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as shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration , the present invention is concerned with a protective shield , generally referred to in fig1 by the reference number 10 , in fig2 - 4 by the reference number 12 , and in fig5 - 6 by the reference number 14 . the shield 10 , 12 , 14 is designed to overly a top face of a keyboard assembly 16 to prevent the entry of particles , liquids and other contaminants within the keyboard assembly 16 , while providing the natural feel of the keys to the greatest extent possible and being universal in nature so that it can be applied to any commercially available keyboard . keyboard assemblies 16 are well known in the art and have become an integral part of many machines including word processing devices and computers . such keyboard assemblies 16 include a rigid frame 18 defining a top deck 20 , side walls 22 , and a rear or obverse face 24 of the keyboard assembly 16 . the keyboard assembly 16 also includes a plurality of keys 26 which are generally formed into rows and columns having a predetermined configuration and collectively forming a two - dimensional array 28 . each key 26 of the array 28 extends through the deck 20 of the frame 18 and by depression operate , either electronically or mechanically , through intervening means ( not shown ), so as to generate a signal to the device with which the keyboard assembly 16 is associated . the various keys 26 may be of varying size , but all keys 26 generally include a relatively planar top surface 30 and side walls 32 which extend from the top surface toward the frame deck 20 . the side walls 32 generally have a small degree of taper , as illustrated in the drawings . it will be appreciated that there exist openings between the frame deck 20 and the individual keys 26 so that the keys 26 can be depressed into the frame 18 to generate the appropriate signal . as described above , a common problem with keyboard assemblies 16 is that liquids , particles and other contaminants enter through these openings and adversely affect the typically electronic intervening means within the keyboard . with reference to fig1 a protective shield 10 embodying the present invention is illustrated which is comprised of a one - piece resiliently flexible membrane , such as polyurethane , plastic or rubber material , which is transparent or translucent so as to enable a user of the shield 10 to view the keys 26 through the shield 10 . alternatively , the shield 10 can be opaque to facilitate keyboard memorization . the shield 10 is manufactured using conventional thermo - forming , vacuum molding , or any other suitable method of molding and formation . the shield 10 includes a generally planar base 34 which overlays the deck portion 20 of the keyboard assembly 16 . although the planar base 34 is shown in the drawings as attached to an obverse face 24 of the keyboard assembly 16 in the various figures , it should be understood by the reader that the planar base 34 may be attached directly to the deck 20 , frame sidewalls 22 , or obverse face 24 by hook and loop tape , adhesive , or any other suitable means to hold the shield 10 in place on the keyboard assembly 16 . a raised bubble 36 is formed in the flexible membrane and configured to envelope the key array 28 . the bubble 36 is defined by a raised wall 38 which approximates the heights of the key side walls 32 and extends around an outer periphery of the key array 28 so as to encircle the key array 28 . a generally planar cover 40 extends from the raised wall 38 of the bubble 36 and overlays the top surface 30 of the plurality of keys 26 comprising the key array 28 . thus , a single bubble 36 is formed which substantially envelopes the key array 28 . the bubble 36 is positioned immediately adjacent to the side walls 32 of the peripheral keys 26 of the key array 28 so that the planar base 34 of the membrane substantially rests upon the deck portion 20 of the frame 18 . the shield 10 as described above protects the keyboard assembly 16 from water , dust and other contaminants while universally fitting over the key array 28 of any commercially available keyboard assembly 16 . with reference now to fig2 the key array 28 can actually be divided into a number of key clusters . for example , a top row of keys 26 comprising the “ escape ”, “ functions 1 - 12 ”, “ print screen ”, “ scroll ”, “ pause break ”, and in certain models “ number lock ”, “ caps lock ”, and “ scroll lock ” are aligned with one another and form what is referred to collectively in this application as a function - key cluster 42 . the spacing between the keys 26 of the function - key cluster 42 varies from keyboard assembly manufacturer , with some manufacturers including the number lock , caps lock or scroll lock keys , while others not including these raised keys . all commercially available keyboard assemblies 16 also include a 10 - key cluster 44 comprising a “ numbers lock ”, “/”, “*”, “−”, “ 7 ”, “ 8 ”, “ 9 ”, “+”, “ 4 ”, “ 5 ”, “ 6 ”, “ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 0 ”, “.”, and “ enter ” keys 26 . all commercially available keyboard assemblies 16 also include what is referred to in this application as a cursor - key cluster 46 comprising the “ insert ”, “ home ”, “ page up ”, “ delete ”, “ end ”, “ page down ”, and directional arrow or cursor keys . each commercially available keyboard assembly 16 also includes what is referred to in this application as an alpha - numeric and format / command key cluster 48 comprising the alphabetical , numeric , punctuation and symbols ( including “−”, “ _ ”, “+”, “=”, “{”, “[”, “}”, “]”, “:”, “;”, “″”, “′”, “& lt ;”, “,”, “& gt ;”, “.”, “?”, “/”), “ back space ”, “ tab ”, “ caps lock ”, “ enter ”, “ right and left shift ”, “ control ”, “ alt ”, “ space bar ” and “˜/” keys . different manufacturers may place additional keys within the alpha - numeric and format / command key cluster 48 which are specific in use to the keyboard assembly 16 and machine to which it is operably connected . these unique keys are typically placed on either side of the “ space bar key ”. thus , the “ space bar key ” can be of varying lengths depending upon the keyboard assembly 16 type . with continuing reference to fig2 a shield 12 embodying the present invention is shown which is similar to that described in fig1 but having a plurality of key cluster bubbles 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . a function - key cluster bubble 50 includes a raised wall 38 which encircles the function - key cluster 42 keys 26 . a cover 40 extends from the raised wall 38 so that the bubble 50 envelopes the keys 26 of the function - key cluster 42 . it will be noted that the function - key cluster bubble 50 extends across the entire length of the function - key cluster 42 , whether there are any number , caps , or scroll lock keys or not so as to accommodate keyboard assemblies 16 having such raised keys . similarly , a 10 - key cluster bubble 52 envelopes the keys 26 of the 10 - key cluster 44 . with reference to fig4 raised walls 38 of the bubble 52 encircle the outer periphery of the 10 - key cluster 44 , and a cover 40 extends from the raised wall 38 so as to envelope the 10 - key cluster keys 26 . likewise , a cursor - key cluster bubble 54 , and alpha - numeric and format / command key cluster bubble 56 envelope the cursor - key cluster 46 and alpha - numeric and format / command key cluster 48 , respectively . as shown in fig4 the planar base 34 of the shield membrane overlays the deck portion 20 between the various key clusters 42 - 48 . the planar base 34 also preferably extends over the frame sidewalls 22 for attachment to the obverse face 24 of the frame 18 with adhesive or double - sided tape 58 or other appropriate attachment means . however , the planar base 34 can extend only to the farthest edge of the desk 20 and be secured there or on the sidewalls 22 . referring back to fig3 the function - key cluster bubble 50 and alpha - numeric and format / command key cluster bubble 56 are shown with the shield membrane forming a “ v ” instead of lying substantially parallel to or on the deck 20 between these bubbles 50 and 56 . this is due to the fact that there is a variable distance of a fraction of an inch between the function - key cluster 42 and the other key clusters 44 - 48 between makes and model of keyboard assemblies 16 , necessitating the “ v ” configuration . the “ v ” configuration provides maximum width for bubbles 52 - 54 which permits optimal , lateral space to the left or right of the key clusters 44 - 46 covered by these bubbles . it has also been found that there are slight variations in distance between the 10 - key cluster 44 and cursor - key cluster 46 between the various brand names and models . thus , as illustrated in fig2 a similar “ v ” configuration in the shield 10 between the key clusters 44 and 46 can be utilized to accommodate for this variable distance . alternatively , a single bubble 62 could envelop the keys 26 of both the 10 - key cluster 44 and the cursor - key cluster 46 referred to herein as a combined 10 - key and cursor - key cluster , as shown in fig7 . although the spacing between the cursor - key cluster 46 and the alpha - numeric and format / command key cluster 48 is fairly standard , such a “ v ” configuration could be formed between the bubbles 54 - 56 enveloping these key clusters 46 - 48 as well if found necessary . with reference now to fig5 yet another shield 14 embodying the present invention is illustrated , wherein the shield 14 includes function - key cluster bubble 50 overlying the function keys 42 , and a single bubble 57 overlying the 10 - key cluster 44 , cursor - key cluster 46 , and alpha - numeric and format / command key cluster 48 . grooves 60 are formed in the alphanumeric and format / command key cluster 48 so that the bubble 57 substantially surrounds and form - fits only to the alphabetical , numeric , and punctuation and symbol keys 26 . the form - fitted keys comprise what is known in the art as the four alpha - numeric rows . that portion of the bubble 57 being grooved to form - fit the alpha - numeric keys is designated by the reference number 59 in fig5 and 6 . regardless of the keyboard assembly 16 type , the four rows of alpha - numeric keys are of the same size and configuration . thus , no matter the model or brand of the computer keyboard , the alpha - numeric rows including the keys 26 illustrated can be substantially form - fitted within the bubble 57 . it will be noted that the “ backspace ” key , “˜−′”, “ enter ”, “ tab ”, “ shift ”, “ ctrl ”, “ alt ”, “ space bar ”, and other formatting and command keys are not form - fitted as these keys vary in size , configuration , and placement between the various keyboard assemblies 16 . thus , the bubble 57 forms a uniform bubble having a generally planar cover 40 over the 10 - key cluster keys 44 , cursor - key cluster keys 46 , and format and command keys of the alpha - numeric and format / command key cluster 48 , with the alpha - numeric and punctuation keys being form - fitted . of course , the bubble 57 could be altered so that not all of the alpha - numeric or punctuation keys are form - fitted . for example , the punctuation and symbol keys could underlie the generally planar cover 40 and not be form - fitted . however , it is preferable that the alpha - numeric and punctuation and symbol keys which are universally common between the various model and brand keyboard assemblies 16 be form - fitted so as to preserve their “ touch ” and “ feel ”. of course , the four alpha - numeric rows in any of the previously described and illustrated embodiments could be form - fitted as well while retaining the configuration of the bubble ( s ) 50 - 56 . aside from providing a natural feel to the keystroke of each of these keys 26 , these alpha - numeric and punctuation keys can be covered by the opaque , one - size - fits - all computer keyboard cover disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 050 , 825 by nichol et al ., which facilitates memorization of these keys . thus , this shield 14 when covered by the opaque cover of nichols et al . can be used to facilitate memorization of the alphabetical , numerical , and punctuation keys , as well as providing a protective cover which can be used universally on all commercially available keyboard assemblies 16 . it will therefore be appreciated that the present invention provides a protective shield 10 - 14 for a keyboard assembly 16 which totally prevents contamination of the keyboard assembly 16 by completely encapsulating a top surface keyboard array 28 and deck 20 . the present invention also permits the retention , to varying degrees , of the “ touch ” or “ feel ” of the individual keys 26 by the operator of the keyboard assembly 16 . of particular importance , the shields 10 - 14 of the present invention are configured such that they can be used on any commercially available keyboard assembly 16 , eliminating the expensive requirement to manufacture and pre - order very specific keyboard covers according to model and brand type . ultimately , the invention could be manufactured as a disposable cover for use in hospitals , doctor and dentist offices . these could be manufactured very thin so as to become a single - use , disposable product . such a cover would be particularly advantageous due to the concern for hazardous bio - waste which routinely contaminates keyboards in these settings . additionally , the invention could be manufactured as an inexpensive , disposable cover for use in school classrooms , libraries , and offices in order to minimize the spread of contagious viruses and bacteria . although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration , various modifications may be made to each without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . accordingly , the invention is not to be limited , except as by the appended claims . | 6 |
fig1 shows a semiconductor device according to one embodiment of the present invention , wherein ( a ), ( b ) and ( c ) are a schematic diagram of the semiconductor device in a plane view , a sectional view taken along the line x - x ′ in ( a ) and a sectional view taken along the line y - y ′ in ( a ), respectively . ( a ) is a top plan view in which some part is hatched for distinguishing regions . some components are hatched in a plane view for distinguishing regions . only two sectional views of the semiconductor device are shown for the easy of viewing . the semiconductor device according to this embodiment comprises : a first inverter 237 arranged at an intersection of the 1st row and the 1st column , wherein the first inverter 237 includes a first island - shaped silicon layer 137 , a first gate dielectric film 187 ( a ) surrounding a periphery of the first island - shaped silicon layer 137 , a first gate electrode 178 surrounding a periphery of the first gate dielectric film 187 ( a ), a second gate dielectric film 187 ( b ) surrounding a part of a periphery of the first gate electrode 178 , a first arc - shaped silicon layer 141 in contact with a part of a periphery of the second gate dielectric film , a first p +- type silicon layer 161 arranged on a top of the first island - shaped silicon layer 137 , a second p +- type silicon layer 162 arranged underneath the first island - shaped silicon layer 137 , a first n +- type silicon layer 154 arranged on a top of the first arc - shaped silicon layer 141 , and a second n +- type silicon layer 156 arranged underneath the first arc - shaped silicon layer 141 ; a second inverter 240 arranged at an intersection of the 2nd row and the 2nd column , wherein the second inverter 240 includes a second island - shaped silicon layer , a third gate dielectric film surrounding a periphery of the second island - shaped silicon layer , a second gate electrode 181 surrounding a periphery of the third gate dielectric film , a fourth gate dielectric film surrounding a part of a periphery of the second gate electrode 181 , a second arc - shaped silicon layer in contact with a part of a periphery of the fourth gate dielectric film , a third p +- type silicon layer arranged on a top of the second island - shaped silicon layer , a fourth p +- type silicon layer arranged underneath the second island - shaped silicon layer , a third n +- type silicon layer arranged on a top of the second arc - shaped silicon layer , and a fourth n +- type silicon layer arranged underneath the second arc - shaped silicon layer ; a first selection transistor 239 arranged at an intersection of the 1st row and the 2nd column , wherein the first selection transistor 239 includes a third island - shaped silicon layer 138 , a fifth gate dielectric film 188 surrounding a periphery of the third island - shaped silicon layer 138 , a third gate electrode 179 surrounding a periphery of the fifth gate dielectric film 188 , a fifth n +- type silicon layer 155 arranged on a top of the third island - shaped silicon layer 138 , and a sixth n +- type silicon layer 157 arranged underneath the third island - shaped silicon layer 138 ; a second selection transistor 242 arranged at an intersection of the 2nd row and the 1st column , wherein the second selection transistor 242 includes a fourth island - shaped silicon layer 139 , a sixth gate dielectric film 189 surrounding a periphery of the fourth island - shaped silicon layer 139 , a fourth gate electrode 180 surrounding a periphery of the sixth gate dielectric film 189 , a seventh n +- type silicon layer 158 arranged on a top of the fourth island - shaped silicon layer 139 , and an eighth n +- type silicon layer 156 arranged underneath the fourth island - shaped silicon layer 139 ; a fifth p +- type silicon layer 143 arranged underneath the second p +- type silicon layer 162 , the second n +- type silicon layer 156 and the eighth n +- type silicon layer 156 ; a sixth p +- type silicon layer 144 arranged underneath the fourth p +- type silicon layer , the fourth n +- type silicon layer and the sixth n +- type silicon layer 157 ; a first silicon - metal compound layer 204 formed on a part of respective sidewalls of the second n +- type silicon layer 156 and the fifth p +- type silicon layer 143 ; a second silicon - metal compound layer 201 formed on the eighth n +- type silicon layer 156 and the fifth p +- type silicon layer 143 ; a third silicon - metal compound layer 205 formed on a part of respective sidewalls of the fourth n +- type silicon layer and the sixth p +- type silicon layer 144 ; a fourth silicon - metal compound layer 198 formed on the sixth n +- type silicon layer 157 and the sixth p +- type silicon layer 144 ; a fifth silicon - metal compound layer 197 formed on the first p +- type silicon layer 161 ; a sixth silicon - metal compound layer 196 formed on the first n +- type silicon layer 154 ; a seventh silicon - metal compound layer formed on the third p +- type silicon layer ; an eighth silicon - metal compound layer formed on the third n +- type silicon layer ; a ninth silicon - metal compound layer 199 formed on the fifth n +- type silicon layer 155 ; a tenth silicon - metal compound layer 200 formed on the seventh n +- type silicon layer 158 ; a first contact 209 connecting the first gate electrode 178 and the fourth silicon - metal compound layer 198 ; and a second contact 210 connecting the second gate electrode 181 and the second silicon - metal compound layer 201 . a contact 221 is formed on the fifth silicon - metal compound layer 197 . a contact 220 is formed on the sixth silicon - metal compound layer 196 . a contact 226 is formed on the seventh silicon - metal compound layer . a contact 227 is formed on the eighth silicon - metal compound layer . a contact 222 is formed on the ninth silicon - metal compound layer 199 . a contact 225 is formed on the tenth silicon - metal compound layer 200 . a contact 223 is formed on the third gate electrode 179 . a contact 224 is formed on the fourth gate electrode 180 . a first level metal 228 is formed on the contact 220 . a first level metal 229 is formed on the contact 221 . a first level metal 230 is formed on the contact 222 . a first level metal 231 is formed on the contact 223 . a first level metal 232 is formed on the contact 224 . a first level metal 233 is formed on the contact 225 . a first level metal 234 is formed on the contact 226 . a first level metal 235 is formed on the contact 227 . in the above manner , an sram memory cell is formed . the above semiconductor device is configured to satisfy the following condition : wp 1 ≈ 2wn 1 , wherein wp 1 is an outer peripheral length of the first island - shaped silicon layer 137 , and wn 1 is a length of an arc of the first arc - shaped silicon layer 141 in contact with a part of the periphery of the second gate dielectric film 187 ( b ). thus , a gate width of a pmos transistor can be set to be twice as large as that of an nmos transistor . in this case , it is preferable to satisfy the following condition : ln 1 ≈ lp 1 , wherein ln 1 is a channel length of the first arc - shaped silicon layer 141 , and lp 1 is a channel length of the first island - shaped silicon layer 137 . the above semiconductor device is also configured to satisfy the following condition : wp 2 ≈ 2wn 2 , wherein wp 2 is an outer peripheral length of the second island - shaped silicon layer , and wn 2 is a length of an arc of the second arc - shaped silicon layer in contact with a part of the periphery of the fourth gate dielectric film . thus , a gate width of a pmos transistor can be set to be twice as large as that of an nmos transistor . in this case , it is preferable to satisfy the following condition : ln 2 ≈ lp 2 , wherein ln 2 is a channel length of the second arc - shaped silicon layer , and lp 2 is a channel length of the second island - shaped silicon layer . with reference to fig2 , one example of a production process for forming a structure of the semiconductor device according to this embodiment will be described below . in these figures , the same elements or components are defined by a common reference numeral or code . each of fig2 to fig6 shows a step in the example of the production process , wherein the figure suffixed with ( a ), the figure suffixed with ( b ) and the figure suffixed with ( c ) are a top plan view , a sectional view taken along the line x - x ′ in the figure suffixed with ( a ), and a sectional view taken along the line y - y ′ in the figure suffixed with ( a ), respectively . ( a ) are top plan views in which some part is hatched for distinguishing regions . referring to fig2 , boron ( b ) is implanted into a p - type or non - doped silicon layer 103 formed on an oxide layer 101 to form a p +- type silicon layer 102 therein . referring to fig3 , a resist 104 for forming an n - type silicon layer is formed . in cases where after - mentioned silicon layers 105 , 106 are formed as a non - doped type , this step is unnecessary . referring to fig4 , two n - type silicon layers 105 , 106 are formed by implantation of phosphorus ( p ). in cases where these silicon layers 105 , 106 are formed as a non - doped type , this step is unnecessary . referring to fig5 , the resist 104 is stripped away , and then a heat treatment is performed . in cases where the silicon layers 105 , 106 are formed as a non - doped type , this step is unnecessary . referring to fig6 , an oxide film 107 is deposited , and then a nitride film 108 is deposited . referring to fig7 , four resists 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 for forming four ( first , second , third , and fourth ) island - shaped silicon layers is formed . referring to fig8 , the nitride film 108 and the oxide film 107 are etched to form four nitride films 113 , 114 , 115 ( one of the nitride films is indicated by the reference numeral 116 in fig9 , etc .) and four oxide films 117 , 118 , 119 ( one of the oxide films is not indicated by a reference numeral ). referring to fig9 , the resists 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 are stripped away . referring to fig1 , an oxide film 121 is deposited . referring to fig1 , the oxide film 121 is etched to form four oxide film - based sidewalls 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 . referring to fig1 , a nitride film 126 is deposited . referring to fig1 , the nitride film 126 is etched to form four nitride film - based sidewalls 127 , 128 , 129 , 130 . referring to fig1 , four resists 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 are formed . referring to fig1 , the nitride film - based sidewalls 127 , 128 , 129 , 130 are etched to form two nitride film - based hard masks 127 ( one of the nitride film - based hard masks is indicated by the reference numeral 130 in fig1 , etc .) for forming first and second arc - shaped silicon layers . referring to fig1 , the oxide film - based sidewalls 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 are etched . referring to fig1 , the resists 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 are stripped away . referring to fig1 , two resists 135 , 136 for forming a diffusion - layer interconnection section is formed . referring to fig1 , the silicon layer 103 is etched to form a diffusion - layer interconnection section thereon . referring to fig2 , the resists 135 , 136 are stripped away . referring to fig2 , the oxide film - based sidewalls 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 are etched away . referring to fig2 , the silicon layer 103 and silicon layers 105 , 106 are etched to form a first island - shaped silicon layer 137 , a third island - shaped silicon layer 138 , a fourth island - shaped silicon layer 139 , a second island - shaped silicon layer ( indicated by the reference numeral 140 in fig2 , etc ), a first arc - shaped silicon layer 141 , a second arc - shaped silicon layer ( indicated by the reference numeral 142 in fig2 , etc ), and fifth and sixth p +- type silicon layers 143 , 144 . referring to fig2 , the nitride films 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 and the oxide films 117 , 118 , 119 are stripped away . referring to fig2 , a nitride film 145 is deposited . referring to fig2 , the nitride film 145 is etched to form six nitride film - based sidewalls 146 , 147 , 148 , 149 , 150 , 151 for protecting channel regions during ion implantation in a subsequent step . referring to fig2 , two resists 152 , 153 for forming an n +- type silicon layer are formed . referring to fig2 , arsenic ( as ) is implanted to form a first n +- type silicon layer 154 , a second n +- type silicon layer 156 , a third n +- type silicon layer 159 , a fourth n +- type silicon layer 157 , a fifth n +- type silicon layer 155 , a sixth n +- type silicon layer 157 , a seventh n +- type silicon layer 158 and an eighth n +- type silicon layer 156 . referring to fig2 , the resists 152 , 153 are stripped away . referring to fig2 , a resist 160 for forming a p +- type silicon layer is formed . referring to fig3 , boron ( b ) is implanted to form a first p +- type silicon layer 161 , a second p +- type silicon layer 162 , a third p +- type silicon layer 163 and a fourth p +- type silicon layer 164 . referring to fig3 , the resist 160 is stripped away , and then a heat treatment is performed . referring to fig3 , an oxide film 165 is deposited , and then subjected to flattening and etching - back to expose the first n +- type silicon layer 154 , the third n +- type silicon layer 159 , the fifth n +- type silicon layer 155 , the seventh n +- type silicon layer 158 , the first p +- type silicon layer 161 and the third p +- type silicon layer 163 . referring to fig3 , a resist 166 for forming a gate section is formed . referring to fig3 , a portion of the oxide film 165 corresponding to the gate section is etched . referring to fig3 , the resist 166 is stripped away . referring to fig3 , the nitride film - based sidewalls 148 , 149 , 150 , 151 are etched away . referring to fig3 , a high - k ( high - dielectric constant ) film 167 is deposited , and then a metal 168 , such as titanium nitride ( tin ), is deposited . referring to fig3 , a nitride film 169 is deposited . referring to fig3 , four resists 170 , 171 , 172 , 173 for forming a gate pad is formed . referring to fig4 , the nitride film 169 is etched to form four nitride film - based hard masks 174 , 175 ( two of the nitride film - based hard masks are indicated by the reference numerals 176 , 177 in fig4 , etc .) referring to fig4 , the resists 170 , 171 , 172 , 173 are stripped away . referring to fig4 , the metal 168 is etched to form first to fourth gate electrodes 178 , 181 , 179 , 180 . referring to fig4 , a nitride film 182 is deposited . referring to fig4 , the nitride film 182 is etched to form four nitride film - based sidewalls 183 , 184 , 185 , 186 . referring to fig4 , the high - k film is etched to form first to six high - k films ( gate dielectric films ) 187 ( a ), 187 ( b ), 190 , 190 , 188 , 189 . referring to fig4 , for resists 191 , 192 , 193 , 194 for etching the oxide film 165 is formed . referring to fig4 , the oxide film 165 is dry - etched . referring to fig4 , the resists 191 , 192 , 193 , 194 are stripped away . referring to fig4 , the oxide film 165 is wet - etched . referring to fig5 , a nitride film 195 is deposited . referring to fig5 , the nitride film 195 is etched to form nitride film - based sidewalls 195 . referring to fig5 , the oxide film 165 is dry - etched . referring to fig5 , the oxide film 165 is wet - etched to expose the nitride film - based sidewalls 146 , 147 . referring to fig5 , the nitride film - based sidewalls 195 are etched , and a part of the nitride film - based sidewalls 146 , 147 is etched , to expose a part of respective sidewalls of the second n +- type silicon layer 156 , the fifth p +- type silicon layer 143 , and a part of respective sidewalls of the fourth n +- type silicon layer 157 and the sixth p +- type silicon layer 144 . referring to fig5 , a metal , such as nickel ( ni ) or cobalt ( co ), is deposited . subsequently , a heat treatment is performed , and then an unreacted metal film is removed , to obtain a first silicon - metal compound layer 204 formed on a part of the sidewalls of the second n +- type silicon layer 156 and the fifth p +- type silicon layer 143 , a second silicon - metal compound layer 201 formed on the eighth n + silicon layer 156 and the fifth p +- type silicon layer 143 , a third silicon - metal compound layer 205 formed on a part of the sidewalls of the fourth n +- type silicon layer 157 and the sixth p +- type silicon layer 144 , a fourth silicon - metal compound layer 198 formed on the sixth n +- type silicon layer 157 and the sixth p +- type silicon layer 144 ; a fifth silicon - metal compound layer 197 formed on the first p +- type silicon layer 161 , a sixth silicon - metal compound layer 196 formed on the first n +- type silicon layer 154 , a seventh silicon - metal compound layer 202 formed on the third p +- type silicon layer 163 , an eighth silicon - metal compound layer 203 formed on the third n +- type silicon layer 159 , a ninth silicon - metal compound layer 199 formed on the fifth n +- type silicon layer 155 , and a tenth silicon - metal compound layer 200 formed on the seventh n +- type silicon layer 158 . referring to fig5 , an interlayer film 206 , such as an oxide film , is formed . referring to fig5 , a contact hole 207 is formed to expose a part of the first gate electrode 178 and the fourth silicon - metal compound layer 198 , and a contact hole 208 is formed to expose a part of the second gate electrode 181 and the second silicon - metal compound layer 201 . referring to fig5 , a metal , such as tungsten ( w ), is deposited to form first and second contacts 209 , 210 . referring to fig5 , an interlayer film 211 is formed . referring to fig6 , a contact hole 212 is formed on the third gate electrode 179 , and a contact hole 213 is formed on the fourth gate electrode 180 . referring to fig6 , a contact hole 214 is formed on the sixth silicon - metal compound layer 196 , and a contact hole 215 is formed on the eighth silicon - metal compound layer 203 . referring to fig6 , four contact holes 216 , 217 , 218 , 219 are formed on the fifth silicon - metal compound layer 197 , the ninth silicon - metal compound layer 199 , the tenth silicon - metal compound layer 200 and the seventh silicon - metal compound layer 202 , respectively . referring to fig6 , a metal , such as tungsten ( w ), is deposited to form eight contacts 220 , 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 , 225 , 226 , 227 . referring to fig6 , eight first level metals 228 , 229 , 230 , 231 , 232 , 233 , 234 , 235 are formed on respective ones of the eight contacts . referring to fig6 , an interlayer film 236 is formed . in the above manner , an sram memory cell is formed . with reference to fig6 to 72 , one example of a semiconductor device structure formed by arranging the semiconductor device according to the above embodiment in a three - row by three - column array . in these figures , the same elements or components are defined by a common reference numeral or code . fig6 shows the semiconductor device structure formed by arranging the semiconductor device according to the above embodiment in a three - row by three - column array . fig6 shows an inverter output terminal layer in the semiconductor device structure , and fig6 shows a transistor layer in the semiconductor device structure . fig6 shows a contact layer and a first level metal layer in the semiconductor device structure , and fig7 shows a second level metal layer , and a first level via ( a contact between the first level metal layer and the second level metal layer ), in the semiconductor device structure . fig7 shows a third level metal layer , and a second level via ( a contact between the second level metal layer and the third level metal layer ), in the semiconductor device structure , and fig7 shows a fourth level metal layer , and a third level via ( a contact between the third level metal layer and the fourth level metal layer ), in the semiconductor device structure . an inverter 319 is arranged at an intersection of the 1st row and the 1st column . a selection transistor 337 is arranged at an intersection of the 1st row and the 2nd column . a selection transistor 340 is arranged at an intersection of the 2nd row and the 1st column . an inverter 322 is arranged at an intersection of the 2nd row and the 2nd column . the inverter 319 and the selection transistor 340 are connected to each other by an output terminal 301 . the inverter 322 and the selection transistor 337 are connected to each other by an output terminal 302 . an input terminal 355 of the inverter 319 is connected to the output terminal 302 via a contact 374 . an input terminal 358 of the inverter 322 is connected to the output terminal 301 via a contact 373 . an inverter 320 is arranged at an intersection of the 1st row and the 4th column . a selection transistor 338 is arranged at an intersection of the 1st row and the 3rd column . a selection transistor 341 is arranged at an intersection of the 2nd row and the 4th column . an inverter 323 is arranged at an intersection of the 2nd row and the 3rd column . the inverter 323 and the selection transistor 338 are connected to each other by an output terminal 303 . the inverter 320 and the selection transistor 341 are connected to each other by an output terminal 304 . an input terminal 359 of the inverter 323 is connected to the output terminal 304 via a contact 376 . an input terminal 356 of the inverter 320 is connected to the output terminal 303 via a contact 375 . an inverter 321 is arranged at an intersection of the 1st row and the 5th column . a selection transistor 339 is arranged at an intersection of the 1st row and the 6th column . a selection transistor 342 is arranged at an intersection of the 2nd row and the 5th column . an inverter 324 is arranged at an intersection of the 2nd row and the 6th column . the inverter 321 and the selection transistor 342 are connected to each other by an output terminal 305 . the inverter 324 and the selection transistor 339 are connected to each other by an output terminal 306 . an input terminal 357 of the inverter 321 is connected to the output terminal 306 via a contact 378 . an input terminal 360 of the inverter 324 is connected to the output terminal 305 via a contact 377 . the selection transistor 340 has a gate electrode 393 . the selection transistor 337 and the selection transistor 338 have a gate electrode 391 . the selection transistor 341 and the selection transistor 342 have a gate electrode 394 . the selection transistor 339 has a gate electrode 392 . an inverter 325 is arranged at an intersection of the 3rd row and the 2nd column . a selection transistor 343 is arranged at an intersection of the 3rd row and the 1st column . a selection transistor 346 is arranged at an intersection of the 4th row and the 2nd column . an inverter 328 is arranged at an intersection of the 4th row and the 1st column . the inverter 328 and the selection transistor 343 are connected to each other by an output terminal 307 . the inverter 325 and the selection transistor 346 are connected to each other by an output terminal 308 . an input terminal 364 of the inverter 328 is connected to the output terminal 308 via a contact 380 . an input terminal 361 of the inverter 325 is connected to the output terminal 307 via a contact 379 . an inverter 326 is arranged at an intersection of the 3rd row and the 3rd column . a selection transistor 344 is arranged at an intersection of the 3rd row and the 4th column . a selection transistor 347 is arranged at an intersection of the 4th row and the 3rd column . an inverter 329 is arranged at an intersection of the 4th row and the 4th column . the inverter 326 and the selection transistor 347 are connected to each other by an output terminal 309 . the inverter 329 and the selection transistor 344 are connected to each other by an output terminal 310 . an input terminal 362 of the inverter 326 is connected to the output terminal 310 via a contact 382 . an input terminal 365 of the inverter 329 is connected to the output terminal 309 via a contact 381 . an inverter 327 is arranged at an intersection of the 3rd row and the 6th column . a selection transistor 345 is arranged at an intersection of the 3rd row and the 5th column . a selection transistor 348 is arranged at an intersection of the 4th row and the 6th column . an inverter 330 is arranged at an intersection of the 4th row and the 5th column . the inverter 330 and the selection transistor 345 are connected to each other by an output terminal 311 . the inverter 327 and the selection transistor 348 are connected to each other by an output terminal 312 . an input terminal 366 of the inverter 330 is connected to the output terminal 312 via a contact 384 . an input terminal 363 of the inverter 327 is connected to the output terminal 311 via a contact 383 . the selection transistor 343 has a gate electrode 395 . the selection transistor 346 and the selection transistor 347 have a gate electrode 397 . the selection transistor 344 and the selection transistor 345 have a gate electrode 396 . the selection transistor 348 has a gate electrode 398 . an inverter 331 is arranged at an intersection of the 5th row and the 1st column . a selection transistor 349 is arranged at an intersection of the 5th row and the 2nd column . a selection transistor 352 is arranged at an intersection of the 6th row and the 1st column . an inverter 334 is arranged at an intersection of the 6th row and the 2nd column . the inverter 331 and the selection transistor 352 are connected to each other by an output terminal 313 . the inverter 334 and the selection transistor 349 are connected to each other by an output terminal 314 . an input terminal 367 of the inverter 331 is connected to the output terminal 314 via a contact 386 . an input terminal 370 of the inverter 334 is connected to the output terminal 313 via a contact 385 . an inverter 332 is arranged at an intersection of the 5th row and the 4th column . a selection transistor 350 is arranged at an intersection of the 5th row and the 3rd column . a selection transistor 353 is arranged at an intersection of the 6th row and the 4th column . an inverter 335 is arranged at an intersection of the 6th row and the 3rd column . the inverter 335 and the selection transistor 350 are connected to each other by an output terminal 315 . the inverter 332 and the selection transistor 353 are connected to each other by an output terminal 316 . an input terminal 371 of the inverter 335 is connected to the output terminal 316 via a contact 388 . an input terminal 368 of the inverter 332 is connected to the output terminal 315 via a contact 387 . an inverter 333 is arranged at an intersection of the 5th row and the 5th column . a selection transistor 351 is arranged at an intersection of the 5th row and the 6th column . a selection transistor 354 is arranged at an intersection of the 6th row and the 5th column . an inverter 336 is arranged at an intersection of the 6th row and the 6th column . the inverter 333 and the selection transistor 354 are connected to each other by an output terminal 317 . the inverter 336 and the selection transistor 351 are connected to each other by an output terminal 318 . an input terminal 369 of the inverter 333 is connected to the output terminal 318 via a contact 390 . an input terminal 372 of the inverter 336 is connected to the output terminal 317 via a contact 389 . the selection transistor 352 has a gate electrode 401 . the selection transistor 349 and the selection transistor 350 have a gate electrode 399 . the selection transistor 353 and the selection transistor 354 have a gate electrode 402 . the selection transistor 351 has a gate electrode 400 . a contact 403 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 319 , and a contact 404 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 319 . a contact 412 is arranged on the selection transistor 340 . a contact 414 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 322 , and a contact 413 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 322 . a contact 405 is arranged on the selection transistor 337 . the contact 414 is also arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 323 , and a contact 415 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 323 . a contact 407 is arranged on the selection transistor 338 . a contact 409 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 320 , and a contact 408 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 320 . a contact 416 is arranged on the selection transistor 341 . the contact 409 is also arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 321 , and a contact 410 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 321 . a contact 418 is arranged on the selection transistor 342 . a contact 420 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 324 , and a contact 419 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 324 . a contact 411 is arranged on the selection transistor 339 . a contact 406 is arranged on the gate electrode 391 , and a contact 417 is arranged on the gate electrode 394 . a contact 430 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 328 , and a contact 431 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 328 . a contact 421 is arranged on the selection transistor 343 . a contact 423 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 325 , and a contact 422 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 325 . a contact 432 is arranged on the selection transistor 346 . the contact 423 is also arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 326 , and a contact 424 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 326 . a contact 434 is arranged on the selection transistor 347 . a contact 436 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 329 , and a contact 435 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 329 . a contact 425 is arranged on the selection transistor 344 . the contact 436 is also arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 330 , and a contact 437 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 330 . a contact 427 is arranged on the selection transistor 345 . a contact 429 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 327 , and a contact 428 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 327 . a contact 438 is arranged on the selection transistor 348 . a contact 433 is arranged on the gate electrode 397 , and a contact 426 is arranged on the gate electrode 396 . a contact 439 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 331 , and a contact 440 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 331 . a contact 448 is arranged on the selection transistor 352 . a contact 450 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 334 , and a contact 449 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 334 . a contact 441 is arranged on the selection transistor 349 . the contact 450 is also arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 335 , and a contact 451 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 335 . a contact 443 is arranged on the selection transistor 350 . a contact 445 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 332 , and a contact 444 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 332 . a contact 452 is arranged on the selection transistor 353 . the contact 445 is also arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 333 , and a contact 446 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 333 . a contact 454 is arranged on the selection transistor 354 . a contact 456 is arranged on an nmos transistor of the inverter 336 , and a contact 455 is arranged on a pmos transistor of the inverter 336 . a contact 447 is arranged on the selection transistor 351 . a contact 442 is arranged on the gate electrode 399 , and a contact 453 is arranged on the gate electrode 402 . a first level metal 457 is connected to the contact 403 , and a first level metal 458 is connected to the contact 404 . a first level metal 459 is connected to the contact 405 , and a first level metal 460 is connected to the contact 406 . a first level metal 461 is connected to the contact 407 , and a first level metal 462 is connected to the contact 408 . a first level metal 463 is connected to the contact 409 , and a first level metal 464 is connected to the contact 410 . a first level metal 465 is connected to the contact 411 . a first level metal 466 is connected to the contacts 412 , 421 , and a first level metal 467 is connected to the contacts 413 , 422 . a first level metal 468 is connected to the contacts 414 , 423 , and a first level metal 469 is connected to the contacts 415 , 424 . a first level metal 470 is connected to the contacts 416 , 425 . a first level metal 471 is connected to the contact 417 , and a first level metal 472 is connected to the contact 472 . a first level metal 473 is connected to the contacts 418 , 427 . a first level metal 474 is connected to the contacts 419 , 428 , and a first level metal 475 is connected to the contacts 420 , 429 . a first level metal 476 is connected to the contacts 430 , 439 , and a first level metal 477 is connected to the contacts 431 , 440 . a first level metal 478 is connected to the contacts 432 , 441 . a first level metal 479 is connected to the contact 433 , and a first level metal 480 is connected to the contact 442 . a first level metal 481 is connected to the contacts 434 , 443 . a first level metal 482 is connected to the contacts 435 , 444 , and a first level metal 483 is connected to the contacts 436 , 445 . a first level metal 484 is connected to the contacts 437 , 446 , and a first level metal 485 is connected to the contacts 438 , 447 . a first level metal 486 is connected to the contact 448 , and a first level metal 487 is connected to the contact 449 . a first level metal 488 is connected to the contact 450 , and a first level metal 489 is connected to the contact 451 . a first level metal 490 is connected to the contact 452 , and a first level metal 491 is connected to the contact 453 . a first level metal 492 is connected to the contact 454 , and a first level metal 493 is connected to the contact 455 . a first level metal 494 is connected to the contact 456 . a first level via 495 is arranged on the first level metal 460 , and a first level via 496 is arranged on the first level metal 471 . a first level via 497 is arranged on the first level metal 466 , and a first level via 498 is arranged on the first level metal 467 . a first level via 499 is arranged on the first level metal 468 , and a first level via 500 is arranged on the first level metal 469 . a first level via 501 is arranged on the first level metal 470 , and a first level via 502 is arranged on the first level metal 473 . a first level via 503 is arranged on the first level metal 474 . a first level via 505 is arranged on the first level metal 479 , and a first level via 504 is arranged on the first level metal 472 . a first level via 506 is arranged on the first level metal 477 , and a first level via 507 is arranged on the first level metal 478 . a first level via 508 is arranged on the first level metal 481 , and a first level via 509 is arranged on the first level metal 482 . a first level via 510 is arranged on the first level metal 483 , and a first level via 511 is arranged on the first level metal 484 . a first level via 512 is arranged on the first level metal 485 . a first level via 513 is arranged on the first level metal 480 , and a first level via 514 is arranged on the first level metal 491 . a second level metal 515 is connected to the first level vias 495 , 496 . a second level metal 516 is connected to the first level via 497 , and a second level metal 517 is connected to the first level via 498 . a second level metal 518 is connected to the first level via 499 , and a second level metal 519 is connected to the first level via 500 . a second level metal 520 is connected to the first level via 501 , and a second level metal 521 is connected to the first level via 502 . a second level metal 522 is connected to the first level via 503 . a second level metal 523 is connected to the first level vias 505 , 504 . a second level metal 523 is connected to the first level via 506 , and a second level metal 525 is connected to the first level via 507 . a second level metal 526 is connected to the first level via 508 , and a second level metal 527 is connected to the first level via 509 . a second level metal 528 is connected to the first level via 510 , and a second level metal 529 is connected to the first level via 511 . a second level metal 530 is connected to the first level via 512 . a second level metal 531 is connected to the first level vias 513 , 514 . a second level via 532 is arranged on the second level metal 516 , and a second level via 533 is arranged on the second level metal 517 . a second level via 534 is arranged on the second level metal 518 , and a second level via 535 is arranged on the second level metal 519 . a second level via 536 is arranged on the second level metal 520 , and a second level via 537 is arranged on the second level metal 521 . a second level via 538 is arranged on the second level metal 522 , and a second level via 539 is arranged on the second level metal 524 . a second level via 540 is arranged on the second level metal 525 , and a second level via 541 is arranged on the second level metal 526 . a second level via 542 is arranged on the second level metal 527 , and a second level via 543 is arranged on the second level metal 528 . a second level via 544 is arranged on the second level metal 529 , and a second level via 545 is arranged on the second level metal 530 . a third level metal 546 is connected to the second level via 534 , and a third level metal 549 is connected to the second level via 532 . a third level metal 550 is connected to the second level via 536 , and a third level metal 551 is connected to the second level via 537 . a third level metal 547 is connected to the second level vias 533 , 535 , 538 , 539 , 542 , 544 . a third level metal 552 is connected to the second level via 540 , and a third level metal 553 is connected to the second level via 541 . a third level metal 554 is connected to the second level via 545 , and a third level metal 548 is connected to the second level via 543 . a third level via 561 is arranged on the third level metal 549 , and a third level via 564 is arranged on the third level metal 550 . a third level via 565 is arranged on the third level metal 551 , and a third level via 562 is arranged on the third level metal 552 . a third level via 563 is arranged on the third level metal 553 , and a third level via 566 is arranged on the third level metal 554 . a fourth level metal 555 is connected to the third level via 561 , and a fourth level metal 556 is connected to the third level via 562 . a fourth level metal 557 is connected to the third level via 563 , and a fourth level metal 558 is connected to the third level via 564 . a fourth level metal 559 is connected to the third level via 565 , and a fourth level metal 560 is connected to the third level via 566 . having described and illustrated the principles of the present invention by reference to one preferred embodiment , it should be apparent that the preferred embodiment may be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the principles disclosed herein and that it is intended that the application be construed as including all such modifications and variations insofar as they come within the spirit and scope of the subject matter disclosed herein . 187 ( a ) and 187 ( b ) to 190 : gate dielectric film , high - k film | 7 |
the accessory holder of the instant invention enables a significant advance in the state of the art . the preferred embodiments of the apparatus , seen in fig1 through 10 , accomplish this by new and novel arrangements of elements that are configured in unique and novel ways and which demonstrate previously unavailable but preferred and desirable capabilities . the detailed description set forth below in connection with the drawings is intended merely as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention , and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized . the description sets forth the designs , functions , means , and methods of implementing the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments . it is to be understood , however , that the same or equivalent functions and features may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention . these variations , modifications , alternatives , and alterations of the various preferred embodiments , arrangements , and configurations may be used alone or in combination with one another as will become more readily apparent to those with skill in the art with reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying figures and drawings . in a basic embodiment , seen in fig1 and 2 , an accessory holding device 50 comprises at least one sidewall 100 having an inner surface 140 and an outer surface 150 , and a base plate 200 , wherein the base plate 200 is attached to the at least one sidewall 100 . there are a plurality of internal attachment members 300 , wherein the members 300 are releasably attached to the at least one sidewall 100 , and are adapted to hold , by way of example and not limitation , such items as hair clips c . the plurality of internal attachment members 300 may vary in shape and size to accommodate varying sizes and configurations of hair clips c . numerous variations are possible on this theme . by way of example and not limitation , as seen in fig3 and 4 , at least one of the plurality of internal attachment members 300 may have a grip enhancing surface 310 . the grip enhancing surface 310 may include a variety of surface texture variations on the plurality of internal attachment members 300 , or they may be externally applied . common externally applied grip enhancing surfaces 310 may include corrugated plastic and rubber coatings that may additionally include antimicrobial characteristics . in the case of corrugated coatings , the corrugations may be sized to cooperate with the teeth spacing of common hair clips c . additionally , there may be at least one suspension device 220 attached to the base plate 200 . the suspension devices 220 may be as simple as common hooks in some variations , yet may incorporate cushioned cleat type devices for use with particular articles of jewelry . further , the at least one sidewall 100 may have a plurality of sidewall recesses 110 in the inner surface 140 of the at least one sidewall 100 that are formed to receive the plurality of internal attachment members 300 . the plurality of sidewall recesses 110 may simply be smooth recesses sized and configured to cooperate with the plurality of attachment members 300 , or they may be fitted with a number of mechanical joining means . for instance , one embodiment may include sidewall recesses 110 that are internally threaded to mate with corresponding threads on the plurality of attachment members 300 . alternatively , the sidewall recesses 110 may include quick - turn mechanical lock fittings to securely retain the plurality of attachment members 300 . with further reference to fig3 and 4 , the device 50 may have the at least one sidewall 100 configured with a plurality of attachment member receivers 120 that are formed to communicate between the at least one sidewall inner surface 140 and the at least one sidewall outer surface 150 , and further formed to releasably receive the plurality of internal attachment members 300 . one skilled in the art will realize that such a plurality of attachment member receivers 120 will allow great flexibility in the possible arrangement of the internal attachment members 300 within the device 50 . utility is not confined to the internal aspects of the device 50 , as it is easily possible to configure the device 50 with a wide variety of external attachments , as seen in fig3 through 9 . the at least one sidewall 100 outer surface 150 may have at least one auxiliary sidewall recess 130 formed to releasably receive at least one external attachment member 400 , as seen in fig3 , and 7 . further , the at least one external attachment member 400 may have a grip enhancing surface 410 similar to that previously described in relation to the plurality of internal attachment members 300 . the at least one external attachment member 400 may be formed , by way of example and limitation , as an accessory retainer 420 , seen in fig9 formed to hold such items , by way of example and not limitation , necklaces n and bracelets b . there may be a flexible attachment member 430 suspended from the at least one external attachment member 400 , as seen in fig7 and 8 . such a flexible attachment member 430 facilitates the attachment and retention of various pinned or clipped articles , such as , by way of example and not limitation , earrings and pins . as one with skill in the art can appreciate , the at least one external attachment member 400 may be integral with one of the plurality of internal attachment members 300 . directing attention now to fig5 , and 10 , the base plate 200 may have at least one auxiliary base plate recess 250 , formed to releasably receive at least one base plate post 230 and , there may be at least one base plate extension 210 extending laterally beyond the point wherein the base plate 200 intersects the at least one sidewall 100 . the base plate extension 210 may have at least one auxiliary base plate recess 250 , as seen in fig5 formed to releasably receive at least one base plate post 230 . such posts 230 are formed to hold a plurality of accessories , such as , by way of example and not limitation , annular elastic hair ties t . storing various elastic devices on the post 230 has the advantage of not storing these elastic devices in a stretched position , and therefore such storage does not contribute to eventual elastic fatigue of the accessory . in yet another embodiment , seen in fig9 the base plate 200 may be formed as a base box 240 . the base box 240 may contain at least one suction grip 244 , seen in fig8 to give the device 50 more secure attachment to a plurality of surfaces , as may be desired when locating the device 50 on a countertop or the top surface of the tank of a water closet . to facilitate the storage of various items , in another embodiment , as seen in fig9 the base box 240 may further include at least one drawer 242 . in an additional embodiment , seen in fig3 through 10 , the device may further include a back plate 500 , connected to at least one of the at least one sidewalls 100 . there may be a mounting device 510 , seen in fig3 and 4 , attached to at least a portion of the back plate 500 . the mounting device 510 may be formed in an over the door type configuration shown in fig3 or may be formed to secure to towel racks and hangers , or simple mechanical fasteners secured to a wall . further , the back plate 500 may further include a mirror 520 , seen in fig5 and 6 , on at least a portion of the back plate 500 . similarly functioning to the auxiliary base plate recess 250 described above , the back plate 500 may include at least one auxiliary back plate recess 530 , seen in fig1 , formed to releasably receive at least one back plate post 540 . various embodiments enclose the device 50 further , as seen in fig3 through 6 and 9 . the device 50 may include a top plate 700 , connected to at least one of the at least one sidewalls 100 , as seen in fig9 . additionally , there may be a face plate 600 , seen in fig3 through 6 , connected to at least one of the at least one sidewalls 100 . further , there may be a mirror 520 on at least a portion of the face plate 600 , as seen in fig5 and 6 , and there may be at least one auxiliary retainer 620 attached to the face plate 600 , seen in fig3 and 4 , formed to releasably retain a plurality of accessories . the at least one auxiliary retainer 620 may be formed as an elastic member designed to stretch and retain items such as brushes and combs . as seen in fig9 the device 50 may be further enclosed by employing at least one door 610 , rotably attached to at least one of the at least one sidewalls 100 . to enhance the user &# 39 ; s ability to locate items within the device 50 , the device 50 may be fitted with an interior light 800 , as seen in fig1 . the device 50 may be crafted of a wide variety of materials , including but not limited to wood , metal , plastics and various composites thereof . while for illustrative purposes , the device 50 is shown illustrated with rectangular sidewalls 100 , base plates 200 , back plates 500 , face plates 600 and top plates 700 , such members may be crafted in a wide variety of aesthetically pleasing shapes , and may bear artistic or informative indicia . numerous alterations , modifications , and variations of the preferred embodiments disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art and they are all anticipated and contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the instant invention . for example , although specific embodiments have been described in detail , those with skill in the art will understand that the preceding embodiments and variations can be modified to incorporate various types of substitute and or additional or alternative materials , relative arrangement of elements , and dimensional configurations . accordingly , even though only few variations of the present invention are described herein , it is to be understood that the practice of such additional modifications and variations and the equivalents thereof , are within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . | 0 |
referring now to the drawings , and first to fig1 the synchronization of the circuit is designated generally by the numeral 11 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 synchronization circuit 11 is adapted to produce four pulse width modulated outputs . those skilled in the art will recognize that the synchronization circuit of the present invention can be adapted to produce more or fewer outputs , as desired by the designer of the circuit . the input to circuit 11 is a clock signal 13 . circuit 11 includes a programmable divider 15 that produces a desired circuit clock signal . the output of divider 15 is connected to a four bit counter 17 . four bit counter 17 has four outputs that are connected to a four wire bus 19 . the frequency of circuit 11 is determined by the frequency of clock signal 13 , the divisor of divider 15 , and the size of counter 17 . for example , the frequency of clock signal 13 may be four mhz and the desired frequency of circuit 11 may be twenty - five khz . since four bit counter 17 effectively divides the signal received from divider 15 by sixteen , divider 15 should be programmed to divide by ten . as is well known to those skilled in the art , four bit counter 17 produces a four bit number from zero ( 0000 ) to 15 ( 1111 ) for each clock signal received from divider 15 . four bit counter 17 thus counts through a complete cycle from 0 to 15 for every sixteen clock cycles received from divider 15 . those skilled in the art will recognize that although a four bit counter is disclosed , counters of other sizes may be used according to the teachings of this disclosure . circuit 11 includes for each pulse width modulated output , an output module . in the embodiment shown in fig1 there are four output modules 21a - 21d . output module 21a is shown in detail and output modules 21b - 21d are shown generally . it should be understood that each of output modules 21b - 21d is structurally the same as output module 21a . output module 21a includes a first digital comparator 23 and a second digital comparator 25 . first digital comparator 23 includes a first input 27 that is connected to four wire bus 19 . first digital comparator 23 includes a second input 29 that is connected to a four bit compare register 31 . compare register 31 is programmable to hold a four bit number from 0 ( 0000 ) to 15 ( 1111 ). whenever the four bit number held in compare register 31 is equal to the number received from four bit counter 17 on bus 19 at first input 27 , digital comparator 23 produces a logical high at its output 33 . whenever the number received at first input 27 is not equal to the value held in compare register 31 , a logical low is produced at output 33 . similarly , second digital comparator 25 includes a first input 35 that is connected to four wire bus 19 and a second input 37 that is connected to a four bit compare register 39 . whenever the values at first input 35 and second input 37 are equal , second digital comparator 25 produces a logical high signal at its output 41 . output module 21a includes a j - k flip flop 43 , such as a 54hc73 or 74hc73 industry standard j - k flip flop . j - k flip flop 43 includes a j input 45 that is connected to output 33 of first digital comparator 23 , and a k input 47 that is connected to output 41 of second digital comparator 25 . j - k flip flop 43 also includes a clock input 49 that receives clock signals from divider 15 . as is well known to those skilled in the art , j - k flip flop 43 produces a logical high signal at its output 51 on the next cycle following receipt of a high value at j input 45 and a low value at k input 47 in coincidence with a rising clock signal at clock input 49 . output 51 stays high until it receives a logical low value at j input 45 and a logical high value at k input 47 in coincidence with a rising clock signal at input 49 . from the foregoing , it will be understood that output module 21a produces a pulse width modulated output ( pwm1 ) that is programmable to be high or low based upon the values held in compare registers 31 and 39 . similarly , each of output modules 21b - 21d produce outputs pwm2 - pwm4 , respectively , that are high and low based upon the values held in their respective compare registers . thus , each of output modules 21a - 21d can be programmed to produce independent pulse width modulated outputs synchronized to the frequency of four bit counter 17 with independently selectable duty cycles and phase shifts . for example , as shown in fig4 each of output modules 21a - 21d is programmed to produce an output pwm1 - pwm4 respectively , each having a duty cycle of 5 / 16ths and phase shifted 90 ° with respect to each other . according to the example of fig4 pwm1 goes high at 0 ( 0000 ) and low at 5 ( 0101 ). similarly , pwm2 is programmed to go high at 4 ( 0100 ) and low at 9 ( 1001 ). it will be observed in fig5 that none of outputs pwm1 - pwm4 go high or low at the same time . accordingly , noise due to current changes is minimized . those skilled in the art will recognize that although in the example of fig5 the outputs are all of the same duty cycle and phase shift , the circuit is programmable such that the outputs may have unequal duty cycles or phase shifts . for example , the outputs may be programmed to be high around a center point . more specifically , a three - output system may be programmed such that the outputs are high symmetrically around 8 ( 1000 ) in the cycle . thus , the first output could go high at 6 ( 0110 ) and low at 10 ( 1010 ), for a duty cycle of 1 / 4 . the second output could go high at 4 ( 0100 ) and low at 12 ( 1100 ), for a duty cycle of 1 / 2 . finally , the third output could go high at 2 ( 0010 ) and low at 14 ( 1110 ), for a duty cycle of 3 / 4 . from the foregoing , those skilled in the art will recognize that by placing appropriate values in compare registers , including compare registers 31 and 39 , output modules 21a - 21d can be programmed to output pulse width modulated signals of any duty cycle and phase within the frequency determined by divider 15 and four bit counter 17 . additional flexibility is achieved in the embodiment of fig1 by the inclusion of a third digital comparator 51 . third digital comparator 51 includes a first input 53 that is connected to four wire bus 19 and a second input 55 that is connected to a compare register 57 . the output 59 of third compare register 51 is connected to a reset pin 61 of four bit counter 17 . accordingly , by inserting an appropriate value into compare register 57 , the frequency of circuit 11 can be changed . for example , by inserting the value 8 ( 1000 ) into register 57 , the frequency of circuit 11 is doubled . in the event four bit counter is reset at 8 ( 1000 ) the compare registers of output modules 21a - 21d would have to be reprogrammed to hold values between 1 and 7 . referring now to fig2 there is shown an alternative embodiment of the synchronization circuit of the present invention , which is designated generally by the number 71 . synchronization circuit 71 again is adapted to produce four independently programmable outputs pwm1 - pwm4 and it includes four output modules 73a - 73d . again , output module 73a is shown in detail and output modules 73b - 73d are structurally the same as output module 73a . a clock signal 75 is received at a divider 77 that is connected to the input of a johnson counter 79 . johnson counter 79 has 16 outputs that are connected to a sixteen wire bus 81 . johnson counter 79 sequentially produces a high value at one of its outputs and a low value at each of its other outputs for each clock signal received from divider 77 . output module 73a includes a first multiplexer 83 that has sixteen inputs connected to sixteen wire bus 81 and a single output 85 connected to j input 87 of a j - k flip flop 89 . a select register 91 is programmable to hold a value between 0 and 15 , and the value held in select register 91 determines which of the 16 inputs to first multiplexer 83 is connected to output 85 . output module 73a also includes a second multiplexer 93 having 16 inputs connected to sixteen wire bus 81 and a single output 95 connected to the k input 97 of j - k flip flop 89 . a value held in select register 99 determines which of the 16 inputs to second multiplexer 93 is connected to output 95 . j - k flip flop 89 works in the same way as j - k flip flop 43 of fig1 . thus , when j input 87 receives a high input and k input 97 receives a low input in coincidence with a rising clock signal at clock input 101 , a high value is produced at output 103 . similarly , whenever k input 97 receives a high value and j input 87 receives a low value in coincidence with a rising clock signal at input 101 , a low value is produced at output 103 . accordingly , the embodiment of fig2 produces multiple independently programmable pulse width modulated signals each having a duty cycle and phase shift determined by the values placed in select registers , such as registers 91 and 99 , and a frequency determined by divider 77 and johnson counter 79 . referring now to fig3 a further alternative embodiment of the synchronization circuit of the present invention is designated generally by the numeral 111 . circuit 111 includes a divider 113 that receives a signal from clock 115 and sends a clock output signal to the input of a johnson counter 117 . again , johnson counter 117 has 16 outputs that are connected to a 16 × 16 programmable logic array 119 . selected ones of the 16 outputs of programmable logic array 119 are connected to the inputs of 4 j - k flip flops 121a - 121d . programmable logic array 119 is programmable to connect a selected input to a selected output . accordingly , the outputs pwm1 - pwm4 of j - k flip flops 121a - 121d , respectively are independently programmable with respect to duty cycle and phase shift . referring now to fig5 yet a further alternative embodiment of the synchronization circuit of the present invention is designated generally by the numeral 125 . circuit 125 includes a divider 127 that receives a signal from clock 129 and sends a clock output signal to the input of a four bit counter 131 . each of the outputs of four bit counter 131 is branched and includes an inverter 133 . accordingly , four bit counter 131 effectively has eight outputs , and with each clock signal received from divider 127 , four bit counter 131 produces an eight bit number . the eight outputs of four bit counter 131 are connected to the inputs of an 8 × 8 programmable logic array 135 , such as a pal16r8 . the eight outputs of programmable logic array 135 are connected to the inputs of four j - k flip flops 137a - 137d . programmable logic array 135 is programmable to produce a high output at each of its outputs in response to receipt of particular numbers at its inputs . accordingly , the outputs pwm1 - pwm4 of j - k flip flops 137a - 137d , respectively , are independently programmable with respect to duty cycle and phase shift . from the foregoing , those skilled in the art will recognize that the circuit of the present invention is well adapted to produce multiple pulse width modulate outputs based on the same frequency and having user selectable duty cycles and phase shifts . although the invention is disclosed with reference to preferred embodiments , the disclosed embodiments are intended to illustrate the invention and not to limit it . different size counters may be used , and different numbers of outputs may be provided , all as would be apparent to those skilled in the art , given the benefit of this disclosure . | 7 |
a preferred embodiment of the electric vehicle and the equipment therefor according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings . fig1 is a right side view of an electric vehicle 1 according to this preferred embodiment . as shown in fig1 , the electric vehicle 1 includes a storing portion 3 for storing a sheet - shaped solar battery 2 . the storing portion 3 is provided at a part of a luggage space defined in a rear portion of the vehicle . for example , the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 includes a flexible base sheet and a photoelectric conversion layer formed on the base sheet , thereby forming a functional sheet . both sides of the functional sheet are sealed with a transparent resin sheet . as shown in fig1 , the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is stored in the storing portion 3 in the condition where it is rolled compactly . electric power generated by the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is drawn from the right or left end of the core of the roll of the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 , and then introduced to a connector 6 shown in fig2 . as shown in fig2 , the electric vehicle 1 includes an electrical drive system 5 . the electrical drive system 5 includes a storage battery 51 as a power source , an electric motor 53 for driving the drive wheels of the vehicle , and control means 52 for controlling the current to be supplied to the electric motor 53 . the electrical drive system 5 further includes switches sw 1 and sw 2 constituting connecting means 54 for providing the connection between the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 and the storage battery 51 or the connection between the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 and the electric motor 53 . a diode for preventing reverse current is provided on the circuit connecting the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 and the connecting means 54 . the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 stored in the storing portion 3 is connected through the connector 6 as coupling means to the electrical drive system 5 . the connector 6 is composed of a male terminal 6 a and a female terminal 6 b . by providing the connector 6 , the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is prepared as equipment detachable with respect to the electric vehicle 1 . that is , the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 can be disconnected from the electrical drive system 5 as required . the body of the electric vehicle 1 is provided with a charging port ( not shown ), and the storage battery 51 can be charged from a commercial power supply through the charging port in normal use . the operation of the electric vehicle 1 configured above will now be described . while the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is detachably connected through the connector 6 to the electric vehicle 1 , the following description will be given provided that the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is normally stored in the storing portion 3 and electrically connected through the connector 6 to the electrical drive system 5 . in normal use , the roll of the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is stored in the storing portion 3 of the electric vehicle 1 , and power generation is not performed by the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 in this rolled condition . further , the switches sw 1 and sw 2 shown in fig2 are both turned on to make a condition that electric power is supplied from the storage battery 51 through the control means 52 to the electric motor 53 . a driver in this electric vehicle 1 can check a meter indicating a storage capacity at a driver &# 39 ; s seat . when the driver recognizes that the storage capacity has been reduced , the storage battery 51 can be charged through the charging port provided on the vehicle body at home having any charging equipment or at an external charging station . however , in general , a storage battery provided in an electric vehicle requires several hours or more until a full - charged state is reached , even by using a quick charging system . accordingly , it is assumed that the storage battery cannot be easily charged during driving the electric vehicle . in the case that a charging station is absent nearby in driving the electric vehicle , it is difficult to charge the storage battery with good timing . to cope with this problem , the following configuration has been made by the present invention . it is assumed that the electric vehicle 1 is driven under the sun in an area apart from an urban area where relatively many charging systems are installed , such as in a suburb where no charging station or equipment is present or on a deserted plain , and that the good timing of charging the storage battery is lost to result in a reduction in storage capacity down to a lower limit . in this case , the driver stops driving the electric vehicle 1 and then take the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 out of the storing portion 3 . more specifically , as shown in fig3 , an opening portion 4 is provided on the lower surface of the rear portion of the vehicle where the storing portion 3 is located . the storing portion 3 is provided at a part of the luggage space in the rear portion of the vehicle . the roll of the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 stored in the storing portion 3 is unwound to be drawn out of the storing portion 3 through the opening portion 4 and then spread on the back side of the vehicle as shown in fig3 . the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is formed from a flexible resin sheet , which is thin and light in weight . accordingly , as compared with the case of mounting a solar panel on the roof or hood of the vehicle body , much larger area can be ensured , so that sufficient solar irradiation can be obtained to result in large amount of power generation . after spreading the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 , the switches sw 1 and sw 2 may be set according to the circumstances to thereby change the connected condition among the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 , the storage battery 51 , and the electric motor 53 . for example , in the case that strong solar irradiation is obtained to ensure a sufficient amount of power generation and that higher priority is given to the movement of the vehicle from the present rest position , the switch sw 1 is turned off and the switch sw 2 is turned on . in this case , all the electric power from the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 can be supplied through the control means 52 to the electric motor 53 in the condition where the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is kept spread . that is , the electric vehicle 1 can be driven by only the electric power from the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 . in the case that the solar irradiation is not enough and the electric power of the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is insufficient for the movement of the electric vehicle 1 , the switch sw 1 is turned on and the switch sw 2 is turned off . in this case , the storage battery 51 is charged by the electric power of the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 in the condition where the rest condition of the electric vehicle 1 is maintained . that is , all the electric power from the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is supplied to the storage battery 51 . even when the electric power to be supplied from the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 to the electric motor 53 is insufficient for the movement of the electric vehicle 1 , the storage capacity of the storage battery 51 can be increased to allow the movement of the electric vehicle 1 by supplying the electric power from the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 to the storage battery 51 for some long period of time . accordingly , the switches sw 1 and sw 2 are preferably set as mentioned above to charge the storage battery 51 by supplying the electric power of the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 . in the case that the amount of power generation by the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is more sufficient , both the switches sw 1 and sw 2 may be turned on . in this case , the electric power generated by the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 can be supplied to both the electric motor 53 and the storage battery 51 . accordingly , the electric vehicle 1 can be driven by the electric power from the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 and at the same time the storage battery 51 can be charged . according to the present invention as described above , even in the case that the storage capacity is reduced or reaches a lower limit during running in an area where no charging equipment is present , the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 stored compactly in the storing portion 3 of the electric vehicle 1 in normal use can be largely spread to be used for power generation . accordingly , the distance that can be traveled by the electric vehicle 1 can be increased . further , the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 is prepared as the equipment detachably connected through the connector 6 as coupling means to the electric vehicle 1 . accordingly , the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 can be removed from the electric vehicle 1 as required , and the storing portion 3 can be used as a luggage space . while the connecting means 54 for switching the connected condition among the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 , the storage battery 51 , and the electric motor 53 simply includes the switches sw 1 and sw 2 in this preferred embodiment , a modification may be made in the following manner . for example , the connecting means 54 may be incorporated in the control means 52 , wherein the connecting means 52 may be connected through a generally known overcharge preventing circuit to the sheet - shaped solar battery 2 . accordingly , even when charging of the storage battery 51 is started in the condition near the full - charged state and the storage capacity of the storage battery 51 has reached 100 %, the charging operation can be automatically stopped to thereby protect the storage battery 51 . further , while the electric vehicle 1 in this preferred embodiment is an electric vehicle not including an internal combustion engine or the like as vehicle driving means , but including only the electric drive system 5 , the present invention is not limited to such a configuration . for example , the present invention is applicable also to a hybrid electric vehicle including an internal combustion engine to be used for electric power generation and a fuel cell vehicle including a fuel cell . the present invention is not limited to the details of the above described preferred embodiment . the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and all changes and modifications as fall within the equivalence of the scope of the claims are therefore to be embraced by the invention . | 7 |
the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . in contrast to conventional beam scanning , which includes changing the angle of an incident beam at an objective lens , the beam scanning of the present invention can be achieved by moving an optical fiber , which delivers a laser beam for excitation and collects signals back along the same fiber . conventional fibers , either single - mode or multimode fibers , cannot be practically used in this way . although a single - mode fiber ( smf ) has an acceptable mode for excitation , the numerical aperture ( na ) is typically only about 0 . 1 , which results in a very inefficient signal collection . on the other hand , although a multimode fiber multimode fiber has a larger numerical aperture that is good for collecting signals , the output mode is unable to be tightly focused , thus resulting in inefficient excitation and low resolution . in addition , in case of multiphoton excitation , the multimode fiber leads to further lower excitation rate , because an ultra short laser pulse is severely deformed during propagating through a multimode fiber . in order to address this trade - off issue for biosensing , a double - clad fiber may be used for enhancing both excitation and collection efficiency for through - fiber biosensing as described in u . s . provisional application no . 60 / 434 , 604 . this application is incorporated herein by reference . in that application , two - photon fluorescence detection sensitivity , represented by line a , is increased by a factor of 40 using a photonic crystal double - clad fiber in comparison with a conventional smf , represented by line b ( see fig1 ). referring to fig2 , a schematic diagram of a double - clad fiber scanning microscope , generally indicated at 10 , is illustrated , although it should be understood that alternative configurations might also be possible based on this double - clad fiber scanning mechanism . double - clad fiber scanning microscope 10 is illustrated having a laser 12 capable of outputting a laser beam 14 , which will also be referenced as excitation laser beam . laser 12 is operably coupled to a double - clad fiber or fiber member 16 via a fiber coupler 18 . more specifically , double - clad fiber 16 includes an inner core 20 , an outer core 22 , and an outer cladding 24 . inner core 20 is illustrated being coaxial with each of outer core 22 and outer cladding 24 ; however , it should be understood that this is not required . it should be noted that outer core 22 also serves as an inner cladding to inner core 20 and , thus , serves a dual purpose . it should be understood that double - clad fiber 16 may be a fiber member system comprised of a plurality of fibers 16 . laser 12 is coupled with double - clad fiber 16 through fiber coupler 18 such that laser beam 14 is introduced into inner core 20 at a proximal end 26 of double - clad fiber 16 . a distal end 28 of double - clad fiber 16 is coupled to a 3 - d rapid scanning stage 30 that is operable to move laser beam 14 , exiting distal end 28 of double - clad fiber 16 , across a sample of interest 32 . a micro - lens 34 , such as a grin lens , may be attached to distal end 28 of double - clad fiber 16 to focus laser beam 14 to an even smaller spot to achieve higher resolution . resultant signals , such as , but not limited to , flourescence signals , raman signals , back reflection of the laser beam 14 , and the like ), emitted from sample of interest 32 are then collected back through both inner core 20 and outer core 22 of double - clad fiber 16 and separated from excitation laser beam 14 using an optical separation system 36 , such as a dichroic mirror , before reaching an optical detection system 38 . a filter 40 may also be used for filtering undesirable signals from reaching optical detection system 38 . with respect to double - clad fiber 16 , the numerical apertures of the inner core and outer core ( inner clad ) can be adjusted independently . the outer core numerical aperture can be as large as about 0 . 8 or even just in air , which is comparable with most high magnification objective lenses . furthermore , when a lens , such as a gradient index ( grin ) lens , is connected with double - clad fiber 16 to further focus excitation light , the collection efficiency of fluorescence signals received back from the lens to the double - clad fiber is high , because the larger outer core can efficiently collect fluorescence even if chromatic aberration of the lens exists . the resultant signal collection efficiency is low if a conventional fiber is used in this case . fig3 a - 3e illustrate that the collected fluorescence from a grin lens forms a large spot on distal end 28 of double - clad fiber 16 . that is , as seen in fig3 a , distal end 28 of double - clad fiber 16 includes the aforementioned inner core 20 and outer core 22 . as seen in fig3 b , when an excitation beam 300 exits double - clad fiber 16 it passes through a lens 34 , such as a grin lens , and is focused on sample 32 . the excitation beam 300 causes a resultant signal 302 to be produced from sample 32 generally indicated in fig3 c . this resultant signal 302 may , for example , have a radius of about 1 μm . however , as seen in fig3 d , resultant signal 302 then passes back through lens 34 . ideally , resultant signal 302 would be focused perfectly on distal end 28 of double - clad fiber 16 . however , due to chromatic aberration and / or other anomalies , a larger footprint of resultant signal 302 is produced and may have a radius of about 49 μm , as seen in fig3 e . in conventional collection , this larger footprint would not be collected and thus would reduce the efficiency of the system . however , in the present invention , outer core 22 , having a high numerical aperture , is capable of collecting more of resultant signal 302 , thereby providing improved detection efficiency . as should be appreciated , double - clad fiber scanning microscope 10 of the present invention provides a number of advantages over conventional scanning microscopes . for example , as described above , double - clad fiber scanning microscope 10 has extremely simple structure . however , it has revolutionary and fundamental changes of the scanning mechanism , which ensures many unique features of this new type of scanning microscope . double - clad fiber scanning microscope 10 of the present invention is extremely flexible . more particularly , double - clad fiber scanning microscope 10 can be freely adjusted without affecting the excitation source and the detection , because the scanning head containing distal end 28 of double - clad fiber 16 is controlled by small translation ( i . e . x - y or x - y - z ) of scanning stage 30 through a single fiber . thus , scan , imaging can be performed in either upright or inverted configurations , or at an arbitrary angle , if needed . scanning stage 30 can also easily achieve any scanning pattern on a sample of interest . still further , scanning stage 30 can be used to construct a stand - alone microscope together with an excitation source and detection system . it can also be used as a unit to be incorporated into a conventional light microscope . for instance , scanning stage 30 can be made as a standard component to be screwed in a nosepiece . thus , one can easily convert a conventional microscope into a scanning microscope with the beneficial functions as described herein . unlike conventional beam scanning microscope , the scanning range of double - clad fiber scanning microscope 10 is determined by the travel range of scanning stage 30 used to control distal end 28 of double - clad fiber 16 . in fact , it has been found that this travel range may be increased to millimeters or larger while maintaining high resolution , such as less than a micron . this feature allows one to obtain a whole image of a large sample . for example , a conventional beam - scanning microscope has a scanning range only on a cellular scale due to the limited field of view of the objective lens . in contrast , the new beam - scanning mechanism based on double - clad fiber 16 makes it possible to image a whole organism or a tumor with a single scan . fast scan rate is required for constructing a practical instrument . for conventional stage - scanning microscope , the scan rate is normally very slow , because it takes time to translate a massive stage together with a sample and sample holder . the scanning mechanism described herein only involves moving a lightweight fiber tip . similar to scanner mirrors used in beam scanning , the fiber tip can scan in a fast rate with a rapid scanner . despite the fast scan rate noted above , there is no vibration disturbing the imaging sample , because the sample remains stationary during the scanning process , which is in contrast to stage scanning . beside the light weight of the fiber tip , this is another practical reason that fast scan rate is allowed here . in addition , far field excitation from a fiber tip is utilized here to achieve a quiet beam scan , which avoids an inevitable problem in near field scanning optical microscopy where interaction between a scanning tip and samples is generally a serious problem . in conventional beam scanning , two scanner mirrors are used to change the incident angle of excitation light at the entrance pupil of an objective lens , which causes severe off - axis aberrations . it is very difficult and costly to design and fabricate an objective lens that is corrected for the off - axis aberrations . moreover , even with a lot of effort , one still must compromise between the field of view and the image quality , because the off - axis aberration is hard to be fully compensated , especially for a relatively large fields of view . the scanning of excitation beam with flexible double - clad fiber 16 fundamentally solved the problem of aberrations associated with conventional beam scanning . in double - clad fiber scanning microscope 10 , each scanned point of a sample is equally illuminated and signal collection remains the same throughout the entire scanning range . this feature ensures a high quality image of a large sample of interest . the cost for constructing double - clad fiber scanning microscope 10 is much lower than a conventional beam - scanning microscope with a scan unit based on - scanner mirrors . as described above , the requirement of an objective lens is important in order to achieve a relatively large flat field of view and to compensate for off - axis aberrations . in addition , an imaging system with high optical quality is also needed to image the scanner mirrors onto the entrance pupil of the objective lens . these factors make a conventional beam - scanning microscope very expensive . in contrast , in double - clad fiber scanning microscope 10 , the objective lens used in fiber coupler 18 solely focuses light onto proximal end 26 of double - clad fiber 16 . thus , the objective lens in fiber coupler 18 satisfies the requirements , yet may be manufactured relatively inexpensively . the beam scanning is achieved by controlling distal end 28 of fiber double - clad fiber 16 with a scanning stage 30 , which replaces the expensive scanning unit composed of scanner mirrors and a high quality imaging system used in conventional beam - scanning microscope . therefore , the new scanning mechanism based on double - clad fiber 16 makes it possible to construct a low cost , high performance microscope . in the above , a double - clad fiber scanning microscope 10 utilizing a single double - clad fiber 16 is discussed . however , it has been determined that the scanning rate can be further enhanced by using a 1 - d or 2 - d array , generally indicated at 200 , of double - clad fibers 16 , as illustrated in fig4 . excitation light can be coupled into double - clad fiber array 200 utilizing existing techniques , such as a mems switch . when double - clad fiber array 200 scans simultaneously instead of scanning a single fiber , the scan rate increases by a factor of the number of double - clad fibers in the array . for example , employing five double - clad fibers 16 aligned with 1 mm spacing between each other and mounted on a single translation stage 30 , a 5 - mm line to be scanned only requires a translation of 1 mm . thus , the scan rate increases by five times compared with a single fiber scanning . if a 2 - d array of double - clad fibers is used , one should be able to maintain a high scan rate even for a large imaging area . a novel mechanism for a new generation of scanning microscopes based on double - clad fiber scanning is provided . this microscope overcomes the drawbacks of conventional stage - and beam - scanning microscopes , and possesses many advantages as described above , i . e ., excellent flexibility , large scanning range , fast scan rate , quiet scanning , aberration - free scanning , and low cost . with all these benefits integrated into one microscope , a wide range of potential applications is anticipated . the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and , thus , variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention . for example , scanning stage 30 can support the sample of interest 32 and be used to move the sample of interest 32 relative to distal end 28 of double - clad fiber 16 . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
the present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , which form a part hereof , and which show , by way of illustration , specific exemplary embodiments by which the invention may be practiced . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein ; rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . among other things , the present invention may be embodied as methods or devices . accordingly , the present invention may take the form of an entirely software embodiment , an entirely hardware embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects . the following detailed description is , therefore , not to be taken in a limiting sense . briefly stated , embodiments of the present invention are directed towards providing a method and system for associating , displaying , and managing notes or other annotations with messages . the embodiment described below discusses annotations associated with messages in a listing maintained by an online message service and accessed by a browser . however , the invention is not so limited and may include a stand - alone message system , a peer - to - peer message system , a listing of data items other than messages , and other variations . fig1 illustrates one embodiment of an environment in which the present invention may operate . however , not all of these components may be required to practice the invention , and variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . as shown in the figure , a system 10 includes client devices 12 - 14 , a network 15 , and a server 16 . network 15 is in communication with and enables communication between each of client devices 12 - 14 and server 16 . client devices 12 - 14 may include virtually any computing device capable of receiving and sending a message over a network , such as network 15 , to and from another computing device , such as server 16 , each other , and the like . the set of such devices may include devices that are usually considered more general purpose devices and typically connect using a wired communications medium such as personal computers , multiprocessor systems , microprocessor - based or programmable consumer electronics , network pcs , and the like . the set of such devices may also include mobile devices that are usually considered more specialized devices and typically connect using a wireless communications medium such as cell phones , smart phones , pagers , walkie talkies , radio frequency ( rf ) devices , infrared ( ir ) devices , cbs , integrated devices combining one or more of the preceding devices , or virtually any mobile device , and the like . similarly , client devices 12 - 14 may be any device that is capable of connecting using a wired or wireless communication medium such as a personal digital assistant ( pda ), pocket pc , wearable computer , and any other device that is equipped to communicate over a wired and / or wireless communication medium . each client device within client devices 12 - 14 includes a user interface that enables a user to control settings , such as an annotation setting , and to instruct the client device to perform operations . each client device also includes a communication interface that enables the client device to send and receive messages from another computing device employing the same or a different communication mode , including , but not limited to email , im , sms , mms , internet relay chat ( irc ), mardam - bey &# 39 ; s internet relay chat ( mirc ), jabber , and the like . client devices 12 - 14 may be further configured with a browser application that is configured to receive and to send web pages , web - based messages , and the like . the browser application may be configured to receive and display graphics , text , multimedia , and the like , employing virtually any web based language , including , but not limited to standard generalized markup language ( sgml ), hypertext markup language ( html ), extensible markup language ( xml ), a wireless application protocol ( wap ), a handheld device markup language ( hdml ), such as wireless markup language ( wml ), wmlscript , javascript , and the like . network 15 is configured to couple one computing device to another computing device to enable them to communicate . network 15 is enabled to employ any form of medium for communicating information from one electronic device to another . also , network 15 may include a wireless interface , such as a wired interface , such as the internet , in addition to local area networks ( lans ), wide area networks ( wans ), a cellular network interface , direct connections , such as through a universal serial bus ( usb ) port , other forms of computer - readable media , or any combination thereof . on an interconnected set of lans , including those based on differing architectures and protocols , a router acts as a link between lans , enabling messages to be sent from one to another . also , communication links within lans typically include twisted wire pair or coaxial cable , while communication links between networks may utilize cellular telephone signals over air , analog telephone lines , full or fractional dedicated digital lines including t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , and t 4 , integrated services digital networks ( isdns ), digital subscriber lines ( dsls ), wireless links including satellite links , or other communications links known to those skilled in the art . furthermore , remote computers and other related electronic devices could be remotely connected to either lans or wans via a modem and temporary telephone link . in essence , network 15 includes any communication method by which information may travel between client devices 12 - 14 and / or server 16 . network 15 is constructed for use with various communication protocols including transmission control protocol / internet protocol ( tcp / ip ), user datagram protocol ( udp ), wap , code division multiple access ( cdma ), global system for mobile communications ( gsm ), and the like . server 16 may comprise a messaging server , a web server , and / or other server . server 16 may provide one or more services , such as an email service , an im service , an sms service , a news service , a sales service , a financial management service , and the like . other servers and / or other network nodes may communicate data between client devices and / or a subset of services , such as between phone carriers , between data services providers , and / or between other service providers . server 16 and / or other network devices may perform data conversions , routing , filtering , and / or other services . the media used to store and / or transmit information in communication links as described above generally includes any media that can be accessed by a computing device . computer - readable media may include computer storage media , wired and wireless communication media , or any combination thereof . additionally , computer - readable media typically embodies computer - readable instructions , data structures , program modules , or other data generated as or received as a modulated data signal over wires , air , or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media . by way of example , communication media includes wireless media such as acoustic , rf , infrared , gaseous , liquid , and other wireless media , and wired media such as twisted pair , coaxial cable , fiber optics , wave guides , and other wired media . one embodiment of a general purpose computing device , such as a client device 20 , is described in more detail below in conjunction with fig2 . briefly , client device 20 may include any computing device , including those capable of connecting to network 15 to enable a user to communicate with other client devices and / or server 16 . client device 20 may include many more components than those shown . the components shown , however , are sufficient to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the invention . many of the components of client device 20 may also be duplicated in server 16 and / or other server devices . as shown in the figure , client device 20 includes a processing unit 22 in communication with a mass memory 24 via a bus 23 . mass memory 24 generally includes a ram 26 , a rom 28 , and other storage means . mass memory 24 illustrates a type of computer - readable media , namely computer storage media . computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile , removable and non - removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions , data structures , program modules or other data . other examples of computer storage media include eprom , flash memory or other semiconductor memory technology , cd - rom , digital versatile disks ( dvd ) or other optical storage , magnetic cassettes , magnetic tape , magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices , or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by a computing device . mass memory 24 stores a basic input / output system (“ bios ”) 30 for controlling low - level operation of client device 20 . the mass memory also stores an operating system 31 for controlling the operation of client device 20 . it will be appreciated that this component may include a general purpose operating system such as a version of windows ™, unix , linux ™ and the like . the operating system may also include , or interface with a virtual machine module , such as a java virtual machine module , that enables control of hardware components and / or operating system operations via application programs , such as java . mass memory 24 further includes one or more data storage units 32 , which can be utilized by client device 20 to store , among other things , programs 34 and / or other data . programs 34 may include computer executable instructions which can be executed by client device 20 to implement browsers , schedulers , calendars , web services , transcoders , database programs , word processing programs , spreadsheet programs , and so forth . programs 34 may also include computer executable instructions which can be executed by client device 20 ( and / or server 16 ) to implement an http handler application for transmitting , receiving and otherwise processing http communications . similarly , programs 34 can include an https handler application for handling secure connections , such as initiating communication with an external application in a secure fashion . accordingly , programs 34 can process web pages , audio , video , and enable telecommunication with another user of another electronic device . in addition , client device 20 may include a messaging client 36 , which may comprise computer executable instructions , and which may be run under control of operating system 31 to enable email , instant messaging , sms , and / or other messaging services . similarly , client device 20 and / or a server device configured much like client device 20 , can include another messaging module , such as a messaging server 38 , which may further provide routing , access control , and / or other server - side messaging services . client device 20 also includes an input / output interface 40 for communicating with input / output devices such as a keyboard , mouse , wheel , joy stick , rocker switches , keypad , printer , scanner , and / or other input devices not specifically shown in fig2 . a user of client device 20 can use input / output devices to interact with a user interface that may be separate or integrated with operating system 31 , programs 34 , messaging client 36 , and / or messaging server 38 . interaction with the user interface includes visual interaction via a display , and a video display adapter 42 . for higher capability client devices such as a personal computer , client device 20 may include a removable media drive 48 and / or a permanent media drive 46 for computer - readable storage media . removable media drive 48 can comprise one or more of an optical disc drive , a floppy disk drive , and / or a tape drive . permanent or removable storage media may include volatile , nonvolatile , removable , and non - removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information , such as computer readable instructions , data structures , program modules , or other data . examples of computer storage media include a cd - rom 49 , digital versatile disks ( dvd ) or other optical storage , magnetic cassettes , magnetic tape , magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices , ram , rom , eeprom , flash memory or other memory technology , or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by a computing device . via a network communication interface unit 44 , client device 20 can communicate with a wide area network such as the internet , a local area network , a wired telephone network , a cellular telephone network , or some other communications network , such as network 15 in fig1 . network communication interface unit 44 is sometimes known as a transceiver , transceiving device , network interface card ( nic ), and the like . fig3 shows a screen shot of a computer display illustrating an annotation fragment and a full annotation bound with , or otherwise associated with , a message in a messaging interface 50 . in this exemplary embodiment , messaging interface 50 is provided through a browser in communication with a messaging service and may be implemented with one or more portal servers , carrier gateway servers , and / or other messaging servers . a message listing pane 52 displays a number of message headers ( sometimes referred to as message summaries ), such as message header 54 through message header 56 . a message header represents and enables access to a corresponding full message . each message header may be displayed with a message fragment 58 that may comprise an initial portion of message content . other header information may be displayed in a column format . for example , a “ from ” column 60 may identify a sender of a message . a “ subject ” column 62 may display a subject line of a message . a “ received ” column 64 may display a date and time at which the message was received . a flag column 68 may display an indicator , such as a priority level or other characteristic . an attachment column 69 may indicate whether a file is associated with a message . a “ notes ” column 70 displays an annotation fragment , such as note fragments 72 and 74 , if an annotation is associated with a message . an annotation fragment , referred to here also as an annotation snippet , may include a portion of text , audio data , visual data , and / or other information that a user wishes to associate with a message . an annotation fragment may be displayed when a message header is scrolled into view . the display of annotation fragments may also be toggled on or off with annotation display control 76 . any other control may be used , such as a radio button , a drop down selection , or other user interface control . as a result of toggling , or as an alternative to displaying annotation fragments , a flag or other icon may be displayed in notes column 70 to indicate or represent the presence of annotations . an annotation icon may be useful to indicate or represent an annotation for limited display area devices , such as cellular phones , pdas , point - of - sale devices , and the like . if a user hovers a cursor 75 over an annotation icon or annotation fragment , such as annotation fragment 74 , a full annotation 78 is displayed in a dialogue box , such as a tooltips ™ box . in addition , or alternatively , an annotation fragment or a full annotation may be displayed when the cursor hovers over any portion of a message header . a user may also sort messages based on the date and / or time annotations were revised . for example , the user may click on a column heading for notes column 70 to initiate a sort . fig4 shows a screen shot of a computer display illustrating a messaging interface 80 with an editing interface for editing an annotation . if a user selects an editing button or otherwise issues an editing instruction to edit an annotation , an annotation editing window 82 is displayed and enables the user to enter and / or edit an annotation . for example , the user may click on an annotation fragment or on a full annotation to activate annotation editing window 82 . any other control may be used , such as a button , a right - mouse - button menu , a drop down selection , or other user interface control . the user may enter or revise information that will remain associated with the corresponding message . for instance , after receiving an email from a colleague about a specific company , the user could check the company &# 39 ; s web site and add the web site url as an annotation to the email , using annotation editing window 82 . the user may select a save button 84 to store a new or revised annotation . numerous other editing buttons and controls may be implemented with annotation editing window 82 . the next time the user reviews the listing of emails , the annotation will again be displayed in association with the email , and can be revised through annotation editing window 82 . other editors may also be used , such as an audio editor , a visual editor , and the like . for instance , the user may record or edit a voice message to be associated with an email message . fig5 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary logic for displaying an annotation fragment . this embodiment may be implemented using asynchronous java ™ and xml ( ajax ) or other code for a browser or other client application . at a decision operation 100 , a messaging client determines whether a message header is scrolled into a view area of a message listing pane . when a message header is scrolled into view , the messaging client accesses message header data and annotation data , at an operation 102 . an http request or other communication request may be sent to a message server to obtain the data . alternatively , if the message header and annotation data were previously retrieved , the messaging client may access the data from a local data store . a local data store may also be used for a standalone messaging system . message data may include a message identifier , a sender identifier , a subject , a message size , a message storage location , an attachment flag , an attachment size , an attachment file name , an attachment storage location , a read flag , an importance flag , a folder identifier , a message fragment , a message content , and / or other data . annotation data may include an annotation flag , an annotation fragment , an annotation size , a date and / or time at which an annotation was last modified , an annotation file name , an annotation storage location , an annotation content , and the like . at an operation 104 , the messaging client sets a timer for detecting a response or otherwise accessing the message header data and annotation data . at a decision operation 106 , the messaging client determines whether a response or the data was accessed before a predefined timeout period has expired . the messaging client may wait for a predetermined period of time , make multiple attempts , and / or check another cutoff threshold . if the timeout period expired , the messaging client processes an error at an operation 108 . if a response is received or the data is otherwise accessed in time , the messaging client displays the message header and annotation data , at an operation 109 . the messaging client may display the entire annotation if it fits within the display area allocated for annotations . conversely , the messaging client may display an annotation icon if the annotation fragment will not fit within the display area allocated for annotations . fig6 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary logic for displaying a full annotation . at a decision operation 110 , the messaging client or an annotation module determines whether a cursor is hovering over a notes area in a message display listing . when the messaging client detects the cursor over the notes area , the messaging client determines , at a decision operation 112 , weather the cursor is over an annotation fragment . alternatively , the messaging client may detect whether the cursor is over an annotation icon or simply over a message header . if the cursor is over the notes area , but not over an annotation fragment , the messaging client displays a suggestion , at an operation 114 , to add an annotation . for example , the messaging client may display a pop - up dialog box advising the user to click to add a note . if the cursor is over the notes area , and over an annotation fragment , the messaging client accesses full annotation data , at an operation 116 . the messaging client may access the full annotation data from a server or from a local data store . this step may be skipped if other optional logic determines that the full annotation is already displayed within the display area allocated for annotation fragments . at an operation 118 , the messaging client sets a timer for detecting a response or otherwise accessing the full annotation data . at a decision operation 120 , the messaging client determines whether a response or the data was accessed before a corresponding predefined timeout period has expired . the messaging client may wait for a predetermined period of time , make multiple attempts , and / or check another cutoff threshold . if the timeout period expired , the messaging client processes an error at an operation 122 . if a response is received or the data is otherwise accessed in time , the messaging client displays the full annotation data , at an operation 124 . the full annotation data is generally displayed in pop - up dialog box , but may be displayed in a side pane , in a separate window , or in other ways . the method of displaying the full annotation data may depend on display area limitations , processor capability , and / or other factors . fig7 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary logic for editing an annotation . at a decision operation 130 , the messaging client or annotation module determines whether a mouse click is detected in the notes area of the message display listing . if the messaging client detected a click in another area , the messaging client performs other appropriate process ( es ) at an operation 132 . when the messaging client detects a click in the notes area , the messaging client determines , and a decision operation 134 , weather the click occurred over an annotation fragment . alternatively , the messaging client may detect whether the click occurred over an annotation icon . the messaging client may also , or alternatively , determine whether the click occurred over a message header , although a special click may be more appropriate , such as a right mouse button click and / or selection of a menu button . if the click is over the notes area , but not over an annotation fragment , the messaging client opens an empty editing window , at an operation 136 , to enable the user to enter an annotation . for example , the messaging client may display a pop - up editing box , launch a full editing application program , or provide another editing tool . if the click is over the notes area , and over an annotation fragment , the messaging client accesses full annotation data , at an operation 138 . the messaging client may access the full annotation data from a server or from a local data store . at an operation 140 , the messaging client sets a timer for detecting a response or otherwise accessing the full annotation data . at a decision operation 142 , the messaging client determines whether a response or the data was accessed before a corresponding predefined timeout period has expired . the messaging client may wait for a predetermined period of time , make multiple attempts , and / or check another cutoff threshold . if the timeout period expired , the messaging client processes an error at an operation 144 . if a response is received or the data is otherwise accessed in time , the messaging client loads the full annotation data into the annotation editing window , at an operation 146 . the method of displaying the annotation editing tool may depend on display area limitations , processor capability , and / or other factors . the user may then revise the full annotation data . at a decision operation 148 , the messaging client determines whether a save instruction has been input . when a save instruction is detected , the messaging client stores the revised full annotation data , at an operation 150 . the storage may be local or remote with a communication to a server . other editing commands may be handled in a similar manner . at an operation 152 , the messaging client ( or messaging server ) generates or revises a corresponding annotation fragment based on the full annotation data . a first predefined number of words from the full annotation data may be selected for the annotation fragment , a save or revision date may be included in the annotation fragment , and / or other full annotation data may be incorporated into the annotation fragment . the annotation fragment is stored with an association to the full annotation data . the above specification , examples , and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention . however , other embodiments and aspects will be evident to those skilled in the art . for example , corresponding server - side processes include receiving requests for , and transmit messages , message headers , annotation fragments , full annotation data , annotation indicators , and the like . one or more servers and / or a client may store the various data in databases , files , caches , and / or other storage systems . the annotation data and message data may be organized according to predefined and / or user - defined folders and subfolders . accessing and / or associating annotation data can be keyed to a user identifier , a message identifier , and / or other identifiers . a server or client may also track user actions associated with annotations and determine behaviors , which may enable the server or client to offer information or services that are relevant to each users actions and / or behaviors . another embodiment includes linking annotation data to a calendar and / or other application . for example , a user may enter date information into an annotation , and a corresponding calendar entry is made and / or other link formed . in another embodiment , the annotations can be searched , sorted , filtered , or otherwise managed . a user may then select an annotation to access a corresponding message , calendar entry , and / or other data . since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended . | 6 |
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended , such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device , and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates . the general operation of the transceiver of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 which shows the transceiver in block diagram form . the transceiver , generally designated at 10 , has a receiver section including antenna 12 , antenna switch 14 , radio - frequency ( rf ) amplifier 16 , phase - locked loop ( pll ) frequency synthesizer 18 , mixer 20 , intermediate - frequency ( if ) amplifier 22 , tone encoder / decoder 24 , audio amplifier 26 , and speaker 28 . the transmitter portion of transceiver 10 includes microphone 30 , speech amplifier 32 , pll frequency synthesizer 18 , transmitter power amplifier 34 , antenna switch 14 and antenna 12 . in receive mode operation , rf signals received on antenna 12 pass through antenna switch 14 to rf amplifier 16 which amplifies signals at frequencies within a selected portion of the vhf high band ( 144 to 174 mhz ). it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other bands , for example , the uhf band or the vhf low band , may be desired for certain applications and that corresponding component values may be determined , as for the vhf high band , using a number of well known techniques . frequency synthesizer 18 , which will be described more fully hereinafter , functions as a first local oscillator for mixer 20 , producing a signal which is either 10 . 7 mhz above or below the frequency desired for reception . mixer 20 receives the rf signal output from rf amplifier 16 and the local oscillator signal from frequency synthesizer 18 and produces a number of frequencies , including . if a signal is received on the selected channel , a difference frequency component at 10 . 7 mhz . if amplifier 22 , which includes filter , mixer and fm detector stages , recovers voice and sub - audio tone information from the 10 . 7 mhz signal . the demodulated output signal from if amplifier 22 is fed into programmable filter network 36 of tone encoder / decoder 24 and to squelch circuit 38 . as will be described later , filter network 36 is normally in a standby condition . squelch circuit 38 monitors the demodulated signal for noise , and if no noise is detected , as in the case of a received carrier signal , squelch circuit 38 sends a control signal to encoder / decoder 24 which enables filter network 36 . filter network 36 is programmed by the contents of shift register 40 to respond during receive mode to the presence of a sub - audio tone at a desired frequency . if a sub - audio tone is detected at the desired frequency , filter network 36 outputs the audio portion of the signal to audio amplifier 26 and sends a control signal to squelch circuit 38 to open the squelch . squelch circuit 38 then couples supply current to audio amplifier 26 , and audio amplifier 26 amplifies the audio signal and feeds it to speaker 28 for reception by a listener . pll frequency synthesizer 18 , consisting of voltage - controlled oscillator ( vco ) 42 , prescaler 44 , divider / comparator 46 , low pass filter 48 and reference crystal oscillator 50 , and operating in conjunction with controller 52 and prom 54 , generates the first local oscillator signal for the receiver . data supplied from prom 54 to shift register 56 by controller 52 determines the frequency of the output of vco 42 . controller 52 controls the transfer of data by generating a series of address words in response to commands from talk switch 58 and channel select switch 62 and transferring those address words to prom 54 on address lines 64 . prom 54 responds by outputting data in parallel fashion on data lines 66 . controller 52 couples a selected data line from data lines 66 to the data output of controller 52 . the resulting data stream is shifted from the data output of controller 52 through tone frequency shift register 40 to carrier frequency shift register 56 under control of a clock signal generated by controller 52 . the clock signal is supplied to decoder / encoder 24 and divider / comparator 46 through the clock output of controller 52 . at the end of a read cycle carrier frequency shift register 56 contains the portion of data which corresponds to the selected carrier frequency , and tone freguency shift register 40 contains the data portion corresponding to the selected sub - audio tone signal frequency . when talk switch 58 is depressed , controller 52 reads out data corresponding to a transmit mode carrier frequency and sub - audio tone signal frequency . in that instance , tone frequency synthesizer 68 in tone encoder / decoder 24 generates a tone at a frequency corresponding to the data in shift register 40 . the tone signal output of tone encoder / decoder 24 is coupled to low pass filter 48 during transmit mode , as will be described . the transmitter portion of transceiver 10 will now be described with continuing reference to fig1 . speech amplifier 32 amplifies and limits the voice signal received from microphone element 30 and filters out signals above the voice frequency range . the signal output of speech amplifier 32 is fed to vco 42 as a modulation voltage . as already stated , the tone signal output of tone encoder / decoder 24 is applied to an input of low pass filter 48 . the bandwidth of the phase - locked loop is narrow enough to prevent the loop from responding to sub - audio frequency components , thus allowing vco 42 to deviate in frequency . frequency synthesizer 18 thus functions as a modulator providing direct fm . the output signal from vco 42 is amplified in transmitter power amplifier 34 and coupled to antenna switch 14 which couples the signal to antenna 12 for transmission . antenna switch 14 is set for either transmission or reception depending on the position of talk switch 58 and the state of transmitter power supply ( tx b +) control circuit 70 . when talk switch 58 is in the transmit mode position and tx b + control circuit 70 is enabled for supplying current to antenna switch 14 , antenna switch 14 is tuned to pass output power to antenna 12 and to prevent coupling of output power to rf amplifier 16 . in this position , talk switch 58 disables receiver power supply ( rx b +) control circuit 72 , thereby removing b + power from rf amplifier 16 , mixer 20 and if amplifier 22 . talk switch 58 also sends a disable signal to squelch circuit 38 , which responds by removing b + power from audio amplifier 26 . thus the receiver is inoperative in transmit mode . talk switch 58 indirectly controls tx b + control circuit 70 . applying a command to controller 52 which causes transfer of transmit mode frequency data from prom 54 through controller 52 and shift register 40 to shift register 56 of frequency synthesizer 18 . if the pll locks on the desired frequency , divider / comparator 46 sends an enable signal to tx b + control circuit 70 causing it to apply b + power to transmitter power amplifier 34 and antenna switch 14 . when talk switch 58 is in the receive mode position , tx b + control circuit 70 receives a disable signal from divider / comparator 46 regardless of whether the pll has locked up . in this mode , antenna switch 14 is tuned to pass input signals from antenna 12 to rf amplifier 16 and to decouple transmitter power amplifier 34 from antenna 12 . rf amplifier 16 , mixer 20 and if amplifier 22 are connected to b + power through rx b + control circuit 72 , and audio amplifier 26 is connected to b + power if the other squelch - related conditions , already described , are satisfied . fig2 is a schematic representation of antenna switch 14 , rx and tx b + control circuits 72 and 70 and talk switch 58 shown in block diagram form in fig1 along with associated circuitry . the primary power source for the transceiver is battery 76 which consists of seven 800 milliampere - hour &# 34 ; a f &# 34 ; rechargeable nickel - cadmium batteries connected in series to provide a nominal supply voltage of 8 . 4 volts dc . battery 76 may be recharged by turning the transceiver off and connecting charger jack 78 to a commercially available battery charger adapted for connection to a 110 volts ac wall outlet . when a battery charger is not connected , the anode of diode 80 is connected to test jack 82 and elliptic filter 84 through charger jack 78 and inductor 86 . when on / off switch 88 is switched into the on position , the supply voltage from battery 76 is applied to voltage regulator 90 , rx b + control transistor 92 , and tx b + control transistor 94 , and is also coupled on the b + line to the b + inputs of fig4 and 9 . voltage regulator 90 , consisting of integrated circuit 98 ( national semiconductor lm2931ct ) and associated circuitry , produces a regulated output voltage of 6 . 5 volts dc for freguency synthesizer 18 tone encoder / decoder 24 , controller 52 and prom 54 shown in fig1 . rx b + control transistor 92 is controlled by talk switch 58 , a normally open single - pole , single - throw ( spst ) momentary switch . when talk switch 58 is depressed for transmission , the base of transistor 92 is pulled to ground through switch 58 thereby cutting off transistor 92 and disconnecting rf amplifier 16 , mixer 20 and if amplifier 22 ( fig1 ) from the supply voltage . when talk switch 58 is released , transistor 92 receives base current from battery 76 through resistor 104 which causes transistor 92 to conduct . transistor 92 acts as a voltage follower to supply voltage to rf amplifier 16 , mixer 20 and if amplifier 22 . as stated previously , talk switch 58 indirectly controls tx b + control circuit 70 . in receive mode , as will be described later , the tx b + enable line is held at a logical zero ( low ) level by a low output signal from divider / comparator 46 ( fig1 ) causing zener diode 106 to be reverse biased whereby transistor 108 turns off . with transistor 108 off , no base current can flow out of tx b + control transistor 94 so transistor 94 turns off . as will be explained with reference to fig6 the tx b + enable line is low unless the transceiver is in transmit mode and the phase - locked loop is locked . in that situation , transistors 108 and 94 are both on whereby transmitter power amplifier 34 ( fig1 ) receives b + power . and pin diode 110 of antenna switch 14 receives bias current through inductor 112 and resistor 114 rendering it conductive . talk switch 58 also controls antenna switch 14 consisting of pin diodes 110 and 116 , inductor 118 and capacitors 120 , 122 and 124 connected as shown in fig2 . when talk switch 58 is released , the voltage at the cathode of pin diode 116 is approximately 7 to 8 volts dc , causing that diode to be reverse biased . as has been described , tx b + control transistor 94 is off in receive mode , thus pin diode 110 is also reverse biased . with pin diodes 110 and 116 reverse biased , signals received on antenna jack 126 from antenna 12 shown in fig1 pass through test jack 82 , elliptic filter 84 and inductor 118 of antenna switch 14 , the input of a two - pole bandpass filter circuits 128 and 130 of flg 3 . referring now to flg . 3 , the output signal from bandpass filter circuit 130 is fed to the emitter of common - base rf transistor amplifier 132 . rf amplifier 132 couples the amplified signal to a second two - pole bandpass filter 134 and 136 . bandpass filter circuits 128 , 130 , 134 and 136 are designed to pass signals within a predetermined 8 mhz portion of the frequency range of 144 to 174 mhz . the particular passband is determined by variable inductors 128a , 130a , 134a , and 136a . mixer 20 receives the output of filter circuit 136 , consisting of all received signals within this rf range , as well as the output signal from frequency synthesizer 18 ( fig1 ) which , as has been stated , is either 10 . 7 mhz above or below the frequency desired for reception . mixer 20 produces a number of frequencies for each input signal , including the input frequency , twice the input frequency , and the sum and difference of the input frequency with every other input frequency . two - pole monolithic crystal filter 140 , which has a center frequency of 10 . 7 mhz , attenuates all frequencies produced by mixer 138 except for any difference frequency component at the first if frequency of 10 . 7 mhz , which component corresponds to a signal on the desired channel . the 10 . 7 mhz first if signal is coupled to input 141 of integrated circuit 142 shown in fig4 . if amplifier 22 , audio amplifier 26 , and squelch circuit 38 , shown in block diagram form in fig1 are shown schematically in fig4 . portions of the circuitry of if amplifier 22 and squelch circuit 38 are contained within integrated circuit 142 . integrated circuit 142 is a multifunction fm if integrated circuit manufactured by motorola , incorporated , phoenix , ariz . designated part number mc3357 . input 141 is connected to an internal balanced mixer which mixes the incoming signal with a 10 . 245 mhz second local oscillator signal . the second local oscillator is comprised of internal circuitry combined with an external crystal filter consisting of 10 . 245 mhz crystal 146 and capacitors 148 and 150 . the internal mixer provides a 455 khz second if frequency signal , as well as several higher - frequency components , on output line 152 of integrated circuit 142 and therefrom to 455 khz four - pole ceramic filter 154 . filter 154 passes the signal at the second lf frequency of 455 khz and removes the undesired frequencies . the filtered if signal is then fed through input line 156 to an internal limiting if amplifier and therefrom to a quadrature detector comprised of an internal multiplier and externally connected quadrature coil 158 and associated components . the demodulated signal , which includes audio and sub - audio frequencies , appears on output line 160 of integrated circuit 142 and is coupled therefrom to a de - emphasis circuit consisting of resistor 162 and capacitor 164 . the de - emphasis circuit output signal which appears on capacitor 164 is fed through tone encoder / decoder 24 , shown in block form , to volume control potentiometer 166 and therefrom to audio amplifier 26 . the operation of tone encoder / decoder 24 will be described more fully hereinafter . when squelch transistor 96 is on , as will be described , such that audio amplifier 168 is connected to the supply voltage , audio amplifier 168 amplifies the output signal from tone encoder / decoder 24 and supplies the amplified signal to 8 - ohm speaker 28 through capacitor 170 . the audio output present on line 160 of integrated circuit 142 is also fed to the squelch circuit which includes bandpass filter 172 , detector 174 , internal schmitt trigger circuitry connected between input line 176 and output line 200 of integrated circuit 142 , and squelch transistors 202 and 96 . bandpass filter 172 includes an inverting operational amplifier internal to integrated circuit 142 and connected between input line 178 and output line 180 , as well as resistor 182 and capacitors 184 and 186 . the external components are selected for a center frequency of 8 khz , which is above the voice frequency range . the output of bandpass filter 172 is applied to detector 174 consisting of diodes 188 and 190 , resistors 192 and 194 , potentiometer 196 and capacitor 198 . in the presence of noise , the demodulated signal on output line 160 contains frequency components around 8 khz which are amplified by bandpass filter 172 . the amplified noise is coupled to detector 174 causing the output thereof , connected to input line 176 of integrated circuit 142 , to exceed 0 . 6 volts . this causes the internal schmitt trigger to switch , which in turn causes output line 200 of integrated circuit 142 to appear as an open circuit . in this situation , the base of transistor 202 is pulled to ground through resistor 204 . the base of transistor 202 is also connected to the tone squelch line , and to talk switch 58 ( fig2 ) through diode 205 . as will be described with reference to fig9 the tone squelch line is open if a tone is detected or if tone encoder / decoder 24 is disabled , and is otherwise low . the power save line cannot supply current to line 200 , and diode 205 blocks input current , so output line 200 of integrated circuit 142 is the only source of base current for transistor 202 . thus , transistor 202 is off if any one of the following conditions exists : ( 1 ) line 200 is open ; ( 2 ) the tone squelch line is low ; or ( 3 ) the line from talk switch 58 is held low by depressing the switch . when transistor 202 is off , no base current flows through transistor 96 , and therefore transistor 96 is also off such that audio amplifier 168 is disconnected from the supply voltage . in the case of a received carrier , the output of the fm detector in integrated circuit 142 does not contain frequency components in the bandwidth of bandpass filter 172 , so no signal is applied to detector 174 . as a result , the input voltage at input line 176 of integrated circuit 142 is less than 0 . 6 volts , and output line 200 switches to its logical one ( high ) state . integrated circuit 142 then supplies current through resistor 206 to the base of transistor 202 causing that transistor to turn on . transistor 202 turns on transistor 96 which then supplies power to audio amplifier 26 . potentiometer 196 provides squelch control by determining the threshold of squelch action . microphone 30 converts speech input into an electrical signal appearing on line 209 . speech amplifier 32 and transmitter power amplifier 34 ( fig1 ), the primary transmitter amplifiers , are shown in schematic form , respectively , in fig5 a and 5b . referring now to fig5 a , line 209 is connected to the input of a transistor amplifier consisting of transistor 212 and associated components . the amplified audio signal appearing at the collector of transistor 212 is fed to the diode clipping circuit consisting of diodes 214 and 216 which limits the amplitude of the signal fed to low pass filter 218 . filter 218 , consisting of transistor 220 and associated components , provides a - 18 db / octave gain characteristic for frequencies above a corner frequency of 3 khz . the signal on the wiper of potentiometer 222 is applied through coupling capacitor 224 to capacitor 226 of fig6 . referring more particularly to fig6 capacitors 224 and 226 are both connected to the sw1 output of divider / comparator 46 . the sw1 output , which is controlled , as will be described , by data supplied from prom 54 ( fig1 ), assumes a high - impedance state in transmit mode whereby the signal from capacitor 224 is fed through capacitor 226 to vco 42 . in receive mode , the sw1 output is low . thus residual speech signals propagating through speech amplifier 32 of fig5 a despite the lack of power to that amplifier are prevented from reaching vco 42 . resistors 232 , 234 and 236 and capacitor 238 are the principal components which determine the fundamental pole of low pass filter 48 and thus the bandwidth of the loop . they are selected for a corner frequency lower than the lowest tone signal frequency of 67 hz in order to make the loop substantially insensitive to modulation signal inputs . as a result , vco 42 , which operates under closed loop control at a nominal frequency equal to the desired carrier frequency , deviates in frequency in response to the injected audio signal . potentiometer 222 , connected to the emitter of transistor 220 as shown in fig5 a , controls the modulation level of the transmitter by controlling the maximum deviation from the nominal frequency of vco 42 . the tone signal for encoding the transmitted audio information , the generation of which will be described more fully hereinafter , is coupled to the encode tone input of frequency synthesizer 18 , from which it is fed into vco 42 through capacitor 240 and resistors 242 , 244 and 228 . component values are selected , in a manner known to those skilled in the art , such that filter 48 provides additional attenuation of the incoming tone signal in order to limit the voltage swing at the output of vco 42 in response to the tone signal . thus direct frequency modulation with audio and sub - audio tone modulation signal inputs is accomplished . the resulting fm signal on the collector of buffer transistor 246 of vco 42 is then fed to transistor 250 of transmitter power amplifier 34 shown in fig5 b . with reference to fig5 b , transmitter power amplifier 34 , consisting of transistors 250 , 251 , 252 , 253 , and associated components , amplifies the modulated signal to a power level of appoximately 4 watts . low - power operation can be selected with switch 255 . with switch 255 open , resistors 256 and 257 limit the supply current to transistor 253 . resistors 256 and 257 are selected for a low - power output of less than 1 watt . the amplified output signal from transmitter power amplifier 34 is coupled to impedance - matching network 258 , consisting of inductor 260 and capacitors 262 , 264 , 266 and 267 , and therefrom to antenna switch 14 shown in fig2 . impedance - matching network 258 matches the output impedance of power amplifier 34 to the 50 - ohm impedance of ellipic filter 84 and antenna 12 shown . respctively , in fig2 and fig1 referring again to fig2 when talk switch 58 is depressed and the tx b + enable line is open , the cathode of pin diode 116 is shorted to ground at the end of a lumped equivalent quarter - wavelength line section consisting of inductor 118 and capacitors 120 and 124 in antenna switch 14 . pin diodes 110 and 116 are forward biased due to bias current received from tx b + control transistor 94 , as has been described . therefore , diode 110 passes output power from impedance - matching network 258 ( fig5 b ) to elliptic filter 84 and therefrom through test jack 82 to antenna jack 126 . when shorted , the quarter - wavelength line section isolates the receiver section connected to the transmitter rf power . to further isolate the receiver from the transmitter , diode 268 is connected , as shown in fig3 between capacitor 270 ( fig3 ) and to talk switch 58 . when talk switch 58 is depressed , diode 268 is connected in parallel with capacitor 270 , causing substantially complete attenuation of any residual signal received at the input of filter circuit 128 . referring again to fig6 the operation of the frequency synthesizer will now be described . the major components of the frequency synthesizer are vco 42 , prescaler 44 ( motorola cmos mc12016p ), divider / comparator 46 ( motorola cmos mc145156p ) and low pass filter 48 arranged to form a phase - locked loop . divider / comparator 46 includes a reference oscillator whose frequency is principally determined by externally connected 10 . 240 mhz crystal 276 , which is an at cut crystal operating in fundamental mode . the reference oscillator is trimmed to frequency by variable capacitor 278 . capacitors 278 , 280 , 282 and 284 and thermistor 286 stabilize the reference oscillator frequency against changes in temperature . at temperatures below 5 degrees centigrade the resistance of thermistor 286 rapidly increases and removes the influence of capacitor 284 from the crystal oscillator . this compensates for the sudden decrease in crystal operating frequency for at cut crystals at those temperatures . divider / comparator 46 has control inputs ra0 , ra1 and ra2 which determine the divider value of an internal reference frequency divider . in the preferred embodiment each of these inputs is set high by connection to the supply voltage . this results in a total divider value of 2048 whereby the reference frequency divider produces a 5 khz reference frequency which is applied to the reference input of an internal digital phase detector . the reference frequency may alternatively be set to 12 . 5 khz for applications requiring 12 . 5 khz channel steps . for such applications a 12 . 8 mhz crystal is selected for crystal 276 , and control input ra0 of divider / comparator 46 is held low to obtain a total divider value of 1024 . the digital phase detector has another input for a variable frequency signal having frequency equal to the vco 42 output signal frequency divided by a number determined by data supplied to divider / comparator 46 and prescaler 44 . divider / comparator 46 also includes a 10 - bit programmable divide - by - n ( n ) counter , a 7 - bit programmable divide - by - a ( a ) counter , shift registers and latches for accepting serial input data from prom 54 ( fig1 ), as well as counter and modulus control logic . the data stream , as will be described later , consists of 32 bits including a pll data word and a tone encoder / decoder data word . the data format is illustrated in fig8 . the data stream is shifted into internal shift registers of divider / comparator 46 through the data input under control of the clock signal received on the clock line from controller 52 of fig1 . as will be understood from fig7 and the accompanying description , when the last bit of the pll data word is received , the clock stops and the enable line goes high . the data contained in the shift registers is then transferred into internal latches , and the n and a counters are respectively preset to the numbers n and a . this causes the pll to search for and lock on the frequency corresponding to the new data received . the output signal on the emitter of buffer transistor 246 of vco 42 is fed to signal input 288 of prescaler 44 through shielded cable section 290 . the signai on the emitter of transistor 246 is the local oscillator signal for the receiver and is coupled to mixer 20 ( fig3 ) through capacitor 291 . the interaction of prescaler 44 and divider / comparator 46 may be described as follows . the logic level of output 292 of prescaler 44 changes once every 40 or 41 cycles of the input signal depending on the logic level of modulus control line 294 which is determined , as will be described , by the a and n counters in divider / comparator 46 . prescaler 44 divides by 40 when control line 294 is high and divides by 41 when control line 294 is low . at the beginning of each count cycle , modulus control line 294 is low , so prescaler 44 outputs a single pulse after 41 cycles of the input signal from vco 42 . the output of prescaler 44 is coupled through input 296 of divider / comparator 46 to both the a and n counters , which simultaneously count input pulses . the a and n counters decrement by one for each input pulse received from prescaler 44 . after the a counter decrements to zero , modulus control line 294 goes high and remains high until the n counter has decremented to zero . the n counter reaches zero after an additional n - a input pulses from prescaler 44 , at which time it supplies an output pulse to the variable frequency input of the phase detector . modulus control line 294 is then reset , the counters are again preset to their respective program values , and the next count cycle begins . thus , the phase detector receives one pulse for every 41a + 40 ( n - a ) cycles of the vco output signal . the phase detector compares both the frequency and phase of the reference and variable inputs and produces an output at the pd output of divider / comparator 46 which is used as a loop error signal . the pd output is a three - state output which is low when the variable frequency is greater than the reference frequency of 5 khz , is high when the variable frequency is less than 5 khz and is at a high - impedance state when the two frequencies are equal and the signals in phase . low pass filter 48 averages the positive and negative pulses from the pd output and applies the average voltage to vco 42 to increase or decrease the vco output frequency in order to cancel the loop error voltage generated by the phase detector . at phase lock , the variable frequency input signal to the phase detector equals 5 khz . therefore the vco output frequency can be determined from the equation the sw1 and sw2 outputs of divider / comparator 46 provide latched open drain outputs corresponding to data bits 6 and 7 of the data received from prom 54 ( fig1 ). both bits are high for transmit mode and low for receive mode . the sw1 and sw2 outputs assume a high - impedance state when the bits are high and a low state when the bits are low . the sw1 output is used to pull capacitor 226 substantially to ground in receive mode so that residual speech signals propagating through speech amplifier 32 despite the lack of power thereto cannot reach vco 42 . the sw2 output operates in conjunction with the ld output of divider / comparator 46 to produce the control signal on the tx b + enable line which is applied to tx b + control circuit 70 ( fig2 ). the tx b + enable line is held low by a low level output from either the ld or sw2 output . thus the transceiver must be in transmit mode and the ld output must be high in order for the transmitter sections of the transceiver to receive power . the ld output is high when the pll is locked , and it pulses low if the loop fails to properly lock on a programmed frequency . this turns the transmitter sections off thereby preventing transmission on a spurious frequency . the operation of controller 52 and prom 54 shown in fig1 will be described with reference to fig7 . counter 300 ( national semiconductor cd4060 ) generates address information for prom 54 ( national semiconductor dm74s387 ) when power is applied to it and its reset input is low . when on / off switch 88 ( fig2 ) is turned on , voltage regulator 90 ( fig2 ) applies power to the + 6 . 5 v input line to controller 52 and prom 54 . capacitor 304 performs a power - on reset function , insuring that exclusive - nor gate 320 latches in the low state on power turn - on as well as causing an initial reset signal to be applied to the reset input of counter 300 through transistor 310 . initially oompletely discharged , capacitor 304 receives charging current from the 6 . 5 volts supply through resistor 306 as well as through the path consisting of resistor 308 in parallel with the emitter - base junction of transistor 310 and in series with resistor 312 and diode 314 . the initial base current flowing out of transistor 310 is high enough for transistor 310 to turn on causing the base thereof to reach a potential of approximately 5 . 8 volts dc . when transistor 310 turns on , the reset input of counter 300 goes high . should exclusive - nor gate 320 come up high on power turn - on , the initial low voltage state of capacitor 304 also initially renders diode 316 conductive . gate 320 then supplies current to capacitor 304 . with a voltage drop of approximately 0 . 7 volts dc across each of diodes 314 and 316 , the anode of diode 316 and , consequently , input 318 of exclusive - nor gate 320 , are initially at 1 . 4 volts . output q10 of counter 300 is initially low , so diode 322 is nonconductive . since 1 . 4 volts on input 318 is a low input voltage to exclusive - nor gate 320 , and since the other input is high the output of gate 320 goes low . this latches exclusive - nor gate 320 in the low state and causes diode 316 to become reverse biased . when exclusive - nor gate 320 latches low , base current flows out of transistor 324 through resistor 326 into the output of gate 320 , and consequently transistor 324 turns on and connects 6 . 5 volts dc to prom 54 and counter 300 . as capacitor 304 charges , the base current from transistor 310 decreases until transistor 310 is cut off . the reset input of counter 300 goes low thereby enabling an internal oscillator which then begins to oscillate at a frequency determined by resistors 328 and 330 and capacitor 332 . outputs q5 , q6 , q7 , q8 and q9 of counter 300 representing outputs of internal stages 5 through 9 , form the five least significant bits a0 through a4 of the address word for prom 54 . as address lines a0 through a4 are sequenced by outputs q5 through q9 of counter 300 , 32 4 - bit data words appear at open - collector outputs 01 - 04 of prom 54 . by enabling only one output for any single data read cycle , serial output of a single 32 - bit word is accomplished . fig8 illustrates the bit format for the 32 - bit word . channel select switch 62 determines which output of prom 54 is selected . channel select switch 62 is a binary - coded decimal ( bcd ) switch . for channels 0 , 1 , 2 or 3 neither the 8 &# 39 ; s nor 4 &# 39 ; s output of channel select switch 62 is connected to 6 . 5 volts . therefore , since all outputs of prom 54 are open - collector transistors . outputs 02 and 03 remain in a low state throughout the read cycle for those channels . neither diode 336 nor diode 338 is forward biased . so both inputs of exclusive - nor gate 340 are low whereby the output is high . thus output 01 of prom 54 is enabled , with gate 340 supplying a high output through resistor 342 and diode 344 to the dat terminal and therethrough to tone encoder / decoder 24 ( fig1 ) when output 01 is high . resistor 342 limits current flow from gate 340 into output 01 of prom 54 when output 01 is low . for channels 4 5 , 6 and 7 , the 4 &# 39 ; s output of channel select switch 62 is connected to b + in so as to enable output 02 of prom 54 . when output 02 is high , supply current flows through resistor 346 and diode 348 to the data terminal . only output 02 of prom 54 is enabled . diode 336 is forward biased , thus input 350 of gate 340 is high , which causes the output of gate 340 to go low thereby disabling output 01 of prom 54 . the 8 &# 39 ; s output of channel select switch 62 is not connected to b + in , and diode 338 blocks current flow from diode 336 , thus output 03 of prom 54 is also disabled . similarly , for channels 8 and 9 , the 8 &# 39 ; s output of channel select switch 62 is high but the 4 &# 39 ; s output is low . only output 3 of prom 54 is enabled in this case . the 1 &# 39 ; s and 2 &# 39 ; s outputs of channel select switch 62 control address lines a5 and a7 , respectively , of prom 54 and select one of four possible banks in prom 54 for data acquisition . transmit and receive mode data words are contained in separate banks of the memory . talk switch 58 ( fig1 ) selects the appropriate bank by controlling the logic state of address line a6 of prom 54 . talk switch 58 has one contact connected to the tx / rx line and the other contact connected to ground . when talk switch 58 is not depressed , the tx / rx line is left open , and address line a6 is pulled up to the supply voltage level through resistor 352 . when talk switch 58 is depressed , the tx / rx line is connected to ground causing address line a6 to go low . output q10 of counter 300 goes high after the 32nd data bit has been read from prom 54 , thus generating a signal on the enable line which is coupled to divider / comparator 46 of the pll shown in fig6 . as stated previously , this causes the pll to search for and lock on a new frequency . when the enable line goes high , diode 322 becomes forward biased causing input 318 of exclusive - nor gate 320 to go high , which in turn causes the output of gate 320 to latch high . output q10 of counter 300 also causes the reset input of counter 300 to go high , thus resetting counter 300 and stopping its internal oscillator . transistor 324 turns off when gate 320 goes high . it can thus be appreciated that prom 54 and counter 300 draw no current except when data is being read from prom 54 to establish a new frequency and mode of operation . either a change of channels with channel select switch 62 or a change of position of talk switch 58 causes a memory read operation to begin . any time that a channel is changed , the 1 &# 39 ; s output of channel select switch 62 changes state . input 354 of exclusive - nor gate 356 responds immediately to this change in state but input 358 lags behind because of the delay circuit consisting of resistor 360 and capacitor 362 . gate 356 goes low momentarily as a result , whether the 1 &# 39 ; s output of switch 62 is changed from a low state to a high state or vice versa . it should be recognized that , due to mechanical differences among the four switch poles in channel select switch 62 , the various poles may switch at different times when a channel is changed , especially if the switch is operated slowly . such switch action could cause erroneous readout of frequency data . therefore , the time constant determined by resistor 360 and capacitor 362 is preferably sufficiently long so as to maintain the output of gate 356 low until all contacts of switch 62 have settled into their new positions . the low output of gate 356 forward biases diodes 364 and 316 thereby causing input 318 of gate 320 to go low . gate 320 then latches in the low state as described previously , and a new read cycle begins . similarly , when talk switch 58 is pushed or released , exclusive - nor gate 366 goes low . and a new read cycle begins . reference is now made to fig9 which shows tone encoder / decoder 24 of fig1 in schematic form . the circuit operation will first be generally described . tone encoder / decoder 24 is a continuous tone - coded squelch system ( ctcss ) capable of generating and decoding 37 discrete tones according to the eia rs - 220 - a standard . integrated circuit 368 is a ctcss encoder / decoder manufactured by mx - com , inc ., winston - salem , n . c . and identified as part number mx325a . integrated circuit 368 contains a frequency synthesizer and a comprehensive set of analog and digital notch and bandpass filters which can be programmed either for generation or detection of a single tone frequency . shift register 370 receives an entire 32 - bit data word ( fig8 ) corresponding to frequency and mode information for a selected position of channel select switch 62 ( fig7 ) and talk switch 58 shown in fig1 . the last eight bits remain in shift register 370 for controlling the operation of integrated circuit 368 . in transmit mode , integrated circuit 368 generates a tone having a frequency determined by the data supplied to its programming inputs and couples the tone signal to vco 42 . in receive mode , integrated circuit 368 receives the demodulated signal , including voice and tone signals , and feeds it to two filter networks . one filter network is programmed to sense the presence of a tone of a specific frequency determined by the data on the programming inputs of integrated circuit 368 . the other filter network is a programmable notch filter which is set to the frequency of the desired tone signal so as to greatly attenuate the tone component of the audio signal . the output of the programmable notch filter is fed to an electronic switch which , if the desired tone frequency is present in the received signal , is closed so as to pass the audio signal out of tone encoder / decoder 24 to audio amplifier 26 ( fig1 ). with continuing reference to fig9 the operation of tone encoder / decoder 24 will now be described in more detail . tone encoder / decoder 24 receives supply voltages , at the b + and + 6 . 5 v inputs , from on / off switch 88 and voltage regulator 90 shown in fig2 . transistor 372 is an additional voltage regulator used to provide a supply voltage of + 5 . 8 volts dc to tone encoder / decoder 24 . the 6 . 5 volts dc input provides a reference voltage on the base of transistor 372 , the unregulated input voltage ( approximately 8 . 4 volts dc ) being supplied on the b + input . in either transmit or receive mode , a particular ctcss frequency is selected by setting the appropriate programming inputs of integrated circuit 368 either high or low . the tone frequency data word for these inputs is read out of prom 54 of fig7 as part of the 32 - bit stream previously mentioned . the data stream is fed into the data in input of shift register 370 and shifted through shift register 370 under control of the clock signal generated by counter 300 shown in fig7 . with output q4a and the data b input of shift register 370 connected together as shown , and with the clock a and clock b inputs also tied together , shift register 370 forms an 8 - stage serial - input / parallel - output register . the logic level present at the data in input is transferred into the first register stage , which has its output connected to the q1a output , and shifted over one stage at each positive - going clock transition . data is shifted through shift register 370 in the sequence q1a , q2a , q3a , q4a , q1b , q2b , q3b and q4b . data shifted out of the last stage , q4b , is fed to the data out output of tone encoder / decoder 24 and from there to the data input of divider / comparator 46 shown in fig6 . as mentioned , the data transfer stops after 32 bits have been read out of prom 54 ( fig7 ). the bits remaining in shift register 370 comprise the 8 - bit tone encoder / decoder data word shown in fig8 . the q4b output , bit 25 of the 32 - bit data word , controls an override circuit in integrated circuit 368 . as will be explained more fully hereinafter , the tone squelch function of integrated circuit 368 may be overridden by supplying a high input to the override input of integrated circuit 368 . for channels carrying a sub - audio tone , q4b is high after the data transfer is complete so as to supply base current to transistor 374 through resistor 376 and thereby turn transistor 374 on . this causes the override input of integrated circuit 368 to be normally low . for channels without a sub - audio tone , e . g ., weather channels , integrated circuit 368 must be overridden in order to hear the transmission . this can be accomplished by programming bit 25 low . manual override is also provided , as will be explained . output q3b of shift register 370 , coupled to the mode input of integrated circuit 368 , is high for receive mode and low for transmit mode . the remaining six bits determine the state of the programming inputs of integrated circuit 368 . in transmit mode , data applied to the programming inputs is coupled to and determines the operating frequency of an internal frequency synthesizer . crystal 378 and associated components determine the reference frequency for the internal synthesizer . the generated tone signal appears at the tx output of integrated circuit 368 and is fed to a low pass filter comprised of resistor 380 , potentiometer 382 and capacitor 384 . the filtered output signal is coupled through resistor 386 to the tone out line which is coupled to the encode tone input of vco 42 shown in fig6 . the tone in input of encoder / decoder 24 is connected to the decode tone output of integrated circuit 142 shown in fig4 . in receive mode , then , the demodulated output signal of integrated circuit 142 appears at the tone in input of encoder / decoder 24 . this signal which contains both audio and sub - audio components , is coupled to transistor amplifier 388 and therefrom to the audio input of integrated circuit 368 . this input signal is fed to a low pass filter having a cutoff frequency of 3 . 4 khz , which in turn is coupled to a programmable notch filter as well as to a programmable filter network having a low pass filter and a bandpass filter designed to pass the tone frequency signal component but substantially reject the audio frequency component . the output of the filter network is coupled to a detector which sets a latch high if an individual cycle of the output of the filter network falls within a predetermined frequency range . the latch output appears at the inband output of integrated circuit 368 . the inband output responds to frequency changes in an individual cycle and therefore can change rapidly due to the effects of residual voice frequency signals and noise . for this reason resistor 390 and capacitor 392 are provided as a delay circuit to establish a minimum validity period . when a tone of the programmed frequency is detected , the inband output goes high and causes capacitor 392 to charge through resistor 390 , assuming that transistor 374 is held on such that diode 394 is reverse biased . no charging current flows through the series combination of resistor 396 and diode 398 , connected in parallel with resistor 390 , because diode 398 is reverse biased when the inband output is high and capacitor 392 is charging . resistor 396 and diode 398 are provided to give capacitor 392 a discharge time which is faster than its charge time in order to achieve rapid squelch action in response to absence of the desired tone . this minimizes the so - called &# 34 ; squelch tail &# 34 ; which occurs at the end of a transmission . the ungrounded side of capacitor 392 is further coupled to the inverting input of an internal comparator . to obtain a more positive audio switching action , this comparator is connected in a conventional manner to external resistors 400 , 402 and 404 to form an inverting level detector with hysteresis . as a result of positive feedback through resistor 404 , the comparator circuit has an upper and lower threshold voltage . with capacitor 392 completely discharged , the threshold level assumes the upper threshold voltage . capacitor 392 charges relatively slowly up to the upper threshold voltage , at which point the comparator output switches from a high to a low level and causes the threshold level to switch to the lower threshold voltage . the threshold voltage immediately returns to the upper threshold level when the voltage on capacitor 392 subsequently falls below the lower threshold voltage . resistors 400 , 402 and 404 are most preferably selected to yield upper and lower threshold voltages of approximately 4 volts dc and 2 volts dc , respectively . the output of the internal comparator circuit is connected to one input of a nand gate the other input of which is connected to an override circuit , to be discussed more fully hereinafter . when the override circuit output is high , the nand gate is enabled whereby a low output from the comparator circuit causes the nand gate to go high which then enables the analog switch . the input of the analog switch is connected to the output of the programmable notch filter previously mentioned so that , when the switch is enabled , it passes the audio signal to the switched audio output of integrated circuit 368 . the swltched audio output is loaded by resistor 406 , connected to the bias output of integrated circuit 368 , in order to reduce noise pickup when the internal analog switch is in its high - impedance state . capacitor 408 connected between the bias output and ground decouples noise from the internally generated bias voltage . the signal appearing at the switched audio output is fed to resistor 410 which , with capacitor 412 , acts as an audio filter . the output of this filter is then coupled to the switched audio out line of tone encoder / decoder 24 and therefrom to volume control potentiometer 166 shown in fig4 . the internal programmable notch filter contained in integrated circuit 368 attenuates the level of the tone signal in the demodulated received signal . thus , when a tone signal having the desired ctcss tone frequency is detected for a sufficient length of time , voice signals are passed through integrated circuit 368 and fed to audio amplifier 26 ( fig4 ) through potentiometer 166 . the output of the internal comparator also connects to the base of transistor 414 through resistor 416 . when the comparator output is high , as when no tone is received , transistor 414 turns on and the tone squelch line , which is connected to the base of transistor 202 of fig4 goes low . this causes transistor 202 to turn off and thereby turn off transistor 96 , which then removes supply voltage from audio amplifier 26 , as described with reference to fig4 . when it is desired to monitor a channel before transmitting , the tone squelch system may be manually overridden by closing a tone squelch switch ( not shown ) connected between the sq mon line and ground . this pulls the base of transistor 374 to ground and thereby turns that transistor off . with transistor 374 off , its collector is pulled high through resistor 418 . the override input of integrated circuit 368 is connected by an internal override circuit inverter to the nand gate previously mentioned . when the override input is at a high level , the nand gate output goes high regardless of the output state of the internal comparator . this turns on the analog switch and thereby couples the received audio signal to audio amplifier 26 . integrated circuit 368 has a power save input which sets the decoder into a standby condition when held low . this input is connected by resistor 420 and the power save line to output line 200 of integrated circuit 142 shown in fig4 . when line 200 is high , as in the case of a received carrier , the power save input of integrated circuit 368 assumes a voltage level determined by the level translator formed by resistors 420 and 422 . resistors 420 and 422 are selected such that the power save input voltage is a high input voltage to internal logic in integrated circuit 368 when line 200 is high , whereby the decoder in integrated circuit 368 is enabled . in the presence of noise , output line 200 of integrated circuit 142 appears as an open circuit , and in that case the power save input of integrated circuit 368 is pulled low through resistor 422 . this disables the decoder , although the power save input can be overridden by a transmit or override command . fig1 shows the pertinent portion of an alternative embodiment having twenty - channel capability . all other portions of the transceiver are as previously shown and described . prom 54 &# 39 ; ( national semiconductor dm74s570 ) has a 512 words by 4 bits confiquration which provides sufficient memory space for forty 32 - bit data words as required for twenty channels . input a8 , connected to switch 450 , is an additional address input for determining which bank of prom 54 &# 39 ; is accessed . the position of switch 450 controls the input state of input a8 . the addresses within each bank are determined by talk switch 58 ( fig1 ) and channel select switch 62 and counter 300 ( fig7 ) in the same manner as for the preferred embodiment . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character , it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected . | 7 |
now referring to fig1 , a somewhat schematic diagram showing a system of a preferred method of the present invention is illustrated and indicated generally by the numeral 10 . as shown in fig1 a plurality of trays 12 are carried by conveyor belt 14 for seeding at station 16 by seeding machine 18 . each tray 12 carries a plurality of peat pellets 20 comprising a growth medium for seeds 22 . seeding machine 18 is a conventional seeding machine and has a plurality of tubes 24 which serve to place each individual seed 22 in a selected location on peat pellet 20 . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in some cases it may be desirable to place a plurality of seeds , for example , a pair of seeds together in each location and that peat pellets 20 may be carried directly on trays 12 or each pellet may be itself carried by a container which is carried by a tray 12 . furthermore , it will be appreciated that peat pellets 20 may be comprised of alternative suitable growth medium such as vermiculite . after seeding station 16 , trays 12 are passed through an optional watering station 26 and then to fixing station 28 . at fixing station 28 a gel film 30 is applied over seeds 22 to secure seeds 22 to peat pellets 20 . as illustrated in fig1 , fixing station 28 has a first spray nozzle 32 and a second spray nozzle 34 . first spray nozzle 32 applies an aqueous solution of a gel precursor onto the selected locations of seeds 22 on peat pellets 20 . then second spray nozzle 34 applies a gelling agent onto the selected locations whereupon the gelling agent comes in contact with the gel precursor solution and interacts therewith to form a gel film 30 over peat pellets 20 and seeds 22 thereby “ fixing ” seeds 22 onto peat pellets 20 . the resulting product is shown in figure that illustrates in cross - section a peat pellet 20 with seed 22 fixed thereon by gel film 30 . gel film 30 helps retain moisture around the seed , thereby potentially increasing the germination rate . suitable gel precursors include high molecular weight molecules that can be cross - linked to form a gel . the gel precursors are natural based polymeric compounds , synthetic polymeric compounds , or a mixture thereof . exemplary of natural based polymeric compounds are latex natural rubber , polypeptides ( i . e ., proteins ) and polysaccharides ( i . e ., alginate ). exemplary of synthetic gel precursors that are normally solutions are polyacrylic acid , copolymers of maleic anhydride , methyl vinyl ethers , polyvinyl pyrrolidone , polyvinyl alcohol . exemplary of synthetic gel precursors that are normally emulsions or dispersions are polyvinyl acetate , and latex rubbers ( i . e . styrene - butadiene with a small percentage of a carboxyl group ). suitable gelling agents are well known , and include calcium ions which can be provided as calcium nitrate , calcium citrate or calcium chloride . of course , other polyvalent ions , such as al + 3 and b + 3 may be suitable depending upon the particular gel precursors . polyvinyl alcohol or polyvinyl acetate can be cross - linked with borax solution . polypeptides can be cross - linked by metals or other functional molecules , where the metal interacts with the electronegative functional groups , such as hydroxyl groups , carboxyl groups , and amines . in cases where the gel precursor is an emulsion or dispersion , gelling can be affected through the application of compounds that disrupt the surface tension , causing the micelles to coalesce . coalescing agents such as ethylene / diethylene glycol 2 - ethylhexyl ether can be added to quicken the process . alternatively , the aqueous solution of gelling agent may be applied before the gel precursor solution or the gelling agent and the gel precursor may be applied at the same time . also alternatively , either one of the gelling agent or gel precursor may be applied to the peat pellet in dry form with the other of the gelling agent or gel precursor being applied in aqueous solution . also alternatively , both the gelling agent and the gel precursor may be applied in dry form and then contacted with water to provide a gelled film over the seed 22 to fix it to peat pellet 20 . now referring to fig2 , the method steps of a preferred embodiment of the present invention are broadly set forth in block diagram . thus , seeds are first sown in peat pellets or other growth medium by selectively placing each seed on an exposed surface of the peat pellet . then , a gel film and gelling composition are commingled or otherwise mixed and placed in contact with each other in film relationship on the surface of the seed and peat pellet . a gel film is thereby formed over the seed and peat pellet surface to fix the seed thereon . then the peat pellet with fixed seed thereon is ready for transport to a greenhouse or the like . further understanding of the present invention will be had from the following examples . ingredient amount alginate ( protonal lf20 / 40 2 % from fmc biopolymers ) sugar ( dispersant ) 8 sodium benzoate ( preservative ) 0 . 1 potassium sorbate ( preservative ) 0 . 1 water 89 . 9 all of the above dry ingredients are combined and mixed and dissolved in the water to form an aqueous pre - gel solution . the solution is then further diluted 1 : 20 to form a 0 . 1 % aqueous solution which is then used in the fixing station and sprayed onto seeds on peat pellets . an aqueous solution of 2 % calcium nitrate is sprayed onto the pre - gel solution to form a thin gel film over the seed and peat pellet . ingredient amount protonal lf20 / 40 41 . 2 % citric acid ( anhydrous ) 29 . 4 potassium carbonate ( anhydrous ) 29 . 4 ingredient amount protonal lf20 / 40 1 % citric acid 8 . 5 potassium carbonate 8 . 5 calcium nitrate 2 vermiculite 80 the mixture is placed on the seed dry and then sprayed with water after the seed is sown on the peat pellet . the dry ingredients dissolve in the water and effervesce to disperse the alginate around the seed and vermiculite . the calcium ion ( in solution ) gels the alginate . this formulation enjoys the advantage that there is no need to mix the product on site and does not use any special equipment to spray the solutions . the product can be applied using the equipment that is already used to apply the vermiculite . | 0 |
referring now specifically to fig5 , there is shown a cross section of completed solder bumps of the invention having a first profile . the term profile refers to the difference in which , during one of the final steps of the creation of the solder bumps , the layer of - barrier metal is etched . for the first profile of the solder bumps of the invention , an isotropic etch of the exposed barrier metal is performed , removing the exposed barrier metal except for where this barrier metal underlies the pillar metal of the invention . for the second profile of the solder bumps of the invention , an anisotropic etch of the exposed barrier metal is performed , removing the exposed barrier metal except where the barrier metal is shielded from the anisotropic etch by the solder bump , prior to reflow of the solder bump . shown in cross section in fig5 is the first profile of the solder bump of the invention , the elements of this solder bump are : 10 , the semiconductor surface over which the solder bump is created , typically the surface of a silicon semiconductor substrate 30 , a layer of dielectric that has been deposited over the semiconductor surface 10 32 , contact pads that have been created on the surface of the layer 30 of dielectric 34 , a patterned layer of passivation that has been deposited over the surface of the layer 30 of dielectric ; openings have been created in the layer 34 of passivation , partially exposing the surface of contact pads 32 36 , an isotropically etched layer of barrier metal ; because this layer of barrier metal has been isotropically etched , the barrier metal has been completely removed from the surface of the layer 34 of passivation except where the barrier metal is covered by the overlying pillar metal ( 38 ) of the solder bump 40 , a layer of under bump metal created overlying the pillar metal 38 of the solder bump shown in cross section in fig6 is the second profile of the solder bump of the invention , the elements of this solder bump are the same as the elements that have been described above for the first profile of the solder bump of the invention with the exception of layer 35 which is an anisotropically etched layer of barrier metal which , due to the nature of the anisotropic etch , protrudes for the pillar metal 38 as shown in the cross section of fig6 . fig7 through 16 provide detail of the process of the invention which leads to the solder bumps that have been shown in cross section in fig5 and 6 . fig7 shows a cross section of substrate 10 on the surface , the following elements are highlighted : 10 , a silicon substrate over the surface of which metal contact pads 32 have been created 30 , a layer of dielectric that has been deposited over the surface of substrate 10 32 , the metal contact pads , typically comprising aluminum , created over the surface of the layer 30 of dielectric 34 , a layer of passivation that has been deposited over the surface of the layer 30 of dielectric . openings have been created in the layer 34 of passivation that align with the metal contact pads 32 , partially exposing the surface of the contact pads 32 36 , a layer of barrier metal that has been created over the surface of layer 34 of passivation , including the openings that have been created in the layer 34 of passivation , contacting the underlying contact pads 32 . as dielectric material for layer 30 can be used any of the typically applied dielectrics such as silicon dioxide ( doped or undoped ), silicon oxynitride , parylene or polyimide , spin - on - glass , plasma oxide or lpcvd oxide . the material that is used for the deposition of layer 30 of dielectric of the invention is not limited to the materials indicated above but can include any of the commonly used dielectrics in the art . the creation of metal contact pads 32 can use conventional methods of metal of sputtering at a temperature between about 100 and 400 degrees c . and a pressure between about 1 and 100 mtorr using as source for instance aluminum - copper material ( for the creation of aluminum contact pads ) at a flow rate of between about 10 and 400 sccm to a thickness between about 4000 and 11000 angstrom . after a layer of metal has been deposited , the layer must be patterned and etched to create the aluminum contact pads 32 . this patterning and etching uses conventional methods of photolithography and patterning and etching . a deposited layer of alcu can be etched using cl 2 / ar as an etchant at a temperature between 50 and 200 degrees c ., an etchant flow rate of about 20 sccm for the cl 2 and 1000 sccm for the ar , a pressure between about 50 mtorr and 10 torr , a time of the etch between 30 and 200 seconds . in a typical application insulating layers , such as silicon oxide and oxygen - containing polymers , are deposited using chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) technique over the surface of various layers of conducting lines in a semiconductor device or substrate to separate the conductive interconnect lines from each other . the insulating layers can also deposited over patterned layers of interconnecting lines , electrical contact between successive layers of interconnecting lines is established with metal vias created in the insulating layers . electrical contact to the chip is typically established by means of bonding pads or contact pads that form electrical interfaces with patterned levels of interconnecting metal lines . signal lines and power / ground lines can be connected to the bonding pads or contact pads . after the bonding pads or contact pads have been created on the surfaces of the chip , the bonding pads or contact pads are passivated and electrically insulated by the deposition of a passivation layer over the surface of the bonding pads . a passivation layer can contain silicon oxide / silicon nitride ( sio 2 / si 3 n 4 ) deposited by cvd . the passivation layer is patterned and etched to create openings in the passivation layer for the bonding pads or contact pads after which a second and relatively thick passivation layer can be deposited for further insulation and protection of the surface of the chips from moisture and other contaminants and from mechanical damage during assembling of the chips . various materials have found application in the creation of passivation layers . passivation layer can contain silicon oxide / silicon nitride ( sio 2 / si 3 n 4 ) deposited by cvd , a passivation layer can be a layer of photosensitive polyimide or can comprise titanium nitride . another material often used for a passivation layer is phosphorous doped silicon dioxide that is typically deposited over a final layer of aluminum interconnect using a low temperature cvd process . in recent years , photosensitive polyimide has frequently been used for the creation of passivation layers . conventional polyimides have a number of attractive characteristics for their application in a semiconductor device structure , which have been highlighted above . photosensitive polyimides have these same characteristics but can , in addition , be patterned like a photoresist mask and can , after patterning and etching , remain on the surface on which it has been deposited to serve as a passivation layer . typically and to improve surface adhesion and tension reduction , a precursor layer is first deposited by , for example , conventional photoresist spin coating . the precursor is , after a low temperature pre - bake , exposed using , for example , a step and repeat projection aligner and ultra violet ( uv ) light as a light source . the portions of the precursor that have been exposed in this manner are cross - linked , thereby leaving unexposed regions ( that are not cross - linked ) over the bonding pads . during subsequent development , the unexposed polyimide precursor layer ( over the bonding pads ) is dissolved , thereby providing openings over the bonding pads . a final step of thermal curing leaves a permanent high quality passivation layer of polyimide over the substrate . the preferred material of the invention for the deposition of layer 34 of passivation is plasma enhanced silicon nitride ( pe si 3 n 4 ), deposited using pecvd technology at a temperature between about 350 and 450 degrees c . with a pressure of between about 2 . 0 and 2 . 8 torr for the duration between about 8 and 12 seconds . layer 32 of pe si 3 n 4 can be deposited to a thickness between about 200 and 800 angstrom . layer 34 of pe si 3 n 4 is next patterned and etched to create openings in the layer 34 that overlay and align with the underlying contact pads 32 . the etching of layer 34 of passivation can use ar / cf 4 as an etchant at a temperature of between about 120 and 160 degrees c . and a pressure of between about 0 . 30 and 0 . 40 torr for a time of between about 33 and 39 seconds using a dry etch process . the etching of layer 34 of passivation can also use he / nf 3 as an etchant at a temperature of between about 80 and 100 degrees c . and a pressure of between about 1 . 20 and 1 . 30 torr for a time of between about 20 and 30 seconds using a dry etch process . barrier layers , such as layer 36 , are typically used to prevent diffusion of an interconnect metal into surrounding layers of dielectric and silicon . some of the considerations that apply in selecting a material for the barrier layer become apparent by using copper for interconnect metal as an example . although copper has a relatively low cost and low resistivity , it has a relatively large diffusion coefficient into silicon dioxide and silicon and is therefore not typically used as an interconnect metal . copper from an interconnect may diffuse into the silicon dioxide layer causing the dielectric to be conductive and decreasing the dielectric strength of the silicon dioxide layer . copper interconnects should be encapsulated by at least one diffusion barrier to prevent diffusion into the silicon dioxide layer . silicon nitride is a diffusion barrier to copper , but the prior art teaches that the interconnects should not lie on a silicon nitride layer because it has a high dielectric constant compared with silicon dioxide . the high dielectric constant causes a desired increase in capacitance between the interconnect and the substrate . a typical diffusion barrier layer may contain silicon nitride , phosphosilicate glass ( psg ), silicon oxynitride , aluminum , aluminum oxide ( al x o y ), tantalum , ti / tin or ti / w , nionbium , or molybdenum and is more preferably formed from tin . the barrier layer can also be used to improve the adhesion of the subsequent overlying tungsten layer . a barrier layer is preferably about 500 and 2000 angstrom thick and more preferably about 300 angstrom thick and can be deposited using rf sputtering . after the creation of barrier layer 36 , a seed layer ( not shown in fig7 ) can be blanket deposited over the surface of the wafer . for a seed layer that is blanket deposited over the surface of the wafer any of the conventional metallic seed materials can be used . the metallic seed layer can be deposited using a sputter chamber or an ion metal plasma ( imp ) chamber at a temperature of between about 0 and 300 degrees c . and a pressure of between about 1 and 100 mtorr , using ( for instance ) copper or a copper alloy as the source ( as highlighted above ) at a flow rate of between about 10 and 400 sccm and using argon as an ambient gas . fig8 shows a cross section of the substrate after a layer 37 of photoresist has been deposited over the surface of the barrier layer 36 . the layer 37 of photoresist has been patterned and etched , creating openings 31 in the layer 37 of photoresist . openings 31 partially expose the surface of the barrier layer 36 . layer 37 of photoresist is typically applied to a thickness of between about 100 and 200 . mu . m but more preferably to a thickness of about 150 . mu . m . the methods used for the deposition and development of the layer 37 of photoresist uses conventional method of photolithography . photolithography is a common approach wherein patterned layers are formed by spinning on a layer of photoresist , projecting light through a photomask with the desired pattern onto the photoresist to expose the photoresist to the pattern , developing the photoresist , washing off the undeveloped photoresist , and plasma etching to clean out the areas where the photoresist has been washed away . the exposed resist may be rendered soluble ( positive working ) and washed away , or insoluble ( negative working ) and form the pattern . the deposited layer 37 of photoresist can , prior to patterning and etching , be cured or pre - baked further hardening the surface of the layer 37 of photoresist . layer 37 of photoresist can be etched by applying o 2 plasma and then wet stripping by using h 2 so 4 , h 2 o 2 and nh 4 oh solution . sulfuric acid ( h 2 so 4 ) and mixtures of h 2 so 4 with other oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide ( h 2 o 2 ) are widely used in stripping photoresist after the photoresist has been stripped by other means . wafers to be stripped can be immersed in the mixture at a temperature between about 100 degrees c . and about 150 degrees c . for 5 to 10 minutes and then subjected to a thorough cleaning with deionized water and dried by dry nitrogen . inorganic resist strippers , such as the sulfuric acid mixtures , are very effective in the residual free removal of highly postbaked resist . they are more effective than organic strippers and the longer the immersion time , the cleaner and more residue free wafer surface can be obtained . the photoresist layer 37 can also be partially removed using plasma oxygen ashing and careful wet clean . the oxygen plasma ashing is heating the photoresist in a highly oxidized environment , such as an oxygen plasma , thereby converting the photoresist to an easily removed ash . the oxygen plasma ashing can be followed by a native oxide dip for 90 seconds in a 200 : 1 diluted solution of hydrofluoric acid . fig9 shows a cross section of the substrate 10 after a layer 38 of pillar metal has been deposited ( electroplated ) over the surface of the layer 36 of barrier material and bounded by openings 31 that have been created in the layer 37 of photoresist . over the surface of the layers 38 of metal , which will be referred to as pillar metal in view of the role these layers play in the completed structure of the solder bumps of the invention , layers 40 of under bump metal have been deposited using deposition methods such as electroplating . layer 36 preferably comprises titanium or copper and is preferably deposited to a thickness of between about 500 and 2000 angstrom and more preferably to a thickness of about 1000 angstrom . layer 38 preferably comprise copper and is preferred to be applied to a thickness of between about 10 and 100 . mu . m but more preferably to a thickness of about 50 . mu . m . layer 40 preferably comprises nickel and is preferred to be applied to a thickness of between about 1 and 10 . mu . m but more preferably to a thickness of about 4 . mu . m . fig1 shows a cross section where the process of the invention has further electroplated layers 42 of solder metal over the surface of layers 40 of under bump metal ( ubm ) and bounded by the openings 31 that have been created in the layer 37 of photoresist . layer 40 of ubm , typically of nickel and of a thickness between about 1 and 10 . mu . m , is electroplated over the layer 38 of pillar metal . the layer 42 of bump metal ( typically solder ) is electroplated in contact with the layer 40 of ubm to a thickness of between about 30 and 100 . mu . m but more preferably to a thickness of about 50 . mu . m . the layers 38 , 40 and 42 of electroplated metal are centered in the opening 31 that has been created in the layer 37 of photoresist . in the cross section that is shown in fig1 , it is shown that the patterned layer 37 of photoresist has been removed from above the surface of the barrier layer 36 . the previously highlighted methods and processing conditions for the removal of a layer of photoresist can be applied for the purpose of the removal of layer 37 that is shown in cross section in fig1 . the invention further proceeds with the partial etching of the pillar metal 38 , as shown in cross section in fig1 , using methods of wet chemical etching or an isotropic dry etch , selective to the pillar metal material . it is clear that , by adjusting the etching parameters , of which the time of etch is most beneficial , the diameter of the pillar metal 38 can be reduced by almost any desired amount . the limitation that is imposed on the extent to which the diameter of the pillar metal 38 is reduced is not imposed by the wet etching process but by concerns of metal bump reliability and functionality . too small a remaining diameter of the pillar metal 38 will affect the robustness of the solder bumps while this may also have the affect of increasing the resistance of the metal bump . the final two processing steps of the invention , before the solder metal is reflowed , are shown in the cross section of fig1 and 14 and affect the etching of the exposed surface of the barrier layer 36 . using isotropic etching , fig1 , the exposed barrier layer is completely removed as is shown in fig1 . using anisotropic etching , fig1 , the etching of the barrier layer is partially impeded by the presence of the columns 42 of solder metal . it is believed that the undercut shape of pillar 38 will prevent wetting of pillar 38 and the ubm layer 40 during subsequent solder reflow . it is also believed that exposure to air will oxidize the sidewalls of pillar 38 and ubm layer 40 and therefore prevent wetting of these surfaces during subsequent solder reflow . optionally , the sidewalls of pillar 38 and ubm layer 40 may be further oxidized by , for example , a thermal oxidation below reflow temperature of about 240 degrees c . such as heating in oxygen ambient at about 125 degrees c . fig1 and 16 show the final cross section of the solder bump of the invention after the solder metal has been reflowed . fig1 corresponds to fig1 while fig1 corresponds to fig1 , this relating to the etch in the barrier layer 36 that has been explained using fig1 and 14 . it is noted that the etched layer 36 of barrier material that is shown in cross section in fig1 corresponds to the etched layer of barrier material that is shown in fig1 . the same correspondence exists between fig1 and 14 . the above summarized processing steps of electroplating that are used for the creation of a metal bump can be supplemented by the step of curing or pre - baking of the layer of photoresist after this layer has been deposited . prior to and in preparation for the invention , a semiconductor surface is provided , a layer of dielectric has been deposited over the semiconductor surface , a contact pad has been provided on the layer of dielectric , the contact pad has an exposed surface , a layer of passivation has been deposited over a semiconductor surface including the surface of said contact pad , the layer of passivation has been patterned and etched , creating an opening in the layer of passivation , partially exposing the surface of the contact pad , the opening in the layer of passivation is centered with respect to the contact pad the invention starts with a barrier layer deposited over the surface of the layer of passivation , making contact with the contact pad through the opening created in the layer of passivation the layer of photoresist is patterned and etched , creating an opening through the layer of photoresist , the opening in the layer of photoresist aligns with and is centered with respect to the contact pad in sequence are deposited , bounded by the opening created in the layer of photoresist , a layer of pillar metal , a layer of under bump metal and a layer of solder metal the barrier layer is etched , using either isotropic or anisotropic etching ball height is a very important reliability concern ; in order to prevent thermal mismatch between overlying layers of a package ( such as a semiconductor device and an underlying printed circuit board and the like ) it is important to increase the distance between overlying elements ; the invention provides this ability a larger solder ball ( for better thermal or reliability performance ) results in increased pitch , this is contrary to state of the art design requirements if small solder balls are used without providing height , it is very difficult to underfill the small gaps the solder is , using the invention , relatively far removed from the semiconductor device which means that the application of low - alpha solder is not required ( alpha - particles create soft errors in memory products , lead is known to emit alpha - particles when lead decays ) for the pillar metal a metal needs to be selected that has good conductivity and good ductility , such as copper . this is in order to provide improved thermal performance by counteracting thermal stress the height of the pillar of the solder bump of the invention is important and should be between about 10 to 100 . mu . m in order to achieve objectives of high stand - off the metal that is used for the under bump metal layer is important in that this metal must have good adhesion with the overlying solder during solder reflow while this metal must not solve too fast and in so doing form a barrier to the solder ; in addition , the ubm metal when exposed to air can form a layer of protective oxide thus preventing solder wetting to the pillar metal around the perimeter of the ubm metal during the reflow process ; nickel is therefore preferred for the ubm metal although the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to specific illustrative embodiments thereof , it is not intended that the invention be limited to those illustrative embodiments . those skilled in the art will recognize that variations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . it is therefore intended to include within the invention all such variations and modifications which fall within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof . | 7 |
