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referring to the drawings and particularly to fig1 to 4 , an automatic lubrication assembly 10 is illustrated consisting generally of a one - piece clear plastic integral base and cup 12 with an inlet fitting 13 and an insert molded outlet fitting 14 , a one - piece plastic plunger and stem 16 slidable in the cup biased by a coil compression spring 18 , and a removable translucent plastic closure cap 20 . the one - piece plastic base and cup member 12 is generally cup - shaped in configuration and constructed of a clear plastic such as clear polysulfone that permits the visual inspection of the lubrication level within the reservoir defined by the interior of the cup . base and cup member 12 generally includes a bottom wall 21 with a projecting annular wall 38 . the bottom wall 21 has a forwardly projecting annular boss 22 and a rearwardly projecting annular boss 23 surrounding and engaging the outlet fitting 14 . the interior of the bottom wall 21 is depressed at 25 forming a radial semi - annular projection 26 with a radial bore 27 into which the metal inlet fitting 13 is pressed by conventional plastic insertion techniques . lubricant supplied to the inlet fitting 13 from a conventional lubrication source flows through depression 25 into cup reservoir 30 forcing plunger and stem 16 rearwardly in the cup . the outlet fitting 14 is an elongated tubular steel member that is insert molded in the cup and base 12 and serves to rigidify cup and base 12 and also to guide the piston and stem 16 throughout its length of movement . the outlet fitting 14 has an enlarged central bore portion 31 that guides the piston and also acts as a flow passage for lubricant passing through the outlet fitting , and it communicates with a reduced bore portion 33 that forms the outlet orifice for the lubricator . outlet fitting 14 has a reduced threaded end 34 for attaching the lubricator to the machine to be lubricated . as seen clearly in fig4 the outlet fitting 14 has an elongated tubular body portion 35 in contiguous engagement with bosses 22 and 23 and it has an axial length almost half the length of the integral base and cup member 12 . also , the fitting portion 35 extends upwardly into cup reservoir 30 over thirty percent of the axial length of the cup and substantially rearwardly of the axial position of the inlet fitting 13 , which is actually positioned below the bottom wall 21 of the cup , and these relationships provide increased strength for the cup and base member 12 against transverse or radial loading applied by the operator to the inlet fitting 13 during the filling operation . the annular wall 38 forms the cup and reservoir portion of the base and cup member 12 . interior surface 39 of wall 38 is formed by a core that produces a draft angle of several degrees on wall 39 . this draft angle provides slightly decreasing diameters in the cup moving forwardly from the open end toward the bottom wall 21 . this reverse draft angle produces tighter piston sealing when the plunger is near its forward position illustrated in fig4 where normally sealing is difficult because spring force and lubricant pressure at at a minimum in this position . the plunger and guide 16 is a one - piece rigid plastic molding constructed of an injection moldable plastic such as polypropylene , although other plastics may be found suitable as well . plunger 16 is rigid in the sense that it has a shore a durometer above 85 , and preferably about 90 . as seen in fig4 the plunger 16 includes a central forwardly extending slightly tapered guide portion 42 extending from a first inner bellows portion 43 that defines a deep forwardly extending recess 44 to receive and accommodate the base boss 23 and outlet fitting portion 35 when the piston is in its forward most position . an outer reverse bellows 46 is connected to bellows 43 and forms a deep rearwardly opening annular recess 4 that receives and forms a spring seat for coil compression spring 18 . bellows 46 , as seen more clearly in fig9 and 10 , has a rearwardly and outwardly extending rigid frusto - conical wall 50 having a fowardly and outwardly extending lip support portion 51 extending therefrom . a forwardly and outwardly extending lip 52 projects from the support portion 51 and is defined by parallel frusto - conical side walls 53 and 54 connected by an inclined forward wall 56 . the side walls 53 and 54 are sufficiently close together , on the order of 0 . 020 inches , so that the lip 52 is flexible and is compressed radially inwardly when the plunger is inserted into the cup 38 , as seen in fig9 . the extreme outer diameter of the lip 52 in its relaxed position , as seen in fig1 , is some 0 . 020 inches larger than the largest diameter ( near the open end ) of the inside of the cup . this eliminates the need for any separate seals for the plunger . fluid pressure in the reservoir 30 acts on lip walls 53 and 56 to assist in sealing the lip 52 against inner wall 39 . plunger guide stem 42 has a brass guide 58 staked to its forward end and it is generally rectangular in configuration , as seen in fig7 to permit the free flow of lubricant through the guide bore 31 while at the same time maintaining sliding contact with the bore at all times . the bore 31 has a sufficient length so that guide 58 engages the bore throughout the length of stroke of the plunger and this maintains the transverse plane of the plunger lip 52 completely perpendicular to the axis of the lubricator in all positions of the plunger so that there is no cocking or tilting of the plunger 16 at any time . the open end of the base and cup 12 is closed by the removable cap 20 which is constructed of a translucent plastic , sometimes referred to as &# 34 ; contact clear &# 34 ; plastic . nylon has been found suitable for cap 20 but other translucent plastic materials may work as well . cap 20 has a shallow cup - shaped configuration with a bottom wall 60 and an annular side wall 61 with four bayonet connector projections 62 extending radially inwardly that cooperate with and lock against four bayonet connector projections 63 extending radially outwardly from the periphery of cup wall 38 . cover 20 has a central circular recess 80 that receives the plunger bellows 43 to reduce the overall length of the cup and base member 12 for a given effective reservoir capacity . as seen more clearly in fig5 and 6 , the cup projections 63 each have a forward ( rotationally ) camming surface 65 , a locking recess 66 and a stop shoulder 67 . each of the cap projections 62 has a locking tab 69 corresponding in length to the locking recess 66 so that it fits and locks in the recess , and a stop shoulder 70 that abuts against stop shoulder 67 when the cap is in its locked position . the bayonet projections 62 and 63 are illustrated in their locked position in fig5 and 6 . to release the connectors , the cap 20 is depressed against the biasing force of the compression spring 62 freeing projection 69 from recess 66 , and then rotated counterclockwise moving projection 62 to the right of projection 63 as viewed in fig6 . once the projections 62 are circumferentially clear of projections 63 cap 20 may be removed . to replace cap 20 , the cap is pressed against spring 18 and the cap is moved forwardly until bottom wall 60 engages cup rear wall 72 with the projections 62 between the projections 63 . then the cap is rotated clockwise engaging projection shoulders 70 with camming surfaces 65 which serves to pull the projections 62 axially forwardly under the projections 63 until the rotational position is reached where the locking projections 69 are aligned with the locking recesses 66 and the stop shoulders 70 engage the stop shoulders 67 at which time spring 18 will snap the locking projections 69 into the recesses 66 , locking the entire cap against movement , either rotationally or axially . as seen clearly in fig5 and 9 , an overflow slot 75 is provided in cup wall 39 adjacent the open end of the cup . slot 75 is formed by the same core that forms the cup interior and hence it requires no special machining . the slot 75 is positioned so that the plunger seal lip opens the slot to the reservoir when the plunger is in its its rear - most position shown in fig9 permitting grease to pass out of the reservoir in the direction of the arrows indicated in fig9 through slot 75 , and exit the cup through a clearance 77 between the rear wall 72 of the cup and the cap 20 . automatic lubrication assembly 10 also provides a visual &# 34 ; spot &# 34 ; indicator to tell the operator when the reservoir has reached its full mark during lubricant filling . toward this end , the plunger 16 carries a vinyl foam disc 78 with a plastic red colored film 79 bonded to its upper surface that is wetted with a small amount of lubricant to improve its visibility . when the plunger 16 reaches its end of rear stroke position illustrated in fig8 during the filling operation , disc 78 compresses against the inside of the translucent &# 34 ; contact clear &# 34 ; cover 20 , providing a visible indication or spot illustrated in fig1 on the top of the cover , plainly visible to the operator telling him that the grease level in the reservoir has reached its full mark . | 5 |
hereinafter , preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail referring to the following drawings . fig4 shows a cross - sectional view of a transistor according to a first embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig4 , a gate insulating layer 60 is formed on a bottom surface of a groove or trench 56 that is formed by etching a portion of a substrate 50 to a predetermined depth , and a gate electrode 62 a is formed on the gate insulating layer 60 . first sidewall spacers 58 are formed in the groove 56 , and spacers 58 extend along both sides of the gate electrode 62 a in upper direction . source / drain regions comprise low concentration diffusion regions 64 and heavy concentration diffusion regions 68 formed in the substrate 50 adjacent opposed sides of the groove 56 . second sidewall spacers 66 are formed at outer walls of the first sidewall spacers 58 , covering the low concentration diffusion regions 64 . in addition , silicide layers 68 g , 68 s , and 68 d can be respectively formed on top portions of the gate electrode 62 a , the source region and the drain region . the silicide layers 68 s and 68 d are formed adjacent to the second sidewall spacers 66 . in the conventional structure , source and drain regions partially overlap with the gate electrode . as a result , currents through the transistor may leak due to a gidl phenomenon . however , in the above - described transistor structure according to the invention , the gate electrode 62 a is formed in and / or on the groove 56 of the substrate , and the first sidewall spacers 58 are formed at inner sidewalls of the groove 56 . accordingly , source and drain regions can be formed not to overlap with the gate electrode 62 a . fig5 to 8 are cross - sectional views illustrating a method for forming a transistor according to the first embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig5 , a buffer insulating layer 52 comprising an oxide material is formed on a substrate 50 ( e . g ., silicon dioxide formed by conventional chemical vapor deposition or thermal growth ), and then a mask layer 54 is formed on the buffer insulating layer 52 . the mask layer 54 can comprise a silicon nitride layer . the buffer insulating layer 52 lessens or eliminates stresses applied to the substrate by the mask layer 54 ( e . g ., silicon nitride ). in the case where the mask layer 54 comprises or consists essentially of an insulating material having a low stress to the substrate , such as silicon oxide , etc ., the buffer insulating layer 52 can be omitted . referring to fig6 , the mask layer 54 and the buffer insulating layer 52 are etched , and then a portion of the substrate 50 is etched , thus forming a groove or trench 56 having a predetermined depth , and preferably , substantially vertical sidewalls and a substantially horizontal lower surface having a width ( or length ) of at least a critical dimension ( e . g ., a minimum feature size of the technology used for manufacturing the device ). the groove 56 can be formed in a suitable depth , considering thicknesses of the gate insulating layer 60 and source / drain regions ; e . g ., the predetermined depth may be equal to or greater than a depth of the source / drain regions ( or the depth of the low concentration regions of the source and drain ). referring to fig7 , a spacer insulating layer is formed on the mask layer 54 by conformal deposition of an insulating material ( e . g ., a low - pressure chemical vapor deposition process using teos , or tetraethyl orthosilicate ), and then it is anisotropically etched to form first sidewall spacers 58 extending along the inner walls of the groove 56 ( i . e ., the inner walls of the substrate 50 and the mask layer 54 ). in addition , the gate insulating layer 60 is formed on the exposed substrate between the first sidewall spacers 58 , generally by conventional thermal oxidation ( e . g ., when the exposed substrate surface comprises or consists essentially of silicon ), although deposition of a suitable gate dielectric material and densification thereof ( e . g ., by rapid thermal annealing ) may also be suitable ( in which case a slightly thinner layer of insulating material may be deposited for the first sidewall spacers 58 ). comparing with a conventional structure in which a gate insulating layer may be damaged by plasma during patterning of a gate electrode , the gate insulating layer 60 is formed on the exposed portion of the substrate between first sidewall spacers 58 so that etch damage can be prevented . next , a conductive layer 62 for a gate electrode is formed on the gate insulating layer 60 , filling the groove 56 ( e . g ., an opening in the mask layer 54 ). the conductive layer 62 can comprise a polysilicon layer , and further a metal layer or a metal silicide layer can be formed thereon ( preferably after subsequent planarization ; see , e . g ., fig8 and the discussion thereof below ). subsequently , as shown in fig8 , the conductive layer 62 is planarized on the mask layer 54 ( e . g ., by conventional chemical mechanical polishing or conventional etch back ) to form a gate electrode 62 a on the gate insulating layer 60 in the trench 56 . the top surface of the mask layer 54 is exposed by the planarization , and then the exposed mask layer 54 beside the gate electrode 62 a is removed ( e . g ., by selectively etching the mask layer 54 relative to the other exposed materials ; when the mask layer 54 comprises or consists essentially of silicon nitride , conventional wet etching with phosphoric acid may be employed ). thus , portions of first sidewall spacers 58 and the gate electrode 62 a protrude over the substrate 50 ( e . g ., its uppermost surface ). afterward , one or more n - type dopants ( e . g ., as ) or p - type dopants ( e . g ., bf 2 ) are implanted in the substrate 50 , thus forming low concentration diffusion regions 64 adjacent to the first sidewall spacers 58 . low concentration diffusion regions 64 can also be considered as lightly doped drain ( ldd ) structures . in the first embodiment , the first sidewall spacers 58 at both sides of the gate electrode 62 a are partially buried in the substrate 50 by a depth corresponding to the depth of the groove 56 , which can prevent overlap of the low concentration diffusion regions 64 with the gate electrode 62 a . thereafter , second sidewall spacers 66 can be further formed at exposed outer walls of the first sidewall spacers 58 , in order to form source / drain regions . then , one or more n - type dopants ( e . g ., p ) or p - type dopants ( e . g ., b ) are implanted in the substrate , thus forming heavy concentration diffusion regions 68 aligned with the second sidewall spacers 66 . fig8 shows a source / drain structure where heavy concentration diffusion region 68 is formed deeper than low concentration diffusion region 64 . alternatively , the source / drain regions can comprise a ddd structure where low concentration diffusion regions 64 are formed deeper than heavy concentration diffusion regions 68 . low and heavy concentration diffusion regions functions as a source or drain region of a transistor . continuously , the exposed buffer insulating layer 52 is removed , and then silicide layers 68 s , 68 d , and 68 g are respectively formed on the source region , the drain region , and the gate electrode 62 a by a typical silicidation process , as shown in fig4 . the silicide layers 68 s and 68 d are automatically separated by second sidewall spacers 66 . the silicide layers can be respectively formed on a whole surface of source or drain region , in order to further reduce the electrical resistance of the source or drain region . fig9 shows a cross - sectional view illustrating another embodiment of a method for forming a transistor according to the present invention . this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment ; however , it provides a transistor structure without second sidewall spacers 66 . referring to fig9 , after forming low and heavy concentration diffusion regions 164 and 168 on the substrate 150 , the second sidewall spacers 66 as shown in fig8 are removed . in order to remove the second sidewall spacers while retaining the first sidewall spacers 158 , it is preferable that the first sidewall spacers 158 comprise or consist essentially of a material having a high etching selectivity relative to the material for the second sidewall spacers . when the outer walls of the first sidewall spacers 158 are exposed by removal of the second sidewall spacers , a silicidation process may be performed to form silicide layers 168 s , 168 d , and 168 g on the source region , the drain region , and the gate electrode 162 a , respectively . the silicide layers 168 s and 168 d are formed on both the heavy and low concentration diffusion regions 168 and 164 , thus further reducing the electrical resistance of the source / drain regions relative to the transistor shown in fig4 and / or 8 . while the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
the rolling closure 1 , as shown in fig1 and 2 , includes a hinged door 3 made from a plurality of hinged slats 5 wound on a drum 7 rotatably mounted an axle 9 . the closure 1 is mounted at the top of an opening 11 in a wall 13 . side frames 15 are mounted on each side of the opening 11 on the wall 13 and an end plate 17 is mounted on top of each frame 15 . the end plate 17 is offset , as shown at 18 in fig2 , to have a portion 19 spaced a short distance from the side of the opening . the axle 9 is rotatably mounted in slots 20 in the off set portion 19 of the end plates 17 to extend between the plates . a guide 21 on top of each frame 15 guides the side 23 of the hinged door 3 into an inside groove 25 running the length of the frame 15 . to control the movement of the door 3 a tension coil spring 27 is normally mounted over the axle 9 within the drum 7 with one end 29 of the spring mounted on the axle 9 and the other end 31 mounted to the drum 7 . the tension of the spring 27 is adjusted during installation so that the spring winds up during movement of the hinged door 3 off the drum 7 to close the opening making it easier to raise the door during opening of the opening 11 . a tensioning unit 37 is employed to be able to adjust the tension of the spring 27 . the tensioning unit 37 , as shown in fig3 , has a ratchet wheel 39 fixedly mounted on the axle 9 adjacent the inside of the end plate 17 . the ratchet wheel 39 has uniformly spaced - apart teeth 41 about its periphery as shown in fig4 and 5 . each tooth 41 has an initial straight surface portion 43 leading from the previous tooth to a curved surface portion 45 moving radially away from the center of the wheel 39 and terminating in a stop edge 47 that extends radially inwardly to the start of the straight surface portion 43 of the next adjacent tooth . there is slot 49 extending into the tooth from the bottom of the stop edge 43 , the bottom of the slot 49 aligned with the straight surface portion 43 of the next tooth . the tensioning unit 37 includes a stop member 51 . the end plate 17 mounts a stop member 51 in a vertical , t - shaped , slot 53 , the stop freely movable vertically in the slot 53 . the stop 51 , as shown in fig6 , has a laterally projecting tab 54 that normally interferes with a stop edge 47 on a tooth 41 on the ratchet wheel 39 when the stop 51 is at the bottom of the slot 53 . the stop tab 54 enters the slot 49 on the tooth 41 . the stop tab 54 prevents the wheel 39 , and thus the axle 9 , from rotating counter clockwise , when viewing the wheel from the drum side , and thus unwinding the spring 27 while it is tensioned . the stop 51 has an upper tab 55 above the stop tab 54 , both tabs joined by a back plate 56 . the tab 55 is shorter than the stop tab 54 . the tabs 54 , 55 are wider than the stem 57 of the slot 53 , almost as wide as the cross - bar 58 of the slot 53 . both tabs 54 , 55 have groves 59 , 60 in their sides intermediate their ends for receiving the end plate 17 to retain the stop slidably on the end wall . the stop 51 is mounted in the slot 53 by inserting the stop tab 54 through the cross - bar portion 58 of the slot 53 until its grooves 59 are aligned with the end plate 17 and then dropping onto the end plate to slide down the stem 57 of the slot 53 . there is a little play between the grooves 59 and the end plate 17 allowing the stop to be slid down the stem with the upper tab 55 adjacent the outside surface of the end plate 17 . once the upper tab 55 reaches the cross - bar portion 58 , it is passed through it to align its grooves 60 with the end plate 17 and then the stop 51 is further dropped down to have the end plate 17 running through both tabs 54 , 55 to retain the stop slidably within the slot 53 . the tensioning unit 37 further includes an elongated lever 61 , as shown in fig7 , mounted loosely on the axle 9 between the ratchet wheel 38 and end plate 17 . the lever 61 is in the form of a narrow plate and has an elongated slot 63 adjacent one end 65 through which the axle 9 passes . the slot 63 allows the lever 61 to rotate about the axle 9 and also to move radially with respect to the axle 9 . the other end 67 of the lever 61 carries a tubular receiver 68 . the lever 61 has a laterally projecting tab 69 bent out from about the middle of the lever intermediate its ends 65 , 67 . the lever tab 69 is located so it can be abutted against the stop edge 45 of one of the teeth 41 on the ratchet wheel 39 when the lever 61 is manipulated by an operator , and more particularly , so it can enter the slot 49 at the bottom of the stop edge 45 . in use , when the spring 27 is to be tensioned , an elongated rod 71 , or the like , is inserted by an operator into the receiver 68 on the lever 61 , the lever normally hanging down from the axle 9 . the rod 71 is used to manipulate the lever 61 on the axle 9 by rotating it and moving it radially so the lever tab 69 carried by it rests in the slot 49 in the stop edge 47 of a selected tooth 41 on the ratchet wheel 39 . the operator then rotates the lever 61 clockwise , as shown by the arrow ‘ a ’ in fig4 , about the axle 9 while keeping the tab 69 abutted against the stop edge 47 , and in the slot 49 , to rotate the ratchet wheel clockwise to tighten the spring 27 . as the ratchet wheel 39 rotates , so does the axle 9 , tightening the spring against the inertia of the drum 7 and the hinged door 3 on it . the rotation of the ratchet wheel 39 also causes the stop member 51 to ride up the curved part 45 of the next tooth adjacent to it , as shown by the arrow ‘ b ’, until the stop 51 reaches and passes the stop edge 47 of the tooth to drop down and locate its stop tab 54 in slot 49 in the stop edge 47 o f the tooth . the stem 57 of the slot 53 is high enough to prevent the top tab 55 from normally reaching the cross - bar 58 as the stop 51 rises . having the stop tab 54 in the slot 49 prevents the spring 27 from unwinding and allows the operator to disengage the lever 61 from the tooth it initially engaged with and move it back to the next adjacent tooth to repeat the process if needed . if the tension in the spring 27 needs to be reduced , the operator can slightly rotate the ratchet wheel 39 with the lever 61 to withdraw the stop tab 54 from the slot 49 in the tooth and then merely push the stop 51 upwardly with another bar to have it clear the stop edge 45 . the operator then releases the lever 61 allowing the ratchet wheel 39 to rotate counter clockwise one tooth while simultaneously releasing the stop 51 to drop to engage the next tooth , to reduce tension in the spring . the tensioning unit is compact allowing it to be mounted inside the end plate and still clear of the hinged door . with the unit between the end plates , the closure can be mounted in tight places with at least one of the end plates tight in a wall corner if needed . the unit is easy to use . only one person is required to tension the spring and the tensioning can be done from the ground . having the lever 61 located between the end plate and the ratchet wheel causes it to act as a washer reducing wear between the ratchet wheel 39 and the end plate 17 . the drum 7 for supporting the closure can be constructed to mount elements such as the motor in if more easily . to this end the drum 7 is extruded with the inner surface 75 of the wall 77 of the drum provided with mounting channels 79 at spaced - apart locations along the length of the drum as shown in fig8 . three channels are shown but two or four could be provided . the elements to be mounted within the drum , such as a motor 81 , have projecting tabs 83 about their circumference allowing the element to be slid into the drum with the tabs 83 entering the channels 79 to keep the element from rotating within the drum . the element can be slid into the drum the required distance guided by the channels and then locked in place by one or more screws 85 passed through the wall 77 of the drum into one of the channels 79 and the tab 83 in the channel . the drum 7 also has mounting means 91 on the outer surface 93 of the wall 77 for mounting the hinged door thereon more easily . the mounting means 91 has a shallow depression 95 formed in the wall 77 of the drum to receive the male hinge end 97 of the end slat 5 a of the door 3 . the depression 95 extends across the width of the drum . the depression has an overhang 99 on one side 101 to help retain the end 97 of the slat within the depression . the overhang 99 and the side 101 of the depression are shaped to form part of the female hinge end 103 of a slat so as to snugly receive part of the male hinge end 97 . the overhang 99 forms part of a flat section 105 of the wall 77 of the drum that extends generally tangentially away from the depression 95 . the flat section 105 is wide enough to receive about half of the width of the panel portion 107 of the end slat 5 a . the weight of the door hanging down the one side of the drum pulls the male end 97 of the end slat 5 a tight into the depression 95 , the male end 97 held in place by the overhang 99 . the end slat 5 a extends generally tangentially away from the depression 95 with the female hinge end 103 positioned relatively close to the wall 77 of the drum . the door is easily mounted on the drum by merely sliding the male hinge end 97 into the depression under the overhang 99 . the wall 77 of the drum leaving the flat section 105 follows a spiral curve moving gradually radially away from the center of the drum as it returns to the other side of the depression 95 . the gradual enlarging of the drum around its periphery allows the hinged door 3 to be smoothly wound about the drum . | 4 |
the present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments . it is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only ; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed . the present invention is considered to excite the relatively higher order operation mode of the ring antenna by using the aperture couple , so as to improve the single - directional radiation pattern of the aperture coupled microstrip antenna in the present fundamental mode . however , the aperture couple method according to the prior art can not always achieve the efficient impedance in the relatively higher order operation mode of the excited ring antenna . in order to overcome the difficulty , the feed line is adjusted in the present invention , the current phase distribution of the feed line is matched to the current distribution of the ring antenna . therefore , the relatively higher order operation mode of the efficient excited ring antenna is obtained and the boardband result is successfully reached . please refer to fig3 , which is a structural diagram showing a microstrip antenna in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . in fig3 , a microstrip antenna 30 includes a first substrate 3011 and a second substrate 3012 , wherein the second substrate 3012 is disposed and paralleled to the first substrate 3011 and the gap is reserved within two substrates , a ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 302 formed on the upper surface of the second substrate 3012 , a metal ground plane 305 stuck on the upper surface of the first substrate 3011 arranged near to the second substrate 3012 , a rectangular aperture 303 formed in the middle of the metal ground plane 305 in order to expose parts of the first substrate 3011 , and a metal feed line 304 formed in the lower surface of the first substrate 3011 fed the signal received or transmitted by the microstrip antenna . the metal feed line 304 includes a endpoint c and a feeding point f linked to a signal processor ( not shown in the figure ), and a bending shape is formed on the horizontal projection plane . the metal feed line 304 passes through one side of the rectangular aperture 303 , bends and passes through the opposite side of the rectangular aperture 303 on the horizontal projection plane . then an intersection a and another intersection b are formed on the horizontal projection plane , wherein the intersection a is arranged near to the feeding point f in the metal feed line 304 and the intersection b is arranged near to the endpoint c . the metal feed line 304 arranged near to the inner edge and the outer edge of the ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 320 is linear , including a first segment ( l1 ) 3041 arranged near to the outer edge and a second segment ( l2 ) 3043 arranged near to the inner edge , wherein the first segment ( l1 ) 3041 passes through the intersection b and the endpoint c and the second segment ( l2 ) 3043 passes through the intersection a and the feeding point f . please refer to fig4 , which is a current distribution diagram showing a relatively higher order operation mode ( tm21 ) of the microstrip antenna on the ring - shaped radiant metal sheet in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . in this figure , when operating the ring - shaped microstrip antenna in the relatively higher order operation mode , the current of the ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 302 mainly distributed in the inner edge and the outer edge of the ring is obtained , and the current direction of the inner edge and the out edge of the ring are identical . therefore , the first segment 3401 and the second segment 3403 of the metal feed line 304 are arranged and distributed in the inner edge and the outer edge of the ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 302 respectively . at the same time , if the length of the metal feed line 304 passing from the intersection a to the endpoint c is a length ls , the current of the metal feed line 304 passing through the intersection a and the intersection b are the identical phase , and the current distribution of the ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 302 is matched successfully in the relatively higher order operation mode . ( 2 × n - 1 ) 2 × l & lt ; l s & lt ; n × l , n is a positive integer and l is a wavelength of the applied frequency of the microstrip antenna . please refer to fig5 , which is a current distribution diagram showing a metal feed line of the microstrip antenna satisfied the length condition in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . here , the relatively higher order operation mode of the microstrip antenna 30 is excited successfully , and the omnidirectional radiation pattern on the horizontal projection plane is obtained . as shown in fig6 , which is a data simulating diagram showing the radiation pattern result of the relatively higher order operation mode of the microstrip antenna in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . in the figure , the omnidirectional radiation pattern is obvious on the horizontal plane ( x - y plane ), and the excellent coverage is obtained on the vertical plane ( y - z plane and x - z plane ). please refer to fig7 , which is the diagram showing the frequency and the return loss of the first segment of different metal feed lines of the microstrip antenna in accordance with the a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . the excellent impedance in particular is obtained with about 12 . 5 mm or 47 . 5 mm of the first segment length . the bandwidth of the antenna is about 220 mhz ( 9 %), and the biggest antenna gain is 5 dbi . therefore , the operation efficiency of the wireless network is achieved . please refer to fig8 , which is the structural diagram showing the microstrip antenna in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention . in fig8 , a microstrip antenna 40 includes a first substrate 4011 and a second substrate 4012 , wherein the second substrate 4012 is disposed and paralleled to the first substrate 4011 , a ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 402 formed on the upper surface of the second substrate 4012 , a metal ground plane 405 stuck on the upper surface of the first substrate 4011 arranged near to the second substrate 4012 , a rectangular aperture 403 formed in the middle of the metal ground plane 405 in order to expose parts of the first substrate 4011 , and a feed line 404 is in the lower surface of the first substrate 4011 , and the feed line 404 formed on the lower surface . the feed line 404 is generally formed by a metal material in order to feed the signal received or transmitted by the microstrip antenna . the feed line 404 includes a endpoint c and a feeding point f linked to a signal processor ( not shown in the figure ), and a bending shape is formed on the horizontal projection plane . the feed line 404 passes through one side of the rectangular aperture 403 , bends and passes through the opposite side of the rectangular aperture 403 on the horizontal projection plane . then an intersection a and an intersection b are formed on the horizontal projection plane , wherein the intersection a is arranged near to the feeding point f in the feed line 404 and the intersection b is arranged near to the endpoint c in the feed line 404 . the difference between the microstrip antenna 40 and the microstrip antenna 30 of the first embodiment simply lies in that the arrangement of the feed line 404 is the mirror image of the feed line 304 on the horizontal projection plane . the feed line 404 arranged near to the inner edge and the outer edge of ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 402 is linear , including a first segment ( l1 ) 4041 arranged near to the inner edge of the ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 402 and a second segment ( l2 ) 4043 arranged near to the outer edge of the ring - shape radiant metal sheet 402 , wherein the first segment ( l1 ) 4041 passes through the intersection b and the endpoint c and the second segment ( l2 ) 4043 passes through the intersection a and feeding point f . when the length of the feed line 404 from the intersection a to the endpoint c is the length ls , the current distribution of the ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 402 also matches successfully with that in the relatively higher order operation mode , the relatively higher order operation mode of the microstrip antenna 40 is excited successfully , and the omnidirectional radiation pattern of the microstrip antenna is obtained on the horizontal projection plane . please refer to fig9 , wherein is the diagram showing the frequency and the return loss of the relatively higher order operation mode of the microstrip antenna in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention . it is recognized that the bandwidth of the microstrip antenna is about 200 mhz ( 9 %), and the biggest antenna gain is also 5 dbi . therefore , the obvious operation efficiency of the wireless network is achieved . please refer to fig1 , which is a structural diagram showing the microstrip antenna in accordance with the third preferred embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 , a microstrip antenna 50 includes a metal ground plane 505 , a feed line 504 and a radiant metal sheet 502 , wherein the metal ground plane 505 is disposed on the first plane 5011 , the feed line 504 is disposed on the second plane 5012 paralleled to the first plane 5011 , the radiant metal sheet 502 is disposed on the third plane 5013 paralleled to the first plane 5011 and the second plane 5012 and is arranged in the opposite side of the first plane 5011 with respect to the second plane 5012 . the radiant metal sheet 502 is a ring shape , and a rectangular aperture 503 is disposed on the metal ground plane 505 . the rectangular aperture 503 passes through the ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 502 and lies in the radial direction of the ring shape on the horizontal projection plane . the feed line 504 feeding the signal received or transmitted by the microstrip antenna is generally formed by a metal material . the feed line 504 includes a endpoint c and a feeding point f linked to a signal processor ( not shown in the figure ), and a bending shape is formed on the horizontal projection plane . the feed line 504 passes through one side of the rectangular aperture 503 , bends and passes through the opposite side of the rectangular aperture 503 on the horizontal projection plane . then an intersection a and an intersection b are formed on the horizontal projection plane , wherein the intersection a is arranged near to the feeding point f in the feed line 504 and the intersection b is arranged near to the endpoint c in the feed line 504 . the feed line 504 arranged near to the inner edge and the outer edge of ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 502 is linear , including a first segment ( l1 ) 5041 arranged near to the outer edge and a second segment ( l2 ) 5043 arranged near to the inner edge , wherein the first segment ( l1 ) 5041 passes through the intersection b and the endpoint c and the second segment ( l2 ) 5043 passes through the intersection a and feeding point f . the first segment ( l1 ) 5041 and the second segment ( l2 ) 5043 are connected with a curved segment 5042 with a radius r . ( 2 × n - 1 ) 2 × l & lt ; l s & lt ; n × l , n is a positive integer and l is a wavelength of the applied frequency of the microstrip antenna . when the length of the feed line 504 from the intersection a to the endpoint c is the length ls , the currents of the feed line 504 between the intersection a and the intersection b have the same phase . the current distribution of the ring - shaped radiant metal sheet 502 is matched successfully in the relatively higher order operation mode , and the relatively higher order operation mode of the microstrip antenna 50 is excited successfully . please refer to fig1 , which is the data simulating diagram showing the radiation pattern result of the relatively higher order operation mode of the microstrip antenna in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention . in the figure , the omnidirectional radiation pattern is significant on the horizontal plane ( x - y plane ), and the excellent coverage is also obtained on the vertical plane ( y - z plane and x - z plane ). preferably , the excellent impedance in particular is obtained with 7 . 5 mm of the radius of the curved segment 5012 and 8 . 5 mm of the length of the first segment . please refer to fig1 , which is the diagram showing the frequency and the return loss of the relatively higher order operation mode of the microstrip antenna in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention . it is known that the bandwidth of the microstrip antenna is about 200 mhz ( 9 %), and the biggest antenna gain is 5 dbi . therefore , the obvious operation efficiency of the wireless network is achieved . in conclusion , the present invention is to arrange skillfully the feed line of the aperture coupled microtstrip antenna , so that an excellent impedance is obtained in order to excite the relatively higher order operation mode of the microstrip antenna , an excellent radiation pattern is maintained , and the bandwidth of the wireless network in the 2 . 4 ghz application is increased efficiently . while the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments . on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims , which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures . | 7 |
the base current i b of the output transistor of the present invention varies as a simple linear function of the load current i o . thus , the load current , which is an independent variable , determines the base current . otherwise put , the load current controls the base current . referring to fig2 and 3 , the load current i o of a driving terminal 8 , which preferably includes output transistor q out , is proportional to current i sense as detected by a load current detector 1 . a current - voltage converter 2 converts the detected current i sense to a proportional voltage v sense . a constant - voltage source 4 outputs voltage v ref , and both v ref and v sense from the output of to a base current - control voltage generator 3 . the base current - control voltage generator 3 outputs the base current - control voltage v c ( equal to v ref + v sense ), which is then input to a switch 6 . thus , it can be appreciated that voltage generator 3 basically comprises constant - voltage source 4 and converter 2 . when a signal from an output transistor on / off controller 5 is then input to the switch 6 , the base current - control voltage flows into a base current generator 7 through the switch . the base current generator 7 then inputs the controlled base current i b to the output transistor of driving terminal 8 . it can thus be appreciated that the base current i b is controlled by the load current . in fig3 it can be seen that transistor q s is set up in parallel with output transistor q out in order to detect the load current from the driving terminal 8 . the output transistor q out and transistor q s for detecting the load current are both of the pnp type . the detecting current i sense is determined by the ratio of the emitter areas between the transistor q s and the output transistor q out . that is , when the emitter area of q s is divided by the emitter area of q out , the result is , equal to a constant k , and i sense is equal to k × i o . since k is fixed , i sense changes proportionally to i o . v be , qs , which is the voltage between the base and the emitter of the transistor q s , is equal to v be , qout , which is the voltage between the base and the emitter of the output transistor q out . here v t is the transistor thermal voltage , i s is a saturation current , and k is equal to the emitter area of q s divided by the emitter area of q out . therefore , the collector current of i c , gs of transistor q s is equal to k × i c , q . sbsb . out . k has a range between 1 / 100 to 1 / 1000 . current - voltage converter 2 converts the detected load current i sense to an equivalent voltage . in the disclosed embodiment , resistor rs operates as the converter . the detected load current i sense flows into the resistor r s , which causes a voltage drop v sense . the size of the voltage drop is proportional to the size of the inflow current . that is , the detected voltage v sense is equal to i sense × r s . referring to fig2 the base current - control voltage generator 3 receives the detected voltage v sense and reference voltage v ref , and then outputs the base current - control voltage v c , which is applied to node c . reference voltage v ref in series with resistor r s , is added to the voltage across resistance r s to form the total voltage at node c . in the absence of a load , reference voltage v ref is the base current - control voltage v c of the output transistor . as shown in the circuit , v ref is fixed , and since v c = v ref + v sense , it is also true that v c = v ref + i s × r s and that v c = v ref + k × i o × r s . it can be appreciated , therefore , that . v c is a simple linear function of i o . base current - control voltage v c varies in proportion to i sense . referring to fig2 it can be seen that base current - control voltage v c is input to switch 6 . the input signal is output from the output transistor on / off controller 5 forming part of the electronic equipment . the switching transistor q sw turns on or off in accordance with these signals . when the switching transistor is turned on , base current - control voltage v c flows into npn type transistor q 1 , which functions as a buffer , and the base current - control voltage appears across resistor r b connected to the emitter of q 1 . thus , base current shows i b can be expressed as v c / r b , or alternatively , equation 1 as follows . ## equ2 ## the base current generator 7 of fig2 can be embodied in the transistor q 1 as shown in fig3 . a collector current of the transistor q 1 , which is equal to the base current i b of the output transistor , is controlled by i o , as expressed by equation 1 . the voltage at node b is the sum of v ref and k × i o × r s . fig4 is a graph which shows the operational characteristics of the circuit of the present invention in comparison with the prior art . the vertical and horizontal axes plot the magnitude of the base current i b versus the load current i o . in the prior art , as shown by graph line a , the base current i b is constant regardless of the load current i o . in contrast , in the present invention , and as expressed by equation 1 , the graph line b indicates that the base current i b is dependent upon the load current i o . in sum the output current is related to the load , which receives driving power from a suitable amount of base current i b . thus , if the base current in the prior art and the present invention are i b1 and i b2 respectively , for voltage v cc and load current i o , the power consumption of the present invention can be reduced by as much as ( i b1 - i b2 )× v cc . | 6 |
the present invention provides a method of and system for processing a compressed video stream represented by a plurality of dct encoded blocks . a video stream compressed using the mpeg - 2 standard is such a compressed video stream . an mpeg - 2 decoder with embedded resizing according to the prior art is illustrated in fig1 . a compressed mpeg - 2 video bitstream 1 first is subjected to variable length decoding 2 , wherein encoded video is split into component discrete cosine transform (“ dct ”) blocks . the dct blocks proceed to dequantization ( inverse scan inverse quantization ) 3 , then to a filtering / scaling procedure 4 , then to inverse dct processing 8 , and on to an adder 10 . the prediction decoder 5 generates motion vectors 6 . these motion vectors 6 are processed by a down scaler 7 and then used in ½ pel motion compensation 9 . the result of ½ pel motion compensation 9 is added to the results already sent to the adder 10 from inverse dct processing 8 . reference frames proceed from the adder 10 to the reference frame store 12 , where they are available to the motion compensation 9 . the frames collected at the adder 10 are further processed to place the frames in their proper order by frame reorder logic 11 . the decompressed video frames are output 12 . referring now to fig2 a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an mpeg - 2 decoder with embedded resizing according to the present invention is shown . an mpeg - 2 encoded video bitstream 14 enters the first stage of decompression , the variable length decoder 15 , where the dct blocks are routed to be dequantized 16 ( via inverse scanning inverse quantization ). next , a procedure is applied that is a subject of this invention to determine whether field - or frame - based filtering / scaling will be used 17 . the details of this implementation of the inventive method for determining which type of filtering / scaling to use is depicted by fig3 and will be further detailed below . next , the filtered / scaled result of the procedure employed for filtering / scaling 17 is processed by inverse dct 18 . the result of inverse dct 18 is then passed to the adder 19 . the prediction decoder 20 generates motion vectors 21 . these then pass to the down scalar 22 . the result of the down scalar 22 proceeds to the ¼ pel motion compensation 23 . the result of motion compensation is then sent to the adder 19 . reference frames proceed from the adder 19 to the reference frame store 25 , where they are available for motion compensation 23 . the frames collected at the adder 19 are further processed to place the frames in their proper order by frame reorder logic 24 . the decompressed video frames are output 26 . referring now to fig3 a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method according to the present invention is shown . as used herein , the “ first absolute value representing the energy of vertical high frequency ” is the measure of the magnitude or size of the dct coefficients of the left - bottom - hand corner of the dct encoded block . such a measure is known to those of normal skill in the art . similarly , as used herein , “ second absolute value representing the energy of vertical mid frequency ” is the measure of the magnitude or size of the dct coefficients of the left - middle of the dct encoded block . this type of measure is also known to those of normal skill in the art . “ predetermined first reference value ” and “ predetermined second reference value ”, as used herein , are experimentally - determined numbers representing the decision points for the “ first absolute value representing the energy of vertical high frequency ” and the “ second absolute value representing the energy of vertical mid frequency ”. a “ predetermined first value ” is determined by comparing the left - bottom corner frame dct coefficients of compressed video blocks representing interlaced non - moving areas to the left - bottom corner frame dct coefficients of compressed video blocks representing interlaced , moving area . these are examined to determine at what absolute value of dct coefficient the interlaced moving area can be told apart from interlaced non - moving area . this absolute value becomes the “ predetermined first value ” to catch the frame high - pass feature of interlaced moving area . in a similar fashion , a “ predetermined second value ” is determined by comparing the vertical middle frequency dct coefficients of compressed video blocks representing interlaced moving areas to the vertical middle frequency dct coefficients of compressed video blocks representing areas with vertical high frequency not caused by interlacing , for example , noisy areas . these are examined to determine at what absolute value of vertical middle frequency dct coefficient the interlaced moving area can be told apart from areas with similar vertical high frequency , but not resulted from interlacing , such as noisy areas . this absolute value becomes the “ predetermined second value ” to catch the field low - pass feature of interlaced moving area . the value of the energy of vertical high frequency is first obtained for a given dct encoded video block 27 . the absolute value of this obtained energy of vertical high frequency is compared with a first reference value 28 , which may be obtained in any of several ways , including by experimentation . if the absolute value of this obtained energy of vertical high frequency is less than or equal to the first reference value , the conclusion reached is that the given dct encoded video block does not represent an interlaced moving area of video 29 . otherwise , if the absolute value of this obtained energy of vertical high frequency is greater than the first reference value , obtain value of the energy of vertical mid frequency for the given dct encoded video block 30 . the absolute value of this obtained energy of vertical mid frequency is then compared with a second reference value 31 , which may also be obtained in any of several ways , including by experimentation . if the absolute value of this obtained energy of vertical mid frequency is greater than or equal to the second reference value , the conclusion reached is that the given dct encoded video block does not represent an interlaced moving area of video 29 . finally , if the absolute value of this obtained energy of vertical mid frequency is less than the second reference value , the conclusion reached is that the given dct encoded video block represents an interlaced moving area of video 32 . referring now to fig4 a flowchart diagram illustrating another embodiment of a method according to the present invention is shown . herein , a similar procedure to that of fig3 is employed to determine whether to use field - or frame - based filtering / scaling for a given dct encoded video block . first , the dct encoded video block is examined to determine whether it is a field or frame dct 33 . if it is a field dct block , field - based decoding and field - based filtering / scaling are to be used on the dct encoded video block 34 . otherwise , if the dct encoded video block is a frame dct block , obtain the value of the energy of vertical high frequency of the dct encoded video block 35 . the absolute value of this energy of vertical high frequency is then compared with a first reference value 36 . this first reference value may be obtained in any of several ways , including experimentation . if the absolute value of the energy of vertical high frequency is less than or equal to the first reference value , frame - based decoding and frame - based filtering / scaling methods are to be used on the dct encoded video block 37 . otherwise , if the absolute value of the energy of vertical high frequency is greater than the first reference value , obtain the value of the energy of vertical mid frequency of the dct encoded video block 38 . the absolute value of this energy of vertical mid frequency is then compared with a second reference value 39 . this second reference value also may be obtained in any of several ways , including experimentation . if the absolute value of this energy of vertical mid frequency is greater than or equal to the second reference value , frame - based decoding and frame - based filtering / scaling methods are to be used on the dct encoded video block 37 . otherwise , if the absolute value of this energy of vertical mid frequency is less than the second reference value , frame - based decoding and field - based filtering / scaling methods are to be used on the dct encoded video block 40 . referring now to fig5 it diagrams the distortion of a vertical line moving horizontally in both a progressive and an interlaced video sequence . in a progressive sequence the vertical line first appears as a straight line from the top to the bottom , since every scan line is drawn 41 . one thirtieth of a second later , the line is redrawn after moving 42 . both frames display the line as straight 41 , 42 . in the interlaced sequence the vertical line first appears as a vertical dotted line because only every other scan line is drawn 43 . one sixtieth of a second later the alternate scan lines are drawn , but the line has already been displaced some horizontal distance 44 . this repeats for the two fields of frame 2 , namely 45 , 46 . the end result is that there is blurring of the vertical line along the horizontal direction 47 . this blurring of moving vertical edges gives rise to high values of “ vertical high frequency ” within the dct encoded blocks for the moving areas . vertical high frequency can be measured by sampling the left - bottom corner of the dct block . a high absolute value compared with a predetermined level for this measurement is indicative of a moving interlaced area . to distinguish between true moving interlaced areas and other cases which give rise to vertical high frequency , such as the presence of noise , the dct block may be sampled at “ vertical mid frequency ”, roughly the center left of a dct block . absolute values below a predetermined level are indicative of a moving interlaced area . this second sampling of the dct block has no indicative value by itself , i . e . it is useful when combined with the first sampling of the dct block in vertical high frequency . the first sampling , however , is standalone . it may be used to detect interlaced an moving area . the second sampling is used to reduce the probability of a false positive , or detection of an interlaced moving area , from the first sampling . a simplified version of the method can be used by omitting the second sampling . this would still work , but with maybe a higher error rate . referring now to fig6 an 8 × 8 dct block is displayed 48 . the individual coefficients of the dct block are numbered 0 ′- 63 ′ for reference purposes . for the uses described herein and as is known in the art , a “ left - middle ” dct coefficient or element 49 is at or near the coefficient position 32 ′. similarly , a “ left - bottom ” dct coefficient or element 50 is at or near the coefficient position 56 ′. once interlacing is detected , filtering should be done on a field basis . for a scaling factor of 2 , for example , a [ 0 . 5 , 0 , 0 . 5 ] filter in the spatial domain will work . the zero in the middle masks out the contribution from the second field , thus it is equivalent to apply a [ 0 . 5 , 0 . 5 ] filter to one field . if the proper phase shift is considered , a [ 0 . 75 , 0 , 0 . 25 ] filter can be used for the top field and a [ 0 . 25 , 0 , 0 . 75 ] filter can be used for the bottom field . a spatial - domain scaling - matrix , with a downscaling factor of 2 , can therefore be obtained using these filters . the following spatial - domain scaling - matrix is illustrative of one applicable to interlaced moving area frame dct encoded blocks : this spatial - domain scaling - matrix can be further converted to the dct domain to simplify complexity . although the system and method of the present invention has been described in connection with the described embodiments , it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein , but on the contrary , it is intended to cover such alternatives , modifications , and equivalents as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
reference will now be made to the drawing figures wherein fig1 a and 1b together form a block diagram of a multiple processor system 100 including four processors 102 , 104 , 106 , 108 , two system buses 110 , 112 and two subsystem i / o buses 114 , 116 interfaced to the system buses 110 , 112 in accordance with the present invention . the processors 102 and 104 are coupled to the system bus 110 and the processors 106 and 108 are coupled to the system bus 112 . in the preferred embodiment , the system buses 110 , 112 are non - multiplexed , tenured , burst buses . tenured implies a master owns the bus for the duration of a data transfer and non - multiplexed implies separate physical address and data paths . burst implies one address is put on a system bus and then groups of data bits , for example either 32 or 64 bits of data in the preferred embodiment , are transferred on each system bus clock until an entire memory data line is transferred . the processors 102 - 108 are coupled to four independent , dual ported memory interleaves 118 , 120 , 122 and 124 via the system buses 110 , 112 which may also be denominated memory buses . interleaving is a memory partitioning scheme which interleaves linearly addressed memory lines across multiple memory banks . for example , in the four - way interleave shown in fig1 a and 1b , line address 0 is mapped to bank 0 , memory interleave 118 ; line address 1 is mapped to bank 0 , memory interleave 120 ; line address 2 is mapped to bank 0 , memory interleave 122 ; line address 3 is mapped to bank 0 , memory interleave 124 ; line address 4 is mapped to bank 0 , memory interleave 118 ; and so forth until bank 0 of memory interleaves 118 - 124 is filled , then the next line address is mapped to the banks 1 of the memory interleaves 118 - 124 . while four memory interleaves are shown in the multiple processor system 100 of fig1 a and 1b , any reasonable number of interleaves may be used in the disclosed architectures with from one to four being typical . also coupled to the system buses 110 , 112 are a dual ported interrupt controller 126 and i / o bus interface means comprising dual ported i / o bus interface circuits 134 and 136 with the i / o bus interface circuit 134 interfacing the i / o bus 114 to the system buses 110 , 112 and the i / o bus interface circuit 136 interfacing the i / o bus 116 to the system buses 110 , 112 . operation of the interrupt controller 126 and the i / o bus interface circuits 134 , 136 will be described hereinafter . the i / o bus 114 is designated as the primary i / o bus and couples a video subsystem 138 to the multiple processor system 100 . the video subsystem 138 is also directly coupled to the processors 102 - 108 via a video bus 140 . a peripheral bus 142 is coupled to the i / o bus 114 and connects the multiple processor system 100 to standard peripheral devices 144 , rom / ram 146 , a diagnostic processor 148 and a configuration and test ( cat ) controller 150 which also interfaces to the multiple processor system 100 via a cat bus 152 . a direct memory access ( dma ) controller 154 which houses a central arbitration control point ( cacp ) for the i / o bus 114 is also coupled to the i / o bus 114 for direct memory access operations . a number of expansion slots 156 are provided on the i / o bus 114 for interfacing a corresponding number of agents to the multiple processor system 100 . for example , a preferred i / o bus for the multiple processor system 100 is commercially available from the ibm corporation under the name micro channel , which provides 8 expansion slots . thus , by utilizing the architecture disclosed in the present application , a number of expansion slots corresponding to the i / o bus used in the multiple processor system 100 can be provided for a single load on the system bus , i . e . the system buses 110 , 112 . if the noted ibm i / o bus is used , 8 expansion slots are provided while other i / o buses will provide alternate numbers of expansion slots depending upon the selected i / o bus . the i / o bus 116 in the illustrated multiple processor system 100 provides an additional number of expansion slots 158 and also includes a dma controller 160 with a cacp coupled to the i / o bus 116 . while four processors 102 - 108 are shown in the illustrative embodiment , it is apparent that any reasonable number of processors can be used in the disclosed system architectures dependent upon a given application and the required processing power . in addition , dual processors can be provided in the place of the single processors 102 - 108 . the processors 102 - 108 preferably are 80486 processors which are commercially available from the intel corporation . in any event , the processors 102 - 108 comprise a processing unit p and a copy - back cache memory c which are interconnected by a processor bus pb as shown by the expansion of the processor 102 in fig1 a . a copy - back cache keeps both read hits and write hits off the system bus or memory bus , i . e . the system buses 110 , 112 . a write hit modifies its internal cache entry and marks the line as modified in the cache memory . a global cache consistency protocol ensures that only one copy - back cache memory is allowed to own and freely modify a line without informing the system . since the owner cache may have the only valid copy of a line of data , that cache must update the system memory when it replaces a modified line of data . the owner cache is also responsible for supplying the line contents in response to a request for the line from any other system device . the configuration of fig1 a and 1b can be up - scaled , for example to the configurations of fig4 and 5 or down - scaled , for example to the configurations of fig2 and 3 , with the ultimate down - scaling being to a system 162 having one bus with one processor and one ported memory as shown in the dotted line box of fig2 . configurations range from this simplest case of one bus and one ported memory with one or more processors to n buses with n ported memories with one or more processors connected to each of the n buses . in particular , fig2 - 5 show a unibus system , a dual bus system , a tribus system and a quadbus system , respectively . note that in general the i / o buses can either be ported across all n system buses or else ported across some number of the system buses less than n . in the latter case , the n ported memory would implement intelligent decoder and bus - to - bus bridge services in hardware to ensure all processors have an identical view of i / o resources . an important feature of the multiple processor computer system architectures of the present application is that the system buses 110 , 112 and the i / o buses 114 , 116 are independently arbitrated system resources , i . e . the multiple processor system 100 includes a decoupled bus structure . independent arbitration is performed for all system and i / o buses for all system configurations . for example , in the illustrated embodiment of fig1 a and 1b , the system buses 110 , 112 each include their own arbitration circuitry 110a , 112a as a part of the bus system , with arbitration being performed in accordance with well known arbitration strategies based , for example , on assigned priority levels . similarly , arbitration of the i / o buses 114 , 116 is independently performed in accordance with well known arbitration strategies . thus , when an agent arbitrates to become owner of the i / o bus to which it is connected , the agent wins ownership only of that i / o bus . only when an i / o bus interface circuit decodes that an agent wants to access the main memory does it arbitrate for a system bus and run a memory cycle . an agent can therefore communicate with other agents on its i / o bus while the processors of a multiple processor system still have complete access to the memory interleaves over the system bus , i . e . the system buses 110 , 112 in the multiple processor system 100 of fig1 a and 1b . the block diagram of fig6 illustrates how the decoupled bus structure of the disclosed architectures facilitates operations within the multiple processor system 100 by means of the many possible concurrent operations which can be performed . for example , as shown in fig6 the processor 106 is coupled to the memory interleave 118 via the system bus 112 through a path 164 while the processor 104 is coupled to the memory interleave 124 via the system bus 110 through a path 166 . in addition , the following system operations are also taking place concurrently with the operations of the processors 106 , 104 : two i / o bus agents m2u1 and m2u2 are coupled to one another via the i / o bus 116 through a path 168 ; a bus agent m1u1 is coupled to the i / o bus interface circuit 134 via the i / o bus 114 through a path 170 , perhaps awaiting availability of one of the system buses 110 , 112 for a memory operation ; and , the processor 108 is coupled to the video subsystem 138 via the video bus 140 through a path 172 . of course , the paths 164 - 172 are merely representative of the numerous concurrent paths through the multiple processor system 100 illustrative of the architectures disclosed in the present application . it is apparent that the decoupled bus structure together with the use of memory interleaves and cache memories minimizes use of the system bus and memory of systems configured in accordance with the disclosed architectures in addition to enabling concurrent operation of the system processors and agents resident on the i / o buses . an additional feature of the disclosed multiple processor systems is that they enable agents on the i / o buses to run at substantially full speed when moving data to or from the main memory , i . e . the memory interleaves 118 - 124 of fig1 a and 1b . to that end , the i / o bus interface circuits 134 , 136 are arranged to supply data read from main memory as fast as an agent can receive it , and to receive data written to the main memory as fast as an agent can supply it . this not only improves each agent &# 39 ; s performance , but also lowers each agent &# 39 ; s utilization of i / o bus bandwidth . lower utilization of i / o bus bandwidth allows more agents to be serviced by an i / o bus and reduces processor latency when accessing i / o bus resources , i . e . agents on the i / o buses . data exchanges between agents on an i / o bus and the main memory or memory interleaves of multiple processor systems of the present application will now be described with reference to fig7 which is a schematic block diagram of the i / o bus interface circuit 134 of fig1 b . since the i / o bus interface circuits 134 , 136 are very similar to one another and can be substantially identical , only the i / o bus interface circuit 134 will be described herein . maximum efficiency is achieved when the i / o bus interface circuits 134 , 136 use the system bus &# 39 ; s full line ( 16 or 32 byte ) burst read and write cycles . these cycles optimally exploit the interleaved memory architecture , which in turn is optimized for transactions between the memory interleaves and processor copy - back caches . for the i / o bus interface circuits 134 , 136 to accommodate the system bus &# 39 ; s full line burst read and write cycles , data is buffered in the i / o bus interface circuits 134 , 136 . for writes , a number of writes by an i / o bus agent are accumulated in buffering means comprising at least one buffer register , and for reads , at least one line of data from the system memory is read into the same buffering means . the read and write buffering operations exploit the fact that most i / o bus agents or masters are &# 34 ; block oriented &# 34 ;, i . e . data moves are typically large , relatively well organized and progress in linearly ascending address order . this is particularly useful for the i / o bus &# 39 ; s streaming mode protocols , which are by definition homogeneous , i . e . a single data stream is either all reads or all writes , and constrained to linearly ascending address order . in the embodiment of the i / o bus interface circuit 134 shown in fig7 the buffer registers comprise first - in - first - out ( fifo ) registers 174a - 174y . each of the fifo registers 174a - 174y comprises x + 1 data words , d0 - dx , and stores an entire memory line of data , either 128 or 256 bits . for example , x can be equal to 7 such that 8 data words of 16 bits or 32 bits each are stored in each fifo register 174a - 174y for a 128 or 256 bit line of data , respectively . when an i / o bus address decoder 176 of the i / o bus interface circuit 134 decodes a bus master write to main memory , the write is not immediately propagated to the system bus , i . e . one of the system buses 110 , 112 . rather the data is latched in the i / o bus interface circuit 134 , more particularly into the fifo registers 174a - 174y and the bus master cycle terminated immediately . thus , the i / o bus interface circuit 134 accepts the data as fast as the agent which is the current bus master supplies it . now assume the master continues running writes in linear address order , or else initiates a stream . the i / o bus interface circuit 134 continues to latch data without delay until an entire line , 16 or 32 bytes depending on the system configuration , is captured or &# 34 ; packed &# 34 ; in one of the fifo registers 174a - 174y or &# 34 ; line buffers &# 34 ;. only then does a bus / fifo controller 178 of the i / o bus interface circuit 134 arbitrate for the system bus , i . e . one of the system buses 110 , 112 and propagate the data to the main memory or memory interleaves 118 - 124 as a single write line burst . meanwhile , another fifo register or line buffer in the i / o interface circuit 134 continues to accept and pack data from the master without interruption . in a preferred embodiment of the multiple processor system 100 of fig1 a and 1b , the i / o bus interface circuits 134 , 136 have either 4 or 8 fifo registers or line buffers , depending on the system configuration , such that y would be equal to 3 or 7 , of course any reasonable number of fifo registers can be used as required for a given application . in this way , the fifo registers 174a - 174y are continuously filled by the master , emptied to the main memory via the system bus , and then made available again for new data . the line buffers or fifo registers 174a - 174y continue to roll over indefinitely causing no delays to the master , unless the system bus falls sufficiently behind so that all the buffers fill before one can be emptied . in this case the master is stalled until a register or line buffer becomes available . the term &# 34 ; packing &# 34 ; implies that multiple bus master cycles are assembled into a single system bus burst write . for example , 8 cycles of a 32 - bit master will be packed into a single system bus write for a line size of 32 bytes . preferably , the line size matches that of the system cache memories such that there will be at most one cache coherency operation associated with the 8 bus master cycles . in the case of a 16 - bit master , 16 of its cycles will be packed into a single system bus write . when the i / o bus address decoder 176 of the i / o bus interface circuit 134 decodes a bus master read from main memory , it stalls the master and immediately arbitrates for the system bus . once one of the system buses 110 , 112 is won , the i / o bus interface circuit 134 fetches an entire data line from main memory in a single burst read and stores it locally in a line buffer or one of the fifo registers 174a - 174y . the data requested by the master is driven onto the i / o bus 114 and the master is released . if the master continues reading in linear address order , or else initiates a stream , the i / o bus interface circuit 134 then supplies data out of its line buffer with no delays . anticipating that the master will continue to request data in linearly ascending order , the i / o bus interface circuit 134 may initiate additional system bus burst reads , i . e . read - aheads or prefetches , that fill additional line buffers or ones of the fifo registers 174a - 174y . thus , the i / o bus interface circuit 134 attempts to anticipate the master and have the desired data ready and waiting locally when the master requests it . the i / o bus interface circuit 134 can be selectively configured to prefetch 1 line of data or up to the number of lines of data corresponding to the number of line buffers or fifo registers 174a - 174y from the main memory , for example , 1 , 2 , 4 or 8 lines of data may be prefetched based on the arbitration level of the bus agent or master performing the memory read . the number of lines which are prefetched are correlated to the bus agents such that the number of lines prefetched corresponds to the number of lines which are typically read by the agent . unlike the write operation of the i / o bus interface circuit 134 , the first bus master read is stalled while the i / o bus interface circuit 134 fetches the first line of data from main memory . however , in the case of a 32 - bit master and a 32 byte line size , the next 7 cycles are serviced from line buffer or one of the fifo registers 174a - 174y without delay . accordingly , the time losses associated with stalled reads are efficiently amortized over a much larger number of non - delayed reads such that average read latency is low . a method and apparatus for operating the disclosed multiple processor architectures in a manner to ensure that only up - to - date data is used will now be described . the high performance multiple processor architectures of the present application include storage of data to be written to the main memory in the i / o bus interface circuits 134 , 136 as described . this storage of write data in the i / o bus interface circuits 134 , 136 ensures that data is accepted as fast as the agent which is the current bus master can supply it ; however , until it is written to main memory , the data contained in the main memory is not up - to - date . copy - back cache memories also may contain the only accurate copies of data rather than the main memory . in addition , the interrupt controller 126 of the disclosed multiple processor systems is tightly coupled , i . e . the interrupt controller 126 can be quickly accessed by agents resident on the i / o buses 114 , 116 and the processors 102 - 108 resident on the system buses 110 , 112 without having to gain access to or own an i / o bus or a system bus . accordingly , in the high performance architectures of the present application , one must ensure that data written by a bus agent to main memory has reached main memory and is not still propagating through the fifo registers 174a - 174y of the i / o bus interface circuits 134 , 136 before an interrupt is processed . further , one must ensure that any cached copies of target memory locations are either invalidated or updated before an interrupt is serviced . otherwise , an interrupt service routine ( isr ) may be invoked in response to an interrupt acknowledge cycle and process data from the main memory which is not up - to - date . reference will now be made to fig8 - 11 which each show a portion of the multiple processor system 100 of fig1 a and 1b to illustrate operation of the multiple processor system 100 in a manner to ensure that only up - to - date data is used . when an i / o bus master m1u1 writes to main memory , the fifo registers 174a - 174y of the i / o bus interface circuit 134 latch the address / data and immediately release the master m1u1 , i . e . the master m1u1 does not have to wait for the data to reach main memory before its cycle is terminated , see fig8 . as soon as the write cycle of the bus master m1u1 is terminated , from the perspective of the master m1u1 the write is complete and it generates an interrupt signal indicating completion of the write cycle to an associated processor shown in fig8 - 11 to be the processor 104 . since the interrupt controller 126 resides on the system bus and can be accessed concurrently with i / o bus master activity , the interrupt i is passed to the processor 104 , see fig9 which generates an interrupt acknowledge ( iak ) cycle on the system bus 110 to fetch an interrupt vector from the interrupt controller 126 such that the processor 104 can perform a corresponding interrupt service routine ( isr ), see fig1 . in accordance with this aspect of the operation of the disclosed multiple processor systems , servicing of the iak cycle is deferred to ensure that only up - to - date data is used by the systems . when a processor , such as the processor 104 , issues an iak cycle on the system bus , such as the system bus 110 , in response to an interrupt request from a bus master , such as the bus master m1u1 , if the system bus is not the current owner of the i / o bus , such as the i / o bus 114 , i . e . the i / o bus is owned by some other bus master and thus data may reside in the fifo , the appropriate i / o bus interface circuit , here the i / o bus interface circuit 134 , issues a retry signal to the processor for the iak cycle as if the i / o bus interface circuit was the selected slave rather than the interrupt controller 126 and the i / o bus interface circuit raises a busy signal , see fig1 . the interrupt controller 126 monitors the system bus to detect the retry signal issued by the i / o bus interface circuit , and waits a period of time corresponding to a predetermined number of clock cycles before responding as slave to the iak cycle and returning an appropriate interrupt vector . if the interrupt controller 126 does not see a retry signal during the wait time period , the i / o bus interface circuit 134 is not going to issue a retry signal and accordingly , the interrupt controller 126 supplies the appropriate interrupt vector and terminates the iak cycle normally . the retry signal causes the processor 104 to get off the system bus , its iak cycle still pending . the system bus arbitration circuitry 110a , 112a will not allow the processor onto the system bus again until the i / o bus interface circuit removes its busy signal . eventually the system bus acquires ownership of the i / o bus ; however , the i / o bus interface circuit will not remove its busy signal until all bus master to main memory writes still pending in its fifo registers 174a - 174y from the previous owner are completed and all associated coherency operations are complete . the i / o bus interface circuit 134 monitors the system bus to determine when coherency operations are complete . until the i / o bus interface circuit 134 removes its busy signal , it will continue to issue retry signals in response to any attempt by any other processor to access the i / o bus or to do an iak cycle . when the i / o bus interface circuit 134 finally removes its busy signal , the arbitration circuitry 110a , 112a enables the processor 104 that originally attempted the iak cycle to reissue the cycle . this time , since the i / o bus interface circuit 134 is not busy it does not issue a retry signal , and the interrupt controller 126 supplies an interrupt vector and terminates the cycle . although in this case the i / o bus interface circuit does not issue a retry signal , it does &# 34 ; lock &# 34 ; i / o bus ownership and will not surrender it to another master until the i / o bus interface circuit 134 detects that the interrupt controller 126 has successfully supplied an interrupt vector to the processor 104 and terminated the iak cycle . this procedure protects against the possibility of another i / o bus agent gaining ownership of the i / o bus as master , issuing a memory write to the i / o bus interface circuit 134 , and then issuing a higher priority interrupt before the pending iak completes . if bus ownership by another master was allowed to occur , there is a possibility that the interrupt controller 126 would supply an interrupt vector for the higher priority interrupt , even though its associated data is still in the fifo registers 174a - 174y of the i / o bus interface circuit 134 . system performance can be enhanced and deadlocks can be avoided by handling non - iak cycles to a busy i / o bus in a manner similar to the handling of iak cycles as just described . while all i / o bus interface circuits of a system , such as the i / o bus interface circuits 134 , 136 of the multiple processor system 100 , can be configured to retry processors issuing interrupt acknowledge ( iak ) cycles when buffered data is resident in the interface circuits , such operation can only delay performance of the system . system delay results if all buffered data has been flushed to main memory before an iak cycle was completed . accordingly , it is preferred to provide the described iak retry operation only for the i / o interface bus 134 for the primary i / o bus 114 . flushing of data from any additional i / o buses , such as the i / o bus 116 , is ensured by having the processor or processors of a system perform an i / o access to any additional i / o buses which , though slower than the iak retry operation of the i / o bus interface 134 , ensures any resident data is flushed to main memory . methods and apparatus for interfacing multiple decoupled i / o buses to a common system bus in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the preferred i / o bus , ibm &# 39 ; s micro channel ; however , it should be understood that the present invention is generally applicable to whatever i / o bus may be selected for use in a given multiple processor system . the benefits of using multiple decoupled i / o buses , among others , include greater configurability for a multiple processor system since each added i / o bus will support a corresponding number of expansion slots , for example 8 in the case of the preferred i / o buses . since the i / o buses are independent and buffer read / write main memory data , the achievable i / o data rate grows linearly with the addition of each i / o bus . additional i / o buses can be added as i / o bandwidth and capacity requirements grow . also , since each additional i / o bus is independently buffered , there are no inherent electrical loading issues associated with adding i / o buses apart from 1 extra load on the system bus . for example , with the use of a micro channel i / o bus , 1 extra system bus load provides capacity for 8 additional i / o agents . in the multiple processor systems disclosed in the present application , it is noted that each i / o bus has it &# 39 ; s own i / o bus interface circuit and dma with included cacp . two decoding arrangements in accordance with the present invention are utilized to interface multiple i / o buses to a computer system bus , used herein to accommodate multiple i / o buses in multiple processor systems : a programmable decoder that partitions available memory and i / o space among i / o buses ; and , an address translator that keeps hardware , such as off - the - shelf third party agents as well as the dma / cacp , on each i / o bus from having to comprehend the existence of more than one i / o bus . each i / o bus interface circuit for the i / o buses , such as the i / o bus interface circuit 134 illustrated in fig7 includes a set of i / o bus configuration registers 180 . some of the i / o bus configuration registers 180 define the memory and i / o addresses to which the i / o bus will respond . during system configuration , the corresponding ones of the configuration registers 180 of the i / o bus interface circuit 134 associated with each i / o bus are loaded via the cat bus with the specific address ranges for the corresponding i / o bus . in this way , available memory and i / o space is partitioned among the multiple i / o buses . specific address registers provided within the configuration registers 180 of the illustrated embodiment include : a top / bottom of i / o bus memory register , tom / bom , to specify the range of memory addresses allocated to a particular i / o bus ; a top / bottom of i / o addresses register , tio / bio , to specify the range of i / o addresses allocated to a particular i / o bus ; a rom expansion register to specify which of the 8k wide expansion rom slices in the 768k to 896k range are allocated to a particular i / o bus ; and , an 8m - 16m local bits register to specify which of the 1m slices in the 8m - 16m range are allocated to a particular i / o bus to support 24 - bit address bus agents . there are certain fixed addresses associated with available i / o bus hardware . in the ibm micro channel hardware all of these fixed addresses reside in the lowest 512 byte block of i / o space . for example , i / o ports 0100h - 0107h are reserved for configuring agents . when an agent is put into setup mode , it responds to this range of i / o address space and this range only for configuration purposes . since all agents use the same range of i / o address space , a system bus address decoder 182 is provided to distinguish agents on different i / o buses , yet at the same time ensure all agents on all i / o buses still see the same range of i / o address space . a programmable address translation arrangement is provided in the i / o bus interface circuit 134 by means of a dedicated translation register within the configuration registers 180 . at the time of system configuration , the dedicated translation register in each i / o bus interface circuit 134 is loaded via the cat bus with a base value used to decode or translate accesses to these fixed addresses . for example , assume the i / o interface circuits 134 , 136 , which are respectively connected to i / o buses 114 , 116 , as shown in fig1 a and 1b , have translation base values of 0000h and 0400h for their system bus address decoders . the system bus address decoder 182 of the i / o bus 114 , as shown in fig7 with a translation base value 0000h responds to the 512 byte block starting at 0000h . when a processor configures agents on this i / o bus , it does so through ports 0100h - 0107h per i / o bus definition . to configure agents on the second i / o bus 116 , it does so through ports 0500 - 0507h , i . e . same offset into the 512 byte block , but now relative to 0400h instead of 0000h . however , the system bus address decoder of the i / o bus interface circuit 136 of the second i / o bus 116 ( this decoder is not shown , but it is substantially the same as system bus decoder 182 in fig7 ) strips out the offset before propagating the cycle onto the second i / o bus 116 so that agents on the second i / o bus 116 still see configuration cycles at 0100h - 0107h . having thus described the invention of the present application in detail and by reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims . | 6 |
