the form of a single - stage amplifier containing one pair of vacuum tube triodes t 2 a and t 2 b . the vacuum tubes t 2 a , t 2 b can be any of the commonly used small signal dual triodes , such as 12at7 , 12au7 , 12ax7 , 6922 , 6dj8 , 6sn7 , 6sl7 , 6h30p and the like . we assume that the inputs of this differential amplifier are directly coupled to the outputs of the previous amplifying stage , which is a conventional differential amplifier of fig7 . it can be seen that the triodes t 2 a and t 2 b amplify two input signals (+ input , − input ) and generate two output signals (+ output , − output ). the output signals are taken from the plates of the vacuum tube triodes t 2 a , t 2 b . the input signals are fed to the grids of the triodes t 2 a , t 2 b , and a pair of two series resistors r 11 - r 12 , r 13 - r 14 are cross - connected to two separate junctions formed by a pair of two series resistors r 16 - r 17 , r 18 - r 19 respectively , such that the pairs of series resistors r 16 - r 17 , r 18 - r 19 are connected together with a constant current source cs 2 connected to a negative power supply − vs 5 . the constant current source cs 2 may be a junction gate field - effect transistor ( jfet ), a metal - oxide - semiconductor field - effect transistor ( mosfet ), a bipolar junction transistor ( bjt ), a vacuum tube triode , a pentode with complementary diodes , zener diodes and resistors , or a resistor . capacitors c 1 , c 2 are connected to ground at the junctions between the two series grid resistors r 11 - r 12 , r 13 - r 14 on each grid . the pair of series resistors r 16 - r 17 , r 18 - r 19 are connected to the cathodes of the triodes t 2 a and t 2 b via a separate cathode series resistors , r 15 , r 20 . a capacitor c 3 is connected to the junctions formed between the cathode series resistors r 15 , r 20 and the pair of two series resistors r 16 - r 17 , r 18 - r 19 . this circuit arrangement also includes a pair of plate resistors r 21 , r 22 , connected to a positive power supply + vs 2 . it is clear that the grids of the vacuum tube t 2 a and t 2 b carry both input signals and dc biasing voltages passed from the previous amplifying stage . hence , we should examine the amplifier from two different aspects : ( i ) small signal point of view and , ( ii ) dc biasing point of view . from the small signal point of view , the operation of the differential amplifier of fig1 is given as follows . capacitors c 1 and c 2 ( around 0 . 1 μf or higher ) bypass any signal that may cross - feed from grid to cathode or cathode to grid from one tube to another tube . in small signal point of view , the junctions between r 11 and r 12 , and between r 13 and r 14 are shorted to ground by the capacitors c 1 and c 2 . and if resistor value in the order of 1 mω or higher is chosen for r 11 , r 12 , r 13 and r 14 , they have insignificant effect to the amplifier in terms of small signal voltage gain and frequency response . on the other hand , capacitor c 3 ( around 20 μf or higher ) bypasses the resistors r 16 , r 17 , r 18 and r 19 . therefore , in small signal point of view the resistors r 16 , r 17 , r 18 and r 19 are shorted together . only resistors r 15 and r 20 remain to function as degenerated resistors as usual . hence , in the small signal point of view , the differential amplifier of fig1 functions identically to the conventional one in fig7 with the same small signal voltage gain and frequency response . on the other hand , and from the dc point of view , the operation of the differential amplifier of fig1 is given as follows . first of all , it should be noted that when a triode is correctly biased and operates in a steady state , the dc biasing voltage at the cathode is always higher than the dc biasing voltage at the grid . in addition , no grid current flows from grid to cathode . only dc current flows from the plate to cathode . we assume that the two triodes t 2 a and t 2 b are well - matched tubes and the dc biasing voltages passing from the previous stage are also identical . let us denote the dc potential difference between cathode and grid by v cg , where v cg & gt ; 0v . let us also denote the dc biasing current from plate to cathode by i p . in order to minimize mismatch of dc biasing when non - matched triodes t 2 a and t 2 b are used , it is best to choose the values for the resistors r 15 - r 20 such that , v cg = i p ·( r 15 + r 16 )= i p · r 17 = i p · r 18 = i p ·( r 19 + r 20 ) ( eq - 4 ) where r 15 and r 20 are the desired degenerated resistors that determine the small signal gain of the differential amplifier . for instance , if v cg = 5 . 5v and i p = 6 ma are chosen as the operating dc biasing values for triodes t 2 a and t 2 b , then the value for r 17 and r 18 can be easily found as 917ω , or 910ω , which is the closest practical resistor value . if 100ω is chosen as the degenerated resistance for r 15 and r 20 , then it can be easily found that r 16 and r 19 is 810ω , or 820ω , which is the closest practical resistor value . if the resistors are chosen on the basis of equations eq - 1 to eq - 4 , it can be seen in the following that the differential amplifier will have the dc self - biasing ability that minimizes the mismatch due to the triodes t 2 a and t 2 b , and the mismatch due to the dc biasing voltages passed from the previous stage . we assume now that the two triodes and the dc biasing voltages passed from the previous stage are poorly matched . in such a scenario , when the differential amplifier is powered up , let us denote the dc potential voltages at the grid and the cathode of the tube t 2 a by v ga and v ca , respectively . similarly , v gb and v cb denote , respectively , the dc potential voltages at the grid and cathode of the tube t 2 b . if the tube t 2 a operates at a higher dc biasing point such that v ga & gt ; v gb and v ca & gt ; v cb , i . e ., both grid and cathode dc potential voltages of the tube t 2 a are greater than tube t 2 b , the series resistors r 11 - r 12 will pass along the higher potential v ga and lift up the dc potential at the junction between resistors r 18 and r 19 . as a result , the cathode dc potential ( v cb ) of tube t 2 b is increased and hence the grid dc potential ( v gb ) is also increased . by the same token , the series resistors r 13 - r 14 will pass along the lower potential v gb and bring down the dc potential at the junction between resistors r 16 and r 17 . as a result , the cathode dc potential ( v ca ) of tube t 2 a is lowered and hence the grid dc potential ( v ga ) is also lowered . since v cb and v gb are increased while v ca and v ga are lowered , v cb and v ca are pulling closer together and so are the v gb and v ga . eventually , the differential amplifier of fig1 will rest on a closer dc biasing point than the one in fig7 . fig2 reveals a simplified version of fig1 with no degenerated resistors ( i . e . r 15 and r 20 shown in fig1 ). since degenerated resistors are not used , the small signal gain of the differential amplifier of fig2 is higher than the one in fig1 . for best result , the resistors are chosen such that r 23 = r 24 = r 17 = r 18 . however , without using degenerated resistors to provide local feedback , the amplifier will have higher distortion and lower bandwidth than the one in fig1 . fig3 shows an alternative circuit arrangement with no bypass capacitor ( i . e . c 3 in fig1 and c 10 in fig2 ). as no bypass capacitor is used in this arrangement , the resistors r 17 , r 18 , r 23 and r 24 function as degenerated resistors to provide local feedback . small signal gain is reduced but distortion and bandwidth are improved . for best result , the resistors are chosen such that r 23 = r 24 = r 17 = r 18 . a vacuum tube balanced audio power amplifier employing the new dc self - biased differential amplifier is illustrated in fig4 . even without the use of matched vacuum tubes for t 1 a and t 1 b , t 2 a and t 2 b , the differential amplifier in the second stage , which has the dc self - biasing ability as described above , will bring the dc biasing point to a closer level compared with the conventional differential amplifier shown in fig8 . however , there is one scenario in which the vacuum tubes of the differential amplifier in the second stage ( i . e ., t 2 a and t 2 b of fig4 or t 5 a and t 5 b of fig8 ) will be damaged . let us assume that in fig4 , t 1 a and t 1 b , t 2 a and t 2 b are vacuum tubes of different types so that t 2 a and t 2 b warm up faster than t 1 a and t 1 b . when the power amplifier is switched on , all tubes are in cold condition , and therefore they will not draw any plate current . since there is no voltage drop across the plate resistors r 7 and r 8 , the dc potential at the grid of t 2 a and t 2 b is equal to the supply voltage + vs 1 . also , the cathode of t 2 a and t 2 b sit at the supply voltage − vs 5 . therefore , the grid of t 2 a is at the dc potential of + vs 1 −(− vs 5 ) above the cathode . it should be noted that at the steady state , the grid potential should be below the cathode potential . but in this cold condition , the polarity is in the opposite . for example , if vs 1 = 400v and vs 5 = 100v are chosen as the supply voltages , the dc potential of grid - to - cathode when the amplifier is switched on is 500v . if vacuum tubes t 2 a and t 2 b get warmed up and start to operate faster than the vacuum tubes t 1 a and t 1 b , the 500v grid - to - cathode voltage will force grid current to flow and easily damage the tube instantly . therefore , there is a need to install a protection circuit so as to prevent a large grid - to - cathode voltage from building up when switching on . a power amplifier , which contains the protection circuit , is shown in fig5 . it can be seen from fig5 that the protection circuit consists of diodes d 1 - d 2 , zener diodes zd 1 - zd 2 and resistor r 35 . the grids of the vacuum tube triodes t 2 a , t 2 b are connected to the anode of a respective diode d 1 , d 2 , which is respectively connected to the cathode of a zener diode zd 1 , zd 2 . the anodes of the zener diodes zd 1 , zd 2 are connected with each other , and the resistor r 35 is connected to the junction between the anodes of the two zener diodes zd 1 , zd 2 and a constant current source cs 2 which is connected to a negative power supply − vs 5 . the principle of operation of the protection circuit is given as follows . when the power amplifier of fig5 is switched on , as the vacuum tubes are in cold condition , there is no plate current flow . however , a small current starts to flow immediately from power supply terminal + vs 1 through r 7 , r 9 , d 1 , zd 1 and r 35 to power supply terminal − vs 5 via current source cs 2 . the grid - to - cathode voltage difference at vacuum tube t 2 a is now clamped at one diode voltage plus one zener voltage that is much lower than the + 500v potential difference . similarly , a small current also starts to flow immediately from power supply terminal + vs 1 through r 8 , r 10 , d 2 , dz 2 and r 35 to power supply terminal − vs 5 via current source cs 2 . again , the grid - to - cathode voltage difference at vacuum tube t 2 b is clamped at one diode voltage plus one zener voltage . therefore , the circuit effectively protects the tubes by avoiding a large grid - to - cathode voltage to build up when switching on . when the tubes get warmed up and start to operate , plate currents begin to flow . if the zener diode is properly chosen , the diode and zener will be eventually turned off . in order to ensure that the diode and zener diode work properly , we should choose the diode and zener such that : diode forward voltage + zener reverse voltage & gt ; voltage drop of grid - to - cathode ( v gc ) of vacuum tube t 2 a ( or t 2 b )+ voltage drops across resistors r 15 , r 16 and r 17 ( or r 18 , r 19 and r 20 ). the above condition will hold true as long as there is no input signal . to prevent the diode and zener from turning on in the steady state when a signal passes through the grid , we should choose the zener reverse voltage such that : diode forward voltage + zener reverse voltage & gt ; voltage drop of grid - to - cathode ( vgc ) of vacuum tube t 2 a ( or t 2 b )+ voltage drops across resistors r 15 , r 16 and r 17 ( or r 18 , r 19 and r 20 )+ maximum signal &# 39 ; s voltage swing at the grid of the vacuum tube t 2 a ( or t 2 b ). for instance , if we follow the above same example , we have the following : let us assume that the maximum signal voltage swing at the grid of the vacuum tube = 5v . if we take 0 . 7v as the diode forward voltage , the zener diode reverse voltage is found to be 9 . 78v or higher . r 35 is a small value resistor that can be ignored in the above calculation . if we choose a 15v zener diode for the above application , the amplifier works in the desired manner such that the zener diodes are turned on to protect the vacuum tubes when the vacuum tubes are in cold condition . the zener diodes are then turned off during the steady state , when the vacuum tubes are in normal operation , and they do not affect the signals being amplified . fig6 shows the complete differential amplifier that has the dc self - biasing ability and grid - to - cathode over - voltage protection . it should be understood that the above only illustrates examples whereby the present invention may be carried out , and that various modifications and / or alterations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention . it should also be understood that certain features of the invention , which are , for clarity , described in the context of separate embodiments , may be provided in combination in a single embodiment . conversely , various features of the invention that are , for brevity , described in the context of a single embodiment , may also be provided separately or in any appropriate sub - combinations .	7
the drawings show a shovel accessory 10 of the present invention for use in combination with a conventional manual shovel 100 that features a shovel head 102 and a handle grip 104 respectively mounted at opposing ends of a linear handle shaft 106 . the end of the handle shaft 106 to which the shovel head 102 is mounted is referred to herein as the ‘ front ’ or ‘ forward ’ end of the handle shaft , with the opposing handle - equipped end of the shaft 106 accordingly being referred to as the ‘ rear ’ end of the handle shaft . the accessory 10 of the present invention provides the shovel with a ground - engaging fulcrum point located distally rearward to the shovel head , and a pair of upright handle arrangements situated upwardly of the longitudinal axis of the handle shaft 106 for comfortable two - handed tilting of the shovel rearwardly about the fulcrum in order the throw the dug material rearwardly from the shovel head pas the standing position of a user / operator of the assembly . in the illustrated ‘ rest position ’ of the assembled shovel and accessory on horizontal ground g in fig1 , the shovel head 102 lies generally flat atop the ground with the handle shaft 106 angling obliquely upward and rearward relative to the ground g . the same ‘ front / forward ’ and ‘ rear ’ designation used in distinguishing relative positioning of components in the horizontal direction with regard to the shovel is likewise used herein with regard to the shovel accessory 10 of the present invention . it will be appreciated that any such use of these terms is not intended to denote a particular orientation in which an apparatus must be oriented at any given time in order to read on the claimed invention . the accessory 10 features a main longitudinal beam 12 atop which the handle shaft 106 of the shovel 100 is received during assembly of the shovel and accessory . the linearly - extending main beam 12 and handle shaft 106 lie parallel to one another , and are secured together by front and rear clamps 14 , 16 that are fixed to the main beam 12 at locations respectively residing near a lower front end 12 a of the main beam and an intermediate point on the beam that is generally central of its length . the front end 12 a of the main beam 12 stops short of the front end of the handle shaft 106 at which the shovel head 102 is mounted , whereby in the rest position , the front end 12 a of the main beam lies rearward of the shovel head 102 at a height spaced above the ground g , with the shovel reaching downwardly and forwardly beyond the front end 12 a of the beam 12 to lie in contact with the ground g . an undercarriage 18 of the accessory 10 features an obliquely oriented front frame member 20 connected to the main beam 12 at an approximately central intermediate point therealong , from which this front frame member 20 extends downward and rearward from the main beam 12 . a rear frame member 22 of the undercarriage 18 has a lower end thereof connected to the lower end of the front frame member 20 , and extends upward therefrom to connect to the main beam proximate a rear end 12 b thereof . an l - shaped pipe 24 has one leg 24 a thereof fixed to a rear face of the rear frame member 22 in a manner lying parallel thereto so as to place the other leg 24 b of the pipe 24 in a position jutting rearwardly from the rear frame member 22 . the rear frame member 22 is obliquely sloped in the same direction as the front frame member 20 , but at a lesser angle relative to vertical ( i . e . at a greater acute angle relative to ground ), and so the rearward jutting second leg 24 b of the l - shaped pipe slopes slightly upward relative to ground in the rearward direction . a rounded corner bend 24 c between the two legs 24 a , 24 b of the l - shaped pipe 24 provides a fulcrum point that defines a horizontal pivot axis perpendicular to the vertical plane in which the main beam 12 and undercarriage 18 reside . a front handle arrangement 26 features a lower support portion 28 lying above the main beam 12 in an oblique orientation lying parallel to the front frame member 20 of the undercarriage , thus sloping upwardly and forwardly away from an approximate midpoint of the main beam 12 in the same vertical plane occupied by the main beam 12 and undercarriage frame members 20 , 22 . a cross - piece 30 is attached to the upper forward end of the lower support portion 28 to lie perpendicularly thereto in the same vertical plane . a rear upper end of the cross - piece 30 carries a hand grip member 32 that extends perpendicularly upward and forward from the cross - piece 30 , thus lying parallel to the lower support portion 28 , but offset rearwardly therefrom in the same vertical plane . the lower support portion 28 is connected to the front frame member 20 of the undercarriage on each side of the main beam 12 by one of a pair of matching flat - plate side brackets 34 . a lower end 28 a of the lower support portion is spaced a distance above the main beam 12 , whereby a space bound by the topside of the main beam 12 , the lower end 28 a of the front handle support portion 28 , and the two side bracket plates 34 defines a shaft - accommodating opening of the front handle arrangement 26 through which the handle shaft 106 of the shovel 100 extends in its travel from the shovel head 102 to the handle grip 104 . a horizontal pivot pin 36 passes perpendicularly through the main beam 12 and the two side bracket plates 34 on opposing sides thereof in order to define a pivotal connection of the main beam 12 with both the front handle arrangement 26 and the front frame member 20 of the undercarriage 18 . a rear handle arrangement 40 features a first grip bar 42 situated at an elevation above that of the rear end 12 b of the main beam 12 . an orientation of the first grip bar 42 matches the slope of the rear frame member 22 of the undercarriage 18 in the same vertical plane . a second pair of matching side plate brackets 44 connects the rear frame member 22 of the undercarriage 18 to the first grip bar 42 on opposing sides of the main beam 12 in order to define another shaft - accommodating opening bound between the side bracket plates 44 at the topside of the main beam 12 . a second grip bar 46 of the rear handle assembly 40 juts rearwardly from a generally intermediate point of the first grip bar 42 , and lies in the same vertical plane , with an upwardly sloped orientation relative to ground g . while the illustrated embodiment features a short - handled shovel 100 whose hand grip 104 resides atop a rear portion 12 c of the main beam 12 that spans between the frame members 20 , 22 of the undercarriage , the shaft - accommodating opening of the rear handle arrangement acts similarly that of the front handle arrangement to accommodate the handle shaft of a longer shovel whose shaft length exceeds the length of the main beam . when such a shovel is used , its handle grip 104 lies rearwardly of the rear pair of side bracket plates 44 when the shovel and accessory are assembled and ready for use . a detachable side handle 50 is selectively attachable to either side of the rear frame member 22 of the undercarriage 18 at any one of a number of selectable mounting holes 52 disposed at different heights along the rear frame member of the undercarriage , or at any one of a number of selectable mounting holes 54 disposed at different heights along the first grip bar 42 of the rear handle arrangement at positions below the connection of the second grip bar 46 . the attachable side handle 50 is l - shaped so as to have a first leg 50 a that extends perpendicularly outward from the vertical plane occupied by the main beam 12 , undercarriage 18 and front and rear handle arrangements 26 , 40 of the accessory . the second leg 50 b of the side handle 50 turns forwardly from the first leg 50 a to run generally along the main beam 12 in a direction parallel to the vertical plane thereof . turning to fig5 , a pair of ground wheels 60 may be rotatably mounted on either side of the undercarriage , for example by a shared axle 62 passing perpendicularly through the front frame member 20 of the undercarriage , in order to rollably support the assembled shovel 100 and accessory 10 . with the assembled shovel and accessory in the rest position with the wheels installed , the wheels 60 reside in contact with the ground , and the corner bend 24 c of the l - shaped pipe 24 is slightly elevated out of contact with the ground , as opposed to the rest position of fig1 in which the wheels are removed and the corner bend 24 c of the pipe 24 lies in contact with the ground to define the fulcrum point . accordingly , with the wheels 60 installed and the shovel head in a lowered position on or near the ground g , the assembly can be rolled forward and backward for reduced - effort maneuvering of the assembly along the surface of the ground g . rearward tilting of the assembly about the rotational axis of the wheel axle 62 in a rearward direction that acts to elevate the shovel head also lowers the bend 24 c of the l - shaped pipe 24 about the axle &# 39 ; s rotational axis and into contact with the ground g , at which time this point of engagement between the ground and the pipe bend 24 c forms a fulcrum of the assembly , about which further rearward tilting of the assembly can be performed to further raise the shovel head 102 past a nine o &# 39 ; clock position to throw shovel - carried material rearward from the shovel head . this throwing action is imparted in a two - handed manner , in which a user stands beside the assembly in a position facing theretoward at the space between the two handle arrangements 26 , 40 . the user grips the hand grip member 32 of the front handle arrangement 26 with one hand , and grips either the first or second grip bar 42 , 46 of the rear handle arrangement with the other hand . a right - handed user would generally tend to use his / her left hand on the front handle arrangement 26 , and his / her right hand on the rear handle arrangement 40 , and thus would typically stand on the left side of the assembly . a left - handed user would typically adopt the reverse stance and grip , i . e . standing on the right of the assembly with the right hand on the front handle arrangement 26 and the left hand on the rear handle arrangement 40 . tilting or swinging of the assembly about the horizontal pivot axis provided by the ground engaging fulcrum 24 c is imparted by pulling rearward and upward on the hand grip 32 of the front handle arrangement , and either pulling rearward on the first grip bar 42 or pushing downward and rearward on the second grip bar 46 of the rear handle arrangement 40 . while the front and rear handle arrangement situated upwardly of the longitudinal axis of the shovel &# 39 ; s handle shaft are particularly useful for comfortable , reduced effort throwing operations using the fulcrum , the same handle arrangements can likewise be employed to impart a reduced effort leveraging effect during the initial ‘ dig out ’ phase of a shovel operation . the entire assembly is lifted from the ground g , and tilted forward in order to point the tip 102 a of the shovel head 102 down , at which point it is pierced into the ground in a conventional manner . the front and rear handle assemblies are pulled back down toward the ground g , thus forcing the shovel tip upward to initiate the breaking free or prying out of the earth in front of the ground piercing shovel head . if the earth is not fully freed by the time the ground engaging fulcrum point 24 c reaches the ground , then further leverage can be applied by forcing the handle arrangements 26 , 40 rearwardly about the fulcrum axis in the same manner described for the ‘ throwing ’ action . the detachable handle 50 is optionally installed by the user on the side of the assembly opposite that on which the user stands during the above described left or right handed use , and can be used to impart a lateral load - dumping or tossing action to the material on the shovel head . the drawings show the detachable handle 50 installed on the left side of the assembly for manipulation by a left - handed user standing on the right side of the assembly . the user &# 39 ; s front hand grasps the front grip 32 in the same manner as for the throwing action , but the rear hand , instead of grasping one of the rear grip bars 42 , 46 , reaches over the rear portion 12 c of the main beam to grasp the second leg 50 b of the detachable handle 50 . the rear arm is brought upward , lifting the entire assembly up from the ground while tilting the same about a longitudinal axis in order to shift the assembly from its vertical resting plane toward a horizontal plane , whereby the width the shovel head shifts from a generally horizontal orientation ( carrying a load atop the shovel ) into a generally vertical orientation ‘ dumping ’ its contents to the side . by employing a simultaneous swing of the tilted assembly about an upright axis during the side - handle tilting operation , the shovel head will laterally ‘ toss ’ its contents to the side ( i . e . to a position behind the back of the user ). in the illustrated embodiment , each shovel - securing clamp 14 , 16 features a pair of bendable plates 70 , 72 fixed to each side of the main beam 12 at a respective position along the front portion thereof that reaches toward the shovel head 102 from the intermediate point at which the front handle arrangement and front undercarriage member 20 are connected to the beam 12 . at each clamp , a bolt 74 is fed through aligned holes in the respective pair of plates 70 , 72 from one side of the accessory so as to pass over the handle shaft 106 of the shovel . a wingnut 76 is threaded onto the bolt 74 at the other side of the accessory . tightening of this bolt and wingnut fastener acts to draw together the portions of the plates 70 , 72 that extend upward from the main beam 12 , thereby clamping the handle shaft 106 of the shovel in place between the tightened - together plates 70 , 72 . other means for securing the handle shaft of the shovel to the accessory may alternatively be employed , for example replacing each of the illustrates clamps with a fold - over clamp that is hinged to one side of the main beam to pivot into and out of a closed position clamping across the top of the handle shaft 106 for tightening down of the clamp at the side of the beam opposite the hinge of the fold - over clamp . fig6 illustrates installation of the shovel 100 onto the main beam 12 of the accessory 10 . first , the bolts 74 and wingnuts 76 are removed from the clamps 14 , 16 . with the shovel 100 turned on its side ( i . e . to place the width of the shovel head 102 in an upright orientation in the plane of accessory to face laterally outward therefrom ), the hand grip 104 of the shovel 100 resides in an upright orientation and is slid rearwardly along the topside the main beam 12 , during which the upright hand grip 104 passes through the shaft - accommodating opening between the side bracket plates 34 of the front handle arrangement 26 . this shaft - accommodating opening has a width ( measured between the side bracket plates 34 ) that is less than a width of the shovel &# 39 ; s hand grip ( i . e . the axial length of a cylindrical member around which the user wraps his / her hand in conventional use of the shovel without the accessory of the present invention ). on the other hand , a height of the shaft - accommodating opening ( measured between the main beam 12 and the bottom end 28 a of the lower support 28 of the front handle arrangement ) exceeds the hand grip width of the shovel . accordingly , once the shovel &# 39 ; s hand grip 104 has passed through this opening in an upright orientation , the shovel is rotated about the longitudinal axis of its handle shaft 106 back into a normal orientation in which the shovel head 102 width and the hand grip lie horizontally , at which point sliding of the shovel &# 39 ; s horizontally oriented hand grip downward past the front handle arrangement is blocked by the front bracket side plates 34 . with the shovel axially positioned along the main beam so as to situate the shovel head 102 beyond the front end 12 a of the main beam 12 , the bolts 74 are reinserted and the wingnuts 76 are engaged and tightened on the bolts 74 to clamp the handle shaft 106 of the shovel 100 to the main beam 12 . if a full length shovel whose shaft length exceeds the beam length is employed , then the hand grip of the shovel is also fed through the shaft - accommodating openings of the rear handle arrangement 40 accessory before turning the shovel back into an upwardly facing orientation and tightening the clamps 14 , 16 . the pivotal connection 36 to the main beam 12 shared by the front handle arrangement 26 and the undercarriage 18 allows adjustment of these components relative to the main beam 12 , and thus relative to the shovel shaft 106 lying parallel thereto . a bolted connection 80 between the main beam 12 and the rear frame member 22 of the undercarriage 18 can make use of any one of the series of holes 52 that are also used to mount the detachable side handle 50 . accordingly , pivotal motion of the beam 12 relative to the undercarriage 18 is enabled by temporary removal of the bolt 80 , and the undercarriage is pivoted relative to main beam 12 about the pivot pin 36 to set a desired position of the fulcrum point 24 c relative to the beam axis and parallel handle shaft axis of the shovel , at which point the bolt 80 is refastened at a one of the bolt holes 52 that aligns with a corresponding bolt hole of the beam 12 proximate the rear end thereof . the illustrated embodiment employs a linear series of bolt holes 52 and an additional pivot point 82 that is defined between the two frame members 20 , 22 of the undercarriage 18 near the lower ends thereof to accommodate the motion and relocking of the undercarriage relative to the beam 12 . in another embodiment , the bolt holes 52 in the rear frame member 22 may instead be spaced apart along an arcuate path around the axis of the pivot pin 36 , for example by providing these holes 52 in side plates attached to the rear frame member 22 rather than directly in the rear frame member itself , in which case the connection between the front and rear frame members 20 , 22 may be fixed rather than pivotal . pivoting of the undercarriage to allow adjustment of the fulcrum location relative to the main beam allows the accessory to be adjusted for optimal performance and comfort for different users , for different types or models of shovels , for different shovel - related tasks , etc . the shared pivotal connection 36 of the front handle arrangement 26 and undercarriage 18 with main beam 12 also means that relative rotation about the axis of pivot pin 36 can be used to adjust the position of the front handle arrangement relative to the main beam 12 . in other embodiments , the front handle arrangement 26 and undercarriage 18 may have separate adjustable connections to the main beam , whereby the front handle position can be adjusted relative to the main beam 12 independently of the undercarriage 18 . likewise , while the illustrated rear handle arrangement is fastened to the main beam 12 via the rear frame member 22 of the undercarriage , other embodiments may allow independent adjustment of these members relative to the main beam 12 . as shown schematically in fig4 - 6 by a broken line illustration of a portion of the cross - piece 30 of the front handle arrangement , the lower support portion 28 of the front handle arrangement 26 may have a telescopic configuration by which its length is extendable and collapsible to allow adjustment of a distance by which the cross - piece 30 and hand grip member 32 is spaced from the main beam 12 , thereby providing further configurability by the user for optimal performance and comfort . similar handle height adjustment may be provided at the rear handle arrangement , for example by providing grip bar with a telescopic construction . the second grip bar 46 may also be adjustably mounted on the first grip bar 42 for adjustment of the height thereon at which it is installed . as shown , as bracket that attaches the second grip 46 to the first grip bar 42 may also extend forwardly of the first grip bar for optional connection of another hand grip to the rear handle arrangement position on the front side of the first grip bar . the removable bolt 80 that forms the connection of the undercarriage and the rear handle arrangement to the frame is preferably mated with a corresponding wingnut so that the bolt is manually removable without the aid of any tools . when the bolt is removed , the entire accessory can be folded up into a more compact configuration for space - efficient storage or transport , for example to enable transport thereof in the trunk of an average automobile . with the shovel and the bolt 80 removed , the front frame member 20 of the undercarriage can be pivoted up to reside under the rear portion 12 c of the main beam 12 in an orientation more parallel thereto . this situates the pivotal connection 82 of the undercarriage frame members beyond the rear end of the beam , and the rear frame member 20 and attached first rear grip bar 42 are pivotal downward toward the topside of the main beam 12 to lie generally parallel to the main beam and the folded - up front frame member 20 of the undercarriage . the folding up of the front frame member 20 into the stowed position under the rear portion 12 c of the main beam 12 acts to lay the lower support 20 of the front handle arrangement down into a position lying more parallel to the main beam 12 and reaching toward the front end thereof . accordingly , through this folding up of the undercarriage and attached handle arrangements , the entire accessory takes on a collapsed state in which the undercarriage frame members 20 , 22 , rear first grip bar 42 and front lower support 28 all lie more parallel to the main beam 12 than in their deployed positions ready for use of the accessory , thus reducing the overall span of the accessory in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the main beam 12 . in a prototype on which the drawings are based , aluminum rectangular tubing was used for each of the main beam 12 ; the undercarriage frame members 20 , 22 ; the lower support 28 , cross - piece 30 and hand grip 32 of the front handle assembly ; and the two grip bars 42 , 46 of the rear handle assembly . the use of hollow aluminum tubing provided the prototype with a suitable balance between a desired minimal weight and required strength to handle the levering action on the shovel , but it will be appreciated that other materials may be employed . molded grips may be employed at the gripping areas 32 , 42 , 46 of the front and rear handle arrangements for improved comfort during use . while the illustrated embodiment is shown and described as a combination of a conventional shovel with an add - on accessory defining the handle arrangements and fulcrum - defining undercarriage of the present invention , other embodiments would include a shovel apparatus in which a shovel head is likewise carried at a front end of a longitudinal member from which a fulcrum - defining undercarriage is suspended and a pair of handle arrangements are upstanding , without the shovel head necessarily being detachable or having its own dedicated handle shaft separate from the main longitudinal beam or member of the apparatus . while the illustrated embodiment employs an undercarriage having converging frame members 20 , 22 that cooperate with the rear section 12 c of the main longitudinal beam to form a triangular frame of notable strength , other undercarriage configurations similarly defining a ground engaging fulcrum point near the rear end of the accessory may be employed . since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described , it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense .	0
to assist in the description of these components , the following coordinate terms are used . fig1 depicts an x - y - z cartesian coordinate system , with the awning assembly primarily lying in the x - y plane . as described herein , terms such as “ height ” refer to distance in the z - direction , and “ higher / upward ” and “ lower / downward ” refer to the positive and negative z - direction , respectively . similarly , terms such as “ lateral ” will refer to the x - direction and “ longitudinal ” will refer to the y - direction . a detailed description of preferred embodiments of awnings and couplings and their associated method of use , now follows . this application is directed to awnings and couplings , such as joints , that can be used with awnings to selectively provide for relative movement of components that are coupled thereby and to securely connect such components to prevent such relative movement when desirable . as discussed further below , the couplings can also provide substantially improved stability . further , it will be clear from the discussion below that the couplings described herein can have applications in mechanical apparatuses beyond awnings . various embodiments of such joints are described below , in connection with the figures . fig1 depicts one embodiment of an awning assembly 100 . the depicted awning assembly 100 includes a support member 4 that can be attached to a primary structure such as a building , free - standing wall , bus , recreational vehicle , or any other structure sufficient to bear the static forces of the awning assembly . in a preferred embodiment the support member 4 has a rectangular cross - section , providing a convenient shape for interengaging with , e . g ., the positioning frames 3 ( further described below ). however , in other embodiments the support member 4 can have other cross - sectional shapes such as being circular , ovoid , triangular , i - beam , t - beam , or another shape . the positioning frames 3 can be shaped to interengage with the particular shape of the support member 4 . further , although the support member 4 is depicted as being substantially straight , in some embodiments it can be curved , have a bend , or have some other lineal discontinuity . the shape of the remaining awning assembly 100 can be accordingly shaped and / or angled to coincide with the shape of the support member 4 . opposite the support member 4 , the awning assembly 100 can include an extension member 1 . the extension member 1 can have geometric properties similar to those described above regarding the support member 4 . the extension member 1 can also be configured to extend longitudinally from the support member 4 and provide structural support for the windable cloth 8 . the windable cloth 8 can be wound into a spool 60 mounted on the support member 4 via an additional clamping bolt 42 . in some embodiments , the extension members 1 can have one or more means for retracting , such as telescoping members , hinges , or other collapsible features . thus , as the cloth 8 is wound the extension member 1 can retract and / or fold . at a near end , the extension member 1 can include a fork 80 that can mount the support frame 2 , as discussed further below . the positioning frame 3 can include a clamp 33 that facilitates mounting of the positioning frame to the support member 4 . the clamp 33 can have two tines configured to engage with opposite sides of the support member 4 . the tines can further include through holes 34 at their ends through which a clamping bolt 42 can pass through and engage a clamping nut 43 outside the opposite tine . tightening the nut 43 can force the tines together , exerting a grip on the support member 4 to stabilize the positioning frame 3 . notably , although the depicted straight tines of the clamp 33 can provide a superior grip about a rectangular support member 4 , the tines can still provide a substantial grip about other - shaped support members , and other - shaped tines could also provide a substantial grip about the support member 4 . in other embodiments , different mechanisms for mounting the positioning frame 3 to the support member 4 can be used , such as a support member with a threaded bore to directly receive a bolt , snap - fit apparatuses , or other mechanisms know in the art . the positioning frame 3 can additionally include one or more through - holes 31 , 32 . as depicted , the positioning frame 3 includes two through - holes 31 , 32 , but in other embodiments more or fewer can be provided . the through - holes 31 , 32 can be configured to form a slip fit for elongate members depicted as upper and lower support bolts 7 a , 7 b , but in other embodiments tighter fits can be used ( e . g . a press fit ), or looser fits can be used . the support bolts 7 can engage with nuts 40 to firmly mount the positioning frame 3 . notably , as depicted the support bolts 7 pass through two positioning frames 3 and also one support frame 2 , depicted as a y - shaped support frame . however , in other embodiments other numbers of each can be used . for example , in some embodiments there can be only one positioning frame 3 and one support frame 2 . in other embodiments , two support frames 2 can be integrated with one or more positioning frames 3 . additionally , as depicted the support bolts 7 a , 7 b extend in a lateral direction as the positioning and support frames 2 , 3 extend longitudinally from the support member 4 . however , in other embodiments these can extend in other directions , allowing for different shapes and motions of the awning assembly 100 . further , other elongate members can be used such as pins or other cylindrical or non - cylindrical elements . the support bolts 7 a , 7 b can additionally pass through the support frame 2 via pathways 22 formed in or cut - out from the support frame 2 . as shown , each pathway 22 can locate on a separate fork 21 , 23 of the support frame 2 , extending from a base portion 20 . however , in other embodiments the support frame 2 can have other shapes , such as a star - configuration , a solid piece , or some other shape . further , in other embodiments multiple pathways 22 can be provided on each fork 21 , 23 . additionally , in some embodiments one pathway 22 can receive more than one support bolt . each bolt - pathway combination can form a tight , slidable fit , such that the movement of the support bolts 7 a , 7 b relative to the pathway 22 is substantially limited to the shape of the pathway . for example , the pathway 22 can extend in a general direction in a y - z plane and in some embodiments the support bolts 7 a , 7 b can be substantially restrained to travel in substantially only that direction . in some embodiments the support bolts 7 a , 7 b can have inserted thereover washers 35 to be positioned between the support frame 2 and the positioning frames 3 . as depicted the support frame 2 can have two pathways 22 a , 22 b that correspond to the two depicted support bolts 7 a , 7 b . the pathways 22 can both generally extend in arcs , although other directions are possible . additionally , the pathways 22 can be generally concentric , in that they define arcs that have a common center of rotation . however , as discussed further below , other shapes and orientations can be used to define distinct paths of motion for the awning assembly 100 . for example , in some embodiments the pathways 22 can be generally kidney - shaped . in other embodiments , the pathways 22 can comprise an l - shape or another generally angular shape . the support frame 2 can include a base portion 20 , distinct from the forks 21 , 23 . as depicted , the base portion 20 can include a through - hole 44 that can generally align with through - holes 46 on the fork 80 of the extension member 1 . a pin , bolt , cylindrical element , or other form of swivel can pass through the holes 44 , 46 to provide a rotatable coupling between the extension member 1 and the support frame 2 . further , in the depicted embodiment the swivel can be generally co - planar with the pathways 22 . thus , the swivel can allow rotation generally perpendicular to the motion associated with movement of the support bolts 7 a , 7 b through the pathways 22 , generally about the support member 4 and the positioning frame 3 . in the depicted embodiment the extension member 1 is adapted to allow extension and retraction of the cloth 8 , while the motion through the pathways 22 can allow adjustment of the angular position of the cloth 8 . this extension and retraction is at least partially made possible by the swivel , which enables the extension member 1 to be folded against the support member 4 in a retracted state and to be extended therefrom in an extended state . an adjusting cover 5 can also mount on at least one of the support bolts 7 . the adjusting cover 5 can mount the support bolt 7 around the support frame 2 , between the positioning frames 3 . however , in other embodiments it can mount around these elements . as depicted , the adjusting cover 5 mounts the support bolt 7 b via through - holes 52 on sides 51 of the adjusting cover . the through holes 52 can be generally extended circles , creating an oval - like shape . thus , the through holes 52 can leave additional room for movement of the support bolt 7 b in one direction . the adjusting cover 5 can have an additional through hole located on a back or lower end 55 of the adjusting cover , perpendicular to the support bolt through holes 52 . as best shown in fig3 , the through hole on the back end 55 can receive an adjusting screw 53 . the head of the adjusting screw 53 can generally match the corresponding through hole , leaving relatively little room for relative movement between the screw and the adjusting cover 5 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the screw . the head portion of the adjusting screw 53 can also prevent relative motion between the adjusting cover 5 and the adjusting screw by hindering relative movement along the axis of the screw . more specifically , the adjusting cover 5 and the adjusting screw 53 can push against each other at the end of the screw head . the adjusting cover 5 can be held by the support bolt 7 b , such that the cover cannot move away from the screw ( while the screw is held by the threaded hole 25 ). however , in other embodiments there can be room for movement between the adjusting screw 53 and cover 5 . for example , in some embodiments those pieces can move relative to each other , and the through holes 52 corresponding to the support bolt 7 b can be reduced to match the support bolts , hindering translation relative to the support bolt . the adjusting screw 53 can additionally have a screw hole 54 configured to allow actuation of the screw . for example , the screw hole 54 can have a hexagon - shaped cavity allowing rotation of the adjusting screw 53 with a corresponding hexagon - shaped key 6 , although other shapes are possible . as shown , the threads of the adjusting screw 53 can enter a threaded hole 25 on the support frame 2 . the threaded hole 25 can be generally aligned with a corresponding portion of the pathway 22 , allowing the adjusting screw 53 to thread through the hole and into the pathway . in use , the actuation of the adjusting screw 53 can cause the awning assembly 100 to adjust positions . a sample starting position is depicted in fig3 , with the lower support bolt 7 b generally adjacent the end of the adjusting screw 53 . thus , the adjusting screw 53 , in this embodiment , can approximately define a distance between the support bolt 7 b and the back end 55 of the adjusting cover 5 . a user can rotate the adjusting screw 53 such that it pulls the threaded hole 25 and the support frame 2 downward . this motion can cause the adjusting screw 53 to extend into the pathway 22 . at this point , the support frame 2 can bear the weight of the extension member 1 , causing a substantial downward force via , e . g ., gravity ( in the depicted orientation ). however , an upward force can be transmitted to the support frame through the threaded hole 25 whose threads are supported by the adjusting screw 53 . the adjusting screw 53 can be supported at its head by the back end 55 of the adjusting cover 5 . the adjusting cover 5 can be supported by the support bolt 7 b , which is in turn supported by the positioning frame 3 and the support member 4 . thus in the depicted embodiment , as the adjusting screw 53 enters the pathway 22 the support frame 2 can descend , such that the support bolts 7 a , 7 b are located at a deeper position relative to the pathways , as depicted in fig5 for example . the ends of the pathways 22 can then define a possible limit to the range of motion of the awning assembly 100 . rotation of the adjusting screw 53 in the opposite direction can raise the support frame 2 back to the position depicted in fig3 , 4 . as depicted in fig5 , in some embodiments the range of motion “ α ” of the awning assembly can be approximately 0 to approximately 45 degrees downward from the x - y plane . notably , the angular orientation of the pathways 22 and the positions of the support bolts 7 a , 7 b can define the above - mentioned range of motion . for this range of motion , the support bolts 7 a , 7 b can be positioned such that the lower bolt 7 b is closer to the support member 4 and the pathways 22 can be generally symmetric about a longitudinal axis of the support frame 2 ( the axis also aligning with the extension member 1 , as best seen in fig2 and 3 ). however , in some embodiments the positioning frame 3 can be reversed , such that the upper support bolt 7 a is closer to the support member 4 , as depicted in fig6 . in this embodiment , the awning assembly 100 can rotate upward with a range of motion “ β ” being approximately 0 to 35 degrees from the x - y plane . accordingly , for a given awning assembly 100 the cover provided can be varied depending upon the orientation of the positioning frame 3 . additionally , the curvature of the pathways 22 can effect how the awning assembly 100 rotates . in the depicted embodiment the pathways 22 can define concentric circular arcs , with the center of rotation inside the support member 4 . this curvature can cause the support bolts 7 to move in a similar arc relative to the support frame 2 . further , as the adjusting cover 5 mounts on the support bolt 7 b , it too can move relative to the support frame 2 . however , in the depicted embodiment the adjusting screw 53 can be fixed relative to the adjusting cover 5 at one end by the back end 55 of the cover . at its other end , the screw 53 can extend through the threaded hole 25 in the support frame 2 , holding it in a fixed angular position relative to the frame . thus , in an initial position depicted in fig3 , the screw 53 can be aligned with the support bolts 7 a , 7 b . as the bolts 7 move relative to the curved pathways 22 the bolt 7 b can move out of alignment with the adjusting screw . the extended portions of the through holes 52 on the cover 5 can compensate for such misalignment while holding the screw 53 and cover 5 fixed relative to each other while the cover 5 is still mounted on the support bolt 7 b . in other embodiments , the motion of the awning assembly 100 can be further varied . for example , in some embodiments the awning assembly 100 can have a larger or smaller range of motion . in other embodiments , the awning assembly 100 can move in non - circular arcs , or can move in a straight or angular motion . the embodiments of the inventions described above provide a number of advantages . for example , by providing an adjusting screw 53 with a length spanning substantially the entire distance between the end 55 of the adjusting cover 5 and the support bolt 7 b , the adjusting screw 53 can provide an additional restraint against unintentional motion or shaking of the awning assembly 100 . additionally , the adjusting screw 53 ( at the above - described full length ) provides more engaging surface area in the position of fig3 than a shortened adjusting screw . however , the adjusting screw 53 at the above - described full length can , in some embodiments , cause substantial frictional wearing between the screw and the support bolt 7 . accordingly , in some embodiments the adjusting screw 53 can be shorter to minimize such contact . as another advantage , the provision of two pathways 22 and support bolts 7 a . 7 b can reduce undesirable motion of the awning assembly 100 . for example , a single circular support bolt could allow rotation of the support frame 2 and the extension member 1 about the bolt . providing two bolts can control or minimize such movement . accordingly , the extension member 1 can be held up and prevented from undesirable rotations due to gravity or other external forces . in other embodiments , generally angular , non - cylindrical support bolts can be used to hinder rotation . additionally , use of the adjusting cover 5 to transfer forces can provide even further advantages . for example , the cover 5 can at least partially prevent debris , moisture , or other contaminants from contacting the threads of the adjusting screw 53 . further , transmission of force through the cover 5 and the threads of the adjusting screw 53 can prevent substantial transmission of force between the screw and the support bolt 7 b , which could potentially cause substantial wear . in use , the support bolt 7 b is maintained in a static position relative to the pathway 22 . accordingly , the cover 5 can reduce vibrations of the awning assembly 100 such as those caused by high winds or other external forces . also , as depicted in fig5 and 6 , the awning assembly 100 can be reversed , such that varying angular positions can be achieved . accordingly , different forms of shelter and / or coverage can be provided . further , in the position depicted in fig6 . further , different portions of the awning assembly 100 can be concealed from view depending on the orientation . although the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention has shown , described , and pointed out the fundamental and novel features of the invention , it will be understood that various omissions , substitutions , and changes in the form of the detail of the apparatus as illustrated , as well as the uses thereof , may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention .	8
fig1 shows the invention with the top of the housing removed . fig1 shows the three main parts of the invention . fig1 shows the power supply 10 which in the preferred embodiment is comprised of two batteries 11 and 15 . fig1 also shows the two electrodes 12 and 14 . the batteries 11 and 15 are hooked to the two electrodes 12 and 14 by positive wire 16 and negative wire 18 . positive wire 16 hooks to the positive terminal 22 of the battery 11 and runs to electrode 14 . negative wire 18 is hooked to the negative terminal 21 of the battery 15 and runs to electrode 12 . also shown in fig1 is the bottom half of the housing 17 of the invention 20 . hooked into the circuit between the batteries positive terminal 22 and electrode 12 on wire 16 is a fuse 24 . the device runs on 12 volts . also in the preferred embodiment , the device can not only be run from the batteries 11 and 15 , but also from a 12 volt power supply . this could be a standard 12 volt wall transformer . fig1 shows a jack 26 which is where a standard wall transformer could be plugged . the jack 26 is hooked to the two electrodes 12 and 14 by positive wire 28 and negative wire 30 . the device can be run by any standard wall transformer that produces 12 volt dc around 30 amps . fig2 a , b , c , d and e show electrode 12 . fig2 a is a perspective view of electrode 12 . fig2 b is a top view of electrode 12 . fig2 c is a front view of electrode 12 . fig2 d is a side view of electrode 12 and fig2 e is another side view showing the angle of electrode 12 . fig2 e shows that the front surface of electrode 12 slants downward at an angle of 30 degrees . the front surface , however , does not come to a point at the bottom , but is slightly truncated forming a ridge 21 . at the bottom , this ridge 21 is also angled as shown in the front view in fig2 c . this ridge 21 in the preferred embodiment is angled at 2 degrees . the ridge 21 gets larger as you move from the front of the device 10 back towards the batteries 11 and 15 . electrode 12 is the negative electrode . fig3 a , b , c , d , and e show electrode 14 , the positive electrode . fig3 a is a perspective view of electrode 14 . fig3 b is the top view of electrode 14 . fig3 c is a front view of electrode 14 . fig3 d is a side view of electrode 14 . fig3 e shows the electrode from a side perspective view . this view shows some of the bottom of electrode 14 . in fig3 a , one can see that the front of electrode 14 slants downward . electrode 14 does not slant downward to a point just above the bottom of the electrode . electrode 14 is also truncated . however the truncated portion also has a portion of the electrode 14 cut out from the bottom forming ridge 30 . fig3 c , the front view of the electrode 14 shows the ridge 30 running from a point near the top of the electrode to a point on the other side of the electrode near the bottom . this ridge 30 in the preferred embodiment slants at approximately 13 degrees . fig3 e shows that the top portion of the electrode 14 is cut at an angle of approximately 30 degrees . in the preferred embodiment , this ridge is approximately 0 . 037 inches thick . when the electrodes 12 and 14 are placed in the housing as shown in fig1 , the electrodes 12 and 14 overlap each other in the preferred embodiment by 0 . 029 inches . the electrodes 12 and 14 aligned such that when the needle is placed into collar 32 and into the device , the needle will make contact with both electrodes 12 and 14 . fig4 a , b , c , and d shows the collar 32 of the invention . fig4 a shows the top view of the collar 32 of the invention . fig4 a shows that the collar 32 is basically cylindrical in shape with an opening 34 at the bottom . the opening 34 at the bottom is an ellipse with the sides slightly bowed out from a normal ellipse . fig4 b shows a side view of the collar 32 with the open area forming the center of the collar 32 in phantom . this shows that the collar 32 is cylindrical at the top ; however , near the bottom , the collar 32 opening is conical . fig4 c is the opposite side of the collar 32 , and it shows that the opening 34 at the bottom of the collar moves up the side of the collar on this side . the opening 34 forms a slight arch - type structure . fig4 d is a perspective view of the collar 32 that shows the cylindrical opening at the top and the arch - type opening at the one side , and also in phantom , shows the opening 34 at the bottom of the collar . the opening 34 at the bottom of the collar has been designed to accept any size of hypodermic known by the inventor and to place that hypodermic at the right point on the electrodes 12 and 14 so that the needle will be fully disintegrated . fig5 is a top view of the invention . in fig5 one can see the collar 32 which is where the needle end of the hypodermic needle is placed . the collar 32 is positioned on the housing 10 such that when the needle end of the hypodermic is placed in the collar 32 the needle will make contact with the electrodes 12 and 14 and be destroyed . fig5 also show the jack 26 into which a 12 volt power supply such as a 12 volt wall transformer could be attached . the power supply hooked to the jack 26 could be used to power the electrodes 12 and 14 or the charge the batteries 11 and 15 . to use the invention , one places the needle end of a hypodermic needle in the collar 32 and slowly rocks the hypodermic in the collar 32 . the hypodermic needle first makes contact with electrode 14 , and then as it moves down , it makes contact with electrode 12 . the electricity from the power supply 10 flows through electrode 12 , up the hypodermic needle to electrode 14 . the resistance of the hypodermic needle is very , very high . thus , the electric flowing through the hypodermic needle quickly heats the hypodermic needle to a temperature where the needle disintegrates . changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope of the invention which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appending claims .	0
in order that the present invention may be more fully understood , the following examples are given to illustrate the manner by which it can be practiced but , as such , should not be construed as limitations upon the overall scope of the same . acetone dispersions were prepared by admixing predetermined amounts of one of the active compounds with predetermined amounts of acetone . soil infected with the causative disease organism of root rot and seeding damping off , i . e ., rhizoctonia solani was uniformly mixed and placed in 3 - inch pots . cotton seeds of the variety &# 34 ; acala sj - 2 &# 34 ; were uniformly treated with predetermined amounts of the above acetone dispersions . ten seeds were planted in each pot . additional seeds which had been treated with acetone alone were also planted to serve as controls . after planting , the pots containing the seeds were maintained under greenhouse conditions conducive to both plant growth and disease development . about one week after treatment , the pots were examined to determine the minimum concentration of the active compound necessary to give at least a 90 percent kill and control of the above indicated disease organism . the results of this examination are set forth below in table i . table i______________________________________ minimum concentration of compound in part of active compound per million parts of the ultimate composition ( ppm ) to give at least 90 percent kill and control ofcompound employed rhizoctonia solani______________________________________2 - fluoro - 4 - trichloromethyl - 66 - pyridinol2 - chloro - 4 - trichloromethyl - 156 - pyridinol2 - bromo - 4 - trichloromethyl - 56 - pyridinol______________________________________ acetone dispersions were prepared by admixing predetermined amounts of 2 - chloro - 4 - trichloromethyl - 6 - pyridinol with predetermined amounts of acetone . the dispersions were dispersed in varying amounts of warm melted nutrient agar to prepare culture media containing one of the active compounds in predetermined concentrations . the melted agar dispersions were poured into petri dishes and allowed to solidify . the solidified surface in each dish was inoculated with a culture of rhizoctonia solani . in another operation , petri dishes containing toxicant free nutrient agar are inoculated in the same manner to serve as controls . the dishes were thereafter incubated for 3 days after which they were examined and it was determined that at 15 ppm the compound tested gave 90 percent kill and control of rhizoctonia solani in the nutrient agar . at the time of the examination , the control dishes were found to support a heavy growth of the above named organism . acetone dispersions were prepared by admixing predetermined amounts of one of the active compounds with predetermined amounts of acetone . soil infected with the causative disease organism of root rot and seeding damping off , i . e ., rhizoctonia solani was uniformly mixed and placed in 3 - inch pots . cotton seeds of the variety &# 34 ; acala sj - 2 &# 34 ; were uniformly treated with an amount of the above acetone dispersions equivalent to treating 100 pounds of seeds with eight ounces of the active compound . ten seeds were planted in each pot . additional seeds which had been treated with acetone alone were also planted to serve as controls . after planting , the pots containing the seeds were maintained under greenhouse conditions conducive to both plant growth and disease development . about eighteen days after treatment , the pots were examined to determine the percent of the cotton plants surviving . the results of this examination are set forth below in table ii . table ii______________________________________ percent of cotton plants surviving after growing 18 days in soil infected withcompound employed rhizoctonia solani______________________________________2 - fluoro - 4 - trichloromethyl - 806 - pyridinol2 - chloro - 4 - trichloromethyl - 1006 - pyridinol2 - bromo - 4 - trichloromethyl - 1006 - pyridinol______________________________________ acetone dispersions were prepared by admixing predetermined amounts of one of the active compounds with predetermined amounts of acetone . the dispersions were dispersed in varying amounts of warm melted nutrient agar to prepare culture media containing one of the active compounds in predetermined concentrations . the melted agar dispersions were poured into petri dishes and allowed to solidify . the solidified surface in each dish was inoculated with a culture of sclerotium rolfsii . in another operation , petri dishes containing toxicant free nutrient agar are inoculated in the same manner to serve as controls . the dishes were thereafter incubated for 5 days after which they were examined to determine the minimum concentration of each compound tested to give 90 percent kill and control of sclerotium rolfsii in the nutrient agar . at the time of the examination , the control dishes were found to support a heavy growth of the above named organism . the results of this examination are set forth below in table iii . table iii______________________________________ minimum concentration of compound in ppm to give at least 90 percent kill and controlcompound employed of sclerotium rolfsii______________________________________2 - chloro - 4 - dichloromethyl - 506 - pyridinol2 - chloro - 4 - trichloromethyl - 456 - pyridinol2 - chloro - 4 - trifluoromethyl - 176 - pyridinol______________________________________ the substituted pyridinols employed as the active compounds in the presently claimed method are for the most part known compounds . the compounds wherein r is hydrogen ( or is hydroxy ) can be prepared by refluxing an appropriate 4 - halomethyl - 2 - halo - 6 - alkoxypyridine with a moderately concentrated mineral acid such as hcl for about 1 / 2 to 4 hours . the metal and amine salts of the above 4 - halomethyl - 2 - halo - 6 - hydroxy pyridines can be prepared by mixing equimolar or equivalent proportions of an appropriate hydroxy pyridine and an hydroxide of an appropriate metal or amine , preferably in the presence of a solvent or dispersion medium and thereafter evaporating off all water . other conventional procedures for preparing salts can also be employed .	2
in the following description , for purposes of explanation rather than limitation , specific details are set forth such as the particular architecture , interfaces , techniques , etc ., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the concepts of the invention . however , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments , which depart from these specific details . in like manner , the text of this description is directed to the example embodiments as illustrated in the figures , and is not intended to limit the claimed invention beyond the limits expressly included in the claims . for purposes of simplicity and clarity , detailed descriptions of well - known devices , circuits , and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary detail . fig1 a - 1b illustrate an example profile and bottom view of a lens 100 that includes a cavity 150 for receiving a light emitting device ( led ) 110 , and an optical element 140 that provides a desired light output pattern when light is emitted from the led 110 . in this example , the optical element 140 is a hemispherical dome that provides a substantially uniform light output pattern across its field of view . the lens 100 may comprise silicone , a silicone epoxy hybrid , glass , or any transparent optical material with an appropriate refractive index . the led 110 may be a self - supporting device , such as a chip - scale - package ( csp ), or a thin film die mounted on a ceramic substrate ( die on ceramic , doc ), with contacts 120 on the surface opposite the light emitting surface 130 . other led structures may also be used . as illustrated , to ease assembly , the cavity 150 is tapered , and includes sloped walls 160 . the bottom surface 170 of the cavity 150 is dimensioned so as to situate the light emitting device 110 at a fixed location within the cavity 150 within a given precision , based on the requirements of the intended application . in this example , the bottom surface 170 has substantially the same dimensions as the light emitting device , although it may be slightly larger , depending upon the tolerances of the light emitting device . the required precision of the location of the light emitting device 110 with respect to the lens structure 100 may dictate the allowable over - sizing , if any , of the bottom surface 170 . an adhesive having a refractive index that is equal to the refractive index of the led 110 or the lens 100 , or a value between the refractive indexes of the led 110 and lens 100 may be dispensed into the cavity 150 before the led 110 is inserted into the cavity . depending upon the particular assembly technique , the adhesive may also , or alternatively , be dispensed upon the led 110 prior to insertion into the cavity 150 . as illustrated in fig1 a and 1b , channels 180 may be provided to enable air and excess adhesive to escape during the assembly process . these channels 180 are illustrated as cylindrical borings in fig1 a and 1b , although other shapes may be used ; for example , if the cavity is formed by a molding process , the channels may have the same slope as the sloped walls 160 . the channels 180 are illustrated at each corner of the cavity 150 , although other locations , and fewer or more channels may be provided . in one alternative channels located at the sides of the led 100 and away from the corners may be used to avoid rotational alignment errors . the size , shape , and location of the channels may be altered depending upon multiple factors including , for example , the viscosity of the adhesive , and the overall size of the led 110 . in another embodiment , the led 110 is inserted into the cavity without an adhesive between the light emitting surface 130 and the bottom surface 170 of the cavity 150 . a thin film of index - matched liquid may be used to provide an efficient optical coupling between the led 110 and the bottom surface 170 . after insertion , an adhesive may be administered in the space between the led 110 and the sloped walls 160 . this post - insertion application of the adhesive may eliminate or minimize the need for the channels 180 . to ease subsequent mounting of the lens 100 with led 110 on a subsequent substrate , such as a printed circuit board , the depth of the cavity 150 may be determined such that the contacts 120 extend slightly above (‘ proud of ’) the underside 101 of the lens 100 when the light emitting device is fully situated within the cavity . a depth that is about 50 - 500 μm less than the total height of the led 110 , including contacts 120 , generally provides a sufficient pride 0 of the contacts beyond the underside 101 of the lens 100 , although other depths may be used , depending upon the tolerance requirements of the application . for example , if the led 110 is a self - supporting chip - scale package , with fine tolerances , a nominal proud as small as sum may be used . by shaping the taper such that the opening of the cavity 150 is larger than the dimensions of the led 110 , insertion of the led 110 into the cavity 150 is simplified . by shaping the taper such that the cross - section of the cavity 150 narrows in a direction toward the bottom surface 170 , variance in the location of the led 110 within the lens 100 is substantially controlled , providing for a self - alignment of the led 110 as it is inserted into the lens 100 . this taper also provides this self - alignment independent of the means used to insert the led 110 into the cavity 150 . even a manual insertion of the led 110 into the cavity 150 will provide the same accuracy and precision as an automated insertion using a highly accurate and precise pick - and - place machine . in like manner , a pick - and - place machine of minimal accuracy and precision may be used while still maintaining the same high level accuracy and precision . as illustrated in fig2 , the profile of the cavity 250 of lens 200 may be adjusted to conform to the shape of the light emitting device 210 . in this example , the light emitting device 210 includes a wavelength conversion layer 230 , such as a phosphor - embedded silicone that is molded upon the light emitting device 210 . a recess 265 at the entry to the cavity 250 is shaped to accommodate the lip 235 formed by this example wavelength conversion layer 230 . below the recess 265 , the cavity 250 includes sloped walls 260 to facilitate insertion of the light emitting device 210 , and a bottom surface 270 that serves to locate the light emitting device within the lens 200 within a given precision , as detailed above with regard to surface 170 of lens 100 . fig3 a and 3b illustrate example sheets 300 , 300 ′ of lenses 100 , 100 ′ with cavities 150 . although only a few lenses 100 , 100 ′ are illustrated , one of skill in the art will recognize that the sheets 300 , 300 ′ may include hundreds of lenses 100 , 100 ′. for ease of illustration , the venting channels 180 of each cavity 150 of fig1 a - 1b are not illustrated , but may be present . in the example of fig3 a , sheet 300 includes sixteen lenses 100 , each with a single cavity 150 . this sheet may comprise , for example silicone , a silicone epoxy hybrid , glass , or any other transparent optical material that can be formed with defined cavities . in an example manufacturing process , a pick and place machine may be used to insert each led 110 ( not illustrated ) into each cavity 150 . the pick and place machine may be configured to place each led 110 at the center of each cavity 150 , but with sufficient compliance during the insertion to enable the led 110 to be guided by the walls of the cavity 150 into the desired location . alternatively , the pick and place machine may place each led 110 partially into each cavity 150 , and a subsequent process , such as a plate press may be used to complete the insertion of the leds 110 into the cavities 150 . in an alternative process , the leds are arranged on a temporary substrate , such as a conventional “ dicing tape ”, at appropriate locations , and the sheet 300 is mated with these leds on the substrate , by either overlaying the sheet 300 upon the leds , or overlaying the dicing tape with attached leds over the sheet 300 . in an example embodiment , the sheet 300 is a partially cured silicone that is cured after the led 110 is inserted into each cavity 150 . the subsequent curing may serve to adhere each led 110 to each lens 100 , thereby avoiding the need to include an adhesive bond . in an alternative embodiment , the sheet 300 is fully formed , and an adhesive may be applied to each cavity 150 , or to each led 110 , to secure each led 110 to each lens 100 . in some embodiments , the adhesive is applied after the leds 110 are inserted into the cavities 150 , adhering the edges of the leds 110 to the walls of the cavities 150 . in other embodiments , detailed below , the sheet 300 may comprise a material with some resilience , and the insertion of the led 110 into the cavity 150 may provide a sufficient friction force to maintain the led 110 at the appropriate location within the lens 100 . a material that facilitates optical coupling between the light emitting surfaces of the leds 110 and the lenses 100 of the sheet 300 may be applied to either the cavities 150 or the leds 110 . in like manner , a material that serves to reflect light that strikes the edges of the led 110 may be applied to the edges of the led 110 , for example , by filling the gap between the led 110 and the sloped walls of the cavity 150 with such material . upon completion of the insertion and adhering of the leds 110 in the cavities 150 of the lenses 100 , the sheet 300 may be sliced / diced along the cutting lines 320 - 370 to provide singulated led with lens assemblies . in some embodiments multiple led with lenses may be provided as a single assembly , for example , by only slicing along lines 330 and 360 , providing four assemblies , each assembling including four leds with individual lenses . one of skill in the art will recognize that the example one - to - one relationship between leds and lenses of the previous figures is merely one of many configurations . for example , fig3 b illustrates an embodiment wherein multiple leds are intended to be inserted into multiple cavities 150 of each lens 100 ′. in such an embodiment , the cavities 150 of each lens 100 ′ may be more closely situated than the cavities 150 of each lens 100 of fig3 a . in some embodiments , one or more of the cavities 150 may be configured to accommodate multiple led dies , which may be arranged on a single substrate . in other embodiments , the cavities 150 within each lens 100 ′ may be of different sizes , to accommodate a mix of different led types within the lens 100 ′, such as a combination of different color leds . as in the example of fig3 a , the leds 110 ( not illustrated ) may be inserted into each cavity manually , or via a pick - and - place process . or , the leds 110 may be arranged on a temporary substrate at locations corresponding to cavities 150 on the sheet 300 ′, and subsequently mating the sheet 300 ′ and the substrate containing the leds 110 . similarly , the leds 110 may be adhered to the lenses 100 ′ using any of the above described techniques , or any other viable and reliable technique . upon completion of the insertion and adhering of the leds 110 into the cavities 150 of each lens 100 ′, the lenses 100 ′ may be singulated by slicing / dicing the sheet 300 ′ along the cutting lines 380 , 390 . one of skill in the art will recognize , in view of this disclosure , that this invention is not limited to the example use of cavities 150 with linearly sloped walls 160 . fig4 a - 4d illustrate alternative cavity profiles . as in fig3 a - 3b , the venting channels 180 of fig1 are not illustrated in these figures , for ease of illustration , but may be included in each example embodiment . fig4 a illustrates a profile comprising wall segments 410 , 420 having different slopes . the upper wall segment 410 has a relatively shallow slope to provide a wide opening for inserting the led ( not illustrated ), while the wall segment 420 has a relatively steep slope , and may be orthogonal to the surface 470 , to provide a larger surface area for constricting the edges of the led to maintain the proper location of the led within the cavity . depending upon the material in which the cavity is formed , the closeness of the fit between the size of the led and the size of the surface 470 , the slope of the lower wall segment 420 , and the size of the venting channels 180 ( not illustrated ), this embodiment may require substantial force to insert each led into each cavity . fig4 b - 4d illustrate alternative profiles that may require less insertion force . in fig4 b , the upper wall segment 430 is sloped to provide an opening that is larger than the size of the intended led , and the lower wall segment 420 is sloped in an opposite direction to create protrusions 435 that serve to constrict the edges of the led to maintain the proper location of the led within the cavity . however , as compared to fig4 a , the edges of the led will only contact these protrusions 435 , and not the entire surface of the lower wall segment 440 . the reversed slope of the wall segment 440 provides a lower surface 470 that is wider than the led that is containing between the protrusions 435 , providing some room for the displaced air or adhesive , reducing or eliminating the reliance on the venting channels 180 . in fig4 c , a curved wall segment 450 is used to gradually reduce the cross section area in the direction of the surface 470 in a non - linear fashion , so that the lower portion of the wall segment 450 may be more constraining of the led compared to the linearly sloped walls 160 of fig1 , but less constraining compared to the linear wall segment 420 of fig4 a , particularly if the segment 420 is orthogonal to the surface 470 . the continuous curvature of the wall segment 450 may also ease the insertion of the led , compared to the abrupt edges at the transition between wall segment 410 and 420 of fig4 a . fig4 d illustrates a combination of curved 460 and linear 490 wall segments , as well as the addition of features 480 that may secure the led while introducing minimal insertion resistance . the features 480 may be a continuous ridge within the cavity , or a plurality of individual bead - like protrusions from the wall segment 490 . if individual protrusions are used , the insertion resistance is reduced , and the space between the protrusions allows for the displaced air and adhesive to escape , potentially avoiding the need for the venting channels 180 of fig1 . one of skill in the art will recognize , in light of this disclosure , that any of a variety of other profiles may be used to fix the location of the led within the lens within a given tolerance , while also allowing for practical insertion forces . one of skill in the art may also recognize that the shape of the cavity , or the shape of the surface of the cavity , need not match the shape of the led . depending upon the processes and materials used to create the lens , creating a rectangular cavity , such as illustrated in fig1 b , may not be economically viable . if , for example , the lens is a rigid material , boring or grinding a circular cavity may be substantially less expensive than creating a rectangular cavity . fig5 illustrates an example lens 500 that includes a conical cavity 550 with a sloped wall 560 that forms a circular bottom surface 570 . the diameter of the surface 570 is such that it circumscribes the led 110 , providing contact points 590 on the wall of the cavity that center the led 110 at the center of the surface 570 . the semicircular gaps 575 around led 110 allows for the displaced air and adhesive to escape , potentially avoiding the need for the venting channels 180 of fig1 as contrast to the rectangular surface 170 of fig1 b , the conic cavity 550 and circular surface 570 may allow the led 110 to rotate during the insertion process , but if the optical properties of the lens 500 are symmetric about the center axis , the rotation of the led 110 about this center axis will have no effect on the accuracy and precision of locating the led 110 at that center axis . if the lens 500 is a partially cured silicone , the compliance of the partially cured silicone may enable the led 100 to “ dig in ” to the silicone at the corners 590 , thereby controlling or limiting the rotation . it is significant to note that all of the above example profile views could also be profile views of half - sections of conic cavities , although the profiles of fig4 b and 4d would more likely be formed by a molding process , rather than a boring or grinding process , and achieving a rectangular cavity via a molding process is relatively straightforward . one of skill in the art will also recognize that the optical element of the lens is not limited to the hemispherical dome 140 of fig1 a - 1b . fig6 a and 6b illustrate an example side emitting optical element 600 , and an example collimating optical element 650 , respectively . other optical elements may be used to achieve desired light output patterns . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive ; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . for example , it is possible to operate the invention in an embodiment wherein additional elements may be included within the cavity . for example , a wavelength conversion material may be inserted into the cavity before the light emitting device is inserted . alternatively , or additionally , the lens may include a wavelength conversion material , or the light emitting device may include a wavelength conversion material . in some embodiments , the wavelength conversion material may serve as an adhesive layer between the light emitting device and the lens . other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention , from a study of the drawings , the disclosure , and the appended claims . in the claims , the word “ comprising ” does not exclude other elements or steps , and the indefinite article “ a ” or “ an ” does not exclude a plurality . the mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage . any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope .	6
in describing the overall operation of the invention , reference is now made to fig1 which illustrates in major block diagram form , the major functional blocks making up the present system . in that figure a data processor shown generally as microprocessor 10 contains a program for controlling the overall operation of the system by reading parameter inputs to the microprocessor from a conventional dc motor 12 via a regulator and rectifier control 14 . the program in the processor 10 controls the reading of these various inputs and provide for calculating the firing angle for the proper firing of rectifiers or thyristors commonly referred to as scr &# 39 ; s through a conventional 3 - phase bridge rectifier 16 . the regulator and rectifier control 14 provides a common interface between the processor 10 and the remainder of the control system . under control of the processor 10 , the control 14 reads input signals from a speed reference 18 via a plurality of input lines , such signals being representative of a digital reference designating the motor speed revolutions per minute of an on / off power state of the motor and of operator signals which are set designating the direction in which the motor 12 is to run . these signals are provided via a plurality of conductors 20 designated speed ref . additional inputs to the processor 10 , via the regulator control 14 , are speed signals from the dc motor 12 on a plurality of conductors 22 from a sensor on the motor 12 representative of the speed at which motor is running in rpm . motor amperes are also measured by the microprocessor via the regulator and rectifier control 14 from current provided to the processor from the motor via a plurality of conductors 24 . the regulator and rectifier control 14 , under control of signals from the processor 10 provides control signals to a rectifier 16 and receives data from the processor to control the firing of the scr &# 39 ; s in the rectifier at the proper time to control the dc motor . as will subsequently be described , the rectifier 16 is a forward / reverse bridge which can be enabled to reverse the direction of voltage and current through the motor 12 thus controlling its speed and direction . the microprocessor 10 illustrated in fig1 may be any one of a number of general purpose microprogrammed digital computers presently available on the market today . one such computer suitable for application in the present invention is a micro computer sold by the intel corporation designated the intel 8080 . another ideally suited microprocessor , and that which is utilized in practicing the present invention , is a general purpose microcoded digital computer sold by general electric company as a model crd8 micro computer system . fig2 depicts the main components of a crd8 microcomputer . the main control unit of the computer is comprised of a microcode control rom 26 which is programmed with a microcode consisting of microinstructions stored in the rom . the microinstructions , designated as enables to register , memory , and i / o channels on a plurality of conductors 28 , control the fetching and interpretation of instructions stored in a main memory or store 30 by first recognizing the instruction and then effecting the branching to a sequence of microinstructions in the control rom which effect the actions called for by the instruction . the address of the next instruction to be interpreted by the microcode rom is contained in a program counter register ( pc ) 32 . preceding the interpretation of each instruction , the microcode rom increments the contents of the program counter pc to point to the following instruction . the microcode in the microcode rom interprets subroutine calls by placing the address of the subroutine in a program counter save register ( pcs ) 34 and then interchanging the rolls of the program counter pc with the program counter save register pcs . subroutine returns are interpreted by again interchanging the rolls of these latter two registers to thereby cause the instruction following the subroutine call to be interpreted next . when an external interrupt occurs to the processor , the processor interchanges the rolls of the program counter pc 32 , the program counter save register pcs 34 , a page register ( page ) 36 with an interrupt program counter 38 , an interrupt program counter save register ( ipcs ) 40 , and an interrupt page register ( ipage ) 42 . interrupt returns are interpreted by the microcode in the microcode rom by interchanging the rolls of these registers back to their original rolls . external interrupts provided to the processor may be enabled or disabled under program control by setting or resetting an interrupt enable flip flop ( not shown ). when an external device desires to interrupt the processor , that device puts a request on the interrupt line . if this request is present , the interrupt enable flip flop is set , and the processor is executing an interruptable instruction , the processor will start processing the interrupt at the completion of the current instruction . once interrupt processing begins , the interrupt program is responsible for notifying the external input device to remove its request from the interrupt line . the memory of the processor is divided into pages with a specified number of words per page . through the use of the page register 36 , an instruction can access data anywhere in the memory by merely specifying an address relative to the head of the current data page ( page pointed to by the page register ). data in main memory 30 can also be accessed directly by loading an address of the data word into one of three general purpose registers designated r1 , r2 and r3 respectively . these registers can also be used to store data . the collection of the three general purpose registers and the additional registers 32 through 42 are referred to as scratch pad memory . in addition to the scratch pad registers , the processor also contains an accumulator 44 , an instruction register 46 and a memory address register ( mar ) 48 , the latter for addressing the main memory 30 . during operation of the processor , the instruction register 46 always contains the instruction which the microcode rom last fetched from main memory and is currently interpreting . the main memory address register 48 always contains the address in main memory that will be accessed by the next memory read or write instruction . arithmetic and logical operations are performed by an arithmetic and logical unit ( alu ) 50 . input signals to the alu are provided from the accumulator 44 and from a bidirectional data and control bus 52 . data is transferred within the processor along the bus 52 . this bus allows data to be transferred from either main memory 30 , a selected scratch pad register , or an input channel 54 to either the instruction register 46 , the memory address 48 or the alu 50 . if an input / output instruction is in the instruction register , and if that instruction specifies an output operation is to be performed , the processor places the contents of the alu 50 on the output data channel via an output channel 56 and notifies the input / output ( i / o ) device involved to receive the data . if a read operation is specified , the processor notifies the i / o device involved to place data in the input channel 54 . as shown in fig2 the input / output devices involved in the present system are contained in the regulator and control 14 as previously described and duplicated in fig2 . the processor 10 also includes a clock generator designated processor clock 58 which generates a basic clock signal at a representative repetition rate of 4 . 167 megahertz . as shown in fig2 the basic clock signal is provided to the processor 10 to control the clocking of information and instructions through the processor and also to the system to serve as a basic synchronizing pulse for clocking information into and out of the regulator and rectifier control . while the processor clock 58 was utilized in the present system to provide system clock pulses , it will be appreciated by those in the art that a basic clock signal could likewise be provided from an external source to the processor to serve the same function . reference is now made to fig3 which depicts , largely in major block diagram form , the blocks making up the regulator and rectifier control 14 . additionally , for clarity and simplification purposes in fig3 various ones of the components previously described in connection with fig1 and 2 are illustrated wherein like numbers are attached to those components as previously described . as illustrated , the processor 10 provides the basic clock signals to a system clock 60 in the regulator control 14 . the system clock 60 also receives a 3 phase 60 hertz power line signal from an external power source , not shown , and provides clock pulses to the system for use in synchronizing overall system operation with the 3 - phase 60 hertz power line for controlling the firing of the scr &# 39 ; s to control the motor 12 . the regulator in control 14 also includes , as a part thereof , a program 62 which communicates with the processor 10 to control the operation of the regulator in control 14 to ultimately provide the proper firing pulses to the thyristors or scr &# 39 ; s to control the dc motor . while the program 62 may be contained in the main memory 30 of fig2 it is to be understood that the program 62 is considered a part of the regulator and rectifier control since it performs the specified logic functions essential to the operation of the overall control of the system . still referring to fig3 the previously mentioned speed reference 18 is shown as digital switches ( rpm ) and on / off and fwd / rev switches 18 &# 39 ; all serving as inputs to the processor 10 via a processor / system interface 64 . a digital speed reference representative of the desired motor speed ( in rpm ) is provided from the switches 18 via a plurality of conductors 66 and is read into the processor and stored in the main memory or program 62 under control of the processor . in a similar fashion , signals representative of the motor on / off switch and a switch representative of the desired forward or reverse direction of the motor are provided to the processor from the on / off and fwd / rev switches to 18 &# 39 ; via the processor system interface 64 on conductors 68 . communication between the processor 10 and the processor system interface 64 is via a plurality of conductors 70 comprised of data input / output lines and control lines . as will subsequently be described , clock pulses from the system clock 60 are also provided over these lines to the processor during the operation of the system . a firing logic 72 is employed in the regulator and control 14 to receive information representative of a desired firing angle , for firing the scr &# 39 ; s to control the motor . this information is provided from the microprocessor via the processor system interface 64 on conductors 74 . the firing logic 72 issues , basically , three signals . the first is an interrupt signal on a conductor 76 to the processor 10 . the interrupt signal can either circumvent or go through the interface 64 . another one of these signals is a convert signal on a conductor 78 to an analog / digital converter 80 to trigger that converter to convert the 3 - phase analog motor current to a count proportional to dc amperes for transmission to the processor via conductor 24 and the interface 64 . additionally , the firing logic 72 generates a firing pulse on a conductor 82 to an scr select and drive direction logic 84 . the scr select and drive logic 84 receives digital information from the processor 10 via the interface 64 on a plurality of conductors 86 . this information is representative of words or addresses to cause the proper selection of the thyristors to be fired and to select a particular one of two bridges ( forward or reverse ) in the rectifier 16 to control the motor direction . the operation of the firing logic and the scr select and drive direction logic will subsequently be described . the aforementioned speed signals on conductors 22 are provided from a tach pulse counter and logic 88 which receives pulses from a conventional digital tachometer 90 . a particular tachometer suitable for use in the present invention is available from the avtron corporation as a model k827 . this tachometer generator is an optical device employing two rotating discs with slots which cause 1200 pulses per motor revolution to be generated by each of the discs . the output signal from each of the discs is essentially a square wave with 1200 counts per tachometer shaft revolution . these pulses from the two discs are displaced by a 90 degree phase relationship so that motor direction can be detected by detecting the displacement of the phases of the pulses provided from the tachometer on conductors 92 to the tach pulse counter 88 . the manner of detection will be subsequently described in connection with the description of the tach pulse counter logic 88 . the aforementioned rectifier 16 of fig1 as shown in fig3 is comprised of a block 94 designated thyristors ( scr &# 39 ; s ) and forward ( fwd ) and reverse ( rev ) pulse amplifiers 96 and 98 respectively . scr select and drive direction signals are provided to the amplifiers 96 and 98 via a plurality of conductors 100 from the scr select and drive direction 84 . during the operation of the system , address information loaded into the scr select and drive direction from the microprocessor causes the proper one of the forward or reverse amplifiers 96 and 98 to be selected to apply a firing pulse to the thyristors 94 when the firing logic generates the firing pulse on conductor 82 . the output firing pulses from the forward and reverse pulse amplifiers 96 and 98 are provided to the scr &# 39 ; s 94 via conductors 102 and 104 respectively . the power to drive the scr &# 39 ; s and thus the dc motor 12 is provided via a 3 - phase 60 hertz power line 106 to the scr &# 39 ; s 94 . when the scr &# 39 ; s are fired , pulses are provided via conductors 108 to apply current to the dc motor 12 to drive the motor . an overall understanding of the operation of the present invention can best be had by a detailed description of each of those logic blocks previously described in the regulator and rectifier control 14 of fig3 . the first of these blocks to be described is the processor system interface as depicted by fig4 . as shown in the left hand portion of fig4 all of the input and output signal lines to the processor system interface shown to the left of the dashed lines collectively comprise the conductors 70 as previously described in connection with fig3 . all information transferred from the processor 10 into the system interface 64 comes from the output channel 56 as previously described in connection with fig2 . basically , the processor 10 transfers two types of commands or instructions to the system interface . these instructions will direct the system interface to either write certain data from the processor into specified registers in the system , such as the firing logic and scr direction logic , or to read information from various ones of the addressed input devices shown in the right hand portion of fig4 . instruction data is provided to the system interface from the output channel 56 of the processor via conductors 110 , 112 , 114 , and 116 . the signals on conductors 112 , 110 and 114 are representative of instruction register bits from the processor 10 . when the processor issues a read command to the system interface , instruction register bits ir1 through ir3 on conductors 112 are decoded in a binary coded decimal ( bcd ) to decimal converter serving as a decoder to generate a read pulse designated read from an output terminal 6 of decoder 118 . the read pulse is generated whenever the instruction register bit ir4 ( conductor 114 ) is a binary zero and converted to a binary 1 through an inverter 120 to enable a nor gate 122 when a binary 1 read instruction register ( ir ) signal is issued by the processor . when gate 122 is enabled its output applies a binary 0 clock pulse to a d input terminal of decoder 118 , thus generating a read pulse on conductor 124 . the read pulse is applied to two logic elements in the interface . application is firstly to a d input terminal of a second bcd to decimal converter serving as a decoder 126 and secondly to an enable ( en ) input terminal of an eight bit multiplexer 128 . the decoder 126 and multiplexer 128 receive , on conductor 110 , the instruction register bits ir5 through ir7 . when these bits are decoded by decoder 126 as a read device zero command , the decoder generates an rdvo signal at its zero output terminal on a conductor 130 as shown in fig4 . the rdvo signal is provided to the firing logic 72 for purposes to be subsequently described . further , whenever a read command is issued by the processor , the instruction register bits ir5 through ir7 , applied to an sel input of the multiplexer 128 , are decoded to route the data from one of the input devices on the right hand portion of fig4 to the data processor via a common time - shared bus 132 carrying input information designated id0 - id7 to the input channel 54 of the processor 10 ( see fig2 ). whenever the processor issues a write command , the instruction is decoded in decoder 118 in the manner as previously described for the read pulse , to generate a write pulse at an output terminal 7 on a conductor 134 . the write pulse on conductor 134 is applied to decoder 136 and logic driver 138 . the decoder 136 also receives the instruction register bits ir5 through ir7 on conductors 110 to thus decode those bits to generate one of two output signals ( wdv1 or wdv3 ) in accordance with the ir5 - ir7 binary bit configuration . these latter two signals , carrying the designations wdv1 , wdv3 for write device , are provided to the firing logic and to the scr select and drive direction logic , the purpose of which will subsequently be described . a write pulse applied to a c or clock input terminal of driver 138 allows data on a plurality of conductors 140 to be clocked from the processor output channel 56 to the firing logic and the scr select and drive direction logic as signals wdb0 - wdb7 . reference is now made to the input device blocks 18 , 60 , 80 and 88 in the right hand portion of fig4 . it will be noted that each of those devices is designated as having a unique input device number , such as input device 1 for the system clock 60 . these device numbers correspond to the address of that particular device as presented to the system interface by the processor when it is desired to read information through the multiplexer 128 into the processor from any one of the devices . for example , if the data processor issues a read command to generate a read pulse on conductor 124 , with an address on conductors 110 specifying the address for device 1 , the system clock input data bits id1b0 through id1b7 will be channelled through the multiplexer 128 onto the input data bus 132 and transferred into the data processor memory . all input data transfers to the processor from the input devices are handled in the manner as just described for the system clock 60 , with the exception that the specific address provided to the 8 bit multiplexer 128 will channel the information into the processor from the addressed device . reference is now made to fig5 and 6 . fig5 is a detailed block diagram of the system clock 60 ( device 1 ). fig6 is a timing diagram helpful in understanding the operation of the system clock . the 3 - phase system power line voltage is applied to three conventional squaring amplifiers 142 , generating corresponding square wave output signals designated φ1 , φ2 , and φ3 on conductors 144 , 145 and 146 respectively . the threee signals , φ1 through φ3 , are applied to the respective &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; inputs of conventional d type flip - flops of three similar phase zero crossing logic or edge detectors 148 , 150 and 152 . since edge detectors 148 through 152 are similar , only edge detector 148 is shown in detail in fig5 . each of the edge detectors function in the following manner , as will be described for edge detector 148 . when the φ1 signal on conductor 144 goes positive , the d input terminal of a faφ1 flip - flop is enabled to achieve a set state upon the application of the basic clock signal from the processor to a clk input terminal of that flip - flop . when the basic clock signal goes positive , the faφ1 flip - flop is set causing its q output terminal to go to a binary 1 state to thus generate an id1b0 signal on conductor 154 . the id1b0 signal is applied as one input to a negative exclusive or gate 156 and as an input to a d terminal of a second flip - flop fbφ1 . upon the occurrence of the next basic clock signal , the fbφ1 flip - flop will achieve a set state causing its q output terminal to go to a binary 1 , thus causing the exclusive or gate 156 to generate an output pulse φ1zrox on a conductor 158 , as shown in fig5 . the faφ1 and fbφ1 flip - flops form , essentially , a two - bit shift register whose outputs are supplied to the gate 156 . the faφ1 output synchronizes the square wave from the φ1 input to the system clock . thus , it can be seen that the output φ1zrox of the exclusive or gate 156 will produce one pulse at the basic clock pulse width each time the input sine wave goes through zero crossing at approximately every 2 . 7 millisecond period . the φ1zrox signal is connected to the input of an or gate 160 in conjunction with signals φ2zrox and φ3zrox from the corresponding edge detectors 150 and 152 on conductors 162 and 164 respectively . each of the signals φ1zrox through φ3zrox correspond to phases a , b , and c of the input line voltage . the output of or gate 160 is applied to a k input terminal of a zrox jk flip - flop 166 . flip - flop 166 also receives , at a clk input terminal , the basic clock signal to trigger that flip - flop to cause it to set or reset in accordance with the state of the input signal applied to its k terminal from or gate 160 . the zrox flip - flop generates a zrox , or zero crossing signal at its q output terminal which is applied to the tach pulse counter and logic and two two counters , 168 and 170 . by referring to the timing diagram of fig6 it can be seen that the zrox flip - flop 166 produces the zrox signal having a pulse 1 basic clock width wide for each phase voltage crossing of the input voltage , or 6 pulses for 360 degrees of power - line voltage cycle . referring now to fig5 and 6 , it can be seen that the three signals , id1b0 through id1b2 ( combined to form conductors 172 ) can be utilized by the data processor to define any 60 degree interval within a 360 degree phase cycle of the input line voltage . this is illustrated in fig6 by referring to the φ3 ( id1b2 ) square wave showing the various degrees of the input sine wave and the various zero crossings at the 60 degree intervals . as can be seen by the interrelationships between the id1b0 through id1b2 signals , it is a relatively easy matter to decode those signals to define which interval of six intervals in a 360 degree cycle is present at any given time . for example , assuming that the first interval is from zero to 60 degrees , when id1b0 is a binary 1 , id1b1 is a binary zero , and id1b2 is a binary 1 , and by decoding those three binary bits it can be designated as the first interval of the 360 degree cycle . a similar decoding can be performed for the 60 to 120 degree intervals , the 120 to 180 degree intervals etc . referring now again to fig5 there is shown the two previously mentioned counters 168 and 170 in conjunction with a divide by 45 counter 174 . the 4 . 167 megahertz basic clock is applied to the input of the divide by 45 counter 174 , which divides the basic clock pulses down to produce an 11 micro - second pulse duration signal on a conductor 176 . as shown in fig5 the 11 microsecond pulse on conductor 176 is applied to an and gate 178 and also to the firing logic on a conductor 180 . further , as indicated on conductor 180 , the 11 micro - second pulse is approximately equal to one quarter of an electrical degree of the power line voltage applied to the squaring amplifiers 142 . the 11 microsecond pulses are applied , via and gate 178 , to a divide by 8 counter 168 to produce an 88 microsecond time base , the pulses each of which correspond to approximately 2 electrical degrees of the power line voltage . the 88 microsecond pulse is applied via conductor 182 to the firing logic , to a nor gate 184 , and to counter 170 . counter 170 is a divide by 32 counter and further divides the 88 micro - second pulses by 32 . so long as counter 170 is not at a count of 31 , nor gate 184 applies a ct31 stop clock binary 1 signal on conductor 186 as a second input to and gate 178 to allow the 11 microsecond pulses to pass through that gate to counter 168 . when counter 170 reaches a count of 31 , in conjunction with a binary 1 ( 88 microsecond ) pulse , nor gate 184 is enabled to apply a binary zero inhibit signal to gate 178 , thus inhibiting the counters 168 and 170 from counting beyond 31 . the counter , comprised of counters 168 and 170 , will remain at a count of 31 until the next zero crossing or zrox signal is generated from flip - flop 166 to reset the counters to zero as shown by the timing relationships in fig6 . thus , it can be seen that the counter will count from zero to 31 between each zero crossing of the input voltage . it will be noted that the output signals id1b7 through id1b3 from counter 170 on conductors 188 define the time within the 60 degree interval as defined by the signal id1b0 through id1b2 . the id1b3 through id1b7 signal conductors are combined with the id1b0 through id1b2 signal conductors to form conductors 190 for application to the processor system interface 8 bit multiplexer 128 shown in fig4 . it can now be seen that when the processor 10 reads the system clock it can determine the 60 degree interval of a 360 degree cycle of the input wave by looking at bits id1b0 through id1b2 while simultaneously determining the number of 2 degree increments ( 88 microsecond pulses ) of the power line phase voltage which have passed since the last zero crossing ( zrox ). reference is now made to fig7 and 8 . fig7 is a detailed block diagram of the tach pulse counter and logic , and fig8 is a timing diagram helpful in understanding the operation of that logic . as previously described in connection with fig3 the tachometer used in the present embodiment generates two square wave output signals with each output signal generating 1200 counts per tachometer shaft revolution . these two signals are applied on conductors 92 , as shown in fig7 as two input signals ; a tach input 1 is applied to an operational amplifier 192 and a tach input 2 signal is applied to a d input terminal of a tach rev flip - flop 194 . referring to fig8 the timing relationships showing the 90 degree phase displacement between the tach input 1 and tach input 2 signals is shown . the tach input 1 signal is applied , via amplifier 192 , to a d input terminal of a type d edge - triggered tach flip - flop f / f1 which also receives at its clk terminal the basic clock signal from the processor . as shown in fig8 tach flip - flop f / f1 merely toggles from the set to reset state in accordance with the state of the tach input 1 signal each time the basic clock signal from the processor triggers that flip - flop . the tach f / f1 has its q output terminal connected to the d input terminal of a second flip - flop designated tach f / f2 which also receives the basic clock at a clk input terminal . these two flip - flops constitute a two bit shift register which functions in a manner similar to that previously described for the edge detector flip - flops of fig5 in the system clock . the output of the tach flip - flops f / f1 and f / f2 are applied via conductors 196 to a negative exclusive or gate 200 . the or gate effectively differentiates the tach input 1 pulse , applied via conductors 196 to produce one pulse at a clock width of the basic clock for each transition of the tach 1 input signal . since the tach input 1 signal produces 1200 pulses per revolution of a tachometer shaft , the output of the exclusive or gate 200 will produce 2400 pulses per revolution of the tachometer shaft generating a tach input x 2 signal as shown on conductor 202 and illustrated in fig8 . the tach input x 2 signal , on conductor 202 , is applied o a clk input terminal of tach pulse counter 204 to cause the counter to accumulate the tach pulses read from the tachometer . the tach input x 2 signal is also applied to a preset lsb input terminal of counter 204 , the purpose of which will be subsequently described . it will be noted that the zrox signal from the system clock is also applied to a preset input terminal of counter 204 and also to a clk input terminal of a tach pulse latch 206 . it will be recalled from the previous description of the system clock , that whenever one of the input phase voltages passes through zero to neutral crossing that a zrox signal is generated . thus , it can be seen that the tach counter 204 is reset to a binary zero state whenever a zero crossing pulse occurs . as such , it is evident that the tach pulse counter 204 accumulates counts representative of motor revolutions per each 60 degree interval of 60 cycle input . as shown in fig8 the tach pulse counter 204 is always reset to a zero state upon the occurrence of the zrox signal . it is also significant to note , as illustrated in fig7 and 8 that the contents of the tach pulse counter 204 are transferred to the tach pulse latch 206 upon the occurrence of the zrox signal . though not illustrated in fig6 and 7 , it is to be understood that the contents of the tach pulse counter are transferred into the tach pulse latch on the leading edge of the zrox signal and then the tach pulse counter is reset on the trailing edge of that signal . reference is now made back to the preset lsb input terminal of counter 204 . the purpose of applying the tach input x 2 signal to this latter terminal , is to preset the least significant bit of the tach pulse counter to a binary 1 in the event that a tach pulse occurs at a time of the zrox signal or zero crossing . should there be a simultaneous occurrence of the zrox signal , and a tach input x 2 signal , the presetting of the least significant bit assures that any count that occurs during the zero crossing is not ignored , but is instead recorded in the tachometer pulse counter . once the contents of the tach pulse counter are loaded into the tach pulse latch 206 , that information in the form of signals id3b0 through id3b7 is available on conductors 22 for the processor to read the motor revolutions per 60 degrees when the processor addresses device 3 . also shown in fig7 and 8 is logic for detecting the direction of motor rotation . the direction of motor rotation is detected by a tach rev flip - flop 194 receiving the tach input 2 signal at its d input terminal . the operation of flip - flop 194 , is shown in fig8 which illustrates the operation of that flip - flop when the motor is running in both the forward and reverse direction . it will be noted , that when the motor is running in the forward direction , the tach input 1 signal always preceeds the tach input 2 signal by 90 degrees . as shown in fig8 when the motor is running in the forward direction , the tach rev flip - flop 194 will never achieve the set state due to the fact that the tach input 1 signal which triggers the flip - flop 194 via conductor 208 , always goes set , prior to the tach input signal ever achieving a binary 1 state . thus , the edge triggered flip - flop 194 will never set . in the reverse direction , however , referring to the right - hand side of fig8 it will be noted that when the tach input 2 signal preceeds the tach input 1 signal by 90 degrees , the tach rev flip - flop 194 will achieve a set state when the tach flip - flop 1 achieves a set state . when the rev flip - flop achieves a set state its q output terminal generates a binary 1 id0b4 signal on one of the conductors 22 to the processor system interface . when the tach input 2 signal preceeds the tach input 1 signal , the binary 1 signal of id0b4 notifies the data processor that the motor is running in a reverse direction . reference is now made to the firing logic of fig9 which illustrates that logic in block diagram detail . fig1 should also be referenced in conjunction fig9 . fig1 is a timing diagram showing the timing interrelationships between the various signals within the firing logic 72 . as previously described , the primary purpose of the firing logic is to provide a firing pulse on conductor 82 to the scr select and drive direction logic 84 , as shown in fig3 . additionally , the firing logic generates a convert pulse to the a to d converter on conductor 78 . it is through the operation of the firing logic , that the processor is signalled from an interrupt signal on a conductor 210 of fig9 to begin the process of calculating the firing angle for generation of the firing pulse to fire an scr at the proper time . in describing the operation of the firing logic , reference is also made at this time , to fig4 . it will be recalled from the previous description that the processor must generate a write command and a device address to send a command to that device . for the firing logic , the decoder 136 generates a write device 1 ( wdv1 ) signal as shown in fig4 and 10 . as shown in fig1 , when the wdv1 signal goes from a binary 1 to a binary zero state , the wdv1 signal on conductor 212 causes a load counter flip - flop 214 ( fig9 ) to receive the binary zero signal at a clr input terminal causing that flip - flop to reset . simultaneously , the wdv1 signal is inverted through an inverter 216 to a binary 1 , applying an enable signal to an en input terminal of a write data latch 218 , thus loading the data ( wdb0 - wdb7 ) on conductors 220 from the drivers 138 of fig4 . referring now to fig9 and 10 , it will be noted that the occurrence of the first 88 microsecond pulse appearing on conductor 182 after the wdv1 signal clocks the load counter flip - flop 214 , causing that counter to achieve a set state generating a binary 1 signal at its q output terminal on a conductor 222 . the binary 1 signal on conductor 222 is applied to an inverter input load terminal of a down counter 224 . as shown in fig1 , the load counter flip - flop , when in the set state and in conjunction with the 88 microsecond pulse , loads the down counter 224 with either a timtgo or 20 second delay signal . the timtgo signal is a binary configuration of bits loaded into the down counter from the data processor , representative of or proportional to the firing angle of the scr &# 39 ; s . if a timtgo signal is not loaded into the down counter , then a data word representative of a 20 degree delay is loaded . a more detailed description of the purpose of the timtgo and 20 degree delay signals or values will be made subsequently . reference is now made back to fig9 to an and gate 226 . and gate 226 is enabled by a binary 1 output from a q output terminal of a first detector flip - flop 228 . with flip - flop 228 in the reset state , the first 11 microsecond pulse on conductor 180 , applied to gate 226 , causes the contents of counter 224 to be clocked or counted via conductor 230 and an inverter 232 applying the 11 microsecond pulse to a clk terminal of the down counter . the timing for the clocking of the down counter 224 is shown on the 11 microsecond line and on the down counter line of fig1 . the down counter will continue to count down to a specified value until a 14 count decoder 234 recognizes a count of 14 via a plurality of conductors 236 from the counter . at a count of 14 , and with an 11 microsecond pulse from gate 226 , decoder 234 generates a pulse to fire a convert one - shot multivibrator 238 . one - shot 238 generates an 8 microsecond convert pulse on conductor 78 which is applied to the analog digital converter 80 of fig3 at the time illustrated in fig1 . this pulse starts the analog digital converter to perform an a to d conversion of motor current on conductors 24 for subsequent use by the processor . the down counter will continue to count down to a specified value of zero as shown in fig1 . when the down counter gets to the count of zero , as detected by a zero count decode 240 via conductors 242 from the down counter , the zero count decode 240 generates a pulse on a conductor 244 which is applied to a d terminal of the detector flip - flop 1 , 228 . upon the appearance of the next basic clock signal applied to the clk terminal of flip - flop 228 , that flip - flop will set causing a binary zero signal to now be applied to and gate 226 to inhibit the 11 microsecond clock pulses being fed to the down counter 224 . this is shown by the note , &# 34 ; stop down counter &# 34 ; in fig1 . when the detector flip - flop 228 goes to a set state , its q output terminal goes a binary 1 to simultaneously enable one input to an and gate 246 and apply a binary 1 set signal to a d terminal of a second detector flip - flop 248 . it will be noted , as shown in fig1 , that and gate 246 is enabled at the instant flip - flop 228 goes into the set state , due to the fact that flip - flop is reset at that time . the output of and gate 246 now applies a trigger signal to a j input terminal of an interrupt flip - flop 250 effecting the generation of the interrupt signal to the data processor . the interrupt signal causes the data processor to go into an interrupt subroutine to start calculations of the firing angle for subsequent firing of the scr &# 39 ; s . it will be noted , that the first basic clock signal , following the setting of flip - flop 228 , will set flip - flop 248 , causing its q output terminal to go to a binary zero thus disabling and gate 246 . this causes the generation of a short pulse to be applied to the int flip - flop 250 as indicated by the overlap between the det ff1 and det ff2 signals in fig1 . it is also to be noted , that simultaneously with the setting of the interrupt flip - flop 250 , that the output signal from and gate 246 is applied to a firing pulse ( fp ) one - shot multivibrator 252 to apply a 23 microsecond firing pulse on conductor 82 to the scr select and drive direction logic 84 . the generation of the firing pulse is shown in fig1 , at which time an scr pair is fired simultaneously with the generators of the interrupt signal . the firing logic will remain in the present or preset state until recipt of another wdv1 signal on conductor 212 causes a loading of new data into the down counter 224 in the manner just described . when the down counter is loaded with new data , the zero count decode now applies a reset signal on conductor 244 to flip - flop 228 , allowing that flip - flop to now achieve a reset state and simultaneously reset flip - flop 248 . when flip - flop 228 resets its q output signal on conductor 254 goes to a binary 1 , now enabling and gate 26 to allow counter 224 to count after it is loaded . as shown in fig1 , at some time subsequent to the firing of the scr pair , the data processor must send a rdv0 read device zero signal on conductor 130 to a clear clr input terminal of the interrupt flip - flop 250 to reset that flip - flop in preparation to sending another interrupt to the processor immediately upon the generation of a firing pulse to the scr &# 39 ; s . reference is now made to fig1 a and 11b with fig1 a on top of fig1 b to form one figure depicting the detailed logic of the select and drive direction 84 and , an electrical schematic of the scr forward and reverse drive bridges . the analog to digital converter 80 is also shown receiving analog motor current via a conductor 256 from a conventional 3 - phase bridge summing rectifier circuit 258 . in fig1 a , the 3 - phase 60 hertz line voltage is applied as φa , φb and φc on conductors 106 to respectively associated anodes and cathodes of the forward and reverse scr bridges , each comprised of six scr &# 39 ; s designated p1 through p3 and n1 through n3 as illustrated in fig1 a . the operation of the forward and reverse scr bridges will not be described in detail here as they are conventional bridge firing networks well known in the art for controlling a dc motor . one such conventional bridge is manufactured and sold by general electric company as a siltrol 1 , known as ic3610 integrated static conversion and control equipment for adjustable speed drives . three current transformers , designated 260 , 262 and 264 are each respectively associated with one of the phase line voltages φa through φc . these transformers provide alternating current inpus into the 3 - phase bridge summing rectifier 258 via the irrespective leads , wherein the output of the rectifier to the converter 80 is the average of the three input currents . as previously mentioned , the analog to digital converter 80 is conventional in design , one such converter being manufactured as a model adc - 8qu by analog devices inc . this particular converter is a complete high speed successive approximation 8 bit converter which converts the input analog signal on conductor 256 to a digital value upon the reception of an input command designated the convert pulse on conductor 78 . in this particular converter , 7 bits of the 8 bit output denote current magnitude and the 8th bit denotes the polarity of the current . it will be recalled from the previous discussion of the firing logic of fig9 that when the down counter reaches a count of 14 , that the firing logic generates an 8 microsecond convert pulse to the a to d converter on conductor 78 . it is this convert pulse which starts the a to d converter 80 to convert the motor analog current on 256 to a digital value for subsequent transfer to the data processor via the processor interface as data bits id5b0 - id5b7 on conductor 24 . as shown in fig4 the transfer of the motor current on conductor 24 is accomplished when the a / d converter 80 ( device 5 ) is addressed via the 8 - bit multiplexer 128 to transfer data to the processor over bus 132 . the addressing of the a / d converter is accomplished by the data processor loading a proper address in bits ir5 through ir7 and applying those bits to the sel terminal of the multiplexer 128 , along with the read pulse to the enable input terminal of the multiplexer . the proper binary bit configuration of bits ir5 through ir7 will channel the motor current reading from the a / d converter 80 through the multiplexer on bus 132 for transfer to the data processor . reference is now made to fig1 b to the scr select and drive direction logic 84 . the primary purpose of the select and drive direction logic is to receive a data word or address from the data processor via conductors 266 on the right data lines 266 ( wbd0 - wbd7 ) from the driver 138 of fig4 . this data word is a binary bit configuration loaded into an scr steering or selection register 268 by a wdv3 signal on a conductor 270 from the decoder 16 of fig4 . when the processor sends a write command addressing write device 3 , the wdv3 signal on conductor 270 goes to binary zero and is inverted to a binary 1 through an inverter 272 to thus apply an enable load signal to register 268 to load an scr pair address into the register . each of the stages or bits of the register 268 , except for one , has its output connected to a corresponding one of a plurality of and gates 274 , 276 , 278 and 280 . it will be noted that the output signal from each of the and gates is designated with a signal corresponding to one of the scr &# 39 ; s in each of the forward and reverse bridges . for example , an output p1 from and gate 274 corresponds to the p1 scr in each of the forward or reverse scr bridges . whenever it is desired to fire a specific pair of scr &# 39 ; s in one of the bridges , a binary work or address is placed in register 268 to enable the particular and gates ( 274 - 280 ) to allow them to provide their appropriate control signals to corresponding forward reverse ( fwd / rev ) driving switching amplifier circuits . these fwd / rev drive circuits are of conventional design and are designated 282 , 284 , 286 and 288 . each circuit corresponds to a like numbered scr in each of the forward and reverse drive bridges . for example , the p1 fwd / rev drive 282 is connected via conductors 290 and 292 to the respective gate electrodes of the p1 scr in each bridge . similar connections are made to the p2 gate electrodes from drive 284 and to the n2 and n3 gate electrodes from drives 286 and 288 . it will be noted in fig1 b , that only four of the and gates generating the p1 through n3 signals and the drive circuits associated with each of the p1 through n3 scr &# 39 ; s are shown . the and gate and drive electronics for scr &# 39 ; s p3 and n1 have been shown coming out in dashed lines from the select register 268 for simplicity purposes . it is significant to note that one bit of the firing register 268 generates a fwd / rev signal on a conductor 294 to each of the fwd / rev drive circuits 282 , 284 , 286 and 288 . the drive circuits 282 , 284 , 286 and 288 are conventional driver or switching circuits of well known design capable of receiving logical inputs to switch their output signals selectively between one of the two lines coming out of each of the drive circuits . for example , in the operation of the drive circuit 282 , to activate or fire the p1 scr of the forward bridge a binary 1 signal is applied from register 268 as one input to gate 274 , and upon occurrence of the firing pulse on conductor 82 from the firing logic , gate 274 is enabled passing the pulse through drive p1 to the forward scr p1 . on the other hand , if the fwd / rev bit is a binary 0 , drive 282 will be activated to transfer the firing pulse on conductor 292 to scr p1 of the reverse scr &# 39 ; s . in the present embodiment and in the operation of the scr &# 39 ; s of the rectifier 94 , it is desirable to always fire scr &# 39 ; s in pairs , such as p1 and n2 in the forward and reverse bridges . the word loaded into register 268 will always have two binary bits corresponding to the scr &# 39 ; s to be fired . for example , the binary 1 to fire scr p1 would activate gate 274 and a binary 1 to fire scr n2 would activate gate 280 , the other gates remaining disabled or inactivated . in order to more fully understand and appreciate the overall operation of the system of the present invention , it is first considered advantageous to describe how the firing angle for firing the scr pairs is derived in the system . reference is now made to fig1 which depicts the interrelationship between the 3 - phase power line input voltages , φa , φb and φc and a representation of the manner in which the firing angle , designated finval , for the scr pairs is developed to generate a variable value representative of a signal timtgo ( time to go ) which is a calculated value proportional to the firing angle . it is well known in the art that the firing angle for controlling scr rectifiers of the type utilized in the present invention is measured from the phase - to - phase crossing to the point of firing of the scr pairs . in the present invention the value of the firing angle , finval , to develop a motor terminal voltage equal to vt is obtained by a table look - up in memory having the representation as shown by table 1 . that which is stored in memory , as the firing angle , is shown in the right - hand column as finval counts . the finval table is computed from the relation finval = 245 . 8 inverse cos φf 3 vt over π v ln where 245 . 8 equals the number of eleven microsecond pulses applied to the down counter to count that counter down per electrical radian . v ln is defined as the voltage from line to neutral of the input power line voltage . table 1______________________________________vt vs finval countsmotor term . voltage finval counts______________________________________272 715256 671240 640224 615208 592192 572176 553160 530144 519128 503112 487960 472800 457040 443480 428320 414160 4000 386160 372320 358480 34340 329800 314960 300112 284128 269144 253160 236176 218192 199203 179224 157240 132256 101272 57______________________________________ referring now back to fig1 , that figure shows the derivation on the timtgo equation , timtgo being a value proportional to firing angle which is loaded into the down counter 224 of fig9 to fire the proper scr pair at the correct time . by definition , timtgo = finval -( newtim + 1 )× 8 - t p . in its most simplified form , the method or sequence for loading the down counter with timtgo is explained by the following steps : 1 . the processor computes the value of finval , the firing angle , which is the current regulator output . 2 . the processor next reads the system clock ( device 1 ), as previously described in connection with fig4 and 5 , to establish or define the 60 ° interval in the input power cycle , and to further define a time within that interval . it then calculates the value of newtim and timtgo . 3 . next , the processor reads the system clock repeatedly until the value of the clock equals newtim and then proceeds to load the down counter with timtgo . newtim is the value calculated by the processor which is utilized by the program to specify at which time timtgo is to be loaded into the down counter so that the down counter will begin counting at the proper time . loading at the time specified by newtim insures that the program is synchronized with the firing of the scr pairs . the previously mentioned crd8 processor utilizes a 300 nanosecond memory which allows step 2 to be performed in approximately 120 microseconds . this 120 microsecond period is slightly less than the time duration of two of the 88 microsecond pulses as developed by the 360 system clock of fig5 . therefore , if tclock is the time represented by bits id1b3 through id1b7 of the system clock at the beginning of the previously mentioned step 2 , and if newtim is given by newtim = tclock + 2 ( processor calculation time for newtim and timtgo ), step 2 will always be completed in time to load the down counter 224 before the system clock transition at newtim + 1 . the + 1 , which is appended to newtim in fig1 , is shown to indicate the 88 microsecond clock period required to load the down counter from the processor . it will be recalled from the description of the system clock of fig5 that the counter 170 counts from 0 to 31 from zero crossing to zero crossing ( zrox ). it is possible for the counter to stay at a count of 31 for an interval equal to 32 count , making the last count of counter 170 longer than the previous counts . in this case , if newtim is equal to or greater than 31 , one 11 microsecond or fast pulse must be added to t p since the 31st interval of the system clock is longer . further , if newtim is greater than 31 , the system must be corrected for the reset of the system clock at the next zero crossing ( zrox ). still referring to fig1 , finval = t p +( newtim + 1 )+ timtgo . in the present embodiment , finval , t p and timtgo are expressed in fast counts or 11 microsecond pulses and newtim + 1 is expressed in slow counts or 88 microsecond pulses . thus , to convert to equivalent values , finval = t p + 8 ( newtim + 1 )+ timtgo . the multiplication factor of 8 is to equalize newtim + 1 with t p and timtgo , since it takes 8 fast counts ( 11 microsecond pulses ) to 1 slow count ( 88 microsecond pulses ). continuing to develop the timtgo equation , substituting the value of tclock for newtim in the equation gives timtgo = finval - t p - 8 ( tclock + 3 ). it will be recalled that it takes approximately two slow clock pulses to read the 360 ° system clock and to calculate newtim and timtgo . therefore , this time must be compensated for in newtim by adding plus 2 . thus , if tclock is the time read by the processor , adding the 2 slow clock pulses of dead time to compensate for the calculation time gives : newtim + 1 = tclock + 3 , as shown in the above equation for timtgo . to equalize timtgo , since t p is in slow clock pulses , timtgo = finval - t p - 8 × tclock - 24 . ( note : see 8 ( tclock + 3 ) above , 3 slow pulses equal 24 fast pulses .) referring still to fig1 , t p is defined as the angle from the phase to phase crossover that defines zero firing angle for the scr to be fired to the next phase to neutral cross over . another way of stating this is to look for the most recent phase to neutral crossing in the zero degree to 360 degree cycle and subtract from that angle the reference from the cell pair to be fired . this will give t p . for example , if the most recent phase to zero crossing is φc going negative at 60 ° as shown in fig1 , and if the scr pairs p1 / n2 are being fired , then the reference angle is 30 ° ( 60 °- 30 °= t p ). 30 ° is the angle between φa to φc crossing and the φc to neutral crossing . if we let t p + 24 equal tabt p , then timtgo = finval - 8 × tclock - tabtp - corr , where corr is the correction for the previously mentioned long thirty first pulse of the system clock . in the operation of the program , the value of tabtp is obtained from a lookup table as illustrated by table 2 . referring to table 2 , it will be noticed that the tabtp table is comprised of eleven entries in fast counts representative of degrees which serve as an offset in the timtgo equation to compensate for the actual time interval at the time in which the system clock is read by the computer . referring now to fig6 and table 2 , it will be noted that the system clock bits id1b0 through id1b2 , which are the three most significant bits , can be decoded into 60 ° intervals having numbers 1 through 6 designated koct as shown in fig6 . and in the left column of table 2 . referring now to the second column from the left of table 2 , it will be noticed that a listing designated tabph , representative of the phase 0 crossing numbers , are stored in sequential locations , in memory designated pha1 through pha6 . each corresponds to a respective phase as is indicated in table 2 . at the time of reading of the system clock , the computer will utilize the koct number to address the corresponding one of the pha locations in tabph as indicated in table 2 . for example , it can be seen that koct5 of fig6 and in the left hand column of table 2 , is equal to phase 0 crossing pha1 or φa and that koct4 is equal to phase 0 crossing pha2 or φc , etc . the processor also includes an scr pair to be fired as designated in a column ph of table 2 . the ph counter is incremented or updated a specified amount during the program each time an scr pair is fired . thus , firing takes place in a specified sequence . to obtain the proper tabtp value for the calculation of timtgo , the address developed from the difference between the pha and ph ( pha - ph ) values is utilized to develop an address to the tabtp table . it will also be noted that the scr pair counter ph always specifies a particular pair of scr &# 39 ; s to be fired . for example , when the scr pair counter ph is at a 1 , the scr pair p1 / n2 will be fired , whereas if the counter is at 6 , pair p3 / n2 will be fired , etc . it will further be noted , that there are 6 address entries to each of the tabtp locations in memory , each of those 6 addresses being representative of one of the six zero crossings in a complete cycle of the input voltage . it will also be noted that each of the scr pairs gets fired once each 60 °, or six firings in each 360 ° cycle of the input sinewave . it will further be noted that the pha0 crossing number does not always correspond to the ph counter value . this is due to the fact that any given cell pair can be fired at any 60 ° interval during a 360 ° cycle period . it is this difference between the pha numbers and the ph counter numbers which allows the derivation of the addresses to the tabtp table to extract from the table the proper count number in fast counts for insertion into the timtgo equation . table 2__________________________________________________________________________ tabph scr fwd / rev pha - ph60 ° φ - 0 pair scr tabtpintv . xing ctr . pair table tabtp tablekoct pha ph fired = add contents ( fast counts ) __________________________________________________________________________5 1 - φa 1 p1 / n2 = 0 4 2 - φc 2 p1 / n3 = 0 6 3 - φb 3 p2 / n3 = 0 - 105 = - 30 ° 2 4 - φa 4 p2 / n1 = 0 3 5 - φc 5 p3 / n1 = 0 1 6 - φb 6 p3 / n2 = 0 2 p1 / n3 - 1 3 p2 / n3 - 1 4 p2 / n1 - 1 - 362 = - 90 ° 5 p3 / n1 - 1 6 p3 / n2 - 1 1 p1 / n2 3 p2 / n3 - 2 4 p2 / n1 - 2 5 p3 / n1 - 2 - 619 = - 180 ° 6 p3 / n2 - 2 1 p1 / n2 4 2 p1 / n3 4 4 p2 / n1 - 3 5 p3 / n1 - 3 6 p3 / n2 - 3 1 p1 / n2 3 667 = + 180 ° 2 p1 / n3 3 3 p2 / n3 3 5 p3 / n1 - 4 6 p3 / n2 - 4 1 p1 / n2 2 p1 / n3 2 410 = + 90 ° 3 p2 / n3 2 4 p2 / n1 2 5 1 - φa 6 p3 / n2 = - 5 4 2 - φc 1 p1 / n2 = 1 6 3 - φb 2 p1 / n3 = 1 2 4 - φa 3 p2 / n3 = 1 153 = + 30 ° 3 5 - φb 4 p2 / n1 = 1 1 6 - φc 5 p3 / n1 = 1__________________________________________________________________________ prior to preceding with a description of the program for controlling the overall operation of the regulating and control system of the present invention , reference will be made to fig1 which shows , in simplified bar chart form , the overall system operation to develop the value timtgo proportional to firing angle to fire the scr pairs in the rectifier 16 of fig1 . to understand the showing of fig1 , it is considered advantageous to make an assumption that some scr pair in the rectifier has just fired . as previously described , whenever an scr pair is fired , the int flip - flop 250 of fig9 generates an interrupt signal to the processor . this interrupt causes the processor to branch to an interrupt subroutine which effectuates the reading of the analog to digital converter 80 into the computer . as shown at this time , the processor loads the down counter with a count proportional to a 20 ° delay . the present invention is capable of operating in either continuous or discontinuous current mode and the purpose of loading the 20 ° delay into the down counter 224 of fig9 is to allow the processor time to determine the mode of operation in which the regulator is to operate and to set gains or constants for either continuous or discontinuous mode operation in the proper manner . the manner in which this is done will subsequently be described in connection with the program . still referring to fig1 , it will be noted that at a count of 14 in the down counter 224 , as previously described , the convert pulse is sent to the a / d converter on conductor 78 to activate the converter to begin the analog to digital conversion . at the termination of the 20 ° delay , or when the down counter 224 reaches the predetermined count of 0 , the int flip - flop 250 sends a second interrupt signal to the processor . upon receipt of the second interrupt signal , the processor interrupt subroutine performs the calculations of the firing angle finval to develop the timtgo value . as can be seen in fig1 , the entire reading and calculation of the firing angle takes place between the firing of successive scr &# 39 ; s . since there is an scr firing every 60 ° of the input sine wave cycle , it can be seen that the entire calculation for firing angle to fire the next pair of scr &# 39 ; s is done in a 60 ° interval . the 20 ° delay which has been selected is the maximum value which leaves time for the regulator calculations , ( i . e . time to calculate the firing angle ), and to still generate a positive timtgo when the phase advance rate is maximum . the second current which is read by the processor is utilized in the regulator response calculations . the advantages in performing the calculations in this manner are : 1 . the control time lag as seen by the overall regulator is minimized , thus maximizing the performance of the regulator . 2 . the second current read will always have some finite value at all practical operating levels of the regulator so that the regulator can operate during the discontinuous current mode . this is due to the fact that the second current reading is taken 20 ° after the first current reading . 3 . and , as will subsequently be described , a single down counter such as down counter 224 of fig9 is required since counting is never started until after the previous scr pair is fired . still referring to fig1 , once the calculations are completed the processor loads the timtgo value into the down counter 224 of fig9 at which time that counter begins to count towards 0 . the program then branches immediately to a read tach counter subroutine rdtach , wherein the tach pulse counter 88 is read by the processor and the value of a feed forward counter electromotive force ( cemf ) is calculated for use in calculating commanded motor terminal volts ( vt ). upon completing of the rdtach subroutine , the program branches back to the interrupt subroutine to calculate a rate of change of current set point ( spdesi ). the program now goes into a loop and waits until the firing counter achieves a count of 0 , as shown in the top line of fig1 , at which time the scr pair is fired and an interrupt is again issued to the processor and the process just described is repeated . reference is now made to fig1 , which is a high level flow chart showing the overall operation of the regulating and control system of the present invention in somewhat more detail then that just described in connection with fig1 . when the system is first started up , as shown in the left hand top block of fig1 , the program generates a dummy interrupt to the system by loading a number 16 into the down counter 224 of fig9 . also at this time , zeros are loaded into the scr select register 268 of fig1 b . the down counter will now begin to count down toward 0 . when it reaches 0 , the int flip - flop 250 of fig9 generates an interrupt signal on conductor 210 to the processor . the purpose of loading all zeros into the scr select register is to prevent any scr pair from being fired at this time . the processor enters into the interrupt subroutine upon receipt of the interrupt . the program now enters a 1st reading decision block determining if this is the first or second current reading from the a / d converter 80 of fig3 . assuming that it is the first current reading , the program goes through a &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ; y branch into a block wherein the first current is read from the a / d converter . the program further determines , in this block , whether the system is in either the continuous or discontinuous current mode by comparing the value of the first current against a constant proportional to a predetermined current . the program then proceeds to set the previously mentioned firing angle for a 20 ° delay . the program proceeds to read the system clock bits id1b0 through id1b7 on conductors 90 of fig5 and to calculate the value of newtim . upon the completion of the newtim calculation , the program continues to calculate timtgo , which at this time includes the 20 ° delay . the program then goes into a loop and continues to read the system clock until newtim is equal to the 5 least significant bits of the divide by 32 counter 170 of fig5 designated id1b3 through id1b7 . when these two values are equal , the processor loads the timtgo value proportional to firing angle into the down counter and proceeds to set a flag for the second reading . the program now proceeds to check if a new tachometer reading is available in the tach pulse counter register . if a new reading is available , it is read and added to the tachometer readings already accumulated in memory ( cacti ). the program now checks to see if three successive readings have been accumulated . if not , the program takes a &# 34 ; no &# 34 ; n branch and enters back into the main program when another interrupt is received from the processor ( i . e . when timtgo equals 0 ). at this time , the 1st reading decision block is again entered , and upon this entry , since the flag for second reading has been set , the program will exit through the n branch of that last decision block and enter into a block wherein the processor will read the second current from the a / d converter . after having read the second current , the program will perform the regulator calculations to calculate finval and timtgo . upon the completion of these calculations , the processor will write the scr pair address into the scr select register 268 of fig1 b . at this point , the processor again goes into a loop to continue to read the system clock until the values of newtim and id1b3 - id1b7 are equal . when these values are equal , the processor is told to load timtgo into the down counter . the processor then proceeds to update the scr pair address in the previously mentioned ph counter and to set the flag for the first current reading , so that upon the next pass through the program a first reading will be taken . the program now proceeds back to again read the tachometer , if a reading is available , and then tests to see if three successive tachometer readings have been accumulated . if three readings have not been accumulated and a speed regulator request flag ( spdflg ) is not set , the program will continue through the loop just described entering back through the 1st reading decision block , out the y branch and continuing to perform the current regulator calculations as just described on the second reading . if , after the previously mentioned check for a new tachometer reading , three successive readings are available , new values for motor speed ( cact ), smoothed motor acceleration ( tacsmd ), and counter electromotive force ( cemf ) are computed . the speed regulator request flag ( spdflg ) is set to zero to cause a speed regulator calculation to be made . at the completion of these calculations , if the flag is set for a second current reading indicating that a first reading has just been made , the program branches back to the main program pending an interrupt from the firing logic int flip - flop 250 of fig9 as previously described . however , if the flag is not set for the second reading a y branch will be taken to a block to test for the time to perform the speed regulator calculation , the spdflg is incremented by 1 and then tested for the value of 2 . if the test passes , the speed regulator calculation is entered . if not , the main program is re - entered as before . this procedure insures that the regulator and smoothing calculations will not be performed in the same interval between scr firings . this was done to prevent overloading the computer . upon completion of the speed regulator calculations , the program enters into the main program pending receipt of the interrupt from the firing counter . with the broad background of the description of the system operation in regard to fig1 and 14 , reference is now made to fig1 through 24 , which show in detailed flow chart form the execution of the current regulator program for controlling the regulating and control system of the present invention . reference is first made to fig1 , which is a flow chart depicting the main program of the present invention . not shown in fig1 is a standard initialization routine which every program normally runs through to initialize all the various registers and storage locations in memory in preparation to running a program . since this type of initialization is well known in the art , it is not shown in fig1 and the program is assumed to start at an entry point designated begin . when the system is first started , processor reads device 3 , the tach pulse couner 88 , as shown in fig4 and 7 . the bits read by the computer are id3b9 through id3b7 on conductors 22 . these bits are read through the 8 bit multiplexer 128 of fig4 in response to a read address as designated by bits ir5 through ir7 and a read p pulse on the enable line to the multiplexer 128 . the processor then tests in a decision block tach count = 0 to determine if the motor is turning . if the tach count reading ( id3b0 - id3b7 ) is not 0 , it indicates that cemf is not 0 and that the motor is rotating , thus the program will take a n branch from that decision block and continue to loop back to begin until the cemf or tach count is 0 . when the tach count is 0 , the program exits through a y branch into the next action block wherein the processor reads device 0 ( 18 &# 39 ; of fig4 ). id4b0 is the bit read at this time by the processor to read in the on / off switch to see if the motor has been turned on . additionally , the processor sends a read device 0 command to the processor system interface developing the rdv0 signal on conductor 130 to the int flip - flop 250 , thus resetting that flip - flop . the int flip - flop 250 is now in a state to generate an interrupt signal at the proper time during the operation of the system . the program now proceeds into a decision block on / off switch on . in that decision block , if the on / off switch just read from device 0 is not in the on state the program takes an n branch back to the beginning of the program and continues to loop in the program until the on / off switch is turned on . assuming now that the on / off switch is on , the program will exit through a y branch , entering to an action block wherein the processor transfers a write device 1 command along with data bits wdb0 - wdb7 to the processor system interface of fig4 to cause the generation of the wdv1 signal on conductor 212 to be sent to the firing logic of fig9 and load the count of 16 into the write data latch and into the down counter 224 in the manner as previously described . the purpose of loading 16 into the down counter 224 is to create a dummy interrupt to the processor so that the processor can begin to execute the main program and all subsequent subroutines which are entered from the main program . at this point , the down counter begins counting down while the program proceeds immediately to a start entry point as shown in fig1 . the processor now sends a read device 6 command to the processor system interface to effect the reading of the speed reference change switch designated by bit id6b0 on conductors 66 as shown in fig4 . the state of bit id6b0 is now interrogated by the processor to determine if the speed change switch is in the on state . the speed change switch is an operator controlled switch on a console , not shown , forming part of the speed reference switches 18 ( input devices 6 and 7 ) which is actuated by an operator when he desires to change the speed reference input to the data processor to change the speed of the motor . so long as this switch is in the on state , the program will continue to exit through the y branch of the change speed sw on decision block and loop back to the start point . let it now be assumed that the change speed switch is not on . the program will exit through a n branch entering into an action block wherein the processor sends commands to the processor system interface to read devices 6 and 7 via conductors 66 into the processor . in this instance , the previously mentioned speed reference switches , which are representative of motor rpm speed set point ( bits id6b3 through id6b7 and id7b0 through id7b7 ) are stored in a memory location in the processor program 62 designated chalf , the storage location for the speed set point . the program now proceeds to set the sign of location chalf in accordance with the setting of the fwd / rev switch by first sending a read device 0 signal to the system interface and reading in bit id0b5 from device 0 . if id0b5 specifies that the motor is to run in the forward direction chalf is not changed , however , if id0b5 specifies that the direction of the motor is to run in reverse , then the 2 &# 39 ; s complement of chalf is taken and accordingly substituted for chalf . the program now proceeds to determine if the on / off switch is in the off position . if the motor is in the off position , the program will exit through a y branch and go back to begin and the operations just described will be repeated . assuming , however , that the on / off switch is not in the off position , the program will exit from that last decision block through a n branch returning to the start entry point as shown in fig1 . the program will now continue to loop from the start point down through the on / off switch off decision block until an interrupt signal is received by the data processor from the int flip - flop 250 in the firing logic 9 . as previously described in connection with the firing operation of logic , when the down counter achieves a count of 0 , the int flip - flop 250 is set to generate the int signal on conductor 210 to the processor . it is significant to point out that the interrupt signal from the firing logic can occur at any time during the execution of this latter loop , ( i . e . between the start entry point and the on / off switch off decision block ). when the interrupt occurs , the processor will branch from the main program of fig1 into a start intpt point of fig1 , the beginning of the interrupt program . as will subsequently be seen , at the termination of the interrupt program when all calculations have been completed , the interrupt program will return to the main program of fig1 at the point where the interrupt occurred . let it now be assumed that the processor has generated the interrupt signal on conductor 210 , causing the program to enter into the start intpt point of fig1 . the first operation by the processor is to store the current values of the various processor registers , namely those of the scratch pad memory previously described in connection with fig2 . this is a standard procedure in all operating programs when branching from one subroutine or program to another so that those values can be restored later when return is made back to the program from which the branch was made . the processor then proceeds to send a read device 0 command to the processor interface of fig4 to again read the on / off switch bit id0b0 and to simultaneously reset or clear the interrupt flip - flop sending the rdv0 signal to the firing logic from the decoder 126 of fig4 in the manner as previously described . the on / off switch is now tested to see if it is in the off state . if the switch is in the off state , indicating that power should be removed from the motor , the program will exit through the y branch , the previously stored registers will now be restored back to their original values and the program will return to fig1 wherein the operations will take place as previously described . assuming at this time , however , that the on / off switch is not in the off state , the program will exit through an n branch into a 1st current reading ( curflg = 0 ) decision block . in this decision block , a test is performed to see if this is the first current reading . the test here is performed on a variable flag in memory designated curflg for current first reading flag . when the curflg is equal to 0 it indicates that this is the first current reading , when it is a binary 1 it indicates that it is the second current reading . assuming at this time that curflg is equal to 0 , the program will exit through a y branch and enter into an action block wherein the processor sends a read device 5 command to the processor system interface directing the reading of the analog to digital converter 80 to read bits id5b0 through id5b7 through the 8 bit multiplexer into the processor on input data lines id0 through id7 . the value specified by the id5b0 - id5b7 bits is stored in a location in memory designated crnt , which is a storage location for the measured motor current . the program now proceeds into decision block wherein a constant value curtol stored in memory is compared against the absolute value of crnt . the value of curtol is a value proportional to 1 to 2 percent of the rated motor current and is utilized to test for discontinuous current operation . if curtol is less than crnt , the program exits through a y branch going into discontinuous mode , whereas , if curtol is greater than crnt it will be the continuous mode and the program exits through the n branch . let it at first be assumed that the motor is operating in the discontinuous mode . exiting through the y branch , the processor will set a mode flag modflg in memory equal to a 1 , indicating that the system is now in discontinuous current mode . stored in memory are four constants designated g1 and g2 . there are two g1 &# 39 ; s and two g2 &# 39 ; s , one pair utilized when the system is in discontinuous mode and the other pair of g1 - g2 is utilized when the system is in continuous mode . these constants , used for continuous and discontinuous current modes , are gain constants chosen to provide the overall gain required by the motor drive loop when operating in either one of the modes . for example , in discontinuous mode the program will select the proper g1 and g2 having gains of 32 and 0 respectively . also , in this latter action block , negative and positive upper and lower limits ( vrlimn and vrlimp ) are retrieved from memory and brought into the interrupt subroutine for subsequent use in establishing upper and lower limits for the motor voltage to be computed by the current regulator . upon the completion of these last operations the program will now enter into the connector b of fig1 . referring now to fig1 , it will be noted that connector a from fig1 also comes into fig1 . as previously described , if the system is in the continuous mode , entry will be into fig1 connector a . at entry into connector a , the operations which take place in the first action block are the same as those described in the last action block of fig1 , with the exception that the modflg is set equal to 0 for continuous mode operation . the program will also select the proper g1 and g2 for continuous current mode operation . can example of the values of these gains would be g1 = 15 and g2 = 11 . ) upon entry into connector b of fig1 , the processor sets the firing angle to cause an interrupt 20 ° after the last scr pair firing . this is accomplished by setting the firing angle finval in memory equal to finval minus a count proportional to 40 °. subtracting 40 ° from finval causes an interrupt at the correct time for the second current reading . if timtgo were calculated utilizing the old value of finval , the scr pair would be fired 60 ° later . by substracting 40 ° from finval , the down counter value is set to create an interrupt at 20 ° after the last scr pair firing . the program now proceeds into an action block wherein a location in memory desi , designating desired current set point , is set equal to itself plus a calculated value spdesi , indicative of a desired rate of change of current set point . the program now goes to a connector e of fig2 entering into an action block wherein the processor sends a read device one command to the processor interface to read the system clock bits id1b0 - id1b7 on conductors 190 as depicted in fig4 and 5 . in the next action block the 60 ° interval , as specified by bits id1b0 - id1b2 , is stored in location koct ( see table 2 ) and the time within the interval , represented by bits id1b3 through id1b7 , is stored in a location in memory designated tclock . the processor now proceeds to calculate the value of newtim by setting that location in memory equal to tclock plus 2 , which is the delay time previously described for the calculation in describing the derivation of the timtgo equation . also , at this time the long clock count correction corr is set equal to 0 . the program now proceeds into a newtim & gt ; 30 decision block . if newtim is greater than 30 , the program will exit through a y branch setting the corr bit to a 1 . the program will now proceed into another decision block newtim & gt ; 31 . if the newtim is at 32 , or greater , the program will exit through a y branch into an action block at the top right hand portion of fig2 , wherein newtim is set to either 0 or 1 by setting newtim = newtim - 32 . if newtim happens to be 32 , it will be set to zero whereas if newtim is equal to 33 , ( i . e . tclock = 31 + 2 = 33 ) it will be set equal to 1 . reference is now made back to the newtim & gt ; 30 and newtim & gt ; 31 decision blocks of fig2 . if either of those decisions is negative , the program will exit through an n branch of the appropriate decision block and enter into an action block wherein the zero crossing number pha in memory is used to calculate timtgo by using the value of koct as an address to the ph table ( tabph ) by setting pha equal to tabph ( see table 2 ). the processor now proceeds to calculate timtgo by setting timtgo equal to finval the firing angle minus tabtp ( the offset correction of table 2 as addressed by the difference between pha and ph ) minus 8 times tclock ( the time interval just read ) minus the value of corr . corr will be either a zero or a one at this time depending on whether newtim was greater than or less than 31 . the processor now enters into a curflg = 0 decision block where a test is again performed to see if this is the first current reading . if curflg is not equal to 0 , indicating that this is a second current reading , then entry into fig2 is at connector f at an action block wherein the processor writes the scr pair and bridge address to device 3 , the scr select and drive direction register 268 of fig1 b , by issuing a wdv3 command over conductors 270 and sending the scr pair and bridge address over conductors 266 as write data bits wdb0 through wdb7 from the driver 138 of the processor system interface 4 . the scr pair and bridge addresses come from a table in memory , designated octf , which contains 12 separate address entries , 6 for the forward scr bridge and 6 for the reverse scr bridge . the locations in the octf table are addressed by the contents of the ph counter , which specifies the scr pair to be fired , and the direction flag dirflg , a flag in memory that specifies whether to fire the forward or reverse bridge . it will be recalled from the previous description , that the firing of the scr &# 39 ; s actually takes place after the calculation of timtgo has been performed ( i . e . subsequent to the reading of the second current ). it is necessary to change the scr pair and bridge address in order to fire the proper scr &# 39 ; s . on the other hand , if it is a first current reading it is not desirable to change the scr pair and bridge address as no firing is done at that time . therefore , if it is not the first current reading , entry is into fig2 at point g from fig2 and the scr pair bridge address update is bypassed . the program now proceeds into a timtgo & lt ; 16 decision block . if timtgo is less than 16 , the program exits through a y branch to an action block wherein the processor writes the number 16 to device 1 , the down counter , by the generation of the wdv1 signal from the processor system interface along with the number 16 on the write data bus lines wdb0 through wdb7 as previously described . the reason for testing for timtgo & lt ; 16 is that a minimum limit is placed on the value of timtgo to insure that there is always at least 4 ° delay prior to the generation of an interrupt to the data processor so that a convert command will be sent to the a / d converter 80 to cause a new conversion to be made . still referring to fig2 , if timtgo is not less than 16 the program branches through a n branch entering into a read device 1 action block wherein the processor again reads the system clock bits id1b0 through id1b7 . the program now goes into a loop via a decision block id1b3 - id1b7 = newtim which exits through a n branch back into the read device 1 action block and continues to circulate in that loop until the system clock equals newtim . when these two values are equal , it is time to load the down counter , and the program takes a y branch entering in to an action block where the processor writes timtgo into the down counter 224 of fig9 . as was previously described , on the occurrence of the next 88 microsecond clock signal ( see fig9 and 10 ) following the loading of the down counter , the down counter starts to count timtgo down toward 0 . when the down counter reaches 0 , the processor will again generate an interrupt signal on conductor 210 ( fig9 ) thus creating another interrupt for the processor as previously described . immediately upon transferring timtgo to the down counter , the processor goes from connector h in fig2 to connector h in fig2 entering into a curflg = 0 decision block . in this decision block a test is performed to see if this is the first current reading . if it is the first reading , the processor will exit through an n branch entering into an action block wherein , location curflg , the current reading flag , is set equal to 1 to designate that the second reading will be coming up on the next pass through the program . on the other hand , if it is the first reading , the program will exit from curflg = 0 decision block through a y branch entering an action block wherein the sequence counter ph is set equal to ph + 1 , thus incrementing the scr pair address so that the proper scr pair will be fired on the next calculation of timtgo . the processor now proceeds into the ph & gt ; 6 decision block . if ph is greater than 6 , the program will exit through a y branch entering into an action block wherein ph will be set equal to 1 in preparation to firing the scr cell pair corresponding to the ph address of 1 . on the other hand , if ph is not greater than 6 , ph is not changed and the program exits through a n branch entering into an action block wherein the curflg location is set equal to 0 in preparation for the first current reading on the next pass through the program . the interrupt subroutine now calls a subroutine designated rdtach as illustrated in fig2 . reference is now made to fig2 , wherein the processor enters into a start rdtach entry point to the read tachometer routine . in rdtach the processor first reads input device 1 , the system clock , by reading in the three most significant bits ( id1b0 - id1b2 ) of that clock . it will be recalled that these bits define the 60 ° interval of the input voltage when the reading is taken by the processor . the processor now enters into a phoct = id1b0 - id1b2 decision block . in this decision block , a test is performed to see if a phase to neutral zero crossing has occurred since the last pass through the subroutine . this is performed by comparing the three most significant bits of the 360 ° system clock ( id1b0 - id1b2 ) with location phoct which contains the reading or value of the 60 ° interval from the previous pass through the subroutine . a change in id1b0 - id1b2 means that a 0 crossing has occurred and that a new value should be stored in phoct to update that location for subsequent tests . this is performed in an action block entered from a n branch of the phoct = id1b0 - id1b2 decision block , wherein phoct is set equal to id1b0 - id1b2 . on the other hand , if there has been no change in the zero crossing , then the program will exit through a y branch and returns to fig2 from the point where it left off entering into a curflg = 1 decision block . referring back to fig2 , let it how be assumed that a change has occurred in the zero crossing , thus changing the value of id1b0 - id1b2 . as a result , the program will now exit from the phoct = id1b0 - id1b2 decision block , set phoct as previously described and enter into an action block wherein the processor will now read device 3 , the tach pulse counter , by reading bits id3b0 - id3b7 and id0b4 into the processor . referring to fig7 it will be recalled that bit id0b4 was identified as that bit which specifies the direction the motor is running . thus , in this action block , the value of the tach pulse counter is read into the processor and the sign of that value is set in accordance with the state of id0b4 . as such , the value of the tach pulse counter will represent either a positive or a negative number , indicating that the motor is running in either the forward or reverse direction . in the present system , the addressing of input device 3 through the 8 bit multiplexer of fig4 also causes bit id0b4 to be read through the multiplexer and placed into the processor simultaneously with the id3b0 through id3b7 bits . still referring to fig2 , the processor now proceeds to an action block wherein the tachometer reading is added to the sum of the previous readings taken by adding id3b0 - id3b7 to a location cacti , identified as a tach counter accumulator in memory . thus it can be seen , for each pass through the rdtach subroutine , that the tach readings from the tach pulse counter 88 are accumulated as a sum in location cacti . the processor now proceeds into the next action block wherein a number of readings counter cknt in memory is updated or incremented by 1 by setting cknt = cknt + 1 . the purpose of the cknt counter is to keep track of the number of accumulated readings in cacti . this is indicated by a decision block cknt = 3 in the right hand top portion of fig2 which performs a test to see if there have been 3 readings accumulated . if cknt does not equal 3 , the speed smoothing calculations are not performed and the program exits through a n branch and returns to the interrupt subroutine where it left off entering at the curflg = 1 decision block of fig2 as previously described . referring back to fig2 , let it now be assumed that three readings have been accumulated . the program exits through a y branch entering into a decision block wherein the unsmoothed motor speed is calculated . this is accomplished by setting a location temp in memory equal to the sum of the accumulated tach pulses over the last two passes . this is average motor speed . the sum is accomplished by adding the contents of cact , a memory location which stores the old sum of the tachometer speed readings , with the contents of location cacti which contains the sum of the new tachometer readings . also in this action block , location cact is set equal to cacti so that it reflects the sum of the old readings . further , cacti is set equal to zero so that it can be initialized to accumulate the sum of the next readings on subsequent passes . further , a speed flag spdflg is initialized to a binary zero . spdflg is utilized , as will subsequently be described , to tell the processor to either perform the speed regulator calculations or to skip the speed regulator calculations . when spdflg is equal to zero , it indicates to the program to skip the speed regulator calculations . the program now proceeds into the next action block of fig2 , wherein the smooth speed is calculated . this is accomplished by setting a location tacsmd = location temp - tacsum . additionally in that action block , a location tacsum is set equal to tacsum + tacsmd . location tacsum contains a value proportional to the smoother speed and tacsmd is speed rate which can be seen to be a derivative of tacsum . the program now proceeds to calculate the feed / forward counter electromotive force ( cemf ) for subsequent use in calculating the motor terminal voltage vt . the cemf is calculated by setting a location cemf in memory equal to kv times location temp . kv is a constant stored in memory having the value derived from the formula kv = cemf ( volts ) divided by rpm . with the speed calculations now complete , the processor now returns back to the interrupt subroutine in fig2 entering into the curflg = 1 decision block . in this decision block , if curflg is equal to 1 indicating that this is the second current reading , the program will not perform the current speed regulator calculations . thus , the program will take a y branch entering into point j at the top of fig2 , wherein the saved registers are restored as previously described and the program returned back to the main program at the point of interrupt in fig1 . let it be assumed however that the curflg is not equal to 1 , indicating that this is the first current reading , and that the processor now enters into a connector i of fig2 , wherein the speed flag spdflg is set equal to spdflg + 1 . a test is now performed in a spdflg = 1 decision block to see if the speed flag is set . if the speed flag is set , the speed regulator calculations are performed by the program exiting through a y branch of that decision block entering into an action block to calculate speed error . the speed error is calculated by setting memory location erract , a location for storing speed error , equal to the contents of location chalf , speed set point , minus the contents of location cact , the old sum of the speed reading or the speed before smoothing . proceeding through the program , the processor now initiates the calculation of current setpoint by setting location erract = g3 × erract - g4 × tacsmd . g3 and g4 are regulator gains adjusted according to the particular drive motor to give the desired speed response . values of g3 = 1 and g4 = 16 were used in this embodiment . the processor now continues to calculate the current set point by setting a value tdesi = tdesi + erract . the program now continues into a tdesi & gt ; curlmp decision block at the top of fig2 . a maximum limit is placed on the motor current in the present drive system , and a test is performed to see if the value of tdesi , the calculated motor current , is greater than or less than specified current limits curlmp and curlmn . curlmp is the positive current limit and curlmn is the negative limit , as indicated in a tdesi & lt ; curlmn decision block of fig2 . if tdesi is greater than curlmp , the program exits through a y branch entering into an action block where tdesi is set equal to the maximum current limit curlmp . on the other hand , if curlmp is not greater than tdesi , the program exits through an n branch into the tdesi & lt ; curlmn decision block . if that test is positive , the program will exit through a y branch into an action block wherein tdesi is set equal to curlmn . on the other hand , if it is a negative test , the program will exit through an n branch entering to an action block wherein the current rate set point is now calculated . the current rate set point is calculated by setting a location in memory designated spdesi ( current set point rate ) equal to tdesi ( calculated current set point ) minus desi ( the current set point ) and dividing the difference by 3 . the divisor 3 is utilized to take into consideration the averaging of the current rate set point over 3 passes through the current regulator calculation program for each speed regulator calculation . a current rate limit is also placed on the current rate set point spdesi . this is accomplished by the program now entering into an spdesi & gt ; rtlmp decision block , wherein a test is performed to see if spdesi is greater than ratlmp a positive rate limit . if it is greater , then the program exits through a y branch into an spdesi = ratlmp action block establishing a maximum positive rate limit for spdesi . on the other hand , if spdesi is less than ratlamp , the program exits through an n branch entering into an spdesi & lt ; ratlmn decision block . in that decision block , if spdesi is less than ratlmn , the program exits through a y branch , thus setting spdesi = ratlmn , establishing a minimum rate limit . if spdesi is not less than ratlmn , then the program exits through a no branch , and enters into point j of fig2 , wherein the previously saved processor registers are restored and the program returns back to the main program at the point of interrupt as previously described . still referring to fig2 , reference is made back to the spdflg = 1 decision block of that figure . if spdflg is equal to 1 , it indicates that the speed regulator calculations are to be skipped over and thus the program exits from that block through an n branch entering back to point j of fig2 as just described . reference is now made back to fig1 to the 1st current reading curflg = 0 decision block , wherein a test performed to see if the program is taking the first or second current reading . if curflg is not equal to zero , it indicates that the first current reading has just been taken and that the second current reading should be taken and the current regulator calculations performed . under this condition , the processor will now exit through an n branch at connector c entering in to fig1 . the first operation to take place in fig1 , is for the processor to send a read device 5 command to read the analog to digital current converter 80 and store bits id5b0 - id5b7 in location crnt , the location for storing actual motor current . the processor now enters into an action block and calculates the current error by setting location idiff equal to location desi , the current set point , minus crnt the actual motor current . a test is now performed in an idiff & gt ;+ idlim decision block to determine if the current error is greater than a positive current error limit as specified the constant + idlim . if idiff is greater than + idlim , the program will branch through a y exit entering to an action block to set idiff equal to + idlim . on the other hand , if idiff is not greater than + idlim , the program exits through an n branch entering into an idiff - idlim & lt ; decision block . in this block , the same type of decision is made to determine if idiff is less than a negative or minimum current error limit . if it is , the program exits through a y branch , wherein idiff is set equal to - idlim . on the other hand , if idiff is not less than - idlim the program exits through the n branch and enters into an action block , wherein the motor terminal voltage is calculated by the regulator . the motor terminal voltage is calculated by setting a location vr , which is an intermediate value in the calculation , equal to ( g1 × idiff )-( g2 × idiffo ). gains g1 and g2 were previously identified . gain g1 , for discontinuous current mode operation , is normally 2 to 3 times the value for continuous current operation and gain g2 is equal to 0 for discontinuous current mode operation . the idiffo term is a location in memory which stores the old value of idiff . the program now proceeds to a dirflg = 0 decision block . in that decision block , a test is performed to see if the forward bridge is being fired by testing the condition of dirflg , a flag in memory which specifies which bridge is being fired . if dirflg is not equal to zero , indicating that the reverse bridge scr &# 39 ; s are being fired , exit is made through an n branch and vr is set equal to vro - vr where , vro is from a location in memory storing the old value of vr . if dirflg is equal to 0 , indicating that the forward scr &# 39 ; s are being fired , the program exits through a y branch into an action block wherein vr is set equal to vro + vr . upon the completion of calculating vr , the program enters into a decision block vr & gt ; vrlimp . there are two constants , ( vrlimp and vrlimn ) stored in memory which specify positive and negative limits on the maximum and minimum calculated voltage . if vr is greater than vrlimp , then exit is made from that decision block through a y branch into an action block wherein vr is set equal to vrlimp . on the other hand , if vr is not greater than vrlimp , an n branch is taken and entry is made into a vr & lt ; vrlimn decision block . in that block , a y branch is taken wherein vr set equal to vrlimn if vr is less than vrlimn . if not , an n branch is taken and vro , the location for storing the old value of vr , is updated by setting vro = vr . the program now enters into point d leaving fig1 and entering point d . of fig1 . upon entering into fig1 , the processor enters into an modflg = 0 decision block where a test is performed to see if the system is in continuous or discontinuous current mode . if the modflg is not equal to 0 , it indicates that the system is in continuous mode . thus , the processor exits from a n branch entering to a dirflg - 0 decision block . it is in the flow chart of fig1 where the decision is made as to whether it is appropriate to reverse the direction of the motor . the criteria for reversal of the motor is that the system must be in discontinuous current mode and the sign of the current set point ( desi ) must be opposite to the direction flag ( dirflg ). this determination of current reversal is explained as follows . if the modflg = 0 decision test is positive , the processor will exit through a y branch indicating discontinuous mode into a sign of desi opp dirflg decision block . in this latter decision block , the determination is made to see if desi is opposite to dirflg . if it is not opposite , an n branch is taken and the program enters into the dirflg = 0 decision block as previously described . however , if the desi is opposite dirflg , the program takes a y branch and enters in to an action block , wherein the direction flag dirflg is reversed from its present state . as shown in that action block , if dirflg is set equal to a 1 , it indicates that current will flow in the reverse bridge and not the forward bridge . if dirflg is set equal to zero , then the forward bridge will be fired . the program now proceeds into the dirflg = 0 decision block to determine the relative polarity of cemf and voltage from the bridge . if the reverse bridge is to be fired , the n branch is taken from that decision block and entry is made into an action block , wherein the desired terminal voltage vt is calculated by setting vt = cemf ( the counter electromotive force ) minus vr ( the motor voltage since the polarities are opposite ). if the forward bridge is to be fired , as indicated by dirflg = 0 , then entry is made through the y branch into an action block wherein the desired motor terminal voltage vt is calculated by setting vt = cemf + vr to establish its proper polarity . in the present system , the motor terminal voltage has positive and negative limits placed on it and thus the tests immediately following the calculation of vt are to determine whether vt is equal to or less than positive and negative limits . the first decision block after the calculation of vt is vt & gt ; vtlimp . if vt is in excess of the positive limit , a y branch is taken into an action block , wherein vt is set equal to the maximum positive limit vtlimp . on the other hand , if vt is less than vtlimp , a n branch is taken and a similar test for vt & lt ; vtlimn is performed . if vt is less than the minimum limit , then a y branch is taken and vt is set equal to vtlimn . if not , the n branch is taken from the vt & lt ; vtlimn decision and entry is then made into an action block of fig1 wherein the firing angle finval to develop the desired vt is extracted from the table of values computed on the previously described relation finval = 245 . 8 cos - 1 ( 3 vt / πv ln ) as previously described . it will be recalled that these values of finval were previously described and shown in table 1 . this type of table entry , is well known in the art and is a straight - forward manner of merely addressing the table at an address specified by the value of vt , and using the value of the location addressed as the firing angle finval . the program now exits fig1 at connector e and enters in at connector e of fig2 wherein the system clock is read by the processor in a manner as previously described . the program will not continue to execute in fig2 , and proceed through its execution , finally returning to the interrupt point of the main program in the manner as previously described . having described the invention in detail , it can now be appreciated that the overall structure and method of the present system consists of a main program which loops continuously to read the speed reference switches and the motor direction switch and compute the speed set - point for the motor . the interrupt program accepts speed set - point data from the main program and reads motor speed armature current , and time as measured by the 360 ° system clock . the interrupt program further calculates the desired firing angle for the scr &# 39 ; s and controls the processor to send data having a value proportional to firing angle to a counter in the system and an address word to an scr select to effect the generators of gating pulses for the direct digital firing of scr &# 39 ; s as selected by the address data to regulate and control a reversing 3 - phase drive motor system . the program is synchronized with the firing of the scr &# 39 ; s by virtue of the generation of an interrupt at each scr firing to start the regulator calculations to load the counter at the proper time to control the time of firing a next scr to be fired . the processor of the system reads armature current twice each 60 electrical degrees . a first armature current reading is taken at a predetermined time ( e . g . 4 degrees ) before the next scr is to be fired . this first current reading is used to determine the mode of the current regulator operation , ( continuous or discontinuous ). a second current reading is taken and regulator calculations are started approximately 20 ° after the previous firing of an scr . the second current reading is used by the current regulator program as current feedback for controlling the overall current regulator . thus , it is seen , that there has been shown and described a regulating and control system for controlling a load such as dc motor which enjoys the benefits of a processor , such as a microcomputer , and which far exceeds the capabilities of prior analog regulating and control systems with limited additional expense . while there has been shown and described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the present invention , modifications thereto will readily occur to those skilled in the art . it is not desired therefore , that the invention be limited to the specific method and logic structure shown and described and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	7
the present engine is particularly constructed and arranged in a radial fashion and primarily for use in a working arrangement according to the brayton cycle . the general layout is diagrammatically disclosed in fig1 in which there is arranged on one rotary shaft 6 an air compressor 7 and also the engine 8 embodying this invention . the shaft 6 is a power shaft , which not only receives power from the engine 8 for rotation of the compressor 7 , but likewise has an output portion 9 for supplying surplus power exteriorly . atmospheric air either directly from the atmosphere or perhaps supercharged or precompressed is supplied to the compressor 7 through an inlet duct 11 . after having its pressure raised substantially , the air is discharged at the higher pressure and at a corresponding higher temperature through a pipe 12 leading through a heat exchanger 13 . within the heat exchanger is a heat exchange surface 14 for conducting the compressed atmospheric air through the heat exchanger and subjecting it to heat to increase its raised temperature substantially . the heated compressed air from the exchanger 13 is taken through a duct 16 into a combustion device 17 wherein an airfuel mixture is made and is burned and furnished to a pipe 18 leading to the engine 8 . the exact path of the burned fuel mixture through the engine will be later described . within the engine , the fuel mixture expands to supply the engine power and results in spent , hot exhaust gas which is discharged through a pipe 19 to the heat exchanger 13 , particularly through a heat exchange element 21 therein in thermal exchange relationship with the exchange surface 14 . thus , heat from the exhaust gas in the element 21 is transferred to the relatively colder incoming compressed air in the element 14 . the cooled exhaust gas after such heat exchange is released to the atmosphere through an outlet pipe 22 . the work cycle in the engine of the gases following such a path as illustrated in fig2 in which the abscissae are representative of one rotation of the shaft 6 in the engine 8 and the ordinates are pressures within an engine cylinder . the chart starts at a maximum pressure in the upper left - hand corner at a minimum volume , piston dead - center position of the shaft 6 , then indicates some engine motion , during which uniformly high pressure , hot gas from the line 18 is introduced into the engine cylinder . the hot gas admission is cut off at a chosen point ( in this instance , at about 40 degrees of shaft rotation of the engine ), and the cut - off or isolated hot gas then expands adiabatically in the cylinder from the initial high pressure down to an intermediate exhaust pressure near the opposite dead - center or 180 degree point . just before opposite dead center , the exhaust port is uncovered and the pressure of the cylinder - contained gas immediately drops on another curve until its pressure is slightly above that of the atmosphere . the exhaust port is open for a long enough time so that when the exhaust of the cylinder gas is terminated by covering of the exhaust port and when whatever remaining gas trapped in the cylinder is subsequently compressed , the pressure thereof rises to a value substantially that at the beginning of the cycle . as particularly shown in fig3 and 4 , the engine 8 is greatly simplified for clarity , an enclosure , various fastenings and the like being omitted . the engine includes a base 26 ( fig4 ) of any convenient kind and here illustrated simply as a stationary supporting member . to the base is secured a spool 27 having a hub portion 28 integral with one fixed side plate 29 having parallel surfaces 31 and 32 extending normally to the axis 30 of the hub 28 . there is also a spool side plate 33 fixed on the other end of the hub 28 and having an outside surface 34 and an inside surface 36 extending normally to the hub axis 30 . designed to operate around the spool 27 is a cylinder rotor 41 inclusive of a second hub 42 on a bearing 43 concentric with the axis 30 of the spool 27 . the rotor hub 42 is inclusive of a side disc 44 extending substantially normal to the axis 30 and having a side face 45 opposite the face 32 and having a side face 46 remote therefrom . between the faces 32 and 45 there is an annular clearance volume 47 . similarly , the rotor hub 42 also carries a side disc 48 having a side face 49 and a side face 51 both extending normally to the axis 30 . the faces 51 and 36 are spaced apart axially to define a clearance volume 52 comparable to the clearance volume 47 , both clearances being axially variable as the spool and hub shift slightly in an axial direction with respect to each other , although the sum of the two clearances 47 and 52 is always substantially a constant . the exterior of the hub 42 is substantially hexagonal in end aspect and , in this case , has six flats on each of which there is fastened an outwardly opening , two - part cylinder 61 of the single - acting variety . there are flanges 62 for holding the two cylinder parts on the hub by means of a fastening ring 63 . each of the cylinders is provided with a reciprocating piston 64 of the usual sort movable from a position adjacent the head of the cylinder to another position adjacent the end of the skirt thereof . each of the pistons has a piston pin 66 at one end of a connecting rod 67 . at the other end , the rod 67 is joined by a fastening pin 68 to the rim 69 ( fig4 ) of a rotor 71 having a generally bell - like configuration . the rotor is keyed to a driven shaft 72 having an axis 70 parallel to and spaced from the axis 30 . the shaft 72 is appropriately connected in any standard way , not shown , and extends through a bushing 75 in the stationary spool 27 . the shaft 72 is the power output shaft as it revolves relative to the base 26 and is the equivalent of the shaft 6 of fig1 . properly to interrelate the rotor 71 and some remaining mechanism , particularly the spool 27 , the rotor 71 adjacent the rim thereof has inwardly extending lugs 73 ( fig3 ), there being three of the lugs equally spaced around the periphery of the rotor . each of the lugs carries an axial pivot pin 74 ( fig5 ) at one end extending into the rim 69 of the rotor 71 and at the other end extending into a ring 76 secured by fasteners to projections 80 on the rotor rim 69 . mounted on each of the pins 74 is an eccentric disc 77 ( fig3 ), each disc having an eccentric radius equal to the radial distance between the axes 30 and 70 . the discs are encompassed by eccentric strap bearings 78 , each of which has a pad 79 thereon firmly mounted on the exterior of the cylinder rotor 41 . with this arrangement , as the mechanism operates , there is rotation of a bi - axial character , so that the pistons 64 reciprocate within their individual cylinders 61 , thus effecting certain input and exhaust functions , and likewise transmitting power from the pistons to the driven shaft 72 . in order that the propulsive or pressure fluid be properly supplied to the individual cylinders to be effective upon the individual pistons 64 , each of the cylinders in its head 81 is provided with a clearance volume 82 ( fig4 and 10 ) leading axially to an opening 83 designed to communicate with a thermal tube 84 having a port 86 at its end coplanar with the planar surface 45 bounding the clearance 47 on one side . the thermal tube 84 is shown in more detail in fig1 . mating flanges 201 and 202 on the head 81 and the tube 84 are secured together in the usual way , but to reduce heat transmission , the flange 202 merges through a thin wall with a thin tubular wall 203 . a branch , thin wall 204 extends , separate from the wall 203 , from the flange 202 to an anchoring flange 206 having appropriate fastening to the side disc 44 . not only is heat flow substantially reduced by the thin wall section , but some extra flexibility is derived so that the adjacent parts readily accommodate each other despite temperature changes . to cooperate with the tube 84 and the port 86 , there is provided in the fixed plate 29 an arcuate inlet port 87 ( fig8 and 9 ) in certain positions of the rotor registering successively with the rotating ports 86 . the port 87 has a peripheral extent corresponding to the desired input timing of the mechanism . this is to admit pressure fluid to the adjacent clearance volume 82 , substantially as illustrated in the diagram of fig2 and as shown in fig8 from approximately inner dead center to a predetermined position of the ports after inner dead center . the arcuate input port 87 is connected to the pressure pipe 18 somewhat circuitously to inhibit heat flow . similarly , the ports 86 ( fig8 ) also cooperate with an almost semi - circular , or arcuate , exhaust port 88 ( fig9 ) in the plate 29 open to the return pipe 19 in a standard way . the duration of the exhaust cycle is substantially as indicated in fig2 . since much of the proper operation of the engine , particularly over long periods , depends upon the clearances 47 and 52 , especial means are provided to ensure that the walls of the clearance spaces are properly spaced and operate in substantial parallelism . the inlet gas under pressure exerts an off - center axial force on the rotor and tends to tilt the rotor as it revolves . any substantial amount of such tilting renders the clearance spaces non - parallel . for this reason , and as shown in fig6 as one example , the engine is arranged for an unusual handling of lubricating oil under pressure . there is a common drive shaft 91 which may easily be coupled to an appropriate power source . the drive shaft 91 is connected to two lubricating oil pumps 92 and 93 . each pump is a constant flow or constant volume pump and receives oil from a sump such as the engine crankcase . each pump supplies a predetermined flow of lubricating oil under pressure through separate supply pipes 94 and 96 . the pipe 94 , for example , goes to a lubricating oil inlet port 97 in the side of the spool 27 and feeds oil to two outlets 98 and 99 across the spool axis and at diagonally opposite areas of the spool and discharging against the adjacent , diagonally opposite faces of the rotor hub 42 . similarly , the pipe 96 from the pump 93 feeds oil through the side of the spool to a pair of outlets 101 and 102 discharging against diagonally opposite areas of the spool and coplanar with the outlets 98 and 99 , respectively . in this way , should the relatively rotating parts 27 and 42 cant or cock , as shown in exaggerated form in fig6 the oil pressure at the resulting diagonally opposite , restricted outlets goes up , while the oil pressure at the diagonally opposite , unrestricted outlets goes down , thus supplying a force couple restoring the parts to coaxiality and parallelism . return oil goes back to the sump for recirculation . other ways to maintain the desired clearances and parallelism despite disturbing forces are the arrangements illustrated in fig7 , 9 and 10 . while these various figures show several variations , they also show many portions that are the same , and so employ the same reference numbers on comparable parts , although some accompanying items are different and so are differently designated . as particularly illustrated in fig7 there is a first force pump 114 operated by a drive ( not shown ) and effective to supply a constant output volume through a line 116 to a pressure equalizer 124 . this equalizer , like the equalizer 157 shown in fig1 , responds to air pressure from the compressor 7 ( fig1 ) and releases oil ( or comparable lubricant ) to a sump like the sump 152 of fig1 . from the equalizer 124 , pressure oil flows through the line 116 and an entry 118 to an arcuate recess 126 in the spool side plate 33 . this is substantially opposite to and is comparable in area with the air inlet port 87 on the other side of the engine . the oil force due to the recess thus tends to counterbalance the force due to the pressure air in the inlet port 87 on the other side of the engine . another force pump 136 , comparable to the pump 114 , and conveniently sharing the drive thereof , is effective to afford a constant oil output to a line 134 open to an arcuate recess 132 in the side plate 33 and also open to diametrically opposite arcuate recesses 132 and 133 in the side plate 33 . thus pressure oil is distributed to these equal areas . oil flowing from the various recesses and across the surrounding planar surfaces is received in channels 131 or drain grooves connected through a return line 127 to the sump 123 . an arcuate recess 129 is opposite the exhaust port 88 and diametrically symmetrical with the arcuate recess 126 and is also connected to the sump 123 by the return line 127 . this construction has as one function the control of the axial gap dimensions . this arrangement is effective to provide compensating or balancing forces by oil pressure to oppose or offset forces due to incoming gas and exhaust gas forces . in a related way to maintain the desired clearances and positions despite disturbing forces , the arrangement especially illustrated in fig9 and 10 may be employed . a drive shaft 103 ( fig1 ) operates a number of constant volume pumps 104 , 105 and 106 . the pump 106 takes from a sump 123 and discharges into a line 107 and so supplies oil under pressure through ports 108 and 109 to oil recesses 111 and 112 in the side plate 29 ( see fig9 ). the effect is to separate the rotor disc 44 and the plate 29 by a film of lubricant . return flow is through outlets 113 having connections ( not shown ) to the oil sump 123 . the oil supply to the side plate 29 is thus effective to lubricate and assist in positioning the side disc 44 . the left - hand side disc 48 is somewhat similarly lubricated and positioned by arrangements in the side plate 33 . the oil pump 104 , like the oil pump 106 , takes from the sump 123 and discharges through a pressure equalizer 124 and a line 116 to an entry 118 in the side plate 33 opening into an arcuate recess 126 in that plate and generally opposite the high pressure arcuate inlet port 87 ( see also fig8 and 9 ). the recess 126 is open to the clearance 52 . return grooves 131 ( fig1 ) connect to the sump 123 . the third pump 105 driven by the shaft 103 also takes from the sump 123 and discharges into a pressure line 134 opening into the recess 132 similar to the arrangement of fig7 but since , in this instance , there is a separate supply pump , the effect is comparable to that of the arrangement of fig6 . the pumps 105 and 106 tend to keep the side plates and the side discs parallel as well as evenly spaced with the desired narrow gaps between them . the pump 104 and the pressure equalizer 124 counteract the force and moment created by the inlet duct 87 . by eliminating tilt , the gaps tend to remain uniform . as a further variation of means for arranging proper clearance volumes and positions between the side plates and side discs , the arrangement of fig1 is effective . this also takes into account variations in the pressure of the driving gas . as shown diagrammatically , the engine pistons reciprocate in cylinders in a cylinder rotor 141 comparable to the rotor 41 . the rotor 141 has side walls 142 and 143 spaced from side plates 144 and 146 like the rotor 41 and side plates 29 and 33 . a constant speed electric motor 147 or comparable driver operates three constant flow pumps 148 , 149 and 151 simultaneously . the pump 148 receives lubricating oil from a sump 152 at atmospheric pressure through a manifold 153 and discharges the oil at increased pressure through a line 154 to a port 156 in a pressure regulator 157 . this is an enclosure divided by a pressure diaphragm 158 into an upper chamber 159 and a lower chamber 161 . a valve pin 162 joined to the diaphragm controls the opening and closure of a drain port 163 connected through a drain line 164 to the sump 152 . a lower spring 166 tends to urge the valve pin 162 in the port opening direction . but the valve pin is urged in the opposite direction , toward port closure , by an upper spring 167 that preferably is adjustable as to the force exerted to vary the effective pressure ratios . more particularly , the diaphragm 158 is also urged toward port closed position by pressure within the upper chamber 159 derived from the air compressor 7 ( fig1 ) and exerted through a line 168 opening into the upper chamber 159 through a port 169 . with this arrangement , the oil pressure in the lower chamber 161 is made to follow , at any desired and adjustable ratio , the air pressure at the compressor 7 . that is , when the compressor pressure drops , the diaphragm 158 bows upwardly and opens the port 163 , thus lowering the pressure in the lower chamber 161 correspondingly . comparably , when the compressor air pressure rises , the diaphragm 158 is urged downwardly to close the port 163 , so as the pressure in the chamber 161 varies , the outlet pressure of the pump 148 is closely and comparably changed . the oil from the lower chamber 161 is conducted through a port 171 and a line 172 to a recess 173 in the side plate 146 opposite to the air pressure inlet port 175 corresponding to the port 87 ( fig1 ). since the recess 173 and the ports 175 or 87 are comparable in position opposite each other and in area , this arrangement provides a variable counteracting or balancing force on one side of the cylinder block or rotor 41 substantially cancelling the force due to the variable pressure air against the other side of the cylinder block or rotor , and so maintains the desired spacing and eliminates tilt and unbalance and wear for this reason . the second pump 149 receives oil from the manifold 153 and is connected by a duct 174 to a recess 176 in the plate 146 substantially opposite a similar recess 177 in the plate 144 . a duct 178 joins the recess 177 to the third pump 151 supplied with oil like the pumps 148 and 149 . this arrangement provides substantially equal and opposite oil pressure forces tending in themselves to centralize and maintain proper clearances between the cylinder rotor 141 and the side plates 144 and 146 . leakage oil is caught , for example , in a recess 181 in the plate 146 and is returned through a pipe 182 to the drain line 164 and so goes back to the sump 152 . leakage oil is also caught in a recess 183 joined by a line 184 delivering through the line 164 to the sump 152 . as disclosed herein , there are provided means for establishing balancing forces for keeping the rotating parts properly centralized and oriented and also for furnishing a variable force offsetting the variable force on the rotor from the incoming pressure air . in the general operation of the engine , while the spool 27 remains stationary with respect to the mounting 26 , the various cylinders and pistons rotate with the rotor 71 about the cylinder axis 30 and the rotor axis 70 . during this time , the pistons 64 through their connecting rods 67 , connected to the rotor 71 , reciprocate in the cylinders . the pistons are impelled by gas under pressure entering the cylinders 61 from the pipe 18 and the port 87 and the tube 84 extending into the cylinder . the returning pistons expel the expanded gas through the ports 86 and the port 88 leading into the pipe 19 . in this way , the cylinders 61 rotate relative to the spool 27 , and the pistons both rotate about an axis and reciprocate in the cylinders , thus acting through the rotor 71 to rotate the shaft 72 with respect to the stationary spool 27 and so affording power . while the displacement mechanism shown and described herein is in the form of an engine , and has been so designated , it can equally well be embodied as a compressor , as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art .	5
currently no apparatus is commercially available to systematically validate the performance of sensor instruments ( i . e ., phase fluorimeters ) that utilize phase fluorimetry for analyte detection . the purpose of the present invention is to allow the user of such sensors to test the performance , accuracy , and precision of their device as is required for use , for example , in a cgmp environment . while the invention description has centered on use in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing arena , this invention and the general concepts discussed herein can be applied anywhere that phase fluorimetry is used for analyte detection . to more readily understand the operation of the present invention it is helpful to review in more detail how phase fluorimeters work in order to thereby more readily understand how the present invention is used to verify that they are working correctly and providing an accurate result . a phase fluorometric system can be divided into three main components : the fluorescent sensor dye ( equivalently called a fluorophore ), the optical illumination and detection system , and the electronics that drive the optical source and calculate the phase delay of the fluorescent signal . a schematic of a sensor based on phase fluorimetry is shown in fig3 . in this figure , 20 is the sine wave generator which can be used in both the excitation wave generation process and optionally in the phase measurement process , 21 denotes the drive electronics , 22 is the excitation light source ( e . g ., a led , laser diode , etc ), 23 is an optical filter which only passes light 24 that matches the absorption spectrum of the sensor dye 25 . the fluorescent signal 26 impinges on a filter 27 which prevents other light sources from impinging on the optical detector 28 . the resulting electronic signal is compared to the excitation wave &# 39 ; s phase by analog or digital means using electronics shown as 29 . the resulting phase number is displayed on display 30 along with the temperature taken using instrument 31 which can be an resistive temperature detector ( rtd ), thermistor , or equivalent temperature measuring apparatus . in fig4 , a block diagram of the process is shown where 41 is the central electronic processing unit which can generate the sine waves and display the results as well as convert the units of the temperature transducer to a displayed temperature value . the sine wave signal is sent to the drive and amplification electronics 43 . the excitation light is created by a suitable optical device 44 , and the fluorescent signal is received by the detection system 45 , which sends the signal back to the electronics system 43 to amplify and reduces the information to a phase delay relative to the excitation source . the temperature sensor 46 sends a signal to electronics 43 . it should be noted here that the different electronic functions can be consolidated or configured separately without affecting the system &# 39 ; s ability to create the same results . the fluorophore shown as 25 in fig3 absorbs light and re - emits this light at a red - shifted ( lower energy ) wavelength . the extent to which the re - emitted light is time delayed and its amplitude is reduced is a function of both the particular fluorophore and the concentration of specific analyte being measured . fluorophores vary widely in their compositions and characteristics , but a general model can be used to represent the process . as the fluorophore is excited by a light source , its electrons are elevated to a higher energy state . in this state , the electrons can relax by shedding some of their energy through the generation of photons , and also through non - radiative relaxation pathways . light is emitted when a transition between states occurs . the term fluorescent transition usually indicates a spin allowed transition between wave - functions , while the term phosphorescence usually refers to a spin forbidden transition . for the purposes of our invention , the particular type of transition is unimportant . the fundamental aspect is that the emitted light is modulated in response to the modulation of the pump light . the apparent rate at which these transitions occur , or equivalently the time for the upper optical state to decay , is affected by the presence of the analyte under study . quenching is a process whereby collisions between the analyte and the excited electrons allows a non - optical pathway for the relaxation of the excited state back down to the lower set of vibrational energy states ( a “ manifold ”) as shown in fig5 . here 60 is the equilibrium ground state , 61 is the excitation energy , and 62 is the frank condon excited state manifold . the excited electron typically relaxes though a phonon mediated process shown here as 63 and arrives at the equilibrium excited state 64 . from the excited state there are two relaxation pathways . the first is through fluorescence 65 , and the second is through dynamic quenching 66 . dynamic quenching is the fundamental effect in phase fluorimetry ( see e . g ., lakowicz , principles of fluorescence of spectroscopy , 3rd edition , springer 2006 ). the quenching process brings the electron to 67 which is the frank condon ground state manifold . there is then further phonon mediated relaxation back to the equilibrium ground state . the phase response of the system can be modeled to a first order according to equation 3 below : in equation 3 , ω is the modulation frequency of the excitation light ( and hence the emitted light ), τ [ concentration ] is the effective fluorescent life time of the sensor dye as a function of the concentration of the analyte , and φ is the phase of the fluorescent light . as mentioned above , the presence of the analyte being studied quenches the sensor dye and changes the fluorescent lifetime proportionally to the concentration of the analyte present . it should also be noted that as the fluorophores are molecular systems , their energy levels are temperature dependent , as is also the actual dynamic quenching process . in order to accurately characterize the analyte concentration using a phase fluorimetric system , both the phase and the temperature must be accurately known . depending on the sensor dye used , these requirements can be as stringent as less than 0 . 1 degree of phase and less than 0 . 1 deg c . the optical system of the fluorimeter illuminates the fluorophore with ( typically ) sinusoidally modulated light and causes the lower energy ( longer wavelength ) emitted light to impinge on a detector . the optical system can be a fiber optic delivery and collection system or a system using free space optics as shown in fig3 . the basic function of the optical system is to illuminate the sensor dye and to collect the emitted signal and optically filter it before it impinges upon the detector . as the excitation light and ambient light have a different phase than the emitted light , the fidelity of the measurement relies on the fact that the optical detector and subsequent electrical signal processing chain sees only the signal of the light emitted by the fluorophore . a well designed fluorimeter will use appropriate optical filtering in front of its optical detector and have the electronics designed so that the level of ingress of signals with other phase components or noise does not affect the fidelity of the measurement . the result of the entire process is to provide the value of the fluorescent light &# 39 ; s phase delay relative to the excitation signal . the electronic system provides the modulated signal which sinusoidally drives the excitation source ( e . g ., an led or laser diode ). the fluorescent signal impinges upon a photodiode where it is converted to an electronic signal . an electronic system amplifies the detected signal and subsequently processes it . the processing of the signal in order to calculate the phase delay can be either analog or digital , though digital is in general less expensive and more stable . the accuracy and precision of the phase detector are determined by the response of the sensor dye ( fluorophore ), the modulation frequency of the light source , the signal to noise ratio , and the efficacy of the processing system . from the above description of how a phase fluorimetric sensor works , it is clear that in order to validate the function of the sensor it is necessary to validate the function of both the electro - optical system and also of the temperature measurement system . this means that an apparatus is required which can generate a signal which is delayed in phase by a known amount from the excitation signal emitted by the fluorimeter . validation is achieved if the phase delay determined by the phase fluorimeter corresponds to that provided by test apparatus . additionally , the temperature sensor which is used to compensate for the effect of changes in ambient temperature on the calibration of the phase fluorimeter must also be tested . additionally , in order to fully validate the sensor , the system should be tested at multiple values of phase delay in order to test it over the dynamic range of delays that the phase fluorimeter system will experience . a block diagram of the phase fluorimeter and the validation system of the present invention is shown in fig6 . in this figure the phase fluorimeter being tested and the validation apparatus of the present invention are shown separately and labeled as a and b respectively . in the phase fluorimeter item 68 represents the overall processing electronics , 69 represents the signal processing electronics , i . e ., the drive electronics for the light source and the detection electronics for the photo - detector . when being tested , the light source 70 from the fluorimeter impinges upon the optical detector 71 in the validation apparatus and the signal from the optical detector is conditioned in the electronic signal processing system 72 . the phase is delayed in the electronic signal processing system 72 to an amount set by the control system 73 . the phase delayed signal is conditioned in the signal processing system 72 so that it can drive the light source 74 . the light from 74 impinges upon the fluorimeter sensor &# 39 ; s detector 75 . the phase shift between the light produced by 70 and sensed by 75 is subsequently calculated in , and displayed by 68 . the control system 73 also controls a unit which actuates and measures temperature 76 . such a unit could be comprised of a thermo - electric cooler ( tec ) and a temperature measurement device of sufficient accuracy . 76 will be in thermal contact with the fluorometric sensor &# 39 ; s temperature measuring device 77 . the junction of 76 and 77 will be suitably insulated from the thermal influence of the ambient environment . the temperature of 76 is measured by 77 and displayed in 68 . the temperature sensor 77 is then tested ( validated ) by comparing the measured reading displayed the validation process needs to verify that the sensor provides phase measurements that are accurate and precise over the designed temperature range of measurement of the sensor . therefore the temperature set by 73 and 76 should be measured through the entire extent of the temperature measurement range of the phase fluorimeter . the extent of this range will depend on the design of the phase fluorimeter . an apparatus in accordance with the present invention for testing the response of a phase fluorimeter system is shown schematically in fig7 . fig7 is divided between block c which is the phase fluorimeter and block d which is the apparatus of the present invention which is designed to validate ( i . e ., test the accuracy of ) the phase fluorimeter . as shown , the excitation light from the phase fluorimeter impinges on a photo - detector 83 ( e . g . : pin , pn junction based photo - diode or equivalent device that converts an optical signal to an electrical signal ) in the validation apparatus . this electrical signal can then be adjusted in its phase with respect to the excitation light phase in order to simulate different phase shifts . in the phase fluorimeter 78 is the sine generator which feeds electrical signal drive circuit 79 . the electrical drive signal in turn drives optical device 80 ( e . g ., an led , laser diode , etc ). the optical signal traverses an absorptive or dielectric filter ( or combined absorptive and dielectric or other suitable filter ) 81 which tailors the light to match the absorption spectrum of the fluorophore which the fluorimeter is designed to utilize . when the phase fluorimeter is being validated by the apparatus of the present invention , the light emitted by the fluorimeter light source is directed to the validation apparatus which will preferably include a filter 82 as shown which allows only the light emitted by the phase fluorimeter ( e . g ., no ambient light ) through to photo - detector 83 . the electrical signal from photodetector 83 is amplified and the signal is processed by component 84 . this signal is passed to 85 where a variable phase delay is imparted . the electrical signal is then conditioned by 86 to drive a light source ( e . g ., led , laser diode , etc ) 87 . this phase delay simulates the presence of a fluorophore which is quenched by different analyte concentrations . components 84 , 85 and 86 will normally be combined in an integrated unit but are shown here as separate components for purposes of clarity . 84 is comprised of electronic components that condition the electrical signal from the photodetector and present it in an appropriate manner to a variable phase shift generator 85 . in order to present an appropriately conditioned signal , 84 , 85 , and 86 could be variously comprised of one or more of amplifiers , filters , current to voltage converters , or analog to digital converters . 85 introduces a variable phase shift to the sinusoidal signal . 86 receives this signal and drives the light source . the result is that the light emitted by light source 87 is at a controlled phase shift relative to the excitation light from the phase fluorimeter optical device 80 . the light from the validation apparatus light source 87 is preferably filtered by a filter 88 to allow appropriate throughput to the fluorimeter through its filter 89 and subsequent stimulation of the fluorimeter detector 90 . the optical filter 88 is designed to pass light of a wavelength which will stimulate the detector of the fluorimeter and also ensure that no light from 87 impinges on detector 83 . many kinds of known dielectric or absorptive filters could advantageously be used in this application . the phase fluorimeter measures the phase delay introduced by the verification apparatus with respect to the phase of the sinusoidally modulated original excitation signal from 79 as a reference in the fluorimeter phase measuring electronics 78 . this phase delay number is displayed and can be communicated to the user via suitable electronics 96 . the validation ( or not ) arises by comparing the number measured and displayed by the fluorimeter c with the specific variable phase delay provided by apparatus d . if the numbers coincide then the fluorimeter is reading correctly . as mentioned before , the operating temperature of the fluorophore is also important and must be both accurately and precisely measured by the phase fluorimeter . therefore the validation apparatus of the present invention needs to also confirm the ability of the phase fluorimeter to accurately and precisely measure temperature . this can be accomplished by incorporating in the validation apparatus a suitable driver 92 which actuates and measures the temperature of a device such as a thermoelectric cooler ( tec ) 93 attached to a temperature measuring device 94 . this device will be in thermal contact with the fluorometric sensor &# 39 ; s temperature measuring device 95 to thereby maintain the temperature of 95 at the same temperature as 93 . this can be accomplished , for example , using indium foil , thermal paste or other materials which is interposed between components 95 and 93 to thereby enable thermal contact between the tec and the fluorimeter . all of 93 , 94 and 95 are preferably insulated from outside thermal influence by the ambient environment . for a given sensor dye ( fluorophore ) the typical response function is approximately known . this means that the range of phases expected is known . this determines the range of phases that the validation device tests the fluorimeter over . the phase delay delaying of synthesized light can be scanned in incremental values over the entire extent of expected phases to simulate those that would be seen in practice and validate the function of the phase fluorimeter c over its entire operating range . an actual curve of phase delay vs . concentration of analyte ( in this case oxygen ) is shown in fig8 . for this case , the phase would be tested at least over the range 22 degrees of phase shift to 64 degrees of phase shift .	6
the present invention provides novel compounds which are useful as surfactants , as starting materials for the production of surfactants or as wetting agents . the term &# 34 ; acyloxybiphenylsulfinate compound &# 34 ; refers to an ester of , for example , a carboxylic acid with a hydroxybiphenylulfinate compound or a susbtituted derivative thereof . the term &# 34 ; acyloxybiphenylsulfonate compound &# 34 ; refers to a compound which is an ester of , for example , a carboxylic acid with a hydroxybiphenylsulfonate compound or a substituted derivative thereof . the term &# 34 ; alkyl sulfinatobiphenyl ether &# 34 ; refers to a compound which is an ether resulting from alkylation of the hydroxyl oxygen atom of a hydroxybiphenylsulfinate compound . the term &# 34 ; alkyl sulfonatobiphenyl ether &# 34 ; refers to an ether which results from alkylation of the hydroxyl oxygen atom of a hydroxybiphenylsulfonate compound . the suffix &# 34 ;- sulfinate &# 34 ; and the prefix &# 34 ; sulfinato -&# 34 ; as used herein indicate a compound comprising a sulfinate (-- s ( o ) o - , deprotonated ) or sulfinic acid (-- s ( o ) oh , protonated ) functional group . the protonation state of a sulfinate group is dependent on ph . chemical names used herein which include the suffix &# 34 ; sulfinate &# 34 ; or the prefix &# 34 ; sulfinato &# 34 ; can refer to either protonation state of the compound . in the deprotonated state , a sulfinate compound will be associated with an appropriate counter cation , such as a sodium , potassium , calcium or ammonium ion . the suffix &# 34 ;- sulfonate &# 34 ; and the prefix &# 34 ; sulfonato -&# 34 ; as used herein indicates a compound comprising a sulfonate (-- s ( o ) 2 o - , deprotonated ) or sulfonic acid (-- s ( o ) 2 oh , protonated ) functional group . the protonation state of a sulfonate group is dependent on ph . chemical names used herein which include the suffix &# 34 ;- sulfonate &# 34 ; or the prefix &# 34 ; sulfonato &# 34 ; refer to either protonation state of the compound . in the deprotonated state , a sulfinate compound will be associated with an appropriate counter cation , such as a sodium , potassium , calcium or ammonium ion . preferred compounds of the invention include compounds of formula i , ## str1 ## wherein n is 1 or 2 and r 2 - r 9 are each , independently , hydrogen or a substituent such as a normal , branched or cyclic , substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group , a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group , an amino group , a hydroxyl group , a cyano group , an acyl group , a nitro group , or a halogen atom , such as a fluorine , chlorine , bromine , or iodine atom . preferably , r 2 - r 9 are each , independently , a hydrogen atom , a substituted or unsubstituted linear , branched or cyclic c 1 - c 24 - alkyl group , or another group which can be substituted on a dibenzothiophene compound obtained from a fossil fuel , such as petroleum . suitable alkyl substituents include halogen atoms , aryl groups , alkoxy groups , nitrile groups , acyl groups , amino groups and hydroxyl groups . in one embodiment , r 1 is a yc ( o ) o --, yo -- or ys ( o ) 2 o -- group , wherein y is a hydrophobic group , such as a saturated or unsaturated , normal , branched or cyclic , substituted or unsubstituted c 3 - c 24 - hydrocarbyl group . y is , preferably , a normal , branched or cyclic , substituted or unsubstituted c 6 - c 24 - alkyl group . suitable alkyl substituents include halogen atoms , such as fluorine , chlorine , bromine and iodine atoms ; and aryl groups , such as phenyl and naphthyl groups . in another embodiment , the present invention provides compounds of formula i wherein r 1 is an oligo ( ethylene oxide ) moiety of the formula hoch 2 ch 2 ( och 2 ch 2 ) m o -- or an oligo ( propylene oxide ) moiety of the formula ch 3 ch ( oh ) ch 2 ( och ( ch 3 ) ch 2 ) m o --, where m is an integer from 0 to about 20 . compounds of this type are useful as wetting agents . the present invention also provides biphenyl disulfonate compounds of formula ii , ## str2 ## in this formula , r 6 - r 9 are each , independently , a hydrogen atom or a straight chain or branched c 1 - c 24 - alkyl group . at least one of r 2 - r 5 is a sulfonate group and the remainder are each , independently , a hydrogen atom or a straight chain or branched c 1 - c 24 - alkyl group . r 1 is as defined for formula i , above , and can additionally be a hydroxyl group . the present invention also provides a method of producing an acyloxybiphenylsulfinate compound . the method comprises the step of contacting a hydroxybiphenylsulfinate compound , or a substituted derivative thereof , with a carboxylic acid or an activated carboxylic acid under conditions sufficient for acylation of the hydroxy group , thereby producing an acyloxybiphenylsulfinate compound . an &# 34 ; activated carboxylic acid &# 34 ;, as the term is used herein , is a carboxylic acid derivative in which the -- c (═ o ) oh moiety is replaced by a -- c (═ o )-- x moiety , wherein x is a leaving group . a variety of suitable leaving groups are well known in the art ; examples include halide ions , such as chloride , bromide and iodide atoms ; the p - toluenesulfonate group , the methanesulfonate group , the 1 - imidazolyl group and carboxylate groups . the activated carboxylic acid is preferably an acyl chloride , an acyl p - toluenesulfonate , or an acid anhydride . in a preferred embodiment the carboxylic acid or activated carboxylic acid is of the formula y -- c (═ o ) x , wherein y is a hydrophobic group , such as a normal or branched , substituted or unsubstituted c 3 - c 24 - alkyl group , and x is -- oh or a suitable leaving group , as described above . suitable alkyl substituents include halogen atoms , such as fluorine , chlorine , bromine and iodine atoms ; and aryl groups , such as phenyl and naphthyl groups . in a particularly preferred embodiment , r 1 is a normal or branched c 6 - c 24 - alkyl group . the hydroxybiphenylsulfinate compound is preferably a substituted or unsubstituted 2 -( 2 - hydroxyphenyl ) benzenesulfinate compound of formula iii , ## str3 ## wherein r 2 - r 9 are each , independently , hydrogen , a normal or branched , substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group , a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group , an hydroxyl group , a cyano group , a nitro group or a halogen atom , such as a fluorine , chlorine , bromine or iodine atom , and n is 1 . suitable alkyl substitutents include halogen atoms , such as fluorine , chlorine , bromine and iodine atoms ; aryl groups , such as phenyl and naphthyl groups , alkoxy groups , acyl groups , amino groups and hydroxyl groups . preferably , r 2 - r 9 are each , independently , a hydrogen atom or a linear , branched or cyclic c 1 - c 6 - alkyl group . in another embodiment , the invention provides a method of forming an acyloxybiphenylsulfonate compound . the method comprises contacting a hydroxybiphenylsulfonate compound with a carboxylic acid or activated carboxylic acid under conditions sufficient for acylation of the hydroxy group , thereby producing an acyloxybiphenylsulfonate compound . in a preferred embodiment , the hydroxybenzenesulfonate compound is of formula iii , ## str4 ## wherein r 2 - r 9 are each , independently , hydrogen , a normal or branched , substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group , a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group , an hydroxyl group , a cyano group , a nitro group or a halogen atom , such as a fluorine , chlorine , bromine or iodine atom and n is 2 . suitable alkyl substitutents include halogen atoms , such as fluorine , chlorine , bromine and iodine atoms ; and aryl groups , such as phenyl and naphthyl groups . preferably , each r is , independently , a hydrogen atom or a linear or branched c 1 - c 6 - alkyl group . the carboxylic acid or activated carboxylic acid is preferably of the formula yc (═ o ) x , wherein x and y have the meanings stated above . reaction conditions suitable for acylation of the hydroxyl oxygen atom are well known in the art and can be determined without undue experimentation . for example , the reaction will typically take place in solution , such as in an aqueous solvent , an organic solvent or a mixed aqueous / organic solvent . the choice of solvent depends , in part , on the solubilities of the reactants and the nature of the acylating agent . for example the hydroxybiphenylsulfinate or hydroxybiphenylsulfonate compound can be acylated with a carboxylic acid in the presence of a concentrated strong acid , such as sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid . acylation of the hydroxybiphenylsulfinate or hydroxybiphenylsulfonate compound , for example , with an acyl chloride or acid anhydride can be performed in an organic solvent , preferably in the presence of a base , such as pyridine . sulfonoxybiphenylsulfinate and sulfonoxybiphenylsulfonate compounds , for example , compounds of formula i in which r 1 is ys ( o ) 2 o --, can be prepared by reacting a hydroxybiphenylsulfinate compound or a hydroxybiphenylsulfonate compound , respectively , with a sulfonic acid yso 3 h or an activated sulfonic acid yso 3 x , where x is a suitable leaving group , such as a halide ion , for example , chloride . suitable conditions for sulfonylation of an phenolic hydroxyl group are known in the art . alkyl sulfinatobiphenyl ether compounds can be prepared by a method comprising the step of reacting a hydroxybiphenylsulfinate compound with an alkylating agent under conditions suitable for the alkylation of the hydroxyl oxygen atom of the hydroxybiphenylsulfinate compound . an alkyl sulfonatobiphenyl ether compound can be produced by a similar method comprising reacting a hydroxybiphenylsulfonate compound with a suitable alkylating agent under conditions suitable for alkylation of the hydroxyl oxygen atom . preferably , the alkylating agent is of the general formula y - x , where y is a normal , branched or cyclic alkyl or substituted alkyl group and x is a suitable leaving group , such as a halide , for example , chloride , bromide or iodide , p - toluenesulfonate , methanesulfonate and others which are known in the art . in one embodiment , the alkylating agent is an alkyl halide and the alkylation is carried out under basic conditions . preferably , y is a normal or branched c 6 - c 24 - alkyl group . the hydroxybiphenylsulfonate compound can , optionally , be prepared by contacting a hydroxybiphenylsulfinate compound with an oxidant as discussed above under sufficient conditions for oxidation of the sulfinate group to a sulfonate group , thereby forming a hydroxybiphenylsulfonate compound . in a preferred embodiment , the hydroxybiphenylsulfinate starting compound is of formula ii , as described above . similarly , acyloxybiphenylsulfinate compounds and sulfonoxybiphenylsulfinate compounds can be oxidized to form acyloxybiphenylsulfonate compounds and sulfonoxybiphenylsulfinate compounds , respectively , while an alkyl sulfinatobiphenyl ether can be oxidized to produce an alkyl sulfonatobiphenyl ether . for example , a compound of formula i wherein n = 1 can be oxidized to form the corresponding compound with n = 2 . the sulfinate group can be oxidized to a sulfonate group by reacting the sulfinate compound with a suitable oxidant , as is known in the art . examples of suitable oxidants for this transformation include nitric acid , dioxygen , peroxides , such as hydrogen peroxide , m - chloroperbenzoic acid , peracetic acid and other peracids , hypochlorite , dimethyl sulfoxide , chromic acid , permanganate , dioxiranes , perborate and other oxidants which are well known in the art . compounds of formula i in which r 1 is an oligo ( ethylene oxide ) or oligo ( propylene oxide ) group can be prepared by contacting a compound of formula iii with ethylene oxide or propylene oxide under suitable conditions . for example , an alkaline aqueous solution of a compound of formula iii can be contacted with ethylene oxide or propylene oxide under an inert atmosphere , for example , a dinitrogen atmosphere , at elevated temperature , to produce a compound of formula i wherein r 1 is an oligo ( ethylene oxide ) or oligo ( propylene oxide ) moiety . a sulfinate compound of formula i in which r 1 is an oligo ( ethylene oxide ) or oligo ( propylene oxide ) group can be oxidized to produce the corresponding sulfonate compound by contacting the sulfinate compound with a suitable oxidant , as described above . a compound of formula ii can be prepared by sulfonating a compound of formula iii or formula i in which at least one of r 2 to r 5 is a hydrogen atom . suitable sulfonation conditions are known in the art . in one embodiment , the compound of formula i or formula iii is contacted with dilute or concentrated sulfuric acid or fuming sulfuric acid under conditions suitable for sulfonation . 2 -( 2 - hydroxyphenyl ) benzenesulfinate occurs as an intermediate in the biocatalytic desulfurization of a fossil fuel containing dibenzothiophene . thus , the starting material for the formation of the compounds of the invention is advantageously derived from a petroleum biodesulfurization process . suitable biodesulfurization processes and catalysts for use therein are described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 104 , 801 ; 5 , 358 , 869 ; 5 , 132 , 219 ; 5 , 344 , 778 ; 5 , 472 , 875 ; 5 , 232 , 854 ; 5 , 387 , 523 ; 5 , 356 , 813 ; 5 , 356 , 801 and 5 , 358 , 870 , as well as u . s . patent application ser . nos . 08 / 351 , 754 ; 08 / 735 , 963 ; 08 / 933 , 885 ; 08 / 851 , 088 ; 08 / 851 , 089 and 08 / 715 , 554 . for example , suitable biocatalysts for the oxidation of dibenzothiophene to 2 -( 2 - hydroxyphenyl ) benzenesulfinate include rhodococcus sp . igts8 , corynebacterium sp . strain sy1 , as disclosed by omori et al ., appl . env . microbiol ., 58 : 911 - 915 ( 1992 ); rhodococcus erythropolis d - 1 , as disclosed by izumi et al ., appl . env . microbiol ., 60 : 223 - 226 ( 1994 ); the arthrobacter strain described by lee et al ., appl . environ . microbiol . 61 : 4362 - 4366 ( 1995 ) and the rhodococcus strains ( atcc 55309 and atcc 55310 ) disclosed by grossman et al ., u . s . pat . no . 5 , 607 , 857 , and sphingomonas sp . strain ad109 , as described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 851 , 089 , each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . other suitable biocatalysts include recombinant organisms containing heterologous desulfurization genes , as disclosed , for example , in u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 851 , 088 , incorporated herein by reference . an aqueous solution of hpbs at neutral ph was treated with 1 . 5 equivalents h 2 o 2 . the reaction mixture was maintained at room temperature for 9 hr . a platinum on carbon catalyst was then added to destroy residual peroxide and the catalyst was removed by filtration . the filtrate was freeze dried to afford a solid , which was identified as 2 -( 2 - hydroxyphenyl ) benzenesulfonate ( hpbso 3 ) by liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry . hpbso 3 ( 0 . 1 g ), excess decanoic acid and a catalytic amount of sulfuric acid were added to toluene and the resulting mixture was heated to reflux for 30 min . the reaction mixture was then cooled , diluted with water and neutralized with nahco 3 . the formation of a product was confirmed qualitatively by liquid chromatography . analysis of the reaction mixture by lc - ms showed unreacted starting materials and a small amount of a third compound with mw = 403 9 / mol , the molecular weight of the expected ester product . hpbso 3 was mixed with 2 mole equivalents of dodecanoic anhydride and a catalytic amount of pyridine . the mixture was heated to 120 ° c . for 15 min , then cooled and extracted with diethyl ether . the ether extract was washed with water . the water extract was analyzed by lc - ms and found to contain a product of molecular weight 432 . 5 , as expected for the dodecanoate ester of hpbso 3 . hpbso 3 was reacted with octyl bromide following the general method disclosed in carr et al ., j . am . chem . soc . 69 : 1170 - 1172 ( 1943 ). hpbso 3 was dissolved in a 1 : 1 mixture of 15 % aqueous naoh and methanol . octyl bromide was added , and the mixture was heated to reflux for 15 hr . analysis of the resulting solution by lc / ms indicated the presence of a product of molecular weight 362 , as expected for the octyl ether of hpbso 3 . a sample of hpbso3 was dissolved in 80 % sulfuric acid and the resulting solution was maintained for 2 . 5 hours at 60 ° c . the solution was then analyzed by liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry and a fraction having a molecular weight of 329 was observed , as expected for the singly charged anion of 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - sulfonatophenyl ) benzenesulfinate . a similar reaction was performed starting with n - decyl 2 -( 2 - sulfonatophenyl ) phenyl ether . a fraction of molecular weight , 234 was observed , corresponding to the doubly charged anion of 2 -( 2 - n - decyloxy - sulfonatophenyl ) benzenesulfonate . an aqueous solution of hpbso 3 and 40 equivalents of propylene oxide were sealed in a pressure reaction tube and heated to 50 ° c . for 2 days . liquid chromatography / mass spectromety analysis of the resulting solution revealed the presence of compounds of molecular weight 307 , 365 and 423 , corresponding to the addition of 1 , 2 and 3 propylene oxide groups , respectively . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation , many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described specifically herein . such equivalents are intended to be encompassed in the scope of the claims .	2