in the following description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof , and which show , by way of illustration , several embodiments of the present invention . it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . fig1 a - 1c illustrate the basic relationship of signal layers in a layered modulation transmission . fig1 a illustrates a first layer signal constellation 100 of a transmission signal showing the signal points or symbols 102 . fig1 b illustrates the second layer signal constellation of symbols 104 over the first layer signal constellation 100 where the layers are coherent . fig1 c illustrates a second signal layer 106 of a second transmission layer over the first layer constellation where the layers may be non - coherent . the second layer 106 rotates about the first layer constellation 102 due to the relative modulating frequency of the two layers in a non - coherent transmission . both the first and second layers rotate about the origin due to the first layer modulation frequency as described by path 108 . fig2 a - 2c illustrate a signal constellation of a second transmission layer over the first transmission layer after first layer demodulation . fig2 a shows the constellation 200 before the first carrier recovery loop ( crl ) and fig2 b shows the constellation 200 after crl . in this case , the signal points of the second layer are actually rings 202 . fig2 c depicts a phase distribution of the received signal with respect to nodes 102 . a relative modulating frequency causes the second layer constellation to rotate around the nodes of the first layer constellation . after the second layer crl this rotation is eliminated . the radius of the second layer constellation is determined by its power level . the thickness of the rings 202 is determined by the carrier to noise ratio ( cnr ) of the second layer . as the two layers are non - coherent , the second layer may also be used to transmit analog or digital signals . a special case of layered modulation is found in hierarchical modulation , such as hierarchical non - uniform 8 psk . fig3 a is a diagram illustrating a signal constellation for a qpsk hp data signal . the signal constellation includes four possible signal outcomes 302 for a and b wherein { a , b }={ 0 , 0 } ( point 302 a in the first quadrant ), { 1 , 0 } ( point 302 b in the second quadrant ), { 1 , 1 } ( point 302 c in the third quadrant ), and { 0 , 1 } ( point 302 d in the fourth quadrant ). an incoming and demodulated signal mapped to one of quadrants ( i - iv ) and the value for { a , b } ( and hence , the value for the relevant portion of the hp data stream ) is determined therefrom . fig3 b is a diagram illustrating an 8 psk constellation created by addition of an lp data stream ( represented by “ c ”). the application of hierarchical modulation adds two possible data values for “ c ” ( c ={ 1 , 0 }) to each of the outcomes 302 a - 302 d . for example , outcome 302 a ({ a , b }={ 0 , 0 }) is expanded to an outcome pair 304 a and 304 a ′ ({ a , b , c }={ 0 , 0 , 1 } and { 0 , 0 , 0 }), respectively , with the members of the pair separated by an angle θ from { a , b }. this expands the signal constellation to include 8 nodes 104 a - 104 d ( each shown as solid dots ). if the angle θ is small enough , a legacy qpsk signal will receive both { a , b , c }={ 0 , 0 , 1 } and { 0 , 0 , 0 } as { a , b }={ 0 , 0 }. only receivers capable of performing the second hierarchical level of modulation ( lp ) can extract the value for { c } as either { 0 } or { 1 }. this hierarchical signal structure has been termed “ non - uniform ” 8 psk . the choice of the variable θ depends on a variety of factors . fig3 b , for example , presents the idealized data points without noise . noise and errors in the transmission and / or reception of the signal vary the actual position of the nodes 304 a - 304 d and 304 a ′- 304 d ′ in fig3 b . noise regions 306 surrounding each node indicate areas in the constellation where the measured data may actually reside . the ability of the receiver to detect the symbols and accurately represent them depends on the angle θ , the power of the signal ( e . g . the carrier ), represented by r c , and the noise ( which can be represented by r n ). as can be seen by inspecting fig3 b , interference of lp into hp is reduced as signal power increases , or as θ decreases . the performance of this hierarchical modulating system can be expressed in terms of its carrier to interference ratio ( c / i ). with a layered - type demodulation as in this invention , the noise contributed by ul symbol errors to the extracted ll signal is avoided . with a layered modulation mapping , the lp bit value for the 8 nodes alternates between 0 and 1 around the circle , i . e ., { 0 , 1 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 1 }. this is in contrast with the { 0 , 0 , 1 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 1 } assignment in fig3 b for the conventional hierarchical modulation . layered demodulation first fec - decodes the upper layer symbols with a quasi - error free ( qef ) performance , then uses the qef symbols to extract the lower layer signal . therefore , no errors are introduced by uncoded lower layer symbol errors . the delay memory required to obtain the qef upper layer symbols for this application presents a small additional receiver cost , particularly in consideration of the ever - decreasing solid state memory cost over time . in a conventional hierarchical receiver using non - uniform 8 psk , the lp signal performance can be impacted by hp demodulator performance . the demodulator normally includes a timing and carrier recovery loop . in most conventional recovery loops , a decision - directed feedback loop is included . uncoded symbol decisions are used in the prediction of the tracking error at each symbol time of the recovery loop . the tracking loop would pick up an error vector whenever a symbol decision is in error ; the uncoded symbol error rate ( ser ) could be as high as 6 % in many legacy systems . an fec - corrected demodulator of this invention avoids the degradation . fig4 a is a block diagram illustrating a first layered modulation system 400 using a single transponder 402 in a satellite . the uplink signal 406 is processed at the broadcast center 408 . both the upper layer ( ul ) and lower layer ( ll ) signals 410 , 412 are encoded and mapped and modulated together 414 before frequency upconversion 416 . the signals 410 , 412 are combined after fec encoding . a receiver 418 decodes the downlink from the transponder 402 . conventional single traveling wave tube amplifiers ( twtas ) are suitable for constant - envelope signal such as 8 psk and derivatives . this system is suited for layered modulation using coherent ul and ll signals . fig4 b is a block diagram illustrating a second layered modulation system 420 using multiple transponders 402 a , 402 b . the upper layer ( ul ) and lower layer ( ll ) signals 410 , 412 are separately encoded and mapped and modulated 414 a , 414 b before separate frequency upconversion 416 a , 416 b . a separate broadcast center 408 can be used for each layer . the signals 410 , 412 are combined in space before downlink . a receiver 418 decodes the downlinked signals simultaneously received from transponders 402 a , 402 b . separate twtas for the transponders 402 a , 402 b allow nonlinear twta outputs to be combined in space . the upper layer and lower layer signals 410 , 412 can be coherent or non - coherent . fig5 is a block diagram of an exemplary receiver 500 of a layered modulation signal , similar to those described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 844 , 401 , filed on apr . 27 , 2001 , and entitled “ layered modulation for digital signals ”, by ernest c . chen . fec re - encoding and remodulation may begin prior to the final decoding of the upper layer . in addition , processing is simplified for signals that are coherent between layers , particularly processing of the lower layer . the effect of two layered modulation on channel capacity can be demonstrated by the following analysis . s l : power of lower - layer signal with gaussian source distrib . n u : effective power of upper - layer noise ( n u = s l + n ) s u : power of upper - layer signal with gaussian source distrib . c cm : channal capacity for conventional modulation ( bps / hz ) c lm : channel capacity for layered modulation ( bps / hz ) c cm = log 2 ( 1 + s l + s u n ) c lm = log 2 ( 1 + s l n ) + log 2 ( 1 + s u n u ) = log 2 [ ( 1 + s l n ) ( 1 + s u n u ) ] ( 1 + s l n ) ( 1 + s u n u ) = 1 + s l n + ( 1 + s l n ) s u s l + n = 1 + s l + s u n thus , assuming gaussian source and noise distributions , sharing power between two layers does not reduce the total capacity of a layer modulation system . the effect of an additional layer in a layered modulation system on channel capacity can also be demonstrated by the following analysis . s b : power sum of bottom 2 signal with gaussian source distrib . ( b ≡ u + l ; s b = s u + s l ) n t : power of top - layer noise ( n t = s b + n ) s t : power of top - layer signal with gaussian source distrib . c cm : channal capacity for conventional modulation ( bps / hz ) c lm : channel capacity for layered modulation ( bps / hz ) c cm = log 2 ( 1 + s b + s t n ) c lm = log 2 ( 1 + s b n ) + log 2 ( 1 + s t n t ) = log 2 [ ( 1 + s b n ) ( 1 + s t n t ) ] ( 1 + s b n ) ( 1 + s t n t ) = 1 + s b n + ( 1 + s b n ) s t s b + n = 1 + s b + s t n thus , again assuming gaussian source and noise distributions , sharing power among any number of layers does not reduce the total capacity . fig6 is a example plot illustrating channel capacity shared between upper and lower layers . this example is for a 11 . 76 db total signal power ( referenced to thermal noise ). the power is shared between upper and lower layer signals . a gaussian source distribution is assumed for both layers as well as a gaussian noise distribution . channel capacity is approximately 4 bps / hz for cnr of 11 . 76 db . as shown , the sum of the two layer capacities always equals the total capacity . hierarchical 8 psk can be viewed as a special case of layered modulation . referring to fig3 b , constant power can be applied for all signals . the high priority ( hp ) data signal , represented by the nodes 302 a - 302 d corresponds to the upper layer . the low priority ( lp ) signal , represented by the nodes 304 a - 304 d and 304 a ′- 304 d ′, corresponds to the lower layer . the hp and lp signals are synchronous , having coherent phase and identical baud timing . the hp layer of an 8 psk hierarchically modulated signal can be demodulated as if the composite signal were qpsk , typically using a decision - direct feedback tracking loop . fig7 & amp ; 8 are block diagrams of exemplary receivers for hierarchical modulation similar to those described in pct patent application no . pct / us03 / 20862 , filed on jul . 1 , 2003 , and entitled “ improving hierarchical 8 psk performance ”, by ernest c . chen et al . embodiments of the invention comprise systems and methods for simulating a layer - modulated signal , including a hierarchically modulated signal . the methods and systems presented herein can be used to accelerate the study and development of layered modulation systems while reducing costs . many different proposed layered modulation implementations can be quickly and inexpensively evaluated . in one exemplary embodiment an end - to - end simulation of communication channel , including satellite distortions , downlink noise , receiver phase noise and receiver implementation errors is developed . the simulator can be developed using a mathematical programming tool such as matlab . standard signals can incorporated into the simulator for ready application , e . g . directv and dvb - s signals as well as turbo codes and other signals . the simulator can be used to process computer - simulated signals or data captured from modulators and / or satellites . for example , lm signals can be emulated by rf - combining real - time signals . in addition , cross - check laboratory tests can be performed with synthesized signal performance . a field programmable gate array ( fpga ) lm signal processor essentially mimics a lm simulator of the invention , but with real time processing . fig9 is a block diagram of a complete simulation 900 of a layer modulated signal . pseudorandom binary sequence ( prbs ) generators 902 , 904 are used to create the upper and lower layer data . data from each layer is then passed through an forward error correction ( fec ) encoder 906 , 908 . after fec encoding the signals can be processed to simulate either a single or dual - transponder system . see fig4 a and 4b . if a dual - transponder system is being simulated ( as in fig4 b ), the upper and lower layers are processed separately . each signal layer is separately passed through a signal mapper 910 a , 910 b , a pulse shaping filter 912 a , 912 b ( e . g ., a root raised cosine filter ), a baud timing and carrier frequency offset simulator 914 a , 914 b , and a satellite distortion simulator 916 a , 916 b . if a single transponder system is being simulated ( as in fig4 a ), the upper and lower layers are combined and passed through the same set of processes together with a weighted summation contained in signal mapper 910 . for a dual - transponder system , the upper and lower layers are combined at the output in a weighted summation 918 . in either case , modeled channel interference effects 920 ( adjacent and co - channel ) are added . the composite signal is then processed by adding white guassian noise provided by a noise generator 922 , phase noise from a phase noise generator 924 and frequency filtering by a receiver front end filter 926 before receiver processing 928 . captured data 930 from laboratory equipment that provide the same functionality as the simulation modules ( 902 , 904 . . . all items in fig9 except 930 and 928 ) can be applied to the receiver processing to evaluate performance . fig1 is a graphical user interface ( gui ) 1000 of an exemplary layer modulated signal simulator including several blocks of fig9 showing ber test results . the display outlines the simulator signal processing flow . upper and lower layer signal transmitters 1002 , 1004 are shown with signal outputs combined and passed through the additive white gaussian noise ( awgn ) channel 1006 . the composite signal then arrives at the receiver 1008 . lower layer ouputs are provided to a lower layer performance measurement block 1010 along with the original lower layer signal from the lower layer transmitter 1004 . similarly , upper layer ouputs are provided to an upper layer performance measurement block 1012 along with the original upper layer signal from the upper layer transmitter 1002 . an error rate and frame based bit error calculation are performed for each layer to establish a performance measurement . operational parameters can be set in a dialog box 1014 . fig1 a is a block diagram of an exemplary system 1100 for synthesizing a layer modulated signal in a laboratory . a first modulator 1102 is used to modulate a first bit stream , e . g . a prbs , of the upper layer to produce an upper layer signal . a noise generator 1106 can be used to add noise to the upper layer signal . a second modulator 1104 is used for modulating a second bit stream of a lower layer to produce a lower layer signal . an attenuator 1108 , ( such as variable attenuator ) can be used for appropriately attenuating the lower layer signal . a combiner 1110 is then used to combining the noise - added upper layer signal and the attenuated lower layer signal to produce the composite layer modulated signal . ( equivalently , noise generator 1106 with a corresponding output power level may be placed on the lower layer path instead of the upper layer path .) the composite layer modulated signal can then be upconverted 1112 before being communicated to a tuner 1114 to extract the in - phase and quadrature components of the separate signal layers , analyzed using a scope 1116 as desired . if a digitizing oscilloscope is used , the digitized in - phase and quadrature signals can be introduced as the captured data 930 in fig9 . directional couplers 1118 , 1120 can be used to tap the upper layer signal ( prior to noise addition ) and the lower layer signal ( after attenuation ) to be used in evaluating the relative power levels of the upper and lower layer signals prior to the addition by the combiner 1110 . similarly , the composite signal can also be tapped by a direction coupler 1122 . fig1 b is a block diagram of an exemplary system 1150 for simulating a layer modulated signal using satellite signals . distinct satellite signals 1152 , 1154 are received at separate antennas 1156 , 1158 . it is important to note that the two received signals 1152 , 1154 are not layered modulation signals . both signals 1152 , 1154 are passed through separate amplifiers 1160 , 1162 . the satellite signal 1154 to be used as the lower layer signal is passed through an attenuator 1164 ( such as a variable attenuator ) to appropriately attenuate the signal . both signals are then combined at the combiner 1166 to form the composite layered modulation signal . the composite signal can then be communicated to a tuner 1168 to extract the in - phase and quadrature components of the separate signal layers which may be analyzed using a scope 1176 . if a digitizing oscilloscope is used , the digitized in - phase and quadrature signals can be introduced as the captured data 930 in fig9 . directional couplers 1170 , 1172 , 1174 can be used to tap the upper layer signal , lower layer signal and the composite signal , respectively . these tapped signal are used to evaluate the signal and / or attenuator performance . this system 1150 requires less expensive equipment than the embodiment of fig1 a ( particularly , omitting the modulators 1102 , 1104 ). in addition , because actual satellite signals 1152 , 1154 are used , real signal effects are included in the composite layer modulated signal . fig1 is flowchart of an exemplary method 1200 for simulating a layer modulated signal . the method applies to the systems of both fig1 a & amp ; 11b . the method 1200 simulates a layer modulated signal having a first modulation of an upper layer and a second modulation of a lower layer . at step 1202 an upper layer signal is provided comprising a first modulated bit stream . at step 1204 , a lower layer signal is provided comprising a second modulated bit stream . next at step 1206 , the lower layer signal is attenuated . finally at step 1208 , the upper layer signal and the attenuated lower layer signal are combined to produce the composite layer modulated signal . the method can be further modified consistent with the foregoing system embodiments . fig1 is a flowchart of processing for a layer modulated signal . further detail of layered modulation processing can be found u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 844 , 401 , filed on apr . 27 , 2001 , and entitled “ layered modulation for digital signals ”, by ernest c . chen . layered modulation simulation methods and systems of the invention can be used to evaluate the performance of layered signals as well as receiver processes . an exemplary computer simulation of a layered modulation signal can be defined with the following parameters . both layers can use a nominal symbol frequency of 20 mhz ( not necessarily synchronized to each other in timing frequency and phase ). the carrier frequencies are not necessarily coherent with respect to each other either . the excess bandwidth ratio is 0 . 2 . it is assumed that no satellite degradation of the signal occurs ; twta and filter effects can be modeled separately if necessary . the upper and lower layer signals can each be a convolutional code 6 / 7 , reed - soloman ( 146 , 130 ) signal with an assigned reference power of 0 db to the upper layer . upper layer cnr is approximately 7 . 7 db . lower layer cnr is approximately 7 . 6 db . noise ( awgn ) of − 16 db can be applied . a turbo - coded signal may alternately be used for the lower layer . phase noise of the low noise block ( lnb ) and tuner are included . the following table summarizes the simulation results . input output cnr ( db ) cnr ( db ) dynamic ul ll ul ll range 7 . 6 none 7 . 43 none 7 . 43 7 . 7 7 . 6 7 . 51 7 . 22 15 . 48 the first row applies to processing only the upper layer , which reduces cnr by approximately 0 . 2 db ( 7 . 6 db − 7 . 43 db ). the second row applies to processing both layers . the lower layer cnr is reduced by approximately 0 . 4 db ( 7 . 6 db − 7 . 22 db ). this result compares favorably with nominal 16 qam performance . further details of the simulation process are shown hereafter . fig1 is power spectrum plot of an exemplary layer modulated signal that can be simulated by the method and system previously described . the composite upper and lower layer signals are added with thennal noise . a sampling frequency of 100 mhz is used and a display resolution of 1 mhz is shown . the spectrum peak is scaled to 0 db , showing a thermal noise floor of approximately − 17 db . a front end receiver filter is used to taper the noise floor . fig1 a - 15c are plots illustrating upper layer symbol timing recovery for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig1 a is a plot of the comparator output , based on a zero - crossing method . fig1 b is the low pass filter ( lpf ) output of the loop filter ; a decision - directed second order filter is applied . a nominal baud rate of 20 mhz is recovered . fig1 c is a plot of the tracked symbol times ( indicating a delta baud rate ) with a fitted curve overlaid . a small rms error is exhibited . fig1 d - 15f are plots illustrating an upper layer symbol timing recovered signal for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig1 d and 15e illustrate respectively the upper layer signal before and after the timing recovery loop . fig1 f is a plot of the cnr estimate after the timing recovery loop . the estimated output cnr of 7 . 78 db , which includes measurement errors , compares very favorably with the input cnr of 7 . 7 db . fig1 a - 16c are plots illustrating upper layer carrier recovery for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig1 a is a plot of the phase comparator output , based on quadrature multiplication . fig1 b is a plot of the loop lpf output , using a decision - directed second order scheme . a baud rate of approximately 20 mhz is recovered . fig1 c is a plot of the phase tracked out for the simulated carrier frequency and phase noise . a small rms error in phase is exhibited . fig1 d - 16f are plots illustrating an upper layer carrier recovered signal for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig1 d illustrates the upper layer signal before the carrier recovery loop . fig1 e illustrates the upper layer signal after the carrier recovery loop when the signal constellation is stabilized ; the upper layer qpsk signal in the presence of the lower layer qpsk and noise are apparent . fig1 f is a histogram of the phase error about a constellation node . the estimated output cnr of 7 . 51 db compares well with the input cnr of 7 . 7 db . fig1 a is a plot of uncoded upper layer bit errors at the demodulator output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the errors at the carrier recovery loop output are shown . the plot identifies 80 r - s packets of data by the “ packet ” number versus the two - bit symbol number . the plot reports approximately 0 . 16 % of ber at an estimated cnr of 7 . 5 db . fig1 b is a plot of upper layer byte errors at the viterbi decoder output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the packet number is displayed versus an eight - bit symbol number , showing 95 packets worth of data . a ber of 0 . 282 % is reported . fig1 c is a plot of upper layer byte errors at the de - interleaver output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the packet number is displayed versus an eight - bit symbol number , showing 83 packets worth of data . fig1 d is a plot of upper layer errors correctable by a reed - solomon decoder for an exemplary layer modulated signal . of the 83 packets worth of data , only 3 packets with one r - s correctable error byte each occurred , which is well below the correction threshold of eight errors . thus , no uncorrectable errors were exhibited in 83 packets at an estimated cnr of 7 . 5 db . fig1 is a plot of upper layer signal matching calculated between received signal and reconstructed signal for an exemplary layer modulated signal . as shown , nearly constant matching coefficients ( in magnitude and phase ) are exhibited over 300 , 000 100 - mhz samples , despite the presence of the lower layer signal . fig1 is power spectrum plot of an extracted lower layer signal of an exemplary layer modulated signal . a sampling frequency of 100 mhz is used and a display resolution is 1 mhz . the spectrum peak is scaled to 0 db with a thermal noise floor of approximately − 9 db after canceling out the upper layer signal . the plot can be compared with the power spectrum of the composite signal shown in fig1 . fig2 a - 20c are plots illustrating the extracted lower layer symbol timing recovery for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig2 a is a plot of a lower layer comparator output , based on a zero - crossing method . fig2 b is the loop low pass filter ( lpf ) output ; a decision - directed second order filter is applied . a nominal baud rate of 20 mhz is extracted . fig2 c is a plot of the tracked symbol times ( indicating a delta baud rate ) with a fitted curve overlaid . a small rms error is exhibited . fig2 d - 20f are plots illustrating a lower layer symbol timing recovered signal for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig2 d and 20e illustrate respectively the upper layer signal before and after the timing recovery loop . the lower layer forms a ring in signal constellation . fig2 f is a plot of the cnr estimate after the timing recovery loop . the estimated output cnr of 7 . 22 db compares well with the input cnr of 7 . 6 db . fig2 a - 21c are plots illustrating lower layer carrier recovery for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig2 a is a plot of the lower layer phase comparator output , based on quadrature multiplication . fig2 b is a plot of the loop lpf output , using a decision - directed second order scheme . a nominal baud rate of 20 mhz is extracted . fig2 c is a plot of the phase tracked out for the simulated carrier frequency and phase noise . a nominal rms error in phase is exhibited . fig2 d - 21f are plots illustrating an lower layer carrier recovered signal for an exemplary layer modulated signal . fig2 d illustrates the upper layer signal before the carrier recovery loop . fig2 e illustrates the upper layer signal after the carrier recovery loop when the signal constellation is stabilized ; the lower layer qpsk signal in the presence of noise are apparent . fig2 f is a histogram of the phase error about a constellation node . the estimated output cnr of 7 . 22 db compares reasonably well with the input cnr of 7 . 6 db . fig2 a is a plot of uncoded lower layer bit errors at the demodulator output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the errors at the carrier recovery loop output are shown . the plot identifies 80 r - s packets of data by the “ packet ” number versus the two - bit symbol number . the plot reports approximately 1 . 1 % of ber at an estimated cnr of 7 . 2 db . fig2 b is a plot of lower layer byte errors at the viterbi decoder output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the packet number is displayed versus an eight - bit symbol number , showing 95 packets worth of data . a ber of 0 . 297 % is reported . fig2 c is a plot of lower layer byte errors at the de - interleaver output for an exemplary layer modulated signal . the packet number is displayed versus an eight - bit symbol number , showing 83 packets worth of data . fig2 d is a plot of upper layer errors correctable by a reed - solomon decoder for an exemplary layer modulated signal . of the 83 packets worth of data , onlyl 1 packets with one r - s correctable error byte each occurred , which is well below the correction threshold of eight errors . thus , no uncorrectable errors were exhibited in 83 packets at an estimated cnr of 7 . 2 db . fig2 a is a plot of uncoded bit error rates for upper and lower layers of an exemplary layer modulated signal . the plot identifies the lower layer and upper layer simulation results relative to a theoretical result based on additive white gaussian noise ( awgn ) curve , illustrating the result of 65k samples ( 130k bits ) of data . the lower layer at the estimated cnr is shown with a ber right on the awgn curve . the upper layer shows a ber below the curve equaling a 2 . 1 db increase . thus , qpsk interference is more benign than awgn of the same power . fig2 b is a plot of viterbi decoder output bit error rates for upper and lower layers of an exemplary layer modulated signal . the plot identifies the lower layer and upper layer simulation results relative to the awgn curve , illustrating the result of 65k samples ( 130k bits ) of data . in this case , the estimated cnr and ber for both upper and lower layers occur close to the awgn curve . the foregoing description including the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description , but rather by the claims appended hereto . the above specification , examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the invention . since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the scope of the invention , the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended . | 7 |
the invention provides frequency combs for analysis of materials and for communications . a frequency comb is a plurality of narrow , spaced - apart light emission lines produced from an essentially monochromatic light source . frequency combs are useful because they provide discrete wavelengths of light separated in space and time for very accurate transmission of information ( either information concerning a substrate to be analyzed or optically - encoded information content ). the present invention provides frequency combs that span the entire spectrum , preferably in frequency ranges of the order of an octave having extremely precise wavelengths with very narrow frequency separations between individual pairs of discrete monochromatic components . frequency combs of the present invention permit the precise measurement of characteristics of materials that are measurable using absorption , emission , reflection , refraction and transmission . in particular , frequency combs of the present invention provide extremely large numbers of discrete lines . in some embodiments the frequency comb comprises millions of discrete monochromatic components or lines . these discrete monochromatic components can be used individually , or they can be combined , to form optical sources that can be tuned to match the characteristics of individual chemical moieties such as atoms , molecules , chemical functional groups , chemical monomers , polymers , ions , salts and / or adducts of molecules . such optical sources can be designed to excite a response from a known material and to elicit no response or a much diminished response from another known material , thereby providing a convenient method of discrimination between the two materials , or alternatively , a convenient method of analyzing a material for the presence of one or another known chemical moiety . in practice there are two preferred applications of frequency combs . the first is in the area of substrate analysis . because frequency combs comprise narrow emission lines that can be pulsed onto a substrate at high frequency , they are useful to detect , identify , and characterize substrates that are not amenable to elucidation with conventional single wavelength light . for example , frequency combs are useful to determine the sequence of nucleic acids , such as dna , rna , and pna . a typical nucleic acid in dna is of the order of tens of angstroms wide . a typical wavelength of light in the visible parts of the spectrum , such as the wavelength of the maximal intensity of sunlight , has a wavelength of thousands of angstroms , or hundreds of nanometers . thus , no matter how rapidly such a wavelength is pulsed onto a nucleic acid , it will never “ see ” the nucleic acid at a resolution fine enough to distinguish one nucleotide from another ( e . g ., an adenine from a thymine ). frequency combs have discrete monochromatic components that differ in wavelength , in some embodiments , by only about 0 . 01 angstroms . the duration of an individual pulse can range from approximately 10 − 12 seconds ( picoseconds ) to 10 − 18 seconds ( attoseconds ). thus , frequency combs obtain time resolution of individual monomer components of a polymer , such as dna , by virtue of their size , selection , and pulse rate . in some embodiments , femtosecond ( 10 − 15 seconds ) pulses coupled with the narrow bands produced in a frequency comb allows detection of nucleic acid sequences through the ability to differentiate the various nucleotides that make up the structure of the nucleic acid . one useful range of pulse durations is the range of about 1 picosecond to less than about 10 femtoseconds . in one embodiment , the differentiation occurs based on the ability or lack thereof of a nucleic acid to interact with a specific wavelength of light . an example is absorption of a discrete wavelength associated with a change in the energy state of the nucleic acid . in another embodiment , the differentiation occurs based on the brevity of duration of a pulse , which at the femtosecond time scale is of the same duration as the time for a molecule to vibrate or to begin to react chemically . methods of the invention for sequencing nucleic acids comprise generating a frequency comb as described in detail below and in the figures . a nucleic acid molecule is then linearized using methods known in the art . see , e . g ., pct published patent application wo 96 / 29593 , incorporated by reference herein . the linearized nucleic acid is passed through a channel having a width approximately equal to , but larger than , the width of the linearized dna . the channel comprises a detection zone in which each nucleotide sequentially passes as the dna proceeds through the channel . at the detection zone , each nucleotide , or a group of nucleotides , is pulsed with at least one monochromatic component of a frequency comb as described below . an optical response is then measured from each nucleotide , or from a group of nucleotides . the cumulative response based on the pulsed light provides a signature for each nucleotide , or group of nucleotides , in the sequence . details are provided below . referring to fig1 , a source 10 , such as a titanium ( ti ): sapphire ( al 2 o 3 : ti 3 + ) laser , operated in pulsed mode , for example at a frequency of 625 mhz , with a pulse duration of 25 femtoseconds ( fs ), provides illumination that is focused by a lens 20 into an optical path . the optical path can be an optical fiber 30 , such as the tapered optical fiber shown in greater detail in fig2 , that has a constriction 32 . in one embodiment , the tapered optical fiber 30 has an overall diameter of about 125 micrometers and a constriction 32 ( or “ waist ”) having a diameter that is 1 . 8 micrometers in diameter . in some embodiments , the waist 32 is 1 . 5 micrometers in diameter . the interaction of the pulsed illumination with the constriction 32 creates a frequency comb 40 (“ frequency comb illumination ”). the frequency comb illumination exiting the tapered optical fiber 30 is focussed by a lens 35 . in one embodiment , the frequency comb illumination contains optical radiation that comprises a series of substantially monochromatic signals having a frequency spacing of about 10 ghz . the pulse train is controlled at a desired frequency by the clock 38 , which controls the pulse rate of the mode - locked laser . the pulses from a mode - locked laser are produced in a periodic train . therefore , the broad frequency spectrum of the laser is composed of a vast array , or comb , of distinct frequency modes spaced by the cavity repetition rate . in principle , a single pulse would contain an infinite number of distinct frequency modes . the repetition rate r is equivalent to the frequency - domain comb spacing of the emitted pulse train . the repetition rate is determined by the cavity length , l , and the group velocity , v g , of the intracavity pulse according to the relation r = v g /( 2 l ), or velocity divided by round trip distance . in an exemplary embodiment , a repetition rate is selected by controlling the cavity length , and hence the round trip distance , for example with a transducer such as a piezoelectric transducer that controls a cavity mirror and a control loop that senses a selected harmonic of the repetition rate so as to obtain phase lock . in one embodiment , a selected substantially monochromatic optical signal impinges on a second harmonic generating crystal 50 , such as a 7 millimeter segment of potassium titanyl phosphate ( ktp ). the frequency doubled radiation emitted therefrom is combined with a second selected frequency , which provides sum and difference radiation frequencies (“ beats ”), the spacing of which is indicative of the frequency spacing in the frequency comb . fig4 is a diagram showing the frequency comb 40 shown in fig1 in greater detail . the frequency comb 40 comprises a plurality of discrete wavelengths ν 1 42 , ν 2 42 ′, ν 3 42 ″. the discrete wavelengths ν 1 42 , ν 2 42 ′, ν 3 42 ″ are separated one from the other by a spacing δν 44 given as a typical example by δν = ν 2 − ν 1 . the range of frequencies in the frequency comb 40 can span an octave ( i . e ., the highest frequency is at least twice the lowest frequency ), or equivalently , in wavelength , the shortest wavelength is no longer than one half the longest wavelength . frequency combs 40 having more than an octave of bandwidth are possible . as shown schematically in fig3 a , the frequency comb illumination may be focused onto substantially a point of light 65 that coincides with a point within a channel 60 through which a fluid 70 can flow , as indicated by the arrow 70 . the channel is fabricated from a suitably transparent material . the channel 60 carries a fluid 70 comprising a chemical substance to be identified or that is intended to otherwise react with at least a portion of the frequency comb illumination . for example , a solution containing dna may move down the channel 60 into the illuminated area . as will be discussed in more detail below , the dna can be caused to move under the action of electric fields , or alternatively the dna can be carried by a moving carrier fluid . as the frequency comb illumination passes through the channel 60 , one or more frequency components of the frequency comb interact preferentially with the chemical substance , such as the individual nucleic acid bases of the dna . in some embodiments , the interaction is a specific absorption of certain peaks in the frequency comb which are characteristic of the substance . in other embodiments , the interaction can be the excitation of a response from the chemical substance such as when a moiety is labeled with a chromophore . in addition the response may be chemical , such as a chemical reaction , or physical , such as an optical reemission at a specific wavelength . the frequency comb illumination passing through the channel 60 can be detected or observed , with or without beam shaping or focusing with a lens 80 . the transmitted frequency comb illumination can for example be observed using a spectrometer or spectrophotometer 90 . in some embodiments , a passageway having an effective diameter of less than approximately 5 nanometers ( nm ) is provided to maintain single strand dna material or other polymers of interest ( e . g ., dna ) for analysis in a linearized form . the literature indicates that linear single - stranded dna has a diameter of about 1 . 6 nm , and linear double - stranded dna has a diameter of about 3 . 4 nm . the literature indicates that dual - strand dna in its natural , or folded , configuration is larger that 5 nm in dimension and so will not pass through a passageway of less than 5 nm effective diameter . equivalently , a passageway of less than 5 nm effective diameter is too narrow to permit the folding of a linearized single or double strand of dna , the literature describes a number of materials that define suitable passageways or apertures therein . passages can be generated in flat plate by damaging the plate material , for example by bombardment with charged particles , followed by etching . see for example , r . l . fleischer , p . b . price , r . m . walker , nuclear tracks in solids ( univ . of california press , berkeley , calif . ( 1975 ); european patent application no . 83305268 . 1 ; and u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 303 , 085 ; 3 , 662 , 178 ; 3 , 713 , 921 ; 3 , 802 , 972 ; 3 , 852 , 134 , 4 , 956 , 219 , 5 , 462 , 467 , 5 , 564 , 959 and 5 , 449 , 917 , each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . various materials comprise passageways or apertures of suitable size when they are manufactured . examples include arrays of carbon nanotubes ( see iijima , nature , 354 : 56 ( 1991 ); u . s . pat . no . 5 , 457 , 343 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 346 , 683 ), and anodic porous alumina ( see a . despic and v . p . parkhutik , in modern aspects of electrochemistry , j . o . bockris , r . e . white , b . e . conway , eds . ( plenum , new york , 1989 ), vol . 20 , chap . 6 ; d . almawiawi , n . coombs , m . moskovits , j appl . phys . 70 , 4421 ( 1991 ); martin , c . r ., science , 266 : 1961 ( 1994 )). in addition , anodic porous alumina has been used as a template for making metal structures having the same shape and dimensions ( see matsuda and fukuda , science , 268 : 1466 ( 1995 )). other porous materials with small pores for use as templates have been described in ozin , g ., adv . mater . 4 : 612 ( 1992 ) and in nishizawa et . al ., science 268 : 700 ( 1995 ). each of the above - mentioned publications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . linearized dna molecules are generated in fluids under the influence of electric fields ( see bustamante , c . 1991 . direct observation and manipulation of single dna molecules using fluorescence microscopy . annu . rev . biophys . biophys . chem . 20 : 415 – 46 ; gurrieri , s . rizzarelli , e . beach , d . and bustamante , c . 1990 . imaging of kinked configurations of dna molecules undergoing orthogonal field alternating gel electrophoresis by fluorescence microscopy . biochemistry 29 : 3396 – 3401 ; and matsumoto , s ., morikawa , k ., and yangida , m . 1981 . light microscopic structure of dna in solution studied by the 4 ′, 6 - diamidino - 2 - phenylindole staining method . j . mol . biol . 152 : 501 – 516 . each of the above - mentioned publications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . reports of linearized dna passing through passageways under the influence of applied electric fields also appear in the literature ( see kasianowicz , j . j ., brandin , e ., branton , d . ; and deamer , d . w . 1996 . characterization of individual polynucleotide molecules using a membrane channel . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa . 93 : 13770 – 3 ; and bezrukov , s . m ., vodyanoy , i ., and parsegian , v . a . 1994 . counting polymers moving through a single ion channel . nature . 370 : 279 . each of the above - mentioned publications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . as shown schematically in fig3 b , the region surrounding the channel 60 ′ can be an optical cavity 62 , 64 , within which the frequency comb illumination makes multiple passes through the channel 60 ′, so as to increase an interaction cross - section between the frequency comb illumination and a substance in the channel 60 ′. for ease of understanding , a single ray 66 of the frequency comb illumination is shown in fig3 b . in some embodiments , the end of the optical fiber 30 comprises nanoparticles , such as gold nanoparticles , that interact with the illumination by absorption and re - emission . the presence of nanoparticles modifies the radiation field behavior of the optical fiber 30 . the analysis of the radiation that is transmitted through the channel provides information as to the identity or chemical composition and the concentration of substances in the channel . the signature that results from absorption of selected frequency components of the frequency comb illumination can provide information as to the identity and quantity of a particular substance in the channel . in alternative embodiments , a dual beam geometry can be used to provide a measurement referenced to a defined condition , such as a known quantity of a known substance within fluid in a channel . methods and systems of the invention are applicable to a broad range of materials and to a broad range of measurements . titanium sapphire lasers are tunable with an emission band having a range of approximately 660 nm to approximately 1100 nm . the frequency of the titanium sapphire laser can be increased by factors of integers , such as frequency doubling and frequency tripling the laser light emission , thereby decreasing the emitted wavelength by factors of 2 and 3 , respectively . accordingly , the titanium sapphire laser is useful to generate frequency combs over a range of frequencies . one can also employ other laser sources to generate frequency combs . for example , some nd : glass and ytterbium lasers generate pulses in the 10 – 1000 femtosecond range . in the field of chemistry , reactions are controlled by providing sufficient energy to overcome reaction barriers . chemical reactions depend on complex combinations of such features as thermodynamic stability of reagents and products under specific conditions of pressure , temperature and composition ( i . e ., solvation , ph , the presence of catalysts , and the like ), and detailed molecular features such as energy states including ground states and excited states and the associated electronic wavefunction distributions , internuclear or interatomic distances , molecular conformations , and vibrational modes . the preceding list is not intended to be exhaustive , but rather to indicate the range of features that can have an effect on a given chemical reaction . the path of a chemical reaction and the end products that are obtained can be controlled by controlling some or all of the enumerated features , as well as others . in particular , the use of light having particular frequencies and polarization properties can affect the energy states of atoms and molecules . light of a properly selected frequency and polarization can be absorbed by a chemical substance , which thereby gains energy corresponding to e = hv . as is well understood in the spectroscopic arts , the change in energy can result in a transition to a different energy state , and / or can result in a change in the interatomic spacing of atoms in a molecule . fig5 is an exemplary schematic energy diagram 500 , in which individual curves 510 , 520 represent the relationship between potential energy and interatomic distance for a specific electronic state . the diagram is based on theoretical calculations . at a location 530 in the diagram where two curves 510 , 520 come close together or actually intersect , the molecule can undergo a spontaneous transition from one energy state to another . transitions between curves can also be driven by the absorption or emission of a photon having the appropriate energy . the diagram gives as an example data for the material sodium iodide , nai . in this example , curve 510 is the ground state and curve 520 is the first excited state . the point 530 corresponds to an internuclear distance of 6 . 9 angstroms , which represents the internuclear distance at which a state transition is most likely . for more complex materials , it may not be convenient or possible to construct the appropriate theoretical energy diagram . nevertheless , the conceptual basis for initiating and driving chemical reactions is understandable in terms of applying the correct quantity of energy to a substance in a selected energy state . prior to the development of an optical source such as the frequency comb 40 , which provides discrete monochromatic lines having very closely spaced discrete energies , there has been no practical way to provide precisely tuned , precisely timed energy pulses suitable for use in driving a specific chemical reaction involving a particular molecular entity in a selected energy state . the invention contemplates the use of the entire light spectra ( from ir to uv and the entire range of colors in light combs ) to gain molecular and biological information . in one aspect , methods and systems of the invention provide the ability to detect biological and molecular information through the use of “ light combs ” utilizing the discrete segments in terms of time , distance , light properties and the entire wavelength of a light comb . in one embodiment , methods and systems of the invention use light combs to distinguish biological or molecular information through measured absorption of specific spectra of the light comb . in one embodiment , methods and systems of the invention use light combs to distinguish biological or molecular information through measured , rapidly activated and redundantly activated chemo - luminescence . in one embodiment , methods and systems of the invention use light combs to distinguish biological or molecular information through measured refraction of continuous light wavelength segments . in one embodiment , methods and systems of the invention use light combs to distinguish molecular and biological information through rapidly pulsed discrete fractions of light wavelengths utilizing light combs . in one embodiment , methods and systems of the invention use multiple color markers activated by segments of a light comb as a means of detecting genetic sequences , single nucleotide polymorphisms , single nucleotides , continuum of nucleotides in a specific sequence ( such as genes ) or groups of 3 nucleotides ( such as codons ) in dna or rna . in one embodiment , methods and systems of the invention use shaped pulses to excite molecules as a means of detection of or identification of the molecule based upon a unique signature of the molecular reaction to its excited state . in one embodiment , methods and systems of the invention identify molecules and information about the molecule using selected combinations of specific color bands from the light comb to elicit a detectable reaction . in the field of telecommunication , an exemplary frequency comb having a spacing of approximately 50 mhz and a one octave spectral bandwidth from approximately 600 nm to approximately 1200 nm , which is equivalent to a bandwidth extending from 500 × 10 12 per second or 500 terahertz ( thz ) to 250 thz , ( i . e ., 250 thz bandwidth ), there would be approximately 5 × 10 6 or 5 million discrete monochromatic components in the frequency comb . at a frequency separation of 100 mhz , which is a common separation between adjacent channels in present - day telecommunication , the frequency comb would support approximately 2 . 5 million separate channels . a discussion of some of the features of optical communications appears in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 631 , 758 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . because the repetition rate can be controlled , as described above , the frequency spacing in the frequency comb can be controlled . for a comb of a given spectral width , such as an octave , one can control the number of monochromatic spectral lines by determining a repetition rate that divides the spectral width into the desired number of segments . for example , repetition rates can be chosen to divide the spectral width into , for example , any of 1 , 000 , 10 , 000 , 100 , 000 , 1 , 000 , 000 or 10 , 000 , 000 segments the number of monochromatic spectral lines will then be one larger than the number of segments . as those of skill in the art will recognize , the only limitation on the repetition rate is that a mode locked operating condition must be achieved . one exemplary use of frequency combs of the invention for telecommunication employs an individual monochromatic component of the comb as a carrier upon which information is modulated , and transmitted using an optical transmission medium such as an optical fiber , air , or water , depending on the frequency of the monochromatic component and the optical characteristics of the transmission medium . a receiver receives the optical communication and recovers the information by demodulation . the information is any type of information that can be encoded and transmitted in analog or in digital form . as is understood by those of skill in the optical communication arts , general purpose computer hardware and associated software , or dedicated , custom computer hardware can be employed to modulate , demodulate , and control the transmission of information . the information can be transmitted and / or received using conventional or proprietary data transmission protocols . the methods and materials of the invention , including apparatus that is used to perform the analysis , or to communicate using frequency combs , are in one embodiment controlled and operated under computer control , using general purpose computers . a general purpose computer , is a commercially available personal computer that comprises a cpu , one or more memories , one or more storage media , one or more output devices , and one or more input devices . the computer is programmed with software comprising commands that when operating direct the computer in the performance of the methods of the invention . those of skill in the programming arts will recognize that some or all of the commands can be provided in the form of software , in the form of programmable hardware such as flash memory or rom , in the form of hard - wired circuitry , or in some combination of two or more of software , programmed hardware , or hard - wired circuitry . commands that control the operation of a computer are often grouped into units that perform a particular action , such as receiving information , processing information or data , and providing information to a user . such a unit can comprise any number of instructions , from a single command , such as a single machine language instruction , to a plurality of commands , such as a plurality of lines of code written in a higher level programming language such as c ++. such units of commands will be referred to generally as modules , whether the commands comprise software , programmed hardware or hard - wired circuitry , or a combination thereof . in alternative embodiments , the computer is a laptop computer , a minicomputer , a mainframe computer , an embedded computer , or a handheld computer . the memory is any conventional memory such as , but not limited to , semiconductor memory , optical memory , or magnetic memory . the storage medium is any conventional machine - readable storage medium such as , but not limited to , floppy disk , hard disk , cd - rom , and / or magnetic tape . the output device is any conventional display such as , but not limited to , a video monitor , a printer , a speaker , and / or an alphanumeric display device . the input device is any conventional input device such as , but not limited to , a keyboard , a mouse , a touch screen , a microphone , and / or a remote control . the computer can be a stand - alone computer or interconnected with at least one other computer by way of a network . fig6 is a diagram 600 showing an exemplary application of a frequency comb to measuring frequencies of optical sources using a cesium clock microwave standard . in this example , the frequency comb generator is augmented with additional hardware to provide an external reference signal from a cesium clock , as well as laser illumination whose frequency is to be measured . the frequency comb generator is similar to that described in fig1 – 4 above . in this example , the generator is the portion of the diagram indicated by the dotted outline 610 . a second harmonic generator appears within dotted line 620 . the remaining portion of the diagram includes the external standard within dotted line 630 , the lasers whose frequencies are to be measured within dotted line 640 , and the measuring instrumentation within dotted line 650 . the frequency comb generator comprises a femtosecond laser 612 , such as the titanium - sapphire laser described above , an optical fiber 614 having a constriction of about 1 . 7 microns diameter and a length in the range of 5 to 10 centimeters ( cm ), a mode locking device such as a pzt cavity length adjuster 616 , and a pulse rate controller such as the 10 ghz synthesizer 618 . the second harmonic generator 620 comprises a laser sources 622 such as a nd : yag laser and a second harmonic generator crystal 624 such as ktp . as is understood by those of skill in the optical frequency arts , the laser 622 emits light at frequency f and the second harmonic generator absorbs some of the frequency f light and re - emits light at frequency 2 f . the external standard comprises a reference clock 632 such as the nist cesium clocks at boulder , colo ., and a local reference 634 , such as a rubidium clock , situated near the frequency comb generator . the lasers 642 whose frequencies are to be measured generate light with frequency f a the frequency f a is what is to be measured . the light from the laser 642 is added to the optical beam 651 that comprises the frequency comb and the first and second harmonics f and 2 f , the measuring instrumentation comprises a grating 652 to disperse the components of the optical beam 651 , and two detectors 604 whose outputs are beat patterns that are combined and are observed by a counter 656 . not shown is computational equipment that analyzes and displays various signals to confirm the proper operation of the apparatus and the test results . the frequency of the laser under test is determined by computing the offsets of the laser frequency from known frequencies calibrated with the cesium clock microwave frequency . as is commonly done in the optical arts , components that are commonly used are shown without , appreciable discussion . these components include detectors 604 such as photodiodes , mixers 606 denoted by circles containing an “ x ,” and semi - transparent mirrors 608 that denoted by short solid lines placed at approximately 45 degrees to a beam line , appear at several locations in fig6 . their meaning and use is well known in the art . arrowheads denote the direction of propagation of electrical and optical signals in fig6 while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to specific preferred embodiments , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
referring now to fig1 to 5 , there are shown flame deflecting devices for mounting on a building exterior . fig1 and 2 show a flame deflecting device comprising : ( a ) a fire resistant lamina 1 that is of a substantially rigid material and is stored extending substantially horizontally and that is of the required minimum width and length where the length of the fire resistant lamina 1 is taken as with the width of the opening , e . g . windows , above which the flame deflecting device is mounted , plus 4 feet ( 1 . 2 m ) or a distance that the space left horizontally between the openings allows . a flame deflecting device of this type may have means of placing the fire resistant lamina in a substantially horizontally - extending position comprising at least one spring in the interior of the casing and urging the fire resistant lamina to the extended position , the fire resistant lamina possessing at least one stopper . the fire resistant lamina 1 is made of a material or combination of materials which is capable of withstanding fire exposure without significant deformation and damage for the average duration of a fully developed compartment fire ( about 30 min ). for simplicity , the fire resistant lamina shown in fig1 and 2 is shown as one made of a single material , ( b ) a mounting means by which the flame deflecting device is mounted on the building by being embedded in a wall 2 , of a building to be protected , in rows above the windows , ( c ) the casing 3 whereby the fire resistant lamina 1 is protected when stored in the retracted position , ( d ) the springs 4 installed to spring load and force the fire resistant lamina 1 through an open side in the form of a slot 5 in the casing 3 when released from the horizontally retracted position , until the stopper 6 come into contact with the casing 3 whereby the fire resistant lamina 1 is fully extended and held substantially horizontally , which occurs upon thermal actuation of the flame deflecting device , ( e ) the strip 7 fastened to the casing 3 by a bolt 8 and a flame - or heat - destructible ( e . g . fusible ) nut 9 approximately midway along the length of the flame deflector device whereby the fire resistant lamina 1 is secured within the casing 3 , and ( f ) the securing means is thermally actuated when fire breaks out by the flames or hot gases destroying the flame - or heat - destructible nut 9 . the strip 7 is dislodged and the fire resistant lamina 1 is forced by the springs 4 to advance in the slot 5 until it is stopped by the stoppers 6 . in this deployed position , the panel will protect the building from the spread of fire from storey to storey by deflecting flames impinging on the underside of the fire resistant lamina 1 . where structural elements of a building or a proposed building make the installation of a flame deflecting device of the type illustrated in fig1 and 2 difficult , expensive or impossible , a flame deflecting device wherein the fire resistant lamina is of a substantially flexible material and is stored in the casing in a packed condition to be readily extendible to the substantially horizontally - extending position may be employed . the flame deflecting device may possess means of extending the fire resistant lamina to a substantially horizontally - extending position comprising at least one tong - like mechanism , and spring urging the tong - like mechanism to the substantially horizontally - extending position . such a flame deflecting device may have the tong - like mechanism mounted with the axes of the pivots of the tong - like mechanism being substantially horizontal . fig3 and 5 show a flame deflecting device comprising : ( a ) a fire resistant lamina 10 that is of a substantially flexible material , such as metal reinforced asbestos or ceramic cloth , mounted on a tong - lke mechanism , the tong - like mechanism comprising the following elements : a series of arms 11 joined together by short pins 12 and long rods 14 , the long rods 14 connecting one side of the tong - like mechanism with the other side of the tong - like mechanism . the fire resistant lamina 10 is stretched out by the long rods 14 . the proximal end 15 of the fire resistant lamina 10 is fastened to the rod 16 , which is embedded at its ends in the casing 17 . the distal end 18 of the fire resistant lamina 10 is fastened to the rod 19 ; ( b ) a mounting means by which the flame deflecting device is mounted on a wall 20 of a building to be protected by means of an anchoring device for which holes 21 , 22 are provided in the casing 17 . the flame deflecting devices may be mounted in rows above the openings , usually windows , of the building to be protected ; ( c ) the casing 17 is closed by a lid 23 which is reinforced longitudinally by two webs 24 and 25 whereby the fire resistant lamina 10 is protected when stored in the retracted position ; ( d ) the arms 26 , 27 , 28 and 29 pivotally mounted on the rod 16 connected to the series of arms 11 by short pins 12 or long rods 14 , and connected by the springs 30 , 31 , respectively , to the wings 34 , 35 , respectively , which are mounted in the casing 17 whereby the fire resistant lamina 10 is fully extended and held substantially horizontally upon actuation of the flame deflecting device ; ( e ) the lid 23 reinforced longitudinally by two webs 24 and 25 is attached by web 38 to the long rod 19 and is fastened to the casing 17 through a single bolt 40 , a heat - or flame - destructible ( e . g . fusible ) nut 41 with a washer 42 placed between the nut 41 and the lid 23 . a gasket 43 placed between the lid 23 and the casing 17 to ensure that all parts within the casing 17 are sealed air - tight from the atmosphere to protect them from corrosion ; and ( f ) the securing means outlined in ( e ) above may be actuated when fire breaks out by the flames or hot gases destroying the heat or flame - destructible nut 41 . this process can be speeded up by making the bolt 40 and the washer 42 of materials of low thermal conductivity . the springs 30 , 31 contract and extend the tong - like mechanism to which they are linked by the arms 26 , 27 , 28 and 29 mounted on the rod 16 . as a result , the fire resistant lamina 10 is extended to a substantially horizontally - extended position . the lid 23 moves with the tonglike mechanism and , as can be seen in fig5 by extending the area of the flame deflecting device , increases the effectiveness of the flame deflecting device in protecting the building from spread of fire from storey to storey . | 4 |
in a first preferred embodiment ( fig1 - 6 ), the cleaning apparatus of the present invention comprises a housing 1 containing a solvent reservoir 10 to which is operably connected a solvent pump 30 , a solvent feed line 31 , a vacuum hose 40 and a vacuum motor 50 ( fig1 and 5 ). a screen 90 or other object to be cleaned is placed in clean up tray 60 on top of housing 1 against a light panel 70 which illuminates the screen so that the operator can be sure it is cleaned ( fig4 ). solvent is pumped from reservoir 10 by pump 30 , through feed line 31 and onto the surface of the screen to be cleaned at a point generally adjacent the opening of a vacuum tool 42 on the end of vacuum hose 40 . vacuum motor 50 draws a vacuum on reservoir 10 so as to draw residue laden solvent back through vacuum hose 40 and back into reservoir 10 . this process is continued until inspection of the screen in the light emanating from light panel 70 indicates that it is satisfactorily clean . control of the pumping and vacuum functions is controlled by foot pedal control assembly 80 . housing 1 is made of a rigid , structural material such as sheet metal or structural solvent resistant plastic . it comprises a base 2 mounted on four casters 3 to give mobility to the entire apparatus ( fig1 and 5 ). projecting upwardly from each end of base 3 are end walls 4 and 4a . these are joined on one side by a sidewall 5 of comparable height . end wall 4 , 4a includes a vertical slot opening 8 , which serves as a viewing port for determining solvent level in reservoir 10 , as explained below . sidewall 6 opposite sidewall 5 is approximately twice as high as sidewall 5 and end walls 4 and 4a . it comprises a panel 6a secured to an upwardly extending frame consisting of triangular sides 6b and a top wall 6c . panel 6a is removable to facilitate servicing . a combined handle and hanging rail 7 is mounted at the top of high sidewall 6 , at the corners where frame sides 6b join frame top wall 6c , and extends generally from one side thereof to the other . handle 7 is at such a height that it can be readily grasped by the user to move the apparatus from one place to another . handle 7 also provides a convenient rail upon which items can be hung , including the vacuum wand 41 and cleaning tool 42 at the end of vacuum hose 40 . hanging wand 41 up on handle 7 when it is not in use insures that solvent in hose 40 or feed line 31 inside hose 40 will not run out onto the floor . high sidewall 6 serves not only to facilitate this elevated positioning of handle 7 , but also serves as a support for light panel 70 which slopes downwardly and away from the top of high sidewall 6 . the top of housing 1 in front of light panel 70 is covered by the removable clean up tray 60 . solvent reservoir 10 is mounted within the confines of housing 1 ( fig2 and 5 ). reservoir 10 comprises a bottom wall 10a , an inlet end wall 10b , an outlet end wall 10c and spaced sidewalls 10d . sidewalls 10d and end walls 10b and 10c terminate at an outwardly and then upwardly projecting upper rim 16 which snugly receives a top cover 17 which serves to seal the interior of reservoir 10 . reservoir 10 and cover 17 are made of a structural polymeric material which is at least translucent . the plastic used must be inert to solvent attack , e . g ., polyethylene . this allows light from light 71 ( fig1 ) to shine through cover 17 and through inlet end wall 10b so that the level of solvent in reservoir 10 can be determined by looking through the viewing port 8 in end wall 4 of housing 1 . a solvent outlet fitting 11 is positioned in bottom wall 10a ( fig5 ). a metal vacuum and solvent inlet pipe 12 , including a mounting flange 12a , for receiving vacuum hose 40 is mounted in inlet end wall 10b . a metal vacuum outlet pipe 13 , including mounting flange 13a , is located in outlet wall 10c . solvent is drawn out of reservoir 10 through bottom fitting 11 . the dirtied solvent is drawn back into reservoir 10 through inlet pipe 12 . a vacuum is drawn on reservoir 10 by evacuating air through vacuum pipe 13 . inlet pipe 12 and vacuum pipe 13 extends sufficiently far into reservoir 10 , in opposite direction , as to act as a baffle system preventing solvent from being drawn into the open end of vacuum outlet pipe 13 ( fig3 ). inlet pipe 12 extends from inlet wall 10b substantially across the length of reservoir 10 to within a few inches of outlet wall 10c . outlet pipe 13 extends from its point of entry in outlet wall 10c generally across the length of reservoir 10 to within a few inches of inlet wall 10b . with inlet pipe 12 and outlet vacuum pipe 13 so oriented , it is highly unlikely that incoming solvent entering reservoir 10 through the end of inlet pipe 12 could be drawn into the open end of vacuum outlet pipe 13 . reservoir 10 is mounted on bottom brackets 18 which space the bottom wall 10a of tank 10 above the level of base 2 a short distance , e . g . about two inches ( fig5 ). this space leaves room for solvent outlet line 20 to pass beneath the bottom wall 10a of tank 10 . solvent outlet line 20 is connected to solvent outlet fitting 11 and extends outwardly from beneath tank 10 to pump 30 . it is made of a solvent resistant material such as polyethylene tubing . a check valve is optionally located along solvent outlet line 20 . in the most preferred embodiment , a check valve has been found not essential . pump 30 is a high pressure pump using a 1 / 11 horsepower electrical motor . the &# 34 ; little giant &# 34 ; pump from tecumseh products company operates well in this application . pump 30 is mounted on base 2 via bracket 32 . pump 30 must have sufficient draw to overcome the vacuum within tank 10 and draw fluid out of tank 10 . solvent feed line 31 , comprising a solvent resistant material such as polyethylene tubing , extends upwardly from solvent pump 30 through an opening in outlet end wall 10c which is located near the top thereof generally adjacent vacuum outlet pipe 13 ( fig3 and 5 ). solvent feed line 31 then extends through reservoir 10 below cover 17 and out of reservoir 10 through inlet pipe 12 and vacuum line 40 . it extends the length of vacuum line 40 and terminates at a point adjacent the opening of a brush tool 42 mounted on the end of vacuum wand 41 . solvent feed line 31 is intentionally oriented such that it passes through outlet end wall 10c at a point remote from the open end of inlet pipe 12 . this requires that solvent feed line include at least two bends between the end of inlet pipe 12 and the opening in end wall 10c through which it passes , helping to minimize the possibility that solvent entering through inlet pipe 12 might flow down the length of the outside of solvent feed line 31 and migrate to the exterior of reservoir 10 where solvent feed line 31 enters reservoir 10 . it is of course important that a snug seal be maintained at that juncture so that the vacuum drawn on reservoir 10 by vacuum motor 50 is not diminished . vacuum line 40 is a conventional corrugated plastic vacuum hose which communicates with reservoir 10 via connection to the end of inlet pipe 12 . it must be made of a solvent resistant material such as polyethylene . wand 41 is a piece of metal tubing as is conventionally secured to the end of a flexible vacuum hose . brush 42 is a conventional vacuum cleaning tool made of solvent resistant material comprising a body portion which fits over wand 41 and a brush head comprised of a plurality of brush bristles . vacuum motor 50 is of the type used in vacuum cleaners . motor 50 drives an impeller ( not shown ) located in impeller housing 51 ( fig2 and 5 ). motor 50 and impeller housing 51 are mounted on base 2 . a vacuum hose 53 is fixed to the exterior end of vacuum outlet pipe 13 at one end and to the impeller intake opening in impeller housing 51 at the other end . air drawn through outlet pipe 13 is exhausted from impeller housing 51 through a tangential outlet 54 through an outlet opening in base 2 . by exhausting through base 2 , noise is minimized . clean up tray 60 comprises a shallow metal or plastic tray having a peripheral lip flange 61 which facilitates positioning clean up tray 60 in the opening at the top of housing 1 ( fig1 and 5 ). clean up tray 60 thus is positioned directly in front of light panel 70 . it is approximately one inch deep so that it can catch any solvent which may drip from or is allowed to flow from the end of brush tool 42 . tray 60 is preferably made of metal , though it can be made of a plastic material which will resist attack by organic solvents , e . g . polyethylene . metal also provides a smooth surface from which any solvent can readily be wiped up . a drip pan or splash pan 65 is removably mounted on clean up tray 60 ( fig1 and 6 ). clean up tray 60 includes an upwardly and then laterally outwardly projecting catch lip 62 positioned towards its edge remote from light panel 70 . drip pan 65 comprises a large , generally flat metal panel , with a generally &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; shaped deviation along one edge defining a catch mounting flange 66 . in order to mount drip pan 65 in position , one simply hooks catch mounting flange 66 beneath catch lip 62 , leaving the bottom of pan 65 resting on cover lip flange 61 . drip pan 65 allows one to manipulate a screen being cleaned , as for example by turning it around , without having solvent drip off the screen onto the floor . drip pan 65 also helps catch any splash of solvent occurring when one is operating the apparatus . light panel 70 is a sheet of solvent resistant plastic material such as polyethylene . it is translucent so that light will pass through it . it is supported by suitable brackets such that its top is closely adjacent vertical sidewall 6 of housing 1 and its bottom is spaced from vertical wall 6 a distance of about six inches . a light 71 is mounted on the inside of vertical wall 6 behind light panel 70 ( fig1 ). light 71 is a conventional fluorescent tube about two feet long . light 71 is mounted near the middle of vertical sidewall 6 so that it will shine not only upwardly against light panel 70 , but also downwardly into reservoir 10 , thus facilitating solvent viewing through viewport 8 in housing end wall 4 . pump 30 and vacuum motor 50 are controlled by a foot pedal control assembly 80 ( fig1 ). assembly 80 comprises a base 81 and a pair of independently operable pedals , one being pump actuating pedal 82 and the other being vacuum actuating pedal 83 . electrical wiring 84 connects control assembly 80 to housing 1 and operably to vacuum motor 50 on pump 30 . when the master switch of the apparatus is activated , light 71 is turned on . depression of pump pedal 82 operates pump 30 and pumps solvent through solvent feed line 31 . depression of vacuum pedal 83 activates vacuum motor 50 and draws a vacuum through vacuum hose 40 . pump pedal 82 and vacuum pedal 83 are located adjacent one another so that they can be activated simultaneously . reservoir 10 is filled with solvent by placing wand 41 ( with brush 42 attached if desired ) into a five gallon container filled with solvent . the apparatus master switch is activated and the vacuum foot pedal 83 is depressed . this draws solvent out of the five gallon container , through vacuum hose 40 and inlet pipe 12 and into reservoir 10 . reservoir 10 is of such a size that it conveniently holds five gallons of solvent . the solvent used is preferably biodegradable , water soluble and nonflammable . it must of course dissolve the particular ink or non - water soluble residue which one seeks to clean up . by using the preferable biodegradable solvent , one can dispose of the solvent through a conventional drainage system , or a light industrial drainage system . by making the solvent water soluble , one enhances final clean up in that ink or like residue dissolved in the solvent can readily be separated out by introducing water into the ink saturated solvent . by using a nonflammable solvent , one minimizes the danger of explosions or fires . such biodegradable , water soluble , nonflammable solvents are commercially available . harco iv 1000 is commercially available from harco graphic products , inc . to clean a printing screen 90 or the like , one locates the screen in clean up tray 60 , leaning it against light panel 70 ( fig4 ). one first depresses pump pedal 82 , holding vacuum tool 42 over tray 60 , and holds pump pedal 82 down until solvent begins flow out of brush attachment 42 . one then simultaneously depresses pump pedal 82 and vacuum pedal 83 while scrubbing the screen with brush attachment 42 . it is helpful to occasionally release pump pedal 82 while continuing to depress vacuum pedal 83 to remove excess solvent from the screen and clean up tray 60 . the screen can readily be turned around without dripping solvent onto the floor adjacent the apparatus thanks to drip pan 65 . once the screen is clean , it can be set aside and the apparatus cleaned up . using brush 42 , one washes and vacuums any ink or like residue from light panel 70 and one then vacuums all liquid from clean up tray 60 by depressing only vacuum pedal 83 . when the biodegradable , water soluble , nonflammable solvent is so saturated with ink that further cleaning is not possible , one places wand 41 , with brush 42 attached if desired , into a container and depresses pump pedal 82 to pump all of the solvent out of reservoir 10 into the container . preferably , the container 200 is lined with a plastic bag 201 ( fig3 ). once pump out is completed , the ink saturated solvent in container 200 is diluted approximately 50 - 50 with water and allowed to stand a few moments . the ink or other non - water soluble residue will separate from the resulting solution . if a plastic bag 201 has been used , much of the ink will adhere thereto . the water and solvent solution can be decanted off , or more preferably can be poured through a filter into a sink , allowing the filter to filter out any of the separated ink or other insoluble residue . the filter is then disposed of in an environmentally acceptable manner . in a second , most preferred embodiment ( fig7 - 11 ), the cleaning apparatus of the present invention comprises a housing 101 containing a solvent reservoir 110 in which is operably located a submersible solvent pump 130 and to which is operatively connected a vacuum hose 140 and a vacuum motor 150 ( fig7 and 9 ). solvent is pumped from reservoir 110 by pump 130 , through feed line 131 and onto the surface of the screen to be cleaned at a point generally adjacent or within the opening of a vacuum tool 142 on the end of vacuum hose 140 . vacuum motor 150 draws a vacuum on reservoir 110 so as to draw residue laden solvent from the screen back through vacuum hose 140 and back into reservoir 110 . this process is continued until inspection of the screen in the light emanating from light panel 170 indicates that it is satisfactorily clean . excess residue laden solvent is returned to reservoir 110 through return pipe 145 . control of the pumping and vacuum functions is controlled by foot pedal control assembly 180 . housing 101 is made of a rigid , structural material such as sheet metal or structural solvent resistant plastic . it comprises a base 102 mounted on four casters 103 to give mobility to the entire apparatus ( fig7 and 9 ). projecting upwardly from each end of base 102 are end walls 104 and 104a . these are joined on one side by a sidewall 105 of comparable height . end wall 104 includes a vertical slot opening 108 , which serves as a viewing port for determining solvent level in reservoir 110 , as explained below . sidewall 106 opposite sidewall 105 is approximately twice as high as sidewall 105 and end walls 104 and 104a . it comprises a panel 106a secured to an upwardly extending frame consisting of triangular sides 106b and a top wall 106c . panel 106a is removable to facilitate servicing . a combined handle and hanging rail 107 is mounted at the top of high sidewall 106 , at the corners where frame sides 106b join frame top wall 106c , and extends generally from one side thereof to the other . handle 107 is at such a height that it can be readily grasped by the user to move the apparatus from one place to another . handle 107 also provides a convenient rail upon which items can be hung , including the vacuum wand 141 and cleaning tool 142 at the end of vacuum hose 140 . hanging wand 141 up on handle 107 when it is not in use insures that solvent in hose 140 or feed line 131 inside hose 140 will not run out onto the floor . high sidewall 106 serves not only to facilitate this elevated positioning of handle 107 , but also serves as a support for ligh panel 170 which slopes downwardly and away from the top of high sidewall 106 . the top of housing 101 in front of light panel 170 is covered by the clean up tray 160 . solvent reservoir 110 is mounted within the confines of housing 101 ( fig8 and 9 ). reservoir 110 comprises a bottom wall 110a , an inlet end wall 110b , an outlet end wall 110c and spaced sidewalls 110d . sidewalls 110d and end walls 110b and 110c terminate at an outwardly and then upwardly projecting upper rim 116 which snugly receives a top cover 117 which serves to seal the interior of reservoir 110 reservoir 110 and cover 117 are made of a structural polymeric material which is at least translucent . the plastic used must be inert to solvent attack , e . g ., polyethylene . this allows light from light 171 ( fig7 ) to shine through cover 117 and through inlet end wall 110b so that the level of solvent in reservoir 110 can be determined by looking through the viewing port 108 in end wall 104 of housing 101 . a metal vacuum and solvent inlet pipe 112 , including a mounting flange 112a , for receiving vacuum hose 140 is mounted in inlet end wall 110b . a metal vacuum outlet pipe 113 , including mounting flange 113a , is located in outlet wall 110c . the dirtied solvent is drawn by vacuum back into reservoir 110 through inlet pipe 112 or through return pipe 145 . a vacuum is drawn on reservoir 110 by evacuating air through vacuum pipe 113 . inlet pipe 112 and vacuum pipe 113 extends sufficiently far into reservoir 110 , in opposite direction , as to act as a baffle system preventing solvent from being drawn into the open end of vacuum outlet pipe 113 ( fig8 and 9 ). inlet pipe 112 extends from inlet wall 110b substantially across the length of reservoir 110 to within several inches of outlet wall 110c . outlet pipe 113 extends from its point of entry in outlet wall 110c generally across the length of reservoir 110 to within several inches of inlet wall 110b . with inlet pipe 112 and outlet vacuum pipe 13 so oriented , it is highly unlikely that incoming solvent entering reservoir 110 through the end of inlet pipe 112 could be drawn into the open end of vacuum outlet pipe 113 . return pipe 145 extends into reservoir 110 only a few inches from wall 110c . with return pipe 145 so oriented with respect to outlet vacuum pipe 113 , it is highly unlikely that incoming solvent entering reservoir 110 through the open end of return pipe 145 could be drawn into the open end of vacuum outlet pipe 113 . as positioned , return pipe 145 and vacuum outlet pipe 113 act as a baffle system . pump 130 is a submersible high pressure pump . the model 2p406 epoxy encapsulated pump from teel manufacturing company operates well in this application . pump 130 is mounted via its fluid inlet assembly 132 on the bottom of reservoir 110 . pump 130 and its motor ( not shown ) must be enclosed in a liquid sealed housing having sufficient draw to overcome the vacuum within tank 110 and draw fluid out of tank 110 . pump 130 draws solvent through its inlet assembly 132 and discharges solvent under pressure to a discharge line 131a . discharge line 131a , comprising a solvent resistant material , such as polyethylene tubing , extends upwardly from solvent pump 130 to check valve 120 . a solvent feed line 131b ( fig9 ) extends from check valve 120 inside vacuum inlet pipe 112 to a rigid metal tube 131c welded to the interior of vacuum wand 141 ( fig1 ). solvent feed line 131b comprises a flexible , solvent resistant material such as neoprene rubber . a flexible discharge tube 133 extends from tube 131c and is disposed in the opening of brush tool 142 ( fig7 and 11 ). discharge tube 133 terminates in tool 142 slightly before the end of the brush bristles and is made of a flexible solvent resistant material to avoid damaging the screen should brush tool 142 be pressed forcibly against the screen . vacuum line 140 is a conventional corrugated plastic vacuum hose which communicates with reservoir 110 via connection to the end of inlet pipe 112 . it must be made of a solvent resistant material such as polyethylene . wand 141 is a piece of metal tubing as is conventionally secured to the end of a flexible vacuum hose . brush 142 is a conventional vacuum cleaning tool made of solvent resistant material comprising a body portion which fits over wand 141 and a brush head comprised of a plurality of brush bristles . vacuum motor 150 is of the type used in vacuum cleaners . motor 150 drives an impeller ( not shown ) located in impeller housing 151 ( fig8 and 10 ). motor 150 and impeller housing 151 are mounted on base 102 . a vacuum hose 153 is fixed to the exterior end of vacuum outlet pipe 113 at one end and to the impeller intake opening in impeller housing 151 at the other end . air drawn through outlet pipe 113 is exhausted from impeller housing 151 through a tangential outlet ( not shown ) through an outlet opening in base 102 . by exhausting through base 102 , noise is minimized . clean up tray 160 comprises a shallow metal or plastic tray having a peripheral lip flange 161 , which facilitates positioning clean up tray 160 in the opening at the top of housing 101 ( fig7 and 10 ). clean up tray 160 thus is positioned directly in front of light panel 170 . it is approximately one inch deep so that it can catch any solvent which may drip from or is allowed to flow from the end of brush tool 142 . tray 160 comprises a large , generally flat metal panel , with a bottom 163 that slopes downwardly toward return pipe 145 . clean up tray 160 includes an upwardly and then laterally outwardly projecting catch lip 162 positioned towards its edge remote from light panel 170 ( fig1 ). tray 160 is preferably made of metal , though it can be made of a plastic material which will resist attack by organic solvents , e . g . polyethylene . metal also provides a smooth surface from which any solvent can readily be wiped up . a drip pan or splash pan 165 is removably mounted on clean up tray 160 ( fig7 and 10 ). drip pan 165 has a generally &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; shaped deviation along one edge defining a catch mounting flange 166 . in order to mount drip pan 165 in position , one simply hooks catch mounting flange 166 beneath catch lip 162 , leaving the bottom of pan 165 resting on cover lip flange 161 . drip pan 165 allows one to manipulate a screen being cleaned , as for example by turning it around , without having solvent drip off the screen onto the floor . drip pan 165 also helps catch and return to reservoir 110 any splash of solvent occurring when one is operating the apparatus . light panel 170 is a sheet of solvent resistant plastic material such as polyethylene . it is translucent so that light will pass through it . it is supported by suitable brackets such that its top is closely adjacent vertical sidewall 106 of housing 101 and its bottom is spaced from vertical wall 106 a distance of about six inches . a light 171 is mounted on the inside of vertical wall 106 behind light panel 170 ( fig7 ). light 171 is a conventional fluorescent tube about two feet long . light 171 is mounted near the middle of vertical sidewall 106 so that it will shine not only upwardly against light panel 170 , but also downwardly into reservoir 110 , thus facilitating solvent viewing through viewport 108 in housing end wall 104 . pump 130 and vacuum motor 150 are controlled by a foot pedal control assembly 180 ( fig7 ). assembly 180 comprises a base 181 and a pair of independently operable pedals , one being pump actuating pedal 182 and the other being vacuum actuating pedal 183 . electrical wiring 184 connects control assembly 180 to housing 101 and operably to vacuum motor 150 and pump 130 . when the master switch ( not shown ) of the apparatus is activated , light 171 is turned on . depression of pump pedal 182 operates pump 130 and pumps solvent through solvent feed line 131 . depression of vacuum pedal 183 activates vacuum motor 150 and draws a vacuum through vacuum hose 140 . pump pedal 182 and vacuum pedal 183 are located adjacent one another so that they can be activated simultaneously . reservoir 110 is filled with solvent by placing wand 141 ( with brush 142 attached if desired ) into a five gallon container filled with solvent . the apparatus master switch is activated and the vacuum foot pedal 183 is depressed . this draws solvent out of the five gallon container , through vacuum hose 140 and inlet pipe 112 and into reservoir 110 . reservoir 110 is of such a size that it conveniently holds five gallons of solvent . to clean a printing screen 190 or the like , one locates the screen in clean up tray 160 , leaning it against light panel 170 . one first depresses pump pedal 182 , holding vacuum tool 142 over tray 160 , and holds pump pedal 182 down until solvent begins flow out of brush attachment 142 . one then simultaneously depresses pump pedal 182 and vacuum pedal 183 while scrubbing the screen with brush attachment 142 . it is helpful to occasionally release pump pedal 182 while continuing to depress vacuum pedal 183 to remove excess solvent from the screen . the screen can readily be turned around without dripping solvent onto the floor adjacent the apparatus thanks to drip pan 165 . once the screen is clean , it can be set aside and the apparatus cleaned up . using brush 142 , one washes and vacuums any ink or like residue from light panel 170 and clean up tray 160 . when the biodegradable , water soluble , nonflammable solvent is so saturated with ink that further cleaning is not possible , one places wand 141 , with brush 142 attached if desired , into a container and depresses pump pedal 182 to pump all of the solvent out of reservoir 110 into the container . of course , the above are preferred embodiments of the invention and various changes and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects thereof . | 1 |
an object of the present invention is to eliminate at least some of the drawbacks of the state of the art . the invention provides a method of patterning layers of organic devices . it also provides organic devices with layers patterned according to the method as defined in the appended independent claims . preferred , advantageous or alternative features of the invention are set out in dependent claims . in a first aspect the present invention provides a method of patterning a conductive layer or a layer stack comprising at least one conductive layer in which between the layer or layer stack and the substrate there is a compressible spacer layer or a spacer layer stack comprising at least one compressible layer . in a second aspect the invention provides organic devices with at least one conductive layer which is patterned according to the claimed method . embodiments of the invention are described hereinafter with reference to the following schematic drawings . fig1 shows a schematic drawing of a first patterning method embodying the invention , fig2 shows a schematic drawing of a second patterning method embodying the invention , fig3 shows a schematic drawing of a third patterning method embodying the invention , fig5 shows a schematic drawing of still another patterning method embodying the invention , fig6 shows an oled device made by a method embodying the invention , and fig7 shows a transistor made by a method embodying the invention . organic devices such as organic light emitting devices ( oleds ), organic field effect transistors ( ofets ) or organic photocells , possess one or more conductive layers in the layer setup . e . g . the simplest layer setup of an oled is a three layer setup with a transparent anode layer , the light emitting layer and a cathode layer . to obtain the desired function of the devices the conductive layers need to be patterned in an appropriate manner . the central point of this invention is to pattern the conductive layer or layers by embossing , whereas between the substrate and the first conductive layer there is a compressible spacer layer or a spacer layer stack with at least one such compressible layer . the thickness of the compressible layer shrinks at the embossed areas due to the pressure applied by the embossing tool ( see fig1 ). the conductive layer or the layer stack comprising at least one conductive layer is disjoint at the edges of the embossed areas and countersunk in the compressible layer . for this the compressible layer should be more compressible than the other layers . if the parameters of the embossing step are chosen adequately only the above mentioned layers are deformed permanently whereas the substrate is not permanently deformed by the process . especially barrier coatings which are deposited to enhance the barrier properties of polymeric substrates can be kept undamaged ( see fig2 ). suitable substrates ( 1 ) for the organic devices are glass , polymer , especially polymeric foil , paper or metal . flexible substrates are well suited for roll - to - roll processes . the substrate can be for example a flexible polymer foil like acrylonitrile butadiene styrene abs , polycarbonate pc , polyethylene pe , polyetherimide pei , polyetherketone pek , poly ( ethylene naphthalate ) pen , poly ( ethylene therephtalate ) pet , polyimide pi , poly ( methyl methacrylate ) pmma , poly - oxy - methylene pom , mono oriented polypropylene mopp , polystyrene ps , polyvinyl chloride pvc and the like . other materials like paper ( weight per area 20 - 500 g / m 2 , preferably 40 - 200 g / m 2 ), metal foil , ( for example al -, au -, cu -, fe -, ni -, sn -, steel - foil etc . ), especially surface modified , coated with a lacquer or polymer , are suitable too . the substrate can be coated with a barrier layer ( 4 ) or a barrier layer stack ( 5 ) to increase the barrier properties ( j . lange and y . wyser , “ recent innovations in barrier technologies for plastic packaging — a review ”, packag . technol . and sci . 16 , 2003 , p . 149 - 158 ). e . g . inorganic materials like sio 2 , si 3 n 4 , sio x n y , al 2 o 3 , alo x n y and the like are often used . they can be deposited e . g . in vacuum processes like evaporation , sputtering or chemical vapour deposition cvd , especially plasma enhanced cvd ( pecvd ). other suitable materials are mixtures of organic and inorganic materials deposited in a sol - gel process . such materials can even be deposited in a wet coating process like e . g . gravure printing . the best barrier properties at present are obtained by multilayer coatings of organic and inorganic materials as described in wo03 / 094256a2 . in the following the term substrate shall denote substrates with and without barrier coatings . suitable materials for the compressible layer ( 2 ) are low density polymer like e . g . low density poly ethylene ( ldpe ) with a density of about 0 . 92 g / cc . most isolating and conducting polymers possess densities & gt ; 1 . 0 g / cc . e . g . poly ( methyl methacrylate ) pmma has a density of 1 . 19 g / cc , poly ( styrene ) ps of 1 . 05 g / cc , poly ( carbonate ) pc of 1 . 2 g / cc and poly ( ethylene terephthalate ) pet of 1 . 3 - 1 . 4 g / cc . the density of metals and tcos is even distinctly higher . e . g . aluminum ( al ) has a density of 2 . 7 g / cc , copper ( cu ) of 8 . 96 g / cc , silver ( ag ) of 10 . 5 g / cc or gold ( au ) of 19 . 3 g / cc and tin doped indium oxide ( ito ) of 7 . 14 g / cc . thus the low density polymer possesses the lowest density of all materials in the organic device . upon embossing such a compressible spacer layer is compressed leading to an increase in the density combined with a decrease in the layer thickness . a much better compressibility for the spacer layer is obtained by the use of meso - or nano - porous materials . e . g . sol - gel processed silica aerogel as described by tsutsui et . al . (“ doubling coupling - out efficiency in organic light - emitting devices using a thin silica aerogel layer ”, adv . mater . 13 , 2001 , p . 1149 - 2252 ) possess an index of refraction as low as 1 . 03 which is only possible if the majority of the volume of the layer is air or gas . this air or gas filled volume takes up the material upon embossing . such porous layers can be produced by other techniques too . inorganic oxides , e . g . silica or boehmite , in a mixture with a binder , like e . g . poly ( vinyl alcohol ) pva or poly ( vinylpyrrolidone ) pvp , are capable of forming layer of high porosity and thus low density as described in the us2005 / 0003179 a1 , ep1464511 a2 and the ep0614771 a1 . in the mentioned documents the porous layer functions as an ink absorbing layer . as the conducting layer or the layer stack comprising at least one conducting layer is coated on top of the spacer layer ( stack ) a flat surface is advantageous . in most cases the porosity of the compressible meso - or nano - porous layer leads to a rough surface . to solve this problem a thin homogeneous and flat layer can be coated on top of the porous layer prior to the conducting layer or layer stack . this homogeneous layer can be made of inorganic dielectrics like sio 2 , al 2 o 3 and the like or of polymer like but not limited to pmma , ps or pva . suitable and preferred thickness ranges for the layers in the spacer layer stack is : a further advantage of the porous layer is that due to the holes in the layer ( similar to a sponge ) residues of the embossed conducting layer can not stick well to the vertical walls . thus shorts between the embossed and the not embossed parts of the conducting layers are less probable . the conductive layers ( 3 ) are often made of metal like e . g . al , cu , ag or au . the metal layers can be semitransparent ( depending on the metal with a thickness of a few tenth of nanometers up to 50 nm ) or opaque ( thickness of & gt ; 50 nm ). other suitable materials are transparent conductive oxides ( tco ) like e . g . ito , aluminium doped zinc oxide ( azo ) or gallium doped zinc oxide ( gzo ). typical thickness of such a tco layer is in the range of 50 nm up to 150 nm . due to a distinct increase of the stress in inorganic layers above a thickness of roughly 200 nm ( depending on deposition method and parameter ) typical values of the conducting layers are below that threshold . organic conducting layers are e . g . made of polymers like poly ( styrene sulfonate ) doped poly ( 3 , 4 - ethylenedioxythiophene ) pedot / pss , poly ( aniline ) pani or polypyrrole . the conducting polymer layers possess the same typical thickness range as the tco layers . also a combination of above mentioned layers may serve as conductive layer , e . g . an ito layer coated with a polymer where the latter acts as injection layer as well as buffer layer to avoid cracking of the ito or at least for binding ito particles during the embossing process . the embossing tool ( 10 ) must be made of a material which is harder than the layers to be embossed . e . g . so called nickel shims are suitable . they are state of the art and widely used in the hologram manufacturing industry as well as in the cd / dvd production . if needed the structure size to be embossed can be down to a few tenth of nanometer . such shims can be flat to emboss sheets or plane objects . on the other hand they can be put around a roll for roll - to - roll embossing of flexible objects like polymeric foil or paper . to get the desired pattern in a nickel shim first of all this pattern is made in a master substrate by photolithography , e - beam lithography or another suitable technique . one possibility is to coat a flat glass substrate with a light sensitive polymer ( a so called resist ) of a certain thickness and illuminate it through a mask , e . g . a chromium mask , which possesses the pattern . depending on the type of resist the illuminated pattern ( positive resist ) or the protected area ( negative resist ) can be removed in a development step . the thickness of the resist defines the height or depth of the pattern . by coating this patterned glass substrate with a conducting material , e . g . evaporated nickel , silver or gold or sprayed silver solution , a starting layer for the electroforming of the nickel shim is deposited . after the electroforming step a first generation nickel shim is obtained from which second and further generation shims can be made by additional electroforming steps . another possible material for the embossing tool is hardened steel . the pattern can be transferred in this material class by diamond turning or other tooling techniques if the desired pattern is suitable for these techniques . wet etching or dry etching techniques can be used likewise as described in the us2004 / 0032667 a1 which is incorporated herein by reference . the etching techniques are well suited for very small patterns , e . g . even subwavelength gratings are possible . for organic devices the size of the pattern in the conducting layer varies at present from 5 μm × 15 μm ( matrix displays ) up to a few cm 2 or more ( logos ). the width of the separator between adjacent pixels should be as small as possible . in current matrix displays it is about 3 μm . in one embodiment of the described invention the width of the separators is defined by the width of the embossed pattern . if the embossed parts of the conducting layer are used in the device too , the separator is defined by the width of the embossed edge . this width of the edges depends on the height of the pattern as the walls of the pattern in the embossing tool are not perfectly vertical . values of & lt ; 20 μm are easily obtainable . in one embodiment of the invention the depth or height of the pattern h patt in the embossing tool is smaller than the thickness d comp of the compressible layer . suitable values for h patt are & lt ; 25 μm , preferred values are & lt ; 9 μm . the deposition of the compressible spacer layer or spacer layer stack can be done by several coating techniques . low density polymers can be wet coated for example by spin - coating , by printing , especially flexo - printing , gravure printing , ink - jet - printing or screen - printing , by curtain or dip coating or by spraying . porous spacer layer can be wet or vacuum coated . e . g . cvd processes are capable of forming porous silica layer if appropriate coating parameters are chosen . other approaches use spin -, curtain - or cascade coating to deposit the porous layer . the latter two techniques are roll - to - roll processes and thus capable for large area production . examples for the deposition of porous layers of inorganic oxides like silica and boehmite are described in ep1464511 a2 and ep0614771 a1 . the optional flat top layer can be deposited by several techniques . top layers of inorganic materials like sio 2 can be vacuum deposited by e . g . evaporation , sputtering or cvd . sol - gel processes are likewise possible ( m . mennig et . al . “ interference multilayer systems on plastic foil by a wet - web - coating technique ”, proceedings of the 5 th international conference on coatings on glass , p . 175 ). organic top layers can be vacuum ( pecvd ) or wet coated . again spin - coating , printing , especially flexo - printing , gravure printing , ink - jet - printing or screen - printing , curtain or dip coating or spraying are possible . in a preferred embodiment of the invention the flat organic top layer is coated on top of the porous spacer layer in the same process . this can be done e . g . by curtain - or cascade coating as described for example in the wo03 / 053597 a1 . these processes are capable of coating more than ten layers of a multilayer stack in one step . the conducting layer can be likewise deposited in wet - or vacuum processes . metal layers are often evaporated or sputtered in large areas . e . g . for security holograms or packaging applications roll - to - roll vacuum coaters with a web speed of more than 10 m / sec are state of the art ( see e . g . http :// www . galileovacuum . com ). tcos are mostly sputter deposited , but evaporation is possible too , if the required conductivity is not too high . first attempts are made to coat tco layers by wet coating techniques . e . g . a spin - coating process for the deposition of ito is described by al - dahoudi and aegerter (“ comparative study of transparent conductive in 2 o 3 : sn ( ito ) coatings made using a sol and a nanoparticle suspension ” proceedings of the 5 th international conference on coatings on glass , p 585 - 592 ). such tco sol - gel or nanoparticle materials can be used in roll - to - roll coating techniques too . e . g . printing , especially gravure printing is a suitable method . organic conducting layer can be deposited by several wet coatings techniques , like but not restricted to , spin - coating , printing , especially flexo - printing , gravure printing , ink - jet - printing or screen - printing , curtain or dip coating or spraying . the embossing of the coated layers can be done in step by step machines or in roll - to - roll embossing machines . the former can be e . g . an evg520he semi - automated hot embossing system . it accepts substrates up to 200 mm . the stamps used can possess pattern sizes ranging from 400 nm to 100 μm ( nils roos et . al ., “ impact of vacuum environment on the hot embossing process ”, spie &# 39 ; s microlithography 2003 , santa clara , calif ., feb . 22 - 28 , 2003 ). one example of a roll - to - roll embossing machine is described on page 34 in the research activities in optoelectronics and electronics manufacturing report 2004 of vtt electronics finland ( www . vtt . fi ). this machine is capable of doing web gravure printing and web embossing in serial units . in general the applied pressure has to be adapted to the materials used in the layer stack , the web speed and the embossing temperature as well as the size and depth of the pattern to be embossed . the embossing can be done at room temperature or at elevated temperature ( hot embossing ). e . g . if a hard conducting material like ito on top of a compressible porous spacer layer with an organic flat top layer needs to be patterned the stress in the conducting layer can be minimised by doing the embossing at a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the organic flat top layer . after the embossing post treatments can be applied if necessary . e . g . plasma processes like oxygen plasma or argon plasma can be applied to remove residues of layers . other post treatment possibilities are wet etching . e . g . an ito etch solution ( 481 ml / l hydrochloric acid ( 32 %), 38 ml / l nitric acid ( 65 %) and 481 ml / l deionised water ) can be used to remove ito residues at the edges of the embossed areas to avoid possible shorts between the separated conducting areas . if an appropriate diluted concentration is chosen the needed conducting ito areas are kept intact . a subsequent coating step of a polymer layer e . g . pedot / pss could cover and repair possible cracks in the ito layer . the ability to do all deposition , patterning and ( if necessary ) post treatment steps in roll - to - roll processes enables the large area production of patterned conducting layers for organic devices at low costs . fig1 shows a schematic drawing of a patterning method embodying the invention . a conducting layer ( 1 ) ( e . g . ito ) on top of a compressible spacer layer ( 2 ) ( e . g . ldpe ) with a thickness of d comp on top of a substrate ( 1 ) ( e . g . pet ) is embossed by an embossing tool ( 10 ) comprising pattern ( 100 ) with a height of h patt . after embossing the spacer layer is compressed at the areas of protruding bars in the embossing tool . fig2 shows a schematic drawing of another patterning method embodying the invention . hereby there is a spacer layer stack with a thick compressible layer ( 2 ) ( e . g . porous silica ) and a flat thin top coat ( 4 ) ( e . g . pva ) between the conducting layer ( 3 ) ( e . g . ito ) and the substrate ( 1 ) ( e . g . pet ). again after embossing the compressible layer is compressed at the areas of protruding bars in the embossing tool . fig3 shows a schematic drawing of still another patterning method embodying the invention . the layer setup is the same as in fig1 . in this case the substrate possesses a barrier coating ( 5 ) ( e . g . barix ™ www . vitexsys . com ). after embossing the multilayer barrier keeps its function . fig4 shows microscope images of embossed samples without and with a compressible spacer layer between a sputtered ito layer and a pet substrate . for the latter a pet substrate of 100 μm thickness was coated with a double layer system consisting of a compressible porous silica layer and a flat top pva layer ( see fig2 ). the thickness of the porous silica layer is about 25 μm and the thickness of the pva layer 120 nm . on top of this spacer layer stack a 110 nm thick ito conducting layer was deposited by sputtering at room temperature . the target composition was 90 % in 2 o 3 and 10 % sno 2 . the bare pet substrate was coated in the same sputtering process . both samples were embossed with a nickel shim at 120 ° c . and with a pressure of 63 kg / cm 2 ( or 620n / cm 2 ) for 10 min and cooled down under pressure for additional 10 minutes . the bars of the pattern in the nickel shim possess a height of 15 μm and thus are distinctly smaller than the thickness of the compressible layer stack . the width of the bars varies from 25 μm up to 800 μm . the embossed patterns are on one hand squares of 5 × 5 mm 2 and 10 × 10 mm 2 with different bar width and on the other hand 10 mm long bars of 100 μm width and varying distance from 300 μm up to 3 mm . fig4 shows the corner of the square with a bar width of 150 μm . as can be seen the ito layer of the sample without the compressible spacer layer stack is crazed , or slivered , all over . the ito layer on top of the compressible spacer layer stack is intact . just a few cracks , or rifts , are visible at the corner . these rifts are not present at embossed squares with thinner bars . the sample with the ito deposited directly on the pet shows shorts between the inner and the outer ito area of the embossed square . the resistivity is & gt ; 20 mω for the sample with the compressible spacer layer stack . furthermore the embossed bars with 100 μm width show no cracks or slivering ( crazing ) even at a distance of 300 μm . fig5 shows a schematic drawing of another patterning method embodying the invention . two conducting layers ( 31 , 32 ) ( e . g . ito ) separated by an isolating layer ( 40 ) ( e . g . sio 2 ) are deposited on top of a compressible spacer layer ( 2 ) ( e . g . porous silica ) and embossed such that the desired pattern forms . the patterned substrate is homogeneously coated with a thin organic semiconductor layer ( 50 ) ( e . g . poly ( 3 - hexylthiophene , p3ht ) followed by thin isolating layer ( 60 ) such that both layers cover the walls of the embossed pattern . the embossed holes are then filled with a conducting material ( 70 ). such a setup can is act as a transistor with a channel length defined by the thickness of the isolating layer between the two conducting layers and the angle of the embossed walls . the following examples illustrate the invention . the invention is not limited to these examples . a 100 nm thick ito anode is patterned on a compressible spacer layer stack analogously as explained in the description of fig4 . prior to the deposition of the spin - coat layer the sample was treated with air plasma for 2 minutes ( harrick plasma cleaner pdc - 002 ) . solutions of tris ( 2 , 2 ′ bipyridyl ) ruthenium ( ii ) hexafluorophosphate ([ ru ( bpy ) 3 ] ( pf 6 )) and poly ( methyl methacrylate ) ( pmma ) with a molecular weight of 120000 g / mol dissolved in acetronitrile are prepared . two solutions of ([ ru ( bpy ) 3 ] ( pf 6 ) 40 mg / ml and pmma 25 mg / ml are mixed in the ratio of 3 : 1 by volume . films are prepared by spin - coating with 1500 rpm resulting in film thicknesses of approximately 120 to 200 nm . the devices are dried under nitrogen atmosphere on a hotplate at 100 ° c . for one hour . without exposure to air the devices are loaded into a vacuum chamber with a base pressure of less than 10 − 7 mbar . a 200 nm thick ag electrode is evaporated on top the devices and patterned via shadow mask . for device characterization a voltage of about 2 . 5 to 5 v is applied to the bottom and the top electrode . the overlap of the bottom electrode and the top electrode defines the light emitting area as it is shown in fig6 . source and drain electrodes consisting of 50 nm sputter deposited au on top of a compressible layer stack are patterned analogously to the method in the description of fig4 . typical channel lengths and widths are 50 μm and 500 μm , respectively . in a top gate structure the semi - conducting polymer , e . g . p3ht is spun on top of the embossed structure . afterwards an insulating layer e . g . pmma is spin - coated as the gate dielectrics . a top metal gate contact is evaporated on top of this structure and patterned via shadow mask as shown in fig7 . the same bottom ito electrode pattern and method as described for fabricating oleds ( see fig6 ) is used to fabricate organic solar cells or photodiodes . in this case a multilayer is fabricated on top of this patterned substrate . first pedot / pss is spin - coated on the substrate resulting in a layer of about 60 nm . this layer is dried for 15 min on a hotplate at 200 ° c . a polymer blend consisting of p3ht and a c60 derivative ( pcbm ) dissolved in dichlorobenzene with a ratio of 1 : 3 is spin - coated on top . the layer thickness of this layer is in the range of 50 to 250 nm . the device is dried under dry nitrogen for 30 minutes on a hotplate with 120 ° c . a cathode is evaporated on top of this structure analogously as mentioned above for the fabrication of oleds . upon irradiation of the solar cell a current can be measured in a wire connecting the two electrodes . | 8 |
thus , according to a first aspect , this invention provides compounds of the formula ( 1 ) and pharmaceutically acceptable salts and solvates ( e . g . hydrates ) thereof , wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , w , n and r 5 are as previously defined . throughout this specification , the term aromatic heterocyclic group means a 5 - 6 membered aromatic ring containing one or more atoms selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen atoms on the ring , said ring being optionally condensed with a carbon ring or other heterocyclic ring . examples include pyrrole , indole , carbazole , imidazole , pyrazole , benzimidazole , pyridine , naphthyridine , furopyridine , thienopyridine , pyrrolopyridine , oxazolopyridine , imidazolopyridine , thiazolopyridine , quinoline , isoquinoline , acridine , phenanthridine , pyridazine , pyrimidine , pyrazine , cinnoline , phthaladine , quinazoline , naphthylidine , quinoxaline , isoxazole , benzisoxazole , oxazole , benzoxazole , benzoxadiazole , isothiazole , benzisothiazole , thiazole , benzthiazole , benzthiadiazole , furan , benzofuran , thiophen , benzothiophen and the like . as used herein , “ 1 to 4 carbons ” means a carbon number per a single substituent ; for example , for dialkyl substitution it means 2 to 8 carbons . a c 1 - c 4 alkyl includes methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , isobutyl , sec - butyl and tert - butyl . a c 1 - c 4 alkoxy includes methoxy , ethoxy , n - propoxy , isopropoxy , allyloxy , n - butoxy , isobutoxy , sec - butoxy , tert - butoxy and the like . a c 1 - c 4 aminoalkyl includes aminomethyl , 2 - aminoethyl , 3 - aminopropyl , 4 - aminobutyl and the like . a c 1 - c 4 alkylamino includes n - methylamino , n , n - dimethylamino , n , n - diethylamino , n - methyl - n - ethylamino , n , n - diisopropylamino and the like . a c 1 - c 4 acyl includes acetyl , propanoyl , butanoyl and the like . a c 1 - c 4 acylamino includes acetylamino , propanoylamino , butanoylamino and the like . a c 1 - c 4 alkylthio includes methylthio , ethylthio , n - propylthio and the like . a c 1 - c 4 perfluoroalkyl includes trifluoromethyl , pentafluoroethyl and the like . a c 1 - c 4 perfluoroalkoxy includes trifluoromethoxy , pentafluoroethoxy and the like . a c 1 - c 4 alkoxycarbonyl includes methoxycarbonyl , ethoxycarbonyl and the like . compounds of the formula ( 1 ) may contain one or more asymmetric centers and thus can exist as enantiomers or diastereomers . it is to be understood that the invention includes both mixtures and separate individual isomers of compounds of the formula ( 1 ). furthermore certain compounds of the formula ( 1 ) which contain alkenyl groups may exist as cis - or trans - isomers . in each instance , the invention includes both mixtures and separate individual isomers . compounds of the formula ( 1 ) may also exist in tautomeric forms and the invention includes both mixtures and separate individual tautomers thereof . also included in the invention are radiolabelled derivatives of compounds of formula ( 1 ) which are suitable for biological studies . compounds of the formula ( 1 ) wherein one or more basic nitrogen atoms are present may form pharmaceutically acceptable salts with acids such as hydrochloric , hydrobromic , sulfuric , phosphoric , methanesulfonic , acetic , citric , fumaric , lactic , maleic , succinic and tartaric acids . compounds of the formula ( 1 ) may form pharmaceutically acceptable salts with metal ions , such as alkali metals for example sodium and potassium , or with an ammonium ion . a preferred group of compounds of the formula ( 1 ) is that wherein r 1 is h ; methyl ; or ethyl ; r 2 is h ; methyl ; or a halogen atom ; r 3 is c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally substituted with one or more fluoro atoms ; r 4 is ethyl ; n - propyl ; or allyl ; w is n ; n is an integer of from 1 to 6 ; r 5 is cor 6 ; or coor 6 ; r 6 is c 1 - c 4 alkyl . a particularly preferred group of compounds of the formula ( 1 ) is that wherein r 1 is methyl ; or ethyl ; r 2 is h ; r 3 is ethyl ; 2 - fluoroethyl ; n - propyl ; or 3 - fluoropropyl ; r 4 is ethyl ; or n - propyl ; w is n ; n is an integer of from 2 to 4 ; r 5 is cor 6 ; or coor 6 ; r 6 is c 1 - c 4 alkyl . 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - propionyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - butyryloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - isobutyryloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - methoxycarbonyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - ethoxycarbonyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - n - propoxycarbonyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - isopropoxycarbonyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - n - butoxycarbonyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 -( 3 - fluoropropyl )- 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 5 - ethyl - 7 -( 3 - fluoropropyl )- 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - propionyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - butyryloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 -( 3 - fluoropropyl )- 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 5 - ethyl - 7 -( 3 - fluoropropyl )- 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - isobutyryloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 5 - ethyl - 7 -( 3 - fluoropropyl )- 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - methoxycarbonyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - ethoxycarbonyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 -( 3 - fluoropropyl )- 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 5 - ethyl - 7 -( 3 - fluoropropyl )- 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - n - propoxycarbonyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 5 - ethyl - 7 -( 3 - fluoropropyl )- 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - isopropoxycarbonyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - n - butoxycarbonyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 -( 3 - fluoropropyl )- 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ; in another aspect , this invention provides processes for the preparation of compounds of the formula ( 1 ) or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof . compounds of the general formula ( 1 ) may be prepared by the reaction of compounds of the general formula ( 2 ) which are disclosed in the pct application ( kr 01 / 00227 ): ( wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 are as previously defined in the general formula ( 1 ), and x represents a halogen atom , preferably a chlorine atom ) with a compound of the general formula ( 3 ): wherein w , n and r 5 are as previously defined in the general formula ( 1 ). the coupling reaction is generally carried out at from 0 ° c . to room temperature for 1 - 24 hours in a suitable solvent such as a c 1 - c 3 alkanol , dichloromethane , n , n - dimethylformamide ( dmf ) or water using an excess amount of ( 3 ) or in the presence of an organic tertiary amine such as triethylamine to scavenge the acid by - product . compounds of the general formula ( 1 ) may be also prepared by the esterification reaction of compounds of the general formula ( 4 ) which are disclosed in the pct application ( kr 01 / 00227 ): ( wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , w and n are as previously defined in the general formula ( 1 )) with a compound of the general formula ( 5 ), ( 6 ) or ( 7 ): wherein r 6 is as previously defined , and y represents a hydroxyl group or a halogen atom , preferably a chlorine atom . z in the general formula ( 7 ) represents a halogen atom or a phenoxy group optionally substituted with one or more no 2 groups . the reaction of ( 4 ) with ( 5 ), ( 6 ) ( wherein y represents a halogen atom ) or ( 7 ) is generally carried out at from 0 ° c . to room temperature for 1 - 24 hours in a suitable solvent such as dichloromethane or dmf in the presence of an organic tertiary amine such as triethylamine to scavenge the acid by - product , optionally in the presence of a catalyst such as 4 - dimethylaminopyridine ( dmap ). for convenience , pyridine may be also used as a solvent . alternatively , compounds of the general formula ( 1 ) may be obtained by the treatment of ( 4 ) with ( 6 ) ( wherein y represents a hydroxyl group ) using an appropriate coupling reagent such as 1 , 3 - dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( dcc ) or 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride ( edc ) in the presence of an excess of 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole , optionally in the presence of a catalyst such as dmap in an inert solvent such as dichloromethane or dmf at from 0 ° c . to room temperature for 1 - 24 hours . compounds of the general formula ( 4 ) may be prepared from compounds of the general formula ( 8 ): wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , w and n are as previously defined in the general formula ( 1 ). the cyclization reaction is generally carried out by heating at an elevated temperature , for example 50 - 150 ° c ., in the presence of an acid or a base in a suitable solvent such as an aqueous c 1 - c 4 alkanol , water , a halogenated hydrocarbon or acetonitrile . thus , for example , the cyclization may be affected by treatment of a compound of the formula ( 8 ) with a base such as sodium hydroxide , potassium carbonate or potassium tert - butoxide in an aqueous alcoholic medium . compounds of the general formula ( 8 ) may be prepared from compounds of the general formula ( 9 ) and ( 10 ): wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , w and n are as previously defined in the general formula ( 1 ), and r 8 is h or c 1 - c 4 alkyl . the reaction is generally carried out by first converting a carboxylic acid ester of the formula ( 9 ) to the corresponding carboxylic acid using an excess amount of a well - known reagent in the literature , preferably lithium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide , in a solvent such as tetrahydrofuran - water or ethanol - water at room temperature to reflux temperature . the following coupling reaction of ( 9 ) ( wherein r 8 is h ) with a compound of the formula ( 10 ) is generally effected by using an excess amount of a well - known reagent in the literature , preferably dcc or edc , in the presence of an excess amount of 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole , optionally in the presence of a catalyst such as dmap in an inert solvent such as dichloromethane or dmf , at from 0 ° c . to room temperature for 1 - 24 hours . for convenience , pyridine may be also used as a solvent . compounds of the general formula ( 9 ) may be prepared from compounds of the general formula ( 11 ): wherein r 8 , w and n are as previously defined in the general formula ( 9 ). the o - alkylation may be effected under a standard condition using an appropriate alkyl halide in the presence of a base such as potassium carbonate in a suitable solvent such as dmf at room temperature to 100 ° c . for 1 - 24 hours . compounds of the general formula ( 11 ) may be prepared by the reaction of compounds of the general formula ( 12 ) with a compound of the general formula ( 13 ): wherein r 8 and x are as previously defined in the general formulas ( 9 ) and ( 2 ), wherein w and n are as previously defined . the coupling reaction is generally carried out at from 0 ° c . to room temperature for 1 - 24 hours in a suitable solvent such as a c 1 - c 3 alkanol , dichloromethane , dmf or water using an excess amount of ( 13 ) or in the presence of an organic tertiary amine such as triethylamine or an inorganic base such as potassium carbonate , to scavenge the acid by - product . compounds of the general formula ( 12 ) may be prepared from compounds of the general formula ( 14 ): ( wherein r 8 is as previously defined ) by using a known method for the introduction of a sulfonyl halide group into an aromatic ring , for example , when halide represents a chlorine atom , by the reaction of chlorosulfonic acid at 0 ° c . to room temperature for 1 - 24 hours with or without thionyl chloride . compounds of formulas ( 3 ), ( 5 ), ( 6 ), ( 7 ), ( 10 ), ( 13 ) and ( 14 ), when not commercially available , can be obtained by conventional procedures , in accordance with literature precedent , from readily accessible starting materials using standard reagents and conditions . the resulting compounds of this invention represented by the formulas ( 1 )-( 4 ) and ( 8 )-( 12 ) can be separated and purified by appropriate conventional methods such as column chromatography and recrystallization . the pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts of compounds of the general formula ( 1 ) which contain a basic center may be prepared in a conventional manner . for example , a solution of the free base is treated with an appropriate acid , either neat or in a suitable solvent , and the resulting salts are isolated either by filtration or by evaporation under vacuum of the reaction solvent . compounds of the invention may be administered by any suitable route , for example by oral , buccal , sub - lingual , rectal , vaginal , nasal , topical or parenteral ( including intravenous , intramuscular , subcutaneous and intracoronary ) administration . for administration to man in the curative or prophylactic treatment of the disorders identified above , oral , buccal or sub - lingual dosages of a compound of the formula ( 1 ) will generally be in the range of from 0 . 1 - 400 mg daily for an average adult patient ( 70 kg ). thus for a typical adult patient , individual tablets or capsules contain from 0 . 05 - 200 mg of active compound , in a suitable pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle or carrier , for administration in single or multiple doses , once or several times per day . dosages for parenteral administration will typically be within the range of from 0 . 01 - 100 mg per single dose as required . in practice the physician will determine the actual dosing regimen which will be most suitable for an individual patient , and it will vary with the age , weight and response of the particular patient . the above dosages are exemplary of the average case but there can be individual instances in which higher or lower dosage ranges may be merited , and such are within the scope of this invention . for human use , a compound of the formula ( 1 ) can be administered alone , but will generally be administered in admixture with a pharmaceutical carrier selected with regard to the intended route of administration and standard pharmaceutical practice . for example , the compound may be administered orally , buccally or sublingually , in the form of tablets containing excipients such as starch or lactose , or in capsules or ovules either alone or in admixture with excipients , or in the form of elixirs or suspensions containing flavouring or colouring agents . such liquid preparations may be prepared with pharmaceutically acceptable additives such as suspending agent ( e . g . methylcellulose , a semi - synthetic glyceride such as witepsol or mixtures of glycerides such as a mixture of apricot kernel oil and peg - 6 esters or mixtures of peg - 8 and caprylic / capric glycerides ). a compound may also be injected parenterally , for example intravenously , intramuscularly , subcutaneously or intracoronarily . for parenteral administration , the compound is best used in the form of a sterile aqueous solution which may contain other substances , for example salts , or monosaccharides such as mannitol or glucose , to make the solution isotonic with blood . thus , the invention provides in a further aspect a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound of the formula ( 1 ), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , together with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent or carrier therefor . the invention also provides a compound of the formula ( 1 ), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , or a pharmaceutical composition containing either entity , for use in the treatment of impotence , sexual dysfunction in female , stable , unstable and variant ( prinzmetal ) angina , hypertension , pulmonary hypertension , congestive heart failure , renal failure , atherosclerosis , conditions of reduced blood vessel patency ( e . g . post - percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty ), peripheral vascular disease , vascular disorders such as raynaud &# 39 ; s disease , inflammatory diseases , stroke , bronchitis , chronic asthma , allergic asthma , allergic rhinitis , glaucoma and diseases characterized by disorders of gut motility ( e . g . irritable bowel syndrome ). the invention further provides the use of a compound of the formula ( 1 ), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , or a pharmaceutical composition containing either entity , for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of impotence , sexual dysfunction in female , stable , unstable and variant ( prinzmetal ) angina , hypertension , pulmonary hypertension , congestive heart failure , renal failure , atherosclerosis , conditions of reduced blood vessel patency ( e . g . post - percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty ), peripheral vascular disease , vascular disorders such as raynaud &# 39 ; s disease , inflammatory diseases , stroke , bronchitis , chronic asthma , allergic asthma , allergic rhinitis , glaucoma and diseases characterized by disorders of gut motility ( e . g . irritable bowel syndrome ). in a further aspect , the invention provides a method of treating or preventing impotence , sexual dysfunction in female , stable , unstable and variant ( prinzmetal ) angina , hypertension , pulmonary hypertension , congestive heart failure , renal failure , atherosclerosis , conditions of reduced blood vessel patency ( e . g . post - percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty ), peripheral vascular disease , vascular disorders such as raynaud &# 39 ; s disease , inflammatory diseases , stroke , bronchitis , chronic asthma , allergic asthma , allergic rhinitis , glaucoma and diseases characterized by disorders of gut motility ( e . g . irritable bowel syndrome ), in a mammal ( including a human being ), which comprises administering to said mammal a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula ( 1 ), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , or a pharmaceutical composition containing either entity . the present invention is further illustrated in the following examples , which should not be taken to limit the scope of the invention . to a cooled solution of socl 2 ( 156 g , 1 . 31 mol ) and clso 3 h ( 460 g , 3 . 94 mol ) at 0 ° c . was added slowly methyl salicylate ( 200 g , 1 . 31 mol ) for 30 minutes , and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 20 hours . the reaction mixture was poured slowly into the ice ( 2 kg ) and h 2 o ( 3 l ) mixture , and the resulting white precipitates were collected by filtration . the filtered solid was washed with h 2 o ( 3 l ), air - dried for 2 days and then dried under vacuum at 40 ° c . for 2 days to afford the titled product ( 232 g , 93 %) as a white solid . 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 3 . 90 ( s , 3h , och 3 ), 6 . 93 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ), 7 . 70 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ), 8 . 03 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ). to a mixture of 1 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazine ( 27 mg , 0 . 21 mmol ) and k 2 co 3 ( 33 mg , 0 . 24 mmol ) in dmf ( 5 ml ) was added methyl 3 - chlorosulfonyl - 6 - hydroxybenzoate ( 50 mg , 0 . 20 mmol ), and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1 hour . the reaction mixture was washed with h 2 o ( 10 ml ), and the aqueous layer was further extracted with 5 % meoh in ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 ml ). the combined organic layer was dried ( mgso 4 ), filtered , and the filtrate was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure . the crude residue was purified by mplc on silica gel ( 5 % meoh in ch 2 cl 2 ) to afford the titled compound ( 59 mg , 86 %) as white solid . 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 2 . 30 ( br s , 1h , ch 2 oh ), 2 . 63 ( t , j = 5 . 4 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 70 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 3 . 12 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 3 . 64 ( t , j = 5 . 4 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 01 ( s , 3h , och 3 ), 7 . 12 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ), 7 . 81 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ), 8 . 26 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ), 11 . 26 ( br s , 1h , oh ); to a mixture of methyl 2 - hydroxy - 5 -( 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ) benzoate ( 800 mg , 2 . 32 mmol ) and k 2 co 3 ( 482 mg , 3 . 49 mmol ) in dmf ( 5 ml ) was added 1 - bromopropane ( 253 μl , 2 . 79 mmol ), and the mixture was stirred at 60 ° c . overnight . the reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure , washed with h 2 o ( 10 ml ), and the aqueous layer was further extracted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 50 ml × 2 ). the combined organic layer was dried ( mgso 4 ), filtered , and the filtrate was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure . the crude residue was purified by mplc on silica gel ( 3 % meoh in chcl 3 ) to afford the titled compound ( 309 mg , 80 %) as a white solid . 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 1 . 09 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 84 - 1 . 95 ( m , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 23 ( br s , 1h , ch 2 oh ), 2 . 54 ( t , j = 5 . 4 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 60 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 3 . 04 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 3 . 58 ( t , j = 5 . 4 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 3 . 91 ( s , 3h , och 3 ), 4 . 08 ( t , j = 6 . 6 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 7 . 07 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 1h , h - 3 ), 7 . 82 ( dd , j = 9 . 0 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ), 8 . 15 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ); to a cooled solution of 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ( 100 mg , 0 . 20 mmol ) and dmap ( 12 mg , 0 . 10 mmol ) in anhydrous pyridine ( 4 ml ) in an ice bath was added slowly acetic anhydride ( 93 μl , 0 . 99 mmol ), and the mixture was stirred for 20 minutes . the reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure , and the resulting residue was diluted with aqueous nahco 3 ( 20 ml ), and was extracted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 30 ml × 2 ). combined organic layer was dried ( mgso 4 ) and filtered , and the filtrate was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by mplc on silica gel ( 1 . 5 % meoh in chcl 3 ) to afford the titled compound ( 101 mg , 93 %) as white solid . ir ( neat ) 3322 ( nh ), 1739 ( c ═ o ), 1685 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 0 . 99 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 64 ( t , j = 6 . 9 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 67 - 1 . 79 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 01 ( s , 3h , o 2 cch 3 ), 2 . 60 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 62 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 71 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 3 . 11 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 4 . 08 ( s , 3h , nch 3 ), 4 . 12 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 35 ( q , j = 6 . 9 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 3 ), 6 . 89 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 12 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 80 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 86 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 10 . 62 ( br s , 1h , nh ); to a solution of 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - ethoxyphenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ( 62 mg , 0 . 11 mmol ) in anhydrous ch 2 cl 2 ( 4 ml ) was added 10 % h 2 so 4 in thf ( 70 μl , 0 . 13 mmol ) at room temperature under nitrogen atmosphere , and the solution was stirred for about 30 minutes . the reaction mixture was poured slowly into anhydrous ether ( 20 ml ), and the resulting white precipitates were collected by filtration . the filtered solid was dissolved in h 2 o ( 30 ml ), filtered through a membrane filter ( 0 . 45 μm ), and the filtrate was freeze - dried to afford the titled compound ( 70 mg , 96 %) as a white solid . ir ( neat ) 3330 ( nh ), 1739 ( c ═ o ), 1685 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 0 . 93 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 37 ( t , j = 6 . 9 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 58 - 1 . 70 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 03 ( s , 3h , o 2 cch 3 ), 2 . 58 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 57 - 2 . 78 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch ax ), 3 . 13 - 4 . 18 ( m , 8h , 2 so 2 nch eq , 2h + nch ax , 2h + nch eq , and nch 2 ch 2 o ), 3 . 99 ( s , 3h , nch 3 ), 4 . 24 ( q , j 6 . 9 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 19 - 4 . 32 ( m , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 7 . 24 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 43 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 87 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 7 . 96 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′). the titled compound was prepared as described in example 4 by using 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 3 - hydroxypropyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one in place of 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one . ir ( neat ) 3334 ( nh ), 1737 ( c ═ o ), 1677 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 0 . 99 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 64 ( t , j = 6 . 9 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 66 - 1 . 80 ( m , 4h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 and ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 00 ( s , 3h , o 2 cch 3 ), 2 . 40 ( t , j = 6 . 9 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 ch 2 ), 2 . 52 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 71 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 3 . 09 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 4 . 04 ( t , j = 6 . 6 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 08 ( s , 3h , nch 3 ), 4 . 36 ( q , j = 6 . 9 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 3 ), 6 . 88 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 13 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 80 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 87 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 10 . 63 ( br s , 1h , nh ); a mixture of 2 -( 5 - chlorosulfonyl - 2 - n - propoxyphenyl )- 5 - ethyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrinmidin - 4 - one ( 100 mg , 0 . 24 mmol ) and 1 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazine dihydrochloride ( 72 mg , 0 . 29 mmol ) in etoh ( 5 ml ) was added et 3 n ( 204 μl , 1 . 46 mmol ), and the mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature . the reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure , and the resulting residue was purified by mplc on silica gel ( 2 % meoh in ch 2 cl 2 ) to afford the titled compound ( 114 mg , 86 %). ir ( neat ) 3323 ( nh ), 1737 ( c ═ o ), 1686 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 1 . 00 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 19 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 48 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 68 - 1 . 81 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 99 - 2 . 10 ( m , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 01 ( s , 3h , o 2 cch 3 ), 2 . 60 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 62 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 72 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 3 . 11 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 4 . 12 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 24 ( t , j = 6 . 3 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 45 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 6 . 97 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 13 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 80 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 89 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 10 . 69 ( br s , 1h , nh ); the titled compound was prepared as described in example 4 by using 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one in place of 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one . the titled compound was prepared as described in example 5 by using 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 10 % h 2 so 4 in etoh in place of 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - ethoxyphenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 10 % h 2 so 4 in thf . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 0 . 93 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 0 . 97 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 37 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 58 - 1 . 82 ( m , 4h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 and och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 04 ( s , 3h , o 2 cch 3 ), 2 . 58 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 62 - 2 . 82 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch ax ), 3 . 15 - 3 . 88 ( m , 8h , nch 2 ch 2 o , 2 so 2 nch eq , 2h + nch ax , and 2h + nch eq ), 4 . 15 ( t , j = 6 . 3 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 29 ( br t , j = 4 . 8 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 38 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 7 . 36 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 44 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ), 7 . 88 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 7 . 98 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′). the titled compound was prepared as described in example 5 by using 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 1m hcl in ether in place of 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - ethoxyphenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 10 % h 2 so 4 in thf . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 0 . 93 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 0 . 96 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 36 ( t , j 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 57 - 1 . 81 ( m , 4h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 and och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 04 ( s , 3h , o 2 cch 3 ), 2 . 59 ( t , j 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 82 - 2 . 96 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch ax ), 3 . 14 - 3 . 31 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch eq ), 3 . 36 - 3 . 47 ( m , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 3 . 49 - 3 . 63 ( m , 2h , 2h + nch ax ), 3 . 73 - 3 . 85 ( m , 2h , 2h + nch eq ), 4 . 15 ( t , j = 6 . 3 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 32 - 4 . 40 ( m , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 38 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 7 . 36 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 44 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 88 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 01 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′). the titled compound was prepared as described in example 4 by using 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and propionic anhydride in place of 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and acetic anhydride . ir ( neat ) 3324 ( nh ), 1733 ( c ═ o ), 1686 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 1 . 00 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 09 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , o 2 cch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 19 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 48 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 68 - 1 . 81 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 99 - 2 . 10 ( m , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 28 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , o 2 cch 2 ), 2 . 60 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 62 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 72 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 3 . 10 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 4 . 13 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 24 ( t , j = 6 . 3 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 45 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 6 . 97 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 13 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 80 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 89 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 10 . 69 ( br s , 1h , nh ); the titled compound was prepared as described in example 5 by using 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - propionyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 10 % h 2 so 4 in etoh in place of 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - ethoxyphenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 10 % h 2 so 4 in thf . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 0 . 93 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 0 . 96 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 02 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , o 2 cch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 37 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 57 - 1 . 81 ( m , 4h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 and och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 34 ( q , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , o 2 cch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 58 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 62 - 2 . 78 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch ax ), 3 . 18 - 3 . 35 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch eq ), 3 . 42 - 3 . 50 ( m , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 3 . 52 - 3 . 86 ( m , 4h , 2h + nch ax and 2h + nch eq ), 4 . 15 ( t , j = 6 . 3 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 31 ( m , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 38 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 7 . 38 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 46 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 90 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 00 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′). the titled compound was prepared as described in example 4 by using 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and butyric anhydride in place of 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and acetic anhydride . ir ( neat ) 3324 ( nh ), 1737 ( c ═ o ), 1673 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 0 . 89 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , o 2 cch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 00 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 19 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 48 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 53 - 1 . 66 ( m , 2h , o 2 cch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 68 - 1 . 81 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 97 - 2 . 12 ( m , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 24 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , o 2 cch 2 ), 2 . 60 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 61 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 72 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 3 . 10 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 4 . 13 ( t , j = 6 . 0 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 24 ( t , j = 6 . 6 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 46 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 6 . 97 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 13 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 80 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 89 ( d , j = 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 10 . 69 ( br s , 1h , nh ); the titled compound was prepared as described in example 5 by using 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - butyryloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 10 % h 2 so 4 in etoh in place of 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - ethoxyphenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 10 % h 2 so 4 in thf . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 0 . 88 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , o 2 cch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 0 . 93 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 0 . 97 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 36 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 48 - 1 . 82 ( m , 6h , o 2 cch 2 ch 2 ch 3 , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 , and och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 31 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , o 2 cch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 58 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 53 - 2 . 78 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch ax ), 3 . 14 - 3 . 37 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch eq ), 3 . 38 - 3 . 49 ( m , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 3 . 50 - 3 . 66 ( m , 2h , 2h + nch ax ), 3 . 67 - 3 . 90 ( m , 2h , 2h + nch eq ), 4 . 15 ( t , j = 6 . 5 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 30 ( m , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 38 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 7 . 34 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 44 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 87 ( dd , j = 9 . 0 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 7 . 98 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 9 . 37 ( br s , 1h , nh + ), 11 . 78 ( br s , 1h , nh ). the titled compound was prepared as described in example 4 by using 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and isobutyric anhydride in place of 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and acetic anhydride . ir ( neat ) 3325 ( nh ), 1731 ( c ═ o ), 1686 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 1 . 00 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 11 ( d , j = 6 . 9 hz , 6h , ch ( ch 3 ) 2 ), 1 . 19 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 48 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 68 - 1 . 80 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 99 - 2 . 10 ( m , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 43 - 2 . 56 ( m , 1h , o 2 cch ), 2 . 61 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 62 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 72 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 3 . 09 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 4 . 12 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 24 ( t , j = 6 . 6 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 45 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 6 . 97 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 13 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 80 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 89 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 10 . 69 ( br s , 1h , nh ); the titled compound was prepared as described in example 5 by using 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - isobutyryloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 10 % h 2 so 4 in etoh in place of 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - ethoxyphenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 10 % h 2 so 4 in thf . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 0 . 93 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 0 . 97 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 09 ( d , j = 6 . 9 hz , 6h , ch ( ch 3 ) 2 ), 1 . 36 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 58 - 1 . 82 ( m , 4h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 and och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 53 - 2 . 78 ( m , 5h , o 2 cch , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 , and 2 so 2 nch ax ), 3 . 17 - 3 . 38 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch eq ), 3 . 42 - 3 . 51 ( m , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 3 . 52 - 3 . 66 ( m , 2h , 2h + nch ax ), 3 . 71 - 3 . 88 ( m , 2h , 2h + nch eq ), 4 . 15 ( t , j = 6 . 3 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 30 ( m , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 38 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 7 . 35 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 45 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 88 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 7 . 98 ( d , j = 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 9 . 41 ( br s , 1h , nh + ). the titled compound was prepared as described in example 4 by using 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and benzoic anhydride in place of 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and acetic anhydride . ir ( neat ) 3338 ( nh ), 1722 ( c ═ o ), 1659 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 0 . 99 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 19 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 48 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 67 - 1 . 80 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 98 - 2 . 10 ( m , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 68 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 71 ( t , j 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 77 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 3 . 11 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 4 . 23 ( t , j = 6 . 6 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 38 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 45 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 6 . 96 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 13 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 38 - 7 . 43 ( m , 2h , 2 ph - h ), 7 . 51 - 7 . 56 ( m , 1h , ph - h ), 7 . 80 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 7 . 96 - 7 . 98 ( m , 2h , 2 ph - h ), 8 . 89 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 10 . 68 ( br s , 1h , nh ); a mixture of 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ( 300 mg , 0 . 56 mmol ), ethyl 4 - nitrophenycarbonate ( 131 mg , 0 . 62 mmol ), and dmap ( 14 mg , 0 . 11 mmol ) in pyridine ( 10 ml ) was stirred overnight at 80 - 90 ° c . the reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure . the crude residue was purified by mplc on silica gel ( 3 % meoh in etoac ) to afford the titled compound ( 198 mg , 58 %) as a white solid . ir ( neat ) 3330 ( nh ), 1744 ( c ═ o ), 1688 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 1 . 00 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 19 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 25 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , oco 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 48 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 68 - 1 . 81 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 99 - 2 . 11 ( m , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 61 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 65 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 72 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 3 . 10 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 4 . 13 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , oco 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 17 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 25 ( t , j = 6 . 6 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 45 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 6 . 97 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 13 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 80 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 89 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 10 . 69 ( br s , 1h , nh ); the titled compound was prepared as described in example 5 by using 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - ethoxycarbonyloxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 5 - ethyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 10 % h 2 so 4 in etoh in place of 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - acetoxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - ethoxyphenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and 10 % h 2 so 4 in thf . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 0 . 92 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 0 . 95 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 21 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , oco 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 37 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 57 - 1 . 80 ( m , 4h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 and och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 58 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 62 - 2 . 81 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch ax ), 3 . 17 - 3 . 37 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch eq ), 3 . 45 - 3 . 88 ( m , 6h , nch 2 ch 2 o , 2h + nch ax and 2h + nch eq ), 4 . 09 - 4 . 20 ( m , 4h , oco 2 ch 2 ch 3 and och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 33 - 4 . 45 ( m , 4h , nch 2 ch 3 and nch 2 ch 2 o ), 7 . 42 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 47 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 92 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 02 ( s , 1h , h - 6 ′). the titled compound was prepared as described in example 4 by using 5 - ethyl - 7 -( 3 - fluoropropyl )- 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one in place of 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one . ir ( neat ) 3319 ( nh ), 1740 ( c ═ o ), 1689 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 1 . 20 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 49 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 00 - 2 . 23 ( m , 4h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 and ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 f ), 2 . 01 ( s , 3h , o 2 cch 3 ), 2 . 60 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 62 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 87 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 f ), 3 . 10 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 4 . 12 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 25 ( t , j = 6 . 3 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 46 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 52 ( dt , j = 47 . 1 hz , 5 . 7 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 f ), 7 . 00 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 14 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 81 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 88 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 10 . 73 ( br s , 1h , nh ); to a mixture of 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ( 200 mg , 0 . 40 mmol ), n -( tert - butoxycarbonyl )- l - valine ( 172 mg , 0 . 79 mmol ), and dmap ( 10 mg , 0 . 08 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ) was added edc ( 114 mg , 0 . 59 mmol ), and the mixture was stirred for 2 hours at room temperature . the reaction mixture was washed with dilute nahco 3 aqueous solution ( 30 ml ), and the aqueous layer was further extracted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 30 ml ). the combined organic layer was dried ( mgso 4 ), filtered , and the filtrate was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure . the crude residue was purified by mplc on silica gel ( 1 . 5 % meoh in chcl 3 ) to afford the titled compound ( 258 mg , 92 %) as a pale yellow solid . ir ( neat ) 3333 ( nh ), 1722 ( c ═ o ), 1677 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 0 . 81 ( d , j = 6 . 9 hz , 3h , chch 3 ), 0 . 89 ( d , j = 6 . 9 hz , 3h , chch 3 ), 1 . 00 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 41 ( s , 9h , 3 ch 3 ), 1 . 64 ( t , j = 6 . 9 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 66 - 1 . 80 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 98 - 2 . 11 ( m , 1h , chch 3 ), 2 . 57 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 62 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 71 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 3 . 09 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 4 . 08 ( s , 3h , nch 3 ), 4 . 15 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 18 - 4 . 29 ( m , 1h , coch ), 4 . 36 ( q , j = 6 . 9 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 94 ( br d , j = 9 . 3 hz , 1h , nhboc ), 6 . 88 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 13 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 80 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 4 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 87 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1 , h - 6 ′), 10 . 64 ( br s , 1h , nh ); to a cooled solution of 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 -( n -( tert - butoxycarbonyl )- l - valinyl ) oxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - ethoxyphenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one ( 150 mg , 0 . 21 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 5 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added slowly cf 3 co 2 h ( 49 μl , 6 . 39 mmol ), and the mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature . the reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness under vacuum . the crude residue was dissolved in thf ( 2 ml ), and a 6 n aqueous hcl solution ( 89 μl , 0 . 53 mmol ) was added to the solution at 0 ° c . the mixture was evaporated to dryness under vacuum , and the residue was purified by crystallization from meoh / ether to afford the desired product ( 137 mg , 95 %) as white crystals . the product was dissolved in h 2 o ( 20 ml ), filtered through a membrane filter ( 0 . 45 μl ), and the filtrate was freeze - dried to afford the titled compound as a white solid . ir ( neat ) 3339 ( nh ), 1755 ( c ═ o ), 1680 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 0 . 94 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 0 . 96 ( d , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , chch 3 ), 0 . 99 ( d , j = 6 . 9 hz , 3h , chch 3 ), 1 . 37 ( t , j = 6 . 9 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 59 - 1 . 71 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 14 - 2 . 28 ( m , 1h , chch 3 ), 2 . 59 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 91 - 3 . 16 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch ax ), 3 . 04 - 3 . 92 ( m , 9h , 2 so 2 nch eq , nch 2 ch 2 o , 2h + nch ax , 2h + nch eq , coch ), 3 . 99 ( s , 3h , nch 3 ), 4 . 25 ( q , j = 6 . 9 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 42 - 4 . 61 ( m , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 7 . 22 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 41 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 87 ( dd , j = 9 . 0 hz , 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 03 ( d , j = 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 8 . 67 ( br s , 2h , 2h + ); the titled compound was prepared as described in example 20 by using 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 3 - hydroxypropyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one in place of 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one . ir ( neat ) 3329 ( nh ), 1749 ( c ═ o ), 1681 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 0 . 85 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h , chch 3 ), 0 . 92 ( d , j = 6 . 9 hz , 3h , chch 3 ), 0 . 99 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 42 ( s , 9h , 3 ch 3 ), 1 . 64 ( t , j = 6 . 9 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 69 - 1 . 82 ( m , 4h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 and ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 01 - 2 . 14 ( m , 1h , chch 3 ), 2 . 41 ( t , j = 6 . 6 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 52 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 71 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 3 . 08 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 4 . 08 ( s , 3h , nch 3 ), 4 . 11 ( t , j = 6 . 6 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 10 - 4 . 20 ( m , 1h , coch ), 4 . 36 ( q , j = 6 . 9 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 95 ( br d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 1h , nhboc ), 6 . 88 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 13 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 80 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 87 ( d , j = 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 10 . 61 ( br s , 1h , nh ); the titled compound was prepared as described in example 21 by using 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 3 -( n -( tert - butoxycarbonyl )- l - valinyl ) oxypropyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - ethoxyphenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrmidin - 4 - one in place of 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 -( n -( tert - butoxycarbonyl )- l - valinyl ) oxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - ethoxyphenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one . ir ( neat ) 3332 ( nh ), 1739 ( c ═ o ), 1678 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ 0 . 93 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 0 . 95 ( d , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , chch 3 ), 0 . 98 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h , chch 3 ), 1 . 36 ( t , j = 6 . 9 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 57 - 1 . 70 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 01 - 2 . 25 ( m , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 o and chch 3 ), 2 . 59 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 82 - 2 . 96 ( m , 2h , 2 so 2 nch ax ), 3 . 10 - 3 . 32 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch eq and ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 o ), 3 . 50 - 3 . 62 ( m , 2h , 2h + nch ax ), 3 . 76 - 3 . 88 ( m , 3h , 2h + nch eq and coch ), 3 . 99 ( s , 3h , nch 3 ), 4 . 23 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 24 ( q , j = 6 . 9 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 3 ), 7 . 26 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 42 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 88 ( dd , j = 9 . 0 hz , 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 00 ( d , j = 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 8 . 67 ( br s , 2h , 2h + ); the titled compound was prepared as described in example 20 by using 5 - ethyl - 2 -{ 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ]- 2 - n - propoxyphenyl }- 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and phenylacetic acid in place of 2 -{ 2 - ethoxy - 5 -[ 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazin - 1 - ylsulfonyl ] phenyl }- 5 - methyl - 7 - n - propyl - 3 , 5 - dihydro - 4h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - d ] pyrimidin - 4 - one and n -( tert - butoxycarbonyl )- l - valine . ir ( neat ) 3331 ( nh ), 1735 ( c ═ o ), 1665 ( c ═ o ) cm − 1 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / tms ) δ 1 . 00 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 20 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 3h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 48 ( t , j 7 . 2 hz , 3h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 69 - 1 . 81 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 99 - 2 . 11 ( m , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 2 . 51 ( m , 4h , 2 nch 2 ), 2 . 58 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 2 . 73 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h , ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 3 . 02 ( m , 4h , 2 so 2 nch 2 ), 3 . 57 ( s , 2h , o 2 cch 2 ), 4 . 14 ( t , j = 5 . 7 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 2 o ), 4 . 25 ( t , j = 6 . 6 hz , 2h , och 2 ch 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 46 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h , nch 2 ch 3 ), 6 . 97 ( s , 1h , h - 2 ), 7 . 14 ( d , j = 8 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 3 ′), 7 . 17 - 7 . 25 ( m , 5h , 5 ph - h ), 7 . 80 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 4 ′), 8 . 90 ( d , j = 2 . 7 hz , 1h , h - 6 ′), 10 . 71 ( br s , 1h , nh ); the active ingredient was sieved and blended with the excipients . the resultant mix was compressed into tablets . alternatively , the active ingredient and lactose were dissolved in water and freeze - dried . then , the dried mixture was blended with the excipients and was compressed into tablets . the active ingredient was sieved and blended with the lactose and starch . the polysorbate 80 was dissolved in purified water . suitable volumes of the polysorbate 80 solution were added and the powders were granulated . after drying , the granules were screened and blended with the colloidal silicon dioxide and magnesium stearate . the granules were then compressed into tablets . the active ingredient was sieved and blended with the excipients . the mix was filled into no . 5 hard gelatin capsules using suitable equipment . the rabbit platelet pde v was prepared using the method described by hidaka et al . ( biochim . biophys . acta ., 429 : 485 - 497 , 1976 ) with minor modification . the platelet - rich plasma ( prp ) was prepared by centrifugation of freshly obtained heparinized whole blood at 360 g . platelets were isolated from the prp by centrifugation at 1 , 200 g . platelet homogenates were prepared in the homogenization buffer ( 50 mm tris - hcl buffer containing 1 mm mgcl 2 , ph 7 . 4 ) by sonication for 30 s per 1 ml . the homogenized solutions were then centrifuged at 40 , 000 × g for 2 h at 4 ° c . the supernatant was loaded on the deae - cellulose column ( 20 ml bed volume , sigma ) pre - equilibrated with equilibration buffer ( 50 mm tris - acetate containing 3 . 75 mm 2 - mercaptoethanol , ph 6 . 0 ). the column was then washed with 60 ml of equilibration buffer . the pde isozymes were eluted using a continuous gradient of 0 to 600 mm sodium acetate in the equilibration buffer ( 60 ml total volume ). the 1 . 0 ml fractions were collected . a flow rate of 60 ml / h was used throughout the ion - exchange chromatography procedure . pde activities on camp and cgmp were characterized as described below . the characterized fractions were pooled and stored at − 80 ° c . until the inhibition studies . the cyclic nucleotide pde v activity was determined using pde spa assay kit ( amersham pharmacia biotech , uk ). each reaction mixture ( 100 μl total volume ) consisted of the column elute containing pde v ( 10 μl ), [ 3 h ]- cgmp ( 5 μci / ml ), bovine serum albumin ( 0 . 5 mg / ml ), and mgcl 2 ( 5 mm ) in tris - hcl buffer ( 15 mm , ph 7 . 5 ). the reactions were initiated by the addition of pde v and the samples were incubated at 30 ° c . for 30 min , after which the reaction was stopped by the addition of 50 μl of spa beads . the reaction tube was then settled for 20 min and was counted on the scintillation counter ( tri - carb 1500 , packard , usa ). for the inhibition study of pde v activity , the test compounds were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide ( dmso ) and was diluted with distilled water . the final concentration of dmso was less than 0 . 2 % ( v / v ). all the inhibition experiments were conducted under the conditions where the level of cgmp hydrolysis did not exceed 15 %, and the product formation increased linearly with time and the amount of enzyme . the following table illustrates the in vitro activities for a range of the compounds of the invention as inhibitors of cgmp pde v . table example no . ic 50 ( nm ) 7 2 . 84 10 5 . 73 12 8 . 87 14 8 . 80 16 14 . 4 17 7 . 65 19 1 . 48 24 8 . 68 several compounds of the invention have been tested at doses of up to 10 mg / kg p . o . in rats with no untoward effects being observed , and up to 100 mg / kg p . o . in rats with no death being observed . | 2 |
referring now to the drawings and in particular fig1 a conventional v - 6 engine crank shaft , of the type sold by general motors corporation for its buick vehicles , is shown at 12 in a side elevational view , partially schematic . the dotted passages 26 , 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , and 36 represent straight - line , cylindrical , bored - out passageways that transmit oil from the upper main bearings b1 , b2 , b3 , and b4 , through main journals m1 , m2 , m3 , and m4 and through rod journals r1 , r2 , r3 , r4 , r5 , and r6 , to adjacent rod bearings rb1 , rb2 , rb3 , rb4 , rb5 , and rb6 . each upper main bearing b1 , b2 , b3 , and b4 includes , respectively , a 180 degree groove 38 , 40 , 42 , and 44 that have apertures 60 , 62 , 64 , and 66 disposed therein which receive oil under pressure from the engine oil pump ( not shown ) through oil passages 46 , 47 , 48 , and 49 . thus , within each groove 38 , 40 , 42 , and 44 is oil under pressure as the crank shaft 12 rotates . note that each first , or main , oil passage , such as 26 , has an inlet that opens into upper main bearing b1 groove 38 for 180 degree traverse of the rotating crank shaft 12 . during that time , oil under pressure goes down passage 26 , through main journal m1 and through rod journal r1 , to where it exits at journal r1 onto rod bearing rb1 . note that oil will only be able to flow under pressure during the 180 degree segment where the opening to passageway 26 is within the groove 38 for 180 degree rotation of the crank shaft . when the opening to passage 26 is adjacent the nongroove portion of bearing b1 , no oil is flowing and rod journal r1 does not get oil under pressure . thus , it can be seen with each of the upper main bearings b1 , b2 , b3 , b4 , which function the same way , oil is pulsating for 180 degree segment . the end result is that there is not a continuous distribution of oil to the rod bearings rb1 , rb2 , rb3 , rb4 , rb5 , and rb6 , which can result in failure of the rod journals r1 , r2 , r3 , r4 , r5 , and r6 , then the crank shaft and engine . the present invention is shown in fig2 with a solution that provides for continuous oil flow under pressure to the rod journals and rod bearings . with respect to main journal m1 , there is an additional angular secondary oil passage 50 which is 180 degrees out at its opening from passage 26 and intersecting with passage 26 . therefore , oil under pressure in the main bearing groove 38 will be flowing under pressure either into passage 26 or passage 50 , whichever has its opening disposed in the bearing groove 38 . this insures that oil under pressure will always arrive at rod journal r1 and be constantly supplied to rod bearing rb1 . with respect to the main journal m2 , additional angular secondary oil passage 52 in conjunction with first or main passage 28 provides for continuous oil flow under pressure to rod journals r2 and r3 , and thus rod bearings rb2 and rb3 , commencing either from passage 28 or passage 52 . with respect to main journal m3 , additional angular passage 54 in conjunction with passage 34 provides for continuous oil flow under pressure to rod journals r4 and r5 and thus rod bearings rb4 and rb5 commencing either from passage 34 or passage 54 . finally , with respect to main journal m4 , additional angular passage 56 in conjunction with passage 36 provides for continuous oil flow under pressure to rod journal r6 and thus rod bearing rb6 commencing either from passage 36 or passage 56 . fig2 also shows oil passages 46 , 47 , 48 , and 49 that supply oil under pressure from the engine oil pump ( not shown ) to main bearings b1 , b2 , b3 , and b4 , respectively , through apertures 60 , 62 , 64 , and 66 into grooves 38 , 40 , 42 , and 44 , respectively . note from the construction of the additional oil passages in fig2 which are disposed angularly 180 degrees out from the conventional passage , that this work could be done in an after - market product with the crank shaft removed from a conventional v - 6 engine and the additional oil passages drilled or bored into the crank shaft . fig3 shows the conventional spacing of the rod bearings around the crank shaft in a conventional buick v - 6 engine . utilizing the present invention , which is a fairly non - complex modification , the overall engine efficiency can be greatly improved and potential future damages to these engines alleviated and the engine life greatly increased with such modifications . the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment . it is recognized , however , that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art . | 8 |
reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts . in general , an icemaker is an apparatus for freezing supplied water in a predetermined size and discharging outside for supplying ice to a user when the user wants to use the ice . the icemaker provides crushed ice or uncrushed ice to the user in accordance with a choice of the user . in general , a refrigerator is provided with the icemaker , however , may be provided with a drinking apparatus such as a purifier . hereinafter , a preferred embodiment of the dispenser discharging and supplying the ice to the user outside will be described referring to fig6 and fig1 in accordance with the icemaker with such function mentioned above . referring to fig6 to fig7 , a first embodiment of the dispenser of the icemaker in accordance with the present invention includes an ice chute 300 provided at a door and forming a front surface of an outer case of the refrigerator , and a container supporter 400 provided at a lower part of the ice chute 300 . the ice chute 300 is a passage through which the ice produced from the icemaker is discharged . it is desirable that the passage is closed for preventing the ice from being exposed outside when the ice is not discharged . in other words , the ice chute 300 includes an inlet through which the ice is inserted from a side of the icemaker , and an outlet through which the ice is discharged . when the ice is not discharged , it is desirable that the outlet is closed for preventing dirt from being collected thereon . ice chute 300 includes a first chute 310 having an inlet 311 provided on an inner wall of the door and a passage extended bottomward in a direction of an outer wall of the door , and a sliding member 320 with a second chute 321 communicating with the first chute 310 when the ice is discharged and having an outlet 321 a exposed outside . in more detail , the sliding member 320 moves toward the front of the door and projects to be perpendicular to the front surface of the door . in this instance , the second chute 321 is communicated with the first chute 310 . when the ice is not discharged from the ice chute , the sliding member 320 is inserted into a groove formed on the outer surface of the door 1 . in this case , it is desirable that the sliding member 320 is not projected toward outside of the door surface and the sliding member includes a guide rail for a smooth movement . the sliding member 320 also includes a handle on a front surface thereof for being manually inserted or ejected . the dispenser also includes a spring or an oil pressure means ( not illustrated ) provided between a rear surface of the sliding member 320 and the groove for pressing a rear surface of the container supporter . the dispenser includes a binding for biding the sliding member . when the binding is released , the sliding member is ejected to a front of the door . if a front surface of the sliding member is pressed , the sliding member is inserted into the groove and locked by the biding . contrary to the above statement , the sliding member 320 can be automatically inserted and ejected . for this , the sliding member includes a rack 322 provided at a lower surface thereof , and a pinion 323 provided at a lower part of the rack 322 . a motor ( not illustrated ) driven by a controller rotates the pinion 323 . in other words , when the user wants to use the ice and presses an ejection button provided at the controller ( not illustrated ), the motor rotates the pinion 323 and the rack 322 to , and projects the sliding member 320 by moving the sliding member 320 toward the front . the first chute 310 and the second chute 321 are communicated to discharge the ice . when the process for discharging the ice is finished , the motor is inversely rotated to insert the sliding member 320 into the groove so as to close the ice chute 300 . the dispenser of icemaker with a structure mentioned above , further includes a cover 325 having a first end coupled with a front lower end of the sliding member and a second end fixed on the front surface of the door 1 . the cover 325 covers an external appearance of the ice chute 300 as well as prevents dirt from being collected on a top surface of the sliding member . is it desirable that a pipe for supplying drinking water is provided between the cover 325 and the door 1 so as to supply water in the container provided at the container supporter 400 when the user wants water or water with the ice . at the container supporter 400 , a container for receiving the discharged ice is provided at a lower part of the ice chute . the container supporter 400 is provided at the door 1 forming the front surface of the outer case , projected vertically above the front surface of the door 1 when the ice is discharged to outside through the ice chute 300 . contrary to this , when the ice is not discharged , the container supporter is inserted into the groove 401 formed on the door . in this case , it is desirable that the container supporter is not projected to outside of the door and having a guide rail provided at the groove for smoothly moving . in this case , the container supporter 400 includes a handle ( not illustrated ) on the front surface thereof so as to be inserted and ejected manually . the dispenser also includes a spring or an oil pressure means ( not illustrated ) provided between a rear surface of the sliding member 320 and the groove for pressing the rear surface of the container supporter , and a binding for biding the sliding member . when the binding is released , the sliding member is ejected on the front of the door . if a front surface of the sliding member is pressed , the sliding member is inserted into the groove and locked by the biding . contrary to this , the container supporter can be automatically inserted or ejected . for this , the container supporter , as the sliding member , includes the rack provided at the lower surface thereof , and the pinion provided at the lower part of the rack , the pinion rotatably provided for this , the sliding member includes a rack 322 provided on a lower surface thereof , and a pinion provided at a lower part of the rack and mated with the rack so as to rotate together by a motor ( not illustrated ) driven by a controller . in other words , when the user wants the ice and presses the ejection button , the motor rotates the pinion and the rack , and the container supporter is moved to the front and projected on the front of the door . when the ice discharging process is finished , the motor is inversely rotated to insert the sliding member 320 into the groove . in the dispenser of the icemaker with the structure mentioned above , it is desirable that the container supporter 410 is ejected earlier than the sliding member 320 . in other words , it is desirable that the ice is discharged after the container supporter is ejected , the container is provided on top of the container supporter , and the sliding member is ejected . a second embodiment of the dispenser of the icemaker in accordance with the present invention will be described in reference to fig9 to fig1 . referring to fig9 , the dispenser of the icemaker includes an ice - discharging pipe , the pipe having an inlet 351 formed on an inner surface of the door 1 of the refrigerator and an outlet 352 formed on an outer surface of the door , a cover 360 provided on the outer surface of the door for opening and closing the outlet 352 , and a container supporter 450 having the container securely provided thereon for receiving the ice discharged outside through the ice - discharging pipe . the inlet 351 is provided at an upper part of the outlet 352 for discharging the ice inserted from the icemaker by gravity . the cover 360 having a top end coupled with the door 1 of the refrigerator is rotatably provided around the top end 361 . the cover 360 also includes a subsidiary pipe 362 provided on the inner surface of the cover in contact with the outlet of the ice - discharging pipe so as to insert the ice into the inside of passage on a side of the outlet 352 of the ice - discharging pipe . the subsidiary pipe 362 includes an ice - passing hole 363 provided at a lower part thereof in order to discharge the ice when the top cover is rotated upward . in other words , when the cover 360 is rotated , the ice - passing hole 363 of the subsidiary pipe 362 is exposed to the outside of the ice - discharging pipe 350 and the ice is discharged . in this instance , an end 364 of the subsidiary pipe is not exposed to the outside of the ice - discharging pipe . although the user can manually opens and closes the cover 360 , the outlet of the ice - discharging pipe is automatically opened and closed in accordance with the second embodiment . meanwhile , the container supporter 450 is provided at the lower part of the cover and has an end rotatably coupled with the front surface of the refrigerator . when the ice is discharged , the container supporter 450 is rotated downward around the lower end 451 to be projected vertically on the front surface of the door 1 . when the ice is not discharged , the container supporter is rotated upward around the lower end 451 to be in contact with the front surface of the door . although not illustrated , in the present embodiment , the container supporter and the cover are formed in a semicircular form for an external appearance . it is desirable that grooves formed in same forms as the cover and the container supporter are provided on the outer wall of the door such that the container supporter and the cover are not projected on the front surface of the door when the ice is not discharged . in the mean time , when the ice is not discharged , it is not the cover but the container supporter directly opening and closing the ice chute . the container supporter 450 automatically rotates and includes a rotating axis provided horizontally at an end coupled with the outer wall of the outer case , a driven gear provided at the rotating axis , and a driving gear coupled with the driven gear . the structure will be described again in describing a fourth embodiment of the present invention . the motor operated by the controller ( not illustrated ) rotates the driving gear . the rotating method is applicable to a rotation of the cover 360 . contrary to the above statement , a portion 1 a located at an inside of the cover on the outer wall of the door and the cover 360 are formed as a single body , and the top portion of the subsidiary pipe 362 includes the portion 1 a on the outer wall of the door , the portion 1 a integrated with the cover 360 . the dispenser of the icemaker with the structure mentioned above is a third embodiment illustrated in fig1 . in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention , the other components except the structure of the third embodiment is the same as the second embodiment and it will be omitted . meanwhile , the container supporter 460 covers the cover 360 as illustrated in fig1 to fig1 . the structure mentioned above is a fourth embodiment . in accordance with the present invention , all other compositions except the components explained below are the same as the second and the third embodiments . in accordance with the present invention , as illustrated in fig1 , the dispenser of the icemaker includes a link member 500 coupling the container supporter 460 and the cover 360 . the link member 500 has a first end coupled with the lower side of the cover 360 and a second end coupled with a side of the container supporter 460 . for this , the link member includes a top coupler 501 rotatably coupled with the lower side of the cover , and a bottom coupler 502 having a first end rotatably coupled with a second end of the top coupler and a second end rotatably coupled with the lower side of the container supporter . contrary to the above statement , the link member 500 may include a soft string 503 . the link member 500 becomes parallel to the cover for supporting weight of the container supporter having the container when the container supporter is rotated downward to be perpendicular to the outer wall of the outer case for discharging the ice . the container supporter 460 is automatically rotated . for this , the container supporter 460 includes a rotating axis 461 provided horizontally at an end coupled with the outer wall of the outer case , a driven gear 462 provided at the rotating axis , and a driving gear 463 mated with the driven gear for driving the driven gear . the dispenser of the icemaker with the structure mentioned above is operated as follows . first , when the user wants the ice and presses the ejection button of the controller , the container supporters ( 400 , 450 , 460 ) are provided to be perpendicular to the front surface of the door of the refrigerator . for this , the container supporter 400 in the first embodiment of the present invention is withdrawn to the front surface of the door by the rotation of the pinion and the container supporters 450 and 460 in the second and fourth embodiments are rotated downward by the driving gear to be perpendicular to the front surface of the door . next , when the ice chute 300 and 350 are opened , the ice is discharged outside and received into the container provided on top of the container supporter . then , the user takes the ice to put in a beverage or in food . the opening process of the ice chute is described above and a detailed description will be omitted . when the ice is discharged as much as the user needs , the container supporter is inserted into the inside of the groove provided at the door or is rotated upward by the driving gear , and adhered to the front surface of the door to be horizontal thereto in accordance with the present embodiment . then , the container supporter or the cover closes the outlet of the ice chute . effects of the present invention with above mentioned structure is summarized as follows . first , a space taken by the container supporter or the ice chute is minimized and an inner space of the refrigerator or an apparatus with an ice - discharging function is maximized in accordance with the present invention . second , the space taken by the container supporter of the ice chute is minimized and the total size of the refrigerator or the apparatus with an ice - discharging function is minimized in accordance with the present invention . third , the outlet of the ice chute provided on the ice discharging passage is completely closed when the ice is not discharged in order to prevent the dirt from being collected on the passage in accordance with the present invention . fourth , the external appearance is improved because the ice chute and the container supporter are not projected outside or caved - in in accordance with the present invention . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions . thus , it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents . | 5 |