referring first to fig1 there is shown a plate - like support 1 which carries a filter assembly or unit 2 . the latter comprises an octagonal plate - like holder 3 having a centrally located circular opening 3a whose center is located on the axis of a beam of copying light and which is in register with in opening ( not shown ) of the support 1 . the holder 3 is connected with three carriers 6 , 7 and 8 which are spaced apart from the holder 3 as well as from one another by distancing elements in the form of parallel bolts or studs 4 carrying distancing sleeves 5 . the distancing means ensure that the carriers 6 , 7 and 8 are disposed at predetermined distances from one another and from the holder 3 . each of the carriers 6 , 7 and 8 carries a composite filter and certain components of the means for moving the constituents of the respective composite filters between their operative ( second ) and retracted ( first ) positions . the carrier 6 supports a composite filter for a first color , the carrier 7 supports a composite filter for a second color , and the carrier 8 supports a composite filter for a third color . the moving means comprises rotating means including five pulleys or sheaves 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 and 13 which are rotatable about axes extending in parallelism with the axis of the beam of copying light , i . e ., in parallelism with the line including the center of the opening 3a and the center of the opening in the support 1 . each of the sheaves 9 to 13 supports a discrete portion or sector of the respective composite filter . the composite filter which is supported by the carrier 6 includes five triangular filter sectors 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 and 18 which are respectively supported and movable by the sheaves 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 and 13 between first end positions in which such sectors are fully or nearly fully out of register with the opening 3a and second end positions in which the sectors 14 to 18 together constitute an at least substantially uninterrupted filter which overlies the entire opening 3a or , at the very least , the major part of such opening . in the second end positions of the sectors 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 and 18 , their apices preferably extend all the way to the line denoting the axis of the beam of copying light and including the center of the opening 3a . fig1 merely shows the sectors 14 to 18 of the composite filter which is supported by the carrier 6 . the other two composite filters ( not specifically shown ) are preferably of identical design and are respectively supported by the carriers 7 and 8 . an endless flexible element 19 in the form of a cable or cord is trained over the sheaves 9 to 13 as well as over a rotary driving element or wheel 20 on the carrier 6 . the wheel 20 is flanked by two closely adjacent guide rolls 21 and 22 for the flexible element 19 , and at least one of such guide rolls can constitute a means for maintaining the flexible element 19 under requisite tension which ensures that rotation of the wheel 20 will result in predictable and reproducible angular movement of the pulleys 9 to 13 . each of the carriers 7 and 8 also supports five sheaves , a rotary driving element and two guide rolls for a second endless flexible element which can effect predictable angular displacements of sectors forming part of the respective composite filters . the color filters are normally interference filters each of which can intercept or block a certain region of the spectrum as completely as possible without influencing the light in the other regions of the spectrum . as a rule , the three composite filters are subtractive color filters including a yellow filter , a cyan filter and a magenta filter . the wheel 20 carries an arcuate motion receiving member 23 formed with a series of bores or holes 24 which can be disposed at the same distance from the axis of the wheel 20 . one of the holes 24 receives a first pin 25a at one end of a lever 25 the other end of which is articulately connected with the outer end portion of a crank arm 26 ty a second pin 25b . the inner end portion of the crank arm 26 is affixed to the shaft 27 of a stepdown gearing 28 . the lever 25 constitutes the output member of a transmission here shown as a crank drive receiving motion from a reversible stepping motor 29 ( via gearing 28 ) and serving to drive the wheel 20 of the means for rotating the filter sectors 14 to 18 . fig1 further shows the arcuate motion receiving members 23 &# 39 ; and 23 &# 34 ; for the wheels ( not shown ) on the carriers 7 and 8 . the member 23 &# 39 ; is articulately connected with a lever 25 &# 39 ; which is driven by a crank arm 26 &# 39 ; mounted on the shaft 27 &# 39 ; of a second step - down gearing 28 &# 39 ;. the member 23 &# 39 ; can be driven by a lever 25 &# 34 ; which is articulately connected with a crank arm 26 &# 34 ; on the shaft 27 &# 34 ; of a third step - down gearing 28 &# 34 ;. fig2 shows the transmission for the wheel 20 which serves to rotate the pulleys or sheaves 9 to 13 on the carrier 6 . the input element ( not specifically shown ) of the gearing 28 is connected with or constitutes the output member of the stepping motor 29 . the crank arm 26 is permanently biased in one direction by a torsion spring 31 one end portion of which engages the crank arm 26 ( or a part which rotates with the crank arm ), the other end portion of which engages a fixed post 30 on the support 1 , and the convolutions of which surround the shaft 27 . the purpose of the sring 31 is to prevent any play or backlash between at least some gears of the gearing 28 , for example , between the last two gears of such gearing . fig2 further shows certain parts of a device 32 which serves to limit or select the number of revolutions of the stepping motor 29 . this device is illustrated in greater detail in fig3 . as shown in fig3 a shaft 33 which extends into the stepping motor 29 has a disc 34 with a substantially cylindrical extension or boss 35 . the lower end portion of the extension 35 , as viewed in fig3 carries a small hand wheel 36 . this extension passes with some clearance through an aperture 37 of a fixedly mounted platen 38 , and the hand wheel 36 is disposed at the underside of the platen , i . e ., at that side which faces away from the stepping motor 29 . the extension 35 carries a series of neighboring concentric washer - like annular cams 40 - 1 , 40 - 2 , 40 - 3 , 40 - 4 -- 40 - n . these cams are respectively provided with protuberances or lobes 41 - 1 , 41 - 2 , 41 - 3 -- 41 - n each of which extends beyond both major sides or surfaces , of the respective cam so that it can come into engagement with the lobes of the two neighboring cams . for example , the lobe 41 - 2 of the cam 40 - 2 can engage the lobe 41 - 1 of the came 40 - 1 as well as the lobe 41 - 3 of the cam 40 - 3 . the platen 38 further supports a microswitch 42 having a movable portion 43 which extends into the path of movement of the lobe 41 - 1 on the lowermost or last cam 40 - 1 , namely , on that cam which is nearest to the platen 38 . the latter also supports a stop 45 for the lobe 41 - 1 . the arrangement is such that the lobe 41 - 1 engages the movable portion 43 of the switch 42 when it rotates in a clockwise direction , as viewed in fig3 and that such lobe engages the stop 45 when in rotates in the counterclockwise direction . the lobe 41 - 1 and its came 40 - 1 come to a halt when the lobe 41 - 1 engages the stop 45 on the plates 38 . each of the stepping motors 29 &# 39 ; and 29 &# 34 ; is also connected with means for limiting or selecting the number of its revolutions . such means are identical with or analogous to the just described selecting or limiting means 32 . the mode of operation of the apparatus which is shown in fig1 to 3 is as follows ; when the wheel 20 is set in rotary motion , it drives the flexible element 19 which , in dependency on the direction of rotation of the wheel 20 , moves the filter sectors 14 to 18 into or from the path of the copying light beam . if the diameters of the sheaves 9 to 13 and wheel 20 are identical , the sectors 14 to 18 complete angles of approximately 60 ° between their first and second end positions , i . e ., positions fully outside of the opening 3a and positions of full or practically full register with such opening . the filter sectors 14 to 18 assume their first end positions ( out of the beam of copying light ) when the lever 25 and the associated crank arm 26 make an angle which equals or approximates 90 °. these sectors assume their second end positions ( in which they intercept all or nearly all of the light in the respective color ) when the lever 25 and the crank arm 26 assume their dead - center positions , i . e ., when their axes overlap and the axis of the shaft 27 is coplanar with and is located between the axes of the pins 25a and 25b . by appropriate selection of distances between the centers of the holes 24 and the axis of the driver wheel 20 , as well as by appropriate selection of the effective length of the crank arm 26 ( between the axis of the shaft 27 and the axis of the pin 25b ), the designer of the apparatus can determine the relationship between the angular movement of the crank arm 26 and pivotal movements of filter sectors 14 to 18 between their first and second end positions . in order to establish a desired starting or initial relationship between the rotary movements of the wheel 20 and the angular movements of the filter sections 14 to 18 , the stepping motor 29 is caused to rotate in a clockwise direction , as viewed in fig3 whereby the lobe 39 on the disc 34 engages and entrains the lobe 41 - n on the uppermost or first annular cam 40 - n . the lobe 41 - n thereupon engages and entrains the lobe 41 - n - 1 of the second uppermost cam , and so forth , until the lobe 41 - 2 of the next - to - the - lowermost cam 40 - 2 ultimately engages and entrains the lobe 41 - 1 of the lowermost cam 40 - 1 . the latter then rotates with the cams 40 - 2 to 40 - n and with the disc 34 , and its lobe 41 - 1 moves toward and engages the mobile portion 43 of the microswitch 42 which arrests the motor 29 . in such position of the parts of the limiting or selecting means 32 , the filter sectors 14 to 18 on the carrier 6 assume their first end positions , i . e ., they are outside of the beam of copying light which passes through the opening 3a of the topmost carrier 3 . the influencing of the light beam by the filter sectors can begin . the control circuit of the stepping motor 29 is connected with the output of a memory 46 which stores the number of steps to be performed by the motor 29 ( in a counterclockwise direction , as viewed in fig3 ) for each degree of coloration of the beam of copying light . if the operation of the motor 29 is selected in such a way that each step involves an angular movement through 71 / 2 degrees , and if the step - down ratio of the gearing 28 is 75 : 1 , each revolution of the shaft 33 will involve an angular displacement of the filter sectors 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 and 18 through angles of 6 minutes . in other words , if the angular displacement between the first and second end positions of the filter sectors 14 to 18 is 60 °, such angular displacement necessitates approximately 600 steps of the stepping motor 29 . for example , if the results of preceding measurements or tests and / or the experience and expertise of the operators concerning the condition and quality of the original to be copied and / or the copying paper indicate that the degree of coloration in a particular color should equal or approximate 20 %, the memory 46 is set ( either by hand or automatically ) to cause the stepping motor 29 to perform a certain number of steps , namely , to cause the shaft 33 to complete 120 steps in a counterclockwise direction , as viewed in fig3 . this causes the lobe 39 of the disc 34 to move away from one side of the lobe 41 - n so that the disc 34 completes one revolution relative to the cam 40 - n until the lobe 39 engages the other side of the lobe 41 - n , and the cam 40 - n then begins to rotate with the disc 34 . the lobe 41 - n - 1 on the cam 40 - n - 1 begins to rotate the cam 40 - n - 2 after the cam 40 - n - 1 completes one full revolution with the disc 34 , and so forth . if the extension 35 carries a total of twelve cams ( 40 - 1 to 40 - n ), the shaft 33 ( which is connected with the disc 34 ) can make a total of thirteen revolutions ( minus the combined width of the lobes 39 and 41 - 1 to 41 - n , as considered in the circumferential direction of the disc 34 ) before the lobe 41 - 1 reaches the stop 45 which then prevents further counterclockwise rotation of the disc 34 . in accordance with the aforediscussed example , the motor 29 is brought to a halt by the memory 46 when the shaft 33 completes 120 steps which ensures adequate influencing of the beam of copying light by the filter for the respective color . an important advantage of the improved apparatus is that the number of steps to be performed by the motors 29 , 29 &# 39 ; and 29 &# 34 ; increases at least substantially linearly with the increasing percentage of coloration of the copying light beam in the respective color . it goes without saying that each of the motors 29 &# 39 ; and 29 &# 34 ; can be controlled in the same way ( or in a similar way ) as the above described mode of controlling the stepping motor 29 . another important advantage of the improved apparatus is that it ensures a high resolution within the entire filtering range . furthermore , by using stepping motors , one can ensure full reproducibility of concrete or stored information . the non - linear relationship between the extent to which the filter sectors cover or extend into the path of the beam of copying light and the coloring of the beam is compensated for , at least substantially , by the equally non - linear rate or nature of movement of the transmissions including the crank arms 26 , 26 &# 39 ; and 26 &# 34 ; so that , on the whole , the influencing of the beam of copying light progresses at least substantially linearly with the steps of the motors 29 , 29 &# 39 ; and 29 &# 34 ;. a copying machine which can employ the apparatus of the present invention is disclosed , for example , in commonly owned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 274 , 732 granted june 23 , 1981 to siegfried thurm et al . without further analysis , the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that , from the standpoint of prior art , fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of our contribution to the art and , therefore , such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the appended claims . | 6 |
referring to fig2 , an exemplary embodiment of a mobile terminal in accordance with one aspect of the invention comprises a first body 10 having a keypad 12 provided on front surface of the first body 10 for allowing a user to input information . as shown , a second body 20 is provided that , for example , slides in a first direction and preferably longitudinally over the first body 10 to expose the keypad 12 on the front surface of the first body 10 . as provided in further detail below , one or more embodiments of the invention are disclosed as applicable to a sliding - type mobile terminal . this is , however , by way of example and the features and principals disclosed herein are applicable to any type of mobile terminal , such as a candy - bar design , a clamshell design , or other structural design used to manufacture a mobile terminal . in a preferred embodiment , the display pane 22 is rotatably mounted in a first position on the front surface of the first body 10 for displaying various information . in addition , instead or in conjunction with the rotatable feature disclosed above , alternative embodiments may be configured to allow the display pane 22 to tilt , slide out , pop out , unfold , pivot , swivel , revolve or otherwise move away from the first position on the front surface of the first body 10 . a battery 14 can be mounted at a rear surface of the first body 10 or second body 20 . when the second body 20 is slidably moved to an open position , the keypad 12 mounted on the front surface of the first body 10 is exposed . a microphone 16 for inputting a voice signal is mounted , for example , at one end of the first body 10 or second body 20 . in one embodiment , the second body 20 comprises a function key 24 ( e . g ., a user interface mechanism ). a speaker 26 may be also included , for example , at an upper portion of the front side of the second body 20 . in one embodiment , a second microphone ( not shown ) may be also provided near the speaker 26 . referring to fig2 and 3 , a pcb 32 having a plurality of circuit components is housed inside the second body 20 . a receiving cavity 28 is formed on the a front surface of the second body 20 . the cavity is configured to receive the display panel 22 having a distal end and a proximal end . in another embodiment , a hinge connection part 30 may be used for rotatably coupling the proximal end of the display panel 22 in the receiving cavity 28 . preferably , the hinge connection part 30 is a pin - style hinge with a pin sliding into one or more cylindrically shaped hinges , for example , formed at the proximal end of the display panel 22 . the hinge connection part 30 is configured to allow display panel 22 to rotate about a first axis disposed approximately near one end of the receiving cavity in a tight friction loaded relationship with one or more hinges , so that the display panel 22 can rotate about the hinge pin to form a first angle with the second body 20 when in an open position . depending on implementation , the first axis may be disposed along any portion of the display panel 22 and the movement of the display panel 20 may be controlled to limit the rotation angle about the hinge pin to a maximum of approximately 90 degrees , for example . in other implementations , the rotation angle may not be limited so that the display panel 22 can be rotated to form an acute or obtuse angle with the second body 20 . in an exemplary embodiment , when in an open position , the display panel 22 can be rotated about the first axis in a controlled manner to stop at fixed rotation points . the fixed rotation points are selected to allow the display panel 22 form successive predetermined angles with the second body 20 in , for example , a lock - step relationship . in yet another embodiment , instead of implementing a lock - step relationship , a smooth continuous path of travel is implemented . as such , the display panel 22 can be freely rotated by the user to stop at any desirable viewing angle . this feature may be implemented as suggested earlier by constructing a tight friction loaded relationship between the inner surfaces of the one or more hinges and the hinge pin . other implementations , using spring - loaded structures or biasing members to control the movement of the display panel 22 are of possible use in alternative embodiments . referring to more specifically to fig3 , a locking unit 40 can be installed in the second body 20 in order to lock the distal end of the display panel 22 ( i . e ., the end opposite the hinge ) when the display panel 22 is disposed in the receiving cavity 28 in a closed position . the locking unit 40 , in one embodiment , comprises a locking rod 44 having a first end protruding from an aperture 42 formed at an inner area of the receiving cavity 28 , for example . the first end of the locking rod is configured to removably engage a locking recess 48 formed at the distal end of the display panel 22 , when the display panel is in the closed position . accordingly , in a closed position , the locking recess 48 and the aperture 42 are approximately aligned to allow for the first end of locking rod 44 engage the locking recess 48 . the locking rod 44 is mounted in the second body 20 and engaged with an operation lever 46 exposed out of a guide groove 54 formed in one side of the second body 20 . a user can operate the locking rod 44 to be moved in first and second directions ( e . g ., downwardly or upwardly ) to respectively disengage or engage the locking recess 48 formed at the distal end of the display panel 22 . in a preferred embodiment , the locking rod 44 is spring loaded . for example , a spring 50 can be installed between a second end of the locking rod 44 and a spring sheet 52 . the second end is positioned opposite to the first end of the locking rod 44 that engages the locking recess 48 . the spring sheet 52 is a fixed platform , for example , formed at an inner surface of the second body 20 , as shown . spring 50 provides a biasing force to propel the locking rod 44 in a first direction toward the locking recess 48 . the spring sheet 52 supports the spring 50 and prevents the locking rod 44 from moving beyond a predetermined point in a second direction , opposite the first direction . in one embodiment , the display panel 20 is disposed in the receiving cavity 28 , in a closed position , the first end of the locking rod 44 engages the locking recess 48 , thus maintaining the display panel 20 in the receiving cavity 28 . when the user manipulates the operation lever 46 ( e . g ., by way of exerting force , touching , pressing , pulling , etc . ), the locking rod 44 is moved in the second direction toward the spring sheet 52 and overcomes the biasing force of the spring 50 . as a result , the first end of locking rod 44 is released from the locking recess 48 to place the display panel 22 in an unlocked state . the camera 60 can be rotatably installed at one end and preferably at the upper end of the second body 20 . a first camera mounting aperture 62 exposing a camera lens 66 toward the front of the second body 20 can be formed at the upper portion of the front surface of the second body 20 . a second camera mounting aperture 64 exposing the camera lens 66 towards the rear of the second body 20 can be formed at the rear surface of the second body 20 . accordingly , the camera 60 can be rotatably mounted on the second body 20 , so that when the camera lens 66 ( or the camera module ) is positioned towards the first camera mounting aperture 62 , the camera 60 can be used for video conferencing , for example . when the camera lens 66 is positioned towards the second camera mounting aperture 64 , the camera 60 can be used for capturing images and videos , for example . in this manner , the single camera 60 can be rotatably mounted at the second body 20 and capture images and videos and also for video conferencing . an antenna 70 can be internally or externally installed , for example , at one end of the second body 20 . preferably , an internal antenna 70 may be used . in one embodiment , an internal antenna 70 is configured to adapt to or complement a curved inner surface of the second body 20 and so that it does not obstruct the camera lens 66 when the camera rotates toward the second camera mounting aperture 64 . referring to fig4 , an operational state of the mobile terminal having the video conferencing system in accordance with one embodiment is provided . when the mobile terminal is used to capture images and video , the display panel 22 can be set in the receiving cavity 28 of the second body 20 in a closed position or locked state if the locking unit 50 is engaged , as provided above . the camera 60 can be rotated to face the second camera mounting aperture 64 formed at the rear surface of the second body 20 . in this state , the user can capture images and video while looking at the display panel 22 . when the mobile terminal is used to perform video conferencing , the camera 60 can be rotated to face the first camera mounting aperture 62 formed at the front surface of the second body 20 . in one embodiment , the operation lever 46 may be pulled out or otherwise manipulated to release the locking rod 44 from the locking recess 48 in order to unlock the display panel 22 . in this state , the display panel 22 may be rotated out from the receiving unit to be set to an upright position , for example , or any other suitable viewing angle . as provided earlier , in one embodiment , the hinge connection part 30 has a lock - free friction tight construction , so that the user can adjust the display panel 22 to a desired viewing angles . thus , when the mobile terminal is placed on a desk or other surface , the user can perform video conferencing by adjusting the viewing angle for the display panel 22 . as shown in fig4 , the numeral reference “ v ” denotes a general viewing direction ( i . e ., line of sight ) of the user during video conferencing . for example , if the user wishes to perform a video teleconference with another party located elsewhere , the display panel 22 may be set to an upright position , and the mobile terminal itself may be placed on a desk such that the user can look at the display panel 22 from a first direction “ v ” to view images of the another party . the mobile terminal camera is configured to capture images of the user so that it can be sent to another party for viewing . it should be noted that the angle of the display panel 22 may be adjusted according to the user &# 39 ; s preference . the feature of adjusting the display panel 22 to an upright position can be expressed in different terms . namely , it can be said that the display panel 22 may be flipped open or closed . in other words , the display panel 22 may be folded up ( to an upright state ) or folded down ( to a flat state ). likewise , the display panel 22 can be described as a “ flap ” that can be opened to various viewing angles used for viewing during video conferencing , and closed to its flat normal position . other possible embodiments to achieve the desired viewing angle for the display panel 22 may be implemented . in a first preferred embodiment , the display panel 22 can be flipped open or closed about a hinge ( or other rotating means ) at its top edge . in a second preferred embodiment , the display panel 22 may be flipped open or closed about a hinge at its bottom edge , for example . such embodiments may be advantageous because the need for graphics processing to “ flip ” the images to be displayed may not be required . this would be possible if the display panel 22 having a hinge at its bottom edge additionally has another pivot point at the bottom edge to allow the display panel 22 to pivot , revolve or swivel around ( e . g ., 180 degrees ). the second embodiment may advantageously comprise a pivot point ( not shown ) about which the display panel 22 may pivot , revolve or swivel . thus , in addition to the hinge that provides for the distal end of display panel 22 to rotate about the axis of the hinge toward and away from the mobile terminal , the pivot point allows the display panel 22 to panoramically revolve about a second axis , wherein the second axis is approximately perpendicular to the axis of the hinge pin . accordingly , in one embodiment , the display panel 22 can freely pivot 360 degrees so that a viewer can view the screen from any angle . in one embodiment , the locking unit 40 is located at a different position than that of the locking unit 40 shown in fig4 , to provide room for the pivot point . in another embodiment , the display panel 22 may be configure with a hinge constructed along a longitudinal direction . to do so , the camera unit can rotate or adjust to capture the images of the user who views the display panel 22 being flipped open the respective side . when the display panel 22 is adjusted to an upright position , the orientation of the images ( e . g ., video , graphics , visual information , etc . ), may need to be changed . for example , when the user views the display panel 22 from a direction v ( shown as arrow “ v ” in fig4 ), the images shown on the display panel 22 may need to be “ flipped ” or “ rotated ”. otherwise , when the display panel 22 is in an upright position , an “ upside - down ” image would appear when viewed from direction v . in accordance with one aspect of the invention , the rotation angle of the single camera in the mobile terminal is detected . during ordinary phone usage , the camera points in a first direction towards to user . for video conferencing , the camera can be rotated around or laid on its side , such that it points in a second direction toward a user looking at the display unit in the upright position . depending on such rotation angles of the camera itself , the graphics image processor may provide the appropriate orientation of the images being displayed upon detecting the current camera rotation angle being used . alternatively , the image orientation adjustment can be achieved by using appropriate graphics processing regardless of the camera angle . for example , the camera function may be turned off such that an image of the user himself is not transmitted to the other party , yet the user can view images of the other party on his display panel 22 in the upright position . here , a graphics image processor within the mobile terminal can cooperate with the mechanisms used to adjust the display panel 22 position , such that when the display panel 22 is flipped to an upright position and video conferencing or other image display functions are to be performed , the graphics image processor may appropriately adjust the orientation of the images to be displayed upon the detection of the upright position of the display panel 22 . in fig4 , the camera is of the type that can rotate around an axis that is parallel to the hinge axis of the display panel 22 . in a preferred embodiment , the camera is located above the top edge of the display panel 22 with respect to a slide type mobile terminal viewed in the normal direction ( e . g ., represented by arrow “ n ”). however , the camera may be mounted or attached to other locations on the handset in accordance with other embodiments . other types of camera direction adjustments are possible . for example , if the hinge is longitudinally located along one of the side edges of the display panel 22 , the camera may pivot on an axis that is parallel with the side edges of the display panel 22 in its flat position . other pivot mechanisms may allow the camera to point in various three - dimensional directions without being limited to rotations on the x - axis or y - axis ( i . e ., horizontal or vertical rotations ). thus , various solutions to adjusting the image orientation can be implemented , depending on one or more factors associated with the position of the display panel 22 , the user &# 39 ; s line of sight and the camera angle . the mobile terminal having the video conferencing system in accordance with the present invention has many advantages . for example , since the viewing angle of the display panel 22 is adjustable , the user can put the mobile terminal on a desk for video conferencing . this will improve picture clarity as it provides a more stable environment for the mobile terminal . in addition , the camera can be easily rotated and positioned to point toward either the front or rear of the mobile terminal . accordingly , video conferencing and video recording can be performed by using a single camera . this will advantageously reduce the fabrication cost and the weight of the mobile terminal . as the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential 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 spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims , and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims , or equivalence of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims . | 7 |
turning to fig1 there is shown a block diagram of a low - voltage spot network 10 including a three - phase transformer 12 connected to a high voltage source ( not shown in fig1 ). the secondary winding of the three - phase transformer 12 is connected to input terminals of a network protector 14 . the output terminals of the network protector 14 are connected to phase a , b , and c conductors via fuses 24 , 26 , and 28 , respectively . the three - phase transformer 12 is also connected to a neutral conductor 22 , which is grounded at several points . the low - voltage spot network 10 also includes a three - phase transformer 16 connected to a high - voltage source , not shown in fig1 . the secondary winding of the three - phase transformer 16 is connected to input terminals of a network protector 18 . the output terminals of the network protector 18 are connected to the phase a , b , and c conductors via fuses 30 , 32 , and 34 . the three - phase transformer 16 is also connected to the neutral conductor 22 . in operation , the three - phase transformers 12 and 16 reduce the voltage level of the high voltage input thereto , providing a low - voltage to a bus 20 . the bus 20 comprises the phase a , b , and c conductors and the neutral conductor 22 . as previously discussed , the network protectors 14 and 18 disconnect the three - phase transformers 12 and 16 , respectively , from the bus 20 to prevent reverse power flow and to isolate the three - phase transformers 12 and 16 when there is a fault on the high - voltage side of the three - phase transformers 12 and 16 . a load is connected to the bus 20 via fuses 36 , 38 , and 40 . another load is also connected to the bus 20 via fuses 42 , 44 , and 46 . in other embodiments of low - voltage spot network 10 more than two high - voltage sources can feed electrical power to the bus 20 , and the bus 20 can supply power to more than two loads . a protective relay 48 is connected to the phase a , b , and c conductors and the neutral conductor 22 for detecting a power arcing fault on the bus 20 . when a fault is detected , the protective relay 48 provides a signal to the network protectors 14 and 18 for opening the contacts thereof . fig2 is a partial block diagram of the protective relay 48 shown in fig1 . voltage signals from the phase a , b , and c conductors are input to a voltage difference circuit 50 . the neutral conductor 22 is also connected to the voltage difference circuit 50 . the voltage difference circuit 50 provides three signals : a first signal representative of the voltage difference between the phase a conductor and the neutral conductor 22 , a second signal representative of the voltage difference between the phase b conductor and the neutral conductor 22 , and a third signal representative of the voltage difference between the phase c conductor and the neutral conductor 22 . referring to fig2 the first signal is input to a voltage divider 52 . fig2 notes that the second and third signals are also input to voltage dividers similar in function and structure to the voltage divider 52 . the voltage divider 52 reduces the voltage from the bus 20 to levels compatible with the solid - state electronic circuits of the protective relay 48 . either a transformer having a frequency response high enough to pass the predominant power arcing harmonic frequencies or a capacitive or resistive voltage divider can be used as the voltage divider 52 . the signal from the voltage divider 52 is input to a bandpass filter 54 . the bandpass filter 54 blocks the power frequency component and the lower order harmonics , which may be caused by multi - phase rectifier loads connected to the bus 20 . in one embodiment of the protective relay 48 the bandpass filter has a pass band from 1 khz to 100 khz . the signal from the bandpass filter 54 is input to a variable gain amplifier 56 where the signal level of the high - frequency components are amplified . as will be illustrated in fig3 the variable gain amplifier 56 also provides a sensitivity adjustment . the signal from the variable gain amplifier is input to a rectifier and averager 58 where the oscillations caused by the high - frequency components of the power arc are rectified and a short time - average for these components is provided . the rectifier and averager 58 is for discriminating between signals produced by a power arc and those from other sources that produce sporadic high - frequency signals . the output signal from the rectifier and averager 58 is input to a peak detector 60 . the peak detector 60 has a discharge time constant of several seconds to allow a time delay circuit 62 to reject momentary noise pulses , while providing a sufficiently high voltage level to activate the time delay circuit 62 during actual power arcing conditions . an output signal from the peak detector 60 is input to the time delay circuit 62 , which in one embodiment has a time constant of 0 . 7 seconds . this time constant must allow sufficient time for protective devices in the load circuits to clear load - circuit faults ( i . e ., 0 . 1 to 0 . 5 seconds ). an output signal from the time delay circuit 62 is input to a tripping circuit 64 . the tripping circuit 64 is a conventional electromechanical device for energizing the trip circuit of the network protectors 14 and 18 . to analyze the second and third signals from the voltage difference circuit 50 , the protective relay 48 includes second and third voltage dividers , bandpass filters , variable gain amplifiers , rectifiers and averagers , and peak detectors , ( not shown in fig2 ) each identical in structure and function to respectively , the voltage divider 52 , the bandpass filters 54 , the variable gain amplifier 56 , the rectifier and averager 58 , and the peak detector 60 . the time delay circuit 62 and the tripping circuit 64 are common to the circuitry analyzing the first , second , and third signals from the voltage divider 52 . any one of the first , second , and third signals from the voltage difference circuit 50 can cause opening of the network protectors 14 and 18 . fig3 is an exemplary schematic diagram for implementing the various elements illustrated in fig2 . an operational amplifier 66 is connected in a bandpass filter configuration to provide the function of the bandpass filter 54 . an operational amplifier 68 , including a variable resistor 70 , is configured to provide the function of the variable gain amplifier 56 . the variable resistor 70 provides the sensitivity adjustment previously discussed . operational amplifiers 72 and 74 , and diodes 76 and 78 provide the rectifier and averaging function associated with the rectifier and averager 58 . the peak detector 60 comprises a capacitor 80 and a resistor 82 connected between a terminal 84 and ground . a resistor 88 is also connected to the terminal 84 and to ground via a series connection of a resistor 90 and a capacitor 92 . the junction between the resistor 88 and the resistor 90 is connected to a first terminal of a timer 86 . a junction between the resistor 90 and the capacitor 92 is connected to a second terminal of the timer 86 . third and fourth terminals of the timer 86 are connected to the supply voltage ( designated v cc ) in fig3 . the supply voltage is also connected to a fifth terminal of the timer 86 via a parallel combination of a diode 94 and a relay coil k . in one embodiment , the timer 86 is the popular 555 integrated circuit . in operation , the bandpass filter 54 passes a band of frequencies indicative of a power arcing fault on the bus 20 . in one embodiment of the present invention the passband is 1 , 000 hz to 100 khz . also , the operational amplifiers 72 and 74 have slew rates of approximately 10 v / μs , or better for proper operation for frequencies above approximately 50 khz . after amplification , rectification , and averaging , the peak detector 60 sees a dc value representative of the magnitude of the signals passed by the bandpass filter 54 . the capacitor 80 is charged by this dc signal , and discharges through the resistors 82 , 88 , and 90 and the capacitor 92 . due to the long discharge time constant associated with the capacitor 80 , the capacitor 80 in effect remembers the highest magnitude of the dc signal and holds a charge representing this magnitude during a window time determined by the discharge time constant . discharging of the capacitor 80 charges the capacitor 92 and if the charge on the latter reaches two - thirds of the supply voltage of the timer 86 , the capacitor 92 discharges through the resistor 90 to ground via the first terminal of the timer 86 . when the capacitor 92 discharges , the relay coil k is energized , closing the contact k 1 . this energizes the relay coil x , closing contacts x 1 , x 2 , and x 3 . the contact x 1 latches the relay coil x in the closed position . the contact x 2 trips the network protectors 14 and 18 , and the contact x 3 provides current to an led 96 causing the latter to light , thereby indicating that a trip signal has been sent to the network protectors 14 and 18 . the diode 94 protects the timer 86 from transient voltages when the relay coil k is deenergized . a second embodiment ( not shown ) of the protective relay 48 uses the current on each phase conductor , rather than the voltage between each phase conductor and the neutral conductor , to determine the presence of harmonics and therefore a power arcing fault . such an embodiment would require the use of three current transformers , one current transformer on each phase conductor in the well - known configuration . a third embodiment uses the three phase - to - phase voltages to detect a power arcing fault . means for providing phase - to - phase voltages are well known in the art . fig4 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention . the components of fig4 are identical in structure and function to the components bearing identical reference characters in fig1 . in fig4 the bandpass filter 54 of fig2 has been replaced by a harmonic detector 98 . the harmonic detector 98 is more sophisticated than the bandpass filter 54 , and the harmonic detector 98 would include multiple notch filters for passing specific harmonic frequencies . also , the harmonic detector 98 could examine the ratio between two specific harmonic frequencies , thereby making the protective relay 48 more sensitive to harmonics caused by the power arc fault and less sensitive to those due to naturally occurring events in the low - voltage spot network 10 . | 7 |
a detailed illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed . however , a method for improving the availability of a limited memory resource in accordance with the invention may be embodied in a wide variety of forms , some of which may be different from those of the disclosed embodiment . consequently , the specific functional details disclosed here are representative , and provide a preferred embodiment which does not limit the scope of the invention . by way of background , fig1 illustrates a typical memory configuration 10 for a modern pc - compatible computer . three general regions are shown . a first memory region 12 from 0 to 640k is managed by dos and is generally free for use in the windows global heap . a second memory region 14 from 640k to 1m is made up of various sub - areas for the video adapter , umbs , and rom ( the locations of these sub - areas vary from system to system ). a third memory region 16 above 1m is identified by the vmm and used by windows as part of the global heap . referring to the flowchart of fig2 initially , microsoft windows is allowed to begin its self - loading , or &# 34 ; boot &# 34 ; process . this is shown in fig2 as a step 20 . at an early point in the windows boot process , the invention is invoked to identify as much umb memory as possible above 640 kb and below the 1m boundary 18 . to accomplish this , the invention utilizes the -- allocate -- global -- v86 -- data -- area service provided by the vmm to identify all unused umb memory space . in one embodiment , other virtual device drivers loaded in the windows boot process are allowed to execute and claim v86 data area ( step 22 ) before the invention claims it from the vmm ( step 24 ). in this embodiment , the allocation is performed by a virtual device driver loaded after all others or elsewhere after all virtual device driver loading is complete ( when notified by the init -- complete system broadcast ). alternatively , the invention can first allocate all of the umb memory at any time ; thereafter the -- allocate -- global -- v86 -- data -- area call must then be intercepted to permit some of the memory to be relinquished to requesting virtual device drivers . the allocated umb memory is linked to the global heap as part of global dos memory . the global heap control structures are accessed , and global heap arenas are initialized ( step 26 ) to describe the umb blocks . as described in windows internals by matt pietrek , pp . 108 - 110 , each block of memory in the global heap is tagged with a block arena containing information on the memory ; free arenas are maintained by the kernel . the new arenas corresponding to the umb blocks are then added to the arenas maintained by the kernel by &# 34 ; walking the heap &# 34 ; ( i . e . traversing the linked list of arenas ), thereby identifying the location between 640k and 1m in linear address space ( step 28 ), and patching the new arenas into the linked list at that location ( step 30 ). by following these steps , the invention makes available a larger global dos memory area than is otherwise available . the invention also protects against the over - allocation of global dos memory . an adjustable quantity of global dos memory is allocated and marked as fixed by the invention . this reserved memory will then be available to service any valid requests for global dos memory , but will not be used for generic memory requests . referring now to the flowchart of fig3 another aspect of the invention begins after windows begins to load ( step 40 ). to ensure that sufficient global dos memory is available for the reserved memory , the invention must be invoked early in the windows boot process , preferably after the kernel module but before any other system or third - party components ( e . g . gdi or user ). at that time , the only global dos resources that will have been consumed are those explicitly requested by viral device drivers , as discussed above , and those occupied by kernel program segments . the invention then attempts to acquire a reserved memory area out of the global dos memory area ( step 42 ). the reserved memory allocated by the invention is obtained by the globaldosalloc function . the quantity can be adjustable based on specific user requirements , but can in practice be as little as 1k . optionally , the invention can allocate all of global dos memory during the windows boot process , releasing all but the reserved portion when system initialization is complete . this technique will minimize global dos consumption by system or third - party components loaded during the boot process . as stated above , such components frequently contain fixed code segments that may be locked unnecessarily in global dos memory . the invention thereafter attempts to maintain the reserved memory at the level specified by the user . the invention monitors valid requests for global dos memory by intercepting calls to the globaldosalloc and globaldosfree functions ( step 44 ). if a globaldosalloc call is detected ( step 46 ), the invention must first determine if the allocation attempt is successful ( step 48 ). if the request made by the globaldosalloc function can be accommodated by using global dos memory other than the reserved memory , then the invention need take no further action and system performance will be unimpaired . however , if the allocation attempt fails , the invention will free a portion of the reserved memory to accommodate the allocation request ( step 50 ). to obtain optimal usage of the global dos memory , the global heap &# 39 ; s control structures can be manipulated directly by the invention to facilitate the &# 34 ; best fit &# 34 ; of the allocation request . the global dos allocation request is then reissued to complete the process ( step 52 ). after such an action , the reserved memory is reduced in size with respect to the level selected by the user . to attempt to restore the size of the reserved memory area , the globaldosfree function is also intercepted by the invention ( step 54 ). the globaldosfree function is called by an application to relinquish previously allocated global dos memory . if the reserved memory is already at its established size ( step 56 ), as is usually the case , no action need be taken and the globaldosfree can be reissued . however , if the reserved memory has previously been diminished by an allocation , the invention utilizes the memory relinquished by globaldosfree to restore the size of the reserved memory area ( step 58 ). thus , system performance generally remains unimpaired . although the invention substantially improves the availability of global dos memory , the possibility still exists that all such memory , including the reserved memory area , can be exhausted . if that occurs , applications may fail or refuse to run . the user , upon noting that condition , can then attempt to increase the size of the reserved memory area when windows is next run . it will be appreciated that embodiments of the invention may be employed in many different applications to improve the availability of a limited memory resource . while certain exemplary operations have been described herein , the appropriate scope hereof is deemed to be in accordance with the claims as set forth below . | 6 |
on fig1 the reference 10 generally denotes a cutting jet receptacle embodied in accordance with the invention and installed on a fluid jet cutting machine whose disposition may be of any nature , said machine possibly being a manual control machine or a programmable machine . on this machine , the receptacle 10 is placed immediately below an aperture 14 formed in a horizontal table 12 supporting the part to be cut , said part being denoted by the reference 16 . above the part 16 and at the right of the aperture 14 , the cutting machine comprises a cutting nozzle 18 opposite which the receptacle 10 is placed . the nozzle 18 and the receptacle 10 have a common axis which is shown vertical on fig1 but whose orientation may possibly vary between vertical and horizontal by virtue of the use of the receptacle 10 of the invention . the cutting nozzle 18 and the receptacle 10 are mounted on the machine so as to be able to move together opposite the aperture 14 along a generally transversal direction with respect to the machine , this direction being perpendicular to a longitudinal direction corresponding to the movement of the material 16 on the table 12 . this simultaneous movement of the nozzle 18 and the receptacle 10 may be obtained by any device and especially by interconnecting these two members by a u - shaped arm laterally overlapping the part 16 . in operation , the cutting nozzle 18 emits a cutting jet 20 constituted by an under high pressure fluid jet which traverses the part 16 and then the aperture 14 before being collected in the receptacle 10 . this cutting jet 20 is generally a water jet containing abrasive particles . it is transmitted at a high speed , usually supersonic . the receptacle 10 , in which this jet 20 is collected in accordance with the invention , is now to be described in more detail with reference to fig1 . this receptacle 10 includes a hollow body 22 generally having a symmetry of revolution around an axis merged with the axis of the jet 20 . this body 22 delimits an internal chamber 24 into which the jet 20 penetrates via a feed orifice 26 whose axis is also merged with the axis of the jet . this feed orifice 26 is formed in a bush 28 mounted on the body 22 and made of a material having extremely high resistance to abrasion . adjustment means constituted by a screw 30 make it possible to move the bush 28 along the axis of the body 22 so that one extremity of this bush penetrates inside the aperture 14 and is found immediately close to the part 16 to be cut . the distance separating the bush 28 from the face of the part 16 opposite the cutting nozzle 18 may accordingly be accurately adjusted . with regard to the direction of movement of the jet 20 inside the bush 28 , the passage 26 successively has one approximately truncated convergent zone , one zone of reduced diameter and one zone of larger diameter opening into the internal chamber 24 . in its section situated opposite the bush 28 , the body 22 of the receptacle 10 supports three nozzles 32 each transmitting a counter - fluid jet 34 along a direction which cuts the direction of the cutting jet 20 and orientated in the opposite direction with respect to the latter . the fluid transmitted by the nozzles 32 may be water . the pressure of the counter - jets 34 delivered by the nozzles 32 is adjusted by suitable means ( not shown ) placed in the feed pipes 3 of these nozzles . this adjustment is effected by taking account of the pressure of the cutting jet 20 so that , when the counter - jets strike the cutting jet , the latter is totally destroyed . each of the nozzles 32 is secured to the body 22 of the receptacle 10 so as to be able to move by means of a packing box 38 ensuring imperviousness of the chamber 24 with respect to the outside . more precisely , the axes of the nozzles 32 and of the counter - jets 34 transmitted by these nozzles are orientated in opposition along directions inclined by a given angle of about 45 ° in the example represented with respect to the axis of the feed orifice 26 , that is to the axis of the cutting jet 20 . in addition , the three nozzles 32 are distributed at regular intervals around this axis , that is at 120 ° in relation to each other so that they simultaneously strike the cutting jet 20 and break it completely . so as to evacuate the residual liquid resulting from the collision of the cutting jet 20 and the counter - jets 34 , the body 22 is also imperviously traversed by an evacuation pipe 36 whose axis forms approximately the same angle as that of the nozzles 32 with the axis of the feed orifice 26 and which is disposed roughly between two of these nozzles . this pipe 36 opens into the internal chamber 24 which connects the latter to an effluent evacuation circuit ( not shown ) not forming part of the present invention . the cutting nozzle 18 and the nozzles 32 transmitting the counter - jets 34 are normally controlled simultaneously so as to ensure that the cutting jet 20 or the counter - jets 34 do not damage the body 22 of the receptacle . however , and so as to take into account any possible malfunctioning of the counter - jets 34 , a stand - by anti - splash plug pellet 40 is mounted in the chamber 34 opposite the feed orifice 26 and between the nozzles 32 , that is beyond the normal point of impact of the counter - jets with the cutting jet . this pellet 40 , made of a material with extremely high resistance to abrasion , is placed in the prolongation of the cutting jet 20 so that the latter strikes it if the counter - jets 34 are not functioning properly . the pellet 40 is secured to the body 22 of the receptacle 10 by dismountable fixing means , such as a screw 42 , making it possible , if need be , to replace it . the circumferential surface of the chamber 24 is formed on an internal sheathing 44 of the body 22 made of a material having extremely high resistance to abrasion . this internal sheathing 44 comprises a stand - by shoulder 46 turned towards the nozzles 32 and the pellet 40 . this shoulder 46 is localized so that the counter - jets 34 directly strike it in the event of any accidental stoppage of the cutting jet 20 . in the zone between this shoulder 46 and the feed orifice 26 , the internal surface of the sheathing 44 comprises a truncated concentration surface 48 whose diameter from the orifice 26 to the shoulder 46 becomes smaller . in its section encompassing the feed orifice 26 , the extremity surface of the chamber 24 comprises a recess 50 with a semi - toric section formed directly in the body 22 . this recess 50 extends the truncated concentration surface 48 and has the effect of bringing the mist , generated by cutting of the part and the impact of the jets inside the chamber 24 , back to the evacuation pipe 36 . the elimination of this mist is also facilitated by cooling the receptacle 10 . in the embodiment shown on fig1 this cooling is effected by causing a cooling fluid to circulate in a closed circuit , one part of this circuit being situated inside the body 22 of the receptacle . this part of the circuit internal to the body of the receptacle includes a helical groove 52 formed in the body 22 and interiorly delimited by the sheathing 44 . the cooling liquid penetrates this groove 52 via a pipe 54 situated close to the nozzles 32 and leaves it via a pipe 56 situated close to the bush 28 . between the pipes 54 and 56 , the cooling circuit conventionally includes means 57 to cool the cooling fluid , as well as a pump 59 . fig2 shows a second mode for embodiment of the receptacle of the invention . in this second embodiment , the members corresponding to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference figures increased by 100 . the receptacle 110 of fig2 has general characteristics identical to those of the receptacle 10 described above with reference to fig1 . it is mainly distinguished from the latter by the structure of the cooling means of the body 122 of this receptacle . in effect , if these cooling means also include a helical groove 152 formed in the body 122 around the axis of the latter and interiorly delimited by the sheathing 144 , the extremity of the groove 152 closest to the nozzles 132 opens directly inside the chamber 124 via a passage 158 . in this case , the cooling liquid is introduced into the groove 152 via a pipe 156 at its extremity closest to the bush 128 and is evacuated with the other effluent via the pipe 136 . in the embodiment shown on fig3 the receptacle of the invention also has general characteristics identical to those of the receptacle described previously with reference to fig1 . accordingly , the members identical to the latter are denoted by the same reference figures increased by 200 . as in the case of fig2 the receptacle of fig3 is mainly distinguished from that of fig1 by the structure of the cooling means of the body 222 of this receptacle 210 . in this case , the cooling of the body is simply ensured by providing cooling ribs 260 on the outer surface of the latter in its cylindrical part . regardless of the embodiment used , the destruction of the cutting jet by means of one or several counter - jets makes it possible to suppress the expendable parts or at least significantly increase their period of life . moreover , a receptacle designed in this way may be used irrespective of the orientation of the cutting jet between vertical and horizontal . furthermore , these described embodiments make it possible to ensure that the mist generated by the cutting and impact of the jets inside the receptacle does not reach the part to be cut . of course , the invention is not merely limited to the embodiments described above by way of examples , but covers all its variants . in particular , the number of nozzles delivering the counter - jets used to destroy the cutting jet may be other than three without departing from the context of the invention . if a single nozzle is used , it is placed directly in the axis of the cutting jet , whereas when several nozzles are used , the latter are slanted with respect to this axis , as in the embodiments described . this latter situation is preferable , as it makes it possible to destroy either the cutting jet or the counter - jets by virtue of the pellet 40 and the shoulder 46 should any malfunction occur of respectively the counter - jet delivering system or the cutting jet delivering system . | 8 |
advantages and features of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings . in this regard , the present embodiments should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein . rather , these embodiments are provided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concept of the present embodiments to one of ordinary skill in the art . the appended claims illustrate some of the embodiments of the present disclosure . like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification . all terms including descriptive or technical terms used herein should be construed as having meanings that are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art . when a term has an ambiguous meaning due to evolving of language , precedent cases , or the appearance of new technologies , the meaning of a term used in this disclosure should first be clarified by its usage and / or definition in this disclosure . if further clarification is needed , the term should then be clarified as one of ordinary skill in the art would have understood the term in context of the disclosure at the time of the disclosure . when a part “ includes ” or “ comprises ” an element , unless there is a particular description contrary thereto , the part can further include other elements . the term “ unit ” in the embodiments of the present disclosure means a software component or a hardware component that performs a specific function . the hardware component may include , for example , a field - programmable gate array ( fpga ) or an application - specific integrated circuit ( asic ). software component may refer to executable code and / or data used by the executable code in an addressable storage medium . thus , software components may be , for example , object - oriented software components , class components , and task components , and may include processes , functions , attributes , procedures , subroutines , segments of program code , drivers , firmware , micro codes , circuits , data , a database , data structures , tables , arrays , or variables . a function provided by a “ unit ” may be divided into additional components and “ units .” reference will now be made in detail to embodiments , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . in this regard , the present embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein . in the following description , well - known functions or constructions are not described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments with unnecessary detail . fig1 is a diagram illustrating an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure . referring to fig1 , an electronic device , which includes a user - wearable device 100 , has a display 102 , processors 110 and 112 , a sensor module 120 , a battery 130 , a band 140 , and a clasp 142 . the sensor module 120 may include sensors 122 and 124 . although the user - wearable device 100 may be worn on a wrist , various embodiments of the disclosure need not be so limited . the user - wearable device 100 may also be designed to be worn on other parts of the body , such as , for example , on an arm ( around the forearm , the elbow , or the upper arm ), on a leg , around the chest , around the head like a headband , around the throat like a “ choker ,” and on an ear . the user - wearable device 100 may be able to communicate with other electronic devices such as , for example , a smart phone or a laptop . this will be described in more detail with respect to fig3 . the display 102 may output monitored physiological signals from the user &# 39 ; s body for viewing by the user and / or others . the signals being monitored may be referred to as biosignals or biometric data . the monitored signals may be , for example , pulse rate , pulse morphology ( shape ), and / or pulse spacing ( inter - beat intervals ). the display 102 may also output instructions to the user or others in the use of the user - wearable device 100 or use of other measurement devices , as well as status and diagnostic results . the processor 110 may process the monitored signals to determine whether a more detailed monitoring and / or a different type of monitoring may be needed . the sensor module 120 may include , for example , the sensors 122 and 124 that touch the user &# 39 ; s wrist when the user - wearable device 100 is worn by a user . the processor 112 may control the sensors 122 and 124 , and may also process the signals monitored by the sensors 122 and 124 . for example , the processor 112 may filter noise from the signals monitored by the sensors 122 and 124 . various embodiments of the disclosure may have the processor 110 also perform the functions of the processor 112 . various embodiments of the disclosure may also have different number of sensors . the sensor 122 may be , for example , a ppg sensor that is used to continuously or near continuously monitor pulse related information . the sensor 124 may be a more sensitive type of a ppg sensor that is used when the processor 110 determines that further signal monitoring is needed using a more sensitive sensor , a sensor that is more relevant to the specific signals being monitored , or a sensor that may have greater use acceptance by , for example , medical professionals for monitoring certain biosignals or biometric data . that is , a sensor with greater sensitivity , specificity , and / or acceptability may be used . the sensor 124 may be , for example , an ecg sensor . the battery 130 may be configured to provide power for the user - wearable device 100 . the battery 130 may be charged using a wired charging system or a wireless charging system . the band 140 may be wrapped around a wrist and the user - wearable device 100 may be held on the wrist by using the clasp 142 . the user - wearable device 100 may provide continuous monitoring , or periodic monitoring . the specific type of monitoring may be design and / or implementation dependent , and may also include an option that allows the user to select the type of monitoring . periodic monitoring may alternate monitoring period and a non - monitoring period . periodic monitoring may be to allow for longer battery life . fig2 is a high - level block diagram of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure . referring to fig2 , there is shown the display 102 , the processor 110 , the sensor module 120 , and the battery 130 . output to the display 102 may be controlled by the processor 110 . the display 102 may also include input devices ( not shown ) such as , for example , buttons , dials , touch sensitive screen , and microphone . the processor 110 may include a cpu 200 , memory 210 , an input / output ( io ) interface 220 , a communication interface 230 , and a power management unit ( pmu ) 240 . while the processor 110 is described as comprising these various devices , other embodiments may use other architectures where the different functionalities are grouped differently . for example , the grouping may be in different integrated circuit chips . or the grouping may be combining different devices such as the io interface 220 and the communication interface 230 together . the cpu 200 may control operation of the sensor module 120 as well as receive monitored signals from the sensor module 120 . the cpu 200 may control the user - wearable device 100 , including processing the monitored signals from the sensor module 120 , displaying the processed signals on the display 102 , receiving input from the display 102 , interfacing with various devices via the io interface 220 or the communication interface 230 by executing instructions in the memory 210 . the io interface 220 may be used by the cpu 200 to interface with the display 102 . the processor 112 may operate using different architectures in different embodiments . for example , the processor 112 may use the memory 210 to store instructions to execute , or the processor 112 may have its own memory ( not shown ) for its instructions . although some embodiments have separate processors 110 and 112 , the various embodiments need not be limited so . there may be one processor 110 that controls the functionality of the user - wearable device 100 , or there may be multiple processors for the user - wearable device 100 . the memory 210 may include non - volatile memory 216 and volatile memory 218 . the operating system and applications may be stored in the non - volatile memory 216 . various embodiments of the disclosure may use different memory architectures that are design and or implementation dependent . the communication interface 230 may allow the user - wearable device 100 to communicate with other devices via , for example , a wired protocol such as usb or a wireless protocol such as bluetooth , near field communication ( nfc ), and wifi . the pmu 240 may control receiving power from an outside source , charging the battery 130 , as well as allocation of power to the different parts of the user - wearable device 100 . fig3 is an illustration of an electronic device in a communication network in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure . referring to fig3 , there is shown the user - wearable device 100 and a smartphone 300 . the user - wearable device 100 may communicate with the smartphone 300 using the communication interface 230 . the communication may be via communication signals 302 between the user - wearable device 100 and the smartphone 300 . the communication signals 302 may be via a wired communication protocol or a wireless communication protocol . although not shown , the communication signals 302 may be sent via one or more communication units between the user - wearable device 100 and the smartphone 300 . for example , the user - wearable device 100 and the smartphone 300 may belong to the same network or different networks . one of the applications 214 of the user - wearable device 100 may allow the smartphone 300 to control at least some operation of the user - wearable device 100 via the communication signals 302 . for example , user - wearable device 100 may output to the display 102 a result of the processing by the processor 110 , and / or the same result may be transmitted to the smartphone 300 . the user may then select an option either on the user - wearable device 100 or on the smartphone 300 . the options may be , for example , to use the sensor 124 on the user - wearable device 100 that is more sensitive than the sensor 122 that was used up to now , to use another monitoring device that may need to be put on by the user , or to repeat monitoring with the sensor 122 . since the smartphone 300 has a larger display , it may be easier for the user to select an option on the smartphone 300 rather than on the user - wearable device 100 . however , it should be noted that the smartphone 300 may not generally be necessary for operation of the user - wearable device 100 . fig4 is an exemplary notification by the electronic device to the user for acquiring signals in the second mode of monitoring . referring to fig4 , status may be shown on the display 102 when no user intervention is required . the status may indicate , for example , that no anomalies have been detected in the first mode of monitoring where the user - wearable device 100 monitors the user continuously or near continuously with no need for intervening action by the user . the status may be , for example , that the sensor 122 , which may measure the pulse of the user in some embodiments , does not detect the pulse to be out of a normal range for a typical person having the user &# 39 ; s characteristics . the characteristics may include , for example , sex , height , and weight . these characteristics may be entered directly into the user - wearable device 100 or via , for example , the smartphone 300 . when the processor 110 , which may be referred to as a diagnostic processor , determines that the monitored signals from the sensor 122 indicates that further measurements need to be taken , instructions to the user may be displayed on the display 102 . the instructions may indicate , for example , that the user needs to adjust the user - wearable device 100 to be tighter on the wrist so that the sensor 124 , which may be a more sensitive sensor than the sensor 122 , may acquire more accurate reading . or , the instructions may indicate that the user should rest for a period of time before continuing with further monitoring in the second mode . or , the instructions may indicate that the user needs to put on another more specialized monitoring device . various embodiments of the disclosure may include different instructions for different types of monitoring , including instructing the user to consult a medical professional . accordingly , the user - wearable device 100 may have different levels of instructions and monitoring depending on the needs of the user and / or the medical professional . according to some embodiments , the sensor 122 may monitor background - acquired signal data in the first mode to determine whether to enter triage states in the second mode . entering the triage states may require user involvement ( e . g ., a change in fit or behavior ), to trigger the use of a second sensor device such as the sensor 124 that may have higher power consumption than the first sensor device such as the sensor 122 . the higher power may be needed for improved signal quality , to change a type of signal acquisition and / or processing the acquired signals , and / or to perform an advanced method of physiological monitoring of the user . fig5 is an exemplary flowchart for determining whether to enter a second mode . referring to fig5 , there is shown operations 500 to 512 . at 500 , the user - wearable device 100 enters the first mode to monitor some of the user &# 39 ; s biosignals or biometric data via the sensor 122 . the sensor 122 may acquire sensor signals that may be of low quality due to non - ideal contact between the sensor 122 and the user , and due to the sensor 122 being less sensitive than , for example , the sensor 124 or an external sensor ( not shown ). if the sensor 122 is a ppg sensor , the acquired biosignals will be related to the user &# 39 ; s pulse . the user - wearable device 100 may start the acquisition upon being turned on by operating in the background without user input during the acquisition . for some types of biosignal acquisition , the user may need to enter some information prior to the acquisition . the information may be , for example , sex , height , and weight that may be relevant to processing the biosignals . at 502 , the sensor 122 acquires biosignals . at 504 , the processors 110 and / or 112 determine whether to proceed to a second mode based on the acquired biosignals . the processors 110 and / or 112 may determine that the acquired biosignals from the sensor 122 may not be normal , for example , based on a predetermined threshold , or because the acquired biosignals are different from prior biosignals from the user . the prior biosignals may have been acquired in previous sessions or may have been downloaded to the user - wearable device 100 and stored in the memory 210 . if the processors 110 and / or 112 determine not to proceed to the second mode , the sensor 122 continues to acquire biosignals from the user at 502 . if the processors 110 and / or 112 determine to enter the second mode , the user - wearable device 100 displays instructions on the display 102 at 506 . the instructions may be , for example , to further acquire biosignals using the more sensitive sensor 124 or an external sensor ( not shown ). or , the instructions may be for some processes that do not require additional sensor measurements . for example , the instruction may be to visit a doctor for more detailed tests . the sensor 124 may be a traditional sensor and / or provide more relevant and / or sensitive sensor signals than the sensor 122 . usage of the sensor 124 may require the user to perform a specific procedure that provides greater diagnostic and / or sensing capabilities . for example , the user may be instructed to tighten the band 140 to allow better contact between the sensor 124 and the user &# 39 ; s skin . or the user may be told to pose or hold still for a period of time , or to hold the sensor module 120 or an external sensor on the user &# 39 ; s body in one or more specific positions / orientations to maximize signal quality from a body part . having the user pose in a specific position may allow observation of specific measurable quantities that are not otherwise observable . for example , the user might be asked to raise their arm to see how the hydrostatic pressure changes impact the blood flow in their arm . without having the user move their arm , this information may not be able to be acquired . in another embodiment , the sensor 122 may acquire skin temperature , and the user - wearable device 100 may determine that the temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold temperature for the user . the display 102 may output an instruction for the user to perform temperature measurement using an oral or temporal thermometer . in another embodiment , the biosignals acquired by the sensor 122 may indicate spectral characteristics of significantly increased blood alcohol levels . accordingly , the user - wearable device 100 may provide instructions to the user on the display 102 to perform a horizontal gaze nystagmus test to determine a sobriety state of the user and his / her capability to operate a vehicle . in another embodiment , the sensor 122 may acquire gsr signals from a wrist - worn device , and the user - wearable device 100 may determine that the gsr signals indicates a level of sympathetic nervous system activation that does not satisfy a predetermined threshold for the user . this may trigger the user - wearable device 100 to provide one or more questions to the user to determine his / her cognitive state in an attempt to recognize an altered mental state . at 508 , if biosignals are to be acquired using a more sensitive sensor , the user - wearable device 100 may acquire biosignals at 510 with the sensor 124 that may be more sensitive than the sensor 122 . the biosignals may be processed to determine a diagnosis or next step of action . if biosignals are not to be acquired by the second sensor of the user - wearable device 100 , then , in an embodiment of the disclosure , the user - wearable device 100 may enter the first mode at 500 . this may occur , for example , if instructions were given at 506 to visit a doctor or if an external sensor is to be used for further monitoring of biosignals . additionally , while an embodiment may enter the first mode at 500 if further monitoring is not needed using the second sensor , various embodiments of the disclosure need not be so limited . for example , the user - wearable device 100 may enter a stand - by state until the user enters an input to start the biosignal acquisition at 500 . the specific action to be taken will depend on design and / or implementation decisions . at 512 , after processing signals acquired by the sensor 124 the user may be given a result of the biosignal monitoring . the user may be told to perform , for example , an electro - cardiogram ( ecg ) recording to diagnose for heart rhythm anomalies / abnormalities . even if the sensor 124 is an ecg sensor , in some instances there may be instructions to have another ecg recording performed by an external device . the monitoring by an external device may need to be done at a doctor &# 39 ; s office , or possibly by the user if the user has an external device able to make ecg recordings . various embodiments have described the user - wearable device 100 to be directed to monitoring some of a user &# 39 ; s biosignals or biometric data ; however other embodiments may monitor different biosignals than those mentioned in this disclosure . additionally , while some actions may have been taken due to instructions at 506 ( e . g ., skin temperature , blood alcohol level , gsr , and signals ), various embodiments may continue on to take more accurate measurements at 508 and 510 . various embodiments of the disclosure may be written as computer programs and may be implemented in general - use digital computers that execute the programs using a non - transitory computer - readable recording medium . non - transitory computer - readable recording medium may include , for example , magnetic storage media ( e . g ., rom , floppy disks , and hard disks ), and optical recording media ( e . g ., cd - roms , or dvds ). while various embodiments of the disclosure have been described with reference to the figures , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims . accordingly , the above embodiments and all aspects thereof are examples only and are not limiting . | 0 |
referring to fig1 , an apparatus 10 includes a horn 12 , or megaphone 12 , a speaker 14 , a cushioning portion 16 , and a signal generator 18 . the horn 12 is adapted to project sound and includes a conical portion 20 facilitating this function . the horn 12 is typically formed of filled or unfilled polymers , wood such as balsa , molded or sheet paper , and the like . materials used to form the horn 12 may be biodegradable to reduce the environmental impact of the apparatus 10 . materials used may be buoyant such that the apparatus 10 floats if dropped in water . a flared portion 22 may secure to the conical portion to further facilitate sound projection . the flared portion 22 may also be adapted to increase wind drag on the apparatus 10 when falling through the air such that a parachute need not be secured to the apparatus 10 . in some embodiments , the flared portion 22 has a greatest diameter 24 that is greater than or equal to the height 26 of the horn 12 or apparatus 10 . various sizes for the horn 12 are possible such as about 3 inches by 2 . 5 inches up to about 10 inches by 6 inches . in the illustrated embodiment , the flared portion 22 is a section of a cone having a slope smaller than that of the conical portion 20 . in other embodiments , the flared portion , or combined conical portion 20 and flared portion 22 , is shaped as a revolution of an exponential curve . the signal generator 18 secures to the horn 12 , typically on the conical portion 20 and provides an electrical signal to drive the speaker 14 . the signal generator 18 is electrically connected to the speaker 14 and provides an electrical signal to drive the speaker 14 . a shield 28 may be positioned over the speaker 14 to protect the speaker from weathering and impact . the shield 28 may be shaped to further provide improved acoustic phase summation and impedance transformation as compared to a planar cover . the shield 28 may be shaped to cause the expansion rate of the horn 12 to better approximate an exponential expansion rate . the cushioning portion 16 secures to the horn 12 and absorbs some of the force of impact of the apparatus 10 with the ground to reduce the risk of damage to the speaker 14 and signal generator 18 . the cushioning portion 16 may further reduce injury to people , animals , or structures impacted by the falling apparatus 10 . the cushioning portion 16 is typically formed of a resilient material , such as rubber , or other polymer having like properties . the cushioning portions secures to the narrower end of the conical portion 20 opposite the flared portion 22 . alternatively , the cushioning portion may secure at another point on the horn 12 that is likely to impact the ground first . referring to fig2 , the signal generator 18 may include a media module 32 , a receiver 34 , a signal conditioning module 36 , an amplifier 38 , and a battery 40 . the media module 32 may store a recorded message and play back the message . in some methods for using the apparatus 10 , multiple apparatus 10 are deployed over a region . the multiple apparatus 10 may play the same message , different messages , or one of two or more messages . in embodiments using multiple messages , the different messages may be in different languages and apparatus 10 playing the same message may be deployed proximate one another . in some embodiments , a message is transmitted to the apparatus 10 by means of a receiver 34 tuned to a particular frequency or tunable by a finder of the apparatus 10 . in method of using the apparatus 10 using multiple apparatus 10 , the receivers 34 of the multiple apparatus 10 may be tuned to different frequencies or otherwise adapted to receive different messages . some embodiments of the apparatus 10 include only one of the media module 32 and the receiver 34 in order to generate messages for broadcast . embodiments having media modules 32 may receive recorded messages by means of recorded media placed within the apparatus 10 . alternatively , the media module 32 may have internal memory which is written to by a recording module 42 selectively placed in data or electrical communication with the media module prior to deployment of the apparatus 10 . embodiments having a receiver 34 receive a transmitted message and translate the message into signals suitable for input to the speaker 14 . the signal conditioning module 36 may receive the message signal from the media module 32 or the receiver 34 and filter or otherwise condition the signal prior to broadcast of the message on the speaker 14 . the amplifier 38 increases the amplitude of the message and provides an amplified message signal to the speaker 14 . referring to fig3 , in some embodiments , the apparatus 10 is used for surveillance instead of or in addition to broadcasting . in such embodiments , the apparatus 10 includes a microphone 44 positioned within or connected to the horn 12 and a transmitter 46 for receiving signals from the microphone 44 and transmitting them to a listener . referring to fig4 , a method 48 for using the apparatus 10 may include transporting 50 the apparatus 10 to a higher elevation over a target . transporting 50 the apparatus 10 over the target typically includes carrying the apparatus 10 to a height navigable by aircraft . in some embodiments , the height is such that the apparatus 10 will have reached its terminal velocity prior to impacting the ground . the apparatus 10 is then released 52 over a target . the apparatus 10 then begins to broadcast 54 the message through the speaker . alternatively , the apparatus 10 may be switched on such that it begins to broadcast 54 the message prior to release 52 or transport 50 . in an alternative embodiment , transporting 50 the apparatus 10 over the target includes launching the apparatus 10 over the target , such as by throwing or other means . in such embodiments , the step of releasing 52 the apparatus 10 may be omitted 14 . in embodiments having a microphone 44 , the broadcasting step 54 may be replaced by the step of detecting sound by means of the microphone 44 . referring to fig5 , in embodiments having a media module 32 , the method 48 may further include the step of recording 56 the message to be played back during the broadcasting step 54 . referring to fig6 , in embodiments having a receiver 34 , the method 44 may further include transmitting 58 the message to the receiver 34 . the receiver 34 receives the transmitted message and translates the message to electrical signals input to the speaker 14 . referring to fig7 , in some embodiments , a contact sensor 60 provides an input to a switch 62 coupled to the signal generator 18 to control broadcasting of messages through the speaker 14 . the contact sensor 60 senses impact of the apparatus 10 with the ground . referring to fig8 , in some embodiments , the sensor 60 senses tipping of the apparatus 10 such that when the apparatus 10 lands and falls laterally , as illustrated , the apparatus 10 is activated and begins to broadcast the message . in alternative embodiments , the sensor 56 indicates to the switch 62 that impact has occurred upon sensing an impact or large deceleration . referring to fig9 , apparatus 10 having a sensor 60 and switch 62 may include the additional step of sensing 64 contact of the apparatus 10 with the ground prior to broadcasting 54 the message . in embodiments having a microphone 44 , the broadcasting step 54 may be replaced by the step of detecting sound by means of the microphone 44 upon sensing 64 contact of the device with the ground . referring to fig1 , in some embodiments , a motion sensor 66 is coupled to the switch 62 such that movement around the apparatus 10 is sensed . referring to fig1 , in such embodiments , the method 44 may include sensing 67 motion around the apparatus 10 prior to broadcasting 54 the message . the method 48 may also include both sensing 64 contact with the ground and sensing 67 motion around the apparatus 10 . in embodiments having a microphone 44 , the broadcasting step 54 may be replaced by the step of detecting sound by means of the microphone 44 upon sensing 67 motion around the apparatus 10 . in some embodiments , the switch 62 must be manually set before sensing 64 contact and sensing 67 motion around the apparatus 10 will induce broadcasting of the message or detecting sound by means of the microphone 44 . in operation , the operator may set the switch just prior to deployment of the apparatus 10 such that the switch 62 will cause broadcasting of the message upon sensing 64 contact and sensing 67 motion around the apparatus 10 . referring to fig1 a and 12b , in some embodiments , the horn 12 of an apparatus 10 is expandable to facilitate deployment . in typical situations , large numbers of apparatus 10 will be deployed such that the volume occupied by each apparatus 10 must be minimized to facilitate transportation . in other situations , the size of the apparatus 10 may need to be reduced such that the apparatus 10 falls quickly to the ground . an expandable horn 12 enables minimization of the size of the apparatus 10 while still providing the acoustic efficiency of a larger horn 12 . in one embodiment , a horn 12 includes an inner cone 68 and an outer cone 70 . the flared portion 22 typically secures to the outer cone 70 . a latching mechanism 72 maintains the inner cone 68 and outer cone 70 in the orientation of fig1 a . upon impact the latching mechanism 72 is disengaged , as shown in fig1 b . a biasing member 74 , such as a spring , urges the outer cone 70 away from the inner cone 68 to expand the horn 12 . referring to fig1 , in some embodiments a brace 76 extends across the flared portion 22 to support one end of the biasing member . the brace 76 may be embodied as two members positioned cross - wise having the ends thereof secured to the flared portion 22 . referring to fig1 , a method 48 for using the apparatus 10 of fig1 a , 12b , and 10 may further include disengaging the latching mechanism 72 and extending 78 the outer cone 70 . the method 44 may include expanding 78 the horn 12 , such as by disengaging the latching mechanism 72 only upon sensing 64 contact of the apparatus 10 with the ground . in some embodiments , sensing 64 may include breakage of the latching mechanism 72 due to the force of impact in order to permit extension of the outer cone 70 . for example , the latching mechanism 72 may be embodied as a post or filament extending between the inner and outer cones 68 , 70 that is broken by relative movement of the inner and outer cones 68 , 70 that occurs upon impact . referring to fig1 a and 14b , in one embodiment , change in the size of the horn 12 is accomplished by expanding the flared portion 22 . the biasing member 72 extends across the flared portion 22 such that it urges the flared portion 22 to the expanded position of fig1 b . the latching mechanism 72 extends across the flared portion 22 and prevents expansion of the flared portion 22 when engaged . the latching mechanism 72 may include a filament bearing a weight such that the inertial forces on the weight caused by the sudden deceleration of impact causes the filament to break . referring to fig1 a - 15e , various embodiments of the horn 12 are possible . referring to fig1 a , in one embodiment , the flared portion 22 is pyramidal and secures to a pyramidal portion 80 having a steeper slope . the speaker 14 may be embodied as transducers 82 secured to the sides of the pyramidal portion 80 . the transducers 82 may be embodied as neodymium iron boron magnets or piezoelectric motors . the flared portion 22 and pyramidal portion 80 may be made of formed plastic , injection molded plastic metal , wood , or other material of sufficient strength . referring to fig1 b , in an alternative embodiment the pyramidal portion 80 is used alone without a flared portion 22 . referring to fig1 c and 15d in another embodiment , a cubic or rectangular portion 84 secures to the pyramidal portion 80 which may have sub - portions having differing slopes , as in the embodiment of fig1 d . the cubic portion 84 may receive the speaker 14 and other components of the apparatus 10 . referring to fig1 e , in another embodiment the horn 12 is a cone having the speaker 14 and signal generator 18 secured at the mouth thereof . referring to fig1 f , in another embodiment , one or more fins 86 secure to the horn 12 . the fin 86 is angled to cause the horn 12 to spin as it falls in order to reduce the speed of the loudspeaker 10 as it falls . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , as noted above , many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment . instead , the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow . | 7 |