the present invention will be illustrated below in conjunction with an illustrative embodiment of an on - chip inductor device . it should be understood , however , that the invention is not limited to the particular arrangement of features shown in the illustrative embodiment . for example , an embodiment within the scope of this invention may comprise features having different compositions and / or shapes from the features shown herein . these and other modifications to the illustrative embodiment falling within the scope of the invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art in light of the following detailed description . fig1 - 6 combine to show an illustrative on - chip inductor device 100 comprising aspects of the present invention . fig1 , for example shows a plan view of the inductor device . for increased clarity , fig2 shows the same illustrative inductor device with its polysilicon shielding portions ( detailed below ) removed . fig3 - 6 show sectional views of the illustrative inductor device cut along the planes w - w ′, x - x ′, y - y ′ and z - z ′, respectively , indicated in fig1 . reference to the plan views in fig1 and 2 clearly shows that the illustrative inductor device 100 comprises a single , octagonal inductor winding 110 that terminates in a left signal node 120 and a right signal node 130 . the inductor winding , in turn , can be separated into primary winding portions 110 p and bridge portions 110 b . the bridge portions allow the inductor winding to cross - over itself and to be electrically continuous from the left node to the right node . a center - tap node 140 , contacts the inductor winding at its geometric center point . several polysilicon shielding portions 150 and an m1 shield connecting portion 160 act to improve the performance of the illustrative inductor device . the inductor device overlies a semiconductor substrate 165 . one skilled in the art will recognize that the illustrative inductor device 100 may be operated as a differential inductor . the center - tap node 140 may , for example , be held at a reference potential while differential signals ( i . e ., signals that are 180 degrees out - of - phase ) are applied to the left and right nodes 120 , 130 . advantageously , the shape of the inductor winding 110 and the location of the center - tap node effectively cause the magnetic fluxes induced by the two out - of - phase signals to be combined . in other words , the magnetic flux due to current flow through that part of the inductor winding stretching from the left signal node to the center - tap node effectively adds to the magnetic flux due to current flow through that part of the inductor winding stretching from the right signal node to the center - tap node . as a result , only about half of the central space within the illustrative inductor ( i . e ., the inductor device &# 39 ; s core region ) is required to achieve a given inductance value when compared to a non - differential inductor device of the same inductance value . the differential inductor design embodied in the illustrative inductor device also helps to assure that the inductance values found on the two signal nodes are substantially the same . reference now to the various sectional views in fig3 - 6 shows that illustrative inductor device 100 is built into a polysilicon level ( labeled as the “ poly ” level in the figures ) and seven metallization levels ( labeled “ m1 ” through “ m7 ” in the figures ). the primary winding portions 110 p of the inductor winding 110 comprise metal lines built into the m5 - m7 metallization levels . the bridge portions 110 b , on the other hand , comprise metal lines built into the m3 and m4 metallization levels . the center - tap node 140 comprises a metal line built into the m2 metallization level . the polysilicon shielding portions 150 comprise polysilicon lines fanned in the poly level , while the m1 shield connecting portion 160 comprises metal lines built into the m1 metallization level . it will be observed that , in accordance with aspects of the invention , the metal lines forming the primary winding portions 110 p are electrically connected together by a multiplicity of contact vias 170 so that they are connected in parallel with each other ( i . e ., they are shunted ). the metal lines forming the bridge portions 110 b are electrically connected in parallel with each other in a similar fashion using a multiplicity of contact vias 180 . the primary winding portions are electrically connected to the bridge portions at those places in the inductor winding where the inductor winding will cross - over itself with a multiplicity of contact vias 190 . the center - tap node 140 is electrically connected to the inductor winding 110 at the winding &# 39 ; s geometric center through several contact vias 200 that interconnect the metal line at the m2 metallization level and the metal lines in the m3 - m7 metallization levels . the polysilicon shielding portions 150 and m1 shield connecting portion 160 are electrically connected to each other and to the semiconductor substrate by a multiplicity of contact vias 210 . a standard metric for determining the performance of an inductor device is the inductor device &# 39 ; s quality factor , q - factor . the q - factor of an inductor is given by the formula : q = energy ⁢ ⁢ stored energy ⁢ ⁢ loss ⁢ ⁢ in ⁢ ⁢ one ⁢ ⁢ oscillation ⁢ ⁢ cycle = ω ⁢ ⁢ l r where ω is the resonant angular frequency of the inductor , l is the inductance and r is the resistance of the inductor . the q - factor is therefore a measure of the efficiency of an inductor . it may have a value of several hundred in a relatively efficient inductor device . advantageously , inductor embodiments of the present invention may be characterized by relatively high q - factors . the resistance value , r , of the inductor device 100 is a function of both the resistance of the interconnect features that form the inductor winding 110 itself ( i . e ., metal lines and contact vias ) as well as substrate losses due to the interaction of the inductor winding with the underlying semiconductor substrate 165 . the losses to the semiconductor substrate occur predominantly because the magnetic fields generated by the inductor device induce eddy currents in the semiconductor substrate while the electric fields generated by the inductor device induce conduction and displacement currents in the semiconductor substrate . as described above , in the illustrative inductor device 100 , both the primary winding portions 110 p and the bridge portions 110 b of the inductor winding 110 each comprise multiple metal lines connected together in parallel by a multiplicity of contact vias 170 , 180 . more particularly , the primary winding portions include three shunted metal lines while the bridge portions include two shunted metal lines . by wiring these portions in this way , the overall resistance of the inductor winding may be reduced to a value substantially below that which would be present if these portions only consisted of single metal lines . the q - factor of the inductor device is thereby increased . of course , if additional metallization layers beyond those illustrated herein are available , it is preferable that additional metal lines also be coupled with the primary winding and bridge portions to further decrease the series resistances of these portions . the effect of substrate loss , moreover , is addressed by including the polysilicon shielding portions 150 and the m1 shield connecting portion 160 in the inductor device 100 . the polysilicon shielding portions each comprise a line - shaped portion from which extends several fingers . these fingers , in turn , are densely packed into the region between the inductor winding 110 and the semiconductor substrate 165 . the fingers are perpendicular to the inductor turns to cancel out induced magnetic eddy currents from the inductor device . the m1 shielding portion , on the other hand , comprises a center portion out of which radiate a plurality of bars . these bars end in metal lines that run along the periphery of the inductor device . both the polysilicon shielding portions 150 and m1 shield connection portion 160 are preferably set to the ground potential for the integrated circuit while the inductor device 100 is operating . in the inductor device these connections to ground are provided by the contact vias 190 which contact portions of the semiconductor substrate 165 that are at ground potential . the polysilicon shielding portions provide a return path to ground near the semiconductor substrate and prevent some of the magnetic and electric fields generated by the inductor device to penetrate into the semiconductor substrate . substrate losses are thereby reduced when compared to an inductor device without any kind of ground shield structures . the m1 shielding portion electrically and magnetically isolates the inductor device from other nearby circuit devices . polysilicon and m1 shielding portions like those illustrated herein have been experimentally shown to substantially improve the q - factor of an associated inductor device , although an inductor device need not have shielding portions identical to those illustrated herein to fall within the scope of this invention . an inductor device of the type described above may be implemented in an integrated circuit . the formation of integrated circuits will be familiar to one skilled in the art . a plurality of identical die are typically formed in a repeated pattern on a surface of a semiconductor wafer . each die includes an inductor device comprising aspects of the invention , and may include other structures or circuits . the individual die are cut or diced from the semiconductor wafer , then packaged as an integrated circuit . fig7 , for example , shows a packaged integrated circuit 700 comprising an inductor device in accordance with aspects of this invention . the integrated circuit is in a conventional plastic leadframe package . the packaged integrated circuit comprises a die 710 attached to a leadframe 720 . a plastic mold 730 encapsulates the die and a portion of the leadframe . one skilled in the art would know how to dice wafers and package die to produce integrated circuits . in order to reduce the complexity and cost of manufacturing an integrated circuit comprising an inductor device in accordance with aspects of the invention , the inductor device will preferably be formed at the same time other circuit elements are formed in the integrated circuit . complimentary metal - oxide - semiconductor ( cmos ) technology is a common technology for forming rfics and mmics . cmos rfics and mmics , for example , frequently comprise a polysilicon level and seven or more metallization levels . outside of the inductor device , the polysilicon level is typically the level in which gate conductors for metal - oxide - semiconductor field effect transistors are formed . the seven or more metallization levels , in turn , typically provide the interconnection between circuit elements . accordingly , forming an inductor device in accordance with aspects of this invention may not require more processing steps than are required to form the remainder of the integrated circuit . the formation of circuit devices using cmos technology will be familiar to one skilled in the art and is described in a number of readily available references including , for example , s . wolf et al ., silicon processingfor the vlsi era , volumes 1 - 3 , lattice press , 1986 , 1990 and 1995 , which are incorporated herein by reference . features in the polysilicon level , including the polysilicon shielding portions 150 , may be formed by depositing a blanket layer of polysilicon and patterning the polysilicon using conventional lithography and reactive ion etching ( rie ) techniques . the various contact vias , including the contact vias 170 , 180 , 190 , 200 and 210 , moreover , may be formed by first depositing a layer of insulating material ( e . g ., silicon dioxide ) and then using conventional lithography and rie techniques to form holes in the insulating layer in those places where contact vias are desired . the appropriate conductive material ( e . g ., polysilicon or a metal ) is then conformally deposited into the holes and any excess conductive material is removed from the top of the insulating layer using conventional chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) techniques . features in the metallization levels , including the m1 shield connecting portion 160 and the metal lines constituting the inductor winding 110 , may be formed by depositing a blanket layer of metal and patterning the metal using conventional lithography and rie techniques in a manner similar to that described above for forming polysilicon features . alternatively , in a manner similar to that described above for forming contact vias , the metal lines may be formed by first depositing a layer of insulating material ( e . g ., silicon dioxide ) and then using conventional lithography and rie techniques to form trenches in the insulating layer in the shape of the desired metal lines . the chosen metal is then conformally deposited into the trenches and any excess metal is removed from the top of the insulating layer , again using conventional cmp techniques . the latter method for forming metal lines is conventionally called a “ damascene ” process . it is generally recognized that a circular inductor winding shape results in the highest q - factor . nevertheless , circular features are typically not easily realized with conventional cmos processing largely due to limitations in lithography techniques . as a result , the inductor winding 110 in the inductor device 100 has a substantially octagonal shape which comes close to a circular shape but is easily achieved using conventional cmos processing . it should be recognized , nevertheless , that the scope of this invention is not limited to this particular octagonal shape . alternative shapes for an inductor winding may include , for example , squares , rectangles and hexagons . one skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments of this invention may be useful in a wide variety of electronic systems such as telecommunications systems . fig8 shows a block diagram of an illustrative telecommunications system 800 comprising a wireless communication device 810 , a base station 820 , and a network hardware component 830 . the wireless communication device communicates wirelessly with the base station , allowing the wireless communication device to access the network hardware component . the wireless communication device may be a laptop computer , cellular telephone , two - way radio or any one of several other devices capable of wireless communications . fig8 further shows that the illustrative wireless communication device 810 comprises a power amplifier 812 , a bandpass filter 814 , a low noise amplifier 816 and a mixer 818 . one skilled in the art will recognize that , in modern wireless communication devices , these components typically comprise inductor devices that are operated in a differential signal mode . as a result , each of these components may be implemented using on - chip differential inductor devices in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . of course , the wireless communication device will also likely comprise several other electronic components that are not explicitly shown in the figure ( e . g ., digital processing module , memory and analog - to - digital converter ). these other components and their functions will be familiar to one skilled in the art . it should again be emphasized that the above - described embodiments of the invention are intended to be illustrative only . other embodiments can use different types and arrangements of elements for implementing the described functionality . these numerous alternative embodiments within the scope of the following claims will be apparent to one skilled in the art .	7
an embodiment of this invention is described in detail with reference to drawings as follows . fig2 shows in outline the arrangement of a reproducing apparatus which is an embodiment of this invention . referring to fig2 the reproducing apparatus according to the embodiment includes a transport mechanism 1 arranged to transport a tape t which is a recording medium , an amplifier 2 arranged to amplify a signal reproduced from the tape t , a demodulation circuit 3 arranged to bring a signal outputted from the amplifier 2 back into an original audio signal , a muting circuit 4 arranged to remove noises from the audio signal , a control part 5 arranged to control the transport mechanism 1 , an output terminal 7 , a filter 8 arranged to pass a specific frequency component ( noise component ) which arises in the signal outputted from demodulation circuit 3 due to an unstable travel of the tape t , a detection circuit 9 arranged to detect the level of the specific frequency component , a comparison circuit 10 arranged to compare the output value of the detection circuit 9 with a reference voltage generated by a reference voltage generator 11 and to decide which of the two is larger , and an instructing part 6 arranged to instruct the control part 5 and the muting circuit 4 to act , on the basis of the output of the comparison circuit 10 . incidentally , the filter 8 , the detection circuit 9 , the comparison circuit 10 and the reference voltage generator 11 jointly form a detecting means for detecting a noise component due to the unstable travel of the tape t . the comparison circuit ( level comparator ) 10 is arranged to convert a difference between the detection voltage of the detection circuit 9 and the reference voltage of the reference voltage generator 11 into a two - valued signal and to supply the two - valued signal to the instructing part 6 . in other words , the output of the comparison circuit 10 becomes “ 1 ” when the detection voltage is higher than the reference voltage , and becomes “ 0 ” when the detection voltage is lower than the reference voltage . the instructing part 6 is arranged to issue an instruction for starting reproduction to the control part 5 at the commencement of the reproducing operation on the tape t and to issue an instruction for muting to the muting circuit 4 at the same time . after that , the instructing part 6 performs control in such a way as to turn on the muting action of the muting circuit 4 when the output of the comparison circuit 10 is “ 1 ” and to turn off the muting action of the muting circuit 4 when the output of the comparison circuit 10 is “ 0 ”. the operation of the embodiment is described with reference to fig3 and 4 as follows . fig3 is a graph for explaining a frequency component of the signal outputted when an input to the demodulation circuit 3 is inadequate . fig4 is a graph for explaining a frequency component of the signal outputted when an input to the demodulation circuit 3 is adequate . first , the instructing part 6 issues an instruction for starting reproduction to the control part 5 so as to cause the transport mechanism 1 to begin a reproducing action on the tape t , and issues , at the same time , an instruction for muting to the muting circuit 4 . when the travel of the tape t comes into a stable state , it becomes possible to adequately pick up a necessary signal from the tape t . the signal is then amplified by the amplifier 2 . the amplified signal is demodulated by the demodulation circuit 3 in such a way as to be brought back into an original audio signal . the adequate audio signal is thus inputted to the muting circuit 4 . immediately after the commencement of the action of the transport mechanism 1 , however , it is impossible to adequately pick up a necessary signal from the tape t . therefore , the output of the demodulation circuit 3 would be either a noise or a signal having a noise mixed therein . it is known that such a noise or signal having a noise mixed therein produces a triangular noise peculiar to the demodulation circuit 3 to which a frequency - modulated signal is inputted , as shown in fig3 . on the other hand , when a necessary signal is being adequately picked up from the tape t , components of the demodulated signal have a distribution in frequency band as shown in fig4 and the level at a frequency band portion “ a ” shown in fig4 is low . then , the frequency band portion “ a ” is extracted by the filter 8 . if the demodulated signal has much noise , components at the frequency band portion “ a ” have a large volume , and , therefore , a detection voltage produced by the detection circuit 9 is at a high level . the reference voltage to be supplied from the reference voltage generator 11 is set at such a value that is a little higher than a detection voltage to be produced by the detection circuit 9 when no noise is included in the demodulated signal . the detection voltage produced by the detection circuit 9 is compared with the reference voltage at the comparison circuit 10 . if the demodulated signal has noise , the detection voltage produced by the detection circuit 9 becomes higher than the reference voltage , and the output of the comparison circuit 10 becomes “ 1 ” as a two - valued signal . if the demodulated signal has no noise , the output of the detection circuit 9 becomes lower than the reference voltage , and the output of the comparison circuit 10 becomes “ 0 ” as a two - valued signal . the thus - obtained two - valued signal is sent to the instructing part 6 . upon receipt of the two - valued signal , the instructing part 6 turns off the muting action of the muting circuit 4 if the two - valued signal is “ 0 ” and , turns on the muting action of the muting circuit 4 if the two - valued signal is “ 1 ”. accordingly , if the output of the demodulation circuit 3 is noise or a signal having noise mixed therein , the muting action of the muting circuit 4 is performed to prevent any noise from being outputted from the output terminal 7 . when the amount of noise included in the output of the demodulation circuit 3 decreases with the tape transport action having stabilized , the detection voltage produced by the detection circuit 9 becomes lower than the reference voltage . then , the signal outputted from the comparison circuit 10 changes from “ 1 ” to “ 0 ”. as this change is transmitted to the instructing part 6 , the instructing part 6 issues an instruction for canceling the muting action of the muting circuit 4 , so that an audio signal is allowed to be outputted from the output terminal 7 to produce a sound . according to the above - described operation , the muting action is performed during a time at which a noise is being generated , and the muting action is canceled the instant the noise ceases to be generated . production of sounds thus becomes possible within a minimum necessary length of time . therefore , sounds can be promptly outputted without a delay when the tape transport action of the transport mechanism 1 has been quickly stabilized . conversely , if the tape transport action of the transport mechanism 1 fails to promptly stabilize , the period of time of the muting action becomes longer accordingly , so that noises can be prevented from being outputted . as described above , a reproducing apparatus according to this embodiment is capable of outputting sounds without any noise in a minimum period of time after the start of reproduction , by controlling a period of time of muting on the basis of a result of detection of any noise component that results from an unstable travel of the tape . in accordance with this embodiment , therefore , noises can be muted for the shortest possible length of time required for stabilization of operations including the operation of the transport mechanism for the tape , without paying any heed to a length of time required before the tape comes to stably travel . it is another advantage of this embodiment that , in a case where the length of time required before the stabilization of transport of the tape varies due to aging , etc ., the reproducing apparatus can be kept in an optimum operating condition without requiring readjustment . since a period of time of muting is controlled on the basis of a result of comparison between the reference voltage and the magnitude of a specific frequency component resulting from an unstable transport of the tape , the reproducing apparatus according to this embodiment is capable of outputting sounds within the shortest possible time after the commencement of reproduction .	6
as depicted in the figures and as described herein , the present invention provides an improved method and system for evaluating an organization &# 39 ; s testing maturity capabilities . turning now to fig2 a , embodiments of the present invention provide a testing maturity assessment method 200 . the testing maturity assessment method 200 begins with a planning and preparing for assessment step 210 which generally includes developing an assessment plan , selecting and preparing an assessing individual or team , and then obtaining and rearea relevant evidence , such as conducting interareas . as described in greater detail below , these sub - processes may be performed manually or using automated tools . the testing maturity assessment method 200 continues with conducting a testing assessment in step 220 using the data collected in step 210 . specifically , the conducting of a testing assessment in step 220 generally includes verifying and validating the evidence , and then examining the evidence , generating results , and documenting any findings . the results from the test assessment step 220 are reported in step 230 to deliver the assessment results to the organization . next , in step 240 , improvements are recommended based upon an evaluation of the assessment results to identify and prioritize improvement suggestions to develop an improvement plan to achieve the organization &# 39 ; s desired testing maturity . referring now to fig2 b , the test capability assessment step 220 is described in greater detail . specifically , the testing assessment step 220 generally includes defining various testing maturity areas in step 221 , collecting responses to questions associated with each of the testing maturity areas in step 222 , and then scoring the organization in each of the test maturity areas in step 223 . the testing maturity areas may be defined in step 221 as needed according to various known techniques and methodologies . for example , several testing capability areas may be defined , and for each of the testing capability areas , further testing capability sub - areas may be further defined . in this way , the present invention may be adapted for various maturity and process models for various industries . for example , the testing maturity areas defined in step 221 may correspond to the various testing maturity criteria used in the tmm . the definition of the testing maturity areas in step 221 is described in greater detail below . the test assessment methodology 200 may further allow a user to select among multiple test capability tests in the testing assessment step 220 . for example , a preferred implementation of the present invention supports different assessment types , a high - level , short - term assessment for a quick assessment ( qa ) and an in - depth , long - term assessment for a full assessment ( fa ). the quick assessment allows a user to subjectively answer a smaller set of questions in the test assessment 220 ( for example , approximately ten questions per area over each of the fifteen test areas described below in fig3 ), where the user decides on a rating , and thus , and a test maturity level for each of the questions or testing areas . the rating is subjective , driven by the assessor &# 39 ; s interpretation of evidence . preferably , the ratings for each of the questions correspond to the maturity levels of the tmm , or may include other options such as “ not applicable ” or “ unknown .” for example , the user may use the following considerations for assigning ratings to the quick assessment questions : 0 : it is clear and / or there is evidence that the factor is not performed 1 : it is unclear and / or there is marginal evidence that the factor is performed 2 : the factor is performed , but not across the sdlc or not across all projects ; i . e . it is not institutionalized 3 : the factor is performed and is institutionalized , but management & amp ; measurement disciplines are insufficient or not in place 4 : the factor is performed , institutionalized , managed & amp ; measured , but there is no evidence for continuous evaluation & amp ; improvement 5 : the factor is performed , institutionalized , managed & amp ; measured , and continuously evaluated & amp ; improved n / a ( not applicable ): the factor should not be included in the rating it is up to the assessor &# 39 ; s interpretation and judgment to decide to what extent the criteria phrased in the question are met . for each question , any considerations can be documented under a corresponding notes section . the organization &# 39 ; s testing capabilities may then receive a composite score from the quick assessment produced by weighting and averaging the individual scores from each of the quick assessment questions . in contrast , a full assessment asks the user to answer a larger set of questions ( for example , 1500 discrete questions over the fifteen test areas described below in fig3 ) to produce an accurate testing assessment . the full assessment questions tend to be more objective , in the form of “ yes / no ” questions . for example , a user may use the following considerations for assigning ratings to the full assessment questions : yes : there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the criteria phrased in the question are met no : there is no evidence to suggest that the criteria phrased in the question are met n / a : the factor should not be included in the rating . note : this will add to a ‘ not applicable ’ rating and will not add to a ‘ satisfied ’ rating for the test area ( refer to slide on scoring algorithm ) unknown : there is insufficient evidence to suggest that the criteria phrased in the question are met . it is up to the assessor &# 39 ; s interpretation and judgment to decide to what extent the criteria phrased in the question are met . for each question , any considerations can be documented under the corresponding notes section . each maturity level may be calculated by a configurable percentage threshold . for example , the user &# 39 ; s answers may then translated into composite score through an automated reporting schema , for example , by tallying the number of yes answers and then correlating this tally with a testing capability score for each of the testing areas according to a predefined scoring standard . similarly , a score may be deduced based upon the percentage of positive answers . preferably , the testing capability questions formed in step 221 should be organized such that questions related to criteria for particular tmm maturity level are group together . in this way , the user may receive a rough testing capability maturity estimate through examination of the testing responses . for example , a positive answers to a series questions may strongly indicate the organization &# 39 ; s satisfaction of an associated testing maturity level . referring now to fig3 , each assessment from step 220 in one embodiment preferably contain three test domains related to strategy 310 , lifecycle 320 , and disciplines 330 . however , it should be appreciated that any division and organization of the testing questions may be used as needed . each of the test domains 310 , 320 , and 330 further contains various test areas and each test area may be divided into various test topics . for example , the strategy test domain 310 may be further divided into a test strategy methodology area 311 , a test strategy environment and tools area 312 , and a test strategy organization & amp ; communication area 313 . similarly , the test lifecycle domain 320 may include a test lifecycle approach & amp ; planning area 321 , a test lifecycle design & amp ; preparation area 322 , and a test lifecycle execution & amp ; reporting area 323 . further , the testing disciplines domain 330 may include a performance testing area 331 , an estimation area 332 , a test metrics area 333 , a project management area 334 , a defect management & amp ; prevention area 335 , a test automation area 336 , a test data management area 337 , a requirements management area 338 , and a configuration management area 339 . again , it should be appreciated that the test domains may be divided into various testing areas as needed . the test methodology area 311 relates to the overall approach used to verify the assumptions around how to approach , plan , and perform testing ; e . g . the v - model can be used as a model in an applied test methodology . the environment & amp ; tools area 312 relates to the entire set of artifacts used to support the overall testing effort ; e . g . all infrastructure and facilities such as tables , chairs , office supplies , computing infrastructure , and software applications . the organization & amp ; communication area 313 relates to the organizational structure in terms of people and the way they communicate in order to perform all test - related activities and fulfill expectations . the approach and planning area 321 relates to the first step in any test stage which contains more detailed information than for example a test strategy . a test approach addresses all major aspects of the test stage that may affect the success of testing . the design & amp ; preparation area 322 takes the test approach as a basis and creates all test - related artifacts required for successful test execution ; e . g . test scripts , test scenarios , testing software and hardware to support test execution , etc . the execution & amp ; reporting area 323 takes the test artifacts created during test design and preparation , executes or runs the tests as defined , and reports test execution progress . the performance testing area 331 relates identifies and fixes system performance issues before the system goes live . this generally includes load testing , stress testing , stability testing , throughput testing , and ongoing performance monitoring . the estimation area 332 is the activity that drives the planning of all test activities in terms of effort , scope , and budget . the test metrics area 333 is the measurement of attributes that allows comparison or prediction of a test - related process or product . the project management area 334 is the discipline of organizing and managing resources in such a way that these resources deliver all the work required to complete a project within defined scope , time , and cost constraints . the defect management & amp ; prevention area 335 the discipline of organizing , managing , and preventing problems discovered in a work product or deliverable during a later stage of a project . the test automation area 336 relates to the use of software to control the execution of tests , the comparison of actual outcomes to predicted outcomes , the setting up of test preconditions , and other test control and test reporting functions . the test data management area 337 relates to a process for test data requisition , acquisition , population , and conditioning required for test execution . the test data management process occurs during the test planning , design & amp ; preparation , and execution phases of the testing process . the requirements management area 338 relates to the science and art of gathering and managing user , business , technical , and functional requirements within a product development project . the configuration management area 339 relates to configuration management , which enables the controlled and repeatable management of information technology components as they evolve in all stages of development and maintenance . configuration management implements a process for the project teams and stakeholders to identify , communicate , implement , document , and manage changes . when properly implemented , configuration management ensures the integrity of the items placed under its control . turning to fig4 , a test assessment tool 400 has been developed with modules to implement the test assessment method 200 . specifically , the depicted the test assessment tool 400 contains tabs to allow a user to access the following sections : a qs - assessment section 410 that includes questions for a quick assessment and input fields to receive a user &# 39 ; s responses to the questions ; a qs - help section 420 that includes instructions and other helpful text for each quick assessment question ; a qs - report section 430 that creates an automated graph for the quick assessment scores for each test area in section 410 ; a qs - notes section 440 that includes entry fields to allow a user to enter notes for each of the quick assessment question in section 410 ; a fs - assessment section 450 that includes questions for a full assessment and input fields to receive a user &# 39 ; s responses to the questions ; a fs - help section 460 that includes instructions and other helpful text for each full assessment question ; a fs - report section 470 that includes automated graph for the full assessment scores for each test area ; a fs - notes section 480 that includes allows entry fields to allow a user to enter notes for each of the full assessment question a glossary section 490 that includes comprehensive glossary of testing terms used throughout the quick and full assessment ; and optional additional sections 495 that may include , for example a lists section that contains dropdown - list box values used for quick and full assessment ratings for each question and a cm section that contains version history - related information . in a preferred implementation , the test assessment tool 400 is an application designed in microsoft excel ® to allow a user to access multiple tabs , each representing a separate spreadsheet contain various relevant information , instructions , or prompts for the user &# 39 ; s input to complete a questionnaire . referring to the various tools sections referenced in fig4 , it should be appreciated that various tools and elements may be added as necessary . for example , recall that an organization &# 39 ; s tmm report is an extensive document including extensive documentation to support the various stage requirements findings . in the embodiment depicted in fig4 , the notes sections 440 , 480 may be used to allow a user to explain an answer to a question and / or to identify the location of documentation to support the finding . alternatively , if the application is automated , the notes sections 440 , 480 may indicate name and the electronic location for the relevant supporting documentation . turning to fig5 , a testing maturity report 500 is automatically produced by the testing assessment tool 400 , for example , following the user &# 39 ; s selection of reports sections 430 , 470 . using techniques described , or other known techniques , the answers to the various testing questions may be analyzed and converted to a composite real number score for each testing area or domain , or a similar aggregate score for the organization . for example , the testing maturity report 500 includes a separate score 510 for each of the test areas 520 . optionally , the score may be graphically displayed to visually depict the organization &# 39 ; s performance in one of the test areas . furthermore , each maturity level may be further divided into three sublevels (‘ low ’, ‘ medium ’, and ‘ high ’) to give more granularity to the graphical structure . a test assessment tool 610 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may be integrated into a test assessment network 600 as depicted in fig6 . the test assessment tool 610 may be accessed locally or to a remote organization over a network 601 . the test assessment network 600 generally includes a server 620 that provides a webpage 621 over the network 601 to provide the remote access to the test assessment tool 610 as described in greater detail below . the webpage 621 may provide a graphical display similar to the screenshot of the test assessment tool 400 presented above in fig4 . in particular , the test assessment tool 610 in this particular embodiment may access testing maturity assessment data 611 contains logic that dynamically directs the creation of the webpage 621 in response to a user request received from a application ( such as a browser ) operating the remote organization 650 . the testing maturity assessment data 611 may further contain additional information , such as definitions of key terms . for example , the webpage 621 may provide by default the screenshot of the test assessment tool 400 presented above in fig4 . the user may select one of the tabs 410 - 495 , and in response , the test assessment tool 610 directs the creation of an appropriate webpage 621 to be sent to the remote location 450 in the form of digital data 602 transmitted over the network 600 . if the application at remote location 650 requests a questionnaire , the test assessment tool 610 may access one of its stored testing maturity assessment questionnaires 630 a , 630 b ( corresponding , for example , to the above - described quick and full assessments ). the accessed questionnaire may then be incorporated into the webpage 621 and forwarded to the remote location 650 as the digital data 602 that includes data or an application to instruct a computer at the remote location 650 to form the transmitted webpage 621 including various data input fields . in response to the transmitted webpage , the user at the remote location 650 may collect organizational data 660 to complete the questionnaire . the digital data 602 may further include executable code , such as data collection and analysis programming to automatically seek out , identify and collect relevant data 660 related to the organization &# 39 ; s testing maturity . once the questionnaire is completed , the remote location 650 returns the completed questionnaire ( including the collected organizational data 660 ) to the server 620 , again as data 602 . this testing maturity assessment response data 640 is collected and stored for analysis according to predefined logic in the test assessment tool 610 . for example , test assessment tool 610 may use the testing maturity assessment response data 640 to form a remotely accessible webpage 621 containing the testing maturity report 500 described above in fig5 . the system 600 allows for the testing results 602 to be transmitted in a more efficient manner since the answers to the questions can be represented in an efficient form . for example , the boolean answers to the true / false full assessment questions may be answered in a single bit , and the rating answers ( ranking the organization on a scale of 1 - 5 in a variety of categories ) to the quick assessment question may be represented with 3 bits . similarly , the location of supporting documentation may accompany the question answers in the form of short stored files location pointer . in this way , responses to a questionnaire may be returned in an extremely compressed format as needed preserve bandwidth and to expedite transmissions . this can be contrasted to the extensive current tmm reports described in the background section that would require much larger transmissions . in this way , it can be seen that the depicted test assessment network allows for the automated presentation and related data collection for a testing assessment . the particular type of testing assessment ( e . g ., quick or full ) depends on the remote user &# 39 ; s selection . the questionnaire results are then scored automatically to produce testing maturity scoring various testing domains and events , and these results may be displayed to the organization . the organization may then use the results to identify areas of need , such as identify testing areas of relatively low score that may otherwise prevent the organization from achieving desired testing maturity levels . stored suggestions in the testing maturity assessment data 611 may also be forwarded to the user , in response to the scores produced in response to the collected testing maturity assessment response data 640 . while the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiments various additions , deletions , substitutions , or other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . accordingly , the invention is not to be considered as limited by the foregoing description , but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims .	6
referring to the drawings , and particularly to fig1 - 3 , the reference numeral 10 generally designates prismatic - cell battery pack according to this invention . in general , the battery pack 10 includes a lineal stack 12 of battery cell modules 14 longitudinally bounded by first and second end pieces 16 and 18 , an inlet end cap 20 , and an outlet end cap 22 . referring particularly to fig2 , each of the battery cell modules 14 includes a set of interlocking frames 24 for supporting and retaining a pair of prismatic battery cells 26 ( only one of which is shown in fig2 ), and for channeling coolant in proximity to the battery cells 26 . the battery cells 26 are preferably soft - package cells , and a pad of resilient material such as open - cell foam ( not shown ) is inserted between each of the battery cell modules 14 of the stack 12 to support and compressively load the non - marginal portions of the battery cells 26 . the battery pack elements may be held in place , for example , by a set of fasteners routed through suitable openings ( not shown ) in the modules 14 and end pieces 16 , 18 . referring to fig2 , each of the battery cell modules 14 includes a set of coolant passages , including an intake chamber 28 , an exhaust chambers 30 a and 30 b , and several u - shaped coolant channels 32 a , 32 b , 32 c , 32 d ( as represented by phantom flow lines ) that couple an entry end 54 ( fig6 ) of each coolant channel to the intake chamber 28 , and couple an exit end 56 ( fig6 ) of each coolant channel to the exhaust chambers 30 a or 30 b . when the battery cell modules 14 are arranged and interlocked in a lineal stack as shown in fig1 and 3 , the various intake chambers 28 axially align to form an intake plenum 34 that extends the length of the stack 12 , and the various exhaust chambers 30 a and 30 b similarly align to form a pair of exhaust plenums 36 a and 36 b that also extends the length of the stack 12 . as illustrated in fig5 , the coolant inlet cap 20 blocks the exhaust plenums 36 a and 36 b , and establishes a pathway 38 between intake plenum 34 and an inlet port 20 a formed in the coolant inlet cap 20 . conversely , the coolant outlet cap 22 blocks the intake plenum 34 but establishes a pathway 39 between exhaust plenums 36 a and 36 b and an outlet port 22 a formed in the coolant outlet cap 22 . accordingly , and as illustrated in the coolant flow diagram of fig4 , coolant ( forced air , or fluid for example ) entering inlet port 20 a is directed into the intake plenum 34 , through the u - shaped coolant channels 32 a - 32 d in each of the stacked battery cell modules 14 , into the exhaust plenums 36 a and 36 b , and is expelled from the outlet port 22 a . the temperature of the coolant entering each of the battery cell modules 14 is essentially the same because each module 14 receives coolant from the intake plenum 34 , as opposed to coolant that has already passed through another module 14 of the pack 10 . as a result , the cooling performance is substantially equivalent for each battery cell module 14 of the pack 10 . additionally , the u - shaped coolant channels 32 a - 32 d traverse substantially the entire surface area of the respective battery cells 26 to prevent any battery cell hot - spots , particularly in the region of the battery terminals where much of the battery cell heat is generated . furthermore , by routing coolant first toward a central portion of the battery cell , that is nearby or along a centerline 50 of the battery cell , where the greatest temperature rise has been observed with other coolant channel configurations , the range of temperature variation across the battery cell may be reduced . while the temperature of the coolant flowing into the entry end 54 of each coolant channels 32 a - 32 d will obviously rise as it traverses up the u - shaped coolant channels 32 a - 32 d , the coolant flow can be controlled to provide sufficient cooling to the battery cell portions adjacent the exit ends 56 of the coolant channels 32 a - 32 d . also , the coolant channels 32 a , 32 b , 32 c , 32 d in a given battery call module 14 can vary in width to achieve a desired coolant flow distribution for optimal cooling performance . referring to fig6 , each of the battery cell modules 14 is constructed as an assembly of two prismatic battery cells 26 a , 26 b and a set of four interlocking frame members 24 a - 24 d . in this non - limiting example , the two inner frame members 24 a and 24 b are identical , as are the two outer frame members 24 c and 24 d . although not shown in fig6 , the modules 14 may include a provision for suitably interconnecting the battery cell terminals 48 a , 48 b , 48 c , 48 d , and the battery cells 26 a , 26 b may be placed in an orientation that facilitates the desired series or parallel battery terminal interconnection . the two inner frame members 24 a and 24 b each have a planar outboard face 40 a and sculpted inboard face 40 b . when they are arranged as shown in fig6 and mutually joined , the outboard faces 40 a provide smooth support surfaces for the battery cells 26 a and 26 b , and the sculpted inboard faces 40 b form the u - shaped coolant channels 32 a - 32 d . specifically , the coolant channels 32 a , 32 b , 32 c , 32 d indicated in fig2 are formed by an arrangement of nested pairs u - shaped recesses 42 a , 42 b , 42 c , 42 d on the inboard face 40 b of each inner frame member 24 a , 24 b . the opposed recesses 42 a - 42 d on the inboard faces 40 b of frame members 24 a and 24 b abut when the frame members 24 a and 24 b are joined , thereby defining the u - shaped coolant channels 32 a - 32 d , including the respective entry end 54 and exit end 56 of each coolant channels 32 a - 32 d . the inner frame members 24 a , 24 b also include lower openings or apertures 44 that align as indicated to form the intake chamber 28 and exhaust chambers 30 a and 30 b mentioned above in reference to fig2 . the recesses 42 a - 42 d open at one end into the openings 44 that form the intake chamber 28 , and at the other end into the openings 44 that form the exhaust chambers 30 a and 30 b to produce the coolant flow illustrated in fig4 when coolant is supplied to the inlet port 20 a . a tongue - in - groove seal 46 near the periphery of the inner frame members 24 a , 24 b prevents coolant leaks to atmosphere ; and tongue - in - groove seals 52 helps prevent short - cut coolant leakages between intake plenum 34 and exhaust plenums 36 a and 36 b . it is expected that some coolant leakage between adjacent coolant channels 32 a and 32 b , or between adjacent coolant channels 32 c and 32 d may occur , but any such leakage is expected to be both minor and inconsequential . the battery cells 26 a , 26 b are maintained in contact with the smooth and planar outboard faces 40 of the inner frame members 24 a , 24 b , and the coolant in coolant channels 32 a - 32 d is only separated from the battery cells 26 a , 26 b by the local thickness of the respective inner frame member 24 a or 24 b , which may be on the order of 1 mm or less . accordingly , heat produced by the battery cells 26 a , 26 b is quickly and efficiently transferred to the coolant flowing in coolant channels 32 a - 32 d , even if the inner frame members 24 a , 24 b are constructed of a material such as plastic . of course , the inner frame members 24 a , 24 b could be constructed of a material exhibiting high thermal conductivity if desired . also , it is possible to utilize an insulating material such as plastic for the marginal portions of inner frame members 24 a , 24 b , and a conductive material such as aluminum for the non - marginal portions of inner frame members 24 a , 24 b . the two outer frame members 24 c and 24 d fasten to the inner frame members 24 a and 24 b , respectively , to retain the prismatic battery cells 26 a and 26 b in the module 14 . in effect , the terminal and marginal portions of each battery cell 26 a , 26 b are sandwiched between an inner frame member 24 a , 24 b and an outer frame member 24 c , 24 d . and the inter - module foam pads , mentioned above in respect to fig1 , press against the exposed non - marginal portions of the battery cells 26 a and 26 b to maintain them in abutment with the exterior surfaces 40 of the inner frame members 24 a and 24 b . in summary , present invention provides an effective and low - cost packaging arrangement for efficiently and uniformly cooling a prismatic - cell battery pack with a flow - through coolant . integrating the coolant channels 32 a - 32 d and plenums 34 , 36 into the frames 24 a , 24 b that support the cells 26 of the battery pack 10 contributes to low overall cost , and ensures that the coolant will uniformly cool each of the cells 26 . the use of identical parts in reverse orientation ( for example , the inlet and outlet end caps 20 , 22 , the inner frame members 24 a , 24 b , and the outer frame members 24 c , 24 d ) also contributes to low overall cost of the battery pack 10 . the ‘ up - the - middle , down - the - outside ’ configuration of the flow channels 32 a - 32 d helps to deliver lower temperature coolant to the central area of the battery cells where the highest temperatures have been observed , and as such provide for more uniform operating temperatures across the battery cells . while the present invention has been described with respect to the illustrated embodiment , it is recognized that numerous modifications and variations in addition to those mentioned herein will occur to those skilled in the art . for example , the number of coolant channels 32 a - 32 d in a battery cell module 14 may be different than shown , as may the number of battery cells 26 in a battery cell module 14 , or the entry end 54 of coolant channels 32 a and 32 d may be joined to form a common inlet end overlying the center line 50 to form a ‘ t ’ shaped coolant channel , and so on . accordingly , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the disclosed embodiment , but that it have the full scope permitted by the language of the following claims .	7
referring to fig1 a holographic spectrometer 10 according to the present invention is shown which is used to detect electromagnetic radiation . the holographic spectrometer 10 receives infrared radiation from a source 12 through a diffuser 14 and a re - imaging mirror 16 . the re - imaging mirror 16 is used to symbolize the collecting telescope optics of a thermal imaging system and may be similar to that described in hudson , infrared systems engineering , john wiley & amp ; sons , 1969 at fig5 - 20 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . the diffuser 14 is used to optically increase the uniformity of the thermal image delivered to the re - imaging mirror 16 . while the diffuser may be fabricated from a ground dielectric transmission material , other suitable materials may be used . the holographic spectrometer 10 includes a plurality of substrates 18 which are located adjacent to one another . infrared radiation is received through the apertures 20 located on the sides of the substrates 18 . it is to be understood , however , that other means for restricting the receipt of electromagnetic radiation may be used . the substrates 18 may be formed using standard integrated circuit technology and may be composed of gallium - arsinide , lithium - niobate , or other suitable materials . to divide the electromagnetic radiation received through the apertures into two portions , each substrate 18 comprises a first waveguide 22 and a second waveguide 24 . the first waveguide 22 optically communicates with the aperture 20 of the substrate 18 and delivers the electromagnetic radiation received therefrom to a geodesic lens described below . the second waveguide 24 is located adjacent to the first waveguide 22 to permit optical coupling of the electromagnetic radiation propagating in the first waveguide 22 to the second waveguide 24 . by appropriate selection of the distance along which the first and second waveguides 22 and 24 optically communicate , a dual channel directional coupler is formed in which half the radiation entering the waveguide 22 is coupled to the waveguide 24 . the first and second waveguides 22 and 24 create two separate paths for electromagnetic radiation so as to provide the necessary interference at the location in the substrate 18 where the electromagnetic radiation is to be detected . other means for dividing the electromagnetic radiation from the aperture 20 may be used including confluent beam splitters . the waveguides 22 and 24 may be formed by using ion implantation or ion diffusion to change the index of refraction of the substrate 18 in a region where the waveguides 22 and 24 are to be formed . it is to be understood , however , that other suitable techniques for forming the waveguides 22 and 24 may be used . the thickness of each of the waveguides 22 and 24 is selected to allow the desired mode of propagation of the electromagnetic radiation in the wavelengths 22 and 24 . to permit the electromagnetic radiation entering the apertures 20 to propagate in the tem 00 mode , the thickness for the waveguides 22 and 24 is chosen to be approximately on the order of the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation to be received . to collimate the electromagnetic radiation propagating in the waveguides , each of the substrates further includes a geodesic lens 26 . the geodesic lens 26 resides in a depressed portion in the substrate 18 and contains a layer of material which is similar to that which forms the waveguides 22 and 24 . the geodesic lens 26 is used to collimate the electromagnetic radiation delivered by the waveguides 22 and 26 , thereby causing the same portion of the wave fronts of the electromagnetic radiation travelling through the waveguides 22 and 26 to interfere at approximately the same location in th substrate 18 . as shown in fig2 those portions of the wave fronts delivered by the waveguides 22 and 24 designated as a interfere at the same location in the substrate 18 . similarly , those portions of the wave fronts delivered by the waveguides 22 and 24 designated as b interfere at the same location in the substrate 18 . while the geodesic lens 26 may be used to collimate the electromagnetic radiation propagating in the waveguides 22 and 24 , it is to be understood that other suitable means for collimating the electromagnetic radiation may be used . to electrically indicate the spectral information collimated by the geodesic lens 26 , a plurality of linear detector arrays 28 is provided . each linear detector array is bonded to the edge of one of the substrates 18 at the end opposing the aperture 20 . each element of the linear detector array 28 delivers an electrical output in response to the collimated electromagnetic radiation received by that particular elemental detector . while the elemental detectors in the linear detector array 28 may be solid state photoconductive detectors , and fabricated from intrinsic or extrinsic semiconductor material , it is to be understood that other means for detecting electromagnetic radiation may be used . because the geodesic lens 26 collimates the electromagnetic radiation delivered by the waveguides 22 and 24 , each elemental detector in the linear detector array 28 is able to receive a portion of the interference pattern created when the wave fronts propagating through the waveguides 22 and 24 combine . for example , the portion of the wave fronts travelling through waveguides 22 and 24 designated as a is received by the elemental detector 30 , while the portion of the wave fronts travelling through waveguides 22 and 24 designated as b is received by the elemental detector 32 . the outputs of the elemental detectors forming the array 28 can then be processed by using fourier transformations to obtain spectral information concerning the object being viewed . by employing integrated optics technology , the present invention may be used for both detecting spectral information as well as for imaging . when used to detect spectral information , the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the object is received by the substrate 18 through the apertures 20 and delivered to the waveguide 22 . after approximately half of the electromagnetic radiation initially propagating through the waveguide 22 is coupled to the waveguide 24 , the electromagnetic radiation propagating through each of the waveguides 22 and 24 is delivered to the geodesic lens 26 which collimates the radiation . the interference pattern generated by the interaction of the wave fronts which were propagating in the waveguides 22 and 24 is then detected by the elemental detectors forming the linear detector array 28 . the signals generated by the elemental detectors may then be converted into digital form so they may be processed by a microcomputer system ( not shown ). the microcomputer system can then be used to reconstruct the spectrum using fast fourier transform techniques . when used in imaging , the outputs from the individual elemental detectors forming the linear detector array 28 are used to generate a signal which is proportional to the photons received by the array 28 . when used with the appropriate scanning technology , the outputs from each of the detector arrays 28 can be used to generate an image of the object being viewed . it should be understood that the invention was described in connection with the particular example thereof . other modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a study of the specifications , drawings and following claims .	6
referring to fig1 there is shown an exemplary embodiment of an amusement system 10 in accordance with the present invention . the amusement system 10 includes a pair of eyeglass frames 12 . the eyeglass frames 12 contain a bridge region 14 that extends across the top of the nose and two temple elements 16 that extend over the ears . as will later be described , electronic circuitry is contained within the eyeglass frames 12 . control buttons are present on the eyeglass frames 12 so that the electronic circuitry can be activated and preset for operation . a tilt sensor 20 is attached to the eyeglass frames 12 . in the embodiment of fig1 the tilt sensor 20 is positioned in front of the bridge 14 of the eyeglass frames 12 . the tilt sensor 20 can detect when the eyeglass frames 12 are moved in any direction . the electronic assembly within the eyeglass frames 12 contains a tone generator that is preprogrammed with a plurality of different well - known song melodies . the song melody can be selected using the control buttons 18 on the eyeglass frames 12 . the tone generator only generates a single tone from a selected melody each tine the tilt sensor 14 is activated . accordingly , in order to cause the tone generator to generate the tones of the selected melody , a person must move the eyeglass frames 14 back and forth . in order to keep the selected melody in its proper beat , the eyeglass frames 12 must be moved to the beat of the melody . as a result , a person wearing the eyeglass frames 12 must make timed coordinated head movements in order for the tone generator in the eyeglass frames 12 to properly produce the selected melody . referring to fig2 a cross section of an exemplary embodiment of the tilt sensor 20 is shown . in this embodiment , the tilt sensor 20 includes a hollow tubular structure 22 . inside the tubular structure 22 is an annular contact 24 . the annular contact 20 is electrically interconnected to a first lead 25 that extends from the tilt sensor 20 . an elongated contact arm 26 is suspended in the center of the tubular structure 22 . the elongated contact arm is electrically interconnected to a second lead 29 that extends from the tilt switch . the contact arm 26 is free to rotate in any direction about its point of suspension 27 . accordingly , when the tubular structure 22 of the tilt switch 20 is accelerated or tilted in any direction , the elongated contact arm 26 swings freely inside the tubular structure 22 . if the tubular structure 22 is tilted or if it is moved with enough acceleration , the elongated contact arm 26 will touch the annular contact 24 inside the tubular structure 22 . both the elongated contact arm 26 and the annular contact 24 are attached to a logic circuit . each time the elongated contact arm 26 touches the annular contact 24 , an electrical connection is completed . conversely , every time the elongated contact arm 26 moves away from the annular contact 24 , the electrical connection is broken . accordingly , the tilt sensor 20 operates between two states . in one state , an electrical connection is made , and in the other state , an electrical connection is broken . since the tilt sensor 20 operates in only two states , it can be used in a digital circuit , wherein the tilt sensor 20 creates a pulsed signal over time containing varying pulse changes between an “ on ” condition when the electrical connection is made , and an “ off ” condition when the electrical connection is broken . referring to fig3 it can be understood that contained within the eyeglass frames 12 ( fig1 ) is an electronic assembly 30 . the electronic assembly 30 contains a speaker 32 and a tone generator 34 that produces various tones for the speaker 32 . the tone generator 34 is directed by a logic circuit 36 , wherein the logic circuit 36 is used to select a melody from a plurality of preprogrammed melodies that are stored in a memory 38 . the selection of different melodies from the memory 38 can be performed by a user , utilizing the button controls 18 . once a melody is selected , the logic circuit 36 only sends the tones of that melody to the tone generator 34 one note at a time . the only time that the logic circuit 36 sends a note to the tone generator 34 is when the logic circuit 36 detects a change in state from the tilt sensor 20 . accordingly , each time the tilt sensor 20 changes between an “ on ” state and an “ off ” state , the logic circuit 36 sends a single note from the selected melody to the tone generator 34 . the tone generator 34 then produces the tone that is broadcast through the speaker 32 . as such , if a person wants the melody being played to sound proper , that person must move the tilt sensor 20 to the beat of the selected melody . since the tilt sensor 20 is connected to eyeglass frames 12 ( fig1 ), the person wearing the eyeglass frames must repeatedly move their head to the beat of the melody in order to change the state of the tilt sensor 20 to the beat of that melody . this causes a person to rapidly move their head in a sporadic manner that is fun for both the person wearing the eyeglass frames and other people who are watching . referring back to fig1 the tilt sensor 20 is attached to the bridge of the eyeglass frames and the electronic assembly of fig3 is contained within the structure of the eyeglass frames . such a structure is merely exemplary , and it should be understood that the tilt switch and the electronics of the present invention can be located in many different positions on the eyeglass frame or may even be embodied in an assembly that can be retroactively attached to a separate pair of eyeglasses or other body supported object . referring to fig4 such an alternate embodiment of the present invention device is shown . in fig4 a plurality of body supported objects 40 are shown that can be used to attach the present invention to a person &# 39 ; s body . the body supported objects include a pair of eyeglass frames 42 . also shown are other body supported objects that can be substituted for the eyeglass frames 42 . among the substitutes include a head band 44 that can be worn around the head , a hat 46 that can be worn on the head , a chin strap 48 that is worn on the chin , and a body strap assembly 50 . the body strap assembly 50 includes a mounting plate 52 . the mounting plate 52 is connected to a strap 54 . the strap 54 can be secured around the waist , arm , leg or any other part of the body . an electronic assembly 60 is provided that can be attached to any of the body supported objects 40 . the electronic assembly 60 includes the electronic components described in fig3 along with a battery for power . accordingly , the electronic assembly 60 plays one note of a selected melody each time the electronic assembly 60 is accelerated or jarred . the electronic assembly 60 can attach to any of the body supported objects using a mechanical fastening system , such as a hook , or other fastening systems such as velcro . in the shown embodiment , each of the body supported objects 40 has a female connector 58 . the electronic assembly 60 contains a small male protrusion 62 that passes into any of the female connectors 58 and engages the female connectors 56 with a friction fit . accordingly , the electronic assembly 60 can be attached to any of the body supported objects 40 by simply pressing the male protrusion 62 of the electronic assembly 60 into the female connector 58 of a body supported object 40 . it will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention amusement system that are described and illustrated herein are merely exemplary and a person skilled in the art can make many variations to the embodiment shown without departing from the scope of the present invention . for example , there are many types of sensors that can detect physical movement . such sensors include accelerometers , mercury switches , ball hearing switches and the like . any such sensor can be adapted for use as part of the present invention . all such variations , modifications and alternate embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .	0
for purposes of this disclosure the navx features of the ensite system as sold by esi of st paul minn ., allows for the creation of a chamber geometry reflecting the chamber of interest within the heart . in a preferred embodiment a mapping catheter is swept around the chamber by the physician to create a geometry for the chamber . next the physician will identify fiducial points in the physical heart that are used to create a base map of the heart model . this base map may be merged with a ct or mri image to provide an extremely high resolution , highly detailed anatomic map image of the chamber of the heart . or in the alternative the base map may be used for the method . the physician identifies regions of this model heart for ablation by interacting with a computer terminal and for example using a mouse to lay down a collection of target points which he intends to ablate with rf energy . in summary the servo catheter is also interfaced with the ensite system and makes use of the navx catheter navigation and visualization features of navx . in operation the physician navigates the servo catheter to the approximate location of the therapy and a relatively complicated control system is invoked that navigates the servo catheter tip to various locations sequentially identified by the physician . once in place and after its position is verified the physician will activate the rf generator to provide the ablation therapy . the catheter has a number of attributes that permit the device to carry out this function . an illustrative and not limiting prototype version of the device is seen in fig5 and fig6 . the catheter 100 has been constructed with eight pull wires ( of which 4 are shown for clarity ) and two associated pull rings labeled 102 and 104 in the figures . the pull wires typified by pull wire 106 and 108 are manipulated by servo mechanisms , such as stepper or driven ball screw slides illustrated in fig1 . these mechanisms displace the wire with respect to the catheter body 110 and under tension pull and shape the catheter in a particular direction . the use of multiple wires and multiple pull rings allows for very complex control over the catheter &# 39 ; s position , shape and stiffness , all of which are important to carry out the ultimate therapy desired by the physician . multiple pull rings and multiple individual wires permits control over the stiffness of the catheter which is used to conform the shape of the catheter so that the entire carriage may be advanced on a ball screw to move the catheter against the wall of the heart . at least one force transducer 112 is located within the catheter provide feedback to the control system to prevent perforation of the heart and to otherwise enhance the safety of the unit . preferably the force transducer takes the form of a strain gauge 112 coupled to the control system via connection 120 . the catheter distal tip will carry an ablation electrode 124 coupled via a connection not shown to the rf generator as is known in the art . it is preferred to have a separate location electrode 126 for use by the ensite system as is known in the art . once again no connection is shown to simply the figure for clarity . as seen in fig6 pulling on pull wire 108 deflects the distal tip while pulling on pull wire 106 deflects the body 110 of the catheter . since each wire is independent of the others the computer system may control both the stiffness and deflection of the catheter in a way not achieved by physician control of the wires . in general the physician will use a joystick of other input device to control the catheter . however , this control system also invokes many of the automated procedures of the servo catheter and is not strictly a direct manipulator . although robotic control has made great headway in surgery most conventional systems use a stereotactic frame to position the device and the coordinate systems with respect to the patient . one challenge of the current system is the fact that the target tissue is moving because the heart is beating and the catheter within the heart is displaced and moved by heart motion as well so that there is no permanently fixed relationship between the catheter and its coordinate system , the patient and its coordinate system , and the patient and its coordinate system at the target site . this issue is complicated by and exacerbated by the fact that the map may not be wholly accurate as well , so the end point or target point &# 39 ; s location in space is not well resolved . turning to fig1 there is shown a patient &# 39 ; s heart 10 in isolation . a series of patch electrodes are applied to the surface of the patient ( not shown ) typified by patch 12 . these are coupled to an ensite catheter navigation system 14 which locates the tip of the servo catheter 16 in the chamber 18 of the patient &# 39 ; s heart . the ensite system is capable of using this catheter or another catheter to create a map of the chamber of the heart shown as image 20 on monitor 22 of a computer system . in operation the physician interacts with the model image 20 and maps out and plans an rf ablation intervention that is applied to the servo catheter 16 through its proximal connection to the servo catheter interface box 24 . the interface box allows rf energy from generator 26 to enter the catheter upon the command of the physician and ablate tissue in the cardiac chamber . critical to the operation of the servo catheter is the translation mechanism 28 , which provides a carriage for translating the catheter proximal end advancing or retracting the catheter from the chamber as indicated by motion arrow 30 . an additional group of sensors and actuators or other servo translation mechanism 32 are coupled to the proximal end of the catheter 16 to allow the device to be steered automatically by software running on the ensite 14 workstation . thus , in brief overview , the physician navigates the catheter into the chamber of interest , identifies locations of interest within that chamber which he desires to ablate , then the servo mechanism moves the catheter to various locations requested by the physician and once in position the physician administers rf radiation to provide a therapeutic intervention . fig2 shows the interaction of the physician with the heart model . the locations for ablation are shown on the map 20 as x &# 39 ; s 32 which surround an anatomic structure that may be , for example , the pulmonary vein 34 . these locations are typically accessed on the map image through a mouse or other pointer device 36 so that the physician may act intuitively with the model . as is clear from the ensite operation manual the catheter 16 may also be shown on the image to facilitate planning of the intervention . turning to fig3 the servo catheter 16 has been activated and the catheter has been retracted slightly as indicated by arrow 41 and has been manipulated to come into contact with the cardiac tissue at location 40 . in this instance the physician is in a position to perform his ablation . the control system to achieve this result is shown in fig4 a and fig4 b which are two panels of a software flow chart describing software executed by the ensite work station . turning to fig4 a , initially the catheter is placed in the desired heart chamber as seen in fig2 by the positioning of catheter 16 as represented on the ensite work station within the chamber of the heart 20 . this process occurs after the creation of the chamber geometry . in block 202 the ensite system determines the location of the location ring of catheter 16 in the chamber and in process 204 a small motion is initiated by the operation of the steppers 32 controlling the various pull wires of the catheter . the ensite system tracks the motion of the location electrode and establishes a relationship between the operation of the various pull wires and motion in the chamber . it is important to note that this process eliminates the need to keep track of the x , y , z references of the body and the catheter . in process 206 the physician manipulates the joystick or other control mechanism and places the target location , for example target location 32 , around an anatomic feature of interest , for example the os of the pulmonary vein . the user then activates a “ go ” command on the workstation and the catheter 16 automatically navigates to the location 32 by measuring the difference between its current position and the desired location position in block 210 . if it is within 0 . 5 millimeters or so , the process stops in block 212 . however , if the catheter is farther away from the target location than 0 . 5 millimeters , the process defaults to step 212 wherein a displacement vector is calculated in process 212 . in process 214 the displacement vector is scaled and in process 216 an actuation vector is computed to drive the catheter toward the location . in process 218 the actuation vector is applied to the pull wires 32 and to the carriage 28 to move the catheter tip toward the desired location . after a short incremental motion in process 220 a new location for the catheter is computed and the process repeats with comparison step 210 . it is expected that in most instances the algorithm will converge and the catheter will move smoothly and quickly to the desired location . however , after a certain number of tries if this result is not achieved it is expected that an error condition will be noted and the physician will reposition the catheter manually and then restart the automatic algorithm .	0
reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . while the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments , it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments . on the contrary , the invention is intended to cover alternatives , modifications and equivalents , which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . fig1 illustrates a data collection and analysis system 100 for automatic analysis and documentation of work and time expended by a user of a computer according to the invention . the system is called dragnet . the dragnet system operates with a computer such as a personal computer using , for example , a dos operating system running dos application programs or a dos operating system with a microsoft windows graphical user interface for running microsoft windows applications . other operating system platforms can be used , as desired . the system 100 includes a main program that gives a user a database type of interface for building up project information and task information . the main program is , for example , a visual basic application that provides a database for keeping the data that the work analyzer needs and that provides a simple interface for selection of work analysis criteria and for printing of reports . an important part of the system 100 is a data collector that collects the data and a work analyzer that analyzes that data that interfaces to the main program . the system 100 uses a software module which is a hardware abstraction layer 101 , which is located between the system 100 and external devices . the system 100 has a number of input paths 101 a , 101 b , 101 c for receiving input information from the hardware abstraction layer 101 . the system 100 also has an input / output path 101 d for receiving / sending information between the hardware abstraction layer 101 and the system 100 . the system 101 is designed to usually interface with a user keyboard 102 for both dos and for windows applications . for windows applications , the system 100 also interfaces with a mouse 104 . a hard disk 106 is provided for storage of a user &# 39 ; s applications as well as for storage of the various data files provided by the system according to the invention . the data collection part of the system works with either dos or windows applications , while the actual data analysis part of the system works only with windows . the hardware abstraction layer 101 allows a wide variety of storage devices and user input devices to operate with the system 100 . the hardware abstraction layer 101 translates the activities of storage devices , typically shown as 107 , so that they can use the storage path 101 d . the hardware abstraction layer 101 translates selected activities of external selection devices , typically shown as 108 , such as remote controls or devices connected by phone lines , so that they can use the dos or windows keyboard input paths 101 c , 101 b . the hardware abstraction layer 101 d translates pointer device activities of pointer devices , typically shown as 109 , such as a mouse or a drawing tablet , so that they can use the windows mouse input path 101 a . the hardware abstraction layer 101 is equivalent to the bios in a pc computer . the system 100 monitors keyboard and mouse functions . the addition of the hardware abstraction layer 101 provides the capability of monitoring , i . e ., detecting , activities of multiple types of input devices , such as remote controls for tv set top boxes , drawing , tablets , touch - tone keyboards , etc . the hardware abstraction layer 101 allows these and other devices to be detected directly by the system 100 . this enhances the ability of the system 100 to categorize a number of additional activities , making the activities finer - grained and providing better accumulation of various different activities . additionally , the hardware abstraction layer 101 makes it possible to add capability to the system 100 by providing “ in the field ” additions to the hardware abstraction layer 101 by downloading information for new external devices to the rom of the system 100 . the hardware abstraction layer 101 can be thought of as being similar to a plug - in module that allows one or more new activity detectors to be inserted without affecting the remainder of the system 100 , as described herein below . in this manner , detection of activity of a new input device is provided without replacing or modification of the system 100 , that is , without having to rewrite the core programs of the system 100 . the system 100 includes two unique software modules . the first module is resident module 110 or operating system extension such as a terminate - stay - resident ( tsr ) dragnet module 110 , which includes data collection and analysis functions , which are described herein below . while described in connection with a windows or dos environment , the resident module or operating system extension is intended to include implementations of the invention for systems other than ibm compatible systems . the second module is a dragnet keyboard / mouse filter module 112 . the system 100 operates in conjunction with operation of a dos application program 114 or a windows application program 116 . a dos file system 118 is used . for a windows application program 116 , a windows graphic user interface 120 is provided . as part of the startup for the dos operating system , the tsr program 110 is started . the tsr program 110 hooks itself up between the dos file system 118 and either a dos application 114 or a windows application program 116 . a tsr ( terminate - and - stay ) resident program enables a program to embed itself into the computer &# 39 ; s memory and to remain there while dos continues to run other programs . in the dos mode of operation for a dos application program , when the dos application program makes a request to open a file or to run a program , the request first goes through the tsr program 110 before it goes to the dos file system 118 . when a dos application makes a request for an operation to be performed such as , for example , a request to open a file , close a file , read data , write data , or change directories , the tsr program 110 passes that request onto the dos system and lets the dos system process the request . before going back to the dos application to give the dos application the results , if the operation was successful , then that information is recorded by the tsr program 110 . for example , if a file is tried to be open and the file does in fact open , that event is recorded . the information is recorded into a buffer memory . a separate asynchronous routine operates at one second intervals to take the buffer information into memory and to write that information out to a file on the hard disk . because the tsr program 110 is hooked into the dos system at a low memory address level , the tsr program cannot open files or do read / write operations with a file while data is being collected . those other operations are done separately when the dos system is not doing anything else . in a similar manner , the tsr program 110 watches every key stroke that comes in from the keyboard 102 . a keystroke comes into the tsr program 110 application so that it is possible to detect that a user is pressing keys . the only information that is necessary to know is that keyboard activity is happening . it is not necessary to know what particular keys are being operated . the actual keys are not recorded . what is recorded is the fact that , during a one - second interval , a user typed something into the keyboard . the tsr program 110 is placed between the dos application and the dos file system to monitor the occurrence of key strokes and to send keystroke occurrence information out to the hard disk every second . in the windows mode of operation for a windows application program , the windows system installs its own windows keyboard driver and its own mouse driver . as a result , the hook routine that is installed to catch keystrokes at the dos level doesn &# 39 ; t get called when windows is running . the windows keyboard driver and mouse driver replace other service routines with their own service routines . in order to monitor key strokes in the windows mode of operation , the keyboard / mouse filter 112 is used . in general , a filter takes information from one program , examines it , possibly changes the information , and then passes the ( modified ) information along to another program . the keyboard / mouse filter 112 watches each keystroke and mouse click that happens while windows is running . similar to dos monitoring keystrokes , the keyboard / mouse filter 112 also keeps track of the fact that a keyboard or mouse activity is happening . the keyboard / mouse filter 112 under windows also keeps track of which file is actually being used . for example , programs like microsoft word or excel can have multiple documents open . it is necessary to know which files inside microsoft word are actually being manipulated . using this keyboard / mouse filter 112 , each time that there is a keystroke or a mouse click , the system 100 actually looks at which window in the top window on the screen and records that information . using windows requires a two - step process because of the architecture of windows . if a macintosh platform is used , only one step is required . in windows , the user types his keys and the keystrokes first go into windows and then windows decides which applications should get those key strokes . for windows , the invention catches the keystrokes half way between windows graphic environment module 120 and the windows application 116 . the windows graphic environment module 120 looks to see which data file the windows application is working with before passing the keystrokes onto the windows application . the windows graphic environment module 120 includes the windows keyboard and mouse drivers , the windowing system , and everything else that makes up windows as the operating system . the windows application 116 sits on top of the windows operating system and puts data into a screen window in response to user operations , such as menu selections . the windows graphic environment module 120 functions to display screen windows and takes keystrokes and sends them to the windows application 116 . it &# 39 ; s actually up to the application to decide that when you type “ a ,” it should put a character on the screen . the invention catches the input keystroke information after the windows graphic environment module 120 gets a character and decides which screen window the character goes to . the actual windows application then gets the character . the windows application 116 sends file activity information over to the tsr module 110 . windows applications do not replace the dos file system when they are running . windows is actually built on top of the dos application . when a windows application opens a file , it still goes through the tsr module 110 . when a windows user types a key , the keystroke information first goes through the windows graphic environment module 120 . the remaining operations with windows are similar to the dos operations . the keystrokes also still have to go through the tsr program to the dos file system 118 . under a dos application , the information ( both the keystrokes and the file information ) come directly to the tsr module 110 . under windows , the file information goes to the tsr module 110 directly from the windows application 116 , but the keyboard and mouse information to the tsr module 110 come from the windows graphic environment module 120 , and not directly from the keyboard . fig2 is a flow chart illustrating initialization of the tsr module 110 , where the tsr module 110 performs data collection by logging file activity or by logging keyboard and mouse activity for a computer system . block 202 indicates initialization of a third party product called coderunner which provides a very compact run - time library for the c programming language . the library sub - routines from the compiler writers for a c program are used to open and close files and to print text on the screen , etc . block 204 indicates that parameters are loaded into a file from a parameter file 206 . the parameters basically indicate if there are any files or directories that are not to be tracked . for example , a user might not want to keep track of an activity in a temporary directory or every time someone wants to open a font on a windows directory . to avoid collection of voluminous and meaningless activities , a user can exclude such activities . block 208 indicates that the old dos interrupt vectors are saved . block 210 indicates that new interrupt vectors are stored in low memory . when a dos application program wants to invoke a dos routine , the intel processor has a software interrupt feature so when the dos application wants to invoke the dos routine , dos loads up some registers and generates an int 21 command , which goes down to low memory and finds the address where the dos routine is located and then jumps off to the dos routine . the contents of that low memory location are saved . hooking the interrupt means replacing the address of where the function is with the interrupt routine address and then calling the function . in fig2 the initialization proceeds from top to bottom without stopping and without going to any of the interrupt vectors . when it says store new interrupt vectors , it just means you &# 39 ; re storing the addresses of these flow charts discussed in connection with fig3 and 5 discussed herein below . fig2 . only shows initialization of the system . block 212 initializes a time - based scheduler routine , which is part of the coderunner library . the time - based scheduler routine calls however often you want . it is initialized and block 214 indicates that it is set for a one - second interrupt . fig3 is a flow chart 300 illustrating a tsr interrupt 9 routine for dos keyboard interrupt operation for keyboard activity . block 302 indicates that , when the low - level keyboard driver has a character , it generates an interrupt 9 which is intended to go to dos to eventually transmit that key onto the application . so we get the interrupt from the keyboard driver and set a flag saying we see a keystroke and then we call the dos sub - routines which were supposed to get it in the first place . block 304 test flags to determine whether the dragnet system is ready and whether the dragnet system is on in order to make sure that we don &# 39 ; t start trying to collect data through the file system interrupt before we actually have all the buffers and other items ready . when the actual work is analyzed , no data is collected and the dragnet is off . dragnet is turned off so we are not trying to collect data about analyzing the work because that doesn &# 39 ; t make any sense ; there &# 39 ; s nothing there to be collected . the ready flag says that everything is set up . if dragnet &# 39 ; s ready and on , the block 308 determines whether a keystroke was stored since the last interrupt . if a keystroke was stored , the routine exits . each keystroke is not stored because users can type a number of characters per second . block 310 indicates that , if a keystroke has not been recorded since the last interrupt , the keystroke record in a collection buffer is stored . there is an end memory collection buffer where , when different kinds of activity happen , we put data records in this collection buffer . every second we get a different kind of interrupt that comes in and takes however many records are in the buffer and writes them out to the disk . the interrupt routine for the keyboard of fig3 only gets called when a user actually types a key . that &# 39 ; s where it will go after we &# 39 ; ve done the boxes marked store new interrupt vectors . fig4 is a flow chart 400 illustrating a special , arbitrarily - named tsr interrupt 60 routine for a windows interface interrupt operation . this routine is unique to a system according to the invention and is not something that the dos operating system already provides . the tsr interrupt 60 routine provides a 110 mechanism so that the dragnet keyboard / mouse filter module 112 can communicate with the tsr module 110 in order to put data into that same buffer that gets written out to the disk once every second . blocks 402 and 404 indicate whether dragnet is ready and on . when the window keyboard / mouse filter 122 wants to store some information , it puts a code value in the register and does an interrupt 60 . the code values are 1 , 2 , or 3 , which indicates three different operations : code 1 asks the tsr where the buffer is ; code 2 tells the tsr to change the address of the pointer within the buffer ; and code 3 provides a windows busy mechanism to make sure that the dos tsr operation and the windows collection do not happen simultaneously . block 406 tests whether a code 1 is present . if so , block 408 shows that the address of the buffer pointer is returned . if not , block 410 tests whether a code 2 is present . if so , block 412 updates the buffer pointer for the register . if not , block 414 tests whether code 3 is present . if so , block 416 sets or clears the windows busy flag . this ensures that , while the buffer is being filled up , a protection mechanism is provided to make sure that , while a user is putting data in the mouse keyboard filter , the one - second interrupt handler isn &# 39 ; t trying to write the buffer contents out to the disk . this routine is called once to ‘ set the flag ’ and then it is called again to flag when the user is done . in that way , if a one - second interrupt comes in when the system is in the middle of processing a mouse click from windows , the system will wait for the next second . fig5 is a flow chart 500 illustrating a special tsr interrupt 21 ( int 21 ) routine for a file system hooking interrupt operation . an interrupt 21 is a dos function which controls how dos applications open files , close files . interrupt 21 is written in assembler code and is a true interrupt handler . the block 502 saves the values in the registers of the processor . the blocks 504 , 506 determine whether dragnet is ready and on . if so , the block 508 determines whether a type is interesting . when you do an int 21 you pass into a register one of about 60 different codes that says what you want to do . do you want to open a file , close a file , rename a file , etc . those are the codes or types . we don &# 39 ; t monitor every single type ; actually we monitor about 7 or 8 different types . we look to see if a type is something that we want ; mainly if is it something that has a file name associated with it . and if it is , then we save what kind of type it is and we save the string in block 510 ( normally the file name that was associated with it ). then we go call the old int 21 in block 512 because we have to go to dos and actually have dos do the work , try to open the file , for example . then we come back and look at the processor &# 39 ; s carry flag in block 514 , which is one of the processor &# 39 ; s internal registers . if it is set that means that is the way dos indicates that there was an error . if there was an error , we back up this pointer in block 516 where we save the record type and string because it didn &# 39 ; t actually work . in other words , a typical way with a dos system is that you have this path statement that specifies where the files are and it goes down through the path and tries to open each file and each directory on the path until it finds it . it is not interesting to us if it had to go through 5 different directories before it found the file . we only care when it actually found it . so if you wrote an application that just simply tried over and over and over in a loop to open files that didn &# 39 ; t exist , we wouldn &# 39 ; t consider that work . you are not accomplishing anything ; therefore , it is not recorded as work . fig6 is a flow chart illustrating a routine for a timer - based interrupt operation in the data collection routine . block 602 asks if dos is busy and if dos is busy , then block 604 causes another one second delay . we set up the timer to interrupt us in another second and then we leave . if dos isn &# 39 ; t busy , block 608 indicates that the data that was collected by the tsr is written to a disk , which is the purge event buffer file . block 610 indicates that the pointers are checked for initialization . if not , block 612 sets up pointers with the values of the current data segment registers in the intel processor . the first time that this flow chart is executed it is necessary to initialize some things because one of the segment registers inside the intel processor changes between initialization time and actual execution time of the sub - routine . that process is done once and in block 614 flags are reset that say we have seen a keystroke . in block 618 a flag is set that says the pointers are ready so that the next time we come through we will take that yes path out of block 610 . block 620 indicates that in a second later we go back to start . fig7 a , 7 b , and 7 c illustrate a flow chart 700 for purging an event the windows busy flag is tested . if windows is not busy , block 704 decrements the windows busy flag . if the windows mouse filter is doing something , then windows is busy and we have to wait until the next second . windows is busy means that our portion of our system that runs on windows is busy , not the windows operating system . if we can , then we decrement this flag which tells buffer to a log file in the timer based interrupt operation of fig6 . in block 702 windows that we &# 39 ; re busy so it doesn &# 39 ; t try to do anything while we &# 39 ; re doing this . block 706 test if anything is in the buffer . if not , block 708 increments the windows busy flag and we leave . if there is something in the buffer , block 710 indicates that the dragnet_on flag is set to 0 , or turned off in order to prevent our int 21 &# 39 ; s from being recorded . as we are trying to write this data to the file , we are going to be issuing int 21 &# 39 ; s and we don &# 39 ; t want our int 21 &# 39 ; s to be recorded . block 712 indicates that we open the activity log file 714 on the hard disk 106 . the activity log file 714 is structured for convenience as one file for each month . the current date and time are determined and the appropriate monthly activity log file 714 is opened . the routine continues as indicated by the purge 2 continuation symbol 716 to fig7 b . in fig7 b , block 720 tests whether the activity log file 714 opened . if not the routine continues , as indicated by the purge 3 continuation symbol 722 to fig7 c . the file not being open means that some error is happening , but the system is not going to crash and the routine continues on . block 724 indicates that we go to the end of the activity log file 714 because we are appending data to the end of the activity log file 714 . block 726 is the start of a loop which fetches and writes activity records to a data collector . block 726 fetches a new activity by rectype and data . rectype indicates the type of activity such as a file opening or closing , a keystroke , etc . data is typically the name of the file or a path when a change directory operation happens . the loop proceeds to block 728 which tests whether a file name which consists , for example , of 8 tildes and 3 back quotes is open . the file name is not a normal file name . if an attempt has been made to open that file , block 730 indicates that the parameter file 206 of fig2 is to be re - read . this allows changes to be made and to be read from the parameter file without having to re - boot the computer . after the parameter file is re - read , the data not actually recorded to the disk . if block 728 does not detect the file name which causes the parameter file to be re - read , block 732 tests whether another special file name , which is called dragnet ˜. off is active . this file is activated as a way of turning dragnet off . code for a subsequently described work analyzer code can try to turn the dragnet system off . and if in fact that is the case , then the dragnet system is turned off by means of block 734 which sets a turnoff variable to a one state . if block 728 or block 732 indicate that neither one of the two special file names has been opened or attempted to be opened , then block 736 indicates that the activity data is to be written to a dynamic data collection ( ddc ), or dragnet data collection . the ddc is the same as the activity log file 714 with a different name . block 738 tests whether more data is in the buffer . if so , the routine loops back to block 726 to fetch more data . data is collected for one second . in one second , the computer could have opened and closed a number of files , received three keystrokes , and done a number of other functions so there will be a number of different records in the buffer . the loop starting with block 726 and ending with block 738 keeps operating until the buffer is empty . if block 738 finds that the buffer is empty , the routine goes through the purge 4 continuation symbol to block 740 of fig7 c , which closes the activity file . block 742 indicates that the buffer pointers are then reset and all of the data collected is lost . with reference to fig6 block 608 is implemented in fig7 a , 7 b , and 7 c to purge the event buffer once a second to the activity log file . blocks 610 , 614 , 618 , and 620 check if the pointers are initialized , reset the flags , and wait for another one second . the tsr module gets interrupted every one second according to the routine of fig6 . the tsr module is also asynchronously interrupted using the interrupt routine of fig3 , and 5 for int 9 , int 21 , and the special int 60 . these synchronous and asynchronous interrupt routines get information to the tsr module . fig8 is a flow chart illustrating the main windows interface program 800 which implements the system of fig1 . the dragnet keyboard / mouse filter 112 has two parts . it has the main windows interface program 800 and something called dynamic link library ( dll ) programs which are methods of implementing programs under windows . the main windows interface program 800 initializes everything . the dynamic link library ( dll ) programs actually gets called in a similar kind of way when each keystroke gets hit inside windows . the dragnet keyboard / mouse filter 112 works as follows : when the system , or program , according to the invention is installed for windows , an icon for this program is put into the windows start - up folder . when windows starts , it automatically runs the program . this is the drag hook indicated as element 802 in fig8 . this is similar to the tsr 110 of fig1 for dos , which is started when dos is booted . the windows interface of fig8 is started when windows is started . block 804 initializes the program . block 806 installs the keyboard filter , block 808 installs the mouse filter , and block 810 displays a message . block 812 indicates that the program then loops forever . the forever loop of block 812 means that the program just sits there and loops forever because in the process of installing the keyboard and mouse filters the extra separate subroutine library called a dll is loaded . if the program quits , the dll would not . if the dll would get removed from memory , the whole system would crash . the program is a windows program with no screen window in which the user never sees it as a window on the screen . fig9 is a flow chart illustrating a dynamic link library ( dll ) routine 900 for a windows interface for a dll keyboard filter operation . the dll is a dynamic link library which is a way of having sub - routine libraries that get loaded when they &# 39 ; re needed and can be shared between different applications . a dll also is a way inside windows that allows certain things to be done because of certain intel addressing conventions . every time a user presses a key , we get called before the application that &# 39 ; s looking for the key gets called in the same way as a dos interrupt but not as an interrupt . when the keyboard filter 900 is invoked at point 902 , block 904 saves the title of the last window that was looked at . this is similar to what was done with the dos version of the present invention . if a user types a hundred keys on the same screen window , a hundred messages are not written to the activity log file . an activity log file is written under windows only every ten seconds . the conditions for writing something to the log file from a windows application has to be a key in a new window , or it &# 39 ; s been ten seconds since the last key . block 904 saves the last window title , we get window text as a windows call . block 906 gets the title of the current window and block 908 tests whether the current window contains a valid file name to determine activity by a user . if the file name is not valid , then block 910 calls enumchildwindow , which is a window call which sorts through a number of screen windows on top of each other window until it finds the screen window that has the file name that is actually being used . this is done because in windows again , when you have a multiple document application , you can either have a frame window and smaller windows inside , or you can actually blow up the inside windows so that you still only see one document at a time but you still have multiple documents open . when you do that , it puts the name of the file in the outside window . the active file name is looked for in the outside window . if it is found , we are in the particular case where the inside windows are maximized . if the name is not found , then we have to go down and search down through the “ children ” windows until we find which particular window we are currently working with . after the window is found with a valid file name in it , block 912 determines if conditions are right . the conditions are : a key down , more than ten seconds since the last key , or a different window since the last interval . if all the conditions are true , block 914 stores a string using the int 60 routine , as described herein below . block 918 calls the next hook which means that we call the next person in the chain here to effectively process the keystroke . in windows there could be multiples of these keyboard filters and we can get called after some have been processed and before all of them have been processed so we come in and do our work and pass it on to the next guy which may be the application , or it may not be ; we don &# 39 ; t care . fig1 is a flow chart illustrating a dll windows interface to a mouse filter operation which works exactly like the keyboard filter . we get the mouse click , we go find the title of the current window in block 1008 , and decide whether it has a file number in it or whether we have to go searching for it and then we look for the conditions and the conditions are similar . it has to be a mouse down and either more than ten seconds , or in a different window . and if it meets those conditions , then we write the information off to the tsr buffer saying something happened . and then we call the next animal in the food chain in block 1016 to do whatever with this mouse click that needs to be done . fig1 is a flow chart illustrating a dll windows interface to the tsr data collection routine for the keyboard filter operation of fig9 and the mouse filter operation of fig1 . this is the way in which we use the interrupt 60 to communicate . block 1102 is called by block 914 of fig9 . block 1104 calls the tsr to tell it to do the get / set windows busy flag routine . block 1106 looks to see if the tsr is present in memory . if it isn &# 39 ; t present in memory , the program exits . if the tsr routine is not started , we don &# 39 ; t want windows to crash simply because it &# 39 ; s not there . so there is some error protection to make sure that windows isn &# 39 ; t crashing . if the tsr is present , then block 108 looks to see whether we got the windows busy flag . block 110 provides a one second delay because if we were in that routine that we went through before where we were doing the purge event buffer routine , then we can &# 39 ; t get it so we have to wait for a second and try again . this provides a synchronization mechanism between these two parts of the program to make sure that both people aren &# 39 ; t trying to write into the buffer at the same time . so assuming that when we finally get done with this , and we get the flag ( the windows busy flag ), then block 1112 indicates that we go call the tsr to get the address of where does the next record go into memory buffer . because we &# 39 ; re running in windows , block 1114 converts that real memory address to a virtual memory address because that is what windows applications are expecting , virtual memory addresses . then just like in int 21 , for example , block 1116 indicates that we do a store rectype and string routine which means that we store whether it &# 39 ; s a keystroke or a mouse click and we store whether it &# 39 ; s a name of the file on top of that window . block 1118 indicates a tsr update which is a third call inside the tsr that says move the pointer in the buffer just past the end of the record just entered . this is done so that the next piece of information to go into the buffer will be stored at the proper place because what was done was to get the buffer point and put the data in and how much data was put in . block 1120 indicates that the windows busy flag is cleared and that the tsr can use the buffer again . fig1 is a flow chart illustrating an activity data analyzer routine 1200 for a system according to the invention . once we get everything loaded serially into the activity log file , analysis can be done either locally or remotely . with regard to time and this system , one way to think about this is to divide your work up into various tasks and for each task have a stop watch . but for this type of stop watch , unlike a regular stop watch , you have to keep pressing the button to keep it going and if you don &# 39 ; t press the button after a while , it will stop . these are the active times used for this invention . all the stop watches are initialized to zero . cumulative time file are used to store the amount of time already spent . these files are updated to cumulatively track work . block 1202 initializes the times to zero . block 1204 loads current cumulative times from a cumulative time file 1206 . block 1208 gets the next activity and determines which tasks belong to that particular activity . block 1210 determines the owner of a particular activity . this means that if you set up so that everything inside the jones folder belongs to jones and everything inside the smith folder belongs to smith , we go read something from the activity file that says i opened up the a . b file inside the jones folder , then the owner logic will use that information which says that everything inside the jones folder belongs to the jones task to determine that the owner of that particular activity is jones . block 1212 checks if a job or activity is not to be counted . not every activity that the system might do belongs to a particular task . there are activities that don &# 39 ; t belong anywhere , for example , when the operating system reads and writes its own file . the act of opening that font file does not necessarily belong to an activity because the act of opening the font file belongs to the operating system . in an operating system such as windows , for example , the font file will get opened once for an application like microsoft word , even if multiple documents are using the font . the activity of opening the font in this particular example does not belong to a particular owner , it belongs to word . in this case , for example , this result equals no_job ?. if there is nojob , block 1214 checks the active time . the stop watches do not automatically shut off . the system has to periodically look to see if they have been running too long without any activity and shut them off if the result wasn &# 39 ; t equal to nojob . if the result was equal to a particular job , then block 1216 accumulates the time for that particular job . this is analogous to actors who spin plates on top of sticks . if you get some activity for user jones , the system gives the jones stick a little spin to keep the plate going . but if there is no continuing activity on jones , eventually the plate will fall off the stick . each activity is looked at to see who it belongs to and if it belongs to a certain person , then we simply give their plate another spin . for the concept of the determined owner , what the visual basic application does is to provide an interface with a database where a user specifies what the names of his tasks are , like jones and smith . then , what is specified is how you determine whether an activity belongs to jones or belongs to smith . this is implemented using string matching based upon the file names . in other words , every activity inside the jones directory on a certain disk drive belongs to jones . every activity that has the word “ smith ” in it , belongs to smith no matter where it is . a variety of different criteria can be specified , using or logic . an activity is classified if it matches a criterion that belongs to that particular task . particular things can be excluded . temporary files , backup files , or other things not to be tracked can be excluded in this way . for example , tracking of certain kinds of program applications like microsoft word and excel but not solitaire can be done . two owners can both get credited for the same activity . if smith is a graphic design project , you might watch for use of fractal design painter application and credit that use to smith . two tasks can share the same activity . fig1 . is a flow chart illustrating a routine 1300 for checking active times in block 1214 in the analyzer routine of fig1 , which is the logic for keeping the “ plates spinning ”. block 1302 starts a timing loop for each job . block 1304 calculates the difference in time between activities . block 1306 tests if the allowable idle time is exceeded to stop that stop watch . if not , the routine loops back to block 1302 for another job . if the idle time is exceeded , block 1308 accumulates the job time . if it &# 39 ; s time to stop that stop watch , then we accumulate the total time in block 1310 and go back to do the next job . if it &# 39 ; s not time to stop the stop watch , we go on to the next task . all tasks are looked at to determine if there &# 39 ; s any activity . if any files are updated , block 1312 writes the data out to the file . an event analyzer module reads the activity log file over a particular range of days . another module called a reports module provides an external interface to the system according to the invention . data can be imported from other programs and project manager . exports can be made to database project managers , etc . to provide printed reports , invoices and summary information . the event analyzer for the time tracking system is described in the following pseudo code to function as follows : total and current time are 0 relative ( i . e . they represent total hours / minutes / seconds ). active time is real - time and is used to compare with event times to determine if a job has exceeded it &# 39 ; s idle time limit . fig1 is an illustrative timing diagram illustrating starting , restarting , and ending of an analyzer timer for a task , according to the invention . an explanation of how a work computation data analyzer is as follows : for each task we keep what in electronic terms is called a “ re - triggerable one - shot ” monostable timer . this means that the timer can be reset from its current position to the maximum position at any time . it only expires if nothing has retriggered before the timeout value . a waveform for such a timer is shown in fig1 : fig1 a and 15b are illustrative timing diagrams for two tasks illustrating operation of respective analyzer timers . if one imagines each “ start ” as the detection of activity for a certain task then each re - start is another detection of activity for that same task . only when the timer “ expires ” does the work analyzer decide that work has been performed . that is when the time between the last event for this task and the current event for this task is greater than the idle time . in the work analyzer one of these “ timers ” is created for each task in the user &# 39 ; s database . when an activity is seen , the activity starts and restarts the timer . at the end of the analyzed time all the timers are assumed to have expired . a waveform form is shown in fig1 a - b with a user working on two tasks : the print module will contain an analyzer that attempts to correlate all information in the totaltime file , the job worked file and the cumulative job file before printing . if any of the totals don &# 39 ; t match the report will not be printed . in the event that the totaltime file or the cumulative job file is missing , the report can be printed but will contain a caption indicating that it is not a validated report . also the size and checksum for the first and last blocks of the job worked file will be calculated each time the file is opened or closed and if they don &# 39 ; t match an entry will be written to the file indicating tampering has occurred . a system and method according to the invention includes , but is not limited to , the following application areas : remote telecommuting employment ; determination of activity costs ; estimation of time and amount billable for future projects / work ; measurement of cost / benefit of new software or hardware ; project management linking ; accounting systems linking ; tracking of activities and time used on a distributed basis ; nano - business costing ; resource management tool ; assistance in social accounting ; manufacturing systems ; remote education to document study / activity time ; objective tool for screening new hires ; means for distributors to get into duplication , publication services and have authors trust activity count ; and video conferencing consultations with automatic billing calculations . for remote telecommuting employment applications , managers and clients can know when the employees or consultants are working and can measure productivity resulting in energy savings and improved air quality caused by reductions in miles driven in polluting vehicles . for determining activity costs such as , for example , the cost of financial reporting , accounting reconciliation , computer file maintenance , etc ., linkups to accounting software provide financial statements showing monthly / ytd costs by activity . for estimating time and amounts billable for future projects / work , a system according to the invention provides data to be exported and used in an estimating algorithm or used in statistical analysis to estimate at , for example , an 80 % probability using statistical functions found with spreadsheet programs . for measuring cost / benefit of new software or hardware , the system provides data for activity - based costing of activities and for determining benefits of new processes or products . for project management linking , the system can automatically feed recorded actuals into project software . for accounting systems linking , data entry of timecards information can be eliminated . for tracking of activities and time used on a distributed basis , instead of a centralized timer of services provided by mainframes , cable tv , etc ., activities and time used are tracked on a distributed basis . a user knows what he is going to be charged for services when the user is hooked up to a computer . current mainframe time tracking software tracks cpu time at one rate and does not accumulate charges based on directory / file criteria . the invention can be used in smart houses or in allocating mainframe charges to departments . for nano - business costing applications with a multi - tasking operating system on a desktop computer and the system &# 39 ; s ability to accumulate activities and costs in separate budgets , a computer user can simultaneously perform various types of business functions on a desktop computer and automatically have the activities documented and costs accumulated in the chosen business function , such as marketing , production , accounting , etc . as a resource management tool , the invention helps measure time and costs of various methods of getting a job done . the system helps to objectively determine the time , cost , and resources needed to perform a task , using a computer . given the information , a manager has useful information to determine how to allocate resources to accomplish multiple simultaneous tasks among a department or company . to assist in social accounting , the system helps to determine what it costs to implement a government program . a system helps to determine not just the funds that are distributed to the beneficiaries , but also the staff and material costs for managing the program . for manufacturing systems , this system with remote sensors , such as rf id devices , is used to document production and to assign costs . for remote education , the system is used to document study or activity time . a tutor or teacher can review a student &# 39 ; s approach and logic in solving a problem and can address any errors . the system facilitates multimedia programming training on demand with feedback on students approach to solving assigned programming exercises . the system is useful as an objective tool for screening new hires and for performance - based assessment testing . managers can screen candidates for a computer oriented job by assigning a task . the system will document time and activities but does not measure quality . the system provide valuable information for a manager to make an objective hiring decision in filling the job vacancy . installation of the system on disk duplicating machines would allow distributors to get into duplication or publication services and have the authors trust the counts of the distributors to verify that royalty payments have included all of the distributors sales . the system facilitates video conferencing consultations with automatic billing calculation . clients or patients can reach their professional or doctor , regardless of their geographical location and without having to go to their office and without having to manually start and stop a clock . the invention covers browser activity where browser programs are just application programs and are treated by the present invention like any other program . browsers interact with files on a local machine and they also interact with files that are accessed via networks such as the internet / intranet . to extend the processes of the present invention to browsers , it is necessary to enhance the data collector to monitor traffic between a particular application and the internet / intranet in addition to the normal traffic between the application and the dos file system . as illustrated in fig1 interaction between an application and the internet is performed by a software component known as a network operating system , nos , 130 , which is similar in function and features to a disk operating system , dos , 118 , as previously described in connection with the system 100 . a network 132 is illustrated . the technical methods involved in intercepting interactions or traffic between an application and the nos are slightly different than those between an application and dos but from a high level they appear the same ( i . e ., the data collector for nos watches for file open and close , file read and file write operations just as the data collector for dos does . fig1 illustrates a internet / intranet initialization process which is to the dos initialization which does not actually hook an interrupt but inserts a hook of similar design . the actual running process uses the same identical code to write the collected data to the data collector or disk file . this provides a process for hooking internet / intranet traffic and is similar to the concept of hooking disk traffic . the routing of the data thus collected to a data collector file writer uses exactly the same method used to write keyboard and mouse activity to the file . fig1 is similar to fig2 and further includes block 216 which indicates the step of finding a network interface . the network connects non - file system services providers which provide interface such as , for example , telephony interfaces and email provider interfaces . block 218 indicates that old code is saved . block 220 inserts system calls to a data collector for network activities . fig1 is analogous and similar to fig5 and illustrates a network call routine 1700 for an external network provider . block 1702 extracts information regarding the user and the provider . block 1704 analyzes information regarding who are active current uses of the provider . block 1706 constructs a data collection for activities . block 1708 writes and saves the user activity data collection records . block 1710 calls the network interface . fig1 follows block 1710 and illustrates an additional routine 1800 which saves additional information . decision block 1802 determines if there is additional information to be stored . if yes , that information is stored as illustrated by block 1804 in the ddc file and returns to the end of the routine . network applications of the invention include monitoring of actual activity at a particular worldwide web site . activity can also be monitors between the computer running the data collector and other computers on its network that does not go through the dos . this activity includes video streams , audio streams , game playing , internet telephony , etc . in general , any kind of conversation ( either two - way or one - way ) can be monitored and tracked , such as , for example , pay - per - play or pay - per - view . additional combinations of work done on the local computer and work performed over the network can also be monitored including file access on remote systems and remote data collectors , in which , for example , a data collector is installed on a machine in the field which sends its information over a network to another data collector for concentration at a common site . as described above , in addition to operating system environments such as dos , windows , macintosh , etc ., the invention is useful with a remote server which has application accessed by a user through a network the server itself can collect user activity information . the functionality of the tsr 110 is extended to include a nos , which is treated as another data store . a browser accesses a data file in a remote computer and uses the nos as a two - way connection . for server and browser application the monitoring system determines which users are active and which files or functions are being used by the user . the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for the 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 . 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 as 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
the following examples specifically illustrate lithium secondary batteries according to the present invention . further , comparative examples will be taken to make it clear that in the lithium secondary batteries of the examples , decrease in the discharge capacity is restrained even when the batteries in a charged state are stored under high temperature conditions . it should be appreciated that the lithium secondary batteries according to the present invention are not particularly limited to those in the following examples , and various changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . in the example a1 , a positive electrode and a negative electrode were fabricated in the following manner , and an electrolyte was prepared in the following manner , to fabricate a flat - type lithium secondary battery as shown in fig1 . a lithium - containing composite cobalt dioxide licoo 2 was used as a positive electrode active material . powder of licoo 2 , carbon materials such as artificial carbon , acetylene black , and graphite as a conductive agent , and a solution obtained by dissolving polyvinylidene fluoride as a binding agent in n - methyl - 2 - pyrolidone were mixed , to prepare a slurry containing the powder of licoo 2 , the conductive agent , and the polyvinylidene fluoride in the weight ratio of 90 : 5 : 5 . subsequently , the slurry was uniformly applied to one side of an aluminum foil as a positive - electrode current collector la by means of the doctor blade coating method . the slurry on the positive - electrode current collector 1 a was heat - treated at 130 ° c . for 2 hours to remove the n - methyl - 2 - pyrolidone as a solvent , after which the positive - electrode current collector 1 a which was coated with the slurry was rolled by a roll press , to obtain a positive electrode 1 . natural graphite ( d 002 = 3 . 35 å ) was used as a negative electrode active material . powder of the natural graphite and a solution obtained by dissolving polyvinylidene fluoride as a binding agent in n - methyl - 2 - pyrolidone were mixed , to prepare a slurry containing the powder of the natural graphite and the polyvinylidene fluoride in the weight ratio of 95 : 5 . subsequently , the slurry was uniformly applied to one side of a copper foil as a negative - electrode current collector 2 a by means of the doctor blade coating method . the slurry on the negative - electrode current collector 2 a was heat - treated at 130 ° c . for 2 hours to remove the n - methyl - 2 - pyrolidone as a solvent , after which the negative - electrode current collector 2 a which was coated with the slurry was rolled , to obtain a negative electrode 2 . the example a1 employed as a solute lin ( cf 3 so 2 ) 2 , which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 )( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 1 and n = 1 . the above - mentioned lin ( cf 3 so 2 ) 2 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). then , 1 . 0 wt % of lithium fluoride lif was added to the electrolyte solution as an additive . in fabricating a battery , as shown in fig1 a microporous film made of polypropylene and impregnated with the above - mentioned electrolyte was interposed as a separator 3 between the positive electrode 1 and the negative electrode 2 respectively fabricated in the above - mentioned manners , after which they were contained in a battery case 4 comprising a positive - electrode can 4 a and a negative - electrode can 4 b , and the positive electrode 1 was connected to the positive - electrode can 4 a via the positive - electrode current collector 1 a while the negative electrode 2 was connected to the negative - electrode can 4 b via the negative - electrode current collector 2 a , to electrically separate the positive - electrode can 4 a and the negative - electrode can 4 b from each other by an insulating packing 5 , to obtain a lithium secondary batter of example a1 having a capacity of 8 mah . in the example a2 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the example a2 employed as a solute lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 , which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 )( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 2 and n = 2 . the above - mentioned lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). then , 1 . 0 wt % of lithium fluoride lif was added to the electrolyte solution as an additive . in the example a3 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the example a3 employed as a solute lin ( cf 3 so 2 )( c 4 f 9 so 2 ), which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 ) ( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 1 and n = 4 . the above - mentioned lin ( cf 3 so 2 )( c 4 f 9 so 2 ) was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). then , 1 . 0 wt % of lithium fluoride lif was added to the electrolyte solution as an additive . in the example b1 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the example b1 employed as a solute lin ( cf 3 so 2 ) 2 , which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 )( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 1 and n = 1 , as in the case of the above - mentioned example a1 . the above - mentioned lin ( cf 3 so 2 ) 2 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). then , 1 . 0 wt % of trilithium phosphate li 3 po 4 was added to the electrolyte solution as an additive . in the example b2 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the example b2 employed as a solute lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 , which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 )( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 2 and n = 2 , as in the case of the above - mentioned example a2 . the above - mentioned lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). then , 1 . 0 wt % of trilithium phosphate li 3 po 4 was added to the electrolyte solution as an additive . in the example b3 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the example b3 employed as a solute lin ( cf 3 so 2 )( c 4 f 9 so 2 ), which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 )( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 1 and n = 4 , as in the case of the above - mentioned example a3 . the above - mentioned lin ( cf 3 so 2 )( c 4 f 9 so 2 ) was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). then , 1 . 0 wt % of trilithium phosphate li 3 po 4 was added to the electrolyte solution as an additive . in the example c1 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the example c1 employed as a solute lic ( cf 3 so 2 ) 3 , which is a methide group lithium salt represented by lic ( c p f 2p + 1 so 2 )( c q f 2q + 1 so 2 )( c r f 2r + 1 so 2 ) wherein p = 1 , q = 1 , and r = 1 . the above - mentioned lic ( cf 3 so 2 ) 3 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). then , 1 . 0 wt % of lithium fluoride lif was added to the electrolyte solution as an additive . in the example c2 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the example c2 employed as a solute lic ( cf 3 so 2 ) 3 , which is a methide group lithium salt represented by lic ( c p f 2p + 1 so 2 )( c q f 2q + 1 so 2 )( c r f 2r + 1 so 2 ) wherein p = 1 , q = 1 , and r = 1 , as in the case of the above - mentioned example c1 . the above - mentioned lic ( cf 3 so 2 ) 3 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). then , 1 . 0 wt % of trilithium phosphate li 3 po 4 was added to the electrolyte solution as an additive . in the comparative example 1 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the comparative example 1 employed as a solute lin ( cf 3 so 2 ) 2 , which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 )( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 1 and n = 1 , as in the case of the above - mentioned examples a1 and b1 . the above - mentioned lin ( cf 3 so 2 ) 2 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). neither of a fluoride and phosphorus compound was added to the electrolyte solution . in the comparative example 2 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the comparative example 2 employed as a solute lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 , which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 )( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 2 and n = 2 , as in the case of the above - mentioned examples a2 and b2 . the above - mentioned lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). neither of a fluoride and phosphorus compound was added to the electrolyte solution . in the comparative example 3 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the comparative example 3 employed as a solute lin ( cf 3 so 2 )( c 4 f 9 so 2 ), which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 )( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 1 and n = 4 , as in the case of the above - mentioned examples a3 and b3 . the above - mentioned lin ( cf 3 so 2 )( c 4 f 9 so 2 ) was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). neither of a fluoride and phosphorus compound was added to the electrolyte solution . in the comparative example 4 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the comparative example 4 employed as a solute lic ( cf 3 so 2 ) 3 , which is a methide group lithium salt represented by lic ( c p f 2p + 1 so 2 )( c q f 2q + 1 so 2 )( c r f 2r + 1 so 2 ) wherein p = 1 , q = 1 , and r = 1 , as in the case of the above - mentioned examples c1 and c2 . the above - mentioned lic ( cf 3 so 2 ) 3 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ). neither of a fluoride and phosphorus compound was added to the electrolyte solution . each of the lithium secondary batteries in the examples a1 to a3 , b1 to b3 , c1 , c2 , and the comparative examples 1 to 4 fabricated as above was charged with constant current of 1 ma up to 4 . 1 v and was then discharged with constant current of 1 ma up to 2 . 5 v at room temperature of 25 ° c ., to find an initial discharge capacity q 0 . subsequently , each of the above - mentioned batteries was charged with constant current of 1 ma up to 4 . 1 v , was then stored for 10 days at a temperature of 60 ° c ., and thereafter , was discharged with constant current of 1 ma up to 2 . 5 v , to find a discharge capacity q 1 after the storage under high temperature conditions . the ratio of the discharging capacity q 1 after the storage under high temperature conditions to the initial discharging capacity q 0 [( q 0 / q 1 )× 100 ] was found as the percentage of capacity retention . the results were shown in the following table 1 . as apparent from the result , each of the lithium secondary batteries in the comparative examples 1 to 4 employing the electrolyte solution using as a solute an imide group lithium salt or a methide group lithium salt , to which neither of a fluoride or phosphorus compound is added presented a low percentage of capacity retention of 34 to 42 % after the storage under high temperature conditions . on the other hand , each of the lithium secondary batteries in the examples a1 to a3 , b1 to b3 , c1 , and c2 employing the above - mentioned electrolyte solution to which lithium fluoride lif or trilithium phosphate li 3 po 4 is added presented a high percentage of capacity retention of 69 to 76 % after the storage under high temperature conditions , and was remarkably improved in storage characteristics in a charged state . the reason for this is conceivably that when a fluoride or a phosphorus compound is added to the electrolyte solution using as a solute an imide group lithium salt or a methide group lithium salt , a protective film is formed on a surface of the positive electrode 1 or negative electrode 2 . the protective film thus formed serves to prevent direct contact between the electrolyte solution and the positive electrode or negative electrode and hence , the electrolyte solution is prevented from being decomposed when the lithium secondary battery is stored in a charged state , resulting in improved storage characteristics of the battery in a charge state . although each of the lithium secondary battery in the above - mentioned examples a1 to a3 , b1 to b3 , c1 , and c2 employed the mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 as a solvent in the electrolyte solution , substantially the same effects may be attained when propylene carbonate ( pc ), butylene carbonate ( bc ), dimethyl carbonate ( dmc ), sulfolane ( sl ), vinylene carbonate ( vc ), methyl ethyl carbonate ( mec ), tetrahydrofuran ( thf ), 1 , 2 - diethoxyethane ( dee ), 1 , 2 - dimethoxyethane ( dme ), ethoxymethoxyethane ( eme ), and the like besides the above - mentioned ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) are used alone or in combination of two or more types . in the examples a4 to a17 , lithium secondary batteries were fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the examples a4 to a17 each employed as a solute lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 , which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 )( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 2 and n = 2 , and the above - mentioned lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ), as in the case of the above - mentioned example a2 . then , in each of the examples a4 to a17 , the type of the fluoride added to the above - mentioned electrolyte solution as an additive in the above - mentioned example a2 was changed . specifically , the example a4 employed agf ; the example a5 employed cof 2 ; the example a6 employed cof 3 ; the example a7 employed cuf ; the example a8 employed cuf 2 ; the example a9 employed fef 2 ; the example a10 employed fef 3 ; the example all employed mnf 2 ; the example a12 employed mnf 3 ; the example a13 employed snf 2 ; the example a14 employed snf 4 ; the example a15 employed tif 3 ; the example a16 employed tif 4 ; and the example a17 employed zrf 4 , as shown in the following table 2 . these additives were respectively added to the electrolyte solutions at the ratio of 1 . 0 wt % based on the total weight of each electrolyte solution . in the example b4 , a lithium secondary battery was fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the example b4 employed as a solute lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 , which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 )( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 2 and n = 2 , and the above - mentioned lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ), as in the case of the above - mentioned example b2 . then , in the example b4 , the type of the phosphorus compound added to the above - mentioned electrolyte solution as an additive in the above - mentioned example b2 was changed . specifically , 1 . 0 wt % of lipo 3 was added to the electrolyte solution as shown in the following table 2 . with respect to each of the lithium secondary batteries according to the examples a4 to a17 and b4 fabricated as above , the percentage of capacity retention (%) was found in the same manner as that in each of the above - mentioned lithium secondary batteries . the results , along with those of the above - mentioned examples a2 , b2 , and comparative example 2 , are shown in the following table 2 . as apparent from the result , each of the lithium secondary batteries in the examples a2 and a4 to a17 in which the fluoride selected from the group consisting of lif , agf , cof 2 , cof 3 , cuf , cuf 2 , fef 2 , fef 3 , mnf 2 , mnf 3 , snf 2 , snf 4 , tif 3 , tif 4 , and zrf 4 was added to the electrolyte solution using as a solute an imide group lithium salt and each of the lithium secondary batteries in the examples b2 and b4 in which the phosphorus compound selected from the group consisting of lipo 3 and li 3 po 4 was added to the above - mentioned electrolyte solution presented a high percentage of capacity retention of 70 to 78 %, and was remarkably improved in storage characteristics in a charged state as compared with the lithium secondary battery in the comparative example 2 . although each of the lithium secondary battery in the above - mentioned examples a4 to a17 and b4 cites the electrolyte solution using as a solute an imide group lithium salt , substantially the same effects may be attained by an electrolyte solution using as a solute a methide group lithium salt . in the examples d1 to d6 , a lithium secondary batteries were fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in preparing an electrolyte , the examples d1 to d6 each employed as a solute lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 , which is an imide group lithium salt represented by the above - mentioned formula lin ( c m f 2m + 1 so 2 )( c n f 2n + 1 so 2 ) wherein m = 2 and n = 2 , and the above - mentioned lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ), as in the above - mentioned example b2 . in the examples d1 to d6 , there were used as an additive added to the above - mentioned electrolyte a mixture containing lif and li 3 po 4 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 in the example d1 ; a mixture containing lif and lipo 3 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 in the example d2 ; a mixture containing tif 4 and li 3 po 4 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 in the example d3 ; a mixture containing tif 4 and lipo 3 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 in the example d4 ; a mixture containing lif and tif 4 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 in the example d5 ; and a mixture containing li 3 po 4 and lipo 3 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 in the example d6 , as shown in the following table 3 . these additives were respectively added to the electrolyte solutions in at the ratio of 1 . 0 wt % based on the total weight of each electrolyte solution . with respect to each of the lithium secondary batteries according to the examples d1 to d6 fabricated as above , the percentage of capacity retention (%) was found in the same manner as that in each of the above - mentioned lithium secondary batteries . the results , along with that of the above - mentioned comparative example 2 , are shown in the following table 3 . as apparent from the result , each of the lithium secondary batteries in the examples d1 to d6 in which two types of materials selected from a fluoride and phosphorus compound were added to the electrolyte solution as an additive was remarkably improved in storage characteristics in a charged state as compared with the lithium secondary battery in the comparative example 2 in which neither of a fluoride and a phosphorus compound was added to the electrolyte solution . further , when the lithium secondary batteries in the examples d1 to d6 were compared with each other , it was found that the lithium secondary batteries in the examples d1 and d4 in which the mixture of the fluoride and phosphorus compound is added to the electrolyte solution presented further improved percentage of capacity retention as compared with the lithium secondary battery in the example d5 in which the mixture of two types of fluorides was added to the electrolyte solution and the lithium secondary battery in the example d6 in which the mixture of two types of phosphorus compounds was added to the electrolyte solution . although each of the lithium secondary battery in the above - mentioned examples d1 to d6 cites the electrolyte solution using as a solute an imide group lithium salt , substantially the same effects may be attained by an electrolyte solution using as a solute a methide group lithium salt . in the examples d1 . 1 to d1 . 6 , lithium secondary batteries were fabricated in the same manner as that in the above - mentioned example a1 except that only the electrolyte used in the example a1 was changed . in each of the examples d1 . 1 to d1 . 6 , in preparing an electrolyte , lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ), and a mixture containing lif and li 3 po 4 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added to the electrolyte solution , as in the above - mentioned example d1 . in the examples d1 . 1 to d1 . 6 , the amount of the mixture containing lif and li 3 po 4 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 added to the above - mentioned electrolyte solution in the example d1 was changed as shown in the following table 4 . more specifically , an amount of the mixture added to the electrolyte solution was 0 . 001 wt % based on the total weight of the electrolyte solution in the example d1 . 1 ; 0 . 01 wt % based on the total weight of the electrolyte solution in the example d1 . 2 ; 0 . 1 wt % based on the total weight of the electrolyte solution in the example d1 . 3 ; 2 . 0 wt % based on the total weight of the electrolyte solution in the example d1 . 4 ; 5 . 0 wt % based on the total weight of the electrolyte solution in the example d1 . 5 ; and 10 . 0 wt % based on the total weight of the electrolyte solution in the example d1 . 6 . with respect to each of the lithium secondary batteries according to the examples d1 . 1 to d1 . 6 fabricated as above , the percentage of capacity retention (%) was found in the same manner as that in each of the above - mentioned lithium secondary batteries . the results , along with that of the above - mentioned example d1 , are shown in the following table 4 . as apparent from the result , each of the lithium secondary batteries in the examples d1 . 1 to d1 . 6 in which the mixture containing lif and li 3 po 4 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added to the electrolyte solution as an additive in the range of 0 . 001 to 10 . 0 wt % based on the total weight of the electrolyte solution was remarkably improved in storage characteristics in a charged state as compared with the lithium secondary battery in the comparative example 2 in which neither of a fluoride and phosphorus compound was added to the electrolyte solution . further , when the lithium secondary batteries in the examples d1 and d1 . 1 to d1 . 6 were compared with each other , it was found that the lithium secondary batteries in the examples d1 and d1 . 2 to d1 . 5 in which the mixture containing li 3 po 4 and lipo 3 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 were added to the electrolyte solution as an additive in the range of 0 . 01 to 5 . 0 wt % based on the total weight of the electrolyte solution presented further improved percentage of capacity retention . the reason for this is conceivably that when an amount of the additive containing li 3 po 4 and lipo 3 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 added to the electrolyte solution is too small , a film formed on a surface of the positive electrode or negative electrode by the additive is hardly made uniform , while when the amount is too large , the film becomes thick , resulting in increased resistance . although each of the above - mentioned examples d1 and d1 . 1 to d1 . 6 presents a case where the mixture of lif and li 3 po 4 is added to the electrolyte solution using as a solute an imide group lithium salt , substantially the same tendency may be observed in a case where a mixture of another fluoride and phosphorus compound ; a mixture of fluorides ; a mixture of phosphorus compounds ; or one type of fluoride or phosphorus compound is added , and in a case where the electrolyte solution employs as a solute a methide group lithium salt . in each of the examples e1 and e2 , in preparing an electrolyte , lin ( c 2 f 5 so 2 ) 2 was dissolved in a concentration of 1 . 0 mole / liter in a mixed solvent containing ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a volume ratio of 40 : 60 to prepare an electrolyte solution ( electrolyte ), as in the case of the above - mentioned example d1 . further , as a polymer material , the example e1 employed polyethylene oxide ( peo ) having molecular weight of about 200 , 000 while the example e2 employed polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf ) having molecular weight of about 200 , 000 . films respectively composed of the above - mentioned polymer materials were formed on respective positive electrodes by means of the casting method . subsequently , an additive comprising a mixture containing lif and li 3 po 4 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 , together with the above - mentioned electrolyte solution , was added to each of the films , thus giving a gelated polymer electrolyte containing 1 . 0 wt % of the additive comprising the mixture containing lif and li 3 po 4 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 on the positive electrode . except for the above , the same procedure as that in the above - mentioned example a1 was taken to fabricate each lithium secondary battery . with respect to each of the lithium secondary batteries according to the examples e1 and e2 fabricated as above , the percentage of capacity retention (%) was found in the same manner as that in each of the above - mentioned lithium secondary batteries . the results , along with that of the above - mentioned example d1 , are shown in the following table 5 . as apparent from the result , each of the lithium secondary batteries in the examples e1 and e2 employing the gelated polymer electrolyte obtained by adding the mixture containing lif and li 3 po 4 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 together with the electrolyte solution to the polymer material presented further improved percentage of capacity retention as compared with the lithium secondary battery in the example d1 employing the electrolyte solution to which the mixture containing lif and li 3 po 4 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 is added . although each of the above - mentioned examples e1 and e2 presents a case where the mixture containing lif and li 3 po 4 in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 , together with the electrolyte solution using as a solute an imide group lithium salt , was added to the polymer material , substantially the same effects may be attained in a case where a mixture of another fluoride and phosphorus compound ; a mixture of fluorides ; a mixture of phosphorus compounds ; or one type of fluoride or phosphorus compound is added , and in a case where the electrolyte solution employs as a solute a methide group lithium salt . although the present invention has been fully described by way of examples , it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , unless otherwise such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention , they should be construed as being included therein .	7
the following description with reference to the drawings provides illustrative examples of devices and methods according to embodiments of the invention . such description is for illustrative purposes only and not for purposes of limiting the same . in the context of the current application , the term “ semiconductor substrate ” or “ semiconductive substrate ” or “ semiconductive wafer fragment ” or “ wafer fragment ” or “ wafer ” will be understood to mean any construction comprising semiconductor material , including but not limited to bulk semiconductive materials such as a semiconductor wafer ( either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials thereon ), and semiconductive material layers ( either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials ). the term “ substrate ” refers to any supporting structure including , but not limited to , the semiconductive substrates , wafer fragments or wafers described above . “ l o ” as used herein is the inherent periodicity or pitch value ( bulk period or repeat unit ) of structures that self assemble upon annealing from a self - assembling ( sa ) block copolymer . “ l b ” as used herein is the periodicity or pitch value of a blend of a block copolymer with one or more of its constituent homopolymers . “ l ” is used herein to indicate the center - to - center cylinder pitch or spacing of cylinders of the block copolymer or blend , and is equivalent to “ l o ” for a pure block copolymer and “ l b ” for a copolymer blend . in embodiments of the invention , a polymer material ( e . g ., film , layer ) is prepared by guided self - assembly of block copolymers , with both polymer domains at the air interface . block copolymer materials spontaneously assemble into periodic structures by microphase separation of the constituent polymer blocks after annealing , forming ordered domains at nanometer - scale dimensions . in embodiments of the invention , a one - dimensional ( 1 - d ) array of perpendicular - oriented cylinders is formed within a trench . in other embodiments , two rows of cylinders can be formed in each trench . following self assembly , the pattern of perpendicular - oriented cylinders that is formed on the substrate can then be used , for example , as an etch mask for patterning nanosized features into the underlying substrate through selective removal of one block of the self - assembled block copolymer . since the domain sizes and periods ( l ) involved in this method are determined by the chain length of a block copolymer ( mw ), resolution can exceed other techniques such as conventional photolithography . processing costs using the technique is significantly less than extreme ultraviolet ( euv ) photolithography , which has comparable resolution . a method for fabricating a self - assembled block copolymer material that defines a one - dimensional ( 1 - d ) array of nanometer - scale , perpendicular - oriented cylinders according to an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig1 - 6 . the described embodiment involves a thermal anneal of a cylindrical - phase block copolymer in combination with a graphoepitaxy technique that utilizes a lithographically defined trench as a guide with a floor composed of a material that is neutral wetting to both polymer blocks , and sidewalls and ends that are preferential wetting to one polymer block and function as constraints to induce the block copolymer to self - assemble into an ordered 1 - d array of a single row of cylinders in a polymer matrix oriented perpendicular to the trench floor and registered to the trench sidewalls . in some embodiments , two rows of cylinders can be formed in each trench . the block copolymer or blend is constructed such that all of the polymer blocks will have equal preference for the air interface during the anneal . for a thermal anneal , such diblock copolymers include , for example , poly ( styrene )- b - poly ( methylmethacrylate ) ( ps - b - pmma ) or other ps - b - poly ( acrylate ) or ps - b - poly ( methacrylate ), poly ( styrene )- b - poly ( lactide ) ( ps - b - pla ), and poly ( styrene )- b - poly ( tert - butyl acrylate ) ( ps - b - ptba ), among others . although ps - b - pmma diblock copolymers are used in the illustrated embodiment , other types of block copolymers ( i . e ., triblock or multiblock copolymers ) can be used . examples of triblock copolymers include abc copolymers , and aba copolymers ( e . g ., ps - pmma - ps and pmma - ps - pmma ). the l value of the block copolymer can be modified , for example , by adjusting the molecular weight of the block copolymer . the block copolymer material can also be formulated as a binary or ternary blend comprising a block copolymer and one or more homopolymers ( hps ) of the same type of polymers as the polymer blocks in the block copolymer , to produce a blend that will swell the size of the polymer domains and increase the l value . the volume fraction of the homopolymers can range from 0 to about 60 %. an example of a ternary diblock copolymer blend is a ps - b - pmma / ps / pmma blend , for example , 60 % of 46k / 21k ps - b - pmma , 20 % of 20k polystyrene and 20 % of 20k poly ( methyl methacrylate ). a blend of ps - peo and about 0 - 40 % peo homopolymer ( hp ) can also be used to produce perpendicular cylinders during a thermal anneal ; it is believed that the added peo homopolymer may function , at least in part , to lower the surface energy of the peo domains to that of ps . the film morphology , including the domain sizes and periods ( l o ) of the microphase - separated domains , can be controlled by chain length of a block copolymer ( molecular weight , mw ) and volume fraction of the ab blocks of a diblock copolymer to produce cylindrical morphologies ( among others ). for example , for volume fractions at ratios of the two blocks generally between about 60 : 40 and 80 : 20 , the diblock copolymer will microphase separate and self - assemble into periodic cylindrical domains of polymer b within a matrix of polymer a . an example of a cylinder - forming ps - b - pmma copolymer material ( l o ˜ 35 nm ) to form about 20 nm diameter cylindrical pmma domains in a matrix of ps is composed of about 70 % ps and 30 % pmma with a total molecular weight ( m n ) of 67 kg / mol . as depicted in fig1 - 1b , a substrate 10 is provided , which can be silicon , silicon oxide , silicon nitride , silicon oxynitride , silicon oxycarbide , among other materials . as further depicted , conductive lines 12 ( or other active area , e . g ., semiconducting regions ) are situated within the substrate 10 . in any of the described embodiments , a single trench or multiple trenches can be formed in the substrate , and can span the entire width of an array of lines ( or other active area ). in embodiments of the invention , the substrate 10 is provided with an array of conductive lines 12 ( or other active areas ) at a pitch of l . the trench or trenches are formed over the active areas 12 ( e . g ., lines ) such that when the block copolymer material is annealed , each cylinder will be situated above a single active area 12 ( e . g ., conductive line ). in some embodiments , multiple trenches are formed with the ends 24 of each adjacent trench 18 aligned or slightly offset from each other at less than 5 % of l such that cylinders in adjacent trenches are aligned and situated above the same line 12 . in the illustrated embodiment , a neutral wetting material 14 ( e . g ., random copolymer ) has been formed over the substrate 10 . a material layer 16 ( or one or more material layers ) can then be formed over the neutral wetting material and etched to form trenches 18 that are oriented perpendicular to the array of conductive lines 12 , as shown in fig2 - 2b . portions of the material layer 16 form a spacer 20 outside and between the trenches . the trenches 18 are structured with opposing sidewalls 22 , opposing ends 24 , a floor 26 , a width ( w t ), a length ( l t ) and a depth ( d t ). in another embodiment illustrated in fig3 - 4 , the material layer 16 ′ can be formed on the substrate 10 ′, etched to form the trenches 18 ′, and a neutral wetting material 14 ′ can then be formed on the trench floors 26 ′. for example , a random copolymer material can be deposited into the trenches 18 ′ and crosslinked to form a neutral wetting material layer . material on surfaces outside the trenches such as on the spacers 20 ′ ( e . g ., non - crosslinked random copolymer ) can be subsequently removed . single or multiple trenches 18 ( as shown ) can be formed using a lithographic tool having an exposure system capable of patterning at the scale of l ( 10 - 100 nm ). such exposure systems include , for example , extreme ultraviolet ( euv ) lithography , proximity x - rays and electron beam ( e - beam ) lithography , as known and used in the art . conventional photolithography can attain ( at smallest ) about 58 nm features . a method called “ pitch doubling ” or “ pitch multiplication ” can also be used for extending the capabilities of photolithographic techniques beyond their minimum pitch , as described , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 328 , 810 ( lowrey et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 7 , 115 , 525 ( abatchev , et al . ), us 2006 / 0281266 ( wells ) and us 2007 / 0023805 ( wells ). briefly , a pattern of lines is photolithographically formed in a photoresist material overlying a layer of an expendable material , which in turn overlies a substrate , the expendable material layer is etched to form placeholders or mandrels , the photoresist is stripped , spacers are formed on the sides of the mandrels , and the mandrels are then removed leaving behind the spacers as a mask for patterning the substrate . thus , where the initial photolithography formed a pattern defining one feature and one space , the same width now defines two features and two spaces , with the spaces defined by the spacers . as a result , the smallest feature size possible with a photolithographic technique is effectively decreased down to about 30 nm or less . factors in forming a single ( 1 - d ) array or layer of perpendicular - oriented nano - cylinders within the trenches include the width ( w t ) and depth ( d t ) of the trench , the formulation of the block copolymer or blend to achieve the desired pitch ( l ), and the thickness ( t ) of the block copolymer material . for example , a block copolymer or blend having a pitch or l value of 35 - nm deposited into a 75 - nm wide trench having a neutral wetting floor will , upon annealing , result in a zigzag pattern of 35 - nm diameter perpendicular cylinders that are offset by about one - half the pitch distance , or about 0 . 5 * l ) for the length ( l t ) of the trench , rather than a single line row of perpendicular cylinders aligned with the sidewalls down the center of the trench . there is a shift from two rows to one row of the perpendicular cylinders within the center of the trench as the width ( w t ) of the trench is decreased and / or the periodicity ( l value ) of the block copolymer is increased , for example , by forming a ternary blend by the addition of both constituent homopolymers . the boundary conditions of the trench sidewalls 22 in both the x - and y - axis impose a structure wherein each trench contains “ n ” number of features ( e . g ., cylinders ). in some embodiments , the trenches 18 are constructed with a width ( w t ) of about l to about 1 . 5 * l ( or 1 . 5 × the pitch value ) of the block copolymer such that a cast block copolymer material ( or blend ) of about l will self assemble upon annealing into a single row of perpendicular cylinders with a center - to - center pitch distance of adjacent cylinders at or about l . for example , in using a cylindrical phase block copolymer with an about 50 nm pitch value or l , the width ( w t ) of the trenches 18 can be about 1 - 1 . 5 * 50 nm or about 50 - 80 nm . the length ( l t ) of the trenches is at or about nl or an integer multiple of l , typically within a range of about n * 10 to about n * 100 nm ( with n being the number of features or structures , e . g ., cylinders ). the depth ( d t ) of the trenches 18 is greater than l ( d t & gt ; l ). the width of the spacers 20 between adjacent trenches can vary and is generally about l to about nl . in some embodiments , the trench dimension is about 20 - 100 nm wide ( w t ) and about 100 - 25 , 000 nm in length ( l t ), with a depth ( d t ) of about 10 - 100 nm . referring now to fig5 - 5b , a self - assembling , cylindrical - phase block copolymer material 28 having an inherent pitch at or about l o ( or a ternary blend of block copolymer and homopolymers blended to have a pitch at or about l b ) is deposited into the trenches 18 such that the thickness ( t 1 ) on the trench of the deposited block copolymer is generally at or about l after annealing and the block copolymer material will self assemble to form a single layer of cylinders across the width ( w t ) of the trench . for example , a typical thickness ( t 1 ) of a cylindrical - phase ps - b - pmma block copolymer material 28 within the trench is about ± 20 % of the l value of the block copolymer material ( e . g ., about 10 - 100 nm ) to form cylinders having a diameter of about 0 . 5 * l ( e . g ., 5 - 50 nm , or about 20 nm , for example ) within a polymer matrix in a single row within each trench . the thickness of the block copolymer material 28 can be measured , for example , by ellipsometry techniques . the block copolymer material can be deposited by spin casting ( spin - coating ) from a dilute solution ( e . g ., about 0 . 25 - 2 wt % solution ) of the copolymer in an organic solvent such as dichloroethane ( ch 2 cl 2 ) or toluene , for example . capillary forces pull excess block copolymer material 28 ( e . g ., greater than a monolayer ) into the trenches 18 . as shown , a thin layer or film 28 a of the block copolymer material can be deposited onto the material layer 16 outside the trenches , e . g ., on the spacers 20 . upon annealing , the thin film 28 a will flow into the trenches leaving a structureless brush layer on the material layer 16 from a top - down perspective . in the present embodiment , the trench floors 26 are structured to be neutral wetting ( equal affinity for both blocks of the copolymer ) to induce formation of cylindrical polymer domains that are oriented perpendicular to the trench floors , and the trench sidewalls 22 and ends 24 are structured to be preferential wetting by one block of the block copolymer to induce registration of the cylinders to the sidewalls as the polymer blocks self - assemble . in response to the wetting properties of the trench surfaces , upon annealing , the preferred or minority block of the cylindrical - phase block copolymer will self - assemble to form a single row of cylindrical domains in the center of a polymer matrix for the length of the trench and segregate to the sidewalls and edges of the trench to form a thin interface or wetting layer , as depicted in fig6 - 6b . entropic forces drive the wetting of a neutral wetting surface by both blocks , and enthalpic forces drive the wetting of a preferential - wetting surface by the preferred block ( e . g ., the minority block ). to provide preferential wetting surfaces , for example , in the use of a ps - b - pmma block copolymer , the material layer 16 can be composed of silicon ( with native oxide ), oxide ( e . g ., silicon oxide , sio x ), silicon nitride , silicon oxycarbide , indium tin oxide ( ito ), silicon oxynitride , and resist materials such as methacrylate - based resists and polydimethyl glutarimide resists , among other materials , which exhibit preferential wetting toward the pmma block . in the use of a ps - pmma cylinder - phase block copolymer material , the copolymer material will self assemble to form a thin interface layer and cylinders of pmma in a ps matrix . in other embodiments , a preferential wetting material such as a polymethylmethacrylate ( pmma ) polymer modified with an — oh containing moiety ( e . g ., hydroxyethylmethacrylate ) can be applied onto the surfaces of the trenches , for example , by spin coating and then heating ( e . g ., to about 170 ° c .) to allow the terminal oh groups to end - graft to oxide sidewalls 22 and ends 24 of the trenches . non - grafted material can be removed by rinsing with an appropriate solvent ( e . g ., toluene ). see , for example , mansky et al ., science , 1997 , 275 , 1458 - 1460 , and in et al ., langmuir , 2006 , 22 , 7855 - 7860 . a neutral wetting trench floor 26 allows both blocks of the copolymer material to wet the floor of the trench . a neutral wetting material 14 can be provided by applying a neutral wetting polymer ( e . g ., a neutral wetting random copolymer ) onto the substrate 10 , forming the material layer 16 and then etching the trenches to expose the underlying neutral wetting material , as illustrated in fig2 - 2b . in another embodiment illustrated in fig3 - 4 , a neutral wetting random copolymer material can be applied after forming the trenches 18 ′, for example , as a blanket coat by casting or spin - coating into the trenches , as depicted in fig4 . the random copolymer material can then be thermally processed to flow the material into the bottom of the trenches by capillary action , which results in a layer ( mat ) 14 ′ composed of the crosslinked , neutral wetting random copolymer . in another embodiment , the random copolymer material within the trenches can be photo - exposed ( e . g ., through a mask or reticle ) to crosslink the random copolymer within the trenches to form the neutral wetting material 14 ′. non - crosslinked random copolymer material outside the trenches ( e . g ., on the spacers 20 ′) can be subsequently removed . neutral wetting surfaces can be specifically prepared by the application of random copolymers composed of monomers identical to those in the block copolymer and tailored such that the mole fraction of each monomer is appropriate to form a neutral wetting surface . for example , in the use of a poly ( styrene - block - methyl methacrylate ) block copolymer ( ps - b - pmma ), a neutral wetting material 14 can be formed from a thin film of a photo - crosslinkable random ps : pmma copolymer ( ps - r - pmma ) which exhibits non - preferential or neutral wetting toward ps and pmma ( e . g ., a random copolymer of ps - pmma containing an about 0 . 6 mole fraction of styrene ) which can be cast onto the substrate 10 ( e . g ., by spin coating ). the random copolymer material can be fixed in place by chemical grafting ( on an oxide substrate ) or by thermally or photolytically crosslinking ( any surface ) to form a mat that is neutral wetting to ps and pmma and insoluble when the block copolymer material is cast onto it , due to the crosslinking . in another embodiment , a neutral wetting random copolymer of polystyrene ( ps ), polymethacrylate ( pmma ) with hydroxyl group ( s ) ( e . g ., 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate ( p ( s - r - mma - r - hema )) ( e . g ., about 58 % ps ) can be can be selectively grafted to a substrate 10 ( e . g ., an oxide ) as a neutral wetting layer 14 about 5 - 10 nm thick by heating at about 160 ° c . for about 48 hours . see , for example , in et al ., langmuir , 2006 , 22 , 7855 - 7860 . a surface that is neutral wetting to ps - b - pmma can also be prepared by spin coating a blanket layer of a photo - or thermally cross - linkable random copolymer such as a benzocyclobutene - or azidomethylstyrene - functionalized random copolymer of styrene and methyl methacrylate ( e . g ., poly ( styrene - r - benzocyclobutene - r - methyl methacrylate ( ps - r - pmma - r - bcb )). for example , such a random copolymer can comprise about 42 % pmma , about ( 58 - x ) % ps and x % ( e . g ., about 2 - 3 %) of either polybenzocyclobutene or poly ( para - azidomethylstyrene )). an azidomethylstyrene - functionalized random copolymer can be uv photo - crosslinked ( e . g ., 1 - 5 mw / cm ^ 2 exposure for about 15 seconds to about 30 minutes ) or thermally crosslinked ( e . g ., at about 170 ° c . for about 4 hours ) to form a crosslinked polymer mat as a neutral wetting layer 14 . a benzocyclobutene - functionalized random copolymer can be thermally cross - linked ( e . g ., at about 200 ° c . for about 4 hours or at about 250 ° c . for about 10 minutes ). in another embodiment in which the substrate 10 is silicon ( with native oxide ), another neutral wetting surface for ps - b - pmma can be provided by hydrogen - terminated silicon . the floors 26 of the trenches 18 can be etched , for example , with a hydrogen plasma , to remove the oxide material and form hydrogen - terminated silicon , which is neutral wetting with equal affinity for both blocks of a block copolymer material . h - terminated silicon can be prepared by a conventional process , for example , by a fluoride ion etch of a silicon substrate ( with native oxide present , about 12 - 15 å ) by exposure to an aqueous solution of hydrogen fluoride ( hf ) and buffered hf or ammonium fluoride ( nh 4 f ), by hf vapor treatment , or by a hydrogen plasma treatment ( e . g ., atomic hydrogen ). an h - terminated silicon substrate can be further processed by grafting a random copolymer such as ps - r - pmma selectively onto the substrate resulting in a neutral wetting surface , for example , by an in situ free radical polymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate using a di - olefinic linker such divinyl benzene which links the polymer to the surface to produce about a 10 - 15 nm thick film . in yet another embodiment , a neutral wetting surface for ps - b - pmma and ps - b - peo can be provided by grafting a self - assembled monolayer ( sam ) of a trichlorosilane - base sam such as 3 -( para - methoxyphenyl ) propyltrichorosilane grafted to oxide ( e . g ., sio 2 ) as described for example , by d . h . park , nanotechnology 18 ( 2007 ), p . 355304 . in the present embodiment , the block copolymer material 28 is then thermally annealed ( arrows ↓) to cause the polymer blocks to phase separate and self assemble according to the preferential and neutral wetting of the trench surfaces to form a self - assembled polymer material 30 , as illustrated in fig6 - 6b . thermal annealing can be conducted at above the glass transition temperature of the component blocks of the copolymer material . for example , a ps - b - pmma copolymer material can be globally annealed at a temperature of about 180 - 230 ° c . in a vacuum oven for about 1 - 24 hours to achieve the self - assembled morphology . the resulting morphology of the annealed copolymer material 30 ( e . g ., perpendicular orientation of cylinders ) can be examined , for example , using atomic force microscopy ( afm ), transmission electron microscopy ( tem ), scanning electron microscopy ( sem ). rather than performing a global heating of the block copolymer material , in other embodiments , a zone or localized thermal anneal can be applied to portions or sections of the copolymer material 28 on the substrate 10 . for example , the substrate can be moved across a hot - to - cold temperature gradient 32 ( fig6 a ) positioned above or underneath the substrate ( or the thermal source can be moved relative to the substrate , e . g ., arrow →) such that the block copolymer material self - assembles upon cooling after passing through the heat source . only those portions of the block copolymer material that are heated above the glass transition temperature of the component polymer blocks will self - assemble , and areas of the material that were not sufficiently heated remain disordered and unassembled . “ pulling ” the heated zone across the substrate can result in faster processing and better ordered structures relative to a global thermal anneal . upon annealing , the cylindrical - phase block copolymer material 28 will self - assemble into a polymer material 30 ( e . g . film ) composed of perpendicular - oriented cylinders 34 of one of the polymer blocks ( e . g ., pmma ) within a polymer matrix 36 of the other polymer block ( e . g ., ps ). the constraints provided by the width ( w t ) of the trench 18 and the character of the block copolymer composition ( e . g ., ps - b - pmma having an inherent pitch at or about l ) combined with a trench floor 26 that exhibits neutral or non - preferential wetting toward both polymer blocks ( e . g ., a random graft copolymer ) and sidewalls 22 that are preferential wetting by the minority or preferred block of the block copolymer ( e . g ., the pmma block ), results in perpendicularly - oriented cylindrical domains 34 of the minority polymer block ( e . g ., pmma ) within a matrix 36 of the majority polymer block ( e . g ., ps ) in a single row ( 1 - d array ) registered and parallel to the sidewalls 22 of the trench . the diameter of the cylinders 34 will generally be about one - half of the center - to - center distance between cylinders . upon annealing , a layer of the minority block segregates to and wets the sidewalls 22 and ends 24 of the trenches to form a thin wetting layer 34 a with the thickness of the layer 34 a being generally about one - fourth of the center - to - center distance between adjacent cylinders 34 . for example , a layer of pmma domains will wet oxide interfaces , with attached ps domains consequently directed away from the oxide material . in some embodiments , the self - assembled block copolymer material 30 is defined by an array of cylindrical domains ( cylinders ) 34 , each with a diameter at or about 0 . 5 * l , with the number ( n ) of cylinders in the row according to the length of the trench , and the center - to - center distance ( pitch distance , p ) between each cylinder at or about l . optionally , after the block copolymer material is annealed and ordered , the copolymer material can be treated to crosslink the polymer segments ( e . g ., the ps segments ) to fix and enhance the strength of the self - assembled polymer blocks . the polymers can be structured to inherently crosslink ( e . g ., upon exposure to ultraviolet ( uv ) radiation , including deep ultraviolet ( duv ) radiation ), or one of the polymer blocks of the copolymer material can be formulated to contain a crosslinking agent . generally , the film 28 a outside the trenches will not be not thick enough to result in self - assembly . optionally , the unstructured thin film 28 a of the block copolymer material outside the trenches ( e . g ., on spacers 20 ) can be removed , as illustrated in fig6 - 6b . for example , the trench regions can be selectively exposed through a reticle ( not shown ) to crosslink only the annealed and self - assembled polymer material 30 within the trenches 18 , and a wash can then be applied with an appropriate solvent ( e . g ., toluene ) to remove the non - crosslinked portions of the block copolymer material 28 a ( e . g ., on the spacers 20 ), leaving the registered self - assembled polymer material within the trench and exposing the surface of the material layer 16 above / outside the trenches . in another embodiment , the annealed polymer material 30 can be crosslinked globally , a photoresist material can be applied to pattern and expose the areas of the polymer material 28 a outside the trench regions , and the exposed portions of the polymer material 28 a can be removed , for example by an oxygen ( o 2 ) plasma treatment . an application of the self - assembled polymer material 30 is as an etch mask to form openings in the substrate 10 . for example , as illustrated in fig7 - 7b , in one embodiment , the cylindrical polymer domains 34 of the self - assembled polymer material 30 can be selectively removed resulting in a polymer matrix 36 with openings 40 exposing the trench floor . for example , pmma domains can be selectively removed by uv exposure / acetic acid development or by selective reactive ion etching ( rie ). the remaining porous polymer ( e . g . ps ) matrix 36 can then be used as a mask to etch ( arrows ↓↓) a series of openings or contact holes 42 to the conductive lines 12 , semiconducting regions , or other active area in the underlying substrate 10 ( or an underlayer ), as depicted in fig8 - 8b , for example , using a selective reactive ion etching ( rie ) process . further processing can then be performed as desired . for example , as depicted in fig9 - 9b , the residual matrix 36 can be removed and the substrate openings 42 can be filled with a material 44 such as a metal or metal alloy such as cu , al , w , si , and ti 3 n 4 , among others , to form arrays of cylindrical contacts to the conductive lines 12 . the cylindrical openings 42 in the substrate can also be filled with a metal - insulator - metal stack to form capacitors with an insulating material such as sio 2 , al 2 o 3 , hfo 2 , zro 2 , srtio 3 , and the like . another embodiment of a method according to the invention utilizes a solvent anneal in combination with a graphoepitaxy technique to induce ordering and registration of a cylindrical - phase block copolymer material within a trench , as depicted in fig1 - 15 , to form a 1 - d array of a single row of perpendicular - oriented cylinders in a polymer matrix . the diblock copolymer is constructed such that both polymer blocks will wet the air interface during the solvent anneal . examples of diblock copolymers include poly ( styrene )- b - poly ( ethylene oxide ) ( ps - b - peo ); a ps - b - peo block copolymer having a cleavable junction such as a triphenylmethyl ( trityl ) ether linkage between ps and peo blocks ( optionally complexed with a dilute concentration ( e . g ., about 1 %) of a salt such as kcl , ki , licl , lii , cscl or csi ( zhang et al ., adv . mater . 2007 , 19 , 1571 - 1576 ); ps - b - pmma block copolymer doped with peo - coated gold nanoparticles of a size less than the diameter of the self - assembled cylinders ( park et al , macromolecules , 2007 , 40 ( 11 ), 8119 - 8124 ); poly ( styrene )- b - poly ( methylmethacrylate ) ( ps - b - pmma ) or other ps - b - poly ( acrylate ) or ps - b - poly ( methacrylate ), poly ( styrene )- b - poly ( lactide ) ( ps - b - pla ), poly ( styrene )- b - poly ( vinylpyridine ) ( ps - b - pvp ), poly ( styrene )- b - poly ( tert - butyl acrylate ) ( ps - b - ptba ), and poly ( styrene )- b - poly ( ethylene - co - butylene ( ps - b -( ps - co - pb )). examples of triblock copolymers include abc polymers such as poly ( styrene - b - methyl methacrylate - b - ethylene oxide ) ( ps - b - pmma - b - peo ), and aba copolymers such as ps - b - pi - b - ps . the present embodiment utilizing a solvent anneal eliminates the formation of a neutral wetting material on the trench floor , which reduces the number of processing steps . in addition , each of the trench surfaces ( e . g ., sidewalls 22 ″, ends 24 ″, floor 26 ″) is structured to be preferential wetting to the minority block of the ps - b - peo block copolymer material ( e . g ., peo ). the trenches 18 ″ are also structured with a width ( w t ) that is about 1 - 1 . 5 * l or 1 to 1½ times the pitch value of the block copolymer material . for example , for a cylindrical - phase ps - b - peo copolymer with a l value of about 50 nm , the trench is constructed to have a width ( w t ) of about 50 nm . the depth ( d t ) of the trenches can be at or about l . referring to fig1 - 10b , a substrate 10 ″ is shown with conductive lines 12 ″ ( or other active area ) and an overlying material layer 16 ″ in which trenches 18 ″ have been etched . the substrate 10 ″ and material layer 16 ″ defining the trench surfaces can be a material that is inherently preferential wetting to one of the polymer blocks , or in other embodiments , a preferential wetting material can be applied onto the surfaces of the trenches . for example , in the use of a ps - b - peo block copolymer , the substrate 10 ″ and material layer 16 ″ can be formed of silicon ( with native oxide ), oxide ( e . g ., silicon oxide , sio x ), silicon nitride , silicon oxycarbide , indium tin oxide ( ito ), silicon oxynitride , and resist materials such as such as methacrylate - based resists , among other materials , which exhibit preferential wetting toward the peo block . in the use of a ps - peo cylinder - phase block copolymer material , the copolymer material will self assemble to form cylinders of peo in a ps matrix and a thin interface brush or wetting layer on the sidewalls 22 ″ and ends 24 ″ of the trench . a cylindrical - phase ps - b - peo block copolymer material 28 ″ ( or blend with homopolymers ) having an inherent pitch at or about l can be deposited into the trenches 18 ″, as shown in fig1 - 11b . with the use of a solvent anneal , the thickness ( t 1 ) of the block copolymer material deposited into the trench can be about the l value of the material or greater , e . g ., up to about 1000 % of the l value . the volume fractions of the two blocks ( ab ) of the ps - b - peo diblock copolymer are generally at a ratio of about 60 : 40 and 80 : 20 , such that the block copolymer will microphase separate and self - assemble into cylindrical domains of polymer b ( i . e ., peo ) within a matrix of polymer a ( i . e ., ps ). an example of a cylinder - forming ps - b - peo copolymer material ( l = 50 nm ) to form about 25 nm diameter cylindrical peo domains in a matrix of ps is composed of about 70 % ps and 30 % peo with a total molecular weight ( m n ) of about 75 kg / mol . although diblock copolymers are used in the illustrative embodiment , triblock or multiblock copolymers can also be used . the ps - b - peo block copolymer material can also be formulated as a binary or ternary blend comprising a ps - b - peo block copolymer and one or more homopolymers ( i . e ., polystyrene ( ps ) and polyethylene oxide ( peo ) to produce blends that swell the size of the polymer domains and increase the l value of the polymer . the volume fraction of the homopolymers can range from 0 to about 40 %. an example of a ternary diblock copolymer blend is a ps - b - peo / ps / peo blend . the l value of the polymer can also be modified by adjusting the molecular weight of the block copolymer . the ps - b - peo block copolymer material 28 ″ is then solvent annealed ( arrows ↓), to form a self - assembled polymer material 30 ″, as illustrated in fig1 - 12b . in a solvent anneal , the block copolymer material is swollen by exposure to a vapor of a “ good ” solvent for both blocks , for example , benzene , chloroform or a chloroform / octane mixture . the block copolymer material 28 ″ is exposed to the solvent vapors to slowly swell both polymer blocks ( ps , peo ) of the material . the solvent and solvent vapors are then allowed to slowly diffuse out of the swollen polymer material and evaporate . the solvent - saturated vapor maintains a neutral air interface 46 ″ with the copolymer material 28 ″, which induces the formation of perpendicular features throughout the copolymer material . the evaporation of the solvent forms a gradient that causes self - assembly and formation of structures starting at the air - surface interface 46 ″ and driven downward to the floor 26 ″ of the trench 18 ″, with formation of perpendicular - oriented cylindrical domains 34 ″ guided by the trench sidewalls 22 ″ and extending completely from the air interface 46 ″ to the substrate surface ( trench floor 26 ″). in some embodiments , a solvent anneal can be conducted in high humidity ( e . g ., about 70 - 85 %) with water condensation on the film , which cools as the solvent ( e . g ., benzene ) evaporates . the constraints provided by the width ( w t ) of trench 18 ″ and the character of the block copolymer composition 28 ″, preferential wetting sidewalls 22 ″ and ends 24 ″ combined with a solvent anneal results in a one - dimensional ( 1 - d ) array of a single row of perpendicularly - oriented cylindrical domains 34 ″ of the minority polymer block ( e . g ., peo ) within a matrix 36 ″ of the major polymer block ( e . g ., ps ), with the minority block segregating to the sidewalls 22 ″ of the trench to form a wetting layer 34 a ″ with a thickness generally about one - fourth of the center - to - center distance of adjacent cylinders 34 ″. in some embodiments , the cylinders have a diameter at or about 0 . 5 * l ( e . g ., about one - half of the center - to - center distance between cylinders ), the number ( n ) of cylinders in the row is according to the length ( l t ) of the trench , and the center - to - center distance ( pitch distance , p ) between cylinder domains is at or about l . optionally , the annealed and ordered polymer material 30 ″ can be treated to crosslink the polymer segments ( e . g ., the ps matrix 36 ″). the unstructured thin film 28 a ″ of the block copolymer material outside the trenches can then be optionally removed , as shown in fig1 - 12b . as depicted in fig1 - 13b , the self - assembled polymer material 30 ″ ( optionally cross - linked ) can then be processed to form , for example , an etch mask for use in etching openings in the substrate or underling material layer , by the selective removal of one of the polymer domains ( e . g ., ps or peo ). for example , the water - soluble peo cylindrical domains 34 ″ can be selectively removed to produce openings 40 ″ in the ps material layer 36 ″ that can be used , for example , as a lithographic template or mask to etch openings 42 ″ in the underlying substrate 10 ″ ( fig1 - 14b ) for semiconductor processing in the nanometer size range ( i . e ., about 10 - 100 nm ). removal of the peo phase domains 34 ″ can be performed , for example , by exposure of the self - assembled block copolymer material 30 ″ ( optionally cross - linked ) to aqueous hydroiodic acid or exposure to water alone , which will draw peo to the surface without cleaving the bonds to the ps domains . in embodiments in which the ps - b - peo block copolymer includes an acid - cleavable linker ( e . g ., trityl alcohol linker ) positioned between the polymer blocks , exposure of the crosslinked polymer material 30 ″ to an aqueous acid ( e . g ., trifluoroacetic acid ) or to an acid vapor can be performed to cleave the polymer into peo and ps fragments ( s . yurt et al ., “ scission of diblock copolymers into their constituent blocks ,” macromolecules 2006 , 39 , 1670 - 1672 ). rinsing with water can then be performed to remove the cleaved peo domains 34 ″. in other embodiments , exposure to water to draw the peo domains to the surface followed by a brief oxygen ( o 2 ) plasma etch can also be performed to remove the peo domains . as shown in fig1 - 15b , the residual polymer matrix 36 ″ can then be removed and the openings 42 ″ that have been formed in the substrate can be filled with a desired material 44 ″. another embodiment of a method according to the invention utilizes a thermal anneal in combination with a cylindrical - phase , block copolymer material comprising polylactide ( or polylactic acid ) and graphoepitaxy to form a single row , 1 - d array of perpendicular - oriented cylinders in a polymer matrix . examples of polylactide block copolymer materials include poly ( styrene )- b - poly ( lactide ) ( or poly ( lactic acid )) ( ps - b - pla ). the described embodiment eliminates the formation of a neutral wetting material on the trench floor , thus reducing the number of processing steps . it also utilizes a thermal anneal process , which can provide faster processing than with a solvent anneal . in addition , the use of polylactic acid ( pla ), a biodegradable , thermoplastic aliphatic polyester , allows relatively easy development and removal of the pla domains to form cylindrical - shaped voids through the polymer matrix ( e . g ., ps , etc .). the trench surfaces ( e . g ., sidewalls , ends , floor ) are structured using the same or highly similar material that is preferential wetting to the minority block , e . g ., the pla block of a ps - b - pla copolymer material . the present embodiments can also be described with reference to fig1 - 15 . referring to fig1 - 10b , the substrate 10 ″ and material layer 16 ″ can be formed from a material that is inherently preferential wetting to the pla block , or in other embodiments , a preferential wetting material can be applied onto the surfaces of the trenches 18 ″, with the same or closely similar material being used to define the sidewalls 22 ″, ends 24 ″ and floor 26 ″ of the trenches . for example , materials that are preferential wetting to the pla block of a ps - b - pla block copolymer include oxide ( e . g ., silicon oxide , sio x ), silicon ( with native oxide ), silicon nitride , silicon oxycarbide , indium tin oxide ( ito ), silicon oxynitride , and resist materials such as such as methacrylate - based resists , among other materials . in the present embodiment , the trenches 18 ″ are structured with a width ( w t ) that is at about 1 . 5 * l value of the ps - b - pla copolymer material , a length ( l t ) at or about nl o ( where n = number of cylinders ), and a depth ( d t ) at greater than l ( d t & gt ; l ) such that a cylindrical - phase block copolymer ( or blend ) that is cast into the trench to a thickness of about the inherent l value of the copolymer material will self assemble upon annealing into a single layer of n cylinders according to the length ( l t ) of the trench , the cylinders with a diameter at or about 0 . 5 * l , and a center - to - center distance ( p ) of adjacent cylinders at or about l . a cylindrical - phase ps - b - pla block copolymer material 28 ″ ( or triblock or multiblock copolymers or blend with homopolymers ) having an inherent pitch at or about l can be deposited into the trenches 18 ″, as shown in fig1 - 11b . for example , a ps - b - pla copolymer material ( l = 49 nm ) can be composed of about 71 % ps and 29 % pla with a total molecular weight ( m n ) of about 60 . 5 kg / mol to form about 27 nm diameter cylindrical pla domains in a matrix of ps . upon casting the copolymer material 28 ″ into the trenches 18 ″, both polymer blocks ( e . g ., pla and ps ) tend to wet the air interface 46 ″ equally well , and the minority ( e . g ., pla ) block will preferentially wet the surfaces 22 ″, 24 ″ 26 ″ of the trench to form a thin wetting layer 34 a ″ on each of the trench surfaces as illustrated in fig1 - 12b . turning now to fig1 - 16b , in the present embodiment , the wetting layer 34 a ′″ is a bilayer of pla 48 a ′″ and ps 48 b ′″. the ps 48 b ′″ portion of the wetting layer ( depicted with broken lining - - - ) is continuous with the overall ps matrix 36 ′″, as shown . thermal annealing of the block copolymer material 28 ′″ in combination with the constraints provided by the width ( w t ) of the trench 18 ′″, the preferential wetting trench surfaces 22 ′″, 24 ′″ 26 ′″ and the composition of the block copolymer , causes the minority polymer block ( e . g ., pla block ) to self assemble to form perpendicular - oriented cylindrical domains 34 ′″ in a single row within a matrix 36 ′″ of the majority polymer block ( e . g ., ps ), with the pla 48 a ′″/ ps 48 b ′″ bilayer along the trench surfaces 22 ′″, 24 ′″, 26 ′″. in some embodiments , the block copolymer material 28 ′″ can be “ zone annealed ” as previously described . as shown in fig1 a - 16b , the pla cylindrical domains 34 ′″ extend from the air interface 46 ′″ to the wetting layer 34 a ′″ composed of the pla / ps bilayer 48 a ′″/ 48 b ′″ overlying the surface of the substrate 10 ′″ at the trench floor 26 ′″. the ps layer 48 b ′″, which is covalently bonded to the pla layer 48 a ′″, is in contact with the ps block ( matrix 26 ′″), which in turn is covalently bonded to the pla cylinder domains 34 ′″. polymer segments ( e . g ., the ps matrix 36 ′″) of the annealed polymer material 30 ′″ may optionally be crosslinked , and any unstructured polymer material 28 a ′″ on surfaces outside the trenches can then be optionally removed , as depicted in fig1 - 16b . the polymer material 30 ′″ can then be further processed as desired , for example , to form a mask to etch openings 42 ′ in the substrate 10 ′″. for example , as illustrated in fig1 - 17b , the pla cylinders 34 ′″ can be selectively removed , for example , using uv exposure and an acetic acid wash , or an aqueous methanol mixture containing sodium hydroxide to form cylindrical - shaped openings 40 ′″ extending through the ps matrix . due to the pla / ps bilayer 48 a ′″, 48 b ′″ that overlies the trench floor , the openings 40 ′″ do not extend all the way to the surface of the substrate 10 ′″ at the trench floor 26 ′″. as depicted in fig1 - 18b , an rie etching process ( arrows ↓), for example , can be conducted to remove the bilayer material and expose the trench floors 26 ′″ and the substrate 10 ′″ within the openings 40 ′″. the rie etch may thin the matrix ( mask ) 36 ′″, as shown , although not to a significant extent . referring now to fig1 - 14b , the matrix 30 ″ can then be used as a mask to etch cylindrical - shaped openings 42 ″ in the substrate down to an active area such as a conductive line 12 ″ or to semi - conducting regions , etc . the remnants of the etch mask 36 ″ can be subsequently removed and the openings 42 ″ can be filled as desired , as described with respect to fig1 - 15b . in another embodiment , the trenches are constructed with a width ( w t ) of about 1 . 75 - 2 . 5 * l of the block copolymer such that , upon annealing , a block copolymer material or blend of about l will self - assemble into two rows of perpendicular cylinders with each cylinder being offset to form a zigzag pattern , and the center - to - center pitch distance between adjacent cylinders at or about one - half l (≃ 0 . 5 * l ). for example , referring to fig1 - 19b , in the use of a cylinder - forming block copolymer material or blend with an l ( pitch ) value of about 40 nm , a trench 18 can be constructed with a width ( w t ) about 70 - 100 nm wide ( or according to 1 +(( square root of 3 )/ 2 )* l ). the length ( l t ) of the trench can be at or about [ 1 + 0 . 5 ( n − 1 )]* l , where n equals the number of cylinders in the trench . the depth ( d t ) of the trench 18 ″″ can be greater than l ( d t & gt ; l ) for embodiments employing a thermal anneal of the block copolymer ( e . g ., fig2 - 8 ) or at or about l ( d t ≃ l ) for embodiments utilizing a solvent anneal process ( e . g ., fig1 - 14 ). optionally , the ends 24 ″″ can be angled or beveled as depicted by the dashed line 50 in fig2 . the dimensions of the trench 18 ″″ can be , for example , about 70 - 100 nm wide ( w t ), about 100 - 25 , 000 nm long ( l t ), and about 40 - 200 nm deep ( d t ). any of the above - described cylindrical - phase block copolymers ( e . g ., ps - b - pmma , ps - b - peo , ps - b - pla , etc .) can be deposited within the trench 18 ″″, and thermal or solvent annealed as previously described . the trench 18 ″″ is fabricated with the appropriate neutral or preferential wetting surface on the sidewalls 22 ″″, ends 24 ″″, and trench floor 26 ″″, to drive the block copolymer to self - assemble into perpendicular - oriented cylinders 34 ″″ upon annealing , as depicted in fig2 - 20b . the resulting cylinders 34 ″″ are formed in a staggered two - row arrangement parallel to the sidewalls 22 ″″ in which the center - to - center pitch distance ( p ) of adjacent cylinders 34 ″″ within a row is at or about 0 . 5 * l . fig2 b illustrates a schematic cross - sectional , elevational view of both rows of cylinders in relation to the underlying lines 12 ″″. the self - assembled polymer film can then be processed to form a mask ( fig2 - 21b ) by removing the cylinder domains 34 ″″ ( e . g ., pmma ) leaving a polymer matrix 36 ″″ ( e . g ., ps ) with cylindrical openings 40 ″″ to the underlying substrate 10 ″″, which can then be etched to form openings 42 ″″ ( shown in phantom ) to “ buried ” active areas ( e . g ., lines 12 ″″) and the openings 42 ″″ can then be filled ( fig2 - 22b ) with a desired material 44 ″″, e . g ., metal , to form , for example , a contact to underlying lines 12 ″″. in some embodiments , the feature size of the conductive lines 12 ″″ is less than the diameter of the cylinders 34 ″″ ( e . g ., by about 50 %) such that a variance in the diameter of the cylinders 34 ″″ and the subsequently formed cylindrical openings 42 ″″ avoids electrical shorts that can occur from overlapping diameters of adjacent cylinders . with the present embodiment of two rows of cylinders in an offset arrangement , contact openings 42 ″″ can be etched into a substrate to a denser array of buried lines 12 ″″ than with an embodiment utilizing a single row of cylinders ( e . g ., fig6 ) for a given block copolymer pitch l . with the contacts 44 ″″ being offset , each contact 44 ″″ can be connected to a single conductive line 12 ″″ to address the lines individually . methods of the disclosure provide a means of generating self - assembled diblock copolymer films composed of perpendicular - oriented cylinders in a polymer matrix . the methods provide ordered and registered elements on a nanometer scale that can be prepared more inexpensively than by electron beam lithography , euv photolithography or conventional photolithography . the feature sizes produced and accessible by this invention cannot be easily prepared by conventional photolithography . the described methods and systems can be readily employed and incorporated into existing semiconductor manufacturing process flows and provide a low cost , high - throughput technique for fabricating small structures . although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown . this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations that operate according to the principles of the invention as described . therefore , it is intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof . the disclosures of patents , references and publications cited in the application are incorporated by reference herein .	7
turning to fig2 there shown is a block diagram of a high frequency qpsk transmitter 30 according to the present invention . two gunn diode cavity oscillators 32 , 34 are each configured to operate at the transmit frequency , e . g ., 31 ghz . the first oscillator 32 is phase locked to the selected channel frequency and produces an output signal in waveguide 40 . preferably , locking is accomplished by applying a steering voltage 36 to the oscillator 32 . the steering voltage 36 is generated by a phase locked loop (&# 34 ; pll &# 34 ;) 38 which preferably operates at only a fraction of the selected cavity oscillation frequency . a feedback path 43 taps the signal in waveguide 40 and provides it to the pll 38 to maintain the oscillation phase . the second cavity oscillator 34 is connected to the first oscillator 32 in a manner which slaves the oscillation of the second oscillator 34 to the first oscillator 32 . in the preferred embodiment , the second oscillator 32 is magnetically linked to the first oscillator 32 at a specified phase vector through integral wall slots and a coupling aperture 45 . this arrangement permits synchronizing energy from the first oscillator 32 to travel into the second oscillator 34 where it functions as a steering signal which synchronizes the phase and frequency of oscillation of second oscillator 34 to that of the first oscillator 32 . thus , the two oscillators can be controlled from a single adjustment point . preferably , the slots and aperture 45 are designed to ensure a frequency coherence between the two cavity oscillators 32 , 34 , while maintaining a specified phase vector between the oscillators 32 , 34 over the entire normal frequency bandwidth of the devices . other slaving arrangements known to those of skill in the art may also be used . for example , the steering voltage 36 from pll 38 may be used to drive the second oscillator 34 . alternatively , another pll may be utilized to drive the second oscillator 34 , which pll is synchronized to the first pll 38 . each cavity oscillator 32 , 34 is coupled to a respective output waveguide 40 , 42 to supply an output vector 44 , 46 . the oscillators 32 , 34 preferably have a cavity configuration which provides for output voltage signals 44 , 46 extracted at different points to have different phases . by selecting different extraction points for two oscillators 32 , 34 , the output signals 44 , 46 will be out of phase . the coupling points between the output waveguides 40 , 42 and the oscillators 32 , 34 are selected so that the two output vectors 44 , 46 are 90 degrees out of phase with each other . the extraction points may be adjusted as required to compensate for any phase differences introduced by the coupling method . according to the invention , these output signals are employed as a quadrature signal source . each quadrature vector 44 , 46 is presented to a bi - phase , solid - state switch 48 , 50 . the configuration of the waveguides 40 , 42 between the oscillators 32 , 34 and the switches 48 , 50 is chosen so that the waveguides 40 , 42 have substantially the same electromagnetic transmission characteristics so that any phase shifts which are introduced are introduced equivalently to the generated signals 44 and 46 . this preserves the phase relationship between the two signals in a manner which is independent of the frequency of oscillation . preferably , the waveguides 40 , 42 are substantially symmetrically identical , i . e ., they have substantially the same shape , or are rotations and / or mirrored versions of each other , so that generated signals 44 , 46 travel the same distance along the same shape of path . according to the invention , each bi - phase switch 48 , 50 is realized in a waveguide and is comprised of a magnetic reflective coupling structure connected to a waveguide which can be switched according to the value of an input data bit between a hard - wall wave guide short and one or more compensated , electrically generated shorting planes . the distance between the switchable shorting planes and the hard - wall short is selected to produce a switchable net phase change of 180 degrees , taking into consideration any phase shift introduced by the parasitic capacitance of the shorting switch in the off state . thus , the output 52 of the first bi - phase switch 48 will have a phase of either zero or 180 degrees and the output 54 of the second bi - phase switch 50 will have a phase of either 90 degrees or 270 degrees , depending on the states of the switches 48 , 50 as selected by the input data . the output vectors from switches 48 , 50 are passed through waveguides 52 , 54 which are connected to a conventional in - phase combiner 56 . the combiner 56 produces a combined qpsk signal 58 which can be applied directly to a broadcast antenna 60 . according to the invention , virtually the entire signal path between the oscillators and the antenna is a waveguide structure . there are no intermediate stages in which the signal is converted from one frequency to another . instead , the signals originally generated by the oscillators 32 , 34 are the ones which are ultimately output and transmitted . a significant advantage of this arrangement is that the output power of the transmitter 30 is supplied directly from the oscillators 32 , 34 and limited only by the efficiency with which the signals are passed by the waveguide structures . turning to fig3 a , there is shown a top cross - sectional view of one embodiment of the transmitter 30 of fig2 . according to the invention , the entire transmitter apparatus is provided as a waveguide structure having three primary elements : a quadrature vector source 110 , a phase switching assembly 112 , and an in - phase combiner 114 , shown here separated by lines 84 and 100 . preferably , conventional waveguide , such as wr - 28 , and coupling aperture arrangements are utilized throughout . the cavity oscillators 32 , 34 are coupled to respective waveguides 40 , 42 through coupling apertures 62 , 64 . the apertures 62 , 64 are positioned on the oscillators 32 , 34 so that the signals entering each of the waveguides 40 , 42 are substantially 90 degrees out of phase with each other . preferably , the two cavity oscillators 32 , 34 have a 0 - 1 - 0 cavity configuration which advantageously allows output signal vectors to be extracted at different points along the cavity to thereby provide different output signal phases . thus , two cavities oscillating synchronously with each other can produce a pair of output vectors with any desired relative phase relationship . because the phase of the output signal depends on the physical location of the extraction point , the phase relationship between the two signals remains substantially constant with changes in the oscillation frequency . as shown in fig3 a , the circumferential position of the coupling aperture 62 between the first oscillator 32 and the waveguide 40 is substantially 90 degrees from the position of the coupling aperture 64 between the second oscillator 34 and the waveguide 42 . in the preferred 0 - 1 - 0 cavity configuration , this arrangement provides the desired 90 degrees phase difference . a cross section of the cavity oscillators 32 , 34 along line 3b -- 3b is shown in fig3 b . each cavity oscillator 32 , 34 contains a respective gunn diode 66 , 68 coaxially aligned with the axis of the respective oscillator cavities . dc power for the diodes 66 , 68 is supplied through a coaxial cable 70 , 72 . the coaxial cable 70 is also used to provide the steering voltage signal 36 from the pll 38 to the first oscillator 32 . each oscillator 32 , 34 has a respective coupling slot 74 , 76 which is connected to a coupling aperture 78 to connect the two oscillators 32 , 34 as described above . also shown in fig3 b is a coupling slot 80 in the second oscillator 34 which connects it to the waveguide 42 . returning to fig3 a , each waveguide 40 , 42 connects a respective oscillator 32 , 34 to one of the bi - phase switches 48 , 52 . the length and configuration of each connecting waveguide 40 , 42 is selected so that the phase difference between the two signals is preserved . in the preferred embodiment , the connecting waveguides 40 , 42 are substantially mirror images of each other . this ensures that both waveguides 40 , 42 will introduce the same phase shift , thus preserving the phase relationship , and will also have the same degree of attenuation , thereby keeping the signal strength balanced . the signals received from the waveguides 40 , 42 are preferably directed into the switching portions of the phase switches 48 , 50 by reflective coupling structures 49 , 51 . these coupling structures 49 , 51 are also configured to properly direct the phase - switched outputs 52 , 54 from the switches 48 , 50 into the in - phase combiner 56 . each switch 48 , 50 is preferably realized in a waveguide which terminates in a hard reflecting short 86 , 88 and has a shorting diode 90 , 92 placed in the signal path ( shown extending into the plane ). the diodes 90 , 92 function as electrically variable shorts which act as switching points , effectively altering the length of the respective switch waveguide 48 , 50 when they are conducting . ideally , a phase shift of 180 degrees is provided when the diodes are conducting and are placed one - quarter wavelength from the hard shorting plane . however , placing a diode in the waveguide introduces a parasitic capacitance which may alter the phase of the signal as it passes through the off - state diode while traveling to and from the hard short 86 , 88 . ( when the diode is conducting , it functions as a short and the parasitic capacitance is of little concern ). because only a relative phase shift is required , the position of the diode is adjusted to compensate for the introduced phase shift . those skilled in the art will recognize that any type of mirrored waveguide switching arrangement may be utilized with the signal source discussed above and that various different waveguide structures may be used to provide the preferred hard and diode shorting points . in the embodiment shown in fig3 a , the impedance of the waveguide is lowered by adding ridges 96 , 98 . preferably , a double - ridged waveguide configuration is used . this configuration focuses the magnetic field of the applied signal to directly impact the solid - state switch point which forms the shorting plane , increasing the efficiency of the switch . as with the connecting waveguides 40 , 42 , the two switches 48 , 50 are preferably substantially mirror images of each other . this ensures that any inherent phase shifts which are introduced by the switching structure are equally represented in both signals and therefore cancel out . the ( phase - shifted ) output of the switches 40 , 50 are applied to an in - phase combiner 56 to produce a qpsk output signal 58 . combining the output of the quadrature vectors in this manner advantageously provides a power - doubling effect in the combined signal with regards to signal amplitude without distortion . an alternative , and more preferred arrangement of the transmitter 30 is shown in fig4 . the overall configuration is the same as shown in fig3 a . however , instead of using a single - point reflective switching structure as the bi - phase switch , quadrature switching structures 140 , 142 are utilized . the switching waveguides 140 , 142 are each comprised of two balanced waveguides 144 , 146 , 148 , 150 , each having its own switch point 152 , 154 , 156 , 158 . a balanced quadrature structure is more efficient than the single - point reflective structure of fig3 a . in addition , the use of two switch points isolates the switching and reduces interference . an alternate configuration 160 for the in - phase combiner is also shown . this configuration has different reflection points than the combiner 56 shown in fig3 a and a lower signal loss . also provided are steps 162 which may be used to match the impedance of the waveguide at the output to that of the transmit antenna structure . various modifications may be made to the transmitter structure described above without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , more than two oscillators may be slaved together and used to produce output vectors having phase relationships other than 90 degrees . four oscillators may be provided and output signals selected to have phase relationships of 0 , 45 degrees , 90 degrees , and 135 degrees respectively . each output signal could then be supplied to a bi - phase switch as described above and the results merged with a 4 - input bi - phase combiner to thereby allow four data bits to be simultaneously transmitted as an eight data - point constellation . additional pairs of switches which provide a phase shift other than 180 degrees may also be introduced to increase the data carrying capacity of the structure . for example , by placing the shorting diode ( s ) at approximately 1 / 8wavelength from the hard short , a 45 degree phase shift may be selectively introduced . adding a mirrored pair of these switches to the qpsk structure shown above allows an 8 - point signal constellation to be produced . alternatively , multiple short points may be introduced in a single switch to provide for several selectable phase shifts . the oscillators 32 , 34 and connecting waveguides 40 , 42 may further be utilized as a signal source independent of the transmitter arrangement 30 described above . thus , for example , a signal source 110 having outputs 80 , 82 ( along dividing line 84 ) can be provided without the remaining switching structure . by varying the point at which the oscillators 32 , 34 are tapped and / or varying the configuration of the waveguides 40 , 42 , a dual - vector source can be produced with any desired phase relationship . advantageously , the phase relationship remains substantially constant even as the frequency of oscillation is changed . various applications for such a stable signal source will be apparent to those skilled in the art . for example , the power level of the oscillators may be modulated , the output polarized , and a combiner utilized to create a circularly polarized , amplitude modulated output signal for use in satellite and radar applications or the like . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	7
while polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ) is not itself readily flammable and does not rapidly propagate a fire , it does create a very significant or excessive amount of smoke when ignited and this smoke creates a serious hazard to persons trying to locate exits to escape the fire . in many jurisdictions , the use of pvc building components which give rise to smoke problems are considered fire hazards and are precluded from use under stringent building code regulations . while incorporation of inorganic materials into the pvc to provide stiffening or reinforcing and expansion controlling characteristics may reduce to some extent the smoke generated on ignition of the composite material , there is a limit to the amount of such material that can be introduced and still have a component that can be extruded , is structurally sound , will weather well , and will not be subject to fracture under use and handling . as a result , the use of such reinforcing materials do not provide the requisite level of smoke reduction to meet the stringent fire rating restrictions of many jurisdictions . while smoke retarding agents which reduce fire hazards are known , it has been found that they exhibit poor weathering qualities so that their use in pvc components which are intended as structural members exposed to the environment is to be avoided . according to the present invention , through the provision of the isolating skin covering the surfaces of the components which are exposed when the components are interlockingly assembled into a building structure , the properties of these smoke retarding agents can be utilized by incorporating them into the substrate . it has been found that components extruded from pvc which incorporate a smoke retarding agent and a reinforcing and expansion controlling agent in the substrate and a protective skin free of smoke retarding agents will provide components which meet the requisite fire rating properties of jurisdictions have stringent fire rating building codes . it will be understood that the fire rating characteristics of the components will increase with an increase in the quantity of the smoke inhibiting agents and the strengthening or stiffening of the components will decrease with a decrease in the quantity of the strengthening of stiffening agent . as a practical matter , it has been found that the total of the smoke retarding agent or agents and the reinforcing or stiffening agent or agents should not exceed about 45 % and preferably not more that about 35 % to 40 % by weight of the pvc in the substrate . depending upon building code requirements and bearing in mind the maximum concentration of the smoke inhibiting and stiffening agents , the smoke inhibiting agent may comprise from about 5 % to 35 % by weight of the substrate material and the reinforcing or stiffening and expansion controlling agent or agents may comprise from about 10 % to 35 % by weight and preferably 20 % to 25 % by weight of the substrate material . although other reinforcing and stiffening agents such as fine mineral or glass fibers could be used , calcium carbonate provides an inexpensive and practical stiffening agent for use in association with the smoke retarding agent or agents . in this connection as hereinafter set out , the hollow structural components comprising the wall panels and their box connectors of the invention are adapted to be filled with concrete which may be suitably reinforced with rebar , these components when erected and filled with concrete present structurally solid walls so that the percent of the stiffening and expansion controlling agent need only be sufficient to preserve their configuration under pouring of the concrete therein so that the percentage of smoke retarding agent or agents can be increased to meet the more stringent fire rating regulations and the contained concrete adds to their resistance to fire and collapse while the smoke retarding agent or agents minimizes the smoke given off . in the same vein , while the hollow roof panels and connectors are not intended to be filled with concrete , it has been found that their resistance to fire and collapse can be effectively controlled by introducing metal inserts , eg . of aluminium , or steel sleeved therein while the incorporated smoke retarding agent minimizes the smoke given off . in addition , the presence of these metal inserts reduces the amount of reinforcing or stiffening and expansion controlling agent required in the roof members while providing for large roof loadings and at the same time allows for an increase in the smoke retarding agent or agents in the substrate . referring to fig1 and 2 , the wall panel 1 shown therein comprises a co - extrusion of a substrate 2 and an overlying thin skin 3 . the length or height of the panel would be the height of the wall of the building structure to be erected therefrom . a practical panel width between the panel faces 4 which become the walls of the building structure when the panel is assembled may be chosen at 100 millimeters . the width of the panels themselves between the edges 5 is chosen so that when they are assembled in interlocking relationship with connecting box connectors the distance between center lines of such connected panels would be 1 / 3rd of a meter to provide a convenient modular base dimension as illustrated in fig2 the panel 1 is divided into three compartments 6 by webs 7 . adjacent each of edge walls 5 the panel is formed at the opposite faces thereof with registering inturned locking grooves 8 and the width of the panel in the direction between the faces 4 is slightly reduced so that in effect the panel portion indicated at 9 between the grooves 8 and edge walls 5 become locking tongues . preferably the edge walls 5 are slightly concave to facilitate there interlocking assembly with connecting box connectors . the wall panel 1 is preferably cored to provide a predetermined pattern of openings 90 extending through the edge walls 5 and webs 7 . as an example , the substrate 2 for a panel of the dimensions discussed above may have a thickness of the order of about 2 . 5 to 3 millimeters in the peripheral walls of the panel and from about 1 . 5 to 2 millimeters in the webs 7 . this substrate 2 is comprised of a polyvinyl chloride and the reinforcing or stiffening and expansion controlling agent and a smoke retarding agent . depending upon the building codes , the smoke retarding agent may be incorporated in an amount from about 5 % to about 35 % by weight of the substrate composition and the reinforcing or stiffening and expansion controlling agent or constituent may be incorporated into the pvc substrate in an amount from about 10 % to 35 % by weight . with the maximum combined total of said agents not to exceed 45 % and preferably not to exceed 35 % to 40 % by weight of the substrate . where the fire rating regulations are not too onerous , the pvc substrate desirably may contain from about 20 % to 25 % by weight of the reinforcing or stiffening and expansion controlling agent and from about 10 % to about 20 % by weight of the smoke retarding agent to bring the combined total of these agents in the range of from about 30 % to 40 % by weight of the substrate . while a number of reinforcing or stiffening and expansion controlling agents may be employed such as mineral or glass fibers , calcium carbonate can advantageously be used in conjunction with the smoke retarding agent for cost savings in the component per se and to facilitate the extrusion process in the forming of the components . suitable smoke retarding agents which reduce the hazards of a fire that may be used are aluminum trihydrate , zinc borate , antimony trioxide , antimony oxide , or magnesium hydroxide . the skin or cap stock 3 has a thickness substantially less than the thickness of the substrate and may have a thickness of about 0 . 35 to 0 . 45 millimeters . the skin 3 may comprise pvc , rigid pvc , non - rigid pvc , abs polycarbonates with suitable material being available from g . e . under the trade - marks geloy and noryl . this protective skin as will be understood by those skilled in the art may include , inter alia , suitable agents which provide impact resistance as well as protection against ultraviolet radiation and weathering and may also include colouring agents . fig3 and 4 illustrate a fire rated box connector 10 according to the invention . box connector 10 has spaced parallel walls 11 connected by webs 12 which define a square which in the system described is 100 millimeters by 100 millimeters . the walls 11 extend outwardly beyond the webs 12 to define flanges 13 which terminate in inturned oppositely registering locking fingers 14 . the webs 12 are cored to provide a predetermined pattern of openings or holes 15 corresponding to the openings or holes 90 of the panel 1 . the walls 11 including the flanges 13 and preferably the outer surfaces of the locking fingers 14 are comprised of a substrate 16 corresponding to the substrate 2 of the wall panel 1 and a co - extruded skin or cap stock 17 corresponding to the skin 3 of the wall panel 1 . it will be appreciated that in the case of both the wall panel 1 and the box connector 10 the volume of the skin material will be only a small proportion which may be of the order of about 10 % or less of the volume of the substrate material which contains the reinforcing or stiffening and expansion controlling agent or agents and the smoke retarding agent or agents as discussed above . fig5 illustrates how a wall is formed by interlocking wall panels 1 by means of the box connector 10 in which the fingers 14 of the box connector engage in the grooves 8 of the panels with the tongue portions of the panels anchored behind the box connector fingers . as illustrated , when the panels have been assembled into a wall formation with the interlocking box connectors , they are adapted to be filled with concrete 18 and the openings 90 of the panels and 15 of the box connectors are adapted to register to provide through flow passages for the flow of the concrete which gives the permanent rigidity to the walls and permanently interlocks the components together . reinforcing rods or rebar ( not shown ) may be inserted through the registering or openings 90 and 15 for added strength if desired . as will be appreciated from fig5 the exposed surfaces of the interlocked panels and box connector all are covered with their smooth skins which not only provide protection but give a clean aesthetic appearance thereto hiding or masking any blemishes in the substrate . as a result , an added cost saving can be obtained by using reground or reprocessed pvc material in the substrate . in this connection , the material cut out from the panels to produce the pattern of holes 90 therein and the material cut out from the box connectors to produce the pattern of holes 15 therein forms an important course of feed stock for the substrate material of subsequently extruded components of the invention so that wastage is eliminated and costs are reduced . with reference to fig6 there is shown a portion of a roof structure formed with interlocking roof panels 1 &# 39 ; and box connectors 10 &# 39 ;. the roof panels 1 &# 39 ; correspond to the wall panels 1 with the exception that they are not cored . similarly the box connectors 10 &# 39 ; correspond to the box connectors 10 but also are not cored . the substrates 2 &# 39 ; and 16 &# 39 ; of the panels 1 &# 39 ; and box connectors 10 &# 39 ; correspond to the substrates 1 and 16 of the wall panel 1 and box connector 10 respectively . similarly the skin 3 &# 39 ; of the roof panel 1 &# 39 ; corresponds to the skin 3 of the wall panel 1 and the skin 17 &# 39 ; of the box connector 10 &# 39 ; corresponds to the skin 17 of the box connector 10 . to provide reinforcement in the roof structure as illustrated in fig6 a metal i - beam 19 is sleeved within the central compartment 6 &# 39 ; of the roof panel 1 &# 39 ;. the i - beam 19 which will extend substantially the full length of the roof panel 1 is preferably formed of a aluminium although a steel beam could be used . fig7 is a view similar to fig6 but illustrates the use of shallow metal channel stiffeners 20 fitted into the tongue portions of the roof panels 1 &# 39 ; behind the locking grooves 8 &# 39 ;. these stiffeners 20 are preferably formed of steel although aluminium could be used and they would run substantially the length of the panel 1 &# 39 ;. fig8 is an end view of a roof box beam 21 extruded from pvc containing reinforcing or stiffening and smoke retarding agents as aforesaid . the beam is illustrates as having a substrate 22 corresponding to the substrate material 2 of the wall panel 1 and a skin 23 corresponding to the skin 3 of the wall panel 1 . this beam 21 is provided with inturned locking grooves 24 to receive mating fingers of other locking components not shown . the beam is reinforced by having sleeved therein metal members 25 and 25 &# 39 ; which form a box beam within the box beam 21 . these members 25 and 25 &# 39 ; are preferably hot - dipped galvanized sheet steel although an aluminium box beam could be used . where the beam 21 is not exposed to either the weather or viewing , the skin 23 may be omitted . fig9 is a box beam 26 corresponding to the box beam 21 but having an i - beam 27 sleeved therein which preferably is of steel but may be of aluminium . while specific embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be understood that variations may be made therein as will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the appended claims .	4