presently , skip - points are predetermined by the manufacturer of the recording based on the manufacturer &# 39 ; s knowledge of the recorded content . for example , in a recorded movie on a dvd , the chapter selection and scene selection skip - points are all selected according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s knowledge of the movie content . the illustrative embodiments recognize that such manner of creating skip - points only creates segments of interest according to the manufacturer of the recording . the illustrative embodiments recognize that users who hears or views the content often like or dislike certain portions of the content as well . such portions are also user - selected segments of interest , which cannot be presently identified in the recording of the content . for example , suppose that a live debate is being broadcast by a television station . many viewers watch the debate ( content ) live , and produce opinions about which portions of the debate they found particularly interesting . similarly , a football game may be broadcast live , and viewers might particularly like certain plays , such as touchdowns or penalties , during the game ( content ). recordings of previously broadcasted live content are often made available to users for later viewing . for example , digital video recorders are ubiquitously available for recording live television broadcast for later viewing . the illustrative embodiments recognize that presently segments of interest cannot be identified in such recordings based on the responses of the users to the content . the illustrative embodiments used to describe the invention generally address and solve the above - described problems and other problems related to identifying segments of interest in recorded content . an embodiment can be implemented as a software application . the application implementing an embodiment can be configured as a modification of an existing recording application or device , as a separate application that operates in conjunction with an existing recording application or device , a standalone application , or some combination thereof . broadcast content either includes metadata , or metadata can be extracted from the content . for example , a broadcast content , such as a sporting event or a debate , has a title and a time of the broadcast . a broadcast content , such as a movie or a television show , may include the names of the cast , the producer , the director , and the studio , or such information can be extracted from the movie or show &# 39 ; s content . the title , the time of the broadcast , and the names of the cast , the producer , the director , and the studio are some non - limiting examples of metadata associated with content and contemplated by the illustrative embodiments . a set of metadata can be associated with content , and a subset of the set of metadata is usable to uniquely identify the content . an embodiment detects a live broadcast of a particular content . using a subset of the metadata associated with the content , the embodiment searches one or more social media sources for data that references the subset of the metadata and is added to the one or more social media at the time of the broadcast . for example , for a live broadcast of a sporting event content , the embodiment selects a name metadata of a team that is participating in the event . the embodiment searches , as a non - limiting example , twitter data to extract a stream of data that is being contributed to the hashtag of the team &# 39 ; s name while the team is playing in the event . in this example , twitter may receive data contributions to more than one hashtags , e . g ., the hashtag of the team name , the hashtag of the sporting event name , the hashtag of the television network that is providing the live broadcast , and the like . similarly , facebook may receive data contributions to a page of the team , a page of the television network , a handle of a player on the team , and the like . the ongoing contribution and availability of data relative to a metadata , e . g ., relative to a hashtag or other suitable mechanism in social media , is referred to herein as a data stream . thus , the embodiment collects such data from one or more streams of data being added or contributed to one or more social media sources . the embodiment collects the data up to the end of the broadcast . the embodiment analyzes the data at the end of the broadcast to determine a normal or baseline level of data contribution relative to the content during the broadcast . for example , in case of content that has low viewership or is relatively uncontroversial , the baseline amount of data contributed to a data stream may be less than the amount of data contributed to a high viewership or controversy evoking content . a level of data contribution is indicative of a volume or amount of data contribution , a frequency of data contribution , or both . a baseline level is a level that is observed consistently throughout the duration of the broadcast of the content without a significant increase or decrease in the amount or frequency of the data being contributed to a stream . for example , it may be normal to have one hundred data contributions per minute , e . g ., tweets per minute , to a college football team &# 39 ; s hashtag when their game is being broadcast , and it may be normal to have ten thousand data contributions per minute to a national football team &# 39 ; s hashtag when their championship game is being broadcast . a baseline level may be a baseline band . for example , it may be normal to have between one hundred and two hundred data contributions per minute to a college football team &# 39 ; s hashtag when their game is being broadcast . the embodiment further determines whether the data contributions during the broadcast exhibit any significant deviation from the baseline level . for example , the embodiment determines whether for any duration within the duration of the broadcast , the level of data contribution exceeds the baseline by at least a threshold amount or frequency . a duration where the data contributions deviate significantly from the baseline is selected by the embodiment as a duration spanning a segment of interest . conversely , if for any duration within the duration of the broadcast , the level of data contribution falls below the baseline by at least a threshold amount or frequency , such a duration is selected by the embodiment as a duration spanning a segment of interest . in this case , the segment is of interest because the users appear to have less than a normal level of interest in the segment , such as when the game is suspended for a duration due to weather . the embodiment further determines a data fragment that is common to a threshold amount of the data contributed during the segment of interest . for example , if the segment pertains to a touchdown , a majority of the data contributed during the touchdown segment of interest is likely to include the word “ touchdown ”— an example data fragment — in the contributed data . similarly , if the segment pertains to pause in the game due to weather , a majority of the data contributed during the pause segment of interest is likely to include the word “ rain ” or “ bad weather ” or something similar — another example data fragment — in the contributed data . in many cases , data contributions deviate from the baseline by more than a threshold value sometime after an event that makes a segment interesting or uninteresting has occurred in the content . accordingly , the embodiment determines a starting time of a duration of a segment of interest by identifying a time at which the data contribution level deviated by more than a threshold value , and adding a predetermined amount of lead time . the embodiment determines an ending time of the duration of the segment of interest by identifying a time at which the deviation of the data contribution level returns within the threshold value of the baseline . optionally , the embodiment can be configured to add a trailing amount of time after the deviation returns within the threshold value of the baseline . operating in this manner , the embodiment determines any number of segments of interest that might be present within the duration of the broadcast content . the embodiment extends the metadata of the content in the recording . specifically , the extended metadata includes the starting time and ending time of each segment of interest in the recording . optionally , the embodiment also stores in the extended metadata , the extracted data fragment for some or all segments of interest . a method of an embodiment described herein , when implemented to execute on a device or data processing system , comprises substantial advancement of the functionality of that device or data processing system in intelligent segment marking in recordings . for example , presently available recorded content identifies only predetermined skip - points but not segments of interests according to the users of the content based on the broadcast of the content . an embodiment crowd - sources data from social media data streams to identify one or more segments of interest in a broadcast content . the embodiment modifies the metadata of the content in a recording to indicate the starting and ending points of the segments of interest according to the users . the embodiment optionally also associates a descriptive data fragment extracted from the social media data streams relative to a segment . this manner of intelligent segment marking in recordings is unavailable in the presently available methods . thus , a substantial advancement of such devices or data processing systems by executing a method of an embodiment is in enabling a user to be able to skip to , or avoid , a segment based on other users &# 39 ; interest in the segment . the illustrative embodiments are described with respect to certain content , broadcasts , recording , events , times , durations , thresholds , amounts , frequencies , levels , data fragments , data streams , social media sources , metadata , devices , data processing systems , environments , components , and applications only as examples . any specific manifestations of these and other similar artifacts are not intended to be limiting to the invention . any suitable manifestation of these and other similar artifacts can be selected within the scope of the illustrative embodiments . furthermore , the illustrative embodiments may be implemented with respect to any type of data , data source , or access to a data source over a data network . any type of data storage device may provide the data to an embodiment of the invention , either locally at a data processing system or over a data network , within the scope of the invention . where an embodiment is described using a mobile device , any type of data storage device suitable for use with the mobile device may provide the data to such embodiment , either locally at the mobile device or over a data network , within the scope of the illustrative embodiments . the illustrative embodiments are described using specific code , designs , architectures , protocols , layouts , schematics , and tools only as examples and are not limiting to the illustrative embodiments . furthermore , the illustrative embodiments are described in some instances using particular software , tools , and data processing environments only as an example for the clarity of the description . the illustrative embodiments may be used in conjunction with other comparable or similarly purposed structures , systems , applications , or architectures . for example , other comparable mobile devices , structures , systems , applications , or architectures therefor , may be used in conjunction with such embodiment of the invention within the scope of the invention . an illustrative embodiment may be implemented in hardware , software , or a combination thereof . the examples in this disclosure are used only for the clarity of the description and are not limiting to the illustrative embodiments . additional data , operations , actions , tasks , activities , and manipulations will be conceivable from this disclosure and the same are contemplated within the scope of the illustrative embodiments . any advantages listed herein are only examples and are not intended to be limiting to the illustrative embodiments . additional or different advantages may be realized by specific illustrative embodiments . furthermore , a particular illustrative embodiment may have some , all , or none of the advantages listed above . with reference to the figures and in particular with reference to fig1 and 2 , these figures are example diagrams of data processing environments in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented . fig1 and 2 are only examples and are not intended to assert or imply any limitation with regard to the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented . a particular implementation may make many modifications to the depicted environments based on the following description . fig1 depicts a block diagram of a network of data processing systems in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented . data processing environment 100 is a network of computers in which the illustrative embodiments may be implemented . data processing environment 100 includes network 102 . network 102 is the medium used to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected together within data processing environment 100 . network 102 may include connections , such as wire , wireless communication links , or fiber optic cables . clients or servers are only example roles of certain data processing systems connected to network 102 and are not intended to exclude other configurations or roles for these data processing systems . server 104 and server 106 couple to network 102 along with storage unit 108 . software applications may execute on any computer in data processing environment 100 . clients 110 , 112 , and 114 are also coupled to network 102 . a data processing system , such as server 104 or 106 , or client 110 , 112 , or 114 may contain data and may have software applications or software tools executing thereon . only as an example , and without implying any limitation to such architecture , fig1 depicts certain components that are usable in an example implementation of an embodiment . for example , servers 104 and 106 , and clients 110 , 112 , 114 , are depicted as servers and clients only as example and not to imply a limitation to a client - server architecture . as another example , an embodiment can be distributed across several data processing systems and a data network as shown , whereas another embodiment can be implemented on a single data processing system within the scope of the illustrative embodiments . data processing systems 104 , 106 , 110 , 112 , and 114 also represent example nodes in a cluster , partitions , and other configurations suitable for implementing an embodiment . device 132 is an example of a device described herein . for example , device 132 can take the form of a smartphone , a tablet computer , a laptop computer , client 110 in a stationary or a portable form , a wearable computing device , or any other suitable device . any software application described as executing in another data processing system in fig1 can be configured to execute in device 132 in a similar manner . any data or information stored or produced in another data processing system in fig1 can be configured to be stored or produced in device 132 in a similar manner . application 105 implements an embodiment described herein . broadcasting platform 107 is any suitable manner of broadcasting content . application 105 makes recording 109 of the content broadcast by platform 107 . application 105 collects data contributions corresponding to the content of recording 109 from the data streams of one or more social media source 142 . application 105 identifies one or more segments of interest in recording 109 and annotates recording 109 with the starting time and ending time of each such segment . player 134 is usable to playback recording 109 by skipping to a starting time of a segment of interest , or skipping past a segment of interest , as the case may be . servers 104 and 106 , storage unit 108 , and clients 110 , 112 , and 114 may couple to network 102 using wired connections , wireless communication protocols , or other suitable data connectivity . clients 110 , 112 , and 114 may be , for example , personal computers or network computers . in the depicted example , server 104 may provide data , such as boot files , operating system images , and applications to clients 110 , 112 , and 114 . clients 110 , 112 , and 114 may be clients to server 104 in this example . clients 110 , 112 , 114 , or some combination thereof , may include their own data , boot files , operating system images , and applications . data processing environment 100 may include additional servers , clients , and other devices that are not shown . in the depicted example , data processing environment 100 may be the internet . network 102 may represent a collection of networks and gateways that use the transmission control protocol / internet protocol ( tcp / ip ) and other protocols to communicate with one another . at the heart of the internet is a backbone of data communication links between major nodes or host computers , including thousands of commercial , governmental , educational , and other computer systems that route data and messages . of course , data processing environment 100 also may be implemented as a number of different types of networks , such as for example , an intranet , a local area network ( lan ), or a wide area network ( wan ). fig1 is intended as an example , and not as an architectural limitation for the different illustrative embodiments . among other uses , data processing environment 100 may be used for implementing a client - server environment in which the illustrative embodiments may be implemented . a client - server environment enables software applications and data to be distributed across a network such that an application functions by using the interactivity between a client data processing system and a server data processing system . data processing environment 100 may also employ a service oriented architecture where interoperable software components distributed across a network may be packaged together as coherent business applications . with reference to fig2 , this figure depicts a block diagram of a data processing system in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented . data processing system 200 is an example of a computer , such as servers 104 and 106 , or clients 110 , 112 , and 114 in fig1 , or another type of device in which computer usable program code or instructions implementing the processes may be located for the illustrative embodiments . data processing system 200 is also representative of a data processing system or a configuration therein , such as data processing system 132 in fig1 in which computer usable program code or instructions implementing the processes of the illustrative embodiments may be located . data processing system 200 is described as a computer only as an example , without being limited thereto . implementations in the form of other devices , such as device 132 in fig1 , may modify data processing system 200 , such as by adding a touch interface , and even eliminate certain depicted components from data processing system 200 without departing from the general description of the operations and functions of data processing system 200 described herein . in the depicted example , data processing system 200 employs a hub architecture including north bridge and memory controller hub ( nb / mch ) 202 and south bridge and input / output ( i / o ) controller hub ( sb / ich ) 204 . processing unit 206 , main memory 208 , and graphics processor 210 are coupled to north bridge and memory controller hub ( nb / mch ) 202 . processing unit 206 may contain one or more processors and may be implemented using one or more heterogeneous processor systems . processing unit 206 may be a multi - core processor . graphics processor 210 may be coupled to nb / mch 202 through an accelerated graphics port ( agp ) in certain implementations . in the depicted example , local area network ( lan ) adapter 212 is coupled to south bridge and i / o controller hub ( sb / ich ) 204 . audio adapter 216 , keyboard and mouse adapter 220 , modem 222 , read only memory ( rom ) 224 , universal serial bus ( usb ) and other ports 232 , and pci / pcie devices 234 are coupled to south bridge and i / o controller hub 204 through bus 238 . hard disk drive ( hdd ) or solid - state drive ( ssd ) 226 and cd - rom 230 are coupled to south bridge and i / o controller hub 204 through bus 240 . pci / pcie devices 234 may include , for example , ethernet adapters , add - in cards , and pc cards for notebook computers . pci uses a card bus controller , while pcie does not . rom 224 may be , for example , a flash binary input / output system ( bios ). hard disk drive 226 and cd - rom 230 may use , for example , an integrated drive electronics ( ide ), serial advanced technology attachment ( sata ) interface , or variants such as external - sata ( esata ) and micro - sata ( msata ). a super i / o ( sio ) device 236 may be coupled to south bridge and i / o controller hub ( sb / ich ) 204 through bus 238 . memories , such as main memory 208 , rom 224 , or flash memory ( not shown ), are some examples of computer usable storage devices . hard disk drive or solid state drive 226 , cd - rom 230 , and other similarly usable devices are some examples of computer usable storage devices including a computer usable storage medium . an operating system runs on processing unit 206 . the operating system coordinates and provides control of various components within data processing system 200 in fig2 . the operating system may be a commercially available operating system such as aix ® ( aix is a trademark of international business machines corporation in the united states and other countries ), microsoft ® windows ® ( microsoft and windows are trademarks of microsoft corporation in the united states and other countries ), linux ® ( linux is a trademark of linus torvalds in the united states and other countries ), ios ™ ( ios is a trademark of cisco systems , inc . licensed to apple inc . in the united states and in other countries ), or android ™ ( android is a trademark of google inc ., in the united states and in other countries ). an object oriented programming system , such as the java ™ programming system , may run in conjunction with the operating system and provide calls to the operating system from java ™ programs or applications executing on data processing system 200 ( java and all java - based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of oracle corporation and / or its affiliates ). instructions for the operating system , the object - oriented programming system , and applications or programs , such as application 105 in fig1 , are located on storage devices , such as hard disk drive 226 , and may be loaded into at least one of one or more memories , such as main memory 208 , for execution by processing unit 206 . the processes of the illustrative embodiments may be performed by processing unit 206 using computer implemented instructions , which may be located in a memory , such as , for example , main memory 208 , read only memory 224 , or in one or more peripheral devices . the hardware in fig1 - 2 may vary depending on the implementation . other internal hardware or peripheral devices , such as flash memory , equivalent non - volatile memory , or optical disk drives and the like , may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in fig1 - 2 . in addition , the processes of the illustrative embodiments may be applied to a multiprocessor data processing system . in some illustrative examples , data processing system 200 may be a personal digital assistant ( pda ), which is generally configured with flash memory to provide non - volatile memory for storing operating system files and / or user - generated data . a bus system may comprise one or more buses , such as a system bus , an i / o bus , and a pci bus . of course , the bus system may be implemented using any type of communications fabric or architecture that provides for a transfer of data between different components or devices attached to the fabric or architecture . a communications unit may include one or more devices used to transmit and receive data , such as a modem or a network adapter . a memory may be , for example , main memory 208 or a cache , such as the cache found in north bridge and memory controller hub 202 . a processing unit may include one or more processors or cpus . the depicted examples in fig1 - 2 and above - described examples are not meant to imply architectural limitations . for example , data processing system 200 also may be a tablet computer , laptop computer , or telephone device in addition to taking the form of a mobile or wearable device . with reference to fig3 , this figure depicts a block diagram of an example configuration for intelligent segment marking in recordings in accordance with an illustrative embodiment . application 302 is an example of application 105 in fig1 . a broadcast platform provides content 304 as input to application 302 . one or more social media sources , such as social media source 142 in fig1 , provide one or more data streams 306 as inputs to application 302 . recording 308 is an example of recording 109 in fig1 . component 310 analyzes content 304 to determine a set of metadata associated with content 304 . using a subset of the metadata , component 310 selects one or more data streams 306 , the selected data streams corresponding to the selected subset of metadata . component 312 analyses the data in one or more data streams 306 to establish a baseline level of data contribution during the period of the broadcasting of content 304 . component 312 also analyses data streams 306 to determine a deviation from the baseline level . component 312 also optionally isolates or extracts one or more data fragments from the data contributions made during the period of the deviation . component 314 uses the period of the deviation to identify a segment of interest in content 304 . particularly , component 314 determines a starting time and an ending time of the segment according to the period of the deviation and a predetermined lead time as described herein . optionally , component 314 can be configured to also adjust the ending time of the segment using a predetermined trailing time . component 314 can be further configured to extract one or more data fragments from data streams 306 relative to a segment of interest . any number of segments of interest in content 304 , their starting and ending times , and their related data fragments can be determined in this manner . component 316 extends the metadata of content 304 with information about the segment . particularly , component 316 extends the set of metadata of content 304 by adding , for each segment of interest , a starting time and an ending time within the duration of content 304 . optionally , component 316 can be configured to further extend the set of metadata of content 304 by adding , for each segment of interest , one or more data fragments that are descriptive of the segment according to one or more data streams 306 . application 302 thus produces recording 308 . metadata 318 is the extended metadata of recording 308 and includes not only the set of metadata originally associated with content 304 but also the extended metadata added by component 316 as described herein . annotation information 320 is the extended metadata , e . g ., the starting time , the ending time , and optionally one or more descriptive data fragments associated with each segment of interest in recording 308 of content 304 . with reference to fig4 , this figure depicts a manner of identifying a segment of interest in a given content in accordance with an illustrative embodiment . recording 403 is an example of recording 308 in fig3 . content timeline 404 depicts the progression of time in recording 402 . social media data timeline 406 shows the progression of time in a social media data stream . graph 408 shows a level of data contribution in the data stream over timeline 406 . for clarity and simplicity , assume that graph 408 represents the volume of data contributed to the data stream . baseline 410 is a baseline volume level of data contribution during the original broadcast of the content that formed recording 402 . for clarity of the depiction , assume a negligible threshold that has to be exceeded above or below baseline 410 for a segment of interest . further assume that the content that produced recording 402 pertains to a football game . an application implementing an embodiment , such as application 302 in fig3 , detects at time t 1 that a volume of data in the data stream exceeded baseline 410 by more than the threshold ( not shown ). the application records time t 1 a , which is a predefined lead amount of time before time t 1 , as the starting time of a segment of interest . the application determines that the volume of data in the data stream returned to baseline 410 at time t 1 b . the application records time t 1 b , which is the time at which the data volume returned to baseline 410 , as the ending time of a segment of interest . for the clarity of the description and not to imply a limitation , assume that the application is configured not to add a trailing time . optionally , the application may add a predefined trailing amount of time after time t 1 b , to record time t 1 b ′ as the ending time of the segment of interest . furthermore , optionally , the application may extract one or more data fragments from the data between t 1 a and t 1 b . a word or a phrase can be a data fragment . as an example , the application may find that the data fragment “ penalty ” or a phrase containing the data fragment is found in greater than a threshold number of data contributions between times t 1 a and t 1 b . the application extracts data fragment “ penalty ” and associates the data fragment with the segment of interest 1 ( 412 ). for segment of interest 1 , the application adds to the metadata of recording 402 time t 1 a , time t 1 b , and data fragment “ penalty ”. suppose another segment of interest occurs at a touchdown in the game . in a similar manner , the application identifies segment 2 ( 414 ) and adds to the metadata of recording 402 time t 2 a , time t 2 b , and data fragment “ touchdown ”. segment of interest 3 is a segment where the users lacked interest according to graph 408 . the application finds that the lack of interest was due to rainy conditions during the game . in the manner described herein , the application identifies segment 3 ( 416 ) and adds to the metadata of recording 402 time t 3 a , time t 3 b , and data fragment “ rain ”. other segments of interest may occur for same or different reasons . for example , the application identifies segment 4 ( 418 ) and adds to the metadata of recording 402 time t 4 a , time t 4 b , and data fragment “ injury ”. these examples of data contributions , event scenarios , and segment detection in a single data stream are not intended to be limiting . from this disclosure , those of ordinary skill in the art will be able to conceive many other patterns of data contributions , event scenarios , and segment detection under other circumstances in one or more data streams , and the same are contemplated within the scope of the illustrative embodiments . with reference to fig5 , this figure depicts a flowchart of an example process for intelligent segment marking in recordings in accordance with an illustrative embodiment . process 500 can be implemented in application 302 in fig3 . the application receives or detects an initial broadcast of a given content ( block 502 ). the application correlates the broadcast content with a social media data stream based on a subset of a set of metadata of the content ( block 504 ). the application may correlate any number of data streams in this manner . the application collects data from a correlated stream during the broadcast ( block 506 ). the application determines , at the end of the broadcast , a baseline volume or frequency of data in the stream during the broadcast ( block 508 ). the application identifies , by analyzing the data collected for the broadcast period , where the data deviated from the baseline by at least a threshold amount ( block 510 ). in other words , the application establishes duration tx to txb for segment x as shown in fig4 . the application identifies from the stream analysis a data fragment that appears at least in a threshold number of data contributions during the segment period , with at least a threshold frequency during the segment period , or both ( block 512 ). the application adds a predetermined lead time to the segment period ( block 514 ). in other words , the application rolls back time tx to time txa as shown in fig4 . optionally , the application adds a predetermined trailing time to the segment period ( block 516 ). in other words , the application advances time txb to time txb ′ as shown in fig4 . the application annotates , marks , or otherwise enables an identification of a beginning of a segment of interest in a recording of the content ( block 518 ). in other words , the application marks the starting time of the segment , e . g ., txa as shown for segment x in fig4 . the application annotates , marks , or otherwise enables an identification of an ending of a segment of interest in a recording of the content ( block 520 ). in other words , the application marks the ending time of the segment , e . g ., txb as shown for segment x in fig4 . if available , the application also associates the data fragment from block 512 with the segment ( block 522 ). the application updates the metadata of the recording with the starting time , the ending time , and the data fragment descriptive of the segment ( block 524 ). the application repeats blocks 510 - 524 for as many segments as may be present in the content . the application ends process 500 thereafter . thus , a computer implemented method , system or apparatus , and computer program product are provided in the illustrative embodiments for intelligent segment marking in recordings . where an embodiment or a portion thereof is described with respect to a type of device , the computer implemented method , system or apparatus , the computer program product , or a portion thereof , are adapted or configured for use with a suitable and comparable manifestation of that type of device . where an embodiment is described as implemented in an application , the delivery of the application in a software as a service ( saas ) model is contemplated within the scope of the illustrative embodiments . in a saas model , the capability of the application implementing an embodiment is provided to a user by executing the application in a cloud infrastructure . the user can access the application using a variety of client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser ( e . g ., web - based e - mail ), or other light - weight client - applications . the user does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including the network , servers , operating systems , or the storage of the cloud infrastructure . in some cases , the user may not even manage or control the capabilities of the saas application . in some other cases , the saas implementation of the application may permit a possible exception of limited user - specific application configuration settings . the present invention may be a system , a method , and / or a computer program product at any possible technical detail level of integration . the computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium ( or media ) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention . the computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device . the computer readable storage medium may be , for example , but is not limited to , an electronic storage device , a magnetic storage device , an optical storage device , an electromagnetic storage device , a semiconductor storage device , or any suitable combination of the foregoing . a non - exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following : a portable computer diskette , a hard disk , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), an erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom or flash memory ), a static random access memory ( sram ), a portable compact disc read - only memory ( cd - rom ), a digital versatile disk ( dvd ), a memory stick , a floppy disk , a mechanically encoded device such as punch - cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon , and any suitable combination of the foregoing . a computer readable storage medium , as used herein , is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se , such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves , electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media ( e . g ., light pulses passing through a fiber - optic cable ), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire . computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing / processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network , for example , the internet , a local area network , a wide area network and / or a wireless network . the network may comprise copper transmission cables , optical transmission fibers , wireless transmission , routers , firewalls , switches , gateway computers and / or edge servers . a network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing / processing device . computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions , instruction - set - architecture ( isa ) instructions , machine instructions , machine dependent instructions , microcode , firmware instructions , state - setting data , configuration data for integrated circuitry , or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages , including an object oriented programming language such as smalltalk , c ++, or the like , and procedural programming languages , such as the “ c ” programming language or similar programming languages . the computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user &# 39 ; s computer , partly on the user &# 39 ; s computer , as a stand - alone software package , partly on the user &# 39 ; s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server . in the latter scenario , the remote computer may be connected to the user &# 39 ; s computer through any type of network , including a local area network ( lan ) or a wide area network ( wan ), or the connection may be made to an external computer ( for example , through the internet using an internet service provider ). in some embodiments , electronic circuitry including , for example , programmable logic circuitry , field - programmable gate arrays ( fpga ), or programmable logic arrays ( pla ) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry , in order to perform aspects of the present invention . aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods , apparatus ( systems ), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention . it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams , and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams , can be implemented by computer readable program instructions . these computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer , special purpose computer , or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine , such that the instructions , which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus , create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . these computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer , a programmable data processing apparatus , and / or other devices to function in a particular manner , such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . the computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer , other programmable data processing apparatus , or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer , other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process , such that the instructions which execute on the computer , other programmable apparatus , or other device implement the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . the flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture , functionality , and operation of possible implementations of systems , methods , and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention . in this regard , each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module , segment , or portion of instructions , which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function ( s ). in some alternative implementations , the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures . for example , two blocks shown in succession may , in fact , be executed substantially concurrently , or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order , depending upon the functionality involved . it will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration , and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration , can be implemented by special purpose hardware - based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions . | 7 |
referring to fig1 to 3 and fig4 a to 4 g , the preferred embodiment of a three - dimensional surgery simulation system according to the present invention is shown to include a storage unit 1 , a display unit 2 , a three - dimensional visual imaging unit 3 , an input unit 4 , and a computing unit 5 . the system is adapted to be operated by an operator 6 ( such as an intern ) to simulate a knee arthroplasty operation for replacing a damaged knee joint of a patient to be operated upon ( hereinafter referred to as the patient ) and for correcting a mal - positioned tibia . while the storage unit 1 , the display unit 2 and the computing unit 5 in this embodiment correspond respectively to a hard disk , a display and a processing system ( e . g ., central processing unit and relevant chips ) of a personal computer 7 , they can be substituted by equivalent means or can be components of independent apparatuses . in addition , the present invention is applicable to other anatomical parts or tissues of the human body or animal body . the storage unit 1 is disposed to store a plurality of voxelized three - dimensional model image data sets that are needed for reference , utilization and computation during surgical procedures . the data sets include a pre - operation anatomical data set 11 , a surgical instrument data set 12 , an implant data set 13 , and a simulation result data set 14 . the pre - operation anatomical data set 11 refers to a set of three - dimensional model image data reconstructed by the computing unit 5 from two - dimensional images of an anatomical part of the patient , which is to undergo surgery ( i . e ., the knee of the patient in this embodiment ), that are obtained using any medical image capturing device . in this embodiment , the two - dimensional images are a plurality of ct slices ( 24 slices in this embodiment ) having a specific resolution ( e . g ., 256 × 256 ) and obtained of the patient &# 39 ; s damaged knee by computerized tomography . the computing unit 5 is disposed to reconstruct the three - dimensional model images from the two - dimensional images and to simulate surgical procedures . specifically , each three - dimensional model image is defined by a plurality of voxels ( regularly positioned cuboids ). by computing whether boundaries of voxels of a simulated sectioned part of a body form a closed area , whether the sectioned part is completely severed from the body can be determined . based on this principle , various surgical procedures ( to be described in further detail hereinafter ) can be computed and simulated . since the principle of computation is known in the art and is relatively complicated , a detailed description thereof is omitted herein for the sake of brevity . however , reference can be made to an article by the applicants , entitled “ diagnosis of herniated intervertebral disc assisted by 3 - dimensional , multiaxial , magnetic resonance imaging ” found in formosan med . assoc . 98 ( 5 ) ( 1999 ), and a paper entitled “ accurate surface voxelization for manipulating volumetric surfaces and solids with application in simulating musculoskeletal surgery ” and presented by the applicants during the ninth pacific conference on computer graphics and applications convention held in tokyo , japan on october , 2001 . the surgical instrument data set 12 includes three - dimensional models of machines and instruments commonly used in surgical operations , which include bone saws and osteotomes for sectioning bones , virtual plates and staples for fixation , virtual dissectors and currectors for removing tumors , and a virtual hand for moving bones , bone grafts and prostheses . the construction of the surgical instrument data set 12 will be described in more detail in the paragraphs pertaining to the input unit 4 . the implant data set 13 is optionally pre - constructed in the storage unit 1 depending on requirements , and includes three - dimensional models of implants to be implanted into anatomical parts that are to be operated upon at specific positions , such as the aforesaid bone grafts and prostheses . the implants are first designed by using an autocad system or any other three - dimensional model plotting software according to predetermined parameters , and then converted to three - dimensional voxelized structures so as to facilitate processing and computation thereof together with the data sets 11 , 12 . the simulation result data set 14 includes results of surgery simulations computed by the computing unit 5 based on the specified manipulation inputted through the input unit 4 , in combination with the aforesaid pre - operation anatomical data set 11 and the surgical instrument data set 12 and / or implant data set 13 . further details will be described in the paragraphs dedicated to the computing unit 5 . the three - dimensional model image data sets stored in the storage unit 1 can be displayed on the display unit 2 in three - dimensional image form through the use of relevant software and hardware , such as a graphics accelerator card , of the personal computer 7 . in this embodiment , the three - dimensional visual imaging unit 3 is a pair of conventional shutter glasses to be worn by the operator 6 for viewing the three - dimensional images on the display unit 2 . in this embodiment , the input unit 4 includes a surgical tool 41 selected from the aforesaid surgical machines and instruments , and a tracker 42 releasably coupled to a front end of the surgical tool 41 . the tracker 42 is connected to the personal computer 7 by a signal transmission cable 43 at a specific position . after selecting the appropriate surgical tool 41 , the input unit 4 is held by the operator 6 against the display unit 2 such that the tracker 42 at the front end of the surgical tool 41 is in direct contact with the surface of a screen 21 of the display unit 2 . the input unit 4 is then moved across the surface of the screen 21 according to the desired manipulations ( including position , track and angle of the tracker 42 and magnitude of applied force ). the position , track and angle of the tracker 42 relative to coordinates of a virtual space ( not shown ), together with the dimensions ( e . g ., length ), are sent to the personal computer 7 via the cable 43 for computation by the computing unit 5 with reference to the three - dimensional model image data sets 11 , 12 , 13 stored in the storage unit 1 and for construction of the relative positions of the three - dimensional model image of the surgical tool 41 and the associated three - dimensional model image data sets 11 , 13 , as well as the states of contact of the surgical tool 41 during a simulated surgical procedure . the tracker 42 has a force sensor ( not shown ) disposed therein to detect a counter force ( equivalent to the magnitude of the force applied by the operator 6 ) from the screen 21 when the operator 6 applies an appropriate amount of force on the tracker 42 to bring the latter into contact with the screen 21 . the value of the magnitude of the applied force is also sent to the personal computer 7 to serve as one of the parameters based on which the computing unit 5 operates ( e . g ., a greater force indicates a deeper cut into the bone or tissue ). the input unit 4 provides a selection input interface 44 , which , in this embodiment , is a keyboard operable using the left hand of the operator 6 , as shown in fig3 . the selection input interface 44 cooperates with a downward - scroll menu at the upper left corner of the screen 21 of the display unit 2 to permit selection of various surgery simulating functions , adjustment of brightness and contrast of the screen 21 , altering of model material parameters , and loading of the implant data set 13 from the autocad system into the surgery simulation system of this invention . the computing unit 5 is mainly used in computing and constructing the three - dimensional model images of the pre - operation anatomical data set 11 , the surgical instrument data set 12 and the implant data set 13 . according to the three - dimensional model images thus constructed and the information pertaining to the desired manipulations ( including the position , track and angle of the tracker 42 , and the magnitude of the applied force ) inputted by the operator 6 through the input unit 4 , the computing unit 5 obtains through computations a three - dimensional surgery simulation result of the anatomical part of the patient undergoing the desired manipulations . the surgery simulation result is then outputted by the computing unit 5 for displaying on the display unit 2 in order to allow the operator 6 to observe the surgery simulation result . in this embodiment , the computing unit 5 provides various simulation functions directed to various forms of sectioning commonly employed in clinical orthopedic surgeries and topological changes in the tissues of the anatomical part to undergo surgery , including : recognition : determining whether the sectioned structure is completely detached from the original skeleton ; removal : removing a part of the skeletal structure to accommodate prosthesis ; fusion determining : determining state of fusion of a repositioned skeletal structure with the original tissue structure . as described hereinabove , the computing unit 5 utilizes three - dimensional model computations to construct and simulate , and the resultant three - dimensional model image is defined by the plurality of voxels . when the present invention is employed to simulate a musculosketal system , a boundary pointer is used to represent and simulate boundary changes of skeletal structures and soft tissues , and values of the voxels are normalized so as to be independent of tissue type . with the voxel values normalized , repositioning of the bone structures and soft tissues will not influence the values of the surrounding voxels . therefore , contents of the voxels can be changed to simulate various surgical procedures . thus , the system of this invention can compute changes of soft tissues together with the bones , simulate sectioning , recognition , translation , rotation , and removal of anatomic structures along arbitrary directions , and simulate fusion and healing of bones and soft tissues . take the sectioning procedure as an example . when a bone saw is used to cut a bone structure at two positions , the computing unit 5 will generate two swept surfaces of the surgical tool 41 , compute intersections between voxels of the bone structure and the two swept surfaces , and change boundary pointers and values of the voxels at the intersections to represent the section . after the simulated sectioning procedure , if the operator 6 wants to move or remove the structure , the computing unit 5 first implements the recognition computation . in this embodiment , a seed and flood algorithm is used to find the voxels inside a set of sectioned boundaries . if the boundaries of the sectioned structure do not form an enclosed area , the computation will flood out of the side of the structure that is still connected to the skeleton . by interchanging the contents of the voxels at an initial position and a predetermined new position , translation of the sectioned structure can be simulated . simulation of rotation also works according to a similar principle . removal of the sectioned structure can be simulated by deleting the contents of the voxels thereof . when the structure is repositioned , the computing unit 5 will detect whether bone voxels are present between the initial position and the predetermined new position of the structure so as to perform a collision test . to simulate fusion of two structures , the operator 6 needs to specify fusion surfaces on the two structures to be fused . the computing unit 5 generates callus bone voxels between the fusion surfaces , and the two structures are recognized to be one continuous structure . to simulate healing , the operator 6 needs to specify healing surfaces on the two soft tissues to be healed . the computing unit 5 will generate soft tissue voxels between the healing surfaces , and recognizes the two soft tissues as being a continuous structure . in the present invention , when the computing unit 5 detects the surgery simulation result to have a first boundary face with a discontinuous edge that is common to at least a second boundary face , the computing unit 5 processes the first and second boundary faces as a common closed surface , and assigns two voxels sharing the common closed surface as seeds for seed - and - flood algorithm computations during surface voxelization in the generation of the simulation result data . in the preferred embodiment , the computing unit 5 is configured to record the first and second boundary faces and any discontinuous edge therein in corresponding node lists . when the computing unit 5 detects a common edge relationship between the discontinuous edge of the first boundary face and the second boundary face , the node lists for the first and second boundary faces are merged by the computing unit 5 to create a new node list . the computing unit 5 is further configured to determine continuity of the boundary faces in the surgery simulation result in accordance with a new boundary face contained in the new node list . the computing unit 5 designates the new boundary face as a continuous face when edges of the new boundary face are determined by the computing unit 5 to be continuous . based on the foregoing description of the system according to this invention , and with reference to fig4 a to 4 g , the steps and results of the simulation of a knee arthroplasty using the present invention will now be explained in the succeeding paragraphs . [ 0045 ] fig4 a shows a proximal tibia that is sectioned by a bone saw , i . e ., the result of employing the aforesaid “ sectioning ” procedure . a downward - scroll menu for selection and input by the operator 6 is shown at the upper left corner of the figure . [ 0046 ] fig4 b shows two flat sections on the femur and tibia , respectively , to remove a near flat bone fragment of the femur and a wedge - shaped fragment of the tibia , i . e ., the result of employing the “ recognition ” and “ removal ” procedures . a hand ( i . e ., a virtual instrument ) is also shown to reposition the tibia . [ 0047 ] fig4 c shows that the tibia is moved to a new position by the virtual hand to correct the mal - position thereof , i . e ., the result of employing the “ repositioning ” procedure . [ 0048 ] fig4 d shows that a vertical bone fragment was sectioned away so that the femur can accommodate the posterior of the prosthetic femur , the bone fragment being moved by the virtual hand . as shown in fig4 e , a vertical bone fragment and an oblique bone fragment are sectioned away such that the femur can accommodate the anterior of the u - shaped prosthetic femur . an oblique section on the posterior of the femur is sectioned away for accommodating the u - shaped prosthetic femur . an oblique section on the patella is sectioned away to accommodate the prosthetic patella . [ 0050 ] fig4 f shows that the prosthesis has been recognized as three separate structures : a curved femur part , a disk - like tibia part , and a dome - like patella part . the tibia part has been repositioned for insertion into the tibia by the virtual hand . as shown , the dome of the prosthetic patella is inside the groove of the prosthetic femur and the prosthetic tibia , and the prosthetic tibia matches the tibia plateau . [ 0051 ] fig4 g shows that the u - shaped prosthetic femur has been repositioned for insertion into the femur . the prosthetic patella has been inserted into the patella , but cannot be observed from the outside since it is concealed within the patella . the prosthetic femur can match the residual femur properly , which indicates that the sectioning of the tibia was appropriate . as the u - shaped curve of the prosthetic femur is well within the groove of the prosthetic tibia , the prosthetic femur and tibia are considered to be well - positioned . [ 0052 ] fig5 a to 5 f illustrate simulation results when the present invention is used to remove a tumor inside the tibia . referring to fig5 a , the proximal tibia is shown to be sectioned by a virtual saw . in fig5 b , a window - shaped bone fragment is shown to have been sectioned away from the tibia and repositioned by a virtual hand . fig5 c shows that the tumor is dissected by a virtual dissector . fig5 d shows that a graft bone is held by the virtual hand in preparation for filling the space of the resected tumor . in fig5 e , the graft bone is planted in the space of the resected tumor , and the window - shaped bone fragment , which has been sectioned away , is repositioned at its original position . fig5 f shows the result of fusion of the repositioned window - shaped bone fragment and the tibia . in view of the foregoing , the three - dimensional surgery simulation system according to the present invention has the following salient advantages : 1 . since the operator can simulate surgical procedures in a three - dimensional environment which approximates the real world , the coordination between the operator &# 39 ; s hand that holds the selected surgical instrument and his / her visual judgment during simulated manipulations , including the position , track and angle of the surgical instrument , as well as the magnitude of the applied force , is very close to that in actual surgical procedures . therefore , the operator can achieve better and more effective training . 2 . furthermore , the use of three - dimensional model images in surgery simulation enables the operator to have a better spatial perception of changes in skeletal morphology and thus achieve better manipulations in actual surgical procedures . thus , this invention is useful as a pre - operation training tool . 3 . in addition to providing a three - dimensional or stereographic environment , this invention offers various simulation modes , including sectioning , fusion , removal , recognition and repositioning , to help train the operator in different surgical procedures . 4 . this invention requires mainly a personal computer with a window interface , and is therefore simple in construction . the three - dimensional visual imaging unit 3 and the input unit 4 are easy and convenient to use . 5 . as the storage unit , the display unit and the computing unit are standard components of the personal computer , and as the three - dimensional visual imaging unit 3 and the input unit 4 are also relatively low - cost , this invention is on the whole inexpensive and convenient to install , and can be widely applied for both educational and training purposes . while the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements . | 6 |
with further reference to the drawings , the prior art , shown in fig1 includes a greenhouse type structure 17 having mullions 10 which are cross supported by meeting rails 11 . the mullions 10 and meeting rails 11 have transparent or translucent panels mounted therebetween . a mesh type screen 13 formed from fiberglass , or similar material is stretched across the upper panels and is secured by clips 14 or similar means to the meeting bars 11 which form part of the support structure for the greenhouse . although this method of securing mesh type screens has been used for several years , wrinkles as illustrated at 15 invariably occur and even when cam type pull down clips or locks have been used on the meeting rails , the wrinkle problem has not been overcome and is thought to those skilled in the art to be an inherent part of this type of shade means . the improved screen means of the present invention , indicated generally at 16 in fig2 can be mounted on any standard greenhouse or other structure 17 which needs shading . an angle bar 18 is mounted on one edge of the area to be shaded and extends between and is secured to mullions 10 or other structural members by means such as screws , bolts , or the like 19 . since securing means of this type are well known to those skilled in the art , further detailed discussion of the same is not deemed necessary . a second angle bar 18 &# 39 ; is disposed across the mullions 10 or other structural portions of the greenhouse or other means to be shaded . although in some installations it may vary , usually angle bars 18 and 18 &# 39 ; will be disposed parallel to each other and generally define the edges of the area over which the mesh type screen 20 is to be disposed . the screen 20 will usually be rectangular although , as mentioned above , since installations of this type are often custom orders , some variations can be made without departing from this spirit and scope of the present invention . the edges of the mesh type screen 20 adjacent angle bars 18 and 18 &# 39 ; are mounted to screen bars 21 and 21 &# 39 ; by pressing the same into a groove 22 with locking bar 23 as can clearly be seen in fig4 , and 8 . each of the screen bars 21 also includes an elongated presser foot 24 to prevent any tendency of the screen to chaf . each of the screen bars 21 and 21 &# 39 ; additionally includes a lock engaging shoulder 25 whose purpose will hereinafter be described in greater detail . spaced at pre - determined , relatively close intervals , preferably not exceeding 15 inches , are a plurality of cam locks or link fasteners as indicated at 26 . each of these locks includes a hook - like pull down 27 operatively mounted within mechanism housing 29 and actuated by folding wing nut 28 . this housing is pivotively mounted , as indicated at 30 , to lock base 31 . each of the lock bases 30 are fixedly secured to their respective angle bar at the spaced intervals as described above . locks of the type described above are well known to those skilled in the art and are commercially available . one such device with a pull down pressure of 90 pounds and is specially manufactured to carry loads up to 600 pounds tension is &# 34 ; special number 3 - 10 linked - lock &# 34 ; manufactured by simmons - fastener corporation of north broadway , albany , n . y . 12201 . in view of this ready availability , further detailed discussion of the lock fasteners and their method of operation is not deemed necessary . to install the improved screen means 16 of the present invention , an angle bar 18 is attached to the structural members of the house or other desired location to be shaded . next , a second angle bar is fixed to such structure parallel to the first angle bar . in at least greenhouse type installations , securing of angle bars to the mullions has been found satisfactory . this also gives greater versatility to the present invention in that the location of the edges of the screen is not dictated by the location of structural components such as meeting rails 11 . once the angle bars are installed , a properly sized shade means or screen 20 with the screen bars 21 and 21 &# 39 ; secured thereto is disposed over the area to be shaded . next , the hook portions 27 &# 39 ; of pull downs 27 of each of the locks 26 is placed in engagement with the shoulder 25 of the adjacent screen bar . the wing nuts 28 of each of the locks 26 mounted on the angle bars 18 and 18 &# 39 ; opposite sides of the screen are manipulated to move the screen bars from the position shown in fig5 and 6 to the position shown in fig7 and 8 . this cam or pull down action places even tension across opposed edges of screen 20 . since this pressure is evenly applied at close intervals along the entire length of each of these opposed edges , a taunt , wrinkle free screen is caused to lie juxtaposed to the surface being covered , and because of such juxtaposition , wind is unable to get under the same to cause flapping , rippling , and the like as is encountered with the prior art screen means . from the above , it can be seen that the present invention has the advantage of providing a relatively inexpensive and yet highly efficient means of shading desired areas without unsightly wrinkling , objectionable flapping or rippling , or the like . the present invention also can be disposed at any desired location rather than being limited in attachment to meeting rails and similar structural locations . the present invention can , of course , be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention . the present embodiments are , therefore , to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein . | 8 |
the objectives of this invention are to resolve above - highlighted problems with traditional cotton - based weft knitted fabrics and , more specifically , to produce a weft knit cotton - based fabric that does not require hemming even after the fabric is cut into desired shapes . many studies were conducted and many trials were performed in order to find a way to prevent curling and fraying in cotton - based weft double knit fabric . the fabric of the present invention resists fraying , laddering , and curling and is comfortable for the wearer . the present invention relates to materials , processes , and the associated technologies used to enhance the anti - curling , anti - fraying , and anti - laddering properties of cotton - based weft knitted fabrics . to generate the fraying and curling resistant fabric of the present invention , most preferably , world superior long staple cotton fibers , preferably of a length greater than 30 mm , are used to create a very fine ( 60 ne - 100 ne ) cotton yarn with a high twist factor between about 3 . 2 and about 4 . 0 . the high twist factor helps to minimize loose fibers in the yarn . most preferably , the very fine cotton yarn has a count of between about 60 ne and about 100 ne . alternatively , regenerated cellulose yarn such as rayon , modal , or viscose or natural yarn such as wool and silk can be used as the very fine yarn . by using very fine yarn , the aesthetic appearance of the fabric is enhanced , as is its value . a secondary fiber yarn is fed together with the very fine cotton yarn in an interlock knitting machine so as to create double knit fabric loops formed by the very fine non - elastic yarn ( cotton ) on both the external and internal surfaces of the fabric , while the loops created by the secondary fiber ( preferably elastane ( also known as spandex )) are arranged on both inner surfaces of the fabric . the secondary fiber yarn most preferably comprises elastane fiber yarn . other fiber yarns such as elaspan , lycra ®, or a similar - type fiber yarn can also be used as the secondary fiber . the linear mass density of the secondary fiber is preferably between about 17 — about 44 decitex and is most preferably between about 22 decitex — about decitex . the very fine cotton yarn is fed in parallel with the secondary yarn in an interlock knitting machine . this interlock knitting process allows the secondary fiber yarn to form its loops on the inner side of the double jersey fabric and the very fine cotton yarn to form its loops on the external surfaces of the double jersey fabric . the yarn feeding tension should be adjusted to make stable conditions , so that knit fabric can be knitted with constantly adjusted yarn feeding tension . the very fine cotton yarn and secondary fiber yarn are tightly knitted together using an interlock knitting machine . in a preferred embodiment , the interlock machine is a 24 gauge interlock knitting machine . in a preferred embodiment , the knitting machine is run smoothly at between about 20 rpm and about 25 rpm due to the yarn strength and so that there is no blocking of the yarn path with loose fibers . in a preferred embodiment , the compactness of the loops of the fabric after the interlock knitting has occurred is between about 55 and about 58 wales per inch . the interlock fabric structure provides front and back surfaces with identical configurations . these identical configurations provide smooth surfaces and appropriate stretch properties in the fabric . it is highly preferable to maintain the same fabric tension at take down and to carefully monitor the courses and wales to make sure that there is consistency in the fabric at this stage . after interlock knitting is complete , the secondary fiber makes up between about 10 % to about 30 % by weight of the fabric the very fine cotton yarn makes up between about 70 % to about 90 % by weight of the fabric . most preferably , this secondary fiber consists of between about 10 %— about 15 % by weight of the fabric composition and the very fine cotton yarn makes up about 85 %— about 90 % by weight of fabric composition . when higher amounts of the secondary fiber , such as 50 % by weight are used , the resulting fabric composition did not display the unexpected results of resisting fraying and curling when cut that were shown by the about 10 % to about 30 % range of secondary fiber . the same is true for lower ranges . for example , when only 2 % of the secondary fiber is used , the resulting fabric composition did not display the unexpected results of resisting fraying and curling when cut that were shown by the about 10 % to about 30 % range of secondary fiber . in a preferred embodiment the fabric is relaxed by steaming before being pre - set . more specifically , in this preferred embodiment , the interlock fabric obtained is preferably processed with a steaming process in the pin chain frame before being fed into the stenter machine heat chambers . the fabric is then pre - set using a seven - chambered stenter machine set with chamber temperatures between about 180 ° c . and about 205 ° c . most preferably , the thermal fusion of the secondary fiber occurs at a temperature of 200 ° c . preferable curing hold time is between about 15 s and about 25 s . during presetting it is preferable not to apply additional width - wise tension to the fabric in order to maintain width - wise fabric compactness . this helps allow the fabric to become properly bound during pre - setting in such a way as to control and prevent a running of the loops known as laddering . with heat setting temperatures below about 180 ° c ., the effect of heat setting is not always sufficient prevent the fraying and curling problems described above . when the heat setting temperature exceeds about 205 ° c ., it is likely that fabric properties would be degraded . it is theorized that during the pre - setting process , the secondary fibers , which have been brought closely together in the interlock process are thermally fused . this thermal fusion process allows the fabric , once cut , to resist the normal unraveling and curling that is associated with cut cotton fabrics . fabric consistency plays a major role in ensuring that the pre - setting process provides the desired results in the fabric . therefore , it is important to monitor the compactness , density , and stretch properties of the fabric during the process . following the pre - setting process , the fabric is optionally dyed and preferably , but also optionally , treated with a concentrated enzyme to reduce stray fibers protruding from the pre - set fabric . in a preferred embodiment , novozyme cellusoft combi 9800 l treatment is used in this treatment process . next , the fabric is optionally but preferably spread out and sprayed with high - pressure water to remove any remaining loose fibers from the fabric . subsequent to the optional high - pressure washing stage , the fabric can be optionally , but preferably relax dried as to improve the compactness of the fabric . when carrying out this optional relax drying process , it is preferable to use a relax belt dryer with vibrator set at about 1000 rpm and hot air nozzles set with gradual increase starting from about 35 mm to about 50 mm to release majority of the tension that occurred during previous processes , specifically dyeing and slitting . in another optional , but preferable embodiment of the present innovation , the fabric is treated with a hydrophilic silicon softener with cationic softener to improve comfort of the wearer . compacting with steaming is also optional but preferable in order to further improve the compactness of the fabric . felt of the machine set at 4 bar pressure with shoe angle of between about 20 %— about 30 % and temperature of the cylinder being set at about 120 ° c .— about 130 ° c . can be used for this process . due to the about 15 %— about 25 % of over feeding , further tensions were released in the length direction . this step helped the finished fabric to remain relaxed and without curling after being cut . surprisingly and unexpectedly , the cotton - based fabric generated by the above - stated process resists fraying or curling when cut . these unique and unexpected properties of the fabric of the present invention allow for exciting and important practical applications . because of these unique and unexpected properties , the fabric of the present invention has many useful applications , including the manufacture of raw cut garments without the need for a hemming process . for example , because the fabric can be cut without curling or fraying , it is not necessary to attach a binding or an elastic waistband on the free edges of the fabric as in traditional cotton fabrics . similarly , the fraying - free cotton interlock weft knitted fabric described herein does not require a hemming process traditionally used on many garments . this remarkable result allows for cotton fabric in garments that can be manufactured without traditional wide seams or bulky elastics allowing wearers to be more comfortable while wearing the fabric . applications of this fraying - free cotton fabric are contemplated for many garment applications , including , but not limited to men and women &# 39 ; s undergarments , women &# 39 ; s intimate apparel and dresses , men &# 39 ; s and women &# 39 ; s shirts , pants , coats , socks and many other articles of clothing . a 24 gauge , 34 inch diameter interlock knitting machine made by santec precision machinery co ., ltd was used with a 1 / 80ne cotton yarn knitted with 1 / 22 decitex polyurethane elastic yarn made by invista . each yarn was fed together with positive feeders in both the dial and cylinder of the machine . cotton yarns appeared in both external surfaces of the knitted fabric and elastane yarn is arranged on both inner surface with elastane stitch length of 0 . 95 mm and cotton yarn with stitch length of 2 . 55 mm . tension was set at 2 - 3 g and 5 - 6 g respectively for the cotton yarn and elastane yarn . these knitting settings allowed the fabric to remain in its optimum elastane percentage of 12 % which made fabric bond at its best level without disturbing the natural recovery of the fabric . thereafter presetting was done at 200 ° c . with a curing hold time of 20 seconds . steam was used to relax the greige before presetting the fabric . this helped release tension generated during knitting and other processes . the pre - set fabric was then bio polished using novozyme cellusoft combi 9800l enzyme and dyed in a thies ecosoft machine . after dyeing , slitting , open width water spraying , and relax drying processes , a steam compacting process was used to make the fabric relaxed , balanced , and compact . an inspection exam machine with “ j ” box was used for inspection to maintain tensions at a minimum level . | 3 |
an embodiment of the optical head apparatus according to the present invention is shown in fig3 and fig4 . a case body 21 has an opening provided on its upper surface and is formed of for example , an aluminum alloy . the case body 21 , as shown in detail in fig5 incorporates a semiconductor laser 22 ( opto - electronic components ), a beam splitter 23 , a lens 24 , a polarizing beam splitter 25 and other optical components . the side walls 26 and 27 of the case body 21 have light receiving elements mounted to them . these side walls 26 and 27 have windows 28 and 29 formed in them so as to allow the laser beam to pass through them . in addition , the corner portions of the side walls 26 and 27 have screw holes 53a , 53b , 53c and 53d formed in them to mount the light receiving elements . the wall of the case body 21 that is opposite the beam splitter 23 also has a window 30 formed in it so as to allow the laser beam to pass through . a lid 31 is formed of the same aluminum alloy as the case body 21 . the surface of the lid 31 has a flexible printed circuit board 33 adhered to it . the lid 31 also has holes 36 and 37 formed in it for adjustment knobs and holes 35 for screw fixing . the flexible printed circuit board 33 is formed of a polyimide resin film . as shown in fig6 this flexible printed circuit board 33 has a base portion 33a , a first arm portion 33b that is l - shaped , a second arm portion 33c that has a stepped shape and a third arm portion 33d that has a bend along its length . the first , the second and the third arm portions 33b , 33c , 33d protrude from one side of the base portion 33a . on the surface of the flexible printed circuit board 33 is formed a printed wiring pattern and ic , transistors , resistors , condensors and other electronic components is fixed to the base portion 33a by solder . these electronic circuit configured by these electronic components 24a includes an automatic laser power control circuit ( alpc ) 24 in order to perform output control of the semiconductor laser 22 for example . the underside of the base portion 33a of the flexible printed circuit board 33 is provide with an adhesive sheet which adheres the base portion 33a to the surface of the lid 31 . in this manner , in the status where the flexible printed circuit board 33 is adhered to the lid 31 , the first arm portion 33b , the second arm portion 33c and the third arm portion 33d of the flexible printed circuit board 33 protrude from one side of the lid 31 . the distal end portions of the first arm portion 33b and the second arm portion 33c have formed in them rectangularly shaped windows 33b - 1 and 33c - 1 . in addition , at predetermined positions on the distal end portions of the first arm portion 33b and the second arm portion 33c are formed holes 55a and 55b , and 56a and 56b . the undersides of the first arm portion 33b and the second arm portion 33c are provided with adhesive sheets and these adhesive sheets adhere the base boards 39 and 40 to the undersides of the distal end portions of the first arm portion 33b and second arm portion 33c . adjustment knobs 39a and 40a protrude from predetermined sides of the base board 39 and 40 . the adjustment knobs 39a ( 40a ) and the base board 39 ( 40 ) are incorporated . the base board 39 has a window 39b and holes 61a and 61b formed in it so as to correspond to the window 33b - 1 and holes 55a and 55b for the first arm portion 33b , and the base board 40 has a window 40b and holes 62a and 62b formed in it so as to correspond to the window 33c - 1 and holes 56a and 56b for the second arm portion 33c . the base boards 39 and 40 are formed of an aluminum alloy in the same manner as the lid 31 . as indicated in fig8 the circuit patterns on the surfaces of the distal ends of the first arm portion 33b and the second arm portion 33c of the flexible printed circuit board 33 have light receiving elements ( opto - electronic components ) 41 and 42 soldered to them . the light receiving surfaces of these light receiving elements 41 and 42 are exposed from the windows 33b - 1 and 33c - 1 of the flexible printed circuit board 33 and the windows 39b and 40b of the base boards 39 and 40 . as indicated in fig6 the base portion 33a of the flexible printed circuit board 33 has formed in it a holes 59 so as to correspond to the screw stop holes 35 and holes 57 , 58 so as to correspond to the holes 36 and 37 formed in the lid 31 . the following is a description of the mounting the first arm portion 33b , the second arm portion 33c and the third arm portion 33b to the case body 21 . as indicated in fig7 the first arm portion 33b is bent downwards along a line 45 so that it is in the status shown in fig8 . then , the first arm portion 33b is bent around line 46 and in the direction of the arrow as shown in fig8 . then , as indicated in fig3 the first arm portion 33b and the base board 39 form one unit and is fixed to the side wall 26 of the case body 21 ( refer to fig5 ) by the screws 51a and 51b passing through the holes 55a and 55b in the flexible printed circuit board 33 and the holes 61a and 61b in the printed circuit board 39 . the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 41 fixed to the flexible printed circuit board 33 opposes the window 28 of the side wall 26 and the laser beam that has passed the optical components inside the case body 21 is focussed on the surface of the light receiving element 41 . the adjustment knob 39a formed on the base board 39 is in the status that it protrudes in the upwards direction from the top surface of the case body 21 . the second arm portion 33c is bent around the line 47 of fig7 and in the downwards direction so that it is in the status indicated in fig8 . in addition , the second arm portion 33c is bent around the line 48 indicated in fig3 the second arm portion 33c and the base board 40 form one unit and is fixed to the side wall 27 of the case body 21 ( refer to fig5 ) by the screws 52a and 52b ( screw 52b is not indicated in the figure ) passing through the holes 56a and 56b in the flexible printed circuit board 33 and through the holes 62a and 62b in the printed circuit board 40 . the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 42 fixed to the flexible printed circuit board 33 opposes the window 29 in the side wall 27 and the laser beam that passes through the optical components inside the case body 21 is focussed on the light receiving surface . the adjustment knob 40b formed on the base board 40 is also in the status where it protrudes in the upwards direction from the case body 21 in the same manner as the previously mentioned adjustment knob 39b . the third arm portion 33d is bent around the line 48 indicated in fig7 and in the downwards direction so that it is in the status shown in fig8 . then , as indicated in fig3 terminals 22a of the semiconductor laser 22 ( refer to fig5 ) are inserted into holes in the circuit pattern formed on the distal end of the third arm portion 33d and this terminals 22a are soldered to the circuit pattern . as has been described above , each of the distal end portions of the first arm portion 33b , the second arm portion 33c and third arm portion 33d of the flexible printed circuit board 33 that is adhered to the lid 31 are fixed to the case body 21 so that the case body 21 and the lid 31 are connected . the lid 31 is mounted to the case body 21 in the following manner . as indicated in fig3 the first arm portion 33b , the second arm portion 33c and third arm portion 33d of the flexible printed circuit board 33 are each bent around the lines 50 , 51 and 52 so that the lid 31 covers the upper surface of the case body 21 . the lid 31 covers the upper surface of the opening in the case body 21 . the adjustment knobs 39a and 40a formed on the base boards 39 and 40 protrude in the upwards direction through the holes 36 and 37 in the lid 31 and the holes 57 and 58 in the flexible printed circuit board 33 . then , the lid 31 is fixed to the case body 21 by the screws 55 passing through the holes 59 in the flexible printed circuit board 33 and the holes 35 in the lid 31 . fig4 indicates the status where the lid 31 and the flexible printed circuit board 33 are fixed together to become one unit . in this status , the first arm portion 33b , the second arm portion 33c and third arm portion 33d of the flexible printed circuit board 33 are in the status where they are bent in a u - shape around the portions 50 , 51 and 52 . as has been described above , the case body 21 , the lid 31 and the flexible printed circuit board 33 form an optical head 10 that is a single unit and this unit is mounted to a predetermined position ( not indicated in the figure ) on the chassis of the optical disc apparatus . then , the objective lens assembly unit 62 indicated by a double - dotted line in fig3 and fig4 is controlled to move in the direction of the radius of the optical disc as indicated by the arrow a . the laser beam light emitted from the window 30 ( refer to fig5 ) formed in the wall of the case body 21 passes through the objective lens assembly unit 62 and is focussed on a track of an optical disc . in addition , the beam reflected from the surface of the optical disc passes through the window 30 and is led to the inside the case body 21 . then , this laser beam passes through the optical components inside the case body 21 and is focussed on the light receiving elements 41 and 42 . the following is a description of the adjustment and maintenance procedures for the optical components in the optical head 10 having the configuration as described above . the screw 55 indicated in fig4 is removed and the first arm portion 33b , the second arm portion 33c and the third arm portion 33d in the bent status are returned to the unbent status and the lid 31 is opened as indicated in fig3 . whereby , the lid 31 can be removed from the case body 21 while the electronic circuit 34 is still electrically connected to the semiconductor laser 22 and the light receiving elements 41 and 42 . accordingly , it is possible to maintain the semiconductor laser 22 and the light receiving elements 41 and 42 in the operating status without performing the electrical reconnection work that has been necessary in the conventional optical head . a position adjustment work for the optical components inside the case body 21 can be performed immediately after the lid 31 has been removed from the case body 21 . the work efficiency is therefore good . after the positioning work has been performed , the lid 31 is screwed back to the case as indicated in fig4 . the above described operations for removing the lid 31 from the case main body 21 are performed in the same manner for when maintenance is performed . ( 3 ) position adjustment of the light - receiving elements ( opto - electronic components ) 41 and 42 ; this adjustment is possible without removing the lid 31 from the case body 21 . that is to say , the screws 51a , 51b , 52a and 52b are loosened and the adjustment knobs 29a and 30a protruding through the holes 57 and 58 of the flexible printed circuit board 33 and above the flexible printed circuit board 33 are moved by tweezers or some appropriate tool so that the light receiving elements 41 and 42 are displaced the slightly along with the base boards 39 and 40 and fine adjustment is performed for the positions of the light receiving elements 41 and 42 . as has been described above , fine adjustment of the position of the light receiving elements 41 and 42 can be easily performed . when the first arm portion 33b , the second arm portion 33c and the third arm portion 33d of the flexible printed circuit board 33 are bent , a spring force acts in the first arm portion 33b , the second arm portion 33c and the third arm portion 33d to return them to their former positions . this spring force is larger for the closer to the bend position . accordingly , the distal end portions of the first arm portion 33b and the second arm portion 33c to which the light receiving elements 41 and 42 are fixed is weak , and this return spring force of the flexible printed circuit board 33 does not prevent the adjustment of the position of the light receiving elements 41 and 42 . the lid 31 is formed of aluminum alloy that is the same as that of the case body 21 . the coefficients of thermal expansion of the lid 31 and the case body 21 are the same so that the case body 21 and the lid 31 expand and contract at the same rates . this means that unnecessary thermal stress is not generated in the case body 21 and so there is no distortion of the case body 21 . this is to say that there is not mismatching of the optical axes of the optical components due to the distortion resulting from thermal stress . in addition , the base portion 33a of the flexible printed circuit board 33 is adhered closely to the lid 31 . this lid 31 is formed of an aluminum alloy of a metal which is a good thermal conductor and so the lid 31 functions as a radiator so that the heat generated by the electronic components 34a configuring the electronic circuit 34 on the base portion 33a of the flexible printed circuit board 33 is efficiently dissipated . the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above , as other embodiments such as one where the objective lens is also incorporated into the case can also be thought of . in addition , a zinc alloy could also be used as a substitute for the aluminum alloy of the case body 21 and the lid 31 . in embodiment , the flexible printed circuit board 33 has a base portion 33a and first arm portion 33b , the second arm portion 33c and the third arm portion 33d that protrude from the base portion 33a but these first arm portion 33b , second arm portion 33c and third arm portion 33d can be formed as a single unit corresponding to the shape of the case body 21 . in an optical head apparatus according to the present invention , it is possible to remove the lid from the case body while still maintaining electrical contact . accordingly , the position adjustment of the optical components inside the case body can be performed without having to performed electrical connection work after the lid has been removed from the case . this is to say that adjustment work and maintenance work performed after assembly is facilitated . in addition , by the operation of the adjustment knobs , it is possible to perform fine adjustment of the mounting position of the light receiving elements while the lid is still mounted to the case . furthermore , it is also possible to avoid thermal stresses in the case body and to also improve the heat dissipation ratio of the electronic components . the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments , and variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention . | 6 |
embodiments described herein generally relate to vehicle console assemblies including electronic components , such as vehicle lighting systems , and features for directing fluids away from the electronic components within the vehicle console assemblies . such fluid directing features can reduce the possibility of electrical shortages , for example , due to fluid spillage onto the console assemblies . various embodiments of the console assemblies and fluid directing features will be described in more detail herein . fig1 generally depicts one exemplary embodiment of a console assembly 10 for a vehicle where arrows f and u denote forward and upward directions of the vehicle . the console assembly 10 has a generally box - shaped housing 11 and includes a front 12 facing forward , a rear 14 facing rearward , sides 16 and 18 facing widthwise outward , a top 20 facing upward and a bottom 22 facing downward . the console assembly 10 may be located at any suitable position within a vehicle , such as between front seats , between rear seats , etc . the console assembly 10 may be used with any suitable vehicle , such as automobiles , airplanes , boats , etc . in one embodiment , the console assembly 10 is a center console assembly that is located between seats of an automobile . for example , the console assembly 10 may be located between front seats of an automobile . a cup holder assembly 24 is located at the top 20 of the console assembly 10 . cup holder assembly 24 is located nearer the front 12 and includes cup holders 28 and 30 located side - by - side and extending toward the bottom 22 of the console assembly 10 . each cup holder 28 and 30 may generally include an upward facing opening 36 sized to receive a bottom portion of a cup and a downwardly extending sidewall 38 forming cup - receiving volumes that can be used to hold a cup therein . a recess 40 may be provided between cup holders 28 and 30 . the recess 40 may provide for storage of travel mugs and cups with handles and increased accessibility to the travel mugs and cups located within the cup holders 28 and 30 . a storage bin 44 may be located rearward of the cup holder assembly 24 . a door 46 has an open position and a closed position for providing access to the storage bin 44 through an access opening . a release mechanism ( generally referred to as element 50 ) may be provided for latching and unlatching the door 46 . a button 51 or other suitable unlatching device may be provided for controlling the release mechanism 50 . in some embodiments , the door 46 may be biased ( e . g ., using a spring ) toward the open position . in another embodiment , the door 46 may be openable manually . the console assembly 10 may include a lighting system 66 for illuminating areas within the console assembly 10 ( fig2 ). the lighting system 66 may be used to light the cup holder assembly 24 and the storage bin 44 . in the illustrated embodiment , the lighting system 66 may be used to illuminate the cup holder assembly 24 including both cup holders 28 and 30 and the storage bin 44 . an exemplary lighting system for illuminating the cup holders 28 and 30 and the storage bin 44 is described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 542 , 227 , filed aug . 17 , 2009 , entitled “ vehicle console assemblies with associated vehicle lighting systems for illuminating cup holder and storage bin assemblies ,” the details of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety . in some embodiments , one or both of the cup holders 28 and 30 may not be fluid - tight . for example , the cup holder 28 of fig1 shows an opening 68 in the sidewall 38 that frames a window through which light may pass from a light source to the cup holder 28 . cup holder 30 may include the same opening 68 . the opening 68 may provide an escape route for liquid spilled into the cup holder 28 . referring to fig2 , an interior 70 of the console assembly 10 includes a cup holder receiving volume 72 that receives the cup holders 28 and 30 . a partitioning panel 74 bounds a portion of the cup holder receiving volume 72 with a horizontal portion 75 and a vertical portion 76 connected by a bend 78 . the horizontal portion 75 extends outwardly from the bend 78 toward a front panel 80 . as can be seen , the horizontal portion 75 terminates at an end 82 that is spaced from the front panel 80 leaving a gap 84 between the front panel 80 and the horizontal portion 75 . an electrical component 86 is located beneath the horizontal portion 75 , attached to a sidewall 88 of interior panel 90 . in some embodiments , the electrical component 86 may be a wire harness connector connecting electronics of the console assembly 10 ( e . g ., led , power outlets , video jacks , etc .) to a main power line running through the vehicle . the electrical component 86 may be connected to the interior panel 90 using any suitable means , such as using fastener 92 . because the cup holders 28 and 30 may not be liquid - tight , a possible leak path indicated by arrows 94 and 96 may be provided where liquid spilled into the cup holders 28 and 30 may travel toward the electrical component 86 . referring also to fig3 , an upper rib structure 98 and a lower rib structure 100 are provided for diverting liquid passing through the gap 84 . rib structure 98 extends horizontally and may extend at a downward angle ( e . g ., of about five degrees to the horizontal ) from a first end 102 to a second end 104 . rib structure 100 has a horizontal portion 106 and a vertical portion 108 that are connected by a corner 110 . the horizontal portion 106 extends horizontally and may extend at a downward angle ( e . g ., about 5 degrees to the horizontal ) from an end 112 to the corner 110 . vertical portion 108 extends downwardly to a bottom 114 . referring particularly to fig2 , the rib structure 98 extends outwardly from the interior panel 90 a distance d 1 greater than a distance d 2 that the horizontal portion 75 extends from the interior panel 90 toward the front panel 80 . while the rib structures 98 and 100 are illustrated in fig2 as being relatively horizontal in cross - section , they may extend outwardly at an angle to the horizontal such that outer edges 116 and 118 of the rib structures 89 and 100 are elevated with respect to opposite edges 120 and 122 that are integrally connected with the interior panel 90 . in some embodiments , the interior panel 90 extends rearward at an angle to the vertical . in some of these embodiments , the rib structure 100 may extend outwardly from the interior panel 90 a distance d 3 greater than distances d 1 and d 2 . in one embodiment , the distance d 3 may be selected such that the outer edges 116 and 118 of the rib structures 98 and 100 are aligned along a vertical line . in other embodiments , the outer edges 116 and 118 may be offset such that one edge 116 or 118 extends outwardly further than the other edge 116 or 118 . for example , in the embodiment of fig2 , the front panel 80 may be angled frontward with respect to the vertical . in these embodiments , the d 3 may be greater than d 1 to locate the outer edge 118 near to the front panel 80 . in some embodiments , d 1 and d 3 of the rib structures 98 and 100 may be selected to maintain a preselected spacing between the rib structures 98 and 100 and the front panel 80 . in many embodiments , gaps between the outer edges 116 and 118 and the front panel 80 may have a width less than gap 84 . referring to fig4 , the rib structures 98 and 100 operate by directing liquid leaking into the console assembly 10 away from the electrical component 86 . as represented by the arrows 124 and 126 , the rib structures 98 and 100 are shaped such that the liquid flows down the widths of the rib structures 98 and 100 toward the vertical portion 108 of the rib structure 100 . the liquid then flows vertically , as represented by arrow 128 toward the floor of the vehicle . the console assembly 10 may be open to the floor such that the liquid escapes the console assembly 10 and flows to the floor , for example , rather than accumulating within the console assembly 10 . the rib structures 98 and 100 may be formed by any suitable method , such as during a plastic ( e . g ., polypropylene ) molding process of the interior panel 90 . in the illustrated embodiment , the rib structures 98 and 100 may be formed as part of a rib matrix 130 formed by a plurality of horizontal and vertically extending strengthening ribs ( e . g ., see ribs 132 and 134 ). the strengthening ribs 132 and 134 may extend outwardly from the interior panel 90 a distance less than the distances d 1 and / or d 2 . the vertically extending strengthening ribs 132 may intersect one or both of the rib structures 98 and 100 . however , the vertically extending strengthening ribs 132 may terminate at a location spaced from the outer edges 116 and 118 of the rib structures 98 and 100 thereby providing an unobstructed path for the liquid to flow away from the electrical component 86 . referring now to fig5 , another console assembly embodiment 140 may include many of the features described above including a cup holder receiving volume 142 , partitioning panel 144 with horizontal portion 146 and vertical portion 148 and electrical component 150 . in this embodiment , rib structures 152 and 154 extend outwardly from a front panel 156 toward an interior panel 158 . other variations are contemplated . the above - described rib structures can inhibit liquid from contacting electrical components of the console assembly , thereby inhibiting electrical malfunction . the rib structures may provide increased strength for the console assembly and may allow for increased freedom in selection of electrical components . for example , some electrical components may provide water resistance , however , these water resistant electrical components may be more expensive . thus , the above - described rib structures may allow for selection less expensive electrical components . for example , the electrical component may not be water resistant . however , the rib structures direct liquid flowing into the console assembly through the cup holders away from the electrical component , as described above . while two rib structures are illustrated above , there may be more or less than two rib structures . it is noted that the terms “ substantially ” and “ about ” may be utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison , value , measurement , or other representation . these terms are also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue . while particular embodiments have been illustrated and described herein , it should be understood that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter . moreover , although various aspects of the claimed subject matter have been described herein , such aspects need not be utilized in combination . it is therefore intended that the appended claims cover all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of the claimed subject matter . | 1 |
fig1 and 2 show a buckle 10 embodying the present invention in coupled disposition . the buckle 10 is made of synthetic resin and broadly comprises a socket 11 and a plug 12 for coupling engagement with the socket 11 . the socket 11 generally comprises a socket body 13 and a belt attaching portion 21 shown in fig3 through 5 and a locking plate 14 shown in fig6 through 9 . the socket body 13 is in the form of a rectangular hollow case and comprises a pair of upper and lower walls 15 , 23 , a pair of side walls 37 , 38 joining the upper and lower walls 15 , 23 on and along their respective lateral edges and a rear wall 20 connecting the side walls 37 , 38 at their respective rear ends to thus define therebetween a guide chamber 18 made open forwardly for receiving therein protuberant arms 42 of the plug 12 as closely described hereinafter . the front wall 15 has a u - shaped cut - away slit 16 formed therein to thus define therebetween a tongue - like cantilevered resilient presser flap 17 . the presser flap 17 has a groove 19 formed in its upper surface at its proximal end to thus yieldingly flex downwardly or toward the lower wall 23 . as shown in fig4 the rear wall 20 has a thickness such that its upper surface is slightly lower than that of the front wall 15 . the lower wall 23 has a cantilevered resilient engaging flap 24 provided on the inner surface thereof so as to project slantly upwards toward the rear wall 20 . the engaging flap 24 has an engaging step 25 on its upper surface at its distal end for snapping engagement with engaging hooks 43 of protuberant arms 42 , 42 of the plug 12 as described hereinbelow . similarly , the engaging flap 24 has a furrow 26 formed in its lower surface at its proximal end to thus yieldingly flex downwardly or toward the lower wall 23 . the resilient presser flap 17 is recessed at 27 in its middle to thus provide a guide plate 28 . the guide plate 28 has a pair of guide slits 29 , 29 formed therein and arranged in parallel spaced relation to each other along the side walls 37 , 38 . although the pair of guide slits 29 , 29 are formed in the illustrated embodiment ; instead , either one of the guide slits 29 , 29 will do . as shown in fig3 each of the guide slits 29 , 29 has a pair of notches 30 , 30 on its out side edge to coact with the fitting lugs 34 , 34 of the locking plate 14 in retaining the locking plate 14 either in locking position or in unlocking position . although the pair of notches 30 , 30 are shown here to be formed for each slit 29 , the number of the notches 30 may be either one or more than two for each slit 29 . as better shown in fig4 the guide plate 28 has on its lower surface adjacent to the distal side on its middle a presser projection 31 which projects downwardly into the guide chamber 18 and is adapted to depress the resilient engaging flap 24 against its resiliency . the belt attaching portion 21 comprises a pair of extensions 37 &# 39 ;, 38 &# 39 ; integrally extending from the side walls 37 , 38 and a belt attaching rod 21 &# 39 ; joining at its both ends the respective distal ends of the extensions 37 &# 39 ;, 38 &# 39 ; to thus define a belt - inserting transverse slot 22 between the extensions 37 &# 39 ;, 38 &# 39 ;, the belt attaching rod 21 &# 39 ; and the rear wall 20 . as shown in fig6 through 9 , the locking plate 14 is a substantially rectangular flat plate made of synthetic resin . the locking plate 14 has on its lower surface a pair of hooked engaging protuberances 32 , 32 for slidable engagement with the guide slits 29 , 29 of the resilient presser flap 17 . it is to be readily noticed that the number of the hooked engaging protuberances 32 , 32 correspond with the number of guide slits 29 , 29 to be slidably engaged therewith . since the locking plate 14 is made of flexible synthetic resin as mentioned above , forcing the locking plate 14 against the guide plate 28 with the engaging protuberances 32 , 32 of the former registering with the guide slits 29 , 29 of the latter would cause the engaging protuberances 32 , 32 yieldingly come into snapping engagement with the guide slits 29 , 29 as shown in fig1 , so that the locking plate 14 is slidably mounted on the guide plate 28 of the presser flap 17 as shown in fig1 . the locking plate 14 has on its lower surface at its rear end an abutment projection 33 which projects downwardly . reference numerals 34 , 34 denote a pair of engaging lugs one provided on the outer side of each engaging protuberance 32 , 32 . the engaging lugs 34 , 34 are adapted for fitting engagement with the notches 30 , 30 in order to selectively retain the locking plate 14 in locking position and in unlocking position . this lug - notch - engagement advantageously ensures that the locking plate 14 is firmly retained in locking position against unexpected unlocking . although each engaging projection 32 is shown to have only one fitting lug 34 , each engaging projection 32 may have a pair of juxtaposed fitting lugs 34 , 34 , in which event each guide slit 29 has two pairs of notches 30 , 30 correspondingly . this advantageously helps to prevent the locking plate 14 from accidentally getting tilted relative to the guide plate 28 during the manipulation of the locking plate 14 . as shown in fig6 the upper surface of the locking plate 14 is preferably marked with &# 34 ; free &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; lock &# 34 ;, so that the wearer could tell which position the locking plate 14 assumes at a glance . as shown in fig1 and 13 , the plug 12 generally comprises a belt attaching portion 40 and a pair of protuberant arms 42 , 42 . the belt attaching portion 40 is in the form of a rectangular frame and comprises front , intermediate and rear rods 46 , 41 , 45 and a pair of side plates 44 , 44 &# 39 ; joining these rods at their respective opposed ends . the pair of arms 42 , 42 extend integrally from the front rod 46 and project in side - by - side relation with each other in the plane of the belt attaching portion 40 . the protuberant arms 42 , 42 each have on its lower surface at its distal end an engaging hook 43 for snapping engagement with the engaging step 25 of the engaging flap 24 . for coupling the plug 12 and the socket 11 of the buckle 10 , the protuberant arms 42 , 42 of the plug 12 are thrusted into the opening 35 of the socket 11 , thus bringing the engaging hooks 42 , 42 into snapping engagement with the engaging step 25 of the engaging flap 24 so that the plug 12 is coupled with the socket 11 . for uncoupling the plug 12 from the socket 11 , the wearer only has to depress , with any finger of a single hand , the locking plate 14 and hence the cantilevered resilient presser flap 17 downwardly , thus causing the presser projection 31 pass through between the juxtaposed protuberant arms 42 , 42 of the plug 12 and come into depressing engagement with the resilient engaging flap 24 . as a result , the engaging hooks 43 43 of the protuberant arms 42 , 42 of the plug 12 comes out of engagement with the engaging step 25 of the engaging flap 24 , whereby the plug 12 get decoupled from the socket 11 . for locking the plug 12 and the socket 11 in coupled disposition , as shown in fig1 , the wearer only has to slide the locking plate 14 rearwardly , thus bringing the abutment projection 33 into abutting engagement with the rear wall 20 . this abutting engagement precludes further depression of the locking plate 14 , whereby the plug 12 and the socket 11 can be locked in coupled disposition . for unlocking the plug 12 and the socket 11 , as shown in fig1 and 14 , the wearer only has to slide back the locking plate 14 forwardly , thus bringing the abutment projection 33 out of abutting engagement with the rear wall 20 , so that the plug 12 and the socket 11 have now been unlocked . depressing the locking plate 14 in such unlocking position causes the plug 12 to be decoupled from the socket 11 , as described hereinabove . in the embodiment described hereinabove , the pair of protuberant arms 42 , 42 extend integrally from the front rod 46 and project in side - by - side relation with each other and the presser projection 31 of the presser flap 17 passes through between the thus juxtaposed protuberant arms 42 , 42 of the plug 12 so as to come into depressing engagement with the resilient engaging flap 24 . instead of the pair of protuberant arms 42 , 42 , only one arm 42 may extend integrally from the front rod 46 , which protuberant arm 42 has a through hole therein . in this instance , the presser projection 31 of the presser flap 17 passes through the through hole of the protuberant arm 42 to thus come into depressing engagement with the resilient engaging flap 24 . alternatively , the resilient engagement flap 24 may extend somewhat beyond the distal end of the single protuberant arm 42 of the plug 12 , when the plug 12 is fully inserted into the socket 11 . the presser projection 31 passes off the distal end of the protuberant arm 42 to thus depress the resilient engaging flap 24 . fig1 shows the buckle 10 wherein the locking plate 14 assumes the locking position . that portion of the guide plate 28 which is exposed by the assumption of the locking position by the locking plate 14 may depict the mark &# 34 ; lock &# 34 ;. with this mark depicted there , the wearer advantageously can tell whether the locking plate 14 assumes the locking position easily at a glance . with the construction of the present invention mentioned hereinabove , it is very easy to couple the plug and socket and lock them in the coupled disposition as well as to unlock and uncouple them ; particularly , in the latter event , the wearer can unlock and uncouple the plug and socket with only one touch , specifically by sliding and concurrently depressing the locking plate with one finger of one hand . furthermore , the locking plate can be assuredly retained either in the locking position or in the unlocking position so that there would be no likelihood that the buckle is uncoupled unexpectedly due to accidental unlocking of the locking plate even under severe stresses exerted on the buckle . obviously , various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teaching . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . | 8 |
embodiments disclosed herein intelligently reduce or eliminate noise when matching and scoring concepts in a deep question answering ( deep qa ) system , improving the accuracy and confidence of the system &# 39 ; s answer . the deep qa system is initially trained against a sample case ( or cases ) in order to produce a machine learning ( ml ) model . the ml model assigns weights to the systems &# 39 ; various analysis programs according to how well they predict correct answers to the case . the ml approach is then applied at the concept level to further improve accuracy . therefore , after the system has been trained , there will be an additional ml model , the concept ml model , which is used at runtime to reduce or eliminate concept noise and improve scoring accuracy . in creating the concept ml model , embodiments disclosed herein use concept matching as a technique to establish the degree of relevancy for a candidate answer to a given question , or for a piece of supporting evidence to a question / candidate answer pair . concept matching involves detecting a set of domain specific concepts within both the question and the item being evaluated for relevancy ( either a candidate answer or a supporting evidence article ), then computing a relevancy score based on the presence of matching concepts in the question / candidate answer pair , or the presence of relationships between concepts in the question and those within the candidate answer being evaluated . an example of a type of concept relationship may be a specialization relationship where one concept can be viewed as a more specialized instance of another . for example , “ adenocarcinoma ” may be a more specific type of the concept “ cancer .” a highly relevant article or candidate answer may have a higher degree of congruence with the concepts and related concepts within the question . the relevancy score computed in this manner may be combined with overall sentiment to arrive at a feature score that may be used to rank candidate answers and establish confidence in those answers . sentiment may refer to the overall positive or negative statement made in one set of information about another . sentiment may be important when evaluating how supportive a piece of supporting evidence is of a given candidate answer . furthermore , the combination of relevance and sentiment are important to consider . embodiments disclosed herein may find highly relevant articles and combine them with sentiment to arrive at a view of how much a given article supports a candidate hypothesis . for example , an article may talk about a given treatment in light of patients that are very similar to the current patient . if the article goes on to say patients had diminished life expectancy , the article may be labeled as having negative sentiment . if the article goes on to say patients using the treatment were cured , the sentiment of the article may be positive . it may be desirable for a highly relevant candidate answer or supporting evidence article to carry more weight in this determination , e . g ., a highly relevant article that indicates a given cancer treatment has been proven to be effective may carry more weight than a less relevant article relative to the same question and / or candidate answer . concept matching may be applied in any domain for which there is a bounded ontology or defined set of concepts . in healthcare , the unified medical language system ( umls ) has been used for this purpose . umls identifies a wide range of concepts which apply in the field of healthcare , including synonymous ways of expressing the same concept , a semantic type system over the concepts , and various type relationships which exist between concepts . a problem with using ontologies like umls for concept matching may be that some of the concepts defined within the ontology may be useful for establishing relevancy , while others contribute no value to the relevancy determination . this latter set of concepts may be referred to as “ noise .” for example , temporal concepts defined within umls include the terms “ year ” and “ old .” the term “ found ” is a sign or symptom concept also defined in umls . none of these concepts are very useful for establishing relevancy to most classes of questions . therefore , in those cases , it may be desirable to remove these “ noisy ” concepts from the concept matching algorithm in order to minimize their effect . determining which concepts to exclude from matching and how to weight various types of relationships between concepts has heretofore been a manual , experiment driven process . embodiments disclosed herein utilize machine learning to determine , statistically , how well a given concept contributes to our understanding of relevancy . the features used for this purpose may include the concepts and concept relationships within a given ontology . concept matching scores may be computed to reflect whether matching concepts were found in question and candidate answers or supporting evidence , or whether specific related concepts were found between questions and candidate answers or supporting evidence . an answer key may be used during the machine learning process to indicate whether a given candidate answer or supporting passage was relevant or not relevant to a given question . the model produced through the machine learning process may define how to weight each concept and each concept relationship , such that those concepts that are good predictors of relevancy are weighted highly , and those that are poor predictors are weighted lower . these weights may be used to aggregate a set of concept and concept relationship scores into a single relevancy score , or to filter out those concepts that fall below a given threshold , as defined by the machine learning model . both approaches result in noisy concepts having little or no impact where overall relevancy is determined based on the concept matching approach . accordingly , approaches are disclosed herein for reducing the presence of noisy concepts . in the following , reference is made to embodiments of the disclosure . however , it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited to specific described embodiments . instead , any combination of the following features and elements , whether related to different embodiments or not , is contemplated to implement and practice the disclosure . furthermore , although embodiments of the disclosure may achieve advantages over other possible solutions and / or over the prior art , whether or not a particular advantage is achieved by a given embodiment is not limiting of the disclosure . thus , the following aspects , features , embodiments and advantages are merely illustrative and are not considered elements or limitations of the appended claims except where explicitly recited in a claim ( s ). likewise , reference to “ the invention ” shall not be construed as a generalization of any inventive subject matter disclosed herein and shall not be considered to be an element or limitation of the appended claims except where explicitly recited in a claim ( s ). as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art , aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied as a system , method or computer program product . accordingly , aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment , an entirely software embodiment ( including firmware , resident software , micro - code , etc .) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “ circuit ,” “ module ” or “ system .” furthermore , aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium ( s ) having computer readable program code embodied thereon . any combination of one or more computer readable medium ( s ) may be utilized . the computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium . a computer readable storage medium may be , for example , but not limited to , an electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared , or semiconductor system , apparatus , or device , or any suitable combination of the foregoing . more specific examples ( a non - exhaustive list ) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following : an electrical connection having one or more wires , a portable computer diskette , a hard disk , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), an erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom or flash memory ), an optical fiber , a portable compact disc read - only memory ( cd - rom ), an optical storage device , a magnetic storage device , or any suitable combination of the foregoing . in the context of this document , a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain , or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . a computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein , for example , in baseband or as part of a carrier wave . such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms , including , but not limited to , electro - magnetic , optical , or any suitable combination thereof . a computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate , propagate , or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium , including but not limited to wireless , wireline , optical fiber cable , rf , etc ., or any suitable combination of the foregoing . computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages , including an object oriented programming language such as java , smalltalk , c ++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages , such as the “ c ” programming language or similar programming languages . the program code may execute entirely on the user &# 39 ; s computer , partly on the user &# 39 ; s computer , as a stand - alone software package , partly on the user &# 39 ; s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server . in the latter scenario , the remote computer may be connected to the user &# 39 ; s computer through any type of network , including a local area network ( lan ) or a wide area network ( wan ), or the connection may be made to an external computer ( for example , through the internet using an internet service provider ). aspects of the present disclosure are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods , apparatus ( systems ) and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure . it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams , and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams , can be implemented by computer program instructions . these computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer , special purpose computer , or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine , such that the instructions , which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus , create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . these computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer , other programmable data processing apparatus , or other devices to function in a particular manner , such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . the computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer , other programmable data processing apparatus , or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer , other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . embodiments of the disclosure may be provided to end users through a cloud computing infrastructure . cloud computing generally refers to the provision of scalable computing resources as a service over a network . more formally , cloud computing may be defined as a computing capability that provides an abstraction between the computing resource and its underlying technical architecture ( e . g ., servers , storage , networks ), enabling convenient , on - demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction . thus , cloud computing allows a user to access virtual computing resources ( e . g ., storage , data , applications , and even complete virtualized computing systems ) in “ the cloud ,” without regard for the underlying physical systems ( or locations of those systems ) used to provide the computing resources . typically , cloud computing resources are provided to a user on a pay - per - use basis , where users are charged only for the computing resources actually used ( e . g . an amount of storage space consumed by a user or a number of virtualized systems instantiated by the user ). a user can access any of the resources that reside in the cloud at any time , and from anywhere across the internet . in context of the present disclosure , a user may access a deep question answering system or related data available in the cloud . for example , the deep question answering system could execute on a computing system in the cloud and score concept relevance in an effort to reduce the number of irrelevant concepts used in answering questions . in such a case , the deep question answering system could score different concepts and store the concept scores at a storage location in the cloud . doing so allows a user to access this information from any computing system attached to a network connected to the cloud ( e . g ., the internet ). fig1 is a block diagram illustrating a system 100 for concept noise reduction in deep question answering systems , according to one embodiment disclosed herein . the networked system 100 includes a computer 102 . the computer 102 may also be connected to other computers via a network 130 . in general , the network 130 may be a telecommunications network and / or a wide area network ( wan ). in a particular embodiment , the network 130 is the internet . the computer 102 generally includes a processor 104 connected via a bus 120 to a memory 106 , a network interface device 118 , a storage 108 , an input device 122 , and an output device 124 . the computer 102 is generally under the control of an operating system ( not shown ). examples of operating systems include the unix operating system , versions of the microsoft windows operating system , and distributions of the linux operating system . ( unix is a registered trademark of the open group in the united states and other countries . microsoft and windows are trademarks of microsoft corporation in the united states , other countries , or both . linux is a registered trademark of linus torvalds in the united states , other countries , or both .) more generally , any operating system supporting the functions disclosed herein may be used . the processor 104 is included to be representative of a single cpu , multiple cpus , a single cpu having multiple processing cores , and the like . similarly , the memory 106 may be a random access memory . while the memory 106 is shown as a single identity , it should be understood that the memory 106 may comprise a plurality of modules , and that the memory 106 may exist at multiple levels , from high speed registers and caches to lower speed but larger dram chips . the network interface device 118 may be any type of network communications device allowing the computer 102 to communicate with other computers via the network 130 . the storage 108 may be a persistent storage device . although the storage 108 is shown as a single unit , the storage 108 may be a combination of fixed and / or removable storage devices , such as fixed disc drives , solid state drives , floppy disc drives , tape drives , removable memory cards or optical storage . the memory 106 and the storage 108 may be part of one virtual address space spanning multiple primary and secondary storage devices . as shown , the memory 106 contains the qa application 112 , which is an application generally configured to operate a deep question answering ( qa ) system . one example of a deep question answering system is watson , by the ibm corporation of armonk , n . y . a user may submit a case ( also referred to as a question ) to the qa application 112 , which will then provide an answer to the case based on an analysis of a corpus of information . the qa application 112 may analyze the questions presented in the case to identify concepts in the question . based on the questions , the qa application 112 may identify a number of candidate answers . the qa application 112 may then find supporting evidence for the candidate answers . the qa application 112 may then score and rank the candidate answers , merge the results , and present the best answer as its response to the case . additionally , the qa application 112 may be trained to identify concepts which are particularly relevant ( or irrelevant ) in answering particular types of questions . based on this machine learning , the qa application 112 may , when presented a case at runtime , identify and score concepts in the case which are relevant or irrelevant . upon scoring the concepts , the qa application 112 may place extra weight on relevant concepts and discard concepts identified as irrelevant in returning a response / answer to the case . as shown , storage 108 contains the ontology 110 , which provides a structural framework for organizing information . an ontology formally represents knowledge as a set of concepts within a domain , and the relationships between those concepts . the storage 108 also includes a corpus 114 , which is a body of information used by the qa application 112 to generate answers to cases . for example , the corpus 114 may contain scholarly articles , dictionary definitions , encyclopedia references , and the like . additionally , the storage 108 includes machine learning ( ml ) models 116 , which are models created by the qa application 112 to reduce or eliminate concept noise and improve scoring accuracy . although depicted as a database , the ontology 110 , corpus 114 , and ml models 116 may take any form sufficient to store data , including text files , xml data files , and the like . in one embodiment , the ontology 110 is part of the corpus 114 . although depicted as residing on the same computer , any combination of the qa application 112 , the ontology 110 , corpus 114 , and ml models 116 may reside on the same or different computers . the input device 122 may be any device for providing input to the computer 102 . for example , a keyboard and / or a mouse may be used . the output device 124 may be any device for providing output to a user of the computer 102 . for example , the output device 124 may be any conventional display screen or set of speakers . although shown separately from the input device 122 , the output device 124 and input device 122 may be combined . for example , a display screen with an integrated touch - screen may be used . fig2 is a flow chart illustrating a method 200 for concept noise reduction in deep question answering systems , according to one embodiment disclosed herein . generally , the method 200 implements techniques to reduce the number of irrelevant concepts analyzed in generating a response to a case presented to a deep question answering ( deep qa ) system , such as the qa application 112 . at step 210 , the qa application 112 is trained to generate concept machine learning models using machine learning . when the qa application 112 is trained , a machine learning ( ml ) model is produced which assigns weights to the various analysis programs of the qa application 112 according to their ability to predict correct answers to the cases presented . the qa application 112 may apply this machine learning approach at the concept level to further improve accuracy . therefore , after the qa application 112 is trained , there will be an additional ml model , a concept ml model , which is stored in the ml models 116 and used by the qa application 112 at runtime to reduce or eliminate concept noise and improve scoring accuracy . one embodiment of training a deep question answering system to generate a concept machine learning model using machine learning in step 210 is described in greater detail below with reference to fig3 . at step 220 , the qa application 112 receives a case from a user . the case may be a question , such as , “ which university from north carolina has the most basketball championships ?” the case may also be a more complex , detailed scenario , such as a patient &# 39 ; s medical information , history , and symptoms , which are provided to the qa application 112 with the expectation that the qa application 112 will provide an accurate diagnosis , recommend appropriate treatments , and the like . at step 230 , the qa application 112 analyzes the case to generate candidate answers from the corpus 114 . in one embodiment , the qa application 112 may identify concepts in the case to facilitate the generation of candidate answers . at step 240 , the qa application 112 retrieves supporting evidence for the candidate answers from the corpus 114 . at step 250 , the qa application 112 scores concepts in the candidate answers and supporting evidence to apply the appropriate weight to the concepts in reaching a final answer . if the concept is particularly relevant in determining a correct answer to the question / case , the qa application 112 may weigh the concept accordingly . if the concept is not relevant , then the qa application 112 may ignore the concept . the scoring of concepts in step 250 is described in greater detail with reference to fig4 . in some embodiments , a case may have many questions , and the steps 230 - 250 of the method 200 must be performed for each question such that a correct answer for each question may be generated . at step 260 , the qa application 112 returns a response to the case with the correct answers to each question . fig3 is a flow chart illustrating a method 300 corresponding to step 210 to train a deep question answering system to generate a concept machine learning model using machine learning , according to one embodiment disclosed herein . generally , the method 300 includes providing the qa application 112 with enough training data , which , over time , allows the qa application 112 to produce appropriate weights for a given concept . in one embodiment , the qa application 112 performs the steps of the method 300 . at step 310 , the qa application 112 receives a training case and an answer key to the training case . the answer key may indicate the correct answers to the training case , and is used to train the qa application 112 to reach the correct answers . in one embodiment , the answer key may indicate one or more documents or articles in the corpus 114 which contain the correct answer to the training case . at step 320 , the qa application 112 executes a loop containing steps 330 - 380 for each question presented in the case . a case , which is the overall query submitted to the qa application 112 , may be comprised of multiple questions , each of which may have several concepts . at step 330 , the qa application 112 identifies the concepts in the case . in one embodiment , the qa application 112 may identify concepts by applying an ontology to the unstructured text of the question , candidate answer , or supporting evidence . ontologies may define domain specific terms and synonyms for those terms . the set of terms and synonymous terms may be used to detect concepts which fall within the scope of the ontology in question . the qa application 112 may also use text analysis to identify the concepts in the case . at step 340 , the qa application 112 executes a loop containing steps 350 - 370 for each concept in the question . at step 350 , the qa application 112 computes a concept matching score . the concept matching score may be computed based on the likelihood that the concept leads the qa application 112 to produce the correct answer as defined in the answer key . concept matching scores reflect the extent to which a concept found in one place ( e . g . the question ) is also expressed within another ( e . g . the candidate answer ). a number of approaches may be used to arrive at a concept match score . in one embodiment , the qa application 112 may look for an exact match in concepts between the two sources in question . in another embodiment , the qa application 112 may assign partial scores based on existence of a related concept in the other source ( e . g . a match score may be given , recognizing there is a relationship between bevacizumab and chemotherapy drugs , such as bevacizumab “ is a ” chemo drug ). the concept matching score may be based on any scale suitable to indicate a range of scores . for example , the question may ask , “ who was the 10 th president of the united states ?” a concept labeled “ u . s . presidents ” in the ontology 110 may lead to an ordered listing of u . s . presidents in the corpus 114 , through which the qa application 112 may determine the correct answer . based on such a scenario , the qa application 112 may compute a very high concept matching score for the concept “ u . s . presidents ” when the question pertains to u . s . presidents . additionally , the qa application 112 may note the type ( or class ) of question that the concept was particularly effective at answering , as there may be other types of questions for which the concept “ u . s . presidents ” may not be relevant for producing correct answers . the qa application 112 may include in a respective concept ml model a coefficient weighting the question class accordingly . expounding on this president example , a question may mention “ george washington ,” a candidate answer may mention “ abraham lincoln ,” and the ontology recognizes the concept “ u . s . presidents .” in such a scenario , both the question and candidate answer would contain an instance of that concept , but with different values for the concept . a concept matching algorithm may result in a low score , since the values for the concepts do not match . embodiments disclosed herein determine how much weight to give to the fact that we did ( or did not ) match the “ u . s . president ” concept . if the question asked , “ what currency is george washington featured on ?” the “ u . s . president ” concept may be heavily weighted , while another concept , such as “ monetary value ” would not . at step 360 , the computed concept matching score is inputted to the concept machine learning model . at step 370 , the qa application 112 determines whether more concepts remain in the question . if more concepts remain , the qa application 112 returns to step 340 . otherwise , the qa application 112 proceeds to step 380 . at step 380 , the qa application 112 determines whether more questions remain in the case . if more questions remain , the qa application 112 returns to step 320 . otherwise , the qa application 112 proceeds to step 390 . at step 390 , the concept machine learning model is returned . in one embodiment , the concept machine learning model may be stored in the ml models 116 , which may be used by the qa application 112 during runtime execution to reduce concept noise . fig4 is a flow chart illustrating a method 400 corresponding to step 250 to score concepts in candidate answers and supporting evidence , according to one embodiment disclosed herein . generally , the steps of the method 400 allow the qa application 112 to use the concept ml models at runtime to eliminate noisy concepts and place more emphasis on relevant concepts when producing a response to a case . in one embodiment , the qa application 112 performs the steps of the method 400 . at step 410 , the qa application 112 executes a loop including steps 420 - 450 for each concept appearing in each candidate answer and the supporting evidence for each candidate answer . at step 420 , the qa application 112 computes a concept matching score for the current concept . in one embodiment , the concept matching score may be based on the qa application 112 determining that the concept is present in both the question and the candidate answer or supporting evidence . for example , if the concept “ farming ” is found in both the question and the candidate answer ( or supporting evidence for the candidate answer ), the qa application 112 may assign a concept matching score indicative of a high relevance to the concept of “ farming .” in another embodiment , the concept matching score may be based on the qa application 112 determining that concepts related to the concept were found between the question and the candidate answer or supporting evidence . for example , if the concept in the question is “ farming ,” and the candidate answer or supporting evidence includes the concept “ organic gardening ,” which is defined in the ontology 110 as being related to “ farming ,” the qa application 112 may assign a concept matching score indicative of a high relevance to the concept of “ organic gardening .” additionally , if the concept , or related concepts , are not found between the question and candidate answer / supporting evidence , the qa application 112 may assign a concept matching score indicative of a low relevance to the concept , such that it may not be considered when computing a final answer . in one embodiment , two concept matching scores for each concept may be produced . an exact match concept matching score may indicate that an exact match for the concept was found , while a related concept matching score may indicate that a related concept was found . the qa application 112 may look to the concept machine learning model to weigh these two scores , as the nature of the data used to train the machine learning model influences how much weight is applied to each of the two concept matching scores . the qa application 112 may also consider directionality . in some cases , it may be important to consider which “ side ” ( the question side or the candidate answer / evidence side ) the concept falls on when scoring concepts . for example , the qa application 112 may receive a question asking whether a medical procedure is medically necessary from an insurance company to determine whether to pay for a procedure . if a case indicates that the patient has “ breast cancer ,” and the appropriate answer ( based on the company &# 39 ; s policies , stored in the corpus ) is that treatment for all types of “ cancer ” is medically necessary , then this should receive a very high score . however , if the case requires more specificity , such as where the case mentions “ cancer ,” but the candidate answer mentions “ breast cancer ,” then that should receive a low score indicating whether the procedure is medically necessary . at step 430 , the qa application 112 may choose the appropriate concept ml model based on the current question class . as stated above , during training , the qa application 112 includes the question class in computing the ml concept models , because a concept may be relevant for one type of question , but irrelevant for a large number of other classes of questions ( or vice versa ). therefore , in the “ farming ” example given above , the concept model for farming questions may be chosen from the ml models 116 . at step 440 , the qa application 112 applies the model &# 39 ; s coefficient to adjust the concept matching score . for example , if the “ farming ” concept model indicates that “ organic gardening ” should be weighted more heavily , the coefficient may be applied to increase the concept matching score for “ organic gardening .” conversely , if the model indicates that “ organic gardening ” is not relevant , and should be ignored , the coefficient may be applied to further decrease the concept matching score for “ organic gardening .” additionally , if “ farming ” returned a low concept score , but the ml concept model indicates that “ farming ” is an important concept in answering this class of question , the concept will be included for scoring the answer , as the concept matching score will be increased to reflect this importance . at step 450 , the qa application 112 determines whether more concepts and candidate answers or supporting evidence remain to be analyzed . if so , the qa application 112 returns to step 410 . otherwise , the qa application 112 proceeds to step 460 . in one embodiment , at step 460 , the qa application 112 may aggregate all concept matching scores into a single relevancy score . in one embodiment , the qa application 112 applies weighting factors to each concept matching score prior to aggregation . the weighting factors may be established by the machine learning concept model to reflect the overall significance and impact each concept has on establishing relevancy . in another embodiment , at step 470 , the qa application 112 may filter out irrelevant concepts . for example , if the adjusted concept matching score falls below a predefined minimum concept relevance threshold , the concept may not be considered in reaching a final answer . any concepts whose matching score is above this threshold may be considered important and should be included in scoring the candidate answer . in one embodiment , multiple overall relevance scores may be calculated using different threshold values in concept weight from the machine learning model . one relevancy score may then be computed , using just the concepts , with a model weight above , for example , 0 . 5 , and another relevancy score may be computed using concepts with a model weight above 0 . 7 . at step 480 , the qa application 112 may compute the final score and return an answer to the case based on the computed concept matching scores . in one embodiment , a total concept matching score may be computed by summing the computed concept matching score of each concept , which may be used to determine an ultimate answer to the case . additionally , the ul machine learning concept model may provide weights the qa application 112 may apply to each individual concept in determining the total concept matching score . by training the qa application 112 , it will produce appropriate weights for each concept . when each candidate answer is evaluated at runtime , the qa application 112 will take into account the concept &# 39 ; s weight during answer scoring . if a concept is generally “ meaningless ,” it will have a corresponding low weight , and thus , if there are no matches to the concept within the question , the resulting score for that concept will not adversely affect the overall score . additionally , when a candidate answer is evaluated at runtime , each concept within the candidate answer is given a score based on how well it matches to similar concepts in the question . the qa application 112 may then employ the machine learning to filter out concept noise . if the concept ml model weight for a particular concept is greater than a predefined noise threshold , then the qa application 112 keeps the concept , regardless of the concept matching score , as the concept has been determined to be relevant for answering this type of question . in addition , the qa application 112 compares the computed concept matching score to the concept noise threshold on a question by question basis . the flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture , functionality , and operation of possible implementations of systems , methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure . in this regard , each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module , segment , or portion of code , which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function ( s ). it should also be noted that , in some alternative implementations , the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures . for example , two blocks shown in succession may , in fact , be executed substantially concurrently , or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order , depending upon the functionality involved . it will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration , and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration , can be implemented by special purpose hardware - based systems that perform the specified functions or acts , or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions . while the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure , other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof , and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow . | 6 |
the present invention has general applicability but is most advantageously utilized in an appliance , an example of which is shown in fig1 . it is to be understood that the present invention also has use in an automatic washer , but the present invention will be described as used primarily in an automatic clothes dryer , which constitutes the preferred embodiment . a clothes dryer 10 has an outer cabinet 12 with an access port 14 in a front of the cabinet 12 . within the cabinet 12 there is provided a clothes tumbling drum 16 mounted for rotation about a horizontal central axis . the drum 16 is cylindrical in shape and has paddles 17 . the drum 16 is driven by a belt 19 which is connected to a motor 21 as is known in the art . the clothes dryer 10 is typically provided with a control arrangement such that an operator , by manually setting a control knob 18 and activating a push to start switch ( not shown ) causes the machine to start and automatically proceed through a desired drying cycle . the clothes dryer 10 is provided with an inlet duct 20 which has a cover grill 22 out of which air flows after being heated by a heating element 24 in the inlet duct 20 . a blower housing assembly 26 is also provided and air from the drum 16 exits through a cover grill 28 through a discharge duct 30 and out to the atmosphere . within the discharge duct 30 a thermostat 32 is located and adjacent the thermostat is a bias heater 34 . a blower motor ( not shown ) causes air to be pulled out of the drum 16 thus causing the air to flow through the inlet duct 30 . as the air exits the drum 16 it flows over the thermostat 32 . the thermostat 32 has a predetermined set point at which it will cause the heating elements 24 in the inlet duct to turn off . for example , the thermostat may be set at 75 ° c . the thermostat is heated by both the air flowing out of the drum 16 and by the bias heater 34 . a microprocessor via a control circuit operates the motor 21 as well as the thermostat 32 and bias heater 34 to effect proper drying of a load of clothes . the present invention is most advantageously utilized in the control of an induction motor used in an automatic washing machine and / or an automatic clothes dryer . fig2 is a schematic block diagram of an induction motor 100 having a winding 102 connected to an alternating voltage , v l , at terminal 104 , and via a triac 106 to ground or the neutral of the alternating voltage . as is well known in the art , the motor 100 may be controlled by means of a microprocessor 108 via a trigger boost circuit or control circuit 110 which is connected to a gate g of the triac 106 . the microprocessor 108 causes a signal from the control circuit 110 to be applied to the gate g of the triac 106 typically during each half cycle of the alternating voltage v l . once the triac 106 is triggered into conduction , and a current flows through the winding 102 , thus energizing the motor 100 , the triac 106 will continue to conduct until the next zero crossing of the current . the amount of time after the zero crossing at which the triac is re - triggered into conduction affects the speed of the motor 100 . as shown in fig3 the voltage v l may be sinusoidal , having a zero voltage level or a zero crossing at v zx . the current which flows through the winding 102 of the induction motor 100 is out of phase with the applied voltage v l and when the motor is operating at a high speed , may be represented for example by the &# 34 ; fast &# 34 ; curve i mf and when the motor is operated at a low speed may be represented by the &# 34 ; slow &# 34 ; curve i ms . for a particular operation and speed of the motor 100 , for example , the triac 106 may be triggered into conduction at point in time t 1 . at a later point in time t 2 , corresponding to the zero crossing of the current , the triac 106 will turn off . the zero crossing of the current through the winding 102 is referred to in fig3 as c zx . the time from the zero crossing of the current c zx until the following triggering at time t 1 of the triac 106 may be a fixed value or may be a variable value which is determined by the microprocessor from other parameters . the induction motor 100 has a speed which may be controlled by maintaining the timing interval between the zero current crossing c zx and the moment of triggering t 1 . as explained above , the time interval between the voltage zero crossing v zx and the current zero crossing c zx is shorter for a motor losing speed . in other words , the current lags the voltage by a smaller phase angle amount and thus c zx moves closer to v zx . when triggering is based on a fixed time interval from c zx the triggering also moves to the left in fig3 for a motor losing speed . this triggers the triac 106 earlier in time , which will make the motor speed up . these two opposing conditions , therefore , cause the motor to seek equilibrium . it can be seen that this condition can occur at every half line cycle . as shown in fig2 circuit block 112 senses the zero crossing of the supply voltage v l and provides an output signal , v zx , indicative of this to the microprocessor 108 . circuit block 114 determines the zero crossing of the current flowing through winding 102 from the voltage v t across the triac 106 and produces the signal c zx for the microprocessor 108 . as shown in fig4 the voltage zero crossing sensor 112 is connected directly to the line voltage v l at terminal 104 . the line voltage v l is connected via resistors and capacitor r1 , r2 and cl as shown in fig3 to the base of a transistor q1 . as the voltage at v l rises above ground , q1 becomes forward biased and turns on , pulling its output , v zx to ground . the current sensing block 114 has its input connected to receive the voltage v t and when the triac 106 is conducting negative current v t is negative which keeps transistor q2 in an off condition . the base of transistor q2 is connected through resistors r3 and r4 to the voltage v t . when the triac 106 goes into the nonconducting state , the voltage v t rises , thereby forward biasing q2 which pulls its output c zx to ground . thus , the time between v zx being pulled to ground and the time c zx is pulled to ground is a function of motor speed and loading . this information can then be used by the microprocessor 108 to determine the time of triggering triac 106 through the circuit 110 . as stated above , the motor 100 can be caused to keep a constant speed in consideration of changing load conditions or can be caused to accelerate or decelerate depending upon the application . the microprocessor 108 is not described or shown in detail as there are many suitable microprocessors available which can be easily programmed by one skilled in the art . fig5 shows a more detailed graph of the voltages in the fig2 and 4 circuits . as was stated above , as long as there is sufficient current flowing through the triac 106 , the polarity of the voltage v t across the triac is always in phase with the current flowing through the triac and the winding 102 . for example , when the motor - triac current flows from v l to n , v t is greater than or equal to + 1 . 6 volts . this biases transistor q2 and turns on q2 thereby pulling c zx low . conversely , when the motor - triac current flows up from n to v l , v t is less than or equal to - 1 . 6 volts . transistor q 2 is off and c zx is held high . it is to be noted that both the positive current zero crossings and the negative current zero crossings can be detected with this circuit . zener diode z 1 as shown in fig4 prevents excessive power dissipation in the base of the transistor q 2 . during times when the triac 106 is in an off condition and the voltage v t approaches the line voltage v l , excessive voltage levels which could stress the transistor q2 are diverted through the zener diode z 1 . as can be seen in fig5 the voltage v t changes state between a near zero level and a higher level at each zero crossing of the current flowing through the triac 106 and the winding 102 . the voltage , v t , across the triac 106 provides certain information which may be utilized by the microprocessor in operating the automatic dryer and / or washer . for example , if v t is significantly less than v l because of the motor 100 &# 39 ; s large back emf , this indicates to the microprocessor that the motor is running . if the voltage v t is approximately equal to the voltage v l because of a decrease in the back emf of the motor , this result indicates to the microprocessor that the motor is in a locked rotor position . this is so because when the induction motor is running there is always a certain amount of what may be referred to is as a back emf . this can be seen in fig5 as a difference v emf between v l and v t . also , if the motor 100 is jammed , the back emf of the motor will be small , which in turn means that v t will be very large . the circuit and method described above can be used to sense and redistribute an unbalanced load of clothes in either an automatic washer or an automatic dryer which has a rotation about a horizontal axis . thus , the load in the appliance may be distributed evenly before accelerating to a high speed . the voltage v t off ( see fig5 ) varies as a function of rotor speed in an induction motor . the harder the motor is working , for example , when it is lifting an unbalanced load of clothes , the slower the rotation and the closer to applied line voltage v t off approaches . when variations in successive measurements of v t off exceed some threshold limit , an unacceptably balanced distribution of the clothes load has been detected . in order to effect the redistribution of this unbalanced load , a time is determined at which the speed of the rotating drum is to be suddenly slowed or suddenly accelerated . sudden slowing of the drum causes the clump of clothes to begin to fall off one of the paddles that is lifting it . since the items in this group of clothing are not all equally distant from the bottom of the drum towards which they are falling , the sudden increasing of the surface speed to which the items are falling tends to spread out the items . breaking and accelerating of the drum can be controlled by the microprocessor 108 . since it is possible now to evenly balance the clothes in a horizontal axis washer , higher spin rates are possible as compared to prior art devices . in another embodiment of the present invention , illustrated in fig7 it is possible to predict the drying time of a load of clothes in an automatic dryer . as shown in fig7 the voltage vt is connected to a diode d , and a resistor network r 5 , r 6 is connected to an eight bit analog - to - digital converter 120 , which receives an input approximately equal to v t / 40 . the output of the converter 120 is the value v - triac - off . this output is read by the microprocessor 108 and successive readings are stored internally . the microprocessor 108 accesses a memory 109 in which is stored the data for different drying curves . every load of clothes dries at a rate which is determined by its size and character . larger loads take longer than small loads , cottons take longer than synthetics , and bulky loads take longer than shears . the graph shown in fig6 shows the time versus water retention for different sizes and types of materials in loads . the microprocessor memory 109 contains data with respect to the rate of drying for different types of loads . this data may be empirically prepared by experimentally weighing the clothes every few minutes and graphing the water retention versus time . from this data an extrapolation can be made as to when the clothes should be dry . the slope of the graph is a function of the rate that water is being removed . it has been found that these graphs follow a linear curve quite closely as the clothes are tumbled , for example , in a horizontal axis automatic dryer . when the heater coils in a dryer are cycled on and off , nonlinearities are introduced into the curve of the graph . to finish drying a load of clothes , an additional drying time period is added on according to the operator &# 39 ; s dryness selection . from the graph of fig6 it can be seen that loads of 3 #, 6 #, 9 # and 12 # take about 9 minutes longer to dry for each 3 # increment from a 65 % retention level to a 15 % retention level . the present invention implements the above method to effect the drying of loads as follows : from a stopped drum position , the voltage v t is digitized by converter 120 to provide a direct measurement of line voltage and then the drum is started . when the clothes fall off a paddle , the motor will attain full speed . the voltage v t across the triac after the triac has commutated off will be at a minimum value , v triac - off - min , indicating maximum speed has been achieved . the clothes will be lifted in a clump by a paddle until several tumbles have occurred and will slow the motor down in proportion to the weight of the load . when the motor has slowed to a minimum speed , the voltage v t across the triac will be at a maximum value , v triac - off - max , indicating maximum lift . the magnitude of the difference between v - triac - off - max and v - triac - off - min , adjusted for line voltage variations , will be a function of the load weight . the calculated difference is stored by the microprocessor as the initial weight of the load . the microprocessor next takes at least two successive measurements of v - triac - off . if the first measurement of v - triac - off - max minus v - triac - off - min is large , then the microprocessor can assume the load contains much water and wait , for example , for 10 minutes before stopping the drum and taking another measurement of load weight . if the initial value of v - triac - off - max minus v - triac - off - min is small , then the load contains less water and another measurement can be taken , for example , after 5 minutes . successive measurements of v - triac - off - max minus v - triac - off - min are taken to determine data points that will define a graph of the rate of change of the percentage of water retention versus time . these can be matched with one of , for example , 16 different drying curves stored in the memory of the microprocessor . from a look - up table and the operator &# 39 ; s selected degree of dryness desired , the time remaining until the load is dry can be predicted . as a check , v - triac - off - max minus v - triac - off - min will approach zero as the load becomes dry . this is because a dry load tumbles with much , much less clumping than a wet load , thereby applying a more constant loading to the motor . in addition , the present invention can estimate time remaining to dryness , and can detect an empty drum . furthermore , the present invention can detect a broken belt , in which case the drum is not turning . additionally , the present invention can detect a jammed or locked rotor by detecting that the value v t off exceeds a predetermined threshold value . the invention is not limited to the particular details of the apparatus depicted and other modifications and applications are contemplated . certain other changes may be made in the above described apparatus without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention herein involved . it is intended , therefore , that the subject matter in the above depiction shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | 8 |
referring to the accompanying drawings , an embodiment of the present invention is explained hereinbelow . fig2 illustrates an electronically controlled fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine which is provided with the oxygen concentration sensor according to the present invention . in this system , a detection part 10 of the oxygen concentration sensor is disposed in an exhaust gas passage 32 of an internal combustion engine 31 , on the upstream side of a three - way catalytic converter 33 . a detection output signal of the detection part 10 of the oxygen concentration sensor is supplied to an ecu ( electronic control unit ) 34 . in a protection case 35 of the detection part 10 of the oxygen concentration sensor , there is provided an oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte member 1 having a generally cubic configuration as shown in fig3 . in the oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte member 1 , a gas retaining chamber 2 is formed . the gas retaining chamber 2 leads to the outside of the oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte member 1 through a gas introduction hole 4 for introducing the measuring gas , i . e . the exhaust gas of the engine . the gas introduction hole 4 is positioned in an exhaust gas passage 32 so that the exhaust gas can easily flow into the gas retaining chamber 2 . the oxygen - ion conductive solid electrolyte member 1 is provided with a reference atmospheric air chamber 5 into which atmospheric air is introduced , in such a manner that the reference atmospheric air chamber 5 is separated from the gas retaining chambers 2 by means of a partition wall between them . in the partition wall between the gas retaining chamber 2 and the reference atmospheric air chamber 5 , and in the wall of the gas retaining chamber 2 on the opposide side of the atmospheric air chamber 5 , there are two pairs of electrodes 7a and 7b , and 6a and 6b , respectively . the solid electrolyte member 1 and the pair of electrodes 6a and 6b together operate as an oxygen pump element 8 . on the other hand , the solid electrolyte member 1 and the pair of electrodes 7a and 7b together operate as a sensor cell element 9 . further , a heater element 3 is provided on an outer wall of the reference atmospheric air chamber 5 . for the oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte member 1 , zirconium dioxide ( zr0 2 ) is suitably used , and platinium ( pt ) is used as the electrodes 6a , 6b , 7a and 7b . the electronic control unit 34 includes a differential amplifier 11 , a reference voltage source 12 , a current detection resistor 13 and a control circuit 14 . the electrode 6a of the oxygen pump element 8 in the detection part 10 is connected to an output terminal of the differential amplifier 11 , and the electrode 6b is grounded through the current detection resistor 13 . the electrode 7b of the sensor cell element 9 is grounded and the electrode 7a is connected to an inverting input terminal of the differential amplifier 11 . the differential amplifier 11 produces an output voltage corresponding to the difference between a voltage generated across the electrodes 7a and 7b of the sensor cell element 9 , and a reference voltage vr supplied from the reference voltage source 12 to a noninverting input terminal thereof . the output voltage of the differential amplifier 11 is supplied to a series circuit formed by the electrodes 6a and 6b and the current detection resistor 13 . the reference voltage vr generated by the reference voltage source 12 is set at a level ( 0 . 4 v for example ) corresponding to the stoichiometric air / fuel ratio . terminals of the current detection resistor 13 operate as output terminals of the oxygen concentration sensor , and a voltage derived across the terminals of the current detection resistor 13 is supplied to the control circuit 14 as an oxygen concentration detection value . to the control circuit 14 , there are connected output signals from a throttle opening sensor 15 which comprises a potentiometer and generates an output voltage whose level corresponds to the opening of a throttle valve 37 , an absolute pressure sensor 16 provided in an intake pipe 36 , on the downstream side of the throttle valve 37 , which generates an output signal whose level corresponds to the absolute pressure in the intake pipe 36 , a cooling water temperature sensor 17 for generating an output voltage whose level corresponds to the cooling water temperature of the engine , and a crank angle sensor 18 for generating a pulse train signal in synchronism with the rotation of the crankshaft ( not shown ) of the engine . the control circuit 14 includes an a / d ( analog to digital ) converter 20 having differential inputs which converts the voltage across the terminals of the current detection resistor 13 to a digital signal , a level converting circuit 21 for performing the level conversion of the output signals of the throttle opening sensor 15 , the absolute pressure sensor 16 , and the water temperature sensor 17 , a multiplexer 22 for selectively outputting one of the output signals of the sensors through the level converting circuit 21 , an a / d converter 23 for converting the signal supplied from the multiplexer 22 into a digital signal , a waveform shaping circuit 24 for performing the waveform shaping of the output signal of the crank angle sensor 18 and outputting it as a pulse signal such as a tdc signal , a counter 25 for detecting the interval of the tdc signal outputted by the waveform shaping circuit 24 by counting the number of clock pulses supplied from a clock pulse generating circuit ( not shown ), a drive circuit 26 for driving an injector 19 , a heater current supply circuit 27 for supplying a drive current of the heater element 3 , a cpu ( central processing unit ) 28 for executing digital operations , for example , according to various operation programs and data previously stored in a rom 29 and a ram 30 . the injector 19 is provided on the intake pipe 36 of the engine 31 near intake valves ( not shown ). the heater element is supplied with a voltage from a heater power source 40 and the output voltage of the heater power source 40 is controlled by the heater current supply circuit 27 . by applying the voltage to the heater element 3 , heat is generated at the heater element 3 , and the oxygen pump element 8 and the sensor cell element 9 are heated to a suitable temperature which is higher than the temperature of exhaust gas . with this arrangement , data indicative of the pump current i p flowing through the oxygen pump element 8 from the a / d converter 20 , information of the throttle opening θth , the absolute pressure p ba in the intake pipe , the cooling water temperature t w selectively from the a / d converter 23 and information of the count value in the intrval of generation of the rotation pulses from the counter 25 are supplied to the cpu 28 through an input / output bus 38 . the cpu 28 reads the above - mentioned various information in accordance with the program stored in the rom 29 and calculates a fuel injection time t out of the injector 19 corresponding to the amount of the fuel to be supplied to the engine 31 using a calculation formula described later , in response to these information in a fuel supply routine synchronized with the tdc signal . the fuel injector 19 is actuated by the drive circuit 26 only for the fuel injection time t out so as to supply the fuel to the engine 31 . the fuel injection time t out is , for example , calculated by the following formula : where t i represents a basic supply amount determined by the engine rotational speed ne and the pressure p ba in the intake passage , k 02 represents a feedback correction coefficient of the air / fuel ratio which is determined in accordance with the output signal level of the oxygen concentration sensor , k wot represents a fuel increment correction coefficient for a high load operation , and k tw represents a coefficient of the engine coolant temperature . the values of t i , k 02 , k wot , and k tw are set in subroutines of the fuel supply routine . when the supply of the pump current to the oxygen pump element 8 is started , a voltage developing across the electrodes 7a and 7b of the sensor cell element 9 becomes lower than the reference voltage generated by the reference voltage source 2 if the air / fuel ratio of the mixture supplied to the engine 31 is in the lean region . therefore , the differential amplifier 11 produces a positive output signal . this positive output signal is supplied to the electrode 6a of the oxygen pump element 8 . since the pump current flows from the electrode 6a to the electrode 6b of the oxygen pump element 8 , oxygen in the gas retaining chamber 2 is ionized at the electrode 6b , and moves through the inside of the oxygen pump element 8 , and released in the form of oxygen gas at the electrode 6a . the oxygen in the gas retaining chamber 2 is pumped out in this way . by the pumping of the oxygen in the gas retaining chamber 2 , a difference of oxygen concentration develops between the exhaust gas in the gas retaining chamber 2 and the atmospheric air in the reference atmospheric air chamber 5 . a voltage vs corresponding to this difference of oxygen concentration develops across the electrodes 7a and 7b of the sensor cell element 9 , and this voltage vs is supplied to the inverting input terminal of the differential amplifier 11 , where the output voltage of the differential amplifier 11 has a voltage proportional to the difference between the voltage vs and the reference voltage vr . and this output voltage is supplied to the series circuit of the oxygen pump element and the current detection resistor 13 . on the other hand , the voltage vs exceeds the output voltage of the reference voltage source when the air / fuel ratio of the mixture is in the rich region . therefore , the output signal level of the differential amplifier 11 changes from the positive level to the negative level . by this negative level output signal , the direction of the pump current flowing across the electrodes 6a and 6b of the oxygen pump element 8 is turned over . under this condition , the pump current flows from the electrode 6b to the electrode 6a , and oxygen in the outside is ionized at the electrode 6a , and moves through the inside of the oxygen pump element 8 to the electrode 6b where the oxygen ion is released into the gas retaining chamber 2 in the form of oxygen gas . in this way , the oxygen is pumped into the gas retaining chamber 2 . the leakage of the heater current to be supplied to the heater element will be explained . when the air / fuel ratio is in the lean region , a part of the heater current 3 supplied from the heater power source 40 is , as shown by the broken line a in fig3 flows from the heater element through the solid electrolyte member 1 , and reaches a portion between the electrodes 6a and 6b of the oxygen pump element 8 . this leakage current is combined with the pump current generated by the positive output signal level of the differential amplifier 11 , and flows toward the electrode 6b , and further flows into the ground through the current detection resistor 13 . also by this leakage current , the oxygen in the gas retaining chamber 2 is pumped out , and the voltage is generated across the electrodes 7a and 7b of the sensor cell element accordingly , by which the output voltage of the differential amplifier 11 is controlled . therefore , a voltage representing the pump current including the leakage current from the current detection resistor 13 is supplied to the control circuit 14 as the oxygen concentration detection value . fig4 shows an output signal characteristic of the oxygen concentration sensor according to the present invention , in which the broken line a shows the current flowing through the oxygen pump element 8 by means of the output voltage of the differential amplifier 11 , i . e ., the current detected as the pump current value in the conventional arrangement by means of the current detection resistor . on the other hand , the characteristic shown by the solid line b represents the pump current including the leakage current which is detected by means of the current detection resistor 13 . when the air / fuel ratio is in the rich region , the leakage current of the heater current supplied to the heater element 3 from the heater power source 40 flows into the electrode 6b and the current detection resistor 13 , to decrease the pump current . therefore , te voltage representing the pump current obtained by subtracting the leakage current from the current generated by the output voltage of the differential amplifier is supplied to the control circuit 14 as the oxygen concentration detection value . therefore , even if the leakage of the heater current occurs , the pump current including the leakage current flows through the oxygen pump element 8 to pump in or out the oxygen so that the oxygen in the gas retaining chamber is maintained constant , i . e ., the state of equlibration is attained . therefore , the pump current i p detected by means of the current detection resistor 13 becomes proportional to the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas both in the lean region and in the rich region . in accordance with this pump current value i p , the above mentioned feedback correction coefficient ko 2 is determined . referring to fig5 the second embodiment of the present invention will be explained . as shown , the electrode 6a of the oxygen pump element 8 is grounded and the electrode 6b located in the gas retaining chamber 2 is connected to the output terminal of the differential amplifier 11 through the current detection resistor 13 . with this arrangement , the pump current from the differential amplifier 11 flows through the oxygen pump element 8 in the reverse direction with respect to the embodiment of fig3 . therefore , the electrode 7a of the sensor cell element 9 is connected to the noninverting input terminal of the differential amplifier 11 and the inverting input terminal of the differential amplifier 11 is connected to the reference voltage source 12 . in this embodiment , the leak current of the heater current which may flow through the electrode 6b flows through the current detection resistor 13 as in the case of the previous embodiment . it will be appreciated from the foregoing , according to the present invention , the current detection resistor inserted in the circuit for supplying the pump current is connected to the electrode of the oxygen pump element located on the gas retaining chamber &# 39 ; s side . therefore , all of the current flowing through this electrode of the oxygen pump element including the leak current of the heater current is detected by means of the current detection resistor . thus , the oxygen concentration value is detected accurately , and the accuracy of the air / fuel ratio control is improved by controlling the air / fuel ratio of the mixture supplied to the engine in accordance with the this detection value of the oxygen concentration . | 6 |
in accordance with fig1 the switching device according to the present invention includes at least one semiconductor switching element 1 which is integrated into a movable contact member 2 serving to produce an isolating distance . in the case of the switching device in accordance with fig1 two bidirectionally connected semiconductor switching elements 1 , whose substrate consists , for example , of silicon or silicon carbide , are a component of the movable contact member 2 . in this arrangement , the connections of the movable contact member 2 are advantageously constructed as blade contacts , as is known from fuse disconnecting switches . in this case , fig1 shows the closed state of the switching device , whereas in fig2 its open state is represented , in which an isolating distance 4 is visible after opening of the movable contact member 2 . the switching device can be of single - phase and / or multi - phase design . a further embodiment of the switching device according to the present invention is represented in fig3 and in this case the semiconductor switching elements 1 are arranged in a fixed fashion , and connected in series therewith is an isolator or switch 3 which can be remotely actuated and by means of which the requirement for a visible isolating distance can be fulfilled . remotely actuated switches and semiconductor switches can form a hardware unit in this case . the semiconductor switching elements can also be remotely actuated , for example by a motor . in the case of the multi - phase design of the switching device having a semiconductor switching element 1 integrated in the contact member 2 , it disadvantageous to provide a common drive for the circuit . | 7 |
referring to fig1 , a server 50 in accordance with the present invention is shown installed in a protective wall cabinet 12 on board a carriage 14 of a public - transport train , which is shown in dotted lines . the server is installed in this way to avoid tampering and accidental damage . within the carriage 14 , there are a number of passengers ( not shown ), two of which have cellular telephones 16 equipped with a bluetooth interface 18 , and internet browsing software . the server 50 is an off - the - shelf laptop pc programmed with software to operate as a www - server , which is described in more detail hereinafter , and provided with three wireless interfaces implemented by three pcmcia cards . the first interface 55 is a bluetooth interface which provides a broadband connection to the passengers &# 39 ; cellular telephones . the second interface 60 is a wcdma interface providing a connection to an external , public , mobile wcdma network 62 . the third interface 65 is a hiperlan wireless lan interface providing a broadband connection to an external network 67 , when broadband access is possible in hot - spot areas such as at major train stations . the external network 67 is part of a private network installed by the public - transport company . as shown in fig2 , via either the second interface 60 , or the third interface 65 , the server 50 is given access to a service controller server 90 . in the case of the wcdma network 62 , the connection between the wcdma network and the service controller server 90 is achieved via an isdn connection 64 . the service control server 90 is connected to the internet via a single gateway 92 including a firewall . the software in the service controller server 90 includes a number of functional modules . a dhcp ( domain home control protocol ) module 94 assigns an individual address to the server 50 . a nat ( network address translator ) module 96 locally - expands the number of ip addresses recognized within the company &# 39 ; s network . an smtp relay module 98 forwards emails . a mirror site module 108 , includes a rsync program , cvsup program , and a proxy module proxypass directive , for duplicating a database of information at a remote site . a snmp ( simple network management protocol ) is module 102 . a ssl ( secure socket layer ) is module 104 . a local content source is module 106 . a remote network management protocol and useage monitoring is module 108 . the software in the server 50 includes a number of functional modules 70 , 72 , 74 , and 76 . an encryption , authentication and billing module 70 handles the commercial aspects of the transactions with passengers &# 39 ; terminals . web authentication 70 is necessary for properly establishing the identity of the customer , thereby preventing fraud . encryption is also necessary to prevent fraud and to protect the privacy of the customer . customer billing facilities are needed when a customer makes use of services which are not free . a local content module 72 provides an extensive body of local content including services and information for the passengers &# 39 ; to access . examples include news , cartoons , music , video , timetables , games , electronic commerce , and advertisements . some of the content is free and for other content a fee is levied . an access control module 74 controls and balances access to the external network by the second and third interfaces 60 and 65 . the module 74 also operates to restrict free access to the whole internet at the discretion of the server operator . an update module 76 enables the server software , including the content , to be updated when broadband access in hot - spot areas is possible . in use , when a passenger boards the carriage 14 for the daily journey to or from the workplace , the passenger can pass time or engage in some more fruitful activity by logging on to the server 50 via the bluetooth connection between the first interface 55 of the server 50 and that of the cellular telephone . the module 70 ensures the integrity of the connection by providing authentication and encryption . once the user is authenticated locally , this information is passed to the service controller server 90 via the wcdma network 62 and then the isdn line 64 , where the dhcp protocol module assigns an individual ip address to the user . because there may be more user terminals at one time than there are ip addresses allocated to the transport company &# 39 ; s network , the nat 96 is also needed . if the passenger wants to make use of the non - free content , then the module 70 also takes care of registering the passenger for billing purposes and running the billing process . for the local content 72 , the passenger enjoys a very speedy service because of the high data rates which the bluetooth connection can support . if the passenger attempts to access a remote server , this request is passed to the access control module 74 . the access control module 74 is responsible for determining whether to permit access to the requested sever . the access control module 74 provides an ip address filtering function and may also contain a black - list of specific internet addresses for which it denies access to an access request from a passenger . if the module 74 determines that access is permitted , it also determines by which of the second and third interfaces 60 , 65 external network access is to be achieved . the access control module 74 determines which interface to use by first instructing the third interface 65 to attempt to make a connection with an external network 67 . in the normal case when the train is not in a hot - spot , such as for example , when the train is moving between stations or stationary in a minor station which is not equipped with a broadband access point to an external network , the third interface 65 fails to make a connection , whereby in default , the access control module 74 makes a mobile connection to the wcdma network 62 via the second interface 60 . through this connection , access to the service controller server 90 is achieved , through the gateway 92 of which access to the internet and finally the remote servers 80 can be achieved . in the less frequent case where the train is in a hot - spot area , for example , stationary in a train station where a broadband access point to an external network is available , then the attempt by the third interface to make a connection with the external network 67 is successful and the access control module 74 makes use of the third interface 65 . through this connection . access to the service controller server 90 is achieved , through the gateway of which access to the internet and finally the remote content on remote servers 90 is accomplished . from a passenger &# 39 ; s perspective , the speed of access to remote servers compares favorably with that via the second interface 60 because the downlink connection between the network 67 and the third interface does not act as a data bottleneck . it will be appreciated that it is a significant advantage of this embodiment of the advantage that internet access is maintained at all times ( within the coverage of the wcdma network ). in a hot - spot area , the update module 76 can take advantage of the broadband connection with the external network 67 and download updates in the content provided locally , for example , the latest news or other information updates , or additional / replacement services to be offered as local content , an updated list of black - listed internet addresses or additional software for the server to run . the downloading is handled in the service controller module 108 by the mirror site module 108 which brings the local server into line with the local content source module database in the service controller module . the request for updating can be made by either server 50 or the server 90 . in other embodiments , instead of a cellular telephone , other types of user terminal such as a wearable computer , multimedia terminal , pda , communicator , wristwatch or a laptop fitted with a wireless network adapter may be used . in other embodiments , instead of a gsm interface , the first interface 55 can be pdc , phs , edge , gprs , wcdma , imt - 2000 , cdmaone , ico iridium or goldstar interface . in other embodiments , instead of a bluetooth interface , the second interface 60 can be a hiperlan wireless lan , ieee 802 . 11 wireless lan , mmac wireless lan , wireless ieee 1394 , home rf or irda interface . in other embodiments , instead of a hiperlan wireless lan interface , the third interface 65 can be an ieee 802 . 11 , mmac wireless lan , bluetooth ieee 802 . 16 , ieee 802 . 15 , etsi hiperaccess , arib t - 58 or arib t - 59 interface . the external network 67 may also be part of a public network . the server can be installed in other vehicles such as a bus , metro , tram , taxi , private car , aircraft , ferry or boat . in other embodiments of the invention , functionality can be shifted between the service controller server 90 and the server 50 according to practical system requirements . for example , the ip address filtering function of the access control module 74 can be resident in the service controller server 90 instead of the server 50 as described above . likewise , the client billing functionality can also be shifted to the service controller server 90 . from the server provider &# 39 ; s / service provider &# 39 ; s point of view , the above - illustrated embodiment is an advantageous way of carrying out e - commerce . importantly , the service provider has a ready - made set of customers , that is the passengers , with nothing much to do except access the content available from the server 50 . in addition , the content which is local to the server 50 by virtue of its ready accessibility as compared to with that available from a remote server 90 , if for no other reason than speed of access , is likely to be highly preferred by the passengers , and so with no costs to be incurred for mobile network connections and with reasonable pricing of the local content , long - lasting use of the services will be encouraged . if slow access alone proves to be insufficient disincentive to access certain remote servers 90 , then the access control module 74 can prevent access to certain remote servers . these factors combine to give the service provider unprecedented influence over the range of content a customer can access . further , the service provider has the opportunity to charge third party companies for storing content locally . the above - illustrated embodiment makes extensive good use of the public cellular architecture to maintain a mobile connection via the second interface 65 . also , the updating module 76 of the server enables the service provider to keep the content stored locally on the server up - to - date with minimum bother , the updating of the local content taking place via the third interface 65 , thereby avoiding the need to physically visit the server , for example , to install an updated cd - rom . because of these favorable circumstances , the internet portal initially presented by the server 50 to the passengers would become very familiar , whereby the portal could be made into a valuable brand . a premium can be charged by the service provider for links to content residing locally on the server 50 , as compared with links to content on remote servers 70 . fig3 represent a different way of implementing the present invention . in this drawing , similar parts have been given the same number . the server 120 is similar to the server 50 in the fig1 embodiment . it differs in that the second interface which provides connection to a network external of the carriage is not a link providing mobility , like a cellular system link , but can be any other kind of rf connection , for instance , any of the wlan standards previously mentioned . also , the server is provided with mesh and / or ad - hoc routing protocols . the effect of this is that each carriage in the train behaves as the node of mesh and / or adhoc network , whereby if a server cannot , for a time , communicate with a part of the core network 125 , the network routing paths are reconfigured such that the traffic which it wishes to transmit is routed over the air to another server in another carriage which is able to currently access the core network . otherwise , this embodiment has all the functionality and advantages of the previously described embodiment . | 7 |
turning now to the drawings wherein like components are designated by like reference numerals throughout the various figures , an apparatus for processing cylindrical articles , and particularly cans , is illustated in fig1 and 2 and generally designated 10 . more specifically , processing apparatus 10 includes starwheel 12 -- shown in segmented form -- mounted on shaft 13 . a plurality of pockets 15 are defined in starwheel 12 and interface with loading means 16 to provide for depositing of unprocessed cylindrical articles 18 in pockets 15 . a number of loading means 16 are known to those skilled in the art which function with , for instance , either indexing starwheels 12 or continuously rotating starwheels 12 . reference is made to copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 606 , 683 for &# 34 ; method and apparatus for transferring cans &# 34 ; as a specific example of such auxiliary features . starwheel 12 also cooperates with unloading means 20 which removes processed cylindrical articles 21 from pocket 15 of starwheel 12 . again , unloading means are quite common and often take the form of rails which fit between the segments of starwheel 12 and guide articles 21 out of pockets 15 . processing of articles 18 into processed articles 21 is accomplished by axially moving articles 18 from pocket 15 onto mandrels 24 . for purposes of discussion and illustration , a trimming step will be illustrated and described . however , the trimming step per se is conventional and is intended to be equivalent to the other conventional processes which may be practiced upon cylindrical article 18 while supported on mandrel 24 . knife 25 serves to turn cylindrical article 18 to form processed cylindrical article 21 . reference is made to copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 612 , 159 , for &# 34 ; method and apparatus for trimming cylindrical articles ,&# 34 ; now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 014 , 228 for the details of a particularly advantageous trimming process as illustrated . mandrels 24 are mounted upon mandrel support 26 which in turn is carried on shaft 13 . as shown particularly well in fig1 mandrels 24 and pockets 15 are axially aligned . the spacing is more readily apparent from fig2 in which it is shown that mandrels 24 are adjacent to but axially spaced from starwheel 12 . pocket 15 is of sufficient length to support and carry processed article 21 as illustrated . mandrels 24 are preferably rotatably mounted to mandrel support 26 by means of , for instance , shaft 27 carried in bearings 28 . adjacent the end of shaft 27 spur gear 30 is provided which in turn interfaces with ring gear 32 . thus as shaft 13 rotates , gear 30 and gear 32 serve to induce a rotary motion to mandrel 24 . alternatively , mandrel 24 may be fixedly mounted to mandrel support 26 as may be required by the particular process being practiced upon cylindrical article 18 . also mounted to shaft 13 is conduit member 34 having a number of conduits 35 defined therethrough . conduits 35 are arranged with outlets 36 aligned with pockets 15 . first valve means 37 is provided adjacent conduit member 34 and fixedly mounted with , for instance , bearing 40 accomodating rotation of shaft 13 . the details of first valve means 37 will be apparent with reference to fig3 . thus , as shown , first valve means 37 is non - rotatably mounted while conduit member 34 rotates with shaft 13 . accordingly , conduit inlets 42 sequentially come into communication with arcuate port 44 defined at the interface of conduit member 34 and first valve means 37 . in this manner , at specific arcs of rotation , selected conduits 35 are brought into communication with , as shown in fig1 and 2 , pressurized pipe 45 which communicates with a pressure source ( not shown ). during this period , a compressed gas is forcefully expelled through outlet conduit 36 impinging upon adjacent cylindrical article 18 in starwheel pocket 15 and urging cylindrical article 18 onto mandrel 24 . in this manner , cylindrical article 18 is positively loaded onto mandrel 24 without reliance upon complicated mechanical push rods , vacuum cups , etc ., without axial movement of a mechanical component into the pockets of starwheel 12 and , without reliance upon movement of mandrel 24 towards , or relative to , pockets 15 of starwheel 12 . at such time that inlet 42 of any given conduit 35 is not in communication with arcuate port 44 , there is no pressure or compressed gas flow through such conduit 35 . though it is preferable that a moving conduit member 34 be employed to maintain conduit outlet 36 in alignment with pocket 35 , it is conceivable and , particularly in low speed operation , workable , that a fixed outlet be employed . in such an arrangement , a constant compressed gas flow through a fixed conduit could be maintained and would impinge upon cylindrical article 18 only as starwheel 12 moved cylindrical articles 18 into the appropriate position for transfer . this approach avoids the need for dynamic valving and timing but does not afford precise alignment of the gas flow and picket 15 as does the preferred first described arrangement . also , other valving means could be employed . for instance , as shown at , for instance , fig2 on the opposite end of shaft 13 ( as first valve means 37 ), second valve means 48 may take the form of shoes 50 and 51 which sealingly interface with shaft 13 . as illustrated , shoe 50 communicates with vacuum line 53 connected to a vacuum source ( not shown ). similarly , shoe 51 communicates with a pressure line 54 which in turn is connected to a pressure source ( not shown ). a number of u - passages 55 at a common axially position as shoes 50 and 51 at one opening are defined in shaft 13 and communicated in turn at the other opening with radial pipes 57 which terminate at a rotary union 58 . rotary union 58 , in turn , is connected to passageway 60 defined through shaft 27 and mandrel 24 . in operation , as shaft 13 rotates , u - passages 55 sequentially come into communication with , for instance , shoe 50 thereby generating a vacuum in the exposed u - passage 55 , attached radial pipe 57 and rotary union 58 and , in turn , provides a vacuum through passageway 60 to the end of mandrel 24 . such a vacuum at the end of mandrel 24 is preferably provided and timed to cooperate with the gas jet from outlet 36 of corresponding conduit 35 . thus conduit 35 produces a gas jet which urges cylindrical article 18 towards mandrel 24 and , upon location of cylindrical article 18 at mandrel 24 , mandrel port 62 , and the accompanying vacuum provided by the above - discussed operation of vacuum shoe 50 of second valve means 48 serves to create a vacuum internal of cylindrical article 18 to securely locate cylindrical article 18 on mandrel 24 . preferably , such vacuum is mantained while the processing step is carried out . thereafter , the subject u - passage 55 rotates out of communication with shoe 50 and into communication with shoe 51 . at that time , pressure line 54 connected to shoe 51 pressurizes subject u - passage 55 , radial pipe 57 and rotary union 58 and , ultimately provides a pressurized gas at mandrel ports 62 through passageway 60 . this serves to expel processed cylindrical article 21 from mandrel 24 back into axially aligned pocket 15 of starwheel 12 . of course , other conventional unloading means such as mechanical push members may be employed . as discussed above , use of pressurized air per se is not novel for purposes of unloading a processed cylindrical article 21 from mandrel 24 . however , the advantages of using a pneumatic unload for cylindrical article 21 in conjunction with a gas jet load for cylindrical article 18 , and thus avoiding axially moving mechanical mechanisms , are substantial . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that first valve means 37 and second valve means 48 are fundamentally interchangeable . for instance , to use second valve means 48 in place of first valve means 37 , only a pressure shoe would be employed and u - shaped passages would extend from the fixed valve means through shaft 13 into conduit member 34 . conversely , in the event first valve meams 37 were to be used in place of second valve means 48 , two arcuate ports 44 would be defined in first valve means 37 , one to communicate with a vacuum source and the other to communicate with a pressure source . other functional valve means will also be apparent to those skilled in the art . summarily , the loading means of the instant invention provides for synchronized , pure axial displacement of a cylindrical article out of the starwheel pocket onto an aligned mandrel for various types of processing of the cylindrical article . the mandrel may be fixed or rotating relative to its support . preferably , the mandrel is provided with a channel which may be selectively connected to a vacuum source to aid in loading and securing of the cylindrical article on the mandrel , and at an appropriate time , connected to a pressure source to expel the trimmed or otherwise processed cylindrical article from the mandrel into the starwheel pocket . although only limited embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated , it is apparent that various changes and modifications can be readily made by those skilled in the art , and that such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims . | 8 |
the radiotelephone network shown in fig1 which is described in the second publication mentioned in the preamble to this disclosure , comprises radiotelephone transceivers bts each covering a geographical area or cell such as the cell cel . 1 . these cells overlap in part and can together cover all of a country . a mobile such as the mobile sm1 in cell cel . 1 uses the transceiver bts of the cell for radiotelephone calls . transceivers bts of a number of neighbouring cells are part of a common base station which comprises control and switching equipment bsc1 , bsc2 , etc . neighbouring base stations are connected to a common mobile switching center msc1 , msc2 , etc and the mobile switching centers are connected to the general telecommunications network rtp . a typical call from or to a mobile sm1 is set up via a communication channel ve connecting a party reached through the main telecommunications network rtp to a mobile switching center msc1 , a switching path in the center msc1 , a communication channel vc1 going from the center msc1 to the control and switching equipment bsc1 of a base station , a switching part in the equipment bsc1 , a communication channel vc1a from the equipment bsc1 to the transceiver bts of a cell and a radio channel to the mobile sm1 . as it moves around , this mobile will leave the cell cel . 1 and enter a neighbouring cell such as the cel . 2 . the call in progress at this time must continue via the transceiver bts of the cell cel . 2 . this will require handover of the radiotelephone call from one cell to the other , in other words from one transceiver to the other . any such handover will require the setting up of another switching path in the base station bsc1 extending via another communication channel vc1b to the transceiver of the other cell . if the mobile enters a cell which is part of another base station , the switching to be carried out will involve setting up a switching path in the switching center msc1 leading via a communication channel vc2 to said other base station ( bsc2 , for example ) and via a switching path in the base station bsc2 to a communication channel ( bc2a , for example ) leading to the transceiver of the cell . if the other base station is connected to another switching center , the handover will involve setting up a switching path in the switching center msc1 via a communication channel ( vc3 , for example ) to the base station bsc3 in question , in which a switching path will lead to a communication channel ( such as vc3a ) to the transceiver of the cell in question . switching operations to hand over the radiotelephone call when the mobile sm1 moves each comprise , as is well known from switching installations , the preparation of a handover branch by reserving switching paths and communication channels from the handover level which is represented by the symbol for a switching matrix in a base station or a switching center . a handover instruction is then given which frees the abandoned branch and connects the handover branch . the call is briefly interrupted , for around 30 ms , between freeing one branch and connecting the other . in the mobile sm1 itself , the movement from one cell to the other requires a switching operation . this is controlled by the base station with which the mobile is communicating before the switching . it is initiated by monitoring in the mobile the level at which pilot signals are received not only from the transceiver of the cell in which the mobile is located but also from transceivers of surrounding cells . the base station is therefore able to determine whether it is necessary to hand over the call in progress for this mobile from the cell in which it is still located to a neighbouring cell . this results in the sending of a switching instruction which tells the mobile the radio channel ( of the neighbouring cell ) to which it will have to connect . the call is then cut off . the mobile then sets up the links with the base station ( which may be the same base station or another base station ) via the latter channel , after which the call is reestablished . the call is cut off for 150 ms , as specified in recommendation no 0208 of the cept gsm group [&# 34 ; qualitede service &# 34 ;, chapter a . 1 . 9 , items a ) and b )]. the present invention , as shown in fig2 provides for the switching instruction to be transmitted to the mobile under conditions such that it causes the call to be interrupted in a defined cut - off time interval and for the instruction to execute the operation which hands over the call to the handover branch to be given under conditions such that the interruption of the call which may result from this handover operation occurs during said defined cut - off time interval . the decision to hand over the call ( rcp ) is taken at any level of the network ( fig1 ). this decision gives rise to a handover instruction oa which starts a time - delay rcpt at the end of which the handover operation sjo is initiated . fig2 shows the time - delay rcpt and the handover execution time - delay sjo which occurs after a time interval shown in dashed lines , and which may be comparatively short . the interruption of the call is shown at sw to the right of the time - delay sjo to clarify the description , although in fact they are substantially simultaneous . the same decision rcp gives rise to a switching instruction ob which triggers the switching operation hoc . the duration of the switching operation is shown at hoc . the corresponding interruption of the call is shown at msw , to the right of the time - delay hoc , to locate it on the same time scale as the interruption sw . it is clear that irrespective of the level at which the handover decision is taken , it is sufficient to choose the duration of the time - delay rcpt to time execution of the handover operation relative to the switching operation , given that the handover operation is considerably shorter than the switching operation . this makes it possible to time the call interruption sw due to the switching operation , under nominal operating conditions for the switching equipments , in the middle of the call interruption caused by the switching operation , under nominal operating conditions of the mobile and of the base stations . the interruption sw ( fig2 ) can be offset by 60 ms in either direction relative to the interruption msw by reason of unfavorable circumstances in the execution of the handover or switching operations , without prejudice to its being coincident with the latter . estimates indicate that this will be so in the very great majority of cases , so that the invention will generally reduce the interruption of the call caused by handing over the call to just the interruption needed for the radiotelephone call switching . it will be noted that , apart from the saving in terms of conference circuits , the invention makes it possible to eliminate the cost , in terms of the control unit operating time , of the insertion and the withdrawal of these conference circuits , and to eliminate the delay in executing the handover necessitated by the insertion of the conference circuit , while all calls , whether voice or data , are processed the same way . | 7 |
[ 0013 ] fig1 is a functional block diagram of a computing arrangement 100 in which services are made accessible to client systems via downloadable applications . client 102 is the device through which a user interacts with a service 104 that is hosted by server system 106 . client 102 and server 106 are coupled via a network , for example the internet or a organization &# 39 ; s intranet 108 . example services include personal information management services , travel services , and entertainment services . in general , the features provided by the service dictate the types of devices that are suitable for use as client 102 . for some services , users may desire accessibility on a variety of devices ranging from workstations to hand - held devices . many services interact with users via downloadable application programs . for example , service 104 is initiated via a control mechanism that is provided at client 102 . based on application - specific requirements , the service at some time in its process flow transmits a downloadable application to client 102 . the downloadable application implements one or more functions that are associated with the service 104 . client 102 hosts software that executes the downloadable application . adaptations of legacy applications ( services ) to today &# 39 ; s mobile computing environment must address the issues related to data storage and disconnection . to support remote storage and disconnections , either the application or the virtual machine has to be modified . in changing the application source code , there will be a significant cost incurred , along with the possibility of introducing protocol / server dependencies into the application . another problem is that the source code may be unavailable . if the virtual machine is modified , not only is access to the source code required , but all the different variants of the virtual machine must be maintained . [ 0016 ] fig2 is a functional block diagram that illustrates the interposition of an interposed class for an original class in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . in one embodiment of the invention , standard java application programming interface ( api ) classes and methods are extended without modifying either the application source code or the java virtual machine and standard api library . for a java - based implementation , java byte - codes are modified at load time and prior to resolution , such that standard java application programming interface ( api ) class intantiations and method invocations are replaced by instantiations and invocations of extensions of the original class or substitutes of the original methods . in a more general embodiment of the invention , a class loader 156 retrieves a class file in response to a load class directive from the virtual machine 152 . the virtual machine issues the load class directive in response to the constructor invoked by an application 152 executing within the virtual machine . it will be appreciated that the class may also be loaded in response to being referenced by another class . the class file 160 , for example foo . class , can be read from either local or network storage . the class foo . class references an example standard api class bar . class . classes 158 represents a set of classes to be transformed by class loader 156 . class loader 156 uses a list 162 of classes and methods to determine which classes and methods are to be interposed . list 162 maps names of classes and methods to corresponding names of classes and methods to interpose . for example , an entry in the list maps bar . class to interpose . bar . class . depending on implementation requirements , list 162 may also map methods that are to be interposed in addition to mapping classes . for example , “ final ” and “ abstract ” classes can not be extended . thus , individual method invocations in substituted instead . it will be appreciated that list 162 can be provided in various forms to class loader 156 , for example as a downloadable configuration file or as a locally stored configuration file . alternatively , the list may be statically built into the class loader . after class loader 156 retrieves the class file for foo . class , references in the class file for foo . class to the class names and method names in list 162 are replaced with the corresponding name of the substitute class . for example , because foo . class includes the reference to bar . class and bar . class is in the list 162 , references to bar . class in class file 166 are replaced with interpose . bar . class . in one embodiment , the modified class file is stored in class cache 164 to accelerate subsequent loading of subclasses and methods of foo . class . it will be appreciated that the class file need not be cached if the reduction in access time is not deemed beneficial relative to the costs associated with implementing and maintaining the cache . thereafter , the modified class file , referencing interpose . bar . class , is returned to the virtual machine . thus , the interposition of the substitute class is entirely transparent to the application 152 as well as virtual machine 154 . in the general case , classes 158 are classes that will be transformed by interposition of the interposed classes 170 . for example , in a specific embodiment , classes 158 are selected java system classes that are transformed . the interposed classes 170 are used in lieu of or as extensions of the selected java system classes . it will be appreciated that in one embodiment , the interposed classes are installed on the client as a “ middleware ” software layer . application 152 refers to the interposed classes 170 instead of classes 158 ( e . g ., the java system classes ). the following description describes an example implementation of the present invention . the example implementation interposes substitute classes and methods for standard java api classes and methods . the particular classes and methods that are interposed are selected to address various issues relating remote storage , disconnection , and concurrency within a single java virtual machine . management of the user &# 39 ; s data in a mobile environment impacts the java implementation . for example , access to distant resources ( java classes , user data , urls ) must be detected and locally cached so that disconnection is a non - fatal event and performance remains acceptable . in order for an end - user &# 39 ; s personal data and profiles to be available on the possible devices at the user &# 39 ; s disposal , the data must be persistent and securely stored . this requirement implies a third party storage provider to store and retrieve the data . in the java implementation , an objective is to support legacy services without imposing any software changes to support the remote storage . many embedded and mobile devices do not facilitate remote storage . because applications use the standard java . io package to store data , the java implementation is arranged such that when methods are invoked from this package , the files are transparently loaded , refreshed and updated on the remote storage server . similarly methods such as java . awt . toolkit . getimage are redirected to the remote storage server . disconnection issues also impact the java implementation . continuous internet connectivity can be expensive and interruptions in service can be expected . some types of services or applications may proceed locally if the user &# 39 ; s data and urls are cached on the client device . the cache content is regularly synchronized and flushed if required . in the example embodiment , the java implementation table 1 briefly summarizes the standard java apis that are modified . the following paragraphs present example java source code in which substitute classes and methods are interposed . the examples are presented for illustration only , and it will be clear from the discussion accompanying fig2 that the application source is not required . the interposition is accomplished instead by modification to the class files . the following example code illustrates interposition of a class . in the general case , interposition of the instances of class “ a ” with instances of class “ interposed . a ” requires that “ new ” statements and constructor invocations for class a be respectively replaced by “ new ” statements and constructor invocations for class “ interposed . a ”. the following class : import java . io . file ; public class simplefile { static public file file ; public file add ( ) { return new file (“ add ”); } public static void main ( string argv []) { file = new file (“ afile ”); string name = file . getname ( ); file = new simplefile ( ) . add ( ); } } [ 0028 ] import interpose . java . io . file ; public class simplefile { static public java . io . file file ; public java . io . file add ( ) { return new file (“ add ”); } public static void main ( string argv []) { file = new file (“ afile ”); string name = file . getname ( ); file =+ 00 new simplefile ( ) . add ( ); } } the class public fields declaration ( file file ), and method signatures ( file add ) are not modified since they are exported outside of the class . the class extension would contain statements such as : package interpose . java . io ; public class file extends java . io . file { public file ( string name ) throws nullpointerexception { // . . our own initilalization } public long lastmodified ( ) { // . . . } // other modified apis . . . } since the newly created object is an extension , no other statements need to be modified . any number of apis from this class can be overwritten in the extension . because abstract and final classes cannot be interposed , the methods associated with these types of classes in interposed instead . example final classes include java . net . url , java . lang . system , and java . lang . class . example abstract classes include java . awt . toolkit and java . net . urlconnection . instead of replacing new and & lt ; init & gt ; method invocations , calls to the class methods that need to be altered are replaced with calls to a static method of a new abstract class . the following is an example of the getproperties method from the java . lang . system abstract class . an initial class such as : public abstract class getproperty { public static void main ( string argv []) { string s ; s = system . getproperty (“ foo ”); } } would be modified to : public abstract class getproperty { public static void main ( string argv []) { string s ; s = interposed . system . getproperty (“ foo ”); } } package interpose . java . lang ; public abstract class system { public static string getproperty ( string s ) { // . . . any specific code . . . return ( string ) . . . ; } } the following example relates to the final class java . net . url : import java . net . url ; public class simpleurl { public static void main ( string argv []) { try { url url = new url (“ foo ”); inputstream is ; is = url . openstream ( ); } catch ( exception e ) { } } } import java . net . url ; public class simpleurl { public static void main ( string argv []) { try { url url = new url (“ foo ”); inputstream is ; is = interposed . java . net . url . openstream ( url ); } catch ( exception e ) { } } } package interpose . java . net ; public abstract class url { public static inputstream openstream ( java . net . url url ) throws ioexception { // . . . specific code return ( inputstream ) . . . } } it will be appreciated that the substituted method may be a constructor (& lt ; init & gt ;) as it is the case for the url ( java . net . url , java . lang . string ) constructor . whereas for class interposition the replacement method initializes an instance of the extended class , in the final class the method must return ( versus initialize ) an instance of the initial class . thus , the following class : import java . net . url ; public class simpleurl { public static void main ( string argv []) { try { url url = new url (“ foo ”); url = new url ( url , “ bar ”); }+ 00 catch ( exception e ) { } } } import java . net . url ; public class simpleurl { public static void main ( string argv []) { try { url url = new url (“ foo ”); url = interposed . java . net . url . url ( url , “ bar ”); } catch ( exception e ) { } } } package interpose . java . net ; public abstract class url { public static java . net . url url ( java . net . url context , string spec ) throws malformedurlexception { // . . . any specific code . . . return ( java . net . url ) . . . } } [ 0038 ] fig3 illustrates an example class file 202 that has been modified by class loader 156 . the class file 156 includes a constant pool 204 and a set of descriptors . the constant pool includes constant types such as constant strings , class names ( e . g ., 206 ), method references , and method signatures . all references to constant types in a bytecode or other constant are stored as indices into the constant pool . reference number 206 refers to the modified class name interpose . bar . class . the set of descriptors describe fields , interfaces , methods ( e . g ., 208 , 212 ), exception tables , and inner classes and other attributes of classes . descriptors of fields , interfaces , and method descriptors include indices into the constant pool for the attribute name along with additional information that describes the attribute , for example , access flags , type , and initial value for a field or bytecode for a method . reference number 210 refers to the modified bytecode for method 208 . note that not all substitute methods need not be provided for all the method codes in a class file . for example , method code 212 references a method for which no alternative method is interposed . when loading a class , the class loader first checks the constant pool 204 of the class file to determine whether the class ( or method ) needs to be interposed before parsing the method bytecodes . if the class does not need to be interposed , then the method bytecodes don &# 39 ; t need to be parsed for the interposed method . because it is computationally expensive to parse the bytecodes , it is quicker to first check the constant pool , for example to see whether the foo . class refers to bar . class . if there is not reference , parsing the bytecodes is unnecessary . even though the invention is described in terms of service infrastructure such as java , those skilled in the art will appreciate that teachings of the present invention could be adapted to other infrastructures , such as the . net platform from microsoft . it will also be appreciated that the invention is applicable to application programs that are not downloadable . in addition to the example embodiments described above , other aspects and embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein . it is intended that the specification and illustrated embodiments be considered as examples only , with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims . | 6 |