below , aspects of this invention are explained , referring to the drawings . these drawings merely show in summary the shapes , sizes , and positional relations of components to an extent enabling an understanding of this invention , and the numerical and other conditions explained below are merely suitable examples ; the present invention is not limited only to the aspects of the invention . fig1 is a drawing of the configuration of an image pickup lens of this invention . the first and second lenses , counting in order from the object side toward the image side , are indicated respectively by l 1 and l 2 . the pickup surface . ( light - receiving surface of the solid - state pickup element ) is represented by 10 ; the cover glass separating the pickup surface and the lens system is represented by 12 ; the two planes comprised by the second diaphragm s 2 are represented by 14 and 16 , in order respectively from the image side to the object side ; and the plane of the diaphragm comprised by the aperture diaphragm s 1 is represented by 18 . the parameters r 1 ( i = 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . , 9 ) and d i ( i = 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . , 9 ) and other parameters shown in this drawing are assigned specific numerical values in table 1 through table 4 below . the subscripts i = 1 , 2 , . . . , 9 are assigned to correspond to lens surface numbers , or to lens thicknesses or intervals between lenses , in order from the object side toward the image side . that is , r i is the radius of curvature of the ith surface ( for an aspherical surface , the radius of curvature at the axis ); d i is the distance from the ith surface to the i + 1th surface ; n i is the refractivity of the lens media from the ith surface to the i + 1th surface ; and , v i is the dispersion of the lens media from the ith surface to the i + 1th surface . the optical length is the value obtained by adding d 1 to d 9 . the back focus b f is d 7 + d 8 + d 9 . aspherical data is shown , together witch surface numbers , in the right - hand columns of table 1 through table 4 . because the surfaces in question are flat planes , the values of the radii of curvature r 3 and r 4 of the second diaphragm s 2 and r 7 and r 8 of the cover glass are indicated by ∞. an aspherical surface used in this invention is represented by the following equation . z = ch 2 /[ 1 +[ 1 −( 1 + k ) c 2 h 2 ]+ 1 / 2 ]+ a 0 h 4 + b 0 h 6 + c 0 h 8 + d 0 h 10 here z is the depth from the plane which is tangential at the lens vertex , c is the curvature of the surface in the vicinity of the optical axis , h is the height from the optical axis , k is the conic constant , a 0 is the fourth - order aspheric coefficient , b 0 is the sixth - order aspheric coefficient , c 0 is the eighth - order aspheric coefficient , and d 0 is the tenth - order aspheric coefficient . in each of table 1 through table 4 in this specification , in representations of numerical values indicating aspheric coefficients , “ e − 1 ” means “ 10 − 1 ”. moreover , a value shown as a focal length f is the combined focal length of the lens system comprising the first and second lenses . the first through fourth embodiments are explained below , referring to fig2 through fig1 . fig2 fig6 fig1 , and fig1 show summary cross - sectional views of lens configurations and spot diagrams , and indicate the degree of spreading of a point image on the image plane with respect to the distance of incidence . in these drawings , the spot images are drawn surrounded by a rectangle on the right side of the pickup plane 10 ( light - receiving surface of the solid - state pickup element ) which is long in the vertical direction , showing the extent of spreading of the point image projected on the pickup plane 10 to correspond to the size of a circle . distortion aberration curves are shown in fig3 fig7 fig1 and fig1 , astigmatic aberration curves in fig4 fig8 fig1 and fig1 , and chromatic / spherical aberration in fig5 fig9 fig1 and fig1 . a distortion aberration curve shows the aberration amount ( the amount by which the tangent condition is not satisfied , expressed as a percentage along the horizontal axis ) versus the distance from the optical axis ( expressed as a percentage along the vertical axis , with the maximum distance from the optical axis within the image plane equal to 100 ). an astigmatic aberration curve shows the amount of aberration along the horizontal axis ( in mm units ) for a distance from the optical axis , similarly to a distortion aberration curve . astigmatism was represented as aberration amounts ( in mm units ) in the meridional plane and in the sagittal plane . a chromatic / spherical aberration curve shows the amount of aberration along the horizontal axis ( in mm units ) for a distance of incidence h ( f number ). in a chromatic / spherical aberration curve , aberration amounts are shown for the c line ( light of wavelength 656 . 3 nm ), the d line ( light of wavelength 587 . 6 nm ), the e line ( light of wavelength 546 . 1 nm ), the f line ( light of wavelength 486 . 1 nm ), and the g line ( light of wavelength 435 . 8 nm ). the refractivity is the refractivity for the d line ( light of wavelength 5 , 87 . 6 nm ). below , the radii of curvature of component lenses ( mm units ), intervals between lens surfaces ( mm units ), refractivity of lens materials , abbe number of lens materials , focal length , numerical apertures , and aspheric coefficients are listed for the first embodiment ( table 1 ), second embodiment . ( table 2 ), third embodiment ( table 3 ), and fourth embodiment ( table 4 ). in all of the first through the fourth embodiments , zeonex e48r ( zeonex is a registered trademark , and e48r is a product number , of nippon zeon co ., ltd . ), which is a cycloolefin plastic , was employed in the first lens ( l 1 ), which has a meniscus shape with the concave surface facing the object side and with positive refractive power , and in the second lens ( l 2 ), which has a meniscus shape with the concave surface facing the image side and with negative refractive power . both surfaces of the first lens ( l 1 ) and both surfaces of the second lens ( l 2 ) are aspherical . that is , the number of spherical surfaces is four in each of the embodiments . the abbe number of the zeonex e48r which is the material of the first lens ( l 1 ) and second lens ( l 2 ) is 56 ; from simulation results it was found that if the abbe number of the material of these lenses is in the range from 45 to 65 , no practical difference occurs in the aberration or other lens performance . it was found that if the abbe number is within the above range of values , a pickup lens can be realized which satisfies objects of this invention , which are satisfactory correction of various aberrations of the pickup lens compared with the various aberrations of a pickup lens of the prior art , and an optical length of 6 mm or less . in the first embodiment , second embodiment , and third embodiment , cover glass of thickness 1 . 05 mm is inserted between the lens system and the pickup surface ; in the fourth embodiment , 0 . 70 mm cover glass is inserted . the material of the cover glass is , in the three examples of the first through the third embodiments , glass material of refractivity 1 . 52 , and in the fourth embodiment , acrylic resin material of refractivity 1 . 493 . the various aberrations explained below are calculated assuming the existence of these cover glasses . that is , the cover glasses comprise the r 7 and r 8 surfaces , and the parameter d 8 representing the thickness is , for the three examples of the first through third embodiments , d 8 = 1 . 05 mm , and for the fourth embodiment , d 8 = 0 . 70 mm . ( a ) the focal length for the entire system is f = 3 . 296 mm . ( b ) the focal length of the first lens is f 1 = 3 . 13 mm . ( c ) the focal length of the second lens is f 2 =− 17 . 63 mm . ( d ) the radius of curvature of the object - side surface of the first lens is r 1 =− 15 . 3122 mm . ( e ) the radius of curvature of the image - side surface of the first lens is r 2 =− 1 . 5519 mm . ( f ) the distance from the aperture diaphragm position to the second surface of the second lens is d = 2 . 83 mm . therefore the lens system of the first embodiment satisfies all of the following condition equations ( 1 ) through ( 4 ). below , “ condition equations ” refers to the above four condition equations ( 1 ) through ( 4 ). the aperture diaphragm s 1 is as indicated in table 1 , and is provided at a position 0 . 13 mm ( d 1 = 0 . 13 mm ) in front of the first surface of the first lens ( the object - side surface ). the numerical aperture ( f number ) is 2 . 8 , and the combined focal length f is 3 . 296 mm . fig2 shows the results of ray tracing , and a spot diagram showing the spreading of a point image on the pickup surface . it is seen that there is some spreading of the point image p only very close to the peripheral portion , and that a satisfactory point image is obtained over nearly the entirety of the pickup surface . the optical length is 5 . 495 mm , which is within 6 mm , and a sufficient back focus of 2 . 665 mm is also secured . graphs are shown of the distortion aberration curve 20 in fig3 astigmatic aberration curves ( aberration curve 22 for the meridional plane and aberration curve 24 for the sagittal plane ) in fig4 and chromatic / spherical aberration curves ( aberration curve 26 for the c line , aberration curve 28 for the d line , aberration curve 30 for the e line , aberration curve 32 for the f line , and aberration curve 34 for the g line ) in fig5 . the vertical axes of the aberration curves of fig3 and fig4 show the image height , with 100 %, 85 %, 80 %, 70 %, 50 %, and 30 % corresponding respectively to 2 . 3 mm , 1 . 9 mm , 1 . 8 mm , 1 . 6 mm , 1 . 1 mm , and 0 . 68 mm . in the first embodiment , an image height of 2 . 3 mm when converted into an angle made by the chief ray with the optical axis before incidence on the lens system corresponds to 36 °. the vertical axis of the aberration curve of fig5 shows the distance of incidence h ( f number ); the maximum is f2 . 8 . the horizontal axis indicates the magnitude of aberration . at an image height of 100 % ( image height 2 . 3 mm ), the absolute value of the distortion aberration is a maximum of 3 . 9 %, and in the range below an image height of 2 . 3 mm , the absolute value is less than 3 . 9 %. at an image height of 100 % ( image height 2 . 3 mm ), the absolute value of the astigmatic aberration is a maximum of 0 . 14 mm in the sagittal plane , and in the range below an image height of 2 . 3 mm , the absolute value is not more than than 0 . 14 mm . the absolute value of the chromatic / spherical aberration for the g line at the optical axis is a maximum of 0 . 18 mm , and the absolute value of the aberration is within 0 . 18 mm . ( a ) the focal length for the entire system is f = 3 . 74 mm . ( b ) the focal length of the first lens is f 1 = 3 . 98 mm . ( c ) the focal length of the second lens is f 2 =− 38 . 38 mm . ( d ) the radius of curvature of the object - side surface of the first lens is r 1 = 4 . 9982 mm . ( e ) the radius of curvature of the image - side surface of the first lens is r 2 =− 1 . 6179 mm . ( f ) the distance from the aperture diaphragm position to the second surface of the second lens is d = 2 . 40 mm . therefore the lens system of the second embodiment satisfies all of the following condition equations ( 1 ) through ( 4 ). as indicated in table 2 , the aperture diaphragm s 1 is provided at a position 0 . 10 mm ( d 1 = 0 . 10 mm ) in front of the first surface ( object - side surface ) of the first lens . the numerical aperture ( f number ) is 2 . 8 , and the combined focal length f is 3 . 740 mm . fig6 shows the results of ray tracing , and a spot diagram showing the spreading of a point image on the pickup surface . it is seen that there is some spreading of the point image p only very close to the peripheral portion and that a satisfactory point image is obtained over nearly the entirety of the pickup surface . the optical length is 5 . 629 mm , which is within 6 mm , and a sufficient back focus of 3 . 229 mm is also secured . graphs are shown of the distortion aberration curve 36 in fig7 astigmatic aberration curves ( aberration curve 38 for the meridional plane and aberration curve 40 for the sagittal plane ) in fig8 and chromatic / spherical aberration curves ( aberration curve 42 for the c line , aberration curve 44 for the d line , aberration curve 46 for the e line , aberration curve 48 for the f line , and aberration curve 50 for the g line ) in fig9 . the vertical axes of the aberration curves of fig7 and fig8 show the image height , with 100 %, 85 %, 80 %, 70 %, 50 %, and 30 % corresponding respectively to 2 . 3 mm , 1 . 9 mm , 1 . 8 mm , 1 . 6 mm , 1 . 1 mm , and 0 . 68 mm . in the second embodiment , an image height of 2 . 3 mm when converted into an angle made by the chief ray with the optical axis before incidence on the lens system corresponds to 32 °. the horizontal axis indicates the magnitude of aberration . the vertical axis of the aberration curve of fig9 shows the distance of incidence h ( f number ); the maximum is f2 . 8 . at an image height of 80 % ( image height 1 . 8 mm ), the absolute value of the distortion aberration is a maximum of 0 . 6 %, and in the range below an image height of 2 . 3 mm , the absolute value is within 0 . 6 %. at an image height of 100 % ( image height 2 . 3 mm ), the absolute value of the astigmatic aberration is a maximum of 0 . 17 mm in the meridional plane , and in the range below an image height of 2 . 3 mm , the absolute value is not more than 0 . 17 mm . the absolute value of the chromatic / spherical aberration for the g line at the optical axis is a maximum of 0 . 15 mm , and the absolute value of the aberration is within 0 . 15 mm . ( a ) the focal length for the entire system is f = 3 . 912 mm . ( b ) the focal length of the first lens is f 1 = 3 . 73 mm . ( c ) the focal length of the second lens is f 2 =− 16 . 80 mm . ( d ) the radius of curvature of the object - side surface of the first lens is r 1 =− 10 . 1892 mm . ( e ) the radius of curvature of the image - side surface of the first lens is r 2 =− 1 . 7455 mm . ( f ) the distance from the aperture diaphragm position to the second surface of the second lens is d = 2 . 765 mm . therefore the lens system of the third embodiment satisfies all of the following condition equations ( 1 ) through ( 4 ). as indicated in table 3 , the aperture diaphragm s 1 is provided at a position 0 . 085 mm ( d 1 = 0 . 085 mm ) in front of the first surface ( object - side surface ) of the first lens . the numerical aperture ( f number ) is 2 . 8 , and the combined focal length f is 3 . 912 mm . fig1 shows the results of ray tracing , and a spot diagram showing the spreading of a point image on the pickup surface . it is seen that there is , some spreading of the point image p only very close to the peripheral portion , and that a satisfactory point image is obtained over nearly the entirety of the pickup surface . the optical length is 5 . 946 mm , which is within 6 mm , and a sufficient back focus of 3 . 181 mm is also secured . graphs are shown of the distortion aberration curve 52 in fig1 , astigmatic aberration curves ( aberration curve 54 for the meridional plane and aberration curve 56 for the sagittal plane ) in fig1 , and chromatic / spherical aberration curves ( aberration curve 58 for the c line , aberration curve 60 for the d line ; aberration curve 62 for the e line , aberration curve 64 for the f line , and aberration curve 66 for the g line ) in fig1 . the vertical axes of the aberration curves of fig1 and fig1 show the image height , with 100 %, 85 %, 80 %, 70 %, 50 %, and 30 % corresponding respectively to 2 . 3 mm , 1 . 9 mm , 1 . 8 mm , 1 . 6 mm , 1 . 1 mm , and 0 . 68 mm . in the third embodiment , an image height of 2 . 3 mm when converted into an angle made by the chief ray with the optical axis before incidence on the lens system corresponds to 30 °. the vertical axis of the aberration curve of fig1 shows the distance of incidence h ( f number ); the maximum is f2 . 8 . the horizontal axis indicates the magnitude of aberration . at an image height of 100 % ( image height 2 . 3 mm ), the absolute value of the distortion aberration is a maximum of 1 . 5 %, and in the range below an image height of 2 . 3 mm , the absolute value is within 1 . 5 %. at an image height of 100 % ( image height 2 . 3 mm ), the absolute value of the astigmatic aberration is a maximum of 0 . 08 mm in the sagittal plane , and in the range below an image height of 2 . 3 mm , the absolute value is not more than than 0 . 08 mm . the absolute value of the chromatic / spherical aberration for the g line at the optical axis is a maximum of 0 . 10 mm , and the absolute value of the aberration i &# 39 ; s within 0 . 10 mm . ( a ) the focal length for the entire system is f = 3 . 498 mm . ( b ) the focal length of the first lens is f 1 = 2 . 80 mm . ( c ) the focal length of the second lens is f 2 =− 7 . 73 mm . ( d ) the radius of curvature of the object - side surface of the first lens is r 1 =− 167 . 055 mm . ( e ) the radius of curvature of the image - side surface of the first lens is r 2 =− 1 . 4769 mm . ( f ) the distance from the aperture diaphragm position to the second surface of the second lens is d = 2 . 305 mm . therefore the lens system of the fourth embodiment satisfies all of the following condition equations ( 1 ) through ( 4 ). as indicated in table 4 , the aperture diaphragm s 1 is provided at a position 0 . 075 mm ( d 1 = 0 . 075 mm ) in front of the first surface ( object - side surface ) of the first lens . the numerical aperture ( f number ) is 2 . 8 , and the combined focal length f is 3 . 498 mm . fig1 shows the results of ray tracing , and a spot diagram showing the spreading of a point image on the pickup surface . it is seen that there is some spreading of the point image p only very close to the peripheral portion , and that a satisfactory point image is obtained over nearly the entirety of the pickup surface . the optical length is 5 . 071 mm , which is within 6 mm , and a sufficient back focus of 2 . 766 mm is also secured . graphs are shown of the distortion aberration curve 68 in fig1 , astigmatic aberration curves ( aberration curve 70 for the meridional plane and aberration curve 72 for the sagittal plane ) in fig1 , and chromatic / spherical aberration curves ( aberration curve 74 for the c line , aberration curve 76 for the d line , aberration curve 78 for the e line , aberration curve 80 for the f line , and aberration curve 82 for the g line ) in fig1 . the vertical axes of the aberration curves of fig1 and fig1 show the image height , with 100 %, 85 %, 70 %, 50 %, and 30 % corresponding respectively to 2 . 3 mm , 1 . 9 mm , 1 . 6 mm , 1 . 1 mm , and 0 . 68 mm . in the fourth embodiment , an image height of 2 . 3 mm when converted into an angle made by the chief ray with the optical axis before incidence on the lens system corresponds to 32 °. the vertical axis of the aberration curve of fig1 shows the distance of incidence h ( f number ); the maximum is f2 . 8 . the horizontal axis indicates the magnitude of aberration . at an image height of 100 % ( image height 2 . 3 mm ), the absolute value of the distortion aberration is a maximum of 3 . 2 %, and in the range below an image height of 2 . 3 mm , the absolute value is within 3 . 2 %. at an image height of 100 % ( image height 2 . 3 mm ), the absolute value of the astigmatic aberration is a maximum of 0 . 22 mm in the meridional plane , and in the range below an image height of 2 . 3 mm , the absolute value is not more than 0 . 22 mm . the absolute value of the chromatic / spherical aberration for the g line at the optical axis is a maximum of 0 . 17 mm , and the absolute value of the aberration is within 0 . 17 mm . it was found that the lenses for image pickup of all of the above embodiments have the performance required of a lens for mounting in a compact camera which uses a ccd or cmos device as a pickup element . thus as is clear from the above explanations of lenses for image pickup of this invention , by designing the configuration of an image pickup lens such that the condition equations ( 1 ) through ( 4 ) are satisfied , the problems to be solved by this invention are solved . that is , an image pickup lens is obtained in which various aberrations are satisfactorily corrected , a sufficient back focus is obtained , and a short optical length is maintained . in the above - described embodiments , zeonex e48r plastic was used in the first and second lenses ; but in addition to a plastic material other than that of the embodiments , a material other than plastic such as glass can of course also be used , so long as the various conditions explained in the embodiments are satisfied . as explained above , this invention enables the realization of a pickup lens suitable for use in a compact ccd camera , which can make aggressive use of plastic lenses , in which various aberrations are satisfactorily corrected , and which has an optical length of 6 mm or less . moreover , by means of an image pickup lens of this invention , an adequate back focus can be secured , despite the short optical length . as explained above , in addition to use as a lens for a video camera incorporated into a portable telephone , a pickup lens of this invention is suitable for use as the lens of a video camera incorporated into a pda ( personal digital assistant ), as the lens of a video camera incorporated into a toy comprising image recognition functions , and as the lens of monitoring video cameras and security video cameras . | 6 |
as discussed above , broadly , the bearing assemblies comprise a slidable member and a compensator member . referring to the particular embodiment of fig1 - 2 , bearing assembly 20 comprises a slidable member operatively associated with a compensator member . slidable member comprises mandrel 21 having outer wall surface 22 , inner wall surface 23 defining mandrel bore 24 , and longitudinal axis 27 . outer wall surface 22 includes shoulder 25 . mandrel 21 is operatively associated with a rotating downhole tool such as drill bit 80 which is operatively associated with rotating tubular 78 through any known fastener device known in the art , including but not limited to , threads ( not shown ). an upper end of rotatable tubular 78 is operatively associated with a motor ( not shown ). activation of the motor causes rotatable tubular 78 to rotate which , in turn , causes drill bit 80 to rotate so that an object such as the formation of a wellbore can be drilled or abraded away . secured to outer wall surface 22 of mandrel 21 is shroud 30 . shroud 30 includes upper end 31 , lower end 32 , outer wall surface 33 , and inner wall surface 34 defining shroud bore 35 . upper end 31 includes opening 36 in fluid communication with shroud bore 35 . opening 36 defines shroud shoulder 38 . lower end 32 of shroud 30 is secured to outer wall surface 22 of mandrel 21 by any device or method known in the art , including but not limited to threads ( not shown ). as shown in fig1 , a portion of outer wall surface 22 of mandrel 21 , shoulder 25 , and inner wall surface 34 of shroud 30 partially define chamber 39 . seal 26 is disposed between outer wall surface 22 of mandrel 21 and inner wall surface 34 of shroud 30 to prevent leakage from chamber 39 . an actuator shown as piston 40 is partially disposed within chamber 39 . in the embodiment of fig1 - 2 , piston 40 comprises a sleeve member having lower end 41 , upper end 42 , outer wall surface 43 and inner wall surface 44 . outer wall surface 43 is in sliding engagement with inner wall surface 34 of shroud 30 and inner wall surface 44 is in sliding engagement with outer wall surface 22 of mandrel 21 . seals 48 , 49 ( fig2 ) reduce the likelihood of fluid leakage between the engagement of outer wall surface 43 with inner wall surface 34 and between the engagement of inner wall surface 44 with outer wall surface 22 . upper end 42 of piston 40 is secured to bearing assembly 60 through any device known in the art , including but not limited to threads ( not shown ). bearing assembly 60 includes upper end 61 , lower end 62 , upper portion 63 , and lower portion 64 . lower portion 64 is secured to upper end 42 of piston 40 and , in the embodiment of fig1 - 2 , is secured to inner wall surface 82 of housing 80 , discussed in greater detail below . suitable devices and methods for securing lower portion 64 to outer wall surface 22 include welding or threads ( not shown ). upper portion 63 is in friction fit between inner wall surface 82 of housing 80 and outer wall surface 79 of rotating tubular 78 . thus , upper portion 63 is not prohibited from rotating . upper portion 63 and lower portion 64 are operatively associated with bearing 70 shown in fig1 - 2 as ball bearings . a lower portion of piston 40 is disposed within chamber 39 , a portion of upper end 42 of piston 40 is disposed outside of chamber 39 so as to facilitate connection to lower portion 64 , and a middle portion of piston 40 is disposed within opening 36 of upper end 31 of shroud 30 . thus , chamber 39 is closed off by a portion of piston 40 being disposed within opening 36 . in addition , because piston 40 is in sliding engagement with inner wall surface 34 of shroud 30 and outer wall surface 22 of mandrel 21 , chamber 39 is divided by piston 40 into two portions : upper portion 51 ( shown in fig2 ) and lower portion 52 . lower portion 52 can be at atmospheric pressure , can include a hydraulic fluid , a compressible gas or other fluid , or a compressible device , e . g ., an elastomeric sleeve or spring , that is biased toward upper end 31 of shroud 30 , i . e ., the arrangement shown in fig1 which is referred to as an expanded position because in this position , gap 95 is present between upper end 31 of shroud 30 and lower end 62 of bearing assembly 60 . gap 95 can have any dimensions desired or necessary to facilitate longitudinal or vertical movement of shroud 30 and , thus , mandrel 21 and drill bit 80 . as will be understood by persons skilled in the art , the size of gap 95 can be modified to allow greater , or lesser , vertical movement of shroud 30 . vertical movement of shroud 30 and , thus , mandrel 21 and drill bit 80 , allows drill bit 80 to absorb shocks or other forces or stimuli that could otherwise cause drill bit 80 to bounce off of the object being drilled or cause the drill string to buckle or otherwise be damaged . accordingly , vertical movement of shroud 30 and , thus , mandrel 21 and drill bit 80 facilitate maintaining engagement of drill bit 80 with the object being drilled , instead of bouncing off of the object , so that interruptions of drilling operations are minimized . bearing housing 80 is disposed over shroud 30 and includes outer wall surface 81 and inner wall surface 82 defining bore 83 . in the embodiment of fig1 - 2 , upper portion 63 is in a friction fit relationship with inner wall surface 82 of bearing housing 80 and lower portion 64 is secured to inner wall surface 82 of bearing housing 80 . lower portion 64 can be secured to inner wall surface 82 through any device or method in the art such as welding or threads . as piston 40 is secured to lower portion 64 and lower portion 64 is secured to inner wall surface 82 of housing 80 in the embodiment of fig1 - 2 , piston 40 is not rotatable . outer wall surface 33 of shroud 30 , however , is in sliding and rotatable engagement with inner wall surface 82 of bearing housing 80 . further , as neither of shroud 30 nor mandrel 21 are fixed to piston 40 or housing 80 , shroud 30 and mandrel 21 are not prohibited from rotating . as a result , any residual rotation force imparted to shroud 30 or mandrel 21 by rotating tubular 78 can cause shroud 30 and mandrel 21 to rotate . in one operation of a specific embodiment of the bearing assemblies as disclosed herein , the bearing assembly is disposed in a bearing housing and operatively associated with a rotatable tubular which is connected to a drill bit . the rotatable tubular is operatively associated with a motor that rotates the tubular . the mandrel and motor are included in work or tool string , also referred to as a drill string , and disposed within a wellbore so that an object within the wellbore can be drilled , milled , etc . upon reaching the desired location within the well , the motor is activated and the tubular rotated . as a result , the drill bit rotates and drills , mills , abrades , etc . an object within the wellbore . in certain embodiments , the object being drilled is the formation itself . in other embodiments , the object is a packer , cement , bridge plug , stuck tool , or other device or component disposed within the wellbore . during drilling operations , a force can be encountered that tries to move the drill bit . the force can be initiated any source , including but not limited to , by the contour of the object being drilled or by a change in the density of the object being drilled . the bearing assembly includes a compensator member that can compensate or counteract an upward force acting on the drill bit and , thus , the tubular . in the embodiment of fig1 - 2 , the compensator member comprises chamber 39 . as illustrated in fig1 - 2 , when an upward force acts on drill bit 80 , drill bit 80 forces mandrel 21 and , thus , shroud 30 move upward . in so doing , mandrel 21 and shroud 30 slide along piston 40 and the compensator member , i . e ., chamber 39 , moves from its expanded position ( fig1 ) toward one of its plurality of compressed positions ( one of which is shown in fig2 ). as a result , chamber 39 becomes energized , e . g ., the fluid or gas , spring , elastomeric sleeve , and the like , disposed within lower portion 52 of chamber 39 is compressed , and the bearing assembly absorbs at least some of the upward force acting on the drill bit . after the upward force acting on drill bit 80 dissipates , the energized compensator member moves from a compressed position toward the expanded position . due to the absorption of the upward force , the amount of time , if any , that the drill bit is disengaged from the object being drilled is minimized . in embodiments in which one or more of an elastomeric material , spring , or other biased member or device is disposed within chamber 39 , these biased member ( s ) or device ( s ) facilitate returning the compensator member toward the expanded position . it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction , operation , exact materials , or embodiments shown and described , as modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art . for example , lower portion 64 can be in rotatable engagement with outer wall surface 82 of housing 80 . moreover , gap 95 can be extended longitudinal to permit additional longitudinal movement of shroud 30 and , thus , mandrel 21 . in addition , piston 40 is not required to be piston or a sleeve piston as shown in fig1 - 2 . further , the bias provided by lower portion 52 of chamber 39 is not required to be provided by a fluid or elastomer , but can include any other biased member such as a coiled spring or belleville washers and the like . additionally , it is to be understood that the bearing assemblies disclosed and taught herein can be used in connection with any downhole tool in which one component is rotated and another remains stationary , including mills or abrading downhole tools used in cased wellbores . moreover , it is to be understood that the term “ wellbore ” as used herein includes open - hole , cased , or any other type of wellbores . in addition , the use of the term “ well ” is to be understood to have the same meaning as “ wellbore .” moreover , in all of the embodiments discussed herein , upward , toward the surface of the well ( not shown ), is toward the top of figures , and downward or downhole ( the direction going away from the surface of the well ) is toward the bottom of the figures . however , it is to be understood that the tools may have their positions rotated in either direction any number of degrees . accordingly , the tools can be used in any number of orientations easily determinable and adaptable to persons of ordinary skill in the art . moreover , the mandrel and the shroud can be formed from a single unitary tubular member . accordingly , the invention is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims . | 4 |
the invention relates to laparoscopic implantation of neuroelectrodes on laparoscopically identified nerves and / or nerve strands to allow stimulation of those nerves and / or modulation of signals carried by those nerves . laparoscopic procedures are particularly effective at identifying nerves in the pelvic area and implanting electrodes at nerves in that area , and the present invention is useful , for example , for restoring normal bladder function , restoring function of the muscle groups which allow a person to stand and the like . in addition , laparoscopic implantation of electrodes can be used to modulate signals through or from certain nerves to mediate or block pain . preferred embodiments of the invention are discussed below in connection with restoration of bladder function , restoration of function of the gluteal muscle group , and modulation of pain signals . in connection with one aspect of the invention , laparoscopically implanted electrodes are used to restore normal bladder function to a patient who has lost this function , a condition which is referred to herein as a neurogenic bladder . normal function of the bladder involves contraction of the bladder muscle during voiding , and relaxation of the bladder muscle at other times . further , the bladder sphincter normally relaxes , or at least does not contract , during voiding , and contracts at other times . these functions are controlled by the central nervous system , and conditions affecting the nervous system can interfere with proper bladder function . for example functional disorders occur in paraplegia patients who normally have a hyperactive bladder . the bladder in these cases is overactive during filling , and during voiding or urination , both the sphincter muscle and the bladder contract simultaneously . this creates a dangerous condition wherein excessive pressure creates risk of damage to the kidneys . according to the invention , electrodes are implanted at specific roots of the sacral nerve and are operated to produce desired bladder function . fig1 schematically illustrates a system according to the invention implanted in a human abdomen for controlling bladder function . according to the invention , electrodes 10 are implanted in communication with specific roots of the sacral nerve 12 . an external power source 14 is provided in this embodiment and communicated with electrode 10 through a receiver 16 , which is also implanted in the patient for receiving signals to operate electrodes 10 . a controller 18 can be used to issue control signals and power signals through a transmitter 20 to communicate with receiver 16 and thereby operate electrode 10 as desired . it should be appreciated that the configuration as shown in fig1 advantageously positions the electrode and related wiring and receiver within the pelvic area , which avoids problems associated with other configurations as described above . it should be appreciated that external power source 14 could be a battery or any other readily available external source of power , and especially a source of a power signal which can be sent to an internal receiver , for example using radio frequency signals . it has been found that the bladder and bladder sphincter muscles are controlled by nerves which run through the sacral spinal nerve . further , current laparoscopic technology allows the sacral nerve to be differentiated to identify different sacral roots , referred to as s 1 - s 5 . if there is any doubt as to identification of the sacral roots , electrostimulation can be used to confirm identification . this identification is used in the present invention to allow stimulation of specific sacral roots to restore or otherwise influence certain functions of the body . fig3 schematically illustrates a bladder 22 , sphincter 24 and sacral nerve 12 . all different sacral nerve roots also contain fibers for bladder contraction and for contraction of the sphincter of the bladder . the main fibers for the sphincter have been found in the sacral nerve root s 2 , while the main fibers for bladder and rectum contraction are found in the sacral nerve roots s 3 , s 4 and s 5 . the aim is to produce an isolated contraction of the bladder without concomitant contraction of the sphincter . this is not feasible when electricity is applied on the entire sacral nerve roots together . according to the invention , three different options are provided for producing an elective contraction of bladder 22 without simultaneous contraction of sphincter 24 during electrostimulation . fig4 illustrates one option in accordance with the invention , specifically , the elective stimulation of the pelvic parasympathetic nerves of the bladder and the rectum . fig4 shows sacral nerve 12 separated into its different roots s 1 , s 2 , s 3 and s 4 / 5 . in this approach , electrodes ( schematically illustrated by wires 26 , 28 , 30 ) are attached to s 2 , s 3 and s 4 / 5 . in order to selectively contract the bladder in this embodiment , selective stimulation can be directed to s 3 and s 4 / 5 to cause contraction of the bladder as desired . when it is no longer desired to have the contraction of the bladder , stimulation of s 3 and s 4 / 5 can be stopped during the filling phase of the bladder . during voiding of the bladder , the selective stimulation of s 3 and s 4 / 5 allows contraction of the bladder without contraction of the sphincter ( which is mainly controlled through s 2 ). fig5 illustrates a second option , similar to that illustrated in fig4 , but wherein sacral nerve roots s 3 and s 4 / 5 are cut distally after emergence of the parasympathetic nerves which permit an elective stimulation of the detrusor by stimulation of the sacral nerve roots s 3 and s 4 / 5 . this approach allows such stimulation without concomitant stimulation of the pudendal nerve , thus without contractions of the sphincter nor muscles of the lower limbs . since the sacral nerve root s 2 , which contains the major fibers for the sphincter , is kept intact under this approach , elective stimulation of s 3 and s 4 / 5 without stimulation of s 2 produces electrical induced micturition , without incontinence during the filling phase of the bladder . further , since s 3 and s 4 / 5 are not critical in connection with the functions of standing up and locomotion , no substantial side effects occur due to the distal transaction or cutting of the s 3 and s 4 / 5 sacral roots . thus , option 2 advantageously allows for the same elective stimulation of the parasympathetic nerves as set forth in the approach of fig4 , but has the further advantage of avoiding unwanted contraction of the sphincter and / or muscles of the lower limbs during electrically induced micturition . turning to fig6 , a third option is provided and illustrated in accordance with the present invention . in this option , stimulation of nerve roots s 3 and s 4 / 5 can be implemented when desired for micturition , along with a simultaneous stimulation of a blocking signal of the pudendal nerve . by blocking signals through the pudendal nerve , the same result of the option illustrated in fig5 can be accomplished , without the need for cutting the sacral nerve roots . as will be discussed further below , it is an aspect of the invention to use electrodes to issue a modulating signal to certain nerve roots . in this embodiment , an electrode can be used to modulate or neutralize signals carried by the pudendal nerve and , thereby , accomplish the same result as is accomplished in the embodiment of fig4 , but without having to cut s 3 and s 4 / 5 . it should of course be appreciated that in each of the above - described approaches , electrodes communicated directly with specific sacral nerve roots are used advantageously to electrically induce the proper conditions for micturition , specifically , an elective contraction of the bladder without simultaneous contraction of the sphincter . thus , according to the invention , laparoscopic differentiation of the sacral nerve roots s 2 , s 3 , s 4 / 5 , along with elective implantation of electrodes on each of these sacral nerve roots , and further with optional selective distal transection of the sacral nerve roots containing parasympathetic fibers for the detrusor or bladder muscle wall and for the rectum , allows different kinds of bladder voiding to be obtained . specifically , this includes a per - stimulus micturition by elective isolated stimulation of the sacral nerve roots s 3 and s 4 / 5 on both sides of the body . in situations where a per - stimulus micturition is unable to completely void the bladder , a concomitant stimulation of all sacral nerve roots s 2 - s 4 / 5 could be able to produce a post - stimulus micturition as in the classic brindley bladder , or isolated stimulation of s 2 could be enough for opening the sphincter followed by a continuous stimulation of s 3 and s 4 / 5 for full emptying of the bladder by a continuous stream . laparoscopic implantation of an electrode for neuromodulation ( quadripolar electrode ) on the sacral nerve roots s 2 to s 4 / 5 could be an alternative to the “ surgical deafferentation ” discussed above which induces the loss of ejaculation and erection in paralyzed patients . in this approach , a single multi - pole electrode can be attached functionally separately to each of s 2 - s 4 / 5 and optionally also to s 1 . this electrode can be used to modulate any combination of s 2 - s 4 / 5 which is necessary in order to prevent contraction of the bladder during filling . during voiding or micturition , specific poles of the electrode can be operated to induce the desired actions of the bladder and sphincter as described herein . the electrodes , after implanting , must be powered and also controlled to emit the desired signal or stimulus to the nerve . according to the invention , the power source for the electrode can be external , or can be implanted along with the electrode , preferably as a single structure . if the application of the device concerns neuromodulation ( e . g . pain therapy ), only low voltages are necessary for the electrode , and low energy consumption occurs . typical parameters include 8 - 10 volts , about 25 hz , and 250 microsecond pulses . for such an application , a battery ( e . g . pacemaker battery , type itrel 3 , supplier medtronic ) is implanted along with the electrodes . in the case of re - establishment of body functions , e . g . motions of paralyzed patients , higher voltages ( 20 - 30v , 30 hz ) are required which would be problematic for implanted batteries . here , electrical energy is transmitted from the external via radio frequency signals , for example from transmitter 20 to receiver 16 . further , in this embodiment , a battery would not be necessary since the stimulation would not be permanent — as in the case of pain therapy — but instead energy is applied only when needed , e . g . for emptying the bladder . a receiver is also provided , and preferably implanted in the patient to receive control signals which can be generated by the patient or caregiver , for example using some form of control unit . the receiver is operatively communicated with the electrodes to provide signals to the electrodes as desired . according to the invention , wiring between the electrodes and / or power source or receiver can be safely passed through the pelvic region , also using laparoscopic techniques , which are much more user friendly than other surgically installed electrodes and / or wiring . according to another aspect of the invention , laparoscopic implantation of electrodes can be used to restore pelvic or leg functions . in one aspect of the invention , electrodes are implanted to restore the functions of standing up and walking . before a paralyzed patient can walk , he must be able to stand up and remain standing . the most important muscle activity is the contraction of the buttock muscle . in order to stimulate such muscles , placement of electrodes in a friction , pressure or sitting area must be avoided . incisions in the buttock region are also unacceptable . placement of electrodes laparoscopically according to the invention , on the muscle nerves themselves , leads to a homogenous contraction of the whole muscle as desired . the location of the electrodes should not be affected by movement , pressure or friction , and the location must be such that all muscles required for a particular motion are included . stimulation of the gluteal musculature is necessary for the patient to be able to stand up and this presents the main problem . operative access for placement of the electrodes on the nervus glutealis superior and inferior is required . this is an extremely short nerve , and it divides directly at the opening of the foramen ischiadicus magnus into numerous branches . according to the invention , suitable electrodes are placed directly on the development point of these nerves out of the plexus sacralis , in the pelvis . transperitoneal placement of electrodes through laparoscopy enables optimal placement of the electrodes in the pelvis where all the stimulation possibilities necessary for standing up and walking can be recorded and / or produced with only a small amount of effort . for paralyzed patients , anesthetic is not generally even needed since the lower extremity regions are no longer sensitive . electrodes for controlling the gluteal musculature are preferably placed on one or more of the nerves discussed below . an intrafascicular neurolysis is performed on the nervus femoral , which is a nerve with mixed functions , as only the motoric fibers should be stimulated . the motoric fascicule is differentiated from the sensitive fasciculation with the aid of neurostimulation . the nerves identified for treatment with electrodes include the nervi glutei inferior and superior , the musculus iliopsoas nerve , and the plantar flexion nerve . an interfasciculator neurolysis is also performed and the fibers of the nervus peroneus are isolated with the aid of neurostimulation . placement of electrodes is performed on both sides of the body . as with the embodiment dealing with bladder function discussed above , electrodes used in this aspect of the invention are preferably implanted , and powered with a suitable , preferably external , power source for same , and also along with a receiver for receiving commands for the electrodes , and any wiring needed to communicate these elements . turning to another aspect of the invention , neuromodulation for pain therapy is also readily accomplished according to the invention . neuromodulation is based upon the fact that pain information is transported through one or several nerves to the brain . the analgesic aims at blocking the information flow on the way between the point of pain and the brain . neuromodulation cannot block this pain information , but modulation of the information can neutralize the signal and prevent the patient from centrally receiving the pain information . of course , the method of the present invention requires that the electrode be placed between the stimulus which produces the pain information and the central nervous system . all nerves which transmit the pain information must be included in the neuromodulation in order for the method to have the desired effect . as set forth above , pelvic nerves can now be reached by laparoscopy . since all nerves of the lower extremities and the pelvis must reach the sacral spinal cord , the numerous leg nerves in the pelvis concentrate eventually only on the nervus obturatorius , the nervus femoralis , genitofemoralis , ilio - inguinalis , the nervus ischiadicus , the plexus sacralis and the nervus pudendus . laparoscopic implantation of electrodes can reach each of these nerves , including some which lie deep within the pelvis , well hidden behind vessels , and in locations which are unreachable through other techniques . placement of a single electrode on the nervus femoralis and a further one on the nervus ischiadicus , for example , includes all “ pain nerves ” which are relevant in therapy for phantom pain after amputation . placement of electrodes on the sensitive nerves in the pelvis ( plexus hypogastricus inferior , nervi hypogastrici inferiors , trunci sympathici , nervus ilio - inguinale , nervus genitofemoralis , and the like ) can also serve to fight lower abdominal pain . also as set forth above , the power source for implanted electrodes for neuromodulation according to the invention is preferably also an implanted device , and the electrode and power source can advantageously be implanted together . it will be appreciated that the process of the present invention can be used in all situations of pelvic pain , pelvic neuralgias and / or pelvic dysfunctions . these include phantom pain after amputation or other trauma to the lower limbs , polyneuropathy of the lower limbs due to diabetic , idiopathic , alcoholic , auto immune , post - chemotherapy and other conditions , pudendal neuralgia / alcock &# 39 ; s canal syndrome , sciataligia , neuralgia of the branches of the sciatic nerve , neuralgia of the ilio - inguinal nerve / ilio - hypogastric nerve / genital femoral nerve , neuralgia of the femoral nerve , central or lateral pelvic pain syndrome , secondary to pelvic surgery ( neuromodulation of the hypogastric plexus superior and / or inferior ), interstitial cystitis , neurologic impotence / anejaculation , bladder hyperactivity with pain from multiple sclerosis / multi focal encephalopathy , bladder / rectum incontinence , spina bifida , myelomeningocele and numerous others . two examples are outlined below which illustrate fibroscopic implantation of neural prostheses on pelvic nerves in accordance with the present invention . these procedures were carried out to perform neuromodulation of pelveo - abdominal nerves . in situations of pelvic pain / neuralgia , after surgical treatments , symptomatic medical treatments are widely indicated and neuro - electrotherapy is also an option . actual electrotherapy is based upon the direct neuromodulation of the nerves by an implantable device at the level of the spinal cord , the sacral nerve or directly on the peripheral nerves of the lower limb . however , even when considerable development in the electrodes and implantation techniques was accomplished , the indication of the effect of neuromodulation on the pelvic nerves remained limited . in all reported techniques , the implantation of the electrode is done mostly by blunt percutaneuous and puncture and implantation in deep placed nerves such as the sciatic nerve or the pudendal nerve in their endopelvic pathways . since most conventional devices are built with just one or two channels , peripheral neuromodulation should involve at least two nerves at the same time , but never more than is required for the desired procedure . a laparoscopic procedure was used to approach the pelvic nerves for implantation of electrodes on their endopelvic pathways . because quadropolar electrodes are authorized for peripheral nerve neuromodulation and pain situation and are easy to use by laparoscopy , the procedure of the present invention in connection with the sciatic nerve , the pudendal nerve , all sacral nerve roots before or after emergence of the pelvic splanchnic nerves or on pelvio - abdominal nerves as the genital femoral , ilio - inguinal and ilio - hypogastric nerves , or the hypogastric plexus also becomes feasible . testing was started with this field of patients after failure of all other classical techniques of pain management , including failure or contraindications for classical technique of nerve stimulation . the first implantation was done in a 58 year old female for treatment of neuralgia of the genitofemoral and ilio - inguinal nerves secondary to a previous herniorraphy and for treatment of a unilateral pudendal neuralgia secondary to a radical hysterectomy and pelvic irradiation for endometrial carcinoma . one electrode was placed on the genitofemoral , the ilio - inguinal and the hypoinguinal nerves together and a second electrode was placed on the sacral nerve roots s 2 , s 3 and s 4 / 5 . the second implantation was performed on the endopelvic portion of a sciatic nerve in a 72 year old male for treatment of refractory phantom pain and neuralgia of the posterior cutaneous nerve after leg amputation . neuromodulation induced in both patients a permanent reduction in pain without need of any further medical treatment . requests from patients in situations where classic pain therapies have failed or been accompanied by unacceptable side effects have led to further indications for this procedure . the sacral nerve roots procedure of the present invention produced unexpected excellent results for treatment of diabetic polyneuropathy of the lower extremities , refractory interstitial cystitis and pelvic pain / neuralgia secondary to rectum resection , radical prostatectomy or radical hysterectomy . according to the invention , neuromodulation of the sacral nerve roots is used to cure concomitantly pelvic / lower limb neuralgias and bladder / rectum dysfunctions in patients with multiple sclerosis or spina bifida . the subject matter of the present application was also introduced to the field of functional electrical stimulation , or fes , for recovery of functions in paralyzed patients . on apr . 27 , 2006 , a finetech - brindley bladder controller was implanted on the endopelvic sacral roots in a th8 completely paralyzed female who had previously undergone the removal of a brindley controller due to an arachnoiditis after an extrathecal implantation with an intradural sacral deafferentation . because no laminectomy is required for implantation of the electrodes , the present procedure does not expose the patient to a risk of arachnoiditis or of spinal liquid leakage . thus , electrostimulation permits a post stimulant emptying of the bladder for the patient , as in the classic brindley technique . delivery of the patient occurred on the fourth postoperative day . it should be appreciated that , according to the invention , electrodes are advantageously implanted into patients suffering from a neurogenous bladder , paralysis , and the like , in order to at least partially restore a normal function of the afflicted area . this is done in a manner which avoids radical surgery and its inherent risks . it should also be appreciated that the present detailed description of the invention is given in terms of preferred embodiments of the invention , and that various modification of steps , parts and the like would be readily apparent to a person of skill in the art , and that such modifications are considered to fall within the broad scope of the present invention . | 0 |
this waste - free method of making molding powder can be produced in various types of batch sizes . the only limitation on the size of the batch is finding the appropriate types of equipment , glassware , stirrers , etc . the ratio of the ingredients remains constant . the first step in the process is to obtain some sort of heating element which can be used as a type of &# 34 ; jacket &# 34 ; to heat the solution . this can be accomplished by mechanical means or by using some type of medium which is heated and then transfers the heat to the solution which it is surrounding ( i . e . water , oil , etc .). the first step in the process is to pour a desired amount of fluorinated oil ( i . e . c 7 f 16 , c 8 f 18 or perfluorotributylamine ) into the molding powder mixer vessel . the inert oil must be compatible with temperatures up to about 100 ° c . once a desired amount of oil is added to the vessel it is continuously stirred and heated . the solution is heated between 50 °- 70 ° c . the ideal temperature of this solution is 60 ° c . the polymeric binder is then dissolved in an organic solvent ( about a 30 - 50 : 1 ratio ) such as ethyl acetate , octane , chloroform or methylene chloride to form the necessary lacquer . next , a desired amount of the he ( cl - 20 , hmx , rdx , etc . ) is added to the heated fluorinated oil liquid while continuously stirring at a low speed . after about 1 - 2 minutes the stirring speed increased and the lacquer is slowly added to the mixture . at this point nitrogen is continuously purged into the mixture to help drive off the organic solvent . the he becomes suspended in the organic lacquer phase and the fluorocarbon is suspended in a separate phase . the stirring continues at high shear rates allowing the two phases to form an emulsion . the shearing / stirring is allowed to continue until most of the organic solvent has evaporated . this step is sometimes referred to as &# 34 ; polishing &# 34 ;. eventually the organic solvent evaporates or is &# 34 ; cold - trapped &# 34 ; and the he particles are uniformly coated . after the coating and polishing steps are complete the molding powder is filtered and harvested . the he sample is then examined under a sem to verify that a uniform coating quality has been applied to the sample surface . in the process , the fluorinated oil is immiscible with the binder lacquer in forming the emulsion . slowly evaporating off the solvent lacquer while maintaining the stirring and heating of these two phases provides an excellent polishing process for efficient and uniform coating to occur and eliminates the use of surfactants . the inherent simplicity and efficiency of this coating method can provide high quality molding powders with minimum batch - to - batch variation . additionally , good coating can ensure optimum safety properties ( friction / impact stimuli and thermal cook - off behaviors ) for the he material . this procedure can be developed into an ideal processing method for the safe , efficient , low - cost , non - polluting production of explosive molding powder . this technology can revolutionize the way pressible high explosives are produced . 1 . place teflon bearing in bottom of molding powder mixer glassware . ( note : teflon bearing keeps glass stirring paddle centered and prevents glass to glass contact during operation .) place glass stirring paddle into molding powder mixer glassware . do not proceed unless glass stirring paddle centering pin fits into teflon bearing centering hole . 2 . attach molding powder mixer glassware to clamp on ringstand and attach glass stirring paddle to stir motor . make sure teflon bearing is all the way up over the centering pin on glass stirring paddle after attaching glass stirring paddle to stir motor . 3 . slowly turn rheostat on stir motor up to molding powder mixing speed ( 1200 - 1500 rpm ) to check operation . make sure there is very little vibration . too much vibration means glass stirring paddle is not properly aligned with stir - motor and could cause damage to glassware and / or motor . 4 . place a glass beaker ( 1000 - 2000 ml ) with a 1 inch stir - bar in bottom of beaker around molding powder mixer glassware . glass beaker has an attached chain - clamp with handle to hold on to when beaker is hot . slide stirrer / hot plate under glass beaker until beaker is centered on stirrer / hot plate . 5 . pour desired amount ( about 150 ml ) of fluorinated oil into molding powder mixer glassware . 6 . the glass beaker that surrounds the molding powder glassware is filled with an inert oil that is compatible with high temperatures . 7 . turn stirrer / hot plate on to the desired stir speed . the speed of the stir - bar must not cause any splashing of the oil in glass beaker as to contaminate fluorinated oil in molding powder mixer glassware . 8 . turn heat on stirrer / hot plate . monitor temperature in glass beaker with a thermometer with the temperature not to exceed about 60 ° c . 9 . dissolve polymeric binder in a small amount of organic solvent such as ethyl acetate , chloroform or methylene chloride to form the necessary lacquer . 10 . add the desired amount of he ( cl - 20 , hmx , rdx , etc .) to the heated fluorinated oil liquid in the molding powder mixer while stirring at a low speed ( about 400 rpm ). 11 . slowly turn rheostat on stir motor up to molding powder mixing speed ( about 1200 - 1500 rpm ). 12 . slowly add the lacquer ( normally , 5 - 10 ml / min .). the he will be suspended in the organic lacquer phase and the non - polar fluorocarbon fluid will form the other phase . upon stirring at high shear rates , these two phases will form a emulsion mixture allowing the suspended he to come in contact with the binder lacquer . as the stirring and heating continues , a step referred to as &# 34 ; polishing &# 34 ;, the organic solvent will gradually evaporate away or be &# 34 ; cold - trapped &# 34 ; for reuse and the he particles will be uniformly coated with binder . 14 . at the same time that the lacquer is being added to the he mixture , the sample is purged with nitrogen to help accelerate the evaporation of the solvent . 13 . after coating and polishing are complete , the molding powder is filtered for harvesting . the sample is vacuum dried for 16 hours @ 40 ° c . and examined under the sem to determine coating quality . 14 . ideally , when examined under a sem , the coating should appear as if all the edges of the molding powder have rounded edges . a crystal of molding powder which has not been properly coated will have sharp / jagged edges . since various changes and modifications can be made in the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention , the invention is not to be taken as limited except by the scope of the appended claims . | 2 |
a novel wastewater treatment system constructed in accordance with this invention is illustrated in fig1 of the drawings and is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 . the wastewater treatment system 10 includes a conventional wastewater treatment plant 11 connected by a discharge or outlet pipe 15 to a novel and unobvious wastewater treatment unit 20 of the present invention which is in turn connected by an outlet or discharge pipe 16 to a conventional soil absorption system or device 14 , such as an irrigation system , a leaching tile field , or the like . in conventional wastewater systems , the wastewater treatment plant 11 is connected directly by a sewer pipe to the soil absorption system 14 , obviously absent the wastewater treatment unit 20 , and as the total volume of solids are discharged and accumulate in the soil absorption system 14 , plugging and premature failure thereof is common . removal of accumulated solids from a failed soil absorption system , such as the soil absorption system 14 , to rejuvenate the same is not technically feasible . however , in accordance with the novel method of this invention indefinitely extends the life of a new or rejuvenating such a failed soil absorption system 14 is accomplished by first excavating earth between the wastewater treatment plant 11 and the soil absorption system 14 . thereafter the wastewater treatment unit 20 is installed as illustrated in fig1 connected to the discharge of the wastewater treatment plant 11 through a newly installed outlet or discharge pipe 15 and by a newly installed outlet or discharge pipe 16 to the soil absorption system 14 . as will be described more fully hereinafter , the wastewater treatment unit 20 removes accumulated solids discharged therein from the wastewater treatment plant 11 through the pipe 15 and thus the liquid discharge from the wastewater treatment unit 20 via the discharge pipe 16 is substantially solids - free . solids so removed by the wastewater treatment unit 20 can be periodically removed therefrom and thereby the life of the soil absorption system 14 is extended or rejuvenated . the wastewater treatment plant 11 is of a conventional construction and corresponds to the wastewater treatment plant disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 207 , 896 and 5 , 264 , 120 granted respectively on may 4 , 1993 and nov . 23 , 1993 to norwalk wastewater equipment company of norwalk , ohio , the assignee of the present invention . the specific details of the wastewater treatment plant of the latter - identified patents is incorporated herein by reference , but excluded from a clarifier or clarification chamber 17 of the wastewater treatment system 10 is the wastewater treatment mechanism ( biokinetic ® device ) and instead a conventional tubular tee t is connected to the pipe 15 . the wastewater treatment unit 20 ( fig1 and 2 ) of the present invention includes a sectional solids settling and retention basin 21 which preferably is a one - piece body molded from polymeric / copolymeric synthetic plastic material , as shall be described more fully hereinafter with respect to fig5 and 7 of the drawings , or can be constructed from a plurality of individual tubular sections , such as an upper tubular section or riser 22 , an intermediate or middle tubular section 23 and a lower tubular section 24 closed by an integral bottom wall 25 collectively defining the solids settling and retention basin 21 and a solids settling and retention chamber 26 thereof in which solids entering the chamber 26 through the discharge pipe 15 from the wastewater treatment plant 11 accumulate and can be periodically removed . the discharge pipe 15 is solvent - connected to the intermediate section 23 by a conventional schedule 40 pvc inlet coupling 18 and an associated seal ( not shown ), and the discharge pipe 16 is likewise connected to the intermediate tubular section 23 by another schedule 40 pvc outlet coupling 19 and an associated seal ( not shown ). a wastewater treatment mechanism 50 ( biokinetic ® device ) which corresponds in most respects to the like numbered wastewater treatment mechanism of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 264 , 120 is suspendingly supported within the solids settling and retention chamber 26 of the solids settling and retention basin 21 . the wastewater treatment mechanism 50 includes an outermost , substantially cylindrical , integral , one - piece molded filtering means , filtering media or filtering body 70 having a lower cylindrical filtering wall portion 72 of a smaller mesh than that of a upper cylindrical filtering wall portion 73 with an imaginary line 74 defining the line of demarcation therebetween . a solid wall 71 closes the bottom of the filtering means 70 and an upper end thereof terminates in a radially outwardly directed flange 75 . the filtering body 70 includes a pair of diametrically opposite flow equalization means 85 defined by vertically aligned spaced flow equalization ports 81 , 82 and 83 progressively increasing in size upwardly and functioning in the manner set forth in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 264 , 120 . the sizes , spacing and function of the flow equalization ports 81 through 83 correspond to the same dimensions and functions as set forth in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 264 , 120 which are incorporated hereat by reference . a housing 90 having an open bottom is closed by an upper closure assembly 120 suspendingly support therein a baffle plate assembly 110 housing approximately three dozen baffle plates 99 . the latter unitized components corresponding substantially in structure and function to the like components of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 264 , 120 . the upper closure assembly 120 also includes a top wall or deck having a generally t - shaped channel ( not shown ) which discharges liquid into an outlet port 176 slidably telescopically received in a tubular discharge pipe 453 of a first flange coupler 451 which is vertically slidably received downwardly into and upwardly out of a generally u - shaped upwardly opening flange receiving coupler 456 having an opening ( unnumbered ) in fluid communication with the discharge pipe 16 . the couplings or coupler 451 , 456 permit the entire wastewater treatment mechanism 50 to be installed into and removed from the solids settling and retention basin 21 from above , as will be more apparent hereinafter . means 140 in the form of a dry tablet chlorination feed tube 141 for housing stacked chlorination tablets is carried by the upper closure assembly 120 as is dechlorinating means 180 in the form of a dry tablet dechlorination feed tube 181 for housing stacked dechlorination tablets , again as the latter structures and their functions are more fully specified in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 264 , 120 . resting atop the flange 75 of the wastewater treatment mechanism 50 is a removable moisture / vapor closure , cover or shield 55 defined by a one - piece molded polymeric / copolymeric body including a circular disc 5 1 , two tubular portions 57 , 58 projecting upwardly therefrom , and a tubular handle portion 59 spanning the tubular portions 57 , 58 . when positioned as illustrated in fig2 of the drawings , the tubular portions 57 , 58 of the moisture / vapor cover 55 telescopically receive and stabilize the respective chlorination and dechlorination tubes 141 , 181 . four equally circumferentially spaced holes ( not shown ) in the circular disc 51 receives fasteners , such as screws , which are threaded into like holes ( also not shown ) of the flange 75 to secure the moisture / vapor cover 55 to the flange 75 yet permit the rapid disassembly thereof by removing the screws ( not shown ). the purpose of the moisture / vapor cover or shield 55 is to prevent condensation from entering the wastewater treatment mechanism 50 . before specifically describing the three piece sectional solids settling and retention basin 21 of fig2 which is defined by the upper , intermediate and lower tubular sections 22 through 24 , respectively , reference is made to fig5 of the drawings which illustrates a one - piece hollow solids settling and retention body 30 molded by rotational molding , vacuum molding or injection molding from polymeric / copolymeric plastic material , such as corrosion resistant polyethylene . the hollow body 30 includes a tubular wall 31 having an upper end closed by an integral top wall 32 and a bottom end closed by an integral bottom wall 40 . a plurality of alternating internally projecting peripheral ribs 33 , 34 and inwardly opening valleys 35 , 36 are disposed substantially along the axial length of the tubular body 31 . the ribs 33 are of a substantially lesser internal diameter than the diameter of the ribs 34 and the valleys 35 are of a greater axial height and a greater diameter than the axial height and diameter of the valleys 36 . for the most part , the ribs and the valleys are arranged in the axial sequence 33 , 35 , 34 , 36 ; 33 , 35 , 34 , 36 ; etc . within each such sequence of ribs and valleys , each rib 33 and its adjacent valley 35 are defined by a wall 37 common to each rib 33 and each valley 35 . each rib 33 also includes an innermost cylindrical wall portion 38 and each valley 35 adjacent thereto includes an outermost cylindrical wall portion 39 . cut lines c 1 , c 2 define annular bands of scrap material or bands s 1 , s 2 and s 3 . by cutting along the cut lines c 1 , c 2 , the shaded annular bands s 1 , s 2 and s 3 are removed as scrap material and four tubular sections 41 , 42 , 43 and 44 are formed therefrom . adjacent the top wall 32 , a somewhat wider circumferential band of scrap material s 4 can be removed when the hollow body 30 is severed along the cut lines c 1 , c 2 associated therewith . however , the hollow body 41 adjacent the top wall 32 terminates in two adjacent valleys 35 , 35 separated by a rib 34 . the purpose of this configuration is to not only create the tubular section 41 of essentially the identical contour as the tubular sections 42 , 43 and 44 , but also to form therefrom a generally concavo - convex wall 45 which can be rotated or flipped 180 ° from the position shown in fig5 to that shown in fig6 and thereby define a safety / surface guard , closure or cover 45 , preferably having a central hole 47 , for closing the solids settling and retention basin 21 , as is illustrated in its operative position in fig2 and fig6 of the drawings . however , upon the removal of the annular scrap 4 , the upper and lower edges ( unnumbered ) of the tubular sections 41 through 44 are identical to each other and a cylindrical wall portion 49 of each smaller valley 36 ( fig6 ) will telescopically seat within the remaining portion of the wall portion 39 of the larger valley 35 resulting in the telescopic nested supported relationship of the section 41 upon the section 42 , the section 42 upon the section 43 , and the section 43 upon the section 45 . the hollow body 30 and the manner in which the scrap s 1 through s 4 are removed therefrom is merely exemplary of many different options which are available with respect to a particular installation of the solids settling and retention basin 21 between the wastewater treatment plant 11 and the soil absorption system 14 ( fig1 ). for example , the hollow body 30 ( fig5 ) is of the same diameter as the diameter ( approximately 24 ″) of the solids settling and retention basin 21 but is only 60 ″ in height , as compared to the approximately 70 ″ total height of the solids settling and retention basin 21 . if only the band of scrap s 4 was removed , the remaining uncut tubular sections 41 through 44 of the hollow body 30 could be used in lieu of the axially shorter lower tubular section 24 ( fig2 ) of the solids settling and retention basin 21 thereby increasing the overall height , volume , and depth below grade or grade level gl thereof . as another example , by removing all bands of scrap material s 1 - s 5 , each of the tubular sections 41 through 44 can be individually utilized to increase the height or depth below grade gl or both of the solids settling and retention basin 21 by , for example , adding one of the sections 41 through 44 to the upper tubular section or riser 22 ( fig2 ) or to the lower section 24 as a so - called ring . depending upon the number of removed scrap bands s 1 through s 5 , the axial heights thereof and the distances therebetween , each 60 ″ hollow body 30 can be utilized at the site of installation as might be required . in fig5 if all scrap or scrap sections s 1 through s 5 were removed from the areas indicated , the upper and lower tubular sections 41 , 44 would each be approximately 12 ″ in axial length and the two middle tubular sections 42 , 43 would each be approximately 18 ″ in length . these sections could be used , as desired , to alter the overall height and depth above and / or below grade gl of the solids settling and retention basin 21 by 12 ″, 18 ″, 24 ″ etc . increments . as another example of utilizing the hollow body 30 or sections thereof for particular installations , another identical hollow body 30 ′ is illustrated in fig7 and the height thereof is also approximately 60 ″. however , in this case the hollow body 30 ′ includes eleven tubular scrap sections s 6 through s 16 which if all were removed would create ten tubular riser or ring sections 60 through 69 . the tubular sections 60 through 64 are each 6 ″ in axial height and the tubular sections 65 through 69 are each 3 ″ in axial height . upon the removal of the cylindrical scrap material s 6 through s 16 , the tubular sections are shown in fig8 telescopically united to each other , though such is merely exemplary and will not be used in actual practice . however , any 6 ″ tubular section 60 through 64 or any 3 ″ tubular section 65 through 69 can be utilized as need be to increase the height or depth above or below grade gl of the solids settling and retention basin 21 of fig2 in lesser axial increments than provided by the 12 ″ tubular segments 41 , 44 and the 18 ″ tubular segments 42 , 43 of the body 30 of fig5 . accordingly , the hollow body 30 and the equivalent hollow body 30 ′ demonstrate the flexibility afforded the solids settling and retention basin 21 for a variety of site installations . it is , of course , within the scope of the invention to remove , for example , only the scrap material s 4 or s 6 of the respective hollow bodies 30 , 30 ′ and utilize the same as a single piece basin for other purposes , such as a pump housing . for example , a preferable single piece basin of approximately 70¼ ″ in height could be formed by molding either of the hollow bodies 30 , 30 ′ of an approximate axial length of 72 ″. thereafter , the removal of only the narrow scrap section s 4 of the hollow body 30 or the scrap section s 6 of the hollow body 30 ′ would form a one - piece molded basin of approximately 70¼ ″. the latter basin excludes the flat wall 98 but would be provided with openings corresponding to the openings o , 0 ′, though if used for a pump housing , the axial offset would be unnecessary . reference is made to fig4 of the drawings which more specifically demonstrates details of the intermediate or middle tubular section 23 , as compared to the upper tubular section 22 , the lower tubular section 24 , or any of the tubular sections 41 through 44 and 60 through 69 . the major difference is an inwardly projecting rib 95 ( fig4 ) having an innermost cylindrical wall portion 96 of a diameter less than the diameter of the ribs 33 , 34 and an upper substantially horizontal wall portion 97 . the rib 95 projects inwardly substantially beyond the inward projection of any of the ribs 33 , 34 , and this allows the wastewater treatment mechanism 50 to be inserted into and withdrawn from the solids settling and retention basin 21 through the open upper end ( unnumbered ) upon the removal of the safety / service cover 45 and a separately fabricated heavy duty access cover 46 . since the flange 75 ( fig2 ) of the filter media body 70 of the wastewater treatment mechanism 50 has a diameter substantially greater than the opening defined by the cylindrical wall portion 96 of the rib 95 , the flange 75 is underlyingly supported by the horizontal wall portion 97 of the rib 95 of the tubular section 23 . additionally , there is a considerable annular gap g ( fig2 ) between the solids settling and retention basin 21 and the filter body 70 of the wastewater treatment mechanism 50 which allows the entire filter body 70 to be shifted radially to the left , as viewed in fig2 to withdraw the outlet port 176 from the tubular discharge pipe 453 and vice versa incident to disassembly and reassembly , respectively , for purposes of installation , inspection servicing and / or cleaning . the intermediate or medial tubular section 23 also includes two diametrically opposite relatively flat wall portions 98 having respective openings o , o ′ ( fig2 ) preferably cut therein at the plant or factory immediately after the molding of the tubular section 23 or an entire one - piece basin 21 , as will be described more fully hereinafter . the inlet coupling 18 and the outlet coupling 19 are also preferably bolted ( not shown ) to the tubular section 23 at the factory . the axis ao of the opening o ( fig2 ) is 1 ″ above the axis ao ′ of the opening o creating thereby an automatic and natural 1 ″ fall between the two openings o , o ′. the upper tubular section 22 ( fig2 ), normally termed a “ riser ” in the trade , is clampingly secured to the intermediate tubular section 23 by a compression clamp and seal assembly 100 . in fig2 an identical compression clamp and seal assembly 100 clamps the medial tubular section 23 to the lower section 24 and , of course , identical compression clamp and seal assemblies 100 are utilized to connect other upper tubular sections or risers as desired above the medial tubular section 23 and like tubular sections , which are normally termed “ rings ” in the trade , when added beneath the middle tubular section 23 . a like compression clamp and seal assembly 100 also clamps the heavy duty access cover 46 to the upper tubular section or riser 22 with a peripheral edge ( unnumbered ) of the safety / service cover 45 being sandwiched between wall portions ( unnumbered ) of the uppermost rib 34 of the tubular section 22 and an inwardly directed peripheral wall 91 ( fig2 and 6 ) of an outwardly directed rib 92 of the heavy duty access cover 46 . the compression clamp and seal assembly 100 is best illustrated in fig9 of the drawings , and includes an o - ring type annular seal 105 and a compression clamp 115 . the annular seal 105 includes an outer cylindrical leg portion 106 , a bight portion 107 , and an inner cylindrical leg portion 108 collectively defining therebetween a slot or groove 109 which receives the wall portion 39 of the lower tubular section 24 . a generally radially inwardly directed wall portion 101 of the annular seal 105 is sandwiched between opposing generally radial wall portions 102 , 103 of the intermediate tubular section 23 and the lower tubular section 24 , respectively . a number of conventional annular sealing lips ( unnumbered ) are carried by the wall portions 108 , 101 . the compression clamp or clamping means 115 of the compression clamp and seal assembly 100 is a one - piece molded polymeric / copolymeric band of a substantially u - shaped configuration over a major portion of the length thereof from a first end portion 112 to an opposite second end portion 113 at which a minor portion 114 continues in the form of a tongue or tab having a plurality of equally spaced narrow slots 119 and a tool receiving opening 116 . the end portion 112 of the major portion includes an upstanding wall 117 ( fig1 ) having a slot 118 and adjacent to the latter a depending flexible latching tab 125 carries a projection 121 . the flexible latching tab 125 is bordered by a u - shaped slot 124 . a slot 128 is formed through the flexible locking tab 125 . the first end portion 112 further includes a group of equally spaced slots 121 and an upstanding locking tab 122 having an opening 123 . after the annular seal 105 has been assembled upon the wall portion 39 in the manner illustrated in fig9 the upper tubular riser section 23 is seated upon the sealing lips ( unnumbered ) of the radial wall portion 101 of the annular seal 105 after which the compression clamp 115 is positioned in loosely surrounding relationship thereto , as is also illustrated in fig9 of the drawings . the tongue 114 of the compression clamp 115 is inserted through the slot 118 ( fig1 ) and over and beyond the locking tab 122 . a tool , such as a screwdriver , is then inserted through the tool receiving opening 116 or any one of the slots 119 and the end of the blade thereof is seated in a selected one of the slots 121 of the first end portion 112 of the compression clamp 115 after which the screwdriver is levered or fulcrumed in a conventional manner to draw the tongue 114 further through the slot 118 and further over and further beyond the locking tab 122 which progressively constricts the compression clamp 115 against the outer cylindrical leg portion 106 ( fig9 ) of the annular seal 105 eventually creating a water - tight seal therebetween and a water - tight seal between the sealing lips ( unnumbered ) and the opposing wall portion 39 of the valley 36 . when the compression clamp 115 is tightened manually in this fashion sufficiently to assure a water - tight seal , the tongue 114 is manipulated as need be by utilizing the screwdriver to align one of the slots 119 of the tongue 114 with the locking tab 122 and subsequently uniting the two together in the manner illustrated in fig1 at which point the locking tab or projection 122 projects through one of the slots 119 , as is illustrated in fig1 . if desired a lock , bolt , locking ring or a wire can be passed through the opening 123 of the locking tab 122 and thereafter twisted to preclude inadvertent / accidental disassembly of the locking tab 122 from its assembled condition ( fig2 ). the compression clamp 115 performs a number of functions effectively , such as compressing the annular gasket 105 to effect a water - tight seal between any two components , preventing vertical separation between components , maintaining horizontal alignment of the components , and creating in effect two seals , one afforded by the inner cylindrical leg portion 108 and the other by the radially inwardly directed wall portion 101 of the annular seal or gasket 105 . the latter assures a water - tight seal between all tubular sections and between the uppermost tubular section or riser 22 , the associated safety / service cover 45 thereof , and the heavy duty access cover 46 . the latter two covers 45 , 46 are also preferably tether - connected to the upper tubular section or riser 23 by respective retainer cables 145 , 146 , respectively ( fig2 ). the compression clamp 115 is released and removed by first releasing and removing the locking ring or twisted wire passing through the opening 123 . thereafter the end of the tongue 114 adjacent the slot 116 can be manually gripped or gripped by a pair of pliers and pulled upwardly to remove locking tab 122 from its associated slot 119 . at this time the flexible latching tab 125 is still engaged in its associated slot 119 ( fig1 ) and further lifting of the tongue 114 upwardly will have no effect thereon . a blade of the screw driver is inserted through the slot 128 with its end engaged against the underlying upper surface ( unnumbered ) of the first end portion 112 , and thereafter the blade is pivoted or torqued to the right , as viewed in fig1 , causing the flexible latching tab 125 to flex to the phantom outline position of fig1 which draws the depending latching projection 121 outwardly of its associated slot 119 thereby completely releasing the compression clamp 115 . reference is made to fig1 of the drawings , and it is assumed for the moment that the wastewater treatment unit 20 has not been installed and that a single pipe or sewer pipe extends from the wastewater treatment plant 11 to the soil absorption system 14 which has become “ plugged ” through the retention of solids , as described earlier herein , thereby potentially causing a back - up of sewage into an associate home ( not shown ). the soil absorption system 14 is considered “ failed ” and “ rejuvenation ” of a “ failed ” soil absorption system 14 is not technically feasible , except at the considerable inconvenience , danger and expense earlier noted . however , in keeping with the present invention , the site at which the waste treatment unit 20 , and particularly the solids settling and retention basin 21 , is to be installed is first excavated by simply digging a hole to expose the existing sewer line or pipe ( not shown ). a relatively narrow sewer trench is dug along the length of the original sewer line to enable its entire removal . a hole must also be dug or excavated for the solids settling and retention basin 21 . since the maximum outside diameter of the solids settling and retention basin 21 is approximately 24 ″, the excavation should be at a minimum of 36 ″× 36 ″ square or approximately 36 ″ diameter , if round . the exact excavation depth depends upon a variety of factors and of importance is the vertical distance between grade or grade level gl and the outlet ( unnumbered ) of the clarifier 17 from which the old sewer line is removed and replaced by the outlet pipe 15 . the closer the outlet pipe 15 to grade level gl , the less the depth of the excavation and vice versa . one or more risers of required heights might necessarily have to be added above the middle tubular section 21 , while one or more rings of required heights might necessarily have to be added below the middle tubular section 21 depending upon the specifics of the installation . as a typical example , the excavation for the solids settling and retention basin 21 is preferably deep enough to permit a minimum 4 ″ levelling bed or pad p of gravel , sand or fine crushed stone upon which rests the bottom wall 25 of the solids settling and retention basin 21 . in actual practice and in the present example the distance d 1 between the upper edge ( unnumbered ) of the upper tubular section or riser 22 ( fig1 and 2 ) and the bottom wall 25 is approximately 70¼ ″ and the distance d 2 from the top of the heavy duty access cover 46 and grade level gl is approximately 7½ ″. thus the total depth of the excavation would be approximately 75 ″ to 80 ″ depending upon the total thickness or depth of the leveling pad p . the new outlet pipe ( influent sewer line ) 15 is then connected to the clarifier opening ( unnumbered ) of the wastewater treatment plant 11 , though not permanently connected thereto . the outlet pipe ( effluent sewer line ) 16 can be positioned in the sewer trench , generally as illustrated in fig1 though not necessarily permanently connected to the soil absorption system 14 . the distance between the top surface of the leveling pad p and the center of the pipe 15 is measured to assure that the inlet coupling 18 , previously bolted to the flat wall portion 98 of the tubular section 23 , will be in axial alignment with the pipe 15 . obviously , the axis of the pipe 15 must be preferably 1 ″ minimum above the axis of the pipe 16 upon the complete installation of the wastewater treatment unit to assure that the pipes 15 , 16 are aligned with and enter into the couplings 18 , 19 which are of the same 1 ″ fall because of the 1 ″ difference in the axes ao and ao ′ earlier described . in the specific example given the lower tubular section 24 of the solids settling and retention basin 21 is selected and , for example , formed by selectively removing scrap material from several of the molded basin bodies 30 such that when clamped to the middle tubular section 21 and installed with the bottom wall 25 resting upon the levelling pad p , the total distance d 3 from the bottom wall 25 to the volute ( bottom ) of the pipe 15 is approximately 38⅛ and the distance d 4 of the volute ( bottom ) of the pipe 16 from the bottom wall 25 of the solids settling and retention basin 21 is 37⅛ ″ which is a natural 1 ″ fall between the two . the solids settling and retention basin 21 is then lowered into the excavation with its bottom wall 25 seated upon the upper surface of the levelling pad p after which the pipe 15 can be inserted into and solvent - welded to the coupling 18 . an appropriate conventional seal is provided between the outlet pipe 15 and the wall ( unnumbered ) of the wastewater treatment plant 11 . the pipe 16 is likewise inserted into and solvent - welded to the coupling 19 and to the soil absorption system 14 . prior to making the latter permanent connections , a level is applied to the solids settling and retention basin 21 to assure horizontal level and vertical plum thereof . the solids settling and retention basin 21 should be back - filled immediately after the pipes 15 , 16 have been permanently installed . the sewer trench above the pipes 15 , 16 should also be back - filled . however , before back - filling the heavy duty access cover 46 should be at least seated upon , though not necessarily locked to the riser 22 to prevent dirt or debris from entering the solids settling and retention basin 21 during back - filling . the finished grade gl should be 3 ″ below the upper edge ( unnumbered ) of the solids settling and retention basin 21 . immediately after back - filling , the access cover 46 is removed and the solids settling and retention basin 21 is filled with hold down water , although the hold down water can be added before back - filling . the filtering body 70 of the wastewater treatment mechanism 50 , excluding the housing 90 , the upper closure assembly 120 , the baffle plate assembly 110 carried by the upper closure assembly 120 , the chlorination feed tube 141 , the dechlorination feed tube 181 , the moisture / vapor shield or cover 55 and the safety / service cover 45 , is lowered into the solids settling and retention basin 21 . natural buoyancy created by the hold down water will cause the filtering body 70 to tend to float in the hold down water , but a hose can be utilized to direct water into the filtering body 70 through the open upper end thereof resulting in the gradual sinking of the filtering body 70 into the solids settling and retention basin 21 . during the latter assembly the filtering body 70 is aligned such that the flange coupler 451 ( fig2 ) progressively vertically enters into and seats in the u - shaped receiving flange or coupling 456 ( fig2 ). in the final installed position of the filtering body 70 the flange 75 thereof rests upon the rib 95 of the solids settling and retention basin 21 . means ( not shown ) may be utilized to secure the flange 75 upon the rib 95 , as , for example , four circular discs equally spaced about the periphery of the flange 75 and vertically pivotally mounted thereto in an eccentric fashion such that each disc can be rotated in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis from a position entirely inside the periphery of the flange 75 to a radially outwardly projecting position with a portion of each disc being received within the opposing valley and underlying the uppermost rib of the solids settling and retention basin 21 thereby preventing vertical withdrawal of the filtering body 70 therefrom . thereafter the unitized housing 90 , the upper closure assembly 120 , and the baffle plate assembly 110 suspendingly supported from the latter are inserted progressively into the filtering body 70 until the outlet port 176 is aligned with the tubular discharge pipe 453 of the first flange coupler 451 after which the housing 90 is shifted to the right to the position illustrated in fig2 . the moisture / vapor shield or cover 55 is positioned atop the flange 75 and is conventionally secured thereto by passing fasteners through openings ( not shown ) in the circular disc 51 of the safety / service guard or cover and threading the same into the flange 75 of the filtering body 70 . the chlorination tube 141 and the dechlorination tube 181 are telescopically assembled through the tubular portions 57 , 58 , respectively , to the position illustrated in fig2 . chlorination tablets are inserted in the chlorination tube 141 and dechlorination tablets are inserted into the dechlorination tube 181 before or after the latter installation with caps ( unnumbered ) being appropriately assembled thereon . the safety / service guard or cover 45 and the heavy duty access cover 46 are then assembled , as shown in fig2 and locked by means of the associated compression clamp and seal assembly 100 . under normal conditions , wastewater w ( fig1 ) within the clarification chamber or clarifier 17 of the wastewater treatment plant 11 is at a wastewater level l dependent upon the hydraulic head , and the rate of flow of the wastewater / effluent through the wastewater treatment unit 20 and particularly the wastewater treatment mechanism 50 thereof will depend upon the head or height of the wastewater within the clarification chamber 17 . during such normal hydraulic head , the level l of the wastewater approximates the position of the lowermost of the diametrically opposite pair of flow equalization ports or openings 81 , and this is the design flow level dfl of the wastewater treatment unit 20 , as established by the flow equalization ports 81 of the wastewater treatment mechanism 50 . under such normal design flow conditions , wastewater not only accumulates in the solids settling and retention basin 21 , but small solids or particles ss ( fig2 ) pass through the smaller mesh of the lower cylindrical filtering wall portion 72 while larger solid particles sp falling downwardly and accumulating upon and above the bottom wall 25 of the solids settling and retention basin 21 . the wastewater and still smaller particles sss which have passed through the filtering wall portion 72 but are too light to settle upon the bottom wall 71 of the filtering body 70 flow upwardly and through the baffle plate assembly 110 during which the smallest particles are filtered out from the wastewater by the baffle plates 99 . the wastewater eventually discharges through an opening ( not shown ) in the upper closure assembly 120 and passes through the outlet ports 176 , 453 into the pipe 16 with prior chlorination and dechlorination being effected , if desired , in the manner disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 264 , 120 . in the case of a retro fit for a failing or failed disposal system , the essentially solids - free wastewater / effluent continues toward its discharge at the soil absorption device 14 which though plugged can absorb and disperse the substantially solids - free effluent thereby rejuvenating the entire wastewater treatment system 10 due to the extraction of the solids or solid particles sp , ss , sss and spl within the solids settling and retention basin 21 , the bottom wall 71 and within and upon the approximately three dozen baffle plates 99 of the baffle plate assembly 110 . should the installation be for a new wastewater treatment system , the substantial solids - free effluent extends the life of the disposal system substantially indefinitely . should the flow of wastewater from the clarification chamber 17 exceed the design flow designated by the design flow level dfl ( fig2 ), as controlled by the diametrically opposite flow equalization ports 81 , the wastewater will rise to a higher sustained flow level sfl at which the pair of flow equalization ports 82 become operative , as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 264 , 120 . during peak flow of wastewater from the clarification chamber 17 , the wastewater reaches a peak flow level pfl established by the larger diameter flow equalization ports 83 , just as in the case of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 264 , 120 with , of course , solids or solid particles spl passing through the larger mesh of the upper cylindrical filtering wall portion 73 and settling down and upon the bottom wall 71 of the filtering body or filtration media body 70 . access to the interior of the wastewater treatment unit 20 is required from time - to - time during normal use and is readily effected by removing the compression clamp 115 associated with the access cover 46 . upon unlatching and removing the compression clamp 115 , the access cover 46 and the safety / service cover 45 can be removed . the chlorination and dechlorination tubes 141 , 181 can simply be filled with tablets or can be removed by pulling the same vertically upwardly . each tube 141 , 181 can be flushed and cleaned , refilled with chlorination and dechlorination tablets , and reassembled to the position illustrated in fig2 after which the components 45 , 46 and 115 can be reassembled . obviously the feed tubes 141 , 181 need not be removed when the only servicing required is to add respective chlorination and dechlorination tablets thereto . over longer periods of time the entire wastewater treatment unit 20 must be completely cleaned to remove all of the solids accumulated in the solids settling and retention basin 21 , all of the solids accumulated upon the bottom wall 71 of the filtering body 70 and all of the solids accumulated upon each of the baffle plates 99 of the baffle plate assembly 110 . such servicing is again accomplished by first removing the uppermost compression clamp 115 , the access cover 46 and the safety / service cover 45 . the feed tubes 141 , 181 are then withdrawn upwardly and removed followed by the removal of the moisture / vapor shield or cover 55 after unfastening the cover disc 51 from the flange 75 of the filter media body 70 . the entire housing 90 of the wastewater treatment mechanism 50 can now be lifted upwardly by , for example , manually grasping the closure assembly 120 or utilizing a special tool ( not shown ) which interlocks with the upper closure assembly 120 . since the baffle plate assembly 110 is secured to the upper closure assembly 120 , the unitized components 90 , 110 , 120 are removed in unison . the unitized components 90 , 110 , 120 must , of course , be lifted straight up , as viewed in fig2 to remove the outlet port 176 from the discharge pipe 453 prior to lifting and removing components upwardly and outwardly from the filter media body 70 . the flange 75 of the filter media body 70 is then detached from the solids settling and retention basin 21 by rotating the eccentrically mounted , vertically pivoted , four circular discs in a horizontal plane ( not shown and earlier described ) to remove the same from the opposing valley which is the uppermost unnumbered valley of the middle tubular section 23 of the solids settling and retention basin 21 . the solids settling and retention basin 21 can then be lifted vertically upwardly to detach the couplings 451 , 456 . a suction hose / line can be inserted into the filtering body 70 to withdraw wastewater and solids therefrom prior to lifting the filtering body 70 upwardly and outwardly of the solids settling and retention basin 21 to ease the effort involved in this task . the same suction line can then be inserted into the solids settling and retention basin 21 to draw wastewater and the solids accumulated therein while simultaneously washing and cleaning the interior of the solids settling and retention basin 21 utilizing water from a garden hose until the solids settling and retention basin 21 is thoroughly cleansed and rinsed . thereafter , the safety / service cover 45 can be temporarily seated in the upper end of the riser 22 to preclude dirt or debris from entering the now cleaned solids settling and retention basin 21 while cleansing the withdrawn remaining components in the immediately environs . water from a garden hose is directed to all surfaces of all of these components including the individual baffle plates 99 upon disassembly thereof from the baffle plate assembly 110 in the manner disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 264 , 120 . after all components have been thoroughly cleaned , they are reassembled in a manner apparent from the description of the disassembly thereof , with , of course , chlorination and dechlorination tablets being added to the respective feed tubes 141 , 181 before or after the reassembly thereof . the moisture / vapor cover 55 , the safety / service closure 45 , the access cover 46 and the compression clamp 115 are reassembled in the manner shown in fig2 and the wastewater treatment unit 20 is ready for continued long term wastewater treatment / disposal . it is to be particularly understood that though the solids settling and retention basin 21 of fig1 and 2 is sectional , the same can and for the most part will remain as a one - piece molded body as aforesaid with the openings o , o ′ being cut therein at the factory to make certain that the axis ao is 1 ″ higher than the axis ao ′ of the opening o ′ thereby assuring the necessary natural 1 ″ fall to achieve efficient flow - through from the pipe 15 to the pipe 16 . also , with the connectors 18 , 19 being bolted to the wall portions 98 at the factory , when the one - piece solids and retention basin 21 is delivered to the site for installation , the only major criteria required for proper flow - through is to make certain that the discharge pipe 15 has an acceptable fall from the wastewater treatment plant 11 to the opening o and additional fall from the opening o ′ to the soil absorption system 14 . also though the invention has been described specifically with respect to the installation of the wastewater treatment unit 20 relative to an existing wastewater treatment plant 11 and a plugged soil absorption system 14 , the wastewater treatment plant 11 is equally applicable to “ new ” installations . in the case of a new installation , an area of the ground must be excavated to also include the new wastewater treatment plant 11 and , of course , a new soil absorption system 14 is installed . obviously , there are no pre - existing sewer pipes to remove and , therefore , the installation remains essentially identical for the new system as that earlier described for the “ old ” or “ plugged ” system . although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically illustrated and described herein , it is to be understood that minor variations may be made in the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , as defined the appended claims . | 8 |