an illustrative example of an improved bypass - type pressure regulator 10 according to the invention is shown in fig1 . for purposes of this illustration , the pressure regulator 10 is schematically shown in the drawing as being incorporated in a fluid pressure system for delivering pressurized liquid fuel via line 11 to an aircraft engine . the fuel is supplied to the line 11 at a regulated rate by way of a metering valve 12 which communicates with a high pressure supply line 13 . high pressure fuel is typically supplied to the high pressure supply line 13 from a high pressure ( hp ) supply such as a gear - type positive displacement pump ( not shown ). in order to supply fuel to the low pressure discharge line 11 at a regulated rate , a substantially constant drop must be maintained across the metering valve 12 regardless of the flow rate through the valve . pressure regulator 10 is included in the system for this purpose . the regulator 10 is connected across fuel valve 12 and maintains the constant pressure drop across that valve by selectively bypassing high pressure fuel from high pressure line 13 to a bypass line 20 . that is , as the pressure in line 13 increases relative to the pressure in line 11 , regulator 10 is adapted to bypass more fuel via line 20 , thus reducing the pressure in line 13 . conversely , if the pressure in line 11 rises relative to the pressure in line 13 , pressure regulator 10 reduces the flow into bypass line 20 thereby increasing the pressure in line 13 . in this manner , regulator 10 maintains a substantially constant pressure drop across metering valve 12 . according to a significant aspect of the invention , regulator 10 includes compensation elements which allow the regulator to maintain the substantially constant pressure drop across metering valve 12 for a wide range of bypass flows and pressures . the regulator 10 comprises a valve housing 30 including a high pressure inlet 32 in communication with high pressure supply line 13 . housing 30 also includes a low pressure inlet 35 connected to the low pressure line 11 . a valve member 40 is housed within valve housing 30 for reciprocating movement with respect thereto . it is the position of this valve member 40 with respect to valve housing 30 which determines the amount of high pressure fuel from line 13 which is passed to the bypass line 20 . accordingly , the regulator 10 will be referred to herein as having a range of bypass positions from low bypass flow to high bypass flow . high pressure fluid admitted into the high pressure inlet 32 acts against a high pressure face 41 on the upper end of the valve member 40 . this pressure results in a force which tends to shift the valve member downwardly to a position allowing increased bypass flow from the high pressure line 13 to the bypass line 20 . at the same time , low pressure fluid admitted through low pressure inlet 35 acts against a low pressure face 42 on the lower end of the valve member 40 , which results in a force that tends to shift the valve member upwardly so as to reduce the bypass flow from the high pressure line 13 to the bypass line 20 . a coil spring 43 is compressed in the housing 30 between the low pressure face 42 and the lower end of the housing . the force of this compression spring also acts to shift the valve member upwardly and thus to reduce the bypass flow to the bypass line 20 . according to this arrangement , the valve member 40 is shifted downwardly when the pressure p 1 in high pressure line 13 increases relative to the pressure p 2 in the low pressure line 11 . of course , such relative change can occur either by pressure p 1 increasing or by pressure p 2 decreasing . in either case , the downward movement of valve member 40 causes an increase in the bypass flow from the high pressure line 13 to the bypass line 20 so as to reduce the pressure p 1 . in this way , regulator 10 maintains a substantially constant pressure drop p 1 - p 2 across the metering valve 12 . conversely , if the pressure p 1 decreases relative to p 2 , the valve member 40 shifts upwardly which decreases the bypass flow from high pressure line 13 to bypass line 20 . this raises the pressure p 1 to maintain the pressure drop p 1 - p 2 at substantially the same constant value . the action of the biasing spring 43 in such an arrangement shifts the pressure drop p 1 - p 2 away from the constant value as the valve member shifts downwardly . this is due to the fact that the resistance force offered by spring 43 increases with the stroke of valve member 40 . thus , as valve member 40 moves downwardly and causes an increased bypass flow into bypass line 20 , the spring 43 progressively resists downward movement of the valve . this increased resistance causes the relationship p 1 - p 2 to change . additionally , fluid reaction forces increase as the bypass flow increases . these fluid reaction forces also progressively resist downward movement of the valve at high bypass flows . because of these increased upward forces for large bypass flow , a valve member having the previously - described configuration would tend to deliver too little bypass flow at high bypass flow conditions . as a result , the pressure drop p 1 - p 2 tends to increase for increased bypass flow . in accordance with the invention , the pressure regulator 10 is constructed to compensate for the increasing resistance exerted by the spring and the fluid reaction forces which occur at higher bypass flow . this compensation is in the form of a compensation force which acts in the same direction as the spring force . for low bypass flows , this compensating force has a relatively large value , while it has a smaller value for high bypass flow . as a result , the progressively increasing resistance exerted by the spring and fluid reaction forces is offset by this progressively reducing compensating force . we have recognized that both the fluid reaction force and the spring force increase substantially linearly for increasing bypass flow . because of this , and according to a further aspect of the invention , the valve member 40 is constructed to provide a compensating force that varies substantially linearly with increasing bypass flow . this linearly varying compensating force thus accurately compensates for the substantially linearly varying and increasing spring force and fluid reaction forces . because of this compensation , and its substantially linear nature , the pressure drop p 1 - p 2 , instead of increasing as bypass flow increases , remains at a more substantially constant value for widely varying bypass flow rates and bypass pressures . to provide for fluid communication between the high pressure line 13 and bypass line 20 , valve member 40 includes a compensating port 45 and a metering port 50 , both of which are in communication with an intermediate passage 60 formed in valve member 40 . compensating port 45 , depending upon the position of valve member 40 relative to valve housing 30 , is in fluid communication with a compensation inlet 70 . this compensation inlet 70 , in turn , is in fluid communication with a secondary high pressure line 75 connected to high pressure line 13 . similarly , metering orifice 50 , depending upon the position of valve member 40 , is in fluid communication with a bypass outlet 25 . bypass outlet 25 is in constant fluid communication with the bypass line 20 . preferably , both compensation inlet 70 and bypass outlet 25 are annular ports as shown in fig1 . further , the compensating port 45 and metering port 50 are preferably comprised of angularly spaced orifices formed within the valve member 40 . as mentioned , the position of valve member 40 relative to valve housing 30 determines the amount of registration between the compensating port 45 and the compensation inlet 70 . similarly , the position of valve member 40 determines a level of registration between the metering port 50 and the bypass outlet 25 . assuming the compensating port 45 is at some level of registration with compensation inlet 70 , and that metering port 50 is at some level of registration with bypass outlet 25 , high pressure fuel from the secondary high pressure line 75 is bypassed by the regulator 10 to the bypass line 20 . the cross sectional area of the compensating port 45 , to be discussed in greater detail below , is smaller than the cross sectional area of the intermediate passage 60 . as a result , a pressure drop is introduced between secondary high pressure line 75 and the intermediate passage 60 formed within valve member 40 . this pressure drop varies according to the position of valve member 40 relative to the valve housing 30 , assuming a constant bypass flow . of course , bypass flow is not constant , and an increased bypass flow will cause an increased pressure drop assuming a constant position of the valve member 40 with respect to the valve housing 30 . the pressure within intermediate passage 60 , as determined by the pressure drop across compensating port 45 , is communicated to a compensating chamber 80 through an opening 85 formed radially through the valve member 40 . preferably , the compensating chamber 80 is annular , and the opening 85 comprises several angularly spaced openings formed through the valve member 40 . one side of compensating chamber 80 is defined by one side of a radially projecting land 90 formed around the upper end of the valve member 40 . the portion of land 90 forming one side of the compensating chamber 80 forms a pressure face against which the pressure in intermediate passage 60 acts . this results in an upward force tending to close off the compensating and bypass ports to reduce bypass flow . the pressure exerted on the pressure face is determined by the pressure drop across the compensating port 45 . since it is the upward force on this pressure face which give regulator 10 the ability to compensate for increased closing forces at high bypass flows , the pressure drop across compensating port 45 will be referred to herein as a compensating pressure drop . according to this arrangement , the pressure p 1 admitted through high pressure inlet 32 acts against an area a 1 which corresponds to the area corresponding to the diameter of the land 90 . pressure p 1 acting on area a 1 tends to shift the valve member downwardly under the influence of the force p 1 a 1 . at the same time , pressure p 2 which has been admitted through low pressure inlet 35 acts against the low pressure face 42 having an area defined as a 2 . thus , a force p 2 a 2 resists the downward force p 1 a 1 , and urges the valve member 40 upwardly . as mentioned previously , the upward force p 2 a 2 is summed with an upwardly - acting force from the compression spring 43 , which will be referred to herein as f s . also , an upwardly - directed fluid reaction force f r also tends to urge the valve member upwardly . according to the invention , a further upwardly - acting compensating force f c is exerted on the valve member by virtue of the pressure p c being transmitted from the intermediate passage 60 to the compensating chamber 80 and acting against the lower side of the land 90 . this area of the land 90 will be referred to herein as a 3 , and thus the magnitude of the compensating force will be equal to p c a 3 . considering all of these forces , the downward force tending to increase flow through the bypass outlet 25 is p 1 a 1 , while the combined upward force acting on the valve member and tending to close the bypass port is p 2 a 2 + p c a 3 + f s + f p . the balance forces on the valve member , may thus be expressed as : the compensating port 45 and the metering port 50 are disposed such that the compensating port 45 will crack before the metering port 50 . thus , at some point there is a steady state where the compensating port 45 is open , but the metering port is not , and thus there is no bypass flow . at this steady state condition , the pressure p c in the compensating chamber 80 is equal to the high pressure p 1 , the fluid reaction force f p is zero and the force balance equation is : according to this embodiment , the area a 3 is equal to the area a 1 minus the area a 2 , thus , equation 2 may be rewritten as : as previously discussed , the purpose of regulator 10 is to maintain the value p 1 - p 2 at a constant value . for the steady state case just considered , this occurs , since both f s and a 2 are constant . however , and as mentioned previously , f s is not a constant over the entire range of travel of the valve member . furthermore , as the bypass port 25 opens , the upwardly - acting fluid reaction forces f r increases . as mentioned , both of these forces vary substantially linearly for increasing bypass flow , as determined by the position of the valve member 40 . the pressure regulator 10 , according to the invention , compensates for the increase in these forces f s and f r . as the valve member moves away from its steady state position , and shifts downwardly to permit a bypass flow through the metering port 50 and the bypass outlet 25 , a compensating port pressure drop results from the flow through the compensating port 45 . as a result , the pressure p c transmitted to the compensating chamber 80 is also reduced . for increased bypass flows , the pressure p c continues to diminish , thus reducing the total upward force acting on the valve member and compensating the increased upward forces due to increasing f s and f r . according to a further significant aspect of the invention , this continuing reduction in p c for increased bypass flow is programmed so that the relationship between increased bypass flow and decreased p c is substantially linear . this is advantageous since , as discussed above , the increasing forces for which p c compensates ( f s and f r ) increase linearly with increasing bypass flow or downward valve position . this substantially linear decrease in p c for increasing bypass flow is achieved by making the size of compensating port 45 a function of the bypass flow . for an incremental downward movement of the valve member 40 and thus an incremental increase in bypass flow , the pressure drop across an orifice of fixed size would have a certain value . according to this invention , however , the incremental downward movement of the valve member 40 also incrementally increases the size of compensating port 45 . this increase in the size of the compensating port reduces the amount of the pressure drop across the port as compared to an orifice of fixed size . it is this action of pressure regulator 10 which gives an substantially linear relationship between the compensating force exerted on the land 90 by the pressure p c , and the rate of bypass flow . since a linearly decreasing p c is used to offset linearly increasing forces f s and f r , pressure regulator 10 effectively maintains a substantially constant pressure drop p 1 - p 2 across the metering valve 12 through the entire range of bypass flows and pressures . in order to achieve the substantially constant pressure drop across the valve 12 , the areas of the compensating port 45 , and the metering port 50 must be correlated with one another , and with the known force of the spring 43 . further , and according to another aspect of the invention , the areas and shapes of the compensating port 45 and the metering port 50 can be optimized for each specific application . for example , the compensating port 45 may be rectangular , such that the relationship between the position of the valve member 40 and the area of port 45 exposed to the compensation inlet 7 is linear . alternatively , instead of having the compensating port 45 be of a simple rectangular configuration , a more complex configuration , such as that shown in a representative valve member in fig2 may be used for the compensating port 45 . according to that configuration , the shape of the compensating port 45 is rectangular over most of the range of travel of valve member 40 . in that range the valve position / compensating port area relationship is linear . as the valve member moves to a high bypass flow position , however , the port may be necked - down as at the angular side walls 46 and 47 . in this region of the port 45 , the valve position / compensating port area relationship becomes non - linear . other shapes of both the compensating port 45 and the metering port 50 may be used and optimized for specific applications . generally , the purpose of such optimization of the shapes of the ports will be to maintain the constant pressure drop across the metering valve 12 . however , it may also be desirable in certain circumstances to shape the ports to introduce a nonconstant drop across metering valve 12 for certain specified conditions . thus , there has been disclosed a pressure regulator 10 which is uniquely designed to have the advantageous feature of maintaining a substantially constant pressure drop across a metering valve in a fluid delivery system . fig3 is a comparative graph showing the differential pressure across a metering valve over a range of fuel flows in fuel delivery system using different pressure regulators including a regulator 10 according to the invention . the first curve , designated &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; is for a pressure regulator without any compensation . the second curve &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; shows a pressure regulator employing compensation as shown in the wernberg &# 39 ; 713 patent . the remaining curve &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; shows a pressure regulator in accordance with the invention . as shown by these idealized curves , the pressure regulator of the present invention , by virtue of a substantially linear relationship between valve position and the compensationg pressure drop , offers a substantially constant pressure drop across a metering valve . furthermore , a pressure regulator according to the present invention may advantageously be used in combination with other devices for maintaining a constant pressure drop across a metering valve . in fig4 the pressure regulator 10 according to the present invention is shown used in conjunction with a bellows 100 and trim piston 120 , forming an amplifier for amplifying the pressure differential across the metering valve as seen by the regulator 10 . the pressure differential across the metering valve 12 is applied to the bellows 100 . the pressure output from bellows 100 , which varies with the differential pressure , is applied to a trim piston 120 via line 115 . for an increase in high pressure relative to low pressure , the trim piston moves downwardly , thus tending to move valve member 40 to a position of higher bypass flow . in designing pressure regulator 10 , the shape and area of the compensating port 45 and metering port 50 are correlated with the spring force of spring 43 and trim valve spring 110 . in this way , a more nearly constant pressure drop can be achieved across valve 12 .	8
in more detail , the present invention is a method for installing a hollow , closed - bottom pile 10 having perforations 12 in a section of the wall 14 near the bottom end thereof and / or in the bottom closing plate 16 , in an earth formation . the method includes driving the pile into an earth formation 20 which tightly engages the outer surface of the pile , at least along the perforated section 12 , when the driving is completed . see fig1 . the perforated section of the pile 10 is disposed within an unconsolidated portion 18 of said earth formation and a liquid thermo - setting resin - forming composition 20 is displaced through the pile and the perforations . see fig2 . the liquid composition permeates the unconsolidated portion of the formation in a radially extensive zone 24 that is continuous from within the piling out into the unconsolidated portion and the liquid composition solidifies in the radially extensive zone to form a consolidated mass 26 integrally comprising the permeated zone and the pile . see fig3 . the liquid thermo - setting resin - forming composition employed in the method contains : epikote - 828 is a trade name for commercial liquid polyglycidyl ether of 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propane , which preferably has an epoxy group content of 5320 mmol / kg . ## str1 ## and its isomers . broadly , the process according to the present invention comprises stabilizing a struture embedded in an earth formation by disposing the solidifiable liquid resin composition between at least an external portion of the structure and the surrounding earth formation , and solidifying the resin composition in intimate and static contact with both the structure and the formation , whereby the solidified resin is bonded to both the structure and the formation . when resin - forming polyepoxide composition 22 is flowed , as a liquid , from inside the pile 10 into contact with a surrounding earth formation 20 ( especially a granular earth formation ) and allowed to harden in accordance with its present invention , the pile demonstrates a pull - out resistance materially exceeding that obtainable by other methods . thus it is possible , to reduce both the number of piles necessary to form an adequate foundation and the depth to which such piles must be driven . the prior art processes of anchoring pilings , such as by forming metal footings or by pouring slurries of concrete , or other cementitious materials around or from within the pile out into the surrounding earth , are subject to serious disadvantages which materially reduce the pullout resistance of the piles when compared with those installed by our new process . more specifically , concrete slurries cannot easily be pumped through permeable formations without fracturing the formations . furthermore , cement does not have a high bonding affinity for metal and tends to fracture at the point where it is joined to a metal pile when the latter is subjected to intense or shock - loading pull - out forces . by using the resin - forming composition 22 according to the invention , the aforementioned disadvantages of prior art metal footings or cementitious projections are overcome . the composition according to the invention comprises a pumpable , oil - phase liquid mix which is not affected by water , i . e ., it will not dehydrate or dilute and become an unpumpable mass , as will concrete or cement . further , the present liquid compositions solidify at predictable rates in contact with sea water and other aqueous solutions which materially affect the curing or setting of cement . in addition , the present liquid mix may be used to stabilize piles 10 in relatively permeable formations , where prior art cementitious materials are not effective because the suspended solid particles which , in such prior art mixtures , are essential to the formation of a solid grout , filter out on the face of the formation . since the mix is a solid free , pumpable , oil - phase liquid , the mix cures to a solid whether it is disposed within or adjacent to the matrix of the earth formation and thus it can be cured in either sandy formations or in relatively impermeable formations . furthermore , the liquid mix according to the invention will adhere to wet surfaces and solidify to form a much stronger bond to the metal pilings and to the earth formations than any material previously known . tests have shown that under identical conditions the cured mix exhibited a shear strength of from at least 2 to 100 times as great as that for cementitious compositions . finally , the solidified resin composition according to the invention is elastic rather than brittle and resists shock better than concrete . while resin consolidations , especially where the formation is completely saturated with the resin are excellent , the relatively high cost of the resins may prohibit such consolidations . when the formation to be consolidated must remain permeable , it is not possible to saturate the formation with resins since this would close off the pore space between the adjacent grains of the formations making the resulting consolidated formation completely impermeable . in order to maintain permeability and a corresponding reduction in cost , resins are dispersed in formations in concentrations less than saturating to achieve some consolidation and , at the same time , maintain permeability . however , when the concentration of the resin is reduced , much of the resin merely collects and coagulates in the pore spaces between adjacent grains of the formation without adding appreciably to the actual consolidation or the compressive strength of the consolidated grains . therefore , it has been a widespread practice to attempt a compromise between some consolidation and some permeability , when it is necessary that the formation consolidated remain permeable . the method according to the invention seeks to avoid such compromises by the formation of a hardened resin film 30 covering the surfaces 32 of the loose grains 32 and leaves the pores ( interstitial voids ) 36 unencumbered by resin precipitation . see fig4 . in this manner , it is possible to achieve consolidations which are both strong and permeable , and which can be accomplished at a very reasonable expense . surprisingly , the consolidations accomplished according to the invention , are as strong as those consolidations in which the formation is actually saturated with the resin or resin composition . this means that excellent consolidations can be achieved at a very reasonable cost while maintaining a very high permeability . permeable consolidations allow the consolidated mass to drain and thereby allow it to sustain much greater loads than in the case in which drainage is not possible . often , in the practice of the invention , the permeability of the consolidated mass is approximately that of the unconsolidated mass which makes this method extremely desirable for the consolidation in case one desires to repeat the consolidation treatment to give additional strength to part or whole of the initially consolidated mass . while it has been the practice to treat permeable , unconsolidated or partially consolidated masses with injected resin compositions to obtain consolidation , the consolidation integrity is sometimes sacrificed for purposes of permeability . it has now been found that a considerable increase in consolidation integrity can be achieved by resin compositions when a silane is present in the liquid composition to be injected into formation to be consolidated . the silanes have at least one functional group which is capable of reacting with the grains of the formation and another function group which is capable of reacting with the resin - forming composition with which the consolidation is to be accomplished . thus , the silane ensures a connecting link between the resin and the grains of the formations and thereby ensures greater consolidation integrity . also , the presence of the silane tends to prevent the resin from accumulating in the pore space between adjacent grains and causes the resin composition to adhere closely to the surface of the grains being consolidated . under such circumstances , the resin does not coagulate in the pores and leaves the consolidated formation relatively permeable while also achieving high consolidation integrity . therefore , according to a preferred embodiment of the invention , the liquid thermo - setting resin - forming composition contains a silane , advantageously in a concentration within the range of from 0 . 5 to 2 % v . the liquid thermo - setting resin - forming composition preferably has a dynamic viscosity of at most 10 cp . by using such a composition , the soil to be consolidated under and / or around a pile is not disturbed during the injection of the liquid composition therein . the liquid composition can be injected through holes in the lower cylindrical part of the pile : shaft - grouting . alternatively it can be injected through holes in the bottom closing plate of the pile : pile - tip - grouting . the invention will now be further illustrated by the following example . platform a is an offshore piled structure constructed for the exploitation of hydrocarbon reserves . the main part of the structure rests on four legs in 150 m deep sea . each leg is piled ( by a number of hollow steel piles placed symmetrically around the leg ) through the sea - bed to a depth of 120 m below the sea - bed . the pile tips rest in a weakly cemented , porous calcareous soil of low permeability ( 20 - 400 millidarcy ) which has subsequently been shown in tests as having insufficient strength to safely bear the load of the platform according to the original design criteria . as a remedial action , a treatment based on the epoxy grout formulation mentioned hereinbelow was carried out as follows . calculations showed that in order to satisfactorily strengthen the soil beneath the pile tips , a five - fold increase in soil strength would be required and this must extend up to 1 . 7 m radially from the axis of the pile and to a depth of 6 m below the pile tip . the volume of epoxy grout required was of the order of 25 cubric meters per pile . an injection hole of 15 cm diameter was drilled through the pile tip into the soil , extending some 6 m beneath the pile tip . the following fluids were injected into the soil taking care not to exceed the estimated fracture pressure of the soil ( approximately 12 bar ): the purpose of these fluids was to pre - condition the formation by removing most of the natural pore water . this was followed by the epoxy grout . the pumping rate averaged 1 . 5 cu . m per hour at 10 bar over - pressure . in total 48 cu . m of epoxy grout were pumped in 31 hours ( for the purposes of this test more epoxy grout was pumped than actually required ). in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the epoxy grout treatment , boreholes were drilled into the treated zone and soil samples were recovered for testing . soil strengths were found to have improved by a factor 10 and epoxy grout was found up to 2 . 6 m away from the injection borehole . the liquid thermo - setting resin - forming composition ( the so - called expoxy grout used in this example ) was composed by blending equal volumes of solutions a and b , having the following compositions : ______________________________________component aepikote - 828 33 % vxylene 66 % vsilane ( d . c . z6040 ) 0 . 72 % vcomponent bmda 11 % v ( 127 g / l ) xylene 35 % vbutyl oxitol 47 % vdmp - 10 1 . 4 % vkerosene 5 . 6 % v______________________________________	4
in fig1 a tool body or probe body 1 is suspended at the end of a cable 2 . electrical conductors which transmit to the probe the energy required for its operation and which , on the surface , transmit the signals delivered by the probe may be incorporated into this cable 2 . probe body 1 , for example , may be equipped with four measurement shoes which are arranged in diametrically - opposing positions in pairs and placed so as to be positioned against the wall . only two of these shoes are shown at 3a and 3b in fig1 . they are connected to the probe body 1 by a mechanism , not shown in detail , which includes articulated arms 4a and 4b for moving the shoes with respect to the axis of the probe body 1 and for placing them in contact with wall 5 of the well during the measurements . probe body 1 is also equipped with a centering device 6 of generally - known construction . as fig2 shows , each shoe 3 comprises an acoustic wave transmitter - receiver transducer t of the piezoelectric type which , when an electrical signal transmitted by conductor 7 is received , emits an acoustic pulse , and which , when an acoustic pulse is received , pg , 8 delivers an electric signal to be transmitted by conductor 7 . the transmission and reception pattern of transducer t is selected to be highly directive . in addition , this transducer is placed in the immediate vicinity of the wall , and it emits a heavily - directional beam in a direction which is essentially perpendicular to the axis of the probe and receives the acoustic waves which are reflected perpendicularly to the axis of the probe . transducer t is mounted in a housing 8 which is placed in a bore of measurement shoe 3 . this bore opens towards wall 5 of the well and housing 8 is mounted in such a way that it slides in a cover - shaped element 10 which is attached to the other face of shoe 3 opposite the wall 5 . housing 8 is biased by spring 12 against the wall 5 of the test drilling . the contact with this wall 5 is made by a ring 11 , which is preferably made of plastic , of a selected thickness e , so that the travel time of the trains of acoustic waves through recess 11a , which is filled with water or a material which has essentially the same acoustic impedance and which constitutes an intermediate medium between transducer t and wall 5 , is well known . spring 12 , which is placed between the bottom of receptacle 9 and a shoulder 13 of housing 8 , keeps ring 11 in contact with wall 5 of the well by moving the housing 8 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the probe . the resolution obtained will be better the smaller the diameter or aperture 0 of the collimator which is represented by recess 11a . this aperture will , however , be sufficient to prevent the diaphragm from significantly attenuating the emitted acoustic beam . on the other hand , it is known that the aperture angle of the acoustic wave beam emitted decreases when the transmission frequency is increased . the value of the thickness e is taken into account in order to determine the positions of the time windows or limited intervals of detection time f1 and f2 in which the successive echoes a1 , a2 , . . . of the emitted ultrasonic signal e are detected . fig3 a , 3b and 3c , where time t appears on the abscissa , show different examples of the detection response to material surfaces of different configuration . these windows f1 and f2 correspond to the times when the successive reflections of signal e at the interface between wall 5 and the water contained in recess 11a are received . the thickness e defines the mean distance between transmission element t and wall 5 . this thickness will be selected to be sufficient to allow window f1 to be shifted enough from the transmission time to ensure good separation between signal a1 and transmitted signal e ( fig4 a ) while thickness e , however , is limited in order to avoid excessive attenuation of the acoustic signals by the intermediate medium with allowance for the value of the acoustic transducer &# 39 ; s transmission power . excellent results are obtained in practice with values of e ranging from several millimeters to 1 cm , but these values should not be considered limiting . the probe 1 is also equipped with a diameter determining device ( not shown ) which indicates the value of the diameter of the bore hole at the level where ring 11 , which plays the role of tracer , makes contact with the inner wall 5 of the test drilling . such a device , which is well known from the prior art , does not need to be described in detail . for example , this device indicates the value of the diameter of the hole with allowance for the rotation of articulated arms 4a and 4b and can in particular be used to detect the presence of significant cavities in the wall of the test drilling . the detection of fractures f is carried out with ultrasonic waves which are likely to reflect well and are not excessively attenuated by traversing the plug of water , or more generally , the intermediate element of thickness e . excellent results are obtained by using acoustic waves which have a frequency of between 400 khz and 5 mhz , and the thickness e of the plug 11a of water can be selected , depending on the value of this frequency , to be between 1 mm and several centimeters . the attenuation of the signal transmitted obviously increases with the frequency selected . with the probe placed in a given position at a known level of the test drilling , the transducer transmits through the intermediate element plug 11a a signal which echoes and returns to the transducer if the formation is compact ( fig3 a ) and which is not returned if the zone is fractured ( fig3 b ). in the first case , the transmitted signal e returns in echoes a1 and a2 such that 0a1 = a1a2 = out - and - back time in the plug of water . if the wall of the test drilling has small cavities , there may be echoes a &# 39 ; 1 , a &# 39 ; 2 , . . . , beyond window f1 ( fig3 c ). however , one of these echoes may possibly appear in window f2 . this second time window f2 is not essential , but its use has the advantage of supplementing the indications given by time window f1 , and the following cases may thus arise : ( 1 ) no echo in f1 : there is a fracture ; ( 2 ) echo in f1 : there is no fracture , as confirmed by the presence of another echo in time window f2 ; ( 3 ) no echo in f1 but an echo beyond this time window , including f2 , indicating that there is an alveolus at the level under consideration . fig4 a , 4b and 4c show the signals corresponding to these different cases which are produced on the screen of an oscilloscope or on a recording . the locations of the fractures will be obtained either by measuring at a fixed level of the test drilling or by slowly moving the probe along the wall of the test drilling . in the selected time window f1 or f2 , the return signal obtained is integrated as a function of the measurement reading with a time constant which decreases in size the more the operator wishes to increase the resolution of the measurement , and the thickness of the fractures can vary from several dozens of microns ( cracks ) to several millimeters . when the invention is employed , use will be made of at least time window f1 which defines a limited time interval which begins , following the instant of transmission of signal e , when a time has elapsed which is essentially equal to the out - and - back travel time of the ultrasonic signals through thickness e of the intermediate medium which separates transducer t from wall 5 . the interpretation of the logs obtained is improved , as indicated above , by detecting the reception of any ultrasonic signals reflected during at least an additional limited time interval , or time window , such as f2 , which begins , following the instant of transmission , when a time has elapsed which is essentially equal to twice , or more generally , a multiple of the out - and - back travel time of the ultrasonic signals to the above - mentioned thickness e , of a known value , of the intermediate medium . in fig5 which shows schematically the transmission , reception and signal processing circuits , the bottom of the drawing shows the acoustic signal transmission and reception circuits located within probe 1 , while the top of the figure shows the circuits for processing the electrical signals . these processing circuits are preferably located on the surface of the ground and are connected to the circuits within the probe by electrical transmission conductors 15 , which can be incorporated into cable 2 which supports the probe . by way of example , it was assumed that the probe includes three transducers t1 , t2 and t3 which may ( or may not ) be distributed in the same horizontal plane around the probe ( for instance , spaced at intervals of 120 ° in this plane ). an electric switching circuit or multiplexer 16 , which is electrically connected to the three transducers by conductors according to fig5 respectively , and which is powered by a low - frequency current ( 40 hz , for example ) from a timing control circuit 17 , connects in succession transducers t1 , t2 and t3 to a signal transmitter circuit 18 which controls the ultrasonic transmission from the transducers t1 , t2 and t3 . this circuit 18 is powered by a high - frequency current ( 10 khz , for example ) from timing control circuit 17 . switching circuit 16 is also connected to a signal receiver circuit 19 , which receives the electrical signals generated by the transducers t1 , t2 and t3 when acoustic echoes corresponding to the emitted ultrasonic signals e are received . the electrical signals at the output of signal receiver circuit 19 are applied to an amplifier circuit 20 with a programmable gain , which also filters these signals . the circuit 20 is coordinated with the frequency of transducer t , for example , with a frequency on the order of 2 . 5 mhz , and is powered by timing control circuit 17 with a current having a frequency of 10 khz . the output from amplifier circuit 20 is applied to a sampler - rectifier circuit 21 and , from there , to an output amplifier 22 , which is connected to electrical conductors 15 for transmission to the surface of the electrical synchronization signals generated by timing control circuit 17 as well as electrical signals corresponding to the transmission and reception of acoustic signals by transducers t1 , t2 and t3 . the electrical signals received on the surface are applied to the input of an amplifier 23 , the output of which is connected to a first threshold circuit 24 , which is connected by a conductor 25 to a mean value detector circuit 26 which determines the mean value of the signal received in the time interval corresponding to time window f1 for each of the three transducers t1 , t2 and t3 , respectively . the circuits for determining time windows f1 and f2 comprise a synchronization circuit 27 , the input of which is connected to the output of amplifier 23 and the output of which is connected , on the one hand , to circuit 26 by way of conductor 28 and , on the other , to the input of a timing circuit 29 for generating time windows f1 and f2 . the output of this timing circuit 29 is connected to circuit 26 by way of conductor 30 . when they leave the first threshold circuit 24 , the signals are also applied to an oscilloscope 31 via conductor 32 . oscilloscope 31 is connected by conductor 33 to timing circuit 29 , which defines time window f1 , and to the synchronization circuit 27 . the signals leaving first threshold circuit 24 are also applied via conductor 34 to a second threshold circuit 35 , the output signals of which are applied to an oscilloscope 37 which is connected by conductor 38 to timing circuit 29 which defines time window f2 . the output signals of second threshold circuit 35 are also applied via conductor 36 to a mean value detector circuit 39 which determines the mean value of the signal received in the time interval corresponding to window f2 for each of transducers t1 , t2 and t3 , respectively . this circuit 39 is connected by conductor 40 to circuit 29 which defines time window f2 . conductors 41 and 42 connect oscilloscope 37 and circuit 39 , respectively , to synchronization circuit 27 . threshold circuits 24 and 35 will be adjusted in such a way as to eliminate parasitic echoes , between element t and wall 5 , due to the use of materials which have an acoustic impedance which is not rigorously adapted to that of the water in contact with wall 5 . the synchronization circuit 27 detects the synchronization signals provided by the timing control circuit 17 and appearing at the output of amplifier 23 so as to synchronize the operations of the mean value detector circuits 27 and 39 , the oscilloscopes 31 and 37 , and the timing circuit 29 to the multiplexing of data signals from transducers t1 , t2 and t3 by the switching circuit 16 . the output of amplifier 23 is also connected to an amplifier 43 , which makes it possible to record signals on magnetic tape , and to an amplifier 44 which makes it possible to read the magnetic recordings which are thus made . of course , the apparatus includes means for determining the position of the probe in the well during each measurement . this will make it possible to record the measurements made as a function of depth . these means can be of the type currently used for known well - logging probes . it may also be possible to use a membrane to close recess 11a which contains the water or another intermediate medium which has essentially the same acoustic impedance and attenuates the acoustic waves only slightly , provided that this thin membrane is composed of a material which has acoustic characteristics such that this membrane does not introduce into windows f1 , f2 , . . . , appreciable parasitic reflections of the signals which are transmitted and reflected by the wall of the formation ( a membrane made of a material which has essentially the same acoustic impedance as water , such as polyethylene ). recess 11a can also be filled with a solid which has essentially the same acoustic impedance as water . while i have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with the present invention , it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to a person skilled in the art , and i therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein , but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art .	6
referring to fig1 , a gas turbine 2 comprises a compressor section 4 and a combustor 6 . the compressor may be an axial compressor having alternating rows of stator vanes and rotor blades arranged in a plurality of stages for sequentially compressing the air , with each succeeding downstream stage increasing the pressure higher and higher until the air is discharged from a compressor outlet at maximum pressure . the combustor 6 receives the compressed outlet air from the compressor portion 4 . conventional fuel supply conduits and injectors ( not shown ) are further provided for mixing a suitable fuel with the compressed outlet air for undergoing combustion in the combustor 6 to generate hot combustion gases . the turbine section 8 is downstream from the combustor 6 and the energy of the hot combustion gases is converted into work by the turbine section 8 . the hot gases are expanded and a portion of the thermal energy is converted into kinetic energy in a nozzle section of the turbine section 8 . the nozzle section includes a plurality of stator blades , or nozzles , 28 , 30 , 32 . for example , a first stage nozzle includes a stator blade 28 , a second stage nozzle includes a stator blade 30 , and a third stage comprises a stator blade 32 . the turbine section 8 also includes a bucket section . in the bucket section , a portion of the kinetic energy is transferred to buckets 40 , 42 , 44 that are connected to rotor wheels 34 , 36 , 38 , respectively , and is converted to work . the wheel 34 and the bucket 40 form the first stage , the wheel 36 and the bucket 42 for the second stage , and the wheel 38 and the bucket 44 form the third stage . spacers 50 , 52 may be provided between each pair of rotor wheels . during a shutdown of the turbine 2 , a blower 12 is provided to cool down the rotor of the turbine section 8 . the blower 12 may be connected to the inner diameter of an aft shaft 26 of an aft disk by stage 1 piping 14 that is configured to deliver a flow of air between the first and second stages , and by stage 2 piping 18 that is configured to deliver a flow of air between the second and third stages . a first set of check valves , including a blower check valve 15 and a piping check valve 17 , may be provided in the stage 1 piping 14 . a second set of check valves , including a blower check valve 21 and a piping check valve 19 , may be provided in the stage 2 piping 18 . mixing tees 16 , 20 may be provided in the stage 1 and stage 2 piping , respectively . alternatively , the blower 12 may be replaced with a vacuum to draw air out of the turbine 2 . the blower 12 is connected to the gas turbine 2 by an externally fed bore ( efb ) circuit 10 which may be , for example , a bucket supply system . for existing gas turbines , the blower may be retrofitted to the gas turbine 2 by retrofitting a bore plug under the aft shaft 26 . the blower piping 14 , 18 can be connected to the inner diameter of the aft shaft 26 and used in conjunction with the check valves 15 , 17 , 19 , 21 . during normal operation , i . e ., non - shutdown conditions , the blower 12 is off and the blower check valves 15 , 21 are closed and the piping check valves 17 , 19 are open . during operation at any speed , which may include shutdowns , between trips , while purging , etc ., of the gas turbine 2 , the blower 12 is operated to cool down the rotor of the turbine section 8 and the blower 12 is sized and timed such that it forces the cooling rate of the rotor to the same speed as or faster than the cooling rate of the casing of the gas turbine 2 . this allows the gas turbine 2 to be restarted at any time and have the rotor equal to or cooler than the stator temperatures . the operation of the blower 12 may be controlled by a controller 48 . the controller 48 may be a specially programmed general purpose computer , or a microprocessor . the controller 48 may also be an asic . the controller 48 may control the operation of the blower 12 based on signals from temperature sensors in the turbine section , e . g . the rotor , and the casing that are sent to the controller 12 . the blower 12 may be used for cooling other plant hardware during fsfl operation , such as exhaust frames / casings . the first blower check valve 15 and the second blower check valve 21 are configured to open when a predetermined gaseous flow is generated by the blower 12 . concurrently , the first piping check valve 17 , and the second piping check valve 19 , are configured to close such that all blower flow be directed to the turbine section 8 . it should be appreciated that the first check valve set 15 , 17 and the second check valve set 19 , 21 may be configured to open at the same , or different , gaseous flows . for example , the first check valve set 15 , 17 may be configured to open at a first gaseous flow , and the second check valve set 19 , 21 may be configured to open at a second gaseous flow that is higher than the first gaseous flow . it should be appreciated that other valves than check valves may be used . it should be further appreciated that the controller 48 may be configured to control the operation of the valves . as shown in fig1 , the cooling flow 22 of stage 1 is shown in solid lines , the cooling flow 24 of stage 2 is shown in dashed lines , and a turbine purge 54 flow is shown in dotted lines . the use of the efb circuit 10 and the blower 12 provides the gas turbine 2 with sufficient clearance as the mechanical growth and out of roundness allow at a lower cost relative to the active clearance control options of prior art systems . the gas turbine 2 provided with the blower 12 and the efb circuit 10 is able to run with tighter clearances and does not require an expensive system that continuously runs to achieve the required clearances . the blower 12 is run at non - fsfl conditions when the rotor is hotter than the casing . it can also be used to perform other plant functions , such as exhaust frame cooling during fsfl . heat transfer analysis may be performed that simulates the blower cooling the rotor of the turbine section 8 during a shutdown to determine how much air flow is required to match the stator time constant to match the cooling rate of the rotor to the cooling rate of the casing of the gas turbine 2 . the clearances are thus controlled by matching the shutdown time constants with rotor augmentation . unlike prior art systems , which use clearance control systems that deal with moving the stator during either startup or fsfl , the gas turbine 2 provided with the blower 12 and efb circuit 10 has advantages in that it is operates on the rotor during non - design points so is relatively inexpensive in terms of product cost and does not represent a drain on the performance of the gas turbine 2 during fsfl . although the embodiment described above is in the context of a gas turbine , it should be appreciated that the cooling apparatus and method described above are also applicable to steam turbines . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment , but on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	5
referring now to the drawings , fig1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a baw oscillator and saw filter multiplier circuit of the present invention . the oscillator circuit preferably comprises a baw crystal clock oscillator 1 that provides a high stability clock reference signal , a saw filter multiplier 2 that provides a harmonic output that is a desired harmonic multiple of the baw oscillator frequency , and an amplifier buffer 3 that amplifies the saw filter output signal to the desired signal level . fig2 is another block diagram of an embodiment of a baw oscillator and fbar filter multiplier circuit of the present invention . the oscillator circuit preferably comprises a baw crystal clock oscillator 1 that provides a high stability clock reference signal , a fbar filter multiplier 2 that provides a harmonic output that is a desired harmonic multiple of the baw oscillator frequency , and an amplifier buffer 3 that amplifies the fbar filter output signal to the desired signal level . fig3 is a schematic diagram of the baw oscillator and filter multiplier circuits of fig1 and 2 . the baw oscillator 1 preferably comprises a bulk acoustic wave resonator in a crystal oscillator circuit . many crystal oscillator circuits are available for use and can be any overtone order of the resonator . the crystal oscillator can be a fixed crystal oscillator ( xo ), a voltage controlled crystal oscillator ( vcxo ), a temperature compensated crystal oscillator ( tcxo ), or an oven controlled crystal oscillator ( ocxo ). the crystal is preferably an at or sc cut crystal . a square wave or sine wave output from the crystal oscillator is desired to produce a plurality of odd or even harmonics for the filter . in a preferred embodiment , the output of the crystal oscillator is a square wave used to produce a plurality of odd harmonics for the filter . the present invention utilizes the odd harmonics by filtering from a digital signal , being close to a square wave . this square wave has a large amount of odd harmonic content which makes it easier to filter and amplify for multiplication . the circuit of the present invention provides better isolation between stages making the design less complicated at higher frequencies . the present invention also preferably uses a saw or fbar filter instead of using an lc filter or other low q filter as used in the prior art . the quality factor q of the saw or fbar filter is higher giving the circuit of the present invention higher amplitude levels . higher amplitude levels are desirable prior to amplifying to reduce the noise levels being amplified . the filter 2 preferably comprises a saw filter or a fbar filter and a plurality of discrete matching components ( resistors , capacitors and inductors ) necessary to accomplish the impedance matching of the filter 2 to the rest of the circuit . the filter 2 bandwidth over the operating conditions of the entire circuit must contain the center frequency plus the frequency tolerance of the baw oscillator 1 harmonics over the operating conditions . the filter 2 bandwidth must not be too wide so it allows the unwanted harmonics of the baw oscillator 1 to also pass through the filter 2 . the filter 2 must have a frequency response characteristic to remove all the unwanted frequencies of the baw oscillator 1 and select only the desired harmonic multiple of the baw oscillator &# 39 ; s fundamental frequency . the circuit of the present invention also preferably includes an amplifier and / or buffer 3 in order to obtain the desired signal strength or wave shape required for the circuit that this design is intended to drive . the amplifier / buffer 3 is preferably an analog amplifier for a sine wave output requirement or a digital buffer required for driving a digital circuit such as a cmos or pecl circuit . in the example shown in fig3 , the amplifier / buffer 3 is an ecl line receiver , such as a 100el16 - 5v ecl differential receiver . one example of an acceptable circuit for the baw oscillator 1 is shown in fig4 . fig4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a baw oscillator circuit of the present invention . the oscillator circuit of this embodiment preferably comprises a gate oscillator having an inverting gate or inverter 5 , a capacitor 6 and 8 on each side of the inverter 5 , an inductor 7 on the input side of the inverter 5 , and a crystal 4 in the feedback path of the inverter 5 . the inductor 7 is used to select the desired overtone order of the crystal 4 and would not be included for a fundamental mode crystal . the gate oscillator 5 , such as a 10h116 differential line receiver as shown in fig4 , supplies the amplifier stage and vbb bias for the circuit , capacitors 6 and 8 supply additional phase shift for the circuit to allow oscillation with the crystal 4 . the inductor 7 is used to create an inductor capacitor tank circuit with capacitor 8 to select the overtone order of the crystal 4 being used in the circuit . the example shown in fig4 uses an ecl gate which does not require a feedback resistor to provide the bias and gain adjust necessary for a ttl or cmos inverting gate . if a ttl or cmos inverting gate were used , a feedback resistor would be required in the feedback path of the inverting gate . the stability of a non - compensated baw at cut resonator is much tighter than a saw resonator . the baw at cut resonator frequency drift with temperature can be as low as ± 2 ppm from 0 ° c . to 50 ° c . ( or as indicated earlier , less then ± 10 ppm from 0 ° c . to 70 ° c .). as mentioned above , other controlled or compensated crystal oscillators can be used such as a vcxo for small frequency movement , a tcxo for extra stability , or an ocxo for very tight stability . the output stability of the overall circuitry will be the stability of this reference oscillator . fig5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the baw oscillator and filter multiplier circuit of the present invention incorporating the baw oscillator circuit of fig4 . the baw oscillator 1 is preferably a 177 mhz , at cut baw crystal oscillator created via a standard gate oscillator circuit . an at cut third overtone crystal 4 provides the basic frequency reference for the baw oscillator 1 . the output of the gate oscillator circuit 1 is preferably filtered with a saw filter 2 having a center frequency of 531 mhz ( three ( 3 ) times the fundamental 177 mhz frequency of the oscillator ). the saw filter 2 bandwidth is preferably about 1 mhz , which is wide enough to contain the at cut crystal 4 tolerance at the third harmonic selected and the drift of the saw filter 2 . a simple pecl receiver buffer , such as a 100el16 ecl line receiver 3 , amplifies the output of the saw filter 2 and provides the pecl signal level needed for a pecl oscillator . the saw filter 2 is preferably a 533 . 33 mhz smd , part number tb0264a , manufactured by tai - saw technology co ., ltd . of taiwan , having a center frequency of 533 . 33 mhz . as mentioned previously , in another embodiment of the present invention , a fbar filter 2 may be used in place of the saw filter 2 . while the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments set forth above . thus , it is recognized that those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain substitutions , alterations , modifications , and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit or intent of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description is meant to be exemplary only , the invention is to be taken as including all reasonable equivalents to the subject matter of the invention , and should not limit the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims .	7
fig1 illustrates the basic construction of the solid insulation distribution transformer according to the preferred embodiment . the transformer 10 has a core 12 and coils or windings 14 . an outer casing 16 surrounds a molded mass 18 . the molded mass 18 is a dielectric resin which completely encases and surrounds the core 12 and the windings 14 . a bracket ( not shown ) connected to the core exterior side casing 34 supports the windings 14 . the high voltage and the low voltage terminals are provided at the front on connectors as shown at 21 . heat generated by the core 12 and the windings 14 is extracted by four heat pipes 22 each having conductive heat sink blades 50 for collecting heat in the region between the core 12 and the windings 14 to draw the heat up towards radiators 24 . the distribution transformer 10 is mounted on a base 20 , the base being engageable by a forklift for ease of manipulation . according to a first aspect of the present invention , as shown in fig2 and 3 , the magnetic core is not directly cast in the solid dielectric material 18 but rather it is surrounded by a resilient and compressible sheet material 30 . during curing of the cast material 18 , the compressible sheet material 30 is constricted as the cast material shrinks . the core is thus also allowed to vibrate and to undergo thermal expansion and contraction without breaking away from the solid cast material 18 . a silicone foam rubber ( closed cell ) sheet material 30 is wrapped around all of the core 12 . silicone sealant is used to close together and render resin - tight the compressible sheet material 30 at the seam or seams thereof . the laminated core 12 thus does not soak up the liquid cast dielectric material 18 during molding . the silicone sealant used to seal up the sheet material 30 is preferably the kind which does not release acetic acid during curing to avoid subjecting the laminated core 12 to the acetic acid . as illustrated in fig2 the resilient foam sheet material 30 is partly surrounded by steel casing plates 34 on its outer sides at the base and free elongated limb by which the whole of the core 12 and coils 14 is supported when mounted to base 20 . the casing plates 34 may be made of metal of composite material . furthermore , in accordance with the present invention , any possible cracks due to thermal build - up in the mass of molded dielectric material 18 surrounding the core 12 are prevented from propagating radially by a series of concentric dielectric sheets 62 placed between the primary coil 66 and the secondary coil 64 , as well as between the secondary coil 64 and the grounded outer casing 16 . while these sheets 62 are shown to be concentric square - shaped tubes , it would , of course , be possible to provide a spiral of a continuous sheet in order to place a plurality of sheets between the primary and secondary coils . the molded dielectric material 18 fills the spacing between the sheets 62 . the sheets 62 ( e . g . nomex ™ paper which is a synthetic fiber paper - like web material having good dielectric properties as well as good physical strength and flexibility when provided in a thickness not much thicker than standard bond paper ) are held in place by spacers generally indicated by reference numeral 60 . the spacers 60 may be made of fiberglass strips or the like . according to a second aspect of the present invention , the heat pipes 22 as illustrated in fig1 and 3 , are arranged to extract heat from the core 2 and the secondary low voltage windings 64 . heat pipes , well known in the art , are heat transfer devices consisting of a sealed metal tube with an inner lining of wicklike capillary material and a small amount of fluid in a partial vacuum , in which heat is absorbed at one end by vaporization of the fluid and is released at the other end by condensation of the vapor . heat absorbed by the pipes 22 within the distribution transformer 10 causes the liquid contained within the wick structure to evaporate . the vapor in the center of the heat pipes 22 moves through the wick - like coating in the radiator end of the pipes 22 to condense and release heat to the radiator fins 24 . the wick - like coating transports the liquid by capillary action from the condenser section outside the transformer to the evaporator section inside the transformer where the heat is generated . the blades 50 help collect the heat from within the transformer for transport by the heat pipes 22 . an insulator strip 52 ( e . g . a nomex strip ) is used to separate the two sets of blades 50 in order to electrically insulate the two and prevent a current loop . as can be seen in fig3 the heat pipes are arranged on the outside of the silicone sheet material 30 . heat is more readily absorbed in this way from the low voltage windings 64 . heat which builds up in the core 12 is collected by the heat pipes as it passes through the sheet material 30 . the heat generated by the outer high voltage windings 66 is dissipated through the cast dielectric 18 to the outer casing 16 and to the ambient air . in the preferred embodiment , two heat pipes 22 are provided on each lateral side of the core 12 . this has proven to be efficient for removing the heat that is generated in the case of a 167 kva distribution transformer . 0f course , it would be possible to have a heat pipe inside the sheet material 30 . while heat pipes are preferred because they are passive and maintenance - free , active fluid circulation heat exchange apparatus could also be implemented . with reference to fig1 and 4 , an aspect of the present invention will be described . the outer casing 16 which surrounds the solid body 18 comprises an outer multi - layer fiberglass shell 42 with an inner carbon fiber cloth liner 44 . the shell members comprise interlocking tabs 46 which allow the fiberglass shell members to be glued together to form a rigid and solid shell completely surrounding the sides of the distribution transformer 10 . as illustrated , thin copper strips 48 are connected to the cloth liner 44 in order to connect the cloth to ground . by grounding the carbon fiber cloth liner 44 , electric fields within the distribution transformer 10 which emanate from the windings 14 will not result in a shock hazard to workers coming into contact with the casing 16 . by providing a fiberglass shell to cover the molded dielectric body 18 , a very safe structure is constructed . thus , if a pressure build - up inside of the molded body occurs resulting in the body 18 wanting to crack apart under the gas pressure , the fissure will travel until it reaches the casing 16 , at which point its energy will be absorbed . the built - up gas pressure can then travel upwards towards the top of the transformer 10 where the casing 16 is not provided and be safely released there . this construction is known as a &# 34 ; ballistic armor &# 34 ; construction since it prevents any harmful effects from an otherwise explosive condition . the tapering at the top of the transformer both reduces the volume of the cast dielectric and increases the effectiveness of the casing 16 by reducing the exposed surface . it is assumed that the exposed surface points in a direction free from the usual passage of workers . the cast insulating material 18 may be made from a resin - filler mixture , such as the ciba - geigy resin sold under the name &# 34 ; araldite cw229 &# 34 ; mixed with a wollastenite powder filler ( casi0 3 ). the filler upgrades the resin structural properties . the dilation coefficient of the set resin - filler composite is also close to that of steel . after the shell members 42 are assembled together to make the casing 16 , the steel molds are then applied to the casing 16 before the resin filler mixture is vacuum cast in the casing 16 and allowed to fully cure . the copper strips 48 are then connected to a ground terminal to ground the carbon fiber cloth material contained in the shell members 42 .	7
the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings . fig5 a and 5b are views showing one embodiment of a recording head of the present invention , wherein fig5 a is an appearance perspective view and fig5 b is a side view . this form is comprised of a recording element substrate 1001 on which recording elements ( not shown ) are formed , a driving element substrate 1002 on which driving elements 1003 of ic for driving the recording elements individually under control are formed , a circuit substrate 1004 electrically connected to the driving element substrate 1002 by a method such as wire bonding to enter an image signal from the outside into the driving elements 1003 , a heat radiating plate 1012 provided for heat radiating the recording elements and driving elements on the recording element substrate 1001 , a ceiling plate 1011 provided on a part of the face of the recording element substrate 1001 confronting the driving element substrate 1002 , but out of contact with the driving element substrate 1002 , a press - bonding plate 1007 for press bonding the recording element substrate 1001 and the driving element substrate 1002 to make electrical connection therebetween , an elastic member 1008 provided between the press - bonding plate 1007 and the heat radiating plate 1012 , a main base board 2006 for holding down the driving element substrate 1002 and the circuit substrate 1004 , securing screws 1010 for securing the press - bonding plate 1007 and the main base board 1006 , and spacers 1009 , as shown in fig5 a and 5b . the driving element substrate 1002 is positioned and fixed such that its end face may be flush with the end face of the main base board 1006 . note that an ink chamber ( not shown ) and ink discharge ports ( not shown ) are disposed between the recording element substrate 1001 and the ceiling plate 1011 , with energy for discharging the ink supplied to the ink chamber by the recording elements on the recording element substrate , so that the ink is discharged from the ink discharge ports owing to that energy . herein , a component consisting of the main base board 1006 , the driving element substrate 1002 and the circuit substrate 1004 is referred to as a driving element unit , and a component consisting of the heat radiating plate 1012 , the recording element substrate 1001 and the ceiling plate 1011 is referred to as a recording element unit . a method of positioning the driving element unit and the recording element unit as shown in fig5 a and 5b will be described below . fig6 a and 6b are views illustrating one form of the method of positioning the recording element unit and the driving element unit in press bonding , as shown in fig5 a and 5b . in press bonding the recording element unit and the driving element unit in this form , a positioning jig base board 1014 is used on which locating pins 1101 , 1102 for locating the recording element unit and locating pins 1100 , 1102 for locating the driving element unit are provided at respective predetermined positions , as shown in fig6 a and 6b . first , the driving element unit is placed on the positioning jig base board 1014 , and secured thereto , with the end portion of the driving element unit abutted against the locating pins 1100 , 1102 ( fig6 a ). then , the connection of the recording element unit is laid on the connection of the driving element unit , and the recording element unit is secured to the driving element unit , with the end portion of the recording element unit in abutment against the locating pins 1101 , 1102 ( fig6 b ). herein , since the position of connecting electrodes for the driving element unit can be determined by the distance from the end of the driving element substrate 1002 , and the position of connecting electrodes for the recording element unit can be determined by the distance from the end of the recording element substrate 1001 , the position of the connecting electrodes for the driving element unit can be correctly determined by the locating pins 1100 , 1102 , and the position of the connecting electrodes for the recording element unit can be correctly determined by the locating pins 1101 , 1102 . thereafter , by disposing the elastic member 1008 on the heat radiating plate 1012 , then laying the press - bonding plate 1007 thereon , and fixing to the spacers 1009 which are secured onto the main base board 1006 , the driving element unit and the recording element unit are press bonded and electrically connected . in the above for , the positioning of the driving element substrate and the recording element substrate can be easily made . also , as opposed to the conventional example in which the elastic member 2008 is interposed between the sub - base board 2005 and the press - bonding plate 2007 , as shown in fig3 the elastic member 1008 is interposed between the recording element substrate 1001 and the press - bonding plate 1007 in this form , whereby the movable portion becomes the recording unit alone , resulting in superior dynamic balance in the operation and stabler pressure bonding operation . fig7 a and 7b are views showing another embodiment of a recording head of the present invention , wherein fig7 a is an appearance perspective view and fig7 b is a side view . this form has a balance weight 1013 attached to the heat radiating plate 1012 of the recording head as shown in the previous embodiment , as shown in fig7 a and 7b . in the previous embodiment , the recording element unit is constructed in such a manner that the recording element substrate 1001 and the ceiling plate 1011 are provided on one side from a column of connecting electrodes for the recording element substrate 1001 of the heat radiating plate 1012 , none being provided on the other side , so that the position of the center of gravity in the recording element unit is offset relative to the position at which the connecting electrodes of the recording element substrate 1001 are provided . accordingly , the dynamic balance is broken , in some instances leading to unstable and difficult operation , when positioning and press - bonding the recording element unit and the driving element unit . thus , in this form , the balance weight 1013 is attached oppositely to the side where the recording element substrate 1001 and the ceiling plate 1011 are provided with respect to the column of connecting electrodes for the recording element substrate 1001 on the heat radiating plate 1012 , such that the position of the center of gravity in the recording element unit is substantially coincident with the installed position of the connecting electrode portion . in the recording head as above constituted , due to the improved dynamic balance of the recording element unit in press bonding the recording element unit and the driving element unit , the press - bonding operation between the recording element unit and the driving element unit can be further enhanced in efficiency and reliability . while this form has been described with an instance where the balance weight 1013 is attached to the heat radiating plate 1012 , it will be appreciated that the position of the center of gravity in the recording element unit can be also substantially coincident with the installed position of the connecting electrode portion by changing the shape of the heat radiating plate 1012 . fig8 a and 8b are views showing a further embodiment of a recording head of the present invention , wherein fig8 a is an appearance perspective view and fig8 b is a side view . this form has no heat radiating plate 1012 for the recording head , which was provided in the previous embodiment , in which the press - bonding plate 1007 for use in press bonding the recording element unit to the driving element unit is made of an electrically conductive material to fill the role of heat radiating plate , as shown in fig8 a and 8b . in the recording head as above constituted , if the recording element substrate 1001 causes any failure , the recording element substrate 1001 can be only replaced , so that the number of parts and the number of assembling processes , as well as the costs of renewal parts , can be reduced . fig9 a and 9b are views illustrating an ink jet recording head according to a further embodiment of the present invention , wherein fig9 a is an exploded view and fig9 b is an overall perspective view . in fig9 a and 9b , 101 is a recording element substrate on which recording elements , wirings and connecting electrodes , not shown , are disposed , 103 is a driving element of ic for driving each recording element under control , 102 is a driving element substrate on which the connecting electrodes for electrical connection with the recording element substrate and driving elements 103 are disposed , 104 is a circuit substrate for entering an image signal from the outside into driving elements 103 , 106 is a main base board , 107 is a press - bonding plate , and 108 is an elastic member . this example has a maximum feature that the elastic member 108 is divided into a plurality of blocks . the blocks of the elastic member 108 for use in this example are of e . g . rectangular parallelopiped shape and arranged on the course of transmitting a pressure welding force produced by the press - bonding plate 107 . therefore , the pressure bonding force produced by the press - bonding force 107 is transmitted to the pressure bonding face of the driving element substrate 102 and the recording element substrate 101 , as a force applied to a number of points by the elastic members 108 . as a result , the more reliable pressure welding can be effectively made more easily than by the conventional method , even if there is any warp or waviness of the substrate which is problematical in pressure welding the recording element substrate 101 and the driving element substrate 102 which are of long size . fig1 a and 10b are views illustrating a further example of the present invention . fig1 a is an overall perspective view of an ink jet recording head of this example , and fig1 b is a typical view showing an elastic member 108 for use in this example . this example has the same constitution as the first example , except for the shape of the elastic member 108 , wherein like numerals are attached , and no detailed explanation is given . a different point between this example and the previous example is that the elastic member 108 is an elastic body of an integral structure having a plurality of convex and concave configurations , as shown in fig1 b . in this way , as the elastic member 108 is the integral structure , this example is superior in that the elastic member is more easily disposed , as compared with the first example where it was necessary to arrange a plurality of blocks of the elastic member 108 . the material of this elastic member 108 , like the previous example , is preferably natural rubber , silicone rubber , or other elastic resins , and the convex and concave configurations on the surface can be easily formed by a method such as stamping . fig1 a and 11b are views illustrating a further example of the present invention . fig1 a is an overall perspective view of an ink jet recording head of this example , and fig1 b is a typical view showing an elastic member 108 for use in this example . in this example , like numerals are attached to the same parts as in the previous example , and no detailed explanation is given . in this example , a different point from the previous example is that a metal sheet worked into a shape having convex and concave configurations such as wave or crest is employed , as shown in fig1 b . the elastic member 108 of this example can be easily worked into wave or crest shape by a method such as press , with lower production costs of the recording head , and the use of metal parts allows the fabrication of recording head which is resistive to changes in environment such as temperature or humidity or secular deterioration . fig1 shows an appearance of one embodiment of an ink jet head according to the present invention , fig1 shows the lateral shape of its main portion , and fig1 shows an appearance of a portion of an energy generating element unit thereof . that is , a driving element unit 12 and a circuit substrate 14 for electrical connection via wire bondings 13 to this driving element unit 12 are fixed on a base plate 11 . also , a base end portion of a presser bar 17 is attached to spacers 15 standing from the base plate 11 by means of a plurality of machine screws to be screwed into respective spacers . a registration face 22 formed on an energy generating element substrate 21 of an energy generating element unit 20 is superposed on a registration face 19 formed on a driving element substrate 18 of the driving element unit 12 . and a pressing face 23 formed on the opposite side of the registration face 22 of this energy generating element substrate 21 has a top end portion of the presser bar 17 pressed thereto via a cushion member 24 such as a rubber - like elastic material in circular cross section . thereby , the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 is pressed onto the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 having driving elements formed , with the elastic deformation of the cushion member 24 . namely , pressing means of the present invention can be comprised of spacers 15 , machine screws 16 , the presser bar 17 , and the cushion member 24 , as above described . on these registration faces 19 , 22 , there are exposed a plurality of connecting electrodes , not shown , which are electrically connected by positioning and bringing the registration faces 19 , 22 of the energy generating element unit 20 and the driving element unit 12 into close union with each other . on both sides of a grooved plate 26 joined to the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 in a longitudinal direction thereof , a pair of ink supply tubes 27 for supplying the ink into an ink passageway , not shown , formed between the grooved plate 26 and the energy generating element substrate 21 are connected , the ink supply tubes 27 being in communication with an ink tank , not shown , via a filter device 28 , whereby the ink supplied from this ink tank is filtered by the filter device 28 provided on the base plate 11 to prevent mixture of dust and foreign matter into the energy generating element unit 20 . on the base end of the energy generating element substrate 21 in this embodiment , a thinner portion 29 having a smaller thickness than the other portion is formed to employ the surface of this thinner portion 29 as the pressing face 23 . in this way , by placing the pressing face 23 into closer proximity to the registration face 22 by virtue of the thinner portion 29 of the energy generating element substrate 21 which is reduced in thickness , the aspect ratio for connection can be made greater than that of the conventional one . also , since the thinner portion 29 which has smaller thickness and rigidity is used as the pressing face 23 , the entire registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 can be securely brought into close union with the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 by the pressing force of the presser bar 17 , even if the energy generating element substrate 21 has more or less nonconforming shape such as warp . as a result , a stabler electrical connection can be made between the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 and the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 . fig1 shows an appearance of one embodiment of an ink jet cartridge according to the present invention , using the ink jet head as above described . that is , the ink jet cartridge 30 in this embodiment is of the serial type , mainly comprised of a driving element unit 12 , a presser bar 17 , an energy generating element unit 20 , a cushion member 24 , an ink supply tube 27 , a main ink tank 31 for storing the ink , and a lid member 32 for enclosing this main ink tank 31 . the energy generating element unit 20 having a number of ink discharge ports 41 discharging the ink formed , corresponding to the previous embodiment as shown in fig1 and 13 , is pressed via the cushion member 24 onto the driving element unit 12 by the presser bar 17 . the ink is passed from the main ink tank 31 through the ink supply tube 27 into an ink chamber which is formed by the grooved plate 26 and the energy generating element substrate . while the ink jet cartridge 30 in this embodiment has the main ink tank 31 and the driving element unit 12 integrally formed , it will be appreciated that the main ink tank 31 may be exchangeably connected with the driving element unit 12 . fig1 shows an appearance of one embodiment of an ink jet apparatus according to the present invention , using the ink jet cartridge 30 as above described . that is , the ink jet apparatus 50 of this embodiment has a carriage 54 freely slidable along a pair of guide bars 53 disposed in parallel to a platen roller 52 which is driven for rotation by a paper feeding motor 51 . also , a pair of pulleys 55 , 56 rotatably attached beyond both ends of the guide bars 53 has a scanning wire 57 looped therearound in parallel to the guide bars 53 , with its both trailing ends connected to the carriage 54 . one pulley 55 is connected to a carriage driving motor 58 , and with the forward and backward rotation of this carriage driving motor 58 , the carriage 54 is moved for scanning along the platen roller 52 in its longitudinal direction , while being guided by the guide bars 53 . the carriage 54 has the ink jet cartridge 30 as shown in fig1 mounted exchangeably by means of an operation lever 59 for mounting / dismounting in positioned state , the ink discharge ports 41 of the ink jet head 40 being placed oppositely to the printing medium 70 such as a sheet wrapped around the platen roller 52 with a predetermined spacing . also , the driving elements 25 of the ink jet head 40 ( see fig1 ) are supplied with an ink discharge signal by way of a flexible cable 60 connecting to the carriage 54 in accordance with data from a proper data supply source . and owing to the feeding operation of the printing medium 70 by the paper feeding motor 51 and the scanning movement of the carriage 54 by the carriage driving motor 58 , desired data can be printed on predetermined region of the printing medium 70 . note that more than one ink jet cartridge 30 ( two in the shown example ) can be mounted on the carriage 54 , in accordance with the ink colors in use . also , while the ink jet head 40 as above described was of the serial type , it will be appreciated that the present invention can be also applied to an ink jet cartridge using an ink jet head of full - line type or an ink jet apparatus thereof . in the embodiment as shown in fig1 to 14 , the energy generating element substrate 21 was formed with the thinner portion 29 , but the same effect can be also obtained by forming a groove . the lateral shape of another embodiment of an ink jet head according to the present invention is shown in fig1 , and an appearance of a portion of the energy generating element unit is shown in fig1 , wherein like numerals are attached to the same functional members or parts as in the previous embodiment , and no duplicate explanation is given . this is , on the pressing face 23 of the energy generating element substrate 20 , a groove portion 81 extending along this pressing face 23 is engraved , whereby since a portion of the energy generating element substrate 20 corresponding to this groove portion 81 is reduced in thickness and thus weak in rigidity , the entire registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 can be securely brought into close union with the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 by the pressing force of the presser bar 17 , even if there is more or less nonconforming shape such as warp in the energy generating element substrate 21 . as a result , a stabler electrical connection between the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 and the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 can be made . though the embodiments as shown fig1 to 14 , fig1 and fig1 can be used in any combination , the lateral shape of another embodiment of such an ink jet head of the present invention is shown in fig1 , and an appearance of a portion of the energy generating element unit is shown in fig2 , wherein like numerals are attached to the same functional members or parts as in the previous embodiment , and no duplicate explanation is given . that is , by forming the groove portion 81 on the thinner portion 29 of the energy generating element substrate 21 , the entire registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 can be more securely brought into close union with the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 than in the embodiment of fig1 to 14 , even if there is more or less nonconforming shape such as warp in the energy generating element substrate 21 , so that a stabler electrical connection between the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 and the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 can be made . then , the lateral shape of a further embodiment of an ink jet head according to the present invention having a support plate incorporated into the energy generating element unit 20 is shown in fig2 , and an appearance of a portion of the energy generating element unit is shown in fig2 . in this case , like numerals are attached to the same functional members or parts as in the previous embodiment , and no duplicate explanation is given . that is , the support plate 82 for assuring the rigidity of the energy generating element unit 20 is integrally joined to the energy generating element substrate 21 of the energy generating element unit 20 . the support plate 82 which is wider than the energy generating element substrate 21 is formed with the thinner portion 29 which is smaller in thickness , the surface of this thinner portion 29 being employed as the pressing face 23 against which the cushion member 24 is abutted . in this way , by placing the pressing face 23 into closer proximity to the registration face 22 of the energy generating substrate 21 with the thinner portion 29 of the support plate 82 , the aspect ratio for connection can be made greater than conventionally . also , since the thinner portion 29 which has smaller thickness and reduced rigidity is used as the pressing face 23 , the entire registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 can be securely brought into close union with the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 by the pressing force of the presser bar 17 , even if the energy generating element substrate 21 or the support plate 82 has more or less nonconforming shape such as warp . as a result , a stabler electrical connection can be made between the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 and the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 . while in the above embodiment , the thinner portion 29 is formed in the support plate 82 , a portion of which is used as the pressing face 23 , it will be appreciated that a receiving groove in which the cushion member 24 is only received can be formed in the support plate 82 , and the lateral shape of a further embodiment of such an ink jet head of the present invention is shown in fig2 , and an appearance of a portion of its energy generating element unit is shown in fig2 , wherein like numerals are attached to the same functional members or parts as in the previous embodiment , and no detailed explanation is given . that is , a cushion member receiving groove 83 is formed in the central portion of the support plate 82 against which the cushion member 24 is pressed , the bottom face for this cushion member receiving groove 83 being used as the pressing face 23 . in this way , by forming the cushion member receiving groove 83 in the central portion of the support plate 82 , the pressing face 23 can be brought into closer proximity to the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 than in the previous embodiment , without losing the rigidity of the support plate 82 . accordingly , in this embodiment , the aspect ratio for connection can be made greater than conventionally , whereby the entire registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 can be securely brought into close union with the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 by the pressing force of the presser bar 17 , even if there is more or less nonconforming shape such as warp in the energy generating element substrate 21 or the support plate 82 , so that a stabler electrical connection can be made between the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 and the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 . in one embodiment of the present invention as above described , the cushion member receiving groove 83 for receiving the cushion member 24 was formed in the support plate 82 , but the same effect can be also obtained by forming a groove adjacent to the pressing face 23 . the lateral shape of a further embodiment of such an ink jet head of the present invention is shown in fig2 , and an appearance of a portion of its energy generating element unit is shown in fig2 , wherein like numerals are attached to the same functional members or parts as in the previous embodiment , and no detailed explanation is given . that is , on the pressing face 23 of the support plate 82 is engraved a groove portion 81 extending along this pressing face 23 , whereby since a portion of the support plate 82 corresponding to this groove portion 81 is reduced in thickness and thus rigidity , the entire registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 can be securely brought into close union with the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 by the pressing force of the presser bar 17 , even if there is more or less nonconforming shape such as warp in the support plate 82 . as a result , a stabler electrical connection between the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 and the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 can be made . though the embodiments as shown fig2 to 22 and fig2 to 26 can be used in any combination , the lateral shape of another embodiment of such an ink jet head of the present invention is shown in fig2 , and an appearance of a portion of the energy generating element unit is shown in fig2 , wherein like numerals are attached to the same functional members or parts as in the previous embodiment , and no duplicate explanation is given . that is , by forming the groove portion 81 on the thinner portion 29 of the support plate 82 , the entire registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 can be more securely brought into close union with the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 than in the fourth embodiment as shown in fig2 to 22 , even if there is more or less nonconforming shape such as warp in the support plate 82 , so that a stabler electrical connection between the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 and the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 can be made . while in the embodiment as shown in fig2 to 28 , the support plate 82 greater than the energy generating element substrate 21 was adopted , and the entire energy generating element substrate 21 was joined with the support plate 82 , the use of a smaller support plate 82 than the energy generating element substrate 21 may be possible to form the pressing face 23 on the energy generating element substrate 21 , unless there is specifically any problem in respect of the rigidity . the lateral shape of a further embodiment of such an ink jet head of the present invention is shown in fig2 , and an appearance of a portion of the energy generating element unit is shown in fig3 , wherein like numerals are attached to the same functional members or parts as in the previous embodiment , and no duplicate explanation is given . that is , at the front end of the energy generating element substrate 21 , the support plate 82 having a narrower width than the energy generating element substrate 21 is joined integrally , a portion of the energy generating element substrate 21 located closer to the base end than this support plate 82 serving as the pressing face 23 . in this way , since a portion of the pressing face 23 is directly formed on the surface of the energy generating element substrate 21 , despite of the presence of the support plate 82 , the pressing face 23 can be brought into closer proximity to the registration face 22 , so that the aspect ratio for connection can be made greater than conventionally . also , since the energy generating element substrate 21 is directly pressed , the entire registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 can be more securely brought into close union with the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 , even if there is more or less nonconforming shape such as warp in the energy generating element substrate 21 . as a result , a stabler electrical connection between the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 and the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 can be made . the support plate 82 of the energy generating element unit 20 may be formed in a frame , and the cushion member 24 may be received within this support plate 82 . as shown in fig2 representing an appearance of another embodiment of such energy generating element substrate 20 , an opening 84 facing the pressing face 23 of the energy generating element substrate 21 is formed in the center of the support plate 82 , such that the cushion member 24 can be received within this opening 84 and pressed against the pressing face 23 of the energy generating element substrate 21 . in the embodiment as shown in fig2 and fig3 , a thinner portion 29 can be further formed in the energy generating element substrate 21 . the lateral shape of a further embodiment of such an ink jet head of the present invention is shown in fig3 , and an appearance of a portion of the energy generating element unit is shown in fig3 , wherein like numerals are attached to the same functional members or parts as in the previous embodiment , and no duplicate explanation is given . that is , at the base end of the energy generating element substrate 21 , the thinner portion 29 which is smaller in thickness than other portions is formed , wherein the surface of this thinner portion 29 is used as the pressing face 23 . hence , despite of the presence of the support plate 82 , the pressing face 23 can be brought into closer proximity to the registration face 22 , so that the aspect ratio for connection can be made greater than conventionally . also , the entire registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 can be more securely brought into close union with the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 , even if there is more or less nonconforming shape such as warp in the energy generating element substrate 21 , so that a stabler electrical connection between the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 and the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 can be made . in the embodiment of the present invention as shown in fig3 to 33 , the energy generating element substrate 21 was formed with the thinner portion 29 , but the same effect can be also obtained by forming a groove . the lateral shape of another embodiment of such an ink jet head according to the present invention is shown in fig3 , and an appearance of a portion of the energy generating element unit is shown in fig3 , wherein like numerals are attached to the same functional members or parts as in the previous embodiment , and no duplicate explanation is given . that is , on the pressing face 23 of the energy generating element substrate 20 is engraved a groove portion 81 extending along this pressing face 23 , whereby since a portion of the energy generating element substrate 20 corresponding to this groove portion 81 is smaller in thickness and thus reduced in rigidity , the entire registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 can be securely brought into close union with the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 by the pressing force of the presser bar 17 , even if there is more or less nonconforming shape such as warp in the energy generating element substrate 21 . as a result , a stabler electrical connection between the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 and the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 can be made . though the embodiments as shown fig3 to 33 and fig3 to 35 can be used in any combination , the lateral shape of another embodiment of such an ink jet head of the present invention is shown in fig3 , and an appearance of a portion of the energy generating element unit is shown in fig3 , wherein like numerals are attached to the same functional members or parts as in the previous embodiment , and no duplicate explanation is given . that is , by forming the groove portion 81 on the thinner portion 29 of the energy generating element substrate 21 , the entire registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 can be more securely brought into close union with the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 than in the embodiment as shown in fig3 to 33 , even if there is more or less nonconforming shape such as warp in the energy generating element substrate 21 , so that a stabler electrical connection between the registration face 22 of the energy generating element substrate 21 and the registration face 19 of the driving element substrate 18 can be made . any of the recording heads of the present invention as above detailed can be incorporated into the head cartridge as shown in fig1 , and mounted on the recording apparatus as shown in fig1 . while in the above - described examples , the present invention was described using a printer having an ink jet recording head mounted on the cartridge , it should be understood that the present invention can be suitably used for an information processing apparatus which can read image information from the original sheet carried on the platen , by means of a scanner unit which can be mounted on the carriage , compatibly with the ink jet recording head , by having the almost same outer shape as the ink jet recording head , for example . in addition , the recording apparatus according to the present invention may be provided in the form of an image output terminal of the information processing equipment such as word processors or computers , integrally or separately , a copying machine in combination with the reader , and further a facsimile apparatus having the transmission and reception feature .	1
the process according to the invention is compatible with other water treatment chemicals , corrosion and scale inhibitors , etc . preparation of stock solution : nh 4 br was dissolved in de - ionized water ( 2761 ppm ). naocl ( 2000 ppm as cl 2 ) was quickly added dropwise to the ammonium bromide solution while stirring the mixture . the stock solution was used immediately . results in table i indicate higher rates of kill for naobr and naocl as compared to nh 4 br + naocl in water with low demand for chlorine . nh 4 br + naocl : molar ratio 1 : 1 ; stock concentration : 0 . 5 %; nh 4 br + naocl was either pre - mixed or added in situ to the buffer . demand : 1 . 8 ppm out of 2 ppm of cl 2 within 60 minutes . table ii shows that pre - mixed ( nh 4 br + naocl ) a higher rate of kill as compared to either naocl or naobr , as the demand for chlorine increases . efficacy was slightly impaired at ph from 8 . 0 to 9 . 0 . efficacy of nh 4 c + naocl in water taken from a citrus juice evaporator : comparison to non - oxidizing biocides water demand : higher than 30 ppm of cl 2 ( out of 30 ppm cl 2 ) within 60 minutes . results in table iii indicate that a mixture of nh 4 cl + naocl was more effective than 3 non - oxidizing biocides in water with high demand for chlorine . efficacy of oxidizing and non - oxidizing biocides is a starch sizing mixture ( paper industry ) results in table iv prove that a mixture of nh 4 br + naocl is more effective than other oxidizing and non - oxidizing biocides in a high demand medium . kinetics of kill of various mixtures of ammonium salts mixed with naocl in water from a citrus juice evaporator demand : higher than 30 ppm out of 30 ppm of cl 2 during 10 minutes . results in table v show that mixtures of ammonium salts and naocl are effective in controlling aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms in water with high demand for chlorine . control was achieved within 10 minutes . under these conditions both naocl and naobr are impaired by the media . the mixture of nh 4 br + naocl did not leave a measurable residue after 10 minutes , yet it was very effective in reducing viable counts within 10 minutes . efficacy of oxidizing biocides in water taken from a paper mill ( thick stock of pulp slurry ) results in table vi prove higher efficacy for nh 4 br + naocl as compared to other oxidizing biocides in this heavily loaded water . efficacy of a series of biocides in domestic waste containing a high concentration of amines results in table vii prove that in the presence of a high nh 3 concentration , naocl was less effective than pre - mixed nh 4 cl + naocl in controlling microbial growth ( in water with high demand for cl 2 ); good control was measured after 10 minutes . results in table viii prove that pre - mixing ( nh 4 ) 2 so 4 with naocl resulted in lower viable counts of both fecal coli and total count . in waste water with high organic load , this disinfection method was superior to disinfecting with either naocl or naobr . efficacy of biocides in the presence of anti - scale and corrosion inhibiting treatment ( cwc ) results in table ix prove that in the presence of scale and corrosion inhibitors , efficacy of various biocides was impaired to such an extent that much higher dosages of biocides had to be fed in order to maintain good control . the mixture of nh 4 br + naocl was less impaired by cwc and established good microbial and algeal control even in the presence of cwc . stock solutions were formed at ph 14 . 0 ; 7 . 0 , 4 . 0 and in water . for in situ addition : both nh 4 x and naocl were dissolved at the appropriate ph . results in table x prove that the efficacy exhibited by mixtures of nh 4 x + naocl depend on the ph and on the mode of formation of the stock mixture . in situ addition of the two ingredients to water resulted in lower efficacy at any of the examined ph &# 39 ; s . stock mixture of nh 4 br + naocl was more effective when prepared in water than when prepared in buffer at ph 7 . 0 . when the stock solution was prepared at a high or at a low ph , it was less effective . dependence of efficacy of mixtures of nh 4 br + naocl on the concentrations of stock solution results in table xi prove that the efficacy exhibited by the mixtures correlated with the concentration of stock solutions . the highest efficacy was measured with a stock concentration equal to at 0 . 5 % as cl 12 . similar trends were obtained when the stock solutions were prepared in water rather than in buffer ( see table x ) ( the high efficacy measured in buffer at a level of 2 % as cl 2 results from the higher ph of this mixture .) the tower was controlled on low level ( 0 . 6 - 1 . 2 kg / day ) of bcdmh feed . use of bcdmh was effective as long as make - ups were softened in ion - exchangers . when cwc ( 100 mg / l of phosphonate ) replaced the use of ion - exchangers , much higher dosages of bcdmh ( 4 - 5 kg / day ) did not suffice to prevent biofouling and growth of algae . the system was shock - fed with nh 4 br + naocl . overall dosage : 75 liters naocl ( 10 %) 12 . 6 kg nh 4 br : the mixture was fed during 1 . 5 hours . this shock treatment cleaned the system . a slug dose of 25 liters naocl ( 10 % as cl 2 ) (+ 4 . 2 kg nh 4 br ) was then fed to the cooling tower once in two to three days . the cooling tower remained clean , with no apparent growth of biofilm or algae . a measurable residue of 0 . 6 - 0 . 4 ppm ( as total chlorine ) was measured in the water 24 and 48 hours after feeding the mixture . this tower was treated with bcdmh ( 1 . 50 - 2 . 26 kg / day ) daily . due to a very high organic load in the water , growth of biofilm was very fast . treatment with bcdmh was effective in controlling the daily grown films , but was not effective against heavy slimes which covered the cooling tower . a daily feed of 3 liters naocl ( 7 % as cl 2 ), mixed with 0 . 35 kg nh 4 br controlled the daily newly formed biofilm as well as the slime and algae growth covering the cooling tower , and left a clean cooling system after three weeks of daily treatment avoiding the need for shock treatment . flow rate : 8 . 33 m 3 / h . ( 6 % starch in h 2 o ), sizing mixture is recirculated in a size press through a filter ( 80 microns ). circulation rate : 6 m 3 / h . the sizing mixture had been previously treated with naocl ( 10 % as cl 2 ), which was fed every 8 hours ( 30 liters per portion ). with this treatment , filters had to be washed once every two hours . use of naocl was replaced by the use of a mixture of nh 4 br + naocl ( stock concentration 0 . 5 % as cl 12 ). feeding of naocl ( 13 liters of 10 % as cl 2 ) and nh 4 br ( 2 . 5 kg ) three times a day ( every eight hours ) kept the filters in the size press clean ; the treatment with nh 4 br + naocl was compatible with a blue dye added to the sizing mixture , and did not bleach the blue starch , unlike naocl . a number of embodiments of the invention have been described for purposes of illustration , but it will be understood that they are not limitative and that the invention can be carried out by persons skilled in the art with many modifications , variations and adaptations , without departing from its spirit and from the scope of the appended claims .	2
reference is made to fig1 which shows , virtually the entire invention , in perspective . as illustrated , corrugated box 10 is first introduced to the moving track which , in this illustration , is a moving belt powered on rollers 23 . box 10 moves in the direction of arrow 50 with major flap 11a being parallel to the track &# 39 ; s longitudinal axis and the tabbed first corner 13a being upstream and first non - tabbed corner 14a being downstream along said longitudinal axis . alternatively , if the tabs were so situated , one of the box &# 39 ; s minor flaps could have been shown as being parallel to the track &# 39 ; s longitudinal axis . a first means for deforming box 10 is illustrated as protrusion 61a shown in phantom in fig1 and in more detail in fig6 . it is to be emphasized that any expedient could be employed to facilitate deformation of the box while remaining within the scope of the present invention . the first deformation means , such as protrusion 61a is located on the track and positioned so that the downstream corner of cardboard box 10 across from first non - tabbed corner 14a passes over first protrusion 61a which is sized and positioned to temporarily deform the cardboard box as shown in fig6 resulting in a separation of major flap 11a from the cardboard box at first non - tabbed corner 14a . deformation means 61b is also provided to facilitate the release of a second tab at second releasing means 90 . as further illustrated in fig6 protrusion 61a is located beneath the top surface of endless moving belt 21 and is capable of having its position adjusted along the track to accommodate cardboard boxes of different widths . although an endless belt is shown , virtually any means of moving box 10 downstream can be employed -- the use of an endless belt is merely one expedient . in this illustration , protrusion 61a is functionally engaged to shaft 62 which is threaded and channeled within mating support 64 . as such , when crank 63 is turned , protrusion 61a can be moved to either the left or right of fig6 thus accommodating cardboard boxes of varying widths . a similar configuration is employed later in the assembly which functions identically to protrusion or deforming means 61a discussed herein . as noted previously , the function of protrusion 61a is to raise the corner opposite non - tabbed corner 14a which deforms cardboard box 10 resulting : in flap 11a being lifted from the sidewall of box 10 . this facilitates the passage of first releasing means 32 between major flap 11a and cardboard box 10 at corner 14a . as seen in fig3 as a preferred embodiment , the releasing means of the present invention comprises a releasing plate in a substantially vertical orientation supported by a substantially horizontally extended arm 31 which is in turn supported by a vertically extending peg 36 . contained within support structure 30 is biasing means 37 which biases horizontally extended arm 34 toward cardboard box 10 as shown by phantom structure 33 . the biasing means can be a mechanical spring as shown or similar expedient such as an air spring with rate control or hydraulic control or even an elastomeric material . when corrugated cardboard box 10 is caused to travel in the direction of arrow 35 , corner 14a comes into contact with horizontally extending member 31 causing the support for releasing plate 32 to travel in the direction of arrow 34 . the releasing plate , which is supported generally at the height of tab 13a engages the contact results in a clean severing of the tab . to further facilitate the release of tab 13a , it is contemplated that the device of the present invention be provided with means for increasing friction between box 10 and the track beneath the box when the cuts are made . this is done both when the first and second releasing means act to cut or break tabs 13a and 13b . this configuration is best shown in fig5 where , as a preferred embodiment , wheel means 55 is rotably positioned about shaft 56 such that the top 81 of cardboard box 10 engages wheel means 55 which applies pressure to top 81 . this increases friction which helps to keep the box moving on tracks 21 and 25 while the first and second releasing means engage their tabs . this is particularly advantageous as it eliminates the tendency for the plates to drag the box rather than making clean and sharp tab breaks . the friction increasing means can take on a number of configurations while remaining within the spirit of the present invention . as such , a spongy cylindrically shaped member can be extended over the entire box surface . alternatively , a plastic drape can extend over the tracks to confront the boxes at the appropriate moment . as yet a further embodiment , to additionally assist in lifting major flap 11a at non - tabbed corner 14a , it is contemplated that wheel means 52 which is rotably supported on a substantially vertical axis 59 and support 51 contact major or minor flap as shown in fig1 and 5 . the application of a slight degree of pressure by rotatable wheel means 52 proximate where the flap joins the box results in the tendency for the flap to lift away from cardboard box 10 at corner 14a . it is seen , again , by viewing fig1 that after first releasing means 32 is caused to release tab 13a , the box must be rotated to enable a second releasing means to release tab 13b . although the figure shows rotating box 10 approximately 180 °, the device of the present invention could effect only a single 90 ° rotation if the placement of the tabs or other circumstances or requirements so dictate . it is only in the turning of cardboard box 10 that both first and second releasing means can be placed on the same side of moveable belts 21 and 22 . ideally , corrugated cardboard box 10 is turned approximately 180 ° by providing obstructions 41 and 42 whereby box 10 , upon hitting obstruction 41 turns approximately 90 ° while the same box , when engaging rail 42 at obstruction point 43 turns a second 90 °. as such , the box is then positioned so that second releasing means 90 can release tab 13b in a manner virtually identical to that described above regarding the use of the first releasing means in cutting or breaking tab 13a . to further facilitate turning , obstruction 41 can be provided with skirt 41a which acts to raise the corner of the box which contacts the skirt and move the box &# 39 ; s center of friction . this facilitates the box &# 39 ; s rotation . although various obstructions are shown as elements 41 / 41a , 42 and 43 as ideal means for facilitating box rotation , any comparable means can be employed to effect rotation . for example , a parallel belt can be used traveling at a rate of be employed to effect rotation . for example , a parallel belt can be used traveling at a rate of speed which differs from the speed of belt 22 . such dual speed tracks could be employed to cause box rotation . the first and second releasing means differ from one another only in providing guide means 71 emanating from second releasing means 90 ( fig5 ). as such , the second releasing means also acts in conjunction with protrusion 61b which performs just as protrusion 61a upon cardboard box 10 . as noted above , emanating from second releasing plate 70 is guide means 71 . as best shown in fig8 guide means 71 , which is ideally a flexible cord having a slight upward slope , engages below flap 11b which is raised as guide 71 is ramped upwardly . obviously , first guide means 71 should be sufficiently flexible so as to not prevent second releasing means 90 from being biased as shown . a corresponding ramp 101 can be provided opposite ramp 71 in order to facilitate the lifting of flap 11a . to assist ramp 101 in entering between flap 11a and the box , third deforming means 61c is provided downstream of such deforming means 61b and on the opposite side of the track as the second deforming means . this is done to facilitate the feeding of cardboard box 10 to the case sealer . as yet another preferred embodiment , provision is made to also raise flaps 12a and 12b . as shown in fig7 and 8 , cardboard box 10 is caused to enter processing area 120 whereby moveable belt 121 passes over surface 122 . because belt 121 is reduced in width in comparison to belts 21 , 22 and 25 , a portion of surface 122 is exposed thus revealing rows of holes 75 and 76 for directionally and sequentionally expelling air between flaps 13a and 13b moving them in the direction of arrows 125a and 125b ( fig8 ). surface 122 can be part of a pressurized plenum or merely a support for holes 75 and 76 . as yet a further expedient , brush means 72 is positioned as shown in fig7 and 8 which engages the sidewall of box 10 and catches on upstream flap 13b causing it to raise , again , the direction of arrow 125b . finally , air jet means 73 and 74 can be further employed as yet an additional expedient for insuring the raising of both major and minor flaps . it is contemplated that the device of the present invention can be completely self - contained and employed as an add - on unit to be used with preexisting cardboard box filling lines . in using this device , lines can employ tab lock cases which , as noted previously , eliminates the need for any flap control throughout the packing and indexing operations . the present invention not only is capable of releasing the box tabs but of facilitating flap raising for the feeding of filled boxes to the downstream case sealer section of the assembly line .	1
the following description contains specific information pertaining to implementations in the present disclosure . the drawings in the present application and their accompanying detailed description are directed to merely exemplary implementations . unless noted otherwise , like or corresponding elements among the figures may be indicated by like or corresponding reference numerals . moreover , the drawings and illustrations in the present application are generally not to scale , and are not intended to correspond to actual relative dimensions . fig1 shows exemplary system 100 for delivery of personalized audio , according to one implementation of the present disclosure . as shown , system 100 includes user device 105 , audio contents 107 , media device 110 , and speakers 197 a , 197 b , . . . , 197 n . media device 110 includes processor 120 and memory 130 . processor 120 is a hardware processor , such as a central processing unit ( cpu ) used in computing devices . memory 130 is a non - transitory storage device for storing computer code for execution by processor 120 , and also storing various data and parameters . user device 105 may be a handheld personal device , such as a cellular telephone , a tablet computer , etc . user device 105 may connect to media device 110 via connection 155 . in some implementations , user device 105 may be wireless enabled , and may be configured to wirelessly connect to media device 110 using a wireless technology , such as bluetooth , wifi , etc . additionally , user device 105 may include a software application for providing the user with a plurality of selectable audio profiles , and may allow the user to select an audio language and a listening mode . dialog refers to audio of spoken words , such as speech , thought , or narrative , and may include an exchange between two or more actors or characters . audio contents 107 may include an audio track from a media source , such as a television show , a movie , a music file , or any other media source including an audio portion . in some implementations , audio contents 107 may include a single track having all of the audio from a media source , or audio contents 107 may be a plurality of tracks including separate portions of audio contents 107 . for example , a movie may include audio content for dialog , audio content for music , and audio content for effects . in some implementations , audio contents 107 may include a plurality of dialog contents , each including a dialog in a different language . a user may select a language for the dialog , or a plurality of users may select a plurality of languages for the dialog . media device 110 may be configured to connect to a plurality of speakers , such as speakers 197 a , speaker 197 b , . . . , and speaker 197 n . media device 110 can be a computer , a set top box , a dvd player , or any other media device suitable for playing audio contents 107 using the plurality of speakers . in some implementations , media device 107 may be configured to connect to a plurality of speakers via wires or wirelessly . in one implementation , audio contents 107 may be provided in channels , e . g . two - channel stereo , or 5 . 1 - channel surround sound , etc . in other implementation , audio contents 107 may be provided in terms of objects , also known as object - based audio or sound . in such an implementation , rather than mixing individual instrument tracks in a song , or mixing ambient sound , sound effects , and dialog in a movie &# 39 ; s audio track , those audio pieces may be directed to exactly go to one or more of speakers 197 a - 197 n , as well as how loud they may be played . for example , audio contents 107 may be produced as metadata and instructions as to where and how all of the audio pieces play . media device 110 may then utilize the metadata and the instructions to play the audio on speakers 197 a - 197 n . as shown in fig1 , memory 130 of media device 110 includes audio application 140 . audio application 140 is a computer algorithm for delivery of personalized audio , which is stored in memory 130 for execution by processor 120 . in some implementations , audio application 140 may include position module 141 and audio profiles 143 . audio application 140 may utilize audio profiles 143 for delivering personalized audio to one or more listeners located at different positions relative to the plurality of speakers 197 a , 197 b , . . . , and 197 n , based on each listener &# 39 ; s personalized audio profile . audio application 140 also includes position module 141 , which is a computer code module for obtaining a position of user device 105 , and other user devices ( not shown ) in a room or theater . in some implementations , obtaining a position of user device 105 may include transmitting a calibration signal by media device 110 . the calibration signal may include an audio signal emitted from the plurality of speakers 197 a , 197 b , . . . , and 197 n . in response , user device 105 can use a microphone ( not shown ) to detect the calibration signal emitted from each of the plurality of speakers 197 a , 197 b , . . . , and 197 n , and use a triangulation technique to determine a position of user device 105 based on its location relative to each of the plurality of speakers 197 a , 197 b , . . . , and 197 n . in some implementations , position module 141 may determine a position of a user device 105 using one or more cameras ( not shown ) of system 100 . as such , the position of each user may be determined relative to each of the plurality of speakers 197 a , 197 b , . . . , and 197 n . audio application 140 also includes audio profiles 143 , which includes defined listening modes that may be optimal for different audio contents . for example , audio profiles 143 may include listening modes having equalizer settings that may be optimal for movies , such as reducing the bass and increasing the treble frequencies to enhance playing of a movie dialog for a listener who is hard of hearing . audio profiles 143 may also include listening modes optimized for certain genres of programming , such as drama and action , a custom listening mode , and a normal listening mode that does not significantly alter the audio . in some implementations , a custom listening mode may enable the user to enhance a portion of audio contents 107 , such as music , dialog , and / or effects . enhancing a portion of audio contents 107 may include increasing or decreasing the volume of that portion of audio contents 107 relative to other portions of audio contents 107 . enhancing a portion of audio contents 107 may include changing an equalizer setting to make that portion of audio contents 107 louder . audio profiles 143 may include a language in which a user may hear dialog . in some implementations , audio profiles 143 may include a plurality of languages , and a user may select a language in which to hear dialog . the plurality of speakers 197 a , 197 b , . . . , and 197 n may be surround sound speakers , or other speakers suitable for delivering audio selected from audio contents 107 . the plurality of speakers 197 a , 197 b , . . . , and 197 n may be connected to media device 110 using speaker wires , or may be connected to media device 110 using wireless technology . speakers 197 may be mobile speakers and a user may reposition one or more of the plurality of speakers 197 a , 197 b , . . . , and 197 n . in some implementations , speakers 109 a - 197 n may be used to create virtual speakers by using the position of speakers 109 a - 197 n and interference between the audio transmitted from each speaker of speakers 109 a - 197 n to create an illusion that sound is originating from a virtual speaker . in other words , a virtual speaker may be a speaker that is not physically present at the location from which the sound appears to originate . fig2 illustrates exemplary environment 200 utilizing system 100 of fig1 , according to one implementation of the present disclosure . user 211 holds user device 205 a , and user 212 holds user device 205 b . in some implementations , user device 205 a may be at the same location as user 211 , and user device 205 b may be at the same location as user 212 . accordingly , when media device 210 obtains the position of user device 205 a with respect to speakers 297 a - 297 e , media device 210 may obtain the position of user 211 with respect to speakers 297 a - 297 e . similarly , when media device 210 obtains the position of user device 205 b with respect to speakers 297 a - 297 e , media device 210 may obtain the position of user 212 with respect to speakers 297 a - 297 e . user device 205 a may determine a position relative to speakers 297 a - 297 e by triangulation . for example , user device 205 a , using a microphone of user device 205 a , may receive an audio calibration signal from speaker 297 a , speaker 297 b , speaker 297 d , and speaker 297 e . based on the audio calibration signals received , user device 205 a may determine a position of user device 205 a relative to speakers 297 a - 297 e , such as by triangulation . user device 205 a may connect with media device 210 , as shown by connection 255 a . in some implementations , user device 205 a may transmit the determined position to media device 210 . user device 205 b , using a microphone of user device 205 b , may receive an audio calibration signal from speaker 297 a , speaker 297 b , speaker 297 c , and speaker 297 e . based on the audio calibration signals received , user device 205 b may determine a position of user device 205 b relative to speakers 297 a - 297 e , such as by triangulation . in some implementations , user device 205 b may connect with media device 210 , as shown by connection 255 b . in some implementations , user device 205 b may transmit its position to media device 210 over connection 255 b . in other implementations , user device 205 b may receive the calibration signal and transmit the information to media device 210 over connection 255 b for determination of the position of user device 205 b , such as by triangulation . fig3 illustrates exemplary environment 300 utilizing system 100 of fig1 , according to one implementation of the present disclosure . it should be noted that , to clearly show that audio is delivered to user 311 and user 312 , fig3 does not show user devices 205 a and 205 b . as shown in fig3 , user 311 is located at a first position and receives first audio content 356 . user 312 is located at a second position and receives second audio content 358 . first audio content 356 may include dialog in a language selected by user 311 and may include other audio contents such as music and effects . in some implementations , user 311 may select an audio profile that is normal , where a normal audio profile refers to a selection that delivers audio to user 311 at levels unaltered from audio contents 107 . second audio content 358 , may include dialog in a language selected by user 312 and may include other audio contents such as music and effects . in some implementations , user 312 may select an audio profile that is normal , where a normal audio profile refers to a selection that delivers audio portions to user 312 at levels unaltered from audio contents 107 . each of speakers 397 a - 397 e may transmit cancellation audio 357 . cancellation audio 357 may cancel a portion of an audio content transmitted by speaker 397 a , speaker 397 b , speaker 397 c , speaker 397 d , and speaker 397 e . in some implementations , cancellation audio 357 may completely cancel a portion of first audio content 376 or a portion of second audio content 358 . for example , when first audio 356 includes dialog in a first language and second audio 358 includes dialog in a second language , cancellation audio 357 may completely cancel the first language portion of first audio 356 so that user 312 receives only dialog in the second language . in some implementations , cancellation audio 357 may partially cancel a portion of first audio content 356 or second audio content 358 . for example , when first audio 356 includes dialog at an increased level and in a first language , and second audio 358 includes dialog at a normal level in the first language , cancellation audio 357 may partially cancel the dialog portion of first audio 356 to deliver dialog at the appropriate level to user 312 . fig4 illustrates exemplary flowchart 400 of a method for delivery of a personalized audio , according to one implementation of the present disclosure . beginning at 401 , audio application receives audio contents 107 . in some implementations , audio contents 107 may include a plurality of audio tracks , such as a music track , a dialog track , an effects track , an ambient sound track , a background sounds track , etc . in other implementations , audio contents 107 may include all of the audio associated with a media being played back to users in one audio track . at 402 , media device 110 receives a first playback request from a first user device for playing a first audio content of audio contents 107 using speakers 197 . in some implementations , the first user device may be a smart phone , a tablet computer , or other handheld device including a microphone that is suitable for transmitting a playback request to media device 110 and receiving a calibration signal transmitted by media device 110 . the first playback request may be a wireless signal transmitted from the first user device to media device 110 . in some implementations , media device 110 may send a signal to user device 105 prompting the user to launch an application software on user device 105 . the application software may be used in determining the position of user device 105 , and the user may use the application software to select audio settings , such as language and audio profile . at 403 , media device 110 obtains a first position of a first user of the first user device with respect to each of the plurality of speakers , in response to the first playback request . in some implementations , user device 105 may include a calibration application for use with audio application 140 . after initiation of the calibration application , user device 105 may receive a calibration signal from media device 110 . the calibration signal may be an audio signal transmitted by a plurality of speakers , such as speakers 197 , and user device 105 may use the calibration signal to determine the position of user device 105 relative to each speaker of speakers 197 . in some implementations , user device 105 provides the position relative to each speaker to media device 110 . in other implementations , user device 105 , using the microphone of user device 105 , may receive the calibration signal and transmit the information to media device 110 for processing . in some implementations , media device 110 may determine the position of user device 105 relative to speakers 197 based on the information received from user device 105 . the calibration signal transmitted by media device 110 may be transmitted using speakers 197 . in some implementations , the calibration signal may be an audio signal that is audible to a human , such as an audio signal between about 20 hz and about 20 khz , or the calibration signal may be an audio signal that is not audible to a human , such as an audio signal having a frequency greater than about 20 khz . to determine the position of user device 105 relative to each speaker of speakers 197 , speakers 109 a - 197 n may transmit the calibration signal at a different time , or speakers 197 may transmit the calibration signal at the same time . in some implementations , the calibration signal transmitted by each speaker of speakers 197 may be a unique calibration signal , allowing user device 105 to differentiate between the calibration signal emitted by each speaker 109 a - 197 n . the calibration signal may be used to determine the position of user device 105 relative to speakers 109 a - 197 n , and the calibration signal may be used to update the position of user device 105 relative to speakers 109 a - 197 n . in some implementations , speakers 197 may be wireless speakers , or speakers 197 may be mobile speakers that a user can reposition . accordingly , the position of each speaker of speakers 109 a - 197 n may change , and the distance between the speakers of speakers 109 a - 197 n may change . the calibration signal may be used to determine the relative position of speakers 109 a - 197 n and / or the distance between speakers 109 a - 197 n . the calibration signal may be used to update the relative position of speakers 109 a - 197 n and / or the distance between speakers 109 a - 197 n . alternatively , system 100 may obtain , determine , and / or track the position of a user or a plurality of users using a camera . in some implementations , system 100 may include a camera , such as a digital camera . system 100 may obtain a position of user device 105 , and then map the position of user device 105 to an image captured by the camera to determine a position of the user . in some implementations , system 100 may use the camera and recognition software , such as facial recognition software , to obtain a position of a user . once system 100 has obtained the position of a user , system 100 may use the camera to continuously track the position of the user and / or periodically update the position of the user . continuously tracking the position of a user , or periodically updating the position of a user , may be useful because a user may move during the playback of audio contents 107 . for example , a user who is watching a movie may change position after returning from getting a snack . by tracking and / or updating the position of the user , system 100 can continue to deliver personalized audio to the user throughout the duration of the movie . in some implementations , system 100 is configured to detect that a user or a user device has left the environment , such as a room , where the audio is being played . in response , system 100 may stop transmitting personalized audio corresponding to that user until that user returns to the room . system 100 may prompt a user to update the user &# 39 ; s position if the user moves . to update the position of the user , media device 110 may transmit a calibration signal , for example , a signal at a frequency greater than 20 khz , to obtain an updated position of the user . additionally , the calibration signal may be used to determine audio qualities of the room , such as the shape of the room and position of walls relative to speakers 197 . system 100 may use the calibration signal to determine the position of the walls and how sound echoes in the room . in some implementations , the walls may be used as another sound source . as such , rather than cancelling out the echoes or in conjunction with cancelling out the echoes , the walls and their configurations may be considered for reducing or eliminating echoes . system 100 may also determine other factors that affect how sound travels in the environment , such as the humidity of the air . at 404 , media device 110 receives a first audio profile from the first user device . an audio profile may include a user preference determining the personalized audio delivered to the user . for example , an audio profile may include a language selection and / or a listening mode . in some implementations , audio contents 107 may include a dialog track in one language or a plurality of dialog tracks each in a different language . the user of user device 105 may select a language in which to hear the dialog track , and media device 110 may deliver personalized audio to the first user including dialog in the selected language . the language that the first user hears may include the original language of the media being played back , or the language that the first user hears may be a different language than the original language of the media being played back . a listening mode may include settings designed to enhance the listening experience of a user , and different listening modes may be used for different situations . system 100 may include an enhanced dialog listening mode , a listening mode for action programs , drama programs , or other genre specific listening modes , a normal listening mode , and a custom listening mode . a normal listening mode may deliver the audio as provided in the original media content , and a custom listening mode may allow a user to specify portions of audio contents 107 to enhance , such as the music , dialog , and effects . at 405 , media device 110 receives a second playback request from a second user device for playing a second audio content of the plurality of audio contents using the plurality of speakers . in some implementations , the second user device may be a smart phone , a tablet computer , or other handheld device including a microphone that is suitable for transmitting a playback request to media device 110 and receiving a calibration signal transmitted by media device 110 . the second playback request may be a wireless signal transmitted from the second user device to media device 110 . at 406 , media device 110 obtains a position of a second user of a second user device with respect to each of the plurality of speakers , in response to the second playback request . in some implementations , the second user device may include a calibration application for use with audio application 140 . after initiation of the calibration application , the second user device may receive a calibration signal from media device 110 . the calibration signal may be an audio signal transmitted by a plurality of speakers , such as speakers 197 , and the second user device may use the calibration signal to determine the position of user device 105 relative to each speaker of speakers 197 . in some implementations , the second user device may provide the position relative to each speaker to media device 110 . in other implementations , the second user device may transmit information to media device 110 related to receiving the calibration signal , and media device 110 may determine the position of the second user device relative to speakers 197 . at 407 , media device 110 receives a second audio profile from the second user device . the second audio profile may include a second language and / or a second listening mode . after receiving the second audio profile , at 408 , media device 110 selects a first listening mode based on the first audio profile and a second listening mode based on the second listening profile . in some implementations , the first listening mode and the second listening mode may be the same listening mode , or they may be different listening modes . continuing with 409 , media device 110 selects a first language based on the first audio profile and a second language based on the second audio profile . in some implementations , the first language may be the same language as the second language , or the first language may be a different language than the second language . at 410 , system 100 plays the first audio content of the plurality of audio contents based on the first audio profile and the first position of the first user of the first user device with respect to each of the plurality of speakers . the system 100 plays the second audio content of the plurality of audio contents based on the second audio profile and the second position of the second user of the second user device with respect to each of the plurality of speakers . in some implementations , the first audio content of the plurality of audio contents being played by the plurality of speakers may include a first dialog in a first language , and the second audio content of the plurality of audio contents being played by the plurality of speakers may include a second dialog in a second language the first audio content may include a cancellation audio that cancels at least a portion of the second audio content being played by speakers 197 . in some implementations , the cancellation audio may partially cancel or completely cancel a portion of the second audio content being played by speakers 197 . to verify the effectiveness of the cancellation audio , system 100 , using user device 105 , may prompt the user to indicate whether the user is hearing audio tracks they should not be hearing , e . g ., is the user hearing dialog in a language other than the selected language . in some implementations , the user may be prompted to give additional subjective feedback , i . e ., whether the music is at a sufficient volume . from the above description , it is manifest that various techniques can be used for implementing the concepts described in the present application without departing from the scope of those concepts . moreover , while the concepts have been described with specific reference to certain implementations , a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of those concepts . as such , the described implementations are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive . it should also be understood that the present application is not limited to the particular implementations described above , but many rearrangements , modifications , and substitutions are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure .	7
the present invention will now be described specifically , using drawings as appropriate . before that , however , the main parameters of the present invention will be briefly listed . ( 2 ) dmin is a condition for two - point support by an optical fiber engagement portion ( 4 ) when rmax is exceeded , θ cannot be guaranteed ( when shape of grindstone tip is a circular arc ) ( 5 ) when dmax is exceeded , the mold becomes sharply pointed and breakable in fig3 c diagrammed a condition wherein optical fibers f are engaged and aligned in v - shaped optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 in an optical fiber guide block c , as viewed in a cross - section that is perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber . in fig3 b is depicted the vicinity of the optical fiber engagement portions in an optical fiber guide block in a condition wherein optical fibers are not engaged in the optical fiber engagement portions . and in fig3 a is given a cross - section of a mold b for molding the optical fiber engagement portions diagrammed in fig3 b . here the concavities b - 2 of the mold b are formed by grinding - machining using a grindstone a . this grindstone a comprises two main grinding surfaces a - 1 which machine the forming surfaces b - 0 ( including points b - 4 ) that form the surfaces that contain the points c - 2 which support the optical fiber sides f - 1 . the main grinding surfaces a - 1 grind the two sloping surfaces b - 3 which form the concavities b - 2 of the mold b in fig3 a . in a cross - section ( in a plane parallel to the plane of the page ) that is perpendicular to the two main grinding surfaces a - 1 of the grindstone a , the angle subtended by the two main grinding surfaces a - 1 is designated as θ . fig4 a through 4c diagram the height relationship between the intersection a - 4 and the crowns of the optical fibers f in the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 as the angle θ subtended by the main grinding surfaces a - 1 is changed . if we define θ = θc as the angle subtended when the crowns of the optical fibers f and the intersection a - 4 coincide ( fig4 b ), then , when θ & lt ; θc , the optical fibers f will be further imbedded than the position of the intersection a - 4 ( fig4 a ), and when θ & gt ; θc , they will emerge ( fig4 c ). the relational formula for the angle θc is given below . this formula is readily derived from fig5 which diagrams a cross - section of the vicinity of the concavities in the mold b with θ = θc . when a grindstone a wherein the angle θ is less than θc , satisfying the relational equation ( 1 ) above , is used , it is expedient to posit two tangent lines a - 2 which , as depicted in fig1 touch the main grinding surfaces a - 1 , and together subtend an angle θ in a cross - section perpendicular to the two main grinding surfaces a - 1 . the two tangent lines a - 2 cross at the intersection a - 4 . now , in the region between these two tangent lines a - 1 , a condition is supposed wherein an imaginary circle a - 3 - 1 having radius rmin , as defined below , is inscribed . rmin is the minimum radius of curvature for the tip of the grindstone necessary for the optical fiber crown exposure . this formula ( 2 ) defines a critical condition for the crown exposure of the optical fibers f . it can be derived from the cross - sectional view of the mold in fig1 . we next suppose a straight line a - 6 that connects the intersection a - 4 between the two tangent lines a - 2 and the center a - 5 - 1 of the imaginary circle a - 3 - 1 , and a tangent line a - 7 - 1 of the imaginary circle a - 3 - 1 that is perpendicular to the straight line a - 6 and that passes between the intersection a - 4 and the center a - 5 - 1 of the imaginary circle a - 3 - 1 . the portion where the two main grinding surfaces a - 1 connect in the cross - section of the grindstone a perpendicular to the two main grinding surfaces a - 1 will be called the tip of the grindstone a , but the grindstone a that is used has a shape that comprises the contour of this tip within the area bounded by the two tangent lines a - 2 and the tangent line a - 7 - 1 . this is for the purpose of exposing the crowns of the optical fibers f . more specifically , the grindstone a that is used contains the outline of the tip within the region ( including the boundaries thereof ) bounded , in fig1 by the straight line a - 2 - c that connects the points a - 2 - a and a - 2 - b , the two tangent lines a - 2 , and the tangent line a - 7 - 1 ( the cross - hatched region in fig1 ). such grindstones a include those wherein the cross - sectional shape described is such that the cross - section of the tip is a circular arc a - 10 , as diagrammed in fig2 a and 2b , and wherein it is such that the tip is flat , as at a - 11 , as diagrammed in fig2 c and 2d . when the grindstone tip has a cross - sectional shape that is defined by a circular arc , the aforementioned conditions relative to the grindstone tip shape can be expressed in different terms , as follows . a condition is supposed wherein an imaginary circle a - 3 - 2 of radius rmax , as defined below , is inscribed in the area bounded by the two tangent lines a - 2 , as diagrammed in fig1 . rmax is the maximum radius of curvature for the grindstone tip that can guarantee θ . this formula indicates the radius of the circle a - 3 - 2 that touches a circle of radius ro at the tangent line a - 2 . its derivation may be understood from fig6 which diagrams a cross - section of the mold . in order to expose the crowns of the optical fibers f while guaranteeing θ , it is necessary that the radius of curvature of the grindstone tip satisfy the expression rmin ≦ r ≦ rmax . a process wherein a grindstone a of such a shape is used to fabricate , by grinding - machining , a mold b , from a mold material , will now be described . fig7 a through 7e provide diagonal views of the machining process . fig8 a through 8e provide corresponding cross - sectional views of the process depicted in the diagonal views . first a concavity b - 2 is ground by a grindstone a of the shape noted above , in the flat surface b - 1 of a mold material b ( fig7 a and 7b ). at this time , the depth of the concavity b - 2 is made such that the position of the intersection a - 4 is a position that is deeper than dmin , defined below , so that the optical fiber sides f - 1 will be supported at two points by the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 of the optical fiber guide block c ( fig8 e ). this is to provide two - point support . this formula ( 4 ) is easily derived from fig1 which represents the case where d = dmin , the condition necessary for the optical fiber f to touch the bottom of the concavity b - 2 of the mold b . the concavities b - 2 are formed so that each extends in the longitudinal dimension , as depicted in fig7 b and 7c , and these are formed in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction , with a pitch interval 2yo , in a number that is the number of optical fiber engagement portions to be formed plus 1 , and such that the depth between the concavities b - 2 is constant ( fig7 d and 7e ). the point of forming these in a number that is the number of optical fiber engagement portions plus 1 will be explained subsequently with reference to fig1 a through 11c . when angle θ exceeds θc , as diagrammed in fig4 c , the shape of the tip of the grindstone a may be pointed , or described by a circular arc , or flat , or some other shape . that is because then the crown exposure will be guaranteed irrespective of the tip shape . the method of using a grindstone a shaped in this manner to form concavities b - 2 in a mold material b - 1 is the same as the method described above . however , the intersection a - 4 between the tangent lines a - 2 that are the two tangent lines of the main grinding surfaces a - 1 in a cross - section perpendicular to the two main grinding surfaces a - 1 of the grindstone a , as diagrammed in fig1 is also supposed for the range wherein θ & gt ; θc , and the depth of the concavities b - 2 in the mold b is made to be at a deeper position than the intersection a - 4 . irrespective of the angle θ , the cross - sectional shape of the concavities b - 2 will reflect the cross - sectional shape of the grindstone a used for grinding . more specifically , the angle that is subtended by the tangent line of the mold contour at a point b - 4 which forms a place c - 2 that supports the optical fiber f diagrammed in fig3 c , and , similarly , by the tangent line of the mold contour at the neighboring point b - 4 , equals θ . the depth of the concavities b - 2 , moreover , is made such that the intersection a - 4 is deeper than dmin , and shallower than dmax , defined below . this formula ( 5 ) is easily derived from fig1 c which diagrams the case where d = dmax , which is the condition necessary for the flat bottom to disappear from the engagement portions c - 1 of the optical fiber guide block c . by making it so that the intersection a - 4 is at a position that is shallower than dmax , some of the surface b - 1 will remain between the concavities b - 2 because the surface b - 1 ( surface wherein the concavities are ground ) of the mold material depicted in fig7 a through 7e is flat . when optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 are formed in an optical fiber guide block c using such a mold b as this , what is obtained is an optical fiber guide block c wherein the bottoms of the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 are comprised of flat surfaces ( fig3 b and 3c ). the grindstones a of the present invention are mainly used as grindstones which are turned , as represented in fig7 a through 7e . in order to machine the desired mold using the grindstone in this manner , it is necessary : ( 2 ) that either the main grinding surfaces form symmetrical turning surfaces each of which are centered on a turning shaft , or that the shape thereof be such that imaginary symmetrical turning surfaces can be circumscribed about the main grinding surfaces when the axis of symmetry is made to coincide with the turning axis of the grindstone . diagramming this yields fig9 a . in this figure , at points h , i , and j , etc ., about the periphery of the grindstone , in the grindstones a that are set forth in the first through the fifth invention , the main grinding surface p constitutes a symmetrical turning surface , relative to axis x , in the periphery of the grindstone . however , this does not mean that machining cannot be performed unless it is with a grindstone a having symmetrical turning surfaces , as in fig9 a . in some cases it will be possible to perform the machining even if , as in fig9 b , a concavity e is made in the periphery , or a groove g is made in the main grinding surface p , or a chip k develops . that being so , the grindstones a of the present invention include those having shapes as in fig9 b , so long as , taking the main grinding surface p in fig9 a as an imaginary symmetrical turning surface , the grindstone a is such that it can circumscribe such imaginary surface . by the main grinding surface p , moreover , is meant a surface that , of the surfaces of the grindstone a , is primarily used in grinding . there is no problem with having a projection u in a portion not used in grinding , as depicted in fig9 b . in such case , the portion with the projection u is rendered so that it is not contained in the main grinding surface p . grinding machining is performed , while turning a grindstone a , perpendicularly to the surface b - 1 of a mold material b , as diagrammed in fig7 a through 7e , so that , taking the surface of the mold material as the reference , the depth is made so that the intersection a - 4 diagrammed in fig1 is at a position which is deeper than dmin , as previously defined . after forming a concavity b - 2 extending in the longitudinal dimension while moving the grindstone a as depicted in the drawing , the relative positions of the grindstone a and the mold material b are shifted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction by a pitch of 2yo , and grinding is again done with the grindstone a , so that the depth becomes the same as was formed previously , and so that the concavity b - 2 formed previously is paralleled . this process is done repeatedly to grind - machine concavities b - 2 in a number equal to the number of optical fiber engagement portions which are to be fabricated by press - molding process plus 1 . it is preferable that the mold material b here have the anti - oxidation properties required for use in press - molding glass , that it be non - reactive with glass , and that it exhibit neither morphological nor plastic change in a high - temperature environment . silicon carbide , tungsten carbide , alumina , zirconia , crystalline glass , silicon , and cermets of titanium carbide and titanium nitride , etc ., may be listed as specific materials . as to the grindstone a for grinding these mold materials b , it may be a resin - bonded diamond grindstone or a metal - bonded diamond grindstone or the like . the grinding process noted above may be performed with a dicing machine or other grinding - machining apparatus used for precision machining . to add some points here to what has already been said about the shape of the grindstone a , circular arc shapes , flat shapes , and parabolic shapes may be mentioned specifically as shapes for the cross - section of the tip thereof . if the shape is that of a circular arc , or flat , then not only will the grindstone fabrication be comparatively easy , but there will be little degradation in the shape of the tip due to wear , as compared to grindstones having a pointed tip , and the grinding - machining of the whole shape can be done stably . when the angle θ is equal to or smaller than θc , then , as diagrammed in fig4 a through 4c , if the cross - sectional shape of the grindstone tip is not contained within the area described earlier , press - molding process cannot be performed wherewith optical fiber f crown exposure is possible . when , on the other hand , the angle θ is larger than θc , then optical fiber f crown exposure becomes independent of the cross - sectional shape of the tip of the grindstone a that is used . in other words , even if a grindstone having a sharp tip is used , a mold b can be obtained for forming an optical fiber guide block c wherewith crown exposure of the optical fiber f is possible . the depth to which the concavities b - 2 are ground , that is , the depth of the concavities b - 2 of the mold b , must be such that the intersection diagrammed in fig1 is at a position which is deeper than dmin defined earlier . when the position of that intersection a - 4 is at dmin or shallower than dmin , then , when an optical fiber f is engaged in an optical fiber engagement portion c - 1 , the optical fiber f will come in contact with the bottom of the optical fiber engagement portion c - 1 , the optical fiber f will be pushed up from the two support points of the optical fiber engagement portion c - 1 , and it will cease to be possible to restrain the position of the optical fiber f in the direction in which the optical fibers f are aligned . when the optical fibers f are engaged and aligned in the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 by a mold b that satisfies the conditions noted above , the crown exposure of each optical fiber f is possible , and an optical fiber guide block c is obtained wherein the optical fibers f are stably engaged in the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 . the optical fibers f are engaged and aligned in these optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 , the side surfaces of the crown - exposed optical fibers are pressed down under the pressing surface of a pressure block , and bonded and secured . in this condition , an optical fiber array is obtained wherein the optical fiber sides are supported at three points , namely at two points by the optical fiber engagement portions , and at one point by the pressing surface of the pressure block , looking at a cross - section perpendicular to the optical axes of the optical fibers . the light input / output end surfaces of this optical fiber array are optically polished and made ready for actual use . when the cross - section of the grindstone tip is shaped as a circular arc , if the radius of curvature r of the circular arc increases , and the apex of the grindstone tip moves outside of the straight line a - 2 - c , outside of the region bounded by the tangent lines a - 2 , the straight line a - 7 - 1 , and the straight line a - 2 - c , as diagrammed in fig1 then the points c - 2 ( which are points on the optical fiber guide block c that correspond to points a - 2 - a and a - 2 - b in fig1 ) at which are supported the optical fiber sides f - 1 in the optical fiber guide block c in fig3 a through 3c cease to be positioned on the main grinding surfaces a - 1 . in other words , the angles subtended by the tangent lines on the cross - sectional contour of the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 at point c - 2 , and by the tangent lines on the contour of the forming surfaces b - 0 in the mold b that forms the points c - 2 , cease to be the angle θ subtended by the two tangent lines a - 2 that touch the main grinding surfaces of the grindstone . now , to explain further about the grinding depth of the concavities b - 2 , it is desirable that the grinding depth , that is , the depth of the concavities b - 2 , be such that the intersection a - 4 in fig1 be at a position that is shallower than dmax , defined earlier . the reason is that , because the surface of the mold material b in which the concavities are ground is flat , when the grinding depth is made as noted above , some of the flat surface b - 1 of the mold material b remains as a forming surface sandwiched between the concavities b - 2 . in such a mold b as this , the spaces between the concavities b - 2 are flat and have no edges which are sharp or thin , wherefore there is no danger of the tips of the concavities b - 2 in the mold b being chipped , thus making the mold b easy to handle . if , on the other hand , the depth of the concavities is made deeper than dmax , defined earlier , then sharp and thin edges are produced between the concavities which readily chip and easily lead to problems . when press - molding an optical fiber guide block c , such a mold b as this forms flat surfaces at the bottom of the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 . in glass press - molding process that forms flat bottoms like this , after the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 are formed , the stresses that are produced in the tips between the concavities of the mold and in the bottoms of the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 are dispersed in a cooling process , which functions to reduce chipping and cracking in the tips between the concavities in the die . after subjecting the mold material b to the concavity grinding process , the portions b - 5 that are outside of the concavities b - 2 - 1 and b - 2 - 2 that are positioned outermost among the plurality of concavities b - 2 , in fig1 a , and that are connected at least with the bottoms of the outermost concavities b - 2 - 1 and b - 2 - 2 , are machined so that they are brought into the same plane b - 6 as the bottoms of the concavities b - 2 - 1 and b - 2 - 2 (( 1 ) concavity machining →( 2 ) ideal machining →( 3 ) mold ). this process is hereinafter called two - sided machining . by this two - sided machining , a mold is obtained having a shape such that the portions on both sides of the mold and the bottom of the concavities b - 2 are positioned in the same plane b - 6 . in an optical fiber array comprising an optical fiber guide block c that is press - formed by such a mold b as this , a pressure block , and optical fibers , the gap between the bonding surfaces of the optical fiber guide block c and pressure block can be made uniform at every place . however , in cases where the bottoms of the concavities in the mold b are not flat ( when the grindstone tip shape is made sharp ), when performing the two - sided machining , if the positions of the centers of the outermost concavity bottoms b - 2 - 1 and b - 2 - 2 and the ends of the portions removed by the two - sided machining are not accurately positioned , an unwanted non - machined portion having the shape of a projection b - 7 , as diagrammed in fig1 b , will be made . when , however , the bottom of the concavities in the mold b are made flat ( when the grindstone tip shape is made flat ), then , as diagrammed in fig1 c , the positioning precision tolerance can be made as large as the width of the flat bottom of the concavity b - 2 , so there will be no remaining unmachined portion having the shape of the projection b - 7 due to a positioning error . the two - sided machining can be performed accurately by using a dicing machine or other precision machining apparatus in doing the grinding . after shape - machining the mold as described in the foregoing , a mold release thin film ( s ) is formed , at least on the forming surfaces b - 0 of the mold , to facilitate post - formation die separation of the object being press - formed . the mold release thin film ( s ) may be carbon - based or platinum alloy - based , etc . molds such as this are used to press - form the material being formed , at a press - formable temperature . using such molds as this , for example , a down die is formed integrally by taking such a mold and another mold for forming the pedestal of an optical fiber guide block for holding an optical fiber sheath and securing these in a frame , using trunk dies and an up die , placing the material to be formed in the space bounded by the down die , trunk dies , and up die , and conducting press - molding at a press - formable temperature . optical fiber engagement portions are thus formed in the glass that is formed , and an optical fiber guide block is obtained . the molds of the present invention are not limited to examples in which an optical fiber guide block such as noted above is used . optical component mounting boards and optical component securing hardware , etc ., used in precisely positioning light - emitting devices or light - sensing devices , in addition to optical fibers , can be employed in forming the optical fiber engagement portions . any glass that is press - formable can be used as the glass to be formed . however , glass having a low coefficient of thermal expansion , a yield point below 600 °, and outstanding uv transmissivity is desired . glasses containing sio 2 , b 2 o 3 , and zno , for example , may be recommended . any other commercially sold press glass may be used . the values for yo and ro arrived at by making compensations based on the mean coefficient of thermal expansion between the glass transition temperature and the room temperature of the mold material and the glass that are press - formed during mold fabrication . now , in describing the embodiment set forth in the foregoing , it is presupposed that , unless the three - point support condition is satisfied , the sides of the optical fiber ends will develop clearance ( gaps ) between the optical fiber engagement portions or with the pressing surface of the pressure block , making it very difficult to effect holding and securing with high location accuracy . in actuality , however , it has been found that , even in a condition wherein the optical fibers are embedded inside the optical fiber engagement portions so that crown exposure can no longer be effected , if the range of the radius of curvature r of the grindstone a is expanded as noted below , light connection losses can be kept within allowable limits when an optical fiber array is used in a condition wherein crown exposure can no longer be effected . in the range where rmin & lt ; r ≦ rmax , when optical fibers are engaged and positioned in optical fiber engagement portions in a crown - exposed condition , and the optical fibers are pressed down with a pressure block , the optical axes of the optical fibers are aligned on a straight line in a cross - section perpendicular to the optical axes . in the expanded range rmin ≦ r ≦ rmin , the amount of optical fiber crown exposure δ will be δ ≦ 0 . in this condition , when the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 are covered with a pressure block m , as diagrammed in fig1 , each of the plurality of optical fibers f will be secured in one of the positions where it is restrained within a range bounded by the pressing surface m - 1 of the pressure block m and the optical fiber engagement portion c - 1 . because the crown - exposure amount δ is δ ≦ 0 , however , the optical axes p of the optical fibers f will not be aligned in a straight line in a cross - section perpendicular to the optical axes p . by making r ≧ rmin , however , even if δ ≦ 0 , the amounts by which the optical axes p of the optical fibers f are shifted away from the straight line will become smaller . this amount of shift is relative to the depth dimension of the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 , but the amount of shift in the positions of the optical axes p of the optical fibers f relative to the direction of optical fiber alignment will also become smaller . when r & lt ; rmin , the amount of shift in the optical axes p of the optical fibers f will become larger , as will the optical connection loss when this optical fiber array is used . moreover , when single mode fiber ( having a core diameter φ = 10 μm and an outer diameter 2ro = 125 μm ) is used for these optical fibers , it is possible to keep the optical connection loss between optical fiber arrays , or between an optical fiber array and another component ( such as when light waveguides having a core diameter of φ are configured in an array ) within 0 . 2 db ( a specification deemed necessary in the fields of optical communications and measurement , etc .) by making rmin ≦ r ≦ rmax ( where rmin = rmin -( φ / 10 ). if 0 is within this range , then optical fiber crown exposure is possible irrespective of the cross - sectional shape of the grindstone tip ( i . e . the cross - sectional shape of the bottom of the concavities in the mold ), and there is no need to consider a minimum value for r in order to make crown exposure possible . accordingly , nothing is changed from before the expansion . the mold fabrication method described thus far , wherein a mold material is machined by grinding with a grindstone having a cross - sectional shape perpendicular to two main grinding surfaces that approximates the cross - sectional shape perpendicular to the optical axes of the optical fibers when those optical fibers are engaged and arrayed in optical fiber engagement portions in an optical fiber guide block , forming concavities in prescribed positions and in a prescribed direction , affords advantages in that high - precision molds having shapes faithful to their design can be fabricated with good reproducibility and good productivity . the present invention is not limited to the fabrication of optical fiber guide blocks in which optical fiber engagement portions are arrayed at a constant pitch . the invention may also be applied to an optical fiber guide block having but one optical fiber engagement portion . for example , two concavities such as are diagrammed in fig8 e may be formed at an interval of 2yo , and , if two - sided machining is performed , as diagrammed in fig1 a through 11c , a mold can be obtained for fabricating an optical fiber guide block having but one optical fiber engagement portion . depending on the case , if a mold release thin film ( s ) is formed on the forming surfaces , and a material to be forming such as glass is press - formed , an optical fiber guide block having but one optical fiber engagement portion can be obtained . as is diagrammed in fig8 e , moreover , a plurality of concavities b - 2 may be formed at a pitch 2yo and made into a concavity group 1 , and then a plurality of concavities b - 2 formed at a different pitch 2yo &# 39 ; to make a concavity group 2 , making forming surfaces that form optical fiber engagement portions between the concavity groups . in such case also , as expedient , if a mold release thin film ( s ) is formed on the forming surfaces , and glass or other material for forming is press - machined , it is possible to obtain an optical fiber guide block comprising a portion wherein optical fibers are arrayed at a pitch interval of 2yo , and a portion wherein they are arrayed at 2yo &# 39 ;. a mold was fabricated for press - molding a glass preform , fabricating an optical fiber guide block wherein are positioned and secured the optical input / output ends of single mode quartz glass fiber such as is widely used in the fields of optical communications and optical measurement . the number of cores in the optical fibers engaged in the optical fiber engagement portions in the optical fiber guide block is 8 , with a pitch 2yo of 250 μm . the optical fiber radius is 62 . 5 μm . the parameters pertaining to the grindstone used in machining the concavities in the mold for forming the optical fiber engagement portions in the optical fiber guide block , and to the shape of the concavities , are listed in table 1 . cross - sections of a mold corresponding to table 1 are diagrammed in fig1 a and 14b . table 1______________________________________angle crown rangeθ rmin rmax dmin dmax r d expos for ( deg ) ( μm ) ( μm ) ( μm ) ( μm ) ( μm ) ( μ ) δ ( μm ) δ ( μm ) ______________________________________40 51 . 04 70 . 52 223 . 1 343 . 4 61 . 0 300 10 & lt ; 37 . 4750 42 . 22 75 . 42 182 . 6 268 . 0 52 . 2 240 10 & lt ; 45 . 3660 29 . 0 81 . 84 154 . 0 216 . 5 39 . 0 190 10 & lt ; 52 . 8370 9 . 49 90 . 1 132 . 0 178 . 5 19 . 5 150 10 & lt ; 59 . 974 -- 94 . 02 124 . 5 165 . 8 19 . 5 140 13 . 3 & lt ; 62 . 6880 -- 100 . 68 114 . 2 148 . 9 19 . 5 130 21 . 5 & lt ; 66 . 7190 -- 114 . 28 99 . 1 125 . 0 19 . 5 110 33 . 9 & lt ; 73 . 22______________________________________ if the crown - exposure amount δ is first determined for angle θ assuming constant pitch 2yo , r may be determined by the following equation for the range rmin & lt ; r & lt ; rmax . d is the depth of the intersection a - 4 . the actual grinding depth ( depth of grindstone tip apex referenced against mold material surface ) will be the value obtained by subtracting the value of r [{ 1 / sin ( θ / 2 )}- 1 ] from d . the &# 34 ;--&# 34 ; symbol in the rmin column indicates that a positive value is obtained for crown exposure if r & lt ; rmax . in this embodiment , the cross - section of the concavities ( grindstone cross - section ) is v - shaped and the cross - section of the bottoms ( grindstone tip cross - section ) is shaped as a circular arc . the mold material used was tungsten carbide . the grindstone used in grinding the concavities was made of diamond grit . in table 1 , r is the radius of curvature of the circular arc and d is the depth of the concavities . the surface of the mold material machined was a flat surface . a dicing machine was used in grinding the concavities . in the surface of the mold material , 9 concavities , that being the number of optical fiber cores 8 plus 1 , were formed , extending in the prescribed direction at a pitch of 250 μm and parallel to one another . at this time , the positions of the concavities in the mold material were adjusted so that a position shifted by a half pitch yo , which is half the distance between the center of one concavity and the center of an adjacent concavity , forms the center of an optical fiber engagement portion . flat forming surfaces were left remaining between the concavities in all of the molds , in a shape wherewith it is possible to form optical fiber guide blocks comprising optical fiber engagement portions having flat bottoms . when the pitch yo and the optical fiber radius ro have the values noted above , the boundary condition demanded for the shape of the grindstone tip is that angle θ be θc = 74 °. at angles exceeding 74 °, molds can be obtained wherewith optical fiber crown exposure is possible irrespective of the cross - sectional shape of the grindstone tip . after forming 9 concavities in this manner , a dicing machine was used to perform two - sided machining on the bottom of the outermost concavities and the ends of the portions removed by two - sided machining . after the two - sided machining , a mold release thin film ( s ) made of platinum was formed on the forming surfaces to yield a mold equipped with mold release thin film ( s ). next , mold machining was performed using a grindstone having a flat tip shape . in table 2 are listed parameters pertaining to the grindstone and to the mold concavities . mold cross - sections corresponding to table 2 are presented in fig1 a and 15b . in this figure , w is the width of the flat forming surface b - 0 - 1 between the concavities b - 2 . table 2______________________________________ grind - crownangle stone expo - rangeθ rmin dmin dmax tip w d sure for ( deg ) ( μm ) ( μm ) ( μm ) ( μm ) ( μm ) δ ( μm ) δ ( μm ) ______________________________________40 51 . 04 223 . 1 343 . 4 78 . 7 300 10 83 . 950 42 . 22 182 . 6 268 . 0 63 . 1 240 10 88 . 960 29 . 0 154 . 0 216 . 5 45 . 0 190 10 93 . 870 9 . 49 132 . 0 178 . 5 24 . 0 150 10 98 . 374 -- 124 . 5 165 . 8 14 . 3 140 10 100 . 180 -- 114 . 2 148 . 9 10 130 16 . 7 102 . 790 -- 99 . 1 125 . 0 10 110 30 . 9 106 . 7______________________________________ the grindstone tip width w is determined using parameter r &# 39 ; that satisfies the following formula . when the pitch yo and the optical fiber radius ro have the values noted above , the boundary condition demanded for the shape of the grindstone tip is that angle θ be θc = 74 °. at angles exceeding 74 °, molds can be obtained wherewith optical fiber crown exposure is possible irrespective of the cross - sectional shape of the grindstone tip . this is the same as in embodiment 1 . using such grindstone , concavity - grinding machining and two - sided machining were performed as in embodiment 1 . however , because the bottoms of the mold concavities are flat , the precision of positioning the ends of the portions removed by two - sided machining and the bottoms of the outermost concavities was kept within the width of the flat bottoms . in this manner , shape machining was performed so as not to make a mold having any unnecessary projections . the mold material was tungsten carbide . the grindstone used was made of the same substance as in embodiment 1 . after the shape machining , a mold release thin film ( s ) made of platinum was formed on the forming surfaces of the mold to yield a mold equipped with mold release thin film ( s ). using the molds disclosed in embodiments 1 and 2 , an optical fiber guide block c was formed , as depicted in fig1 , and an 8 - core optical fiber array was fabricated , as depicted in fig1 a and 17b , using the optical fiber guide block c and a pressure block m . in this embodiment , as diagrammed in fig1 a through 18d , a mold d that forms a pedestal c - 3 that carries an optical fiber sheath in the optical fiber guide block c depicted in fig1 , and a mold b of the present invention , equipped with a mold release thin film ( s ) h , are integrated in a securing frame e to form a down die , while , separately , a cavity z was configured , using trunk dies f to form the optical fiber guide block sides , and an up die g to form the bottom of the optical fiber guide block . glass preforms j having the compositions noted in table 3 were placed inside the cavity z , and , at the forming temperatures noted in table 3 , the glass preforms j were put under pressure by the up and down dies . table 3__________________________________________________________________________glass composition . sup . 1sio . sub . 2 4 . 0 4 . 0 23 . 3 4 . 0 4 . 0 4 . 8 13 . 3geo . sub . 2 -- 5 . 0 -- -- -- -- -- b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 27 . 2 32 . 2 22 . 2 32 . 2 37 . 2 32 . 2 32 . 2zno 54 . 5 40 . 5 42 . 5 40 . 5 40 . 2 40 . 7 44 . 0mgo -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 . 0cao -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 . 5sro -- -- -- -- -- -- -- bao -- -- -- -- -- -- -- pbo -- -- -- -- -- -- --( a ). sup . 2 54 . 5 40 . 5 42 . 5 40 . 5 40 . 2 40 . 7 46 . 5al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 2 . 5 1 . 0 7 . 5 1 . 0 2 . 5 9 . 0 5 . 5 ( b ). sup . 3 88 . 2 82 . 7 95 . 5 77 . 7 82 . 4 86 . 7 97 . 5li . sub . 2 o 2 . 5 2 . 5 4 . 5 2 . 5 -- 2 . 5 2 . 5la . sub . 2 o 9 . 3 13 . 3 -- 13 . 3 15 . 3 4 . 3 -- y . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 -- -- -- 5 . 0 -- -- -- tio . sub . 2 -- -- -- -- 0 . 4 -- -- zro . sub . 2 -- 1 . 5 -- 1 . 5 1 . 5 1 . 5 -- nb . sub . 2 o . sub . 5 -- -- -- -- 0 . 4 -- -- ta . sub . 2 o . sub . 5 -- -- -- -- -- 5 . 0 -- sb . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 . sup . 4 -- -- 0 . 5 -- -- -- -- parametertransition 465 ° c . 500 ° c . 470 ° c . 500 ° c . 530 ° c . 510 ° c . 495 ° c . pointyield point 495 ° c . 540 ° c . 500 ° c . 530 ° c . 555 ° c . 540 ° c . 520 ° c . mean cte . sup . 5 64 63 62 66 67 64 66uv perm . . sup . 6 81 % 85 % 91 % 84 % 80 % 81 % 83 % forming temp 545 ° c . 593 ° c . 553 ° c . 584 ° c . 595 ° c . 592 ° c . 573 ° c . __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 values for each component are in values of wt %. . sup . 2 represents zno , mgo , cao , sro , bao , and pbo total content . . sup . 3 represents sio . sub . 2 , geo . sub . 2 , b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 , ro ( r = zn , mg , ca , sr , ba , pb ), and al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 total content . . sup . 4 represents amount added outside composition proportions . . sup . 5 represents mean coefficient of thermal expansion from room temperature to 400 ° c ., in × 10 . sup .- 7 /° c . units . *. sup . 6 represents transmissivity of uv radiation of 350 nm wavelength through a test piece 2 mm in thickness . after sufficient glass packing , the molding k was removed from the die to yield an optical fiber guide block c . into the optical fiber engagement portions c - 1 of the optical fiber guide block c fabricated as noted above , 8 quartz - glass single mode fibers were engaged and secured , as diagrammed in fig1 a and 17b . then , with the optical fiber sheath mounted on the pedestal c - 3 , a uv - hardening adhesive was applied , and the optical fiber sides were pressed down with a glass pressure block m having a flat pressing surface m - 1 . the adhesive was then irradiated with uv rays through the glass , thereby hardening the adhesive and setting the optical fibers . the light input / output end surfaces of the optical fiber array fabricated in this manner were optically polished to complete the optical fiber array . after this polishing , the vicinity of the secured optical fibers so secured was examined under an electron microscope , from the end surfaces . this confirmed that all eight of the optical fibers were supported at three points . the optical fiber array was then subjected to a thermal cycle in which it was found that the total optical - connection loss fluctuation amplitude was within 0 . 3 db . no changes in the location accuracy of the optical fibers were observed after these tests , nor were seen any changes in the condition wherein the optical fibers were held and secured by three - point support . when materials other than tungsten carbide , as noted above , were used as the mold material , the same good results were obtained . thus , by employing the present invention , optical fiber crown exposure can be effected , making it possible to secure the ends of optical fibers by three - point support , and thereby enabling optical fibers to be stably held and secured with high location accuracy . if the radius of the imaginary circle that forms the minimum radius of curvature of concavities shaped as circular arcs in a mold is within the expanded range , as provided , it is possible to effect stable holding and securing at high location accuracy , even without employing three - point support , and to keep the optical - connection loss in an optical fiber array within allowable limits .	1
fig1 shows an electrical energy source u 1 , which is configured to drive a current i 1 with the aid of an inductor l 1 . for this purpose , a switch s 1 downstream from inductor l 1 is closed to ground with the aid of an actuator a 1 . switch s 1 includes a first electrode e 1 and a second electrode e 2 . in fig1 , the two electrodes e 1 , e 2 are in electrical contact with one another . inductor l 1 is charged with magnetic energy with the aid of current flow i 1 . fig2 shows the system represented in fig1 after switch s 1 has been opened with the aid of actuator a 1 . due to the fact that switch s 1 is now open , an ignition spark f has formed between electrodes e 1 and e 2 , which are now spatially separated from one another . its energy is provided by the magnetic field of inductor l 1 . if switch s 1 or the system of electrodes e 1 , e 2 is situated within a combustion chamber ii and ignitable mixture is situated in the area of ignition spark f , the ignition spark may be used to ignite the mixture . fig3 shows a schematic diagram of one possible spatial embodiment of two electrodes e 1 , e 2 . first electrode e 1 is curved at least in sections ( within combustion chamber ii ) and is contacted , at a distal end , at a contact point 11 with the aid of a movable second electrode e 2 . second electrode e 2 is movably mounted in the direction of an arrow p , so that a gap may be established between first electrode e 1 and second electrode e 2 . the system represented in fig3 may be supplied with current , for example , by a system represented in fig1 and 2 . second electrode e 2 is configured as the actuator with the aid of magnetic core m and a coil s 1 enclosing magnetic core m , to be shifted in a predefined way via a voltage signal u ( t ) of a voltage source 12 . the actuator is situated outside the combustion chamber , so that it is protected against thermal , chemical , and mechanical influences . fig4 shows the system represented in fig3 , after second electrode e 2 has been shifted in the direction of arrow p . a narrow point 10 , at which electrodes e 1 , e 2 have a minimum distance from one another , has now formed at contact point 11 shown in fig3 . the current flow results in an ignition spark f , the length of which increases as the shifting of second electrode e 2 increases . foot points ff 1 , ff 2 of ignition spark f do not migrate along the surfaces of electrodes e 1 , e 2 . the required ignition voltage may be reduced in this way , but stationary ignition spark foot point pairs ff 1 , ff 2 result in fixed spark erosion . in addition , the spark gap ( apart from its length ) is essentially static and is not movable in a predefined manner . for ignition to be successful , it is therefore necessary to bring the ignitable mixture to the very limited spatial area of ignition spark f . fig5 a shows an embodiment of an ignition system of an ignition unit according to the present invention , including a first stationary electrode e 1 , a second movable electrode e 2 , and a third stationary electrode e 3 . first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 include two essentially parallel sections 13 , 14 , at the outer / distal end of which they approach one another via an essentially gabled structure 15 , 16 . second electrode e 2 is in electrical contact with the end section 15 of first electrode e 1 and the end section 16 of third electrode e 3 . second electrode e 2 has a convex surface facing end sections 15 , 16 , which is similar to the upper face of a lens . a ( non - depicted ) current from the ignition unit flows through the electrical connection between first electrode e 1 and second electrode e 2 and between second electrode e 2 and third electrode e 3 . the current through first electrode e 1 and second electrode e 2 is caused by a voltage source u 1 , an inductor l being provided in series with voltage source u 1 and being used as an energy store . if movable electrode e 2 in the configuration shown is in contact with first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 , a current flows through inductor l , which generates a contact - breaking spark in each case when second electrode e 2 is moved away from first and third electrode e 1 , e 3 , as will be discussed in conjunction with the following figures . the movement of second electrode e 2 is made possible by two coils s 1 and s 2 . both are situated around a housing 18 outside of combustion chamber ii . a magnetic core m is situated within housing 18 , which is mechanically , which may be rigidly , coupled to second electrode e 2 . a current flow through first coil s 1 effectuates a movement in a first direction of magnetic core m within the magnetic field permeating coil s 1 according to the principle of electrodynamics . this first direction may point , e . g ., in the direction of return spring 17 , which is compressed in the course of such a movement and generates a restoring force . the same applies for a current flow through second coil s 2 . this second coil is configured to deploy an action of force as a function of the direction of a current flow , in a way similar to that of return spring 17 , the action of force causing second electrode e 2 to move in the direction of narrow point 10 . an alternative use or control of second coil s 2 makes it possible to add the electromagnetic forces of first coil s 1 and second coil s 2 and , therefore , to achieve a great displacement with a largely linear application of force and , additionally , to use two currents generated independently of one another . a further advantage of the use of a second coil s 2 ( in addition to or instead of return spring 17 ) is its centering effect on a magnetic core m . in the example shown , currents i 1 , i 2 are provided by ( non - depicted ) control units . for example , an engine control unit or a control unit provided for ignition could also be configured to generate the two coil currents i 1 , i 2 . fig5 b shows the system represented in fig5 a after second electrode e 2 has moved away , in the direction of arrow p , from the gabled structure of the end sections of first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 . due to the fact that second electrode e 2 has moved away from first electrode e 1 , a first ignition spark f 1 has formed between the two , in an area having a minimum distance in the form of a narrow point 10 including a first ignition spark foot point ff 11 on first electrode e 1 and including a second ignition spark foot point ff 12 on second electrode e 2 . this first ignition spark is situated in an area of narrow point 10 between first electrode e 1 and second electrode e 2 . correspondingly , due to the fact that second electrode e 2 has moved away from third electrode e 3 , a second ignition spark f 2 has formed between second electrode e 2 and third electrode e 3 in an area of narrow point 10 having a third ignition spark foot point ff 22 on second electrode e 2 and having a fourth ignition spark foot point ff 21 on third electrode e 3 . the system is apparently symmetrically configured . fig5 c shows the system represented in fig5 b after second electrode e 2 has been moved further away from the end sections of first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 in the direction of arrow p . first ignition spark f 1 and second ignition spark f 2 have migrated in the direction of the minimum distance between first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 , i . e ., in the direction of arrows p 1 and p 2 , respectively . the surface geometry of electrodes e 1 , e 2 and e 3 is configured in such a way that ignition spark foot points ff 11 - ff 22 have migrated in the direction of arrow p 1 and p 2 in the course of the movement of second electrode e 2 . if ignition spark foot points ff 12 , ff 22 situated on second electrode e 2 migrate further in the direction of arrows p 1 , p 2 , respectively , the foot points of ignition sparks f 1 , f 2 meet on the surface of second electrode e 2 , whereby sparks f 1 , f 2 fuse . fig5 d shows the result of the movement of second electrode e 2 in the direction of arrow p . ignition spark foot points ff 12 , ff 22 situated on second electrode e 2 have met , in response to which first ignition spark f 1 and second ignition spark f 2 have fused to form a single ignition spark f . since ignition spark f , which now extends in a v - shape , attempts to shorten in accordance with the minimum energy principle , the situation shown in fig5 e sets in . in fig5 e , the ignition spark , with its foot points , has migrated to the points on first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 having the minimum distance from one another . this spark gap finally satisfies the minimum energy principle for ignition spark f . by viewing fig5 a through 5 e in combination it becomes apparent how much surface area ignition sparks f 1 , f 2 and ignition spark f have passed through due to the movement of second electrode e 2 . the probability that the ignition spark or ignition sparks will ignite an ignitable mixture is substantially increased as compared to a fixed spark gap according to the teaching of the related art . fig6 shows an electrode geometry , which is an alternative to the electrode system represented in fig5 . the electrode sections of electrodes e 1 , e 3 situated in combustion chamber ii are cylindrical or rod - shaped , for example , it being possible for their cross - section to be circular , elliptical , or rectangular . the two linearly approach one another in the direction of the combustion chamber on an imaginary axis through the actuator and in the direction of movement of second electrode e 2 . the mode of operation of the system is identical to that discussed in conjunction with fig5 . fig7 shows an alternative system and embodiment of three electrodes e 1 , e 2 , e 3 . a first electrode e 1 and a third electrode e 3 are helically situated along a conic ( or “ conical ”) enveloping surface . a second electrode e 2 is situated underneath the two electrodes e 1 , e 3 , which initially contacts the two electrodes e 1 , e 3 in the configuration shown . although these are diametrically opposed with respect to the axis of the cone , the gap between first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 tapers in the direction of tip s of the cone . at a first point in time t = t 0 ( as explained in conjunction with fig5 a through 5 e ), two contact - breaking sparks are generated , one between first electrode e 1 and second electrode e 2 and one between second electrode e 2 and third electrode e 3 , and subsequently fuse at the base of the cone as a result of second electrode e 2 moving away from first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 . this process has already been described in conjunction with fig5 a through 5 e . after fused ignition spark f t1 between first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 has been generated , it attempts to shorten the spark gap to be bridged , in order to satisfy the minimum energy principle . ignition spark f t1 therefore migrates upward in the cone in the direction of tip s , the ignition spark completing one rotation about the axis of rotational symmetry of the cone , as is indicated by arrow p 3 . at a point in time t = t 2 , ignition spark f t1 has “ screwed ” its way further up the electrode spiral , so that , as ignition spark f t2 , it now has a shorter length than before . in order to satisfy the minimum energy principle , ignition spark foot points ff 1 , ff 2 migrate further up electrodes e 1 , e 3 until , at a later point in time t = t 3 , they form an ignition spark f t3 , which has arrived at a narrow point 10 between electrodes e 1 , e 3 between two points having a minimum distance . fig8 shows an alternative system of three combustion chamber electrodes e 1 , e 2 , e 3 . first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 are situated essentially symmetrically with respect to axis of symmetry y and symmetrically with respect to the axis of motion of second electrode e 2 . first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 have two local narrow points 10 a , 10 b , between which the two electrodes e 1 , e 3 have concave sections . in other words , the gap between the electrodes increases so as to form a cavity in an area between local narrow points 10 a , 10 b . within the cavity formed in this way , a movable second electrode e 2 is shown in three possible positions a ), b ), c ). second electrode e 2 has an essentially spherical end section , which has a smaller radius than the cavity formed between first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 . in this way , it is possible that second electrode e 2 in position a ) has a contact point 11 , 12 with first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 , respectively , at its outermost end , whereas ( after having moved in the direction of arrow p ) it has a contact point 11 , 12 , respectively , in the direction of its suspension . in a position b ) shown , second electrode e 2 is situated between positions a ) and b ), in which it has a narrow point , e . g ., with the points of the concave electrode surfaces having a maximum distance from axis of symmetry y . in position a ), a contact - breaking spark may be generated between first electrode e 1 and second electrode e 2 as well as between third electrode e 3 and second electrode e 2 . if second electrode e 2 is now moved out of position a ) into position b ), the narrow points between second electrode e 2 and stationary electrodes e 1 , e 3 , respectively , migrate along the spherical surface of second electrode e 2 as well as along corresponding points on the hollow - sphere shaped surfaces of first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 . second electrode e 2 finally reaches its end position c ), in which it once more has contact with stationary electrodes e 1 , e 3 . a further contact - breaking spark may therefore be generated in this position by reversing the direction of movement of second electrode e 2 until finally , in position a ), it comes into contact once more with first electrode e 1 and third electrode e 3 . in this way , retracting reciprocating movement of the second electrode ( e . g ., in two consecutive ignition cycles ) may be provided according to the present invention . a basic concept of the present invention is to dynamically generate an ignition spark of an ignition unit for an internal combustion engine , in a predefined manner , with the aid of a movable arrangement of at least one electrode . at the same time , the spark gap is moved , rotated , pivoted or modified in some other way at a first point in time with respect to a second point in time in order to break through different combustion chamber volumes at different points in time . the probability of successfully igniting an ignitable mixture is increased as a result , so that lean mixtures and less homogeneous mixtures may be used . in addition , electrode erosion may be avoided , since the ignition spark foot point on a particular electrode migrates over time on the surface of the electrode . even though the aspects according to the present invention and advantageous specific embodiments have been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated with the aid of the attached figures , those skilled in the art will consider modifications and combinations of features of the exemplary embodiments shown to be possible without departing from the scope of the present invention , the scope of protection of which is defined by the attached claims .	5
as shown in the exemplary drawings , the present invention is embodied in a retainer , indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 , for securing a lid 12 to a container 14 in which a floral bouquet 16 is arranged . the retainer 10 decoratively attaches the lid 12 to the container 14 as an integral part of the bouquet 16 and reduces the chance that the lid 12 will become lost or broken by the florist or customer . further , the retainer 10 of this invention is relatively inexpensive to manufacture , reliable and simple to use , and may be installed completely by hand . as best shown in one preferred form in fig1 - 4 , the retainer 10 comprises a rigid shaft 18 and a flexible crossbar 20 which are connected together by a conventional fastener 22 to form generally a t - shaped assembly . as explained more fully below , the crossbar 20 is adapted to be inserted into a groove 24 provided on the underside of the lid 12 , and the shaft 18 is adapted for insertion into a body of stalk supporting material 26 , typically florist &# 39 ; s foam , which holds the stalks of the flowers and other materials comprising the floral bouquet 16 within the container 14 . the shaft 18 preferably is made of metal , wood , plastic or another rigid material that resists bending and will support the weight of the lid 12 once the shaft 18 is inserted into the foam 26 . further in this regard , the shaft 18 also must be of sufficient length to be firmly anchored in the foam 22 . the cross - sectional area of the shaft 18 also must be small enough to facilitate insertion of the shaft 18 into the foam 26 . in the preferred embodiment , the shaft 18 is circular in cross - section and resembles a thin tube , but it can be of triangular , rectangular , hexagonal or other shapes if desired . the shaft 18 preferably is coupled to the center of the crossbar 20 to allow a substantially equal amount of flexing of the crossbar 20 on opposite sides of the shaft 18 . alternatively , the shaft 18 may be joined at any point between the ends of the crossbar 20 so long as there is a sufficient amount of flexure to insert the crossbar 20 into the groove 24 of the lid 12 . however , the shaft 18 must not be coupled too close to one end of the crossbar 20 . otherwise , the shaft 18 will interfere with a lip 28 of the groove 24 upon insertion of the crossbar 20 . the crossbar 20 preferably is made of plastic , soft wood or another flexible yet resilient material . flexibility is necessary to permit adequate deformation of the crossbar 20 and insertion into the groove 24 provided on the underside of the lid 12 . resiliency is required to maintain the ends of the crossbar 20 in snug contact with the groove 24 , as described more fully below . the substantially rectangular structural configuration of the crossbar 20 in the preferred embodiment provides several important functional advantages . the flat , substantially square - shaped ends of the crossbar 20 provide firm engagement with corresponding sections of the groove 24 and maintain a fixed relationship between the lid 12 and the crossbar 20 . if the crossbar 20 was , for example , round instead of flat , the lid 12 would be undesirably permitted to rotate about the axis of the round crossbar . it is understood that only the portions of the crossbar 20 which engage the groove 24 need to be of the flat , square - shaped configuration described above . the length of the crossbar 20 preferably is slightly longer than the diameter of the circle defined by the groove 24 . thus , after insertion , there is a slight bend in the crossbar 20 which , due to the resilient properties of the crossbar 20 , causes the ends of the crossbar 20 to exert a radial force upon the groove 24 . this force maintains the fixed position of the lid 12 with respect to the crossbar 20 and prevents undesirable rotation of wobbling of the lid 12 . it is understood that the length of the crossbar 20 can be increased or decreased to accomodate lids of various sizes and groove diameters . to maintain the desired flexibility and resiliency of the crossbar 20 , the thickness of the crossbar 20 which generally governs the bending characteristics described above , should be increased as the length of the cross - bar 20 from one end of the groove 24 to the other increases . the use of the retainer 10 now will be explained . the user , typically a florist , holds the shaft 18 in one hand and the lid 12 in the other . one end of the crossbar 20 is inserted into the groove 24 of the lid 12 , and then , the user pushes down on the shaft 18 so that the crossbar 20 begins to bend . eventually , the crossbar 20 will bend far enough to cause the uninserted end of the crossbar 20 to pass beyond the lip 28 and snap into the groove 24 . the lid 12 , which now is firmly secured to the crossbar 20 , is ready for placement in an appropriate position in the floral bouquet 16 . to attach the lid 12 to the floral bouquet 16 , the lid 12 is grasped firmly , and the end of the shaft 18 is pushed into a desired location in the foam 26 . the lid 12 may be decoratively positioned in any desired position so that it becomes an attractive and integral part of the arrangement . with the lid 12 firmly secured in this fashion , the likelihood that it will become lost or broken is reduced substantially . to remove the lid 12 from the floral bouquet 16 after the flowers have died , the lid 12 is grasped firmly and pulled away from the bouquet 16 removing the shaft 18 from the foam 26 . to remove the crossbar 20 from the lid 12 , the user , usually a customer at this point , grabs the end of the shaft 18 furthest from the crossbar 20 and applies a torque which forces the end of the shaft 18 down towards one end of the crossbar 20 . this bends the crossbar 20 and eventually forces the other end of the crossbar 20 over the lip 28 and out of the groove 24 . alternatively , the shaft 18 may be pulled directly up and away from the underside of the lid 12 . this causes both ends of the crossbar 20 to bend substantially equally , as best illustrated by the phantom lines of fig4 . once removed , the retainer 10 may be thrown away if desired . from the foregoing , it will be appreciated that the retainer of this invention allows a simple and effective means for attaching a lid to a container in which a floral bouquet is arranged . while a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described , it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is not intended that the invention be limited , except as by the appended claims .	0
the present invention is directed to ofdm as the transmission method , and the subcarriers in use are adaptive to the volume of traffic in that interface , or the modulation format which is further determined by channel quality . one or some dedicated subcarriers are used to notify the receiver of the bandwidth to be used in future transmission ( for example , from the third ofdm frame ). based on this information , the receiver adjusts its internal components , either to power off ( or hibernate ) some more ( if bandwidth decreases ), or power on ( or awake ) corresponding elements ( if bandwidth increases ). in receiver side , elements that might be powered off or hibernated include digitizer module ( analog to digital converter , adc ) and fft ( fast fourier transform ) blocks . in high speed application , the digitizer usually contains several interleaved lower - speed adcs . when bandwidth in use is reduced , the overall sampling rate can be decreased , which means some lower - rate adcs might be put in power saving mode ( powered off or hibernated ). for desired throughput , the receiver usually has multiple ofdm demodulation blocks working in parallel , and the total processing capacity of these parallel blocks matches the overall adc sampling rate . when some adcs turn inactive , the samples rate to be processed goes lower , so some ofdm demodulation modules can be in power saving mode as well . the energy adaptation is also achieved from transmitter . like the parallel processing in receiver side , transmitter also contains multiple ofdm modulators to work in parallel . when output bandwidth is decreased , the output sampling rate can be reduced , some ofdm modulators might be in power saving mode and the remaining active modulator modules still provide enough capacity . because the output signals sampling rate is reduced , if dac ( digital to analog converter ) is still working at full clock rate , in one embodiment , output signals can be extended to multiple dac output clock cycles , or output zeros for the other dac output clock cycles . in one embodiment , the dac clock frequency is reduced accordingly to match the samples rate of ofdm modulators . in case output sampling rate is decreased , either by reducing dac clock frequency or extending ofdm modulator output sample period or outputting zeros between valid samples , a corresponding analog filter can be applied to remove harmonic spectra . referring now in detail to the figures in which like numerals represent the same or similar elements and initially to fig2 , which shows an overall block diagram of a system employing the invention . having described preferred embodiments of a system and method ( which are intended to be illustrative and not limiting ), it is noted that modifications and variations can be made by persons skilled in the art in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiments disclosed which are within the scope of the invention as outlined by the appended claims . having thus described aspects of the invention , with the details and particularity required by the patent laws , what is claimed and desired protected by letters patent is set forth in the appended claims . when the receiver is initially started , it samples with maximum sampling rate and demodulates using maximum fft size , so that even when transmitter is using lower sampling rate and bandwidth , the receiver is still able to obtain the information carried by f d , to further track the sampling rate and bandwidth given by the transmitter and sample / demodulate accordingly . then the receiver will be synchronized ( in terms of bandwidth usage configuration ) with transmitter side to perform energy savings . ofdm is digital multi - carrier modulation method , using a large number of closely - spaced orthogonal subcarriers to carry data . each subcarrier can be individually modulated , and the modulation format can be flexibly selected . 1 ) each sub - carrier can be individually modulated and the modulation format can be flexibly selected ; sub - carriers can be dynamically allocated based on transmission or network requirement 2 ) flexible modulation format selection , so when signal quality goes lower , the system may use larger bandwidth with lower modulation format ; while in case signal quality is higher , the system may change to lower bandwidth with higher modulation format 3 ) multi - path ( or channel fading ) tolerance , which can help to eliminate cd compensation in optical communications with these advantages , and also with the development of high - speed converters ( including digital - to - analog converter or dac , and analog - to - digital converter or adc ), ofdm is believed to be a good candidate in wide area of optical communications , from access network ( such as passive optical network ) to long haul transmission ( such as 40g or 100g transmission link ). a typical ofdm transmitter includes ofdm modulator , digital resampler , digital - to - analog converter ( dac ), and optionally an analog filter . ofdm modulator further includes symbol mapping module , to convert from binary bit stream to certain symbols such as qpsk or 16qam ; and ifft ( inverse fast fourier transform ) module , to convert frequency domain signal to time domain for transmission . digital resampler changes sampling rate to adapt the speed of dac . the most popular case is to interpolate the ifft output samples to higher sampling rate , by inserting zeros between the samples and then applying low pass filter . dac converts signal from digital to analog domain for transmission . ofdm receiver performs the reverse operation of an ofdm transmitter , which includes : optional analog filter , analog to digital converter ( adc ), resampler , and ofdm demodulator . similarly , the resampler changes the adc input sampling rate to adapt the needs of ofdm demodulator ; ofdm demodulator applies fft to convert signals to frequency domain , performs equalization , and then de - maps the symbols to binary sequence . in optical communication , the required digitizing rate is usually higher than a single adc element can handle . so the most popular solution is applying power splitter to input signals , and further inputting to multiple sub - adc channels . these sub - adc channels sample the signal in interleaving mode , so that when the output from these sub - adcs are combined , they will provide time - equally sampled signal with rate of n × s where n is the number of sub - adcs and s is the sampling rate of each sub - adc . for better explanation , the following uses term “ ofdm block ” for the symbols generated from one ifft and after adding cyclic prefix ( when necessary ). the main embodiment of the present invention is for a line interface using ofdm as the modulation format , providing maximum transmission capacity c , under the case of m - point fft and sampling rate s ; in case lower bandwidth is needed , either because of lower traffic load or higher modulation format to be used ( because of better channel quality ), system capacity is reduced to ( roughly ) c / 2 ̂ n ( n = 1 , 2 , . . . ), by using ( m / 2 ̂ n )- point fft and sampling rate of s / 2 ̂ n . when sampling rate is reduced , for both transmitter and receiver , some of the parallel processing modules might be eligible to be powered off or hibernated , while still provide enough processing capacity . the decision for the number of subcarriers to be used is based on traffic load . the present invention uses constant base subcarrier frequency and fixed duration for each ofdm block . when the system changes to lower bandwidth , it always uses lower frequency subcarriers and frees those of higher frequencies . the transmitter makes decision on the subcarriers to be used from the next d - th ofdm block , where d is determined by receiver reaction time ( such as the power on or awaken time for all the functional modules ), and sends this information to the receiver . one or several dedicated subcarriers f d is pre - defined to carry such information . f d is located within the lowest bandwidth range , to guarantee that it always exists and is transmitted to the receiver . multiple ofdm blocks may be framed to carry such configuration and other control information ; fec ( forward error correction ) field can be applied to the frame for better tolerance , or crc ( cyclic redundancy check ) can be used to check for the correctness . fig2 is the block diagram for an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . transmitter 102 takes input 162 from prior processing and first uses ofdm modulator 108 to generate ofdm signal in digital domain . ofdm modulator 108 is under the control of bandwidth decision module 106 , which uses the input from traffic status monitor 104 . based on the traffic information , block 106 decides the bandwidth needed , and further determines the sampling rate and fft size . such decision is input to ofdm modulator 108 through signal 118 . block 108 follows this decision to modulate the input signal . this information is also framed with other management information , or with data to be transmitted , and modulated by 108 to dedicated subcarrier ( s ) ( say subcarrier ( s ) f d ), to notify the receiver about future bandwidth and sampling rate in use . f d can be any subcarrier within the minimum bandwidth b m . in an exemplary embodiment , the information carried by f d spans several ofdm blocks and is encapsulated using certain framing scheme . following ofdm modulator 108 includes an optional resampler 110 to adapt the sampling rate to dac 112 , which converts discrete signal ( in digital domain ) to continuous ( analog domain ). filter 114 is to remove the high - frequency aliases caused by dac 112 . the optical transmitter 116 converts the signal from electrical to optical and ready for transmission through link 126 . optionally block 110 , 112 , and / or 114 are also controlled by block 106 over respective signal links 120 , 122 , 124 , to adjust resampling rate , or dac clock rate , or selects the corresponding filter bandwidth . in the receiver side ( module 130 ), the optical receiver 146 first converts the input signal from optical domain to electrical , followed by optional low pass filter 144 to remove high frequency noise . adc 142 digitizes the continuous signal to discrete for digital processing . an optional resampler 140 matches the sampling rate difference between that needed by ofdm demodulator 138 and adc 142 . ofdm demodulator 138 processes the sampled signal and recovers the original information . the information in subcarrier f d which contains bandwidth usage information is passed to processing decision block 136 through signal 148 , to further configure the related blocks including : bandwidth of filter 144 , sampling rate of adc 142 , resampling rate of resampler 140 , and fft size etc . used in ofdm demodulator 138 . the processing decision block 136 communicated back with the ofdm demodulator 137 through signal link 148 . the processing decision block also can communicate with the resampler 140 , adc 142 and filter 144 through respective signal links 150 , 152 and 154 . when the receiver is initially started , it samples with maximum sampling rate and demodulates using maximum fft size , so that even when transmitter is using lower sampling rate and bandwidth , the receiver is still able to obtain the information carried by f d , to further track the sampling rate and bandwidth given by the transmitter and sample / demodulate accordingly . then the receiver will be synchronized ( in terms of bandwidth usage configuration ) with transmitter side to perform energy savings . the aforementioned energy savings can be achieved from three modules as in fig2 : partially powering off / hibernating the adcs ; powering off / hibernating some of the resampler modules , and / or changing re - sampling rate ; powering off / hibernating some of the ofdm demodulator modules . these actions are configured by processing decision module 136 , which decodes the control information carried in fixed subcarrier . when the digitizer consists of multiple interleaved adc channels , the sampling rate can be changed by powering off or hibernating ( 1½ ̂ n ) of the total interleaved channels , where ½ ̂ n gives the portion of bandwidth to be used . for example , if the input signal reduces to ¼ of full bandwidth , the sampling rate can be ¼ of full - rate accordingly , which means ( 1¼ )= ¾ of the interleaved adc channels can be powered off or hibernated . this example is further illustrated in fig3 . digitizer 200 includes 4 sub - adcs , numbered from 212 to 218 ; energy saving control block 222 , and samples reassembly block 220 . signal input is first replicated by power splitter 202 to 4 instances , numbered from 204 ˜ 210 , each feeding one sub - adc , such as signal 204 feeds sub - adc 212 . these sub - adcs work in interleaved mode , for example 212 samples at time ( k * t 0 + 0 ), 214 samples at time ( k * t 0 + ¼ * t 0 ), 216 samples at ( k * t 0 + ½ * t 0 ), and 218 samples at ( k * t 0 +* t 0 ), where t 0 is the sampling period of each sub - adc . these sub - adcs are controlled by energy saving control block 222 , to stay in working mode or energy saving mode ( powered off or hibernated ). block 222 further receives control information from processing decision module ( block 136 in fig2 ) to take action . in this illustration , sub - adcs 214 ˜ 218 are in power saving mode while 212 is working , so digitizer 212 provides ¼ of full sampling rate . the outputs from the sub - adcs are organized by samples reassembly block 220 , which selects the active sub - adc ( s ) and outputs the samples in time order . when adc sampling rate is reduced , the samples to be processed in one frame period will be reduced accordingly . this may enable a single resampler module to process multiple blocks in one ( maximum ) block period , and some other resampler modules be put in energy saving mode . one problem to consider is the processing overhead for overlapping samples : usually this resampler module uses fir ( finite impulse response ) filter , which takes several clock cycles ( when implemented in serial mode ) to fill - up the filter taps before outputting valid samples . the processing of multiple ( shorter ) blocks in one ( longest ) block period will increase the overhead percentage , so certain speed up is needed to enable energy savings from resampler module . the resampler module may also take responsibility when lower rate than adc capability is preferred and low pass filter is needed to remove higher frequency noise . in such cases the resampler takes higher sampling rate than required and outputs only those needed by ofdm demodulator . the main change in ofdm demodulator is the fft size : when sampling rate changes to ½ , the fft size ( and number of output samples in equalization and demapping modules ) changes to ½ of previous as well . accordingly , the processing time for one ofdm block will be shorter . same as resampler module , some ofdm demodulators can be put in energy saving mode . the receiver operation is controlled by processing decision block 136 , which takes demodulated information from ofdm demodulator 138 . this procedure is summarized in fig3 . the energy saving in transmitter side is also achieved from 3 different modules : ofdm modulator , resampler , and dac . ofdm modulator operation is similar to demodulator in receiver side , in that it uses shorter ifft size and outputs lower sampling rate when throughput is lower . in this case a single modulator can handle multiple ( shorter ) ofdm blocks in one ( longest ) ofdm block time , so some other ofdm modulator blocks can be put in energy saving mode . with reduced sampling rate output from ofdm modulator ( s ), if dac clock rate can be adjusted to accept lower number of input samples , the resampler module 110 in fig2 may also generates shorter samples for each ofdm block . this enables some of the resampler modules to be put in energy saving mode the same way as in receiver side . by reducing the dac clocking rate ( if applicable ), dac power consumption will be reduced as well . the operation procedure is given in flow chart in fig5 . as mentioned above , the bandwidth decision module 106 makes decision on the bandwidth to be used . this is further derived from output traffic monitoring result : if the recent average traffic is lower than bandwidth in use , reduce the transmitted signal bandwidth by half ; if higher than bandwidth in use , double the transmitted signal bandwidth ( if not in full bandwidth ). alternatively , traffic monitoring can be achieved by monitoring the queue status : if the traffic in queue is lower than configured threshold ( say threshold 1 ), reduce the bandwidth by half ( unless it is already the lowest ); if the traffic in queue is higher than another threshold ( say threshold 2 ), double the bandwidth . this queue can be in egress port , or by certain approach ( for example , using maximum queue length ) in ingress ports . note that when the system encounters better channel quality ( based on the feedback from receiver ), it may use higher modulation format , which is equivalent to increased maximum interface rate , which results in lower traffic to maximum - interface - rate percentage , so the above embodiments can be applied as well . to avoid confusion or complicated control procedure in receiver side , the system may always use the lowest modulation format ( e . g ., qpsk ) for control information ( in particular the bandwidth usage message ). the application of the present invention can be any optical interface that applies ofdm modulation , such as but not limited to , point - to - point metro or core optical interface , ofdm - based passive - optical - network ( pon ). the foregoing 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 detailed description , but rather from the claims as interpreted according to the full breadth permitted by the patent laws . it is to be understood that the embodiments shown and described herein are only illustrative of the principles of the present invention and that those skilled in the art may implement various modifications without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . those skilled in the art could implement various other feature combinations without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention .	7
the modem shown in the drawing comprises basically three active integrated circuits -- the transmitter 10 in the form of a 74ls04 hex inverter , a receiver 20 in the form of a tda440 am receiver , and switch / interface 30 in the form of a 74ls00 quad nand gate . data input terminal 11 receives data to be transmitted and is connected through resistor 12 and through two series connected buffer inverters 13 and 14 to one input of nand gate switch 31 . an oscillator , in the form of parallel connected resistor 15 , ceramic filter 16 and inverter 17 , is connected through buffer inverter 18 to the other input of nand gate switch 31 . the nand gate 31 amplitude modulates the signal from inverter 18 with data from invertre 14 . the output from nand gate 31 is buffered by inverter 19 and connected through filter section 40 to channel terminal 41 . filter section 40 comprises the series connection of resistor 42 , ceramic filter 43 and resistor 44 . since the output from switch 31 through inverter 19 is rich in the harmonics of the basic frequency supplied by oscillator 15 - 17 , filter 40 , whose ceramic filter 43 is matched in frequency to ceramic filter 16 , hard limits all harmonics to the envelope of the filter . thus , the carrier frequency supplied to channel terminal 41 matches the frequency supplied by oscillator 15 - 17 . channel terminal 41 is connected to a transmission channel to which similar modems are connected . the signal supplied to the transmission channel is received at a head end which converts the first carrier frequency to a second carrier frequency to which the receive side , receiver 20 , is tuned . thus , the data received by the modem in the drawing is connected through a selective resonant network 50 comprising capacitor 51 connected on one side to channel terminal 41 and on its other side to the parallel network of capacitor 52 and inductor 53 the other side of which network is connected to ground . the junction of capacitor 51 and the parallel network 52 - 53 is connected through capacitor 54 to pin 1 , the input pin , of receiver 20 . in receiver 20 , the data signal is amplified and applied to a resonator connected across pins 8 and 9 and comprised of the parallel combination of capacitor 21 and inductor 22 . pins 2 and 3 are connected together through bypass capacitor 38 and pins 3 and 4 are connected together through the parallel combination of capacitor 23 and resistor 24 . thus , the carrier is switched or rectified for feedback to an automatic gain control network inherent in circuit 20 . the time constant of the automatic gain control is determined by capacitor 23 and resistor 24 . receiver 20 demodulates the data received at pin 1 and supplies the demodulated signal at pin 12 where the demodulated signal is applied to zener diode 25 for ttl compatible level shifting . other elements of receiver 20 include a gain control resistor 26 connected between pins 7 and 11 , bypass capacitor 27 connected between pin 2 and pin 15 , bypass capacitors 28 , 29 , 55 and 56 connected respectively from pins 16 , 15 , 14 and 13 to ground . pins 14 and 13 are interconnected to the power supply through bleeder resistor 57 and pin 12 is connected through zener diode 25 and resistor 58 to ground . furthermore , gain control resistor 59 connects pin 10 to ground . supply pin 3 is also tied directly to ground . transistor 60 has its collector connected to pin 13 and to a positive input voltage supply , its base connected to pin 14 and its emitter supplies voltage to pin 14 of transmitter 10 and switch / interface 30 . transistor 60 converts the 12 volt supply to a 5 volt supply . the demodulated output from receiver 20 is taken at the junction of zener diode 25 and resistor 58 and is connected to the first input of nand gate 32 of switch / interface 30 . the second input of nand gate 32 is taken from the output of nand gate 33 which has a first input tied to a positive source and a second input connected through delay network 70 from the output of inverter 71 which has its input tied to the data input terminal 11 through inverter 13 . delay network 70 comprises resistor 72 and resistor 73 series connected between the output of inverter 71 and the second input of nand gate 33 . capacitors 74 and 75 are series connected across resistor 73 with the junction of these two capacitors connected to ground . pin 14 of transmitter 10 is connected to a positive supply and also through capacitor 76 to ground from emitter 60 . delay network 70 receives the data applied to data input terminal 11 and delays this data by an amount dependent upon the delay which results from transmitting the data down the transmission channel , converting it to the second carrier frequency at the head end , and transmitting the data back along the transmission line to the modem shown in the figure . this delayed data is then applied to the second input of nand gate 33 and consequently to the second input of nand gate 32 for blocking the received data supplied by receiver 20 to the first input of nand gate 32 . thus , the modem will block data which it has transmitted along the transmission channel from its data output terminal 81 but will allow data from all other modems online to be presented to data output terminal 81 . the output from nand gate 32 is buffered by nand gate 34 before data from it is supplied to data output terminal 81 . pin 14 of switch / interface network 30 is connected to the positive supply from emitter 60 and it is also connected to ground through bypass capacitor 35 . pin 7 of switch / interface 30 is connected to ground as is pin 7 of transmitter 10 . the junction of resistor 12 and pin 5 of transmitter 10 is connected to ground through the reverse junction of signal clipping diode 82 . thus , a simple modem is provided which can be arranged in a very small package and comprises very few parts . the modem provides proper filtering to insure that it transmits a frequency which will be recognized by the head end and will recognize the proper frequency transmitted by the head end . the modem also blocks data from the data output terminal data which the modem has transmitted itself . in some instances such a function may not be desirable for reasons of an automatic loopback feature . such a feature is obtained by connecting pin 12 of switch network 30 to ground potential . in the preferred embodiment the ceramic filters used are murate sfe 10 . 7ms2 - z units providing for operation between a transmit frequency of 10 . 7 mhz and receive frequency of 53 . 1 mhz .	7