fig1 and 2 show an auto - injector 1 in an initial state prior to an injection . fig2 a and 2 b are two longitudinal sections in different section planes of the auto - injector 1 , the different section planes approximately 90 ° rotated to each other . the auto - injector comprises an elongate outer casing 2 . a syringe 3 with a hollow needle 4 is arranged in a proximal part of the auto - injector 1 . when the auto - injector 1 is assembled a protective needle shield 5 is attached to the needle 4 and protruding through an orifice 6 at the proximal end p . a finger guard 7 in the shape of a sheet metal spring is arranged near the protective needle shield 5 . the finger guard 7 is shown in detail in fig4 and 5 . the finger guard 7 comprises two spring arms 8 ( cf . fig4 and 5 ) which are inwardly biased so they bear against the protective needle shield 5 as long as it is still in place . a respective locking arm 9 is assigned to each spring arm 8 . the locking arms 9 are biased in distal direction d so they bear against a part of the spring arms 8 when the protective needle shield 5 is in place . as the protective needle shield 5 is pulled away from the needle 4 ( see fig5 ) the spring arms 8 move inwards and relax leaving a small gap between them just wide enough to let the needle 4 pass without touching it . this allows the locking arms 9 to come clear of the spring arms 8 and move distally into a position where they prevent the spring arms 8 from being pushed outward again so despite the rather big orifice 6 the user cannot touch the tip of the needle 4 . the tips of the spring arms 8 where the spring arms 8 bear against the protective needle shield 5 are rounded off in order to facilitate removal of the protective needle shield 5 . in alternative embodiments the spring arms 8 and / or the locking arms 9 may be made of or comprise spring wire and / or plastic instead of sheet metal . the spring arms 8 and locking arms 9 may be integrally formed as illustrated . they may also be separate parts , e . g . attached to inner walls of the proximal part of the auto - injector 1 . referring now to fig4 and 5 , the spring arms 8 are essentially s - shaped with a longitudinal leg 8 . 1 in the middle and two transversal legs 8 . 2 , 8 . 3 adjoining the longitudinal leg 8 . 1 . when the spring arm 8 is relaxed , the transversal legs 8 . 2 , 8 . 3 are essentially parallel to each other . an outer transversal leg 8 . 2 of each spring arm 8 adjoins a wall portion 7 . 1 of the sheet metal spring 7 . the other , inner transversal 8 . 3 leg of each spring arm 8 is intended to bear against the protective needle shield 5 . when the protective needle shield 5 is removed , a small gap is defined between the two inner transversal legs 8 . 3 of the spring arms 8 . the locking arm 9 is a short arm with an outer end 9 . 1 adjoining a front portion 7 . 2 of the sheet metal spring 7 and with an inner end 9 . 2 bearing against the inner transversal leg 8 . 3 in distal direction d when the protective needle shield 5 is in place . when the protective needle shield 5 is removed the spring arms 8 move together and the locking arms 9 come clear of the inner transversal leg 8 . 3 when the joint between the inner transversal leg 8 . 3 and the longitudinal leg 8 . 1 passes the inner end 9 . 2 . the inner end 9 . 2 locks behind the longitudinal leg 8 . 1 thus preventing the spring arm 8 from being pushed outward again . the tips of the spring arms &# 39 ; 8 inner transversal legs 8 . 3 where the spring arms 8 bear against the protective needle shield 5 are rounded off in order to facilitate removal of the protective needle shield 5 . at the distal end d of the auto - injector 1 a trigger button 10 for releasing a torsion spring 11 is arranged . the torsion spring 11 is arranged inside the outer casing 2 and grounded with its distal end 11 . 1 in a ring - shaped locking slider 12 arranged in the outer casing 2 near the distal end d of the auto - injector 1 . the proximal end 11 . 2 of the torsion spring 11 is grounded in a follower tube 13 arranged inside the torsion spring 11 and rotatable with respect to the outer casing 2 . in the initial state the locking slider 12 is in a splined engagement with the follower tube 13 preventing rotation of the follower tube 13 relative to the locking slider 12 and hence preventing release of the torsion spring 11 ( see fig3 ). the locking slider 12 is arranged to be translated in the proximal direction p by the trigger button 10 for disengaging its splined engagement to the follower tube 13 but is splined into the outer case 2 to statically resolve any torque from the torsion spring 11 . in the initial state , full depression of the trigger button 10 is prevented by a skin interlock mechanism described below . if the trigger button 10 is depressed , a beam element 10 . 1 on the trigger button 10 is forced to deflect inwards through ramped interference with a first rib 34 in the outer case 2 . when deflected , the beam element 10 . 1 is located such that it interferes with a first shoulder 13 . 2 on the distal end of the follower tube 13 preventing further depression of the trigger button 10 and thus initiation of the auto - injector 1 ( see fig6 ). the skin interlock is arranged to change the position of the follower tube 13 such that the first shoulder 13 . 2 is located distally from the beam element 10 . 1 so the beam element 10 . 1 no longer interferes with the follower tube 13 . hence the trigger button 10 can be fully depressed for starting an injection cycle . ( see fig9 ) the follower tube 13 is telescoped with a lead screw tube 16 . the lead screw tube 16 is supported and guided in a retraction slider tube 17 arranged in the proximal part of the outer casing 2 in a manner to prevent the lead screw tube 16 from rotating while allowing it to be moved axially in proximal direction p . the retraction slider tube 17 in turn is engaged with the outer casing 2 by flats 18 ( cf . fig2 and latches 19 in a manner to prevent both rotation and translation with respect to the outer casing 2 at least in the initial situation shown in fig1 and 2 . it will be shown in the following how the retraction slider tube 17 is disengaged from the latches 19 for being axially moved . the retraction slider tube 17 and the follower tube 13 are provided with respective second and third shoulders 17 . 1 , 13 . 1 held together by a coupling ring 20 for allowing relative rotation but preventing them from being independently axially moved . the lead screw tube 16 has an external lead screw which is engaged with the follower tube 13 by one or more ball bearings 21 . rotation of the follower tube 13 therefore results in translative movement of the lead screw tube 16 . in the initial situation shown in fig1 and 2 the retraction slider tube 17 cannot rotate but move axially in the distal direction d , the follower tube 13 is prevented from rotating by the spline engagement with the locking slider 12 and the lead screw tube 16 is prevented from rotation by its engagement with refraction slider tube 17 . a number of skin contact elements 17 . 2 arranged proximally on the retraction slider tube 17 protrude through recesses in the proximal end of the outer case 2 . a sequence of operation of the auto - injector 1 is as follows : the user removes the protective needle shield 5 from the needle 4 . for this purpose a device cap ( not shown ) may be attached to the protective needle shield 5 . when the protective needle shield 5 is removed the finger guard 7 locks into place to protect the user from accidental needle - stick injuries . when ready to do so , the user pushes the auto - injector 1 against the injection site . the user presses the proximal end p of the auto - injector 1 against the injection site . this causes the skin contact elements 17 . 2 of the retraction slider tube 17 to be depressed inside the outer casing 2 ( see fig7 ). the follower tube 13 is axially fixed to the retraction slider tube 17 through the coupling ring 20 and thus the whole assembly of the refraction slider tube 17 and the follower tube 13 translate within the outer casing 2 in the distal direction d with depression of the skin contact element 17 . 2 . this motion is opposed by a button spring 35 . once translated , the first shoulder 13 . 2 on the follower tube 13 no longer interferes with the beam element 10 . 1 on the trigger button 10 . the beam element 10 . 1 may deflect inwards proximally behind the first shoulder 13 . 2 . hence , the trigger button 10 can now be fully depressed . the button spring 35 may be arranged as a metal compression spring as illustrated , but it could equally be embodied as an integrally moulded flexible beam feature on either the trigger button 10 or the locking slider 12 . when the trigger button 10 is depressed it comes into contact with the locking slider 12 translating it in proximal direction p when fully depressed . with axial movement of the locking slider 12 its splined coupling with the follower tube 13 is disengaged so load from the proximal end of the torsion spring 11 is no longer statically resolved . the torque from the torsion spring 11 is released causing the follower tube 13 to rotate and drive the lead screw tube 16 forward . when the trigger button 10 is fully depressed the resilient beam element 10 . 1 flexes outward again behind the first rib 34 thus locking the trigger button 10 in this depressed position . ( see fig1 ). this could likewise be achieved by a separate locking feature . the rotation of the follower tube 13 causes translative movement of the lead screw tube 16 in proximal direction p . inside the lead screw tube 16 a two part plunger with a plunger rear 22 and a plunger front 23 is arranged , the plunger rear 22 telescoped into the hollow plunger front 23 . in the plunger front 23 a plunger spring 24 in the shape of a compression spring is arranged which bears against the plunger rear 22 when the plunger rear 22 pushed in proximal direction p . the plunger front 23 in turn pushes against a stopper 25 arranged for sealing the syringe 3 distally and for displacing a liquid medicament m through the hollow needle 4 . the syringe 3 is held in a tubular syringe carrier 26 and supported at its proximal end therein . the plunger rear 22 is coupled for joined axial movement to the lead screw tube 16 by a plunger ball 27 arranged in a recess in the lead screw tube 16 and guided in a circumferential notch 28 of the plunger rear 22 . in the initial position shown in fig1 and 2 , the plunger ball 27 is held in position by the follower tube 13 in order to keep the plunger rear 22 and lead screw tube 16 from disengaging . consequently , when the lead screw tube 16 is advanced in proximal direction p the syringe 3 is driven forward by the plunger pushing on the stopper 25 . the external lead screw of the lead screw tube 16 has a variable pitch . in the embodiment shown in the figures the pitch is steeper in the proximal part of the external lead screw . this allows for a rapid insertion of the hollow needle 4 into the patient &# 39 ; s skin in order to avoid unnecessary pain for the patient . the load required to insert a siliconized fine gauge needle is thought to be in the region of 5 n , which is relatively low so a steep screw pitch can be used with little risk of the screw engagement locking fig1 shows the auto - injector 1 with the hollow needle 4 fully advanced . in case the screw engagement between the follower tube 13 and the lead screw tube 16 comprises more than one ball bearing 21 each ball 21 may be engaged with a respective screw thread so the lead screw tube 16 would have a multi - start thread . in fig1 the syringe carrier 26 has bottomed out at the proximal end p of the outer casing 2 thus defining an injection depth , e . g . for a subcutaneous injection . as the torsion spring 11 continues rotating the lead screw tube 16 , and plunger rear 22 are further forwarded . due to friction effective between the stopper 25 and the inner wall of the syringe 3 and due to the thin fluid channel inside the hollow needle 4 opposing the displacement of the medicament m the stopper 25 exerts a load against the forward movement of the plunger front 23 . thus , the plunger spring 24 is slightly compressed ( see fig1 ). the thrust load is reacted through the coupling ring 20 into the retraction slider tube 17 which is coupled to the outer casing 2 by the latches 19 . thus the follower tube 13 is kept from moving further in distal direction d . with continued forward movement of the plunger the stopper 25 is advanced and injects the medicament m from the syringe 3 into the injection site ( see fig1 ). during injection of the dose of medicament m the pitch of the lead screw is slightly reduced compared to the needle insertion in order to give a greater mechanical advantage to the lead screw engagement and avoid it stalling due to the increased load . in fig1 the auto - injector 1 is shown towards the end of the dose , i . e . just before the stopper 25 bottoms out in the syringe 3 . in this situation viscous dampers 29 contained in pockets in the proximal end of the lead screw tube 16 contact small second ribs 30 in the proximal end p of the outer casing 2 . thus load from the torsion spring 11 is shared between the stopper 25 and the contact between the second ribs 30 and the viscous dampers 29 , so the plunger spring 24 is allowed to extend and complete the dose by fully advancing the stopper 25 . this allows for fully emptying the syringe 3 before starting to retract the needle 4 . the viscous damper 29 has a speed dependent load characteristic . in this instance the load from the torsion spring 11 is almost constant over the small axial travel of the viscous damper 29 so the speed can be tuned so that the plunger spring 24 has enough time to fully expel the residual contents of the syringe 3 . the material of the viscous damper 29 may be viscoelastic foam or a fluid forced through a small orifice . a change in the lead screw pitch at this point allows a controlled increase in the mechanical advantage to apply sufficient force to the mechanism . in fig1 the stopper 25 has bottomed out in the syringe 3 and the lead screw tube 16 reaches the end of travel . the plunger ball 27 disengages the plunger rear 22 from the lead screw tube 16 by dropping out of its recess into a pocket 31 in the follower tube 13 . just after this the latches 19 are released by ramp features 32 of the lead screw tube 16 pushing them outward so the retraction slider tube 17 and the follower tube 13 are released from the outer casing 2 for translation . since the lead screw tube 16 has bottomed out at the proximal end p of the outer casing continued rotation of the torsion spring results in a backward movement of the retraction slider tube 17 and the follower tube 13 which is still rotating . the retraction slider tube 17 takes along the syringe carrier 26 and syringe 3 with the needle 4 and retracts them into the auto - injector 1 until the needle 4 is fully covered ( see fig1 ). for this purpose the retraction slider tube 17 has one or more dog features 33 ( see fig2 ) extending inwardly through recesses in the lead screw tube 16 and engaging the syringe carrier 26 . the auto - injector 1 may preferably be used for subcutaneous or intra - muscular injection , particularly for delivering one of an analgetic , an anticoagulant , insulin , an insulin derivate , heparin , lovenox , a vaccine , a growth hormone , a peptide hormone , a protein , antibodies and complex carbohydrates . | 0 |
fig1 depicts a bus arrangement or bus system 10 according to the present invention . bus system 10 is comprised of a poll bus 11 , a message bus 12 and , connected to these buses , a bus controller 13 and a plurality of processing elements 14a , 14b . . . 14n ( referred to collectively as processing elements 14 ). there can be as many as 128 processing elements 14 connected to buses 11 and 12 since poll bus 11 contains seven leads for addressing . if processing element 14a wishes to communicate with processing element 14b it does so by sending messages on message bus 12 first to bus controller 13 where they are stored momentarily before being forwarded to processing element 14b . in short each message transfer requires two traversals of the message bus 12 : once to get from the sending or source processing element 14 to bus controller 13 and once again to get from bus controller 13 to the destination processing element 14 . before it is described in more detail , the functions provided by bus controller 13 will be described . bus controller 13 provides the following functions : ( 1 ) it arranges cooperative use of message bus 12 by other processing elements 14 ; ( 2 ) it effects message transfers on message bus 12 ; and ( 3 ) it distributes messages evenly between destination processing elements 14 where several destination processing elements 14 are eligible . bus controller 13 can itself be considered as a processing element of the bus system 10 and hence can send and receive messages over message bus 12 . note that each processing element 14 , and in addition bus controller 13 , has a bus interface 16 in order to communicate on the pool bus 11 and the message bus 12 . bus controller 13 and processing elements 14 use poll use 11 to arrange a transfer of messages over message bus 12 . this separation of arbitration traffic ( i . e . traffic on poll bus 11 ) from message traffic ( i . e . traffic on message bus 12 ) allows the arbitration activity for waiting messages to proceed while a message is being transferred on message bus 12 . the elements of bus controller 13 will now be briefly described . polling circuit 17 is the bus controller component that drives the poll bus 11 . message circuit 18 is the component that drives message bus 12 . master controller 19 is a high speed microcoded processor that controls message circuit 18 and polling circuit 17 and manages controller 13 &# 39 ; s message queues and message buffers ( in shared memory 20 ). processor 21 in bus controller 13 ( e . g . a motorola 68000 ) monitors and controls bus controller 13 , loads code into and manages master controller 19 and message circuit 18 , and manages polling circuit 17 and bus interface 16 . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 , 000 messages pass through bus controller 13 each second . note that each message comprises on average 50 bytes . this means that master controller 19 must process each message in a total time of 45 microseconds or less . a more detailed description of a message will now be given . every message sent on message bus 12 from one processing element 14 to another processing element 14 passes on message bus 12 from the source processing element 14 to bus controller 13 , where it is stored momentarily in a queue of messages having the same immediate destination . when the processor 21 ( in one of the processing elements 14 ), which is the immediate destination , indicates its readiness to receive a message , the message is sent back over message bus 12 to it . for the simplified block diagram of fig1 the immediate destination of the message is the final destination of the message . message bus 12 carries messages between bus controller 13 and processing elements 14 . poll bus 11 is the means by which bus controller 13 and the processing elements 14 arrange cooperative use of message bus 12 . bus controller 13 takes approximately 400 nanoseconds to poll a processing element 14 . thus , each processing element 14 is polled approximately once every 52 microseconds if there are 128 processing elements . note that the polling activity on poll bus 11 continues at all times while messages are being transferred on message bus 12 . each poll is a signal which consists of a poll address and a poll mode . a poll address is a number between zero and one hundred and twenty seven which is allocated to and recognized by , one of the processing elements 14 on bus 11 . the poll modes of interest here are : poll message , poll no message and allocate . when a bus controller 13 polls a valid poll address for which it has queued a message , it polls with a poll message poll mode . if the addressed element is in a state in which it can receive a message it will respond with a read request . bus controller 13 queues the read request in a request queue in shared memory 20 . while processing element 14 is waiting for bus controller 13 to service the read request , bus controller 13 continues to send poll message polls to it to which the processing element 14 must respond up . when the other outstanding requests have been dealt with , bus controller 13 will send an allocate poll to the processing element 14 during the last transfer on message bus 12 before it is the turn of the waiting processing element 14 . just before the allocate , bus controller 13 changes the poll mode to poll no message if there are no further messages . the processing element 14 receiving the allocate poll knows that the next message on the message bus 12 will be the one it is waiting for . when bus controller 13 polls a valid poll address for which it has an empty message queue , it polls with a poll no message poll mode . to this poll , the element 14 may respond up if it has no message to send or write if it has a message to send . the procedure for a write response is similar to that for the read , except that the allocate is the signal for the element to send its message after the end of the current transfer on the message bus . the poll list is the list of poll addresses of processing elements 14 to be polled . the poll list is kept in a dedicated memory in polling circuit 17 where it can be accessed quickly enough to poll one address every 400 nanoseconds . there may be up to 256 entries in the poll list . each entry of the poll list is polled once in each poll cycle . the poll list may contain more than one copy of a poll address . the number of occurrences of a poll address in the poll list is termed the repetition factor of the poll address . repetition factors greater than one may be used to reduce the poll latency for processing elements 14 receiving a disproportionate share of the total traffic load on message bus 12 . bus controller 13 will normally poll all 128 poll addresses at least once in each poll cycle . when bus controller 13 first becomes active , the poll list is set to contain all poll addresses with a repetition factor of one . polling circuit 17 can be commanded to change the repetition factor of any poll address . each message sent to or received by bus controller 13 is prefixed by a message header placed at the beginning of the message by the source processing element 14 . the message header is displayed in fig2 to which attention is directed . the message header contains the addressing information that is used by bus controller 13 to route the message to the destination . the whole message , including the message header and a 32 bit crc ( cyclic redundancy check ) appended to the message by the sending buffer interface 16 , is passed on unmodified by bus controller 13 to the destination . bus controller 13 validates the message and consequently the message header by validating the message &# 39 ; s crc . if the information in the message and thus the message header is found to be wrong , bus controller 13 simply discards the message with no further action taken . the significance of the fields of the message header may be described in terms of physical addressing , logical addressing , and external bus system addressing . when the en field of the message header is less than 128 , the en field is interpreted as a physical address . this means that the en field of the message header specifies the poll address of the destination processing element 14 on buses 11 and 12 . the poll address of a processing element 14 is a number to which that processing element will respond when the number is detected on poll bus 11 . when the en field of the message header is greater than 127 , the en field is interpreted as a logical address . a logical address is not needed for the simplified embodiment shown in fig1 . logical addressing is a method of applying the same address to several elements 14 ( that are members of a logically defined group ) when the message can be sent to any one of those elements . the element 14 that the message is actually sent to , is determined by scanning the queue sizes of each member of the group of elements so addressed and sending the message to the element 14 with the lowest queue size . the incoming messages are distributed to the element 14 in the group with the lowest queue size . if more than one of the elements 14 has the same size queue , then the messages are distributed evenly across those elements 14 . the translation of logical addresses to the list of possible destination elements 14 is done by master controller 19 using a translation table contained in shared memory 20 controlled by processor 21 . each message header contains a priority field , pr , containing a priority value from 0 to 7 that is used to order the queue such that the highest priority messages are sent first . the queue , for any element 14 , has a maximum size in order to prevent the queue of one element 14 taking a disproportionate number of the available messages due to overload . the fixed maximum queue size will require messages to be discarded once the quene is full . if a new message arrives and the destination queue is full then the priority of the new message is compared to the priority of the messages in the queue and the most recently received message with the lowest priority is discarded . the rm field of the message header specifies the identification number of the destination bus system . there are 255 destination bus system addresses from 1 to 255 . if the rm field is 0 , tne rm field is to be ignored and the message routed within the same bus system 10 according to the en field . this facility is provided so that messages can be sent to addresses within the same bus system 10 without having to be configured to contain the rm number . if the rm number is other than 0 or the actual number of the subject bus system , master controller 19 routes the message to the correct bus system 10 by treating the rm number as a special class of logical address as described above . this logical address has a separate translation table in shared memory 20 , controlled by processor 21 . | 6 |
the present invention comprises first isomerizing mixtures of cis - and - trans - 1 , 4 - dichlorobutene - 2 to a high level of trans - 1 , 4 - dichlorobutene - 2 by the catalytic influence of thiols or anhydrous hydrogen bromide or hydrogen chloride with ultraviolet light and / or chemical initiators so that an 80 / 20 trans / cis mixture is isomerized to a 95 / 5 trans / cis mixture in as little as ten minutes followed immediately by the cyclocondensation with dialkyl malonate and metallic alkoxide . the temperature of the isomerization reaction is not critical and may conveniently be from room temperature up to 80 ° c . or higher depending upon the catalyst employed for the isomerization . likewise , the amount of catalyst is not critical and may conveniently be from 0 . 5 mole % based on the weight of the dichlorobutene to about 20 mole % and preferably from 5 mole % to 10 mole %. the time of the reaction is likewise not critical and depends to some extent upon the catalyst employed for the isomerization . thus with the thiol catalyzed isomerization the time may range from 30 minutes to an hour or more at reaction temperatures of from 70 ° c . to 90 ° c . whereas with the anhydrous hydrogen bromide or chloride catalyzed isomerization the time is frequently from twenty to thirty minutes or so at temperatures preferably at about room temperature . with both the thiol catalyzed and hydrogen bromide and chloride catalyzed isomerizations , ratios better than 93 / 7 trans / cis - dichlorobutene - 2 have consistently been obtained with 95 - 97 % recovery of the dichlorobutene - 2 . the cyclocondensation of the isomerized 1 , 4 - dichlorobutene - 2 with the malonic esters is preferably carried out in the presence of an inert organic solvent , e . g . a lower alcohol , at reflux temperatures . preferably the procedure involves the rapid addition of 25 % methanolic sodium methoxide to a solution of 1 , 4 - dichlorobutene - 2 and dimethyl malonate in minimum amount of methanol . the reaction temperature is maintained at 65 °- 70 ° c . by methanol reflux and maintenance of a low temperature by the slow addition of methoxide is not needed . after the reaction is complete , the mixture is vacuum filtered , neutralized preferably with concentrated hydrochloric acid and filtered a second time to complete the removal of all salts . the solvent is then removed under vacuum to produce a yield of crude product of 80 - 85 %. final vacuum distillation produces a product of 75 - 80 % yield . suitable organic solvents for the reaction include the lower alcohols , for example , methanol , ethanol , propanol , and the like , methanol being preferred for ease of handling . suitable metallic alkoxides include , for example , sodium or potassium methoxide , ethoxide , propoxide , butoxide , and the like . again , a methanolic sodium methoxide solution is preferred . the reaction may be neutralized with any strong mineral acid , e . g . sulfuric acid , hydrochloric acid , etc . typical thiols useful in the described isomerization reaction are 2 - mecaptoethanol , thiophenol , thiolacetic acid , methanethiol , thioglycolic acid , mercaptosuccinic acid , etc . in the thiol catalyzed isomerization of the dihalobutenes as well as in the anhydrous hydrogen bromide or chloride isomerization reaction it is necessary to employ an initiator for the reaction . typical chemical initiators may be , for example , 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ), benzoyl peroxide , t - butyl peroxide , etc . the amount of chemical initiator employed in the reaction is not critical but must be present in sufficient amount to initiate the reaction . typically from about 0 . 1 mole % to about 5 mole % based on the weight of the dichlorobutene has been found to be effective . as indicated above , 2 - mercaptoethanol as the catalyst and 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) as the initiator are preferred and have been found to be highly useful in the isomerization of dichlorobutene as they consistently provide ratios greater than 93 / 7 trans / cis - dichlorobutene with 95 - 97 % recovery of the dichlorobutenes . hydrogen bromide with either aibn or ultraviolet light has also been found to be effective in producing remarkably high trans / cis ( 95 / 5 ) ratios of dichlorobutene at room temperature . hydrogen bromide is the preferred catalyst in the described reaction and has been found to be equally effective with either aibn or ultraviolet light initiation . however , 2 - mercaptoethanol with ultraviolet light and hydrogen chloride with ultraviolet light showed marginal activity and hydrogen iodide and i 2 showed no catalytic activity with either aibn or ultraviolet light . 1 , 4 - dichlorobutene - 2 ; 1 , 4 - dibromobutene - 2 ; 1 - bromo - 4 - chlorobutene - 2 ; 1 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - methylbutene - 2 ; 1 , 4 - dibromo - 2 - methylbutene - 2 ; 1 , 4 - dichloro - 2 , 3 - dimethylbutene - 2 ; 1 , 4 - dibromo - 2 , 3 - dimethylbutene - 2 ; 1 , 4 - dichloropentene - 2 ; 1 , 4 - dibromopentene - 2 ; 1 , 4 - dichloro - 4 - methylpentene - 2 ; and 1 , 4 - dibromo - 4 - methylpentene - 2 ; 1 , 4 - dichloro - and 1 , 4 - dibromobutene - 2 are particularly useful for the present process in view of their commercial availability , reactivity and ability to yield highly useful vinylcyclopropane derivatives with minimal undesirable by - product formation . suitable malonic esters for use in the present process are the lower alkyl malonates , such as dimethyl malonate , diethyl malonate , dibutylmalonate , disopropyl malonate , ethyl ( n , n - dimethyl - 2 - aminoethyl ) malonate , and di ( n , n - dimethyl - 2 - aminoethyl ) malonate and the like , dimethyl malonate being preferred because of its ready availability . the invention will be described in greater detail in conjunction with the following specific examples in which the parts are by weight unless otherwise specified . sodium methoxide ( 108 . 02 g , 2 . 0 moles ) 25 % in meoh was added slowly (˜ 2 . 25 hrs .) to dimethyl malonate ( 132 . 12 g , 1 . 0 mole ) in a heated and stirred flask having a bottom opening ; 200 ml additional meoh was required to maintain fluidity of the slurry . the sodiomalonate was then added (˜ 30 min .) through the bottom opening to 1 , 4 - dichlorobutene - 2 ( 125 g , 1 . 0 mole ) in a second heated and stirred flask . the mixture was heated at reflux ˜ 4 . 5 hours , cooled , and vacuum filtered . the clear filtrate was then concentrated under vacuum at which point additional salts precipitated . an attempted second filtration was unsuccessful due to the slimy cake , and the salts were finally removed by centrifuging to give 146 g of crude product . vacuum distillation ( 60 °/ 0 . 4 mm - 90 °/ 0 . 55 mm ) gave a small forecut , 87 . 6 g of product ( 47 . 6 % yield ), and 44 . 5 g of residue . ˜ 80 % trans - 1 , 4 - dichlorobutene - 2 ( 150 g , 1 . 2 moles ) and 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) ( 3 . 94 g , 0 . 024 mole ) were heated with stirring to 60 ° c . at which point hbr gas addition was started . after 10 minutes , heating and gas flow were terminated (˜ 94 / 6 trans / cis by gc ) and the reaction allowed to cool with n 2 purge to remove hbr . dimethylmalonate ( 132 . 12 g , 1 . 0 mole ) in 50 ml of meoh was then added to the flask . naome ( 108 . 02 g , 2 . 0 moles ) 25 % in meoh was added in 17 minutes and the reaction allowed to cool ( 80 . 5 % dimethyl 2 - vinylcyclopropane - 1 , 1 - dicarboxylate and 3 . 3 % dimethyl cyclopent - 3 - ene - 1 , 1 - dicarboxylate by gc ). after workup and distillation as above , 139 . 2 g ( 75 . 6 % yield ) of product consisting of 95 . 5 % dimethyl 2 - vinylcyclopropane - 1 , 1 - dicarboxylate and 4 . 5 % dimethyl cyclopent - 3 - ene - 1 , 1 - dicarboxylate was obtained . to ˜ 80 % trans -, 20 % cis - 1 , 4 - dichlorobutene - 2 ( 150 g , 1 . 2 moles ) was added 2 - mercaptoethanol ( 7 . 03 g , 0 . 09 moles ) and aibn ( 1 . 9 g , 0 . 0116 moles ). the mixture was then heated at 80 ° c . with stirring for 30 minutes at which point the trans / cis ratio was ˜ 92 / 8 . after cooling to 23 ° c ., and without further treatment , the cyclocondensation , workup , and distillation were conducted as in example 2 . distillation afforded 114 g of product containing 95 . 5 % dimethyl 2 - vinylcyclopropane - 1 , 1 - dicarboxylate and 4 . 5 % dimethyl cyclopent - 3 - ene - 1 , 1 - dicarboxylate . | 2 |
reference is now made to fig1 through 5 , where there is shown a cigarette and cigar lighter 100 according to just one of the infinite number of possible embodiments of the present invention . lighter 100 includes an upright elongate housing 102 having a lid 104 pivotally attached thereto at hinge 106 . the lighter is shown in its storage position in fig1 and 3 , where the lid is closed , at zero angular degrees with respect to the housing &# 39 ; s upper surface 108 , to cover and protect the inner components of the lighter . when opened to its upright position for use , at ninety angular degrees from the housing &# 39 ; s upper surface , the housing &# 39 ; s flame - producing nozzle 112 is exposed . the lighter is shown in its use position in fig1 and 3 , where the lid is opened . pressing against the actuation button 114 on the front side of the housing causes release and ignition of fuel within the housing and the ejection of flame 116 from the nozzle . any typical fuel release and ignition means may be employed within the lighter to cause the flame from the nozzle , and the invention is not meant to be limited thereby . as seen best in fig4 , the nozzle 112 is angularly positioned and thereby adapted to eject the flame , as seen best in fig2 and 5 , at a diagonal angle relative to the housing and lid , that bisects the ninety angular degree opening angle of the lid from the housing . preferably , the flame 116 is directed at an angle of approximately forty - five angular degrees above the top surface 108 , and forty - five angular degrees below the lid 104 . as seen in fig5 , the foot of a cigar 200 is easily disposed against the flames tip 120 , while the flames base 122 is sufficiently sheltered by the lid to avoid being inadvertently extinguished . and the disposition and direction of the flame tip avoids any inadvertent heating of the lid . in summary , the invention may be embodied as a lighting device for cigarettes and cigars having a housing encasing fuel , an igniter for causing the fuel into a flame , and a nozzle for directing the flame , a lid attached to the housing and pivotable relative thereto between a closed position at a first angle relative to the housing and covering the nozzle , and an open position at a second angle relative to the housing and exposing the nozzle , wherein the nozzle directs the flame at a third angle between the first and second angles . the first and second angles may be separated by approximately ninety angular degrees . the third angle may be between twenty and seventy angular degrees from the first angle . the third angle may more specifically be between thirty and sixty angular degrees from the first angle . the third angle may more specifically be approximately forty - five angular degrees from the first angle . the housing may be an elongate rectilinear housing having an upper end , and the nozzle may be disposed at and direct the flame from the upper end . the lid may be pivotally affixed to the housing at a hinge disposed at the upper end . the lid may be disposed substantially parallel to the upper end during the closed position and substantially perpendicular to the upper end during the open position . the lid may be disposed substantially upright during the open position , when the elongate rectilinear housing is disposed substantially upright . the invention may also be embodied as a lighting device for cigarettes and cigars having an upright elongate body , and a flame exiting the body at a direction between zero and ninety angular degrees from upright . the body may have an upper end and the flame may exit the body from the upper end . the lighting device may have a lid hingedly attached to the body at the upper end . the lid may be pivotable relative to the body between a closed position covering the upper end and denying exit of the flame therefrom and an open position exposing the upper end and allowing exit of the flame therefrom . the lid may be substantially disposed in a direction approximately ninety angular degrees from upright during the closed position , and may be substantially disposed in a direction approximately zero angular degrees from upright during the open position . the flame may exit the body in a direction substantially bisecting the upper end and lid when the lid is in the open position . the invention may also be embodied as a lighter having a body producing a flame , the flame having a flame base adjacent the body and a flame tip at the distal end of the flame , and a sheltering lid attached to the body , wherein the flame base is substantially nearer to the lid than the flame tip is to the lid . the flame base may more specifically be less than seven - eighths of an inch from the lid , and the flame tip may more specifically be more than seven - eighths of an inch from the lid . the flame base may more specifically be approximately three - quarters of an inch from the lid , and the flame tip may more specifically be approximately one inch from the lid . while the invention has been shown and described with reference to a specific exemplary embodiment , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , and that the invention should therefore only be limited according to the following claims , including all equivalent interpretation to which they are entitled . | 5 |
the present invention relates to a hydraulic supply device for a closed - circuit installation . the installations targeted by the invention are in particular heating and / or cooling installations in which a heat transfer fluid flows along a closed circuit in order to pass successively through a heat or coldness production equipment , a utilising device , a pump , a buffer tank , a filter , etc . it can be a heating installation , a cooling installation , or else an installation which can operate either as a heating or as a cooling installation , the thermal source then consisting of e . g . a reversible refrigerating machine , that is to say one capable of operating either as a heating means or as a cooling means . the object of the present invention is to rationalise installations of the said type with regard to their components other than their utilising devices . according to the invention , the hydraulic supply device for an installation using a heat transfer fluid in a closed circuit , this device comprising the following components for the heat transfer fluid : an expansion vessel , is characterised by furthermore comprising an enclosure which houses at least part of said components while bringing them together in order to form a hydraulic unit . preferably , the enclosure is substantially fluid - tight . in this way substantial entries of water vapour into the enclosure and consequently the problems of condensation on the outside face of the wall of the tank are prevented . it is also preferred that the enclosure should carry on its inside face a heat insulating lining . such an internal lining is much easier to produce than external lagging on components having complex shapes such as tanks , pumps and their interconnecting pipes . the enclosure being thus internally insulated makes it possible to dispense with heat insulation on the components housed in the enclosure . in particular , if the enclosure is substantially fluid - tight , the heat insulating lining can be made from a material which is not intrinsically fluid - tight , such as rock wool . such a material is inexpensive and easy to apply . thanks to the fluid - tightness of the enclosure there is no risk of it being saturated with water . preferably , between the inside face of the heat insulating lining and the outside face of the components housed in the enclosure , there is a space filled with air which constitutes additional insulation . the arrangement of components inside the enclosure is such that possible condensates can flow without wetting the insulating lining . according to an important feature of the invention , the filter is fitted inside the tank like a permeable partition subdividing the inside of the tank into a return chamber connected to the return orifice and a feed chamber connected to the feed orifice . this arrangement has multiple advantages . it eliminates the necessity of providing a location and a fitting for the filter in the circuit outside of the tank . furthermore , in the tank , the filter has a large diameter and thus offers a negligible head loss . similarly , for a closed circuit installation , where clogging prominently occurs just after the first operation , a filter of such size proves capable of stopping the initial impurities and then of continuing to allow normal operation without having to be cleaned . if the return chamber is in the low position under the feed chamber , the impurities in any case have a tendency to fall to the bottom of the return chamber instead of remaining suspended on the bottom surface of the filter . one of the important optional features of the present invention consists in fitting certain of the components such that they traverse the wall of the enclosure . in particular the pump or pumps are preferably fitted in such a way that the motor is outside of the enclosure . in this way the motor is ventilated better and the heat dissipated by the motor is prevented from heating up the inside of the enclosure , which is undesirable when the function of the installation is to cool the utilising devices . it is also possible to fit the expansion vessel such that it traverses the wall of the enclosure in such a way that its adjustment device is accessible from outside of the enclosure . it is also possible chat a flow - regulating valve installed downstream of the pump be so mounted that said valve extends through the wall of the enclosure . it is advantageous that all of the components thus fitted such that they traverse the wall of the enclosure are grouped on one and the same side of the enclosure forming the back of a compartment adjacent to the enclosure itself . such a compartment can assume the form of a cabinet in which the electrical box is also installed . if the return and feed orifices of the tank are oriented at about 90 ° with respect to each other , the feed path , making a 90 ° turn because of the usual geometry of pumps such as centrifugal ones , can exit on the same side of the enclosure as that through which the return path passes . this favours a rational connection with the rest of the installation . according to a second subject of the invention , the heating and / or cooling installation comprising , along a closed circuit of heat transfer fluid : is characterised in that the supply device conforms with the first aspect . other features and advantages of the invention will furthermore emerge from the following description , given with reference to non - limitative examples . fig1 and 2 are two diagrams relating to two variants of an installation according to the invention ; fig3 is a side view of the supply device according to the invention , with a vertical cross - section of the enclosure and tear - aways of the tank ; fig4 is a top view of the supply device of fig3 with a horizontal cross - section of the enclosure ; fig5 is a view of a detail of fig3 in a larger scale ; fig6 is a view similar to fig2 but relating to another embodiment ; fig7 is a view similar to fig3 but relating to a possible embodiment of the supply device of fig6 ; and fig8 and 9 are two plan - view diagrams relating to two other embodiments of the hydraulic supply device . in the example shown in fig1 the thermal conditioning installation comprises a device for supplying heat transfer fluid 1 , an equipment 2 forming a thermal source , and utilising devices 3 . these elements 1 , 2 , 3 are interconnected by a pipe 4 going from the source 2 to a return pipe 6 of the supply device 1 , a pipe 7 connecting a feed path 8 of the supply device 1 with the utilising devices 3 , and a pipe 9 extending from the utilising devices 3 to the inlet 11 into the thermal source 2 . the installation therefore forms a closed circuit for the heat transfer fluid going from the supply device 1 to the utilising devices 3 and then to the thermal source 2 from where the fluid returns to the supply device 1 . the utilising devices 3 are connected in parallel between the pipes 7 and 9 which serve them . in the example shown , each utilising device 3 is illustrated in the form of an exchanger 12 with the ambient air 13 . each utilising device 3 tends to vary the temperature of the heat transfer fluid in the sense opposite to that of the temperature variation produced by the thermal source 2 . the thermal source 2 is illustrated in the form of a refrigeration machine in which one of the thermally active constituents 16 is in a heat - exchange relationship with the heat transfer fluid closed circuit . the example shown in fig2 will be described only where it differs in comparison with that of fig1 . in this example , the feed path 8 of the supply device 1 is connected by a pipe 17 to the inlet 11 of the thermal source 2 and the return path 6 of the supply device 1 is connected by a pipe 14 to the outlets of the utilising devices 3 . a pipe 19 connects the outlet 18 of the thermal source 2 with the inlets of the utilising devices 3 . the supply device 1 will now be described in more detail referring principally to fig3 and 4 . the supply device 1 comprises a tank 21 of generally cylindrical shape disposed along a vertical axis in the example shown . the tank 21 comprises a return orifice 22 which connects with the return path 6 and a feed orifice 23 which connects with the feed path 8 . the tank 21 forms part of the closed circuit for the heat transfer fluid . the return path 6 and the feed path 8 are connected with each other only by the tank 21 which , in service , is filled with heat transfer liquid . at its top the tank 21 has an automatic bleed device 24 for the automatic elimination of possible gas pockets . the tank 21 has the function of a thermal accumulator preventing sudden variations of temperature in the heat transfer fluid when the thermal source is started or stopped manually or automatically and when the consumption of the utilising devices 3 varies suddenly . the supply device 1 furthermore comprises an expansion vessel 31 comprising a liquid chamber connected with the inside of the tank 21 by a pipe 32 . in a conventional manner , the vessel 21 encloses a moving partition ( not shown ) separating the liquid chamber from a gas chamber whose pressure can be regulated through an access 33 . in this way the pressure of the liquid in the tank 21 is at the same time regulated in a way which is independent of the variations in the volume of the liquid contained in the closed circuit of the installation . the feed path 8 comprises pumping means produced in the shown example in the form of two centrifugal pumps 41 connected in parallel . the use of two pumps 41 is intended to avoid the risk of failure of the whole installation in the event of one of the pumps failing . each pump 41 has an axial intake 42 connected to a respective feed orifice 23 of the tank 21 . each pump 41 also has a radial delivery orifice 43 connected to a common delivery pipe 44 . in a way which is not shown , between each delivery orifice 43 and the delivery pipe 44 there is a non - return valve preventing one pump 41 in operation from delivering into another pump 41 which is stopped . the delivery pipe 44 is equipped with a valve 51 for regulating the flow of the heat transfer liquid delivered by the pumps 41 . the tank 21 is installed in an enclosure 61 of generally parallelepipedic shape supported by a base 62 upon which stands a support 26 of the tank . the enclosure 61 comprises an outer shell 63 , for example made of sheet steel . against the inside face of the shell 63 is fixed a heat insulating lining 64 which covers it completely along the four lateral walls , under the top panel as well as over the frame 62 . additional lining 66 is provided inside the support 26 . an air gap 67 is formed between the inside face of the lining 64 and the whole outside face of the tank 21 . one of the side walls of the enclosure 61 comprises an opening 67 for an inspection hatch 68 which is also made thermally insulating . the enclosure is made substantially fluid - tight in order to prevent as far as possible the entry of atmospheric water vapour and consequently the formation of a large quantity of condensation on the surface of the tank 21 and of the other cold parts located inside the enclosure . it is not possible however to avoid small entries of vapour and consequently the formation of a small quantity of condensation which runs towards the bottom of the enclosure . for this reason , there is provided in the bottom of the enclosure , above the lining 64 of the bottom , a collecting receptacle 68 equipped with an evacuation orifice 69 . a filter 81 is installed inside the tank 21 like a partition which is permeable to the heat transfer liquid , subdividing the interior of the tank 21 into a return chamber 27 connecting with the return orifice 22 and an feed chamber 28 connecting with the feed orifices 23 . the filter 81 is for example made in the form of a grid of substantially circular shape , flat or preferably dish - shaped in order to resist the pressure difference between the chambers 27 and 28 by a vault effect . the filter 81 is welded all around its periphery to the inside face of the peripheral wall of the tank 21 . the filter 81 is disposed in a horizontal plane . the wall of the tank 21 is also traversed by two openings 29 , one of them located just below and the other one just above the filter 81 . as shown in fig4 these openings 29 allow the fitting of heating elements 82 each one in the form of a rod which protrudes radially inside the tank 21 and are secured against the outer face of the wall of the tank 21 by a flange 83 which is extended outwardly by an electrical connection device 84 . such elements are intended to serve as a complementary source of heating in addition to the thermal source 2 if the latter is insufficient when it is operating as a heat source , or else is substituted for the thermal source 2 when the latter for example consists of a refrigeration machine which is not reversible as a heat pump , so that , despite this , the installation can operate as a heating installation for example during the winter period . the orifices 29 are oriented towards the inspection hatch 68 . furthermore , an electrical heating mat 86 is secured against the outer face of the wall of the tank 21 in the vicinity of the feed orifices 23 because as this zone comprises many walls separating the heat transfer fluid from the gaseous space 67 inside the enclosure 63 , it is more exposed to the risk of freezing . the pumps 41 , the expansion vessel 31 , and the valve 51 are installed in a fluid - tight manner in appropriate openings of the enclosure 61 , while extending through a same wall 71 of that enclosure . said wall 71 simultaneously forms the back of a compartment 87 configured as a technical cabinet also housing the electrical box 88 . the power supply cable 89 ( fig4 ) of the heating mat 86 extends through the wall 71 of the enclosure in a fluid - tight manner and is connected to the electrical box 88 . in a way which is not shown , the power supply cable of each element 82 can connect the connecting device 84 with the electrical box 88 via a cable which is for example grouped with the cable 89 for traversing the wall 71 . the assembly is such that the pump body 46 of each of the pumps 41 is inside the enclosure 61 whilst the motors 47 of the pumps 41 protrude into the compartment 87 . the delivery path of the pumps 41 from the delivery orifices 43 and passing through the body 52 of the valve 51 extends in a plane parallel with the wall 71 traversed by the components 31 , 41 and 51 , close against the inside lining of this wall 71 . the actuating device 53 of the valve 51 protrudes into the compartment 87 so that it is accessible and allows adjustment of the valve 51 from this compartment . the expansion vessel 31 is installed in such a way that the cover 33 providing access to the adjustment means is in the compartment 87 to allow adjustment of the pressure of the tank 21 from the compartment 87 . the return pipe 6 and the delivery pipe 44 leave the enclosure through two orifices 72 formed through the same lateral wall 73 of the enclosure 61 . the wall 73 is adjacent to the wall 71 through which the components 31 , 41 , 51 are mounted , and opposite the wall 74 equipped with the hatch 68 . the return pipe 6 is a short pipe oriented radially with respect to the tank 21 and ending directly at the return orifice 22 located immediately behind the wall 73 . the feed path 8 forms , as seen from above ( fig4 ), a 90 ° bend inside the pump body 46 . the feed orifices 23 are oriented towards the wall 71 , substantially at 90 ° to the return orifice 22 about the vertical axis of the tank 21 , so that after the 90 ° turn in the pumps the feed path 8 ends at the same wall 73 as the return path 6 , as has been described . the axis of the pumps 41 is horizontal and radial with respect to the tank 21 . the inlet pipes 42 of the pumps 41 are very short straight pipes directed radially with respect to the axis of the tank 21 . the delivery pipe 44 is also straight . if a single pump 41 were provided , all the pipes provided for the heat transfer fluid in the supply device 1 could be strictly straight . in the example shown , this very advantageous condition could not be achieved entirely due to the necessary connection between the deliveries of the two pumps 41 . as shown in detail in fig5 the wall 71 can , for the mounting of the components 31 , 41 , 51 , have a large window 76 obturated by a heat insulating shield 77 through which the components 31 , 41 , and the valve 51 ( not shown in fig5 ) are mounted . the operation and use of the supply device 1 will now be described . when at least one of the pumps 41 is operating , the heat transfer liquid is taken in through the return orifice 22 , enters into the tank 21 in the return chamber 27 , passes through the filter 81 into the feed chamber 28 which it leaves through at least one of the feed orifices 23 . the impurities stopped by the filter 81 tend to drop spontaneously to the bottom of the tank 21 where they are in no way harmful . the temperature inside the enclosure 61 is close to that of the heat transfer liquid , which is generally regulated where it passes in contact with the thermal source 2 ( fig1 and 2 ). the heat dissipated by the motors 47 remains outside . if this temperature becomes close to 0 , the heating mat 86 can be put into operation automatically in order to prevent freezing at the intakes of the pumps . such a supply device can operate for years without necessitating any maintenance inside the enclosure 61 . if it is desired to clean the inside of the tank 21 , the latter is drained through a bottom tap which is not shown , the two elements 82 are removed and a suction nozzle is introduced through the corresponding openings 29 in order to unclog the return chamber 27 and the feed chamber 28 respectively , including both sides of the filter 81 . this operation is facilitated by the fact that the openings 29 are opposite the hatch 68 . the supply device is particularly economic to manufacture , very practical in use and minimises maintenance and head losses undergone by the heat transfer fluid . the example shown in fig6 will be described only where it differs with respect to the one in fig1 . in this example , a section 101 of the thermal source 2 is an integral part of the hydraulic supply device 1 and is integrated inside the enclosure 61 and in particular inside the volume surrounded by the heat insulating lining 64 . more particularly , the section 101 of the thermal source 2 which is inside the enclosure 61 comprises the refrigeration compressor 103 , a refrigeration fluid tank 106 , a refrigeration fluid pressure relief device 107 and a device 116 serving as an evaporator for the refrigeration fluid and as a cooling exchanger for the heat transfer liquid . the pipe 17 is now entirely inside the enclosure 61 between the delivery of the pump 41 and the inlet into the evaporator - exchanger 116 . the outlet 118 of the evaporator - exchanger 116 consists of a pipe which emerges outside of the enclosure 61 through the same face of the enclosure 61 as that on which the connector 6 for return to the inside of the tank 21 is located . as regards the refrigeration circuit , the delivery 108 of the compressor 103 consists of a pipe which traverses the wall of the enclosure 61 and then is connected to the inlet of the condenser 104 which constitutes the essential element of the section 102 of the thermal source 2 which is located outside of the enclosure 61 . an outlet pipe 109 of the condenser 104 also passes through the enclosure 61 and is then connected to the refrigeration fluid tank 106 . the region 106 f of the tank 106 which is located below the liquid level in this tank is connected through the pressure relief device 107 with the inlet of the evaporator section of the evaporator - exchanger 116 . the outlet of this evaporator section is connected by a pipe 111 with the inlet of the compressor 103 . the advantage of this embodiment is that the parts of the refrigeration machine and more generally of the thermal source which also need to be heat insulated are also grouped inside the insulated enclosure 61 . in this way the problems of heat insulation in the installation are greatly simplified , a major portion of the technical components of the installation are grouped inside a same enclosure and external insulation is dispensed as regards elements such as the compressor or the evaporator , which makes these elements more accessible for maintenance . thermodynamically speaking , the compressor operates for compressing the refrigeration fluid up to a temperature which can be rather high . practically however , the compressor nevertheless constitutes a cold section of the installation because it is usually maintained at low temperature by a cooling system using the vapour coming from the evaporator of the refrigeration circuit just before its inlet into the compression chamber of the compressor . in a way which is not shown , inside the enclosure 61 there are also the regulating devices , if any , of the refrigeration machine , such as the regulation of the throttle carried out by the pressure relief device 107 for the refrigeration fluid flowing therethrough . independently from the above , the embodiment of fig6 also distinguishes from that of fig3 in that there is mounted inside the enclosure 61 , a different filter 181 of cylindrical shape having an annular edge 182 surrounding the return orifice 6 and , at the opposite end , an annular edge 183 surrounding an inspection orifice 184 formed in the wall of the tank 21 , and normally obturated by a closing plate . when the pump 41 is operating , it produces a depression inside the tank 21 . the cylindrical shape of the filter 181 has an excellent resistance to the bursting stress which results from this depression , particularly when the filter is clogged . at the same time , the production of a cylindrical filter is inexpensive . the inspection hole 184 conveniently allows insertion of a heating element , or of a suction nozzle for cleaning purposes , or else allows replacement of the filter 181 . in the embodiment shown in fig7 the condenser 104 , instead of being physically separated from the enclosure 61 , is secured to the latter , on the outside of the heat insulation lining 64 . furthermore there can be seen on this figure , better than in fig6 the particular embodiment of the refrigeration tank 106 in the form of an elongated bottle with a substantially vertical upper region 106 g , intended to contain the gaseous phase and a lower region 106 f intended to contain the liquid phase and which forms an obtuse angle of about 100 °, thereby to be virtually horizontal . the region 106 f is integral with supports 121 which extend upwards in order to also support the evaporator - exchanger 116 and the compressor 103 . another support 122 of the compressor 103 stands solely on the tank 106 . fig6 shows that the gaseous region 106 g is connected to the delivery 108 of the compressor 103 by a connecting pipe 123 . in the example shown in fig8 the thermal source 2 is no longer a refrigeration machine but a system of heat exchange with the water 131 of a swimming pool 132 having a water treatment device 133 . such a treatment device takes water from the swimming pool 132 and subjects it to cleaning and filtration treatments etc . the water is then returned to the swimming pool 132 . in this version of the invention , the water flowing through the treatment device 133 is diverted into the enclosure 61 through an inlet pipe 134 and then returns to the treatment device 133 through a return pipe 136 . in the enclosure 61 , the water from the swimming pool flows through a heat exchanger 141 whose other path is traversed by the delivery 17 of the pump 41 upstream of the orifice 118 for feeding the heat transfer fluid out of the enclosure 61 . starting from the orifice 118 , the heat transfer fluid can go directly to the utilising devices or can pass through a refrigeration machine intended to further lower its temperature . in the example shown in fig9 the heat transfer fluid has two separate circuits . a first circuit simply provides for the circulation of the heat transfer fluid from the tank 21 through the pump 41 to the utilising devices and the return through the inlet orifice 6 into the tank 21 . the other circuit comprises a second pump 148 with an intake 149 in the tank 21 , and a delivery 151 into the thermal source 2 which can , as shown , be at least partly located inside the enclosure 61 . from the source 2 , the heat transfer fluid returns directly to the tank 21 through a pipe 152 . this invention is not of course limited to the examples shown and described . in particular , the device can , with minor modifications , be installed in such a way that the axis of the tank 21 is horizontal . the filter 81 is then , without disadvantage , disposed in a vertical plane . | 5 |
different steps of a process of forming a single crystal region in a method of epitaxially growing semiconductor crystal of a preferred embodiment of the present invention are illustrated in fig1 ( 1 ) to 1 ( 3 ). referring first to fig1 ( 1 ), an insulating film 12 of silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) is formed on an upper face of a substrate 11 made of silicon by , for example , a low pressure chemical vapor phase growing method . then , an amorphous semiconductor layer 13 of amorphous silicon is formed with the thickness of , for example , 40 nm on an upper face of the insulating film 12 by a low pressure chemical vapor phase growing method using mono - silane ( sih 4 ) of disilane ( si 2 h 6 ) as reaction gas or by another chemical vapor phase growing method which employs plasma or by a like method . the film forming temperature then is set to a value equal to or lower than 50 ° c . in order to obtain a film of the amorphous phase if ion implantation of si + is not performed after formation of the film . the step described above may be replaced by another step at which a polycrystalline silicon layer is formed on the upper face of the substrate 11 by the chemical vapor phase growing method , and then , ions of silicon ( si + ) are implanted into the polycrystalline silicon layer thus formed , whereafter the polycrystalline silicon layer is converted into the amorphous phase to form the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 . or else , it is also possible to form , without forming the insulating film 12 of silicon oxide on the upper face of the substrate 11 , the substrate 11 from quartz glass and the forming the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 made of amorphous silicon on the substrate 11 by a chemical vapor phase growing method in a similar manner as described above . subsequently , a silicon oxide film 14 of the thickness of about 500 nm and a silicon film 15 of the thickness of about 100 nm are formed in a layered condition on an upper face of the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 as seen in fig1 ( 2 ) by , for example , a chemical vapor phase growing method . it is to be noted that the silicon oxide film 14 is formed with a thickness which is sufficient to allow , when an excimer laser beam is irradiated upon the silicon oxide film 14 , that heat produced from the excimer laser beam by the silicon film 15 to radiate sufficiently from the silicon oxide film 14 . meanwhile , the thickness of the silicon film 15 is not limited to 100 nm so long as if it does not pass an excimer laser beam therethrough . since a laser beam cannot pass through a silicon film normally if the silicon film has the thickness of 80 nm , the silicon film is formed with the thickness equal to or greater than 80 nm . then , an etching mask of resist not shown is formed on an upper face of the silicon film 15 by ordinary photolithography . subsequently , using the etching mask , the silicon film 15 and the silicon oxide film 14 are anisotropically etched to remove portions of the films 15 and 16 indicated by alternate long and two short dashes lines in fig1 ( 2 ) by , for example , reactive ion etching . consequently , a shield mask 17 including the silicon film 15 and the silicon oxide film 14 in which through - holes 16 are formed is formed . each of the through - holes 16 is formed at the center of a region in which crystal is to be grown , and has a diameter smaller than 0 . 8 μm . when the through - holes 16 are formed with the diameter equal to or greater than 0 . 8 μm , polycrystalline silicon will be grown at the locations of the through - holes 16 by low temperature solid phase growing processing , which will be hereinafter described . subsequently , the etching mask is removed , for example , by ushering processing as seen from fig1 ( 3 ). then , excimer laser light 31 is irradiated toward the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 by way of the shield mask 17 . the excimer laser light 31 passes through the through - holes 16 and irradiates the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 , whereupon cores 18 are produced at the thus irradiated portions in the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 . the energy density of the excimer laser light 31 to be irradiated is set to a level at which the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 is not crystallized in accordance with the thickness of the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 , and for example , when the thickness of the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 is 40 nm , to for example , at 160 mj / cm 2 . subsequently , the shield mask 17 shown in fig1 ( 3 ) is removed as seen in fig1 ( 4 ) by suitable means which does not damage the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 such by wet etching or plasma etching . then , the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 in which the cores 18 have been produced is processed by low temperature solid phase annealing to grow dendrite from the cores 18 until single crystal regions 19 and 20 of dendrite having a width and a length of about several μm are produced . the low temperature solid phase annealing processing is performed , for example , by keeping the substrate 11 for 40 hours at the temperature of 600 ° c . in an atmosphere of nitrogen ( n 2 ) in an electric furnace . a growing condition of the single crystal regions 19 and 20 produced by the low temperature solid phase annealing processing is described subsequently with reference to fig2 ( 1 ) and 2 ( 2 ). referring first to fig2 ( 1 ), there is shown a growing condition of crystals after excimer laser light is irradiated at a region of the diameter of 0 . 7 μm as shown in fig1 ( 3 ) and then the low temperature solid phase annealing processing is performed for three hours . as seen in fig2 ( 1 ), a core now shown from which a crystal is to be grown is produced in a region in which an excimer laser beam has been irradiated ( portion surrounded by an alternate long and two short dashes line ). dendrite 21 grows substantially radially from the core to form a single crystal region 19 or 20 . a condition after the low temperature vapor phase annealing processing is further continued is shown in fig2 ( 2 ). in this instance , the dendrite 21 further grows so that the single crystal region 19 in which the crystal has grown from a core finally makes contacts with an adjacent single crystal region 20 . in this instance , a grain boundary 22 is formed at a location at which the single crystal regions 19 and 20 make contact with each other . the single crystal regions 19 and 20 formed in such a manner as described above are superior in uniformity in film quality and have a high carrier mobility with low leakage . further , since the single crystal regions 19 and 20 can be formed at desired positions of the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 , when a transistor is to be formed on the amorphous semiconductor layer 13 , it is possible to form a channel layer of the transistor in the single crystal region 19 or 20 . when the single crystal regions 19 and 20 are employed for channel layers of transistors , the carrier mobility μ is high . incidentally , in the case of a thin film transistor , the value of the carrier mobility μ is higher than 100 cm 2 / vs or so . consequently , the transconductance gm is high , and consequently , the leakage current is small . further , since no grain boundary exists in a channel layer , the dispersions of the leakage current and the threshold voltage vth are small . further , since the temperature of heat processing for crystallization is equal to or lower than 600 ° c ., low temperature processing is allowed . referring now to fig4 ( a ) to 5 ( b ), there are shown different steps of another method of epitaxially growing semiconductor crystals according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention . in the present embodiment , a single crystal grain thin film transistor is formed on a silicon substrate using a focused ion beam . first , an insulating film 12 is formed on a silicon substrate 10 by a thermal oxidation method or a chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) method , and then , an amorphous silicon thin film 14 of the thickness of 40 nm or so is on the insulating film 12 by an ordinary chemical vapor deposition method as shown in fig4 ( a ). it is to be noted that it is otherwise possible to deposit a polycrystalline silicon thin film on the insulating film 12 and then effect ion implantation of si at a dose of 10 14 cm - 2 to 10 15 cm - 2 to form an amorphous silicon thin film 14 . subsequently , an energy beam is irradiated on a region of the silicon thin film 14 which is positioned substantially at the center of a region which is to form an active region of a thin film transistor . a focused ion beam which is formed from he + ions and has a beam diameter converged to 0 . 2 μm or less is used as the energy beam . preferably , the surface density of energy irradiated upon the amorphous silicon thin film 14 is 150 mj / cm 2 or so . as a result of the irradiation of the energy beam , a silicon core 16 is formed in the predetermined region of the amorphous silicon thin film 14 as seen in fig4 ( b ). the operation is performed for each of regions of the silicon thin film 14 which are to become active regions of the thin film transistors . after the irradiation of the energy beam has been performed for all of the regions of the silicon thin film 14 which are to become active regions of the thin film transistors , solid phase growth is performed at a low temperature of 600 ° c . or so to grow crystals 18 until a desired grain diameter is reached as seen in fig4 ( c ). preferably , heat processing for a short period of time at a high temperature by means of an excimer laser beam or the like is thereafter performed in order to improve the characteristic of the thin film transistors . subsequently , a gate oxide film 20 and a gate electrode 22 are formed in a thus obtained single crystal region 18a by a conventional chemical vapor deposition method or lithography technique as seen in fig5 ( a ). finally , ion implantation of b + or so is performed , and then the ions thus implanted are activated by annealing processing such as electric furnace annealing , rapid thermal annealing or excimer laser annealing to form a source region 24a and a drain region 24b as seen in fig5 ( b ). while a method of epitaxially growing semiconductor crystal of the present invention is described above with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof , the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above . the conditions of the numerical values and so forth indicated at the various steps can be changed suitably . the silicon substrate 10 can be replaced , for example , by a glass substrate . further , for example , a silicon nitride film may be used in place of sio 2 as the insulating film 12 . the focused ion beam can be replaced by an electron beam the diameter of which can be further converged small . having now fully described the invention , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth herein . | 2 |
as shown in fig1 , the right ventricular assist device [ rvad ] 1 taps into a systemic vein for its input 2 and its output 3 taps into a pulmonary artery . the left ventricular assist device [ lvad ] 4 taps into a pulmonary vein for its input 5 and its output 6 taps into a systemic artery . both ventricular assist devices operate in parallel with their respective ventricles , and both tap into blood vessels for their inputs and outputs . the heart itself is never tapped . because our aim is to restore the natural heart to good health . it is preferable not to do any damage to the natural heart . the output electrical pulses 8 from the artificial pacemaker 7 is applied to the av node of the heart . since the electrical wiring which is specially designed for transmitting such pulses , is very soft and flexible , it moves with the heart freely . the pulse rate and intensity of 8 are controlled by signal 9 which is issued either by the physician or by an autopro . the electronic means for the convenience of the physician is realized in fig2 . as shown in fig2 , the instruction set converter aims at isolating the physician from doing mechanical routine work . in our preferred embodiment , lfbps are used for each vad . one reason is that the lfbp output blood pressure and flow volume can be independently controlled by using the following lfbp algorithm : “ a pressure pulse in the direction of flow is generated by a sudden increase in the magnitude of the motor currents followed by a relatively gradual increase in the frequency of the motor currents . a pressure pulse against the direction of flow is generated by a sudden decrease in the magnitude of the motor currents followed by a relatively gradual decrease in the frequency of the motor currents . the ‘ relatively gradual ’ increase and decrease in frequency are in controlled amounts which are still quite fast . a gradual change in flow without pressure pulse is generated by a very slow and gradual change in the frequency of the motor currents . thus the timing , magnitude , and direction of pressure pulses and change in flow volume without pressure pulses can be independently ordered by the physician .” while the lfbp algorithm can be easily followed electronically by a computer or a digital signal processor ( dsp ), it would be much too much a distraction for the physician to give his clinical instructions in terms of motor current magnitude and frequency . in our preferred embodiment , inputs from the physician can be simple commands , for example : ( i ) lfbp output pressure pulses , magnitude , duration . ( ii ) gradual change in blood flow volume . ( iii ) combination of ( i ) and ( ii ). ( iv ) time sequences of the above inputs . ( v ) if a , then b we refer to the above commands ( i ) through ( v ) as prototype commands . each of these has one or more assignable parameters . for instance : ( i ) may have parameters on the exact times for each pulse to occur , and the magnitude and duration of each . ( ii ) may have a parameter on the amount of change , or the final value of the desired flow volume , etc . ( v ) represents a conditional occurrence in which a defines a condition for the event b to occur . there can be associated parameters on both a and b . for instance , if a exceeds a given threshold , b is to occur with an assigned magnitude . for each prototype command , there can be default values for the parameters . the default values are selected by the physician . in our preferred arrangement , fig2 illustrates a digital signal processor based device for conversion of the prototype commands to the lfbp electrical motor currents which are specifically constituted for carrying out these commands . a digital signal processor , or dsp for short , is a specialized micro - computer whose architecture is optimized for executing arithmetic instructions . [ 2 ] the dsps , which currently run at 300 mega hz , can execute multiplication in one clock cycle . furthermore , the dsp &# 39 ; s are software programmable . to follow the lfbp algorithm in well designed steps is no problem . referring to fig2 , dsp 11 has two major components : a programming and arithmetic logic ( pal ) unit 12 and a memory unit 13 . both the physician &# 39 ; s prototype command set 14 and the lfbp algorithm 15 are placed in the memory unit . with the physician &# 39 ; s input , the selected prototype command 16 is placed in a memory slot 17 which is especially provided for the prototype command being executed . the pal unit 12 then converts the entry in memory slot 17 into lfbp currents 18 with specified amplitudes and frequencies as functions of time . the autopro 20 is to take care of the patient in the physician &# 39 ; s absence . an autopro program starts with the physician &# 39 ; s command where a is a threshold condition on the clinical signal set 19 and b can be a prototype command 21 on the vad ( s ) and / or a command 9 on the ap pace rate and / or intensity . the physician composes the autopro program by selecting a and b or a time sequence of a and b . with dsp &# 39 ; s high speed , the conversion can be completed within a few millionth of a second , which is the equivalence of instantaneous in human time scale . fig3 illustrates an scg arrangement . the output 8 from ap 7 is also connected to the horizontal sweep voltage synchronizing input terminal 32 of monitor 30 . selected clinical signal voltages 33 , 34 , and 35 are connected to the vertical input terminals 36 , 37 , and 38 of monitor 30 . each clinical signal voltage is the sum of two components : ( i ) the component resulting from heart &# 39 ; s response to each ap pulse , and ( ii ) the component resulting from other physiological factors . since only the component ( i ) repeats after each ap pulse , component ( i ) is brightened by repetition . in contrast , component ( ii ) becomes a weak random blur . thus scg illustrates to the physician only the heart &# 39 ; s responses to ap 8 pulses . in general , there can be many pertinent clinical signals 39 , and viewing all these signals simultaneously can be confusing . the switching dsp 40 offers the physician a way of viewing only a few selected signals such as 33 , 34 , and 35 at a time . the dsp 40 can also be used for other meaningful computations : for instance , the heart &# 39 ; s output blood volume after each ap pulse , and the heart &# 39 ; s output blood volume per minute , etc . fig4 illustrates a distributed blood vessel tapping system . because of the large volume of blood being pumped by the vads , a single tapping may cause too much disturbance in the blood vessel at the point being tapped . fig4 illustrates an alternative arrangement for the input line 2 of rvad 1 in fig1 . instead of tapping at one point on the vein , a plural number of taps 41 , 42 , and 43 are made with cannulae 44 , 45 , and 46 respectively which converge to a single large cannula , 47 , before entering to the rvad . cannulae are specially designed blood conduits , which can be bent and also have the capability of standing up to external pressure or internal suction . if necessary , similar distributed arrangements can also be made for other vad input output conduits 3 , 5 , and 6 of fig1 . fig5 illustrates the placement of a lvad 52 below the diaphragm 51 . the output end 53 of 52 is branched into two blood conduits : a lower main outlet 54 , which supplies the arteries below the diaphragm 51 , and an upper main outlet which is connected to a cannula 55 the cannula 55 penetrates the diaphragm 51 to supply arteries above 51 . the blood inlet of lvad 52 is supplied by a cannula 56 and a lower main inlet 57 . the cannula 56 collects blood from veins above the diaphragm 51 , and the main inlet 57 collects blood from veins below 51 . all the blood collected by 56 and 57 goes into the inlet end of lvad 52 . fig6 is an operational diagram illustrating two modes of operation : ( i ) in the presence of a physician , ( ii ) not in the presence of a physician . in mode ( i ) operation , the physician derives his inputs from three sources : the synchro - cardiac graph of fig3 , slow varying clinical signals or data , and the physician &# 39 ; s direct examination of the patient . from all these information , the physician decides on a therapeutic course of action which can include a prototype command , an ap instruction , and possible also some other means . the prototype command is then placed in memory slot 17 to be carried out through time varying lfbp motor currents 18 . however , in most of the time the patient is not with the physician , and the autopro is a sequential set of prototype instructions selected in advance by the physician . it starts with the instruction , where a is a condition on the clinical signal 19 , and b is the physician selected course of action , including prototype command 21 , which is then placed in slot 17 for execution . fig6 also illustrates the signal feed backs in a curing process , the physician derives his information about the patient from three sources : direct examination of the patient , the scg , and other slow - varying clinical signals . based on the total information , the physician selects a prototype command . this selection is made easier by the isc which sets up the prototype commands . the isc also helps in the conversion of the selected command into vad motor electrical currents for its execution . in the mean time , the physician also sends controlling radio signal to the ap . both the changes in ap output and in vad output will have an effect on the patient . in its turn , the patient &# 39 ; s response will have an effect on the outcome of the physician &# 39 ; s observation or examination of the patient , on the scg , and also on the clinical signals . in the absence of the physician , the autopro puts out a selected command , which has the same effect as a physician selected command in its execution , and also an ap controlling radio signal . in its turn , the patient &# 39 ; s response will have an effect on the clinical signals , which in turn affects the autopro outputs . in our preferred arrangement , linear flow blood pumps ( lfbps ) are used for both the vads . by varying the lvad electrical motor current magnitude and frequency as a function of time , the pressure pulses and blood flow volume at the lvad output can be independently controlled . only the flow volume is controlled for the rvad . since its only function is to provide adequate blood flow through the pulmonary circuit such that the red blood cells flowing into the lvad and left vertricle carry sufficient oxygen 1 . other types of vad can also be used with the present invention with their corresponding set of prototype commands . thus , using other types of vad does not constitute a new different invention . 2 . general purpose microprocessors or computers can be used instead of the dsps . it is a designer &# 39 ; s choice , and does not constitute a new and different invention . 3 . in our preferred embodiment , magnetic induction means are used for transference of signal , information , and power across the skin without puncturing the skin . these devices and methods are well known to persons skilled in the art , and will not be described here . | 0 |
the invention provides a new system clock switch circuit for a computer main board . referring to fig4 a computer main board 400 comprises a cpu 110 , a chipset 120 , a pci interface 130 , an agp interface 140 , a clock generator 450 , and a status latch 470 . the clock generator 450 provides a system clock frequency and a system clock switch circuit needed for operating the computer main board . the cpu 110 is in charge of the operations of the entire computer main board . the chipset 120 integrates controlling circuits on the computer main board 400 into an integrated circuit ( ic ), so that the cpu 110 communicates with peripherals , such as a pci interface 130 and an agp interface 140 , on the computer main board 400 through the chipset 120 . the agp interface 140 is used to install a display card , and the pci interface is used to install other peripheral interfaces . the status latch 470 stores a status parameter of the system clock frequency . when the system is reset , the chipset 120 retrieves the status parameter of the system clock frequency from the status latch 470 to update the system clock frequency and setup the clock frequencies of the peripherals on the computer main board 400 . the clock generator 450 provides a system clock frequency and a clock frequency switch circuit needed for operating the computer main board . the clock signal clk and the reset signal rst are sent to the chipset 120 from the clock generator 450 for operating the computer main board 400 . the cpu 110 controls the clock generator 450 through a control signal bus 425 , such as an i 2 c bus , of the chipset 120 , which is equipped with the interface corresponding to the control signal bus . as the cpu 110 sends a command to change the system clock frequency clk to the clock generator 450 through the chipset 120 , a status parameter is set and stored in the status latch 470 . as soon as the clock generator 450 receives the command to change the system clock frequency clk , it changes the system clock frequency and , in the mean time , activates the reset signal rst . the reset signal rst remains its activation until the system clock frequency clk is completely changed to the new setting . during the activation of the reset signal rst , the chipset 120 retrieves the status parameter from the status latch 470 to obtain the new setting of the system clock frequency clk for determining the ratios between the system clock frequency and peripherals . the foregoing system clock switch circuit , which is based on a modified clock generator , simultaneously sends out a reset signal with the system clock frequency change . however , the clock generator used in the foregoing design contains a new circuit , so an existing clock generator cannot be employed in that design . therefore , another preferred embodiment of the invention that contains a reset signal generator working with an existing clock generator is introduced . referring to fig5 a computer main board 500 contains a cpu 110 , a chipset 120 , a pci interface 130 , an agp interface 140 , a clock generator 550 , a reset signal generator 560 , and a status latch 570 . the clock generator 550 and the reset signal generator 560 provide a system clock frequency and a system clock switch circuit for operating the computer main board . similar to the circuit in the previous embodiment , the cpu 110 is in charge of the operations of the entire computer main board . the chipset 120 integrates controlling circuits on the computer main board 500 into an ic , so that the cpu 110 communicates with peripherals , such as a pci interface 130 and an agp interface 140 , on the computer main board 500 through the chipset 120 . the status latch 570 stores a status parameter of the system clock frequency . when the system is reset , the chipset 120 retrieves the status parameter of the system clock frequency from the status latch 570 to update the system clock frequency and setup the clock frequencies of the peripherals on the computer main board 500 . the clock generator 550 and the reset signal generator 560 provide a system clock frequency and a system clock switch circuit needed for operation of the computer main board . the clock generator 550 sends a system clock frequency clk to the chipset 120 , and the reset signal generator 560 sends a reset signal rst to the chipset 120 . the cpu 110 controls both the clock generator 550 and the reset signal generator 560 through the chipset 120 and a control bus 525 . the control bus 525 includes an i 2 c bus , and the chipset 120 contains an interface corresponding to the control bus . when commands are sent from the cpu 110 to the clock generator 550 through the chipset 120 and the control bus 525 , the reset signal generator 560 keeps checking on the commands from the chipset 120 to the clock generator 550 . as soon as a command to change system clock frequency is found , the reset signal generator immediately activates a reset signal rst . the reset signal rst remains activated until the system clock frequency is completely changed to the new setting . hence , if the system clock frequency clk needs to be changed , a command to change system clock frequency has to be sent from the cpu 110 to the clock generator 550 through the chipset 120 , and a status parameter needs to be set and stored in the status latch 570 . then , the clock generator 550 gradually changes the system clock frequency clk to the new setting . at the same time , the reset signal generator 560 detects that the system clock is to be changed ; it immediately activates a reset signal rst , wherein the reset signal rst is cancelled until the system clock frequency clk is completely changed to the new setting . while the reset signal rst is activated , the chipset 120 obtains a status parameter from the status latch 570 , and determines the ratios between the system clock frequency and clock frequencies of peripherals by referring to the status parameter . in accordance with the foregoing , the two preferred embodiments of the invention both activate a reset signal as soon as the system clock frequency is changed . as shown in fig6 a flowchart is used to provide more detailed description on the functions of the two embodiments according to the invention . first , for the first preferred embodiment of the invention , the block 610 represents the cpu 110 sending a command to change system clock frequency to the clock generator 450 through the chipset 120 . then , in block 620 , the clock generator 450 changes the system clock frequency clk gradually to the new setting after it receives the command from the cpu 110 . in the next step , block 630 , the clock generator 450 sends a reset signal rst to the chipset 120 as soon as it starts to change the system clock frequency clk . then , in block 640 , the reset signal rst from the clock generator 450 remains activated until the next step , block 650 , in which the system clock frequency clk is completely changed to the new setting , is done . in block 660 , the clock generator 450 then cancels the reset signal rst , and the chipset 120 obtains a status parameter from the status latch 470 . and then , in block 670 , the computer is restarted with the new system clock frequency and new status parameter . next , for the second preferred embodiment of the invention , the block 610 represents the cpu 110 sending a command to change system clock frequency to the clock generator 550 and the reset signal generator 560 through the chipset 120 . then , in block 620 , the clock generator 550 gradually changes the system clock frequency clk to the new setting after it receives the command from the cpu 110 . in the next step , block 630 , the reset signal generator 560 sends a reset signal rst to the chipset 120 as soon as it detects the command sent to the clock generator 550 from the chipset 120 is about to change the system clock frequency clk . then , in block 640 , the reset signal rst from the reset signal generator 560 remains activated until the next step , block 650 , in which the system clock frequency clk is completely changed to the new setting , is done . in block 660 , the reset signal generator 560 then cancels the reset signal rst , and the chipset 120 obtains a status parameter from the status latch 570 . then , in block 670 , the computer is restarted with the new system clock frequency and new status parameter . according to the foregoing , the invention includes at least the following advantages over a conventional system clock switch circuit : 1 . as soon as the clock generator starts to change the system clock frequency , a reset signal is sent to alert the chipset that the system clock frequency is about to be changed , so that the chipset and peripherals are able to communicate with each other with correct clock frequencies . 2 . even though the system clock frequency is gradually changed to a new setting , the presence of a reset signal prevents the clock frequencies of peripherals from being steeply changed before the system clock frequency is completely changed to a new setting , so that glitches are avoided . the invention has been described using exemplary preferred embodiments . however , it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements . the scope of the claims , therefore , should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements . | 7 |
fig1 is a circuit diagram of an air bag starter according to embodiment 1 , in which a two - stage ignition type air bag system is taken as an example . in the drawings , the same numerals indicate same parts as those in the drawings used to explain the conventional air bag starter , and a detailed explanation of them is , thus , not repeated . now referring to the drawings , reference numeral 1 is a battery installed in a vehicle , and numeral 2 is an ignition switch for starting an engine of the vehicle . numeral 3 is a driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag disposed in the driver &# 39 ; s seat , and numeral 4 is an igniter ( e . g ., detonating primer ) for a first - stage inflator ( e . g ., detonating powder or the like , though not shown in the drawing ) used to inflate the driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag 3 . numeral 5 is an igniter for a second - stage inflator that is ignited , when required , synchronously with the first - stage inflator or after a predetermined delay following the ignition of the first - stage inflator . numeral 6 is an assistant driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag disposed in the assistant driver &# 39 ; s seat , and numeral 7 is an igniter for a first - stage inflator used to inflate the assistant driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag 6 . numeral 8 is an igniter for a second - stage inflator ( e . g ., detonating powder or the like , not shown ) that is ignited , when required , synchronously with the first - stage inflator or with a predetermined delay after the ignition of the first - stage inflator . numeral 109 is an air bag control unit including an electric circuit for transmitting an electric signal to each of the foregoing igniters to ignite them . numeral 10 is a dc - to - dc converter for boosting an input voltage supplied from the battery 1 installed in the vehicle and outputting the boosted voltage , and numeral 11 is a backup condenser ( feeding means ) charged with power outputted by the dc - to - dc converter . numeral 12 is a mechanical acceleration switch arranged to close when a decelerating acceleration of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined level . numeral 13 is an acceleration sensor that measures an acceleration of the vehicle and outputs a signal corresponding to the acceleration . numeral 114 is ignition - judging means that makes a judgment on whether to ignite the first - stage inflator and the second - stage inflator of the driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag 3 as well as the first - stage inflator and the second - stage inflator of the assistant driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag 6 on the basis of the acceleration signal inputted from the acceleration sensor 13 . this ignition judging means 14 turns on related driving transistors ( described later ) and , synchronously with this turning on , outputs a signal b 1 for first - stage forced ignition and a signal b 2 for second - stage forced ignition . numeral 115 is a forced igniting means , which is disposed in parallel to the mechanical acceleration switch 12 , for forcedly igniting the second - stage inflators in response to the signals from the ignition judging means 114 . this forced igniting means 115 assists , serving as a backup , first - stage ignition to ignite the first - stage inflators without fail as described later . numeral 31 is a driving transistor ( switching means for forced ignition ) disposed in parallel to the mechanical acceleration switch 12 . numeral 32 is closure detecting means that detects the mechanical acceleration switch 12 being closed and outputs a closure signal ( hereinafter referred to as signal a ) for a predetermined time after the mechanical acceleration switch 12 is once closed and then opened . numeral 133 is a three - input - two and gate in which three input terminals are connected respectively to a signal b 1 terminal of the ignition judging means 114 , a signal b 2 terminal of the ignition judging means 114 , and a signal a of the closure detecting means 32 . the three - input - two and gate is logic means that outputs an “ on ” signal on condition that , among the three inputs a , b 1 , and b 2 , the inputs a and b 1 are both “ on ” or the inputs a and b 2 are both “ on ”. an output terminal of the three - input - two and gate 133 is connected to a gate ( control terminal ) of the driving transistor 31 . for convenience of explanation , numeral 133 is hereinafter referred to as a two / three and gate . the driving transistor 31 , the closure detecting means 32 , and the two / three and gate 133 constitute the forced igniting means 115 . numerals 16 and 17 are driving transistors ( switching means ) for controlling an ignition circuit of the first - stage inflator of the driver &# 39 ; s seat airbag 3 . numerals 18 and 19 are driving transistors ( switching means ) for the second - stage inflator of the driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag 3 . numerals 20 and 21 are driving transistors ( switching means ) for the first - stage inflator of the assistant driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag 6 . numerals 22 and 23 are driving transistors ( switching means ) for the second - stage inflator of the assistant driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag 6 . in addition , the ignition judging means 114 is connected to gates ( control terminals ) of the driving transistors 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 and 23 . the ignition judging means 114 controls an on / off state of the driving transistors 16 , 17 , 20 and 21 or the driving transistors 18 , 19 , 22 and 23 in response to the acceleration signal inputted from the acceleration sensor 13 . the ignition judging means 114 outputs the signal b 1 synchronously with an “ on ” state of the driving transistors 16 , 17 , 20 and 21 , and outputs the signal b 2 synchronously with an “ on ” state of the driving transistors 18 , 19 , 22 and 23 . in other words , the signal b 2 is equivalent to the signal x in the foregoing description of the conventional air bag starter . fig2 is a timing chart to explain various situations in an igniting operation of the two - stage type air bag starter shown in fig1 . upon occurrence of a collision , during a period when acceleration caused by the collision exceeds a predetermined acceleration level , the mechanical acceleration switch 12 is closed and chattering is present . at this time , the closure detecting means 32 detects that the mechanical acceleration switch 12 is closed , converts the signal a for the two / three and gate 133 from an l level to an h level , and holds the foregoing signal level . the ignition judging means 114 judges the signal of the acceleration sensor 13 and decides the igniting method as described in the foregoing conventional example . the ignition judging means 114 turns on the driving transistors 16 , 17 , 20 and 21 in order to ignite the first - stage inflators of the driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag 3 and 5 the assistant driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag 6 according to the decided igniting method . at the same time , the output signal b 1 for the two / three and gate 133 is converted from an l level to an h level . the signal bi is substantially synchronized with a closing operation of the mechanical acceleration switch 12 , but is not always synchronized with the closing operation . the two / three and gate 133 outputs a signal of an h level and turns on the driving transistor 31 ( shown as a first - stage forced ignition signal in the drawing ) when signals of an h level are inputted to two of the three input terminals . accordingly , the first - stage igniters 4 and 7 and the backup condenser 11 are conductively connected by turning on the driving transistor 31 , such that an electric current 98 is delivered to the igniters 4 and 7 . as a result , it is possible to prevent a reduction in the electric current caused by any chattering of the mechanical acceleration switch 12 , and it is possible to ignite the air bags without failure ( i . e ., more reliably ). the subsequent operations of igniting the second - stage igniters are the same as those described referring to fig5 , 6 and 7 of the conventional air bag starter , and any further explanation thereof is , thus , unnecessary . when a predetermined time has passed since the first - stage igniting operation , the ignition judging means 114 turns on the second - stage driving transistors 18 , 19 , 22 and 23 , and outputs the signal b 2 at the same time . then , the logic circuit 133 turns on the forced igniting means 31 on the basis of the logical and value of the signal a and the signal b 2 . since chattering of the mechanical acceleration switch 12 does not influence the first - stage ignition current , it is not necessary to take measures to reduce such chattering in constitution of the mechanical acceleration switch 12 . furthermore , it is not necessary to take measures such as boosting a voltage with which the condenser 11 is charged and expanding a capacity of the capacitor . as a result , it is possible to avoid an increase in cost and an enlargement in configuration . although two air bags are shown for the driver &# 39 ; s seat and the assistant driver &# 39 ; s seat , respectively , in fig1 , it is also possible to dispose only one air bag or more than two air bags without changing the fundamental operation as a matter of course . although the foregoing description relates to a two - stage ignition type air bag system , in an air bag system with more than two stages , the operations and advantages thereof essentially remain unchanged . that is , the ignition judging means outputs plural signals b ( b 1 . . . bn ) and the semiconductor switch 31 is turned on by a forced ignition signal outputted on the basis of a logical and value of the signal a and any of signals b 1 . . . bn , thereby overcoming the problem of chattering in the mechanical acceleration switch 12 in the same manner as in the two - stage ignition type air bag system . now , a case of a one - stage ignition type air bag system is hereinafter described with reference to fig3 . the fundamental constitution is the same as that in fig1 and , thus , any further detailed explanation is unnecessary . air bags 3 and 6 are not provided with any second - stage igniter and , consequently , no driving transistors to be connected to such a second - stage igniter exist . the forced igniting means 115 is provided with an and gate 33 that acts upon receipt of the signal a outputted by the closure detecting means 32 and the signal b outputted by the ignition judging means 114 . operation of the air bag starter in fig3 is hereinafter described with reference to a timing chart of fig4 . upon occurrence of a collision involving the vehicle , during the period when acceleration caused by the collision exceeds a predetermined acceleration level , the mechanical acceleration switch 12 is closed and chattering may occur . at this time , the closure detecting means 32 detects the mechanical acceleration switch 12 being closed , converts the signal a for the and gate 133 from an l level to an h level , and holds the foregoing signal level . the ignition judging means 114 judges the signal of the acceleration sensor 13 and decides the igniting method . the ignition judging means 114 turns on the driving transistors 16 , 17 , 20 and 21 in order to ignite the inflators of the driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag 3 and the assistant driver &# 39 ; s seat air bag 6 . the output signal b for the and gate 33 is converted from l level to h level at the same time . when signals having the h level are inputted to both of the two input terminals of the and gate 33 , the and gate 33 outputs a signal of an h level and turns on the driving transistor 31 ( shown in fig4 as a forced ignition signal ). the igniters 4 and 7 and the backup capacitor 11 are conductively connected by turning on the driving transistor 31 such that an electric current 98 is delivered to the igniters 4 and 7 . as a result , it is possible to prevent a reduction in the electric current caused by the chattering of the mechanical acceleration switch 12 , and it is possible to ignite the air bags without failure ( i . e ., more reliably ). in the foregoing embodiments 1 and 2 , an air bag starter to be connected to the air bags is specifically described in detail . however , it is to be noted that the most essential part of the invention is a backup circuit . this backup circuit is arranged to back up the mechanical acceleration switch 12 and avoid the negative influence of the chattering thereon by turning on the transistor 31 connected in parallel to a contact of the mechanical acceleration switch 12 when a detection signal of the acceleration sensor 13 disposed separately from the mechanical acceleration switch 12 exceeds a predetermined level . specifically , the backup circuit is constituted as a device including the forced igniting means 115 , the ignition judging means 114 , and the acceleration sensor 13 in fig1 , for example . therefore , the same advantage is achieved even in a case of constituting , for example , the backup circuit alone . in such a constitution , the dc - to - dc converter 10 , the condenser 11 , the mechanical acceleration switch 12 , the first - stage and second - stage driving transistors 16 to 23 , etc . are disposed separately from the air bag starter , and subsequently , the backup circuit is connected to a separately disposed air bag starter . in the case of a two - stage ignition type air bag system , it is possible to use in common the second - stage igniting means and the forced igniting means connected in parallel to the mechanical acceleration switch , such that a more economical air bag system is obtained . | 1 |
fig1 is a simplified plan view of the structure of one embodiment of this invention as embodied in and applied to a 1728 element linear imaging array . fairchild product ccd 121 is an example of such a product prior to application of the techniques of this invention . shown schematically in fig1 are the 1728 photosites which generate an electrical charge in response to electromagnetic radiation impinging upon them . in a well - known manner the charges accumulating within each photosite may be transferred simultaneously to one of two shift registers 10 or 11 . as shown in fig1 for example , charges accummulating within odd - numbered photosites are transferred into shift register 11 , while those accummulating within even - numbered photosites are transferred to shift register 10 . shift registers 10 and 11 each may be divided into two separate shift registers by isolation region 12 . the transfer of charge from the photosites 1 . . . 1728 to the shift registers 10 , 11 typically is accomplished by application of a signal φ x to an electrode 14 . this technique is well known in the ccd art ; however , it is explained in further detail in conjunction with fig2 a - 2d . the intermixing of signals in contiguous elements of the ccd shift registers is prevented by transferring the charge in odd - numbered photosites in one direction , i . e ., to register 11 , and transferring the charge in even - numbered photosites in the other direction , i . e ., to register 10 . in this manner charge packets are transferred into every other element of shift registers 10 and 11 . for example , the charge accummulated in photosite 1 is transferred to the region beneath electrode 21 , while the charge accummulating in photosite 3 is transferred to the region beneath electrode 23 . because no charge is transferred to the region beneath electrode 22 , it may be maintained at a different potential than electrodes 21 and 23 . therefore , the signals transferred to the regions beneath electrodes 21 and 23 are prevented from commingling . this prevents a loss of information . as shown in fig1 the signal from photosite number 2 is transferred to beneath electrode 32 . after the charges in the 1728 photosites are transferred into the shift registers 10 and 11 , the potential of signal φ x may be changed to allow a new set of signals to begin accumulating within the 1728 photosites . then by application of appropriate signals , for example , φ t and v t , to the shift register elements , the signals beneath the electrodes may be stepped out of the upper position of shift register 10 and the lower portion of shift register 11 to an output gate . the transfer of these signals to the output gate is designated by arrows marked 30 and 31 in fig1 . output gate structures are known in the art . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 3 , 999 , 082 entitled &# 34 ; charge coupled amplifier &# 34 ; and isued to james early . in one embodiment of the invention shown in fig1 the signals from the 1728 photosites will not be transferred into the lower portion of shift register 10 or the upper portion of shift register 11 . transfer of charges into these portions of the shift registers is prevented by the region 12 , typically a region of oxide isolation , which effectively divides each of shift registers 10 and 11 into two separate shift registers . the transfer of charge from one electrode to the next within each of the shift registers is made possible by the channel region 15 extending beneath the electrodes and between the barrier implants 58 . the upper portion of shift register 11 and the lower portion of shift register 10 prevent stray charges within the substrate from wandering into the shift register elements and distorting the information stored therein . that is , the stray charges are collected by these isolated shift registers and disposed of harmlessly . arrows 33 and 40 designate the transfer of these stray charges to a sink region or voltage supply . as will be explained , however , in some embodiments the signals designated by arrow 40 may be supplied to an external circuit . black and white reference signals are generated by the ccd structure shown in fig1 in the manner described below . in one embodiment the black reference signals are generated by the addition of several optically and electrically isolated photosites b1 , b2 , b3 . of course any desired number of such photosites may be provided . photosite b1 ( and b2 and b3 ) are separated from active photosites 1 , 2 . . . 1728 by an isolating region i . it should be understood that these photosites may be disposed at any desired location within or along photosites 1 , 2 , . . . 1728 . in particular , such photosites may be interspersed with the ordinary active photosites 1 . . . 1728 , disposed at one end or the other of the photosites , or both , or some combination of the foregoing . in fig1 they are shown at the right end of the linear array . the black photosites b1 , b2 , b3 typically will be separated from the active photosites by an isolation cell i . this prevents electrical charges within any of the active cells from leaking into any of the black reference cells b1 , b2 , or b3 . it further provides a manufacturing tolerance for definition of a window 35 . the window 35 allows electromagnetic radiation , typically visible light , to impinge upon the photosites 1 , 2 . . . 1728 . surrounding window 35 is a light shield 35a which prevents light from impinging upon the black reference cells b1 , b2 and b3 , and the remainder of the surface of the structure of fig1 . in some embodiments of this invention , window 35 may be a material which is transparent to some and opaque to other selected wavelengths of visible electromagnetic radiation . for example , if a blue color signal is to be sensed , window 35 will be opaque to all other wavelengths . because the location of the light shield 35a prevents light from impinging upon the black reference photosites b1 , b2 or b3 , these photosites will not accummulate any charge , or will accummulate a charge indicative of all conditions in the substrate except for the effect of the visible light which is only sensed by the photosites 1 , 2 . . . 1728 . in this manner , the black reference photosites b1 , b2 , b3 provide an automatic correction for dark current or other errors caused by temperature , chemical composition , or other environmental conditions . one technique for generating the white reference signal is shown at the left end of shift register 10 . by application of signal v r to diode 38 , a signal charge will be supplied to the diode which , when the potential of φ x is suitably increased , will be transferred into shift register elements 39 and 42 . in a manner as explained in conjunction with fig4 a - 4e herein , this charge may be appropriately sized to indicate the level of brightness which causes saturation , or some other desired reference charge level , for example , a less bright condition or shade of gray . this charge is referred to herein as the white reference signal . that portion of the charge injected into shift register element 42 , upon application of signals v t and φ t , will be transferred out of shift register 10 following the transfer of the signal charges generated by the 1728 photosites . the white reference signal also may be injected at some other desired location along shift register 10 by suitable modification of the structure shown in fig1 . that portion of the white reference signal injected beneath electrode 39 may be utilized as an end - of - scan indicator . that is , by placing the white reference signal generator at the &# 34 ; far &# 34 ; end of the shift register 10 , as shown in fig1 the signal transferred beneath electrode 39 will emerge from shift register 10 after the signal which originated in photosite 1728 . the white reference signal therefore provides an electrical signal which indicates the completion of the transfer of signals out of shift register 10 . in contrast , prior - art structures required independent counting apparatus to ascertain the appropriate time for application of signal φ x . the white reference signal from diode 38 , when transferred out of the lower portion of shift register 10 , may be transferred to any well - known external logic circuit which then activates signal φ x . fig2 a is a cross - sectional view of part of the structure depicted in fig1 when fabricated using a buried channel . formed in substrate 50 , typically p conductivity type , are a series of isolation regions 51a and 51b , which typically comprise silicon dioxide . p + conductivity type regions 53a and 53b are sometimes formed beneath isolation regions 51 to prevent stray ions from forming a conductive path beneath insulation regions 51 . an n conductivity type region 55 formed in substrate 50 will accumulate electrical charge in response to ambient electromagnetic radiation . buried channel regions 56a and 56b , typically doped with phosphorus , arsenic or other n - type material , and regions 58a , 58b , and 58c , typically doped with boron or other p - type material , form barrier regions which change the potential profile of the structure in a manner which will be explained below . also shown schematically in fig2 a are electrodes overlying substrate 50 . electrode 59a is connected to receive signal φ t , while electrode 61a is connected to receive signal φ x . electrode 62 is connected to receive signal v pg . shown directly beneath the structure depicted in fig2 a are a series of potential profile diagrams designated fig2 b , 2c and 2d which depict how , upon application of signal φ x , an electrical charge 73 accumulated within region 55 may be transferred to the region beneath electrode 59a . once the charge is so transferred , it may be transferred out of the ccd by application of signals φ t and v t as will be described in conjunction with fig4 . the potential profile shown in fig2 b depicts the condition of the structure shown in fig2 a when signals φ x and φ t are each of zero potential . in this condition electrical charge accumulates in the potential well created by region 55 . the accumulated charge is depicted by the crosshatched region 73 in fig2 b . next , as shown in fig2 c , by increasing the potential of signal φ x , and thereby deepening the potential well beneath that electrode 61a , a portion of charge 76 is transferred from region 55 and temporarily stored beneath electrode 61a . next , as shown in fig2 d , the potential of signal φ t is increased to thereby allow the charge 76 stored beneath electrode 61a to be transferred to beneath electrode 59a and stored in region 56a . once the charge 78 is stored beneath electrode 59a in region 56a , the potential of signal φ x may be lowered to prevent any further charge from being transferred from region 55 to region 56a until appropriate signals φ t and v t are applied to transfer the charge 78 beneath electrode 59a in region 56a out of the ccd device into such other electronic circuitry as desired . fig3 is a simplified schematic view showing a cross - section of a series of four dark reference cells as they would appear if disposed at the opposite end of the active elements from the dark cells shown in fig1 that is , at the left end of a series of ccd photosensitive elements 1725 , 1726 , 1727 , and 1728 . the dark reference cells b4 , b5 , b6 , and b7 , are separated from adjoining active cells or other circuitry by isolation cells i1 and i2 . visible light is prevented from impinging upon dark cells b4 through b7 by cover 36 , which may be any suitable material , for example , aluminum . cover 36 is typically formed on an insulating layer 37 to prevent it from contacting the surface of substrate 50 or regions formed therein . dark cells b4 through b7 will generate a signal indicative only of conditions within substrate 50 , for example , temperature . the isolation cells i1 and i2 are reversed biased n + diffused diodes , and function to remove any stray charge carriers in that region . the isolation cells may be easily reversed biased by connecting them to aluminum light shield 36 as shown in fig3 and then applying the desired potential to shield 36 . fig4 a is a cross - sectional view taken through a portion of fig1 to show the operation of the white reference signal generator together with the operation of the end - of - scan indicator . the structure depicted in fig4 a is given the same numerical designations as the structure shown in fig1 . to generate the white reference signal two mos transistors 71 and 72 are used to generate a signal v r which is applied to region 38 . as shown in fig4 a the gate electrode of transistor 71 is connected to receive signal v t , while the drain electrode is connected to receive signal v dd . mos transistor 72 has a gate electrode connected to the source electrode which is connected to ground . transistor 72 in effect provides a constant current source to transistor 71 to create a signal v r which is substantially equal to v t minus a threshold voltage . by appropriate sizing of transistors 71 and 72 , signal v r may be chosen to inject any desired amount of charge . the maximum size of the injected packet of charge which a shift register may receive from the photosite , that is , the size of a saturation charge , will be determined by the barrier height v b caused by barriers 58 , and the physical dimensions of the region into which it is transferred , e . g ., region 80 . region 77 in fig4 d graphically depicts this amount . the amount of charge actually transferred from region 38 , however , can be a lesser amount , as determined by the potential barrier v b caused by barriers 58 , and the physical dimension of region 68 . this amount of charge is graphically depicted as region 75 in fig4 e . since the barrier heights are the same in both cases , the physical dimension 68 may be adjusted to restrict the white signal charge to a selected fraction of the saturation charge , for example corresponding to the upper limit of the linear range of sensitivity of the ccd photosites . one advantage of generating the white signal in the manner described above is that the magnitude of the signal may be altered by changing the dimensions of the structure rather than the parameters of the process . because dimensions typically may be more accurately controlled than the parameters of the process , this feature allows more accurate control of the white signal . in one embodiment the white signal charge is 80 percent of the saturation charge . in this manner a linear relationship will be created to thereby enable the signal generated by any particular photosensitive region 1 . . . 1728 to be precisely related to a linear range of grey tones between black and white . the charge accumulated within region 38 as a result of signal v r from transistor 71 and 72 may be transferred along the upper portion of the shift register 10 shown in fig1 and supplied to other circuitry to provide the white signal in the manner depicted in fig4 b through 4e . as shown in fig4 b , when signal φ x is low it creates a potential barrier trapping all charge 74 accumulated in region 38 as a result of signal v r . next , as shown in fig4 c , by maintaining signal φ t ( applied to electrode 39 ) at a low potential and increasing the potential of signal φ x 9 supplied to electrode 14 ), the charge 74 within region 38 will also accumulate beneath electrode 4 . signal φ t , held at a low potential , however , prevents the transfer of charge 74 from electrode 14 to electrode 39 . then , as shown in fig4 d , the potential of signal φ t applied to electrode 39 is increased while signal v t applied to electrode 65 is held at its previous level . this allows the charge 74 from beneath electrode 14 to be transferred to beneath electrode 39 . next , as shown in fig4 e , the potential of signal φ t applied to electrode 39 is decreased . this , in effect , separates a portion 75 of charge from the greater amount remaining beneath electrode 14 and in region 38 . this portion of charge 75 , as a result of potential φ t being lowered , is transferred to beneath electrode 65 . then , by continued pulsing of signal φ t the charge packet 75 may be transferred progressively from one electrode to the next , finally arriving at the right hand end of the upper portion of shift register 10 depicted in fig1 to thereby be supplied to such other circuitry as desired , depicted by arrow 30 . in the same manner as described above in conjunction with the upper portion of shift register 10 , the signal injected beneath electrode 39 also will be injected beneath electrode 42 . this signal will follow the 1728 signals generated by the 1728 photosites to provide an end - of - scan signal . the charge thereby injected may be utilized in a well known manner to activate some other electronic circuit to cause the ccd to be reset in preparation for transfer of a new set of charges from photosites 1 . . . 1728 to the shift registers . the structure of applicant &# 39 ; s invention provides numerous advantages over prior art structures . in particular , the black reference cells provide a black reference signal which is compensated for dark current signals , for temperature effects , for clock signal variation , for output amplifier variations , and , in general , for any errors introduced into all of the photosensitive regions . the white reference cell also provides substantial advantages by generating a signal indicative of white light or any desired shade of gray . additionally , the same white reference signal , when injected into a separate shift register , may be utilized to provide an end - of - scan indicator to reset the operation of the ccd device , thereby eliminating the need for prior art counting networks associated with large ccd devices . | 7 |
in fig1 the reference numeral 10 represents an ice making mechanism having a freezing portion which is refrigerated by an evaporator 14 of a freezing system 12 . to the freezing portion a desired amount of water is supplied from a water supply source 16 through an automatic valve 18 and then led into a water tank 20 which is communicated with the ice forming portion through a pump 22 to provide a water circulation system 24 . it is preferred to use an ice making mechanism in which the raw water is supplied in the form of a fountain or upwardly moving stream or a downwardly moving stream to grow the ice gradually . by the action of the pump , the water is circulated through the ice forming portion to grow the ice gradually as hereinbefore described while leaving impurities in the circulating raw water . after completion of freezing , the residual water with a high concentration of impurity is evacuated from the water tank 20 through a discharge pipe 26 while a hot gas of the freezing system 12 is supplied to the evaporator 14 to separate the ice mass from the freezing portion . the ice mass thus separate is harvested in an ice chamber 28 arranged under the ice making mechanism 10 where the ice mass is melted by means of an appropriate heating means 30 . in one embodiment of the invention , the heating means 30 comprises a condensing pipe 34 which is derived from an outlet of a compressor 32 arranged in the freezing system 12 and disposed in the bottom of the ice chamber 28 to achieve the melting of the ice mass as well as the condensation of the refrigerant passing through the condensing pipe 34 . the molten pure water with the partially or semi - molten ice mass drops through a cell 38 provided at the bottom of the ice chamber 28 into a water tank 36 where the pure water is stored at an appropriate temperature for the desired period , the cell 38 receiving the ice mass extending into the stored pure water . it will be appreciated that the water tank 36 is preferably coated with an appropriate heat insulating material . further , when the ice chamber 28 is vacant or the atmospheric temperature is extremely elevated to disturb the condensation of the refrigerant in the condensing pipe it is preferable to provide a second condensor 40 in the freezing system 12 for operation under the air cooling or the water cooling and also to provide a branch pipe 41 having at its branched connection a three way valve 43 for automatically charging the path for the refrigerant sensitive to the atmospheric temperature as best shown in fig1 . alternatively , before the condensing pipe 34 of the freezing system 12 arranged in the ice chamber 28 is provided a main condenser of the freezing system 12 to achieve the melting of the ice mass as well as the condensation of the refrigerant effectively . an outlet pipe 44 extends from one side of the water tank 36 through a valve means 42 which is manually or automatically operated to remove the pure water from the water tank 36 . the water tank 36 is preferably provided with a water level detector 46 which detects a predetermined upper water level of the pure water in the tank to suspend the operation of the freezing system 12 thereby stopping the ice making operation and also detects a predetermined lower water level of the pure water in the tank to reoperate the freezing system 12 for the ice making operation through a controlled circuit . further , in accordance with the present invention , in order to facilitate the melting of the ice mass , another convenient heating means such as an electric heater or a steam heater may be used alone or together with the condensing pipe as hereinbefore described . moreover , an ice supply means 29 , such as a pipe may be mounted on the ice tank 28 in addition to the outlet pipe 44 so that the ice mass may be supplied separately from the pure water if desired . the valve means 42 provided in the outlet pipe 44 may be associated with a coin controlled means ( not shown ) to provide a pure water supply dispensing machine . in accordance with the present invention , undesired impurities are eliminated from the raw water when circulated in the ice making mechanism and the ice mass or the cubic ice when removed from the freezing portion is subjected to melt - washing , i . e . the surface of the ice is washed by melting to eliminate all impurities deposited on the surface of the ice so that extremely pure water may be obtained . the ice making mechanism as illustrated in fig2 is comprised of a vertical freezing plate 48 , a water tank 50 disposed under the plate 48 for storing the raw water of a predetermined quantity and a water circulation system 56 through which the water in the raw water tank 50 is circulated through a pump 52 and supplied through a dispersion nozzle 54 onto the top of the freezing plate 48 . to remove the formed ice from the freezing plate 48 , a hot gas is passed through the evaporator 14 to drop the ice plate downwardly by its own gravity for fine division by means of an appropriate crusher 58 . the residual water in the raw water tank 50 is discharged in every ice making cycle . the ice making machine as illustrated in fig3 comprises a freezing chamber 48 having a number of ice making cells opened in the downward direction , and a water tank 50 for storing the raw water of a predetermined quantity . the raw water is supplied from the raw water tank 50 to the freezing chamber 48 through a water circulation system 56 including a pump 52 and an injection nozzle 54 . to remove the formed ice from the cells , a hot gas is passed through the evaporator 14 to drop the formed cubic ice onto a receptacle 60 positioned at an inclination under the freezing chamber 48 . the receptacle 60 is provided with slits 62 which permit passing of the water injected through the injection nozzle 54 . in another embodiment of the ice making mechanism as illustrated in fig4 the freezing plate 48 having a number of ice making cells opened in the downwardly tilting direction is vertically disposed and provided with a nozzle 54 for dispersing the raw water to the top of the freezing plate 48 and the raw water stored in the tank 50 disposed under the freezing plate 48 is supplied through a pump 52 to the dispersion nozzle 54 for the down streaming of the raw water over each of the cells of the freezing plate 48 with growth of the ice in the cell while the residual water being circulated into the water tank 50 thereby to provide a water circulation system 56 . to remove the formed ice from each cell , a hot gass is passed through the evaporator 14 to drop the cubic ice by its gravity in the downward direction . further , the ice making mechanism as illustrated in fig5 is comprised of a freezing chamber 48 , a water tank 50 and a water circulation system 56 as shown in fig3 and upon removal of the formed ice from the freezing plate , a hot gas is passed through the evaporator 14 to drop the cubic ice by tilting a bottom pan of the freezing chamber 48 while discharging the residual water in the water tank 50 through a drain pan 63 . analysis of pure water obtained in accordance with the present invention as compared with raw water is mentioned below . ______________________________________ rate ofobjectives raw water pure water elimination______________________________________nitric ion 46ppm less than 0 . 4ppm 99 % chloride ion 200ppm less than 3ppm 98 . 5 % potassiumpermangnate 9 . 5ppm 0 . 5ppm 94 . 7 % fluorine 0 . 7ppm less than 0 . 1ppm 85 . 7 % evaporatedresidue 410ppm 5ppm 98 . 7 % iron 3 . 83ppm 0 . 04ppm 98 . 9 % bacteria 14 / ml 0 / ml 100 % hardness 14 5 softened______________________________________ from fig6 it will be appreciated that a nutritious substance bed 65 containing grannular , fibrous , segmental or powder material may be disposed at the positions a , b , c , or d , i . e . in front of , in or behind the pure water storing tank 36 to have the pure water impregnated with nutritious substances such as calcium , magnesium , potassium and the like . otherwise , liquid nitritious material may be dripped into the pure water . from the explanation hereinbefore described , it will be appreciated that any kind of water such as rainwater , river water , pond water and lake water may be used in the apparatus according to the invention and the apparatus may be conveniently installed in every water supply system . while certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated by way of example in the drawings and particularly described , it will be understood that various modifications may be made in the methods and constructions and that the invention is no way limited to the embodiments shown . | 5 |
fig1 through 3 show a cassette 1 having a top part 2 and a bottom part 3 put together so that the joint is lighttight . the cassette 1 has a housing wall 4 , braced by reinforcing ribs 5 , and two end walls 6 , 7 connected by the housing wall 4 . the housing wall 4 encloses the periphery of a roll 8 of a web material 9 , particularly a light - sensitive film on a cardboard core 10 . the material 9 and the cardboard core 10 have the same width . the cardboard core 10 is inserted at both ends onto a bearing flange 11 joined to a flanged disk 12 . the flanged disk abuts the roll 8 and thus prevents the film 9 from telescoping . in addition , the flanged disk 12 connects the bearing flange 11 with a journal 13 supported by an inset of a bearing box 14 in a bearing formed from two bearing shells 15 , 16 . in this manner , the roll 8 can rotate freely , that is , with little friction , in the cassette 1 . fig2 shows how the material 9 is passed through a slot 17 formed between the top part 2 and the bottom part 3 ; the slot 17 extends approximately parallel to the axis of the roll 8 . both sides of the slot 17 are provided with a lining 18 , 19 of velvet , plush , or the like to seal the slot 17 against stray light and simultaneously to prevent damage to the film 9 by scratching or the like . fig2 shows the course of the film 9 for the maximum diameter d max , that is , for a full roll 8 , and for the minimum diameter d min , that is , a completely empty roll 8 . both ends 6 , 7 have two rails 21 , 22 extending approximately perpendicularly to the joint between the top part 2 and the bottom part 3 . the rails are provided only on the part of the ends 6 , 7 associated with top part 2 . a clamping element 23 is inserted into the rails 21 , 22 . the space between the inner side of the rails and the respective end wall increases with decreasing distance from the joint between the top part 2 and the bottom part 3 . the clamping element 23 has a handle 24 and an indicator mark 25 to show in which direction the clamping element is to be moved to release the locking action on the roll 8 . on the face of the clamping element 23 away from the handle 24 is a rounded protrusion 26 that slides on the outer side of the end wall 7 . when the clamping element 23 is moved downward , that is , in the direction of the joint between the top part 2 and the bottom part 3 , in the rails 21 , 22 , the protrusion 26 applies increasing pressure on the wall of the end element 7 , which has a thin wall sector 27 , and moves the wall inwards , that is , onto the end surface of the roll 8 . the clamping element can be slid in the top part 2 to the end of the rails 21 , 22 in the direction of the joint . in this position , the thin wall sector 27 in the end 7 is moved the farthest in the direction of the roll 8 into the interior of the cassette . fig4 shows that , at this position , the end wall 7 has a projection 28 . the flanged disk 12 has a peripheral flange 29 on a radius opposite this projection 28 . sliding the clamping element 23 in the rails 21 and 22 , thus generates a very firm friction lock of the end wall 7 with the roll 8 , or more accurately , its flanged disk 12 . in the position shown in fig3 the clamping element 23 thus reliably prevents the roll 8 from rotating . the stress caused by the clamping element 23 in the end wall is limited to the thin wall sector 27 . there is no risk of deforming the top part 2 or the bottom part 3 and thus opening the joint between the two parts . this assures that the cassette 1 is also lighttight in the locked position . for release from the locked position , the clamping element 23 is merely shifted outwards , for example , until the protrusion 26 is at the top of the housing wall 4 . the clamping element 23 can also be removed completely from the rails 21 , 22 . to relock the roll 8 , for example , if a partially emptied cassette 8 has to be removed from an exposure apparatus , the clamping element 23 has only to be reinserted into the rails 21 , 22 . the above - described clamping structure provides , on at least one end of the cassette 1 , an externally controllable brake device that , in a predetermined angle sector , effects an adjustable friction lock between the end wall and the associated end surface of the roll . before the cassette is used , the brake device is loosened so that the friction lock between the end wall of the housing and the end surface of the roll is released . the roll can then be unwound in a manner such that only the bearing friction of the roll has to be overcome . if the cassette has to be transported , for example , after being loaded , or if a film change is required in the exposure equipment , the brake device is actuated so that the end wall comes into friction contact with the end surface of the roll . this does not mean that the roll can no longer be rotated . the force or holding moment must only be great enough to oppose the internal tension of the roll that would result in twisting . as , in this manner , the brake device acts only in a predetermined angle segment on the end surface of the roll , stresses in the housing are largely avoided . it is no longer necessary to have , between the two end walls , a conventional tensioning device that can also deform the housing wall . the brake device on the end wall operates self - sufficiently for all practical purposes . it is advantageous for the brake device to generate the friction lock in a sector between a predetermined first and a predetermined second radius on the end surface . the braking moment can be determined easily by the selection of this sector . the farther away this sector is from the location of the friction lock , the lower must be the force applied by the friction lock in order to produce a predetermined moment of braking . furthermore , with this arrangement , it is necessary only to deform a relatively small sector of the end in the radial direction , so that stresses in the housing are readily avoided . a preferred embodiment is a two - piece housing having a top part and a bottom part , each comprising a part of the housing wall and both end surfaces . this embodiment really shows the advantage of the innovation . as the two end walls do not have to be moved toward each other , this eliminates the risk that possible stresses in the housing wall will produce a gap in the joint between the top and bottom parts , particularly in the film dispensing slot . on the other hand , such a cassette can be easily loaded in the sense that a roll can be placed in the prefabricated bottom part , and then the top part is put in place . after the brake device is actuated , the cassette is ready for transport . it is advantageous for the brake device to be positioned only on the top part or only on the bottom part . positioning the brake device on only one of the two parts simplifies production . the brake device can be prefabricated on the top part or on the bottom part . when the top and bottom parts are joined , a complex connection for the brake device is not needed . it is advantageous for the brake device to have a clamping element that is operated externally on rails on the end wall and , at a predetermined location , applies pressure on and bends inward a part of the end wall located between the rails . the area of the end wall under pressure yields inwardly under the pressure , so that it comes into contact with the end area of the roll and together they produce a friction lock . the area that has to yield is thus kept relatively small . therefore , stresses in the housing are largely avoided . in this embodiment , it is preferable to have the end wall between the rails slightly thinner , particularly at the point where the clamping element applies pressure . this facilitates the deformation by pressure . it is desirable for the end wall to have a slight protrusion on its inner surface at the point where the clamping element applies pressure . the protrusion , which has a relatively small surface contacting the end surface of the roll , makes it possible for the pressure applied by the clamping element to be converted into a much greater pressure that the protrusion applies against the end surface of the roll . the use of pliable material on the end surface of the roll permits in practice a transition from a friction lock to a fixed lock . to release the lock of the brake device , the clamping element can be removed completely from the cassette . however , it is also advantageous to be able to move it to a position in which it does not apply pressure on the end wall . this reduces the risk of losing the clamping element . in a preferred embodiment , the roll has at least one flanged disk at the end on which the brake device is located . a flanged disk is a disk that covers the end of the roll and prevents the roll from telescoping . in the innovation , the flanged disk is now also used to enable a friction locking action with the end wall . this has the advantage that the friction locking action can take place with a large and always constant radius without concern that braking the roll might not be possible as the diameter of the roll decreases . this also prevents damage to the web material from the roll touching the end wall . it is advantageous for the flanged disk to have a peripheral flange facing outwards in the axial direction , against which the brake device generates the friction lock . the flange reinforces the disk and resists the pressure applied through the end wall , thus improving the friction lock . on the other hand , the entire flanged disk does not have to be as thick as the flange , because this would increase the price and weight of the cassette . only in the flange area is there a relatively small space between the flanged disk and the end wall that must be bridged by the movement of the end wall due to the pressure applied by the brake device . it is also advantageous for the flange to be located in the region of the largest diameter of the flanged disk . this produces the greatest braking moment at constant brake pressure . it is especially advantageous for the flange surface facing the end wall to have a high friction structure , in particular , a radial corrugation . this requires considerably lower pressure for the same braking moment . | 6 |
fig1 shows different sectors of wood supply in the form of a chart , where the blocks of the chart illustrate data to be used in planning or to be produced by means of planning . the connections between the blocks illustrate the data used as a basis for generating other data , and the factors affecting them . the data used include , for example , geographical information or other information from a database , or information to be obtained elsewhere , for example forecast information . the data to be used are obtained , for example , from operators maintaining and / or predicting condition data . the processed data formed in the blocks may also be used as data material for other blocks . the data to be formed and the optimization are based on , for example , decisions , algorithms , models , or rules , which utilize various data material available . the system and the method according to the chart are implemented preferably in a data system utilizing various databases or other data storages located in a telecommunications network and its data systems based on computers , servers and networks , which the users of the system utilize and which are used for storing data collected either automatically or manually . block 1 illustrates the demand and need of various production plants ( en 1 ( energy ), en 2 , se 1 ( pulp ), se 2 , pa 1 ( paper ), pa 2 , sa 1 ( sawmill ), sa 2 , va 1 ( plywood ), va 2 , etc .) for a given planning period , and forms a basis for optimization 13 , which , on the basis of available data ( e . g . demand of production plants , situation at terminals , situation in storages , stands in reserve ), draws up a transportation plan 14 and a harvesting plan 14 for the reserve of stands marked for cutting . the transportation plan 15 defines the transportation from the different stands ( l 1 , l 2 , etc .) and storage points , such as roadside storages ( v 1 , v 2 , etc .) and terminals ( t 1 , t 2 , etc .) to the different production plants . in the harvesting plan 14 , it is also possible , according to one example , to select the forest machine according to the stand , or , if necessary , even according to the logging contractor , on the basis of the harvestability and transportability , particularly the bearing capacity index . in one example , the forest machines are allocated a bearing capacity classification 16 , on the basis of which the selection is made . in an alternative example , the harvesting plan merely contains data on the bearing capacity index , on the basis of which the person performing the harvesting makes the choice on the machine himself ; for example , harvesting contractor 21 is feasible , as shown in fig2 . a reserve 5 of stands has been provided according to the prior art by utilizing data on forest resources . the data can also be obtained automatically , for example by laser scanning , and the stands can also be formed automatically . stands can also be included in the reserve 5 of stands in other ways . road network data 3 and soil data 4 are available , for example , in the form of geographic information , and they are used to form e . g . a bearing capacity index . the assortment of wood products ( en , se , pa , sa , va , etc .) and the quantities of the different wood products to be obtained from the reserve of stands and from single stands is given , for example , in the form of a list or a table . at this stage , each wood product is allocated to a given purpose , such as energy , pulp , paper , sawmill , plywood . the use will be determined , for example , by the detected diameter of the trunk , so that wood raw material from the same stand will be transported to even several different production plants . the allocation will be guided by the demand . information on the harvestability and transportability of the road network is available in the bearing capacity classification 6 of the road network . the bearing capacity classification 6 and the condition data 7 , which describe primarily the present situation , such as the soil moisture content and the snow depth , are combined with the data on the reserve 5 of stands . each stand is located in a given locality , so the condition data are preferably specific to the locality . for example , county or province specific data on the conditions can also be used as condition data for the stands . limitations 18 on the use of the road network may also be applied , as shown in fig2 . the limitations relate particularly to limitations or prohibitions of use because of poor or impassable road conditions . algorithms , models or computations are used to determine the updated , real - time usability 8 of the stand , which in this example is indicated by a bearing capacity index . the updating can be performed sufficiently often , even several times a week . the usability is determined for the whole reserve or a subset of stands on the basis of e . g . a limited geographical area . the bearing capacity classification 6 and the condition data 7 are also combined with the data on the roadside storages , wherein the updated , real - time usability 9 of the roadside storages is obtained , which in this example is indicated by a bearing capacity index . the harvestability and transportability must be at a sufficient level so that the stand or roadside storage would be usable during the planning period . if the level is not sufficient , then suitable or sufficient harvesting and transport equipment is not available to perform the harvesting and transportation to achieve a supply that meets the demand . harvesting under difficult conditions may also require special equipment , or it is more difficult , which may unnecessarily increase the costs . in the case of a large reserve of stands , stands marked for cutting are always found for harvesting , but the data systern will now indicate the stands to be harvested or the storages available . from the list of stands , it is possible to select , for example , stands with a given bearing capacity index to be harvested , and these are used to satisfy the demand at each time . if more stands are needed , it is also possible to include stands with a higher bearing capacity index , according to the need . in an example , the presented system is also used for optimizing the costs . preferably , harvesting should also be carried out in such stands whose bearing capacity index is only rarely at a sufficient level . those stands whose bearing capacity index is almost always at a sufficient level can be utilized particularly at times when the bearing capacity indices are reduced in general , because of difficult conditions . the impact of different factors can be weighted by optimization , and the final outcome will comprise the stands 10 available for the planning period and the data on the quantity and assortment of timber in them . the optimization result can also be influenced by taking various cost factors into account . the situation varies according to the updates , but an accurate list of stands and data on the quantities and assortments of timber can be continuously maintained for all stands , and storages as well . the harvestability and transportability of roadside storages must also be at a sufficient level . the result of the optimization will be roadside storages 11 and data on the quantities and assortments of timber in them , usable for the planning period . data on the quantities and assortments of timber in the terminals 12 are available . the timber is available at almost any time . by combining the data from the blocks 10 , 11 and 12 in the data system , the necessary optimization 13 is performed , producing the harvesting plan 14 and the transportation plan 15 . the object is to provide a supply that meets the demand in different production plants within the planning period . the data of the blocks 10 , 11 and 12 are available for the present and in many cases also for a given period in the future , and even for the whole planning period , if the conditions are not drastically changed . changes in the harvestability and transportability , that is , the bearing capacity index , affect particularly the block 10 . provisions for changes in the conditions can be made e . g . by means of storages . the timber can be obtained from a storage , if it is not available from the selected stands , as planned . for producing the harvesting plan 14 , data of the block 8 on the harvestability and transportability of the stand are utilized . as shown in fig2 , for the formation of the harvesting plan , it is also possible to make a prediction which is primarily based on a forecast on the changes of conditions in the locality of the stand . the data available is , for example , a weather forecast , particularly relating to the temperature and the amount of rainfall . the data are obtained , as already mentioned above , from operators maintaining and / or predicting condition data . the condition prediction 19 is combined with the data of the block 8 , wherein the predicted availability 20 of the stand is obtained , relating to all the stands or only some specific stands . for producing the harvesting plan 14 , data of the block 20 on the harvestability and transportability of the stand are utilized , based on the prediction . the prediction can be used to schedule the measures of the harvesting plan more accurately or to secure the realization of the harvesting plan . the systems according to fig1 and 2 are implemented by means of a suitable data system , on the basis of e . g . computers . blocks 8 to 15 and block 20 can be implemented in the same data system which utilizes e . g . geographical information or other material , for example for the blocks 5 , 6 , 7 , and 16 , as well as for block 19 . in an example , the bearing capacity index is primarily determined according to the soil type . for determining the bearing capacity index , it is possible to use various models which may be even complex , but in some examples , e . g . tabulation and computation can be utilized . the basis may be , for example , a basic bearing capacity index given for the soil type , to be increased or decreased by the conditions according to certain terms . the bearing capacity index of the soil type may also be affected by said additional attributes of the soil type and also by other constant factors which may be used , if desired , for example stone content . a criterion for meeting the terms is , for example , various condition data . different soil types may differ in meeting the terms . when a desired number of conditions and other factors are taken into account , if they should be sufficiently taken into account according to the terms , the bearing capacity index is finally obtained . in addition to climatic conditions , the conditions may also include other variable factors , such as properties of the growing stock , for example the quantity of growing stock or the relations between tree species . in an example , the bearing capacity index may receive a value between 0 and 12 , and the value 6 gives a bearing capacity for soil on which most typical forest machines can be driven . for the soil types , the soil type with the best bearing capacity receives the value 6 , and the soil type with the poorest bearing capacity receives the value 0 . said value is a kind of a basic bearing capacity index . various factors , particularly conditions , affect the bearing capacity index either negatively or positively . for example , an increasing frost depth will have an adding effect by a value from + 0 to + 6 , an increasing snow depth will have an adding effect by a value from + 0 to + 4 , and an increasing rainfall amount for a given period will have a subtracting effect by a value from − 0 to − 2 . the felling method will have an effect on the bearing capacity index ; for example , thinning will have an effect by the value of − 1 . in thinning , the dominant tree species will have an effect on the bearing capacity index ; for example , spruce as the dominant species will have an effect by the value of − 1 . on peaty soils , the increasing quantity of growing stock will affect the bearing capacity value by a value from − 1 to + 3 . various terms and rules for the interactions of different factors can also be created on how they affect the computation of the bearing capacity index . if necessary , it is also possible to take other factors into account , increasing or reducing the bearing capacity index . the aim is to automate the computation of the bearing capacity index as far as possible in the data system , on the basis of the data collected and stored by the data system . when the behaviour of a soil type is examined for a given moment of time in the future , the basic bearing capacity is changed , depending on the conditions prevailing at said moment of time . thus , for example , the forecast rainfall for said moment of time , or forecast changes in amounts of rainfall in the time window between said moment of time and the present moment of time , will be utilized . instead of the present time , it is also possible to use another moment of time , at which the state of the stand is known sufficiently accurately , particularly with respect to the bearing capacity index . in an example , real time data are used as the data for the present moment of time , for example the real - time bearing capacity index , whose change is evaluated by means of said forecasts . by means of updating the condition data and the forecast data , also the predicted bearing capacity index is constantly changed . the bearing capacity classification of the forest machine can be determined to correspond to the above - presented bearing capacity index , or there is a clear interdependence between them . different machine types , such as harvesters and forwarders , are classified , for example , on the basis of the bearing capacity index needed by said forest machine to perform harvesting or transportation successfully . for example , a typical loaded forwarder receives the value of 6 , and a forwarder with special equipment and causing a low surface pressure will receive the value of 4 . a harvester will receive a value that is even lower than this . the bearing capacity classification is based on the more specific properties of the forest machine , which are also affected by the equipment . the bearing capacity classification can be determined primarily on the basis of the surface pressure caused by the forest machine on the soil . by means of the bearing capacity classification and the bearing capacity index , a clear picture is formed on which stands can be harvested and how the forest machinery meets the local conditions . fig3 illustrates the variation of the bearing capacity index of two different example stands in time , for example during the period between the signing of the timber sale contract and the harvesting of the stand . in the figure , the area between the broken lines also illustrates the bearing capacity class or classes , on which the harvesting is typically focused . the bearing capacity index for a given moment indicates either the real - time bearing capacity index or a predicted bearing capacity index . both bearing capacity indices can also be included in the same figure , wherein it is possible e . g . to follow up the outcome of the prediction of the bearing capacity index . by means of the follow up , it is possible to develop and adjust the computation , models or algorithms . the data on the change of the bearing capacity index can also be stored in a database , wherein the history data on the stand or range can also be utilized later on , if necessary , for example for compilation of statistics or planning of harvesting . the invention is not limited solely to the above - presented examples , but it can be applied within the scope of the appended claims . | 8 |
the reason for limiting each component in the heat - resistant glass of the present invention will be explained hereinafter . sio 2 is a glass - forming component and essential in the present invention . when the content of sio 2 is less than 30 %, the liquidus temperature ( l . t .) of the glass increases . further , when the content of sio 2 exceeds 45 %, the expansion coefficient of the glass is small . the content of sio 2 is therefore limited to 30 - 45 %. the content of sio 2 is preferably 32 to 43 %. b 2 o 3 is has the effect of decreasing the liquidus temperature by adding it to silicate glass , and it is therefore essential in the present invention . when the content of b 2 o 3 is less than 1 %, the liquidus temperature of the glass increases . when the above content exceeds 10 %, the expansion coefficient of the glass is small . the content of b 2 o 3 is therefore limited to 1 - 10 %. the content of b 2 o 3 is preferably 3 - 8 %. al 2 o 3 has the effect of improving the chemical durability and the liquidus temperature ( l . t .) of the glass , and it is therefore essential in the present invention . when the content of al 2 o 3 is less than 1 %, the chemical durability deteriorates , and the liquidus temperature increases . when the above content exceeds 7 %, the expansion coefficient is small . the content of al 2 o 3 is therefore limited to 1 - 7 %. the content of al 2 o 3 is preferably 3 - 5 %. bao and sro have the effect of decreasing the liquidus temperature when added in a proper amount , and they are essential in the present invention . when the content of sro is less than 1 % or greater than 17 %, or when the content of bao is less than 22 %, or 35 % or more , the liquidus temperature increases . the content of sro is therefore limited to 1 - 17 %, and the content of bao is therefore limited to at least 22 %-- less than 35 %. the content of sro is preferably 3 - 15 %, and the content of bao is preferably 26 - 33 %. mgo and cao have the effect of decreasing the liquidus temperature and increasing the expansion coefficient of the glass when added in a proper amount . at least one of these two components is therefore essential in the present invention . when the content of mgo exceeds 5 %, or the content of cao exceeds 14 %, the liquidus temperature increases . the content of mgo is therefore limited to 0 - 5 %, and the content of cao is therefore limited to 0 - 14 %. the content of mgo is preferably 0 - 4 %, particularly preferably 0 to 3 % by weight . the content of cao is preferably 0 -- less than 10 %, particularly preferably 0 . 5 to 9 . 5 % by weight . further , when the total amount of mgo and cao is 4 % or less , the liquidus temperature ( l . t .) increases , and the expansion coefficient decreases . further , when the above total amount exceeds 16 %, the liquidus temperature also increases . the total amount of mgo and cao is therefore limited to over 4 % to 16 %. the total amount of mgo and cao is preferably 4 . 5 to 14 %. la 2 o 3 is an optional component , and the liquidus temperature can be decreased , or the glass sag temperature ( ts ) can be adjusted , by adding a proper amount of la 2 o 3 . however , when the content of la 2 o 3 exceeds 14 %, the liquidus temperature increases . the content of la 2 o 3 is therefore limited to 0 - 14 %. the content of la 2 o 3 is preferably 0 - 12 %. zro 2 , zno and tio 2 are optional components , which decrease the liquidus temperature , and improve the chemical durability , when added in a proper amount . however , when the content of zro 2 exceeds 8 %, or when the content of zno or tio 2 exceeds 5 %, the heat expansion coefficient ( α ) is small , and the intended heat expansion characteristic cannot be obtained . the content of zro 2 is therefore limited to 0 - 8 %, the content of zno is therefore limited to 0 - 5 %, and the content of tio 2 is therefore limited to 0 - 5 %. preferably , the content of zro 2 is 0 - 6 %, the content of zno is 0 - 4 %, and the content of tio 2 is 0 - 4 %. as 2 o 3 , sb 2 o 3 , sno 2 and so 3 are optional components , which are effective as a clarifier when added in a proper amount . however , any one of these degrades the devitrification resistance if added in an amount of over 2 %. the content of each of as 2 o 3 , sb 2 o 3 , sno 2 and so 3 is therefore limited to 0 - 2 %. further , components such as nb 2 o 5 , ta 2 o 5 , wo 3 , gd 2 o 3 , pbo , bi 2 o 3 , teo 2 and p 2 o 5 may be added to such an extent that the object of the present invention is not impaired . as raw materials for the heat - resistant glass of the present invention , any component may be used in the form of hydroxide , carbonate , nitrate , sulfate or oxide as required . these materials are weighed in a desired weight ratio and mixed to prepare a raw material blend , the blend is charged into a melting furnace heated to 1 , 200 ° c .- 1 , 500 ° c ., melted and clarified , and then stirred to prepare a homogeneous material , the homogeneous material is cast into a mold , and the cast material is gradually cooled , whereby the heat - resistant glass of the present invention can be obtained . the heat - resistant glass of the present invention preferably has a glass sag temperature ( ts ) of at least 670 ° c . and a heat expansion coefficient ( α ), measured between 100 ° c . and 300 ° c ., of 78 × 10 - 7 /° c . to 92 × 10 - 7 /° c . further , the heat - resistant glass of the present invention preferably has a liquidus temperature of 1 , 020 ° c . or lower , or shows no liquidus temperature , and it preferably has a volume resistivity of 40 . 0 - 300 . 0 × 10 14 ωcm . the above heat - resistant glass of the present invention is molded into the shape of a plate , whereby a substrate glass for an image display device such as plasma display can be obtained . molding to the shape of a plate can be carried out by any one of a known floating method and a known down draw method without divitrification of the glass . the use of the obtained plate - shaped glass is not limited to the above , and the plate - shaped glass can be used for other glass display method . the present invention will be explained with reference to examples hereinafter . raw materials for each glass were blended so as to obtain compositions shown in table 1 . the raw material blend was placed in a crucible formed of platinum and heated to 1 , 400 ° c . with an electric melting furnace to melt it . the melt is cast into a mold , and the casting was gradually cooled to give glass samples in examples 1 to 5 . the glass samples were measured for liquidus temperatures ( l . t . ), glass sag temperatures ( ts ), heat expansion coefficients ( α ) and volume resistivities ( ρv ). in the measurement for liquidus temperatures ( l . t . ), a glass sample was maintained in a devitrification test furnace having a temperature gradient of 600 ° c .- 1 , 100 ° c . for 1 hour , and then observed through a microscope at a magnification ratio of 100 times for a presence or an absence of a crystal . an boundary between a temperature at which a crystal was present and a temperature at which a crystal was absent was taken as a liquidus temperature . showing no liquidus temperature means that a crystal was absent in the entire temperature range of from 600 ° c . to 1 , 100 ° c . after the glass sample was maintained for 1 hour . in the measurements for glass sag temperatures ( ts ) and heat expansion coefficients ( α ), with a heat expansion measuring apparatus , a cylindrical glass sample having a diameter of 4 mm and a length of 15 - 20 mm was temperature - increased at a rate of 8 ° c ./ minute with a load of 10 g being exerted on the sample . and , a temperature at which the expansion of the glass sample was terminated by the load was taken as a glass sag temperature , and an average linear expansion coefficient in the range of from 100 ° c . to 300 ° c . was taken as a heat expansion coefficient of which the unit was 10 - 7 /° c . in the measurement for volume resistivities ( ρv ) ( ω · cm ), a glass sample both surfaces of which were polished and which had a diameter of 26 . 5 mm and a thickness of 1 mm was measured with r8340a supplied by &# 34 ; advantest &# 34 ; at a temperature of 20 ° c . at a humidity of 50 %. glass samples having high alkali contents were prepared according to examples of jp - a - 7 - 101748 , and measured for liquidus temperatures , glass sag temperatures , heat expansion coefficients and volume resistivities in the same manner as in examples 1 - 5 . table 2 shows the results . glass samples having a bao content of 35 wt % or more were prepared according to examples 1 and 6 of jp - a - 4 - 46035 , and measured for liquidus temperatures , glass sag temperatures , heat expansion coefficients and volume resistivities in the same manner as in examples 1 - 5 . table 3 shows the results . a glass sample in which the total amount of mgo and cao was 4 % or less ( 1 . 4 %) was prepared according to the specification of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 459 , 109 , and measured for liquidus temperatures , glass sag temperatures , heat expansion coefficients and volume resistivities in the same manner as in examples 1 - 5 . table 3 shows the results . table 1______________________________________ examples 1 2 3 4 5______________________________________sio . sub . 2 32 42 36 37 36b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 8 4 3 3 3al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 3 5 3 3 3mgo 3 3 3cao 4 . 5 5 . 8 6 1 . 5 9 . 5mgo + cao 4 . 5 5 . 8 9 4 . 5 12 . 5sro 3 . 3 10 13 12 3 . 5bao 30 33 26 30 . 5 32la . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 10 5 5 5zro . sub . 2 2 5 5 5li . sub . 2 ona . sub . 2 ok . sub . 2 ozno 4tio . sub . 2 3 sb . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 as . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 2 0 . 2liquidus * 980 1 , 020 940 990temperature ( l . t .) (° c . ) glass sag temperature 705 724 766 747 735 ( ts ) (° c . ) heat expansion co - 83 82 86 80 84efficient ( α ) (× 10 . sup .- 7 /° c . ) volume resistivity 61 . 92 148 . 1 273 . 1 149 . 6 128 . 8 ( ρv )(× 10 . sup . 14 ω · cm ) ______________________________________ * showing no liquidus temperature table 2______________________________________ comparative examples 1 2 3 4 5 6______________________________________sio . sub . 2 59 . 1 66 . 5 63 . 1 63 . 4 62 . 9 62 . 7b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 4 . 2 2 . 2 2 . 4 2 . 4 4 . 2 4 . 2mgo 3 . 5 3 . 9 3 . 5 3 . 5 3 . 5 3 . 5cao 6 . 2 6 . 4 8 . 4 8 . 2 6 . 9 6 . 9mgo + cao 9 . 7 10 . 3 11 . 9 11 . 7 10 . 4 10 . 4sro 2 . 5 3 . 3bao 12 . 5 5 . 5 9 . 0 5 . 5 9 . 5 9 . 5la . sub . 2 o . sub . 3zro . sub . 2 1 . 5li . sub . 2 o 0 . 6 0 . 6 0 . 6 1 . 8 0 . 6 0 . 6na . sub . 2 o 9 . 8 9 . 8 11 . 5 9 . 8 9 . 6 9 . 8k . sub . 2 o 2 . 6 2 . 6 1 . 5 2 . 6 2 . 6 2 . 6znotio . sub . 2 ceo . sub . 2 0 . 2liquidus -- -- -- -- -- temperature ( l . t .) (° c . ) glass sag 587 594 574 555 590 589temperature ( ts ) (° c . ) heat expansion 99 91 98 101 94 93coefficient ( α )(× 10 . sup .- 7 /° c . ) volume 25 . 88 14 . 72 4 . 10 54 . 46 19 . 62 2 . 30resistivity ( ρv )(× 10 . sup . 14 ω · cm ) ______________________________________ table 3______________________________________ comparative examples 7 8 9______________________________________sio . sub . 2 31 . 8 33 . 3 42 . 5b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 3 . 8 4 . 0 3 . 6al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 4 . 4 4 . 6 5 . 1mgo 0 . 1cao 4 . 3 4 . 6 0 . 7mgo + cao 4 . 3 4 . 6 0 . 7sro 2 . 3 2 . 4 19 . 3bao 41 . 6 43 . 7 28 . 5la . sub . 2 o . sub . 3zro . sub . 2li . sub . 2 ona . sub . 2 ok . sub . 2 ozno 4 . 4 7 . 4tio . sub . 2 y . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 as . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 7 . 4 1 . 1liquidus 1 , 100 1 , 040 1 , 040temperature ( l . t .) (° c . ) glass sag 734 701 709temperature ( ts ) (° c . ) heat expansion 87 88 79coefficient ( α ) (× 10 . sup .- 7 /° c . ) volume resistivity -- -- --( ρv )(× 10 . sup . 14 ω · cm ) ______________________________________ as shown in table 2 , the glass samples obtained in comparative examples 1 to 6 show a glass sag temperature of less than 600 ° c . since the alkali contents thereof are 9 to 16 %, and they are therefore not sufficient in heat resistance . further , these glass samples have small volume resistivities and are therefore poor in insulation properties . the glass samples obtained in comparative examples 7 and 8 have liquidus temperatures of 1 , 040 ° c . or higher , since the bao contents thereof are more than 35 wt %. when a sample having this glass composition is sheet - molded , the molding is possible only when the molding temperature is less than 1 , 040 ° c . regardless of a molding method , since the viscosity of the glass is too low . therefore , the glass samples in comparative examples 7 and 8 have high liquidus temperatures . the glass sample obtained in comparative example 9 has a small mgo + cao total content of less than 4 % ( 1 . 4 %). as a result , the glass sample has a high liquidus temperature , and clearly , it is liable to undergo devitrification and is not suitable for mass production . on the other hand , as shown in table 1 , all of the glass samples in examples 1 to 5 have glass sag temperatures of higher than 670 ° c . and liquidus temperatures of 1 , 020 ° c . or lower . as a result , the glass samples are free from devitrification during sheet molding , and these glass have heat resistance properties that their sheets are free of deformation even when they are temperature - increased up to 600 ° c . further , the heat expansion coefficient of these glass samples are in the range of from 78 × 10 - 7 /° c . to 92 × 10 - 7 /° c . so that conventional dielectric materials and sealing glass frit can be used together with these glass samples as they are . moreover , these glass samples have volume resistivities greater than those of the glass samples obtained in comparative examples 1 to 6 , and they are therefore excellent in electrical insulation properties . according to the present invention , there is provided a glass which is excellent in heat resistance , devitrification resistance , electrical insulation properties and heat expansion properties , and which can be used as a glass sheet - shaped article such as a substrate for plasma display . | 2 |
fig2 shows the field emission ( electron ) gun assembly which includes a source assembly which holds the cathode ( emitter ). the cathode is the physical source of electrons and is the element that is to be held rigidly with respect to the lens module baseplate , thereby reducing the relative motion of the source with respect to the lens assembly , which is also rigidly attached to the baseplate . a compatible lens assembly is described in a copending and commonly owned patent application ( mark a . gesley , ser . no . 07 / 671 , 425 ; filed mar . 4 , 1991 &# 34 ; low aberration field emission electron gun &# 34 ;) now u . s . pat . no . 5 , 196 , 707 , issued mar . 23 , 1993 . the present invention is also compatible with other lens assemblies . the gun components as shown in fig2 are the baseplate 41 , the source motion ring 42 , the cylindrical source support 43 , the disk 44 on which is stacked the lens assembly , wires 45 , extractor cap 46 , aperture clamp 47 , high voltage collar 48 , source attachment disk 49 , high voltage connector covers 50 , filament connectors 51 , spring assembly connectors 52 , spring assembly 53 , mounting springs 54 , set screws 55 , aperture 56 , set screws 57 , high voltage skirt 58 , cap screws 59 , 60 , 61 , socket head screws 62 , cap screws 63 , emitter 64 , washers 65 , and column mount screws 66 , and 67 . fig2 is an exploded view with the assembly indicated by the dotted lines . the three cut - outs in the upper portion of cylindrical source support 43 are for electrical lead access and pyrometer viewing access . the cut - outs shown in the lower portion of the cylindrical source support 43 are for accommodation of the assembly screws as shown . the source assembly thus is rigidly attached to the macor ™ ( a commercially available machinable ceramic ) source - attachment disk 49 . this disk 49 is rigidly attached to the cylindrical source support 43 ( also of macor but which may be another mechanically rigid and electrically insulative material ) which has an annular cross - section having a thickness defined by the outer diameter of the source motion 42 ring and an inner diameter sized to accommodate the lens assembly outer diameter plus allow for the translation motion of the entire moveable source - motion assembly ( consisting of the source assembly , cathode 64 , source - support disk 44 , cylindrical source support 43 , and source - motion ring 42 ), which motion is typically 1 mm . the lens ( stacked on disk 44 ) is attached by screws 66 to baseplate 41 . fig3 a , 3b , 3c , and 3d are views of the cylindrical source support 43 of fig2 . fig3 a is a top view showing the angular locations of the cut - outs and the screw holes . fig3 b is a side view of the same structure with the screw holes shown in dotted lines . the dimensions are as follows : dimension a ( the height ) is 1 . 675 inches ; dimension b ( the depth of the screws holes ) is 0 . 325 inches ; dimension c ( the depth of the upper cutouts ) is 0 . 675 inches ; dimension d ( the total depth of the lower cutouts ) is 0 . 75 inches ; and dimension e ( the width of the lower cutouts and upper depth of the lower cutouts ) is 0 . 30 inches . fig3 c is an end view of the bottom of the cylindrical source support 43 . dimension f ( the overall outside diameter ) is 2 . 50 inches . dimension g ( the inner diameter ) is 1 . 65 inches . fig3 d is a section along line aa of fig3 c and shows detail of each of the lower cutouts which as shown are shaped so as to put an angle on the edge of the cutout , with the thickness of the material at the inner portion of the cutout being dimension h which is 0 . 06 inches . the various screw holes are threaded to accommodate the threads of the associated screws . cylindrical support assembly 43 is conventionally machined from macor material . a key advantage of this assembly is that it provides the most efficient structure for resisting bending . the cylindrical geometry of the source support has the largest possible section modulus , i . e . bending moment per applied bending stress , of any geometry . the annular cylinder geometry also easily accommodates the lens portion of the gun assembly which focuses the emitted particle beam . bending resistance translates into greater beam positional stability at the image plane because applied external forces produce smaller source positional displacements . the efficiency of the structure also means a lighter weight assembly results in higher natural frequencies , which typically have less of an effect in imaging , lithography , and metrology applications . thus the influence of rocking modes of vibration have a reduced effect in this structure . another advantage of using a rigid , annular , cylindrical geometry is that torsional modes of vibration are greatly reduced because of the constrained degree of freedom , compared to using the prior art separate rod - like supports . another key advantage of this structure is the increased contact area between the source - attachment disk 49 and the cylindrical source support 43 , and also between the source motion ring 42 and the cylindrical source support 43 afforded by the cylindrical geometry of the source support 43 . in this manner shear and rocking modes are further reduced . the number and area of the cutouts in source support 43 is kept to a minimum . the cylinder 43 is rigidly attached ( see fig2 ) to the source motion ring 42 , which is held under tension by the internal springs 54 and screws 59 , 62 as shown to the baseplate 41 . this disclosure is illustrative and not limiting ; further modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of this disclosure and the appended claims . for instance , in another embodiment the cylindrical source support is rigidly attached to the baseplate , omitting the source - motion ring . | 7 |
the circuit shown in fig1 to illustrate the prior art , has a voltage supply 10 , a load 12 and an active voltage and current limiter 14 upstream from the load . a pin 16 illustrates a short - circuit condition and a break in the wiring is indicated at 18 . the active limiter 14 shown in fig1 protects the load by limiting the voltage and current which is available to the circuit and keeping the values below a known incendive limit . however , this is not strictly necessary . what is required is to restrict the voltage and current which is available to a developing spark to levels below the incendive limit . [ 0021 ] fig2 illustrates the concept underlying the present invention . al is a voltage sensor , sensing the voltage developed across the break 18 in the circuit . a 2 is a current sensor , sensing the current flowing through it . the two sensors a 1 and a 2 are combined in a manner which will enable a switch 20 to open before the v / i characteristic exceeds the incendive limit . it is to be noted that the power available to the load 12 is not now constrained to be below the incendive limit . it is also to be noted that the circuit shown in fig2 merely illustrates the concept underlying the present invention . in particular , only the wiring between the inputs of voltage sensor a 1 is protected . [ 0023 ] fig3 shows a first embodiment in accordance with the invention in which all of the circuit to the left - hand side of the voltage sensor a 1 is now protected . voltage sensor a 1 now senses the voltage at the load end of the circuit , protecting all the wiring to its left . the voltage supply 10 is now added to the voltage sensed by voltage sensor a 1 , but is constant and allowance can be made for it . more importantly , the current sensor a 2 is omitted and the output of the voltage sensor a 1 is taken directly to the switch 20 . it is known that for hydrogen , the most incendive gas group , it is impossible to get ignition with a voltage which is less than about 8 volts at any current , provided that the current is insufficient to cause hot or molten metallic particles to be thrown off from the sparking contact . if the voltage which is allowed to develop across a breaking contact is restricted to less than 8 volts , then a precise current limit may not be required . in some apparatus , it may be possible to rely on the nature of the load 12 to determine the maximum current . the circuit shown in fig3 will only be effective if the voltage sensor a 1 and the switch 20 are sufficiently fast . experience in the use of active limiters suggests that the protection must operate within a few microseconds . research has been reported which suggests that the minimum spark duration capable of causing ignition is around 8 μs . a transistor operating in a common - base configuration can be much faster than this and can be configured in a simple circuit which combines both the sensing and switching functions . fig4 shows this in outline . in fig4 which shows a common - base transistor switch 20 , a zener diode z 1 is connected to the base of the transistor . the voltage of zener diode z 1 is selected so that , when the circuit is unbroken , the supply voltage is present at the emitter of the switch 20 and base current is drawn through the zener diode z 1 . the transistor switch 20 is turned hard on and current is fed to the load 12 . if a break occurs , as indicated at 18 , voltage is dropped across the break as a spark develops , resulting in the emitter voltage of the transistor 20 dropping . at a predetermined point , when the emitter voltage drops below the zener voltage , plus the emitter - base drop , the transistor 20 will turn off and disconnect the load 12 . [ 0026 ] fig5 shows a third embodiment of the invention which embodies these principles . for clarity , and to improve the understanding of the invention , the power supply , the wiring / power distribution , and the module which incorporates both the load and the disconnection switch are indicated separately by the broken vertical lines . plug connections 19 indicate that the parts of the system can be unplugged to cause a circuit break . a series diode d 1 is connected between the emitter of transistor tr 1 and the power supply 10 . a resistance r 1 is connected between the base of the transistor tr 1 and a zener diode d 2 . a second resistance may be connected between the emitter and base of the transistor tr 1 . the resistance r 1 limits the base current through transistor tr 1 to about 15 ma . if a break occurs to the left of tr 1 , d 2 and r 1 , due either to a fault or a deliberate unplugging , the voltage at the emitter drops as voltage is developed across the break . the voltage of zener diode d 2 is chosen so that transistor tr 1 turns off before the spark has developed sufficient energy to be incendive . this basic circuit has been tested at 24v , 0 . 9 a and found to be non - incendive in hydrogen / air with a zener diode voltage as low as 10v . in one practical test circuit to this design , a load of 26 ohms was used , giving a load current of about 850 ma , which is normally incendive in a constant current circuit down to around 12 volts or so . the circuit was spark ignition tested according to en 50020 , using the 21 % hydrogen in air explosive test mixture specified for group iic gases . during this test , the power supply voltage was held constant at 24v , while the voltage of the zener diode d 2 was progressively reduced until ignition occurred . at the same time , resistor r 1 was adjusted to maintain the current through zener diode d 2 to about 15 ma . the effect of reducing the zener diode voltage in this way was to increase the voltage across the spark before transistor tr 1 turns off . there were no ignitions until the spark voltage exceeded about 12v , demonstrating that the circuit does provide the expected protection . the construction of the wiring between the power supply and the module is controlled so that shunt faults cannot occur . series faults ( breaks ) are rendered non - incendive by the protection provided by the switch . the power supply connection is protected just as is the module connection , so both the power supply and the module can be safely disconnected under power . the circuitry to the right of transistor tr 1 is not protected and so will be designed to be non - incendive using other techniques . this protective circuit in accordance with the invention is very simple , inherently fast , and can be easily cascaded . [ 0035 ] fig6 shows a bussed power system where one or more power supplies 10 a , 10 b ( here two ) are feeding a number of modules ( here three ) fitted to a backplane or power bus 30 . the modules are shown with loads 12 a , 12 b , 12 c . the protection works equally well with multiple modules as with a single module . the effect of a break at a common point feeding several modules is equivalent to a break feeding a single module taking the same total current . a ) if a power supply 10 a , 10 b is disconnected , and the remaining power supply or supplies are able to maintain the bus voltage , then no spark will be developed at the break because no voltage will develop across it . this is so even without the switch protection of the present invention . b ) if a power supply 10 a , 10 b is disconnected and the bus voltage falls , a spark will develop at the break and the protection system of the invention will function to prevent it becoming incendive . the circuits described above are not tolerant of component faults , but are suitable for use in environments in which the flammable gas hazard is less severe . for zone 1 environments , additional requirements are imposed . these include : a ) the circuitry to the right of tr 1 , d 2 and r 1 is unprotected by the switch and so the construction must protect any potentially incendive currents in some other way . full encapsulation is one possibility , but is rather inelegant . alternatively , the current - carrying tracks could be made infallible up to the point where the circuitry branches and the current in each branch is limited by other means . b ) each component on which intrinsic safety depends , which is most of them , must be run at two - thirds of its manufacturer &# 39 ; s rating under all conditions of operation . ( unless a countable fault in a neighbouring component has occurred and the first component is no longer relied upon for intrinsic safety protection ). c ) protection must be maintained with one fault . two switching circuits will be needed in cascade to achieve this . [ 0043 ] fig7 shows a single - stage detection / switching circuit for use in accordance with the invention . being single - stage it has no fault tolerance , but it is easier to consider than a two - stage implementation . the following target specification assumes a 24v system , each module drawing up to 0 . 5 a . 24v is a convenient supply voltage in many systems and it allows lower currents to be used , allowing more modules per bus for a given available bus current , and reduced voltage drops . supply voltage range 23 v to 24 v supply voltage safety limit 26 v load voltage range 21 v to 24 v minimum available load power 10 w minimum available load current 0 . 5 a input cut - off voltage 20 v ‘ load ’ means the module circuitry which is fed by the protection circuit . the input cut - off voltage is the minimum voltage at which the protection is guaranteed to operate . transistor tr 1 and zener diode d 2 are the transistor and zener diode as in fig5 . the remainder of the circuit essentially protects transistor tr 1 from over - current and over - dissipation . transistors tr 3 and tr 4 act as a comparator , monitoring the sum of transistor tr 1 &# 39 ; s vce and the volt drop across a current sense resistor r 5 . a substantially constant reference voltage is generated across resistor r 2 by the current drawn through resistor r 2 , transistor tr 3 , and resistor r 3 . in normal operation the emitter voltage of transistor tr 4 is higher than that of transistor tr 3 so transistor tr 4 is switched on and the base voltage of transistor tr 2 is set by the divider action of resistors r 7 and r 8 from the output voltage vout . transistor tr 2 and resistor r 1 define the current through zener diode d 2 and the base of transistor tr 1 ; about 5 ma for example . the zener current in this circuit is more nearly constant compared to that in fig5 . each of resistor r 1 , transistor tr 2 , and diode d 2 can be rated to withstand a short - circuit fault in either transistor tr 2 or diode d 2 . if the total voltage developed across transistor tr 1 and current - limit sense resistor r 5 exceeds the reference voltage across resistor r 2 , then transistor tr 4 and transistor tr 2 turn off , turning off transistor tr 1 to protect it from over - current or over - dissipation . once transistor tr 4 is switched off , the circuit is latched with transistor tr 1 off and vout = 0 . resistor r 4 provides sufficient current to allow the circuit to restart , provided there is no significant load current until transistor tr 1 is switched on . input diode d 1 ensures that no backfeed is possible from energy stored in the load . it also unambiguously protects the base - emitter junction of transistor tr 1 from reverse bias , which could occur under transient conditions . diode d 3 protects the base - emitter junction of transistor tr 4 from reverse bias when vout is low . resistor r 6 restricts the current drawn from vin through resistor r 2 and diode d 3 . c 1 is a miller capacitor to slow down the operation of transistors tr 4 and tr 3 to afford some immunity to transients . the current limit defined by resistor r 5 is not to prevent sparking . it is primarily rating protection for transistor tr 1 and so need be no faster than a fuse . this current limit also defines the maximum load current that the module can demand . it is closer protection than would be afforded by a fuse and thus benefits the design of the module circuitry for thermal safety . an advantage of this circuit is that it protects transistor tr 1 both against over - current and against over - dissipation . when vin is healthy , transistor tr 1 is hard on and dissipating very little . when vin drops , transistor tr 1 rapidly switches off and dissipates zero power . the start - up of the system needs to be considered . resistor r 4 bleeds sufficient current into vout to ensure start - up of the protection circuit . this current is kept as low as possible by running transistor tr 3 and transistor tr 4 at a relatively low collector current , 0 . 2 ma , so that resistor r 4 is as large as possible . for the safety assessment , it is assumed that the load short - circuits vout to 0v , so resistor r 4 appears across vin to 0v and the current through it is not switched by transistor tr 1 . each module connected to a common bus would be assumed to draw that current and so the total current would depend on the number of modules . this total current has to be considerably less than the short - circuit current allowed by the resistive curves if it is not to compromise the spark protection of the system ; 143 ma is the limit at 26 v . however , resistor r 4 cannot provide enough current for start - up with the load connected , so the load must be switched in after start - up . fig8 shows one way of doing this . transistor tr 5 senses the voltage across resistor r 1 and provides an open - collector signal to an inhibit line on a power converter following . the threshold is set so that transistor tr 5 switches on when adequate base current is being drawn from transistor tr 1 to be certain that it is switched hard on . [ 0059 ] fig9 shows how the circuit of fig7 can be duplicated to provide one - fault safe protection for use in more severe environments . two fig7 circuits are essentially cascaded but there is a single current - sense resistor r 5 . the components in the “ second ” circuit which correspond to those in fig7 are indicated by the same references with an added dash . each of the two dissipation and over - current comparators senses the sum of the collector - emitter voltages of the two switching transistors tr 1 , tr 1 ′, and the ir drop in the current - sense resistor r 5 . hence over - dissipation in either switching transistor , or over - current , causes both tr 1 and tr 1 ′ to be turned off . the circuit is therefore safe with any single countable fault . the protection system of the present invention has a number of advantages over known forms of protection . i ) as compared to expensive power supply limiters , the present invention requires only the addition of inexpensive components to the modules . they dissipate little power , even under fault conditions , so there is no great demand for the use of heat sinks . ii ) the power supplies are simple . multiple modules can be fed through a bus system . no output current protection is necessary since the switching circuitry in the modules limits the total current that can be drawn . iii ) the protection system protects all the power systems upstream from the module against series breaks , both from faults and unplugging , including the power supply connections , so no special measures are required to protect the power bus against series breaks . v ) there is no disadvantage in using higher supply voltages . in fact , efficiency and available power increases at higher voltages . vi ) the only protection required in the power supplies is to limit the output voltage . while the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognise that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . | 7 |