referring first to the embodiment shown in fig1 , numeral 10 indicates an ink roll which is permanently secured to an internal support 12 such as by a force - fit or welding or other means . support 12 includes a portion 14 of reduced diameter , and it will be understood that elements 10 , 12 and 14 form a one - piece ink roll which remains an integral unit when the ink roll is installed or removed from the machine . as shown most clearly in the left portions of fig1 and 2 , a journal 20 extends to the right toward the ink roll . journal 20 includes a slightly enlarged bearing surface portion 22 , and a substantially enlarged flange portion 24 . the journal is centered by a radial - and - thrust bearing 26 which is mounted in an annular housing 28 . housing 28 is connected by bolts 30 or otherwise to an inner frame member 32 or to another stationary and permanently mounted structure of the printing machine . bearings 26 are preferably retained in place by a retention ring 34 and an annular retainer ring 36 , and it will be understood that a drive pulley or sprocket ( not shown ) is mounted on the end of journal 20 in order to rotate the ink roll . referring to the right - hand portion of fig1 it will be noted that a second set of radial bearings 40 are contained in and centered by housing 28 , and that bearings 40 surround reduced diameter portion 14 of the ink roll . thus , both the ink roll and removable journal are mounted in and centered by housing 28 . this assures perfect alignment between the journal and the ink roll being removed , and between the journal and the new ink roll being introduced into the machine . it will also be noted from fig1 - 3 that housing 28 extends 180 ° around the center of revolution and longitudinal axis of the ink roll , and that the other 180 ° is enclosed by removable semi - circular covers 28 a and 28 b . in order to removably connect each ink roll to the journal , flange 24 of the journal and reduced diameter portion 14 of internal support 12 are connected by removable connector assemblies 44 as illustrated in fig1 - 3 . in one preferred embodiment , connector assemblies 44 comprise plates 46 and 47 bolted to both journal flange 24 and portion 14 of the ink roll by removable bolts 48 . plates 46 are relatively thick and rigid , whereas plates 47 are thinner and slightly flexible so as to compensate for any deviations in the matching dimensions of portions 14 and 24 beyond preset tolerances . alternatively , shims may be employed instead of flexible plate 47 . if the tolerances of portions 14 and 24 are maintained , such as by precision machining , then the flexible plates and shims may be eliminated as illustrated in fig3 a . in this embodiment , plates 46 alone bridge across journal portion 24 and reduced diameter portion 14 of ink roll support 12 and removably connect the ink roll to the journal . in either case , it will be understood that the end surface 15 of support portion 14 and the end surface 25 of journal flange 24 form mating planar surfaces as shown in fig1 and 1a , and that the bolt and plate assemblies 44 bridge these mating surfaces and removably secure journal 20 to the ink roll . when it is desired to change ink rolls , bolts 50 are removed , and semi - circular cover 28 a is removed . this provides direct access to bolts 48 as shown in fig2 such that plates 46 may be removed . removal of plates 46 disconnects journal flange 24 from reduced portion 14 of the ink roll . the ink roll is then supported temporarily , by a support structure ( not shown ), while cover 28 b is removed . the ink roll is then removed , such as sideways to the left as viewed in fig3 . the present invention makes it possible to remove an ink roll in only the time that it takes to remove bolts 50 and 48 , and slide the ink roll out of the machine . the required time for this removal is substantially less than one hour , whereas , prior mounting systems have required many hours to remove each ink roll . it will also be understood that the same mounting structure may be used to make printing cylinders , feed rolls , impression cylinders , die cutter cylinders and other rotary components of a printing machine easily removable and replaceable . the present invention includes a second preferred embodiment as illustrated in fig4 - 6 in which the same numerals represent counterpart elements of the previous embodiment . the right - hand portion of fig4 shows ink roll 10 with an internal support 12 which comprise a one - piece construction as previously described . the left - hand portion of fig4 shows journal 20 with bearing surface 22 and an integral flange portion 24 , and it will be understood that journal 20 is permanently connected to the machine as previously described . the middle portion of fig4 illustrates an alternative adapter assembly comprising first and second adapters 52 and 54 . adapter 52 comprises a first circular portion 56 having a diameter equal to the inner diameter of the ink roll . portion 56 includes bolt holes 58 which are aligned with threaded bores 60 of ink roll support 12 so that adapter 52 may be semi - permanently bolted to the ink roll in precise alignment with the axis of rotation of the ink roll ; the term semi - permanently being further defined hereafter . adapter 52 includes an integral , arcuate portion 62 which extends 1800 around the circumference of portion 56 of adapter 52 . arcuate portion 62 has an external diameter equal to the internal diameter of the ink roll , and includes angled bore holes 64 for receiving bolts tangentially . thus , when adapter 52 is semi - permanently secured to the end of the ink roll , the assembly is as shown in the right - hand portion of fig5 . as shown in the left portion of fig4 and in fig5 adapter 54 includes an arcuate portion 66 having a diameter equal to that of adapter portion 56 . adapter 54 also includes an integral , circular portion 68 having a circumference equal to the curvature 70 of portion 62 of adapter 52 . portion 68 is provided with bores 72 which may be aligned with bores 74 of journal flange 24 . it will be understood that ink roll 10 is semi - permanently connected to adapter 52 , and that journal 20 is permanently connected to adapter 54 which is permanently connected to the machine as previously described . accordingly , the journal and the ink roll are as shown in fig5 . for connecting the ink roll to the journal ; the ink roll may be simply moved to the left as shown by arrow a in fig5 and bolts inserted through bores 64 and into threaded bores 78 of adapter 54 . the ink roll and journal are then removably connected as shown in fig6 . removal of the ink roll only requires that the bolts be removed , and the ink roll and adapter 52 may be disengaged as a one - piece unit and removed sideways from the machine in the reverse direction of arrow a . adapter 52 may then be disconnected from the ink roll if it is to be used with the replacement ink roll to be inserted into the machine . accordingly , the term “ semi - permanently connected ” is intended to mean that the ink roll and adapter 52 are removed and installed as a one - piece unit , and if an additional adapter 52 is available for the replacement ink roll , adapter 52 may remain permanently connected to the ink roll being removed . from the foregoing description of two preferred embodiments of the invention , it will be apparent that numerous variations may be made in the invention by a person skilled in the art , and it will be apparent that the subject invention may be employed for mounting other types of rollers and cylinders for rapid removal and replacement in machines other than printing machines . accordingly , it is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to be illustrative of the principles of the invention , and not exhaustive thereof , and that the true invention is intended to be limited only as set forth in the following claims interpreted under the doctrine of equivalents . | 1 |
a gaseous spf offers several advantages over a conventional “ solid ” spf . namely , a gaseous spf can be continuously replenished , which eliminates concern about the spf melting , burning up , or otherwise being destroyed and rendered non - functional by incident radiation . even limited damage to a conventional spf can change the filter &# 39 ; s properties , leading to drifts in the amount of euv or out - of - band radiation being delivered downstream of the spf . the transmission properties of the gaseous spf , in contrast to the conventional spf , can be adjusted to some extent by varying gas pressure or gas type , to allow adjustment of euv intensity at the reticle . desirably , the gas that is selected for use as an spf exhibits euv - transmission behavior at least as good as the currently best “ solid ” spf materials . the currently most - used “ solid ” spf material is zr . hence , it would appear that zr gas would be an attractive candidate . unfortunately , however , zr is a refractory metal that has very high melting and boiling temperatures and hence would not be , and could not be , maintained as a gas under actual conditions of use of spfs . other currently used “ solid ” spf materials are nb and y ; but , these metals are also refractory and pose the same challenges as zr . zr does form various halides that have relatively low melting points and that produce substantial vapor pressures at temperatures of several hundred degrees c . the only zr halide that exhibits appreciable euv transmission is zrcl 4 . nb and y also form halides ( e . g ., nbcl 5 , ycl 3 ). in addition to these metal compounds , a number of boron hydrides (“ boranes ”; b n h m ) exhibit desirable euv - transmission properties and are gaseous at or near room temperature . the currently most suitable borane is b 5 h 11 . other boranes either have inferior vapor - pressure properties or are poisonous . fig1 summarizes the euv spectral properties of certain materials . the plotted data were obtained from the website for the lawrence berkeley laboratory center for x - ray optics . in fig1 the transmission at 13 . 4 nm is rather low for the gaseous compounds zrcl 4 and b 5 h 11 , but transmission can be changed by adjusting the pressure and temperature of the gas or the effective thickness of the gas layer . in any event , the pressure and temperature must lie on the vapor - pressure curve for the compound . the vapor - pressure curve describes the partial pressure of the vapor above the surface of the compound at a given pressure . the transmission t through a gas of thickness d is given by the expression : where μ is the absorption cross - section of the gas and is a function of wavelength , and n is the number density of atoms or molecules of the compound . assuming the gas obeys the ideal gas law , where k is the boltzmann constant ( 1 . 3807 × 10 − 23 j / k ). for a desired transmission at , for example , 13 . 4 nm , equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) can be combined to yield : if the transmission t 1 is already known at a given value of p 1 and t 1 ( e . g ., 30 torr and 295 k , for a path length through the gas of 1 cm , in fig1 ), the pressure p 2 and temperature t 2 for a transmission t 2 can be obtained in a manner that does not explicitly involve the absorption cross - section : p 2 / t 2 =( p 1 / t 1 )( ln [ t 2 ]/ ln [ t 1 ]) ( 4 ) using this relation derived from the ideal gas law , the respective pressure - temperature curves for transmissions of t = 0 . 9 and t = 0 . 99 were calculated . plotting these curves on the respective vapor - pressure curves for zrcl 4 and b 5 h 11 yielded the corresponding operating conditions for the gases , shown in fig2 . in fig2 the intersection of a vapor - pressure curve with the respective ideal - gas - law curve reveals a possible operating point for a given transmission . for example , zrcl 4 can have a transmission of t = 0 . 9 ( at 13 . 4 nm ) for p ≈ 0 . 95 torr (≈ 127 pa ) and t ≈ 460 k (≈ 187 c ). similarly , b 5 h 11 has a transmission of 0 . 9 for p ≈ 1 . 45 torr and t ≈ 226 k (− 47 c ). the lowest vapor pressure for which data appears to be available is 1 torr , so extrapolation is required to obtain data for pressures lower than 1 torr . approximate values for several transmissions are summarized in table 1 . settings for other transmissions can be obtained using equation ( 4 ). the transmission properties of these gases are compared to zr and si in fig3 . the transmissions of the gases at other euv wavelengths may be too high for t = 0 . 99 at 13 . 4 nm , but the transmissions for t = 0 . 9 curves compare favorably to zr and may be superior to si . in comparing the transmissions of gaseous spfs with the thin films of conventional spfs in fig1 , it should be remembered that the effective transmission of the films is reduced by their supporting mesh . the use of zrcl 4 requires a heated source , while use of b 5 h 11 requires a cryogenic source . if the reactivity of the spf gas raises concern , it can be enclosed , as it is being discharged , in a gas sheath , wherein the outer ( sheath ) gas is non - reactive and transparent to euv . exemplary sheath gases are he and ar . the spf gas ( including sheath gas , if indicated ) desirably is discharged as a supersonic jet into the vacuum chamber . this manner of discharge minimizes transverse spreading of the gas and allows maintenance of a relatively low pressure in the vacuum chamber . the pressure in the euv source may be reduced further simply by increasing the length of the gaseous region along the propagation direction of the euv radiation . for example , extending the length from 1 cm to 2 cm reduces the required gas pressure by a factor of two . the absence of opaque structures , such as a supporting mesh , in the gaseous spf allows more general placement of the gaseous spf in the illumination - optical system . furthermore , since the gas is constantly replenished , a gaseous spf can be placed at or near the intermediate focus plane for even a very intense plasma source , without damage or degradation of its performance . the gaseous spf functions well in limiting out - of - band euv radiation . however , its ability to limit transmission of duv radiation is not fully known , and the spf is likely to exhibit little attenuation of visible or infrared light . hence , it may be advantageous to combine a gaseous spf , located near the intermediate focus plane , with a very thin conventional spf located further downstream of the euv source , where the intensity of radiation has been reduced to a safe level . a first representative embodiment of a gaseous spf apparatus 10 is depicted in fig4 ( a ) . the apparatus 10 is situated relative to an euv source 12 comprising a plasma zone 14 and a collector mirror 16 . at the plasma zone 14 is produced a plasma by , for example , high - intensity laser irradiation of units of a suitable target material . the plasma produces a large wavelength range of electromagnetic radiation 18 , including euv radiation of various wavelengths , infrared ( ir ) radiation , ultraviolet ( uv ) radiation , and visible radiation . much of this radiation 18 is reflected from the collector mirror 16 that facilitates convergence of the collected radiation at an intermediate focus if . at or just downstream of the intermediate focus if the collected radiation ( beam 46 ) passes through an spf stream 33 ( comprising a stream of spf gas 32 enveloped in a stream of sheath gas 30 , as described below ) supplied by the gaseous spf apparatus 10 . as the beam 46 passes through the spf stream 33 , various wavelengths in the beam are blocked by the spf stream . the beam 47 that has passed through the spf stream 33 is enriched in the desired euv wavelength ( s ). the gaseous spf apparatus 10 comprises a gas - discharge portion 20 and a gas - collection portion 22 . the gas - discharge portion 20 comprises a nozzle assembly 24 that , in this embodiment , comprises an spf - gas - discharge nozzle 26 and a sheath - gas - discharge nozzle 28 . the sheath - gas - discharge nozzle 28 is configured ( e . g ., surrounds the spf - gas - discharge nozzle 26 ) so that the sheath gas 30 discharged from the nozzle assembly 24 envelopes the stream of spf gas 32 discharged from the nozzle assembly 24 . the sheath gas 30 is supplied to the sheath - gas - discharge nozzle 28 via a conduit 34 from a sheath - gas supply 36 . as noted above , the sheath gas desirably is non - reactive and substantially transparent to euv of the desired wavelength ( s ). the spf gas 32 is supplied to the spf - gas - discharge nozzle 26 via a conduit 38 from an spf - gas supply 40 . the spf - gas supply 40 is configured to hold a supply of spf - gas liquid 42 . if the vapor pressure of the spf - gas liquid 42 is higher than desired at ambient temperature , the spf - gas liquid 42 can be stored under cryogenic conditions . just before the spf - gas liquid 42 , flowing through the conduit 38 from the spf - gas supply 40 , reaches the spf - gas - discharge nozzle 26 , it passes by a heater 44 that warms the liquid in the conduit 38 sufficiently to convert the liquid to spf gas 32 . if the particular spf gas 32 is of a type that can be stored as a gas , then the supply 40 can be configured to contain the spf gas in gaseous form , which would allow the heater 44 to be omitted . the spf gas 32 is conducted to the nozzle 26 and discharged . fig4 ( b ) depicts a transverse profile of the spf stream 33 formed by the discharged stream of spf gas 32 enveloped by the discharged stream of sheath gas 30 . also depicted is the beam 46 of radiation from the collector mirror 18 ( not shown , but situated to the right ). fig4 ( c ) depicts a transverse profile of the radiation beam 46 relative to the spf stream 33 . by way of example , the radiation beam 46 has a diameter of 1 - 2 cm at the intermediate focus if , and the transverse profile of the beam normally is round . the diameter of the radiation beam 46 at the spf stream 33 is less than the width of the spf - gas stream so as to impinge on an approximately planar region 35 of the spf stream . returning to fig4 ( a ) , the gas - discharge portion 20 in this embodiment is contained in a housing 48 . similarly , the gas - collection portion 22 is contained in a housing 50 . the housings 48 , 50 are open on at least one respective side to allow the gas streams 30 , 32 to pass unobstructed from the gas - discharge portion 20 to the gas - collection portion 22 . the gas - collection portion 22 includes a collector 52 situated and configured to receive the gas streams 30 , 32 . in this embodiment , the collector 52 comprises a heat - exchanger 54 , connected to a refrigeration unit 55 , that chills the collected gas sufficiently to convert the collected spf gas 32 to a liquid that is withdrawn from the housing 50 via a conduit 56 and a pump 58 that returns the liquid 42 to the spf - gas supply 40 . collected sheath gas 30 can be scavenged from the collector 52 via a conduit 60 and vacuum pump 62 . the gas pressure is monitored by sensors ( not shown ). a controller ( not shown ) monitors the sensors in order to adjust the spf - gas supply 40 , and thus the gas pressure , in a desired manner . the euv source 12 is contained in a source chamber 64 evacuated to a desired vacuum level by a vacuum pump 66 . the source chamber 64 is separated from a downstream chamber 68 ( illumination - optics chamber ) by a wall 70 in or on which the gaseous spf apparatus 10 is mounted . the chamber 68 is evacuated to a desired vacuum level by a vacuum pump 72 . the spf stream 33 , as discharged from the nozzle assembly 24 , traverses a window 74 defined in the wall 70 . it is at the window 74 that the spf stream 33 functions as an spf . the spf gas 32 and sheath gas 30 desirably are discharged from their respective nozzles 26 , 28 supersonically . supersonic flow of these gases minimizes transverse spreading of the spf stream 33 , which maintains a “ tight ” stream of gas from the nozzle assembly 24 , across the window 74 , and to the collector 52 ( especially in the low - pressure environment of the chambers 64 , 68 ). the tight stream makes these gases easier to collect in the gas - collection portion 22 and improves background vacuum levels in the chambers 64 , 68 . a second representative embodiment of the gaseous spf apparatus , illustrated in fig5 , is similar to the embodiment shown in fig4 ( a ) , except that no sheath gas is used . the apparatus 110 is situated relative to an euv source 112 comprising a plasma zone 114 and a collector mirror 116 that are similar to corresponding components 12 , 14 , 16 in the first representative embodiment . the plasma at the plasma zone 114 produces various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation 118 . much of this radiation 118 is reflected from the collector mirror 116 to the intermediate focus if . from the intermediate focus if the collected radiation passes through an spf stream 133 ( consisting of a stream of spf gas 132 ) supplied by the gaseous spf apparatus 110 . the gaseous spf apparatus 110 comprises a gas - discharge portion 120 and a gas - collection portion 122 . the gas - discharge portion 120 comprises a nozzle assembly 124 that , in this embodiment comprises an spf - gas - discharge nozzle 126 . the spf gas 132 is supplied to the spf - gas - discharge nozzle 126 via a conduit 138 from an spf - gas supply 140 . the supply 140 is configured to hold a supply of spf - gas liquid 142 . just before the spf - gas liquid 142 , flowing through the conduit 138 from the supply 140 , reaches the spf - gas - discharge nozzle 126 , it passes by a heater 144 that warms the liquid in the conduit 138 sufficiently to convert the liquid to spf gas 132 . as noted above , if the spf gas 132 is both stored and used as a gas , then the supply 140 would be of spf gas in gaseous form and the heater 144 would not be required . the spf gas 132 is conducted to the nozzle 126 and discharged . the gas pressure is monitored by sensors ( not shown ). a controller ( not shown ) monitors the sensors in order to adjust the spf - gas supply 140 , and thus the gas pressure , in a desired manner . the gas - discharge portion 120 in this embodiment is contained in a housing 148 . similarly , the gas - collection portion 122 is contained in a housing 150 . the housings 148 , 150 are open on at least one respective side to allow the spf stream 133 to pass unobstructed from the gas - discharge portion 120 , across the window 174 , and to the gas - collection portion 122 . the gas - collection portion 122 includes a collector 152 situated and configured to receive the spf stream 133 . in this embodiment , the collector 152 comprises a heat - exchanger 154 , connected to a refrigeration unit 155 that chills the collected spf gas sufficiently to convert it to a liquid that is withdrawn from the housing 150 via a conduit 156 and a pump 158 that returns the liquid 142 to the spf - gas supply 140 . the euv source 112 is contained in a source chamber 164 evacuated to a desired vacuum level by a vacuum pump 166 . the source chamber 164 is separated from a downstream chamber 168 ( illumination - optics chamber ) by a wall 170 in or on which the gaseous spf apparatus 110 is mounted . the chamber 168 is evacuated to a desired vacuum level by a vacuum pump 172 . the spf stream 133 , as discharged from the nozzle assembly 124 , traverses the window 174 defined in the wall 170 . the spf gas 132 desirably is discharged from the nozzle 126 supersonically , which maintains a tight stream of gas from the nozzle assembly 124 , across the window 174 , and to the collector 152 ( especially in the low - pressure environment of the chambers 164 , 168 ). supersonic flow also improves background vacuum levels in the chambers 164 , 168 , and makes the spf gas 132 easier to collect in the gas - collection portion 122 . in an alternative embodiment , the gaseous spf is not formed as a stream or curtain of gas in the manner described above . rather , the spf gas simply is supplied , at low pressure , to the chamber housing the euv source . euv light produced by the euv source passes through the spf gas as the euv light exits the chamber . an exemplary spf gas is zrcl 4 . if this or other halogen - containing gas is used , it is desirable that the surfaces , especially the reflective surfaces , of any mirrors ( such as a collector mirror ) in the chamber be coated with one or more “ platinum group ” elements to prevent halogen erosion of the mirror ( s ). for example , cl produced in the chamber is erosive to mirrors . referring now to fig6 , an embodiment of an euvl system 900 is shown . the depicted system 900 comprises a vacuum chamber 902 including vacuum pumps 906 a , 906 b that are arranged to enable desired vacuum levels to be established and maintained within respective chambers 908 a , 908 b of the vacuum chamber 902 . for example , the vacuum pump 906 a maintains a vacuum level of approximately 50 mtorr in the upper chamber ( reticle chamber ) 908 a , and the vacuum pump 906 b maintains a vacuum level of less than approximately 1 mtorr in the lower chamber ( optical chamber ) 908 b . the two chambers 908 a , 908 b are separated from each other by a barrier wall 920 . various components of the euvl system 900 are not shown , for ease of discussion , although it will be appreciated that the euvl system 900 can include components such as a reaction frame , a vibration - isolation mechanism , various actuators , and various controllers . an euv reticle 916 is held by a reticle chuck 914 coupled to a reticle stage 910 . the reticle stage 910 holds the reticle 916 and allows the reticle to be moved laterally in a scanning manner , for example , during use of the reticle for making lithographic exposures . an illumination source 924 is contained in a vacuum chamber 922 evacuated by a vacuum pump 906 c . the illumination source 924 produces an euv illumination beam 926 that is transmitted through a gaseous spf 918 , as described above , and enters the optical chamber 908 b . the illumination beam 926 reflects from one or more mirrors 928 and through an illumination - optical system 921 to illuminate a desired location on the reticle 916 . as the illumination beam 926 reflects from the reticle 916 , the beam is “ patterned ” by the pattern portion actually being illuminated on the reticle . the barrier wall 920 defines an aperture 934 through which the illumination beam 926 illuminates the desired region of the reticle 916 . the incident illumination beam 926 on the reticle 916 becomes patterned by interaction with pattern - defining elements on the reticle . the resulting patterned beam 930 propagates generally downward through a projection - optical system 938 onto the surface of a wafer 932 held by a wafer chuck 936 on a wafer stage 940 that performs scanning motions of the wafer during exposure . hence , images of the reticle pattern are projected onto the wafer 932 . the wafer stage 940 can include ( not detailed ) a positioning stage that may be driven by a planar motor or one or more linear motors , for example , and a wafer table that is magnetically coupled to the positioning stage using an ei - core actuator , for example . the wafer chuck 936 is coupled to the wafer table , and may be levitated relative to the wafer table by one or more voice - coil motors , for example . if the positioning stage is driven by a planar motor , the planar motor typically utilizes respective electromagnetic forces generated by magnets and corresponding armature coils arranged in two dimensions . the positioning stage is configured to move in multiple degrees of freedom of motion , e . g ., three to six degrees of freedom , to allow the wafer 932 to be positioned at a desired position and orientation relative to the projection - optical system 938 and the reticle 916 . movements of the wafer stage 940 and the reticle stage 910 generate reaction forces that may adversely affect performance of the euvl system 900 . reaction forces generated by motion of the wafer stage 940 may be released mechanically to the floor or ground via a frame member , as discussed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 528 , 118 and in japan kôkai patent document no . 8 - 166475 . reaction forces generated by motions of the reticle stage 910 may be mechanically released to the floor or ground by use of a frame member as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 874 , 820 and japan kôkai patent document no . 8 - 330224 , all of which being incorporated herein by reference in their respective entireties . an euvl system including the above - described euv - source and illumination - optical system can be constructed by assembling various assemblies and subsystems in a manner ensuring that prescribed standards of mechanical accuracy , electrical accuracy , and optical accuracy are met and maintained . to establish these standards before , during , and after assembly , various subsystems ( especially the illumination - optical system and projection - optical system ) are assessed and adjusted as required to achieve the specified accuracy standards . similar assessments and adjustments are performed as required of the mechanical and electrical subsystems and assemblies . assembly of the various subsystems and assemblies includes the creation of optical and mechanical interfaces , electrical interconnections , and plumbing interconnections as required between assemblies and subsystems . after assembling the euvl system , further assessments , calibrations , and adjustments are made as required to ensure attainment of specified system accuracy and precision of operation . to maintain certain standards of cleanliness and avoidance of contamination , the euvl system ( as well as certain subsystems and assemblies of the system ) are assembled in a clean room or the like in which particulate contamination , temperature , and humidity are controlled . semiconductor devices can be fabricated by processes including microlithography steps performed using a microlithography system as described above . referring to fig7 , in step 701 the function and performance characteristics of the semiconductor device are designed . in step 702 a reticle defining the desired pattern is designed according to the previous design step . meanwhile , in step 703 , a substrate ( wafer ) is made and coated with a suitable resist . in step 704 the reticle pattern designed in step 702 is exposed onto the surface of the substrate using the microlithography system . in step 705 the semiconductor device is assembled ( including “ dicing ” by which individual devices or “ chips ” are cut from the wafer , “ bonding ” by which wires are bonded to the particular locations on the chips , and “ packaging ” by which the devices are enclosed in appropriate packages for use ). in step 706 the assembled devices are tested and inspected . representative details of a wafer - processing process including a microlithography step are shown in fig8 . in step 711 ( oxidation ) the wafer surface is oxidized . in step 712 ( cvd ) an insulative layer is formed on the wafer surface . in step 713 ( electrode formation ) electrodes are formed on the wafer surface by vapor deposition for example . in step 714 ( ion implantation ) ions are implanted in the wafer surface . these steps 711 - 714 constitute representative “ pre - processing ” steps for wafers , and selections are made at each step according to processing requirements . at each stage of wafer processing , when the pre - processing steps have been completed , the following “ post - processing ” steps are implemented . a first post - process step is step 715 ( photoresist formation ) in which a suitable resist is applied to the surface of the wafer . next , in step 716 ( exposure ), the microlithography system described above is used for lithographically transferring a pattern from the reticle to the resist layer on the wafer . in step 717 ( development ) the exposed resist on the wafer is developed to form a usable mask pattern , corresponding to the resist pattern , in the resist on the wafer . in step 718 ( etching ), regions not covered by developed resist ( i . e ., exposed material surfaces ) are etched away to a controlled depth . in step 719 ( photoresist removal ), residual developed resist is removed (“ stripped ”) from the wafer . formation of multiple interconnected layers of circuit patterns on the wafer is achieved by repeating the pre - processing and post - processing steps as required . generally , a set of pre - processing and post - processing steps are conducted to form each layer . it will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art that various modifications and variations can be made in the system configurations described above , in materials , and in construction without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure . | 6 |
the present invention is directed to an integrated titer plate - injection head for preparation , storage and transfer ( injection ) of microdrop samples into a desired apparatus , such as a microchannel array plate of , for example , an electrophoresis analysis system . a key feature of the present invention is that it can be fabricated ( e . g ., injection molded ) from inexpensive disposable material , such as plastic , and has 1 - d or 2 - d arrays of storage wells for the sample and nozzles at the bottom of the titer plate for very precise microdrop formation and ejection . the nozzles eject microdrops out into an air gap where they are subsequently injected into another titer plate or into microchannel array input wells . the invention utilizes self - aligning and spacing pins which are located in alignment holes in an associated apparatus to provide precision alignment . the titer plate - injection head , after sample filling , can be covered with commercially available , very thin cling - wrap plastic layers on the top and the bottom , to prevent evaporation , contamination , and nozzle clogging ; and the layer of cling - wrap plastic on the bottom can be peeled off before ejection , and the layer on top may be left in place to isolate the drive mechanism used for ejecting the microdrop from the titer plate through the nozzles . the plastic wrap can be omitted where the titer plate - injector head is stored in high humidity . as shown in fig1 the sample analysis assembly or apparatus is composed of the titer plate - injector head located intermediate a micro - channel array plate and a drive head . fig1 shows small gaps , for clarity , between the three major components which gaps would be eliminated when the assembly is compressed before injection . also , the thin cling - wrap plastic layer on the bottom of the titer plate - injector head , as shown , would be removed prior to ejection . the titer plate - injector head would be picked up ( mechanically or by vacuum ) by the reusable drivehead , and placed on the microchannel array plate , whereafter , as described in greater detail hereinafter , the drive head will supply one or more fluid ( liquid or gas ) pulses to a common drive membrane of the drive head to eject the microdrops of sample from the titer plate ; the sample transfer volume can be metered . the drive head can , as shown in dash lines , have another manifold around the edges to serve as a vacuum pick - up for the titer plate . also , the drive head need not register extremely precisely to the titer plate when picking it up , because the combination of major components is designed to self - align and self - level , as described hereinafter . 1 . a hydrophobic coating , if necessary , on the bottom to prevent sample drainage and lateral wicking and enhance uniform droplet formation ; the coating may extend partially into the nozzle exit . 2 . a narrow nozzle that can support the sample by surface tension ( e . g ., ˜ 50 - 300 μm ). 3 . has built - in knife edge seals on the titer plate to seal each sample off and seal firmly against the complaint drive head membrane . 4 . below and opposite the top seal is a post ( inverted pedestal ) contacting the microchannel array plate , to supply pressure to the seal at the top . 5 . can be wrapped with cling - wrap plastic as described above to prevent evaporation , contamination , and nozzle clogging ; and in high humidity storage conditions the cling - wrap plastic can be omitted . 6 . includes tapered alignment pins which cooperate with openings in the microchannel array plate for self - alignment and self - leveling , plus includes matching alignment holes for ( a ) titer plate stacking , and ( b ) ease of alignment to the drive head . 7 . includes rounded sample well corners at the top to stress relieve the drive head membranes . 8 . the sample cup shape , above the nozzle , can be shaped to optimize the control over the volume and precision of the microdrop . 9 . has integrated precision formed miniature nozzles for each sample well . 11 . the microchannel array plate could be replaced by another titer plate - injector head , for sample preparation . 12 . a plurality of titer plate - injector heads may be utilized for the preparation of samples involving multiple components . referring now to the drawing , fig1 illustrates an analysis system or assembly composed of three major components , with the integrated sample titer plate - injector head , indicated generally as 10 being located intermediate a microchannel array plate of an analytical instrument , indicated generally at 11 , and a drive head , indicated generally at 12 . the titer plate - injector head 10 , as shown , includes top and bottom layers 13 and 14 of thin cling - wrap plastic for illustration purposes , but at the assembly stage , as shown for normal operation , the bottom layer 14 would have been previously peeled off . the sample titer plate - injector head ( tp - ih ) 10 comprises a body member 15 composed of disposable plastic , for example , but may be constructed of other materials , such as silicon , glass , etc . member 15 is provided with an array of openings extending therethrough , generally indicated at 16 , only three being shown , each of which includes a sample well section 17 and a nozzle section 18 . each of the well sections 17 include an outer tapered wall 19 and straight wall 20 , and an inner tapered wall 21 , which opens into a reduced diameter opening 22 of nozzle section 18 , which includes an enlarged opening or cutaway 23 having an outer tapered wall 24 . note that the top cling - wrap plastic layer 13 extends across the upper ends of openings 16 of well sections 17 , and the bottom layer 14 , prior to removal would extend across the lower end of opening 22 of nozzle section 18 . body member 15 includes lower flat surfaces 25 , which form support posts or pedestals and are in contact with microchannel array plate 11 via a hydrophobic coating 26 , which may be composed of fluorinated hydrocarbon , paralene , or polyimide , with a thickness of 100 nm to 5 μm . note that the coating 26 extends into the openings 22 of nozzle section 18 . body member 15 and drive head 12 include a plurality of alignment pins or projections 27 with tapered outer ends located along lower edges of member 15 ( only one shown each ), and includes along the top surface thereof a plurality of knife edge seals 28 formed integral with the body member 15 and positioned around of each of well sections 17 of openings 16 , which contain a sample 29 . by way of example , the body member 15 may have a length of 10 mm to 200 mm , width of 10 mm to 200 mm , thickness or depth of 1 mm to 10 mm ; with the outer tapered walls 19 having a taper of 30 ° to 60 ° with an outer diameter of 1 mm to 7 mm and depth of 0 . 1 mm to 1 mm ; with the straight walls 20 having a diameter of 1 mm to 7 mm and depth of 0 . 1 mm to 9 mm ; with inner tapered walls having a taper of 30 ° to 60 ° and depth of 0 . 1 mm to 1 mm ; with nozzle opening 22 having a diameter of 0 . 05 mm to 0 . 4 mm and length of 0 . 2 mm to 1 mm ; with the openings or cutaways 23 having an inner diameter of 2 mm to 7 mm , an outer diameter of 3 mm to 8 mm , and a depth of 0 . 5 mm to 1 mm , with tapered walls 24 being at a taper of 30 ° to 60 °; the knife edge seals 28 projecting a distance of 0 . 2 mm to 0 . 6 mm from the top surface of body member 15 ; and the alignment pins or projections 27 having a width of 1 mm to 2 mm , length of 1 mm to 10 nm . microchannel array plate 11 may , for example , be a component of an electrophoresis analysis assembly or system , and includes a body member 30 having an array of input wells 31 , only three shown , each having in communication therewith a microchannel 32 . note that each input well 31 is located to be in alignment with the openings 16 of the tp - ih 10 such that nozzle sections 18 inject microdroplets 33 into the input wells 31 and thus into microchannels 32 , as indicated by the arrows . tp - ih 10 and plate 11 each include a plurality of holes 34 ( only one shown each ) which are aligned with and adapted to receive the alignment pins or projections 27 for alignment of component 10 with component 11 . the input wells 31 and alignment holes 34 may have a diameter of about 1 mm to 2 mm and a depth of about 1 mm to 10 mm . microchannel array plates are known in the art and further description thereof is deemed unnecessary to understand its use with the present invention . drive head 12 comprises a body member 40 having a pneumatic drive manifold 41 with an array of manifold sections 42 ( only three shown ) connected to cutaways 43 in body member 40 . a flexible drive membrane 44 is secured to the lower surface 45 of body member 40 and forms with cutaways 43 fluid chambers 46 . optionally , a vacuum manifold 47 schematically illustrated by dash lines may be formed in body member 40 of drive head 12 to enable pick - up of the tp - ih 10 , as described above . in operation and with the drive head 12 positioned against tp - ih 10 , the drive membrane 44 is in sealing contact with knife edge seals 28 , and upon pneumatic pressure being directed through manifold 41 and manifold sections 42 , as indicated by the arrows , the membrane 44 is expanded downwardly applying a compression force , due to air in sample wells 17 , on sample 29 causing a microdrop 33 to pass ( ejected ) through nozzle section 18 and injected into input well 31 of microchannel array plate 11 . while not shown , the manifold sections 42 may be individually controlled such that pneumatic pressure can be directed through one or all of sample well sections 17 , whereby microdrops 33 can be ejected from one or all of nozzle sections 18 . fig2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention utilizing a plurality of titer plates ( only two shown ), one being a sample preparation titer plate and the other a reagent titer plate - injector for the preparation of samples and dispensing of reagents . however , additional similar titer plates may be utilized . each titer plate , generally indicated at 10 &# 39 ; and 10 &# 34 ; are similar in construction to the titer plate - injector head 10 of fig1 and corresponding reference numbers . the drive head 12 &# 39 ; is the sample as drive head 12 of fig1 and can be utilized to position either of titer plates 10 &# 39 ; or 10 &# 34 ; as described above with respect to fig1 . the only difference between the reagent titer plate - injector 10 &# 39 ; and the sample titer plate 10 &# 34 ; is the size of the sample well sections 17 &# 39 ; of the openings 16 &# 39 ; through the body member 15 &# 39 ; of reagent titer plate - injector 10 &# 39 ; are larger than the well sections 17 of openings 16 of sample preparation titer plate 10 &# 34 ; for supply reagent 29 &# 39 ;. each of titer plates 10 &# 39 ; and 10 &# 34 ; is provided with a plurality of protruding members 27 and alignment holes 34 , as described with respect to fig1 . by use of the two ( or more ) titer plate arrangements of fig2 the titer plate - injector head of the present invention may be used to store various types of agents or material for preparation of samples to be injected into a microchannel array plate , such as plate 11 of fig1 of an analytical instrument , such as an electrophoresis analysis system . the protective removable films 13 and 14 of fig1 can be applied to the plates 10 &# 39 ; and 10 &# 34 ;. it has thus been shown that the present invention provides a solution to prior problems of sample preparation , sample storage , and microdrop transfer systems by providing an integrated titer plate - injector head for microdrop array preparation , storage , and transport . when combined with a cooperating microchannel array plate and drive head , the integrated titer plate - injector head enables precision alignment and sample transfer volume control , in addition to prevention of sample evaporation or contamination and nozzle clogging while the sample material is in storage therein . in addition , the titer plate - injector head can be fabricated , as by injection molding , from inexpensive disposable materials , and has 1 - d or 2 - d arrays of storage wells connected directly to precision nozzles for very precise microdrop formation and injection into a desired apparatus . the integrated titer plate - injector head can be utilized in numerous sampling applications , including capillary electrophoresis , chemical flow injection analysis , liquid chromatography , enhanced electrokinetic injection , chemical reaction microcapillary flow systems , combinational wet chemistry processing and analysis , and microsample array preparations . while specific embodiments , materials , parameters , etc ., have been described and / or illustrated , such are not intended to be limiting . modifications and changes may become apparent to those skilled in the art , and it is intended that the invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims . | 1 |
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the figures . fig1 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device configured to implement the remapped dma functionality according to an embodiment of the invention of the present invention . in an exemplary embodiment , the electronic device 10 is implemented as a personal computer , for example , a desktop computer , a laptop computer , a tablet pc or other suitable computing device . although the description outlines the operation of a personal computer , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art , that the electronic device 10 may be implemented as other suitable devices for operating or interoperating with the invention . the electronic device 10 may include at least one processor or cpu ( central processing unit ) 12 , configured to control the overall operation of the electronic device 10 . similar controllers or mpus ( microprocessor units ) are commonplace . the processor 12 may typically be coupled to a bus controller 14 such as a northbridge chip by way of a bus 13 such as a fsb ( front - side bus ). a northbridge chip 14 may typically provide an interface for read - write system memory 16 such as semiconductor ram ( random access memory ). a northbridge chip 14 may also provide a dma ( direct memory access ) controller circuit 15 for memory access , typically to or from a peripheral device . the bus controller 14 may also be coupled to a system bus 18 , for example a dmi ( direct media interface ) in typical intel ® style embodiments . coupled to the dmi 18 may be a so - called southbridge chip such as an intel ® ich8 ( input / output controller hub type 8 ) chip 24 . a dmi 18 may be used for data transfers using pio ( programmed input - output ) which may be to or from the cpu 12 or ram 16 via dma controller 15 . in a typical embodiment , the southbridge chip 24 may be connected to a pci ( peripheral component interconnect ) bus 22 and an ec bus ( embedded controller bus ) 23 each of which may in turn be connected to various input / output devices ( not shown in fig1 ). in a typical embodiment , the southbridge chip 24 may also be connected to at least one form of nvmem 33 ( non - volatile read - write memory ) such as a flash memory and / or a disk drive memory . in typical systems the nvmem 33 will store programs , parameters such as firmware steering information , o / s configuration information and the like together with general purpose data and metadata , software and firmware of a number of kinds . storage recorders and communications devices including data transmitters and data receivers may also be used ( not shown in fig1 , but see fig5 and 6 ) such as may be used for data distribution and software distribution in connection with distribution and redistribution of executable codes and other programs that may embody the parts of invention . fig2 shows with particularity certain components and dataflows within the electronic device involved in a dma transfer according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig2 , domu program instructions 210 in an instruction register ( not shown ), having been previously fetched from ram 270 , are operable to generate ram logical addresses 212 which are passed to the segmentation unit 220 ( all are comprised within a cpu — not expressly shown in fig2 ). the term domu is well known in the xen ®/ hypervisor arts to refer to a so - called unprivileged domain within a hypervisor , see further below for more information on domu . pio ( programmed input - output ) addresses 214 may also be generated by the domu program instructions 210 . the segmentation unit 220 uses information from the ldt / gdt 274 ( local descriptor table and / or global descriptor table ) to generate a corresponding linear address 222 . in the flat programming model , which is widely adopted , the ram logical addresses 212 and linear addresses 222 may be cardinally equal , however the two segment descriptor tables 274 provide additional segment - based information such as memory access privilege information . the extents to which segmentation is provided and the exact manner in which it is operates vary among implementations ( especially exact types of cpu including multi - processor implementations ). the linear address is translated by the paging unit 230 generating a machine address 232 . the operation of the paging unit 230 is steered by information from the pt ( page table ( s )) 272 located in ram 270 to perform the translation from ( virtual ) linear address to physical address . a physical address is also commonly known as a machine address though the two can be separated in certain more advanced implementations . leaving the cpu , the physical address 232 and pio address 214 reach the northbridge chip 240 . in the case of a ram transaction 291 , all or part of a physical address from the paging unit 230 , for example , is used as the ram address 242 . also comprised within the northbridge chip 240 is the dma controller 245 . the dma controller 245 , may be addressed to receive programmed i / o commands 292 by program instructions in domu 210 . pio commands may also be sent ( from domu 214 ) to the southbridge chip 250 via the dmi 293 ( direct media interface ) which commands may then be forwarded 294 to any of a number of peripheral devices 260 . still referring to fig2 , a description of an exemplary dma transaction will now be given . a first step is to program the dma controller 245 by sending commands to it using its pio address 214 . the dma controller can then communicate 296 in turn to set up a dma - capable peripheral device 260 . the peripheral device 260 may also receive pio commands 294 directly without involving the dma controller 245 . the peripheral device 260 may be given an address in ram 270 to or from which the data transfer take place 298 , without directly without involving the cpu . transfers , as described above , were developed to operate correctly outside a virtualization environment . however , the use of virtualization creates a particular potential problem in a hypervisor context which may be addressed in part by the present invention . in particular , peripheral devices 260 often have legacy design constraints that limit their addressing capabilities . it may be crucial that such design constraints are not violated . a particularly common constraint is that peripheral devices 260 , especially devices connected via a pci ( peripheral connection interface ) are limited to generating addresses that can be expressed in 24 bits , that is a range of 16 mebibytes , which limitation originated with a number of address circuits in the intel ® model 80286 microprocessor products . as a result , if the domu program is loaded such that dma data areas fall above a 16 mebibyte address limit , then such addresses are subject to truncation ( such as within the peripheral device hardware circuitry ) in some cases since the peripheral device 260 cannot understand such high addresses . there may even be legacy devices that cannot cope with more than a 20 bit address space ( 1 mebibyte address range ) and which are not yet entirely obsolete . the unit mebibyte is well known in the art and defined in ieee 1541 - 2002 ( institute of electrical and electronics engineers standard 1541 - 2002 ) and endorsed by cipm ( comité international des poids et measures ). it is equivalent to 1048576 bytes of information and said to be a contraction of “ mega binary byte ”. in order to overcome such problems , it is desirable that dma data areas created by the domu program are not located above the 16 mebibyte address limit , reflecting a 24 - bit addressing limitation . indeed , it is desirable that dma data areas fall more or less in the same locations that they would fall if the domu operating system program were loaded and were operating without any hypervisor program being present at all . this reflects the situation that certain complex o / s ( operating system ) products have developed various means to handle legacy dma devices , but those means typically rely on certain crucial parts of operating system &# 39 ; s data space being located in memory having particularly low physical addresses . moreover , the legacy of o / s product development to cater for limited addressing capabilities of dma devices persists even where more modern dma techniques are used . more modern alternatives to traditional dma are well - known in the art but o / s implementations have continued to be compromised by legacy considerations . guest o / s programs , such as may typically be deployed into domu in embodiments of the invention , may have been developed to cater for such dma hardware and firmware product limitations and may then fail to operate properly in virtualized environments even in the absence of dma - capable devices if the virtualized environment fails to honor and fully replicate limitations reflected in supported memory maps . thus a need to replicate the availability of traditionally placed low memory for use by the guest o / s may exist . commonly , more modern o / s products that target pc bios x86 environments may use a well - known memory resource information scheme informally known in the art as “ e820 ”. the e820 technique for locating memory that becomes a central part of a domu o / s working set typically uses a software interrupt ( real mode int 15h , ax = e820h ) and an exemplary implementation that approximates canonical status is reproduced as exhibit 1 ( in - line , below ). thus , in at least some implementations , the hypervisor program and / or dom0 must provide suitable low memory to enable the guest o / s to “ load into low memory ” as described below by means of notifying domu of the availability of suitable low memory allocations by providing an e820 service to the guest o / s . allocating memory using e802 schemes are well - known in the art . the guest o / s need not be aware it is running in a virtualized environment and that the e820 memory service is provided by the hypervisor and / or dom0 instead of by the bios . according to an embodiment of the invention this very requirement is achieved , in part , by loading the hypervisor program at relatively high addresses as described below in connection with fig4 b and thereby avoiding premature preemption of certain addresses that are particularly critical in a context of dma . fig3 is a block diagram that shows the architectural structure 300 of the software components of a typical embodiment of the invention . fig3 does not represent layout order or even juxtaposition in physical memory , rather it illustrates software architectural interrelationship in an exemplary embodiment of the invention . other arrangements are entirely possible within the general scope of the invention . the hypervisor 310 is found near the bottom of the block diagram to indicate its relatively close architectural relationship with the computer hardware 305 . the hypervisor 310 forms an important part of dom0 320 , which ( in one particular embodiment of the invention ) is a modified version of an entire xen ® and linux ® software stack . within dom0 lies the linux ® kernel 330 program , upon which the applications 340 programs for running on a linux ® kernel may be found . also within the linux kernel 330 lies emu 333 ( i / o emulator subsystem ) which is a software or firmware module whose main purpose is to emulate i / o ( input - output ) operations . generally speaking , the application program ( usually only one at a time ) within dom0 runs in a relatively privileged cpu mode , and such programs are relatively simple and hardened applications in a typical embodiment of the invention . cpu modes and their associated levels of privilege are well known in the relevant art . dom0 is thus , in a typical embodiment of the invention , a privileged domain . that is to say that dom0 runs in a privileged cpu mode , for example ring 0 in an ia - 32 architecture . in one embodiment , dom0 comprising the hypervisor , linux ® kernel including i - o emulation features , and hardened applications . also running under the control of the hypervisor 310 are the untrusted domain — domu 350 softwares . within the domu 350 may lie the guest o / s 360 , and under the control of the guest o / s 360 may be found ( commonly multiple instances of ) applications 370 that are compatible with the guest o / s . fig4 a shows a physical memory layout according to an embodiment of the invention . the lowest region of ram 41 from byte address 0 to 640 kbytes is low memory and is given over to domu , in large part . the region of ram 42 from 640 kilobytes to 1 mebibyte is devoted to legacy input output regions and bios regions and the like . the next region of ram 43 from address 1 mebibyte to address 16 mebibyted is given to the domu operating system . the dma data areas may typically be found in this region , although they may also be in low memory in some instances . the following region of ram 44 from addresses 16 mebibytes to 32 mebibytes is devoted to the hypervisor , which is a core component of the dom0 domain . the region of ram 45 from 32 mebibytes to 288 mebibytes is given to the dom0 operating system which is typically the linux ® kernel and applications designed to interoperate with a linux ® kernel . the remainder of physical memory space 46 , which may in some implementations end out around address up to the 2 gbytes is given to the domu operating system and the applications designed to interoperate with it . the domu operating system in one particular embodiment is the microsoft ® vista ® product . the above description of the exemplary memory layout illustrated by fig4 a relates to ram layout in terms of physical memory addresses rather than virtual memory or logical addresses . fig4 b is a flowchart that shows a method according to an embodiment of the invention . the method starts at box 400 . at box 410 the hypervisor is loaded into a relatively high address , this hypervisor memory datum byte physical address is a threshold address . in an embodiment it will typically be at 16 mebibytes or just a little higher . in practice , the hypervisor is typically a part of a dom0 privileged operating system program and may be loaded as a contiguous part of it . at box 420 the dom0 operating system is loaded at a privileged operating system memory datum byte physical address higher than the hypervisor in memory . typically , but not necessarily , the hypervisor will occupy something on the order of 16 mb of memory , and the dom0 operating system will be a version of linux ® operating system together with space for its application programs may occupy perhaps somewhere between 128 mebibytes and 256 mebibytes . in an alternative embodiment of the invention the locations in memory of the hypervisor and the dom0 operating system make be reversed such as with hypervisor loaded at an address that permits dom0 operating system to load neatly below it . other functionally equivalent arrangements will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art . at box 430 the domu operating system is loaded . typically , the domu operating system will be a large fully featured operating system , such as the microsoft ® windows ® operating system software product . the domu operating system will typically require substantially all the remaining ram , including the physical memory addresses below the threshold ( typically 16 mb ) and perhaps at least a gigabyte or so of ram located at high or very high datum byte physical addresses . by allocating the domu operating system substantially all the memory at physical addresses below the threshold ( e . g . 16 mb ) the domu operating system is able to allocate dma data transfer areas in traditionally low memory addresses . at box 440 , the hypervisor sets up spt ( shadow page tables ). techniques for the use of spts are well - known in the hypervisor arts when implementing hvm ( hardware virtual machines ). the domu operating system may , and typically will , perform a complex initialization procedure and run programs at this point , however such activity is not an essential part of the invention . at box 450 the domu operating system performs dma to a peripheral , which may be , but need not be , a legacy device . and at box 499 the method is completed . fig5 shows how an exemplary embodiment of the invention may be encoded onto a computer medium or media . with regards to fig5 , computer instructions to be incorporated into in an electronic device 10 may be distributed as manufactured firmware and / or software computer products 510 using a variety of possible media 530 having the instructions recorded thereon such as by using a storage recorder 520 . often in products as complex as those that deploy the invention , more than one medium may be used , both in distribution and in manufacturing relevant product . only one medium is shown in fig5 for clarity but more than one medium may be used and a single computer product may be divided among a plurality of media . fig6 shows how an exemplary embodiment of the invention may be encoded , transmitted , received and decoded using electromagnetic waves . with regard to fig6 , additionally , and especially since the rise in internet usage , computer products 610 may be distributed by encoding them into signals modulated as a wave . the resulting waveforms may then be transmitted by a transmitter 640 , propagated as tangible modulated electromagnetic carrier waves 650 and received by a receiver 660 . upon reception they may be demodulated and the signal decoded into a further version or copy of the computer product 611 in a memory or other storage device that is part of a second electronic device 11 and typically similar in nature to electronic device 10 . other topologies devices could also be used to construct alternative embodiments of the invention . the embodiments described above are exemplary rather than limiting and the bounds of the invention should be determined from the claims . although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail hereinabove , it should be clearly understood that many variations and / or modifications of the basic inventive concepts herein taught which may appear to those skilled in the present art will still fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention , as defined in the appended claims . for purposes of clarity and conciseness of the description , not all of the numerous components shown in the schematics , charts and / or drawings are described . the numerous components are shown in the drawings to provide a person of ordinary skill in the art a thorough , enabling disclosure of the present invention . the description of well - known components is not included within this description so as not to obscure the disclosure or take away or otherwise reduce the novelty of the present invention and the main benefits provided thereby . | 6 |
fig1 depicts an automobile 20 having a roof 22 on which are mounted a plurality of identical , parallel , transversely spaced slats 24 . although the slats 24 are shown mounted on the roof 22 , the article carrier of the present invention may be mounted with equal utility on an automobile trunk lid or any other generally horizontal exterior body portion of an automobile . the slats 24 are secured on the roof 22 by means of sheet metal screws ( not shown ). the article carrier also includes a pair of parallel , transversely spaced side rails 26 . each of the side rails 26 are disposed on the other side of the outermost slat 24 such that the slats 24 are transversely spaced between the side rails 26 . a front rail member 28 is disposed between and generally perpendicular to the front ends of the side rails 26 and has a configuration that cooperates with the aerodynamic shape of a glass airfoil 29 . a rear rail member 30 is disposed between and generally perpendicular to the rear ends of the side rails 26 . the side rails 26 and members 28 and 30 are secured on the roof 22 by means of sheet metal screws ( not shown ). mounted on the side rails 26 are a pair of raised tubular cross bars 32 and 33 which are fitted at their opposite ends onto brackets 34 and 35 , respectively . fig2 depicts only one of the brackets 34 and a portion of the cross bar 32 . brackets 35 and cross bar 33 are similar structurally and functionally to brackets 34 and crossbar 32 . the differences between these members will be explained further subsequently . the bracket 34 includes a locking member 36 for locking the cross bar 32 into position along the side rail 26 . the locking member 36 allows the cross bar 32 to be positioned operably at any location or infinitely along the length of the side rail 26 . when not in use , the locking member 36 is pivotally disposed to a closed position stored within a cavity or pocket 38 of the bracket 34 as illustrated in fig5 . referring to fig3 through 6 , the side rail 26 includes a channel member 40 . the channel member 40 comprises a bottom wall 42 and a pair of generally parallel upwardly extending side walls 44 with inwardly extending ledges 46 at the upper ends of the side walls 44 . the ledges 46 include an upper supporting surface 48 . the bottom 42 and side 44 walls and ledges 46 form an upwardly opening channel 50 which is wider at its bottom than at the top . the bracket 34 includes a pair of laterally spaced feet 51 at the bottom thereof which slide along the upper supporting surface 48 of the channel member 40 . the feet 51 form a configuration similar to a triangle in cross section . the locking member 36 comprises a wall portion 52 and a base portion 54 at one end of the wall portion 52 . the base portion 54 includes means forming a first aperture 56 in it and a corresponding shaft 58 passing through the first aperture 56 . the shaft 58 has its ends disposed in corresponding second apertures 60 formed in the bracket 34 ( fig3 and 4 ). a retainer member 62 which is secured by screws 64 to the bracket 34 such that a shoulder 63 retains the corresponding shaft 56 in the second apertures 60 . the shaft 58 allows the locking member 36 to to be manually moved or rotated from a closed locking position of fig5 to an open unlocked position of fig6 . the locking member 36 also includes means forming a third aperture 65 transversely in the base portion 54 . a second shaft 66 is disposed in the third aperture 65 . a spring member 68 has one end 70 wrapped or disposed about the second shaft 66 and a u - shaped end 72 opposite the one end 70 which cooperates with the ledge 46 on the channel member 40 . the spring member 68 flexes to engage the ledge 46 to secure the bracket 34 to the channel member 40 when the locking member 36 is in the closed position . as illustrated in fig6 when the locking member 36 is moved to the open position , the spring member 68 flexes and the u - shaped end 72 of the spring member 68 disengages the ledge 46 to allow the bracket 34 to slide along the channel member 40 of the side rail 26 . referring to the locking member 36 , the wall portion 52 is generally arcuate and has an outer surface 74 which is generally flush with the outer surface 76 of the bracket member 34 in the closed position . the wall portion 52 also includes a protrusion 78 which is generally triangular in cross section and extends inwardly toward the roof 22 . the protrusion 78 passes through an aperture 80 formed in the bracket member 34 when the locking member 36 is in the closed position . as illustrated in fig5 and 6 , the cross bar 32 includes a tie - down or article securing member 82 which has a generally hemispherical cross section and is disposed in a corresponding cavity 84 formed in the cross bar 32 . the tie - down member 82 includes an eyelet 86 formed therein to allow a rope or the like to pass through it . the tie - down member 82 includes an arcuate slot 88 formed therein to allow a shaft member 90 to pass through it and is disposed in corresponding apertures 92 ( fig3 ) formed in the cross bar 32 . the tie - down member 82 pivots about the shaft member 90 and is limited by the ends of the slot 88 . the tie - down member 82 pivots between a closed position of fig5 and an open position of fig6 . in the closed position , the outer surface 92 is substantially flush with the outer surface 94 of the cross bar 32 . the tie - down member 82 also includes a flange 96 at one end for limiting the pivotal movement of the tie - down member 34 to the closed position . fig7 depicts an alternate embodiment of the article securing or tie - down member . a shaft or pin 98 is disposed in the cavity 84 and fixedly secured by suitable means to the cross bar 32 . this allows a rope or the like to pass through a passage 100 formed between the pin 98 and the wall forming the cavity 84 . as illustrated in fig8 the cross bars 32 and 33 have a generally elliptical cross - section with one end 102 and 104 ,, respectively , being planar and inclined . the ends 102 and 104 operatively cooperate or mate with each other to allow the cross bars 32 and 33 to nest together as further illustrated in solid in fig1 . the cross bars 32 and 33 may be nested together and disposed at one end of the side rails 26 to act as an airfoil when not in use . this improves the aerodynamics of the article carrier . the cross bars 32 and 33 also include corresponding plastic strips 106 and 108 having ends 110 and 112 , respectively , disposed in channels 114 and 116 formed along the cross bars 32 and 33 . the ends 110 and 112 are flexible and resilient such that when they are inserted into the channels 114 and 116 , the ends 110 and 112 overlap ledges 118 and 120 of the channels 114 and 116 , respectively . referring to fig3 and 4 , the brackets 34 and 35 include one end 122 and 124 being planar and inclined . the ends 122 and 124 opertively cooperate or mate with each other to allow the cross bars 32 , 33 and brackets 34 , 35 to nest together in a nested position as illustrated in solid in fig1 . as shown in phantom , the cross bars 32 , 33 and brackets 34 , 35 can be placed in an unnested position . the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner . it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation . obviously , many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . therefore , within the scope of the appended claims , the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . | 1 |
fig1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention in which panning control apparatus 10 is mounted upon rotating camera table 12 which supports camera 14 , both of which are shown only partially . camera table 12 is mounted upon a conventional shaft ( not shown ) and rotated in a plane above support base 16 by a conventional motor and gear arrangement ( not shown ). limit stops 18 , 20 and 22 are mounted on support base 16 in locations so that they interact with and rotate turnstile 24 by being touched by gates 26 , 28 , 30 and 32 , as camera table 12 rotates above base 16 , and turnstile 24 moves past limit stops 18 , 20 and 22 . as turnstile 24 and shaft 34 rotate relative to table 12 , they cause cams 36 and 38 , which are also attached to shaft 34 , to rotate and thereby affect limit switches 40 , 42 , and 44 . limit switches 40 , 42 and 44 are conventional style limit switches which change their electrical condition when their levers are deflected . cams 36 and 38 , against which the switch levers are mounted , include depressions 46 and 48 , respectively , so that the rotation of the cams will change the switch conditions when the switch levers move into or out of cam depressions 46 and 48 . fig2 is a simplified electrical schematic diagram of control circuit 50 for table rotating motor 52 . control circuit 50 is a conventional arrangement and is included here in order that the operation of panning control apparatus 10 shown in fig1 can be better understood . in fig2 motor 52 is powered from electrical lines 54 and 56 , and the determination of the direction of the motor rotation is accomplished by applying the electrical power to one or the other of its feed lines 58 or 60 . thus , when manual - automatic switch 62 is set in its manual position as shown , power is fed through manual control switch 64 , which may be operated to power either line 58 or 60 , and thereby to move the camera table in one or the other direction . regardless of which direction the table is moved , if it is moved too far in one direction , end limit switch 40 or 44 will eventually be operated ( as described later in regard to fig4 ) to interrupt the power which permits the motor to move in that direction , and the rotation will be stopped . however , regardless of which of the end limit switches has interrupted the power , the other switch is not affected and the motor can always be backed away from the end limit which has stopped it by rotating it in the other direction . when manual - automatic switch 62 is set on its automatic position , electrical power is fed to automatic reversing switch 42 , the mechanical operation of which will be described in regard to fig3 . however , the electrical operation of switch 42 is similar to that of manual switch 64 in that it supplies power to one or the other of motor feed lines 58 or 60 . fig3 is a simplified mechanical diagram of the parts of the preferred embodiment of the invention which control the automatic panning operation of camera table 12 . for clarity , turnstile 24 and cam 36 , which are actually mounted on the same shaft 34 , are shown separately so that their motion can easily be related . in studying fig3 - 5 , it should be kept in mind that it is shaft 34 of turnstile 24 which is actually moving with table 12 , upon which shaft 34 is mounted . in the automatic operation mode of the invention , as turnstile shaft 34 is moved in direction a , turnstile gate 28 hits fixed limit stop 18 , causing turnstile 24 , shaft 34 and cam 36 all to rotate counterclockwise , in direction b . this rotation causes wiper 41 of switch 42 , which is held fixed relative to cam 36 , to move up slope 45 of cam depression 46 to high plateau 47 , changing the status of switch 42 . since , as seen in fig2 the rotation of motor 52 is reversed when the status of switch 42 changes , table 12 , shaft 34 , turnstile 24 and gate 28 then begin to move in direction c , away from limit stop 18 and toward limit stop 20 . turnstile 24 does not , however , rotate merely because of the translation of shaft 34 , and the status of switch 42 does not change for the time being . however , when turnstile gate 28 comes in contact with fixed limit stop 20 , turnstile 34 is rotated in direction d , causing cam 36 to rotate in the same direction . this motion causes switch wiper 41 to move down slope 45 , and it again changes the status of switch 42 , causing the motor to reverse again and to begin moving table 12 in the original direction a , so that gate 28 will eventually hit limit stop 18 again and repeat the cycle . one advantage of the present invention is that the location of limit stops 18 and 20 are clearly and simply related to the ends of the automatic panning range , and that their location can therefore be set quite accurately even before the camera is operational . fig4 is a simplified mechanical diagram of the portions of the preferred embodiment of the invention which determine the motion of table 12 when the system is in the manual operation mode . for clarity , turnstile 24 and cam 38 , which are both mounted on shaft 34 , are shown separately . in fig4 shaft 34 and turnstile 24 are shown in a location to which they have moved while progressing in direction a . their location is beyond the region of limit stop 18 , and is such that gate 30 is just contacting limit stop 22 . it should be appreciated that , as gate 28 had previously been pushed past limit stop 18 , turnstile 24 was rotated in direction b , which caused gate 30 to be moved into a position so that it would contact limit stop 22 . this rotation of turnstile 24 , which is approximately 90 degrees , did not , however , change the status of switch 42 , because wiper 41 of switch 42 continued to ride on high plateau 47 of cam 36 ( see fig3 ). therefore , any time manual - automatic switch 62 is set to its automatic position , switch 42 will be in a condition which causes the table to move in direction c , toward limit stop 20 , which is beyond limit stop 18 , and to reestablish normal automatic panning . when the system is in manual operation , the motion of table 12 is limited by limit switches 40 and 44 , which are shown in fig4 . thus , as shaft 34 and turnstile 24 move in direction a , and gate 30 is moved by limit stop 22 so that turnstile 24 and cam 38 rotate in direction b , depression 48 on cam 38 eventually moves opposite of and affects wiper 39 of switch 40 . as wiper 39 moves into depression 48 , switch 40 interrupts the power to rotate the motor in the direction in which it has been moving , and the rotation of table 12 stops . since the power to rotate the motor in the opposite direction has not been affected , the table can still be rotated in the other direction , in either the manual or the automatic modes . reestablishment of power to switch 40 requires more , however , than merely moving table 12 in the opposite direction , because turnstile 24 and cam 38 will only rotate and move wiper 39 out of depression 48 if turnstile 24 is contacted by another gate . that is the function of gate 32 . as table 12 moves in direction c , limit stop 22 separates from gate 30 and approaches gate 32 which is eventually contacted and moved by limit stop 22 , rotating cam 38 , activating switch 40 and reestablishing power to move table 12 in direction a . the limiting action of switch 44 is similar in the case of motion in direction c , opposite from direction a pictured in fig4 and such limiting action can be made to occur either when turnstile gate 26 contacts limit stop 22 from the other direction , or when gate 26 contacts some other limit stop at a location intermediate between limit stops 20 and 22 . fig5 depicts another feature which can be added to the invention in order to furnish a mechanical stop which acts in addition to the action of electrical limit switches 40 and 44 . fig5 pictures turnstile 24 if , due to some malfunction of the electrical limit switch , or due to some separately imparted mechanical action , table 12 has been rotated in direction a so that turnstile 24 has passed beyond limit stop 22 , rather than stopping as described in regard to fig4 . under such circumstances , gate 30 has been rotated by limit stop 22 so that gate 32 is located in a position to hit mechanical stop 66 . moreover , gate 32 has attached to it transverse end section 33 which prevents mechanical stop 66 from turning gate 32 , and , instead , traps mechanical stop 66 against gate 32 , causing turnstile 24 , shaft 34 and table 12 to be prevented from moving , even if motor action continues . the panning control system of the invention therefore not only furnishes both automatic and manual modes of operation , but also assures that when placed in the automatic panning mode , it will always operate over the prescribed range , and it also furnishes an additional mechanical safety stop to prevent accidental operation beyond the limits of the system . it is to be understood that the form of this invention as shown is merely a preferred embodiment . various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of parts ; equivalent means may be substituted for those illustrated and described ; and certain features may be used independently from others without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . | 5 |