the present disclosure is directed to an automated mix in - cup apparatus and the method of using the same . in general , the automated mix in - cup apparatus is thought to be more effective , safer , faster , cleaner and easier to operate than known devices . the apparatus and method are described and illustrated in terms of various embodiments . of course , the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein but also includes variations and equivalent structures that would be apparent to one of skill in the art , having studied the subject disclosure . turning now to the drawings , fig1 illustrates a combined commercial fluid / ice dispensing and mixing unit 2 . unit 2 comprises an outer housing to cover both the dispensing and mixing machinery . unit 2 may also include a cabinet 6 accommodating a plurality of fluid containers 8 fluidly connected to a dispenser . an ice or frozen slurry dispenser and / or hopper may also be included in the unit . the overall operation of unit 2 comprises a user selecting the cup 4 , which may be selected from a single size or a plurality of differently sized cups , and placing cup 4 on unit 2 proximate to a dispensing mechanism ( not illustrated or described further herein ). the dispensing mechanism is actuated to at least partially fill cup 4 from fluid containers 8 and / or a frozen fluid dispenser . the fluid containers 8 could contain various flavors of consumable drink mix . the cup would also at least partially be filled with ice or other frozen consumable material from unit 2 . one or more automated mix in - cup apparatuses 10 are located next to the dispensing apparatus for mixing / blending drinks such as smoothies , milkshakes , ice coffee drinks , or the like . after the step of dispensing a fluid into the cup , the user positions cup 4 containing the selected flavor and frozen material at a cup - receiving position on mix in - cup apparatus 10 . mix in - cup apparatus 10 is then engaged to commence an automated mixing operation of the cup contents , as explained further below . the user does not contact the apparatus 10 other than to select mix cycles or otherwise actuate the switches or buttons necessary to begin the operation of the unit . with respect to fig2 - 14 , there is illustrated one or more embodiments of the mix in - cup apparatus and the method of operation of the same as described herein . the apparatus moves between three operational positions , as detailed further below with specific reference to the figures and labeled elements . in general , the first position is the open or “ home ” position where a mixing blade , a mixing motor , and a splash shield are elevated above a cup - receiving position so as to allow a user access to the cup - receiving position . in the mixing position , the splash shield is lowered until it engages and closes cup 4 . the shield is held on the cup by gravity . while the shield always surrounds the sides and top of the mixing blade , the shield also surrounds the sides of cup 4 and closes the top of cup 4 in the mixing position . the mixing blade is positioned inside cup 4 when the apparatus is in the mixing position . during a mix cycle , the blade may move up and down within the cup independent of the movement of the splash shield . in a cleaning position , the cup is first removed from the cup - receiving position , and the shield is again lowered until it contacts a floor . the floor and shield act to create a sealed interior space . in the cleaning position , the blade is moved into a position that may be below the cup - receiving position . a user cannot access the mixing blade in the cleaning or mixing positions without manually displacing the shield . turning to fig2 and 3 in further detail and with specific reference to the labeled elements , there is illustrated a mix in - cup apparatus 10 in accordance with at least one embodiment of this disclosure . the automated mix in - cup apparatus 10 for mixing consumable material includes a frame 12 supporting a stepper motor 13 . frame 12 in this embodiment is generally an l - shaped , substantially vertical structure with sufficient width to support mechanical components as described below . frame 12 could in turn be mounted to the structure of the combined unit 2 and be largely enclosed behind a housing . it is also envisioned that mix in - cup apparatus 10 might instead serve as a standalone device for mixing consumable material in cup 4 . fig2 and 3 illustrate the home position of apparatus 10 . as illustrated , the horizontal portion of the l - shaped frame 12 supports cup 4 at a cup - receiving position . the stand portion of frame 12 supports a vertically aligned lead screw 15 connected to stepper motor 13 . stepper motor 13 is positioned at the top of frame 12 . the distal end of lead screw 15 is mounted in a bearing ( not illustrated ). one or more guide rails 16 are vertically aligned on frame 12 and are parallel to lead screw 15 . lead screw 15 and guide rails 16 pass through a carriage 17 . a nut ( not illustrated ) under carriage 17 on lead screw 15 retains carriage 17 in place on lead screw 15 . as stepper motor 13 rotates lead screw 15 , the nut moves up and down on the screw . as a result , carriage 17 moves up and down relative to frame 12 . guide rails 16 further support carriage 17 and maintain the alignment of carriage 17 as it moves . overall , activating stepper motor 13 rotates lead screw 15 , and lead screw 15 translates the rotational movement into the linear up - and - down movement of carriage 17 . in one embodiment , as explained further below , a pulley system acts as a cord management system for a power cord 19 connected to carriage 17 . power cord 19 , which might also enclose sensor wires , is fixedly secured to carriage 17 at a first end and is fixedly secured to frame 12 at a second end . to account for the movement of carriage 17 , the pulley system includes one stationary pulley 18 and one moveable , spring - biased pulley 21 . moveable pulley 21 is at least partially placed within a pulley housing that slides within a vertical track defined by frame 12 . moveable pulley 21 includes an axle mounted to the sliding housing . a spring 23 is secured to the housing a proximate end . distal end of spring 23 is attached to a point on frame 12 beneath the pulley housing so as to maintain a tension force on the pulley housing . as carriage 17 moves down on lead screw 15 , moveable pulley 21 is lifted by the tension placed on power cord 19 . that is , the downward force on carriage 17 overcomes the tension force of spring 23 . as carriage 17 is lifted on lead screw 15 so as to move up relative to frame 12 , spring 23 biases moveable the pulley housing downwards so that pulley 21 move down within the frame &# 39 ; s track . in this manner , any slack in cord 19 is controlled by the pulley system . carriage 17 supports a mixing motor 14 , a shield prop 70 , and a splash shield 50 . any suitable type of electric motor may be employed as mixing motor 14 , as would be known or used in the mixing art . a mixing motor housing 54 surrounds and supports mixing motor 14 and housing 54 , in turn , is secured to carriage 17 . in this manner , carriage 17 supports motor 14 . mixing motor 14 is axially aligned above cup 4 when cup 4 is in the cup - receiving position . the horizontal portion of the frame defines a floor to support cup 4 or an optional cup - receiving holder 40 may be positioned on frame 12 at the cup - receiving position . in an embodiment where frame 12 defines a fluid - receiving well , holder 40 is at least partially placed in the well . with the holder , a cup never contacts a drain or floor of the apparatus , which is thought to be more sanitary . a rotatable mixing blade 20 extends vertically downwardly from mixing motor 14 via a shaft 22 . blade 20 is used for mixing a consumable material in cup 4 . motor 14 is operable to rotate mixing blade 20 and shaft 22 . blade 20 moves relative to frame 12 when mixing motor 14 is raised or lowered via carriage 17 . shaft 22 extends from mixing motor 14 at a fixed length . as such , blade 20 is reciprocally moveable along a shared axis with mixing motor 14 . in one embodiment , frame 12 further comprises a liquid well 30 sharing a vertical axis with cup 4 , mixing motor 14 , shaft 22 , and splash shield 50 . well 30 is a recess in the horizontal portion of the l - shaped frame 12 including a floor 32 and a sidewall 34 . in this embodiment , floor 32 is considered to be a part of frame 12 . well 30 may be a plastic molded part inserted into frame 12 . a liquid inlet manifold 36 is integral to or connected to frame 12 , and manifold 36 includes at least one nozzle fluidly connecting the manifold to the exterior of frame 12 ( see also fig1 and 11 ). in the illustrated embodiments where an optional recessed well 30 is employed , manifold 36 is integral to or connected to well 30 . a cleaning liquid , which might be water or a combination of water and a known cleaning agent , is selectively ejected from manifold 36 . a drain 38 acts as at least one liquid outlet . in the embodiment containing the well , drain 38 is integral to or connected to well 30 . in either embodiment , a drainpipe would connect to the drain so that the cleaning fluid is removed from apparatus 10 . the optional cup - receiving holder 40 is positioned to support a cup above frame 12 , such as above floor 32 of well 30 . holder 40 may be selectively removable from the apparatus for cleaning , as further described below ( see also fig1 ). splash shield 50 may consist of an opaque , semi - transparent or transparent material . in the cup - receiving position , such as when cup 4 is placed on holder 40 , cup 4 is axially aligned beneath shield 50 . shield 50 comprises a shield lid 52 and a cylindrical sidewall 56 depending from lid 52 . shield 50 defines an open bottom end 60 into which cup 4 and / or cup - receiving holder 40 can be placed . shield 50 is suspended from motor housing 54 by a shield prop 70 . prop 70 includes two guide rods 72 and upper stop plate 74 . in a home position , stop plate 74 rests atop mixing motor 14 or mixing motor housing 54 with guide rods 72 securely fixed to shield lid 52 . as carriage 17 moves to a mixing position , shield lid 52 engages the open top of cup 4 so as to close the lid . shield sidewall 56 at least partially surrounds cup 4 at the cup - receiving position . in the mixing position , the downward movement of shield 50 is limited by the height of cup 4 , and shield 50 rests atop cup 4 . however , carriage 17 may continue to move downward along lead screw 15 after shield 50 engages cup 4 . the continued downward motion of carriage 17 causes motor housing 54 to move along shield god rods 72 . the upper stop plate separates from mixing motor 14 and motor housing 54 . carriage 17 can continue downwards until motor housing 53 engages the top of lid 52 . moving carriage 17 upwards will not displace shield 50 until mixing motor 14 and / or motor housing 54 engage upper stop plate 74 . once engaged , the continued upward movement of carriage 17 lifts stop plate 74 . guide rods 72 , which are fixed at a first end to plate 74 and at a second end to shield 50 , then lift shield 50 . for aesthetic purposes , an outer housing 53 can selectively nest over motor housing 54 . outer housing 53 is supported atop lid 52 . as motor housing 54 moves away from shield 50 , outer housing 53 encases guide rods 72 and shaft 22 between motor housing 54 and lid 52 . as the motor housing 54 is brought into closer proximity to lid 52 , outer housing 53 nests over motor housing 54 . splash shield 50 surrounds blade 20 on all sides and covers the top of blade 20 . shaft 22 extends through an aperture 62 in the shield &# 39 ; s top end . a seal 63 is employed to prevent the escape of a fluid up and through lid 52 . one embodiment of seal 63 is illustrated in fig3 a . seal 63 is in the lid aperture 62 through which shaft 22 passes . seal 63 reduces or prevents fluid from passing around shaft 22 upwardly through the shield &# 39 ; s top end . shaft 22 can move independently of shield 50 so seal 63 allows for the linear movement of shaft 22 into and out of shield 50 . the inside face of seal 63 in contact or close proximity with shaft 22 includes a helical groove 64 . groove 64 permits and encourages the downward flow of fluid were any fluid to enter seal 63 . fig2 and 3 illustrate motor 14 and shield in the home position whereby a user can access cup 4 and the cup - receiving position . in this home position , mixing motor 14 cannot be activated , as further described below . turning then to fig4 and 5 , there is illustrated the embodiment of fig1 and 2 but where carriage 17 has been moved downwards to the mixing position . in the mixing position , as briefly referenced above , shield 50 comes to rest on a cup 4 . in the absence of a cup , shield 50 would rest on frame 12 . in this illustrated embodiment , shield 50 does not contact frame 12 or floor 32 of well 30 due to the height of the cup . in the mixing position , cup 4 is closed by lid 52 and is at least partially surrounded by shield 50 . in one embodiment , the connection of shield sidewall 56 to closed top end 58 forms a frustoconical shape or portion 59 . that is , the connection between sidewall 56 and lid 52 is sloped as if to form a cone . however , the cone tip is truncated . conical portion 59 creates an effective seal on cup 4 despite the use of cups that might be of different diameters . conical portion 59 also serves to center cup 4 on the cup - receiving position or holder . where the conical portion engages a cup disproportionally on one side , the slope of lid 52 translates the downward motion of shield 50 into a lateral motion to better position cup 4 within shield 50 . fig5 a further illustrates the pulley - based cord management system . a portion of frame 12 , which helps to define a vertical track , is removed to better illustrate the cord management system . moveable pulley 21 is secured via an axle to the moveable pulley housing . the pulley housing slides within the vertical track defined by frame 12 . the downward movement of carriage 17 places tension on cord 19 . this tension exceeds the spring bias provided by spring 23 . as a result , pulley 21 moves up within frame 12 . as carriage 17 is lifted on lead screw 15 so as to move up relative to frame 12 , spring 23 biases pulley 21 , via the pulley housing , downwards . in this manner , any slack in cord 19 is controlled by the pulley system . with respect to fig6 and 7 , it is evident that blade 20 and motor 14 may continue to move down relative to frame 12 even after shield 50 comes into contact , and is stopped by , cup 4 . prop 70 is fixed to shield 50 by guide rods 72 . motor 14 slidably moves along guide rods 72 . as carriage 17 continues to move mixing motor 14 closer to shield 50 , upper stop plate 74 moves away from mixing motor 14 . in this manner , mixing motor 14 can be reciprocally moved up and down without displacing shield 50 during the mix cycle . the ability to move blade 20 up and down during a mix cycle increases the quality and consistency of the blended product . following the mix cycle , which can comprise a pre - programmed sequence of blade movements and variable blade speed changes , stepper motor 13 is actuated to rotate lead screw 15 to lift carriage 17 . the motor engages the stop plate 74 . as a result , shield 50 and blade 20 are withdrawn from cup 4 . cup 4 is then removed . turning now to fig8 and 9 , apparatus 10 or a user then engages a cleaning cycle . carriage 17 is positioned , via the stepper motor and lead screw , in a cleaning position . in the cleaning position , shield 50 brought into contact with frame 12 ( such as well 30 ) to create an enclosed space about the cup - receiving position . cup - receiving holder 40 would be encased by shield 50 and well floor 32 , for example . as further illustrated in fig8 and 9 , with cup 4 removed , motor 14 can be lowered past the lowest mix position . as a result , blade 20 and / or shaft 22 extend below the cup - receiving position . for example , blade 20 can pass through the cup - receiving holder 40 . during the cleaning operation or cycle , it would again be possible to reciprocally move blade 20 up and down without displacing shield 50 . in the cleaning operation , and with reference to fig1 and 11 , fluid enters a manifold 36 via pipe 35 . the fluid is transmitted to the space enclosed by shield 50 via manifold 36 and fluid nozzles 37 . the fluid will strike blade 20 , which can be rotated during the cleaning cycle to further disperse the fluid . the cleaning operation rinses the interior of shield 50 ( including shield lid 52 ), cup - receiving holder 40 , blade 20 , and shaft 22 . cleaning fluid exits the frame via the drain 38 , which is tied to an outlet pipe . the cleaning operation is automatic and requires little to no user involvement . as such , the automated mix in - cup apparatus is self - cleaning , which permits a user to fill another cup during the cleaning operation . fig1 illustrates the underside of well 30 with manifold 36 in an exploded view . a bottom plate 39 of manifold 36 is removed to reveal one embodiment of the interior of manifold 36 . holder 40 is illustrated as being removed from well 30 . turning to fig1 , cup - receiving holder 40 includes an open ring 42 upon which cup 4 rests . ring 42 provides an aperture through which blade 20 passes when carriage 17 is in the cleaning position . as briefly noted above , holder 40 may be selectively removable from frame 12 . holder 40 could include one or more hollow posts 44 that engage vertical posts 46 on frame 12 . for instance , vertical posts 46 might be integral to well floor 32 . vertical posts 46 nest within hollow posts 44 of the holder in order to frictionally retain holder 40 in place . a user could lift holder 40 off frame 12 to independently clean holder 40 , if necessary . removing holder 40 provides the means to further clean the holder and / or the drain and frame that are located beneath holder 40 . overall , apparatus 10 is easy to operate , safe , and fast in that shield 50 and mixing blade 20 automatically move into and out of the mix position . a user is provided one - handed operation in that they merely need to place the cup before the mix cycle and remove the cup after the mix cycle . there is no need to manually manipulate the cup , the shield , or any other components of the apparatus besides cup 4 . nevertheless , a user may mistakenly attempt to access or manipulate the splash shield or to otherwise access the cup during a mix cycle . turning now to fig1 , there is illustrated a close - up view of shield 50 in the mixing position . in the illustrated embodiment , a magnetic strip 80 is integrated into or otherwise secured to sidewall 56 of shield 50 . corresponding shield sensors 82 on frame 12 ( e . g ., in well 30 ) are operable to detect magnetic strip 80 . in the mix and cleaning positions , mixing motor 14 will not rotate blade 20 unless shield sensors 82 detect magnetic strip 80 . a control unit will disengage mixing motor 14 once strip 80 is displaced . as such , a user cannot lift shield 50 to access cup 4 without disengaging mixer motor 14 . additional sensors provide feedback to the control unit , as further illustrated in fig1 . a home sensor 84 is used to determine if carriage 17 is properly returned to the home position after each mix and cleaning cycle . home sensor 84 is operable to detect a magnet 86 located on carriage 17 . stepper motor 13 runs until home sensor 84 detects magnet 86 or until there is a time - out condition . for example , if carriage 17 is obstructed , stepper motor 13 will run for a predetermined period of time that is longer than it takes for carriage 17 to return to the home position . if the magnet 86 is not detected within that time period , stepper motor 13 is deactivated and apparatus 10 would be reset . once home sensor 84 detects magnet 86 , stepper motor 13 reverses lead screw 15 until magnet 86 is no longer detected . carriage 17 is then raised a second time until magnet 86 is detected by home sensor 84 . this provides an optional calibration mechanism so that the position of carriage 17 is calibrated prior to a mix or cleaning cycle . a cup sensor 88 also works in conjunction with magnet 86 and the control unit . the failure to detect magnet 86 at cup sensor 88 indicates to the control unit that shield 50 is not in the cleaning position . as referenced above , in the cleaning position , shield 50 contacts frame 12 ( e . g ., well floor 32 ). shield 50 creates an enclosed interior space to capture the cleaning fluid during the cleaning cycle . with the cup in place , shield 50 does not reach the frame or well floor . as a result , shield 50 will not properly rest against frame 12 or well floor 32 . the shield will not create an enclosed interior space so that the cleaning fluid will not be fully contained during the cleaning cycle . cup sensor 88 prevents the initiation of the cleaning cycle where a user leaves the cup in place . in addition , carriage 17 moves blade 20 to a cleaning position that is below the blade &# 39 ; s “ mixing position ” and below the cup - receiving portion of holder 40 . if a user forgets to remove cup 4 , blade 20 will move downwardly until it contacts the floor of the cup . the floor will resist the further movement of blade 20 on shaft 22 . the extra load on the stepper motor causes it to stall . as a result , carriage 17 will not be in the proper position for cup sensor 88 to detect magnet 86 on carriage 17 . the method of using the subject apparatus provides for one - handed operation that is fast , safe , clean , easy to use , and effective . in use , a user places a cup with consumable material at the cup - receiving position , such as on the cup - receiving holder , and activates the apparatus via a switch , button , touchpad , or the like . the apparatus automatically lowers the carriage to the mixing position . in the mixing position , the shield lid closes the top of the cup , and the mixing blade is positioned within the cup and consumable material . the mixing motor is automatically activated to rotate the mixing blade thereby causing the consumable material to be mixed . the speed of the blade may be variable , and the blade may move up and down within the cup during the mix cycle without displacing the splash shield . after the mix cycle is completed , the carriage is returned to the home position whereby the splash shield and mixing blade are lifted from the cup . the user can access and remove the cup from the cup - receiving position . a cleaning cycle is then manually or automatically activated . the splash shield , which still surrounds the blade , is again lowered into contact with the frame . the splash shield and frame ( such as well floor 32 ) create an enclosed entire space . the cup - receiving position and / or cup - receiving holder are encased by the splash shield and frame . the blade can be positioned at various distances from the frame including beneath the level of the cup - receiving holder . mixing blade could be moved during the cleaning cycle without displacing the splash shield . the cleaning cycle is initiated , and fluid is injected into the interior of the shield via an inlet manifold . the fluid contacts and cleans the shield ( including the lid ), blade , cup - receiving position , and optional cup - receiving holder . the mixing motor can be engaged to rotate the mixing blade during the cleaning cycle to increase fluid distribution or force . the rinse fluid is removed via the drain . in this manner , the automated mixing of the material and subsequent cleaning of the apparatus can be achieved . a user may select the flavors to be dispensed for the next order while the mix in - cup apparatus mixes a previous order and executes a self - clean operation . the mixing blade is isolated from the user during the mixing and cleaning operations . an attempt to displace the splash shield during the mixing or cleaning cycles deactivates the mixing motor . while the disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be understood that numerous variations , modifications and additional embodiments are possible , and all such variations , modifications , and embodiments are to be regarded as being within the spirit and scope of the disclosure .	0
the compounds of the invention include compounds which are of the following general formula i or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof : wherein r 1 is selected from the group consisting of : h , chloro , methyl , methoxy , ethoxy , nitro and fluoro ; r 2 is selected from the group consisting of : h , chloro , methyl , methoxy , trifluoromethyl , propanoylamino and 2 - methylpropanoylamino ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of : h , methyl , amino , methylamino , dimethylamino , phenylamino and 3 - pyridylamino ; r 4 is selected from the group consisting of : h , chloro , methyl , methoxy , trifluoromethyl and trifluoromethoxy ; and r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h and methyl . preferably , r 1 is hydrogen or chloro ; r 2 is hydrogen or trifluoromethyl ; r 3 is amino or methylamino ; r 4 is hydrogen or methoxy ; and r 5 is hydrogen . preferably , the compound of formula i of the present is selected from the group consisting of : n -[( 4 - amino - 3 - methoxy - phenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide ; n -[( 4 - amino - 2 - chloro - phenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 4 -( methylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chloro - 5 - methyl - phenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chloro - 6 - methyl - phenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 3 -( trifluoromethyl ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; n -[( 4 - amino - 3 - methoxy - phenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chloro - 3 - methyl - phenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 4 -( methylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 4 -( dimethylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 5 -( trifluoromethoxy ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 4 -( 3 - pyridylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chlorophenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -( o - tolylcarbamothioyl )- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 5 -( trifluoromethyl ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; n -[( 4 - anilinophenyl )- carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 3 - chloro - 2 - methyl - phenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 , 4 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 4 - dimethylaminophenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 , 5 - dichlorophenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - methoxyphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 3 - chlorophenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -( phenylcarbamothioyl )- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 , 3 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 3 , 4 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - ethoxyphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 3 -( 2 - methylpropanoylamino )- phenyl ] carbamothioyl ]- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - nitrophenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -( p - tolylcarbamothioyl )- benzamide ; n -[( 4 - aminophenyl )- carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - fluorophenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 3 -( propanoylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -( m - tolylcarbamothioyl )- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 3 , 5 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 3 - methoxyphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 , 5 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 4 - dimethylaminophenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; and 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 , 6 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide . preferably , x is oxygen ; y is — ch 2 — or — c (═ o )—; a is c — h ; b is c — h ; r 1 is hydrogen ; r 2 is hydrogen ; r 3 is methoxy ; r 4 is chloro ; and each of r 5 and r 6 is hydrogen . preferably , the compound of formula ii is selected from the group consisting of : n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - hydroxy - phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 4 -[( 2 - chlorophenyl )- methylamino ]- 3 - methoxy - phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ]- benzamide ; n -[ 2 - amino - 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide hydrochloride ; n -[( 4 - benzamido - 2 - chloro - phenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 4 -[( 2 - chlorobenzene - carbothioyl ) amino ]- 3 - methoxy - phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 -( aminomethyl )- n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzene - carboximidoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 4 -[( 2 - chlorobenzene - carboximidoyl ) amino ]- 3 - methoxy - phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 3 -( aminomethyl )- n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; 2 - amino - n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ] benzamide ; n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ] pyridine - 3 - carboxamide ; n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ] pyridine - 4 - carboxamide ; n -[[ 4 -[( 4 - aminobenzoyl ) amino ]- 3 - methoxy - phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide hydrochloride ; n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioyl - ethyl - amino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide ; n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide ; and n -[( 4 - benzamidophenyl )- carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide . preferably , y is — c (═ o )—; r 1 is an aryl more preferably r 1 is selected from the group consisting of : substituted monocyclic , unsubstituted monocyclic , unsubstituted polycyclic and heteroaryl , most preferably r 1 is a substituted monocyclic aryl ring ; r 2 is an alkyl selected from the group consisting of : c 1 - c 6 branched alkyl , unbranched alkyl , substituted alkyl and unsubstituted alkyl , more preferably r 2 is an unbranched alkyl ; r 3 is an aryl selected from the group consisting of : substituted aryl , unsubstituted monocyclic aryl , unsubstituted polycyclic aryl and heteroaryl , more preferably , r 3 is c 3 - c 7 cycloalkane , c 1 - c 4 branched or unbranched alkyl or a substituted aryl . preferably , the compound of formula iii is selected from the group consisting of : ( nz )- 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chloro - 5 - methyl - anilino )- ethylsulfanyl - methylene ] benzamide ; n -[ 4 -[[( z )— n -( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- c - ethylsulfanyl - carbonimidoyl ] amino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide ; and ( nz )- 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chloroanilino )- ethylsulfanyl - methylene ] benzamide . the method of the present invention is for the treatment or prophylaxis of a viral or bacterial infection or disease associated therewith , comprising administering in a therapeutically effective amount to a mammal in need thereof , any of the compounds described above . preferably , the mammal is a human . also preferably , the viral infection is caused by a virus family selected from the group consisting of : bunyaviridae , poxviridae , arenaviridae , picornaviridae , togaviridae , flaviviridae , filoviridae , paramyxoviridae , orthomyxoviridae and retroviridae . in one embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is a bunyaviridae infection preferably caused by a virus selected from the group consisting of rift valley fever virus , la crosse virus and andes virus . in another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is a poxviridae infection preferably caused by a virus selected from the group consisting of the vaccinia virus and monkeypox virus . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is an arenaviridae infection preferably caused by a virus selected from the group consisting of tacaribe virus and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus . in another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection ds a picornaviridae infection preferably caused by encephalomyocarditis virus . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is a togaviridae infection preferably caused by sindbis virus . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is a flaviviridae infection preferably caused by a virus selected from the group consisting of dengue virus , west nile virus , yellow fever virus , japanese encephalitis virus , and tick - borne encephalitis virus . most preferably , the flavivirus is a dengue virus selected from the group consisting of den - 1 , den - 2 , den - 3 , and den - 4 . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is associated with a condition selected from the group consisting of dengue fever , yellow fever , west nile , st . louis encephalitis , hepatitis c , murray valley encephalitis , and japanese encephalitis . most preferably , the viral infection is associated with dengue fever wherein said dengue fever is selected from the group consisting of classical dengue fever , dengue hemorrhagic fever syndrome , and dengue shock syndrome . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is a filoviridae infection preferably caused by a virus selected from the group consisting of ebola virus and zaire strain . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is an orthomyxoviridae infection preferably caused by an influenza virus , preferably the h1n1 virus . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is caused by a retroviridae infection preferably caused by a human immunodeficiency virus . the method of the present invention may also comprise co - administration of : a ) other antivirals such as ribavirin or cidofovir ; b ) vaccines ; and / or c ) interferons or pegylated interferons . preferably , the bactaerial infection is caused by a bacteria family selected from the group consisting of chlamydiaceae and coxiellaceae . in one embodiment , the bacterial infection is a chlamydiaceae infection preferably caused by bacteria selected from the group consisting of chlamydophila caviae and chlamydophila muridarum . in another embodiment of the invention , the bacterial infection is a coxiellaceae infection preferably caused by coxiella burnetti bacteria . in accordance with this detailed description , the following abbreviations and definitions apply . it must be noted that as used herein , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . the publications discussed herein are provided solely for their disclosure . nothing herein is to be construed as an admission regarding antedating the publications . further , the dates of publication provided may be different from the actual publication dates , which may need to be independently confirmed . where a range of values is provided , it is understood that each intervening value is encompassed . the upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller , subject to any specifically - excluded limit in the stated range . where the stated range includes one or both of the limits , ranges excluding either both of those included limits are also included in the invention . also contemplated are any values that fall within the cited ranges . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art . any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in practice or testing . all publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe the methods and / or materials in connection with which the publications are cited . by “ patient ” or “ subject ” is meant to include any mammal . a “ mammal ,” for purposes of treatment , refers to any animal classified as a mammal , including but not limited to , humans , experimental animals including rats , mice , and guinea pigs , domestic and farm animals , and zoo , sports , or pet animals , such as dogs , horses , cats , cows , and the like . the term “ efficacy ” as used herein refers to the effectiveness of a particular treatment regime . efficacy can be measured based on change of the course of the disease in response to an agent . the term “ success ” as used herein in the context of a chronic treatment regime refers to the effectiveness of a particular treatment regime . this includes a balance of efficacy , toxicity ( e . g ., side effects and patient tolerance of a formulation or dosage unit )′, patient compliance , and the like . for a chronic administration regime to be considered “ successful ” it must balance different aspects of patient care and efficacy to produce a favorable patient outcome . the terms “ treating ,” “ treatment ,” and the like are used herein to refer to obtaining a desired pharmacological and physiological effect . the effect may be prophylactic in terms of preventing or partially preventing a disease , symptom , or condition thereof and / or may be therapeutic in terms of a partial or complete cure of a disease , condition , symptom , or adverse effect attributed to the disease . the term “ treatment ,” as used herein , covers any treatment of a disease in a mammal , such as a human , and includes : ( a ) preventing the disease from occurring in a subject which may be predisposed to the disease but has not yet been diagnosed as having it , i . e ., causing the clinical symptoms of the disease not to develop in a subject that may be predisposed to the disease but does not yet experience or display symptoms of the disease ; ( b ) inhibiting the disease , i . e ., arresting or reducing the development of the disease or its clinical symptoms ; and ( c ) relieving the disease , i . e ., causing regression of the disease and / or its symptoms or conditions . treating a patient &# 39 ; s suffering from disease related to pathological inflammation is contemplated . preventing , inhibiting , or relieving adverse effects attributed to pathological inflammation over long periods of time and / or are such caused by the physiological responses to inappropriate inflammation present in a biological system over long periods of time are also contemplated . as used herein , “ acyl ” refers to the groups h — c ( o )—, alkyl - c ( o )—, substituted alkyl - c ( o )—, alkenyl - c ( o )—, substituted alkenyl - c ( o )—, alkynyl - c ( o )—, substituted alkynyl - c ( o )—, cycloalkyl - c ( o )—, substituted cycloalkyl - c ( o )—, aryl - c ( o )—, substituted aryl - c ( o )—, heteroaryl - c ( o )—, substituted heteroaryl - c ( o )—, heterocyclic - c ( o )—, and substituted heterocyclic - c ( o )— wherein alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein . “ alkylamino ” refers to the group — nrr where each r is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , aryl , substituted aryl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic , substituted heterocyclic and where each r is joined to form together with the nitrogen atom a heterocyclic or substituted heterocyclic ring wherein alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein . “ alkenyl ” refers to alkenyl group preferably having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms and more preferably 2 to 6 carbon atoms and having at least 1 and preferably from 1 - 2 sites of alkenyl unsaturation . “ alkoxy ” refers to the group “ alkyl - o —” which includes , by way of example , methoxy , ethoxy , n - propoxy , iso - propoxy , n - butoxy , tert - butoxy , sec - butoxy , n - pentoxy , n - hexoxy , 1 , 2 - dimethylbutoxy , and the like . “ alkyl ” refers to linear or branched alkyl groups having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms , alternatively 1 to 6 carbon atoms . this term is exemplified by groups such as methyl , t - butyl , n - heptyl , octyl and the like . “ aryl ” or “ ar ” refers to an unsaturated aromatic carbocyclic group of from 6 to 14 carbon atoms having a single ring ( e . g ., phenyl ) or multiple condensed rings ( e . g ., naphthyl or anthryl ) which condensed rings may or may not be aromatic ( e . g ., 2 - benzoxazolinone , 2h - 1 , 4 - benzoxazin - 3 ( 4h )- one , and the like ) provided that the point of attachment is through an aromatic ring atom . “ substituted aryl ” refers to aryl groups which are substituted with from 1 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of hydroxy , acyl , acylamino , thiocarbonylamino , acyloxy , alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkoxy , substituted alkoxy , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , amidino , alkylamidino , thioamidino , amino , aminoacyl , aminocarbonyloxy , aminocarbonylamino , aminothiocarbonylamino , aryl , substituted aryl , aryloxy , substituted aryloxy , cycloalkoxy , substituted cycloalkoxy , heteroaryloxy , substituted heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , substituted heterocyclyloxy , carboxyl , carboxylalkyl , carboxyl - substituted alkyl , carboxyl - cycloalkyl , carboxyl - substituted cycloalkyl , carboxylaryl , carboxyl - substituted aryl , carboxylheteroaryl , carboxyl - substituted heteroaryl , carboxylheterocyclic , carboxyl - substituted heterocyclic , carboxylamido , cyano , thiol , thioalkyl , substituted thioalkyl , thioaryl , substituted thioaryl , thioheteroaryl , substituted thioheteroaryl , thiocycloalkyl , substituted thiocycloalkyl , thioheterocyclic , substituted thioheterocyclic , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , guanidino , guanidinosulfone , halo , nitro , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic , substituted heterocyclic , cycloalkoxy , substituted cycloalkoxy , heteroaryloxy , substituted heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , substituted heterocyclyloxy , oxycarbonylamino , oxythiocarbonylamino , — s ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - cycloalkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted cycloalkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - alkenyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted alkenyl , — s ( o ) 2 - aryl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — s ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — s ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — os ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — os ( o ) 2 - aryl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — os ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — os ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — os ( o ) 2 — nrr where r is hydrogen or alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted heterocyclic where r is hydrogen or alkyl , mono - and di - alkylamino , mono - and di -( substituted alkyl ) amino , mono - and di - arylamino , mono - and di - substituted arylamino , mono - and di - heteroarylamino , mono - and di - substituted heteroarylamino , mono - and diheterocyclic amino , mono - and di - substituted heterocyclic amino , unsymmetric di - substituted amines having different substituents independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl , substituted alkyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and amino groups on the substituted aryl blocked by conventional blocking groups such as boc , cbz , formyl , and the like or substituted with — so 2 nrr where r is hydrogen or alkyl . “ cycloalkyl ” refers to cyclic alkyl groups of from 3 to 8 carbon atoms having a single cyclic ring including , by way of example , cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , cyclooctyl and the like . excluded from this definition are multi - ring alkyl groups such as adamantanyl , etc . “ heteroaryl ” refers to an aromatic carbocyclic group of from 2 to 10 carbon atoms and 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of oxygen , nitrogen and sulfur within the ring or oxides thereof . such heteroaryl groups can have a single ring ( e . g ., pyridyl or furyl ) or multiple condensed rings ( e . g ., indolizinyl or benzothienyl ) wherein one or more of the condensed rings may or may not be aromatic provided that the point of attachment is through an aromatic ring atom . additionally , the heteroatoms of the heteroaryl group may be oxidized , i . e ., to form pyridine n - oxides or 1 , 1 - dioxo - 1 , 2 , 5 - thiadiazoles and the like . additionally , the carbon atoms of the ring may be substituted with an oxo (═ o ). the term “ heteroaryl having two nitrogen atoms in the heteroaryl , ring ” refers to a heteroaryl group having two , and only two , nitrogen atoms in the heteroaryl ring and optionally containing 1 or 2 other heteroatoms in the heteroaryl ring , such as oxygen or sulfur . “ substituted heteroaryl ” refers to heteroaryl groups which are substituted with from 1 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of hydroxy , acyl , acylamino , thiocarbonylamino , acyloxy , alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkoxy , substituted alkoxy , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , amidino , alkylamidino , thioamidino , amino , aminoacyl , aminocarbonyloxy , aminocarbonylamino , aminothiocarbonylamino , aryl , substituted aryl , aryloxy , substituted aryloxy , cycloalkoxy , substituted cycloalkoxy , heteroaryloxy , substituted heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , substituted heterocyclyloxy , carboxyl , carboxylalkyl , carboxyl - substituted alkyl , carboxyl - cycloalkyl , carboxyl - substituted cycloalkyl , carboxylaryl , carboxyl - substituted aryl , carboxylheteroaryl , carboxyl - substituted heteroaryl , carboxylheterocyclic , carboxyl - substituted heterocyclic , carboxylamido , cyano , thiol , thioalkyl , substituted thioalkyl , thioaryl , substituted thioaryl , thioheteroaryl , substituted thioheteroaryl , thiocycloalkyl , substituted thiocycloalkyl , thioheterocyclic , substituted thioheterocyclic , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , guanidino , guanidinosulfone , halo , nitro , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic , substituted heterocyclic , cycloalkoxy , substituted cycloalkoxy , heteroaryloxy , substituted heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , substituted heterocyclyloxy , oxycarbonylamino , oxythiocarbonylamino , — s ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - cycloalkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted cycloalkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - alkenyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted alkenyl , — s ( o ) 2 - aryl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — s ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — s ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — os ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — os ( o ) 2 - aryl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — os ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — os ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — oso 2 — nrr where r is hydrogen or alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr — substituted aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr — substituted heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted heterocyclic where r is hydrogen or alkyl , mono - and di - alkylamino , mono - and di -( substituted alkyl ) amino , mono - and di - arylamino , mono - and di - substituted arylamino , mono - and di - heteroarylamino , mono - and di - substituted heteroarylamino , mono - and diheterocyclic amino , mono - and di - substituted heterocyclic amino , unsymmetric di - substituted amines having different substituents independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl , substituted alkyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and amino groups on the substituted aryl blocked by conventional blocking groups such as boc , cbz , formyl , and the like or substituted with — so 2 nrr where r is hydrogen or alkyl . “ sulfonyl ” refers to the group — s ( p ) 2 r where r is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , aryl , substituted aryl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic , substituted heterocyclic wherein alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein . “ optionally substituted ” means that the recited group may be unsubstituted or the recited group may be substituted . “ pharmaceutically - acceptable carrier ” means a carrier that is useful in preparing a pharmaceutical composition or formulation that is generally safe , non - toxic , and neither biologically nor otherwise undesirable , and includes a carrier that is acceptable for veterinary use as well as human pharmaceutical use . “ pharmaceutically - acceptable salt ” refers to salts which retain the biological effectiveness and properties of compounds which are not biologically or otherwise undesirable . pharmaceutically - acceptable salts refer to pharmaceutically - acceptable salts of the compounds , which salts are derived from a variety of organic and inorganic counter ions well known in the art and include , by way of example only , sodium , potassium , calcium , magnesium , ammonium , tetraalkylammonium , and the like ; and when the molecule contains a basic functionality , salts of organic or inorganic acids , such as hydrochloride , hydrobromide , tartrate , mesylate , acetate , maleate , oxalate and the like . pharmaceutically - acceptable base addition salts can be prepared from inorganic and organic bases . salts derived from inorganic bases include , by way of example only , sodium , potassium , lithium , ammonium , calcium and magnesium salts . salts derived from organic bases include , but are not limited to , salts of primary , secondary and tertiary amines , such as alkyl amines , dialkyl amines , trialkyl amines , substituted alkyl amines , di ( substituted alkyl ) amines , tri ( substituted alkyl ) amines , alkenyl amines , dialkenyl amines , trialkenyl amines , substituted alkenyl amines , di ( substituted alkenyl ) amines , tri ( substituted alkenyl ) amines , cycloalkyl amines , di ( cycloalkyl ) amines , tri ( cycloalkyl ) amines , substituted cycloalkyl amines , disubstituted cycloalkyl amine , trisubstituted cycloalkyl amines , cycloalkenyl amines , di ( cycloalkenyl ) amines , tri ( cycloalkenyl ) amines , substituted cycloalkenyl amines , disubstituted cycloalkenyl amine , trisubstituted cycloalkenyl amines , aryl amines , diaryl amines , triaryl amines , heteroaryl amines , diheteroaryl amines , triheteroaryl amines , heterocyclic amines , diheterocyclic amines , triheterocyclic amines , mixed di - and tri - amines where at least two of the substituents on the amine are different and are selected from the group consisting of alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , cycloalkenyl , substituted cycloalkenyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclic , and the like . also included are amines where the two or three substituents , together with the amino nitrogen , form a heterocyclic or heteroaryl group . examples of suitable amines include , by way of example only , isopropylamine , trimethyl amine , diethyl amine , tri ( iso - propyl ) amine , tri ( n - propyl ) amine , ethanolamine , 2 - dimethylaminoethanol , tromethamine , lysine , arginine , histidine , caffeine , procaine , hydrabamine , choline , betaine , ethylenediamine , glucosamine , n - alkylglucamines , theobromine , purines , piperazine , piperidine , morpholine , n - ethylpiperidine , and the like . it should also be understood that other carboxylic acid derivatives would be useful , for example , carboxylic acid amides , including carboxamides , lower alkyl carboxamides , dialkyl carboxamides , and the like . pharmaceutically - acceptable acid addition salts may be prepared from inorganic and organic acids . salts derived from inorganic acids include hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , sulfuric acid , nitric acid , phosphoric acid , and the like . salts derived from organic acids include acetic acid , propionic acid , glycolic acid , pyruvic acid , oxalic acid , malic acid , malonic acid , succinic acid , maleic acid , fumaric acid , tartaric acid , citric acid , benzoic acid , cinnamic acid , mandelic acid , methanesulfonic acid , ethanesulfonic acid , p - toluene - sulfonic acid , salicylic acid , and the like . a compound may act as a pro - drug . pro - drug means any compound which releases an active parent drug in vivo when such pro - drug is administered to a mammalian subject . pro - drugs are prepared by modifying functional groups present in such a way that the modifications may be cleaved in vivo to release the parent compound . pro - drugs include compounds wherein a hydroxy , amino , or sulfhydryl group is bonded to any group that may be cleaved in vivo to regenerate the free hydroxyl , amino , or sulfhydryl group , respectively . examples of pro - drugs include , but are not limited to esters ( e . g ., acetate , formate , and benzoate derivatives ), carbamates ( e . g ., n , n - dimethylamino - carbonyl ) of hydroxy functional groups , and the like . ( 1 ) preventing the disease , i . e . causing the clinical symptoms of the disease not to develop in a mammal that may be exposed to or predisposed to the disease but does not yet experience or display symptoms of the disease , ( 2 ) inhibiting the disease , i . e ., arresting or reducing the development of the disease or its clinical symptoms , or ( 3 ) relieving the disease , i . e ., causing regression of the disease or its clinical symptoms . a “ therapeutically - effective amount ” means the amount of a compound that , when administered to a mammal for treating a disease , is sufficient to effect such treatment for the disease . the “ therapeutically - effective amount ” will vary depending on the compound , the disease , and its severity and the age , weight , etc ., of the mammal to be treated . in general , compounds will be administered in a therapeutically - effective amount by any of the accepted modes of administration for these compounds . the compounds can be administered by a variety of routes , including , but not limited to , oral , parenteral ( e . g ., subcutaneous , subdural , intravenous , intramuscular , intrathecal , intraperitoneal , intracerebral , intraarterial , or intralesional routes of administration ), topical , intranasal , localized ( e . g ., surgical application or surgical suppository ), rectal , and pulmonary ( e . g ., aerosols , inhalation , or powder ). accordingly , these compounds are effective as both injectable and oral compositions . the compounds can be administered continuously by infusion or by bolus injection . the actual amount of the compound , i . e ., the active ingredient , will depend on a number of factors , such as the severity of the disease , i . e ., the condition or disease to be treated , age , and relative health of the subject , the potency of the compound used , the route and form of administration , and other factors . toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of such compounds can be determined by standard pharmaceutical procedures in cell cultures or experimental animals , e . g ., for determining the ld 50 ( the dose lethal to 50 % of the population ) and the ed 50 ( the dose therapeutically effective in 50 % of the population ). the dose ratio between toxic and therapeutic effects is the therapeutic index and it can be expressed as the ratio ld 50 / ed 50 . the data obtained from the cell culture assays and animal studies can be used in formulating a range of dosage for use in humans . the dosage of such compounds lies within a range of circulating concentrations that include the ed 50 with little or no toxicity . the dosage may vary within this range depending upon the dosage form employed and the route of administration utilized . for any compound used , the therapeutically - effective dose can be estimated initially from cell culture assays . a dose may be formulated in animal models to achieve a circulating plasma concentration range which includes the ic 50 ( i . e ., the concentration of the test compound which achieves a half - maximal inhibition of symptoms ) as determined in cell culture . such information can be used to more accurately determine useful doses in humans . levels in plasma may be measured , for example , by high performance liquid chromatography . the amount of the pharmaceutical composition administered to the patient will vary depending upon what is being administered , the purpose of the administration , such as prophylaxis or therapy , the state of the patient , the manner of administration , and the like . in therapeutic applications , compositions are administered to a patient already suffering from a disease in an amount sufficient to cure or at least partially arrest the symptoms of the disease and its complications . an amount adequate to accomplish this is defined as “ therapeutically - effective dose .” amounts effective for this use will depend on the disease condition being treated as well as by the judgment of the attending clinician depending upon factors such as the severity of the inflammation , the age , weight , and general condition of the patient , and the like . the compositions administered to a patient are in the form of pharmaceutical compositions described supra . these compositions may be sterilized by conventional sterilization techniques , or may be sterile filtered . the resulting aqueous solutions may be packaged for use as is , or lyophilized , the lyophilized preparation being combined with a sterile aqueous carrier prior to administration . it will be understood that use of certain of the foregoing excipients , carriers , or stabilizers will result in the formation of pharmaceutical salts . the active compound is effective over a wide dosage range and is generally administered in a pharmaceutically - or therapeutically - effective amount . the therapeutic dosage of the compounds will vary according to , for example , the particular use for which the treatment is made , the manner of administration of the compound , the health and condition of the patient , and the judgment of the prescribing physician . for example , for intravenous administration , the dose will typically be in the range of about 0 . 5 mg to about 100 mg per kilogram body weight . effective doses can be extrapolated from dose - response curves derived from in vitro or animal model test systems . typically , the clinician will administer the compound until a dosage is reached that achieves the desired effect . when employed as pharmaceuticals , the compounds are usually administered in the form of pharmaceutical compositions . pharmaceutical compositions contain as the active ingredient one or more of the compounds above , associated with one or more pharmaceutically - acceptable carriers or excipients . the excipient employed is typically one suitable for administration to human subjects or other mammals . in making the compositions , the active ingredient is usually mixed with an excipient , diluted by an excipient , or enclosed within a carrier which can be in the form of a capsule , sachet , paper or other container . when the excipient serves as a diluent , it can be a solid , semi - solid , or liquid material , which acts as a vehicle , carrier , or medium for the active ingredient . thus , the compositions can be in the form of tablets , pills , powders , lozenges , sachets , cachets , elixirs , suspensions , emulsions , solutions , syrups , aerosols ( as a solid or in a liquid medium ), ointments containing , for example , up to 10 % by weight of the active compound , soft and hard gelatin capsules , suppositories , sterile injectable solutions , and sterile packaged powders . in preparing a formulation , it may be necessary to mill the active compound to provide the appropriate particle size prior to combining with the other ingredients . if the active compound is substantially insoluble , it ordinarily is milled to a particle size of less than 200 mesh . if the active compound is substantially water soluble , the particle size is normally adjusted by milling to provide a substantially uniform distribution in the formulation , e . g ., about 40 mesh . some examples of suitable excipients include lactose , dextrose , sucrose , sorbitol , mannitol , starches , gum acacia , calcium phosphate , alginates , tragacanth , gelatin , calcium silicate , microcrystalline cellulose , polyvinylpyrrolidone , cellulose , sterile water , syrup , and methyl cellulose . the formulations can additionally include : lubricating agents such as talc , magnesium stearate , and mineral oil ; wetting agents ; emulsifying and suspending agents ; preserving agents such as methyl - and propylhydroxy - benzoates ; sweetening agents ; and flavoring agents . the compositions of the invention can be formulated so as to provide quick , sustained , or delayed - release of the active ingredient after administration to the patient by employing procedures known in the art . the quantity of active compound in the pharmaceutical composition and unit dosage form thereof may be varied or adjusted widely depending upon the particular application , the manner or introduction , the potency of the particular compound , and the desired concentration . the term “ unit dosage forms ” refers to physically - discrete units suitable as unitary dosages for human subjects and other mammals , each unit containing a predetermined quantity of active material calculated to produce the desired therapeutic effect , in association with a suitable pharmaceutical excipient . the compound can be formulated for parenteral administration in a suitable inert carrier , such as a sterile physiological saline solution . the dose administered will be determined by route of administration . administration of therapeutic agents by intravenous formulation is well known in the pharmaceutical industry . an intravenous formulation should possess certain qualities aside from being just a composition in which the therapeutic agent is soluble . for example , the formulation should promote the overall stability of the active ingredient ( s ). also , the manufacture of the formulation should be cost - effective . all of these factors ultimately determine the overall success and usefulness of an intravenous formulation . other accessory additives that may be included in pharmaceutical formulations and compounds as follow : solvents : ethanol , glycerol , propylene glycol ; stabilizers : edta ( ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid ), citric acid ; antimicrobial preservatives : benzyl alcohol , methyl paraben , propyl paraben ; buffering agents : citric acid / sodium citrate , potassium hydrogen tartrate , sodium hydrogen tartrate , acetic acid / sodium acetate , maleic acid / sodium maleate , sodium hydrogen phthalate , phosphoric acid / potassium dihydrogen phosphate , phosphoric acid / disodium hydrogen phosphate ; and tonicity modifiers : sodium chloride , mannitol , dextrose . the presence of a buffer is necessary to maintain the aqueous ph in the range of from about 4 to about 8 . the buffer system is generally a mixture of a weak acid and a soluble salt thereof , e . g ., sodium citrate / citric acid ; or the monocation or dication salt of a dibasic acid , e . g ., potassium hydrogen tartrate ; sodium hydrogen tartrate , phosphoric acid / potassium dihydrogen phosphate , and phosphoric acid / disodium hydrogen phosphate . the amount of buffer system used is dependent on ( 1 ) the desired ph ; and ( 2 ) the amount of drug . generally , the amount of buffer used is able to maintain a formulation ph in the range of 4 to 8 . generally , a 1 : 1 to 10 : 1 mole ratio of buffer ( where the moles of buffer are taken as the combined moles of the buffer ingredients , e . g ., sodium citrate and citric acid ) to drug is used . a useful buffer is sodium citrate / citric acid in the range of 5 to 50 mg per ml . sodium citrate to 1 to 15 mg per ml . citric acid , sufficient to maintain an aqueous ph of 4 - 6 of the composition . the buffer agent may also be present to prevent the precipitation of the drug through soluble metal complex formation with dissolved metal ions , e . g ., ca , mg , fe , al , ba , which may leach out of glass containers or rubber stoppers or be present in ordinary tap water . the agent may act as a competitive complexing agent with the drug and produce a soluble metal complex leading to the presence of undesirable particulates . in addition , the presence of an agent , e . g ., sodium chloride in an amount of about of 1 - 8 mg / ml , to adjust the tonicity to the same value of human blood may be required to avoid the swelling or shrinkage of erythrocytes upon administration of the intravenous formulation leading to undesirable side effects such as nausea or diarrhea and possibly to associated blood disorders . in general , the tonicity of the formulation matches that of human blood which is in the range of 282 to 288 mosm / kg , and in general is 285 mosm / kg , which is equivalent to the osmotic pressure corresponding to a 0 . 9 % solution of sodium chloride . an intravenous formulation can be administered by direct intravenous injection , i . v . bolus , or can be administered by infusion by addition to an appropriate infusion solution such as 0 . 9 % sodium chloride injection or other compatible infusion solution . the compositions are preferably formulated in a unit dosage form , each dosage containing from about 5 to about 100 mg , more usually about 10 to about 30 mg , of the active ingredient . the term “ unit dosage forms ” refers to physically discrete units suitable as unitary dosages for human subjects and other mammals , each unit containing a predetermined quantity of active material calculated to produce the desired therapeutic effect , in association with a suitable pharmaceutical excipient . the active compound is effective over a wide dosage range and is generally administered in a pharmaceutically effective amount . it will be understood , however , that the amount of the compound actually administered will be determined by a physician , in the light of the relevant circumstances , including the condition to be treated , the chosen route of administration , the actual compound administered , the age , weight , and response of the individual patient , the severity of the patient &# 39 ; s symptoms , and the like . for preparing solid compositions such as tablets , the principal active ingredient is mixed with a pharmaceutical excipient to form a solid preformulation composition containing a homogeneous mixture of a compound of the present invention . when referring to these preformulation compositions as homogeneous , it is meant that the active ingredient is dispersed evenly throughout the composition so that the composition may be readily subdivided into equally effective unit dosage forms such as tablets , pills and capsules . this solid preformulation is then subdivided into unit dosage forms of the type described above containing from , for example , 0 . 1 to about 2000 mg of the active ingredient . the tablets or pills may be coated or otherwise compounded to provide a dosage form affording the advantage of prolonged action . for example , the tablet or pill can comprise an inner dosage and an outer dosage component , the latter being in the form of an envelope over the former . the two components can be separated by an enteric layer which serves to resist disintegration in the stomach and permit the inner component to pass intact into the duodenum or to be delayed in release . a variety of materials can be used for such enteric layers or coatings , such materials including a number of polymeric acids and mixtures of polymeric acids with such materials as shellac , cetyl alcohol , and cellulose acetate . the liquid forms in which the novel compositions may be incorporated for administration orally or by injection include aqueous solutions , suitably flavored syrups , aqueous or oil suspensions , and flavored emulsions with edible oils such as cottonseed oil , sesame oil , coconut oil , or peanut oil , as well as elixirs and similar pharmaceutical vehicles . compositions for inhalation or insufflation include solutions and suspensions in pharmaceutically - acceptable , aqueous or organic solvents , or mixtures thereof , and powders . the liquid or solid compositions may contain suitable pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients as described supra . compositions in pharmaceutically - acceptable solvents may be nebulized by use of inert gases . nebulized solutions may be breathed directly from the nebulizing device or the nebulizing device may be attached to a face masks tent , or intermittent positive pressure breathing machine . solution , suspension , or powder compositions may be administered from devices which deliver the formulation in an appropriate manner . the compounds can be administered in a sustained release form . suitable examples of sustained - release preparations include semipermeable matrices of solid hydrophobic polymers containing the compounds , which matrices are in the form of shaped articles , e . g ., films , or microcapsules . examples of sustained - release matrices include polyesters , hydrogels ( e . g ., poly ( 2 - hydroxyethyl - methacrylate ) as described by langer et al ., j . biomed . mater . res . 15 : 167 - 277 ( 1981 ) and langer , chem . tech . 12 : 98 - 105 ( 1982 ) or poly ( vinyl alcohol )), polylactides ( u . s . pat . no . 3 , 773 , 919 ), copolymers of l - glutamic acid and gamma ethyl - l - glutamate ( sidman et al ., biopolymers 22 : 547 - 556 , 1983 ), non - degradable ethylene - vinyl acetate ( langer et al ., supra ), degradable lactic acid - glycolic acid copolymers such as the lupron depot ™ ( i . e ., injectable microspheres composed of lactic acid - glycolic acid copolymer and leuprolide acetate ), and poly - d -(−)- 3 - hydroxybutyric acid ( ep 133 , 988 ). the compounds can be administered in a sustained - release form , for example a depot injection , implant preparation , or osmotic pump , which can be formulated in such a manner as to permit a sustained - release of the active ingredient . implants for sustained - release formulations are well - known in the art . implants may be formulated as , including but not limited to , microspheres , slabs , with biodegradable or non - biodegradable polymers . for example , polymers of lactic acid and / or glycolic acid form an erodible polymer that is well - tolerated by the host . transdermal delivery devices (“ patches ”) may also be employed . such transdermal patches may be used to provide continuous or discontinuous infusion of the compounds in controlled amounts . the construction and use of transdermal patches for the delivery of pharmaceutical agents is well known in the art . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 5 , 023 , 252 , issued jun . 11 , 1991 , herein incorporated by reference . such patches may be constructed for continuous , pulsatile , or on - demand delivery of pharmaceutical agents . direct or indirect placement techniques may be used when it is desirable or necessary to introduce the pharmaceutical composition to the brain . direct techniques usually involve placement of a drug delivery catheter into the host &# 39 ; s ventricular system to bypass the blood - brain barrier . one such implantable delivery system used for the transport of biological factors to specific anatomical regions of the body is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 011 , 472 , which is herein incorporated by reference . indirect techniques usually involve formulating the compositions to provide for drug latentiation by the conversion of hydrophilic drugs into lipid - soluble drugs . latentiation is generally achieved through blocking of the hydroxy , carbonyl , sulfate , and primary amine groups present on the drug to render the drug more lipid - soluble and amenable to transportation across the blood - brain barrier . alternatively , the delivery of hydrophilic drugs may be enhanced by intra - arterial infusion of hypertonic solutions which can transiently open the blood - brain barrier . in order to enhance serum half - life , the compounds may be encapsulated , introduced into the lumen of liposomes , prepared as a colloid , or other conventional techniques may be employed which provide an extended serum half - life of the compounds . a variety of methods are available for preparing liposomes , as described in , e . g ., szoka et al ., u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 235 , 871 , 4 , 501 , 728 and 4 , 837 , 028 each of which is incorporated herein by reference . pharmaceutical compositions are suitable for use in a variety of drug delivery systems . suitable formulations for use in the present invention are found in remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , mace publishing company , philadelphia , pa ., 17th ed . ( 1985 ). in the examples below , if an abbreviation is not defined above , it has its generally accepted meaning . further , all temperatures are in degrees celsius ( unless otherwise indicated ). the following methods were used to prepare the compounds set forth below as indicated . the above ingredients are mixed and filled into hard gelatin capsules in 340 mg quantities . the components are blended and compressed to form tablets , each weighing 240 mg . a dry powder inhaler formulation is prepared containing the following components : the active mixture is mixed with the lactose and the mixture is added to a dry powder inhaling appliance . tablets , each containing 30 mg of active ingredient , are prepared as follows : the active ingredient , starch , and cellulose are passed through a no . 20 mesh u . s . sieve and mixed thoroughly . the solution of polyvinyl - pyrrolidone is mixed with the resultant powders , which are then passed through a 16 mesh u . s . sieve . the granules so produced are dried at 50 ° to 60 ° c . and passed through a 16 mesh u . s . sieve . the sodium carboxymethyl starch , magnesium stearate , and talc , previously passed through a no . 30 mesh u . s . sieve , are then added to the granules , which after mixing , are compressed on a tablet machine to yield tablets each weighing 150 mg . capsules , each containing 40 mg of medicament , are made as follows : the active ingredient , cellulose , starch , an magnesium stearate are blended , passed through a no . 20 mesh u . s . sieve , and filled into hard gelatin capsules in 150 mg quantities . suppositories , each containing 25 mg of active ingredient , are made as follows : the active ingredient is passed through a no . 60 mesh u . s . sieve and suspended in the saturated fatty acid glycerides previously melted using the minimum heat necessary . the mixture is then poured into a suppository mold of nominal 2 . 0 g capacity and allowed to cool . suspensions , each containing 50 mg of medicament per 5 . 0 ml dose , are made as follows : the medicament , sucrose , and xanthan gum are blended , passed through a no . 10 mesh u . s . sieve , and then mixed with a previously made solution of the microcrystalline cellulose and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose in water . the sodium benzoate , flavor , and color are diluted with some of the water and added with stirring . sufficient water is then added to produce the required volume . hard gelatin tablets , each containing 15 mg of active ingredient , are made as follows : the active ingredient , cellulose , starch , and magnesium stearate are blended , passed through a no . 20 mesh u . s . sieve , and filled into hard gelatin capsules in 560 mg quantities . therapeutic compound compositions generally are placed into a container having a sterile access port , for example , an intravenous solution bag or vial having a stopper pierceable by a hypodermic injection needle or similar sharp instrument . the white soft paraffin is heated until molten . the liquid paraffin and emulsifying wax are incorporated and stirred until dissolved . the active ingredient is added and stirring is continued until dispersed . the mixture is then cooled until solid . an aerosol formulation may be prepared as follows : a solution of the candidate compound in 0 . 5 % sodium bicarbonate / saline ( w / v ) at a concentration of 30 . 0 mg / ml is prepared using the following procedure : 1 . add 0 . 5 g sodium bicarbonate into a 100 ml volumetric flask . 1 . add 0 . 300 g of the candidate compound into a 10 . 0 ml volumetric flask . 2 . add approximately 9 . 7 ml of 0 . 5 % sodium bicarbonate / saline stock solution . 4 . q . s . to 10 . 0 ml with 0 . 5 % sodium bicarbonate / saline stock solution and mix . 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 4 -( methylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ( compound 5 ) was synthesized according to the following scheme : to a stirred solution of 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl chloride ( 6 g , 198 mmol ) in acetone ( 250 ml ) was added ammonium thiocynate ( 28 g , 237 mmol ). the resulting yellow suspension was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours , condensed to dryness and then reconstituted through the addition of ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic portion was washed with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 2 × 200 ml ) and brine ( 200 ml ). the resulting organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated to a sticky liquid . the residue was chilled in a − 10 ° c . freezer to give 37 grams of intermediate a as a yellow solid ( 88 %). to a stirred solution of intermediate a ( 5 . 85 g , 24 . 6 mmol ) in acetone ( 120 ml ) was added 2 - chloro - 4 - nitroanaline ( 4 . 25 g , 24 . 6 mmol ) in one portion . the resulting yellow solution was stirred at room temperature for 36 hours , condensed and purified via normal phase column chromatography using a solvent system of 0 - 10 % ethyl acetate in hexanes to yield 8 . 6 g of compound 5 - 1 as a yellow solid ( 89 %). to a stirred solution of compound 5 - 1 ( 8 . 6 g , 22 mmol ) in acetonitrile ( 200 ml ) was added ammonium chloride ( 17 . 6 g , 330 mmol ) and water ( 100 ml ). to the resulting light yellow suspension was added iron powder ( 18 . 5 g , 330 mmol ) which resulted in a dark green mixture . after stirring for 24 hours , the reaction was filtered through a pad of celite and the filter cake was washed with ethyl acetate . the organic portion of the filtrate was removed and the aqueous portion was extracted twice with ethyl acetate . the combined organic portions were washed with brine and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate . the resulting solution was concentrated to dryness to yield 6 . 6 g of compound 5 - 2 as a yellow solid ( 83 %). to a stirred solution of compound 5 - 2 ( 1 . 60 g , 4 . 4 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 100 ml ) was added formaldehyde ( 37 % aqueous , 0 . 4 ml , 4 . 8 mmol ), sodium triacetoxyborohydride ( 0 . 6 ml , 17 . 6 mmol ) and acetic acid ( 0 . 5 ml , 8 . 8 mmol ). the resulting yellow suspension was stirred at room temperature for 36 hours . the reaction mixture was diluted with dichloromethane ( 200 ml ) and washed with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution and brine . the organic layer was concentrated and then purified via normal phase column chromatography using 0 - 5 % ethyl acetate in dichloromethane to yield 530 mg of compound 5 - 3 as a yellow solid ( 32 %). to an ice - water bath cooled solution of 5 - 3 ( 200 mg , 0 . 53 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 6 ml ) was added 2m hcl in diethyl ether ( 0 . 35 ml , 0 . 69 mmol ). the resulting red solution was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes . after removing solvents , the material was dried under high vacuum to yield 210 mg of compound 5 as a yellow solid ( 96 %). to a solution of intermediate a ( see example 12 ; 1 . 8 g , 8 . 22 mmol ) in acetone ( 30 ml ) was added ( 4 - amino - 2 - methoxy - phenyl )- carbamic acid tert - butyl ester ( 1 . 95 g , 8 . 22 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 16 hours , concentrated to dryness and treated with ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic portion was washed with water and a brine solution followed by evaporation of solvent . the residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography utilizing 10 - 50 % ethyl acetate in hexanes to provide 2 . 41 g of compound 3 - 1 as a pale white solid ( 64 %). a solution of compound 3 - 1 ( 12 g , 26 . 2 mmol ) in anhydrous dichloromethane ( 180 ml ) was cooled to 0 ° c . to the reaction mixture was added a solution of trifluoroacetic acid ( 20 ml , 262 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 70 ml ). after stirring at room temperature for 16 hours , the solvent was removed and the residue was co - evaporated with anhydrous acetonitrile . the remaining oil was treated with diethyl ether followed by the addition of 2 . 0m hcl in diethyl ether ( 15 ml ). the solution was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours and then concentrated to provide a white solid . the solid was washed with copious amounts of diethyl ether to afford 9 . 2 g of compound 3 - 2 as a white solid ( 89 %). to a solution of compound 3 - 2 ( 150 mg , 0 . 381 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 4 ml ) was added 2 - chlorobenzaldehyde ( 54 mg , 0 . 572 mmol ). the solution was stirred at room temperature for 1 hour followed by the addition of triacetoxyborohydride ( 121 mg , 0 . 572 mmol ). after stirring the suspension for 18 hours at room temperature , the reaction was quenched by the addition of a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 3 ml ) and concentrated . the residue was treated with ethyl acetate , washed with brine and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate . after removing solvents , the residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography eluting 15 - 45 % ethyl acetate in hexanes to yield 35 mg of compound 3 as a yellow solid ( 19 %). to a solution of 2 - chlorobenzoyl chloride ( 100 μl , 0 . 789 mmol ) and diisopropylethylamine ( 165 μl , 0 . 947 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 8 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added 4 - nitrobenzene - 1 , 2 - diamine ( 200 mg , 0 . 789 mmol ) drop wise . the reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature and stir for 3 hours . the reaction mixture was concentrated and the resulting residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography utilizing 75 % hexanes in ethyl acetate to produce 452 mg of compound 6 - 1 as a solid after vacuum drying (& gt ; 99 %). to a solution of compound 6 - 1 ( 0 . 452 g , 0 . 789 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuan ( 5 ml ) was added a saturated ammonium chloride solution ( 3 ml ) followed by iron powder ( 220 mg , 3 . 95 mmol ). the reaction was stirred for 72 hours and then filtered through celite . the filtrate was concentrated and the resulting residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography using 0 . 5 - 1 % methanol in , dichloromethane to produce 152 mg of compound 6 - 2 as a solid ( 53 %). to a solution of compound 6 - 2 ( 99 . 7 mg , 0 . 42 mmol ) in acetone ( 8 ml ) was added intermediate a ( see example 12 ; 152 mg , 0 . 42 mmol ). the reaction was stirred for 2 hours at room temperature and then concentrated . the resulting residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography eluting 75 % hexanes in ethyl acetate to produce 238 mg of compound 6 - 3 as a solid ( 97 %). to a solution of compound 6 - 3 ( 237 mg , 0 . 40 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 2 ml ) at 0 ° c . under argon was added a 50 % solution of trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane ( 8 ml ). the reaction was stirred for 3 hours at room temperature and then concentrated . the residue was dissolved in dimethylformamide and purified by prep - hplc to afford 148 mg of a solid following vacuum drying . a solution of 79 mg of the free base was dissolved in dichloromethane ( 2 ml ) and cooled with an ice - water bath followed by the slow addition of 2 . 0m hcl in diethyl ether ( 2 ml ). the mixture was evaporated immediately to afford 74 mg of compound 6 as a brown solid ( 88 %). to a solution of 2 - chloro - 5 - methylphenylamine ( 72 . 8 mg , 0 . 514 mmol ) in acetone ( 3 ml ) was added a solution of intermediate a ( see example 12 ; 122 mg , 0 . 556 mmol ) in acetone ( 3 ml ). the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours and then concentrated . the resulting residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography eluting 85 % hexanes in ethyl acetate to yield 187 mg of compound 9 - 1 as a solid following vacuum drying (& gt ; 99 %). to a solution of compound 9 - 1 ( 150 mg , 0 . 42 mmol ) in dimethylformamide ( 4 ml ) was added potassium carbonate ( 72 mg , 0 . 52 mmol ) followed by iodoethane ( 65 mg , 0 . 42 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours . after the reaction period , the mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate ( 50 ml ), washed with brine ( 2 × 15 ml ) and water ( 15 ml ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude material was purified by normal phase column chromatography using a gradient elution of 100 to 98 % hexanes in ethyl acetate to produce 60 mg of compound 9 as a white powder ( 36 %). sensitive and reproducible high throughput screening ( hts ) assays were established to measure cytopathic effect induced by infection with either rift valley fever virus ( rvfv ) or la crosse virus ( lacv ), viruses that represent two distinct genera in the genetically diverse bunyaviridae family . to determine the amount of lacv stock required to produce complete cpe , vero cell monolayers were seeded on 96 - well plates and infected with 2 - fold serial dilutions of the lacv stock . at 3 , 4 , or 5 days post - infection , replicate cultures were fixed with 5 % glutaraldehyde and stained with 0 . 1 % crystal violet . virus - induced cytopathic effect ( cpe ) was quantified spectrophotometrically at od570 . from this analysis , a 1 : 20 , 000 dilution of lacv stock ( moi of 0 . 01 pfu / cell ) was chosen for use in the hts assay , and the optimum time of infection at this dilution prior to fixation and crystal violet staining was determined to be 4 days . a cpe assay used to measure cpe caused by the rvfv vaccine strain mp - 12 ( provided by viropharma , inc .) was similarly optimized using vero cells and a 1 : 12 , 000 dilution of rvfv stock ( 0 . 03 pfu / cell ). rvfv vaccine strain mp12 and lacv were provided by viropharma , inc . virus stocks were prepared in bhk - 21 cells infected at low multiplicity ( 0 . 01 plaque forming units ( pfu )/ cell ) and harvested when at the time of maximum cpe . the samples were frozen and thawed to release cell - associated virus . the cell debris was removed by low - speed centrifugation , and the resulting virus suspension was stored in 1 ml aliquots at − 80 ° c . the titer of the virus suspension was quantified by standard assay on vero cells . the lacv and rvfv cpe assays were used to identify antiviral compounds from the siga chemical library capable of inhibiting both lacv - induced and rvfv - induced cpe . each evaluation run consisted of 48 × 96 - well plates with 80 compounds per plate to generate 3 , 840 data points per run per virus , and each run incorporated ribavirin controls ( ec 50 value 0 . 75 mm for lacv and 0 . 3 mm for rvfv ). compounds were dissolved in dmso and diluted in medium such that the final concentration in each well was 5 μm compound and 0 . 5 % dmso . the compounds were added robotically to the culture medium using the perkinelmer multiprobe ® ii ht plus robotic system . following compound addition , cultures were infected with lacv or rvfv as above . after 4 days incubation , plates were processed and the cpe quantified on a perkinelmer envision ii plate reader system . the results of these experiments indicated that the 96 - well assay format is robust and reproducible . the s / b ratio ( ratio of signal of cell control wells ( signal ) to virus control wells ( background )) has averaged 9 . 0 ± 1 . 8 . the well - to - well variability was determined for each individual plate and found to have a coefficient of variance of less than 15 % for both positive control and negative control wells , and overall assay - to - assay variability was less than 15 %. taken together , these results show that a sensitive and reproducible hts assay has been successfully developed to evaluate our compound library for inhibitors of lacv and rvfv replication . vero cells were seeded onto 24 - well plates in complete media and inclubated overnight at 37 ° c . the following day , compounds were added to triplicate wells of the plate across a range of concentrations between 25 μm and 0 . 1 nm . control wells lacking virus or containing dmso vehicle only were also prepared in triplicate . wells were then infected with tacaribe virus at an moi of 0 . 01 and incubated for 72 hours at 37 ° c . supernantants harvested at 72 hours from each well were serially diluted ( 10 − 1 to 10 − 5 ) and each dilution was plated onto a fresh monolayer of vero cells in duplicate , and overlayed with 3 ml of 1 . 1 % seaplaque agarose in media ( mem + 5 % fbs + p / s ). cells were incubated for 7 days at 37 ° c . following incubation , cells were fixed with 5 % gluteraldehyde and stained with 0 . 1 % crystal violet . viral plaques counted were used to calculate yield reduction as compared to cells treated with dmso vehicle . chemically tractable hits identified in either the lacv or the rvfv primary screens were subsequently tested for potency against both lacv and rvfv in cell culture . this secondary screen serves to confirm the result from the primary assay , determine the effective dose range of the compound , and identify any compounds from the individual primary screens that have broad spectrum activity against both rvfv and lacv . dose response curves are generated by measuring virus replication in the presence of a range of compound concentrations . typically , eight compound concentrations are used ( 25 , 8 , 2 . 56 , 0 . 81 , 0 . 26 , 0 . 084 , 0 . 027 and 0 . 009 μm ) in order to generate inhibition curves suitable for calculating ec 50 values . compounds that have ec 50 values & lt ; 25 μm against both lacv and rvfv were further evaluated for selectivity . to determine if compounds are selective for inhibition of virus replication and not simply toxic to cells , cytotoxicity of each hit that produces ec 50 values & lt ; 10 μm is determined by an alamar blue fluorometric method , which measures the in situ reduction of resazurin ( 7 - hydroxy - 3h - phenoxazin - 3 - one 10 - oxide ) by mitochondrial enzymes in metabolically active cells . the alamar blue assay is used to generate dose response curves and the cytotoxic concentration that kills 50 % of cells ( cc 50 ) is determined . cells are seeded at subconfluent densities in order to identify compounds that may be cytostatic . hits that were potent and selective against both rvfv and lacv were tested in additional ongoing antiviral hts programs at siga against a spectrum of pathogens from different viral and bacterial families . testing for in vitro antiviral activity was performed using clinically relevant members of multiple virus families including vaccinia virus and monkeypox virus ( poxviridae ), tacaribe virus and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus ( arenaviridae ), encephalomyocarditis virus ( picornaviridae ), sindbis virus ( togaviridae ), dengue fever virus ( flaviviridae ), ebola virus ( filoviridae ), andes virus ( bunyaviridae ), respiratory syncytial virus ( paramyxoviridae ), influenza virus ( orthomyxoviridae ) human immunodeficiency virus ( retroviridae ). cpe assays for vaccinia virus , sindbis virus and encephalomyocarditis virus were carried out in a manner similar to that described for lacv and rvfv . antiviral activities against ebola virus , human immunodeficiency virus , lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus , and dengue virus were assessed using virus yield assays similar to that described for tacaribe virus . mic values for compounds 1 , 2 , and 3 against chlamydophila caviae were determined using a fluorescent marker to label intracellular bacterial growth in cell culture . briefly , compounds were delivered in media to vero cells across a range of concentrations ( 25 , 8 , 2 . 56 , 0 . 81 , 0 . 26 , 0 . 084 , 0 . 027 and 0 . 0075 μm ). cells were then inoculated with c . caviae at a multiplicity of infection of 0 . 8 . infected cells were centrifuged for 40 min ( 1200 rpm , 37 ° c .) and then incubated in a standard cell culture incubator for 20 hours . at this point media were removed from each well and a fluorescent tracker of host golgi metabolism ( nbd c6 - ceramide , molecular probes cat # n1154 : 1 μg / ml in pbs ) was added to the cells . nbd - c6 - ceramide traffics to intracellular chlamydia within infected cells and the abundance of label can be measured using fluorescein or gfp channels on a fluorimeter or fluorescent microscope . the label was incubated on cells for 30 min in the cell culture incubator and then replaced with mem - 10 . after 3 hr in the incubator , medium was removed and replaced with pbs . the development of chlamydia in cells was quantified by fluorescent measurement of retained label , and by visual evaluation of the infected cells . for influenza virus ec50 determination , a549 cells were plated in flat bottom , 96 - well plates . compounds were delivered in media to a549 cells across a range of concentrations ( 25 , 8 , 2 . 56 , 0 . 81 , 0 . 26 , 0 . 084 , 0 . 027 and 0 . 0075 μm ). cells were then inoculated with influenza virus in media containing 4 μg / ml tpck - treated trypsin and incubated at 37 c for 72 hours . following incubation , 25 ul of supernatant from infected wells was transferred to a separate , white , 96 - well assay plate . 75 μl of munana neuraminidase substrate ( 20 mm in emem - 0 ) was added to each well . plates were incubated at 37 c for 1 hour and 100 μl of stop solution was added to each well . plates were read at excitation wavelength of 360 nm and emission wavelength of 465 nm . the spectrum of activity of various compounds of the present invention against a broad range of viral and intracellular bacterial targets was measured as indicated above and is shown in tables 9 - 15 below . the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments thereof , but is more broadly applicable as will be understood by those skilled in the art . the scope of the invention is only limited by the following claims .	0
fig1 shows a side view of a stand system 10 , along the yz plane , capable of tilting a monitor 12 substantially about its center axis 14 . the stand system 10 includes a base 16 and a neck 18 . the base 16 may have an arc configuration where the radius of curvature of the base has a radius r 1 . the radius r 1 is the approximate distance between the center axis 14 and the base 16 . note that the partial circular hash lines are shown for illustrative purpose only to indicate that the base 16 may have an arc representing a portion of a circle 20 having a radius r 1 where the center of the circle 20 is represented by the center axis 14 . the neck 18 may be provided between the monitor 12 and the base 16 . the neck 18 may have a proximal end 22 and a distal end 24 . the neck 18 may be sized so that the distance between the center axis 14 and the base 16 has a radius r 1 . note that the neck may have a variety of configuration with the distance between the center axis 14 and the base 16 has a radius r 1 . the proximal end 22 of the neck 18 may be coupled to the base 16 , and the distal end 24 of the neck 18 may be adapted to couple to the monitor 12 . the location of the distal end 24 may be near the center of the circle 20 so that once the monitor 12 is attached to the distal end 24 , the center axis 14 of the monitor 12 is substantially along the focal point of the arc formed by the base 16 . the base 16 may be supported by one or more rollers 24 to allow the base 16 to move substantially along the arc formed by the circle 20 . the base 16 may be engaged with a gear 26 that rotates to cause the base 16 to move along the path formed by the circle 20 . the gear 26 may be driven either manually or through a motor . for instance , a counter - clockwise rotation of the gear 26 may cause the base 16 to move in counter - clockwise direction ; and , conversely , clockwise rotation of the gear 26 may cause the base 16 to move in clockwise direction . the center of gravity of different monitors may differ depending on the placement of their internal components . assuming , however , that the center axis 14 of the monitor 12 substantially represents the center of gravity of the monitor 12 , the monitor 12 may pivot about its center of gravity as the base 16 moves . this allows the stand system 10 to tilt the monitor 12 substantially along its center of gravity , in the yz plane , so that moment of inertia due to the mass of the monitor 12 may be minimized . fig1 shows the monitor 12 in a first position 28 that is substantially along the direction of gravitation force . fig2 shows the mount 12 in a second position 30 that is in a titled down position . in this regard , the gear 26 may rotate in the counter - clockwise direction to move the base 16 in the counter - clockwise direction along the path defined by the circle 20 , which in turn tilts the monitor 12 downwards about its center of gravity . note that the downward tilting angle ø 1 may be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the radius r 1 , respectively , while maintaining the same circumference length of the base 16 . fig3 shows the mount 12 in a third position 32 that is in a tilted up position . in this regard , the gear 26 may rotate in the clockwise direction to move the base 16 in the clockwise direction along the path defined by the circle 20 , which in turn tilts the monitor 12 upwards about its center of gravity . note that in the three positions 28 , 30 , and 32 , the center of gravity of the monitor 12 is substantially maintained in the same position so that the weight of the monitor 12 may be supported by the rollers 24 . in addition , torque required on the gear 26 to move the base 16 may be minimized with the moment of inertia due to the mass of the panel 12 being minimized as the monitor tilts . with the stand system 10 described above , even a heavy tv such as a plasma tv can be tilted substantially along its center of gravity to minimize the torque required on the gear 26 . fig4 shows a top view of the stand system 10 along the xz plane . the stand system 10 may include a carousel 34 adapted to rotate relative to a base plate 36 . the base plate 36 may be adapted to sit on the floor or on top of a table . the carousel 34 may rotate either clockwise or counter - clockwise direction along the xz plane . the carousel 34 may rotate either manually or through a motor . the base 16 may be coupled to the carousel 34 so that as the carousel 34 rotates , the monitor 12 may be rotated or swivel about the xz plane . note that the distal end 24 of the neck 18 may couple to the back side of the monitor 12 so that the center of gravity of the monitor 12 is substantially along the center of the carousel 34 so that the monitor 12 may substantially swivel about its center of gravity . fig5 shows an enlarge view of the distal end of the neck 18 along the yz plane . in this embodiment , a motor 38 may be provided on the distal end 24 of the neck 18 to swivel the monitor 12 along the xz plane . the distal end 24 of the neck 18 extends from a housing 46 that includes a shaft 40 that is coupled to the neck 18 . the housing includes a wheel gear 42 that is coupled to the shaft 40 . the motor 38 has a motor gear 44 that is engaged with the wheel gear 42 . as the motor gear 44 rotates , the housing 46 rotates about the shaft 40 or swivels about the xz plane , which in turn swivels the monitor 12 around the shaft 40 or along the xz plane . the distal end 24 may also be coupled to a second housing 45 adapted to receive a portion of the neck 18 . this allows the distal end 24 to be adjustable along the z - axis relative to the neck 18 so that the center axis 14 of the monitor 12 may be the focal point of the arc formed by the base 16 . with the embodiments shown in fig4 and 5 , the monitor 12 may be swiveled either through the carousel 34 or the housing 46 . fig6 shows a control diagram 48 for adjusting the viewing angle of the monitor 12 through a remote control 50 . the remote control 50 may have swivel left button 52 , swivel right button 54 , tilt up button 56 , and a tilt down button 57 . the control diagram 48 includes a receiver 58 that receives the control signal from the remote control 50 . the receiver 58 sends the control signal to a processor 60 , which then controls the motors 62 and 64 to tilt and / or swivel the monitor 12 . for instance , the motor 62 may be linked to the gear 26 to tilt the monitor up by rotating the gear in the clockwise direction or tilt the monitor down by rotating the gear 26 in a counter - clockwise direction . the motor 64 may be linked to the carousel 34 to swivel the carousel 34 either in clockwise or counter - clockwise direction to swivel the monitor . in reference to fig5 where the monitor is swiveled through the housing 46 , the motor 64 may be the motor 38 discussed above . with the remote control 50 , a user can adjust the viewing angle of the monitor 12 by pushing one or more of the buttons 52 , 54 , 56 , and 57 . for instance , a viewer can push the tilt down button 57 to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor 12 towards the second position 30 ; and push the tilt up button 56 to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor 12 towards the third position 32 . fig7 shows that the gear 26 may be located at different locations . for instance , the gear 26 may be located at a first position 70 and / or a second position 72 . by locating the gear 26 in the first position 70 , which is in the front side of the monitor 12 , the stand system 10 may have greater tilt angle in the clockwise direction than in the counter - clockwise direction . conversely , by locating the gear 26 in the second position 72 , which is in the rear side of the monitor 12 , the stand system 10 may have greater tilt angle in the counter - clockwise direction than in the clockwise direction . in reference , to fig1 , by having the gear 26 located at the center of the base 16 , the tilt angle is same in either direction . note that a gear that is mechanically coupled to a motor may be located on the top side of the base 16 and / or on the bottom side of the base 16 . fig8 shows a stand system 200 having a first portion 202 and a second portion 204 . the first portion 202 has a proximal end 206 that is adapted to extend and retract relative to the second portion 204 in an arcing manner . the distal end 208 of the first portion is adapted to couple to the back side of a monitor 210 . the second portion 204 has a neck 212 adapted to receive the proximal end 206 of the first portion 202 . the second portion 204 has a base 214 adapted to sit on top of a table or floor , or adapted to attached to a ceiling . fig8 shows the stand system 200 in a first position 216 where the monitor is tilted upwards ; a second position 218 where the monitor is substantially in an upright position ; and a third position 220 where the monitor is tilted downwards . as the first portion 202 extends from the second portion 204 , the first portion 202 may be shaped in a semi - circular configuration to form an arc having a radius “ r ” about the focal point “ f .” the second portion 204 may have one or more openings 222 to allow cables and cords to pass therethrough and couple to the inputs in the monitor 210 to provide audio and video signals and power to the monitor . fig9 shows a rear perspective view of the stand system 200 in the second position 218 . the second portion 204 has two openings 222 to allow audio and video wires and power cords to pass therethrough and connect to the input sockets on the monitor . as discussed above , the second portion 204 may swivel relative to the base 214 . while various embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of this invention . accordingly , the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents .	5
fig4 schematically depicts a network comprising a dual process x / pex display server in accordance with the present invention . this network , like the network of fig1 ( a ), comprises an x client program 10 , lan 12 and display hardware 16 ; however , instead of the single process display server 14 of the fig1 ( a ) network , the present invention employs first and second processes 60 , 62 , first - in - first - out ( fifo ) registers 64 and shared memory ( e . g ., random access memory ( ram )) 66 . the x client program 10 generates requests as described above . the requests are received by the x server ( first process ) 60 and dispatched by a request dispatcher to an appropriate request servicing function . the request dispatcher is similar to the dispatcher 28 discussed above in connection with fig1 ( a ), 2 and 3 , but it includes a pex request dispatcher 60a that is different from the prior art pex request dispatcher 50 . fig5 depicts steps carried out by the pex request dispatcher 60a in dispatching pex requests . when a pex request is received , rather than a second level of dispatching taking place as in the prior art single process server 14 ( fig1 ( a )), the requests are passed on to the second process 62 . the pex request dispatcher 60a first determines at step s1 whether or not the second pex request servicing process 62 is idle ( not busy ). if the second pex request servicing process 62 is already operating on a previously issued request from another client , the newly arrived request is enqueued at step s2 and will await servicing until the second process becomes available . if the second process 62 is idle , at step s4 the request for pex services is put in memory buffer 66 ( fig4 ), which is shared by the first and second processes 60 , 62 , and at step s5 a message is sent from the first process 60 to the second process 62 via a fifo register ( or queue ) 64a . this message may , e . g ., indicate to the second process 62 that a pex request is present and ready for processing . regardless of whether the second process 62 is presently idle ( as determined at step s1 ), the requesting client is blocked from further attention at step s3 . when a client is blocked , the request dispatcher will &# 34 ; ignore &# 34 ; any further communications from that client ; however , the ignored requests are not discarded , but rather are saved until that client is unblocked at a later time . blocking in this manner preserves atomicity of the request stream . this allows requests to be serviced in the order in which they are received , and avoids out of order execution of intermixed pex and x requests . after the request dispatcher has completed blocking the requesting client , it immediately returns control to the x server &# 39 ; s dispatcher ( which is not specifically shown in fig4 but which is generally shown in fig1 ( a )) and reports that the operation has been successfully completed . it does this without waiting for the actual result of the operation . this is done so that the first process 60 can continue to respond to requests that may be present from other client programs . fig6 schematically depicts a system for use by the second process 62 for dispatching messages from the first process 60 . this figure specifically shows the processing by the second process 62 of messages that are received from the first process 60 via the communications fifo 64a ( fig4 ). the system comprises a message dispatcher 62a and a table 82 of addresses of message servicing functions 84 . the message dispatcher 62a normally sits idle , waiting for messages to arrive . messages sent by the first process 60 to the second process 62 include : when one of these messages arrives , a dispatch process similar to that described above for x client requests takes place . the appropriate message function is called ; this function responds in accordance with a prescribed program for that message and then returns control to the message dispatcher 62a . the message dispatcher 62a then returns to the state of waiting for a next message from the first process 60 . the dispatch message causes the second process 62 to examine the pex request that the first process 60 placed in the shared memory buffer 66 ( fig4 ). the appropriate pex function is called to provide the proper request services . this level of dispatching is similar to that provided in the single process server of the prior art , but in this case all of the pex operations are performed by the second process 62 . this allows the first process 60 to continue servicing x requests . the initialize , reset , and registercodes messages are used during startup and shutdown of the second process 62 . the destroywindow and freeclientresources messages are sent by the first process 60 to alert the second process 62 of the possible abnormal termination of client programs . one issue that arises in connection with the dual process server scheme of the present invention is how to return messages to a client that originated a pex request . the resolution of this issue is made difficult by the fact that the thread of execution in the first process 60 , with respect to that pex client , will typically have been released by the time the message is to be sent to the client . this is because the request dispatcher 60a will have been reentered and led to believe that the requested pex operation was successfully completed , when in fact it may not have actually begun yet . this problem is solved through messages that are sent back from the second process 62 to the first process 60 . the messages sent by the second process 62 to the first process 60 include : the idle message is sent to the first process 60 via fifo register 64b when the second process 62 is ready to service new requests . the first process 60 , upon receiving this message , unblocks the client that issued the last request sent to the second process 62 . the first process 60 also checks for any client that has been enqueued because its pex request arrived while the second process was busy . if such a client is found , that client &# 39 ; s pex request is passed to the second process 62 and a dispatch message is sent to fifo register 64a . any previously enqueued client is not unblocked at this time . unblocking will occur when the second process 62 sends an idle message to fifo register 64b after servicing the client &# 39 ; s pex request . the write , error and event messages instruct the first process 60 to transmit response messages back to the requesting client program . to the client program these messages are indistinguishable from those that would be generated in the single process display server of the prior art . the getdrawable message is used to determine characteristics of display objects used by the second process 62 . this information is obtained as it is needed by the second process . fig7 schematically depicts a system for use by the first process 60 for dispatching both x protocol requests from a client program and messages from the second process 62 . this system includes the request dispatcher 60a , a set of dispatch tables 70 , each table containing a list of addresses of client request servicing functions 36 , and a table 72 containing a list of addresses of message servicing functions 74 . the message servicing functions 74 service messages from the second process 62 ( fig4 ). fig7 particularly shows the features of the first process 60 that distinguish it from the single process 14 of the prior art single process server ( fig1 ( a ) and 2 ) and that allow it to respond to messages from the second process 62 . the basic dispatching mechanism of the prior art is used , however in the present invention the second process 62 appears to the first process 60 as a special type of client program . the second process &# 39 ; &# 34 ; pseudo - client &# 34 ; dispatch table 72 contains addresses of the idle , write , error , event , and getdrawable service functions . service functions for the response messages ( write , error , event ) obtain data that is to be sent to the originating client from both the fifo register 64b and the shared memory 66 . the first process 60 responds to getdrawable messages by placing the requested information into the shared memory 66 . it then indicates to the second process ( e . g ., through the shared memory ) that the drawable information is available . the foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is not intended to limit the scope of protection provided by the following claims , which describe the invention in accordance with its true scope .	6
in the drawings , there is illustrated drive mechanism 10 arranged to move slide 12 carrying object 14 along slideway 16 of stationary support 18 . object 14 may comprise a mirror , mechanical pointer , measuring scale , single lens , system of lenses or any one or combination of items requiring precision adjustment and / or highly accurate final positioning relative to reference means , e . g . the stationary support 18 or a target item such as ophthalmic lens 20 ( fig2 ). for purposes of illustration only , object 14 is shown as comprising an optical objective of the type commonly used in microscopes . the objective in this case is directed toward ophthalmic lens 20 which has convex surface 22 requiring surface power measurement , for example . this measurement may be determined by precise positioning of object 14 ( optical objective ) along axis a -- a at a point where collimated light reaching and reflected from surface 22 becomes focused at point 24 ( fig2 ). the source for collimated light directed upon surface 22 of target 20 may comprise laser 26 , plane mirror 28 and beam splitter 30 which directs a portion of the laser light along axis a -- a , through the lens system of object 14 to surface 22 . portions of this light reflected from surface 22 reversely along axis a -- a through the lens system of object 14 and beam splitter 30 may be brought to focus at point 24 by adjustment of object 14 ( the objective lens system ) along axis a -- a . the extent of this adjustment of object 14 ( the objective lens system ) and final positioning thereof denote focal length of surface 22 and the reciprocal of this focal length , in meters , represents power in diopters . the foregoing discussion of determining surface power of an ophthalmic lens is merely exemplary of a particular use to which the present invention may be put and is not to be considered as restrictive of the invention . the crux of this invention is to provide novel means for adjusting and / or precisely positioning object 14 at various selected positions along slideway 16 . as already mentioned , object 14 may comprise a mirror , pointer , measuring scale or other means serving a different purpose than the illustrated objective lens system . referring now to details of the drive mechanism which includes lead screw s carried by u - shaped bracket 32 ( fig1 ), it can be seen that back plate 34 of bracket 32 is pivotally mounted upon plate 36 of stationary support 18 . to this end , bearing 38 on pivot post 40 is secured to plate 34 by extension 42 which is best illustrated in fig3 . with such means , bracket 32 may be pivoted about axis b -- b ( fig2 ) which intersects axis a -- a and axis c -- c of lead screw s for selectively adjusting the angular relationship θ between screw s and axis a -- a . slide 12 is adjustable along axis a -- a . set screws 43 are providing for locking mechanism 10 in various desired angular relationships with axis a -- a . adjustment of slide 12 along axis a -- a for movement of objective 14 is accomplished with screw s as follows : being driven by stepping motor m , lead screw s is threaded through pivotal nut 44 ( fig1 and 2 ) which is supported by extension 46 of slide 12 . nut 44 is permitted to freely rotate about its axis in socket 48 ( fig2 ) which is carried by slide 50 . slide 50 is mounted on slideway 52 which provides freedom for lateral movement of nut 44 as it is advanced or retracted along screw s with operation of motor m . slideway 52 , slide 50 , socket 48 and nut 44 provide a universal connection between screw s and slide 12 wherewith the operation of slide 12 can be effected regardless of the selection of angular settings of mechanism 10 relative to axis a -- a . it should be understood that the setting of mechanism 10 does not exclude disposing screw s parallel to axis a -- a . stepping motor m which may embody the commercial product identified as &# 34 ; sigma stepping motor no . 2220 &# 34 ; manufactured by sigma instruments inc . of braintree , mass . is given a selected number of electrical pulses causing nut 44 to traverse screw s along axis c -- c for a distance equal to the number of screw revolutions times the screw pitch . with the travel of nut 44 along screw s , slide 50 traverses slideway 52 while slide 12 simultaneously traverses slideway 16 along axis a -- a by an amount equal to the extent of nut 44 travel times the cosine of angle θ between axes a -- a and c -- c . the angle θ is adjustable by pivoting bracket 32 about pivot post 40 , thereby varying the amount of travel of object 14 on slide 12 per revolution of screw s . for example , with the objective of moving object 14 exactly 26 mm in 4 , 644 equal motor steps at 200 steps per revolution of screw s and with screw s having a lead of 0 . 05 in ., angle θ may determined as follows : ## equ1 ## to accomplish the same result as above by prior art method , a 0 . 044 pitch lead screw having 22 . 727 leads / inch would be required , i . e . ## equ2 ## a non - standard 0 . 044 pitch lead screw would be unduly expensive and would serve only the single purpose of satisfying the above exemplary objective , i . e . adjustability to suit other requirements would be lacking . from the above , it can be seen that this invention provides a stepping motor drive mechanism which is universally adjustable and adaptable to various requirements of object movement and / or precision positioning with completion of full motor steps in each case while using standard lead screw pitch . it is to be understood , however , that there may be modifications and other adaptations of the presently illustrated form of the invention and that the foregoing illustration is not to be interpreted as restrictive of the invention beyond that necessitated by the following claims .	7
in the circuit diagram of fig1 first and second digital mixers dm1 and dm2 are of conventional design and are interposed in like manner in the two signals paths connected to the input e , the following first and second digital low - pass filters tp1 and tp2 , respectively , and the first and second sampling stages as1 and as2 , which follow the low - pass filters tp1 and tp2 , respectively , and are clocked with the second clock signal f2 . at the same sampling instant in each period of the first clock signal f1 , binary numbers which are equivalent to the decimal numbers 1 , 0 , - 1 , 0 , 1 . . . are fed to the first digital mixer dm1 , while the second digital mixer dm2 is supplied at the same sampling instants with binary numbers which are equivalent to the decimal numbers 0 , 1 , 0 , - 1 , 0 . . . as is stated in the publication mentioned above , through the supply of these numerical values , the digital signals at the input e , which are delivered by a suitable analog - to - digital converter ( not shown ), are mixed with two signals which have the same frequency as the second clock signal , but differ in phase by exactly 90 °. in fig1 each of the two low - pass filters tp1 , tp2 consists of a cascade of five nonrecursive digital - filter stages each with the transfer function h &# 39 ;( z )= 1 + z - 1 , so that the transfer function of each of the low - pass filters tp1 , tp2 is : h ( z )=( 1 + z - 1 ) 5 , where z is the complex frequency variable corresponding to the frequency of the first clock signal f1 . the individual digital - filter stages are of identical design . each of them consists of the delay stage v , whose delay is equal to the period of the first clock signal f1 , and the adder stage a , one input of which is presented with the undelayed input signal , while the other is supplied with the signal delayed by the delay stage v . located at the ends of the signal paths and , thus , at the outputs of the digital filters tp1 and tp2 are the first and second sampling stages as1 and as2 , respectively , which are clocked with the second clock signal f2 whose frequency is equal to one quarter of the frequency of the first clock signal f1 . the output of the first sampling stage as1 is the output x of the first signal path , and that of the second sampling stage as2 is the output y of the second signal path . although , for simplicity and ease of illustration , only connecting lines are shown in the figures of the drawing between individual subcircuits as if only single conductors were present , the interconnections are buses consisting of many parallel conductors because the digital signals to be processed are present in parallel form and the signal processing in each of the stages takes place and is completed during one period of the first clock signal f1 . this is also apparent from the fact that the frequency of the first clock signal f1 is equal to four times the frequency of the chrominance - subcarrier reference of the secam color - television signal ; accordingly , the second clock frequency f2 is equal to this reference frequency . fig2 shows a simplified embodiment of the arrangement of fig1 which requires only five of the ten delay stages v of fig1 namely the delay stages v1 , v2 , v3 , v4 and v5 , which follow the input e in a cascade arrangement , and whose input signals y2 , x2 , y1 , x1 , and y0 and the output signal x0 of the fifth delay stage v5 are applied alternately to the two signal paths . in the first signal path , the input signals of the second and fourth delay stages v2 and v4 and the output signal of the fifth delay stage v5 are fed to the first computing circuit r1 , which is designed exclusively to calculate the term 2 - 6 ( x0 - 10x1 + 5x2 ), whereas the input signals y2 , y1 , and y5 of the first , third , and fifth delay stages v1 , v3 , and v5 are fed to the second computing circuit r2 , which is designed exclusively to calculate the term 2 - 6 ( 5y0 - 10y1 + y2 ). what was said about the buses used is indicated in fig2 by a diagonal in the lead connected to the input e , which is designated by the reference number 13 , and by diagonals in the leads running to the outputs x and y , which are designated by the reference numerals 11 . the numerals signify that 13 - bit and 11 - bit digital words , respectively , are transferred over these buses in parallel . accordingly , all subcircuits in the arrangement according to the invention handle the signals in parallel . fig3 shows a circuit diagram of a further simplification if the invention is realized using two - phase insulated - gate field - effect transistor circuits . this technique has been known for a long time and is described , for example , in &# 34 ; the electronic engineer &# 34 ;, march 1970 , pages 56 to 61 . in this realization , the five delay stages v1 . . . v5 of fig2 their two associated computing circuits r1 , r2 , and the two sampling stages as1 , as2 of fig1 are functionally united as follws . the input e is followed by the three delay stages v1 &# 39 ;, v2 &# 39 ;, v3 &# 39 ; in a cascade arrangement . the first clock signal f1 is divided into the two clock phases ph1 , ph2 of the two - phase clock system , which have the same frequency as the first clock signal f1 . on the leading edge of each first clock phase ph1 , the respective signal at the input e is transferred to the first input of the multiplier m , whose second input is fed with a binary word corresponding to the decimal factor &# 34 ; 5 &# 34 ;. on the leading edge of each second clock phase ph2 , the output signal of the multiplier m is transferred to the input of the doubler stage vd , i . e ., a stage which multiplies the output signal of the multiplier m by a binary word corresponding to the decimal factor 2 . this can be done simply by shifting the output signal of the multiplier m one place to the left in the straight binary code , as is well known . on the next leading edge of the first clock phase ph1 , the output signal of the doubler stage vd is applied to the subtrahend input of the subtracter sb . the output of the third delay stage v3 &# 39 ; is coupled to the first input of the first electronic switch s1 , whose output is connected to minuend input of the subtracter sb . the second input of the first electronic switch s1 is connected to the output of the multiplier m via the first delay element vg1 , which delays the multiplier &# 39 ; s output signal by 2 . 5 times the period of the first clock signal f1 . the output of the subtractor sb is coupled to the first input of the adder ad . the input e is preceded by the second delay element vg2 , which provides a delay equal to half the period of the first clock signal f1 . the input thus formed , e &# 39 ;, is connected to the first input of the second electronic switch s2 , whose second input is connected to the output of the multiplier m , and whose output is coupled to the second input of the adder ad . within four periods of the first clock signal f1 , the first inputs of the two switches s1 , s2 are connected to the outputs of the respective switches during the second and fourth periods , and the second inputs during the first and third periods . the output of the adder ad is connected to the input of the third electronic switch s3 . the input is connected to the output x of the first signal path during the third period , and to the output y of the second signal path during the fourth period . as mentioned above , the computing subcircuits , i . e ., the multiplier m , the subtracter sb , and the adder ad , perform the computation within a maximum time equal to half the period of the first clock signal f1 , i . e ., within a maximum period of 28 ns . such simple computing circuits are realizeable without difficulty . the multiplier m is preferably implemented as a series combination of two adders the first of which shifts the multiplier &# 39 ; s input signal two places to the left , which correspond to a multiplication by the decimal factor 4 , and the second of which adds the input signal to the result of the shift . after one period of the first clock signal s1 , a signal equal to ten times the signal value present at the input e at the end of the preceding period appears at the subtrahend input of the subtracter sb . similar time considerations apply to the other input of the subtracter sb and to the two inputs of the adder ad .	7
as explained earlier , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 776 , 042 entitled “ micro - machined accelerometer ” discloses an improved micro - machined suspension plate which may be utilized in an accelerometer , seismometer ( velocimeter ) and / or other similar device . the subsequent u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 851 , 029 entitled “ improved micro - machined suspension plate with integral proof mass for use in a seismometer or other device ” discloses improvements to the basic design of the suspension plate . the suspension plate of the &# 39 ; 029 application is formed of and includes a revolutionary , in - plane suspension geometry rather than a traditional — spring design . more particularly , the suspension plate is micro - machined to form a central proof mass and flexural elements located on opposite sides of the proof mass . fig1 illustrates a cross - sectional diagram of a seismometer 1 having a suspension plate 2 and two capacitive plates 3 a - b ( alternatively , the device can have one capacitive plate ), with a centrally located proof mass 8 supported by flexural elements 6 utilized in a known , prior - art micro - machined in - plane suspension geometry , as described and set forth in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 776 , 042 . as shown in fig1 , the proof mass 8 is centrally located and surrounded by a hollow cavity 4 . the flexural elements 6 extend from opposite directions and allow the proof mass 8 to move in one direction , in the plane of suspension , but suppress motion of the proof mass in all other directions . these flexural elements 6 represent a significant improvement over the conventional use of a mechanical cantilevered spring design for supporting the proof mass . fig2 illustrates a suspension plate having a proof mass 201 supported by flexural elements 202 and further having intermediate frames 204 inter - disposed there between , in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . use of these intermediate frames 204 eliminates any spurious modes over a much larger bandwidth and allows the production of a device with a flat response over the region of such bandwidth . the intermediate frames 204 also provide additional support to the proof mass 201 and help reduce the out of plane sag . this improvement was disclosed in u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 851 , 029 . for practical production of a seismometer device having a suspension plate and two conductive or capacitive plates , as described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 776 , 042 , it is highly desirable that a single device geometry can be used to produce all three components of the sensor — i . e . the capacitive plates and the suspension plate . in order to accomplish this , all three plates are preferably arranged in a “ galperin ” orientation so each sees the same gravity vector . due to the geometry of the device it is important to ensure for optimal operation and design that when exposed to this gravity vector the proof mass is centered . if the suspension plate it manufactured separate from the capacitive plates , then the gravity force on the proof mass will effect the centering of the proof mass relative to each of the other capacitive plates and this will affect the readings as to each plate when the whole device is formed . to ensure that the proof mass is centered after production , the mask set is deliberately biased so that the flexural elements are “ pre - deflected ” when lying flat . this pre - deflection is such that when orientated at the “ galperin ” orientation or angle of 54 . 7 degrees , to the vertical the spring mass system is centered . when the material is removed by a method such as deep reactive ion etching ( drie ) the spring assumes a centered position at the galperin angle of 54 . 7 degrees . the pre - deflection can be calculated either analytically or using finite element analysis , both techniques are well know to those skilled in the art , such that the pattern is the same deflection pattern that would be observed in a released symmetrical structure when subject to an acceleration of opposite magnitude and direction to that the system when orientated at the galperin position . this level of pre - deflection will then almost exactly counterbalance deflection due to the gravity vector in the galperin orientation so that the mass will be nearly perfectly centered . fig3 illustrates a mask set that has been deliberately biased so that the flexural elements are “ pre - deflected ” when lying flat . fig4 shows the design of a capacitive plate 400 using an insulator such as glass . the use of an insulator rather than a semiconductor for this plate ensures that the stray capacitance from the displacement transducer pick - up capacitor 402 is minimized as stray capacitance to the semi - conductor substrate is eliminated . a further improvement is realized by using a differential pick - up capacitor such that common mode pick up of extraneous signals can be rejected in the electronics . the two capacitors , shown as 403 and 404 in the enlargement , illustrate the geometrical design for such a pickup array . the capacitors driving this array are placed on the proof mass and are a similar pattern of inter - digitated fingers with the same repeat period as the capacitive pick up array . one problem of insulators such as glass is that they are subject to surface charge build up which can adversely affect the device . to prevent this very high resistivity film 410 such as indium tin oxide can be applied over the surface to prevent charge build up . an important feature of the design is that whether two capacitive plates are used or one capacitive plate and a backing plate these plates should be of the same thickness to ensure that the overall seismometer dies does not bend due to thermal mismatch between the capacitive plate ( s ) and the silicon suspension plate . the cross section 401 of the capacitive plate shows such a capacitive plate being formed by micro - abrasion from both sides of the plate using a protective mask . the metallization pattern is first applied to the plain wafer to form the displacement transducer pickup capacitor 402 the interconnection paths and the connection pads 408 . the metal is then protected with the masking material . the first abrade then forms the controlled depth hollow 406 and the structure including the support beam 412 and the pedestal for the displacement transducer pickup capacitor 402 . the depth can be controlled by careful control of the micro - abrasion parameters , particle size , gas pressure , nozzle diameter and distance from the work piece , and running for a constant time with the nozzles moving at a constant velocity across the part . the second abrade them forms trenches to allow the individual capacitive plates to be separated and the structures for the mechanical support of the seismometers . through wafer tooling holes are also formed to allow mechanical alignment of all elements of the seismometer . to allow the seismometers to be assembled at the wafer level it is important that the capacitive plate , suspension plate and the backing plate remain as a contiguous wafer until they are bonded together . separating these by a dicing saw is not a good process as explained earlier . in fig5 we illustrate in cross section the process and mask required to form perforated support areas that will fracture in a controlled manner to allow the devices to be separated . in fig5 a the metalized capacitive plate wafer 500 has been masked with a suitable abrasion resistant cavity mask 502 . the technique for forming such a mask is known to one skilled in the art of abrasive machining . in fig5 b the abrasive jet 503 has created a cavity trench on the top surface . in fig5 c and 5 d the bottom mask 506 also illustrated in the figure has been applied to the bottom surface and the abrasive jet 503 has been applied to the bottom surface . in fig5 c the abrasive jet has cut through the wafer completely to form a through trench 508 , while in fig5 d the abrasive cut has created a pit shaped perforation 510 . when the devices are singulated the fracture line 512 will be directed by the weak area of the pits to follow the desired path and not damage the device on either side . the glass backing wafer can be attached to the silicon proof mass wafer using a variety of techniques known to those skilled in the art , such as glass frit bonding , anodic bonding , eutectic solder bonding . solder balls can be aligned on one of the wafers to be bonded by depositing a volume of solder in molten form through a positionable microjet , using precise “ pick and place ” machinery , or by deposition via holes in a solder - ball frame . the solder balls in the latter two cases are immobilized on the wafer to be bonded by a partial re - melt before the second wafer to be bonded is aligned to the solder - ball carrying wafer , and full reflow performed . our technique is an extension of the third , whereby the solder - ball carrier is formed by micromachining a silicon wafer , preferably by drie , with an array of circular holes in a mirror image of the final solder - ball locations on one of the wafers to be bonded . this wafer we call the solder - ball alignment wafer 601 . in the alignment wafer , the diameter 603 of the solder ball holes 602 is a little larger than the solder balls 605 , and the depth 604 of the holes a little less than the diameter of the solder balls . in one example , the hole dimensions for 100 - micron - diameter solder balls was 105 - microns diameter and 90 - microns depth . as solder balls are available with tolerances of 2 microns in their diameter , lateral positioning can be performed to very nearly as tight a tolerance , as the hole diameter need only be slightly larger . an excess of solder balls 606 used to populate all the holes required for sealing either a die or a wafer is poured onto the micro machined solder - ball alignment wafer ( fig6 b ), which is then gently vibrated by hand to ensure all the holes are populated . the dimensions of the holes 602 ensures a single solder ball 605 occupies each one , and the excess solder balls 606 can be poured off by slightly tilting the carrier wafer and reused ( fig6 c ). to improve location and retention of the solder balls , which may be deflected by electrostatic forces , a further design modification to the solder ball wafer carrier is the inclusion of through wafer vertical channels from the un - recessed surface of the wafer to allow the application of a vacuum . the channels should be of a smaller diameter than the solder balls so that a reasonable seal is produced once the recess is occupied by a solder ball . the channels may be produced by drie from the lower surface of the wafer . the wafer to be bonded 607 is then offered face down to the alignment wafer for alignment between the solder balls and the patterned wetting layer 608 . this inter - wafer alignment can be achieved either through visual manipulation , if the wafer to be bonded is transparent , through infrared ( ir ) imaging assisted manipulation , if the wafer is ir transparent , or by using alignment holes in both wafers with either precisely dimensioned rods or balls to mechanically lock the two wafers . after alignment the solder balls are immobilized on the wafer to be bonded either with a partial reflow onto the wetting metal layer , or by adhesion to a thin film of solder flux which has been previously deposited on the wafer to be bonded . after the solder balls are thus immobilized , the alignment wafer can be removed ( fig6 e ), a procedure which will not be impeded by any reflow as the solder will not adhere , but rather de - wet the silicon of the alignment wafer . if vacuum has been used to hold down the solder balls , it should be during this stage of the process . the second wafer to be bonded 609 with its wetting pattern 610 can then be aligned to the solder - ball carrying wafer to be bonded and the final bond achieved ( fig6 f ) through heating and reflow of the solder 611 . the thickness control of the seal is achieved by knowing the exact volume of solder in the solder balls 605 and the exact pattern of the metallization on both wafers 608 610 by controlling these parameters the solder reflow 611 will result in a controlled separation 612 between the wafers . when one of the wafers to be bonded has a flat surface , an extension of this technique can be performed without the need for an alignment wafer . the initially flat wafer to be bonded 700 is in this case patterned with the solder ball holes 701 . subsequent populating of the holes and alignment to the other wafer to be bonded 702 is as before , ( fig2 b - d ) but a full reflow is then performed ( fig2 e ). the pattern of the wetting metal 703 around the alignment holes on the flat wafer to be bonded is such that reflow de - wets the solder balls from the solder ball holes and then re - wets the metallization on the second wafer 704 and then the metallization on the first wafer 703 , forming the reflowed solder bond 705 between the two wafers with controlled separation 706 . to ensure a precise alignment of the seismometer die to the mounting a three point mounting technique is used that precisely constrains but does not over constrain the seismometer die . this technique has general applicability to mems devices that need to be accurately mounted with minimal thermal stress . the capacitive plate 800 has a precision diameter hole abraded into it 802 , and a slot with the same minor diameter 804 , and a smooth un - machined surface 806 is available . to mount the device it is located at a point in space by a precision metallic or ceramic ball 808 located in the hole 802 , a second ball 810 aligns the die along a line between the hole 802 and the slot 804 . finally the third ball 812 defines a point in space on the die 806 fixing its location in space . the force 814 from a resilient pad then presses on the die keeping it located onto the three point support provided by the balls . the use of an elastomeric connector that preferably uses embedded gold plated wires allows for minimum capacitance , minimum stress electrical connections between the seismometer die and the electronics . in fig9 the suspension plate 900 has a slot etched 901 etched through it during the drie process needed to form the other structures . the dimensions of this slot 902 are designed such that it ensures the correct degree of compression on the elastomeric connector 902 as this is sandwiched between the seismometer die and the printed circuit board 914 . the elastomeric connector 902 makes contact with the electrical connection pads 908 on the capacitive plate 904 using the e embedded gold plated wired 910 . these wires 910 then make electrical connection to the printed circuit board traces 912 on the printed circuit board 914 . the backing plate 906 is machined to clear the printed circuit board . the design of the elastomeric connector 902 , contacts 908 , and traces 912 is such that the pitch of the gold wires 910 is designed that no pads 908 can be connected to the wrong trace 912 by the wires 910 . the preferred design for thermal isolation by through - wafer etching is illustrated in the plan view of a micro machined die in fig1 . the central portion of the die 1000 can be used to fabricate any sensor structure which would benefit from thermal isolation . the conductive thermal coupling is reduced by etching out much of the die towards the edge to leave a series of thin beams 1001 and interconnections at the midpoints 1002 and corners 1003 . in incorporating a thermal frame into an inertial sensor , it is important not to compromise the dynamics of the coupling between the sensor on the central portion of the die and the environment . hence the design has to ensure maximum rigidity at the same time as producing the longest thermal path from the frame to the central die . for a vertical downwards acceleration , the central die is supported by the sets of beams on the left and right hand side , within which there will be compressive and extensive strains . the central interconnections 1002 have no overall stress at these , the weakest , points . the upper and lower sets of beams take very little of the load — and would not be very rigid if they did as they would undergo cantilever deflection . without the left and right beam sets the thermal frame produces a non - rigid suspension geometry . the external frame 1004 forms the connection to the external packaging of the die . the structure will be very rigid below euler &# 39 ; s critical loading of the compressed beams with no bending of the beams . above that loading the side beams will deflect as cantilevers until the beams touch , at which point the structure will become rigid again . from the formula for the critical loading , fcrit , where e is young &# 39 ; s modulus , i is the second moment of the beam , which for a rectangular cross - sectional beam as produced by drie is w3 t / 12 , where w is the width of the beam , t is the thickness of the wafer , and l is the length of the beam , approximately half the die size . the acceleration to reach critical loading can then be calculated to be where r is the density of silicon . for a 2 cm die and 40 - micron beams , acrit is about 5 g . below 5 g , the resonant frequency of this structure is approximately 5 khz . the dynamics of the structure could be exploited for shock protection . the thermal behavior can be simply modeled . the structure above has two periods of thermal isolation structure . for each period there are eight equivalent thermal paths of length 2l . the thermal conductance is therefore given by : where k is the thermal conductivity of silicon , and n is the number of periods of thermal isolation structure . the structure implemented by drie would in fact have parallel beams , approximately spaced by w , and so if a border width on each side of the die , x , is given to thermal isolation , n = x / 4w , and so the thermal capacity of the central die , treating it as an un - machined block of silicon , is given by where g is the heat capacitance of silicon . the thermal time constant now becomes for a 2 - cm die , a 1 - mm margin and 40 - micron beams t is 30 minutes . the conductance is 0 . 05 mw / k . if 2 mm is set aside and 20 - micron beams and spacing are achievable , a four - hour time constant is obtained and the conductance is reduced to 0 . 006 mw / k and only 0 . 5 milli watts would be required to hot bias the sensing element by 80 degrees celsius . in addition , the suspension itself further reduces the thermal conductance by a small amount . for 30 - micron springs , with effectively half the thermal pathways and four thermal periods per spring set ( eight cantilevers ), they have an additional 100 - s period per spring set . all the above considers just conductive losses . effective radiative conductance will be given from stefan &# 39 ; s law as approximately where e is the emissivity of the die , s is stefan &# 39 ; s constant and t is the temperature . this gives the ratio of radiative to conductive losses as : for e of 0 . 01 , for a 2 - cm die with 1 - mm thermal margin and 40 - micron beams , yrad / ycond is 26 %. radiative losses will be about the same as conductive losses for the second case , indicating that a thermal time constant of about two hours is probably the best achievable without mitigation of radiation losses . to complete the packaging of the device and preserve the thermal isolation a vacuum must be maintained in the hollow cavity 1101 around the suspension plate 1100 as shown in fig1 a . the suspension plate 1100 has the thermal isolating structure 1102 etched into it and then the flexural elements and proof mass 1104 . using an abraded capacitive plate 1106 and a backing plate 1107 sealed to the suspension plate 1100 by seals 1112 under vacuum conditions a vacuum cavity 1101 is created . as part of this fabrication a gettering material such as the commercially available “ nanogetter ” film 1110 should be applied to either the capacitive plate 1106 or the backing wafer 1107 . if solder ball sealing is utilized the temperature is not sufficient to activate the standard commercial getters . rather than use electrical resistive heating with its requirement for additional electrical connections if the insulating plates are glass a laser can be shone through the material to local heat and activate the getter without reflowing the solder seal . the outer cavities have thin layers of smooth reflective metal such as gold or aluminum deposited in unused areas as a radiative shield 1108 . the exterior of the die can also be coated with a radiation shield layer if desired . in fig1 b a design is shown in which there are two distinct cavities formed as described above . the inner cavity will act as a thermal reservoir for the contained sensing element 1104 , while the additional outer packaging 1114 presents an additional radiative barrier using a smooth metal deposition 1108 , gettering material 1110 is present in both cavities . obviously this concept could be extended to additional cavities if required for the application . this packaging concept can be used for any sensor that requires isolation from short term temperature variations in the environment . during the operation of a force balance control loop using an electro - magnetic actuator a current is required to flow in the coil to create the required restoring force . the process is illustrated in fig1 a . here the force balance control loop 1200 outputs a restoring current 1201 that flows through the coil 1206 that creates a force due to the current &# 39 ; s interaction with the magnetic field present in the actuator . in the seismometer there are resistive elements present in the circuit . the resistance of the thermal isolation path is represented by resistors 1203 , the resistance of the flexural elements by resistors 1204 and finally the resistance of the coil itself on the proof mass by the resistor 1205 . the current passing through these resistors causes a voltage drop and heat to be dissipated in the resistors . providing the voltage drop does not cause the current source in the control loop to fall out of compliance this will not affect the performance of the force balance loop . however , the heating can cause a non - linearity in the system response as the restoring current causes heating and changes in the spring rate of the flexural elements . a technique to minimize this effect is shown in fig1 b . in this figure an oscillator has been added to the circuit that produces a frequency considerably above the seismic band of interest and such that the force produced is filtered out by the mechanics of the system . this signal is then passed through a voltage controlled oscillator 1210 resulting in an amplitude modulated signal 1212 , this is injected via capacitor 1214 into the coil circuit . the voltage of the coil drive 1216 including the resistors is input to the buffer and rms level detector and low passed filtered 1218 . this voltage 1220 is then compared to a dc value 1222 that sets the operating point for power dissipation in the resistors . the output of the amplifier 1223 is then used to control the variable gain amplifier 1210 . with the feedback loop properly compensated the circuit will vary the ac signal inversely to the seismic signal such that the rms power dissipation is maintained constant within the operating range of the loop . the implementation described is just one of many possible implementations of such a control loop . the novel feature is the use of a high frequency amplitude modulated ac carrier to maintain constant heating in the resistors as the low frequency seismic signal varies . an additional input is shown as digital temperature compensation 1224 , one possible implementation of this is shown in fig1 c . generally a digital system will be preferred for this system due to the very long time constants required in the control loop . the system is illustrated with inputs from three temperature sensors , sensor 1226 monitors the external temperature , sensor 1228 monitors the temperature of the frame after the thermal isolator , while sensor 1230 monitors the temperature of the proof mass . the temperature reading is converted to a digital stream via the adc 1231 and read by the microprocessor 1232 . the firmware within the microprocessor can be written using several control strategies known to those skilled in the art to produce one or more outputs that can be converted to an analog voltage by the dac 1234 . the voltages can be fed into the control loop of fig1 b 1224 or they can be used to dissipate power in a resistor 1236 that would be situated on the frame after the thermal isolator . the number of sensors and heater locations could be increased in this scheme to further reduce the temperature variation seen on the springs . fig1 illustrates the spurious mode rejection ratio for in - axis and out of axis frequencies as the number of intermediate frames is increased . we can see from fig1 that in order to maximize the rejection ratio for both in - axis and out of axis frequencies , the number of frames that should be incorporated into the design is five , one between each of the six flexural elements . as the rejection ratio rises more steeply for the off - axis case than it falls for the on - axis case , there will be an overall tendency for more frames to produce better performance . if we take an example with more flexural elements we can calculate more data points and see again the convergence of the “ on - axis ” and “ off - axis ” modes to give an improved overall rejection ratio . for example , in one preferred embodiment let us assume we have twenty - four flexural elements in order to achieve a desired frequency response . for this case , let us again plot the in - axis and out - of - axis frequencies in relation to the fundamental frequency , the so called “ spurious - mode rejection ratio ”. fig1 illustrates the spurious mode rejection ratio for in - axis and out of axis frequencies as the number of intermediate frames is increased . we can see from fig1 that in order to maximize the rejection ratio the maximum number of frames utilized in the design should be approximately twenty - three , one between each intermediate frame should be incorporated into the design . it is important to note that in some designs it may be desirable for other system considerations to not optimize for an equivalent spurious mode both for the in - axis and off - axis , but to allow say a lower off - axis spurious mode compared with the in - axis mode . this could be used for example when the off - axis is suppressed by the displacement transducer geometry , while the in - axis mode is not . the techniques presented can be used for any desired optimization . the invention also preferably includes a dampening structure that is highly effective during non - powered / non - operational states ( i . e . when the feedback control system is not powered and does not provide any dampening ). preferably , this dampening structure includes a spring / gas dampening structure configured to provide damping during non - powered states . fig1 illustrates a perspective view of a suspension plate 1500 having a spring / gas dampening structure 1510 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , each of the intermediate frames 1501 is preferably larger ( longer ) in length then the flexural elements 1503 disposed between each of the frames , with each frame traversing a larger portion of the internal cavity 1502 . the intermediate frames are also sufficiently rigid , but as light as possible , in order to suppress out of plane movement of the proof mass while also suppressing spurious resonant frequencies without breaking or fracturing . the intermediate frames 1501 are designed to physically contact with each other before the flexural elements 1503 interspersed between them are compressed sufficiently to cause damage to the flexural elements 1503 . in order to prevent fracturing and / or damage due to extreme external shock or vibration , the invention preferably further includes the specially formed spring / gas dampening structure 1510 , which provides additional damping to the system during non - powered states . turning to fig1 , there is shown a close - up view of a preferred embodiment of the spring / gas dampening structure 1510 . as shown , the preferred embodiment preferably includes one or more trapezoidal shaped pistons 1601 and engagement apertures 1602 . in a preferred embodiment , a piston 1601 is preferably positioned on the last ( most outward ) intermediate frame 1605 , facing outward , and the corresponding engagement aperture 1602 is then positioned on the inner surface of outer frame of the suspension plate 1607 , facing inward . as the most outward intermediate frame 1605 approaches the inner surface of the outer frame of the suspension plate 1607 , the piston 1601 will engage and insert into the aperture 1602 , thereby providing a dampening effect before the intermediate frame can contact the surface of the outer frame of the suspension plate . in a preferred embodiment , the cavity of the suspension plate is preferably filled with a non - conductive gas such as air or nitrogen . as the outermost intermediate frame 1605 moves toward the inner surface of the outer frame of the suspension plate 1607 , the piston 1601 engages with and inserts into the engagement aperture 1602 . as the piston recedes further into the aperture , the gas within the engagement aperture increases in pressure , causing a force to be exerted against the piston and slowing the motion of the intermediate frame until , possibly over multiple oscillations of the spring mass system , it comes to rest , thereby preventing damage to the flexural elements . alternatively , the cavity within the suspension plate may be evacuated . in this case , the spring / gas dampening structure is preferably comprised of an aperture and a corresponding piston wherein the piston is actually formed of two separate portions coupled together using a small resistance spring . fig1 is a close - up view of such an alternative embodiment of a piston 1700 used in a spring / gas damping structure , wherein the piston is formed of two separate portions coupled together using a small resistance spring . as shown , the piston includes a first half - portion 1701 and a second half - portion 1703 , which are coupled together using small resistance springs 1705 . in normal operation when the pistons are not engaged these two spring elements are separate , but as the parts contact they form a spring element . as the piston 1700 inserts further into the aperture of the spring / gas dampening structure , second half portion 1703 of the piston is pushed against and closer to the first half portion 1701 while the resistance spring provides a force against the second half portion 1703 . as the second half portion 1703 moves closer to the first half portion 1701 , the resistance from the spring increases . this spring motion can be used both to dissipate energy , but also to act as an energy store to disengage the first and second half portions to prevent them “ sticking ” together by the force of stiction and preventing the device from functioning as a spring mass system . alternatively , as shown in fig1 , a layer of damping material such as a visco - elastic polymer 1706 may be inserted between the first half portion 1701 and the second half portion 1703 , in place of or in addition to the resistance spring . a visco - elastic material block 1707 can also be deposited on top of the spring element 1705 to provide damping and energy loss in the spring . while the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof . the presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims , rather than the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced herein .	8
various embodiments of the present invention are directed towards user navigation and / or guidance within an indoor location . more specifically , various embodiments utilize indoor map - based features to constrain or adjust a predicted or estimated user location that is based upon dead - reckoning , or the like . fig1 illustrates an implementation of a logical block diagram according to some embodiments of the present invention . fig1 includes a data store 110 , a physical input 120 , a processing module 130 , and a navigation output 140 . in various embodiments , data store 110 may be implemented as a database , a file system , or any other conventional data store . data store 110 may be embodied within memory of a portable device ( e . g . ram , sd card , etc . ), as a network - based storage external to the portable device ( e . g . cloud storage , network storage , or the like . in various embodiments , data store 110 may store one or more maps representing an indoor location , e . g . a mall , a store , a factory , or the like . the map data typically indicate open regions , e . g . corridors , rooms , etc , as well as physical partitions , e . g . walls , doors , stairwell , and the like . in various embodiments , queries may be made upon data store 110 , and map data may be returned for purposes of indoor navigation , as described herein . in various embodiments , physical input 120 may include data representing physical perturbations imparted to a portable device , as described herein . in some examples , the physical perturbations include directional acceleration as determined by one or more accelerometers ; directional rotation as determined by one or more gyroscopes ; directional magnetic orientation changes determined by one or more magnetometers ; altitude changes determined by one or more pressure sensors ; or the like . in some embodiments , these types of physical perturbation sensors may be included within a portable device ( e . g . a cell phone ), or located external to the portable device , but linked ( e . g . wires , bluetooth , wi - fi , or the like ) to the portable device . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , the sensed physical perturbations may be provided as physical input 120 , and / or be signal processed and conditioned , before being provided as physical input 120 . in other embodiments , additional processing may be performed to determine an estimated position and / or heading of the physical device including the functionality described herein . in fig1 , a processing module 130 is illustrated . in various embodiments , module 130 may be implemented as one or more software programs or functions executed upon one or more microprocessors in the portable device . as illustrated , a navigation output 140 is provided as an output from processing module 130 and may be a map - data - modified user location within the indoor location , or the like , as described below . as illustrated in the example in fig1 , processing module 130 includes an identification module 150 , a weighting module 160 , a zone module 170 , a adjustment module 180 , a conflict determination module 190 , and optionally , a conflict resolution module 200 . in some embodiments , a subset of modules may be used , or additional functional modules may be provided . in various embodiments , based upon an initial user location within a map , identification module 150 may access data store 110 to determine what map - based features are physically close to the initial user location ( estimated user position and / or heading ). as mentioned above , the identified map - based features may include walls , corridors , intersections , doors , stairs , exits , shops , kiosks , or the like . in various embodiments , zone module 170 receives physical input 120 from one or more physical perturbation sensors . in various embodiments , based upon physical input 120 , a general determination is made as to whether the user is positioned within large rooms , auditoriums , gymnasiums , atriums , lobbies , open spaces , or the like within the map . in such embodiments , for map guidance purposes , there are many possible routes a user may take through such open air regions , accordingly when a user is with such regions , the map - based augmentation may be deemphasized . in various embodiments , when zone module 170 determines the user is within such “ wander zones ,” zone module 170 may direct other modules to not augment the user estimated position . for instance , zone module 170 may indicate to weighting module 160 to not assign weights to map features , may indicate to conflict determination module 190 to not return conflicts , or the like , as discussed below . in various embodiments , in weighting module 160 , weights may be dynamically assigned to specific map features close to a user &# 39 ; s estimated position within a map . as examples , a corridor where a user is currently estimated to be within is given a higher weight compared to corridors further away to where the user is estimated to be currently positioned . in some embodiments , if the user is using a guidance or navigation mode , corridors , halls , doors , stairs , or the like along a suggested navigation path may also be associated with a higher weight compared to equally distant map features not along the suggested navigation path . in some embodiments , based upon the user &# 39 ; s estimated position with a map and the weightings determined in weighting module 160 , a map - based adjustment , illustrated in examples below , are determined in adjustment module 180 . in some examples , the adjustments may suggest a correction to the user &# 39 ; s estimate position from an edge of a hallway towards the middle of the hallway ; the adjustments may suggest a correction to the user &# 39 ; s estimated heading from a first direction , e . g . north east , to a second direction , e . g . east . ; or the like . in some embodiments , an estimated user position ( even after adjustment , above ) may conflict with specific map features and require resolution . in conflict determination module 190 , the estimated user position ( after adjustment ) is compared to known map features or obstacles , e . g . walls , pillars , built - in furniture , or the like to see if they overlap . as examples , the estimated user position may be within a wall , outside a building , or the like . if such a conflict is determined , in various embodiments , conflict resolution module 200 typically modifies the estimated user position to eliminate the conflict . this may include modifying the user position to be within a corridor , along a navigation path , or the like . as illustrated in fig1 , after augmentation due to map - based weighting and / or map - based conflict resolution , an estimated user position is output as navigation output 140 . fig2 illustrates an example according to various embodiments of the present invention . more specifically , fig2 illustrates an example of map - based augmentation of a user &# 39 ; s estimated position and heading . in fig2 , an example of a map 300 is illustrated including a number of walls 310 , corridors 320 , doors 320 . in various embodiments , as described above , dead reckoning data , or the like may be used to determine an estimated user position within a map . this estimated position may then be blended with map - based features . in various embodiments , these map - based updates may be used to logically constrain the estimated user positions to locations that make sense within the context of a map . in other words , it makes logical sense that the user is walking into a meeting room rather than walking into a broom closet . as discussed above , in some embodiments , based upon an estimated position 340 , corridors 350 and 360 may have weights assigned thereto . each candidate corridor would have a certain level of attraction that would pull the estimated position 340 toward it . in this example , as corridor 350 is closer or more closely aligned to estimated position 340 , the estimated position 340 may be modified to position 340 ′. in various examples , the estimated user positions may be drawn towards the middle of the pre - determined corridors , or the like . in various embodiments , modification of an estimate user heading may also be performed . for example , if a user is walking down a straight narrow corridor , the estimated user heading may be heavily constrained to face down the hallway , however if the user is walking in an area with many turns , the estimated user heading may be less constrained . in an implementation , in areas with long straight corridors , or the like , the map - based heading constraints that may have a heavier weight compared to areas with many turns . in fig2 , examples of constraint resolution are also illustrated . in fig2 , estimated user positions ( and headings ) 360 , 370 , and 380 are shown . in map 300 , these estimated user positions ( and headings ) indicate that the user is walking through a solid internal wall 390 . in various embodiments , as was discussed above , each of these positions 360 - 370 are compared to map features within a conflict determination module 190 , which determines the conflicts with wall 390 . accordingly , conflict resolution module 200 modifies each estimated user positions 360 - 380 to positions within map 300 that make more logical sense , e . g . modified positions 360 ′, 370 ′ and 380 ′, respectively . in some embodiments of the present invention , the navigation output 140 ( e . g . the modified estimated user location ) may be fed - back into processing module 130 to help refine modifications to the estimated user locations . in other embodiments , such a feedback loop may not be needed . in some embodiments , feedback may be in the form of the user indicating that they reached a destination , the user taking a picture , a portable device sensing of other signals ( e . g . wi - fi signals , bluetooth signals , rf signals , nfc signals , or the like ). fig3 illustrates a functional block diagram of various embodiments of the present invention . in fig3 , a computing device 400 typically includes an applications processor 410 , memory 420 , a touch screen display 430 and driver 440 , an image acquisition device 450 , audio input / output devices 460 , and the like . additional communications from and to computing device are typically provided by via a wired interface 470 , a gps / wi - fi / bluetooth interface 480 , rf interfaces 490 and driver 500 , and the like . also included in various embodiments are physical sensors 510 . in various embodiments , computing device 400 may be a hand - held computing device ( e . g . apple ipad , apple itouch , lenovo skylight / ideapad , asus eee series , microsoft 8 tablet , samsung galaxy tab , android tablet ), a portable telephone ( e . g . apple iphone , motorola droid series , google nexus series , htc sensation , samsung galaxy s series , nokia lumina series ), a portable computer ( e . g . netbook , laptop , ultrabook ), a media player ( e . g . microsoft zune , apple ipod ), a reading device ( e . g . amazon kindle fire , barnes and noble nook ), or the like . typically , computing device 400 may include one or more processors 410 . such processors 410 may also be termed application processors , and may include a processor core , a video / graphics core , and other cores . processors 410 may be a processor from apple ( a4 / a5 ), intel ( atom ), nvidia ( tegra 3 , 4 , 5 ), marvell ( armada ), qualcomm ( snapdragon ), samsung , ti ( omap ), or the like . in various embodiments , the processor core may be an intel processor , an arm holdings processor such as the cortex - a , - m , - r or arm series processors , or the like . further , in various embodiments , the video / graphics core may be an imagination technologies processor powervr - sgx , - mbx , - vgx graphics , an nvidia graphics processor ( e . g . geforce ), or the like . other processing capability may include audio processors , interface controllers , and the like . it is contemplated that other existing and / or later - developed processors may be used in various embodiments of the present invention . in various embodiments , memory 420 may include different types of memory ( including memory controllers ), such as flash memory ( e . g . nor , nand ), pseudo sram , ddr sdram , or the like . memory 420 may be fixed within computing device 400 or removable ( e . g . sd , sdhc , mmc , mini sd , micro sd , cf , sim ). the above are examples of computer readable tangible media that may be used to store embodiments of the present invention , such as computer - executable software code ( e . g . firmware , application programs ), application data , operating system data or the like . it is contemplated that other existing and / or later - developed memory and memory technology may be used in various embodiments of the present invention . in various embodiments , touch screen display 430 and driver 440 may be based upon a variety of later - developed or current touch screen technology including resistive displays , capacitive displays , optical sensor displays , electromagnetic resonance , or the like . additionally , touch screen display 430 may include single touch or multiple - touch sensing capability . any later - developed or conventional output display technology may be used for the output display , such as tft - lcd , oled , plasma , trans - reflective ( pixel qi ), electronic ink ( e . g . electrophoretic , electrowetting , interferometric modulating ). in various embodiments , the resolution of such displays and the resolution of such touch sensors may be set based upon engineering or non - engineering factors ( e . g . sales , marketing ). in some embodiments of the present invention , a display output port , such as an hdmi - based port or dvi - based port may also be included . in some embodiments of the present invention , image capture device 450 may include a sensor , driver , lens and the like . the sensor may be based upon any later - developed or convention sensor technology , such as cmos , ccd , or the like . in various embodiments of the present invention , image recognition software programs are provided to process the image data . for example , such software may provide functionality such as : facial recognition , head tracking , camera parameter control , or the like . in various embodiments , audio input / output 460 may include conventional microphone ( s )/ speakers . in some embodiments of the present invention , three - wire or four - wire audio connector ports are included to enable the user to use an external audio device such as external speakers , headphones or combination headphone / microphones . in various embodiments , voice processing and / or recognition software may be provided to applications processor 410 to enable the user to operate computing device 400 by stating voice commands . additionally , a speech engine may be provided in various embodiments to enable computing device 400 to provide audio status messages , audio response messages , or the like . in various embodiments , wired interface 470 may be used to provide data transfers between computing device 400 and an external source , such as a computer , a remote server , a storage network , another computing device 400 , or the like . such data may include application data , operating system data , firmware , or the like . embodiments may include any later - developed or conventional physical interface / protocol , such as : usb 4 . 0 , 5 . 0 , micro usb , mini usb , firewire , apple ipod connector , ethernet , pots , or the like . additionally , software that enables communications over such networks is typically provided . in various embodiments , a wireless interface 480 may also be provided to provide wireless data transfers between computing device 400 and external sources , such as computers , storage networks , headphones , microphones , cameras , or the like . as illustrated in fig3 , wireless protocols may include wi - fi ( e . g . ieee 802 . 11a / b / g / n , wimax ), bluetooth , ir , near field communication ( nfc ), zigbee and the like . gps receiving capability may also be included in various embodiments of the present invention , however is not required . as illustrated in fig3 , gps functionality is included as part of wireless interface 480 merely for sake of convenience , although in implementation , such functionality is currently performed by circuitry that is distinct from the wi - fi circuitry and distinct from the bluetooth circuitry . additional wireless communications may be provided via rf interfaces 490 and drivers 500 in various embodiments . in various embodiments , rf interfaces 490 may support any future - developed or conventional radio frequency communications protocol , such as cdma - based protocols ( e . g . wcdma ), gsm - based protocols , hsupa - based protocols , or the like . in the embodiments illustrated , driver 500 is illustrated as being distinct from applications processor 410 . however , in some embodiments , these functionality are provided upon a single ic package , for example the marvel pxa330 processor , and the like . it is contemplated that some embodiments of computing device 400 need not include the rf functionality provided by rf interface 490 and driver 500 . fig3 also illustrates computing device 400 to include physical sensors 510 . in various embodiments of the present invention , physical sensors 510 are multi - axis micro - electro - mechanical systems ( mems ) based devices being developed by m - cube , the assignee of the present patent application . physical sensors 510 developed by m - cube , the assignee of the present patent application , currently include very low power three - axis sensors ( linear , gyro or magnetic ); ultra - low jitter three - axis sensors ( linear , gyro or magnetic ); low cost six - axis motion sensor ( combination of linear , gyro , and / or magnetic ); ten - axis sensors ( linear , gyro , magnetic , pressure ); and various combinations thereof . various embodiments may include an accelerometer with a reduced substrate displacement bias , as described above . accordingly , using such embodiments , computing device 400 is expected to have a lower sensitivity to temperature variations , lower sensitivity to production / assembly forces imparted upon to an accelerometer , faster calibration times , lower production costs , and the like . as described in the patent applications referenced above , various embodiments of physical sensors 510 are manufactured using a foundry - compatible process . as explained in such applications , because the process for manufacturing such physical sensors can be performed on a standard cmos fabrication facility , it is expected that there will be a broader adoption of such components into computing device 400 . in other embodiments of the present invention , conventional physical sensors 510 from bosch , stmicroelectronics , analog devices , kionix or the like may be used . in various embodiments , any number of future developed or current operating systems may be supported , such as iphone os ( e . g . ios ), windowsmobile ( e . g . 7 , 8 ), google android ( e . g . 5 . x , 4 . x ), symbian , or the like . in various embodiments of the present invention , the operating system may be a multi - threaded multi - tasking operating system . accordingly , inputs and / or outputs from and to touch screen display 430 and driver 440 and inputs / or outputs to physical sensors 510 may be processed in parallel processing threads . in other embodiments , such events or outputs may be processed serially , or the like . inputs and outputs from other functional blocks may also be processed in parallel or serially , in other embodiments of the present invention , such as image acquisition device 450 and physical sensors 510 . fig3 is representative of one computing device 400 capable of embodying the present invention . it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many other hardware and software configurations are suitable for use with the present invention . embodiments of the present invention may include at least some but need not include all of the functional blocks illustrated in fig3 . for example , in various embodiments , computing device 400 may lack image acquisition unit 450 , or rf interface 490 and / or driver 500 , or gps capability , or the like . additional functions may also be added to various embodiments of computing device 400 , such as a physical keyboard , an additional image acquisition device , a trackball or trackpad , a joystick , or the like . further , it should be understood that multiple functional blocks may be embodied into a single physical package or device , and various functional blocks may be divided and be performed among separate physical packages or devices . further embodiments can be envisioned to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure . in other embodiments , combinations or sub - combinations of the above disclosed invention can be advantageously made . the block diagrams of the architecture and flow charts are grouped for ease of understanding . however it should be understood that combinations of blocks , additions of new blocks , re - arrangement of blocks , and the like are contemplated in alternative embodiments of the present invention . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims .	7
according to this invention , in an integrated circuit manufacturing process employing ion implantation to dope a semiconductor , an electrically inactive species is implanted well beneath the dopant implant to retard diffusion of the implant deeper into the semiconductor . fig1 shows a typical , well known , as - implanted profile of boron dopant atoms in single crystal silicon , along with profiles after 35 minute furnace anneals at temperatures ranging between 700 ° c . and 1100 ° c . the diffusion occurring during the anneal cycles broadens the dopant profiles and shifts the leading edge deeper into the substrate , causing the aforementioned problems in mos device performance . fig2 shows well known calculated damage density profiles caused by boron implantation at energies ranging between 10 kev and 1000 kev . the depth x into the sample is normalized by the projected range r p of the implanted ions themselves . the calculated damage density profiles are similar in shape to the ideal as - implanted boron profile , but the peak position is at a shallower depth than the dopant peak position . at higher implant energies the damage peak more closely coincides with the dopant peak . fig3 shows a model of the motion of dopants through a silicon lattice via interstitial , interstitialcy , and vacancy mechanisms . in interstitial kickout , a substitutional dopant atom 2 in a lattice site of silicon lattice 4 is &# 34 ; kicked out &# 34 ; by a silicon interstitial atom 6 , after which dopant atom 2 moves between lattice sites 8 through interstitial region 10 until it encounters another vacant site or itself kicks out an atom from an occupied site . the interstitialcy mechanism schematic shows a silicon interstitial atom 12 doubly occupying silicon lattice site 14 along with silicon atom 15 . interstitial 12 then moves to doubly occupy lattice site 16 along with dopant atom 18 , which then moves to doubly occupy lattice site 20 with silicon atom 22 . these interstitial and interstitialcy mechanisms , which are the dominant diffusion mechanisms for boron , indium , and phosphorus , provide for much faster diffusion rate than does the vacancy mechanism , whereby dopant atom 24 moves only from lattice site 26 to neighboring vacancy 28 , leaving vacancy 29 . with reference to fig4 a concentration profile is shown for a double implant structure utilizing this inventive process . the structure comprises a dopant species , boron by way of example , having concentration peak 30 at depth d 1 , and an electrically inactive species , argon by way of example , having concentration peak 32 at depth d 2 , well below d 1 . damage from implantation of the dopant species results in silicon interstitial peak 34 at depth d 3 , slightly shallower than depth d 1 of dopant peak 30 . similarly , damage from implantation of the electrically non - active species results in silicon interstitial peak 36 at depth d 4 , slightly shallower than depth d 2 of peak 32 , but deeper than depth d 1 , of dopant peak 30 . interstitial gradient 38 , which is negative towards greater depth , is associated with interstitial peak 34 and causes transient enhanced diffusion of the dopant into the silicon during subsequent anneal . this would increase junction depth if the dopant implant were a source / drain or ldd implant . however , the negative or &# 34 ; downhill &# 34 ; direction of interstitial gradient 40 associated with interstitial peak 36 from the electrically inactive species implant , is towards the surface . gradient 40 would thereby oppose diffusion of the dopant deeper into the silicon during subsequent anneal . gradient 38 is termed the &# 34 ; accelerating gradient &# 34 ;, and gradient 40 is termed the &# 34 ; retarding gradient &# 34 ;. to achieve the retarding effect , peak 32 is positioned sufficiently deeper than dopant peak 30 so that interstitial gradient 40 is deeper than the dopant atoms to be retarded . implantation of the electrically inactive species , thereby forming a &# 34 ; retarding implant &# 34 ;, may precede or follow implantation of the dopant species . with reference to fig5 a process flow is shown for a preferred embodiment of my invention as it would be applied to the source / drain and ldd implants of a pmos transistor with a polysilicon gate , as illustrated in fig7 . in step 42 , a silicon substrate is provided having a grown gate oxide at its surface and having a polysilicon gate thereon . in step 44 , implantation of boron ldd structures is performed , using standard methods with the polysilicon gate serving as an implant mask , and the implanted dopant species ions penetrating the substrate in the regions not covered by the polysilicon . typical doses for step 44 implant are 4 - 5 e13 / cm 2 , energies of 25 - 35 kev using bf 2 + ions as the implanted boron containing species . in step 46 , a further implantation is performed , this time with argon , at a 1e13 to 1e14 / cm 2 dose range with the polysilicon gate serving as the implant mask , and with the implantation energy which is generally in the 300 - 400 kev range , selected so that the resulting non - active argon concentration peak is positioned well below the ldd implant ( fig6 b , 62 ). in step 48 , gate sidewall spacers of 1000 - 1500 a width are generally formed using standard deposition and etchback techniques ( fig7 ). sidewall spacers are not always required , so this step may be optional . in step 50 , implantation of source / drain structures is performed , using standard methods , with the polysilicon gate ( and sidewall spacers ) serving as an implant mask . typical s / d implantation parameters are in the ranges of 50 - 100 kev energy , 1e15 to 5e15 / cm 2 dose . standard rapid thermal anneal ( rtp ) steps may be implemented during the process . these are typically in the range of 980 °- 1050 ° c . for 30 to 60 seconds . with reference to prior art fig6 a , ldd regions with implants 52 of boron , by way of example , are shown in silicon substrate 53 , having surface 51 with junction 54 , 59 there between . polysilicon gate 55 having edges 55 &# 39 ; is over gate oxide 56 and serves as a mask for implants 52 . the implanted ions penetrate into the substrate through regions 57 not covered by polysilicon 55 . side scatter during implantation causes ldd implants to extend laterally beneath gate 55 a lateral distance 58 , to lateral junction portion 59 . the vertically displaced junction portion 54 at depth 64 &# 39 ; and lateral junction portion 59 together comprise the &# 34 ; leading edge &# 34 ; of the ldd implant . channel 60 is disposed between implants 52 . without utilizing my invention , annealing results in diffusion of implants 52 and causes motion of the dopant atoms in the direction of arrows 61 , causing junction portion 54 to deepen and channel 60 to shorten . with reference to fig6 b , according to my invention , additional retarding implants 62 of an electrically inactive species , argon by way of example , are positioned with trailing edge portions 63 forming a boundary portion between the inactive implant 62 and the substrate , 53 at a vertical depth 64 well below depth 64 &# 39 ; ldd implant junctions 54 . polysilicon gate 55 serves as a mask for retarding implants 62 , the implanted ions penetrating into the substrate through regions 65 not covered by polysilicon 55 . side scatter causes lateral trailing edge portions 67 of implants 62 to extend a lateral distance 68 beneath gate 55 which is greater than the lateral distance 58 of edges 59 of the ldd active species implant , edge portion 67 thereby forming a second boundary portion . in this case , dopant and damage profiles in the lateral direction are equivalent to those extending vertically into the substrate , as previously described . therefore , the presence of the retarding implants further beneath the gate both impedes lateral diffusion of ldd active species implants into channel region 60 , thereby decreasing short - channel effects for a given gate dimension , and also impedes vertical diffusion of the active species into the substrate . with reference to fig7 showing ldd region 52 , sidewall spacer 72 , and source / drain structures , the ldd implant 52 extends under gate 55 a distance 58 to junction portion 59 . source / drain implant 70 is masked by polysilicon gate 55 and by sidewall spacer 72 , and extends laterally to form junction portion 74 . source / drain vertical displaced junciton portion 76 is deeper than ldd junction portion 54 , but source / drain lateral junction portion 74 does not extend as far under gate 55 as does ldd lateral junction portion 59 . electrically inactive retarding implants 78 , 62 having different implantation energies are shown . lower energy implant 78 extends deeper than both source / drain junction 76 and ldd junction 54 . however , its lateral edge 80 is between junction 59 of ldd implant and junction 74 of source / drain implant . therefore , while implant 78 would retard lateral diffusion of source / drain implant 70 , it would enhance and accelerate lateral spread of ldd implant 52 . higher energy retarding implant 62 is positioned deeper ( 63 ) than both source / drain junction 76 and ldd junction 54 . additionally , its lateral edge 67 extends further beneath gate 55 than do junction 59 of ldd implant and junction 74 of source / drain implant . implant 62 would retard both vertical and lateral diffusion of ldd and source / drain implants . optimum energy of the retarding implant depends on ldd implant energy and dose , source / drain energy and dose , width of sidewall spacer , and temperature and duration of post - implant heat cycles . by way of example , for a case where the ldd spacer oxide width is ˜ 1300 å , the n + implant is as + implanted @ 80 kev , the nldd implant is phosphorous implanted @ 25 kev and baked at 900 ° c . for approximately 45 minutes , the retarding implant 62 will be implanted at an energy chosen , in the 300 - 400 kev range , to reach its rp ( measured laterally under the gate , not vertically ) at 3000 å , with the resultant peak of interstitials at 2400å . utilizing my invention , diffusion of dopants during high temperature post - anneal processing will be retarded by the opposing interstitial gradient . this effect , while transient in nature , is expected to have large impact on final dopant profiles , since it will occur during the critical period of transient enhanced diffusion caused by the damage from the retarding implant . as a result of my invention , source - drain junctions will diffuse less and therefore remain shallower , and lateral spread of ldd implants into the channel region will be decreased . the process will not cause formation of an amorphous layer because the retarding implant doses are only in the range of 1e13 to 1e14 , therefore implant damage will be repaired by subsequent anneal steps . the process is easily incorporated into standard mos manufacturing process flows . whereas the invention as described utilizes a boron ldd and source / drain implant and an argon retarding implant following ldd implant , it is not essential that this exact process be followed . by way of example , the retarding implant could be performed before the ldd implant , using the gate as a mask , or it could be performed after the sidewall spacers were formed , either before or after the source / drain implant . in this case , a higher retarding implant energy would be required to position the lateral edge of the retarding implant further under the gate than the lateral edge of the ldd implant . also by way of example , this invention would also be effective in retarding arsenic or phosphorus ldd and source / drain implant diffusion . additionally , the retarding implant could be comprised of any electrically inactive species , preferably of relatively low atomic mass . the scope of the invention should be construed in light of the claims . with this in mind ,	7
in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 through fig6 the ornamental flower bed base assembly or matrix material 1 according to this invention comprises a base plate 2 and a plurality of flower plant holders 3 which can be removably mounted on said base plate 2 . the base plate 2 is part of a hollow base frame 4 forming a semi - spherical curved surface and a plurality of circular mounting openings or insertion through - holes 5 disposed at uniform intervals over the entire surface of said hollow base frame 4 . this base plate 2 is made of plastics or light metal so that it will not contribute much to the overall weight . the flower plant holders 3 are also made of lightweight plastics and , in this particular embodiment , each consists of a top ring - shaped flange frame 6 , a ring - shaped bottom frame 7 and a plurality of longitudinal frame members 8 interconnecting said top and bottom frames and forming a lateral side of the flower plant holder 3 . therefore , this flower plant holder is open not only at the top but has ample irrigation openings or orifices 9 along the lateral and bottom sides . moreover , this flower plant holder 3 has a flower plant anti - slip member 10 adapted to prevent accidental slip - off of the flower plants . the anti - slip member 10 , in this embodiment , comprises a top ring - shaped , inwardly - oriented flange 11 , a plurality of legs 12 projecting downwards from said flange 11 with some outwardly biasing resilient force , and an engaging projection 14 having upper and lower tapered guide faces 13 . when this flower plant antislip member 10 is inserted into the holder 3 , said projection 14 is engageable with the lower edge of the flange frame 6 of the holder 3 . the overall configuration of the holder 3 is preferably a tapered shape like the usual flower pot , for the mounting thereof into the insertion throughhole 5 can then be carried out smoothly . moreover , the outer diameter of the top portion of the holder 3 is preferably made slightly larger than the inner diameter of the insertion through - hole 5 , for the holder is then fit tight into the hole 5 so that it will not easily move off . to set the holder 3 securely in the insertion through - hole 5 , one may insert the holder 3 into the hole 5 and cause the projection 14 of the flower plant anti - slip member 10 to engage the lower circumferential edge of the insertion hole 5 . the holder 3 can be easily dislodged from the insertion through - hole 5 by pulling the holder 3 in the outward direction . as an alternative mounting method , though not shown , it may be so arranged that an engaging projection having upper and lower guide faces is provided externally of the longitudinal frame 8 of the holder so that when the holder is removably inserted into the insertion throughhole , said projection engages the inner portion of the peripheral edge of the through - hole . many other mounting modes may be used without departing from the scope of this invention . the following is a description of an exemplary procedure for planting flower plants in the flower plant holder 3 constructed as above . in order to prevent spilling of soil a from the holder , a material b having both water - penetrability and water - holding properties such as sphagnum ( moss ), polyurethane from sponge , rock wool or the like is first set in position and , then , soil a is poured into the holder . flower plants c are then planted in the soil and an additional amount of said material b is laid over the roots of the plants . by so doing , the soil a is precluded from being scattered away or the irrigation water from oozing out from the irrigation orifices . when grown in this condition for a certain time , the flower plants c grow and develop in the holder 3 and the flower plants are positively protected by the anti - slip members of the holder against slip - off so that even if the holder is inclined on its side or inverted , the flower plants will not slip off from the holder . fig7 and 8 show another embodiment of the flower plant holder according to this invention . this flower plant holder 3 , too , is made of lightweight plastics and is provided with a plurality of slit - like irrigation openings or orifices 15 , moreover , in a plurality of positions on the upper part of the peripheral wall of the holder 3 , a couple of engaging projections 17 , 17 having upper and lower tapered mounting guide faces 16 , respectively , are provided in two vertical rows at suitable intervals . in addition , at appropriate intervals on the top peripheral part of the flower plant holder 3 , a plurality of flanges 19 each having an engaging hole 18 are provided . moreover , this flower plant holder 3 is provided with an anti - slip means 20 adapted to prevent accidental slip - off of the flower plants from the holder 3 . this anti - slip member 20 is also molded from lightweight plastics and consists of a ring - shaped anti - slip body , the diameter of which is smaller than the inner diameter of the top opening of holder 3 and a plurality of engaging members 22 adapted to be inserted into the respective engaging holes 18 of the holder 3 , each of said engaging members extending downwardly from the outer periphery of said body 21 . as shown in fig7 this engaging member 22 has an engaging land 23 disposed on the outer side of each of its two legs and as these two legs of each engaging member 22 are forced into the corresponding engaging hole 18 , the engaging lands 23 are engaged by the lower edge of the flange 19 so as to mount the anti - slip member 20 on the top of the flower plant holder 3 . moreover , by closing the two legs of each engaging member 20 by inward biasing , the anti - slip member 20 can be separated from the flower plant holder 3 . moreover , the ring - shaped body 21 of this anti - slip member 20 is discontinuous in one position so that even if there is a minor error in the relative position of each engaging hole 18 and engaging member 22 , this discontinuation 24 assures smooth engagement and disengagement between the two elements . as shown in fig8 the flower plant holder 3 having the above construction can be positively mounted in the insertion through - hole 5 by inserting the holder 3 into the hole 5 and , then , engaging the peripheral edge of the insertion through - hole 5 between the engaging projections 17 in the upper row , among the projections 17 , 17 provided in two vertical rows , and a reinforcing rib 19a of each flange 19 . the holder 3 may be easily dismounted from the insertion throughhole 5 by pulling it outwardly . the engaging projections 17 in the lower row are provided as a secondary means for preventing disengagement of the holder 3 from the insertion through - hole 5 when the engaging projections 17 in the upper row are accidentally disengaged from the insertion through - hole 5 . then , a variety of modes can be employed for assembling such flower plant holders 3 carrying flower plants with the base plate 2 to construct an ornamental flower bed . to construct a spherical ornamental flower bed f as illustrated in fig9 for instance , two base plates 2 each part of a hollow spherically curved base frame 4 may be jointed by mating their open ends with each other and mounting a plurality of holders 3 carrying flower plants c into the respective insertion through - holes 5 of the base plate 2 . and the spherical ornamental flower bed f can for example be used as suspended from both ends of the horizontal beam e of a pole d as illustrated in fig9 . in this arrangement , the attractiveness of the flower balls as an ornamental flower bed is further enhanced . when it is desired to construct a wall type ornamental flower bed f such as the one shown in fig1 , a rectangular hollow base plate having a flat surface ( not shown ) may be provided with a multiplicity of circular or rectangular insertion through - holes at equal intervals over its entire surface and a flower plant holder 3 carrying flower plants be inserted into each of the through - holes . the resulting product is a flower wall type ornamental flower bed f . the above description pertains only to some preferred embodiments of this invention and these embodiments are only illustrative of the invention and by no means limitative of the scope of the invention . thus , many changes and modifications may be made in the shape , construction , relative position , etc . of said base plate 2 , insersion through - holes 5 , flower plant holders 3 , irrigation orifices 9 , 15 , anti - slip members 10 , 20 , engaging projections 14 , 17 and so on without departing from the scope of this invention .	0
in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth . however , it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known circuits , structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of this description . fig2 is a block flow diagram of an embodiment of a method 212 of counting events in a logic device . in various embodiments , the method may be performed by a general - purpose processor , a special - purpose processor ( e . g ., a graphics processor or a digital signal processor ), a hardware accelerator , a controller , or another type of logic device . at block 214 , an event count of an event counter may be stored . the event counter may count events that occur during execution within the logic device . then , the event counter may be restored to the stored event count , at block 216 . typically , the event counter has counted additional events between the time the event count was stored and the time the event count was restored . advantageously , the ability to store and restore the event count of the event counter may allow certain events to be excluded from the final event count . in one or more embodiments , events during aborted and / or un - committed execution , which is not committed to final program flow , may be excluded . for example , in one or more embodiments , events during aborted and / or un - committed speculative execution may be excluded from the final event count . alternatively , events during other types of execution may optionally be excluded from the final event count . fig3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a logic device 320 . in various embodiments , the logic device may include a general - purpose processor , a special - purpose processor ( e . g ., a graphics processor or a digital signal processor ), a hardware accelerator , a controller , or another type of logic device . in one or more embodiments , the logic device has out - of - order execution logic . the logic device has an event counter 322 . the event counter may count events that occur during execution within the logic device . for example , the counter may be incremented each time an event of a specific type occurs . the event counter has an event count 324 . suitable event counters are known in the arts . the event counters are sometimes referred to in the arts as event monitoring counters , performance monitoring counters , or simply performance counters . further information on particular examples of suitable performance monitoring counters , if desired , is available in intel ® 64 and ia - 32 architectures software developer &# 39 ; s manual , volume 3b , system programming guide , part 2 , order number 253669 - 032us , september 2009 . see e . g ., chapters 20 and 30 , and appendices a - b . in one or more embodiments , the event counter is a hardware counter and / or includes circuitry . event counter checkpoint logic 326 is coupled with , or otherwise in communication with , the event counter 322 . a brief explanation of the term “ coupled ” may be helpful . the term “ coupled ” is broader than the term “ connected ”. as used herein , the term “ connected ” means that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact . likewise , the term “ coupled ” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact . however , the term “ coupled ” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct physical or electrical contact , but may still cooperate , interact , or communicate with one other . for example , the event counter and the event counter checkpoint logic may be coupled with one another through one or more intervening components . the event counter checkpoint logic 326 is operable to store the event count 324 of the event counter 322 . the term “ checkpoint ” is sometimes used to mean different things . for clarity , as used herein , the term “ checkpointing ,” as in the phrase check pointing an event count , is intended to mean that the event count is stored or otherwise preserved . likewise , the “ event counter checkpoint logic ” is intended to mean that the logic is operable to store or otherwise preserve the event count . in other words , the term checkpointing as used herein is not intended to inherit additional meaning other than what is explicitly stated herein . as shown , in one or more embodiments , the logic device may optionally have an event count storage location 328 to store an event count 330 . in one or more embodiments , the event count storage location may include one or more special - purpose registers ( e . g ., one or more dedicated event counter registers ) located on - die with the logic device . alternatively , in one or more embodiments , the event count storage location may not be part of the logic device . for example , the event count storage location may be part of system memory . an event count restore logic 332 is coupled with , or otherwise in communication with , the event counter . also , in the particular illustrated embodiment , the event count restore logic is coupled with , or otherwise in communication with , the optional event count storage location . the event count restore logic is operable to restore the event count 324 of the event counter 322 to the stored event count 330 . in the illustration , the particular stored event count 330 is m . the illustration also shows an example of restoring the event count 324 of the event counter 322 from the value ( m + n ) back to the stored event count value of m . in this example , n may represent a count of events that occur in aborted and / or un - committed execution which are excluded from the final event count . one area in which embodiments disclosed herein may find great utility is in the area of speculative execution . speculative execution generally refers to the execution of code speculatively before being certain that the execution of this code should take place and / or is needed . such speculative execution may be used to help improve performance and tends to be more useful when early execution consumes lesser resources than later execution would , and the savings are enough to compensate for the possible wasted resources if the execution was not needed . performance tuning inside speculative regions tends to be challenging partly because it is difficult to distinguish event counts that occur during speculative regions that are not committed to final execution from events that occur during speculative regions that are committed to final execution . speculative execution is used for various different purposes and in various different ways . as one example , speculative execution is often used with branch prediction . fig4 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment 401 of counting events during speculative execution performed in conjunction with branch prediction . initially , m events 406 may be counted by an event counter prior to a conditional branch instruction ( or other control flow instruction ) 432 . the conditional branch instruction results in a branch in program flow . in the illustration two branches are shown . when the conditional branch instruction is encountered , the logic device may not know which of the two branches is the correct branch to be taken . instead , branch prediction may be used to predict which branch is the correct branch . then speculative execution may be performed earlier assuming that the predicted branch is correct . if the predicted branch is later confirmed to be correct , then the speculative execution may be committed to final code flow . otherwise , if the predicted branch is later determined to be incorrect , then the speculative execution of the incorrect branch may be aborted . all computation past the branch point may be discarded . this execution is un - committed execution that is not committed to final code flow . execution may then be rolled back and the correct branch may be executed un - speculatively . checkpointing may be used to record the architectural state prior to the speculative execution so that the architectural state may be rolled back to the state it was at prior to the speculative execution . checkpointing is traditionally used for such fault tolerance , but as previously described event counters are not traditionally checkpointed . such branch prediction and speculative execution is well known in the arts . referring again to the illustration , after encountering the branch instruction 432 , and before counting events for the initially predicted branch , in accordance with one or more embodiments , the event count ( m ) of the event counter may be checkpointed or stored 434 . in one or more embodiments , a conditional branch instruction , or other control flow instruction , may represent a trigger to cause the logic device to checkpoint the event counter . then , the branch 436 on the right - hand side ( in this particular case ), which is the initially predicted branch , may be executed speculatively . as shown , n additional events 4 may be counted by the event counter before the speculative execution is stopped ( e . g ., it is determined that this branch is incorrect ). the speculative execution for this branch may be aborted and not committed to final code flow . as shown , the value of the event counter when the last event of this branch was counted may be ( m + n ). after deciding to abort the initially predicted branch , and before counting events of the committed branch 440 , in accordance with one or more embodiments , the previously stored event count ( m ) of the event counter may be restored 438 . in one or more embodiments , a decision to abort a speculatively executed branch may represent a trigger to cause the logic device to restore the event counter to a stored event count . the stored event count ( m ) may then b ˜ discarded . the stored event count ( m ) may also be discarded if alternatively the speculative execution discussed above was committed instead of aborted . without limitation , the program counter , registers , stacks , altered memory locations , as well as other parameters traditionally checkpointed during such speculative execution , may also be restored to their checkpointed values , although the scope of the invention is not limited in this regard . execution may then resume un - speculatively with the committed branch 440 on the left - hand side ( in this particular case ). the committed branch is now known to be the correct branch . the execution of the committed branch is committed to final code flow . as shown , the event counter , upon counting the first event of the committed branch , may have the event count ( m + 1 ), instead of ( m + n + 1 ), which would be the case if the n events counted during the aborted speculative execution were not excluded . as another example , speculative execution is often performed in conjunction with transactional memory . fig5 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment 501 of counting events during speculative execution performed in conjunction with execution in a transactional memory 550 . initially , m events 506 may be counted by an event counter . the count ( m ) may represent a positive integer . then a determination to perform transactional memory execution may be made . transactional memory execution is known in the arts . a detailed understanding of transactional memory execution is not needed to understand the present disclosure , although a brief overview may be helpful . some logic devices may execute multiple threads concurrently . traditionally , before a thread accesses a shared resource , it may acquire a lock of the shared resource . in situations where the shared resource is a data structure stored in memory , all threads that are attempting to access the same resource may serialize the execution of their operations in light of mutual exclusivity provided by the locking mechanism . additionally , there tends to be high communication overhead . this may be detrimental to system performance and / or in some cases may cause program failures , e . g ., due to deadlock . to reduce performance loss resulting from utilization of locking mechanisms , some logic devices may use transactional memory . transactional memory generally refers to a synchronization model that may allow multiple threads to concurrently access a shared resource without utilizing a locking mechanism . transactional memory may provide speculative lock elision . in transactional memory execution code may be executed speculatively within a transactional memory region without the lock . checkpointing may be used to record the architectural state prior to the speculative execution so that the architectural state may be rolled back to the state it was at prior to the speculative execution if failure or abort occurs . if the speculative execution succeeds , the performance impact of locks may be elided . if the speculative execution is aborted , such as , for example , another component or process acquires the lock , the checkpointed architectural state may be restored . the code may then be executed un - speculatively in the transactional memory region . referring again to the illustration , after determining to perform transactional memory execution , and before counting events during the transactional memory execution , in accordance with one or more embodiments , the event count ( m ) of the event counter may be checkpointed or stored 534 . in one or more embodiments , a determination to perform transactional memory execution may represent a trigger to cause the logic device to checkpoint the event counter . then , the execution may be performed in the transactional memory speculatively . as shown , n additional events 508 may be counted by the event counter before the speculative execution in the transactional memory is stopped or aborted . the speculative transactional memory execution may not be committed to final code flow . as shown , the value of the event counter when the last event was counted may be ( m + n ). after deciding to abort the speculative transactional memory execution , and before counting additional events , in accordance with one or more embodiments , the previously stored event count ( m ) of the event counter may be restored 538 . in one or more embodiments , a decision to abort speculative transactional memory execution may represent a trigger to cause the logic device to restore the event counter to a stored event count . the stored event count ( m ) may then be discarded . the stored event count ( m ) may also be discarded if alternatively the speculative execution discussed above was committed instead of aborted . without limitation , the program counter , registers , stacks , altered memory locations , as well as other parameters traditionally checkpointed during such speculative execution , may also be restored to their checkpointed values , although the scope of the invention is not limited in this regard . execution may then resume . un - speculatively and one or more events may be counted during committed execution 542 . as shown , the event counter , upon counting the first event , may have the event count ( m + 1 ), instead of ( m + n + 1 ), which would be the case if the n events counted during the aborted speculative transactional memory execution were not excluded . often in such speculative transactional memory execution , the number of instructions speculatively executed and aborted is not on the order of tens to hundreds of instructions , but generally tends to be larger , such as , for example , often ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands , or even millions . as a result , the events detected during the aborted and / or un - committed execution may represent a significant proportion of the total events . advantageously , the embodiment of the event counter described , which is able to exclude events during aborted and / or un - committed execution and selectively count events during committed execution may help to improve understanding and / or performance of the logic device . these aforementioned examples of speculative execution are only a few illustrative examples of ways in which speculative execution may be used . it is to be appreciated that speculative execution may also be used in other ways . fig6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a logic device 620 having an embodiment of a first event counter 622 to exclude events during un - committed execution from an event count 624 and an embodiment of a second event counter 660 to include events counted during un - committed execution in an event count 662 . the logic device has the first event counter 622 . the first event counter is operable to maintain a first event count 624 . as shown , in one or more embodiments , the first event count 624 may include events counted during committed execution but may exclude events during un - committed execution . such an event count is not available from single known event counters , and is not easily otherwise determined . the logic device also has an event counter checkpoint logic 626 , an optional event count storage location 628 , and an event count restore logic 632 . these components may optionally have some or all of the characteristics of the correspondingly named components of the logic device 320 of fig3 . the logic device also has a second event counter 660 . in alternate embodiments , there may be three , four , ten , or more . event counters . notice that the second event counter does not have in this embodiment , or at least does not utilize in this embodiment , event counter checkpoint logic and / or event count restore logic . that is , in one or more embodiments , at least one event counter is checkpointed and restored whereas at least one other event counter is not checkpointed and restored . the second event counter is operable to maintain a second event count 662 . as shown , in one or more embodiments , the second event count 662 may include events counted during both committed execution and events counted during un - committed execution . the first event count 624 , and the second event count 662 , represent different pieces of information about execution within the logic device . as previously mentioned , the first event count includes information that is not available from a single known event counter , and is not easily otherwise determined . it provides information about those events counted during committed execution while excluding events during un - committed execution . additionally , the combination of the first and second event counts 624 , 662 provides additional information . for example , subtracting the first event count 624 from the second event count 662 gives information about how many events were counted during un - committed or aborted execution . this may provide information about essentially wasted execution ( e . g ., aborted speculative execution due to mispredicted branches and / or aborted speculative execution due to aborted transactional memory execution ). the first and second event counts 624 , 662 may be used in different ways . in one or more embodiments , one or more of the first and second event counts may be used to tune or adjust the performance of the logic device . for example , in one or more embodiments , one or more of the first and second event counts may be used to tune or adjust speculative execution of the logic device . tuning or adjusting the speculative execution may include tuning or adjusting a parameter , algorithm , or strategy . the tuning or adjusting may tune or adjust how aggressive the speculative execution is . as one particular example , if the absolute difference between the first and second event counters ( which provides information about events occurring during essentially wasted execution ) is higher than average , higher than a threshold , higher than desired , or otherwise considered high , then speculative execution may be decreased , throttled back , turned off , or otherwise tuned or adjusted . depending upon the implementation , this may be desired in order to reduce heat generation , conserve battery power or other limited power supply , or for other reasons . one or more of the first arid second event counts may also or alternatively be used to analyze , optimize , and / or debug code . for example , information about wasted speculative execution may help to allow better branch prediction algorithms to be developed or selected for certain types of processing . in one or more embodiments , the logic device 620 may include additional logic ( not shown ) to use one or more of the first and second event counts 624 , 662 in any of these various different ways . for example , in one or more embodiments , the logic device may include performance tuning logic and / or speculative execution tuning logic . in one or more embodiments , an external component 664 , which is external to the logic device , may access and / or receive one or more of the first and second event counts 624 , 662 . in one or more embodiments , the external component may include software . in one aspect , the software may include an operating system or operating system component . in another aspect , the software may include a performance tuning application . in yet another aspect , the software may include a debugger . by way of example , in one or more embodiments , the first and / or the second event counts may be stored in a register or other storage location that may be read , for example , with a machine instruction . in one or more embodiments , the first and / or the second event counts may be used to optimize or at least improve the code so that it executes better ( e . g ., there is less aborted code ). performance monitoring counters are often used to improve code in this way . in one or more embodiments , the external component 664 may include hardware . in one aspect , the hardware may include a system ( e . g ., a computer system , embedded device , network appliance , router , switch , etc .). by way of example , in one or more embodiments , the first and / or the second event counts may be provided as output on a pin or other interface . fig7 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a configurable logic device 720 . the configurable logic device has one or more control and / or configuration registers 767 . in this embodiment , at least one event counter is capable of being enabled or disabled by a user or application for checkpoint and restore . the one or more registers have an event counter checkpoint enable / disable 768 for the at least one event counter . for example , in one particular embodiment , a single bit in a register corresponding to a particular event counter may be set to a value of one ( 1 ) to enable event counter checkpointing and restoring as disclosed herein to be performed for that event counter . if desired , a plurality or each event counter may similarly have one . or more corresponding bits in one or more corresponding registers to enable or disable event counter checkpointing and restoring for each corresponding event counter . in one or more embodiments , additional bits may be provided for each event counter to specify various different types of event counter checkpointing and restoring , such as , for example , if the checkpointing and restoring is to be performed for aborted speculative execution or some other form of execution to differentiate with respect to . in this embodiment , at least one event counter is a programmable event counter . the one or more registers have an event select 770 for the at least one programmable event counter . for example , in one particular embodiment , a plurality of bits ( e . g ., eight bits or sixteen bits , or some other number of bits ) may represent a code that encodes a particular type of event to count . if desired , a plurality or each event counter may similarly have a plurality of corresponding bits in one or more corresponding registers to allow event selection for each of the event counters . in one aspect , depending upon the implementation , anywhere from tens to hundreds of different types of events may be selected for counting . alternatively , rather than programmable event counters , fixed event counters that always count the same thing may optionally be used . still other embodiments pertain to a computer system , or other electronic device having an event counter and logic and / or performing a method as disclosed herein . fig8 is a block diagram of a first example embodiment of a suitable computer system 801 . the computer system includes a processor 800 . the processor includes an event counter 822 , event counter checkpoint logic 826 , and event count restore logic 832 . these may be as previously described . in one or more embodiments , the processor may be an out - of - order microprocessor that supports speculative execution . in one or more embodiments , the processor may support speculative execution in transactional memory . the processor is coupled to a chipset 881 via a bus ( e . g ., a front side bus ) or other interconnect 880 . the interconnect may be used to transmit data signals between the processor and other components in the system via the chipset . the chipset includes a system logic chip known as a memory controller hub ( mch ) 882 . the mch is coupled to the front side bus or other interconnect 880 . a memory 886 is coupled to the mch . in various embodiments , the memory may include a random access memory ( ram ). dram is an example of a type of ram used in some but not all computer systems . as shown , the memory may be used to store instructions 887 and data 888 . a component interconnect 885 is also coupled with the mch . in one or more embodiments , the component interconnect may include one or more peripheral component interconnect express ( pcie ) interfaces . the component interconnect may allow other components to be coupled to the rest of the system through the chipset . one example of such components is a graphics chip or other graphics device , although this is optional and not required . the chipset also includes an input / output ( vo ) controller hub ( ich ) 884 . the ich is coupled to the mch through hub interface bus or other interconnect 883 . in one or more embodiments , the bus or other interconnect 883 may include a direct media interface ( dmi ). a data storage 889 is coupled to the ich . in various embodiments , the data storage may include a hard disk drive , a floppy disk drive , a cd - rom device , a flash memory device , or the like , or a combination thereof . a second component interconnect 890 is also coupled with the ich . in one or more embodiments , the second component interconnect may include one or more peripheral component interconnect express ( pcie ) interfaces . the second component interconnect may allow various types of components to be coupled to the rest of the system through the chipset . a serial expansion port 891 is also coupled with the ich . in one or more embodiments , the serial expansion port may include one or more universal serial bus ( usb ) ports . the serial expansion port may allow various other types of input / output devices to be coupled to the rest of the system through the chipset . a few illustrative examples of other components that may optionally be coupled with the ich include , but are not limited to , an audio controller , a wireless transceiver , and a user input device ( e . g ., a keyboard , mouse ). a network controller is also coupled to the ich . the network controller may allow the system to be coupled with a network . in one or more embodiments , the computer system may execute a version of the windows ™ operating system , available from microsoft corporation of redmond , wash . alternatively , other operating systems , such as , for example , unix , linux , or embedded systems , may be used . this is just one particular example of a suitable computer system . for example , in one or more alternate embodiments , the processor may have multiple cores . as another example , in one or more alternate embodiments , the mch 882 may be physically integrated on - die with the processor 800 and the processor may be directly coupled with a memory 886 through the integrated mch . as a further example , in one or more alternate embodiments , other components may be integrated on - die with the processor , such as to provide a system - on - chip ( soc ) design . as yet another example , in one or more alternate embodiments , the computer system may have multiple processors . fig9 is a block diagram of a second example embodiment of a suitable computer system 901 . the second example embodiment has certain similarities to the first example computer system described immediate above . for clarity , the discussion will tend to emphasize the differences without repeating all of the similarities . similar to the first example embodiment described above , the computer system includes a processor 900 , and a chipset 981 having an i / o controller hub ( ich ) 984 . also similarly to the first example embodiment , the computer system includes a first component interconnect 985 coupled with the chipset , a second component interconnect 990 coupled with the ich , a serial expansion port 991 coupled with the ich , a network controller 992 coupled with the ich , and a data storage 989 coupled with the ich . in this second embodiment , the processor 900 is a multi - core processor . the multi - core processor includes processor cores 994 - 1 through 994 - m , where m may be an integer number equal to or larger than two ( e . g . two , four , seven , or more ). as shown , the core - 1 includes a cache 995 ( e . g ., an l1 cache ). each of the other cores may similarly include a dedicated cache . the processor cores may be implemented on a single integrated circuit ( ic ) chip . in one or more embodiments , at least one , or a plurality or all of the cores may have an event counter , an event counter checkpoint logic , and event count restore logic , as described elsewhere herein . such logic may additionally , or alternatively , be included outside of a core . the processor also includes at least one shared cache 996 . the shared cache may store data and / or instructions that are utilized by one or more components of the processor , such as the cores . for example , the shared cache may locally cache data stored in a memory 986 for faster access by components of the processor . in one or more embodiments , the shared cache may include one or more mid - level caches , such as level 2 ( l2 ), level 3 ( l3 ), level 4 ( l4 ), or other levels of cache , a last level cache ( llc ), and / or combinations thereof . the processor cores and the shared cache are each coupled with a bus or other interconnect 997 . the bus or other interconnect may couple the cores and the shared cache and allow communication . the processor also includes a memory controller hub ( mch ) 982 . as shown in this example embodiment , the mch is integrated with the processor 900 . for example , the mch may be on - die with the processor cores . the processor is coupled with the memory 986 through the mch . in one or more embodiments , the memory may include dram , although this is not required . the chipset includes an input / output ( i / o ) hub 993 . the i / o hub is coupled with the processor through a bus ( e . g ., a quickpath interconnect ( qpi )) or other interconnect 980 . the first component interconnect 985 is coupled with the 110 hub 993 . this is just one particular example of a suitable system . other system designs and configurations known in the arts for laptops , desktops , handheld pcs , personal digital assistants , engineering workstations , servers , network devices , network hubs , switches , embedded processors , digital signal processors ( dsps ), graphics devices , video game devices , set - top boxes , micro controllers , cell phones , portable media players , hand - held devices , and various other electronic devices , are also suitable . in general , a huge variety of systems or electronic devices capable of incorporating a processor and / or an execution unit as disclosed herein are generally suitable . one or more embodiments include an article of manufacture that includes a tangible machine - accessible and / or machine - readable medium . the medium may include , a mechanism that provides , for example stores , information in a form that is accessible by the machine . for example , the medium may optionally include recordable mediums , such as , for example , floppy diskette , optical storage medium , optical disk , cd - rom , magnetic disk , magneto - optical disk , read only memory ( rom ), programmable rom ( prom ), erasable - and - programmable rom ( eprom ), electrically - erasable - and - programmable rom ( eeprom ), random access memory ( ram ), staticram ( sram ), dynamic - ram ( dram ), flash memory , and combinations thereof . the tangible medium may include one or more solid materials to store information . the medium may store and provide instructions , which , if processed by a machine , may result in and / or cause the machine to perform one or more of the operations or methods disclosed herein . in one or more embodiments , the medium may provide instructions that if processed by the machine cause or result in the machine reading an event count of an event counter that is configured to omit events counted during aborted speculative execution from the event count . in one or more embodiments , the medium may further include instructions to cause the machine to adjusting a performance parameter of the machine ( for example a speculative execution parameter ) based on the event count . in one or more embodiments , the medium may further include instructions to cause the machine to read a second event count corresponding to a second event counter that is configured to include events counted during the aborted speculative execution in the event count . in one or more embodiments , the medium may further include instructions to cause the machine to evaluating a difference between the second event count and the event count . in one or more embodiments , the instructions may include instructions code of an operating system . suitable machines include , but are not limited to , general - purpose processors , special - purpose processors ( e . g ., graphics processors , network communications processors ), network devices , computer systems , personal digital assistants ( pdas ), and a wide variety of other types of electronic devices . certain operations disclosed herein may be performed by hardware components ( for example a circuit ). the circuit or hardware may be part of a general - purpose or special - purpose processor , or logic circuit , to name just a few examples . the operations may also optionally be performed by a combination of hardware and / or firmware and / or software . in the description above , for the purposes of explanation , numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention . it will be apparent however , to one skilled in the art , that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details . the particular embodiments described are not provided to limit the invention but to illustrate it . the scope of the invention is not to be determined by the specific examples provided above but only by the claims below . in other instances , well - known circuits , structures , devices , and operations have been shown in block diagram form or without detail in order to avoid obscuring the understanding of the description . it will also be appreciated , by one skilled in the art , that modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein , . such as , for example , to the sizes , shapes , configurations , forms , functions , materials , and manner of operation , and assembly and use , of the components of the embodiments . all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are encompassed within embodiments of the invention . for simplicity and clarity of illustration , elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale . for example , the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity . further , where considered appropriate , reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements , which may optionally have similar characteristics . various operations and methods have been described . some of the methods have been described in a basic form , but operations may optionally be added to and / or removed from the methods . the operations of the methods may also often optionally be performed in different order . many modifications and adaptations may be made to the methods and are contemplated . it should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “ one embodiment ”, “ an embodiment ”, or “ one or more embodiments ”, for example , means that a particular feature may be included in the practice of the invention . similarly , it should be appreciated that in the description various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment , figure , or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects . this method of disclosure , however , is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim . rather , as the following claims reflect , inventive aspects may lie in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment . thus , the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description , with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of the invention .	6
the following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . for purposes of clarity , the same reference designations will be used in the drawings to identify similar elements . referring now to fig1 , a fuel cell system 10 includes a high voltage direct current ( hvdc ) power bus 12 and a fuel cell stack 14 . the fuel cell stack 14 is represented as two voltage sources v 1 and v 2 . exemplary values for v 1 and v 2 are 200v , although other values may be used . assuming 200v for v 1 and v 2 , the total voltage across the fuel cell stack 14 is 400v . the fuel cell stack 14 includes coolant flowing through manifolds . since the coolant can be conductive ( not a perfect electrical insulator ), the coolant forms resistive paths from the fuel cell through the coolant tubes towards grounded metallic parts of the coolant system ( e . g . vehicle front radiator ). the coolant inlet / exit is indicated as parallel resistors r c . exemplary values for the resistors r c are 20 kω each or 10 kω total . the hvdc power bus 12 includes positive and negative nodes ( hv + and hv −, respectively ) and a capacitor circuit 16 . given the exemplary values of v 1 and v 2 and assuming the voltage balance is symmetrical , hv + is at + 200v and hv − is at − 200v . the capacitor circuit includes capacitors c 1 , c 2 and c 3 . c 1 is called x - capacitor and bridges hv + and hv −. c 2 and c 3 are called y - capacitors and bridge hv + to chassis or safety ground or hv − to chassis or safety ground . capacitors can be distributed across multiple electric devices connected to the hvdc bus and are represented as lumped single capacitors here . exemplary values for c 1 , c 2 and c 3 are 3000 μf , 5 μf and 5 μf , respectively . the y - capacitors c 2 , c 3 protects the hvdc power bus 12 from electromagnetic interference ( emi ). a typical fault contact , for example a human body , is indicated as a fault resistance r fault . although the fault contact is shown at hv +, the fault contact can also occur at hv − or at any intermediate voltage . an exemplary value for r fault is 1 kω . as a result of the fault contact , a discharge current causes the y - cap circuit 16 to discharge through r fault to ground . the energy in the y - cap circuit that is dissipated during the fault contact is equal to ½cv 2 . as shown in fig3 , which is discussed in further detail below , the typical discharge current immediately peaks upon fault contact and then gradually decreases to under 25 ma , given the exemplary values provided herein . the area beneath the typical discharge current curve indicates the energy that is dissipated through r fault ( e . g ., human body ). referring now to fig2 , a fuel cell system 20 includes a high voltage direct current ( hvdc ) power bus 22 and a fuel cell stack 24 . the fuel cell stack 24 is represented as two voltage sources v 1 and v 2 . exemplary values for v 1 and v 2 are 200v , although other values may be used . assuming 200v for v 1 and v 2 , the total voltage across the fuel cell stack 24 is 400v . the fuel cell stack . 24 includes coolant flowing through manifolds , which is indicated as parallel resistors r 1 and r 4 . exemplary values for r 1 and r 4 are 22 kω and 18 kω , respectively . the coolant is provided by a coolant system 26 as indicated by parallel resistors r 9 and r 8 . exemplary values for r 9 and r 8 are 10 kω each . r 9 and r 8 are in respective series connection with r 1 and r 4 . the coolant represented by r 8 and r 9 are in contact with chassis or safety ground through metallic coolant loop members ( e . g . radiator ). the hvdc power bus 22 includes positive and negative nodes ( hv + and hv −, respectively ) and a capacitor circuit 28 . given the exemplary values of v 1 and v 2 and assuming that the voltage balance is symmetrical , hv + is at + 200v and hv − is at − 200v . the cap circuit 28 includes capacitors c 8 , c 1 and c 2 . exemplary values for c 8 , c 1 and c 2 are 3000 μf , 5 μf and 5 μf , respectively . the cap - circuit 28 protects the hvdc power bus from electromagnetic interference ( emi ). the y - capacitors c 2 , c 3 bridges the hvdc power bus to a vehicle chassis ( not shown ) or safety ground . a y - cap discharge compensation circuit 29 bridges the hvdc power bus 22 and includes a monitoring circuit 30 and a switching circuit 32 . the monitoring circuit 30 includes capacitors c 11 , c 12 and c 13 and resistors r y - cap , r 18 , r 19 , r 21 , and r 22 . exemplary values for c 11 , c 12 and c 13 include 1 μf each . an exemplary value for r y - cap includes 100 ω and exemplary values for r 18 , r 19 , r 21 and r 22 include 5 kω each . the switching circuit 32 includes an operational amplifier ( op - amp ) 34 , a first n - channel mosfet transistor switch s 1 and a second p - channel mosfet transistor s 2 . the op - amp 34 includes a positive input 36 that is connected to ground . an output 38 is connected to s 1 and s 2 . a negative input 40 is connected to the monitoring circuit and the output through a capacitor c 7 and a resistor r 7 . s 1 includes a gate input 42 that is connected to the op - amp output 38 . an input 46 ( drain ) is connected to hv − through a resistor r 17 and an output 48 ( source ) is connected to ground through a resistor r inj . s 2 includes a gate input 50 that is connected to the op - amp output 38 . an input ( drain ) 54 is connected to hv + through a resistor r 16 and an output 56 ( source ) is connected to ground through the resistor r inj . exemplary values for r 16 and r 17 include 50 ω each and an exemplary value for r inj includes 10 ω . s 1 and s 2 function as switches . when in a conductive state , s 1 and s 2 provide an alternate current path from the hvdc bus terminals to ground through r inj and r 16 or r 17 . in operation , the monitoring circuit 30 provides current to the switching circuit 32 indicating a discharge current of the y - capacitors c 2 , c 3 circuit 28 . more particularly , the monitoring circuit 30 monitors the rate of change of voltage ( dv / dt ) of the hvdc bus terminals with respect to chassis or safety ground . if dv / dt of the hvdc bus terminals is greater than a threshold level , a fault discharge current situation is indicated . that is to say , the y - capacitors c 2 or c 3 are being caused to discharge by a fault contact such as a person touching either hv +, hv − or any intermediate voltage point . the op - amp 34 receives the current signal from the monitoring circuit 30 . more particularly , the dv / dt signal is generated by the differentiating capacitor - resistor network that includes r y - cap and c 12 . the dv / dt signal is filtered and smoothed by r 21 and c 13 . the filtered signal causes the output 38 of the op - amp to change to positive or negative depending on the sign of dv / dt , which depends on the fault location being on the positive or negative hvdc bus terminal . if the opamp output exceeds the turn on gate threshold voltage of the mosfet switches s 1 ( e . g . − 5v ) or s 2 ( e . g . + 5v ), it causes s 1 or s 2 to turn on , which redirects the main fault discharge current path . for example , in the event of a fault at hv +, as illustrated in fig2 , the op - amp output closes s 2 to create a discharge path to ground through r 16 and r inj . as a result , the energy of the y - cap circuit 28 is dissipated mainly through r 16 and r inj instead of through r fault . similarly , in the event of a fault at hv −, the op - amp output closes s 1 to create a discharge path to ground through r 17 and r inj . referring now to fig3 , a graph illustrates y - cap fault discharge currents according to the present invention . typical discharge currents for conventional circuits are illustrated by the dashed lines . the discharge current for the discharge compensation circuit 29 of the present invention is illustrated by the solid line . the discharge current drops more rapidly . additionally , the area under each of the curves indicates the amount of energy dissipated through r fault . a significantly decreased amount of energy is dissipated through r fault using the discharge compensation circuit 29 . referring now to fig4 , the fuel cell system 20 includes an active isolation circuit 60 . the active isolation circuit includes ground fault current sensors 62 , 64 that are associated with the coolant . the fault sensors 62 , 64 are connected to the inverting input 40 of the op - amp 34 and ground through resistors r s1 and r s2 , respectively . the fault sensors 62 , 64 measure net fault current flowing through all coolant resistant paths of the fuel cell system 20 . although the fuel cell system 20 of fig4 is shown to include both the y - cap discharge compensation circuit 29 and the active isolation circuit 60 together , the function of the active isolation circuit 60 can be achieved using the active isolation circuit 60 and the switching circuit 32 alone . in the event of a sufficient fault current through the coolant resistance paths , the active isolation circuit 60 signals the switching circuit 32 to provide a discharge path to ground . for example , when a sufficient negative fault current is detected by the fault sensor 64 or 62 , the op - amp output closes s 2 to create a discharge path to ground through r 16 + r inj . as a result , the fault current is forced towards 0 ma . similarly , when a sufficient positive fault current is detected by the fault sensor 62 or 64 , the op - amp output closes s1 to create a discharge path to ground through r 17 and r inj , again resulting in the fault current being forced towards 0 ma . the active isolation circuit 29 supports a fuel cell stack coolant scheme that includes a low conductivity coolant entering and exiting the fuel cell stack 24 . furthermore , implementation of the active isolation circuit 29 requires the use of isolated or non - conductive coolant manifolds or non - conductive coolant entrance and exit areas to form a high resistance path upstream and downstream of the fault sensors 62 , 64 . those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the current invention can be implemented in a variety of forms . therefore , while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof , the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings , the specification and the following claims .	7