claus feed gas typically has high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide , for example hydrogen sulfide concentrations of between 40 % and 85 % depending on plant and pretreatment processes . the pretreatment process may be an amine treater which provides a concentrated hydrogen sulfide output stream ( acid gas ). a schematic of a typical three - stage claus plant is shown in fig1 . the first step of the claus process involves a controlled combustion of a feed gas which contains hydrogen sulfide and the noncatalytic reaction of unburned hydrogen sulfide with sulfur dioxide as depicted in reactions ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) above . in the straight through process , a feed gas containing hydrogen sulfide is directed via line 10 to reaction furnace 12 which contains a burner 14 where the feed gas is combusted . oxygen is supplied to burner 14 by an air stream via line 16 . from the reaction furnace 12 , the products are cooled in a waste heat boiler 18 and the products condensed and separated in condenser 20 into a liquid sulfur stream 22 and gaseous product stream . gaseous products are reheated via line 24 in reheater 26 and passed through a series of catalytic reactors 28 , 30 , and 32 wherein the unreacted hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide react over a catalyst , typically alumina , to produce sulfur and water as depicted in reaction ( 2 ). subsequent to each reaction , the reaction products are condensed in respective condensers 29 , 31 and 33 wherein liquid sulfur is separated and removed via respective lines 23 , 25 and 27 and joined with liquid sulfur from line 22 to form a final sulfur stream 35 . precedent to the respective catalytic reactions in reactors 30 and 32 , the product gas directed from the preceding condensers 29 and 31 is reheated in respective reheaters 34 and 36 which receive the cooled gas stream via lines 37 and 39 , respectively . tail gas leaving condenser 33 via line 40 can be treated in accordance with this invention and as described below . an alternative to the straight - through process is the split - flow process . in this process , 40 - 60 % of the claus feed bypasses the burner and is fed directly to the first catalytic stage . this process is shown in fig1 wherein line 42 directs a portion of the h 2 s - containing feed from line 10 into line 24 containing product gas from condenser 20 . the mixed stream is heated in reheater 26 and passed to first stage catalytic reactor 28 . as shown in fig2 , the hydrogen sulfide - containing tail gas stream 40 from the elemental sulfur recovery unit or claus process shown in fig1 is processed in accordance with this invention to recover sulfur values which remain in the tail gas . while tail gas stream 40 can come directly from the claus process , it is contemplated that the tail gas stream 40 can be generated from a tail gas cleanup unit ( tgcu ) to increase overall sulfur recovery . tail gas stream 40 is fed to oxidation reactor 41 to completely convert hydrogen sulfide and other sulfur - containing compounds to sulfur oxides , e . g ., so 2 . a temperature range of about 300 to 500 ° c . is used for the oxidation in reactor 41 . a sulfur oxide enriched gas stream 44 from oxidation reactor 41 is cooled in heat exchanger 46 to within a range of from about 90 ° c . to about 250 ° c . and is fed via line 48 to a fixed - bed reactor 50 containing a solid adsorbent bed ( not shown ). the solid adsorbent bed in reactor 50 adsorbs substantially all of the sulfur oxide from the sulfur oxide enriched gas stream 44 , and provides a sulfur oxide depleted gas stream 52 . the sulfur oxide depleted stream 52 can be fed to an incinerator or to a stack ( not shown ). alternatively , a portion of gas stream 52 can be treated to remove oxygen and co 2 and used to regenerate the adsorbent as described below . while in an adsorbent mode , the reactor 50 is operated at a temperature of from about 90 ° c . to about 250 ° c . a temperature of from about 90 ° c . to about 150 ° c . is preferred , and from 90 ° c . to 125 ° c . more preferred . these relatively low temperatures are effective for adsorption of the sulfur oxides and , importantly , are not so high as to cause appreciable reaction between the sulfur oxides and some useful adsorbents such as carbon and result in the eventual consumption of the adsorbent . further , it is believed that by adsorbing the so 2 in the presence of water and oxygen a higher level of sulfur oxide can be adsorbed in the solid adsorbent bed . it is postulated that the so 2 is adsorbed as h 2 so 4 most likely via reaction ( 4 ): the tail gas from line 40 and oxidation tail gas from line 48 will often contain sufficient water for reaction ( 4 ) without the need for water addition . oxygen may , however , have to be added to stream 48 entering reactor 50 . the oxygen content of the stream 48 entering the adsorbent bed 50 should be in an amount ranging from about 0 . 9 to 10 times the stoichiometric molar amount required in equation ( 4 ). preferably , the oxygen content will range from about 1 to about 5 times the stoichiometric molar requirement . the amount of air or o 2 needed to meet the general requirements expressed above can be determined by measuring the sulfur content of the claus tail gas stream 40 . any analytical instrument known for measuring gas phase components can be used . for example , a model 880 - nsl tail gas analyzer from ametek western research , paoli , pa ., is one such instrument . air supplied by line 54 may be the source of the oxygen . typically , a water content of 10 - 50 vol . %, more typically , 20 - 30 vol . % is found in the tail gas stream from the third stage of a claus reactor . water vapor can be supplied , for example , from an external source of steam if needed . pressure within the reactor 50 should be maintained at approximately atmospheric pressure , up to 100 psia . the adsorbent is most usefully present as a fixed bed in reactor 50 and can be in the form of balls , pebbles , spheres , extrudates , channeled monoliths , microspheres or pellets . a fluidized bed system is also possible with this invention wherein temperature and pressure conditions would remain similar to the fixed bed system . it is particularly important that the low temperatures of the fixed bed be used to avoid consumption of the adsorbent . the adsorbent provides absorbers or acceptors which absorb , and collect or otherwise remove sulfur oxides from the influent gaseous stream . during regeneration of the adsorbent bed in reactor 50 , the temperature is maintained at least about the adsorption temperature or higher , preferably between 150 ° c . to about 550 ° c . to protect reactor metallurgy , temperatures of from 150 ° c . to 260 ° c . are preferred . the pressure in the reactor 50 is maintained at about atmospheric pressure . on regeneration of the adsorbent bed , it is important that so 3 / h 2 so 4 not be formed or released as these components can be deleterious to reactor metallurgy . accordingly , the regeneration gas stream 56 passed through the adsorbent bed should not contain o 2 . an inert gas or reducing gas stream is therefore used to regenerate the bed . preferably , a reducing gas is used , most preferably h 2 s since it is readily available . as further shown in fig2 , the regenerating gas stream 56 is directed into the reactor 50 to liberate the adsorbed so 2 . a regeneration gas stream flow provided at a volume of gas sufficient to heat the adsorbent bed is used and whereby the exit of the bed in reactor 50 is within 50 ° c . of the inlet . preferred gases for regeneration include nitrogen , hydrogen , c 3 + hydrocarbons , and hydrogen sulfide . the off - gas stream 52 stripped of any o 2 and containing n 2 and co can also be used for regeneration . combinations of inert gas and reducing gas can be used . regeneration with a portion of the claus plant feed 10 is also acceptable . regeneration with h 2 s or a reducing gas stream containing h 2 s is preferred . when regenerating with h 2 s , it has been found that only minimal , if any , amounts of so 3 / h 2 so 4 are released . formation of elemental sulfur is observed , most likely occurring by reaction ( 5 ): if carbon is used as the adsorbent and co 2 is present at the exit of the adsorber during adsorption or regeneration , this indicates that the carbon was acting as a reductant and , therefore , it is postulated that the carbon is being consumed most likely via reaction ( 6 ): the lower temperatures used during adsorption greatly minimize the formation of co 2 and distinguish the process of this invention over the processes of u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 764 , 665 and 5 , 514 , 351 described above . the invention contemplates that the regenerating gas 56 be back - flowed through the adsorbent bed in reactor 50 in a direction opposite the flow direction of the sulfur oxide enriched stream 48 through the bed . this would ensure that the last part of the bed that the sulfur oxide enriched stream sees is very active . regeneration of the adsorbent in reactor 50 provides sulfur and / or sulfur dioxide bearing stream through the outlet line 58 . the sulfur dioxide - containing stream 58 can be recycled to the claus plant and line 10 for further recovery of sulfur . the hydrogen sulfide and / or sulfur dioxide bearing stream may also contain water and unconverted reducing gas . the adsorbents useful in this invention can be characterized as being sulfation resistant . in other words , the adsorbents will not react with the so 2 to form sulfates on the adsorbent surface . therefore , alumina and alumina - containing adsorbents such as alumina - containing clays , spinels , and silica - alumina products are not useful in this invention . non - limiting examples of suitable sulfation resistant solid adsorbents for use in the present invention include the porous solids , silica , natural and synthetic zeolites , activated carbon , titania , zirconia , titania - silica , and zirconia - silica . the adsorbents can be impregnated or otherwise coated with at least one oxidizing catalyst or promoter that promotes the removal of nitrogen oxides , the oxidation of so 2 to so 3 in the presence of oxygen , and the regeneration of the sorbent . it is believed that so 3 is more readily adsorbed than so 2 . one useful catalyst is ceria ( cerium oxide ). another useful catalyst is platinum . other catalytic metals , both free and in combined form , preferably as an oxide form , can be used , either alone or in combination with each other or in combination with ceria , such as rare earth metals , metals from group 8 of the periodic table , chromium , vanadium , rhenium , tungsten , silver and combinations thereof . an even distribution of the promoter is preferred for best results and to minimize adsorbent erosion . the specific amounts of the promoters included in the solid sorbent , if present at all , may vary widely . preferably , the first promoter is present in an amount between about 0 . 001 % to about 20 % by weight , calculated as elemental metal , of the solid sorbent , and the second promoter is present in an amount between about 0 . 001 % to about 10 % by weight , calculated as elemental metal , of the solid sorbent . preferably , the solid sorbent includes about 0 . 1 % to about 20 %, more preferably about 0 . 2 % to about 20 %, and still more preferably about 0 . 5 % to about 15 %, by weight of rare earth metal , calculated as elemental metal . of course , if a platinum group metal is employed in the solid sorbent , very much reduced concentrations ( e . g ., in the parts per thousand to parts per million ( ppm ) range ) are employed . if vanadium is included as the second promoter , it is preferably present in an amount of about 0 . 01 % to about 7 %, more preferably about 0 . 1 % to about 5 %, and still more preferably about 0 . 5 % to about 2 % by weight of vanadium , calculated as elemental metal . the promoters may be associated with the solid sorbent using any suitable technique or combination of techniques ; for example , impregnation , coprecipitation , ion - exchange and the like , well known in the art . also , the promoters may be added during synthesis of the sorbent . thus , the promoters may be an integral part of the solid sorbent or may be in a phase separate from the solid sorbent ( e . g ., deposited on the solid sorbent ) or both . these metal components may be associated with the solid sorbent together or in any sequence or by the same or different association techniques . cost considerations favor the preferred procedure in which the metal components are associated together with the sorbent . impregnation may be carried out by contacting the sorbent with a solution , preferably an aqueous solution , of the metal salts . it may not be necessary to wash the sorbent after certain soluble metal salts ( such as nitrate , sulfate or acetate ) are added . after impregnation with the metal salts , the sorbent can be dried and calcined to decompose the salts , forming an oxide in the case of a nitrate , sulfate or acetate . the following examples are illustrative of adsorbents and process conditions useful to practice this invention . the scope of the invention , however , is to be determined from the appended claims . the proposed mechanism for the adsorption of so 2 on activated carbon in the presence of o 2 and h 2 o is the formation of an adsorbed sulfuric acid species , which is then thermally regenerated / reduced back to so 2 . to test this theory , two adsorbent samples were impregnated with sulfuric acid : ( 1 ) an activated carbon with 35 % h 2 so 4 and ( 2 ) 1 . 9 % pt / zsm - 5 having a sio 2 / al 2 o 3 ratio of 270 with 20 % h 2 so 4 . each acid loaded sample was placed in a column and then regenerated at 260 ° c . with wet n 2 . the so 2 / so 3 content of the off - gas was determined by wet analysis . the loading for the activated carbon was 7 . 76 g ( 0 . 079 mol ) of h 2 so 4 on 13 . 7 g of carbon . the so 2 / so 3 split upon regeneration was determined to be 4 . 91 g so 2 ( 0 . 077 mol ) and 0 . 21 g of so 3 ( 0 . 002 mol ). remarkably , 100 % recovery of so 2 / so 3 ( 0 . 079 mol ) was achieved with the formation of only 4 % of undesirable so 3 / h 2 so 4 , a very favorable situation . the loading for pt / zsm - 5 was 6 . 76 g ( 0 . 069 mol ) of h 2 so 4 on 25 . 6 g of adsorbent . the so 2 / so 3 split upon regeneration couldn &# 39 ; t be determined since the vent lines plugged up with a green solid . this negative result indicates that a significant amount of free sulfuric acid was liberated during regeneration and subsequently reacted with the metal lines . unlike with the carbon adsorbent , this formation of undesirable h 2 so 4 / so 3 seen is a very unfavorable situation . apparently , the structure / composition of activated carbon is more favorable for the reversible reactive adsorption of so 2 . it is also likely , that the carbon was sacrificed before the reactor metallurgy . this example compares the impact of the feed components during adsorption . so 2 adsorption was compared with and without o 2 or h 2 o present in the fuel . breakthrough times ( detection of so 2 in exit gas ) were normalized to 20 . 0 g : sample : 15 . 6 g ( dry basis ) of norit ® ro activated carbon ( 0 . 8 mm extrudates ) duplicate so 2 breakthrough tests on norit ® ro activated carbon using a feed stream containing 3 , 100 ppm so 2 , ˜ 22 % co 2 , ˜ 22 % h 2 o , balance n 2 resulted in an average breakthrough time of 219 minutes . results were significantly better with o 2 present as shown next . breakthrough tests were repeated using a feed stream containing 3 , 100 ppm so 2 , 22 % co 2 , 9 , 000 ppm o 2 , ˜ 22 % h 2 o , balance n 2 . in this case no breakthrough of so 2 was noted even after 2 , 880 minutes , the point at which the run was stopped . in the presence of o 2 , loading of so 2 was & gt ; 11 . 9 wt % so 2 ( g / g ads .) as compared to 0 . 9 % wt % so 2 ( g / g ads ) without o 2 present . the sample was regenerated at 260 ° c . overnight with dry n 2 between each breakthrough test . in order to determine the effect of water on the so 2 capacity of the activated carbon , a dry so 2 breakthrough test was then run on norit ® ro activated carbon using a feed stream containing 3 , 100 ppm so 2 , 22 % co 2 , 9 , 000 ppm o 2 , balance n 2 . a significantly reduced so 2 breakthrough time of 589 minutes resulted . thus , in the presence of o 2 but no h 2 o , so 2 loading was to 2 . 4 % wt % so 2 ( g / g ads .) to more easily quantify the amount of so 2 adsorbed on the norit ® ro activated carbon , a feed gas containing 5 % so 2 , 5 % o 2 , ˜ 22 % h 2 o , and balance n 2 was used . even with this 16 - fold increase in so 2 concentration , the breakthrough time for so 2 was still 1 , 042 min . this represents a ˜ 50 % wt . loading of so 2 . an analysis of the off - gas during subsequent regeneration indicated a reversible loss of so 2 only . a survey of the literature confirms this result , i . e ., activated carbons can pick up this amount of so 2 when h 2 o and o 2 are present . the mechanism is reported to involve the reversible oxidation of so 2 to so 3 forming an “ h 2 so 4 ” like complex with the h 2 o that releases only so 2 upon regeneration . it is important in the process of this invention that little or no free acid be released during regeneration . in this example , the impact of inert gas regeneration of the adsorbent was studied . sample : 14 . 6 g ( dry basis ) of norit ® ro activated carbon ( 0 . 8 mm extrudates ) so 2 adsorption steps were run with a feed containing 5 % so 2 , 5 % o 2 , 24 % h 2 o , balance n 2 at 90 ° c . the feed flow was adjusted to 73 sccm so as to achieve a less than four hour breakthrough time . regeneration steps were carried out at 260 ° c . with wet helium at 73 cc / min of he with 1 ml / min h 2 o for three hours . the final hour of the regeneration cycle was used for cooling the bed . significant co 2 was detected by the gc during regeneration . a gc scan of the regeneration off - gas from the 8 th cycle showed that the production of co 2 was directly associated with the release of so 2 . integration of the peaks indicated a ˜ 2 . 6 / 1 so 2 / co 2 molar ratio . this ratio is consistent with carbon oxidation by the adsorbed sulfuric acid , i . e ., 2h 2 so 4 + c → co 2 + 2so 2 + 2h 2 o , during thermal regeneration . it was also determined from peak integration that ˜ 0 . 30 wt % of the carbon was lost per the eight hour adsorption / regeneration cycle . this would add up to an intolerable 30 wt % loss of carbon adsorbent per month . the benefit of h 2 s regeneration is shown in this example . regeneration with_h 2 s was provided in a 17 cycle life test . sample : 14 . 7 g ( dry basis ) norit ® ro activated carbon ( 0 . 8 mm extrudates ) so 2 adsorption steps were run with 5 % so 2 , 5 % o2 , 24 % h 2 o , balance n 2 at 90 ° c . and 50 cc / min . regeneration steps were carried out at 400 ° c . with wet h 2 s at 50 cc / min of h 2 s with 1 ml / min h 2 o . no co 2 or so 2 was detected by the gc during regeneration . however the formation of sulfur was noted . based on the gc detection limit , no more than a 12 % annual loss of carbon would be expected . this result is consistent with the reaction of h 2 s with the adsorbed sulfuric acid , i . e ., 3h 2 s + h 2 so 4 → 4s + 4h 2 o , during thermal reaction . in addition , no loss in so 2 capacity was noted after the 17 cycles . in this example , the impact of adsorption temperature was measured using a 3 cycle test . sample wt : 13 . 8 g at 90 ° c ./ 14 . 3 g at 150 ° c ./ 15 . 8 g at 200 ° c . ( dry basis ) so 2 adsorption steps were run with 5 % so 2 , 5 % o 2 , 24 % h 2 o , balance n 2 , at the temperatures noted above and a gas flow of 73 cc / min . regeneration steps were carried out at 260 ° c . with wet he at 73 cc / min of he with 1 ml / min h 2 o . a significant and undesirable reduction in performance was noted when the adsorption temperature was raised from 90 ° c . to 200 ° c . (˜ 85 % loss after three cycles ) and even to 150 ° c . (˜ 50 % loss after 3 cycles ). the loss in performance is undoubtedly correlated with the undesirable combustion of the activated carbon at the elevated adsorption temperatures of 150 ° c . and 200 ° c ., as evidenced by co 2 detection using gc analytical methods . | 2 |
referring now to fig1 there is shown a schematic diagram of an example of a gaseous - fueled engine system wherein the present maf sensor calibration scheme may be used to advantage . the scheme disclosed herein applies to any pulsating , oscillating flow system . thus , while the present invention is described with respect to a gaseous - fueled engine system , the present maf sensor calibration scheme is equally applicable to any ic engine system including gasoline and diesel fueled engine systems . it is also applicable to rotary ( wankel ) engines , as well . as shown in fig1 the gaseous fueled engine system 10 includes a gaseous fueled internal combustion engine 12 and gaseous fuel system 16 which provides fuel to the engine 12 such as hydrogen by way of injection system 18 and intake manifold 20 . air is also conveyed to the engine cylinders by way of air intake 22 . after combustion , the spent fuel and air is exhausted by exhaust manifold 24 through the emissions system 26 out the tailpipe 28 . controller 30 is adapted to receive a plurality of signals from sensors 32 which monitor various engine parameters to maintain the engine 12 at desired operating set points as is known in the art based upon the engine operating conditions and the driver demand . these signals include such things as engine speed , intake air temperature and pressure , and driver demand . controller 30 is preferably a microprocessor based controller such as a computer having a central processing unit , memory in the form of ram and / or rom , associated inputs and outputs , and a communication bus . the sensor set 32 and the controller 30 are conventional . the control scheme , however incorporates mass airflow data as received from mass airflow sensor 34 which is calibrated in accordance with the present invention as described below . the maf sensor 34 is a hot - wire anemometer - type maf sensor with associated circuitry as is known in the art . thus , the maf sensor 34 outputs a voltage signal in relation to the heat transfer through the sensor wire which is within the intake airflow . referring now to fig2 there is shown a schematic diagram of the heat transfer characteristics for an ic engine with oscillatory airflow such as the gaseous - fueled part fuel injected ( pfi ) engine of fig1 . the hot - wire of the maf sensor 34 with current ( i ) flowing therethrough is represented in cross - sectional view as wire 40 . the wire 40 is within the intake manifold 42 of the ic engine . incoming air 44 is disturbed by maf sensor wire 40 to create a boundary layer characteristic shown as 46 about the wire 40 . the hot - wire surface boundary layer 46 is disturbed by pressure waves periodically reflecting back from the action of the closing valves and pistons downstream . the boundary layer 46 , however , determines the heat transferred from the wire 40 into the passing air 44 and , correspondingly the sensor output . therefore , how often the boundary layer is disturbed and the magnitude of the boundary layer disturbance must be considered in the heat transfer function . the frequency of the boundary layer disturbance , since it is related to engine valving , is a function of the engine speed ( rpm ). pressure waves are also reflected towards the hot - wire in the case of gaseous pfi fueled engines during the injection of the gaseous fuel which can represent a significant volume of the inducted flow into the cylinders as compared to liquid fueled engines . the gaseous injection event , like the valving action , is also related to the engine speed . the magnitude of the boundary layer disturbance is also be described as a ratio of the voltages resulting from the current fluctuations through the wire 40 as the airflows . during oscillatory airflow , an annular effect could be observed which is schematically represented as arrows 50 wherein the maximum flow velocity is near the walls of the intake manifold 42 at a certain moment . it is this annular effect 50 which contributes to large errors in unidirectional or dc flow - based maf sensor calibration schemes because the flow velocity profile is constantly changing . for constant unidirectional flow across a hot - wire , i . e . conventional maf sensor calibration , the hot - wire boundary layer remains unchanged . hence , the heat transfer on the hot - wire surface can be described according to equation ( 1 ): where re is the reynolds number , and pr represents mean velocity profile which is stable when temperature change is not significant . the resulting heat transfer flow rate for the conventional maf sensor is then a function of the wire voltage : referring now to fig3 there is shown a graph of airflow versus maf sensor voltage for a conventional maf sensor calibrated according to equation 2 when used in a reciprocating ic engine with oscillatory airflow near wide - open throttle . the grouped data points of fig3 represent airflow and voltage values for various engine speeds . as can be seen by data groups 60 , 62 and 64 which represent engine speeds of 800 rpm , 1100 rpm and 2000 rpm , respectively , significant errors can occur for maf sensor voltage outputs for significantly different airflow rates . at higher engine speeds of 3000 rpm ( data group 66 ), 4000 rpm ( data group 68 ), and 5000 rpm ( data group 70 ), the relationship between actual airflow and maf sensor voltage output is less effected by the oscillatory component . to overcome the error associated with conventional maf sensor calibration schemes when used in oscillatory airflow environments , the present invention defines the heat transfer function associated with oscillating airflow as follows : where re w is a dynamic reynolds number which represents a dimensionless frequency , and a w is a dimensionless amplitude . correspondingly , the heat transfer - based maf sensor has a similar expression for flow rate : in the case of an ic engine , re w is indicated by engine speed measured as rpm . similarly , the amplitude aw is defined as a ratio : where v max is the maf sensor cyclic peak voltage value and v mean is the mean voltage value for a given engine speed . the corresponding airflow equation is thus : that is , under oscillating airflow conditions , maf sensor calibration is a function of the maf sensor output voltage mean value , oscillation amplitude ( voltage ratio ), and frequency ( engine rpm ). referring now to fig4 there is shown a graph of measured airflow versus actual airflow for a maf sensor calibrated according to equation 7 . corresponding engine rpm data point groupings are indexed by 100 with respect to the engine data point groupings of fig3 . as can be seen in fig4 the measured accuracy for the oscillatory airflow is improved dramatically . thus , for gasoline throttled and unthrottled engine operating conditions , gaseous fueled engine systems , and diesel engine systems , the maf sensor accuracy for a given engine control scheme can be improved significantly . to calibrate the sensor , the linear relationship between actual airflow and sensor output is determined experimentally using equation ( 7 ) at various engine speeds . given the relationship between actual and measured airflow such as in fig4 the sensor can then be used to dynamically indicate the intake airflow rate . alternatively , these values can be stored in a lookup table of values accessible by the controller . thus , for a given maf sensor output voltage and engine speed , the engine controller would lookup , or directly calculate , the corresponding airflow rate as determined by equation ( 7 ). the maf signal processing can occur either at the sensor 32 , in the main controller 30 , or in a separate controller which may or may not be part of the main controller 30 . at the sensor , the maf sensor could be configured to output the voltage mean and the ratio for communication to the controller . alternatively , a signal conditioning processor can be implemented between the maf sensor and controller to determine the voltage mean and ratio and communicate the information to the controller . finally , the controller itself could read the maf sensor data and determine the voltage mean and ratio for use in the calibration scheme . from the foregoing , it can be seen that there has been brought to the art a new and improved maf sensor calibration scheme which overcomes the drawbacks associated with conventional maf sensor calibration schemes . while the invention has been described in connection with one or more embodiments , it should be understood that the invention is not limited to those embodiments . on the contrary , the invention covers all alternatives , modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 5 |
a first embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . the present embodiment particularly has an integrator and a dc feedback circuit which are different from those of the prior art example described in connection with fig2 and 3 and therefore the structurally differing components are illustrated here with the omission of the remaining components . thus , fig6 is a circuit diagram showing the essential part of an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the first embodiment of the invention . referring to fig6 there are seen an analog switch 8a or 8b , an integrator 9a or 9b , a sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b , a dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b , a sequence control circuit 16 for b mode / doppler mode , a feedback amount adjuster circuit 17 and a resistor ( r1 ) 31 . the integrator 9a or 9b includes a capacitor ( co ) 32 , a capacitor ( co &# 39 ;) 33 , an operational amplifier ( op1 ) 34 and analog switches 35 and 36 . the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b includes an amplifier 37 of - a times amplification , a resistor ( rf ) 38 , a resistor ( r2 ) 39 , a capacitor ( cf ) 40 an operational amplifier ( op2 ) 41 and analog switches 42 and 43 . the operation of the above construction will now be described in detail . firstly , the operation during the simultaneous doppler mode based on the chopper scheme will be described with reference to a timing chart of fig7 . during the b - mode sequence , the analog switch 43 of the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b is turned on under the control of the sequence control circuit 16 to make null the charge on the capacitor ( cf ) 40 . when the sequence is switched from b mode to doppler mode at time to , the analog switch 43 is turned off under the direction of the sequence control circuit 16 . at time t1 , a gate signal g is applied to the analog switch 8a or 8b to render it on , so that a phase - detected output signal is integrated by the integrator 9a or 9b . at that time , because of the absence of the output signal of dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b which is effective to cancel out dc and extremely frequency components , only the phase - detected output signal , that is , a large signal containing a clutter signal representative of an echo signal of a living body tissue is inputted to the integrator 9a or 9b . therefore , to prevent the integrator 9a or 9b from being saturated under this condition , the analog switch 36 of integrator 9a or 9b is transferred , in advance under the control of the sequence control circuit 26 , to the capacitor ( co &# 39 ;) 33 which is larger in capacitance than the ordinary capacitor ( co ) 32 . the integrated value stored in the capacitor ( co &# 39 ;) 33 is a value not subjected to feedback and therefore this integrated value is not fetched into the sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b but it is - a times amplified by the amplifier 37 of the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b and subsequently when the analog switch 42 is turned on at time t2 under the control of the sequence control circuit 16 by way of the feedback amount adjuster circuit 17 , it is inputted to the capacitor ( cf ) 40 and operational amplifier ( op2 ) 41 . an width of time tf &# 39 ; for turn - on of the analog switch 42 is given by the following equation ( 7 ): ## equ3 ## charge stored in the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b has the same magnitude as that required for cancelling out the integrated value of the integrator 9a or 9b at time t1 . essentially , the doppler deviated signal is in most part an echo signal from living body tissue which is of dc or ultra - low frequency and therefore the integrated value at time t1 is nearly equal to an integrated value at time t3 at which the gate is subsequently turned on following time t1 . accordingly , the integrated value of the phase - detected output signal at time t3 is almost cancelled out by dc feedback based on the integrated value at time t2 . after time t2 , the feedback amount to the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b recovers a value for ordinary doppler mode and the integrated value is fetched and held in the sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b . through the above operation , the jump of signal of large amplitude and high frequency components which results from the discontinuity of the doppler sequence in the serial doppler type based on the chopper scheme can be suppressed . now , an operation will be described in which the gate position is moved by indicating an area of interest in a b - mode image by means of a gate marker while displaying a doppler spectrum in real time . when the position of the gate marker is moved , the analog switch 8a or 8b for gating is actuated in the ordinary manner in the prior art but contrarily , in the present embodiment , the gating analog switch 8a or 8b is kept to be off under the control of the control circuit 16 to prevent passage of signal during movement of the gate . immediately after completion of movement of the gate , the gating analog switch 8a or 8b is turned on as usual under the control of the control circuit 16 , allowing the integrator 9a or 9b to integrate data of phase - detected output signal . since there is a time delay between the phase - detected signal immediately after gate movement and that immediately before gate movement , these two signals are mutually discontinuous . if the discontinuous data is inputted to the succeeding high - pass filter 11a or 11b , then unwanted frequency components will be generated . occurrence of such components must be prevented . the circuit shown in fig6 is not limited to the aforementioned suppression of the jump of signal due to the discontinuity of the doppler mode in the simultaneous doppler type but is also applicable to the movement of gate position also conditioned by the discontinuity of signal , whereby the b - mode period in fig7 can substitute directly for the gate moving period and a doppler deviated signal immediately after completion of the gate movement can be fed back negatively to the input of the integrator 9a or 9b to prevent the occurrence of unwanted frequency components when the gate movement is carried out . the frequency analyzer 12 is so controlled by the control circuit 16 as not to perform operations , thus preventing unwanted spectrum data from being displayed on the display unit 13 . a second embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig8 is a circuit diagram showing the essential part of an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the second embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig8 the present embodiment is so constructed that the integrated value of an integrator 9a or 9b is fetched and held in a sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b and thereafter inputted to a dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b . the sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b holds an integrated value of a signal not subjected to feedback at time t1 and therefore during delivery of the integrated value from the sample - and - hold circuit 10a or 10b , an analog switch 44 is turned off under the control of a sequence control circuit 16 to prevent the signal from being applied to the succeeding stage . the remaining components are the same as those of the first embodiment . a third embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig9 is a circuit diagram showing the essential part of an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the third embodiment of the invention . in the first embodiment , the feedback amount to the dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b is changed by changing the length of time interval tf during which the analog switch is turned on but the present embodiment is so constructed that the feedback amount is adjusted by changing the resistance of a variable input resistor ( rf ) 45 of a dc feedback circuit 15a or 15b . the remaining components are the same as those of the first embodiment . a fourth embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig1 is a functional block diagram showing an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the fourth embodiment of the invention . the present embodiment is directed to prevention of generation of unwanted frequency components when the gate position is changed . referring to fig1 , there are seen the same components as those of the foregoing embodiments including a probe 1 , a drive circuit 2 , a transmission timing circuit 3 , a receiving circuit 4 , a phase detector 5 , a reference signal generator 6 , a gate signal generation circuit 7 , analog switches 8a and 8b , integrators 9a and 9b , sample - and - hold circuits 10a and 10b , high - pass filters 11a and 11b , a frequency analyzer 12 , a display unit 13 , dc feedback circuits 15a and 15b and a doppler sequence controller 16 . the present embodiment further comprises a trackball 18 for inputting gate positions , a decoder 19 for the trackball and a main controller 20 . a pulse signal generated by the drive circuit 2 using a signal generated from the transmission timing circuit 3 as a trigger is converted by the probe 1 into an ultrasonic pulse signal which in turn is transmitted into a living body 14 . the ultrasonic pulse signal is then reflected at a portion of living body 14 at which the acoustic impedance changes . the reflected signal is converted by the probe 1 into an electrical signal which in turn is amplified by the receiving circuit 4 to a suitable extent and is then subjected to phase detection by the phase detector 5 . the above operation is the same as that of the first embodiment . further , provided that the gate position is not changed , the operation of the components following the analog switches 8a and 8b is the same as that of the first embodiment . when the gate position is changed during operation , the apparatus of the present embodiment operates as will be described below . a change in gate position is inputted by means of the trackball 18 and a rotation angle of the trackball is converted by the decoder 19 into data representative of gate position change . the main controller 209 receiving the gate position change data sends to the doppler sequence controller 16 information to the effect that the gate position is shifted , so that the doppler sequence controller 16 performs the same control as that carried out in the b mode in the serial doppler type to prevent display of unnecessary images . when movement of the trackball 18 ends and a new gate position is settled , the main controller 20 receiving gate position data from the decoder 19 causes the transmission timing circuit 3 and receiving circuit 4 to change the beam direction and at the same time sends new gate position data to the doppler sequence controller 16 . then , the doppler sequence controller 16 sends the gate position data to the gate signal generation circuit 7 which in turn permits the same sequence control as that carried out at the termination of the b mode in the previously - described first embodiment . in this manner , the generation of unwanted frequency components concomitant with gate movement can be prevented . a fifth embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig1 is a functional block diagram showing an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the fifth embodiment of the invention . the present embodiment is directed to prevention of the occurrence of unwanted frequency components when the gate width is changed . structurally , the present embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment shown in fig1 in that a gate width input switch 21 for setting gate widths is provided as shown in fig1 . the remaining components are the same as those of the fourth embodiment , which are designated by identifical reference numerals , and will not be described here . the present embodiment having the above construction operates in a different manner from the fourth embodiment as will be described below . when a change in gate width is inputted by means of the switch 21 , the gate width change is sent to a main controller 20 through a decoder 19 . the main controller 20 sends to a doppler sequence controller 16 information to the effect that the gate width is changed , so that the doppler sequence controller 16 prevents display of unnecessary images and at the same time controls integrators 9a and 9b , sample - and - hold circuits 10a and 10b and dc feedback circuits 15a and 15b similarly to control carried out at the termination of b mode in the serial doppler type . through the above operation , the generation of unwanted frequency components concomitant with change of gate width can be prevented . a sixth embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . 1 fig1 is a functional block diagram showing an ultrasonic blood - flow meter according to the sixth embodiment of the invention . the present embodiment is directed to prevention of generation of unwanted frequency components when the receiving gain is changed . structurally , the present embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment shown in fig1 in that a switch 22 for setting receiving gains is provided as shown in fig1 . the remaining components are the same as those of the fourth embodiment , which are designated by identical reference numerals , and will not be described herein . the present embodiment having the above construction operates in a different manner from the fourth embodiment as will be described below . generally , in the ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter , the receiving gain can be changed by the receiving circuit 4 but the recent trend is such that an analog switch as shown in fig1 is used in a gain change section and is transferred remotely from the operator section . in fig1 , there are provided an operational amplifier 50 , an analog switch 51 and resistors 52a to 52e . the analog switch 51 controllable through a control line of 2 bits is responsive to a digital signal to discretely adjust the gain . in the ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter having the above construction , the receiving gain is changed discretely and therefore discontinuity takes place in a doppler deviated signal at a timing that the receiving gain is switched over , resulting in display of unwanted spectra . thus , in accordance with the present embodiment , when a change in receiving gain is inputted by means of the receiving gain setting switch 22 , a gate signal generation circuit 7 receives receiving gain change data through decoder 19 , main controller 20 and doppler sequence controller 16 and causes analog switches 8a and b to be normally turned off in order that an output signal delivered out of a phase detector 5 during the gain change is cut , and the doppler sequence controller 6 stops a frequency analyzer 12 from producing an output signal so as to prevent unwanted display . immediately after completion of the receiving gain change , the present embodiment operates similarly to the foregoing first embodiment . a seventh embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig1 is a functional block diagram showing an ultrasonic doppler blood - flow meter according to the seventh embodiment of the invention . the present embodiment contemplates prevention of the occurrence of unwanted frequency components when the transmission output is changed . structurally , the present embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment shown in fig1 in that a transmission output adjusting switch 23 for adjusting the transmission output is provided as shown in fig1 . the remaining components are the same as those of the fourth embodiment , which are designated by identical reference numerals , and will not be described here . the present embodiment having the above construction operates in a different manner from the fourth embodiment as will be described below . a pulse signal is generated by a drive circuit 2 which uses a signal from a transmission timing circuit 3 as a trigger , and the delivery of the pulse signal is controlled by a value inputted by means of the switch 23 . the operation when the transmission output is changed will now be described . when a change in transmission output is inputted by means of the transmission output adjusting switch 23 , a gate signal generation circuit 7 receives transmission output change data through decoder 19 , main controller 20 and doppler sequence controller 16 and normally turns off analog switches 8a and 8b in order to cut an output signal delivered out of a phase detector 5 during the change of transmission output and at the same time the doppler sequence controller 16 stops a frequency analyzer 12 from delivering an output signal to prevent unnecessary display . immediately after completion of the transmission output change , the present embodiment operates similarly to the foregoing first embodiment . an eighth embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . fig1 is a functional block diagram showing an ultrasonic blood - flow meter according to the eighth embodiment of the invention . the present embodiment contemplates prevention of the occurrence of unwanted frequency components when a freeze of the apparatus is released . structurally , the present embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment shown in fig1 in that a freeze switch 24 for setting and release of freeze is provided as shown in fig1 . the remaining components are the same as those of the fourth embodiment , which are designated by identical reference numerals , and will not be described herein . the present embodiment having the above construction operates in a different manner from the fourth embodiment as will be described below . when the operation of the apparatus is desired to be stopped temporarily to freeze the image display , display of transmission / reception images can all be stopped by operating the switch 24 . when the freeze is released , the apparatus recovers the same operation as that carried out when the b mode is switched to the doppler mode in the first embodiment . the fourth to eighth embodiments have been described as using the circuit of the first embodiment but they may be realized with the circuits of the second and third embodiments . | 6 |
the embodiments of the present invention are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , which form a part hereof , and which show , by way of illustration , specific exemplary embodiments by which the invention may be practiced . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein ; rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . among other things , the present invention may be embodied as systems , or devices . moreover , the embodiments should not be interpreted as limited to bags or cases , such is merely provided for ease of understanding . the following detailed description is , therefore , not to be taken in a limiting sense . throughout the specification and claims , the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein , unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . the phrase “ in one embodiment ” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment , though it may . furthermore , the phrase “ in another embodiment ” as used herein does not necessarily refer to a different embodiment , although it may . thus , as described below , various embodiments of the invention may be readily combined , without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . in addition , as used herein , the term “ or ” is an inclusive “ or ” operator , and is equivalent to the term “ and / or ,” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . the term “ based on ” is not exclusive and allows for being based on additional factors not described , unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . in addition , throughout the specification , the meaning of “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include plural references . the meaning of “ in ” includes “ in ” and “ on .” the term “ coupled ” implies that the elements may be directly connected together or may be coupled through one or more intervening elements . further , throughout the specification the term bag may be used , however , this is not intended to be used in a limiting sense and bags include but are not limited to satchels , purses , softcases , backpacks , side packs , hip packs , fanny packs , messenger bags and bags in general for storing and or transporting items . aspects of embodiments of the present invention may be implemented with an infinite variety of bag or cases . embodiments of the straps described herein may be included as the original strap on a bag , or as a retrofit or replacement strap for a bag , or as an alternate strap for a bag having a shorter handle , or other strap . turning to the drawings , fig1 is an exploded view of a strap 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the strap 100 includes a top cover 102 and a bottom cover 104 . the top cover 102 may be constructed out of any textile material that is flexible and has elasticity such that it stretches and deforms and then return to its original size and shape . it may also be constructed from synthetic or semi - synthetic polymerization products , or other pliable or malleable substances so long as such is flexible and elastic . preferably but not necessarily , the top cover 102 has perforations , for example preferably it has a mesh like structure ( shown ). more preferably the top cover 102 is constructed from a stretch mesh material . the bottom cover 104 may be constructed out of any textile material , that is flexible and has elasticity such that it stretches and deforms and then return to its original size and shape . it may also be constructed from synthetic or semi - synthetic polymerization products , or other pliable or malleable substances so long as such is flexible and elastic . the bottom cover 104 and / or the top cover 102 may optionally be constructed from a three dimensional mesh material as depicted . this mesh is not however intended to be a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention . between the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 lies an elongated member 106 . the elongated member 106 may be constructed from any textile material that is flexible and has sufficient strength to support the “ dead weight / hang weight ” of the bag or case to which the strap is attached . the elongated member may also be constructed from synthetic or semi - synthetic polymerization products , however such materials are less preferred . preferably , the elongated member 106 is constructed of a nylon webbing that may be deformed . more preferably , the elongated member is a tensile webbing . preferably the elongated member is 10 mm wide . while 10 mm may be the preferred width , this is not intended to be a limitation on the width of the elongated member and various widths are contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention . the width may be greater or less depending on the desired strength of the strap 100 and its intended use . preferably the width is between 5 mm and 20 mm . the elongated member 106 has a first end 108 and a second end 110 . attached to the first end 108 and the second end 110 of the elongated member 106 are narrow flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 that are used to create a loop . the flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 may be attached directly to the elongated member . alternatively , the flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 may be attached through the use of a connecting or coupling device or by coupling it with an alternate textile or material . preferably the narrow flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 are constructed of nylon webbing . preferably the nylon webbing is 50 mm wide . while 50 mm may be the preferred width , this is not intended to be a limitation on the width of the flat strips of flexible materials and various widths are contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention . the width may be greater or less depending on the desired strength of the strap 100 . preferably the width is between 25 mm and 75 mm . the loop is created by feeding the narrow flat strips of flexible material 112 , 114 through snap hooks or other coupling means members 116 , 118 . the coupling means 116 , 118 enable the strap 100 to be connected or coupled to a bag or case . the coupling means 116 , 118 may be constructed from a variety of materials including but not limited to fiberglass , metallic substances , synthetic or semi - synthetic polymerization products . the length of the loops created from the narrow flat strips of flexible material may be adjusted by sliding an adjusting loop 120 , 122 along the length of the narrow flat strips 120 , 122 . although the embodiment is described with loops created from the flat strips of flexible material , other coupling means are contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention including but not limited to buckles , clips , and metal loops . attached to the elongated member are multiple clips 128 ( a . . . n ). the clips 128 ( a . . . n ) are described in greater detail in conjunction with fig4 herein . secured to each clip 128 ( a . . . n ) is a shock absorbing pad 124 ( a . . . n ), as depicted the pads are segmented foam pads . the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) may be constructed from any material which provides cushioning , is flexible , deformable and may absorb energy . preferably the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) are made from ethylene vinyl acetate foam . preferably the ethylene vinyl acetate foam is 10 mm in thickness . while 10 mm may be the preferred thickness , this is not intended to be a limitation on the thickness of the cushioning material and various thicknesses are contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention . the thickness may be greater or less depending on the desired cushioning . furthermore , although depicted as having uniform thickness , the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) may have varying thickness , i . e ., may be contoured . although the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) are depicted as octagonal in shape , this shape is not intended to be a limitation on the scope of the embodiments of present invention . it is contemplated that the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) may be of any geometry and size as long as the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) are larger in size than the clips 128 ( a . . . n ) so that no clip 128 ( a . . . n ) extends beyond the surface of the pad 124 ( a . . . n ) on which it rests . the shape of the pad 124 ( a . . . n ) is ergonomically designed to compliment a user &# 39 ; s body . although the strap 100 is depicted as having seven clips 128 ( a . . . n ) and seven pads 124 ( a . . . n ), this is not intended to be a limitation on the number of clips or pads contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention and there may be less or more depending on the size of the strap . the pads 124 ( a . . . n ), clips 128 ( a . . . n ) and the elongated member 106 form a segmented tensile assembly 500 , fig5 . between the pads 124 ( a . . . n ) and the bottom cover 104 , is a length of soft cushioning material 126 . although a preferred embodiment comprises the cushioning material 126 , the cushioning material is optional . the cushioning material 126 is preferably a piece of open cell foam . preferably the open cell foam is 5 mm thick . while 5 mm may be the preferred thickness , this is not intended to be a limitation on the thickness of the cushioning material and various thicknesses are contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention . the thickness may be greater or less depending on the desired cushioning . the cushioning material 126 , provides further cushioning of the strap 100 when placed around a user &# 39 ; s neck or shoulder . fig2 is a top view 200 of the strap 100 of fig1 . as depicted in fig2 , the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 are bound together to create a pocket for holding the segmented tensile assembly 500 . preferably , the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 are bound together with an elastic webbing 202 or other elastic material using a stitch that is secure , for example a zigzag stitch 204 . alternate materials may be used to bind the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 provided such material is flexible and is capable of recovering its shape after it is deformed . further , while described as stitched , the top cover 102 and bottom cover 104 may be bound by other means , including flexible adhesives , mechanical connections ( hooks , snaps , etc ) or any other means . the encased segmented tensile assembly 500 ( as discussed below ) is coupled to the flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 by means of a bartack 206 or other reinforced sticking to a durable material 208 such as leather , vinyl , nylon , or reinforced textile material . alternatively ( not shown ), the segmented tensile assembly 500 may be coupled directly to the flat strips of a flexible material 112 , 114 by means of a mechanical connector such as a snap , buckle , clasp , button , or hook or by using such connectors to attach the segmented tensile assembly 500 to the durable material 206 . fig3 is a bottom view 300 of the strap 100 of fig1 . as depicted in fig3 , the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 are bound together to create a pocket for holding the segmented tensile assembly . preferably , the top cover 102 and the bottom cover 104 are bound together with an elastic webbing 202 or other elastic material using a stitch that is secure , for example a zigzag stitch 204 as described in conjunction with fig2 . the bottom cover 104 may be complimented with a nonslip material 308 such as polyurethane or rubber to prevent the assembly from slipping off the user &# 39 ; s neck , shoulder , etc ., while being carried by the user . fig4 is a perspective view of a clip 400 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the clip 400 may be constructed from synthetic or semi - synthetic polymerization products , or other moldable , pliable or malleable substances . the clip 400 has a top side 402 and a bottom side 404 . the top side 402 is comprised of two elements 406 , 412 . although described as comprised of two elements , it is contemplated within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention that the two elements may be constructed as a single element having two parts . the two pieces 406 , 412 each have a first end 408 , 414 and a second end 410 , 416 . the top side pieces 406 , 412 may be a tapered shape such that the thickness at the second end 410 , 416 is thinner than the thickness at the first end 408 , 414 . preferably the difference in thickness is substantial . for example the second end 408 , 414 may be one third or less of the thickness at the second end 410 , 416 . the second ends 410 , 416 of the top side pieces connect with the bottom side 404 . the top side of the top side piece 406 , 412 at the second end 410 , 416 optionally has grooves 408 ( a . . . n ), 414 ( a . . . n ). grooves 408 ( a . . . n ) and 414 ( a . . . n ) assist in reinforcing the clip between needle strikes ( when the assembly is sewn together .) the joining of the fabric , helps to prevent the cover from slipping . still further the grooves 408 ( a . . . n ), 414 ( a . . . n ) may assist in preventing a fabric cover from slipping along the clip 400 . although the clip 400 is depicted generally as rectangular , this geometry is not intended to be a limitation on the shape of the clip 400 . the clip geometry may vary so long as it is configured to hold the elongated member . the second end 408 , 414 of the top side piece 406 , 412 has a tab 418 , 420 . although depicted as a rectangular shaped tab with rounded corners , the geometry of the tabs as shown is not intended to be a limitation on the scope of the embodiment of the present invention . the tab may be of varying geometry , it may be semi - circular , triangular , square or any other shape , it may also be irregular in shape . regardless of the shape , the tab must be of such a size , shape and proportion that the elongated member 106 inserted between the top side pieces 416 , 412 will be remain between and beneath the tabs 418 , 420 . in one embodiment , the two top side pieces 406 , 412 are of a constant thickness ( not shown ). if the top side pieces 406 , 412 are of a constant thickness , then a support structure is provided so that a ramp like structure is created sloping from a first end down to a second end . in this embodiment , a support structure ( not shown ) is provided for the elongated member while it lies between the top side pieces . in a preferred embodiment , the clip 400 is 6 cm in length and 1 . 5 cm in width . at the ends 410 and 416 , preferably the thickness is 0 . 20 cm . the distance between the tabs 418 , 420 is preferable 0 . 39 cm and the thickness of each tab 418 , 420 is preferably 0 . 15 cm . if grooves are provided for at the ends 410 , 416 , preferably each groove length is 0 . 7 cm and its depth is 0 . 06 cm . an embodiment depicting such preferred dimensions of a clip 600 is provided in fig6 . in fig6 , “ a ” depicts a top view of the clip 600 , “ b ” depicts a side view of the clip 600 , and “ c ” depicts an end view of the clip 600 . specific cross - section are depicted in d and e . the above dimensions are provided for exemplary purposes only and as such are not intended to be a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention . the dimension dimensions may be larger or smaller . in preferred embodiments such lengths / dimensions are proportionately scaled . fig5 a and 5b are top views of an internal contouring mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig5 a depicts the segmented tensile assembly 500 in a relaxed state while fig5 b depicted the segmented tensile assemble 502 in a deformed state , for example when the assembly is adjusting to the user &# 39 ; s body . as shown the segmented assembly may deform in multiple directions . conventional straps are either straight or have a preformed curve shape . straight straps do not conform to the wearer &# 39 ; s body . this results in uneven loading of the weight of the bag on the wearer &# 39 ; s body . preformed curve straps conform to the user &# 39 ; s shoulders well when worn with the pad on the shoulder opposite the bag , i . e ., when the strap crosses the wearer &# 39 ; s body diagonally . however , when a preformed curve strap is worn on the same side of the body as the bag , the curved strap tends to tilt so that one edge bears down on the wearer &# 39 ; s shoulder . as a result , the load of the bag is placed along a narrow line , which can create discomfort for a user . the embodiments of the present invention utilize a novel segmented tensile assembly and novel clip to create a self adjusting strap that contours to the shape of the wearer &# 39 ; s body . the strap is able to match the wearer &# 39 ; s body because of its novel segmented foam construction and the tensile webbing around which the segments may move freely . moreover , the clips which couple the webbing to the segmented foam spread the load over the full width of the foam padding . although described as a neck or shoulder strap , such uses are not intended to be a limitation on the present invention . the novel strap could also be implemented as a waist strap , back - pack strap , seatbelt , or any other strap or holding configuration . furthermore , while the embodiments of the present invention are intended for use by humans , alternative configurations of the device are contemplated within the scope of the present invention so that such device could be used by animals as noted previously the forgoing descriptions of the specific embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications , to thereby enable those skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments thereof as suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims and their equivalents . | 0 |
referring now to the drawings , details of example embodiments of the present invention are schematically illustrated . like elements in the drawings will be represented by like numbers , and similar elements will be represented by like numbers with a different lower case letter suffix . referring to fig2 , depicted is a schematic diagram of a universal - voltage discrete input circuit , according to a specific example embodiment of this disclosure . the universal - voltage discrete input circuit , generally represented by the numeral 200 , comprises a depletion - mode field effect transistor ( fet ) 210 , an isolation circuit 108 ( optocoupler shown for illustrative purposes ), biasing resistors 212 , 214 and 216 , and a low - voltage , adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 . the depletion - mode fet 210 is designed to allow current to flow even when there is no gate voltage present , therefore , current will flow from the drain to the source without any voltage on the gate , but can be controlled with a negative voltage applied to the gate of the fet 210 referenced to the source thereof ( similar to a triode vacuum tube ). the isolation circuit 108 has an isolated input and an isolated output , and may be , for example but is not limited to , an optocoupler having a light emitting diode ( led ) for the isolated input and a phototransistor for the isolated output , ( e . g ., omron g3vm mos fet relay , an electromechanical relay having a coil for the isolated input and a contact for the isolated output , a transformer coupled digital isolator ( e . g ., analog devices adum1402 ), etc . when sufficient current flows through the isolated input ( e . g ., led portion ) of the isolation circuit 108 , e . g ., from about 1 ma . to about 50 ma ., the isolated output ( e . g ., transistor portion ) thereof turns on and can drive a digital logic input circuit or other load to be isolated from the switched input voltage source . isolation between the isolated input ( e . g ., led portion ) and the isolated output ( e . g ., transistor portion ) of the isolation circuit 108 is very high , e . g ., may be greater than 5000 volts dc . series connected resistors 214 and 216 are coupled between an input return of the isolation circuit 108 and a common node of the universal - voltage discrete input circuit 200 , and form a voltage divider having a junction therebetween coupled to a reference input 220 of the adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 . when current flows through the series connected resistors 214 and 216 , a voltage is applied to the reference input 220 of the adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 . this voltage may be adjusted by changing the value ( s ) of either or both of the series connected resistors 214 and 216 . the adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 tries to keep a constant voltage across the sense resistor 214 by adjusting the gate voltage of the fet 210 . as the gate voltage of the fet 210 is adjusted , the current through the fet 210 ( drain to source ) changes and the current through the sense resistor 214 changes as well . this action by the adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 provides a substantially constant current through the isolation circuit 108 , guaranteeing that sufficient current , but not too much current , is available to turn on the transistor portion of the isolation circuit 108 , regardless of input voltage or ambient temperature . in addition , and as an added benefit , input current required from the input voltage source remains at substantially the same current as that which flows through the isolation circuit 108 . resistor 212 is a high resistance value resistor used as a circuit return from the gate to the source of the fet 210 ( similar to a grid bias resistor between a grid and a cathode of a vacuum tube triode amplifier ). the adjustable precision shunt regulator 218 may be , for example but is not limited to , a national semiconductor lmv431 low - voltage ( 1 . 24 v ) adjustable precision shunt regulator , and the depletion - mode fet 210 may be , for example but is not limited to , an ixys high voltage mosfet ixtp 01n100d having a maximum vdss of 1000 volts dc and a maximum drain to source current of 100 ma . the input voltage range for operation of the universal - voltage discrete input circuit 200 may be from less than 7 volts to the maximum voltage rating of the depletion - mode fet 210 , e . g ., 1000 volts dc for the mosfet 1 × tp 01n100d device . the current drawn from the input voltage source remains at a constant low value ( substantially the same value as the current through the isolated input of the isolation circuit 108 ). resistance values may be , for example but are not limited to , resistor 212 = 10 , 000 ohms , resistor 214 = 1000 ohms and resistor 216 = 430 to 910 ohms . referring to fig3 , depicted is a schematic diagram of the universal - voltage discrete input circuit of fig2 with the addition of a input status indicator , according to another specific example embodiment of this disclosure . the universal - voltage discrete input circuit , generally represented by the numeral 200 a , functions substantially the same way as the universal - voltage discrete input circuit 200 of fig2 , discussed more fully hereinabove , with the addition of an input status indicator 319 , e . g ., an led , relay coil , audible alarm , etc . whenever a voltage input of at least , for example but not limited to , 7 volts is applied the input status indicator 319 will actuate ( e . g ., light ), indicating the presence of an input voltage . when there is substantially no input voltage present , the input status indicator 319 will be off ( e . g ., dark ) and the isolated output of the isolation circuit 108 will be off ( e . g ., open - high resistance between a transistor emitter and collector thereof or relay contact ). the input status indicator 319 is operational whether the logic circuit coupled to the isolated output side of the isolation circuit is active or not . this enables the apparatus shown in fig3 to be functional during installation and start - up activities regardless of whether the control / instrumentation side of the logic circuit is powered up or even yet installed . resistor 326 may optionally be used to bypass current around the status indicator 319 so that more current may flow through the isolated input of the isolation circuit 108 without exceeding the current rating of the status indicator 319 . referring to fig4 , depicted is a more detailed schematic diagram of the universal - voltage discrete input circuit of fig2 showing input and output auxiliary circuits , and bypass and signal smoothing capacitors , according to the specific example embodiments of this disclosure . the universal - voltage discrete input circuit , generally represented by the numeral 200 b , functions substantially the same way as the universal - voltage discrete input circuit 200 of fig2 , discussed more fully hereinabove , with the addition of a full wave bridge rectifier 420 that allows the voltage input to be ac or +/− dc , a surge / transient suppressor 422 , a pull - up resistor 426 and a current bypass ( shunt ) resistor 424 . capacitors , c , are shown throughout this circuit implementation and may be used for noise / transient suppression , switching stability and ac waveform smoothing . one having ordinary skill in analog electronic circuit design and the benefit of this disclosure would readily understand the purposes and appropriate values for the capacitors shown in fig4 . the pull - up resistor 426 on the isolated output of the isolation circuit 108 is used to generate a discrete digital logic signal ( on or off ). when current is flowing through the isolated input of the isolation circuit 108 , the isolated output thereof is conducting ( on ) and a logic low is generated . when no current is flowing through the isolated input of the isolation circuit 108 , the isolated output thereof is not conducting ( off ) and a logic high to vcc is generated through the pull - up resistor 426 . zero - crossing glitches of low - amplitude ac signals may be filtered out with a suitable capacitor across the isolated output of the isolation circuit 108 , as shown in fig4 . the digital logic circuit input is isolated from the input voltage signal up to the voltage isolation rating of the isolation circuit 108 , e . g ., 5000 volts dc . the shunt resistor 424 may be selected to allow more current to pass through the depletion - mode fet 210 then through the isolated input of the isolation circuit 108 . although specific example embodiments of the invention have been described above in detail , the description is merely for purposes of illustration . it should be appreciated , therefore , that many aspects of the invention were described above by way of example only and are not intended as required or essential elements of the invention unless explicitly stated otherwise . various modifications of , and equivalent steps corresponding to , the disclosed aspects of the exemplary embodiments , in addition to those described above , can be made by a person of ordinary skill in the art , having the benefit of this disclosure , without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention defined in the following claims , the scope of which is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass such modifications and equivalent structures . | 6 |
floating offshore oil platforms and drilling ships need to limit their motions as much as possible in order to conduct uninterrupted drilling and production operations . however , these vessels are subject to motion , particularly in the vertical direction ( heave ), due to the action of waves and swells passing the vessel &# 39 ; s location . accordingly , such vessels are often designed to have minimal waterplane area so that the vessel &# 39 ; s buoyancy is affected as little as possible by wave action . increasing the added mass is a technique that has been used for some time to improve the motion characteristics of floating offshore platforms . the more massive an object is , the more resistant it is to motion in reaction to an applied force ( e . g ., a passing wave ). semi - submersible drilling rigs are often very large and heavy to take advantage of this effect . whenever a floating object moves in a body of water , some of the water must move with the vessel . this “ attached ” water also has mass and thus “ adds ” to the apparent mass of the vessel . certain structures may be designed to maximize this effect . for example , heave plates may be added to offshore platforms and other vessels to increase their effective mass and thereby increase their resistance to acceleration in the vertical direction . heave plates are typically flat plates fixed in a horizontal position such that moving the plate in a vertical direction presents a large surface area to the surrounding water . this requires a relatively large mass of water to move with the heave plate thereby adding to the apparent mass ( and motion stability ) of the vessel . additionally , the heave plate provides increased drag in the vertical direction . drag is a retarding force exerted on a body as it moves through a fluid medium such as water . it is generally comprised of both viscous and pressure effects . one characteristic of drag forces is that the force is proportional to the square of the velocity and thus large drag forces result from large relative velocities . damping is a resistive force to velocity . in a system in an oscillating condition ( such as motion in waves ), damping is any effect , either deliberately engendered or inherent to a system , that tends to reduce the amplitude of oscillations of the oscillatory system . floating vessels exhibit a heave natural period ( oscillation ) when displaced vertically . to avoid potentially damaging resonance , it is desirable to design a floating vessel such that its heave period is outside the range of wave periods likely to be encountered . dampers act to suppress oscillation and generally provide an opposing force that varies in proportion to the system &# 39 ; s displacement from its neutral position or state and the velocity of the displacement . perforated heave plates exhibit another damping effect in addition to that associated with heave plates of the prior art . the addition of porosity to an added mass plate creates a phase shift in the added mass force so that the water pressure normally associated with added mass forces acts as a damping force . the porosity allows the water to lag behind the structure — i . e ., it continues to flow through the plate after the plate stops and reverses direction in oscillatory motion . this is very significant in that the effect allows the development of large damping forces without the need for the large displacements and velocities that would be necessary to develop large damping by drag forces . the invention may best be understood by reference to certain illustrative embodiments shown in the drawing figures . a battered - column , semi - submersible drilling rig 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 . deck 16 ( upon which drilling equipment 18 is mounted ) is supported on battered columns 12 projecting above the waterline . buoyancy is provided by columns 12 and pontoons 14 which connect columns 12 and form the perimeter of central opening 24 through which drill string 22 may pass . the invention may also be practiced with conventional semi - submersible rigs — i . e ., those having vertical columns . when drilling operations are being conducted , rig 10 is held in position by catenary anchor lines 20 which connect to anchors on the seafloor . the invention may also be practiced with dynamically positioned drilling rigs — floating platforms which maintain their position using vectored thrust rather than anchors . plate - type heave dampers 26 extend between columns 12 below the waterline and above pontoons 14 . semi - submersible 10 shown in fig1 comprises a pair of dampers 26 . other embodiments may have additional damper plates . those skilled in the art will appreciate that it is desirable to locate the damper plates symmetrically about the center of the vessel . in other embodiments of the invention ( not shown ), heave dampers 26 may be mounted to the vertical sides of pontoons 14 . dampers 26 may be mounted on the interior surface ( i . e ., within central opening 26 ), exterior surface or both . dampers 26 in this configuration may be cantilevered or braced as dictated by structural considerations . fig2 shows damper plate 26 in greater detail . damper 26 comprises slotted plate 28 connected to support member 32 . slots 30 provide openings through which water may flow from the upper surface of plate 28 to the lower surface of plate 28 and vice versa . damper 26 may be constructed of any suitable material or combination of materials . one particularly preferred material is steel which provides relatively high strength at relatively low cost and may be worked using readily - available tools and equipment . as shown in the exemplary embodiments of the drawing figures , support member 32 is a box beam . other structures including , but not limited to , tubular members and flanged or un - flanged beams may similarly be used . support members having a watertight internal cavity may also function as buoyancy members . it will be appreciated that damper plates according to the invention may be configured to present a relatively small frontal area to lateral movement of the vessel thereby minimizing the effects of currents and the station keeping forces necessary to hold the vessel in position . low frontal area also is advantageous in reducing drag when the vessel is being moved from one location to another . fig3 shows one alternative damper plate 26 ′ in detail . damper 26 ′ comprises perforated plate 34 connected to support member 32 . square apertures 30 provide openings through which water may flow from the upper surface of plate 34 to the lower surface of plate 34 and vice versa . damper 26 ′ may be constructed of any suitable material or combination of materials . one particularly preferred material is steel which provides relatively high strength at relatively low cost . fig4 shows yet another version of damper plate 26 ″ in detail . damper plate 26 ″ comprises perforated plate 38 connected to support member 32 . round apertures or holes 40 provide openings through which water may flow from the upper surface of plate 38 to the lower surface of plate 38 and vice versa . damper plate 26 ″ may be constructed of any suitable material or combination of materials . one particularly preferred material is steel which provides relatively high strength at relatively low cost . fig5 a is a cross - sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a damper according to the invention . paired - plate damper 42 comprises upper plate 44 and lower plate 46 both of which are connected to support member 32 . as shown in fig5 a , holes 40 in upper plate 44 may be axially offset distance “ o ” from corresponding holes 40 in lower plate 46 . alternatively , as illustrated in fig5 b , holes 40 in upper plate 44 ′ of damper 42 ′ may be axially aligned with corresponding holes 40 in lower plate 46 ′. by selecting the extent ( if any ) of the offset “ o ,” the resistance to the flow of water from the upper surface of damper 42 to the lower surface of damper 42 ( or vice versa ) which may occur upon vertical movement of damper 42 may be modified , which may influence the damping effect . a battered - column , semi - submersible drilling rig 48 according to another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig6 . deck 16 ( upon which drilling equipment 18 is mounted ) is supported on battered columns 12 projecting above the waterline . unlike the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , buoyancy is provided solely by columns 12 and there are no pontoons which connect columns 12 . rather , columns 12 ′ are connected by truss structure 52 . columns 12 ′ may have undersea section 50 of greater diameter to provide the buoyancy needed to support deck 16 without increasing the waterplane area of columns 12 ′. perforated heave dampers 26 connect adjacent pairs of battered columns 12 and form the perimeter of central opening 24 through which drill string 22 may pass . the invention according to the embodiment of fig6 may also be practiced with semi - submersible rigs having vertical columns . when drilling operations are being conducted , rig 48 is held in position by catenary anchor lines 20 which connect to anchors on or embedded in the seafloor . alternatively , rig 48 may be dynamically positioned . a truss spar platform according to the present invention is shown in fig7 . truss spar platform 54 comprises generally cylindrical hull 56 , truss structure 58 and ballast tank 60 , as shown . deck 16 ′ is mounted to the top of hull 56 . drilling equipment 18 may extend over the side of deck 16 ′ so that drill string 22 may be run to the seafloor . alternatively , a moon pool may be provided in hull 56 for the drill string with corresponding openings in the damper and ballast tank . ballast tank 60 ( which may contain solid ballast ) is sized and positioned so as to position the center of gravity of the vessel is below its center of buoyancy thereby ensuring its free - floating stability . the rig may be anchored in position by conventional catenary anchor lines ( not shown ). at one or more points within truss structure 58 intermediate the bottom of hull 56 and the top of ballast tank 60 is heave plate 26 . in the embodiment shown in fig7 , heave plate 26 comprises a slotted plate . fig8 shows an alternative embodiment wherein heave plate 26 ″ comprises a perforated plate with holes . fig9 shows yet another embodiment of truss structure 58 wherein heave plate 26 ′ comprises a plate having substantially square apertures . another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 . in this embodiment , ship - shaped offshore vessel 62 comprising hull 64 , deck 65 and derrick 66 is equipped with retractable motion dampers 68 which may be extended from the sides of hull 64 below the waterline of the vessel . motion dampers 68 may be retracted when the vessel is underway to reduce the drag acting on hull 64 or to permit the vessel to come alongside a dock or another vessel , such as a supply ship . motion dampers 68 , when extended , act to reduce both roll and heave of the vessel . depending on their position relative to the center of the vessel , dampers 68 may also act to reduce pitching motions of the vessel . fig1 is a top view of a portion of the drill ship 62 shown in fig1 . motion dampers 68 may swing into retracted position 74 ( shown in phantom ) by pivoting about pivots 72 . as shown in fig1 , braces 70 may be attached between hull 64 and motion damper 68 to increase the structural rigidity of the extended dampers . the motion dampers 68 shown in fig1 are of the slotted plate type . it will be understood that plates having other aperture shapes ( such as those illustrated in fig1 and 16 ) may also be used in the practice of the invention . another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 . in this embodiment , drill ship 62 ′ comprising hull 64 , deck 65 and derrick 66 is equipped with folding motion dampers 76 which may be extended from the sides of hull 64 below the waterline of the vessel . motion dampers 76 may be retracted when the vessel is underway to reduce the drag acting on hull 64 or to permit the vessel to come alongside a dock or another vessel , such as a supply ship . hinged motion dampers 76 , when extended , act to reduce both roll and heave of the vessel . depending on their position relative to the center of the vessel , they may also act to reduce pitching motions of the vessel . fig1 is a top view of a portion of the drill ship 62 ′ shown in fig1 . motion dampers 76 may be moved into retracted position 78 ( shown in phantom ) by swinging on hinges 80 . braces ( not shown ) may be attached between hull 64 and motion dampers 76 to increase the structural rigidity of the extended dampers . the motion dampers 76 shown in fig1 are of the slotted plate type . it will be understood that plates having other aperture shapes ( such as those illustrated in fig1 and 16 ) may also be used in the practice of the invention . damper plates according to the present invention preferably have between about 5 % to about 15 % porosity — i . e ., the openings comprise about 5 to 15 percent of the total plate area ( exclusive of support members ). particularly preferred is a damper plate having a porosity of about 10 %. fig1 is a plan view ( to scale ) of a slotted plate 28 having slots 30 which comprise 10 % of the plate area . fig1 is a plan view ( also to scale ) of a perforated plate 34 according to the invention which has substantially square apertures in a linear row - and - column configuration which comprise 10 % of the plate area . fig1 is a plan view ( to scale ) of a damper plate 40 according to the invention having holes ( round apertures ) 40 in a linear row - and - column configuration which comprise 10 % of the plate area . it will be understood that other aperture configurations are also possible and may be employed without departing from the scope of the invention . particularly preferred are aperture configurations which are “ screen - like ”— i . e ., those that have relatively smaller apertures spaced relatively close together as opposed to configurations having fewer and larger spaced - apart openings ( even though the total porosity may be equal ). although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments , variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims . | 1 |
referring now to fig1 a general functional arrangement of a typical computerized postal meter system is shown . the heart of the system is the cpu and it performs two basic functions : performance of calculations based on input data and controlling the flow of data between various memory units . two basic memory units are employed with the cpu . the first is the permanent memory pm which is a non - alterable memory storing a specific sequence of operations for performing postal data calculations in accordance with certain predetermined inputs as well as performing other routines for operating the system . the second memory unit is a temporary memory tm which interacts with the cpu for forming a temporary storage , holding and forwarding working data in accordance with the calculations being performed by the cpu . an additional memory component nvm is also coupled to the cpu and performs a storage function which is very significant in the system operation of a postal data system . the nvm is a non - volatile memory which acts to store certain critical information employed in the postal system as part of a predetermined routine activated either upon shut - down or start - up . this routine may be located in the permanent memory and is accessed by appropriate sensing device sensing either of the two stated conditions , shut - down or start - up , for operating the cpu in accordance with that routine . the function of this routine is to take information stored in the temporary memory tm which represents crucial accounting functions such as descending balances or ascending credits and the like and store them in the nvm ( non - volatile memory ) wherein they may be held while the machine is deenergized and recalled upon a subsequent start - up . in this manner , the computer system may continually act upon these balances in the temporary memory without fear of loss of this information upon shut - down . further , the information may be recalled on reactivation by start - up by retrieving it from the non - volatile memory nvm and feeding it back into the tm via the cpu . the non - volatile memory is shown as coupled to the cpu and deriving an output therefrom in accordance with the transfer of information from the temporary storage tm under the control of the permanent memory pm through the cpu in accordance with the shut - down routine . the nvm unit is also shown as providing an output line coupled back into the cpu for transferring the data back into and through the cpu and into the temporary memory tm in accordance with the start - up routine under the control of the permanent memory pm . the system operates in accordance with data applied from an appropriate input means i . this data is fed into the cpu under control of the program in the permanent memory . at any time during the operation of the system , should the contents of the temporary memory storing the appropriate credit debit balances or other accumulations in accordance with the various features of the system be desired to be displayed , an appropriate instruction provided by the input means i causes the cpu to access the desired location tm storing the information requested . the information is provided through the cpu into the output display unit o . the input and output units may be multiplexed by a multiplex unit mp to and from the cpu . under control of the cpu when appropriate postal data information is provided from the input i , and all of the conditions such as limits and the like which may be preset in accordance with the entered data in storage in the temporary memory tm , are satisfied , a postage setting device sp will respond to an appropriate output signal from the cpu enabling a postal printing unit pp . at this point , the system has now accomplished its immediate function of setting the postage printer and enabling the printer to print postage . it is noted that in the above description of a typical postage meter is shown it is well known that typically there are two independent non - volatile memory ( nvm ) pairs . the reason for having redundant or dual non - volatile memory units being that it is important to make certain that the critical accounting data residing in the postage meter is secure . thus , by having dual memories , if one memory becomes defective the other memory will still retain the data . there , as before described , several postage meters that utilize the concept of dual redundant non - volatile memories . as before mentioned , a typical postage meter utilizing dual memories is described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 481 , 604 . for the purposes of this description unless indicated otherwise , a low signal indicates an active state and high signal indicates an inactive state . fig2 is a functional diagram of a postage meter utilizing a reset circuit of the present invention . as is indicated , there is a reset circuit 80 which embodies the inventive concepts in this application . the reset circuit 80 performs three major functions . the circuit 80 ( 1 ) monitors a system clock 90 and various power supply levels of the meter , ( 2 ) provides orderly system start up and shutdown operations and ( 3 ) provides secured access to critical system non - volatile memories ( nvms ) 50 and 60 and also secures system printer 70 . connected to the reset circuit 80 is a microprocessor 30 , an interface circuit 40 , non - volatile memories ( nvms ) 50 and 60 and a system printer 70 . the interface circuit 40 of this embodiment provides the proper address signals to the nvm security circuit 85 ( shown in fig3 ) after receiving input signals from the nvms 50 and 60 . an interface circuit that could be utilized for this purpose is disclosed in u . s . patent application ser no . 710 , 800 entitled electronic postage having a memory map decoder filed on mar 12 , 1985 and assigned to the assignee of the subject application . the circuit disclosed in this application provides the proper select signal only when the appropriate addresses are communicated from the microprocessor 30 so as to particularly ensure the reading and writing of the appropriate data into the appropriate location . as is also indicated , there is a system bus 100 which provides means for communication between the above - mentioned devices . as is also apparent , the microprocessor 30 is connected to the interface circuit 40 and is also connected via the line 31 to clock input 1 ( clk ) of the reset circuit 80 . as is also shown , the microprocessor 30 is connected to and in communication with the reset input 2 ( reset ) of the reset circuit 80 . finally microprocessor 30 is also connected to an input 3 of reset circuit 80 indicated by the v unr low for receiving an indication that the unregulated voltage is low or falling . the unlock enable unlock en input 19 of reset circuit 80 is connected to the interface circuit 40 via line 41 . the non - volatile memory nvm1 input 18 , the non - volatile memory write nvmwr input 17 , nvm2 input 16 are all connected to the circuit 40 via leads 42 , 43 and 44 , respectively . non - volatile memory output nvm1 e 15 of circuit 80 is connected to the non - volatile memory 50 via line 53 , non - volatile memory output nvm2 e 14 is connected to non - volatile memory 60 via line 55 . non - volatile memory write enable output nvmwr e 13 is connected to both nvm 50 and nvm 60 via line 54 . the print enable output 12 print en of circuit 80 is connected to the system printer through line 56 . as is also indicated on the figure , a mode select line is connected to mode / v unr output 11 for providing means to allow the reset circuit 80 to utilize an internal resistor network or to be connected to the optional external network as indicated by rc network 95 . this rc network 95 is used to determine the voltage thresholds utilized by reset circuits 80 voltage monitoring function . the voltage reference device 96 is utilized to provide a constant voltage to be used for comparison by the reset circuit &# 39 ; s 80 voltage monitoring functions . in this embodiment , the device 96 is represented as a zener diode , as is well recognized , however the device 96 could be a variety of electronic circuitry and still perform the above - mentioned function . fig3 is a block diagram of the internal circuitry of the reset circuit 80 shown in fig2 . output protection circuit 84 is coupled to the reset delay circuit 83 , nvm security circuit 85 and a mode selection circuit 86 . a typical output protection circuit is described in copending application ser . no . 710 , 798 filed mar 12 , 1985 , entitled low voltage control circuit , assigned to the assignee of this application . the output control circuit also provides protection to the system , particularly the non - volatile memories during system transitions . the system clock detection unit 81 is also coupled to the reset delay circuit 83 . as is seen , the reset delay circuit 83 is coupled to the regulated monitor 89 and the unregulated monitor 87 . the regulated and unregulated monitors 89 and 87 both utilize the reference voltage for comparison to the inputs provided from selection circuit 86 . the mode selection circuit 86 is connected to an internal resistor network 82 . the mode selection circuit 86 is coupled to and receives signals from the output protection circuit 84 . referring to fig4 mode selection circuit 86 is shown in circuit implementation . the circuit 86 detects which mode of operation is to be selected by the state of the mode input signal . when the external network mode is selected , the bi - directional inputs are configured as analog inputs , and connected to the voltage monitor inputs . when the internal network mode is selected , the bi - directional pins are configured as open drain digital outputs which can be connected to internal test signals . the inputs from the resistor network 84 ( fig3 ) are connected to the voltage monitor inputs in the internal mode . accordingly , the v unr l / intllk 190 bi - directional input is the analog input for the low unregulated voltage monitor output in the external mode 190a and is an open drain internal clock test output 195b in the internal mode . correspondingly , the v unr m / clk rdy 191 bi - directional input is connected to an unregulated mid - range voltage output 191a and an open drain output from an internal clock ready signal 191b for its respective modes , v unr h / v unr rdy 192 bi - directional input is connected to an unregulated high voltage output 192a and an open drain output from an internal v unr rdy signal 192b in its respective modes , v reg l / v reg rdy 193 is connected to a low regulated voltage output 193a and to an open drain output from an internal regulated voltage signal 193b in its respective modes , and v reg h / hold 194 is connected to a high regulated voltage output 194a and to an open drain output from an internal hold signal 194b in its respective modes . as is also seen in the internal network mode , resistor input r1 195 is connected to the v unr l output 190a via switch 200 , resistor input r2 196 is connected to the v unr m voltage medium output 191a via switch 201 , resistor input r3 197 is connected to the v unr h output 192a via switch 202 , 192a via switch 202 , resistor input r4 198 is connected to the v reg l output 193a via switch 202 , and resistor input r5 199 is connected to the v reg h output 194a via switch 203 . the bi - directional inputs 190 through 194 are each connected to an mand transistor circuit 204 . each circuit 204 contains a pair of transistors 205 and 206 which are coupled together . as is seen , each of the transistors 205 is connected to line 207 , the gate of each of their associated other transistors 206 is connected to the internal inputs 190b , 191b , 192b , 193b , and 194b , respectively of the reset circuit . referring to mode / v unr input 208 , the gate of transistor 209 is connected to the input 208 via resistor 212 . it is also seen that the supply voltage v dd is connected to the drain of the transistor 209 via resistor 211 and the source of the transistor 209 is connected to ground . the gate of transistor 209 is also connected to the source of transistor 211 via resistor 210 . the gate of transistor 211 is connected to the input of the inverter 213 . the output of the inverter 213 is connected to the inputs of switches 200 through 204 and 214 through 218 . the output of inverter 213 is also connected to the gates of each of the transistor 205 via line 207 . the operation of the mode selection circuit will be discussed in conjunction with the above mentioned circuit arrangement and the following description provided herein below . the circuit that provides the signal to detect the mode for the bi - directional input is indicated generally by 220 and is described in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 710 , 793 filed mar . 12 , 1985 , entitled mode detection circuit for a dual purpose analog input and assigned to the assignee of the subject application . the circuit 220 detects whether the reset circuit 80 is in the internal or external mode . thus in this embodiment once the mode is detected by circuit 220 , then the remainder of the mode selection circuit 86 provides an indication via transmission devices as to which input is to be utilized . thus , the mode selection circuit 86 allows for utilization of either the internal or external resistor networks . in this embodiment , the bi - directional pin 190 will be described in detail to show the operation of the circuitry . as is indicated , the remaining bi - directional inputs 191 through 194 are connected in the same manner and their operation is exactly the same with the only difference being the input pins . thus , referring to bi - directional input v unr l / hold when there is a high signal provided from line 207 , transmission gate 214 is turned off , and transmission gate 200 is turned on . the transmission gate 200 provides an indication that connects the input of the internal resistor network to the output v unr l 190a . the signal via line 220 also turns on transistor 205 which in turn allows transistor 206 to operate as an open drain output which is the inverted signal being fed to it via input line 190b . on the other hand , when the signal on line 207 is low , transmission gate 214 is turned on , and transmission gate 200 is turned off . the signal also turns off transistor 205 which allows whatever voltage is on the bi - directional input pin 190 to be sent to the v unr l 190a and prevents the input 190b from affecting the voltage on 190 . referring back to fig3 a low voltage control circuit 88 is coupled to the output protection circuit 84 and the mode selection circuit 86 . a typical low voltage control circuit 88 and associated output protection circuit 84 is described in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 710 , 798 entitled low voltage control circuit , assigned to the assignee of subject application . the application discloses a circuit which will hold the circuit output in a known state during the power - up and power - down cycles . security circuit 85 is connected to the system clock to receive clock pulses therefrom . circuit 85 is also coupled to and receives signals from the output protection circuit 84 and the external devices , particularly the interface circuit 40 ( fig2 ) via lines 96 , 97 and 98 . as before mentioned , the main purpose of the reset circuit 80 is to monitor different functions that are very critical to the proper operation of the microprocessor 30 and nvms is 50 and 60 ( fig2 ) of the postage meter . thus , for example , the system voltages and the system clock must be monitored continuously to ensure that the postage meter is protected . therefor , in this embodiment , a system clock detection circuit 81 is utilized which determines that a clock signal has come up to some range of frequencies . the system clock detection circuit 81 therefor provides an indication that the system clock is operating at a minimum frequency . referring to fig5 a system clock detection circuit is described which discloses apparatus for verifying that system clock is providing some predetermined minimum frequency . the clock input is connected to three d flip - flops 301 , 302 and 303 . as is indicated , the input of flip - flop 301 is connected to the vdd voltage power supply . the q output of flip - flop 301 is connected to the input of d flip - flop 302 . correspondingly , the q output of d flip - flop 302 is connected to the q output of flip - flop 303 . the reset inputs of flip - flops 301 , 302 and 303 are all connected together and are , in turn , connected to the input of oscillator 308 via an inverter 307 . as is also seen , an output from the oscillator 308 is connected to the clock input of d flip - flop 304 . the output from flip - flop 303 is connected to the d input of flip - flop 304 . the q output of flip - flop 304 is , in turn . connected to the d input of flip - flop 305 . as is also indicated , the q output of flip - flop 305 provides an output signal indicating that the clock is ready clk rdy . the q output of flip - flop 305 is connected to one of the inputs of and gate 306 . the other input of and gate 306 is connected to the output from d flip - flop 304 . the and gate output 306 is connected to the reset input of the flip - flop 304 . the operation of the system clock detection circuit will be discussed in conjunction with the above - mentioned circuit arrangement and the following description provided herein below . the purpose of the system clock detection circuit 81 is to detect whether a system clock connected to the reset circuit is above some predetermined minimum frequency . onboard oscillator 308 provides a proper initial frequency for the range that the system clock detection circuit 81 is to operate . in this embodiment , the frequency that is produced by the oscillator 308 would typically be one - sixth of the predetermined frequency provided by the clock normally , due to the actions of the flip - flops 301 , 302 and 303 . initially , when the reset circuit is first powered up , the oscillator will reset flip - flops 301 , 302 and 303 which will provide a low output on flip - flop 303 . within a clock cycle of power up the low signal provided by flip - flop 303 will be propagated to flip - flop 304 . accordingly , the q output from flip - flop 305 will provide a high signal indicating that the clock is not ready . and gate 306 is to provide protection during start - up of the system clock because it is not clear initially what states flip - flops 304 and 305 are in at that start - up condition . if flip - flop 304 is powered up with its q output active , when that state is clocked and gate 306 provides a reset into flip - flop 305 allowing an erroneous clock signal to flip - flop 304 ready indication for less than one oscillator cycle . the time frame for this possible erroneous output is much less than the time of the reset delay and thus the error would not be detected on a chip output . if there are three low to high transitions from the clock signal through flip - flops 301 through 303 before the output of the inverter 307 goes high one time , then an indication that the clock signal is ready will be provided at the output . accordingly , the clock input of d flip - flop 304 will change from low to high . thus , the high output from flip - flop 303 will be accepted by the input of flip - flop 304 . thus , the next high to low transition from inverter 307 will propagate a signal from 305 providing an indication that the clock is ready . in this embodiment , every time the clock ready signal is indicated at the output , flip - flop 304 will be reset via the action of and gate 306 to ensure that the high signal is being propagated through the flip - flops 301 , 302 and 303 during every cycle . thus , if the clock signal does not operate properly , there is rapid indication that the clock ready output is not at the proper state . accordingly , this circuit provides an indication of whether the clock signal is at or above a certain predetermined threshold frequency . thus , in this embodiment if the clk input is not operating above that predetermined threshold , there will be an indication that the clock ready clk rdy output is not enabled . if the system clock is working above that predetermined threshold , then the clock ready signal will give an indication that it is enabled . referring again back to fig3 regulated and unregulated voltage monitors 87 and 89 are utilized to provide an indication of the voltage level of the various power supplies . the output protection circuit 84 will receive signals from the monitors 87 and 89 via reset delay circuit 83 which , until the monitors are operating normally , will block all signals from being obtained at the output , thereby ensuring that the meter remains in a safe condition . referring back to fig2 in this embodiment voltage monitoring is accomplished by both monitoring the normal supply system voltage v cc and also monitoring an unregulated power supply v unr which is provided directly from the power supply which would be expected to fail before the regulated power supplies . because of these two different points of picking off the supply voltage , an opportunity is available to warn the microprocessor 30 that the power is falling . when the unregulated voltage , regulated voltage and system clock are all at the proper levels , the reset delay circuit 83 ( fig3 ) begins to count off a predetermined number of pulses from the system clock . once that predetermined number of pulses has been exceeded , the reset signal is released on the microprocessor 30 , and on the interface circuit 40 and normal operation of the meter can begin . whenever the reset signal is active or when one of the conditions has not been satisfied , the system printer 70 is locked thereby preventing the imprinting of postage by the meter . also provided from the interface circuit 40 is an unlock enable signal which gives an indication that is proper to release the printer . the final and most important function of the reset circuit 80 is to protect the critical accounting information of the nvms 50 and 60 . to accomplish this function , the reset circuit 80 accepts three signals from the interface circuit 40 . the first two signals are the nvm1 e and nvm2 e enable signals and the third signal is the nvmwr signal . the interface circuit 40 and the reset circuit 80 interact to ensure that there is no discrepancy between the outputs on the nvm 50 or 60 and the inputs . the reset circuit 80 also ensures both nvms 50 and 60 are not active at the same time . the reset circuit 80 also makes certain that the write line 54 of either non - volatile memory is not activated without activating an enable line first . furthermore , the reset circuit 80 prevents the nvms 50 and 60 from being enabled simultaneously . finally , if any of the nvm enable lines 53 , 54 and 55 enabled for more than a certain number of clock cycles , the reset circuit will bring the output signals to a safe condition thereby ensuring protection of the contents located within nvms 50 and 60 . essentially , the reset circuit is protecting the nvms 50 and 60 by detecting a short on the output of the reset circuit 80 and preventing further access to the remaining nvm lines . it is very important to maintain the security of the foregoing so that the critical accounting information of the non - volatile memories are protected . fig6 through 9 show circuit implementations for the non - volatile memory security circuit 85 , the unregulated power supply monitor 87 , the regulated power supply monitor 89 and the reset delay circuit 83 . these circuits cooperate with each other and the other portions of the reset circuit to protect the contents of the postage meter . the operation of the above - mentioned circuits along with their description will be described with reference to the above - mentioned figures in conjunction with the following discussion . fig6 is a circuit implementation of the security circuit 85 of fig3 . security circuit 85 receives signals from the system clock signals from the non - volatile memory inputs , and signals from the non - volatile memory outputs . referring to fig6 and gate 110 is connected via lead 111 to reset counter 112 . the and gate 110 receives the initial clock pulse from the system clock as indicated in fig1 . the output of and gate 113 which is connected to one of the outputs of and gate 114 . the other input of and gate 114 is connected to the output of and gate 115 . the three inputs of and gate 113 are connected to nvm1 e , nvm2 e and nvmwr e which are the outputs of the nvms 50 and 60 ( fig1 ). the three inputs of and gate 115 are connected to the nvm1 e , nvm2 e , and nvmwr e lines which are the inputs of the nvms 50 and 60 . it is also seen that there are three or gates 116 , 117 and 118 , each of which have one input connected to an inverter designated 119 , 120 and 121 , respectively . the outputs of the or gates 116 , 117 and 118 are connected to the three inputs of an and gate 122 . the output of the and gate 122 in turn is connected to one of the three inputs of nand gate 123 . a second input of nand gate 123 is connected to an input of and gate 110 . the two inputs of or gate 124 are connected to the nvm1 and nvm2 inputs from the nvms 50 and 60 . the output of or gate 124 is connected to a first input of and gate 125 . the output of and gate 125 in turn is connected to a third input of nand gate 123 . a second input of and gate 125 is connected to the output of the reset flip - flop 127 . the three inputs of and gate 128 are connected to the nvm1 , nvm2 and to the output of inverter 119 . the output of the and gate 128 is connected to an inverter 126 which in turn is connected to a third input of and gate 125 . also and gate 128 is connected to the clear input of flip - flop 127 . the set input of flip - flop 127 is connected to the output of and gate 120 . the operation of the security circuit will be explained in conjunction with fig6 and the following discussion . as shown in the nvm security circuit of fig6 the or gates 116 , 117 and 118 are comparing the one input to its respective output to ensure that there is never an output signal that is low when the input signal is high . thus , for example , if the nvm1 e output is low and the nvm1 input is high , then there will be a high output through the or gate 116 . accordingly , a zero will be provided to the input of and gate 12 will , in turn , provide a zero or a low output . thus , nand gate 123 will be given a signal that indicates disabling all of the outputs of the nvms 50 and 60 . this is accomplished through the action of the output protection circuit 84 ( fig3 ) which , in effect , as before mentioned , blocks all output signals when the disable signal is delivered to it . provided to the inputs of and gate 115 are the outputs of the nvms 50 and 60 . accordingly , when the inputs of and gates 113 and 115 are all high , then and gate 114 will provide a reset signal to counter 112 . thus when all inputs are high to the non - volatile memory simultaneously and the outputs are high to the non - volatile memory simultaneously , the counter can be reset . this is the only way to reset the counter 112 . the function of counter 112 is to ensure that the time limit is not being exceeded in holding the outputs of the non - volatile memories enabled . thus if reset input of the counter 112 is inactive ( indicating that one of the nvm lines is active ) for more than a predetermined number of cycles , a signal is received at nand gate 123 that the outputs should be disabled . once the counter 112 reaches that predetermined number , for example , 16 clock cycles , the output of counter 112 will go low thereby disabling the clock input to the counter 112 by the action of and gate 110 . this effectively latches the disable signal provided by nand gate 123 . as before mentioned , the disable signal will remain until all of the input and outputs have gone to a high state again . thus , for example , if there is a short at the input or output , the signals from the two and gates 113 and 115 will ensure that the memories in the postage meter will be locked out , and it will be impossible to read information from or write information to the nvms 50 and 60 . the or gate 124 , primarily ensures that nvm1 and nvm2 inputs are never active at the same time . this is necessary because under normal operating conditions of the postage meter both signals should not be active or enabled even if they are both being read at the same time . the and gate 128 is utilized to ensure that the nvm write input does not go active before one or the other nvm output lines . thus , in effect , the circuit is not enabled before the nvm write signal is enabled . the or gate 124 and and gate 128 provide protection to the circuit in the following manner . the nvm wr write input is provided to the and gate 128 in an inverted state via inverter 119 . thus , if nvm1 and nvm2 are both inactive ( both being high ), and the nvm write line is low . then the and gate 128 will be high which clears flip - flop 127 . the disable output will go high due to the action of and gate 125 and nand gate 123 . the only method for removing or clearing this latching of the d flip - flop 127 is for all of the inputs from and gate 115 to return to ones or inactive . once all of the nvm inputs return to one or the inactive state , the d flip - flop 127 will be set thereby removing the disable signal provided by and gate 125 . thus , the secuirty circuit 85 is ensuring that all the inputs to the nvms 50 and 60 and the outputs to the nvm are high or inactive before the flip - flop 127 is reset . the non - volatile memory security circuit 85 thereby performs the functions of limiting the amount of time the memories may be continuously enabled preventing the simultaneous enabling of both memories and also prevents the write enabling of the memory if the write enable signal is inactive before the circuit enable signal is inactive . the nvm security circuit also prevents memory access when a conflict is sensed across an output or an input related to the non - volatile memories . the security circuit provides additional protection to the non - volatile memories so that the valuable critical accounting information located therein cannot be modified or destroyed . fig7 is a circuit implementation of the unregulated voltage monitor 87 . the unregulated voltage v unr is connected to the negative inputs of comparators 134 , 140 and 146 via resistors 130 , 136 and 142 , respectively . as is also seen , resistors 131 , 137 and 143 are connected to resistors 130 , 136 and 142 . the opposite end of resistors 131 , 137 and 143 are connected to ground . the positive inputs of comparators 134 , 140 and 146 are connected to a reference voltage via resistors 132 , 138 and 144 , respectively . resistors 133 , 139 and 145 are also connected in feedback relationship with the positive inputs with comparators 134 , 140 and 145 , respectively . the resistors 133 , 139 and 145 in combination with resistors 132 , 138 and 144 provide hysterisis for their comparators switch point . inverter 148 is , in turn , connected to the set input of the flip - flop 150 . the output of the hysterisis device or schmitt trigger 141 is connected to the reset input for flip - flop 150 . the set input of flip - flop 150 is also connected to the set input flip - flop 149 . the output of hysterisis device or schmitt trigger 135 is connected to the reset input of flip - flop 149 . the q output of the flip - flop 149 provides an indication that the unregulated voltage is at the proper level . the q output of flip - flop 150 provides an indication of whether the voltage is low or falling . in this embodiment , comparators 134 , 140 and 146 are comparing a reference voltage v ref to the voltage of the unregulated power supply . the unregulated voltage is divided into three different threshold levels . the comparator 134 represents the lowest threshold voltage , 140 represents the middle range threshold voltage , and 146 represents the highest threshold voltage . initially , the comparators 134 , 140 and 146 will be inactive so that the input to the two flip - flops 149 and 150 can be reset . in addition , the set inputs will be low , thus the q output of each flip - flop will be low indicating that the unregulated voltage is low and the unregulated voltage is not at its appropriate level . as the voltage increases and the lowest threshold voltage v unr low is exceeded , the output of the comparator 134 changes from its inactive state ( one ) to an active state ( zero ). however , since the set input of flip - flop 149 is zero , the output of the flip - flop 149 will remain at zero . thus , the output of flip - flop 149 will still be providing an indication that the unregulated voltage supply is not high enough . when the middle range unregulated voltage v unr m is exceeded , the output of comparator 140 will provide a zero to the input of the reset of flip - flop 150 and there are two zero inputs at the flip - flop 150 . accordingly , flip - flop 150 the output will remain at zero . accordingly , there is no change on the output and thus the output of flip - flop 150 will still be indicating that voltage is low . finally , as the unregulated voltage exceeds the highest threshold voltage v unr h the output from comparator 146 will change from a one to a zero . the output of the comparator 146 is inverted via inverter 147 and will provide a one to both of the set inputs of the flip - flops 149 and 150 . thus , this is the first state transition of the flip - flop output 149 and 150 . thus , at this state , the q output of flip - flop 149 will be active giving an indication that the unregulated voltage is ready and the q output of flip - flop 150 will be active given an indication the voltage is no longer low . as the nominal level of the unregulated voltage supply goes down , the first threshold voltage that will be encountered is the highest threshold voltage v unr h . at this point , the output of comparator 146 will be changing from a zero to a one and therefore the output of the inverter 147 will change from a one to a zero . at this point there are two zeros on the input to flip - flop 149 and 150 . thus , there is no state change of either flip - flop . the next threshold that is reached is the unregulated mid - range threshold v unr m . accordingly , the output of the comparator 140 will change from zero to one , and the reset input on the flip - flop 150 will change to a high . the q output of flip - flop 150 will therefore change to a high . thus , there will be an indication at the output of flip - flop 150 that the voltage is low or declining . finally , as the voltage continues down to below the unregulated low threshold voltage v unr l , the output on the comparator 134 will change from a zero to a one . the input to the reset line of flip - flop 149 will change from a zero to a one thereby resetting flip - flop 149 . the output of flip - flop 149 changes back to a one , thus providing an indication that the unregulated voltage is no longer at an appropriate level . when the unregulated voltage is above a high range , the monitor 87 will provide a signal to the reset delay circuit 83 to allow for its activation . the voltage monitor 87 will provide a signal to the output protection circuit 84 that the voltage is falling below a certain level v low . the monitor 87 will also provide a signal to the reset delay circuit 83 to prevent activation of the circuit when the unregulated voltage is not at an appropriate level . fig8 is a circuit implementation of the regulated voltage monitor 89 . as indicated in the figure , a reference voltage v ref is provided to the positive inputs of comparators 162 and 170 via resistors 160 and 168 , respectively . resistors 160 and 169 are connected in feedback relationship with comparators 162 and 170 . at the negative inputs of comparators 170 and 171 there is provided a system voltage indicated by v dd via resistors 166 and 171 , respectively . also , one end of each of the resistors 167 and 172 are connected to resistors 166 and 171 while the other end of each of the resistors 167 and 172 is connected to ground . hysterisis devices or schmitt triggers 163 and 173 are connected at the outputs of comparators 162 and 170 , respectively . the output of hysterisis device or schmitt trigger 163 is connected to the input of the inverter 164 . the output of the inverter 164 is , in turn , connected to a first input of or gate 165 . the output of hysterisis device or schmitt trigger 173 is connected to a second input of the or gate 165 . the output of the or gate 165 provides an indication of whether the regulated power supply is at the proper level . at the initial condition , the supply voltage , v dd , will be at zero voltage and both of the outputs of the comparators will be high or inactive . the output v reg rdy will be high providing an inactive signal to the reset circuit . as the voltage starts exceeding threshold voltage v reg l , the output from comparator 162 will change from one to zero . accordingly , the or gate 165 will provide a zero to the output indicating that the regulated voltage is ready . as the voltage exceeds the higher threshold of voltage v reg h , the output of the comparator 170 will change from a one to a zero . thus , the output from inverter 164 will change from a zero to one and the output through the or gate 165 will be high indicating that the regulated voltage is not ready , it being too high . voltage monitor 89 in effect monitors for whether a voltage is too high or too low . when the regulated voltage is between the two threshold voltages , then the regulated voltage supply is ready . when , however , the voltage is below the first threshold voltage of comparator 162 or above the second threshold voltage of comparator 170 , the regulated voltage monitor will then provide a signal to the reset delay circuit 83 to prevent activation until the regulated voltage supply is at an acceptable level . fig9 is a circuit implementation of the reset delay circuit 83 . the reset delay circuit 83 comprises a three input or gate 250 and counter 251 . the or gate 250 receives a clk rdy signal , the v unr rdy signal and the v reg rdy signal . when all of the inputs are providing an active signal to the or gate 250 , the reset input of counter 251 becomes active . the counter 251 also receives a clock signal for timing and for counting . thus , the counter 251 is set to count a certain number of clock cycles when the reset signal on the or gate 250 becomes inactive . once a predetermined number of clock cycles ( for example 2 19 clock cycles ) have occurred , the output signal will change state indicating an inactive output . the set input of counter 251 will also become inactive which will in turn lock up the counter 251 . thus , the reset delay circuit 83 receives input signals from the clock detection circuit 81 , the unregulated voltage monitor 87 , and the regulated voltage monitor 89 . when all of these inputs are at the appropriate levels , the circuit 83 provides for a delay before commencing any postage meter operation . this reset delay circuit 83 eliminates the need for external capacitors to be used in the timing function of the meter . the reset circuit of this invention in conjunction with other portions of the postage meter provides protection for the sensitive accounting information located therein . it is well known to those skilled in the art that the different circuits contained within the reset circuit of this embodiment could be implemented utilizing integrated circuit technology that would allow for miniaturization thereof . it is also well known that this circuit can be utilized in various microprocessor based system . it is further known that this reset circuit could be utilized in circuitry where voltage levels are critical . finally , this circuit could be utilized in any type of system in which there is sensitive information in non - volatile or other core type memory . the above - described embodiment can be modified in a variety of ways and those modifications would still be within the spirit and scope of applicants &# 39 ; invention . thus , while this invention has been disclosed by means of a specific illustrative embodiment , the principles thereof are capable of a wide range of modification by those skilled in the art within the scope of the following claims . | 6 |
referring to fig1 and 2 , one or more substrates 10 will be polished by a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus 20 . an exemplary polishing apparatus 20 includes a machine base 22 with a table top 23 that supports a series of polishing stations , including a first polishing station 25 a , a second polishing station 25 b , and a final polishing station 25 c , and a transfer station 27 . transfer station 27 serves multiple functions , including receiving individual substrates 10 from a loading apparatus ( not shown ), washing the substrates , loading the substrates into carrier heads , receiving the substrates from the carrier heads , washing the substrates again , and finally , transferring the substrates back to the loading apparatus . a description of a similar polishing apparatus may be found in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 738 , 574 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . each polishing station includes a rotatable platen . at least one of the polishing stations , such as first station 25 a , includes a polishing cartridge 102 mounted to a rotatable , rectangular platen 100 . the polishing cartridge 102 includes a linearly advanceable sheet or belt of fixed - abrasive polishing material . the remaining polishing stations , e . g ., second polishing station 25 b and final polishing station 25 c , may include polishing pads 32 and 34 , respectively , each attached to a circular platen 30 . each platen may be connected to a platen drive motor ( not shown ) that rotates the platen at thirty to two hundred revolutions per minute , although lower or higher rotational speeds may be used . assuming that substrate 10 is a 300 mm diameter disk , then rectangular platen 100 may be about thirty inches on a side , and circular platen 30 and polishing pads 32 and 34 may be about thirty inches in diameter . each polishing station 25 a , 25 b , and 25 c also includes a combined slurry / rinse arm 52 that projects over the associated polishing surface . each slurry / rinse arm 52 may include two or more slurry supply tubes to provide a polishing liquid , slurry , or cleaning liquid to the surface of the polishing pad . for example , the polishing liquid dispensed onto the fixed - abrasive polishing sheet at first polishing station 25 a will not include abrasive particles , whereas the slurry dispensed onto the standard polishing pad at second polishing station 25 b will include abrasive particles . if final polishing station 25 c is used for buffing , the polishing liquid dispensed onto the polishing pad at that station would not include abrasive particles . typically , sufficient liquid is provided to cover and wet the entire polishing pad . each slurry / rinse arm also includes several spray nozzles ( not shown ) which provide a high - pressure rinse at the end of each polishing and conditioning cycle . the polishing stations may include an optional associated pad conditioner apparatus 40 . the polishing stations that include polishing pad , i . e ., polishing station 25 a , may include an optional unillustrated cleaning apparatus to remove grit or polishing debris from the surface of the polishing sheet . the cleaning apparatus may include a rotatable brush to sweep the surface of the polishing sheet and / or a nozzle to spray a pressurized cleaning liquid , e . g ., deionized water , onto the surface of the polishing sheet . the cleaning apparatus can be operated continuously , or between polishing operations . in addition , the cleaning apparatus could be stationary , or it could sweep across the surface of the polishing sheet . in addition , optional cleaning stations 45 may be positioned between polishing stations 25 a and 25 b , between polishing stations 25 b and 25 c , between polishing station 25 c and transfer station 27 , and between transfer station 27 and polishing station 25 a , to clean the substrate as it moves between the stations . in the exemplary polishing system , a rotatable multi - head carousel 60 is supported above the polishing stations by a center post 62 and is rotated about a carousel axis 64 by a carousel motor assembly ( not shown ). carousel 60 includes four carrier head systems mounted on a carousel support plate 66 at equal angular intervals about carousel axis 64 . three of the carrier head systems receive and hold substrates , and polish them by pressing them against the polishing sheet of station 25 a and the polishing pads of stations 25 b and 25 c . one of the carrier head systems receives a substrate from and delivers a substrate to transfer station 27 . each carrier head system includes a carrier or carrier head 80 . a carrier drive shaft 78 connects a carrier head rotation motor 76 ( shown by the removal of one quarter of the carousel cover ) to carrier head 80 so that each carrier head can independently rotate about its own axis . in addition , each carrier head 80 independently laterally oscillates in a radial slot 72 formed in carousel support plate 66 . the carrier head 80 performs several mechanical functions . generally , the carrier head holds the substrate against the polishing surface , evenly distributes a downward pressure across the back surface of the substrate , transfers torque from the drive shaft to the substrate , and ensures that the substrate does not slip out from beneath the carrier head during polishing operations . a description of a suitable carrier head may be found in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 183 , 354 and 6 , 857 , 945 , filed may 21 , 1997 , the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference . referring to fig3 a , 3 b , and 3 c , polishing cartridge 102 is detachably secured to rectangular platen 100 at polishing station 25 a . polishing cartridge 102 includes a feed roller 130 , a take - up roller 132 , and a generally linear sheet or belt 110 of a polishing pad material . an unused or a fresh portion 120 of the polishing sheet is wrapped around feed roller 130 , and a used portion 122 of the polishing sheet is wrapped around take - up roller 132 . a rectangular exposed portion 124 of the polishing sheet that is used to polish substrates extends between the used and unused portions 120 , 122 over a top surface 140 of rectangular platen 100 . the rectangular platen 100 can be rotated ( as shown by phantom arrow a in fig3 a ) to rotate the exposed portion of the polishing sheet and thereby provide relative motion between the substrate and the polishing sheet during polishing . between polishing operations , the polishing sheet can be advanced ( as shown by phantom arrow b in fig3 a ) to expose an unused portion of the polishing sheet . when the polishing material advances , polishing sheet 110 unwraps from feed roller 130 , moves across the top surface of the rectangular platen 100 , and is taken up by take - up roller 132 ( as shown in fig1 ). referring to fig4 , in some embodiments , the polishing sheet 110 includes two layers . an upper polishing layer 119 is formed from a polishing material and a lower layer 116 , such as a backing layer or carrier layer is formed from a film . the upper polishing layer 119 can be formed from a resin , such as a phenolic resins , polyurethane , urea - formaldehyde resin , melamine formaldehyde resin , acrylated urethane , acrylated epoxy , ethylenically unsaturated compound , aminoplast derivative having at least one pendant acrylate group , isocyanurate derivative having at least one pendant acrylate group , vinyl ether , epoxy resin , and combinations thereof . the sheet can also include fillers , such as hollow microspheres or voids . lower layer 116 is a backing layer composed of a material such as a polymeric film , e . g ., polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ), paper , cloth , a metallic film or the like . in some embodiments , the two layers are bonded together , such as with an epoxy or an adhesive , e . g ., a pressure sensitive adhesive , or by welding the two layers together . the polishing layer can be between 10 and 150 mils , such as between 20 and 80 mils , such as around 40 mils thick . the polishing sheet 110 can be about twenty , twenty five or thirty inches wide . referring to fig1 a - 11c , in some implementations , the upper polishing layer of the polishing sheet 110 has grooves in the top surface . the grooves can be of any configuration , but can be rotationally and translationally invariant . the grooves can be x - grooves , shown in fig1 b , that is , grooves that are arranged perpendicular to the direction of travel of the sheet , xy - grooves , shown in fig1 a , that is , grooves that are perpendicular and parallel to the direction of travel of the sheet , diagonal grooves , or other suitable groove pattern . in fig1 a - 11b , the arrows indicate the direction of travel . the grooves can be between about 45 and 5 mils deep , such as between about 35 and 15 mils , such as about 25 mils deep . in some implementations , the grooves are spaced closely together to aid in bending the polishing sheet , as described further herein . referring again to fig3 a , 3 b and 3 c , a transparent strip 118 can be formed along the length of polishing sheet 110 . the transparent strip 118 or window may be positioned at the center of the sheet , that is , the window can run the length of the polishing pad and be approximately equidistant to each pad edge , and may be between about 0 . 2 and 1 inch wide , such as between about 0 . 4 and 0 . 8 inches wide or about 0 . 6 inches wide . the transparent strip will be aligned with an aperture or transparent window 154 in rectangular platen 100 to provide optical monitoring of the substrate surface for end point detection , as discussed in greater detail below . the top surface of the transparent strip 118 can be planar with the top surface of the polishing portion of the polishing sheet 110 . this arrangement prevents slurry from collecting on the transparent strip 118 and adversely affecting any metrology that is performed through the transparent strip 118 . the feed and take - up rollers 130 and 132 should be slightly longer than the width of polishing sheet 110 . the rollers 130 , 132 may be plastic or metal cylinders about 20 ″ long and between about 2 ″ and 2 . 5 ″ in diameter . because the polishing sheet 110 passes around the rollers 130 , 132 many times , the transparent strip 118 is formed of a material that is not prone to cracking , crazing , delaminating or splitting , such as at the pad / strip interface . ideally , the transparent strip is formed of a material sufficiently durable to hold up to conditioning with a diamond coated conditioning tool . in some implementations , the transparent strip 118 is integral with the backing layer , that is , the transparent strip 118 and the backing layer are made of the same material and are a single unit . in some implementations , the transparent strip can be molded to the polishing layer . in some implementations , the top surface of the transparent strip 118 is substantially planar with the top surface of the polishing sheet 110 . a commercially available material having many of the desired properties of the transparent strip is calthane nd 3200 polyurethane ( cal polymers , long beach , calif .). the material is a two part clear non - ambering urethane elastomer , and it has a transmittance of at least 80 % ( for a 150 mils thick sheet ) for wavelengths of 350 nm and greater ( out to the end of the visible light spectrum at about 700 nm ). the material has a refractive index of about 1 . 48 . without being limited to any particular theory , it is believed that the high transmission of this polyurethane material ( in contrast to currently available polyurethane window materials ) is the use of a polyurethane material that is substantially free of internal defects . although current polyurethanes used for windows are generally free of additives , such materials can include internal defects , such as bubbles or voids , cracks , or microdomains ( e . g ., small areas of differing crystalline structure or orientation ) that act to diffuse or scatter the light . by forming the polyurethane substantially free of internal defects , it is possible to achieve a high optical clarity . in some implementations , the transparent strip 118 is formed from a polyurethane material , for example , calthane nd 3200 . the material forming the transparent strip can have hardness on the shore d scale of between about 50 and 80 , such as 60 . in some implementations , the material forming the transparent strip has a thickness of between about 50 mils and 55 mils . rectangular platen 100 includes a generally planar rectangular top surface 140 bounded by a feed edge 142 , a take - up edge 144 , and two parallel lateral edges 146 . a groove 150 ( shown in phantom in fig3 a and 3c ) is formed in top surface 140 . the groove 150 may be a generally - rectangular pattern that extends along edges 142 - 146 of top surface 140 . a passage 152 through platen 100 connects groove 150 to a vacuum source 200 ( see fig5 ). when passage 152 is evacuated , exposed portion 124 of polishing sheet 110 is vacuum - chucked to top surface 140 of platen 100 . this vacuum - chucking helps ensure that lateral forces caused by friction between the substrate and the polishing sheet during polishing do not force the polishing sheet off the platen . as discussed , aperture 154 is formed in top surface 140 of rectangular platen 100 . a compressible subpad 300 may be placed on the top surface of the platen 100 to cushion the impact of the substrate against the polishing sheet as shown in fig1 and 14 . in addition , platen 100 may include an unillustrated shim plate . shim plates of differing thickness may be attached to the platen to adjust the vertical position of the top surface of platen . the compressible subpad can be attached to the shim plate . the subpad can be separate from the polishing sheet , that is , not integral with the polishing sheet or not adhered together . the subpad 300 can be formed from a single material or can be formed from multiple layers of materials . a pad formed of multiple layers of materials can be a stacked pad . in one embodiment , a stacked subpad has a layer of ic polishing material stacked on a layer of foam , such as a soft foam , for example , suba iv , available from rohm and haas of newark , del . the upper layer of the stacked pad can be between about 40 and 120 mils thick , such as between 60 and 100 mils , such as around 80 mils thick . the lower layer of the subpad can be between about 30 and 70 mils , such as between about 40 and 60 mils , such as around 50 mils thick . referring to fig1 , the subpad 300 can have grooves that are the same or different from the grooves in the polishing layer . referring to fig1 , the grooves can be circular , oval , off - center circular , or spiral . the grooves in the subpad 300 can be of sufficient depth and width such that when a vacuum is pulled on the subpad , grooves are introduced into the polishing sheet even if the overlying polishing sheet does not have grooves . the grooves can have a depth between about 30 and 50 mils , such as between about 35 and 40 mils . in some implementations , the grooves in the subpad can have a greater width , pitch , and / or depth than the grooves in the polishing surface . in some implementations , the groove pattern of the polishing surface is different than the groove pattern of a subpad . the subpad 300 can be circular , rectangular or any shape that is suitable for use with the platen 100 . referring to fig2 - 21 , a pattern of grooves 306 is formed in one or more layers of the subpad material that support a polishing surface 302 . the polishing surface 302 is pulled into the groove pattern by vacuum ( as shown by the vertical arrows ). the result is that a pattern of grooves is formed in the polishing surface 302 . this groove pattern facilitates slurry distribution between the wafer and the polishing surface 302 , and , consequently improves the process performance of the polisher . thus , grooves are not required in the polishing surface . one advantage of forming grooves in the subpad 300 is that a web - style pad or linear sheet can exhibit or provide a circular or spiral groove pattern in the polishing surface and still be advanced in small increments without changing the location of the groove pattern . the subpad has a surface that need not be a polishing layer . that is , the surface roughness or coefficient of friction of the subpad need not be sufficient for polishing a substrate surface . additionally , the polishing pad or polishing sheet alone may not have much structural rigidity . the subpad can provide the structural rigidity . the polishing performance of the polishing sheet or pad is influenced by the mechanical properties of the subpad . a stiff subpad and a softer subpad will provide different polishing results with the same polishing sheet or polishing pad . because the subpad does not wear away as quickly as a polishing sheet or polishing pad , the subpad can have a longer useful life than the polishing layer . thus , when the polishing sheet is advanced or changed , the same subpad can be continued to be used . as illustrated by fig5 , rectangular platen 100 is secured to a rotatable platen base 170 . rectangular platen 100 and platen base 170 may be joined by several peripheral screws 174 counter - sunk into the bottom of platen base 170 . a first collar 176 is connected by screws 178 to the bottom of platen base 170 to capture the inner race of an annular bearing 180 . a second collar 182 , connected to table top 23 by a set of screws 183 , captures the outer race of annular bearing 180 . annular bearing 180 supports rectangular platen 100 above table top 23 while permitting the platen to be rotated by the platen drive motor . a platen motor assembly 184 is bolted to the bottom of table top 23 through a mounting bracket 186 . platen motor assembly 184 includes a motor 188 having an output drive shaft 190 . output shaft 190 is fitted to a solid motor sheath 192 . a drive belt 194 winds around motor sheath 192 and a hub sheath 196 . hub sheath 196 is joined to platen base 170 by a platen hub 198 . thus , motor 188 may rotate rectangular platen 100 . platen hub 198 is sealed to lower platen base 170 and to hub sheath 196 . a pneumatic control line 172 extends through rectangular platen 100 to connect passage 152 , and thus grooves 150 , to a vacuum or pressure source . the pneumatic line 172 may be used both to vacuum - chuck the polishing sheet and to power or activate a polishing sheet advancement mechanism , which is further described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 135 , 859 , filed apr . 30 , 1999 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . the platen vacuum - chucking mechanism may be powered by a stationary pneumatic source 200 such as a pump or a source of pressurized gas . pneumatic source 200 is connected by a fluid line 202 to a computer controlled valve 204 . the computer controlled valve 204 is connected by a second fluid line 206 to a rotary coupling 208 . the rotary coupling 208 connects the pneumatic source 200 to an axial passage 210 in a rotating shaft 212 , and a coupling 214 connects axial passage 210 to a flexible pneumatic line 216 . vacuum - chucking passage 152 can be connected to flexible pneumatic line 216 via pneumatic line 172 through rectangular platen 100 , a passage 220 in platen base 170 , a vertical passage 222 in platen hub 198 , and a passageway 224 in hub sheath 196 . o - rings 226 may be used to seal each passageway . a general purpose programmable digital computer 280 is appropriately connected to valve 204 , platen drive motor 188 , carrier head rotation motor 76 , and a carrier head radial drive motor ( not shown ). computer 280 can open or close valve 204 , rotate platen 100 , rotate carrier head 80 and move carrier head along slot 72 . referring to fig6 , in some embodiments an aperture or hole 154 is formed in platen 100 and is aligned with transparent strip 118 in polishing sheet 110 . the aperture 154 and transparent strip 118 are positioned such that they have a view of substrate 10 during a portion of the platen &# 39 ; s rotation , regardless of the translational position of the polishing head . an optical monitoring system 90 is located below and secured to platen 100 , e . g ., between rectangular platen 100 and platen base 170 so that it rotates with the platen . the optical monitoring system includes a light source 94 and a detector 96 . the light source generates a light beam 92 which propagates through aperture 154 and transparent strip 118 to impinge upon the exposed surface of substrate 10 . referring to fig9 b and 10b , in some implementations , the material that is used to form the transparent strip 118 in the polishing sheet 110 also forms the lower layer 116 of the polishing sheet 110 . for example , the material can be a polymer material . referring to fig9 a , in some implementations , the transparent strip 118 is formed with the lower layer 116 . the material that forms polishing layer 119 can then be formed on the lower layer 116 , such as by casting . if any of the polishing layer material covers the transparent strip 118 , this material can be removed from over the transparent strip 118 . the exposed surface of the transparent strip 118 can be substantially planar with the exposed surface of the polishing layer 119 . referring to fig1 a , in some implementations , the polishing layer 119 is fabricated before the lower layer 116 . a recess is formed in the polishing layer 119 or the polishing layer 119 is formed of two separate pieces . the lower layer 116 and transparent strip 118 are then fabricated on the polishing layer 119 . the transparent strip 118 can therefore by formed simultaneously with the lower layer 116 and can be integral with the lower layer 116 . there may not be a seam at the junction of the lower layer 116 and the transparent strip 118 . either of the polishing layer 119 or the lower layer 116 can be formed by molding , extruding , casting , shaping with pinch rollers , ablating or mechanical milling . in some instances , the layer that is formed first is allowed to dry or cure . the second layer is then fabricated on top of the first . in some implementations , the two layers are formed separately and adhered or welded together . in any of the implementations , the transparent strip 118 extends from the top surface of the polishing sheet to the bottom surface of the polishing sheet , yielding a window . the top surface of the polishing layer is substantially free of abrasives . grooves can be formed in the polishing surface after or while the surface is being formed . the transparent strip 118 can be free of grooves . however , in some implementations , grooves are also formed in the transparent strip 118 . in some implementations , the window extends the entire length of the polishing layer . in some implementations , the carrier layer extends across the width of the polishing layer . referring to fig2 - 24 , an alternative method is shown for forming the window 404 in the polishing sheet 110 . referring to fig2 , a polishing sheet is formed from a material suitable for polishing a substrate . the polishing sheet can be formed by molding , cutting or extruding . a plurality of dovetail - like openings 402 , fissures or grooves are formed in the polishing sheet . the two halves are separated by the desired width of the window 404 . referring to fig2 , material that can be dried , cured or hardened is inserted into the groove ( as indicated by the arrow ). the material , such as a liquid precursor of the window material , is then dried , cured or hardened forming a composite polishing sheet . referring to fig2 , the window material is intimately bonded to the polishing material , with projections of the window material interlocking with projections of the polishing material ( not shown ). the window material can be selected so that the window material and polishing material of the composite polishing sheet will wear evenly or uniformly and bend around the same radii without delaminating . other process steps may also be required , such as cutting the sheet or skiving the sheet from a cast block of pad material . the window can be centered and generally equidistant from the edges of the sheet or be between the edge of the polishing sheet and the center , as shown in fig2 . the window can extend substantially the entire length of the polishing sheet . in some implementations , a surface of the window can be substantially planar with a surface of the polishing sheet . in operation , cmp apparatus 20 uses optical monitoring system 90 to determine the thickness of a layer on the substrate , to determine the amount of material removed from the surface of the substrate , or to determine when the surface has become planarized . the computer 280 may be connected to light source 94 and detector 96 . electrical couplings between the computer and the optical monitoring system may be formed through rotary coupling 208 . the computer may be programmed to activate the light source when the substrate overlies the window , to store measurements from the detector , to display the measurements on an output device 98 , and to detect the polishing endpoint , as described in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 159 , 073 and 6 , 280 , 289 , filed nov . 2 , 1998 , the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference . in operation , exposed portion 124 of polishing sheet 110 or the subpad is vacuum - chucked to rectangular platen 100 by applying a vacuum to passage 152 . a substrate is lowered into contact with polishing sheet 110 by carrier head 80 , and both platen 100 and carrier head 80 rotate to polish the exposed surface of the substrate . after polishing , the substrate is lifted off the polishing pad by the carrier head . the vacuum on passage 152 is removed . the polishing sheet is advanced , such as by applying a positive pressure to pneumatic line 172 to trigger the advancement mechanism . alternatively , the positive pressure is used to blow the sheet off the platen and ease sheet advancement . this exposes a fresh segment of the polishing sheet . the polishing sheet is then vacuum - chucked to the rectangular platen , and a new substrate is lowered into contact with the polishing sheet . thus , between each polishing operation , the polishing sheet may be advanced incrementally . if the polishing station includes a cleaning apparatus , the polishing sheet may be washed between each polishing operation . the amount that the sheet may be advanced will depend on the desired polishing uniformity and the properties of the polishing sheet , but should be on the order of 0 . 05 to 1 . 0 inches , e . g ., 0 . 4 inch , per polishing operation . assuming that the exposed portion 124 of polishing sheet is 20 inches long and the polishing sheet advances 0 . 4 inches after each polishing operation , the entire exposed portion of the polishing sheet will be replaced after about fifty polishing operations . when the substrate has been polished , the carrier head removes the substrate from the polishing layer , that is , the carrier head dechucks the substrate from the polishing surface . the substrate can be removed from the polishing surface by applying a suction to the back of the substrate and lifting . the slurry in combination with a flat wafer can make it difficult to remove the substrate from the polishing surface because of the strong surface tension . in some implementations , the polishing sheet , polishing pad or subpad has a feature , such as a groove or an embossed feature , that can aid in wafer dechuck . during polishing , the substrate is in contact with a portion of the polishing surface that does not include or is not over the feature . after polishing , the edge of the substrate is moved over the feature , where the feature can serve as a dechuck enhancement feature . referring to fig1 - 19 , in some implementations , a subpad 300 has a feature 304 suitable to assist with substrate dechuck . when no platen vacuum is applied , the polishing surface 302 does not follow the contour of the feature 304 in the subpad ( fig1 ). when a vacuum is applied , the polishing surface 302 conforms to the feature 304 . a substrate is not over the feature during polishing . during dechuck , a substrate is partially over the feature . fig1 - 19 show plan views of the substrate during polishing and during dechuck , respectively . in the polishing sheet , the dechuck feature can be formed along the centerline of the sheet , along an edge or between the edge and the centerline of the polishing sheet . referring to fig7 , at second polishing station 25 b , the circular platen may support a circular polishing pad 32 having a roughened surface 262 , an upper layer 264 and a lower layer 266 . lower layer 266 may be attached to platen 30 by a pressure - sensitive adhesive layer 268 . upper layer 264 may be harder than lower layer 266 . for example , upper layer 264 may be composed of microporous polyurethane or polyurethane mixed with a filler , whereas lower layer 266 may be composed of compressed felt fibers leached with urethane . a two layer polishing pad , with the upper layer composed of ic 1000 or ic - 1400 and the lower layer composed of suba iv , is available from rohm and haas of newark , del . ( ic 1000 , ic - 1400 and suba iv are product names of rohm and haas ). a transparent window 269 may be formed in polishing pad 32 over an aperture 36 in platen 30 . referring to fig8 , at final polishing station 25 c , the platen may support a polishing pad 34 having a generally smooth surface 272 and a single soft layer 274 . layer 274 may be attached to platen 30 by a pressure - sensitive adhesive layer 278 . layer 274 may be composed of a napped poromeric synthetic material . a suitable soft polishing pad is available from rohm and haas , under the trade name politex ™. polishing pads 32 and 34 may be embossed or stamped with a pattern to improve distribution of slurry across the face of the substrate . polishing station 25 c may otherwise be identical to polishing station 25 b . a transparent window 279 may be formed in polishing pad 34 over aperture 36 . in some implementations , the circular polishing pad 32 , 34 can have a spiral groove or multiple spiral grooves , such as two spiral grooves starting 180 degrees apart , giving a groove - to - groove pitch in the radial direction , or three , four , or more spiral grooves . although the cmp apparatus is described as vacuum chucking the polishing sheet to the platen , other techniques could be used to secure the polishing sheet to the platen during polishing . for example , the edges of the polishing sheet could be clamped to the sides of the platen by a set of clamps . also , although the rollers are described as connected to the retainers by pins that are inserted through apertures , numerous other implantations are possible to rotatably connect the rollers to the platen . for example , a recess could be formed on the inner surface of the retainer to engage a pin that projects from the end face of the roller . the retainers 160 may be slightly bendable , and the rollers might be snap - fit into the retainers . alternately , the recess in the inner surface of the retainer could form a labyrinth path that traps the rollers due to tension . alternately , the retainer could be pivotally attached to the platen , and the roller could engage the retainer once the retainer is locked in position . in addition , although the cmp apparatus is described as having one rectangular platen with a grooved surface and two circular platens with round polishing pads , other configurations are possible . for example , the apparatus can include one , two or three rectangular platens . the pad , sheet and subpad embodiments described herein can be used with continuous belts , non - rotating platen systems , and polishing systems with only one polishing station . in fact , one advantage of cmp apparatus 20 is that each platen base 170 is adaptable to receive either a rectangular platen or a circular platen . the polishing sheet on each rectangular platen may be a fixed abrasive or a non - fixed abrasive polishing material . the polishing sheet can include multiple layers which are bonded together . similarly , each polishing pad on the circular platen can be a fixed - abrasive or a non - fixed abrasive polishing material . the standard polishing pads can have a single hard layer ( e . g ., ic - 1000 ), a single soft layer ( e . g ., as in a politex ™ pad ), or two stacked layers ( e . g ., as in a combined ic - 1000 / suba iv polishing pad ). different slurries and different polishing parameters , e . g ., carrier head rotation rate , platen rotation rate , carrier head pressure , can be used at the different polishing stations . one implementation of the cmp apparatus may include two rectangular platens with fixed - abrasive polishing sheets for primary polishing , and a circular platen with a soft polishing pad for buffing . the polishing parameters , pad composition and slurry composition can be selected so that the first polishing sheet has a faster polishing rate than the second polishing sheet . when a subpad and the polishing sheet 110 are used together , the polishing sheet 110 slides across the subpad between or during polishes . with some of the polishing sheets described herein , a number of wafers and each wafer will be polished by a portion of the polishing sheet that has not previously been used to polish another pad . alternatively , the polishing sheet can be moved incrementally rather than a full length between each substrate polish . pad wear will not be a factor in polishing subsequent wafers , because each wafer is exposed to substantially the same polishing pad conditions . a steady - state for the pad surface will result once the sheet has been incremented the distance equal to the diameter of the polishing area . grooves in the top surface of the polishing sheet that are perpendicular to the direction of travel of the polishing sheet can aid the polishing sheet in bending when the sheet is rolled or stretches across the small radius of the feed roller 130 before reaching the wafer . if a system has grooves in a subpad , the subpad can form temporary grooves in the polishing surface , aiding in slurry transport and flow across the surface of the pad . the temporary grooves can be more pronounced when a vacuum is applied to the subpad . alternatively , or in addition , the polishing surface of a polishing pad can have grooves . the grooves of a pad or a subpad can have a spiral shape . the spiral grooves can pump slurry toward the polishing surface . the spiral grooves originate from the center of the pad or subpad and move out towards the outer edge . as the platen rotates , the spirals converge toward or away from the center of the polishing area . the grooves perform a global action of either retaining slurry on the platen or moving exhausted slurry and / or polish waste products off the platen and away from the wafer . if the platen is rotated in the direction of increasing spiral groove radius so that the spiral appears to converge , that is move toward the center , slurry is transported toward the center . if the platen is rotated in the direction of decreasing spiral groove radius so that the spiral appears to expand , spent slurry and waste products are moved off of the platen more quickly than by centrifugal force alone . a pad or subpad with multiple spirals , e . g ., two spirals , can move the slurry faster than a pad or subpad with a single groove . in addition to any slurry transporting or pumping action , spiral grooves in the polishing layer or subpad can control polishing undulations or in homogeneities in removal of material from the wafer surface . in some implementations , the subpad can have a thickness of about 150 mils . in some implementations , the spiral grooves can have a depth of between about 40 mils and 60 mils , such as about 50 mils , and a width of between about 400 mils and 600 mils , such as 500 mils . the pitch of the grooves can be about 1 inch . alternative embodiments of the platen can have a central region of top surface free from grooves to prevent potential deflection of the polishing sheet into the grooves from interfering with the polishing uniformity . a number of embodiments of the invention have been described . nevertheless , it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims . | 1 |
fig1 to 3 show the base 1 of the tire removal machine , from which there extends upwards in the usual manner a rotatable shaft 2 supporting the rotary platform 3 on which the wheel rim 4 is locked by self - centering jaws 5 . for completeness , it should be noted that the jaws 5 are made to undergo approach and withdrawal in the usual manner by a cylinder - piston unit . from the base 1 there extends upwards to the side of the platform 3 the column 7 , the first portion of which is vertical , after which it bends through 90 ° so that its end lies above the center of the platform 3 , and hence above the center of the wheel rim 4 . to the end of the column 7 there is fixed a tube / sliding and guiding seat 8 having a vertical axis , within the inner prismatic section of which there freely slides a rod 9 . to the lower end of the rod 9 there is fixed a nosepiece or frusto - conical member 10 able to engage the central hole of the wheel rim 4 . the nosepiece 10 is fixed to the rod 9 in such a manner as to be able to rotate about its axis . the vertical movements of the rod 9 are controlled by a cylinder - piston unit 11 , the body of which is rigid with the column 7 . in an intermediate position between the nosepiece 10 and the tube 8 the rod 9 carries a slidable member 12 provided with a seat 13 inclined to the horizontal plane . the seat 13 is polygonal in cross - section and slidingly carries an arm 14 , the axis of which is contained in a chordal plane of the wheel rim . the arm 14 is inclined such that its lower end is closer to the column 7 , to said end there being fixed the tool 15 intended to operate on the tire bead . said tool 15 is of the usual form and operates in the usual manner . the member 12 and rod 9 are locked together by a clamping plate 16 operated by a cylinder - piston unit 17 . the plate 16 is positioned below the member 12 such that its tightening results in automatic raising of the member 12 . the arm 14 and the member 12 are likewise locked together by a clamping plate 18 operated by a cylinder - piston unit 19 . the clamping plate 18 is positioned on the side of the member 12 facing the column 7 so that when the clamping plate is tightened the tool 15 is automatically made to approach the column 7 . the travel movements caused by tightening the clamping plates 16 and 18 are such as to withdraw the tool 15 a certain distance from the edge of the wheel rim 4 both vertically and horizontally . by resting on the center of the wheel rim , the structure comprising the column 7 and the rod 9 becomes sufficiently rigid so as not to deform under the action of the forces transmitted by the tool 15 when it interferes with the tire bead , hence ensuring the absence of undesirable contact between the tool 15 and the wheel rim 4 . finally , the reference numeral 888 indicates means for operating said clamping devices . fig4 to 6 show a second embodiment of the invention , suitable for application to already existing tire removal machines . said figures show the base 20 of a traditional tire removal machine from which the rotary shaft 21 extends upwards to support the rotary platform 22 . the wheel rim 23 is placed on the platform 22 and maintained locked and centered thereon by usual self - centering jaws 24 operated by the piston 25 . to the side of the platform 22 there extends upwards the vertical column 26 , which in the illustrated version can be inclined by rotation about the pivot 27 , and is maintained in the vertical position by a catch 271 . at the top of the column 26 there is positioned a tube 28 with its axis perpendicular to that of the column , and in which there slides a polygonal arm 29 . the arm 29 is locked by a clamping plate 30 , the operation of which automatically causes the arm 29 to travel towards the left in fig4 . at the end of the arm 29 there is positioned a tube 31 having vertical axis within which a rod of prismatic section slides freely . the rod 32 is locked to the tube 31 by a clamping device , not shown , which when tightened automatically causes the rod 32 to undergo a small upward movement . the usual tool 33 for interacting with the tire bead is fixed to the lower end of the rod 32 . according to the invention , above the tool 33 the rod 32 carries a first slidable member 34 supporting a horizontal arm 35 . on the horizontal arm 35 there slides a second member 36 carrying a conical member 37 to be securely inserted into the central hole in the wheel rim 23 . from fig5 and 6 it can be seen that the slidable member 34 is composed of two jaws 341 and 342 arranged to clamp the rod 32 . between the two jaws 341 and 342 there acts a bolt 343 maintained in position by the bracket 344 , and screwed into a nut 345 having an operating appendix / lever . the nut is positioned to the side of the horizontal arm 35 , and is in contact with the jaw 342 by virtue of the spacer 347 which is integral with said nut . the arm 35 is welded to the jaw 342 and carries said slidable member 36 as stated . the member 36 comprises two mutually perpendicular clamping seats , of which one 355 accommodates the arm 35 , and the other 38 accommodates a first pin 39 . to the first pin 39 there is fixed a second pin 40 , parallel to but non - aligned with the first pin , and coaxial to and rigid with the conical member 37 . by virtue of the non - alignment , the axis of the conical member 37 can be located exactly in the vertical plane passing through the axis of the rod 32 . the conical member 37 is clamped onto the arm 35 , and the rod 39 onto the member 36 , by a single bolt 41 which is inserted through a seat perpendicular to the axis of both said clamping seats , and is screwed into a nut 42 provided with an operating appendix / lever 43 . the operator manually brings the tool 33 into contact with the edge of the wheel rim 23 , and then locks it in position by operating clamping devices , which automatically results in separation from the wheel rim . the operator then inserts the conical member 37 into the central hole in the wheel rim , and locks it by means of the nuts 345 and 41 . in this manner , by virtue of the invention a very rigid support structure for the tool 33 is obtained , hence preventing deformation which could cause undesired contact between the tool and the wheel rim . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims . | 1 |
in the pdp module of the embodiment of the present invention , the second electric current path is connected to the integration driving board and is connected to the sustain electrode line via a path between the pdp and the metal plate through the penetration hole . in the pdp module in the embodiment of the present invention , the penetration hole is formed adjacent to the integration driving board . in the pdp module in the embodiment of the present invention , the first and second electric current paths are respectively a first fpc and a second fpc . in the pdp module of the embodiment of the present invention , the first electric current path is connected to either the face or the back of a side of the integration driving board . in the pdp module of the embodiment of the present invention , the second electric current path is connected to either the face or the back of the other side of the integration driving board . in the pdp module of the embodiment of the present invention , the integration driving board has a scan driver board that generates a scan pulse provided with the scan electrode lines , an integration sustainer board that generates the first sustain pulse provided with the scan electrode line and a second sustain pulse provided with the sustain electrode lines , and a connector that connects the scan driver board to the integration sustainer board . the pdp module of the embodiment of the present invention further includes a data driver board that generates a data pulse provided with the data electrode line , a fpc that is connected between the data driver board and the data electrode line , a control board that provides a control signal with upper board 90 in parallel , and the data electrode lines x 1 through xn are formed on the lower board 92 . also , a pad region y 94 is formed on a side of the upper board 90 , and a pad y ( not shown in the diagram ) that is connected to the scan electrode lines is formed in this region . on the other hand , a pad region z 96 is formed on the other side of the upper board 90 , and a pad z ( not shown in the diagram ) that is connected to the sustain electrode lines ( not shown in the diagram ) is formed in this region . and , a pad region x is formed on a side of the lower board 92 , and a pad x ( not shown in the diagram ) that is connected to a data line is formed in this region . the upper board 90 and lower board 92 are attached so that the pad region y 94 , the pad region z 96 , and pad region x ( not shown in the diagram ) can be exposed . the heat sink 86 is installed in the place where whole the heat sink overlaps with the back of the pdp 70 , so that the heat sink can easily release heat generated in the pdp 70 . also , a penetrating hole 85 is formed in the heat sink 86 . a fpc z 84 can penetrate the heat sink 86 through the hole , and can electrically connect a sustain circuit z ( not shown in the diagram ) in a y - z sustainer board 74 and a pad region z 96 that is formed on the upper board 90 . the penetrating hole 85 is formed adjacent to the y - z sustainer board 74 . the control board 72 generates each of timing control signals x , y , and z . the control board 72 provides the timing control signals y and z with a y - z integration board 100 via a first fpc 76 , and provides the timing control signal x with the data driver board 80 via a second fpc 78 . the data driver board 80 generates the data pulse dp with the timing control signal x from the control board 72 , and provides the data pulse with the data electrode lines in the pdp 70 via a fpc x 88 , as is shown in fig3 . the fpc x 88 is connected to the pad region x ( not shown in the diagram ) that is installed in the data driver board 80 and the pdp 70 . the y - z integration board 100 is comprised of the scan driver board 73 , the y - z sustainer board 74 , and a connector 75 that connects the boards 73 and 74 . with the timing control signal y from the control board 72 , the scan driver board 73 generates the reset pulse rp that is provided with scan electrode lines in the reset period apd as is shown in fig3 , and generates the scan pulse sp that is provided in the address period apd . also , the scan driver board 73 provides the reset pulse rp and the scan pulse sp with the scan electrode lines in the pdp 70 via a fpc y 82 . as is shown in fig7 , the fpc y 82 is connected to the scan driver board 73 and the pad region y 94 in the pdp 70 , and is connected to the face or the back of a side of the scan driver board 73 . with timing control signals y and z from the control board 72 , the y - z sustainer board 74 generates the sustain pulse y suspy that is provided with the scan electrode lines in the sustain period spd , and generates sustain pulse z suspz that is provided with the sustain electrode lines in place of the sustain pulse y suspy . and , the y - z sustainer board 74 generates the bias pulse bp that is provided with the sustain electrode lines in the reset period rtpd and the address period apd , as is shown in fig3 . the y - z sustainer board 100 has a sustain circuit y ( not shown in the diagram ) that generates the sustain pulse y suspy and the sustain circuit z ( not shown in the diagram ) that generates the bias pulse bp and the sustain pulse z suspz . as is shown in fig8 , the y - z sustainer board 74 in this embodiment provides the sustain pulse y suspy with the scan electrode lines in the pdp 70 via the path whose direction is the connector 75 , the scan driver board 73 , and the fpc y 82 . also , as is shown in fig8 , the y - z sustainer board 74 provides the bias pulse bp and the sustain pulse z suspz with the sustain electrode lines in the pdp 70 through the penetration hole 85 formed in the heat sink 86 , via the fpc z 84 that is electrically connected to the sustain circuit z ( not shown in the diagram ) in the y - z sustainer board 74 and the pad region z 96 on the upper board 90 . as is shown in fig7 , the fpc z 84 has electrical connection to the y - z sustainer board 74 , and is connected to the pad region z 96 that is formed in the pdp 70 via a path between the pdp 70 and the heat sink 86 through the penetration hole 85 formed in the heat sink 86 . the fpc z 86 is connected to the face or back of a side of the y - z sustainer board 74 . in this case , the sustain circuits y and z are integrated into the y - z sustainer board 74 , and the heat sink 86 cannot play a part as an electrical current path . this makes it possible to decrease electromagnetic interference in the pdp 70 . in the concrete , when the y - z sustainer board 74 provides the sustain pulse y suspy with the scan electrode lines , the first electric current path follows the direction of : the y - z sustainer board 74 , the connector , the scan driver board 73 , the fpc y 82 , the scan electrode lines , the panel capacitor , the sustain electrode lines , the fpc z 84 , the y - z sustainer board 74 . on the other hand , the second electric current path , which the y - z sustainer board 74 provides the sustain pulse z suspz with the sustain electrode lines in the pdp 70 , follows the direction of : the y - z sustainer board 74 , the fpc z 84 , the sustain electrode lines , the panel capacitor , the scan electrode lines , the fpc y 82 , the scan driver board 73 , the connector 75 , and the y - z sustainer board 74 . in this case , the fpc z 84 is connected to the pad region z 96 via a path between the pdp 70 and the heat sink 86 through the penetration hale 85 formed in the heat sink 86 , and the heat sink 86 cannot play a role as a electric current path . this makes it possible to decrease the electromagnetic interference in the pdp 70 . as is described above , the sustain circuits y and z are integrated into one board in the pdp module related to the embodiment of the present invention . this makes it possible to simplify the structure of the circuit boards . especially , in the pdp module related to the embodiment of the present invention , the y - z sustainer board , which the sustain circuits y and z are integrated into , is located in one side of the heat sink , and the heat sink cannot play a part as a electric current path . therefore , this makes it possible to decrease the electromagnetic interference in the pdp . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims . | 7 |
hereinafter , embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a partial exploded schematic perspective view showing a plasma display panel according to an embodiment , and fig2 is a sectional view showing the plasma display panel according to one embodiment , taken along a line a - a in fig1 . referring to fig1 and 2 , the plasma display panel according to one embodiment includes a first substrate 10 ( hereinafter , referred to as a back substrate ), a second substrate 20 ( hereinafter , referred to as a front substrate ), a back barrier layer 30 , first electrodes 40 , second electrodes 50 , address electrodes 60 , and fluorescent substance layers 70 . the front substrate 20 has a front barrier layer 36 provided to an upper surface thereof . the first electrodes 40 and the second electrodes 50 form scan electrodes which perform address discharge and display discharge as well as sustain electrodes which perform the display discharge along with the scan electrodes . therefore , the first electrodes 40 are referred to as the scan electrodes , and the second electrodes 50 are referred to as the sustain electrodes . of course , it is understood that the first electrodes 40 may form the sustain electrodes and the second electrodes 50 may be the scan electrodes . the first electrodes 40 have a width greater than that of the second electrodes 50 , while having their total impedance relatively reduced . the back substrate 10 faces the front substrate 20 at a predetermined distance . a plurality of discharge spaces 80 are defined by the back barrier layer 30 between the back substrate 10 and the front substrate 20 . each of the discharge spaces 80 is formed as a discharge cell , including the back discharge space 82 as defined by the back barrier layer 30 and a space defined by the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 . further , in the case of forming the front barrier layer 36 , the discharge space 80 includes a front discharge space 84 defined by the front barrier layer 36 . the discharge space 80 has a fluorescent substance layer 70 which is coated onto a predetermined region thereof and absorbs vacuum ultraviolet rays so as to emit visual - rays , while being filled with a discharge gas which creates the vacuum ultraviolet rays by plasma discharge . the fluorescent substance layer 70 includes a reflection type fluorescent substance layer 72 formed on the back substrate and a transmission type fluorescent substance layer 74 formed on the front substrate . the back substrate 10 can be made of material with a predetermined thickness such as glass , which forms a plasma display panel along with the front substrate 20 . the back substrate 10 has the address electrodes 60 which are arranged in one direction on an upper surface 10 a of the back substrate 10 facing the front substrate 20 , and a second dielectric layer 62 coated on the upper surface 10 a of the back substrate 10 to cover the address electrodes 60 . further , the back barrier layer 30 is formed on the second dielectric layer 62 . a surface of structural elements facing the front substrate 20 ( in a + z direction of fig1 ) is referred to as an upper surface , while a surface of structural elements facing the back substrate 10 ( in a − z direction of fig1 ) is referred to as a lower surface . the front substrate 20 is formed from a transparent material , such as soda glass , and faces the back substrate 10 . further , the front substrate 20 has the front barrier layer 36 at a lower surface thereof facing the back substrate 10 . the back barrier layer 30 includes first barriers 32 formed in one direction ( y direction in fig1 ) in parallel with each other , and second barriers 34 formed in a direction that intersects the first barriers 32 ( x direction in fig1 ). furthermore , the back barrier layer 30 may have auxiliary barriers 35 formed on the second barriers 34 . thus , the back barrier layer 30 can define the back discharge space 82 which is a part of the plural discharge spaces 80 which are capable of creating discharge between the back substrate 10 and the front substrate 20 . the back barrier layer 30 may be formed from glass materials including elements such as pb , b , si , al , o , etc . the auxiliary barriers 35 are formed at a desired height on the second barriers 34 so as to be parallel with the second barriers 34 , preferably they may be formed at the identical height of the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 . furthermore , the auxiliary barriers 35 intersect the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 and are connected to the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 which are formed outside the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 . therefore , the auxiliary barriers 35 define the discharge spaces 80 along with the back barrier layer 30 , the first dielectric layer 57 , and the second dielectric layer 57 , depending on their height , and prevent cross talk from occurring between neighboring discharge spaces . the auxiliary barriers 35 may be formed with the same material as that of the back barrier layer 30 . further , the auxiliary barriers 35 may be made of the same dielectric material as the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 . the front barrier layer 36 is formed to face the back barrier layer 30 formed on the back substrate 10 . that is , the front barrier layer 36 includes third barriers 37 corresponding to the first barriers 32 of the back barrier layer 30 and fourth barriers 38 corresponding to the second barriers 34 of the back barrier layer 30 . therefore , the front barrier layer 36 has the front discharge spaces 84 formed on a lower portion thereof , like the back barrier layer 30 . the discharge spaces 80 are defined by the back discharge spaces 82 and the front discharge space 84 . the front barrier layer 36 can be formed , for example , from a glass material . however , the front barrier layer 36 may also be preferably made of the same material as that of the back barrier layer 30 . the first and the second electrodes 40 and 50 are arranged on the first barriers 32 of the back barrier layer 30 to be parallel with the first barriers 32 . furthermore , the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 are alternately arranged beside the discharge spaces 80 . each of the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 has surfaces defining neighboring discharge spaces 80 . preferably , the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 have a width smaller than their height when cut in a longitudinal direction . the width means a length in a horizontal direction of the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 , while the height means a length in a vertical direction of the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 . therefore , the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 perform while facing discharge in a wider area , so as to create more intensive ultraviolet rays , which in turn collide against the fluorescent substance layer 70 of the discharge spaces 80 to increase the intensity of the light . furthermore , the first electrodes 40 can perform address discharge , along with the address electrodes 60 , in a wider area as described below , thereby causing the address discharge to be more efficiently performed . as described above , the first electrodes 40 have a width w 1 ( see fig2 ) greater than the width w 2 of the second electrodes 50 . as described above , since the electrodes used as the scan electrodes generally perform the reset discharge , the scan discharge , and the sustain discharge during a discharge procedure of the plasma display panel , switches for driving a necessary circuit portion , mosfets , and a driver are connected to a driving board ( not shown ) for the first electrodes . thus , the scan electrodes have a total increasing impedance because of the impedance of the driving board , which has an impedance larger than that of the sustain electrodes . therefore , the first electrodes 40 have a relative width greater than that of the second electrodes 50 ( see fig2 ) used as the sustain electrodes . when the second electrodes 50 are formed to have identical height , the first electrodes 40 , relatively , have wider sectional area and greater whole volume in proportion with the second electrodes 50 , so as to have reduced impedance . thus , the first electrodes 40 have reduced impedance and offset the increase of the impedance from the driving board , so as to have impedance similar to the impedance of the second electrodes 50 . as a result , it is possible to reduce the disparity that lies between the pulse of discharge voltage applied to the second electrodes 50 and the impedance of the first electrode . the first electrodes 40 are formed to have a predetermined width in view of the impedance of the second electrodes 50 . the impedance of the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 can be measured using a suitable measuring apparatus . the widths of the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 can be determined based on such a measured result . the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 are arranged on the first barriers 32 in such a way that the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 barely cover the whole surface of the discharge spaces , thereby not requiring transparency . the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 may be made from a general conductive metal which differs from the surface discharge type transparent electrodes . the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 are preferably formed from a metal which has excellent conductivity and a low resistance , such as , for example , ag , al , and cu , which have various advantages in that the response speed depends on the discharge , in that signals are not distorted , and power consumption for the sustain discharge can be reduced . it is understood that there are other suitable materials for the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 , and various metals which have excellent conductivity and a lower resistance can be used as the material for the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 . the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 have the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 which are respective insulation layers on an exterior surface thereof . the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 are formed with dielectric material . that is , the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 are formed from glass material including elements such as , for example , pb , b , si , al , and o , and are preferably formed from dielectric material including filler such as zro 2 , tio 2 , and al 2 o 3 , and pigment such as cr , cu , co , and fe . however , there is no limitation to the component of the back barrier layer 30 . the back barrier layer 30 may be formed from various dielectric materials . the back barrier layer 30 enables the electrodes arranged in the back barrier layer 30 to easily discharge electricity , and prevents the electrodes from being damaged due to collisions of charged particles which are accelerated during the discharge . it is understood that there is no limitation to the material of the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 , and the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 can be formed from various dielectric materials . furthermore , the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 have protective layers 49 and 59 formed on an exterior surface thereof , preferably mgo protective layers including mgo . the mgo protective layers 49 and 59 ( see fig2 ) prevent the first and second dielectric layers 47 and 57 from being damaged during the discharge . the address electrodes 60 intersect the first and second electrodes 40 and 50 with insulation , which is arranged in parallel to the first substrate 10 , preferably passing through a center of a lower portion of the discharge spaces 80 . further , the address electrodes 60 are arranged in parallel on the upper surface 10 a of the back substrate 10 at a distance from each other corresponding to the distance between the discharge spaces 80 . further , the address electrodes 60 are covered with third dielectric layer 62 . that is , the third dielectric layer 62 is entirely formed on the back substrate 10 to cover the address electrodes 60 . the third dielectric layer 62 allows the address electrodes 60 to perform discharge and prevents the address electrodes 60 from being damaged due to collisions of the discharged particles which are accelerated during the discharge . the fluorescent substance layer 70 includes a first fluorescent substance layer 72 formed in the interior of the back discharge spaces 82 of the discharge spaces 80 and a second fluorescent substance layer 74 formed in the interior of the front discharge spaces 84 of the discharge spaces 80 . however , it is understood that the fluorescent substance layer 70 may include the first fluorescent substance layer 72 formed in the interior of the back discharge spaces 82 . the first fluorescent substance layer 72 is preferably coated on the inner side surfaces of the back barrier layer 30 and the upper surface of the back substrate 10 in the back discharge spaces 80 . the reflection type fluorescent substance layer may be used instead of the first fluorescent substance layer 72 . thus , the first fluorescent substance layer 72 absorbs vacuum ultraviolet rays , so as to create visual rays , and reflects the visual rays toward the front substrate 20 . the second fluorescent substance layer 74 is coated on the inner side surfaces of the front barrier layer 36 and on the lower surface of the front substrate 20 . preferably , the transmission type fluorescent may be used instead of the second fluorescent substance layer 74 . such a second fluorescent substance layer can absorb vacuum ultraviolet rays and transmits visual rays toward the front substrate 20 . preferably , the fluorescent substance layer 70 is formed such that the transmission type second fluorescent substance layer 74 has a thickness smaller than that of the reflection type first fluorescent substance layer 72 , which is in order to increase the transmittance of the visual rays transmitted through the second fluorescent layer 74 toward the front substrate 20 . that is , the transmittance of the visual rays in the second fluorescent substance layer 74 is generally proportional to the thickness of the fluorescent substance layer . therefore , the second fluorescent substance layer 74 is formed to have a suitable thickness in view of the radiation efficiency of the discharge cells . however , since the first fluorescent substance layer 72 reflects visual rays , the first fluorescent substance layer 72 is formed to have a sufficient thickness in view of the radiation efficiency of the discharge cells . the fluorescent substance layer 70 has components to absorb ultraviolet radiation and to create light such that : a red fluorescent substance layer formed in the discharge cell emitting red light includes a fluorescent substance such as y ( v , p ) o 4 : eu : a green fluorescent substance layer formed in the discharge cell emitting green light includes a fluorescent substance such as zn 2 sio 4 : mn ; and a blue fluorescent substance layer formed in the discharge cell emitting blue light includes a fluorescent substance such as bam : eu . the fluorescent substance layer 70 is divided into the red fluorescent substance layer , the green fluorescent substance layer , and the blue fluorescent substance layer , which are formed in neighboring discharge spaces 80 , respectively . the neighboring discharge spaces 80 , in which the red fluorescent substance layer , the green fluorescent substance layer , and the blue fluorescent substance layer are respectively formed , are operationally coordinated with one another to achieve a unit pixel with the desired color . furthermore , the second fluorescent substance layer 74 is formed on the front barrier layer 36 and the front substrate 20 such that only any one of the red , green , and blue fluorescent substance layers is formed on the second barrier . thus , the first fluorescent substance layer is formed on the back barrier layer 30 to correspond to the color of the second fluorescent substance layer 74 . the discharge spaces 80 are defined by the back discharge spaces 82 , the first electrodes 40 which are coated on the first dielectric layer 47 , and the second electrodes 50 which are coated on the second dielectric layer 57 , respectively . further , in the case where the front barrier layer 36 is formed on a lower surface of the front substrate 20 , the front discharge spaces 84 also define the discharge spaces 80 , respectively . furthermore , in the case where the auxiliary barriers 35 are formed on the second barriers 34 , the auxiliary barriers 35 can define the discharge spaces . the discharge spaces 80 are filled with discharge gases , for example , mixed gases including xe , ne , etc ., so that the plasma discharge occurs in the discharge spaces 80 . furthermore , the discharge spaces 80 have a certain region in which the fluorescent substance layer 70 absorbs the ultraviolet radiation and emits light , as described above . the discharge spaces 80 respectively have a different width or length , depending on their radiation efficiencies . in addition , the discharge spaces 80 have the electrodes arranged on the lower portion thereof in order to perform the address discharge and the sustain discharge , while having the fluorescent substance layer formed thereon . thus , the radiation efficiency of the discharge spaces 80 is improved . even though the opposite discharge type of plasma display panel has been descried above , it is understood that the present embodiments can also be applied to the surface discharge type of plasma display panel . that is , in the surface discharge type of plasma display panel , the scan electrode and the sustain electrode , which generate a display discharge , include a transparent electrode and a bus electrode which respectively have a desired width and height . the bus electrode which forms the scan electrode may be formed to have a width greater than that of the bus electrode forming the sustain electrode . further , the transparent electrode forming the scan electrode may be formed to have a width greater than the transparent electrode forming the sustain electrode . according to the plasma display panel of the present embodiments , since the scan electrode has a width greater than the sustain electrode , the impedance of the scan electrode is reduced , so as to prevent the waveform of the voltage applied to the scan electrode during the sustain discharge from being distorted . further , in the plasma display panel of the present embodiments , the voltage applied to the scan electrode during the sustain discharge has nearly the same waveform as that of the discharge voltage applied to the sustain electrode , thereby improving the discharge efficiency of the plasma display panel . although various embodiments have been described for illustrative purposes , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications , additions , and substitutions are possible , without departing from the scope and spirit of the embodiments as disclosed in the accompanying claims . | 7 |
referring to fig1 a time - space - time digital switching network along with the corresponding common control is shown . telephone subscribers such as subscribers 1 and 2 are shown connected to analog line facility interface unit 10 . analog line unit 10 is connected to both copies of the originating time switch and control unit 20 and 20 &# 39 ;. time switches 20 and 20 &# 39 ; are connected to duplex pair of space switch units 30 and 30 &# 39 ; which are in turn connected to the terminating time switch and control units 21 and 21 &# 39 ;. time switch and control units 21 and 21 &# 39 ; are connected to analog line facility interface unit 10 and ultimately to the telephone subscribers 1 and 2 . digital facility interface unit 11 connects the digital span to the switching network . similarly , analog trunk facility interface unit 12 connects trunk circuits to the digital switching network . a microprocessor complex 50 controls the digital switching network . duplicated pairs of microprocessor cpu &# 39 ; s tpc1 through tpc7 are connected to the switching network and control the operation of the basic telephone switching . the administrative processor complex comprising microprocessor pair 51 and 51 &# 39 ; operate the fault detection and recovery system of the digital switching network . referring to fig2 an expanded view of analog line facility interface unit 10 is shown . analog line unit 10 comprises an analog line unit 13 and a duplex pair of analog control units 14 and 14 &# 39 ;. a duplicate pair of digital control units 15 and 15 &# 39 ; control the incoming pcm data from the digital spans . similarly the analog trunk facility interface unit 12 of fig1 comprises an analog trunk unit 16 and a duplex pair of analog control units 17 and 17 &# 39 ;, shown in fig2 . the analog and digital control units are each duplicated for reliability purposes . fig3 is a block diagram depicting the simplex operation of the present invention . digital information may be input from analog line units , analog trunk units or from the digital spans . in fig3 pcm information is shown coming from a digital span . the pcm information is transmitted through multiplexer 301 and is converted from serial to parallel by converter 310 . the pcm data stream is 8 bits wide . in addition , 3 bits of supervisory information are added . the pcm data is then transmitted through multiplexer 312 and a parity bit is added by the parity generator 320 . the pcm information is then transmitted through multiplexer 322 to the time - space - time switching network . the network switches the information in incoming time slots to locations at the appropriate output time slots . as each pcm data sample emerges from the network , it is transmitted through multiplexer 332 and is compared with the corresponding pcm data sample from the duplex copy of this unit by comparator 333 . in addition , this sample is transmitted to the other network copy for similar comparison . subsequently , parity which was generated is checked by parity checker 330 . data then is transmitted through the multiplexer 313 and converted from parallel to serial and current transmitted to the digital span . when an error is detected by comparator 333 , the pcm data and time slot information are trapped by pcm receive trap 331 . an automatic retry is then indicated by inserting the data into the pcm input stream at the proper time slot . when , on the retry , a fault is detected , a message is transmitted to the administrative processor complex . the recovery software of the administrative processor complex with then test the network path by transmitting test pcm data samples . this test accomplished by loading maintenance register a 326 or maintenance register b 325 with the particular test pattern of bits pcm data . at the appropriate time slot , multiplexer 322 is switched to enable the contents of mainteance register a 326 to be transmitted to the network . as this test pcm sample emerges from the network through multiplexer 332 , it is trapped by pcm receive trap 331 . parity checking and comparison are provided as outlined above . the trapped data is then compared with the transmitted data to determine the nature and location of the fault . after a number of different bit patterns are transmitted , each bit in the data sample can be verified for accuracy . as a result the operation of the network is verified and faults isolated . it is required that the remainder of the equipment in the pcm data stream be checked . accordingly , maintenance registers c and d , 334 and 335 respectively , operate in a fashion similar to that set out above for maintenance registers a and b . under control of the administrative processor complex , pcm samples are injected via multiplexer 332 from one or both of the maintenance registers c and d into the output pcm stream . data is transmitted through the multiplexer 313 and conversion is performed by parallel to serial converter 311 . at the appropriate time slot , a connection is established from the outgoing pcm data path through multiplexer 301 , thereby the test pcm data is then transmitted through serial to parallel converter 310 , multiplexer 312 and is trapped by pcm transmit trap 321 . this pcm test data is then transmitted to the administrative processor complex , where it is analyzed as previously described . after a sufficient number of samples are transmitted in this manner the verification of the remaining portion of the network operation is accomplished . referring to fig4 a schematic view of the block diagram of fig3 is shown . fig4 shows the subscriber 401 connected to an analog line unit and the connection of the analog line unit to copy 0 of the duplex pair of analog control units . it is to be noted that copy 1 of the analog control unit operates synchronously with the operation given for copy 0 herein . incoming analog data from subscriber 401 is converted from analog to digital by converter 402 and transmitted through multiplex 403 where parity is added by parity generator 404 . the data is then transmitted through and gate 405 to multiplexer 420 . when a fault is detected as mentioned above , this pcm data stream is interrupted and the contents of maintenance word 1 422 corresponding to maintenance register a of fig3 is transmitted through multiplexer 420 instead of the incoming data . alternately maintenance word 2 423 corresponding to maintenance register b of circuit 3 may be employed to transmit a second test pcm data sample through the network . under the direction of the administrative processor complex , the test pcm samples are transmitted to maintenance word 1 422 via a peripheral processor located in the network . then , the administrative processor complex instructs the peripheral processor to write the channel select memory 430 with the time slot identity at which the contents of maintenance word 1 422 is to be transmitted . at the appropriate time slot , the address is converted by decoder 426 and the contents of maintenance word 1 422 is transmitted through and gate 424 to multiplexer 420 . the test pcm sample enters the pcm data stream and is switched through the digital switching network . as this test pcm sample emerges from the network , the parity is examined by parity check 431 and a comparison is made by comparator 440 with the data sample from the copy 1 of the analog control unit . the data itself is trapped by pcm receive trap 450 . the trapped pcm sample is then analyzed with the test pcm sample transmitted by maintenance word 1 422 and after a number of bit patterns have been similarly transmitted , a fault of a particular bit is detected and reconfiguration of network units initiated . referring to fig5 a status table kept in the common memory associated with the administrative processor complex is shown . the five basic reconfigurable units are shown along the left margin . they are : the originating peripheral control unit ( analog line , analog trunk or digital control unit ) originating time switch , space switch , terminating time switch and terminating peripheral control unit . the operating recovery program controls the analysis and marking of this table . since each of these units is duplex , the table is divided into two halves , copy 0 for the first of the duplex pair , and copy 1 of the second of the pair . when a parity error in the pcm sample is detected , the data parity error dpe field is marked accordingly . for the switching network including the originating time switch space switch and terminating time switch , data parity errors are further segregated into data parity error input dpi and data parity error output dpo and marked as a function of the particular copy exhibiting a fault . the flag field will be set for each reconfigurable unit for which an updated entry is made . as the data emerges from the switching network a comparison is made between the copies and any miscomparison error is marked in the field msc . for the originating and terminating peripheral control units , the identity of the particular facility interface unit involved is also recorded . this table is interpreted by the recovery software of the administrative processor complex in order to determine which configurable unit is at fault . although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated , and that form described in detail , it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein , without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