an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a diagram for illustrating a setting item selection method according to the present embodiment . the later - described setting items are displayed on a display device 1 . a touch panel 2 is disposed so as to cover the display device 1 . an operator performs operation by selecting the item ( s ) on the touch panel 2 with a finger , pen , or the like . since a system for detection or operation by the operator &# 39 ; s finger , pen , or the like is constructed in the same manner as that of a conventional touch panel , a description thereof will be omitted . injection speeds nos . 1 to 5 , injection switching positions between the speeds nos . 1 to 5 , and alarm states of injection pressure alarms 1 to 3 are displayed as setting items 10 on the display device 1 . in the state shown in fig1 , all the injection speeds nos . 1 to 5 are set to 100 , all the injection switching positions are set to 150 , and all the alarm states of the injection pressure alarms 1 to 3 are off . in selecting and collectively setting the injection speeds nos . 2 , 3 and 4 , the operator first designates a rectangular shape as the shape of a range . then , the operator touches a selection start position 14 on the touch panel 2 with a finger ; moves the finger to a selection end position 16 while maintaining the contact state , and releases the finger from the touch panel 2 in the selection end position 16 . thereupon , a rectangular shape based on the selection start and end positions 14 and 16 as the apices of its opposite angles is set as a selection range 12 . the injection speeds nos . 2 , 3 and 4 included in the selection range 12 are selected as selected setting items 10 a . the selected portions are displayed in a different mode , e . g ., hatched or changed in color , so that the selection of the selected setting items 10 a can be recognized . the remaining or unselected setting items 10 are displayed without change as unselected setting items 10 b . the selection of the setting items 10 is not limited to the above - described method in which the selection start position 14 is touched by the finger and the finger is moved to the selection end position 16 without failing to maintain the contact state and then released from the touch panel 2 in the selection end position 16 . alternatively , for example , the finger may be temporarily brought into contact with and released from the touch panel 2 in the selection start position 14 and then brought again into contact with and released from the touch panel 2 in the selection end position 16 . although the rectangular shape is selected as the shape of the range in the above - described example , moreover , a circular or some other suitable shape may be used as the shape of the range . fig2 shows an example in which the injection speeds nos . 1 to 5 are selected as a plurality of setting items . as in the case shown in fig1 , the injection speeds nos . 1 to 5 are selected as the selected setting items 10 a by selecting the range that covers the injection speeds nos . 1 to 5 so that the display mode is changed . in the methods shown in fig1 and 2 , only those selection items which are adjacent to one another and can be grouped as a block can be selected as a plurality of selection items . according to a method shown in fig3 , in contrast , selection items that are located separately can be selected as a plurality of selection items . a setting item selection button 3 is configured to be pressed in selecting the separately located selection items . if the setting items 10 are sequentially pressed and selected with the setting item selection button 3 kept pressed , the separately located selection items can be selected as a plurality of selection items . in the example of fig3 , the injection speeds nos . 1 , 3 and 5 and the injection switching positions between nos . 1 and 2 and between nos . 4 and 5 are selected so that the display mode for the selected setting items 10 a is changed . the setting item selection state can be canceled by sequentially pressing and selecting the setting items 10 after temporarily enabling the setting item selection state by pressing the setting item selection button 3 , and thereafter , pressing the setting item selection button again , instead of sequentially selecting the setting items 10 with the setting item selection button 3 kept pressed . the following is a description of a method for setting values and conditions obtained after the setting items 10 are thus selected as the selected setting items 10 a . the setting item selection state is canceled by releasing the finger from the touch panel 2 in the selection end position 16 , in the examples of fig1 and 2 , or by releasing the setting item selection button 3 from the pressed state or pressing the setting item selection button 3 again , in the example of fig3 . thereupon , a setting item selection window 20 is displayed , as shown in fig4 . a value / condition common setting button 22 is configured to be pressed in setting common values and conditions for the selected setting items 10 a . a common setting button 24 for input propriety is configured to be pressed in setting the propriety state for the input of the values and conditions for the selected setting items 10 a . if a cancel button 26 is pressed , moreover , the setting is canceled and the setting item selection window 20 is erased . also , the selection state of the selected setting items 10 a is canceled , whereupon the original display mode is restored . if the setting items 10 for setting numerical values such as the injection speeds and the injection switching positions are set as the selected setting items 10 a when the value / condition common setting button 22 is pressed in the state of fig4 , a ten - key pad 30 for numerical value setting is displayed in the form of a window , as shown in fig5 . ten - keys 32 , display area 34 , input determination button 36 , and cancel button 38 are displayed as items on the ten - key pad 30 for numerical value setting . numbers are indicated on the ten - keys 32 , which are pressed in inputting a numerical value . the numerical value input by means of the ten - keys 32 are displayed in the display area 34 . after the input is completed , the value is determined by pressing the input determination button 36 . if the cancel button 38 is pressed , moreover , the value is canceled , the ten - key pad 30 is erased , and the display mode of fig4 is restored . if a value to be set is input by means of the ten - keys 32 and the input determination button 36 is pressed when the ten - key pad 30 for numerical value setting is displayed , the values of the selected setting items 10 a are collectively changed to preset values . if the setting items 10 for setting conditions such as the injection pressure alarms 1 to 3 are set as the selected setting items 10 a when the value / condition common setting button 22 is pressed in the state of fig4 , a window 40 for condition setting is displayed , as shown in fig6 . an on button 42 , off button 44 , and cancel button 46 are displayed as items in the window 40 for condition setting . the on button 42 and the off button 44 are used to set an on or off value . if the cancel button 46 is pressed , moreover , the setting is canceled , the window 40 for condition setting is erased , and the display mode of fig4 is restored . if an on or off signal is input by means of the on button 42 or the off button 44 when the window 40 for condition setting is displayed , the values of the selected setting items 10 a are collectively changed to the set on or off value . if both the setting items 10 for setting the numerical values , such as the injection speeds and the injection switching positions , and the setting items 10 for setting the conditions , such as the injection pressure alarms , are set as the selected setting items 10 a ( not shown ), both the ten - key pad 30 for numerical value setting and the window 40 for condition setting are displayed and the numerical values and the conditions are set collectively . if the common setting button 24 for input propriety is pressed in the state of fig4 , a window 50 for input propriety setting is displayed , as shown in fig7 . an input - enable button 52 , input - disable button 54 , and cancel button 56 are displayed as items in the window 50 for input propriety setting . the input - enable button 52 and the input - disable button 54 are used to set the input propriety . if the cancel button 56 is pressed , moreover , the setting is canceled , the window 50 for input propriety setting is erased , and the display mode of fig4 is restored . if an input - enable signal or an input - disable signal is input by means of the input - enable button 52 or the input - disable button 54 when the window 50 for input propriety setting is displayed , the selected setting items 10 a are collectively changed to an input - enable or input - disable state . if the input - disable state is established , the values and the conditions are prohibited from being changed until the input - disable state is canceled thereafter . | 1 |
fig1 shows an inventive decoder 40 having an upmixer 42 and a shaper 44 . the decoder 40 receives as an input a base signal 46 derived from an original multi - channel signal , the base signal having one or more channels , wherein the number of channels of the base signal is lower than the number of channels of the original multi - channel signal . the decoder 40 receives as second input a wave form parameter representation 48 representing a wave form of a low resolution representation of a selected original channel , wherein the wave form parameter representation 48 is including a sequence of wave form parameters having a time resolution that is lower than the time resolution of a sampling values that are organized in frames , the frames describing the base signal 46 . the upmixer 42 is generating an upmix channel 50 from the base signal 46 , wherein the upmix 50 is a low - resolution estimated representation of a selected original channel of the original multi - channel signal that is having a lower time resolution than the time resolution of the sampling values . the shaper 44 is receiving the upmix channel 50 and the wave form parameter representation 48 as input and derives a shaped up - mixed channel 52 which is shaped such that the envelope of the shaped up - mixed channel 52 is adjusted to fit the envelope of the corresponding original channel within a tolerance range , wherein the time resolution is given by the time resolution of the wave form parameter representation . thus , the envelope of the shaped up - mixed channel can be shaped with a time resolution that is higher than the time resolution defined by the frames building the base signal 46 . therefore , the spatial redistribution of a reconstructed signal is guaranteed with a finer temporal granularity than by using the frames and the perceptional quality can be enhanced at the cost of a small increase of bit rate due to the wave form parameter representation 48 . fig2 shows an inventive encoder 60 having a time resolution decreaser 62 and a waveform parameter calculator 64 . the encoder 60 is receiving as an input a channel of a multi - channel signal that is represented by frames 66 , the frames comprising sampling values 68 a to 68 g , each sampling value representing a first sampling period . the time resolution decreaser 62 is deriving a low - resolution representation 70 of the channel in which a frame is having low - resolution values 72 a to 72 d that are associated to a low - resolution period being larger than the sampling period . the wave form parameter calculator 64 receives the low resolution representation 70 as input and calculates wave form parameters 74 , wherein the wave form parameters 74 are having a time resolution lower than the time resolution of the sampling values and higher than a time resolution defined by the frames . the waveform parameters 74 are preferably depending on the amplitude of the channel within a time portion defined by the low - resolution period . in a preferred embodiment , the waveform parameters 74 are describing the energy that is contained within the channel in a low - resolution period . in a preferred embodiment , the waveform parameters are derived such that an energy measure contained in the waveform parameters 74 is derived relative to a reference energy measure that is defined by a down - mix signal derived by the inventive multi - channel audio encoder . the application of the inventive concept in the context of an mpeg surround audio encoder is described in more detail within the following paragraphs to outline the inventive ideas . the application of the inventive concept within the subband domain obtained by a filterbank 63 of fig1 a of a prior art mpeg encoder further underlines the advantageous backwards compatibility of the inventive concept to prior art coding schemes . the present invention ( guided envelope shaping ) restores the broadband envelope of the synthesized output signal . it comprises a modified upmix procedure followed by envelope flattening and reshaping of the direct ( dry ) and the diffused ( wet ) signal portion of each output channel . for steering the reshaping parametric broadband envelope side information contained in the bit stream is used . the side information consists of ratios ( envratio ) relating the transmitted downmix signals envelope to the original input channel signals envelope . as the envelope shaping process employs an envelope extraction operation on different signals , the envelope extraction process shall first be described in more detail . it is to be noted that within the mpeg coding scheme the channels are manipulated in a representation derived by a hybrid filter bank , that is two consecutive filters are applied to an input channel . a first filter bank derives a representation of an input channel in which a plurality of frequency intervals are described independently by parameters having a time resolution that is lower than the time resolution of the sampling values of the input channel . these parameter bands are in the following denoted by the letter κ . some of the parameter bands are subsequently filtered by an additional filter bank that is further subdividing some the frequency bands of the first filterbank in one or more finite frequency bands with representations that are denoted k in the following paragraphs . in other words , each parameter band κ may have associated more than one hybrid index k . fig3 a and 3 b show a table associating a number of parameter bands to the corresponding hybrid parameters . the hybrid parameter k is given in the first column 80 of the table wherein the associated parameter band κ is given in one of the columns 82 a or 82 b . the application of column 82 a or 82 b is depending on a parameter 84 ( dectype ) that indicates two different possible configurations of an mpeg decoder filterbank . it is further to be noted that the parameters associated to a channel are processed in a frame - wise fashion , wherein a single frame is having n time intervals and wherein for each time interval n a single parameter y exists for every hybrid index k . the time intervals n are also called slots and the associated parameters are indicated y n , k . for the estimation of the normalized envelope , the energies of the parameter bands are calculated with y n , k being the input signal for each slot in a frame : the summation includes all k being attributed to all parameter bands κ according to the table shown in fig3 a and 3 b . subsequently , the total parameter band energy in the frame for each parameter band is calculated as with α being a weighting factor corresponding to a first order iir low pass with 400 ms time constant . t is denoting the frame index , sfreq the sampling rate of the input signal , and 64 represents the down - sample factor of the filter bank . the mean energy in a frame is calculated to be the ratio of these energies is determined to obtain weights for spectral whitening : the broadband envelope is obtained by summation of the weighted contributions of the parameter bands , normalizing and calculation of the square root after the envelope extraction , the envelope shaping process is performed , which is consisting of a flattening of the direct and the diffuse sound envelope for each output channel followed by a reshaping towards a target envelope . this is resulting in a gain curve being applied to the direct and the diffuse signal portion of each output channel . in the case of a mpeg surround compatible coding scheme , a 5 - 1 - 5 and a 5 - 2 - 5 configuration have to be distinguished . for 5 - 1 - 5 configuration the target envelope is obtained by estimating the envelope of the transmitted down mix env dms and subsequently scaling it with encoder transmitted and requantized envelope ratios envratio l , ls , c , r , rs . the gain curve for all slots in a frame is calculated for each output channel by estimating the envelope env direct , diffuse l , ls , c , r , rs of the direct and the diffuse signal respectively and relate it to the target envelope for 5 - 2 - 5 configurations the target envelope for l and ls is derived from the left channel compatible transmitted down mix signal &# 39 ; s envelope env dmsl , for r and rs the right channel compatible transmitted down mix is used to obtain env dmxr . the center channel is derived from the sum of left and right compatible transmitted down mix signal &# 39 ; s envelopes . the gain curve is calculated for each output channel by estimating the envelope env direct , diffuse l , ls , c , r , rs of the direct and the diffuse signal respectively and relate it to the target envelope for all channels , the envelope adjustment gain curve is applied as with k starting at the crossover hybrid subband k 0 and for n = 0 , . . . , numslots − 1 . after the envelope shaping of the wet and the dry signals separately , the shaped direct and diffuse sound is mixed within the subband domain according to the following formula : it has been shown in the previous paragraphs that it is advantageously possible to implement the inventive concept within a prior art coding scheme which is based on mpeg surround coding . the present invention also makes use of an already existing subband domain representation of the signals to be manipulated , introducing little additional computational effort . to increase the efficiency of an implementation of the inventive concept into mpeg multi - channel audio coding , some additional changes in the upmixing and the temporal envelope shaping are preferred . if the guided envelope shaping is enabled , direct and diffuse signals are synthesized separately using a modified post mixing in the hybrid subband domain according to as can be seen from the above equations , the direct outputs hold the direct signal , the diffuse signal for the lower bands and the residual signal ( if present ). the diffuse outputs provide the diffuse signal for the upper bands . here , k 0 is denoting the crossover hybrid subband according to fig4 . fig4 shows a table that is giving the crossover hybrid subband k 0 in dependence of the two possible decoder configurations indicated by parameter 84 ( dectype ). if tes is used in combination with guided envelope shaping , the tes processing is slightly adapted for optimal performance : instead of the downmix signals , the reshaped direct upmix signals are used for the shaping filter estimation : independent of the 5 - 1 - 5 or 5 - 2 - 5 mode all tes calculations are performed accordingly on a per - channel basis . furthermore , the mixing step of direct and diffuse signals is omitted in the guided envelope shaping then as it is performed by tes . if tp is used in combination with the guided envelope shaping the tp processing is slightly adapted for optimal performance : instead of a common downmix ( derived from the original multi - channel signal ) the reshaped direct upmix signal of each channel is used for extracting the target envelope for each channel . independent of the 5 - 1 - 5 or 5 - 2 - 5 mode all tp calculations are performed accordingly on a per - channel basis . furthermore , the mixing step of direct and diffuse signal is omitted in the guided envelope shaping and is performed by tp . to further emphasize and give proof for a backwards compatibility of the inventive concept with mpeg audio coding , the following figures show bit stream definitions and functions defined to be fully backwards compatible and additionally supporting quantized envelope reshaping data . fig5 shows a general syntax describing the spatial specific configuration of a bit stream . in a first part 90 of the configuration , the variables are related to prior art mpeg encoding defining for example whether residual coding is applied or giving indication about the decorrelation schemes to apply . this configuration can easily be extended by a second part 92 describing the modified configuration when the inventive concept of guided envelope shaping is applied . in particular , the second part utilizes a variable bstempshapeconfig , indicating the configuration of the envelope shaping applicable by a decoder . fig6 shows a backwards compatible way of interpreting the four bits consumed by said variable . as can be seen from fig6 , variable values of 4 to 7 ( indicated in line 94 ) indicate the use of the inventive concept and furthermore a combination of the inventive concept with the prior art shaping mechanisms tp and tes . fig7 outlines the proposed syntax for an entropy coding scheme obtained by an entropy encoder 65 b of fig1 b as it is implemented in a preferred embodiment of the present invention . additionally the envelope side information is quantized performed by a quantizer 65 a of fig1 b with a five step quantization rule . in a first part 100 of the pseudocode presented in fig7 temporal envelope shaping is enabled for all desired output channels , wherein in a second part 102 of the code presented envelope reshaping is requested . this is indicated by the variable bstempshapeconfig shown in fig6 . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , five step quantization is used and the quantized values are jointly encoded together with the information , whether one to eight identical consecutive values occurred within the bit stream of the envelope shaping parameters . it should be noted that , in principle , a finer quantization as the proposed five step quantization is possible , which can then be indicated by a variable bsenvquantmode as shown in fig7 b . although principally possible , the present implementation introduces only one valid quantization . fig8 shows code that is adapted to derive the quantized parameters from the huffman encoded representation . as already mentioned , the combined information regarding the quantized value and the number of repetitions of the value in question are represented by a single huffman code word . the huffman decoding therefore comprises a first component 104 initiating a loop over the desired output channels and a second component 106 that is receiving the encoded values for each individual channel by transmitting huffman code words and receiving associated parameter values and repetition data as indicated in fig9 . fig9 is showing the associated huffman code book that has 40 entries , since for the 5 different parameter values 110 a maximum repetition rate of 8 is foreseen . each huffman code word 112 therefore describes a combination of the parameter 110 and the number of consecutive occurrence 114 . given the huffman decoded parameter values , the envelope ratios used for the guided envelope shaping are obtained from the transmitted reshaping data according to the following equation : with n = 0 , . . . , numslots − 1 and x and oc denoting the output channel according to fig1 . fig1 shows a table that is associating the loop variable oc 120 , as used by the previous tables and expressions with the output channels 122 of a reconstructed multi - channel signal . as it has been demonstrated by fig3 a to 9 , an application of the inventive concept to prior art coding schemes is easily possible , resulting in an increase in perceptual quality while maintaining fully backwards compatibility . fig1 is showing an inventive audio transmitter or recorder 330 that is having an encoder 60 , an input interface 332 and an output interface 334 . an audio signal can be supplied at the input interface 332 of the transmitter / recorder 330 . the audio signal is encoded by an inventive encoder 60 within the transmitter / recorder and the encoded representation is output at the output interface 334 of the transmitter / recorder 330 . the encoded representation may then be transmitted or stored on a storage medium . fig1 shows an inventive receiver or audio player 340 , having an inventive decoder 40 , a bit stream input 342 , and an audio output 344 . a bit stream can be input at the input 342 of the inventive receiver / audio player 340 . the bit stream then is decoded by the decoder 40 and the decoded signal is output or played at the output 344 of the inventive receiver / audio player 340 . fig1 shows a transmission system comprising an inventive transmitter 330 , and an inventive receiver 340 . the audio signal input at the input interface 332 of the transmitter 330 is encoded and transferred from the output 334 of the transmitter 330 to the input 342 of the receiver 340 . the receiver decodes the audio signal and plays back or outputs the audio signal on its output 344 . a way of calculating a suitable and stable broadband envelope which minimizes perceived distortion an optimized method to encode the envelope side information in a way that it is represented relative to ( normalized to ) the envelope of the downmix signal and in this way minimizes bitrate overhead a quantization scheme for the envelope information to be transmitted a suitable bitstream syntax for transmission of this side information an efficient method of manipulating broadband envelopes in the qmf subband domain a concept how the processing types ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), as described above , can be unified within a single architecture which is able to recover the fine spatial distribution of the multi - channel signals over time , if a spatial side information is available describing the original temporal channel envelopes . if no such information is sent in the spatial bitstream ( e . g . due to constraints in available side information bitrate ), the processing falls back to a type ( 1 ) processing which still can carry out correct temporal shaping of the decorrelated sound ( although not on a channel individual basis ). although the inventive concept described above has been extensively described in its application to existing mpeg coding schemes , it is obvious that the inventive concept can be applied to any other type of coding where spatial audio characteristics have to be preserved . the inventive concept of introducing or using a intermediate signal for shaping the envelope i . e . the energy of a signal with an increased time resolution can be applied not only in the frequency domain , as illustrated by the figures but also in the time domain , where for example a decrease in time resolution and therefore a decrease in required bit rate can be achieved by averaging over consecutive time slices or by only taking into account every n - th sample value of a sample representation of an audio signal . although the inventive concept as illustrated in the previous paragraphs incorporates a spectral whitening of the processed signals the idea of having an intermediate resolution signal can also be incorporated without spectral whitening . depending on certain implementation requirements of the inventive methods , the inventive methods can be implemented in hardware or in software . the implementation can be performed using a digital storage medium , in particular a disk , dvd or a cd having electronically readable control signals stored thereon , which cooperate with a programmable computer system such that the inventive methods are performed . generally , the present invention is , therefore , a computer program product with a program code stored on a machine - readable carrier , the program code being operative for performing the inventive methods when the computer program product runs on a computer . in other words , the inventive methods are , therefore , a computer program having a program code for performing at least one of the inventive methods when the computer program runs on a computer . while the foregoing has been particularly shown and described with reference to particular embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various other changes in the form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . it is to be understood that various changes may be made in adapting to different embodiments without departing from the broader concepts disclosed herein and comprehended by the claims that follow . | 7 |
referring now to fig1 , a preferred embodiment of the method and apparatus of the invention will be described in conjunction with a conventional robotic pool cleaner 10 that is electrically connected via cable 40 to remote poolside power supply 50 . the principal elements illustrated are the pool cleaner body cover or housing 12 , a pair of drive means 14 and a cleaning brush 16 , the drive means being powered by drive motor 20 . also mounted in the housing is a conventional pump motor 24 with attached impeller 25 that draws water through a filter element ( not shown ) and discharges the filtered water through outlet 13 in the housing 12 . in accordance with the invention , also mounted on the interior of the housing is electrochemical chlorine generator 30 having inlets 32 through which salt water passes and , as a result of the electrolysis , generates biocidal chlorine that is dissolved in the water that is discharged through outlets 34 . as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art , the flow of water through this otherwise conventional pool cleaner housing is through intake openings at the lower portion of the housing and / or base plate and upwardly through a filter where debris is removed and entrained ; the water is then discharged through housing outlet 13 . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , an electronic processor / controller in the form of an integrated circuit device 26 is connected by a plurality of conductors 28 to the floating power cable 40 and also to the drive motor 20 , pump motor 24 and electrochemical chlorine generator 30 . in the practice of the method , the addition of a sufficient concentration of a chloride - containing chemical compound to the fresh water in the swimming pool provides for the efficient generation of chlorine by the electrochemical generator 30 housed in the moving pool cleaner 10 . one readily available and economical form of chloride - containing compound that is convenient to use is sodium chloride , i . e ., table salt . sodium chloride in crystalline form is readily soluble at the required concentrations . in general , the use of natural sea salt which typically contains many other minerals is not desirable for reasons that have been previously described . the salt can be added to provide a concentration of from about 1 , 000 parts per million ( ppm ) to about 7 , 000 ppm , preferably from 2 , 000 to 5 , 000 ppm , and more preferably from 3 , 000 to 3 , 500 ppm . for purposes of comparison , human tears contain approximately 3 , 200 ppm of sodium chloride . this level of salt is well below that of typical sea water and is not found objectionable by the average person using the pool . the amount of table salt added to a 25 , 000 gallon pool is about 630 pounds . this is the same concentration as used for external in - line chlorinators installed in swimming pool water circulation systems . in one simplified method of operation of the on - board chlorine generator , the individual responsible for proper maintenance of the water conditions in the pool periodically samples the chlorine concentration manually . if the concentration is below the desired value , the switch 60 on power supply 50 is manually turned to the on position , the effect of which is either to send power directly through a separate wire in cable 40 to the chlorine generator 30 or to transmit a signal to processor / controller 26 causing the electrical power to be routed to generator 30 . continuing with the description of this first embodiment , after a prescribed time interval , the pool water is again sampled for biocidal chlorine concentration . if the desired level has not been achieved , no action is taken and the pool cleaner continues to move through its programmed cycle and the chlorine generator 30 continues to produce chlorine that is discharged from the pool cleaner housing into the surrounding water and mixed by way of the turbulent action of the pump discharge stream and movement of the cleaner as determined by the program in the processor / controller 26 . after a further prescribed interval , the water is again sampled and at such time as the desired concentration of chlorine is reached or exceeded , switch 60 on the power supply is manually turned to the off position thereby turning off the chlorine generator . as this process is repeated on a routine basis , the frequency and duration of the related on - off time intervals will enable the individual responsible for pool maintenance to establish at least an approximate schedule for operating the electrochemical chlorine generator . in a further preferred embodiment , the processor / controller 26 is programmable by the user to initiate and terminate chlorine generation while the pool cleaner is operating in its customary cleaning mode . as will be understood from the above description , the manual programming of processor / controller 26 will be based upon the experience of the user developed over a suitable period of time , which may be from a few days up to a week . such adjustments can also be based upon geographical and seasonal conditions and expectations of sunshine , high and low temperatures , daytime exposure to the sun and periods of shade . a further preferred embodiment will be described with reference to fig1 a in which the apparatus of the pool cleaner as described in fig1 is used in conjunction with an automated electronic sampling probe 80 . the floating probe 80 can either be tethered to a fixed position or allowed to float about randomly on the surface of the pool . the probe 80 includes a housing 82 , sampling port 84 with internal sensor having an electronic ion analyzer ( not shown ) and is powered by a preferably rechargeable battery 86 . a signal corresponding to the periodic analytical results is transmitted via antenna 88 using approved radio frequency ( rf ) signals . in this embodiment , a floating probe is illustrated , but the probe can be permanently attached to a wall of the pool . in an alternate preferred embodiment described in more detail below , the same type of sensor having an electronic ion analyzer that is contained in probe 80 can be located inside of , or attached to or projects from the exterior of the pool cleaner housing 12 . in this embodiment , the sensor and analyzer form an integral functional component of the pool cleaner that periodically measures the chlorine concentration in the pool water . the probe sensor is preferably located upstream of cell 30 in order to test the condition of the water drawn into the housing from below housing 12 . in the embodiment illustrated , the power supply 50 conveniently includes a receiver attached to antenna 58 and a relay transmitter for communicating the signal to either a processor contained in the housing of power supply 50 or to the on - board processor / controller 26 . systems and methods for communicating the land - based signal to the submerged on - board processor / controller 26 are known and will not be described in detail here . when the signal from probe 80 indicates a concentration below the desired value , the relay transmitter in power supply 50 sends an appropriate signal to maintain the operation of the chlorine generator 30 on the pool cleaner . alternatively , if the probe signal corresponds to an acceptable concentration of chlorine in the pool water , the relay transmitter signals the controller / processor 26 to discontinue supplying power to the generator 30 . as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art , the relay receiver and relay transmitter can be incorporated in a separate housing and provided with a separate source of power . other functions and systems described below can also be included in this separate unit . in the event that the pool cleaner completes its cleaning cycle before the desired concentration of chlorine has been achieved , the controller / processor continues to direct the movement of the pool cleaner . similarly , if the chlorine level has been achieved and the pool cleaner has completed its cleaning pattern , the power to the pool cleaner functional elements , e . g ., pump , drive motor and chlorine generator , is discontinued . should the probe 80 signal a need for further chlorine generation while the pool cleaner is in the off mode , a signal is sent to the controller / processor 26 to initiate the movement of the pool cleaner and activation of the pump and the chlorine generator . in this manner , chlorine is distributed by the movement of the pool cleaner throughout the body of water in which it is moving . in a further preferred embodiment of the control system of the invention illustrated in fig1 , the relay transmitter located in power supply unit 50 includes a visual display alarm 54 , which can be a flashing light source , and / or an audible alarm 56 . the alarms are programmed to function when the chlorine concentration as determined by the signal from probe 80 exceeds a prescribed value . the alarms can also be programmed to function if the chlorine concentration has been below a predetermined minimum acceptable value for a predetermined time interval , thereby indicating that the electrochemical generator is not functioning properly and that remedial action is required by maintenance personnel . with continuing reference to the power supply unit 50 , a visual display panel 62 , e . g ., an led display , is provided to indicate the numeric values of the water qualities as determined by the probe 80 . the panel display 62 preferably includes a separate display 61 for ph and a display 63 for chlorine concentration . alternatively , a single led panel can display one , or a plurality of values in a pre - programmed or manually selected sequence . referring to now fig2 , the principal difference between this embodiment and the pool cleaner illustrated in fig1 is the substitution of an on - board battery 60 for the power supply and the installation of a dynamo 70 between the pump impellor 25 and the water outlet 13 in housing 12 . as will be understood from the illustration , the stream of rapidly flowing water discharged by the pump impellor 25 rotates the blades of the dynamo 70 thereby generating electricity that is delivered to the chlorine generator 30 . the energy requirements of the generator 30 can also be supplied by the battery , if necessary , via conductor 72 . in a further alternative embodiment , as shown , the pool cleaner is also equipped with a power cable 40 , as in the embodiment of fig1 , which can provide power to meet operational requirements that exceed the capacity of the battery and / or dynamo , or to recharge the battery . in this embodiment , the power cable 40 can include a plug received in a socket located at 41 in the housing 12 . an inductive charging system such as that disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 842 , 931 can also be employed . referring now to fig3 and 4 , there is illustrated an electrolytic cell 100 suitable for use in the on - board electrochemical generator 30 to generate chlorine during operation . in this embodiment , the cell consists of five titanium plates with a coating of mixed metal oxides of titanium , ruthenium and iridium measuring approximately 60 × 80 mm and maintained in spaced relation by nylon fasteners 104 , e . g ., threaded bolts and nuts , and insulative spacers 106 . one or more threaded mounting and terminal bolts 108 are attached to conductor bracket 110 for receiving and applying a positive charge to the two exterior and one central plate labeled “ p ”. conductor bracket 112 delivers an opposing negative charge to the intermediate plates labeled “ n ”. the plates are approximately 1 mm thick with a gap of 1 . 5 mm . the cell 100 is conveniently placed in a non - conductive , corrosion - resistant polymer casing 31 as shown , e . g ., in fig1 , for secure , but removable mounting on the interior of the pool cleaner housing 12 . the case 31 is preferably cast polycarbonate , but can also be made from abs or pvc or other suitable polymers . terminals 108 are fitted with electrical conductors 28 secured by brass nuts and epoxy to provide the required voltage and amps from the power supply . in one preferred embodiment , the cell can be configured for operation at a production rate of about 8 grams of sodium hypochlorite / hour . the water containing the generated chlorine must be moved away from the generator and circulated for mixing with the pool water in order to avoid damage to the cell . although short periods of interrupted water movement can be tolerated , if the water circulation through and around the cell ceases for more than a short time , the concentration of generated chlorine can reach a level that has the potential to damage the cell and adversely affect its operation . another preferred embodiment will be described with reference to fig5 in which a chlorine monitoring system 90 is conveniently mounted inside the pool cleaner to form an integral part of the apparatus . the chlorine monitoring system 90 includes a housing 92 , sampling inlet ports 94 and outlet ports 96 and contains internal analyzing and data collecting , storage , processing and transmission capabilities ( not shown ), and is powered via connection 28 to a power supply . the chlorine monitoring system 90 periodically measures the free chlorine which is preferably maintained at two ( 2 ) parts per million ( ppm ) concentration in the pool water . the generated signal corresponding to the periodic analytical results is transmitted via line 98 to the computer processor of the controller of the pool cleaner and used as the feedback for control of the on - board electrochemical chlorine generator 30 . the production of chlorine can be controlled to automatically maintain a constant residual chlorine level in the pool water , e . g ., by comparing the feedback signal to a predetermined value to turn the on - board chlorine generator 30 on or off as required . alternate modes of operation of the pool cleaner with the chlorine generator of the present invention will be described with reference to the schematic illustrations of fig6 and 7 . in both figures , the upper time line represents the operating sequence of the pump and the lower time line operation of the chlorine generator . the lower horizontal baseline in each sequence represents the “ power off ” or deactivated condition for the functional element . referring now to fig6 , it will be seen that the initial pumping sequence is , for this illustrative example , 90 minutes which represents the pre - programmed cleaning cycle . at the conclusion of the cleaning cycle , the pump is deactivated for approximately 3 minutes and then activated for approximately 3 seconds , and this cycle is repeated for a predetermined duration of time , for example , one hour . during the next time period of from 2 to 4 minutes , identified as “ random ” on the illustration , both the pump and the drive means are activated to move the pool cleaner to a different position on the bottom of the pool . as used here , the term “ random ” is used as shorthand for “ random movement ”. thereafter , the pump is stopped for about 3 minutes and then started for about 3 seconds , and this cycle is again repeated for about one hour . this mode of operation continues for any desired predetermined period of time , which for the purpose of illustration in fig6 is indicated to be up to 22 hours . referring to the lower timeline in fig6 , it will be seen that the chlorine generator is operated throughout the entire cleaning cycle and during the pump pulsing cycles and the random movement cycles . this continuous chlorine generation operational mode is contemplated for use at a time when the biocidal chlorine level in the pool water is low , or when the environmental conditions are such that the desired predetermined level has not been achieved or maintained . as will be understood from the example of fig6 , the pulsing operation of the pump for only 3 seconds following 3 minute “ power off ” intervals results in operating the pump for only about one minute during that one hour cycle . thereafter , the pump operates from 2 - 4 minutes every hour over an extended period e . g ., 22 hours , during which the pump would be operating for from less than 50 minutes to about 90 minutes . as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art , this level of usage will not adversely affect the useful life of the pump motor and will provide a means of distributing bactericidal chlorine throughout the body of water in the swimming pool without the need for auxiliary sanitizing means , whether chemical or a large in - line chlorination unit which requires operation of the pool &# 39 ; s main water circulation pump having substantially higher electric power consumption with its attendant expense . referring now to fig7 , a mode of operation that is adapted for use in maintaining a predetermined level of chlorine concentration is illustrated . this will also be referred to as a secondary mode of operation . in this embodiment , it is assumed that the desired chlorine level has been achieved and that it can be maintained by the programmed operation of the chlorine generator at less than full - time , e . g ., for about 30 minutes followed by an interval of about 2 hours during which the generator 30 is not powered . the pump operating sequence timeline is similar to that of fig6 between cleaning cycles . that is to say , the pump is operated for about 3 seconds following 3 minute intervals over the course of about an hour and thereafter , the pump and drive means are activated for a period ranging from 2 to 4 minutes . this mode of operation also relocates the pool cleaner at one hour intervals to continue the movement or circulation of water , but anticipates that the level of chlorine can be maintained without the continuous operation as taught in fig6 . the mode of operation of fig7 can be advantageously utilized during the evening hours when the sun is no longer on the pool , when the water temperature drops , and / or when the evaporative effect caused by the sun , high temperature and / or the wind have been reduced . in a particularly preferred embodiment , the pumping and operational sequences of fig7 are combined with the operation of fig6 . this combination can be achieved automatically by including a chlorine sensor which provides a signal to the controller when the chlorine level in the pool water is within a predetermined desired concentration . in that instance , the controller moves from the primary program illustrated in fig6 to the secondary maintenance program of fig7 . as will be apparent from the example of fig7 , the power consumed by the pool cleaner will be reduced as the duration of operation of the chlorine generator 30 is reduced . even more important from the standpoint of power conservation is the relatively smaller amount of energy required to continuously operate a pool cleaner as the sole means of water circulation and sanitizing as compared to an in - line pumping system and chlorinator which , as described above , requires operation of the pool &# 39 ; s main water circulation pumping system . the method and apparatus of the present invention will also be more economical to operate than the device disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 882 , 512 ( denkewicz , et al .) discussed above because it requires no expenditure for expensive sanitizing chemicals that must continuously be replaced . the table salt used in applicant &# 39 ; s process is initially inexpensive and thereafter does not require replenishment because it is not consumed . furthermore , the apparatus of the denkewicz patent incorporates a relatively complex mechanical system for dispensing a granular chemical compound and must be removed from the pool to be refilled with new chemical . in contrast , applicant &# 39 ; s apparatus has no moving parts in addition to those of a conventional pool cleaner and can operate continuously , if desired , over long periods of time . it will be understood , that the capability of a single pool cleaner operated in accordance with the invention to adequately treat and maintain a pool of a particular size must be determined under specific environmental or climactic conditions . for example , a relatively small indoor pool as is often found in a hotel , health club , residential or apartment units are not subject to high winds , extreme variations in temperature and significance sun loads . thus , once the operating parameters have been established for the environment , the programmable elements of the pool cleaner controller can be adjusted , preferably by the user , to consistently meet the predetermined desired level of chlorine . referring now to fig8 , a preferred embodiment of the invention in which the chlorine generator is adapted for ease of removal and replacement will be described . for the purpose of this portion of the description , it will be understood the elements correspond to case 31 illustrated in fig1 , 2 and 5 . the cell 30 is secured in a supporting housing or case 131 that is comprised of four side walls 122 that allow the passage of water through its open ends and over the cell plates 102 , as described in connection with fig3 . it will also be understood that the cell plates are fitted with positive and negative conductors , or plugs , that engage corresponding receptacles or receivers for the plugs that are secured to the interior structure of the pool cleaner housing or frame members for providing power to the cell during operation . at least one cell mounting member , referred to generally as 124 , is affixed to one of the side walls 122 . mounting member 124 is constructed to releaseably engage mounting bracket 140 that is secured , for example , to supporting frame member 150 that forms part of the interior structure of the pool cleaner 10 . in the illustrative embodiment of fig8 and 9 , mounting member 124 is comprised of t - shaped flange member 126 that projects from , and extends along one of the walls 122 . mounting bracket 140 includes an elongated recessed portion 142 having projecting arms 144 that terminate in opposing fingers 146 that are spaced apart to receive the t - shaped member 124 in a close - fitting and secure relation . a releasable closure 160 is bias - mounted for movement from a normally locked position in which it engages the end of t - shaped member 124 and thereby retains the cell in position in bracket 140 . the biased member can be constructed by integrally molding a living hinge element 162 to an end portion of an interior wall . in the embodiment illustrated , the opposing faces of the cross - member of the t - mount and the fingers 146 are provided with projecting ridges 128 , 148 , respectively that mate with corresponding valleys to provide a secure interlocking fit . in an alternate embodiment ( not shown ), the mounting member 124 and the mounting bracket 140 are constructed without ridges 128 , 148 , but with close - fitting tolerances , and optionally with tapered contacting surfaces , so that when the t - shaped member is manually inserted into recessed portion 142 , a secure friction fit is achieved . in this embodiment , the bias - mounted closure member 160 is also optional . additional manually operable positive locking devices of the prior art can also be utilized to assure that the case with the cell will not be dislodged unintentionally . with continuing reference to fig8 and 9 , a new or repaired cell and case assembly is installed in operational position by moving locking member 150 against its biasing force to open the passage formed by the arms 146 of bracketed 140 and inserting the t - shaped member 126 and sliding the case to its final position . releasing the locking member 160 secures the replacement mounting member and case assembly in operating position . as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art , the leading edge of locking member 160 can be beveled or otherwise chamfered to facilitate its lateral movement in response to the force of the end of the t - shaped member 126 during its insertion into bracket 140 . the upper surface of locking member 160 can also be provided with a projecting flange or other element 164 to facilitate manual engagement for movement by a finger or thumb . in the particular embodiment illustrated , the interior surface of the top of t - shaped member 126 is provided with a plurality of spaced - apart projecting ribs 128 . the mounting bracket 140 is provided with a plurality of spaced - apart fingers 146 that are configured to receive the ribs 128 when the mounting member 120 is properly seated and locked in the bracket 140 as illustrated in fig9 . in this embodiment , locking member 150 is mounted on , or integrally formed with plate 154 that is also biased to engage the upper surface of the top of the t - shaped member 120 and urge its ribs 128 into position between the fingers 146 . this arrangement minimizes the opportunity for any relative movement between the mounting members 120 and mounting bracket 140 , e . g ., in the event that the pool cleaner is inadvertently dropped on a hard surface , or otherwise subjected to an external impact or vibrational forces . as will also be apparent , the cell can be configured and assembled as an integral portion of the removable case so that the entire unitary structure would be replaced in the event of a failure of the cell . alternatively , the cell can be constructed so that it can be removed from the protective case and the case reused to receive a new or refurbished cell . as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the mechanical arts , any of a wide variety of secure releasable engagement means can be employed to removably retain the chlorine cell in position and still achieve the desired purpose and intent of the invention to enable the untrained user to easily and safely remove and reinstall the cell . the elements described above are preferably fabricated from electrically non - conductive , corrosion impervious and impact - resistant materials . various polymers , copolymers and filled polymeric materials known to those of ordinary skill in the art can be used . the various parts can be molded in unitary assemblies or machined as separate elements and assembled . alternatively , parts of metal and metal alloys can be spray - coated with powdered polymers to provide the desired level of corrosion resistance . referring now to the circuit diagram 200 of fig1 , the components of the robotic pool cleaner can be powered by one or more internal rechargeable batteries 25 as described generally in fig2 , as an alternative to an external power supply 50 shown in fig1 . in one embodiment , a single power supply battery 25 1 is coupled in parallel with the drive means , e . g ., drive motor 20 , the pump 24 and the chlorine generator 30 , each of which are illustratively represented as resistive loads in fig1 . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one or more step - up or step - down transformers ( not shown ) can be provided in series between the power supply 25 1 and one or more of these three components to respectively increase or decrease the power requirements as necessary . with continuing reference to fig1 , a plurality of switches , such as relays sw 1 , sw 2 , sw 3 , and sw 4 are illustratively provided to control the power directed to each of the components to enable one or more of the components to operate independently or contemporaneously with the others . switches sw 1 , sw 2 , sw 3 are illustratively single pole - single throw ( spst ) switches , while switch sw 4 is a double pole - double throw ( dpdt ) switch . the settings of the switches control power from the power supply 25 to each component , and hence the operation of the robotic pool cleaner . the controller 26 provides signals to relays in a conventional manner to set the contact positions of the switches sw 1 , sw 2 , sw 3 , and sw 4 . the contact settings are based on the timed cleaning cycles of the one or more programs stored in the memory of the controller 26 . as shown in fig1 , switch sw 1 controls power between a first positive terminal “ a ” 27 a and a second positive terminal “ b ” 27 b . switch sw 2 is serially coupled between positive terminal “ a ” 27 a and the drive means 20 . switch sw 3 is serially coupled between the second positive terminal “ b ” 27 b and the pump 24 and the chlorine generator to alternately provide power to one of these components . switch sw 4 has a first end coupled to the first positive terminal “ a ” 27 a and the second positive terminal “ b ” 27 b , and a second end coupled to the negative terminal 29 of the battery 25 1 , or p / s 1 . switch sw 4 enables the current through the chlorine generator 30 to be reversed by reversing the polarity of the current flowing from the battery terminals to the generator 30 . during operation , when the cleaner is programmed to generate biocidal chlorine while executing the programmed cleaning pattern , the power must be provided simultaneously to the drive means 20 , the pump 24 and the generator 30 . in this instance , switch sw 1 is set to contact “ a ”, i . e ., the first positive terminal 27 a , to provide power to the chlorine generator 30 , sw 2 is closed to provide power from the battery 25 1 to the drive means 20 , and switch sw 3 is set to contact a to provide power from the battery 25 1 to the pump 24 . alternatively , if biocidal chlorine is to be generated while the robotic cleaner is stationary in the pool , then power from the battery is provided only to the pump 24 and chlorine generator 30 . in this instance , switch sw 2 is opened by the controller 26 to prevent power to the drive means 24 , while switch sw 1 remains set to the first positive terminal 27 a and switch sw 3 remains set to contact a to provide power to the pump 24 . in this condition , the cleaner remains stationary at the bottom of the pool , continues to generate chlorine and pumps water to avoid depletion of the saltwater proximate the cells of the generator 30 , as described above . in yet another mode of operation , the robotic cleaner can be programmed to remain stationary on the bottom of the pool and generate chlorine without the pump being operational . in this embodiment , the controller 26 sets switch sw 1 to the second positive terminal 27 b thereby decoupling power to the drive motor 24 . switch sw 3 can be switched to contact “ b ” to provide power only to the chlorine generator 30 to enable production of the chlorine ions . alternatively , switch sw 3 can be moved to contact “ a ” to provide power only to the pump 24 . in this manner , the pump 24 can be turned on without the other two components to help remove scaling , as described above . it is noted that a person of ordinary skill in the art for which the invention pertains will understand that the switches identified as sw 1 through sw 3 can also be configured to control power on the negative terminal 29 . for example , switch sw 2 can be positioned between the drive motor 20 and the negative terminal 29 . further , a second power supply 25 2 , or p / s 2 , shown in phantom , can be implemented to provide power , for example , to the drive means 30 and / or pump 24 , while the first power supply 25 1 provides current to the chlorine generator 30 . alternatively , the second power supply 25 2 can be used to provide power only to the drive means 30 , while the first power supply 25 1 provides power to the pump 24 and / or chlorine generator 30 . the circuitry 200 of fig1 is provided for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting . accordingly , the switching circuitry of the present invention enables the robotic cleaner to perform gleaning and anti - bacterial cleansing operations either independently or contemporaneously . further , a single power source can be used to operate the robotic cleaner during each mode of operation , and thereby eliminate the need for additional batteries which can be costly to install and require additional space in the cleaner housing . while various illustrative embodiments have been described in detail , further modifications and variations in the apparatus , system and method of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . the full range and scope of the invention , and its equivalents , is therefore to be determined with reference to the claims that follow . | 6 |
reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout . as to the following description , the expression that a layer is formed on another layer comprises not only two layers are contact but also the other layer is interposed between two layers . moreover , the following description discloses a liquid crystal display device among flat display devices as an embodiment . however , the point of the following description may be applied to the other flat display device such as an organic light emitting diode and a plasma display panel . the following description discloses a transreflective type liquid crystal display device as an embodiment , but a reflective type liquid crystal display device also applied to . fig1 is a schematic view illustrating a thin film transistor substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig2 is a sectional view of a liquid crystal display device along line ii - ii in fig1 . generally , the liquid crystal display device comprises a liquid crystal display panel and a back light unit . the liquid crystal display panel comprises a thin film transistor substrate 100 comprising a thin film transistor ( tft ) ( t ) as a switching and a driving device for driving and controlling each pixel , a color filter substrate ( not shown ) aligned to and adhered to the thin film transistor substrate 100 , and a liquid crystal layer ( not shown ) sandwiched between the thin film transistor substrate 100 and the color filter substrate . the backlight unit is disposed at the rear of the liquid crystal display panel for providing light to the rear of the thin film transistor substrate 100 because the liquid crystal display panel is not a self - radiating device . the thin film transistor substrate 100 comprises an insulating substrate 110 , a lot of gate wires 121 , 122 , 123 and a lot of data wires 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 are provided on the insulating substrate 110 in matrix formation , the thin film transistor ( tft )( t ) formed at a crossed area of the gate wire 121 , 122 , 123 and the data wire 161 , 162 , 163 , and a pixel electrode 180 connected to the thin film transistor ( t ). an electric field is occurred through voltage differences between the pixel electrode 180 and a common electrode ( not shown ), and liquid crystal molecules in liquid crystal layer ( not shown ) are aligned according to the electric field . a transmittance of light passing through the liquid crystal display panel is controlled according to the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules . the insulating substrate 110 comprising an insulating material such as glass , quartz , ceramic and plastic . it is preferable but not necessary that the plastic substrate employed as the insulating substrate 110 when the thin film transistor substrate 100 according to the present invention is applied to a flexible liquid crystal display device . the plastic substrate may comprise at least one of polycarbonate , polyamide , polynorborneen ( pnb ), pes , par , polyethylenapthanate ( pen ), and polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ). the gate wire 121 , 122 , 123 is formed on the insulating substrate 110 . the gate wire 121 , 122 , 123 may be formed as a layer or multi - layer . the gate wire 121 , 122 , 123 comprises a gate line 121 formed in a horizontal direction , a gate electrode 122 connected to the gate line 121 , and a gate pad 123 provided at the end of the gate line 121 . the gate pad 123 is connected to a gate driver ( not shown ) and supplied a gate signal from the gate driver ( not shown ). a gate insulating layer 130 comprises sinx and sio 2 , and covers the gate wire 121 , 122 , 123 on the insulating substrate 110 . a semiconductor layer 140 comprising amorphous silicon or poly silicon is formed on the insulating layer 130 of the gate electrode 122 . an ohmic contact layer 150 comprising n + hydrogenated amorphous silicon doped with silicide or n type dopant is formed on the semiconductor layer 140 . the ohmic contact layer 150 is removed at channel area defined as a space between a source electrode 162 and a drain electrode 163 . the data wire 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 is formed on the ohmic contact layer 150 and the gate insulating layer 130 . the data wire 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 may be formed as a layer or multi - layer comprising metals . the data wire 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 comprises a data line 161 formed in a vertical direction to be crossed with the gate line 121 and defined a pixel area , a source electrode 162 branched out from the date line 161 and extended to on the ohmic contact layer 150 , a drain electrode 163 separated form the source electrode 162 and formed on the ohmic contact layer 150 positioned on the opposite side of the source electrode 162 , and a data pad 164 provided at the end of the data line 161 . the data pad 164 is connected to a data driver ( not shown ) and supplied a data signal from the data driver ( not shown ). an inorganic insulating layer 170 is formed on the data wire 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 and the semiconductor layer 140 that is not covered with the data wire 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 . the inorganic insulating layer 170 comprises a drain contact hole 171 exposing the drain electrode 163 , a gate pad contact hole 172 connected to the gate driver ( not shown ) for supplying the gate line 121 with the gate signal , a data pad contact hole 173 connected to the data driver ( not shown ) for supplying the data line 161 with the data signal , and a prominence and depression pattern 175 . the prominence and depression pattern 175 formed on the inorganic insulating layer 170 diffuses light and enhances the reflexibility . especially , the reflexibility of the front side is enhanced through the prominence and depression pattern 175 . the prominence and depression pattern 175 according to the present invention , as shown in fig3 , is formed into an embossing shape with the width ( x ) and the height ( y ), and tapered to the center of the prominence and depression pattern 175 . the prominence and depression pattern 175 is formed to have the ratio of the height ( y ) of the prominence and depression pattern 175 to the width ( x ) of the prominence and depression pattern 175 is 10 : 1 for achieving the optimum reflexibility . as an embodiment , the height ( y ) of the prominence and depression pattern 175 is in the range of 1000 å to 5000 å . the inorganic insulating layer 170 would be formed with the thickness of 1000 å to 5000 å because of the material characteristic of inorganic insulating materials . thus , the prominence and depression pattern 175 would be formed with height ( y ) of 1000 å to 5000 å . in the other hand , the inorganic insulating layer 170 may be formed into the multi - layers for forming the prominence and depression pattern 175 higher . the reflective layer 178 is formed on the inorganic insulating layer 170 having the prominence and depression pattern 175 . the pixel area defined by the gate line 121 and the data line 161 is divided into the transmittance area not covered with the reflective layer 178 and the reflective area covered with the reflective layer 178 . light of the backlight unit transmits the liquid crystal display panel at the transmittance area . natural light entered to the liquid crystal display panel may be reflected from the reflective layer 178 and went out of the liquid crystal display panel at the reflective area . the reflective layer 178 is formed into a layer comprising aluminum or silver mainly , but two layers comprising a lower layer comprising aluminum and an upper layer comprising molybdenum in some cases . the prominence and depression pattern would be formed on the reflective layer 178 due to the prominence and depression pattern 175 of the inorganic insulating layer 170 . the pixel electrode 180 is formed on the reflective layer 175 . the pixel electrode 180 comprises a transmittable material such as ito ( indium tin oxide ) or izo ( indium zinc oxide ). the pixel electrode 180 is connected to the drain electrode 163 electrically through the drain contact hole 171 . a contact auxiliary member 181 , 182 is formed on the gate pad contact hole 172 and the data pad contact hole 173 . the contact auxiliary member 181 , 182 also comprises a transmittable material such as tto ( indium tin oxide ) or izo ( indium zinc oxide ). the prominence and depression pattern 175 would be formed on the pixel electrode 180 due to the prominence and depression pattern 175 of the reflective layer 178 . the following is an illustration for the fabrication method of the thin film transistor substrate according to the first embodiment of the present invention . first , as shown in fig1 and fig2 , a gate wire material is formed on the insulating substrate 110 , and then the gate wire 121 , 122 , 123 comprising the gate line 121 , the gate electrode 122 and the gate pad 123 is formed by patterning the gate wire material through the photolithography with using mask . after forming the gate wire 121 , 122 , 123 , the gate insulating layer 130 , the semiconductor layer 140 and the ohmic contact layer 150 are formed on the gate wire 121 , 122 , 123 and the insulating substrate 110 not covered with the gate wire 121 , 122 , 123 orderly . afterward , the semiconductor layer 140 and the ohmic contact layer 150 are patterned to be remained only on the gate insulating layer 130 of the gate electrode 122 . thereafter , a data wire material is formed on the insulating substrate 110 , and then the data wire 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 is formed by patterning the data wire material through the photolithography with using mask . the data wire 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 comprises the data line 161 crossed to the gate line 121 , the source electrode 162 branched out from the date line 161 and extended to on the ohmic contact layer 150 , the drain electrode 163 separated from the source electrode 162 and formed on the ohmic contact layer 150 positioned on the opposite side of the source electrode 162 , and the data pad 164 provided at the end of the data line 161 . afterward , the ohmic contact layer 150 is divided on either side of the semiconductor layer 140 by etching the ohmic contact layer 150 not covered with the data wire 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 , thereby exposing one part of the semiconductor layer 140 . in this process , most of the ohmic contact layer 150 and a portion of the semiconductor layer 140 are removed . it is preferable but not necessary that oxygen plasma treatment is done for stabilizing the semiconductor layer 140 exposed . thus , the thin film transistor ( t ) is fabricated . after fabricating the thin film transistor ( t ) as shown in fig4 a , the inorganic insulating layer 170 is formed to cover the thin film transistor ( t ) through pecvd ( plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition ) on the pixel area . the inorganic insulating layer 170 is formed to have a thickness ( d ) of 1000 å to 5000 å . afterward , as shown in fig4 b , an organic photosensitive layer 200 is formed on the inorganic insulating layer 170 through the slit coating method and the spin coating method , and then a mask 300 is disposed over the organic photosensitive layer 200 . the organic photosensitive layer 200 may be a positive type that an exposed part is removed or a negative type that a non - exposed part is removed . the mask 300 according to the present invention is the mask for the diffraction exposure such as a slit mask comprising a blocking part , a slit part and a transmitting part . the mask 300 according to the present invention is disposed over the organic photosensitive layer 200 in the alignment that the center of the blocking part is corresponding to the center of the prominence and depression pattern 175 . the ratio of the width ( b ) of the blocking part to the width ( a ) of the slit part is 3 : 4 . the reason why the mask 300 has above the ratio is to form the photosensitive layer pattern 250 ( refer to fig4 c ) having a uniformed size through exposure and development of the organic photosensitive layer 200 . the reason why the photosensitive layer pattern 250 ( refer to fig4 c ) is formed into a uniformed size is to form the prominence and depression pattern 175 ( refer to fig4 d ) having an optimum size ( height : width = 1 : 10 ) by etching process using the photosensitive layer pattern 250 ( refer to fig4 c ) as a mask , and form the prominence and depression pattern 175 ( refer to fig4 d ) having a uniformed size . the slit part 320 of the mask 300 according to the present invention is provided into the structure that the gap between slits is getting wider , as the slit part 320 is far from the blocking part 310 . the reason why the slit part 320 having above structure is to differ the amount of exposure according to the position , thereby forming the photosensitive layer pattern 250 ( refer to fig4 c ) to be tapered through exposure and development of the organic photosensitive layer 200 . thereafter , as shown in fig4 c , the photosensitive layer pattern 250 ( refer to fig4 c ) is formed through developing the exposed organic photosensitive layer 200 ( refer to fig4 b ). the photosensitive layer pattern 250 is provided on where the prominence and depression pattern 175 ( refer to fig4 d ) is formed and covering the thin film transistor ( t ). the photosensitive layer pattern 250 comprises an opening 251 exposing a part of the inorganic insulating layer 170 corresponding to the drain electrode 163 of the thin film transistor ( t ). the prominence and depression pattern 175 is formed tapered due to above structure of the slit part 320 . in the next time , as shown in fig4 d , the prominence and depression pattern 175 , the drain contact hole 171 , the data pad contact hole 173 ( refer to fig1 ), and gate pad contact hole 172 ( refer to fig1 ) is formed through etching the inorganic insulating layer 170 ( refer to fig4 c ) using the photosensitive layer pattern 250 ( refer to fig4 c ). in other words , the inorganic insulating layer 170 ( refer to fig4 c ) exposing by the photosensitive layer pattern 250 ( refer to fig4 c ) is removed . the inorganic insulating layer 170 ( refer to fig4 c ) disposing under the photosensitive layer pattern 250 ( refer to fig4 c ) is not removed or removed a little . more specifically , the inorganic insulating layer 170 ( refer to fig4 c ) where the photosensitive layer pattern 250 ( refer to fig4 c ) is thin is removed a little , and the inorganic insulating layer 170 ( refer to fig4 c ) where the photosensitive layer pattern 250 ( refer to fig4 c ) is thick is not removed . a dry etching method may be applied for removing the photosensitive layer pattern 250 ( refer to fig4 c ). thus , the tapered prominence and depression pattern 175 is formed . after forming the tapered prominence and depression pattern 175 , as shown in fig4 e , the reflective layer 178 is formed to cover the prominence and depression pattern 175 on the entire surface of the inorganic insulating layer , and then the reflective layer 178 is patterned to remove the rest without the reflective layer 178 on the prominence and depression pattern 175 . the reflective layer 178 is formed into a layer comprising aluminum or silver mainly , but two layers comprising a lower layer comprising aluminum and an upper layer comprising molybdenum in some cases . light of the backlight unit transmits the liquid crystal display panel at the transmittance area where the reflective layer 178 is not formed on . natural light entered to the liquid crystal display panel may be reflected from the reflective layer 178 and went out of the liquid crystal display panel at the reflective area where the reflective layer 178 is formed on . afterward , as shown in fig4 f , the pixel electrode 180 is formed to cover the reflective layer 178 on the entire surface , and then the pixel electrode 180 is patterned to divide it according to each pixel electrode 180 . the pixel electrode 180 comprises a transmittable material such as ito ( indium tin oxide ) or izo ( indium zinc oxide ). the pixel electrode 180 is connected to the drain electrode 163 electrically through the drain contact hole 171 . the following is an illustration for the fabrication method of the thin film transistor substrate according to the second embodiment of the present invention . features distinguished from the above embodiment may be described in the below described another embodiment , and omitted or comprised description parts are same with above first embodiment . the mask 400 according to the second embodiment comprises a halftone mask including a blocking part 410 , semi - transmitting part 420 and a transmitting part 430 , and the ratio of the width ( b ) of the blocking part 410 to the width ( a ) of the semi - transmitting part 420 is 3 : 4 . the semi - transmitting part 420 is provided into the structure that the transmittance is getting higher , as the semi - transmitting part 420 is far from the blocking part 410 . more specifically , as shown in fig5 , the semi - transmitting part 420 comprises a lot of sub - parts , and each sub - part has different transmittance . transmittance of the sub - parts near to the blocking part 410 is low , and transmittance of the sub - parts near to the transmitting part 430 is high relatively . accordingly , as shown in fig5 , the photosensitive layer pattern 250 is formed into a stair - shape . afterward , the photosensitive layer pattern 250 is transformed into an embossing - shape or a fluent curve formation by applying heat to the photosensitive layer pattern 250 . although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , 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 . | 7 |
the invention is conveniently illustrated by the following description of the preferred embodiments in which 1α , 2α , 6α , 7α , 7αβ - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - tetrahydroxypyrrolizidine ( 1 ) is synthesized from d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 6 ) by two different methods a and b , in ten steps as follows in which compound numbers in parentheses correspond to compounds shown by chemical structure herein : 1 ) the primary hydroxyl group in heptonolactone ( 6 ) is treated with a silyl blocking agent such as tert - butyldiphenylsilyl chloride to give the protected lactone ( 7 ). 2 ) the protected lactone ( 7 ) is reacted with 2 , 2 - dimethoxypropane to provide the fully protected lactone or diacetonide ( 9 ). 3 ) the diacetonide ( 9 ) is reacted with fluoride ion to cleave the silyl ether at c7 and thereby provide access to nitrogen in the ring and give the primary alcohol ( 10 ). 4 ) the primary alcohol ( 10 ) is esterified with triflic anhydride to afford the triflate ( 11 ). 5 ) the triflate ( 11 ) is reacted with azide ion to give the azidolactone ( 12 ). 7 ) the azidodiol ( 13 ) is reacted with methanesulfonyl chloride to provide the azidodimesylate ( 14 ). 8 ) the azidodimesylate ( 14 ) is catalytically hydrogenated in ethanol at ambient temperature . 9 ) the product from step 8 is heated in ethanol in the presence of sodium acetate to give the tetracyclic pyrrolizidine ( 15 ). 10 ) the acetonide groups in the tetracyclic pyrrolizidine ( 15 ) are removed by acid hydrolysis to give the product 1α , 2α , 6α , 7α , 7αβ - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - tetrahydroxypyrrolizidine ( 1 ). ## str3 ## steps 1 and 2 are the same as in method a . 3 ) the fully protected lactone or diacetonide ( 9 ) is reduced to give the silyl diol ( 16 ). 4 ) the silyl diol ( 16 ) is reacted with methanesulfonyl chloride to provide the dimesylate ( 17 ). 5 ) nitrogen is introduced into the ring by reaction of the dimesylate ( 17 ) with benzylamine to give the monocylic pyrrolidine ( 20 ). 6 ) the silyl protecting group is removed from c7 of the monocylic pyrrolidine ( 20 ) by treatment with fluoride ion to provide the primary diol ( 21 ). 7 ) the primary diol ( 21 ) is reacted with methanesulfonyl chloride to give the unstable mesylate ( 22 ) which spontaneously closes to form the second pyrrolidine ring and give the n - benzyl pyrrolizidinium salt ( 23 ). 8 ) the n - benzyl group in ( 23 ) is cleaved by catalyzed hydrogenation . 9 ) neutralization of the product of step 8 gives the tetracyclic pyrrolizidine ( 15 ). 10 ) the acetonide groups in the tetracyclic pyrrolizidine ( 15 ) are removed by acid hydrolysis to give the product 1α , 2α , 6α , 7α , 7αβ - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - tetrahydroxypyrrolizidine ( 1 ). ## str4 ## the fully protected lactone or diacetonide ( 9 ), namely 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone , is a novel intermediate that can be used as a starting material for each of methods a and b , above . both methods a and b result in preparation of the novel fully protected tetracyclic pyrrolizidine ( 15 ), namely 1α - 2α , 6α , 7α , 7αβ - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - tetrahydroxy pyrrolizidine , from which the protecting groups can readily be removed by acid hydrolysis . other such suitable reactants for use in the foregoing syntheses of methods a and b will be apparent to the person skilled in the art after reading the present disclosure . these reactants are generally used in proportions such as to satisfy the stoichiometry of the above reaction steps . illustrative of such other reactants are the use of t - butyldimethylsilyl chloride to introduce the silyl protecting groups ; use of other ketones , e . g ., acetone , 3 - pentanone , dihexylketone , cyclohexanone , and the like to introduce suitable hydroxyl protecting groups ; use of other azide cations to introduce the azide group , e . g . potassium , lithium and tetra - butylammonium ; and use of other solvent media such as dmf , thf , dmso , n - methylpyrrolidine , acetonitrile and the like . the foregoing reactions in methods a and b were illustratively carried out as follows : a . the synthesis of 1α , 2α , 6α , 7αβ - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - tetrahydroxypyrrolizidine ( 1 ), with five adjacent chiral centres and seven adjacent carbon atoms bearing functional groups , requires the joining of c - 1 , c - 4 and c - 7 of the heptonolactone ( 6 ) by nitrogen with inversion of configuration at c - 4 . the order in which the formation of the different carbon - nitrogen bonds are formed is variable , although protection of the hydroxyl groups at c - 2 , c - 3 , c - 5 and c - 6 is required ; bis - isopropylidene protection of the hydroxyl functions assists the intramolecular cyclizations to the pyrrolidine rings , since fused five - five membered rings are formed . the primary hydroxyl group in ( 6 ) was protected as the tert - butyldiphenylsilyl ether by reaction with tert - butyldiphenylsilyl chloride in the presence of imidazole to afford ( 7 ) in 55 % yield [ hanessian and lavallee , can . j . chem . 53 , 2975 - 2977 ( 1975 )]. although the silyl chloride was present in only slight excess , a significant amount ( 18 %) of a disilyl derivative was also formed ; the structure of this by - product was tentatively assigned as the 2 , 7 - disilylether ( 8 ), since hydroxyl groups α - to lactone carbonyl groups show enhanced reactivity in silylation reactions [ mark and zbiral , monatsch . chem . 112 , 215 - 239 ( 1981 )]. reaction with 2 , 2 - dimethoxypropane in the presence of a catalyst of dl - camphor sulphonic acid gave the diacetonide ( 9 ) [ 68 % yield ], in which the presence of two 5 - ring ketals is clearly indicated by two singlets for the quaternary isopropylidene carbons at about δ110 in the 13 c nmr spectrum ; the quaternary carbon of a six ring ketal generally appears below δ100 . if the acetonation reaction was stopped before completion , both 5 - and 6 - ring monoacetonides could be isolated from the reaction mixture , indicating that ( 9 ) is the thermodynamic product . one approach to the synthesis of ( 1 ) from the divergent intermediate ( 9 ) requires initial introduction of nitrogen at c - 7 . access was gained to c - 7 by cleavage of the silyl ether with fluoride ion to give the primary alcohol ( 10 ) in 86 % yield . esterification of ( 10 ) with trifluoromethane sulphonic anhydride afforded the triflate ( 11 ) which with sodium azide in dimethylformamide at room temperature gave the azide ( 12 ) [ 77 % yield from ( 10 )]. the lactone ( 12 ) was reduced by sodium borohydride in ethanol to the azidodiol ( 13 ) [ 93 % yield ] which was reacted with excess methanesulphonyl chloride in pyridine in the presence of 4 - dimethylaminopyridine to give the dimesylate ( 14 ) [ 94 % yield ]. hydrogenation of the azidodimesylate ( 14 ) in ethanol in the presence of a catalyst of palladium black , followed by heating in ethanol in the presence of sodium acetate , lead directly to the tetracyclic pyrrolizidine ( 15 ) in 76 % yield . in ( 15 ), c - 1 is equivalent with c - 7 , c - 2 with c - 6 and c - 3 with c - 5 giving only five signals in the δ2 . 5 - 5 . 0 region of the 1 h nmr sprectrum , and only four signals in the δ55 - 85 region of the 13 c nmr spectrum ; additionally in the . sup . 13 c nmr spectrum , the quaternary isopropylidene carbons are equivalent and there are two pairs of equivalent isopropylidene methyl carbons . removal of the acetonide groups from ( 15 ) by treatment with aqueous trifluoroacetic acid gave the desired tetrahydroxypyrrolizidine ( 1 ) in 90 % yield [ 15 % overall yield for the ten steps from heptonolactone ( 6 )]. it is clear that removal of the two cyclic ketals in ( 15 ) has resulted in a change of the torsion angles within the structure , since there are significant changes in the coupling constants between ( 1 ) and ( 15 ). b . an alternative synthesis of ( 1 ) from the fully protected lactone ( 9 ) involves initial formation of a pyrrolidine ring between c - 1 and c - 4 . reduction of the lactone ( 9 ) with lithium aluminum hydride in tetrahydrofuran gave the diol ( 16 ) in the 77 % yield , providing access to the c - 1 and c - 4 hydroxyl groups while all the other oxygen functions are protected . the silyl diol ( 16 ) was then converted into the dimesylate ( 17 ) [ 66 % yield ] by treatment with methanesulphonyl chloride in pyridine in the presence of 4 - dimethylaminopyridine ; the anhydrosugar ( 19 ) [ 32 % yield ] was also obtained in this reaction , presumably arising from intramolecular cyclization of the monomesylate ( 18 ). nitrogen was introduced by reaction of the dimesylate ( 17 ) with benzylamine giving the monocyclic pyrrolidine ( 20 ) in 72 % yield ; efficient cyclization of 1 , 4 - dimesylates to pyrrolidines on treatment with benzylamine has been reported by fleet et al ., tetrahedron 44 , 2469 - 2655 ( 1988 ); fleet and son , ibid . 44 , 2637 - 2647 ( 1988 ). the formation of the second pyrrolidine ring was achieved by first removing the silyl protecting group from c - 7 of ( 20 ) by treatment with fluoride ion ( 84 % yield ). subsequent mesylation of the primary alcohol ( 21 ) gave the unstable mesylate ( 22 ) which spontaneously closed to give the n - benzyl pyrrolizidinium salt ( 23 ). cleavage of the n - benzyl group by hydrogenation of ( 23 ) in ethanol in the presence of palladium black , followed by neutralization with sodium bicarbonate gave the pyrrolizidine diacetonide ( 15 ) [ 31 % yield from ( 21 )], identical in all respects to the sample of ( 15 ) prepared by the alternative method a , above . the effect of 1α , 2α , 6α , 7α , 7αβ - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - tetrahydroxypyrrolizidine ( 1 ) on the activity of 12 human liver glycosidases was tested by assay methods described by daher et al ., biochem . j . 258 , 613 - 615 ( 1989 ). the compound ( 1 ) is a weak inhibitor of all human lysosomal , golgi ii and neutral o - mannosidases ( i 50 approximately 1 mm ); in addition it is also a weak inhibitor of α - fucosidase , α - and β - galactosidase , and the broad specificity β - galactosidase / β - glucosidase . the pyrrolizidine ( 1 ) is structurally related to 1 , 4 - dideoxy - 1 , 4 - imino - l - allitol ( dia ) ( 24 ) which is also a relatively weak inhibitor of lysosomal α - mannosidase ( k i 1 . 2 × 10 - 4 m ). dia ( 24 ) is comparable to the pyrrolizidine ( 1 ) in its inhibition of the neutral and golgi ii α - mannosidases [ cenci di bello et al ., biochem . j . 259 , 855 - 861 ( 1989 )]; both dia and ( 1 ) have a relatively broad specificity of inhibition of glycosidases [ daher et al ., supra .]. in contrast , the closely related indolizidine 8 , 8a - diepiswainsonine ( 25 ) is a very effective inhibitor of lysosomal ( k i 2 × 10 - 6 m ) and golgi processing α - mannosidase , both in vivo and in vitro , and the indolizidine ( 25 ) fits the active site of the α - mannosidases more closely than ( 1 ) or ( 24 ). ## str5 ## the following examples will further illustrate the invention in greater detail although it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to these specific examples . melting points were recorded on a kofler block and are corrected . infrared spectra were recorded on either a perkin - elmer 781 spectrophotometer or a perkin - elmer 1750 ir ft spectrometer . optical rotations were measured on a perkin - elmer 241 polarimeter with a path - length of 10 cm ; concentrations are given in g / 100 ml . 1 h nmr spectra were run either at 200 mhz on a varian gemini 200 spectrometer , or at 300 mhz on a bruker wh 300 spectrometer . chemical shifts are quoted on the scale using residual solvent as an internal standard . 13 c nmr spectra were recorded at 50 mhz on a varian gemini 200 spectrometer ; for samples in d 2 o , dioxan ( δ 67 . 2 ) was added as a reference . mass spectra were recorded on either a vg micromass zab 1f , a vg mass lab 20 - 250 or a trio 1 spectrometer using chemical ionization ( ci ) or desorption chemical ionization ( dci ) techniques . microanalyses were performed by the microanalytical service of the dyson perrins laboratory , oxford , u . k . t . l . c . was performed on glass plates coated with silica gel blend 41 ( 80 % silica gel hf 254 and 20 % silica gel g ) or on aluminum plates coated with merck silica gel 60f 254 . compounds were visualized with a spray of 0 . 2 % w / v ceric sulphate and 5 % ammonium molybdate in 2m sulphuric acid , or 0 . 5 % ninhydrin in methanol ( for amines ). flash chromatography was carried out using sorbsil c60 40 / 60 flash silica gel . dry column chromatography was carried out using merck kieselgel 60h . ion exchange columns were packed with aldrich 50x , 8 - 100 resin in the h + form pyridine and benzylamine were distilled ( and stored ) over potassium hydroxide . hexane was distilled to remove involatile fractions . immediately prior to use , dimethylformamide ( dmf ) and dichloromethane were distilled from calcium hydride , and tetrahydrofurane ( thf ) was distilled from sodium benzophenone ketyl . d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 6 ) ( 10 g , 48 . 08 mmol ) and imidazole ( 4 . 98 g , 1 . 5 equiv ) were added to dry dmf ( 25 ml ) and the mixture stirred at 0 ° c . under nitrogen . tert - butylchlorodiphenylsilane ( 13 . 74 ml , 1 . 1 equiv ) was added slowly , after which the reaction mixture was allowed to warm up to room temperature over three hours . after 22 hours , t . l . c . ( eluant ethyl acetate ) indicated that the mixture contained the desired monosilyl derivative ( r f 0 . 65 ) and a smaller amount of another carbohydrate derivative ( r f 0 . 9 ). the crude reaction mixture was shaken with water ( 50 ml ), causing a white precipitate to form . ethyl acetate ( 90 ml ) was added and the layers separated after shaking . the aqueous layer was back - extracted with more ethyl acetate ( 25 ml ). the combined organic extracts were washed with saturated aqueous sodium chloride ( 4 × 25 ml ) and dried ( magnesium sulphate ). evaporation of the solvent followed by dry column chromatography ( eluant hexane ethyl : acetate , 2 : 1 , increasing the eluant polarity with each fraction ), yielding 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 7 ) ( 11 . 02 g , 55 %) as a white solid , m . p . 54 °- 57 ° c . ( found : c , 61 . 58 ; h , 6 . 86 %. c 23 h 30 o 7 si requires : c , 61 . 87 ; h , 6 . 77 %); [ α ] d 20 - 10 . 56 ° ( c , 0 . 99 in chcl 3 ); v max ( chcl 3 ) 3410 ( broad , oh ) and 1790 cm - 1 ( γ - lactone ); and 2 , 7 - di - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 8 ) ( 5 . 94 g , 18 %) as a colorless , viscous oil [ α ] d 20 - 4 . 08 ° ( c , 1 . 20 in chcl 3 ); v max ( chcl 3 ) 3440 ( broad , oh ) and 1790 cm - 1 ( γ - lactone ). 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 7 ) ( 3 . 00 g , 6 . 73 mmol ) and dl - camphor sulphonic acid ( 0 . 15 g , 5 %) were dissolved in dry acetone ( 60 ml ). 2 , 2 - dimethoxypropane ( 3 . 50 g , 5 equiv ) was added and the mixture was stirred at 50 ° c . under reflux for 22 hours . the reaction was quenched by addition of excess sodium hydrogen carbonate , at which stage t . l . c . ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 6 : 1 ) indicated that the reaction mixture contained three compounds , one major product ( r f 0 . 6 ) together with two minor products ( r f 0 . 8 and 0 . 1 ). after filtration and evaporation of the solvent , the residue was purified by flash chromatography ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 8 : 1 ), yielding 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 9 ) ( 2 . 40 g , 68 %) as a white , crystalline solid , m . p . 104 °- 106 ° c . ( found : c , 66 . 19 ; h , 7 . 58 %. c 29 h 38 o 7 si requires : c , 66 . 1 %; h , 7 . 27 %); [ α ] d . sup . 20 - 21 . 64 ° ( c , 0 . 98 in chcl 3 ); v max ( chcl 3 ) 1790 ( γ - lactone ). 1386 and 1377 cm - 1 ( cme 2 ). 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 9 ) ( 4 . 11 g , 7 . 81 mmol ) was dissolved in dry thf ( 200 ml ) and the solution was stirred under nitrogen . tetra - n - butylammonium fluoride ( 11 . 7 ml of a 1m solution in thf , 1 . 5 equiv ) was added dropwise . after one and a half hours t . l . c . ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 6 : 1 ) indicated one product at the baseline but no starting material ( r f 0 . 6 ). evaporation of the solvent gave a pale yellow oil which was purified by flash chromatography ( eluant ethyl acetate : hexane , 3 : 2 ) yielding 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 10 ) ( 1 . 93 g , 86 %) as a white , crystalline solid , m . p . 115 °- 120 ° c . ( found : c , 54 . 46 ; h , 6 . 99 %. c 13 h 20 o 7 requires : c , 54 . 16 ; h , 6 . 99 %); [ α ] d 20 - 53 . 40 ° ( c , 1 . 05 in chcl 3 ); v max ( chcl 3 ) 3560 ( oh ), 1790 ( γ - lactone ), 1388 and 1379 cm - 1 ( cme 2 ). 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 10 ) ( 0 . 50 g , 1 . 74 mmol ) was dissolved in dry dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) and dry pyridine ( 0 . 28 ml , 2 equiv ) was added and the solution was stirred at - 30 ° c . under nitrogen . trifluoromethanesulphonic anhydride ( 0 . 44 ml , 1 . 5 equiv ) was added slowly , and after 30 minutes , t . l . c . ( eluant ethyl acetate : hexane , 2 : 1 ) indicated complete conversion to product ( r f 0 . 9 ). the reaction mixture was worked up as quickly as possible by washing with ice cold saturated aqueous sodium chloride ( 35 ml ) followed by drying over sodium sulphate . the solvent was evaporated leaving an orange residue which was dissolved in dry dmf ( 20 ml ). without further purification , sodium azide ( 0 . 226 g , 2 equiv based on quantitative triflation ) was added and the mixture stirred at room temperature under nitrogen . after 30 minutes , t . l . c . ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 2 : 1 ) indicated that a product had formed ( r f 0 . 4 ). the solvent was evaporated , leaving a residue which was dissolved in dichloromethane ( 30 ml ) and washed with water ( 3 × 15 ml ). after drying ( magnesium sulphate ) and evaporation of the solvent , flash chromatography ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 2 : 1 ) yielded 7 - azido - 7 - deoxy - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 12 ) ( 0 . 42 g , 77 % over two steps ) as a white , crystalline solid , m . p . 89 °- 91 ° c . ( found : c , 50 . 10 ; h , 6 . 29 ; n , 13 . 18 %. c 13 h 19 n 3 o 6 requires : c , 49 . 84 ; h , 6 . 11 ; n , 13 . 41 %); [ α ]. sub . d 20 + 34 . 57 ° ( c , 1 . 00 in chcl 3 ); v max ( chcl 3 ) 2110 ( n 3 ), 1795 ( γ - lactone ), 1386 and 1378 cm - 1 ( cme 2 ). 7 - azido - 7 - deoxy - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 12 ) ( 1 . 84 g , 5 . 88 mmol ) was dissolved in ethanol ( 100 ml ) and stirred at 0 ° c . under nitrogen . sodium borohydride ( 0 . 445 g , 2 equiv ) was added and the reaction mixture allowed to warm up to room temperature . after 18 hours , t . l . c . ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 2 : 1 ) indicated that all starting material had been converted to product ( r f 0 . 2 ). the reaction was quenched by addition of excess solid ammonium chloride , with effervescence . filtration and evaporation of the solvent gave a residue which was purified by flash chromatography ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 2 : 1 ) yielding 7 - azido - 7 - deoxy - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptitol ( 13 ) ( 1 . 74 g , 93 %) as a colorless , viscous oil ( found : c , 49 . 26 ; h , 7 . 30 ; n , 3 . 26 %. c 13 h 23 n 3 o 6 requires : c , 49 . 20 ; h , 7 . 30 ; n , [ α ] d 20 ++ 2 . 87 ° ( c , 0 . 94 in chcl 3 ); v max 3553 ( broad , oh ), 2107 ( n 3 ), 1384 and 1375 cm - 1 ( cme 2 ). 7 - azido - 7 - deoxy - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptitol ( 13 ) ( 0 . 95 g , 3 . 00 mmol ) and 4 - dimethylaminopyridine ( dmap ) ( 1 mg ) were dissolved in dry pyridine ( 15 ml ) and stirred at 0 ° c . under nitrogen . methanesulphonyl chloride ( 1 . 39 ml , 6 equiv ) was added slowly and after 4 hours the reaction mixture was allowed to warm up to room temperature . after 18 hours , t . l . c . ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 2 : 1 ) indicated that no starting material remained ( r f 0 . 2 ) while a major product had formed ( r f 0 . 25 ). the solvent was evaporated , leaving a red oil which was dissolved in ethyl acetate ( 150 ml ) and washed with water ( 75 ml ). after drying ( magnesium sulphate ) the crude mixture was purified by flash chromatography ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 2 : 1 ) yielding 7 - azido - 7 - deoxy - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 4 - di - o - methanesulphonyl - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptitol ( 14 ) ( 1 . 33 g , 94 %) as a colorless , viscous oil , [ α ] d 20 + 8 . 22 ° ( c , 1 . 07 in chcl 3 ); v max ( chcl 3 ) 2109 cm - 1 ( n 3 ). 7 - azido - 7 - deoxy - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 4 - di - o - methane sulphonyl - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptitol ( 14 ) ( 0 . 64 g , 1 . 35 mmol ) was dissolved in ethanol ( 50 ml ) and palladium black ( 10 %) was added . after degassing the solution , the reaction mixture was stirred vigorously under hydrogen at room temperature for two hours . at this stage , t . l . c . ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 2 : 1 ) indicated that all starting material ( r f 0 . 25 ) had reacted to give a product which remained at the baseline . the reaction mixture was filtered through celite to remove the catalyst , sodium acetate ( 0 . 33 g , 3 equiv based on quantitative reduction ) added and the mixture stirred at 50 ° c . under nitrogen . after 12 hours , t . l . c . ( eluant ethyl acetate : methanol , 9 : 1 ) showed that the reaction mixture was predominantly one compound ( r f 0 . 5 ). after evaporating the solvent , the crude mixture was purified by flash chromatography ( eluant ethyl acetate , increasing polarity to ethyl acetate : methanol , 9 : 1 ) giving 1α , 2α , 6α , 7α , 7αβ - 1 , 2 : 6 , 7 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - tetrahydroxy pyrrolizidine ( 15 ) ( 0 . 26 g , 76 % over two steps ) as a pale brown solid , m . p . 66 °- 69 ° c . ( diethyl ether ) ( found : c , 60 . 81 ; h , 8 . 44 ; n , 5 . 23 %. c 13 h 21 no 4 requires : c , 61 . 16 ; h , 8 . 29 ; n , 5 . 49 %); [ α ] d 20 + 1 . 06 ° ( c , 1 . 14 in chcl 3 ). 1α , 2α , 6α , 7α , 7αβ - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - tetrahydroxy pyrrolizidine ( 15 ) ( 112 mg , 0 . 44 mmol ) was dissolved in 50 % aqueous trifluoroacetic acid ( 20 ml ) and stirred at room temperature for six hours . after evaporation of the solvent , the residue was dissolved in water and purified on an ion exchange column ( h + form ), eluting with 0 . 5m aqueous ammonia . freeze drying yielded 1α , 2α , 6α , 7α , 7αβ - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - tetrahydroxy pyrrolizidine ( 1 ) ( 69 mg , 90 %) as a pale brown solid , m . p . 170 °- 175 ° c . ( dec .) ( found : c , 47 . 62 ; h , 7 . 65 ; n , 7 . 77 %. c 7 h 13 no 4 requires : c , 47 . 99 ; h , 7 . 48 ; n , 8 . 00 %); [ α ] d 20 0 ° ( c , 1 . 06 in h 2 o ); v max ( kbr disc ) 3400 cm - 1 ( very broad , oh ). 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - 1 , 2 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptono - 1 , 4 - lactone ( 9 ) ( 116 mg , 0 . 22 mmol ) was dissolved in dry thf ( 10 ml ) and stirred at 0 ° c . under nitrogen . lithium aluminum hydride ( 25 mg , 3 equiv ) was added and the reaction mixture allowed to warm up slowly to room temperature . after 9 hours , t . l . c . ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 2 : 1 ) indicated that no starting material remained ( r f 0 . 9 ) while a major product had formed ( r f 0 . 1 ). the reaction was quenched by the addition of excess solid ammonium chloride , the mixture filtered and the solvent evaporated . purification by flash chromatography ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 3 : 1 ) yielded 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptitol ( 16 ) ( 78 mg , 77 %) as a colorless , viscous oil , [ α ] d 20 - 2 . 39 ° ( c , 1 . 05 in chcl 3 ); v max ( chcl 3 ) 3561 ( broad , oh ), 1383 and 1374 cm - 1 ( cme 2 ). 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptitol ( 16 ) ( 260 mg , 0 . 49 mmol ) and dmap ( 1 mg ) were dissolved in dry pyridine ( 10 ml ) and stirred at 0 ° c . under nitrogen . methanesulphonyl chloride ( 0 . 15 ml , 4 equiv ) was added slowly and after 3 hours the reaction mixture was allowed to warm up to room temperature . after 20 hours , t . l . c . ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 3 : 2 ) indicated that two products had formed ( r f 0 . 5 and 0 . 8 ) while no starting material remained ( r f 0 . 4 ). after evaporation of the solvent , the residue was shaken with ethyl acetate ( 60 ml ), leaving an insoluble brown solid . the filtrate was washed with water ( 70 ml ) and dried ( magnesium sulphate ). after filtration and evaporation of the solvent , flash chromatography ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 3 : 1 ) yielded 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 4 - di - o - methane sulphonyl d - glycero - d - gulo - heptitol ( 17 ) ( 224 mg , 67 %) as a colorless , viscous oil , [ α ] d 20 - 9 . 40 ° ( c , 1 . 08 in chcl . sub . 3 ); and 1 , 4 - anhydro7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - 1 - deoxy - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptitol ( 19 ) ( 81 mg , 32 %) as a colorless , viscous oil , [ α ] d 20 + 34 . 71 ° ( c , 1 . 02 in chcl 3 ); v max ( chcl 3 ) 1382 and 1375 cm - 1 ( cme 2 ). 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 4 - di - o - methanesulphonyl - d - glycero - d - gulo - heptitol ( 17 ) ( 147 mg , 0 . 21 mmol ) was dissolved in benzylamine ( 10 ml ) and stirred at 50 ° c . under nitrogen for 72 hours . at this stage , t . l . c . ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 3 : 1 ) indicated that no starting material remained ( r f 0 . 2 ) while a major product had formed ( r f 0 . 8 ). the benzylamine was evaporated , leaving a dark red oil which was dissolved in ethyl acetate ( 20 ml ). silica gel was added and the solvent evaporated to pre - adsorb the compound . flash chromatography ( eluant hexane , increasing polarity to hexane : ethyl acetate , 6 : 1 ) yielded n - benzyl - 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - 1 , 4 - dideoxy - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 4 - imino - d - glycero - d - allo - heptitol ( 20 ) ( 94 mg , 72 %) as a pale yellow , viscous oil , [ α ] d 20 - 14 . 08 ° ( c , 1 . 20 in chcl 3 ); v max ( chcl 3 ) 1383 and 1375 cm - 1 ( cme 2 ). n - benzyl - 7 - o - tert - butyldiphenylsilyl - 1 , 4 - dideoxy - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 4 - imino - d - glycero - d - allo - heptitol ( 20 ) ( 94 mg , 0 . 16 mmol ) was dissolved in dry thf ( 10 ml ) and stirred at room temperature under nitrogen . tetra - n - butylammonium fluoride ( 0 . 23 ml of a 1m solution in thf , 1 . 5 equiv ) was added and after 3 hours , t . l . c . ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 3 : 1 ) indicated that no starting material remained ( r f 0 . 8 ) while a major product had formed ( r f 0 . 25 ). evaporation of the solvent followed by flash chromatography ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 3 : 1 ) yielding n - benzyl - 1 , 4 - dideoxy - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 4 - imino - d - glycero - d - allo - heptitol ( 21 ) ( 48 mg , 84 %) as a colorless , viscous oil , [ α ] d 20 - 58 . 44 ° ( c , 1 . 03 in chcl 3 ); v max ( chcl 3 ) 3670 ( oh ), 1386 and 1377 cm - 1 ( cme 2 ). n - benzyl - 1 , 4 - dideoxy - 2 , 3 : 5 , 6 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 4 - imino - d - glycero - d - allo - heptitol ( 21 ) ( 91 mg , 0 . 25 mmol ) was dissolved in dry dichloromethane ( 15 ml ). dry pyridine ( 0 . 04 ml , 2 equiv ) was added and the solution stirred at 0 ° c . under nitrogen . methanesulphonyl chloride ( 0 . 03 ml , 1 . 5 equiv ) was added slowly , and after 4 hours the reaction mixture was allowed to warm up to room temperature . after 24 hours , t . l . c . ( eluant hexane : ethyl acetate , 3 : 1 ) indicated a product at the baseline but no starting material ( r f 0 . 25 ). evaporation of the solvent and trituration with diethyl ether ( 2 × 5 ml ) gave a white solid residue which was dissolved in ethanol ( 5 ml ) and added to a mixture of pre - reduced palladium black ( 10 %) in degassed ethanol ( 10 ml ). the resultant mixture was stirred vigorously at room temperature under hydrogen for 24 hours and then filtered through celite . evaporation of the solvent gave a white solid residue which was dissolved in ethyl acetate ( 20 ml ), washed with saturated aqueous sodium hydrogen carbonate ( 10 ml ) and dried ( magnesium sulphate ). flash chromatography ( eluant ethyl acetate , increasing polarity to ethyl acetate : methanol , 9 : 1 ) yielded 1α , 2α , 6α , 7α , 7αβ - 1 , 2 : 6 , 7 - di - o - isopropylidene - 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 - tetrahydroxy pyrrolizidine ( 15 ) ( 20 mg , 31 %) as a pale yellow oil with spectroscopic data identical to those in example 7 , above . various other examples will be apparent to the person skilled in the art after reading the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . it is intended that all such other examples be included within the scope of the appended claims . | 2 |