the acylates of the present invention , which by way of non - limiting exemplification may result from acylation with formation of a — co — o —, — co — s — or — co — nr 1 r 2 moiety ( where each of r 1 and r 2 is independently selected from a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl group and nr 1 r 2 may also constitute a heterocyclic ring ), may be prepared by any of the appropriate methods known to the organic chemist , and thus the manner of their preparation does not constitute , per se , a part of the present invention . where , in the standard methods of reaction for preparing e . g ., the amides , esters or thioesters which may be acylates according to the present invention , reactant ( a ) contains an atom or substituent which interferes with such reaction , then such interfering atom or substituent may be blocked or protected in a manner known to persons in the art . although the present acylates will frequently be pro - drugs , that is , substances which when administered in the animal or human body release at the desired site a pharmacologically active entity , nevertheless , this in the alternative or additionally , the acylates may have pharmacological activity in their own right . further , the acylates include substances in which component ( a ) is not itself pharmacologically active at the target site , but when released metabolizes to a substance having desired pharmacological activity . group ( a ) substances include naturally occurring ( x - aminocarboxylic acids , which are of course “ building blocks ” in the formation of proteins which perform important functions in the animal and human body , and at least some of which acids functional also as neurotransmitters . exemplary amino acids are α - aminocarboxylic acids and are selected from alanine , arginine , asparagine , aspartic acid , β - carboxyaspartic acid , γ - carboxyglutamic acid , cysteine , cystine , glutamine , glutamic acid , glycine , histidine , homoserine , hydroxylysine , hydroxyproline , isoleucine , leucine , lysine , methionine , phenylalanine , proline , serine , threonine , tryptophan , tyrosine and valine . two amino acids of particular importance , tyrosine and tryptophan , are not formed in the body but must be ingested in food . tyrosine is metabolized successively to dopa , dopamine , norepinephrine and epinephrine ( scheme a , below ), while tryptophan is metabolized first to 5 - hydroxytryptophan and thus to 5 - hydroxytryptamine ( scheme b , below ). group ( a ) substances further include other neurotransmitters , e . g ., γ - aminobutyric acid ( gaba ), dopamine , epinephrine , norepinephrine and 5 - hydroxytryptamine . it will be apparent that the amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan thus perform , in the present context , the invaluable function of forming neurotransmitters in the body . while parkinson &# 39 ; s disease is related to a deficiency of the central neurotransmitter dopamine , this cannot be administered to patients because is cannot pass the blood - brain barrier . the conventional solution to this problem is the administration of levodopa ; however , this always causes undesirable side - effects , to a greater or lesser extent . thus , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , there is provided a method for the treatment of parkinson &# 39 ; s disease which comprises treating a patient with an effective amount of at least one compound selected from n - and / or o - acylated derivatives of tyrosine , levodopa and dopamine , where the acyl group is that of an essential fatty acid , such as , e . g ., α - or γ - linolenoyl , linoleoyl or arachidonoyl . such derivatives constitute presently preferred acylates of the invention , as do also the n - and / or o - acylated derivatives of epinephrine and norepinephrine ; the n - acylated derivatives of tryptophan ; and the n - and / or o - acylated derivatives of 5 - hydroxytryptophan and 5 - hydroxytryptamine , in all of which the acyl group is that of an essential fatty acid , such as , e . g ., α - or γ - linolenoyl , linoleoyl or arachidonoyl . it is believed to be a clear implication from the specific example set forth herein , that the acylates of the present invention ( in relation to central neurotransmitters and the treatment of cns - related conditions generally ) are able to pass the blood - brain barrier , and it may be predicted with a reasonable degree of confidence that they would have the ability also to access appropriate receptors in relation to peripheral nervous system conditions . by definition , substance ( a ) must contain a functional group including an acylatable hydrogen atom , or a reactive derivative thereof , in order that it may potentially be reacted with an essential fatty acid ( or a reactive derivative thereof ), so as to result in formation of a prodrug according to the present invention . the table which follows shows , by way of non - limiting illustration only , substances ( a ), classified according to their pharmacological activity , and indicating the nature of the functional group ( rather than the category of compound ) containing the hydrogen atom substitutable by e . g ., α - or γ - linolenoyl , linoleoyl or arachidonoyl . the acylates of the invention may be formulated with carriers , diluents and adjuvants as is well known in the pharmaceutical art and they may be administered in the usual modes , such as orally , parenterally , rectally of transdermally . consequently , the present pharmaceutical formulations , except insofar as they contain the present novel and inventive acylates , are not otherwise to be regarded as innovative per se , and they may be manufactured and administered by known methods . similarly to the method described by inman , j . k . et al ., enzyme structure , 1983 , vol . 91 p . 564 , academic press , acetonitrile ( 0 . 25 ml ) and methanol ( 1 ml ) were dissolved in ether ( 5 ml ). in presence of anhydrous calcium sulfate , and in a nitrogen atmosphere , the solution , kept at 0 ° c ., was saturated with anhydrous hci , and thereafter maintained at 0 ° c . for two hours . the solution was shaken with dry ether ( 50 ml ) and after standing a further hour at 0 ° c ., the product crystallized out and was collected by decantation and washing with 2 - 10 ml cold dry ether . it was dried under vacuum and stored for 24 hours prior to use in a tightly stoppered bottle under anhydrous conditions at − 20 ° c . the initially formed methylacetamidate hydrochloride was reacted in known manner with tyrosine ( 1 g ) and α - linolenic acid ( 1 ml ), and the desired n -( α - linolenoyl ) tyrosine was isolated . the identity of the product as n -( α - linolenoyl ) tyrosine was confirmed by testing in a mass spectrometer ( vg70 ) which showed the presence of n -( α - linolenoyl ) and tyrosine moieties , as well as by use of a plane - polarized infrared spectrophotometer ( varian ir 427 ) which inter alia showed the presence of the amide group . in an alternative method , the carboxylic acid function in tyrosine is protected prior to reaction with α - linolenic acid ( or a reactive derivative thereof ), and the resultant carboxyl - protected n -( α - linolenoyl ) tyrosine is deprotected , giving the desired product . one of the major behavioral methods to measure the increase in dopamine activity in the brain is rotational behavior . dopamine is the neurotransmitter in the striatum . the striatum controls motor movements and motor integration . in the brain there are two striata , in the right and left hemispheres , respectively . unilateral ablation of a striatum will result in walking in circles , as the intact striatum is still functioning ; ungerstadt , u . et al ., brain res ., 1970 , 24 : 485 - 492 , created a lesion in one striatum and measured the effect on rotational behavior . since then , this technique has been used to screen molecules , such as stimulants or potential anti - parkinson drugs , which induce increase in dopaminergic activity . groups of 6 male sprague - dawley rats ( charles river laboratories , wilmington , mass .) weighing 100 - 120 g , were housed 6 per cage in a well - ventilated and air - conditioned room of ambient temperature ( 22 ± 2 ° c .) and relative humidity 45 %. the rats had access to food ( big red laboratory chow , agway inc ., syracuse , n . y .) and water ad libitum . light (“ vita light ”, duro test corp ., north bergen , n . j .) was provided between 9 am and 9 pm . all surgery was performed under anesthesia ( sodium pentobarbital , 50 mg / ml , as required ). the rats were placed in a kopf stereotaxic instrument ( model # 900 ). unilateral anodal electrolytic lesions were made with constant current supply ( lesion - producing device # 58040 , stoelting , chicago , ill .). current ( 2 . 0 mv for 10 seconds ) was passed through stainless steel insulated wire pe 32 , 0 . 008 inches diameter (“ formax ”, stoelting , chicago , ill . ), bared only at the tip . the coordinates ( modified from konig and klippel , 1963 ) for caudate nucleus lesion were : a 8 . 5 , l 2 . 2 , v + 1 . 8 . the lesions were made in the left side of the brain . tests were made at day 4 after surgery . rotational behavior was tested in a rotameter , modified from the design of ungerstedt et al ., 1970 . each rat , mounted in a special harness , was placed in an acrylic transparent dome of 41 cm radius . its rotational movements were transduced from the harness via a stainless steel tube ( ⅛ inch ) and a precision universal joint ( pic bc 12 ) to a 5k linear potentiometer ( spoctrol ), which received an excitation current from a sanborn polygraph ( 7702 b recorder , hewlett - packard ). the potentiometer ( preamplifier 8805 a ) measured and recorded the changes in the amount of current which passed through it , resulting from the rotational movements of the rats . when each rat turned to the right , the recording pen was deflected upward ; a leftward turn deflected the pen downward . continuous recordings were made on chart paper rjn at a speed of 1 mm / sec . each rat was placed in the rotameter and treated with an i . p . injection of saline or ( i ) ( 10 mg / kg ) as prepared above . two observers watched the rats for abnormal behavior ( i . e . stereotype — which was not found ). the frequency of turning was measured between 30 - 40 minutes post - injection . after this time lapse , the treated rats had increased their rate of rotational motion from 4 cycles / minute to 40 cycles / minute . at the end of the experiment , the rats were removed from the rotameter and the brain was taken for verification of the lesion as follows . the rats were given an overdose of pentobarbital and perfused with saline , followed by 10 % formalin . brains were removed and serial coronal slices were made at 40 microns using a freezing microtome . representative slices were stained with cresyl violet and mounted on slides . the histological examination showed that in all tested rats the lesion was confined to the striatum . all other brain areas were intact . this functional derivative of n - β - linolenyltyrosine was prepared as follows . to an ice - cooled solution of p - tert - butoxy - β - phenylalanine methyl ester , hcl salt ( 2 . 1 g ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 50 ml ), in an argon atmosphere , was added dropwise et 3 n ( 1 ml = 0 . 74 g ), and then — after three minutes - β - linolenic acid ( 1 . 8 g ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 35 ml ), followed by ( as solids ) dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( 1 . 5 g ) and hydroxybenzotriazole ( 0 . 96 g ), and then dmf ( 35 ml ), the temperature being maintained at 0 ° c . for two hours , with stirring , and finally at room temperature for 40 hours . ethyl acetate ( 50 ml ) was added , and the mixture was filtered , concentrated in vacuo , and again filtered . ether ( 30 ml was added and the mixture was extracted successively with water , 1 % aq . hcl , 1 % aq . koh and water . the organic phase was dried ( mgso 4 ) and after filtration and evaporation , a mixture of trifluoroacetic acid ( 70 ml ) and triethylsilane ( 1 ml ) were added to the residue at − 10 ° c . ( argon atmosphere ). the mixture was stirred for 20 minutes at 0 ° c ., after which it was allowed to attain ambient temperature , stirred for 5 minutes , evaporated in vacuo at 30 ° c ., re - evaporated with methanol ( 4 × 50 ml ), and finally chromatographed on a merck silica column ( h = 30 cm , d = 3 . 2 cm ). elution was effected with chcl 3 ( 1 . 5 l ), uv detection at 270 nm , the product being obtained as a viscous oil ( 2 g ), elemental composition confirmed by mass spectrum as c 28 h 41 no 4 . high resolution mass - spectrum ( cl by ch 4 ): 456 . 310112 ( m +, 100 %), c 28 h 42 no 4 calc . 456 . 311384 . 1 h — nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 0 . 97 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz ; 3h ), 1 . 28 ( broadened ; 10h ), 1 . 58 ( m ; 2h ), 2 . 07 ( m ; 4h ), 2 . 19 ( t , j = 5 . 6 hz ; 2h ), 2 . 80 ( m ; 2h ), 3 . 03 ( m ; 2h ), 3 . 37 ( s ; 3h ), 4 . 87 ( m ; 1h ), 5 . 37 ( m ; 6h ), 6 . 04 ( d , j = 8 . 0 hz ; 1h ), 6 . 10 ( broadened ; 1h ), 6 . 83 ( m , 4h ) ppm . 13 c — nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 14 . 24 ; 20 . 51 ; 25 . 49 ; 25 . 52 ; 25 . 57 ; 27 . 16 ; 29 . 08 ; 29 . 15 ; 29 . 54 ; 36 . 48 ; 37 . 18 ; 52 . 40 ; 53 . 17 ; 115 . 53 ; 126 . 94 ; 127 . 07 ; 127 . 70 ; 128 . 21 ; 128 . 27 ; 130 . 21 ; 131 . 93 ; 155 . 45 ; 172 . 30 ; 173 . 53 ppm . three groups of 12 male sprague - dawley rats ( charles river laboratories , wilmington , mass .) weighing 100 - 150 g , were housed 6 per cage in a well - ventilated and air - conditioned room of ambient temperature ( 22 ± 2 ° c .) and relative humidity 45 %. the rats had access to food ( big red laboratory chow , agway inc ., syracuse , n . y .) and water ad libitum . light (“ vita light ”, duro test corp ., north bergen , n . j .) was provided between 9 am and 9 pm . these groups were used for rotational study , the dosage of ( ii ) being 100 mg / kg , i . p . one group served as a control group ( no treatment ), a second group was a sham operated group , and a third group was the operated group . all surgery was performed under anesthesia ( sodium pentobarbital , 50 mg / ml , as required ). the rats were placed in a kopf stereotaxic instrument ( model # 900 ). unilateral anodal electrolytic lesions were made with constant current supply ( lesion - producing device # 58040 , stoelting , chicago , ill .). current ( 2 . 0 mv for 10 seconds ) was passed through stainless steel insulated wire pc 32 , 0 . 008 inches diameter (“ formax ”, stoelting , chicago , ill . ), bared only at the tip . the coordinates ( modified from konig and klippel , 1963 ) for caudate nucleus lesion were : a 8 . 5 , l 2 . 2 , v + 1 . 8 . the lesions were made in the left side of the brain . sham operated animals were treated as lesioned animals , i . e . they were placed in the stereotaxic instrument and an electrode was placed in the brain , but without passing electric current therethrough . after surgery , each rat was placed in an individual cage . tests were made at day 10 after surgery . at the end of the experiment , each rat was given an overdose of pentobarbital and perfused with saline , followed by 10 % formalin . brains were removed and serial coronal slices were made at 40 micra , using a freezing microtome . representative slides were stained with cresyl violet for verification of the lesion . details of the procedure with regard to determination of rotational behavior were substantially as described above for testing ( i ). results are summarized in the following table , which demonstrates that administration of ( ii ) influences rotational behavior in a statistically significant manner ( anova p ≦ 0 . 001 ). this is an involuntary spasm of the orbicular muscles of the eye , causing forceful closure of the eyes . symptomatically there is a significant increase in the rate of eyelid closures / min . this phenomenon is regarded as a type of dystonia , a decrease in the brain dopamine level being the etiology of this syndrome . ro4 - 1284 is a powerful dopamine - depleting agent . in saline - treated animals , ro4 - 1284 is able to induce an animal model of benign essential blephrospasm . groups of rats similar to those described above were treated daily for 14 days with 25 mg / kg ( ii ), i . p ., and then were challenged with a dose of 40 mg / kg ro4 - 1284 , i . p . the results of this test were shown in the following table . conclusions of biological testing ( i ) and ( ii ) cross the blood - brain barrier and are enzymatically converted to one or more of dopamine , norepinephrine and epinephrine . to the best of the inventor &# 39 ; s knowledge , it has never been recorded that either α - linolenic acid or tyrosine influence rotational motion or blephrospasm as was found in these experiments . by implication , the acylates of the present invention generally , including their functional derivatives , should be capable of crossing the blood - brain barrier and / or accessing the relevant receptors . while the present invention has been particularly described with reference to certain embodiments , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made . the invention is accordingly not to be construed as limited in any way by such embodiments , rather its concept is to be understood according to the spirit and scope of the claims which follow .	2
the novel compounds encompassed by the instant invention can be described by general formula i . the present invention also encompasses compounds of general formula ii : ## str17 ## or the pharmaceutically acceptable non - toxic salts thereof wherein : n , r 1 , r 2 , r 5 , and w are as defined above . the present invention also encompasses compounds of general formula iii : ## str18 ## or the pharmaceutically acceptable non - toxic salts thereof where r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , and w are as defined above the present invention also encompasses compounds of general formula iv : ## str19 ## or the pharmaceutically acceptable non - toxic salts thereof where w , z and tare as defined above , and u is methylene or carbonyl . the present invention also encompasses compounds of general formula v : ## str20 ## or the pharmaceutically acceptable non - toxic salts thereof where w , e and r 15 are as defined above . r &# 34 ; represents hydrogen or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having about 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r &# 39 ;&# 34 ; represents hydrogen , halogen or straight or branched chain lower alkoxyhaving about 1 - 6 carbon atoms . preferred compounds of formula vi are those where the halogen is fluorine . the present invention also encompasses compounds of formula vlla and vllb : ## str22 ## or the pharmaceutically acceptable non - toxic salts thereof where r &# 34 ; and r &# 39 ;&# 34 ; independently represent hydrogen , methoxy or ethoxy . non - toxic pharmaceutical salts include salts of acids such as hydrochloric , phosphoric , hydrobromic , sulfuric , sulfinic , formic , toluene sulfonic , hydroiodic , acetic and the like . those skilled in the art will recognize awide variety of non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable addition salts . by lower alkyl in the present invention is meant straight or branched chainalkyl groups having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , such as , for example , methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , sec - butyl , tert - butyl , pentyl , 2 - pentyl , isopentyl , neopentyl , hexyl , 2 - hexyl , 3 - hexyl , and 3 - methylpentyl . by lower alkoxy in the present invention is meant straight or branched chain alkoxy groups having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , such as , for example , methoxy , ethoxy , propoxy , isopropoxy , n - butoxy , sec - butoxy , tert - butoxy , pentoxy , 2 - pentoxy , isopentoxy , neopentoxy , hexoxy , 2 - hexoxy , 3 - hexoxy , and 3 - methylpentoxy . by halogen in the present invention is meant fluorine , bromine , chlorine , and iodine . by n - alkyl piperazyl in the invention is meant radicals of the formula : ## str23 ## where r is a straight or branched chain lower alkyl as defined above . where r 15 is -- cor 16 and r 16 is straight or branched chain lower alkoxy or phenylalkoxy , -- cor 16 represents an alkyl ester or analkyl ester having a phenyl substituent . representative compounds of the present invention , which are encompassed byformula i , include , but are not limited to the compounds in fig1 - 4 and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts . the invention also encompasses the tautomeric forms of the compounds of formula 1 . the pharmaceutical utility of compounds of this invention are indicated by the following assay for gabaa receptor binding activity . assays are carried out as described in thomas and tallman ( j . bio . chem . 156 : 9838 - 9842 , j . neurosci . 3 : 433 - 440 . 1983 ). rat cortical tissue is dissected and homogenized in 25 volumes ( w / v ) of 0 . 05m tris hcl buffer ( ph7 . 4 at 4 ° c .). the tissue homogenate is centrifuged in the cold ( 4 °) at 20 , 000 × g for 20 &# 39 ;. the supernatant is decanted and thepellet is rehomogenized in the same volume of buffer and again centrifuged at 20 , 000 × g . the supernatant is decanted and the pellet is frozen at - 200 ° c . overnight . the pellet is then thawed and rehomogenized in 25 volume ( original wt / vol ) of buffer and the procedure is carried out twice . the pellet is finally resuspended in 50 volumes ( w / vol of 0 . 05m tris hcl buffer ( ph 7 . 4 at 40 ° c .). lncubations contain 100 μl of tissue homogenate . 100 μl of radioligand 0 . 5 nm ( 3 h -- ro15 - 1788 3 h - flumazenil ! specific activity 80 ci / mmol ), drug or blocker and buffer to a total volume of 500 μl . incubations are carried for 30 min at 4 ° c . then are rapidlyfiltered through gfb filters to separate free and bound ligand . filters arewashed twice with fresh 0 . 05m tris hcl buffer ( ph 7 . 4 at 4 ° c .) and counted in a liquid scintillation counter . 1 . 0 μm diazepam is added to some tubes to determine nonspecific binding . data are collected in triplicate determinations , averaged and % inhibition of total specific binding is calculated . total specific binding = total - nonspecific . in some cases , the amounts of unlabeled drugs is varied and total displacement curves of binding are carried out . data are converted to a form for the calculation of ic 50 and hill coefficient ( nh ). data for the compoundsof this invention are listed in table i . table i______________________________________compound number . sup . 1 ic . sub . 50 ( μm ) ______________________________________1 0 . 0152 0 . 1673 0 . 0934 0 . 061______________________________________ . sup . 1 compound numbers relate to compounds shown in figures 1 - 4 . compounds 1 , 3 and 4 are particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention because of their potency in binding to the gabaa receptor . the compounds of general formula i may be administered orally , topically , parenterally , by inhalation or spray or rectally in dosage unit formulations containing conventional non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptablecarriers , adjuvants and vehicles . the term parenteral as used herein includes subcutaneous injections , intravenous , intramuscular , intrasternalinjection or infusion techniques . in addition , there is provided a pharmaceutical formulation comprising a compound of general formula i and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . one or more compounds of general formula i may be present in association with one or more non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and / or diluents and / or adjuvants and if desired other active ingredients . the pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds of general formula i may be in a form suitable for oral use , for example , as tablets , troches , lozenges , aqueous or oily suspensions , dispersible powders or granules , emulsion , hard or soft capsules , or syrups or elixirs . compositions intended for oral use may be prepared according to any method known to the art for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions and such compositions may contain one or more agents selected from the group consisting of sweetening agents , flavoring agents , coloring agents and preserving agents in order to provide pharmaceutically elegant and palatable preparations . tablets contain the active ingredient in admixturewith non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable excipients which are suitable for the manufacture of tablets . these excipients may be for example , inertdiluents , such as calcium carbonate , sodium carbonate , lactose , calcium phosphate or sodium phosphate ; granulating and disintegrating agents , for example , corn starch , or alginic acid ; binding agents , for example starch , gelatin or acacia , and lubricating agents , for example magnesium stearate , stearic acid or talc . the tablets may be uncoated or they may be coated byknown techniques to delay disintegration and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and thereby provide a sustained action over a longer period . for example , a time delay material such as glyceryl monosterate or glyceryl distearate may be employed . formulations for oral use may also be presented as hard gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with an inert solid diluent , for example , calcium carbonate , calcium phosphate or kaolin , or as soft gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with water or an oil medium , for example peanut oil , liquid paraffin or olive oil . aqueous suspensions contain the active materials in admixture with excipients suitable for the manufacture of aqueous suspensions . such excipients are suspending agents , for example sodium carboxymethylcellulose , methylcellulose , hydropropylmethylcellulose , sodium alginate , polyvinylpyrrolidone , gum tragacanth and gum acacia ; dispersing or wetting agents may be a naturally - occurring phosphatide , forexample , lecithin , or condensation products of an alkylene oxide with fattyacids , for example polyoxyethylene stearate , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with long chain aliphatic alcohols , for example heptadecaethyleneoxycetanol , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and a hexitol such as polyoxyethylene sorbitol monooleate , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and hexitol anhydrides , for example polyethylene sorbitan monooleate . the aqueous suspensions may also contain one or more preservatives , for example ethyl , or n - propyl p - hydroxybenzoate , one or more coloring agents , one or more flavoring agents , and one or more sweetening agents , such as sucrose or saccharin . oily suspensions may be formulated by suspending the active ingredients in a vegetable oil , for example arachis oil , olive oil , sesame oil or coconutoil , or in a mineral oil such as liquid paraffin . the oily suspensions may contain a thickening agent , for example beeswax , hard paraffin or cetyl alcohol . sweetening agents such as those set forth above , and flavoring agents may be added to provide palatable oral preparations . these compositions may be preserved by the addition of an anti - oxidant such as ascorbic acid . dispersible powders and granules suitable for preparation of an aqueous suspension by the addition of water provide the active ingredient in admixture with a dispersing or wetting agent , suspending agent and one or more preservatives . suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents are exemplified by those already mentioned above . additional excipients , for example sweetening , flavoring and coloring agents , may also be present . pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may also be in the form of oil - in - water emulsions . the oily phase may be a vegetable oil , for exampleolive oil or arachis oil , or a mineral oil , for example liquid paraffin or mixtures of these . suitable emulsifying agents may be naturally - occurring gums , for example gum acacia or gum tragacanth , naturally - occurring phosphatides , for example soy bean , lecithin , and esters or partial estersderived from fatty acids and hexitol , anhydrides , for example sorbitan monoleate , and condensation products of the said partial esters with ethylene oxide , for example polyoxyethylene sorbitan monoleate . the emulsions may also contain sweetening and flavoring agents . syrups and elixirs may be formulated with sweetening agents , for example glycerol , propylene glycol , sorbitol or sucrose . such formulations may also contain a demulcent , a preservative and flavoring and coloring agents . the pharmaceutical compositions may be in the form of a sterile injectable aqueous or oleaginous suspension . this suspension may be formulated according to the known art using those suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents which have been mentioned above . the sterile injectable preparation may also be sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non - toxic parenterally acceptable diluent or solvent , for example as a solution in 1 . 3 - butanediol . among the acceptable vehicles andsolvents that may be employed are water , ringer &# 39 ; s solution and isotonic sodium chloride solution . in addition , sterile , fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium . for this purpose any bland fixed oil may be employed including synthetic mono - or diglycerides . in addition , fatty acids such as oleic acid find use in the preparation of injectables . the compounds of general formula i may also be administered in the form of suppositories for rectal administration of the drug . these compositions can be prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable non - irritating excipient which is solid at ordinary temperatures but liquid at the rectaltemperature and will therefore melt in the rectum to release the drug . suchmaterials are cocoa butter and polyethylene glycols . compounds of general formula i may be administered parenterally in a sterile medium . the drug , depending on the vehicle and concentration used , can either be suspended or dissolved in the vehicle . advantageously , adjuvants such as local anaesthetics , preservatives and buffering agents can be dissolved in the vehicle . dosage levels of the order of from about 0 . 1 mg to about 140 mg per kilogram of body weight per day are useful in the treatment of the above - indicated conditions ( about 0 . 5 mg to about 7 g per patient per day ). the amount of active ingredient that may be combined with the carrier materials to produce a single dosage form will vary depending uponthe host treated and the particular mode of administration . dosage unit forms will generally contain between from about 1 mg to about 500 mg of anactive ingredient . it will be understood , however , that the specific dose level for any particular patient will depend upon a variety of factors including the activity of the specific compound employed , the age , body weight , general health , sex , diet , time of administration , route of administration , and rate of excretion , drug combination and the severity of the particular disease undergoing therapy . an illustration of the preparation of compounds of the present invention isgiven in scheme i . those having skill in the art will recognize that the starting materials may be varied and additional steps employed to produce compounds encompassed by the present invention , as demonstrated by the following examples . ## str24 ## wherein : ## str25 ## represents : ## str26 ## and n is 0 , 1 or 2 ; r 1 and r 2 are the same or different and represent hydrogen or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; w is phenyl , 2 - or 3 - thienyl , or 2 -, 3 -, or 4 - pyridyl ; or phenyl . 2 - or 3 - thienyl , or 2 -, 3 -, or 4 - pyridyl , each of which is mono or disubstitutedwith halogen , hydroxy , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , amino , or mono - or dialkyl amino where each alkyl portion is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; y is n -- r 3 where r 3 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain loweralkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , or phenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms :, straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkoxy where the alkoxy is straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or -- cor 4 or -- so 2 r 4 where r 4 is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; c ═ o , cr 6 or 5 , cr 6 cor 5 , cr 6 co 2 r 5 , cr 6 ocor 5 , and cr 5 r 6 , where r 5 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , orphenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 6 is hydrogen , or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms : cr 6 conr 7 r 8 or cr 6 ( ch 2 ) q nr 7 r 8 where q is 0 , 1 , or 2 , and r 6 and r 7 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 8 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , pyridyl , or phenylalkyl wherethe alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or nr 7 r 8 is morpholyl , piperidyl , pyrrolidyl , or n - alkylpiperazyl ; cr 6 nr 9 co 2 r 10 where r 6 is hydrogen , or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , and r r and r 10 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , or phenylalkylwhere the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbonatoms : cr 6 c ( oh ) r 11 r 12 where r 11 and r 12 are the same ordifferent and represent straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , or phenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , and r 6 is hydrogen , or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having , 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or y is a group of the formula : ## str27 ## where m is 0 , 1 or 2 . r 13 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , or phenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; z is methylene , oxygen , nr 14 or chconr 14 where r 14 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , pyridyl , or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and b is n or cr 15 where r 15 is hydrogen , halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , phenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , -- coor 16 , -- conr 16 r 17 , -- cor 16 or -- so 2 r 16 where r 16 is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbonatoms , straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , and r 17 is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and e is hydrogen , or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms . the invention is illustrated further by the following examples which are not to be construed as limiting the invention in scope or spirit to the specific procedures and compounds described in them . a mixture of 2 - hydroxymethyl - benzimidazole ( 11 . 9 g ) and mno 2 ( 59 . 5 g in ethanol ( 250 ml ) was vigorously stirred for 2 days . the reaction was concentrated in vacuo , hot dimethylformamide was added and the mixture wasfiltered through celite . after removal of the solvent in vacuo the tan solid was triturated with ethanol to afford 2 - benzimidazolecarboxaldehyde as a tan powder . a mixture of 2 - benzimidazolecarboxaldehyde ( 154 mg ), 4 - methoxyphenylglycineethyl ester ( 220 mg ) and 3 g oa 3a molecular sieves was refluxed for 2 h . after filtration through celite the solvent was removed in vacuo to affordthe corresponding imine ( compound a1 ) as a glassy solid . to a solution of the crude imine a1 ( 240 mg ) in 9 ml of methanol and 3 ml of water is added 30 mg of lithium hydroxide monohydrate and the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 2 h . after neutralization with dilute hcl and dilution with water , most of the methanol was removed in vacuo andthe resulting solid was collected to afford 2 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- benzimidazo 1 , 2 - a ! pyrazin - 1 -( 5h )- one ( compound 1 ), m . p .& gt ; 150 ° c . ( dec ). the following compounds were prepared according to the procedure described in examples i - iv : the invention and the manner and process of making and using it , are now described in such full , clear , concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains , to make and use the same . it is to be understood that the foregoing describes preferred embodiments of the present invention and that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as setforth in the claims . to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter regarded as invention , the following claims conclude this specification .	2
referring to fig1 , a line drawing of exemplary network architecture is shown in which methods and systems according to embodiments of the present invention may be implemented . while the present invention is operable with various binding schemes , such as binding to a specific receiver in standard pki applications , binding to a specific media in cprm and aacs media , fig1 shows the binding scheme wherein the binding is to a specific user &# 39 ; s content in xcp cluster protocol . the network of fig1 includes an xcp compliant network cluster 32 that includes several xcp compliant network devices including a cellular telephone 18 , a television 10 , a dvd player 16 , a personal computer 14 , and an mp3 player 20 . the network may be any type of wired or wireless network , such as local area network ( lans ) or wide area networks ( wans ). content may be any data deliverable from a source to a recipient and may be in the form of files such as an audio data file , a video data file , a media data file , a streaming media file , an application file , a text file , or a graphic . an encryption system allows receiving devices within the home network to freely share and utilize encrypted content between them while preventing non - compliant devices from decrypting the encrypted content . a receiving device may optionally be able to record content onto a recorded device for use outside the home network . the network cluster supports a key management block 38 for the cluster , an authorization table 12 that identifies all the devices currently authorized to join in the cluster , a binding key 36 for the cluster , and a cluster id 46 . the key management block 38 is a data structure containing an encryption of a management key with every compliant device key . that is , the key management block contains a multiplicity of encrypted instances of a management key , one for every device key in the set of device keys for a device . the binding key 36 for the cluster is calculated as a cryptographic one - way function of a management key and a cryptographic hash of a cluster id and a unique data token for the cluster . the management key for the cluster is calculated from the key management block 38 and device keys . the network of fig1 includes a content server 31 that is capable of encrypting content with title keys provided to it by content providers , content owners , or a legal licensing authority . content server 31 is also capable of calculating a binding key for a cluster , given enough information about the cluster , and using the binding key 36 to encrypt a title key and package it with encrypted contents . more particularly , content server 31 may control broadcast encryption of content for a network cluster 32 from outside the cluster by receiving from a network device in the cluster a key management block 38 for the cluster 32 , a unique data token for the cluster 32 , and an encrypted cluster id . the content server is capable of using the key management block 38 for the cluster 32 , the unique data token for the cluster 32 , and the encrypted cluster id to calculate the binding key for the cluster . the network of fig1 further includes a digital rights server 39 that is capable of storing rights objects that define rights for the broadcast encryption content . in addition , a digital rights server 39 is also capable of calculating a binding key for a cluster , given enough information about the cluster , and using the binding key to encrypt a title key and insert it into a rights object . more particularly , if a third party drm solution exists , the present invention is compatible with said third party drm solution to control broadcast encryption of content for a network cluster 32 from outside the cluster by encrypting a title key with a binding key 36 , and inserting the encrypted title key into the rights object . at this point , an external check could be made to the third party drm solution prior to making content available from a participating device . if a drm solution is present , access is granted or denied based upon unique identification of encrypted content from the requesting device . a digital rights server may be capable of using a key management block 38 for the cluster 32 , a unique data token for the cluster 32 , and an encrypted cluster id to calculate a binding key for the cluster . a generalized diagram of an encryption management system that may be used in the practice of the present invention is shown in fig2 . the cryptographic system may be any combination of hardware and / or software that may perform one or more of such tasks as encrypting or decrypting , and attaching a key to content . a typical cryptographic system may be a general purpose computer with a computer program that , when loaded and executed , carries out the methods described herein . alternatively , cryptographic system may be a specific use computer system containing specialized hardware for carrying out one or more of the functional tasks of the cryptographic system . a specific use computer system may be part of a receiving device , for example , such as an encryption / decryption module associated with a dvd player . cryptographic system may include one or more central processing units ( cpus 19 ), an input / output ( i / o ) interface 22 , a user application 26 that includes a binding calculation object 28 wherein a context key 40 , indirection key ( s ) 42 , and encryption key 44 are found , external devices 24 , and a database 49 . cryptographic system may also be in communication with a source 57 or a recipient 47 . source 57 may be the source of any content to be encrypted or decrypted or any entity capable of sending transmissions , such as a content owner , a content service provider , or a receiver in a home network . information received from a source 57 may include any type of information , such as encrypted content , content , content usage conditions , a kmb , encrypted title keys , or binding identifiers . similarly , a recipient 47 may be any entity capable of receiving transmissions or that is a destination for any encrypted content or other information , such as a receiver in a home network . cpu 19 may include a single processing unit or may be distributed across one or more processing units in one or more locations , such as on a client and server or a multi - processor system . i / o interface 22 may include any system for exchanging information with an external source . external devices 24 may include any known type of external device , such as speakers , a video display , a keyboard to other user input device , or a printer . database 49 may provide storage for information used to facilitate performance of the disclosed embodiment . database 49 may include one or more storage devices , such as a magnetic disk drive or optional disk drive . user application 26 may include components of application specific information , such as media id , or authorization table . binding calculation object 28 may include a context key 40 that is set up via a user &# 39 ; s specific information , one or more indirection keys 42 , and a final encryption key 44 used to encrypt content . the binding calculation object 28 can be reused in several various applications and is a standard defined mechanism . this standard defined mechanism can be used to create trusted entities that handle a state of a binding transaction for an application . secret information , such as title keys , media keys , or session keys , can be kept inside these trusted entities ( binding calculation objects ) decreasing the security risks of transmitting sensitive information in application components . specific measures can be taken to detect and prevent decryption of title keys outside of the trusted entities . the binding calculation object or trusted cryptography object 28 can be implemented as a trusted software component that executes in a trusted operating system environment . for example , a computer system could be supplied with a trusted java virtual machine ( java is a trademark of sun microsystems , inc .) whose execution options are known and controlled by the system owner . in the alternative , binding calculation object 28 can be embodied in a read only memory device or application specific hardware device to ensure that no compromising operations can be performed . the advantage is that the decrypted secret information such as the title key is always maintained in the binding object 28 with external access blocked and thus cannot be compromised . fig3 is a flowchart showing the development of a process according to the present invention for managing encrypted content using logical partitions . means are provided for managing encrypted content using logical partitions of title keys encrypted with binding information , step 70 . means are provided for requesting access to content on a compliant device stored by content provider service , step 71 . a user can choose to manage the encrypted title keys of the encrypted content in these partitions . a user may choose to manage the encrypted content in these partitions , but can also have a reference to the encrypted content in another location . means are provided for identifying content partition of which requested content is a member , step 72 . one binding scheme that could be used with the present invention is xcp . means are provided for retrieving content binding context for identified partitions , step 73 . means are provided for determining if binding context represents most current set of binding information for device , step 74 . means are provided for restoring binding information using the content binding context , step 75 . means are provided for allowing for rebinding title keys to current cluster binding information level , step 76 . the content binding service can allow users to provide preferences when content can optimally be rebound , e . g . at times of low usage . the provider can allow for time intervals to be set by the user that when the period occurs , a binding currency check is made for content contexts associated with content partitions it manages . re - encryption of large sets of title keys can occur on different threads at lower priorities to match the device &# 39 ; s processing capabilities or to defer to times when the device &# 39 ; s processing capabilities permit . a simplified run of the process set up in fig3 will now be described in with respect to the flowchart of fig4 . first , a determination is made regarding whether to manage encrypted content using logical partitions , step 80 . if no , the process ends since we only describe a process using logical partitions with regard to fig4 . if yes , access is requested to content stored by content provider service , step 81 . when content is acquired by a device and stored directly or indirectly ( e . g . from a content server via the content binding service ) to the content provider , the content provider is always provided the encrypted content , encrypted title key , and the binding context which it can use to partition the encrypted content and encrypted title keys . it should be noted that partitions can be actual physical partitions mapped to physical storage media or logical partitions which can maintain an association to the physical location where the actual content and title keys reside . the partition is identified of which requested content is a member , step 82 . a determination is made regarding whether the binding information used for encryption of title keys is outdated using the binding context associated with that partition , step 83 . if yes , the content provider requests that the title key encrypted with outdated binding information be re - encrypted by content binding service , step 84 . the content provider presents the outdated binding context associated with the logical partition the title key was a member of to the binding service , step 85 . the content binding service uses the outdated binding context to recover outdated binding material and uses it to decrypt the outdated title key , step 86 . the binding service then re - encrypts the title key with the current set of binding information for the cluster , step 87 . the content binding service returns the re - encrypted title key and current binding context to the content provider , step 88 . the content provider re - partitions the title key to the “ current ” logical partition , creating a “ current ” partition if one does not yet exist , step 89 , and either chooses to rebind each title key in the outdated partition or marks the partition as being outdated and defers its binding ( on a schedule determined by the compliant device or user ). further in fig4 , when the content provider service identifies the partition with current content context , the content and newly encrypted title key are associated with the partition . association of the content and keys are removed from the previous partition , and remaining content associated with requested content which is in a partition with outdated content context is marked and monitored . the content binding service can comprise a notification system for the content provider service to provide real time determination of binding changes . a content provider can opt to rebind ( as in steps 84 - 89 ) the title keys within partitions at the time of notification by the content binding service &# 39 ; s notification system . alternatively , a content provider can opt to defer rebinding title keys at the time of the notification by the content binding service &# 39 ; s notification system flagging the partition and associated content and title keys for a future update interval . if no , the binding information used for encryption of title keys is not outdated , then the encrypted title key and encrypted content is returned to content binding service , step 90 , and title key is decrypted by content binding service with current binding information , step 91 . then the decrypted title key is used to decrypt the content itself , step 92 . decrypted content is provided to the rendering service ( including but not limited to audio and / or video ) on the compliant device ( e . g . dvd player , mp3 player , or the like ), step 93 , then the process ends . the present invention is described in this specification in terms of methods for the secure and convenient handling of cryptographic binding state information . one skilled in the art should appreciate that the processes controlling the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of computer readable media of a variety of forms . the invention may also be embodied in a computer program product , such as a diskette or other recording medium , for use with any suitable data processing system . embodiments of a computer program product may be implemented by use of any recording medium for machine - readable information , including magnetic media , optical media , or other suitable media . persons skilled in the art will immediately recognize that any computer system having suitable programming means will be capable of executing the steps of the method of the invention as embodied in a program product . although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described , it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and intent of the appended claims .	6
in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 the bifurcation stent 5 comprises a first leg 10 , a second leg 15 , and a stem 20 . fig2 shows a first sheet 25 which is used to form first leg 10 , a second sheet 30 which is used to form second leg 15 , and a third sheet 35 which is used to form stem 20 . the first sheet 25 and second sheet 30 are substantially flat and are sized to a predetermined length and width . for many applications , the first sheet 25 and second sheet 30 will have substantially the same dimensions so as to produce legs 10 and 15 that are substantially the same size , however , the legs 10 and 15 , and the sheets 25 and 30 used to produce them , may be of varying sizes as specific applications dictate . the stents of this invention may be sized so that when assembled they are their final size , however , in a preferred embodiment the stents are expandable and sized and adapted to assume their final dimensions upon expansion . the stent sheets 70 and 75 may be patterned or etched with perforations forming a variety of patterns as specific applications dictate to achieve the expandable features required as previously discussed . the third sheet 35 is sized so that when it is rolled into a tube its internal cross - section can be made to accommodate the cross - sectional external diameters of first leg 10 and second leg 15 . first sheet 25 has a first edge 26 , a second edge 27 , a third edge 28 , and a fourth edge 29 . second sheet 30 has a first edge 31 , a second edge 32 , a third edge 33 , and a fourth edge 34 . third sheet 35 has a first edge 36 , a second edge 37 , a third edge 38 , and a fourth edge 39 . after the sheet metal has been cut to form sheets 25 , 30 , and 35 , it is deformed and rolled so as to cause two opposite edges to meet and create a cylinder . in the example shown in fig2 and 3 , edge 27 is joined to edge 29 via weld run 14 to form first leg 10 . edge 32 is joined to edge 34 via weld run 19 to form second leg 15 . edge 37 is joined to edge 39 via weld run 29 to form stem 20 . the edges may be joined in a wide variety of ways well known to those skilled in the art as suitable for this purpose , e . g ., screwing , crimping , soldering , however , in a preferred embodiment welding is utilized . in an especially preferred embodiment , spot welding is utilized . as shown in fig3 first leg 10 has a proximal end 11 , a distal end 12 , and defines a longitudinal bore 13 . second leg 15 has a proximal end 16 , a distal end 17 , and defines a longitudinal bore 18 . the stem 20 has a proximal end 26 , a distal end 27 , and defines a longitudinal bore 28 . fig4 shows the first leg 10 , second leg 15 , and stem 20 just prior to assembly . to form the bifurcated stent 5 , the proximal end 11 of first leg 10 and the proximal end 16 of second leg 15 are joined to the distal end 27 of the stem portion 20 so that the longitudinal bores 13 , 18 , and 28 are in communication with each other . fig5 is an end view and fig6 is a side view of the assembled apparatus . [ 0040 ] fig1 shows a second embodiment of a bifurcation stent manufactured in accordance with this invention . the stent 50 is provided with a first leg 55 and a second leg 60 attached to a stem portion 65 . the bifurcation stent 50 is formed from a first sheet 70 and a second sheet 75 as shown in fig7 . the stent sheets 70 and 75 may be patterned or etched with perforations forming a variety of patterns as specific applications dictate to achieve the expandable features required as previously discussed . the sheets 70 and 75 are substantially flat and have a predetermined length and width . first sheet 70 has a first edge 71 , a second edge 72 , a third edge 73 and a fourth edge 74 . the second sheet 75 has a first edge 76 , a second edge 77 , a third edge 78 , and a fourth edge 79 . to form the legs of the stent a portion of edge 72 is rolled towards a portion of edge 74 and a portion of edge 77 is rolled towards a portion of edge 79 . demarcation points 80 , 81 , 82 , and 83 are selected on sheets 70 and 75 as shown in fig8 . these demarcation points 80 , 81 , 82 , and 83 are selected to meet the requirement of specific applications and may be adjusted depending upon the length required for legs 55 and 60 and the length required for stem 65 . demarcation points 80 and 81 that are equidistant from edges 73 and 71 and demarcation points 82 and 83 that are equidistant from edges 76 and 78 will result in a stent in which the legs 55 and 60 have a length that is substantially equal to stem portion 65 . if the demarcation points are selected to be closer to edges 73 and 78 than to edges 71 and 76 the stem will have a length that is greater than the length of each of the legs . if the demarcation points are selected to be closer to edges 71 and 76 than to edges 73 and 78 , each of the legs 60 and 65 will have a length that is greater than the length of the stem 65 . in a preferred embodiment , however , the demarcation points 80 , 81 , 82 , and 83 , are selected so that proximal edges 72 ″, 74 ″, 77 ″, and 79 ″ are about ⅓ the length of edges 72 , 74 , 77 , and 79 . as shown in fig8 demarcation point 80 divides edge 72 at approximately its midpoint into a distal edge 72 ′ and a proximal edge 72 ″. demarcation point 81 divides edge 74 at approximately its midpoint into a distal edge 74 ′ and a proximal edge 74 ″. demarcation point 82 divides edge 77 at approximately its midpoint into a distal edge 77 ′ and a proximal edge 77 ″ and demarcation point 83 divides edge 79 at approximately its midpoint into a distal edge 79 ′ and a proximal edge 79 ″. to form the stent , edge 72 ′ is connected to edge 74 ′ via weld run 90 to form first member 95 having a first leg portion 55 and a first stem half 65 ′ as shown in fig9 . edge 77 ′ is connected to edge 79 ′ via weld run 91 to form second member 100 having a second leg portion 60 and a second stem half 65 ″. as previously discussed , the edges may be connected in a variety of ways well known to those skilled in the art . fig1 shows the first member 95 and the second member 100 shown in fig9 in alignment just prior to assembly . to produce the bifurcated stent 50 shown in fig1 and 12 , edge 72 ″ is connected to edge 79 ″ via weld run 92 and edge 74 ″ is connected to edge 77 ″ via weld run 93 so that first stem half 65 ′ and second stem half 65 ″ form stem 65 . fig1 is a cross - sectional end view of the stent shown in fig1 . in the embodiment shown in fig7 sheets 70 and 75 are squares or rectangles . the sheets 70 and 75 are not limited to this configuration , however , as shown in fig7 b . fig1 b shows a bifurcation stent manufactured using the sheets 270 and 275 shown in fig7 b . the stent 250 is provided with a first leg 255 and a second leg 260 attached to a stem portion 265 . the bifurcation stent 250 is formed from a first sheet 270 and a second sheet 275 as shown in fig7 b . the stent sheets 270 and 275 may be sized and etched as previously discussed . as shown in fig7 b , first sheet 270 has a first edge 271 , a second edge 272 , a third edge 273 , a fourth edge 274 , a fifth edge 275 , and a sixth edge 276 , a seventh edge 146 , and an eighth edge 147 . the second sheet 275 has a first edge 277 , a second edge 278 , a third edge 279 , a fourth edge 280 , a fifth edge 281 , a sixth edge 282 , a seventh edge 148 , and an eighth edge 149 . as shown in fig9 b , edge 274 is connected to edge 276 via weld run 290 to form first member 295 having a first leg portion 255 and a first stem half 265 ′. edge 280 is connected to edge 282 via weld run 291 to form second member 300 having a second leg portion 260 and a second stem half 265 ″. as previously discussed , the edges may be connected in a variety of ways well known to those skilled in the art . fig1 b shows the first member 295 and the second member 300 shown in fig9 b in alignment just prior to assembly . to produce the bifurcated stent 250 shown in fig1 b and 12b , edge 272 is connected to edge 149 via weld run 292 and edge 278 is connected to edge 147 via weld run 293 so that first stem half 265 ′ and second stem half 265 ″ form stem 265 . fig1 b is a cross - sectional end view of the stent shown in fig1 b . fig1 c shows an alternative pattern that may be used in place of the patterns shown in fig7 and 7b . a third embodiment of this invention comprises two portions which are deployed serially in two steps and assembled within the patient to form a bifurcated stent . fig1 shows stem and first leg portion 110 provided with a longitudinal bore 131 and having a proximal end 115 defining a stem portion 125 and a distal end 120 defining a first leg portion 130 . second leg portion 140 is provided with a longitudinal bore 132 and has a proximal end 145 and a distal end 150 . stem and first leg portion 110 and second leg portion 140 may be sized and patterned or etched as previously discussed . a branch aperture 135 is disposed between the proximal end 115 and the distal end 120 of stem and first leg portion 110 . the branch aperture 135 is sized to receive second leg portion 140 and is adapted to engage and secure the second leg portion 140 when it has been expanded within the branch aperture 135 . second leg portion 140 is sized and adapted to engage and be secured into branch aperture 135 upon expansion . fig1 to 21 show how the bifurcated stent is assembled within a bifurcated lumen . as shown in fig1 to 21 , the area to be treated is a bifurcated lumen having a first or trunk lumen 190 and a second or branch lumen 195 . as shown in fig1 , a first guide wire 155 is introduced into the trunk lumen 190 and a second guide wire 156 is introduced into the branch lumen 195 . as shown in fig1 , a balloon expandable stem and first leg portion 110 is disposed on the tip of a first balloon catheter 170 so that the balloon 175 is disposed within longitudinal bore 131 . a second balloon catheter 171 is then introduced into longitudinal bore 131 of stem and first leg portion 110 and is advanced so that the balloon 176 is disposed within aperture 135 . first catheter 170 is mounted on first guide wire 155 and second catheter 171 is mounted on second guide wire 156 . as shown in fig1 , the unexpanded stem and first leg portion 110 is guided to the area to be treated so that first leg portion 130 is disposed within trunk lumen 190 and branch aperture 135 communicates with branch lumen 195 . guide wire 156 facilitates the orientation of the branch aperture 135 with the branch lumen 195 . the size of the conventional catheters and balloons is not to scale and details well known to those skilled in the art have been omitted for clarity . balloon 175 is inflated which causes the stem and first leg portion 110 to expand , as shown in fig1 , to secure it in the desired position . after expansion , the external wall of stem and first leg portion 110 would contact the interior walls of trunk lumen 190 , however , a gap has been intentionally left for clarity . the balloon 175 on first catheter 170 is left inflated and the balloon 176 on second catheter 171 is then inflated to enlarge the branch aperture 135 as shown in fig1 . as the branch aperture 135 is enlarged a portion of the stent defining the branch aperture 135 is pushed outward to form a branch securing lip 180 . balloons 175 and 176 are deflated , second catheter 171 is withdrawn , and second guide wire 156 is left in place in the branch lumen 195 . second leg portion 140 is then applied to second catheter 171 so that balloon 176 is disposed in longitudinal bore 132 and second catheter 171 is then applied to second guide wire 156 . second leg portion 140 is then guided to , and introduced into , the longitudinal bore 131 of the stem and first leg portion 110 and is advanced and passed through branch aperture 135 so that the distal end 150 of the second leg portion 140 protrudes into the branch lumen 195 and the proximal end 145 communicates with longitudinal bore 131 , as shown in fig1 . the balloon 176 on second catheter 171 is partially inflated and the balloon 175 on first catheter 170 is then partially inflated to a pressure substantially equal to the pressure in balloon 176 . both balloons 175 and 176 are then simultaneously inflated to substantially equal pressures . as shown in fig2 , inflation of the balloon 176 on second catheter 171 causes second leg member 140 to expand so that its external walls engage and are secured to the area surrounding aperture 135 . inflation of the balloon 175 on the first catheter 170 prevents stem and first leg portion 110 from collapsing when balloon 176 is inflated . after expansion , the external walls of second leg 140 would contact the inner wall of lumen 195 , however , a gap has been intentionally left for clarity . the balloons 175 and 176 are deflated , catheters 170 and 171 and guide wires 155 and 156 are withdrawn , and the assembled bifurcated stent 160 is left in place as shown in fig2 .	0
fig1 a shows the relative positions of several individual axes according to an embodiment of the present invention , which are of significance for taking measurements using a surveying instrument , such as a theodolite or tacheometer . a vertical axis sta is shown oriented substantially vertically , or lengthwise with respect to the page . a tilt axis ka is shown orthogonal to the vertical axis sta and is oriented substantially horizontally , or widthwise with respect to the page . referring briefly to fig1 d the upper part of the surveying instrument is rotatable about the vertical axis sta . the tilt axis ka is located in the upper part of the surveying instrument and runs orthogonally to the vertical axis sta . the telescope body of the survey instrument is thus swivelable about the tilt axis ka . referring back to fig1 a the optical axes of different optical arrangements in the surveying instrument that form the sighting axes za n ( n = 0 ; 1 ; 2 ; . . . ) intersect at a common intersection point s . as can be seen from fig1 a and even better from fig1 b , the three sighting axes za 0 to za 2 illustrated stand vertically on the tilt axis ka . the right angles , which the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 form with the tilt axis , are highlighted by a dot in fig1 a . the angles α n ( n = 1 , 2 , . . . ), which enclose the neighboring sighting axes za 0 and za 1 or za 0 and za 2 , are marked α 1 and α 2 . the vertices of these angles α 1 and α 2 lie at the common intersection point s . in the following discussion , the angles α n are looked at first , with the angles β n ( reference to the vertical angle measuring device ) being considered zero . this means , a special case is being described here where all optical axes or sighting axes run vertically to the tilt axis ka and are , therefore , in one plane , on which the tilt axis stands vertically . in fig1 b , v 0 to v 2 denote vertical angles . in surveying , the vertical angle is the angle between the zenith of the instrument and the object point lying in the vertical plane and is sighted through a sighting axis . the orientation of the vertical angle measuring system in a surveying instrument is defined in such a way that a vertical angle v 0 of 90 ° ( 100 gon ) is obtained when an object point lying in the horizon is being sighted ( fig1 b ). if there are several optical or sighting axes in the surveying instrument which , as shown in fig1 b , run orthogonally to the tilt axis ka and intersect at the intersection point s , the following angle relationships can be deduced : therefore , the sights of the optical or sighting axes za 1 and za 2 lie at the vertical angles v 1 and v 2 , with the object point p being observed with respect to the sighting axis za 0 at the angle v 0 . if the object point p is to be sighted with a different optical arrangement of the surveying instrument , the vertical angle v 0 must be reset on the vertical divided circle of the instrument . accordingly , the following relationship can be derived for sighting with the sighting axis za 1 ( fig1 c ): the sights of the optical or sighting axes za 1 and za 2 equally result from the relationships [ 1 ] and [ 2 ]. if a changeover from the currently used sighting axis za 1 to the sighting axis za 2 is to be effected , the angle α 1 must be added according to the relationship [ 3 ]. in a general form , the relationships can be described as follows . the vertical angle v 0 is in the position i on the vertical divided circle , and one observes an object point p using the optical or sighting axis za n . if a different optical arrangement of the surveying instrument is to be used for an observation , i . e ., another sighting axis is to be switched on , a new vertical angle v results at the position i + 1 , namely , v 0i + 1 = v 0 , 1 − α n , m . this also results in new vertical angles at which the sights of the other optical or sighting axes lie . then , the general relationship reads as follows : the parameter n corresponds to the activated optical or sighting axis za n , and the angle α n , m is known and corresponds to the angle between the sighting axis m being switched off and on . this angle is to be inserted in the general form [ 4 ] with the correct algebraic sign . considerations analogous to those made with respect to the vertical angle v n are undertaken for the optical arrangements with their optical or sighting axes za n , which lie in the same plane as the tilt axis , i . e ., the tilt axis ka itself lies in this plane and the optical axes or the sighting axes za n do not exclusively stand vertically on the tilt axis ka . here , the angles β n are considered . for the sake of simplicity , this is done for the case when the angles α n are zero . for this reason , the angles β n are being related to the horizontal angle hz n . fig2 shows these angular relationships in a plan view on a horizontal divided circle . in an analogous manner to the above description with reference to fig1 b and 1 c , the following relationship results in a general form for an object point on the horizontal divided circle observed at a horizontal angle hz 0 at the position i when there is a changeover to another optical or sighting axis : the following equation then results for the direction of an optical or sighting axis za m at the position hz 0 , i + 1 : since the angles β n have the same effect as a side collimation error , the above equations apply , strictly speaking , only to a sight that lies in the horizon . if work is performed at a vertical angle other than 90 ° ( 100 gon ), corrections must be made that are known in surveying . in so doing , it is assumed that the optical or sighting axis za 0 stands vertically on the vertical axis sta and is not subject to a side collimation error . hz 0 , i + 1 = hz 0 , 1 − β n , m / sin ( v ) [ 7 ] and hz m , i + 1 = hz 0 , i + 1 − β n , m / sin ( v ) [ 8 ]. fig3 shows the position of the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 , which form angles with tilt axis ka that are not equal to 90 ° and whose vertices lie at the intersection point of vertical axis sta and tilt axis ka . the angles β 0 to β 2 are angles that can be produced by rotating the upper part about the vertical axis sta . the angles v 0 to v 2 , again , denote vertical angles , which the sighting axes za 0 and za 2 form with the vertical axis sta . the sighting axes can be aligned with a target by properly rotating the upper part at an angle β , which is dependent on the vertical angle v , about the vertical axis sta and by setting a relevant angle about the tilt axis ka for the telescope body . the angle at which the target object is located in relation to the plumb - line direction , as seen from the surveying instrument , is regarded as the vertical angle v . if one proceeds , as depicted in fig3 in simplified form , from an arbitrary arrangement of the optical or sighting axes and stipulate as the only condition that the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 intersect at the intersection point s of vertical axis sta and tilt axis ka , the connection of the optical axes with the angle - measuring devices of the surveying instrument can be described by a relevant combination of the angles αand β . referring to fig6 , another view is provided which shows the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 , which form angles with tilt axis ka that are not equal to 90 ° and whose vertices lie at the intersection point of vertical axis sta and tilt axis ka . as illustrated , the vertical axis sta is oriented substantially vertically to the page . the tilt axis ka is illustrated as a plane orthogonal to the vertical axis sta . the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 are projected in the three dimensional coordinate space defined by the vertical axis sta and the tilt axis ka , and intersect at a common intersection point s . in order to effect the changeover from an optical arrangement n for an object point p to another optical arrangement m , a change of direction in the vertical line from v 0 , 1 to v 0 , i + 1 is required . the following relationship applies : by way of analogy , the relevant optical or sighting axis m appears at the vertical angle consequently , the following applies to the horizontal direction hz 0 , i + 1 to be set : hz 0 , i + 1 = hz , 01 − β n , m / sin ( v m , i + 1 ) [ 11 ]. the horizontal direction , in which the object point p is seen with the sighting axis za m , corresponds to the relationship hz m , i + 1 = hz 0 , i + 1 + β n , m / sin ( v m , i + 1 ) [ 12 ]. the angles α n , m and β n , m represent the angles between an optical or a sighting axis n and another optical or sighting axis m in each of their horizontal and vertical components . referring to fig4 , a surveying instrument , for example , a video tacheometer , a theodolite or any other instrument used in geodetic surveying for measuring angles or distances is shown in a simplified fashion . the surveying instrument comprises a fixable lower part mostly attached to a tripod 1 , which is equipped with a tribrach 2 with foot screws 3 for fastening and leveling the instrument . a push - on sleeve for receiving a positive centering system is known to be used with such surveying instruments , but is not shown for the sake of simplicity . the surveying instrument also includes a system of vertical axes 4 with a horizontal circle 5 and a gear wheel 6 of a horizontal drive 7 . an upper part 8 of the surveying instrument is mounted in bearings 9 and 10 so that it can be pivoted about a vertical axis sta , and is placed on the system of vertical axes 4 . the rotatable upper part 8 includes , among other things , a support 11 and a telescope body 13 , which comprises a telescope 12 and is swivelable about the tilt axis ka owing to journals 14 and 15 mounted in bearings 16 ; 17 located in the support 11 . as demonstrated in fig5 , the telescope 12 comprises an objective 12 a , a focusing element 12 b , an image inversion system 12 c and an eyepiece 12 d with a graticule 12 e . the optical axis 18 of the telescope 12 is equally a sighting axis za 1 , which is directed at an object ( target ). apart from the telescope 12 , further optical arrangements implementing optical beam paths are provided , such as an illuminating beam path 19 with objective 19 a , deflecting element 19 b and light source 19 c , as well as a ccd camera 20 with imaging lens 20 a and matrix receiver element 20 b , whose optical axes 21 and 22 form additional sighting axes za 2 and za 3 . the deflecting element 19 b deflects the beam path 19 . with such an illuminating beam path 19 , information can be exchanged , for instance , between the measuring spot ( place where the surveying instrument is located ) and the target spot ( position of the target ) or a collimating mark can be projected onto the target spot . it should be mentioned briefly at this point that an optical arrangement for a coudé optical beam can also be placed inside the telescope body . notably , the optical axes 18 , 21 and 22 or the straight extension 21 a of the optical axis 21 going through the objectives 12 a , 19 a and 20 a run through the common intersection point s , which lies at the intersection point of vertical axis sta and tilt axis ka . in a simplified manner , fig5 illustrates a surveying instrument where the optical axes 18 , 21 and 22 , which correspond to the sighting axes za 1 to za 3 , run vertically to the tilt axis ka . surveying instruments with optical arrangements inside a telescope body , whose optical or sighting axes intersect the tilt axis ka at angles other than 90 ° are equally conceivable , however , so long as the optical or sighting axes za 1 ; za 2 ( fig2 ) intersect the tilt axis ka at the intersection point s or close to it . further , the surveying instrument comprises adjustment devices 23 and 24 for manually adjusting the telescope body 13 about the tilt axis ka and the upper part 8 about the vertical axis sta . these adjustment devices 23 and 24 can effect the relevant mechanical rotation of the telescope body 13 and the upper part 8 in the well - known way . it is an advantage , however , if the adjustment devices 23 and 24 only act on the vertical drive 25 or the horizontal drive 7 via transducers ( not shown herein ), with the aid of a computer 26 . motorized tacheometer drives of this type are known . essentially , the computer 26 reads a measuring system 27 for the horizontal angle hz , and a measuring system 28 for the vertical angle v . the computer 26 further controls the motors for the horizontal drive 7 and the vertical drive 25 on the basis of the angles hz picked up by a transducer 27 ′ and the angle v identified by an angular - motion transducer 28 ′, so that certain angles are set . the certain angles may , for instance , have been predetermined by the adjustment devices 23 and 24 . the angles are set according to the relationships defined above , so that the relevant angle is adjusted when a new optical axis ( sighting axis za ) is set for a given target position and is kept at the desired value by the motorized drive . this can also be done in a simple manner by switching means ( not shown ), which switch off the drive in question when the desired angle is reached . on the other hand , a known control loop , through which the computer 26 keeps the desired angle constant , can also be provided . the computer 26 , which also controls the horizontal drive 7 and the vertical drive 25 , is located in the upper part 8 and swivels the telescope body 13 about the tilt axis ka ( rotation of the telescope body about the tilt axis ). using the computer 26 , the measured values can be processed and the measurement results can be determined , displayed and recorded . also , the angles corresponding to the various target positions or sighting axes za can be stored in the memory of the computer 26 . an optical arrangement can then be set from one target position to another by a relevant command . owing to the motorized computer - controlled adjustment of the telescope body 13 and / or the upper part 8 , easy automatic switching between the various optical arrangements is possible . as a matter of principle , mechanical arresters , for example , taking the form of a locking device or suitable mechanical stops such as detents , can also be provided for positioning and fixing the optical arrangements at a desired target position . for this purpose , one or more of those arresters are arranged between the support 11 and the telescope body 13 for each of these sighting axes za . the above mechanical arrestors can be constructed in such a way that they are adjustable and lockable in relation to the telescope body 13 . referring to fig7 , one example of the use of a survey instrument according to at least one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated . the survey instrument has a plurality of sighting axes za 0 to za 2 . as shown , the sighting axis za 1 is directed towards a target . referring to fig8 , the same survey instrument shown in fig7 is again illustrated , however , the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 have been reoriented on the survey instrument such that now the sighting axis za 2 is directed towards the target . having described the invention in detail and by reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims .	6
reference is made to u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 753 , 532 , filed jan . 2 , 2001 , which shows constructional features of the tub grinder of the present invention . references is also made to u . s . pat . no . 5 , 419 , 502 which shows a tub grinder . referring to fig1 in particular , a tub grinder illustrated generally at 10 has an open top , rotating tub 14 mounted onto a grinder frame 16 . the tub 14 is rotatable about an upright axis , and is used for comminuting or disintegrating materials with a grinder cylinder shown schematically at 23 . the tub grinder 10 has an engine 20 that is used for powering the tub and grinding cylinder , and the tub grinder includes a folding conveyor 22 that is shown in its folded position in the figures , by way of illustration . the conveyor has a section 21 under the tub that will receive material that has been ground by a grinder cylinder 23 shown schematically in fig5 that is used for disintegrating material placed in the open top of the tub . a screen 23 a is provided below the rotor and material disintegrated or ground passes through the screen to conveyor section 21 . the top edge of the tub is illustrated at 24 , for illustrative purposes . the tub , engine , conveyor and frame 16 forms a self - contained unit , that is mounted onto a hook lift or support frame assembly 26 . the lift or support frame assembly has various supports for supporting the grinder frame 16 and the tub grinder , which is a large , extremely heavy unit . the lift or support frame 26 is made so that it is capable of being moved and lifted from a hook lift or hoist assembly on a truck 32 . the hook lift or hoist is of conventional design as shown in fig2 at 30 , that is mounted onto a truck 32 . the truck has a truck frame 34 , and the hook lift or hoist includes frame members 36 , that are pivotally mounted to the truck frame 34 . the members 36 are pivoted and controlled with a hydraulic cylinder 38 . a hook holder arm 40 is pivotally mounted to the members 36 about an axis 42 , and a hydraulic cylinder 44 is used for controlling the pivoting of the arm 40 . the arm 40 carries a large hook indicated at 46 which will hook onto the front of lift frame 26 that supports the tub grinder 10 . the hook lift or hoist 30 is a conventional frame used on trucks for hauling and lifting roll - on containers , and is made by stellar industries , inc ., 280 west 3 rd street , garner , iowa . hook lifts or hoists sold under the trademark stellar shuttle by stellar industries have been found to be suitable . additional showings of hoist frames by stellar industries are illustrated in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 082 , 217 and 5 , 427 , 495 . it should be noted that the hook that is used for this application is similar to that shown in fig1 of patent &# 39 ; 495 which is labeled as prior art , but the pivoting hoist is of the form shown in the rest of the figures of that patent with the modifications of having a single arm protruding rearwardly for hooking onto the frame 26 . lift or support frame 26 is shown in perspective view in fig3 with the grinder removed for sake of clarity . also , fig4 shows the front view of the frame 26 . frame 26 includes longitudinally extending main frame rails 50 , that are joined together with a rear cross member 52 , that as can be seen extends laterally outwardly from rails 50 . support sections 54 are provided so the lateral width of the cross member 52 is substantially greater than the spacing of the rail members 50 which are made to fit onto conventional rollers or tracks 33 on the truck frame 34 for the truck 32 to lift the lift or support frame 26 . the forward end of the lift or support frame 26 is joined with a cross member 56 , which is positioned between the longitudinal rail or frame members 50 . an a - frame or lift arm 58 has upright members 60 that taper together upwardly to support a hook rail 62 on which a schematically shown hook 46 from the hook lift on the truck will engage . the upstanding a - frame or arm is used for lifting and pulling the lift or support frame 26 onto the truck . suitable bracing on the frame is provided , as shown . the cross member 56 supports side plates 66 that have apertures for receiving end portions of the grinder frame 16 of the tub grinder so that the tub grinder can be pinned into place on those portions . additionally , the lift or support frame 26 has a raised support saddle 68 , that has longitudinal members 70 , and cross members 72 . the members 70 are supported on brackets 69 at the front and are spaced above the longitudinal rails 50 . the space between members 70 and the cross - members 72 receives the lower portions of the grinding cylinder 23 that are below the floor of the tub grinder , as illustrated schematically . also , the members 70 provide clearance for the horizontal portion of a conveyor section 21 that receives ground material and transfers it to the folding conveyor 22 . the folding conveyor 22 will receive material from the lower conveyor sections 21 underneath the tub , as the material is ground . the frame 26 has four retractable stabilizer assemblies shown generally at 78 , which are substantially identical , and are mounted on opposite sides of the frame adjacent the front and rear ends . the stabilizer assemblies 78 are shown somewhat schematically . there are a plurality of stabilizer supports or anchors 80 , extend laterally out from the longitudinal rail members 50 . the stabilizer supports include hubs 82 for mounting pivoting stabilizer arms 84 . the stabilizer arms 84 are channel shaped and are pivotally mounted on the hubs 82 . the stabilizer arms are reinforced suitably . the side walls of the channel shaped stabilizer arms fit to the outside of the hubs , and also straddle upright members 86 forming part of the support for the stabilizers . the stabilizers are controlled for movement about the axis of the hubs 82 by a hydraulic actuator 88 . the hydraulic actuator 88 is pivotally mounted as at 90 to an upright flange 92 , in a suitable manner . the hydraulic actuator 88 for each of the stabilizers has an extendable and retractable rod 93 that has its rod end pivotally mounted on a pin 94 that also mounts a stabilizer foot 96 . by extending and retracting the actuators 88 , the stabilizer arms can be pivoted from a raised position or transport position shown on the right - hand side of fig4 to a stabilizing or lowered position shown on the left - hand side of fig4 . it can be seen that the stabilizers can be lowered to support part of the tub grinder weight to stabilize the lift frame 26 . while not contemplated for operation the frame can be lifted off the ground . the weight carried by the stabilizer arms can be such that it insures that the lift frame 26 is not likely to rock or tilt , and that there is a firm base for supporting the grinder when it is in operation grinding materials . when the frame 26 and the tub grinder 10 are supported on the ground , as shown in fig5 the open top of the tub is accessible and material can be dropped into the tub from the top in a normal manner . the conveyor is shown removed from its transport position over the top of the tub in fig5 . the top of the tub grinder is lowered substantially over when it is mounted on a truck or semi - trailer . the tub grinder together with its drive motor can remain on the frame 26 and be used for disintegrating material that is brought to the site of the tub grinder . a roll - on container truck can deliver containers of the material to be ground up , and the material then can be loaded into the tub grinder with a grapple or front - end loader as desired . the lower height of the top of the tub , or in other words the lower loading height , will permit smaller loaders , such as skid steer loaders , to be used for handling the debris . when the tub grinder is to be moved , the hook 46 mounted on the lift or hoist 30 is lowered to a position where it will go under the cross member 62 on the lift frame , and then the hydraulic actuators 38 and 44 are operated to lift the a - frame 58 , and the front end of the lift frame 26 ( after the stabilizer arms have been raised to the position shown in fig5 ). the lift frame and tub grinder then can be tilted to the position shown in fig2 where the longitudinal rails 50 will roll onto suitable rollers on the truck frame 34 so that the unit can be loaded . its fully loaded position is shown in fig1 and the hook lift or hoist is moved to a position so that the arm 40 extends uprightly just ahead of the a - frame 58 on the tub grinder frame 26 . the removal process is the opposite movement , and is accomplished quite easily . once loaded , the truck of course can be moved in any desired location before the tub grinder is off loaded . the spacing of the longitudinal rail members 50 can be such that they will roll on rollers used for roll off containers , and the overall assembly can easily be modified to fit existing hook lift or hoist trucks . once the tub grinder is installed on the frame and is securely anchored , it will remain on the frame and moved from site to site for use as desired . 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 .	1
in fig1 a high - voltage compressed - gas circuit interrupter is generally indicated at 1 and it comprises an elongated tubular housing for casing 3 which is preferably cylindrical and which is comprised of an electrically insulating material such as glass reinforced epoxy . the upper end of the casing 3 is closed by a top cover and the lower end is closed by a bottom cover 7 . the circuit interrupter 1 also includes a stationary contact 9 , a movable contact 11 , means for moving the movable contact and including an elongated rod 13 , and rod actuating means generally indicated at 15 . the circuit interrupter 1 also comprises means for directing a blast of arc interrupting gas into the zone between the separating contacts and generally indicated at 17 which means includes a puffer cylinder 19 , a floating piston or diaphragm 21 , a gas conduit 23 , and a gas source or air supply 25 . the prior art includes u . s . pat . no . 3 , 171 , 937 , issued to d . h . mckeough on mar . 2 , 1965 which is entitled &# 34 ; arc - extinguishing structure for compressed - gas circuit interrupter &# 34 ;, which among other things discloses a two - gas system for extinguishing arcs occurring between separating contacts . compressed air is used for evacuating a puffer cylinder of extinguishing gas ( sf 6 ) which cylinder is fixedly mounted within the outer casing of the circuit interrrupter . where higher speeds are desired for extinguishing an arc and particularly for flooding the arc zone with even greater amounts of extinguishing gas , it is believed that the fixed puffer cylinder limits the volume and speed of the gas that could otherwise be delivered to the arc zone . as shown in fig2 the stationary contact 9 is supported from the top cover 5 and is disposed substantially axially of the casing 3 . the stationary contact 9 is preferably tubular and includes vent apertures 27 in the upper portion thereof . surrounding the contact 9 is a cylindrical member or skirt 29 of electrically conductive material which supplements the contact 9 in carrying the current load . accordingly , the stationary contact including the contacts 9 and 29 are fixedly mounted at the upper end of the circuit interrupter 1 . the movable contact 11 , being disposed at the upper end of the rod 13 , is comprised of a plurality of resilient contact fingers 11 to form a tubular contact structure which engages the lower end portion of the stationary contact 9 when the contacts are closed as shown in the broken - line positions in fig2 . surrounding the movable contact 11 is a shroud 31 of insulating material having an orifice 33 through which the stationary contact 9 extends . the shroud 31 is secured in place by an annular clamp 35 which in turn is secured to an end plate 37 . the puffer cylinder 19 is secured at its upper end to the end plate 37 in a suitable manner such as by an annular weld 39 . in the closed position of the contacts the skirt 29 engages the clamp 35 which together with the end plate 37 are comprised of electrically conductive material . the circuit through the circuit interrupter 1 extends from a line terminal connection l 1 at the upper end through the top cover , the stationary contacts 9 , 29 , the movable contact 11 , the clamp 35 , the end plate 37 , the cylinder 19 , a plurality of tapping fingers 41 , a base 43 , and a line terminal connection l 2 . in accordance with this invention the assembly of the cylinder 19 and the movable contact 11 move simultaneously when the rod 13 is actuated by the rod actuating means 15 which in turn operates in response to an overcurrent . as the movable contact assembly moves from the closed - circuit ( broken - line ) position to the open position ( fig2 ), an electric arc 45 usually occurs between the stationary and movable contacts 9 , 11 . simultaneously , a valve 47 ( fig1 ) in the gas conduit 23 opens the conduits whereby compressed gas , such as air , is transmitted to a plurality of telescopically fitting members 49 leading to the lower part of the puffer cylinder 19 . the floating piston or diaphragm 21 separates the compressed air entering the cylinder 19 from the arc interrrupting gas such as sf 6 in the upper portion of the cylinder . the compressed air drives the piston 21 upwardly to force the sf 6 gas through the orifice 33 of the nozzle 31 , whereby the arc 45 is extinguished . as the sf 6 gas leaves the zone of the orifice 33 to extinguish the arc 45 , it moves into the ambient atmosphere surrounding the operating portions of the circuit interrupter and within the casing 3 . moreover , in accordance with this invention the cylinder 19 and the movable contact 11 , being interconnected through spaced radial members or a spider 51 move together with the rod 13 . as a result the compressed air has the sole purpose of moving the piston 21 to evacuate the sf 6 from the interior of the upper cylinder 19 through apertures 53 formed by the spider 51 and thence through the nozzle orifice 33 in the zone of the arc 45 . moreover , as the cylinder 19 lowers to the open position , the telescopic members 49 move into their surrounding telescopic members 55 which are sealed together by gasket means or o - rings 57 . thus , the downward movement of the cylinder augments the pressure of the air and which is used for operating the valve 47 . suffice it to say , the cylinder 19 moves by means other than the air which in turn has the sole purpose of driving the sf 6 into the orifice 33 for extinguishing the arc 45 . another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig3 in which similar numerals refer to similar parts . this embodiment includes a cylinder 59 extending downwardly from the end plate 37 in a manner similar to the puffer cylinder 19 of fig2 . the lower end of the cylinder 59 is open and a floating piston or diaphragm 61 is movably mounted therein . the piston 61 has a central opening 63 so that the piston is slidable longitudinally of the rod 13 within the cylinder 59 . the interior of the cylinder 59 between the end plate 37 and the piston 61 is filled with an arc interrupting gas , such as sf 6 , which is expelled through the upper end of the cylinder when the piston 61 is raised in a manner similar to that shown in fig2 . in accordance with this invention means for raising and lowering the piston 61 are also provided and comprise a plurality of spaced fluid drive , means such as pneumatic cylinders 65 , the upper ends of which are attached to the underside of the piston 61 . the lower portions of the cylinders 65 are mounted on air conduits 67 . the cylinders 65 and the conduits 67 are preferably telescopically disposed in an airtight manner . pressurized air is introduced into the cylinders 65 through openings 69 . conversely , when the piston 61 is lowered the opening 69 may serve as a return port , whereby a partial vacuum created thereby in the cylinder 59 draws the interrupting gas sf 6 into the cylinder . the outer periphery of the piston 61 includes a gasket 71 and the inner periphery surrounding the aperture 63 is likewise provided with a sliding gasket 73 . accordingly , the high - compression puffer - type circuit interrupter of this invention comprises advantages over certain interrupters of prior art construction . one advantage is that the puffer cylinder is mounted on the rod on which the movable contact is mounted whereby the cylinder moves with the contact independently of another moving means such as compressed air and separately of the surrounding casing 3 . thus , the compressed air is available solely for compressing the interrupting gas such as sf 6 to provide a larger gas force for extinguishing an arc . second , the compressed gas flows through an aerodynamically favorable passage from the cylinder to the electrode - arc area to provide a direct interruption of the arc . third , the pressurized gas or air operates only the piston and not the electrode assembly so that the electrode movement is independently controlled through an unspecified operating mechanism outside of the puffer enclosure , thereby providing flexibility to activate either independently of the other . fourth , the electrode is closed by external means and the piston is moved by an ambient sf 6 pressure which is preferably maintained at 70 - 80 psi at all times and independently of other mechanical means such as springs which are previously compressed during the opening operation . the extinguishing gas ( sf 6 ) flows into the center of the movable electrode assembly and out through orifices in the electrode rod to return to the plenum or ambient atmosphere of the interrupter . finally , the puffer - type circuit interrupter of this invention requires no arc catcher as is required by existing circuit interrupters .	7
an overview of the system of the present invention may be discussed by reference to the schematic drawing shown in fig1 . in this overview of the system , the mattress components are shown in relation to and interconnected with the various control components of the system . in various embodiments , blower box 10 can be comprised of a blower fan 12 that incorporates a dust filter 14 on its intake and an output that incorporates a pressure transducer 16 and passes through a heater unit 18 before being passed into the conduits of the system . the output of the blower box 10 is established through hose connector 20 that incorporates a manifold of air connections as well as electrical connections ( not shown ) in the same connector unit ( described in more detail below ). in various embodiments , hose connector 20 can be single piece or multi - piece connector and can include a number of components , such as springs , latches , and the like . hose connector 20 mates with and connects to distribution block 22 , which distributes the air flow from blower box 10 through three separate conduits . a first conduit 24 is connected to two proportional control valves 26 and 28 that are associated with the body cushion 30 . a second conduit 32 is connected to proportional control valve 34 associated with head cushion 36 , as well as proportional control valves 38 and 40 associated with foot cushion 42 . each of the proportional control valves mentioned is connected to its respective cushion by means of quick release connector 44 . head cushion 36 is a single chamber unit ( e . g ., a single inflatable chamber ) as is described in more detail below . the single chamber is connected by way of a quick release connector 44 to proportional control valve 34 . body cushion 30 is a multi - chamber unit ( e . g ., dual inflatable chambers ) having interleaved chambers for alternating the pressurized air chamber for therapeutic purposes . each of the two separate chambers is connected by way of a quick release connector 44 to the respective proportional control valves 26 and 28 . foot cushion 42 is a multi - chamber unit ( e . g ., dual inflatable chambers ) structured much the same as body cushion 30 , and incorporates two interleaved chambers that are individually connected by way of quick release connectors 44 to their respective proportional control valves 38 and 40 . the specific construction of each of the cushion components of the system of the present invention is described in more detail below . the control of the air pressure within head cushion 36 , body cushion 30 , and foot cushion 42 is described in greater detail herein below and forms part of the basic structure and functionality of the present invention . in general , however , these three cushion components are maintained in an inflated condition by the electronic control of proportional control valves and / or blower speed control under the operation of microprocessors or microcontrollers which include computer executable instructions , e . g ., program instructions and / or algorithms that include therapeutic air inflation pressures and regimens , in addition to being connected one to another by way of a digital signal network . in various embodiments , a third air conduit can be provided . in embodiments having the third air conduit , such as the embodiment shown in fig3 , the air conduit leaves from distribution block 22 to carry the flow of air to the remaining bladders associated with the mattress system of the present invention . this air conduit 46 is split between two conduits 48 and 50 . conduit 48 passes to a stepper actuated directional control valve 52 that alternately inflates and deflates turning bladders 54 and 56 . directional control valve 52 is operated by means of stepper motor 51 . air is distributed from directional control valve 52 through two conduits 58 and 60 , which pass through manual cpr release block 62 which is monitored by cpr switch 61 . each of conduits 58 and 60 incorporate pressure transducers 64 and 66 and quick release connectors 44 as they pass into their respective turning bladders 54 and 56 . the inflation of turning bladders 54 and 56 is generally accomplished in alternating fashion and is controlled by the directional control valve 52 so as to inflate one turning bladder and deflate the second turning bladder in a manner that rotates the patient to one side or the other . the orientation of the turning bladders lengthwise along the mattress system , as described in more detail below , makes this turning process possible . referring again to fig1 , in various embodiments , air conduit 50 , extending from distribution block 22 by way of air conduit 46 , can pass through an activation solenoid 68 and thereafter pass through cpr release block 62 . from release block 62 air conduit 50 continues through a pressure transducer 70 and through a quick release connector 44 before finally serving to inflate mrs ( mattress replacement system ) bladder 72 . mrs bladder 72 is provided with a vent to atmosphere by way of solenoid 74 . in various embodiments , a foam cushion or mattress can be implemented and can replace the mrs 72 and its associated components . in such embodiments , components such as air conduit 50 for example , can be removed . the blower box 10 described above is generally incorporated into a user interface unit that mounts on the footboard of the bed on which the mattress system of the present invention is placed . in this user interface unit are contained some of the electronics associated with the programming and operation of the system , e . g ., controller area network ( can ) nodes and other circuitry . reference is now made to fig2 for an overview of the control components associated with the system of the present invention and duplicates in part the overview pneumatic diagram described above with respect to fig1 . in fig2 , blower box 10 is again seen to include blower fan 12 , which ultimately ( albeit through a number of other manifold connectors not shown in this diagram ) serves to provide the inflation air to left turning bladder 54 , right turning bladder 56 , foot cushion 42 , body cushion 30 , head cushion 36 and mrs bladder 72 . the electrical connections shown in blower box 10 include the electric power necessary to run heater 18 , which serves to warm the air after it passes out of the blower fan 12 as well as connections to a data i / o device 101 , e . g ., a user data interface ( udi ), graphical user interface ( gui ), among others , which in the preferred embodiment includes an lcd display having touchscreen functionality . otherwise , the electrical / electronic connections from user interface 100 are shown as including a power connection 102 and a communications connection 104 . as indicated above , these electrical / electronic connections are maintained through the same hose connector assembly 20 discussed above , and thereby form the electrical / electronic connection from the blower box to the mattress assembly . the mattress assembly 105 itself incorporates a mattress controller 106 which receives both power and communication signals from user interface 100 . the same power and communication lines are in turn relayed to stepper valve controllers associated with each of the three cushion components of the mattress system of the present invention . these controllers are established as “ network nodes ” and include stepper valve controller 108 ( associated with the foot cushion 42 ), stepper valve controller 110 ( associated with body cushion 30 ) and stepper valve controller 112 ( associated with head cushion 36 ). each of these stepper valve controllers is directly connected to both the infrared receivers associated with the cushion to which it is attached , as well as the control valves that direct the inflation of that cushion . stepper valve controller 108 , for example , receives signal from infrared receiver 114 and thereby controls valves 38 and 40 to maintain the appropriate inflation of foot cushion 42 . likewise , stepper valve controller 110 is associated with infrared receivers 116 , 118 , 120 , and 122 as well as control valves 26 and 28 , each associated with body cushion 30 . finally , stepper valve controller 112 is associated with infrared receiver 124 and control valve 34 , which are each associated with head cushion 36 . the networked structure of this chain of controllers makes it possible to add additional controllers at connector 113 , which can be positioned at various locations including the stepper valve controllers 108 , 110 , and 112 , as may be required by alternative cushion structures and functionality . referring further to fig2 , left turning bladder 54 and right turning bladder 56 are each controlled from the mattress controller 106 by means of the programmed operation of directional control valve 52 shown in split configuration in fig2 . likewise , the inflation of mrs bladder 72 is controlled by way of mattress controller 106 by means of the programmed operation of mrs clamp solenoid 68 and mrs vent solenoid 74 . in the preferred embodiment , the inflation of the mrs bladder may be varied to help establish the firmness of the overall mattress system while the turning bladders may , of course , be varied to accomplish the turning function described above . as discussed above , in some embodiments , a foam type cushion or mattress can be implemented and thus , in such embodiments , the mattress controller would not be utilized to control the foam mattress . in various embodiments , the mattress controller can include a number of different configurations . for example , the mattress controller can include an mrs vent solenoid in embodiments that utilize the mrs bladder , as discussed herein . reference is now made to fig3 which shows in greater detail the controller network of the control interlayer for the mattress system of the present invention . mattress controller 106 is shown having direct control connections to the stepper actuated directional control valve 52 associated with the turning bladders , as well as the mrs vent solenoid 74 and the mrs clamp solenoid 68 . likewise , mattress controller 106 serves to power ( and illuminate ) each of the infrared transmitters ( six in the preferred embodiment ) 130 , 132 , 134 , 136 , 138 , and 140 . these ir transmitters are ir light emitting diodes ( leds ) in the preferred embodiment and are operated in concert at the indicated 3 khz signal frequency . other frequencies are contemplated . mattress controller 106 likewise receives input signal data from an angle sensor input 142 , a temperature sensor input 144 , and side rail position sensors input 146 . a manual cpr switch 148 is associated with cpr release block 62 described above . a pressure - in connection 150 receives pneumatic air pressure measurements from pressure gauge 16 described above . in various embodiments , mattress controller 106 forms a base network node for network connection 152 that includes the network transmission and receive signal lines as well as power voltage and return lines . this network connection 152 is distributed through to each of the stepper valve controllers mentioned above as network nodes 108 , 110 and 112 . these microcontrollers , again acting as nodes on the local network , individually receive input from the infrared receivers 114 , 116 , 118 , 120 , 122 , and 124 associated with foot cushion 42 , body cushion 30 , and head cushion 36 , respectively . in turn each of these controllers operates and controls the stepper motors connected to the proportional control valves described above . these stepper motors include stepper motor 126 associated with control valve 40 of foot cushion 42 , stepper motor 128 associated with control valve 38 of foot cushion 42 , stepper motor 130 associated with control valve 28 of body cushion 30 , stepper motor 132 associated with control valve 26 of body cushion 30 , and finally stepper motor 134 associated with control valve 34 of head cushion 36 . each of stepper valve controllers 108 , 110 and 112 are programmed controllers that are capable of independently maintaining the appropriate inflation of their respective cushions without relying on the network connection to the mattress controller 106 or to the connection back to the user interface unit 100 . each stepper valve controller acts as a network node in accordance with a can ( controller area network ) protocol as described in more detail below . this network structure serves to improve operation of the system as a whole and provides a highly efficient maintenance of the appropriate inflation of the mattress system components , even in response to movement by the patient that might otherwise result in “ bottoming ” through the mattress cushions . each of the microcontrollers in the described preferred embodiment of the present invention may be satisfied by an h8 / 3687n type microcontroller ic or its equivalent . in various embodiments , the network structure can include a variety of can nodes , configurations , and protocols . in some embodiments , each of the stepper valve controllers and other controllers ( e . g ., mattress controller , and various valve controllers , among others ) can be uniquely identified as nodes on the network by way of the indicated address jumpers . in other embodiments , nodes can be dynamically addressed . in some embodiments can nodes can be connected in a specific order and addressed in a specific order . for example , in one embodiment , can nodes can be connected in the following order : gui ( network supervisor ), blower controller ( bc ), mattress controller ( mc ), foot valve controller ( fvc ), body valve controller ( bvc ), and head valve controller ( hvc ). as one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate , the various controllers can include similar controllers having the same or similar functions , and should not be limited to those described above . for example , the blower controller can include any controller that controls a rate of air flow from a blower , fan , or other source of pressurized fluid . in various embodiments , dynamic addressing can begin with a broadcast message sent on the network by the gui node requesting all nodes to prepare for dynamic addressing . when a node receives this message , the node replies with a node identification message , which is an identification number given to each type of board . for example , in various embodiments , a bc node can have an identification number of 1 , the mc node can have an identification number of 2 , and a vc node can have an identification number of 3 . the gui node assigns a network address to each node that returns an identification number . in some embodiments , a sequential power - up sequence can also be implemented with the dynamic addressing process . for example , in some embodiments , when dynamic addressing begins , power is supplied to the gui , bc , mc , and fvc nodes . after the bc , mc , and fvc nodes power up and get addressed , the fvc node relays power to the bvc node , which is the only valve controller ( vc ) node on the network without an address . the gui will be able to differentiate it from the other vc nodes . once the bvc node gets addressed it relays power to the hvc node and it is now the only vc node on the network without an address . once the hvc node gets addressed the network is ready for normal use . fig4 provides further detail on mattress controller 106 , showing the microcontroller and its connection to the various inputs and outputs associated with the controller . included as o / g inputs are the cpr switch connections 148 , the angle sensor connection 142 , the temperature sensor connection 144 , the pneumatic pressure sensor connection 150 , and the side rail sensor inputs 146 . the mattress controller circuitry shown in fig4 also incorporates a voltage regulator 160 for powering the operation of the microcontroller and each of the ancillary components . the outputs of the microcontroller 106 include the 3 khz wave form driver 162 that powers and drives the infrared transmitters in concert as discussed above . the microcontroller also includes output signals to control solenoid drivers 164 and 166 that direct the mrs vent and clamp solenoids respectively . finally , the microcontroller 106 operates the stepper motor driver 168 that controls the stepper actuated directional control valve which inflates and deflates the turning bladders . as mentioned above , microcontroller 106 is connected to and forms a node on the can and the mattress controller unit maintains the can network protocol circuitry 170 , and the can transceiver circuitry 172 . in various embodiments , the stepper controller can include a number of different configurations . for example , in some embodiments , the stepper controller can include one or more stepper driver circuits . in other embodiments , the stepper controller can include circuits for filtering , buffering , and gain . in some embodiments of the stepper controller , circuitry can be included or omitted which can be based on one or more desired functions to be elicited from the controller . in the embodiment illustrated in fig5 a detailed diagram of the typical stepper valve controller is provided . this diagram describes a typical example of one of the three stepper valve controllers positioned in association with each of the three cushions in the preferred embodiment of the mattress system of the present invention . stepper valve controller 110 associated with the body cushion is used in this example as it utilizes four input data signals associated with four ir sensors . inputs to microcontroller 110 include buffered and filtered inputs from each of the infrared sensors as shown . buffer / filter circuits 180 , 182 , 184 and 186 condition the analog signals from the individual ir sensor devices for appropriate monitoring by the microcontroller . the stepper valve controller likewise incorporates a voltage regulator 202 for powering the components in the controller circuitry . outputs from the microcontroller 110 ( as in each stepper valve controller ) include output signals for the stepper driver circuits 188 and 190 for the two proportional control valves under the control of the particular stepper valve controller . operation of these drivers is accomplished through a current monitoring system 192 and 194 that allows the microcontroller direct feedback on the condition or state of the two proportional control valves . as indicated above , each microcontroller has an address configuration circuit 196 set to distinguish it from the other controller nodes on the network . each microcontroller circuit likewise includes can protocol circuitry 198 and can transceiver circuitry 200 to maintain communications over the network . the can ( controller area network ) is a serial bus system that was originally developed for automotive applications in the early 1980 &# 39 ; s . the can protocol was internationally standardized in 1993 as iso 11898 - 1 and comprises the data link layer of the seven layer iso / osi reference model . can , which is now available from a large number of semiconductor manufacturers in hardware form , provides two communication services : the sending of a message ( data frame transmission ) and the requesting of a message ( remote transmission request , rtr ). all other services such as error signaling , and automatic re - transmission of erroneous frames are user - transparent , which means the can circuitry will automatically perform these services without the need for specific programming . the can controller is comparable to a printer or a typewriter and can uses , such as in the present application , still must define the language / grammar and the words / vocabulary to communicate . can does , however , provide a multi - master hierarchy , which allows the building of intelligent and redundant systems which is , as mentioned above , a feature of particular importance in the operation of the inflation maintenance objectives of the present invention . if one network node is defective , the network is still able to operate . can also provides broadcast communication wherein a sender of information may transmit to all devices on the bus simultaneously . thus , programming through the user interface of the present invention may be distributed to each of the controller nodes on the can in a manner that may effect a regimen alteration throughout the system . all receiving devices read the message and then decide if it is relevant to them . this guarantees data integrity because all devices in the system use the same information . can also provides sophisticated error detection mechanisms and re - transmission of faulty messages . reference is now made to fig6 & amp ; 7 for a description of the physical placements of the various control components identified and discussed above . fig6 & amp ; 7 show , in perspective and plan views respectively , the underside of the control interlayer that is incorporated into the mattress system of the present invention . these views reflect the positions of the indicated components as they would be seen if the mattress system were flipped over and the mrs bladder and turning bladders were removed ( this overall structure is described in more detail below with respect to fig1 ). the controller interlayer is constructed primarily of flexible walled enclosure 210 surrounding a foam core 212 within which are positioned the various control components of the present invention . mattress controller 106 is positioned as shown , as are stepper valve controllers 108 , 110 and 112 . the stepper valve controllers are positioned so as to be proximate to the cushion component for which they are specifically responsible . all but one of the ir transmitters are shown in place and connected together in concert . ir transmitters 132 , 134 , 136 , 138 and 140 are shown in place in fig6 & amp ; 7 . ir transmitter 130 has been removed to show the placement of ir transmitter window 131 positioned to receive placement of the transmitter on one side of controller 106 . on an opposite side of the control interlayer are the ir sensors , or more specifically shown in fig6 & amp ; 7 , the ir sensor windows into the individual cushions , as described in more detail below . sensor windows 115 , 117 , 119 , 121 , 123 and 125 are shown in fig6 & amp ; 7 positioned in association with their respective foot , body and head cushion components . also associated with the appropriate cushion components are air flow inlet connectors 214 ( associated with the head cushion ), connectors 216 and 218 ( associated with the body cushion ) and connectors 220 and 222 ( associated with the foot cushion ). manifold 22 is shown positioned to receive the single large air flow hose ( not shown ) to separate and distribute the air flow to three smaller conduits for subsequent distribution to the cushions and mattress components . in fig6 & amp ; 7 all air flow conduits have been removed for clarity . from manifold 22 two air flow conduits would connect with stepper valve controllers 108 , 110 and 112 to provide the necessary air flow into the mattress cushions . a third air flow conduit connects from manifold 22 to mattress controller 106 where the necessary air flow is provided to the turning bladders and the primary mrs bladder as described above . also removed for clarity in fig6 & amp ; 7 are most of the electrical / electronic connections between the various control components . the exception to this is the 2 - wire connection linking each of the ir transmitters together along one edge of the interlayer . in normal operation , a sixth ir transmitter 130 would be positioned over window 131 and would likewise be linked to the 2 - wire circuit that is shown . additional electrical / electronic connections between the components would be present as described above with respect to fig2 . in addition , the hardwired network connections between the controller enclosures , as shown and described in association with fig3 - 5 , would also be present . reference is now made to fig8 for a brief description of the mattress controller 106 and its enclosure . various electronics and electromechanical controls are included within the mattress enclosure controller . the air flow source is by way of conduit 46 which feeds conduit 48 and conduit 50 . conduit 48 provides air flow to stepper actuated directional control valve 52 which is driven by stepper motor 51 . this provides the necessary air flow to the turning bladders by way of conduit connections 58 and 60 . conduit 50 provides air flow to solenoid valve 68 which in turn directs air flow out of the enclosure to the mrs bladder and to a vent through solenoid valve 74 . each of the solenoid valves 68 and 74 , as well as directional control valve 52 , are electrically connected to pc board 230 on which the controller circuitry described above ( for the mattress controller ) is provided . the micro - controller ic is likewise positioned on pc board 230 and forms the core of the controller as a whole . the electrical / electronic connections discussed above are generally not shown in fig8 for clarity but would enter the enclosure through the ports , some of which can be water tight , shown on the sides of the enclosure . a lid ( not shown ) would complete the walled enclosure to generally seal it against fluids . reference is now made to fig9 for a brief description of a representative example of the stepper valve controllers that operate in conjunction with the mattress controller and provide the regulated air flow to the mattress cushions as described above . in fig9 , stepper valve controller 110 , which services the requirements of the body cushion 30 of the system , is shown as an example . it is understood that the remaining two stepper valve controllers would be either identical in structure or would comprise one - half of the operational components of the example shown . in this view , stepper motor driven proportional control valves 26 and 28 are shown . the source of air flow to the unit is shown on one side of the enclosure at “ from 22 ”, indicating the source as coming from the manifold 22 . outflow of air from the control valves is directed to body cushion 30 by way of the indicated connectors on the opposite sides of the enclosure . each of the control valves 26 and 28 are electrically connected to pc board 240 on which the controller circuitry is provided . here again , the electrical / electronic connections ( wires ) both within the enclosure and into and out of the enclosure are omitted for clarity . control of the valve operation includes monitoring the rate of valve openings and closings in an effort to reduce overall valve noise associated with the operation of the system . in addition , control of the stepper motors involves monitoring of current as a means of error checking the control signal . the pc boards in the three stepper valve controller enclosures are essentially the same and are distinguished on the network as they are dynamically addressed during installation . because of the distributed processing structure of the network of the system , it is possible to power - up and activate individual nodes / controllers on the system in progressive fashion . this greatly facilitates both initial implementation and subsequent maintenance of the system . a diagnostic mode of operation also facilitates these aspects of the distributed network . reference is now made to fig1 - 13 for a description of the construction and configuration of the cushions associated with the mattress replacement system of the present invention . fig1 a and 10b show the general construction of the body cushion 30 of the system of the present invention . as shown in fig1 above , body cushion is generally constructed with two interleaved chambers so as to provide alternating pulsation air flow into the cushion as a known therapy for bedridden patients . these chambers are constructed of generally box shaped channels that run parallel across the cushion . the topside view of body cushion 30 is shown in fig1 a and by way of the fabric seams shown , indicates the configuration of the interleaved channels . air flow inlet connectors 216 and 218 are shown in fig1 b ( a view of the underside of the cushion ) where they would align with and connect to their corresponding connections on the control interlayer discussed above . the construction of body cushion 30 is of any of a number of different high and / or low air loss fabrics that provide the airflow “ outlet ” for the air inflation system , as is generally known in the art . the cushion is generally constructed by sewing techniques “ inside out ” and is then turned “ right side out ” though an initially open section of the seam ( shown in fig1 a ). the mattress cushions of the present invention may be sewn as indicated above or may be rf ( radio frequency ) welded as is known in the art . the finished cushion is maintained in its position in the mattress replacement system by way of the indicated zippers ( or similar attachment means ) to corresponding zipper components ( or similar attachment means ) on the mattress replacement system enclosure material . fig1 a and 11b disclose the construction of foot cushion 42 which , like body cushion 30 , is constructed of two interleaved chambers . air flow connectors 220 and 222 are shown in fig1 b ( the underside view of the cushion ). the construction techniques for foot cushion 42 are the same as those described above for body cushion 30 . fig1 a and 12b disclose the construction of head cushion 36 which differs from the construction of body cushion 30 and foot cushion 42 . head cushion 36 is not designed to be subjected to an alternating chamber pressurization therapy and is therefore constructed of a single chamber with a single air flow inlet connector 214 shown in fig1 b ( the underside view of the cushion ). parallel “ channels ” are still sewn or otherwise integrated into the cushion as shown in fig1 a for the purpose of maintaining the flat configuration of the cushion , but interior air flow between these “ channels ” is provided for , resulting in an integrated interior chamber . reference is now made to fig1 for a brief description of one manner of interior cushion construction that integrates ir reflective surfaces to facilitate the measurement of the ir illumination with the cushion by the ir sensors . in this example of cushion construction , cushion 250 is made up of fabric box envelop 256 and top surface 252 shown separated in this exploded view for clarity . the important distinguishing feature in this construction is the placement of ir reflective surfaces 254 a , 254 b and 254 c ( a variety of which are known in the art ) on specific interior sides of the box shaped channels formed within the cushion . in this manner , discrete portions of the cushion become the focus of the ir illumination ( thereby allowing the system to better identify the portion of the cushion that may require greater inflation ) and help to prevent “ cross - talk ” between the ir illuminated sections of the cushion . these features , when combined with the manner of timed polling of the ir sensors discussed in more detail below , serve to provide a more accurate indication of the portion of the cushion that may require modified inflation pressures . although the chamber construction of the cushion 250 shown in fig1 is somewhat different than the chamber construction shown in fig1 - 12 the principle of ir reflective surfaces strategically placed on the interior walls of the box shaped channels is easily applicable . fig1 is a detailed plan view of a representative ir transmitter / sensor device of the system of the present invention . an objective in the design of the ir device is a single structure that may be configured to function either as the ir transmitter or the ir sensor . used as an example in fig1 is ir transmitter 134 shown positioned over window 135 in control interlayer envelope material 210 . transmitter 134 is positioned in a pocket 260 constructed of pliable polymer sheet material ( such as a polyurethane material ) capable of being sewn or welded to the material of the interlayer envelope . the pocket 260 is sized so as to both retain and position the ir transmitter 134 . closure material 262 is positioned across the opening of pocket 260 to provide retention of the device within the pocket . closure 262 is not necessarily water tight as the construction of the ir transmitter itself is , in the preferred embodiment , a generally water tight enclosure . hook and loop type material would be one appropriate structure for closure means 262 . ir transmitter / sensor 134 may include an injection molded rigid plastic enclosure having at least one side transparent to ir illumination that is directed into the associated cushion chamber . within the rigid plastic enclosure is positioned pc board 272 on which are positioned ir led 274 and / or ir sensor 276 . a number of ir light sources ( typically solid state led devices ) and ir sensors are commercially available that are suitable for use in conjunction with the system of the present invention . the circuitry associated with the ir sensors utilized in the preferred embodiment is configured to operate the sensors in the linear region of their output ( typically the saturated region ) and incorporates an auto gain adjustment to place the sensor into the linear region . in this manner , a more accurate and direct correlation between illumination levels and sensor output is achieved . this approach is particularly important for smaller displacements of the mattress cushion chamber being monitored ( smaller changes in the illumination level ) that under previous approaches might have been missed . in addition , optical filters are utilized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention to narrow the ir frequency band received and monitored . this bandwidth narrowing allows for an optimal auto gain adjustment to put the sensors into the linear region of their output as described above . although the circuitry of the system for driving the ir transmitters described above drives the devices in concert , an alternative approach would drive the transmitters and poll the corresponding sensors in banks so as to further avoid the effects of “ cross talk ” between chambers . avoiding the simultaneous polling of sensor / transmitter pairs that are directed to adjacent chambers at the same time would serve to diminish or eliminate such cross talk ( light from one transmitter being picked up by a sensor from a different transmitter / sensor pair ). reference is now made to fig1 for a description of the manner in which the system of the present invention utilizes a measurement of ir illumination within an inflated chamber to determine when a decrease in chamber height warrants an increase in inflation pressure to that chamber to re - elevate the chamber . fig1 also provides a description of the layered arrangement of the bladder components of the system of the present invention . the mattress replacement system is intended to be placed on existing hospital bed structures and the like although the principles of operation may readily translate into original equipment manufacturing designs . in the replacement environment the system comprises mrs bladder 72 surrounded in part by system envelope 210 . turning bladders 54 and 56 are likewise enclosed in envelope 210 and are , in the preferred embodiment , further positioned and retained within sub - envelopes integrated into envelope 210 . various compartments and sub - envelopes may be created within envelope 210 as necessary to position and retain the various bladders , control components , cables and air flow conduits . these compartments may be sewn or welded together or they may be constructed with sections of material that removably attach one to another with zippers or hook and loop attachment surfaces . straps sewn into the envelope and secured with buckles and ties may also be utilized to position and retain the various components of the system in place . the control interlayer of the system is further shown in fig1 as a cross section generally from side to side on the bed through the center of the mattress system . in this location , body cushion 30 is shown with ir transmitter 134 positioned on one side of the cushion and ir sensor 118 positioned on an opposite side . mattress controller 106 ( which retains the circuitry to drive the ir transmitters ) is shown , as is stepper valve controller 108 ( which is responsible for the inflation of body cushion 30 ). foam interlayer core material 212 is also seen in cross section in this view . shown in dashed line form are the exterior components of the system , namely blower box 10 with display 101 and primary air flow conduit 280 , as they would be positioned on the bed in association with the replacement mattress system . operation of the ir sensor system is structured to be a measurement of illumination level within a chamber as opposed to simply the interruption of a line of sight beam of ir light . thus the orientation of the ir transmitter and the ir sensor is not one towards the other but rather into the chamber as a whole . light paths shown in fig1 within cushion 30 ( within one or more cross - bed box shaped channel of cushion 30 ) represent the direction , dispersion and internal reflection of the ir light within the chamber and its eventual reception at the ir sensor . from this it can be seen how even slight modifications to the upper planar surface of the cushion will result in a decrease in the level of illumination received at the sensor . significant changes in the planar surface , such as might occur if an elbow or other narrowly focused pressure were directed onto the outside surface of the cushion , would result in a more significant change in the overall level of illumination received at the sensor . in this manner , a more accurate determination of the degree of surface displacement , and of the danger of “ bottoming out ” can be achieved . the controllers described above and their direct connection to a bank of ir sensors as well as their direct connection to air inflation valves are therefore configured to provide a more immediate and appropriate response to the need for increased ( or decreased ) inflation pressures in any specific portion of the mattress system . reference is finally made to fig1 for a brief description of the manner in which the system of the present invention may be positioned on a standard hospital bed or the like . in this view , bed 290 is configured with footboard panel 284 onto which is placed and positioned the blower box enclosure 10 of the present invention . replacement mattress system 282 is shown positioned on bed 290 much in the same manner that a standard mattress might be placed . clamp 286 is a rigid panel connected to blower box 10 in an adjustable fashion that allows the blower box to be retained and secured to the footboard panel 284 . blower box enclosure 10 incorporates an ergonomic handle 288 to facilitate its placement onto , and removal from , the bed . primary air flow conduit connects the blower box 10 to manifold 22 ( not seen in this view ) associated with the interlayer of the mattress system 282 . as mentioned above , the requisite electrical / electronic cables and connections between the blower box and the control interlayer are incorporated into the structure of the primary air flow conduit so as to eliminate the need for additional connections . in the preferred embodiment , air flow conduit 280 incorporates a quick disconnect coupling 281 that allows the rapid separation of the blower box from the balance of the system . electrical power cord 292 provides the necessary ac power to drive all of the electrical and electronic components of the system of the present invention . also shown in fig1 is wireless data communication device 296 that may be configured to communicate by close proximity ( low power ) rf signals with the various controller devices incorporated into the system . recognizing that various calibrations , regimens , parameter settings and the like may need to be programmed into the micro - controllers of the present system , it is beneficial to utilize such close proximity data communication devices to provide a means for modifying the setting of the various controllers . the pc boards described in association with the controller enclosures shown in fig8 and 9 may incorporate the necessary wireless communication transceiver circuitry to permit such data transmission back and forth with a close proximity handheld unit . the network protocol utilized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention ( can protocol ) may be further utilized with the wireless capability by making the hand held unit a discretely identified node on the network . the hand held unit may then act to reset the parameters programmed into the individual controllers , and / or may act to receive and download historical data associated with the performance of the controller over time in response to the various pressure and temperature changes being monitored as well as the cushion displacement measurements made by the ir sensors . although the present invention has been described in terms of the foregoing preferred embodiments , this description has been provided by way of explanation only , and is not intended to be construed as a limitation of the invention . those skilled in the art will recognize modifications of the present invention that might accommodate specific existing patient support structures or hospital bed configurations . such modifications as to size , and even configuration , where such modifications are merely coincidental to existing structures of the bed , do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention .	6
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 , specific details , and the like 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 . fig1 is a cross - section elevation of a horizontal well bore 100 , illustrating an embodiment of the invention employing a top eccentric reamer 102 and a bottom eccentric reamer 104 . the top reamer 102 and bottom reamer 104 are preferably of a similar construction and may be angularly displaced by approximately 180 ° on a drill string 106 . this causes cutting teeth 108 of the top reamer 102 and cutting teeth 110 of the bottom reamer 104 to face approximately opposite directions . the reamers 102 and 104 may be spaced apart and positioned to run behind a bottom hole assembly ( bha ). in one embodiment , for example , the eccentric reamers 102 and 104 may be positioned within a range of approximately 100 to 150 feet from the bha . although two reamers are shown , a single reamer or a larger number of reamers could be used in the alternative . as shown in fig1 , the drill string 106 advances to the left as the well is drilled . as shown in fig2 , the well bore 100 may have a drill diameter d1 of 6 inches and a drill center 116 . the well bore 100 may have a drift diameter d2 of 5⅝ inches and a drift center 114 . the drift center 114 may be offset from the drill center 116 by a fraction of an inch . any point p on the inner surface 112 of the well bore 100 may be located at a certain radius r1 from the drill center 116 and may also be located at a certain radius r2 from the drift center 114 . as shown in fig3 , in which reamer 102 is shown having a threaded center c superimposed over drift center 114 , each of the reamers 102 ( shown ) and 104 ( not shown ) preferably has an outermost radius r3 , generally in the area of its teeth 108 , less than the outermost radius r d1 of the well bore . however , the outermost radius r3 of each reamer is preferably greater than the distance r d2 of the nearer surfaces from the center of drift 114 . the cutting surfaces of each of the top and bottom reamers preferably comprise a number of carbide or diamond teeth 108 , with each tooth preferably having a circular cutting surface generally facing the path of movement p m of the tooth relative to the well bore as the reamer rotates and the drill string advances down hole . in fig1 , the bottom reamer 104 begins to engage and cut a surface nearer the center of drift off the well bore 100 shown . as will be appreciated , the bottom reamer 104 , when rotated , cuts away portions of the nearer surface 112 a of the well bore 100 , while cutting substantially less or none of the surface 112 b farther from the center of drift , generally on the opposite side of the well . the top reamer 102 performs a similar function , cutting surfaces nearer the center of drift as the drill string advances . each reamer 102 and 104 is preferably spaced from the bha and any other reamer to allow the centerline of the pipe string adjacent the reamer to be offset from the center of the well bore toward the center of drift or aligned with the center of drift . fig4 is a magnification of the downhole portion of the top reamer 102 as the reamer advances to begin contact with a surface 112 of the well bore 100 nearer the center of drift 114 . as the reamer 102 advances and rotates , the existing hole is widened along the surface 112 nearer the center of drift 114 , thereby widening the drift diameter of the hole . in an embodiment , a body portion 107 of the drill string 106 may have a diameter d b of 5¼ inches , and may be coupled to a cylindrical portion 103 of reamer 102 , the cylindrical portion 103 having a diameter d c of approx . 4¾ inches . in an embodiment , the reamer 102 may have a “ drift ” diameter d d of 5⅜ inches , and produce a reamed hole having a diameter d r of 6⅛ inches between reamed surfaces 101 . it will be appreciated that the drill string 106 and reamer 102 advance through the well bore 100 along a path generally following the center of drift 114 and displaced from the center 116 of the existing hole . fig5 illustrates the layout of teeth 110 along a downhole portion of the bottom reamer 104 illustrated in fig1 . four sets of teeth 110 , sets 110 a , 110 b , 110 c and 110 d , are angularly separated about the exterior of the bottom reamer 104 . fig5 shows the position of the teeth 110 of each set as they pass the bottom - most position shown in fig1 when the bottom reamer 104 rotates . as the reamer 104 rotates , sets 110 a , 110 b , 110 c and 110 d 110 a , 110 b , 110 c and 110 d pass the bottom - most position in succession . the sets 110 a , 110 b , 110 c and 110 d of teeth 110 are arranged on a substantially circular surface 118 having a center 120 eccentrically displaced from the center of rotation of the drill string 106 . each of the sets 110 a , 110 b , 110 c and 110 d of teeth 110 is preferably arranged along a spiral path along the surface of the bottom reamer 104 , with the downhole tooth leading as the reamer 104 rotates ( e . g ., see fig6 ). sets 110 a and 110 b of the reamer teeth 110 are positioned to have outermost cutting surfaces forming a 6⅛ inch diameter path when the pipe string 106 is rotated . the teeth 110 of set 110 b are preferably positioned to be rotated through the bottom - most point of the bottom reamer 104 between the rotational path of the teeth 110 of set 110 a . the teeth 110 of set 110 c are positioned to have outermost cutting surfaces forming a six inch diameter when rotated , and are preferably positioned to be rotated through the bottom - most point of the bottom reamer between the rotational path of the teeth 110 of set 110 b . the teeth 110 of set 110 d are positioned to have outermost cutting surfaces forming a 5⅞ inch diameter when rotated , and are preferably positioned to be rotated through the bottom - most point of the bottom reamer 104 between the rotational path of the teeth 110 of set 110 c . fig6 illustrates one eccentric reamer 104 having a drift diameter d3 of 5⅝ inches and a drill diameter d4 of 6 1 / 16 inches . when rotated about the threaded axis c , but without a concentric guide or pilot , the eccentric reamer 104 may be free to rotate about its drift axis c2 and may act to side - ream the near - center portion of the dogleg in the borehole . the side - reaming action may improve the path of the wellbore instead of just opening it up to a larger diameter . fig7 illustrates a reaming tool 150 having two eccentric reamers 104 and 102 , each eccentric reamer having a drift diameter d3 of 5⅝ inches and a drill diameter d4 of 6 1 / 16 inches . the two eccentric reamers may be spaced apart by ten hole diameters or more , on a single body , and synchronized to be 180 degrees apart relative to the threaded axis of the body . the reaming tool 150 having two eccentric reamers configured in this way , may be able to drift through a 5⅝ inch hole when sliding and , when rotating , one eccentric reamer may force the other eccentric reamer into the hole wall . an eccentric reaming tool 150 in this configuration has three centers : the threaded center c coincident with the threaded axis of the reaming toll 150 , and two eccentric centers c2 , coincident with the drift axis of the bottom eccentric reamer 104 , and c3 , coincident with a drift axis of the top eccentric reamer 102 . fig8 and 9 illustrate the location and arrangement of sets 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 of teeth on another reamer embodiment 200 . fig8 illustrates the relative angles and cutting diameters of sets 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 of teeth . as shown in fig8 , sets 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 of teeth are each arranged to form a path of rotation having respective diameters of 5⅝ inches , 6 inches , 6⅛ inches and 6⅛ inches . fig9 illustrates the relative position of the individual teeth of each of sets 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 of teeth . as shown in fig9 , the teeth of set 2 are preferably positioned to be rotated through the bottom - most point of the reamer between the rotational path of the teeth of set 1 . the teeth of set 3 are preferably positioned to be rotated through the bottom - most point of the reamer between the rotational path of the teeth of set 2 . the teeth of set 4 are preferably positioned to be rotated through the bottom - most point of the reamer between the rotational path of the teeth of set 3 . fig1 illustrates an embodiment of a reamer 300 having four sets of teeth 310 , with each set 310 a , 310 b , 310 c , and 310 d arranged in a spiral orientation along a curved surface 302 having a center c2 eccentric with respect to the center c of the drill pipe on which the reamer is mounted . adjacent and in front of each set of teeth 310 is a groove 306 formed in the surface 302 of the reamer . the grooves 306 allow fluids , such as drilling mud for example , and cuttings to flow past the reamer and away from the reamer teeth during operation . the teeth 310 of each set 310 a , 310 b , 310 c , and 310 d may form one of four “ blades ” for cutting away material from a near surface of a well bore . the set 310 a may form a first blade , or blade 1 . the set 310 b may form a second blade , blade 2 . the set 310 c may form a third blade , blade 3 . the set 310 d may form a fourth blade , blade 4 . the configuration of the blades and the cutting teeth thereof may be rearranged as desired to suit particular applications , but may be arranged as follows in an exemplary embodiment . turning now to fig1 , the tops of the teeth 310 in each of the two eccentric reamers 300 , or the reamers 102 and 104 , rotate about the threaded center of the reamer tool and may be placed at increasing radii starting with the # 1 tooth at 2 . 750 ″ r . the radii of the teeth may increase by 0 . 018 ″ every five degrees through tooth # 17 where the radii become constant at the maximum of 3 . 062 ″, which corresponds to the 6⅛ ″ maximum diameter of the reamer tool . turning now to fig1 a - 12d , the reamer tool may be designed to side - ream the near side of a directionally near horizontal well bore that is crooked in order to straighten out the crooks . as shown in fig1 a - 12d , 30 cutting teeth numbered 1 through 30 may be distributed among sets 310 a , 310 b , 310 c , and 310 d of cutting teeth forming four blades . as plotted in fig1 , the cutting teeth numbered 1 through 8 may form blade 1 , the cutting teeth numbered 9 through 15 may form blade 2 , the cutting teeth numbered 16 through 23 may form blade 3 , and the cutting teeth numbered 24 through 30 may form blade 4 . as the 5¼ ″ body 302 of the reamer is pulled into the near side of the crook , the cut of the rotating reamer 300 may be forced to rotate about the threaded center of the body and cut an increasingly larger radius into just the near side of the crook without cutting the opposite side . this cutting action may act to straighten the crooked hole without following the original bore path . turning now to fig1 , the reamer 300 is shown with the teeth 310 a of blade 1 on the left - hand side of the reamer 300 as shown , with the teeth 310 b of blade 2 following behind to the right of blade 1 , the teeth 310 c of blade 3 following behind and to the right of blade 2 , and the teeth 310 d of blade 4 following behind and to the right of blade 3 . the teeth 310 a of blade 1 are also shown in phantom , representing the position of teeth 310 a of blade 1 compared to the position of teeth 310 d of blade 4 on the right - hand side of the reamer 300 , and at a position representing the “ side cut ” made by the eccentric reamer 300 . turning now to fig1 a - 14d , the extent of each of blade 1 , blade 2 , blade 3 , and blade 4 is shown in a separate figure . in each of the fig1 a - 14d , the reamer 300 is shown rotated to a different position , bringing a different blade into the “ side cut ” position sc , such that the sequence of views 14 a - 14 d illustrate the sequence of blades coming into cutting contact with a near surface of a well bore . in fig1 a , blade 1 is shown to cut from a 5¼ ″ diameter to a 5½ ″ diameter , but less than a full - gage cut . in fig1 b , blade 2 is shown to cut from a 5⅜ ″ diameter to a 6 ″ diameter , which is still less than a full - gage cut . in fig1 c , blade 3 is shown to cut a “ full gage ” diameter , which may be equal to 6⅛ ″ in an embodiment . in fig1 d , blade 4 is shown to cut a “ full gage ” diameter , which may be equal to 6⅛ ″ in an embodiment . the location and arrangement of sets of teeth on an embodiment of an eccentric reamer as described above , and teeth within each set , may be rearranged to suit particular applications . for example , the alignment of the sets of teeth relative to the centerline of the drill pipe , the distance between teeth and sets of teeth , the diameter of rotational path of the teeth , number of teeth and sets of teeth , shape and eccentricity of the reamer surface holding the teeth and the like may be varied . having thus described the present invention by reference to certain of its preferred embodiments , it is noted that the embodiments disclosed are illustrative rather than limiting in nature and that a wide range of variations , modifications , changes , and substitutions are contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and , in some instances , some features 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 preferred embodiments . accordingly , it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention .	4
reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout . the embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures . fig1 illustrates the configuration of a color image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment . as shown , the single - pass color image forming apparatus 1 to create a color image by sequentially transferring toner images of different colors overlappingly onto a piece of paper p . the single - pass color image forming apparatus 1 includes , within a body 10 forming its exterior , a paper feeding unit 20 , optical scanning units 30 , a development unit 40 , a transfer unit 50 , a fixing unit 60 , a paper discharge unit 70 , and a sensor unit 80 . according to other aspects of one or more embodiments , the single - pass color image forming apparatus 1 may include additional and / or different units . similarly , the functionality of two or more of the above units may be integrated into a single component . moreover , aspects of one or more embodiments can be implemented using other types of color image forming apparatuses , such as a multi - purpose type color image forming apparatus the paper feeding unit 20 is provided with a paper feeding cassette 21 detachably mounted to a bottom of the body 10 , a paper pressing plate 22 on which the paper p is stacked , an elastic member 23 under the paper pressing plate 22 , and a pick - up roller 24 positioned at a leading end of the paper p stacked on the paper pressing plate 22 . the paper pressing plate 22 is rotatable upward and downward within the paper feeding cassette 21 . the elastic member 23 elastically supports the paper pressing plate 22 . the pick - up roller 24 picks up the paper p from the paper pressing plate 22 . the optical scanning units 30 ( or 30 k , 30 y , 30 m and 30 c ) scans light corresponding to image information of different colors , for example , black k , yellow y , magenta m and cyan c onto the development unit 40 . a laser scanning unit ( lsu ) using a laser diode as a light source may be used for the optical scanning units 30 . as shown , the apparatus 1 uses four colors , but aspects of one or more embodiments are not limited to the shown colors , and is also usable with different numbers of colors . the development unit 40 includes four developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c to accommodate toners of different colors ( for example , black k , yellow y , magenta m , and cyan c toners ) therein . the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c respectively include photosensitive media 41 k , 41 y , 41 m and 41 c on which electrostatic latent images are formed by the optical scanning units 30 . while the photosensitive media 41 k , 41 y , 41 m and 41 c are installed in the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c in the illustrated case of fig1 , they may be provided separately from the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c in the body 10 . each of the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c has a toner storage 42 having toner , a charge roller 43 , a development roller 44 to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive medium to a toner image , and a supply roller 45 to supply the toner to the development roller 44 . the transfer unit 50 transfers toner images developed on the photosensitive media 41 k , 41 y , 41 m , and 41 c onto the paper p . the transfer unit 50 is provided with a paper transfer belt ( ptb ) 51 that goes around in contact with the photosensitive media 41 k , 41 y , 41 m and 41 c , a driving roller 52 that drives the ptb 51 , a support roller 53 that maintains the tensile force of the ptb 51 , and four transfer rollers 54 that transfer the toner images from the photosensitive media 41 k , 41 y , 41 m and 41 c to the paper p . the fixing unit 60 fixes the toner images onto the paper p by heat and pressure . the fixing unit 60 includes a heating roller 61 and a pressing roller 62 . the heating roller 61 has a heating source to heat the paper p with the toner transferred thereon . the pressing roller 62 faces the heating roller 61 to maintain a fixing pressure at a predetermined level with respect to the heating roller 61 . the paper discharge unit 70 discharges the printed paper p outside the body 10 . the paper discharge unit 70 includes a discharge roller 71 and a back - up roller 72 that rotates along with the discharge roller 71 . the sensor unit 80 senses toner transfer positions of acr patterns printed on the transfer belt 51 , for color registration . the sensor unit 80 includes an optical sensor including a light emitter and a light receiver . the optical sensor projects light toward the transfer belt 51 before the light emitter along an x - axis direction . the light receiver receives the light reflected from the transfer belt 51 . the sensor unit 80 detects the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns by receiving the light reflected from toner layers of the acr patterns ( offset correction patterns for the respective colors ) printed on the transfer belt 51 . because color registration may differ in one end portion and the other end portion of the transfer belt 51 along a width direction of a color image due to the scanning skews of the optical scanners 30 , the light receiver is positioned at both ends of the transfer belt 51 . fig2 is a control block diagram of the color image forming apparatus to perform color registration according to an embodiment . the color image forming apparatus includes an operation mode decider 100 , a storage unit 102 , a controller 104 , and a printer 106 . while not required in all aspects , the decoder 100 and controller 104 can be implemented on one or more processors and / or computers , and may be implemented using software and / or firmware stored on one or more computer readable media . the operation mode decider 100 selects an operation mode in which color registration is to be performed in the single - pass color image forming apparatus 1 . the operation mode may be a first operation mode or a second operation mode . in the first operation mode , acr is performed under the condition that the toner transfer position for each color is greatly out of alignment by at least a predetermined number of dots due to replacement of a consumable part , such as the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c or the transfer belt 51 . in the second operation mode , acr is performed under the condition that the toner transfer position for each color is slightly out of alignment by fewer than a predetermined number of dots due to variations in set conditions other than replacement of a consumable part , such as an increase in the number of printed papers , a temperature change of a set , power on / off , and the like . the storage 102 sets and stores acr patterns of a different horizontal length according to the acr operation mode used . the storage 102 sets the horizontal length of the acr patterns ( the x - axis length of offset correction patterns ) shorter in the second operation mode than in the first operation mode . the reason for using the shorter acr patterns in the second operation mode is to reduce toner consumption and an acr process time by changing the horizontal length of the acr patterns according to the used operation mode , considering the fact that the misalignment of the toner transfer positions is less in the second operation mode than in the first operation mode . while not required in all aspects , the storage 102 can be magnetic and / or optical media , and can be rewritable as in the case that the acr patterns are updated . the acr patterns are offset correction patterns corresponding to the four colors , black k , yellow y , magenta m and cyan c for color registration . these acr patterns may take various shapes . according to aspects of one or more embodiments , the acr patterns are set to correct offset deviations in x - axis and y - axis directions , taking into account x - axis and y - axis misalignments of the toner transfer positions depending on whether a consumable part ( such as the developer 40 k , 40 y , 40 m , or 40 c , or the transfer belt ) is replaced . to this end , the horizontal of the acr patterns is changed depending on whether the consumable part is replaced with a new one , which will be described later with reference to fig3 and 4 . as shown , the x axis is horizontal , and the y axis is parallel to a moving direction of the paper . the controller 104 selects the acr patterns for use in x - axis and y - axis offset correction from the storage 102 to perform color registration according to the operation mode of the color image forming apparatus 1 decided by the operation mode decider 100 . the controller 104 provides the selected acr patterns to the printer 106 so that the printer 106 prints the acr patterns . the printer 106 prints the selected acr patterns on the transfer belt 51 . the sensor unit 80 senses the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns and notifies the controller 104 of the sensed toner transfer positions . the controller 104 performs the acr according to the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns to calibrate color registration by controlling the optical scanners 30 k , 30 y , 30 m and 30 c such that images of the respective colors are overlapped at accurate positions . fig3 illustrates acr patterns with which y - axis offsets are corrected in the first operation mode in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . fig4 illustrates acr patterns with which x - axis offsets are corrected in the first operation mode in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . referring to fig3 and 4 , the horizontal lengths d of the acr patterns for use in x - axis and y - axis offset correction are equal . the horizontal length d of the acr patterns for the first operation mode may be computed by where a denotes a left margin deviation ( generally about 1 . 5 mm ) along a main scanning direction of a reference color ( e . g . black ) among the four colors , black k , yellow y , magenta m and cyan c , with respect to a maximum deviation that may occur in the x - axis direction ( i . e . the main scanning direction ) when the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c are mounted initially , b denotes a pre - acr correction x - axis offset deviation ( generally about 2 . 5 mm ) between the reference color ( black ) and the other colors ( e . g . yellow , magenta , and cyan ), and c denotes the beam diameter ( generally about 1 . 5 mm ) of the optical sensor being the optical sensor unit . referring to fig4 , as acr patterns for x - axis offset correction , a bar pattern along a horizontal direction and a slant pattern inclined from the horizontal direction by a predetermined angle are formed for each color . therefore , the toner transfer position of each color may be adjusted by as many x - axis dots as misaligned based on the differences between the bar - slant pattern interval of the reference color ( black ) and the bar - slant pattern intervals of the other colors ( yellow , magenta , and cyan ). fig5 illustrates acr patterns with which y - axis offsets are corrected in the second operation mode in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . fig6 illustrates acr patterns with which x - axis offsets are corrected in the second operation mode in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . referring to fig5 and 6 , the horizontal lengths e of the acr patterns for use in x - axis and y - axis offset correction are equal . the horizontal length e of the acr patterns for the second operation mode may be computed by where a denotes a left margin deviation ( generally about 1 . 5 mm ) along the main scanning direction of the reference color ( e . g . black ) among the four colors , black k , yellow y , magenta m and cyan c , with respect to a maximum deviation that may occur in the x - axis direction ( i . e . the main scanning direction ) when the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c are mounted initially , b ′ denotes an x - axis offset deviation ( generally about 0 . 2 mm ) between the reference color ( black ) and the other colors ( e . g . yellow , magenta , and cyan ), which may be caused by an increase in the number of printed papers and a temperature change of the set after acr correction . c denotes the beam diameter ( generally about 1 . 5 mm ) of the optical sensor being the optical sensor unit 80 . the values of a , b , b ′, and c are for purposes of example ; aspects of one or more embodiments are not limited thereto . referring to fig6 , as acr patterns for x - axis offset correction in the second operation mode , a bar pattern along the horizontal direction and a slant pattern inclined from the horizontal direction by a predetermined angle are formed for each color . as noted , because the horizontal length e of the acr patterns for the second operation mode is shorter than the horizontal length d of the acr patterns for the first operation mode , the longitudinal length f of the slant patterns is also shortened . because the positions of the other color images ( yellow , magenta , and cyan ) are corrected with respect to the position of the reference color image ( black ) by the acr , the x - axis inter - set deviation a of the reference color ( black ) is not corrected even after the acr . the x - axis deviations between the reference color ( black ) and the other colors ( yellow , magenta , and cyan ) include the main scanning - directional deviations b among the colors of the optical scanners 30 k , 30 y , 30 m and 30 c when an acr is initially performed , and are the deviations b ′ caused by a change in set conditions since an acr is performed based on previous correction values after the acr . in a current set , b and b ′ are roughly given as follows . therefore , the horizontal length of the acr patterns may be decreased by the horizontal length e ( about 6 . 4 mm ) of the acr patterns calculated by [ equation 2 ] in the second operation mode is about 58 . 2 % shorter than the horizontal length d ( about 11 mm ) of the acr patterns calculated by [ equation 1 ] in the first operation mode . the acr is performed mostly in the second operation mode in the color image forming apparatus 1 . the use of the shorter horizontal length e of the acr patterns leads to the reduction of toner consumption for each color during acr and also to the decrease of the longitudinal length f of the slant patterns for x - axis color registration ( refer to fig6 ). the resulting decrease of the total y - axis length of the acr patterns shortens the total acr process time . with respect to the x - axis offset correction patterns , since the sensing distance between a bar pattern and a slant pattern is reduced , the influence of a y - axis velocity of the transfer belt 51 that is generated during rotation of the transfer belt 51 may be minimized , as illustrated in fig7 . fig8 is a flowchart of a color registration method in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . in operation 200 , the single - pass color image forming apparatus 1 determines a current operation mode for color registration through the operation mode decider 100 by checking a status change caused by replacement of a consumable part ( a developer or a transfer belt ) or a change in set conditions . the operation mode may be a first operation mode in which an acr is performed under the condition that the toner transfer position of each color is greatly misaligned by a predetermined number of or more dots because of replacement of a consumable part ( such as the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c or the transfer belt 51 ), or a second operation mode in which an acr is performed under the condition that the toner transfer position of each color is slightly misaligned by fewer than a predetermined number of dots because of operation errors or the like , without replacement of a consumable part . in operation 202 , the controller 104 determines whether the current operation mode is the first operation mode . in the case of the first operation mode , the controller 104 selects acr patterns corresponding to the first operation mode as illustrated in fig3 and 4 from the storage 102 in operation 204 . in operation 206 , the controller 104 provides the first - operation mode acr patterns to the printer 106 and controls the printer 106 to print the patterns onto the transfer belt 51 . the optical sensor unit 80 at both end portions of the transfer belt 51 senses the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns and notifies the controller 104 of the sensed toner transfer positions . in operation 208 , the controller 104 performs an acr by controlling the optical scanning units 30 to overlap the images of the respective colors at correct positions according to the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns , thereby calibrating color registration . if the current operation mode is not the first operation mode in operation 202 , the controller 104 determines whether the current operation mode is the second operation mode in operation 210 . in the case of the second operation mode , the controller 104 selects acr patterns corresponding to the second operation mode as illustrated in fig5 and 6 from the storage 102 in operation 212 . in operation 214 , the controller 104 provides the second - operation mode acr patterns to the printer 106 and controls the printer 106 to print the patterns onto the transfer belt 51 . the pair of sensor units 80 at both end portions of the transfer belt 51 sense the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns and notifies the controller 104 of the sensed toner transfer positions . in operation 208 , the controller 104 performs an acr by controlling the optical scanning units 30 to overlap the images of the respective colors at correct positions according to the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns , thereby calibrating color registration . as described above , different acr operation modes may employ acr patterns of different horizontal lengths according to the misalignment degrees of toner transfer positions caused by replacement or non - replacement of a consumable part . while shown with only two modes for purposes of simplicity , further modes can be defined to account for different color registration problems caused by specific events . according to other aspects of one or more embodiments , acr patterns may be changed , taking into further account the velocity change of the transfer belt 51 . this method will be described below with reference to fig9 . fig9 illustrates acr patterns with which x - axis offsets are corrected according to a change in the velocity of the transfer belt in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . as shown in fig9 , a bar pattern and a slant pattern for the reference color ( black ) are formed with a minimal distance to bar and slant patterns for the other colors ( yellow , magenta and cyan ). the distance g between each black pattern and any other color pattern is determined based on the beam diameter of the sensor unit 80 and y - axis offset deviations among the colors . when the reference - color patterns ( the black patterns ) are close to specific - color patterns ( e . g . yellow patterns ) in x - axis offset correction of yellow , the influence of the y - axis velocity change of the transfer belt 51 caused by its rotation may be reduced . this is because the velocity change of the transfer belt 51 may need to be considered and the impact of the velocity change of the transfer belt 51 may need to be avoided as well , for y - axis offset correction . as is apparent from the above description , the single - pass color image forming apparatus performs color registration using acr patterns of a different length according to an operation mode used . therefore , toner consumption and an acr process time are reduced . also , the accuracy of the color registration is improved by changing the positions of the correction patterns according to a velocity change of the transfer belt when an acr is performed . although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention , the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents .	6
fig1 shows an exemplary system that can be built using a fire suppression system according to the invention . the system shown in fig1 , without the fire suppression system according to the present invention is described in co - pending u . s . application ser . no . 11 / 783 , 437 , filed apr . 10 , 2007 , which is incorporated herein by reference . fig1 of the present invention shows a schematic view of a holding tank 10 for receiving oil / water mixture according to a preferred embodiment of the invention . the tank may be closed at the top or may be open to the atmosphere , depending for example on the nature of the vapor produced . as the oil / water mixture is pumped into the holding tank 10 from inlet pipe 12 the oil 14 separates from the water 16 . additionally , vapor 18 which may be oil vapor , methane , natural gas or other flammable or non - flammable gases may collect above the oil 14 . water 16 is drained or pumped from tank 10 via outlet pipe 20 , and may be returned to the well w for reuse . oil 14 is drained or pumped from the tank 10 via flexible oil recovery hose 22 and sent to a separate holding tank or pipeline for transport to a refinery . likewise , gas or vapor 18 may be removed via a vacuum hose 24 and sent to another holding tank or pipeline for transport to a refinery . the oil recovery hose 22 is constructed of flexible oil resistant material such as neoprene or other plastic material having properties necessary to withstand corrosive substances commonly found in crude oil . the oil recovery hose 22 is supported within the tank 10 by floats 26 . floats 26 may be formed of rubber , plastic or stainless steel or other suitable material that is both buoyant and resistant to corrosive substances commonly found in crude oil . as can be seen in fig1 , floats 26 may optionally include an upper set of floats 28 and a lower set of floats 30 or may include only the upper or lower set . now with reference to fig2 , it can be seen that oil recovery hose 22 includes a preferably rigid pipe component 32 joined thereto at connection 34 . at the upper end of the pipe component is a top or cap 36 spaced apart from component 32 by braces 37 to form openings 38 therein . spaced downwardly from the upper end 34 are upper attachment ports 40 for connecting upper float arms 42 extending from upper floats 44 . lower attachment ports 46 are spaced below upper attachment ports 40 . lower float arms 48 extend from lower attachment ports 46 and join lower floats 50 to the lower attachment ports 46 . upper floats 44 and lower floats 50 have additional attachment ports 52 so that additional floats 46 or 50 can be added for greater buoyancy . it is important to note that the buoyancy of upper floats 44 is greater than that of lower floats 50 so that lower floats 50 , while being buoyant in water 16 are not buoyant in oil 14 . upper floats 44 are buoyant in both water 16 and oil 14 . using this difference in buoyancy between the upper floats 44 and the lower floats 50 , the top 36 is maintained above the upper level of the oil 14 and the oil drain openings 54 are maintained above the upper level of the water 16 . vacuum hose ports 56 are located above the oil drain openings 54 to prevent oil from being drawn into the vacuum hoses 58 which draw the vapor through the openings 38 of cap 36 and transport the vapors out of the tank 10 . now with reference to fig3 , an array of floats 26 is shown . using attachment ports 52 , floats 26 can be added or removed to control buoyancy . factors affecting buoyancy include the weight of the hoses 22 and 58 which may vary due to changes in diameter and materials thus requiring an adjustment of the number of floats 44 and / or 50 to achieve the correct calibration . fig4 and 5 show detailed views of the preferred embodiment of oil drain openings 54 . the drain openings are spaced about a portion of the pipe component 32 and open upwardly . the upwardly opening design aids in the prevention of water being drawn up into the oil drain openings since any whirl pooling caused by the flow of oil 14 into the drain openings 54 will extend upwardly away from the water 16 . fig4 shows the openings 54 extending outwardly from the pipe component 32 . in order to protect the system against fires or to reduce the deleterious effects of fire or hazardous materials , a fire suppression system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention may be installed to allow fire suppression gases , liquid , foams , chemicals or the like into the interior compartments of the system . the fire suppression may take advantage of existing pipes and hoses in the system , or may replace or supplement the existing hose and pipes by a dual pipe system . fig1 shows both one added line and one modified line , though more than one line could be modified or both lines could be modified without departing from the scope of the invention . line 24 has been added next to line 25 . these lines may be next to each other , separated from each other , side by side , concentric , etc . in practice , line 24 could be replaced with a line having two chambers or two separate lines could be provided that are optionally attached together . preferably , the connector component 32 is made or modified to accept two hoses or pipes 24 , 25 in communication with openings 38 . where multiple vacuum lines 24 , 58 are provided as shown in fig2 , one fire inlet line 25 may be provided for each vacuum line or only one inlet line total may be provided . the inlet line may be have the same interior diameter of the vacuum line or may be of a different size to handle the liquid , gas or foam to be piped through the fire inlet hose 25 and opening ( s ) 38 . additionally , while separate ports 56 , 57 are shown accepting hoses 56 , 57 , one port may be provided for accepting both hoses or a combined hose . referring again to fig1 , the end opposite port 57 of line 25 is connected to a flow control device such as a valve 62 . the valve may be automated or manually activated . the valve automation may be in response to fire , heat or pressure , or may respond to a monitor , emergency crew or other personnel activating the fire suppression system . a tank 60 containing nitrogen , foam or other chemical or agent may be provided or connected to the fire suppression system permanently or temporarily to aid in suppressing a fire or explosion . the tank may be on a vehicle , such as a fire emergency vehicle or a cart that can be moved into place , remote from the tank , but close enough to minimize the volume of fluid or gas in the hose before being applied to the tank . however , preferably , the tank is permanently attached to one or more tank . if necessary a pump 64 may be provided to assist in moving the fire suppression chemicals or gases to the tank or to pressurize the same . an inlet 68 may be provided to replenish the tank to connect a portable or supplementary tank ( not shown ). line 22 connected to inlet 54 is also modified to allow fire suppression chemicals or gases to be pumped into tank 10 . a valve 72 is provided at the inlet or at a point downstream of the inlet 54 . the valve 72 allows fluid to normally be pumped or conveyed from the inlet 54 to a holding tank or pipeline for transport to a refinery ( not shown ). the valve is also in communication with a separate inlet hose or pipe 23 . the hose may be connected to a tank or housing 66 storing fire suppression gases , liquids or foams for use in suppressing a fire . as discussed in relation to line 25 , the housing could be temporary or permanent and may have a supplementary inlet for supplying materials to the tank 66 . the tank 66 may be the same as , connected to , or separate and independent from tank 60 . a pump or pressurizing means may be provided in the tank or on line 23 or the like to provide motive force or pressurization of the fire suppression materials . preferably , tanks 60 and 66 contain different fire suppression materials from each other to enhance the overall chance or suppressing a fire by hitting it with more than one type of chemical , gas or agent . in operation , the valve 72 on line 22 can by switched from communicating the tank from the line outlet such as a vacuum source to the fire suppression fluid inlet line 23 . in this way line 22 can be reversed under pressure of the incoming fluid in line 23 to receive the fire suppression gas or foam or other agent to pipe the same to tank 10 . the pumps , valves , and elements of the fire suppression system may have their own power source such as a generator or battery as a main or back up power source , so that the system may operate when the main power is cut , for example , by the source of the tank fire or is cut by an explosion in one or more of the tanks . in an emergency situation such as a fire or explosion or unsafe condition , it may become necessary to pump a fire suppression chemical or gas into tank 10 . normally , a fire caused by lightning strike , static , heat , acts of god , or operator errors or the like causes a rent in the roof of the tank during explosion of the vapors , such as methane , in the tank . for this reason , the tank may be designed with a weakened seam to allow the tank to break safely at an upper periphery to avoid breakage or leaks below the liquid level line to avoid undue spillage of flammable products . a pressure relief valve 70 may also be provided in the tank 10 to automatically release pressure in an overpressure situation if a rent does not occur . to combat such a hazard , fire personnel in the past have used a natural opening in the tank from the explosion to pump in nitrogen or foam or other agents into the tank . this required personnel to first be contacted , then for the personnel to arrive at the site and to come in close contact with potentially hazardous tank . in the present invention , however , it is only necessary to automatically or manually activate the fire suppression system . the tank can then be flooded by a gas such as nitrogen pumped into the space above the liquid 16 to replace the oxygen in the area above the tank to starve out the fire . alternatively , or in addition , foam can be pumped into the tank to smoother or kill the fire . in the embodiment according to fig1 , valve 62 is actuated automatically or manually to connect line 25 with tank 60 . if necessary , pump 64 pumps gas from tank 60 through line 25 to the space above the liquid 16 via opening 38 to starve the fire by replacing the oxygen in the tank . if necessary a pump may be used to pressurize the gas prior to piping the nitrogen to tank 10 . the pump may be more necessary if a material other than pressurized gas is provided in the tank 60 , such as foam or other chemicals . at the same time , line 24 may be shut down by a valve or other means to prevent fluid or vapor from returning to the tank and to prevent spread of the fire through line 24 . in addition to or alternative to the nitrogen gas pumped through line 25 , a fire suppressant foam may be provided to the tank through line 22 . valve 72 is manually or automatically activated to shut off the flow of fluids from the tank through valve 72 to a point downstream such as a holding tank . simultaneous to shutting flow down line 22 or subsequent to shutting down line 22 , tank 66 is placed in communication with line 22 to pipe a fire suppression material , such as foam . the foam is then piped through line 22 to the tank 10 via port 54 to suppress the fire or to seal the materials in the tank from the source of the flame or other potential hazard , which used proactively . one skilled in the art would recognize that additional fire suppression systems , including but not limited to additional lines from disparate sources could be used to prevent or control other types of fire or for use with different , specific materials in the tank to provide redundant fire suppression systems without departing from the scope of the invention . in this way , fire personnel or plant personnel can suppress or avoid a tank fire by automated means without having to approach or come in close contact to the tank and / or fire . the inlet lines also provide fire or emergency personnel with a way to pipe materials , such as fire suppression gases or foams , into the tank without having to approach the tanks too closely , thereby potentially saving lives or severe injuries to emergency crew and other personnel . while this invention has been described as having a preferred design , it is understood that it is capable of further modifications , uses and / or adaptations of the invention following in general the principle of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as maybe applied to the central features hereinbefore set forth , and fall within the scope of the invention . for example , the system may be used to pump other materials into the tanks for reasons other than fire suppression or prevention . disparate chemicals could be provided into various lines or only in some lines to treat different fluids using different chemicals or only to treat the vapor or fluids . while two levels are shown in the drawings , other nozzles could be provided to treat the fluids at different levels such as the bottom of the tank or if additional fluids or vapors were know to separate at additional levels , nozzles buoyant to the appropriate additional levels could be added . for example , in a particular tank , water may be the bottommost layer and it may be easiest to pump the water from the bottom of the tank instead of at the separation level . however , the nozzle at the separation level may be used instead of the bottom - located nozzle to prevent , for example , sediment in the bottom of the tank from being disturbed , such as in a refinery , power plant or other process water storage area to extend the life of the pumps and filters . the following are illustrative examples of how one or more aspects of the present invention might be used , but do not limit the invention &# 39 ; s other uses : 1 . oil production tanks , onshore and offshore . the inventive tool has the capability to recover methane gas , draw liquid from the top level to treat bad oil and transfer oil . it also has the ability to inject chemical through it to the top level , letting the chemical disperse at the top level , allowing it to fall through the bad oil treating it . it also has the capability to reverse its flow out of the tank and go back into the tank with inert gas such as nitrogen . it also can do the same with fire fighting foam to blanket the oil from the flames , sealing the oil and vapors underneath . by doing this the fire department , or manufacturing facility does not have to be directly at the tank location to extinguish fire . 2 . oil transfer tanks / pipeline - storage tanks will have different gravities of oil in them , this tool allows you to pull from the top , the lighter gravity and work your way down to the heavy gravity . 3 . refineries may have many different hydrocarbon tanks that are on a continuous feed , and when the tank becomes contaminated , for example with water , the water will be at the bottom of the tank , where the suction lines off the tank are located . by using the present invention , it is possible to pull from the top level ( hydrocarbon ), down to the water . 4 . produced water tanks / water flood stations may occur where a large volume of produced water is stored for circulation into the produced zone and brought back to the tanks . there is always a carryover of oil to these water tanks . by having the present invention in a tank , it is possible to pull from the top down , recovering the hydrocarbons and putting them back to the oil tanks for sale . this keeps the water tanks all water and produces money for the oil producer . 5 . process water storage that is used for cooling or other purposes in processes such as electrical power plants , refineries , and chemical plants may also benefit from the present invention . by pulling liquid level from the top down , less sediment than what is on the bottom of the tank is pumped , creating a longer life span for our equipment and filters . 6 . potable water tanks can also benefit . by pulling from the top , we will bring in a much better tasting quality of water than pulling off the bottom where sediment rests . 7 . in food processing plants , the present invention allows fats to be skimmed off the top creating a leaner food process . 8 . in the drilling industry , unbalanced drilling is in great demand . this is where they allow the well to produce while it is being drilled . there is water , gas and oil coming out of the hole into the tanks . the oil will be the top level , where the present invention can be used to efficiently pull the oil from the top . the vapors can be also be recovered , leaving the water cleaned for subsequent use in drilling purposes . 9 . any tank that has more than one phase can be separated . the oil sands of colorado , wyoming and canada would see a big benefit of using this tool when they steam the dirt that has the contaminated oil in it , which ( a .) releases the oil , ( b .) steam condenses to water , ( c .) heat creates vapor off the oil . using the present invention , all three phases can separated and captured . 10 . any tank with more than one phase can benefit from the present invention .	0
the present invention relates in a first aspect to a handheld spray gun according to claim 1 . in an example of the present handheld spray gun the second nozzle is directed such that the second fluid intimately mixes with the first fluid at a distance of 1 - 10 cm of the first nozzle , preferably 2 - 7 cm . is has been found that in order to reduce overspray and have a good mixing the first and second fluid mix at a certain distance from the top . depending on a pressure applied , and to a ratio of the pressures , as well as on the nozzles provided , a distance may vary somewhat . the distance is preferably not too large , as mixing is than not optimal and overspray increases . a similar argument holds for a too small distance . in an example of the present handheld spray gun the first nozzle has an opening with a first area , preferably a circular opening , wherein the second nozzle has an opening with a second area , preferably a circular opening , wherein a ratio between the first area and the second area is between 0 . 2 and 5 , preferably between 0 . 33 and 3 . 5 , more preferably between 0 . 45 and 2 . 5 , such as between 0 . 66 and 1 . 5 . it has been found that the openings are relatively small , such as 0 . 28 - 0 . 8 mm for the first nozzle , and 0 . 35 - 1 . 0 mm for the second nozzle . the openings preferably have an annular form . it has also been found that the ratio of surface areas of the openings of the two nozzles is within the above mentioned ranges , despite the first fluid being provided in much larger quantities , compared to the second fluid . in an example of the present handheld spray gun is capable of withstanding a first fluid pressure of 200 - 800 kpa ( 2 - 8 bar ), preferably at 250 - 400 kpa , more preferably at 275 - 350 kpa . in other words , compared to other airless systems , the first fluid is provided at a relatively low pressure . it has been found that , in combination with the nozzle and nozzle tip , such a pressure provides a very good spray pattern , e . g ., in terms of quantity provided per unit surface area , in terms of overspray , in terms of mixing , in terms of tailoring , in terms of amount of airborne particles , etc . the pressure used is also relatively safe for employees using the present spray gun . in an example of the present handheld spray gun is capable of withstanding a second fluid pressure of 10 - 100 kpa ( 0 . 1 - 1 . 0 bar ), preferably at 12 - 40 kpa , more preferably at 20 - 30 kpa . despite the pressure being provided with air , the pressures used are surprisingly low and can be provided with e . g . a simple ring tubing for pressurized air , a container having pressurized air , etc . the amount of air used is estimated to be about 1 - 10 % com - pared to prior art air spray guns . it is noted that the second fluid itself is pressurized as well , comparable to the first fluid , but at a lower pressure , typically at a pressure of 15 - 100 kpa ( 0 . 15 - 1 . 0 bar ), preferably at 20 - 50 kpa , more preferably at 25 - 35 kpa . it is noted that with the present adaptable nozzles a spray pattern can be adjusted easily , such as by adjusting a pressure . also a mixing ratio between first and second fluid can be adjusted easily . in a second aspect the present invention relates to a system for spraying a two - component adhesive comprising an aerosol spray gun according to any of the preceding , comprising : ( a ) a means for providing an airless pressure of 200 - 800 kpa to the first fluid , and ( b ) a means for providing an air pressure of 10 - 100 kpa to the second fluid . in a third aspect the present invention relates to a method of spraying a two component adhesive comprising a first and second fluid . the method comprises the steps of providing an aerosol spray gun according to any of claims 1 - 5 or a system according to claim 6 . the first fluid relates to a first component of a two component adhesive . it is preferably selected from a polychloroprene dispersion , polyurethane dispersion , polyacrylate dispersion , vinylacetate - ethylene dispersion , ethylene - vinylacetate dispersion , natural rubber dispersion , styrene - butadiene - styrene copolymer dispersion , styrene - butadiene rubber dispersion , and combinations thereof . the first component is preferably provided at a pressure of 200 - 800 kpa ( 2 - 6 bar ), preferably at 250 - 400 kpa , more preferably at 275 - 350 kpa . the second fluid relates to a second component of a two component adhesive . the second fluid is preferably an activator . it is preferably selected from a salt of a multivalent metal such as zinc , aluminum or calcium ; or an acid solution , such as selected from citric acid , formic acid , acetic acid , lactic acid and mineral acid having a ph below 5 , preferably below 4 . 5 , most preferably below 4 , and combinations thereof . the second component is preferably provided at a pressure of 150 - 500 kpa ( 0 . 15 - 0 . 5 bar ), preferably at 200 - 400 kpa , more preferably at 250 - 300 kpa . a next step relates to applying the combined fluids as an adhesive to a surface . in an example of the present method the viscosities of the first - and second - fluids are in the range of 0 . 2 mpa * s to 10 pa * s at 25 ° c . it has been found that for intimate mixing , obtaining a good spray pattern , reducing overspray , etc ., these viscosities suit particularly well . in an example of the present method a pressure for spraying is provided by one or more selected from : positive dis - placement pumps , such as double diaphragm pumps or piston pumps ; pressurized systems such as pressure tanks ; and , gravity feed feeding systems . in an example the present method is for applying & gt ; 90 wt . % of adhesive as provided to a surface , preferably & gt ; 95 wt . %, such as & gt ; 98 wt . %. an amount of overspray ( loss ) and an amount of adhesive applied ( yield ) is measured according to din 13966 ( september 2003 ), specifically part 1 thereof . if boundary conditions are optimized almost 100 . 0 wt . % is provided to an intended surface . as such the present method reduces overspray and provides further advantages , as mentioned . an amount of overspray ( loss ) and an amount of adhesive applied ( yield ) is measured according to din 13966 , specifically part 1 thereof . in a fourth aspect the present invention relates to a use of the present spray gun or system for one or more of limiting use of air by more than 50 %, limiting overspray to less than 10 wt . %, improving mixing of first and second fluid to more than 90 %, improving homogeneity of a sprayed layer to more than 90 %, enlarging a width of a spray pattern by more than 20 %, limiting an amount of adhesive per unit sprayed area to less than 80 %, and limiting tailing to less than 10 %. in a fifth aspect the present invention relates to an adhesive layer , such as obtainable by a method according to the invention , amongst others having an improved homogeneity to more than 90 %. the invention is further detailed by the accompanying figures and examples , which are exemplary and explanatory of nature and are not limiting the scope of the invention . to the person skilled in the art it may be clear that many variants , being obvious or not , may be conceivable falling within the scope of protection , defined by the present claims . 10 main body of spray gun 20 air input regulator 30 opening and closing mechanism 40 material needle 70 nipple 80 airless nozzle 81 slit 90 swivel 95 spray gun add on 1 first and second connection 2 first nozzle and second nozzle 3 separate fluid passage ways 4 first and second mechanism for opening and closing 5 trigger for simultaneous control of the mechanisms 6 third fluid passage way 7 chamber fig1 relates to a spray gun 100 . therein various elements of an example of the present spray gun can be seen . for instance an input regulator for air 20 is shown . also a handle 60 for opening and closing is provided . part 10 relates to a main body . further an opening and closing mechanism 30 for air and a material needle 40 for adhesive is shown . also an air hose to activator switch 50 is shown . further , the elements 1 - 7 ( found in claim 1 ) have been identified in the figure . fig2 a - c relate to a spray gun add on 95 . the add - on is for providing air pressure to a second component of the adhesive to be applied . fig2 a shows the assembled activator switch , whereas fig2 b shows construction of the switch . fig2 c shows a worked open version of the add on 95 . further , the elements 1 - 7 ( found in claim 1 ) have been identified in the figure . it should be appreciated that for commercial application it may be preferable to use one or more variations of the present system , which would similar be to the ones disclosed in the present application and are within the spirit of the invention .	2
embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings . embodiments 1 to 7 are aimed at improvement of display quality by improving clarities of displayed colors . embodiments 8 to 10 are aimed at improvement of display quality by preventing color shift in white display . in the following description , members of similar functions bear the same reference numbers , and will not be repetitively described in detail . fig1 is a cross section of a liquid crystal display 100 of a first embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig1 the liquid crystal display 100 includes a transparent plate 55 , a transparent electrode 14 , a liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 including a polymer material 21 and liquid crystal 22 dispersed therein , a transparent electrode 13 and a transparent plate 50 which are layered in this order . transparent electrodes 13 and 14 are connected to a power supply 80 , which applies a voltage across the transparent electrodes 13 and 14 . in response to this applied voltage , the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 changes its state from a transparent state for allowing transmission of visible rays to a selective reflection state for selectively reflecting visible rays of a specific wavelength and vice versa , as will be described later in detail . when the composite film 20 is in the selective reflection state , and white rays such as natural light rays are irradiated downward in fig1 to the liquid crystal display 100 , the composite film 20 reflect the visible rays of a specific wavelength , which are observed as display of a specific color . in the liquid crystal display 100 , at least one of the polymer material 21 , liquid crystal 22 , transparent electrode 13 at the observation side and the transparent plate 50 at the observation side contains a coloring agent added thereto . this coloring agent can absorb spectral rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 . the coloring agent can absorb light components , which may cause turbidity of color in the color display performed by selective reflection of the liquid crystal 22 or may cause lowering of a transparency in the transparent state of the liquid crystal 22 , and therefore can improve the display quality . two or more of the components in the liquid crystal display 100 may contain a coloring agent . for example , both the polymer 21 and the liquid crystal 22 may contain the coloring agent . the coloring agent added to the liquid crystal display 100 may be selected from various kinds of known coloring agent which has spectral properties of absorbing spectral rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 . in particular , it is preferable to use a coloring agent having a peak in the light absorbing properties which appears in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 . as will be described later , it is considered that the light component which lowers the display quality is primarily present at a lower wavelength area . therefore , it is more preferable to use a coloring agent , which absorbs rays in a range of shorter wavelengths than the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal 22 . for example , red coloring agent is preferable , if the liquid crystal 22 selectively reflects the red . yellow or green coloring agent is preferable , if liquid crystal 22 selectively reflects the green . even the coloring agent which slightly absorbs the light in the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal , it can be used provided that the agent can sufficiently absorb the spectral rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 . more specifically , the coloring agent added to the liquid crystal display 100 may be selected , for example , from various kinds of dyestuff such as dyestuff for resin coloring and dichromatic dyestuff for liquid crystal display . the dyestuff for resin coloring may be spr red1 ( manufactured by mitsui toatsu senryo co ., ltd .). the dichromatic dyestuff for liquid crystal is specifically si - 424 or m - 483 ( both manufactured by mitsui toatsu senryo co ., ltd .). among these kinds of dyestuff , appropriate dyestuff can be selected for absorbing spectral rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal 22 . an amount of added coloring agent is not specifically restricted provided that addition of the coloring agent does not remarkably impair switching operation characteristics of the liquid crystal for display , and that , if the polymer is formed by polymerization as will be described later , the addition does not inhibit the polymerization . however , it is preferable that the quantity of added coloring agent is 0 . 1 weight % or more with respect to the liquid crystal . further , about 5 weight % or less is desirable , and about 0 . 5 weight % is a sufficient amount in many cases . instead of use of the coloring agent , resin or the like , which is originally colored and therefore does not require additional coloring agent , may be used as the polymer material 21 , transparent electrode 13 and transparent plate 50 . however , addition of coloring agent is more advantageous because a degree of the absorbing effect can be controlled by adjusting the quantity of the coloring agent . according to the investigation by the inventors , the following fact has been found , although specific reasons are not clear . rays of a wavelength longer than the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal can pass through the liquid crystal and polymer composite film to a higher extent . conversely , rays of a wavelength shorter than the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal scatters in the liquid crystal and polymer composite film to a higher extent , as the wavelength decreases . therefore , the liquid crystal and polymer composite film selectively reflecting visible rays of a longer wavelength such as red rays can effectively improve the clarity of the displayed color and the transparency in the transparent state . in the liquid crystal display for green or blue display , addition of the coloring agent can improve the clarity of the displayed color in the selective reflection state only to an extent lower than the case of red display , but the effect of improving the clarity in the transparent state can be achieved to an extent similar to that in the case of red display . the transparent plates 50 and 55 may be a colorless and transparent glass plates or polymer films of polyethylene terephthalate , polyether sulfone , polycarbonate or the like . this embodiment employs the transparent plates 50 and 55 on which transparent electrodes 13 and 14 are layered , respectively . alternatively , transparent plates which have electric conductivity in itself may be employed . at 60 is indicated a light absorber , which may be arranged at the lowermost position viewed from the observation side , if desired . the light absorber 60 absorbs the rays of the wavelength other than the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 , so that black display can be performed when the cholesteric liquid crystal does not perform the selective reflection in the visible light region . the light absorber may be a black film . the light absorber may be provided by applying black dye such as black ink to the lowermost surface of the display viewed from the observation side . each of the paired transparent electrodes 13 and 14 forming the liquid crystal display 100 is formed of a plurality of band - shaped electrode elements which are parallel to each other with a fine space therebetween . the band - shaped electrode elements of the transparent electrode 13 are perpendicular to those of the transparent electrode 14 opposed to the electrode 13 . a voltage is successively supplied to the upper and lower band - shaped electrode elements , and a voltage is successively applied in a matrix manner to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 ( i . e ., matrix drive is performed ). owing to this matrix drive , the liquid crystal display 100 can display images . a voltage in a pulse form is preferably used as a voltage to be applied across the transparent electrodes 13 and 14 by the power supply 80 for selecting the colored states of the liquid crystal display 100 . the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 included in the liquid crystal display 100 may be made of a liquid crystal and polymer composite member , which is fabricated in such a manner that light such as ultraviolet light is irradiated to mixture of liquid crystal and photo - curing resin material for hardening the mixture and thereby causing phase separation between the liquid crystal and the resin . cholesteric liquid crystal is used as the liquid crystal 22 used in the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 included in the liquid crystal display 100 . the cholesteric liquid crystal has a layered structure in which major axes of liquid crystal molecules are oriented parallel , and each layer has a spiral structure in which neighboring molecules have long axes shifted slightly from each other . it is particularly preferable that the cholesteric liquid crystal exhibits a cholesteric phase at a room temperature . the cholesteric liquid crystal may be a chiral nematic liquid crystal produced by adding a chiral dopant to a nematic liquid crystal . the nematic liquid crystal contains columnar liquid crystal molecules parallel to each other , but does not have a layered structure . preferably , the nematic liquid crystal has a positive dielectric anisotropy , and therefore contains , e . g ., cyanobiphenyl , tolane or pyrimidine . more specifically , mn1000xx ( manufactured by chisso co ., ltd .) as well as zli - 1565 and bl - 006 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) may be used . chiral dopant is used as additive to the nematic liquid crystal for twisting the molecules of the nematic liquid crystal . owing to addition of the chiral dopant to the nematic liquid crystal , a spiral structure of the liquid crystal molecules having a predetermined pitch length is formed , and thereby the cholesteric phase is produced . the chiral nematic liquid crystal has such a feature that the pitch length of the spiral structure thereof can be varied by varying the amount of chiral dopant added thereto , and therefor has such an advantage that the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal can be controlled by varying the amount of chiral dopant . in general , the pitch length of a spiral structure of liquid crystal molecules is represented by a helical pitch length , which is defined by a distance between liquid crystal molecules rotated 360 degrees along the spiral structure . the chiral dopant may be compound having asymmetric carbon and capable of inducing optical rotary power in liquid crystal molecules . for example , it is possible to use a cholesteric liquid crystal having cholesteric rings , a chiral nematic liquid crystal or an organic compound which does not exhibit liquid crystal properties but can twist molecules of nematic liquid crystal . as typical chiral dopant , s811 , s1011 , cb15 , ce2 and others manufactured by merck co ., ltd . are available . the chiral dopant added to the nematic liquid crystal may be mixture of several kinds of chiral dopant . use of several kinds of chiral dopant is effective in increasing a phase transition temperature of the liquid crystal , reducing change in the selective reflection wavelength caused by change in temperature , improving the transparency of the composite film in the transparent state and achieving rapid change in a display manner between the transparent state and the selective reflection state of the liquid crystal display . the liquid crystal and polymer composite film formed of such liquid crystal and the polymer can be switched , in response to the voltage application , between the transparent state allowing transmission of the visible rays and the selective reflection state for selectively reflecting the visible rays of a specific wavelength , or between the light scattering state for scattering the visible rays and the transparent state allowing transmission of the visible rays , and further can maintain these states even when a voltage is not applied thereto . in the liquid crystal and polymer composite film using the chiral nematic liquid crystal described above , the orientation state of liquid crystal molecules can be switched between the planar state and the focal conic state by selectively applying two kinds of , i . e ., high and low pulse voltages . thereby , the liquid crystal display using the liquid crystal and polymer composite film can be switched between the transparent state and the selective reflection state . in the liquid crystal and polymer composite film using the chiral nematic liquid crystal , the amount of chiral dopant added to the nematic liquid crystal is controlled to adjust the helical pitch length of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and thereby set the selective reflection wavelength to a value , for example , corresponding to red , green or blue . thereby , the liquid crystal and polymer composite film can attain the selective reflection state colored in red , green or blue in the planar state , and can attain the colorless transparent state in the focal conic state . the liquid crystal and polymer composite film thus formed is held between the transparent electrodes to complete the color liquid crystal display . the relationship between the helical pitch length p ( nm ) and the selective reflection wavelength λ ( nm ) is expressed by the following formula [ i ] where n represents an average refractive index , and can be represented by the following formula : where n 1 represents the refractive index in the case where rays are irradiated along the major axes of liquid crystal molecules , and n 2 represents the refractive index in the case where rays are irradiated in a direction perpendicular to the major axes of the liquid crystal molecules . the liquid crystal display 100 may be fabricated , for example , in such a manner that mixture of the liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material is held between a pair of transparent plates , and rays such as ultraviolet rays are irradiated thereto to harden the photo - curing resin material in the mixture and thereby causing phase separation between the liquid crystal and the resin . in this process , a spacer may be arranged together with the mixture between the transparent plates , which facilitates control of the thickness of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film . the photo - curing resin material may be a liquid mixture containing a photo - curing monomer ( or oligomer ) and a photo polymerization initiator , and , for example , may be various kinds of acrylic monofunctional resin , acrylic polyfunctional resin or the like . more specifically , adamantane acrylate bf - 530 ( daihachi kagaku co ., ltd . ), tpa - 320 ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .) or the like may be used . when the liquid mixture of the photo - curing monomer ( or oligomer ) and the photo polymerization initiator is used , such a photo - induced phase separating method may be employed that the mixture and the liquid crystal are mixed and then are irradiated with ultraviolet rays to photo - cure the resin material and thereby cause the phase separation between the liquid crystal and the resin . as the photo polymerization initiator may be a material in which radiation of ultraviolet rays induces polymerization such as radical polymerization of the photo - curing resin , and more specifically , may be darocur1173 , igracur184 ( both manufactured by chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) or the like . fig2 is a cross section of a liquid crystal display 200 of a second embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig2 the liquid crystal display 200 has a structure similar to that shown in fig1 except for that a coloring agent is not added thereto , and alternatively a colored filter 70 having properties of absorbing rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 is arranged at the surface of the liquid crystal display . this embodiment does not employ such a structure that a coloring agent is added to at least one of components , i . e ., the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 , transparent electrodes 13 and 14 , transparent plates 50 and 55 , but alternatively employ such a structure that a plate member , a sheet member or the like forming a colored filter layer such as a color glass filter , a colored resin film ( color film ) is arranged at the observation side of the liquid crystal display . owing to this structure , an effect similar to that already described can be achieved . the filter 70 may be made of a colorless transparent material containing pigment added thereto , a material which is originally colored without addition of the coloring agent , a thin film of specific substance having a function similar to the foregoing coloring agent , or the like . such a structure may also be employed that the coloring agent is added to at least one of components , i . e ., the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 , transparent electrodes 13 and 14 , and transparent plates 50 and 55 , and the colored filter 70 is also additionally arranged . the transparent plate 50 itself at the observation side may be replaced with the colored filter 70 . fig3 is a cross section of a liquid crystal display 300 of a third embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 the liquid crystal display 300 includes a red display layer 301 which selectively reflects the red for red display , and a green display layer 302 which is layered on the layer 301 and selectively reflects the green for green display . the red display layer 301 has a structure similar to that already described in connection with the first embodiment . the green display layer 302 has a structure similar to that already described in connection with the first embodiment except for that the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 30 uses liquid crystal selectively reflecting the green . in this embodiment , however , the transparent substrate 51 serves as an upper member of the red display layer 301 and a lower member of the green display layer 302 . naturally , independent upper and lower members may be layered together . a green display layer 302 is fabricated , for example , by controlling the quantity of the chiral dopant added to the nematic liquid crystal and thereby adjusting the helical pitch of the chiral nematic liquid crystal to set the selective reflection wavelength to a value corresponding to the green light . addition of a coloring agent in the liquid crystal display 300 will be described later . the liquid crystal display 300 can perform the red display when the green display layer 302 is set to the transparent state and the red display layer 301 is set to the selective reflection state . by setting the green display layer 302 to the selective reflection state , the green display is performed . by simultaneously setting the green and red display layers 302 and 301 to the selective reflection state , mixed color of green and red , i . e ., yellow is displayed . by simultaneous matrix drives of both the layers 302 and 301 , intermediate color display can be falsely performed with matrixes of red and green . in the liquid crystal display 300 , if the red display layer 301 contains a coloring agent which absorbs spectral rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 similarly to the foregoing structure in the first embodiment , the quality of red display can be improved . however , in the structure where the liquid crystal display layers are layered as is done in this embodiment , it is preferable to suppress an influence which the upper layer may exert on the light reflection by the lower layer . in other words , it is preferable that the wavelength of the light absorbed by the coloring agent in the upper layer does not overlap with the selective reflection wavelength of the display layer at the lower layer . accordingly , the liquid crystal display 300 may contain the coloring agent added in the following manner . ( 1 ) a coloring agent ( e . g ., red dye ) absorbing rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 is added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 of the red display layer 301 , and a coloring agent is not added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 30 of the green display layer 302 , whereby the clarity of red display and a transparency in the transparent state of the red display layer 301 can be enhanced without impairing the quality of green display by the green display layer 302 . ( 2 ) without adding a coloring agent to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 of the red display layer 301 , a blue - absorbing coloring agent ( e . g ., yellow dye ) may be added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 30 of the green display layer 302 , whereby the clarity of green display and a transparency in the transparent state of the green display layer 302 can be enhanced without impairing the quality of red display by the red display layer 301 . ( 3 ) a coloring agent ( e . g ., red dye ) absorbing rays in the wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 may be added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 of the red display layer 301 , and a blue - absorbing coloring agent ( e . g ., yellow dye ) may be added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 30 of the green display layer 302 , whereby the display quality of the red and green display layers can be improved . in this embodiment , positions of addition of the coloring agent can be appropriately selected similarly to the first embodiment , and a colored filter may be employed instead of addition of the coloring agent already described in the second embodiment . fig4 is a cross section of a liquid crystal display 400 of a fourth embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig4 a green display layer 402 selectively reflecting green light is layered on a red display layer 401 selectively reflecting red light , and a blue display layer 403 selectively reflecting blue light is layered on the layer 402 . the red and green display layers 401 and 402 have structures similar to those already described in the third embodiment . the blue display layer 403 has a structure similar to that in the first embodiment except for that a liquid crystal and polymer composite film 40 performs selective reflection of blue light . addition of a coloring agent will be described later . in this embodiment , a transparent substrate 52 is arranged at a boundary between the red display layer 401 and the green display layer 402 , and a transparent substrate 51 is arranged at a boundary between the green display layer 402 and the blue display layer 403 . red display can be performed by setting the blue and green display layers 403 and 402 to the transparent state and setting the red display layer 401 to the selective reflection state . by setting the blue display layer 403 to the transparent state and setting the green display layer 402 to the selective reflection state , green display can be performed . further , blue display can be performed by setting the blue display layer 403 to the selective reflection state . the clarity of display of the liquid crystal display 400 can be increased by adding a coloring agent ( e . g ., red dye ) absorbing rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal 22 similarly to the first embodiment . as already described in connection with the embodiment 3 , the liquid crystal display may have a layered structure , in which case it is preferable to suppress an influence exerted on the light reflection of the lower layer by the upper layer . for this purpose , the liquid crystal display 400 may contain , for example , a red coloring agent added to the composite film of the red display layer , and a blue - absorbing coloring agent ( e . g ., yellow coloring agent ) added to the composite film of the green display layer without adding a coloring agent to the blue display layer . the third and fourth embodiments have been described in connection with examples which include two - layer or three - layer structures formed of liquid crystal display layers displaying different colors , respectively . the order of layering , the number of layers , the kinds of colors and others are not restricted to those in the foregoing embodiments , and may be varied in various manners . for example , the layering order of the layers viewed from the observation side may be red - green - blue , green - red - blue , blue - blue - green - red or blue - red . in summary , the layering order of the liquid crystal display layers , the number of layers , the kinds of colors , the kinds of added coloring agents and others are not restricted provided that the added coloring agent does not impede the color display by the display layers at the lower levels viewed from the observation side . liquid crystal display layers of the same color may be layered . for example , a red liquid crystal display layer of cholesteric liquid crystal having a right optical rotary power or a right optical activity and a red liquid crystal display layer of cholesteric liquid crystal having a left optical activity may be layered together , and the coloring agent may be added only to the upper layer , whereby display brightness can be increased . fig5 is a cross section of a liquid crystal display 500 of a fifth embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig5 the liquid crystal display 500 includes the transparent plate 55 on which the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 and the transparent plate 50 are successively layered . similarly to the foregoing embodiments , this embodiment may include the light absorbing member 60 arranged at the lower surface of the liquid crystal display . the liquid crystal display 500 does not have an electrode layer in contrast to the foregoing embodiments , but can be fabricated in a manner similar to that already described in connection with the first embodiment . the liquid crystal display 500 is subjected to an electric field which is produced by external electrodes arranged above and below the same , and selectively attains the transparent state and the selective reflection state in accordance with the applied electric field . the liquid crystal display 500 may have a sheet - like form , in which case it can be used as a recordable and erasable record medium by using the following voltage applying means . fig6 shows an embodiment of a structure for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal display 500 . as shown in fig6 the liquid crystal display 500 which is being transferred at a predetermined speed by transfer rollers 90 and 91 is supplied with a voltage corresponding to image information from an electrode array 81 , so that an image is displayed on the liquid crystal display 500 . fig7 shows another structure for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal display 500 . as shown in fig7 the liquid crystal display 500 is laid on a grounded electrode plate 83 , and a pen - type electrode 82 is used to apply an electric field to the liquid crystal display 500 . for example , an operator can draw an image on the liquid crystal display 500 with the electrode 82 in his / her hand . the embodiments have been described as examples in which resin is used as a matrix containing cholesteric liquid crystal dispersed therein . however , the resin is not essential , and , for example , cholesteric liquid crystal may be directly held between two transparent substrates . the embodiments have been described in connection with the examples in which the transparent substrates are arranged at upper and lower surfaces of the composite film containing cholesteric liquid crystal dispersed in matrix resin . however , the transparent substrates are not essential . for example , liquid crystal in the form of droplets may be dispersed in the resin , e . g ., by increasing the quantity of resin in the composite film , whereby the transparent substrate can be eliminated . the first embodiment will now be described further in detail in connection with specific experimental examples . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 680 nm was prepared by such a manner that cholesteric liquid crystal cn ( merck co ., ltd .) at 16 weight parts and chiral dopant s811 ( merck co ., ltd .) at 8 weight parts were added , as chiral agent , to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) at 76 weight parts which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . δn represents a refractive index measured with d - line ( of 589 nm in wavelength ) of a mercury lamp . t n1 represents a temperature at which change from a liquid phase to an isotropic phase occurs during rising of a temperature , and thus represents a phase transition temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight parts to the mixture containing metacrylate resin , i . e ., adamantane metacrylate at 76 weight parts , acrylate resin bf - 530 ( daihachi kagaku co ., ltd .) at 20 weight parts and acrylate resin tpa - 320 ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .) at 4 weight parts . dichromatic dyestuff si - 426 ( mitsui toatsu senryo co ., ltd .) for liquid crystal display is added at a weight ratio of 0 . 1 % with respect to the chiral nematic liquid crystal to the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 85 : 15 . fig8 shows spectral characteristics of the above dyestuff . as shown in fig8 this dyestuff is red dye having an absorption peak at the vicinity of 500 nm , and effectively absorbs visible rays of wavelengths shorter than 500 nm . conversely , it hardly absorbs visible rays of a wavelength longer than 600 nm . the mixture thus prepared was held between two glass plates provided at their surfaces with transparent conductive films directed inward with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for three minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the liquid crystal display having the structure shown in fig1 was completed . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 7 . 78 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 420 and y = 0 . 319 , and excitation purity was 28 . 2 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 60 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 210 and y = 0 . 156 ). fig9 shows chromaticity diagram , in which a circular mark represents the chromaticity coordinates in the selective reflection state of the liquid crystal display of this experimental example . the excitation purity represents a ratio between a distance , by which a reference chromaticity point ( x mark in fig9 ) of illuminating light is spaced from a chromaticity point of a primary wavelength on a spectrum locus of the chromaticity coordinates , and a distance , by which the chromaticity point of illuminating light is spaced from the chromaticity point of the liquid crystal display sample . thus , between two liquid crystal displays having the same brightness , the liquid crystal display having the chromaticity point remoter from the chromaticity point of illuminating light has the higher color purity ( display quality ). the luminous reflectance and chromaticity coordinates were measured with a spectrocolorimeter cm - 1000 ( manufactured by minolta co ., ltd .). the excitation purity was calculated from the chromaticity coordinates of the liquid crystal display sample and the chromaticity coordinates of the reference light . the experiment was performed with a liquid crystal display having the structure shown in fig1 and prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 1 except for that the quantity of dyestuff added to the chiral nematic liquid crystal is 0 . 3 wt %. a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ), of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 6 . 30 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 525 and y = 0 . 341 , and excitation purity was 64 . 6 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 53 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 253 and y = 0 . 201 ). in fig9 a triangular mark represents the chromaticity coordinate in the selective reflection state of the liquid crystal display of this experimental example . the experiment was performed with a liquid crystal display having the structure shown in fig1 and prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 1 except for that the quantity of dyestuff added to the chiral nematic liquid crystal is 0 . 5 wt %. a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 6 . 06 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 567 and y = 0 . 345 , and excitation purity was 76 . 6 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 43 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 249 and y = 0 . 195 ). in fig9 a square mark represents the chromaticity coordinate in the selective reflection state of the liquid crystal display of this experimental example . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the above liquid crystal display in the selective reflection state and the transparent state . the solid line shows the spectral reflection characteristics in the selective reflection state , and the broken line shows the spectral reflection characteristics in the transparent state . the spectral reflection characteristics were measured by a spectrocolorimeter cm - 1000 ( minolta ). as is apparent from fig1 , the reflectance or reflection factor is small over the entire range from 400 to 700 nm in the transparent state , and therefore a high transparency can be achieved . in the selective reflection state , a high reflection peak is attained at the vicinity of 650 nm , and the reflectance is small in a wavelength range shorter than 600 nm , which achieves clear red display . the experiment was performed with a liquid crystal display having the structure shown in fig1 and prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 1 except for that dyestuff was not added . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 8 . 02 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 411 and y = 0 . 315 , and excitation purity was 76 . 6 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 62 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 216 and y = 0 . 170 ). in fig9 a solid circular mark represents the chromaticity coordinate in the selective reflection state of the liquid crystal display of this experimental example . as compared with the liquid crystal displays of the experimental examples 1 - 3 containing dyestuff added thereto , the liquid crystal display of this experimental example exhibits a low excitation purity in the selective reflection state and a high luminous reflectance in the transparent state , and therefore the display quality is low . fig1 shows spectral reflection properties of the above liquid crystal display in the selective reflection state and the transparent state . as compared with the liquid crystal display of the experimental example 3 to which dyestuff is added , the peak intensity at the selective reflection wavelength is low , and the luminous reflectance is high in the transparent state . a liquid crystal display was prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 1 except for that dyestuff was not added . then , a liquid crystal display of the structure shown in fig2 was prepared by attaching a color filter ( wratten filter no . 25 manufactured by eastman kodak co ., ltd .) to the surface of the above liquid crystal display at the observation side . fig1 shows spectral characteristics of the color filter used in the experiment ., a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 3 . 20 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 652 and y = 0 . 310 , and excitation purity was 90 . 0 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 68 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 440 and y = 0 . 336 ). fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the above liquid crystal display in the selective reflection state and the transparent state . as shown in fig1 , the reflectance is extremely small over the entire range from 400 to 700 nm in the transparent state . in the selective reflection state , substantially no reflectance occurs in a wavelength range shorter than 600 nm , so that a high display quality can be achieved . a liquid crystal display was prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 5 except for that a color filter was attached to the surface opposite to the observation side . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 8 . 10 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 410 and y = 0 . 315 , and excitation purity was 20 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 65 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 210 and y = 0 . 170 ). the liquid crystal display exhibited spectral reflection characteristics in the selective reflection state and the transparent state which are similar to those of the experimental example 4 . a chiral nematic liquid crystal was prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 1 , and a red dyestuff similar to that used in the experimental example 1 was added at 0 . 5 wt % to the liquid crystal thus formed . the chiral nematic liquid crystal containing the dyestuff was held between two glass plates provided at their surfaces with transparent conductive films directed inward with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . in this manner , a liquid crystal display was prepared . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 5 . 64 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 531 and y = 0 . 334 , and excitation purity was 64 . 1 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 1 . 19 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 328 and y = 0 . 301 ). a liquid crystal display was prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 7 except for that dyestuff was not added to thereto . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 5 . 67 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 531 and y = 0 . 334 , and excitation purity was 64 . 2 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 1 . 6 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 243 and y = 0 . 238 ). fig1 is a cross section showing a full - color liquid crystal display 600 of an eighth embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig1 , the liquid crystal display 600 includes a red display layer 601 for red display , a green display layer 602 for green display , a blue display layer 603 for blue display and a white display 604 for white display which are layered in this order . these display layers are connected to a power supply 80 capable of controlling a voltage applied to each display layer independently of the other layers . at 60 is indicated the light absorbing member already described , which is provided if desired . each of the display layers 601 - 604 has a structure similar to the structure already described , and specifically includes sheet - like transparent electrodes as well as a liquid crystal and polymer composite film held between these transparent electrodes . the red , green and blue display layers 601 , 602 and 603 are the same as those in the fourth embodiment except for that the coloring agent is not added thereto . naturally , a coloring agent may be added to each of the display layers 601 - 603 as described before . the white display layer 604 basically has such a structure that the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 10 is held between transparent electrodes 13 and 14 connected to a power supply 80 , and is responsive to a voltage applied across the transparent electrodes to be switched between the light transmission state allowing transmission of visible rays and a light scattering state for scattering visible rays , and vice versa , which is a difference from the other display layers . the white display layer exhibits a white appearance in the light scattering state because it scatters the visible rays , and attains a colorless transparent state in the light transmission state because the visible rays pass therethrough . accordingly , when white rays of white light such as natural light are irradiated downward in fig1 to the full - color liquid crystal display 600 , at least one of the display layers can reflect the visible rays of a specific wavelength , so that a specific color is displayed and observed . when the full - color liquid crystal display 600 performs color display , the white display layer 600 is in the light transmission state , and intended one or more of the color display layers 601 - 603 are in the selective reflection state . in this operation , when two or more color display layers 601 - 603 are simultaneously set to the selective reflection state , a mixed color can be displayed . when white display by the full - color liquid crystal display 600 is to be done , the white display layer 604 is set to the light scattering state . the order of layering of the display layers is not restricted to that in fig1 , and may be arbitrarily determined . however , according to the structure shown in fig1 , in which the white display layer is arranged at the position nearest to the observation side , the reflection intensity for white display can be effectively increased . in the structure where three color display layers for displaying red , green and blue are layered , the layering order of the blue , green and red display layers viewed from the observation side , which is employed in this embodiment , can suppress lowering of the intensity of reflection light . the amount of added chiral dopant may be controlled to adjust the helical pitch of the chiral nematic liquid crystal so that the selective reflection wavelength corresponds to infrared rays . this provides a liquid crystal and polymer composite film , which attains a transparent state exhibiting a colorless transparent appearance in the planar state , and attains a light scattering state exhibiting a white appearance owing to isotropic scattering in a focal conic state . the liquid crystal and polymer composite film thus formed is arranged between the transparent electrodes , so that the white display layer is completed . the film thickness of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film used in each display layer is not particularly restricted . however , it is preferable that the thickness of , the liquid crystal and polymer composite film for the white display layer is larger than that of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film for the color display layer . a color display layer for a specific color may be formed of first and second display layers . the first layer has a composite film using a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a left optical activity ( left optical rotary power ). the second display layer has a composite film using a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a right optical activity ( right optical rotary power ) and operable to selectively reflect rays of the same wavelength as those selectively reflected by the above chiral nematic liquid crystal having a left optical activity . this structure increases the reflectance , and therefore can further improve the color display . in particular , a total color balance is improved by intensely displaying the blue and red , of which relative visibilities are lower than the green . therefore , the above multilayer structures can be effectively employed in the blue display layer or red display layer . smectic liquid crystal may be added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film for the white display layer . addition of the smectic liquid crystal improves the transparency of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film , and therefore can improve a contrast between the colorless transparent state and the white state . specific experimental examples of the eighth embodiment will be described below in detail . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 1100 nm ( helical pitch length of 685 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that liquid crystal s2 ( merck co ., ltd .) at 30 weight % exhibiting a smectic phase at a room temperature and chiral dopant s811 ( merck co ., ltd .) at 19 . 8 weight % were added to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . δn and t n1 represent the same parameters as those in the experimental example 1 . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 9 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 20 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the white display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 41 . 0 ° c . the phase transition temperature was measured as follows . a portion of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film which was prepared in the same steps as the above was extracted as a specimen . this specimen in a thin form , which was held between slide and cover glasses , was observed with a polarization microscope , while its temperature was rising at a rate of about 1 ° c ./ minute , and the temperature at which isotropic phase started to appear was measured . the phase transition temperature was desirably 40 ° c . or more a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 140 v was applied across the conductive films of the white display layer thus formed , so that the white display layer exhibited a transparent state ( transmittance : 65 %, color stimulus value : 3 . 5 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the white display layer exhibited a light scattering state ( transmittance : 2 %). a time for switching between the transparent state and the scattering state is 500 ms . the color stimulus value was measured by a spectrocolorimeter cm - 1000 ( minolta ). the color stimulus value of the display layers to be described later were also measured by the same meter . the color stimulus value in the colorless transparent state is desirable 4 . 5 or less . desirably , the color stimulus value is 10 . 0 or more in the white state , 15 . 0 or more in the red state , 20 . 0 or more in the green state and 8 . 0 or more in the blue state . the transmittance was measured in such a manner that a stabilized he — ne laser was irradiated to the white display layer , and the intensity of transmitted rays or scattered rays was detected by a photodiode . the switching time was measured by a digital oscilloscope ( cor5521 : manufactured by kikusui co ., ltd . ), and specifically , a time from instantaneous change of orientation of liquid crystal molecules by application of high - voltage pulses to the display layer in the planar state to restoring to the state providing an initial transmittance . the transmittance , phase transition temperature and switching time of the display layers to be described later were measured by the same manners as the above . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the white display layer described above . as can be seen from fig1 , the spectral reflection characteristics of the white display layer are flat and do not have a peak . the spectral reflection characteristics were measured by a spectrocolorimeter cm - 1000 ( minolta co ., ltd .). the spectral reflection characteristics of the respective display layers described below were measured in the same manner . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 490 nm ( helical pitch length of 303 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and s1011 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 17 . 9 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the blue display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 45 . 9 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 130 v was applied across the conductive films of the blue display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the blue . in this state , when a pulse voltage (+ 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the blue display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 3 . 5 ). a time for switching between the blue selective reflection state and the transparent state was 200 ms . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the blue display layer in the blue selective reflection state . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 570 nm ( helical pitch length of 351 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and s1011 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 15 . 1 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the green display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 48 . 6 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 120 v was applied across the conductive films of the green display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the green . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 60 v was applied , the green display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 3 . 8 ). a time for switching between the green selective reflection state and the transparent state was 400 ms . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the green display layer in the green selective reflection state . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 650 nm ( helical pitch length of 400 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and s1011 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 13 . 0 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the red display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 51 . 6 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 110 v was applied across the conductive films of the red display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the red . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 50 v was applied , the red display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 4 . 2 ). a time for switching between the red selective reflection state and the transparent state was 500 ms . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the red display layer in the red selective reflection state , the red display layer was layered on the light absorbing member , i . e ., black film , and then the green , blue and white display layers are successively layered thereon , so that the full - color liquid crystal display having the layered structure shown in fig1 was fabricated . as shown in fig1 , the transparent plates were arranged between the light absorbing member and the red display layer , between the respective display layers and on the surface of the green display layer at the observation side , respectively . as can be seen from fig1 to 18 , each display layer has such spectral reflection characteristics that the transmittance at wavelengths shorter than the selective reflection wavelength of the display layer is lower than that at the wavelengths longer than the selective reflection wavelength of the display layer . in this experimental example , therefore , the blue , green and red display layers were layered in this order from the observation side , whereby reduction in quantity of reflected light was prevented . mixture of two kinds of chiral dopant was used for fabricating each of the blue , green and red display layers in this experimental example . thereby , the phase transition temperature could be higher than that in the case of using single kind of chiral dopant , which improved the transparency in the transparent state of the polymer dispersion liquid crystal , and reduced the time for switching between the transparent state and the selective reflection state of each color display layer . table 1 shows kinds of pulse voltages applied to the respective display layers for white display and the states of the respective display layers . table 2 relates to an example of green display , and shows kinds of pulse voltages applied to the respective display layers for color display and the states of the respective display layers . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics in the case where the full - color liquid crystal display performs the white display , i . e ., in the case where the white display layer is in the light scattering state , and the red , green and blue display layers are in the selective reflection state . as shown in fig1 , the spectral reflection characteristics are flat and do not have a peak value . a good white appearance can be achieved even when the display is viewed obliquely . it is considered that the fact that the white display layer itself has the flat spectral reflection characteristics without a peak value as described in connection with fig1 contributes to this good appearance . as can be seen from comparison between fig1 and 15 , the full - color liquid crystal display of this experimental example has a high reflectance , and can perform monochrome display with a high contrast . according to the specific measurement , the contrast of about 3 : 1 was obtained from the structure in which the white display layer was arranged on the light absorbing member , but the contrast of 6 : 1 was obtained when the full - color liquid crystal display of this experimental example performed the white display in the manner shown in fig1 . in the structure of this experimental example in which the white display layer is arranged at the observation side with respect to the color display layers , rays transmitted from the observation side are scattered , when the white display layer is in the light scattering state , so that rays enter the color display layers at various angles . therefore , the color display layers reflect the rays in various angles , so that the display can provide the flat spectral reflection characteristics as a whole . in addition to this , a large amount of light is reflected by the color display layers to the white display layer , so that a high reflectance can be obtained . in fig1 , black arrows schematically show a manner of reflection and scattering of incident rays to the full - color liquid crystal display . this example used a full - color liquid crystal display 700 which was similar to that of the experimental example 9 except for that a white display layer was not provided , and which included red , green and blue display layers layered on a light absorbing member . fig2 shows a cross section of the liquid crystal display thus formed . in fig2 , the same parts and portions as those in fig1 bear the same reference numbers . fig2 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the full - color liquid crystal display 700 in the case where all of the red , green and blue display layers are in the selective reflection state . as shown in fig2 , the spectral spectrum exhibits a convex form . even if the full - color display is set to exhibit a white appearance when view perpendicularly to the observation surface , it does not exhibit a white appearance when viewed obliquely , and it is difficult to exhibit a good monochrome appearance . this is probably due to the fact that the spectrum shifts toward the shorter wavelength side in accordance with the following formula [ ii ]. λ = λ 0 cos θ ′= λ 0 ( 1 − sin 2 θ / n 2 ) ½ [ ii ] where λ represents a wavelength of rays reflected by the observed display layer , and λ 0 represents the selective reflection wavelength of each display layer . θ ′ represents an angle between the travelling direction of rays in the liquid crystal and polymer composite film and the helical axis in the state that the rays are irradiated toward a reference point on the observation surface of the display layer and in the direction along line connecting the reference point and the observation point . θ represents an angle of the line connecting the observation point and the reference point on the observation surface with respect to the direction perpendicular to the observation surface , n represents an average refractive index satisfying n 2 =( n 1 2 + n 2 2 )/ 2 . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 570 nm ( helical pitch length of 353 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and s1011 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 13 . 2 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1008xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 218 , t ni = 73 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the green display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 52 . 4 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 120 v was applied across the conductive films of the green display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the green . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 60 v was applied , the green display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 3 . 6 ). a time for switching between the green selective reflection state and the transparent state was 400 ms . in this manner , even the liquid crystal other than the tolane liquid crystal containing fluorine can be used to form the liquid crystal display layer having a superior performance similarly to that of the experimental example 9 . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 570 nm ( helical pitch length of 355 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and s1011 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 14 . 3 wt % to cyanobiphenyl nematic liquid crystal e31lv ( merck co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 227 , t ni = 61 . 5 ° c .) which exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the green display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 29 . 2 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 100 v was applied across the conductive films of the green display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the green . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 60 v was applied , the green display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 6 . 0 ). a time for switching between the green selective reflection state and the transparent state was 200 ms . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 460 nm ( helical pitch length of 290 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that chiral dopant s811 ( manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) was added at 38 . 6 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn10000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the blue display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature of the layer thus formed was 24 . 0 ° c . therefore , various kinds of properties were measured at 20 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 130 v was applied across the conductive films of the blue display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the blue . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the blue display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 3 . 5 ). a time for switching between the blue selective reflection state and the transparent state was 200 ms . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 570 nm ( helical pitch length of 355 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that chiral dopant s811 ( merck co ., ltd .) was added at 31 . 0 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the green display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 30 . 2 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 100 v was applied across the conductive films of the green display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the green . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the green display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 4 . 3 ). a time for switching between the green selective reflection state and the transparent state was 500 ms . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 460 nm ( helical pitch length of 290 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and cn ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 29 . 0 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the blue display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 48 . 0 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the blue display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the blue . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 80 v was applied , the blue display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 4 . 5 ). a time for switching between the blue selective reflection state and the transparent state was 10 ms . this experimental example used a blue display layer formed of two blue display layers which were layered together . one of the layered blue display layers used a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a left optical activity ( optical rotary power ). the other used a cholesteric nematic liquid crystal having a right optical activity . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 490 nm ( helical pitch length of 303 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant r811 having a right optical activity and r1011 having a right optical activity ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 17 . 9 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the blue display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 45 . 9 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 130 v was applied across the conductive films of the blue display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the blue . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the blue display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 3 . 5 ). a time for switching between the blue selective reflection state and the transparent state was 200 ms . the blue display layer thus fabricated was layered on the blue display layer fabricated in the experimental example 9 , and the spectral reflectance was measured . both the chiral dopant s811 and s1011 , which were used for fabricating the blue display layer of the experimental example 9 , have a left optical activity . the results are shown in fig2 . as can be seen from comparison between fig2 and fig1 relating to the experimental example 9 , the reflectance in the selective reflection wavelength range is higher than that of a single layer structure . in the cholesteric liquid crystal , it is considered that rays inciding parallel to the helical axis in the planar state are divided into two circularly polarized light groups of right and left optical activities , one of which is used in selective reflection . therefore , the other light group is to have transmitted therethrough . however , owing to provision of the two layers having right and left optical activities , respectively , it is considered that the rays transmitted through one of the layers are reflected by the other layer , resulting in increase in reflectance . as described above , the reflectance can be increased by provision of the two , i . e ., first and second display layers layered together , one using the chiral nematic liquid crystal of the left optical activity and the other using the chiral nematic liquid crystal of the right optical activity . therefore , in the display including the layered structure of multiple color display layers as described in the experimental example 9 , the above structure can be effectively applied to the color display layers , and particularly to the blue display layer for blue display and the red display layer for red display . this experimental example used a red display layer formed of two red display layers which were layered together . one of the layered red display layers used a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a left optical activity . the other used a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a right optical activity . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 650 nm ( helical pitch length of 400 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 of a right optical activity and r1011 of a right optical activity ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 13 . 0 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the red display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 51 . 6 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 110 v was applied across the conductive films of the red display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the red . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 50 v was applied , the red display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 4 . 2 ). a time for switching between the blue selective reflection state and the transparent state was 500 ms . the red display layer thus fabricated was layered on the red display layer fabricated in the experimental example 9 , and the spectral reflectance was measured . the results are shown in fig2 . as can be seen from comparison between fig2 and fig1 relating to the experimental example 9 , the reflectance in the selective reflection wavelength range is higher than that of a single layer structure . although the present invention has been fully described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , unless otherwise such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention , they should be constructed as being included therein .	2