a retractable tie out of the present invention is generally illustrated in fig1 at 10 . the retractable tie out 10 includes a stake 12 having a distal end 14 for forcing into a surface such as soil to secure the retractable tie out 10 in a selected position . referring to fig1 and 2 , a tether 22 includes a distal end 24 that attaches to an animal such as a dog 19 . the dog 19 is secured to the distal end 24 of the tether 22 , preferably by securing the distal end 24 of the tether 22 to a collar 21 positioned about a neck of the dog 19 . besides being capable of tethering a dog 19 , the tie out 10 of the present invention can also tether other animals , such as but not limited to , a cow , a horse , a goat and a sheep . a stop 26 is positioned about the tether 22 proximate the distal end 24 where the stop 26 engages a front surface 36 of a port 32 in a housing 30 to prevent the distal end 24 from retracting into the housing 30 . the port 32 includes an aperture 34 through which the tether 22 extends and retracts to adjust a length of the tether 22 . the housing 30 has a substantially circular sidewall 38 defined by an upper half 40 and a lower half 42 . the housing 30 is rotatably attached to the stake 12 proximate a proximal end 16 where the housing 30 rotates about an axis 13 of the stake 12 . as the dog 19 moves , the housing 30 rotates about the axis 13 of the stake 12 such that the tether 22 remains free of the stake 12 . referring to fig2 - 4 , the tether 22 is secured to a reel 20 that is positioned about the stake 12 and within a cavity 44 defined by the upper and lower halves 42 , 40 , respectively . the reel 20 rotates about the axis 13 of the stake 12 to uncoil and coil the tether 22 onto the reel 20 to adjust a length of the tether 22 . configurations of the housing other than circular are within the scope of the present invention provided that the reel 20 is permitted to rotate within the housing 30 . referring to fig2 , as the dog 19 exerts a force on the tether 22 , the tether 22 comes under tension and uncoils from the reel 20 . as the length of the tether 22 increases , the dog 19 has more area to freely move as indicated by perimeter 23 . however , when the dog 19 moves toward the stake 12 , tension lessens on the tether 22 , and a retracting mechanism applies a force upon the reel 20 to reverse the rotation of the reel 20 about the axis 13 of the stake 12 . as the reel 20 rotates in the reverse rotational direction , the tether 22 is wound about the reel 20 and the area where the dog 19 can move lessens as indicated by perimeter 25 which also lessens the likelihood of the tether 22 becoming entangled in the terrain . referring to fig3 and 4 , a preferred retracting mechanism includes a coil spring 50 positioned within the cavity 44 of the housing 30 where the coil spring 50 engages the reel 20 . as the dog 19 uncoils the tether 22 by applying tension to the tether 22 , the coil spring 40 constricts . as the dog 19 further uncoils the tether 22 , the coil spring 50 further constricts , requiring greater tension to overcome the bias of the coil spring 50 . when the dog 19 releases tension on the tether 22 by moving toward the stake 12 , the coil spring 50 overcomes the tension applied by the dog 19 on the tether 22 , and the coil spring 50 uncoils , thereby reversing the rotation of the reel 20 and rewinds the tether 22 onto the reel 20 . as the tether 22 rewinds onto the reel 20 , the length of the tether 22 decreases , and thereby reduces the likelihood of the tether 22 becoming tangled in the terrain . the housing 30 and the reel 20 are retained in a selected position on the stake 12 by slidably positioning the stake 12 through a through bore 36 that is substantially centrally located in the housing 30 and engages a bottom surface 39 of the housing 30 with a spacer 58 positioned about the stake 12 . while the spacer 52 is discussed , the spacer 52 is not necessary to practice the present invention . a support 52 is fixedly attached to the stake 12 , preferably with a weld , and supports the spacer 52 and the housing 30 in a selected elevated position on the stake 12 . the support 52 includes a substantially circular perimeter 56 and an upper surface 54 having a convex configuration . while the support 52 with a convex upper surface 56 is preferred , other configurations of the support 52 that allow gravity to slide the tether 22 off the support 52 are within the scope of the present invention including a conical configuration , a frusto - conical configuration and a pyramid . while a fixed attachment of the support 52 to the stake 12 is specifically discussed , other attachments of the support 52 to the stake 12 are within the scope of the present invention , including , but not limited to a threaded engagement and engaging the support with a shoulder on the stake . the housing 30 and the reel 20 are retained on the stake 12 with a nut 60 threadably engaging a threaded portion 15 of the stake 12 proximate the distal end 14 . the nut 60 threadably engaging the threaded portion 15 of the stake 12 along with the support 52 fixedly attached to the stake 12 , retains the reel 20 and the housing 30 at the selected elevation on the stake 12 . a washer 61 preferably is positioned between the housing 30 and the nut 60 to prevent the nut 60 from galling the housing 30 . while a threaded engagement for retaining the housing 30 and the reel 20 on the stake 12 is preferred , other retaining mechanisms are within the scope of the present invention including , but not limited to , a snap ring , a pin engaging a through bore in the stake and a frictional engagement of a cap on the distal end of the stake . referring to fig1 and 3 , the stake 12 includes a shaft portion 62 that is threadably attached to an anchor portion 64 . the retractable tie out 10 is compactly packaged and / or stored when the shaft portion 62 is detached from the anchor portion 64 . however a stake 12 of a unitary construction having a shaft section and an anchor section is within the scope of the present invention . an upper wing 68 and a lower wing 66 are fixedly attached to the anchor portion 64 where the upper and lower wings 68 , 66 , respectively , are preferably forced into the ground 18 . the upper and lower wings 68 , 66 are preferably positioned on the anchor portion 64 such that vertical planes that define the wings 68 , 66 intersect at substantially right angles . while wings 68 , 66 are shown positioned at substantially right angles , other configurations of the wings 68 , 66 are within the scope of the present invention . the wings 68 , 66 aid in preventing the anchor portion 64 from rotating in the ground 18 when the dog 19 applies tension to the tether 22 and thereby aid in retaining the stake 12 in the selected location . while a stake 12 with substantially perpendicular wings 66 , 68 is preferred , a stake having one wing or no wings is also within the scope of the present invention . the tether 22 provides adequate flexibility for the dog 19 to freely move within the area . however , the tether 22 should include enough rigidity such that the tether 22 does not sharply bend and thereby prevent the dog 19 from tangling the tether 22 on obstacles on the ground 18 . further , the tether 22 preferably has a diameter or thickness that positions within a gap 70 defined by the bottom surface 39 of the housing 30 and the upper surface 54 of the support 52 . when the tether 22 is positioned within the gap 70 , the downwardly sloped convex upper surface 54 allows gravitational force to slide the tether 22 off of the upper surface 54 of the support 52 and thereby prevents the tether 22 from becoming entangled between the housing 30 and the support 52 . if the dog 19 moves such that the tether 22 engages the stake 12 below the support 52 , the tether 22 engages the circular perimeter 56 of the support 52 that prevents the tether from becoming entangled with the stake 12 . the tether 22 preferably includes a metal cable having a plastic or polymeric coating . while a cable is specifically discussed , other types of tethers are within the scope of the present invention including , but not limited to , a chain , a rope and a strap . 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 . | 0 |
the following is an explanation of an embodiment of the present invention given in reference to the attached drawings . fig1 is a block diagram of a digital camera equipped with a spectroscopic instrument in accordance with the present invention . the digital camera shown in fig1 includes a photographic lens 1 , an image sensor 2 , an analog to digital ( a / d ) converter 3 , a memory 4 , an image processing circuit 5 , an external recording medium 6 , a control circuit 7 , a cpu 8 , and a spectroscopic instrument 9 . the cpu 8 includes an awb calculation part 10 . the external recording medium 6 , such as a memory card , is detachably installed in the digital camera . the image sensor 2 is an imaging device of two - dimensional type , which includes various forms such as a ccd type one and a mos type one . the subject light that has passed a photographic lens 1 forms an image on an imaging side of the image sensor 2 . when the subject image is formed on the imaging side of the image sensor 2 , a signal charge of each pixel is accumulated according to the intensity of the light of the subject image . in the image sensor 2 , the storage time of charge accumulated in each pixel ( shutter speed ) is controlled by a shutter gate pulse from the control circuit 7 . this is a function called an electronic shutter . the signal charge accumulated in each pixel of image sensor 2 is read one by one as an image output signal , and converted into the digital signal with analog to digital converter 3 . the video signal converted into a digital signal is once stored in the memory 4 as an image data . the image processing circuit 5 includes signal processing circuits such as a ?- correcting circuit , a brightness signal generating circuit , a color difference signal generation circuit , and a data compression / decompression circuit , etc . the image processing circuit 5 reads the image data from the memory 4 , performs various signal processings , converts the processed data into an image data of a prescribed form ( for instance , jpeg format ), and stores the obtained image data in the memory 4 or the external recording medium 6 . the cpu 8 is connected with the control circuit 7 , the spectroscopic instruments 9 , the memory 4 , etc ., and the cpu 8 performs various calculations such as exposure amount and a state of focus according to a prescribed algorithm , and manages the control of as ( automatic exposure ) and af ( automatic focus ) and the control of the awb ( auto white balance ) operation parts 10 , etc ., as a whole . in the awb calculation part 10 , the lighting condition is calculated based on a result of the measurement with the spectroscopic instrument 9 , and r gain and b gain for the white balance adjustment according to the calculated lighting condition are set . the r gain and b gain for the white balance adjustment are stored beforehand in the cpu 8 according to the lighting condition ( sunlight , white lamp , and fluorescent lamp , etc .). colored filters ( for instance , r , g , and b filters ) are formed in a prescribed array in each photoelectric device of the image sensor 2 , and an r signal , a g signal , and a b signal are output from each photoelectric device . in the image processing circuit 5 , the r signal and the b signal out of the signals of r , g , and b are multiplied by the r gain and the b gain , respectively , for the white balance adjustment mentioned above . as a result , imaging signals of an optimal white balance ( r signal , g signal , and b signal ) are obtained . thereafter , the gamma correction processing is performed to the r signal , the g signal , and the b signal of which the white balance is adjusted . in addition , the r signal , the g signal , and the b signal to which the gamma correction is processed are converted into a brightness signal ( y signal ) and color - difference signals ( cr and cb signals ). fig2 shows a schematic construction of the spectroscopic instrument 9 . the spectroscopic instrument 9 is provided with a first lens array 91 , an aperture 92 , a second lens array 93 , a diffraction grating 94 , a third lens array 95 , and a light receiving section 96 sequentially from an incident side of the observed light ( from above in the figure ). in the following , the structure and function of these are sequentially described starting from the first lens array 91 . in the first lens array 91 , there are formed a plurality of microlenses 910 in a two - dimensional array ( see fig3 ). aback side of the first lens array 91 is planar , and the aperture 92 is integrally formed on the back side of the first lens array 91 . the aperture 92 includes a plurality of minute openings 920 formed in a shading member . each opening 920 of the aperture 92 is disposed corresponding to the respective microlens 910 of the first lens array 91 , and formed on a focal plane of the microlenses 910 , respectively . although not shown in fig2 , a spacer is disposed between the first lens array 91 with the aperture 92 and the second lens array 93 to keep a space therebetween at a predetermined extent . fig3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the microlenses 910 and the openings 920 , when the first lens array 91 with the aperture 92 formed is seen from the direction of the incidence of light . the microlenses 910 and the openings 920 are arranged like a lattice . each opening 920 is disposed in a position in which it is deviated by a predetermined extent from an optical axis 911 of the corresponding microlens 910 in a predetermined direction on the focal plane of the microlens 910 except for the opening 920 c corresponding to the microlens 910 c formed at the center of the first lens array 91 . in the example shown in fig3 , each opening 920 is deviated in the direction toward the center of the first lens array 91 . the gap , referred to as “ eccentricity amount ” hereafter , is set greater when it is positioned farther from the center . three microlenses 910 shown in fig2 indicate the microlens 910 c in the center of fig4 and the microlenses 910 a and 910 d disposed right and left sides thereof . similarly to the case of the opening 920 c , the opening 920 corresponding to the microlenses 910 a and 910 b are referred to as 920 a and 920 c . because open each mouth 920 of squeezing 92 is formed on the focal plane of microlens 910 as mentioned above , the light that enters into each microlens 910 of the first lens array 91 is imaged formation on the plane of squeezing 91 . the opening 920 c of the center is disposed on an optical axis of the microlens 910 c . therefore , the light flux that enters into an optical axis of the microlens 910 c in parallel as shown by arrow c forms an image on the opening 920 c . therefore , the light flux that forms an image on the opening 920 c enters the lens in parallel to the optical axis of the microlens 910 c as shown by arrow c . on the other hand , the opening 920 a is disposed as deviated from an optical axis of the microlens 910 a rightward . therefore , the light flux on the opening 920 a from the direction of a that is inclined leftward by θa relative to the optical axis forms an image . oppositely , the opening 920 b is disposed as deviated leftward from the optical axis of the microlens 910 b . therefore , the light flux from the direction of b that is inclined rightward by θb relative to the optical axis forms an image . the amount of eccentricity of opening 920 is greater when the opening 920 is farther from the center as shown in fig3 . therefore , when the opening 920 is farther from the center , the light flux from the direction that is more greatly inclined from the optical axis forms an image . fig4 three - dimensionally indicates the directions of the light fluxes a , b , and c . the microlenses 910 a , 910 b , and 910 c in fig3 are disposed along the straight line l 1 on the first lens array 91 . points p show intersections of the light axes of the light fluxes a , b , and c with a hemisphere s . point s p are intersections between ( the axes of the light fluxes a , b , and c and hemispheres s . in the example shown in fig3 , forty nine ( 49 ) openings 920 with different amounts of eccentricity and different directions of deviation are formed . accordingly , 49 points p will be drawn on the hemisphere s of fig4 . that is , disposing the respective openings 920 so as to be deviated from the optical axes of the corresponding microlenses 910 enables the light fluxes with different angles of incidence to form respective images on separate openings 920 . the second lens array 93 , the diffraction grating 94 , and the third lens array 95 are disposed under the aperture 92 . that is , the back surfaces of the second lens array 93 and the third lens array 95 each having a planar surface are connected mutually with the diffraction grating 94 placed therebetween . a transmission grating is used as the diffraction grating 94 . fig6 is a plan view illustrating the disposition of the opening 920 , the microlens 930 , and the microlens 950 in which the aperture 92 , the second lens array 93 , and the third lens array 95 are seen from the side of the first lens array 91 . as shown in fig2 , respective microlenses 930 are disposed in the same array so as to correspond to the openings 920 to come in superposition in the vertical direction ). an optical axis of each microlens 930 ) agrees with an optical axis of each corresponding opening 920 . in addition , each opening 920 is disposed in the focus position of each corresponding microlens 930 . the light collimated to be a parallel pencil by microlens 930 enters into the diffraction grating 94 , and is diffracted by the diffraction grating 94 . the diffracted light is output under fig2 at a diffraction angle corresponding to the wavelength of the light . then , this output light enters into the microlens 950 of the third lens array 95 . in this embodiment , the first diffraction ray is used for the measurement . the light diffracted by the diffraction grating 94 forms an image on the light detecting element 960 of the light receiving part 96 by the microlens 950 . the light receiving surface of the light receiving part 96 is in an optically conjugate relation with the aperture 92 mentioned above . the image of the opening 920 will be formed on the light detecting element 960 . to achieve such a position , a spacer ( not shown ) is disposed between the third lens array 95 and light receiving is part 96 in order to keep the interval therebetween at a specific value . a heavy line sp in fig6 shows a spectrum of the first diffraction ray projected on the light receiving part 96 . thus , the spectrum sp is projected on a plurality of light detecting elements 960 . when the relation between the wavelength of light and the output of the light detecting element 960 is obtained , the spectrum curve of the light flux in the specific direction observed through one microlens 910 for one heavy line sp is obtained . spectra of light from 49 directions are obtained since there are 49 microlenses 910 as mentioned above . spectra of light from 49 directions are obtained since there are 49 microlenses 910 as mentioned above . fig7 shows one example of the spectrum curve obtained from the spectra of those microlenses in whole . fig7 shows two high peaks in the curve at a wavelength of ? 11 and a wavelength of ? 12 . from this spectrum curve , it is possible to recognize what an optical source is present , that is , what the lighting condition is like . fig8 shows a first modification of the spectroscopic instrument 9 mentioned above . in the spectroscopic instrument 9 shown in fig2 , a zeroth ( 0 - th ) light , which goes out as straight advancement from the diffraction grating 94 , enters into the light receiving part 96 through a non - lens unit 951 of the third lens array 95 . as a result , the output of the 0th light is included in the output of the light detecting element 960 . this influences the spectroscopic measurement . moreover , the light that enters into the non - lens unit 931 of the second lens array 93 also influences the spectroscopic measurement as unnecessary light . then , in the spectroscopic instrument shown in fig8 , light absorbing members 932 and 952 are disposed to the non - lens units 931 and 951 . black chrome , etc . are used for the photoabsorption members 932 and 952 . the black chrome may be deposited to the surfaces of the non - lens units 931 and 951 . by forming the photoabsorption members 932 and 952 , the influence of unnecessary light can be decreased to improve the accuracy of spectroscopy . the 0th light can be prevented from entering into the microlens 950 by providing the photoabsorption members 932 and 95 and setting the diffraction angle so that the microlens 930 will not come in superposition above the microlens 930 as shown in fig6 . moreover , fig9 a and 9b show a second modification of the spectroscopic instrument 9 . as mentioned above , in the spectroscopic instrument 9 shown in fig2 , a spacer is disposed that keeps the optical member with the first lens array 91 and the aperture 92 at predetermined intervals from the optical member with the second lens array 93 , the diffraction grating 94 , and the third lens array 95 , so that the opening 920 is in the focus position of the microlens 930 . similarly , a spacer is provided , which keeps the optical member with the third lens array 95 at a predetermined distance from the light receiving part 96 . then , in the spectroscopic instrument shown in fig9 a , partitions 100 and 101 are disposed instead of the above - mentioned spacers . the partitions 100 and 101 serve both as the spacer and as the member that prevents unnecessary light from entering . a cylinder space 100 a , in which the opening 920 and the microlens 930 in a pair are enclosed , is formed in the partition 100 disposed between the aperture 92 and the second lens array 93 , respectively . therefore , only light from the opening 920 enters into the microlens 930 to prevent unnecessary light from entering . moreover , for the partition 101 disposed between the third lens array 95 and the light receiving part 96 , the cylinder space 101 a is formed so as to enclose surroundings of microlens 950 and a plurality of light detecting elements into which light from the microlens 950 enters . on the other hand , for the spectroscopic instrument shown in fig9 b , a partition 102 is disposed instead of the partition 101 that has been mentioned above . on the other hand , in the spectroscopic instrument shown in fig9 b , a partition 102 is disposed instead of the partition 101 that has been mentioned above . the shape of the cylinder space 102 a of the partition 102 is different from that of the cylinder space 101 a of fig8 a . since the first diffraction ray goes out from the diffraction grating 94 obliquely toward bottom left , the cylinder space 102 a is configured to be a cylindrical space that is obliquely inclined so that the direction of the axis of the cylinder space 102 agrees with the direction of the spectrum spectroscopy . this prevents the cylinder space 102 a from disturbing a region in which the diffracted ray is projected . a straight line lattice - type diffracting grating , for instance , whose grating space is decided from an angle required for a primary ( or first order ) diffraction ray , a usual shading - type or phase - type diffracting grating can be used as one example of the diffraction grating 94 of the transmission type mentioned above . in this case , a diffracting grating of the type that efficiently diffracts a diffraction ray of a necessary order , such as one of the echelon type is preferred . as a result , the diffraction ray not used for the measurement can be prevented from entering into the light detecting element 960 to improve the spectrum accuracy . moreover , the spectroscopy may be performed by using hologram of the phase - change type that has a certain thickness in place of a usual diffraction grating . especially , the 0th light may be assumed to be theoretically 0 in the case of the hologram of the volume type , and unnecessary multi - order diffraction rays can be controlled . as a result , the utilization efficiency of light can be improved , and the is spectroscopy measurement becomes possible with darker light . in addition , when the hologram is used , the hologram may be adapted to have the functions of spectroscopy function and of the third lens array 95 . fig1 shows the construction of the spectroscopic instrument 9 when such hologram 110 is used . the diffraction ray forms an image on light detecting element 960 by hologram 110 . moreover , the prism array 97 instead of diffraction grating 94 may be used as shown in fig1 . a plurality of microprisms 970 formed in the prism array 97 is disposed on an optical axis of respective microlens 930 of the second lens array 93 . in the construction that includes the prism array 97 , the first lens array 91 , the aperture 92 , and the second lens array 93 are formed as an integrated optical member . besides , the prism array 97 and the third lens array 95 are formed as an integrated optical member . the optical member consisting of the first lens array 91 , the aperture 92 , and the second lens array 93 and the optical member consisting of the prism array 97 and the third lens array 95 are kept at a predetermined intervals with a spacer ( not shown ). light from respective microlens 930 is distributed respectively by microprisms 970 according to the wavelength . the distributed light forms an image on the light detecting element 960 by the microlens 950 of the third lens array 95 . in the embodiment mentioned above , the opening 920 of the aperture 92 has been described as a circle . the shape of the opening 920 may be set so as to match the shape of the light detecting element 960 on which the image of the opening 920 is formed . the opening 920 of the aperture 92 may be , for instance , of a long rectangle in a direction vertical to the direction of the spectroscopy , ( direction of right and left in the figure ), i . e ., the direction vertical to paper , or similarly , of an oval that is elongate in a vertical direction . for circular opening 920 , the cylinder or toric lens instead of the spherical lens may be used as the microlens 950 of the third lens array 95 to lengthen the aperture image in the direction vertical to the direction of spectroscopy . as mentioned above , in the spectroscopic instrument 9 according to this embodiment , light from various directions can be subjected to spectroscopic measurements separately and simultaneously . then , the photographic image of which lighting conditions have been appropriately taken into consideration can be obtained by performing white balance processing by the awb calculation part 10 using the results of spectrophotometric processing . moreover , conventional ccd sensors and cmos sensors etc . of the black and white photography can be used as the light receiving part 6 , and a low - cost , small spectroscopic instrument can be provided . therefore , the spectroscopic instrument according to the present invention can be easily installed in imaging devices that take still pictures and video pictures , such as cameras and video cameras , etc . as well as other optical measurement devices . as long as the features and functions of the present invention are realized , the present invention is not limited to the above - mentioned embodiments . the above - described embodiments are examples , and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention . | 6 |
the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . however , the same numerals are applied to the similar elements in the drawings , and therefore , the detailed descriptions thereof are not repeated . hereinafter , there will be described an embodiment of an inkjet printer according to the present invention in reference to fig1 - 5 . in this embodiment , the printer is equipped with a so - called on - demand type inkjet head . fig1 is a diagrammatical view showing a principle structure of an inkjet printer 30 according to the present invention . fig2 is a perspective view of an inkjet head 1 installed in this inkjet printer 30 . a recording medium 3 is conveyed relatively to inkjet head 1 by a recording - medium conveying unit 6 , and ink droplets ejected from a nozzle 9 of inkjet head 1 are landed on recording medium 3 so that printing is performed . an ultrasound radiator 5 is mounted on the both sides of an end surface 20 in the longitudinal direction of inkjet head 1 where nozzles 9 are formed . ultrasound radiator 5 is formed in a state that a matching member 8 is laminated over a piezoelectric vibrator 7 . although this matching member 8 may be formed in a plane , one in this embodiment is formed in a shape of a lens so as to converge an ultrasound on a given point in the flying direction of an ink droplet that has been ejected . fig3 shows a cross section of an ink chamber 10 of inkjet head 1 . a piezoelectric element 4 a as a pressure generator is disposed on an external surface of a flexible member 10 a , which is provided on the surface that faces nozzles 9 . these flexible member 10 a and piezoelectric element 4 a constitute an ink - ejecting actuator 4 . when a drive signal for ejecting ink is applied to piezoelectric element 4 a , the volume of ink within ink chamber 10 is caused to change by deformation of flexible member 10 a so that an ink droplet is ejected from nozzle 9 . in ink chamber 10 in this embodiment , nozzles 9 are arranged in line on end surface 20 of inkjet head 1 . the number of nozzles and an interval between them are to be determined according to a printing mode , such as monochrome printing or color printing . ink - ejecting actuator 4 is shown as in the case of using piezoelectric element 4 a . however , a so - called bubble - jet type of a thermal inkjet method may be also applied thereto . next , a control block 40 , which causes inkjet printer 30 to operate to print , will be described in reference to fig4 . control block 40 comprises a process control unit 11 , ink - ejecting actuator 4 , piezoelectric vibrator 7 , recording - medium conveying unit 6 , and position - detecting unit 19 . recording - medium conveying unit 6 controls operations of conveying recording medium 3 and moving inkjet head 1 and recording medium 3 relatively to each other in time with the timing of ejecting ink . the recording medium may be a continuous form , a sheet paper , or a film . position - detecting unit 19 is used to detect or specify a printing position when a continuous form is used as recording medium 3 . for this unit , for example , a transmission type photo - sensor or a rotary encoder , both commercially available , may be used . process control unit 11 generates an ejection control signal for ejecting an ink droplet from a given nozzle 9 of inkjet head 1 . this process control unit 11 also generates a vibration control signal that controls the driving of ultrasound radiator 5 to superimpose a pressure by an ultrasound in the same direction as the ink ejection force on an ink droplet that has been ejected at the timing of the ink ejection . process control unit 11 comprises , as needed , control unit 13 , bus 22 , driver 12 , interface ( if ) 24 , memory 14 , recording - medium control unit 15 , actuator drive control unit 16 for driving piezoelectric element 4 a that ejects an ink droplet 2 , ultrasound - vibrator drive control unit 17 for driving piezoelectric vibrator 7 , and oscillating unit 18 . control unit 13 integrally controls inkjet printer 30 , and its control programs are stored in memory 14 . memory 14 also temporally stores print data that is input from , e . g . a host computer , and is used as a working area for control unit 13 or other units as needs arise . driver 12 controls piezoelectric vibrator 7 , ink - ejecting actuator 4 , and recording - medium conveying unit 6 , according to the respective units . if 24 interfaces with process control unit 11 when process control unit 11 receives print data from a host or other devices and signals from position - detecting unit 19 . recording - medium control unit 15 generates and sends drive control signals to recording - medium conveying unit 6 according to commands from control unit 13 based on print data . actuator drive control unit 16 generates and sends ink - ejection control signals to ink - ejecting actuator 4 according to commands from control unit 13 based on print data . ultrasound - vibrator drive control unit 17 generates and sends vibration control signals to piezoelectric vibrator 7 according to commands from control unit 13 . oscillating unit 18 generates a clock pulse according to frequency settings by external and internal circuits , which becomes the bases of signals generated by actuator drive control unit 16 and ultrasound - vibrator drive control unit 17 . in process control unit 11 , oscillating unit 18 generates , by the single oscillating unit , basic clock pulses , based on which actuator drive control unit 16 and ultrasound - vibrator drive control unit 17 produce the ink - ejection control signals and vibration control signals , respectively . if the ink - ejection control signal and vibration control signal are in the relation wherein the two signals can be mutually synchronized in a desirable fashion , oscillating unit 18 need not be of a single unit . an embodiment of ultrasound radiator 5 above - mentioned will be described below referring to fig5 and 6 . ultrasound radiator 5 is comprised of piezoelectric vibrator 7 and matching member 8 that is laminated on the surface of this piezoelectric vibrator 7 in the direction to which an ink droplet is ejected . piezoelectric vibrator 7 vibrates at a predetermined frequency that is based on the applied pulse of a frequency within the ultrasound bandwidth . matching member 8 is formed in a concave so as to focus the ultrasound radiated by piezoelectric vibrator 7 at a point on the trajectory of flying ink droplet 2 , composing a so - called an acoustic lens having a focus point of point o . the ultrasound radiated from piezoelectric vibrator 7 is focused at this point o on the trajectory of flying ink droplet 2 by matching member 8 , and thereby a pressure p is produced in the vicinity of point o . ink droplet 2 ejected from nozzle 9 flies by virtue of the ejection force toward focus point o of matching member 8 . the pressure increases as the ink droplet approaches point o because the radiated ultrasound increasingly converges . then , the ink droplet passes point o . at this time , as the ejection force of ink droplet 2 is boosted by received pressure p , its traveling speed is accelerated . by thus setting the focus point of matching member 8 composing an acoustic lens at an appropriate point on the trajectory of flying ink droplet 2 , the traveling speed of ink droplet 2 that has been ejected from nozzle 9 can be accelerated . focus point o is positioned at the center of a circle having a radius r , assuming that the curvature of the radiation surface of the matching member is r . the ultrasound radiated from piezoelectric vibrator 7 increases its propagation loss if the difference between the specific acoustical impedance of piezoelectric vibrator 7 and the specific impedance of the air layer is large . to reduce this propagation loss , such a material is selected as matching member 8 that its specific acoustical impedance lies in the middle between those of piezoelectric vibrator 7 and the air layer . as illustrated in fig7 , when arriving at the boundary between materials coming through one material and hitting a boundary between materials of the one and another having different specific acoustical impedances , the ultrasound in part transmits through the boundary while the other reflects on the boundary . a product of a density by an acoustic velocity of a material ( density ρ by acoustic velocity v of a material ) is generally termed as a “ specific acoustical impedance ” of the material . now , assuming that an ultrasound arrives vertically at a boundary surface between two materials having specific acoustical impedances of z 1 and z 2 , the amplitude reflectance re then is given by expression 1 below . in this embodiment , medium i applies to piezoelectric vibrator 7 ; medium ii applies to an acoustic lens 8 ; and medium iii applies to the air layer . a medium layer ii having thickness l is interposed between medium i and medium iii . letting the respective sound velocities and densities of medium i , ii , and iii be c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , ρ 1 , ρ 2 , and ρ 3 , and assume that a sound wave having an intensity ii has come in medium i , passes through medium layer ii , and transmits medium iii with a sound intensity it . by treating this case similarly to the case of incoming and transmitting of a sound wave on a plane boundary , the equation shown in fig7 can be obtained . referring to fig8 , if conditions of l = λ 2 / 4 and z 2 =( z 1 z 2 ) 1 / 2 are met , τi = it / it = 1 can be obtained and the incident wave transmits medium iii with no loss ( no reflection loss ). in this embodiment , medium i corresponds to piezoelectric vibrator 7 ; medium ii applies to matching member 8 ; and medium iii applies to an air layer . as in the above case , if the thickness of matching member 8 l = μ 2 / 4 , and its specific acoustical impedance z 2 =( z 1 z 2 ) 1 / 2 , an ultrasound in - coming from piezoelectric vibrator 7 to matching member 8 ideally propagates in the air layer without any loss . however , since a specific acoustical impedance is instinctive to a material , it is difficult to find a material as matching member 8 that can meet these conditions . as a material of matching member 8 , if , at least , one having a specific acoustical impedance of a value in the middle between the specific acoustical impedance of piezoelectric vibrator 7 and the specific acoustical impedance of the air layer is selected , the propagation loss of the ultrasound can be reduced . as a preferable material for matching member 8 , a resin , glass , ceramic , metal , etc . may be selected . the above description has been made as in the case using piezoelectric vibrator 7 for ultrasound radiator 5 . other materials such as an electrostriction element or magnetostrictive element may also be used instead of the piezoelectric vibrator . in embodiment 2 , a description will be made when use is made of a fresnel lens 8 b as matching member 8 that composes an acoustic lens . ultrasound radiator 5 comprises a laminated body formed of piezoelectric vibrator 7 and a lamination layer of fresnel lens 8 b . a top view of this fresnel lens 8 b is shown in fig9 , and a cross section taken on line a - a of fig9 is shown in fig1 . in fresnel lens 8 b , grooves 100 are formed in a predetermined interval so that the ultrasound radiated from piezoelectric vibrator 7 can be focused on a given position in the ejection direction of droplet 2 . fresnel lens 8 b is formed , for example , by machining an aluminum material . the groove of the fresnel lens is calculated by the expressions shown in fig1 . now , descriptions will be made of one specific embodiment in which inkjet head 1 having a thickness 4 mm is installed in the middle part of a fresnel lens . the middle part 40 of the fresnel lens 8 b was hollowed out . the end face 20 of inkjet head 1 was embedded in this hollowed - out part so that the end face 20 of inkjet head 1 was flatly aligned with the upper surface of fresnel lens 8 b . this fresnel lens 8 b was formed to a desired form by machining an aluminum material . grooves 100 were formed in a rectangular aluminum material having width of 10 mm according to the dimensions given in table 1 , as illustrated in fig9 to 11 . the depth of each groove 100 was made to be 4 . 5 mm and the total thickness of fresnel lens 8 b was made to be 6 mm . by adequately determining the depths of the grooves 100 and the total thickness and appropriately selecting the specific acoustical impedance of the material that composes the acoustic lens , fresnel lens 8 b thus formed can provide the function as the matching member . that is , by setting the thickness of a remainder of the machining after subtracting the groove 100 from the total thickness of the acoustic lens to λ 2 / 4 , the function as the matching layer can be accomplished . another embodiment of the present invention will be described below . in this embodiment , use was made of ultrasound radiator 5 comprising a laminated body consisting of a piezoelectric vibrator and matching member 8 in which an ultrasound is focused on a focus point of 1 mm apart from nozzle 9 . the respective widths of the piezoelectric vibrator and matching member 8 were made to be 10 mm . this inkjet head 1 was disposed at the center in the width direction . this inkjet head 1 was mounted to the inkjet printer 30 , and data spread of landing positions of ink droplets 2 on recording medium 3 was studied by varying the distance between nozzle 9 and recording medium 3 with or without operating ultrasound radiator 5 . as a result , when the distance between nozzle 9 and recording medium 3 exceeded 2 mm with ultrasound radiator 5 not operating , data of the landing positions appeared to spread . on the other hand , when ultrasound radiator 5 was operating , nearly the same data variation as in the distance between nozzle 9 and recording medium 3 of 1 mm was obtained . even when the distance between nozzle 9 and recording medium 3 was further extended to 3 mm , the variation of the landing positions of ink droplets 2 did not enlarge . in this way , even the distance between nozzle 9 and recording medium 3 was set relatively great , the variation of the landing positions of the ink droplets could be maintained low and degradation of the print quality could be prevented . in addition , since the distance between inkjet head 1 and recording medium 3 is allowed to be relatively large , the freedom degree of design of an inkjet printer can be enhanced . the above ultrasound radiator 5 was exemplified as in the case wherein it was mounted integrally with the main body of the inkjet . however , ultrasound radiator 5 and the main body of the inkjet head may be separately formed and mounted to the main body of the printer . the above embodiment has been described of an on - demand type inkjet printer . the invention can also be applied to a continuous type inkjet printer , which can perform the same effect . according to the present invention , by superimposing the pressure by the ultrasound radiated from the ultrasound radiator on the ink droplet ejection force generated by the ink - ejection unit of the inkjet head , the traveling speed of ink droplets can be accelerated and variability of landing positions of ink droplet can be reduced even if the distance between the nozzle and the recording medium is extended . thus , the degradation of print quality can be prevented . the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments . however , other embodiments based on the principles of the present invention should be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art . such embodiments are intended to be covered by the claims . | 1 |
referring to fig1 , tank 10 is designed to mix materials in oil base fluid 12 , using mixer 14 . the oil is preferably low in aromatics , such as a paraffinic mineral oil . water - soluble polymer may be slurried with the oil to form a dispersion of individual polymer particles . the concentration of polymer in the slurry may be in the range from about 2 to 10 pounds of polymer per gallon of slurry . such a process is described in , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 828 , 034 , which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes . treating chemicals may be added in tank 10 , according to the method disclosed herein . surfactants or co - solvents may be incorporated into the oil phase to improve solubility or dispersability of treating chemicals . pump 15 transfers the slurry containing treating chemicals to tank 16 and provides additional mixing of the slurry . liquid 17 in tank 16 is water - or brine - based . mixing is provided by mixer 18 as hydration of the water - soluble polymer occurs . additional mixing tanks may be provided ( not shown ) to allow additional time for hydration of the polymer . polymer transfers from the oil phase into the water phase in tank 16 . treating chemical may be partially transferred to the water phase or may remain in the oil phase , which will usually be in the form of oil droplets formed by the mixing process . surfactants , well known in the art , may be added to the oil phase to facilitate emulsification of the oil phase into the water phase . alternatively , mixing of chemicals illustrated as occurring in tank 10 may occur in a remote location and the mixture may be transported to a well and added to the liquid in tank 16 . the treating chemical or chemicals to be added to oil phase 12 are selected based on conditions in the well to be treated . examples of treating chemicals are those capable of addressing the undesired effects caused by scale formations , salt formations , paraffin deposition , emulsification ( both water - in - oil and oil - in - water ), gas hydrate formation , corrosion , asphaltene precipitation and paraffin formation . further , other suitable treatment agents include foaming agents , oxygen scavengers , biocides and surfactants as well as other agents wherein slow release into a production well is desired . commercial products marketed for each application may be used , or such products may be modified to affect solubility in the oil phase or water phase . such modifications , such as addition of oleophilic groups to increase oil solubility , or addition of polar groups to increase water solubility , are well known in the art . for injection into a well producing oil , additional water solubility of treating chemicals , providing greater amount of treating chemical in the water phase , may be used to provide slower return of the treating chemical in produced fluid from the well . treating chemicals may also be selected to increase adsorption of the chemical on the surface of rock contacted by the treating fluid . this increased adsorption will also provide slower return of the treating chemical in produced fluid from the well . for example , if the treating chemical is to be used to inhibit scale formation in a well , a suitable chemical would be an oil - soluble dispersion of amino tris ( methylene phosphonic acid ). this material is commercially available as bs - 156 from syrgis performance chemicals of houston , tex . this material may be added to oil phase 12 of fig1 during mixing of a fluid to be pumped into a well . this material may be modified to change solubility in oil and water phases for application in specific wells . other materials that may be used for scale inhibition include organic phosphonates , aminophosphonates , phosphonates derived from alkyloxylated amines , polymers , and multi - polymers of acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonic acid ( amps ), n - tert - butylacrylamide ( nba ), hydroxypropylacrylate , phosphinoacrylate , sulfonate styrene , ethylacrylate , maleic anhydride , phosphate esters , carboxymethylinulin , polyepoxysuccinic acid , polyaspartic acid and mixtures of the same . treating chemicals to be used to inhibit paraffin deposition or disperse paraffin or asphaltene include , but are not limited to : polymers and copolymers of olefin / maleic esters , olefin / imides , ethylene vinyl acetates , alkyl phenol resins , alkyl esters of acrylic acid , alkyl esters of methacrylic acid , vinyl pyridine , alkyl substituted phenol - formaldehyde resins , polyisobutylene succinic anhydride and sorbitan monoleate . treating chemicals to be used to inhibit corrosion include mixtures containing one or more of a group selected from fatty imidazolines and salts with alkyl amines and alcoholamines ; fatty amido imidazolines , dimer and trimer acids derived from tall oil fatty acid ( tofa ); quaternary amine compounds including alkyl pyridine benzyl quaternary amines ; cocodimethyl benzyl quaternary amines ; phosphate esters of triethanol amine ; acetylenic alcohols such as propargyl alcohol , butynol ; cinnamaldehye ; and alkyl imidoamide of tofa . treating chemicals to be used to inhibit gas hydrate formation include mixtures of polyoxypropylenediamine and other jeffamines available from huntsman corporation and triethylene glycol amine . demulsifiers may include polyols and polyol esters ; alkyloxylated resins of ; phenol formaldehyde ; resins of diepoxides ; resins of alkylaryl sulfonic acids ; resins of nonyl phenol ; amyl resins and butyl resins . hydrogen sulfide scavengers such as trihydroxyethyltriazine and trihydroxymethyltriazine . metal borate complexes , bisoxazolidines and reaction products of alkylenepolyamine with fomaldehyde may be added . salt inhibitors such as carboxymethylinulin , sodium ferrocyanide and nitriloacetic acid derivatives may be added . biocides such as quaternary alkyl amine compounds , glutaraldehyde , tetrakishydroxymethylphosphonium sulfate , isothiazoline , dibromonitrilopropionamide , alkylthiocarbamates , tributyltetradecylphosphonium chloride , tetrahydro - 3 , 5 , dimethyl - 2h - 1 , 3 , 5 - thiadiazine - 2 - thione and mixtures of the above may be added . oxygen scavengers such as erythorbates , hydroquinone , methyhydroquinone , sulfite salts , carbohydrazide , hydrazine , methylethylketoxime and diethylhydroxylamine with and without metal activators may be added . slurries of water - soluble polymer in oil may be sold and transported as a product for use by a pumping service company in well treatments . such products may be modified , according to this disclosure , by the addition of well treatment chemicals such as paraffin inhibitors , corrosion inhibitors and scale inhibitors or other chemicals disclosed herein . this product can allow the pumping service company to provide a treatment for an operator that is specifically adapted for the well treated . although the present invention has been described with respect to specific details , it is not intended that such details should be regarded as limitations on the scope of the invention , except to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims . | 4 |
although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures . while the preferred embodiment has been described , the details may be changed without departing from the invention , which is defined by the claims . as illustrated in the figures , a preferred embodiment of the harvester 10 is shown in connection with the harvesting of celery , but it is to be understood that the harvester 10 may be used to harvest other similar types of upstanding vegetables , such as cabbage and the like . as it may be observed particularly in fig1 - 4 , the harvester 10 may be provided with wheels , tracks 12 , or other earth - engaging members and driven by a prime mover , such as the diesel engine 14 shown . the harvester 10 further includes a forward end 24 and a trailing end 26 , with an operator &# 39 ; s station or cab 16 located at the forward end 24 to provide maximum visibility by the operator ( not shown ). in the figures , the harvester 10 is illustrated as generally including a track - laying , power - driven tractor 18 having tracks 12 for movement of the harvester 10 along crop rows 200 ( seen in fig1 ). a supporting structure 20 is mounted on the tracks 12 , which comprises a plurality of frame members 22 . as may be further seen in the figures , the forward end 24 of the harvester 10 is provided with an initial cutting station 30 . illustrated particularly in fig7 and 8 , the initial cutting station 30 may be provided with ground - engaging wheels 32 mounted on axle 34 . a housing , or protective shroud 36 , is further provided for the purpose of surrounding initial cutting elements 37 , 38 ( see particularly fig8 ). as seen , the shroud 36 includes at least one open end 35 which allows entry of the rooted and upstanding plant 100 to be harvested as the harvester moves along the crop rows 200 . as may be observed in the figures , cutting element 38 is preferably in the form of a horizontally rotatable blade 38 , which is rotated by auxiliary drive 39 . in operation , as the harvester 10 advances , blade 38 is arranged to remove the leafy portion of the plant 100 ( seen as celery in these views ). the initial cutting station 30 preferably further includes means for severing the plant 100 from the roots ( not shown ). for this purpose , and as shown particularly in fig8 , the initial cutting station 30 may include at least one root cutting blade , such as the butt knife 37 , shown for severing the plants 100 from the ground . as seen in fig1 , the harvester 10 further includes a forwardly extending elongated boom 40 defined by one or more oppositely disposed elevating conveyor supporting side frames 42 . the boom 40 supports the aforementioned initial cutting station 30 at its distal end 46 and is pivotally and slidably mounted at its elevated proximal end 41 for unique movement in both a vertical plane and a horizontal plane . elevating conveyor side frames 42 support a plurality of resiliently faced , endless elevator belts 44 , 44 a which are each supported at the distal and proximal ends 46 , 41 , respectively , of the boom 40 . as illustrated , the harvester 10 may include a pair of belts 44 , 44 a for each row 200 ( see fig1 ) of plants 100 ( see fig7 ). as the harvester 10 advances , each pair of belts 44 , 44 a grasps , in sequence , the topped plants 100 as the root cutting butt knife 37 ( see fig8 ), mounted below the belts 44 , 44 a severs the plant 100 from the ground . conveyor frames 42 , along with the cooperating belts 44 , 44 a , are located directly behind the cutting station 30 and serve to raise the severed plants 100 from ground level to elevated trans - slicing station 50 . individual spindle members 47 serve to rotatably support and drive the belts 44 , 44 a . intermediate drive members serving the spindles 47 are not specifically shown , but derive power from the hydraulic pump 15 via conventional power coupling means . as illustrated particularly in fig1 and 9 , as the belts 44 , 44 a , raise the severed plants 100 toward elevated trans - slicing station 50 , the plants 100 are deposited on intermediate belt pairs 48 , 48 a . as may be observed particularly in fig9 , intermediate belt pairs 48 , 48 a serve to move the severed plants 100 into the slicing station 50 and may include angularly disposed belt elements for optimal control and positioning of the plants 100 . it is to be noted that while not specifically shown , motive power for the cooperating elements is derived from the hydraulic pump 15 via conventional power coupling means . as is shown in phantom , the hydraulic pump 15 is powered by diesel or other internal combustion engine 14 ( see particularly fig9 ). further , it is to be understood that while hydraulic pump 15 is illustrated by way of example , other conventional power sources may be utilized . as seen particularly in fig1 and 9 , an elevated trans - slicing station 50 includes a cutting wheel 52 supporting a plurality of radially extending blades 54 . as may be observed , the blades 54 may be radially arranged around an axle 56 , such that as the plants 100 are moved toward the blades 54 in the direction of the arrow 58 , they are sliced into individual pieces 59 having a predetermined size . as mentioned previously , cutting wheel 52 , such as that shown , may be manufactured by urschel laboratories , inc . of valparaiso , ind ., for example . the cutting wheel 52 may be interchanged and positioned for maximum versatility according to the cut desired , such as , slicing , julienne , or the like , by way of example . the trans - slicing station 50 is conveniently adaptable for uniformly slicing the celery stalks or other elongated , harvested vegetable , with precision and at high capacities . turning specifically to fig7 and 9 , it may be observed that the harvester 10 may further include a debris - removal station 60 . as seen in these views , the sliced pieces 59 exit the trans - slicing station 50 to fall beneath a suction hood 66 of the debris - removal station 60 and onto auxiliary conveyor 64 . auxiliary conveyor 64 carries the pieces 59 in the direction of arrow 62 . as seen particularly in fig1 , the debris - removal station 60 of the present embodiment may include a fan 67 or other device to create a partial vacuum under the hood 66 to draw debris 68 , such as dirt and other particulate matter , away from the pieces 59 and through duct 69 . as illustrated particularly in fig9 , the debris 68 moves through the hood 66 and duct 69 in the direction of arrow 65 to be deposited at the trailing end 26 of the harvester 10 ( seen in fig7 ). with reference to fig9 and 10 in particular , it may be seen that auxiliary conveyor belt 64 moves the pieces 59 , now separated from the debris 68 , in the direction of arrow 62 and toward a grading station 70 . there the pieces 59 are graded according to desired final product size . illustrated particularly in the view of fig1 , the grading station 70 may include a grate 72 having a plurality of cross bars 74 which may be spaced to define transversely spaced interstices configured to permit passage of cross - sliced or julienne cut product , depending on the grading operation desired . for example , a wider spacing allows larger sized pieces 59 to fall through , while a smaller spacing allows only the smallest pieces 59 to fall through . with further reference to fig1 , pieces 59 which are permitted to fall through the grate 72 land on tray 76 . as illustrated , the grading station 70 may further include means for horizontal movement in the direction indicated by arrows 77 to thereby encourage the pieces 59 to fall through the grate 72 , as described . any pieces 59 which do not fall through to tray 76 , move in the direction of arrow 78 and ultimately fall to the ground ( not shown in this view ) as debris . pieces 59 which fall through the cross bars 74 are deposited on tray 76 and are encouraged in the direction of arrow 79 toward a perpendicularly disposed conveyor 80 . conveyor 80 moves the graded pieces 59 in the direction of arrow 82 to a laterally extending , off - loading conveyor 84 . the off - loading conveyor 84 serves to move the graded pieces 59 toward a transport container or vehicle 86 ( seen in phantom in fig1 ). the transport vehicle 86 travels across the field alongside the harvester 10 in a conventional manner . it may be observed in the view of fig2 that the off - loading conveyor 84 may be moveable between a laterally - extending functional position , and a stowed , retracted position , shown in phantom . a further feature of an embodiment of the present harvester 10 is exemplified in the views of fig3 - 6 , and 11 . as shown , the harvester 10 may be provided with means to laterally shift the cooperating components such as the cab assembly 16 , initial cutting station 30 , boom 40 , slicing station 50 , and debris - removal station 60 to alternative sides of the harvester 10 . as illustrated particularly in the views of fig5 and 6 , components 30 , 40 , 50 , and 60 may be shifted in the direction of arrow 88 to thereby align the components 30 , 40 , 50 , and 60 along an alternative side . the harvester 10 then operates in the manner previously described while utilizing an alternative laterally extending , offloading conveyor 84 . this feature allows the user of the harvester 10 to easily harvest adjacent crop rows 200 ( see particularly fig1 ). typically , when a harvester reaches the end of a row , the driver must turn the harvester to proceed down a parallel , but not adjacent crop row . this requires a subsequent trip down the adjacent row . the ability of the present harvester 10 to shift the components 30 , 40 , 50 , and 60 , to thereby align them on alternative sides of the harvester 10 , permits the harvester 10 to harvest adjacent crop rows 200 without the requirement of revisiting alternate rows later in the harvesting process . as may be seen in fig3 and 4 , shifting of components 30 , 40 , 50 , and 60 is accomplished by first lowering the operator cab assembly 16 in the direction of arrow 17 and raising the cutting station 30 and boom 40 in the direction of arrow 45 . as previously mentioned , the boom 40 may be pivotally mounted at its elevated proximal end 41 for unique movement in a vertical plane , with the operator cab 16 being mounted for vertical movement relative to the boom 40 . as seen in fig1 - 4 , the boom 40 is pivotally supported at 91 on framework 90 . as is further seen in fig3 , the boom 40 is rotated upward in the direction of arrow 45 to provide clearance between it and the cab assembly 16 . other pivotable means may also be utilized , such as a rotatably movable tubular shaft positioned circumjacent to a stationary supporting shaft ( not shown ). likewise , the cab assembly 16 may be adapted for vertical movement . as may be observed particularly in the views of fig1 - 4 , the cab assembly 16 may be attached to the tractor 18 by way of vertical support member 92 . vertical movement of the cab assembly 16 may be effected by use of the vertical support member 92 and tubular shaft 93 positioned circumjacent the support member 92 , as shown , or other conventional means . motive power for vertical movement of the cab assembly 16 may be derived from the hydraulic pump 15 shown , or other conventional means . the lowering of the cab assembly 16 and raising of the boom 40 provides clearance between the cab 16 and boom 40 to thereby allow the boom 40 , elevated trans - slicing station 50 , and debris removal station 60 to move horizontally , from a first side of the harvester 10 to an alternative side . as seen in the view of fig6 , once the boom 40 and cab assembly 16 have been moved vertically relative to one another as discussed to provide clearance , the boom 40 , trans - slicing station 50 and debris removal station 60 may be horizontally shifted in the direction of arrow 88 to an adjacent side . concurrently , the cab assembly 16 may be horizontally shifted in the direction of arrow 89 to an opposed , adjacent side . during horizontal movement of cooperating parts the trans - slicing station 50 rides on rails 94 a , 94 b along with the proximal end 41 of the boom 40 which rides on rails 94 c , 94 d . as may be observed particularly in fig1 , the trans - slicing station 50 further includes at least one extending gripping member 96 which engages a corresponding stationary rail 94 a , 94 b for relative longitudinal movement of the trans - slicing station 50 . likewise , support frame 90 may further include at least one extending gripping member 96 which is adapted to slidingly engage a corresponding stationary rail 94 c , 94 d for relative longitudinal movement of the boom 40 . in a similar manner , the cab assembly 16 rides on rails 94 e . as illustrated , the cab assembly 16 is supported on the forward end 24 of the harvester 10 by way of a frame 95 which preferably further includes means to slidingly engage rail 94 e . as illustrated , the frame 95 may include least one extending gripping member 96 which slidingly engages rail 94 e to thereby facilitate horizontal movement of the frame 95 and attached cab assembly 16 . horizontal movement of the cooperating parts may be effected by way of the chain 97 and sprocket 98 arrangement shown , or by other conventional means . power for the horizontal movement may be derived from the aforementioned hydraulic pump 15 . after the boom 40 , trans - slicing station 50 and debris removal station 60 have been horizontally shifted , as discussed , the boom 40 and cab 16 are then returned to their usual operating positions . as seen , the harvesting and processing procedures remain the same regardless of which harvester operating side is utilized , while using an alternative , corresponding conveyor 64 and off - loading conveyor 84 . although the trans - slicing station , 50 is illustrated as being mounted on rails 94 a , 94 b to facilitate sliding of the components , it is to be understood that other mounting mechanisms that enable similar shifting of components may be envisioned . fig1 depicts a harvester 10 of the present invention as it moves along a crop row 200 . the path of the harvester 10 , shown in solid line , illustrates the harvester turning at an end of a row , with a harvester 10 in phantom showing an un - shifted apparatus . fig1 illustrates the manner in which a harvester is unable to access the nearest adjacent row 200 and must skip a row and harvest an alternating row 200 unless the harvester is able to shift components as herein described . as shown , and as described hereinabove , the present harvester 10 is enabled to shift operating components 30 , 40 , 50 , and 60 to thereby gain access to the immediately adjacent crop row 200 . this capability saves harvest time and provides a cost savings . the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . furthermore , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described . while the preferred embodiment has been described , the details may be changed without departing from the invention , which is defined by the claims . | 0 |
aspects of the invention are more specifically set forth in the accompanying description with reference to the appended figures . fig1 is a general block diagram of an electrical system to which principles of the present invention can be applied according to an embodiment of the present invention . the electrical system 100 illustrated in fig1 includes the following components : input power systems 206 ; a modular and scalable power conversion system 250 ; individual loads / motors 200 ; and starter generators 210 . operation of the electrical system 100 in fig1 will become apparent from the following discussion . electrical system 100 may be associated with environments with electrical components such as a cabin air compressor system , a hydraulic system , a heating system , a traction system , etc ., in an aircraft , a ship , a train , a laboratory facility , etc . input power systems 206 provide electrical power to individual loads / motors 200 and starter generators 210 , through the modular and scalable power conversion system 250 . input power systems 206 handle wattage power that can be on the order of w , kw , hundreds of kw , mw , etc ., and voltages that can be on the order of volts , hundreds to thousands of volts , etc . the outputs of input power systems 206 may be dc voltages , ac voltages , etc . input power systems 206 may include motors , turbines , generators , transformers , filters , circuit breakers , etc . modular and scalable power conversion system 250 receives power from input power systems 206 , and provides electrical power to individual loads / motors 200 and starter generators 210 . modular and scalable power conversion system 250 includes power conversion modules . modular and scalable power conversion system 250 may also include other electrical circuits and components such as transformers , rectifiers , filters , battery banks , etc ., magnetic components such as coils and permanent magnets , etc . individual loads / motors 200 and starter generators 210 are systems that enable functioning of services onboard a vehicle , in an aircraft , in a lab , etc . individual loads / motors 200 and starter generators 210 may include an air conditioning system , a navigation system , an aircraft control system , a cabin air compressor , a starter generator , a braking system , etc . input power systems 206 and modular and scalable power conversion system 250 may provide , and individual loads / motors 200 and starter generators 210 may use various ac or dc voltages . for example , some electrical systems may utilize ac voltages of 115v or 230v or higher , with fixed frequencies ( such as , for example , 50 / 60 hz or 400 hz ), or variable frequencies ( such as , for example 360 - 800 hz for aerospace applications , 1000 - 2000 hz for high frequency ), or dc voltages such as , for example , 28v , 270v , or ± 270v . although the systems in electrical system 100 are shown as discrete units , it should be recognized that this illustration is for ease of explanation and that the associated functions of certain functional modules or systems can be performed by one or more physical elements . fig2 is a block diagram of a typical / conventional power system 204 for an aircraft . during the aircraft engine start , a motor controller 207 is used to supply power to the starter generator 210 m for main engine start . after the start , motor controller 207 is used to supply a motor 213 . the motor 213 may be included in the ecs , in the hydraulic aircraft system , etc . the typical / conventional aircraft power system 204 imposes design constraints on the generating and conversion equipment that includes motor controller 207 . design constraints are imposed on the motor controller 207 because its design is heavily dependent the power required to achieve the main engine start at starter generator 210 m . the output current required for main engine start is typically 2 to 5 times larger than the current required to drive the motor 213 . this results in a motor controller 207 designed with a large output rating , needed for the main engine start , but not for the subsequent control of an aircraft motor load . this large output rating imposes weight , volume and cost penalties on existing power systems , resulting in sub - optimal approaches to power conversion and distribution . another negative aspect of the typical / conventional aircraft power system 204 is that the availability of the starter generator 210 m is negatively affected , because a failure of the motor controller 207 removes at once the start capability for its associated starter generator . fig3 is a block diagram of a modular and scalable power conversion system 250 a for aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention . as illustrated in fig3 , modular and scalable power conversion system 250 a includes n power conversion modules ( pcms ) 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n . the pcms are designed and optimized for continuous operation when they supply the loads / motors 200 _ 1 , 200 _ 2 , . . . , 200 — n used in aircraft systems , such as the ecs , the hydraulic system , etc . during main engine start , a certain number of pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n are operated in parallel and used to supply the start power to a starter generator ( sg ) 210 _ 1 . the aircraft electrical architecture allows to connect each of the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n to any of the sgs in the electric system , such as sg 210 _ 1 , . . . 210 — m , as required for main engine start , auxiliary power unit ( apu ) start , etc . this approach allows for the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n to be designed for a much lower rating , hence realizing weight , volume and cost savings . the availability of the start system is increased over typical / conventional systems . in the system illustrated in fig3 , a failure of one of the pcm modules 130 _ 1 , 1302 , . . . , 130 — n used in parallel during start , will remove only partially the start capability of the system , as the other pcm modules which have not failed are still able to supply start power . after the start , some of the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n can be disconnected from the parallel configuration , and used individually for other functions , such as for supplying power to individual loads / motors 200 _ 1 , 200 _ 2 , . . . , 200 — n , etc . more weight and volume savings are hence realized , because of the multiple functionality of pcms 130 _ 1 , 1302 , . . . , 130 — n . each one of the power conversion modules ( pcms ) 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n can be designed to have independent power output and controls . the independent controls capability of the pcms is used during the continuous operation , when the pcm modules supply power to individual loads and motors , such as ecs motors , hydraulic system motors , other aircraft systems , etc . the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n also include the capability and the interfaces required to communicate with each other , to use common controls during the main engine start , when the outputs of the pcms are paralleled . during main engine start , when a certain number of pcms are operated in parallel and used to supply the start power to a starter generator among 210 _ 1 , 210 _ 2 , . . . , 210 — m , two or more pcms use the same controls supplied via a controls and communication interface 255 . one of the pcm is the master and the other pcm ( s ) is / are the slave ( s ). in case the master pcm has a failure , it will be turned off and one of the remaining pcm controllers will become master and continue the start . the controls and communication interface 255 manages the pcm hierarchy based on pcm functionality . the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n may control connections / switch arrangement for contactors 302 _ 1 a , 302 _ 1 b , 302 _ 2 a , 302 _ 2 b , . . . , 302 _na , 302 _nb to enable combinations of different pcms to be connected to a starter generator and at the same time to be disconnected from any individual loads . contactors 302 _ 1 a , 302 _ 1 b , 302 _ 2 a , 302 _ 2 b , . . . , 302 _na , 302 _nb may , alternatively or additionally , be controlled by the controls and communication interface 255 . for example , connections / switch arrangement for contactors 302 _ 1 a , 302 _ 1 b , 302 _ 2 a , 302 _ 2 b , . . . , 302 _na , 302 _nb may be controlled to establish an independent pcm configuration , or an interdependent pcm configuration such as , for example , a paralleled pcm configuration . the contactors 302 _ 1 a , 302 _ 1 b , 302 _ 2 a , 302 _ 2 b , . . . , 302 _na , 302 _nb may be separate units from pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n , or may be included in the pcms 130 _ 1 , 130 _ 2 , . . . , 130 — n . fig4 a is a block diagram of a system including two power conversion modules connected in parallel to supply power to a starter generator according to an embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig3 . in typical / conventional aircraft systems , a start converter may have dual use as a motor controller , by powering a starter generator and a cabin air compressor ( cac ) load sequentially . however , such a start converter used to power both a starter generator and a cac load uses a large amount of power and is inefficiently used , because the start function for a starter generator typically requires power on the order of 100 kw , while a cac load start function requires less power than the starter generator . hence , the excess power capacity corresponding to the starter generator is not used when the start converter powers a cac load , and the start converter is typically oversized for the use of powering a cac . as illustrated in fig4 a , two pcms 130 a and 130 b are operated in parallel to provide power to a starter generator 210 a for start . after providing power to starter generator 210 a , the pcms 130 a and 130 b are operated independently of each other , to provide power to cac 1 ( 213 b ) and cac 2 ( 213 a ). hence , the output of the two pcms 130 a and 130 b are combined during start of the system to obtain a larger start power ( for starter generator 210 a ), and are decoupled after start , to obtain smaller powers ( for loads 213 a and 213 b ). in an exemplary embodiment , instead of using a fixed 100 kw power controller to power a 100 kw starter generator and a 50 kw cac , pcms 130 a and 130 b , which provide 50 kw each , output 100 kw power for starter generator 210 a when the pcms 130 a and 130 b are operated together in parallel , and output 50 kw each for 2 separate loads , when the pcms 130 a and 130 b are operated independently . weight and volume system savings are hence achieved . fig4 b is a block diagram of an exemplary modular and scalable power conversion system for aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig3 . in fig4 b , pcms 130 a and 130 b are operated with their outputs in parallel during a main engine start with starter generator 210 _l 1 , with pcms 130 a and 130 b being controlled by a common control algorithm . the two contactors closer to the pcm at the output of each pcm module ( contactors 302 a and 302 b ), are closed . this contactor arrangement allows for start operation using one pcm module in the case of failure of the other module . after the start , these contactors ( contactors 302 a and 302 b ) are open and the contactor connection to cabin air compressor ( cac ) 1 ( contactor 302 d ) and cac 2 ( contactor 302 c ) are closed . pcms 130 a and 130 b are now operated independently , each supplying one cac of the ecs , cac 1 and 2 ( 213 a and 213 b ). pcms 130 a and 130 b are designed for continuous operation to drive the cac 1 and cac 2 ( 213 a and 213 b ) and therefore weight and volume savings are realized . similarly , pcms 130 c and 130 d are operated with their outputs in parallel during a main engine start using starter generator 210 _l 2 , or starter generator 210 _r 1 , or auxiliary starter generator 210 a , and are controlled by a common control algorithm . after the start , pcms 130 c and 130 d are operated independently , each supplying a motor driving the hydraulic system ( 215 a and 215 b ). pcms 130 e and 130 f are also operated with their outputs in parallel during a main engine start using starter generator 210 _r 2 and are controlled by a common control algorithm . after the start , pcms 130 e and 130 f are operated independently , each supplying a cac load ( 213 c and 213 d ). general motor controllers 207 a , 207 b , 207 c , and 207 d are also present . each general motor controller supplies only one load , such as : a condenser fan 213 e , a vapor cycle system ( vcs ) 213 g , a vcs 213 h , and a condenser fan 213 f . the availability of the start system illustrated in fig4 b is increased , since the left engine start capability is 200 % when both starter generators ( 210 _l 1 and 210 _l 2 ) and all four pcms 130 a , 130 b , 130 c , and 130 d are available . the left engine start capability will degrade from 200 % to 150 % when any one of the pcms 130 a , 130 b , 130 c , and 130 d fails . the left engine start capability will degrade to 100 % when two pcms among 130 a , 130 b , 130 c , and 130 d fail . in traditional / conventional aircraft start systems , the 150 % engine start capability and availability step is non - existent . also , since multiple pcms are available per starter generator and engine as illustrated in fig4 b , the aircraft system can withstand more failures than a typical system with 2 generators and 2 start converters ( one per generator ). using systems implemented in the current application , engine start can still be performed with a failed generator or any combination of 2 failed pcms . the pcms in fig3 , 4 a and 4 b may include multiple function power converters ( mfpcs ), described in the non - provisional application titled “ an architecture and a multiple function power converter for aircraft ”, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . when the pcms include mfpcs , the pcms can perform multiple functions , including functions of motor controllers , functions of static inverters , and functions of start converters , as illustrated in fig4 c . in fig4 c , mfpcs 130 _ 1 a and 130 _ 1 b are used in parallel to starter generator 210 _l 1 , and are used afterwards to provide power to cac 213 a and 213 b . mfpcs 130 _ 2 a and 130 _ 2 b are used in parallel to starter generator 210 _r 2 , and are used afterwards to provide power to cac 213 c and 213 d . mfpcs 130 _ 3 a and 130 _ 3 b are used in parallel to provide power to starter generators 210 _l 2 and 210 _r 1 , and are used afterwards to provide power to hydraulic loads 215 a and 215 b , and to 400 hz loads 218 a and 218 b through left and right autotransformers ( oat ) 291 a and 291 b . 400 hz is one of the standard frequencies used in aircraft electrical systems . while 400 hz loads are shown in fig4 c , loads using other frequencies can also receive conditioned power from the mfpcs . mfpcs may provide power to loads using other constant or variable frequencies , such as loads associated with mea aircraft . hence , the mfpcs in fig4 c perform functions for electric engine start , for driving the ecs or cabin air compressors , and functions of static inverters . in one exemplary embodiment , the mfpcs provide 115vac or 230vac , 3 - phase , 400 hz ( or other standard frequencies used in aircraft electrical systems ) electrical power for aircraft systems and equipment that require such power . aircraft wiring saving may be achieved by using the generator main feeders during engine start , thus eliminating the need for dedicated feeders for start . since mfpcs can perform the functions of motor controllers , start converters , and inverters , a reduced number of mfpcs is sufficient to power a variety of loads . fig5 is a block diagram illustrating an implementation for a power conversion module ( pcm ) 130 a for a modular and scalable power conversion system for aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention illustrated in fig3 . as illustrated in fig5 , a pcm 130 a includes : an input assembly 301 ; a 3 phase bridge 303 ; an output assembly 305 ; drivers 307 ; and power conversion module ( pcm ) controls 309 . input power passes through the input assembly 301 , the 3 phase bridge 303 , and the output assembly 305 , from which output power is obtained . input signals and control power are received at pcm controls 309 , and an output for the controls and communication interface 255 ( as illustrated in fig3 ) is obtained . pcm controls 309 control the input assembly 301 , the output assembly 305 , and the 3 phase bridge 303 . the input assembly 301 contains filter elements and isolation devices . the isolation devices may be , for example , contactors or relays . the output assembly 305 contains filter elements and isolation devices . pcm controls 309 control states of the isolation devices included in the input assembly 301 and output assembly 305 . pcm controls 309 also control the 3 phase bridge 303 via the drivers 307 . in one embodiment , pcm controls 309 control switching of devices inside 3 phase bridge 303 via gate devices included in drivers 307 . the pcm 130 a may be sized for main engine start ( mes ), or by other criteria . the size of the 3 phase bridge 303 , and the size of the electromagnetic interference ( emi ) filters and heat sink associated with the pcm 130 a may be reduced , to obtain a compact pcm 130 a . by controlling isolation devices in the input assembly 301 and the output assembly 306 , the 3 - phase bridges 303 of neighboring pcms can be coordinately driven for main engine start , for example in parallel for 3 - phase variable frequency starter generators ( vfsg ), or at 30 ° shift for 6 - phase vfsgs , etc . in one embodiment , the 3 - phase bridge 303 is compatible with high - power industrial equipment . the power output from the output assembly 305 is used for main engine start or to drive motors and loads . in an exemplary embodiment , the output power from independent pcm channels is used to drive permanent magnet ( pm ) cabin air compressor ( cac ) motors , and the 3 phase bridges 303 of the pcms are rated for cac at about 65a / phase . in another exemplary embodiment , the output power from one pcm channel is used for main engine start ( mes ), and the 3 phase bridge 303 is rated for mes at about 220a / phase for a limited start duration . embodiments of the current invention are not limited to the particular numbers of starter generators , or the particular number and types of loads illustrated , and can be used with any quantities and types of starter generators and loads . although some aspects of the present invention have been described in the context of aerospace applications , the principles of the present invention are applicable to any environments that use electrical power , such as industrial environments , vehicles , ships , etc ., to provide various amounts of power , at various frequencies . | 5 |
the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures , in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein . like numbers refer to like elements throughout . dimensions may be exaggerated for clarity . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; printed circuit board &# 34 ; is meant to include any microelectronics packaging substrate . fig3 and 4 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig4 the radiotelephone 20 includes a rear housing member 30 and a front housing member 40 . the front and rear housing members 30 , 40 are preferably sized and configured to matably connect together such that they form a channel or chamber 35 therebetween . a printed circuit board 50 is positioned in the channel 35 between the front and rear housing members 30 , 40 . the radiotelephone 20 also typically includes a battery 60 associated therewith . preferably , the battery 60 is mounted in a battery chamber 66 formed in an externally accessible and exposed surface of the rear housing 30 . also as shown , the radiotelephone 20 includes at least one edge interface connector 75 for electrically connecting the battery 60 to the printed circuit board 50 . the printed circuit board 50 comprises longitudinal and lateral surfaces and is positioned in the housing such that its longitudinal surfaces ( fig7 a , 100 ) extend parallel to a plane defined by lines which extend from the top to bottom and side to side of the radiotelephone when held in the hand of a user . as used herein , the lateral surfaces 110 of the printed circuit board are perpendicular to the longitudinal surfaces and can be defined by planes which extend across the width of a radiotelephone ( front to back when held in the hand of a user ). for example , a rectangular printed circuit board will have two external longitudinal surfaces ( top and bottom ) and four lateral surfaces ( sides ). the printed circuit is typically formed on one or more conductive layers of the board separated by insulating layers which comprise the longitudinal surfaces of the board . the lateral surfaces are typically the surfaces which form the edge perimeter walls of the board . additionally , as shown in fig5 an aperture such as an elongated or circular &# 34 ; via &# 34 ; can be formed normal to the longitudinal surface of the board . further , an intermediate via can be formed normal to the longitudinal surface and internal of the perimeter edges of the printed circuit board to define an intermediate lateral surface thereat ( not shown ). as shown in fig5 the printed circuit board 50 includes a pair of battery edge contact pads 55 positioned on a lateral surface 110 ( preferably an end lateral surface 110a ). the battery 60 also includes a corresponding pair of conductive end contacts 65 ( fig3 and 4 ) preferably positioned on an end portion of the battery in close proximity to the rear housing member 30 . the edge interface connector 75 includes upper and lower contact portions 77 , 78 which are in electrical communication . each of the upper contact portions 77 engage with one of the battery contacts 65 and the lower contact portions 78 engage with a corresponding printed circuit board battery edge contact pad 55 to complete a battery circuit path therebetween . advantageously , as shown in fig7 a , the edge interface connection allows 125 to be placed in close proximity to the edge contacts 55 without the need for keep - out zones as generally dictated by conventional designs . for example , conventional designs typically require a keep - out zone which includes not only the contact surface area , but mechanical attachment means of the contacts , and stack - up tolerances between the interconnected components such as between the printed circuit board and housing . unfortunately , the various stack - up tolerances can be relatively substantial causing a rather large keep - out zone on valuable board space . referring again to fig5 the connector 75 preferably includes a support body 76 , and is positioned to structurally hold an elongated contact spring 74 which defines the upper and lower contact portions 77 , 78 . the elongated spring contact 74 allows a natural geometry benefit arising from the length of the lower portion 78 which provides increased spring flexibility or resilience for a more secure connection at the printed circuit board pad 55 . the length or configuration of the spring contact 74 provides a smooth force over a longer distance with an associated improved spring constant or ( k ) value . in the past , the surface area of the elbow or bend of the lower spring was typically sized to obtain a desirable length necessary to provide a desired spring constant value ( k ). preferably , the support body 76 is constructed from a plastic , resin , or elastomer body and the upper and lower portions 77 , 78 are preferably formed from resilient spring metal legs such as heat treated copper tungsten or beryllium copper . also preferably , the spring contact upper and lower portions 77 , 78 are a continuous length of resilient conductive material which is formed into a desired shape and then inserted ( or molded ) into the support body 76 . the support body 76 can be assembled to the radiotelephone in any number of ways . examples of suitable mounting techniques include heat staking , adhesives , and sizing the connector to press or snap fit into one of the housing members . further , as will be recognized by one of skill in the art , the connector 75 can have many alternative configurations , such as , but not limited to , integrally forming the elongated spring contact 74 ( or the upper and lower contact portions 77 , 78 ) in one of the housing members 30 , 40 so that a separate support body 76 is not required ( not shown ). the upper portion of the spring contact 77 is preferably configured to extend a predetermined distance out of the housing so that it can electrically contact with a device such as a battery or other accessory . in one preferred embodiment , as shown in fig5 a , the upper portion 77 arcuately extends out of a first side of the support body 76a while the lower portion 78 extends out of a second side of the support body 76b which is adjacent the first side 76a . this configuration positions the upper portion of the connector below or substantially flush with the top of the support body . alternatively , as shown in fig8 and 10 , the upper portion 77 &# 39 ; can extend out of a third side of the support housing 76c such that it is above the support body 76 . the lower portion of the spring contact 78 includes a lower electrical edge contact 78b and a spring leg 78a . the lower portion of the spring contact an also be configured in numerous ways . exemplary configurations are illustrated in fig5 , and 10 . fig5 illustrates one support body 76 with two vertically extending spring contacts 74 . fig9 illustrates one support body 276 with two spring contact lower portions formed in an &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; shape 278 . the lower portions 278 include two segments a vertical segment 278a and a horizontal segment 278b which is angularly connected to the first segment ( shown as 90 degrees ). advantageously , this configuration can provide increased spring flexibility or resilience . fig1 shows an additional embodiment of a support body 376 with two horizontally extending elongated lower portions 378 . in one embodiment , the printed circuit board contact pad and lower spring contact 78b are configured with complementary curvatures ( fig6 ). the support body 76 can also be configured in numerous ways . exemplary support body configurations are shown in fig3 , 10 and 11 . fig3 illustrates a support body 76 with a side exiting upper portion 78 . fig5 illustrates a horizontally elongated support body 176 holding two side exiting elongated spring contacts 74 . fig1 illustrates a rectangular support body 376 with two top exiting upper portions 77 &# 39 ; and two horizontally extending lower portions 378 . fig1 shows two separate housings 476 , each with a single elongated spring contact 74 . this configuration advantageously allows the battery terminals to be separated a distance which will help prevent inadvertent short circuiting across same without sacrificing board space . for example , conventional models , when carried loosely in pockets and the like , can easily short circuit when metallic objects such as pens and car keys , contact the relatively closely spaced terminals either on the battery or phone systems connector . advantageously , the present invention allows the battery contacts or systems connector contacts to be spaced - apart from the other at a distance that can reduce the likelihood of such an event . for example , as shown in fig1 , the contacts 55 are positioned on opposing sides of the lateral contact surface 110 ( the battery terminals are correspondingly separated on the battery ). preferably , the battery contacts 55 and correspondingly , the battery terminals 65 are spaced apart 1 - 4 centimeters . more preferably , they are spaced 3 - 4 centimeters apart in order to protect and separate the positive and negative terminals . as shown in fig1 a - 11c , the edge interface contact 78b on the lower portion of the spring 78 is positioned and held adjacent the printed circuit board 50 such that it is free to move about or overshoot the printed circuit board . stated differently , it is free to extend and retract relative to the printed circuit board 50 . thus , during a mechanical shock , if the spring contact 74 should undergo an elevated force , the lower portion of the spring contact 78 is not trapped by the printed circuit board and is free to extend in response to the forces introduced thereon . advantageously , such a configuration minimizes the possibility for deformation of the edge contact 78b and , as such , is able to maintain proper electrical contact with the contact pads on the printed circuit board 55 both during and after a mechanical shock the edge contact on the printed circuit board 50 can be formed by a plated contact pad on the edge of the printed circuit board which is electrically connected to the desired circuit components on the printed circuit board . preferably , the contact pads are formed by plated &# 34 ; via &# 34 ; hole technology which is well known to those of skill in the art . generally described , a hole ( normal to one or more of the longitudinal surfaces ) is plated and certain layers ( inner , surface , or both ) of the printed circuit board ( normal to the contact pad or via opening ) are used to route the electrical connection to the appropriate location in the circuit path . alternatively , an added component such as a u - shaped snap on connector can be positioned around an edge of the printed circuit board such that it contacts the top and / or bottom traces and provides the electrical connect pad on the board for the spring contact 74 ( not shown ). this type of configuration can reduce printed circuit board edge plating costs . in a preferred embodiment , as shown in fig5 , and 7a , one or more insets ( or notches ) 90 , 91 , are formed in the edge contact area and the contact pads 55 are positioned therein . the insets allow the outer wall of the housing and printed circuit board to be positioned in closer proximity by adjusting the spring contact point 78b be positioned in a recessed area of the board . preferably , the contact pads 55 include serrated edges to minimize trapped dust and the like which may interfere or degrade the electrical connection . similarly , the spring contact portions 78b can be dimpled to provide similar benefits . although the present invention has been described herein with two elongated spring contacts 74 either in a single or separated connector body 76 , it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art , that the present invention is not limited thereto . indeed , a single edge interface connection , or more than two can easily be employed according to the present invention . similarly , if multiple edge contacts are desired they may be placed on more than one lateral wall ( different sides or edges of the printed circuit board ). it is also preferred that the battery be positioned on one end of the radiotelephone 20 , more preferably in the bottom to better access external battery rechargers such as base holders . although described throughout as used to connect a battery , other devices can also be connected to the radiotelephone printed circuit board such as data input components , hands - free kit , in - phone battery chargers , and the like . further , although primarily aimed at better contacts for cellular phone applications , the present invention is not limited thereto . indeed , this interconnection technique can also be employed with other electronic devices such as calculators , portable music players , cordless phones , laptop computers , hand held video games , camcorders , and the like . moreover , the edge interface contact or connection can be used for many applications such as , but not limited to , connections to speakers , microphones , displays , buzzers , systems , charging or ac ports , and the like . advantageously , the connection can be designed into any comer or space of the product where space is typically unused ( such as in extreme corners of telephones , adjacent to assembly screws and the like ). the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof . although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described , those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention . accordingly , all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims . in the claims , means - plus - function clause are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures . therefore , it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed , and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments , as well as other embodiments , are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims . the invention is defined by the following claims , with equivalents of the claims to be included therein . | 7 |
referring initially to fig1 and 2 , there is illustrated a reinforcing bar connection in accordance with the present invention shown generally at 20 joining end - to - end axially aligned deformed reinforcing bars 21 and 22 . the reinforcing bars are shown broken away so that only the ends gripped by the splice or connection are illustrated . it will be appreciated that the bars may extend to a substantial length and may either be vertical , horizontal , or even diagonal in the steel reinforced concrete construction taking place . the connection and bars are designed to be embedded in poured concrete . the connection comprises a jaw assembly shown generally at 24 , which includes three circumferentially interfitting three jaw elements shown at 25 , 26 and 27 . it will be appreciated that alternatively two jaw elements or more than three jaw elements may form the assembly 24 . as seen more clearly in fig2 the exterior of the jaw elements forms oppositely tapering shallow angle surfaces seen at 29 and 30 , on which are axially driven matching taper lock collars 32 and 33 , respectively . when the lock collars 32 and 33 are driven toward each other , the jaw assembly 24 contacts driving the interior teeth shown at 35 on each jaw element into the deformed , or projecting portions , of the bar such as the longitudinal projecting ribs 36 and the circumferential ribs 37 . the projecting rib formation on the exterior of the bars may vary widely , but most deformed bars have either a pattern like that shown or one similar to such pattern . the teeth 35 are designed to bite into such radial projections on the bar , but not into the core 38 , which forms the nominal diameter of the bar . it should be again noted that in fig2 the jaw element 26 has been removed as well as the lock collars 32 and 33 to illustrate the interior teeth 35 . referring now to fig3 through 7 , there is illustrated a single jaw 26 . each of the three jaws forming the jaw assembly 24 are identical in form . each jaw is a one - piece construction and is preferably formed of forged steel heat treated and stress relieved . as seen more clearly in fig5 since three jaw elements form the jaw assembly , each jaw element extends on an arc of approximately 120 °. as seen more clearly in fig3 and 5 , the 120 ° extends from one axial , or longitudinal , edge 40 to the other seen at 41 such edges or seams between the jaw elements are axially parallel and uninterrupted except for the circumferential recesses 42 in the longitudinal edge 40 and the interfitting projection 43 on the longitudinal edge 41 . each projection 43 is designed to fit into the notch 42 of the circumferentially adjacent jaw element . the interfitting projections and notches ensure that the jaw elements do not become axially misaligned as the connection is formed . the interfitting circumferential projections and notches also ensure that the jaw assembly remains an assembly as the splice is formed . the interfit of the circumferential projections with the notches of adjacent jaw elements is seen more clearly in fig1 . the interfitting projections and notches may extend approximately 20 ° into or beyond the longitudinal seams . as seen more clearly in fig4 and 6 , each jaw element tapers from its thinnest wall section at the opposite ends 45 and 46 to its thickest wall section shown in the middle at 47 . the taper surfaces formed by the exterior of the jaw elements are low angle , self - locking tapers of but a few degrees and , of course , the tapers match the interior taper of the taper collars 32 and 33 which are driven axially on the end of the splice . the taper is preferably a low angle taper on the order from about one to about five degrees . the taper exterior of the opposite ends of the jaw elements as well as the jaw assembly not only enables the matching lock collars to be driven on the splice , contracting the jaw elements with great force but locking them in contracted position . the configuration of the connection also enhances the dynamic and fatigue characteristics of the splice . this not only enhances the fatigue characteristics of the splice , but also enables the splice to qualify as a type 2 coupler which may be used anywhere in a structure in any of the four earthquake zones of the u . s . referring now to fig7 it will be seen that the interior of each jaw element is provided with a series of relatively sharp teeth 35 , which in the illustrated embodiment are shown as annular . however , it will be appreciated that a thread form of tooth may be employed . each tooth 35 includes a sloping flank 50 on the side of the tooth toward the end of the jaw element . however , toward the middle of the jaw element , the tooth has an almost right angular flank 51 which meets flank 50 at the relatively sharp crown 52 . the flank 50 may be approximately 60 ° with respect to the axis of the jaw element while the flank 51 that is almost 90 °. it will be appreciated that the teeth 35 may alternatively have other suitable configurations . as seen in comparing the left and right hand side of fig6 the teeth on the opposite end are again arranged with the angled flank on the exterior while the sharper almost perpendicular flank faces the mid - point 47 of the jaw element . as indicated , the inward projection of the teeth is designed to bite into the projecting deformations on the bar , but not into the core 38 . as the teeth 35 press into the deformation , they provide additional cold working of the bar , resulting in better performance of the connection . by not pressing the teeth 35 into the core 38 of the bar , fatigue cracks and / or stress concentrations may thereby be avoided . the three jaw elements are shown in fig8 closed with the teeth 35 of the jaw elements biting into the bar deformation projections 36 and 37 , but not into the bar core 38 . when closed , the three longitudinal seams between the jaw elements seen at 54 , 55 and 56 will be substantially closed preventing further contraction of the jaw assembly keeping the teeth from biting into the core . the total contraction of the splice is controlled both by the circumferential dimensions and the axial extent to which the lock collars are driven on each end of the splice . it will be appreciated that a transition splice may be formed with the present invention simply by reducing the interior diameter of one end of the splice so that the teeth on that end will bite into the projecting deformations on a smaller bar . the exterior configuration of the jaw elements may also change or remain the same with different size or identical locking collars driven on each end . it will be appreciated that alternatively other means may be utilized for contracting internally - toothed jaw elements to clamp ends of reinforcing bars , for example by use of a radially - contracting collar or band . referring now to fig9 and 10 , there is illustrated a splice assembly 59 where the jaw elements are held open and spaced from each other by a plastic spacer shown generally at 60 . the plastic spacer comprises three generally axial or longitudinal elements seen at 61 , 62 and 63 , each of which includes a center lateral projection 64 and an opposite notch 65 . the projection 64 snugly fits into the notch 42 of the jaw element while the notch 65 receives the projection 43 of the adjacent jaw element in a snug fit . the three axially extending or longitudinal elements are held in place with respect to each other by the center three - legged triangular connection shown generally at 68 , which also acts as a bar end stop . in this manner , the three jaw elements are held assembled and circumferentially spaced . each locking collar may be positioned on the end of the assembled jaw elements as seen at 32 and 33 and held in place by a shrink wrap , for example , as seen at 70 and 71 , in fig1 , respectively . in this manner , the jaw elements are held circumferentially spaced as seen by the gaps 72 . the assembly seen in fig1 may readily be slipped over the end of a reinforcing bar and the end of the bar will be positioned in the middle of the splice by contact of the bar end with the triangular leg center connection 68 . when the opposite bar end is inserted into the open and assembled splice , the jaw assembly may then be closed by driving the two lock collars 32 and 33 axially toward each other . the force of driving on the lock collars will disintegrate not only the shrink wrap 70 and 71 , but also the support 60 which is made preferably of a frangible or friable plastic material . this then permits the jaw assembly to close to the extent required to bite into the radial bar projections to form a proper high fatigue strength coupling joining the two bar ends . referring now to fig1 , there is illustrated a tool shown generally at 78 for completing the splice or connection of the present invention . although the tool is shown connecting the bars 21 and 22 vertically oriented , it will be appreciated that the bars and splice may be horizontally or even diagonally oriented . the tool is preferably made of high strength aluminum members to reduce its weight and includes generally parallel levers 79 and 80 connected by center link 81 pivoted to the approximate mid - point of such levers as indicated at 82 and 83 . connecting the outer or right hand end of the levers 79 and 80 is an adjustable link shown generally at 85 in the form of a piston - cylinder assembly actuator 86 . the adjustable link may also be a turnbuckle or air motor , for example . the rod 87 of the assembly is provided with a clevis 88 pivoted at 89 to the outer end of lever 79 . the cylinder of the assembly 91 is provided with a mounting bracket or clevis 92 pivoted at 93 to the outer end of lever 80 . the opposite end of the lever 79 is provided with a c - shape termination pivoted at 96 to a c - shape tubular member 97 having an open side 98 . a wedge driving collar shown generally at 100 is mounted on the lower end of the open tube 97 . the collar is formed of hinged semi - circular halves 101 and 102 . when closed and locked , the wedge collar has an interior taper matching that of the taper collars 32 or 33 . the lower arm 80 similarly is provided with a c - termination 105 pivoted at 106 to open tube 107 supporting wedge collar 108 formed of pivotally connected semicircular halves 109 and 110 . in order to make a splice , the coupler or splice assembly 59 seen more clearly in fig1 is aligned with a first bar 21 , for example . the coupler assembly is then slid onto the bar end . a second bar 22 is then positioned in line with a coupler and the second bar is slid into position such that the coupler is centered between both bars . the bar ends will contact the triangular spider connection in the center of the bar splice assembly to ensure that the bar ends are properly seated with respect to the coupler assembly . the tool with the wedge collars 100 or 108 open is then positioned over the bars . the wedge collars are closed and the actuator , or piston cylinder assembly 86 , is extended to drive the wedge collars toward each other , driving the taper lock collars 32 and 33 on the jaw assembly to the position seen in fig1 forming the splice 20 . the wedge collars 100 and 108 are then opened and the tool removed . the taper lock collars 32 and 33 remain in place . when the taper lock collars are driven on the ends of the splice or connection , the jaw elements contract and the teeth on the interior bite into the projecting deformations on the bar ends , but do not bite into the core diameter of the bar . it will be seen that the present invention provides a high strength coupler or splice which will qualify as a type 2 coupler and yet which is easy to assemble and join in the field and which does not require bar end preparation or torquing in the assembly process . although the invention has been shown and described with respect to certain preferred embodiments , it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification . it will be appreciated that suitable features in one of the embodiments may be incorporated in another of the embodiments , if desired . the present invention includes all such equivalent alterations and modifications , and is limited only be the scope of the claims . | 8 |
embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . a fixing unit 63 in first to ninth embodiments is of the same configuration as the fixing unit 63 in fig3 , and is detachably mounted . the fixing unit 63 is a consumable item that can be replaced by a user . that is , when the accumulated number of printed pages exceeds a predetermined value , the user is prompted to replace the fixing unit 63 for a new , unused one . fig1 a and fig1 b illustrate a contact type thermistor and a non - contact thermistor , respectively . two types of thermistor can be used in the first embodiment . the first is a contact type ( fig1 a ) where signal lines connected to a temperature - sensing element 79 are electrically continuous with base plates 80 a and 80 b that support the temperature - sensing element 79 . the base plate 80 a and 80 are made of a resilient material . the second is a non - contact type where signal lines connected to a temperature - sensing element 79 are electrically isolated from a base plate 76 that supports the temperature - sensing element 79 . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . here , by way of the contact type thermistor 70 a , a description will be given of an example where the surface temperature of a fixing roller 64 that serves as a heat roller is detected . for this type of thermistor , the electrically conductive base plates 80 a and 80 b are used as both signal lines and reinforcing or supporting plates . a protection sheet 77 is formed of an insulating material to protect the temperature - sensing element 79 . fig2 illustrates the configuration of the first embodiment . this configuration differs from the conventional art in that the base plates 80 a and 80 b that support the temperature - sensing element 79 are positioned midway between closely disposed conductors 75 a and 75 b . when the conductors 75 a and 75 b are connected to 0 v and no paper jam has occurred , the base plates 80 a and 80 b are not in contact with any one of the conductors 75 a and 75 b . fig3 is an electrically equivalent circuit of the first embodiment that employs the thermistor 70 a , illustrating the temperature - sensing element 79 , conductors 75 a and 75 b , base plates 80 a and 80 b , and voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 . the base plate 80 a and 80 b are used as both signal lines and reinforcing plates . switches 87 and 88 represent an electrically equivalent circuit of the contacts between the base plates 80 a and 80 b and the conductors 75 a and 75 b . when no paper jam has occurred , the switch 87 or 88 is open . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig4 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper pushes the temperature - sensing element 79 and the base plates 80 a and 80 b . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . then , the base plate 80 a or 80 b moves into contact with the conductor 75 a or 75 b to close the switch 87 or 88 . when the paper jam has not occurred , the switches 87 and 88 are open and the voltage ( vt ) detected by an a / d converter 69 in the controller is given by where r 72 is the resistance of the resistor 72 , r 73 is the resistance of the resistor 73 , r ( t ) is the resistance of the temperature - sensing element 79 that reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 , and the numeral 5 denotes the supply voltage in volts for temperature detection . fig5 illustrates analog waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . a high voltage is input to the a / d converter 69 when no paper jam occurs . when the switch 87 or 88 is closed due to the occurrence of paper jam , the voltage v ( t ) falls to 0 v . experiment was conducted to determine an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 when the fixing unit 63 operates normally , and an input voltage when the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . then , if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , then it is determined that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . the controller receives the output of the a / d converter 69 and generates an alarm signal . once it is detected that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not performed any further unless the jammed paper is removed and the thermistor 70 a returns to its normal position . if the base plate ( s ) of the thermistor 70 a has deformed permanently , at least one of the base plates 80 a and 80 b remains in contact with one of the conductors 75 a and 75 b . thus , the input voltage to the a / d converter is 0 v even after the jammed paper has been removed . fig6 illustrates a fixing unit 63 and a contact type thermistor 70 a that are employed in a second embodiment . the configuration of the second embodiment differs from the prior art in that base plates 80 a and 80 b that support a temperature - sensing element 79 are positioned midway between conductors 75 a and 75 b closely positioned . the base plate 80 a and 80 are made of a resilient material . the second embodiment may employ either of the contact type thermistor in fig1 a and the non - contact type thermistor in fig1 b . the second embodiment will be described with respect to a case in which the non - contact type thermistor in fig1 b is employed . two lines are electrically isolated from a base plate 76 by means of an insulator 78 , and are led out from the temperature - sensing element 79 . this type of thermistor has an electrically conductive base plate 76 that is used as both a signal line and a reinforcing plate . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . fig7 illustrates an electrically equivalent circuit that includes voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , conductors 75 a and 75 b , and base plates 80 a and 80 b . a switch 89 represents the contacts between the base plates 80 a and 80 b of the thermistor 70 a and the conductors 75 a and 75 b . the resistor 74 has one end connected to an input port of an a / d converter 69 in the controller and the conductors 75 a and 75 b , another end connected to the 5 - v power supply for the controller . when no paper jam has occurred , there are a gap between the base plate 76 and the conductor 75 a and a gap between the base late 76 and the conductor 75 b , so that the switch 89 is not closed . therefore , the base plate 76 is not electrically continuous to the conductors 75 a and 75 b . in other words , when the switch 89 is not closed to the conductor 75 a or 75 b , the input port of the a / d converter 69 is at an “ h ” level , which is substantially equal to the supply voltage ( e . g ., 5 v ) of the controller . if paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig8 occurs near the entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 a and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a to move out of contact with a fixing roller 64 and the base plate 76 moves into contact with the conductor 75 b to close the switch 89 . fig9 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 is at the “ h ” level before paper jam , and at an “ l ” level after the occurrence of paper jam . when no paper jam has occurred , the common terminal of the switch 89 is positioned midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b and the input of the a / d converter is at nearly 5 v , so that the “ h ” level is detected . when the switch 89 is closed to the conductor 75 b , the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 falls to 0 v , so that the “ l ” level is detected . thus , the a / d converter 69 detects that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and generates an alarm signal . if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , then it is determined that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . when it is detected that the temperature - sensing element 79 has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 a returns to its normal position . that is , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further until the base plate 76 is positioned midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b again . if the base plate 76 has deformed permanently , the detection signals of the controller or the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact engagement with the fixing roller 64 . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . fig1 illustrates a fixing unit 63 according to a third embodiment . the third embodiment differs from the conventional art in that base plates 80 a and 80 b that support a temperature - sensing element 79 of a thermistor 70 a is positioned midway between conductor 75 a and 75 b . the base plate 80 a and 80 are made of a resilient material . the third embodiment can employ either of two types of thermistor as shown in fig1 a ( contact type ) and fig1 b ( non - contact type ). here , the third embodiment will be described with respect to the contact type in fig1 a . fig1 illustrates the thermistor 70 a according to the third embodiment . as shown in fig1 , the electrically conductive base plates 80 a and 80 b support the temperature - sensing element 79 and are used as both signal lines and a reinforcing plate . when the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a moves out of contact with a fixing roller 64 , the base plates 80 a and 80 b move into contact with the conductors 75 a and 75 b at substantially the same time . as a result , there is electrical continuity between the base plates 80 a and 80 b . fig1 is an electrically equivalent circuit that includes voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , base plates 80 a and 80 b , and conductors 75 a and 75 b . switches 91 a and 91 b represent the contacts between the base plates 80 a and 80 b of the thermistor 70 a and the conductors 75 a and 75 b , respectively . the conductors 75 a and 75 b have one ends connected to the resistors 72 and 73 , respectively . when no paper jam occurs , the base plates 80 a and 80 b are not in contact with the conductors 75 a and 75 b . when no paper jam occurs , the switch 91 is open . as shown in fig1 , if paper jam like an accordion occurs near the entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper pushes the thermistor 70 a and the base plates 80 a and 80 b . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . thus , the base plates 80 a and 80 b move into contact with the conductor 75 a or 75 b , closing the switches 91 a and 91 b in fig1 . fig1 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . before paper jam occurs , the supply voltage is divided by the temperature - sensing element 79 and the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 . thus , the analog voltage before the occurrence of paper jam is the voltage across the resistor 73 , the voltage being divided by the temperature sensing element 79 and the voltage dividing resistors 72 and 73 . the analog voltage after the occurrence of paper jam is the voltage across the resistor 73 , the voltage being divided by the voltage dividing resistors 72 and 73 . when no paper jam occurs , the switches 91 a and 91 b are open . the voltage ( vt ) detected in the a / d converter 69 in the controller is given by where r 72 is the resistance of the voltage - dividing resistor r 72 , r 73 is the resistance of the voltage - dividing resistor r 73 , r ( t ) is the resistance of the temperature - sensing element 79 that reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 , and the supply voltage for temperature detection is 5 v . when no paper jam occurs , the switches 91 a and 91 b are closed and the resistance r ( t ) of the temperature - sensing element 79 that reflects the surface temperature t of the fixing roller 64 is short - circuited . thus , the voltage ( vt ) detected in the a / d converter 69 in the controller is given by as described above , when the voltage v ( t ) changes , the controller determines that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and generates an alarm signal . fig1 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the voltage is at an “ l ” level before the occurrence paper jam , and at an “ h ” level after the occurrence of paper jam . as described above , when no paper jam occurs , the voltage detected by the a / d converter 69 reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 . when paper jam occurs , the voltage detected by the a / d converter 69 is a fixed voltage that is divided by the voltage - dividing resistors r 72 and r 73 . if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , then it is determined that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 a has returned to its normal position . that is , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further until the base plates 8 a and 80 b are positioned midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b and therefore the thermistor 70 a is again in contact with the fixing roller 64 . if the base plates 80 a and 80 b of the thermistor 70 a have deformed permanently , the base plates 80 a and 80 b remain in contact with either of the conductors 75 a and 75 b . thus , the detection signal of the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 a has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the first and second embodiments require the wiring materials that connect the switch ( fig3 ) to 0 v . the second embodiment requires the resistor 74 ( fig7 ) that detects a change in voltage . on the contrary , the third embodiment eliminates the need for the switch and wiring materials resistor 74 . the non - contact type thermistor may also be used in the third embodiment . fig1 illustrates a thermistor 70 c and a fixing unit 63 according to a fourth embodiment . fig1 a – 15d illustrate the details of the thermistor 70 c according to the fourth embodiment . fig1 a and 15b are side views as seen in a direction shown by arrow b in fig1 d . fig1 c is a front view as seen in a direction shown by arrow a in fig1 d . fig1 d is a perspective view of the thermistor 70 c . the fourth embodiment differs from the conventional art in that base plates 80 a and 80 b that support the thermistor 70 c are positioned midway between stoppers 90 a and 90 b that are closely positioned . the base plate 80 a and 80 are made of a resilient material . the fourth embodiment employs the thermistor in fig1 a – 15d . the thermistor according to the fourth embodiment is similar to that of fig1 a but differs in that projections 80 d and 80 e extend in parallel with each other from , for example , the base plate 80 c , and the base plate 80 a extends midway between the projections 80 d and 80 e . when no paper jam occurs , the projections 80 d and 80 e are not in contact with the base plate 80 a . for a case where the thermistor illustrated in fig1 a – 15d is used , a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 c has moved out of contact a fixing roller 64 . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig1 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 c and the base plates 80 a and 80 c . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 c to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . further , the projection 80 d or 80 e abuts stopper 90 a or 90 b , so that the projection 80 d or 80 e will deform to move into contact with the base plate 80 a . when the jammed paper s pushes the base plates 80 a and 80 c , the base plates 80 a and 80 c deform as shown in fig1 a , so that the projection 80 e and the base plate 80 a abut the stopper 90 b to make good electrical contact between the 80 a and 80 e . fig1 illustrates an electrically equivalent circuit that includes voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , the temperature - sensing element 79 , the base plates 80 a and 80 c , and the projections 80 e and 80 d . a switch 91 represents the contacts between the projections 80 e and 80 d and the base plate 80 a . when no paper jam occurs , the switch 91 is open . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig1 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 c and the base plates 80 a and 80 c . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 c to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . further , the base plate 80 a or the base plate 80 c moves into contact with the projections 80 e and 80 d , so that the switch 91 in fig1 is closed . when the paper jam s has not occurred , the switch 91 is open and the voltage ( vt ) detected by the a / d converter 69 of the controller is given by v ( t )= 5 * r 73 /( r 72 + r ( t ) + r 73 ) where r 72 is the resistance of the voltage - dividing resistor 72 , r 73 is the resistance of the voltage - dividing resistor r 73 , r ( t ) is the resistance of the thermistor 70 c that reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 , and numeral 5 denotes the supply voltage in volts for temperature detection . when paper jam has occurred , the switch 91 is closed and the voltage across the thermistor 70 c ( i . e ., temperature - sensing element 79 ) is zero volts . thus , the voltage v ( t ) is given by v ( t )= 5 * r 73 /( r 72 + r 73 ). fig1 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . before paper jam occurs , the supply voltage is divided by the temperature - sensing element 79 and the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 . thus , the analog voltage before the occurrence of paper jam is the voltage across the resistor 73 , the supply voltage being divided by the voltage dividing resistors 72 and 73 and the temperature sensing element 79 . the analog voltage after the occurrence of paper jam is the voltage across the resistor 72 , the supply voltage being divided by the voltage dividing resistors 72 and 73 . if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , the controller determines that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 c has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and generates an alarm signal . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 c returns to its normal position where the thermistor 70 c is in contact with the fixing roller 64 . if the base plate of the thermistor 70 c has deformed permanently , the detection signal from the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 c is out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the first and second embodiments require the wiring materials that connect the switch to a potential of 0 v . the second embodiment requires the resistor 74 for detecting a change in voltage . on the contrary , the fourth embodiment eliminates the need for these wiring materials and the resistor . the non - contact type thermistor may also be used in the fourth embodiment . fig1 illustrates a fixing unit 63 and a contact type thermistor 70 d that are employed in a fifth embodiment . the configuration of the fifth embodiment has the feature that a base plate 84 is fixed to a temperature - sensing element 79 and a base plate 83 is movable into and out of contact with the base plate 84 . the base plate 83 and 84 are made of a resilient material . fig1 a – 19c illustrate the configuration of the thermistor 70 d . the thermistor 70 d includes the base plates 83 and 84 that are movable into and out of contact engagement with each other . the thermistor 70 d further includes a base plate 85 made of a resilient material . the base plates 84 and 85 are electrically connected to each other via a temperature - sensing element 79 . when paper jam does not occurred , the base plate 83 remains in electrical contact engagement with the base plate 84 . when paper jam occurs , the base plates 83 and 84 deform such that the base plate 83 abuts a stopper 90 b and the base plate 84 moves out of contact with the base plate 83 . with respect to a case where the thermistor illustrated in fig1 a – 19c is used , a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 d has moved out of contact with a fixing roller 64 . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig1 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 d and the base plates 80 a and 80 b . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 d to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . the stopper 90 b interferes with the base plate 83 causing the base plate 84 to move out of contact with the base plate 83 . fig2 is an electrically equivalent circuit that includes the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , and base plates 83 and 84 . a switch 92 represents the contact between the base plate 83 and the base plate 84 . when no paper jam occurs , the switch 92 remains closed . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig1 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 d and the base plate 84 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 d to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . moreover , the base plate 84 moves out of contact with the base plate 83 to open the switch 92 . when the switch 92 opens , the 5 - v power supply is shut off so that the voltage across the resistor 73 falls to 0 v . when no paper jam occurs , the switch 92 remains closed and the voltage ( vt ) detected by the a / d converter 69 of the controller is given by v ( t )= 5 * r 73 /( r 72 + r ( t )+ r 73 ) where r 72 is the resistance of the resistor 72 , r 73 is the resistance of the resistor r 73 , r ( t ) is the resistance of the temperature - sensing element 79 that reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 , and numeral 5 denotes the supply voltage in volts for temperature detection . when no paper jam has occurred , the switch 92 opens and the voltage v ( t ) is at 0 v . as described above , in response to the change in the voltage input to the a / d converter 69 , the controller detects that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 d has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and generates an alarm signal . fig2 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the voltage input to an a / d converter 69 reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 when no paper jam occurs , and falls to 0 v when paper jam occurs . if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , the controller determines that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 d has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . when paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper is removed and the thermistor 70 d returns to its normal position . when the base plate of the thermistor 70 d has deformed permanently , even though the jammed paper is removed , the detection signal of the controller or the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the temperature - sensing element 79 is out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the fifth embodiment eliminates the need for the wiring materials that were required to connect the switch to 0 v in the first and second embodiments , and the resistor 74 for detecting the change in voltage , which were required in the second embodiment . because a part of the thermistor serves as an electrical switch , the number of parts required is reduced , providing a simplified configuration . the non - contact type thermistor may also be used in the fifth embodiment . fig2 illustrates a sixth embodiment . the sixth embodiment differs from the conventional art in that a base plate 76 that supports a non - contact type thermistor 70 b is positioned midway between conductors 75 a and 75 b . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . the sixth embodiment may employ either of a contact type thermistor in fig1 a and a non - contact type thermistor in fig1 b . here , the sixth embodiment will be described with respect to a case in which the thermistor in fig1 b is employed . two leads are electrically isolated from the base plate 76 by means of an insulator 78 , and are led out from the temperature - sensing element 79 . this type of thermistor has an electrically conductive base plate 76 that is used as both a signal line and a reinforcing plate . the base plate 76 is connected to a potential of 0 v . when no paper jam has occurred , the base plate 76 is midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b such that the base plate 76 is not in contact with the conductors 75 a and 75 b . when paper jam occurs , the base plate 76 moves into contact with , for example , the conductor 75 b . with respect to a case where the thermistor illustrated in fig1 b is used , a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with a fixing roller 64 . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig2 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 b and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . the base plate 76 moves into contact with either the conductor 75 a or the conductor 75 b . fig2 is an electrically equivalent circuit that includes the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 7 , temperature - sensing element 79 , conductors 75 a and 75 b , base plate 76 , and resistor 74 . a switch 89 represents the contacts between the base plate 76 and the conductors 75 a and 75 b . the resistor 74 has one end connected to the conductors 75 a and 75 b and the input port of the a / d converter 69 in the controller , and another end connected to a 5 - v power supply . when no paper jam occurs , the common electrode of the switch 89 is positioned midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b , so that an “ h ” level appears at the input of the a / d converter 69 . when paper jam occurs , the base plate 76 of the thermistor 70 b goes into electrical contact with either the conductor 75 a or the conductor 75 a or the conductor 75 b . a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the non - contact type thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig2 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 b and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . as shown in fig8 , the base plate 76 moves into contact with the conductor 75 b , causing the switch 89 in fig2 to switch to the conductor 75 b . fig2 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the analog voltage is an “ h ” level before paper jam occurs and an “ l ” level ( i . e ., substantially 0 v ) after paper jam occurs . thus , the voltage input to a / d converter 69 reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 when no paper jam occurs , and falls to 0 v when paper jam occurs . if an input voltage to the a / d converter 69 is lower than the normal value by more than a predetermined value , the controller determines that the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 b returns to its normal position . if the base plate 76 of the thermistor 70 b has deformed permanently , the output of the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the thermistor 70 b is out of contact with the fixing roller 64 even though the jammed paper s is removed . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the sixth embodiment has been described with respect to the same configuration as the second embodiment except that a non - contact type thermistor is used instead of the contact type thermistor . fig2 and 27 illustrate the configuration of a seventh embodiment . the seventh embodiment differs from the conventional art in that a switch 93 is employed . referring to fig2 , when a non - contact type thermistor 70 b moves a predetermined distance in such a direction as to be away from a fixing roller 64 , the switch 93 is driven by an electrically conductive base plate 76 of the thermistor 70 b to close as shown in fig2 . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . the seventh embodiment may employ either of the type in fig1 a and the type in fig1 b . here , the seventh embodiment will be described with respect to a case in which the non - contact type thermistor of the type in fig1 b . the thermistor of fig1 b includes two signal lines isolated by an insulator 78 from a base plate 76 that supports a temperature - sensing element 79 . fig2 is an electrically equivalent circuit that includes the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , base plate 76 , and resistor 74 . the resistor 74 has one end connected to the input port of a controller and another end connected to a 5 - v power supply for the controller . when no paper jam occurs , the switch 93 is open so that the voltage at the input port of the a / d converter 69 is at an “ h ” level . when paper jam occurs , the switch 93 is closed so that the voltage at the input pot of the a / d converter 69 is at an “ l ” level , which is substantially 0 v . as shown in fig2 , the switch 93 has one end connected to the resistor 74 and the a / d converter , and another end connected to a potential of 0 v . a description will be given of the operation of detecting that a non - contact type thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig2 occurs near an entrance of a fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 b and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b to move out of contact with the fixing roller 64 . the base plate 76 pushes the switch 93 in fig2 to close the switch 93 . as described above , when the input voltage to the controller falls to 0 v , the controller determines that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with the fixing roller 64 , and generates an alarm signal . fig2 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the analog voltage is at an “ h ” level before paper jam occurs and at an “ l ” level ( substantially 0 v ) after paper jam has occurred . thus , once paper jam occurs , the voltage input to a / d converter 69 no longer reflects the surface temperature of the fixing roller 64 . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 b returns to its normal position . if the baseplate 76 of the thermistor 70 b has deformed permanently , the output of the a / d converter 69 in the controller continues to indicate that the thermistor 70 b is out of contact with the fixing roller 64 even though the jammed paper is removed . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the seventh embodiment is of the same configuration as the second embodiment except that a non - contact type thermistor is used instead of the contact type thermistor . fig3 illustrates the configuration of an eighth embodiment . the eighth embodiment differs from the conventional art in that an electrically conductive base plate 76 is midway between conductors 94 a and 94 b . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . the eighth embodiment may employ either of the type in fig1 a and the type in fig1 b . here , the eighth embodiment will be described with respect to a case in which a thermistor of the type in fig1 b . the thermistor 70 b of fig1 b includes two signal lines isolated by an insulator 78 from the base plate 76 that supports a temperature - sensing element 79 . the base plate 76 is connected to a potential of 0 v . with respect to a case where the thermistor 70 b illustrated in fig1 b is used , a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with a pressure roller 65 . fig3 is an electrically equivalent circuit that includes the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , conductors 94 a and 94 b , base plate 76 , and resistor 74 . the resistor 74 has one end connected to the input port of a controller and another end connected to a 5 - v power supply for the controller . the base plate 76 and the conductors 94 a and 94 b form a switch 89 . when no paper jam occurs , the common electrode of the switch 89 is midway between the conductors 94 a and 94 b and the voltage at the input port of the a / d converter 69 in the controller is at an “ h ” level . when paper jam occurs , the switch 89 is closed so that the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 is at an “ l ” level . as shown in fig3 , the switch 89 has one end connected to the resistor 74 and the controller , and another end connected to a potential of 0 v . the resistor 74 has one end connected to a 5 - v power supply and another end connected to the conductors 94 a and 94 b and the input port of the a / d converter 69 in the controller . the resistor 74 has one end connected to a 5 - v power supply and another end connected to the conductors 94 a and 94 b and the input of the a / d converter 69 in the controller . when no paper jam occurs so that the switch 89 is switched to neither the conductor 94 a nor the conductor 94 b , the voltage at the input port of the a / d converter 69 is at an “ h ” level . a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the non - contact type thermistor 71 has moved out of contact with the pressure roller 65 by a predetermined distance . the thermistor 71 is the same type as the thermistor 70 b in fig1 b . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig3 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 71 and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 71 to move out of contact with the pressure roller 65 . thus , the base plate 76 moves into contact with the conductor 94 b in fig3 to switch the switch 89 to the conductor 94 b . as described above , when the input voltage to the a / d converter 69 changes , the controller determines that the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 71 has moved out of contact with the pressure roller 65 , and generates an alarm signal . fig3 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . when no paper jam occurs , the voltage at the input port of the controller is at an “ h ” level , which is substantially the same as 5 - v supply voltage for the controller . when paper jam occurs , the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 in the controller is at an “ l ” level , which is 0 v . when paper jam occurs , the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 does not reflect the correct surface temperature of the pressure roller 65 . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper is removed and the thermistor 71 returns to its normal position . when the base plate of the thermistor 71 has deformed permanently , even though the jammed paper s is removed , the detection signal of the controller or the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that temperature - sensing element 79 is out of contact with the pressure roller 65 . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . fig3 and 35 illustrate the configuration of a ninth embodiment . the ninth embodiment differs from the conventional art in that a base plate 76 that supports a non - contact type thermistor 70 b is positioned midway between conductors 75 a and 75 b . the base plate 76 is made of a resilient material . the ninth embodiment may employ either of the type in fig1 a and the type in fig1 b . here , the ninth embodiment will be described with respect to a case in which the thermistor of the type in fig1 b is used . the thermistor of fig1 b includes two signal lines isolated by an insulator 78 from the electrically conductive base plate 76 that supports a temperature - sensing element 79 . the base plate 76 is connected to a potential of 0 v . when no paper jam occurs , the base plate 76 is midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b as shown in fig3 such that the base plate 76 is not in contact with the conductors 75 a and 75 b . when paper jam occurs , the base plate 76 moves into contact with , for example , the conductor 75 b as shown in fig3 . with respect to a case where the thermistor 70 b illustrated in fig1 b is used , a description will be given of the operation of detecting that the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with a fixing belt 97 that serves as a heating belt . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig3 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 b and the base plate 76 . this causes the temperature - sensing element 79 of the thermistor 70 b to move out of contact with the fixing belt 97 . the base plate 76 moves into contact with either the conductor 75 a or the conductor 75 b . fig3 is an electrically equivalent circuit including the voltage - dividing resistors 72 and 73 , temperature - sensing element 79 , conductors 75 a and 75 b , base plate 76 , and resistor 74 . a switch 89 represents the contacts between the base plate 76 and the conductors 75 a and 75 b . the resistor 74 has one end connected to a 5 - v power supply and another end connected to the input port of the controller . when no paper jam occurs , the common electrode of the switch 89 is positioned midway between the conductors 75 a and 75 b . therefore , the switch 89 is open , so that an “ h ” level appears at the input of the controller . when paper jam occurs , the base plate 76 of the thermistor 70 b moves into electrical contact with , for example , the conductor 75 b . the operation of detecting will be described in which the non - contact type thermistor 71 has moved out of contact with a pressure roller 65 by a predetermined distance . when paper jam like an accordion as shown in fig3 occurs near an entrance of the fixing unit 63 during printing , the jammed paper s pushes the thermistor 70 b and the base plate 76 , so that the thermistor 70 b moves out of contact with the pressure roller 65 . the base plate 76 moves into contact with the conductor 75 b . as described above , when the input to the a / d converter 69 of the controller changes , the controller detects that the thermistor 70 b has moved out of contact with the fixing belt 97 , and generates an alarm signal . fig3 illustrates analog voltage waveforms before and after the occurrence of paper jam . the controller detects these waveforms . when no paper jam occurs , the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 in the controller is at an “ h ” level , which is substantially the same as 5 - v supply voltage for the controller . when paper jam occurs , the voltage at the input pot of the a / d converter 69 in the controller is at an “ l ” level , which is 0 v . the voltage at the input of the a / d converter 69 reflects the correct surface temperature of the fixing belt 97 regardless of whether paper jam occurs . once paper jam occurs , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further unless the jammed paper s is removed and the thermistor 70 b returns to its normal position . if the base plate of the thermistor 70 b has deformed permanently , the detection signals of the controller or the a / d converter 69 continues to indicate that the thermistor 70 b is out of contact with the fixing belt 97 even though the jammed paper is removed . thus , the operation of the fixing unit 63 will not be performed any further . the ninth embodiment has been described with respect to the non - contact type thermistor . the embodiment may also be implemented by the use of a contact type thermistor . although the present invention has been described with respect to a color printer , the invention may be applied to other apparatus provided that a developer image is fused by heat into a permanent image . while most of the embodiments have been described with respect to a contact type thermistor , the constructions of these embodiments may be used in combination with a non - contact type thermistor instead of a non - contact type thermistor . although the embodiments have been described with respect to a case in which a thermistor is normally in contact with the fixing roller ( i . e ., heat roller ), the thermistor may also be provided in contact with the pressure roller . | 6 |
hereinafter , a network photograph service system of the present invention will be explained referring to the accompanying drawings . the form of a system in which equipment is concentrated in one wholesale lab , and its problems , will be explained first referring to fig8 . in the system shown in fig8 , a customer 1 asks for first prints from an agency 13 ( 121 ). the first prints may be generated by the agency 13 itself or by a wholesale lab 14 following a request from the agency 13 . in each case , a film ( 122 ) from the customer 1 is temporarily handed to the wholesale lab 14 ( 122 ). the wholesale lab 14 reads the film using a scanner 7 or the like , and stores pictures recorded on the film in an image server 15 as digital image data . if first prints have been ordered from the wholesale lab , the prints are generated by a printer 9 or the like , and delivered to the agency 13 ( 123 ), and then handed to the customer 1 via the agency 13 ( 124 ). after the image server 15 has stored digital image data , the customer 1 can access the image server 15 via the internet 5 ( 125 ), and order an extra print or the like looking at the stored picture image data on a display screen . in response to this order , the image server 15 generates a print using the printer 9 or the like , and hands the print to the customer 1 ( 127 ) by mail or via the agency ( 126 ). as is obvious from the flow described above , the wholesale lab 14 should collect all films from customers of all agencies in this system . therefore , it is possible that delivery of a print will be delayed due to a collection and / or delivery queue or a processing queue . since the collection and delivery of the films and prints are carried out by hand , the date of delivery of the finished print may be delayed a couple of days due to the collection and / or delivery queue , depending on the number of collections and deliveries per day . in other words , in this system , it becomes easier to order an extra print or the like , but prompt service is not necessarily guaranteed . furthermore , if an agency carries out first printing , input processing needs to be carried out by both the agency and the wholesale lab , for example . therefore , this system often causes inconvenience . in the network photograph service system of the present invention , as shown in fig1 , a customer 1 , a service center 2 which receives an order , and a minilab 3 or a special laboratory 4 with special equipment can all communicate via a network . on this occasion , since the service center 2 and the special laboratory 4 need to communicate frequently , they use high speed lines so that they can handle more orders promptly . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , digital image data input is carried out by the minilab 3 . when the customer orders first prints to the minilab 3 , the minilab 3 reads a film using a scanner 7 and generates first prints using a printer 9 . the digital image data read by the scanner 7 are stored in a laboratory server 8 after the generation of the first prints . on this occasion , low resolution image data which is the digital image data in a reduced resolution ( hereinafter called a thumbnail image ) are generated and transferred to a center server 12 in the service center 2 . the laboratory server 8 stores not only the digital image data of the customer but also a template thereof . the center server 12 in the service center 2 stores the thumbnail image transferred from each photo - finishing laboratory in correlation with the laboratory from which the image has been sent , while making the thumbnail image accessible on the network . on this occasion , the thumbnail image does not need a particularly high quality , since the customer uses the thumbnail image only to confirm the picture upon an order . in order to save disc space , it is more preferable if the thumbnail image has a smaller amount of data . in this embodiment , digital image data that the laboratory server 8 stores for outputting a print has 4 base pixels ( approximately 1024 ˜ 1792 pixels ) which are necessary for outputting an l size print at 300 dpi , while the digital image data that the center server 12 stores for an access via the network has ¼ base pixels ( approximately 368 ˜ 256 pixels ). the center server 12 also stores a thumbnail of the template that the laboratory server 8 stores so that the customer can access the template via the network . when the digital image data is made accessible , the customer only has to confirm their own pictures . in other words , they do not want others to see their pictures . therefore , by using a password , each customer has only a limited access to data he / she can see . the password is determined by a customer when he / she orders first prints . alternatively , the minilab determines the password by assigning an appropriate one . as for the access to the center server , the above service is provided in the form of a web page if on the internet , and the customer can access the center server using a browser — such as netscape navigator . alternatively , if the service is provided as another original communication service , dedicated software may be distributed to each customer . in each case , the customer 1 can request a printing service without going to the minilab 3 by carrying out a predetermined input on an order screen through confirmation of the thumbnail image of their picture stored in the center server or selection of a template via the network from their house or office , or through generation of order information in a predetermined format and transmission of the information via electronic mail . on this occasion , the order information transmitted from the customer to the center server 12 is like the example shown in fig2 . the order information contains information necessary for extra prints , such as the image number , the size , the number of extra prints , and how the finished prints are received . furthermore , in an order of a manipulated print , the template number or the like is also included in the order information . moreover , the content of the service which can be provided through the network includes not only the service accompanying the print output , but also all services related to the printing service . for example , when a storage period of digital image data in the laboratory 8 will expire in a few days but the customer has not decided the picture to order for an extra print , a request for an extended storage in this case can be considered as a part of the services related to printing . a variety of data structures of the order information are also possible . for example , microsoft corp . has proposed a structured storage technique by which several kinds of data are stored in a file in a hierarchy . the order information can be generated as an order file shown in fig3 by using this technique . the format of the order information may be defined depending on the service to be provided , and the format shown in fig2 and 3 are mere examples . when the center server 12 receives such order information , it assigns the laboratory for outputting the ordered print . for instance , fig4 shows an example of the processing to assign the laboratory for outputting the ordered print in the case where the order information in fig2 is used . in this example , it is judged whether or not the requested processing needs special equipment by referring to the data showing the processing number . if the processing requires the special equipment , the special laboratory 4 is selected as the laboratory to output the print , and instruction information in a predetermined format is generated and transferred to the laboratory server 8 in the special laboratory 4 . on this occasion , the special laboratory 4 does not have digital image data to be printed . therefore , the instruction information includes the information showing the laboratory which does have the digital image data . when processing of an ordinary extra print is requested , whether the customer wants to receive the print over the counter , by mail or by delivery can be verified by referring to order information data showing how the print is received . in the case of mailing or delivery , it does not matter to the customer which photo - finishing laboratory outputs the print he / she has ordered . therefore , the laboratory which is most effective for the system , that is , the laboratory which stores the high resolution image data for outputting the ordered print , is selected . when the customer wants to receive the print over the counter , the order information data showing the laboratory at which the print is received is referred to , and the laboratory is selected as the laboratory to output the print . when no laboratory is specified in the order information , the laboratory which stores the high resolution image data is selected . when the laboratory specified by the customer does not have the high resolution image data , the information showing where the high resolution image data is stored is included in the order information , as is the case where the special laboratory 4 is selected . when the center server 12 transmits the order information to the photo - finishing laboratory selected as described above , it records the content of the order and calculates a data storage fee , a communication charge and the like to be paid to each laboratory by periodically summing up the amount of data transferred . in this manner , transactions between the center server 12 and each laboratory , or between the laboratories , are managed . this management is carried out in this manner , because each laboratory can gain an appropriate profit by printing or by storing digital image data of its customers . such data are obviously used in a charge billing system to customers as well . the laboratory server 8 which received the order information carries out the processing such as outputting an extra print according to the content of the order included in the order information , and hands the print to the customer or arranges mailing or the like . on this occasion , the hand - over to the customer or a mailing arrangement should be carried out by hand , as has been carried out conventionally . however , the laboratory server 8 can carry out processing to help such operations , for example , to print a mailing label automatically by referring to the order information data showing the recipient , and to notify the recipient of the print output finish by automatically sending him / her an electronic mail . an example of such a service viewed from the flow of data is shown in fig5 . regarding the manipulated printing service using the template , data managed by a personal computer 6 of the customer , the center server 12 , and the laboratory server 8 , in addition to the flow of the data , are shown in fig5 . as described above , the laboratory server 8 stores high resolution image data 21 of the customer &# 39 ; s picture and high resolution template 23 thereof . the center server 12 stores a low resolution template 24 which corresponds to the high resolution template 23 , because whenever a new template is generated in the laboratory , a low resolution template corresponding to the new template is also registered in the center server . meanwhile , low resolution image data 22 corresponding to the high resolution image data 21 are also registered in the center server upon a request from the customer . the customer refers to ( and downloads upon necessity ) the low resolution image data 22 and the low resolution template 24 disclosed on the center server 12 and composes them using the personal computer 6 . however , the processing carried out at this stage , such as composition , aims to generate the order information , and the processed image obtained through the processing is used for confirmation only . the procedure of the processing carried out by the customer is recorded by the function of dedicated software installed in the personal computer 6 . the procedure is taken in as a portion of the order information 20 when the order information is generated . the order information 20 also includes information showing an image 22 a and a template 24 a specified and used by the customer . the order information 20 is received by the center server 12 , and the center server 12 transmits instruction information 25 to the laboratory selected by referring to the order information 20 . at this time , the instruction information 25 includes the information showing the image 22 a , the template 24 a , and the processing procedure . the laboratory server 8 , which receives the instruction information including such information , searches the hard disc for the high resolution template 23 a corresponding to the template 24 a and high resolution image data 21 a corresponding to the image 22 a , based on the information , and outputs the print after the processing following the processing procedure . such a service as described above can be implemented by the system configuration shown in fig6 , for example . the personal computer 6 of the customer who carries out the order generation processing will be explained first . a www browser 30 has been installed in the personal computer 6 . the program which carries out the order generation processing is provided as a plug - in of the browser . alternatively , the function which carries out only a portion of the order generation processing is provided as the plug - in , and the other functions may be installed as application software independent from the browser . the example in fig6 shows the case where functions for browsing and downloading the low resolution image data and template , as well as a function for uploading an order file are provided as the plug - in , while a processing application 31 for processing the image data and template which have been downloaded , and an order file generating module 32 , are provided as application software . in this example , in the processing application 31 , if the size and the number of a print are specified as in the case of ordinary printing ( the printing by a printer connected to a personal computer ), an order file is automatically generated by the function of the order file generating module 32 . if the low resolution image data and template are provided by a medium 17 , the www browser 30 is used for browsing the data stored in the medium 17 and also for copying data from the medium 17 to the hard disc of the personal computer 6 . the configuration of the center server 12 will be explained next . as described above , the center server 12 is a server computer comprising a large capacity hard disc and a variety of communication equipment . the server computer 12 is used for providing the order receiving service in the form of a web page . a www application server 36 which communicates with the www browser 30 of the personal computer 6 accesses low resolution image data base 33 and low resolution template data base 34 in response to the customer &# 39 ; s request , and obtains necessary data , then transfers the data to the personal computer 6 . the access to the data bases 33 and 34 may be carried out by an original protocol . however , by using a protocol 35 which is used by each company in common , it becomes possible to use a data base in another company &# 39 ; s system in the same manner as the data base in the center server of its own company . in other words , it is preferable that the access to the data base or the like is carried out by defining the common image accessing protocol 35 for a search , a transfer , and access right management of the templates and images . the www application server 36 receives the order file 20 uploaded by the user , selects the laboratory server 8 which is best - suited for processing the order , and transfers the order file 20 as it is or after adding necessary instruction information thereto . in other words , an order file transmitting receiving protocol 37 in fig6 is the protocol for assigning the photo - finishing laboratory for printing , in response to the order content . it is also preferable to use a common order file transmitting receiving protocol . a program 42 which analyzes the order file 20 transferred from the center server 12 and a program 41 which carries out the processing and printing based on the instruction in the order file 20 are installed in the laboratory server 8 . after analyzing the order file 20 , if the access right to the image specified in the order file is denied ( if the password necessary for the access is not included in the order file ), no processing and printing are carried out . if the access right is confirmed , the above program obtains necessary data from high resolution image data base 40 and high resolution template data base 38 , and outputs the manipulated print . the configuration and the function of the network photograph service system of the present invention has been described above . next , an example of how convenient the system is to use will be described with reference to fig7 . for example , assume the case where a customer records pictures with his / her friend who came from overseas , and first prints are then ordered from a minilab 3 a nearby ( 101 ). the first prints are immediately processed by the minilab 3 a , and the film is returned to the customer when the prints are finished ( 102 ). assume that the customer records other pictures with the same friend at the friend &# 39 ; s house overseas . conventionally , first prints of pictures recorded on a trip have been ordered after the trip . however , since every operation , except for printing a film , can be carried out via the network in the network photograph service system of the present invention , it is highly likely that this system has affiliated photo - finishing laboratories overseas . therefore , even when first prints are ordered from a minilab 3 b near the friend &# 39 ; s house ( 103 ), and the prints are received there ( 104 ), an extra print can be ordered after the customer returns to his / her country . after the customer returns , he / she accesses the center server 12 from the personal computer 6 at home and orders extra prints of these pictures ( 105 ). at this time , for example , among the pictures whose first prints were ordered from the minilab 3 a , an extra print of a picture a is ordered for the customer while a picture b is for the friend , and among the pictures whose first prints were ordered from the minilab 3 b , an extra print of a picture c is ordered for the customer . as for the pictures for the customer , the minilab 3 a is specified as the laboratory at which the prints are received . as for the picture for the friend , mailing may be specified as the method to receive the print . however , in the case of air mail , it takes more than one day for the print to reach the friend . on the other hand , if an order is carried out with the friend being specified as the recipient and the laboratory 3 b as the laboratory at which the print is received , the print can reach the friend on the day of the order at the earliest . when such an order is carried out , the center server 12 instructs the image server in the minilab 3 a to output the prints of the pictures a and c , while notifying the image server of the network address of the laboratory server in the minilab 3 b which stores the picture c ( 106 ). in this manner , the laboratory server in the minilab 3 a can obtain the digital image data of the picture c by a transfer of the data from the laboratory server in the minilab 3 b ( 107 ). likewise , the center server 12 instructs the printing of the picture b to the minilab 3 b and notifies the laboratory 3 b of the network address of the laboratory server in the minilab 3 a which stores the picture b ( 108 ). in this manner , the laboratory server in the minilab 3 a can obtain the digital image data of the picture b by a transfer of the data from the laboratory server in the minilab 3 a ( 109 ). by such transfer processing of the digital image data , the pictures a and c are printed at the minilab 3 a and provided to the customer ( 110 ), while the picture b is printed at the minilab 3 b and provided to the customer &# 39 ; s friend ( 111 ). in this system , if the customer notifies the friend of the customer &# 39 ; s password , the friend can order a picture he / she wants directly . as shown by the above examples , according to the network photograph service system of the present invention , the printing service can be received upon necessity , at a desired place , and in a shorter time than before , regardless of the location of the laboratory where the first prints have been ordered . this is extremely convenient not only for the example shown in fig5 but also for business , such as the case where a picture suddenly becomes necessary in a business activity going on from place to place . in the embodiment described above , the center server 12 stores the thumbnail images for the access via the network while the laboratory server 8 stores the high resolution image data for printing . however , it is needless to say that the center server may store the high resolution image data for printing which are also used as the image for access , while the laboratory server 8 carries out printing only , without storing the high resolution image data . these and other objects of the present application will become more readily apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter . however , it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples , while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention , are given by way of illustration only , since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description . | 7 |
reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention , an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , the same reference numbers or characters will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts . referring to fig4 an embodiment of the antenna assembly according to the present invention includes a helical antenna 50 and a whip antenna 70 . the helical antenna 50 includes a helical element 52 wound on an insulator 51 , a metal plate 54 disposed beneath the helical element 52 , an insulating layer 56 disposed beneath the metal plate 54 , and a sleeve 58 disposed beneath the insulating layer 56 . in the present embodiment , a signal is transmitted between the metal plate 54 and the sleeve 58 by an electromagnetic coupling . thus , a flange 59 is formed on the upper end of the sleeve 58 so that a facing surface is wide enough to ensure the signal transmission through the electromagnetic coupling . meanwhile , an antenna cover 60 encloses the combined structure of the helical antenna 50 , the metal plate 54 , the insulating layer 56 , and the sleeve 58 . the whip antenna 70 includes an antenna rod 72 , a tube 76 , and a conductive stopper 82 . the antenna rod 72 is made of a nickel - titanium alloy and the top end thereof is forcibly fitted to the sleeve 58 . also , a spring 74 is attached at the bottom end of the antenna rod 72 so as to cause a friction when the bottom end of the antenna rod 72 slides inside the tube 76 . meanwhile , the tube 76 includes a sill 78 at its top end for preventing the antenna rod 72 from slipping out of the tube 76 by holding the spring 74 . further , a plate spring 80 is provided on the inner wall of the tube 80 from a location displaced by a certain distance from the top end thereof to the bottom end . in the present invention , the antenna rod 72 , the tube 76 , and the stopper 82 are electrically connected to one another . fig5 though 8 illustrates the installation and operation of the antenna assembly of fig4 . referring to the figures , the antenna assembly is installed onto the phone as follows . the upper portion of the housing 90 of the phone has a passing - through aperture , and a ring - shaped housing connector 92 is installed within the aperture for electrically connecting the antenna assembly to a signal processing circuit 94 . screw patterns are formed on the inner wall of the aperture of the housing and the outer circumferential surface of the connector 92 , and the connector 92 is installed by being screwed into the aperture . the antenna assembly is installed so as to be movable upward and downward inside an aperture through the center of the connecter 92 . the antenna assembly operates as follows . when the antenna assembly is in an extended position as shown in fig5 the stopper 82 is stuck in the aperture of the connector 92 and the spring 74 attached at the bottom end of the antenna rod 72 is held beneath the sill 78 of the tube 76 . in such a position , the contact between the connector 92 and the stopper 82 acts as a feed point to the antenna assembly . power from the signal processing circuit 94 is provided to the whip antenna 70 via the antenna clip 96 and the connector 92 , and some portion of the power received by the whip antenna 70 is transmitted to the helical element 52 by capacitive coupling . thus , the supplied power is radiated as a radio wave by both the helical antenna 50 and the whip antenna 70 . also , the rf signal received by the helical antenna 50 and the whip antenna 70 is provided to the signal processing circuit 94 via the connector 92 and the antenna clip 96 . in such a state , the antenna rod 72 and the tube 76 are combined to constitute a telescopic whip antenna having an electrical length of λ / 4 . further , since the whip antenna 70 is connected to the helical antenna 50 having an electrical length of λ / 4 , the antenna assembly operates equivalently to an antenna of λ / 2 - length . meanwhile , the antenna assembly has a shape in which a coil is top - loaded on the whip antenna of λ / 4 - length , and thus the radiation efficiency thereof is enhanced . when a user wishes to retract the whip antenna into the phone in a standby state , for example , the user pushes the helical antenna 50 downward so that the whip antenna 70 slides into the housing body of the phone . in an early stage of the insertion , the tube 76 does not translate but only the helical antenna 50 and the antenna rod 72 moves downward while the spring 74 is guided in the tube 76 . if the user continues to push the helical antenna 50 , the bottom end of the antenna rod 72 reaches the stopper 82 as shown in fig6 . after the arrangement of fig6 is established , the applied pushing pressure acts on the stopper 82 so that the tube 76 is translated downward . if the pushing operation is continued , the whip antenna is inserted into the phone and the sleeve 58 is stuck in the aperture of the connector 92 as shown in fig7 . when the antenna assembly is in a retracted position as shown in fig7 the helical antenna 50 is operative since the sleeve 58 is stuck in the aperture of the connector 92 and power is transferred between the sleeve 58 and the metal plate 54 by capacitive coupling . at this time , the capacitance component of the helical antenna is increased owing to the capacitive coupling , and thus the bandwidth of the helical antenna is enlarged and the antenna characteristics is stabilized compared with the conventional helical antenna in which power is fed directly . when the user wishes to extend the antenna assembly from the phone in order to attempt a call or receive an incoming call , the user pulls the helical antenna 50 so that the whip antenna 70 slides out of the housing of the phone . in an early stage of the extension , the tube 76 does not translate but only the helical antenna 50 and the antenna rod 72 moves upward while the spring 74 is guided in the tube 76 . if the user continues to pull the helical antenna 50 , the spring 74 is held beneath the sill 78 of the tube 76 as shown in fig8 . after the arrangement of fig8 is established , the applied pulling force acts on the tube 76 through the spring 74 so that the tube 76 is translated upward . if the pulling operation is continued , the whip antenna reaches the extended position as shown in fig5 . fig9 illustrates another embodiment of the antenna assembly according to the present invention , which includes a helical antenna and a whip antenna . in the present embodiment , the helical antenna has a configuration similar to that shown in fig4 and includes an helical element 102 wound on an insulator 101 , a metal plate 104 disposed beneath the helical element 102 , an insulating layer 106 disposed beneath the metal plate 104 , and a sleeve 108 disposed beneath the insulating layer 106 . the top surface of the sleeve 108 is wide enough to ensure the signal transmission between the metal plate 104 and the sleeve 108 through electromagnetic coupling . meanwhile , an antenna cover 110 encloses the combined structure of the helical antenna 100 , the metal plate 104 , the insulating layer 106 , and the sleeve 108 . a screw thread 112 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 108 so that the helical antenna is installed on the housing of the phone by use of the screw thread 112 . also , an aperture having an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the antenna rod is provided passing through the axis of the helical antenna structure , so that the whip antenna is installed through the aperture of the helical antenna structure . the whip antenna includes an antenna rod 122 , a tube 126 , and a conductive stopper 82 . the antenna rod 122 is made of a nickel - titanium alloy and provided with a knob 136 at the top end thereof for making it easy to extend or retract the whip antenna . also , a spring 124 is attached at the bottom end of the antenna rod 122 so as to cause friction when the bottom end of the antenna rod 122 slides inside the tube 126 . meanwhile , the tube 126 includes a sill 128 at its top end for preventing the antenna rod 122 from slipping out of the tube 126 by holding the spring 124 . further , a plate spring 130 is provided on the inner wall of the tube 126 extending from a location displaced from the top end thereof to the bottom end . in the present invention , the antenna rod 122 , the tube 126 , and the stopper 132 are electrically connected to one another . fig1 and 11 illustrate the antenna assembly of fig9 installed in the portable phone , in the extended position and the retracted position , respectively . referring to the figures , the antenna assembly is installed onto the portable phone as follows . the upper portion of the housing 90 of the phone has a pass - through aperture , and a ring - shaped housing connector 140 for electrically connecting the antenna assembly to a signal processing circuit 94 of the phone installed inside the aperture . screw patterns are formed on the inner wall of the aperture of the housing and the outer circumferential surface of the connector 140 , and the connector 140 is installed by being screwed into the aperture . meanwhile , the inner surface of the connector 140 also has a screw thread so that the helical antenna is installed at the connector 140 by use of the screw threads formed on the inner surface of the connector 140 and the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 108 . the whip antenna is installed so as to be movable upward and downward inside the aperture through the center of the helical antenna . the antenna assembly operates as follows . when the antenna assembly is in the extended position as shown in fig1 , the stopper 132 is stuck in the aperture of the connector 140 and the spring 124 attached at the bottom end of the antenna rod 72 is held beneath the sill 78 of the tube 76 . in such a position , the contact between the connector 140 and the stopper 132 acts as a feed point to the antenna assembly . also , the antenna rod 122 and the tube 126 are combined to constitute a telescopic whip antenna having an electrical length of λ / 4 . also , the helical antenna is connected in parallel with the whip antenna . some portion of the power from a signal processing circuit 94 is provided to the whip antenna via the antenna clip 96 and the connector 140 , while the other portion of the power is provided to the helical antenna . here , power transfer between the sleeve 108 and the helical element 102 is performed by capacitive coupling . meanwhile , the antenna assembly has a shape in which a coil of λ / 4 - length is loaded at the bottom of the whip antenna , and thus the radiation efficiency thereof is enhanced . when the user wishes to retract the whip antenna into the phone in a standby state , for example , the user pushes the knob 136 downward so that the whip antenna slides into the housing body of the phone . in an early stage of the insertion , the tube 126 does not translate but only the antenna rod 122 moves downward while the spring 124 is guided in the tube 126 . when the bottom end of the antenna rod 122 reaches stopper 132 , the applied pushing pressure acts on the stopper 132 so that the tube 126 is translated downward . if the pushing operation is continued , the whip antenna is inserted into the phone and the bottom end of the knob 136 is stuck in the aperture of the helical antenna as shown in fig1 . when the antenna assembly is in the retracted position as shown in fig1 , the stopper 132 and the tube 126 are electrically isolated from the connector 140 so that no signal is transferred between the signal processing circuit 94 and the whip antenna . therefore , the whip antenna has no effect on the antenna characteristics in such a position . at this time , however , the helical antenna is operative and can exchange signals with the signal processing circuit 94 since the sleeve 108 is electrically connected to the connector 140 . also , the power transfer between the sleeve 108 and the metal plate 104 is performed by capacitive coupling . when the user wishes to extend the antenna assembly from the phone to attempt a call or receive an incoming call , the user pulls the knob 136 so that the whip antenna slides out of the housing body of the phone . in an early stage of the extension , the tube 126 does not translate but only the antenna rod 122 moves upward while the spring 124 is guided in the tube 126 . if the user continues to pull the helical antenna and the spring 124 is held beneath the sill 128 of the tube 126 , the applied pulling force acts to pull up the tube 76 . if the pulling operation is continued , the whip antenna reaches the extended position as shown in fig1 . fig1 shows a structure of the whip antenna in another embodiment of the antenna assembly . the whip antenna of fig1 has a configuration similar to that shown in fig9 except that the antenna rod 150 is formed by winding a thin conductor in a helical shape . in such an alternative , it is preferable to form the antenna cover 152 by a molding process in order that the antenna cover 152 fills the gaps between the pitches of the antenna rod 150 and encloses and protects the rod 150 sufficiently . according to this embodiment , the flexibility of the antenna rod 150 is enhanced , so that the whip antenna is pliable when an external impact is applied and can be restored to its original shape . thus , the mechanical reliability of the antenna apparatus is enhanced . although the present invention has been described in detail above , it should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative and not restrictive . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many obvious modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be interpreted in the light of the following appended claims . | 7 |
while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms , specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail . it should be understood , however , that there is no intent to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed , but on the contrary , the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims . like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description of the figures . in the figures , the dimensions of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity . it will also be understood that when an element , such as a layer , region , or substrate , is referred to as being “ on ” another element , it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present . in contrast , when an element , such as a layer , region , or substrate , is referred to as being “ directly on ” another element , there are no intervening elements present . fig1 is a layout diagram that illustrates a dynamic random access memory ( dram ) device comprising a capacitor over bit line ( cob ) structure according to some embodiments of the present invention . the dram device comprises sources 95 a , drains 95 b , gates 105 , cell pads 115 a and 115 b , bit lines 125 , and storage node contact plugs 180 . specifically , according to some embodiments of the present invention , cylindrical capacitors are contact with the upper surfaces of the storage node contact plugs 180 . a cell region c includes the above elements and a peripheral circuit region p surrounds the cell region c . an exemplary method of fabricating or forming an integrated circuit device according to some embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings . fig2 a , 3 a , 4 a , 5 a , 6 a , 7 a , and 8 a illustrate the sectional structures of precursors of the integrated circuit device of fig1 cut along a line a – a ′ in various stages of manufacture or formation . fig2 b , 3 b , 4 b , 5 b , 6 b , 7 b , and 8 b illustrate the sectional structures of precursors of the integrated circuit device of fig1 cut along a line b - b ′ in various stages of manufacture or formation . fig3 c through 3e , 4 c , and 5 c illustrate plan views of precursors of the integrated circuit device of fig1 in various stages of manufacture or formation . referring to fig2 a and 2b , a shallow trench isolation region 100 is formed in a semiconductor substrate 90 to define an active region and an inactive region . gates 105 , which are formed by successively stacking a gate oxide layer 101 , a gate conductive layer 102 , and a mask nitride layer 103 , are formed on the active region . after depositing silicon nitride on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 90 , the silicon nitride is anisotropically etched to form dielectric spacers 106 on both sidewalls of the gates 105 . impurities are then implanted into the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 90 to form a plurality of sources 95 a and drains 95 b . a first insulating layer 110 is formed on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 90 and then the upper surface of the first insulating layer 110 is planarized using chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ). the first insulating layer 110 is then etched on both sidewalls of the gates 105 using a cell pad mask until the sources 95 a and drains 95 b are exposed to form contact holes for forming cell pads . after removing the cell pad mask , the contact holes are filled with a conductive material . the conductive material is planarized using cmp to make the upper surface of the conductive material approximately level with the first insulating layer 110 . thus , cell pads 115 a and 115 b , which are electrically connected to the sources 95 a and drains 95 b respectively , are formed . a second insulating layer 117 is formed on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 90 and then the second insulating layer 117 is etched to form bit line contact holes that expose the cell pads 115 b . the bit line contact holes are filled with a conductive material to form bit line contact plugs 120 ( see fig1 ), and the bit lines 125 are formed to pass over the bit line contact plugs 120 while crossing over the gates 105 . in particular , the bit lines 125 are formed by successively stacking bit line conductive layers 121 and cap layers 122 . after depositing a silicon nitride material on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 90 , the silicon nitride material is anisotropically etched to form bit line spacers 126 on the sidewalls of the bit lines 125 . a third insulating layer 140 is formed of the resultant structure having the bit line spacers 126 , and the third insulating layer 140 is etched to form storage node contact holes for exposing the cell pads 115 a . the storage node contact holes are filled with a conductive material and the upper surface of the conductive material is planarized to form storage node contact plugs 180 . an etch stopper 200 is formed on the entire surface of the third insulating layer 140 having the storage node contact plugs 180 . in some embodiments , the etch stopper 200 is formed by depositing silicon nitride material . a first mold oxide layer 210 , which is formed on the etch stopper 200 , may be a borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ) layer or a tetra ethyl ortho silicate ( teos ) layer , which may be formed by plasma enhanced - chemical vapor deposition ( pe - cvd ). then , a support layer 220 is formed on the entire surface of the first mold oxide layer 210 . it is preferable that the support layer 220 has an etch rate different from those of the first mold oxide layer 210 and a succeeding mold oxide layer when etched by a predetermined etch solution . for example , in some embodiments , the support layer 220 may be formed by depositing the silicon nitride material to a thickness of about 10 to 1000 å . referring to fig3 a , 3 b , and 3 c , the support layer 220 is patterned by a dry etch process to form line type patterns 220 a that elongate in the lengthwise direction of a gate 105 and a frame 220 b , which is integrally connected to each end of the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters . the support layer 220 is patterned to eliminate portions of the support layer 220 through which the upper surface of the first mold oxide layer 210 is exposed . fig3 a and 3b correspond to sectional views formed by cutting fig3 c along lines a – a ′ and b – b ′, respectively . referring to fig3 c , portions s , which are illustrated by ellipses with dotted lines , represent the storage node holes where capacitors are to be subsequently formed . because the capacitors will be formed to be in contact with the upper surfaces of the storage node contact plugs 180 in fig1 , the portions s representing the storage node holes are defined after designing a layout as shown in fig1 . consequently , the locations of the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are determined based on the locations of the storage node holes . in some embodiments of the present invention , the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are formed such that the storage node holes cross over line type patterns 220 a as shown in fig3 c . in other embodiments , line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are placed between adjacent storage node holes as shown in fig3 d . in still other embodiments , line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are elongated in the lengthwise direction of a bit line 125 , but not in the lengthwise direction of a gate 105 as shown in fig3 e . operations for forming the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters and the frame 220 b , which is integrally connected to the ends of the line type patterns 220 a , can be performed more than once . to achieve this , the operations for forming the mold oxide layer 210 , forming the support layer 220 , and patterning the support layer 220 are repeated . as a result , more than one layer of supporters may be formed to support the lower electrodes at the sides of the lower electrodes . as the number of supporters increases , the lower electrodes may be more firmly supported to prevent them from falling down . therefore , the number of supporters may be determined based on a tradeoff between an increase in the number of operations and a reduction in the effective area of the lower electrodes . referring to fig4 a , 4 b , and 4 c , a second mold oxide layer 230 is formed on the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters , the frame 220 b , and the first mold oxide layer 210 . the second mold oxide layer 230 may be formed in the same maimer as the first mold oxide layer 210 . in other embodiments , the second mold oxide layer 230 may be formed using a different method from that used to form the first mold oxide layer 210 as long as the second mold oxide layer 230 comprises a material having an etch rate different from that of the support layer 220 when etched by a predetermined etch solution . portions of the second mold oxide layer 230 , the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters , and the first mold oxide layer 210 corresponding to the regions s for the storage node holes 240 are etched to form a plurality of storage node holes 240 . in this case , a dry etch process without etching selectivity is performed to evenly etch the first and second mold oxide layers 210 and 230 and the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters . in addition , the etch stopper 200 is also etched to expose the upper surfaces of the storage node contact plugs 180 . in particular , with reference to fig4 c , the storage node holes 240 are formed while etching the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters to form supporters 220 c between the storage node holes 240 . fig4 a and 4b correspond to sectional views formed by cutting fig4 c along lines a – a ′ and b – b ′, respectively . referring to fig5 a , 5 b , and 5 c , the inner walls of the storage node holes 240 may be wet etched . accordingly , the storage node holes 240 become storage node holes 240 a with enlarged widths . consequently , the ends of the supporters 220 c formed between the storage node holes 240 a may be exposed inward from the inner walls of the storage node holes 240 a . the wet etch process is optional . referring to fig6 a and 6b , a conductive layer 250 for forming lower electrodes , such as a doped polysilicon layer is formed on the resultant structure comprising the storage node holes 240 a . in some embodiments , the supporters 220 c and the conductive layer 250 comprise materials having generally good mutual adhesion properties . in some embodiments , the supporters 220 c comprise a silicon nitride layer and the conductive layer 250 comprises a doped polysilicon layer so that they adhere to each other relatively well . it will be understood , however , that various materials can be used for the supporters 220 c and the conductive layer 250 . for example , in a case where platinum ( pt ), ruthenium ( ru ), or an oxide thereof is used for the conductive layer 250 for forming lower electrodes comprising metal or metal oxide lower electrodes , metal - insulator - metal ( mim ) capacitors or metal - insulator - semiconductor ( mis ) capacitors can be formed by using a material having excellent adhesion property to pt , ru , or an oxide thereof to form the supporters . the storage node holes 240 a are filled with an oxide layer 260 , such as a spin on glass ( sog ) layer , a bpsg layer , an undoped silicate glass ( usg ) layer , or a plasma - enhanced tetra ethyl ortho silicate ( pe - teos ) layer having an excellent filling characteristic . because the conductive layer 250 is formed on the ends of the supporters 220 c , which protrude inward from the walls of the storage node holes 240 a , the contact area between the conductive layer 250 and the supporters 220 c increases , which improves adhesion between the conductive layer 250 and the supporters 220 c . upper portions of the oxide layer 260 and the conductive layer 250 on the second mold oxide layer 230 are eliminated by cmp process or an etch back process to expose the upper surface of the second mold oxide layer 230 . accordingly , the portion above a line r – r ′ in fig6 a and 6b is removed . as a result , separate lower electrodes 250 a are formed in each cell . referring to fig7 a and 7b , the oxide layer 260 remaining in the lower electrodes 250 a and the second and first mold oxide layers 230 and 210 are removed by the wet etching process . in this case , the supporters 220 c are not etched because an etch solution having a greater etch rate on the first and second mold oxide layers 210 and 230 than on the support layer 220 is used . fig7 a illustrates the peripheral circuit region p as well as the cell region c . as shown in fig7 a , while the oxide layer 260 and the second and first mold oxide layers 230 and 210 are removed from the cell region c , only a portion of the first mold oxide layer 210 is removed at the boundary of the cell region c in the peripheral circuit region p . consequently , a larger portion of the first mold oxide layer 210 remains under the frame 220 b because the frame 220 b operates as an etch stopper and protects the first mold oxide layer 210 . referring to fig8 a and 8b , capacitors 300 are manufactured or formed by successively forming a dielectric layer 280 and an upper electrode 290 on the lower electrodes 250 a . fig8 a illustrates the peripheral circuit region p as well as the cell region c . as shown in fig8 a , a step difference between the cell region c and the peripheral circuit region p is determined by subtracting the thickness of the first mold oxide layer 210 under the frame 220 b from the height of the capacitors 300 . accordingly , in contrast to a conventional method of entirely removing a mold oxide layer , embodiments of the present invention compensate for the step difference by the thickness of the first mold oxide layer 210 . as shown in fig1 and 8a , an integrated circuit device according to some embodiments of the present invention comprises a semiconductor substrate 90 having a cell region c and a peripheral circuit region p that surrounds the cell region c . a plurality of capacitors 300 , comprising cylindrical lower electrodes 250 a , a dielectric layer 280 , and upper electrodes 290 , are connected to the conductive region of the semiconductor substrate 90 , namely , the storage node contact plugs 180 . in this case , the capacitors 300 are arranged in the rows and columns of the cell region c in the semiconductor substrate 90 . the frame 220 b , which is integrally connected to the outermost supporters 220 c while covering the peripheral circuit region p , protects the first mold oxide layer 210 under the frame 220 b . in the case where the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are formed as shown in fig3 c or 3 e , the supporters 220 c are located between the lower electrodes 250 a that are arranged on the same rows or the same columns . in the case where the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are formed as shown in fig3 d , the supporters 220 c are located between the lower electrodes 250 a that are arranged on two adjacent rows or columns . as the height of the supporters 220 c position relative to the lower electrodes 250 a increases , the supporters 220 c may provide firm support of the lower electrodes 250 a at sides thereof . a preferred height for positioning the supporters 220 c , e . g ., higher than half the height of the lower electrodes 250 a , has to be determined because if the height of the supporters 220 c is excessively high , then the supporters 220 c may be removed in the planarization process . in the case where more than two layers of the supporters 220 c are formed in a vertical direction of the lower electrodes 250 a , the uppermost supporters may be located higher than half the height of the lower electrodes 250 a . fig9 is a plan view of a dram device that illustrates methods of forming the dram device according to some embodiments of the present invention . after finishing forming a support layer 220 as shown in fig2 a and 2b , the support layer 220 is patterned to form line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters and a frame 220 b . in this case , the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters are elongated in the lengthwise direction of a gate 105 and the lengthwise direction of a bit line 125 and cross over each other . the frame 220 b is integrally connected to the ends of the line type patterns 220 a for forming supporters . portions s in which storage node holes are formed are located at portions where the line type patterns 220 a cross . as a result , the mechanical strength of the supporters to support the lower electrodes may increase relative to embodiments in which the supporters are arranged along rows or columns of the frame 220 b . in the above - described invention , because the supporters support the lower electrodes at the sides of the lower electrodes , the lower electrodes are less likely to fall down even when the height of the lower electrodes increases . thus , generation of bridges between adjacent capacitors may be avoided . moreover , the lower electrodes are less likely to be displaced or to fall down in succeeding cleaning processes . in addition , the lower electrodes remain mechanically strong so as not to damage themselves and the capacitors , thereby allowing a relatively high cell capacitance to be obtained . advantageously , electrical failures in the semiconductor device may be reduced while improving yield of the semiconductor device . the frame , which is formed in the peripheral circuit region while being integrally connected to the supporters prevents the underlying mold oxide layer from being etched . therefore , the step difference between the cell region and the peripheral circuit region on the semiconductor device is determined by subtracting the thickness of the mold oxide layer under the frame from the height of the capacitors . consequently , the method according to the present invention reduces the step difference between the cell region and the peripheral circuit region compared to the conventional method in which the mold oxide layer is removed substantially in its entirety . in concluding the detailed description , it should be noted that many variations and modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the present invention . all such variations and modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present invention , as set forth in the following claims . | 7 |
referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 and 2 thereof , there is shown a mounting device for a cooling air flap module 2 , which is held in a mounting frame 3 , is arranged in a front panel 1 of a motor vehicle . a reinforcing frame 4 , which can be fixed on the inside of the front panel 1 , is connected to the mounting frame 3 on a front side . the front panel 1 preferably contains a large - area component made of plastic , which has at least two air inlet openings 5 ( see fig5 ) situated laterally at the outside , which are each reinforced by the reinforcing frames 4 . the mounting frame 3 is placed on the reinforcing frame 4 from the rear with respect to a direction of driving f , and connected at the top , at the bottom and at the sides by a plurality of screwed joints 16 ( see fig7 ), the reinforcing frame 4 preferably being capable of being fixed on the front panel 1 by screwed and / or snap - in joints . to control the air flow through the two lateral air inlet openings 5 in the front panel 1 to radiators situated behind , three pivotable cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 situated one above the other are in each case arranged in the region of these air inlet openings 5 , the air flaps being adjustable into an open position , into a closed position and into various intermediate positions by an actuating motor 38 via common actuating elements 9 , 10 , 11 of an actuating device s ( see fig3 ). the three pivotable cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 are each provided at the outer edge and centrally with bearing journals 21 , 22 , 23 , which engage in bearings 24 , 25 and 26 consisting of holes in the mounting frame 3 ( see fig9 ). the bearing journals 21 , 22 and 23 and the bearings 24 , 25 , 26 of a cooling air flap are in each case arranged coaxially . the three bearing journals of a cooling air flap 6 , 7 , 8 and the associated bearing holes 24 , 25 , 26 in the mounting frame 3 are each provided with just one single reference number in the figures . the mounting frame 3 has a vertical support 28 for the central bearing holes , from which support there extend inward - projecting lugs n , in which the bearing holes 24 , 25 and 26 are arranged . corresponding projecting lugs n for the bearing holes 24 , 25 and 26 are also formed on the lateral edges of the mounting frame 3 . the three bearing journals 21 , 22 and 23 of the cooling air flap 6 , 7 and 8 are each preferably arranged in a horizontal longitudinal center plane l . however , it is also possible for them to be arranged at the upper edge of the cooling air flaps . fig3 shows that the reinforcing frame 4 has at least two fixed laminar transverse ribs 33 and 34 situated one above the other , which are positioned in front of the three cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 in the air inlet openings 5 of the front panel 1 and are held centrally with respect to the reinforcing frame 4 by an approximately vertical support 35 . the transverse ribs 33 and 34 are arranged in alignment with the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 in such a way that , in the open position of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 , a horizontal air guide surface f is obtained together with the transverse ribs 33 and 34 , this being illustrated in greater detail in fig4 . at its edge 36 a , the mounting frame 3 for the cooling air flap module 2 has a side wall 36 , which is preferably offset at a right angle from the frame 3 and on the outside of which a mounting 37 for an actuating motor 38 is fixed by riveting and on the inside of which the actuating elements 9 , 10 and 11 of the actuating device s are arranged . in one possible version of the illustrative embodiment , it would also be possible for the actuating motor 38 to be arranged on the inside of the side wall 36 and for the actuating device s to be arranged on the outside of the side wall . the actuating device s contains actuating elements 9 , which are each connected to a respective lateral bearing journal 21 , 22 , 23 of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 and are connected pivotably at the free end to a common connecting lever 10 in such a way that there is a synchronous motion of the three actuating elements 9 and thus also of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 by virtue of the connecting lever 10 . a drive lever 11 is pivotably connected to the connecting lever 10 , the drive lever in turn being drive - connected to the actuating motor 38 . the actuating elements 9 are connected to the bearing journals 21 , 22 , 23 of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 by a square profile 40 ( see fig1 ), which can be inserted into a square opening 41 corresponding thereto in the actuating element 9 so that the two components interact . retention is provided by a retaining clip 42 , which fixes the actuating element 9 in the axial direction . the connecting lever 10 is snapped onto the drive lever 11 , which is , in turn , connected to a projecting square profile 44 on a drive shaft of the actuating motor 38 by a square opening 43 . when the drive lever 4 is pivoted by the actuating motor 38 , the connecting lever 10 is adjusted and pivots the three actuating levers 9 and hence also the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 in synchronism into an open position , a closed position or into intermediate positions . at its free end , the drive lever 11 has an angled offset 45 , which is arranged in a recess 46 in the offset side wall 36 of the mounting frame 3 , and this recess 46 has a lower stop 47 for the offset 45 of the drive lever 11 in the open position of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 and an upper stop 48 in the closed position of the cooling air flaps 6 , 7 and 8 ( see fig3 ). | 1 |