a developing apparatus according to the present invention will hereinafter be described in greater detail . however , the dimensions , materials , shapes , relative arrangement , and so on , of constituent parts described herein are not intended to restrict the scope of this invention thereto unless particularly specified . an image forming apparatus provided with the developing apparatus used in this embodiment is similar to the image forming apparatus described in the example of the conventional art with reference to fig9 in the general construction thereof and the construction of the ramming runner 52 of the developing device shown in fig6 and therefore , those constructions need not be described in detail again . description will first be made of the control of the rotation of a moving member ( rotary ) 4 which is a developing device changeover mechanism which is a characteristic portion of the present embodiment . the controlling operation until the image forming process described in the example of the conventional art is started , that is , until an image signal is transmitted , or in the present embodiment , until a copy button is depressed , is similar to that in the example of the conventional art described with reference to fig1 . that is , the rotary 4 is provided with a flag ( not shown ) and as a rotary developing apparatus , it is designed to be rotatively moved with the flag with the rotation of a rotary motor 41 , and an apparatus main body is provided with a home position detecting sensor 42 for detecting the rotated position of the rotary 4 , and this sensor 42 is disposed so as to detect the flag provided on the rotary 4 , and when a central control board 100 recognizes that the power supply switch of the apparatus has been closed , a motor table signal is transmitted to a motor rotation control board 43 , whereby the rotary motor 41 starts its rotating operation . when subsequently , a y developing device 5 y is disposed at a home position hp disposed at a developing position , this fact is detected by the home position detecting sensor 42 , and the motor rotation control board 43 stops the motor 41 and the y developing device 5 y stands by at the home position hp . when the central control board 100 of an apparatus control mechanism recognizes that a copy start button has been depressed , that is , an image forming signal has been transmitted , the rotary 4 is rotated on the basis of motor tables 44 ( 44 a , 44 b ), but the present embodiment has changing means for changing the moving speed of the rotary 4 by the moving distance of each developing device 5 to the developing position 50 , and as what constitutes the changing means , use is made of motor tables 44 a and 44 b shown in fig1 . of these motor tables 44 ( 44 a , 44 b ) used for the control of the rotation of the rotary , the table 44 a is for the 120 ° movement of c → bk , and the table 44 b is for the 80 ° movement of y → m , m → c and bk → y ( hp ). that is , the two tables 44 a and 44 b , i . e ., acceleration and deceleration curves , are similar to each other , and have effected the shortening of the moving time as a maximum value at which the motor 41 does not lose synchronism . the table 44 a used in the rotation of a long moving distance makes the rotational speed of the rotary 4 higher than the table 44 b , that is , makes the rotational speed different , and makes the moving time equivalent , whereby there has been effected such control that the time for each developing device 5 to be moved from a developing standby position which is a position just preceding the developing position 50 to the developing position p is made the same . the timing at which the rotary 4 is rotated is set in connection with the image forming steps such as exposure , primary transfer and secondary transfer in accordance with an operation sequence shown in fig2 . referring to fig4 and 5 a to 5 d , a laser beam is first emitted to the exposing position 30 ( see fig4 ) of a photosensitive drum 1 on the basis of y image information ( timing y 1 ), whereby a y latent image is formed on the drum 1 . the y latent image is moved to the developing position 50 provided downstream of the exposing position 30 with respect to the direction of rotation of the drum 1 , and a y toner is applied to the drum 1 by the y developing device 5 y . further , a y developer image ( toner image ) is moved to a primary transferring position t 1 provided downstream of the developing position 50 with respect to the direction of rotation of the drum 1 , and is primary - transferred onto an itb 2 d by a primary transfer roller 2 e ( timing y 2 ). here again , much time is required from after the exposure till the primary transfer and therefore , it is impossible to change over the timing of exposure and the timing of primary transfer at a time and accordingly , the exposure and the primary transfer become operation sequences differing in timing from each other . when y developing is terminated later than y exposure ( timing y 1 ), the rotary 4 starts its rotation ( timing r 2 ), and at the developing position 50 , changeover from the y developing device 5 y to an m developing device 5 m ( y - m ) is effected . in the meantime , the exposure of m ( timing m 1 ) is not started , but yet the primary transfer of y ( timing y 2 ) still continues and therefore , the influence of the contact ( contact shock ) of the rotary 4 with the photosensitive drum 1 at timing r 1 does not appear in the exposure , but yet appears in the primary transfer at the timing y 2 . the aforedescribed operation is repeated , whereby y , m , c and bk are multiplexly transferred onto the itb 2 d . in fig2 , parts designated by y 1 , m 1 , c 1 , and bk 1 in the exposure portion represent respective image forming regions on the photosensitive drum ( image bearing member ) 1 then , electrostatic images corresponding to the respective colors of y , m , c , and bk are formed within the respective image forming regions . the multiplexly transferred images on the itb 2 d are moved to a secondary transferring position t 2 provided downstream of the primary transferring position t 1 with respect to the direction of rotation of the itb 2 d , and are secondary - transferred to a recording material conveyed in synchronism with the multiplexly transferred images , by a secondary transfer roller 7 ( timing x ). when bk developing is terminated later than bk exposure ( timing bk 1 ), the rotary 4 starts its rotation , and changeover from a bk developing device 5 bk to the y developing device sy is effected ( timing r 5 ). in the meantime , the secondary transfer ( timing x ) continues and therefore , the influence of the rotation of the rotary 4 ( timing r 5 ) also appears in the secondary transfer ( timing x ). also , in the primary transfer ( timing y 2 , timing m 2 , timing c 2 , timing bk 2 ), all the timing r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 of the rotation of the rotary 4 which affect become the same in the 120 ° movement of c → bk and the 80 ° movement of y → m , m → c and bk → y ( hp ). the rotary contact shock and the phenomena of position misregister and color misregister occurring from the above - described operation will be described here with reference to fig3 a to 3 c . as previously described , when the control of the rotation of the rotary 4 is effected in accordance with the operation sequence shown in fig2 , position misregister occurs due to the shock with which the ramming runner 52 of the developing device 5 contacts with the drum 1 during primary transfer . in the present embodiment , the position misregister is such as shown in fig3 a . in fig3 a , 3b and 3 c , the number of lines indicates an image position , and 0 is the head and 74 is the trailing edge of the image . that is , in the present embodiment , the rotating operation time of the rotary 4 is equivalent for the respective colors and therefore , all of the position misregister of y , m , c and bk images occur in the vicinity of 72 lines . the color misregister from the c reference color at this time is shown in fig3 b . the influence of the position misregister of y , m , c and bk images ( color misregister occurs ) is offset by the influence of the position misregister of the c reference color and no color misregister occurs . a maximum color misregister amount occurring to the images on the itb is shown in fig3 c . here , relative to the c reference color , bk position - misregisters toward the leading edge side of the images , and the color misregister amount is minus , and m position - misregisters toward the trailing edge side of the images , and the color misregister amount is plus . therefore , the color - misregister amount becomes greater between bk - m than between bk - c and between m - c . according to this , the maximum color misregister amount occurring to the images is 0 . 08 , and has decreased to about a half as compared with the conventional art in which the speed was made constant in spite of the moving distance of the developing device 5 . as described above , the rotating time of the rotary 4 for each color is made equivalent , whereby the position misregister occurring position to the images is adjusted , whereby color misregister can be prevented . as another form of the present embodiment , description will be made of a form in which the motor tables 44 used in the control of the rotation of the rotary 4 which is the developing device changeover mechanism are changed over in accordance with an operation mode . an image forming apparatus used in the present embodiment is similar to the image forming apparatus used in the first embodiment except for the motor tables 44 and therefore need not be described . the mode in which the control of the rotation of the rotary 4 according to the present embodiment is required is divided broadly into three modes , i . e ., ( 1 ) an ordinary color image forming mode , ( 2 ) a toner supplying mode and ( 3 ) an image adjusting mode . in the first embodiment , the motor tables 44 a and 44 b shown in fig1 are used for the control of the rotation of the rotary 4 in these modes ( 1 ), ( 2 ) and ( 3 ). in the present embodiment , for the further stabilization of the toner supply , different motor tables 44 are used in ( 1 ) the image forming mode , ( 2 ) the toner supplying mode and ( 3 ) the image adjusting mode . here again , in ( 1 ) the image forming mode , such motor tables 44 a and 44 b as shown in fig1 and 7 are used for the control of the rotation of the rotary 4 to thereby prevent color misregister . in ( 2 ) the toner supplying mode and ( 3 ) the image adjusting mode , however , use is made of such motor tables 44 a ( solid line ) and 44 c ( dot - and - dash line ) as shown in fig7 wherein the rotational speed of the rotary 4 is equivalent . the motor table 44 c is used during the 80 ° movement of y → m , m → c and bk → y ( hp ) in which the moving distance is short , and the motor table 44 a is used during the 120 ° movement of c → bk in which the moving distance is long . the present image forming apparatus effects the toner supply by the rotation of the rotary 4 for image forming . when at this time , high density images have been continuously copied , the copying is discontinued and the toner supplying sequence by the idle rotation control of the rotary 4 is executed . in ( 2 ) the toner supplying mode , the purpose is to fill the developing device 5 with a toner from a supplying container 11 by the rotation of the rotary 4 and image forming is not carried out and therefore , color misregister need not be taken into consideration . the rotation of the rotary 4 during the toner supply is made equal in speed , whereby stable toner supply can be realized . usually the toner supply is satisfied by several full idle rotations and copying is resumed . fig1 a is a front view of a supplying container body 11 provided in the rotary 4 together with the developing devices 5 , fig1 b is a side view thereof , fig1 c is a front cross - sectional view thereof , fig1 d is a perspective view thereof , and fig1 e is a perspective see - through view thereof . the container body 11 is provided with a developer discharge opening 11 a , a shutter guide 11 b and carrying projections 11 d . the discharge opening 11 a as an opening portion is a rectangle of 10 mm × 15 mm , and is formed in the peripheral surface of the container 11 at a location of 40 mm from the end surface of the container 11 . the developer contained in the container body 11 is discharged to the developing device 5 through the discharge opening 11 a . by the discharge opening 11 a being formed in the peripheral surface of the container body 11 , the residual developer amount residual in the developer supplying container 11 after discharge can be made small , as compared with a developer supplying container provided with an opening portion in the end surface of the container body 11 . also , the discharge opening 11 a can be made shorter than the full length of the container body 11 in the longitudinal direction thereof to thereby reduce the stains by the adherence of the developer . the shutter guide 11 b comprises two hook - shaped ribs provided near the developer discharge opening 11 a of the container body 11 and parallel to the circumferential direction thereof a shutter ( not shown ) engageable with this shutter guide 11 b is mounted for reciprocal movement in the circumferential direction . in the interior of the container body 11 , the carrying projections 11 d for carrying the contained developer to the discharge opening 11 a are spaced apart from each other and protrudedly provided on the inner wall of the container body 11 . the carrying projections 11 d are provided while being divided into two upper and lower groups spaced apart circumferentially of the container body 11 . in the present embodiment , the height of the projections is 5 mm and the thickness thereof is 1 mm . the height of the carrying projections 11 d on the small - diametered portion of the container body 11 which is adjacent to the discharge opening 11 a is 2 . 5 mm , and six projections and seven projections are provided on the upper portion and lower portion , respectively , of the container body 11 . by the carrying projections 11 d being thus provided while being divided into two upper and lower groups circumferentially spaced apart from each other , the developer can be effectively loosened by the spacing - apart portion between adjacent ones of the projections , and the developer can be smoothly discharged through the discharge opening 11 a . also , the container body 11 can be manufactured by molding what has been divided into two upper and lower parts , and adhesively securing the two to each other , and the container body 11 can be shaped and manufactured by a minimum number of divisions and as a result , it can be manufactured inexpensively . the container body 11 is filled with a predetermined amount of developer and is mounted on the rotary 4 and unsealed by the aforedescribed procedure . in the process of image forming , the developer in the developing device 5 is gradually consumed , but design is made such that the developer is sent into the developing device 5 by a signal from means ( not shown ) for detecting the developer amount in the developing device 5 or the ratio between the developer and carrier , and by the action of the carrying projections lid in the container 11 , and the developer amount in the developing device 5 or the ratio between the developer and carrier is kept substantially constant . design is made such that at the developing position 50 , the developing device 5 is operated , whereby the developer in the developing device 5 is decreased near the connected portion to the discharge opening 11 a of the developer supplying container 11 . the developer supplying container 11 is designed to communicate with a developer receiving port ( not shown ) on the developing device 5 side . therefore , if the developer in the developing device 5 is decreased , the developer present in the end portion of the developer supplying container 11 will immediately fall from gravity and be supplied to the developing device 5 through the discharge opening 11 a . thus , in the rotation of the rotary 4 for the toner supply , use is made of the motor tables 44 a and 44 c in which the rotational speed of the rotary 4 is equivalent , whereby quick and stable supply is obtained . as another form of the present embodiment , description will now be made of a form in which the motor tables 44 used for the control of the rotation of the rotary 4 which is the developing device changeover mechanism are changed over in accordance with the operation mode . an image forming apparatus used in the present embodiment is similar to the image forming apparatus used in the first and second embodiments , except for the motor tables 44 , and therefore need not be described . the situation in which the control of the rotation of the rotary 4 is required is divided broadly into three modes , i . e , ( 1 ) the ordinary color image forming mode , ( 2 ) the toner supplying mode and ( 3 ) the image adjusting mode , as described above . in the first embodiment , the motor tables 44 a and 44 b shown in fig1 are used for the control of the rotation of the rotary 4 in the modes ( 1 ), ( 2 ) and ( 3 ). also , in the second embodiment , the motor tables 44 a and 44 b shown in fig1 are used for the control of the rotation of the rotary 4 in the modes ( 1 ) and ( 3 ), and the motor tables 44 a and 44 c shown in fig7 are used for the control of the rotation of the rotary 4 in the mode ( 2 ). in the present embodiment , in ( 1 ) the image forming mode , the motor tables 44 a and 44 b shown in fig1 are used for the control of the rotation of the rotary 4 to thereby prevent color misregister . also , in ( 2 ) the toner supplying mode which is a non - image forming mode , use is made of the motor tables 44 a and 44 c shown in fig7 wherein the rotational speed of the rotary 4 is equivalent , and in ( 3 ) the image adjusting mode , during the 80 ° movement of y → m , m → c and bk → y ( hp ) in which the moving distance is short , use is made of the same table 44 c ( dot - and - dash line ) as that in ( 2 ) the toner supplying mode , and for the further shortening of time , use is made of a motor table 44 d ( dots - and - dash line ) shown in fig8 to thereby shorten the time in the c → bk movement wherein the moving distance is long . that is , in the present embodiment , the motor table 44 c is used during the 80 ° movement of y → m , m → c and bk → y ( hp ) in which the moving distance is short , and the motor table 44 d is used during the 120 ° movement c → bk in which the moving distance is long . in the case of the motor table 44 d , the speed is accelerated more to the maximum than in the case of the ordinary motor table 44 a to thereby shorten the moving time . in the image adjusting mode , there is incorporated a sequence for transferring the y , m , c and bk toner images to the itb 2 d , measuring the toner density by an optical sensor ( not shown ), and optimizing various adjusted values . therefore , it becomes possible to make each developing device changeover time shortest to thereby shorten the image adjusting time and achieve an improvement in the adjustment down time . in the first embodiment to the third embodiment , description has been made of such an image forming apparatus as shown in fig9 adopting such a construction as shown in detail in fig4 which carries the developing devices 5 of four colors on the rotary 4 , and conveys the developing devices 5 to the hp one by one in the order of arrangement thereof along the rotation outer periphery of the rotary 4 , and having a construction in which among the developing devices 5 , the bk developing device 5 bk which is high in the frequency of use is great in the capacity of the toner container 11 bk thereof and therefore , the moving distance of the rotary 4 in c bk is lengthened . in the present embodiment , reference is had to fig1 to describe an example in which the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus in which the arrangement of the developing devices 5 in the rotary 4 is changed and developing devices 5 of six colors are carried on the rotary 4 . the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment is similar to the image forming apparatus shown in fig9 which has been described in the first to third embodiments , except for the construction of the rotary 4 , and therefore the whole of the image forming apparatus need not be described . the present embodiment , as shown in fig1 , has a rotary 4 carrying thereon developing devices 5 of light magenta m and light cyan c , besides yellow y , magenta m , cyan c and black bk . thus , the six developing devices 5 ( 5 y , 5 m , 5 m , 5 c , 5 c and 5 bk ) are made to correspond to a single photosensitive drum 1 , and the rotary 4 is rotated to thereby change over the developing devices 5 and effect developing . then , images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drum 1 are primary - transferred to an intermediate transfer belt 2 d which is an intermediate transfer member ( transfer medium ), whereby multiplex transfer is effected on the intermediate transfer belt 2 d , and the multiplexly transferred images are secondary - transferred to a recording material ( transfer medium ) fed from a sheet feeding apparatus 6 , under the action of a secondary transfer roller 7 . the developing device 5 m of light magenta and the developing device 5 c of light cyan are filled with developers including toners of the same hue but lower in density than the magenta toner and the cyan toner filling the developing devices 5 m and 5 c , respectively . that is , these developing devices contain therein toners of two colors magenta ( m ) and cyan ( c ) of the same hue but high in density and low in density . the toners of the same hue but of different density usually refer to toners which are equal in the spectral characteristic , but differing in the amount , of a coloring component ( pigment ) contained in a toner having resin and a coloring component ( pigment ) as a base substance . a light color toner refers to a toner relatively low in density , of a combination of toners of the same hue but differing in density . in the toners of the same hue but low in density ( light color toners ), the optical density after fixing is less than 1 . 0 per toner amount of 0 . 5 mg / cm 2 on a recording material , and in a toner high in density ( deep color toner ), the optical density after fixing is 1 . 0 or greater per toner amount of 0 . 5 mg / cm 2 on the recording material . now , in the present embodiment , in ( 1 ) the ordinary image forming mode , there are set two kinds of modes , i . e ., ( 1a ) a six - color image forming mode using all of the developing devices 5 of six colors , and ( 1b ) a four - color image forming mode using the other four colors than light magenta and light cyan . so , in ( 1b ) the four - color image forming mode , the developing operation is performed in the order of yellow y , magenta m , cyan c and black bk , and there are a case where the moving distance of the rotary 4 is long and a case where the moving distance of the rotary 4 is short , and motor control using the two kinds of motor tables 44 a and 44 b shown in fig1 is carried out . again in such an image forming apparatus , the rotating time of the rotary 4 for each color is made equivalent to thereby adjust the position misregister occurring position to the images , whereby color misregister can be prevented . as a range within which the moving times to the developing position in the present embodiment become substantially equal , a range in which a time required for the drum moving a predetermined distance fluctuates when the rotational speed of the drum fluctuates within a range of − 0 . 2 % to 0 . 2 % is preferable , and the more approximate to 0 , the better . this application claims priority from japanese patent application no . 2004 - 008557 filed on jan . 15 , 2004 , which is hereby incorporated by reference herein | 6 |
referring now to fig1 - 3 , there is shown a hair curling iron 10 having a cylindrical handle 12 and a cylindrical hair winding portion 14 . curling iron 10 is provided with a conventional electrical two wire cord 16 and strain relief 18 in order to provide electrical power to a heating means 60 within hair winding portion 14 , as will be understood below . the invention enables the diameter of handle 12 to be uniform and substantially equal to the diameter of hair winding portion 14 . in the preferred embodiment there is a slight step at the junction of the surfaces of handle 12 and hair winding portion 14 such that the outer surface of the hair retaining clip 32 ( described below ) is generally aligned with the outer surface of handle 12 . unlike the prior art , the invention eliminates clip actuating projections such that all portions of the surface of curling iron 10 are at substantially the same radial distance from the longitudinal axis of the curling iron . handle 12 comprises a resilient or flexible covering sleeve 20 which fits over the handle body portion 22 ( best seen in fig2 ) of handle 12 . sleeve 20 is provided with index 24 for identifying a predetermined portion of the sleeve member as will be better understood below . in the preferred embodiment , index 24 is in the form of raised ribs on the outer surface of sleeve 20 . this provides a tactile as well as visual indication , although it will be understood that other indicia may be used such as colored or textured marks , etc . sleeve 20 is generally uniformly cylindrical although the rear end 21 of sleeve 20 ( adjacent strain relief 18 ) tapers down to a diameter smaller than the main portion of the sleeve body . if desired , sleeve 20 could be a uniformly dimensioned cylindrical sleeve in which event a portion of body portion 22 adjacent strain relief 18 could be visible . any suitable means of attaching sleeve 20 to body portion 22 may be used ( e . g . friction fit , appropriate adhesives , etc .). sleeve 20 is made of soft , pliable elastomeric material such as polyvinyl chloride and may be made with a variety of predetermined textured characteristics . as will be understood by those skilled in the art , sleeve 20 must be sufficiently flexible to enable it to be squeezed or depressed enough to activate underlying associated activating mechanisms . in the preferred embodiment , sleeve 20 has generally cylindrical interior and exterior surfaces in order to conform to the cylindrical shape of body portion 22 and provide a cylindrical surface for the user to grip . the interior and exterior surfaces of sleeve 20 may be shaped differently , it being understood that any shape suitable for enabling squeezing or depressing of the sleeve in the area of the activating mechanism is within the scope of the invention . indeed , only the portion of sleeve 20 adjacent the actuating mechanism needs to be flexible . hair winding portion 14 comprises a plastic cylindrical barrel 30 , a hair retaining clip 32 having an inwardly facing partially cylindrical surface to conform to the cylindrical surface of barrel 30 in a conventional manner , a clip actuating mechanism , an annular translucent or transparent light window 36 and an end cap 38 . while a portion of clip 32 and actuating mechanism are on the handle side of the juncture of the handle and the hair winding portion , they are for present purposes deemed to be a portion of the latter to simplify explanation of the invention . referring now to fig2 , 4a and 4b , the internal construction of curling iron 10 and the operation of clip 32 will be better understood . it will be noted that clip 32 has a longitudinal hair retaining portion 40 and an actuating projection 42 longitudinally aligned and integrally formed therewith . in the preferred embodiment projection 42 is slightly offset radially inwardly from portion 40 . clip 32 is provided with a pair of transverse pivot pins 44a and 44b intermediate portions 40 and 42 for engaging pivot recesses ( not shown ) molded into the handle body portion 22 . the clip actuating mechanism comprises a leaf spring 46 which is tensioned between the bottom of body portion 22 and the bottom of projection 42 and serves to bias clip 32 against barrel 30 . spring 46 is held in place adjacent projection 42 by a retaining bar 47 molded into the clip . it will be understood that inward movement or depression of flexible sleeve 20 in the area of index 24 will cause clip 32 to pivot . body portion 22 is provided with a recess 50 extending sufficiently below the cylindrical interior surface of sleeve 20 so that projection 42 may be received therein as clip 32 is pivoted on transverse pins 44a and 44b . as used herein , the term recess includes the space bonded by the aperture ( top of the recess ) in the surface of the handle and any internal surface of the handle facing the space . recess 50 has a bottom surface 52 which limits the motion of projection 42 and serves as the top of a generally longitudinally extending channel which not only protects the components in the interior of body portion 22 but also serves to protect the user from exposure to uninsulated live electrical components in the event sleeve 20 tears or is otherwise removed . in the preferred embodiment , body portion 22 is formed of two compatible halves 22a and 22b in order to facilitate assembly and enable the molding of internal structure . the interior of body portion 22 is an insulating electrical enclosure . recess 50 must be sufficiently large both longitudinally and transversely to enable sleeve 20 to be flexed inwardly enough to fully depress actuating projection 42 without unduly stressing the sleeve . annular light window 36 is axially aligned with barrel 30 at a point distal from handle 12 . a light assembly 54 comprising neon light 55 and suitable resistor 56 is connected via wires 57 to electrically conducting portions of the heating means 60 in order to turn the light on when the heating means is turned on . the interior of window 36 may be a faceted surface to enhance light refraction . the annular nature of window 36 provides a visual indication of the power condition of the appliance from substantially all viewpoints . heating means 60 comprises a positive temperature coefficient ( ptc ) heater 62 sandwiched between two c - shaped aluminum heat sinks 64 and 66 in a conventional manner . two parallel electrode 65 and 67 are interposed between ptc 62 and heat sinks 64 and 66 , respectively , and are connected via crimp terminals and wires 68 and 69 to electrical contact members 70 and 71 . contacts 70 and 71 are connected in a conventional manner to swivel connector 72 which is operatively connected to the end of two wire cord 16 . wires 68 and 69 are run in the channel under bottom surface 52 of recess 50 . electrodes 65 and 67 also serve as bus bars to power light assembly 54 . the assembly of curling iron 10 is facilitated and made more economical by separating hairwinding portion 14 from the handle and electrical subassembly . this also facilitates manufacture of hair appliances having a variety of hair winding portions which may be attached to a common handle . for example , the hair winding portion may be in the form of a curling brush rather than a curling iron , both having a commonly dimensioned barrel to fit the remaining components . the assembly of the handle , its internal electrical components and heater assembly 60 ( described below ) as a unit enables barrel 30 to be subsequently slipped over heater 60 and snapped into the handle body portion . the barrel and handle body portion are held together by convetional locking tabs and associated apertures molded into the parts . sleeve 20 may then be slipped over the handle body portion ( and actuating projection 42 if a curling iron is being made ) and oriented via molded keys ( not shown ). the orientation properly positions index 24 . the connection of sleeve 20 to the handle body portion is made secure by providing an annular flange 74 at one end of barrel 30 , the flange being received within an annular channel 75 on the inside of sleeve 20 and being adjacent an annular ridge 76 on the surface of handle body portion 22 . sleeve 20 may be provided with a slightly recessed area 77 in which labelling and identifying information may be embossed . the manufacture of the appliance is facilitated by the use of a spacer 80 interposed between heat sinks 64 and 66 and having an aperture 82 for receiving ptc heater 62 therein . spacer 80 is made of a suitable insulating material and is preferably molded in order to facilitate the shaping of various features as will be more fully explained below . spacer 80 , best seen in fig5 a - 5e , is further provided with a shaped end portion 86 intended for mating with complementarily shaped aperture 90 formed in both halves 22a and 22b of handle body portion 22 . the two halves 22a and 22b when joined in a conventional manner retain spacer 80 firmly therebetween . spacer 80 in turn holds all components of heater 60 attached to it to form a subassembly which may then be attached to handle halves 22a and 22b via end portion 86 . alternatively , handle body portion 22 and barrel 30 may be made as one integral piece with the other components suitably inserted therein . referring to fig5 a - 5e , it will be noted that spacer 80 is symmetrical and it will be understood that , for simplification , only the features of one side will be described . spacer 80 comprises a recessed channel 150 extending lengthwise between two opposed platform edges 152 and 154 . edges 152 and 154 insure sufficient insulating clearance between the heat sinks , provide spacing between the heat sinks to avoid bending the electrodes and serve as adhesive bearing surfaces for receiving a longitudinal insulating tape strip over the electrode in certain embodiments requiring double insulation . aperture 82 for receiving ptc 62 is situated in the middle of channel 150 . edges 152 and 154 are approximately as long as heat sinks 64 and 66 ( best seen in fig2 ) and the width of spacer 80 is decreased at each end 156 and 158 . as shown in fig2 the decreased width of end 158 facilitates minimizing the length of hair winding portion 14 and the overall appliance by enabling light window 36 to be overlappingly attached to barrel 30 . similarly , the narrow width of end 156 facilitates minimizing the length of the appliance by providing overlapping attachment of end 156 to handle body portion 22 . the extension of the narrow ends 156 and 158 beyond the body of the spacer also serves to separate the crimp connections from the heat sinks and facilitates mechanical connection of components on the inside of the barrel ends . spacer 80 comprises a pair of positioning ribs 160 and 162 adjacent end 158 for locating electrode 65 . positioning ribs for the other end of the electrodes may be molded into handle body portions 22a and 22b ( not shown ). three - sided positioning ribs 164 and 166 are situated adjacent ends 156 and 158 , respectively , in order to retain electrode 65 both laterally and longitudinally during assembly . each rib 164 and 166 is provided with a wire clearance aperture 168 and 170 for receiving wires 68 and 57 , respectively . spacer 80 further comprises a pair of heat sink retaining tabs 172 and 174 at one end of edges 152 and 154 , respectively . as the barrel is slid over heater 60 during assembly these stops limit heat sink motion . spacer 80 is shaped to enable its use in a variety of hair appliance designs . for example , channel 150 is provided to serve as an electrical enclosure in double insulated versions of hair appliances . that is , when an insulating tape ( not shown ) is applied to the heat surface on and between edges 152 and 154 , and extends beyond the edges to adhere to the spacer , the electrical components ( ptc and electrodes ) are totally within the enclosure . the advantages of the invention are achieved by having the handle diameter substantially equal to the barrel diameter and by having the clip actuating projection be , upon actuation , received in a recess in the handle . while the preferred embodiment shows a hair curling iron with a flexible sleeve member covering the entire handle and the recess , it will be understood that many variations are possible . for example , the sleeve member need not be entirely flexible ; since it is only necessary for the portion overlying the actuating projection to flex , the remainder of the sleeve may be relatively inflexible . also , since the handle body portion is an electrically insulated enclosure , the flexible sleeve member need not be used at all . alternatively , the flexible sleeve member may have an aperture in registry with the handle recess and the actuating projection may fill this aperture in the normal position such that the surface of the projection is aligned with the surface of the handle . if a resilient grip is desired without providing for flexing of the sleeve material over the recess , the sleeve may have an aperture in registry with the handle aperture and the actuating projection may have an intermediate layer of some desired material ( resilient or otherwise ) in order to bring the surface of the actuating projection up to the surface of the sleeve . referring now to fig6 there is shown a diagrammatic exploded view of a hair curling brush constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention . while brush 200 may be heated and may have an annular light means as described above , all power , heating and lighting components are omitted for clarity . brush 200 includes a cylindrical base 202 having a handle portion 204 and a hair winding support portion 206 . portion 206 is designed to support a rotatable brush member 208 having notches 210 or other suitable locking devices . notches 210 are intended to operate in conjunction with pivotable latching member 212 formed in handle portion 204 . latching member 212 is adapted to be received within recess 213 . brush 200 is further provided with a resilient , flexible sleeve member 220 for covering handle portion 204 , sleeve member 220 is provided with indicating mark 222 for indicating where it must be depressed to cause latching member 212 to engage ( or disengage ) notches 210 . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that numerous improvements and modifications may be made to the preferred embodiment disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . | 0 |
fig1 shows an exemplary home environment 100 including a bedroom 102 and a living room 104 . situated throughout the home environment 100 are a plurality of monitors , such as a main tv 106 , a secondary tv 108 , and a vga monitor 110 . content may be supplied to each of the monitors 106 , 108 , 110 over a home network from an entertainment server 112 situated in the living room 104 . in one implementation , the entertainment server 112 is a conventional personal computer ( pc ) configured to run a multimedia software package like the windows ® xp media center ™ edition operating system marketed by the microsoft corporation . in such a configuration , the entertainment server 112 is able to integrate full computing functionality with a complete home entertainment system into a single pc . for instance , a user can watch tv in one graphical window of one of the monitors 106 , 108 , 110 while sending email or working on a spreadsheet in another graphical window on the same monitor . in addition , the entertainment system may also include other features , such as : a personal video recorder ( pvr ) to capture live tv shows for future viewing or to record the future broadcast of a single program or series . dvd playback . an integrated view of the user &# 39 ; s recorded content , such as tv shows , songs , pictures , and home videos . a 14 - day epg ( electronic program guide ). in addition to being a conventional pc , the entertainment server 112 could also comprise a variety of other devices capable of rendering a media component including , for example , a notebook or portable computer , a tablet pc , a workstation , a mainframe computer , a server , an internet appliance , combinations thereof , and so on . it will also be understood , that the entertainment server 112 could be an entertainment device , such as a set - top box , capable of delivering media content to a computer where it may be streamed , or the entertainment device itself could stream the media content . with the entertainment server 112 , a user can watch and control a live stream of television or audio content received , for example , via cable 114 , satellite 116 , an antenna ( not shown for the sake of graphic clarity ), and / or a network such as the internet 118 . this capability is enabled by one or more tuners residing in the entertainment server 112 . it will also be understood , however , that the one or more tuners may be located remote from the entertainment server 112 as well . in both cases , the user may choose a tuner to fit any particular preferences . for example , a user wishing to receive both standard definition ( sd ) and high definition ( hd ) content should employ a tuner configured for both types of contents . alternately , the user could employ an sd tuner for sd content , and an hd tuner for hd content . the entertainment server 112 may also enable multi - channel output for speakers ( not shown for the sake of graphic clarity ). this may be accomplished through the use of digital interconnect outputs , such as sony - philips digital interface format ( spdif ) or toslink enabling the delivery of dolby digital , digital theater sound ( dts ), or pulse code modulation ( pcm ) surround decoding . additionally , the entertainment server 112 may include a media experience policy engine 120 configured to allow a user to control the behavior of the entertainment server 112 under various load conditions . the media experience policy engine 120 is configured to enable a user to monitor actual resource utilization of the entertainment server 112 and respond appropriately in high load situations where resource contention is occurring or is about to occur . in this way the media experience policy engine 120 can be used to customize resource management performed by the entertainment server 112 and avoid deleterious resource contention which might otherwise degrade a user experience to an unpredictable , and unacceptable quality level . the media experience policy engine 120 , and methods involving its use , will be described in more detail below in conjunction with fig2 - 6 . since the entertainment server 112 may be a full function computer running an operating system , the user may also have the option of running standard computer programs ( word processing , spreadsheets , etc . ), sending and receiving emails , browsing the internet , or performing other common functions . the home environment 100 also may include a home network device 122 placed in communication with the entertainment server 112 through a network 124 . home network devices 122 may include media center extender devices marketed by the microsoft corporation , windows ® media connect devices , game consoles , such as the xbox game console marketed by the microsoft corporation , and devices which enable the entertainment server 112 to stream audio and / or video content to a monitor 106 , 108 , 110 or audio system . the home network device 122 may also be implemented as any of a variety of conventional computing devices , including , for example , a desktop pc , a notebook or portable computer , a workstation , a mainframe computer , an internet appliance , a gaming console , a handheld pc , a cellular telephone or other wireless communications device , a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a set - top box , a television , an audio tuner , combinations thereof , and so on . the network 124 may comprise a wired , and / or wireless network , or any other electronic coupling means , including the internet . it will be understood that the network 124 may enable communication between the home network device 122 and the entertainment server 112 through packet - based communication protocols , such as transmission control protocol ( tcp ), internet protocol ( ip ), real time transport protocol ( rtp ), and real time transport control protocol ( rtcp ). the home network device 122 may also be coupled to the secondary tv 108 through wireless means or conventional cables . the home network device 122 may be configured to receive a user experience stream ( i . e . the system / application user interface , which may include graphics , buttons , controls and text ) as well as a compressed , digital audio / video stream from the entertainment server 112 . the user experience stream may be delivered in a variety of ways , including , for example , standard remote desktop protocol ( rdp ), graphics device interface ( gdi ), or hyper text markup language ( html ). the digital audio / video stream may comprise video ip , sd , and hd content , including video , audio and image files , decoded on the home network device 122 and then “ mixed ” with the user experience stream for output on the secondary tv 108 . in one exemplary implementation , media content is delivered to the home network device 122 in the mpeg 2 format . in fig1 , only a single home network device 122 is shown . it will be understood , however , that a plurality of home network devices 122 and corresponding displays may be dispersed throughout the home environment 100 , communicatively coupled to the entertainment server 112 . it will also be understood that in addition to the home network device 122 and the monitors 106 , 108 , 110 , the entertainment server 112 may be communicatively coupled to other output peripheral devices , including components such as speakers and a printer ( not shown for the sake of graphic clarity ). fig2 shows an exemplary architecture 200 suitable for delivering media content to a plurality of home network devices 122 from a plurality of entertainment servers 112 over network 124 . as shown in fig2 , the media experience policy engine 120 may reside on one , several , or all of the plurality of entertainment servers 112 . moreover , a client side media experience policy engine ( mepe ) 202 may reside on one , several , or all of the plurality of home network devices 122 . in addition , a stand alone media experience policy engine 204 may also reside on another device , for example , a special purpose device or a server in communication with the network 124 . in perhaps its simplest implementation , the media experience policy engine 120 may be run on a single entertainment server 112 serving two or more users . typically , this might involve one user at the entertainment server 112 itself and one or more users operating home network devices 122 . other user configurations are possible , however , including multiple users working on the same entertainment server 112 through the use of software that enables two or more keyboards , mice , monitors , etc ., to be plugged into the entertainment server 112 . in scenarios such as this , where a single entertainment server 112 is being utilized , it is also possible to use a client side mepe 202 along with , or to the exclusion of , the media experience policy engine 120 on the single entertainment server 112 . in more complex multi - user implementations , one or more of the entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 may share one or more instances of the media experience policy engine 120 , 202 residing on one of the entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 . alternately , the one or more entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 may share the stand alone media experience policy engine 204 in addition to the media experience policy engines 120 , 202 residing on one of the entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 . in addition , the one or more entertainment servers 112 and home network devices 122 may also use a discrete instance of the media experience policy engine ( including a media experience policy engine 120 , the stand alone media experience policy engine 204 , and a client side mepe 202 ), which then may coordinate with the media experience policy engines 120 , 202 , 204 residing on one or more of the other devices 112 , 122 . in yet another implementation , a single media experience policy engine 120 , 202 , 204 may be used to service all of the devices coupled to network 124 . it will be understood that the client side mepe 202 , if present , may be used to gather statistical and other information regarding the resources of the network 124 and of home network device 122 on which the client side mepe 202 resides . alternately , this information could be collected by another application on the home network device 122 or on one of the other home network devices 122 , or entertainment servers 112 . throughout this document , when reference is made to the media experience policy engine 120 , it will be understood that this reference may also include the client side mepe 202 and the stand alone media experience policy engine 204 . entertainment server and home network device with a media experience policy engine fig3 shows an exemplary architecture 300 suitable for delivering media content to one or more home network devices 122 from one or more entertainment servers 112 . in fig3 , the media experience policy engine 120 is illustrated as residing on the entertainment server ( s ) 112 . as noted above , however , it will be understood that the media experience policy engine 120 need not be hosted on the entertainment server ( s ) 112 . for example , the media experience policy engine 120 could also be hosted on a set top box , or any other electronic device or storage medium communicatively coupled to a path along which media content is conveyed on its way from a source ( i . e . internet 118 , cable 114 , satellite 116 , antennae , etc .) to the home network device ( s ) 122 . moreover , it will also be understood that the media experience policy engine 120 may deliver functional program code to devices , such as the home network devices 122 , with which it is coupled over the network 124 . this program code can be configured to assist the media experience policy engine 120 to carry out its functionality . as discussed above , the entertainment server ( s ) 112 may be implemented as any of a variety of conventional computing devices , including , for example , a server , a desktop pc , a notebook or portable computer , a workstation , a mainframe computer , an internet appliance , a set top box , combinations thereof , and so on , that are configurable to deliver stored and / or live media content to a client device such as the home network device ( s ) 122 . the entertainment server ( s ) 112 may include one or more tuners 302 , one or more processors 304 , a content storage 306 , memory 308 , and one or more network interfaces 310 . the tuner ( s ) 302 may be configured to receive media content via sources such as cable 114 , satellite 116 , an antenna , or the internet 118 . the media content may be received in digital form , or it may be received in analog form and converted to digital form at any of the one or more tuners 302 or by the one or more microprocessors 304 residing on the entertainment server ( s ) 112 . media content either processed and / or received ( from another source ) may be stored in the content storage 306 . fig3 shows the content storage 306 as being separate from memory 308 . it will be understood , however , that content storage 306 may also be part of memory 308 . the network interface ( s ) 310 may enable the entertainment server ( s ) 112 to send and receive commands and media content among a multitude of devices communicatively coupled to the network 124 . for example , in the event both the entertainment server ( s ) 112 and the home network device ( s ) 122 are connected to the network 124 , the network interface 310 may be used to deliver content such as live hd television content from the entertainment server ( s ) 112 over the network 124 to the home network device ( s ) 122 in real - time with media transport functionality ( i . e . the home network device ( s ) 122 may render the media content and the user may be afforded functions such as pause , play , etc ). in addition , the entertainment server ( s ) 112 may deliver media content to each other over the network 124 . requests from the home network device ( s ) 122 and / or other entertainment server ( s ) 112 for media content available on , or through , one of the entertainment servers 112 may also be routed from the home network device ( s ) 122 and / or other entertainment server ( s ) 112 to the entertainment server 112 via network 124 . in general , it will be understood that the network 124 is intended to represent any of a variety of conventional network topologies and types ( including optical , wired and / or wireless networks ), employing any of a variety of conventional network protocols ( including public and / or proprietary protocols ). as discussed above , network 124 may include , for example , a home network , a corporate network , the internet , or ieee 1394 , as well as possibly at least portions of one or more local area networks ( lans ) and / or wide area networks ( wans ). the entertainment server ( s ) 112 can make any of a variety of data or content available for delivery to the home network device ( s ) 122 and / or other entertainment server ( s ) 112 , including content such as audio , video , text , images , animation , and the like . in one implementation , this content may be streamed from the entertainment server ( s ) 112 to the home network device ( s ) 122 and / or other entertainment server ( s ) 112 . the terms “ streamed ” or “ streaming ” are used to indicate that the data is provided over the network 124 to the home network device ( s ) 122 and or other entertainment server ( s ) 112 and that playback of the content can begin prior to the content being delivered in its entirety . the content may be publicly available or alternatively restricted ( e . g ., restricted to only certain users , available only if an appropriate fee is paid , restricted to users having access to a particular network , etc .). additionally , the content may be “ on - demand ” ( e . g ., pre - recorded , stored content of a known size ) or alternatively it may include a live “ broadcast ” ( e . g ., having no known size , such as a digital representation of a concert being captured as the concert is performed and made available for streaming shortly after capture ). memory 308 stores programs executed on the processor ( s ) 304 and data generated during their execution . memory 308 may include volatile media , non - volatile media , removable media , and non - removable media . it will be understood that volatile memory may include computer - readable media such as random access memory ( ram ), and non volatile memory may include read only memory ( rom ). a basic input / output system ( bios ), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the entertainment server ( s ) 112 , such as during start - up , may also be stored in rom . ram typically contains data and / or program modules that are immediately accessible to and / or presently operated on by the one or more processors 304 . the entertainment server ( s ) 112 may also include other removable / non - removable , volatile / non - volatile computer storage media such as a hard disk drive for reading from and writing to a non - removable , non - volatile magnetic media , a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable , non - volatile magnetic disk ( e . g ., a “ floppy disk ”), and an optical disk drive for reading from and / or writing to a removable , non - volatile optical disk such as a cd - rom , dvd - rom , or other optical media . the hard disk drive , magnetic disk drive , and optical disk drive may be each connected to a system bus ( discussed more fully below ) by one or more data media interfaces . alternatively , the hard disk drive , magnetic disk drive , and optical disk drive may be connected to the system bus by one or more interfaces . the disk drives and their associated computer - readable media provide non - volatile storage of computer readable instructions , data structures , program modules , and other data for the entertainment server ( s ) 112 . in addition to including a hard disk , a removable magnetic disk , and a removable optical disk , as discussed above , the memory 308 may also include other types of computer - readable media , which may store data that is accessible by a computer , like magnetic cassettes or other magnetic storage devices , flash memory cards , cd - rom , digital versatile disks ( dvd ) or other optical storage , random access memories ( ram ), read only memories ( rom ), electrically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ), and the like . any number of program modules may be stored on the memory 308 including , by way of example , an operating system , one or more application programs , other program modules , and program data . one such application could be the media experience policy engine 120 , which includes an information manager 312 , a policy evaluator 314 , and an enforcement module 316 . the media experience policy engine 120 may be executed on processor ( s ) 304 , and can enable a user to monitor actual resource utilization of the entertainment server ( s ) 112 and the network 124 and respond appropriately in high load situations where deleterious resource contention is occurring or is about to occur . in addition to being implemented , for example , as a software module stored in memory 308 , the media experience policy engine 120 may also reside , for example , in firmware . moreover , even though the information manager 312 , policy evaluator 314 , and enforcement module 316 are shown in fig3 as residing inside the media experience policy engine 120 , any or all of these elements may exist separate and as stand alone applications . more discussion of the nature and function of the media experience policy engine 120 will be given below . the entertainment server ( s ) 112 may also include a system bus ( not shown for the sake of graphic clarity ) to communicatively couple the one or more tuners 302 , the one or more processors 304 , the network interface 310 , and the memory 308 to one another . the system bus may include one or more of any of several types of bus structures , including a memory bus or memory controller , a peripheral bus , an accelerated graphics port , and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures . a user may enter commands and information into the entertainment server ( s ) 112 via input devices such as a keyboard , pointing device ( e . g ., a “ mouse ”), microphone , joystick , game pad , satellite dish , serial port , scanner , and / or the like . these and other input devices may be connected to the one or more processors 304 via input / output ( i / o ) interfaces that are coupled to the system bus . additionally , input devices may also be connected by other interface and bus structures , such as a parallel port , game port , universal serial bus ( usb ) or any other connection included in the network interface 310 . in a networked environment , program modules depicted and discussed above in conjunction with the entertainment server ( s ) 112 or portions thereof , may be stored in a remote memory storage device . by way of example , remote application programs may reside on a memory device of a remote computer communicatively coupled to network 124 . for purposes of illustration , application programs and other executable program components , such as the operating system and the media experience policy engine 120 , may reside at various times in different storage components of the entertainment server ( s ) 112 , or of a remote computer , and may be executed by one of the at least one processors 304 of the entertainment server ( s ) 112 or of the remote computer . the exemplary home network device ( s ) 122 may include one or more processors 318 , and a memory 320 . memory 320 may include one or more applications 322 that consume or use media content received from sources such as the entertainment server 112 . memory 320 may also contain a client side mepe 202 which may be used in conjunction with , or to the exclusion of , the media experience policy engine 120 in the entertainment server ( s ) 112 . similar to the experience policy engine 120 in the entertainment server ( s ) 112 , the client side mepe may also include an information manager , policy evaluator and enforcement module ( not shown for the sake of graphic clarity ). in addition to being implemented as a software module stored in memory 308 , the client side mepe 202 may also reside , for example , in firmware . in operation , users may request media content from one or more entertainment servers 112 using home networking device ( s ) 122 or other entertainment server ( s ) 112 or devices coupled to the host entertainment server ( s ) 112 over network 124 . in addition , as noted above , multiple users may work simultaneously on the same entertainment server 112 through the use of software that enables multiple keyboards , mice , monitors , etc . to be plugged into the entertainment server 112 . the requests for media content may take many forms , including requests to view streamed hd or sd content from a live source ( such as internet 118 , cable 114 , antennae , or satellite 116 ), receive audio content saved in content storage 306 , or access and work in an application saved in memory 308 . as more users make requests for media content from the one or more entertainment servers 112 , or as the existing users &# 39 ; requests become greater and require more processing power and network capacity , a danger exists that the requests may outstrip the available resources of the one or more entertainment servers 112 and the network 124 . for example , if the network 124 only has enough capacity to stream one channel of hd content to a home network device 122 , then if two channels are requested , the network 124 will be overloaded . when this occurs , unexpected and undesireable behavior can result in disruptions encountered at the entertainment server ( s ) 112 , network 124 , and home network device ( s ) including arbitrary degradation of user experience , or arbitrary exclusion of one or more users from receiving content from the entertainment server ( s ) 112 . the media experience policy engine 120 , client side mepe 202 , and stand alone media experience policy engine 204 exist to avert such unexpected and undesirable behavior which may result in disruption of a user experience by adaptively managing the resources of the one or more servers 112 and the network 124 according to a desired policy in order to avoid deleterious resource contention . as will be discussed in more detail below , desired policies direct how certain user experiences should be maintained in the face of resource contention . while the one or more of the entertainment servers 112 are delivering media content to users , the information manager 312 in the media experience policy engine 120 actively monitors actual resource utilization in the exemplary architecture 300 . the resources monitored by the information manager 312 may include , for example , cpu usage , memory usage , ( i / o ) interface usage and hard disk usage , for the one or more entertainment servers 112 as well as the network devices 122 from which users are making requests for media content . in addition , the usage of the network 124 may also be monitored by the information manager 312 . the usage data collected by the information manager 312 may be in total terms , or it may include data for specific devices or users . in one implementation , the information manager 312 may view the total usage of network 124 as well as the total usage of network 124 caused by the requests of a particular user or device . in a similar fashion , data representing total usage , and / or usage caused by particular users or devices , may be collected for cpu usage , memory usage , ( i / o ) interfaces usage , and hard disk usage on the entertainment servers 112 , and the home network devices 122 . usage information collected by the information manager 312 may then be examined for resource contention issues . this may be done by the policy evaluator 314 , which may take the usage data collected by the information manager 312 and compare it to total available resources . individual policies may spell out how individual user experiences for different users on the network 124 will be affected when resources of the network reach contention . for example , the data collected by the information manager 312 concerning the total usage of the network 124 may be viewed against the total available capacity of the network 124 to see if the network 124 is close to saturation . in a similar fashion , the cpu ( s ), memories , ( i / o ) interfaces , and hard disks , for entertainment server ( s ) 112 — as well as for network devices 122 — may be analyzed by the policy evaluator 314 for resource contention in order to determine if the cpu ( s ), memories , ( i / o ) interfaces , and hard disks are in danger of becoming oversaturated . if no conflicts exist , and there is no danger of oversaturation of any of the resources of architecture 300 , then no intervention is necessary . however , if any of the resources are found to be close to saturation , the policy evaluator 314 may check the current state of the architecture 300 against a desired policy in order to determine whether the current state of the architecture 300 matches that mandated by the desired policy . the saturation limits used by the policy evaluator 314 may themselves be set , or reset , by a user . for example , saturation may be defined as 80 % of the total capacity of the cpu of the entertainment server 112 . thus , when 80 % of the capacity of the cpu on the entertainment server 112 is being used , the policy evaluator 314 will recognize the cpu as being saturated . setting saturation limits like this below 100 % may avoid reaching a situation where an entertainment server 112 or home network device 122 is over subscribed . in addition , the desired policies themselves may be predetermined or pre - entered by users , or set and reset during operation of the architecture 300 . in one exemplary implementation , a variety of possible predetermined desired policies may be loaded onto an entertainment server 112 or home network device 122 by a manufacturer or other entity in the distribution chain from the manufacturer to the user . the user may then choose from a list of the possible preset options to activate a predetermined desired policy most suitable given the user &# 39 ; s own unique needs and priorities . preset options , and predetermined desired policies , available to a user may be presented in easy to follow ‘ plain english ’ ( i . e . language understandable by non technical users ). as mentioned above , policies direct how certain user experiences should be maintained in the face of resource contention . for example , a desired policy might mandate a flawless or high quality experience for the first ( chronological ) user of the architecture 300 while degrading the experience for subsequent users . potentially , such a desired policy might include refusing service to a last user whose use might lead to resource contention . alternately , another desired policy might mandate a flawless or high quality experience for a high priority user ( such as a parent or an owner of an entertainment server 112 ) and degrade the experience for lower priority users ( e . g . children and non owners of an entertainment server 112 ). such a policy could potentially include refusing service to a lowest priority user whose use might lead to resource contention . in another example , a desired policy might mandate a flawless or high quality user experience for the highest quality display ( e . g . a hdtv monitor ) and degrade the experience for lower quality displays ( e . g . the sdtv monitors ). alternately , the desired policy could mandate delivering hd content only to hd displays , and sd content to all other displays . moreover , a desired policy might mandate the degradation of all user experiences equally , such that all users share the resources of architecture 300 , as well as the degradation of the resources of architecture 300 , fairly . in addition , the desired policy might also allow one or more priority users to decide the fates of lower priority users . in such a case , prompts could be issued to the one or more priority users listing the lower priority users and the possible actions that could be taken in order to rectify any resource contention issues . the one or more high priority users could then respond in a manner of their choosing . for example , consider a scenario in which a high priority user goes to watch a media stream on the main tv 106 in the living room 104 and forgets to discontinue receiving a media content stream on the secondary tv 108 in the bedroom 102 . later , if resource contention develops , the high priority user could be issued a prompt on the main tv 106 giving him the option of discontinuing the streaming to the secondary tv 108 . in addition , all of the desired policies mentioned above might also contain provisions to punish or contain high volume users . for example , the policy evaluator 314 could examine the usage data for evidence of any users or devices consuming a disproportionate percentage of the resources of the architecture 300 . if found , these users or devices could be subjected to special treatment , including degradation of user experience , or preclusion from further use of the resources of architecture 300 . once the information collected by the information manager 312 has been examined for resource contention , and the current state of the architecture 300 has been reviewed against the desired policy by the policy evaluator 314 , the enforcement module 316 takes control and ensures that the desired policy is implemented across all users and devices . the enforcement module 316 may follow two broad categories of enforcement — interactive and non - interactive . what form of enforcement the enforcement module 316 follows may be mandated by the desired policy , a pre - entered computer setting , or an answer received from a user prompt . in the event that interactive enforcement is mandated , the enforcement module 316 may notify one or more users that resource contention exists and then present them with options for remedying the situation . both the notifications and options may be presented to users in easy to follow ‘ plain english ’ ( i . e . language understandable by non technical users ). for example , in the event that usage of the network 124 is too high , the enforcement module 316 might present the one or more users with one or more options . in one implementation the enforcement module 316 might present the one or more users with the option of listening to music instead of watching tv since delivery of audio content consumes less bandwidth than the delivery of audio and video content . additionally , the enforcement module 316 could direct the one or more users to switch from an hd feed to an sd feed ( for example , from an hdtv channel to a sdtv channel ) in order to decrease the network usage and thus ameliorate the related network resource contention issue . in another possible implementation , the enforcement module 316 could prompt the one or more users to join a media experience shared with other users ( multicast vs . unicast ). additionally , the enforcement module 316 could prompt the one or more users to switch to a delayed playback mode . such an election would allow the one or more entertainment servers 112 to download and cache the media in non - real - time before playing it for the one or more users . also , the enforcement module 316 could give the one or more users the choice to allow a reduction in bit - rate of media content being delivered to them through use of a transrater / transcoder . moreover , the enforcement module 316 could offer the one or more users the choice of reducing the media encoder bit - rate ( if the source is being encoded in real - time ). additionally , the enforcement module 316 could offer the one or more users the choice to switch to a different bit - rate and / or format in a multi - bit - rate / multi - format media file . in yet another example , the enforcement module 316 could allow the one or more users to choose to enable network prioritization ( e . g . wifi multimedia ) to ensure that the most important streams are not degraded ( which in turn means that streams of lesser importance might be degraded ). similarly , in the event that usage of the memory 308 , 320 in the one or more entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 is too high , the enforcement module 316 might present the one or more users with one or more options designed to decrease memory usage . in one exemplary implementation , the enforcement module 316 might present the one or more users with the option of switching to viewing non - digital rights management ( drm ) protected media content , such as switching television channels from a pay site such as a home box office ® tv channel , to a publicly available channel such as an american broadcasting company ( abc ) tv channel . this action may decrease memory requirements by vitiating the need to load encryption / decryption or policy manager components on the memory 308 , 320 of the one or more entertainment servers 112 and home network devices 122 . the enforcement module 316 could also prompt one or more users to allow for the unloading of components not in use . in one instance this could include moving at least one of the one or more users to another entertainment server 112 , such that the entertainment server 112 from which the at least one user was moved could be made devoid of users , and therefore could be shut down . in another example , the enforcement module 316 could prompt the one or more users to allow for the switching of experiences of the one or more users . for example , the enforcement module 316 could reduce the fidelity of the ui experience ( if it is driven from the one or more entertainment servers 112 or the home network devices 122 ) from a rich experience to a flat experience . in the event that the enforcement module 316 determines that cpu usage on the one or more entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 is too high , the enforcement module 316 may prompt the one or more users to take appropriate actions to decrease cpu usage . for example , the enforcement module 316 may prompt the one or more users to switch to viewing non - drm protected media content in order to eliminate the encryption / decryption and policy manager overhead associated with drm content . similarly , the enforcement module 316 may prompt the one or more users to switch from an hd feed to an sd feed ( for example , from an hdtv channel to an sdtv channel ). in the event that the enforcement module 316 determines that hard disk usage on the one or more entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 is too high , the enforcement module 316 may prompt the one or more users to take appropriate actions to decrease hard disk usage . for example , the enforcement module 316 may prompt the one or more users to switch to a lower bandwidth stream ( e . g . music instead of television , sdtv instead of hdtv ). in the event that a bottleneck in encountered at , for example , an ( i / o ) interface , another option that can be employed is the use of load - balancing between multiple entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 . in such case , the enforcement module 316 may offer one or more users the option to allow the stand alone media experience policy engine 204 and / or the media experience policy engines 120 , 202 from entertainment servers 112 and home network devices 122 to collaborate in order to dynamically shift load from one of the entertainment servers 112 or network devices 122 to another . alternately , one “ primary ” policy engine 120 , 202 on one of the entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 — or the stand alone media experience policy engine 204 — could collect feedback from all pcs / devices and act on it to decrease and ultimately ameliorate the bottleneck . in one implementation , only user ( s ) whose user experience will be affected by mandates from the desired policy will be presented with enforcement options . in another implementation , users whose experience will not be affected may also be issued information relating to the possible resource contention issues and the possible actions which may be taken . in the case of non - interactive enforcement , the policy enforcement module 316 may implement changes to the environment 300 without prompting any users or giving any warning of impending changes that will be implemented . alternately , the policy enforcement module 316 may display an explanation or description of ensuing changes to affected users , nonaffected users , or any subsets thereof . in such a scenario , explanations may be presented to users in easy to follow ‘ plain english ’ ( i . e . language understandable by non technical users ). it will be understood that the actions that can be taken by policy enforcement module 316 to institute the enforcement measures using noninteractive enforcement may include all of those measures discussed above in conjunction with interactive enforcement . it will also be understood that other techniques can be used in addition to those mentioned above . moreover , the techniques above may be mixed and matched , such that the enforcement module 316 may use multiple approaches together , including combinations of both interactive and non - interactive enforcement techniques . in addition , it will also be understood that many changes mentioned above necessarily incur expenses . for example , when a high bit - rate stream is dynamically transrated / transcoded , quality of a user experience is reduced and increased cpu usage on an entertainment server 112 or home network device 122 results . accordingly , the policy engine 120 may evaluate options using a multi - variable evaluation . for example the policy engine 120 may identify all options that would resolve the highest priority bottleneck and rate the options in order to find the best fit ( i . e . the one that does not spawn an even higher priority bottleneck ). once a best fit is identified in which no resources are overtaxed , the policy engine 120 may implement the option . another aspect of dealing with dynamic load balancing of entertainment servers 112 and home network devices 122 is shown in fig4 which illustrates an exemplary method 400 performed by the media experience policy engine 120 . for ease of understanding , the method 400 is delineated as separate steps represented as independent blocks in fig4 ; however , these separately delineated steps should not be construed as necessarily order dependent in their performance . additionally , for discussion purposes , the method 400 is described with reference to elements in fig1 - 3 . the method 400 continuously monitors the status of media content delivery resources at a block 402 . this may be accomplished by continuously monitoring resource usage , including , for example , cpu usage , memory usage , ( i / o ) interface usage and hard disk usage , for the one or more entertainment servers 112 as well as the network devices 122 from which users are making requests for media content ( block 404 ). in addition , the usage of the network 124 may also be monitored . in one exemplary implementation , the monitoring of resources may be performed by the information manager 312 . the collected usage data may be in total terms , or it may include data for specific devices 122 or users . in one implementation , the method 400 may view the total usage of network 124 as well as the total usage of network 124 caused by the requests of a particular user , home network device 122 or entertainment server 112 . in a similar fashion , data representing total usage , and / or usage caused by particular users or devices , may be collected for cpu usage , memory usage , ( i / o ) interfaces usage , and hard disk usage on the entertainment servers 112 , and the home network devices 122 . the collected usage information may be examined by the method 400 for resource contention issues ( block 406 ). in one exemplary implementation , this may be done by the policy evaluator 314 . the collected usage data may be compared against total available resource data . for example , the collected data concerning the total usage of the network 124 may be viewed against the total available capacity of the network 124 to see if the network 124 is close to saturation . in a similar fashion , the cpu ( s ), memories , ( i / o ) interfaces , and hard disks , for entertainment server ( s ) 112 — as well as the network devices 122 — may be analyzed for resource contention in order to determine if the cpu ( s ), memories , ( i / o ) interfaces , and hard disks are in danger of becoming oversaturated . if no conflicts exist , and there is no danger of over saturation of any of the resources of architecture 300 , then no intervention is necessary , and the method 400 returns to block 402 ( i . e . the “ no ” branch from block 406 ). alternately , however , if any of the resources are found to be close to saturation ( i . e . the “ yes ” branch from block 406 ), the method 400 will compare the current state of the architecture 300 against a desired policy in order to determine whether the current state of the architecture 300 matches that which is mandated under the desired policy ( block 408 ). desired policies may , for example , be pre - entered by users , preset by manufacturers or resellers , or set and reset during operation of the architecture 300 . in one implementation , a desired policy might mandate a flawless or high quality experience for the first ( chronological ) user of the architecture 300 while degrading the experience for subsequent users . potentially , such a desired policy might include refusing service to a last user whose use might lead to resource contention . in another possible implementation , a desired policy might mandate a flawless or high quality experience for a user of primary user ( such as a parent or an owner of an entertainment server 112 ) and degrade the experience for lower priority users ( e . g . children and non owners of an entertainment server 112 ). such a policy could potentially include refusing service to a lowest priority user whose use might lead to resource contention . in yet another possible implementation , a desired policy might mandate a flawless or high quality user experience for the highest quality display ( e . g . a hdtv monitor ) and degrade the experience for lower quality displays ( e . g . the sdtv monitors ). alternately the policy could mandate delivering hd content only to hd displays , and sd content to all other displays . in still another possible implementation , a desired policy might mandate the degradation of all users experiences equally , such that all users fairly share the resources of architecture 300 , as well as the degradation of the resources of architecture 300 . in all of the implementations above , desired policies might also contain provisions to punish or contain high volume users . for example , the usage data could be examined for evidence of any users or devices consuming a disproportionate percentage of the resources of the architecture 300 . if found , these users or devices could be subjected to special treatment , including degradation of user experience , or preclusion from further use of the resources of architecture 300 . if the current state of the architecture 300 is found at block 408 to be in compliance with the desired policy then no intervention is necessary , and the method 400 returns to block 402 ( i . e . the “ yes ” branch from block 408 ). if , however , the current state of the architecture 300 is found at block 408 to not be in compliance with the desired policy ( i . e . the “ no ” branch from block 406 ), policy enforcement may be pursued . the method 400 may impose interactive enforcement ( block 410 ) or noninteractive enforcement ( block 412 ) depending on what form of enforcement is mandated by the desired policy , a pre - entered computer setting , or an answer received from a user prompt . under interactive enforcement , the method 400 may notify one or more users that resource contention exists and then present them with options for remedying the situation . the users notified may include those whose user experience may be affected by changes to be brought on by enforcement of the desired policy , or alternately , all users or a subset thereof may receive notification . in one exemplary implementation , in the event that usage of the network 124 is too high , the method 400 might present one or more users with one or more of several options including the option of listening to music instead of watching tv , or switching from an hdtv channel to a sdtv channel in order to decrease the network usage . similar prompts may be presented in order to ameliorate resource contention issues arising from cpu , memory , and hard disk usage , as well as i / o interface bottlenecks . in the event that non - interactive enforcement ( block 412 ) is pursued by the method 400 , changes may be made to the environment 300 without prompting any users or giving any warning of impending changes . alternately , an explanation or description of ensuing changes may be displayed to affected users , nonaffected users , or to any subsets thereof . for example , if network usage is determined to be too high , under one exemplary implementation of noninteractive enforcement , the media bit - rate of media content being streamed to one or more users may be reduced through use of a transater / transcoder . similar actions may be taken in order to ameliorate resource contention issues arising from cpu , memory , and hard disk usage , as well as i / o interface bottlenecks . it will also be understood that other techniques can be used in addition to those examples mentioned above , including offering prompts to one or more high priority users , enabling them to decide the fates of lower priority users . moreover , the techniques above may be mixed and matched , such that multiple approaches may be used together , including combinations of both interactive and non - interactive enforcement techniques . in one exemplary implementation , the enforcement module 316 may be used to affect both the interactive and the noninteractive enforcement techniques . it will also be understood that most changes mentioned above necessarily incur expenses . for example , when a high bit - rate stream is dynamically transrated / transcoded , quality or a user experience is reduced and increased cpu usage or an entertainment server or home network device 122 is increased . accordingly , enforcement decisions may be made by evaluating options using a multi - variable evaluation . for example , the method 400 might rate all options available to resolve the highest priority bottleneck on the basis of a best fit ( i . e . an option which will not spawn an even higher priority bottleneck ). once a best fit is identified in which no resources are overtaxed , the option may be implemented by the method 400 . once the policy has been enforced ( blocks 410 , 412 ) the method 400 may then return to block 402 and resume continuously monitoring the resources of the environment 300 . another aspect of evaluating the desired policy is shown in fig5 , which illustrates an exemplary method 500 performed by the policy evaluator 314 residing at the entertainment server 112 . for ease of understanding , the method 500 is delineated as separate steps represented as independent blocks in fig5 ; however , these separately delineated steps should not be construed as necessarily order dependent in their performance . additionally , for discussion purposes , the method 500 is described with reference to elements in fig1 - 3 . once usage information regarding the usage of the resources of architecture 300 has been collected , it may be analyzed to see if resource contention issues exist ( block 502 ). in one exemplary implementation , the usage data is collected by the information manager 312 . the usage data may be analyzed by comparing it to total available resources in the architecture 300 . for example , the data collected by the information manager 312 concerning the total usage of the network 124 may be viewed against the total available capacity of the network 124 to see if the network 124 is close to saturation . in a similar fashion , the cpu ( s ), memories , ( i / o ) interfaces , and hard disks , for entertainment server ( s ) 112 — as well as the network devices 122 — may be analyzed for resource contention in order to determine if the cpu ( s ), memories , ( i / o ) interfaces , and hard disks are in danger of becoming oversaturated . if no conflicts exist , and there is no danger of over saturation of any of the resources of architecture 300 ( i . e . the “ no ” branch from block 504 ) then no intervention is necessary , and the method 500 returns to block 502 . alternately , however , if any of the resources are found to be close to saturation ( i . e . the “ yes ” branch from block 504 ), the method 500 will check the current state of the architecture 300 against a desired policy in order to determine whether the current state of the architecture 300 matches that which is mandated under the desired policy ( block 506 ). desired policies may , for example , be pre - entered by users , preset by manufacturers or other entities in the distribution chain from manufacturer to user , or set and reset during operation of the architecture 300 . in one implementation , a desired policy might mandate a flawless or high quality experience for the first ( chronological ) user of the architecture 300 while degrading the experience for subsequent users . potentially , such a desired policy might include refusing service to a last user whose use might lead to resource contention . in another possible implementation , a desired policy might mandate a flawless or high quality experience for a user of primary user ( such as a parent or an owner of an entertainment server 112 ) and degrade the experience for lower priority users ( e . g . children and non owners of an entertainment server 112 ). such a policy could potentially include refusing service to a lowest priority user whose use might lead to resource contention . in yet another possible implementation , a desired policy might mandate a flawless or high quality user experience for the highest quality display ( e . g . a hdtv monitor ) and degrade the experience for lower quality displays ( e . g . the sdtv monitors ). alternately the policy could mandate delivering hd content only to hd displays , and sd content to all other displays . in still another possible implementation , a desired policy might mandate the degradation of all users experiences equally , such that all users share the resources of architecture 300 , as well as the degradation of the resources of architecture 300 , fairly . in all of the implementations above , desired policies might also contain provisions to punish or contain high volume users . for example , any users or devices consuming a disproportional percentage of the resources of the architecture 300 could be subjected to special treatment , including degradation of user experience , or preclusion from further use of the resources of architecture 300 . the state of the architecture 300 may be compared to the desired policy in order to see if a desired outcome mandated by the desired policy matches the actual state of the architecture 300 . if the actual outcome matches the desired outcome , ( i . e . the “ yes ” branch from block 508 ) then no intervention is necessary , and the method 500 returns to block 502 . alternately , if the actual outcome does not match the desired outcome , ( i . e . the “ no ” branch from block 508 ) then intervention is necessary , and the method 500 continues to block 510 , where a command is given to begin policy enforcement . another aspect of evaluating the desired policy is shown in fig6 , which illustrates an exemplary method 600 performed by the enforcement module 316 residing at the entertainment server 112 . for ease of understanding , the method 600 is delineated as separate steps represented as independent blocks in fig6 ; however , these separately delineated steps should not be construed as necessarily order dependent in their performance . additionally , for discussion purposes , the method 600 is described with reference to elements in fig1 - 3 . once the current state of the architecture 300 has been found to be in contrivance of the desired policy , an order may be issued by the media experience policy engine 120 , or one of its components , to begin enforcement of the desired policy . upon receipt of this command ( block 602 ), the method 600 may review the desired policy , other preset settings , or issue a prompt to a user , in order to determine if an interactive or noninteractive enforcement approach should be pursued ( block 604 ). if an interactive approach is desired ( i . e . the “ interactive ” branch from block 604 ), the method 600 proceeds to issue one or more user prompts to one or more users in an effort to discontinue or change user or device behavior resulting in resource contention ( block 606 ). for example , in the event that usage of the network 124 is too high , the method 600 might cause prompts to be displayed on monitors being used by the one or more users with one or more options . in one implementation the one or more users might be given the option of listening to music instead of watching tv since delivery of audio content consumes less bandwidth than the delivery of audio and video content . additionally , the one or more users might be given the option to switch from an hdtv channel to a sdtv channel in order to decrease the network usage and thus ameliorate the related network resource contention issue . in another possible implementation , the one or more users could be prompted to join a media experience shared with other users ( multicast vs . unicast ). additionally , the one or more users could be prompted to switch to a delayed playback mode . if the media content is being sourced from outside the network 124 , such an election would allow the one or more entertainment servers 112 to download and cache the media content in non - real - time before playing it for the one or more users . this option may reduce a network load on a wide area network ( wan ) link of the entertainment server 112 ( wherein the bandwidth of the wan might be partially shared with that of network 124 ). alternately , if the media content is already stored on the network 124 , the device 122 may download and cache the media content , thus reducing a network load on the network 124 . in addition , the one or more users could be presented with the choice of allowing a reduction in bit - rate of media content to be delivered to them through use of a transrater / transcoder . moreover , the one or more users could be presented with the option of having the media encoder bit - rate reduced ( if the source is being encoded in real - time ). additionally , the one or more users could be given the option of switching to a different bit - rate and / or format in a multi - bit - rate / multi - format media file . in yet another example , the one or more users could be given the option of enabling network prioritization ( e . g . wifi multimedia ) to ensure that the most important streams of media content being delivered from the one or more entertainment servers 112 to the home network devices 122 are not degraded ( which in turn means that streams of lesser importance might be degraded ). alternately , the one or more users could be prompted to reduce the fidelity of the ui experience ( if it is driven from the one or more entertainment servers 112 or the home network devices 122 ) from a rich experience to a flat experience . similarly , in the event that usage of the memory 308 , 320 in the one or more entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 is too high , method 600 might present the one or more users with one or more of several options designed to decrease memory usage . in one exemplary implementation , the one or more users might be presented with the option of switching to viewing non - digital rights management ( drm ) protected media content , such as switching television channels from a pay channel such as a home box office ® tv channel , to a publicly available channel such as an american broadcasting company tv channel . this action may decrease memory requirements by vitiating the need to load encryption / decryption or policy manager components on the memory 308 , 320 of one or more entertainment servers 112 and home network devices 122 . in the event that cpu usage on the one or more entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 is too high , the one or more users may be prompted to take appropriate actions to decrease cpu usage . for example , the one or more users may be prompted to switch to viewing non - drm protected media content in order to eliminate the encryption / decryption and policy manager overhead associated with drm content . similarly , the one or more users may be prompted to switch from an hd feed to an sd feed ( for example , from an hdtv channel to an sdtv channel ). in the event that hard disk usage on the one or more entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 is too high , the one or more users may be prompted to take appropriate actions to decrease hard disk usage . for example , the one or more users may be prompted to switch to a lower bandwidth stream ( e . g . music instead of television , sdtv instead of hdtv ). in one implementation , only user ( s ) whose user experience will be affected by mandates from the desired policy will be presented with enforcement options . it is also possible , however that nonaffected users could also receive notifications of the resource contention issue as well as the possible solutions available . in the event that a bottleneck in encountered at , for example , an ( i / o ) interface , another option that can be employed is the use of load balancing between multiple entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 . in such case , the one or more users could be prompted to allow the stand alone media experience policy engine 204 and / or the media experience policy engines 120 , 202 from entertainment servers 112 and home network devices 122 to collaborate and dynamically shift the load from one of the entertainment servers 112 or network devices 122 to another . alternately , one “ primary ” policy engine 120 , 202 on one of the entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 — or the stand alone media experience policy engine 204 — could collect feedback from all entertainment servers 112 and home network devices 122 and act on it to decrease and ultimately ameliorate the bottleneck . once the one or more users to whom these prompts are issued enter their responses ( block 608 ), the method 600 may institute the changes in order to effect the desired policy ( block 610 ). it will be understood , that one implementation could include issuing prompts to high priority users , enabling them to make choices , and thus decide the fates of lower priority users . in the case of non - interactive enforcement ( i . e . the “ noninteractive ” branch from block 604 ), the method 600 may proceed to implement changes to the environment 300 without prompting any users . the method 600 may provide an explanation or description of ensuing changes to affected users , nonaffected users , or any subsets thereof , before or while the changes are being instituted ( block 612 ), however this need not be done . for example the method may directly institute appropriate enforcement measures ( block 610 ) without issuing any warnings to any users . it will be understood that the actions that can be taken by the method 600 to institute the enforcement measures using noninteractive enforcement may include all of those measures discussed above in conjunction with interactive enforcement . in addition , in one exemplary implementation of noninteractive enforcement , if usage of memory 308 , 320 is found to be to too high on the one or more entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 , components not in use could be automatically unloaded . it will also be understood that other techniques can be used in addition to those mentioned above . moreover , the techniques above may be mixed and matched , multiple approaches could be employed together . moreover , combinations of both interactive and non - interactive enforcement techniques could be employed . it will also be understood that most changes mentioned above necessarily incur expenses . for example , when a high bit - rate stream is dynamically transrated / transcoded , quality or a user experience is reduced and increased cpu usage or an entertainment server or home network device 122 is increased . accordingly , the method 600 could evaluate possible enforcement options using a multi - variable evaluation . for example the method 600 may identify all options that would resolve the highest priority bottleneck and rate the options in order to find the best fit ( i . e . the one that does not spawn an even higher priority bottleneck ). once a best fit is identified in which no resources are overtaxed , the option may be implemented . once the appropriate enforcement measures have been implemented ( block 610 ) the method 600 may issue a report to one or more media experience policy engines 120 , one or more client side mepes 202 , the stand alone media experience policy engine 204 , or to other applications on the entertainment servers 112 or home network devices 122 reporting completion of the procedures chosen to bring the architecture 300 in line with the desired policy ( block 614 ). such a report need not be issued however , although the invention has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts , it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described . rather , the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claimed invention . | 8 |
the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings . fig3 shows the steps of a method for irradiating an object with x - ray radiation and reconstructing an image of the object based on detected x - ray radiation , when the object is placed in the x - ray ct described in fig1 . in step 310 , x - ray radiation is generated by the x - ray source 3 of the x - ray ct and irradiated towards the array detector or plurality of detectors 5 shown in fig2 . the detector or the a / d generates in step 320 a signal corresponding for example to the intensity of the x - ray radiation received by the detector . various combinations of detectors have been discussed regarding fig2 . in step 330 , the output of the detector elements 5 a , after being collected by the data collection unit 11 , are digitized to form an x - ray profile of the detector or a / d data , in preparation of the next steps of the process to be applied . this digitized data is called “ pure ” data because it reflects pure measured data without any processing , and includes errors produced by the detector . in step 340 , various processes generically called preprocessing are applied to the digitized data obtained in step 330 . the preprocessing includes but is not limited to reference and offset correction , water calibration sensitivity disparity correction , etc . the preprocessing is applied to the digitized x - ray profile for removing some of the errors present . however , the preprocessing of step 340 does not remove the errors attributed to the overflow condition discussed above . other preprocesses are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 825 , 842 , which content is included in its entirety hereby by reference . the result of the preprocessing step 340 is used in step 350 for producing reconstruction data . the reconstruction data has a different profile than the digitized data . in step 360 the reconstruction of the irradiated object is determined based on the reconstruction data obtained in step 350 . the reconstruction step 360 assembles together the data from all the channels of the detector 5 and step 370 produces the final , reconstructed , ct image of the object . in another embodiment , the data collection unit 11 and the processing unit 12 collect data from many rows of detectors , and the processing unit 12 , based on all the data collected by the data collection unit 11 , produces the final , reconstructed , ct image and displays that image on the display 13 . however , due to the overflow condition discussed above , the reconstructed ct image has spurious features , which hide the real features of the subject . a diagram of the reconstruction processor 12 is shown in more detail in fig4 . projection data from the collection unit 11 is stored in data memory 15 , and image memory 14 is provided for storing the reconstructed image data or for storing the image data that is being reconstructed . memories 14 and 15 can be implemented as a ram or other semiconductor memory known by one skilled in the art of computer memories . an overflow correction unit 16 includes at least a polynomial unit , a spline unit , and a prior knowledge unit , and also may include a weighting unit . the functions of these units will be discussed with reference to fig5 . units 14 – 16 and their operations are controlled by cpu 17 . cpu 17 can determine the overflow points and carry out desired processing on the projection data obtained from the data collection unit 11 , to correct the overflow condition . a more detailed diagram of another construction of the reconstruction processor 12 is shown in fig5 . the image memory 14 and the data memory 15 are connected to the cpu 17 . also connected to , and controlled by cpu 17 , are a polynomial unit 18 , a spline unit 19 , a prior knowledge unit 20 , a weighting unit 21 , an overflow unit 22 , a converting unit 23 , a selection unit 24 , an interpolation unit 25 , a prior knowledge input unit 26 , and a mapping unit 27 . the polynomial and spline units 18 and 19 , respectively , perform overflow corrections and the weighting unit 21 performs an overflow correction using a combination of an output from the polynomial unit 18 and an output from the spline unit 19 . the processor 12 shown in fig4 and 5 could be implemented in hardware as a dedicated microcomputer , or could be implemented in software . for example the overflow correction unit 16 could be implemented as a semiconductor gate array . in a particular example that is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention , fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b ) show plots of measured x - ray intensity detected by the x - ray detector and reconstruction data reconstructed by the processor 12 , respectively . more specifically , fig6 ( a ) shows the x - ray intensity measured by detectors and digitized by a / ds plotted versus the channels that measure the x - ray intensity . curve ( a ) shows the true x - ray intensity ( the real values of the x - ray intensity ) produced by the x - ray source 3 , and curve ( b ) shows the “ pure ” a / d data or the measured and digitized data . as can be seen in fig6 ( a ) , region ( i ) of the true x - ray intensity is different than the same region of the measured x - ray intensity because of the overflow condition . when the overflow is present , the real values of the x - ray intensity are replaced in the measured data with a value equal to the maximum input level s dmax , producing a flat profile . fig6 ( b ) shows the reconstruction data produced in step 360 discussed above . curve ( c ) corresponds to the true reconstruction data ( based on true x - ray intensity values ( a )), and shows a profile that is different than a profile of the overflow reconstruction data that corresponds to curve ( d ), which is reconstructed based on the measured data ( b ). fig6 ( a ) shows that the measured data ( b ) has a flat portion where the detector or a / d is not capable of measuring the real value of the x - ray intensity and that flat portion could be identified in a collection of data by the “ flat ” characteristic . however , the overflow reconstruction data ( d ) does not have the “ flat ” characteristic , which makes it difficult to identify overflow channels when analyzing the overflow reconstruction data ( d ). the overflow reconstruction data ( d ) has two characteristics that are discussed next . first , the overflow reconstruction data ( d ), which includes overflow points , is not clipped or constant in region ( i ), as the measured x - ray intensity ( b ), but has a profile that exhibits noise and may have discontinuities . this profile causes ring artifacts in the reconstructed images produced by the processing unit 12 and displayed on the display 13 . second , the magnitude of the overflow reconstruction data ( d ) is higher than the magnitude of the true reconstruction data ( c ) ( data without overflow points ). the effect of this characteristic in the reconstructed images is a darkening and potential loss of physiological structure in the final ct image . fig7 illustrates a process of reconstruction of a ct image that identifies overflow points and corrects those points based on various algorithms . this process has some of the steps similar to the steps of fig3 , and therefore those steps are not described here . in the current embodiment , the process shown in fig7 is implemented on a row - by - row basis in terms of the detector elements ( in other embodiments it can be implemented on a column basis , or on a temporal basis with a single detector ). further , in the current embodiment , the overflow correction step 770 takes place after the preprocessing step 740 . the overflow correction step 770 is placed in this order because in some applications it is not feasible to implement the overflow correction before preprocessing due to hardware speed constraints or other constraints . in other embodiments , where speed is not a factor , the overflow correction step can be placed before the preprocessing step . as discussed above , when a level of the x - ray intensity measured by a detector is beyond the maximum signal range for which the detector is capable of detecting the x - ray intensity , the detector clips and a false value is output by the detector , as long as the overflow condition is maintained . to correct the false values introduced by the clipped detectors , the process of fig7 identifies the overflow points ( see for example those points in curve ( b ), region ( i ), of fig6 ( a ) ) and creates a map of the overflow points . because it is not possible to determine the overflowing points , when the overflow condition is present , directly from the reconstruction data obtained in step 760 , the preprocessing step 740 creates the overflow map in step 750 , based on the pure a / d data ( b ) shown in fig6 ( a ) . the overflow map is a binary map indicating which channels of the x - ray detector are in the overflow condition . the overflow map is used in the next steps , when applying the overflow correction to the overflow points . in step 770 , the overflow correction is applied to those values of the reconstruction data that correspond to channels that are in the overflow condition , as specified by the overflow map created in step 750 . after the overflow correction step 770 corrects the reconstruction data of step 760 , the reconstruction step 780 constructs the image of the object and displays in step 790 the reconstructed ct image of the object on the display 13 . in this way , the method , system , and computer program product of the present invention correct the ring artifacts , the darkening , and the potential loss of physiological structure in the reconstructed image that plague the background art systems . the inventors of the present invention have found that the overflow correction step 770 could be implemented by a variety of mathematical algorithms . one possible way is described in the embodiment shown in fig8 . fig8 shows a block diagram corresponding to the overflow correction step 770 of fig7 . based on the overflow map 810 , and the reconstruction data 820 obtained in step 760 of fig7 , individual and small groups of overflow points are identified and corrected in step 830 , for example based on a linear interpolation . step 830 produces a new reconstruction data set reconstruction_data ′ by correcting only the individual and small groups of overflow points . the larger groups of overflow points are not corrected in step 830 . for a better understanding of step 830 , fig9 shows a diagramatical view of the overflow map 810 and the reconstruction data 820 . the overflow map , positioned in the lower part of fig9 , shows each channel of the array detector 5 along the x - axis . an empty circle denotes an overflow point that was corrected by interpolation in step 830 , the lower solid circles correspond to original non - overflow points , and the upper solid circles correspond to overflow points yet to be corrected . the values of the reconstruction data reconstruction_data &# 39 ; are shown in the upper part of fig9 . an empty triangle indicates an overflow point that has been corrected by linear interpolation based on the values of the non - overflow points bordering the overflow point , and a solid triangle indicates overflow points that will be corrected by another procedure than a linear interpolation . the dashed line indicates a non - overflow curve , which is unknown for overflow conditions . one target of the process described in fig8 is to bring the overflow points as close as possible to the non - overflow curve . according to step 830 , the linear interpolation correction is applied to those overflow points that respect a condition that a number of consecutive overflow points is less than a predetermined minimum consecutive overflow points min_consecutive_overflow_pts number . the min_consecutive_overflow_pts number is determined depending on the accuracy desired . the smaller the number , the better the accuracy of the process . the min_consecutive_overflow_pts number is two in the example shown in fig9 . fig9 shows three regions in which the overflow points are corrected using the linear interpolation . after the linear interpolation is performed in step 830 , the overflow map is updated to reflect the corrected overflow points and the updated map is input in step 840 to identify groups of overflow points that do not respect the condition for the min_consecutive_overflow_pts number . also , the reconstruction data provided at step 820 is updated with the corrected overflow points and is provided to other steps . in step 840 , the process identifies groups of overflow points in the updated reconstruction data reconstruction_data &# 39 ;, based on a procedure that will be discussed next . fig1 shows multiple groups of overflow points that are present in a row of channels . considering a row of channels at a time , a total number of overflow groups in a respective row of channels is denoted ofg . an overflow group “ g ” of the multiple groups of overflow points is shown for example in fig1 . the position of the overflow group “ g ” is defined by a start point ofgstart [ g ] and by an end point of the group denoted ofgend [ g ]. the number of overflow points in the group “ g ” is ofgpts [ g ], and is given by the expression : a series of consecutive overflow points is considered a subgroup of a group if a number of non - overflow points mingroupspacing separating the consecutive overflow points is smaller or equal to a predetermined value . for example , in fig1 , mingroupspacing is set to one and two subgroups ( a ) and ( b ) are part of the same group “ g ” because the number of non - overflow points between the two subgroups is one , which is less than mingroupspacing . thus , for a predetermined mingroupspacing , if a plurality of subgroups have between adjacent subgroups a number of non - overflow points less or equal to the mingroupspacing , the plurality of subgroups are considered one single group . however , in another embodiment of the present invention , the subgroups shown in fig1 could correspond to different groups . by selecting the groups and subgroups in a certain way , a better curve - fit could be achieved . further , fig1 shows that a non - overflow point could be part of an overflow group ( here one non - overflow point is part of the overflow group “ g ”). after the ofg , ofgstart [ g ], ofgend [ g ], and ofgpts [ g ] are determined in step 840 , various corrections are applied to the identified overflow groups . in step 850 , a polynomial correction is applied to the overflow groups identified and defined in step 840 . in the present embodiment , the overflow data is smoothened by fitting a polynomial of order n p as shown in fig1 . however , in another embodiment of the present invention a different type of curve or low - pass filter is used to smooth the overflow data . fig1 shows that polynomials are fitted to the group “ g ” found in the reconstruction_data &# 39 ;[ n ] for those points ( channels ) that obey the expression : where pfbpts is the number of non - overflow points bounding the overflow group “ g ” on each side of the group “ g .” the pfbpts number is selected depending on various factors that will be discussed later . the polynomial correction is of the form : polyfit g [ ch ] = ∑ a = 0 n p - 1 c g [ a ] · ch a ( 3 ) where c g [ a ] is the ath polynomial coefficient for the fit of group “ g .” a general least - squares fit of the data in the overflow group to the polynomial equation ( 3 ) is used to obtain the polynomial coefficients c g [ a ], i . e , c g [ a ]= least squares fit of {( ofgstart [ g ], reconstruction_value [ ofgstart [ g ]), . . . , ( ofgend [ g ], reconstruction_value [ ofgend [ g ]])} ( 4 ) a correction polysmooth using the polynomial defined by equation ( 3 ), is given by : the polysmooth correction does not interpolate or estimate the correct values of the overflow points in the reconstruction_data &# 39 ;, but only smoothens out overflow regions , which removes ring - type artifacts in the reconstructed images . fig1 shows a solid line indicating the result of the polysmooth correction based on ( i ) the non - overflow points bordering the overflow group “ g ,” and ( ii ) the overflow points of the overflow group “ g .” the solid line is not identical to the dash line that indicates the true reconstruction data discussed in fig9 . step 850 could include a plurality of substeps and fig8 shows for example two substeps 851 and 852 . substep 851 determines a third order polynomial fit for the overflow points in the overflow group “ g ” and step 852 interpolates the overflow points and substitutes them with a polynomial curve produced in substep 851 to better approximate the values of the real data . the process described in fig8 is not limited to applying a polynomial fit 850 after the overflow groups have been identified in step 840 . for example , fig8 shows that the overflow correction process can go from step 840 to either step 860 in which a spline fit is applied to the overflow groups or to step 870 in which a combination of correction methods are applied . step 860 is similar to step 850 with a difference that another mathematical correction is applied . step 860 could include a plurality of steps or two steps as shown in fig8 . in the example shown in fig8 , which is not intended to limit the present embodiment of the invention to only two steps , a step 861 determines a spline curve that is fitted to non - overflow points and an output of step 861 is inputted to a step 862 in which a spline interpolation is applied to the non - overflow points bordering the overflow groups . in one embodiment of the present invention , the spline curve is fit to non - overflow points bordering each side of the group “ g ” of the reconstruction_data &# 39 ;. the spline curve is given by : splinecurve g [ ch ] = splinefit ( reconstruction_data ′ [ m ] ) ( 6 ) where ofgstart [ g ] - sfpts ≤ m & lt ; ofgstart [ g ] and ( 7 ) ofgend [ g ] & lt ; m ≤ ofgend [ g ] + sfpts the spline fit is applied in this example to a total of 2 · sfpts points that are found in the intervals defined by equation ( 7 ), the spline fit is applied until all the overflow points are corrected , and sfpts represents a number of non - overflow points bordering the overflow group “ g .” in the current system , it was not possible for an overflow group to be located at the edge of the detector . in the general case , groups located at the edge of the detector will be extrapolated . the splinecurve g [ ch ] curve corresponding to channels “ ch ” is shown in fig1 as a solid line , which is different than the dash line that corresponds to the real value of the reconstruction data . the updated overflow map is used for correcting all the overflow points in the overflow group “ g .” in fig1 , the empty circle indicates the non - overflow points used to spline fit the splinecurve g [ ch ] curve , and the solid pentagons represent the corrected overflow points using the splinecurve g [ ch ] curve . after the spline fit has been applied to the overflow points of the group “ g ,” the overflow map is updated and the process is repeated for the remaining overflow groups until all the overflow groups are corrected . the process shown in fig8 is not limited only to polysmooth or splinefix corrections , but other mathematical correction algorithms could be used to correct the overflow points of the overflow groups . in general , the true reconstruction data is unknown when the overflow condition is present , and thus it is very difficult to generate a perfect correction . the splinefix generates a general correction of the overflow data , and sometimes , the magnitude of the splinefix correction will overcorrect or undercorrect the a / d data , which will introduce new artifacts into the final reconstructed images . the inventors of the present invention have found that a combination of polysmooth and splinefix produces an improved correction . in one embodiment of the present invention , an adaptive weighted average of the two corrections ( polysmooth and splinefix ) is implemented in step 870 in fig8 . step 870 receives an output from the polysmooth correction step 850 and an output from the splinefix correction step 860 . based on these two outputs , a new correction splinepolyfix is calculated as will be described further . however , in other embodiments of the present invention , a non - adaptive weighted or other functions , such as a weighted multiplication of the two , may be used to combine the two corrections or any other corrections . regarding the present embodiment , a magnitude of the spline curve correction is a function of slopes s l and s u of the non - overflow data , where s l is the slope of the non - overflow points on the lower side of the group ( smaller channel values ; left side of the overflow group in figures ) and s u is the slope on the upper side of the group ( larger channel values ; right side of overflow group in figures ). the polysmooth and splinefix corrections are combined using an adaptive weight w p determined by the maximum slope of the two slopes s l and s u . in another embodiment , w p is a function of a variety of overflow parameters , such as both slopes s l and s u , the number of points ofgpts in the overflow group “ g ,” or combinations of parameters . in this embodiment , the combination of the polysmooth and splinefix is splinepoly and is given by : splinepoly [ p ] = w p ( s m ) · polysmooth [ p ] + splinefix [ p ] w p ( s m ) + 1 ( 9 ) where s m is the maximum slope of the slopes s l and s u : in the current embodiment , s l and s u are calculated by : s l = reconstruction_data [ p l2 ] - reconstruction_data [ p l1 ] p l2 - p l1 ( 11 ) and s u = reconstruction_data [ p r2 ] - reconstruction_data [ p r1 ] p r2 - p r1 ( 12 ) p l1 = ofg start [ g ]− sfbpts ( 13 ) p l2 = ofg start [ g ]− 1 ( 14 ) p r1 = ofg end t [ g ]+ 1 ( 15 ) and p r2 = ofg end [ g ]+ sfbpts . ( 16 ) as can be seen in equations ( 11 )–( 16 ), the slopes s l and s u are calculated for non - overflow points bordering an overflow group . in the current embodiment , w p ( s m ) is determined by simulation as follows . non - overflow data ( pure data ) is either generated by simulation or acquired experimentally , and then this pure data is processed to produce non - overflow reconstruction_data . the non - overflow pure data is then modified by simulation to produce overflow data , to account for the overflow condition . this overflow data is processed to produce overflow reconstruction_data . because both the non - overflow and overflow reconstruction_data are known , “ true ” values of w p as a function of s m are calculated . for example , different s m are calculated from a set of modified non - overflow pure data and corresponding w p values are determined by simulation by fitting overflow reconstruction data to the non - overflow reconstruction data . in the current embodiment , the two sets of s m and w p calculated by simulation are plotted together on a graph and a least - squares linear curve is fit for the w p versus s m data to produce the adaptive weighting function according to equation : where m and b are the slope and intercept , respectively , determined by the least - squares fit . in other embodiments , a different fitting function or a lookup table can be used for determining w p ( s m ). the splinepolyfix correction produces a correction having the characteristics of a spline curve scaled to statistically match the non - overflow data . this correction will produce an improved reconstructed image with fewer and reduced overflow artifacts . further improvements of the process described in fig8 could be achieved by using prior knowledge data regarding how the preprocessing step 740 in fig7 influences the non - overflow data . in the general case , prior knowledge data can be calibration data , a mathematical function , or a combination of both . in the case of the x - ray ct , for example , the preprocessing step could include water calibration , which introduces a distinct curved shape frequently having a vertex in the reconstruction data , as shown for example in fig6 ( b ) in the true reconstruction data ( c ). the position of the bottom vertex and the slope of the curve on both sides of the vertex is a function of the water calibration data used in the preprocessing step and of the position of the overflow group in the row of channels . the water calibration data is constant and is known prior to determining any correction . the splinepolyfix correction determined in step 870 can be combined with a prior knowledge data ( such as some general knowledge about the attenuation of object being scanned , such as head or abdomen ) obtained in step 880 to produce a better correction apfix : where apfix is the overflow correction with the prior knowledge , and f { } is a function that combines the splinepoly and the prior knowledge data ; such as a weight that scales splinepoly based on the prior knowledge . the splinepolyfix and apfix corrections estimate true data values of the overflow points . under certain conditions ( such as noise ), it is possible for the apfix and / or splinepolyfix to produce corrected values that are worse than the overflow data for a particular overflow group . this produces new undesirable artifacts in corrected images . thus , in step 890 , a selection of the best correction among the corrections already discussed is determined . the splinepolyfix and apfix corrections are compared with the polysmooth correction to determine whether the corrections are valid . the validity of the corrections are determined if any splinepolyfix or apfix corrected point within an overflow group is greater than the corresponding polysmooth corrected point . if the above discussed condition is valid , then the correction is considered invalid . the flags for apfixvalid and splinepoly valid are set according to the following algorithm : the best correction for the overflow group “ g ” is determined according to table 1 : however , other embodiments can use different criteria for determining the validity of a correction and a selection of the best correction is then implemented . finally , in step 895 all the overflow points of the reconstruction data are corrected based on the results of table 1 and the input from the selection step 890 , and the reconstructed image of the object is displayed on the display . any embodiment of the present invention conveniently may be implemented using a conventional general purpose computer or microdisc processor program according to the teachings of the present invention , as would be apparent to those skilled in the computer art . appropriate software may already be prepared by programmers of ordinary skill based on the teachings of the present disclosure , as would be apparent to those skilled in the software art . fig1 is a schematic illustration of a general purpose computer 1300 which can be programmed according to the teachings of the present invention . in fig1 , the computer 1300 can be used to implement the processes of the present invention , wherein the computer includes , for example , a display device 1302 ( e . g ., a touch screen monitor with a touch - screen interface , etc . ), a keyboard 1304 , a pointing device 1306 , a mouse pad or digitizing pad 1308 , a hard disk 1310 , or other fixed , high density media drives , connected using an appropriate device bus ( e . g ., a scsi bus , an enhanced ide bus , an ultra dma bus , a pci bus , etc . ), a floppy drive 1312 , a tape or cd rom drive 1314 with tape or cd media 1316 , or other removable media devices , such as magneto - optical media , etc ., and a mother board 1318 . the mother board 1318 includes , for example , a processor 1320 , a ram 1322 , and a rom 1324 ( e . g ., dram , rom , eprom , eeprom , sram , sdram , and flash ram , etc . ), i / o ports 1326 which may be used to couple to an image acquisition device and optional special purpose logic devices ( e . g ., asics , etc .) or configurable logic devices ( e . g ., gal and re - programmable fpga ) 1328 for performing specialized hardware / software functions , such as sound processing , image processing , signal processing , neural network processing , automated classification , etc ., a microphone 1330 , and a speaker or speakers 1332 . as stated above , the system of the present invention includes at least one computer readable medium . examples of computer readable media are compact discs , hard disks , floppy disks , tape , magneto - optical disks , proms ( eprom , eeprom , flash eprom ), dram , sram , sdram , etc . stored on any one or on a combination of computer readable media , the present invention includes software for controlling both the hardware of the computer and for enabling the computer to interact with a human user . such software may include , but is not limited to , device drivers , operating systems and user applications , such as development tools . such computer readable media further includes the computer program product of the present invention for performing any of the processes according to the present invention , described above . the computer code devices of the present invention can be any interpreted or executable code mechanism , including but not limited to scripts , interpreters , dynamic link libraries , java classes , and complete executable programs , etc . the programming of general purpose computer 1300 may include a software module for digitizing and storing images obtained from film or an image acquisition device . alternatively , the present invention can also be implemented to process digital data derived from images obtained by other means , such as a picture archive communication system ( pacs ). in other words , the digital images being processed may be in existence in digital form and need not be converted to digital form in practicing the invention . accordingly , the mechanisms and processes set forth in the present description may be implemented using a conventional general purpose microprocessor or computer programmed according to the teachings in the present specification , as will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art ( s ). appropriate software coding can readily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the present disclosure , as will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art ( s ). however , as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , the present invention also may be implemented by the preparation of application - specific integrated units or by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component units . the present invention thus also includes a computer - based product which may be hosted on a storage medium and include instructions which can be used to program a general purpose microprocessor or computer to perform processes in accordance with the present invention . this storage medium can include , but is not limited to , any type of disk including floppy disks , optical disks , cd - roms , magneto - optical disks , roms , rams , eproms , eeproms , flash memory , magnetic or optical cards , or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions . numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . the invention may also be implemented by the preparation of applications specific integrated units or by interconnecting in an appropriate network of conventional component units , as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art . the source of image data to the present invention may be any appropriate image acquisition device such as an x - ray machine , ct apparatus , and an mri apparatus . further , the acquired data may be digitized if not already in digital form . ultimately , the source of image data being obtained in process may be a memory storing data produced by an image acquisition device , and a memory may be local or remote , in which case a data communication network , such as pacs ( picture achieving computer system ), may be used to access the image data for processing according to the present invention . of course , the particular hardware or software implementation of the present invention may be varied while still remaining within the scope of the present invention . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalence , the invention may be practice otherwise than as specifically described herein . obviously , numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . | 6 |
hereinafter , embodiments of the removable marking device for a mold according to the present invention are explained with referring to the drawings . fig1 shows the removable marking device for a mold according to the present invention . fig1 ( a ) is a plan view of the marking device . fig1 ( b ) is a longitudinal sectional view of the marking device to show the main composition . fig1 ( c ) shows a bottom view of the marking device . a marking device ( 1 ) consists of a substantially cylindrical fixed tube ( 2 ) that forms an outer circumferential contour of the marking device ( 1 ), and of a substantially cylindrical rotatable tube ( 13 ) that can be rotatably inserted into the fixed tube ( 2 ), and of an indicator axle ( 4 ) that can be rotatably inserted into the rotatable tube ( 3 ), and of a base member ( 5 ) that is disposed below the rotatable tube ( 3 ), and of a disk - shaped cover member ( 6 ) that closes a bottom opening of the fixed tube ( 2 ). the marking device ( 1 ) is fit into a hole of a molding device so that the top surface is exposed to the cavity of the molding device . the outer circumferential contour of the fixed tube ( 2 ) closely contacts an inner wall of the hole of the molding device . therefore , the fixed tube ( 2 ) does not rotate with respect to the mold device while an indicator axle ( 4 ) rotates ( its details will be described later ). there are some steps on an inner wall of the fixed tube ( 2 ). each step defines a position of the rotatable tube ( 2 ), the base member ( 5 ), and a cover member ( 6 ) so that the fixed tube ( 2 ) has internal spaces that widen downwardly step by step . an annular projection portion ( 21 ) that radially projects at the lower end of the rotatable tube ( 3 ) contacts the step of an inner wall of the fixed tube ( 2 ). in addition , the base member ( 5 ) and the cover member ( 6 ) respectively contact the steps formed at the inner wall of the fixed tube ( 2 ). thus , the top surface of the rotatable tube ( 3 ) becomes leveled with that of the fixed tube ( 2 ). as for examples shown in fig1 , numeric characters from “ 1 ” to “ 12 ” are carved on the top surface of the fixed tube ( 2 ) in order to indicate the manufacturing month . however , carved characters are not limited to numeric , and any characters can be carved . an inner wall of the rotatable tube ( 3 ) has a step to axially position the indicator axle ( 2 ). besides , the inside of the rotatable tube ( 3 ) has a lower space ( 32 ) and an upper space ( 31 ). the lower space ( 32 ) is wider than the upper space ( 31 ). the lower spaces comprise control spaces as a part of the control mechanism ( its details will be described later ). the indicator axle ( 4 ) consists of a cylindrical upper pillar ( 41 ) forming the upper portion of the indicator axle ( 4 ), and of a lower pillar ( 42 ) forming the lower portion of the indicator axle ( 4 ). the lower pillar ( 42 ) is thicker than the upper pillar ( 41 ). the upper surface of the lower pillar ( 42 ) contacts the step on the inner wall of the rotatable tube ( 3 ). the indicator axle ( 4 ) is as long as the rotatable tube ( 3 ). as mentioned above , the base member ( 5 ) and the cover member ( 6 ) respectively contact the steps on the inner wall of the fixed tube ( 2 ), and the top surface of the indicator axle ( 4 ) becomes leveled with that of the rotatable tube ( 4 ). on the top surface of the rotatable tube ( 3 ), numeric characters from “ 05 ” to “ 10 ” are carved in order to indicate the manufacturing year , as well as a triangular mark is carved so as to point out particular numbers of the upper surface of the fixed tube ( 2 ). a marking arrow is carved on the upper surface of the indicator axle ( 4 ). the configuration of the marking arrow corresponds to a tip of a slotted screwdriver , which can be inserted into the marking arrow . the rotatable tube ( 3 ) rotates with respect to the fixed tube ( 2 ), whereas the indicator axle ( 4 ) rotates with respect to the rotatable tube ( 3 ). for example , when a triangular mark of the rotatable tube ( 3 ) points out the numeric character “ 1 ”, and the marking arrow of the indicator axle ( 4 ) points out the numeric character “ 5 ”, date of manufacturing can be marked on a mold , representing january of the year 2005 . in spite of a rotary action of the rotatable tube ( 3 ) or the indicator axle ( 4 ), the base member ( 5 ) does not rotate . in addition , the cover member ( 6 ) seals the lower opening of the fixed tube ( 2 ), which prevents dust from breaking in the marking device ( 1 ). fig2 is a bottom view of the rotatable tube ( 3 ), and describes the base structure of the rotatable tube ( 3 ) in detail . a ring ( 33 ) for controlling rotary motion is fixed on the lower space ( 32 ) of the rotatable tube ( 3 ). the ring ( 33 ) has specific thickness . the inner space of the ring ( 33 ) is defined as a control space ( 71 ). the control space ( 71 ) consists of a cylindrical space ( 72 ) defined as an inscribed circle of an inner wall of the ring ( 33 ) ( i . e . a circle with the dotted line described in fig2 ), and of a projecting space ( 73 ) that radially projects from the cylindrical space ( 72 ). as shown in fig2 , the number of the projecting space ( 73 ) equals to the total number of marks or numeric characters carved on the top surface of the rotatable tube ( 3 ). the disposition of the project space ( 73 ) corresponds to that of these numeric characters or marks . thus , according to examples in fig1 , numeric characters from “ 05 ”) to “ 10 ” and a triangular mark , six symbols of numeric characters and one mark , are carved on the top surface of the rotatable tube ( 3 ). hence , these numeric characters and mark are disposed at even intervals in a circumferential direction . there are the same numbers of the projecting spaces ( 73 ) as the total characters on the top surface of the rotatable tube ( 3 ), and the projecting spaces ( 73 ) are distributed in accordance with the disposition of the characters . thus , seven projecting spaces ( 73 ) are formed at even intervals in a circumferential direction . the projecting space ( 73 ) shown in fig2 has a trapezoidal cross section , which is not limited to a shape of fig2 . thus , any shape can be used if the following conditions are fulfilled . referring to a pair of sides ( l 1 , l 2 ) extending from the cylindrical space ( 72 ), end points of l 1 and l 2 close to the cylindrical space ( 72 ) are defined as e 1 and e 2 respectively . as long as an angle of the side l 1 with respect to a line connected points e 1 and e 2 differs an angle of the l 2 with respect to a line connected points e 1 and e 2 , the configuration of the projecting space ( 73 ) can be arbitrary . furthermore , one angle is preferably an acute angle , while the other angle is preferably an obtuse angle or a right angle . moreover , the bottom surface of the rotatable tube ( 3 ) has a concave portion ( 81 ). the concave portion ( 81 ) is disposed at the location which corresponds to characters , numeric characters , and marks carved on the top surface of the fixed tube ( 2 ). hence , as for examples shown in fig1 , numeric characters from “ 1 ” to “ 12 ” are formed at even intervals in a circumferential direction . therefore , at the bottom surface of the rotatable tube ( 3 ), twelve concaves ( 81 ) are formed at even intervals in a circumferential direction . fig3 is a cross section of the indicator axle ( 4 ), and describes the inside of the indicator axle ( 4 ) in detail . on the lower pillar ( 42 ) of the indicator axle ( 4 ), a hole ( 74 ) is formed along the diameter of the lower pillar ( 42 ). besides , a fixing portion ( 75 ) is buried in the hole ( 74 ). the fixing portion ( 75 ) consists of a coil spring ( 751 ) and a tip ( 752 ) attached to the tip of the coil spring ( 751 ). the tip ( 752 ) partially projects from the circumferential surface . when the coil spring ( 751 ) is compressed , this projecting portion can be completely accommodated within the hole ( 74 ). in addition , the tip ( 752 ) is hemispherical - shaped . fig4 is a bottom view of the marking device ( 1 ), and represents a condition without the cover member ( 6 ) and the base member ( 5 ). a control mechanism comprises of the above - mentioned fixing portion ( 75 ) and control space ( 71 ). the lower pillar ( 42 ) of the indicator axle ( 4 ) is inserted into the cylindrical space ( 72 ) surrounded by the dotted line shown in fig3 . the circumferential outline of the lower pillar ( 42 ) corresponds to the dotted line shown in fig3 . furthermore , the tip ( 752 ) of the fixing portion ( 75 ) buried in the lower pillar ( 42 ) projects to the projecting space ( 73 ). under such circumstances , the indicator axle ( 4 ) rotates towards the edge l 1 of the projecting space ( 73 ) having a moderate slope ( i . e . the indicator axle ( 4 ) rotates counterclockwise ). at this time , the tip ( 752 ) of the fixing portion ( 75 ) is guided along the side l 1 and is moved into the hole ( 74 ) formed by the lower pillar ( 42 ) with compressing the coil spring ( 751 ). when the tip ( 752 ) of the fixing portion ( 75 ) reaches to the adjacent projecting space ( 73 ), it once again projects from the lower pillar ( 42 ), which stops the rotary action of the indicator axle ( 4 ), and the indicator axle ( 4 ) is in position . on the contrary , the indicator axle ( 4 ) rotates towards the side l 2 of the projecting space ( 73 ) having a steep slope ( i . e . the indicator axle ( 4 ) rotates clockwise ). at this time , the tip ( 752 ) of the fixing portion ( 75 ) is caught on the side l 2 , which rotates the rotatable tube ( 3 ) with the indicator axle ( 4 ). thus , the control mechanism allows the indicator axle ( 4 ) to rotate , or both the indicator axle ( 4 ) and the rotatable tube ( 3 ) to rotate by choice of rotation direction . fig5 is a detailed cross sectional view of the base member ( 5 ). the base member ( 5 ) comprises a hole ( 82 ) on the top surface of the base member ( 5 ). a convex portion ( 83 ) is buried in a hole ( 82 ). the convex portion ( 83 ) consists of a coil spring ( 831 ) and a spherical tip ( 832 ) attached to the top end of the coil spring ( 831 ). a portion of the tip ( 832 ) can be projected from the top surface of the base member ( 5 ), as well as it can be moved inside the hole ( 82 ) by the coil spring &# 39 ; s ( 831 ) compression . the tip of the convex portion ( 83 ) is inserted into the concave portion ( 81 ) formed on the bottom surface of the rotatable tube ( 3 ) shown in fig2 and fig4 , which positions the rotatable tube ( 3 ) at specific angular places . furthermore , it is preferable to form a hole through the wall of the fixed tube ( 2 ), and a hole on the circumferential surface of the base member ( 5 ), so that a pin can be inserted into both holes . hence , the convex portion ( 83 ) of the base member ( 5 ) can be at the constant positional relationship with characters , numeric characters , and marks , which rids errors of positioning resulting from assembling . furthermore , even though the structure of the convex portion ( 83 ) shown in fig5 is employed instead of the concave portion ( 81 ) of the rotatable tube ( 3 ) and the concave portion ( 81 ) of the rotatable tube ( 3 ) shown in fig2 and fig4 is employed instead of the convex portion ( 83 ) of the base member ( 5 ), it is feasible to gain the same results in the above - mentioned structure . the present invention is preferably applied to the removable marking device with a mark having different meanings . | 1 |
the present invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment as a classroom instruction system including a primary or teacher station 12 and secondary or student stations a , b , and c . referring to fig1 system 11 includes a teacher station 12 having a computer 13 , a teacher &# 39 ; s display screen 14 , marked t , for displaying the output of computer 13 and other information , and a teacher receiving screen 16 , marked tr . teacher screens 14 and 16 and others may be conventional cathode ray tubes . other sources of video signals ( not shown ) may also be transmitted as desired by the teacher station . teacher station 12 includes a switching console 121 , shown in fig2 enabling the teacher to display the output of any of the computers upon any of the screens in system 11 . console 121 is connected to the output of teacher computer 13 , the inputs to the teacher display screen 14 and teacher receiving screen 16 , and to student stations a , b and c . console 121 is also connected to the student station a computer 22 output , display screen 23 input , and controller 24 . further student stations b , c , and so forth , include computers 32 and 42 , display screens 33 and 43 and controllers 34 and 44 , all connected respectively to console 121 in the same manner as like elements of station a . fig2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the teacher switching console 121 . it has a keypad 123 for setting up the network . the teacher presses the button marked &# 34 ; from &# 34 ;, then the number of the desired transmitter station . subsequently pressing the keypad &# 34 ; to &# 34 ; button , the desired &# 34 ; from &# 34 ; station number lights up a light in row 125 above the appropriate number . several receiving stations may be connected in this manner , each to a different transmitting station indicated above it , or the &# 34 ; all &# 34 ; button may be used to connect all receiving stations to a single transmitter . the teacher can initiate review of the student screen by pressing a scan button 130 to display the student screens one - by - one on the teacher screen . when the scan feature is activated , indicator light 131 is illuminated . the student number is indicated in row 125 above the . 0 . in row 127 . the screens are each displayed for a time determined by setting the &# 34 ; scan - rate &# 34 ; knob 135 to a faster or slower position . scanning can be interrupted at any time to allow the teacher to watch the present screen for a longer period by activating the &# 34 ; scan pause &# 34 ; button 136 . a pause in scanning is indicated by a light 137 . scanning can be resumed with the next station in sequence by pressing scan - pause button 136 again . then , the &# 34 ; scan reset &# 34 ; button 140 can be used to return to the first station for scanning . the teacher can use a microphone , not shown , to communicate with the student at the station being scanned , or , when the scan function button 130 is off , with the designated &# 34 ; receiving &# 34 ; stations , by pressing and holding the keypad 123 button marked &# 34 ; all .&# 34 ; the volume of the communication received both by the teacher and by the student is adjustable by rheostat knob 145 . students can initiate teacher review of their screens as explained below , to send a &# 34 ; teacher receive &# 34 ; signal to the teacher controller . &# 34 ; teacher receive &# 34 ; signals are stored in a conventional first - in - first out ( fifo ) memory , not shown . the first &# 34 ; teacher receive &# 34 ; signal activates &# 34 ; student waiting &# 34 ; light 150 , and the student station number is displayed by led 152 . the teacher views the interrupting screen by pressing &# 34 ; advance tr screen &# 34 ; button 155 . if other students have also sent &# 34 ; teacher receive &# 34 ; signals , the &# 34 ; student waiting &# 34 ; light 150 remains lit , and those screens are displayed in succession by pressing &# 34 ; advance &# 34 ; button 155 again . the voice channel can also be used for communication with interrupting screens . a preferred embodiment of the student controller panel 170 is shown in fig3 . the student controller has a &# 34 ; screen to tr &# 34 ; button 171 for sending a &# 34 ; teacher receive &# 34 ; signal to the teacher console fifo memory . a light 172 indicates that a &# 34 ; teacher receive &# 34 ; is being sent . when the &# 34 ; teacher receive &# 34 ; signal has been entered into the fifo memory , a &# 34 ; queued &# 34 ; light 174 is illuminated . when the teacher presses the &# 34 ; to &# 34 ; keypad button and a given student station number , the number of the transmitting station being sent is displayed on receiving station indicator light 185 . if the student is in the midst of an exercise that for some reason should not be interrupted , the student can use &# 34 ; no interrupt &# 34 ; button 176 , accompanied by indicator light 177 , to prevent the teacher station from breaking in with a transmission . if the teacher presses the keypad &# 34 ; override interrupts &# 34 ; button , the student &# 34 ; no interrupt &# 34 ; option is disabled . the &# 34 ; scan &# 34 ; feature , the student interrupt queue , and the from - to connections can all be reset by pressing teacher console &# 34 ; system clear &# 34 ; button 200 . this reconnects all student screen to their respective computers , sets the scan number to 1 , and clears the interrupt queue in the fifo . the clear button on the keyboard is used to reconnect all student screens to their respective computers without clearing the interrupt queue in the fifo . teacher switching console 121 switches &# 34 ; from &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; to &# 34 ; lines may be connected in a matrix such as partially illustrated in fig4 . inputs and outputs are connected to terminals 71 and 73 respectively . at each matrix crossover 73 and row conductor 74 connected to one output terminal 72 and a column conductor 76 connected to one output terminal 71 intersect . a switch 77 ( fig5 ) at this crossover spans the row conductor 74 and the column conductor 76 . thus , any input terminal 71 may be connected to any output terminal 72 by closing , and disconnected by opening , the appropriate switch 77 . this matrix switching arrangement may be generally employed ; however , inasmuch as some inputs are not intended to ever be connected to certain outputs , certain switches are either eliminated or disabled . for example , an override interrupt switch for the teacher receiving screen tr is not needed . the interrupt switches are each in series with a second switch in a line to an output , or from an input . the individual switches 77 may be remotely controlled so that the actual physical switch unit may be located wherever desired . the indicator lamps accompanying the switches in switching console 121 are conventionally connected . fig6 shows an alternative embodiment of the teacher switching console 21 which includes a column 51 of letters identifying computer output transmitting stations t , a , b and c . a row 52 of letters tr , t , a , b , c and all , identify the receiving screens . each switch 54 is at the intersection of a row for a station labeled in column 51 and of a column for a station labeled in row 52 . switches 54 can connect the output of the row station to the input of the column station . there may be accompanying , simultaneous audio channel switching if audio switches are ganged to the video switches . closing a switch in the all column connects the station for that row to all screens . only one switch in each column or one all switch should be closed at any one time . lights next to each of the switches 54 indicate the switch positions . a column 53 of lights similarly indicates which station output appears on screen tr . an optional row 56 of one indicator light and one switch under each of columns t to c enables the teacher to disable student interrupts . an indicator light and switch are not necessary in the all column . a row 57 of indicator lights and corresponding switches enables the teacher to override student interrupts when the teacher wishes to make a correction or to provide further instructions . setting a &# 34 ; scan timer &# 34 ; 58 for a given time causes output from stations t , a , b , c , etc . to be successively displayed upon teacher screen t for review . screen tr receive student - initiated transmissions on a first - in - first - out basis . a toggle switch 59 and associated indicator lamp provided below column tr in the disable interrupt row enable the teacher to cut off reception of particular student computer outputs . switch 59 controls a conventional fifo memory to retain interrupts from student controllers 24 , 34 and 44 , to pass video signals in that order . switch 59 is preferably a toggle normally set as illustrated to disable interrupts from other students while the teacher chooses to see a particular student screen . switch 59 in the other position allows interruption by the next student signal . fig7 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a student controller 24 . each student station screen 23 displays the output of its computer 22 unless instructed otherwise by console 21 . the source of the display is indicated by a pair of lights &# 34 ; own &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; other &# 34 ; 61 . student controller 24 has an indicator light 62 and associated switch 63 to transmit to the switch 59 fifo memory an interrupt message requesting that the output of computer 22 be displayed on teacher receiving screen tr . disable interrupt switch 64 , accompanied by indicator light 66 at the student station , may be used to prevent the screen 23 display from being interrupted during an intricate problem solution . however , the teacher switching console interrupt override switches 57 have ultimate control over which computer output is displayed on each screen . the present invention enables a teacher to teach and supervise each student without moving from a teacher station . students may operate at their individual paces and the teacher can instruct , assist , correct and review the progress of each . the teacher may , for example , initially use the all switch in row &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; to apply the output of teacher computer 13 to all screens . then , instructions entered in teacher computer 13 will be displayed to all students and to the teacher . then , switching the student screens to receive the student computer output allows each student to proceed according to the instructions , for example , to carry out certain programmed learning functions . actuation of switch 63 on the student controller 24 will transmit the video signal from the student &# 39 ; s computer to the teacher receiving screen tr . students can transmit the output of their computers to the teacher receiving screen tr when the student desires the teacher to look at his or her computer output for review or correction . the separate computers of the present system , not being directly linked , need not be totally compatible and may operate with different software . only the display screens , which are connected , need to operate on the same display codes . thus there may , for example , appear upon screen 23 at station a information that could not be generated by the computer 22 . the present invention , although uncomplicated , is a flexible teaching system having advantages over present manners of teaching by computers . the invention provides for controlling displays of computer outputs and visually indicates which output is being displayed at which location . the teacher can view either the teacher screen or any student screen and can transmit the output of any computer to any screen . the teacher console can prevent transmissions from being interrupted by students . each student can display the output of their computer upon their screen and / or transmit it to the teacher receiving screen . the teacher can use the scan timer to scan the student screens at a selected rate . although preferred embodiments have been described it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the present invention , and thus it is not intended to limit the invention to the precise details of the illustrations . | 6 |
referring now to the drawings and in particular fig1 shown is a disc drive 2 which includes a base member 4 and a top cover 5 which comprise the sealed housing to which all other elements of the disc drive are mounted . a disc 6 is mounted to a spindle motor ( not shown ) using a spring clamp 8 and a central screw 10 . a read / write head 12 is mounted via a flexure 14 to a head mounting arm 16 which is part of an actuator body 18 . the actuator body 18 is adapted for rotation about a pivot shaft 20 by a voice coil motor ( vcm ), shown generally at 22 . electronic circuitry , shown partially at 24 , is used to direct power to the vcm 22 and transfer signals to and from the read / write heads 12 via a printed circuit cable ( pcc ) 26 . motion of the actuator body 18 about the pivot shaft 20 causes the heads 12 to move across the discs 6 along arcuate path 28 to access data located in any one of a plurality of circular , concentric data tracks ( not shown ) on the disc surfaces . a second pcc 30 carries the drive pulses to rotate the spindle motor . this second pcc 30 connects to a plurality of pins 32 in a header which passes through the base member 4 , thus allowing external electronics ( not shown ) to control the spindle motor . fig2 shows a sectional elevation view of one embodiment of the spindle motor 34 of the present invention . in this and subsequent figures , the embodiment shown is for a spindle motor which supports a single data storage disc , although comparable advantages can be realized in spindle motors used to rotate multiple discs . several components of the disc drive which are not actually a part of the motor 34 of the present invention are shown in fig2 . for instance the base member 4 , top cover 5 , disc 6 and disc clamp 8 are shown as they relate to the motor 34 . the dimension designated he denotes the total height allocated to the disc drive assembly , or envelope height , and extends from the top surface of the top cover 5 to the lowermost point on the base member 4 . this envelope height , h e , is one of the defined design parameters , and , in a particular disc drive unit in which the motor of the present invention has been implemented , is 12 . 5 mm . two additional vertical dimensions are noted on fig2 . the dimension designated “ m ” is the height allowance for the mechanical components of the disc drive , such as the actuator , heads and discs , while the dimension designated “ e ” is the vertical space set aside for the electronic components of the disc drive , including a printed circuit board 36 and attached components 38 . as a first aspect of the invention , the motor 34 of the present invention includes a cylindrical sleeve 40 which serves to perform a variety of functions . first , the lower portion of the sleeve 40 acts as a mounting mechanism for attaching the motor 34 to the base member 4 . this is accomplished by forming a complimentarily - shaped cylindrical opening 42 in the base member 4 into which the sleeve 40 can be either press - fitted or adhesively bonded . an opening 37 is also provided in the printed circuit board 36 to allow the passage of the sleeve 40 within the cylindrical opening 42 . a lower stop surface 46 serves to contact the upper surface of the base member 4 and control how far the sleeve 40 can protrude into the opening 42 . such a scheme eliminates the mounting flange and fasteners commonly used to mount a spindle motor in a disc drive and thus serves to reduce the height of the motor 34 . an upper stop surface 48 acts as a support for a stack of stator laminations 50 which in turn support a plurality of stator windings 52 . this upper stop surface 48 , in conjunction with the outer surface 54 of the sleeve 40 above the upper stop surface 48 , serves to located the stator stack 50 both axially and radially . commutated motor drive pulses are carried to the stator windings 52 via a printed circuit cable ( pcc ) 104 . the connection of the pcc 104 to the stator windings 52 is another inventive aspect of the motor 34 of the present invention and will be further discussed below . on the inner surface 58 of the sleeve 40 is a stepped portion 60 which is used to axially located a pair of ball bearings 62 a , 62 b via contact with the outer races 64 a , 64 b of the ball bearings 62 a , 62 b . the motor 34 further consists of a rotating shaft 66 , which includes a flange portion 68 near its upper end . this flange portion 68 serves as a contact surface for the inner races 70 a of the upper ball bearing 62 a . thus , when the sleeve 40 , ball bearings 62 a , 62 b and shaft 66 are press - fitted or adhesively bonded together , the axial and radial alignment of the shaft 66 relative to the sleeve 40 is defined , as is the preload of the ball bearings 62 a , 62 b . a hub member 72 is mounted to the top of the shaft 66 . this hub member 72 is used to mount the disc 6 , as well as to support a permanent magnet 74 which forms the rotor of the motor 34 . a seal 76 is included at the bottom of the motor 34 to prevent the entrance of any outside contaminants into the motor 34 , which could then be possibly passed into the area of the heads ( not shown ) and disc 6 . the seal comprises a sheet - metal plate glued to the outer races 64 b of lower bearings 62 b . this seal eliminates the need for a ferrofluid seal . as a further contamination preventative , the air gap 78 between the cylindrical sleeve 40 and the shaft / hub subassembly 66 / 72 is intended to be as small as is reliably achievable using current mass production techniques . this will aid in isolating the delicate internal components of the disc drive from outside contaminants by creating a very small radially extending air gap portion between the lower surface of the flange portion 68 and the outer race 64 a of the upper ball bearing assembly 62 a and a second very small axially extending air gap portion between the outer extreme of the flange portion 68 and the inner surface 58 of the bearing sleeve 40 . such convoluted air passageways are sometimes referred to as “ labyrinth seals ”. fig3 shows a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the spindle motor 80 of the present invention . while the motor 80 of fig3 is very similar to the motor 34 of fig2 the motor 80 of fig3 includes an integrated hub / shaft 82 formed of a single piece of material . this reduces the parts count and thus provides a motor which is less expensive and easier to assemble . a second major difference between the motor 80 of fig3 and the motor 34 of fig2 can be seen by comparing the pair of ball bearings 84 a , 84 b and the cylindrical sleeve 86 with similar components in fig2 . the ball bearings 62 a , 62 b of fig2 include a pair of seals 85 on both the upper and lower sides of the ball bearings 62 a , 62 b , while the ball bearings 84 a , 84 b of the motor 80 of fig3 are specially made ball bearings with a sealing element 88 on only a single side of the ball bearings 84 a , 84 b . including a sealing element 88 on the top surface of the upper ball bearing 84 a and on the bottom surface of the lower ball bearing 84 b provides the same effective sealing against particles generated in the ball bearings 84 a , 84 b themselves as does the double seal configuration of fig2 and also provides a significant advantage over the double seal configuration . as can be seen by comparing fig2 and 3 , the single seal bearings 84 a , 84 b have a much smaller vertical dimension . this allows the stepped portion 90 on the inner surface of the cylindrical sleeve 86 to be larger , separating the ball bearings 84 a , 84 b by a greater distance and contributing to an increase in the “ stiffness ” of the motor 80 . any particles generated within the ball bearings 84 a , 84 b are still confined within the sealed area defined by the integrated hub / shaft 82 , the cylindrical sleeve 86 and the sealing elements 88 . yet another aspect of the invention which contributes significantly to the reduction in the height of the motor can best be seen by examining fig4 a and 4b . fig4 a is a bottom plan view of a stator subassembly 92 , while fig4 b is a sectional view of the stator subassembly 92 taken along the line “ 4 b — 4 b ” of fig4 a . as can be seen , the stator subassembly 92 consists of a stack of stator laminations 94 which include a circular central opening 96 dimensioned to fit over the outside of the cylindrical sleeve ( 86 in fig3 ) and a plurality of radially extending t - shaped stator poles 98 , one of which is shown in its entirety with dashed line 100 . each of these stator poles 98 carries a stator winding 102 a - 102 d comprised of a number of turns of wire . fig4 b shows one of these stator windings 102 a in section and another stator winding 102 b in elevation view , while shaded areas 102 c and 102 d show the general extent of an adjacent pair of stator windings in plan view . a flexible printed circuit cable ( pcc ) 104 is used to carry commutated dc drive pulses to the stator windings 102 via a plurality of signal traces 106 . fig4 a shows that this example motor includes nine stator poles 98 , but this is for example only and the present invention is in no way limited by the number of stator poles , number of electrical phases or other motor specifics . each of the signal traces 106 ends in a solder pad 108 a - d which is used to connect the signal traces 106 to the ends of the stator windings 102 a - c . in the example motor of fig4 a , there are four signal traces 106 and a comparable number of solder pads 108 a - d . such a combination could be used , for instance , in a three - phase , star configured motor , with one of the pads serving as a common point for one end of all three phase windings , while the other three pads connect to the opposite end of each individual phase winding . the inventive aspect under discussion can be understood by examining the pair of adjacent stator windings 102 c , 102 d in fig4 a . as this plan view shows , a vertically extending gap 110 is formed between each such pair of adjacent stator windings . the signal traces 106 and solder pads 108 a - d on the pcc 104 are located on the top side of the pcc 104 , i . e ., on the side of the pcc 104 closest to the stator stack 94 and stator windings 102 a - 102 d . in order to bring the pcc 104 into the closest possible contact with the stator stack 94 , the solder pads 108 a - d are each located in the vertically extending gap 110 between adjacent pairs of stator windings 102 a - d . the advantage of this approach is best seen in fig4 b which shows the end 112 of the stator winding 102 b connected to solder pad 108 d . since the solder pad 108 d lies in the vertically extending gap 110 between adjacent stator windings , it can occupy the same vertical space as the stator winding 102 b . if the solder pad 108 d were not aligned with the vertically extending gap 110 , or if the solder pad 108 d were located on the other side of the pcc 104 , a significantly taller structure would , of necessity , be formed . it will be clear that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those inherent therein . while a presently preferred embodiment has been described for purposes of this disclosure , numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are encompassed in the spirit of the invention disclosed and as defined in the appended claims . | 6 |