fig1 is an overall view of a compression ignition type internal combustion engine . referring to fig1 , 1 indicates an engine body , 2 a combustion chamber of each cylinder , 3 an electronically controlled fuel injector for injecting fuel into each combustion chamber 2 , 4 an intake manifold , and 5 an exhaust manifold . the intake manifold 4 is connected through an intake duct 6 to an outlet of a compressor 7 a of an exhaust turbocharger 7 , while an inlet of the compressor 7 a is connected through an intake air amount detector 8 to an air cleaner 9 . inside the intake duct 6 , a throttle valve 10 which is driven by an actuator is arranged . around the intake duct 5 , a cooling device 11 is arranged for cooling the intake air which flows through the inside of the intake duct 6 . in the embodiment which is shown in fig1 , the engine cooling water is guided to the inside of the cooling device 11 where the engine cooling water is used to cool the intake air . on the other hand , the exhaust manifold 5 is connected to an inlet of an exhaust turbine 7 b of the exhaust turbocharger 7 , and an outlet of the exhaust turbine 7 b is connected through an exhaust pipe 12 to an inlet of an exhaust purification catalyst 13 . in an embodiment of the present invention , this exhaust purification catalyst 13 is comprised of an no x storage catalyst 13 . an outlet of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is connected to a particulate filter 14 and , upstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 inside the exhaust pipe 12 , a hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is arranged for feeding hydrocarbons comprised of diesel oil or other fuel used as fuel for a compression ignition type internal combustion engine . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , diesel oil is used as the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 . note that , the present invention can also be applied to a spark ignition type internal combustion engine in which fuel is burned under a lean air - fuel ratio . in this case , from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , hydrocarbons comprised of gasoline or other fuel used as fuel of a spark ignition type internal combustion engine are fed . on the other hand , the exhaust manifold 5 and the intake manifold 4 are connected with each other through an exhaust gas recirculation ( hereinafter referred to as an “ egr ”) passage 16 . inside the egr passage 16 , an electronically controlled egr control valve 17 is arranged . further , around the egr passage 16 , a cooling device 18 is arranged for cooling the egr gas which flows through the inside of the egr passage 16 . in the embodiment which is shown in fig1 , the engine cooling water is guided to the inside of the cooling device 118 where the engine cooling water is used to cool the egr gas . on the other hand , each fuel injector 3 is connected through a fuel feed tube 19 to a common rail 20 . this common rail 20 is connected through an electronically controlled variable discharge fuel pump 21 to a fuel tank 22 . the fuel which is stored inside of the fuel tank 22 is fed by the fuel pump 21 to the inside of the common rail 20 . the fuel which is fed to the inside of the common rail 21 is fed through each fuel feed tube 19 to the fuel injector 3 . an electronic control unit 30 is comprised of a digital computer provided with a rom ( read only memory ) 32 , a ram ( random access memory ) 33 , a cpu ( microprocessor ) 34 , an input port 35 , and an output port 36 , which are connected with each other by a bidirectional bus 31 . downstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , a temperature sensor 23 is arranged for detecting the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing out from the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , and a differential pressure sensor 24 for detecting the differential pressure before and after the particulate filter 14 is attached to the particulate filter 14 . the output signals of these temperature sensor 23 , differential pressure sensor 24 and intake air amount detector 8 are input through respectively corresponding ad converters 37 to the input port 35 . further , an accelerator pedal 40 has a load sensor 41 connected to it which generates an output voltage proportional to the amount of depression l of the accelerator pedal 40 . the output voltage of the load sensor 41 is input through a corresponding ad converter 37 to the input port 35 . furthermore , at the input port 35 , a crank angle sensor 42 is connected which generates an output pulse every time a crankshaft rotates by , for example , 15 °. on the other hand , the output port 36 is connected through corresponding drive circuits 38 to each fuel injector 3 , the actuator for driving the throttle valve 10 , hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , egr control valve 17 , and fuel pump 21 . fig2 schematically shows a surface part of a catalyst carrier which is carried on a substrate of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 shown in fig1 . at this exhaust purification catalyst 13 , as shown in fig2 , for example , there is provided a catalyst carrier 50 made of alumina on which precious metal catalysts 51 comprised of platinum pt are carried . furthermore , on this catalyst carrier 50 , a basic layer 53 is formed which includes at least one element selected from potassium k , sodium na , cesium cs , or another such alkali metal , barium ba , calcium ca , or another such alkali earth metal , a lanthanide or another such rare earth and silver ag , copper cu , iron fe , iridium ir , or another metal able to donate electrons to no x . in this case , on the catalyst carrier 50 of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , in addition to platinum pt , rhodium rh or palladium pd may be further carried . note that the exhaust gas flows along the top of the catalyst carrier 50 , so the precious metal catalysts 51 can be said to be carried on the exhaust gas flow surfaces of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . further , the surface of the basic layer 53 exhibits basicity , so the surface of the basic layer 53 is called the “ basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 ”. if hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 into the exhaust gas , the hydrocarbons are reformed by the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . in the present invention , at this time , the reformed hydrocarbons are used to remove the no x at the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . fig3 schematically shows the reformation action performed at the exhaust purification catalyst 13 at this time . as shown in fig3 , the hydrocarbons fig which are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 become radical hydrocarbons hc with a small carbon number due to the precious metal catalyst 51 . fig4 shows the feed timing of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 and the change in the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . not that , the change in the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) depends on the change in concentration of the hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , so it can be said that the change in the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in shown in fig4 expresses the change in concentration of the hydrocarbons . however , if the hydrocarbon concentration becomes higher , the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in becomes smaller , so , in fig4 , the more to the rich side the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in becomes , the higher the hydrocarbon concentration . fig5 shows the no x purification rate r 1 by the exhaust purification catalyst 13 with respect to the catalyst temperatures tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 when periodically making the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 change so as to as shown in fig4 , periodically make the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas flowing to the exhaust purification catalyst 13 rich . in this regard , as a result of a research relating to no x purification for a long time , it is learned that if making the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 vibrate within a predetermined range of amplitude and within a predetermined range of period , as shown in fig5 , an extremely high no x purification rate r 1 is obtained even in a 350 ° c . or higher high temperature region . furthermore , it is learned that at this time , a large amount of reducing intermediates which contain nitrogen and hydrocarbons continues to be held or adsorbed on the surface of the basic layer 53 , that is , on the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , and the reducing intermediates play a central role in obtaining a high no x purification rate r 1 . next , this will be explained with reference to fig6 a and 6b . note that , these fig6 a and 6b schematically show the surface part of the catalyst carrier 50 of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . these fig6 a and 6b show the reaction which is presumed to occur when the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made to vibrate within a predetermined range of amplitude and within a predetermined range of period . fig6 a shows when the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is low , while fig6 b shows when hydrocarbons are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 and the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas flowing to the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made rich , that is , the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 becomes higher . now , as will be understood from fig4 , the air - fuel ratio of the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is maintained lean except for an instant , so the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 normally becomes a state of oxygen excess . at this time , part of the no which is contained in the exhaust gas deposits on the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , while part of the no which is contained in the exhaust gas , as shown in fig6 a , is oxidized on the platinum 51 and becomes no 2 . next , this no 2 is further oxidized and becomes no 3 . further , part of the no 2 becomes no 2 − . therefore , on the platinum pt 51 , no 2 − and no 3 are produced . the no which is deposited on the exhaust purification catalyst 13 and the no 2 − and no 3 which are formed on the platinum pt 51 are strong in activity . therefore , below , these no , no 2 − , and no 3 will be referred to as the “ active no x ”. on the other hand , if hydrocarbons are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 and the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas flowing to the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made rich , the hydrocarbons successively deposit over the entire exhaust purification catalyst 13 . the majority of the deposited hydrocarbons successively react with oxygen and are burned . part of the deposited hydrocarbons are successively reformed and become radicalized inside of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 as shown in fig3 / therefore , as shown in fig6 b , the hydrogen concentration around the active no x becomes higher . in this regard , if , after the active no x * is produced , the state of a high oxygen concentration around the active no x * continues for a constant time or more , the active no x * is oxidized and is absorbed in the form of nitrate ions no 3 − inside the basic layer 53 . however , if , before this constant time elapses , the hydrocarbon concentration around the active no x * becomes higher , as shown in fig6 b , the active no x * reacts on the platinum 51 with the radical hydrocarbons ho to thereby form the reducing intermediates . the reducing intermediates are adhered or adsorbed on the surface of the basic layer 53 . note that , at this time , the first produced . reducing intermediate is considered to be a nitro compound r — no 2 . if this nitro compound r — no 2 is produced , the result becomes a nitrile compound r — cn , but this nitrile compound r — cn can only survive for an instant in this state , so immediately becomes an isocyanate compound r — nco . this isocyanate compound r — nco becomes an amine compound r — nh 2 if hydrolyzed . however , in this case , what is hydrolyzed is considered to be part of the isocyanate compound r — nco . therefore , as shown in fig6 b , the majority of the reducing intermediates which are held or adsorbed on the surface of the basic layer 53 is believed to be the isocyanate compound r — nco and amine compound r — nh 2 . on the other hand , as shown in fig6 b , if the produced reducing intermediates are surrounded by the hydrocarbons hc , the reducing intermediates are blocked by the hydrocarbons hc and the reaction will not proceed any further . in this case , if the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is lowered and then the hydrocarbons which are deposited around the reducing intermediates will be oxidized and consumed , and thereby the concentration of oxygen around the reducing intermediates becomes higher , the reducing intermediates react with the no x in the exhaust gas , react with the active no x , react with the surrounding oxygen , or break down on their own . due to this , the reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 are converted to n 2 , co 2 , and h 2 o as shown in fig6 a , therefore the no x is removed . in this way , in the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , when the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made higher , reducing intermediates are produced , and after the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is lowered , when the oxygen concentration is raised , the reducing intermediates react with the no x in the exhaust gas or the active no x or oxygen or break down on their own whereby the no x is removed . that is , in order for the exhaust purification catalyst 13 to remove the no x , the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 has to be periodically changed . of course , in this case , it is necessary to raise the hydrocarbon concentration to a concentration sufficiently high for producing the reducing intermediates and it is necessary to lower the hydrocarbon concentration to a concentration sufficiently low for making the produced reducing intermediates react with the no x in the exhaust gas or the active no x * or oxygen or break down on their own . that is , it is necessary to make the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 vibrate by within a predetermined range of amplitude . note that , in this case , it is necessary to hold these reducing intermediates on the basic layer 53 , that is , the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 , until the produced reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 react with the no x in the exhaust gas or the active no x * or oxygen or break down themselves . for this reason , the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 are provided . on the other hand , if lengthening the feed period of the hydrocarbons , the time until the oxygen concentration becomes higher becomes longer in the period after the hydrocarbons are fed until the hydrocarbons are next fed . therefore , the active no x * is absorbed in the basic layer 53 in the form of nitrates without producing reducing intermediates . to avoid this it is necessary to make the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 vibrate within a predetermined range of period . therefore , in the embodiment according to the present invention , to react the no x contained in the exhaust gas and the reformed hydrocarbons and produce the reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 containing nitrogen and hydrocarbons , the precious metal catalysts 51 are carried on the exhaust gas flow surfaces of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . to hold the produced reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 inside the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 are formed around the precious metal catalysts 51 . the reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 which are held on the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 are converted to n 2 , co 2 , and h 2 o . the vibration period of the hydrocarbon concentration is made the vibration period required for continuation of the production of the reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 . incidentally , in the example shown in fig4 , the injection interval is made 3 seconds . if the vibration period of the hydrocarbon concentration , that is , the injection period of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , is made longer than the above predetermined range of period , the reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 disappear from the surface of the basic layer 53 . at this time , the active no x * which is produced on the platinum pt 53 , as shown in fig7 a , diffuses in the basic layer 53 in the form of nitrate ions no 3 − and becomes nitrates . that is , at this time , the no x in the exhaust gas is absorbed in the form of nitrates inside of the basic layer 53 . on the other hand , fig7 b shows the case where the air - fuel ratio of the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made the stoichiometric air - fuel ratio or rich when the no x is absorbed in the form of nitrates inside of the basic layer 53 , in this case , the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas falls , so the reaction proceeds in the opposite direction ( no 3 − → no 2 ), and consequently the nitrates absorbed in the basic layer 53 successively become nitrate ions no 3 − and , as shown in fig7 b , are released from the basic layer 53 in the form of no 2 . next , the released no 2 is reduced by the hydrocarbons hc and co contained in the exhaust gas . fig8 shows the case of making the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 temporarily rich slightly before the no x absorption ability of the basic layer 53 becomes saturated . note that , in the example shown in fig8 , the time interval of this rich control is 1 minute or more . in this case , the no x which was absorbed in the basic layer 53 when the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas was lean is released all at once from the basic layer 53 and reduced when the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas is made temporarily rich . therefore , in this case , the basic layer 53 plays the role of an absorbent for temporarily absorbing no x . note that , at this time , sometimes the basic layer 53 temporarily adsorbs the no x . therefore , if using term of “ storage ” as a term including both “ absorption ” and “ adsorption ”, at this time , the basic layer 53 performs the role of an no x storage agent for temporarily storing the no x . that is , in this case , if the ratio of the air and fuel ( hydrocarbons ) which are supplied into the engine intake passage , combustion chambers 2 , and upstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 in the exhaust passage is referred to as “ the air - fuel ratio of the exhaust gas ”, the exhaust purification catalyst 13 functions as an no x storage catalyst which stores the no x when the air - fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is lean and releases the stored no x when the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas falls . the solid line of fig9 shows the no x purification rate r 2 when making the exhaust purification catalyst 13 function as an no x storage catalyst in this way . note that , the abscissa of the fig9 shows the catalyst temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . when making the exhaust purification catalyst 13 function as an no x storage catalyst , as shown in fig9 , when the catalyst temperature tc is 250 ° c . to 300 ° c ., an extremely high no x purification rate is obtained , but when the catalyst temperature tc becomes a 350 ° c . or higher high temperature , the no x purification rate r 2 falls . note that , in fig9 , the no x purification rate r 1 shown in fig5 is illustrated by the broken line . in this way , when the catalyst temperature tc becomes 350 ° c . or more , the no x purification rate r 2 falls because if the catalyst temperature tc becomes 350 ° c . or more , no x is less easily stored and the nitrates break down by heat and are released in the form of no 2 from the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . that is , so long as storing no x in the form of nitrates , when the catalyst temperature tc is high , it is difficult to obtains a high no x purification rate r 2 . however , in the new no x purification method shown from fig4 to fig6 a and 6b , the amount of no x stored in the form of nitrates is small , and consequently , as shown in fig5 , even when the catalyst temperature tc is high , a high no x purification rate r 1 is obtained . in the embodiment according to the present invention , to be able to purify no x by using this new no x purification method , a hydrocarbon feed valve 15 for feeding hydrocarbons is arranged in the engine exhaust passage , an exhaust purification catalyst 13 is arranged in the engine exhaust passage downstream of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , precious metal catalysts 51 are carried on the exhaust gas flow surfaces of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 are formed around the precious metal catalysts 51 , the exhaust purification catalyst 13 has the property of reducing the no x contained in exhaust gas if making a concentration of hydrocarbons flowing into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 vibrate within a predetermined range of amplitude and within a predetermined range of period and has the property of being increased in storage amount of no x contained in exhaust gas if making the vibration period of the concentration of hydrocarbons longer than this predetermined range , and , at the time of engine operation , the hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 within the predetermined range of period to thereby reduce the no x which is contained in the exhaust gas in the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . that is the no x purification method which is shown from fig4 to fig6 a and 6b can be said to be a new no x purification method designed to remove no x without forming so much nitrates in the case of using an exhaust purification catalyst which carries precious metal catalysts and forms a basic layer which can absorb no x . in actuality , when using this new no x purification method , the nitrates which are detected from the basic layer 53 are smaller in amount compared with the case where making the exhaust purification catalyst 13 function as an no x storage catalyst . note that , this new no x purification method will be referred to below as the “ first no x removal method ”. now , as mentioned , before , if the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes longer , the time period in which the oxygen concentration around the active no x * becomes higher becomes longer in the time period after the hydrocarbons are injected to when the hydrocarbons are next injected . in this case , in the embodiment shown in fig1 , if the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons becomes longer than about 5 seconds , the active no x * starts to be absorbed in the form of nitrates inside the basic layer 53 . therefore , as shown in fig1 , if the vibration period δt of the hydrocarbon concentration becomes longer than about 5 seconds , the no x purification rate r 1 falls . therefore , the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons has to be made 5 seconds or less . on the other hand , in the embodiment of the present invention , if the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons becomes about 0 . 3 second or less , the injected hydrocarbons start to build , up on the exhaust gas flow surfaces of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , therefore , as shown in fig1 , if the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons becomes about 0 . 3 second or less , the no x purification rate r 1 falls . therefore , in the embodiment according to the present invention , the injection period of the hydrocarbons is made from 0 . 3 second to 5 seconds . now that , in the embodiment according to the present invention , when the no x purification action by the first no x purification method is performed , by controlling the injection amount and injection timing of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 and the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons are controlled so as to become the optimal values for the engine operating state . in this case , in the embodiment according to the present invention , the optimum hydrocarbon injection amount wt when the no x purification action by the first no x purification method is performed is stored as a function of the injection amount q from fuel injectors 3 and the engine speed n in the form of a map such as shown in fig1 a in advance in the rom 32 . further , the optimum injection period δt of the hydrocarbons at this time is also stored as a function of the injection amount q from the fuel injectors 3 and the engine speed n in the form of a map such as shown in fig1 b in advance in the rom 32 . next , referring to fig1 and fig1 , an no x purification method when making the exhaust purification catalyst 13 function as an no x storage catalyst will be explained specifically . the no x purification method in the case of making the exhaust purification catalyst 13 function as an no x storage catalyst in this way will be referred to below as the “ second no x removal method ”. in this second no x removal method , as shown in fig1 , when the stored no x amount σno x of no x which is stored . in the basic layer 53 exceeds a predetermined allowable amount max , the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is temporarily made rich . if the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas is made rich , the no x which was stored in the basic layer 53 when the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas was lean is released from the basic layer 53 all at one and reduced . due to this , the no x is removed . note that if the operating state of the engine is determined , the amount of no x which is exhausted from the engine is accordingly determined , in the example shown in fig1 , the stored no x amount σno x is calculated from the amount of no x exhausted in accordance with the operating state of the engine . in this second no x removal method , as shown in fig1 , by injecting an additional fuel wr into each combustion chamber 2 from the fuel injector 3 in addition to the combustion - use fuel q , the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made rich . note that , in fig1 , the abscissa indicates the crank angle . this additional fuel wr is injected at a timing at which it will burn , but will not appear as engine output , that is , slightly before atdc90 ° after compression top dead center . this fuel amount wr is stored as a function of the injection amount q and engine speed n in the form of a map in advance in the rom 32 . note that , in the embodiment according to the present invention , roughly speaking , the second no x removal method is used when the catalyst temperature tc is low while the first no x removal method is used when the catalyst temperature tc is high . fig1 a and 14b show enlarged views of the surrounding of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 shown in fig1 . note that , fig1 a shows a fuel feed device 60 for feeding hydrocarbons , that is , fuel to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 . as shown in fig1 a , the fuel feed device 60 is comprised of a pump chamber 61 which is filled with pressurized fuel , a pressurizing piston 62 for pressurizing the fuel in the pump chamber 61 , an actuator 63 for driving the pressurizing piston 62 , a pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 which is connected through the fuel feed pipe 64 to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and a pressure sensor 66 for detecting the fuel pressure in the pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 . the pump chamber 61 is on the one hand connected to the fuel tank 22 through a check valve 67 which enables flow only from the fuel tank 22 toward the pump chamber 61 and on the other hand connected to the pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 through a check valve 68 which enables flow only from the pump chamber 61 toward the pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 . if the actuator 63 causes the pressurizing piston 62 to move to the right in fig1 a , the fuel in the fuel tank 22 is sent through the check valve 67 to the inside of the pump chamber 61 , while if the actuator 63 causes the pressurizing piston 62 to move to the left in fig1 a , the fuel in the pump chamber 61 is pressurized and sent through the check valve 63 to the inside of the pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 . next , this fuel is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 . the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , that is , the hydrocarbons , is injected from the nozzle port of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 along the injection path 69 to the inside of the exhaust gas . in the example which is shown in fig1 a , the nozzle port of this hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is arranged in a recessed part 70 which is formed at the inside wall surface of the exhaust pipe 12 . at the inside of this recessed part 70 , the injection path 69 is formed . fig1 shows an injection signal of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , a pump drive signal for driving the pressurizing piston 62 by the actuator 63 , a change of fuel pressure px of fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and a change of air - fuel ratio of exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 when an no x removal action is performed by the first no x removal method . note that , the fuel pressure px of fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 shows the fuel pressure inside the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , that is , the fuel pressure inside the fuel feed pipe 64 . if the pump drive signal is generated , the actuator 63 is driven and the fuel in the pump chamber 61 is pressurized by the pressurizing piston 62 . due to this , as shown in fig1 by the solid line , the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made to rapidly rise just a bit . next , the fuel pressure px falls just slightly due to the leakage of fuel to the pump chamber 61 etc . this fuel pressure px , as shown in fig1 by the solid line , is made to increase a little at a time until the target fuel pressure px 0 each time the pump drive signal is generated . if the fuel pressure px reaches the target fuel pressure pxo , after that , the pressurizing piston 62 is made to operate when the fuel pressure px falls lower than the target fuel pressure pxo and the action of increasing the fuel pressure px is performed . on the other hand , if the hydrocarbon injection signal is issued , the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made to open . due to this , the fuel , that is , hydrocarbons , is injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 . note that at this time the opening time of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made the injection time wt which is calculated from the map shown in fig1 a . if hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , as shown in fig1 by the solid line , the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 rapidly falls . if the fuel pressure px falls , the pressurizing piston 62 is made to operate each time the pump drive signal is generated and the fuel pressure px is made to increase a little at a time until the target fuel pressure pxo . in this regard , if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , the amount of hydrocarbons which are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 per unit time decreases . as a result , as shown an fig1 by the broken line , the drop δpx 2 of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made to open becomes smaller . not that , in fig1 , δpx 1 shows the drop of fuel pressure px when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged . if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged in this way , compared with when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged , the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px becomes smaller . therefore , when the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px becomes smaller , it can be judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . now , in fig1 , for example , when the fuel injector 3 is clogged , the drop in the fuel pressure inside the common rail 20 when fuel is injected from the fuel injector 3 decreases . however , in this case , since the volume of the common rail 20 is large , at this time , the drop in fuel pressure inside the common rail 20 is extremely small . therefore , at this time , it is difficult to detect clogging of the fuel injector 3 from the change in the drop of fuel pressure in the common rail 20 . however , in the fuel feed device 60 which is used in the present invention , the sum of the volumes of the parts which store the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , that is the sum of the volumes of the inside of the fuel feed pipe 64 , the inside of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and the inside of pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 , is small . therefore , when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , the drop δpx of the fuel pressure tx of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 greatly appears . therefore , in the present invention , it becomes possible to accurately detect from the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px whether the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . note that , as will be understood from fig1 , when the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px falls from δpx 1 to δpx 2 , the fuel pressure px when it falls the most increases from px 1 to px 2 , the time tx after the fuel pressure px falls , then rises to the target pressure pxo is shortened from tx 1 to tx 2 , and the number of times the pump is driven when the fuel pressure px falls , then rises to the target pressure pxo decreases . in the present invention , at expressed in a representative manner to cover all of these phenomena , a drop δpx of the fuel pressure px is used . therefore , in the present invention , a small drop δpx of the fuel pressure px includes an increase of the fuel pressure px when fallen the most , a shorter time tx from when the fuel pressure px falls , then rises to the target pressure pxo , and a decreased number of times the pump is driven when the fuel pressure px falls , then rises to the target pressure pxo . now , if hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the hydrocarbons are partially oxidized or oxidized on the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . the heat of oxidation reaction which occurs at this time is used to make the exhaust purification catalyst 13 rise in temperature . regarding the cases where the hydrocarbons which are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 are used to make the exhaust purification . catalyst 13 rise in temperature , these include the case of warming up the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , the case of releasing the so x from the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , and other cases , but below , the case of regenerating the particulate filter 14 by using the hydrocarbons which are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 to make the exhaust purification catalyst 13 rise in temperature will be used as an example to perform control to raise the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . to regenerate the particulate filter 14 , it is necessary to make the temperature of the particulate filter 14 rise until the 600 ° c . or so regeneration temperature . in order to make the temperature of the particulate filter 14 rise until the regeneration temperature , the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 has to be raised to the target temperature at which the particulate filter 14 can start the regeneration action . next , the temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 will be explained with reference to fig1 . fig1 shows the the injection signal of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the injection amount of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and the change of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 when performing regeneration control of the particulate filter 14 while performing the no x removal action by the first no x removal method . note that , in fig1 , tcx shows the target temperature at which the particulate filter 14 starts the regeneration action . in the region in fig1 which is shown by a , the temperature raising action of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is not performed . at this time , the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed . at this time , the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is maintained at a relatively low temperature . next , the temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is performed while performing the no x removal action by the first no x removal method . at this time , the injection period of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made shorter , and the amount of injection of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 per unit time is increased . in the embodiment according to the present invention , the optimal hydrocarbon injection amount fwt when performing temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 while performing the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is stored as a function of the injection amount q from the fuel injector 3 and the engine speed n in the form of a map such as shown in fig1 a in advance in the rom 32 . further , the optimal injection period δft of hydrocarbons at this time is also stored as a function of the injection amount q from the fuel injector 3 and the engine speed n in the form of a map such as shown in fig1 b in advance in the rom 32 . if temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is performed , usually as shown in fig1 by the solid line , the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is raised by exactly δtc 1 and reaches the target temperature tcx whereby the action of regeneration of the particulate filter 14 is performed . that is , the amount of injection of hydrocarbons per unit time , corresponding to the operating state of the engine , required for raising the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 by exactly δtc 1 is found in advance . hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 by this amount of injection of hydrocarbons per unit time found in advance required for raising the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 by exactly δtc 1 . at this time the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is raised by exactly δtc 1 and reaches the target temperature tcx whereby the action of regeneration of the particulate filter 14 is performed . in this regard , in this case , if for example the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 clogs , even if an instruction is issued for injecting the hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 by the amount of injection of hydrocarbons found in advance required for raising the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 by exactly δtc 1 , the amount of injection of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is decreased . as a result , for example , as shown in fig1 by the broken line , the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 only rises by δtc 2 . therefore , in this case , it is necessary to correct the hydrocarbon injection amount per unit time to increase so that the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 reaches the target temperature tcx . however , when in this way using the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 as the basis to correct the injection amount of hydrocarbons , it is necessary to accurately estimate the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . in this regard , if a large amount of hydrocarbons per injection is injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 such as when the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed , the precision of estimation of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 ends up falling . that is , even in the past , at the time of regeneration of the particulate filter , sometimes additional fuel is fed into the combustion chamber or exhaust passage , but when , as in the present invention , the regeneration control of the particulate filter 14 is performed while performing the no x removal action by the first no x removal method , the amount of hydrocarbons per injection from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes considerably greater compared with the past . if the amount of hydrocarbons per injection becomes greater , the hydrocarbons cannot completely react at just the front end of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 and react at the downstream side to generate the heat of reaction . as a result , the temperature gradient in the exhaust purification catalyst 13 becomes uneven . the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is obtained by estimation or detection of one part somewhere in the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . therefore , if the temperature gradient in the exhaust purification catalyst 13 becomes uneven , the estimated or detected temperature no longer represents the be temperature tc of the catalyst as a whole . as a result , the precision of estimation of the catalyst bed temperature tc falls . in this way , when the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is being performed , the precision of estimation of the catalyst bed temperature it falls . therefore , for example , regardless of the fact that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged , there is the danger of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 being mistakenly judged as clogged . to prevent such mistaken judgment , it is necessary to make up for the drop in the precision of estimation of the catalyst bed temperature tc . therefore , in the present invention , the judgment of the results of detection of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is jointly used . due to this , it is possible to judge clogging of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 with a higher precision compared with judgment from a change of the catalyst bed temperature tc . in this regard , the temperature of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 was found to be greatly affected not only by clogging of the hydrocarbon . feed valve 15 , but also other phenomena . next , this will be explained with reference to fig1 b . that is , if hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 along the injection path 69 , the injected fuel deposits on the inside wall surfaces of the exhaust pipe 12 around the injection path 69 , mainly the inside , wall surfaces of the recessed part 70 , and sometimes the particulates contained in the exhaust gas gradually build up on the deposited injected fuel . in this case , deposits 71 form on the inside wall surfaces of the exhaust pipe 12 . due to the deposits 71 , the injection path 69 is clogged . if the deposits 71 form on the inside wall surfaces of the exhaust pipe 12 in this way , for example , even if hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 to regenerate the particulate filter 14 , the hydrocarbons deposit on the deposits 71 and , as a result , the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is no longer sufficiently fed with hydrocarbons . therefore , in this case , even if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged , the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 no longer reaches the target temperature tcx . that is , even if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged or even if the injection path 69 is clogged by the deposits 71 , the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller than a predetermined rise . in other words , when the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller than the predetermined rise , it can be judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged or the injection path 69 is clogged by the deposits 71 . in this case , when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , if the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller , it is judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . therefore , when the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller than a predetermined rise , if the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes larger , it can be judged that the injection path 69 is clogged by the deposits 71 . therefore , in the present invention , in a control system of an internal combustion engine which comprises an exhaust purification catalyst 13 arranged in an engine exhaust passage , a hydrocarbon feed valve 15 arranged in the engine exhaust passage upstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , and a fuel feed device 60 for feeding fuel to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and in which hydrocarbons is injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 into an exhaust gas along a predetermined injection path , and fuel pressure of fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 falls when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , when a temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbon fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 as smaller than a predetermined rise and a drop of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is larger than a predetermined drop , it is judged that the injection path 69 is clogged . fig1 shows the injection control routine for working this invention . this routine is executed by interruption every fixed time period . referring to fig1 , first , at step 80 , hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 and the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed . next , at step 81 , the change of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is estimated . this catalyst bed temperature tc can be estimated using a model and can be estimated from the output value of the temperature sensor 23 . next , at step 82 , the change of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is detected by the fuel pressure sensor 66 . next , at step 83 , it is judged if the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amount and the drop δpx of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is larger than a predetermined set amount . in this case , the predetermined set amount for the temperature rise δtc is , for example , made a temperature rise corresponding to 80 percent of the predetermined temperature rise δtc 1 , while the predetermined set amount for the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px is , for example , made a fuel , pressure drop corresponding to 80 percent of the drop δpx 1 of the feed fuel pressure px when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged . when , at step 83 , it is judged that the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount and the drop δpx of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is larger than the predetermined set amount , the routine proceeds to step 84 where it is judged that the injection path 69 is clogged . on the other hand , when it is judged from the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , if the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 reaches the target temperature tcx , it becomes questionable if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is actually clogged . as opposed to this , when it is judged from the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , if the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 does not reach the target temperature tcx , the possibility of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 being clogged becomes extremely high . that is , when the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes small when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , if the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller than a predetermined rise , it can be judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . therefore , in the present invention , in a control system of internal combustion engine which comprises an exhaust purification catalyst 13 arranged in an engine exhaust passage , a hydrocarbon feed valve 15 arranged in the engine exhaust passage upstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , and a fuel feed device 60 for feeding fuel to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and in which hydrocarbons is injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 into an exhaust gas along a predetermined injection path , and fuel pressure of fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 fails when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , when a temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined rise and a drop of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined drop , it is judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . fig1 shows the injection control routine for working this invention . this routine is executed by interruption every fixed time period . referring to 19 , first , at step 90 , hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 and the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed . next , at step 91 , the change of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is estimated . this catalyst bed temperature tc can be estimated using a model and can be estimated from the output value of the temperature sensor 23 . next , at step 92 , the change of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is detected by the fuel pressure sensor 66 . next , at step 93 , it is judged if the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amount and the drop δpx of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amount . in this case as well , in the same way as the injection control routine which is shown in fig1 , the predetermined set amount for the temperature rise δtc is , for example , made a temperature rise corresponding to 80 percent of the predetermined temperature rise δtc 1 , while the predetermined set amount for the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px is , for example , made a fuel pressure drop corresponding to 80 percent of the drop δpx 1 of the feed fuel pressure px when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged . when , at step 93 , it is judged that the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount and the drop δpx of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount , the routine proceeds to step 94 where it is judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . fig2 shows another embodiment of the injection control routine . in this embodiment , when the possibility of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 clogging is extremely high , an increase correction for increasing the amount of hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is performed . explaining this slightly more specifically , in this embodiment , the injection amount wto of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made a value (= k · wt or k · fwt ) which is obtained by multiplying the injection amount wt shown in fig1 a or the injection amount ft shown in fig1 a with the correction coefficient k (≧ 1 . 0 ). furthermore , in this embodiment , when the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the correction coefficient k is made greater the smaller the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px . for example , when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , if the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , as shown in fig1 , is decreased from drop δpx 1 where the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged to the drop δpx 2 , the correction coefficient k is made k = δpx 1 / δpx 2 . on the other hand , in this embodiment , when it is judged that the injection path 69 is clogged by the deposits 71 , an exhaust gas amount increasing action which increases an amount of exhaust gas is performed so that the flow of exhaust gas blows of the deposits 71 . in this case , the amount of exhaust gas which is exhausted from the engine increases the higher the engine load and increases the smaller the opening degree of the for control valve 17 is made , that is , the more the amount of recirculation of the exhaust gas is decreased . therefore , in this embodiment according to the present invention , the amount of exhaust gas is increased by decreasing the amount of recirculation of the exhaust gas . in this case , preferably , at the time of engine high load operation , the egr control valve 17 is closed to make the recirculation action of the exhaust gas stop so as to increase the amount of exhaust gas . fig2 shows an injection control routine for working this invention . this routine is executed by interruption every fixed time period . referring to fig2 , first , at step 100 , the amount of injection wto of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 (= k · wt or k · fwt ) is calculated by multiplying the injection amount nt shown in fig1 a or the in action amount fwt shown in fig1 a with the correction coefficient k . that is , when the injection amount wt shown in fig1 a is used as the injection amount wto of the hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the injection amount wt shown in fig1 a is multiplied with the correction coefficient k (= k · wt ) while when the injection amount fwt shown in fig1 a is used as the injection amount wto of the hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the injection amount fwt shown in fig1 a is multiplied with the correction coefficient k (= k · fwt ). at step 101 , hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 by the injection amount wto which is calculated at step 100 , and the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed . next , at step 102 , the change of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is estimated . this catalyst bed temperature tc can be estimated using a model and can be estimated from the output value of the temperature sensor 23 . next , at step 103 , the change of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is detected by the fuel pressure sensor 66 . next , at step 104 , it is judged if the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amountg . in this case , the predetermined set amount for the temperature rise δtc is , for example , made a temperature rise corresponding to 80 percent of the preset temperature rise δtc 1 . when the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount , the routine proceeds to step 105 where it is judged if the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is larger than a predetermined set amount . in this case , the predetermined set amount for the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px is , for example , made a fuel pressure drop corresponding to 80 percent of the drop δpx 1 of the feed fuel pressure px when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . when at step 105 it is judged that the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is larger than the predetermined set amount , it is judged that the injection path 69 is clogged , then the routine proceeds to step 106 where the exhaust gas amount increasing action which increases an amount of exhaust gas is performed . as opposed to this , when at step 105 it is judged that the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount , it is judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , then the routine proceeds to step 107 where the correction coefficient k is calculated . that is , the increase correction for increasing the amount of hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is performed . fig2 shows an embodiment designed to detect the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 before performing the temperature raising control when an instruction is issued to perform regeneration control of the particulate filter 14 . note that , when the pressure difference before and after the particulate filter 14 which is detected by the differential pressure sensor 24 is over a predetermined set pressure , an instruction is issued to perform regeneration control of the particulate filter 14 . when an instruction is issued to perform regeneration control of the particulate filter 14 , the regeneration control which is shown in fig2 is performed . this regeneration control routine is performed by interruption every fixed time period . referring to fig2 , first , at step 110 , it is judged if the detection of the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 has been completed . when the detection of the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 has not been completed , the routine proceeds to step 111 where the injection amount wto (= k · wt ) of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is calculated by multiplying the injection amount wt shown in fig1 a with the correction coefficient k . next , at step 112 , hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 by the injection amount wto which is calculated at step 111 , and the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed . next , at step 113 , it is judged if the steady state of the engine has been continuing for a certain time or more , that is , if the steady state of the engine is stable . when the steady state of the engine is stable , the routine proceeds to step 114 . at step 114 , the chance of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is detected by the fuel pressure sensor 66 . next , at step 115 , it is judged if the drop δfx of the feed fuel pressure px to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amount . in this case , the predetermined set amount for the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px is for example made a fuel pressure drop corresponding to 80 percent of the drop δpx 1 of the feed fuel pressure px when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged . when at step 115 it is judged that the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount , it is judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , then the routine proceeds to step 116 where the correction coefficient k is calculated . that is , the increase correction for increasing the amount of hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is performed . when the detection of the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 has been completed , the routine proceeds from step 110 to step 117 where the injection amount wto (= k · fwt ) of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is calculated by multiplying the injection amount fwt shown in fig1 a with the correction coefficient k . next , at step 118 , hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 by the injection amount wto which is calculated at step 117 and the temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is started . next , at step 119 , the change in the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is estimated . this catalyst bed temperature tc can be estimated using a model and can also be estimated from the output value of the temperature sensor 23 . next , at step 120 , it is judged if the temperature raising action of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 has been completed . when the temperature raising action of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 has been completed , the routine proceeds to step 121 . at step 121 , it is judged if the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amount . in this case , the predetermined set amount for the temperature rise δtc is , for example , made a temperature rise corresponding to 80 percent of the temperature rise temperature rise δtc 1 found in advance . when the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount , the routine proceeds to step 122 where it is judged if the correction coefficient k is larger than the set value k 0 , that is , if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . when the correction coefficient k is not larger than the set value k 0 , that is , when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged , the routine proceeds to step 123 where the exhaust gas amount increasing action which increases an amount of exhaust gas is performed . in the embodiment which is shown in fig2 , when in the operating region which is shown in fig1 by a , the drop of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is detected , and when the temperature raising control is being performed , the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is detected . on the other hand , as explained above , when the temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is performed , compared with the time of the operating region which is shown in fig1 by a , the amount of hydrocarbons which are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 per unit time is made to increase . therefore , the amount of feed of hydrocarbons per unit time when detecting the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made larger than the amount of feed of hydrocarbons per unit time when detecting the drop of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 . further , in the embodiment which is shown in fig2 , when the amount of feed of hydrocarbons per unit time from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made to increase so as to regenerate the particulate filter 14 , the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is detected . note that , as another embodiment , it is also possible to arrange an oxidation catalyst for reforming hydrocarbons upstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 in the engine exhaust passage .	5
referring to the drawing and in particular to fig1 the invention comprises a payout device for sheets . an elevator 11 is provided in the form of a big rectangular plate ( see the lower portion of fig1 ). elevator 11 acts to pile the sheet bodies such as bills and to upwardly carry the layered sheet bodies . the elevator 11 is equipped to rise when the weight is lightened . this is accomplished by means of a spring ( not shown ) and the like which is sensitive to the weight . two standing guide frames 12 , 13 surround each end part of the elevator 11 . the standing guide frames 12 , 13 are , for instance , plate bodies which are formed to be bent in the u - shaped form . in the upper portion of guide frame 12 on the left or outlet side of the apparatus as shown in fig1 an outlet 14 is formed to pay out a sheet body ( not shown ). at the lower edge of this outlet 14 , a guide fragment 15 is provided . near the upper outside portion of the outlet 14 a gripper in the form of , two pairs of rubber rollers 16 , 17 are disposed . these rubber rollers 16 , 17 act to sandwich and draw out the sheet body . these rollers 16 , 17 are preferably mounted on a case 34 of a box form which covers the whole apparatus and forms a drawer means . a sheet body suction apparatus 21 is provided as a slightly big box form , shown at the center of fig1 . this suction apparatus 21 , as shown in fig2 and fig4 is provided with a lower part or receiving side with an opening 22 and the upper part with a small opening 23 . the suction apparatus 21 is fixed on by welding or the like inside the guide frame 13 . the guide frame 13 is intervened by one pair of protruded arms 24 , 25 . the suction apparatus 21 is , as shown in fig2 formed at the slightly raised and diagonal posture against the elevator 11 . at the center on the suction apparatus 21 , a small fan apparatus 26 is disposed . in the drawing , the fan apparatus 26 is illustrated schematically . when the fan apparatus 26 is driven , as shown at the arrow in fig2 air flows to the small opening 23 from the big opening 22 . as an alternative an insert tube ( not shown ) may be provided , inserted into the small opening 23 instead of the fan apparatus 26 . such an insert tube may be mounted in an airtight manner for providing suction . in the big opening 22 of suction apparatus 21 at nearly the outlet 14 , a small rubber wheel in the form of a small rubber tire 27 is rotatably disposed on an shaft . a pulley 28 is fixed at the out end of the rotating axis of tire 27 . this tire 27 operates to send out a sheet body ( not shown ) which was absorbed or sucked up at the opening 22 of suction apparatus 21 to the direction of outlet 14 by the frictional power which occurs based on contact between the sheet body and the rubber wheel 27 . a motor 29 is provided on the suction apparatus 21 . the motor 29 is fixed to a pulley 30 which is provided on the shaft axis of the motor 29 . a rubber belt 31 , which acts as a transmission device , is expanded over the pulleys 28 , 30 to provide a pulley pair . the operation of the embodiment which comprises the above - mentioned constitution , is described below firstly as with reference to the showing of fig5 a . a plurality of sheet bodies s are piled on the elevator 11 in a layered manner . when the sheet body s is a bill , a gap g between the first sheet body s 1 on the sheet bodies s and the edge most below in the opening 22 is desirably about 5 mm . however , the size of gap g may be changed on the basis of the size , the thickness , the weight and the like such as sheet bodies s which are in the form of a card . therefore , one is not limited to above - mentioned numerical value , of course . next , when the suction apparatus 26 is driven , as shown in fig5 b , the air is blown upwardly and the negative pressure occurs in the opening 22 . the sheet body s 1 , the uppermost top sheet body s , is as a result absorbed or sucked up at the opening 22 , as shown in fig5 b . in this case , the underside of the suction apparatus 21 , i . e . the edge surface on the opening 22 has an angle k ( referring to fig5 a ) to the horizontal plane . therefore , the sheet body s 1 is , as shown in fig5 b , bent at a bend line located at ⅓ from the right or opposite side of the apparatus or the body s 1 . as a result , in case of sheet bodies s being new bills , or in case of sheet bodies s being so - called new tickets , by this bend , the top new bill is totally separated from the new bill below . therefore , there is the certainty that two - sheets ( sheet bodies s ) do not pass out . in case of cards it may not be possible to provide for such a bend or the like . the angle k is not necessary . moreover , at the underside of the box - shaped suction apparatus 21 , as seen in fig2 the opening edges 32 , 33 form a part of a receiving surface of the receiving side . as shown in fig4 b , the area of the opening 22 is larger than the area of the receiving surface . the receiving surfaces formed by edges 32 , 33 on either side of the opening 22 are curved slightly and projectingly to the lower direction , as shown fig4 a . in the case of a bill in which a short portion is left with the sheet body s rounded or curled , the bill is curved to the direction of the width of the bill with the curve of opening edges 32 , 33 when the bill is absorbed by the suction apparatus 21 . therefore , the curl in the length direction is removed and the bill becomes flat . however , the opening edges 32 , 33 on either side may also be curved and depressed to the upper direction , contrary to fig4 a . also , in case of the sheet body s which doesn &# 39 ; t have a curl and the like , the curves of the concave or convex opening edges 32 , 33 are not necessary of course . next , in the condition shown in fig5 b , when the motor 29 is operated , the tire 27 is rotated through the pulley 30 , the belt 31 , the pulley 28 . as the result , as shown in fig5 c , the sheet body s 1 which is absorbed on the opening 22 is sent out to the direction of outlet 14 by the friction power of the tire 27 . when the about ¼ portion on the left side ( viewing fig5 c ) of sheet body s 1 is sent out , the tip part of this sheet body s 1 is sandwiched between rollers 16 and 17 which are paired . as soon as this is sandwiched , it is quickly dragged by the rollers 16 , 17 which turn faster than the tire 27 and , as shown in fig5 d , it begins to be paid out to the outside direction . when moving from the condition of fig5 c to the condition of fig5 d , the tip part of the first sheet body s 1 is put between a pair of rollers 16 and 17 , and an approximately ⅔ portion on the left side of sheet body s 1 is sent out from the suction apparatus 21 . at this time , the illustration is omitted and , the about a right half portion of opening 22 ( in fig5 d ) is released , and the center of the following second sheet body s 2 is sucked and rises up . moreover , when the whole opening 22 is released , the following sheet body s 2 is , as shown in fig5 d , absorbed at the opening 22 of the suction apparatus 21 . further , in the operation description at the above mentioned fig5 a - 5 d , the suction apparatus 21 is continuously driven and the tire 27 is rotated as needed . however , continuous rotation of the tire 27 is also possible and the calculation of the number of sheet bodies s to pay out is made with another apparatus ( not shown ). the invention allows a payout of sheet bodies s surely and with certainty and moreover at higher speed than prior devices . also , according to the invention and the disclosed preferred embodiment , the tire ( or wheel ) is disposed within the opening 22 of the suction apparatus . however , depending on the size , the hardness and the like of sheet body s , the opening 22 is made small and the tire 27 may be disposed outside of opening 22 . in this case , the tire 27 touches a part of the sheet body s which is outside the suction apparatus 21 or a part of the card body and , the sheet or card body is sent out by the frictional power . also , in the description so far , a sending out apparatus of which the elevator 11 is arranged below is illustrated . however , being based on the size , the thickness of the sheet or the card body and the like , the apparatus of which the elevator 11 is arranged diagonally or perpendicularly or above is permitted of course . in other words , depending on the size , the thickness of the sheet or the card body and the like , even if the sending out apparatus illustrated is mounted on a setting up condition or on a upside down condition or on a tumble condition , a similar operation is gotten of course . according to this present invention above mentioned , by the combination with simple constitution , a desirable effect is achieved that a sheet body payout apparatus is provided with a small and simple structure . that is , by combining a suction means of the fan and the like and a sending out means of the tire and the like according to this present invention , a sheet body payout apparatus with the small and simple structure is attained . in addition , according to this present invention , a big advantage is also attained that sheet bodies one by one can be sent surely and at high speed . while a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles .	1
the ir imaging fiber of the present invention and the method to make it are novel and have unique features . the fiber is comprised of a non - silica glass , specifically a chalcogenide glass , and more specifically an arsenic sulfide - based glass . as shown in fig1 , the fiber has a square cross sectional shape 101 invariable in shape and dimension along the fiber length . the fiber has multiple fiber cores 102 arranged in a regular rectangular lattice , running the entire length of the fiber . the spacing between any two adjacent cores 103 is constant and double the distance 104 between any core along the fiber perimeter 105 and the outer surface of the fiber 106 . the cores 102 may be round , approximately round , square , or some other shape . as shown in fig2 , the fiber has a proximal end 201 and a distal end 202 . the cores of the fiber are coherently registered such that each core ( e . g . 203 , 204 , 205 ) is in the same relative position at the proximal end 201 , the distal end 202 , and everywhere along the length of the fiber between the ends . in some embodiments , the fiber has a polymer webbing 301 between each adjacent core and around the outer surface of the fiber as shown in fig3 . this polymer serves to mechanically protect the outer surface and strengthen the fiber . it also reduces cross - talk by absorbing any light leaking from one core thus preventing it from entering another core . in a preferred embodiment , the polymer is polyethersulfone . as shown in fig4 , the imaging fibers of the present invention can function as building blocks for a larger ir imaging fiber bundle 401 . the fiber bundle in fig4 consists of nine multi - core square - registered coherent imaging fibers , each comprising 25 cores . the fiber bundle is also square registered and coherent , meaning that the individual fibers are in the same relative spatial position and rotation at the proximal 402 and distal 403 ends . by fusing the imaging fibers over a short length 404 , 405 at the ends only , large bundles are possible while maintaining flexibility . since the inter - core spacing within the fiber 103 is exactly double the core to fiber perimeter distance 104 , bundles assembled from this fiber have a consistent inter - core spacing across the entire array , including near the fiber joints 407 . these fibers are fabricated using a multi - step extrusion and preform - draw process . first , cladding tubes with a square outer shape and a single round hole are extruded from an ir transparent glass . the tube width is approximately 10 - 20 mm and the hole is approximately 8 - 18 mm in diameter . second , a solid , round ir glass core rod is cast , for example in a silica ampoule . the diameter of the core rod ( approximately 7 . 9 - 17 . 9 mm ) is slightly smaller than the hole of the cladding tube . the glass comprising the core rod has a slightly different composition than the glass comprising the cladding tube , such that it has a larger refractive index . this index contrast determines the numerical aperture of the imaging fiber . third , the core rod is inserted into the cladding tube , forming a core - clad preform assembly . at this time , a thin ( about 10 - 100 μm thick ) layer of polymer film may be applied to the outer surface of the cladding tube and become a part of the core - clad preform assembly , if it is desired to have a cross - talk reducer in the final fiber . the core - clad preform assembly is now consolidated by fusing the components at an elevated temperature . a self - squaring press may be used during this step to ensure the outer shape of the core - clad preform does not deform , or for correcting the outer shape of an imperfect preform . a vacuum may optionally be used during this step to ensure no gaps at the core - clad interface or the clad - polymer interface . fourth , the consolidated core - clad preform is stretched into cane , for example on a fiber optic draw tower , to widths smaller than the preform ( around 0 . 5 - 2 mm ). fifth , short lengths ( about 4 - 40 cm ) of cane are assembled into a registered preform by stacking them in a squaring press . care is taken to not impart any twist or crossing among the canes . sixth , the registered preform is consolidated by simultaneously heating and pressing the preform . the pressing is best done using a self - squaring press and applying equal force from all 4 sides of the square registered preform . the ends of the preform may be constrained , but pressing on the ends is not required . seventh , the consolidated registered preform is drawn on a fiber optic draw tower into a coherent imaging fiber using standard fiber drawing practices . the fiber typically has a width of about 100 - 1000 μm . example 1 is a 25 - core , square - registered coherent ir imaging fiber and is shown schematically in fig1 and 2 . the individual cores 102 are comprised of as - 39 %- s - 61 % glass and are surrounded by a continuous glass cladding matrix comprised of as - 38 %- s - 62 % glass . the core diameter is approximately 40 μm . the core pitch , the center - to - center spacing between cores is approximately 50 μm . the fiber width is approximately 250 μm . example 2 is a 25 - core , square - registered coherent ir imaging fiber with cross - talk reducing barrier 301 , the cross - section of which is shown schematically in fig3 . this barrier is comprised of a polymer film , specifically polyethersulfone ( pes ) and is approximately 0 . 5 μm thick . the individual cores are comprised of as - 39 %- s - 61 % glass and are surrounded by a cladding comprised of as - 38 %- s - 62 % glass . the core diameter is approximately 30 μm . the core pitch is approximately 42 μm . the fiber width is approximately 210 μm . example 3 is a 64 - core , square registered coherent ir imaging fiber , an optical micrograph of an illuminated end face is shown in fig5 ( a ). the cores are comprised of as - 39 %- s - 61 % glass and have diameters between 18 μm and 20 μm . the core pitch ranges from 38 μm - 40 μm . the cladding is a continuous matrix comprised of as - 38 %- s - 62 % glass . the end face of this fiber measures 316 μm × 325 μm . the cross - talk for this fiber is shown in fig5 ( b ). example 4 is a 64 - core , square registered coherent ir imaging fiber with crosstalk reducing barrier , an optical micrograph of an illuminated end face is shown in fig6 ( a ). the diameters of the individual cores measure 18 μm - 20 μm , and the core pitch ranges from 38 μm - 40 μm . the end face of this fiber measures 316 μm × 325 μm . the cross - talk for this fiber is & lt ; 1 % and is shown in fig6 ( b ). the above descriptions are those of the preferred embodiments of the invention . various modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention . it is therefore to be understood that the claimed invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . any references to claim elements in the singular , for example , using the articles “ a ,” “ an ,” “ the ,” or “ said ,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular .	2
regardless of the fact that for mail collection purposes the present invention can be installed as a completely independent unit , its processes will be described on the assumption that the machine is connected to telephone and telex lines . each of the machine &# 39 ; s processes will be separately described according to the following order : use of the machine as a data listing and data entering device ; referring specifically to the drawings , fig1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention . with reference to fig1 and in accordance with the invention , there is provided a coin changer 2 with escrow to vend / escrow to select ability , a bill acceptor / validator 3 with escrow to vend / escrow to select ability , a magnetic and ic card reader / writer 4 , a dot matrix printer 5 with an opening 51 for refilling with paper and ribbon , an alphanumerical keyboard 6 , a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) 8 , a transparent glass window 7 , a phone handle dialing unit 10 , and a disc drive unit 11 all built into the machine housing 1 . referring now to fig1 , and 12 , the machine &# 39 ; s front - placed photo sensor 9 is also built into the machine housing 1 and upon detecting a person standing in front of the housing 1 indicates this to the machine &# 39 ; s central processing unit ( cpu ) 37 which causes a wake - up routine to occur . first , instructions for the starting procedure are displayed on the machine &# 39 ; s lcd 8 . these instructions include information on how a minimum amount in coins , bills , magnetic cards , or ic cards is to be inserted and how to enter commands which select the desired machine function . as shown in fig1 and 12 , cpu 37 starts by reading the status of the coin changer 2 and if changer 2 activity is detected , the accumulated amount in escrow is counted , the information is loaded into the temporary memory unit 40 , and the balance is displayed on lcd 8 . if no changer 2 activity is detected , cpu 37 reads the status of the bill acceptor / validator 3 , which upon bill insertion automatically checks the bill &# 39 ; s validity and , if the bill is valid , drives it into escrow . if this is the case , the bill is held in escrow , the accumulated amount is counted , the information is loaded into temporary memory unit 40 , and the balance is displayed on lcd 8 . if after a reasonable period of time the amount in escrow , either in bills or in coins , is still lower than requested , a request for additional fund insertion is displayed . if within a reasonable period of time an additional amount is not inserted , the amount in escrow is returned and the machine goes back to the starting procedure as shown in fig1 . if neither coin changer 2 nor bill acceptor / validator 3 activity is detected , the status of the magnetic and ic card reader / writer 4 is read , as shown in fig1 , and if any card is inserted , the procedure is continued , as shown in fig1 , to identify what kind of a card was inserted . if the inserted card is identified as a credit card , the machine checks the card &# 39 ; s validity and if it is not valid returns it by the procedure shown in fig1 . the procedure further includes a check of whether the card is one with or without a pin ( personal identification number ). if the card has a pin , a request to enter the pin is displayed . the customer gets two chances to enter the correct corresponding pin on keyboard 6 and if after the second try the correct pin is not entered , the card is returned and the process is suspended as shown in fig1 . when a valid credit or ic card and a correct pin are entered , the card is kept inside the reader / writer 4 until the entire process is completed . if the inserted card is identified as a debit card , the company identification is checked and , if correct , the machine continues the procedure by checking whether a minimum amount exists on the card as shown in fig1 . if a minimum amount exists , the machine enables the process to continue , holding the card until the process is finished . if , however , any of the checks do not comply with the requirements , the card is returned and the process is suspended as shown in fig1 . after any initial minimum amount requirement is satisfied , the machine can continue the process for any of the machine &# 39 ; s functions . the mail collection process will be described first . referring now to fig1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , and 15 , if a customer enters an instruction that the mail collection process is desired , the instruction on how to insert a mailing is displayed on lcd 8 and the solenoid 13 opens the insertion sliding door as shown in fig2 . the customer then inserts the mailing into the scale insertion slot 12 , fig2 and as soon as the loading photosensor 30 , fig4 detects the incoming mailing , the electromotor 27 is activated and its transmission mechanism 28 drives the first transport conveyor 25 which turns over its transmission cylinders 29 , fig4 and carries the mailing toward the right border of the insertion slot 12 as shown in fig5 . when the second loading sensor 31 , fig4 detects the mailing &# 39 ; s edge , the electromotor 27 stops , thereby causing the first transport conveyor 25 to stop and the mailing is left positioned in front of the printing window 122 , as shown in fig3 and 4 , and behind the mailing pressing panel 16 , as shown in fig2 and 5 . according to the physical configuration of the present invention , the insertion slot 12 , the transport conveyor mechanisms 25 , 27 , 28 , and 29 , and the mailing pressing mechanisms 14 , 15 , and 16 are all mounted on the electronic scale device 26 so that they do not influence the weight calculation of the mailing during the mailing procedure . when the transport conveyor 25 stops , the scale weighing device 26 is activated and the mailing weight data is then loaded into the temporary memory unit 40 . simultaneously , instructions on how to enter the required data about the mailing &# 39 ; s destination on keyboard 6 are displayed and the customer has to enter this data . the customer can read this data from the face of the mailing because the mailing has to be inserted in such a way that the address written on its face comes behind the transparent glass window 7 and the transparent mailing pressing panel 16 and can be read from outside of the machine after the mailing is driven inside the insertion slot 12 . the data to be entered on keyboard 6 may comprise the mailing &# 39 ; s country of destination , the zip code , and a variety of special requests such as registered mail , express mail , etc ., or any other data required by company standards . referring now to fig1 , according to the data about the mailing weight , the data about the destination and about any special requests , and based on any instructions stored in the machine &# 39 ; s memory , a charge is calculated and displayed together with a request for an additional payment if the amount in escrow is not sufficient to cover the charge . as shown in fig1 , the customer is asked to insert an additional amount and if the request is not fulfilled after a second displayed warning , the mailing and any already inserted cash are returned . according to this procedure , and as shown in fig1 , both the first and the second transport conveyors are activated and they drive the mailing out of the machine housing 1 through the returning sliding door which is opened by its solenoid 24 as shown in fig2 . if the charge is to be paid by a magnetic card , the machine continues the procedure as shown in fig1 . if the existing credit on the debit card is not sufficient , an additional amount can be inserted in cash or paid by a new debit card after the first card is debited to zero . if , however , the request is not fulfilled , the machine continues the above described returning procedure as shown in fig1 . for payment with a credit or ic card , as shown in fig1 , the data about the card and any corresponding charge is loaded into temporary memory unit 40 in order to be stored and forwarded for the purposes of later billing . after the charge is paid by any of these means , the machine continues the procedure , as shown in fig2 , and 18 , by activating the mailing pressing unit &# 39 ; s electromotor 14 which , by using the transmission mechanism 15 , pushes forward the transparent pressing panel 16 . according to the process of the present invention , the panel 16 presses the mailing to the insertion slot &# 39 ; s rear wall 121 and firmly secures it there so that the rear side of the mailing leans against printing window 122 , fig3 and 4 , in a flat fashion so that the bar code can be printed . simultaneously , the entered data is converted into a chosen form of laser readable bar code and when the mailing is pressed , the thermal transfer printing head 21 , shown in fig2 and 3 , prints the bar code on the part of the mailing which leans against the printing window 122 as shown in fig3 and 4 . as shown in fig3 the thermal transfer printing configuration comprises four lateral holders built on the machine &# 39 ; s base , wherein the two holders 22 are used to support the configuration carriers 18 which are driven up and down over the two indented holders 19 by indented axle built - in stepping motor 17 . as shown in fig3 the configuration further comprises a stepping motor 20 which drives the thermal transfer printing head 21 left and right . the bar code is printed by the head 21 during its left to right movement . when the head 21 reaches the right printing margin , the carriers 18 move one step downward and carry the head 21 to the next line printing position . according to the described procedure , the bar code is printed on the stationary mailing by moving the printing head 21 in all four possible directions . as shown in fig1 , when using alphanumeric type bar code , the country code can be printed as a combination of two letters ( e . g ., fr for france ), the zip code in numerals ( e . g ., 75116 ), and the special request code as a single letter ( e . g ., e for express mail ) with the assumption that when a special request is entered , the machine automatically prints an identification number ( e . g ., 000001 ) which is printed in the second line together with the date of acceptance which is printed in human readable characters on the bottom . if required , the postage paid can also be printed in human readable characters on the bottom line . it is to be understood that any type of laser readable bar code can be used and arranged in any form depending on which code and arrangement is proven to be the most suitable for the purposes of later tracking and scanning . considering the fact that not all countries have numerical zip codes and that the country code and special request code can be simply formed as a combination of letters , alphanumeric code - 39 as shown appears to be the most suitable . it is also to be understood that some other printing means can be used instead of the thermal transfer printing head which seems to be the most suitable considering the costs and the bar code quality required . after the bar code printing procedure is completed , the printing head 21 returns to its starting position and the pressing panel 16 returns backward , leaving the mailing on the first transport conveyor 25 which , according to the process of the invention as shown in fig1 , drives the mailing onto second transport conveyor 32 . the second transport conveyor 32 , as shown in fig7 is powered by its electromotor 34 through its transmission mechanism 35 and rotates over its cylinders 33 . according to the process of the present invention , the second transport conveyor 32 starts rotating simultaneously with the first transport conveyor 25 and drives the mailing into the storage cassette 23 as shown in fig8 and 9 . within a predetermined period of time after the mailing disappears from the sight of the second loading sensor 31 , fig4 the storage cassette &# 39 ; s solenoid 36 pushes the cassette 23 forward , causing the mailing to drop into a storage box , as shown in fig9 where the mailing is stored for subsequent pick up . simultaneously , both transport conveyors 25 and 32 stop and the machine displays instructions on how one can continue the process by entering directions for a &# 34 ; follow on &# 34 ; procedure which can be entered when another of the machine &# 39 ; s services is required as shown in fig1 . if no &# 34 ; follow on &# 34 ; directions are entered , the machine continues the procedure by printing and dispensing a receipt from its dot matrix printer 5 in the case of a mailing with a special request , taking the charged amount from escrow and returning the change or the card , fig1 , and loading or transferring the relevant data as shown in fig2 . the machine can either load all relevant data on a disc in its disc drive unit 11 for later use or , when connected to some external database , transfer it to that database for later use . another function of the present invention is as a payphone device wherein the same previously described payment accepting and displaying means are used . referring now to fig1 there is shown a phone handle 10 hung on machine housing 1 , comprising a phone unit connected to a phone line through the housing 1 and including a dialing keyboard inside its middle section . referring now to fig1 , if there is no minimum amount required for using the machine as a pay - phone device , as soon as any amount is inserted , the customer can pick up the phone handle 10 and get a dial tone . for all other payment means , the card validity checking procedure corresponds to the one previously described for the machine &# 39 ; s mail collection function and as shown in fig1 and 14 . once a dial tone is obtained , the credit in escrow or on a debit card , or the confirmation for the use of a credit or ic card is displayed , as shown in fig2 , and the machine continues the procedure by displaying instructions on how to dial the desired number . when the customer starts to dial the desired number , the number is permanently displayed as dialed in order to avoid the dialing of a wrong number . the machine continues by displaying information on whether the number was connected and instructions on how to repeat the dialing procedure if the desired number is not obtained . after the desired number is connected and if the payment was made by cash or through a debit card , the remaining credit is permanently displayed and the line remains connected for as long as the credit equals zero , as shown in fig2 . if the payment was made by a credit or ic card , the accumulated charge is permanently displayed and the line can be disconnected if a certain given limit is reached . referring now to fig2 , if the line is disconnected by the customer before the credit equals zero or the limit is not reached , the customer has the opportunity to enter directions for a &# 34 ; follow on &# 34 ; procedure before any change from escrow or a card is returned , as shown in fig2 , after which the machine continues the procedure as shown in fig2 . assuming that the present invention is connected to some external database , the invention can also be used as a data listing and data entry device which uses the same payment making , data entering , data displaying , and data printing means as discussed previously . referring now to fig1 , 13 , and 14 , the payment procedure for an initial minimum amount corresponds to the one previously described for the machine &# 39 ; s use as a mail collecting device . as shown in fig2 , when a customer enters the direction that a connection with a database is desired , the information on how to obtain a connection with that certain database is displayed on lcd 8 . the payment procedure in this case corresponds to the one described for use of the machine as a pay - phone device , with the assumption that the charge per time unit ( seconds ) is higher than in the previous case . various data from numerous databases can be listed , such as data from phonebooks , yellow pages , thomas catalogs , etc ., and each set of data can be printed on the machine &# 39 ; s dot matrix printer 5 and dispensed to the customer if such an instruction is entered on the machine &# 39 ; s keyboard 6 . in addition to the data listing procedure , and when allowed by the particular database process , the customer can enter data into the database by using the machine &# 39 ; s keyboard 6 . different reservation , purchasing , or advertising procedures can be performed by using this process which allows for convenient and economical access to various databases for the general public . if connected to a telex line , the present invention can also be used as a telex sending device for the purpose of sending messages to any desired telex number . the same payment making , data entering , data displaying , and printing means as described previously can be used . referring now to fig1 , 13 , and 14 , the payment procedure for an initial minimum amount corresponds to the procedure previously described for the machine &# 39 ; s other functions . if the customer enters an instruction that a telex connection is desired , instructions on how to print a message and the destination are displayed on lcd 8 as shown in fig2 . the customer enters a message and destination number which are simultaneously displayed on lcd 8 and which can be corrected before entering the instruction that the message is completed . referring again to fig2 , according to the length of the entered message and its destination , the charge is calculated and displayed for the customer together with a request for an additional amount of payment if the amount in escrow is not sufficient to cover the charge . in the case of a debit card payment , a warning is also displayed and if the request is not fulfilled following the displayed warning , the message is erased and the inserted amount or the card are returned according to the procedure shown in fig2 . if the payment is correctly made , instructions on how to enter an execute order are displayed as shown in fig2 and upon this order , the machine automatically dials the desired number and sends the entered message . if the desired destination number is not available , the machine continues the dialing procedure for a certain period of time while keeping the message memorized until it determines that the number is not obtainable , upon which time the message is erased and the cash or card returned as shown in fig2 . when the desired number is connected , the message is sent and erased from the machine &# 39 ; s memory . if , however , the customer wants the message to be printed and has previously entered this instruction , the machine prints the message on its dot matrix printer 5 and dispenses it to the customer as it is being sent . change from escrow or the inserted card is returned according to the procedure shown in fig2 unless a &# 34 ; follow on &# 34 ; direction is entered by the customer . in accordance with the present invention , the data storing and forwarding procedures and the change or card returning procedures are identical , regardless of the machine &# 39 ; s function , to those shown in fig2 and 24 . according to the process of the present invention , in any case when payment is made by a credit or ic card , a receipt for charges paid is printed and dispensed to customer . also according to the process of the present invention , and regardless of the machine &# 39 ; s function or its stage in the procedures , a customer can always correct any entered data immediately by moving the pointer over the displayed text . it will be understood that the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments , herein chosen for the purpose of illustration , and that the claims are intended to cover all changes and modifications , apparent to those skilled in the art , which do not constitute a departure from the scope and spirit of the invention .	6
fig1 a and 1 b show an elevation view and a plan view respectively of a speaker 101 in an embodiment of the present invention . speaker 101 in this embodiment comprises an outer container 102 . in this example the container may be a plastic container , like a pill bottle . the container in this example has a lid 103 which may be removed to fill the container at least partially with a ferrofluid 105 . a ferrofluid is a stable colloidal suspension of sub - domain magnetic particles in a liquid or semi - liquid carrier . the particles , which in one embodiment have an average size of about 100 å ( 10 nm ), may be coated with a stabilizing dispersing agent ( surface - acting , or surfactant ) which prevents particle agglomeration even when a strong magnetic field gradient is applied to the ferrofluid . in the absence of a magnetic field , the magnetic moments of the particles are randomly distributed and the fluid typically has no net magnetization . an unanchored permanent magnet 104 , labeled m is suspended in the ferrofluid as a primary force generator . the permanent magnet in this embodiment is freely suspended inside container 102 that contains the ferrofluid 105 that provides dampening and force transmission . lines of force 106 related to the permanent magnet cause the permanent magnet to be suspended in the ferrofluid . a coil 107 , in this case of electrically conductive metal , for transmitting an audio signal from a source , is wound about container 102 in this example . the coil acts as an excitation apparatus for the permanent magnet in proximity of the container . the coil may , in some embodiments be encapsulated in the container walls , may be adhered to the container in different ways , or may be situated separately from the container such that the coil is not subject to forces acting on the container walls . in some embodiments there may be multiple coils arranged in different geometry for various purposes . one might desire , for example to have bass audio transmitted by one coil , and other audio by another . audio directional effects may be varied by different coils in different geometry as well . in this example the coil is connected to an output of an audio amplifier , not shown , such as an amplifier that drives a conventional speaker . the signal on the coil generates a varying magnetic field in the environment of the permanent magnet , which is immersed and suspended in the ferrofluid . the varying field from the coil vibrates the magnet , which movement transmits movement by force across the essentially incompressible ferrofluid to walls of the container . the container walls act as a resonator in place of the paper or metal cone of conventionally designed speakers , causing pressure perturbations in the surrounding air , indicated in fig1 a and 1 b by pressure lines 108 . it is not required that the container , such as container 102 in this example , be of the shape of a bottle , as shown . in some embodiments the container may be spherical , or egg - shaped , or may have some other shape depending on aesthetic or acoustical considerations . the container may also be made of any one or a combination of different materials , including , but not limited to plastic , wood , metal and plastic . it is not always required that the material of the container be rigid . in some cases the walls may be somewhat flexible . in some embodiments the container may be mounted to other structures , for example a tabletop , which than also act as a resonator . one advantage of such a design is that there are no fragile moving parts , such as a paper cone , that may tear when too high an input signal is provided , or that may degrade substantially over time . in another embodiment the container may be attached to a conventional cone of a conventional speaker . in another embodiment the container is cone made of a high strength material . magnet strength may be chosen in coordination with the viscosity of the ferrofluid , particle size in ferrofluid , saturation magnetization , and volume of ferrofluid used , as well as in concert with other considerations . due to various properties of ferrofluids in reaction to the field of the permanent magnet , the fluid gathers into a substantially spherical shape around the core magnet that is placed inside the container . the number of coils should be sufficient to generate a substantial force on the magnet / fluid system and a standard impedance value for audio output systems may be preferred . the leads of the coil should be attached to an appropriate audio source for the rest of the construction parameters chosen . to enhance the sound quality and ensure that the primary drive magnet stays floating or suspended in the ferrofluid , magnets of significantly lesser strength may be placed in opposite polarity to the primary magnet at the ends of the drive cylinder . in one prototype design a fragment of a permanent magnet from a computer hard drive is used , and suspended in a volume of approx . 25 ml of ferrofluid in a plastic prescription pill bottle . the ferrofluid used in this particular prototype has the following properties : this volume of ferrofluid is placed in a cylinder approx 0 . 75 ″ in diameter and 1 . 5 ″ in height . fifty coils of 20 ga . magnetic wrap wire are used for electromagnetic excitation . for additional amplification , the container is placed inside a tin can approx 3 . 5 ″ in diameter and 1 ″ in height . the core apparatus is held in place by a light foam insulator that fills the remainder of the tin can resonator . this prototype is sufficient to listen to television audio and music at reasonable volume levels and with negligible distortion from a distance of up to about thirty feet . in other embodiments the number of coils may be significantly increased and the gauge of wire used significantly decreased . the number of coils and gauge of wire used in this prototype were chosen to allow manual assembly and manipulation . a magnet of known strength and shape might be chosen to best attenuate the signal of the coils . the properties and volume of ferrofluid might also need to change based on the properties of the coil and magnet used . the container used in this prototype is likely not ideal , and was a simple medicine bottle . it was chosen for its ability to prevent fluid from leaking and as a convenient and efficient shape on which to wind the magnetic coils . in practice , a cylinder might still be a favorable shape for a container , due to properties of magnetic coils . however the shape and size may change to best suit any application . novel and advantageous applications for such unique speakers exist in a broad variety . in the quest for ever more powerful speakers , the audio industry must develop newer , stronger metals and polymers that can cope with ever - increasing power requirements . in the design of this invention in various embodiments , one of the few known strict requirement is that the container must not leak fluid . other than that it can be constructed out of essentially any durable material that is impervious to the destructive environment most speakers face . as was demonstrated by the prototype described above , even with arbitrarily chosen components a simple medicine bottle was sufficient to produce a clear audible sound from a reasonable listening distance . the speaker is also inherently weatherproof by not having any material external to the device which could be damaged by the environment however it is possible for the fluid to freeze or to boil if the thermal limits of the medium are exceeded . it will be apparent to the skilled artisan that there are many variations that might be made in embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , and there are a broad variety of applications for the invention , in essence creating new inventions in many other areas . for example , there are many sorts of ferrofluids that might be used . some are opaque , and some are transparent . mixtures of the two may be used to provide unusual appearance through a transparent or semi - transparent container . many shapes and materials may be used for containers . many shapes and materials may be used for connected resonators . it is possible to make transparent coils as well to enhance the visual effects that may be obtained in concert with the audio effects . in some cases containers may be completely filled with ferrofluid , and even pressurized to provide special effects . in application speakers in novel shapes and sizes may be provided . one may , for example , make a life - size model of a person , with the head filled or partially filled with ferrofluid with a suspended magnet and appropriate coils , so the pseudo person may be made to speak without use of conventional speakers . there are many such novel applications and more will emerge as the technology is developed . in another embodiment the container of such a speaker may be transparent , so the magnet within and the ferrofluid may be visible through the walls of the container . the ferrofluid may have color . in some cases the container may be a colored plastic , and there may be one or more light sources inside the container coordinated in function with the signals provided by the excitation apparatus .	7
referring to fig1 , a recommendation system 100 provides recommendations 110 of items to users 106 in a user population 105 . the system is applicable to various domains of items . in the discussion below movies are used as an example domain . the approach also applies , for example , to music albums / cds , movies and tv shows on broadcast or subscriber networks , games , books , news , apparel , recreational travel , and restaurants . in the first version of the system described below , all items belong to only one domain . extensions to recommendation across multiple domains are feasible . the system maintains a state of knowledge 130 for items that can be recommended and for users for whom recommendations can be made . a scorer 125 uses this knowledge to generate expected ratings 120 for particular items and particular users . based on the expected ratings , a recommender 115 produces recommendations 110 for particular users 106 , generally attempting to recommend items that the user would value highly . to generate a recommendation 110 of items for a user 106 , recommendation system 100 draws upon that user &# 39 ; s history of use of the system , and the history of use of the system by other users . over time the system receives ratings 145 for items that users are familiar with . for example , a user can provide a rating for a movie that he or she has seen , possibly after that movie was previously recommended to that user by the system . the recommendation system also supports an elicitation mode in which ratings for items are elicited from a user , for example , by presenting a short list of items in an initial enrollment phase for the user and asking the user to rate those items with which he or she is familiar or allowing the user to supply a list of favorites . additional information about a user is also typically elicited . for example , the user &# 39 ; s demographics and the user &# 39 ; s explicit likes and dislikes on selected item attributes are elicited . these elicitation questions are selected to maximize the expected value of the information about the user &# 39 ; s preferences taking into account the effort required to elicit the answers from the user . for example , a user may find that it takes more “ effort ” to answer a question that asks how much he or she likes something as compared to a question that asks how often that user does a specific activity . the elicitation mode yields elicitations 150 . ratings 145 and elicitations 150 for all users of the system are included in an overall history 140 of the system . a state updater 135 updates the state of knowledge 130 using this history . this updating procedure makes use of statistical techniques , including statistical regression and bayesian parameter estimation techniques . recommendation system 100 makes use of explicit and implicit ( latent ) attributes of the recommendable items . item data 165 includes explicit information about these recommendable items . for example , for movies , such explicit information includes the director , actors , year of release , etc . an item attributizer 160 uses item data 165 to set parameters of the state of knowledge 130 associated with the items . item attributizer 160 estimates latent attributes of the items that are not explicit in item data 165 . users are indexed by n which ranges from 1 to n . each user belongs to one of a disjoint set of d cohorts , indexed by d . the system can be configured for various definitions of cohorts . for example , cohorts can be based on demographics of the users such as age or sex and on explicitly announced tastes on key broad characteristics of the items . alternatively , latent cohort classes can be statistically determined based on a weighted composite of demographics and explicitly announced tastes . the number and specifications of cohorts are chosen according to statistical criteria , such as to balance adequacy of observations per cohort , homogeneity within cohort , or heterogeneity between cohorts . for simplicity of exposition below , the cohort index d is suppressed in some equations and each user is assumed assigned on only one cohort . the set of users belonging to cohort d is denoted by d d . the system can be configured to not use separate cohorts in recommending items by essentially considering only a single cohort with d = 1 . referring to fig2 , state of knowledge 130 includes state of knowledge of items 210 , state of knowledge of users 240 , and state of knowledge of cohorts 270 . state of knowledge of items 210 includes separate item data 220 for each of the i recommendable items . data 220 for each item i includes k attributes , x ik , which are represented as a k - dimensional vector , x i 230 . each x ik is a numeric quantity , such as a binary number indicating presence or absence of a particular attribute , a scalar quantity that indicates the degree to which a particular attribute is present , or a scalar quantity that indicates the intensity of the attribute . data 220 for each item i also includes v explicit features , v ik , which are represented as a v - dimensional vector , v i 232 . as is discussed further below , some attributes x ik are deterministic functions of these explicit features and are termed explicit attributes , while other of the attributes x ik are estimated by item attributizer 160 based on explicit features of that item or of other items , and based on expert knowledge of the domain . for movies , examples of explicit features and attributes are the year of original release , its mpaa rating and the reasons for the rating , the primary language of the dialog , keywords in a description or summary of the plot , production / distribution studio , and classification into genres such as a romantic comedy or action sci - fi . examples of latent attributes are a degree of humor , of thoughtfulness , and of violence , which are estimated from the explicit features . state of knowledge of users 240 includes separate user data 250 for each of the n users . data for each user n includes an explicit user “ preference ” z nk for one or more attributes k . the set of preferences is represented as a k - dimensional vector , z n 265 . preference z nk indicates the liking of attribute k by user n relative to the typical person in the user &# 39 ; s cohort . attributes for which the user has not expressed a preference are represented by a zero value of z nk . a positive ( larger ) value z nk corresponds to higher preference ( liking ) relative to the cohort , and a negative ( smaller ) z nk corresponds to a preference against ( dislike ) for the attribute relative to the cohort . data 250 for each user n also includes statistically estimated parameters π n 260 . these parameters include a scalar quantity α n 262 and a k - dimensional vector β n 264 that represent the estimated ( expected ) “ taste ” of the user relative to the cohort which is not accounted for by their explicit preference . parameters α n 262 and β n 264 , together with the user &# 39 ; s explicit “ preference ” z n 265 , are used by scorer 125 in mapping an item &# 39 ; s attributes x i 230 to an expected rating of that item by that user . statistical parameters 265 for a user also include a v + 1 dimensional vector τ n 266 that are used by scorer 125 in weighting a combination of an expected rating for the item for the cohort to which the user belongs as well as explicit features v i 232 to the expected rating of that item by that user . statistical parameters π n 260 are represented as the stacked vector π n =[ α n , β ′ n , τ ′ n ]′ of the components described above . user data 250 also includes parameters characterizing the accuracy or uncertainty of the estimated parameters π n in the form of a precision ( inverse covariance ) matrix p n 268 . this precision matrix is used by state updater 135 in updating estimated parameters 260 , and optionally by scorer 125 in evaluating an accuracy or uncertainty of the expected ratings it generates . state of knowledge of cohorts 270 includes separate cohort data 280 for each of the d cohorts . this data includes a number of statistically estimated parameters that are associated with the cohort as a whole . a vector of regression coefficients p d 290 , which is of dimension 1 + k + v , is used by scorer 125 to map a stacked vector ( 1 , x ′ i , v ′ i )′ for an item i to a rating score for that item that is appropriate for the cohort as a whole . the cohort data also includes a k - dimensional vector γ d 292 that is used to weight the explicit preferences of members of that cohort . that is , if a user n has expressed an explicit preference for attribute k of z nk , and user n is in cohort d , then that product { tilde over ( z )} nk = z nk γ dk is used by scorer 125 in determining the contribution based on the user &# 39 ; s explicit ratings as compared to the contribution based on other estimated parameters , and in determining the relative contribution of explicit preferences for different of the k attributes . other parameters , including θ d 296 , η d 297 , and φ d 294 , are estimated by state updater 135 and used by scorer 125 in computing a contribution of a user &# 39 ; s cohort to the estimated rating . cohort data 280 also includes a cohort rating or fixed - effect vector f 298 , whose elements are the expected rating f id of each item i based on the sample histories of the cohort d that “ best ” represent a typical user of the cohort . finally , cohort data 280 includes a prior precision matrix p d 299 , which characterizes a prior distribution for the estimated user parameters π i 280 , which are used by state updater 125 as a starting point of a procedure to personalize parameters to an individual user . a discussion of how the various variables in state of knowledge 130 are determined is deferred to section 4 in which details of state updater 125 are presented . recommendation system 100 employs a model that associates a numeric variable r in to represent the cardinal preference of user n for item i . here r in can be interpreted as the rating the user has already given , or the unknown rating the user would give the item . in a specific version of the system that was implemented for validating experiments , these rating lie on a 1 to 5 scale . for eliciting ratings from the user , the system maps descriptive phrases , such as “ great ” or “ ok ” or “ poor ,” to appropriate integers in the valid scale . for an item i that a user n has not yet rated , recommendation system 100 treats the unknown rating r in that user n would give item i as a random variable . the decision on whether to recommend item i to user n at time t is based on state of knowledge 130 at that time . scorer 125 computes an expected rating { circumflex over ( r )} in 120 , based on the estimated statistical properties of r in , and also computes a confidence or accuracy of that estimate . the scorer 125 computes { circumflex over ( r )} in based on a number of sub - estimates that include : a . a cohort - based prior rating f id 310 , which is an element of f 298 . b . an explicit deviation 320 of user i &# 39 ; s rating relative to the representative or prototypical user of the cohort d to which the user belongs that is associated with explicitly elicited deviations in preferences for the attributes x i 230 for the item . these deviations are represented in the vector z n 265 . an estimated mapping vector γ d 292 for the cohort translates the deviations in preferences into rating units . c . an inferred deviation 330 of user i &# 39 ; s rating ( relative to the representative or prototypical user of the cohort d to which the user belongs taking into account the elicited deviations in preferences ) arises from any non - zero personal parameters , α n 262 , β n 264 , and τ n 266 , in the state of knowledge of users 130 . such non - zero estimates of the personal parameters are inferred from the history of ratings of the user i . this inferred ratings deviation is the inner product of the personal parameters with the attributes x i 230 , the cohort effect term f id 298 , and features v i 232 . the specific computation performed by scorer 125 is expressed as : r ^ in = ( f id ) + ( z ~ n ⁢ x i ) + ( α n + β n ⁢ x i + τ n ⁡ [ f id , v i ′ ] ′ ) = ( f id ) + ( z ~ n ⁢ x i ) + ( π n ⁡ [ 1 , x i ′ , f id , v i ′ ] ′ ) ( 1 ) here the three parenthetical terms correspond to the three components ( a .- c .) above , and { tilde over ( z )} n ≡ diag ( z n ) γ d ( i . e ., the direct product of z n and γ d ). note that multiplication of vectors denotes inner products of the vectors . as discussed further below , f id is computed as a combination of a number of cohort - based estimates as follows : f id = α d + θ id { overscore ( r )} i , d + η id { overscore ( r )} i ,\ d +( 1 − θ id − η id ) p d [ 1 , x ′ i , v ′ i ]′ ( 2 ) r _ i , d = ∑ m ∈ d d ⁢ r im / n i , d is the average rating for item i for users of the cohort , and { overscore ( r )} i ,\ d is the average rating for users outside the cohort . as discussed further below , parameters θ id and η id depend on an underlying set of estimated parameters φ d =( φ 1 , . . . , φ 4 ) 294 . along with the expected rating for an item , scorer 125 also provides an estimate of the accuracy of the expected rating , based on an estimate of the variance using the rating model . in particular , an expected rating { circumflex over ( r )} in is associated with a variance of the estimate σ in 2 which is computed using the posterior precision of the user &# 39 ; s parameter estimates . scorer 125 does not necessarily score all items in the domain . based on preferences elicited from a user , the item set is filtered based on the attributes for the item by the scorer before passing computing the expected ratings for the items and passing them to the recommender . cohort data 280 for each cohort d includes a cohort effect term f id for each item i . if there are sufficient ratings of item i by users belonging to d d , whose number is denoted by n i , d , then the cohort effect term f id can be efficiently estimated by the sample &# 39 ; s average rating , r _ i , d = ∑ m ∈ d d ⁢ r im / n i , d . in many instances , n i , d is insufficient and the value of the cohort effect term of the rating is only imprecisely estimated by the sample average of the ratings by other users in the cohort . a better finite - sample estimate of f id is obtained by combining the estimate due to { overscore ( r )} i , d with alternative estimators , which may not be as asymptotically efficient or perhaps not even converge . one alternative estimator employs ratings of item i by users outside of cohort d . let n i ,\ d denote the number of such ratings available for item i . suppose the cohorts are exchangeable in the sense that inference is invariant to permutation of cohort suffixes . this alternative estimator , the sample average of these n i ,\ d rating for item i users outside cohort , is denoted { overscore ( r )} 8 ,\ d . a second alternative estimator is a regression of r im on [ 1 , x ′ i , v ′ i ]′ yielding a vector of regression coefficients p d 290 . this regression estimator is important for items that have few ratings ( possibly zero , such as for brand new items ). all the parameter for the estimators , as well as parameters that determine the relative weights of the estimators , are estimated together using the following non - linear regression equation based on the sample of all ratings from the users of cohort d : r im = α d + θ id { overscore ( r )} i , d \ m + η id { overscore ( r )} i ,\ d +( 1 − θ id − η id )[ 1 , x ′ i , v ′ i ] p d + x i diag ( z m ) γ d + u im ( 3 ) here { overscore ( r )} i , d \ m is the mean rating for item i by users in cohort d excluding user m ; p d is interpretable as the vector of coefficients associated with the item &# 39 ; s attributes that can predict the average between - item variation in ratings without using information on the ratings assigned to the items by other users ( or when some of the items for whom prediction is sought are as yet unrated ). the weights θ id and η id are nonlinear functions of n i , d and n i ,\ d which depend on the underlying set of parameters φ d =( φ 1 , . . . , φ 4 ) 294 : θ id = n i , d n i , d + ϕ 1 / ( 1 + ϕ 2 ⁢ ⅇ - ϕ 3 ⁢ ln ⁢ n i , \ ⁢ d ) + ϕ4 , η id = ϕ 1 / ( 1 + ϕ 2 ⁢ ⅇ - ϕ 3 ⁢ ln ⁢ n i , \ ⁢ d ) n i , d + ϕ 1 / ( 1 + ϕ 2 ⁢ ⅇ - ϕ 3 ⁢ ln ⁢ n i , \ ⁢ d ) + ϕ4 the φ j &# 39 ; s are positive parameters to be estimated . note that the relative importance of { overscore ( r )} i , d \ m grows with n i , d . all the parameters in equation ( 3 ) are invariant across users in the cohort d . however , with small n □, d , even these parameters may not be precisely estimated . in such cases , an alternative is to impose exchangeability across cohorts for the coefficients of equation ( 3 ) and then draw strength from pooling the cohorts . modern bayesian estimation employing markov - chain monte - carlo methods are suitable with the practically valuable assumption of exchangeability . the key estimates obtained from fitting the non - linear regression ( 3 ) to the sample data , whether by classical methods for each cohort separately or by pooled bayesian estimation under assumptions of exchangeability , are : γ d , and the parameters that enable f id to be computed for different i . referring to fig4 , state updater 135 includes a cohort regression module 430 that computes the quantities γ d 292 , p d 290 , and the four scalar components of φ d =( φ 1 , φ 2 , φ 3 , φ 4 ) 294 using equation ( 2 ). based on these quantities , a cohort derived terms module 440 computes θ id 296 and η id 297 and from those f id 298 according to equation ( 2 ). state updater 135 also includes a bayesian updater 460 that updates parameters of user data 280 . in particular , bayesian updater 460 maintains an estimate π n =( α n , β ′ n , τ n )′ 260 , as well as a precision matrix p n 268 . the initial values of p n and π n are common to all users of a cohort . the value of π n is initially zero . the initial value of p n is computed by precision estimator 450 , and is a component for cohort data 280 , p d . the initial value of the precision matrix p n is obtained through a random coefficients implementation of equation ( 1 ) without the f id term . specifically , each user in a cohort is assumed to have coefficient that are a random draw from a fixed multivariate normal distribution whose parameters are to be estimated . in practice , the multivariate normal distribution is assumed to have a diagonal covariance matrix for simplicity . the means and the variances of the distribution are estimated using markov - chain monte - carlo methods common to empirical bayes estimation . the inverse of this estimated variance matrix is used as the initial precision matrix p n . parameters of state of users 250 are initially set when the cohort terms are updated and then incrementally updated at intervals thereafter . in the discussion below , time index t = 0 corresponds to the time of the estimation of the cohort terms , and a sequence of time indices t = 1 , 2 , 3 . . . correspond subsequent times at which user parameters are updated . state updater 135 has three sets of modules . a first set 435 , includes cohort regression module 430 and cohort derived terms module 440 . these modules are executed periodically , for example , once per week . other regular or irregular intervals are optionally used , for example , every hour , day , monthly , etc . a second set 436 includes precision estimator 450 . this module is generally executed less often that the others , for example , one a month . the third set 437 includes bayesian updater 460 . the user parameters are updated using this module as often as whenever a user rating is received , according to the number of ratings that have not been incorporated into the estimates , or periodically such as ever hour , day , week etc . the recommendation system is based on a model that treats each unknown rating r in ( i . e ., for an item i that user n has not yet rated ) as an unknown random variable . in this model random variable r in is a function of unknown parameters that are themselves treated as random variables . in this model , the user parameters π n =( α n , β ′ n , τ n )′ introduced above that are used to computer the expected rating { circumflex over ( r )} in are estimates of those unknown parameters . in this model , the true ( unknown random ) parameter π * n is distributed as a multivariate gaussian distribution with mean ( expected value ) π n and covariance p n − 1 , which can be represented as π * n □ n ( π n , p n − 1 ). r in =( f id )+( { tilde over ( z )} n x i )+( π * n [ 1 , x ′ i , f id , v ′ i ]′)+ ε in ( 4 ) where ε in is an error term , which is not necessarily independent and identically distributed for different values of i and n . for a user n who has rated item i with a rating r in , a residual term { hacek over ( r )} in reflects the component of the rating not accounted for by the cohort effect term , or the contribution of the user &# 39 ; s own preferences . the residual term has the form { hacek over ( r )} in = r in −( f id )−( { tilde over ( z )} n x i )= π * n [ 1 , x ′ i , f id , v ′ i ]′+ ε in as the system obtains more ratings by various users for various items , the estimate of the mean and the precision of that variable are updated . at time index t , using ratings up to time index t , the random parameters are distributed as π * n □ n ( π n ( t ) , p n ( t ) ). as introduced above , prior to taking into account any ratings by user n , the random parameters are distributed as π * n □ n ( 0 , p d ), that is , π n ( 0 ) = 0 and p n ( 0 ) = p d . at time index t + 1 , the system has received a number of ratings of items by users n , which we denote h , that have not yet been incorporated into the estimates of the parameters π n ( t ) and p n ( t ) . an h - dimensional ( column ) vector { hacek over ( r )} n is formed from the h residual terms , and the corresponding stacked vectors ( 1 , x ′ i , f id , v ′ i )′ form a h - column by 2 + k + v - row matrix a . the updated estimate of the parameters π n ( t + 1 ) and p n ( t + 1 ) given { hacek over ( r )} n and a and the prior parameter values π n ( t ) and p n ( t ) are found by the bayesian formulas : π n ( t + 1 ) =( p n ( t ) + a ′ a ) − 1 ( p n ( t ) π n ( t ) + a ′{ hacek over ( r )} n ), p n ( t + 1 ) = p n ( t ) + a ′ a ( 5 ) equation ( 5 ) is applied at time index t = 1 to incorporate all the user &# 39 ; s history of ratings prior to that time . for example , time index t = 1 is immediately after the update to the cohort parameters , and subsequent time indices correspond to later times when subsequent of the user &# 39 ; s ratings incorporated . in an alternative approach , equation ( 5 ) is reapplied using t = 1 repeatedly starting from the prior estimate and incorporating the user &# 39 ; s complete rating history . this alternative approach provides a mechanism for removing ratings from the user &# 39 ; s history , for example , if the user re - rates an item , or explicitly withdraws a past rating . referring to fig1 - 2 , item attributizer 160 determines data 220 for each item i . as introduced above , data 220 for each item i includes k attributes , x ik , which are represented as k - dimensional vector , x i 230 , and v features , v ik , which are represented as v - dimensional vector , v i 232 . the specifics of the procedure used by item attributizer 160 depends , in general , on the domain of the items . the general structure of the approach is common to many domains . information available to item attributizer 160 for a particular item includes values of a number of numerical fields or variables , as well as a number of text fields . the output attribute x ik corresponds to features of item i for which a user may express an implicit or explicit preference . examples of such attributes include “ thoughtfulness ,” “ humor ,” and “ romance .” the output features v ik may be correlated with a user &# 39 ; s preference for the item , but for which the user would not in general express an explicit preference . an example of such an attribute is the number or fraction of other users that have rated the item . in a movie domain , examples of input variables associated with a movie include its year of release , its mpaa rating , the studio that released the film , and the budget of the film . examples of text fields are plot keywords , keyword that the movie is an independent - film , text that explains the mpaa rating , and a text summary of the film . the vocabularies of the text fields are open , in the range of 5 , 000 words for plot keywords and 15 , 000 words for the summaries . as is described further below , the words in the text fields are stemmed and generally treated as unordered sets of stemmed words . ( ordered pairs / triplets of stemmed words can be treated as unique meta - words if appropriate .) attributes x ik are divided into two groups : explicit attributes and latent ( implicit ) attributes . explicit attributes are deterministic functions of the inputs for an item . examples of such explicit attributes include indicator variables for the various possible mpaa ratings , an age of the film , or an indicator that it is a recent release . latent attributes are estimated from the inputs for an item using one of a number of statistical approaches . latent attributes form two groups , and a different statistical approach is used for attributes in each of the groups . one approach uses a direct mapping of the inputs to an estimate of the latent attribute , while the other approach makes use of a clustering or hierarchical approach to estimating the latent attributes in the group . in the first statistical approach , a training set of items are labeled by a person familiar with the domain with a desired value of a particular latent attribute . an example of such a latent attribute is an indication of whether the film is an “ independent ” film . for this latent variable , although an explicit attribute could be formed based on input variables for the film ( e . g ., the producing / distributing studio &# 39 ; s typical style or movie budget size ), a more robust estimate is obtained by treating the attribute as latent and incorporating additional inputs . parameters of a posterior probability distribution pr ( attr . k \| input i ), or equivalently the expected value of the indicator variable for the attribute , are estimated based on the training set . a logistic regression approach is used to determine this posterior probability . a robust screening process selects the input variables for the logistic regressions from the large candidate set . in the case of the “ independent ” latent attribute , pre - fixed inputs include the explicit text indicator that the movie is independent - film and the budget of the film . the value of the latent attribute for films outside the training set is then determined as the score computed by the logistic regression ( i . e ., a number between 0 and 1 ) given the input variables for such items . in the second statistical approach , items are associated with clusters , and each cluster is associated with a particular vector of scores of the latent attributes . all relevant vectors of latent scores for real movies are assumed to be spanned by positively weighted combinations of the vectors associated with the clusters . this is expressed as : e ( s ik \| inputs of i )= σ c s ck × pr ( i ε cluster c \| inputs of i ) where s □ k denotes the latent score on attribute k , and e (□) denotes the mathematical expectation . the parameters of the probability functions on the right - hand side of the equation are estimated using a training set of items . specifically , a number of items are grouped into clusters by one or more persons with knowledge of the domain , hereafter called “ editors .” in the case of movies , approximately 1800 movies are divided into 44 clusters . for each cluster , a number of prototypical items are identified by the editors who set values of the latent attributes for those prototypical items , i . e ., s ck . parameters of probability , pr ( i ε cluster c \| inputs of i ), are estimated using a hierarchical logistic regression . the clusters are divided into a two - level hierarchy in which each cluster is uniquely assigned to a higher - level cluster by the editors . in the case of movies , the 44 clusters are divided into 6 higher - level clusters , denoted c , and the probability of membership is computed using a chain rule as pr ( cluster c \| input i )= pr ( cluster c \| cluster c , input i ) pr ( cluster c \| input i ) the right - hand side probabilities are estimated using a multinomial logistic regression framework . the inputs to the logistic regression are based on the numerical and categorical input variables for the item , as well as a processed form of the text fields . in order to reduce the data in the text fields , for each higher - level cluster c , each of the words in the vocabulary is categories into one of a set of discrete ( generally overlapping ) categories according to the utility of the word in discriminating between membership in that category versus membership in some other category ( i . e ., a 2 - class analysis for each cluster ). the words are categorized as “ weak ,” “ medium ,” or “ strong .” the categorization is determined by estimating parameters of a logistic function whose inputs are counts for each of the words in the vocabulary occurring in each of the text fields for an item , and the output is the probability of belonging to the cluster . strong words are identified by corresponding coefficients in the logistic regression having large ( absolute ) values , and medium and weak words are identified by corresponding coefficients having values in lower ranges . alternatively , a jackknife procedure is used to assess the strength of the words . judgments of the editors are also incorporated , for example , by adding or deleting works or changing the strength of particular words . the categories for each of the clusters are combined to form a set of overlapping categories of words . the input to the multinomial logistic function is then the count of the number of words in each text field in each of the categories ( for all the clusters ). in the movie example with 6 higher - level categories , and three categories of word strength , this results in 18 counts being input to the multinomial logistic function . in addition to these counts , additional inputs that are based on the variables for the item are added , for example , an indicator of the genre of a film . the same approach is repeated independently to compute pr ( cluster c \| cluster c , input i ) for each of the clusters c . that is , this procedure for mapping the input words to a fixed number of features is repeated for each of the specific clusters , with different with different categorization of the words for each of the higher - level clusters . with c higher - level clusters , an additional c multinomial logistic regression function are determined to compute the probabilities pr ( cluster c \| cluster c , input i ). note that although the training items are identified as belonging to a single cluster , in determining values for the latent attributes for an item , terms corresponding to each of the clusters contribute to the estimate of the latent attribute , weighted by the estimate of membership in each of the clusters . the v explicit features , v ik , are estimated using a similar approach as used for the attributes . in the movie domain , in one version of the system , these features are limited to deterministic functions of the inputs for an item . alternatively , procedures analogous to the estimation of latent attributes can be used to estimate additional features . referring to fig1 , recommender 115 takes as inputs values of expected ratings of items by a user and creates a list of recommended items for that user . the recommender performs a number of functions that together yield the recommendation that is presented to the user . a first function relates to the difference in ranges of ratings that different users may give . for example , one user may consistently rate items higher or lower than another . that is , their average rating , or their rating on a standard set of items may differ significantly from than for other users . a user may also use a wider or narrower range of rating than other users . that is , the variance of their ratings or the sample variance of a standard set of items may differ significantly from other users . before processing the expected ratings for items produced by the scorer , the recommender normalizes the expected ratings to a universal scale by applying a user - specific multiplicative and an additive scaling to the expected ratings . the parameters of these scalings are determined to match the average and standard deviation on a standard set of items to desired target values , such as an average of 3 and a standard deviation of 1 . this standard set of items is chosen such that for a chosen size of the standard set ( e . g ., 20 items ) the value of the determinant of x ′ x is maximized , where x is formed as a matrix whose columns are the attribute vectors x i for the items i in the set . this selection of standard items provides an efficient sampling of the space of items based on differences in their attribute vectors . the coefficients for this normalization process are stored with other data for the user . the normalized expected rating , and its associated normalized variance are denoted { circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} in and { tilde over ( σ )} in 2 . a second function is performed by the scorer is to limit the items to consider based on a preconfigured floor value of the normalized expected rating . for example , items with normalized expected ratings lower than 1 are discarded . a third function performed by the recommender is to combine the normalized expected rating with its ( normalized ) variance as well as some editorial inputs to yield a recommendation score , s in . specifically , the recommendation score is computed by the recommender as : s in ={ circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} in − φ 1 , n { tilde over ( σ )} in + φ 2 , n x i + φ 3 e id the term φ 1 , n represents a weighting of the risk introduced by an error in the rating estimate . for example , an item with a high expected rating but also a high variance in the estimate is penalized for the high variance based on this term . optionally , this term is set by the user explicitly based on a desired “ risk ” in the recommendations , or is varied as the user interacts with the system , for instance starting at a relatively high value and being reduced over time . the term φ 2 , n represents a “ trust ” term . the inner product of this term with attributes x i is used to increase the score for popular items . one use of this term is to initially increase the recommendation score for generally popular items , thereby building trust in the user . over time , the contribution of this term is reduced . the third term φ 3 e id represents an “ editorial ” input . particular items can optionally have their recommendation score increased or decreased based on editorial input . for example , a new film which is expected to be popular in a cohort but for which little data is available could have the corresponding term e id set to a non - zero value . the scale factor φ 3 determines the degree of contribution of the editorial inputs . editorial inputs can also be used to promote particular items , or to promote relatively profitable items , or items for which there is a large inventory . when a new user first begins using the system , the system elicits information from the new user to begin the personalization process . the new user responds to a set of predetermined elicitation queries 155 producing elicitations 150 , which are used as part of the history for the user that is used in estimating user - specific parameters for that user . initially , the new user is asked his or her age , sex , and optionally is asked a small number of additional questions to determine their cohort . for example , in the movie domain , an additional question related to whether the watch independent films is asked . from these initial questions , the user &# 39 ; s cohort is chosen and fixed . for each cohort , a small number of items are pre - selected and the new user is asked to rate any of these items with which he or she is familiar . these ratings initialize the user &# 39 ; s history or ratings . given the desired number of such items , with is typically set in the range of 10 - 20 , the system pre - selects the items to maximize the determinant of the matrix x ′ x where the columns of x are the stacked attribute and feature vectors ( x ′ i v ′ i )′ for the items . the new user is also asked a number of questions , which are used to determine the value of the user &# 39 ; s preference vector z n . each question is designed to determine a value for one ( or possibly more ) of the entries in the preference vector . some preferences are used by the scorer to filter out items from the choice set , for example , if the user response “ never ” to a question such as “ do you ever watch horror films ?” in addition to these questions , some preferences are set by rule for a cohort , for example , to avoid recommending r - rated films for a teenager who does not like science fiction , based on an observation that these tastes are correlated in teenagers . the approach described above , the correlation structure of the error term ε in in equation ( 4 ) is not taken into account in computing the expected rating { circumflex over ( r )} in . one or both of two additional terms are introduced based on an imposed structure of the error term that relates to closeness of different items and closeness of different users . in particular , an approach to effectively modeling and taking into account the correlation structure of the error terms is used to improve the expected rating using was can be viewed as a combination of user - based and an item - based collaborative filtering term . an expected rating { circumflex over ( r )} in for item i and user n is modified based on actual ratings that have been provided by that user for other items j and actual ratings for item i by other users m in the same cohort . specifically , the new rating is computed as { circumflex over ({ circumflex over ( r )})} in ={ circumflex over ( r )} in + σ j { circumflex over ( λ )} ij { circumflex over ( ε )} jn + σ m { circumflex over ( ω )} mn { circumflex over ( ε )} im where { circumflex over ( ε )} in ≡{ circumflex over ( r )} in − r in are fitted residual values based on the expected and actual ratings . the terms λ =[{ circumflex over ( λ )} ij ] and ω =[{ circumflex over ( ω )} ij ] are structured to allow estimation of a relative small number of free parameters . this modeling approach is essentially equivalent to gathering the errors ε in in a i □ n - dimensional vector ε and forming an error covariance as e ( εε ′)= λ ω . one approach to estimating these terms is to assume that the entries of λ have the form { circumflex over ( λ )} ij ={ circumflex over ( λ )} 0 { circumflex over ( λ )} ij where the terms { tilde over ( λ )} ij are precomputed terms that are treated as constants , and the scalar term { circumflex over ( λ )} 0 is estimated . similarly , the other term assumes that the entries of ω have the form { circumflex over ( ω )} mn ={ circumflex over ( ω )} 0 { circumflex over ( ω )} mn . one approach to precomputing the constants is as { tilde over ( λ )} ij =\|\| x i − x j \|\| where the norm is optionally computed using the absolute differences of the attributes ( l1 norm ), using a euclidean norm ( l2 norm ), or using a covariance weighted norm using a covariance σ β is the covariance matrix of the taste parameters of the users in the cohort . in the analogous approach , the terms { tilde over ( ω )} ij represent similarity between users and is computed as \|\| δ nm \|\|, where δ nm ≡( β n + z n γ )−( β m + z m γ ). a covariance - weighted norm , δ ′ nm σ x δ nm , uses σ x , which is the covariance matrix of the attributes of items in the domain , and the scaling idea here is that dissimilarity is more important for those tastes associated with attributes having greater variation across items ; another approach to computing the constant terms uses a bayesian regression approach using e ({ circumflex over ( ε )} im \|{ circumflex over ( ε )} jm )= λ ij { circumflex over ( ε )} jm . the residuals are based on all users in the same cohort who rate both items i and j , λ ij ˜ n ( λ ij 0 , σ λ ) and λ ij 0 is specified based on prior information about the closeness of items of type i and j ( for example , the items share a known common attribute ( e . g ., director of movie ) that was not included in the model &# 39 ; s x i or the preference - weighted distance between their attributes is unusually high / low ). the bayesian regression for estimating the λ ij - parameters may provide the best estimate but is computationally expensive . it employs { circumflex over ( ε )}&# 39 ; s to ensure good estimates of the parameters associated with the error - structure of equation ( 4 ). to obtain the { circumflex over ( ε )}&# 39 ; s in practice for these regressions when no preliminary λ ij values have been computed , the approach ignores the error - correlation structure ( i . e ., λ ij 0 = 0 ) and compute the individual - specific idiosyncratic coefficients of equation ( 4 ) for each individual in the sample given the cohort function . the residuals from the personalized regressions are the { circumflex over ( ε )}&# 39 ; s . regardless , the λ ij - parameters can always be conveniently pre - computed since they do not depend on user n for whom the recommendations are desired . that is , the computations of the λ ij - parameters are conveniently done off - line and not in real - time when specific recommendations are being sought . similarly , the bayesian regression e ({ circumflex over ( ε )} jn \|{ circumflex over ( ε )} jm )= ω nm { circumflex over ( ε )} jm , where the residuals are based on equation is based on all items that have been jointly rated by users m and n . the regression method may not prove as powerful here since the number of items that are rated in common by both users may be small ; moreover , since there are many users , real time computation of n regressions may be costly . to speed up the process , the users can optionally be clustered into g □ n groups or equivalently the ω matrix can be factorized with g factors . in a first alternative recommendation approach , the system described above optionally provides recommendations for a group of users . the members of the group may come from different cohorts , may have histories of rating different items , and indeed , some of the members may not have rated any items at all . the general approach to such joint recommendation is to combine the normalized expected ratings { circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} in for each item for all users n in a group g . in general , in specifying the group , different members of the group are identified by the user soliciting the recommendation as more “ important ” resulting in a non - uniform weighting according to coefficients ω ng , where σ nεg ω ng = 1 . if all members of the group are equally “ important ,” the system sets the weights equal to ω ng =\| g \| − 1 . the normalized expected joint rating is then computed as { circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} ig = σ nεg ω ng { circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} in joint recommendation scores s ig are then computed for each item for the group incorporating risk , trust , and editorial terms into weighting coefficients φ k , g where the group as a whole is treated as a composite “ user ”: s ig ={ circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} ig − φ 1 , g { tilde over ( σ )} ig + φ 2 , g x i + φ 3 e ig the risk term is conveniently the standard deviation ( square root of variance ) { tilde over ( σ )} ig , where the variance for the normalized estimate is computed accord to the weighted sum of individual variances of the members of the group . as with individual users , the coefficients are optionally varied over time to introduce different contributions for risk and trust terms as the users &# 39 ; confidence in the system increases with the length of their experience of the system . alternatively , the weighted combination is performed after recommendation scores for individual users s in are computed . that is , computation of a joint recommendation on behalf of one user requires accessing information about other users in the group . the system implements a two - tiered password system in which a user &# 39 ; s own information in protected by a private password . in order for another user to use that user &# 39 ; s information to derive a group recommendation , the other user requires a “ public ” password . with the public password , the other user can incorporate the user &# 39 ; s information into a group recommendation , but cannot view information such as the user &# 39 ; s history of ratings , or even generate a recommendation specifically for that user . in another alternative approach to joint recommendation , recommendations for each user are separately computed , and the recommendation for the group includes at least a best recommendation for each use in the group . similarly , items that fall below a threshold score for any user are optionally removed from the joint recommendation list for the group . a conflict between a highest scoring item for one user in the group that scores below the threshold for some other user is resolved in one of a number of ways , for example , by retaining the item as a candidate . the remaining recommendations are then included according to their weighted ratings or scores as described above . yet other alternatives include computing joint ratings from individual ratings using a variety of statistics , such as the maximum , the minimum , or the median individual ratings for the items . the groups are optionally predefined in the system , for example , corresponding to a family , a couple , or some other social unit . the system described above can be applied to identifying “ similar ” users in addition to ( or alternatively instead of ) providing recommendations of items to individuals or groups of users . the similarity between users is used to can be applied to define a user &# 39 ; s affinity group . one measure of similarity between individual users is based on a set of standard items , j . these items are chosen using the same approach as described above to determine standard items for normalizing expected ratings , except here the users are not necessarily taken from one cohort since an affinity group may draw users from multiple cohorts . for each user , a vector of expected ratings for each of the standard items is formed , and the similarity between a pair of users is defined as a distance between the vector of ratings on the standard items . for instance , a euclidean distance between the ratings vectors is used . the size of an affinity group is determined by a maximum distance between users in a group , or by a maximum size of the group . affinity groups are used for a variety of purposes . a first purpose relates to recommendations . a user can be provided with actual ( as opposed to expected ) recommendations of other members of his or her affinity group . another purpose is to request ratings for an affinity group of another user . for example , a user may want to see ratings of items from an affinity group of a well known user . another purpose is social rather than directly recommendation - related . a user may want to find other similar people , for example , to meet or communicate with . for example , in a book domain , a user may want to join a chat group of users with similar interests . computing an affinity group for a user in real time can be computationally expensive due to the computation of the pair wise user similarities . an alternative approach involves precomputing data that reduces the computation required to determine the affinity group for an individual user . one approach to precomputing such data involves mapping the rating vector on the standard items for each user into a discrete space , for example , by quantizing each rating in the rating vector , for example , into one of three levels . for example , with 10 items in the standard set , and three levels of rating , the vectors can take on one of 3 10 values . an extensible hash is constructed to map each observed combination of quantized ratings to a set of users . using this precomputed hash table , in order to compute an affinity group for a user , users with similar quantized rating vectors are located by first considering users with the identical quantized ratings . if there are insufficient users with the same quantized ratings , the least “ important ” item in the standard set is ignored and the process repeated , until there are sufficient users in the group . alternative approaches to forming affinity groups involve different similarity measures based on the individuals &# 39 ; statistical parameters . for example , differences between users &# 39 ; parameter vectors π ( taking into account the precision of the estimates ) can be used . also , other forms of pre - computation of groups can be used . for example , clustering techniques ( e . g ., agglomerative clustering ) can be used to identify groups that are then accessed when the affinity group for a particular user is needed . alternatively , affinity groups are limited to be within a single cohort , or within a predefined number of “ similar ” cohorts . in alternative embodiments of the system , the modeling approach described above for providing recommendations to users is used for selecting targeted advertising for those users , for example in the form of personalized on - line “ banner ” ads or paper or electronic direct mailings . in another alternative embodiment of the system , the modeling approach described above for providing recommendations to users is used to find suitable gifts for known other users . here the information is typically limited . for example , limited information on the targets for the gift may be demographics or selected explicit tastes such that the target may be explicitly or probabilistically classified into explicit or latent cohorts . in another alternative embodiment , users may be assigned to more than one cohort , and their membership may be weighted or fractional in each cohort . cohorts may be based on partitioning users by directly observable characteristics , such as demographics or tastes , or using statistical techniques such as using estimated regression models employing latent classes . latent class considerations offer two important advantages : first , latent cohorts will more fully utilize information on the user ; and , second , the number of cohorts can be significantly reduced since users are profiled by multiple membership in the latent cohorts rather than a single membership assignment . specifically , we obtain a cohort - membership model that generates user - specific probabilities for user n to belong to latent cohort d , pr ( n ε d d \| demographics of user n , z n ). here user n &# 39 ; s explicitly elicited tastes are z n . estimates of pr ( n ε d d \| demographics of user n , z n ) are obtained by employing a latent class regression that extends equation ( 3 ) above . while demanding , this computation is off - line and infrequent . with latent cohorts , the scorer 125 uses a modification of the inputs indicated in equation ( 1 ): for example , f id is replaced by the weighted average ∑ d = 1 d ⁢ pr ⁡ ( n ∈ d \| demographics , z n ) × f id . for the scores , the increased burden with latent cohorts is very small , which allows the personalized recommendation system to remain very scalable . the approach described above considers a single domain of items , such as movies or books . in an alternative system , multiple domains are jointly considered by the system . in this way , a history in one domain contributes to recommendations for items in the other domain . one approach to this is to use common attribute dimensions in the explicit and latent attributes for items . it is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention , which is defined by the scope of the appended claims . other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims .	6
with reference now to the drawings , and in particular to fig1 to 6 thereof , a new and improved process for abatement of asbestos fibers embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 through 15 will be described . more specifically , it will be noted that the process for abatement of asbestos fibers essentially comprises a heating of cyanoacrylate to volatility wherein a fuming of the cyanoacrylate is effected . the fuming of the chemical effects a bonding and encapsulating of the asbestos fibers within a finite area , such as a room to be treated . it should be noted that cyanoacrylate is available under commercial names such as &# 34 ; zapagap &# 34 ; ( t . m .) by pacer tech . or &# 34 ; scotchweld &# 34 ; by 3m corporation . while a physical heating of the cyanoacrylate is set forth , it may be noted that a chemical catalyst may be employed but the use of physical heating will be more specifically described . fig1 as illustrated and depicted by numeral 10 , sets forth a first step of the invention where predetermined surfaces of a treatment zone , or room , is sealed with a plasticlike film or other suitable non - porous material to cover items such as window openings , interior door sills , electrical fixtures , air ventilation face plates , and the like . fig2 illustrates an interior surface of the room wherein the various portions thereof not to be coated by the fuming of the cyanoacrylate is illustrated and depicted by numeral 11 . numeral 12 per fig3 illustrates a subsequent step of positioning a portable heating unit 16 within the interior of the room to be treated with an associated electrical resistance heating element 17 and electrical cord 18 . a timer unit 19 of conventional and commercial availability is utilized to enable a user to leave the treatment area prior to heating of the cyanoacrylate . subsequent to the heating unit 16 being electrically associated with an appropriate electrical outlet 22 , a container 20 , as illustrated in fig4 and depicted by numeral 13 , is positioned on the electrical resistance heating element 17 . thereafter , liquid cyanoacrylate is deposited within the container 20 . it has been found desirable to utilize approximately 1 to 2 drops of cyanoacrylate 21 deposited within container 20 per liter of volume of the treatment area , or room as illustrated . the cyanoacrylate is heated to an elevated temperature to effect vaporization where it has been found that temperature to exceed 80 degrees c . has been found suitable with 100 degrees c . heating desirable . fig5 illustrates the fuming of the liquid cyanoacrylate to create a vaporous fuming 23 wherein the interior walls of the area to be treated are thereby coated and accordingly entrap and encapsulate asbestos fibers and seal the walls against asbestos fibers within the treatment area . it should be understood , however , should physical destruction of the seal of cyanoacrylate take place subsequent to treatment , a resealing and retreatment of the room may be deemed desirable . fuming of the cyanoacrylate tends to encapsulate airborne asbestos fibers within the room to effect their removal therefrom . fig6 is illustrative of the treatment area subsequent to fuming wherein the cyanoacrylate has been given ample time to dry where it has been deemed desirable to allow at least ten minutes to an hour to effect drying as cyanoacrylate vapors dry very rapidly , but due to their potentially harmful effects upon humans , it is desirable to allow adequate time for the drying procedure to take place whereupon removal of the sealing medium , depicted as numerals 24 , may then be removed . the manner of usage and operation of the instant invention therefore should be apparent from the above description and accordingly , no further discussion relative to the manner of usage and operation will be provided . with respect to the above description then , it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention , to include variations in size , materials , shape , form , function and manner of operation , assembly and use , are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art , and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention . therefore , the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . further , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described , and accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , falling within the scope of the invention .	1
turning now to the drawings , fig1 shows some of the operational components used in the computing environment of the preferred embodiment of the present invention . computer system 100 is an enhanced ibm iseries computer system , although other computer systems could be used . depicted components include : main memory 105 , processor 130 , mass storage 135 , network interface 140 , and user interface 145 . processor 130 is a powerpc processor used in iseries computer systems , which is used in the preferred embodiments in the conventional way . main memory 105 is also used in the preferred embodiments in the conventional manner . mass storage 135 is used in fig1 to represent one or more secondary storage devices such as magnetic or optical media . network interface 140 is used to communicate with other computer systems , while user interface 145 is used to accept commands and relay information to the one or more users of computer system 100 . shown within main memory 105 is operating system 125 . operating system 125 is that known in the industry as ibm i5 / os . shown utilizing operating system 125 are applications 110 and database engine 115 . applications 110 are programs that make use of the facilities provided by database engine 115 , which is responsible for providing managed access to information stored on computer system 100 . shown within database engine 115 is normalizer 120 . normalizer 120 , which is described in more detail in subsequent paragraphs , is responsible for generating database indices , which themselves provide more efficient access to information stored on the system . it should be noted that while normalizer 120 is shown and described herein as a separate entity for the purposes of explanation , it could well be incorporated into database engine 115 . it should be noted that while the inventors have set forth a specific hardware platform within this specification , the present invention and the preferred embodiments should be considered fully applicable to other platforms . it should be further understood that while the embodiments of the present invention are being described herein in the context of a complete system , the program mechanisms described ( e . g ., database engine 115 , and normalizer 120 ) are capable of being distributed in program product form . of course , a program product can be distributed using different types of signal bearing media , including , but not limited to : recordable - type media such as floppy disks , cd roms , and memory sticks ; and transmission - type media such as digital and analog communications links . it should also be understood that embodiments of the present invention may be delivered as part of a service engagement with a client company , nonprofit organization , government entity , internal organizational structure , or the like . aspects of these embodiments may include configuring a computer system to perform , and deploying software systems and web services that implement , some or all of the methods described herein . aspects of these embodiments may also include analyzing the client company , creating recommendations responsive to the analysis , generating software to implement portions of the recommendations , integrating the software into existing processes and infrastructure , metering use of the methods and systems described herein , allocating expenses to users , and billing users for their use of these methods and systems . fig2 shows a database index created in accordance with prior art index building mechanisms . as shown , several players have a weight that is mathematically equal to 200 lbs . note , however , that precise values have been brought forward from table 220 into index 215 . therefore , when a user issues a query against table 220 to find all players with a weight of 200 lbs , the user must individually check each “ 200 entry ” to determine which records actually satisfy their query . said another way , the user must check ( i . e ., though a more complicated query , mathematical comparisons , or manually ) each and every possible representation of 200 ( i . e ., 200 , 200 . 0 , 200 . 00 , etc .) to actually determine which records are mathematically equivalent to the value 200 . this , of course , represents additional time and effort on the part of the user . another problem with the prior art approach ( not shown on fig2 ) is the difficulty associated with collating precise values . each data type used in an index requires a collation order that creates a unique representation for each distinct value such that the representation for value a appears earlier in the index than the representation for value b if , and only if , value a is less than or equal to value b . because an index may be built over multiple columns of a database with differing data types ( i . e ., multiple keys ), the key values for each record are usually converted to character form , and the multiple character strings appended together to form the overall index key . in the presence of cohorts , developing a correct collation ordering scheme can be difficult . for example , the character representation for 2 . 000 must be lexically less than the character representation for 2 . 1 , even though the former has more digits . furthermore , the database designer must decide whether 2 . 0 is less than 2 . 000 or vice versa , since all distinct values must compare unequal . these difficulties have solutions , but they pose a nuisance . fig3 shows how the database index of fig2 would appear if created in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown , the precise values of table 220 have not been brought forward into index 315 . thus , the user &# 39 ; s query results simply show that players smith , jones , lamps , and stens each weigh 200 lbs . the user did not need to check each value against the whole set of possible representations to arrive at this conclusion . from a collating standpoint , each index value can be collated using standard character - based techniques because the one or more trailing zeros of the weight values of players smith lamps , and stens need not be considered . if the user was particularly interested in the precise values of table 220 , for example only those players whose weight was listed as 200 . 00 , the user would simply include the precise keyword as part of the query . this would cause the mechanism of the preferred embodiment to filter the returned results such that only the records for players smith and lamps were returned . fig4 is a flow diagram showing highlighted steps used to create and update database indexes according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . ( note here that the acts of creating an index and updating an index both involve placing one or more entries .) normalizer 120 of the preferred embodiment receives an index related request in block 400 . this request is generated whenever a new index is being built by database engine 115 or whenever a new index entry is needed . if the index already exists , it is retrieved in block 410 , prior to normalization step 420 . if the index does not exist , normalizer 120 proceeds directly to normalization step 420 . normalizer 120 normalizes the value associated with the identified key value . in the preferred embodiment , values are normalized by stripping off trailing zeros , although those skilled in the art appreciate that other approaches could be used . the normalized value is then inserted into the index [ block 425 ]. blocks 420 and 425 are then repeated for each key value . it should be noted that new indexes and updates to existing indexes may each involve multiple key values . the processing of normalizer 120 then ends in block 435 after all of the keys have been normalized and inserted in the index . fig5 is a flow diagram showing highlighted steps used to process queries according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . queries are received in block 500 . the query is parsed to determine if the keyword precise has been specified . in the preferred embodiment , the precise keyword has been added to the grammar of the query mechanism of computer system 100 ( i . e ., structured query language ( sql ) of the preferred embodiment ); however , those skilled in the art appreciate that other terms and methods could be used that would effectively identify the need to examine the actual column values instead of relying solely on the normalized values in the index . the argument of the precise keyword is then compared to the actual to - be - returned value [ block 515 ] and presents [ block 510 ] only those records to the user having values that precisely match that specified in the argument . processing then ends in block 520 . the embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order to best explain the present invention and its practical application and to thereby enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention . however , those skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purposes of illustration and example only . thus , the description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims .	6
a preferred embodiment of a pinion shaft - supporting ball bearing of the present invention ( that is , a ball bearing for supporting a pinion shaft of a differential apparatus ) will now be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a cross - sectional view roughly showing the construction of the differential apparatus , fig2 is an enlarged cross - sectional view showing a condition in which pinion shaft - supporting double row ball bearings are used , and fig3 is a an enlarged cross - sectional view showing the double row ball bearing alone . first , the overall construction of the differential apparatus 1 will be described . as shown in fig1 , the differential apparatus 1 includes a differential case 2 . this differential case 2 comprises a front case 3 and a rear case 4 , and the two cases 3 and 4 are connected together by a bolt / nut arrangement 2 a . bearing - mounting annular walls 27 a and 27 b are formed within the front case 3 . the differential case 2 contains a differential speed - change mechanism 5 connecting right and left wheels together in a differential manner , and a pinion shaft ( drive pinion ) 7 having a pinion gear 6 formed at one end thereof . the pinion gear 6 is in mesh with a ring gear 8 of the differential speed - change mechanism 5 . a shaft portion 9 of the pinion shaft 7 is stepped to decrease in diameter sequentially toward the other end thereof . the one end portion ( pinion gear - side portion ) of the shaft portion 9 of the pinion shaft 7 is supported on the annular wall 27 a via the first double row angular contact ball bearing ( hereinafter referred to merely as “ double row ball bearing ”) 10 so as to rotate about an axis of the pinion shaft . also , the other end portion ( anti - pinion - gear - side portion ) of the shaft portion 9 is supported on the annular wall 27 b via the second double row angular contact ball bearing ( hereinafter referred to merely as “ double row ball bearing ”) 25 so as to rotate about the axis of the pinion shaft . as shown in fig2 , the first double row ball bearing 10 comprises a single first outer ring member 11 having a pinion gear - side larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 a and an anti - pinion - gear - side smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 b , and a first assembly 21 . the first double row ball bearing 10 is assembled by mounting the first assembly 21 onto the first outer ring member 11 in the direction of the axis of the pinion shaft and also in a direction away from the pinion gear . the first outer ring member 11 is fitted on an inner peripheral surface of the annular wall 27 a . a counter - bored outer ring is used as this first outer ring member 11 . the first outer ring member 11 has a flat surface portion 11 c formed between the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 a and the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 b , and this flat surface portion 11 c is larger in diameter than the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 b , and is continuous with the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 a . with this construction , the inner peripheral surface of the first outer ring member 11 is formed into a slanting shape . the first assembly 21 comprises a single first inner ring member 13 having a larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 a opposed to the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 a of the first outer ring member 11 in the radial direction and a smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 b opposed to the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 b in the radial direction , a pinion gear - side larger - diameter - side ball group 15 , an anti - pinion - gear - side smaller - diameter - side ball group 16 , a resin - made cage 19 holding balls 17 ( forming the ball group 15 ) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction , and a resin - made cage 20 holding balls 18 ( forming the ball group 16 ) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction . a counter - bored inner ring is used as the first inner ring member 13 . the pinion shaft 7 is passed through the first inner ring member 13 . the first inner ring member 13 has a flat surface portion 13 c formed between the larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 a and the smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 b , and this flat surface portion 13 c is larger in diameter than the smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 b , and is continuous with the larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 a . with this construction , the outer peripheral surface of the first inner ring member 13 is formed into a stepped shape . an end surface of the first inner ring member 13 abuts against an end surface of the pinion gear 6 in the axial direction , and the first inner ring member 13 is held between the end surface of the pinion gear 6 and a preload - setting plastic spacer 23 ( fitted on an intermediate portion of the shaft portion 9 of the pinion gear 7 ) in the axial direction . in the first double row ball bearing 10 , each ball 17 of the larger - diameter - side ball group 15 is equal in diameter to each ball 18 of the smaller - diameter - side ball group 16 , and the ball groups 15 and 16 have different pitch circle diameters d1 and d2 , respectively , as shown in fig3 . namely , the pitch circle diameter d1 of the larger - diameter - side ball group 15 is larger than the pitch circle diameter d2 of the smaller - diameter - side ball group 16 . the first double row ball bearing 10 having the ball groups 15 and 16 having the different pitch circle diameters d1 and d2 is called “ a tandem - type double row ball bearing ”. the balls 17 and 18 are made , for example , of bearing steel such as jis suj2 or sae52100 , and their surface hardness is set to 62 to 66 on a rockwell c hardness ( hrc ) scale . the first outer ring member 11 and the first inner ring member 13 are made of carburized steel ( such for example as jis scr420 , sae5120 or the like ) containing 0 . 1 to 1 . 0 wt . % c ( carbon ). the first outer ring member 11 and the first inner ring member 13 are applied to a heat treatment such as a carbonitriding treatment or a high concentration carburizing treatment , and as a result the surface hardness of each of the first outer ring member 11 and the first inner ring member 13 in a region from its surface to a depth of 50 μm is set to hrc 63 to 67 which is substantially equal to the surface hardness of the balls 17 and 18 . furthermore , the amount of surface retained austenite is not smaller than 20 % and not larger than 25 %. the first outer ring member 11 and the first inner ring member 13 are produced by the following method . a carburizing and quenching treatment is applied to a bearing part stock ( made of carburized steel ) beforehand worked into a predetermined shape , and then a sub - zero treatment is applied to the bearing part after it is applied to a preliminary tempering treatment , and further a complete tempering treatment is applied to the bearing part . the carburizing and quenching treatment is carried by holding the bearing part at a temperature of 900 to 950 ° c . for a predetermined period of time . at this time , the surface hardness of the carburized and quenched surface or layer is hrc55 to 65 , and the amount of retained austenite is about 30 to about 65 %. the preliminary tempering treatment is carried out by holding the bearing part at a temperature of 110 to 130 ° c . for one hour or more . the sub - zero treatment is carried out by holding the bearing part at a temperature of − 50 to − 80 ° c . for one hour or more . the surface hardness after the sub - zero treatment is hrc63 to 68 , and the amount of the retained austenite is about 20 to about 25 %. then , after a similar carburizing and quenching treatment as described above is carried out , a secondary quenching ( hardening ) treatment is carried out , and further after a similar preliminary tempering treatment and a similar sub - zero treatment as described above are carried out , a complete tempering treatment is carried out . this secondary quenching treatment is carried out by heat - treating the bearing part at a temperature of 800 to 850 ° c . for 0 . 5 hour or more and then by cooling it , for example , by oil . the complete tempering treatment is carried out by holding the bearing part at a temperature of 140 to 175 ° c . for two hours or more . with this method , the desired retained austenite amount can be obtained . namely , when the sub - zero treatment is carried out without effecting the preliminary tempering treatment , the austenite is liable to be decomposed to become martensite , so that the retained austenite amount is reduced . however , by effecting the preliminary tempering treatment , the retained austenite which is unstable after the carburizing and quenching treatment becomes stable , and is less liable to become martensite even when the sub - zero treatment is carried out . incidentally , in the above method , the need for the preliminary tempering treatment can , in some cases , be obviated by suitably adjusting the treatment temperature of the sub - zero treatment . in conventional rolling bearings of this type , the surface hardness of first outer and inner ring members ( corresponding respectively to the first outer and inner ring members 11 and 13 ) has heretofore been set to hrc60 to 64 . in the first double row ball bearing 10 of this embodiment , the larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 a and the smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 b have substantially the same radius of curvature as shown in fig3 , and this radius of curvature is represented by ri . in the first double row ball bearing 10 , the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 a and the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 b have substantially the same radius of curvature , and this radius of curvature is represented by ro . the diameter of the balls 17 and 18 is represented by bd . the radius ri of curvature , the radius ro of curvature and the diameter bd are so determined as to satisfy the following formulas ( 1 ), ( 2 ) and ( 3 ). the radius ro of curvature is 1 % larger than the radius ri of curvature . more specifically , in the case of ri = 0 . 505 * bd , ro = 0 . 515 bd is provided . incidentally , conventional rolling bearings of this type have heretofore been arranged such that the formula , 0 . 515 · bd ≦ ri ≦ 0 . 525 · bd , and the formula , 0 . 525 · bd ≦ ro ≦ 0 . 535 · bd , are established . in this embodiment , when an angle formed by an action line a 1 ( interconnecting two points at which the ball 17 contacts the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces 13 a and 11 a ) and a radial plane , that is , a contact angle , is represented by θ1 , and an angle formed by an action line a 2 ( interconnecting two points at which the ball 18 contacts the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces 13 b and 11 b ) and a radial plane , that is , a contact angle , is represented by θ2 , the relation , θ1 = θ2 , is established . θ1 , θ2 satisfies the following formula ( 4 ). more specifically , θ1 , θ2 is set to any of 20 °, 25 °, 30 °, 35 °, 40 ° and 45 °. as shown in fig2 , the second double row ball bearing 25 comprises a single second outer ring member 12 having a pinion gear - side smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 a and an anti - pinion - gear - side larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 b , and a second assembly 22 . the second double row ball bearing 25 is assembled by mounting the second assembly 22 onto the second outer ring member 12 in the direction of the axis of the pinion shaft and also in the direction toward the pinion gear . the second outer ring member 12 has a flat surface portion 12 c formed between the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 a and the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 b , and this flat surface portion 12 c is larger in diameter than the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 a , and is continuous with the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 b . with this construction , the inner peripheral surface of the second outer ring member 12 is formed into a slanting shape . the second outer ring member 12 is fitted on an inner peripheral surface of the annular wall 27 b . a counter - bored outer ring is used as this second outer ring member 12 . the second assembly 22 comprises a single second inner ring member 14 having a smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 a opposed to the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 a of the second outer ring member 12 in the radial direction and a larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 b opposed to the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 b in the radial direction , a pinion gear - side smaller - diameter - side ball group 28 , an anti - pinion - gear - side larger - diameter - side ball group 29 , a cage 32 holding balls 30 ( forming the ball group 28 ) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction , and a cage 33 holding balls 31 ( forming the ball group 29 ) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction . a counter - bored inner ring is used as the second inner ring member 14 . the pinion - shaft 7 is passed through the second inner ring member 14 , and the second inner ring member 14 is held between the preload - setting plastic spacer 23 and a closure plate 37 in the axial direction . the second inner ring member 14 has a flat surface portion 14 c formed between the smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 a and the larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 b , and this flat surface portion 14 c is smaller in diameter than the larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 b , and is continuous with the smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 a . with this construction , the outer peripheral surface of the second inner ring member 14 is formed into a stepped shape . in the second double row ball bearing 25 , each ball 30 of the smaller - diameter - side ball group 28 is equal in diameter to each ball 31 of the larger - diameter - side ball group 29 , and the ball groups 28 and 29 have different pitch circle diameters ( not designated by reference numerals ), respectively . namely , the pitch circle diameter of the smaller - diameter - side ball group 28 is smaller than the pitch circle diameter of the larger - diameter - side ball group 29 . this second double row ball bearing 25 is also a tandem - type double row ball bearing ”. the second double row ball bearing 25 is smaller in diameter than the first double row ball bearing 10 . more specifically , the second outer ring member 12 is smaller in diameter than the first outer ring member 11 , and the second inner ring member 14 is smaller in diameter than the first inner ring member 13 , and the pitch circle diameter of the ball group 29 of the second double row ball bearing 25 is smaller than the pitch circle diameter d 1 of the ball group 15 of the first double row ball bearing 10 , and the pitch circle diameter of the ball group 28 of the second double row ball bearing 25 is smaller than the pitch circle diameter d2 of the ball group 16 of the first double row ball bearing 10 . in the first and second double row ball bearings 10 and 25 , the balls 17 and 31 of the larger - diameter - side ball groups 15 and 29 are equal in diameter to the balls 18 and 30 of the smaller - diameter - side ball groups 16 and 28 . the materials respectively forming the constituent elements ( the outer ring member , the inner ring member , the balls and the cages ) of the first double row ball bearing 10 are similar respectively to those of the second double row ball bearing 25 , and the contact angles in the first and second double row ball bearings 10 and 25 are equal to each other although the directions of these contact angles are reversed relative to each other . therefore , explanation of these will be omitted . in the differential apparatus 1 of this embodiment , the front case 3 has an oil circulating passageway 40 formed between its outer wall and the annular wall 27 a as shown in fig1 , and an oil inlet 41 of the oil circulating passageway 40 is open toward the ring gear 8 , and an oil outlet 42 of the oil circulating passageway 40 is open to a region between the annular walls 27 a and 27 b . the differential apparatus 1 includes a companion flange 43 . this companion flange 43 includes a barrel portion 44 , and a flange portion 45 formed integrally with the barrel portion 44 . the barrel portion 44 is fitted on the other end portion ( disposed close . to a drive shaft ( not shown )) of the shaft portion 9 of the pinion gear 7 . the closure plate 37 is interposed between one end surface of the barrel portion 44 and an end surface of the second inner ring member 14 of the second double row ball bearing 25 . an oil seal 46 is disposed between the outer peripheral surface of the barrel portion 44 and an inner peripheral surface of an opening portion ( remote from the pinion gear ) of the front case 3 . a seal protection cup 47 is attached to the opening portion of the front case 3 , and covers the oil seal 46 . a threaded portion 48 is formed at the other end portion of the shaft portion 9 , and projects into a recess 43 a formed in a central portion of the flange portion 45 . a nut 49 is threaded on the threaded portion 48 . the nut 49 is thus threaded on the threaded portion 48 , and by doing so , the first inner ring 13 of the first double row ball bearing 10 and the second inner ring 14 of the second double row ball bearing 25 are held between the end surface of the pinion gear 6 and the end surface of the companion flange 43 in the axial direction , so that a predetermined preload is imparted to the balls 17 and 18 of the first double row ball bearing 10 and the balls 30 and 31 of the second double row ball bearing 25 through the closure plate 37 and the plastic spacer 23 . in the differential apparatus 1 of the above construction oil 50 is stored at a predetermined level within the differential case 2 when the operation is stopped . during the operation , the oil 50 is circulated within the differential case 2 , that is , the oil 50 is spattered in accordance with the rotation of the ring gear 8 , and is fed through the oil circulating passageway 40 within the front case 3 , and is supplied to upper portions of the first and second double row ball bearings 10 . and 25 to lubricate the first and second double row ball bearings 10 and 25 . in this embodiment , the first double row ball bearing 10 having a small frictional resistance is used as the pinion gear - side ball bearing ( disposed close to the pinion gear 6 ) on which larger loads act as compared with the anti - pinion - gear side ball bearing disposed remote from the pinion gear 6 . with this arrangement , a rotation torque becomes smaller as compared with the tapered roller bearings used in the conventional bearing device , and the efficiency of the differential apparatus 1 can be enhanced . and besides , not a single row ball bearing but the double row ball bearing is used as each of the first and second ball bearings , and with this construction a larger load capacity can be achieved as compared with such a single row ball bearing , and a sufficient supporting rigidity can be obtained . furthermore , there is used the first double row ball bearing 10 of the tandem type in which the pitch circle diameter d1 of the pinion gear ( 6 )- side larger - diameter - side ball group 15 is larger than the pitch circle diameter d2 of the anti - pinion - gear - side smaller - diameter - side ball group 16 . therefore , the number of the balls 17 of the pinion gear ( 6 )- side larger - diameter - side ball group 15 ( on which a larger load acts when the balls 17 and 18 of the two rows have the same diameter ) can be increased , and therefore the first double row ball bearing 10 can withstand a large load . incidentally , in the above differential apparatus 1 , metallic wear powder develops within the differential case 2 . this metallic wear powder is included in the oil 50 , and intrudes into the interior of the first double row ball bearing 10 , and reaches the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces thereof . however , as indicated by the formulas ( 2 ) and ( 3 ), the radius ri of curvature of the inner ring raceway surfaces 13 a and 13 b and the radius ro of curvature of the outer ring raceway surfaces 11 a and 11 b are both made smaller than those of conventional bearing devices , and with this construction the area of contact ( receiving surface ) between each ball 17 and each of the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces 13 a and 11 a , as well as the area of contact between each ball 18 and each of the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces 13 b and 11 b , increases , and a contact pressure is reduced , so that an indentation or impression is hardly formed on the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces . and besides , as indicated in the above formula ( 4 ), the value of the contact angle θ1 , θ2 is larger than the value ( 2020 ≦( θ1 , θ2 )≦ 25 °) of conventional bearing devices , and with this arrangement the load capacity for the axial load is increased . as described above , in this embodiment , although an indentation or impression is hardly formed on the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces , there are occasions when such indentation is formed as shown in an enlarged view of fig4 . however , the surface hardness of the conventional first outer ring member ( corresponding to the first outer ring member 11 ) is set to hrc60 to 64 , whereas the surface hardness of each of the first outer ring member 11 and the first inner ring member 13 is set to hrc62 to 67 , and the amount of the surface retained austenite is set to the range from not smaller than 20 % to less than 25 %. therefore , in accordance with the rolling movement of the balls 17 and 18 on the respective raceway surfaces , a height h of a bulged portion of the indentation becomes small with time ( in a short time ). fig5 is a graph in which the horizontal axis represents surface hardness ( hrc ), and the vertical axis represents a height h ( μm ) of a bulged portion 60 of an indentation . fig6 is a graph showing results obtained through tests , in which the horizontal axis represents a number of stress repetitions ( cycles ), and the vertical axis represents a height h ( μm ) of a bulged portion 60 of an indentation . in fig6 , marks o represent data obtained when a test piece having a surface hardness of hrc62 . 2 and a surface retained austenite amount of 16 . 9 % was used , and marks □ represent data obtained when a test piece having a surface hardness of hrc62 . 9 and a surface retained austenite amount of 31 . 5 % was used . it will be appreciated from fig6 that when the retained austenite amount increases , the height of the bulged portion will not become smaller than a certain level even when the number of stress repetitions increases . it is thought that the fact that the height h of the bulged portion 60 will not become small with the increased amount of the surface retained austenite is attributable to work hardening developing in the bulged portion 60 . thus , in the embodiment of the invention , even when an indentation is formed on the inner and outer raceway surfaces , this indentation is decreased in a short time into such a small size as not to adversely affect the operation of the bearing . the above advantageous effects are also achieved in the second double row ball bearing 25 . in the above embodiment , although the first double row ball bearing 10 and the second double row ball bearing 25 are used as the bearings for supporting the pinion shaft of the differential apparatus 1 of the vehicle , the bearings 10 and 25 are not limited to such use . namely , the bearing device of the invention can be applied to the type of apparatus in which one bearing ring ( one constituent part of a double row ball bearing ) is mounted on one of a shaft and a housing , while the other constituent part is mounted on the other of the shaft and the housing , and the shaft is passed through the housing .	5
data from the present inventors laboratory shows that 2 - me inhibits the growth of brain , nervous system and prostate cancer cells but that 16 - epiestriol does not . this indicates that substituting the second position of 17b - estradiol ( e 2 ) with a methoxy group generates a molecular structure that shows significant and selective growth inhibitory activity toward prostate cancer cells while simultaneously eliminating the potentially detrimental growth stimulating activity of e 2 itself . the analogues of 2 - me to be prepared as described below are designed ( 1 ) to determine which components of the 2 - me molecule in addition to the 2 - methoxy group are required for the observed chemopreventive effects and ( 2 ) to determine if growth - inhibitory 2 - me analogues can be created that are effective . the initial compounds to be synthesized will be 2 alkoxy substituted analogues of estrone shown in fig1 . these compounds will then be converted into the 2 - me analogues as shown in fig3 ( analogues 19 - 21 , 23 - 25 , and 27 - 29 ). [ 0028 ] fig1 illustrates how the a ring of the e 2 steroidal nucleus will be modified to generate 2 - alkoxy substituted analogues of estrone ( analogues 8 - 10 ) and a 2 - ethyl substituted estrone analogue ( analogue 14 ). the key reactions in this figure are the synthesis of compound 2 , 2 , 4 - diiodoestrone , and its conversion to compound 3 , the 2 - iodoestrone derivative . the iodination and diodination of the estrone starting material ( analogue 1 ) will be carried out as described by ikegawa et al in their synthesis of catecholic equilin and equilin derivatives . ( 4 ) the proposed conversion of the ethylenedioxy protected 2 - iodoestrone derivative 4 to the protected 2 - methoxy , 2 - ethoxy , and 2 benzyloxy derivatives 5 - 7 by cu ( i ) catalyzed reactions of the alkoxides in dimethylformamide in the presence of a crown ether is based upon the comparable reaction of a protected 2 - iodoequilin also described by ikegawa et . al in the synthesis of catechol equilins . ( 4 ) it should be noted that if it proves necessary the estrone starting material used in fig1 could be protected as the ethylenedioxy derivative by treatment with ethylene glycol prior to the iodination reaction . the pd ( ph 3 ) cl 2 / cui catalyzed coupling of the aryl iodide ( analogue 4 ) with trimethylsilyl substituted acetylene to yield the 2 - alkynyl substituted estrone derivative 11 shown in fig1 has many known precedents ( 5 ). the present inventors have carried out many such coupling reactions in their laboratory and have found that molecules containing active hydrogens ( nh 2 or oh groups ) can be successfully coupled in such reactions if care is taken to form the reactive cu - tms acetylene complex before the halogenated aromatic substrate is added . it is therefore anticipated that this reaction will proceed as shown in fig1 . if , however , the reaction fails to be successful as shown in fig1 the intermediate 4 will be coupled with trimethylsilylacetylene in 9 : 1 ch 3 cn / h 2 o catalyzed with pd ( aco ) 2 / pph 3 / cui . the present inventors have carried out a model reaction in their laboratory with an unprotected iodophenol that gave the desired coupling product with this procedure . [ 0029 ] fig2 outlines the reaction sequence that will be employed to prepare the 2 , 3 - methylenedioxyestrone derivative ( analogue 18 ). this reaction sequence is based upon the reaction sequence employed by stubenrauch and knuppen to prepare catechol estrogens . ( 6 ) [ 0030 ] fig3 and 4 illustrate how 2 - methoxyestrone and the 2 - methoxyestrone analogues prepared as outlined in fig1 and 2 above will be converted into ( i ) 2 - methoxyestrone and its analogues and ( ii ) 2 , 3 - methylenedioxyestrone analogues modified at position c - 17 . the preparation of these structures will not only allow us to test the requirement for the 17b - hydroxyl group in the chemopreventive activity of 2 - me but will also enable us to determine if substitutions at c - 17 ( for example , the 17 - ethynyl2 - me derivative , 23 ) will decrease the rate of metabolism and deactivation of 2 - me and its analogues . as outlined in fig3 and 4 below , the present inventors propose to prepare both 2 - ethyl - 17b - estradiol ( analogue 22 ) and 2 , 3 - methylenedioxy - 17b - estradiol ( analogue 32 ). in addition , since 17a - ethynylestradiol ( ethynylestradiol ) is both a potent estrogenic and long - lived analogue of e 2 , the 17a - ethynyl derivative of 2 - me ( analogue 19 ) will be prepared as outlined in fig3 . in addition , by directing synthesis to produce estrone analogues of the target structures ( analogues 8 - 10 , 14 , and 18 ) as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , it will be possible to prepare 17a - ethynyl , and 17a - ethyl derivatives of the 2 - alkoxy , 2 - ethyl , and 2 , 3 - methylenedioxy analogues ( analogues 23 - 26 , 27 - 30 , 31 and 32 ). it should be noted that the proposed reactions used to modify the c - 17 carbonyl of the estrone analogues shown in fig3 and 4 are standard reactions that have been successfully applied to estrone . ( 7 ) although not explicitly shown in fig1 and 3 , the 2 - ethynyl intermediate shown in fig1 ( analogue 12 ) will also be converted into 2 - ethynylestrone and 2 - ethynylestradiol for testing . further , although not explicitly indicated in fig1 and 2 , the 2 - ethynylestrone derivative 11 shown in fig1 will also be converted into 2 - ethynylestrone and 2 - ethynylestradiol as shown in fig2 for the other intermediates . this will generate two additional 2 - me analogues for biological testing . lastly , it is also possible to modify the acetylene coupling reaction shown in fig1 to prepare 2 -( 1 - propynyl ) and 2 -( 1 - butynyl ) derivatives of 2 - me that could serve as precursors of 2 - propyl and 2 - butyl 2 - me analogues . the synthesis reactions in fig1 - 4 outlined above will provide an efficient way of generating 2 - me ( analogue 19 ) and fourteen 2 - me analogues ( analogues 20 - 33 ) that can be utilized to determine the effects of modifying both the c - 17 and the c - 2 position of 2 - me . samples of the estrone analogues themselves ( analogues 8 - 10 , 14 , 18 ) will also be tested for their potential growth - inhibitory activity . the reaction sequences outlined in fig1 - 4 will therefore produce a total of 21 new 2 - me analogues to be tested as potential selective inhibitors of cancer cell growth and angiogenesis . it is anticipated that one or more of these analogues may manifest selective growth - inhibitory activities towards cancer cells while , at the same time , being less subject to metabolic conversions that will deactivate or eliminate these active analogues . it is also likely that 17a - ethylnyl derivative of 2 - me may have a longer effective half - life both in vitro and in vivo . referring to fig6 eugenol also inhibits the growth of lncap cells significantly . a concentration of approximately 0 . 75 mm was necessary to see 50 % inhibition of growth of lncap cells whereas a concentration of more than 2 mm was necessary to see similar effect in du145 cells . the investigational work of the present inventors establish that eugenol works in combination with 2 - me to achieve even more impressive results than either substance alone . cells were treated with either eugenol ( 0 . 25 , 0 . 5 , 0 . 75 or 1 mm ) or 2 - me ( 0 . 5 , 1 , 2 or 3 mm ) or both ( 0 . 25 , 0 . 5 , 0 . 75 or 1 mm of eugenol along with 0 . 5 mm of 2 - me ). cell growth was measured following 72 hours of treatment as described above . as shown in fig7 . 5 mm of 2 - me inhibited growth of lncap cells by about 20 % and 0 . 25 mm of eugenol inhibited the growth by about 30 %. however , combining both the agents showed more than 50 % inhibition thereby establishing a synergistic activity of eugenol and 2 - me in combating cancer cells . the mechanisms of action at work against the cell lines investigated thus far are reasonably expected to be equally efficacious in treating other cancers and pre - cancerous conditions , such bph and the cancers of brain , liver , lung , colon and skin , and in preventing initial onset of cancers and preventing recurrence of cancers after treatment ( such as prostectomies ). since both hormone - responsive and hormone - refractory prostate cancer cells are inhibited by 2 - me and its analogs , with or without synergistic compounds such as eugenol , patients can be treated with these agents after surgery to prevent the recurrence of hormone - refractory cancer . additionally , the analogues of 2 - me described above are expected to provide even greater efficacy , along and in combination with synergistic , similarly structured compounds as eugenol . this expectation is well - founded on the efficacy indications established for 2 - me and the effect of the above - taught structural changes to 2 - me as indicated by the work of the present inventors . application to existing , in vivo tumors may be of varying means , including , but not limited to , direct injection of the herein described agents , electrophoresis , and non - electromotive transdermal migration . practitioners skilled in the use of chemopreventative agents will adjust dosages to meet the apparent needs of any particular patient , and the disclosure contained herein shall provide an enabling disclosure for the use of 2 - me and its analogs respectively alone , and with the synergistic compound of eugenol in the prevention of cancerous tumors as well as the suppression of recurrent cancers after treatment such as surgery .	0