fig1 is a perspective view of an apparatus 10 for inserting a glass rod 12 , such as an undercladded lightguide preform , that is , one having a larger than desired core - to - cladding mass ratio , into a glass tube 14 . the apparatus 10 includes a base 16 which mounts one end of each of a plurality of parallel , spaced - apart , upwardly extending poles 18 -- 18 . each of the poles 18 -- 18 has its upper end attached to a platform 19 which is in parallel , spaced - apart relationship above the base 16 . slidably mounted to the poles 18 -- 18 intermediate the platform 19 and the base 16 are four parallel , spaced - apart platforms 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 in vertical registration one above the other . a lead screw 30 has each of its ends mounted to the base 16 and to the platform 19 , respectively , so as to pass through an opening ( not shown ) in each of platforms 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 . a plurality of lead nuts 32 , 34 , 35 and 36 each threadadly engage the lead screw 30 above a separate one of platforms 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 . the lead nuts 32 , 34 , 35 and 36 are each rotatably driven by a separate one of a plurality of motors 38 , 40 , 41 and 42 , each typically a bodine model 908 dc gear motor manufactured by bodine corp ., chicago , ill . each of motors 38 , 40 , 41 and 42 is mounted on a separate one of the platforms 20 , 22 , 24 and 26 , respectively . to engage the lower end of the preform 12 , the platform 20 carries a gimbal 44 which includes a servo - controlled rotary table 46 which is mounted on the upper surface of the platform . the rotary table 46 , whose construction is well known in the art , has a servo - driven x - y stage 48 , such as those manufactured by aero tech corporation , pittsburgh , pa ., mounted thereon . the stage 48 supports a seat 50 ( described in greater detail with respect to fig2 ) which holds one end of the preform 12 . the preform 12 extends upwardly from the seat 50 through an opening 52 in the platform 22 in coaxial alignment with a chuck 53 rotatably journaled in the platform 24 . the chuck 53 serves to engage one end of the tube 14 . the tube 14 extends upwardly from the chuck 53 through an opening 54 in the platform 26 for engagement by a chuck 55 rotatably journaled in the platform 19 . the chuck 55 has a set of sprocket teeth ( not shown ) circumscribing its outer periphery , near the top thereof , for engaging a chain 56 driven by a motor 57 . the chain 56 also engages an idler sprocket 58 which is connected to a shaft 59 that extends vertically downwardly through the platforms 26 and 24 to drive the chuck 53 in a manner described hereinafter with respect to fig3 . a nest 60 ( described in greater detail with respect to fig3 ) is pivotally mounted to the undersurface of the platform 24 . the nest 60 is pivotable between a vertical position ( shown in fig1 ) and a horizontal position ( not shown ) at which the nest is parallel to , and directly beneath , the platform 24 . the portion of the preform 12 which extends above the opening 52 in platform 22 is illuminated by a light source 61 . typically , the light source 61 comprises a horizontally positioned , small wattage fluorescent lamp mounted on the platform 22 on one side of the opening 52 . a line scan camera 62 , such as manufactured by reticon corp ., sunnyvale , calif ., is mounted on the platform 22 on the opposite side of the opening 52 from the light source 61 so as to be in registration with the light passing through and around the preform 12 . the operation of the camera 62 will be further described hereinafter with respect to fig6 and 7 . a torch 64 is mounted on the platform 26 so as to partially circumscribe the opening 54 through which the tube 14 extends . in practice , the torch 64 is identical to that described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 477 , 244 , issued to j . r . nis and c . d . spainhour and assigned to the assignee of the present invention , which is incorporated by reference herein . the torch 64 is operated in the manner described in that patent to heat the tube 14 to accomplish firepolishing and collapse thereof as the platform 26 is reciprocated between the platforms 19 and 24 . during firepolishing of the tube 14 , oxygen from a suitable source ( not shown ) is admitted into the tube through a rotary coupling 65 journaled in the upper end of the chuck 55 . the oxygen serves to drive out any contaminants that may be present inside the tube 14 during firepolishing . the normal operation of the torch 64 , while suitable for firepolishing , collapsing and necking down the upper end of the tube 14 , is not useful for staking lower ends of the tube to capture the preform 12 therein . this is because the torch 64 , when operated in the manner described in the aforementioned patent , produces a wide heat zone . to stake the lower end of the tube 14 , a very narrow heat zone is required . in practice , the heat zone of the torch 64 can be reduced by blocking one or more of jets 66 of the torch through which combustible gases , such as hydrogen and oxygen , are expelled prior to ignition so that a very narrow , focused flame is produced . an exhaust tube 68 is mounted to the platform 22 on the side of the opening 54 opposite the torch 64 to draw any excess hydrogen gas before the torch is lit . fig2 is a cross - sectional view illustrating the details of the seat 50 . the seat 50 includes a housing 70 which is secured to a baseplate 71 by bolts 72 . the baseplate 71 is secured to the stage 48 ( see fig1 ). a second housing 74 is located within the housing 70 and is mounted thereto for pivotal movement by way of a pair of oppositely extending pins 76 and 78 . each of the pins 76 and 78 is journaled into a separate one of a pair of opposed walls 80 and 82 of the housing 70 by each of a pair of bearings 84 and 86 , respectively . each of walls 80 and 82 of the housing 70 mounts a separate one of a pair of opposed , single - acting , spring - return air cylinders 88 and 90 . each of the cylinders 88 and 90 has a shaft 92 which extends horizontally towards the housing 74 through an opening 94 in a separate one of the walls 80 and 82 . the housing 74 mounts a pair of single - acting , spring return air cylinders 96 ( only one of which is shown in cross section in fig2 ) on opposite sides thereof . each air cylinder 96 has a shaft 98 which extends horizontally therefrom into the housing 74 . the shaft 98 of each air cylinder 96 extends towards a support member 100 pivotally mounted within the housing 74 by a pair of pins 101 ( only one of which is shown ) each journaled into a separate one of the walls 102 , ( only one of which is shown ) of the housing . extending upwardly from the support member 100 is a socket 103 which is sized to receive the lower end of the preform 12 therein . a clamping mechanism ( not shown ) secures the lower end of the preform 12 within the socket 103 . an inverted cup - shaped bracket 104 is secured within the socket 103 for mounting a single - pole , single - throw momentary switch 106 . the switch 106 has an upwardly extending spring biased plunger 108 which has a head 110 at the upper end thereof for engaging the lower end of the preform 12 . fig3 illustrates the details of the nest 60 . the nest 60 comprises a u - shaped channel 111 fixedly fastened to the undersurface of the platform 24 adjacent to an edge 112 thereof . the channel 111 has a pair of parallel , spaced - apart , downwardly extending legs 113 -- 113 which engage a rotary air cylinder 114 therebetween . the air cylinder 114 has a pair of oppositely extending shafts 115 ( only one of which is shown ), each projecting through a separate one of the legs 113 -- 113 of the channel 111 . each shaft 115 of the air cylinder 114 engages a separate one of a pair of legs 116 -- 116 of a yoke 118 . a plate 119 is mounted to the yoke 118 so as to extend therebeyond in a direction opposite to the legs 116 -- 116 . the plate 119 has a through passage 120 sized to receive the upper end of the preform 12 . the exact location of passage 120 in the plate 119 is such that when the plate is positioned parallel to and underneath the platform 24 ( as shown in phantom ), the passage is coaxial with a hollow cylindrical member 121 , which is journaled into the platform coaxial with the chuck 53 ( not shown in the figure ) for coupling thereto . a disk 122 is spring biased from the plate 119 so as to face the cylindrical member 121 when the yoke 118 is pivoted to move the plate to a position parallel to and underneath the platform 24 . the disk 122 has a tapered aperture ( not shown ) therethrough in registration with the passage 120 in the plate 119 for seating the upper end of the preform 12 in coaxial registration with the cylindrical member 121 . the cylindrical member 121 has a set of sprocket teeth ( not shown ) about its periphery for engaging chain 123 . the chain 123 also engages an idler sprocket 124 journaled in the platform 24 and a drive sprocket 125 which is carried on that portion of the shaft 59 which extends below the platform . the shaft 59 is driven by the motor 57 of fig1 simultaneously with the chuck 55 of fig1 . fig4 is a schematic block diagram of a control circuit 127 for controlling the motor 42 which propels the platform 26 ( fig1 ). the control circuit 127 includes a power supply 128 which produces a substantially constant dc voltage across a first pair of outputs o 1 and o 2 which are coupled to each of a set of field terminals f 1 and f 2 , respectively , of the motor 42 . a twelve volt dc voltage is produced by the power supply 128 at terminals + 12 and g , which is connected to circuit ground . in addition to the two fixed dc voltages , the power supply 128 also produces an adjustable dc voltage across a pair of output terminals o 3 and o 4 , respectively . the magnitude of the adjustable voltage is determined by the ratio of a resistance across a pair of control terminals a 1 and a 2 of the power supply 128 to a resistance appearing across the control terminal a 1 and a control terminal a 3 . to establish the magnitude of the adjustable voltage , a potentiometer 129 has its fixed resistance portion coupled across the control terminals a 2 and a 3 of the power supply 128 . the potentiometer 129 has its wiper arm connected to a normally closed contact nc of a relay 130 having a coil c . the relay 130 has a movable contact mc and a normally open contact no each coupled to a separate one of the control terminals a 1 and a 2 , respectively , of the power supply 128 . the motor 42 has a pair of armature terminals ar 1 and ar 2 which are alternately supplied from the power supply 128 with a positive and negative voltage through one of a pair of double - pole , double - throw relays 131 and 132 , respectively . each of the relays 131 and 132 has a pair of normally open contacts no 1 and no 2 , a pair of normally closed contacts nc 1 and nc 2 , a set of movable contacts mc 1 and mc 2 and a coil c . the contacts no 1 and no 2 of relay 131 are connected to the terminals o 3 and o 4 , respectively , of the power supply 128 , whereas the movable contacts mc 1 and mc 2 of the relay are connected to the armature terminals ar 1 and ar 2 , respectively , of the motor 42 . the contacts no 1 and no 2 of the relay 132 are connected to a separate one of the terminals o 3 and o 4 , respectively , of the power supply 128 , whereas movable contacts mc 1 and mc 2 of that relay are connected to the armature terminals ar 2 and ar 1 , respectively , of the motor 42 . the relays 131 and 132 bear the designation &# 34 ; up &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; down &# 34 ; because when each is energized , the motor 42 is supplied at its armature terminals ar 1 and ar 2 with a positive voltage and negative voltage , respectively , to propel the platform 26 of fig1 upwardly and downwardly , respectively . the coil c of each of the relays 130 , 131 and 132 has one of its two terminals connected to the + 12 terminal of the power supply 128 . the remaining terminal of the coil c of each of relays 130 and 131 is coupled to the collector of a transistor 133 . the relay 132 has the remaining terminal of its coil c connected to the collector of a transistor 134 . the transistors 133 and 134 each have their respective emitter coupled to circuit ground . each of a pair of diodes 136 and 137 is coupled across a separate one of the coils c of relays 131 and 132 , respectively . each of the diodes 136 and 137 provides a return path to the + 12 terminal of the power supply 128 for any current remaining in the coil c of relays 130 and 131 and relay 132 , respectively , as each of the transistors 133 and 134 , respectively , becomes nonconductive . each of transistors 133 and 134 has its base connected to the output of a separate one of a pair of and gates 138 and 139 which comprise part of a logic circuit 140 . the logic circuit 140 also includes a pair of j - k flip flops 142 and 144 , each having its respective q output coupled to one of a pair of inputs of a separate one of the and gates 139 and 138 , respectively . each of flip flops 142 and 144 has its j input coupled to the q output of the other flip flop . the k input to each of flip flops 142 and 144 is coupled via a pull down resistor ( not shown ) to ground to clamp each input . a first and second momentary , single - pole , single - throw switches 146 and 148 are provided for coupling the j and k inputs , respectively , of the flip flop 142 to a bus 150 which is connected via a dropping resistor 152 to the + 12 terminal of the power supply 128 . a momentary single - pole , single - throw switch 154 couples the bus 150 to the k input of the flip flop 144 . each of the flip flops 142 and 144 has its respective k input coupled to the bus 150 by a momentary double - pole , single - throw switch 156 . the switches 148 and 154 bear the designation &# 34 ; low limit &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; high limit &# 34 ;, respectively , because each switch is mounted to one of the poles 18 of fig1 ( in a manner not shown ) so as to be actuated when the platform 26 of fig1 is at the bottom and top of its travel , respectively . the switches 146 and 156 bear the designation &# 34 ; start &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; stop &# 34 ; since the actuation of each switch causes the motor 42 to be started and stopped , respectively , in a manner described hereinafter . each of the and gates 138 and 139 has its second input supplied from a comparator 160 with the signal produced at its output c . a resistor 162 is coupled between the output c of the comparator 160 and the + 12 terminal of the power supply 128 to maintain the second input to each of the and gates 138 and 139 at a logic &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; level for so long as the signal at the output c of the comparator remains at a logic &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; level . the comparator 160 has a first input y 1 coupled to a reference voltage supply ( not shown ). the second input y 2 of the comparator 160 is coupled to a first input w 1 of an opto - isolator 164 . the opto - isolator has its second input w 2 connected to circuit ground . a pair of serially coupled resistances 166 and 168 couple the + 12 input of the power supply 128 to the second input w 2 of the opto - isolator 164 , with the junction between the resistors coupled to the first input w 1 of the opto - isolator . a full wave rectifier bridge 170 has each of a pair of inputs connected to a separate one of a pair of terminals of a dynamic braking resistor 171 which is coupled between the terminal nc 2 of relay 131 and the terminal nc 1 of relay 132 . the rectifier bridge 170 has a negative (-) output terminal coupled directly to a first input x 1 of the opto - isolator 164 and has a positive (+) output terminal coupled to one terminal of a limiting resistor 172 . the limiting resistor 172 has its remaining terminal connected to a second input x 2 of the opto - isolator 164 . a pair of diodes 174 and 175 is coupled in series aiding fashion between the second input x 2 of the opto - isolator 164 and the negative input (-) of the rectifier bridge 170 to limit the voltage supplied to the opto - isolator . fig5 shows a block diagram of a control apparatus 180 which controls the operation of the stage 48 of fig1 and the air cylinders 88 , 90 and 96 of fig2 in response to the output signal of the camera 62 of fig1 . the control apparatus 180 includes a computer 182 which typically takes the form of a model 85 computer manufactured by hewlett packard company , palo alto , ca . the computer 182 is coupled by way of an interface circuit 184 to the stage 48 , to the motor 40 , to the camera 62 and to a solenoid valve 185 which controls the flow of air from a source of compressed air ( not shown ) to the air cylinders 88 , 90 and 96 . the interface circuit 184 typically comprises a model 6940b multiprogrammer manufactured by hewlett packard company and contains a breadboard circuit card 186 and a digital input circuit card 188 for interfacing the camera 62 to the computer 182 . the interface circuit 184 also includes a digital output circuit card 190 to couple the output signals of the computer 182 to the stage 48 , to the motor 40 and to the solenoid value 185 . the circuit cards 186 , 188 and 190 are all available from hewlett packard company . referring to fig6 there is a block schematic diagram of the camera 62 which will prove helpful in understanding the operation thereof . the camera 62 includes an imaging lens 192 which focuses light received from the light source 61 onto a linear detector array 194 . in practice , there are one thousand twenty - four ( 1 , 024 ) individual detector elements ( not shown ) within the array 194 , each element producing an electrical signal in response to light impinging thereon . the preform 12 will , when positioned between the light source 61 and the lens 192 of the camera 62 , only pass light through its central portion 196 ( represented in fig6 as a dashed cylindrical outline ) towards the lens 192 . the light passing through the central portion 196 of the preform 12 is refracted by the lens 192 and strikes those detector elements within the region m on the array 194 . any light entering the preform 12 on either side of the central region 196 is refracted away from the lens 192 , and therefore does not strike the array 194 , causing those elements closest to the sides of the region m to appear dark . the light from the light source 61 which passes around the outer edges of the preform 12 is refracted by the lens 192 and strikes those detector elements on the array 194 on either side of those made dark by the light passing through the preform 12 outside of the central region 196 thereof . this may be better understood by reference to fig7 which illustrates the output signal amplitude of each of the individual detector elements of the array 194 in response to the light impinging thereon . the peaks p 1 and p 2 shown in the graph of fig7 correspond to the light passing through the central region 196 ( fig6 ) of the preform 12 . the presence of a valley v 1 between the peaks p 1 and p 2 is not fully understood but is believed to be due to the refraction of the light passing directly through the center c of the preform 12 away from the lens 192 . on each side of the peaks p 1 and p 2 of the graph of fig7 is a separate one of a pair of valleys v 2 and v 3 which correspond to the detectors of the array 194 of fig6 made dark by light entering the preform 12 on either side of the central region 196 which is refracted away from the lens 192 . outside of the valleys v 2 and v 3 are each of a pair of peaks p 3 and p 4 , respectively , which correspond to the light which passes around the outer edges of the preform 12 and into the lens 192 . the peaks p 3 and p 4 are of a width a and b , respectively , as measured by the number of individual elements of the array 194 which are illuminated by the light passing around the outer edges of the preform 12 . referring back to fig6 when the preform 12 is initially seated in the socket 103 of fig2 the center c of the preform is likely to be offset a distance x off and - y off along the x and y axes , respectively , from a point c lying along the central axis of the tube 14 ( not shown ) which is spaced a distance f o from the center of the lens 192 along the x axis . such an offset may be due to the preform 12 being misshaped ( doglegged ). the amount of offset can , however , be determined from the output signal amplitude of the detector array 194 graphically depicted in fig7 . upon rotation of the rotary table 46 ( not shown in fig6 or 7 ), the preform 12 of fig6 rotates through angle θ . the position of the preform 12 after rotation is indicated in phantom . the equation of motion of the center c of preform 12 upon rotation can be mathematically given by a function f ( θ ) ## equ1 ## the function f ( θ ) can be expressed in terms of a radial distance r o from the point c to the center c of the preform 12 c as follows where 0 represents the initial offset angle of the preform 12 with respect to x axis . the distances x off and y off are given by in practice , the preform 12 is rotated by the rotary table 46 through an arc of 180 °. at each 10 ° interval , the camera 62 of fig6 detects the intensity of the light from the light source 61 which is received through and around the preform and transmits the data to the computer 182 of fig5 . in response to the data received from the camera 62 , the computer 182 determines values for a and b and then computes the value of the function f ( θ ) at each 10 ° increment in accordance with the equation ( 1 ). from the computed values of f ( θ ), the computer 182 then performs a least square fit to determine f 0 , r 0 and θ 0 in accordance with equation ( 2 ). once a complete 180 ° rotation of the table 46 of fig1 has been accomplished and the intensity of the light passing through and around the preform 12 has been measured at each 10 ° interval , the platform 22 of fig1 is driven upwardly a short distance , typically 5 cm by appropriately energizing motor 32 of fig1 . the steps of : ( a ) rotating preform 12 through an arc of 180 °, ( b ) measuring the intensity of the light passing through and around the preform , ( c ) calculating the value of f ( θ ) at each 10 ° interval and ( d ) computing values for f o , r o and θo are repeated . upon completion of these steps , platform 22 is again driven upwardly and the steps are again repeated until the entire length of the preform has been traversed by the camera 62 . once the computer 182 of fig5 has determined values for f o , r o and θ o at each 5 cm increment , then this data is fit to a model of a standard preform ( not shown ) to determine the necessary movement of the stage 48 in the x and y directions to compensate for any radial misalignment between the tube 14 and the preform 12 . in practice , the model of the standard preform is typically obtained by measuring the intensity of light passing through and around the edges of a straight preform , that is one having no curvature or diameter variation . using a straight preform as the model is advantageous as it allows the computer 182 to perform a linear least square fit of the radial offset distance r 0 versus the height of the preform 12 to obtain the necessary x and y offset corrections . in practice , the internal diameter of the tube 14 is entered into the memory location in the computer 182 at the outset of operation of the apparatus 10 . from a knowledge of the internal diameter of the tube 14 and from a knowledge of the location of each of a pair of opposed edges of the preform 12 ( as determined by the values of a and b ), the computer 182 , using the model of the standard preform to determine the offset distances , can determine if the preform can in fact be inserted into the tube without contacting the walls thereof . such a determination is accomplished by comparing the offset distance between each of the edges of the preform to center c of the tube 14 to one half of the internal diameter of the tube . determining the actuation of the stage 48 by fitting the measured values of r o , θ o and f o to a model of a straight preform compensates for any variations in the shape of the actual preform 12 . however , if the preform 12 is substantially straight , then a much simpler procedure can be used . if the preform 12 is substantially straight , then the tip of the preform can be assumed to be in alignment with the axis of the tube 14 . only one measurement of the radial offset of the preform 12 from the axis tube 14 need be made . the stage 48 is then actuated to move the preform 12 in accordance with the single measured offset distance . the overall operation of the apparatus 10 of fig1 may best be understood by reference to fig8 which illustrates , in sequence , each step of a method for inserting the preform 12 into the tube 14 . initially , the tube 14 is clamped ( step 200 ) by inserting the tube through the opening 54 and securing one end in the chuck 55 . the other end of the tube is then secured in the chuck 53 . depending on the length of the tube 14 , it may be necessary to move the platform 24 by engaging the motor 41 of fig1 to accommodate the tube . the preform 12 is then mounted ( step 202 ) in the following manner . the cylinder 114 ( fig3 ) is actuated to pivot the plate 119 ( fig3 ) parallel to the platform 24 ( fig1 ). the preform 12 is received through the opening 52 ( fig1 ) in the platform 22 ( fig1 ) and the upper end thereof is inserted into the opening 120 ( fig3 ) in the plate 119 against the spring - biased disk 122 ( fig3 ). as the upper end of the preform 12 is held against the disc 122 , the lower end thereof is seated into the socket 103 ( fig2 ) and is then clamped . once the preform 12 has been mounted , the radial misalignment , if any , between the preform and the tube 14 is determined ( step 204 ) in the manner described previously with respect to fig7 . if the measured amount of misalignment is too great to permit insertion of the preform 12 without contacting the inside surface of the tube 14 , then the operator is alerted ( step 205 ) and operation of the apparatus 10 ceases . otherwise , the x - y stage 48 is then actuated in accordance with the amount of radial offset determined by computer 182 to achieve precise alignment of the preform 12 with the tube 14 ( step 206 ). thereafter , the solenoid valve 185 of fig5 is actuated , causing the air cylinders 88 , 90 and 96 of fig2 to clamp the support member 100 and the housing 74 of fig2 to prevent movement thereof ( step 207 ). by clamping the support member 100 and the housing 74 , the alignment of the preform 12 with the tube 14 is maintained substantially fixed . thereafter , the platform 20 of fig1 is driven downwardly by energizing motor 38 of fig1 ( step 208 ) so that the plate 119 can be pivoted away from the end of the preform 12 upon actuation of the air cylinder 114 of fig3 . as the steps 204 , 206 , 207 and 208 are being executed , the tube 14 is firepolished ( step 209 ). firepolishing is accomplished by energizing the motor 57 to rotate the tube 14 and reciprocating the platform 26 between platforms 24 and 19 to move the torch 64 along the tube . referring back to fig4 reciprocation of the platform 26 is initiated by closing the start switch 146 which sets the flip flop 142 , thereby causing a logic &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; level signal to appear at the q output thereof . if the motor 42 is at rest , then a null level voltage appears across the braking resistor 171 , causing a null level voltage to appear across to inputs y 1 and y 2 of the comparator 162 . as the result of such a condition , the comparator 162 produces a logic &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; level voltage at its output , which causes the and gate 139 to be enabled and render transistor 134 conductive , which in turn , energizes the relay 132 . once relay 132 is energized , the motor 42 is supplied with a positive voltage across its armature terminals ar 1 and ar 2 and in response , drives the platform 26 of fig1 downwardly . the motor 42 continues to drive the platform 26 ( fig1 ) downwardly to its lowermost position of travel whereupon the low limit switch 148 is actuated to reset the flip flop 142 . when reset , the flip flop 142 drives the output of the and gate 139 to a logic &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; level voltage thereby rendering transistor 134 nonconductive . the relay 132 now becomes deenergized and interrupts the supply of armature current to the motor 42 , causing downward travel of the platform 26 to come to a halt . the resetting of the flip flop 142 causes flip flop 144 to be set . however , even though flip flop 144 is now set , the and gate 138 remains disabled because the motor 42 does not decelerate to zero immediately after the relay 132 is deenergized . as the motor 42 slows to a stop , the back emf thereof dissipates into the resistor 171 to achieve regenerative breaking of the motor . while a voltage is present across resistor 171 , the full wave rectifier bridge 170 produces a dc voltage which appears across the inputs x 1 and x 2 of the opto - isolator 164 . the presence of a voltage across the inputs x 1 and x 2 of the opto - isolator 164 causes a short circuit to appear across its output terminals w 1 and w 2 . with a short circuit present across the outputs w 1 and w 2 of the opto - isolator 164 , a voltage difference appears across the inputs y 1 and y 2 of the comparator 160 , causing the signal at the output c of the comparator to remain at a logic &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; level , thus disabling the and gate 138 . only after motor 42 has reached nearly a dead stop does the voltage difference across the inputs x 1 and x 2 of the opto - isolator 164 become negligible , causing the comparator to enable the and gate 138 , thereby rendering transistor 133 conductive . once transistor 133 becomes conductive , relay 131 is energized , causing motor 42 to be supplied with a negative armature voltage . in response to the negative armature voltage , the motor 42 drives the platform 26 upwardly . the conduction of transistor 133 also causes the relay 130 to become energized , thereby placing a short circuit between the control terminals a 1 and a 2 of the power supply 128 . in response to the short circuit between the control terminals a 1 and a 2 , the magnitude of the negative voltage supplied across the armature terminals ar 1 and ar 2 of motor 42 increases significantly as compared to the magnitude of the armature voltage supplied while the relay 130 remains deenergized . as a result , speed at which platform 26 is driven upwardly is greater than the speed of its downward movement . once the platform 26 reaches its upwardmost limit of travel , the high limit switch 154 becomes actuated , thereby resetting the flip flop 144 , which causes flip flop 142 to be set . however , even though flip flop 142 now is set , the and gate 139 remains disabled until the motor 42 reaches nearly a dead stop . once the motor 42 has decelerated almost to rest , the comparator 160 then enables the and gate 139 , causing transistor 134 to become conductive . with the transistor 134 now conductive , the relay 132 is energized thereby to supply the motor 42 with a positive armature voltage , causing the motor to drive platform 26 downwardly . however , the speed of downward travel of the platform 26 is less than the speed of the previous upward movement of the platform because the relay 130 becomes deenergized once transistor 134 is nonconductive , thereby causing a finite resistance to appear across the terminals a 1 and a 2 of the power supply 128 . this causes the magnitude of the voltage appearing across the terminals o 3 and o 4 of the power supply 128 to decrease . reciprocation of the platform 26 continues in the manner described above until the stop switch 156 is actuated . upon actuation of the switch 156 , both of the flip flops 142 and 144 become reset so that both of the transistors 133 and 134 become nonconductive deenergizing both of the relays 131 and 132 so that the motor 42 is starved of armature current . referring back to fig8 once the tube 14 of fig2 has been firepolished , the upper end of the tube is crimped upon heating by the torch 64 ( step 210 ). following both steps 208 and 210 , the motor 38 of fig1 is energized to drive the platform 20 of fig1 upwardly ( step 212 ) to insert the preform 12 into the tube 14 . once the end of the preform 12 abuts the necked - down end of the tube 14 , continued upward movement of the platform 20 causes the plunger 108 ( fig2 ) of switch 106 ( fig1 ) to be depressed thereby actuating the switch . the actuation of the switch 106 signals the completion of the insertion of the preform 12 into the tube 14 so that motor 38 is then deenergized , causing upward movement of the platform 20 to cease . once the preform 12 has been inserted into the rod 14 , the lower end of the tube 14 is staked ( step 214 ) to capture substantially all of the preform in the tube . next , the end of the preform 12 which had been tightly clamped in the socket 103 , is now released , and the platform 20 is lowered to allow the end of the preform to clear the socket ( step 215 ). once the preform 12 is released and the platform 20 is lowered , tube 14 is rotated while being heated by the torch 64 ( now adjusted to produce a wide heat zone ) to collapse the tube about the preform ( step 216 ). finally , the platform 26 is driven upwardly to return the torch 64 to the necked - down upper end of the tube 14 . the necked - down upper end of the tube 14 is then heated to achieve complete pinch - off and separation of the remaining portion of the collapsed tube which has the preform 12 therein ( step 218 ). the portion of the collapsed tube 14 , having the preform 12 therein , yields a preform having the desired core - to - cladding mass ratio . it is to be understood that the various embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention . various modifications may be made thereto by persons skilled in the art which may embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof . | 8 |
the improved stackable basket disclosed solves the aforementioned drawbacks in an effective manner , allowing on one hand its convenient handling by all types of users and on the other maintaining their hygiene , which is not affected by stacking them . to this end , the basket of the invention is provided on one hand with a telescopic handle that is perfectly collected and integrated in the basket structure in the resting position , so that it does not prevent stacking the baskets , and on the other hand is provided with internal walls or turrets placed on the base of each basket that are located on the vertical projection of the wheels of the basket placed above it in the stack , preventing the dirt in the latter from being deposited on the base of the baskets . more specifically , the basket of the invention is provided on one hand with a conventional hinged handle that has not been shown , of the type which in a resting position lies on the basket &# 39 ; s top frame and is integrated in it to facilitate stacking . as described above , this handle allows the user to carry the basket by lifting it , supporting its full weight . in addition to this conventional handle is also provided a new telescopic handle which in the resting position is perfectly integrated in the basket body , facilitating its stacking . this telescopic handle is also provided with means allowing it to be fixed at its maximum length without retraction , this is , when it is fully extended , remaining fixed until a new user or the same one decides to retract it until it returns to its resting position . the telescopic handle is preferably integrated on one of the side faces of the basket , abutting it inner or outer wall or even inside it , so that it does not interfere with the other conventional hinged handle . it is also possible for the telescopic handle to have a folding segment , specifically on its free end , in which case the end bearing the grip will either rest on the notch or recess of the baskets upper frame or on the conventional handle , thereby allowing stacking . the face bearing the telescopic handle also holds the wheels , more specifically on the bottom corners of this face , the other two bottom corners having legs or supports that form part of a peripheral rib that adds stability to the basket when it is set vertically on the ground , this is , in a resting position . these wheels are preferably constructed without a common shaft connecting them , thereby eliminating the possibility of this shaft accumulating dirt collected while the basket rolls on the ground with the aid of the wheels , which would then fall on the basket below it when it is stacked . on another hand , to preserve the hygiene of the baskets these are provided internally , at least at two of their corners and more specifically at those under which the wheels are located , with l - shaped internal walls or turrets that form a sort of cubicle with the walls of the basket meant to be located above the vertical projection of the wheels of the basket placed above it in the stack , so that the dirt deposited in this basket &# 39 ; s wheels does not fall on the base of the basket below it but instead falls thorough said orifices or turrets towards a through orifice that is framed by the aforementioned walls and the basket sides . these through orifices may be placed only on the vertices at which there is a wall or turret , or in all the vertices or the basket , in order to maintain hygiene when a user stacks a basket in an inverse position with respect to the other , so that if the wheels of the upper basket are not vertically aligned with the walls or turret of the lower basket the dirt from the wheels does not fall to the base of the lower basket but instead falls to the floor through said orifices . the facts described above provide a stackable basket that is easily handled and comfortable for the user and guarantees the required hygiene . to complete the description being made and in order to aid a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention , according to an example of a preferred embodiment , a set of drawings is accompanied as an integral part of the description where for purposes of illustration and in a non - limiting manner the following is shown : fig1 shows an upper perspective view of the improved stackable basket showing the telescopic handle in two possible positions , as well as one of the wheels allowing to transport the basket . fig2 shows a bottom perspective view of the improved stackable basket showing both the rear part of the telescopic handle and one of the wheels allowing to transport the basket . fig3 shows an upper perspective view of the improved stackable basket showing both the internal walls or turrets and the orifices placed on the bottom of said basket . fig4 shows an enlarged perspective view of the bottom part of the basket , showing both the orifices of the basket base and its legs and wheels . fig5 shows a perspective view of one of the guides of the telescopic handle and a detail of this handle . fig6 shows a side view of the improved stackable basket showing one basket stacked on another , as well as the position of the wheels on the interior walls or turrets . in view of the described figures , it can be seen that the improved stackable basket ( 1 ) of the invention is basically constructed from a prism - shaped single body made of a strong material , such as plastic or the like , with a number of orifices or incuts ( 2 ) in all or some of its faces and with generally rounded edges . as conventional baskets , although this is not shown in the figures for sake of simplicity , the improved stackable basket ( 1 ) of the invention is provided on its top part with a hinged handle which in the resting position rests on the basket &# 39 ; s upper frame or edge ( 3 ) and is integrated in it by a notch or incut ( 4 ) made in said edge ( 3 ) to facilitate stacking one tray on the other . in addition to this conventional hinged handle , the basket ( 1 ) of the invention has a telescopic handle ( 5 ) with a corresponding handle ( 6 ). this handle ( 5 ) is place on one of the side faces of the basket ( 1 ), abutting its inner or outer wall or even inside it , and in general in the wall where it does not interfere with the conventional hinged handle . the telescopic handle ( 5 ) can also have a folding segment , specifically its free end , in which case this end which includes the grip ( 6 ) will rest on either the notch or incut ( 4 ) of the top edge ( 3 ) or on the conventional handle , in order to allow stacking . specifically , in this example of embodiment as can be seen in fig1 , 5 and 6 , the lateral telescopic segments ( 7 ) of the handle ( 5 ) run along the outer wall of the aforementioned face , this is , they travel along it by virtue of corresponding guide rails ( 8 ) along which run sliders ( 9 ) acting as stops provided in the bottom end of the corresponding telescopic segments ( 7 ), limiting the vertical displacement of the first portion of said telescopic segments ( 7 ) and preventing possible swivelling or lateral movement of the segments . both the guide rail ( 8 ) and the sliders ( 9 ) acting as a stop are protected by two longitudinal protrusions ( 10 ) placed on either side of each rail ( 8 ) to prevent , in the case that the handle ( 5 ) is placed externally and therefore the sliders ( 9 ) jut out on the inside of the basket ( 1 ) as in the example of embodiment shown in the figures , that t items or packages introduced in the basket obstruct said rails ( 8 ), interfere with the aforementioned sliders ( 9 ) or damage them . furthermore , these protrusions will prevent any object , such as the user &# 39 ; s clothes , from obstructing said rails ( 8 ) when the handle ( 5 ) is placed internally and the sliders ( 9 ) jut outwards from the basket ( 1 ). the telescopic handle ( 5 ) also has means that allow it to be fixed at a maximum height without retracting , i . e . when it is fully extended , remaining fixed until a user decides to fold said handle ( 5 ) to return it to its resting position , at which time it is fully integrated in the body of the basket ( 1 ), the grip ( 6 ) of said handle ( 5 ) being housed in the frame or edge ( 3 ) of the basket to facilitate stacking one basket on the other . the improved stackable basket ( 1 ) of the invention is completed by wheels ( 11 ) placed in correspondence with the lower vertices of the side face housing the telescopic handle ( 5 ), independent of each other so that they are not connected by an axle , the axle of each wheel instead being housed in a small protective cubicle ( 12 ) that forms part of a peripheral rib ( 13 ) placed on the bottom of the basket ( 1 ). on its other two vertices the basket has a widening that gives rise to corresponding legs or supports ( 14 ) that stabilise the basket ( 1 ) when it is placed vertically on the floor , this is , in its resting position . lastly , it should be remarked that as can be seen in this example of embodiment , in correspondence with the vertices under which the wheels ( 11 ) are fitted the basket ( 1 ) is internally provided , on its base , with vertical l - shaped walls or turrets ( 15 ) that define a small cubicle together with the basket walls . in addition , the example represented in the figures shows a possible embodiment in which each of the four bottom vertices of the basket has a through orifice ( 16 ) which will be framed by the vertical turrets or walls ( 15 ) in the vertices that are provided with such . in this way when the dirt of the wheels ( 11 ) of the basket ( 1 ) placed on top falls , it will not be deposited on the base of the basket below it but instead will fall to the ground through the orifices defined by the walls ( 15 ) and the orifices ( 16 ). as described above , the characteristics of the improved stackable basket ( 1 ) of this invention provide great improvements in the comfort and handling of this type of baskets , while allowing to stack them and guaranteeing the required hygiene . | 1 |
referring now to the drawings , in fig1 - 3 , the present invention is embodied in a directional hearing aid device 10 including a pair of reflector members , a right reflector 12 and a left reflector 14 , which are of similar but symmetrically opposite construction . the reflectors 12 and 14 are supported by a headband 16 , horizontally encircling the head of a person using the device 10 , as shown in fig1 with the right reflector 12 located rearwardly adjacent the right ear 18 , and the left reflector 14 located rearwardly adjacent the left ear 20 . an upper portion 22 of each reflector extends upwardly above the top of the respective ear , and a lower portion 24 extends downwardly below the bottom of the respective ear . an outer portion 26 extends diagonally outward and forward beyond the respective ear , as may be seen best in fig1 so that each of the reflectors 12 and 14 defines an acute angle with the respective nearest side of the wearer &# 39 ; s head , the outer ear 18 or 20 thus being located within the acute angle defined between the wearer &# 39 ; s head and the respective reflector 12 or 14 . each of the reflectors 12 and 14 is preferably formed of a sheet of material , for example an abs plastic material which does not resonate acoustically to any significant degree , and which is thick enough and rigid enough to be self - supporting and hold a curved shape defining a concave front surface 28 and a convex back surface 30 of each reflector . the headband 16 may be of a flexible woven webbing material having a width , for example , of about one and one - half inches ( 3 . 8 cm ), and the opposite ends of the headband 16 are provided with elongate pieces of the mating opposite types of material forming a hook - and - loop fastening combination , such as the well - known material commonly known by the trade name velcro . for example a patch 32 of hook - bearing material may be attached to the headband 16 near one end , while a patch 34 of loop pile material is attached proximate the opposite end of the head band on the opposite side of the webbing material , permitting the mating interconnection of the hooks and loops to hold the ends of the headband together to provide an adjustable circumference . each of the reflectors 12 and 14 is attached to the headband 16 by a base plate 36 , which may be of similar plastic sheet material , and which is adjustable along the headband 16 . the headband 16 extends through a pair of parallel vertical slots 38 , 40 defined in each base plate 36 , so that the base plate 36 is adjustable along the headband 16 to place the respective reflector in the desired position behind a user &# 39 ; s ear , irrespective of the size of the user &# 39 ; s head . when the head band 16 is in place on a user &# 39 ; s head , tension in the headband 16 will ordinarly prevent the base plates 36 from slipping along the webbing material of the headband 16 . a support arm 42 , also of similar plastic sheet material , is relatively elongate and somewhat narrower than the base plate 36 . it extends generally horizontally and includes a bend 44 defining an obtuse angle between one end of the support art 42 and the other end of the support arm 42 , which is fastened to and extends parallel with and along a portion of the base plate 36 . the other end of the base plate 42 extends parallel with and is fastened to the respective reflector 12 or 14 to support it at the desired acute angle 46 between the front surface 28 and the base plate 36 . preferably , each end of the support arm 42 is attached respectively to a base plate 36 or reflector 12 or 14 by a fastener such as a rivet 48 . this permits the support arm 42 to be pivoted through an angle of at least a few degrees about an axis 50 extending substantially perpendicular to the base plate 36 , as indicated by the arrows 52 . similarly , each of the reflectors 12 and 14 is pivotable about an axis 54 , defined by one of the fasteners 48 , extending substantially perpendicularly through the reflector 12 or 14 at the point of attachment to the support arm 42 , as indicated by the arrows 56 . as a result of the ability to pivot the support arms 42 and reflectors 12 , 14 about the rivets 48 as indicated by the arrows 52 and 56 , the lower portions 24 of the reflectors 12 and 14 may be adjusted in position to fit closely against the user &# 39 ; s throat or jaw below the respective ear 18 or 20 so as to maximize the amount of sound reflected toward the user &# 39 ; s ears . the rivets 48 or other fasteners are preferably tight enough to require some force to move the pivoted connections of the support arm , so that the reflectors 12 , 14 will normally remain in their adjusted locations . the concavity of the front surface 28 helps to reflect the sound toward the ear , as will be appreciated . referring to fig4 in another embodiment of the invention , otherwise conventional headwear such as a cap 62 is provided with a pair of sidebands 64 and 66 located , respectively , on the right and left sides of the cap 62 and extending horizontally rearward from respective front ends 68 and 70 of the sidebands 64 and 66 . the sidebands 64 and 66 may be of flexible webbing material similar to that of the headband 16 , and end portions of each sideband are attached to the cap 62 as by stitching or the equivalent . the front ends 68 and 70 are located far enough forward with respect to the cap and the sidebands 64 and 66 extend generally horizontally rearward far enough to provide a desired amount of front - to - rear adjustability of the position of respective base plates 36 . the construction of the right and left reflectors 12 and 14 is otherwise substantially similar to that shown in fig1 - 3 above . for best results , the directional hearing aid device 10 is adjusted to place the right and left reflectors 12 and 14 behind the respective right and left ears 18 and 20 of the user and in close contact with the user &# 39 ; s outer ears to extend their size effectively and reflect additional sound energy into the ears to be heard . the lower portions 24 of the right and left reflectors 12 and 14 will be placed as close as possible behind the ears 18 and 20 , so as to maximize the effect of funneling sound into the ears 18 and 20 . sound originating in front of the user &# 39 ; s head will naturally be heard best , and it will be possible to determine the direction from which sound is originating by turning one &# 39 ; s head until a continuing or repeated sound is heard most clearly . preferably , when the directional hearing aid device 10 of the invention is to be used in hunting , it will be preferred to provide a surface finish which is not glossy , but dull and non - reflective of light , so that light will not be reflected from the reflector portions 12 and 14 as the user of the device 10 attempts to determine the direction from which sounds of an animal &# 39 ; s voice or movement originate . the terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention , in the use of such terms and expressions , of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow . | 0 |
disclosure document no . 452 , 228 filed by humberto leniek with the u . s . patent and trademark office under the disclosure document program relates to the pumping system described herein , and is accordingly incorporated by reference . referring now to fig2 a preferred method for deploying a subterranean pump is shown . a small - diameter well is drilled and fitted with a single well casing 4 and a well head 3 . the well casing 4 is perforated near a producing formation ( not shown ). a reel 1 of coiled tubing 5 is positioned at the surface . a subsurface hollow rod pump 6 with attached retrievable pump anchor 7 is coupled to the end of the coiled tubing 5 by a roll - on or slip - type tubing connector 8 and lowered into casing 4 . the retrievable pump anchor 7 may be of various types , but a preferred type is a harbison fisher , giberson , or other similar retrievable pump anchor type . a roll - on connector is a hollow cylinder that has circumferential grooves on its exterior . this connector fits inside the bore of the tubing , and a tool is used to crimp the tubing to the connector , thereby making the connection . connectors of this type typically also include “ o - rings ” which seal the connection against leaks . roll - on connectors advantageously do not increase the outer diameter of the coiled tubing , and thus do no require any clearance allowances downhole . a slip - type connector is a hollow cylinder that has circumferential ridges on its interior . the ridges are designed to allow the tubing to be inserted into this connector , and to grip the exterior of the tubing to prevent it from subsequently being removed . “ o - rings ” are also provided in this case to seal the connector against leakage . tubing connector 8 is preferably connected to the pump 6 by a shear - pin arrangement ( not shown ) which detaches the tubing from the bottom hole assembly ( pump 6 and anchor 7 ) when sufficient force is applied . a circulating hydraulic valve 9 may be provided near connector 8 . circulating hydraulic valve 9 may be a spring - loaded one way valve . valve 9 opens under high pressure to allow fluids from the surface to be conveyed downhole through the coiled tubing 5 and circulated upwards through the annulus around the tubing 5 . a coiled tubing injection head 2 is fitted onto the coiled tubing 5 and used to inject the coiled tubing 5 into the well . the coiled tubing 5 is injected into the well until the pump 6 reaches the appropriate depth . at this point , the pump 6 can be “ spaced ”, i . e . the coiled tubing 5 is suspended by clamps and mechanical slips on the well head 3 , and the tubing is cut between the well head 3 and the reel 1 . the reel 1 and injection head 2 may then be removed from the well , if desired . referring momentarily to fig3 after the coiled tubing 5 is cut on the surface , an upper connector 10 of the roll - on or slip type is attached to the free end of the coiled tubing 5 . the threaded upper end of connector 10 is then connected to the lower end of a hollow polished rod 12 , while the upper end of the hollow polished rod 12 is held in position by a winch line or crane ( not shown ). the connector 10 is then lowered into the well . the hollow polished rod will form a low - friction seal with packing material in the well head , whereby the coiled tubing can be lifted and lowered without breaking the seal . it is noted that in an alternate embodiment , upper connector 10 is eliminated and the hollow polished rod 12 is replaced by a polished sleeve placed over a portion of the coiled tubing 5 . the polished sleeve may comprise chrome - plated steel , stainless steel , or some other suitable material that forms a durable , low friction seal with the well head . the sleeve may be mounted using adhesive or a mechanical seal . next , the pump anchor 7 is set . this may be accomplished by maneuvering the coiled tubing string 5 according to established techniques for setting downhole anchors . for example , slips on the anchor may be extended electrically , hydraulically , or frictionally ( e . g . by rotating the coiled tubing ). the extended slips are then set by allowing some weight to rest on the bottom hole assembly . referring now to fig4 the upper end of polished rod 12 is equipped with a safety valve 16 and preferably connected to an inverted “ u ” shaped tube 18 by a quick hydraulic connector 17 . the “ u ” shaped tube i 8 is preferably connected in turn to a hydraulic high pressure hose 20 by a second quick hydraulic connector 19 . the “ u ” shaped tube 18 is expected to minimize flexural fatigue of the high pressure hose 20 . the tube 18 may be eliminated or replaced with an elbow in some embodiments . the high pressure hose 20 may be connected to a production manifold ( not shown ). the safety valve 16 is preferably a ball valve . the well head installation can then be completed by installing all the packing elements ( not shown ), and connecting the upper end of hollow polished rod 12 to the horse head 25 ( fig3 ) of the surface pumping unit by a bridle head 22 and cables 24 . the winch line or crane may then be removed from the polished rod 12 . referring now to fig5 once the installation is complete , the pumping system works in the following manner . up and down motion of the horse head 24 raises and lowers tubing 5 , causing the plunger 15 to move up and down inside the anchored pump housing 26 . during the upstroke , the traveling valve 13 is closed by the weight of the fluid in tubing 5 . with the traveling valve 13 closed , the upward motion of plunger 15 increases the volume of the chamber beneath valve 13 , thereby reducing the pressure and drawing more fluid into the chamber through standing valve 14 . at the end of the upstroke , the pump chamber is substantially filled with fluid . during the down - stroke , the standing valve 14 closes . the downward motion of plunger 15 decreases the volume of the pump chamber , thereby increasing the pressure and forcing fluid through traveling valve 13 into tubing 5 . at the end of the down - stroke , substantially all the fluid from the pump chamber has been forced into tubing 5 . successive strokes each transfer fluid from the well into the tubing 5 until the fluid level reaches the surface and the well enters the production phase . both travelling valve 13 and standing valve 14 are preferably ball and seat valves . the valves open alternately in response to differential pressure in the upward direction , and close in response to differential pressure in the downward direction . note that it may be desirable to open the annulus between casing 4 and tubing 5 to the ambient air during the initial “ priming ” of the well ( i . e . the initial fluid fill of the tubing ) to prevent an excessive pressure differential from being built up across the pump 6 , as this could prevent the “ prime ” from being established . once the well has entered the production phase , various parameters such as strokes per minute and stoke length may be adjusted according to bottom hole pressure and dynamic fluid level . to reduce wear and extend the useful life of the coiled tubing 5 , centralizers 30 may be provided at regular intervals as shown in fig3 . alternatively ( or additionally ) coiled tubing rotators similar to existing rod rotators may be used to distribute wear evenly and thereby extend the useful life of the coiled tubing in this manner . although the disclosed pumping system is directed primarily to reduced diameter wells , the use of coiled tubing centralizers and coiled tubing rotators provide one method for adapting the disclosed pumping system to wells having larger casing diameters . such an adaptation would provide an inexpensive method for putting old wells back into production . numerous advantages may be obtained by using the disclosed pumping system . for example , a well using the disclosed pumping system may be drilled with a small cross - sectional diameter , i . e . a “ slim ” or “ slender ” hole . this allows the use of smaller and less expensive drilling rigs and smaller , lighter , and less expensive pipe . the use of lighter pipe to case a hole requires less hook load capacity in the drilling rig , thus allowing for the reduction of its size and power . the use of smaller drilling rigs advantageously reduce the size of the well location and consequently also reduce environmental impact . drilling slimmer holes in turn may provide for reduced drilling time and a reduced number of piping strings lowered into the well , and consequently reduced drilling and lifting costs . when coiled tubing is used , the disclosed pumping system may also be used to obtain reduced thread failures due to the elimination of threaded tubing and sucker rods , as well as reduced thread leakage due to the elimination of threaded tubing . coiled tubing also provides for a diminished possibility of handling - induced since coiled tubing is transported in a reel and used directly from the reel . the reduced number of thread joints also may advantageously provide for reduced “ trip ” time since workers no longer need to make and break threaded connections as the string is lowered or raised from the well head . reduced injuries may also be observed since the potential for accidents is significantly reduced when workers are not continually making and breaking threaded joints , and are not repeatedly securing the downhole tubing using elevators , slips , and manual tongs . additionally , no “ workover ” rig or derrick man is required , reducing the potential for a fatal fall . in essence , a major advantage of the disclosed pumping system is that it provides for the use of coiled tubing , and accordingly eliminates much of the risk and much of the potential for potential downhole problems . the scarcity of couplings normally associated with threaded tubing also provides for a unique ability to install the disclosed pumping system under “ live well conditions ”. the continuous cross - section of the coiled tubing allows for better stripping and packing elements at the well head . accordingly , the disclosed pumping system may provide for the ability to keep the well under control at all times , i . e . eruptions or blow outs may be prevented even when tripping into or out of the hole . before installing or removing a tubing string in a typical well design , particularly for pressurized wells , it may be necessary to “ kill ” the well . in other words production is stopped , often by pumping fluids downhole which could potentially damage the producing geological formations . another unique ability which may be obtained from the disclosed pumping system is the ability to pump fluid from a multilayered reservoir with a single submerged pump in a monobore well without losing the opportunity to avoid gas lock by unloading or venting undesired gas through the annular space . fluids from the multiple layers are allowed to flow down the annulus between the casing and the tubing string and to submerge the pump . gasses flow up the annulus and may be removed from the wellhead at the surface . advantageously , the disclosed pumping system is compatible with existing surface installations and equipment including well heads , production manifolds , prime movers and flow lines . the inclusion of the added hydraulic hose assembly is considered to be a minor adaptation to any existing surface installation . the availability of coiled tubing in different diameters , wall thickness and grades of steel , allows the disclosed pumping system to be adapted for various pump depths , various well fluids , and various pumping volumes . numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated . for example , threaded tubing may be used in place of coiled tubing . the tubing may be made of steel or composite materials ( composite tubing ). in fact , for highly corrosive environments , composite tubing may be preferred . additionally , this pumping system may be powered by means other than a beam pumping unit . for example , a hydraulic pumping unit may replace the beam pumping unit . one suitable hydraulic pumping unit is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 785 , 500 entitled “ well pump having a plunger in contact with well and pump fluid ” and filed may 2 , 1996 , by inventor humberto leniek . this patent is incorporated herein by reference . it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications . | 4 |
the following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention . the scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims . a rear view of a prior art golf club 10 is shown in fig1 . the golf club 10 includes a head 18 having a face 18 a ( see fig3 ) for striking a golf ball , a grip 12 for grasping the club 30 , a short hosel 16 attached to the head 18 , and a shaft 14 connecting the grip 12 to the hosel 16 . at the point of the swing when the face 18 a of the head 18 strikes the golf ball , the face is substantially vertical but may slope back from the vertical on some clubs to provide some lift to the golf ball , and the base 18 b of the head is preferably approximately horizontal . the shaft 14 is generally required to be straight for competitive play , and the hosel 16 may be curved but is short and preferably not more than five inches long . a golfer 20 is shown holding the prior art golf club 10 in fig2 , and forces f 1 and f 2 present in a swing of the golf club 10 when the club 10 is at a point of making contact with the golf ball 24 are shown in fig3 with the face 18 a facing up . the golfer 20 exerts a force f 2 required for the swing and impact of the face 18 a of the head 18 with the golf ball 24 , but an additional force f 1 is required to hold the head 18 of the club away from the golfer 20 . although small , the required force f 1 may slightly bias the swing resulting in a slight angling of the face 18 a of the head 18 and a small variation in the intended trajectory of the golf ball 24 . because the force f 1 is not a natural part of the swing , it is difficult for some golfers to learn to properly and consistently swing the prior art golf club 10 . a rear view ( i . e ., the face of the head of the club into the paper ) of the golf club 30 according to the present invention is shown in fig4 . the head 18 of the golf club 30 includes a vertical centerline cl horizontally centered on the base 18 and a vertical line v parallel to the centerline cl . the golf club 30 preferably includes a bent ( or curved ) hosel 36 . the shaft 34 extends from the hosel 36 as with the golf club 10 , on the left side ( or heel 17 ) of the head 18 when viewed from the rear of the head 18 . the hosel 36 includes a lower portion 36 a and upper portion 36 b . the lower portion 32 a is attached to the head 18 near the heel 17 , i . e ., towards the golfer 20 . the lower portion 36 a preferably is vertical or slopes up and away from the vertical line v and towards the golfer 20 , and more preferably slopes away from the vertical line v at an angle a 2 from vertical , when the base 18 b of the head 18 is horizontal . the upper portion 36 b preferably is vertical or slopes slightly towards the vertical centerline cl , and more preferably slopes slightly towards the vertical centerline cl at a small angle a 1 from vertical , when the base 18 b of the head 18 is approximately horizontal . the angle a 1 is preferably approximately three degrees and the angle a 2 is preferably approximately 21 degrees . the head 18 further includes a toe 19 opposite the head 17 . in use , the heel 17 is the end of the head 18 closest to the golfer 20 and the toe 19 is the end of the head 18 farthest from the golfer 20 . the hosel 36 is preferably connected to the heel 17 of the club head 18 and the lower portion 36 a points towards the golfer 20 as the golfer 20 normally stands as the golfer addresses the ball 24 . the lower portion 36 a had a length l 1 which is preferably between two to three inches and more preferably approximately 2 . 5 inches . the upper portion 36 b had a length l 2 which is preferably between two to three inches and more preferably approximately 2 . 5 inches . the overall length l 3 of the hosel 36 is preferably not more than five inches and is more preferably five inches . the shaft 34 is attached to the upper portion 36 b and is aligned with the upper portion 36 b and resides nearly vertically at the point of impact of the club head 18 with the golf ball 24 during a swing , at which point of impact the base 18 b of the head 18 is nearly horizontal . the golfer 20 is shown holding the golf club 30 in fig5 . the golfer 20 now holds the grip 12 with the grip 12 and shaft 30 nearly vertical when the base 18 b of the head 18 is horizontal and the grip 12 at the top of the shaft 12 nearly directly above ( i . e ., the head 18 of the club 30 is not displaced towards or away from the golfer 20 sufficiently to require any noticeable lateral force f 1 ( see fig3 ) to hold the club ) on the head 18 at the point of impact and when the base 18 b of the head 18 of the golf club 30 is nearly horizontal . the grip 12 preferable is at least directly above some portion of the head 18 . the golf club 30 provides a vertical or upright shaft at the point of impact with the ball 24 allowing more accuracy than the golf club 10 having a shaft slanted away from the body as shown in fig2 . since leverage and the freedom to create a great arc swing are not essential when using the golf club 30 for making shots that are close to the putting green , the vertical or upright shaft allows the golfer 20 to utilize a more natural and thus more accurate swing . the force f 2 present in a swing of the golf club 30 is shown in fig6 . because the shaft 30 is now nearly vertical at the point of impact with the ball 24 , the head 18 is nearly directly below the grip 12 , and the force f 1 of fig3 is drastically reduced or eliminated . the golfer 20 is now free to swing the golf club 30 in a more natural manner with improved accuracy . the golfer 20 holding a reverse golf club 30 ′ according to the present invention is shown in fig7 and forces present in a swing of the reverse golf club 30 ′ are shown in fig8 . the reverse golf club 30 ′ provides the same advantage as the golf club 30 because head of the club 30 ′ is nearly directly below the grip 12 of the club 30 ′ at the point of impact with the ball 24 , thus minimizing or eliminating the lateral force f 1 of fig3 freeing the golfer 20 to swing the golf club 30 ′ in a more natural manner with improved accuracy . four typical prior art golf clubs 10 a - 10 d are shown in fig9 a - 9d . the golf clubs 10 a - 10 d all include shafts 14 angled away from vertical upwards and towards the golfer to allow room for a “ great arc ” type swing . as a result of the angle of the shafts 14 , the golfer must compensate for the resulting torque at the grip 12 , and errors may be introduced into the flight of the golf ball . four golf clubs 30 a - 30 d according to the present invention corresponding to the prior art golf clubs 10 a - 10 d are shown in fig1 a - 10d . the golf clubs 30 a - 30 d have nearly vertical shafts reducing or eliminating the torque around the grips 12 of the prior art golf clubs 10 a - 10 d thereby reducing or eliminating the errors introduced into the flight of the golf ball . for the putting shot , a right - handed golfer would address the ball in the normal manner with perhaps a couple of exceptions . first , he would place his left leg so that the left shoe is as close to the ball as possible without it being in the way for a putter striking the ball during the performance of his shot . it is important that the golfer pushes the left hand back into his right hand without “ breaking ” ( or bending ) his wrists , and maintaining , without “ breaking ”, his wrists to make a solid contact during his return swing and follow through . the golfer should mentally “ see ” his vertical / upright shaft going directly to the target during its vertical / upright follow - through . in regards to the “ chipper ” iron , and the other “ irons ,” it is suggested that until a golfer accustoms himself to this new system , that he should adjust his stance to an “ open stance ” as follows : assuming he is a right - handed golfer , the golfer puts his right foot toe at or near the place where the ball lies on the fairway grass and opens his stance by placing his left foot to partially spread away toward his left flank , thus creating the “ open stance .” the open stance may help to prevent “ shanking ” the ball . the golfer preferably takes his club back with a good pivot and returns the club in his normal manner , but making certain that the vertical / upright shaft is pointing at the target as it is moving through the ball . at about the instant when the two hands are brought down into the ball in the usual manner , the golfer should have in his mind that approximately when the club head makes contact with the ball , that he turns his right hand slightly under his left hand in such a manner that the right forearm feels as if it is coming under the vertical / upright shaft during its movement toward the target . when the follow - through part of the swing is completed , that is to say when the golfer &# 39 ; s hands have been extended to almost shoulder level elevation , the golfer might feel that his right forearm is underneath the shaft guiding it as it is finishes its movement aimed at the target . this final maneuver with this new type of hosel / shaft combination may help the golfer to achieve accuracy when the golfer makes his approach shots to the putting green . 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 |
a first phase of the invention consists in creating a database containing scent or smell prints of different products . according to a first embodiment , such smell prints are constituted by the smell prints of a set of perfumes for which the system has to give a prediction . according to another embodiment , the smell prints correspond not only to perfumes but also to some basic products ( for example , coffee , chocolate , a particular flower , a spice , etc .). fig1 illustrates very schematically the first phase of the present invention according to a particular embodiment . in this example , the smell prints used by the system are perfume smell prints . therefore , the respective digital smell prints of a set of m perfumes p 1 , . . . p k , . . . p m have to fill a database 1 . according to the invention , an electronic nose 2 is used to analyze successively a sample 3 of each perfume p k disposed in an analysis chamber 5 . electronic noses are known devices based on an array of n chemical sensors s 1 , . . . s j , . . . s n . each sensor s j in the sensor array responds differently to a given chemical compound . in that way , it is possible to get a “ smell print ” for a given chemical compound or mixture ( in this example , a perfume ). this signature or print is a set of digital reading or measurements corresponding to the reading from the set of sensors . the number of sensors is usually comprised between 10 and 100 , for example 32 or 64 depending on the desired accuracy . the scores given by the sensors are collected by a processing unit 4 of the electronic nose and stored in the database 1 . at the end of the acquisition phase of the invention , the database 1 contains , for each perfume p k , an ordered set of n measurements corresponding to the smell signature or smell print of that perfume . preferably , the data acquisition made by the electronic nose 2 is not performed only once but , for a given product , several acquisitions ( for example , between 5 and 40 ) are made . these data acquisitions serve to compute the smell signature taking into account the eventual dispersion of the sensed values for each sensor under varied acquisition conditions . any conventional method used to take into account experimental dispersion of data acquisition ( for example , a mean value ) can be used for obtaining the n values comprising the smell print of each perfume p k . according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention , an electronic nose known under the commercial name “ cyranose 320 ”, with 32 sensors , is used to obtain a set of perfume smell prints . according to this exemplary embodiment , each measurement comprising the smell print is a decimal value with seven significative figures . the set of smell prints in the database can be updated by adding additional perfumes or other basic smell prints ( coffee , chocolate , spice , etc .). according to the present invention , the smell print &# 39 ; s database is used to build a user &# 39 ; s smell profile as it will be described hereafter . such a smell or scent profile is , according to the present invention , to be used for predicting products ( in this example , perfumes ) that might be liked and / or disliked by the user . fig2 schematically illustrates an embodiment of the present invention to establish a user profile for smell preferences . the first step is to ask the user u to rate a subset of perfumes or , more generally , of products , according to their smell . in the disclosed embodiment , the user is asked to rate q perfumes among the set of m perfumes p k . the rated perfumes are designated by np h ( h being comprised between 1 and q ). according to the present invention , a small number of rated perfumes ( less than 10 ) is enough to establish a user profile . preferably , the system asks the user to rate between 3 and 8 perfumes . the ratings given by the user have to be very selective , i . e . ranging from 1 to 5 or less . according to a preferred embodiment , the ratings given by the user range from 1 to 3 : “ like ”, “ medium or indifferent ” and “ dislike ”. eventually , a supplemental scale with two additional notes can be provided . then , the possible notes are “ like very much ”, “ like ”, “ medium ”, “ dislike ”, “ detest ”. the codes ( digital values ) that are attributed to each rating depend on the programmation of the system . preferably , ratings are coded as 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 or 1 , 2 , 3 . the set of ratings ( table 10 , fig2 ) is stored in a computerized system used to implement the invention . in fig2 , this system is symbolized as a personal computer 11 with a central unit 12 , a screen 13 , a keyboard 14 and a mouse 15 . the central unit 12 is linked to the database 1 through a wired 16 or wireless link . for example , the database is contained in a web server ( not shown ) to be shared by several distant personal computers or systems implementing the method of the present invention . having collected the table 10 of q satisfaction notes from the user , the system computes a user profile , which is a set of weighting coefficients to be applied to each measurement of the smell prints of the m perfumes in a linear regression . the determination of the user profile will be better understood in connection with the description of fig4 . according to a preferred embodiment of the invention , after having collected the ratings for q perfumes , the system automatically determines an additional perfume for which the rating given by the user will be significant for improving the determination of the list of weighting coefficients and asks the user to give an additional rating for this np q + 1 perfume . once the user profile is established , the system according to the present invention is able to predict , among the set of all the m perfumes p k of the database 1 , one or more perfumes about which the user is more likely to express positive ratings . alternatively , the system can also predict the most disliked perfumes . fig3 illustrates , very schematically , an implementation of the method for predicting preferred perfumes according to the present invention . this method is preferably also implemented by the personal computer 11 , which calculates , on the basis of the user profile , the satisfaction notes he would have given for the n perfumes p k . for example , the system delivers three preferred perfumes pp 1 , pp 2 , pp 3 in a list 20 to the user u . the list of preferred perfumes can be in this embodiment displayed on the screen 13 or printed out . fig4 represents a flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention showing the main steps of the method for establishing a user profile and predicting some preferred perfumes . in fig4 , the steps requiring the intervention of the user ( user ) has been shown on the right side of the drawing , the steps automatically performed by the system ( system ) have been shown on the left side of the drawing . the first step ( block 31 ) consists in selecting q perfumes np h ( h comprised between 1 and q ) to be rated by the user . the performed notation can be a real notation , that is results from asking the user to smell a sample of perfume , or can be a virtual one , that is results from asking the user to quote some boxes displayed on the screen and representing satisfaction levels to the q perfumes , for example in an internet - based implementation of the invention . the set of selected perfumes to be noted can be chosen in different ways . a first solution consists , in a real mode evaluation , to leave the user choosing between 3 and 8 perfumes that he wants to note . a second solution is to randomizely select the q perfumes among those of the database 1 . this solution more particularly applies to the internet - based implementation . a third solution is to predetermine , among the list of m perfumes , q perfumes which are very different from the others on the basis of their respective smell prints . alternatively , the ratings can be automatically estimated on the basis of previous acquisitions of the user . for example , studying the more frequent perfumes acquired by a given user , it may be reasonably supposed that these perfumes have to be given the best notes . on the contrary , a perfume acquired only once by the user and no more for a long time can be assumed to be disliked . the second step ( block 32 ) is performed by the user when he gives a satisfaction note sn h ( h comprised between 1 and q ) to each of the q perfumes np h . these satisfaction notes sn h are stored ( block 33 ) in the system . then ( block 34 ), the system computes n weighting coefficients α j ( j being comprised between 1 and n ), where n corresponds to the number of sensors of the electronic nose ( fig1 ), that is of the readings taken into account for the smell prints . according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention for which the scores are less than 0 . 1 and the number of scores is 32 per print , the weighting coefficients are numbers comprised between − 10000 and + 10000 . the order of magnitude of the weighting coefficient is chosen in function of the number and order of magnitude of the scores to obtain notes in the desired range . according to a preferred embodiment , the weighting coefficients are determined using an error minimization method , for example a method for minimizing the sum of the quadratic errors over the set of notes given by the user . this technique is known as x - square fitting . according to that example , the system proceeds by successive approximation of set of weighting coefficients α j for minimizing the following formula : ∑ h = 1 q ( sn h - ∑ j = 1 n ( α j · mv j , h ) ) 2 , where mv j , h designates the scores of rank j ( sensor s j ) of the smell print of perfume of rank h . as disclosed above , mv j , h is preferably a mean value of several measurements . according to a first embodiment , the user profile ( block 35 ) is obtained after completion of the former step and corresponds to the set of coefficients α j for which the above formula gives the minimal result . according to a second preferred embodiment ( illustrated in dotted lines in fig4 ), step 34 is followed by a step ( block 36 ) of selection of an additional perfume p q + 1 to be noted by the user in order to optimize his profile . according to this embodiment , the additional perfume np q + 1 is chosen among the set of perfumes for which the user did not give any satisfaction note and as being the most relevant perfume for optimizing the user profile . for example , the system takes successively each of the m - q remaining perfumes and computes an expected value of the user profile by successively supposing the 3 or 5 notes for that perfume . then , the system computes the means value of the 3 or 5 expected set of weighting coefficients for each perfume . finally , the system chooses the one of the remaining perfume for which the notation will have the most influence on the set of weighting coefficients for the user . alternatively , in order to ask the user information about the perfume that will most likely improve the performance of the system , the system computes the following formula : ∑ j = 1 n ( ∑ l = 1 n l f ( l ) · α j , s - α j , s ′ , l α j , s ) , nl is the total number of options ( preferably 3 or 5 ) for the opinion l of the user ; α j , s is the set of coefficients α j already calculated on the basis of the q perfumes already noted by the user ; α j , s ′, l is the set of coefficients α j calculated for the set of q + 1 perfumes under the hypothesis of a note l for the perfume of rank q + 1 ; and f ( l ) is an optional function of weighting of the different coefficients α j . by maximizing the former formula over all the perfumes , it is possible to select the perfume that could potentially lead to the biggest change in the weighting coefficients α j . such a perfume is the perfume np q + 1 that the user will be asked ( block 37 ) to rate in order to maximize the performance of the system . this is a reasonable assumption , as the coefficients α j completely specify the user profile . in the example to perfumes , it is more desirable to find perfumes that will change the knowledge of the characteristics of perfumes that are ranked relatively high , rather than those that are ranked relatively low . therefore , the above function f ( l ) will bias the search towards perfumes that will change the knowledge of perfumes ranked relatively high . for example , the respective weighting coefficient attributed to each satisfaction note could be f ( l )= l if the satisfaction notes l are coded with numerical values ( 1 , 2 , 3 or 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ), 1 representing the lowest rating . having the note of the user for the perfume of rank q + 1 , the system computes again ( block 38 ) the weighting coefficients α j , taking into account the additional satisfaction note . as in the first simplified embodiment , the user profile is obtained after this step . the following steps illustrated in fig4 correspond to an exemplary implementation of the method for predicting some preferred ( pp 1 , pp 2 , pp 3 ) perfumes on the basis of the user &# 39 ; s profile . a first step ( bloc 39 ) consists in estimating the satisfaction notes that the user would have given for all the perfumes not yet rated by the user on the basis of the weighting coefficients determined for that user . preferably , the estimation step computes also the rated perfumes . this preferred embodiment allows the determination of non - integer notes for all the perfumes , which leads to a more accurate estimation . the estimating step corresponds to applying the following formula to all the m perfumes : ip i = ∑ j = 1 n α j · mv i , j , where ip i designates the note estimated for the perfume p i of the database , where α j designates the weighting coefficient of rank j affected to the sensor of rank j of the smell print according to the user &# 39 ; s profile , and where mv i , j designates the digital ( mean ) value of rank j ( sensor s j ) of the smell print of perfume p i of rank i . the next step ( block 40 ) corresponds to select a limited number ( at least one ) of perfumes that have , for example , the highest ratings , and to deliver ( for example , display ) the results to the user . according to a first embodiment , a subset of products close to the highest ( or lowest ) note with a predetermined margin is then outputted . for example , the margin is fixed at 10 %. that means that the products for which the estimated note are higher than 2 . 7 ( in a system with notes from 1 to 3 ) or 4 . 5 ( in a system with notes from 1 to 5 ) are outputted as being the most enjoyable products for the user . according to another embodiment , the number of the outputted products is predetermined . for example , the system proposes the three products { pp 1 , pp 2 , pp 3 } having the highest estimated notes ( preferably sorted ) as being the most enjoyable products for the user . an advantage of the present invention is that the weighting coefficients used to establish the user profile can be determined with just a small number ( less than 10 ) of satisfaction notes really given by the user . another advantage of the present invention is that the determination of the profile of the user is consistent with an optimization of that profile by proposing an additional notation to the user . another advantage of the present invention is that the predicting implementation does not depend upon other users as in conventional systems . therefore , the method and system of the present invention are particularly efficient . another advantage of the present invention is that the method does not depend on the kind of sensors ( for example , the groups of chemical compounds for which the sensors are responsive ) provided that all the smell or taste prints of the products are obtained with the same set of sensors ( responsive to the same groups of chemical compounds ). further , according to a preferred embodiment in which the same electronic nose or tongue is used ( i . e . exactly the same sensors ) for all the products , the sensors do not need to be calibrated . it should be noted that the user could also rate basic smells . for example , the set of ratings asked to the user for the perfumes can be completed by ratings for basic smells like coffee , chocolate , spices , flowers , etc . another example of application of the present invention concerns predicting the wine preferences of a user . for example , the user is asked to rate some basic smells of wines in order to establish his wine &# 39 ; s user profile . then , the system can work as described above in connection to the perfume application to determine , among a set of wine &# 39 ; s characteristics or wines &# 39 ; list , those that would be adapted to the user . the invention may also apply to taste prediction . for example , asking the user for ratings concerning tastes of several foods , the system can be able to estimate the satisfaction level of that user for other foods contained in a database and for which a taste print has been determined using an electronic tongue . of course , smell and taste feelings can be combined ( for example for wines ). having thus described at least one illustrative embodiment of the invention , various alterations modifications and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art . such alteration , modification , and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting . the invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and the equivalent thereto . | 6 |
in the description the induction motor model and the speed - adaptive flux observer are first defined . then , steady - state analysis is used to clarify the problem underlying the invention and its solution according to the invention . the stability is also studied by using root loci of the linearized system . finally , after describing a control system based on the rotor flux orientation , simulation and experimental results are presented . the parameters of the dynamic γ - equivalent circuit of an induction motor are the stator resistance r s , the rotor resistance r r , the stator transient inductance l ′ s , and the magnetizing inductance l m . the angular speed of the rotor is denoted by ω m , the angular speed of the reference frame ω k , the stator current space vector is i s , and the stator voltage u s . when the stator flux ψ s and the rotor flux ψ r are chosen as state variables , the state - space representation of the induction motor becomes x . _ = [ - 1 τ s ′ - j ω k 1 τ s ′ 1 - σ τ r ′ - 1 τ r ′ - j ( ω k - ω m ) ] ︸ a _ x _ + [ 1 0 ] ︸ b u _ s ( 1 a ) i _ s = [ 1 l s ′ - 1 l s ′ ] ︸ c x _ ( 1 b ) where the state vector is x =[ ψ s ψ r ] t , and the parameters expressed in terms of the γ - equivalent circuit parameters are σ = l ′ s /( l m + l ′ s ), τ ′ s = l ′ s / r s , and τ ′ r = σl m / r r . the electromagnetic torque is t e = 3 2 p im { i _ s ψ _ r * } = 3 2 p 1 l s ′ im { ψ _ s ψ _ r * } ( 2 ) where p is the number of pole pairs and the complex conjugates are marked by the symbol *. in the specification , the parameters of a 2 . 2 - kw four - pole induction motor given in table i are used . it should also be understood that these parameters are used only for explaining the invention . the method according to the invention comprises determining the current vector of the induction motor and determining the stator voltage vector of the induction motor . the current vector is obtained , for example , by measuring the currents . in a three - phase system it is usually necessary to measure only two currents . the voltage vector is obtained , for example , by measuring the voltage in the apparatus feeding the motor . the apparatus is usually a frequency converter with a direct voltage intermediate circuit . by measuring this voltage and combining it with state information of the output switches , the output voltage vector is achieved . conventionally , the stator current and the rotor flux are used as state variables in full - order flux observers . however , choosing the stator and rotor fluxes as state variables is preferred since this allows the observer to be used with stator - flux - oriented control or direct torque control [ 8 ] as well as with rotor - flux - oriented control . consequently , the full - order flux observer is defined by { dot over ({ circumflex over ( x )})} = â { circumflex over ( x )}+ b u s + l ( i s − î s ) ( 3a ) where the observer state vector is x =[ { circumflex over ( χ )} s { circumflex over ( χ )} r ] t , and the system matrix and the observer gain are a ^ _ = [ - 1 τ s ′ - j ω k 1 τ s ′ 1 - σ τ r ′ - 1 τ r ′ - j ( ω k - ω ^ m ) ] , l _ = [ l _ s l _ r ] ( 3 c ) respectively , where the estimates are marked by the symbol { circumflex over ( )}. l s = λ [ 1 + jsgn ({ circumflex over ( ω )} m )], l r = λ [− 1 + jsgn ({ circumflex over ( ω )} m )] ( 4a ) λ = { λ ′ ω ^ m ω λ if ω ^ m & lt ; ω λ λ ′ if ω ^ m ≥ ω λ gives satisfactory behavior from zero speed to very high speeds [ 11 ]. parameters λ ′ and ω λ are positive constants . the parameter λ ′ can be considered as an impedance , which may be helpful when choosing λ ′ for different motor sizes . in the specification , the observer gain is determined by λ ′= 10 ω and ω λ 1 p . u . { circumflex over ( ω )} m =− γ p im {( i s − î s ) { circumflex over ( ψ )} * r }− γ i ∫ im {( i s − î s ){ circumflex over ( ψ )}* r } dt ( 6 ) where γ p and γ i are the adaptation gains . only the current estimation error perpendicular to the estimated rotor flux is used to estimate the speed . the adaptation law works well except in the regenerating mode at low speeds . the gains γ p = 10 ( nm · s ) 1 and γ i = 10000 ( nm · s 2 ) − 1 are used in this specification . { circumflex over ( ω )} m =− γ p im {( i s − î s ) { circumflex over ( ψ )} * r e − jφ }− γ i ∫ im {( i s − î s ) { circumflex over ( ψ )} * r e − jφ } dt ( 6 ) where the angle φ changes the direction of the error projection . in other words , the component of the current estimation error parallel to the estimated rotor flux is also exploited when φ ≠ 0 . the change in the direction of the error projection is needed to stabilize the regenerating - mode operation at low speeds . equation ( 6 ) is simple to calculate since im { a b *} can be interpreted as the cross product of the vectors . in the case of ( 6 ) the cross product is calculated between stator current estimation error and estimated rotor flux . in the speed adaptation the estimated rotor flux linkage is used . the method is also applicable for estimating stator flux linkage . this allows the method to be used in a wide variety of vector control methods . based on ( 1 ) and ( 3 ), the estimation error e = x − { circumflex over ( x )} of the state vector and the stator current error are e . _ = ( a _ - l _ c ) e _ + [ 0 j ψ ^ _ r ] ( ω m - ω ^ m ) ( 7 a ) i _ s - i ^ _ s = c e _ ( 7 b ) in the following , the estimation error e is considered in the steady state and the estimated rotor flux reference frame is used , i . e ., { dot over ( e )}= 0 . ω k = ω s ( where ω s is the angular stator frequency ), and { circumflex over ( ψ )} r ={ circumflex over ( ψ )} r + j0 . for a given error ω m −{ circumflex over ( ω )} m , and an operating point determined by the angular stator frequency ω s , the angular slip frequency ω r = ω s − ω m , and the rotor flux estimate { circumflex over ( ψ )} r , a steady - state solution for ( 7 ) can be easily found . fig1 depicts the loci of current estimation error for two different speed estimation errors when the angular slip frequency ω r varies from the negative rated slip to the positive rated slip . the angular stator frequency is ω s = 0 . 1 p . u . and the base value of the angular frequency is 2π50 s − 1 . it can be seen that the larger the speed error , the larger the current estimation error . fig1 shows the loci of the current estimation error when the angular slip frequency ω r varies from the negative rated slip to the positive rated slip ( the rated slip being 0 . 05 p . u .). the angular stator frequency is ω s = 0 . 1 p . u . and two different speed estimation errors ( 0 . 002 p . u . and 0 . 004 p . u .) are shown . the estimated rotor flux reference frame is used in fig1 . in fig1 , ω s & gt ; 0 and { circumflex over ( ω )} m & gt ; ω m . if ω s & lt ; 0 , the loci lie in the right half - plane . if { circumflex over ( ω )} m & lt ; ω m , the loci are located in the lower half - plane . in the estimated rotor flux reference frame , the prior art adaptation law ( 5 ) reduces to { circumflex over ( ω )} m =− γ p ( i sq − i sq ){ circumflex over ( ψ )} r − γ i ∫( i sq − i sq ){ circumflex over ( ψ )} r dt ( 8 ) the speed estimate thus depends on the error i sq − î sq . if { circumflex over ( ω )} m & gt ; ω m , the condition i sq − î sq & gt ; 0 should hold in order the speed estimate to converge . in fig1 , this condition holds for all slip frequencies including the regenerating - mode operation ( where ω s ω r & lt ; 0 ). fig2 shows loci of the current estimation error for a lower angular stator frequency ω s = 0 . 01 p . u . the locus consisting of the solid curve and the dashed curve shows the current estimation error . the condition i sq − î sq & gt ; 0 holds in the motoring - mode operation , but in the regenerating - mode operation at higher slips , it does not hold . hence , the observer using the prior art adaptation law becomes unstable . fig2 shows loci of the current estimation error when the angular slip frequency ω r varies from the negative rated slip to the positive rated slip . the angular stator frequency is ω s = 0 . 01 p . u . and the speed estimation error is { circumflex over ( ω )} m − ω m = 0 . 002 p . u . the dashed / solid curve shows the locus corresponding to the prior art adaptation law . the locus consisting of the solid curve and the dash - dotted curve corresponds to the adaptation law as used in connection with the present invention . in fig2 the estimated rotor flux reference frame is used . based on fig2 , it can be noticed that the regenerating mode can be stabilized by changing the direction of the error projection . consequently , the adaptation law ( 6 ) according to the method of the invention in the estimated rotor flux reference frame is considered . the current estimation error is rotated by factor exp (− jφ ) in the estimated flux reference frame . since the prior art adaptation law works well in the motoring mode , the angle φ is selected as ϕ = { ϕ max sgn ( ω s ) ( 1 - ω s ω ϕ ) if ω s & lt ; ω ϕ and ω s ω ^ r & lt ; 0 0 otherwise ( 9 ) for the given motor , φ max = 0 . 44π ( i . e ., 80 °) and ω φ = 0 . 4 p . u . were chosen . in fig2 , the current error locus resulting from ( 9 ) consists of the solid curve and the dash - dotted curve , i . e ., the dashed curve was rotated 78 ° around the origin in order to obtain the dash - dotted curve . now , the condition i sq − î sq & gt ; 0 is valid for all slip frequencies . actually , the selection ( 9 ) stabilizes the whole regenerating region . the parameters φ max and ω φ can be substantially varied without losing the stability . the adaptation law according to the inventive method is not restricted to the observer gain ( 4 ). several observer gains were studied using the steady - state analysis and the linearized model . even the same values of φ max and ω φ as with the observer gain ( 4 ) can be used in some cases , e . g ., when using the observer gain proposed in [ 8 ] or the zero observer gain . the nonlinear and complicated dynamics of the speed - adaptive observer can be studied via linearization . the key factor in the linearization is to use a synchronous reference frame in order to obtain a dc equilibrium point . in the following , the dynamics of both the motor and the observer are taken into account . even though the stator dynamics are included in the model , the linearized model is independent of the stator voltage and , consequently , of the current controller . in the rotor flux reference frame , the linearized model of ( 7a ) becomes [ 11 ] e . _ = ( a _ 0 - l _ 0 c ) e _ + [ 0 j ψ r0 ] ( ω m - ω ^ m ) ( 10 a ) here , the equilibrium point quantities are marked by the subscript 0 , and the system matrix and the observer gain are a _ 0 = [ - 1 τ s ′ - j ω s0 1 τ s ′ 1 - σ τ r ′ - 1 τ r ′ - j ω r0 ] , l _ 0 = [ l _ s0 l _ r0 ] ( 10 b ) the transfer function from the estimation error of the speed ω m −{ circumflex over ( ω )} m to the estimation error of the current i s − î s is g _ ( s ) = c ( si - a _ 0 + l _ 0 c ) - 1 [ 0 j ψ r0 ] = - - j ψ r0 l s ′ s + j ω s0 a ( s ) + j b ( s ) ( 11 a ) is the identity matrix . the polynomials in ( 11a ) are defined as a ( s ) = s 2 + s ( 1 τ s ′ + 1 τ r ′ + l sd 0 - l r d 0 l s ′ ) - ω s0 ω r0 + σ τ s ′ τ r ′ + ω s 0 l rq 0 - ω r 0 l sq 0 l s ′ + σ lsd 0 τ r ′ l s ′ ( 11 b ) b ( s ) = s ( ω s0 + ω r0 + l sq 0 - l r q 0 l s ′ ) + ω s0 τ s ′ + ω r0 τ r ′ τ s ′ τ r ′ + ω r 0 l sd 0 - ω s 0 l rd 0 l s ′ + σ l sq 0 τ r ′ l s ′ ( 11 c ) where the entries of the observer gain are divided into real and imaginary components : l s0 = l sd0 + jl sq0 and l r0 = l rd0 + jl rq0 . since the observer gain is allowed to be a function of the estimated rotor speed , the subscript 0 is used . it is to be noted that g ( s ) is independent of the speed - adaptation law . based on the conventional adaptation law ( 8 ), the linearized transfer function from the current error i sq − i sq to the speed estimate { circumflex over ( ω )} m is k ( s ) = - ( γ p0 + γ i0 s ) ψ r0 ( 12 ) where the gains can be functions of the speed estimate . only the imaginary component i sq − î sq of the estimation error of the current is of interest . thus only the imaginary component of ( 11a ) is used , g q ( s ) = im { g _ ( s ) } = - ψ r0 l s ′ sa ( s ) + ω s0 b ( s ) a 2 ( s ) + b 2 ( s ) ( 13 ) using ( 12 ) and ( 13 ), the closed - loop system shown in fig3 ( a ) is formed . the closed - loop transfer function corresponding to any operating point can be easily calculated using suitable computer software ( e . g ., matlab control system toolbox ). fig4 ( a ) shows the root loci of the linearized closed - loop system corresponding to the regenerating - mode operation . the slip frequency is rated and negative . only the dominant poles are shown . as assumed , the system is unstable at low stator frequencies ( a real pole is located in the right half - plane ). in the estimated rotor flux reference frame , the inventive adaptation law ( 6 ) becomes { circumflex over ( ω )} m =− γ p └( i sq − î sq ) cos ( φ )−( i sd î sd ) sin ( φ )┘{ circumflex over ( ψ )} r − γ i ∫[ i sq − î sq ) cos ( φ )−( i sd − î sd ) sin ( φ )]{ circumflex over ( ψ )} r dt ( 14 ) the linearized system is shown in fig3 ( b ), where the transfer function from the estimation error of the speed , ω m −{ circumflex over ( ω )} m to the estimation error of the current i sd −{ circumflex over ( i )} sd is g d ( s ) = re { g _ ( s ) } = - ψ r0 l s ′ sb ( s ) - ω s0 a ( s ) a 2 ( s ) + b 2 ( s ) ( 15 ) fig4 ( b ) shows the root loci of the linearized closed - loop system corresponding to the regenerating - mode operation . in this case , the system is stable also at low stator frequencies ( marginally stable when the stator frequency is zero ). fig4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ) show part of the root loci showing the dominant poles in the regenerating mode . the slip frequency is rated and negative . due to symmetry , only the upper half - plane is shown in the fig4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ). the regenerating - mode low - speed operation of the speed - adaptive observer was investigated by means of simulations and experiments . the matlab / simulink environment was used for the simulations . the experimental setup is shown in fig5 . the 2 . 2 - kw four - pole induction motor ( table i ) was fed by a frequency converter controlled by a dspace ds1103 ppc / dsp board . the pm servo motor was used as the loading machine . the control system was based on the rotor flux orientation . the simplified overall block diagram of the system is shown in fig6 , where the electrical variables on the left - hand side of the coordinate transformations are in the estimated flux reference frame and the variables on the right - hand side are in the stator reference frame . the digital implementation of the observer proposed in [ 10 ] was used . the flux reference was 0 . 9 wb . a pi - type synchronous - frame current controller was used [ 12 ]. the bandwidth of the current controller was 8 p . u . the speed estimate was filtered using a first - order low - pass filter having the bandwidth of 0 . 8 p . u , and the speed controller was a conventional pi - controller having the bandwidth of 0 . 16 p . u . the flux controller was a pi - type controller having the bandwidth of 0 . 016 p . u . the sampling was synchronized to the modulation and both the switching frequency and the sampling frequency were 5 khz . the dc - link voltage was measured , and the reference voltage obtained from the current controller was used for the flux observer . a simple current feedforward compensation for dead times and power device voltage drops was applied [ 13 ]. it is also understood that the experimental setup is illustrated here only for an example . the control system using the method of the invention can be any known system and is not limited to the mentioned rotor - flux - oriented system . the base values used in the following figures are : current { square root }{ square root over ( 2 )}· 5 . 0 a and flux 1 . 0 wb . experimental results obtained using the prior art adaptation law are shown in fig7 ( a ). the speed reference was set to 0 . 08 p . u . and a negative rated - load torque step was applied at t = 1 s . after applying the negative load , the drive should operate in the regenerating mode . however , the system becomes unstable soon after the torque step . according to the root loci of fig4 ( a ), the operating point is unstable since the stator frequency is approximately 0 . 05 p . u . fig7 ( b ) depicts experimental results obtained using the adaptation law according to the invention . as expected based on the root loci of fig4 ( b ), the system behaves stably . the first subplot of fig7 ( a ) and 7 ( b ) shows the measured speed ( solid ) and the estimated speed ( dotted ). the second subplot shows the q component of the stator current in the estimated flux reference frame . the third subplot presents the real and imaginary components of the estimated rotor flux in the stator reference frame . fig8 shows experiment results obtained using the adaptation law according to the invention . the speed reference was now set to 0 . 04 p . u . and the negative rated - load torque step was applied at t = 5 s . even though the stator frequency is only about 0 . 0085 p . u ., both the flux and speed are correctly observed . the explanation of curves are as in fig7 . simulation results showing slow speed reversals are shown in fig9 ( a ). the adaptation law according to the invention was used . a rated - load torque step was applied at t = 1 s . the speed reference was slowly ramped from 0 . 06 p . u . ( t = 5 s ) to − 0 . 06 p . u . ( t = 20 s ) and then back to 0 . 06 p . u . ( t = 35 s ). the drive operates first in the motoring mode , then in the regenerating mode , and finally again in the motoring mode . corresponding experimental results are shown in fig9 ( b ). the noise in the current and the speed estimate originates mainly from the incomplete dead - time compensation . at a given speed , the proportional effect of the dead - time compensation is more significant in the regenerating mode than in the motoring mode since the amplitude of the stator voltage is smaller . this kind of speed reversals require a very accurate stator resistance estimate since the stator frequency remains in the vicinity of zero for a long time . if desired , the observer could be augmented with a stator resistance adaptation scheme , e . g . [ 1 ]. experimental results in the motoring - mode operation ( demonstrating e . g . zero - speed operation ) of the same speed - adaptive observer can be found in [ 11 ]. the explanations of the curves are as in fig7 . it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that , as technology advances , the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways . the invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the claims . h . kubota , k . matsuse , and t . nakano , “ dsp - based speed adaptive flux observer of induction motor ,” ieee transactions on industry applications , vol . 29 , no . 2 , pp . 344 - 348 , march / april 1993 . g . yang and t . h . chin , “ adaptive - speed identification scheme for a vector - controlled speed sensorless inverter - induction motor drive ,” ieee transactions on industry applications , vol . 29 , no . 4 , pp . 820 - 825 , july / august 1993 . s . suwankawin and s . sangwongwanich , “ a speed - sensorless im drive with decoupling control and stability analysis of speed estimation ,” ieee transactions on industrial electronics , vol . 49 , no . 2 , pp . 444 - 455 , april 2002 . h . tajima , g . guidi , and h . umida , “ consideration about problems and solutions of speed estimation method and parameter tuning for speed sensorless vector control of induction motor drives ,” in conference record of the ieee industry applications conference , thirty - fifth ias annual meeting , rome , italy , october 2000 , vol . 3 , pp . 1787 - 1793 . h . kubota , i . sato , y tamura , k . matsuse , h . ohta , and y . hori , “ regenerating - mode low - speed operation of sensorless induction motor drive with adaptive observer ,” ieee transactions on industry applications , vol . 38 , no . 4 , pp . 1081 - 1086 , 2002 . r . ottersten and l . harnefors , “ design and analysis of inherently sensorless rotor - flux - oriented vector control system ,” in nordic workshop on power and industrial electronics ( norpie / 2002 ), stockholm , sweden , august 2002 . c . nitayotan and s . sangwongwanich , “ a filtered back emf based speed - sensorless induction motor drive ,” in conference record of the ieee industry applications conference , thirty - sixth ias annual meeting , chicago , il , september / october 2001 , vol . 2 , pp . 1224 - 1231 . j . maes and j . a . melkebeek , “ speed - sensorless direct torque control of induction motors using an adaptive flux observer ,” ieee transactions on industry applications , vol . 36 , no . 3 , pp . 778 - 785 , may / june 2000 . b . peterson , induction machine speed estimation — observations on observers , ph . d . thesis , department of industrial electrical engineering and automation , lund university , lund , sweden , february 1996 . m . hinkkanen and j . luomi , “ digital implementation of full - order flux observers for induction motors ,” in 10 th international power electronics and motion control conference ( epe - pemc &# 39 ; 02 ), cavtat & amp ; dubrovnik , croatia , september 2002 . m . hinkkanen , “ analysis and design of full - order flux observers for sensorless induction motors ,” in the 28 th annual conference of the ieee industrial electronics society ( iecon &# 39 ; 02 ), sevilla , spain , november 2002 , in press . f . briz , m . w . degner , and r . d . lorenz , “ analysis and design of current regulators using complex vectors ,” ieee transactions on industry applications , vol . 36 , no . 3 , pp . 817 - 825 , may / june 2000 . [ 13 ] j . k . pedersen , f . blaabjerg , j . w . jensen , and p thogersen , “ an ideal pwm - vsi inverter with feedforward and feedback compensation ,” in fifth european conference on power electronics and applications ( epe &# 39 ; 93 ), brighton , u . k ., september 1993 , vol . 4 , pp . 312 - 318 . table i parameters of the 2 . 2 - kw four - pole 400 - v 50 - hz motor . stator resistance r s 3 . 67 ω rotor resistance r r 2 . 10 ω magnetizing inductance l m 0 . 224 h stator transient inductance l &# 39 ; s 0 . 0209 h moment of inertia jtot 0 . 0155 kgm 2 rated speed 1430 rpm rated current 5 . 0 a rated torque 14 . 6 nm | 7 |
referring now to fig1 there is shown in cross section a transistor constructed according to the invention . a conventional substrate 10 with an insulator layer 20 , illustratively a buried oxide ( box ) layer formed by implantation of oxygen into substrate 10 supports silicon device layer 100 . device layer 100 contains an nfet including source 112 , drain 114 on either side of body 116 , the body being below gate 110 . a p - n source junction 115 is formed between the n + source 112 and p - type body 116 . the transistor is formed by conventional processes . the transistor is surrounded by dielectric isolation 40 . a non - critical blocking mask 50 has been put down and patterned , illustratively forming an aperture having one edge on the gate and the other over the isolation . an ion implant is shown as being implanted at an angle , so that a higher concentration of ions reaches junction 115 than would be the case if the implant were vertical . illustratively , the ion species may be indium , germanium , carbon or other implanted species . the term “ leakage implant ” will be used herein to mean an implant the primary effect of which is to increase the leakage current across the p - n junction . boron or phosphorous , for example , would not normally be leakage implants because they primarily change the characteristics of the p - n junction . a typical dose would be in the range of 1 × 10 12 / cm 2 to 1 × 10 15 / cm 2 . the voltage will be set according to the thickness of the device layer and the implant species , typically in the range from about 5 to 80 kev . it is an advantageous feature of the invention that the body tie extends along the full length of the source , thus providing low resistance without any area penalty . for convenience , fig1 will be referred to as looking north , so the implant is coming in from the east . the leakage implant is preferably not annealed for long periods of time or at high temperatures . referring to fig2 there is shown a case where the implant comes from the other side of the transistor ( the west , where the same north - looking orientation is assumed ). in that case , the resist and / or gate blocks the ions , so that the area close to the gate edge does not receive a direct implant . those skilled in the art will appreciate that , when the implant dose is set to apply an optimum ion concentration to sources exposed as in fig1 the embodiment of fig2 will not receive an adequate dose . referring to fig4 there is shown a plan view of a portion of a circuit . in an area denoted with the numeral 200 , there are six transistors oriented in three different directions . transistor 110 , referred to as being disposed along a first axis , is oriented along the e - w direction , with source 112 on the east . transistor 120 , referred to as being disposed along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis , is oriented along the n - s direction , with source 112 on the north . transistor 130 , referred to as being disposed along a third axis at an acute angle with respect to the first axis , is oriented along a ne - sw direction , with source 132 on the north - east end . transistors 110 ′, 120 ′ and 130 ′ are the complementary set , aligned along the same axes , but in the opposite sense . if the circuit designer has chosen to have some e - w transistors with the source on the east and also some with the source on the west , then implants from both directions will be required to cover both the set and the complementary set . referring now to fig3 there is shown a transistor and implant as in fig2 but with a gap 36 between the mask and the gate . with the implant orientation shown , the area within gap 36 will not be significantly implanted because of the shadowing effect of mask 50 . the same applies if the implant is oriented as in fig1 because of shadowing by the gate . if the implant comes from the north or south , however , then a significant number of ions may be implanted , depending on the width of the gap , the magnitude of the dose and the ease of diffusion of the ions . thus , the mask alignment of fig1 or 2 is preferable . in the most general case , there will be six implant orientations for the cases illustrated in fig4 . there need be only one mask , since the total dose is the sum of all the angled implants . the invention applies as well to pfets . in that case , the drain receives the leakage implant . the ions used are typically the same species for both nfets and pfets , but this does not have to be the case . if different ions are used for nfets and pfets , then there will be appropriate changes in the number and locations of masks . a cmos circuit will have both nfets and pfets with this leakage implant . the invention may be practiced with bonded soi wafers and with sige substrates , as well as with implanted wafers and silicon substrates . while the invention has been described in terms of a single preferred embodiment , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced in various versions within the spirit and scope of the following claims . | 7 |
the cleanroom garment , generally depicted by the numeral 10 in fig1 is constructed as shown in fig2 - 4 . in accordance with the present invention , the garment comprises a plurality of shaped panels , each having an outer layer 12 of polyester , electrostatic dissipative ( esd ) fabric and an inner layer 14 of polyester , esd fabric . the outer layer 12 of fabric is preferably a material called &# 34 ; selguard iv &# 34 ; and the inner layer 14 of fabric is preferably a material called &# 34 ; selguard 110 .&# 34 ; both materials are manufactured by teijin , ltd . of osaka , japan . however , other , similar materials may be used instead . selguard iv is a fabric made of 100 % polyester . the twill style weaving of the electro - conductive yarn utilized has a warp spacing of 0 . 5 mm and a weft spacing of 0 . 5 mm . the twill weaving produces a warp density of 159 threads / in and a weft density of 120 threads / in . selguard iv prevents filtration of particles larger than 0 . 3 microns . selguard iv is light weight , weighing 120 g / m 2 . selguard 110 is also 100 % polyester . the weaving structure is plain . the warp spacing and weft spacing are the same as the selguard iv , namely , 0 . 5 mm and 0 . 5 mm , respectively . the plain weaving of the selguard 110 produces a warp density of 91 threads / in and a weft density of 83 threads / in . selguard 110 prevents filtration of particles larger than 0 . 3 microns . selguard 110 has a weight of 58 gr / m 2 . selguard iv is the trade name of teijin , ltd ., osaka japan , for its ultra high performance fabric designed specifically for class 10 ; and class 1 cleanrooms -- when used as an outer garment with selguard 110 as an undergarment . smaller , more densely spaced pores in this fabric block sub - micron particles but - pass adequate air and moisture to allow the operator comfort . selguard iv fabric is composed of polyester filament yarns -- 75 denier warp threads / 100 denier filling threads ( weft ) woven in a twill pattern with a density of 159 warp threads / inch and 120 filling ( weft ) threads / inch , incorporating electro conductive carbon yarn of 0 . 5 mm , both warpwise and fillingwise in a 5 mm grid pattern woven into the fabric . this results in surface resistivity ( ohm / sq ) of the warp 5 . 8 × 10 5 , filling ( weft ) 9 . 2 × 10 5 and particle filtration efficiency of 85 @ 0 . 3μ , 88 @ 0 . 5μ . selguard 110 is the trade name of teijin , ltd ., for its unique plain wave undergarment fabric of electro conductive carbon yarns and 75 denier filament polyester warp threads and 75 denier filament polyester filling ( weft ) threads with a density of 91 warp threads and 83 filling ( weft ) threads to reduce the particle density within the outer garment shell . the integral joining of the selguard iv and the selguard 110 as one apparel unit to form a bilayered cleanroom garment ensures a nonporous construction . when these two fabrics are sewn together the unit more effectively blocks particulate contamination of the cleanroom environment than a single layer or two separate garments . thus , according to the present invention , the outer and inner layers 12 and 14 of fabric are each cut into separate pieces ( i . e . sleeves , fronts , backs , etc . ), which make up a defined shaped and structured part 16 , of a finished garment 10 . these parts 16 are then sewn together along the appropriate seams 18 to form separate patterned panels of integrated parts having an outer layer 12 of selguard iv and an inner layer 14 of selguard 110 . the selguard iv and selguard 110 panels are merrowed together , as seen in fig3 and 4 , to provide an overlapping closure 20 . when the selguard iv and the selguard 110 are merrowed together the particle filtration drops to particles as small as 0 . 2 microns . after the panels are completed the panels are sewn together at seams as the finished coverall 10 shown in the figures . the seams sewn by merrowing are also especially designed to decrease the particle filtration . the finished garment will be provided with snaps or elastic necks and cuffs to snugly fit the cleanroom personnel . it shall be noted that all of the above description and accompanying drawings of the invention are to be considered illustrative and are not to be considered in the limiting sense . it is also understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific embodiments and features of the invention herein described . | 0 |
several preferred embodiments of the present invention are described for illustrative purposes , it being understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms not specifically shown in the drawings . the figures will be described with respect to the structure and functions that achieve one or more of the objects of the invention and / or receive the benefits derived from the advantages of the invention as set forth above . turning first to fig1 , shown therein is a perspective schematic drawing of a reinforcing device 102 according to the present invention . the reinforcing device 102 is made substantially in accordance with the device disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 596 , 002 , i . e ., a knit which satisfies the requirements of the knits mentioned in the background section of the present description . thus , the knit may be three - dimensional and open - worked , with two porous faces connected by connecting yarns . the reinforcing device 102 has an upper face 104 and a lower face 106 and is formed with a cut - out 108 approximately in the center of the reinforcing device 102 as shown . the cut - out 108 has a diameter of about 3 to 7 millimeters . the knit may be made of a monofilament yarn such as polyester , including pet or similar materials . the knit is flexible , as depicted in fig1 , but it could also be made semi - rigid by coating or reacting the yarn with a suitable polymer , plasticizer , or other material . turning now to fig2 , shown therein is a plan view of the reinforcing device 102 of the previous figure . as further disclosed in the aforementioned patent , which is incorporated herein by reference , the reinforcing device 102 is generally in the shape of an ellipse . this ellipse includes a large radius of curvature on the upper and lower edges , and a smaller radius of curvature on the left and right edges , respectively . the reinforcing device 102 may be made to other shapes and sizes as needed . it is preferable that the specific edge shape correspond to one or more edges formed by the practitioner in a patient undergoing a procedure to place the reinforcing device 102 . this will allow the device to be positioned in the best anatomical position in which it will remain after the procedure . the reinforcing device 102 includes , about halfway along the length of the upper edge and extending from the cut - out 108 to the upper edge , an end portion 206 , which is covered by a flap portion 202 . the combination of the flap portion 202 and the end portion 206 forms a slit or opening that is generally perpendicular to the upper edge and parallel to the end portion 206 . near one edge of the reinforcing device 102 is a cord 204 made from a biocompatible yarn material that is generally stronger than the rest of the material of the reinforcing device 102 , and provides a suitable anchor for fixing a conventional suture or staple , if needed . additional cords 104 could also be added to the reinforcing device 102 . the flap portion 202 has may have the shape shown , i . e ., rectilinear polygon , or the shape of a sector of a circular annulus , or some other suitable shape . it may also be a separate piece that is attached to the reinforcing device 102 at one of its linear or arcuate edges . the flap portion 202 extends over a portion of the upper face 104 of the reinforcing device 102 such that when it is joined to the reinforcing device 102 the lower edge is lined up with an edge of the cut - out 108 . as noted in the referenced patent , the flap portion 202 is composed of an open - worked , run - proof knit made , for example , of multifilament synthetic yarns of polyester . in the case where the flap portion 202 is a separate piece , it may be joined or attached to the reinforcing device 102 by a longitudinal stitch or seam that runs parallel to one of the edge of the end portion 206 . the knit used to make the flap portion 202 includes one or more monofilament yarns forming spiked naps projecting from the flap portion 202 or the lower face 106 of the reinforcing device 102 ( and / or also projecting from the upper face 104 ). depending on the specific medical application , the yarn for these spiked naps may be made of a biocompatible polymer . suitable polymers include , but are not limited to , polypropylene , or a bioabsorbable material . the bioabsorbable material may include , but is not limited to , polymers of p - dioxanone , polyglycolides , polyorthoesters , polymers of trimethylene carbonate , stereocopolymers of l - lactic acid and d - lactic acid , homopolymers of l - lactic acid , copolymers of lactic acid and a compatible comonomer , such as derivatives of alpha - hydroxy acids . turning now to fig3 , shown therein is a partial cross - sectional elevation view of the reinforcing device 102 according to one aspect of the present invention . shown therein are several spiked naps 304 , similar to those described above in connection with the flap portion 202 , projecting from the lower face 106 of the reinforcing device 102 . each of the spiked naps 304 has a length sufficient to penetrate into the knit of the reinforcing device 102 ( i . e ., between the filaments of the yarns of the knitted structure of the reinforcing device 102 ). if the knit making up the reinforcing device 102 has a thickness of between 1 . 5 and 2 . 2 millimeters , as taught in the referenced patent , the length of the spiked naps 304 measured from their base , projecting from the lower face 106 to the summit of the spike could be between 1 and 2 millimeters , as also taught in the referenced patent . the spiked naps 304 do not have to be linear , and in fact may all have arcuate shaped elongated members terminating with an excess of the pla material generally in the shape of a flattened ball at the distal end of the spiked naps 304 . the terminating end of the spiked naps 304 may also have other shapes , including , but not limited to , a tapered point or j - hook shape . the density of the spiked naps 304 depends on several factors , but is based on the degree of adhesion required or desired for a particular application . between 50 and 90 spiked naps 304 per square centimeter of the reinforcing device 102 is disclosed in the referenced patent and is suitable for most parietal reconstruction done from an anterior route . a lower or higher density may be suitable for other types of tissue and procedures . covering substantially all of the spiked naps 304 is a dissolvable matrix layer 302 shown in the figure as a thin layer having approximately the same thickness as the reinforcing device 102 , i . e ., about 1 . 5 to 2 . 2 millimeters , though other thicknesses may be used . the dissolvable matrix layer 302 allows the reinforcing device 102 to float as it is being positioned over an area of tissue so that the spiked naps 304 do not immediately adhere to the underlying tissue . as the dissolvable matrix layer 302 dissolves , more of the spiked naps 304 are exposed allowing them to contact the tissue and begin to “ adhere ” by physical and / or chemical means . the dissolvable matrix layer 302 may extend across the entire lower face 106 ( and / or the upper face 104 ) of the reinforcing device 102 , or only a portion of the lower face 106 ( or upper face 104 ). the dissolvable matrix layer 302 may include one or more of a biodegradable component , an antibacterial component , an excipient , a therapeutic drug , a plasticizer , and a binder component . other ingredients may also be included . a variety of polymers are available for the biodegradable component . suitable polymers include , but are not limited to , methyl cellulose ( mc ), hydoxy propyl methyl cellulose ( hpmc ) ( commercially : hypromellose ), hydroxyl propyl cellulose ( hpc ), starch and modified starch , pullulan , pectin , gelatin , and carboxy methyl cellulose ( cmc ). the polymer should account for about 45 - percent to 85 - percent w / w of the total weight of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . the polymers identified above may be used alone or in combination to obtain the desired rate of mass transfer from the layer to the surrounding . the polymers provide strength and resist damage while handling or during transportation in conventional packaging materials . the strength depends on the type of the polymer ( s ) and their relative amounts in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . the polymers are non - toxic , non - irritating , and lack leachable impurities . they have good wetting and spreadability properties , making them relatively easy to use in various unit chemical operations such as spray coating , fluidized reactors , pumping , etc . when in use ( i . e ., in a room temperature aqueous environment ), they exhibit gel - like properties since most of the polymers are hydrophilic , and so they exhibit generally low peel strengths making them relatively easy to “ float ” over a substrate . in solid form , they exhibit good shear and tensile strengths and therefore resist damage from medical instruments . methyl cellulose in particular can be used as a mild glue which can be washed away with water . an antibacterial component may optionally be included in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . a suitable non - toxic antibacterial agent includes , but is not limited to , silver ion powder ( silver ions in an inert crystalline material ). the antibacterial component should account for about 0 to about 5 % w / w of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , though higher percentages may be used . the antibacterial component in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 provides a germicidal effect that kills microbial organisms . a therapeutic drug component may optionally be included in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . the amount of such component may be determined based on the desired dosage , i . e ., a mass of drug to a body mass ratio . the therapeutic drug component may be layered deep within the dissolvable matrix layer 302 to reduce loss after the reinforcing device 102 is placed in its final position and is washed ( with a saline or water lavage ), which can wash away the drug component . it may also be uniformly distributed within the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . the drug component can be added to the dissolvable matrix layer 302 as a milled , micronized , nanocrystal , or macro particle , depending upon the release profile desired . a plasticizer may optionally be included in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . suitable plasticizers include glycerol , propylene glycol , low molecular weight polyethylene glycols , phthalate derivatives like dimethyl , diethyl and dibutyl phthalate , citrate derivatives such as tributyl , triethyl , acetyl citrate , triacetin and castor oil are some of the commonly used plasticizers used in dissolvable matrices like oral dissolvable strips . the plasticizers account for about 0 to about 20 - percent w / w of the dry polymer weight , though a higher percentage may be used . the plasticizers improve the handling properties of the polymer and provide flexibility and reduce the brittleness of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . other advantages of plasticizers for use in dissolvable layers are discussed in dixit et al ., “ oral strip technology : overview and future potential ,” j . controlled release , 139 : 94 - 107 ( 2009 ), the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety . an optional binder may also be included in the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . suitable non - toxic binders are well known in the controlled release arts . the amount of binder will depend upon the desired rate of dissolution . turning now to fig4 , shown therein is a partial cross - sectional elevation view of the reinforcing device 102 according to another aspect of the present invention . in the embodiment shown , a bioadhesive layer 402 may added between the knitted mesh of the reinforcing device 102 and the dissolvable matrix layer 302 such that when the dissolvable matrix layer 302 is removed , the bioadhesive layer is exposed and attaches or adheres to the underlying tissue . the bioadhesive layer 402 may have a variable thickness across the width of the reinforcing device 102 , and in another embodiment , only a portion of the knitted mesh is layered with the bioadhesive layer 402 . as shown in the figure , it has a thickness of about half or two - thirds of the thickness of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , but the actual layer can be determined based on the specific application in which the reinforcing device 102 is used . the bioadhesive layer 402 is a natural polymeric materials that act as an adhesive , and may be dissolvable or resistant to dissolving ( fixed thickness ), and , as noted above , is used to supplement the adhesive function of the spiked naps 304 of the reinforcing device 102 . suitable bioadhesives include gelatin , starch , modified starch , certain proteins , carbohydrates , glycoproteins , and mucopolysaccharides , and hydrogels , which can simulate natural tissue . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other layers , or combinations of layers , and their position on the reinforcing device 102 , may be used for a particular application . for example , in fig5 the dissolvable matrix layer 302 is shown applied to discrete locations on the reinforcing device 102 . two of the locations are the left and right ends of the device , and the other location is concentric with the cut - out 108 . fig6 is a partial cross - sectional view of section a - a ( fig5 ), showing the partial coverage of the reinforcing device 102 with the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , and a bioadhesive layer 402 , which may be slowly or rapidly dissolvable . the dissolvable matrix layer 302 could be interchanged with the bioadhesive layer 402 in the embodiment shown , such that the dissolvable matrix layer 302 covers the bioadhesive layer 402 . the dissolvable matrix layer 302 is dissolvable according to a pre - determined , controlled rate , which may be adjusted by using different ingredients or different concentrations of the same ingredients , or by using different solvents or combinations of solvents . well known mass transfer principles may be used to describe the rate at which the layer dissolves ( i . e ., convective and diffusive degradation at the solid - liquid interface ). fig7 shows the change in the thickness , d ( millimeters ), of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 over time . each of the lines shown has a different first - or higher - order dissolution rate over time . line 702 , for example , represents a constant or first - order mass transfer rate at the surface of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 ( transfer of solid to a surrounding convective fluid layer at the surface , i . e ., the fluid provided by the practitioner as a water lavage when the device is positioned , and / or provided by natural bodily fluids at the site of the reinforcing device 102 ). line 704 includes two different rates , 704 a and 704 b , each with a different rate of mass transfer . line 706 represents a variable rate of mass transfer , which is rapid initially . line 708 represents a low rate of mass transfer , whereby the thickness , d , changes slowly over time . once the dissolvable matrix layer 304 is reduced by about 50 - percent , most of the terminal ends of the spiked naps 304 will be exposed . fig8 is a partial cross - sectional view of a single spiked nap 304 having an elongated member 804 and terminating end 802 . the spiked nap 304 is shown coated with the dissolvable matrix layer 302 having a thickness , d ( millimeters ). since the spiked nap 304 thus coated with the dissolvable matrix layer 302 may extend farther into a bulk fluid ( e . g ., solvent , such as water ), the rate at which the thickness , d , changes over time may be greater than the layer 302 covering the knit of the reinforcing device 102 because of the increased prominence of convective mass transfer compared to diffusive mass transfer closer to the surface of the reinforcing device 102 . in use , the reinforcing device 102 with the dissolvable matrix layer 302 is removed from its packaging material . in the case where a thin film covers the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , it is removed by the practitioner prior to use . in a conventional procedure to treat an inguinal hernia , the device is positioned in the anterior inguinal region of a patient and then the area is wetted with a water lavage ( or some other solvent is used ), which maintains a constant moisture source and helps dissolve the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . dissolution occurs from both sides of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 . the anterior surface closest to the knitted mesh of the reinforcing device 102 is dissolved by the solvent as it penetrates the mess . the opposite surface is dissolved by the solvent as it penetrates from the sides of the reinforcing device 102 , between the space between the dissolvable matrix layer 302 and the underlying tissue , and by bodily fluids present at the site . depending on the thickness of the dissolvable matrix layer 302 or its composition , the spiked naps 304 will begin to be exposed and contact the underlying tissue , at which time they will begin to adhere to the tissue . without the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , the reinforcing device 102 attaches almost immediately , but at least within about 30 seconds . thus , the time until substantial attachment or adherence is in the range of about 0 to 30 seconds , which is increased with the dissolvable matrix layer 302 , such that substantial attachment occurs in a range from about 30 seconds to several minutes , depending , again , on the thickness and composition of the dissolvable matrix layer , and the amount and flow rate of the solvent . substantial attachment or adherence is measured in terms of peel strength , i . e ., the force , measure in pounds or newtons per area , required to remove the reinforcing device 102 after its placement on tissue after a pre - determined time period . this parameter is measurable ; for example , the peel strength of two objects ( one flexible , one rigid ) joined together is the average load per unit width of bond line required to part the bonded materials from each other where the angle of separation is 180 degrees and separation rate is 6 in / min ( astm d - 903 ). preferably , the “ float ” period ( i . e ., the period before substantial adhesion ) according to the present invention is from about 1 to 2 minutes at a peel strength of about 1 to about 3 n / cm , but a much lower peel strength may be desired . that is , when wetted , the dissolvable matrix layer 302 may form a gel that reduces the ability of the spiked naps 304 to adhere and become resorbable . this provides the practitioner sufficient time to assess the initial placement of the reinforcing device 102 and reposition the device as needed before adhesion begins . a faster adhesion would create a higher peel strength and would likely cause trauma to the underlying tissue and damage the reinforcing device 102 if attempts to remove it at that point were to occur . although certain presently preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention have been specifically described herein , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that variations and modifications of the various embodiments shown and described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is intended that the invention be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the applicable rules of law . | 0 |
referring now to fig1 - 3 , there appears an exemplary embodiment of a cooling module assembly 100 including a vapor compression cooling device 102 for circulating a cooling fluid and an optional electrically operated hydration system 104 for delivering water or other potable liquid to a user under pressure . in the preferred embodiment , the cooling module 100 is adapted to mount in the place of an air / breathing gas tank 108 of a breathing apparatus 106 such as a self - contained breathing apparatus ( scba ). in a particularly preferred embodiment , the cooling module 100 is adapted to replace a breathing cylinder of a combined scba and powered air - purifying respirator ( papr ) as disclosed in commonly assigned u . s . application ser . no . 10 / 924 , 281 filed aug . 23 , 2004 , the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . the cooling device 102 includes a housing 110 encasing a motor 112 . the motor 112 is driven by a power supply , which may be a battery , battery pack , or the like , preferably a rechargeable battery or battery pack . the unit may be electrically coupled to an external power source for operation and / or charging of an internal power supply , such as the power supply of the breathing apparatus 106 , a vehicle power supply , ac mains , or the like . the motor 112 drives a compressor 116 which is fluidically coupled to a condenser 118 and an evaporator 120 . the compressor 116 , condenser 118 , and evaporator 120 define a refrigeration loop , through which a refrigerant is circulated , to provide cooling to water or other cooling fluid circulated through a cooling garment to be worn by the user . exemplary refrigerants include , but are not limited to chlorocarbons ( e . g ., ethyl or methyl chloride ), chlorofluorocarbons ( e . g ., freon , ucon , genetron , or the like ), ammonia , sulfur dioxide , or other known refrigerants . the water or other cooling fluid circulated through the cooling garment is delivered through conduits 122 , which attach to the cooling unit 102 via a connection 124 , which may be a quick connect / disconnect coupler . cooled fluid is passed through a tube - lined cooling suit , thereby absorbing heat from the user &# 39 ; s body and providing a cooling effect . the warmed cooling fluid is returned to the cooling unit 102 wherein it passes in heat exchange relation to the evaporator 120 , thereby cooling the cooling fluid . the cooled fluid is then returned to the cooling garment , and so forth . the water or other cooling fluid is circulated via a pump 126 , which has an inlet and outlet fluidically coupled to a respective outlet and inlet of the conduits 122 . the pump 126 , in turn , receives rotational power or torque from the motor 112 via a central shaft assembly 128 , as described in detail below . as best seen in fig7 , the motor 112 includes a stator 130 supported within a housing 132 . the compressor 116 is secured to the housing 132 . the motor 112 electrodynamically drives a rotor 134 and drive shaft 136 . the shaft 136 is coupled at a first end to a drive shaft 138 of the compressor 116 . the shaft 136 is coupled at the opposite end to an internally sealed drive magnet 140 . one or more anti - rotation pins or dowels 142 secure the drive magnet 140 to the rotor 134 . the drive magnet 140 is contained within a non - rotating housing cap 144 , which is formed of a non - magnetically attractable material , such as stainless steel , aluminum , polymer material , or the like . a first end 146 of the housing cap 144 includes an opening or cavity which is secured about the motor housing 132 . a second end 148 of the housing cap 144 opposite the first end 146 defines a tapered , threaded opening 150 . an internal bearing 152 rotatably supports the end of the drive shaft 136 . one or more sealing rings 145 may be provided to prevent entry of moisture or other environmental contamination into the motor 112 and compressor 116 . an external , driven magnet 154 is coaxially received about the housing cap 144 in axial alignment with the drive magnet 140 . the driven magnet 154 is magnetically coupled to the drive magnet 140 and rotates therewith . the driven magnet 154 is contained within an enlarged bell end 157 of a magnet housing 156 . a fan 158 is carried on the magnet housing 156 and rotates with the magnet 154 and magnet housing 156 . in operation , the fan 158 rotates to draw ambient air in through a set of top openings 164 formed in the housing 110 and force it over condenser coil fins 162 and out through a set of lower openings 160 . in operation , the refrigerant gas is liquefied by the increased pressure of the gas created by the compressor 116 . the heat of condensation given up by the refrigerant in its conversion into liquid form is removed by the fan 158 . the liquid refrigerant from the condenser 118 is delivered the evaporator section 120 , e . g ., through a pressure restricting device ( not shown ) for refrigerant vaporization . the cooling fluid carrying heat absorbed from the user is delivered to the evaporator , e . g ., via a heat exchanger ( not shown ), resulting in an increase in temperature of the refrigerant sufficient to cause it to vaporize , thereby cooling the cooling fluid prior to recirculation through the cooling garment . the magnet housing 156 is , in turn , rotatably supported on an external bearing 166 carried on the exterior of the housing cap 144 . the magnet housing 156 includes an axially extending member 168 comprising an internal axial bore 170 and a tapered exterior surface 172 . the internally tapered member 148 of the housing cap 144 is coaxially received within the axial bore 170 of the axially extending member 168 . the rotating magnet housing 156 is rigidly coupled to a second magnet housing 174 having an enlarged bell end 176 and an axially extending member 178 . the axially extending portion 178 includes a tapered and threaded internal surface 180 which is complimentary with the external tapered surface 172 of the first magnet housing 156 to provide a rigid coupling therebetween . the second magnet housing 174 is rotatably supported on a second external bearing 183 which , in turn , is supported on a fixed shaft member 183 . the fixed shaft member includes a tapered and threaded exterior surface 184 which is complimentary and mating with the interior surface of the opening 150 to provide a rigid interconnection therebetween . the bell end 176 of the second magnet housing receives an external water pump drive magnet 186 , which is secured therein rotated by the rotation of the magnet 154 and the rigid coupling between the first and second magnet housings 156 and 174 , respectively . the external drive magnet 186 drives an internal water pump magnet 188 . the internal water pump magnet is sealed within a magnet housing 190 defining an enlarged opening receiving the magnet 188 . in the depicted embodiment , a flange 194 formed on the magnet housing 190 is secured to the water pump 126 via a flange clamp 196 and threaded fasteners or other mechanical fasteners . the internal magnet 188 is rigidly secured to an axial shaft 198 which rotates with the magnet 188 to drive the water or other cooling fluid circulation pump 126 . the rotating housings 156 and 174 may be formed of aluminum , stainless steel , plastic , or the like , and may be formed of the same material as the rotationally immobilized housing members 144 and 182 . the magnets 154 and 186 may be rigidly secured within the sleeve portions of the housing members 156 and 174 , respectively , via a number of methods , including , mechanical fasteners , or more preferably , an adhesive . with reference now to fig5 and 6 , the hydration unit 104 includes an external housing 200 lined with a chemically hardened bladder 202 . in the depicted preferred embodiment wherein the unit 100 approximates the size and shape of an air cylinder for connection to a breathing apparatus , the base of the housing 200 includes a connection shoe 204 for receiving within a complimentary connector located on the breathing apparatus 106 . openings 206 on the connection shoe 204 align with openings in the breathing unit 106 for receiving retaining pins 208 ( see fig4 ) to prevent inadvertent ejection of the cooling unit 100 . connection to other types of harnesses , packs , or garments is also contemplated . a fill port 210 is provided to fill the internal bladder 202 with water or other potable liquid . in the depicted embodiment , the fill port 210 includes an extendable tube 212 which is stored within the interior of the hydration unit 212 when the fill port is closed , e . g ., via a threaded cover or cap 214 , and which can be slidingly extended therefrom to assist in filling the container . a water pump 216 may be provided within the interior compartment to deliver water / fluid to the user under pressure . the pump includes a pickup tube 218 attached to an inlet of the pump 216 and a conduit 220 coupled to an outlet of the pump 216 . a power supply 222 , such as a battery or battery pack , may be provided to supply electrical power to the pump 216 . alternatively , the pump may be electrically coupled to a power supply of a powered breathing system or other external power source . in the depicted preferred embodiment , a water pump activation switch 224 is connected to the conduit 220 , preferably within easy reach of the operator . the switch 224 is electrically coupled to the pump 216 via electrical conductors 226 , e . g ., passing within the conduit 220 . the conduit 220 includes a drink tube 228 of a type adapted for connection to a standard drink tube fitting on a breathing mask . with reference now to fig2 and 3 , the cooling module 102 is connected to the hydration module 104 in the depicted preferred embodiment via a bayonet type mounting system . a plurality of keyhole shaped openings 201 on the hydration module 102 are aligned with a plurality of protrusions 203 on the cooling module . the protrusions 203 are inserted into the openings 201 and the cooling module is rotated relative to the hydration module . other fastening members or locking devices are also contemplated to prevent the cooling module from becoming disengaged from the hydration unit . it will be recognized that the hydration unit is an optional component . in certain embodiments , the hydration unit may be replaced with a blank member which occupies the same amount of space occupied by the hydration unit and provide a connection foot for securing the unit in place of a breathing gas tank on a breathing apparatus . in other embodiments , the hydration unit may be omitted and the connection foot may be provided directly on the cooling module 102 . with reference now to fig8 , a penetrator system appears for use with a garment system of a type including an outer protective garment and an inner cooling garment , which is worn under the outer garment . the outer protective garment may be , for example , a heat resistant garment , chemical resistant garment , or a garment otherwise providing a barrier to external contaminants , such as chemical agents or other hazardous materials , extreme environmental conditions , and so forth . such garments and materials that may be used therefore are generally known to those skilled in the art . the outer garment may be , for example , a coat , parka , one - piece coverall , or the like . likewise , the depicted embodiment is adapted for a system employing two garment layers . it will be recognized that the penetrator system herein may be readily adapted to garment systems having three or more garment layers by employing additional connector units as necessary . the inner cooling garment is of a type having tubing therein carrying a cooling fluid circulated by the cooling fluid pump 126 . as is generally understood in the art , the tubing carrying the fluid is in close body contact ( typically on or in an interior surface of the garment ) with the wearer so as to effect the transfer of heat from the wearer . the penetrator system includes an outer connector 230 which provides a flow connection between the cooling fluid conduit 122 with connector 123 and an inner connector assembly 232 . the inner and outer connector assemblies 230 and 232 are positioned on the inner and outer garments so as to come into a generally aligned relationship when both suits are worn as a layered set by the user . in the depicted preferred embodiment , the fluid passageways in the connectors 230 and 232 form right angles , thereby defining a low profile as compared to linear connectors . the outer connector assembly 230 includes an outer block connector 234 which is intended to be located on an exterior surface of the outer protective garment . an outer garment retaining plate 236 is located on an interior surface of the outer garment and is secured to the inward facing surface of the outer block connector 234 , e . g ., via one or more fasteners 238 , thereby clamping the outer garment ( not shown ) therebetween . the garment may be reinforced with additional layers of fabric or other reinforcing material at the location of the connector assembly 230 . the outer block connector 234 includes a fluid inlet valve 240 and a fluid outlet valve 242 for connection to the cooling unit 102 , e . g ., via a mating connector 123 attached to the conduits 122 . the conduits 122 terminate at the opposite end at connector 124 on the unit 102 . the outer block connector 234 and retaining plate 236 may be positioned at any desired location on the garment , and is preferably within easy reach of the wearer . in one embodiment , e . g ., for military use , the outer block connector 236 may be positioned on or near the shoulder opposite the user &# 39 ; s shooting shoulder , and the invention may be adapted for left or right handed marksmen . placement of the connector 236 toward the rear of the shoulder is particularly advantageous for use with the breathing apparatus 106 or other portable cooling units of a type adapted to be worn on the user &# 39 ; s back . other positions of the fluid connectors relative to the body of the wearer are also contemplated . the inner block assembly 232 includes an inner block connector 244 having a fluid inlet 246 and outlet 248 , which may be barbed hose connectors , e . g ., for connection to the tubing of a tube lined suit worn beneath a protective outer garment as described above . the inner block connector 244 may be secured about an opening in the cooling suit at a position so that it is generally aligned with the position of the outer block connector 234 when the inner and outer garments are donned by the user . an inner retaining plate 250 is located on an exterior facing surface of the cooling suit and is secured to the inner block connector 244 in clamping fashion , e . g ., with one or more threaded connectors 253 . the cooling garment may be reinforced with additional layers of fabric or other reinforcing material at the location of the connector assembly 232 . a chemical or other protective outer garment layer 235 is disposed between the outer block 234 and the plate 236 . a cooling garment layer 245 is disposed between the inner block 244 and the plate 250 . fig9 and 10 illustrate an alternative embodiment substantially as shown in fig8 , but wherein the connector block 234 includes male and female dripless connectors 240 and 242 so as to ensure proper orientation when connected . other manners of ensuring consistent orientation include providing a keyed connection , e . g ., via the shape or features on the connector housings , markings on the connectors , or the like . the outer block connector 234 includes a dripless outlet valve subassembly 252 which cooperates with an inlet valve subassembly 254 on the inner block connector 244 . likewise , a dripless outlet valve subassembly 256 on the outer block connector 234 cooperates with a dripless inlet valve subassembly 258 on the inner block connector 244 . by dripless valve is meant self - sealing connectors including a valve movable between an open position when the connectors are in a coupled state and which are self sealing to obstruct flow when the connectors are in an uncoupled or disconnected state . the dripless connectors may be a valve coupling as shown in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 302 , 147 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . however , other fluid connection types , including but not limited to quick connect / disconnect systems and dripless or self - sealing systems as generally known in the art pertaining to the connection of fluid - carrying hoses or tubing , are also contemplated . a threaded fastener 260 is provided on the outer block connector 234 and includes a rod 262 passing through an opening 264 in the block connector 234 . the rod 262 includes helical threads 266 which are complementary with internal helical threads 268 formed in an opening 270 in the inner block connector 244 . optionally , in a preferred embodiment , the rod 262 additionally includes an unthreaded portion 272 and a portion of the connector block 234 contains internal threads so that the threaded end 266 of the threaded fastener 260 must be threaded through an opening in the outer block portion 234 prior to being threaded into the opening 270 , thereby capturing the threaded fastener 260 and preventing inadvertent removal of the threaded fastener 260 from the outer block connector 234 when disconnected from the inner connector 244 . referring now to fig1 , and with continued reference to fig8 , there is illustrated an exemplary connector 123 of the cooling module 102 which is adapted for connection with the outer connector 230 . the inlet valve 240 of the outer connector 230 connects with an outlet valve 274 of the cooling module connector 123 . likewise , the outlet valve 242 of the outer connector 230 connects with the inlet valve 276 of the cooling module connector 123 . it will be recognized that other arrangements of male and female connectors may also be employed . it will be recognized that the designations of inlet and outlet valves described herein are exemplary only and are preferably selected to provide the most efficient cooling of the wearer . for example , body heat tends to be greatest toward the geometric center of the body to be cooled . thus , it is generally desirable for the cooling fluid to pass over more central regions , such as the spine area , prior to passing over more peripheral areas . in preferred embodiments , the connectors are configured to fit only in the orientation that provides the desired flow direction , e . g ., by providing adjacent male and female connectors ( see fig9 and 10 ), by keying the connectors , by providing markings or indicia of flow direction , and so forth . in the depicted preferred embodiment , a quick release mechanism includes a latch member 278 having a tapered end which protrudes from the connector block 234 housing and which , in operation , extends into an aligned opening 280 on the connector 123 to provide a latching connection therewith . once connected , the connectors 230 and 123 may be disconnected via a number of methods . in one method , an optional release button 282 may be provided . for example , a depressible button 282 may be provided on the housing shell 284 of the connector 123 wherein an internal pin 286 or other mechanical coupling or engagement between the button and the tapered latch member 278 may be provided for moving the latch from a latched position to an unlatched position when the button 282 is depressed by a user . a spring member 288 may also be provided to bias the button 282 toward the undepressed position . in an especially preferred embodiment , the button 282 is positioned on an inward facing surface of the connector 123 housing , which is opposite an outward facing surface 290 thereof . such placement provides easy manipulation of the button 282 with a user &# 39 ; s thumb when the connector unit is located at the user &# 39 ; s shoulder region as described above . however , button placement elsewhere on the unit is also contemplated . in certain embodiments , a lip 292 of the opening 280 and the latching surface of the latch member 278 are configured to disconnect upon the application of some predetermined or preselected degree of force , without the need to depress the release button 282 ( if so provided ). this would allow the user to readily shed the cooling module , e . g ., under emergency conditions , without the need to first locate and manipulate the release button or other mechanism . the inlet and outlet 294 and 296 , respectively , of the connector 123 may be barbed hose connectors for connection to the conduits 122 . the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment . modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of the preceding detailed description . it is intended that the invention be construed as including these and other modifications and alterations . | 0 |
in the present invention , dicarboxylic acids , acid anhydrides or other derivatives are reacted with mono hydroxyl functional polyethers to produce a reaction product containing the half - ester and some diester of the dicarboxylic acid . this reaction product is then reacted with a polyamino alkyl or alkenyl succinimide to produce the product of the invention . the mono - functional polyethers used in the present invention contain one free hydroxyl group per polyether molecule to form the half - ester reaction product . the overall reaction is shown below using phthalic anhydride as a non - limiting example of a dicarboxylic acid derivative useful in the invention : ## str3 ## in the foregoing examples ( i ) through ( iv ), x and y are integers , y is at least 1 , x + y is from 1 to 10 . r is an alkyl or alkenyl group containing from 8 to about 10 , 000 carbon atoms , and r &# 39 ; is h or c 1 to c 6 alkyl . r &# 34 ; is an alkyl , aryl , alkaryl , or arylalkyl containing 1 to 100 carbon atoms and r &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is hydrogen or an alkyl , aryl , alkaryl , or arylalkyl containing 1 to 100 carbon atoms . the intermediate ( i ) in the preceeding example comprises poly ( oxyalkylene ) alkyl hydrogen phthalate where the alkylene moiety is preferably ethylene , propylene or isobutylene . some diester ( iv ) is formed which carries over as a reaction product of the invention . the products of the reaction of the invention are represented more generally by the structural formulae ( v ) and ( vi ) presented below where r , r &# 39 ;, r &# 34 ; and r &# 34 ;&# 39 ; are as described for ( i ) through ( iv ) above and z is the arylidene , alkylidene , arylalkylidene or alkylarylidene moiety of a dicarboxylic acid containing at least three carbon atoms : ## str4 ## the reaction of a polyamine with alkenyl or alkyl succinic anhydride to produce the polyamino alkenyl or alkyl succinimides ( ii ) employed in the present invention is well known in the art and is disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 992 , 708 ; 3 , 018 , 291 ; 3 , 024 , 237 ; 3 , 100 , 673 ; 3 , 219 , 666 ; 3 , 172 , 892 , and 3 , 272 , 746 . these patents are incorporated herein by reference for their disclosures on preparing alkenyl or alkyl succinimides . the preparation of the alkenyl - substituted succinic anhydride by reaction with a polyolefin and maleic anhydride has been described , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 018 , 250 and 3 , 024 , 195 . the methods include the thermal reaction of the polyolefin with maleic anhydride . reduction of the alkenyl - substituted succinic anhydride yields the corresponding alkyl derivative . the polyolefin polymers for reaction with the maleic anhydride are polymers comprising a major amount of c 2 to c 5 mono - olefin , e . g ., ethylene , propylene , butylene , isobutylene and pentene . the polymers can be homopolymers such as polyisobutylene as well as copolymers of 2 or more such olefins . the polyolefin polymer usually contains from about 8 to 10 , 000 carbon atoms , although preferably 20 to 300 carbon atoms . a preferred class of olefin polymers comprises the polybutenes , which are prepared by polymerization of one or more of 1 - butene , 2 - butene . polymers of isobutene are particularly preferred . usually , isobutene units constitute at least 80 % of the units in the polymer . methods for the preparation of these materials are found in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 215 , 707 ; 3 , 231 , 587 ; 3 , 515 , 669 ; and 3 , 579 , 450 , as well as u . s . pat . no . 3 , 912 , 764 . polyamines , or polyalkylenepolyamines , used to prepare the foregoing succinimides ( ii ) have the formula h 2 n ( c m h 2m nh ) x h , where m is from 2 to 6 and x is from 1 to 10 . preferred polyamines include the ethylene polyamine ( m = 2 ), where x is 1 ( ethylenediamine ), x is 2 ( diethylenetriamine ), x is 3 ( triethylenetetramine ), x is 4 ( tetraethylenepentamine ), and the like . the polyamine employed to prepare the polyamino alkenyl or alkyl succinimides used in the process of this invention is preferably a polyamine having from 2 to about 12 amine nitrogen atoms . the polyamine is reacted with an alkenyl or alkyl succinic anhydride to produce the polyamino alkenyl or alkyl succinimide , employed in this invention . the polyamine is so selected so as to provide at least one basic amine per succinimide . in many instances the polyamine used as a reactant in the production of succinimides of the present invention is not a single compound but a mixture of several amines . for example , tetraethylene pentamine prepared by the polymerization of aziridine will have both lower and higher amine members , e . g ., triethylene tetramine , substituted piperazines and pentaethylene hexamine , but the composition will be largely tetraethylene pentamine and the empirical formula of the total amine composition will closely approximate that of tetraethylene pentamine . methods of preparation of polyamines and their reactions are detailed in sidgewick &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; the organic chemistry of nitrogen &# 34 ;, clarendon press , oxford , 1966 ; noller &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; chemistry of organic compounds &# 34 ;, saunders , philadelphia , 2nd ed ., 1957 ; and kirk - othmer &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; encyclopedia of chemical technology &# 34 ;, 2nd ed ., especially volumes 2 , pp . 99 - 116 . the dicarboxylic acids or acid anhydrides employed in the present invention include preferably phthalic acid , isophthalic acid , terephthalic acid , the isomers of naphthalene dicarboxylic acid , malonic acid , maleic acid , succinic acid , glutaric acid , fumaric acid , adipic acid , pimelic acid , suberic acid , azelaic acid , sebacic acid and the like . however , aromatic or aliphatic dicarboxylic acids containing from three to twenty carbon atoms can be used . these acids may contain substituent groups such as halogen , hydroxyl , alkoxy , aryloxy , alkyl or aryl to provide useful dicarboxylic acids such as tartronic acid , phenyl malonic acid , chlorophthalic acid and the like . dicarboxylic acid anhydrides are prefered in the present invention . particularly useful carboxylic acid anhydrides include orthophthalic anhydride , 1 , 8 - naphthalic anhydride , succinic anhydride and maleic anhydride . in the process of the invention the dicarboxyic acids can be reacted with the mono - functional polyether to form a half - ester or a derivative of the dicarboxylic acid may be so employed . while useful derivatives include preferably dicarboxylic acid anhydrides , acyl halides may be used as well . the acylation of alcohols by acyl halides is a process well known in synthetic organic chemistry and can be employed without substantive modification to prepare halfesters of dicarboxylic acids as prepared in the present invention without departing from the intent or scope of the invention . mono esters of dicarboxylic acids derived from lower alcohols , such as methanol or ethanol , can also be used in the process whereby the reaction with the mono - functional polyether proceeds by way of transesterification by methods well known in the organic chemical arts . the alcohols employed in the invention in the reaction with dicarboxylic acids to prepare ( i ) are monohydroxy polyalkylene ethers have the formula ## str5 ## where n is an integer from 1 to 100 , r &# 34 ; is an aromatic or aliphatic hydrocarbon having from 1 to 100 carbon atoms , and r &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is hydrogen or an aromatic or aliphatic hydrocarbon having from 1 to 100 carbon atoms . these mono - functional , or capped or mono - hydroxy alcohols , are commercially available or may be prepared by known processes as described in kirk - othmer &# 39 ; s encyclopedia of chemical technology , vol . 19 , p 507 . they are generally prepared by the addition of a lower alkylene oxide such as ethylene oxide or propylene oxide to an alcohol , typically an aliphatic primary alcohol . they may be prepared as homo or copolymers and typically contain molecules of various molecular weight . the following examples serve to illustrate the process of the present invention to prepare the novel fuel and lubricant additives . phthalic anhydride ( 1 . 0 mole , 148 . 1 g ), mono - capped polybutylene oxide ( 1 . 0 mole , 487 g ), p - toluenesulfonic acid ( 0 . 05 mole , 9 . 5 g ) and 500 ml of xylenes are charged to a 2 l 4 - necked reactor equipped with an overhead stirrer , thermometer , dean stark trap , and n 2 purge . the reaction mixture is heated to reflux and was kept at this temperature ( 150 ° c .) for six hours . during this time , 6 . 0 ml of water collects in the dean stark trap . upon cooling , a small amount of phthalic anhydride precipitated out of solution . this is filtered off through a pad of celite . the resulting clear solution is stripped using rotary evaporation , ( 0 . 5 mm hg ). upon cooling , another small portion of phthalic anhydride precipitates out . this is again removed by suction filtration through a pad of celite . the resulting clear , brown liquid is titrated withn 0 . 1n koh and is found to have a combining weight of 1098 , where combining weight is : sample wt . ( gms )× 10 , 000 / ml 0 . 1n koh , and indicates the molecular weight associated with each carbonyl group . only a trace of unreacted anhydride is evident by ir spectroscopy . infrared analysis indicates the reaction product comprises polybutylene oxide hydrogen phthalate containing some dipolybutylene oxide phthalate . the product from , example 1 ( 0 . 03 mole , 33 . 2 g ), a polyisobutenyl succinimide ( 0 . 03 mole , 87 . 8 g , made by reacting 920 mw polyisobutylene and maleic anhydride , followed by one half equivalent of tetraethylene pentamine ), and 100 ml xylenes are charged to a 500 ml 4 - necked round bottom flask equipped withn an overhead stirrer , thermometer , dean stark trap , and n 2 purge . the reaction is heated to reflux and is refluxed for seventeen hours . during this time most of the solvent evaporates . the resulting product is filtered through a bed of celite . amide , ester , and succinimide bands are detected by ir spectroscopy . the method of this invention is preferably carried out as exemplified in example 2 wherein the half - ester reaction product and succinimide are reacted in a mole ratio of about 1 : 1 , where the half - ester molecular weight is estimated by determination of the combining weight with 0 . 1n koh . however , the rection ratios of the esterification reation product to asi can increase up to 10 : 1 , particularly when polyamines containing multiple secondary amine groups are used to prepare the asi for reaction with the esterification reaction product . the detergency properties of the products of the invention were evaluated in the following test . the results indicated the superior performance of the product . the product from example 2 is evaluated by the crc carburetor cleanliness procedure at a dosage of 100 lb / mb in phillips j unleaded fuel . ______________________________________additive deposit wt . ( mg ) % clean - up______________________________________none 16 -- example 2 3 81______________________________________ the acylated succinimides of the instant invention are particularly useful as detergent and dispersant additives to fuels and lubricants . these novel succinimides may be added to mineral oil based lubricants or to synthetic lubricants . in either case , other additives typically found in lubricants such as viscosity index improvers , rust inhibitors , pour point depressants , antioxidants and other additives well known in the art may be incorporated into the formulation . the products of this invention can be added to a fuel at about 25 lbs to about 500 lbs of additive per 1000 barrels of fuel . it can be added to a lubricant at about 0 . 1 % to about 10 % by weight . while the invention has been described by specific examples and embodiments , there is no intent to limit the inventive concept except as set forth in the following claims . | 2 |
hereinafter , exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . since the present invention may be variously modified and have several exemplary embodiments , specific exemplary embodiments will be shown in the accompanying drawings and be described in detail . however , it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific exemplary embodiments , but includes all modifications , equivalents , and substitutions included in the spirit and the scope of the present invention . it is understood that the term “ vehicle ” or “ vehicular ” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles ( suv ), buses , trucks , various commercial vehicles , watercraft including a variety of boats and ships , aircraft , and the like , and includes hybrid vehicles , electric vehicles , plug - in hybrid electric vehicles , hydrogen - powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles ( e . g . fuels derived from resources other than petroleum ). as referred to herein , a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power , for example both gasoline - powered and electric - powered vehicles . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ” and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ” and / or “ comprising ,” when used in this specification , specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , integers , steps , operations , elements , components , and / or groups thereof . as used herein , the term “ and / or ” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items . as used herein , the term “ lin ” ( local interconnect network ) communication is a serial network protocol used for communication between components in a vehicle . in particular , lin communication is a method for performing communication by previously defining transmission and reception of frames each time , and transmitting and receiving the defined frames in the defined time . further , lin communication is largely configured of a master request frame and a slave response frame . in the method and apparatus for driving an ultrasonic sensor ( e . g ., each ultrasonic sensor of a plurality of ultrasonic sensors provided in a vehicle ) according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the ultrasonic sensor and an upper controller are connected to each other by lin communication . since the ultrasonic sensor and the upper controller , that is , a body control module 10 , are connected to each other by a lin bus , the method and apparatus for driving the ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may save the number and weight of wires ; however , since only one bus is used , the method and apparatus for driving the ultrasonic sensor preferably are required to use scheduling defined for transmission and reception . fig3 is a diagram illustrating a comparison result between a process of performing lin communication and an operation of the ultrasonic sensor 20 . as can be appreciated from fig3 , a transmission time of each command is approximately 10 milliseconds ( ms ). further , since lin communication is operated depending on the defined scheduling , there is spare time when any work is not done in the lin communication line for about 70 milliseconds ( ms ) within which the ultrasonic sensor 20 receives a master command from the upper controller and then processes the received master command . therefore , in the case in which the ultrasonic sensors 20 are sequentially driven , after the ultrasonic sensor first receiving an ultrasonic wave measurement command measures a distance , a temporal error may occur when the next and subsequent ultrasonic sensors measure a distance . further , the larger the error range of an oscillator , the larger the error becomes . therefore , the method and apparatus for driving an ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention propose a protocol to measure a distance using the ultrasonic sensor the moment that a lin communication message is received and to transmit the measured value to the upper controller again . fig4 is a diagram illustrating a lin protocol according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the method for driving an ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may receive the lin message and directly sense an object when a command of a pid field of a header field is an object sensing command , even though data within all frames are not received . therefore , the existing method requires time to receive a data field , while the method and apparatus for driving an ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may measure a distance from an object while shortening time corresponding to the time to receive the data field . fig5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating a comparison result of errors at the time of measuring a distance by the existing parking assist apparatus and a parking assist apparatus to which the method for driving an ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied . it may be confirmed from fig5 that in the existing parking assist apparatus , errors are continuously accumulated in a continuous measurement between sensor 1 having a + error and sensor 2 having a − error and thus an error as much as about 4 . 2 milliseconds occurs between the two sensors in the final measurement . however , since the parking assist apparatus to which the method for driving an ultrasonic sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention of fig6 is applied performs a synchronization process simultaneously with receiving an id through the lin communication , even though one sensor has the (+) error and the other sensor has the (−) error , it may be confirmed that the error between both sensors is not accumulated and finally , only an error of about 1 . 8 milliseconds is present . therefore , even though the existing hardware system is used in the long distance parking assist apparatus , the possibility of accident caused by a delayed alarm due to the measurement of the distance from the targeted object may be reduced by lin communication . the invention has been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof . however , it will 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 appended claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the views of the accompanying drawing . consider a clinical case wherein an anomalous region is identified by diagnosing the flow of blood into the liver parenchyma or cardiac muscle by the contrast echo method . fig3 shows the arrangement of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment . an ultrasound probe 1 is connected to an apparatus body 20 . the apparatus body 20 scans the inside of an object to be examined by using an ultrasound beam through the ultrasound probe 1 , creates tomographic image data by processing the obtained reception signal , and displays the image . an operating panel 9 having a trackball 10 a , keyboard 10 b , and the like is connected to the apparatus body 20 . various operator instructions such as an instruction to set a region of interest ( roi ) are input to the apparatus body 20 through the operating panel 9 . a plurality of electroacoustic conversion elements ( transducers ) are arrayed on the distal end portion of the ultrasound probe 1 . one or a few adjacent transducers constitute one channel . rf voltage pulses are applied from a transmitting unit 2 of the apparatus body 20 to the transducers . the transducers convert the electrical vibrations of the rf voltage pulse into mechanical vibrations . with this operation , the transducers generate ultrasound waves . time differences in the application timing of high - frequency voltage pulses are provided between channels . these time differences , delay times in general , are set such that ultrasound waves generated by the transducers are combined into one narrow beam , and the beam is deflected as needed . by changing the delay times , the focal length and deflection angle can be arbitrarily changed . a transmission / reception control circuit ( t / r ) 13 controls these delay times . ultrasound waves propagate through the object and are reflected by an acoustic - impedance discontinuous surface located at some point in the object . the reflected waves return as echoes to the probe 1 . the echoes mechanically vibrate the transducers of the probe 1 . as a consequence , weak current signals are generated . a receiving unit 3 amplifies the current signals in units of channels , converts them into voltage signals , and converts them into digital signals . in addition , the receiving unit 3 adds the signals while giving them delay times that differ between the channels . this addition is processing called digital beam forming , by which a reception signal is given a directivity . the receiving unit 3 has a plurality of digital beam forming systems . the transmission / reception control circuit ( t / r ) 13 simultaneously generates a plurality of reception signals having different directivities by parallel processing and differently controlling delay times between the digital beam forming systems . the transmission / reception control circuit 13 implements scan operation ( to be described later ) according to the present invention by controlling delay times in transmission and reception . note that scan operation is defined as operation to acquire a plurality of reception signals required for the creation of a 1 - frame image . more specifically , scan operation is operation of repeating a series of ultrasound beam transmitting / receiving operations with respect to a plurality of ultrasound scanning lines constituting a scan plane . this new scan sequence makes it possible to obtain both the effect of improving the time resolution and the effect of making the contrast enhance effect of microbubbles relatively uniform within a scan plane . in addition to the transmission / reception delay control function , the transmission / reception control circuit 13 has basic control functions such as the function of setting a transmission frequency and the function of shaping the waveform of a transmission pulse . as described above , by changing the delay times in transmission / reception , the transmission direction , reception direction , focal length , and ultrasound scanning line density of ultrasound beams can be arbitrarily changed . in general , parameters such as delay time and transmission frequency differ between modes such as the b - mode and color doppler mode . b - mode and color mode data can be simultaneously obtained by alternately transmitting these waves . a receiver 4 and subsequent components will be described next . the receiver 4 is comprised of a logarithmic amplifier , an envelope detection circuit , a band - pass filter for extracting harmonic components from a reception signal , and the like . an output from the receiver 4 is converted by a b - mode dsc 5 from a fan array of ultrasound scanning lines into an orthogonal array of scanning lines corresponding to a standard video format . the resultant data is sent as a bit stream to a combination circuit 6 . the combination circuit 6 combines image data and additional information such as an electrocardiographic waveform and various set values into one frame , thereby forming a frame to be finally displayed on a display 7 . a memory control circuit 14 sends array conversion information to the b - mode dsc 5 and combination circuit 6 . an image memory 8 temporarily stores the signal train after the array conversion by the b - mode dsc 5 ( or the signal train before the array conversion ). this information is read out by an operator after a diagnosis or the like . in this case , the information is output to the display 7 through the b - mode dsc 5 and combination circuit 6 . an ecg analyzer 12 analyzes the electrocardiograph ( ecg ) data of the object measured by an ecg 11 , extracts , for example , r waves , and generates a trigger signal to the transmission / reception control circuit 13 . the ecg analyzer 12 converts the electrocardiograph data into display data and sends it to the combination circuit 6 . this electrocardiograph data and tomographic image data are combined into a single frame to be displayed together on the display 7 . a clock 15 is used to control intermittent transmission intervals in a diagnosis using on ecg signal , e . g ., a diagnosis of an abdominal organ . note that the operator can control the intermittent transmission intervals and timing on the operating panel , and the control operation is reflected in the transmission / reception control circuit 13 . the scan operation in this embodiment will be briefly described by exemplifying the parallel signal processing of simultaneously generating a plurality of reception signals having different directivities for one transmitting operation . consider a case wherein two reception signals having different directivities are obtained for one scanning operation . fig4 is a view for explaining the principle of parallel signal processing . referring to fig4 , “ r ” represents an ultrasound scanning line ; and “ t ”, the transmission direction . ultrasound pulses are transmitted under delay control corresponding to the direction of an ultrasound scanning line t 1 . from the resultant echo signals , digital beam formers of two systems generate two types of reception signals that are given directivities in the directions of ultrasound scanning lines r 1 and r 2 under two types of delay control . a reception scanning line density twice a transmission scanning line density is realized by this parallel signal processing . obviously , four or more reception signals with different directivities can be theoretically generated for one transmitting operation . the scan operation in this embodiment will be described in detail next with reference to fig5 a and 5b . assume that one scan plane consists of 160 ultrasound scanning - lines . the angle difference between adjacent ultrasound scanning lines is represented by θ . scan operation for acquiring reception signals required to generate a 1 - frame image is constituted by a plurality of , two in this case , partial scan operations . more specifically , in the first partial scan operation , the first portion in the scan region is scanned , and in the second partial scan operation , the remaining , second portion in the scan region is scanned . a partial image of the first portion obtained by the first partial scan operation and a partial image of the second portion obtained by the second partial scan operation are combined into one frame , thereby completing a 1 - frame image of the entire scan plane . in the first and second partial scan operations , the focus point is fixed to a long distance . fig5 a shows the first partial scan operation . fig5 b shows the second partial operation . as shown in fig5 a , ultrasound transmission / reception is repeated in predetermined cycles . a transmission beam is sequentially moved from the right end to the left end of a scan plane in each transmission / reception . the intervals at which a transmission beam is moved are set to an integer multiple equal to or more than two of the angle difference θ between ultrasound scanning lines , 4 · θ in this case . in digital beam forming , a plurality of , four in this case , reception signals having different directivities are generated in every transmission by parallel signal processing . more specifically , four reception signals having directivities corresponding to fourth ultrasound scanning lines which are symmetrical about a transmission beam are generated . these four reception signals are subjected to detection and luminance conversion in the receiver 4 and written in the b - mode dsc 5 . different write sequences for these signals are used in a short - distance region a and long - distance region b . in the short - distance region a , all the four reception signals are written . in the long - distance region b , only the two reception signal corresponding to the two ultrasound scanning line located in the center are written . this first partial scan operation will be described in detail below with reference to fig6 . fig6 shows a microbubble collapse range 100 in which a high contrast enhance effect is obtained when the focus point is formed at a relatively long distance . the long - distance focal point is formed under a typical transmission condition , i . e ., a wide aperture and high driving voltage . in this condition , the width of the microbubble collapse range 100 is wide at the short - distance region a and narrow at the long - distance region b , as described with reference to fig1 b . the contrast enhance effect is high within the microbubble collapse range 100 . in accordance with this region exhibiting a high contrast enhance effect , in the short - distance region a , all four reception signals ( luminance signals ) corresponding to four ultrasound scanning lines r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 which are symmetrical about a transmission beam t 11 are written in the b - mode dsc 5 . in the long - distance region b , only the two reception signal corresponding to the two ultrasound scanning lines located in the center are written in the b - mode dsc 5 . the transmission beam is them moved to tl 2 , and all four reception signals ( luminance signals ) corresponding to four ultrasound scanning lines r 5 , r 6 , r 7 , and r 8 which are symmetrical about the transmission beam tl 2 are written in the b - mode dsc 5 . in the long - distance region b , only the two reception signals corresponding to the two ultrasound scanning lines located in the center are written in the b - mode dsc 5 . when the first partial scan operation is completed upon repeating this sequence , on the memory of the b - mode dsc 5 , the entire short - distance region a is filled with the luminance data , and the long - distance region b partially has luminance data blank portions . these blank portions are filled with the luminance data obtained by the second partial scan operation . disregarding averaging , the number of times of transmission / reception required for the first partial scan operation is 160 / 4 = 40 . as is obvious , since only the reception signals within the microbubble collapse range 100 need be finally used for an image , unnecessary reception signals need not be generated in the first partial scan operation , i . e ., the reception signals corresponding to the two outside ultrasound scanning lines in the long - distance region b need not be generated by digital beam forming . the second partial scan operation will be described next . in the first partial scan operation , data blank portions are present at two adjacent ultrasound scanning lines in the long - distance region b . referring to fig5 a , for example , ultrasound scanning lines r 4 and r 5 correspond to blank portions . in the second partial scan operation , transmission , digital beam forming , and dsc write operation are performed to fill these blanks with data , as shown in fig5 b . ultrasound transmission / reception is repeated in predetermined cycles like the first partial scan operation . a transmission beam is sequentially moved from the right end to the left end of a scan plane in every transmitting / receiving operation . the intervals at which the transmission beam is moved are set to 4 · θ as in the first partial scan operation . however , the transmission beam in the second partial scan operation is shifted from the transmission beam in the first partial scan operation by half the moving intervals of the transmission beam , i . e ., 2 · θ . with this operation , an ultrasound beam is transmitted in the direction of the center axis of each ultrasound scanning line corresponding to a blank portion formed in the first partial scan operation . the first transmission beam in the second partial scan operation is transmitted to a direction t 21 between blank scanning lines r 4 and r 5 . the next transmission beam is transmitted in a direction t 22 between blank scanning lines r 8 and r 9 . in this manner , transmission is repeated at intervals of 4 · θ . in digital beam forming , a plurality of , two in this case , reception signals having different directivities are generated by parallel signal processing for each transmitting operation . more specifically , two reception signals having directivities corresponding to left and right ultrasound scanning lines on the two sides of a transmission beam are generated . these two reception signals are subjected to detection and luminance conversion in the receiver 4 , and only the data corresponding to the data blank portions in the long - distance region b formed in the first partial scan operation are written in the b - mode dsc 5 . as described above , in the second partial scan operation , image portions are assembled such that they do not overlap the image portions generated in the first partial scan operation in fig5 a , and no blank portions are formed . the number of times of transmission / reception in fig5 b is set to 40 ( 39 , to be exact ) as in the case shown in fig5 a . that is , transmission / reception is performed a total of 80 times , which is equal to the number of times of transmission / reception in 2 - direction parallel signal processing . that is , the frame rate does not decrease . the merits of this scan operation will be described below . at a long - distance focus point , the beam width increases in the short - distance region a . in this short - distance region a , microbubbles collapse in a wide range . in other words , in the short - distance region a , a contrast enhance effect owing to microbubbles can be obtained in a wide range . this makes it possible to effectively generate reception signals at once from a wide range corresponding to as many as four scanning lines for one transmitting operation by 4 - direction parallel signal processing . on the other hand , in the long - distance region b , the intervals between ultrasound scanning lines become larger than those between ultrasound scanning lines in the short - distance region a , and the distance from the center of a transmission beam increases , resulting in a decrease in the intensity of ultrasound waves . if 4 - direction parallel signal processing is performed in this state , sensitivity deteriorates . for this reason , in the first partial scan operation , 2 - direction parallel signal processing is performed . in the second partial scan operation , then , only the blank regions in the first partial scan operation are filled with data . that is , the blank regions in the first partial scan operation correspond to data on scanning line pairs in the long - distance region . at a long - distance focus point , the scanning lines in these blank regions are included in the microbubble collapse range exhibiting a high contrast enhance effect . in this manner , high contrast enhance effects can be ensured in both the long - and short - distance regions . in this case , for the sake of simplicity , the short - distance region a and long - distance region b are separated from each other by a clear boundary . to obtain a smoother image , these regions may overlap . in this case , for example , the luminance image on the overlapping portion is averaged to make the boundary less noticeable . this scan operation is especially effective for sector scan operation in which ultrasound scanning line intervals differ in a short - distance region and long - distance region . however , effects similar to those described above can also be obtained when this operation is applied to linear scan operation in which ultrasound scanning line intervals remain unchanged in a short - distance region and long - distance region . in addition , this technique may be used in combination with the intermittent transmission method of performing transmission in synchronism with an ecg signal . in this case , since the application of ultrasound waves is stopped during periods other than synchronous periods , more microbubbles flow into a slice of a region of interest and are stored without collapse . obviously , if ultrasound waves are applied in this state , more microbubbles can be detected . in addition , if the scanning method of this embodiment is used , the contrast enhance effect can be relatively improved . a multifocus method is available as a conventional method similar to the scanning method to be described below . the multifocus method is currently implemented in many apparatuses . this method will be described first with reference to fig7 a and 7b . according to the multifocus method , as shown in fig7 a , ( a ) the respective ultrasound scanning lines are scanned to perform transmission / reception at a short - distance focus point so as to generate a signal component corresponding to a short - distance region a , and ( b ) a signal component corresponding to a long - distance region b is generated at a long - distance focus point . these two images are then combined into a 1 - frame tomographic image . each ultrasound scanning line has two focus points ( represented by the heads of the arrows in fig7 a ), and hence the resolution increases . however , since the number of times of transmission / reception increases twice , the frame rate decreases to half . in addition , a multifocus method using three or more focus points is also available . in the above method , if the position of the focus point is sequentially changed from the short - distance region , microbubble echoes may be detected up to a deep portion while microbubbles collapse from the short - distance region . however , microbubbles on adjacent ultrasounds collapse . the second example of the scanning method of this embodiment , which aims at solving the above problem , will be described below with reference to fig7 b . note that the bullets on the ultrasound scanning lines represent focus points , and the numbers on the lower portion of the drawing represent a scan sequence . as is obvious from fig7 b , a characteristic feature of this scanning method is that an ultrasound scanning line r 2 is scanned first at a short - distance focus point , an ultrasound scanning line r 1 immediately preceding the ultrasound scanning line r 2 is then scanned at a long - distance focus point , and scanning is performed in the order of r 4 , r 3 , r 6 , r 5 , . . . . in this manner , while the scanning beam moves forward from one set of a plurality of , two in this case , adjacent ultrasound scanning lines to another set , the beam moves backward in the transmission direction at each set . in addition , focus points are alternately switched in the short - distance region and long - distance region in each transmission , thereby obtaining the following effects . assume that the ultrasound scanning lines are sequentially scanned from the ultrasound scanning line r 1 as in a conventional method . in this case , when an ultrasound pulse is transmitted to the ultrasound scanning line r 1 , microbubbles on the ultrasound scanning line r 2 are affected , e . g ., collapse . however , since the ultrasound scanning line r 2 is scanned first , this adverse effect can be avoided . in addition , since the ultrasound scanning line r 2 is scanned at a short - distance focus point , the influence of this scanning on the next ultrasound scanning line r 1 is small . that is , microbubbles on the ultrasound scanning line r 1 do not collapse much . as described above , this method can minimize the collapse of microbubbles on adjacent ultrasound scanning lines due to the application of ultrasound waves . note that if different focus points are set on the respective ultrasound scanning lines as in this case , since different sound fields are formed , echo signals on adjacent ultrasound scanning lines may be made uneven . smoothing by , for example , averaging on adjacent ultrasound scanning line to reduce such unevenness is effective for an improvement in image quality . although the scanning method of the above embodiment is a scanning method represented by a sector probe , the present invention can also be applied to a linear type scanning method . as shown in fig8 , in the linear type scanning method , the intervals between ultrasound scanning lines do not depend on depth . however , the profile of the sound field formed by one beam is the same as that in the above method , and the influences on microbubbles on adjacent ultrasound scanning lines in a short - distance region still remain . when the present invention is to be applied to the linear type scanning method , ultrasound scanning lines are formed to be spaced from each other by a distance 4d , and the ultrasound scanning lines are shifted by a distance 2d to form ultrasound scanning lines spaced part from each other by the distance 4d . in this case , the time required to generate one frame becomes equal to that in the scanning method in which the transmission ultrasound scanning line density is 2d . this embodiment presents a scanning procedure by which signals derived from microbubbles can be efficiently received , and the unevenness of contrast enhance effect within a slice can be corrected when one tomographic image is to be generated by the contrast echo method performed by administering a contrast agent . with this procedure , even if an ultrasound contrast agent exhibiting the same performance as that of a conventional contrast agent is administered , the contrast enhance effect can be relatively improved . therefore , an improvement in blood flow diagnosis ability , especially an improvement in fine blood flow diagnosis ability , is expected . the second embodiment provides a partial imaging method . the partial imaging method is a method of segmenting a scan plane into a plurality of local portions and scanning each local portion in an optimal scan operation sequence , instead of sequentially moving over scanning lines within the scan plane , thereby obtaining optimal ( maximum ) contrast on the entire scan plane and combining the resultant data into a one frame . fig9 is a block diagram showing an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of this embodiment . the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment denote the same parts in the first embodiment , and a detailed description thereof will be omitted . a template memory 21 stores pieces of information about a plurality of models for segmenting a scan slice into a plurality of local regions ( partial regions ). one optimal pattern for a sliceal shape of a portion to be diagnosed is read out from the template memory 21 in accordance with an instruction input by the operator on an operating panel 9 . this template is sent to a memory control circuit 14 first , and then displayed on a display 7 in a form in which the template is superimposed on an ultrasound diagnosis image . a signal processing unit 22 performs numeric operation such as averaging echo signals from a local region or obtaining a representative value . a graphic unit 23 performs graphic signal processing , e . g ., synthesizing an image on the basis of data sent from the signal processing unit 22 and coloring a simplified graphic pattern . the image data created by this processing is output to the display 7 through a combination circuit 6 . this data is also transferred to an external computer , printer , or the like through a network board 24 . this partial imaging method is roughly constituted by three steps , i . e ., ( a ) the step of setting a diagnosis region of interest and a local region of interest , ( b ) the scanning step , and ( c ) the display step . first of all , it is important to set a specific local portion toward which the diagnostic apparatus is to perform optimal scanning . the settings vary depending on an organ to be diagnosed and its slice . for example , the cardiac muscle in a cardiac minor axis image has an almost circular shape . a circular template 50 representing a local region like the one shown in fig1 a is selected in advance . the size of the template 50 is then adjusted by using the zoom function of the operating panel 9 or the like to almost overlap the outer ring of the template 50 on the minor axis image , as shown in fig1 b . if the size of a template is fixed in accordance with a routine , the template need not be displayed in some case . as shown in fig1 c , the operator then designates desired local regions with points or regions . obviously , a plurality of regions can be designated . in this case , regions can be set at uneven intervals along the cardiac muscle . as shown in fig1 d , the operator designates representative points of those set above . with this operation , the apparatus performs automatic segmentation . in this example , diametrically located four points are designated to obtain a segmented region like the one shown in fig1 b . obviously , the size of a template , the number of local regions segmented , and the like can be changed . in the above case , the cardiac minor axis image is exemplified . however , a template suited for the shape or the like of another slice , such as a 2 - cavity cross section or major axis image , may be selectively used . in addition , the setting method shown in fig1 c and 10d can also be used . in diagnosing the liver , since the liver is included in an overall slice , relatively simple local region segmentation like the one shown in fig1 can be performed . the set local regions are sequentially scanned . in general , this scanning is started when the operator presses a start button on the operating panel 9 . in the case shown in fig1 , for example , when a local region a is to be irradiated , a focus point is set at the central portion of the region a . a transmission / reception control circuit 13 changes the ultrasound transmission conditions in accordance with the position of each local position ( transmission focus point ) so as to almost equalize the degrees of dynamic influences on the respective local regions , i . e ., sound pressures on the respective local regions and the degrees of collapse of microbubbles in the respective local regions . typical transmission conditions that can be adjusted include the driving voltage for each transducer , the aperture width ( the number of transducers to be simultaneously driven ), the driving frequency , and the scanning line density . in this case , the respective parameters are changed to almost equalize the degrees of collapse of microbubbles in consideration of biological damping ( mainly determined by the transmission distance of ultrasound waves ) and the irradiation angle with respect to each transducer . when the parameters associated with the driving voltage for each transducer and the number of transducers to be simultaneously driven are changed , the degrees of collapse of microbubbles can be made almost uniform by almost equalizing the sound pressures at the positions of the respective focus points . more specifically , when the driving voltage for each transducer is to be changed , the driving voltage is lowered if the focus point is located near , and vice versa . when the number of transducers to be driven is to be changed , the number of transducers to be driven is decreased if the focus point is located near , and vice versa . when the frequency is to be changed , the frequency is increased if the focus point is located near , and vice versa . note that only one of the above parameters may be changed or a plurality of parameters may be simultaneously changed . strictly speaking , the value of damping varies among objects to be examined . however , a rough value can be presented to the operator on the basis of data obtained in advance by measurement . with reference to a region e exhibiting the maximum damping , relative transmission sound pressures for the respective regions are set such that − 1 . 5 db is set for regions d and f ; − 2 db , for regions c and g , − 4 . 5 db , for shallow regions b and h , and − 6 db , for a shallowest region a . if an effective echo signal is to be obtained by irradiating the local region e with ultrasound waves , the region a on the same ultrasound scanning lines is affected by the collapse of microbubbles . it is therefore useless to scan the region a immediately after the region e . this problem can be effectively solved by using an intermittent transmission method . as shown in fig1 , for a circulatory organ region , transmission is performed once for every heartbeat or for a few heartbeats by using triggers synchronous with an electrocardiogram . in the interval between triggers , no transmission is performed , and hence new microbubbles flow into a region of interest upon collapse of microbubbles . this makes it possible to acquire a sufficient contrast enhance effect again . in the case shown in fig1 , at the same trigger timing , echo signals are generated from the pairs of local regions b and h , c and g , and d and f at the same heartbeat timing by using the parallel signal processing method . this is because each pair of regions are located at the same depth and same focal length , and do not affect each other , i . e ., do not collapse microbubbles each other , since they are spaced apart from each other . in addition , in the case shown in fig1 , scanning from the region a to the region h is repeated a plurality of number of times . fig1 a and 14b show another operation procedure . assume that scanning is started from the right end of the screen . in this case , at the first trigger , as shown in fig1 a , the local regions a , b and c are simultaneously scanned by using 3 - direction parallel signal processing . in each region , however , the focal length and output sound pressure can be changed , and the changed values are set as optimal values in each region . at the second trigger , as shown in fig1 b , similar scanning is performed for regions on which the ultrasound scanning lines at the first trigger overlap . in this method , the segmentation forms of local regions are not uniform unlike those in fig1 . a merit of the method is that microbubble echoes can be obtained relatively effectively with a smaller number of times of transmission / reception . fig1 shows an advanced method . at the first trigger , the focal length changes for each ultrasound scanning line ( an illustration of ultrasound scanning lines is omitted ), as indicated by “ a ” in fig1 . the output sound pressure is also controlled in accordance with a change in focal length such that output pressures on other ultrasound scanning line in this focus point portion are made uniform . at the second trigger , the focal length changes for each ultrasound scanning line as indicated by “ b ” in fig1 . as a result , at the second trigger , good echoes can be received from the entire circumferential portion of the cardiac muscle , and echoes can be acquired under a uniform sound pressure intensity along the circumferential portion of the cardiac muscle . the following technique can also be used to extract clearer microbubble echoes . according to this technique , as shown in fig1 , immediately after an echo signal is obtained by performing a scan t 1 for a given region , a similar scan t 2 is performed for the same region at the above trigger timing . if the scan t 2 is performed at this timing , microbubbles collapse by the immediately preceding scan t 1 , and only an echo signal representing a tissue remains in the echoes obtained by the immediately succeeding san t 2 . if the receiver calculates the difference between the echo signals obtained by these two scans , only the signal derived from the collapsed microbubbles is extracted as a difference signal . as a consequence , the echoes derived from the contrast agent which are free from the influences of luminance of the living tissue can be visualized ( this method will be referred to as a subtraction method hereinafter ). according to the data acquisition method of the present invention described above , since data ( signal intensity ) presenting a contrast enhance effect on the entire region of interest can be obtained by executing at least two scan procedures , the technique of combining the data and displaying the resultant image is used . in the case shown in fig1 or 14 , since the boundaries between the respective local regions are clear , a simple image ( simple signal intensity distribution ) is reconstructed by the combination circuit 6 using only data from a corresponding region , and the image is displayed on the display 7 . this image combining and displaying method can be applied as follows . in diagnosing a myocardial blood flow , attention is often paid to find an ischemic region of the cardiac muscle . in this case , the operator need only know fine blood flow perfusion due to a contrast agent without paying any attention to the fine form of speckle pattern of the cardiac muscle ( as in the case of a scintigram in nuclear medicine ). to meet such needs in diagnosis , for example , a display method of calculating the average contrast degree of each local region and displaying the calculated value as the representative value of each local region is used . painting each region by using color information based on a color bar or the like makes the displayed information easier to discern ( fig1 a ). alternatively , simplified display may be performed as shown in fig1 b . furthermore , as shown in fig1 c , blood flow rates may be numerically expressed and displayed . although the luminances and numerical values in display represent relative information , such a display method allows the operator to quickly detect an ischemic region of the cardiac muscle if it exists . these images may be displayed side by side as well as being overlaid on an original diagnostic image . more simplified display images can be added to a patient &# 39 ; s chart or electronic patient &# 39 ; s chart through a means such as a network as well as being output from a printer . fig1 shows the arrangement of the third embodiment . a transmission / reception control circuit 13 controls the timing of pulses from a transmitting unit . this embodiment performs intermittent transmission using a timing signal from an ecg analyzer 12 or clock 15 in accordance with a mode switching instruction sent from an operating panel 9 . intermittent transmission is transmission in which frame generation intervals are sufficiently larger than those in normal continuous transmission ( 20 to 100 frames / sec ). for example , time intervals corresponding to four or five heartbeats are input . the transmission / reception control circuit 13 instructs a transmitting unit 2 to perform transmission of a plurality of frames per trigger ( in other words , continuous scanning in a short period of time ). fig1 shows a conceptual rendering of this transmission . referring to fig1 , five frames are continuously transmitted / received at predetermined time intervals ( sufficiently longer than the frame rate ). an image processing unit 31 combines a plurality of frames obtained per trigger by the above method and sends the resultant images to the combination circuit , and the images are displayed on the display . prior to a description of an image processing method , diagnostic images expected from the transmission method in fig1 will be described . if the contrast agent concentration is relatively low or a contrast agent is made of microbubbles that easily collapse , most microbubbles on a slice collapse by a transmission pulse in the first frame . in the second and subsequent frames , therefore , diagnostic images are formed without any microbubbles , i . e ., made of only tissue echoes . it is , however , empirically known that there are cases other the above case . if , for example , the contrast agent concentration is high or a recently developed contrast agent containing microbubbles that are relatively resistant to ultrasounds is used , the following phenomenon occurs . as in fig2 a , in transmission of the first frame ( a ), a contrast enhance effect is seen at a relatively short - distant portion . however , the collapsing effect of high - concentration microbubbles at the short - distance portion increases , and hence ultrasound pulses can hardly propagate to a deeper portion . as a consequence , no image is seen at a portion deeper than the short - distance portion , and the portion becomes dark . in some case , such a portion becomes darker after administration of the contrast agent than before ( called shadowing ). as shown in fig2 b , in the second frame ( b ), since the microbubbles at the short - distance portion have collapsed , the contrast enhance effect decreases . however , since damping of sound waves due to microbubbles is reduced , a relatively deep portion is irradiated with a relatively high sound pressure . the contrast enhance effect at this portion increases . subsequently , a similar phenomenon is transferred to deeper portions . when microbubbles collapse in all regions as shown in fig2 c , the displayed image is formed by tissue echoes ( fig2 d and 20e ). if this phenomenon is seen with a moving picture , the movement of the luminance based on contrast from a shallow portion to a deep portion like a curtain that drops is recognized . this phenomenon will be referred to as a “ curtain phenomenon ” hereinafter . obviously , when the above phenomenon occurs , the operator cannot examine a contrast enhance effect on an entire slice by only seeing one of a plurality of images . all the images must be joined to each other . the image processing unit 31 described above performs optimal image combining processing when the above curtain phenomenon occurs . more specifically , images obtained at one trigger timing are stored in the image memory 8 . the luminance signals of these images at the same coordinates in the respective frames are compared with each other to detect maximum values . arithmetic processing for determining a luminance i ( x , y ) at coordinates ( x , y ) is given by where i i ( x , y ) is the luminance at the coordinates ( x , y ) in the ith frame , and n is the number of images to be compared with each other . as a result of this processing , images like those shown in fig2 a , 20b , 20 c , 20 d , and 20 e having high - luminance contrast portions joined together are combined , and the combined image is displayed on the display . as is obvious from the result , since this image displays the luminance corresponding to the highest contrast among all the regions , the operator can examine the overall contrast degree with this one diagnostic image . note that this technique is similar to an mip ( maximum intensity projection ) method used to project three - dimensional space information on a two - dimensional plane . however , the general mip method is used for spatial points , whereas the technique of the present invention is used for temporal points . note that the above arithmetic processing is relatively simple , and a combined image is preferably displayed almost in real time immediately after transmission at the trigger timing . as described above , this embodiment cannot exhibit a sufficient effect when no curtain phenomenon occurs , but has no adverse effect . therefore , this technique is not used in any specified condition . fig2 a and 21b show examples of a display form . fig2 a shows a method based on two - window display . while intermittent transmission is observed in real time on one window , the above combined image is sequentially displayed on the other window . referring to fig2 b , images obtained at one trigger timing are displayed side by side , and a combined image is simultaneously displayed . note that all image need not have the same size . in general , since a combined image is most important for diagnosis , the image is preferably displayed in a relatively large size , as shown in fig2 b . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . | 0 |
the invention is directed towards cement wallboards , and methods for their preparation . the wallboards of the instant invention are useful in residential and commercial construction . the wallboards are particularly useful for use in areas of high humidity such as bathrooms , kitchens , saunas , and showers . tiles can be readily adhered to the exterior surface of the wallboards of the instant invention . one embodiment of the invention is directed towards a wallboard having a cement core . the wallboard preferably comprises a first scrim sheet 1 , a cement core layer 2 facially contacting the first scrim sheet , a second scrim sheet 3 facially contacting the cement core layer on the opposite face of the cement core layer from the first scrim sheet , and a mat 4 facially contacting the second scrim sheet . the first scrim sheet can generally be made of any commercially acceptable material . such materials include pvc coated fiberglass , basalt fibers , and alkali resistant glass . the mesh size can generally be any mesh size . mesh sizes are typically measured by yarns per square inch , and are given as a number × number value . the first scrim sheet can be 8 × 8 , 7 . 5 × 7 . 5 , 10 × 8 , or 5 × 5 . smaller numbers of yarns per square inch correspond to larger mesh sizes , and larger openings in the mesh . it is presently preferred that the first scrim sheet be a 8 × 8 pvc coated fiberglass scrim . scrim sheets are commercially available from a number of suppliers such as st . gobain technical fabrics ( albion , n . y . ), fab - tech ( colchester , vt . ), and phifer wire products ( tuscaloosa , ala .). the cement core comprises generally any type of portland based cement . the core can further comprise lower density particles 2 a such as expanded polystyrene , expanded clay , fillite ( a registered trademark of trelleborg fillite inc ., norcross , ga . ), ceramic microspheres , or glass bubbles . the particles reduce the overall density of the core . once the wallboard is prepared , it can be heated to partially or fully remove any water present in the core . it is presently preferred that the core comprise polystyrene c - beads from nova chemicals ( pittsburgh , pa .) having an unexpanded particle size of 0 . 4 – 0 . 8 mm and a density of 1 pound per square foot . expanded polystyrene beads are also available from huntsman chemicals ( houston , tex .) and from basf ( ludwigshafen , germany ). the second scrim sheet can be prepared from the same or different materials as was the first scrim sheet . the mesh size of the second scrim sheet can be the same or different from that of the first scrim sheet . it is presently preferred that the second scrim sheet be a 5 × 5 mesh to allow more cement penetration through the scrim to bond to the mat . the mat can generally be made of any commercially acceptable material . the mat is typically made of a polymer ( e . g . a homopolymer , a co - polymer , or a mixture of polymers ). it is presently preferred that the mat be polyester . the mat can generally be about a 10 pound / ft 2 mat to about a 40 pound / ft 2 mat . specific examples include about a 14 pound / ft 2 mat , about a 20 pound / ft 2 mat , and about a 39 pound / ft 2 mat . a polyester mat suitable for use in the present invention is commercially available from a number of suppliers such as lydall manning ( manchester , conn .) and elk corporation ( dallas , tex .). the thickness of the mat can generally be any thickness . for example , the thickness can be about 0 . 1 mm , about 0 . 25 mm , about 0 . 5 mm , about 0 . 75 mm , about 1 mm , about 2 mm , about 3 mm , about 4 mm , or about 5 mm . polyester mats are also commonly characterized in ounce per square yard . for example , a mat can have about 0 . 8 ounce per square yard to about 5 ounces per square yard . specific examples include about 1 , about 2 , about 3 , about 4 , and about 5 ounces per square yard . the overall thickness of the wallboard can generally be any thickness commonly used in the construction industry . generally , the wallboard can be about ¼ inch ( 0 . 64 cm ) or greater in thickness . for example , the wallboard can have a thickness of about ¼ inch ( 0 . 64 cm ), about 5 / 16 inch ( 0 . 79 cm ), about ½ inch ( 1 . 27 cm ), about ¾ inch ( 1 . 90 cm ), or about 1 inch ( 2 . 54 cm ). the width of the wallboard can generally be any width commonly used in the construction industry . for example , the width can be about 32 inches ( 81 cm ), about 36 inches ( 91 cm ), or about 48 inches ( 122 cm ). the length of the wallboard can generally be any length commonly used in the construction industry . for example , the length can be about 48 inches ( 122 cm ), about 60 inches ( 152 cm ), about 72 inches ( 183 cm ), or about 96 inches ( 244 cm ). the wallboard can further comprise a second mat 5 facially contacting the first scrim sheet . the second mat can be the same or different from the first mat . the wallboard can further comprise one or more u - shaped mats 6 wrapping the edges of the wallboard . the wallboard can comprise two u - shaped mats , one on each side of the wallboard . the flexural strength of the wallboard is preferably at least about 750 psi ( 53 kg / cm 2 ). examples of flexural strengths include at least about 800 psi ( 56 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 900 psi ( 63 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1000 psi ( 70 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1100 psi ( 77 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1200 psi ( 84 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1300 psi ( 91 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1400 psi ( 98 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1500 psi ( 105 kg / cm 2 ), and at least about 1600 psi ( 112 kg / cm 2 ), and ranges between any two of these values . the compression indentation strength of the wallboard is preferably at least about 1250 psi ( 88 kg / cm 2 ) measured at a 0 . 05 inch ( 0 . 13 cm ) displacement . examples of compression indentation strength include at least about 1300 psi ( kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1400 psi ( 98 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1500 psi ( 105 kg / cm 2 ), at least about 1600 psi ( 112 kg / cm 2 ), and at least about 1700 psi ( 120 kg / cm 2 ), and ranges between any two of these values . the above described wallboards can be prepared by several different methods . a first method comprises obtaining a first scrim layer , depositing a cement core layer on the first scrim sheet , contacting the cement core layer with a second scrim sheet , and contacting a mat with the second scrim sheet . the cement core layer comprises a first face and second face . the first scrim sheet facially contacts the first face of the cement core layer , and the second scrim sheet facially contacts the second face of the cement core layer . the mat facially contacts the second scrim sheet on the opposite side from the cement core layer . a second method comprises obtaining a mat , contacting the mat with a second scrim sheet , depositing a cement core layer on the second scrim sheet , and contacting a first scrim sheet with the cement core layer . the cement core layer comprises a first face and second face . the first scrim sheet facially contacts the first face of the cement core layer , and the second scrim sheet facially contacts the second face of the cement core layer . the mat facially contacts the second scrim sheet on the opposite side from the cement core layer . methods of preparing the above described wallboards can further comprise heating the wallboards after assembly to remove water . the methods can further comprise wrapping one or two edges with an edge mat . the methods can further comprise adding one or more low density materials to the cement core layer material prior to or concurrently with the depositing step . the methods can be performed in a batchwise manner or in a continuous manner . the methods can further comprise cutting the wallboard into any desired shape . the cutting step can be performed prior to or after the heating step . the above described wallboards can be used in a variety of commercial and residential applications . for example , the wallboards can be used as backerboards for tiles . the wallboards can be used in shower enclosures , tub surrounds , garden tubs , interior and exterior countertops , swimming pool decks , whirlpool decks , exterior soffit panels , floor underlayment , exterior sheathing panels , and other residential and commercial construction environments . the following examples are included to demonstrate preferred embodiments of the invention . it should be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the techniques disclosed in the examples which follow represent techniques discovered by the inventors to function well in the practice of the invention , and thus can be considered to constitute preferred modes for its practice . however , those of skill in the art should , in light of the present disclosure , appreciate that many changes can be made in the specific embodiments which are disclosed and still obtain a like or similar result without departing from the scope of the invention . a wallboard was produced as shown in fig3 . the board contained a 1 ounce 20 pound polyester mat , a 5 × 5 g75 scrim , a portland cement core containing expanded polystyrene c - beads ( novachemical ), and an 8 × 8 g75 scrim . the wallboard of example 1 was examined . a board of 11 13 / 16 inches ( 30 . 0 cm ) length and 11¾ inches ( 29 . 8 cm ) width had a weight of 2 . 013 pounds ( 0 . 91 kg ). the average caliper measurement was 0 . 290 inches ( 0 . 74 cm ). the density was 84 . 6 pounds per cubic foot ( 1355 kg / m 3 ), and the weight / msf was 1 . 9654 . wallboards of example 1 were prepared using three different mat weights : 14 . 5 pounds per square foot , 20 pounds per square foot , and 39 pounds per square foot . dried samples were tested for their flexural strength ( mor ) using the astm c - 947 3 point load standard . the results obtained are shown in the following table . md refers to machine direction , while xmd refers to cross machine direction . a mor value of 750 psi ( 53 kg / cm 2 ) is required for a commercial wallboard product . all values obtained were significantly higher than this threshold . the dried wallboards of example 3 were tested for their compression indentation strength using the astm d - 2394 using 1 inch ( 2 . 54 cm ) diameter discs . the results obtained are shown in the following table . the ansi requirements for a commercial product is a minimum of 1250 psi ( 88 kg / cm 2 ) at 0 . 05 inch displacement . all three samples tested exceed this requirement . permabase ( r ) portland cement boards are commercially available from national gypsum company ( charlotte , n . c .). details of the product are provided in the construction guide and approval ( july 2001 ). the boards contain fiberglass reinforcing mesh on the front and back faces , and have edgetech wrapping on the edges . the following table lists the physical properties of the ½ inch ( 1 . 27 cm ) and 5 / 16 ( 0 . 79 cm ) inch thick product . the wallboard compositions disclosed herein have a lighter weight and higher flexural strength than the permabase ( r ) commercial product . the compressive strength is lower than that of the commercial product , but still well above the ansi minimum requirement . all of the compositions and / or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure . while the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and / or methods and / or and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the concept and scope of the invention . more specifically , it will be apparent that certain agents which are chemically related may be substituted for the agents described herein while the same or similar results would be achieved . all such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the scope and concept of the invention . | 1 |
for purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended , such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device , and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates . the general field of ceramic stereolithography is believed known to those of ordinary skill in the art . more specifically , ceramic stereolithography utilizes a photo - polymerizable resin containing ceramic particles that solidifies when exposed to an appropriate energy dose . the present invention contemplates that the photo - polymerizable material including ceramic particles can be described in many ways including , but not limited to filled and loaded . in one form of the present invention the photo - polymerizable material includes ceramic particles within a range of 35 % to 65 % by volume ; however other relationships are contemplated herein . the photo - polymerizable ceramic resin after being dosed with energy forms a green state ceramic item . the green state ceramic item is subjected to a burning off act to remove the photo - polymer and then a sintering act is applied to the ceramic material . during the sintering of the ceramic material there is a volumetric change in the item . further , the inventors have recognized that there is generally very little volumetric change occurring during the burning off act of the photo - polymer . in one form ceramic stereolithography is accomplished in a machine adapted for stereolithography operations and available from 3d systems of valencia , calif . however , the present inventions are applicable with virtually any type of apparatus or techniques for producing an item by stereolithography . further , information related to selective laser activation and / or stereolithography is disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 256 , 340 , 5 , 556 , 590 , 5 , 571 , 471 and in pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 462 , 168 , which are all incorporated herein by reference . with reference to fig1 , there is illustrated one embodiment of an item 45 being formed by a ceramic stereolithography process . ceramic stereolithography as utilized herein should be broadly construed and includes the utilization of ceramic material within a photo - polymerizabele resin . the term item is intended to be read broadly and includes , but is not limited to , molds , parts , components and / or subcomponents . item 45 is merely illustrative and is shown being formed by the photo - polymerization of the ceramic filled resin into layers ( e . g . 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ) of ceramic particles that are held together by a polymer binder . the reader should understand that there is no intention herein to limit the present application to any particular number of layers unless specifically provided to the contrary . stereolithography apparatus 500 is illustrated in a simplified manner to facilitate the explanation of one method of making ceramic item 45 . in one form the formation of the layers ( e . g . 50 - 53 ) utilizes a leveling technique to level each of the layers of photo - polymerizable ceramic filled resin prior to receiving a dose of energy . the present application contemplates the following techniques to level the resin : ultrasonic processing ; time delay ; and / or mechanically assisted sweep such a wiper blade . however , the present application also contemplates an embodiment that does not utilize express techniques for leveling each of the layers prior to receiving a dose of energy . a three dimensional coordinate system including a first axis , a second axis and a third axis is utilized as a reference for the item being fabricated . in one form the three dimensional coordinate system is a cartesian coordinate system . more preferably , the cartesian coordinate system includes an x , y and z axis utilized as a reference for the item being fabricated correspond to the axis of the stereolithography apparatus . however , other three dimensional coordinate systems are contemplated herein , including but not limited to polar , cylindrical , spherical . the text will generally describe the present invention in terms of a cartesian coordinate system , however it is understood that it is equally applicable to other three dimensional coordinate systems . in one form stereolithography apparatus 500 includes a fluid / resin containment reservoir 501 , an elevation - changing member 502 , and a laser 46 . the reservoir 501 is filled with a quantity of the photocurable ceramic filled resin from which the item 45 is fabricated . item 45 is illustrated being fabricated in layer by layer fashion in the stereolithography apparatus 500 in the direction of axis z ; which is referred to as the build direction . the item 45 is built at a build orientation angle as measured from the axis z . the build orientation angle illustrated is zero °; however there is no limitation intended herein regarding the build orientation angle as other build orientation angles are fully contemplated herein . the three dimensional coordinate system is aligned with the build orientation angle . more specifically , in a preferred form the three dimensional coordinate system of the item being fabricated and the stereolithography apparatus &# 39 ; coordinate system are coextensive . with reference to fig2 , there is illustrated an enlarged view of a portion of the item 45 . the item 45 includes a plurality of cured layers 50 , 51 , 52 which define a portion of the item . the present application contemplates that the term cured includes partially or totally cured layers . the layers are contemplated as having the same or different shapes , may be solid or contain voids or holes , may have the same or differing thickness as required by the design parameters . in one form the cured layers have a thickness within a range of about 0 . 001 to about 0 . 008 inches . in another form each of the layers has a thickness of about 0 . 002 inches . however , other cured layer thickness are contemplated herein . with reference to fig3 , there is set forth a purely illustrative plan view of a portion of a layer 53 . layer 53 represents a portion of a layer formed in a stereolithography apparatus 500 that utilized a wiper blade moved in the direction of axis y to level the photo - polymerizable ceramic filled resin prior to receiving a dose of energy . the wiper blade interacts with the photo - polymerizable ceramic filled material and affects the homogeneity in at least two dimensions . the inventors have discovered that the shrinkage in the item associated with a subsequent sintering act is anisotropic in the three directions ; for example the x , y and z directions . anisotropic shrinkage can be considered to occur when isotropic shrinkage is not sufficient to keep the sintered item within a predetermined geometric tolerance . in the discussion of the anisotropic shrinkage relative to the x , y and z axis the z axis represents the build direction and the y axis represents the direction of the movement of the wiper blade . the inventors have determined that shrinkage in the z direction ( build direction ) is greater than in the x and y directions . factors to consider when evaluating the shrinkage are the solid loading in the photo - polymerizable resin , the resin formulation , the build style and orientation and how the item is sintered . with reference to fig4 , there is illustrated one embodiment of a shrinkage measurement test model 300 . in one form the shrinkage measurement test model 300 is created as a solid body model and then generated as an stl file . in one form the item is oriented such that the back corner represents the origin of a cartesian coordinate system x , y , z . the vertical direction of the stl being aligned with the z axis and the two sides 301 and 302 being aligned with the x and y axis respectively . the item is than built in a stereolithography apparatus with the cartesian coordinate system of the item aligned with the coordinate system of the stereolithography apparatus . the present invention can be utilized with any suitable file format and / or hardware . the shrinkage measurement test model 300 in the green state is then subjected to a comprehensive inspection to quantify dimensions of the item . the measurements taken during inspection can be obtained with known equipment such as , but not limited to calipers and / or coordinate measuring machines . in one form the shrinkage measurement test model has been designed so that all of the inspection dimensions line up along the x , y and / or z axis . the item is then subjected to a firing act to burn off the photo - polymer and sinter the ceramic material . the comprehensive inspection is repeated to quantify the dimensions of the item after being sintered . the measured values from the comprehensive inspection after firing are than compared with the inspection values from the green state item . in one form the comparison is done by plotting the measured values of the fired item against the measured values from the green state item . a least squares analysis is performed to obtain a linear equation . the resulting slope of the equations is the shrinkage factors for each of the x , y and z direction / dimensions . the shrinkage for each of the x , y and z directions / dimensions are applied to one of the stl file or the solid body model to expand the dimensions in the respective directions of the coordinate system . the process will modify one of the stl file or the solid body model in the directions of the coordinate system to account for the anisotropic shrinkage of the item . in one non - limiting example the shrinkage factors to account for shrinkage are 118 %, 115 % and 120 % in the x , y , z direction respectively for an item having a length of about two inches . the present application contemplates a wide variety of shrinkage factors and is not limited in any manner to these factors unless specifically provided o the contrary . the application of the present invention enables the production of sintered ceramic items having substantially conformity with the item &# 39 ; s design parameters . in one form the dimensional accuracy of the sintered ceramic item to the design parameters is within a range of 0 . 0 % to 1 . 5 % and in another form the dimensional accuracy is within a range of 0 . 0 % to 0 . 5 %. further , the present invention is also applicable to form sintered ceramic items in either near net shape or net shape . additionally , other degrees of dimensional accuracy are contemplated herein . in an alternate form the comparison utilized to calculate the shrinkage factors of the shrinkage measurement test model is between the inspection values of the fired test model and the dimensional design values from the solid body model . the process as described above is then continued to find the shrinkage factors for the x , y and z dimensions / directions . with reference to fig5 , there is illustrated one non - limiting embodiment of a system for creating a build file 1005 that determines how the item 45 is created in the stereolithography apparatus . this process is representative of a technique that can be utilized to produce the build file , but the present application is not intended to be limited to the one embodiment in fig5 unless specifically stated to the contrary . in act 1000 data defining parameters of the item are collected and processed to define a specification for the item design . the data from act 1000 is utilized in act 1001 to construct an item model using , for example , a computer modeling system . in one embodiment the computer modeling system creates an electronic model such as but not limited to a solid body model . however , other modeling systems are contemplated herein . the item model from act 1001 is then processed in a modified item model act 1002 to create a model of the item taking into account the anisotropic shrinkage . while the present application discusses the process in terms of modification of the item model it is understood that the same type of modification is applicable to the stl / stc files to create a modified item file . the modified item act 1002 utilizes an x shrinkage factor , a y shrinkage factor and a z shrinkage factor . the shrinkage factors are used to increase the respective underlaying dimensions to a modified dimension . the x , y and z shrinkage factors will be applied so that they correspond to the coordinate system of the stereolithography apparatus . in one form a conversion act 1003 is utilized to convert the modified item model , produced in act 1002 to a file format , such as stl or slc . next , the file from act 1003 is processed in act 1004 to create discrete two - dimensional slices appropriate for drawing the layers of the item and any required supports . in act 1005 the build file is completed , which will be utilized to drive the energy source of the stereolithography apparatus and produce the green ceramic item . in one form the ceramic filled resin comprises a sinterable ceramic material , a photocurable monomer , a photoinitiator and a dispersant . the ceramic filled resin is adapted for use in stereolithography to produce a green ceramic item . in one form the filled resin is prepared by admixing the components to provide a filled resin having viscosity within a range of about 300 centipoise to about 3 , 500 centipoise at a shear rate of about 0 . 4 per second ; in another form the filled resin has a viscosity of about 2 , 500 centipoise at a shear rate of about 0 . 4 per second . however , the present application contemplates filled resins having other viscosity values . the loading of ceramic material within the resin is contemplated within a range of 35 % to 65 % by volume . another form of the ceramic loading within the resin is contemplated as being about 50 . 3 % by volume . in one preferred resin the ceramic loading has the volume percent of ceramic material substantially equal to the weight percent of ceramic material within the resin . however , resins having other ceramic loadings are fully contemplated herein . more specifically , the present application contemplates that the volume percent of the ceramic material in the resin may be equal to the weight percent of the ceramic material in the resin or that the volume percent of the ceramic material in the resin may be unequal to the weight percent of the ceramic material in the resin . the sinterable ceramic material can be selected from a wide variety of ceramic materials . specific examples include , but are not limited to , alumina , yttria , magnesia , silicon nitride , silica and mixtures thereof . in one example alumina is selected as the sinterable ceramic material . alumina can be provided as a dry powder having an average particle size suitable for sintering to provide an item having the desired characteristics . in one form the powdered alumina has an average particle size within a range of 0 . 1 microns to 5 . 0 microns . in another form the powdered alumina is selected to have an average particle size within a range of 0 . 5 microns to 1 . 0 microns . however , other particle sizes for the alumina material are contemplated herein . the monomer is selected from any suitable monomer that can be induced to polymerize when irradiated in the presence of a photoinitiator . examples of monomers include acrylate esters and substituted acrylate esters . a combination of two or more monomers may be used . preferably at least one of the monomers is a multifunctional monomer . by multifunctional monomer it is understood that the monomer includes more than two functional moieties capable of forming bonds with a growing polymer chain . specific examples of monomers that can be used with this invention include 1 , 6 - hexanediol diacrylate ( hdda ) and 2 - phenoxyethyl acrylate ( poea ). in one form the photocurable monomers are present in an amount between about 10 wt % to about 40 wt %, and in another form about 10 wt % to about 35 wt %, and in yet another form about 20 wt % to 35 wt % based upon the total weight of the filled resin . however , the present application contemplates other amounts of monomers . the dispersant is provided in an amount suitable to maintain a substantially uniform colloidal suspension of the alumina in the filled resin . the dispersant can be selected from a wide variety of known surfactants . dispersants contemplated herein include , but are not limited to , ammonium salts , more preferably tetraalkyl ammonium salts . examples of dispersants for use in this invention include , but are not limited to : polyoxypropylene diethyl - 2 - hydroxyethyl ammonium acetate , and ammonium chloride . in one form the amount of dispersant is between about 1 . 0 wt % and about 10 wt % based upon the total weight of the ceramic within the filled resin . however , the present application contemplates other amounts of dispersants . the initiator is selected from a number of commercially available photoinitiators believed known to those skilled in the art . the photoinitiator is selected to be suitable to induce polymerization of the desired monomer when irradiated . typically the selection of a photoinitiator will be dictated by the wavelength of radiation used to induce polymerization . photoinitiators contemplated herein include , but are not limited to benzophenone , trimethyl benzophenone , 1 - hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone , isopropylthioxanthone , 2 - methyl - 1 -[ 4 ( methylthio ) phenyl ]- 2 - morpholinoprophanone and mixtures thereof . the photoinitiator is added in an amount sufficient to polymerize the monomers when the filled resin is irradiated with radiation of appropriate wavelength . in one form the amount of photoinitiator is between about 0 . 05 wt % and about 5 wt % based upon the total weight of the monomer within the filled resin . however , other amounts of photoiniators are contemplated herein . in an alternate form of the ceramic filled resin a quantity of a nonreactive diluent is substituted for a quantity of the monomer . in one form the amount of substituted nonreactive diluent is equal to between about 5 % and about 20 % ( by weight ) of the monomer in the resin . however , the present application contemplates that other amounts of non - reactive diluents are considered herein . an illustration of a given ceramic resin composition requires 100 grams of a monomer that in the alternate form will replace about 5 - 20 wt % of the monomer with a nonreactive diluent ( i . e . 95 - 80 grams of monomer + 5 - 20 grams of nonreactive diluent ). the nonreactive diluent includes but is not limited to a dibasic ester or a decahydronaphthalene . examples of dibasic esters include dimethyl succinate , dimethyl glutarate , and dimethyl adipate , which are available in a pure form or a mixture . the filled resin is prepared by combining the monomer , the dispersant and the sinterable ceramic to form a homogeneous mixture . although the order of addition is not critical to this invention typically , the monomer and the dispersant are combined first and then the sinterable ceramic is added . in one form the sinterable ceramic material is added to the monomer / dispersant combination in increments of about 5 to about 20 vol . %. between each incremental addition of the ceramic material , the resulting mixture is thoroughly mixed by any suitable method , for example , ball milling for about 5 to about 120 minutes . when all of the sinterable ceramic material has been added , the resulting mixture is mixed for an additional amount of time up to 10 hours or more . the photoinitiator is added and blended into the mixture . with reference to table i there is set forth one example of an alumina filled resin . however , the present application is not intended to be limited to the specific composition set forth below unless specifically stated to the contrary . in one form the green ceramic item is sintered to a temperature within a range of 1100 ° c . to 1700 ° c . the present invention contemplates other sintering parameters . further , the present invention contemplates sintering to a variety of theoretical densities , including but not limited to about 60 % of theoretical density . the density of the sintered material is preferably greater than sixty percent of the theoretical density , and densities equal to or greater than about ninety - four percent of the theoretical density are more preferred . however , the present invention contemplates other densities . the present application contemplates the utilization of a three dimensional coordinate system as a reference for an item being fabricated from the photo - polymerizable ceramic filled resin . as discussed above the inventors have discovered that the shrinkage of the item in a subsequent sintering act is anisotropic in the three directions . therefore , in one form of the present invention there are utilized three unequal scaling factors to take into consideration the respective shrinkage in the dimensions of the item in all three directions . in another form of the present invention there are utilized only two unequal scaling factors to account for the respective shrinkage in the dimensions of the item in all three directions ; that is the dimensions in two of the three directions are adjusted by scaling factors having the same value . while the inventions have been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character , it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected . it should be understood that while the use of the word preferable , preferably or preferred in the description above indicates that the feature so described may be more desirable , it nonetheless may not be necessary and embodiments lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope of the invention , that scope being defined by the claims that follow . in reading the claims it is intended that when words such as “ a ,” “ an ,” “ at least one ,” “ at least a portion ” are used there is no intention to limit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim . further , when the language “ at least a portion ” and / or “ a portion ” is used the item may include a portion and / or the entire item unless specifically stated to the contrary . | 1 |
the system as shown in fig1 includes all functions of the present invention and is shown in block diagram form , as used to maintain fluid within desired high and low levels while pumping from and pumping into a reservoir or other receptacle . referring to fig1 a reservoir 11 , for example , is shown filled with a fluid 12 , which is pumped from a supply ( not shown ) into the reservoir 11 through a pipe 13 by a pump 14 , driven by a motor 15 . power from a source 30 to the motor 15 is conducted through output terminals 62 and 63 of a normally closed solid state relay 29 , which opens the circuit between the terminals 62 and 63 when actuated at an input terminal 39 by a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; signal from the output terminal 26 of a digital signal processing circuit 22 . the reservoir 11 can be emptied through a check valve 17 and a pipe 16 by a pump 18 , driven by a motor 19 . power from a source 30 to the motor 19 is conducted through output terminals 60 and 61 of a normally open solid state relay 28 , when the relay 28 is actuated at its input terminal 38 by a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; signal at the output terminal 26 of the digital processing circuit 22 . inside the reservoir 11 , at a suitable level above the inlet to the check valve 17 , a low - level sensor 21 is placed , connected by wires to a &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; input terminal 24 and to an or gate output terminal 25 of the digital signal processing circuit 22 . also inside the reservoir 11 , at a suitable level below the top of the reservoir 11 to prevent overflow , a high - level sensor 20 is placed , connected by wires to &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; input terminal 23 of the digital signal processing circuit 22 and to the positive supply terminal 34 of the digital logic signal processing circuit 22 . power supply output terminals 32 and 33 are respectively connected to power input terminals 34 and 35 of the digital signal processing circuit 22 to supply operational power to this circuit . negative power supply output terminal 33 is grounded and connected to ground terminals 36 and 37 of respective relays 28 and 29 . the output terminal 26 of the circuit 22 is connected to input terminals 38 and 39 of respective relays 28 and 29 . power supply 31 has its input terminals 40 and 41 connected to the power source 30 . the operation of the system of fig1 will be described later . referring to fig2 a suitable sensor for water or similar noncorrosive conducting fluids is shown , and consists of the metallic bare ends of copper wires 42 and 43 extending approximately half an inch beyond the insulation 44 of a pair of wires used for connection to the circuit 22 . this parallel type of wire pair is a product commonly known as zip cord , used for electrical wiring , or loud speaker wiring in audio installations , in # 16 to # 20 gauge , and is supplied with various suitable types of plastic insulation . the wire ends 42 and 43 serve as electrodes to contact the conducting fluid , and are not electrolized or harmed by the microampere range current passed between them . referring to fig3 a suitable sensor for corrosive fluids is shown , and consists of platinum wires 45 and 46 welded or brazed to copper wires 42 and 43 , and extending beyond a suitable plastic protective casting 47 which encloses and protects the copper wires . referring to fig4 a suitable sensor for conductive granular material such as earth is shown , and consists of a plastic insulating sheet 48 coated with a copper coating 49 on both sides , with copper wires 42 and 43 soldered to the copper coating 49 . the area of the copper coating is made large enough to make a suitable contact with the earth , when buried . two sensors of this type may be employed to control soil moisture in an automatic irrigation control system for agriculture . referring to fig5 the invention is shown in an application to prevent dry pumping . a shallow resevoir 11 in the earth supplies water 12 through the check valve 17 and the pipe 16 by means of the pump 18 , which is driven by the motor 19 . the motor 19 is supplied from the power source 30 and is controlled by a prsssure switch 64 and by the normally open solid state relay 28 . the low - level sensor 21 , of the type described in fig2 is connected to the terminals 24 and 25 of the digital signal processing circuit 22 , and is located a short distance above the inlet of the check valve 17 . the high - level sensor 20 , of the type described in fig2 is connected to terminals 23 and 34 of the digital signal processing circuit 22 , and is located a few feet above the low sensor 21 . the sensors may be suspended in the water and sufficiently weighted to definitely locate them . the digital signal processing circuit 22 is shown as a dotted line enclosure in fig5 with its interior digital logic circuit elements shown by conventional logic symbols , and with the interconnections of these logic circuit elements shown . referring to fig5 and its dotted line enclosure of the circuit 22 , a first input gate 50 has its two input terminals 53 and 54 connected together and to the high sensor 20 signal input terminal 23 , and has its output terminal 55 connected to an input terminal 56 of an or gate 52 , while a second input gate 51 has its two inputs 57 and 58 connected together and to the low sensor 21 signal input terminal 24 and has its output 59 connected to the input 60 of the or gate 52 and output terminal 26 of the signal processing circuit 22 . output 61 of the or gate 52 is connected to the first output terminal 25 of the signal processing circuit 22 . the normally open solid state relay 28 is a conventional type and is shown in block form with its relay input terminals 38 and 36 connected respectively to the second output terminal 26 of the circuit 22 and ground as shown . input terminals 23 and 24 of the circuit 22 are connected to ground through high resistances 62 and 63 which serve to prevent erratic operation of the gates 50 and 51 when the sensors 20 and 21 are open circuits . the power supply 31 has its output terminals 32 and 33 connected to terminals 34 and 35 of the signal processing circuit 22 , and terminals 34 and 35 are connected internally to the power supply terminals of all the digital logic circuit elements , exemplified by the connections to the input gate 50 . input gates 50 and 51 are symbolically shown in fig5 as dual input or gates with their two inputs connected together thus making them into buffers with outputs in phase with inputs . the gate 52 is a dual input or gate as shown . the digital logic of the circuit 22 is preferably implemented , for example , by suitable interconnections of logic elements contained in a quadruple dual input or gate cmos integrated circuit package commercially known as cd 4071 . in the operation of the device of fig5 water is assumed to be flowing into the reservoir 11 , which is the reservoir of a home water pressure system , from the surrounding earth strata , and has filled the reservoir to a level above the high sensor 20 , thus making a conducting path between electrodes 42 and 43 of sensors 20 and 21 . this conducting path has a resistance of 30 , 000 to 100 , 000 ohms in ordinary fresh well water . the input resistances 62 and 63 are preferably in the 0 . 5 megohm range , so that over 90 % of the logic circuit supply voltage is present at the input terminal 23 and inputs 53 and 54 of input gate 50 driving the input gate 50 to a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; output at its output 55 and connected input 56 of or gate 52 driving gate 52 to a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; voltage output at its output 61 and connected first output terminal 25 of circuit 22 . the voltage at terminal 25 of circuit 22 is conducted through low sensor 21 by electrodes 42 and 43 and the water and is present at the input terminal 24 of circuit 22 and connected inputs 57 and 58 of gate 51 driving the input gate 51 to a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at its output 59 , connected to second output terminal 26 of circuit 22 and also connected to input 60 of or gate 52 . the digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; output at terminal 26 , connected to input terminal 38 of the relay 28 , actuates the relay 28 closing the circuit between relay output terminals 60 and 61 and allowing the pump motor 19 to be turned on by closure of the controlling pressure switch 64 when output water from the pump 18 is demanded by the water system . assuming that switch 64 is closed and that pump motor 19 is driving pump 18 , water is pumped from the well and the water level drops below high sensor 20 , thus making a digital &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ;, or zero voltage at input terminal 23 and inputs 53 and 54 of input gate 50 as the electrodes 42 and 43 of sensor 20 are insulated by air . output 55 of gate 50 will then be zero , together with connected or gate input 56 , but this does not affect output of or gate 52 which still delivers a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at its output terminal 61 as a result of the positive feedback loop of connected first output terminal 25 , the immersed conducting electrodes 42 and 43 of low sensor 21 , input terminal 24 , inputs 57 and 58 of gate 51 , output of gate 51 , input 60 of or gate 52 and still delivers a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at second output terminal 26 to drive relay 28 . as water continues to be pumped , the level drops below the electrodes 42 and 43 of low sensor 21 removing the fluid conducting path and making a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at terminal 24 and a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at inputs 57 and 58 of input gate 51 , its output 59 and input 60 of or gate 52 , turning off or gate 52 and resulting in a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at first output terminal 25 , thus breaking the feedback loop and making a digital &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at output terminal 26 and connected input terminal 38 of relay 28 . the &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at input terminal 38 of the relay 28 opens the circuit between relay output terminals 60 and 61 stopping the motor 19 . the pump has thus been stopped before the water level has dropped below the intake of the valve 17 , so that dry pumping has been avoided . as water flows into the well to re - fill it , and the level rises above the electrodes 42 and 43 of low sensor 21 , zero voltage is still present at first output terminal 25 , disabling sensor 21 , and gate 51 still delivers a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at its output 59 and terminal 26 of circuit 22 and input terminal 38 of relay 28 so that relay 28 output circuit terminals 60 and 61 remain open and pump 18 remains stopped . as the water level rises further and the electrodes 42 and 43 of high sensor 20 are immersed , a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; is delivered to second output terminal 23 driving gate 50 to a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at its output 55 and connected or gate input terminal 56 , driving or gate 52 to a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at or gate 52 output 61 and first output terminal 25 . the digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; voltage at first output terminal 25 is conducted through the electrodes 42 and 43 of the low sensor 21 by the water to input terminal 24 of circuit 22 and the inputs 57 and 58 of gate 51 , driving gate 51 to a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at its output 50 and connected input 60 of or gate 52 thus again closing the feedback loop through or gate 52 and transmitting a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; from second output terminal 26 of circuit 22 to the input terminal 38 of the relay 28 , actuating relay 28 and closing the circuit through the relay output terminals 60 and 61 to deliver power to the motor 19 again for pumping the water which is now available . it can be understood from the preceding paragraph that the present invention by means of the digital logic of the digital signal processing circuit 22 and the digital signals from the sensors 20 and 21 has provided automatic maintenance of a desired low level , control of pumping flow preventing dry pumping , and a delayed resumption of pumping which provides a desirable dead band or hysteresis . in another application of the present invention , overflow of a reservoir or tank may be prevented . the sensors 20 and 21 are placed at desired levels , with high level sensor 20 just below the overflow level . referring to fig6 the reservoir 11 is being filled with fluid 12 through the pipe 13 by the pump 14 which is driven by the motor 15 . a pipe 65 drains fluid from the reservoir 11 when a valve 66 is opened . power from the source 30 to the motor 15 is controlled by serially connected output terminals 62 and 63 of normally closed solid state relay 29 . the input terminal 39 of the relay 29 is connected to the output terminal 26 of the signal processing circuit 22 , which operates together with sensors 20 and 21 in the same manner as previously described in the device of fig5 a digital output &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; appearing at the terminal 26 of the circuit 22 when the high sensor electrodes are immersed . in the system of fig6 the pump motor 15 is energized by the normally closed circuit between output terminals 62 and 63 of the solid state relay 29 to pump fluid into the reservoir 11 , filling it to the level of the high sensor 20 , making a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at the input terminal 23 of the circuit 22 , a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at the output terminal 26 of the circuit 22 , and a &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; at the input terminal 39 of the relay 29 opening the normally closed circuit between the output terminals 62 and 63 of relay 29 thus stopping the pump motor 15 and preventing overflow of the tank . as fluid is withdrawn from the tank through the pipe 65 by opening the valve 66 , and the fluid level drops below the low sensor 21 making a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at the input terminal 24 of the circuit 22 , resulting in a &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; at the output terminal 26 and the input terminal 39 of the relay 29 returning the relay 29 to its normally closed state and closing the circuit between the relay output terminals 62 and 63 thus starting the pump motor to refill the reservoir . if the fluid supply is under pressure in the system of fig6 closing of the circuit between the relay output terminals 62 and 63 can actuate the connected solenoid 15a of a normally spring closed conventional electrically actuated valve 14a placed in pipe 13 instead of pump 14 . the solenoid takes the place of the motor 15 shown in the circuit of fig6 and when actuated by normally closed relay 29 , opens the valve to permit flow of fluid into reservoir 11 from the pressurized fluid supply . opening of the circuit between output terminals 62 and 63 de - activates the solenoid and allows the spring to return the valve 14a to its normally closed position and stop the flow through pipe 13 and prevent overflow of the reservoir 11 . the invention as shown in block diagram form in fig1 operates in similar manner as described in fig5 and 6 to maintain both high and low fluid level in a reservoir while filling and emptying the reservoir , by using the digital signals sent by high and low sensors 20 and 21 to the digital logic signal processing circuit 22 to control the relays 28 and 29 simultaneously by the digital output signal from the terminal 26 of the circuit 22 and operate flow control means maintaining the desired level in the manner previously described for the systems of fig5 and 6 . the present invention also can be applied to the level control of fluent material that is granular , opaque , or nonconducting by use of suitable transducers used as the level sensors , as shown in the block diagram of fig1 . these transducers , acting to sense levels of material , must be capable of transmitting a digital &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; signal to the signal processing circuit 22 when immersed in the fluent material to be controlled , and a digital &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; when out of the fluent material . these digital signals are processed in the circuit 22 as previously described , and the output of the circuit 22 can operate solid state relays and flow control means for the level control of the fluent materials . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described , the form of the invention described should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims . | 8 |
fig1 illustrates diagrammatically a multichamber dishwasher 110 , fig1 showing a section through a washing zone 112 of the multichamber dishwasher 110 in a sectional plane perpendicular to a conveying direction of a transport device 114 . various types of transport devices 114 may be envisaged , for example transport devices 114 for belt transport or for basket transport . the multichamber dishwasher 110 , in this exemplary embodiment , is designed as a belt transport machine in which a wash batch 116 is transported through the multichamber dishwasher 110 on the transport device 114 designed as a conveyor belt . the multichamber dishwasher 110 has a washing chamber 113 with a housing 118 which can opened laterally by means of an access door 120 . a washing water storage tank 122 and a filter housing 124 are introduced in the bottom of the housing 118 . a washing water circulating pump 126 sucks in washing water 128 via a circulation pipeline system 130 from the washing water storage tank 122 and conveys it via the circulation pipeline system 130 to washing nozzles 132 . the washing water 128 is sprayed over the wash batch 116 there , with the result that the wash batch 116 is cleaned . the washing water 128 , together with dirt which has been released from the wash batch 116 , subsequently drops to the bottom of the housing 118 . this bottom has , above the washing water storage tank 122 , a tank cover sieve 134 which is pierced for the most part with sieve holes . sieve holes with a diameter of approximately 1 mm to 4 mm , preferably 1 . 5 mm to 2 . 5 mm , particularly preferably 2 . 0 mm are preferably used in this case . part of the washing water 128 flows through these holes directly to the washing water storage tank 122 ( illustrated symbolically in fig1 by the arrow 136 ). an ( optional ) supply of fresh water and / or rinsing - clear water from a rinsing - clear zone into the washing water storage tank 122 is not illustrated in fig1 . the tank cover sieve 134 has a descending gradient in the direction of a coarse sieve 138 . this coarse sieve 138 is inserted into the filter housing 124 . a second part of the washing water 128 ( indicated symbolically in fig1 by the arrow 140 ) therefore flows via the coarse sieve 138 into the filter housing 124 . inside the filter housing 124 is mounted a fine filter 142 . this fine filter 142 , in this exemplary embodiment , is designed as a filter insert 142 which has a sealing extension 144 , a filter wall 146 and a sewage connection piece 148 and which can be inserted into the filter housing 124 from above . according to the invention , instead of a fine filter 142 , a fine sieve , preferably with sieve holes having a diameter of less than 1 . 5 mm , particularly preferably of less than 1 . 0 mm , can also be employed . the fine filter 142 therefore subdivides the inner space of the filter housing 124 into a clean water space 150 and a dirty water space 152 . the sealing extension 144 prevents the situation where washing water 128 , during backwashing , may pass directly from the clean water space 150 into the dirty water space 152 , so that the washing water 128 has to penetrate through the filter wall 146 during backwashing . for this purpose , the sealing extension 144 seals off the fine filter 142 with respect to the filter housing 124 . furthermore , the sealing extension 144 is configured as a funnel extension which prevents the situation where washing water 128 can pass through the coarse sieve 138 directly into the clean water space 150 . in the fine filter 142 , the washing water 128 flows through the filter wall 146 from the dirty water space 152 into the clean water space 150 ( normal operation ). in this case , fine dirt particles are filtered out on the inside of the filter wall 146 . the filtered washing water 128 subsequently flows out of the clean water space 150 through an outflow connection piece 154 in the lower region of the filter housing 124 to the washing water storage tank 122 again . depending on the quantity of dirt particles filtered out on the inside of the filter wall 146 , the through flow capacity of the washing water 128 through the fine filter 142 decreases with time . as a result of this , the level of the washing water 128 in the dirty water space 152 rises with time . this rise can be detected by suitable sensors . thus , in the exemplary embodiment according to fig1 , for example , a pressure sensor 156 is used which detects the washing water pressure in the fine filter 142 . alternatively , the pressure sensor 156 may also be arranged , for example , in a sewage line 168 ( upstream of a valve 164 ). an output signal from this pressure sensor 156 is fed to an electronic control unit 158 . this electronic control unit 158 can ( optionally ) initiate a backwashing operation by a corresponding control of a sewage pump 160 , a backwash pump 162 and various valves 164 , for example when a certain pressure level or a certain dirt content in the dirty water space 152 is reached . in normal operation , therefore , washing water 128 flows through the filter wall 146 in the direction from the dirty water space 152 to the clean water space 150 . for the backwashing and self - cleaning of the fine filter 142 , the flow direction of the washing water 128 through the filter wall 146 is reversed . for this purpose , the sewage pump 160 sucks away washing water 128 from the dirty water space 152 of the fine filter 142 via the sewage connection piece 148 and conveys it via a sewage line 168 into a sewage outflow 166 . at the same time , by means of the backwash pump 162 , washing water 128 is sucked out of the washing water storage tank 122 via a backwash line 170 and pumped via a backwash connection piece 172 into the outflow connection piece 154 in such a way that the through flow of the washing water 128 through the outflow connection piece 154 is disturbed . in this advantageous exemplary embodiment , the backwash connection piece 172 is arranged at an angle of approximately 40 ° to the outflow connection piece 154 . consequently , during backwashing , the washing liquid 128 which is pumped through the backwash connection piece 172 into the outflow connection piece 154 has a flow direction opposite the flow direction of the washing water 128 in normal operation ( identified symbolically in fig1 by the arrow 174 ). as a result of the so disturbed outflow of the washing liquid 128 through the outflow connection piece 154 in backwash operation and of the washing liquid 128 supplied to the clean water space 150 via the backwash connection piece 172 , the pressure of the washing liquid in the filter housing 124 , in particular in the clean water space 150 , rises , while at the same time the pressure in the dirty water space 152 falls as a result of pumping away by the sewage pump 160 . the flow direction of the flow through the filter wall 146 is thereby reversed in backwash operation in spite of the running washing water circulating pump 126 and the associated inflow of washing water 128 into the fine filter 142 . owing to this reversed flow , dirt particles adhering to the inside of the filter wall 146 are released and can be pumped into the sewage outflow 166 by means of the sewage pump 160 . in this exemplary embodiment , the sewage pump 160 and the backwash pump 162 may be operated , for example , by means of a common pump motor ( not illustrated in fig1 ). this is due particularly to the fact that , in backwash operation , the sewage pump 160 and the backwash pump 162 are required simultaneously and are operated simultaneously . overall operation , that is to say , in particular , the changeover from normal operation to backwash operation , can be controlled by means of the electronic control unit 158 which , for example , may be an integral part of a comprehensive control unit for the overall multi - tank dishwasher 110 . in particular , a washing operation of the multi - tank dishwasher 110 does not have to be interrupted for backwashing . fig2 illustrates a detail of an embodiment , alternative to the version according to fig1 , of a washing water storage tank 122 . in this exemplary embodiment , the sewage connection piece 154 bent at right angles and the backwash connection piece 172 are arranged on the left outer wall , pointing away from the washing water stock 128 , of the filter housing 124 . in this exemplary embodiment , the outflow device 154 is not designed as a tubular extension , as in the exemplary embodiment according to fig1 , but has essentially a simple orifice to the washing water storage tank 122 . furthermore , in this exemplary embodiment , the backwash device has a baffle surface 210 as a deflection device which extends downward beyond the lower edge of the backwash connection piece 172 . this deflection device 210 has the effect that , in normal operation , washing water 128 emerges from the filter housing 124 at an angle to the vertical in a flow direction 174 . when washing water 128 is pumped through the backwash connection piece 172 into the clean water space 150 in backwash operation , this deflection device has the effect that the washing water 128 pumped through the backwash connection piece 172 impinges at an angle of & lt ; 90 ° onto the washing water 128 emerging from the clean water space 150 through the outflow device 154 . the backwashed washing water 128 therefore has a velocity component opposite to the flow direction in normal operation 174 and therefore disturbs the outflow of the washing water 128 through the outflow device 154 . thus , in backwash operation , a higher pressure can build up in the clean water space 150 than in the dirty water space 152 , with the backwash pump 162 running and with the sewage pump 160 running , so that the filter wall 146 is backwashed optimally . furthermore , it can be seen in fig2 how the funnel - shaped sealing extension 144 seals off the fine filter 142 with respect to the filter housing 124 , so that the greatest possible pressure difference can build up in backwash operation between the clean water space 150 and dirty water space 152 . fig3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment which is modified slightly , as compared with the version according to fig2 . the essential difference in this version is that the outflow device 154 is designed here as a simple orifice in the bottom of the filter housing 124 . the baffle surface 210 in this case does not extend beyond the bottom of the filter housing 124 . this version is therefore simpler than the version in fig2 , but does not have the same backwash action , since the above - described “ disturbing effect ” of the outflow of the washing water 128 from the clean water space 150 into the washing water storage tank 122 due to action by washing water 128 with an opposite velocity component through the backwash connection piece 172 does not occur to the same extent as in fig2 . however , in this exemplary embodiment too , there is a backwash effect according to the invention . fig4 illustrates a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention which is alternative to fig2 and 3 and in which backwashing takes place via the same connection pieces 154 , 172 as the outflow of washing water 128 out of the clean water space 150 into the washing water storage tank 122 . in normal operation , the outflow of washing water 128 from the clean water space 150 into the washing water storage tank 122 takes place in the flow direction 174 through the backwash line 170 . during backwashing , washing water 128 is pumped out of the washing water tank 122 through the same backwash line 170 into the clean water space 150 , the backwashed washing water 128 having an exactly reversed velocity , as compared with the flow direction 174 in normal operation . in this exemplary embodiment , the baffle surface 210 has been dispensed with , although such a baffle surface 210 may be used additionally . the filter housing 124 is opened outward to a pumping connection piece 410 which extends at right angles to the filter housing 124 and which is widened in cross section , as compared with the backwash line 170 which again branches off at right angles from the pumping connection piece 410 . for example , a pumping connection piece having a cross section of 80 mm may be used . admittedly , basically different types of pumps , for example centrifugal pumps , etc ., may be used as the backwash pump 162 . in the exemplary embodiment according to fig4 , however , an axial pump 162 is used as a backwash pump 162 . a pump motor 412 is placed onto the pumping connection piece 410 on the outside and drives a pump shaft 414 , with a rotor 416 placed on it , in the pumping connection piece 410 . for example , a rotor 416 may be used which still leaves free an orifice of approximately 70 % of the pumping connection piece 410 . thus , in normal operation , in which washing water 128 flows in the flow direction 174 through the pumping connection piece 410 , with the backwash pump 162 switched off , a low flow resistance for the outflowing washing water 128 is ensured . by contrast , in backwash operation , in this exemplary embodiment the axial pump 162 ensures a high volume flow of the backwashed washing water 128 , without too high a pressure being built up in the clean water space 150 which could damage the fine filter 142 or press it out of the filter housing 124 . in particular , it is advantageous if a backwash pump 162 is used which , during backwashing , causes between the suction side and the pumping side a pressure rise of no more than 0 . 5 bar , preferably of no more than 0 . 2 bar and particularly preferably of no more than 0 . 1 bar . the exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig4 can be implemented in a technically simple way and makes it possible , for the reasons mentioned , to have a particularly efficient and fault - free backwash operation of the multichamber dishwasher 110 . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims . | 0 |
referring therefore to fig1 , a data communication system generally indicated at 10 includes a pair of correspondents 12 , 14 interconnected by a data communication link 16 . each of the correspondents 12 , 14 includes a computing device 18 to implement a set of programmed instructions and an encryption module 20 to interface between the computing device 18 and communication link 16 . it will be appreciated that the correspondents 12 , 14 may be general purpose computers or dedicated equipment in a client server relationship , such as a point of sale device , pda or cell phone interfacing through the link 16 with a financial institution . in operation , the computing device 18 prepares a message which is processed by the encryption unit 20 and transmitted as a data stream 26 through the communication link 16 . the encryption unit 20 at the correspondent 14 process the data stream to recover and authenticate the message received before passing it to the computing device 18 . the correspondent 14 includes a database 22 that contains lists 24 of bit patterns of selected portions of signatures received by the processor 20 . the database 22 is accessible by the computing device 18 and the lists 24 are conveniently organised to conduct a comparison for a particular initiating correspondent 12 between the bit patterns in a message received and those that are contained in the database . the encryption device 20 may implement a number of different protocols , such as a key generation , encryption / decryption or signature and verification . it will be assumed for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment that the correspondent 12 prepares an information package in the computing device 18 which is signed by the encryption device 20 . upon receipt at the correspondent 14 , the cryptographic processor 20 verifies the signature and passes the information to the computing device 18 . in operation , the correspondent 12 generates the information i in the computing device 18 and forwards it to the cryptographic processor 20 . the processor 20 signs the information i , utilising a protocol that generates a random component r . the bits representing the information i and signature components including the random component are assembled in to a data stream 26 to represent a signed message 28 . the signed message 28 is transmitted over the link 16 as a data stream and is received by the cryptographic unit 20 at the correspondent 14 . the signature is verified according to the signature scheme in the normal manner . if the verification is authenticated , the portion of the signed message corresponding to the random component r is located . the bit stream representing the portion is then compared with the bit streams contained in the database 22 to ensure that the same random component has not been utilised in previous signed messages . if the bit stream has not been previously utilised , that is if no match is found in the database 22 , then the signature is considered to be an original message , in that it has not been received before , and is accepted . if a match is found then the signed message is not accepted . an example of an established signature protocol that may be utilised to implement the above technique is described below with respect to fig4 utilising the ecdsa signature protocol . information i is to be signed by a long term private key d of the correspondent 12 in an elliptic curve cryptosystem ( ecc ) with know parameters including a generating point p of order n . the correspondent 12 randomly generates a ephemeral private key k and computes a corresponding ephemeral public kp which represents a point with coordinates ( x , y ). to compute a first component r of the signature , the first co - ordinate of the ephemeral public key kp is converted into an integer . the first component is itself random as it is determined from the random private key k . a second component s , of the signature is generated by solving the signing equation ks = h ( i )+ dr ( mod n ) for the second component s of the signature , where h is an appropriate cryptographic hash function such as sha1 . the information and signature is assembled as a data stream 26 containing : ( i , r , s ) in defined locations and is then transmitted as the signed message 28 through the link 16 . upon reception of the signed message 28 , at the correspondent 14 , the cryptographic processor 20 proceeds to authenticate the signature . the authentication normally proceeds as follows . initially the ephemeral public key kp is computed by calculating s − 1 ( h ( i ) p + ra ), where a is the long term public key of the correspondent 12 . after recovery of kp , the first co - ordinate of kp is converted into an integer following the same procedure as used by the correspondent 12 . the integer obtained should correspond to the number r contained in the transmission and if so the signature is accepted . if it does not , the signature is not verified and so is rejected . to inhibit a replay attack , a subject f ( r ) of the number r is extracted or derived from the signed message 28 . the subset f ( r ) is compared with a previously stored list 24 of subsets in the database 22 for the correspondent 12 . the database 22 is conveniently organised by the correspondent for comparison . well - known masking and shifting techniques may be used to extract and compare the bit streams efficiently . if only a replay attack is of concern , then it may be sufficient to compare the subsets received from the same correspondent but for greater security all previous subsets may be compared . the authentication is rejected if the subset f ( r ) is in the list , indicating it had previously been used . if the subset is not on the list 24 , the process continues and the subset f ( r ) is added to the database 22 using well - known storage - and - retrieval techniques to store the data in such a manner as to allow subsequent efficient retrieval . it will be appreciated that the signature verification may be performed after the comparison of the subsets if preferred . it will also be noted that the subset used to detect potential replay is part of the signature component r used for verification of the signature and as such already exists in the signed message . accordingly , neither the bandwidth nor protocol are affected by the additional authentication and redundancy is avoided . the number of bits chosen from the random component depends on the security level required for the application and the storage available . the number of bits chosen from the random component should also be large enough to give assurance against the birthday surprise , where the expected number of events that will occur before a match is calculated to be √{ square root over ( 2 m )} π asymptotically , where m + 1 bits are stored . for example , in storing 40 bits , one would not expect a match short of 1 . 3 million signatures ; in storing 60 bits , one would not expect a match short of 1 . 3 billion signatures . in a second preferred embodiment shown in fig5 , the signature scheme is the well - known integer - factorisation scheme of rsa with appendix , rsa - pss , as specified in pkcs # 1 , ver . 2 . 1 . i ) the information i is hashed , the hash is bracketed by prepending padding bytes and appending random bytes r , resulting in a bracketed hash e . ii ) the bracketed hash e is further hashed , resulting in the bit string h . iii ) the bit string h is used in a mask generation function , and the output of the function employed to mask the random bytes appended to the hash of the information i . iv ) the encoded message is assembled comprising the concatenation of the masked output from step ( iii ), the further hash from step ( ii ) i . e . the bit string h , and a padding byte . the encoded message is then converted into a number . the rsa operation is performed on the number with the private exponent of the correspondent 12 , and the result converted to a bit string s which is used as a signature , s for the information i . the message with signature ( i , s ) is then transmitted over the link 16 as a data stream 28 to the correspondent 14 . upon reception of the data stream ( i , s ), by the correspondent 14 , the verification and authentication proceeds as follows . at the cryptographic processor of correspondent 14 , the signature s is converted into a number . the rsa operation is then performed on the number with the public exponent of correspondent 12 , resulting in another number which is converted into the alleged bracketed hash e ′. the alleged bracketed hash e ′ is hashed and split into the alleged masked output and the alleged hash of the original message . using the alleged masked output and the alleged hash , the alleged random bytes are extracted . the concatenation of the appropriate padding , the hash of the alleged bracketed hash and the alleged random bytes is hashed and compared with the alleged hash of the original message . if the two agree , the signature is considered verified and accepted . to inhibit a replay attack , either before or after verification , a subject f ( s ) of the number s , is extracted , where f is a predetermined function . the subset f ( s ), is selected from the portion of the signature s that corresponds to the appended random bytes and compared with a previously stored list 24 of subsets for the correspondent 12 in the database 22 . the authentication is rejected if the subset is in the list . if it is not in the list , the signature is accepted and the subset to the list is added . again therefore the reply attack is inhibited by use of the portion of the signature components that are random and used by the protocol in the signature verification . the above examples have been described in the context of a signature verification but may also be used in other protocols where a random bit pattern is generated . for example , the mqv protocols may be used a key agreement protocol as well as signature protocols . in the key agreement protocols , the ephemeral public key of each correspondent is exchanged and forms part of the message . the ephemeral public key is random and is used to authenticate the respective party . accordingly , a subset of the data representing the key may be extracted and compared with the existing database to verify the originality of the exchanged message . it will be appreciated that although in the above description the data base 22 is shown associated with the correspondent 14 , a similar database may be associated with each correspondent in the system where protection from such attacks is required . | 7 |
first , the relationship between a wireless lan and an electrodeless lighting system and the characteristics according to a filament current will now be described . as shown in fig1 , a wireless lan uses a wireless lan use frequency band of 2 . 4 ghz to 2 . 5 ghz of an ism band ( industrial scientific and medical radio band ). microwave generated from an electrodeless lighting system ranges from 2 . 1 ghz to 2 . 8 ghz . thus , the wireless lan use frequency band and the microwave generated from the electrodeless lighting system causes communication interference over about 7 ch . meanwhile , as shown in fig2 , such communication interference is affected by a filament current of a magnetron in the electrodeless lighting system . with reference to fig2 , compared with a filament current of 6 a , a filament current of 9 a has a larger bandwidth in a region b , and much noise is generated in regions a and c . the electrodeless lighting system and its control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described . with reference to fig4 , the electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetron 500 including a filament therein and generating microwave , a resonator 710 including an electrodeless light bulb 700 and resonating microwave generated from the to magnetron 500 , a wave guide 600 guiding the microwave generated by the magnetron to the resonator 710 , and a control unit 800 applying a filament current of a pre - set first current or larger to the filament during an initial starting stage and changing the filament current such that the filament current is the same or smaller than a second current which is smaller than the first current and applying the changed filament current to the filament . the electrodeless lighting system further includes a casing ( c ) and a high voltage generating unit installed in the internal space of the casing ( c ) and generating a high voltage . the magnetron 500 is installed in the internal space of the casing ( c ) and generates microwave having a high frequency as a high voltage generated from the high voltage generating unit is applied thereto . the wave guide 600 is installed in the internal space of the casing ( c ) and coupled to the magnetron 500 to guide microwave having a high frequency which has been oscillated from the magnetron 500 . the wave guide 600 includes a first wave guide part having a rectangular wave guide space , to which the magnetron 500 is coupled , and a second wave guide part having a continuous wave guide space formed as the second wave guide part is bent from the first wave guide part and communicating with the resonance space of the resonator 710 . of course , the wave guide 600 is formed linearly . the magnetron 500 may be coupled to one side of the wave guide 600 and the wave guide space of the wave guide 600 may be connected with the resonance space of the resonator 700 . the resonator 710 is installed at an outer side of the casing ( c ) and coupled to an outlet of the wave guide 600 to shield an external discharge of to microwave to form a resonance mode . the electrodeless light bulb 700 is disposed at an inner side of the resonator 710 at an outer side of the casing ( c ) and contains a luminous material to be excited by microwave to emit light . the resonator 710 resonates microwave supplied from the magnetron 500 and has a mesh form to discharge to its maximum level light which has been converted is from microwave energy by the electrodeless light bulb 700 . the electrodeless lighting system includes a reflection shade 720 installed at the outer side of the casing ( c ), accommodating the resonator 710 , and concentrating light emitted from the electrodeless light bulb 700 to a front side . as shown in fig4 , when the wave guide 600 includes the first and second wave guide parts , the magnetron 500 is coupled such that a lengthwise direction of an antenna part is perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the first guide part , and the resonator 710 is coupled such that its axial center is perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the second wave guide part . thus , the installation direction of the magnetron 500 and that of the resonator 710 are substantially perpendicular . the electrodeless lighting system further includes a driving unit 400 generating a filament current and a driving voltage . the driving unit 400 , installed at the inner side of the casing ( c ), includes the high voltage generating unit . the control unit 800 is electrically connected with the driving unit 400 , and as shown in fig4 , the control unit 800 may have a form of a board or configured to be hermetically closed and installed at the inner side or outer side of the casing ( c ). as shown in fig8 , during an initial starting stage , the control unit 800 applies a first current , e . g ., a current of 9 a or larger , to the filament disposed within the magnetron ( 0 ˜ t1 ) and determines whether or not the electrodeless lighting system has reached a normal state ( t1 ˜ t2 ). when the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state , the control unit 800 reduces the filament current to a second current , e . g ., 6 a , or smaller , and applies the same ( t2 ˜ t3 ). the control unit compares the number of pulses of light from the electrodeless light bulb and a pre - set reference number of pulses . when the number of pulses of light from the electrodeless light bulb is greater than the reference number of pulses according to the comparison result , the control unit determines that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state . also , when the duration in which the current of the first current or larger is applied exceeds a pre - set reference duration , the control unit 800 applies a high voltage to the magnetron 500 , and determines whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state by comparing the number of pulses . the electrodeless lighting system may further include a cooling unit ( not shown ) for preventing overheating due to heat generated from the magnetron 500 and the high voltage generating unit , and in this case , the control unit controls the high voltage generating unit applying a high voltage to the magnetron 500 and the cooling unit . with reference to fig5 , the electrodeless lighting system includes a rectifying unit 200 generating a dc voltage by converting commercial ac power 100 , a driving unit 400 generating a filament current and driving voltage by converting the dc voltage , a magnetron 500 oscillated by the filament current and the driving voltage outputted from the driving unit 400 to output microwave to the wave guide , and a control unit 800 outputting a first control signal for converting the dc voltage into the filament current and a second control signal for converting the dc voltage into the driving voltage . here , the filament is provided in the magnetron 500 . the rectifying unit 200 receives the commercial ac power 100 by using a bridge circuit or the like and converts it into a dc voltage . in this case , the converted dc voltage is a pulsating wave . the rectifying unit 200 includes a smoothing unit , and the smoothing unit is configured as a semiconductor device such as a capacitor to smooth the pulsating wave into a dc voltage . also , the driving unit 400 receives the smoothed dc voltage . the driving unit 400 converts the dc voltage inputted from the rectifying unit 200 into the filament current of the magnetron and the driving voltage for driving the magnetron based on control signals outputted from the control unit 800 . in this case , the control signal is a frequency control signal or a duty control signal . the driving unit 400 receives a first control signal from the control unit 800 , converts the dc voltage which has been received from the rectifying unit 200 based on the first control signal , and supplies the converted dc voltage to the filament of the magnetron . also , the driving unit 400 receives the second control signal from the control unit 800 , converts the dc voltage which has been received from the rectifying unit 200 based on the second control signal , and supplies a driving voltage for driving the magnetron . the control unit 800 applies the filament current of the pre - set current or larger to the filament during the initial starting stage and maintains it , and changes the filament current to the second current , which is smaller than the first current , or smaller in a pre - set normal state . in this case , 9 to 11 a is used as the first current , and 4 to 7 a is used as the second current . namely , the maneuverability of the electrodeless lighting system is secured during the initial starting stage , and a slightly higher current of 9 to 11 a is applied to the filament within the magnetron 500 in consideration of diurnal variations such as a change according to temperature characteristics of the magnetron . as shown in fig8 , the control unit applies a first current , e . g ., a current of 9 a or larger , to the filament present within the magnetron during the initial starting stage ( 0 ˜ t1 ) and determines whether or not the electrodeless lighting system has reached a normal state ( t1 ˜ t2 ). when the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state , the control unit reduces the filament current such that it is the same or smaller than the second current , e . g ., 6 a , and applies the same ( t2 ˜ t3 ). the driving unit 400 includes a first inverter unit 410 for varying the frequency of the dc voltage and converting it into a first ac voltage based on the first control , a second inverter unit 420 for varying the frequency of the dc voltage into a second ac voltage and converting it into a second ac voltage based on the second control signal , a first conversion unit 430 for converting the first ac voltage to generate the filament current , and a second conversion unit 440 for converting the second ac voltage to generate the driving voltage . of course , the first inverter unit 410 and the second inverter unit 420 may be configured as a single inverter unit . also , the first conversion unit 430 and the second conversion unit 440 may be configured as a single conversion unit , namely , through a transformer . the driving unit 400 may further includes a high voltage generating unit 450 for increasing the driving voltage outputted from the second conversion unit 440 into a high voltage and applying the same to the to magnetron . the first inverter unit 410 includes switching elements such as insulated gate bipolar transistors ( igbts ). the first inverter unit 410 receives a first control signal , a switching control signal , such as a frequency control signal , a duty control signal , or the like , from the control unit 800 and converts the dc voltage inputted from the rectifying unit 200 or from the power factor compensating unit 300 into a first ac voltage based on the first control signal . the first conversion unit 430 is a general transformer which converts the first ac voltage and supplies current to the filament of the magnetron according to the first inverter unit 410 . the second inverter unit 420 are also configured to include switching elements such as igbts . the second inverter unit 420 receives a second control signal , a switching control signal , such as the frequency control signal , the duty control signal , or the like , and converts the dc voltage inputted from the rectifying unit 200 or the power factor compensating unit 300 based on the second control signal . subsequently , the second conversion unit 440 is a general transformer which converts the second ac voltage according to the second inverter unit 420 to supply a driving voltage for driving the magnetron . the high voltage generating unit 450 increases the magnetron driving voltage which has been converted by the second conversion unit 550 and applies the increased high voltage to the magnetron 500 . the electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include the power factor compensating unit 300 connected between the rectifying unit 200 and the driving unit 400 and r compensating for a power factor of the dc voltage outputted from to the rectifying unit 200 . in this case , the control unit 800 may store power factor compensation data in advance . namely , the control unit 800 receives the commercial ac power 100 , detects a variation of the commercial ac power 100 and applies corresponding power factor compensation data to the power factor compensating unit 300 . then , the power factor compensating unit 300 compensates for a power factor of the dc voltage outputted from the rectifying unit 200 by using the power factor compensation data . also , the driving unit 400 receives the power factor - compensated dc voltage from the power factor compensating unit 300 . also , the electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include an input voltage detection unit 910 for detecting an input voltage inputted to the rectifying unit 200 and an input current detection unit 920 for detecting an input current inputted to the rectifying unit 200 . the control unit 800 controls the power factor compensation unit 300 and the driving unit 400 including the first inverter unit 410 and the second inverter unit 420 based on the detected input voltage and input current . the electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include a light detection unit 930 for detecting light of the electrodeless light bulb according to microwave outputted to the wave guide . the light detection unit 930 may be a photo transistor . the photo transistor may be installed at a bulb stage generating light through the electrodeless light bulb and counts the number of pulses of the light according to a rotation . in this case , the control unit 800 previously sets a reference number of pulses and compares the number of pulses of the detected light with the pre - set reference number of pulses . upon comparison , when the number of pulses of the detected light is greater than the reference number of pulses , the control unit 800 determines that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state . here , the reference number of pulses may be set to vary depending on the characteristics of the electrodeless lighting system . the control unit 800 previously sets a reference duration . when a duration in which the current of the first current or larger is applied exceeds the pre - set reference duration , the control unit 800 applies a high driving voltage to the magnetron and determines whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state by comparing the number of pulses . namely , for example , the control unit 800 may set the reference duration as 4 seconds , and when four seconds has passed by , the control unit 800 outputs the second control signal to the second inverter unit 420 to apply a high voltage to the magnetron 500 . and then , the control unit 800 determines whether or not the electrodeless lighting system has reached a stable lighting state by using the light detection unit 930 . when it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system has reached a stable lighting state , the control unit 800 reduces the filament current of the magnetron through the first control signal and supplies the current of the second current or smaller . namely , the control unit 800 changes the filament current of the magnetron from a range of 9 to 11 a to a range of 4 to 7 a . accordingly , the frequency band of microwave outputted from the magnetron can be reduced and noise can be also reduced . namely , as shown in fig2 , when the filament current is reduced from 9 a to 6 a , nose in the regions a and c can be attenuated , the frequency band in the region b can be reduced , and a frequency interference with a wireless lan can be avoided . with reference to fig6 , a method for controlling an electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an initial starting step ( s 100 ) of applying a filament current of a pre - set first current or larger of a magnetron ; a normal state determining step ( s 110 ) of determining whether or not the electrodeless lighting system has reached a normal state ; and a filament current changing step ( s 120 ) of changing the filament current such that it is a second current , which is smaller than the first current , or smaller when the electrodeless lighting system has reached the normal state . the configuration of the device is referred to fig4 and 5 . here , the normal state determining step ( s 110 ) may include : an initial start time determining step ( not shown ) of applying the filament current of the pre - set first current or larger to a filament and determining whether or not a pre - set reference duration has passed by ; a driving voltage application step ( not shown ) of applying a high driving voltage to the magnetron when the duration in which the current of the first current or larger than the first current is applied exceeds the pre - set reference duration ; a light detection step ( not shown ) of detecting light of the electrodeless light bulb according to microwave outputted from the magnetron to the wave guide ; and a pulse number comparing step ( not shown ) of comparing the number of pulses of the detected light and a pre - set reference number of pulses , wherein when the number of pulses of the detected light is larger than the reference number of pulses , it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state . the method for controlling an electrodeless lighting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include : an input power maintaining step ( s 130 ) of uniformly maintaining entire power applied to the magnetron , and in the input power maintaining step ( s 130 ), the driving voltage of the magnetron is increased as high as the reduced filament current and supplied . during the initial starting stage , the filament current of the pre - set first current or larger is applied to a filament and the filament current is maintained ( s 100 ). in this case , as the first current , 9 to 11 a may be used . namely , the maneuverability of the electrodeless lighting system is secured during the initial starting stage , and the slightly higher current of 9 to 11 a is applied to the filament within the magnetron 500 in consideration of diurnal variations such as a change according to temperature characteristics of the magnetron . in the normal state determining step ( s 110 ), light according to microwave outputted from the magnetron is detected , and the number of pulses of the detected light and the pre - set reference number of pulses are compared . upon comparison , when the number of pulses of the detected light is larger than the reference number of pulses , it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state . here , the reference number of pulses may be set to vary depending on the characteristics of the electrodeless lighting system . in the normal state determining step ( s 110 ), when the duration in which the current of the first current or larger is applied exceeds the pre - set reference duration , a high voltage is applied to the magnetron , and whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state by comparing the number of pulses . for example , when the reference duration is set to 4 seconds , and after four seconds has passed by , a high voltage is applied to the magnetron according to the second control signal . and then , the light is detected to determine whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state or has reached a stable lighting state . when it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system has reached a stable lighting state , the filament current of the magnetron is reduced through the first control signal and a current of the second current or smaller is supplied ( s 120 ). here , as the second current , 4 to 7 a may be used . namely , the filament current of the magnetron is changed from a range of 9 to 11 a to a range of 4 to 7 a . accordingly , the frequency band of microwave outputted from the magnetron can be reduced and noise can be also reduced . namely , as shown in fig2 , when the filament current is reduced from 9 a to 6 a , nose in the regions a and c can be attenuated , the frequency band in the region b can be reduced , and a frequency interference with a wireless lan can be avoided . and then , the entire power applied to the magnetron is uniformly maintained ( s 130 ). the driving voltage of the magnetron is increased to as high as the reduced filament current and supplied . accordingly , a life span of the magnetron can be lengthened , noise can be reduced , and the operation efficiency of the electrodeless lighting system can be improved . with reference to fig7 , a method for controlling an electrodeless lighting system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes : a first step ( s 200 ) of applying a filament current of a pre - set first current or larger of a magnetron to a filament to start the electrodeless lighting system ; a second step ( s 200 ) of determining whether or not a pre - set reference duration has passed by after the first step ; a third step ( s 300 ) of applying a high driving voltage to the magnetron when the pre - set reference duration has passed by according to the determination result of second step ; a fourth step ( s 400 ) of detecting light of an electrodeless light bulb according to microwave outputted to a wave guide from the magnetron ; a fifth step ( s 500 ) of comparing the number of pulses of the detected light and a pre - set reference number of pulses ; a sixth step ( s 600 ) of determining that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state when the number of pulses of the detected light is larger than the reference number of pulses according to a comparison result of the fifth step ; and a seventh step ( s 700 ) of changing the filament current such that the filament current is the same or smaller than a second current which is smaller than the first current . also , the method for controlling the electrodeless lighting system may further include : an eighth step ( s 260 ) of increasing a driving voltage of the magnetron such that it is as high as the reduced filament current and supplying the same . during the initial starting stage , the filament current of the pre - set first current or larger is applied to the filament and maintained ( s 200 ), and in the pre - set normal state , the filament current is changed to the second current , which is smaller than the first current , or smaller ( s 120 ). in this case , as the first current , 9 to 11 a may be used . namely , the maneuverability of the electrodeless lighting system is secured during the initial starting stage , and the slightly higher current of 9 to 11 a is applied to the filament within the magnetron 500 in consideration of diurnal variations such as a change according to temperature characteristics of the magnetron . and then , it is determined whether or not the duration in which the current of the first current or larger is applied exceeds the pre - set reference duration ( s 210 ). when the duration in which the current of the first current or larger is applied exceeds the pre - set reference duration , a high voltage is applied to the magnetron ( s 220 , and whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state by comparing the number of pulses . for example , when the reference duration is set to 4 seconds , and after four seconds has passed by , a high voltage is applied to the magnetron according to the second control signal . and then , the light is detected to determine whether or not the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state or has reached a stable lighting state . in other words , light according to microwave outputted from the magnetron is detected ( s 230 ), and the number of pulses of the detected light is compared with the pre - set reference number of pulses ( s 240 ). upon comparison , when the number of pulses of the detected light is greater than the reference number of pulses , it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system is in a normal state . here , the reference number of pulses may be set to vary depending on the characteristics of the electrodeless lighting system . when it is determined that the electrodeless lighting system has reached a stable lighting state , the filament current of the magnetron is reduced through the first control signal and a current of the second current or smaller is supplied ( s 250 ). here , as the second current , 4 to 7 a may be used . namely , the filament current of the magnetron is changed from a range of 9 to 11 a to a range of 4 to 7 a . accordingly , the frequency band of microwave outputted from the magnetron can be reduced and noise can be also reduced . namely , as shown in fig2 , when the filament current is reduced from 9 a to 6 a , nose in the regions a and c can be attenuated , the frequency band in the region b can be reduced , and a frequency interference with a wireless lan can be avoided . and then , the entire power applied to the magnetron is uniformly maintained . the driving voltage of the magnetron is increased to as high as the reduced filament current and supplied ( s 260 ). accordingly , a life span of the magnetron can be lengthened , noise can be reduced , and the operation efficiency of the electrodeless lighting system can be improved . as so far described , in the electrodeless lighting system and its control method according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention , during the initial starting stage , a large filament current of the magnetron is applied to stably drive the magnetron , and during a normal state operation , a reduced filament current is applied , thus avoiding communication interference with a wireless lan . also , because the filament current is changed to be smaller , the life span of the magnetron can be lengthened and noise can be reduced . in addition , instead of reducing the filament current of the magnetron , the high driving voltage applied to the magnetron is increased and supplied , thus improving the operation efficiency of the electrodeless lighting system . as the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the characteristics thereof , it should also be understood that the above - described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description , unless otherwise specified , but rather should be construed broadly within its scope as defined in the appended claims , and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims , or equivalents of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims . | 8 |
referring to fig1 , in one aspect of the invention , the diagram illustrates the basic implementation of the analog transmit and receive channels . a digital signal processor ( dsp ) used to close the scan , lock and track loops and analyze the data is shown . the dsp is particularly beneficial in this application as it provides a superior signal - to - noise ratio and enhanced fidelity or image clarity , provides very accurate crystal - based timing and is independent of temperature variations as compared to prior art analog circuitry . more specifically , with respect to the transmitter component of the invention , a square wave pulse from about 1 to about 3 mhz is generated by a clock in the dsp and is buffered by passing through amplifier 12 . the transmission pulse is delayed by delay 14 to synchronize the transmitter and receiver . delay 14 may be analog or digital and fixes the leading edge of the transmit signal with respect to the receiver being gated . the output of delay 14 is inverted at a high speed digital logic gate ( inverting amplifier ) 16 , the output of which is buffered by high speed transistor 17 . transistor 17 acts as a switch that turns on when a positive or relatively high voltage , e . g ., 3 . 3 volts , is received and turns off when the voltage is low or ground . in one embodiment , inverter 14 puts out either ground or 3 + volts . the output of transistor 17 is converted to a pulse by a capacitor 18 that functions as an open circuit for the slow speed signal or rising edge of the pulse wave , and as a short circuit for the high speed signal or falling edge . in this manner , capacitor 18 prevents passage of the low speed signal . capacitor 18 drives the shielded probe which forms a transmission line driven from the source impedance r 7 . the high speed edge continues along the transmit line into a probe 22 , which in one embodiment is shielded , where the source , characteristic and load impedances are optimized to produce large , clearly delineated reflections of various points in a fuel container such as the container bottom ( a ) and container top ( b ). the propagation time of the wave forms or reflections are directly dependent on the dielectric constant of the material being traversed . for example , the propagation time through air will be faster than through fuel because of the differences between the dielectric constants of air and fuel . additionally , the propagation time will be affected by the amount of fuel or other fluid in the container . a higher fuel content will lead to a slower return pulse . the depth and type of liquid and size of the container dictate the minimum propagation time and what frequency should be used for the transmitter and receiver rates . the frequency must allow time for the propagation of the transmit signal to the bottom of the container and return to the receiver . in one embodiment , the maximum frequency is used thus allowing integration of the maximum number of returns for good signal to noise ratio . the 1 - 3 mhz transmit cycle is constantly repeated in a substantially constant manner . turning to the receiver , the clock output is low pass filtered via resistor 30 and added to the dc signal from amplifier 42 so that the combined signal sets the threshold for comparator 28 . the amplifier output is inverted similar to the inversion performed by inverter 16 except without the preceding delay . the output is buffered by high speed transistor 29 and converted to a pulse by capacitor 26 that couples the high speed falling edge of the waveform to turn a switch 24 on and off . switch 24 may be implemented by either a fet switch 68 or a diode switch 70 . the result is a receiver gate signal synchronized to the transmit pulse but shifted in time depending on the dc signal from amplifier 42 . once switch 24 is closed , voltage sampling begins at probe 22 . a charge pump 23 is incorporated into the system to follow the transmitted and reflected signals . the sampling switch is closed for relatively short periods of time (& lt ; 1 nanosecond ) and shifted in picoseconds over about a 200 to about a 500 ms cycle depending on the length of the tube and reflection times . multiple samples are measured at almost the same time spot to insure a high signal to noise ratio . the charge pump includes a capacitor 60 and a resistor 62 . whether the charge pump is charged is dependent on the voltage of the received reflections . if positive voltages are received , the pump is charged . by sampling multiple times at the same spot , the relatively high frequency reflection is converted to a low frequency dc voltage signal that accommodates the limitations of the dsp . by reducing the frequency , rather than having to take measurements in nanoseconds or picoseconds , measurements can be made in milliseconds . with this configuration , sampling can be conducted in the same spot relative to the transmit pulse for a relatively long period of time by being shifted ( at a picoseconds rate ) each time the switch is turned on over this incrementally increasing time differential . sampling at other spots is accomplished by incrementally increasing the time gap between adjacent switch operation events . dsp 72 initiates the process of setting the time gaps . an initial command is sent by receiver gate 75 to an amplifier 42 via an integrate and limit algorithm 90 and a 12 bit pulse width modulator ( pwm ) 94 . the dc voltage passes to resistor 36 and a 2 pole low pass filter 37 that includes capacitors 34 and 40 and resistor 38 . the voltage is then buffered by amplifier 42 . the output voltage of amplifier 42 passes to a resistor 32 and is summed with the output of resistor 30 , the sum of which passes to comparator 28 . the first command sent results in the initial voltage into resistor 32 being 0 so that there is no time delay effect on the initial signal to switch 24 . the output of comparator 28 , which is inverted , passes to switch 44 and resistor 46 . simultaneously with the exception of the delay produced by delay 14 , the transmit line pulse travels to switch 48 and resistor 50 . the outputs from resistors 46 and 48 are summed and pass through a 2 pole low pass filter 55 that includes capacitors 52 and 56 and resistor 54 . the filtered dc signal is amplified by amplifier 58 and enters dsp 72 via a 12 bit a / d converter . the digitized signal is summed with the command from receiver gate control 75 and processed by the integrate and limit algorithm 90 . referring now to fig2 , with respect to the dsp operation and algorithms , the amplifier 58 dc output represents the time between when the transmit pulse begins and the receiver gate is started . this time is compared to the time commanded by receiver gate control 75 . the difference forms the error signal for the scan , lock and track loops . the error is input into the loop compensation ( sets the loop bandwidth ) shown in fig2 . the signal processing begins at start 110 . a timer 112 controls the operation . if the timer is ready , the a / d conversion begins at 114 . if not , the system loops back and tries again until timer 112 is ready . once the a / d conversion is complete , the signal from amplifier 58 ( represented as v p ) is put through a summation step 116 with the voltage command signal from receiver gate control 75 ( represented as v r ). the result v in is multiplied by a constant at step 118 and added at step 120 to the immediately preceding voltage output vout - 1 to produce vout . the magnitude of the resulting vout is checked at step 122 to determine its magnitude . if the magnitude is greater than a preselected limit , the vout is set to the selected limit at step 126 . if the vout is less than the selected limit , is passes to the pwm 94 . vout also loops back and is delayed at step 124 to be added to the next v in . the output of algorithm 90 is used to set the width of the pwm 94 dsp output and controls the time the receiver gate is started ( opened ) and ended ( closed ). the loop will drive the error to zero and thus track any or all return propagation times from the transmit time to the bottom of the container . in one illustrative embodiment , in scan mode , the receiver gate controller 75 output begins at zero time ( transmit ) and increases until the fluid level and the bottom of the tank / container are detected . once these times are known , the mode can be commanded to change to lock and track the propagation time ( distance ) with respect to a ) the top of the fuel level , b ) through the fluid between the top of the fluid and the bottom of the tank , and c ) the bottom of the container only . referring again to fig1 , the low frequency signals are buffered by amplifier 66 and input to the dsp 72 and into a 12 bit a / d converter 73 . the amount of filtering and amplification can be varied as is known in the art to optimize the tracking analysis . once the signal is digitized , it is processed through a low pass / high pass filter to shape the signal and remove any noise . referring to fig3 , the filter process begins at start 160 . a timer 162 controls the operation . if the timer is ready , the a / d conversion begins at 164 . if not , the system loops back and tries again until timer 162 is ready . after the conversion , a check is made as to whether the a / d conversion is complete at step 166 . if not , the system loops back and continues the conversion . once the conversion is complete , the digitized signal represented as vin is multiplied by a constant k 3 at step 170 . the result is put through a unit delay at 174 to produce k 3 vin - 1 . initially vin is put through a magnitude check at step 172 . if the magnitude is greater than a preselected maximum value , the vin is set to the vmax and exists to pulse shapers 76 and 78 as vout . if not , if passes to the pulse shapers 76 and 78 as vout . vout also loops back and is multiplied by constant k 2 at step 176 and put through a unit delay at 178 to become vout - 1 . k 3 vin is then added to vout - 1 and subtracted from k 3 vin - 1 . the result is again checked for magnitude at step 172 and passed out as vout . filters 76 and 78 ( shown in fig1 ) are used for gain adjustments to keep the returns in a linear region for analysis . the filters shape the pulses and pass the shaped pulses to comparators 86 and 88 , respectively . hi and low references 80 are put into the comparators . a transmit pulse is obtained (+) signal when the transmit pulse is larger than the high reference . a bottom tank pulse is obtained when the signal is lower than the low reference . the time between the two values is proportional to the amount of fuel in the tank . the more fuel , the larger the time separation will be . algorithm filter 92 ( also shown in fig1 ) is used to calculate the propagation time and determine the dielectric constant , the temperature and height and weight of the fluid , which is a function of the fluid . the range of these parameters is then used to determine if any harmful contaminates are present . fig4 a shows the calculations necessary to convert the signals into measurements of the height , weight and temperature of the fluid being monitored . measured receiver data and the results calculated thereof are shown in fig4 b . referring to fig5 , a series of tdr fuel probes can be used to monitor fuel levels in one or more fuel tanks found in a conventional aircraft wing . in one embodiment as shown , two independent systems having a plurality of probes connected to independent power sources and independent fuel quantity indicators are used to monitor fuel levels in separate fuel tanks such as left and right fuel tanks positioned in left and right wings , respectively , of a conventional aircraft . referring now to fig6 and 7 , plots are shown of readings taken from tanks with the novel coaxial probe system . fig6 shows readings taken from a tank half full with fuel . the points on the plot representing the air component and fuel or fluid component of the tank are labeled for clarity . for illustrative purposes , fig7 is provided to show readings taken from the same tank when essentially empty . while the present invention has been described in connection with several embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention . accordingly , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
examples of useful non - aqueous solvents having an electric resistance of higher than 10 9 ω · cm and a dielectric constant of less than 3 include such solvents as straight chain or branched aliphatic hydrocarbons , alicyclic hydrocarbons , aromatic hydrocarbons , and halogenated hydrocarbons . however , from the viewpoints of volatility , stability , toxicity , and odor , isoparafiinic petroleum solvents are suitable . preferable examples of such isoparaffinic petroleum solvents are isopar g , isoper h , isoper l , etc . ( trade names , made by esso chemical co .,). isopar g , isopar h and isopar l contain saturated hydrocarbons in an amount of 99 . 8 %, 99 . 3 %, and 99 . 5 % by weight , respectively , and aromatic hydrocarbons in an amount of 0 . 2 %, 0 . 2 %, and 0 . 2 % by weight , respectively . however , isopar h contains less than 0 . 5 % by weight of olefin . the boiling points of these liquids are 158 ° to 177 ° c . 174 ° to 189 ° c ., and 188 ° to 210 ° c . in general , any organic solvent can be used in the preparation of the resin particle dispersion used in this invention , provided that the solvent is miscible with the carrier liquid for the liquid developer . however , it is preferred to use the same solvent as the carrier liquid for the liquid developer and an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent such as hexane , octadecane , etc ., or the foregoing isoparaffinic petroleum solvent such as isopar g , isopar h , and isopar l . the polymer substantially soluble in these solvents ( hereinafter , such a polymer is referred to as the soluble polymer ) acts as a dispersion stabilizer when preparing resin particles by polymerizing the monomer represented by the general formula ( i ) in the aforesaid organic solvent to deposit a polymer which is insoluble with respect to these solvents ( hereinafter , such a polymer is referred to as the insoluble polymer ). when the aforesaid solvent is an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent , a polymer containing the alkyl ester having 4 to 18 carbon atoms of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 232 , 903 or the graft copolymer described in japanese patent publication no . 23350 / 65 can be used as the soluble polymer . practical examples of the soluble polymer include a polymer of a long chain alkyl ester such as the stearyl , lauryl , octyl , or 2 - ethylhexyl ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid ; a copolymer of the foregoing long chain alkyl ester and a lower alkyl ester such as the methyl , ethyl , or propyl ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid ; a copolymer of the foregoing long chain alkyl ester and a styrene derivative such as styrene , vinyltoluene , and α - methylstyrene ; a copolymer of the foregoing long chain alkyl ester and a vinyl monomer such as acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , ( diethylaminoethyl ) methacrylate , hydroxyethyl methacrylate , vinylpyrrolidone , vinylpyridine , diacetoneacrylamide , etc . ; and a graft copolymer preparing by grafting the aforesaid vinyl monomer to the long chain alkyl ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid as the skeleton polymer . examples of useful monomers constituting the resin particles used in this invention include monomers represented by general formula ( i ) described above ( homopolymers ) and monomers represented by general formula ( i ) and a 2nd monomer which is insoluble in the foregoing organic solvent before polymerization but becomes soluble in the organic solvent when the monomer is polymerized . when an aliphatic hydrocarbon or an isoparaffinic petroleum solvent is used as the foregoing organic solvent , it is preferred that the resin particles are composed of a copolymer of the monomer of general formula ( i ) containing the 2nd monomer . in particular , when in the monomer represented by general formula ( i ), r 1 and / or r 2 is an alkyl group having , for example , 3 to 18 carbon atoms , it is frequently necessary for the resin particles to be copolymers containing the 2nd monomer . examples of the 2nd monomer are a lower alkyl ester such as the methyl , ethyl , or propyl ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid ; a styrene derivative such as styrene , vinyltoluene , and α - methylstyrene ; and vinyl acetate . resin particles may be prepared by polymerizing the monomer of general formula ( i ) solely if the polymer formed is insoluble in the polymerization solvent . however , in order to impart a good positively charging property to the resin particles , which is one of the objects of this invention , the resin particles having a sufficient positively charging property can be obtained if the resin particles contain the 2nd monomer as the copolymer component and at least 0 . 1 mole %, preferably at least 1 . 0 mole % of the monomer shown by general formula ( i ). practical examples of the monomer shown by general formula ( i ) are ( dimethylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( diethylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dipropylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dibutylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dihexylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dioctylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dilaurylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( distearylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( dimethylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( diethylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( dipropylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( dibutylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( dihexylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( dioctylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( dilaurylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( ethylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( propylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( butylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( octylaminoethyl ) styrene , ( laurylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( n - methyl - n - phenylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( n - ethyl - n - phenylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( n - methyl - n - benzylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( n - ethyl - n - benzylaminomethyl ) styrene , ( morpholinomethyl ) styrene , ( morpholinoethyl ) styrene , ( piperidinomethyl ) styrene , ( piperidinoethyl ) styrene , and the like . the resin particles used in this invention are prepared by completely dissolving the soluble polymer which acts as a dispersing agent , the monomer represented by general formula ( i ), and , if necessary , the 2nd monomer which becomes insoluble in an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent by being polymerized and performing the polymerization with a known radical polymerization initiator such as benzoyl peroxide , azobisisobutyronitrile , etc . as the polymerization progresses , a polymer insoluble in the aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent ( the insoluble polymer ) precipitates to form fine resin particles by the dispersing action of the soluble polymer existing in the polymerization system . accordingly , there is formed a stable dispersion of the resin particles containing the structural recurring unit originated in the monomer represented by general formula ( i ). the ratio of the soluble polymer to the monomer is 1 to 1 / 100 by weight . there are no particular restrictions relating to the pigments and dyes used in this invention and generally known pigments or dyes such as carbon black , nigrosine , phthalocyanine blue , alkali blue , hansa yellow , benzidine yellow , quinacrine red , etc ., can be used . the liquid developer of this invention may further contain , if necessary , a known dielectric agent such as a metal salt of di - 2 - ethylhexylsulfosuccinic acid , a metal salt of naphthenic acid , a metal salt of a higher fatty acid , etc ., as well as other additives . the monomer of general formula ( i ) used in this invention can be prepared , for example , by the methods illustrated in the following synthesis examples . in 300 ml of toluene were dissolved 175 . 4 g of diethylamine and 152 . 5 g of chloromethylstyrene and the solution was heated to 60 °- 70 ° c . for 13 hours . as the reaction progressed , diethylamine hydrochloride precipitated . after filtering off the hydrochloride , the filtrate was washed with water , dried the layer containing toluene with sodium sulfate anhydride , concentrated , and after the addition of 1 g of di - tert - butylcatechol , the mixture was distilled under reduced pressure to provide 120 . 2 g of diethylaminomethylstyrene as a colorless liquid having a boiling point of 60 ° c ./ 2 mm hg . by following the procedures as in synthesis example 1 , the monomers shown by the following general formula were prepared by the reaction of chloromethylstyrene and each secondary amine : ______________________________________ ## str3 ## synthesisexample x______________________________________2 dibutylamino group3 dioctylamino group4 piperidino group5 morpholino group______________________________________ the foregoing monomer was prepared according to the method described in tsuruta et al ., makromol . chem ., 177 , 3255 ( 1976 ). in 100 ml of cyclohexane was dissolved 65 . 0 g of divinylbenzene ( a 55 % ethylbenzene solution of a mixture of m - divinylbenzene and p - divinylbenzene ) and after adding dropwise thereto an amine - amide complex composed of 64 . 5 g of di - n - butylamine and 25 mmoles of n - butyl lithium , the mixture was heated to 50 ° c . for 3 hours . to the reaction mixture was added 1 ml of methanol . after concentrating the mixture , 1 g of di - tert - butylcatechol was added to the residue , and then the resultant mixture was distilled under reduced pressure to provide 53 . 5 g of ( di - n - butylaminoethyl ) styrene ( a colorless liquid having a boiling point of 100 . 0 °- 101 . 0 ° c ./ 1 mm hg ). in a 500 ml glass vessel equipped with a stirrer , a reflux condenser , and a nitrogen inlet pipe were placed 400 g of isopar h , 200 g of lauryl methacrylate monomer , and 0 . 5 g of azobisisobutyronitrile and then the polymerization was performed at 80 ° c . for 6 hours with stirring under a nitrogen stream to provide polylauryl methacrylate at a polymerization rate of 95 %. in the vessel as used above were placed 200 g of isopar h , 40 g of methyl methacrylate monomer , 10 g of ( diethylamino ) styrene monomer , i . e ., the monomer prepared in synthesis example 1 , 0 . 25 g of azobisisobutyronitrile , and 30 g of an isopar h solution of aforesaid polylauryl methacrylate and the polymerization was performed at 70 ° c . for 6 hours with stirring under nitrogen stream to provide a white latex . the resin particles thus obtained showed good positively charging property . a liquid developer was prepared by diluting 3 g of the dispersion of the resin particles with 1 l of isopar h . a commercially available zinc oxide - coated paper was electrophotographically image - exposed , developed using the liquid developer thus prepared , fixed by heating , and then subjected to a hydrophilic treatment . when offset printing was performed using the electrophotographic printing sheet thus obtained , good prints were obtained . a dispersion of fine nigrosine particles was prepared by dispersing 10 g of the isopar h solution of polylauryl methacrylate used in example 1 and 10 g of nigrosine ( color index no . 50415 ) together with glass beads by means of a paint shaker for 90 minutes . a liquid developer was prepared by diluting 0 . 8 g of the nigrosine dispersion thus obtained and 3 g of the dispersion of the resin particles prepared in example 1 with 1 l of isopar h . a commercially available zinc oxide - coated paper was developed using the liquid developer thus prepared , fixed by heating , and then subjected to a hydrophilic treatment . when offset printing was performed using the electrophotographic printing sheet thus obtained , good prints were obtained . by following the same procedure as example 1 except that each of the monomers , ( dibutylaminomethyl ) styrene , piperidinomethylstyrene , and ( di - n - butylaminoethyl ) styrene prepared in synthesis examples 2 , 4 and 6 , respectively was used in place of the monomer prepared in synthesis example 1 , liquid developers were prepared . in a 500 ml glass vessel equipped with a stirrer , a reflux condenser , and a nitrogen inlet pipe were placed 400 g of isopar h , 160 g of lauryl methacrylate , 40 g of styrene , and 4 g of azobisisobutyronitrile and the polymerization was performed at 80 ° c . for 6 hours with stirring under a nitrogen stream to provide copoly ( lauryl methacrylate - styrene ) at a polymerization rate of 80 %. in the vessel as used above were placed 200 g of isopar h , 45 g of methyl methacrylate , 5 g of ( dioctylaminomethyl ) styrene , i . e ., the monomer prepared in synthesis example 3 , 0 . 25 g of azobisisobutyronitrile , and 30 g of an isopar h solution of foregoing copoly ( lauryl methacrylate - styrene ) and the polymerization was performed at 70 ° c . for 6 hours with stirring under nitrogen stream to provide a white latex . the resin particles obtained showed good positively charging property . 10 g of phthalocyanine blue ( color index no . 74160 ), 20 g of an isopar h solution of polylauryl methacrylate used in example 1 , and 10 g of isopar h were then dispersed together with glass beads by means of a paint shaker for 90 minutes to provide a phthalocyanine blue dispersion . a liquid developer was prepared by diluting 3 g of the foregoing latex and 0 . 8 g of the phthalocyanine blue dispersion with 1 l of isopar h . a commercially available zinc oxide - coated paper was developed using the liquid developer thus prepared , fixed by heating , and subjected to a hydrophilic treatment . when offset printing was performed using the electrophotographic printing sheet , good prints were obtained . by following the same procedure as example 5 except that ( dibutylaminomethyl ) styrene , the monomer prepared in synthesis example 2 was used as a monomer for preparing a white latex in place of the monomer prepared in synthesis example 3 , a liquid developer was prepared . by following the same procedure as in example 5 except that 45 g of styrene and 5 g of ( dibutylaminomethyl ) styrene monomer , the monomer prepared in synthesis example 2 were used as the monomers for preparing a white latex in place of methyl methacrylate and the monomer prepared in synthesis example 3 , a liquid developer was prepared . by following the same procedure as in example 5 except that 45 g of styrene and 5 g of ( di - n - butylaminoethyl ) styrene monomer , the monomer prepared in synthesis example 6 were used as the monomers for preparing a white latex in place of methyl methacrylate and the monomer prepared in synthesis example 3 , a liquid developer was prepared . while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . | 6 |
then , the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 a to 1c to fig3 a to 3b illustrate a female screw member according to the present invention . the female screw member ( valve shaft holder ) 1 has approximately similar configuration and function to the female screw member 61 illustrated in fig7 a to 7e . the female screw member 1 includes a female screw part 1 b provided with a female screw 1 a , and a fully closing stopper part ( fully closing fixing stopper for restricting the movement of valve body to a fully closing position of the valve ) 1 d projected on an upper face part of the female screw part 1 b . the female screw member 1 further includes a cylindrical part 1 c having a cylindrical space 1 j with a larger diameter than a screw diameter of the female screw 1 a coaxially formed with the female screw part 1 b at one end of the female screw part 1 b . the female screw member 1 yet further includes a fully opening stopper part ( fully opening fixing stopper for restricting the movement of valve body to a fully opening position of the valve ) 1 f projected downward from a lower face of the female screw part 1 b in the cylindrical space 1 j . a joint ring 2 is integrally provided with a lower end part 1 g via a projection 1 h . in other words , the fully opening stopper part 1 f is formed at a bottom part of the cylindrical part 1 c . the fully opening stopper part 1 f includes a contact face ( working face ) 1 k , which is formed in the rotating direction centering on a center shaft of the female screw 1 a , and is in contact with the fully opening lower stopper part 67 illustrated in fig7 a to 7b . the fully opening stopper part 1 f further includes a spiral inclination face ( a part of a ceiling face or bottom part of the cylindrical part 1 c ) 1 e , which gradually approaches the female screw 1 a side from a lower edge part of the contact face 1 k as clearly illustrated in fig3 b . the fully opening stopper part 1 f yet further includes a circumferential inner face 1 m positioned on the axial line side of the female screw part 1 a . the spiral inclination face 1 e can be represented as a line in this embodiment if the spiral inclination face is developed centering on the center shaft of the female screw 1 a . the spiral inclination face 1 e is continuously formed , until going in the rotating direction of the female screw from the lower edge part of the contact face 1 k and reaching again an upper end of the contact face 1 k ( a contacting face with the bottom part of the cylindrical part 1 c ) ( more specifically , until going by one round ). a height t of the contact face 1 k ( a length in the center shaft direction of the contact face 1 k ) is set to be equal to or smaller than a pitch p of the female screw 1 a . when the fully opening lower stopper part 67 is in contact with the fully opening stopper part 1 f , a rotation of the rotor 57 is forcibly stopped . the female screw member 1 is different from the female screw member 61 in the following respect . since an inner wall surface of the female screw member 1 is molded with one core , the fully opening stopper part 1 f includes the spiral inclination face 1 e and the circumferential inner face 1 m . in the other than this respect , the female screw member 1 has a similar configuration to the female screw member 61 . fig4 a to 4b and fig5 illustrate metal molds for molding the female screw member 1 . fig4 b is a cut - away perspective view taken by cutting the core 13 , molds 11 and 12 etc . along the centerline of the core 13 by a predetermined angle . in fig4 b , an area on the right side of the centerline and an area on the left side are illustrated with hatchings having different inclination angels even though these areas are within same parts , for easily understanding of the assembled state . furthermore , fig4 b illustrates a state that a resin is injected into gaps 11 a and 12 a from an injection port 11 b as described below . the mold is configured with an upper mold 11 , a lower mold 12 , and one core 13 . the upper mold 11 includes a gap 11 a for molding the female screw part 1 b side of the female screw member 1 and an upper part of the cylindrical part 1 c between the upper mold 11 and the core 13 . the upper mold 11 further includes an injection port 11 b of a resin r . the lower mold 12 includes a gap 12 a for molding the lower end part 1 g side ( a lower part of the cylindrical part 1 c ) of the female screw member 1 between the lower end 12 and the core 13 . the lower mold 12 further includes a ring - like housing part 12 b for insert - molding the joint ring 2 on an upper face . the core 13 includes the following parts so that the inner wall surface of the female screw member 1 can be formed by one core 13 . that is , the core 13 includes a male screw part 13 a for molding the female screw 1 a of the female screw member 1 at an upper part thereof , and a plane part 13 c for molding the contact face 1 k of the female screw member 1 . the core 13 further includes a spiral part 13 b for molding the spiral inclination face 1 e , which inclines continuously from a top end of the contact face 1 k and goes by one round , so that the fully opening stopper part 1 f of the female screw member 1 does not come to be an undercut . the core 13 yet further includes a cylindrical part 13 e for molding the cylindrical space 1 j of the female screw member 1 , and a projection 13 f extended at a lower end part . the projection 13 f is provided to rotate and pull out the core 13 after molding the female screw member 1 . after the joint ring 2 is housed in the housing part 12 b of the lower mold 12 by using the mold as illustrated in fig4 a to 4b , the upper mold 11 , the lower mold 12 , and the core 13 are assembled , and the resin r is injected from the injection port 11 b and is cured . then , the lower mold 12 is removed at first , and then the core 13 is removed from the female screw member 1 by rotating using the projection 13 f . as mentioned above , the height t of the contact face 1 k is set to be equal or smaller than the pitch p . thus , when the core 13 is pulled out , the spiral part 13 b of the core 13 is moved smoothly along the spiral inclination face 1 e of the female screw member 1 , or is moved gradually separating from the spiral inclination face 1 e according to the rotation of the core 13 . therefore , the fully opening stopper part 1 f does not come to be an undercut , and the core 13 can be pulled out easily . more specifically , when a portion on the downstream side in the rotating direction of the core 13 is set to be , for example , a vertical face ( a face vertical to the rotating direction ) in the fully opening stopper part 1 f as illustrated in fig1 a to 10b , the fully opening stopper part 1 f comes to be an undercut as mentioned above . however , the portion on the downstream side in the rotating direction of the core 13 in the fully opening stopper part 1 f is formed spirally in the same way of the movement when taking out the core 13 ( the movement of rotating and moving in the axial direction of the female screw ). thus , the undercut is not generated . in addition , the upper mold 11 can be removed anytime after the resin is cured . in the female screw member 1 produced by the aforementioned method , the fully opening stopper 1 f has the contact face 1 k and the spiral inclination face 1 e as illustrated in fig1 a to 1c . when the fully opening lower stopper part 67 illustrated in fig7 a to 7b is in contact with the fully opening stopper part 1 f , the rotation of the rotor 57 is forcibly stopped , and the motor operated valve 51 comes to be in a fully opening state . meanwhile , in the above description , the spiral inclination face 1 e is formed so that it goes around the center shaft of the female screw by one round from the lower edge part ( top end ) of the contact face 1 k and reaches again the upper end ( end part on the opposite side to the top end ) of the contact face . however , the present invention is not limited to this shape of the spiral inclination face 1 e . as described below regarding fig6 a to 6c , a flat part ( a plane face vertical to the center shaft of the female screw ) can be formed at a top end and / or a rear end of the spiral inclination face 1 e . fig6 a to 6c are explanatory diagrams illustrating a modified example of the spiral inclination face 1 e , explaining a state that the spiral inclination face 1 e is pulled out by using a development elevation of the spiral inclination face 1 e centering on the center shaft of the female screw 1 a . ( in fig6 a to 6c , a horizontal axis indicates a rotation angle of the female screw 1 a , and a vertical axis indicates the direction of the center shaft of the female screw 1 a . an inclination angle of the inclination face 1 e is illustrated with a little exaggeration .) fig6 a illustrates a modified example of the present invention . a flat part 1 x is provided at the top end of the spiral inclination face 1 e ( a contact part with the top end of the contact face 1 k ). in this case , as illustrated in fig6 a , when it is assumed that the female screw member 1 rotates according to a thread of the female screw 1 a ( a fully opening stopper before rotation is illustrated with a numerical symbol 1 f and a fully opening stopper after rotation is illustrated with a numerical symbol 1 f ′), the inclination angle of the spiral inclination face 1 e , the height of the contact face 1 k , the distance of the flat part 1 x , and the like can be suitably set so that the rotating spiral inclination face 1 e does not interfere with a spiral inclination face which is not rotating . in other word , if the core 13 is configured so as to obtain the inclination angle of the spiral inclination face 1 e , the height of the contact face 1 k , the distance of the flat part 1 x , and the like which are set as mentioned above , the core 13 can be taken out without interfering of the spiral part 13 b of the core 13 with the spiral inclination face 1 e of the female screw member when taking out the core 13 . fig6 c illustrates another modified example of the present invention . the flat part 1 x is provided at the top end of the spiral inclination face 1 e ( the contact part with the top end of the contact face 1 k ). in addition , a flat part 1 y is provided at a rear end of the spiral inclination face 1 e ( a contact with the lower end of the contact face 1 k ). in this example , when it is assumed that the female screw member 1 rotates according to the thread of the female screw 1 a , the fully opening stopper part 1 f is formed so that the rotating spiral inclination face 1 e does not interfere with a spiral inclination face which is not rotating . accordingly , the core 13 can be pulled out . fig6 b illustrates an example in which the flat parts 1 x and 1 y are provided at the top and rear ends of the spiral inclination face 1 e as shown in fig6 c . in this example , when it assumed that the female screw member 1 rotates according to the thread of the female screw 1 a , the rotating spiral inclination face 1 e interferes with a spiral inclination face which is not rotating . in this example , the core 13 interferes with the spiral inclination face 1 e when pulling out the core 13 , so that the core 13 cannot be pulling out . furthermore , the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned example in which the flat parts 1 x and 1 y are formed at the top end and / or the rear end of the spiral inclination face 1 e . the flat part can be formed at a middle part of the spiral inclination face 1 e . further , the spiral inclination face 1 e can have a plurality of inclination angles , or the development elevation can be formed so as not to be linear like the above examples but to be curved . in any example , when it is assumed that the female screw member 1 rotates in line with the thread of the female screw 1 a , the inclination angle of the spiral inclination face 1 e , the height of the contact face 1 k , and the like can be suitably set so that the rotating spiral inclination face 1 e does not interfere with a spiral inclination face which is not rotating . accordingly , the core 13 can be pulled out . when the spiral inclination face 1 e has a plurality of inclination angles or a continuous inclination angle , the core 13 can be pulled out by an angle equal to or larger than the maximum inclination angle . furthermore , the present invention is not applied to only the female screw member of the motor operated valve . if a female screw member includes a projection projecting in the direction of a center shaft of a female screw and having a working face in the rotating direction centering on the center shaft of the female screw , the present invention can be applied to any parts and products . in other words , the female screw member of the present invention is not limited to the screw member illustrated in fig1 a to 10 , and the female screw member can be a female screw member not having the cylindrical part 1 c configuring the cylindrical space 1 j . | 5 |
embodiments of the invention are generally directed towards a system for mounting a pv panel to a support structure such as a roof surface . the system can include a base portion assembly and a foot assembly for supporting a pv panel . the foot assembly may include a spring clip unit that when actuated from a first position to a second position with the base portion assembly , provides a boltless system for rigidly fixing the foot assembly to the base portion assembly in a sufficient manner to support the weight of one or more pv panels . advantageously , such a system requires little to no tools for installation , and hence installation time is greatly reduced over prior systems that require additional tools and bolting . the following description details some examples of such a system . fig1 a shows a system 100 for mounting a photovoltaic ( pv ) panel to a structure , such as a roof . the system 100 includes a base portion 102 having a plurality of raised portions , depicted here as rails 104 . here , three rails 104 are shown , although more or less may be provided . base portion 102 also includes passage 105 for mounting base portion 102 to a roof with a mechanical fastener , such as a lag bolt . base portion 102 is generally planer in shape with lateral edges 106 that raise base portion 102 above a mounting surface to help with drainage and clear obstacles . base portion 102 may be formed from an extrusion and as shown , include a plurality of passages to mitigate excess weight . the specific passages shown in the figures are exemplary only . more , fewer or different passage may incorporated into base portion 102 in various embodiments of the invention . each rail 104 generally has channels 108 formed within an a - shaped cross - section to provide a generally male interlocking shape for spring clip unit 110 , which is shown in detail at fig1 b . spring clip unit 110 includes foot 112 , which here is configured as an elongated body with a generally female cross - section that is complimentary with respect to rails 104 of base portion 102 , to enable the spring clip unit 110 to slide over rails 104 . foot 112 supports a pv module coupling device 114 adapted to engage the frames of at least two pv modules while maintaining a space in between them . elongated beam 124 leads to pv module mounting platform 126 that supports pv module coupling device 128 configured to couple together the frames of at least two photovoltaic modules . pv module coupling device 128 in fig1 a and 1b is a “ rock - it ” style connector manufactured by solarcity corp ., which is arranged to connect to respective frames of two adjacent pv modules . such a coupling device is described and illustrated , for example , in commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 615 , 320 , publication no . 2015 / 0155823 - a1 , the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety . however , system 100 is not limited to use of such a coupling device . a multitude of different styles of coupling devices are compatible with the system , for example , such as the coupling device 132 illustrated at fig4 , which depicts a clamping - style coupling device 132 with an upper and lower clamp arranged to clamp the top and bottom portions of a pv module . continuing with fig1 a and 1b , spring clip unit 110 includes first spring clip 116 having a wire - form structure forming lever portion 118 that extends laterally away from foot 112 . the wire - form structure also extends to first tab 120 and second tab 122 that extend through passages within the foot 112 . spring clip unit 110 also includes second spring clip 124 having a pair of bodies extending in cantilever from foot 112 and having sets of teeth angled downwardly towards the top of rail 104 , however , only one body can be used . the wire - form structure of first spring clip 116 also includes corner portions 126 that lay between lever portion 118 and first tab 120 and second tab 122 . the wire - form structure is formed such that corner portions 126 place compressive force against tapered sides 128 of foot 112 . hence , travel along tapered sides 128 causes corner portions 126 to narrow and widen with respect to each other , which causes first tab 120 and second tab 122 to narrow and widen in the same manner . in use , spring clip unit 110 is placed over rail 104 with lever portion 118 in a raised position , as shown at fig2 a and 2b . in this position , first tab 120 and second tab 122 are withdrawn within foot 112 , due to the corner portions 126 of the first spring clip 116 interacting with the tapered sides 128 of the foot 112 . the relative positioning of corner portions 126 with respect to the varying width of foot 112 causes first tab 120 and second tab 122 to spread relatively wide , and hence forcibly away from one another . as seen in fig2 c and 2d , moving lever portion 118 downward causes first tab 120 and second tab 122 to move inward due to the relative thinning of the width of foot 112 with respect to the corner portions 126 , as corner portions 126 move upward along the tapered walls 128 of the foot 112 . this causes first tab 120 and second tab 122 to simultaneously narrow and rotate , and thereby frictionally interlock with channels 108 of rail 104 , and thus prevent relative movement between spring clip unit 110 and base portion 102 . advantageously , locking spring clip unit 110 may be performed manually without the use of tools . in various embodiments , the ends of first tab 120 and second tab 122 may be shaped ( e . g ., tapered , cammed , and / or beveled ) to assist in this motion . here , first tab 120 and second tab 122 are tapered and beveled , although that is not required . in addition , second spring clip 124 is preloaded against the rail 104 to help prevent relative vertical movement between spring clip unit 110 and base portion 102 , as well as to provide an electrical ground path between pv module coupling device 114 and base portion 102 . fig3 shows double spring clip unit 130 , which is structurally similar to spring clip unit 110 shown at fig1 b . the difference between spring clip unit 130 of fig3 and spring clip unit 110 of fig1 a , 1b , and 2 is that the foot 112 b is longer and provisioned for an additional levered first spring clip 116 to allow for spanning over the passage 105 in base portion 102 , and thus over a lag bolt penetrating through the base portion 102 . also , because foot 112 b is longer than foot 112 and has two clamps that engage channels 108 , foot 112 b may provide a relatively stronger connection to base portion 102 . fig4 shows a plurality of systems 100 mounted to a roof and supporting a plurality of pv panels . as shown , base portion 102 may advantageously be utilized to support more than one spring clip unit , although supporting more than one is not necessary . while system 100 is shown mounted to a sloped composite shingle roof , system 100 may be used on a variety of other structures . the use of the terms “ a ” and “ an ” and “ the ” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention ( especially in the context of the following claims ) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural , unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context . the terms “ comprising ,” “ having ,” “ including ,” and “ containing ” are to be construed as open - ended terms ( i . e ., meaning “ including , but not limited to ,”) unless otherwise noted . the term “ connected ” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within , attached to , or joined together , even if there is something intervening . recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range , unless otherwise indicated herein , and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein . all methods described herein may be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . the use of any and all examples , or exemplary language ( e . g ., “ such as ”) provided herein , is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed . no language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non - claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention . preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein , including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention . variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description . the inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate , and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . accordingly , this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law . moreover , any combination of the above - described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . | 7 |
the polymers of this invention have a backbone to which are attached pendant modified nicotinamide residues which are covalently bonded to a carbon of the backbone through the ring nitrogen of such nicotinamide . quite diagramatically , the polymers may be represented as ## str2 ## where represents a polymer backbone . in one sense , any polymeric backbone providing a covalent source of attachment to the ring nitrogen of the modified nicotinamides used in this invention are suitable . however , we have found it advantageous to use homopolymers and copolymers of styrene containing functionalized methyl group at its 3 or 4 position , i . e ., styrenes of the structure ## str3 ## the functionalized methyl group of the styrenes react with the ring nitrogen of the nicotinamides used herein , thus serving as one terminus of the covalent attachment . the group y is most often a halogen , excluding fluorine , but may be any other group which can be replaced in a nucleophilic substitution by the ring nitrogen of nicotinamides . thus , y also may be a sulfonate ester , such as the mesylate or p - toluene sulfonate ester , activated carboxylate esters , such as p - nitrobenzoate , 2 , 4 - dinitrobenzoate , and other leaving groups too well known in nucleophilic displacement reactions to require extensive description . the homopolymers may arise from a functionalized 3 - or 4 - methylstyrene itself or from a substituted 3 - or 4 - methylstyrene . such substituents may appear at the alpha - position , i . e ., r 1 is different from h , or the substituents may be on the ring . where an alpha - substituent , r 1 , is present it is usually an alkyl group , especially a lower alkyl group containing up to about 5 carbon atoms . where a ring substituent , x , is present the only requirement is that it be inert both in the context of polymerization and in the context of the chemical properties of the resulting polymer . examples of such substituents include alkyl groups , halogens , alkyl ethers , aryl ethers , tertiary amines , and quaternary amines . where the polymeric backbone of this invention is a copolymer of styrene , the styrene conforms to the description given above and the copolymer may be any vinyl monomer , r 2 r 3 c ═ ch 2 . the exact nature of the vinyl monomer is unimportant except to the extent that it be capable of forming a copolymer with the styrene used . examples of suitable copolymers include ethylene , propylene , 1 , 1 - dichloroethylene , acrylonitrile , the acrylates , vinyl toluene , vinyl chloride , and so forth . the materials which form the polymeric backbone of this invention may be crosslinked where it is desired that the final polymeric product of this invention be insoluble . the resulting copolymers , i , without regard to extent of crosslinking , are ## str4 ## where , for reasons to be elaborated upon within , a is an integer from 1 to 4 , preferably 1 or 2 , and b is an integer from 2 to 8 , better from 3 to 7 , and best from 4 to 6 where a is preferably 2 and at least 4 where a is preferably 1 , and r 2 , r 3 are independently selected from the group of r 1 and halogen . other materials suitable as the polymeric backbone of this invention are copolymers of a vinyl monomer , as described above , and stilbene or acenaphthylene containing a functionalized methyl group at an appropriate position . the resulting structures of these materials are iia and iib , respectively . ## str5 ## where a is an integer up to 3 , but most preferably 1 , and b is an integer from 3 to 7 , and preferably from 4 to 6 . ## str6 ## attached to the polymer backbone is a heterocycle which is a nicotinamide residue , or an aromatic ring system incorporating the pyridine nucleus and bearing mono - or disubstituted carboxamido groups at the 3 - or 3 , 5 - positions relative to the pyridine ring nitrogen , with the attachment being by a covalent bond between an atom of the polymer backbone and the nitrogen atom of the pyridine ring system . the purpose of the functionalized methyl group on the aromatic residues of the polymeric backbones described above is to provide a reactive center which engages in the aforementioned bonding . in the simplest case the heterocycle is nicotinamide itself , 3 - pyridylcarboxamide , where the amide is either monosubstituted or disubstituted , ## str7 ## r 5 is not equal to h if r 4 is equal to h . another heterocycle which may be used in this invention is the diamide of 3 , 5 - pyridinedicarboxylic acid where each amide is at least monosubstituted , ## str8 ## r 5 ≠ h if r 4 = h . fused ring systems incorporating the pyridine nucleus also may be used in the practice of this invention . examples include the mono - or disubstituted amides of 3 - quinolinecarboxylic acid , 4 - isoquinolinecarboxylic acid and 4 , 6 - isoquinolinedicarboxylic acid . in the carboxamide groups present at the 3 - or 3 , 5 - positions , relative to the ring nitrogen , of the aromatic heterocycles of this invention r 4 , r 5 are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl or substituted alkyl groups subject to the constraint that not more than one of r 4 , r 5 is hydrogen and at least one of the alkyl or substituted alkyl groups has a chiral center adjacent to the nitrogen , i . e ., it is bonded to the amide nitrogen via a chirotopic carbon atom . examples which are to be emphasized are illustrative only , of suitable r 4 , r 5 groups which may be alkyl , cycloalkyl , aralkyl , and substituted derivatives thereof , include 1 - phenylethyl , 1 -( 1 - phenyl ) propyl , 1 -( 1 - naphthyl ) ethyl , 1 -( 2 - naphthyl ) ethyl , menthyl , 1 - carbamoylethyl , 1 -( 1 - carbamoyl ) propyl , 1 -( 1 - carbamoyl - 2 - methyl ) propyl , 1 -( 1 - carbamoyl - 2 - phenyl ) ethyl , 1 -( 1 - carbamoyl - 3 - methyl ) butyl , 1 -( 1 - carbomethoxy - 3 - methyl )- butyl , 1 -( 1 - carbamoyl - 2 - p - methoxyphenyl ) ethyl , and so on . the groups r 4 and r 5 also may be part of a cyclic system which incorporates the amide nitrogen . examples of such systems include pyrrolidines and piperidines generally , especially ## str9 ## where n is 1 or 2 and r &# 39 ; is an alkyl group , especially a lower alkyl containing up to about six carbon atoms , or an aralkyl moiety , and such diverse ring systems as 1 , 3 - diazacyclopentane , 1 , 3 - diazacyclohexane , 1 , 4 - diazacyclohexane , 1 - oxa - 4 - azacyclohexane , 1 - thia - 3 - azacyclopentane , 1 - thia - 3 - azacyclohexane , and so forth . particularly favored are those materials where at least one of r 4 , r 5 is a residue of an alpha - amino acid ester , especially those of naturally occurring amino acids . that is , h 2 nr 4 or h 2 nr 5 is an ester of an alpha - amino acid where h 2 n is the amino group of the acid . for example , where alanine is the alpha - amino acid r 4 =-- ch ( ch 3 ) co 2 ch 3 ; using the methyl ester to illustrate this case . the use of alpha - amino acids is especially favored in the case of monosubstituted amides , i . e ., r 4 is hydrogen , so that -- nhr 5 is an alpha - amino acid ester minus a hydrogen of the amino group . in the usual case the alpha - amino acid ester will be that of a naturally occurring d - or l - amino acid , because of their greater availability . however , it should be apparent that our invention is not restricted to such alpha - amino acids , and that in fact it encompasses all alpha - amino whose amino carbon is chirotopic . examples of suitable amino acids include alanine , arginine , asparagine , aspartic acid , cysteine , cystine , 3 , 5 - dibromotyrosine , 3 , 5 - diiodotyrosine , glutamic acid , glutamine , histidine , hydroxylysine , hydroxyproline , isoleucine , leucine , lysine , methionine , phenylalanine , proline , serine , threonine , thyroxine , tryptophane , tyrosine , phenylglycine , and valine . where the heterocycle has two carboxamido groups at the 3 , 5 - positions relative to the ring nitrogen atom , a cyclic structure incorporating the amino groups is preferred . this is exemplified in the structure below which uses pyridine as the ring system for convenience only . ## str10 ## the residue -- nh -- w -- co 2 -- is that of an alpha - amino acid as described above , preferably a naturally occurring one , where h (-- nhwco 2 --) h is said amino acid . therefore , these materials are cyclic esters of 3 , 5 - dicarboxylic acid amides where each amide arises , at least conceptually , from an alpha - amino acid . lysine , phenylalanine , and valine are especially favored amino acids in this branch of the invention . the group designated as u is a spacer ; i . e ., it functions only to maintain a desired spatial relationship in the resulting macrocyclic ring system . among suitable groups which may function as the spacer may be mentioned polymethylene , ( ch 2 ) p , where p is an integer from about 4 to about 10 ; a polyoxyethylene , -- ch 2 ch 2 ( och 2 ch 2 ) q --, where q is 2 or 3 ; and the entities ## str11 ## where r and s are integers such that r + s is from 2 to about 6 . where the amide functionality is not part of a macrocyclic system , the heterocyclic rings ideally occur in pairs with the minimum spacing possible between them , each pair being separated by approximately 5 vinyl monomeric units . where the amide functionality is part of a macrocyclic ring system , it is best that the heterocyclic ring system of the polymer be separated by at least about 4 vinyl monomeric units . to summarize , using homopolymers and copolymers i as the polymeric backbone and nicotinamide to exemplify a monoamide of a heterocyclic ring system , the polymers of this invention would have the structure , ## str12 ## where a = 2 , b = 4 - 6 in the preferred case , with a being an integer from 1 to 4 , and b being either zero ( homopolymers ) or an integer from 2 to 8 in the general case . where the polymeric backbone is i and the heterocyclic aromatic amide is a dicarboxylic acid amide incorporated into a macrocyclic structure , the polymers of this invention would have the structure , ## str13 ## where a = 1 and b is an integer at least 4 , where the polymeric backbone is iia , and the heterocyclic amide is exemplified by a nicotinamide , the polymers of this invention have the structure ## str14 ## where in the preferred case a is 1 and b is an integer from 4 - 6 . where the polymeric backbone is iib , and the heterocyclic amide is exemplified by a nicotinamide , the polymers of this invention have the structure ## str15 ## where in the preferred case a is 1 and b is an integer from 4 - 6 the reduced form of the polymer is the hydrogen transfer agent in the process of this invention . the reduced form of the polymer is the 1 , 4 - addition product of hydrogen and is exemplified by the following reaction , where ○ p represents the polymer backbone used in this invention . ## str16 ## any reagent affording the desired 1 , 4 - addition product may be used in the formation of the reduced form of the polymers of this invention . perhaps the best reagents are the dithionite salts , especially sodium dithionite . preparation of the reduced form is relatively straightforward and can be effected by reacting a solution of the polymer with an aqueous solution of a suitable dithionate salt . in the presence of certain metal cations the reduced form of the polymer will reduce the carbonyl group of ketones , aldehydes , and α - ketoesters , the thiocarbonyl group of thioketones , thioaldehydes , and α - thioketoesters , and the imino group of imines and α - iminoesters to alcohols , α - hydroxyesters , thiols , α - thiolesters , amines , and α - aminoesters , respectively . because the polymer in its reduced form has a chiral center near the active site , the reduction is asymmetric , i . e ., the products are optically active where introduction of a chiral center accompanies reduction . where r 4 or r 5 is from an l - amino acid derivative , which has the s configuration , the product will have the s configuration . the cations which may be used in the practice of this invention include the divalent cations of magnesium and zinc for the reduction of the carbonyl or thiocarbonyl groups , and the monovalent cation of lithium for the reduction of imines . the purpose of the metal is to complex with the nitrogen of the amide groups of the polymer and the oxygen , sulfur , or nitrogen of the carbonyl , thiocarbonyl , or imino group to be reduced . in the absence of the metal cations reduction occurs quite slowly . where the polymers have an acyclic amide system about two molar proportions of monovalent cation and one molar proportion of divalent cation is needed for complete or near complete complexation . where the amide is incorporated in a macrocyclic ring system , about one molar proportion of the monovalent dication and 0 . 5 molar proportion of the divalent cation are needed . in all cases molar proportions are relative to the heterocyclic aromatic amide units in the polymer . although complete complexation is not necessary , usually it is desirable to have enough metal ion present to complex with a substantial portion of the amide , a substantial portion generally being at least about 30 % of the maximum . complexation usually results by merely contacting an aqueous or partly aqueous solution of the cation with the reduced form of the polymer . the substrates of this invention are organic materials having reducible carbonyl , thiocarbonyl , or imino groups associated with aldehydes , ketones , α - ketoesters , thioaldehydes , thioketones , α - thioketoesters , imines , and α - iminoesters , respectively . such functional groups are reduced to alcohols , thioalcohols , and amines . the sole limitation is that the redox potential of the functional group being reduced and its counterpart be less than the redox potential of the polymer and its reduced form . on occasion this limitation can be used advantageously in the selective reduction of a mixture of organic materials having reducible functional groups , where the redox potential of the polymer - reduced polymer couple is such as to reduce only one , or some small number , of substrates in the mixture having reducible groups , leaving the remaining organic substrates unchanged . the process of this invention may be effected by contacting the reduced form of the polymer complexed with an appropriate divalent metal cation with a solution of the organic substrate containing the reducible functional group in a nonaqueous but water - miscible organic solvent otherwise inert under the reaction conditions . examples of such organic solvents include alcohols , nitriles , dimethylsulfoxide , hexamethylphosphoramide , dimethylformamide , dimethylacetamide , n - methylacetamide , tetrahydrofuran , tetrahydropyran , and dioxane , to cite but a few . the reduced form of the polymer always will be insoluble in the organic solvents of this invention . however , the polymer itself may be either soluble or insoluble , a distinction which may influence the details of the reduction process . for example , if the polymer is soluble it is first converted to the reduced form by contact with a solution of a suitable dithionate salt , such as sodium dithionite . the reduced form then is collected and complexed with an appropriate metal cation by contacting the reduced form with a sufficient amount of an aqueous solution of a metal cation to complex a substantial portion of the amide functions in the polymer . after any excess of solution containing the metal cation is removed , the reduced and complexed form of the polymer is contacted with a solution of the organic substrate in a nonaqueous but water - miscible organic solvent . as the reaction proceeds the mixture tends to become homogeneous by conversion of the insoluble , reduced form of the polymer to the soluble polymer itself . the reduction products are then separated from the polymer by conventional means , which normally entails insolubilizing the polymer . often this is done by the addition of small amounts of water to precipitate polymer while leaving the reduced organic substrate in solution . solids are then removed , and from the filtrate there is recovered the reduced organic material by suitable means as by distillation , fractionation , and so forth . where the polymer itself is insoluble reductions may be performed using the polymer in its reduced form as a bed in a semicontinuous regenerative process . for example , a bed of the polymer may be transformed to its reduced form by passing through the bed sufficient quantity of a solution of , for example , sodium dithionite to effect more or less complete 1 , 4 - addition . after excess dithionite solution is drained , the bed may be contacted with a solution of metal cation to complex at least a substantial portion of the amide groups present . thereafter , a solution of the organic substrate in a nonaqueous but water - miscible organic solvent may be passed through the column at a rate to effect complete or near complete reduction of the reducible functional groups born by the organic substrate . the solution of organic material also may contain sufficient divalent metal cation to replace that which may otherwise be leached from the column during reduction . the effluent is then collected and the reduced organic substrate separated therefrom by conventional means , as by distillation , solvent fractionation , and so forth . the examples given below are intended to be illustrative only and are not to be construed as limiting the invention in any way . n -(( s )- α - methylbenzyl ) nicotinamide : 14 . 2 g ( 0 . 10 mols ) of nicotyl chloride in 200 ml of methylene chloride was charged into a 500 ml round bottom flask equipped with condenser , addition funnel , thermometer , drying tube , n 2 - purge and magnetic stirrer , and to the cooled ( 5 ° c .) stirred reaction mixture was added dropwise over a 3 hour period a 100 ml methylene chloride solution of 15 . 0 g ( 0 . 124 mols ) of ( s )- α - methylbenzylamine and 35 ml of triethylamine . the stirred reaction mixture was warmed to 25 ° c . over a 16 hour period . the solvent was stripped from the reaction mixture under vacuum and the resulting white solid was digested with 660 ml of 1 . 1m hcl . the aqueous solution was treated with norit and filtered , then neutralized to ph 7 . 0 with sodium carbonate . this solution was washed twice with methylene chloride , the washings were combined and then washed three times with a sodium bicarbonate solution and twice with water . the organic solution was dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated under vacuum to yield a yellow oil . the product was crystallized from benzene to yield 12 . 1 g ( 0 . 054 mols ), m . p . 88 °- 89 ° c . bis ( s - phenylalanine )- 3 , 5 - pyridine - dicarboxamide : 150 ml of a 2n sodium hydroxide solution was charged into a 500 ml round bottom flask equipped with condenser , addition funnel , thermometer , and magnetic stirrer . to the stirred cooled ( 15 ° c .) solution was added 14 . 52 g ( 8 . 80 × 10 - 2 mols ) of l - phenylalanine , and the solution was then cooled to 5 ° c . to the stirred reaction mixture was added , dropwise over a 1 . 5 hour period at 5 ° c ., 200 ml methylene chloride containing 7 . 60 g ( 4 . 0 × 10 - 2 mols ) of 3 , 5 - pyridine dicarboxylic acid chloride . after the reaction mixture was stirred for 1 hour at 5 °- 10 ° c ., it was transferred to a separatory funnel and the organic phase was separated . the aqueous phase was washed with methylene chloride and then acidified to ph 4 . 0 with formic acid with formation of a white crystalline solid . after isolation and purification , the product yield was 16 . 78 g ( 3 . 64 × 10 - 2 mols ). [ 4s -( 4s *, 15s *)]- 4 , 15 - bis ( phenylmethyl )- 2 , 5 , 14 , 17 - tetraoxo - 6 , 13 - dioxa - 3 , 16 , 20 - triazabicyclo -[ 16 . 3 . 1 ] docosa - 1 ( 22 ), 18 , 20 - triene : a mixture of 4 . 62 g ( 1 . 00 × 10 - 2 mols ) of bis ( s - phenylalanine )- 3 , 5 - pyridinedicarboxamide and 3 . 60 ( 1 . 10 × 10 - 2 mols ) of cesium carbonate were suspended in 400 ml of dmf ( freshly distilled ) in a 1 liter 4 - neck round bottom flask equipped with condenser , addition funnel , thermometer , drying tube , nitrogen purge and magnetic stirrer . the stirred reaction mixture was gently heated to 50 ° c . and then a 125 ml dmf solution of 2 . 55 g ( 1 . 05 × 10 - 2 mols ) of 1 , 6 - dibromohexane was added dropwise over a 4 hour period . the reaction mixture was maintained at 50 ° c . with stirring for 64 hours . the cooled reaction mixture was concentrated under vacuum . the yellowish oil was dissolved into 300 ml of water and 300 ml of methylene chloride . the organic phase was separated , dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum . after recrystallization from methylene chloride ether the product yield was 0 . 90 g ( 1 . 66 × 10 - 3 mols ). 1 -( vinylbenzyl )- 3 -(( s )- α - methylbenzylcarbamoyl )- pyridinium chloride : a 100 ml methanol solution containing 2 . 26 g ( 1 . 00 × 10 - 2 mols ) of n -(( s )- α - methylbenzyl ) nicotinamide was charged into a 250 ml round bottom flask equipped with condenser , addition funnel , drying tube , nitrogen purge and magnetic stirrer . to this stirred reaction mixture was added , dropwise over a 10 minute interval , 50 ml of a methanol solution containing 1 . 53 g ( 1 . 00 × 10 - 2 mols ) of chloromethylstyrene . the solution was stirred for 24 hours at 25 ° c ., then was concentrated under vacuum to afford solid which was recrystallized from methanol to yield 3 . 40 g ( 8 . 98 × 10 - 3 mols ) of product . poly [ 1 -( vinylbenzyl )- 3 -(( s )- α - methylbenzylcarbamoyl )- pyridinium chloride - styrene ]: 3 . 40 g ( 8 . 98 × 10 - 3 mols ) of 1 -( vinylbenzyl )- 3 -(( s )- α - methylbenzylcarbamoyl )- pyridinium chloride , 10 . 4 g ( 5 . 00 × 10 - 2 mols ) of styrene and 0 . 05 g of aibn in 200 ml of ethanol were charged into a 500 ml round bottom flask equipped with condenser , drying tube , and magnetic stirrer . the reaction mixture was refluxed for 24 hours . the polymer was coagulated from solution by addition to water . the polymer was washed and then dried overnight in vacuum desiccator to afford 7 . 0 g of polymer . the activity of the polymer , i . e ., nad content , was examined by its ability to reduce methylene blue after treatment with sodium dithionite . to 0 . 50 g of polymer suspended in 50 ml of water in a 250 ml round bottom flask equipped with nitrogen purge and magnetic stirrer was added 40 ml of a 4 . 08 × 10 - 1 m sodium dithionite , 3 . 69 × 10 - 1 m potassium carbonate solution ( co 2 saturated ). the polymer took on a yellow color immediately and was stirred for 10 minutes at ambient temperature . the reduced polymer was collected by filtration and washed repeatedly with water until washings failed to reduce methylene blue indicator solution . the polymer was suspended in a solution of 25 ml water , and 10 ml ethanol in a 250 ml round bottom flask equipped with nitrogen purge and magnetic stirrer . this reaction mixture was titrated with a 7 . 81 × 10 - 3 m methylene blue solution . the nadh 2 activity was 0 . 9 mequiv / g polymer . poly [ 20 -( vinylbenzyl )-([ 4s -( 4s *, 15s *)]- 4 , 15 - bis ( phenylmethyl )- 2 , 5 , 14 , 17 - tetraoxo - 6 , 13 - dioxa - 3 , 16 , 20 - triazabicyclo [ 16 . 3 . 1 ] docosa - 1 ( 22 ), 18 , 20 - triene )- styrene ] resin : 50 . 0 g of poly ( styrylmethylene chloride ) resin , 2 . 0 % crosslinked , 1 meq cl / g was cleaned by washing with 2 - butanone and then twice with 200 ml of a 5 % hcl solution in 2 - butanone . the resin was washed with 2 - butanone until washings were nonacidic ( ph 6 . 0 ). the resin was dried overnight in a vacuum oven at 60 ° c . the above resin , 3 . 0 g , was suspended in 50 ml of dry dioxane in a 500 ml round bottom flask equipped with condenser and drying tube . to the above solvent swollen polymer was added 0 . 9 g ( 1 . 66 × 10 - 3 mols ) [ 4s -( 4s *, 15s *)]- 4 , 15 - bis ( phenylmethyl )- 2 , 5 , 14 , 17 - tetraoxo - 6 , 13 - dioxa - 3 , 16 , 20 - triazabicyclo [ 16 . 3 . 1 ] docosa - 1 ( 22 ), 18 , 20 - triene . the reaction mixture was heated under reflux for four days . the cooled reaction mixture was filtered and the resin washed with p - dioxane and then dried overnight . the activity of the polymer was assayed with methylene blue as in above example ; nadh 2 activity 0 . 4 mequiv / g of polymer . generation and use of nadh 2 mimic : the nadh 2 mimic polymer can be utilized in either a batch or continuous ( bed ) process . the generation of the active nadh 2 moiety from the nad species and its subsequent use are identical , differing only in how the coenzyme mimic is implemented in use . the reduction of the nad moiety of the polymer to the nad 2 moiety can be effected by treating the polymer as follows in an inert atmosphere ( i . e . n 2 , co 2 , etc .). nad - containing polymer , 3 . 00 g , was treated first with 50 ml of water containing 0 . 50 g of benzyltrimethylammonium chloride at 25 ° c . for 0 . 5 hours . to this reaction mixture was added a 40 ml aliquot of aqueous 4 . 08 × 10 - 1 m sodium dithionite , 3 . 69 × 10 - 1 m potassium carbonate . after 10 minutes of treatment the aqueous solution was removed and the polymer washed with water until washings fail to reduce methylene blue indicator . the polymer was then washed with acetonitrile to remove water . to the acetonitrile treated nadh 2 containing polymer may be added 50 ml of acetonitrile containing 0 . 5 or 1 . 0 equivalent of magnesium perchlorate for the acyclic and cyclic nadh 2 mimics , respectively . after 45 minutes 0 . 50 g of methyl benzoylformate may be added to the reaction mixture and either stirred with the polymer or pumped over the polymeric resin bed . after approximately 24 hours the nad containing polymer may be washed with acetonitrile , the nadh 2 moiety may be regenerated , and the reaction medium reintroduced . this process may be repeated until substrate ( i . e . methyl benzoylformate ) is completely reduced , based on nadh 2 activity of polymer . acetonitrile solution may be concentrated under vacuum to yield product after workup . | 2 |
fig1 shows an exemplary cross - sectional side view of a multiphase flow meter 100 having eis sensors 160 within a pipe 200 in one embodiment of the invention . pipe 200 can be , for example , any type of hollow conduit . in one exemplary embodiment , multiphase flow meter 100 can comprise a centrally located plug 150 that can comprise a nose 152 , a body 155 and a tail 158 . the nose 152 is oriented to face the oncoming flow and can be conical in shape such that the narrowest portion of the nose 152 extends outwardly from the multiphase flow meter 100 to a forward end 105 , while the widest portion of the nose 152 is connected to the body 155 . the body 155 can be cylindrically shaped and can extend from the nose 152 to the tail 158 . the tail 158 can also be cylindrically shaped and can extend out into the direction of the flow to a rearward end 110 . the shapes of nose 152 , body 155 and tail 158 can be chosen to create desired flow characteristics within the pipe 200 . additionally , the nose 152 , body 155 and tail 158 can all be integrally connected . plug 150 can be made of , for example , stainless steel , inconel , other exotic metals , ceramic , or plastic . the material used can be chosen based on various considerations , including its resistance to corrosion and its electrical insulative properties . located proximate the forward end 105 of the plug 150 can be two or more forward struts 130 . forward strut 130 can be a supportive structure , for example a cylindrical rod , that can be fixably attached to the outer surface of the plug 150 . forward strut 130 can extend radially with respect to the outer surface of the plug 150 a distance as required by the diameter of the pipe within which the multiphase flow meter 100 is intended to operate . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , forward strut 130 can extend at an acute angle α towards the rearward end 110 with respect to the outer surface of the plug 150 . the end of forward strut 130 opposite the end attached to the plug 150 can be fixably attached to a forward skid end 142 of skid 140 . skid 140 can be made of for example , stainless steel , inconel , other exotic metals , ceramic , or plastic that is shaped to fit within the inner diameter of the pipe within which the multiphase flow meter 100 is intended to operate . the material used can be chosen based on various considerations , including its resistance to corrosion and its electrical insulative properties . skid 140 can be of the same diameter and thickness as that of the forward strut 130 , or it can be bigger or smaller depending on a given application . opposite the forward skid end 142 of skid 140 is a rearward skid end 145 , such that the skid 140 connects the forward strut 130 to a corresponding rearward strut 135 . the rearward skid end 145 is fixably attached to the rearward strut 135 , which extends towards the plug 150 and is fixably attached to the outer surface of plug 150 proximate the rearward end 110 . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , rearward strut 135 can extend from the surface of plug 150 towards the forward end 105 at an acute angle β with respect to the outer surface of the plug 150 . the rearward strut 135 can be the same design and structure as that of the forward strut 130 , such that the forward strut 130 and rearward strut 135 act to support the skid 140 a distance from plug 150 that is determined by the diameter of the pipe 200 within which it is placed . forward strut 130 and rearward strut 135 can be made of , for example , stainless steel , inconel , other exotic metals , ceramic , or plastic . the material used can be chosen based on various considerations , including its resistance to corrosion and its electrical insulative properties . together , forward strut 130 , skid 140 and rearward strut 135 comprise a strut assembly 120 . two or more strut assemblies 120 can be attached to the surface of plug 150 such that the strut assemblies 120 work to center the plug 150 within pipe 200 . both forward strut 130 and rearward strut 135 can be made flexible such that the strut assembly 120 is allowed to flex between a maximum radial distance from the surface of the plug 150 defined by the fully extended length of the forward strut 130 and rearward strut 135 , and a radial distance closer to the surface of the plug 150 , made possible by the flexure of the forward strut 130 and rearward strut 135 . the maximum radial distance of the strut assembly 120 is determined by the largest size diameter pipe within which the multiphase flow meter 100 is designed to operate . the flexibility of the strut assemblies 120 allows the multiphase flow meter 100 to be moved through a pipe of one diameter into a pipe having a smaller diameter , as is often necessary in downhole applications . fig2 is an exemplary cross - sectional side view of a multiphase downhole meter after it has been moved from a pipe of one diameter into a pipe of narrower diameter in one embodiment of the invention . as the pipe 200 diameter decreases , the strut assemblies 120 flex inwardly towards to surface of the pipe to accommodate the narrower diameter , as required in many downhole applications . with reference again to fig1 , an inner surface 147 of skid 140 is located on the surface of the skid 140 facing the plug 150 . on inner surface 147 can be one or more electrical impedance spectroscopy ( eis ) sensors 160 , which can allow the multiphase flow meter to perform multiphase flow measurements that not only determine the flow rate , but the states of matter comprising that flow . eis sensors 160 can be placed on the inner surface 147 of multiple strut assemblies 120 such that the eis sensors 160 have a substantially equidistant spacing around the circumference of the pipe 200 . in other embodiments , the eis sensors can be spaced apart in only a portion of the inner pipe 200 circumference . in still further embodiments , eis sensors can be placed on the plug 150 , forward struts 130 or rearward struts 135 or combinations thereof . fig3 is an exemplary cross - sectional view of a flow facing end of a multiphase flow meter 100 in a pipe 200 in one embodiment of the invention . with reference to fig1 and 3 , two or more strut assemblies 120 can be attached to the outer surface of the plug 150 in any chosen radial pattern such that the skids 140 of the strut assemblies 120 are pressed against the inner wall of the pipe 200 to position the plug 150 in the center of the pipe 200 . flexibility of the strut assemblies 120 further allows the plug 150 to maintain a central location within a given pipe diameter as the diameter of the pipe changes . fig4 is an exemplary cross - sectional side view of a multiphase flow meter 100 having eis sensors 160 , ultrasonic transmitter 170 , ultrasonic receiver 180 , and pressure sensors 190 in a pipe 200 in one embodiment of the invention . additional sensing instrumentation can be optionally installed on multiphase flow meter 100 to provide measurement and analysis of additional environmental parameters in the downhole environment . for example , ultrasonic transmitters , receivers and / or transducers can be installed on multiphase flow meter 100 to determine flow rate using ultrasonic transit time or doppler frequency shift techniques . as shown in fig4 , an ultrasonic transmitter 170 can be located on the plug 150 , along with a corresponding ultrasonic receiver 180 in order to obtain ultrasonic transit time measurements from which the flow rate can be determined . in other embodiments , an ultrasonic transducer can be located on plug 150 instead of an individual transmitter or receiver . in still further embodiments , ultrasonic instrumentation can be located on any of the forward struts 130 , the rearward struts 135 , or the skid 140 . as shown in fig4 , one or more pressure sensors 190 can be located along the plug 150 in order to determine flow rate using differential pressure techniques . in other embodiments , pressure sensors 190 can be located on any of the forward struts 130 , the rearward struts 135 , or the skid 140 . other instrumentation that can be located on any of the forward struts 130 , the rearward struts 135 , or the skid 140 can include thermal sensors and torsional densitometers . fig5 shows an exemplary cross - sectional view of a flow facing end of a multiphase flow meter 100 having multiple sensors in a pipe 200 in one embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the shape of plug 150 can be chosen to accommodate various design needs . in one exemplary embodiment , the shape of plug 150 can form a venturi , such that the forward end 105 of nose 152 can gradually increase in diameter in the direction of the rearward end 110 , reach a maximum diameter , and then gradually decrease in diameter until it fixably attaches to the end of the body 155 closest to the forward end 105 . the body 155 of plug 150 can extend towards the rearward end 110 and have a constant diameter less than the average diameter of the nose 152 . the end of the body 155 facing the rearward end 110 can be fixably attached to the forward end 105 facing end of tail 158 . tail 158 can gradually increase in diameter in the direction of the rearward end 110 , reach a maximum diameter , and then gradually decrease in diameter until it reaches the rearward end 110 . the diameters and geometries of the nose 152 , body 155 and tail 158 can be chosen to accommodate particular design needs and to produce chosen characteristics in the flow . the nose 152 , body 155 and tail 158 of plug 150 can be constructed out of a single , continuous piece of material , and together they can form a venturi such that the plug 150 creates two narrowings of the cross sectional surface area of the pipe 200 , separated by an expansion area having a greater cross sectional surface area . additional narrowings and expansions can be added to plug 150 to produce additional flow characteristics , for example through the use of a dual venturi shape . the gradual narrowing and expanding diameters of the nose 152 and tail 158 form sloped surfaces on plug 150 . instrumentation , for example , eis sensors , ultrasonic emitters , transmitters and / or transducers , pressure sensors , and thermal sensors , can be located on the sloped surfaces of plug 150 such that the instrumentation can be angled relative to the flow direction without creating a large flow disturbance . additionally , the instruments can be angled in such a way as to minimize particle impact and buildup from the flow , thereby enhancing the longevity and accuracy of the instruments . this written description uses examples to disclose the invention , including the best mode , and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention , including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods . the patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims , and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art . such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims , or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims . | 6 |
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