it is thus an object of the invention to provide improved shrink rates without appreciably reducing tensile strengths for polypropylene tape fibers . a further object of the invention is to provide a class of additives that , in a range of concentrations , will provide low shrinkage and / or higher tensile strength levels for such inventive tape fibers ( and yarns made therefrom ). a further object of the invention is to provide a carpet made with a polypropylene backing exhibiting very low heat shrinkage rates . another object of the invention is to provide a specific method for the production of nucleator - containing polypropylene tape fibers permitting the ultimate production of such low - shrink , high tensile strength , fabrics therewith . yet another object of the invention is to provide a carpet article having a backing comprising a majority of relatively inexpensive polypropylene fibers that exhibits very low shrinkage . accordingly , this invention encompasses a polypropylene tape fiber comprising at least 10 ppm of a nucleator compound , and exhibiting a tensile strength of at least 3 grams / denier . also encompassed within this invention is a polypropylene tape fiber comprising at least 10 ppm of a nucleator compound and exhibiting a shrinkage rate after exposure to 150 ° c . hot air of at most 2 %, wherein said fiber further exhibits a tensile strength of at least 2 . 5 grams / denier . also , this invention encompasses a polypropylene tape fiber exhibiting an x - ray scattering pattern such that the center of the scattering peak is at most 0 . 4 degrees . certain yarns and fabric articles comprising such inventive fibers are also encompassed within this invention . of particular concern is a carpet article having a top side and a bottom side , wherein a fiber substrate of either tufted fiber , berber fiber , or like type is attached to said top side and a backing comprising a majority of poylpropylene fibers wherein said fibers comprise at least 10 ppm of a nucleator compound , is attached to said bottom side . preferably , such a carpet article exhibits very low shrinkage rates on par with those noted above . furthermore , this invention also concerns a method of producing such fibers comprising the sequential steps of a ) extruding a heated formulation of polypropylene comprising at most about 2000 ppm , preferably at most about 1500 ppm , more preferably at most about 1000 ppm , and most preferably below about 800 ppm , of a nucleator compound into a film or tube ; b ) immediately quenching the film or tube of step “ a ” to a temperature which prevents orientation of polypropylene crystals therein ; c ) slitting said film or tube with cutting means oriented longitudinally to said film or tube thereby to produce individual tape fibers therefrom ; d ) mechanically drawing said individual tape fibers at a draw ratio of at least 5 : 1 while exposing said fibers to a temperature of at between 250 and 360 ° c ., preferably between 260 and 330 ° c ., and most preferably between 270 and 300 ° c ., thereby permitting crystal orientation of the polypropylene therein . preferably , step “ b ” will be performed at a temperature of at most 95 ° c . and at least about 5 ° c ., preferably between 5 and 60 ° c ., and most preferably between 10 and 40 ° c . ( or as close to room temperature as possible for a liquid through simply allowing the bath to acclimate itself to an environment at a temperature of about 25 - 30 ° c .). again , such a temperature is needed to ensure that the component polymer ( being polypropylene , and possibly other polymeric components , such as polyethylene , and the like , as structural enhancement additives therein that do not appreciably affect the shrinkage characteristics thereof ) does not exhibit orientation of crystals . upon the heated draw step , such orientation is effectuated which has now been determined to provide the necessary rigidification of the target tape fibers and thus to increase the strength and modulus of such fibers . the drawing speed to line speed ratio should exceed at least five times that of the rate of movement of the film to the cutting means . preferably , such a drawing speed is at from 400 - 700 feet / minute , while the prior speed of the film to the cutting means from about 50 - 400 feet / minute , with the drawing speed ratio between the two areas being from about 3 : 1 to about 10 : 1 , and is discussed in greater detail below , as is the preferred method itself . the final heat - setting temperature is necessary to “ lock ” the polypropylene crystalline structure in place after extruding and drawing . such a heat - setting step generally lasts for a portion of a second , up to potentially a couple of minutes ( i . e ., from about { fraction ( 1 / 10 )} th of a second , preferably about ½ of a second , up to about 3 minutes , preferably greater than ½ of a second ). the heat - setting temperature must be well in excess of the drawing temperature and must be at least 265 ° f ., more preferably at least about 290 ° f ., and most preferably at least about 300 ° f . ( and as high as 380 ° f .). the term “ mechanically drawing ” is intended to encompass any number of procedures which basically involve placing an extensional force on fibers in order to elongate the polymer therein . such a procedure may be accomplished with any number of apparatus , including , without limitation , godet rolls , nip rolls , steam cans , hot or cold gaseous jets ( air or steam ), and other like mechanical means . such tape yarns may also be produced through extruding individual fibers of high aspect ratio and of a sufficient size , thereby followed by drawing and heatsetting steps in order to attain such low shrinkage rate properties . all shrinkage values discussed as they pertain to the inventive fibers and methods of making thereof correspond to exposure times for each test ( hot air and boiling water ) of about 5 minutes . the heat - shrinkage at about 150 ° c . in hot air is , as noted above , at most 2 . 0 % for the inventive fiber ; preferably , this heat - shrinkage is at most 1 %; more preferably at most 0 . 5 %; and most preferably at most 0 . 1 %. also , the amount of nucleating agent present within the inventive fiber is at least 10 ppm ; preferably this amount is at least 50 ppm ; and most preferably is at least 100 ppm , up to a preferred maximum ( for tensile strength retention ) of about 700 - 800 ppm . any amount within this range should suffice to provide the desired shrinkage rates after heat - setting of the fiber itself ; again , however , excessive amounts ( e . g ., above about 2 , 000 ppm ) should be avoided , primarily due to costs and tensile strength problems . however , in the event that very high processing speeds ( either initial drawing speeds or heatsetting drawing speeds , as examples ) are practiced for very quick fibers production , higher amounts of nucleator compound ( s ) may be desired , up to about 2000 ppm , for instance , in order to provide faster crystallization rates at such high drawing speeds . furthermore , it has now been determined that the presence of between 10 and 1000 ppm of a nucleator compound within polypropylene fibers for incorporation within primary ( or secondary ) carpet backing provides the highly desirable result of no appreciable shrinkage of the backing , as well as of a tufted substrate / backing composite , or even of an entire carpet article . thus , any low - shrink carpet backing component comprising a majority of polypropylene fibers including such nucleator compound ( in the requisite amounts , preferably between 200 and 800 ppm , and most preferably between about 400 and 700 ppm ), provides the necessary low shrinkage properties . fibers and / or yarns of the inventive tape type , as well as polypropylene staple , multifilament , and monofilament , types , are available in such capacity for such improved , low - shrink carpet articles . the term “ polypropylene ” is intended to encompass any polymeric composition comprising propylene monomers , either alone or in mixture or copolymer with other randomly selected and oriented polyolefins , dienes , or other monomers ( such as ethylene , butylene , and the like ). such a term also encompasses any different configuration and arrangement of the constituent monomers ( such as syndiotactic , isotactic , and the like ). thus , the term as applied to fibers is intended to encompass actual long strands , tapes , threads , and the like , of drawn polymer . the polypropylene may be of any standard melt flow ( by testing ); however , standard fiber grade polypropylene resins possess ranges of melt flow indices between about 2 and 50 . contrary to standard plaques , containers , sheets , and the like ( such as taught within u . s . pat . no . 4 , 016 , 118 to hamada et al ., for example ), fibers clearly differ in structure since they must exhibit a length that far exceeds its cross - sectional area ( such , for example , its diameter for round fibers ). fibers are extruded and drawn ; articles are blow - molded or injection molded , to name two alternative production methods . also , the crystalline morphology of polypropylene within fibers is different than that of standard articles , plaques , sheets , and the like . for instance , the dpf of such polypropylene fibers is at most about 5000 ; whereas the dpf of these other articles is much greater . polypropylene articles generally exhibit spherulitic crystals while fibers exhibit elongated , extended crystal structures . thus , there is a great difference in structure between fibers and polypropylene articles such that any predictions made for spherulitic particles ( crystals ) of nucleated polypropylene do not provide any basis for determining the effectiveness of such nucleators as additives within polypropylene fibers . the terms “ nucleators ”, “ nucleator compound ( s )”, “ nucleating agent ”, and “ nucleating agents ” are intended to generally encompass , singularly or in combination , any additive to polypropylene that produces nucleation sites for polypropylene crystals from transition from its molten state to a solid , cooled structure . hence , since the polypropylene composition ( including nucleator compounds ) must be molten to eventually extrude the fiber itself , the nucleator compound will provide such nucleation sites upon cooling of the polypropylene from its molten state . the only way in which such compounds provide the necessary nucleation sites is if such sites form prior to polypropylene recrystallization itself . thus , any compound that exhibits such a beneficial effect and property is included within this definition . such nucleator compounds more specifically include dibenzylidene sorbitol types , including , without limitation , dibenzylidene sorbitol ( dbs ), monomethyldibenzylidene sorbitol , such as 1 , 3 : 2 , 4 - bis ( p - methylbenzylidene ) sorbitol ( p - mdbs ), dimethyl dibenzylidene sorbitol , such as 1 , 3 : 2 , 4 - bis ( 3 , 4 - dimethylbenzylidene ) sorbitol ( 3 , 4 - dmdbs ); other compounds of this type include , again , without limitation , sodium benzoate , na - 11 , and the like . the concentration of such nucleating agents ( in total ) within the target polypropylene fiber is at least 10 ppm , preferably at least 50 ppm . thus , from about 10 to about 2000 ppm , preferably from about 50 ppm to about 1500 ppm , and most preferably from about 100 ppm to about 800 ppm . furthermore , such inventive tape fibers must be produced by basically the slitting of extruded films or tubes as outlined above . also , without being limited by any specific scientific theory , it appears that the shrink - reducing nucleators which perform the best are those which exhibit relatively high solubility within the propylene itself . thus , compounds which are readily soluble , such as 1 , 3 : 2 , 4 - bis ( p - methylbenzylidene ) sorbitol provides the lowest shrinkage rate for the desired polypropylene fibers . the dbs derivative compounds are considered the best shrink - reducing nucleators within this invention due to the low crystalline sizes produced by such compounds . other nucleators , such as na - 11 , also provide acceptable low - shrink characteristics to the target polypropylene fiber and thus are considered as potential nucleator compound additives within this invention . basically , the selection criteria required of such nucleator compounds are particle sizes ( the lower the better for ease in handling , mixing , and incorporation with the target resin ), particle dispersability within the target resin ( to provide the most effective nucleation properties ), and nucleating temperature ( e . g ., crystallization temperature , determined for resin samples through differential scanning calorimetry analysis of molten nucleated resins ), the higher such a temperature , the better . it has been determined that the nucleator compounds that exhibit good solubility in the target molten polypropylene resins ( and thus are liquid in nature during that stage in the fiber - production process ) provide effective low - shrink characteristics . thus , low substituted dbs compounds ( including dbs , p - mdbs ) appear to provide fewer manufacturing issues as well as lower shrink properties within the finished polypropylene fibers themselves . although p - mdbs is preferred , however , any of the above - mentioned nucleators may be utilized within this invention as long as the x - ray scattering measurements are met or the low shrink requirements are achieved through utilization of such compounds . mixtures of such nucleators may also be used during processing in order to provide such low - shrink properties as well as possible organoleptic improvements , facilitation of processing , or cost . in addition to those compounds noted above , sodium benzoate and na - 11 are well known as nucleating agents for standard polypropylene compositions ( such as the aforementioned plaques , containers , films , sheets , and the like ) and exhibit excellent recrystallization temperatures and very quick injection molding cycle times for those purposes . the dibenzylidene sorbitol types exhibit the same types of properties as well as excellent clarity within such standard polypropylene forms ( plaques , sheets , etc .). for the purposes of this invention , it has been found that the dibenzylidene sorbitol types are preferred as nucleator compounds within the target polypropylene fibers . the closest prior art references teach the addition of nucleator compounds to general polypropylene compositions ( such as in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 016 , 118 , referenced above ). however , some teachings include the utilization of certain dbs compounds within limited portions of fibers in a multicomponent polypropylene textile structure . for example , u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 798 , 167 to connor et al . and 5 , 811 , 045 to pike , both teach the addition of dbs compounds to polypropylene in fiber form ; however , there are vital differences between those disclosures and the present invention . for example , both patents require the aforementioned multicomponent structures of fibers . thus , even with dbs compounds in some polypropylene fiber components within each fiber type , the shrink rate for each is dominated by the other polypropylene fiber components which do not have the benefit of the nucleating agent . also , there are no lamellae that give a long period ( as measured by small - angle x - ray scattering ) thicker than 20 nm formed within the polypropylene fibers due to the lack of a post - heatsetting step being performed . again , these thick lamellae provide the desired inventive higher heat - shrink fiber . also of importance is the fact that , for instance , connor et al . require a nonwoven polypropylene fabric laminate containing a dbs additive situated around a polypropylene internal fabric layer which contained no nucleating agent additive . the internal layer , being polypropylene without the aid of a nucleating agent additive , dictates the shrink rate for this structure . furthermore , the patentees do not expose their yarns and fibers to heat - setting procedures in order to permanently configure the crystalline fiber structures of the yarns themselves as low - shrink is not their objective . in addition , spruiell , et al , journal of applied polymer science , vol . 62 , pp . 1965 - 75 ( 1996 ), reveal using a nucleating agent , mdbs , at 0 . 1 %, to increase the nucleation rate during spinning , but not for tape fibers . however , after crystallizing and drawing the fiber , spruiell et al . do not expose the nucleated fiber to any heat , which is necessary to impart the very best shrinkage properties , therefore the shrinkage of their fibers was similar to conventional polypropylene fibers without a nucleating agent additive . of particular interest and which has been determined to be of primary importance in the production of such inventive low - shrink polypropylene fibers , is the discovery that , at the very least , the presence of nucleating agent within heat - set polypropylene fibers ( as discussed herein ), provides high long period measurements for the crystalline lamellae of the polypropylene itself . this discovery is best explained by the following : polymers , when crystallized from a melt under dynamic temperature and stress conditions , first supercool and then crystallize with the crystallization rate dependent on the number of nucleation sites , and the growth rate of the polymer , which are both in turn related to the thermal and mechanical working that the polymer is subjected to as it cools . these processes are particularly complex in a normal fiber drawing line . the results of this complex crystallization , however , can be measured using small angle x - ray scattering ( saxs ), with the measured saxs long period representative of an average crystallization temperature . a higher saxs long period corresponds to thicker lamellae ( which are the plate - like polymer crystals characteristic of semi - crystalline polymers like pp ), and which is evidenced by a saxs peak centered at a lower scattering angle than for comparative unnucleated polypropylene tape fibers . the higher the crystallization temperature of the average crystal , the thicker the measured saxs long period will be . further , higher saxs long periods are characteristic of more thermally stable polymeric crystals . crystals with shorter saxs long periods will “ melt ”, or relax and recrystallize into new , thicker crystals , at a lower temperature than those with higher saxs long periods . crystals with higher saxs long periods remain stable to higher temperatures , requiring more heat to destabilize the crystalline structure . in highly oriented polymeric samples such as fibers , those with higher saxs long periods will remain stable to higher temperatures . thus the shrinkage , which is a normal effect of the relaxation of the highly oriented polymeric samples , remains low to higher temperatures than in those highly oriented polymeric samples with lower saxs long periods . in this invention , as is evident from these measurements , the nucleating additive is used in conjunction with a thermal treatment to create fibers exhibiting a center of the saxs scattering peak of at most 0 . 4 degrees , which corresponds to thicker lamellae that in turn are very stable and exhibit low shrinkage up to very high temperatures . furthermore , such fibers may also be colored to provide other aesthetic features for the end user . thus , the fibers may also comprise coloring agents , such as , for example , pigments , with fixing agents for lightfastness purposes . for this reason , it is desirable to utilize nucleating agents that do not impart visible color or colors to the target fibers . other additives may also be present , including antistatic agents , brightening compounds , clarifying agents , antioxidants , antimicrobials ( preferably silver - based ion - exchange compounds , such as alphasan ® antimicrobials available from milliken & amp ; company ), uv stabilizers , fillers , and the like . furthermore , any fabrics made from such inventive fibers may be , without limitation , woven , knit , non - woven , in - laid scrim , any combination thereof , and the like . additionally , such fabrics may include fibers other than the inventive polypropylene fibers , including , without limitation , natural fibers , such as cotton , wool , abaca , hemp , ramie , and the like ; synthetic fibers , such as polyesters , polyamides , polyaramids , other polyolefins ( including non - low - shrink polypropylene ), polylactic acids , and the like ; inorganic fibers such as glass , boron - containing fibers , and the like ; and any blends thereof . of particular interest as end - uses for such inventive tape fibers are primary carpet backings and thus carpets comprising such backing components . these are described in greater detail below . the accompanying drawings , which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification , illustrate a potentially preferred embodiment of producing the inventive low - shrink polypropylene fibers and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention wherein : [ 0027 ] fig1 is a schematic of the potentially preferred method of producing low - shrink polypropylene tape fibers . [ 0028 ] fig2 is a side view of a preferred carpet article comprising the inventive fibers within a backing . [ 0029 ] fig1 depicts the non - limiting preferred procedure followed in producing the inventive low - shrink polypropylene tape fibers . the entire fiber production assembly 10 comprises a mixing manifold 11 for the incorporation of molten polymer and additives ( such as the aforementioned nucleator compound ) which then move into an extruder 12 . the extruded polymer is then passed through a metering pump 14 to a die assembly 16 , whereupon the film 17 is produced . the film 17 then immediately moves to a quenching bath 18 comprising a liquid , such as water , and the like , set at a temperature from 5 to 95 ° c . ( here , preferably , about room temperature ). the drawing speed of the film at this point is dictated by draw rolls and tensionsing rolls 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 set at a speed of about 100 feet / minute , preferably , although the speed could be anywhere from about 20 feet / minute to about 200 feet / minute , as long as the initial drawing speed is at most about ⅕ th that of the heat - draw speed later in the procedure . the quenched film 19 should not exhibit any appreciable crystal orientation of the polymer therein for further processing . sanding rolls 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , may be optionally utilized for delustering of the film , if desired . the quenched film 19 then moves into a cutting area 36 with a plurality of fixed knives 38 spaced at any distance apart desired . preferably , such knives 38 are spaced a distance determined by the equation of the square root of the draw speed multiplied by the final width of the target fibers ( thus , with a draw ratio of 5 : 1 and a final width of about 3 mm , the blade gap measurements should be about 6 . 7 mm ). upon slitting the quenched film 19 into fibers 40 , such fibers are moved uniformly through a series of nip and tensioning rolls 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 prior to being drawn into a high temperature oven 46 set at a temperature level of between about 280 and 350 ° c ., in this instance about 310 ° c ., at a rate as noted above , at least 5 times that of the initial drawing speed . such an increased drawing speed is effectuated by a series of heated drawing rolls 48 , 50 ( at temperatures of about 360 - 400 ° f . each ) over which the now crystal - oriented fibers 54 are passed . a last tensioning roll 52 leads to a spool ( not illustrated ) for winding of the finished tape fibers 54 . turning to fig2 then , an inventive carpet article 110 is shown comprising a pile layer 112 comprising tufted fibers 114 tufted through a fabric substrate 113 ( which could be woven , knit , or non - woven in structure and comprise any type of natural fibers , such as cotton , and the like , or synthetic fibers , such as polyamide , and the like ; preferably , it is a woven substrate comprising polyamide fibers ), and embedded within an adhesive layer 115 , to which is attached a primary backing layer 116 comprising the inventive fibers , and a secondary backing layer 118 ( which may be a fabric , such as a felt , or resin , such as polyvinyl chloride other like compound ; preferably , it is felt in nature ) to provide increased dimensional stability thereto . the primary backing layer 116 is adhered to both the pile layer 112 and the secondary backing layer 118 to form the desired carpet article 110 . the inventive primary backing layer 116 , comprising such low - shrink polypropylene tape fibers , thus accords the desired low - shrink characteristics to the entire carpet article 110 itself . of course , alternative configurations and arrangements of backing layers ( such as an increase or decrease in the number required ) as well as types of fibers ( such as berber , short pile , and the like ) within the pile layer may be employed , as well as myriad other variations common within the carpet art and industry . the following non - limiting examples are indicative of the preferred embodiment of this invention : the carpet backing slit film fibers were made on the standard production equipment as described above at a drawing rate of 600 ft / min as follows : a 3 . 5 - 3 . 8 melt flow homopolymer polypropylene resin ( p4g32 - 050 , from huntsman ) was blended with an additive concentrate consisting of 10 % 4 - methyl - dbs and 90 % 4 mfi homopolypropylene resin . the blending ratio was changed to adjust the final additive level , as shown in the table below . this mixture , consisting of pp resin and the additive , was extruded on a single screw extruder through a film dye approximately 72 inches wide . the pp flow was adjusted to give a final tape thickness of approximately 0 . 002 inches . the molten film was quenched in room temperature ( about 25 ° c .) water , then transferred by rollers to a battery of knives , which cut it into parallel strips . an approximately 100 ppm concentration of 4 - methyl - dbs ( aka , p - methyl - dbs ) was utilized . upon production , the film appeared clear . the film , having been slit into strips , was run across three large rolls all running at 110 ft / min , and then into an oven , approximately 14 ft long and set a temperature of about 330 ° f ., where it was drawn . after leaving the oven , the film strips were transferred to three more rolls , running at speeds of 600 , 500 and 500 ft / min , respectively . the first two rolls were heated by hot oil to temperatures of 367 ° f . these film strips were then traversed to winders where they were individually wound up . these final film strips are thus referred to as the polypropylene tape fibers . several tape fibers were made in this manner , adjusting the concentrated additive - pp mixture level to adjust the final additive level . these tape fibers were tested for tensile properties on an mts sintech 10 / g instrument . they were also tested for shrinkage at 150 ° c . and 155 ° c . in hot air by measuring 5 10 ″ strips , exposing them in an oven for 5 minutes at the aforementioned temperatures , and then removing the strips and measuring the resultant length . shrinkage was calculated as the average shrinkage of the five strips in relation to the initial lengths thereof . the concentration level of 4 - methyl - dbs in the tape fiber was also measured by gas chromatograhy . all of these results are reported in the table below for different nucleator compound levels in different fibers ( with the denier measured at xg / 9000 m , and the shrinkage rates measured at 150 ° c . in hot air ). the long period spacing of several of the above yarns was tested by small angle x - ray scattering ( saxs ). the small angle x - ray scattering data was collected on a bruker axs ( madison , wis .) hi - star multi - wire detector placed at a distance of 105 cm from the sample in an anton - paar vacuum chamber where the chamber was evacuated to a pressure of not more than 100 mtorr . x - rays ( λ = 1 . 54178 å ) were generated with a macscience rotating anode ( 40 kv , 40 ma ) and focused through three pinholes to a size of 0 . 2 mm . the entire system ( generator , detector , beampath , sample holder , and software ) is commercially available as a single unit from bruker axs . the detector was calibrated per manufacturer recommendation using a sample of silver behenate . a typical data collection was conducted as follows . to prepare the sample , the yarn was wrapped around a 3 mm brass tube with a 2 mm hole drilled in it , and then the tube was placed in an anton - paar vacuum sample chamber on the x - ray equipment such that the yam was exposed to the x - ray beam through the hole . the path length of the x - ray beam through the sample was between 2 - 3 mm . the sample chamber and beam path was evacuated to less than 100 mtorr and the sample was exposed to the x - ray beam for one hour . two - dimensional data frames were collected by the detector and unwarped automatically by the system software . the data were smoothed within the system software using a 2 - pixel convolution prior to integration . to obtain the intensity scattering data [ i ( q )] as a function of scattering angle [ 2θ ] the data were integrated over φ with the manufacturer &# 39 ; s software set to give a 2θ range of 0 . 2 °- 2 . 5 ° in increments of 0 . 010 ° using the method of bin summation . the data was collected upon exposure to such high temperatures for one - half hour , and subtracting the baseline obtained by taking similar data with no tape fiber sample in place . the center of the scattering peak is obtained by integrating a 60 degree wedge above the sample , said wedge centered on the axis that defines the tape fiber direction . the peak is defined in two ways : either as the position of maximum counts near the center of the peak , or as the average of the positions of the left half maximum and the right half maximum of the peaks . the position of the maximum counts and the center are shown in the table below . yarns of the tape fibers above were then woven into a primary carpet backing component for carpet tiles . such tape fibers were made with knives set to cut the tape to different widths , such that yarns of both approximately 1100 and 600 denier measurements were made . the 600 denier yarns were warped at 24 yarns / inch and a fall width of about 168 inches . these warped yarns were then woven with the wider , 1100 denier yarns on a rapier loom at approximately 12 picks per inch to provide a backing substrate . upon attachment of such a backing ( 18 inches wide ) to a tufted substrate ( also 18 inches wide ), followed by printing with liquid colorants and dyes of the surface opposite the backing itself , the resultant composite was then exposed to drying temperatures ( about 130 ° c .). the complete composite subsequently exhibited no appreciable modification of the dimensions thereof . a comparative polypropylene tape fiber - containing primary backing exhibited a shrinkage rate of about 4 - 5 %, thereby reducing the dimensions of the comparative tufted substrate / primary backing composite by a similar amount . thus , it is apparent that the inventive tape fibers are substantial improvements over the typical , traditional , state of the art polypropylene tape fibers utilized today . there are , of course , many alternative embodiments and modifications of the present invention which are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims .	1
referring now to the drawings , a vehicle signal module generally indicated by the numeral 10 includes a housing 12 which is rigidly mounted to a stock 14 by a fastener 16 which extends through the housing 12 , a flattened portion 18 of the stock 14 and a bottom cover member 20 . the stock 14 is rigidly mounted on the vehicle steering column . a printed circuit board 22 is mounted between the housing 12 and the cover member 20 to provide the necessary electrical connections within the housing 12 as will hereinafter be explained . the stock 14 is provided with an opening 24 to permit wires fed through the stock 14 to be connected to the circuit board 22 . the housing 12 includes a side edge 26 , an opposite side edge 28 an end edge 30 , and a transverse surface 32 extending between the edges 26 , 28 and 30 . the orientation of the various surfaces 26 - 32 is illustrated in fig1 in the positions which they assume when the stock 14 is installed on the aforementioned steering column ( not shown ). depressions or cavities 34 , 36 and 38 and 40 are provided in the top 32 , end 30 and transverse edges 26 - 28 respectively . the depressions or cavities 34 - 40 are sized to accept a human finger . holders 42 , 44 support a conventional light emitting diode and a optically responsive solid state switch respectively on opposite sides of the depression 34 . accordingly , a light beam emitted by the light emitting diode transverses the cavity 34 and is received by the optically responsive switch mounted in holder 44 . accordingly , when the operator inserts a finger into the depression or cavity 34 , the beam transmitted by the light emitting diode in holder 42 and received by the solid state switch in holder 44 is interrupted . similar holders 46 and 48 ; 50 and 52 ; and 54 and 56 are installed on opposite sides of the cavities 36 , 38 and 40 respectively . accordingly , when a human finger is inserted in any of the cavities 34 - 40 , the corresponding light beam transmitted by the corresponding light emitting diode and received by the optically responsive solid state switch will be broken . referring now to fig5 which illustrates schematically the various electrical connections within the housing 12 provided by the circuit board 22 , connectors 58 , 60 provide connections with the regulated vehicle voltage supply and ground respectively . a light emitting diode 62 is connected between the power supply and ground through a bias resistor r 1 , and an optically responsive solid state switch 64 is connected between power supply and ground through a bias resistor r 2 . the light emitting diode 62 and switch 64 are installed in holders 42 , 44 , and , as discussed above , the switch 64 responds to breaking of the beam provided by the light emitting diode 62 to change the state of the signal at left turn output terminal 66 . similarly , light emitting diode 68 and optically responsive solid state switch 70 are connected between power and ground through bias resistors r 3 and r 4 respectively , and are installed within holders 46 and 48 on opposite sides of the depression or cavity 36 . the switch 70 responds to an interruption of the light beam received from light emitting diode 68 to change the state of the signal at the output terminal 72 . still another light emitting diode 74 and optically responsive solid state switch 76 are connected between power and ground through appropriate bias resistors r 5 and r 6 respectively . the light emitting diode 74 and switch 76 are installed in holders 50 and 52 on opposite sides of the depression or cavity 38 . the switch 76 is responsive to interruption of the beam of light received from light emitting diode 74 to change the state of the signal at output terminal 78 . light emitting diode 80 and optically responsive solid state switch 82 are connected between power and ground through appropriate bias resistors r 7 and r 8 . the light emitting diode 80 and switch 82 are installed in holders 54 , 56 on opposite sides of the cavity or depression 40 . the switch 82 responds to interruption of the beam of light received from light emitting diode 80 to change the state of the signal at output terminal 84 . a light emitting diode 86 is connected between the power and ground through a bias resistor r 9 and is mounted on the housing 12 in an appropriate place ( not shown ) to provide an indication that power is being supplied to the housing . referring now to fig6 a microprocessor generally indicated by the numeral 88 is connected to power through a conventional regulating and filtering circuit generally indicated by the numeral 90 and is also connected to ground as indicated at 92 . input terminal 94 of microprocessor 88 is connected to terminal 66 , terminal 96 of microprocessor 88 is connected to terminal 72 input terminal 98 of microprocessor 88 is connected to terminal 78 , and input terminal 100 of microprocessor 88 is connected to terminal 84 . each of the terminals 66 , 72 , 78 and 84 are connected to their corresponding input terminals of microprocessor 88 through appropriate voltage regulating filtering and protection circuitry generally indicated by the numeral 102 . the microprocessor 88 also has an input ( not shown ) connected to a signal representing vehicle speed from the multiplex data buss . output terminal 104 of microprocessor 88 is connected to a solid state switching device 106 , which is responsive to a change of state of terminal 104 to switch left turn signals connected to a terminal generally indicated at 108 . output terminal 110 of microprocessor 88 is connected to solid state switching device 112 , which is responsive to a change of state of output terminal 110 to switch the right turn signals connected to terminal generally indicated by the numeral 114 . output terminal 116 of microprocessor 88 is connected to a solid state switch 118 which is responsive to a change of state on terminal 116 to switch the vehicle head light beams from the high beam to the low beam ( or vice versa ) which are connected to terminal generally indicated by the numeral 120 . output terminal 122 of microprocessor 88 is connected to solid state switching device 124 which is responsive to a change of state on terminal 122 to switch on or off the vehicle emergency flashers connected to a terminal generally indicated by the numeral 126 . in operation , when the vehicle operator desires to signal a left turn , the operator places a finger in the cavity or depression 34 , thereby interrupting the beam between the light emitting diode 62 and the optically responsive solid state switch 64 . accordingly , the signal at terminal 66 changes state and microprocessor 88 responds to this change of state ( which is transmitted to the microprocessor through input terminal 94 ) to generate a signal switching the solid state switch 106 to turn on the left turn signals connected to terminal 108 . microprocessor 88 is programmed to maintain the signal on output terminal 104 even after the operator removes his finger from cavity or depression 34 , whereupon the optically responsive solid state switch 64 switches back to its initial state , thus removing the signal from input terminal 94 of microprocessor 88 . microprocessor 88 is programmed to turn off solid state switch 106 by changing the state on output terminal 104 if the vehicle operator again places his finger in the cavity 34 causing the terminal 94 to change state , and is also programmed to turn off the solid state switch 106 if the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined level . when the vehicle operator desires to signal a right turn , the vehicle operator places a finger in the cavity 36 thereby causing optically responsive solid state switch 70 to signal microprocessor 88 to turn on solid state switch 112 to actuate the right turn signals connected to terminal 114 . of course , the vehicle operator turns off the right turn signals by again placing the finger cavity 36 thereby signaling microprocessor 88 to turn solid state switch 112 off . the microprocessor is also programmed to turn off switch 112 when the vehicle speed attains a predetermined level and / or a predetermined time period has elapsed . it will be noted that the stock 14 is conveniently mounted the steering wheel so that the vehicle operator may place a finger in the cavity 34 or 36 without removing his hand from the wheel . this concept is such that the switch is totally independent of the vehicle steering column . it may be located in any location which is ergonomically desirable . when the vehicle operator desires to switch the vehicle head lamps to high beam from low beam , the vehicle operator places a finger in the cavity 38 , thereby causing optically responsive solid state switch 76 to change the state on terminal 78 which signals microprocessor through input terminal 98 to change the state on output terminal 116 thereby switching the solid state switching device 118 to switch the head lights connected to terminal 120 to the high beams . the microprocessor 88 is programmed to maintain the signal on the terminal 116 even after the vehicle operator has removed his finger from cavity 38 . when the vehicle operator again places his finger in cavity 38 , the microprocessor 88 responds to the signal transmitted to input terminal 98 to switch solid state switch 118 back to its initial state , thereby switching the head lights from the high beams to the low beams . when the vehicle operator desires to actuate the vehicle warning flashers , the vehicle operator places a finger or thumb in the cavity 40 , thereby causing the optically responsive solid state switch 82 to change the state on terminal 84 . this change of state is communicated to microprocessor 88 through input terminal 100 , which responds to change the state on output terminal 122 , causing the solid state switch 124 to switch on the emergency flashers 126 . these emergency flashers remain on after the vehicle operator removes his finger or thumb from cavity . when the vehicle operator again places his finger or thumb in cavity 40 , microprocessor 88 responds to the corresponding change of state on input terminal 100 to change the state of output terminal 122 , thereby switching off the solid state switch 124 to turn off the flashers connected to the terminal 126 . microprocessor 88 is also programmed to turn off and / or prevent the turning on of the flashers connected to terminal 126 when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined level .	1
in the present invention , the water removal solvent comprises a fluorinated solvent containing an alcohol , and it contains water removed from the article when used . further , the water removal solvent may be a fluorinated solvent containing a small amount of other components in addition to the alcohol . the fluorinated solvent in the present invention is preferably a hydrofluoroether or a hydrofluorocarbon . however , the fluorinated solvent is not limited thereto , and it may be another fluorinated solvent . the fluorinated solvent other than the hydrofluoroether or the hydrofluorocarbon may be a perfluorocarbon or a hydrochlorofluorocarbon . the fluorinated solvent is preferably flame retardant or nonflammable . the hydrofluoroether is preferably a compound represented by the formula 1 : in the above formula , each of r 1 and r 2 which are independent of each other , is an alkyl group or a fluorinated alkyl group . the total number of fluorine atoms contained in r 1 and r 2 is not 0 , the total number of hydrogen atoms contained in r 1 and r 2 is at least 1 , and the total number of carbon atoms contained in r 1 and r 2 is from 4 to 8 . when the total number of carbon atoms contained in r 1 and r 2 is m , the total number of fluorine atoms contained in r 1 and r 2 is preferably at least m + 1 , more preferably at least m + 3 . such a hydrofluoroether having a large number of fluorine atoms tends to be flame retardant or nonflammable . particularly , the hydrofluoroether is preferably 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 - tetrafluoroethyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethylether , ( perfluorobutoxy ) methane or ( perfluorobutoxy ) ethane , and they may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more . the hydrofluorocarbon is a compound represented by c n f p h q ( wherein n is an integer of at least 3 , p is an integer of at least 1 , q is an integer of at least 1 , and p + q is 2n + 2 or 2n ), and is an aliphatic hydrofluorocarbon when p + q is 2n + 2 , and is an alicyclic hydrofluorocarbon when p + q is 2n . n is preferably from 3 to 8 , more preferably from 4 to 6 . the number ( p ) of fluorine atoms is preferably at least n + 1 , more preferably at least n + 3 . such a hydrofluorocarbon having a large number of fluorine atoms tends to be flame retardant or noncombustible . the hydrofluorocarbon may , for example , be a compound represented by c 4 f 5 h 5 , c 4 f 6 h 4 , c 4 f 7 h 3 , c 4 f 8 h 2 , c 4 f 9 h , c 5 f 6 h 6 , c 5 f 7 h 5 , c 5 f 8 h 4 , c 5 f 9 h 3 , c 5 f 10 h 2 , c 5 f 11 h , c 6 f 7 h 7 , c 6 f 8 h 6 , c 6 f 9 h 5 , c 6 f 10 h 4 , c 6 f 11 h 3 , c 6 f 12 h 2 or c 6 f 13 h , or cyclic c 5 f 7 h 3 . 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 - pentafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 4 - hexafluorobutane , 2 - methyl - 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoropropane , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 - hexafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 - heptafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 4 - heptafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 4 - heptafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 - heptafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 - octafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 - octafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 - octafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 - nonafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 4 - nonafluorobutane . 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 - octafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 5 , 5 , 5 - octafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 - nonafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 - nonafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - nonafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 5 , 5 - nonafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 - decafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 - decafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - decafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - decafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 - undecafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - undecafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 - nonafluorohexane . among them , the hydrofluorocarbon is preferably 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 - pentafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - decafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 - nonafluorohexane , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - nonafluoropentane , or 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 6 , 6 - tridecafluorohexane , and they may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more . the content of the fluorinated solvent in the water removal solvent in the present invention is preferably from 80 to 99 mass %, more preferably from 85 to 97 mass %. as the alcohol , allyl alcohol or an alkanoyl may , for example , be used . among them , a c 1 - 3 alkanol is preferred , and methanol , ethanol or isopropyl alcohol is particularly preferred . they may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more . in the present invention , if the content of the alcohol in the water removal solvent is too low , the solubility of water in the water removal solvent tends to be decreased , and it tends to be difficult to remove water from the surface of an article having the water attached on its surface , when the article is dipped in the water removal solvent . thus , the water tends to remain on the surface when the article is withdrawn , thus leading for formation of stains . on the other hand , if the content of the alcohol in the water removal solvent is too high , the water removal solvent tends to be a composition having a flash point , whereby its handling tends to be cumbersome . further , the concentration of the alcohol contained in the water separated from the water removal solvent tends to be high , and at the same time the content of the alcohol in the water removal solvent tends to decrease , whereby it tends to be difficult to maintain the water removal performance . further , if the concentration of the alcohol contained in the water to be separated from the water removal solvent and discharged becomes high , the load for the treatment of the water also increases . from such a viewpoint , the content of the alcohol in the water removal solvent in the present invention is preferably from 1 to 20 mass %, particularly preferably from 3 to 15 mass %. further , with respect to the content of the alcohol , in a case where the hydrofluoroether or the hydrofluorocarbon and the alcohol will form an azeotropic composition , it is possible to control the compositional change during evaporation . accordingly , it is most preferred to employ such an azeotropic composition as the water removal solvent . further , an azeotropic - like composition can also be used as the water removal solvent . specific examples preferred as the water removal solvent in the present invention will be shown in table 1 . the water removal solvents shown in table 1 are azeotropic compositions of an alcohol and a fluorinated solvent , and their compositions and azeotropic points are shown . to the fluorinated solvent in the present invention , other components other than the alcohol may be contained depending upon various purposes . for example , in order to increase the solubility or to control the evaporation speed , an organic solvent ( hereinafter referred to as another organic solvent ) other than the fluorinated solvent and the alcohol may further be contained . as such another organic solvent , at least one member selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons , ketones , ethers containing no halogen atoms , esters and halogenated hydrocarbons other than the hydrofluorocarbon , may be employed . if such other organic solvents are contained , the contents of such other organic solvents are preferably contents at which the purpose can be achieved within a range not to impair the water removal performance of the water removal solvent , and specifically from 1 to 20 mass %, particularly preferably from 2 to 10 mass %, in the water removal solvent . as the hydrocarbons , c 5 - 15 linear or cyclic saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbons are preferred , such as n - pentane , 2 - methylbutane , n - hexane , 2 - methylpentane , 2 , 2 - dimethylbutane , 2 , 3 - dimethylbutane , n - heptane , 2 - methylhexane , 3 - methylhexane , 2 , 4 - dimethylpentane , n - octane , 2 - methylheptane , 3 - methylheptane , 4 - methylheptane , 2 , 2 - dimethylhexane , 2 , 5 - dimethylhexane , 3 , 3 - dimethylhexane , 2 - methyl - 3 - ethylpentane , 3 - methyl - 3 - ethylpentane , 2 , 3 , 3 - trimethylpentane , 2 , 3 , 4 - trimethylpentane , 2 , 2 , 3 - trimethylpentane , 2 - methylheptane , 2 , 2 , 4 - trimethylpentane , n - nonane , 2 , 2 , 5 - trimethylhexane , n - decane , n - dodecane , 1 - pentene , 2 - pentene , 1 - hexene , 1 - octene , 1 - nonene , 1 - decene , cyclopentane , methylcyclopentane , cyclohexane , methylcyclohexane , ethylcyclohexane , bicyclohexane , cyclohexene , α - pinene , dipentene , decalin , tetralin and amylnaphthalene . more preferred is , for example , n - pentane , cyclopentane , n - hexane , cyclohexane or n - heptane . the ketones are preferably c 3 - 9 linear or cyclic saturated or unsaturated ketones . specifically , they include , for example , acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , 2 - pentanone , 3 - pentanone , 2 - hexanone , methyl isobutyl ketone , 2 - heptanone , 3 - heptanone , 4 - heptanone , diisobutyl ketone , mesityl oxide , phorone , 2 - octanone , cyclohexanone , methylcyclohexanone , isophorone , 2 , 4 - pentanedione , 2 , 5 - hexanedione , a diacetone alcohol and acetophenone . more preferred is , for example , acetone or methyl ethyl ketone . the ethers containing no halogen atoms are preferably c 2 - 5 linear or cyclic saturated or unsaturated ethers , such as diethyl ether , dipropyl ether , diisopropyl ether , dibutyl ether , ethyl vinyl ether , butyl vinyl ether , anisole , phenetole , methylanisole , dioxane , furan , methylfuran and tetrahydrofuran . more preferred is , for example , diethyl ether , diisopropyl ether , dioxane or tetrahydrofuran . the esters are preferably c 2 - 19 linear or cyclic saturated or unsaturated esters . specifically , they include , for example , methyl formate , ethyl formate , propyl formate , butyl formate , isobutyl formate , pentyl formate , methyl acetate , ethyl acetate , propyl acetate , isopropyl acetate , butyl acetate , isobutyl acetate , sec - butyl acetate , pentyl acetate , methoxybutyl acetate , sec - hexyl acetate , 2 - ethylbutyl acetate , 2 - ethylhexyl acetate , cyclohexyl acetate , benzyl acetate , methyl propionate , ethyl propionate , butyl propionate , methyl butyrate , ethyl butyrate , butyl butyrate , isobutyl isobutyrate , ethyl 2 - hydroxy - 2 - methylpropionate , methyl benzoate , ethyl benzoate , propyl benzoate , butyl benzoate , benzyl benzoate , γ - butyrolactone , diethyl oxalate , dibutyl oxalate , dipentyl oxalate , diethyl malonate , dimethyl maleate , diethyl maleate , dibutyl maleate , dibutyl tartarate , tributyl citrate , dibutyl sebacate , dimethyl phthalate , diethyl phthalate , and dibutyl phthalate . more referred is , for example , methyl acetate or ethyl acetate . the halogenated hydrocarbons other than the hydrofluorocarbon , are preferably c 1 - 6 saturated or unsaturated chlorinated hydrocarbons , such as methylene chloride , 1 , 1 - dichloroethane , 1 , 2 - dichloroethane , 1 , 1 , 2 - trichloroethane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 - tetrachloroethane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 - tetrachloroethane , pentachloroethane , 1 , 1 - dichloroethylene , 1 , 2 - dichloroethylene , trichloroethylene , tetrachloroethylene and 1 , 2 - dichloropropane . now , the process for removing water of the present invention will be specifically described . fig1 is a schematic view illustrating one example of an apparatus for removing water / drying to carry out the process of the present invention . a dipping sump 1 is an open - topped sump , and a water removal solvent 2 in a liquid state is stored therein . a cooling pipe 3 is provided on the inside wall at an upper portion of the dipping sump 1 , the water removal solvent condensed on the surface of the cooling pipe 3 is collected in a trough 4 provided on the inside wall below the cooling pipe , and the collected water removal solvent is sent out of the dipping sump 1 from a sending - out pipe 5 . on the other hand , into the dipping sump 1 , a new water removal solvent is introduced through an introducing pipe 6 . here , the new water removal solvent is a water removal solvent having a water concentration lower than that of the water removal solvent sent out , and it may be one having the water concentration of the water removal solvent sent out adjusted , or a separate water removal solvent containing no water may be used . at the bottom of the dipping sump 1 , a heater 7 is provided , and the water removal solvent 2 in the liquid state is kept in a boiling state by heating by the heater 7 . a vapor zone 8 of the water removal solvent is formed above the water removal solvent 2 in a liquid state and below the height where the cooling pipe 3 is present . as described above , the water removal solvent 2 in the dipping sump 1 is kept in a boiling state , and the evaporated water removal solvent forms the vapor zone 8 , the vapor of the water removal solvent at an upper portion of the vapor zone 8 is cooled and condensed , and the condensed water removal solvent is sent out of the dipping sump 1 through the sending - out pipe 5 . on the other hand , a new water removal solvent is introduced into the dipping sump 1 through the introducing pipe 6 , and by keeping the amount of the new water removal solvent introduced to substantially the same as the amount of the condensed water removal solvent sent out , the amount of the water removal solvent 2 in the dipping sump 1 is kept in a stationary state . an article having water attached is dipped in the liquid of the water removal solvent 2 in the dipping sump 1 from the open top of the dipping sump 1 , and the water attached to the article is dissolved or dispersed in the water removal solvent so that it is removed from the article . then , the article is withdrawn from the water removal solvent 2 , and is taken out from the dipping sump 1 through the vapor zone 8 . the water removal solvent attached to the article withdrawn from the water removal solvent 2 is preferably evaporated and removed ( dried ) after the article is withdrawn from the vapor zone 8 until it passes by the cooling pipe 3 and is taken out from the top of the dipping sump 1 . the apparatus for removing water / drying to carry out the process of the present invention preferably further has a water separation sump 9 . the water separation sump 9 is a sump to separate water from the water removal solvent by a specific gravity separation method , and in the sump , the water removal solvent in a liquid state containing precipitated water is left at rest , a layer of the water is formed over the liquid layer of the water removal solvent by the specific gravity difference , and water can be taken out from the layer of the water . to the water separation sump 9 , the above sending - out pipe 5 is connected , the condensed water removal solvent is introduced into the water separation sump 9 , and the separated water is discharged from the water separation sump 9 through a discharge pipe 10 . on the other hand , the water removal solvent from which the water is separated is returned to the dipping sump 1 from the water separation sump 9 through the introducing pipe 6 connected to the water separation sump 9 . in the present invention , the temperature of the water removal solvent in a boiling state in the dipping sump is the boiling point of the water removal solvent . here , in a case where the water removal solvent is an azeotropic composition or an azeotropic - like composition , the boiling point of the water removal solvent is the azeotropic point . further , in a case where the water removal solvent is not an azeotropic composition , the boiling point is the temperature of the water removal solvent boiling in the dipping sump . further , the azeotropic - like composition is generally a composition which has no true azeotropic point but the compositional change of which after evaporation and condensation are repeated , is negligible . in the present invention , it is a composition of which the compositional change after evaporation and condensation are repeated is within ± 3 % by the proportion of the alcohol ( however , it is at least 1 mass % even in the case of one having a minimum proportion of the alcohol ). in the process for removing water from an article of the present invention , the article having water attached is dipped in the liquid of the water removal solvent in a boiling state stored in the dipping sump 1 . most of the water attached to the article is dissolved or dispersed in the water removal solvent from the article . during this dipping , the time required for removing water can be shortened by the flow of the water removal solvent in a boiling state . the time during which the article is dipped in the water removal solvent is usually preferably from 30 seconds to 10 minutes . in order to keep the water content in the water removal solvent to at most the saturated water concentration , it is necessary to remove water in an amount equal to or larger than the amount of the water to be added to the water removal solvent per unit time , from the water removal solvent in the dipping sump . in the stationary state , the amount of water added to the water removal solvent and the water removed from the water removal solvent per unit time are equal . the water added to the water removal solvent is the water removed from the article dipped ( further , water may sometimes be added to the water removal solvent from the environment ). in the present invention , by sending the condensed water removal solvent from the dipping sump , the water accompanying the condensed water removal solvent is removed from the dipping sump . in order to keep the amount of the water removal solvent in the dipping sump substantially constant , the water removal solvent in an amount substantially equal to the amount of the condensed water removal solvent sent out is introduced into the dipping sump . the water removal solvent to be introduced is required to be a water removal solvent containing water at a concentration less than the saturated water concentration at the boiling temperature of the water removal solvent or a water removal solvent containing no water . in the present invention , the concentration of the water in the vapor of the water removal solvent is higher than the concentration of the water in the water removal solvent in a boiling state . that is , the water removal solvent in the present invention has a property to be a vapor accompanied by the water in a larger amount than the saturated water amount in the boiling water removal solvent . the water in the vapor of the water removal solvent is sent out of the dipping sump as accompanying the condensed water removal solvent , whereby the water concentration in the boiling water removal solvent can be at most the saturated water concentration at least when the article is withdrawn . in order to keep the amount of the water in the water removal solvent to at most the saturated water concentration at least when the article is withdrawn ( preferably constantly ), the amount of water sent out of the dipping sump is adjusted depending on the amount of water added from the article . this adjustment is carried out by adjusting the amount of the condensed water removal solvent sent out . for example , in order to increase the amount of water sent out , e . g . a means of increasing the performance to heat the water removal solvent thereby to increase the evaporation amount and increasing the amount of condensation thereby to increase the amount of the condensed water removal solvent sent out , may be employed . it is more preferred to adjust the amount of the water in the water removal solvent so that the water concentration in the boiling water removal solvent is at most 90 % of the saturated water concentration at the temperature ( boiling point ) of the water removal solvent . in the present invention , as shown in fig1 , it is preferred that the water separation sump 9 is further provided , the water removal solvent sent out of the dipping sump is introduced in the water separation sump 9 , the water is separated from the water removal solvent by the specific gravity separation method in the water separation sump 9 , the separated water is discharged from the water separation sump 9 , and the water removal solvent from which the water is separated is introduced into the dipping sump 1 from the water separation sump 9 , as the water removal solvent containing the water at a concentration less than the saturated water concentration . in the water separation sump 9 , the water removal solvent and the water are separated by the specific gravity separation method . since the fluorinated solvent has a specific gravity greater than that of water and only a small amount of water is soluble in the fluorinated solvent , the water removal solvent having a low alcohol content will easily be separated from the water . when the water removal solvent containing the water introduced to the water separation sump 9 is left at rest , the water removal solvent is separated into an upper layer comprising the water in which the alcohol is dissolved and a lower layer comprising the water removal solvent . it is only necessary to leave the water removal solvent at rest usually for from about 1 to 30 minutes . with a view to carrying out separation easily and quickly , the temperature of the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 9 is preferably at least a temperature lower by 10 ° c . than the boiling point of the water removal solvent , particularly preferably at least a temperature lower by 5 ° c . than the boiling point . that is , where the temperature of the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 10 is t and the boiling point of the water removal solvent is t b , it is preferred that t b − 10 ≦ t & lt ; t b , particularly preferably t b − 5 ≦ t & lt ; t b . if the temperature of the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 9 is lower than ( t b − 10 ), the water dissolved in the water removal solvent or the water dispersed in the form of fine particles is rapidly cooled to form a suspension state of the water in the water removal solvent . if suspension occurs , it will be difficult to separate the water removal solvent and the water by the specific gravity separation . accordingly , the temperature of the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 9 is preferably adjusted within the above temperature range . after the water removal solvent and water are separated into two layers in the water separation sump 9 , the water in the upper layer is discharged from the water separation sump 9 . the water discharged contains a very small amount of hfc or hfe in addition to the alcohol . accordingly , the discharged water is preferably disposed of after the above components other than water are removed by means of e . g . distillation or pervaporation . further , such components other than water may be recovered from the discharged water and reused . in the water removal solvent in the lower layer after separation into two layers in the water separation sump 9 , the water in a saturation amount of the water removal solvent at the temperature of the water separation sump 9 is contained . in general , the solubility of the water in a water removal solvent increases as the liquid temperature of the water removal solvent increases . accordingly , by subjecting a mixture of the water removal solvent and the water to separation at a temperature lower than the boiling point of the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 9 , the concentration of the water contained in the water removal solvent in the lower layer is at most the saturated water concentration of the water removal solvent in a boiling state . as described above , the amount of the water contained in the water removal solvent in the lower layer in the water separation sump 9 is less than the amount of water of the saturated water concentration of the water removal solvent in a boiling state . accordingly , the water removal solvent in the lower layer can be introduced into the dipping sump 1 from the water separation sump 9 , as the water removal solvent containing the water at a concentration less than the saturated water concentration . to the water removal solvent returned from the water separation sump to the dipping sump , an alcohol or a fluorinated solvent may be added for the component adjustment . for example , as described above , since an alcohol is contained in the water discharged from the water separation sump , the amount of the alcohol in the water removal solvent returned from the water separation sump to the dipping sump is smaller than the amount of the alcohol in the original water removal solvent , whereby the water removal performance may be decreased . accordingly , it is preferred to add an alcohol in an amount to compensate for deficiency to the water removal solvent to be introduced to the dipping sump from the water separation sump . in a case where the water removal solvent contains another organic solvent in addition to the alcohol , as the case requires , such another organic solvent to make up for deficiency may be added in the same manner as the alcohol , to the water removal solvent to be introduced to the dipping sump from the water separation sump . further , since a part of the water removal solvent is brought when the article is taken out from the dipping sump , or a part of the water removal solvent sent out of the dipping sump flies off in e . g . the water separation sump in many cases , even when all the amount of the water removal solvent separated and sent out of the water separation sump is returned to the dipping sump , the amount is smaller than the water removal solvent sent out of the dipping sump , and the amount of the water removal solvent in the dipping sump may be reduced with time . accordingly , in such a case , a new water removal solvent can be introduced into the dipping sump together with the water removal solvent separated and sent out of the water separation sump . this new water removal solvent may be introduced into the dipping sump separately from the water removal solvent separated and sent out of the water separation sump . further , as the new water removal solvent , a water removal solvent containing substantially no water may be used . further , in the present invention , the water may further be removed from the water removal solvent sent out of the water separation sump , before it is returned to the dipping sump . for example , the water removal solvent may be subjected to filtration through a coalescer type filter to further remove the water . in such a case , a coalescer type filtration type water separation apparatus is disposed between the water separation sump and the dipping sump , the water removal solvent discharged from the water separation sump is subjected to the filtration separation apparatus to further remove the water , and the water removal solvent having a smaller water amount discharged from the filtration type water separation apparatus is returned to the dipping sump . in the present invention , the method of removing the water from the water removal solvent sent out of the dipping sump is not limited to the above - mentioned specific gravity separation method using the separation sump , for example , the water can be removed from the water removal solvent by the above - mentioned coalescer type filtration type water separation apparatus . in this case also , the water removal solvent from which the water is removed is preferably returned to the dipping sump as the water removal solvent containing the water at a concentration less than the above saturated water concentration . in the present invention , in a case where the water is removed from the water removal solvent by circulating the water removal solvent among the dipping sump and the water separation sump and the like , the circulating time of the water removal solvent is not particularly limited , but is preferably from 1 minute to 2 hours , more preferably from 30 minutes to 1 hour . if the circulating time is too short , the energy required for heating for boiling or for cooling for condensation tends to be enormous , and further , separation of the water from the water removal solvent in the water separation sump will be difficult . further , if the circulating time is too long , the water removal amount per unit time from the water removal solvent tends to be small , it tends to be difficult to sufficiently remove the water brought as attached to the article , and the water removal treatment efficiency tends to be decreased . the article which is dipped in the liquid of the water removal solvent in a boiling state in the dipping sump and from which the water is removed , is withdrawn from the liquid of the water removal solvent , and then the attached water removal solvent is removed ( dried ). drying may be carried out in the dipping sump or may be carried out outside the dipping sump . removal of the water removal solvent attached to the article is preferably carried out when the article passes by the cooling pipe at an upper portion of the dipping sump . if the water removal solvent attached to the article is removed by evaporation at a point where there is no vapor of the water removal solvent , the temperature of the article tends to be decreased by the heat of evaporation , and a phenomenon such as condensation of moisture in the air may occur . for example , in a case where the heat capacity of the article is small and the surrounding temperature is not sufficiently high , the temperature of the article is likely to be decreased due to evaporation of the water removal solvent . consequently , if the temperature at the surface of the article becomes lower than the ambient temperature , there may be a phenomenon such that moisture in the air will be condensed , or the water removal solvent attached to the surface of the article will absorb moisture in the atmosphere before it is evaporated , whereby stains may sometimes be formed on the surface of the article . accordingly , it is preferred to heat the article to a temperature of the boiling point of the water removal solvent in the vapor of the water removal solvent . in a case where the article is dried outside the dipping sump , transfer of the article from the dipping sump to the drying zone , is preferably carried out in vapor of the water removal solvent in order to prevent partial drying during the transfer or to prevent a cause for formation of stains e . g . by absorption of ambient moisture in the water removal solvent attached to the article . the atmosphere in the transfer and further , the drying zone , are preferably an atmosphere of vapor of the water removal solvent , e . g . the water removal solvent sent out of the dipping sump , the water removal solvent after the water separation , or a new water removal solvent containing no water . further , it is possible to use a solvent of a type different from the water removal solvent stored in the dipping sump to form an atmosphere of vapor to the drying zone . in the present invention , removal ( drying ) of the water removal solvent attached to the article is preferably carried out beside the cooling pipe 3 above the vapor zone in the dipping sump . the vapor zone in the dipping sump is formed , as shown in fig1 for example , between the liquid surface of the water removal solvent in a boiling state and a position where the cooling means is present . in order to heat the article to the boiling point of the water removal solvent in the vapor zone 8 , it is preferred to adjust the thickness of the vapor zone to be a sufficient thickness in accordance with the size and the shape of the article . if the thickness of the vapor zone is insufficient or if there is no vapor zone , stains may be formed on the article . the article heated to the boiling temperature of the water removal solvent in the vapor zone is taken out from the vapor zone 8 and is easily and immediately in the dried state . now , the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to examples . a test of cleaning to remove water was carried out in examples 1 to 5 using an apparatus shown in fig1 . this apparatus mainly comprises a dipping sump 1 equipped with a heater 7 to carry out a dipping step , and a water separation sump 9 to carry out specific gravity separation of water from a water removal solvent , and the capacity of the dipping sump 1 is 18 l , and the capacity of the water separation sump 9 is 18 l . a water removal solvent 2 is evaporated by heating by means of the heater 7 , and the water removal solvent in an amount equal to that of the water removal solvent decreased from the dipping sump 1 is sent to the dipping sump 1 from a water separation sump 10 . the vapor of the water removal solvent containing the water brought by an article is condensed by a cooling pipe 3 and is sent to the water separation sump 9 through a trough 4 . the water removal solvent 2 in the dipping sump 1 was brought to a boiling state by supplying electric current to the heater 7 in the dipping sump 1 . further , by controlling the electric current supplied to the heater 7 , the circulating time of the water removal solvent was adjusted to 1 hour . the water concentrations of the water removal solvent in the dipping sump 1 and the water removal solvent obtained by condensing the vapor of the water removal solvent in the dipping sump 1 were measured by a karl fischer moisture content measuring apparatus . a test of drying by removal of water was carried out by using as a water removal solvent asahiklin ae - 3100e ( an azeotropic mixture of hydrofluoroether and ethanol manufactured by asahi glass company , limited , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 - tetrafluoroethyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ether ( 94 )/ ethanol ( 6 ), boiling point : 54 ° c .) and by using as an article a # 100 stainless mesh ( 5 cm × 5 cm ) which had been preliminarily well cleaned and dipped in water . first , the article was dipped in ae - 3100e at the boiling point , and water was removed for 1 minute . on that occasion , no suspension in the dipping sump was observed . then , vapor cleaning was carried out in a vapor zone of ae - 3100e for 30 seconds , and then the drying state of the withdrawn article and the formation of stains were visually confirmed . the stainless mesh after the vapor cleaning was well dried , and favorable drying property by removal of water was observed . the test of drying by removal of water was carried out in the same manner as in example 1 except that as the article , a glass plate ( 5 cm × 5 cm ) which had been preliminarily well cleaned and dipped in water was used . no suspension in the dipping sump was observed , the glass plate after vapor drying was well dried , and favorable drying property by removal of water was observed . the test of drying by removal of water was carried out in the same manner as in example 1 except that as the water removal solvent , ac - 2220 ( azeotropic mixture of hydrofluorocarbon and ethanol manufactured by asahi glass company , limited , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 6 , 6 - tridecafluorohexane ( 91 )/ ethanol ( 9 ), boiling point : 61 ° c .) was used . no suspension in the dipping sump was observed , the stainless mesh after the vapor drying was well dried , and favorable drying property by removal of water was observed . the test of drying by removal of water was carried out in the same manner as in example 2 except that as the water removal solvent , ac - 2220 was used . no suspension in the dipping sump was observed , the glass plate after the vapor drying was well dried , and favorable drying property by removal of water was observed . the same drying by removal of water as in example 1 was repeatedly carried out 40 times using asahiklin ae - 3100e as the water removal solvent and using a glass plate ( 5 cm × 5 cm ) which had been preliminarily well cleaned and dipped in water as the article . under conditions where the water concentration in the dipping sump 1 at the time of initiation of the test was the saturated water concentration of the solvent , and drying by removal of water was carried out at a rate of once for every 3 minutes , all the 40 glass plates were well dried after the vapor drying . the saturated water concentration at the boiling point of ae - 3100e is about 6 , 000 ppm , and from the water separation sump to the dipping sump , the water removal solvent containing water at a concentration of the saturated water concentration at the liquid temperature in the water separation sump is sent . in fig3 is shown the water concentration change in the dipping sump 1 when the water concentration in the dipping sump at the initiation of the test was 6 , 000 ppm and 0 . 3 g of water attached to the glass plate was brought to the dipping sump 1 by drying by removal of water of one glass plate . the water concentration in the dipping sump 1 was at least the saturated water concentration immediately after dipping of the glass plate , whereas the water concentration in ae - 3100e in the dipping sump 1 was reduced to the saturated water concentration or below immediately before the next drying by removal of water was carried out . further , when the test of drying by removal of water on glass plates was repeatedly carried out while the boiling state in the dipping sump was maintained in such a system , the water concentration in ae - 3100e in the dipping sump 1 was gradually decreased as shown in fig3 . further , in this test , no white turbidity in the dipping sump 1 was observed . accordingly , the water could be removed from the article by the water removal solvent in the dipping sump by dissolving the water attached to the article . further , in the vapor of the water removal solvent during the test , moisture at a level of from about 7 , 000 to 8 , 000 ppm , which was at least the saturated water concentration , was always present . the same drying by removal of water as in example 1 is repeatedly carried out by an apparatus for drying by removal of water without water separation sump with an amount of a solvent of 18 l in a dipping sump by using asahiklin ae - 3100e as the water removal solvent . under conditions where the water concentration in the dipping sump at the initiation of the test was the saturated water concentration of the water removal solvent and drying by removal of water was carried out at a rate of once for every 3 minutes , water remained on the surface of all the glass plates after vapor drying , and drying by removal of water could not be carried out . further , at a point where the number of dipping of the glass plate exceeded 10 times , the water removal solvent in the dipping sump became cloudy due to presence of a large amount of the water . drying by removal of water from a stainless mesh was carried out by using a cleaning apparatus shown in fig2 , by using asahiklin ae - 3100e as a water removal solvent . the cleaning apparatus in fig2 comprises a dipping sump 11 to carry out a dipping step , a water separation sump 12 to carry out a specific gravity separation step , and a vapor generating sump 13 to generate a vapor for an exposure step . the dipping sump 11 is filled with a water removal solvent 14 , and has a ultrasonic vibration 15 at its bottom . the capacity of the dipping sump 11 is 18 l , the capacity of the water separation sump 12 is 15 l , and the capacity of the vapor generating sump 13 is from 10 to 20 l . in this apparatus , the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 12 is suctioned by a pump 16 from the bottom of the water separation sump 12 and returned to the dipping sump 1 at a rate of about 5 l / minutes . from the water separation sump 12 , the water removal solvent is supplied , whereby the water removal solvent overflows from the dipping sump 11 to a trough 17 , and flows into the water separation sump 12 from the bottom of the trough 17 . in a case where an article having water attached on its surface is practically dipped in the dipping sump 11 , water removed from the article will surface to the liquid surface of the water removal solvent , whereby the liquid overflowing to the trough 17 will be a mixed liquid of the surfaced water and the water removal solvent . at an upper portion of the apparatus , a cooing pipe 18 and a trough 19 to receive the water removal solvent thereby condensed , are provided , and the solvent entered into the trough 19 will be supplied to the water separation sump 12 . adjustment of the temperature of the water removal solvent in the dipping sump 11 or the water separation sump 12 was carried out by controlling the electric current supplied to a heater 20 or 21 . further , in a case where the exposure step by vapor was to be carried out , an electric current was supplied to a heater 22 of the vapor generating sump 13 to bring the water removal solvent to a boiling state thereby to generate vapor . the vapor generated will be contacted to a cooling pipe 18 and condensed , and the condensed solvent will enter into the trough 19 and then will enter into the water separation sump 12 . an article was dipped in ae - 3100e at 45 ° c . in the dipping sump 11 shown in fig2 , and ultrasonic waves were applied to carry out removal of water for 1 minute . then , the article was subjected to vapor cleaning in a vapor zone 23 of ae - 3100e for 30 seconds , and then the drying state of the withdrawn article and the formation of stains were visually confirmed . such an operation was repeatedly carried out with respect to 40 sheets of stainless mesh at a rate of once for every 3 minutes . as a result , the stainless mesh was dried immediately after withdrawn from the dipping sump 11 , and no formation of stains was confirmed , immediately after initiation of the cleaning . whereas , about one and a half hours after initiation of the cleaning , suspension of water in the water removal solvent 14 in the dipping sump 11 started to be observed , and substantially at the same time , stains were formed on the stainless mesh after removal of water . the same test of drying by removal of water as in comparative example 2 was carried out except that as the article , a glass plate ( 5 cm × 5 cm ) which had been preliminarily well cleaned and dipped in water was used . immediately after initiation of the cleaning , the glass plate was dried immediately after withdrawn from the dipping sump 11 , and no formation of stains was observed , but about 2 hours after initiation of the cleaning , suspension of water in the water removal solvent 14 in the dipping sump 11 started to be observed , and substantially at the same time , stains were formed on the glass plate after removal of water . the present invention can be applied to drying by removal of water to remove water from the surface of articles such as lenses , components of liquid crystal display devices , electronic parts and precision mechanical parts , in the precision machine industry , the optomechanical industry , the electrical and electronic industry , the plastic industry , etc . the entire disclosure of japanese patent application no . 2009 - 027304 filed on feb . 9 , 2009 including specification , claims , drawings and summary is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety .	5
fig1 is a front elevation in partial cross - section of a water flush toilet fitted with a preferred embodiment of the flushing mechanism of this invention ; fig2 is a cross - sectional elevation of the flushing mechanism of fig1 . referring to fig1 syphon action toilet 10 is shown with base fixture 11 comprising the bowl supporting flush tank 12 . pressurized water supply pipe 13 is plumbed into tank 12 and is equipped with water supply valve 14 . float controlled operator 15 is operably fitted to valve 14 to bias the valve closed when the level of water within tank 12 reaches a prescribed fill level and to bias valve 14 open when the water level in tank 12 drops . tank drain fitting 16 is provided configured with collar portion 17 chamfered to provide a conical annular seating surface . integral overflow pipe 18 extends from the base of tank 12 to above the water fill level of the tank for protecting against overflowing of water from tank 12 by providing a safety outlet into fitting 16 below collar portion 17 . a supplementary water line from valve 14 which empties into overflow pipe 18 may be provided in conventional manner , but is not shown . all of the means described in this paragraph are conventional and comprise no part of this invention . referring to fig1 and 2 , bouyant drain check valve member 20 is disposed to operably seat on collar 17 of drain fitting 16 . valve member 20 is of bulbous , hollow configuration and is provided with ports 21 , which as shown are multiple in number but may consist of but a single port opening into the lower portion of the member , and is additionally provided with tube 22 communicating the internal volume of the member above the basemost portion which may be water flooded , with external environment below the base of the valve member , a region which is occupied by air when valve member 20 is seated and may be occupied by air in a water vortex when the drain is open and water is draining from tank 12 . gasket 23 comprising resilient material preferably , is fitted on the base of valve member 20 to effect an operable water seal on collar 17 when the tank drain is closed . vessel 25 is shown cylindrically bell shaped with an open bottom and closed top in which hollow stud 30 and accompanying nipple 31 for tubing connection are shown . vessel 25 depends in tank 12 to surround a portion of valve member 20 and may be elevationally adjusted and centered over valve member 20 and the drain opening in fitting 16 by means of stud 26 which depends below and beyond the perimeter of the vessel for being secured in ring clamp 27 which is fitted about overflow pipe 18 and is tightened by thumb screw 28 . thus , by rotationally adjusting stud 26 both about its own axis and also along the periphery of overflow pipe 18 , vessel 25 may be precisely centered over check valve 20 . air valve 35 is shown provided with nipple 36 to which tube 32 is connected at one end , the other end being connected to nipple 31 on vessel 25 . valve body 37 comprises barrel cavity 46 and is disposed with one end portion provided with threads 38 projecting through an opening in tank 12 where it is secured by threaded nut 39 , engaged on threads 38 , being tightened against the face of tank 12 . bolt 40 is biasable rotationally and axially within cavity 46 by manipulation of handle 41 , which is fixed to protruding shaft portion 42 of bolt 40 . guideway slot 43 in bolt 40 receives guide pin 45 protruding radially inward from valve body 37 and is configured axially extending along bolt 40 a distance clearly shown in fig2 and also through a circumferential arc partially around bolt 40 at the inboard end of the axial portion of the slot for restricting the angular position of bolt 40 during push - pull axial biasing and for restricting the translational position of bolt 40 during rotational biasing of the bolt by manual actuation of handle 41 . helical compression spring 50 is received in an enlarged inboard end portion of cavity 46 and is secured within valve body 37 by end cap 52 which may be affixed to valve body 37 by threaded connection or other operable means . annular spring thruster 51 provides for axial biasing of spring 50 by being engaged by snap ring 56 operably fitted on stem 55 of bolt 40 . key 57 is integral with bolt 40 extending longitudinally of stem 55 as a radial vane , positioned to traverse in an arcuate sweep the upper inboard portion of cavity 46 when handle 41 is rotationally manipulated . air valve member 60 is disposed for being operably lodged on valve seat 61 of valve body 37 and is configured with depending stem 67 which can be contacted and displaced to unseat valve member 60 from valve seat 61 either by key 57 when bolt 40 is operably rotated or by shoulder 68 of bolt 40 when the bolt is axially biased . compression spring 62 loads valve member 60 causing it to effect return rotation of bolt 40 and re - seating of valve member 60 upon release of manual rotational actuation of bolt 40 . a similar function is performed by spring 50 when bolt 40 is axially biased . unseating of valve member 60 communicates the confines of vessel 25 to cavity 46 of air valve 35 , which by means of ports 47 and 48 is vented to atmosphere . a single vent opening is sufficient if placed where it is not covered by biasing of bolt 40 . bolt locking operator 70 is configured as an annular ring surrounding valve body 37 of air valve 35 , with a depending open bottomed float portion 72 . diametrically opposed vertical openings 63 and 64 provided in valve body 37 receive respectively , free - falling pin 71 and fixed pin 81 of operator 70 . pin 71 is provided with head 77 at its base extremity and with operably attached snap ring 78 thereabove . annular thruster 88 fixed to operator 70 is disposed about pin 71 to move freely between head 77 and snap ring 78 on pin 71 . in operation , tank 12 may be filled with water in operable manner and bolt 40 of air valve 35 may be disposed in unactuated position as shown in fig2 . toilet flushing actuation may be accomplished in either of two ways , either by rotating handle 41 or by pushing handle 41 inward toward toilet tank 12 . in the rotational mode of actuation , the rotational traverse of key 57 contacts and displaces stem 67 to unseat valve member 60 . the handle turning operation is momentary and upon release of handle 41 , spring 62 acts to return - rotate handle 41 and bolt 40 , and valve member 60 is re - seated on valve seat 61 . during the period that valve member 60 is unseated there is communication between the confines of vessel 25 and atmosphere , so that super - atmospheric pressure within vessel 25 , caused by water rising within tank 12 to fill it compressing air trapped within the vessel , is relieved and check valve member 20 immediately rises under buoyant force from drain fitting 16 , opening the drain and enabling water to flow by gravity from tank 12 into bowl fixture 11 . during the time that tank 12 is draining , check valve member 20 is partially flooded by water entering through ports 21 and air displaced by the water flooding is vented through tube 22 . loss of buoyancy of valve member 20 effected by such flooding is insufficient , however , to fully overcome the increase in the buoyancy of the member effected by a partial vacuum being created within vessel 25 by sinking of member 20 in the lowering water in tank 12 . when the level of the draining water drops below the skirt of vessel 25 , the partial vacuum existing therein is broken , decreasing the buoyancy of valve member 20 and causing it to operably seat . water then refills tank 12 until fill valve 14 is shut by action of float operator 15 . in the alternate mode of operation , that of pushing actuation of handle 41 , stem 67 is displaced by contact with shoulder 68 of bolt 40 to unseat valve member 60 . the translational displacement of bolt 40 places recess 75 in bolt 40 in alignment with pin 71 and under the urging of buoyant float portion 72 of bolt locking operator 70 , pin 71 engages recess 75 thus obstructing further movement of bolt 40 . the urging of spring 50 on bolt 40 causes there to be some frictional binding of pin 71 in recess 75 so that as the level of water recedes in tank 12 ( the drain valve having opened in the same manner as previously described for the rotational mode of handle actuation ) bolt locking operator 70 is lowered as portion 72 floats lower until head 77 of pin 71 carries some of the gravitational weight of operator 70 . when sufficiently loaded , pin 71 is pulled downward clearing recess 75 , but simultaneously with the abrupt dropping of operator 70 occasioned by the weight supported by pin 71 being added , fixed pin 81 engages recess 85 thus retaining bolt 40 in position . communication between atmosphere and the confines of vessel 25 remains open and water flooding of the interior of check valve member 20 is sufficient to cause member 20 to sink , in the absence of a vacuum being drawn in vessel 25 , and seat upon drain fitting 16 thus abbreviating the flush cycle while the level of water in tank 12 is above the bottom of the skirt of vessel 25 . as tank 12 is being refilled with water from supply valve 14 , operator 70 again resumes floating as portion 72 becomes immersed in the rising water and pin 81 is gradually lifted from recess 85 in bolt 40 enabling the bolt to be returned to unactuated position as shown in fig2 under urging of spring 50 . valve member 60 is simultaneously seated to interrupt communicating air passage between vessel 25 and atmosphere . with continuing rise in the water level , thruster 88 engages snap ring 78 and provides buoyant loading for pin 71 which will cause it to operably engage and retain bolt 40 when the bolt is again actuated for the partial flush mode of operation . the use of the valve of this invention as a toilet flush valve has been described , but the use of the valve as a regulating valve in other applications requiring a liquid level controller is obvious . design adaptations in the valve will also be obvious such as re - locating valve closure member 60 and valve seat 61 co - axially within cavity 46 for operable loading by spring 50 so as to eliminate spring 62 . in such an arrangement stem portion 55 may be foreshortened and stem 67 of valve closure member 60 may be disposed parallel in radially offset position from the axis of cavity 46 for being operably biased by key 57 and shoulder 68 in the manner hereinbefore described . if desired , two buoyant members may be provided , one each for pin 71 and pin 81 or other similar projection , replacing the single operator 70 . also , float portion 72 may be eliminated and replaced with a cup portion of inverted design and be compensated with counterbalancing spring means provided in obvious manner for providing functional operation . alternate manners of venting check valve member 20 may be provided such as by providing a flexible tube connection through the wall of vessel 25 or by running a tube co - axially with tube 32 . it is also possible to provide separate and independent air valves 35 for vessel 25 and check valve member 20 thereby providing greater flexibility of operation and control . the level to which water in tank 12 recedes during the minimized or partial flush operational mode of actuation for air valve 35 is determined both by the air pressure within vessel 25 and within check valve member 20 ; the former may be regulated , in addition to the time and water level constants built into air valve 35 , by the elevational setting of vessel 25 using adjustable placement of stud 26 under clamp 27 . while the air pressure within check valve member 20 can only be regulated by a separate and independent air valve , which is not shown , the rate of water flooding of check valve member 20 is controlled by the setting of member 30 with flooding occuring more rapidly with submerged depth of check valve depth in water in tank 12 , thus resulting in earlier seating of check valve member 20 and increased minimization of water usage during a flush cycle using the delayed valve closing mode of operation . the setting of threaded stud 30 and the elevational adjustment of vessel 25 may both be employed to provide a partial flush cycle of desired volume for a syphon action toilet of any particular design .	4
in order to gain an insight into the fundamental principles in accordance with the present invention as well as to introduce terminology useful in the sequel , an overview is first presented , followed by an elucidation of an illustrative embodiment . the present invention relates to a network for realizing low latency , high throughput , and cost - effective bandwidth - on - demand for large blocks of data for ngi applications . cost - effective and interoperable upgrades to the network are realized by interposing portable ‘ plug - and - play ’ modules on the existing wdm network elements to effect so - called “ wdm optical label switching ” or , synonymously , “ optical label switching ”. the invention impacts primarily the hardware for the ngi network from the network element design perspective . as alluded to , the methodology carried out by the network and concomitant circuitry for implementing the network are engendered by a technique called wdm optical label - switching — defined as the dynamic generation of a routing path for a burst duration by an in - band optical signaling header . data packets are routed through the wdm network using an in - band wdm signaling header for each packet . at a switching node , the signaling header is processed and the header and the data payload ( 1 ) may be immediately forwarded through an already existing flow state connection , or ( 2 ) a path can be setup for a burst duration to handle the header and the data payload . wdm label - switching enables highly efficient routing and throughput , and reduces the number of ip - level hops required by keeping the packets routing at the optical level to one hop as managed by the network control and management ( nc & amp ; m ) which creates and maintains routing information . the depiction of fig1 shows the inter - relation between optical layer 120 and electrical layer 110 of generic network 100 as provided by intermediate layer 130 coupling the optical layer and the electrical layer . electrical layer 110 is shown , for simplicity , as being composed of two conventional ip routers 111 and 112 . optical layer 120 is shown as being composed of network elements or nodes 121 - 125 . intermediate layer 130 depicts conventional atm / sonet system 131 coupling ip router 112 to network element 122 . also shown as part of layer 130 is header network 132 , which in accordance with the present invention , couples ip router 111 to network element 121 . fig1 pictorially illustrates the location of network 132 on a national - scale , transparent wdm - based backbone network with full interoperability and reconfigurability . it is important to emphasize at this point that the elements of fig1 are illustrative of one embodiment in accordance with the present invention ; thus , for example , element 111 may , in another embodiment , be an atm router or even a switch . now with reference to fig2 optical layer 120 of fig1 is shown in more detail including the basic technique , in accordance with the present invention , for setting up a fast connection in optical network 201 , composed of network elements 121 - 125 ; the setup uses optical signaling header 210 for the accompanying data payload 211 . this technique combines the advantages of circuit - switched based wdm and packet - switched based ip technologies . new signaling information is added in the form of an optical signal header 210 , which is carried in - band within each wavelength in the multi - wavelength transport environment . optical signaling header 210 is a label containing routing and control information such as the source , destination , priority , and the length of the packet , propagates and through optical network 201 preceding data payload 211 . each wdm network element 121 - 125 senses optical signaling header 210 , looks - up a connection table ( discussed later ), and takes necessary steps such as cross - connections , add , drop , or drop - and - continue . the connection table is constantly updated by continuous communication between nc & amp ; m 220 and wdm network elements 121 - 125 through logical connections , such as channel 221 . data payload 211 , which follows optical signaling header 210 , is routed through a path in each network element ( discussed later ) as established by the connection . with the arrangement of fig2 there is no need to manage the time delay between optical signaling header 210 and data payload 211 , shown by t in fig2 because each network element provides the optical delay needed for the short time required for connection set - up within each network element via delay on an interposed fiber . moreover , the format and protocol of the data payload is independent of that of the header , that is , for a given network whereas the format and protocol of the header are predetermined , the format and the protocol of the data payload can be the same as or different from those of the header . each destination is associated with a preferred path which would minimize ‘ the cost ’— in fig2 the overall path from source 123 to destination 122 includes paths 201 and 202 in cascade , both utilizing wavelength wp . this cost is computed based on the total propagation distance , the number of hops , and the traffic load . the preferred wavelength is defaulted to the original wavelength . for example , the preferred wavelength on path 202 is wp . if this preferred path at the default wavelength is already occupied by another packet , then network element 121 quickly decides if there is an available alternate wavelength wa through the same preferred - path . this alternate wavelength must be one of the choices offered by the limited wavelength conversion in network element 121 . if there is no choice of wavelengths which allows transport of the packet through the most preferred path , the next preferred path is selected ( path deflection ). for example , in fig2 paths 203 and 204 in cascade may represent the alternative path . at this point , the preferred wavelength will default back to the original wavelength wp . the identical process of looking for an alternate wavelength can proceed if this default wavelength is again already occupied . in fig2 path 203 is an alternative path with the same wavelength wp , and path 204 is an alternate path using alternate wavelength wa . in an unlikely case where there is no combination of path and wavelength deflection that can offer transport of the packet , network element 121 will decide to drop the packet of lower priority . in other words , the new packet transport through the preferred path at the originating wavelength takes place by dropping the other packet of the lower priority which is already occupying the preferred path . network elements 121 - 125 are augmented with two types of so - called ‘ plug - and - play ’ modules to efficiently handle bursty traffic by providing packet switching capabilities to conventional circuit - switched wdm network elements 121 - 125 whereby signaling headers are encoded onto ip packets and are removed when necessary . the first type of ‘ plug - and - play ’ module , represented by electro - optical element 132 of fig1 is - now shown in block diagram form in fig3 . whereas conceptually module 132 is a stand - alone element , in practice , module 132 is integrated with network element 121 as is shown in fig3 ; module 132 is interposed between compliant client interface ( cci ) 310 of network element 121 and ip router 111 to encode optical signaling header 210 onto the packets added into the network via header encoder 321 , and to remove optical signaling header 210 from the packets dropping out of the network via header remover 322 . generally , encoding / removing module 132 is placed where the ip traffic is interfaced into and out of the wdm network , which is between the client interface of the network element and the ip routers . the client interfaces can be either a cci - type or a non - compliant client interfaces ( nci )- type . at these interfaces , header encoder 321 puts optical header 210 carrying the destination and other information in front of data payload 211 as the ip signal is transported into network 201 is based on the ip signal &# 39 ; s original ip address , which is obtained from ip router 111 through interface 311 , and . optical header 210 is encoded in the optical domain by an optical modulator ( discussed later ). signaling header remover 322 deletes header 210 from the optical signal dropped via a client interface , and provides an electrical ip packet to ip router 111 . more specifically , module 132 accepts the electrical signal from ip router 111 , converts the electrical signal to a desired compliant wavelength optical signal , and places optical header 210 in front of the entire packet . module 132 communicates with nc & amp ; m 220 and buffers the data before optically converting the data if requested by nc & amp ; m 220 . module 132 employs an optical transmitter ( discussed later ) with the wavelength matched to the client interface wavelength . ( as indicated later but instructive to mention here , module 132 is also compatible with nci 404 of fig4 since the wavelength adaptation occurs in the nci ; however , the bit - rate - compatibility of nci wavelength adaption and the ip signal with optical headers must be established in advance .) fig4 depicts a second type of ‘ plug - and - play ’ module , optical element 410 , which is associated with each wdm network element 121 - 125 , say element 121 for discussion purposes . module 410 is interposed between conventional network element switch - controller 420 and conventional switching device 430 . module 410 detects information from each signaling header 210 propagating over any fiber 401 - 403 , as provided to module 410 by tapped fiber paths 404 - 406 . module 410 functions to achieve very rapid table look - up and fast signaling to switching device 430 . switch controller 420 is functionally equivalent to the conventional “ craft interface ” used for controlling the network elements ; however , in this case , the purpose of this switch controller 420 is to accept the circuit - switched signaling from nc & amp ; m 220 and determine which control commands are to be sent to label switch controller 410 based on the priority . thus , label switch controller 410 receives circuit - switched control signals from network element circuit switch controller 420 , as well as information as derived from each signaling header 210 , and intelligently chooses between the circuit - switched and the label - switched control schemes . the switches ( discussed later ) comprising switching device 430 also achieve rapid switching . the delay imposed by fibers 415 , 416 , or 417 , which are placed in input paths 401 - 403 to switching device 430 , are such that the delay is larger than the total time it takes to read signaling header 210 , to complete a table look - up , and to effect switching . approximately , a 2 km fiber provides 10 microsecond processing time . the types of wdm network elements represented by elements 121 - 125 and which encompass switching device 430 include : wavelength add - drop multiplexers ( wadms ); wavelength selective crossconnects ( wsxcs ); and wavelength interchanging crossconnects ( wixcs ) with limited wavelength conversion capabilities . in operation , module 410 taps a small fraction of the optical signals appearing on paths 401 - 403 in order to detect information in each signaling header 210 , and determine the appropriate commands for switching device 430 after looking up the connection table stored in module 410 . the fiber delay is placed in paths 401 - 403 so that the packet having header 210 and payload 211 reaches switching device 430 only after the actual switching occurs . this fiber delay is specific to the delay associated with header detection , table look - up , and switching , and can typically be accomplished in about 10 microseconds with about 2 km fiber delay in fibers 415 - 417 . packets are routed through network 201 using the information in signaling header 210 of each packet . when a packet arrives at a network element , signaling header 210 is read and either the packet ( a ) is routed to a new appropriate outbound port chosen according to the label routing look - up table , or ( b ) is immediately forwarded through an already existing label - switching originated connection within the network element . the latter case is referred to as “ flow switching ” and is supported as part of optical label - switching ; flow switching is used for large volume bursty mode traffic . label - switched routing look - up tables are included in network elements 121 - 125 in order to rapidly route the optical packet through the network element whenever a flow switching state is not set - up . the connection set - up request conveyed by optical signaling header 210 is rapidly compared against the label - switch routing look - up table within each network element . in some cases , the optimal connections for the most efficient signal routing may already be occupied . the possible connection look up table is also configured to already provide an alternate wavelength assignment or an alternate path to route the signal . providing a limited number of ( at least one ) alternative wavelength significantly reduces the blocking probability . the alternative wavelength routing also achieves the same propagation delay and number of hops as the optimal case , and eliminates the difficulties in sequencing multiple packets . the alternate path routing can potentially increase the delay and the number of hops , and the signal - to noise - ratio of the packets are optically monitored to eliminate any possibility of packets being routed through a large number of hops . in the case where a second path or wavelength is not available , contention at an outbound link can be settled on a first - come , first - serve basis or on a priority basis . the information is presented to a regular ip router and then is reviewed by higher layer protocols , using retransmission when necessary . an illustrative wdm circuit - switched backbone network 500 for communicating packets among end - users in certain large cities in the united states is shown in pictorial form in fig5 — network 500 is first discussed in terms of its conventional operation , that is , before the overlay of wdm optical label switching in accordance with the present invention is presented . with reference to fig5 it is supposed that new york city is served by network element 501 , chicago is served by network element 502 , . . . los angeles is served by network element 504 , . . . , and minneapolis by network element 507 . ( network elements may also be referred to as nodes in the sequel .) moreover , nc & amp ; m 220 has logical connections ( shown by dashed lines , such as channel 221 to network element 501 and channel 222 to network element 507 ) to all network elements 501 - 507 via physical layer optical supervisory channels ; there is continuous communication among nc & amp ; m 220 and network elements 501 - 507 . nc & amp ; m 220 periodically requests and receives information about : ( a ) the general state of each network element ( e . g ., whether it is operational or shut down for an emergency ); ( b ) the optical wavelengths provided by each network element ( e . g ., network element 501 is shown as being served by optical fiber medium 531 having wavelength w 1 and optical fiber medium 532 having wavelength w 2 which connect to network elements 502 ( chicago ) and 505 ( boston ), respectively ); and ( c ) the ports which are served by the wavelengths ( e . g ., port 510 of element 501 is associated with an incoming client interface conveying packet 520 , port 511 is associated with w 1 and port 512 is associated with w 2 , whereas port 513 of element 502 is associated with w 1 ). thus , nc & amp ; m 220 has stored at any instant the global information necessary to formulate routes to carry the incoming packet traffic by the network elements . accordingly , periodically nc & amp ; m 220 determines the routing information in the form of , for example , global routing tables , and downloads the global routing tables to each of the elements using supervisory channels 221 , 222 , . . . the global routing tables configure the ports of the network elements to create certain communication links . for example , nc & amp ; m 220 may determine , based upon traffic demand and statistics , that a fiber optic link from new york city to los angeles ( network elements 501 and 504 , respectively ) is presently required , and the link will be composed , in series , of : wi coupling port 511 of element 501 to port 513 in network element 502 ; w 1 coupling port 514 of element 502 to port 515 of element 503 ; and w 2 coupling port 516 of element 503 to port 517 of element 504 . then , input packet 520 incoming to network element 501 ( new york city ) and having a destination of network element 504 ( los angeles ) is immediately routed over this established link . at network element 504 , the propagated packet is delivered as output packet 521 via client interface port 518 . in a similar manner , a dedicated path between elements 506 and 507 ( st . louis and minneapolis , respectively ) is shown as established using w 3 between network elements 506 and 502 , and w 2 between elements 502 and 507 . links generated in this manner — as based upon the global routing tables — are characterized by their rigidity , that is , it takes several seconds for nc & amp ; m 220 to determine the connections to establish the links , to download the connectivity information for the links , and establish the input and output ports for each network element . each link has characteristics of a circuit - switched connection , that is , it is basically a permanent connection or a dedicated path or “ pipe ” for long intervals , and only nc & amp ; m 220 can tear down and re - establish a link in normal operation . the benefit of such a dedicated path is that traffic having an origin and a destination that maps into an already - established dedicated path can be immediately routed without the need for any set - up . on the other hand , the dedicated path can be , and most often is , inefficient in the sense that the dedicated path may be only used a small percentage of the time ( e . g ., 20 %- 50 % over the set - up period ). moreover , switching device 430 ( see fig4 ), embedded in each network element which interconnects input and output ports , has only a finite number of input / output ports . if the above scenario is changed so that link from st . louis to minneapolis is required and a port already assigned to the new york to los angeles link is to be used ( e . g ., port 514 of network element 502 ), then there is a time delay until nc & amp ; m 220 can respond and alter the global routing tables accordingly . now the example is expanded so that the subject matter in accordance with the principles of the present invention is overlaid on the above description . first , a parameter called the “ label - switched state ” is introduced and its use in routing is discussed ; then , in the next paragraph , the manner of generating the label - switch state is elucidated . the label - switch state engenders optical label switching . nc & amp ; m 220 is further arranged so that it may assign the label - switch state to each packet incoming to a network element from a client interface — the label - switch state is appended by plug & amp ; play module 132 and , for the purposes of the present discussion , the label - switch state is commensurate with header 210 , ( see fig2 ). the label - switch state is computed by nc & amp ; m 220 and downloaded to each network element 501 - 507 in the form of a local routing table . with reference to fig6 there is shown network element 501 and its embedded switch 601 in pictorial form . also shown is incoming optical fiber 602 , with delay loop 603 , carrying packet 620 composed of header 210 and payload 211 — payload 211 in this case is packet 520 from fig5 . fiber 6022 delivers a delayed version of packet 620 to network element 501 . also , a portion of the light energy appearing on fiber 602 is tapped via fiber 6021 and inputted to optical module 410 which processes the incoming packet 620 to detect header 210 — header 210 for packet 620 is shown as being composed of the label - switch state ‘ 11101011000 ’, identified by reference numeral 615 . also shown in fig6 is local look - up table 610 , being composed of two columns , namely , “ label - switch state ” ( column 611 ), and “ local address ” ( column 612 ). the particular label - switch state for packet 620 is cross - referenced in look - up table 610 to determine the routing of the incoming packet . in this case , the label - switch state for packet 620 is the entry in the fourth row of look - up table 610 . the local switch address corresponding to this label - switch state is “ 0111 ”, which is interpreted as follows : the first two binary digits indicate the incoming port , and the second two binary digits indicate the output port . in this case , for the exemplary four - input , four - output switch , the incoming packet is to be routed from input port “ 0 ” to output port “ 11 ”, so switch 601 is switched accordingly ( as shown ). after the delay provided by fiber delay 603 , the incoming packet on fiber 6022 is propagated onto fiber 604 via switch 601 . the foregoing description of label - switch state indicates how it is used . the manner of generating the label - switch state is now considered . nc & amp ; m 220 , again on a periodic basis , compiles a set of local look - up tables for routing / switching the packet through each corresponding network element ( such as table 610 for network element 501 ), and each look - up table is then downloaded to the corresponding network element . the generation of each look - up table takes into account nc & amp ; m 220 &# 39 ; s global knowledge of the network 500 . for instance , if incoming packet 620 to network 501 is destined for network 504 ( again , new york to los angeles ), if port 510 is associated with incoming port “ 01 ,” and serves fiber 602 , and if outgoing port 511 is associated with outgoing port “ 11 ” and serves fiber 604 , then nc & amp ; m 220 is able to generate the appropriate entry in look - up table 610 ( namely , the fourth row ) and download table 610 to network element 510 . now , when packet 520 is processed by electro - optical module 132 so as to add header 210 to packet 520 to create augmented packet 620 , nc & amp ; m 220 &# 39 ; s knowledge of the downloaded local routing tables as well as the knowledge of the destination address embedded in packet 520 as obtained via module 132 enables nc & amp ; m 220 to instruct module 132 to add the appropriate label - switch state as header 210 — in this case ‘ 11101011000 ’. it can be readily appreciated that processing a packet using the label - switch state parameter is bursty in nature , that is , after switch 601 is set - up to handle the incoming label - switch state , switch 601 may be returned to its state prior to processing the flow state . for example , switch 601 may have interconnected input port ‘ 01 ’ to output port ‘ 10 ’ prior to the arrival of packet 620 , and it may be returned to the ‘ 0110 ’ state after processing ( as determined , for example , by a packet trailer ). of course , it may be that the circuit - switched path is identical to the label - switch state path , in which case there is no need to even modify the local route through switch 601 for processing the label - switch state . however , if it is necessary to temporarily alter switch 601 , the underlying circuit - switched traffic , if any , can be re - routed or re - sent . as discussed so far , label switching allows destination oriented routing of packets without a need for the network elements to examine the entire data packets . new signaling information — the label — is added in the form of optical signal header 210 which is carried in - band within each wavelength in the multi - wavelength transport environment . this label switching normally occurs on a packet - by - packet basis . typically , however , a large number of packets will be sequentially transported towards the same destination . this is especially true for bursty data where a large block of data is segmented in many packets for transport . in such cases , it is inefficient for each particular network element to carefully examine each label and decide on the routing path . rather , it is more effective to set up a “ virtual circuit ” from the source to the destination . header 210 of each packet will only inform continuation or ending of the virtual circuit , referred to as a flow state connection . such an end - to - end flow state path is established , and the plug - and - play modules in the network elements will not disrupt such flow state connections until disconnection is needed . the disconnection will take place if such a sequence of packets have come to an end or another packet of much higher priority requests disruption of this flow state connection . the priority aspect of the present invention is also shown with respect to fig6 . the local look - up table has a “ priority level ” ( column 613 ) which sets forth the priority assigned to the label - switching state . also , header 210 has appended priority data shown as the number ‘ 2 ’ ( reference numeral 616 ). both the fourth and fifth row in the “ label - switch state ” column 611 of table 610 have a local address of ‘ 0111 .’ if an earlier data packet used the entry in the fifth row to establish , for example , a virtual circuit or flow switching state , and the now another packet is processed as per the fourth row of column 611 , the higher priority data (‘ 2 ’ versus ‘ 4 ’, with ‘ 1 ’ being the highest ) has precedent , and the virtual circuit would be terminated . in order to achieve ultra - low latency ip over wdm label switching , processing of the optical header at each optical switch must be kept to a minimum during the actual transmission of the optical packet . to achieve this end , a new signaling architecture and packet transmission protocol for performing optical wdm label switching is introduced . the signaling and packet transmission protocols decouple the slow and complex ip routing functions from the ultra - fast wdm switching and forwarding functions . this decoupling is achieved via the setup of an end - to - end routing path which needs to be performed very infrequently . to send ip packets from a source to a destination , the following step is executed in accordance with the present invention : optical packet transmission , where the arrival of the optical packet triggers the local header processing which among other things looks up the output port for forwarding the packet on to the next hop based on the optical label inside the optical header . although routing path setup involves invoking the routing function which is generally a slow and complicated procedure , it is performed prior to packet transmission handling , and hence it is not in the critical path that determines transmission latency . during routing path setup , the internal connection table of a wdm packet switch will be augmented with a label - switch look - up table , and contains the pertinent packet forwarding information . in particular , in the interest of achieving ultra - low latency and hardware simplicity , the inventive scheme produces label - switch states that remain constant along the flow path for example , label - switch assignments include the following techniques : ( 1 ) destination - based flow label assignment — in this scheme the destination , e . g . a suitable destination ip address prefix , can be used as the label - switch state in next hop look - up . in addition to having no need to modify the optical header , the same header can be used in the event of deflection routing . ( 2 ) route - based flow label assignment — in this scheme the label - switch state assigned refers to the end - to - end route that is computed dynamically at the label - switch state setup phase . the advantage of this scheme is that it can be specialized to meet the quality - of - service requirements for each individual label - switched states . the present -; day lack of a viable optical buffer technology implies that conventional buffering techniques cannot be used to handle switching conflicts . as previously described , the invention embodiment utilizes fixed delay implemented by an optical fiber to allow switching to occur during this time delay , but not to achieve contention resolution as electrical buffers do in conventional ip routers . to resolve switching contentions , in accordance with the present invention , the following three methods are used : ( a ) limited wavelength interchange — where a packet is routed through the same path but at a different wavelength . since this wavelength conversion is utilized just to avoid the contention , it is not necessary that the network elements must possess the capability of converting to any of the entire wavelength channels . rather , it is sufficient if they can convert some of the entire wavelength channels . this wavelength conversion converts both the signaling header and the data payload . care must be taken to prevent a packet from undergoing too many wavelength conversions which will result in poor signal fidelity . a possible policy is to allow only one conversion , which and can easily be enforced by encoding the original wavelength in the optical header . this way an intermediate wdm switch will allow conversion if and only if it is carried on its original wavelength . ( b ) limited deflection routing — where a packet may be deflected to a neighboring switching node from which it can be forwarded towards its destination . care again must be taken to prevent a packet from being repeatedly deflected , thereby causing signal degradation , as well as wasting network bandwidth . a solution scheme is to record a “ timestamp ” field in the optical header , and allow deflections to proceed if and only if the recorded timestamp is no older than a maximum limit . ( c ) prioritized packet preemption — where a newly arrived packet may preempt a currently transmitting packet if the arriving packet has a higher priority . the objective is to guarantee fairness to all packets so that eventually a retransmitted packet can be guaranteed delivery . in this scheme , each packet again has a timestamp field recorded in its optical header , and older packets have higher priority compared to newer packets . furthermore a retransmitted packet assumes the timestamp of the original packet . this way , as a packet “ ages ,” it increases in priority , and will eventually be able to preempt its way towards its destination if necessary . it is noted that in all these schemes the optical header can remain constant as it moves around in the network . this is consistent with the desire to keep the optical switching hardware fast and simple . it is also possible to consider combinations of these schemes . for a network the size of the ngi , centralized routing decisions are quite unfeasible , so the approach needs to be generalized to distributed decision making . hierarchical addressing and routing are used as in the case of ip routing . when a new connection is requested , nc & amp ; m 220 decides whether a wdm path is provisioned for this ( source , destination ) pair within the wdm - based network . if it is , the packets are immediately sent out on that ( one - hop ip - level ) path . if no such path is provisioned , nc & amp ; m 220 decides on an initial outbound link for the first wdm network element and a wavelength to carry the new traffic . this decision is based on the rest of the connections in the network at the time the new connection was requested . nc & amp ; m 220 then uses signaling , through an appropriate protocol , to transfer the relevant information to the initial wdm network element to be placed in the signaling header . after the initial outbound link is determined , the rest of the routing decisions are taken at the individual network element ( ne &# 39 ; s ) according to the optical signaling header information . this method ensures that the routing tables at each switching node and the signaling header processing requirements are kept relatively small . it also enables the network to scale easily in terms of switching nodes and network users . it is noted , too , that multiple wdm subnetworks can be interconnected together and each subnetwork will have its own nc & amp ; m . when a path is decided upon , within a wdm ne , the optical switches can be set in that state ( i ) for the duration of each packet through the node and then revert back to the default state ( called optical label - switching ), or ( ii ) for a finite , small amount of time ( called flow switching ). the former case performs routing on a regular packet - by - packet basis . the system resources are dedicated only when there is information to be sent and at the conclusion of the packet , these resources are available for assignment to another packet . the latter case is used for large volume bursty mode traffic . in this case , the wdm ne only has to read a flow state label from the optical signaling header of subsequent packets arriving at the ne to be sure such a packet is bound for the same destination , without the need to switch the switching device , and forward the payload through the already existing connection through the ne as previously established by the optical label - switching . the packets are self - routed through the network using the information in the signaling header of each packet . when a packet arrives at a switching node , the signaling header is read and either the packet is forwarded immediately through an already existing flow state connection or a new appropriate outbound port is chosen according to the routing table . routing tables in each node exist for each wavelength . if the packet cannot follow the selected outbound port because of contention with another packet ( the selected outbound fiber is not free ), the routing scheme will try to allocate a different wavelength for the same outbound port ( and consequently the signal will undergo wavelength translation within the switching node ). if no other eligible wavelength can be used for the chosen outbound port , a different outbound port may be chosen from another table , which lists secondary ( in terms of preference ) outbound links . this routing protocol of the inventive technique is similar to the deflection routing scheme ( recall the background section ), where the session is deflected to some other outbound link ( in terms of preference ) if the preferred path cannot be followed . the packet is not allowed to be continuously deflected . in traditional routing protocols , a hop count is used to block a session after a specified number of hops . in the new scheme , in case no header regeneration is allowed at the switching nodes , then the hop count technique cannot be used . alternatively , the optical signaling header characteristics ( i . e ., the signaling header &# 39 ; s signaling to noise ratio can be looked upon to decide whether a packet should be dropped . the technique used by nc & amp ; m 220 to determine the routing tables is based upon shortest path algorithms that route the packets from source to destination over the path of least cost . specific cost criteria on each route , such as length , capacity utilization , hop count , or average packet delay can be used for different networks . the objective of the routing function is to have good performance ( for example in terms of low average delay through the network ) while maintaining high throughput . minimum cost spanning trees are generated having a different node as a root at each time , and the information obtained by these trees can then be used to set - up the routing tables at each switching node . if deflection routing as outlined above is implemented , the k - shortest path approach can be used to exploit the multiplicity of potential routing paths . this technique finds more than one shortest path , with the paths ranked in order of cost . this information can be inputted into the switching node routing tables , so that the outbound link corresponding to the minimum cost path is considered first , and the links corresponding to larger cost paths are inputted in secondary routing tables that are used to implement deflection routing . the present invention is based upon two types of plug - and - play modules to be attached to the wdm network elements . introduction of these plug - and - play modules add optical label switching capability to the existing circuit - switched network elements . in fig3 both header encoder 321 and header remover 322 were shown in high - level block diagram form ; fig7 and 8 show , respectively , a more detailed schematic for both encoder 321 and remover 322 . in fig7 ip packets or datagrams are processed in microprocessor 710 which generates each optical signaling header 210 for label switching . optical signaling header 210 and the original ip packet 211 are emitted from microprocessor 710 at baseband . signaling header 210 is mixed in rf mixer 720 utilizing local oscillator 730 . both the mixed header from mixer 720 and the original packet 211 are combined in combiner 740 and , in turn , the output of combiner 740 is encoded to an optical wavelength channel via optical modulator 760 having laser 750 as a source of modulation . in fig8 the optical channel dropping out of a network element is detected by photodetector 81 . 0 and is electrically amplified by amplifier 820 . normally , both photodetector 810 and the amplifier 820 have a frequency response covering only the data payload but not the optical signaling header rf carrier frequency provided by local oscillator 730 . low - pass - filter 830 further filters out any residual rf carriers . the output of filter 830 is essentially the original ip packet sent out by the originating ip router from the originating network element which has been transported through the network and is received by another ip router at another network element . block diagram 900 of fig9 depicts the elements for the detection process effected by plug - and - play module 410 of fig4 to convert optical signal 901 , which carries both label - switching signaling header 210 and the data payload 211 , into baseband electrical signaling header 902 . initially , optical signal 901 is detected by photodetector 910 ; the output of photodetector 910 is amplified by amplifier 920 and filtered by high - pass filter 930 to retain only the high frequency components which carry optical signaling header 210 . rf splitter 940 provides a signal to local oscillator 950 , which includes feedback locking . the signal from local oscillator 950 and the signal from splitter 940 are mixed in mixer 960 , that is , the high frequency carrier is subtracted from the output of filter 920 to leave only the information on label - switching signaling header 210 . in this process , local oscillator 950 with feedback locking is utilized to produce the local oscillation with the exact frequency , phase , and amplitude , so that the high frequency component is nulled during the mixing of this local oscillator signal and the label - switching signaling header with a high - frequency carrier . low - pass filter 970 , which is coupled to the output of mixer 960 , delivers baseband signaling header 210 as electrical output signal 902 . the circuit diagram of fig1 shows an example of a more detailed embodiment of fig4 . in fig1 , each header detector 1010 , 1020 , . . . , 1050 , . . . , or 1080 processes information from each wavelength composing the optical inputs arriving on paths 1001 , 1002 , 1003 , and 1004 as processed by demultiplexers 1005 , 1006 , 1007 , and 1008 , respectively ; each header detector is exemplified by the circuit 900 of fig9 . the processed information is grouped for each wavelength . thus , for example , fast memory 1021 receives as inputs , for a given wavelength , the signals appearing on lead 1011 from header detector 1010 , . . . , the signals appearing on lead 1012 from header detector 1030 , the signals appearing on lead 1013 from header detector 1050 , and the signals appearing on lead 1014 from header detector 1070 . each fast memory 1021 - 1024 , such as a content - addressable memory , serves as an input to a corresponding label switch controller 1031 - 1034 . each label switch controller 1031 - 1034 also receives circuit - switched control signals from network element switch controller 420 of fig4 . each label switch controller intelligently chooses between the circuit switched control as provided by controller 420 and the label switched information supplied by its corresponding fast memory to provide appropriate control signals the switching device 430 of fig4 . flow diagram 1100 of fig1 is representative of the processing effected by each label - switch controller 1031 - 1034 . using label - switch controller 1031 as exemplary , inputs from circuit - switched controller 420 and inputs from fast memory 1021 are monitored , as carried out by processing block 1110 . if no inputs are received from fast memory 1021 , then incoming packets are circuit - switched via circuit - switched controller 420 . decision block 1120 is used to determine if there are any inputs from fast memory 1021 . if there are inputs , then processing block 1130 is invoked so that label - switch controller 1031 can determine from the fast memory inputs the required state of switching device 430 . then processing block 1160 is invoked to transmit control signals from label - switch controller 1031 to control switching device 430 . if there are no fast memory inputs , then the decision block 1140 is invoked to determine if there are any inputs from circuit - switched controller 1140 . if there are inputs from circuit - switched controller 420 , then processing by block 1150 is carried out so that label - switch controller 1031 determines from the inputs of circuit - switched controller 420 the required state of switching device 430 . processing block 1160 is again invoked by the results of processing block 1150 . if there are no present inputs from circuit - switched controller 1140 or upon completion of procession block 1160 , control is returned to processing block 1110 . by way of reiteration , optical label - switching flexibly handles all types of traffic : high volume burst , low volume burst , and circuit switched traffic . this occurs by interworking of two - layer protocols of the label - switched network control . thus , the distributed switching control rapidly senses signaling headers and routes packets to appropriate destinations . when a long stream of packets reach the network element with the same destination , the distributed switching control establishes a flow switching connection and the entire stream of the packets are forwarded through the newly established connections . a label switching method scales graciously with the number of wavelengths and the number of nodes . this results from the fact that the distributed nodes process multi - wavelength signaling information in parallel and that these nodes incorporate predicted switching delay in the form of fiber delay line . moreover , the label switching utilizes path deflection and wavelength conversion for contention resolution . the foregoing description focused on optical header processing at a level commensurate with the description of the overall ngi system configured with the overlaid plug - and - play modules . discussion of header processing at a more detailed level is now appropriate so as to exemplify how low - latency can be achieved at the circuit - detail level . to this end , opto - electrical circuitry 1200 of fig1 , which is a more detailed block diagram elucidating certain aspects of prior figures , especially fig9 and 10 , is considered . by way of a heuristic overview , the processing carried out by the opto - electrical circuitry 1200 is such that a header signal ( e . g ., 155 mb / s on a microwave carrier ) is frequency - division multiplexed with a baseband data payload ( e . g ., 2 . 5 gb / s ). the header signal is processed by a single - sideband ( ssb ) modulator , so only the upper sideband representation of the header signal is present in the frequency - division multiplexed signal . moreover , the technique effected by circuitry 1200 is one of label replacement wherein the original header signal at the given carrier frequency is first removed in the optical domain , and then a new header signal is inserted at the same carrier frequency in the optical domain . a notch filter is used to remove the original header signal ; the notch filter is realized , for example , by the reflective part of a fabry - perot filter . in particular , circuitry 1200 has as its input the optical signal at optical wavelength λ 1 on path 1001 as received and processed by demux 1005 , both of which are re - drawn from fig1 . circuitry 1200 is composed of : a lower path to process optical signal 1201 emanating from demux 1005 ; and an upper path to process optical signal 1202 emanating from demux 1005 . the lower path derives the label , conveyed by the incoming ssb header in optical signal 1001 , to control optical switch 1203 ; switch 1203 is a multi - component element encompassing components already described , including fast memory 1021 and label switch controller 1031 of fig1 as well as switching device 430 of fig4 . the upper path is used to delete the old header signal , including the label , at the sub - carrier frequency and then insert a new header label , in a manner to be described below after the lower path is first described . the lower path is an illustrative embodiment of header detector 1010 originally shown in high - level block diagram form in fig1 . in particular , header detector 1010 includes , in cascade : ( a ) opto - electrical converter 1210 ( e . g .,; a photodetector ) for producing electrical output signal 1211 ; ( b ) multiplier 1215 to convert electrical signal 1211 to intermediate frequency signal 1217 — to accomplish this , multiplier 1215 is coupled to local oscillator 1218 which provides a sinusoid 1216 at a frequency to down - convert the incoming sub - carrier conveying the header label , designated for discussion purposes as ƒ c , to an intermediate frequency ƒ i ; ( c ) intermediate frequency bandpass filter 1220 having signal 1217 as its input ; ( e ) demodulator 1225 to convert the intermediate frequency to baseband ; ( e ) detector 1230 responsive to demodulator 1225 ; and ( f ) read circuit 1235 which outputs signal on lead 1011 of fig1 . elements 1211 , 1215 , 1216 , 1217 , 1220 , 1225 , and 1230 can all be replaced by a simple envelope detector if the subcarrier header was transmitted using an incoherent modulator such as ask ( amplitude - shift keying ). it is not always required to use a coherent demodulator as shown in fig1 . ( in fact , fig1 will depict the case for an incoherent modulation ). the operation of header detector 1010 of fig1 is as follows . it is assumed that the second type of ‘ plug - and - play ’ module of fig4 injects a 2 . 5 gbps ip data packet ( e . g ., with qpsk / qam modulation ) which is sub - carrier multiplexed with a 155 mbps single - sideband header packet ( e . g ., with ssb modulation ) at the modulation frequency ƒ c ; as before , the header precedes the data payload in time and both are carried by the optical wavelength λ 1 . in each network node that receives the combined header and payload at wavelength λ 1 , the sub - carrier header at ƒ c is multiplied by multiplier 1215 , is band - pass filtered by intermediate filter 1220 , and is demodulated to baseband by demodulator 1225 . then , the demodulated baseband data burst is detected by detector 1230 ( e . g ., a 155 mbps burst - mode receiver ), and read by circuit 1293 ( e . g ., a microprocessor ). this foregoing operational description has focused only on the detection of the optical header to control the routing path through switch 1203 . as alluded to in the background section , header replacement is now considered important to present - day ngi technology so as to accomplish high - throughput operation in a packet switched network in which data paths change due to , for example , link outages and variable traffic patterns . moreover , header replacement is useful to maintain protocol compatibility . the upper path components of fig1 that have heretofore not been described play a central role in header replacement . actually , the notion of header replacement has a broader connotation in that the header may be composed of various fields , such as a “ label ” field and a “ time - to - leave ” field . the description to this point has used the header and label interchangeably ; however , it is now clear that the header may actually have a plurality of fields , and as such any or all may be replaced at any node . now continuing with the description of fig1 , the upper processing path which processes the optical signal on path 1202 includes : ( a ) circulator 1240 ; ( b ) fabry - perot ( ffp ) filter 1245 , coupled to circulator 1240 via path 1241 , with filter 1245 being arranged so that one notch in its free spectral range ( fsr ) falls at ƒ c ; and ( c ) attenuator 1250 coupled to the reflective port ( r ) of ffp 1245 . an exemplary ffp 1245 is available from the micron optics , inc . as model no . ffp - tf (“ fiber fabry - perot tunable filter ”). the combination of these latter three elements , shown by reference numeral 1251 , produces a notch filter centered at ƒ c which removes the ssb header signal propagating with ƒ c as its center frequency , as shown pictorially by the spectra in the upper portion of fig1 . as illustrated , spectrum 1242 of signal 1202 includes both a baseband data spectrum and the header signal spectrum centered at ƒ c . after processing by notch filter 1251 , spectrum 1243 obtains wherein only the baseband data spectrum remains . the output of notch filer 1251 , appearing on path 1244 of circulator 1240 , serves as one input to mach - zender modulator ( mzm ) 1270 . two other inputs to mzm 1270 are provided , namely , via path 1271 emanating from multiplier 1290 and via path 1272 emanating from phase shift device 1295 . as discussed in the next paragraph , the signal appearing on lead 1271 is the new header signal which is double - sideband in nature . the signal on path 1272 is phase - shifted by π / 2 relative to the signal on path 1271 . mzm 1270 produces at its output the upper - sideband version of the signal appearing on path 1271 , that is , the new header signal . the single - sideband processing effected by mzm 1270 is described in detail in the paper entitled “ overcoming chromatic - dispersion effects in fiber - wireless systems incorporating external modulators ”, authored by graham h . smith et al ., as published in the ieee transactions on microwave theory and techniques , vol . 45 , no . 8 , august 1997 , pages 1410 - 1415 , which is incorporated herein by reference . moreover , besides converting the new header signal to an optical single - sideband signal ( ossb ), mzm 1270 also adds this ossb signal to the incoming optical baseband signal on path 1244 to produce the desired frequency - multiplexed signal of baseband plus ssb header on output path 1273 from mzm 1270 . the new header signal delivered by path 1271 is derived as follows . write circuit 1275 is responsible for providing data representative of a new header signal , such as a new label represented in binary . the header signal that arrives at the input to demux 1005 is referred to as the active header signal . the replacement header signal is called the new header signal . write circuit 1275 has as its input the output of read device 1235 , so write circuit 1275 can reference or use information from the active header signal to derive the new header signal , if necessary . the new header signal , as provided at the output of write circuit 1275 , is delivered to pulse generator 1280 , which performs the operation of converting the new header signal data to , as exemplary , a 155 mb / s signal on a microwave carrier . the signal from generator 1280 is filtered by low - pass filter 1285 to remove spurious high - frequency energy . then the signal from filter 1285 is delivered to modulator 1290 ; modulator 1290 also has as a sinusoidal input at frequency ƒ c provided by local oscillator 1218 . the output of modulator 1290 , which appears on path 1271 , is the new header signal centered at a frequency of the local oscillator , namely ƒ c ; also , the output of modulator 1290 serves as the only input to phase - shift device 1295 . mzm 1270 produces a spectrum that includes both the original baseband data spectrum as well as the spectrum of the new header signal at ƒ c . this is shown in frequency domain visualization 1274 in the top right - hand comer of fig1 , which is counterpart of the visualization in the top left - hand comer . the new optical signal on path 1273 is switched via optical switch 1203 , as controlled by the active or original incoming header signal , under control of the label on lead 1011 it is noted that , in terms of presently available components , the processing time of the header removal and insertion technique should take less than 30 ns . on the other hand , if it is assumed that there are 15 bits in each packet header signal , then the time to read 15 bits , write 15 bits , and add 10 preamble bits can take about 260 ns for a 155 mbps burst . therefore , allowing for some variations , each header signal is about 300 ns . this means that it may be necessary to insert a delay line in the main optical path between circulator 1240 and mzm 1270 of 300 ns , so the length of delay line would be around 60 meters . to save processing time , the data rate of the subcarrier header can be increased to , for example , 622 mb / s or higher , depending upon the future network environment . the circuit arrangement of fig1 is realized using the so - called reflective port of ffp 1245 . ffp 1245 also has a transmission port which may be utilized wherein the characteristics of the optical signal emanating from the transmission port are the converse of the optical signal from the reflective port . so whereas the reflective port provides an attenuation notch at ƒ c , the transmission port attenuates frequencies relative to ƒ c , so that only frequencies in the vicinity of ƒ c are passed by the transmission port . an alternative to circuitry 1200 of fig1 is shown by circuitry 1300 of fig1 . the main difference between fig1 and fig1 is the manner in which the lower processing path now derives its input signal via path 1301 ( as compared to input signal on path 1201 of fig1 ). in particular , ffp 1325 now has a transmission ( t ) port in addition to the reflective ( r ) port . the output from transmission port , on path 1301 , now serves as the input to opto - electrical converter 1210 . because the signal on path 1301 conveys only frequencies centered about ƒ c , that is , the baseband data information has been attenuated by ffp notch filter 1345 , and can be processed directly by detector 1230 via lpf 1320 . the remainder of circuitry 1300 is essentially the same as circuitry 1200 of fig1 . optical technologies span a number of important aspects realizing the present invention . these include optical header technology , optical multiplexing technology , optical switching technology , and wavelength conversion technology . optical header technology includes optical header encoding and optical header removal as discussed with respect to fig3 and 4 . in effect , optical header 210 serves as a signaling messenger to the network elements informing the network elements of the destination , the source , and the length of the packet . header 210 is displaced in time compared to the actual data payload . this allows the data payload to have any data rates / protocols or formats . optical multiplexing may illustratively be implemented using the known silica arrayed waveguide grating structure . this waveguide grating structure has a number of unique advantages including : low cost , scalability , low loss , uniformity , and compactness . fast optical switches are essential to achieving packet routing without requiring excessively long fiber delay as a buffer . micromachined electro mechanical switches offer the best combination of the desirable characteristics : scalability , low loss , polarization insensitivity , fast switching , and robust operation . recently reported result on the mem based optical add - drop switch achieved 9 microsecond switching time wavelength conversion resolves packet contention without requiring path deflection or packet buffering . both path deflection and packet buffering cast the danger of skewing the sequences of a series of packets . in addition , the packet buffering is limited in duration as well as in capacity , and often requires non - transparent methods . wavelength conversion , on the other hand , resolves the blocking by transmitting at an alternate wavelength through the same path , resulting in the identical delay . illustratively , a wsxc with a limited wavelength conversion capability is deployed . although various embodiments which incorporate the teachings of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein , those skilled in the art can readily devise many other varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings .	7
an improved tostada forming and cooking apparatus 10 made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention , is shown in fig1 of the drawings . associated with the apparatus 10 , is a tortilla loading station 11 and a tostada unloading or delivery station 12 . an upstanding frame 13 serves to support a pan 14 that is adapted to contain a supply of cooking oil which may be of such volume to reach the level line 16 . the cooking oil 16 is re - circulated between the pan 14 and a remotely located heat exchanger ( not shown ) through the conduits 17 and 18 , and during re - circulation the oil is heated to the desired cooking temperature and filtered so as to remove particles dislodged from the product in the cooking and forming operation . referring particularly to fig1 and 2 , a hood 19 is mounted with respect to the pan 14 to form an enclosure for the cooking activity and more particularly to contain and control the vapors generated during the normal , cooking operation . as , is evident from the corner detail 21 , fig2 the hood 19 and pan 14 nest together when the hood is in the closed position as shown and means ( not shown ) are provided for raising the hood 19 away from the pan 14 for cleaning and maintenance purposes . a conveyor structure 22 including spaced apart left and right positioned drive chains , is arranged within the hood and is supported with respect to the pan 14 . the conveyor structure 22 includes left and right side frame members 23 as well as upper track - ways 24 and lower track - ways 26 shown best in fig3 . as clearly illustrated in fig2 taken in association with fig1 there is received in each laterally spaced apart track - way an endless roller chain 27 . the roller chains ride within a slot formed in the track - ways 24 , 26 . as shown best in fig5 each link in the roller chain 27 has rigidly mounted thereto an l - shaped tab 28 which serves as an attachment base upon which to mount the laterally extending cross - bars 29 that extend between and thereby connect , via suitable fasteners , with the left and right hand roller chains 27 . mounted at each end of the conveyor structure 22 is a rotatable shaft 32 , 33 upon which is mounted a spaced - apart pair of sprockets 31 over which the roller chain 27 is received . thus , two sprockets 31 are operatively mounted upon the drive shaft 32 and similarly upon the idler shaft 33 . a chain - tensioner mechanism 34 is mounted near the discharge end 34 of the conveyor 22 , as dearly shown in fig4 . the drive shaft 32 is driven by a variable speed motor transmission unit ( not shown ), so that the conveyor will advance in the direction of the arrows 36 , as indicated in fig1 from the tortilla loading station 11 to the tostada delivery station 12 , for carrying the tortilla carrying elements through the cooking zone , the hot cooking oil in the pan 14 . referring particularly to fig2 , and 6 , a plurality of mold sets 37 are fixedly secured to the conveyor cross - bars 29 by fasteners such as cap screws 38 . it will be understood and on certain occasions such as in maintenance or repair or change in product size or shape it is highly desirable to have the capability of removal , replacement or substitution of one or more of the mold sets 37 . this is facilitated and may be expeditiously achieved by removal of the cap screws or similar fasteners 38 and dismounting of the selected mold sets 37 from the cross bars 29 . for example , this feature is advantageous should one or more of the mold sets 37 suffer operational wear or damage or when it is desired to replace one or all of the mold sets 37 to achieve a different cooked shape or some other specific purpose of the operator , the food processor . in fig2 and 6 it is shown that the mold sets 37 comprise molds elements of hermaphrodite configuration , that is to say that each mold is configured to present on one side , fig5 a concave female component and on the opposite side , fig6 a convex male component . as shown in fig2 the mold sets 37 in this embodiment are formed in lateral pairs with three lateral pairs being mounted on each cross bar 29 thus giving six mold sets extending across the cooker 10 . this invention however is not limited to a six - across configuration of mold sets for the reason that it would be apparent to a worker skilled in this field that the number of mold sets may be varied to achieve a desired production output capacity of the cooker 10 . thus it is within the scope of this invention , as indicated in fig1 and 12 , to have a conveyor carrying a series of single hermaphrodite molds through a cooker 10 as well as a conveyor carrying molds in lateral pairs with two , four , five , up to even eight or ten lateral pairs extending across the cooker 10 , all as production requirements dictate . fig5 and 6 depict the opposite sides of a mold set 37 , fig5 illustrating the concave or cavity portion 39 of the mold set and fig6 illustrating the convex mold surface 41 . both the concave surface 39 and the convex surface 41 define walls of the mold 37 and are provided with a multiplicity of spaced - apart apertures 42 which permit the flow of cooking oil into and through the mold sets 37 . an end connector panel 43 is integrally formed alone one margin of the convex mold surface 41 . an end spacer panel 44 is integrally formed at each end of the concave mold surface 39 . a bottom connector panel 46 is integrally formed as by bending at a right angle from the convex surface 41 and is fixedly secured as by welding to the mold element 39 so as to establish thereby a box - like structure comprising the end or side panels 43 and the bottom connector panel 46 . the upper portion of the mold set may be configured as illustrated in fig5 with the spaced - apart in turned panels 47 defining a slot there between so as to receive connectors ( not shown ) for securing the mold set to the crossbar 29 . a u - shaped top connector panel 48 is fixedly secured as by spot - welding to the concave and convex mold panels and is positioned as shown in fig5 and 6 so as to receive therein the carrier bar 29 . as indicated in fig3 a procession of mold sets 37 are connected to the roller chains 27 and oriented so that the convex mold surface proceeds in the direction of travel 36 and thus places each concave mold surface 39 in close proximity to the next trailing mold set and in particular to the convex surface 41 thereof . thus it will be understood that the series of mold sets 37 on the conveyor 22 move in close proximity . however means are provided to inhibit or prevent the convex mold surface 41 of a one mold set 37 from fully engaging the concave mold surface 39 of the next adjacent mold set , in other words to provide a space between adjacent complimentary mold surfaces for forming a tortilla into a cooked tostada . to this end a plurality of abutment stops or stubs 49 are disposed in a protruding relationship near the bottom margin of the concave mold surface 39 shown best in fig5 . the abutment stops 39 engage the next adjacent convex mold surface 41 thus preventing full closure between the complimentary surfaces and thereby establish a cavity or pocket , in which the tortilla resides during the cooking step of the process . also as shown in fig5 a plurality of tortilla positioning pins or stops 51 are disposed in an array with , for example , two pins or stops 51 may be positioned along and extend outwardly from the lower margin of each mold in the set and four pins or stops 51 may be positioned and extend outwardly from the upper margin of the mold . as shown in fig6 openings 52 for the tortilla positioning stops or pins 51 are arrange in the convex mold surface 41 so that when the molds are in a closed condition the positioning pins or stops may protrude into the openings 52 . the openings are sized to permit the positioning pins 51 to move unobstructedly there through as the convex and concave mold surfaces shift relative to each other during the loading and unloading of product from the conveyor 22 at the loading 11 and unloading stations 12 . the four pins or stops 51 serve to arrest the motion of the tortilla upon its placement in the mold and locates the tortilla in the optimum position with respect to the forming cavity between adjacent mold surfaces . these pins serve to prevent the tortilla from “ floating ” upwardly in the mold forming cavity because of its buoyancy during cooking in the hot oil . conversely , the two stops or pins 51 along the lower margin of the mold serve to prevent the product from sliding out of the space between the mold surfaces during the cooking step . it will be understood from the above that while cooking , the product is “ captured ” between adjacent convex - concave mold surfaces and located there in a positive fashion by the positioning stops or pins 51 . the mold surfaces themselves are spaced apart during cooking as defined by the length of the abutments buttons or stops 49 thereby to define a forming and cooking space or cavity in which the tortilla resides between the adjacent convex and concave surfaces as described above . fig1 and 4 illustrate the structures that co - operate with the mold sets 37 as they move along on the conveyor 22 to cause them to shift from a closed together condition , such as when moving through the oil filled pan 14 in the cooking step , to the first opened condition , as indicated in fig3 for receiving tortillas at the loading station 11 , and again to the second or subsequent opened condition for the discharge of a cooked tostada product , as indicated in fig4 . to this end the upper and lower track - ways 24 , 26 include the longitudinally extending bars 56 and 57 which are vertically spaced apart to define a slot 58 which serves as a guide for the roller chains 27 , shown best in fig2 . similarly , the lower track - ways 26 includes longitudinally extending bars 59 , 61 that are vertically spaced apart to define a slot 62 serving a like purpose . these parts interact so that as the mold sets supported on the cross - bars coupled to the roller chains that traverse the generally horizontal slots 58 , 62 , the mold sets will remain in the “ dosed ” condition as evident in fig1 . the track - way bars 56 , 57 at the tostada loading portion of the conveyor terminate with their ends spaced from the drive sprockets 31 . the roller chains will exit the slots 58 and engage the sprockets 31 , shown best in fig3 . as the roller chains traverse the sprockets 31 , the mold sets translate or “ fan out ” from the closed to the opened condition thereby providing an open “ window ” into which a tortilla may be inserted from the infeed conveyor 11 onto the concave or receiving surface of the mold . as the molds , now loaded with tortillas , move or translate downwardly and pass through the “ nine o &# 39 ; clock ” position relative to the drive sprockets , the adjacent molds on the conveyor line shift progressively into the closed condition . on each side of the conveyor a contoured cam guide comprising the spaced - apart plates 63 , 64 affords a defined path for the roller chain so that the molds are carried downwardly into thee oil bath where cooking begins . the cams guide 63 , 64 afford a smooth transition for the roller chain to move downwardly from the drive sprockets onto the lower track - way 26 . referring now to fig4 each lower track - way 26 includes toward one end an upwardly inclined transition section 66 which serves as a guide for the roller chain to cause the mold sets 37 to be carried upwardly out of the cooking oil and toward the tostada delivery or unloading station 12 . while moving alone the transition section 66 , the mold sets 31 remain in the closed condition . when the associated roller chain links traverse the sprockets 31 , the mold sets translate or “ yawn ” into the open condition as shown in fig4 . here the tortillas now cooked and formed into tostadas can be removed from the mold sets either by gravity forces or through assistance from elements not shown such as a blast of compressed air or via contact with rotating brushes or other product removing elements . a suitable take - away conveyor mounted adjacently to the discharge end of the apparatus 10 serves to convey the cooked products for further treatment and packaging . from the above description it will be understood that as the roller chains carrying the mold sets 37 traverses the sprockets 31 at the in - feed end , the adjacent mold sets pivot or “ yawn ” into an open condition so that products may be inserted and received therein . accurate spacing of the product to be cooked on the in - feed conveyor an its synchronization with the conveyor 22 for the mold set openings is achieved via apparatus well known in the field and accordingly will not be further detailed . tortillas delivered from the in - feed conveyor into the opened mold and placed on the receiving surface of the mold so as to engage the positioning pins 51 . thus the tortilla &# 39 ; s in feed movement is arrested and the tortilla is optimally positioned on the receiving surface of the mold . upon closing or converging of the adjacent mold surfaces as the conveyor carries the mold sets downwardly , the molds close and converge until the buttons or stops 49 engage the proximate surfaces of the adjacent mold set . the product positioning elements 51 project into the apertures 52 of the surface 41 . the lower positioning pins or elements 51 serve to prevent the tortilla from dropping out into the cooking oil while being conveyed in the closed molds through the cooking oil . similarly , the upper pins or elements 51 maintain the product in the desired position as loaded and prevent the product from upward movement with respect to the molds due to product buoyancy in the cooking oil while it is being cooked and shaped in the space permitted between adjacent molds . in the foregoing description of the mold sets 37 , as a matter of convenience the surface 39 , is referring to as a concave surface and the surface 41 is referred to as a convex surface of the mold 37 , as clearly shown in fig5 and 6 . the general configuration of the surfaces is somewhat that of a shallow bowl or could be a deep bowl as permitted by the spacing between adjacent complimentary molds and these are only a few of the various tostada configurations that are achievable with the cooking and forming apparatus of the present invention . more particularly , another form of mold sets 71 made in accordance with and embodying principles of the present invention is shown in fig7 - 12 . the mold - configuration 71 is substantially planar on the forming surfaces and includes parts previously described and these will be marked with the same identifier numeral as used above but with a ′ [ prime ] symbol . the mold sets 71 are mounted on roller chains 27 ′ with the “ l ” shaped tabs 28 ′, shown best in fig1 and 12 . whereas in the case of the mold sets 31 , there was present the concave and convex mold surfaces , in the instance of the second mold configuration 71 , there is a “ leading ” mold surface 72 and “ trailing ” or product receiving mold surface 73 . the terminology “ leading ” and “ trailing ” refer to the direction of movement of the molds 71 through the cooking oil bath . the substantially planar mold surfaces 72 , 73 are provided with a multiplicity of oil flow apertures 42 ′. the trailing or product receiving mold surface 73 has integrally formed on three sides marginal portions or spacer panels 74 which serve to capture the tortilla and prevent its dislodgement during the cooking step . tortilla positioning pins 51 ′ project from the trailing surface 73 and serve in the loading phase to arrest inward movement of the tortilla in the mold . four such positioning pins are shown in fig1 , but the number may vary depending upon the size of a tortilla selected for use in the process . a bottom flange or spacer panel 74 , serves a function analogous to the bottom pair of positioning pins 51 as indicated in fig5 . similarly , abutment stops 76 perform a function analogous to the abutment stops 49 on the concave surface 39 . the abutment stops 76 engage the next adjacent mold in the procession on the conveyor and define the void into which the tortilla will be cooked and permitted to take on the desired cooked shape of a mexican style product . the forming and cooking apparatus 10 may be equipped with a conveyor carrying but a single mold set such as those illustrated in fig1 and 12 . this reflects the versatility of the equipment in design and operation . the conveyor shown in fig1 for purposes of illustration only is depicted with both mold configurations disclosed herein . in practice the conveyor would preferably be equipped with molds of a single type . it is advantageous that the procession or array of mold sets 37 , 71 be readily changeable to enable different shapes and sizes of tortilla based products such as tostadas and tacos to be formed in the cooker 10 so as to accommodate the varying needs and requirements of the marketplace . this feature is of great importance to the owner - operator of the cooker 10 because the capital investment in cooking and forming equipment of this type obviates the need for similar equipment for producing products of differing sizes and shapes . thus , the savings can be substantial over employing just a single shape or size tostada or taco cooker . for example this feature is illustrated in fig1 and 13 , wherein the procession or array of mold sets 37 on the first configuration and the procession or array of mold sets 71 on the second configuration may be exchanged once the tostada cooking and forming unit 10 has been shut down for this purpose or for normal periodic servicing . the mold sets may be designed and intended to produce tacos . a swivel - wheel equipped storage and transfer carriage 80 is provided to receive the series of molds extracted from the cooker 10 for temporary storage or for servicing . the transfer carriage or tug 80 can be repositioned with respect to the cooker discharge end 12 to provide for the installation of a second series of molds into the cooker 10 . to this end the storage and transfer carriage 80 is provided with two longitudinally extending bays arranged side by side , a right - hand bay 81 being shown in fig1 and a left - hand bay 82 is illustrated in fig1 . the mold storage and transfer bays 81 , 82 are disposed within a framework 83 for the carriage 80 which is clearly shown in fig1 . as mentioned above , swivel wheel sets 84 are fitted to the framework 83 so as to enable the unit 80 to be shifted laterally and longitudinally with respect to the cooker 10 to facilitate the loading and unloading of the procession or array of different molds . a positive docking connection 86 mechanism is arranged between the cooker 10 and carriage or tug 80 one component thereof being secured to the upstanding cooker framework 13 and the other component being secured to the carriage 80 at the lower portion thereof as shown best in fig1 . the docking mechanism 86 establishes , when in the locked condition , a precise positional relationship and fixity between the moveable carriage 80 and the relative stationary cooker unit 10 . an upper docking mechanism 87 couples the units 10 , 80 together in an alignment such that the entire procession of molds readily may be removed or extracted from the cooker 10 and shifted onto the carriage 80 . more specifically , the carriage or tug 80 is equipped at one end with a laterally extending shaft 88 equipped with a pair of sprockets 89 spaced apart at the same distance as the pair of sprockets 31 mounted on the shaft 33 . there is reeved over the sprockets 89 a pair of dummy or extractor roller chains 91 arranged to extend horizontally the full length of the carriage or tug 80 and presenting top and bottom free ends for uniting to the top and bottom runs of the roller chains 27 when these are broken open for conducting the operation of mold transfer onto the carriage 80 , as shown in fig1 . to remove or extract from the cooker 10 , a procession of molds such as the molds 71 mounted on the pair of roller chains 27 , each of chains the 27 is first opened or “ broken ” and then coupled to the end link from each the top and bottom runs of the dummy roller chains 91 on the carriage 80 . before this maneuver is undertaken , it will be understood that the wheeled carriage 80 is first positioned securely with respect to the cooker 10 by means of the upper 87 and lower 86 docking mechanisms so that the receiving bay 82 is properly aligned with the conveyor structure 22 . with rotation of the shaft 88 , such as by a hand crank or the like ( not shown ) the dummy chains 91 reeved over the sprocket set 89 will withdraw from the cooker 10 the pair of roller chains 27 and the mold sets mounted there between . these move onto a set of support rails 92 . concurrently , the dummy roller chains 91 will be transferred into cooker 10 to occupy the position formerly taken by the roller chains 27 and from this it will be understood that the chains 27 and 91 are substantially the same length . when all of the mold sets and associated roller chains have been drawn onto the receiving bay 82 of the carriage 80 , the dummy chain is then present virtually entirely within the cooker 10 and its ends are uncoupled and freed from the “ broken ends ” or links of the mold carrying chains 27 . after this step , the swivel wheel equipped carriage 80 is moved laterally so that the storage bay 81 of the carriage is positioned in alignment with the cooker 10 . the dummy chains free ends extending from the cooker are then linked to the roller chains carrying the mold sets 37 which have been stored previously on the carriage 80 in the storage bay 81 . again , the sprocket equipped shaft 88 may be rotated or the motor driving the conveyor may be actuated so that the dummy chains in the cooker will draw the mold sets 37 from the carriage 80 into the cooker . in this step the dummy chains are drawn from the cooker onto the carriage 80 . thus it is apparent from the above that the cooker 10 with its associated mold storage and transfer carriage 80 is provides the food processing operator a versatile method and apparatus for producing a variety of tostada shapes and sizes which are adaptable to readily shift from one size or shape to another so as to achieve the desired production objectives . the above descriptions of the preferred embodiments of the invention are the best known to the applicants at the time of filing this application . the description is presented for the purposes of illustration and full disclosure . it is 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 teachings . 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 field to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular uses contemplated . however , it is intended that the scope of the invention will be defined by the claims appended below .	0
hereinafter , embodiments according to the present invention will be fully explained by referring to the attached drawings . fig1 shows an example of network construction of a home network system , into which a home gateway can be applied , according to an embodiment of the present invention . also , fig3 shows an example of the hardware structures of a home server within the network construction shown in fig1 . in fig1 , a reference numeral 10 depicts an application download server , 40 a public communication network or a communication network for exclusive use , using a wire or radio waves , 50 a rooter , 60 a home gateway , 70 an equipment to be controlled , which the home gateway controls , and 100 a home network with using a wire or radio waves . the home gateway 60 is connected with the communication network 40 through the home network 80 and the rooter 50 . also , to the communication network 40 is connected the application download server 10 . and , to the home network 80 are connected the equipments 70 , 71 and 72 . the application download server 10 is built up with a general pc server , and it is able to download an application into the home server responding to a request from the home gateway 60 . the home gateway 60 communicates with the application download server 10 through the communication network 40 , thereby to download an application enabling to control the equipments 70 to be controlled from the application download serve , and therefore it can communicate and / or control the equipment 70 to be controlled by executing the application . the equipment 70 to be controlled is an equipment , which is connected with the home network 80 through the radio wave or the wires , and it can send / receive ( i . e ., communicate ) information between the application ( s ) on the home gateway 60 . according to the present embodiment , it is assumed that the equipment 70 to be controlled is the equipment , which is connected with an ip communication network at home through the wires or the radio wave ; however , as far as it can communicate the information between the home gateway 60 , it may be an equipment that uses the communication network other than the ip , such as , specification small electricity radio communication network , a serial communication network , and an ieee 1394 communication network , etc ., for example . fig3 attached herewith is a hardware structure view of the home gateway 60 , which the present embodiment can be applied therein . the home gateway 60 comprises a cpu 601 , a main memory 602 , a eprom 603 , a non - volatile memory device 604 , a lan i / f 605 , a display device 606 , and an input device 607 . and , each of those constituent elements is connected with a bus 608 , so that necessary information can be communicated among those elements . but , not shown in the figure , in case when connecting the equipments 70 to be controlled with the specification small electricity radio communication network , the serial communication network , and the ieee 1394 communication network , etc ., it is necessary to add an apparatus or device corresponding to it . within the eprom 603 is stored a boot program . into the non - volatile memory device 604 is stored various kinds of programs . and , when the gateway 60 starts , then the cpu 601 starts up responding to this boot program . the cpu 601 loads the various kinds of programs mentioned above from the non - volatile memory device 604 into the main memory 602 . the cpu 601 conducts transmission of signals to the lan i / f 605 , the display device 606 , and the input device 607 , by executing the various kinds of programs , which are loaded into the main memory 60 , and thereby conducting the transmission of information between the application download server 10 and / or the equipment 70 to be controlled . the non - volatile memory device 604 stores the various kinds of programs and information , which the cpu 601 loads them on the main memory 602 to execute , and it may be achieved by a flash memory or a hard disk , etc . the lan i / f 605 is connected with the home network 80 , so that it can communicate the information with the various kinds of devices connected with the home network or the communication network 40 , and it may be achieved by a network card , etc . the input device 607 , accepting an input from a user , may be achieved with a keyboard , a mouse , an infrared remote controller , etc . the display device 606 communicates necessary information for connecting with a crt tube television or a pc monitor , to make drawing on a screen thereof , and it may be achieved with a vga card , or a video output terminal , etc . among the elements shown in fig3 , an unnecessary one ( s ) can be omitted from those . for example , in case when not needing an output to the monitor and an input from the keyboard , but being connected with the home gateway 60 , from the web browser , etc ., via the network , it is possible omit the input device 607 and the display device 606 from the construction thereof . fig4 is a view for showing the hardware construction of the equipment 70 to be controlled , into which the present embodiment can be applied . the equipment 70 to be controlled comprises a cpu 701 , an eprom 703 , a non - volatile memory device 704 , and a lan i / f 705 . and , each of those constituent elements is connected with through a bus 706 , so that each can communicate necessary information between them in the structures thereof . although not shown in the figure , in case when connecting the above - mentioned equipment 70 to be controlled through the specification small electricity radio communication network , the serial communication network , and the ieee 1394 communication network , etc ., it is necessary to add an apparatus or device corresponding to it . within the eprom 703 is stored a boot program . in the non - volatile memory device 704 are stored various kinds of programs . and , when the equipment 70 to be controlled starts , then the cpu 701 operates responding to this boot program . the cpu 701 loads the various kinds of programs , from the non - volatile memory device 704 into the main memory 702 , with an aid of the boot program . the cpu 701 conducts transmission of signals to the lan i / f 705 by executing the various kinds of programs loaded onto the main memory 702 , so that it makes communication of the information with the home gateway 60 . the non - volatile memory device 704 stores the various kinds of programs and information , which the cpu 701 loads them on the main memory 702 to execute , and it may be achieved by a flash memory or a hard disk , etc . the lan i / f 705 is connected with the home network 80 , so that it communicate information with the home gateway 60 , and it may be achieved with a network card , etc . among the elements shown in fig4 , an unnecessary one ( s ) can be omitted from the construction . next , explanation will be made on operations of the present embodiment . fig8 is the structure view of software and a table of the home gateway 60 . the home gateway 60 is built up with software and tables , such as , a web server 61 , an equipment management portion 62 , a service management portion 63 , an application 64 , an application 65 , an application 66 , a service undertaker use memory information table 1000 , a service ap use equipment information table 1100 , an equipment information table 1200 , a service ap information table 1300 , a service undertaker information table 1400 , etc ., for example . the web server functions as a user i / f , so that the user can communicate information with the home gateway 60 , through making a connection from the browser installed into a pc or a digital television not shown in fig1 , which the user owns . also , it is possible to execute a service application for making a downloading from the application download server 10 ( hereinafter , being called “ service ap ”). the equipment management portion 62 manages information of the equipment 70 to be controlled , which is connected with the home network 80 , with using the equipment information table 1200 . it also provides home - equipment information , which is described on the equipment information table 1200 , to the service ap , or it manages connection to the home - equipment , with using the service ap use equipment information table 1100 . the service management portion 63 starts the service ap with using the service undertaker use memory information table 1000 . the applications 64 , 65 and 66 are examples of the service aps , which are downloaded from the application download server 10 . the home gateway 60 manages the information relating to the equipment 70 to be controlled , which is connected with the home network 80 , with using the equipment information table 1200 , as shown in fig7 . fig5 shows the service undertaker use memory information table 1000 . this service undertaker use memory information table 1000 is made up with a service undertaker id 1001 and a use memory volume 1002 . information of those are obtained at the time when downloading the service ap , together with that service ap . fig6 shows the service ap use equipment information table 1100 . this service ap use equipment information table 1100 is made up with a service ap id 1101 and a use equipment id 1102 . information of those are set up when downloading the service ap , etc ., for example , by a user . fig7 shows the equipment information table 1200 . this equipment information table 1200 is made up with an equipment id 1201 , an equipment name 1202 , and an ip address 1203 . information of those are obtained in advance through communication between the home gateway 60 and the equipment 70 to be controlled , or through setting up , which is made by the user to the home gateway 60 . fig9 shows the service ap information table 1300 . this service ap information table 1300 is made up with a service ap id 1301 and a service ap name 1302 . information of those are obtained when downloading the service ap from the application download server 10 . fig1 shows the service undertaker information table 1400 . this service undertaker information table 1400 is made up with a service ap if 1401 and a service undertaker id 1402 . the service ap is started upon the fact that the user transmits an instruction for a program ( cgi ), which is operable on the web server 61 . fig1 shows a flowchart from when the user transmits the instruction up to when the service ap is started . first of all , the user connects with the web server through the browser , so as to select the service ap to be started ( s 1001 ), and next , the cgi operable on the web server 61 transmits a service start request and the service ap id , which the user selects , to the service management portion 63 ( s 1002 ). next , the service management portion 63 obtains the service undertaker id corresponding to that service ap id , from the service undertaker information table 1400 ( s 1003 ), and next the service management portion 63 obtains the use memory volume corresponding to that service undertaker id , from the service undertaker user memory information table 1000 ( s 1004 ). next , the service management portion 63 starts that service ap , so that the memory does not exceeds that use memory volume ( s 1005 ). first of all , explanation will be made on the case when the service ap is java ( registered trade mark ). the java ( registered trade mark ) is able to designate a maximum heap region , when starting a java ( a registered trade mark ) vm . then , by designating the use memory volume to be such the maximum heap region , it is possible to designate so that the service ap does not use the memory exceeding that use memory volume . for example , in case where the use memory volume of “ ap64 . class ” is 10 mb , a java ( the registered trademark ) command is “ java ( registered trade mark ) − xmx10m ap64 ”. next , explanation will be given about the case where the service ap is not the java ( registered trade mark ), but is a native program . first of all , the service ap is executed with a normal procedure . next , by means of the system call , a process number of that service ap is obtained . next , a memory volume consumed by the service ap of that process number is obtained through the system call , and it is observed . in case when the consumed memory volume exceeds the use memory volume of the service , it is possible to start up the service ap so that it cannot use the memory exceeding the use memory volume , by compulsively ending the process of that process number . starting the service ap in accordance with the steps mentioned above enables to executed the service aps of plural number of service undertakers , so that the service ap of a certain service undertaker does not give an ill influence upon the service aps of other service undertakers . fig1 is a flowchart for showing steps for the service ap to control the equipment 70 to be controlled . first of all , a list is obtained about the equipments , which the service ap can control ( s 1101 ). next , the service ap obtains the detailed information of the equipment at desire , so as to make communication ( s 1102 ). the details of steps in s 1101 will be shown in fig1 attached herewith . first of all , the service ap transmits a request for obtaining the list of controllable equipments and the service ap id , to the equipment management portion ( s 1201 ). next , the equipment management port obtains the list of the use equipment ids corresponding to that service ap , from the service ap use equipment information table 1100 ( s 1202 ). next , the equipment management portion returns the list of controllable equipments back to that service ap ( s 1203 ). also , the details of steps in s 1102 will be shown in fig1 attached herewith . first of all , the service ap transmits a request for obtaining the detailed information of equipments , the equipment ids of the equipments to be controlled and the service ap id , to the equipment management portion ( s 1301 ). next , the equipment management portion obtain a list of the use equipment ids corresponding to that service ap id from the service ap use equipment information table ( s 1302 ) next , determination is made on whether that equipment id is included or not within the list of use equipment id ( s 1303 ), and if it is included , the equipment management portion obtains the ip address corresponding to that equipment id , so as to send it to the service ap ( s 1304 ), and the service ap makes connection with the equipment of that ip address , to make communication therewith ( s 1305 ). in case when that equipment id is not included within the list of use equipment ids , in the step of s 1303 , the equipment management portion transmits error information to the service ap ( s 1306 ) controlling the equipment 70 to be controlled , which the service ap connects to the home network 80 in the manner mentioned above , it is possible for the service ap to make control only upon the predetermined equipment ( s ) to be controlled . as was mentioned above , according to the present embodiment , with controlling the volume of memory , which the service application operating on the home gateway uses within a home where the service applications of plural number of service undertakes are mixed with , the plural number of the service undertakers are operable without obstructing with each other . also , by making the service applications unable to connect with others than the equipments within the home , which are determined in advance , it is possible to achieve smooth facilities of services within a home network system where the service applications of the plural number of service undertakes are mixed with . while we have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with our invention , it should be understood that disclosed embodiments are susceptible of changes and modifications without departing from the scope of the invention . therefore , we do not intend to be bound by the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the ambit of the appended claims .	7
the invention is a microchannel plate image intensifier ( mcpi ) with inclusion of a collimator . light 10 enters at the top of fig1 penetrates the faceplate 12 and strikes the photocathode 14 . some of the light 10 ( photons ) react with the photocathode 14 to liberate electrons 16 , which enter the vacuum space ( gap ) 18 between the photocathode 14 and the mcp 20 . this gap is sometimes referred to as a proximity - focusing electron lens . electrons 16 are accelerated towards mcp 20 by an electric field in gap 18 between cathode 14 and mcp 20 . the electrons have some initial transverse ( sideways ) energy as they leave the cathode causing them to take a parabolic path on their journey to mcp 20 . this energy is in the order of between zero and about 0 . 1 ev and results in a spot on mcp 20 that is larger than the spot on photocathode 14 from which electrons 16 originated . most of the electrons reaching mcp 20 will enter holes in the mcp , be multiplied in numbers and exit the bottom of the mcp . the transverse energy of these electrons is about ten times as great as for the photocathode case mentioned above . the electrons enter gap 22 between mcp 20 and phosphor screen 24 and are accelerated towards phosphor screen 24 by an electric field in this gap . this gap is also referred to as a proximity - focusing electron lens . the spot on the screen is much larger than for the case mentioned above , due , in part , to the greater initial transverse energy of the electrons leaving the mcp . the spot size on the screen is also proportional to the gap between the mcp and the screen and inversely proportional to the square - root of the voltage across the gap . to reduce the spot size ( increase the resolution of the tube ), the conventional approach has been to reduce the gap distance and increase the gap voltage . at some point the gap will break down , cause local heating and rip loose the aluminizing layer covering the phosphor , which usually ends up bridging the gap , shorting out and destroying the tube . there is an additional factor that affects spot size . it is estimated that about 20 % of the electrons are elastically scattered when they strike a surface . they rebound with their initial energy , are decelerated as they travel up towards their source , and then are pulled back down again by the electric field , striking the surface at a distance from their initial impact of up to two times the gap distance . in the screen region , this distance can be over two mm , resulting in a spot or halo diameter of over four mm . as a reference , the normal spot size of an average tube is about 0 . 045 mm . although the intensity of this halo is low ( about 0 . 1 % of the peak intensity ), it can degrade the performance of a tube where high dynamic range of brightness is important , e . g . looking at a dim object next to a bright object . by inserting collimator 26 either in contact with or slightly above phosphor screen 24 , as indicated in fig1 the following advantages are achieved . electrons entering collimator 26 at an angle greater than the collimator acceptance angle will strike the collimator walls and be prevented from reaching phosphor screen 24 . the collimator angle can be adjusted to eliminate all of the elastically scattered electrons and to remove the electrons with transverse energies above any desired level . the collimator angle is determined by the length - to - diameter ratio of the collimator and is easily controlled during the collimator manufacturing process , permitting any desired collimator acceptance angle . the smaller the collimator acceptance angle , the lower the transmission of the collimator and the smaller the spot size . this means that there is a trade - off between collimator efficiency and resolution of the tube . there is also a maximum efficiency of the collimator set by the open - area - ratio of the collimator , or the hole - to - wall - area ratio at the entrance surface , this can be about 75 % to 80 %. these factors reduce the number of electrons that get through the collimator to about 25 % to 50 % of those leaving the mcp . the breakdown voltage is usually controlled by the roughness of the two opposing surfaces . in the case of the intensifier being discussed , this is usually controlled in the screen gap by the roughness of the aluminum layer on the phosphor screen and of the phosphor screen roughness itself . by inserting a smooth glass collimator as described , the screen roughness is isolated from the gap field and the breakdown is controlled by two smooth surfaces . this second collimator advantage will allow the electric field to be increased sufficiently to overcome the efficiency losses of the collimator . for example , if only 25 % of the electrons get through the collimator , the effect will be to make the output image 25 % as bright on the phosphor screen . by increasing the screen - mcp gap voltage from its normal 6 , 000v to 10 , 000v , the brightness loss can be recovered . tests have confirmed that a voltage in excess of 10 , 000v can be sustained across a screen - mcp gap of less than 0 . 5 mm if a dielectric coating is applied to the mcp output surface . the collimator will be manufactured using a process identical to that for standard mcps , with some modifications . in the standard mcp process , a lead glass sleeve ( the cladding ) is placed over a glass rod ( the core ) and fused to the rod . the combination is heated and drawn into a fiber to reduce its diameter . the fiber is then cut into many equal lengths , bundled and then fused into a boule . the boule is heated and drawn into a fiber again ( the second drawing ), and the cutting , bundling and fusing process is repeated , resulting in a second boule composed of many tiny glass fibers which have a thin cladding glass surrounding them . the diameter of these tiny fibers is in the order of 10 μm at this point . next , the boule is sliced at an angle of 5 ° to 7 ° from normal to the boule axis , into wafers about 0 . 4 - mm thick . the wafers are placed into an echant which dissolves the core glass but not the cladding glass , leaving an array of 10 μm holes , called channels or pores , with 1 μm thick walls . this process turns the wafer into a mcp . next the mcps are activated by hydrogen firing to reduce the lead in the glass to free lead so that the walls of the channels are slightly conductive , permitting the establishment of an electric field gradient throughout the length of the channel when a voltage is applied across the mcp . finally , electroding is deposited on the top and bottom sides of the mcp to provide for making electrical connection to the input and output of the mcp in order to permit establishing the internal electric field . for a collimator , the above process is modified as follows . the second drawing is controlled to obtain the desired pore or channel diameter , which will be between 15 and 30 μm , depending upon the application . the pore length - to - diameter ratio determines the acceptance angle of the collimator . the minimum pore length is determined by practical considerations of handling the collimator , e . g . how thin a collimator can be before it breaks when it is picked up . this dimension is about 0 . 4 mm , which , along with the collimator acceptance angle , determines the required pore diameter . the second modification is that the bias angle must be zero . the wafers are sliced perpendicularly to the boule axis . the third modification is to reduce the glass during hydrogen firing as much as practical to make the pore walls as conductive as possible . this will reduce the possibility of collimator wall charging from electron collisions , which may affect the collimation factor -- what percentage of the electrons get through . the fourth modification is to apply the electroding over the entire collimator , including the edges , so that both surfaces remain at the same potential . this permits transfer of the potential applied to the screen of the intensifier to the entire collimator , ensuring that there is no field gradient across the collimator . in one embodiment , the collimator is placed in close proximity to or in contact with the aluminization layer covering the phosphor screen of the mcp intensifier . other implementations to accomplish the goal can be used . fig2 shows a cross section of the edge of the mcp , collimator and screen section of an intensifier . the cathode section is not shown . shown on the right are cemmic body sections 30 of the tube which are welded to the metal shoulder 32 which supports the mcp 34 and the screen fiber optics 36 . the rim 38 ( shaded areas of the mcp and collimator ) comprises solid glass areas used to reduce crushing of the channels near the edge of the wafer . a cemmic spacer 40 , placed on a recessed shoulder of the collimator , is used to establish the collimator - to - mcp spacing . a thin conductive metal spacer 42 is used to establish a two or three micron separation between the collimator and screen . this spacer can be made by deposition of nickel or inconel onto the edge of the collimator near the rim . changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope of the invention , which is intended to be limited by the scope of the appended claims .	7
background information regarding the present invention may be had by reference to u . s . pat . no . 5 , 644 , 764 , entitled a method for supporting object modeling in a repository ; and a co - pending patent application ser . no . 08 / 505 , 140 , entitled a method for providing object database independence in a program written using the c ++ programming language , respectively , both of which are assigned to the same assignee hereof . referring now to the drawings and fig1 in particular , a block diagram is shown of a client - server network 10 including a server system 11 typically executing either nt or unix operating systems and a repository program being executed thereby ( e . g ., urep ); and a client 12 system typically executing windows operating system . each system 11 and 12 includes a console 13 and 14 , respectively . the server system 11 includes a cpu 15 and a memory 16 , which has stored therein an application programming interface ( api ) 17 and an object request broker ( orb ) 18 . the client system 12 includes a cpu 19 , and a memory 20 having stored therein object linking and embedding ( ole ) 21 and an orb 22 , which will be explained further hereinafter . the systems 11 and 12 are coupled together to form the network 10 by means of a local area network ( lan ) 23 ( or via the internet ). an object has features , which can be either an operation or a property . an operation defines an action that an object can perform , or an action that can be performed on the object . for example , &# 34 ; make withdrawal &# 34 ; could be defined as an operation on a banking account object . properties indicate the state of an object . every property of an object has a value , and it is the property values that define the state of the object . a property can be either an attribute or a reference . an attribute defines a value that is stored within the object . for example , &# 34 ; current account balance &# 34 ; could be an attribute of the banking account object . the numeric value for the banking account balance would be stored in the banking account object . a reference is a link or pointer to another object , and implies a relationship to that other object . a reference is typically used when it is desired not to duplicate data . with reference to fig2 the object types of the repository schema ( also known as a model ) are shown . a type 25 is a template that describes a set of features ( the state and behavior ) that an object or another type can possess . a type 25 defines a pattern that can be used to create or identify objects ; it does not contain the actual object . a repository schema is defined by a hierarchy of data types / and collections 26 ( also referred to as transient types ) and persistent object types 27 . transient types 26 and collections define values of attributes stored in a repository . next are features 28 which are categorized into operations 29 or properties 30 . a feature defines some element of either the state or the behavior that objects can possess . a feature is defined for a type , but applied to the corresponding objects . in other words , a type defines the layout of the data for the objects , and objects are instances of the type . properties define a state . for example , the salary feature is a property that defines an employee &# 39 ; s current salary . operations define behavior . for example , the setsalary feature is an operation that defines the mechanism for changing an employee &# 39 ; s salary . the properties 30 are categorized as attributes 31 , whose values are embedded and access to persistent objects must occur only during a transaction referring now to fig3 a diagram of a typical client - server architecture is schematically illustrated as comprising three parts : automation classes 35 , interface classes 36 and server classes 37 . automation classes 35 expose the server api 17 to ole automation 21 . interface classes 36 provide the orb interoperability interface . server classes 37 provide the connection from the network to the repository using the native api of the repository . for each class in the repository model , there is a corresponding automation class , interface class and server class . all classes follow the class hierarchy of the model and contain the same methods as the class in the repository . method inheritance is supported . the differences come during method execution . for each object created by the client application , a corresponding automation class is instantiated . only one interface object is instantiated , however , and only when the first automation class is instantiated . the interface class 36 is used by the automation class 35 to communicate with the server 11 . when created , each automation object contains a handle 38 of the corresponding object in the language - binding table on the server 11 . the handle 38 is passed to the server 11 with most of the methods . two interfaces are generated that do not correspond to classes in the repository : the factory interface 39 and the proxy interface 40 . the factory interface 39 exposes class creation functions and persistent object casting functions to the client application and is the starting point for client automation calls . class creation functions correspond to c ++ constructors , with construction performed on both the client 12 and the server 11 . the factory interface 39 gets things started by providing the first ole dispatch pointer to the client program . a dispatch pointer is a pointer to an interface ( a table of function pointers ), allowing ole automation to access the methods of that interface . each model factory has a globally unique identifier ( guid ) that is registered in the ole registration database along with a textual name . the client application needs only to create an object of that name to bring up the client side automation server ( left side of fig3 ). using the dispatch pointer obtained from the factory 39 , the client application can then create repository objects and access the api 17 . when the factory is brought up on the client 12 , it &# 34 ; binds &# 34 ; to its corresponding server program , starting it running ( one server program for each client application ). this &# 34 ; binding &# 34 ; is handled by the orb . depending on the orb used , the server 11 may or may not time out the client 12 . if the client crashes and does not disconnect properly , the server may remain running until the client 12 restarts windows . calls appear synchronous to the caller , but are asynchronous and do not lock out the client 12 . the proxy class 40 is responsible for making instances of interface classes . the factory 39 makes a proxy object and a proxy interface object on startup . each method call for an automation class checks to see if the corresponding interface class has been initialized and , if not , asks the proxy class to initialize it . the proxy class interface is not exposed to the client application . generation is performed on the client 11 with a visual basic program . to generate a model , one opens the repository desired and then selects the model to generate . first , an idl file is generated from the metadata in the repository . attributes , operations and references are turned into idl methods . next , the program runs the vendor - supplied idl compiler to generate the code for the interface classes and the server skeleton ( a framework provided for filling in the server side implementation of the method ). next the automation classes are generated primarily from the idl with a few calls to the metadata . after this , the server skeleton is altered ( it is different than if it was generated using the server idl compiler ) and the methods are filled in with the correct native repository api call . a server main program is also generated . this completes generation . the user can select idl or automation classes or server code to be generated and can select a subset of the api to generate ( in order to save time when the model changes ). to make a server executable , the idl file and the server source files must be copied to the server machine and the idl compiler run on the server to create the server - side interface classes . referring now to fig4 an overall flow chart of the method of the present invention is illustrated . the process begins with an enter bubble 45 , followed by a step of generating idl ( i . e ., the language used to communicate between the client and server ) as depicted by a process block 46 . the idl is generated from the metadata within the repository 11 . this step will be described in greater detail hereinbelow in conjunction with a description of fig5 . next , a step of generating ole from the idl is performed as depicted by a process block 47 , the details of which are illustrated in fig8 and described further hereinafter . after this , a step of generating server software is performed as depicted by a process block 48 . this step is specific to the orb employed , and is explained in greater detail in the above - cited u . s . pat . no . 5 , 644 , 764 entitled a method for supporting object modeling in a repository , and the co - pending patent application ser . no . 08 / 505 , 140 , entitled a method for providing object database independence in a program written using the c ++ programming language . referring now to fig5 the routine of generating idl is illustrated , which routine begins with opening the repository ( bubble 50 ). next , the process determines which models to look at ( process block 51 ). there are many models in the repository , and one may be dependent on another . the process also determines such dependency relationships . following this , data types are generated ( process block 52 ). the data types are strings and enumerations of data types to be used by the interface . next , forward references are generated ( process block 53 ). forward references predefine all interfaces to allow any interface to be referenced by any other interface . factory and proxy interfaces are next generated ( process block 54 ), which are two interfaces required by the repository to allow the user to start and communicate with the repository . an inquiry is next made as to whether or not the model is a repository service model (&# 34 ; rsm &# 34 ;, decision diamond 55 ), which is the predefined model that is a part of the urep from which all other models are derived . if the model is an rsm , then non - persistent classes ( classes which are not part of the metadata ) are generated ( process block 56 ). non - persistent classes are datatypes , collections and administrative classes necessary to operate the repository , but are only active when the repository is opened and in use . if the model is not an rsm , the sub - model collections are generated ( block 57 ). collections are lists , sets or arrays of objects which can be accessed one after the other . following this , the idl interfaces for the classes in the model are generated ( block 58 ). this step is detailed in fig6 a , and will be described further hereinafter . as a result of this step , an ascii text file that describes the interface is created . this file is capable of being compiled by any vendor &# 39 ; s idl compiler , which will generate code and will allow the client 12 to communicate with the server 11 . next , the idl file is split into classes since it is a very large file and produces code too big to compile , which step is depicted by a process block 59 . each class thus becomes a separate file . the next step of the process is to run an idl compiler for each class , as depicted by a process block 60 . the process is then exited , bubble 61 . separating the main idl file into classes facilitates partial re - generation if the model changes in the future . referring now to fig6 a , the detail process steps for generating idl interfaces is shown . the process begins with an enter bubble 62 , followed by a process step of generating &# 34 ; interface &# 34 ; with inheritance ( block 63 ). that is , this process step goes through each class of the model and determines the inheritance -- i . e ., which class inherits behavior from what other class or classes . it is pointed out that multiple inheritance is supported . next , a process step of generating &# 34 ; find &# 34 ; calls is performed ( block 64 ). this is a detail feature required by the repository and is not part of the metadata . &# 34 ; find &# 34 ; calls allow the user to collect instances of attributes by name . the details of this process step are illustrated in fig6 b and are amplified further hereinbelow . following this , a process step of generating idl calls is performed ( block 65 ). details of this process step are illustrated in fig7 a and are described further hereinafter . an inquiry is next made as to whether or not there are more classes in the model ( diamond 66 ). if the answer is yes then a return is made back to the process block 63 to repeat the process . once all of the classes in the model have been processed then an exit is taken from the no leg of the diamond 66 to an exit bubble 67 . referring now to fig6 b , details of a routine generate idl &# 34 ; find &# 34 ; files are illustrated . the process begins with an enter bubble 68 followed by an inquiry as to whether or not there are more meta attributes in the class ( diamond 69 ). if the answer to this inquiry is no , then an exit is taken from this routine to bubble 70 . on the other hand , if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is an index key attribute ( diamond 71 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- & lt ; attribute & gt ; -- name &# 34 ; is performed ( block 72 ). this step allows instances of attributes that are index keys to be retrieved by name . after this step has been performed , or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 71 is no , then another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is a string attribute ( diamond 73 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- string &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 74 ). once this step has been performed or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 73 is no , then still another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is a text attribute ( diamond 75 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- text &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 76 ). once this step has been performed or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 75 is no , then yet another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is a blob attribute ( diamond 77 ). if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 77 is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- blob &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 78 ). once this process step is complete or if the answer to this inquiry is no , then a branch is made to fig6 c ( via a connector b ) wherein another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is an integer attribute ( diamond 79 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- integer &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 80 ). once this process step is complete or if the answer to this inquiry is no , then yet another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is a timestamp attribute ( diamond 81 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- timestamp &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 82 ). once this step has been performed or if the answer to this inquiry is no , still another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is a coordinate attribute ( diamond 83 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- coordinate &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 84 ). once this process step has been performed or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 83 is no , the another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is an enumeration attribute ( diamond 85 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- integer &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 86 ). once this step has been performed or if the answer to this inquiry is no , then a return is made ( via a connector c ) to the diamond 69 inquiring if more meta attributes are in the class . referring now to fig7 a , the first of a two - part diagram illustrates the steps for generating idl calls . the process begins with an enter bubble 88 followed by an inquiry as to whether or not the feature is a meta attribute ( diamond 89 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then another inquiry is made as to whether or not the attribute is overridden ( diamond 90 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of prepending & lt ; class -- name & gt ; to the attribute is performed ( block 91 ). this is done because idl , as defined , does not support overriding ( i . e ., one class re - defining a method that it inherited from another class ) the & lt ; class name & gt ; is prepended to differentiate the call from the one it overrides , as urep and ole does to support overriding . once this step has been performed or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 90 is no , then a process step of generating idl calls per the rules given in c ++ binding is performed ( block 92 ). different attribute types generate different methods to access / modify the attribute . an attribute that is read - only requires an access method . next , an inquiry is made as to whether or not the feature is a meta reference ( diamond 93 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then another inquiry is made as to whether or not the reference is overridden ( diamond 94 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of prepending & lt ; class -- name & gt ; is performed ( block 95 ). following this , or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 94 is no , a process step of generating idl calls per the rules given in c ++ binding is performed ( block 96 ). after this step , or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 93 is no , a branch is taken to remainder of this routine illustrated in fig7 b as denoted by a connecting tag 97 . referring now to fig7 b , the second part of the process for generating idl calls is shown . from the connecting tag 97 , an inquiry is made as to whether or not the feature is an operation ( diamond 98 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then another inquiry is made as to whether or not the operation is overridden ( diamond 99 ). if the operation is overridden then a process step of prepending & lt ; class -- name & gt ; to the operation is performed ( block 100 ). once this step is performed , or if the operation is not overridden , a process step of determining return type of operation is performed ( block 101 ). next , an inquiry is made as to whether or not the operation is overloaded ( diamond 102 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of appending & lt ; integer & gt ; to the end of the operations is performed ( block 103 ). this is done because ole automation does not support overloading ( where a method can be called by the same name but with different parameter lists ). this allows the same method to perform differently based on its signature . thus , an overloaded method &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; appears in ole automation as &# 34 ; a1 , a2 . . . &# 34 ;. once this step has been performed , or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 102 is no , then a process step of generating the parameter list for the method is performed ( block 104 ). next , a process step of determining if the operation is a class feature and determining if the parameter is in or out or in / out ( block 105 ). a class feature is a method that can operate on the class itself and does not require an instance of that class . parameters in idl can be input (&# 34 ; in &# 34 ;), output only (&# 34 ; out &# 34 ;) and both input and output (&# 34 ; in / out &# 34 ;). following this , an inquiry is made as to whether or not there are more class in feature ( diamond 106 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a return is made back to the diamond 89 in fig7 a as depicted by a connection tag 107 . if the answer to this inquiry is no , then an exit is taken ( bubble 108 ). returning to the inquiry diamond 98 briefly , if the answer to this inquiry is no , then a branch is taken to the diamond 106 . referring now to fig8 details of the routine to generate ole are illustrated in flow - chart form . the process begins with an enter bubble 110 followed by a process step of setting up data type mapping for mapping repository data types to ole data types ( block 111 ). next , a process step of generating ole header files is performed ( block 112 ). the details of this process step are illustrated in fig9 a and described further hereinafter . following this , a process step of generating ole c ++ files is performed ( block 113 ). the details of this step are illustrated in fig9 b and described further hereinafter . next , another process step of generating orb independent header files is performed ( block 114 ). the orb independent header files present the same interface to the automation classes -- regardless of the orb used underneath . note that the underlying interoperability can be provided by something other than an orb , e . g ., by a lower level interface such as windows sockets or by a higher - level interface such as the urep interoperability layer . once this step is complete , yet another process step of generating orb specific c ++ files is performed ( block 115 ). although the orb code here is specific to each orb , the generation code is designed in such a way as to make adding new orb &# 39 ; s quite easy . an inquiry is next made as to whether or not there are more classes in the model ( diamond 116 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then the process steps denoted by the blocks 112 through 115 are repeated until there are no more classes in the model . once this has been accomplished ( no branch from the diamond 116 ) then an exit is taken from this routine as denoted by an exit bubble 117 . referring now to fig9 a , the routine for generating ole c ++ header files is illustrated . the routine begins with an enter bubble 118 , followed by a process step of determining the class in which inheritance is performed ( block 119 ). as alluded to hereinabove , classes may inherit from one or more other classes . thus , it is necessary to determine the class inheritance before proceeding further . next , a process step of generating the necessary ole macros is performed ( block 120 ). these are required by the microsoft foundation classes (&# 34 ; mfc &# 34 ;) to properly define the class for automation . following this step , another process step of generating a method signature is performed ( block 121 ). a method signature is its parameter list . an inquiry is next made as to whether or not there are more methods in the class ( diamond 122 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then the process step depicted by the block 121 is repeated until all methods in the class have been processed . on the other hand , if the answer to this inquiry is no , then an exit is taken from this routine ( bubble 123 ). referring now to fig9 b , the routine for generating ole c ++ code is illustrated . the routine begins with an enter bubble 125 , followed by a process step of generating include statements ( block 126 ). include statements bring in c ++ ole header files for automation or interface classes referenced in the code for this class and is required to properly compile . next , a process step of determining inheritance is performed ( block 127 ). this process step is the same as the process step depicted by the block 119 ( fig9 a ) and described hereinabove . following this , a process step of generating external statements is performed ( block 128 ). external statements define data defined outside this class and are necessary to properly compile . another process step of generating miscellaneous functions is next performed ( block 129 ). an exemplary miscellaneous function is a c ++ constructor and destructor and is used to create and destroy automation classes . a process step of generating ole automation signature macros for the method is performed ( block 130 ). that is , the automation signature macros are used by mfc to build information to properly describe the method to ole automation . next , a process step of generating code for the method is performed ( block 131 ), which code interfaces to the corresponding interface class . an inquiry is next made as to whether or not there are more methods in the class interface ( diamond 132 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then the process steps depicted by the blocks 130 and 131 are repeated until there are no more methods in the class . finally , an exit is taken from this routine as depicted by a bubble 133 . this program opens the test repository and prints to the debug screen all the subclasses of ureppersistentobject , which demonstrates how the ole method of the present invention is used . ______________________________________dim factory as objectdim urep as objectdim metaclassset as objectdim metaclass as objectset factory = createobject (&# 34 ; rsmfactory &# 34 ;) set urep = factory . createurepif ( not urep . open (&# 34 ;&# 34 ;, &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, &# 34 ; test &# 34 ;) = false ) then , endset metaclassset = factory . create (&# 34 ; urepmetaclass &# 34 ;, urep ). getbyname ( urep ,&# 34 ; ureppersistentobject &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; rsm &# 34 ;). getsubclassesfor i = 0 to metaclassset . size - 1set metaclass = metaclassset . lookup ( i ) debug . print metaclass . getmodel . getprefixdebug . print metaclass . getname2set metaclass = nothingnext iset metaclassset = nothingurep . endsession ( true ) urep . logouturep . closerepositoryset urep = nothingend______________________________________ no overloading and no underscores are allowed in automation , so get -- name in the urep api becomes getname2 . the following files are the header and c ++ automation class files for the employee class in the pm model . ole classes and macros defined in microsoft foundation classes ( mfc ) are used . the idl for the employee class is given below , where the employee class in the repository has one multivalued reference ( to the class task ) called tasks , and two operations : construct and destruct . employee inherits from urepuser . ______________________________________interface iemployee : iurepuser { pmset /* task / get . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle ); task get . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( in interophandle handle , in tasklocation ); udt . sub .-- boolean contains . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle , in task object ); udt . sub .-- integer size . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle ); udt . sub .-- boolean isnull . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle ); void set . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle , in pmset / task / value ); void add . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle , in taskobject ); void remove . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle , in taskobject ); void remove . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( in interophandle handle , inurepinteger location ); void flush . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle ); void employee . sub .-- construct ( in interophandle handle , in urepld initname , inout urepnamespace initnamespace , in urepid initloginid ); void employee . sub .-- destruct ( in interophandle handle , in urepreferenceprocessing freemode );}; ______________________________________ pmset is derived from urepset and handles the template types for the pm model . when a collection is returned by an interface method or passed in as a parameter , the template class name is generated as a comment . this is used by the generation tool when generating automation class and server class code . although not shown , the idl also contains enumerations from the model . ______________________________________the . h file is given below :# ifndef . sub .-- aemployee . sub .-- h . sub .--# define . sub .-- aemployee . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- urepobject . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- ureppersistentobject . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- urepnamedobject . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- urepusersobject . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- urepuser . sub .-- h . sub .-- class aemployee : public aurepuser { declare . sub .-- dyncreate ( aemployee ) private : void initifnecessary ( ); public : aemployee ( ); virtual . sup .˜ aemployee ( ); virtual void onfinalrelease ( ); afx . sub .-- msg lpdispatch get . sub .-- tasks ( ); afx . sub .-- msg lpdispatch get . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( lpdispatchlocation ); afx . sub .-- msg bool contains . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ); afx . sub .-- msg long size . sub .-- tasks ( ); afx . sub .-- msg bool isnull . sub .-- tasks ( ); afx . sub .-- msg void set . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch value ); afx . sub .-- msg void add . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ); afx . sub .-- msg void remove . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ); afx . sub .-- msg void remove . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( long location ); afx . sub .-- msg void flush . sub .-- tasks ( ); afx . sub .-- msg void construct ( bstr initname , lpdispatch initnamespace , bstr initloginid ); afx . sub .-- msg void destruct ( short freemode ); declare . sub .-- dispatch . sub .-- map ( )};# endif______________________________________ the declare -- dyncreate macro allows the mfc framework to dynamically create this class at runtime . ( it needs to know the inheritance to support .) the macro declare -- dispatch -- map is defined in mfc . the dispatch map macro maps the interface definitions above it into automation calls . the base class for rsm is ccmdtarget , an ole enabled mfc class . ______________________________________ # include &# 34 ; stdafx . h &# 34 ;# include & lt ; time . h & gt ;# include & lt ; string . h & gt ;# include &# 34 ; pm . hh &# 34 ; / the include file for theinterface classes /# include &# 34 ; pm . h &# 34 ;# include . sub .-- pmset . sub .-- h # include . sub .-- task . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- urepnamespace . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- einployee . sub .-- h . sub .--# ifdef . sub .-- debug # undef this . sub .-- filestatic char based . sub .-- code this . sub .-- file ! = . sub .-- . sub .-- file . sub .-- . sub .-- ;# endifiemployee gemployee = null ; /* the global interfacepointerfor employee / extern ipmproxy gpmproxy ; /* the proxy interfacepointer for pm model / implement . sub .-- dyncreate ( aemployee , aurepuser ) aemployee :: aemployee () etnableautomation (); / inherited fromccmdtarget /} aemployee ::. sup .˜ aemployee (){} void aemployee :: onfinalrelease () / ole destructorinherited from ccmdtarget /{ destructobject ( handle ); delete this ;} void aemployee :: initifnecessary (){ if ( gemployee == null ) gemployee = newnewemployee ( gpmproxy );} begin . sub .-- dispatch . sub .-- map ( aemployee , aurepuser )/ the disp . sub .-- function defines the automation interface forthe class by giving the method name as it is known toautomation (&# 34 ; gettasks &# 34 ;), the method name as defined inthe class body (&# 34 ; get . sub .-- tasks &# 34 ;), the return value ( vt . sub .-- dispatch ) and the parameter list ( vts . sub .-- none ). / disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; gettasks &# 34 ;, get . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- dispatch , vts . sub .-- none ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; gettasksloc &# 34 ;, get . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc , vt . sub .-- dispatch , vts . sub .-- dispatch ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; containstasks &# 34 ;, contains . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- bool , vts . sub .-- dispatch ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; sizetasks &# 34 ;, size . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- 14 , vts . sub .-- none ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; isnulltasks &# 34 ;, isnull . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- bool , vts . sub .-- none ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; settasks &# 34 ;, set . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- dispatch ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; addtasks &# 34 ;, add . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- dispatch ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; removetasks &# 34 ;, remove . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- dispatch ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; removetasksloc &# 34 ;, remove . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- i4 ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; flushtasks &# 34 ;, flush . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- none ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; construct &# 34 ;, construct , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- bstr vts . sub .-- dispatchvts . sub .-- bstr ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; destruct ⃡, destruct , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- i2 ) end . sub .-- dispatch . sub .-- map () lpdispatch aemployee :: get . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( lpdispatch location ){ initifnecessary (); atask p1task = ( atask ) fromidispatch ( location ); atask pr = new atask ; pr -& gt ; handle = gemployee -& gt ; get . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( handle , p1task -& gt ; handle ); return ( pr -& gt ; getidispatch ( false ));} bool aemployee :: contains . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ){ initifnecessary (); atask * p1task = ( atask ) fromidispatch ( object ); return ( gemployee -& gt ; contains . sub .-- tasks ( handle , p1task -& gt ; handle ));} long aemployee :: size . sub .-- tasks (){ initifnecessary (); return ( gemployee -& gt ; size . sub .-- tasks ( handie ));} bool aemployee :: isnull . sub .-- tasks (){ initifnecessary (); return ( gemployee -& gt ; isnull . sub .-- tasks ( handle ));} void aemployee :: set . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch value ){ initifnecessary (); apmset p1pmset = ( apmset ) fromidispatch ( value ); gemployee -& gt ; set . sub .-- tasks handle , p1pmset -& gt ; handle );} void aemployee :: add . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ){ initifnecessary (); atask p1task = ( atask ) fromidispatch ( object ); gemployee -& gt ; add . sub .-- tasks handle , p1task -& gt ; handle );} void aemployee :: remove . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ){ initifnecessary (); atask p1task = ( atask ) fromidispatch ( object ); gemployee -& gt ; remove . sub .-- tasks handle , p1task -& gt ; handle );} void aemployee :: remove . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( long location ){ initifnecessary (); gemployee -& gt ; remove . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( handle , location );} void aemployee :: flush . sub .-- tasks (){ initifnecessary (); gemployee -& gt ; flush . sub .-- tasks ( handle );} void aemployee :: construct ( bstr initname , lpdispatch initnamespace , bstr initloginid ){ initifnecessary (); aurepnamespace p2urepnamespace = ( aurepnamespace *) fromidispatch ( initnamespace ); gemployee -& gt ; employee . sub .-- construct ( handle , initname , p2urepnamespace -& gt ; handle , initloginid );} void aemployee :: destruct ( short freemode ){ initifnecessary (); gemployee -& gt ; employee . sub .-- destruct ( handle ,( urepreferenceprocessing ) freemode );} ______________________________________ while the invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . ______________________________________appendices______________________________________appendix a : ole / orb generationgenerate idlgenerate olegenerate server { specific to drb } appendix b : generate idl open repository include required models generate data types { string , enumerations , etc . } generate forward references { so idl willcompile } generate factory and proxyif model is rsm generate non - persistent classes { not in metadata } else generate sub - model collections { discussedhereinbelow } generate idl interfaces split idl file into classes run vendor &# 39 ; s idl compiler for each classappendix c : for each class in model generate &# 34 ; interface &# 34 ; with inheritance generate idl &# 34 ; find &# 34 ; calls generate idl callsend ifgenerate idl &# 34 ; find &# 34 ; callsfor each meta attribute in class if index key attribute generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- & lt ; attribute . sub .-- name & gt ;&# 34 ; if string attribute , then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- string &# 34 ; call if text attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- text &# 34 ; call if blob attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- blob &# 34 ; call if integer attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- integer &# 34 ; call if timestamp attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- timestamp &# 34 ; call if coordinate attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- coordinate &# 34 ; call if enumeration attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- integer &# 34 ; callend ifappendix d : generate idl callsfor each class feature if feature is meta attribute determine if attribute is overriden if attribute is overriden prepend & lt ; class name & gt ; to attribute generate idl calls per rules given in c ++ bindingend ifif feature is meta reference if model is not rsm determine if reference is overridden if reference is overridden prepend & lt ; class name & gt ; to reference generate idl calls per rules given in c ++ binding end ifif feature is an operation determine if operation overridden if operation is overridden prepend & lt ; class name & gt ; to operation determine return type of operation if operation is overloaded append . sub .-- & lt ; integer & gt ; to end of operation generate parameter list ( b { determine if operation is a classfeature } { determine if parameter is in or out or in / out } end ifendforappendix e : generate ole setup data type mapping array for mapping data types urep data types to ole data typesfor each class in model ( from idl ) generate ole header filegenerate ole c ++ fileendiffor each class in model generate orb specific header file generate orb specific c ++ fileendifappendix f : generate ole header file determine inheritance generate necessary ole macros for each method in class interface generate method signature endifgenerate ole c ++ file generate include statements determine inheritance generate extern statements generate misc . functions for each method in class interface generate ole automation signature macro formethod endif for each method in class interface generate code for method { add template inf ormation for coliections } endif______________________________________	6
the following description is of the best mode currently contemplated for practicing the invention . the basic concept of the invention relating to forming an efficient defibrillation waveform can be practiced with two or more capacitors within the icd . a preferred number of capacitors is three . however , the basic concept will first be explained in the context of a two - capacitor icd . in accordance with one aspect of the invention , then a biphasic pulse or waveform is generated by an icd device having two capacitors that includes a positive phase of duration t 1 ms and a negative phase of duration t 2 ms , as shown in fig1 . first and second capacitors , c a and c b , within the icd device are initially charged to a voltage v 1 and are connected in parallel . the biphasic defibrillation pulse begins by discharging the charged parallel capacitors through the cardiac tissue by way of defibrillation electrodes in contact with the cardiac tissue . thus , a leading edge of the biphasic pulse starts at a first peak voltage of approximately v 1 volts ( the charge on the first and second capacitors when first connected to the electrodes ). during a first portion of the positive phase of the biphasic pulse , the amplitude of the biphasic pulse decays from the first peak voltage v 1 to a voltage v 2 in accordance with a first time constant τ 1 . the first time constant τ 1 varies as a function of ( c a + c b ) r , where c a is the value of the first capacitor , c b is the value of the second capacitor , and r is an effective resistance associated with the discharge through the first and second electrodes . a second portion of the positive phase begins by connecting the first and second capacitors in series . this sudden series connection increases the defibrillation pulse to a second peak voltage of approximately 2 ( v 2 ) volts ( the sum of the voltages on each of the first and second capacitors at the time the series connection is made ), as illustrated in fig1 . the amplitude of the biphasic pulse decays during the second portion of the positive phase from the second peak voltage 2 ( v 2 ) to a voltage v 3 in accordance with a second time constant τ 2 . the second time constant τ 2 varies as a function of ( c a c b / c a c b ) ) r . advantageously , the voltage at the trailing edge of the positive phase , v 3 , occurs at a time that is near the maximum cell membrane response . the negative phase of the biphasic waveform begins by inverting the polarity of the series - connected first and second capacitors . such negative phase thus commences at a third peak voltage of approximately − v3 volts , and decays thereafter towards zero in accordance with the second time constant τ 2 . after a prescribed time period t 2 , the negative phase ends . the biphasic waveform produced in accordance with the two - capacitor icd is illustrated in fig1 . the first portion of the positive phase may terminate when either : ( 1 ) the voltage decreases below a threshold voltage v 3 ; or ( 2 ) a prescribed time period t a has elapsed . the tissue membrane voltage that results when the waveform of fig1 is applied to excitable cardiac tissue membranes is as shown in fig2 . this membrane voltage is obtained by modeling the tissue membranes as taught in the blair reference , previously cited . as shown in fig1 - 20 , the optimum duration for t a will be described in more detail . a functional block diagram of the pulse generation circuitry used to generate the biphasic waveform of the two - capacitor icd is shown in fig3 . as seen in fig3 a cardiac tissue - stimulating device 10 includes a power source 12 , e . g ., at least one battery , a timing and control circuit 14 , a charging circuit 16 , an isolation switch network sw 1 , a series parallel switch network sw 2 , at least two capacitors c a and c b , an output switch network sw 3 , and at least two electrodes 20 and 22 . the electrodes 20 and 22 are adapted to be positioned within or on the heart . the electrodes 20 and 22 are connected to the output switch sw 3 through conventional leads 21 and 23 , respectively . a voltage sense amplifier 24 senses the voltage held on the capacitor c b ( which will be the same voltage as capacitor c a when c a and c b are connected in parallel ). in some embodiments of the invention , a current sense amplifier 26 may also be used to sense the current flowing to or returning from one of the electrodes 20 or 22 . in fig3 such current is sensed by differentially measuring the voltage across a small current - sense resistor r s connected in series with electrode 22 . the outputs of the voltage sense amplifier 24 and the current sense amplifier 26 are directed to the timing and control circuit 14 . a suitable cardiac activity sensor 28 is also employed within the device 10 in order to detect cardiac activity . the function of the sensor 28 is to sense cardiac activity so that an assessment can be made by the timing and control circuitry whether a defibrillation pulse needs to be generated and delivered to the cardiac tissue . such sensor 28 may take many forms , e . g , a simple r - wave sense amplifier of the type commonly employed in implantable pacemakers . the details of the sensor 28 are not important for purposes of the present invention . the power source 12 is connected to provide operating power to all components and circuitry within the device 10 . the power source 12 also provides the energy needed to generate the biphasic defibrillation pulse . that is , energy stored within the power source 12 is used to charge capacitors c a and c b , through the charging circuit 18 , up to the desired initial defibrillation starting pulse voltage v 1 . such charging is carried out under control of the timing and control circuit 14 . typically , v 1 may be a relatively high voltage , e . g ., 350 volts , even though the power source 12 may only be able to provide a relatively low voltage , e . g ., 3 - 6 volts . the charging circuit 16 takes the relatively low voltage from the power source 12 and steps it up to the desired high voltage v 1 , using conventional voltage step - up techniques as are known in the art . this stepped - up voltage v 1 is then applied through the isolation switch sw 1 to both capacitors c a and c b at a time when c a and c b are connected in parallel , i . e ., when sw 2 is in its “ p ” position , and at a time when the output switch is in its open , or off , position . as the capacitors c a and c b are being charged , the voltage sense amplifier 24 monitors the voltage level on the capacitors . when the desired voltage v 1 has been reached , the timing and control circuitry 14 turns off the charging circuit 16 and opens the isolation switch sw 1 , thereby holding the voltage v 1 on capacitors c a and c b until such time as a defibrillation pulse is needed . when a defibrillation pulse is called for by the timing and control circuit 14 , the output switch sw 3 is placed in its positive phase position , pos , thereby connecting the parallel connected capacitors c a and c b ( on which the starting voltage v 1 resides ) to the cardiac tissue through the electrodes 20 and 22 . such connection starts the discharge of capacitors c a and c b through the cardiac tissue in accordance with the first time constant τ 1 as described above in connection in fig1 . after a period of time t a , or as soon as the voltage across the parallel - connected capacitors c a and c b has decreased to the threshold value v 2 ( as sensed by the voltage sense amplifier 24 ), the timing and control circuit switches sw 2 to its series - connected or “ s ” position , thereby connecting the capacitors c a and c b in series across the electrodes 20 and 22 . such series connection doubles the voltage across the electrodes 20 and 22 to a value of 2 ( v 2 ) thereafter , the discharge of the series - connected capacitors c a and c b continues through the cardiac tissue in accordance with the second time constant τ2 as described above . this discharge continues until the end of the positive phase . the positive or first phase ends at a time t 1 from the beginning of the positive phase ( as measured by timing circuits within the timing and control circuit 14 ), or when the voltage has decayed to a value v 3 ( as sensed by voltage sense amplifier 24 ). alternatively , the positive phase may end as a function of the sensed current ( as sensed by the current sense amplifier 26 ), e . g ., at a time when the sensed current has decreased from a peak value by a prescribed amount or percentage . as soon as the positive phase ends , the timing and control circuit 14 switches the output switch sw 3 to the negative phase position , neg , thereby reversing the polarity of the discharge of the series - connected capacitors c a and c b through the cardiac tissue . the negative phase lasts thereafter for a time period t 2 determined by the timing and control circuitry . the functions represented by the functional block diagram of fig3 may be implemented by those of skill in the art using a wide variety of circuit elements and components . it is not intended that the present invention be directed to a specific circuit , device or method ; but rather that any circuit , device or method which implements the functions described above in connection with fig3 to produce a defibrillation waveform of the general type shown in fig1 be covered by the invention . turning next to fig4 there is shown a simplified schematic diagram of an icd having three 120 μf capacitors c 1 , c 2 and c 3 . the manner of charging the capacitors while they are connected in parallel is the same or similar to that shown in fig3 . when the capacitors c 1 , c 2 and c 3 have been charged to a high voltage , e . g ., 370 v , a stored energy of approximately 25 joules is realized . once the capacitors have been charged by the icd , the capacitors are configured for a parallel discharge . this is accomplished by closing switches s 1 , s 2 , s 3 and s 4 , while maintaining switches s 5 and s 6 open . the parallel discharge takes place from time t = 0 until a time d 1 . once d 1 elapses , one of two options may be used to discharge the remaining charge . in accordance with a first option , or option 1 , after d 1 has elapsed ( i . e ., after the capacitors are discharged in parallel until time d 1 ), all of the capacitors are discharged in series for the remainder of the pulse . this is accomplished by opening s 1 , s 2 , s 3 and s 4 and closing s 5 and s 6 . at a later time , d 2 , the “ h bridge ” circuit 40 ( fig4 ) is used to reverse the polarity of the output . at yet a later time , d , the output pulse is truncated . the waveform generated in accordance with option 1 is illustrated in fig5 . the tissue membrane voltage associated with the waveform of fig5 is modeled and computed , using the blair model , as shown in fig6 . for the example shown in fig5 and 6 , the optimum value of d 1 is nominally about 3 . 5 ms . the optimum choice of d 2 is when the elapsed time at d 2 is about 1 . 5 times the elapsed time at d 1 , or when the elapsed time at d 2 ( from t = 0 ) is about 5 . 25 ms . in accordance with a second option , or option 2 , the capacitors c 1 and c 2 remain in parallel and are in series with c 3 until time d 2 . this is accomplished by opening s 3 and s 4 and closing s 6 . after d 2 all the capacitors are in series ( s 1 and s 2 also open , 55 closed ) until c 3 runs out of charge at a time d 4 . after d 4 , the diode d 1 bypasses the depleted capacitor and the time constant of discharge is of c 1 and c 2 in series . at a time d 3 , where d 2 & lt ; d 3 & lt ; d 4 , the polarity of the output is reversed using the h bridge 40 . the pulse is truncated at time d . the resulting waveform is shown in fig7 . the resulting membrane voltage is modeled and computed and shown in fig8 . for the example shown in fig7 and 8 , the optimum values of d , is 2 . 7 ms , d 2 is 1 . 5 times d 1 ( or about 4 ms ) , d 3 is d 2 + 1 . 25 ms . the value of d 4 is computed to be about 7 . 6 ms . the choice of d can be in the range of 1 . 5 to 2 . 0 times that of d 3 . with either option 1 or option 2 , the choice of the values d 1 , d 2 and d 3 are primarily functions of the icd &# 39 ; s capacitance value , the discharge pathway impedance , and the tissue time constant ( τ m ). the advantage of option 2 is that the peak waveform voltage is lower than option 1 yet a minute increase in membrane voltage over option 1 is achieved . however , option 1 is simpler to implement and diode d 1 is not needed since all the capacitors are discharged equally . the advantages of either option 1 or option 2 are better appreciated by comparing the results of such discharge , as presented in fig5 , 7 and 8 , with the corresponding discharge achieved with a two - capacitor icd series discharge , as is commonly used in a conventional icd of the prior art . the discharge waveform achieved with a conventional two - capacitor icd using series discharge , and the resulting membrane voltage , is shown in fig9 and 10 , respectively . note , that to store equal energy to the three capacitor icd , each capacitor of the two - capacitor icd must have 1 . 5 times the capacitance value , or two capacitors each with c = 180 μf . as can be seen from a comparison of fig9 and 10 with fig5 and 6 ( option 1 ), and 5 a and 5 b ( option 2 ), for equal stored energy , the value of the peak membrane voltage for option 2 is 1 . 18 times higher than the membrane voltage realized using the conventional waveform . similarly , option 1 yields a membrane voltage that is 1 . 17 times higher than is realized using the conventional waveform . in other words , a 25 joule icd with three 120μf capacitors and a switching network as in option 2 performs equally to a 34 . 4 joule conventional icd with two 180μf capacitors . this represents a remarkable improvement in performance . as shown in fig1 , the two - step waveform has been reproduced . although identical in nature to that shown in fig1 the designators have been changed slightly for purposes of the in depth analysis that will follow . as described above in conjunction with fig3 two capacitors , c a & amp ; c b , have been charged to the same initial voltage , v 01 . the system resistance ( as seen by device ) is given by r s . for purposes of this discussion , the myocardium has been modeled as a parallel - rc circuit with myocardial tissue time constant , τ m . the amplitude of each step of the positive portion of the defibrillation waveform , shown in fig1 , can be characterized with the following basic equations : v s1 ( t 1 )= v 01 · exp [− t 1 / τ s1 ] 0 ≦ t 1 ≦ d 1 v s2 ( t 2 )= v 02 · exp [− t 2 / τ 2 ] 0 ≦ t 2 ≦ d 2 v s1 is the exponential decay during the first period , t 1 , ( i . e ., step 1 ); v s2 is the exponential decay during the second period , t 2 , ( i . e ., step 2 ); τ s1 is the time constant of c a and c b in parallel ; τ s2 is the time constant of c a and c b in series ; v 01 is the initial voltage during step 1 on the capacitors c a and c b once fully charged to the source voltage , v 01 ; and v 02 is the initial voltage during step 2 remaining on the capacitors c a and c b now configured in series . the analysis that follows directly will explain how to determine the absolute and approximate solutions for the optimal durations , d 1 and d 2 , to maximize induced myocardial potential , v m ( t ), when the two capacitors are arranged in a parallel - series , two - step arrangement . consider the myocardial responses to v s1 ( t 1 ) [ step 1 ] and v s2 ( t 2 ) [ step 2 ] separately . note that the following derivations ( equations 1 - 4 ) make absolutely no assumptions regarding any specific relationships between the characteristics of step 1 and step 2 . the “ step 1 ” myocardial response , v m1 , to the step 1 waveform , v s1 , is described by :  v m1  ( t 1 )  t 1 + v m1  ( t 1 ) τ m ∝ v s1  ( t 1 ) τ m ( eq . 1 ) v m1  ( t 1 ) = { v 01 α 1 · ( exp  [ - t 1 τ s1 ] - exp  [ - t 1 τ m ] ) τ s1 ≠ τ m v 01 τ s1 · ( t 1 · exp  [ - t 1 τ s1 ] ) τ s1 = τ m   where   α 1 = 1 - ( τ m / τ s1 ) . ( eq . 2 ) the “ step 2 ” myocardial response , v m2 , to the step 2 waveform , v s2 , is governed by :  v m2  ( d 1 , t 2 )  t 2 + v m2  ( d 1 , t 2 ) τ m ∝ v s2  ( t 2 ) τ m ( eq . 3 ) with the initial condition : v m2 ( d 1 , 0 )= v m1 ( d 1 ), where d 1 represents the final duration of step 1 . this initial condition ensures that there is a continuity of myocardial voltage when transitioning from the end of step 1 into the start of step 2 . the solution to this differential equation is : v m2  ( d 1 , t 2 ) = v m1  ( d 1 ) · exp  [ - t 2 τ m ] + { v 02  ( d 1 ) α 2 · ( exp  [ - t 2 τ s2 ] - exp  [ - t 2 τ m ] ) τ s2 ≠ τ m v 02  ( d 1 ) τ s2 · ( t 1 · exp  [ - t 2 τ s2 ] ) τ s2 = τ m ( eq . 4 ) where α 2 = 1 −( τ m / τ s2 ), and v 02 is proportional to v s2 ( 0 ) equation ( 4 ) describes a curve with a single maximum value . the step durations , d 1 = d 1 opt and d 2 = d 2 opt , that maximize this shock - induced myocardial voltage , v m2 ( t 1 , t 2 ) can be determined by solving the simultaneous equations given by : ∂ v m2  ( d 1 opt , d 2 opt ) ∂ d 1 opt = 0   ∂ v m2  ( d 1 opt , d 2 opt ) ∂ d 2 opt = 0  ( eq . 5 ) from equation ( 5 ), two equations that describe d 2 opt as a function of d 1 opt can be found ( the following derivations assume τ s1 ≢ τ m and τ s2 ≢ τ m ): d 2 opt = τ m α 2 · ln   { 1 +  ( α 2 α 1 · v 01 ∂ v 02 / ∂ d 1 opt ) · ( 1 τ s1  exp  [ - d 1 opt τ s1 ] - 1 τ m  exp  [ - d 1 opt τ m ] ) } ( eq . 6 ) d 2 opt = τ m α 2 · ln   { t 2 τ m  [ 1 -  ( α 2 α 1 · v 01 v 02  ( d 1 opt ) ) · ( exp  [ - d 1 opt τ s1 ] - exp  [ - d 1 opt τ m ] ) ] } ( eq . 7 ) setting equations ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) equal to each other and simplifying produces the following implicit equation for d 1 opt : ( τ m τ s2 · α 1 v 01 ) = ( 1 / τ s1 ∂ v 02 / ∂ d 1 opt + τ s2 / τ m v 02  ( d 1 opt ) )  exp  [ - d 1 opt τ s1 ] - ( 1 / τ m ∂ v 02 / ∂ d 1 opt + τ s2 / τ m v 02  ( d 1 opt ) )  exp  [ - d 1 opt τ m ] ( eq . 8 ) further simplifications of equation ( 8 ) require that v 02 ( d 1 ) be explicitly defined . when the two system capacitors ( c a & amp ; c b ) are configured into a parallel arrangement during step 1 and then reconfigured into a series arrangement during step 2 , the system time constants can be explicitly defined as : τ s1 = r s ·( c a + c b ) τ s2 = r s ·( c a c b )/( c a + c b ) ( eq . 9 ) v 02 ( d 1 )= 2 · v s1 ( d 1 ) = 2 · v 01 · exp [− d 1 / τ s1 ] ( eq . 10 ) where equation ( 10 ) codifies the notion that , in a parallel - series arrangement , the leading edge voltage of step 2 equals twice the trailing edge voltage of step 1 . substituting equation ( 10 ) into equation ( 8 ) and solving explicitly for d 1 opt and subsequently d 2 opt [ via equation ( 6 ) or ( 7 )] yields : d 1 opt = - τ m α 1 · ln  { ( τ m τ s1 )   ( 2  α 1 - α 2 α 1 - α 2 ) } ( eq . 11 ) d 2 opt = + τ m α 1 · ln  { ( 1 2 )   ( 2  α 1 - α 2 α 1 - α 2 ) } ( eq . 12 ) the maximum myocardial voltage attained using these optimal parallel - series step durations can then be determined by substituting equations ( 10 )-( 12 ) into equation ( 4 ) and simplifying : v m2  ( d 1 opt , d 2 opt ) = v 01  ( 1 2 ) - 1 α 2  ( τ m τ s1 ) 1 α 1 - 1   ( 2  α 1 - α 2 α 1 - α 2 ) 1 α 1 - 1 α 2 ( eq . 13 ) note that equations ( 11 )-( 13 ) are valid for any independent values of c a and c b . according to this simple rc model of defibrillation , successful defibrillation is achieved when the myocardial voltage ( as embodied herein by v m1 and v m2 ) is “ depolarized ” to its threshold value , v th . an equation that describes the minimum relative magnitude for v 0 ( i . e ., the voltage to which each of the capacitors is charged in preparation for the defibrillation shock ) that successfully drives v m2 to v th can be obtained from equation ( 13 ) by setting v m2 = v th and solving for v 01 ( which , for these parallel - series shocks , is equivalent to v 0 ). since the total stored energy in capacitors c a and c b is given by : e stored = 1 2  ( c a + c b ) · v 0 2 ( eq . 14 ) then the optimal relationship between c a and c b that maximizes myocardial voltage for a given total stored energy can be found by substituting c a = k · c b into equation ( 14 ) and then solving for k in ∂ e stored /∂ k = 9 . the result is : the above result implies that c a should equal c b in order to achieve maximum myocardial impact for any given total energy . the relationship c a = c b is equivalent to τ s1 = 4 · τ s2 [ see equation ( 9 )], from which simplified versions of equations ( 1l )-( 13 ) can be derived : d 1 opt = τ m α 1 · ln  { ( 1 3 )  ( 1 + τ m 2  τ s2 ) } ( eq . 16 ) d 2 opt = + τ m α 2 · ln  { ( 1 3 )   ( 1 + 2  τ s2 τ m ) } ( eq . 17 ) v m2  ( d 1 opt , d 2 opt ) = 2  v 01  ( τ m 2  τ s2 ) 1 α 2 - 1  [ ( 1 3 )  ( 1 + τ m 2  τ s2 ) ] 1 α 1 - 1 α 2 ( eq . 18 ) finally , the optimal capacitance for a given r s and τ m is determined by finding the value of c a that minimizes e stored , that is , solving for c a in ∂ e stored /∂ c a = 0 ( with k = 1 ). the result is : c a = c b = τ m r s ( eq . 19 ) or equivalently , the optimal capacitance ( for a given r s and τ m ) is that which satisfies : 1 2  τ s1 = 2  τ s2 = τ m ( eq .  20 ) d 1 opt =+ 2τ m · 1 n [ 3 / 2 ] ≈ 0 . 811 · τ m ( eq . 21 ) d 2 opt =+ τ m · 1 n [ 3 / 2 ] ≈ 0 . 405 · τ m ( eq . 22 ) further insights into the preceding theoretical calculations can be gleaned from corresponding graphical analyses . the relative stored energy required for defibrillation ( e stored ) for all possible parallel - series two - step waveforms is graphically illustrated in the contour plot of fig1 . in this plot , the x - axis is indexed by the total capacitance ( c a + c b , scaled by τ m / r s ) while the y - axis is indexed by the ratio of the two capacitances ( k = c a / c b ). although perhaps seemingly non - intuitive axis definitions , they efficiently provide complete coverage of the entire parameter space of all possible capacitor combinations for two - step waveforms . as indicated by the horizontal line 100 and the vertical line 102 overlaid on this plot ( and as consistent with the conclusions of equations ( 15 ) and ( 19 )), the most efficient two - step positive portion for the biphasic shock is delivered when : the contours then step out from this optimal point in 1 % increments , thus providing an indication as to the relative sensitivity of the energy efficiency to deviations in either total capacitance or capacitance ratio . in fact , energy efficiency remains quite robust : for example , energy efficiency remains within 1 % of optimal for : ˜ 1 . 5 · τ m / r s & lt ;( c a + c b )& lt ;˜ 2 . 7 · τ m / r s ; and two - dimensional contour plots of optimal step 1 and step 2 durations ( normalized by τ m , i . e ., d 1 opt / τ m and d 2 opt / τ m ) as given by equations ( 11 ) and ( 12 ) are presented in fig1 and 14 , respectively . similar to fig1 , fig1 and 14 have respective horizontal lines 110 , 120 and vertical lines 112 , 122 from have been overlaid on these contour maps as well . their respective intersections 114 , 124 appropriately correspond to the “ 0 . 811 ” and “ 0 . 405 ” coefficients found in equations ( 21 ) and ( 22 ), respectively . since r s and τ m represent patient - specific variables that directly impact the choice of durations used for these stepped waveforms , it is perhaps useful to present example values for d 1 opt and d 2 opt for a representative range of values for r s ( 30 - 90 ω ), τ m ( 2 - 4 ms ), and c a ( 30 - 90 μf ). the tables shown in fig1 - 17 provide such a set of example values , wherein values for d 1 opt and d 2 opt are computed from equations ( 16 ) and ( 17 ), respectively . given the limits of the ranges used for r s , τ m , and c a in the tables shown in fig1 - 17 , d 1 opt and d 2 opt range from lows of 1 . 286 and 0 . 422 ms ( when τ m = 2 ms , c a = 30 μf , and r s = 30 ω ) to highs of 3 . 704 and 2 . 689 ms ( when τ m = 4 ms , c a = 90 μf , and r s = 90 ω ), respectively . of course , d 1 opt and / or d 2 opt could move outside of these ranges if any one or more of r s , τ m , and c a exceed the limits used for these tables . in those cases , equations ( 16 ) and ( 17 ) could be used to compute exactly the optimal step durations for any combination of r s , τ m and c a . in another embodiment , the device could also determine d 1 opt and d 2 opt based on measured values for r s , and / or a programmed value for τ m based on a particular value for c a and c b . by way of example , if the capacitance value for c a and c b is set to 60 μf , so that equation 19 is satisfied for a tissue resistance , r s equal to nominally 50 ohms and a tissue time constant , τ m , then for a range for τ m , of 2 ms to 4 ms , and a range for r s of 30 - 90 ohms , then : ( c a + c b )* r s / τ m = 0 . 9 to further assist with interpreting the results embodied in fig1 and 14 and the table shown in fig1 - 17 , fig1 graphs a subset of those data as simple functions of r s and τ m . in particular , fig1 presents a pair of graphs : the left and right halves plot d 1 opt and d 2 opt , respectively , as functions of r s for three representative values of τ m ( 2 , 3 , and 4 ms ). for these graphs , c a = c b = 60 μf ( thus k = 1 . 0 ). consistent with the data in the tables shown in fig1 - 17 both d 1 opt and d 2 opt increase in value with increasing r s or τ m . moreover , this figure helps illustrate how d 1 opt appears significantly more sensitive to relative changes in τ m than in r s , while d 2 opt appears to have the opposite sensitivity . while fig1 - 17 provide a comprehensive overview of all possible parallel - series two - step waveforms , it is also useful to consider some specific examples that can aid in illustrating the relative improvements gained by using such a parallel - series two - step capacitor arrangement over the traditional one - step arrangement . [ 0118 ] fig1 graphically compares the positive portion of the biphasic shock waveform shapes ( v s , top two waveforms , 150 and 160 ) and associated tissue responses ( v m , bottom two waveforms , 152 and 162 ) for one - step , 150 , and parallel - series two - step , 160 , shocks having equal stored energies and leading - edge voltages . τ m = 3 ms , r s = 50 ω , c a = c b = 60 μf the one - step shock is generated by essentially keeping c a and c b in a parallel arrangement for its entire shock duration , for a constant effective capacitance of 120 μf . as is evident from the tissue responses ( i . e ., comparing the one - step response 152 to the two - step response 162 ), two - step the myocardial voltage ( 162 ) reaches a higher higher final cell membrane potential (+ 18 . 6 %) in a shorter total duration ( 3 . 65 vs . 4 . 16 ms 12 . 3 %) as compared to the final cell membrane potential ( 152 ) using the one - step shock . a consequence of this improved tissue response is that this two - step waveform requires a lower effective leading - edge voltage ( and hence a lower stored energy ) to achieve the same defibrillation efficacy as its equivalent one - step waveform . [ 0123 ] fig2 illustrates this scenario by resealing the results presented in fig1 such that the strength of each shock is sufficient to produce tissue responses of equal amplitudes . consistent with the results presented in fig1 , this two - step positive portion of the biphasic shock waveform 164 theoretically requires a 15 . 6 % lower leading - edge voltage than its one - step counterpart 154 , which translates into a 28 . 8 % reduction in required stored energy , and a potentially lower pain waveform for the patient since the leading edge of the shocking pulse is reduced . [ 0124 ] fig2 and 22 illustrate analogous results to those depicted in fig2 , but for relatively extreme combinations of r s and c a . in fig2 , r s = 30 ω and c a = c b = 30 μf , while in fig2 , r s = 90 ω and c a = c b = 90 μf . as is evident in fig2 and 22 , the shape of the optimal parallel - series two - step waveform depends strongly on the magnitudes of r s and c a . furthermore , the relative improvement in energy efficiency also strongly depends on these values . for example , in fig2 , the two - step waveform 166 induced an equivalent final tissue response as its one - step waveform 156 , but with an 8 . 8 % shorter duration ( 2 . 1 vs . 2 . 3 ms ), a 6 . 5 % lower leading - edge voltage , and a 12 . 6 % reduction in required stored energy . in fig2 , the relative improvements were a 14 . 3 % shorter duration ( 5 . 3 vs . 6 . 3 ms ), a 25 . 9 % lower leading - edge voltage , and a 45 . 0 % reduction in required stored energy . thus , these comparisons suggest that there would be especially great incentive for utilizing two - step waveforms instead of traditional one - step waveforms when the magnitudes of r s and c a are large , while the incentive is relatively minimal when the magnitudes of r s and c a are small . unfortunately , because of the inherent limitations of this theoretical model , it is not possible to directly compare amplitude - based results ( e . g ., leading - edge voltage , required stored energy ) derived for differing r s or τ m . for this reason , the results of fig2 - 22 are all self - normalized ( that is , there is no relationship between the amplitudes in these graphs ). finally , while equations ( 16 ) and ( 17 ) provide exact formulas for determining d 1 opt and d 2 opt when k = 1 ( i . e . , c a = c b ) , it is sometimes helpful and / or practical to also identify various approximations to such solutions . consider the following infinite series expansion of the natural logarithm : ln  [ x ] = 2 · [ ( x - 1 x + 1 ) + 1 3 · ( x - 1 x + 1 ) 3 + 1 5 · ( x - 1 x + 1 ) 5 + …  ] ( 23 ) utilizing just the first term of this expansion , equations ( 16 ) and ( 17 ) can be simplified to : d 1 opt ≈ 2  τ m 3 - α 1 = 2  τ s1 · τ m 2  τ s1 + τ m ⇒ 1 d 1 opt ≈ 1 2  τ s1 + 1 τ m = 1 4  r s  c a + 1 τ m ( 24 ) d 2 opt ≈ 2  τ m 3 - 2  α 2 = τ s2 · 2  τ m τ s2 + 2  τ m ⇒ 1 d 2 opt ≈ 1 τ s2 + 1 2  τ m = 1 2 · ( 4 r s   c a + 1 τ m ) ( 25 ) in words , these relationships suggest that the optimal step durations can be well approximated by computing variously weighted parallel combinations of system and myocardial time constants . and despite using only one term of equation ( 23 ), these approximations are relatively quite accurate over a broad range of τ s1 / τ m and τ s2 / τ m ratios ( only their ratios , not their absolute values , impact their accuracy ). for example , the relative error for d 1 opt is less than 5 % for 0 . 4 & lt ; τ s1 / τ m & lt ; 5 , while the relative error for d 2 opt is less than 5 % for 0 . 2 & lt ; τ s2 / τ m & lt ; 3 . when equation ( 20 ) is also satisfied ( that is , when system and myocardial time constants are ideally matched ), these relative errors are each only 1 . 35 %. in all cases , these approximation calculations underestimate the true values by these respective relative errors . while the invention 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 .	0
the major hardware components of the vliw architecture according to the present invention are the same as shown in fig2 . the configuration of cpu 101 , however , differs . these differences are illustrated in fig4 . specifically , fig4 illustrates the alu input connection in a vliw architecture according to the present invention which provides for functionally expanding an instruction parcel . in fig4 like reference numerals have been used to designate like components . fig4 illustrates two parcels of a vliw . a parcel 400 represents an instruction parcel , while a parcel 402 represents an eiu parcel . as discussed above in the summary of the invention section , the eiu parcel 402 need not be adjacent to the instruction parcel 400 on the right side , but can instead be adjacent to the instruction parcel 400 on the left as well . accordingly , the connections to eiu parcel 402 illustrated in fig4 are also present for the parcel adjacent to instruction parcel 400 on the left . these connections for the left adjacent parcel , however , have not been illustrated for the sake of clarity . also , since the connections between each alu , the parcel corresponding thereto , the parcels adjacent to the corresponding parcel , the gprs 204 , and the condition registers 208 are the same , fig4 only illustrates the connections of one alu for the sake of clarity . additionally , it should be understood that the various data paths within cpu 101 have been represented in fig4 in greatly simplified form for clarity . in reality , many separate data paths into and out of the various components are required to support simultaneous data flow to and from multiple alus , registers , cache locations , etc . additionally , many data and control lines have been omitted entirely from fig4 for clarity . the instruction parcel 400 and the eiu parcel 402 are positioned adjacent to one another to minimize propagation delays . if the eiu parcel 402 were disposed in a parcel further from the instruction parcel 400 , more time would be required for the eiu information to travel to the components ( e . g ., alu , etc .) processing the instruction parcel 400 . such propagation delay can become so significant that it takes more than one clock cycle to process a vliw including an instruction parcel and associated eiu parcel . by , preferably , placing the eiu parcel 402 adjacent to the associated instruction parcel 400 , these propagation delays can be minimized . furthermore , the instruction register 200 and corresponding vliw architecture of the preferred embodiment is organized to achieve parcel affinity such as described above . additionally , in a preferred embodiment , the vliw architecture of the present invention is based on a risc instruction set . of course , the above merely sets forth the preferred embodiment , and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention if the vliw architect were willing to accept the resulting propagation delays and problems associated therewith . in fig4 four 3 - to - 8 decoders 302 , 304 , 316 , and 318 are connected to the instruction parcel 400 . the 3 - to - 8 decoders 302 and 304 form part of a first selector logic 309 , and the 3 - to - 8 decoders 316 and 318 form part of a second selector logic 414 . the first selector logic 309 serves to decode the source register field ra , while the second selector logic 414 serves to decode a second register field rb ( not shown ) when included in a parcel . each of the first and second selector logic 309 and 414 has additional capabilities as discussed below . the two 3 - to - 8 decoders 302 and 304 supply decoded output to the 8 - way selector 306 and a 8 - way selector 308 also forming part of the first selector logic 309 . the 8 - way selector 306 is connected to the gprs 204 , and the 8 - way selector 308 is connected to the gprs 204 via the 8 - way selector 306 . the output of the 8 - way selector 308 is connected to both source inputs 310 and 312 of the alu . similarly , the two 3 - to - 8 decoders 316 and 318 supply decoded output to the 8 - way selector 320 and a 9 - way selector 410 also forming part of the second selector logic 414 . the 8 - way selector 320 is connected to gprs 204 , and the 9 - way selector 410 is connected to gprs 204 via the 8 - way selector 320 . the output of the 9 - way selector 410 is connected to both source inputs 310 and 312 of the alu . the 9 - way selector 410 receives data from the eiu parcel 402 . similar connections exist between the 9 - way selector 410 and an eiu parcel which may be disposed to the left of the instruction parcel 400 , but these connections have not been shown for the sake of clarity . the 9 - way selector 410 also receives a selection input from a special case selector 408 . as shown in fig4 the special case selector 408 is connected to the i - cache 103 via a special bits decoder 406 . the special case selector 408 outputs selection signals based on special bits set in the i - cache 103 by combinatorial logic 418 included therein . the special case selector 408 also sends output to a condition register selector 416 . the condition code values output by the alu are sent to the condition register selector 416 . the condition register selector 416 selects one of the condition registers 208 in which to store the condition code values . as discussed above , this selection is performed according to a positional default unless the parcel includes a crs field . accordingly , the condition register selector 416 is also connected to the instruction parcel 400 and the eiu parcel 402 to receive the contents of a crs field should one be present . the operation of the present invention illustrated in fig4 will now be described . those elements previously described with respect to fig3 however , will not be described in detail to eliminate repetitiveness . the instruction parcel 400 includes the same fields discussed with respect to parcel 300 . accordingly , a description of those fields will not be repeated . the eiu parcel 402 illustrated in fig4 includes a first field of 6 bits specifying the operation code op for the eiu parcel 402 , the next 18 bits are the immediate field si , the next field l indicates whether the eiu parcel 402 is a left or right eiu parcel , the next field of 4 bits is the crs field , and the last field of 3 bits is an operation code extension . the operation code op and , if present , the operation code extension indicate the operation to be performed using the eiu parcel 402 . for instance , the operation code op indicates that the eiu parcel 402 is an eiu parcel , and the format of the eiu parcel . accordingly , the operation code op can also identify whether a crs field is present in the eiu parcel 402 . it should be understood , however , that the eiu parcel 402 represents but one example of the many possible eiu parcel formats which one skilled in the art could readily construct in light of this disclosure . during cache reload , the combinatorial logic 418 in the i - cache 103 detects special case vliws , and sets special case bits within the l1 and / or l0 cache of the i - cache 103 associated with a vliw to identify the detected special cases . the special cases include eiu left , eiu right , 16 bit immediate field , d - field , and crs field . this list of special cases is by no means exhaustive , and can be expanded or reduced based on the design preferences of the computer architect . the special case bits associated with the vliw indicate whether one or more of these special cases exist . the special case eiu left indicates that the instruction parcel has an eiu parcel associated therewith , and that this eiu parcel is adjacent to the left of the instruction parcel . similarly , the eiu right special case indicates that the instruction parcel has an eiu parcel associated therewith , and that the eiu parcel is adjacent to the right of the instruction parcel . the 16 bit immediate field special case indicates that as opposed to having only 14 bits in the immediate field , the instruction parcel has a 16 bit immediate field . the d - field special case indicates an extended displacement field on a memory reference instruction , and that this extended field is located in the eiu parcel . the crs special case indicates that the eiu parcel includes a crs field . during cache reload , combinatorial logic 418 forming part of the control logic of the i - cache 103 decodes the operation codes op for each parcel of each vliw . from the decoded operation codes op , the combinatorial logic can determine whether a parcel is an eiu parcel or includes a 16 bit immediate field , a d - field , or crs field since this information , as discussed above , is specified in the operation codes op . when a parcel is identified as an eiu parcel , the l field of the eiu parcel is used to determine whether the eiu parcel is an eiu left or eiu right . based on the decoding operation , the combinatorial logic sets special bits in the i - cache 103 associated with each vliw to indicate the special cases detected and for which parcels . since the instruction set , and thus operation codes op , used for a given architecture are freely specified by the computer architect , a specific example of the combinatorial logic 418 will not be discussed . furthermore , the use of combinatorial logic 418 to decode instructions ( i . e ., operation codes ) to test for operations specified therein is well - known and routine in the art of computer architecture . accordingly , based on the instruction set chosen , the combinatorial logic 418 required to detect the special cases discussed above would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art . during operation , the decoder 406 decodes the special case bits associated with each vliw in the i - cache 103 , and supplies the decoded output to a special case selector 408 . when the decoded output from decoder 406 indicates that no eiu parcel is present , the special case selector 408 sends a disabling output to the 9 - way selector 410 . when , however , the decoded output of the decoder 406 indicates that an eiu parcel is associated with the instruction parcel 400 , the special case selector 408 enables the 9 - way selector 410 . as discussed with respect to prior art fig3 the upper 3 bits of a second source register field rb are decoded by a 3 - to - 8 decoder 316 . this decoded output is used by an 8 - way selector 320 to select one of the eight groups of 64 - bit gprs 204 . when disabled , the 9 - way selector 410 operates as an 8 - way selector , and selects one of the 64 - bit gprs in the group of gprs selected by the 8 - way selector 320 based on the output of 3 - to - 8 decoder 318 . in this manner , when the 9 - way selector is disabled , the architecture of fig4 operates in the same manner as that discussed above with respect to fig3 . if , however , the special case selector 408 enables the 9 - way selector 410 , the 9 - way selector 410 will select the immediate field si of the eiu parcel 402 ( or left adjacent eiu parcel if a left adjacent eiu parcel is provided instead of right adjacent eiu parcel 402 ). the 9 - way selector 410 will then output the immediate field si of the eiu parcel to the same alu input 310 or 312 to which the immediate field ui of the instruction parcel 400 is sent . for instance , suppose that the immediate field ui of the instruction parcel is sent to alu input 310 , then the immediate field si of the eiu parcel 402 will be sent to the same alu input 310 such that the immediate field si and the immediate field ui are concatenated . when concatenated , the immediate field si of the eiu parcel 402 forms the most significant bits of the resulting 32 bit data word . meanwhile , the 3 - to - 8 selectors 302 and 304 decode the source register field ra , and the 8 - way selectors 306 and 308 send the contents of the gpr in the gprs 204 designated by the source register field ra to , for example , the other alu input 312 . the alu then performs the operation specified by the op code op in the instruction parcel 400 . the alu outputs the result of the operation to a gpr in the gprs 204 designated by the destination register field rt , and sends the condition code value to the condition register selector 416 . as with fig3 the architecture of fig4 includes selector logic ( not shown ) similar to selector logic 309 which supplies the output of the alu to the gpr designated by the destination register field rt . if the decoded output of the decoder 406 indicates that the eiu parcel 402 includes a crs field , then the special case selector 408 enables the condition register selector 416 to store the condition code value output by the alu in the condition register of condition registers 208 specified by the crs field in eiu parcel 402 . by utilizing the eiu parcel 402 , a greater level of optimization can be achieved since larger numbers may be represented in the vliw than previously permissible . accordingly , operations using large numbers can be performed in a single clock cycle . additionally , use of the eiu parcel 402 provides for greater optimization through the provision of condition register selection . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that instruction parcel 400 is but one example of many possible parcel formats , and that instruction parcel 400 and eiu parcel 402 represent only two examples of many possible functional expansions using an eiu parcel . furthermore , as one skilled in the art will readily appreciate , a controller ( not shown ) determines which of the alu source inputs 310 and 312 receives the output of the 9 - way selector 410 and the immediate field of the instruction parcel 400 . besides the functional expansion capabilities discussed above , the architecture of fig4 can perform the same operations as the architecture of fig3 . accordingly , the present invention achieves the above - described functional expansion without increasing the size of the vliw , and without significantly increasing the complexity of the resulting architecture . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments , but on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	6
reference is now made to fig1 which is a simplified pictorial illustration of a modem pool arrangement useful in understanding the present invention . a modem pool , generally referenced 100 , and comprising a plurality of individual modems is seen in communication with a modem pool , generally referenced 102 , via a plurality of connections 104 over a telephone network 106 . connections 104 are typically copper wire pairs arranged in one or more bundles 108 . the modem pools preferably operate in a coordinated manner using conventional techniques , such as is described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 510 , 550 filed feb . 22 , 2000 , and entitled “ high speed access system over copper cable plant .” the interference on each connection 104 , the attenuation coefficients of the crosstalk between connections 104 , the attenuation of each connection 104 from end to end , as well as the bit error rate ( ber ) of each connection 104 may be measured using conventional techniques , and any of this information may be communicated to any of the modems shown , including via connections other than connections 104 , such as via a back channel 116 . the addition of a new modem pair 110 , 112 communicating via a connection 114 in bundle 108 will typically introduce crosstalk interference to the connections 104 , degrading the signals sent and received by modems 100 and 102 . reference is now made to fig2 which is a simplified pictorial illustration of elements of a modem pool arrangement useful in understanding the present invention . in fig2 , two modems a 1 and a 2 of one side of a modem pool are shown . as in fig1 , modems a 1 and a 2 communicate via separate channels l 1 and l 2 , respectively , of a shared communications medium ( not shown ), such as a telephone wire bundle , and , as such , have a crosstalk effect on each other . the crosstalk effect that modem a 1 has on channel l 2 and , as a result , on transmissions received by modem a 2 , is shown as h 1 , 2 , while the crosstalk effect that modem a 2 has on channel l 1 and modem a 1 , is shown as h 2 , 1 . h 1 , 2 and h 2 , 1 are typically expressed as linear transfer functions . according to the reciprocity principle , h 1 , 2 and h 2 , 1 are symmetrical , and thus h 1 , 2 may be derived from h 2 , 1 , and vice versa . a crosstalk canceller c 2 , 1 typically being an adaptive filter , is shown , which models the crosstalk of h 2 , 1 using conventional techniques and communicates this information to modem a 1 . modem a 1 may then use this information to compensate for the crosstalk it experiences from modem a 2 using conventional techniques . similarly , a crosstalk canceller c 1 , 2 is shown , which models the crosstalk of h 1 , 2 communicates this information to modem a 2 which compensates for the crosstalk it experiences from modem a 1 . reference is now made to fig3 which is a simplified pictorial illustration of a modem pool arrangement with hitless modem expansion , constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . in the present invention , when a modem a n is added to a modem pool , and either before modem a n begins to transmit a signal at all or before modem a n begins to transmit a signal sufficiently strong enough to degrade the performance of any of the modems in the modem pool in accordance with a predefined measure , a modem a 1 in the modem pool learns the crosstalk c n , 1 that modem a n will cause to signals received by modem a 1 once a n begins transmitting normally . to accomplish this , in fig3 a signal transmitted by modem a 1 is sampled within modem a 1 by a crosstalk canceller c 1 , n . a transformator tx 1 then preferably performs a transformation upon the signal , such as by applying conventional transmission filters , and the signal is transmitted on channel l 1 , being the ordinary path of the transmission signal . the crosstalk caused by modem a 1 to channel l n of modem a n is received by the receiver of a n , which may perform a transformation rx n on the crosstalk received . crosstalk canceller c 1 , n then models the concatenation of the coupling of tx n , h 1 , n and rx n . due to the reciprocal nature of crosstalk between modems in a modem pool , the crosstalk information learned by c 1 , n may be used to generate a crosstalk canceller c n , 1 this is preferably accomplished by multiplying c 1 , n by the ratio ( tx n * rx 1 )/( tx 1 * rx n ). c n , 1 may then be used to eliminate crosstalk that modem a n will cause to signals received by modem a 1 once a n begins transmitting a signal at full power or at a power level sufficient to cause crosstalk interference to modem a 1 in accordance with a predefined measure by modeling the concatenation of the coupling of tx n , h n , 1 and rx 1 . in this manner , a different crosstalk canceller c n , x may learn the crosstalk caused by each modem a x in the modem pool to modem a n and provide the information to a crosstalk canceller c x , n for reciprocal cancellation of crosstalk caused by modem a n to modem a x . reference is now made to fig4 , which is a simplified pictorial illustration of a modem pool arrangement with hitless modem expansion including adjustment for different transmission characteristics , constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . it is appreciated that the transmission mechanism tx 1 could differ from that of tx n , and / or the reception mechanism rx 1 could differ from that of rx n , having , for example , different gain or phase . nevertheless , the linear part of the transfer functions h 1 , n and h n , 1 are expected to be identical . differences between rx 1 and rx n may occur for several reasons . for example , rx 1 might introduce a different delay into its received signal than might rx n . to compensate for the different delays , an adjustment element adj may adjust the delay in the signal received at canceller c n , 1 using conventional techniques . the difference in delays may be measured for any two modems in the modem pool at any time . where the modems are from different vendors and / or employ different technologies ( e . g ., shdsl vs . adsl ), the receivers and transmitters of the modems may include filters which are substantially different from one another . differences in both gain and delay may also be compensated for by adjustment element adj , such as where c 1 , n is a discretization of a continuous time filter c 1 ( t ), and c n , 1 is a discretization of a continuous time filter c 2 ( t ), which are related by the equation : c 1 ( t )= g * c 2 ( t + d ), where g and d are gain and delay factors respectively . to compensate , g and d may be estimated in advance , allowing c n , 1 to be computed from g , and d , and c 1 , n , using any conventional interpolation methods . in another example of compensating for the effect of different transmission and reception mechanisms ( e . g ., tx 1 and rx n ), the combinations of crosstalk cancellation filters c i , j for each combination of tx i and rx j may be determined prior to activation of the modem pool . as the ratio of the transfer function of any two filters c i , j / c j , i reflects the difference between the two tx mechanisms and the two rx mechanisms , this ratio may be expected to be the same for the crosstalk coupling measured prior to activation of the modem pool and the crosstalk coupling at steady state . thus , the ratio c i , j / c j , i measured prior to activation can be used by adjustment element adj at steady state to compute c j , i from c i , j multiplying c i , j by c j , i / c i , j . in another method , the transfer functions of rx and tx are measured separately for each tx device and each rx device directly using a network analyzer . these functions may then be used by adjustment element adj to compute c j , i from c i , j by multiplying c i , j by the ratio ( tx j * rx i )/( tx i * rx j ). it is appreciated that one or more of the steps of any of the methods described herein may be omitted or carried out in a different order than that shown , without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . while the methods and apparatus disclosed herein may or may not have been described with reference to specific computer hardware or software , it is appreciated that the methods and apparatus described herein may be readily implemented in computer hardware or software using conventional techniques . while the present invention has been described with reference to one or more specific embodiments , the description is intended to be illustrative of the invention as a whole and is not to be construed as limiting the invention to the embodiments shown . it is appreciated that various modifications may occur to those skilled in the art that , while not specifically shown herein , are nevertheless within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	7
the present invention provides cargo loading for a short body length airplane configuration , such as that shown in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . ( pending ), attorney docket number boei - 1 - 1016 , filed oct . 2 , 2001 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . as shown in fig1 a short body low wing airplane 26 includes forward passenger cabin doors 30 and aft passenger cabin doors 32 . the passenger cabin doors are suitably hinged to open either sideways or upwards , or mounted on a translating mechanism to swing outside the fuselage and then translate laterally , in order to avoid a cargo door interfering with the passenger cabin doors 30 , 32 , cargo doors 36 , 38 are located below the passenger cabin doors 30 , 32 and are shown in more detail in fig2 - 4 below . fig2 shows a cargo door 42 in the closed position . in the closed position a latch 46 at one end of the door 42 secures the door 42 shut . the end of the cargo door 42 opposite the end that includes the latch 46 is a hinge 44 . the hinge 44 is located lower on the airplane fuselage than the latch 46 location , thereby allowing the door 42 to swing open down and away from the airplane &# 39 ; s centerline , as shown in fig3 . fig3 shows the cargo door 42 open , in a configuration suitable for loading and unloading a cargo container 50 into or from a cargo compartment 40 by translating it laterally into or out of the airplane &# 39 ; s cargo compartment . by way of non - limiting example , the cargo container 50 is shown as an ld3 - 46 container . however , it will be appreciated that other types of cargo containers may be used as desired . fig4 shows an enlargement of fig3 and illustrates powered or unpowered rollers 56 to move the container 50 into or out of the cargo compartment 40 from or to a conventional cargo loader vehicle ( not shown ). a deployable bumper element 54 is shown deployed at the latch end of the door 42 . the bumper element 54 softens the impact of contact when a cargo loader vehicle first mates with the cargo door 42 of the aircraft 26 . a sensor device ( not shown ) connected at the end of the door 42 adjacent to the bumper element 54 detects any contact forces . a warning device , such as an audible alarm ( not shown ), warns flight and maintenance crews if any contact with the door 42 is excessive and may endanger the structural integrity of the cargo door 42 or the airplane 26 . the door 42 is supported by locking bars 52 . the locking bars 52 support and maintain the cargo door 42 in a desired , substantially horizontal open configuration for loading or unloading operations . not shown are suitable structural reinforcements for maintaining fuselage structural strength , with the main cabin door 30 or 32 and the cargo door 36 or 38 being one on top of the other . fig5 shows a top view of a typical ground service equipment ( gse ) laid out around the representative low - wing airplane 26 of fig1 equipped with the above - described bottom hinged cargo doors 42 for loading and unloading cargo into and from the forward and aft lower deck cargo compartments . even for this very short body airplane , it is possible to simultaneously load containerized cargo into a forward lower deck containerized cargo compartment 40 , and an aft lower deck containerized cargo compartment 58 , load bulk cargo into an aft bulk cargo compartment 60 , load passengers through the main deck forward left cabin door 30 , and provide galley and cleaning service through the main deck aft left cabin door 32 . if it is undesirable to service a forward galley by moving carts through the cabin from the illustrated galley truck 74 location , alternately a galley truck 74 could be sequenced into the forward right main deck cabin door 62 either before or after cargo service has been provided to the forward cargo compartment 40 . while the cargo end door configuration of the present invention have been described with reference to the airplane 26 , it will be appreciated that the above described cargo and door configurations can also be applied to other fuselage cross - sections and airplane configurations , within the spirit and scope of the invention . fig6 - 8 illustrates an alternate embodiment for cargo loading in a high - wing airplane 80 or a low - wing airplane 26 as shown in fig1 . as shown in fig7 a cargo door 90 is located on the belly of the airplane 80 and is shown in the closed position . in the closed position latches ( not shown ) secure the door 90 to the fuselage . fig8 shows the cargo door 90 open with a container 94 resting thereon . the translating cargo door 90 lowers a container supported by the door 90 . the cargo compartment 92 and the door 90 include powered or unpowered rollers ( not shown ). once the door 90 is open , the container 94 is translated laterally over the rollers onto a container dolly or a low - sill - height cargo loader vehicle ( not shown ). fig9 and 10 illustrate another innovative approach to enabling cargo loading for a short body length airplane . this alternate approach applies preferably to a high - wing airplane configuration , such as the airplane 80 . a lower deck bulk cargo compartment 120 includes a conveyor belt floor surface 121 for supporting cargo . the conveyor belt floor surface 121 includes an aft portion supported by a ventral cargo door 122 , which is shown in closed and open configurations respectively in fig9 and 10 . use of the conveyor belt floor surface 121 enables automated loading and unloading thus reducing or eliminating risk of back injuries to cargo loading personnel . this concept can also apply to airplane configurations with a small cargo compartment height . while certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described , as noted above , many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment . instead , the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow .	1
a smart circuit interrupter 10 is shown in fig1 and consists of an insulative case 11 to which an insulative cover 12 is securely fastened . as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 754 , 247 , an accessory cover 13 is attached to the circuit breaker cover and provides access to the circuit breaker accessories by means of a pair of accessory doors 13a , 13b . the circuit interrupter includes an operating mechanism as further described within the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 754 , 247 for interrupting circuit current upon the occurrence of an overcurrent condition and further includes an operating handle 14 for turning the circuit breaker between its on and off conditions . electrical connection is made with the associated electrical equipment by means of load lug connectors 15 arranged at the load end . as described in aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 870 , 531 , an electronic trip unit 16 which includes an external display 17 and keypad 18 is arranged on top of the electronic trip unit in modular assembly . the keys 19 allow an operator to access the memory elements contained within the trip unit for displaying the trip points as well as the circuit current and circuit voltage parameters . the rating plug 20 allows a single circuit interrupter size to be used over a wide range of circuit interrupter ampere ratings . the electronic trip circuit 9 within the electronic trip unit 16 is shown in fig2 connected with the electrical power distribution cables 37 by means of current transformers 33 which provide input data to a signal conditioner circuit 32 over conductors 31 . the circuit interrupter contacts 35 are electrically arranged within the electric distribution cables and are operably coupled as indicated at 36 with the circuit interrupter trip actuator unit 34 . the input data from the signal conditioner circuit is connected with the microprocessor 26 by means of conductor 27 and with the rom 45 , nvm 46 and ram 47 memory elements by means of an 8 - bit databus 28 . the microprocessor connects with the memory elements by means of the 12 - bit databus 30 and connects with the 8 - bit databus over a separate conductor 29 as indicated . the display unit 17 interconnects with the interface circuit 21 by means of the multi - conductor cable 22 and interfaces with the microprocessor 26 over a similar multi - conductor cable 23 . the interface circuit operates in the manner described within the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 991 , 042 and connects with a voltage source over conductor 24 . voltage signal input is provided to the microprocessor 26 through the switches 25 contained within the keypad unit 18 over the multi - conductor cable 48 . in accordance with the teachings of the invention , an rfi and emi filter 40 ( hereafter &# 34 ; filter &# 34 ;) is arranged around the microprocessor 26 , the rom 45 , and nvm 46 and ram 47 memory elements to shield the sensitive memory elements and the microprocessor from extraneous rfi and emi signals . the filter 40 is selectively positioned under the electronic trip unit 16 in the manner best seen by referring now to the circuit interrupter 10 depicted in fig3 . prior to arranging the electronic trip unit 16 within the recess 39 ( formed within the circuit interrupter cover 12 ), the filter 40 is first inserted within the recess . as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 884 , 048 , transformer pin connectors 49 extend up through the bottom of the recess 39 and a rectangular slot 50 is formed therein for providing electrical connection with electrical components contained within the circuit interrupter cover . the bottom 43 of the rfi filter 40 accordingly contains openings 43a to receive the transformer pin connectors within the circuit board 38 . to effectively shield the sensitive electronic components contained within the printed circuit board 38 , and without interfering with the visual access to the display 17 or digital access to the keypad 18 , the rfi filter has the rectangular box - like configuration having opposing sidewalls 42a and endwalls 42b extending up from the bottom 43 . electrical conductivity is provided on the outside surface of the sidewalls and endwalls and on the outside bottom surface by the provision of a coating 44 that includes metal pigments such as silver , copper , nickel or aluminum . one example of an effective metallic coating is in the form of type 4900 silver conductive coating supplied from chomerics corporation . the shield is vacuum - formed from a thermoplastic material in an off - line operation and the metallic coating 44 is applied to the exterior surface of the sidewalls , endwalls and bottom . all openings are punch - formed after the coating 44 has been applied to ensure that no metal coating contacts the inside bottom 43 of the rfi and emi filter or resides on the walls of the openings . this arrangement also ensures that none of the metal coating contacts the recess 39 which could cause electric circuit between the transformer pin connectors . the inner surfaces of the bottom 43 and the sidewalls 42a and endwalls 42b remain clear and uncoated to ensure additional electrical insulation to the electronic components contained within the printed circuit board 38 . besides providing excellent rfi and emi shielding to the electronic trip unit , the filter 40 provides improved electrical isolation by virtue of the thermoplastic material . the heat generated within the trip unit is carried by the conductive coating 44 out to the sides of the circuit breaker cover in heat - sink fashion to provide cooling function to the trip unit during overload circuit conditions .	7
referring to fig1 a fifo memory 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is fabricated as an integrated circuit device and includes a memory cell array 20 , a write control circuit 30 and a read control circuit 40 similarly to the memory shown in fig1 . however , the present fifo memory 10 further includes a mode signal input circuit 50 supplied with a mode signal md via a terminal 107 and the write and read control circuits 30 and 40 operate to change the number of bits to be accessed in response to the level of the mode signal md . in the present embodiment , there are provided a first mode in which one word is constructed of 8 bits and a second mode in which one word is constructed of 16 bits . the mode signal md takes the high level to designate the first mode and the low level to designate the second mode . the mode signal input circuit 50 detects the level of the mode signal md and then supplies the detected level to the circuits 30 and 40 as an internal mode signal imd . as described in detail later , the first mode is designated by the high level of the ( internal ) mode signal ( i ) md , the write control circuit 30 writes data into the memory cell array 20 8 - bit by 8 - bit in order and the read control circuit 40 read data from the array 20 8 - bit by 8 - bit in order . when the mode signal md is changed to the low level to designate the second mode , the data write operation and read operation are performed 16 - bit by 16 - bit in order . since the 8 - bit data read / write operation and 16 - bit data read / write operation are supported , the number of data input terminals 101 supplied with write data wdt is 16 and that of data output terminals 104 from which read data rdt is outputted is 16 . a write clock signal wclk and a write reset signal wrst are supplied to terminals 102 and 103 , respectively . a read clock signal rclk and a read reset signal rrst are supplied to terminals 105 and 106 , respectively . referring to fig2 the memory cell array 20 includes n word lines w0 - wn - 1 , 128 pairs of bit lines ( b0 , bob )-( b127 , b127b ) and a plurality of memory cells mc disposed on the respective intersections of the word and bit lines . in this embodiment , each memory cell is of a static type . the write control circuit 30 is further shown in fig2 . more specifically , the circuit 30 includes a row pointer 303 coupled to the word lines w0 - wn - 1 . one of the outputs ws0 - wsn - 1 is driven to the active high level to select one word line w . coupled to the selected word line w are 128 memory cells in the present embodiment . theses memory cell mc are divided into 16 groups each consisting of 8 memory cells . 16 column switches dw0 - dw15 are provided correspondingly to those groups . as shown in the drawing , each column switch dw is composed of n - channel mos transistors . the even - numbered column switches dw0 , . . . , dw14 are connected in common to 8 pairs of digit lines ( d0 , d0b )-( d7 , d7b ) and odd - numbered column switches dw1 , . . . , dw15 are connected in common to other 8 pairs of digit lines ( d8 , d8b )-( d15 , d15b ). each of the column switches are turned on by the active high level of a corresponding one of selection signals ds0 - ds15 from the column pointer 302 . the digit lines ( d0 , d0b )-( d15 , d15b ) are connected to a data write circuit 304 which are in turn connected to the data input terminals 101 - 0 to 101 - 15 . the column pointer 302 and row pointer 303 control the respective output signals ds0 - ds15 and ws0 - wsn - 1 under the control of a timing controller 301 . this controller 301 responds to the write clock signal wclk and write reset signal wrst and further to the mode signal imd to control the pointers 302 and 303 . turning to fig3 the column pointer 302 includes 16 shift registers 302 - 0 to 302 - 15 connected in series . since each of the shift registers are the same construction as each other , only the first shift register 302 - 0 is shown . this shift register 302 - 0 is of a master - slave type . a master flip - flop mst includes a first clock node n1 , a second clock node n2 , two transfer gates each composed of n - channel and p - channel transistors , and two inverters , which are connected as shown . a slave flip - flop slv has the same construction as the master one mst . however , the first and second clock nodes of the slave one slv is called n3 and n4 , respectively . the shift register 302 - 0 further includes a nand gate 3020 and an inverter 3021 and generates the column selection signal ds0 . as shown , the clock nodes n2 , n1 , n4 and n3 of the even - numbered shift registers 302 - 0 , . . . , 302 - 14 are connected to a first clock line ck1 , its inverted clock line ck1b , a second clock line ck2 and its inverted clock line ck2b , respectively . whereas the clock nodes n1 , n2 , n3 and n4 of the odd - numbered shift resisters 302 - 1 , . . . , 302 - 15 are connected to the lines ck1b , ck1 , ck1 and ck1b , respectively . on these clock lines , clock signals synchronism with the write clock signal wclk appear by five inverters 3010 - 3014 and two transfer gates 3053 and 3054 which constitute the timing controller 301 . the transfer gates 3053 and 3054 are controlled in opened or closed state by the mode signal imd and the inverted mode signal imdb whose levels are in turn controlled by the mode signal md by inverters 51 and 52 . specifically , when the mode signal md takes the high level , the gate 3053 is opened or tuned on and the gate 3054 is closed or tuned off , so that clock signals equal in phase to and opposite in phase to the write clock signal wclk on the clock lines ck1 and ck2 , respectively . on the other hand , in the case of the low level of the mode signal md , the transfer gate 3054 is tuned on , so that both the clock lines ck1 and ck2 take the signal equal in phase to the write clock signal wclk . the first shift register 302 - 0 is connected to an inverter 3016 supplied with the output of a nor gate 3015 receiving the write reset signal wrst and a carry signal of the last shift register 302 - 15 . the row pointer 303 includes n pieces of shift registers 303 - 0 to 303 -( n - 1 ) connected in series . as shown in the drawing , the clock nodes n2 and n3 of each shift register are connected to a row clock line rc1 and the nodes n1 and n4 thereof are connected to its clock line rc1b . the clock line rc1 is supplied with the output signal of an inverter 3019 receiving the output signal of a nand gate 3017 , and the clock line rc1b is supplied with the output signal of the nand gate 3017 . the nand gate 3017 is supplied with the clock signal ck1 and the output signal of an inverter 3016 . the output signal of each shift register is supplied to the corresponding one of and gates 3030 receiving the clock signal ck1 as another input , the output signal of the and gate being used as the word line signal ws . the first shift register 303 - 0 is supplied as its input with ored signal of the write reset signal wrst and a carry output signal of the last shift register 303 -( n - 1 ) through a nor gate 3051 and an inverter 3052 . referring to fig4 the data write circuit 304 includes input buffers 3040 - 0 to 3040 - 15 having input nodes connected respectively to the data input terminals 101 - 0 to 101 - 15 and output nodes connected respectively to data amplifiers 3043 - 0 to 3043 - 15 through n - channel transistors 3041 - 0 to 3041 - 15 , respectively . the output of each data amplifier 3043 is connected to the corresponding digit line pair ( d , db ). the outputs of the input buffers 3040 - 0 to 3040 - 7 are further connected to the data amplifiers 3043 - 8 to 3043 - 15 through n - channel mos transistors 3042 - 0 to 3042 - 7 , respectively . the transistors 3041 - 0 to 3041 - 7 are supplied in common at gates thereof with a data switching signal dsw0 from a shift register 3048 . the gates of the transistors 3042 - 0 to 3042 - 7 are connected in common to an and gate 3045 which preforms an and operation on the mode signal imd and a data switching signal dsw1 from a shift register 3049 , and the gates of the transistors 3041 - 8 to 3041 - 15 are connected in common to an and gate 3044 which performs the signals dsw1 and the inverted mode signal imdb . each of the shift registers 3048 and 3049 have the same construction as the shift register 302 - 0 and the clock nodes thereof n1 - n4 are connected to the clock lines ck1 , ck1b , ck2 and ck2b , respectively , as shown . the input of the shift register 3048 is connected to an or gate 3060 receiving the write reset signal wrst and the carry output signal from the shift register 3049 . the read control circuit 40 ( fig1 ) also has a similar circuit construction to that of the write control circuit 30 . however , in fig4 the inputs of the data amplifiers 3043 - 0 to 3043 - 15 are connected to the digit lines d , and output buffers are used in place of the input buffers 3040 . in addition , a row pointer of the read control circuit 40 is provided on the right side of the memory cell array 20 and a data read circuit including column switches thereof are provided on the lower side of the array 20 . although the description will be made below on a data writing operation , a data reading operation is performed by regarding &# 34 ; data writing &# 34 ; as &# 34 ; data reading &# 34 ;. when the mode signal md takes the high level to designate the first mode ( data writing in 8 - bit units ), the following data writing operation is performed in accordance with the timing chart shown in fig5 . more specifically , since the signal md is at the high level , the same signal in phase as the write clock signal wclk appears on the clock line ck1 and the opposite signal in phase to that appears on the clock line ck2 . in order to write data into the first address , the write reset signal wrst is generated with a phase relationship as shown in fig5 . as a result , the row pointer 303 and column pointer 302 change the selection signals ws0 and ds0 to the active high level , respectively . the word line w0 is thus selected and the column switch dw0 is turned on , so that the first , 8 - bit memory cells are selected . the shift register 3048 ( fig4 ) also produces the active high level data switching signal dsw0 . the transistors 3041 - 0 to 3041 - 7 are thereby turned on to connect the input buffers 3040 - 0 to 3040 - 7 to the data amplifiers 3043 - 0 to 3043 - 7 , respectively . thus , the 8 - bit input data supplied to the input terminals 101 - 0 to 101 - 7 are written into the selected eight memory cells mc . each time the write clock signal wclk changes to the high level , the data &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; in the shift register 302 - 0 is shifted to the succeeding shift registers in order , so that the column selection signal ds1 - ds15 become the active high level in that order ( fig5 ). that is , the column switches dw1 - dw15 are turned on in that order . on the other hand , the clock signals to the respective shift registers in the row pointer 303 are not supplied because the nand gate 3017 is closed , and hence the shift register 303 - 0 keeps to hold the data &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. by the and gate 3030 - 0 , the word selection signal ws0 for the word line w0 takes the active high level in synchronism with the clock signal wclk ( fig5 ). in the shift registers 3048 and 3049 ( fig4 ), the carry output of the shift register 3049 is fed back to the shift register 3048 via the or gate 3060 , and therefore the data switching signals dsw0 and dsw1 take the active high level alternately in synchronism with the write clock signal wclk , as shown in fig5 . that is , the sets of transistors 3041 - 0 to 3041 - 7 and those 3042 - 0 to 3042 - 7 are turned on alternately . thus , the 8 - bit input data supplied to the terminals 101 are written into the succeeding addresses in that order . when the shift register 302 - 15 produces the active high level selection signal ds15 to change the carry signal dc0 to the high level , the high level signal . dc0 is fed back to the shift register 302 - 0 via the gates 3015 and 3016 . the selection signal ds0 is thereby changed again to the high level . at this time , the nand gate 3017 ia made open to shift the data &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to the shift register 303 - 1 from the shift register 303 - 0 . the word selection signal ws1 for the word line w1 is changed to the active high level through the and gate 3030 - 1 , as shown in fig5 . thus , the high level of the mode signal md designates the first mode to write 8 - bit data to consecutive addresses in that order . when the mode signal md is changed to the low level to designate the second mode ( data writing in 16 - bit units ), the writing operation according to the timing chart of fig6 is performed . more specifically , since the transfer gates 3054 and 3053 are turned on and off , respectively , the same signal in phase as the write clock signal wclk appear on both clock lines ck1 and ck2 . as apparent from the connection between the clock nodes n1 - n4 and the clock lines cl , the output of the or gate ( 3015 , 3016 ) is transferred through the shift register 302 - 0 and further through the waster flip - flop mst of the shift register 302 - 1 to the slave flip - flop thereof . accordingly , the column selection signals ds0 and ds1 takes the active high level simultaneously with each other , the column switches dw0 and dw1 are both selected ( fig6 ). similarly , the data switching signals dsw0 and dsw1 from the shift registers 3048 and 3049 takes the active high level simultaneously with each other . the and gate 3045 is however closed because of the low level of the signal imd to turn the transistors 3042 - 0 to 3042 - 7 off . on the other hand , the and gate 3044 is made open to turn the transistors 3041 - 8 to 3041 - 15 on . consequently , the 16 - bit data supplied to the input terminals 101 are written into the selected 16 memory cells mc . each time the write clock signal wclk changes the high level , the next two column switches are selected , so that the 16 - bit data writing operation is performed . as described above , the data writing and reading operation in 8 - bit units are performed on the consecutive addresses in the first mode and those in 16 - bit units are performed on the consecutive addresses in the second mode . the row pointer 303 can be modified as shown by the column pointer 302 in fig3 and the column pointer 303 can be also modified as shown by the row pointer 302 in fig3 . in this case , the word lines w0 - wn - 1 are selected each time the write clock signal wclk changes the high level in that order , whereas the column switch dw0 is kept being selected until the all the word lines w are selected once . moreover , combinations other than 8 - bit and 16 - bit such as 4 - bit , 8 - bit , 16 - bit and 32 - bit can be similarly constituted . as apparent from fig3 the change in level of the mode signal md is accepted anytime . that is , the 16 - bit reading operation can be performed on data written by the 8 - bit writing operation . therefore , it is preferable that the change in mode is always carried out from the leading address . for this purpose , the input circuit 50 is modified as shown in fig7 . specifically , the present input circuit further includes a d - type flip - flop 53 having a data input d supplied with the output of the inverter 52 and a clock input supplied with write reset signal wrst . the true output q and inverted output qb are lead out as the internal mode signal imd and inverted internal mode signal imdb , respectively . thus , the level of the mode signal md is fetched only when the write reset signal wrst is changed to the active high level , and the internal mode signal imd is controlled in accordance therewith . that is , the change in mode is performed only on resetting . in fig4 the level of the input terminals 101 - 8 to 101 - 15 are at the invalid level during the first mode , so that the outputs of the input buffers 3040 - 8 to 3040 - 15 are not determined but take the high or low level to cause an error in operation in the internal circuit . therefore , each of the input buffers 3040 - 8 to 3040 - 15 are preferably constructed as shown in fig8 . that is , each of the input terminals 101 - 8 to 101 - 15 is connected to one input end of the corresponding and gate 3046 having the input end supplied with the inverted internal mode signal imdb . the output of the and gate 3046 is supplied to the corresponding transistor 3041 via the inverters 3047 and 3048 . consequently , the output of the and gate 3046 is held at the low level in the first , 8 - bit mode , so that the respective outputs of the input buffers 3040 - 8 to 3040 - 15 are also held at the low level . also in the output terminals 104 ( fig1 ), there are eight terminals which are not used in the first mode . these output terminals are connected to the corresponding external data bus lines ( not shown ). therefore , each of the output buffers connected to such output terminals are preferably constructed by a tri - state buffer 1040 as shown in fig9 . when the inverted mode signal imdb takes the low level to designate the first mode , the tri - state buffer 1040 is brought into a high impedance state . it apparent that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments but may be changed and modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention .	6
for one of preferred embodiments of the present invention , a noise eliminator to be incorporated in an in - car radio receiver or the like will be described with reference to fig1 a to 1 e . fig1 a is a block diagram showing the configuration of the noise eliminator according to the present embodiment . fig1 b to 1 e are waveform charts for explaining the operation of the noise eliminator according to the present embodiment . in fig1 a , this noise eliminator 1 comprises a gate unit 2 , a noise detection unit 3 , and a detuning frequency detection unit 4 which receive the reception signal output from an internal tuner ( not shown ) of the receiver , or an if signal s 1 , and a gate control unit 5 . the noise detection unit 3 detects pulsed noise such as ignition noise and thunderbolt noise when any is mixed in the if signal s 1 , and outputs a noise detection signal s 3 for indicating the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . the detuning frequency detection unit 4 detects the frequency fu of an adjacent interference signal superimposed on the if signal s 1 . the detuning frequency detection unit 4 also detects a frequency difference ( hereinafter , referred to as “ detuning frequency ”) δf between the frequency fu and the frequency fd of a desired signal , and outputs a detuning frequency detection signal s 4 for indicating the detuning frequency δf . the gate control unit 5 receives the noise detection signal s 3 and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 , and calculates periods ( m / δf ) which are m ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ), and are the closest to the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise , respectively . the gate control unit 5 then outputs a gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform , having gate periods τs which extend from the times t of occurrence of the respective noise pulses to when the periods ( m / δf ) have elapsed . the gate unit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal s 1 during the gate periods τs indicated by the gate control signal s 5 , and lets the if signal s 1 pass during periods other than the gate periods τs . the gate unit 2 thus outputs an if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . next , description will be given of the operation of the noise eliminator 1 having the foregoing configuration . for example , when an adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 and relatively periodic pulsed noise such as ignition noise is mixed in as shown in fig1 b , the noise detection unit 3 detects the time t of occurrence and the period τ of occurrence of the noise pulse by pulse , and outputs a noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig1 c . moreover , the detuning frequency detection unit 4 detects the frequency fu of the adjacent interference signal , detects the detuning frequency δf , or the frequency difference between the detected frequency fu and the frequency fd of the desired signal , and outputs the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . then , the gate control unit 5 calculates the period ( m / δf ), which is m ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ), and is the closest to the period τ , with respect to each pulse of the noise . the gate control unit 5 thus outputs the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform in which the gate period τs is set at the elapsed time of the period ( m / δf ) since the time t of occurrence of the noise pulse by pulse . suppose , for example , that the three pulses of noise shown in fig1 c have periods τ of occurrence of 1 msec , 2 msec , and 3 msec in order of elapsed time , respectively . for the gate period τs for eliminating the pulsed noise of 1 msec , the gate control unit 5 calculates a period ( m / δf ) which is m ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and is the closest to 1 msec . for the gate period τs for eliminating the pulsed noise of 2 msec , the gate control unit 5 then calculates a period ( m / δf ) which is m ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and is the closest to 2 msec . for the gate period τs for eliminating the pulsed noise of 3 msec , the gate control unit 5 then calculates a period ( m / δf ) which is m ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and is the closest to 3 msec . the gate control unit 5 thus outputs the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig1 d . then , the gate unit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal s 1 during the individual gate periods τs indicated by the gate control signal s 5 , and lets the if signal s 1 pass during periods other than the gate periods τs . the gate unit 2 thus outputs the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . when the if signal s 1 on which an adjacent interference signal is superimposed and in which pulsed noise is mixed is input to the gate unit 2 , the gate unit 2 interrupts the pulsed noise during the gate periods τs for elimination . as shown in fig1 e , the if signal s 2 output from the gate unit 2 has a frequency spectrum expressed as the product of the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic in the gate periods τs and the frequency spectrum of the if signal s 1 on which the adjacent interference signal is superimposed . more specifically , the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic is the same as the fourier transform of the gate control signal s 2 of rectangular waveform shown in fig1 d , exhibiting the harmonic characteristic of large attenuations at frequencies m ( integer ) times the frequency of 1 / τs , i . e ., 1 / τs , 2 / τs , 3 / τs , . . . . meanwhile , the frequency spectrum of the if signal s 1 on which the adjacent interference signal is superimposed includes those of the desired wave having the frequency fd and the adjacent interference signal having the frequency fu . consequently , the frequency spectrum of the if signal s 2 is expressed as the product of the frequency spectrum of the foregoing interruption characteristic and the frequency spectrum of the if signal s 1 on which the adjacent interference signal is superimposed , or as shown in fig1 e . then , as shown in fig1 e , the spurious signal ascribable to the adjacent interference signal occurs at the frequency fu while the desired signal occurs at a frequency of { fu −( 1 / τs )}. in addition , the frequency spectrum of the harmonics included in the if signal s 2 , resulting from the interruption characteristic , makes a significant attenuation at the frequency of { fu −( 1 / τs )}. consequently , the desired signal in the if signal s 2 is no longer susceptible to the spurious signal ascribable to the adjacent interference signal and the harmonics ascribable to the interruption characteristic . when the if signal s 2 is passed through the if filter , the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals can be extracted and supplied to a detector or the like without deteriorating the selectivity of the if filter . that is , since the frequency { fu −( 1 / τs )} of the desired signal shown in fig1 e is different from the frequency fu of the adjacent interference signal by the detuning frequency δf , it coincides with the passband fd of the if filter provided in the receiver . as a result , even if any filter or the like having a special pass frequency band for extracting the desired signal in the if signal s 2 is not connected to the subsequent stage of this noise eliminator 1 , it is possible to extract the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector or the like with no deterioration in selectivity by simply connecting an ordinary if filter provided in the receiver . next , a more specific practical example of the foregoing embodiment will be described with reference to fig2 to 3 g . fig2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a receiver which is provided with the noise eliminator of this practical example . fig3 a to 3 g are waveform charts for explaining the operation of the noise eliminator . in fig2 , parts identical or equivalent to those of fig1 a are designated by the same reference numerals . initially , the configuration of the receiver will be overviewed with reference to fig2 . an rf multiplier 8 is connected to the output of an rf amplifier 6 which is connected with a reception antenna ant . then , the rf multiplier 8 mixes an rf signal output from the rf amplifier 6 and a local oscillation signal output from a local oscillator 7 to output a frequency - converted if signal s 1 . an if filter 10 , an if amplifier 11 , and a detector 12 are connected in series with the output of a gate circuit 2 to be described later . next , the configuration of the noise eliminator according to this practical example will be described in comparison with the noise eliminator shown in fig1 a . this noise eliminator 1 comprises a gate circuit 2 corresponding to the gate unit 2 shown in fig1 a , a noise detection circuit 3 corresponding to the noise detection unit 3 shown in fig1 a , a detuning frequency detection circuit 4 corresponding to the detuning frequency detection unit 4 shown in fig1 a , and a d flip - flop 5 corresponding to the gate control unit 5 shown in fig1 a . moreover , the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 comprises an if multiplier 4 a , an if oscillator 4 b , a high - pass filter 4 c , and a limiter amplifier 4 d . a delay circuit 9 has a predetermined delay time equal to the internal delay time of the noise detection circuit 3 , the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 , and the d flip - flop ( hereinafter , referred to as “ dff ”) 5 . the delay circuit 9 delays the if signal s 1 output from the rf multiplier 8 and supplies the resultant to the gate circuit 2 , thereby adjusting the timing of pulsed noise elimination processing in the gate circuit 2 to be described later . the noise detection circuit 3 detects the periods τ of occurrence of pulsed noise mixed in the if signal s 1 , and outputs a noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform which turns to “ h ” in logic during the periods τ of occurrence alone . to be more specific , the noise detection circuit 3 comprises an amplitude detector , a high - pass filter , a low - pass filter , an amplifier , and a comparator which are not shown . the amplitude detector detects the if signal s 1 . the high - pass filter extracts noise included in the output signal of the amplitude detector , in the range of frequencies higher than that of the desired signal . the low - pass filter smoothens the noise of higher frequencies in the output signal of the amplitude detector , thereby generating a smoothened signal near direct current . the amplifier amplifies the smoothened signal at a predetermined gain . the comparator compares the amplitude of the amplified smoothened signal and that of the output signal of the high - pass filter . then , the comparator detects the periods in which the amplitude of the output signal of the high - pass filter exceeds that of the amplified smoothened signal as the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise , and outputs a noise detection signal s 3 . the if oscillator 4 b is made of an oscillator for outputting an alternating signal ck having the same frequency as the intermediate frequency . the if multiplier 4 a is made of a multiplier . it multiplies ( mixes ) the if signal s 1 and the alternating signal ck to generate and output a mixed signal sif which is the if signal s 1 frequency - converted based on the alternating signal ck . for example , an if signal s 1 having an adjacent interference signal superimposed thereon is input to the if multiplier 4 a , the if multiplier 4 a frequency - converts the foregoing desired signal included in the if signal s 1 and the adjacent interference signal into the baseband frequency and the detuning frequency δf , respectively . then , the frequency - converted mixed signal sif is supplied to the high - pass filter 4 c . the high - pass filter 4 c is made of a high - pass filter which passes signal components in the range of frequencies higher than that of the baseband desired signal included in the mixed signal sif . the limiter amplifier 4 d limits the amplitude of the signal passed through the high - pass filter 4 c , thereby outputting a wave - shaped binary signal , or a detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . when the foregoing mixed signal sif including the frequency - converted adjacent interference signals is input to the high - pass filter 4 c , the high - pass filter 4 c passes and outputs the adjacent interference signal having the same frequency as the detuning frequency δf described above . in addition , the limiter amplifier 4 d limits the amplitude of the adjacent interference signal , thereby outputting the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 of rectangular waveform which makes logic inversions at periods equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ). the dff 5 receives the noise detection signal s 3 and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 at its input terminal d and clock input terminal cp , respectively , and outputs a gate control signal s 5 from its output terminal q . to be more specific , suppose that the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 which makes logic inversions at the foregoing periods of ( 1 / δf ) is input to the dff 5 during the foregoing periods . τ of occurrence in which the noise detection signal s 3 is “ h ” in logic . then , the dff 5 outputs the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform which remains “ h ” in logic during the periods τs which are m ( integer ) times the period of ( 1 / δf ) and is longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τ of occurrence ( i . e ., during the gate periods ). the gate circuit 2 is made of a switch element such as an analog switch . in the gate periods τs where the gate control signal s 5 is “ h ” in logic , the switch element interrupts the passing of an if signal sa supplied from the delay circuit 9 . in the periods other than the gate periods τs , i . e ., while the gate control signal s 5 is “ l ” in logic , the switch element passes the if signal sa . consequently , when the if signal sa having pulsed noise mixed therein is input to the gate circuit 2 , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise according to the gate control signal s 5 during the gate periods τs which are in synchronization with the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . as a result , the gate circuit 2 outputs the if signal 2 of which pulse noise is eliminated , to the if filter 10 . now , an example of operation of the noise eliminator 1 according to this practical example having the foregoing configuration will be described with reference to fig3 a to 3 g . suppose , for example , that the rf multiplier 8 outputs such an if signal s 1 as shown in fig3 a on which an adjacent interference signal is superimposed and in which pulsed noise is mixed . the noise detection circuit 3 detects the time of occurrence and the period τ of occurrence of the noise pulse by pulse , generates the noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig3 b , and supplies it to the input terminal d of the dff 5 . the if multiplier 4 a mixes the if signal s 1 and the alternating signal ck output from the if oscillator 4 b to output the frequency - converted mixed signal sif . the mixed signal sif is passed through the high - pass filter 4 c and the limiter amplifier 4 d . as a result , the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig3 c is generated and input to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 . then , based on the noise detection signal s 3 and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 , the dff 5 generates the gate control signal s 5 as shown in fig3 d and supplies it to the gate circuit 2 through the output terminal q . more specifically , the dff 5 receives the noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform , which turns to “ h ” in logic during the period τ of occurrence of each pulse of the noise mixed in the if signal s 1 , and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 , which repeats logic inversions at periods equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ). this is equivalent to so - called delay processing on the noise detection signal s 3 based on the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . as a result , the dff 5 outputs the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform which remains “ h ” in logic during the periods τs which are m ( integer ) times the period ( 1 / δf ) and are longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τ of occurrence ( i . e ., gate periods ). next , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal sa supplied through the delay circuit 9 during the individual gate periods τs indicated by the gate control signal s 5 , and lets the if signal sa pass during periods other than the gate periods τs . the gate circuit 2 thus outputs the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . then , when the if signal s 2 is input to the if filter 10 having the passband set at the frequency of the desired signal ( in other words , intermediate frequency ), a desired signal sb included in the if signal s 2 is extracted . the if amplifier 11 then amplifies the extracted desired signal sb into a signal sc , which is input to the detector 12 . the detector 12 outputs a detection signal sd . the noise eliminator 1 of this practical example provides the following effects . initially , suppose the case where pulsed noise occurring relatively periodically , such as ignition noise , is mixed in the if signal s 1 , and an adjacent interference signal having a frequency fu different from the frequency fd of the desired signal by the detuning frequency δf is superimposed on the if signal s 1 as shown in fig3 a . here , fig3 e shows the frequency spectrum of the mixed signal sif output from the if multiplier 4 a . fig3 f shows the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic when the gate circuit 2 interrupts pulsed noise according to the gate control signal s 5 . that is , in the frequency spectrum of the mixed signal sif , the desired signal and the adjacent interference signal occur at the positions of the baseband frequency and the detuning frequency δf , respectively . the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic varies with the period t and the gate period τs of occurrence of the pulsed noise as parameters , and attenuates significantly at frequencies n ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the gate period τs , or ( n / τs ) consequently , the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated , output from the gate circuit 2 , has the frequency spectrum expressed as the product of the frequency spectrum of the mixed signal sif and the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic as shown in fig3 g . here , the spurious signal resulting from the adjacent interference signal included in the if signal s 2 occurs at the frequency fu . the desired signal included in the if signal s 1 , having the frequency of fd , appears in the if signal s 2 at the position of the frequency { fu −( 1 / τs )}. moreover , the frequency spectrum of the harmonics included in the if signal s 2 , resulting from the interruption characteristic , attenuates significantly at the frequency { fu −( 1 / τs )}. thus , the desired signal in the if signal s 2 is no longer susceptible to the harmonics and spurious signals ascribable to the adjacent interference signal and the interruption characteristic . as above , the gate periods τs are determined as periods which are m ( integer ) times the period equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ), and are longer than and the closest to the respective periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . these gate periods τs are used to approximate the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . as a result , it is possible to adjust the frequency spectrum of the if signal s 2 so that the desired signal shown in fig3 e occurs in accordance with the frequency ( 1 / τs ) at which the harmonics of the interruption characteristic shown in fig3 f attenuate significantly . thus , when the if signal s 2 is supplied to the if filter 10 , it is possible to extract the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector 12 and the like without a deterioration in selectivity . moreover , since the frequency { fu −( 1 / τs )} of the desired signal shown in fig3 g is different from the frequency fu of the adjacent interference signal by the detuning frequency δf , it coincides with the passband fd of the if filter 10 provided in the receiver . this eliminates the need to provide an if filter having a special pass frequency band for the sake of extracting the desired signal in the if signal s 2 . it is possible to extract the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector or the like with no deterioration in selectivity by simply connecting the gate circuit 2 with the ordinary if filter 10 provided in the receiver . next , the noise eliminator 1 according to a second practical example will be described with reference to fig4 to 5 c . fig4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a receiver which is provided with the noise eliminator of this practical example . fig5 a to 5 c are waveform charts for explaining the operation of the noise eliminator . in fig4 , parts identical or equivalent to those of fig1 a and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals . in fig4 , this noise eliminator 1 comprises a gate circuit 2 , a noise detection circuit 3 , a detuning frequency detection circuit 4 , a dff 5 , and a delay circuit 9 . the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 comprises an if multiplier 4 a , an if oscillator 4 b , a high - pass filter 4 c , a limiter amplifier 4 d , an am detector 4 e , a comparator 4 f , and a switching circuit 4 g . the am detector 4 e and the comparator 4 f function as sensing means for sensing if any adjacent interference signal is superimposed on an if signal s 1 . that is , in terms of configuration , this noise eliminator 1 is different from the noise eliminator shown in fig2 in that the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 is provided with the am detector 4 e , the comparator 4 f , and the switching circuit 4 g . here , the switching circuit 4 g is made of an analog multiplexer or analog switch of two - input one - output type , which makes switching operations in accordance with a switch control signal sg from the comparator 4 f . one input terminal a is connected to the limiter amplifier 4 d , and the other input terminal b to the if oscillator 4 b . the output terminal c is connected to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 . when the switching circuit 4 g is switched to the input terminal a , the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 which makes logic inversions at periods ( 1 / δf ), output from the limiter amplifier 4 d , is transferred to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 . when the switching circuit 4 g is switched to the input terminal b , the alternating signal ck having the same frequency as the intermediate frequency , output from the if oscillator 4 b , is transferred to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 . the am detector 4 e subjects an adjacent interference signal se output from the high - pass filter 4 c to am detection , and outputs the resulting am detection signal sf to the comparator 4 f . more specifically , the if multiplier 4 a mixes the if signal s 1 having the adjacent interference signal superimposed thereon and the alternating signal ck , and outputs the mixed signal sif including the frequency - converted adjacent interference signal to the high - pass filter 4 c . then , the adjacent interference signal se passed through the high - pass filter 4 c is input to the am detector 4 e . the am detector 4 e subjects this adjacent interference signal se to am detection , thereby outputting the am detection signal sf to the comparator 4 f . the comparator 4 f compares the amplitude of the am detection signal sf with a predetermined threshold , and outputs the result of comparison as the switch control signal sg . if the amplitude of the am detection signal sf is greater than the threshold , the switching circuit 4 g is switched to the input terminal a . if the amplitude of the am detection signal sf is smaller than the threshold , the switching circuit 4 g is switched to the input terminal b . now , an example of operation of the noise eliminator 1 having the foregoing configuration will be described with reference to fig3 a to 3 c . suppose , for example , that the rf multiplier 8 outputs such an if signal s 1 as shown in fig3 a on which an adjacent interference signal is superimposed and in which pulsed noise is mixed . the noise detection circuit 3 detects the time of occurrence and the period τ of occurrence of the noise pulse by pulse , generates the noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig3 b , and supplies it to the input terminal d of the dff 5 . the if multiplier 4 a mixes the if signal s 1 and the alternating signal ck output from the if oscillator 4 b to output the frequency - converted mixed signal sif . the mixed signal sif is passed through the high - pass filter 4 c and the limiter amplifier 4 d . as a result , the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig3 c is generated and input to the one input terminal a of the switching circuit 4 g . the am detector 4 e subjects the adjacent interference signal se to am detection , thereby outputting the am detection signal sf . the comparator 4 f generates the switch control signal sg from the am detection signal sf , so that the switching circuit 4 g is switched to the input terminal a . consequently , the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 is input to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 through the input terminal a of the switching circuit 4 g . then , the dff 5 receives the noise detection signal s 3 and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 which repeats logic inversions at periods equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ). as a result , the dff 5 generates the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform which remains “ h ” in logic during the periods τs which are m ( integer ) times the period ( 1 / δf ) and are longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise ( i . e ., the gate periods ). the gate control signal s 5 is supplied to the gate circuit 2 . next , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal sa supplied through the delay circuit 9 during the individual gate periods τs indicated by the gate control signal s 5 , and lets the if signal sa pass during periods other than the gate periods τs . the gate circuit 2 thus outputs the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . up to this point , description has been given of the operation for situations where the rf multiplier 8 outputs the if signal s 1 on which an adjacent interference signal is superimposed and in which pulsed noise is mixed . when the rf multiplier 8 outputs an if signal s 1 on which no adjacent interference signal is superimposed but in which pulsed noise is mixed , the noise eliminator 1 makes the following operation . initially , the noise detection circuit 3 detects the time of occurrence and the period τ of occurrence of the noise pulse by pulse , generates the noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig3 b , and supplies it to the input terminal d of the dff 5 . the if multiplier 4 a mixes the if signal s 1 and the alternating signal ck output from the if oscillator 4 b to output the frequency - converted mixed signal sif . note that since no adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 , the mixed signal sif does not contain any adjacent interference signal . thus , even when the mixed signal sif is passed through the high - pass filter 4 c and the limiter amplifier 4 d , such a detuning frequency detection signal s 4 as shown in fig3 c is not supplied to the input terminal a of the switching circuit 4 g . in addition , the signal se input from the high - pass filter 4 c to the am detector 4 e does not contain any adjacent interference signal , either , so that the am detection signal sf output from the am detector 4 e becomes smaller in amplitude . the comparator 4 f compares the am detection signal sf and the threshold , and thus outputs the switch control signal sg for switching the switching circuit 4 g to the input terminal b . consequently , when no adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 , the alternating signal ck output from the if oscillator 4 b is input to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 through the input terminal b of the switching circuit 4 g . receiving the noise detection signal s 3 and the alternating signal ck , the dff 5 then generates the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform which remains “ h ” in logic during the periods τs which are integer multiples of the period equivalent to the reciprocal of the frequency of the alternating signal ck and are longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise ( i . e ., the gate periods ). the gate control signal s 5 is supplied to the gate circuit 2 . next , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal sa supplied through the delay circuit 9 during the individual gate periods τs indicated by the gate control signal s 5 , and lets the if signal sa pass during periods other than the gate periods τs . the gate circuit 2 thus outputs the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . as described above , in the noise eliminator 1 shown fig4 , the am detector 4 e and the comparator 4 f detect whether or not any adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 . if any adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the pulsed noise by using periods which are m ( integer ) times the period ( 1 / δf ) equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and are longer than and the closest to respective periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise as the gate periods τs . if no adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the pulsed noise by using periods which are integral multiples of the period equivalent to the reciprocal of the frequency ( intermediate frequency ) of the alternating signal ck and are longer than and the closest to respective periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . the noise eliminator 1 according to this practical example provides the following effects . first , as described above , when pulsed noise is mixed in the if signal s 1 having no adjacent interference signal superimposed thereon , the am detector 4 e and the comparator 4 f detect that no adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 . meanwhile , the noise detection circuit 3 detects the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . consequently , the noise detection signal s 3 indicating the periods τ of occurrence is supplied to the input terminal d of the dff 5 , and the alternating signal ck having the same frequency as the intermediate frequency is supplied to the clock input terminal cp through the switching circuit 4 g . then , the dff 5 makes the gate circuit 2 interrupt the pulsed noise by using the periods which are integer multiples of the period equivalent to the reciprocal of the frequency of the alternating signal ck and are longer than and the closest to the respective periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise as the gate periods τs . here , as shown in the frequency spectrum of fig5 a , the alternating signal ck occurs at the position of the intermediate frequency . as shown in fig5 b , the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic when the gate circuit 2 interrupts the pulsed noise makes large attenuations at frequencies which are integer multiples of the frequency ( 1 / τs ). then , the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated , output from the gate circuit 2 , exhibits the frequency spectrum expressed as the product of the frequency spectrum of the alternating signal ck and the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic as shown in fig5 c . then , as is evident from fig5 c , the harmonics ascribable to the interruption characteristic attenuate significantly at a frequency n ( integer ) times the frequency ( 1 / τs ), and the desired signal occurs right at the frequency of attenuation of the harmonics . this makes the desired signal in the if signal s 2 insusceptible to the harmonics ascribable to the interruption characteristic . when the if signal s 2 is supplied to the if filter 10 , it is possible to extract the desired signal containing no pulsed noise from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector 12 and the like . second , when pulsed noise is mixed in and an adjacent interference signal superimposed on the if signal s 1 , the am detector 4 e and the comparator 4 f detect that the adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 . meanwhile , the noise detection circuit 3 detects the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . consequently , the noise detection signal s 3 indicating the periods τ of occurrence is supplied to the input terminal d of the dff 5 , and the detuning frequency signal s 4 is supplied to the clock input terminal cp through the switching circuit 4 g . then , the dff 5 determines periods which are m ( integer ) times the period ( 1 / δf ) equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and are longer than and the closest to the respective periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise as the gate periods τs . the dff 5 eliminates the pulsed noise by controls the gate circuit 2 with the gate control signal s 5 having the gate periods τs approximated to the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . consequently , the if signal s 2 output from the gate circuit 2 exhibits the same frequency spectrum as shown in fig3 g , so that the desired signal in the if signal s 2 becomes insusceptible to the harmonics and spurious signals ascribable to the adjacent interference signal and the interruption characteristic . when the if signal s 2 is supplied to the if filter 10 , it is possible to extract the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector 12 and the like without a deterioration in selectivity . as above , according to the noise eliminator 1 of this practical example , it is possible to eliminate pulsed noise in both cases that the pulsed noise is mixed in the if signal s 1 having no adjacent interference signal superimposed thereon , and that the pulsed noise is mixed in and an adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 . it is also possible to extract the desired signal from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector 12 and the like without a deterioration in selectivity . furthermore , in the case of eliminating the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal s 1 having no adjacent interference signal superimposed thereon , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the pulsed noise by using the periods that are integer multiples of the period equivalent to the reciprocal of the frequency of the alternating signal ck and are longer than and the closest to the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise as the gate periods τs . the frequency at which the harmonics of the interruption characteristic shown in fig5 c attenuate significantly can thus be matched with the frequency of the desired signal . it is therefore possible to extract the desired signal in a favorable manner and supply it to the detector and the like without affecting the interruption characteristic in eliminating the pulsed noise . next , the noise eliminator 1 according to a third practical example will be described with reference to fig6 . fig6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a receiver which is provided with the noise eliminator of this practical example . in fig6 , parts identical or equivalent to those of fig1 a , 2 , and 4 are designated by the same reference numerals . in fig6 , this noise eliminator 1 comprises a gate circuit 2 , a noise detection circuit 3 , a detuning frequency detection circuit 4 , a dff 5 , and a delay circuit 9 . the gate circuit 2 is interposed between a local oscillator 7 and an rf multiplier 8 . the delay circuit 9 is interposed between an rf amplifier 6 and the rf multiplier 8 . moreover , the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 comprises an if oscillator 4 b , first and second multipliers 4 h and 4 i , a high - pass filter 4 c , and a limiter amplifier 4 d . the gate circuit 2 is made of an analog switch or the like which turns on during gate periods τs and turns off during periods other than the gate periods τs according to a gate control signal s 5 supplied from the dff 5 . during the gate periods τs , a local oscillation signal lo output from the local oscillator 7 is supplied to the rf multiplier 8 . in the periods other than the gate periods τs , the supply of the local oscillation signal lo to the rf multiplier 8 is stopped . the delay circuit 9 is provided for the sake of timing adjustment , as in the first and second practical examples . it delays a reception signal output from the rf amplifier 6 , or an rf signal srf , by a predetermined time and supplies the resultant to the rf multiplier 8 . consequently , the rf multiplier 8 mixes the rf signal srf supplied through the delay circuit 9 and the local oscillation signal lo supplied through the gate circuit 2 , thereby frequency - converting the rf signal srf of radio frequency into an intermediate frequency signal s 2 , and supplies the resultant to an if filter 10 . the noise detection circuit 3 detects pulsed noise mixed in the rf signal srf , and supplies an input terminal d of the dff 5 with a noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform which turns to “ h ” in level during the periods τ of occurrence of the pulses . the if oscillator 4 b outputs the alternating signal ck having the same frequency as the intermediate frequency , and supplies it to the first multiplier 4 h . the first multiplier 4 h is made of a multiplier . it multiplies ( mixes ) the local oscillation signal lo from the local oscillator 7 and the alternating signal ck to generate a signal ( hereinafter , referred to as “ first mixed signal ”) sm 1 , and supplies it to the second multiplier 4 i . the second multiplier 4 i is made of a multiplexer . it multiplies ( mixes ) the rf signal srf and the first mixed signal sm 1 to generate a signal ( hereinafter , referred to as “ second mixed signal ”) sm 2 , and supplies it to the high - pass filter 4 c . now , when the first multiplier 4 h multiplies ( mixes ) the local oscillation signal lo and the alternating signal ck , the first mixed signal sm 1 is generated with the frequency fd of the desired signal . when the second multiplier 4 i multiplies ( mixes ) the rf signal srf and the first mixed signal sm 1 , a signal having the frequency difference ( fu − fd ) between the frequency fu of the adjacent interference signal superimposed on the rf signal srf and the frequency fd of the desired signal , or the detuning frequency δf , appears in the second mixed signal sm 2 . the high - pass filter 4 c has a cutoff frequency for passing the signal having the foregoing detuning frequency δf , included in the second mixed signal sm 2 . the high - pass filter 4 c supplies the passed signal having the detuning frequency δf to the limiter amplifier 4 d . the limiter amplifier 4 d limits the amplitude of the signal passed through the high - pass filter 4 c , having the foregoing detuning frequency δf , and thereby outputs a wave - shaped binary signal , or a detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . more specifically , the limiter amplifier 4 d generates a detuning frequency detection signal s 4 which repeats logic inversions at periods equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ), and supplies it to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 . the dff 5 receives the noise detection signal s 3 indicating the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise , output from the noise detection circuit 3 , and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 from the limiter amplifier 4 . the dff 5 then performs so - called delay processing on the noise detection signal s 3 based on the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . as a result , the dff 5 outputs the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform which remains “ h ” in logic during the periods τs which are m ( integer ) times the periods ( 1 / δf ) equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and are longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τ of occurrence . ( i . e ., gate periods ). consequently , in the gate periods τs approximated to the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise mixed in the rf signal srf , the dff 5 turns off the gate circuit 2 to stop the supply of the local oscillation signal lo to the rf multiplier 8 . on the other hand , in the periods other than the gate periods τs , the dff 5 turns on the gate circuit 2 so that the local oscillation signal lo is supplied to the rf multiplier 8 . according to the noise eliminator 1 of this practical example having the foregoing configuration , when an adjacent interference signal is superimposed on and pulsed noise is mixed in the rf signal srf , the noise detection circuit 3 detects the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise and outputs the noise detection signal s 3 . the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 detects the detuning frequency δf and outputs the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . the dff 5 outputs the gate control signal s 5 for turning off the gate circuit 2 during the gate periods τs approximated to the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . consequently , when the gate circuit 2 is turned off during the gate periods τs , the rf multiplier 8 stops mixing the local oscillation signal lo and the pulsed noise which is mixed in the rf signal srf supplied through the delay circuit 9 , and outputs the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . in addition , the gate periods τs are ones m ( integer ) times the period ( 1 / δf ) equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and are longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τof occurrence . this results in a coincidence between the frequency of the desired signal in the if signal s 2 and the frequency at which a large attenuation occurs in the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic when the gate circuit 2 is turned off to interrupt the supply of the local oscillation signal lo to the rf multiplier 8 . consequently , the desired signal in the if signal s 2 is no longer susceptible to the spurious signal ascribable to the adjacent interference signal and the harmonics ascribable to the interruption characteristic of the gate circuit 2 . when the if signal s 2 is passed through the if filter , the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals can thus be extracted and supplied to the detector or the like without deteriorating the selectivity of the if filter 10 . while there has been described what are at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood that various modifications may be made thereto , and it is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	7
it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the details of construction and arrangement of components illustrated in the accompanying drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in a variety of ways . further , the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for purposes of description and not of limitation . elements employed in illustrating the practice of the instrument pig and the methods of determining the characteristics of the interior and exterior surfaces of a metal pipeline , as illustrated in the attached drawings , will be identified by numbers indicated hereinbelow : referring to fig1 , a typical instrument pipeline pig of the type that can employ the principals of this invention is illustrated . the overall pipeline instrument pig is indicated generally by the numeral 10 and includes an instrumentation section 12 to which this invention is specifically directed . the typical instrument pipeline pig 10 includes the use of a plurality ( 5 being shown ) of elastomeric cups 14 that have two basic functions . first , the cups 14 support the pipeline pig centrally within the pipeline , and second , they have circumferential edges or lips that engage a pipeline interior wall , forming a piston - like relationship so that fluid flowing through the pipeline causes a force against the cups that moves the instrument pipe 10 through the pipeline . in addition to the instrumentation section 12 , a typical pipeline pig 10 includes as illustrated , an instrument support package 16 that typically contains batteries by which electrical energy is supplied to the instrumentation section 12 , and recording instruments . instrument support package 16 is connected to the instrumentation section 12 by means of an internal cable ( not shown ). further , the typical pipeline pig includes an odometer 18 that is in the form of a wheel that engages the pipeline interior wall surface to provide electrical signals by which the location of detected anomalies in the pipeline wall are recorded . it must be understood that the instrument pig 10 is illustrated by way of example only and not by limitation . the invention herein lies exclusively within the arrangement of the instrumentation section 12 and such instrument section can be used in conjunction with other instrument pig systems . the instrumentation section 12 is illustrated in greater detail in fig2 - 6 . referring to fig2 and 3 , a basic structural arrangement of an instrumentation system by which this invention can be practiced is illustrated . the instrumentation section 12 includes a pig body 20 having spaced apart end plates 22 a and 22 b . supported between the end plates are a plurality of elongated armatures 24 that are in closely spaced parallel arrangement and positioned circumferentially around the pig body 20 . each armature 24 supports at one end a positive pole magnet 26 and at the other end a negative pole magnet 28 . rather than being called “ negative ” and “ positive ” pole magnets , they are frequently referred to as north pole and south pole magnets . magnets 26 and 28 mounted on associated armatures 24 are closely spaced and of magnetic intensity so that the circumferential portion of the length of the pipe between magnets 26 and 28 is at least substantially fully magnetically saturated . each armature 24 is supported between plates 22 a and 22 b by a forward link - arm 30 and a rearward link - arm 32 . each of the forward link - arms 30 is pivoted at one end to plate 22 a and at the rearward end to an armature 24 . the rearward link - arms 32 are each pivoted to an armature 24 at one end and the rearward end has a pin 34 received in a slot 36 . the link arms 30 and 32 thereby allow flexible radial position of each armature 24 with respect to the pig body 20 — that is , each armature can be deflected inwardly and outwardly as required to conform to the internal cylindrical surface of the pipe wall through which the instrument pig travels . to maintain the magnets 26 and 28 in close proximity to the interior pipeline wall but at the same time prevent the magnets from being worn by engagement with the pipeline wall , spacers 38 are employed . spacers 38 may be wheels as illustrated in the drawings or may be pads arranged to slide against the internal wall of the pipeline to thereby space the magnets 26 and 28 in close proximity to the pipeline wall but without touching the wall . the use of wheels functioning as spacers is a known technology and not a part of this invention . the essence of the invention is best illustrated by referring to fig5 and 6 . fig5 diagrammatically illustrates the basic concepts . the instrument pig 10 as generally indicated in fig5 carries with it instrumentation that includes essentially a hall - effect sensor 40 supported by the instrument in close proximity to the interior circumferential surface 42 of a cylindrical pipeline 44 that has a corresponding exterior circumferential surface 46 . the use of hall - effect sensors 40 is known technique for detecting flux leakage in a magnetically saturated pipe wall . the range of detection of anomalies obtained by hall - effect sensor 40 is indicated by the dotted lines 48 in fig5 . if the instrument pig 10 of this invention included instrumentation that contained only hall - effect sensors , it would function to provide a record indicative of anomalies in the pipe wall but such record would not provide information as to whether the detected anomalies are on the pipe interior circumferential surface 42 or the exterior circumferential surface 46 . to provide this lacking information , the instrument package of the instrument pig of this invention includes the use of eddy current sensor systems 50 . an “ eddy current ” is , generally speaking , an induced electric current in an electrically conductive object that typically causes a loss of energy . eddy currents are sometimes also called “ foucault currents .” eddy currents move contrary to the direction of a main current and usually in a circular motion . a unique characteristic of eddy currents is that when induced into a conductive object , they typically are confined to a shallow depth of the skin surface of the object . this characteristic is taken advantage of in the present invention in that , as illustrated in fig5 , each eddy current sensor system 50 functions by inducing an eddy current indicated by the dotted lines 54 into the interior circumferential surface 42 of pipeline wall 44 . the eddy currents 54 are induced by pulsing a coil carried by the eddy currents sensor system 54 . eddy current sensors are often employed to measure the proximity of electrically conductive materials . they exploit the “ skin depth ” effects that result from exposing a conductive material to a high - frequency magnetic field . as such , their effective field of view into the material is limited to a few thousandths of an inch . additionally , they are able to operate inside a strong low - frequency magnetic field with little effect on performance . the sensor concept disclosed in fig5 incorporates both the hall - effect sensor 40 and the eddy current sensor system 50 that are supported in the same head assembly , such head assemblies 56 being seen best in fig3 , 4 and 6 . the system of this invention employs hall - effect sensors 40 as primary quantitative indicators of metal loss and therefore the existence of anomalies in the pipe wall interior and exterior circumferential surfaces 42 and 46 . this is so since the field of view , that is the range of measurement 48 seen in fig5 , includes the entire pipe wall 44 . however the eddy current sensors see only a short depth into the interior pipe wall 42 and responds to metal loss that is localized to the inside wall of the pipe . the eddy current sensor systems 50 employ the use of a pulse coil design to minimize the power required . this is illustrated in fig5 by an induced eddy current 54 and a sensed eddy current represented by the dotted lines of 58 . the quantitative extent of sensed eddy currents indicate the presence or absence of anomalies , that is missing metal , from the interior circumferential surface 42 of pipe 44 . an important feature of the present invention is that the eddy current sensor system 50 is energized or excited to produce the induced eddy current 54 only as requested from the instrument electronics . this is schematically represented in fig6 which shows hall - effect process circuitry 60 that responds to detected anomalies 62 a through 62 d in the wall of pipeline 44 . when requested by the signal processing circuit 70 , eddy current pulser circuit 64 is activated to stimulate the eddy current sensor system 50 to initiate induced eddy current represented by 54 in fig5 . an eddy current process circuit 66 responds sensed eddy current 58 ( fig5 ) and provides an output signal on conductor 68 to signal processing output circuit 70 . fig6 indicates schematically a portion of the instrument pig 10 of this invention showing the pig body 20 , an armature 24 , positive and negative magnets 26 and 28 as supported on the armature and a head assembly 56 positioned between the magnets that contain hall - effect instrumentation 72 and eddy current instrumentation 74 . eddy current instrumentation 74 responds to eddy current pulser circuit 64 to cause induced eddy currents 54 as seen in fig5 and for detecting and measuring resultant sensed eddy current flow indicated by the numeral 58 in fig5 . as shown in fig6 , the eddy current pulser signal is carried by conductor 76 to eddy current instrument 74 while the sensed eddy current is carried by conductor 78 to eddy current processing circuit 66 . the conductor 80 carries the signal from hall - effect instrumentation 72 to the hall - effect processing circuitry 60 . initiating signals from processing circuit 70 to actuate eddy current pulser 64 are carried by conductor 82 while the quantitative process signal generated by the hall - effect instrument 72 is passed by conductor 84 to signal processing and output circuit 70 . fig6 shows the use of an odometer wheel 86 supplying signals to an odometer circuit 88 which provides a positioning signal 90 to signal processing and output circuit 70 . while id / od discrimination sensors have conventionally been arranged in a second array of heads located somewhere away from the magnetizer systems of an instrument pig , in the invention herein the hall - effect sensor 72 and eddy current instrumentation 74 are in the same head assembly 56 positioned between magnetic poles 26 and 28 . this system eliminates the need for a secondary sensor array located elsewhere on a tool and subsequently reduces the number of connectors and cables required to pass signals from the sensor heads to the data logging electronics . in summary , first instrumentation hall - effect instrumentation 72 that is included in head assembly 56 and positioned between magnetic pole 26 and 28 is arranged to generate signals by way of conductor 80 that are responsive to flux leakage and thereby serves to provide first information as to anomalies 62 a through 62 d in the pipeline interior or exterior surfaces 42 and 46 . second instrumentation , that is , eddy current instrumentation 74 , is supported by head assembly 56 between magnets 26 and 28 and arranged to generate signals that are responsive to eddy currents 54 and 58 as seen in fig5 that are induced in the pipeline interior surface 42 that provides second information as to anomalies in the interior wall 42 of the pipeline 44 . an important feature of the invention herein as illustrated in the schematic circuit diagram of fig6 is that the second eddy current instrumentation is energized only in response to signals generated by signal processing circuit 70 . in this way the energy required to operate eddy current instrumentation 74 is employed only when data is required and thus substantial energy saving is obtained . the invention described herein is not limited to the specific illustrations contained in the drawings which are representative only of one embodiment of the invention which are presented to be a preferred embodiment at the time of the preparation of this application , but it is understood that the invention is limited only by the scope of the attached claim or claims including the full range of equivalency to which each element or step thereof is entitled .	6
fig1 is a perspective view of a thermal printer 20 for printing on a print medium passing along a print path . in fig1 the print path is closed . the thermal printer 20 includes a first housing 22 and a second housing 24 . the first housing 22 encloses electrical components mounted on printed circuit boards . the first housing 22 also includes a control panel 26 which allows the thermal printer 20 to be controlled and adjusted by a user . the control panel 26 includes a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) 28 , a plurality of buttons 30 , and a plurality of light - emitting diodes ( leds ) 32 . the lcd 28 provides an alphanumeric display of various commands useful for the user to control and adjust the thermal printer 20 . the buttons 30 implement the user &# 39 ; s choices of controls and adjustments , and the leds 32 provide displays of the status of the thermal printer 20 . for example , one of the buttons 30 can be used to toggle the thermal printer 20 on - and off - line , with one of the leds 32 lighting to indicate when the printer is on - line . another one of the buttons 30 can be used to select an array of menus including choices of print speeds and media types , among other choices . another one of the buttons 30 can be used to reload or advance the print medium through the thermal printer 20 . yet another button 30 can be used to open the thermal printer 20 in order to change the print medium . the second housing 24 includes a printer module 34 and a motor drive module 36 which are normally latched together . the printer module 34 and the motor drive module 36 are separated by a print medium path 38 along which the print medium passes . by activating another one of the buttons 30 , the printer module 34 can be caused to unlatch from the motor drive module 36 so that it can be rotated backwards , in a clockwise direction , to the position seen in fig3 . this action opens the print medium path 38 and allows the adjustment and replacement of the print medium which is introduced into the print medium path 38 from a print medium roll 40 ( see fig1 ). the print medium supplied on the print medium roll 40 is available in a variety of thicknesses , thermal sensitivities , and materials , depending upon the use to be made of the print medium . the print medium supplied from the print medium roll 40 passes through the print medium path 38 and exits through an opening 42 at the front of the second housing 24 . if the print medium is a thermal transfer medium , a thermal transfer ribbon is placed in a separate drive mechanism ( not shown ) contained within the printer module 34 . this separate drive mechanism provides supply and take - up rolls for the thermal transfer ribbon . the rolls for the thermal transfer ribbon are controllable independently of the movement of the print medium . this allows saving the ribbon when the print medium contains areas where no printing is required . the motor drive module 36 also contains a cooling fan ( not shown ) which exhausts air through a side grill 44 . a conventional print medium 45 shown in fig2 comprises a long strip of backing material 46 with self - adhesive labels 48 adhered at spaced - apart positions along the length of the backing material , and the print medium is rolled to form the print medium roll 40 . fig2 shows three labels 48 adhered to a short segment of the backing material 46 . the backing material 46 has a pair of parallel straight edges 50 extending in the direction the backing material travels along the print medium path 38 . the labels 48 are spaced away from each of the edges 50 by a predetermined distance d . the labels 48 are separated from one another in the direction of travel of the backing material 46 by gaps 52 , which extend perpendicularly to the edges 50 . the invention is adapted to sense the presence of the gaps 52 , or more precisely , the leading edge of a label , by the change in transmissivity of light through the backing material 46 which is caused by the presence or absence of a label 48 . the print medium 45 from the print medium roll 40 passes through the print medium path 38 with the side of the backing material to which the labels 48 of the print medium are attached facing up . as best shown in fig5 the print medium 45 is advanced through the print medium path 38 by an advancement mechanism ( to be described subsequently ) and forced to pass between a platen roller 53 positioned within the motor drive module 36 at the opening 42 of the print medium path 38 and a thermal printhead 80 ( to be described in fig5 ), which is positioned within the printer module 34 . the print medium 45 , including the labels 48 which have been printed on , exit through the front opening 42 ( see fig1 ). when the printer module 34 is latched to the motor drive module 36 , the side of the print medium to which the labels 48 are adhered , is forced against the thermal printhead 80 by the platen roller 53 . in order to accommodate a wide variety of print media , the pressure between the platen roller 53 and the printhead 80 is variably adjustable . fig3 is a perspective view of the thermal printer 20 of fig1 with the print medium path 38 being open . fig4 is a perspective view of the tracking section of the thermal printer 20 . the motor drive module 36 includes a stepper motor 51 having a shaft 52 with a drive gear 54 attached near its end . the stepper motor 51 is controlled by electrical circuitry contained in the first housing 22 . the electrical circuitry will be described subsequently . the drive gear 54 engages a large gear 56 which drives a pulley 58 . the pulley 58 engages a belt 60 which also passes over two equally - sized pulleys 62 and 64 . the pulley 62 is attached to the end of a platen shaft 66 which drives the platen roller 53 . the pulley 64 is attached to the end of a slew roller shaft 68 which supports a slew roller 70 . a pinch roller 72 , which is held by member 73 , can be caused to rotate about a pivot shaft 74 toward the slew roller 70 with the print medium therebetween . when this happens , any print medium 45 passing through the print medium path 38 will be driven toward the front opening 42 by the driven slew roller 70 . the speed at which the print medium is advanced toward the front opening 42 is governed by the rotational speed of the slew roller shaft 68 . the platen shaft 66 , which is driven at the same speed as the slew roller shaft 68 , causes the print medium to pass between the platen roller 46 and the thermal printhead 80 ( shown in fig5 ) at the same speed . when the thermal printer 20 is printing , the platen roller 53 moves the print medium 45 . otherwise , as will be seen , the platen roller 53 is not frictionally engaged with the print medium and the slew roller 70 working in conjunction with the pinch roller 72 advance the print medium through the thermal printer 20 . the motor drive module 36 also includes a guide mechanism 78 for guiding the backing material 46 through the print medium path 38 . it includes edge guides 79 which guide the edges 50 of the backing material 46 . fig5 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an advancement mechanism 81 used with the thermal printer 20 of fig1 . the advancement mechanism 81 is placed below the guide mechanism 78 shown in fig3 and 4 . in the advancement mechanism 81 the printhead 80 pivots about a shaft 82 rotatably supported by a frame portion 83 of the printer module 34 . the shaft 82 has one end affixed to an arm 84 . accordingly , a clockwise movement of the arm 84 ( as viewed in fig5 ) rotates the shaft 82 clockwise and causes the printhead 80 to move toward the platen roller 53 . the printer module 34 is connected to the motor drive module 36 when the thermal printer 20 is in use by a latch 120 which pivots about a latch shaft 122 that is rotatably supported by a frame portion 37 of the motor drive module 36 . the latch 120 , which is driven by a mechanism ( not shown ) in the motor drive module 36 , engages a pin 124 which projects from the printer module 34 . when latched , the printhead 80 is moved so that it is engaged against the print medium 45 passing between the platen roller 53 and the printhead 80 . fig6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a guide mechanism for use with the invention . the mechanism includes a frame 130 having two arms 132 which are arranged parallel to one another to guide the backing material 46 received from the roll 40 through the print medium path 38 of the thermal printer 20 . a first pair of the edge guides 79 is attached to the frame 130 and a second pair of the edge guides 79 is attached to the ends of the arms 132 . the edge guides 79 engage the edges 50 of the 1 backing material 46 and keep the backing material properly located in the print medium path 38 . the thermal printer 20 uses a &# 34 ; center tracking &# 34 ; scheme which keeps the print medium 45 centered in the print medium path 38 regardless of the width of the print medium , which can range between 2 . 2 and 5 . 2 inches . the arms 132 are adjusted automatically to fit the width of the backing material 46 specified through the control panel 26 of the thermal printer 20 . the frame 130 is located in the motor drive module 36 above . it has an aperture 134 through which the pinch roller 72 can reach the backing material . an array of light - emitting diodes ( leds ) 136 is attached to one side of the frame 130 , and extends perpendicularly to one of the arms 132 to cast a substantially uniform beam of light upward from the frame 130 toward the print medium path 38 . preferably the leds 136 emit infrared ( ir ) light . if the print medium 45 is loaded in the print medium path 38 , the light cast by the array of leds 136 will strike the downward facing side of the backing material 46 . opposing the array of leds 136 is a fiber optic holder 138 , which holds an end portion of a flexible fiber optic 140 oriented perpendicularly to the array of leds 136 and a light receiving end of the fiber optic 140 facing toward the array to receive light it generates . the fiber optic holder 138 moves with the arm 132 to which it is attached . as noted above , the arm 132 moves laterally inward and outward to adjust to the width of the backing material 46 being used . the fiber optic 140 is held by the holder 138 so as to always be positioned inward of the adjacent edge 50 of the backing material 46 being guided through the print medium path 38 . therefore , depending upon the width of the backing material 46 , the light receiving end of the fiber optic 140 will always be opposite one of the leds in the array of leds 136 with the backing material 46 therebetween . the light collected by the end of the fiber optic 140 is directed to its other end 141 which is located opposite a conventional photodiode 225 which comprises part of a sensor 226 , shown in fig7 b and 8 . the photodiode is terminated in a selectable load resistance , as will be described subsequently the sensor 226 produces an electrical signal whose level depends upon the amount of light collected by the fiber optic 140 . this amount of light depends , in turn , upon whether the backing material 46 passing between the leds 136 and the fiber optic 140 has a label 48 attached thereto . this signal is sent to an analog - to - digital converter in the sensor 226 . the information in the resulting digital signal is processed by a conventionally programmed print engine microprocessor to measure the actual lengths of the labels 48 , the lengths of the gaps between the labels 48 , or other features relating to the spacing of the labels 48 along the print medium 45 , or even to sense the absence of the print medium 45 in the print medium path 38 . the components described above operate to detect changes in transmissivity between the print medium 45 above ( a gap ) and the print medium 45 with a label 48 adhered thereto . however , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that , while most labels 48 are somewhat transmissive , some could be opaque . in this case , the above - described components will still serve their functions well . it will also be understood by those skilled in the art that the same operation might be accomplished in some applications by placing the light source and the light detector in the same side of the backing as the print labels and detecting the changes in reflectivity as the labels pass by . it will also be understood by those skilled in the art that to accommodate for both the variation in the sensitivity of the components chosen to implement the functions of the present invention and the wide range of transmissivity ( or opacity ) of the print media , the sensor 226 requires a gain setting that can be varied . that is accomplished by choosing an appropriate load resistance for the photodiode 225 . as shown in fig8 the load resistance is comprised of the resistors 227a , 227b , 227c , and 227d . these resistors 227 can be grounded through activation of their associated open collector devices 229a , 229b , 229c , and 229d . if the values of resistance of the resistors 227 are chosen correctly , the load resistance that could be applied to the photodiode 225 could have 2 4 different values . this can be accomplished by causing each of the resistors 227 to have a resistance that differs from the resistance of the others by a factor that is an integral power of two . the open collector devices 229 ( which can be field effect transistors , open collector logic gates , etc .) are selectively activated , under software control , by the prior engine microprocessor 208 . with the above - described sensor 226 , the thermal printer 20 can be calibrated to account for the variations described above . this is accomplished by passing a particular print medium through the printer 20 in a special calibrate mode that can be chosen by a user . in this calibrate mode , each available gain of the sensor 226 will be tried and one selected . the gain that is selected is the one that results in the largest difference between readings of the a / d converter 231 for the backing only and the backing and label together . fig7 a - 7c comprise a block diagram of the electrical circuitry used with the guide mechanism of fig6 . the electrical circuitry includes a print engine microcomputer 202 and an image microcomputer 204 . the print engine microcomputer 202 is primarily responsible for controlling the movement of the print medium 45 and the thermal transfer ribbon ( if any ) through the print medium path 38 and supplying print timing commands to the printhead 80 . the image microcomputer 204 produces the images which are to be printed on the print medium . the print engine microcomputer 202 includes a print engine microprocessor 208 , a read - only memory ( rom ) 210 , an input interface 212 , and an output interface 214 . the rom 210 communicates with the print engine microprocessor 208 over bidirectional lines . the input interface 212 transmits input signals to the print engine microprocessor 208 and the print engine microprocessor 208 transmits output signals to the output interface 214 . the image microcomputer 204 includes an image microprocessor 216 . the print engine microprocessor 208 and the image microprocessor 216 both communicate over bidirectional lines with a shared random access memory ( ram ) 206 . in addition , the print engine microprocessor 208 communicates interrupt signals to the image microprocessor 216 and the image microprocessor 216 communicates interrupt signals to the print engine microprocessor 208 . through the output interface 214 , the print engine microprocessor 208 sends control signals to a ribbon take - up drive 218 , a ribbon supply drive 220 , a stepper motor drive 222 , and a head motor drive 224 . the stepper motor drive 222 produces appropriate drive signals and transmits them to the stepper motor 51 . movements of the print medium 45 caused by the stepper motor 50 are sensed by the sensor 226 which produces signals that are transmitted to the input interface 212 . the head motor drive 224 also produces appropriate signals and transmits them to the stepper motors 92 , 150 . movements of the printhead 80 caused by the stepper motor 92 , 150 are sensed by two sensors , the optical caliper detector 114 and a print module position sensor 228 . the optical caliper detector 114 transmits signals to the input interface 212 , indicating whether the printhead 80 is in the print mode or the idle mode . the print module position sensor 228 transmits signals to the input interface 212 , indicating whether the printer module 34 is disengaged from the motor drive module 36 . as indicated above , detailed illustrative embodiments are disclosed herein . however , other embodiments , which may be detailed rather differently from the disclosed embodiments , are possible . consequently , the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative : yet in that regard , they are deemed to afford the best embodiments for the purposes of disclosure and to provide a basis for the claims herein , which define the scope of the present invention .	1
referring to fig1 a dc ( direct current ) line voltage is supplied to an led ( light - emitting diodes ) module 1 via line 11 . the led module 1 consists of a functional circuitry 10 , a pcb ( printed circuit board ) led light source array 12 and a safety circuitry 14 . the functional circuitry 10 includes an input power switch circuit 22 ( shown in fig2 ) that typically converts a + 10 vdc input voltage to an 100 ma output constant current for the red , white and yellow leds , and 60 ma for the green leds of the led light source array 12 . the safety circuitry 14 includes a fuse blow out circuit 30 and a led current detector circuit 38 ( shown in fig2 ) that monitors the led &# 39 ; s current and turns off permanently the input power switch circuit 22 ( see fig2 ) by blowing the fbo fuse when the leds current is typically below 20 % of its nominal value . the pcb led light source array 12 may be , for example , a matrix of high - brightness 5 mm leds configured for redundancy . as will be described further below , the current flowing in the leds is regulated by a psu &# 39 ; s ( power supply unit ) feedback loop providing constant light flow . the leds preferably form a pattern made of 4 columns ( one group of 4 leds connected in parallel ) by 22 rows ( 22 groups connected in series ) for the red leds , 4 × 33 for the yellow leds and 6 × 15 for the green and white leds . in case of an led failure in a group over the course of operation , the current is redistributed to the other leds of the same group and the signal maintains its light output . the leds are also more generally referred to in the present specification as light - emitting diode loads . various embodiments of led arrays can be used . these embodiments are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and , accordingly , will not be further described in the present specification . referring now to fig2 the led module 1 may be made of 3 physical parts : the pcb led array 12 , a dummy load 16 and a pcb psu ( power supply unit ) 18 . the input line current is monitored by the system lod ( light out detection ) function that consists to check if the lamp is functional or not . in a preferred embodiment , the module 1 detects a light out if the input current is below a predetermined value . the psu 18 regulates the leds current in order to maintain constant light intensity . the power stage circuit 20 provides output constant power and assuming that the internal losses are almost constant for different input voltage conditions , it could be assumed that the input power delivered to the psu 18 is constant . having a constant input power , the line current amplitude is higher at 8 vdc and lower at 16 vdc . in terms of input impedance , the psu 18 has a negative slope resistance . a dummy load resistor 16 may be added across the input line to cancel out the negative slope effect of the psu &# 39 ; s input impedance . the input power switch circuit 22 isolates the dummy load when the psu 18 is off . the + 10 vdc input line voltage is fed to the psu pcb 18 via the connector j 3 . the connector j 3 provides also an interface connection to feed the + 10 vdc to the dummy load resistor 16 when the power switch circuit 22 turns on . the psu &# 39 ; s power stage circuit 20 converts the + 10 vdc to a constant current that flows in the leds 12 via the wiring cable 24 connected to connector j 1 and the led array pcb connector 26 . as shown in fig2 the psu 18 provides the following functions that will be described below : the connector j 3 is a 4 circuits connector that is used to mate the + 10 vdc voltage source and the dummy load wires with awg 16 wires , as shown in fig3 . the connectors j 2 and j 4 that are illustrated in fig3 are used only for testing the psu 18 during the manufacturing process to verify the main functions of the psu 18 . referring to fig2 and 3 , the protected input filter circuit 28 provides protection against the psu &# 39 ; s internal overload , input voltage reverse polarity and line voltage surges . the protected input filter circuit 28 filters the switching frequency of the power stage input current in order to meet fcc conducted and radiated fcc class a emc . referring to fig3 the fuse f 1 provides protection against overload greater than 2a . the power supply has a constant output current and that condition will occur only when a component fails short as described above . the diode d 1 provides protection against reverse polarity connection . the diode d 1 may be a mur420 diode having a current rating of 4a and can handle the input line current that can vary between 1 . 2 and 2a . the psu 18 may withstand a surge of 1000 volts 1 . 2 / 50 μs open circuit voltage and a 8 / 20 μs short circuit current surge having a source impedance of 2 ohms . the varistor v 1 clamps v in to 170v when subjected to these threats . the switching frequency of the power stage input current is filtered by l 1 and c 1 . measurements of the conducted and radiated emission show that the emc specifications are met . railroads safety issue requires a circuit to control the turn - on and turn - off of the led module 1 . the implementation of the input power switch circuit 22 of the psu 18 provides such protection against out of range low input voltage . the input power switch circuit 22 has a turn - on feature that monitors the input line voltage . the specifications typically require to turn on the light signal at 8 vdc and to turn it off at 4 vdc . the input power switch circuit 22 is therefore designed to turn on when the input line voltage exceeds 7 vdc and turns off below 5 . 5 vdc providing sufficient margins . referring to fig3 there is shown a combined protected input filter and input power switch circuit . the input power switch circuit 22 shown in fig2 is linked to the input voltage by a 125 ma fuse f 70 that is shown in fig3 . the fuse f 70 blows when a fbo ( fuse blow out ) command is enabled at line f 2 . that way the psu 18 will turn off and the cft ( cold filament test ) circuit 32 will detect a failure by the system &# 39 ; s controller as will be explained further below . also , to make sure that upon physical damage of the signal ( by bullet or other impact ) the input switch is kept off , a serpentine trace 42 ( shown in fig1 ) is added in series with fuse f 70 all around the psu 18 . this trace occupies a complete layer of a multi - layer pcb so that if a bullet penetrates the power supply pcb 18 or if the power supply &# 39 ; s pcb 18 is damaged , the trace 42 opens . this is equivalent as having the fuse f 70 blown and ensures detection of a dark signal in case of physical damage . referring to fig3 the function of diode d 70 is to prevent capacitor c 70 from discharging when the fbo command is activated at line f 2 . this occurs when fuse f 70 is shorted to ground . the energy bank of capacitor c 70 keeps mosfets q 70 and q 71 on long enough to blow fuse f 70 when the fbo circuit 30 is activated . the resistor r 70 provides the adequate time constant with capacitor c 70 to allow the fbo circuit 30 to open fuse f 70 when required . furthermore , the resistor r 70 limits the inrush current through fuse f 70 at turn - on . the mosfets q 70 and q 71 which act as a power switch provide the function of a solid state switch that isolates the power stage circuit 20 when the input voltage is below the input voltage range . the mosfets q 70 and q 71 turn on when the voltage at line 3 of comparator u 70 a reaches 1 . 225v and turns off when it is below it . diode d 71 is a 1 . 225v high precision voltage reference diode that is stable under temperature variations . resistor r 73 limits the bias current of diode d 71 . resistors r 71 and r 72 form the voltage divider that reduces down the input voltage to be compared to the voltage reference . the comparators u 70 a and u 70 b combined with the hysteresis resistor r 74 provide noise immunity against false triggering signals . diode d 75 forces line 1 of comparator u 70 a to low when comparator u 70 b reacts faster than comparator u 70 a . line 7 of comparator u 70 b provides the interface command of the mosfets q 70 and q 71 acting as the power switch . diodes d 71 , d 72 , d 73 and d 74 provide immunity against the varistor v 1 clamped voltage lightning surge . resistor r 77 limits the current when input line voltage surge occurs . referring to fig4 the led current detection circuit 38 disables the fbo , cft and start - up circuits 30 , 32 , 34 when the led current exceeds 20 % of its nominal value . if the led current does not reaches 20 % of i nom within 300 ms then the fbo circuit 30 blows out f 70 and the psu 18 turns off . in the current detection circuit 38 , the voltage sense v s ( the voltage across the current sense resistor ) is compared to a reference voltage . in normal operation , voltage sense v s is regulated at 2 . 5v and the reference voltage is set at 17 % of the nominal value . the 4 . 7v zener diode d 53 is biased by resistor r 57 from voltage v cc to provide voltage v ref and the voltage divider resistors r 58 and r 59 reduce voltage v ref to 0 . 43v or 17 % of nominal current i nom providing a margin of 3 %. voltage sense v s is applied at line 6 of comparator u 50 b ( inverted input ) and the 0 . 45v reference voltage at line 5 of comparator u 50 b ( non - inverted input ). at turn - on , voltage sense v s is 0v and the comparator output at line 7 of comparator u 50 b - 7 is floating ( lm2903 is an open collector comparator ) which enable the fbo , cft and start - up circuits 30 , 32 , 34 to operate . typically after 50 ms , voltage sense v s reaches 0 . 43v and line 7 of comparator u 50 b is shorted to ground to disable the fbo , cft and start - up circuits 30 , 32 , 34 . the time taken by voltage sense v s to reach 0 . 43v depends directly to the input line voltage amplitude , the amount of leds in series and the forward voltage of the leds . referring to fig5 the fuse blow out ( fbo ) circuit 30 forces the fuse f 70 to blow out when the led current is lower than 20 % of its nominal value . if that condition occurs , the link between voltage v in and the input power switch circuit 22 is permanently opened , as the mosfets q 70 and q 71 open and the psu 18 turns off . the led module 1 will then be unusable anymore and the system &# 39 ; s cft ( cold filament test ) circuit 32 detects a failure . a time delay circuit 40 has been implemented in order to provide enough time to the psu 18 to turn on ( 100 to 170 ms ) and sufficiently short to blow the fuse f 70 in a flashing mode ( 330 ms ). the time delay is obtained from the time constant given by resistors r 50 , r 51 and capacitor c 50 . capacitor c 50 ( 1 uf ) charges through resistor r 50 ( 523 k ) up to half v ref ( 2 . 4v ) and is fed to line 3 of comparator u 50 a via resistor r 53 . at turn - off , resistor r 51 provides a path to ground to discharge capacitor c 50 . in order to minimize the offset voltage of the comparator u 50 a , the resistance value of resistor r 52 matches the input impedance at line 3 of comparator u 50 a ( parallel combination of resistors r 53 and r 54 ). resistors r 53 and r 54 provide the comparator threshold voltage , at line 2 of comparator u 50 a , which matches 63 % of half v ref ( 1 . 5v ). capacitor c 50 being 1 μf , the time delay is easily computed by dividing the value of resistor r 53 by 2 where the result is in milliseconds ( 1 uf × 523 k / 2 = 262 ms ). at turn - on , capacitor c 50 charges only during 50 ms , typically , and is clamped by diode d 50 to ground by line 7 of comparator u 50 b when 20 % of led current i led is reached , as described above with regard to the led current detection circuit 38 . the clamping voltage is about 0 . 5v at 25 ° c . and will vary at hot and cold temperature . in case of a failure occurrence , where line 7 of comparator u 50 b is floating after turn - on , then capacitor c 50 starts charging from 0 . 5v toward 2 . 4v and reaches a 1 . 5v comparator threshold voltage faster but this does not cause any concern . line 1 of comparator u 50 a becomes floating when capacitor c 50 charges above 1 . 5v , voltage v cc is applied to the gate of the power mosfet q 50 via resistor r 55 , mosfet q 50 saturates pulling to ground diode d 55 , and the + 10 vdc input voltage appears across fuse f 70 and fuse f 70 blows out . in normal operation , line 7 of comparator u 50 b is shorted to ground , line 1 of comparator u 50 a maintains the mosfet &# 39 ; s q 50 gate to ground and the fbo command is disabled . diode d 54 limits the gate - source voltage of mosfet q 50 below its maximum limit of 20v . the purpose of diode d 55 is to isolate fuse f 70 from voltage v cc when the fbo circuit 30 is enabled . originally , the cold filament test ( cft ) has been incorporated to verify if the filament of the incandescent lamp is open or not . the system controller supplies the lamp for 2 ms and checks the lamp current . of course , 2 ms is too short for an incandescent lamp to radiate light and is sufficient to validate its status . the same test may be performed on the led module 1 to check it . when the system controller applies the input voltage to the psu 18 , the input power switch circuit 22 turns on and capacitor c 1 starts to charge up . the voltage across capacitor c 1 , v fl , is applied directly to the gate of mosfet q 60 via r 60 ( see fig6 ). typically , mosfet q 60 starts to conduct when v fl reaches 4 . 2v . v fl rises up to the + 10 vdc input line voltage . mosfet q 60 saturates and connects resistors r 61 and r 62 to ground providing 7 . 5 ohms across the + 10 vdc input line voltage . the system controller starts monitoring the led module &# 39 ; s input current after the application of the input voltage and the current must be greater than a pre - determined value , otherwise the test fails . the load current of the cft circuit 32 combined with the dummy load current and the inrush current of capacitor c 1 during turn - on provides the necessary current at 8 vdc . diode d 60 limits the gate - source voltage of mosfet q 60 below its maximum limit of 20v . in normal operation during turn - on , the cft circuit 32 stays enabled until 20 % of the led current is reached . then , line 7 of comparator u 50 b ( see fig4 ) goes low and the gate of mosfet q 60 is kept below the gate threshold voltage via diode d 52 disabling the cft circuit 32 . referring to fig7 the start - up circuit 34 that is shown in fig2 is a switch - mode boost converter that uses the voltage across capacitor c 1 , v fl , ( shown in fig3 ) to generate voltage v cc . the duty cycle is constant and set to get an output voltage of 15v for an input voltage of 7v . the pulse width modulator ( pwm ), u 1 ( shown in fig9 ), needs 15v to start up . the start - up circuit 34 stays enabled until 20 % of the led current is reached . the start - up circuit stops feeding v cc and lines 6 and 10 of transformer t 1 start feeding v cc via resistor r 49 and diode d 5 ( shown in fig9 ). the boost converter is fed from v fl and is made of inductor l 30 , mosfet q 30 , diode d 31 and capacitor c 3 . inductor l 30 builds energy in its core when mosfet q 30 is on and inductor l 30 transfers its energy to capacitor c 3 via diode d 31 when mosfet q 30 is off . mosfet q 30 is driven at a constant rate of 50 % provided by timer circuit u 30 and the voltage at capacitor c 3 is about twice v fl . line 3 of timer circuit u 30 , se555cn timer , works in the a stable mode where the duty cycle is set by resistors r 33 , r 34 and capacitor c 32 . the supply voltage at line 8 of timer circuit u 30 is limited to 14v by diode d 32 . voltage v fl could reach 36v for 80 ms . resistor r 31 is the bias resistor of diode d 32 . capacitor c 31 is a high frequency bypass capacitor used to filter the control voltage at line 5 of timer circuit u 30 . the reset at line 4 of timer circuit u 30 is kept high by the pull - up resistor r 32 to ensure the operation at line 3 of timer circuit u 30 . the start - up circuit 34 stays enabled until 20 % of the led current is reached . then , line 7 of comparator u 50 b ( shown in fig4 ) goes low pulling down to ground the reset pin at line 4 of timer circuit u 30 to disable line 3 of timer circuit u 30 . referring to fig8 the purpose of the quick - bleeder circuit 36 ( also shown in fig2 ) is to turn off faster the led module 1 . the bleeder circuit 36 uses a peak voltage detector to monitor the switching waveform voltage of transformer t 1 . at turn - off , the switching waveform voltage disappears and a 1 kohm resistor r 1 is shunted across the output capacitor c 7 to force capacitor c 7 to discharge faster . the auxiliary voltage , v aux , is a square waveform that is used to feed v cc via diode d 5 ( shown in fig7 ). capacitor c 6 charges up to v aux via resistor r 49 and diode d 8 . diode d 8 prevents capacitor c 6 from discharging when v aux is 0v . capacitor c 6 discharges slowly through resistor r 17 and transistor q 5 , based on a time constant established by capacitor c 6 and resistor r 17 . capacitor c 6 recharges at the beginning of each cycle of v aux . the saturation of transistor q 5 is maintained as long as the voltage across capacitor c 6 is sufficient to drive the base current such as the forced hfe is greater than 15 ( forced hfe = ic / ib ). the collector of transistor q 5 forces the gate of transistor q 4 to ground thus keeping transistor q 4 off . the led module turn - off command occurs when the system controller removes the + 10 vdc from the input voltage line . the input power switch circuit 22 turns off and the switching waveform voltage v aux stops when the energy of the input filter made of inductor l 1 and capacitor c 1 vanishes . capacitor c 6 stops recharging and discharges slowly toward 0v at a time rate of 100 μs . after 500 uμs , transistor q 5 turns off , the gate of transistor q 4 charges up to 14v , limited by diode d 9 , via resistor r 16 . transistor q 4 turns on when v gs exceeds 4 . 2v and resistor r 1 is pulled down to ground . capacitor c 7 discharges through the leds and resistor r 1 . without the use of the bleeder resistor r 1 , capacitor c 7 would discharge at a constant rate established by the characteristic v f − i f of the leds down to v f minimum . at v f minimum , i f is very small and capacitor c 7 would discharge even slower . the resultant would be that the leds would still emit light that would be detected by the eyes . resistor r 1 will force capacitor c 7 discharging down to 0v in a short period of time . referring to fig9 the boost power stage circuit 20 that is shown in fig2 is a switch - mode converter that transforms the + 10 vdc voltage across capacitor c 1 , v fl , to a constant output dc current to feed the leds . that way the leds emit constant light . a boost converter topology is used since the resultant voltage across the leds is 57v for 22 red leds , 75v for 33 yellow leds and 52v for 15 green leds . the pulse width modulator , u 1 , starts up when v cc exceeds 15v . the power stage is fed from v fl and is made of transformer t 1 ( primary winding inductance at lines 1 and 5 ), mosfet q 1 , diode d 7 , and capacitor c 7 . transformer t 1 ( at lines 1 and 5 ) builds energy in its core when mosfet q 1 is on and that energy is transferred to capacitor c 7 via diode d 7 when mosfet q 1 is off . mosfet q 1 is driven by line 7 of pwm u 1 where resistor r 8 limits the turn - on gate current . the pulse width modulator , u 1 , ( mc33262 ) does not have an oscillator but the operation frequency is determined by the power stage . the power stage is a peak detector current - mode boost converter that operates in critical conduction mode at a fixed on - time and variable off - time . the critical conduction mode is the boundary limit between the continuous and the discontinuous conduction mode of the power inductor current leading to stable current loop without the need of slope compensation . there is no switching loss at turn - on when using the critical mode . the off - time is determined when transformer t 1 is completely discharged . the voltage at transformer t 1 ( lines 10 and 6 ), v aux , is fed to line 5 of pwm u 1 via resistor r 5 . when the voltage at line 5 of pwm u 1 goes below 1 . 5v , pwm u 1 resets the drive output at line 7 of pwm u 1 and mosfet q 1 turns on . the switching power stage current is sensed by the parallel combination of resistors r 7 and r 9 . the on - time ends when the boost inductor current reaches a determined peak value . the boost inductor current is sensed by resistors r 7 and r 9 . the resultant sensed voltage is filtered by resistor r 6 and capacitor c 5 and fed to line 4 of pwm u 1 . the voltage at line 4 of pwm u 1 is compared to a voltage reference established by the product combination of the voltage at lines 2 and 3 of pwm u 1 . the power mosfet q 1 turns off when the voltage at u 1 - 4 exceeds the voltage reference . the voltage at u 1 - 3 is proportional to the input voltage v fl determined by the voltage divider made of resistors r 2 and r 3 thus allowing feedforward compensation for the input voltage variations . the voltage across the leds current sense resistor is fed to line 1 of pwm u 1 and internally inverted . that feedback voltage is available at line 2 of pwm u 1 where capacitor c 4 is used to compensate the loop . the leds current being constant , the peak current of transitor t 1 at lines 1 and 5 is directly proportional to the input voltage and the on - time remains constant . capacitor c 2 is a high frequency bypass capacitor used to filter the feedforward voltage at line 3 of pwm u 1 . diode d 10 clamps the voltage at − 0 . 2v to prevent false triggering . the power stage provides the feature to select the leds current using a shunt with s 1 . the current selection is : 40 ma , 60 ma , 80 ma , 100 ma and 120 ma . current sense resistors r 40 , r 41 , r 43 - r 47 are used to set the leds current at the predetermined value shown above . in normal operation , the voltage is regulated to 2 . 5v at line 1 of pwm u 1 and the current value is obtained by dividing 2 . 5v by the current sense resistor . resistor r 42 and capacitor c 8 is a low pass filter to attenuate the switching ripple across capacitor c 7 . although the present disclosure describes particular types of transistors in the different circuits shown in the figures , it should be kept in mind that these different types of transistors can be substituted or replaced by other available types of transistors . although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to this precise embodiment and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention .	8
the present invention is based on the observation that some materials , such as , but not limited to metals , can be bound to a surface by a highly controllable way and , said materials , then can be used to trigger substantial release of energy on the surface when the surface and its content are exposed to em radiation , including , but is not limited to , microwave radiation . depending on the intensity of microwave radiation and properties of the surface and said material , the effect from release of the energy can vary from local over - heating of the surface to micro - explosion ( arcing ) and even ejecting substance from the surface . spatial size of the area on the surface affected by the release of em radiation energy might be significantly bigger than the size of the area initially covered by the material which has triggered the process . therefore , the change on the surface , which resulted from the release of em radiation energy , can be used to point out the location on the surface and quantitatively characterize the amount of said material to provide information about the primary process which bound radiation absorbing material to the surface . in particular , we have discovered that biomolecules , such as oligonucleotides or proteins , bound to a surface and tagged with metal particles can then be detected , and the location of the biomolecules on the surface can be identified by exposing the surface and its content to an electromagnetic radiation , and particularly , to microwave radiation , and more specifically , through the steps of : 1 . solid surface , on which analysis will be performed , first is prepared by covering or by painting the surface with a thin layer of a material ( paint ) with a distinguishable property , i . e ., either of an optical property , mechanical property , magnetic property , or chemical property . said surface might be a surface of a plate of glass , plastic , or any other material which does not have significant absorption of em radiation , which said radiation is used for treatment as described herein . said plate might have any shape and size including , but not limited to , the rectangular shape or might be shaped as a disk , similar to a computer compact disk ( cd ) or computer floppy disk . a microarray of probe oligonucleotide or proteins is prepared on said surface by binding the species to the surface the way it is described in the previous art , see , e . g ., gingeras , et al ., “ hybridization properties of immobilized nucleic acids ”, nucleic acids res ., 15 ( 13 ), 5373 - 5390 ( 1987 ); saiki et al , “ genetic analysis of amplified dna with immobilized sequence - specific oligonucleotide probes ”, proc . natl . acad . sci . usa ., 86 , 6230 - 6234 ( 1989 ); chee et al , “ accessing genetic information with high - density dna arrays ”, science , 274 , 5287 ( 1996 ); cheung et al , “ making and reading microarrays ”, nature genetics , 21 ( 1 ), 15 - 20 ( 1999 ); lipshutz et al , “ high density synthetic oligonucleotide arrays ”, nature genetics , 21 ( 1 ), 20 - 25 ( 1999 ). the cited art is hereby incorporated herein by reference so that the general procedures and methods in that art that are of use to practice of the present invention need not be rewritten herein . location on the surface of each specific type of probe is known and the location of the probe can be used to uniquely identify type of the specie , for example , based on its sequence in the case of oligonucleotide , or based on sequence and / or structure in the case of proteins . 2 . said surface with immobilized probes is exposed to solution of target species , which would be bound or hybridized to the probes on the surface if said target is complementary to the probe because of the primary sequence . ( for example , in the case of oligonucleotides , or structure , in the case of proteins .) the targets do not bound to the surface if they are not complementary to the probes on the surface , see , e . g ., dale ( 2000 ) u . s . pat . no . 6 , 087 , 112 ; hori et al ., ( 2001 ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 194 , 148 ; fodor et al ., ( 2001 ) u . s . pat . no . 6 , 197 , 326 ; fodor et al ., ( 1992 ), pat . no . wo92 / 10588 ; virtanen , ( 1998 ), pat . no . wo98 / 01533 . the target species have the capability of attaching reporter molecules or particles through the reaction similar to biotin - streptavidin reaction , thioether linkage , or other methods of covalent or non - covalent molecule - surface binding known from the previous art , see , e . g ., forster et al , “ non - radioactive hybridization probes prepared by the chemical labeling of dna and rna with a novel reagent , photobiotin ”, nucleic acids research , 13 ( 3 ), 745 - 761 ( 1985 ); symons et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 898 , 951 ; lavrich et al , “ physiosorption and chemisorption of alkanethiols and alkylsulfides on au ( 111 )”, princenton university , princeton , n . j . 08544 ; hegde et al ., “ a concise guide to cdna microarray analysis ”, biotechniques , 29 , 548 - 562 ( 2000 ) 3 . the targets , which were not bound or hybridized to the probes on the surface during step 2 , are washed away and the surface and bound species are exposed to the solution of reporter material , either molecules or particles , including either micro - or nano - meter size particles . the material for the reporter species is chosen from a set of materials which can efficiently interact and / or absorb electromagnetic radiation . such materials might include , but are not limited to , pure metals , metal alloys , metal compounds , semiconductors , etc . the reporter particles are attached to the surface in locations where target and probe have been bound or hybridized . 4 . when necessary , the surface with immobilized tagging particles can be additionally treated by confining said surface substrate between two smooth solid surfaces ( casts ) and by applying pressure to the casts of usually not less than 10 5 pa , which of capable to squeeze said substrate and the tagging particles on said substrate surface to the degree when the tagging particles would penetrate or immerse into the sensitive layer of said substrate . such treatment can improve the mechanical contact between tagging particles and solid substrate . 5 . substrate with species on its surface tagged by the reporter is placed for treatment into a microwave oven similar or identical to a consumer microwave oven . equally acceptable , said substrate can be treated by any other source of electromagnetic radiation , including , but is not limited to a source of coherent laser radiation , whereby said source is capable to produce radiation which can be absorbed / dissipated by tagging particles . next , the sample is exposed to an electromagnetic radiation . the exposure time can vary from seconds to minutes depending on which property of the substrate and reporter particles is used . extensive release energy of em radiation in the spots modifies or damages the underlying layer of the substrate , which was sensitized as was described in the step 1 . the size of the area where the substrate coverage was affected by em radiation might be significantly bigger than the area originally covered by a reporter material . this , in fact , increases visibility of the small amount of reporter material on the surface and makes it possible to detect the location on the surface and measure the quantity of the reporter material . since the reporter material would be allocated only in spots where probe and target were bound or hybridized , the modification of the substrate surface by em radiation indicates the spots where the probe is complimentary to the target . therefore the sequence or structural information about target can be obtained for dna and protein microarrays respectively . 6 . yet in the another embodiment of the invention , we discovered that the solid surface , on which analysis will be performed , first can be covered or painted by a thin layer of a magnetic paint , which is similar or identical to one used in manufacturing computer floppy disks , see , e . g ., j . u . lemke , “ magnetic storage : principles and trends ”, mrs bulletin , march 1990 , pp . 31 - 35 ; m . p . sharrock , “ particulate recording media ”, mrs bulletin , march 1990 , pp . 53 - 61 ; and j . h . judy , “ thin film recording media ”, mrs bulletin , march 1990 , pp . 63 - 72 . said surface might be a plastic disk similar or identical to a computer floppy disk . before performing steps 2 - 4 as described above for obtaining sequence or structural information on target moieties , the surface of the disk can be magnetized or special magnetic pattern can be recorded on the disk essentially through the same steps used for recording digital information on floppy disks . then steps 2 - 4 can be pursued as described herein . release of em energy on the surface of the magnetic paint can destroy the magnetic pattern recorded on the disk , either because of producing mechanical damage of the surface or because of demagnetizing the magnetic material in the spots where reporter material was bound to the surface . we would like point out here that magnetizing and demagnetizing magnetic material in the spots due to rising temperature is known , for example , from technology of magneto - optical computer disks , or from the approach of “ thermo - coping ” magnetic audio and video records when chromium based magnetic media is used . the condition of the magnetic layer and magnetized pattern can be analyzed by reading back the magnetic pattern and by comparing what was read with what was recorded at the same spot on the disk . read errors , i . e ., the discrepancy in the pattern read versus the pattern that has been written , would indicate the spots where the reporter material was bound to the surface , and thus , would indicate the location where probe and target were hybridized . it is essential that in this embodiment of the invention the target - probe bond or hybridization can be detected even when the underlying array &# 39 ; s surface stays mechanically intact . the hybridization events still can be detected because of complete or partial destruction of the magnetic pattern on the array &# 39 ; s surface . 7 . yet in the another embodiment of the invention , we also discovered that the solid surface , on which analysis will be performed , first can be covered or painted with a concentric pattern of tracks in a way very similar or identical to that used for manufacturing of a recordable compact disk ( cd ). said surface might be a plastic disk similar or identical to a computer compact disk ( cd ). before performing steps 2 - 4 as described above for obtaining sequence or structural information of the target moieties , an optical properties of the tracks on the surface can be modified by burning a pattern , which is performed similar or identical to the way information is written to computer compact disk ( cd ). then steps 2 - 4 can be pursued as described above dissipation of electromagnetic energy on the surface of the paint can destroy the tracks and the pattern burned on the disk mainly by means of producing mechanical damage or because of modifying optical properties of the paint in the spots where reporter material was bound to the surface . the condition of the tracks and recorded pattern can be analyzed by reading back the pattern and by comparing what was read with what was recorded at the same spot on the disk . read errors , i . e ., the discrepancy of the pattern read versus the pattern that has been written , would indicate the spots where the reporter material was bound to the surface , and thus , would indicate the location where probe and target moieties were hybridized . 8 . yet in another embodiment of the invention , we found the steps 2 - 4 can be pursued using a plate , referred as a reaction plate , with a surface which was not treated as described in step 1 . to detect spots where probe and target were bound or hybridized and where the reporter material was bound to the surface plate , the reaction plate after pursuing step 4 is placed in close mechanical contact with another plate , referred as witness plate , which was treated as described in the step 1 above , but which did not go through the step 2 - 4 . the assembly of the reaction and witness plates then is put for treatment by a source of em radiation , such as , for example , a microwave oven . extensive release energy of em radiation in the spots where the reporter material is bound to the surface of the reaction plate modifies or damages the layer of paint of the witness plate , which is in close mechanical contact with the reaction plate . therefore , the procedure enables transfer of the pattern from the reaction plate with the spots of the reporter material onto the surface of the witness plate . later the witness plate can be analyzed to find out spots where the probe and target moieties were hybridized on the reaction plate . an important aspect of this embodiment of the invention is that two different plates are used for monitoring binding or hybridization , such that the surface of one plate , the reaction plate , can be optimized for attachment probes and for hybridization , and the surface of the another plate , the witness plate , can be optimized for efficient detection of a small amount of the reporter material . the monitoring of the witness plate can be done using the techniques including , but not limited to , magnetic or optical detection as known from the previous art and was disclosed herein . the following section presents particular examples of implementation of the system covered by this invention . however , possible design of the system is not limited to these particular examples . the disclosure presented herein enables one of average skill in the art to practice the present invention in many different forms to achieve a desired analyte or particle detection capability to suit many others diagnostic assay format types , and apparatus types . different types of inexpensive apparatus and test kits can be made by practice of the invention in one form or another to suit a specific analytic diagnostic need . an objective of this particular example is to overcome some current limitation of sensitivity and selectivity of dna microarrays . in this example , highly sensitive detection of dna hybridization on a surface can be achieved by amplifying a small change of a local property of the surface at the spot where hybridization has occurred . the array surface can be monitored and hybridization on the surface can be qualitatively and quantitatively characterized by using inexpensive and highly developed technology based on an optical reader similar to a computer cd reader . for an outline of relevant prior art see , e . g ., wang et al , ( 1999 ), u . s . pat . no . 5 , 922 , 617 ; adelman , ( 1997 ), u . s . pat . no . 5 , 656 , 429 ; virtanen , ( 2001 ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 200 , 755 ; gordon et al ., ( 1996 ), pat . no . wo96 / 09548 ; demers , ( 1998 ), pat . no . wo98 / 12559 ; virtanen , ( 1998 ), pat . no . wo98 / 38510 ; and remacle , ( 1999 ), pat . no . wo99 / 35399 . by using approach disclosed in our present invention the sensitivity of detection of biopolymer molecules can he further improved versus approaches and techniques known from the previous art . an overview of steps for preparing the surface of a cd microarray for hybridization detection and using em radiation treatment for enhancing detection sensitivity are presented in steps illustrated in fig1 - 5 . more details are described as follows : a . a writable cd is used as a substrate for preparing dna array . the cd surface is covered by a thin layer of a “ witness ” material , i . e , a layer of water - non - soluble dye which has strong optical absorption for detection . the witness material can cover the surface uniformly , or it can be deposited with a pattern of concentric tracks on a disk surface depending on the kind of equipment used to analyze the surface . b . as illustrated in fig2 probes are immobilized on small spots of the surface , such that each spot contains probes with a specific sequence and the location on the surface of each particular probe is known ( see fig2 ). a number of methods and commercial kits are available to link dna to the surface . as an example , in the protocol from brown lab of stanford university , the array surface is first covered by polylysine , following with rehydration , printing probes and uv crosslinking . some other protocols include aldehyde coating for the direct attachment of dna to the surface , and using epoxysilynated surfaces to tether dna containing amino linkages at its termini . c . before performing hybridization with probes , genomic target dnas or pcr products are labeled with biotin . it is equally acceptable to use either terminal biotin labeling during the pcr process or the photoactivable form of biotin for covalent attachment to nucleic acids as described by forster et al , “ non - radioactive hybridization probes prepared by the chemical labeling of dna and rna with a novel reagent , photobiotin ”, nucleic acids research , 13 ( 3 ), 745 - 761 ( 1985 ); see also symons et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 898 , 951 . once the target dna is prepared , the array surface is exposed to the solution of the biotinylated target dna . then target and probe molecules are hybridized on spots where probe and target have complementary sequence as illustrated in fig3 . d . array surface is exposed to a colloid solution of streptavidin coated metal particles . micro - size metal particles with streptavidin on the surface are currently commercially available from a few vendors . during this step , metal particles are attached to the array &# 39 ; s surface on spots where probes and biotinylated targets are hybridized . ( see fig4 ) to remove non - specifically hybridized molecules , the array can be washed at the temperature just 1 - 2 degrees below the optimal stringency temperature . this step is expected to be especially efficient for metal tagged hybridized complexes . it was discovered recently , tagging by a metal alters the melting profiles of the hybridized probe and target dnas , see , e . g ., taton et al , scanometric dna array detetction with nanoparticle probes ”, science , 289 , 1757 - 1760 ( 2000 ) and references herein . the difference permits better discrimination between perfectly matched and mismatched hybridization and therefore provides a unique opportunity to improve selectivity . attachment of metal particles to hybridized dna complexes provide advantages in delivering a desirable amount of reporter material per single dna complex , as compared with conventional fluorescent tagging . indeed , consideration of mechanical strength of the probe - target pair indicates that even single complex is able to anchor a 1 um size particle on the array surface . the amount of tagging material can be of 7 × 10 − 12 g versus the mass of a single fluorescent molecule of 2 × 10 − 22 g . when metal particles immobilized on dielectric substrate are exposed to em radiation , and particularly to microwave radiation , the energy absorbed by metal particles can be significantly higher than the em energy absorbed and released by a dielectric substrate . fast energy release in metal causes its overheating and explosive evaporation which “ bums ” and damages the surface area much bigger than the area originally covered by a metal . fig5 , and 7 illustrate this process schematically and fig9 shows that the em radiation heating can produce the mark from the sample on one plate to the other . fig1 a , b shows a photograph of the actual effect of microwave radiation on the spot covered by gold particles . fig1 a shows the spot covered by gold particles deposited on the substrate by drying colloid solution of 25 nm size particles . a total amount of gold in the spot in fig1 a can be estimated as 10 − 8 g . the particles have effectively covered an area of 1000 sq . um , thus the density of the gold coverage is estimated as 10 − 11 g / sq . um . the substrate was then exposed to microwave radiation ; the volume density of radiation in the microwave cavity was 10 kw / m 3 . the exposure time was of 10 sec . fig9 b shows the picture of the surface taken after the surface was exposed by microwave radiation . marks in fig9 b indicate damage spots were found only in the area covered by gold particles . the initial size of “ nucleus ” where explosive evaporation have occur can be estimated as about 1 sq . um , and therefore the amount of metal material required for easily detectable damage on the surface at the present experimental condition is of 10 − 11 g . in this experiment 25 nm gold particles were used to deposit gold material on the surface . the mass of an individual colloid particle estimated from its size and the density of gold is 25 nm × 25 nm × 25 nm × 12 . 500 g / cm 3 = 10 − 16 g , and one can estimate that the number of gold particles in a single cluster which initiated the damage on the surface is about 3 × 10 5 . this number corresponds to the number of dna molecules in the local spot on the surface to be detected . the amount is equal to about 0 . 0005 femto mole . this sensitivity is two to three orders of magnitude better than fluorescence detection of dna and also significantly more sensitive than radioactive tagging method . further increase of sensitivity can be achieved by increasing the intensity of the microwave radiation and by increasing the size of the metal particle used for tagging . we expect that optimization of the experimental condition can increase the sensitivity by another one to two order of magnitude , compared with what has been presented here . in principle , there is a potential to even detect single dna hybridization . with the improvement of sensitivity , the use of pcr may not be needed . it will save significant time for dna analysis . it can also be used to probe genomic dnas . to make microarray reading less expensive and easy to use in the field , in this particular example of implementation of the invention , we will take the benefit of know - how developed in the computer field to prepare dna array on disks similar to optical compact disk ( cd ) and use a commercial computer cd drive as a platform for reading the array . preparation and use of a standard cd disk in such an experiment is illustrated in fig1 . a standard commercial recordable cd - r is a plastic 5 ″ disk assembled as a sandwich of polycarbonate substrate with dye recording layer , reflective metallic film , and protective layers on top of it . information is recorded on cd - r using a laser to burn pits in the organic dye . photochemical decomposition of dye on the surface of the disk produced during the recording phase changes optical properties . it can be detected and read during the reading phase , when the laser beam is tightly focused onto the recording surface of the disk which is in contact with the reflective layer . to use a standard commercial disk as a substrate for dna array , the protective layer needs to be removed as shown in fig1 to provide access to the recording surface of the disk . the surface then can be treated and the dna probe can be attached to the surface using known dna &# 39 ; s microarrays protocols . after hybridization and tagging dna with metal particles , the disk is exposed to microwave radiation , which causes explosive evaporation of the metal clusters on the surface and produces damage of the organic dye on the recording surface that is very similar the way a laser produces photo - chemical decomposition of dye during the recording phase . the disk can be read by a standard cd reader and the area where probe and metal attached target dna hybridized will be recognized because of the change of the optical property of the disk . the reading noise can be reduced significantly if , before using the cd for dna detection , the disk is formatted by recording a reference pattern using a standard cd writer . the pattern recorded on disk might be a file , for example , with a continuous set of 0 and 1 : 01010101 . . . the pattern provides a reference set for the comparison of what was written and what was actually read from the same spatial location on the disk . read errors are generated in spots where recording media was damaged by explosive evaporation of metal particles . the errors mark spots where probe and target dna were hybridized . fig1 shows a snapshot of a computer screen using our experimental system to analyze the surface of recording media . the top view window shows an analog signal acquired from an individual track of the disk and the bottom view window shows a map representation of 1 cm × 1 cm area of the disk with spots marking the surface on the disk where recording error was detected . the spots in the bottom view window in fig1 marks defects on the disk , which were created by directly depositing non - magnetic metal material on the disk &# 39 ; s surface . similar approach and system can be used to analyze surface of the magnetic media , such as magnetic diskette , where said media and its surface can be used to carry an array of probes for hybridization analysis .	1
the invention will be more fully and completely discussed and understood with reference to the following drawings : fig1 is a side view of a cushion constructed in accordance with the prior art ; fig2 is a cross - section of a cushion constructed in accordance with the present invention ; fig3 a - 3c show in cross - section a number of typical convoluting patterns which may be employed in practicing my invention . in the construction of the fiberfill wrapped cushions of the prior art , as shown in fig1 a rectilinear foam core 10 , is wrapped with a batt of non - woven fibers 11 , the ends of which are joined at 12 by stitching or adhesive , or are merely overlapped . in the practice of the invention foam blocks of the desired pre - determined dimensions are passed through conventional apparatus to provide blocks which have a convoluted upper surface and a smooth back surface . these blocks are then cut to produce a core of a size suitable to obtain the desired outer dimensions of the pillow , sofa or chair seat or back cushion . as shown in fig2 a pair of these convoluted blocks 21 and 22 are then put together back - to - back leaving the convoluted faces exposed , and then wrapped with a quantity of resilient non - woven fibrous material 23 which is sufficient to provide the desired exterior contour and fullness to the finished upholstered cushion product . if desired for reasons of foam material availability or the need to produce cushions of unusually large thickness an additional foam block having flat surfaces can be inserted between the two convoluted blocks . the blocks can be cemented together with a suitable adhesive in order to facilitate their subsequent handling and wrapping . suitable adhesives are known in the art and include organic solutions or aqueous emulsions of rubber , polyvinyl chloride , polyvinyl acetate and their copolymers ; polyurethanes , acrylates , starches ; proteins and 100 % ( neat ) adhesives such as hot melts from polyamides or from ethylene - vinyl acetate copolymers . the types of resilient flexible foam material which are in use in the furniture and bedding manufacturing industry , and which are suitable for use in producing the convoluted foam cores of the invention include latex foam rubber , polyurethane foam , both polyester and polyether , and vinyl foams . because of its ready availability from numerous sources , relative economy and its desirable properties , a polyester polyurethane type of foam is preferred in the practice of the invention . the depth of the convolutions in the outer surfaces of the foam core are determined at least in part by the thickness of the individual pieces making up the cushion . for ease and economy of manufacture and fabrication the thickness of each piece of smooth - backed convoluted foam will be one - half of the overall foam thickness desired . thus , if the cushion is to contain a foam core of a nominal thickness of five and one - half inches each piece will measure two and three - quarter inches from the top of the foam lands to the smooth back . satisfactory results have been obtained with convolutions ranging in depth from 17 % to 80 % of the total thickness of the foam core . the preferred range for cushions having an overall thickness of from five to six inches is to provide convolutions having a depth in the range of from 25 % to 75 %. although any of the various patterns for the convoluted foam surface shown in fig3 are suitable for use in the practice of the invention those of 3b and 3c are preferred as having geometrically uniform patterns without regard to the orientation of the cushion face . various soft non - woven fibrous materials exhibiting high loft , such as the polyester material sold under the trademark dacron 91 by the dupont company , are especially useful in the practice of the invention . because of its popularity and widespread availability of polyester fiberfill to the united states furniture industry , the examples described below have been directed to the use of this particular product . however , as will be apparent to anyone possessing any degree of skill in this art , any number of other similar non - woven , high loft fibrous products such as nylon , rayon , cellulose acetate and the like which have comparable properties can be substituted . the polyester fiberfill batting used for wrapping the convoluted foam core should give good loft and bulk support with a mimimum of weight . to maintain the integrity of the non - woven fibers for use and handling the batts are commercially sold either in bonded form , using a resin , or are sewn to a light - weight cloth cover . sewn batting commonly employs cheesecloth on one or both sides of the fiberfill and costs substantially more than the unsewn batting . while the fiberfill batting of the bonded or unsewn type , or either of the sewn types can be used in the practice of the invention , the unsewn material is preferred for reasons of economy . the quantity of non - woven resilient fibrous material to be applied about the resilient flexible foam block will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art or can be determined without undue experimentation , as that quantity which is necessary when put into the pillow covering or upholstery material to provide a tailored look and the desired fullness to the finished article . batts of polyester fiberfill material are commercially available in uncompressed thickness of from about one - half to three inches . in the practice of the invention , a polyester fiberfill batt ranging in thickness from one to two inches is preferred . a satisfactory density for the one - inch material is approximately 3 / 4 of an ounce per square foot . the fiberfill batt 23 shown in fig2 can be wrapped about the convoluted surfaces of the foam core in a single layer of the desired thickness , or multiple layers can be wrapped to build up to the desired thickness . where at least one outer layer of cheesecloth is sewn to the batting this can be hand - stitched at 24 following wrapping to facilitate further handling of the cushion , and its stuffing into the final cover . as an alternative to stitching , the ends of the batting can be butted together as shown in fig2 and joined with a suitable adhesive . this type of butt seam is preferably located along one of the edges of the core rather than on a convoluted surface . the principal advantages to be achieved from the invention is a cushion which has superior softness and comfort , which maintains its luxurious appearance during a longer period of use and which is much more economical to produce than either cushions containing fiberfill alone , or those containing a smooth foam core wrapped with fiberfill batting . it is believed that these advantages are obtained in the novel construction of the invention as a result of the interaction between the non - woven fiberfill and the peaks and valleys of the convoluted surface of the foam core . the convoluted surface has the ability to hold the non - woven fibers batting in place and prevent slipping and sagging . it also provides in conjunction with the fiberfill , a surface area that combines a close and gradually varying pattern of supporting regions with pockets of the softer material . various combinations of plain and convoluted resilient flexible foam cores wrapped with resilient non - woven fibrous batts were constructed and subjectively tested for appearance and comfort , but none was found to provide the superior performance as that of the present invention . in order to obtain subjective criteria for the purposes of comparing various cushion constructions , samples are prepared by cutting 20 &# 34 ; by 20 &# 34 ; blocks from the same ether - based flexible polyurethane foam material and wrapping each with a single one - inch thickness of non - woven polyester fiberfill batting having a density of 3 / 4 ounce per square foot . the ends of the batting are joined with adhesive and without overlapping . the samples are of the following constructions : sample 2 : foam 51 / 2 inches thick convoluted one side only , pattern 3b of fig3 . sample 3 : foam 23 / 4 &# 34 ; thick two pieces back - to - back , convoluted back and front , pattern 3b of fig3 . sample 4 : two pieces 23 / 4 &# 34 ; thick single convoluted foam , peaks in same direction , pattern 3b . sample 5 : same two pieces as in sample 4 with peaks meshed into other &# 39 ; s valleys , ( i . e . nested ). when the above samples were laid flat and gradually compressed against a firm surface by hand , sample 1 feels least comfortable because the initial softness is quickly replaced by a feeling of firmness so that if hand pressure is applied quickly and forcefully , all that is felt is firmness , substantially as though the foam were not wrapped with any fiberfill batting . product of sample 5 substantially duplicates the feel of sample 1 . when the product of sample 2 is tested with peaks toward the pressing hand , the initial sensation of softness tends to last longer as the hand gradually presses down and a sensation of firmness does not come as quickly when the hand presses down either gradually or forcefully . when product of sample 2 is tested with peaks pointed toward a flat unyielding surface , a wobbly sensation is felt rather than one of comfort . the wobbly feeling and lack of either comfort or firmness are even stronger when the product of sample 4 is tested ( with both sets of peaks simultaneously pointed in the same direction ) regardless of whether they are pointed up or down . product of sample 3 , which can be tested from either side , gives better initial softness than any of the others , a richer feeling of comfort as the hand comes down and no hardness to the firming as the hand comes down forcefully . a further subjective comparison is made between sample cushions measuring 20 &# 34 ; by 20 &# 34 ; constructed as follows : sample 6 : laminate of 1 - inch thick unconvoluted supersoft polyester urethane foam to 3 - inch thickness of foam of earlier examples using no batting . sample 7 : two pieces of convoluted foam each 2 &# 34 ; thick back - to - back , patterns 3a in fig3 no batting . sample 8 : same as sample 7 but wrapped with a single 2 &# 34 ; thickness of polyester fiberfill batting . despite the fact that the product of sample 8 is far more massive than the other two , it produces a much softer feel for a longer period of time as additional pressure is applied to it so that even when the cushion is forcefully hand compressed there was no final &# 34 ; bottoming out &# 34 ; felt .	0
it must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ”, and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . thus , for example , reference to “ a compound ” includes a plurality of compounds . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . as used herein the following terms have the following meanings . the term “ about ” when used before a numerical designation , e . g ., temperature , time , amount , concentration , and such other , including a range , indicates approximations which may vary by (+) or (−) 10 %, 5 % or 1 %, or any subrange or subvalue there between . “ comprising ” or “ comprises ” is intended to mean that the compositions and methods include the recited elements , but not excluding others . “ consisting essentially of ” when used to define compositions and methods , shall mean excluding other elements of any essential significance to the combination for the stated purpose . thus , a device or method consisting essentially of the elements as defined herein would not exclude other materials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic ( s ) of the claimed invention . “ consisting of ” shall mean excluding more than trace elements of other ingredients and substantial method steps . embodiments defined by each of these transition terms are within the scope of this invention . one aspect of the invention is described in further detail below with reference to the drawings . as shown in fig1 , a fast high - pressure syngas sampling apparatus , comprising a main gas line 1 , a sample container 3 filled with liquid and sample tube 6 , a closed circuit of bypass gas line 11 is coupled with the main gas line 1 . the upper end of the sample tube 6 is connected with bypass gas line 11 , the sampling tube 6 extends into the inside of the sample container 3 , on top of the sampling container 3 is gas outlet pipe 23 . a gas distributor 5 is attached to the bottom of the sampling tube 6 , syngas flows through the gas distributor thus dispersing more evenly into the liquid . the gas outlet pipe 23 is connected with the pressure regulator 12 and a low pressure orifice 13 . the pressure regulator regulates the cooled sample gas pressure and keep it stable for analytical sampling , the low pressure orifice prevents sudden gas flow increases which would otherwise result in the loss of liquid entrainment . low pressure clean syngas passes through the pressure regulator and flows at higher velocity at low pressure to analytical instruments house for various syngas components analysis . a high pressure limiting orifice 10 is attached to the upper part of the sampling tube 6 . sample bypass line 11 is provided on the particulate filter 11 a , the upper end of sampling tube 6 is connected to the particulate filter . syngas from sampling the bypass line flows through the particulate filter and high pressure limiting orifice before entering the sampling container . particulate filters are used to filter out large particles in the syngas . the upper narrowed neck section of the sampling container 3 has a built - in demister 9 , the cooled syngas passes through the demister before leaving the sample container top . in addition , the sampling container 3 is also provided with an overflow pipe 18 . the lower part of the overflow pipe 18 is connected to the lower portion of the sample container 3 . the upper end of the overflow pipe 18 is connected to the upper portion of the sample container . a manual drain valve 19 is also attached to the overflow pipe 18 . the overflow pipe 18 is connected to the drain pipe 24 , the drain pipe 24 is also equipped with a solution chamber 15 which features a liquid - repellent seat 17 with drainage holes . the solution chamber 15 is equipped with a float ball 14 , which is connected to the liquid - repellent part 16 , the part 16 matches with liquid - repellent seat 17 . the drain pipe 24 communicates with the main gas line . if sample container becomes too full the liquid will be discharged through the overflow pipe into the drain pipe . as the solution level of liquid chamber rises , the float moves up , which drive the valve resulting in liquid being discharged through the valve opening into the main gas line . as the solution level in drain pipe is reduced , the float drops down and the valve returns back to being a small opening or closed . in addition , the bottom of the sample container is provided with blowdown pipe , with upper valve 21 and the lower valve 22 , and with a liquid supplement pipe between the valves . any unclean liquid and / or solid in the sampling container can be discharged via the blow down pipe . wherein the syngas contains a small amount of fine dust , the dust will also be sampled into the sample container in contact with the liquid , any dust is washed to the bottom of the sample container the two valves of blowdown pipe will exclude the possibility of solids in the sample container . by using the blowdown pipe and two valves in cyclic mode , any sludge at the bottom of the container is discharged to the main gas pipeline . during normal operation , the upper valve opens and the blowdown volume is filled with sludge , after a certain period of time , the upper valve is turned off and the bottom valve opened , the whole volume of water and sludge is discharged , then the bottom valve is closed . a supplemental water line is used to fill the blowdown volume , the water line is then closed , and the top valve opened to begin a new cycle . in most cases , together with the condensate overflowing , the overflow pipe may withdraw the most part of sludge collected in the sample container . the sample container 3 has a sidewall cooling device , the cooling device can be an air or water cooler . the cooler maintains the container liquid temperature to prevent any temperature rise due to contact with the hot gases . since the gas flow rate is small , about 5 ˜ 20 l / min , while the volume of the liquid container is large , the applicable temperature of sample gas source may be higher , the hot gas may sampled without the need for additional cooling treatment . gas temperature suitable for sampling is about 50 ˜ 750 ° c ., as long as the piping material is configured appropriate temperature may also be higher . the syngas source pressure may be about 0 . 2 ˜ 10 mpa . in addition , the sample container 3 has a level display meter 4 , a pressure gauge 7 and a thermometer 8 . the level display meter provides a real - time view into the level of organic absorbents and condensate water . the pressure gauge and thermometer , provide real - time working pressure and fluid temperature measurements . typically the liquid in sample container is filled with absorbent such as diesel and other organic additives , the liquid in the container is filled as full as possible . absorbents such as diesel after prolonged use need regular ( eg weekly ) replacement and replenishing . since the density of absorbent diesel is lower than the density of water the diesel remains in the upper layer of the sampling container , while the water forms the lower layer . a portion of the syngas from the main flow line is side lined through a bypass line , a small fraction of syngas is sampled and flows through the particulate filter and high pressure limiting orifice into the inner sampling tube , then into the sample container . the syngas sample is cooled while in direct contact with liquid in the vessel , water vapor contained in the gas sample is condensed into water , potential polyaromatic hydrocarbons are liquefied or solidified . for example , benzene liquefies , while larger molecules such as naphthalene , phenanthrene condense out and under normal conditions becomes crystalline , but because of their solubility in absorbents such as diesel in cold condition , organic components such as these polyaromatic hydrocarbons dissolved in diesel to form a homogeneous liquid . the diesel absorbent has significantly lower density than water , therefore the diesel and organic components remain located in the top of the container , whilst the water stays in the lower lay . in the general case , the syngas has condensable organics content about 0 . 1 to 2 %, and the water vapor content can be about 2 % to 50 %. with gas sampling , an increase in the organic content in diesel is slow , while the condensed water is accumulated relatively quickly . by using the overflow mechanism automatically , the condensed water from vessel low layer is exported outside the sampling container , so as the liquid level within the sample container remains unchanged . condensate drained from the sampling system returns to the syngas main line . potential dust contained in the syngas sample is washed out and removed from vessel together with condensate draining . in the sampling vessel , the syngas is cooled by the liquid , it then rises to the top of the sample container , the demister provides gas - liquid separation , then the synthesis gas passes through the pressure regulator and the pressure is controlled to ensure stable pressure for the analytical instruments used . the low pressure gas line orifice prevents sudden gas flow increases , which may result in the loss of liquid entrainment . low pressure clean synthesis gas flows at higher velocity through the pipeline to gas analyzer for composition analysis . the sampling device may be used at high pressure or low pressure . when the source gas is dust free , the high pressure flow restriction orifice is used to let down pressure , then the sampling device is preferably operated at low pressure , which even further facilitates the reduction of sampling time . when the source gas contains dust , the dust laden gas is allowed to enter the sampling device . in this case , sampling device is preferably used at high pressure by using pressure regulator to prevent any drop in pressure . it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular embodiments described , as such may , of course , vary . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to be limiting , since the scope of this invention will be limited only by the appended claims .	6
the numerals 1 , 2 , and 3 each designate a cover material , a rubber string woven in the cover material and a core member formed of a bunch of slender rubber lines , respectively . as shown the rubber string 2 is spirally wound round the core member of the rubber cord with substantially a constant pitch . the rubber string 2 is elongated or contracts as the rubber cord is elongated or allowed to contract . the rubber string 2 , by elongation , is tightened up to and firmly fastened to the core member 3 so as not to slide over the core member 3 longitudinally or circumferentially . accordingly no matter how the whole rubber cord may be elongated , allowed to contract or twisted , the rubber string 2 remains wound round the core member at the same location thereon and does not slide over the core member . further since that rubber string 2 is mixedly woven in the texture of the cover material , the whole cover material also is free from longitudinal or circumferential shifting in relation to the core member . therefore non - uniformity is not developed in the texture of the woven cover material and the core member of the rubber cord is kept coated with the woven cover material of an even texture throughout . the rubber cord can therefore be elongated or allowed to contract uniformly throughout its length and circumference . thus while the conventional woven cover material of the rubber cord allows the local fatigue to accumulate in the core member to expedite the breach or snapping of the rubber cords , the cover material according to the invention is totally free from such disadvantage and instead offer only the advantages obtained by the coating of the core member of the rubber cord . as shown , the rubber string 2 is closely fitted to the core member and submerged in the thickness of the woven cover material so as to be protected by the woven cover material . further the rubber string 2 naturally need not be extensible at a greater rate than the core member . therefore the rubber string 2 does not break off earlier than the core member in normal use . where an uncovered rubber string is mixedly woven in the cover material , the friction between the rubber string and the core member , which is formed of uncovered rubber lines , is considerably great and may aid in fixing the location of the rubber string in relation to the core member . however , except where , for example , the rubber cord is used for special purposes and subjected to especially great forces , a covered rubber string as mentioned before can sufficiently produce the effects of fixing its location in the texture of the woven cover material and the position of the cover material in relation to the core member of the rubber cord without any inconveniences .	3
[ 0027 ] fig3 depicts in greater detail an exemplary representation of a typical grid voltage control circuit 260 . the grid voltage control circuit 260 , which is a simple shunt regulation circuit , contains seven cascaded pnp bipolar transistors that would be connected directly to the pin scorotron grid 245 . this circuit , while effective in providing adequate power to drive the pin scorotron grid 245 , is ineffective in providing reduced power dissipation in the high voltage power supply , which will improve electromagnetic emission profiles . [ 0028 ] fig4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of the charge / recharge xerographic power supply 400 according to this invention . as shown in fig4 the charge / recharge xerographic power supply 400 comprises the pin scorotron device 270 and the discorotron device 210 . in the pin scorotron device 270 , as in conventional systems , a high - voltage dc signal is applied to the pins 240 by the pin current supply 250 . the pin scorotron grid 245 is located between the photoreceptor 120 and the pins 240 . the discorotron device 210 , as in conventional systems , comprises the shield 225 formed of aluminum or the like and having the open lower end , the corona discharge electrode 230 , such as a glass coated tungsten wire or the like , extending within the shield 225 , and the discorotron grid 235 disposed opposite the opening of the shield 225 and between the shield and the photoreceptor 120 . the discorotron high - voltage ac source 220 is connected to the corona discharge electrode 230 to produce the corona discharge . however , as shown in fig4 the separate pin scorotron grid voltage control circuit 260 and the separate grid voltage active control circuit 215 of the conventional system are replaced by a single combined charge / recharge power supply 500 . that is , the pin scorotron grid 245 is held at a constant voltage and the discorotron grid 235 is driven by the combined charge / recharge power supply 500 . this configuration recycles the power provided from the pin scorotron grid 245 to drive the discorotron grid 235 through a series pass regulation circuit . fig5 shows the current flow direction and demonstrates that the current from a shunt regulation circuit naturally flows in a proper direction to allow shunt regulation of the pin scorotron grid 245 while also providing an active drive voltage for the discorotron grid 235 . [ 0031 ] fig5 shows in greater detail a schematic diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the circuit elements of the combined charge / recharge xerographic power supply 500 . the combined charge / recharge power supply 500 has two main sections 501 and 502 . the first main section 502 is a pin scorotron grid voltage control circuit 502 . the second main section 501 is a high side gate drive circuit 501 . in fig5 the pin current supply 250 , pins 240 and the pin scorotron grid 245 are represented by current source 554 and resistors 551 and 553 , respectively . also in fig5 the discorotron grid is represented by resistor 555 . the discorotron high voltage ac source 220 and corona discharge electrode 230 are not shown in fig5 because they have no particular bearing on the invention . as shown in fig5 the pin scorotron grid voltage control circuit 502 includes a positive terminal of a voltage source 503 connected to a first node 505 through a first resistor 504 . the negative terminal of the voltage source 503 is connected to ground 556 . also connected at the first node 505 are a gate of a first p - channel mosfet 507 and a second resistor 506 . a drain of the first p - channel mosfet 507 is connected to the common ground 556 . a source of the first p - channel mosfet 507 is connected to the drain of a second p - channel mosfet 509 . the second resistor 506 is connected at a second node 508 to a gate of the second p - channel mosfet 509 and a third resistor 510 . similarly , a source of the second p - channel mosfet 509 is connected to a drain of a third p - channel mosfet 511 . a third resistor 510 is connected at a third node 512 to the gate of the third p - channel mosfet 511 and a fourth resistor 513 . similarly , the source of the third p - channel mosfet 511 is connected to the drain of a fourth p - channel mosfet 514 . the fourth resistor 513 is connected at node 515 to the gate of the fourth p - channel mosfet 514 and a fifth resistor 516 . similarly , the source of the fourth p - channel mosfet 514 and the other end of the fifth resistor 516 are connected to a fifth node 517 . also connected at the fifth node 517 are a sixth resistor 519 , the source of a first n - channel mosfet 520 and a first pull - up resistor 518 . the sixth resistor 519 is connected at a sixth node 521 to the gate of the first n - channel mosfet 520 and a seventh resistor 522 . similarly , the drain of the first n - channel mosfet 520 is connected to the source of a second n - channel mosfet 523 . an eighth resistor 527 is connected at a seventh node 524 to the seventh resistor 522 , a ninth resistor 525 and the gate of the second n - channel mosfet 523 . similarly , the drain of the second n - channel mosfet 523 is connected to the ninth resistor 525 at an eighth node 526 . also connected at the eighth node 526 is a second pull - up resistor 550 and a tenth resistor 529 , which is a part of the high side gate drive 501 . this configuration makes up the pin scorotron grid voltage control circuit 502 . the high side gate drive circuit 501 includes the positive terminal of a variable voltage source 549 , which is connected to a ninth node 547 through an eleventh resistor 548 . the negative terminal of the variable voltage source 549 is connected to ground 556 . also connected at the ninth node 547 is the gate of a fifth p - channel mosfet 546 and a twelfth resistor 543 . the drain of the fifth p - channel mosfet 546 is connected to ground 556 . similarly , the source of the fifth p - channel mosfet 546 is connected to a tenth node 544 . also connected at the tenth node 544 is a first tap terminal 545 and the drain of a sixth p - channel mosfet 542 . a thirteenth resistor 538 is connected at an eleventh node 541 to the gate of the sixth p - channel mosfet 542 and the twelfth resistor 543 . similarly , the source of the sixth p - channel mosfet 542 is connected to a twelfth node 539 . also connected at the twelfth node 539 is a second tap terminal 540 and the drain of a seventh p - channel mosfet 536 . a fourteenth resistor 535 is connected at a thirteenth node 537 to the gate of a seventh p - channel mosfet 536 and the thirteenth resistor 538 . similarly , the source of the seventh p - channel mosfet 536 is connected to a fourteenth node 532 . also connected at the fourteenth node 532 is a third tap terminal 533 and the drain of the eighth p - channel mosfet 531 . the fourteenth resistor 535 is connected at a fourteenth node 530 to the gate of the eighth p - channel mosfet 531 and the other end of the tenth resistor 529 . similarly , the source of the eighth p - channel mosfet 531 is connected to a fifteenth node 528 . also connected at the fifteenth node 528 is a fourth tap terminal 534 and the other end of the eighth resistor 527 . as shown in fig5 the high side gate drive circuit 501 is connected to the pin scorotron grid voltage control 502 at the eighth and fifteenth nodes 526 and 528 , respectively . active current is supplied to the discorotron grid through the first pull - up resistor 518 . the first pull - up resistor 518 is connected to ground 556 through the discorotron grid terminal load resistance . in this instance , the discorotron grid terminal load of the discorotron grid 235 is shown as a fifteenth resistor 555 . in operation of the combined charge / recharge power supply 500 , as the voltage of the variable voltage source 549 is varied , the gate - to - source voltage of the first and second n - channel mosfets 520 and 523 is varied through the cascaded configuration of the high side gate drive circuit 501 . additionally , the voltage of voltage source 503 serves as the discorotron analog error voltage . the voltage supplied by the voltage source 503 serves to bias and stabilize the current supplied to the fifteenth resistor 555 . the second pull - up resistor 550 is connected between the eighth node 526 and a sixteenth node 552 to provide a path for current flow and shunt regulation of the pin scorotron grid 245 . a fifteenth resistor 551 and the pin scorotron grid terminal load of the pin scorotron grid 245 , which is shown in fig5 as a sixteenth resistor 553 , are connected at the sixteenth node 552 . the sixteenth resistor 553 is also connected to ground 556 . a current source 554 is connected to the fifteenth resistor 551 . the current source 554 serves to drive the pin scorotron grid 245 . there are two constraints in the circuit shown in fig5 . the first constraint is that the voltage at the discorotron grid terminal load , i . e ., at the fourteenth resistor 555 , cannot exceed the voltage at the pin scorotron grid terminal load , i . e ., the voltage at the sixteenth resistor 553 . in this instance this means that the voltage at node 517 cannot be made more negative than the voltage at node 526 . this constraint arises because the voltage supply for the discorotron grid 235 is derived from the pin scorotron grid 245 . the second constraint stems from the same instance , in that the current flow into the terminal of the discorotron grid 235 cannot exceed the current flow from the terminal of the pin scorotron grid 245 . the first constraint can be overcome by adding a small transformer coupled dc to dc converter in series with resistor 550 , with the positive terminal connected nearest to node 552 . this source would allow the pin scorotron grid voltage to be maintained at a less negative voltage than required at the discorotron grid terminal . using this method , several tens of volts are capable of being added to the output of the discorotron grid 235 . the second constraint does not particularly affect the operation of a system using this invention . this is true because , as previously discussed , the majority of the pin current is collected by the grid in the pin scorotron device 270 . thus , only a small portion is actually used to charge the photoreceptor 1 20 . similarly , only a small amount of dc current is required at the discorotron grid terminal to recharge the photoreceptor 120 . while this invention has been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiment outlined above , it is evident that many alternative modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the exemplary embodiment of the inventions as set forth above , are intended to be illustrative , not limiting . various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention .	6
referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the various views to designate like parts and , more particularly , to fig1 according to this figure , a flask 3 is seated on a pattern plate 1 with a pattern 2 and a filling frame 4 is placed on the flask 3 . over the mold chamber there is a pressure vessel 5 , which in the present working example takes up compressed air when supplied therewith by way of a connection line 6 coming from a pressure receiver or , if the input pressure is lower , by way of the compressed air line in the plant . as its floor or lower wall 7 the pressure vessel has a stationary plate , whose part over the mold chamber is perforated with , for example , slots 8 so that it resembles a grating . on the lower side of the floor 7 , a frame 9 is fixed in position by way of a flange and it in turn is joined up with an air let off pipe having a valve 10 . the pressure vessel 5 with the frame 9 on the one hand and the pattern plate 1 with its pattern 2 , the flask 3 and the filling frame 4 on the other hand are able to be parted to make it possible for the mold chamber to be charged with mold material . prior to compaction these two units are moved and pressed together at their parting faces . a valve member , in the form of a stiff plate 11 , is provided for cooperation with the part of the floor 7 having the slots 8 . the plate 11 also includes slots 12 . furthermore a sealing layer 13 is seated on the top side of the valve plate on the part thereof with the slots 12 and within the area of the slots in the floor 7 . as will be clear from the left hand side of fig1 the slots 8 in the floor 7 and the slots 12 in the valve plate 11 are positioned so that they are not aligned with each other when the valve is closed . the valve plate 11 is mounted on a guide rod generally designated by the reference numeral 14 , that is able to be lifted by a driving piston 15 sliding on it out of the position to be seen on the right ( the open position of the valve plate ) into the closed position as shown in the left of fig1 . shock absorbing cylinders 17 are mounted on the stationary cylinder 16 , placed within the pressure vessel 5 , belonging to the driving piston 15 . the shock absorbing cylinders 17 cooperate with a cross head 18 fixed on the guide rod 14 . the top end of the driving piston 15 acts against the cross head 18 when the piston is moved upwards . furthermore the guide rod 14 includes a clamping device generally designated by the reference numeral 19 and one gripping part 20 axially movable within a housing 21 supported on the floor and another clamping part 22 seated on the guide rod . the clamping parts may be wedges or the like . finally , a support part 23 is provided on the floor , with the support part 23 partitioning a flow transfer space 24 with the floor 7 . the support part has coaxial slots 25 in its outer wall that are covered over by an outer turning ring 26 , which includes slots 27 . in the closed position of fig1 wherein the slots 25 in the support part 23 are shut off or closed by the ring 26 , the pressure vessel 5 may be filled with gas under pressure by the connection line 6 . the clamping device 19 maintains the valve plate 11 forced gas - tightly against the floor 7 , and the mold flask 3 and the filling frame 4 have been filled with loose foundry sand . to start the opening stroke , the ring 26 is turned so that the slots 27 thereof are aligned with the slots 25 in the support part 23 as illustrated in the right hand part of fig1 and so that the gas under pressure moves into the transfer space 24 . subsequently a mechanical safety catch 28 is released and the driving piston 15 is lowered with the clamping device 19 in the locking condition , it sliding down the guide rod 14 . after this , the clamping device 19 is hydraulically taken off so that the guide rod 14 and the valve plate 11 are free to move . the gas , under pressure , moving through the slots 8 and acting on the valve plate 11 violently accelerates the plate in a downward direction so that the gas under pressure is able to expand through the slots and through the gap between the edge of the plate 11 and the inner wall face of the mold chamber . while this opening stroke is taking place the guide rod 14 is decelerated because the cross head 18 runs down onto the shock absorbing cylinders 17 . the valve plate moves as far as the position marked on the right hand side of fig1 . at the same time the foundry sand is accelerated and then decelerated on the pattern plate 1 and the pattern 2 itself and is compacted . at the end of the opening stroke the ring 26 is twisted back again to stop escape of gas from the vessel 5 when a further filling operation is to take place . it is furthermore possible for the gas mass flow to be set by adjustment of the ring 26 , for the purpose of changing the hardness of the mold to meet particular needs . the driving piston 15 is then moved so that by way of the cross head 18 the guide rod 14 with the valve plate 11 is lifted back up again and locked in the shut position ( see the left hand side of the figure ) by the clamping device . the safety catch 28 is put on again , and at the same time the gas under pressure still present in the mold chamber is released through the valve 10 . as shown in fig2 the floor or lower wall 7 of the pressure vessel 5 has an opening 29 that may match the inner form of the filling frame ( so that it will then be rectangular ) or it may be round and as large as possible . the opening 29 is covered by a flexible valve diaphragm 30 , fixed in place at its middle on the lower part 14 &# 39 ; of the guide rod 14 , that in the present case is bipartite . in the closed position , the valve diaphragm 30 is generally level and has its edge 31 forced gas - tightly against the floor 7 of the pressure vessel 5 around the opening by a loading frame or ring 32 that is fixed on the lower part 14 &# 39 ; of the guide rod 14 and may be shifted axially therewith , the axial stroke being limited by shock absorbing cylinders 33 , which are fixed to the top part 14 &# 34 ; of the guide rod 14 . furthermore the guide rod has a clamping device 19 similar to the arrangement of fig1 . lastly , the guide rod 14 has a drive 34 with the same function as the driving piston 15 as in fig1 . the loading ring or frame 32 has a plurality of energy storing springs 35 disposed there around it , with the energy storing springs 35 being tensioned on the ring 32 and forced against the valve diaphragm edge 31 supported on the floor 7 . for this purpose , the springs each have a downwardly extending plunger acting on the spring placed so that the lower end of each such plunger rests on the floor 7 of the pressure vessel 5 . in the closed position shown in the left of fig2 the part 14 &# 39 ; of the guide rod 14 is in the lower position . at its edge 31 , the valve diaphragm 30 is pressed by the ring 32 gas - tightly against the floor 7 . the energy storing springs 35 are tensioned . the guide rod 14 is locked by the clamping device 19 . for initiating the opening motion , the first step is releasing the clamping device so that there is nothing holding back the springs 35 and the ring or frame 32 jumps suddenly upwards and the shock absorbing cylinders 33 are compressed . at the same time the complete guide rod 14 is lifted by the drive 34 . by virtue of the effect of the gas under pressure acting on the valve diaphragm 30 its edge is pulled out of the gap between the floor 7 and the ring 32 . it is then swept by the gas inwards and downwards into the position shown in the right of fig2 so that the greater part of the opening cross section is cleared and uncovered . while this is going on , the foundry sand in the flask 3 and the filling frame 4 is compacted . as soon as the pressure has been completely equalized , the valve diaphragm is moved upwards again and because of its elasticity in the form of a restoring force it comes up against the ring 32 ( see the top position of the valve diaphragm in the right hand part of fig2 ). after this the guide rod 14 together with the ring 32 is moved downwards until the plungers 36 of the springs 35 run against the floor 7 and are so tensioned . lastly , the ring 32 clamps the edge 31 of the valve diaphragm 30 against the floor 7 . the top part 14 &# 34 ; of the guide rod is again lifted a little by the drive 34 so that the ring or frame 32 has the necessary play or clearance in relation to the shock absorbing cylinders 33 .	1

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