embodiments of an electrical connector according to the present invention will be described below in reference to the drawing figures . fig1 - 3 show a first embodiment of an electrical connector according to the present invention . referring to fig1 a male connector 1 and a female connector 2 are shown in a disconnected state . the male connector 1 includes plural terminal chambers 1 &# 39 ; which are arranged in upper and lower rows . each of the terminal chambers 1 &# 39 ; is open to the front and to the rear of the male connector 1 . a locking arm 4 is formed on a raised portion 4 &# 39 ; which is mounted on an upper wall of the male connector 1 . guide ribs 7 are mounted on the upper wall of the male connector 1 so as to be located on both sides of the locking arm 4 . the female connector 2 includes a housing body 2 &# 39 ; in which a hood 3 is formed at a front end thereof . the hood 3 is for accommodating the male connector 1 therewithin . a locking arm chamber 5 is formed in the hood 3 for accommodating therewithin the locking arm 4 of the male connector 1 . guide grooves 8 are formed on both sides of the locking arm chamber 5 for receiving therewithin the guide ribs 7 of the male connector 1 . terminals 11 extend from the front end of the housing body 2 &# 39 ; into the hood 3 towards the opening 3a of the hood 3 . a bending preventing piece 9 is located in the locking arm chamber 5 of the female connector 2 and protrudes forwardly towards the opening 3a of the hood 3 from the front end of the housing body 2 &# 39 ; to act as a member to prevent bending of the terminals 11 . the bending preventing piece 9 is elastic and is formed in the shape of a thin plate . the bending preventing piece 9 is of a length no longer than the length of the terminals 11 which project from the front end of the housing body 2 &# 39 ;. the tip of the bending preventing piece 9 may be smooth . an escape portion 10 is formed in the raised portion 4 &# 39 ; mounted on the upper wall of the male connector 1 . the escape portion slidingly received the bending preventing piece 9 of the female connector 2 . the escape portion 10 is sized so that there is surplus in space inside after the insertion of the bending preventing piece 9 therein . next , the operation of connecting the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 , wherein the male connector 1 is mistakenly fitted so as to be slanted at an angle with respect to the female connector 2 , will be explained below . as shown in fig1 guide ribs 7 extend from the upper wall of the male connector 1 along both side edges thereof . in the event that a tip portion 7a of one of the guide ribs 7 of the male connector 1 directly strikes a tip portion 9a of the bending preventing piece 9 of the female connector 2 as shown in fig2 a , the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 cannot be connected to each other . referring to fig2 b , in the event that one of the guide ribs 7 enters into a space between an inner face of a sidewall 5a of the locking arm chamber 5 and the outer periphery of the bending preventing piece 9 , the inner face of the sidewall 5a of the locking arm chamber 5 and a corner of the tip portion 7a of one of the guide ribs 7 strike each other . when a corner of the tip portion 9a of the bending preventing piece 9 of the female connector 2 and a sidewall 7b of one of the guide ribs 7 of the male connector 1 strike each other as shown in fig2 b , the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 cannot be connected to each other . referring to fig3 the male connector 1 , having guide ribs protruding from the upper wall between the outer edge of the upper wall and the raised portion 4 &# 39 ; mounted at the center of the upper wall of the male connector 1 , is mistakenly fitted so as to be slanted at an angle with respect to the female connector 2 , so that a corner of a tip portion 7 &# 39 ; a of one of the guide ribs 7 &# 39 ; and an inner face in a sidewall 5a on the locking arm chamber 5 strike each other , a corner of a tip portion 9a of the bending preventing piece 9 and a sidewall 7 &# 39 ; b of one of the guide ribs 7 &# 39 ; strike each other , and a corner of an opening 5 &# 39 ; of the locking arm 5 and a sidewall 7 &# 39 ; b of one of the guide ribs 7 &# 39 ; strike each other . when the situation as depicted in fig3 occurs , the male connector 1 slightly enters the female connector 2 in the direction of the terminals 11 in the hood 3 , but because the bending preventing piece 9 is longer than the terminals 11 protruding from the front end of the housing body 2 &# 39 ;, the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 cannot be connected with each other . therefore , in the event that the male connector 1 is mistakenly fitted so as to be slanted at an angle with respect to the female connector 2 , the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 are prevented from being connected with each other by means of the bending preventing piece 9 , the terminals 11 are prevented from being bent , and the locking arm is prevented from being deformed and damaged . fig4 shows the second embodiment of the electrical connector according to the present invention . the components of the second embodiment which are the same as those of the first embodiment will be given the same reference characters . referring to fig4 a pair of concave portions or slits 12 are formed at an upper wall face 1a in the male connector 1 . the locking arm 4 is mounted between the concave portions 12 and an escape portion 10 &# 39 ; for receiving the bending preventing piece 9 &# 39 ; of the female connector 2 . the escape portion 10 &# 39 ; is formed a front end face 1b of the male connector 1 . the bending preventing piece 9 &# 39 ; acts as a member to prevent the bending of the terminals 11 . the bending preventing piece 9 &# 39 ; protrudes from a front end face 2a of the female connector 2 in the direction of an opening 3a in the hood 3 . as the bending preventing piece 9 &# 39 ; of the second embodiment is of the same configuration as that of the bending preventing piece 9 of the first embodiment , a detailed description of the bending preventing piece 9 &# 39 ; will be omitted herein . as a variation to the second embodiment , it is possible to form guide ribs ( not shown ), similar to the guide ribs 7 shown in fig1 ), on at least one side of the escape portion 10 &# 39 ; by recessing the front end face 1b of the male connector 1 . it is also possible to form guide grooves ( not shown ) in the hood 3 of the female connector 2 . the guide grooves ( not shown ) would be similar to the guide grooves 8 shown in fig1 for receiving the guide ribs 7 in the hood 3 of the female connector 2 and would be for a similar purpose . moreover , it is also possible to form a raised portion ( not shown ), which is similar to the raised portion 4 &# 39 ; shown in fig1 by recessing the front end face 1b of the male connector 1 and the escape portion 10 &# 39 ; in the raised portion 4 &# 39 ;, for receiving the bending preventing piece 9 &# 39 ;, and to form the locking arm chamber ( not shown ), similar to the locking arm chamber 5 shown in fig1 for receiving the locking arm 4 in the hood 3 of the female connector 2 . fig5 and 6 show the third embodiment of the electrical connector according to the present invention . as shown in fig5 the male connector 1 has a flat upper wall outer face 1a &# 39 ; and a flat lower wall outer face 1c &# 39 ; with a height a therebetween . the locking arm 4 is formed on a raised portion 4 &# 34 ; which is mounted on the flat upper wall outer face 1a &# 39 ;. the hood 3 of the female connector 2 has a locking arm chamber 5 &# 39 ; for receiving the locking arm 4 of the male connector 1 . a bending preventing piece 9 &# 34 ; protrudes from the front end of the housing body 2 &# 39 ; of the female connector 2 . an escape portion 10 &# 34 ; is formed in the raised portion 4 &# 34 ; of the male connector 1 for allowing ingress of the bending preventing piece 9 &# 34 ; of the female connector 2 when the male connector 1 is inserted into the female connector 2 . the bending preventing piece 9 &# 34 ; of the third embodiment is of the same configuration as that of the bending preventing piece 9 of the first embodiment , and thus a detailed explanation of the bending preventing piece 9 &# 34 ; will be omitted herein . as shown in fig5 and 6a , the bottom of escape portion 10 &# 34 ; of the male connector 1 is at a height b from the lower wall outer face 1c &# 39 ; of the male connector 1 . as shown in fig5 and 6b , the bottom of the bending preventing piece 9 &# 34 ; is at a height c from an inner face of the lower wall 2c &# 39 ; of the female connector 2 . the escape portion 10 &# 34 ; and the bending preventing piece 9 &# 34 ; are located so that the relationship of the heights a , b , and c satisfies the equation b & lt ; c & lt ; a . by locating the escape portion 10 &# 34 ; and the bending preventing piece 9 &# 34 ; so that heights a , b , and c satisfy the relationship of the above - stated equation , even if the male connector 1 is mistakenly fitted so as to be slated at an angle with respect to the female connector 2 , the bending preventing piece 9 &# 34 ; strikes the male connector 1 at a location between the lower wall face 1c &# 39 ; and the bottom of the escape portion 10 &# 34 ;, and the male connector 1 does not connect with the female connector 2 so that the terminals 11 in the female connector 2 are prevented from being bent . referring to fig7 the fourth embodiment of the electrical connector according to the present invention is shown . it is possible that the terminals 11 are prevented from being bent by the bending preventing piece 9 &# 34 ; of the female connector 2 striking a sidewall 6b &# 34 ; of a raised wall 6 formed on and upper wall 1a &# 34 ; on the side of the front end face 1b &# 34 ; of the male connector 1 . in all embodiments described above , it is preferable that the bending preventing piece 9 ( 9 &# 39 ;, 9 &# 34 ;) protrudes from the front end of the housing body 2 &# 39 ; so as to be located approximately at the center of the width of the female connector 2 and within an upper half in the hood 3 of the female connector 2 . however , the bending preventing piece 9 ( 9 &# 39 ;, 9 &# 34 ;) may also protrude from another location within the upper half in the hood 3 . if the bending preventing piece 9 ( 9 &# 39 ;, 9 &# 34 ;) is arranged at the center of the width of the female connector 2 in the event that either the left - hand side or right - hand side of the male connector 1 is mistakenly fitted so as to be slanted at an angle with respect to the female connector 2 so as to prevent any of the terminals 11 from being bent , the bending preventing piece 9 ( 9 &# 39 ;, 9 &# 34 ;) is more properly located at the center in the hood 3 than at either the left - hand side or the right - hand side of the hood 3 . | 7 |
according to a preferred embodiment described herein , the invention relates to weldable tubular constructions commonly referred to by the term &# 34 ; off - shore constructions &# 34 ; which means that these constructions are at sea , off the coast , or as underwater oil pipelines in arctic regions . the invention also more generally relates to products intended to be used at low temperature . the invention includes providing low carbon weldable alloyed steels of a known type containing at the maximum 0 . 08 % carbon and containing manganese as well as metal - generating special carbides such as molybdenum , niobium , vanadium or tantalum , shaping these steels according to a disclosed method of centrifugal casting for forming tubes , controlling the cooling of such tubes and subjecting them to a suitable thermal treatment . more particularly , a high strength steel is employed having the following composition with percentage by weight of the total , in addition to iron , of : until recent years , increasing the carbon content of carrying out controlled rolling were the simplest means of raising the elastic limit . however , both had a number of significant drawbacks . these problems have been overcome with the invention by the use of two hardening techniques which do not destroy the ductility of steel tubes : rendering the grains of a ferritic structure finer , hardening by precipitation of a &# 34 ; carbide &# 34 ; phase , which is sufficiently stable and dispersed in a homogeneous manner in the ferrite . the fine ferritic structure and the stable and homogeneously dispersed carbide phase are obtained firstly by utilizing the above contents of carbon , silicon and manganese , the carbon remaining above 0 . 03 % and then by adding special elements such as molybdenum , vanadium , niobium or even tantalum , which promote the formation of a hardening phase by precipitating in the form of fine carbides , nitrides or carbo - nitrides at high temperature thereby limiting the enlargement of the austenitic grain which thus makes the structure finer . molybdenum , niobium , vanadium , tantalum and other metals of the same family are generators of such special carbides . furthermore , for purposes of de - oxidation , small quantities of aluminium of 0 . 02 to 0 . 08 % and traces of calcium and cerium are provided . according to the invention , a steel of this type is shaped in a unique manner by casting in a centrifugal casting mould which is suitably aerated or cooled and which is either a sand mould or a permanent mould such as a metal chill mould . according to the example of fig1 centrifugal casting takes place in the following manner : a tubular centrifugal casting mould is provided axis x -- x including a special sand 1 with air - vents 1a . the mould 1 is set in rotation about its axis x -- x , for example by a toothed ring 2 and a pinion 3 meshing with the ring 2 and a speed - reducer unit 4 . liquid steel having the composition described previously is poured into the cavity of the sand mould 1 through a runner 5 while a translatory movement is provided between the mould 1 and the runner 5 in order to enable the latter to pour the liquid metal over the entire length of the mould . to accomplish this , either the mould 1 is supported by a carriage which carries out a translatory movement with respect to the stationary runner 5 or the runner 5 is moved with the mould 1 stationary . in this example , the mould 1 is stationary . centrifugal casting installations of this type are well - known . centrifugal casting in a special sand mould is used specifically for manufacturing one article at a time or for small numbers of articles , since , after each casting operation , it is necessary to use a new sand mould 1 , because the sand may only be used for a single casting operation . sand moulds can also be used for the centrifugal casting of very thick tubes of large diameter . a steel tube t whose diameter may vary from 100 to 2000 mm according to the inside diameter of the sand mould 1 and whose thickness e may be between 10 and 150 mm is thus cast . the length of tube t cast in this way may vary between 3 and 12 meters according to the diameters and thicknesses . according to the embodiment of fig2 a permanent centrifugal casting mould is used , namely a chill mould 6 , while the rest of the centrifugal casting machine is similar to the preceding example . the chill mould 6 is cooled externally , for example by means of a row 7 of jets spraying water . the internal wall of the chill mould 6 is coated with a known coating which is not shown , serving both to protect the chill mould and to aid in obtaining a sound casting t . this method is used to cast tubes whose outer diameter varies from 90 to 1000 mm with thickness of from 10 to 120 mm according to the individual case . the length of the tubes t cast in this way varies between 2 and 10 meters according to the diameters and thicknesses . after centrifugal casting and before thermal treatment , cooling of the tube t is carried out at a controlled cooling rate speed . this cooling takes place before stripping in the case of the sand mould 1 and in a pit , after stripping , in the case of the chill mould 6 . after stripping of a centrifugally cast tube or extraction of the latter either from a sand mould 1 or a chill mould 6 , the structure is quite coarse . the stripped tube t then undergoes a homogenisation treatment up to a temperature of 1 , 050 ° c ., by placing the latter according to the diagram of fig3 in a suitably regulated thermal treatment furnace 8 . the latter is then subjected to a thermal hardening treatment of a controlled cooling rate speed from an austenitisation temperature of between 800 ° to 950 ° c . and a thermal annealing treatment at a temperature of between 600 ° and 700 ° c . these treatments make is possible to regulate the levels of the desired mechanical characteristics . the above - mentioned thermal treatments are those to which tubes having the greatest thickness are subjected such as , for example , a thickness of between 60 and 150 mm . in fact , the precise nature of the thermal treatments used depends on the thickness of the tube within the range of thicknesses of between 10 and 150 mm . for average and small thicknesses of between 10 and 60 mm , cooling by hardening and annealing . the cycle of these thermal treatments ensures the desired morphology of the ferrite as well as dispersion of the carbides in the ferrite . if one takes a sample from a steel tube t , for the purpose of a micrographic examination of its structure ( fig4 ), it will be noted that the structure is constituted by grains of very fine needle - shaped ferrite . the size of the grains obtained is greater than 10 according to the american astn scale ( standard e . 112 - 63 relating to the measurement of the size of the grains ). the size of the carbides is from 1 to 2 microns and their spacing from 2 to 10 microns . the carbides are very uniformly distributed in the ferrite and are mostly absent from the joints of the ferrite grains . makes it possible to obtain steel tubes having very good mechanical characteristics , that is , having an optimum combination of the characteristics of strength and ductility , even at low temperature . in contrast to other known methods , the value of the contraction of cross section of steels for tubes according to the invention is systematically greater than 50 %, such that any danger of &# 34 ; laminar tearing &# 34 ;, or tearing by cleavage during welding even on very thick tubes is eliminated . in addition , the metallurgical state of such steels is a stable state since it is obtained by thermal treatments , in contrast to the state of steels obtained by thermo - mechanical treatment such as rolling . the low carbon content , the fineness of the grains of ferrite , and the stability of the structure ensure a product which can be easily welded under conventional operating conditions and without requiring pre - heating , at least up to relatively high thicknesses ( 60 mm ). in addition , due to a proper choice of the material used for welding and of the operating technique used for welding , it is possible to obtain mechanical characteristics substantially identical to those of the base material in areas affected by heat . if the welding operations are carried out at a suitable temperature , the mechanical characteristics of the basic metal are not substantially modified so that the mechanical characteristics of the basic metal and of the area welded are homogeneous . by way of example , the table of appendix 1 gives three variations of composition and thermal treatment for steel tubes of the invention and an example of the manufacture of a tube by centrifugal casting . as will be seen by comparing the variations of steel , variation 11 differs from variation i by the presence of niobium in addition to molybdenum , which gives the steel increased mechanical strength and an increased elastic limit without an appreciable drop in elongation at rupture and without loss of resilience . variation iii differs from variation i by the presence of vanadium and possibly traces of niobium . this variation has mechanical characteristics which are clearly increased with respect to those of variation i , but slightly reduced values of elongation at rupture and resilience . the manufacturing example given in the table is taken from variation iii . the effects of centrifugal force are used to apply the cast metal against the impression of the mould in a uniform manner . the metal is subjected to an acceleration of 80 to 120 g . owing to this considerable acceleration , the liquid metal is purified . under the action of the centrifugal force , the heavy constituents are forced to the outside and the light constituents to the inside thereby bringing the dross , gases and impurities which are lighter than the metal to the inside of the cavity . this inner layer of impurities may be removed by machining . rapid solidification in cooled moulds at a high pressure gives a fine grain , improved mechanical properties and better density . the properties are essentially isotropic , although there may be a small variation in a transverse direction to the axis of rotation in thick castings . after solidification , the thermal cycle of cooling of the centrifugally cast tube may be controlled . concerning weldability in particular , due to the homogeneity of their structure , centrifugally cast steels can be welded without difficulties . as a variation , according to the thickness of the tube to be manufactured , it is possible to add nickel , which promotes high values of ductility without any loss of strength . the quantity of nickel added may be up to 1 . 5 %. finally , for the purpose of de - oxidation , small quantities of aluminium of between 0 . 02 and 0 . 08 % by weight of the total composition as well as traces of calcium and cerium may be added . appendix 1__________________________________________________________________________ steel tube cast in a sand mould outer diameter : 320 mmchemical composition variation of variation of variation of thickness : 60 mmas a % by weight steel steel steel length : 6 , 250 mmin addition to iron i ii iii ( variation of steel iii ) __________________________________________________________________________carbon ≦ 0 . 08 0 . 08guaranteed equivalentcarbon ≦ 0 . 42manganese 1 . 2 to 2 . 2 as variation i as variation i 2 . 00molybdenum 0 . 20 to 0 . 50 0 . 42silicon ≦ 0 . 30 0 . 29niobium 0 . 03 to 0 . 06 tracesvanadium 0 . 10 0 . 082phosphorus ≦ 0 . 015 0 . 011sulphur ≦ 0 . 010 0 . 08__________________________________________________________________________ homogenisation hardening - homogenisationthermal treatment annealing as variation i as variation i hardening - annealing__________________________________________________________________________mechanical characteristicstensile strengthdan / mm . sup . 2 r 50 - 64 52 - 66 60 - 70 66 . 7elastic limitdan / mm . sup . 2 e 34 - 40 40 - 50 50 - 60 59 . 4elongation atrupture % ≧ 20 ≧ 18 ≧ 16 19contraction ofcross - section % ≧ 50 ≧ 50 ≧ 50 61 . 5mean kcv in joulesat - 40 ° c . ( resilienceaccording to frenchstandard a03 - 161 ) ≧ 61 ≧ 61 ≧ 40 148 to 220__________________________________________________________________________ | 8 |
fig1 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional dram memory 100 . as shown in fig1 , the dram 100 comprises an array of dram memory cells 110 ( discussed further below in conjunction with fig2 ) and supporting circuitry 120 , in a known manner fig2 is a schematic of a dram cell 200 connected to a row 210 and to a column 220 . the cell 200 comprises a pass - gate transistor 230 and a capacitor 240 . one side of the capacitor 240 is connected to a power supply at some fixed voltage . the other side of the capacitor 240 is connected to the pass - gate transistor 230 at node 1 . the charge stored on the capacitor 240 , as represented by the voltage on node 1 , represents one of two binary data - states ( 0 or 1 ). for example , 0 volts might represent data - state 0 and 1 volt might represent data - state 1 . writing the cell involves storing charge in the capacitor 240 representing one of these voltage levels on node 1 . the charge comes from the column 220 through the pass - gate transistor 230 . reading the cell involves draining charge from the capacitor 240 through the pass - gate transistor 230 and onto the column 220 . a read is destructive in that it removes charge from the capacitor 240 so that the read data - state is no longer stored within the cell 200 . the method and circuits for reading and writing dram cells 200 are well known in the art . the data - state is stored as charge within the capacitor 240 . this charge can leak from the capacitor by a number of well known paths . typically , the leakage paths include sub - threshold leakage through the pass - gate transistor 230 onto the column 220 ; leakage through the source - drain junction of the pass - gate transistor 230 , which is connected to node 1 ; and leakage through the dielectric of the capacitor 240 onto the power supply . charge typically leaks from the capacitor 240 with sub - second time constants . thus , as indicated above , dram memory cells 200 need to be refreshed at regular intervals , which are typically fractions of a second . for edram , refresh intervals as short as 100 us are not uncommon . a refresh operation consists of reading the cell and writing the same data back into the cell 200 . reading the cell 200 moves the charge from its capacitor 240 trough the pass - gate transistor 230 and onto its associated column 220 . this makes a relatively small change in the column &# 39 ; s voltage . the column voltage change is sensed by a sense amplifier connected to the column ( see fig1 ). from the column voltage change , the sense amplifier recognizes the data - state which was in the cell 200 . the sense amplifier further drives the column voltage , moving it to an extreme level representative of the data - state previously contained in the cell , typically 0 or 1 volt . this amplified column voltage is transferred through the pass - gate transistor 230 and onto node 1 , replenishing the charge stored in the capacitor 240 so that the charge stored is again fully representative of the original data - state . idle cycle refresh ( icr ) is commonly used for controlling refresh in edram . the controlling system is required to periodically provide an idle cycle . an idle cycle might be required before the elapse of a specific time interval , for example 200 ns . alternately , an idle cycle might be required after the execution of a specific number of cycles , for example , every 32 cycles . the timing of the idle cycle frequency requirement is usually based upon the expected cell leakage for a chip manufactured with processing having the highest cell leakage that is expected to occur in normal manufacture . it is also usually based upon a chip operating at the worst case voltage and temperature within the specified operating range , typically the highest operating voltage and hottest temperature . under these conditions , charge leaks from the cell capacitor most rapidly and therefore need to be refreshed most often . when the memory is operated at lower temperature and / or lower voltage , or when the chip is manufactured with processing that does not cause maximum leakage from the cell &# 39 ; s capacitor , charge leaks from the cell capacitor more slowly and refresh is not needed as often . fig3 illustrates a conventional idle cycle refresh process 300 . it is noted that idle cycles are memory clock cycles where the memory is not instructed to read or write . to the user system , idle cycles are no - operation ( noop ) cycles . idle cycle refresh requires a periodic idle cycle which can be used to perform a refresh operation within the memory . as show in fig3 , the idle cycle refresh process 300 provides idle cycles during step 310 at a specified periodicity . for example , idle cycles may be required once every specified number of cycles , for example , one idle cycle for every 32 cycles . alternately , idle cycles may be required based upon time interval , for example , one idle cycle for every 200 ns . if there is no read or write instruction to the memory , step 320 determines that the current cycle is an idle cycle . if there is a read or write instruction to the memory , step 320 determines that the current cycle is not an idle cycle . if it is determined during step 320 that the current cycle is not an idle cycle , then the cycle will be used for a read or write operation during step 340 . if , however , it is determined during step 320 that the current cycle is an idle cycle , then a further test is performed during step 350 to determine if the memory needs to be refreshed . if it is determined during step 350 that the memory does not need to be refreshed , then the cycle is wasted during step 360 as no memory operation is performed ( a noop ) ( unnecessarily reducing the data rate of the memory with the user system ). if , however , it is determined during step 350 that the memory does need to be refreshed , then the memory is refreshed during step 370 . when the memory needs to refresh , idle cycles are used for refresh cycles . program control then returns to step 320 to process the next clock cycle . according to one aspect of the present invention , an idle cycle refresh is provided that only requests idle cycles when the memory actually needs to perform a refresh cycle . in this manner , cycles are not wasted for unneeded refresh operations that are not performed , in that they do not go unused , and the data rate is minimally reduced by idle cycle refreshes . unlike the above - described conventional techniques , the disclosed icr request techniques do not require idle cycles at regular specified intervals . rather , embodiments of the present invention use an output flag to inform the user that an idle cycle or a sequence of idle cycles are needed . the flag can be , for example , an output signal from the memory to tell the system that it needs to refresh and that the system is now required to provide the idle cycle or sequence of idle cycles . the system must respond within some specified number of cycles ( x ) ( or within some specified time period ) by initiating the required ics . as used herein , an “ idle cycle sequence ( ics )” is one or more idle cycles that may or may not be adjacent cycles , but are in a specified pattern ( e . g ., one out of every eight cycles ) and of a specified number . fig4 is a flow chart illustrating an idle cycle refresh process 400 incorporating a refresh flag in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig4 , the idle cycle refresh process 400 initially determines , during step 410 , whether a refresh flag is set . if the flag has not been set , the system can use this cycle to read or write memory during step 420 . a further test is performed during step 430 to determine if the memory needs to refresh . if it is determined during step 430 that the memory does not need to refresh , then program control returns directly to step 410 to process the next clock cycle . if however , it is determined during step 430 that the memory does need to refresh , then program control proceeds to step 440 to set the refresh flag , which will then be processed on the next clock cycle . program control returns directly to step 410 to process the next clock cycle . if it is determined during step 410 that the refresh flag has been set , a further test is performed during step 450 to determine if a predefined number ( x ) of cycles have elapsed since the refresh flag was set and not reset . if it is determined during step 450 that the predefined number ( x ) of cycles have not elapsed , then the system may , but is not required to , initiate an ics with present cycle during step 460 , where the memory is refreshed if and only if an ics was initiated . if , however , it is determined during step 450 that the predefined number ( x ) of cycles have elapsed , then the system must initiate an ics with the present cycle . thus , the memory is refreshed . the refresh flag is reset during step 480 if the present cycle initiates an ics . program control returns directly to step 410 to process the next clock cycle . there are a number of variations in the way that the idle cycle refresh with refresh flag can be implemented . a first variation relates to how many cycles may elapse between setting the refresh flag and supplying the idle cycle sequence . in the general case shown in fig4 , the first cycle of the ics must start within a specified number of cycles ( x ) after the refresh flag is set . for example , the ics may not have to start until 32 clock cycles after the refresh flag is set . in this case , the ics may start anywhere from the first to the thirty - second cycle after the refresh flag is set . in a further variation , shown in fig5 , the cycle after the refresh flag is set is required to be the first cycle of the idle cycle sequence ( ics ). fig5 is a flow chart illustrating an idle cycle refresh process 500 incorporating a refresh flag in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig5 , the idle cycle refresh process 500 initially determines , during step 510 , whether a refresh flag is set . if the flag has not been set , the system can use this cycle to read or write memory during step 520 . a further test is performed during step 530 to determine it the memory needs to refresh . if it is determined during step 530 that the memory does not need to refresh , then program control returns directly to step 510 to process the next clock cycle . if however , it is determined during step 530 that the memory does need to refresh , then program control proceeds to step 540 to set the refresh flag , which will then be processed on the next clock cycle . program control returns directly to step 510 to process the next clock cycle . if it is determined during step 510 that the refresh flag has been set , then the system initiates an ics with the present cycle during step 550 . thus , the memory is refreshed . the refresh flag is reset during step 560 . program control returns to step 510 to process the next clock cycle . the second variation in the way that the idle cycle refresh with refresh flag can be implemented relates to the idle cycle sequence . the ics may be as simple as a single idle cycle . in this case , for the embodiment shown in fig5 , the first cycle after setting of the refresh flag would be an idle cycle which would be the complete ics . for the more general case shown in fig4 , an example of a single idle cycle being the complete ics is one idle cycle occurring within 32 clock cycles after setting of the refresh flag . typically , one idle cycle is associated with the refresh of one row within the memory . although when there are multiple arrays within the memory , there may be cases where multiple rows , but generally only one in any given array , are refreshed within a single idle cycle . a longer ics would consist of more than one idle cycle . in the extreme case , the ics may consist of enough idle cycles to refresh the entire memory . typically , this would be the same number of idle cycles as the number of rows within the memory or within one or more arrays for a multi - array memory . for example , an ics would consist of 1024 idle cycles for a 1024 row memory . an intermediate ics would be more than one but less than the maximum number of idle cycles needed to refresh the entire memory . the disadvantage of a long ics with adjacent idle cycles is that the memory is not accessible for data transfer ( reading or writing ) during the adjacent sequential cycles of the ics . alternately , an ics consisting of more than one idle cycle may space out the required idle cycles by having cycles that the system can use for reading or writing between the idle cycles . for example , if the ics consists of 1024 idle cycles , the idle cycles could be spaced out to provide one idle cycle every 32 cycles . in this way , the system has the opportunity for data transfer during the ics for almost 97 % of the time . among other benefits of the present invention , the data transfer rate is reduced only during an actual refresh , that is , during the time occupied by the ics . between idle cycle sequences , when the memory is not being refreshed , there are no idle cycles and the data transfer rate is not reduced . in one embodiment , setting of the refresh flag should be dependent on the operating temperature and operating voltage of the chip . typically , this would mean that when the chip is colder or operating at a lower voltage , the refresh flag is set less often . when the chip is hotter or when the voltage is higher , the refresh flag is set more often . chips that are manufactured or processed in such a way that charge leaks from the capacitor faster would also cause the refresh flag to be set more often than chips that are manufactured or processed in such a way that charge leaks from the capacitor more slowly . for a detailed discussion of suitable techniques for adjusting internal circuits based on process , temperature and voltage variations ( i . e ., setting the refresh flag , using process , voltage and / or temperature sensing ), see , for example , u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 860 , 896 , filed on sep . 25 , 2007 , entitled “ integrated circuit having a memory with process - voltage - temperature control ,” incorporated by reference herein . the techniques described herein can be implemented with logic within the embedded memory macro . currently , icr is controlled in this way . alternatively , the disclosed techniques could be controlled by a processor or a refresh controller external to the memory . a plurality of identical die are typically formed in a repeated pattern on a surface of the wafer . each die includes a device described herein , and may include other structures or circuits . the individual die are cut or diced from the wafer , then packaged as an integrated circuit . one skilled in the art would know how to dice wafers and package die to produce integrated circuits . integrated circuits so manufactured are considered part of this invention . while exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described with respect to digital logic blocks , as would be apparent to one skilled in the art , various functions may be implemented in the digital domain as processing steps in a software program , in hardware by circuit elements or state machines , or in combination of both software and hardware . such software may be employed in , for example , a digital signal processor , micro - controller , or general - purpose computer . such hardware and software may be embodied within circuits implemented within an integrated circuit . thus , the functions of the present invention can be embodied in the form of methods and apparatuses for practicing those methods . one or more aspects of the present invention can be embodied in the form of program code , for example , whether stored in a storage medium , loaded into and / or executed by a machine , or transmitted over some transmission medium , wherein , when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine , such as a computer , the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention . when implemented on a general - purpose processor , the program code segments combine with the processor to provide a device that operates analogously to specific logic circuits . it is to be understood that the embodiments and variations shown and described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . | 6 |
the following is a detailed botanical description of the new ‘ teardrop ’ variety : propagation : holds its distinguishing characteristics through succeeding propagations by asexual reproduction , specifically by grafting . growth habit : branches are formed with slow growth at exceedingly narrow , acute angles relative to the trunk , resulting in a tree with a narrow , dwarf , conic figure . branches are strongly ascending and maintain their position with increasing age . the canopy is much narrower and more dense than that of a tree typical of the species . vigor : the growth rate of this tree is less than the species , and is exemplified by growth of about 6 to about 12 inches of terminal growth per year . a typical twelve year old specimen is about 9 feet in height . needles : the needles of this tree are approximately 0 . 5 inches longer than other observed members of the species . the needles are also slightly thinner and therefore more flexible than needles from other observed members of the species . upper surface color rhs 137c graduating to rhs 138b from fascicle base to needle tip . lower surface color rhs 138b graduating to rhs 138c from fascicle base to needle tip . the needle length of pinus nigra ‘ teardrop ’ is typically about 4 - 4 . 25 inches including sheath . the length of the sheath is typically about 0 . 25 - 0 . 33 inches . both are longer than the common species form of pinus nigra ( unpatented ) which has an about 3 . 5 inches overall needle length and a sheath length of about 0 . 15 - 0 . 25 inches . pinus nigra ‘ teardrop ’ has double needles joined at the sheath and a concave needle shape . the needle margins are smooth and are typically persistent up to about 10 months . the common species form of pinus nigra also has double needles joined at the sheath with a concave needle shape . the needle margins of the common species observed as of this time are also smooth but the needles are typically only persistent for a period of 8 months . the apex of the needles of pinus nigra ‘ teardrop ’ is pointed , needle - like . angle .— the branches of the ‘ teardrop ’ variety are whorled , strongly ascending , and form an angle ( measured from the horizontal ) of from about 50 degrees to about 75 degrees . the angle ( measured from the horizontal ) of other known pinus nigra specimens ranges from about 10 to about 35 degrees . the angle of the ‘ teardrop ’ variety causes a compact growth habit against the trunk , and creates a slender crown . size .— other specimens of pincus nigra have branch sizes ranging from about 12 inches to about 24 inches in length and the new branches are from about 0 . 5 to about 0 . 75 inches in diameter . the ‘ teardrop ’ variety displays branches from about 6 to about 12 inches in length and new branches are from about 0 . 75 to about 1 . 0 inch in diameter . bark : the surface texture of the bark varies by age . immature bark is smooth and typically only broken by the shape of the lenticels and foliage abscission scars . mature bark is rough and scaly . bud : the shape of the apical bud of the new tree is narrowly conical with the secondary buds somewhat elliptical . the secondary buds typically surround the apical bud in concentric whorls . the apical bud is typically about 1 . 0 inches in length with the secondary buds typically ranging from about 0 . 5 - 0 . 75 inches in length . the surface texture of all buds is smooth and somewhat glabrous . the buds are smaller than the common species form of pinus nigra . the typical color of apical buds is rhs 155d and a typical color of secondary buds is rhs 176d . disease and pest resistance : not observed to be any different than common pinus nigra trees growing in the area . hardiness : not determined . observations are of trees growing in the willamette valley of oregon ; hardiness zone 5a per usda hardiness zone . a few trees have also been growing in wisconsin and have not suffered any adverse affects from two wisconsin winter seasons . | 0 |
hereinafter , description will be made of a first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 shows a circuit diagram of an amplifier circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention . note that components identical with those of fig1 are denoted by the same reference symbols , and descriptions thereof are omitted . in fig1 , a turbo molecular pump main body 200 has the electromagnet coils 151 , 151 , . . . which respectively constitute electromagnets 104 , 105 , 106 a , and 106 b , and are provided with a common node ( which will be referred to as “ common node c ”). one end 151 a of each electromagnet coil 151 is connected to the common node c . the other end 151 b of the electromagnet coil 151 is connected to a transistor 261 and a diode 265 that compose an amplifier circuit 250 ( note that a node at the other end 151 b will be referred to as “ node e ”) herein , the transistor 261 is a power mosfet , and has a drain terminal 261 a connected to the other end 151 b of the electromagnet coil 151 and a source terminal 261 b connected to the negative electrode 153 b of the power source 153 through a current detecting circuit 255 . a diode 265 is one for current regeneration or a flywheel diode , and has a cathode terminal 265 a connected to a positive electrode 153 a of the power source 153 and an anode terminal 265 b connected to the other terminal 151 b of the electromagnet coil 151 . the current detecting circuit 255 connected to the source terminal 261 b of the transistor 261 has a detection resistor 256 which is connected at one end to the negative electrode 153 b and at the other end to the source terminal 261 b of the transistor 261 , and a detector portion 257 for detecting the electromagnetic current il from voltage at the other end of the detection resistor 256 . the detector portion 257 is structured to detect the electromagnetic current il flowing through the electromagnet coil 151 and output a current detection signal 273 as a detection result to an amplifier control circuit 271 to be described later . note that by using the current detecting circuit 255 thus having the detection resistor 256 connected at the one end to the negative electrode 153 b , the current detecting circuit 255 does not receive an input of high voltage , so noise hardly develops upon detection of the electromagnetic current il , allowing the electromagnetic current il to be detected with accuracy . the amplifier circuit 250 structured as described above is provided to each of the electromagnet coils 151 , 151 , . . . which respectively constitute the electromagnets 104 , 105 , 106 a , and 106 b . the amplifier control circuit 271 is provided within a dsp portion ( not shown ) similarly to the conventional art . the amplifier control circuit 271 compares a value of the electromagnetic current il detected by the current detecting circuit 255 and a current command value , and determines a time ( the above - mentioned increasing time tp 1 ) for increasing the electromagnetic current il and a time ( the above - mentioned decreasing time tp 2 ) for decreasing the electromagnetic current il . based on those times , the amplifier control circuit 271 determines a pulse width time of a gate drive signal 274 outputted to a gate terminal of the transistor 261 within the control cycle ts corresponding to one cycle performed by pwm control . note that in outputting the gate drive signal 274 , a signal outputted from the amplifier control circuit 271 may be passed through a field programable gate array ( not shown ; hereinafter , referred to as “ fpga ”) before the gate drive signal 274 is outputted to the transistor 261 , thereby allowing a fast speed operation . further , in fig1 , a common node c of the amplifier circuit 250 is connected to a switch circuit 280 . in the switch circuit 280 , the common node c is connected to a transistor 281 and a diode 285 . the diode 285 is one for current regeneration or a flywheel diode , and has a cathode terminal 285 a connected to the common node c and an anode terminal 285 b connected to the negative electrode 153 b of the power source 153 shared by the amplifier circuit 250 . the transistor 281 is a power mosfet , and has a drain terminal 281 a connected to the positive electrode 153 a of the power source 153 and a source terminal 281 b connected to the common node c . the transistor 281 has a gate terminal to which a switch signal 276 is outputted from the amplifier control circuit 271 . the amplifier control circuit 271 is structured to determine a pulse width time of the switch signal 276 outputted to the gate terminal of the transistor 281 within the same control cycle ts as performed by the control on the amplifier circuit 250 . in the above - mentioned structure , when the transistor 261 of the amplifier circuit 250 and the transistor 281 of the switch circuit 280 are respectively turned on , a current is made to flow from the positive electrode 153 a to the negative electrode 153 b through the transistor 281 , the common node c , the electromagnet coil 151 , and the transistor 261 ( and the current detecting circuit 255 ). accordingly , the current is supplied to the electromagnet coil 151 from the positive electrode 153 a of the power source 153 , which increases the electromagnetic current il ( this state will be referred to as “ increasing mode a 1 ”). on the other hand , when the transistor 261 of the amplifier circuit 250 and the transistor 281 of the switch circuit 280 are respectively turned off , a regenerated current is made to flow from the negative electrode 153 b to the positive electrode 153 a through the diode 285 , the common node c , the electromagnet coil 151 , and the diode 265 due to a counter electromotive force caused by the electromagnet coil 151 . accordingly , electromagnetic energy generated from the electromagnet coil 151 is consumed , which decreases the electromagnetic current il ( this state will be referred to as “ decreasing mode a 2 ”). further , when the transistor 261 of the amplifier circuit 250 is turned on and the transistor 281 of the switch circuit 280 is turned off , a flywheel current is made to flow from the negative electrode 153 b to the negative electrode 153 b through the diode 285 , the common node c , the electromagnet coil 151 , and the transistor 261 ( and the current detecting circuit 255 ) due to the counter electromotive force caused by the electromagnet coil 151 . at this time , an electric potential difference does not occur between the both ends 151 a and 151 b of the electromagnet coil 151 , which maintains the substantially constant electromagnetic current il ( this state will be referred to as “ constant mode a 3 ”). further , even in the case other than the constant mode a 3 , when the transistor 261 of the amplifier circuit 250 is turned off and the transistor 281 of the switch circuit 280 is turned on , a flywheel current is made to flow from the positive electrode 153 a to the positive electrode 153 a through the transistor 281 , the common node c , the electromagnet coil 151 , and the diode 265 due to the counter electromotive force caused by the electromagnet coil 151 . accordingly , the substantially constant electromagnetic current il is maintained also in this case ( this state will be referred to as “ constant mode a 4 ”). herein , fig2 is a time chart showing how adjustment is made between control phases of the amplifier circuit 250 with respect to the transistor 261 etc . and switch phases of the switch circuit 280 with respect to the transistor 281 etc . in fig2 , control is performed with respect to the switch circuit 280 such that the time during which the transistor 281 is kept turned on and the time during which the transistor 281 is kept turned off within the control cycle ts are the same . herein , during the time from a time ( time 0 ) at the beginning of the control cycle ts to a time ( time 0 . 5 ts ) at a midpoint of the control cycle ts , the transistor 281 is kept turned off . therefore , the voltage of the common node c becomes substantially the same voltage ( hereinafter , referred to as “ voltage vl ”) as that of the negative electrode 153 b due to the counter electromotive force or the like generated by the electromagnetic coil 151 . on the other hand , during the time from the time ( time 0 . 5 ts ) at the midpoint of the control cycle ts to an end ( time ts ) of the control cycle ts , the transistor 281 is kept turned on . thus , the voltage of the common node c becomes substantially the same voltage ( hereinafter referred to as “ voltage vh ”) as that of the positive electrode 153 a . in the case where the value of the electromagnetic current il detected by the current detecting circuit 255 is smaller than the current command value , control is performed such that the electromagnetic current il is increased in the amplifier control circuit 271 . in this case , control is performed such that the state of the increasing mode a 1 is maintained only during the increasing time tp 1 described above in one control cycle ts . in other times , control is performed such that the state of the constant mode a 3 or a 4 is maintained . to be specific , during the time from the time 0 . 5 ts to the time ts , the transistor 281 of the switch circuit 280 is kept turned on , so with the time 0 . 5 ts as a starting point , the transistor 261 is kept turned on only during the time tp 1 , thereby setting the state of the increasing mode a 1 only for the increasing time tp 1 . further , after the time tp 1 has elapsed , the transistor 261 is turned off to thereby set the state of the constant mode a 4 . on the other hand , during the time from the time 0 to the time 0 . 5 ts , the transistor 281 of the switch circuit 280 is kept turned off ( that is , the state of the increasing mode a 1 cannot be set ), so the transistor 261 is turned on , thereby setting the state of the constant mode a 3 . as a result , the electromagnetic current il is increased in one control cycle ts only during the increasing time tp 1 . on the other hand , in the case where the value of the electromagnetic current il detected in the current detecting circuit 255 is larger than the current command value , control is performed such that the electromagnetic current il is decreased in the amplifier control circuit 271 . in this case , control is performed such that the state of the decreasing mode a 2 is maintained only during the above - mentioned decreasing time tp 2 in one control cycle ts . in other times , control is performed such that the state of the constant mode a 3 or a 4 is maintained . to be specific , during the time from the time 0 to the time 0 . 5 ts , the transistor 281 of the switch circuit 280 is kept turned off , so until the time 0 . 5 ts as an end point , the transistor 261 is kept turned off only during the time tp 2 , thereby setting the state of the decreasing mode a 2 only for the decreasing time tp 2 . until the transistor 261 is turned off , the transistor 261 is kept turned on , thereby setting the state of the constant mode a 3 . on the other hand , during the time from the time 0 . 5 ts to the time ts , the transistor 281 of the switch circuit 280 is kept turned on ( that is , the state of the decreasing mode a 2 cannot be set ), so the transistor 261 is turned off , thereby setting the state of the constant mode a 4 . as a result , the electromagnetic current il is decreased in one control cycle ts only during the decreasing time tp 2 . further , in the case where the value of the electromagnetic current il detected in the current detecting circuit 255 coincides with the current command value , control is performed such that the electromagnetic current il is kept constant in the amplifier control circuit 271 . in this case , control is performed such that the state of the constant mode a 3 or a 4 is always maintained in one control cycle ts . to be specific , during the time from the time 0 to the time 0 . 5 ts , the transistor 281 of the switch circuit 280 is kept turned off , so the transistor 261 is turned on , thereby setting the state of the constant mode a 3 . on the other hand , during the time from the time 0 . 5 ts to the time ts , the transistor 281 of the switch circuit 280 is kept turned on , so the transistor 261 is turned off , thereby setting the state of the constant mode a 4 . as a result , the electromagnetic current il is kept constant . according to the above structure , even when the amplifier circuit 250 is composed of only one transistor 261 and one diode 265 , an increase , decrease , or constant state of the electromagnetic current il can thus be maintained by controlling the amplifier circuit 250 while controlling the switch circuit 280 . thus , the value of the electromagnetic current il can be made to coincide with the current command value . due to such the structure of the amplifier circuit 250 , the elements of the amplifier circuit 250 are reduced in number , thereby making it possible to miniaturize the turbo molecular pump as a whole to reduce the costs for installing the turbo molecular pump in a clean room or the like . further , the elements of the amplifier circuit 250 are reduced in number , so it is possible to decrease a failure rate of the amplifier circuit 250 , and power consumption and heat generation therein . still further , the manufacture costs of the amplifier circuit 250 can also be reduced . unlike the control with respect to the conventional amplifier circuit 150 , in control of the amplifier circuit 250 of this embodiment , the electromagnetic current il can be maintained constant . therefore , ripples of the current flowing through the common node c can be reduced , thereby making it possible to reduce power consumption and heat generation in the amplifier circuit 250 and the switch circuit 280 . further , the switch circuit 280 of the present invention is not a so - called regulator circuit ( that is , not such a circuit as to maintain the voltage of the common node c constant ) therefore , it is not required to provide a capacitor ( not shown ) for stabilization , a choking coil ( not shown ) for protection , or the like to the common node c . thus , the costs of parts can be reduced . further , wirings between the amplifier circuit 250 and the electromagnet coils 151 include only one common node c and 10 nodes e of the other ends 151 b of the electromagnet coils 151 . therefore , there are provided only 11 wirings as the common node c and the nodes e ( conventionally , 20 wirings are required ) accordingly , it is possible to reduce the costs of cables between the control device and the turbo molecular pump main body 200 , and the costs of a connector ( not shown ) of the turbo molecular pump main body 200 . therefore , the costs of parts can be reduced . further , miniaturization of the amplifier circuit 250 leads to miniaturization of the control device ( not shown ) itself , so a function of the control device can easily be incorporated into the turbo molecular pump main body 200 side . accordingly , the control device and the turbo molecular pump main body 200 can be integrated with each other . in addition , also in the amplifier circuit 250 of this embodiment , as shown in fig2 , detection of the electromagnetic current il is performed at the same detection timing td once in the control cycle ts . however , in the amplifier circuit 250 of this embodiment , the electromagnetic current il can be maintained constant . thus , while the electromagnetic current il is maintained constant ( that is , while the state of the constant mode a 3 is maintained ), detection of the electromagnetic current il can be performed ( note that in the constant mode a 4 , it is impossible to perform detection of the current because the electromagnetic currentic il is not supplied to the current detecting circuit 255 ). accordingly , it is not required to perform detection of the electromagnetic current il in a transient state . therefore , even when a deviation is caused between the detection timing td and a waveform of the electromagnetic current il , a large error is not caused with respect to the value of the electromagnetic current il that is intended to be detected . switching between increase and decrease of the electromagnetic current il at about the detection timing td can be avoided , thereby making it possible to reduce noise generated in the amplifier circuit 250 or the power source 153 to reduce a detection error . note that in this embodiment , it is described that the switch circuit 280 is composed of the transistor 281 and the diode 285 , but this is not obligatory . for example , as shown in fig3 , in addition to the structure described above , there may be provided a transistor 282 having a drain terminal 282 a and a source terminal 282 b connected to the common node c and the negative electrode 153 b , respectively . with this structure , a switch signal 277 is outputted from the amplifier control circuit 271 to a gate terminal of the transistor 282 to perform control so that the transistor 282 is turned on when a current flows through a diode 285 in the state of the decreasing mode a 2 or the constant mode a 3 ( that is , control is performed by a synchronous rectification method ), thereby making it possible to suppress heat generation of the diode 285 in the above - mentioned mode . further , in this embodiment , the increasing time tp 1 and decreasing time , tp 2 are provided such that the time 0 . 5 ts is set as the starting point or end point . alternatively , the increasing time tp 1 and decreasing time tp 2 may be provided such that the time ts is set as the endpoint or the time 0 is set as the starting point . further , this embodiment has described that in the case where the electromagnetic current il is in a constant state ( i . e ., in the state of the constant mode a 3 ), the electromagnetic current il is detected . in a more specific manner , the following may be performed . in other words , control may be performed such that the state of the constant mode a 3 is forcefully maintained with respect to the amplifier circuit 250 and switch circuit 280 in the control cycle ts , thereby detecting the electromagnetic current il in this period . in this case , the time during which the state of the constant mode a 3 is forcefully maintained may be the time during which the electromagnetic current il can be detected in the current detecting circuit 255 . for example , as shown in fig4 , the time is set to be a time from the time 0 to the time 0 . 1 ts in the control cycle ts . then , a detection timing td is set within a range between the time 0 and the time 0 . 1 ts , thereby detecting the electromagnetic current il . after that , during the remaining time ( from the time 0 . 1 ts to the time ts ), like in the control described above , for example , during the time from the time 0 . 1 ts to the time 0 . 55 ts ( during the former half of the remaining time ), the transistor 281 may be kept turned on , and during the time from the time 0 . 55 ts to the time ts ( the latter half of the remaining time ), the transistor 281 may be kept turned off to set the time tp 1 and the time tp 2 with the time 0 . 55 ts ( half the time of the remaining time ) being set as the starting point or the endpoint . as a result , the detection of the electromagnetic current il can be reliably performed in the state of the constant mode a 3 . next , description will be made of a second embodiment of the present invention . the second embodiment is another example of the amplifier circuit 250 and switch circuit 280 of the first embodiment . fig5 shows a circuit diagram of an amplifier circuit according to the second embodiment of the present invention . note that components identical with those of fig1 are denoted by the same reference symbols , and descriptions thereof are omitted . in fig5 , in an amplifier circuit 350 , one end 151 a of each electromagnet coil 151 is connected to the common node c . the other end 151 b of the electromagnet coil 151 is connected to a transistor 361 and a diode 365 ( note that a node at the other end 151 b will be referred to as “ node f ”). herein , the transistor 361 is a power mosfet , and has a drain terminal 361 a connected to the positive electrode 153 a of the power source 153 and a source terminal 361 b connected to the other terminal 151 b of the electromagnet coil 151 . the diode 365 is one for current regeneration or a flywheel diode , and has a cathode terminal 365 a connected to the other terminal 151 b of the electromagnet coil 151 and an anode terminal 365 b connected to the negative electrode 153 b of the power source 153 through the current detecting circuit 255 . further , the common node c of the amplifier circuit 350 is connected to a switch circuit 380 . in the switch circuit 380 , the common node c is connected to a transistor 381 and a diode 385 . the transistor 381 is a power mosfet , and has a drain terminal 381 a connected to the common node c and a source terminal 381 b connected to the negative electrode 153 b of the power source 153 shared by the amplifier circuit 350 . the transistor 381 has a gate terminal to which a switch signal 376 is inputted from an amplifier control circuit 371 . the diode 385 is one for current regeneration or a flywheel diode , and has a cathode terminal 385 a connected to the positive electrode 153 a of the power source 153 and an anode terminal 385 b connected to the common node c . with such the structure , when the transistor 361 of the amplifier circuit 350 is turned on and the transistor 381 of the switch circuit 380 is turned on , a current is supplied from the positive electrode 153 a to the negative electrode 153 b through the transistor 361 , the electromagnet coil 151 , the common node c , and the transistor 381 . therefore , the current is supplied to the electromagnet coil 151 from the positive electrode 153 a of the power source 153 , which increases the electromagnetic current il ( this state will be referred to as “ increasing mode b 1 ”) on the other hand , when the transistor 361 of the amplifier circuit 350 is turned off and the transistor 381 of the switch circuit 380 is turned off , due to the counter electromotive force generated by the electromagnetic coil 151 , a regenerated current is made to flow from the negative electrode 153 b to the positive electrode 153 a through ( the current detecting circuit 255 and ) the diode 365 , the electromagnet coil 151 , the common node c , and the diode 385 . as a result , electromagnetic energy generated from the electromagnet coil 151 is consumed , which decreases the electromagnetic current il ( this state will be referred to as “ decreasing mode b 2 ”). further , when the transistor 361 of the amplifier circuit 350 is turned off and the transistor 381 of the switch circuit 380 is turned on , due to the counter electromotive force generated by the electromagnetic coil 151 , a flywheel current is made to flow from the negative electrode 153 b to the negative electrode 153 b through ( the current detecting circuit 255 and ) the diode 365 , the electromagnet coil 151 , the common node c , and the transistor 381 . at this time , no electric potential difference is generated between the ends 151 a and 151 b of the electromagnet coil 151 , so the electromagnetic current il is kept substantially constant ( this state will be referred to as “ constant mode b 3 ”). further , in the case other than the constant mode b 3 , when the transistor 361 of the amplifier circuit 350 is turned on and the transistor 381 of the switch circuit 380 is turned off , due to the counter electromotive force generated by the electromagnetic coil 151 , a flywheel current is made to flow from the positive electrode 153 a to the , positive electrode 153 a through the transistor 361 , the electromagnet coil 151 , the common node c , and the diode 385 . therefore , also in this case , the electromagnetic current il is kept substantially constant ( this state will be referred to as “ constant mode b 4 ”). herein , fig6 is a time chart showing how adjustment is made between control phases of the amplifier circuit 350 with respect to the transistor 361 etc . and switch phases of the switch circuit 380 with respect to the transistor 381 etc . in fig6 , also in this embodiment , control is performed with respect to the switch circuit 380 such that the time during which the transistor 381 is kept turned on and the time during which the transistor 381 is kept turned off are made to be the same within the control cycle ts . herein , during the time from the time 0 to the time 0 . 5 ts , the transistor 381 is kept turned on and the voltage of the common node c is changed to the voltage vl substantially the same as that of the negative electrode 153 b . during the time from the time 0 . 5 ts to the time ts , due to the counter electromotive force or the like generated by the electromagnetic coils 151 , the voltage of the common node c is changed to the voltage vh substantially the same as that of the positive electrode 153 a . the transition of the common node c is the same as that of the first embodiment ( fig2 ). in the case where the value of the electromagnetic current il detected by the current detecting circuit 255 is smaller than the current command value , control is performed such that the electromagnetic current il is increased in the amplifier control circuit 371 . in this case , control is performed such that the state of the increasing mode b 1 is maintained for the increasing time tp 1 in one control cycle ts . in other times , control is performed such that the state of the constant mode b 3 or b 4 is maintained . to be specific , during the time from the time 0 to the time 0 . 5 ts , the transistor 381 of the switch circuit 380 is kept turned on , so until the time 0 . 5 ts as an endpoint , the transistor 361 is turned on for the time tp 1 , thereby maintaining the state of the increasing mode b 1 only for the increasing time tp 1 . until the transistor 361 is turned on , the transistor 361 is kept turned off to thereby maintain the state of the constant mode b 3 . on the other hand , during the time from the time 0 . 5 ts to the time ts , the transistor 381 of the switch circuit 380 is kept turned off , so the transistor 361 is turned on , thereby maintaining the state of the constant mode b 4 . as a result , in one control cycle ts , the electromagnetic current il is increased only during the increasing time tp 1 . on the other hand , in the case where the value of the electromagnetic current il detected by the current detecting circuit 255 is larger than the current command value , control is performed such that the electromagnetic current il is decreased in the amplifier control circuit 371 . in this case , control is performed such that the state of the decreasing mode b 2 is maintained for the decreasing time tp 2 in one control cycle ts . in other times , control is performed such that the state of the constant mode b 3 or b 4 is maintained . to be specific , during the time from the time 0 . 5 ts to the time ts , the transistor 381 of the switch circuit 380 is kept turned off , so with the time 0 . 5 ts as a starting point , the transistor 361 is kept turned off for the time tp 2 , thereby maintaining the state of the decreasing mode b 2 only for the decreasing time tp 2 . after the time tp 2 has elapsed , the transistor 361 is turned on , thereby maintaining the state of the constant mode b 4 . on the other hand , during the time from the time 0 to the time 0 . 5 ts , the transistor 381 of the switch circuit 380 is kept turned on , so the transistor 361 is turned off , thereby setting the state of the constant mode b 3 . as a result , in one control cycle ts , the electromagnetic current il is decreased only during the decreasing time tp 2 . further , in the case where the value of the electromagnetic current il detected by the current detecting circuit 255 coincides with the current command value , control is performed such that the electromagnetic current il is kept constant in the amplifier control circuit 371 . in this case , control is performed such that the state of the constant mode b 3 or b 4 is always maintained in one control cycle ts . to be specific , during the time from the time 0 to the time 0 . 5 ts , the transistor 381 of the switch circuit 380 is kept turned on , so the transistor 361 is turned off , thereby setting the state of the constant mode b 3 . on the other hand , during the time from the time 0 . 5 ts to the time ts , the transistor 381 of the switch circuit 380 is kept turned off , so the transistor 361 is turned on , thereby setting the state of the constant mode b 4 . as a result , the electromagnetic current il is kept constant . as described above , an increasing , decreasing , or constant state of the electromagnetic current il can thus be maintained also in the amplifier circuit 350 and the switch circuit 380 which are different from those of the first embodiment ( fig1 ). the amplifier circuit 350 is also composed of one transistor 361 and one diode 365 . therefore , the elements of the amplifier circuit 350 can be reduced in number , thereby making it possible to reduce the costs of manufacture , installation , or the like of the turbo molecular pump . accordingly , the amplifier circuits 250 and 350 that are easy to design can be chosen and a structure that is easy to control can be chosen in controlling the amplifier circuits 250 and 350 . in addition , the amplifier circuit 350 of this embodiment can keep the electromagnetic current il constant as in the case of the first embodiment . therefore , when the electromagnetic current il is kept constant ( that is , in a state of the constant mode b 3 ), it is possible to perform detection of the electromagnetic current il . accordingly , it is not required to perform detection of the electromagnetic current il in a transient state , so an error in detection of the electromagnetic current il can be reduced . note that in this embodiment , it is described that the switch circuit 380 is composed of the transistor 381 and the diode 385 , but this is not obligatory . as shown in fig7 , there may be provided a transistor 382 having a drain terminal 382 a and a source terminal 382 b connected to the positive electrode 153 a and the common node c , respectively . as a result , a switch signal 377 is outputted to a gate terminal of the transistor 382 to perform control by the synchronous rectification method , thereby making it possible to suppress heat generation of a diode 385 in the decreasing mode b 2 or the constant mode b 4 . further , also in this embodiment , it is described that when the electromagnetic current il is constant , detection of the electromagnetic current il is performed . however , as in the case described in the first embodiment ( fig4 ), it is also possible to perform control for forcefully making a state of the constant mode b 3 in the control cycle ts with respect to the amplifier circuit 350 and the switch circuit 380 to perform detection of the electromagnetic current il within this period . as a result , the electromagnetic current il can be reliably detected in the state of the constant mode b 3 . next , a third embodiment of the present invention will be described . in the first and second embodiments , the electromagnet coils 151 , 151 , . . . which respectively constitute the electromagnets 104 , 105 , 106 a , and 106 b are controlled by one of the amplifier circuits 250 and 350 . in the third embodiment , the electromagnet coils 151 , 151 , . . . are appropriately divided into two groups according to arrangements of the electromagnets 104 , 105 , 106 a , and 106 b . the groups are respectively controlled by the amplifier circuit 250 ( fig1 ) having the same structure as that of the first embodiment and the amplifier circuit 350 ( fig5 ) having the same structure as that of the second embodiment . a circuit diagram of an amplifier circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig8 . note that the same elements as those of fig1 and 5 are denoted by the same reference symbols and the descriptions of those are omitted . in fig8 , connected to the plurality of electromagnet coils 151 , 151 , . . . which respectively constitute the electromagnets 104 , 105 , 106 a , and 106 b is a combination of the amplifier circuit 250 ( fig1 ) having the same structure as that of the first embodiment and the amplifier circuit 350 ( fig5 ) having the same structure as that of the second embodiment . the plurality of electromagnet coils 151 , 151 , . . . are divided into two groups ( one including the electromagnet coils 151 , 151 , . . . which are controlled by the amplifier circuit 250 is referred to as “ group a ” and one including the electromagnet coils 151 , 151 , . . . which are controlled by the amplifier circuit 350 is referred to as “ group b ”). herein , how the grouping is performed is described while taking specific examples . as an example , description is made of the x - axis positive side electromagnet 104 x + and the x - axis negative side electromagnet 104 x − of the upper radial electromagnets 104 , and the x - axis positive side electromagnet 105 x + and the x - axis negative side electromagnet 105 x + of the lower radial electromagnets 105 . for example , when a position of the rotor 103 as a whole is controlled in a + direction of the x axis , the electromagnetic current il flowing through the electromagnets 104 x + and 105 x + is increased and the electromagnetic current il flowing through the electromagnets 104 x + and 105 x + is decreased . on the other hand , when the position of the rotor 103 as a whole is controlled in a — direction of the x axis , the electromagnetic current il flowing through the electromagnets 104 x + and 105 x + is decreased and the electromagnetic current il flowing through the electromagnets 104 x − and 105 x − is increased . as described above , in many cases , controls with respect to the upper radial electromagnets 104 and the lower radial electromagnets 105 in the x - axis directions are the same . accordingly , when , for example , the electromagnet 104 x + is put into the group a , the electromagnet 105 x + is put into the group b , whereby at the time of increase of the electromagnetic current il , when a current flows from the common node c to the negative electrode 153 b in the group a , a current flows from the positive electrode 153 a to the common node c in the group b . therefore , the electromagnetic currents il flowing through the common node c are equalized . the same holds true for the case where the electromagnetic current il is decreased or the electromagnetic current il is constant . further , the same holds true for the case where the electromagnet 104 x + is put into the group b and the electromagnet 105 x + is put into the group a . thus , among the upper radial electromagnet 104 and the lower radial electromagnet 105 , the electromagnet 104 x + and the electromagnet 105 x + are divided into different groups . further , the same holds true for the other electromagnets 104 x − and the electromagnet 105 x −, the electromagnet 104 y + and the electromagnet 105 y +, and the electromagnet 104 y − and the electromagnet 105 y − on the y - axis side , so they are respectively divided into different groups . on the other hand , with regard to a relationship between the x - axis positive side electromagnet 104 x + and the x - axis negative side electromagnet 104 x −, when the position of the rotor 103 is controlled in the x - axis positive direction , there is a tendency that the electromagnetic current il of the electromagnet 104 x + is increased and the electromagnetic current il of the electromagnet 104 x − is decreased . therefore , by putting those electromagnets into the same group , the electromagnetic currents il flowing through the common node c are easy to be equalized . thus , among the upper radial electromagnets 104 and the lower radial electromagnets 105 , the electromagnet 104 x + and the electromagnet 104 − are put into the same group . further , the same holds true for the other electromagnet 104 y + and the electromagnet 104 y −, the electromagnet 105 x + and the electromagnet 105 x −, the electromagnet 105 y + and the electromagnet 105 y − of the lower radial electromagnets 105 , and the axial electromagnet 106 a and the axial electromagnet 106 b , so they are respectively put into the same group . the ends 151 a , 151 a , . . . of the electromagnet coils 151 , 151 , . . . respectively divided into the groups a and b as described above are all connected to the common node c . further , a switch circuit 480 is connected to the common node c . in the switch circuit 480 , connected to the common node c , is a combination of the transistor 281 and the diode 285 having the same structure as that of the switch circuit 280 of the first embodiment , and the transistor 381 and the diode 385 having the same structure as that of the switch circuit 380 of the second embodiment . further , the switch signal 276 and the switch signal 376 are respectively outputted to the gate terminals of the transistors 281 and 381 from an amplifier control circuit 471 . the amplifier control circuit 471 has both functions of the amplifier control circuit 271 of the first embodiment and the amplifier control circuit 371 of the second embodiment . according to the above - mentioned structure , fig9 is a time chart showing how adjustment is made on switch phases by the switch circuit 480 with respect to the transistors 281 , 381 , etc . in fig9 , with respect to the switch circuit 480 , control is performed such that a time during which the transistor 381 is kept turned on and a time during which the transistor 281 is kept turned on are made to be the same within the control cycle ts . herein , during the time from the time 0 to the time 0 . 5 ts , the transistor 281 is kept turned off and the transistor 381 is kept turned on , and from the time 0 . 5 ts to a time ts , the transistor 281 is kept turned on and the transistor 381 is kept turned off . in this case , in order to prevent generation of noise or the like due to a flow of a through current between the positive electrode 153 a and the negative electrode 153 b , in each of an interval after the transistor 381 is turned off and before the transistor 281 is turned on ( around the time 0 . 5 ts ) and an interval after the transistor 281 is turned off and before the transistor 381 is turned on ( around the time 0 and time ts ), it is desirable to provide a dead time in which the both transistors 281 and 381 are turned off ( not shown ). due to such the control with respect to the switch circuit 480 , the common node c makes a transition from the voltage vl in the time 0 to the time 0 . 5 ts to the voltage vh in the time 0 . 5 ts to the time ts . accordingly , the transition of the common node c is the same as that of the first embodiment ( fig2 ) and that of the second embodiment ( fig6 ). thus , with respect to the amplifier circuit 250 , by performing the same control as that described in the first embodiment , the electromagnetic current il can be increased , decreased , or kept constant . further , also with respect to the amplifier circuit 350 , by performing the same control as that described in the second embodiment , the electromagnetic current il can be increased , decreased , or kept constant . as a result , each amplifier circuit 250 , 350 is composed of one transistor 261 , 361 and one diode 265 , 365 , respectively . therefore , it is possible to reduce the elements of the amplifier circuit 250 , 350 in number and reduce the costs required for the manufacture , installation , or the like of the turbo molecular pump . further , also during detection of the electromagnetic current il , the electromagnetic current il can be kept constant , so when each amplifier circuit 250 , 350 is in the constant modes a 3 and b 3 , the detection of the electromagnetic current il can be performed . accordingly , in both the amplifier circuits 250 and 350 , it is not required to perform detection of the electromagnetic current il in a transient state , so an error in detection of the electromagnetic current il can be decreased . in particular , the amplifier circuits 250 and 350 become the constant modes a 3 and b 3 , respectively , immediately after the time 0 in the control cycle ts . therefore , the detection of the electromagnetic current il can be performed at a common detection timing td , thereby making it possible to easily perform control of the detection timing td . further , by effecting the appropriate grouping to the electromagnet coils 151 , 151 , . . . which respectively constitute electromagnets 104 , 105 , 106 a , and 106 b , the electromagnetic currents il flowing through the common node c can be equalized . therefore , the transistors 281 and 381 and the diodes 285 and 385 can be reduced in size , thereby making it possible to further miniaturize the turbo molecular pump . further , it is also possible to decrease the current flowing through those elements , so heat generation or the like can be prevented . still further , it is also possible to decrease the current required to be supplied from the power source 153 , so an input power supply capacity can be reduced . note that in this embodiment , it is described that when the electromagnetic current il is in a constant state , the detection of the electromagnetic current il is performed . however , as in the case described in the first embodiment ( fig4 ), it is also possible to perform control for forcefully making a state of the constant mode a 3 , b 3 in the control cycle ts with respect to the amplifier circuits 250 , 350 and the switch circuit 480 to perform detection of the electromagnetic current il within this period . [ fig1 ] a circuit diagram of an amplifier circuit according to a first embodiment of the present invention . [ fig2 ] a time chart showing how adjustment is made between control phases of the amplifier circuit and switch phases of a switch circuit , according to the first embodiment of the present invention . [ fig5 ] a circuit diagram of an amplifier circuit according to a second embodiment of the present invention . [ fig6 ] a time chart showing how adjustment is made between control phases of the amplifier circuit and switch phases of a switch circuit , according to the second embodiment of the present invention . [ fig8 ] a circuit diagram of an amplifier circuit according to a third embodiment of the present invention . [ fig9 ] a time chart showing how adjustment is made on switch phases of as witch circuit , according to the third embodiment of the present invention . [ fig1 ] a vertical sectional view of a turbo molecular pump main body . [ fig1 ] a circuit diagram of a conventional amplifier circuit . [ fig1 ] a time chart showing how control is made on the conventional amplifier circuit . 161 , 162 , 261 , 281 , 282 , 361 , 381 , 382 transistor | 5 |
fig1 shows a piece of lighted tubing 100 according to an embodiment . the lighted tubing 100 includes a light source 110 and tubing 120 having an elongate wall 122 defining an interior channel 124 for transporting a substance . the tubing 120 is preferably medical tubing , i . e ., oxygen tubing . while the tubing 120 is not limited to oxygen tubing , the tubing 120 is preferably a highly inert and flexible sterile tubing for medical use . the tubing 120 may present a circular cross - section 125 or a cross - section 125 having another shape , such as oval or oblong , for example . the light source 110 allows the tubing 120 to be seen in the dark , preventing accidents caused by tripping over , dislodging , or completely disconnecting unlit tubing 120 . the light source 110 is shown in fig1 as a chemical coating 110 a having glow - in - the - dark characteristics . numerous phosphorescent paints 110 a found in the marketplace today would be appropriate . after exposure to incident radiation ( light ), some of these coatings 110 a may emit light for up to twelve hours that can be seen by humans . further , according to their manufacturers , some of these phosphorescent paints 110 a can be charged millions of times and have a lifespan of over twenty years . these coatings 110 a can be obtained in various colors , and may be nearly transparent in lit surroundings . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the light source 110 may include a piece of tape 110 b having glow - in - the - dark characteristics . the tape 110 b may have adhesive 111 attaching the tape 110 b to the wall 122 ( fig2 ), or the tape may be a vinyl tape 110 b capable of being selectively affixed to the wall 122 through an electrostatic interaction ( fig3 ). if the tape 110 b includes the adhesive 111 , the tape 110 b may be constructed of any of a variety of materials , including cloth , plastic , metal , paper , and others . the tape 110 b may be manufactured from a material having glow - in - the - dark characteristics , or glow - in - the - dark characteristics may be added to the tape 110 b , such as by adding the chemical coating 110 a discussed above to the tape 110 b . as shown in fig4 , the light source 110 may include a heat - shrink material 110 c having glow - in - the - dark characteristics . somewhat similar heat - shrink materials are currently used with electrical cords . the heat - shrink material may be manufactured from a material having glow - in - the - dark characteristics , or glow - in - the - dark characteristics may be added to the heat - shrink material . portion 112 a represents the heat - shrink material 110 c in an initial state , and portion 112 b represents the heat - shrink material 110 c after heat has been added . fig5 and 6 show a light source 110 that includes a ruminator 113 , i . e ., a led or a light bulb . the luminator 113 is preferably a led due to the negligible amount of heat produced by a led , though other luminators 113 may be used . the luminator 113 is operatively connected to a clip 114 . the clip 114 shown in fig5 through 9 is a sleeve 114 a having an inner diameter 115 that is larger than an outer diameter of the elongate wall 122 . the sleeve 114 a presents first and second ends 116 a , 116 b , and an opening 116 c extends from the first end 116 a to the second end 116 b to allow the sleeve 114 a to be selectively positioned about the wall 122 , as shown in fig7 a through 8 b . as shown in fig5 , 7 a , and 7 b , the sleeve 114 a may include a respective flange 116 d extending outwardly from each side of the sleeve opening 116 c so that a user may easily enlarge the sleeve opening 116 c and selectively position the sleeve 114 a about the wall 122 . though not shown , the luminator 113 is in communication with a power source ( i . e ., a battery ). also , the ruminator 113 may be constantly emitting light , or a user interface ( i . e ., a switch ) may be in communication with the ruminator 113 to allow the ruminator 113 to selectively emit light . fig7 a through 8 b show a light source 110 without a ruminator 113 . instead , the sleeve 114 a includes glow - in - the - dark characteristics . the sleeve 114 a may be manufactured from a material having glow - in - the - dark characteristics , or glow - in - the - dark characteristics may be added to the sleeve 114 a , such as by adding the chemical coating 110 a discussed above to the sleeve 114 a . fig7 a and 8 a show that a plurality of sleeves 114 a may be operatively attached to the wall 122 . the sleeves 114 a may be positioned periodically along substantially the entire length of the wall 122 so the location of the entire wall 122 may be observed in the dark . alternately , one or more sleeve 114 a may be positioned along a predetermined portion of the wall 122 so that the predetermined portion may be observed in the dark . fig9 shows a light source 110 that includes a ruminator 113 . a conductor 117 preferably conducts light produced by the ruminator 113 , further marking the position of the wall 122 . the conductor 117 may also connect the luminators 113 to one another , forming a chain of luminators 113 . the conductor 117 is preferably flexible and may be constructed of a fiberoptic bundle . fig1 and 11 show a conductor 117 positioned inside the tubing interior channel 124 ( fig1 ) and positioned inside the tubing wall 122 ( fig1 ). a luminator 113 ( not shown ) introduces light into the conductors 117 , and the conductors 117 conduct and transmit that light . this effectively displays the position of the wall 122 . fig1 through 15 show a clip 114 that is a hook apparatus 130 for selectively attaching the luminator 113 to the wall 122 . the hook apparatus 130 preferably houses a power source 140 ( i . e ., a battery ) in communication with the ruminator 113 , and as seen in fig1 through 15 , the ruminator 113 may protrude from the hook apparatus 130 . alternately , the ruminator 113 may be located inside the hook apparatus 130 as long as the hook apparatus is transparent or includes openings to allow light from the ruminator 113 to escape . the hook apparatus 130 may include inner and outer portions 132 , 134 capable of sliding along one another to alter the hook apparatus 130 between an open configuration 130 a ( fig1 and 14 ) and a closed configuration 130 b ( fig1 and 15 ). a hook 131 may be attached to the inner portion 132 for selectively connecting the inner portion 132 to the wall 122 . a biasing element 136 ( i . e ., a spring or tension cord ) is preferably in communication with the inner and outer portions 132 , 134 to bias the hook apparatus 130 toward the closed configuration 130 b . the outer portion 134 may define a recessed region 135 adjacent a top end 134 a so that the wall 122 may be located at least partially inside the hook apparatus 130 when the hook apparatus 130 is attached to the wall 122 and the hook apparatus 130 is at the closed configuration 130 b . the inner and outer portions 132 , 134 preferably include interfering protrusions 132 a , 134 a so that the inner and outer portions 132 , 134 are restricted in their range of motion . the interaction between the protrusions 132 a , 134 a keeps the wall 122 from being kinked or damaged by the outer portion 134 or the hook 131 . an example of use for the hook apparatus 130 ( fig1 - 15 ) is as follows . the hook apparatus 130 is initially at the closed configuration 130 b ( fig1 ) due to the biasing element 136 . opposing ends of the inner and outer portions 132 , 134 may be squeezed together , altering the hook apparatus 130 to the open configuration 130 a ( fig1 ). the hook 131 may then be placed about the wall 122 ( fig1 ). by releasing the opposing ends of the inner and outer portions 132 , 134 , the hook apparatus 130 returns to the closed configuration 130 b ( fig1 ) due to the biasing element 136 , removably attaching the hook apparatus 130 to the wall 122 . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the light source 110 may define indicia 119 . the indicia 119 may provide information pertaining to the medical use of the tubing 120 ( fig3 , for example ), the direction of flow for a substance inside the tubing 120 ( fig2 , for example ), manufacturer information , or other relevant subjects . by indicating direction of flow , the indicia 119 also makes it very easy to observe and identify coils or kinks in the tubing 120 . the indicia 119 may alternately provide comforting or emotionally - beneficial markings , such as teddy bears , snowflakes , etc . such markings may be especially comforting to a child , though they are not solely intended for use with children . the indicia 119 as shown in fig2 and 3 may include the glow - in - the - dark characteristics discussed above , or the indicia 119 as shown in fig2 and 3 may be viewable because of a lack of glow - in - the - dark characteristics . importantly , contrast between the characteristics of the indicia 119 and the surrounding area define the indicia 119 . though only shown in fig2 and 3 , the indicia 119 can be used for any of the described embodiments . for embodiments incorporating luminators 113 , a cover lens having indicia - defining light passageways may be placed adjacent the luminators 113 to define the indicia 119 with the light produced by the luminators 113 . | 0 |
the general structure of the rotor of a superconductive rotary electric machine will be described with reference to fig4 to 6 prior to the detailed description of the rotor of the present invention . in fig4 reference numeral 1 denotes torque tubes ; 2 a coil - carrying shaft which forms the central portion of the torque tubes 1 ; 3 superconductive field coils mounted on the coil - carrying shaft 2 ; 4 an outer housing including a normal temperature damper enclosing the torque tubes 1 and the coil - carrying shaft 2 ; 5 a low temperature damper which is disposed between the normal temperature damper 4 and the coil - carrying shaft 2 ; 6 cylindrical helium container outer wall which is disposed on the outer periphery of the coil - carrying shaft 2 and helium end plates 7 which are disposed at the ends of the shaft 2 respectively ; 8 and 9 driving and an driven end shafts at the opposite ends of the shaft 2 respectively ; 10 bearings which support the end shafts 8 and 9 ; 11 slip rings for supplying the field current to the coils 3 ; 12 a heat exchanger which is provided in the torque tubes 1 ; 13 side radiation shields ; 14 a vacuum portion ; and 15 a liquid helium container . in an arrangement of the rotor of the superconductive rotary electric machine , the superconductive field coils 3 mounted on the coil - carrying shaft 2 are cooled below the transition temperature in the neighbourhood of a few degrees above absolute zero . thus the electrical resistance between vanishingly small so that large magnetic fields are established without the expenditure of appreciable amounts of electrical energy . under such conditions alternating electrical power is generated in a stator ( not shown ). liquid helium is supplied to the helium container 15 defined by the motor wall 6 and end plates 7 through a conduit ( not shown ) in the shaft 9 for cooling the superconductive field coils 3 to minimum temperatures , while the vacuum portions 14 within the rotor are kept at a vacuum . the torque tubes which transmit the rotary torque to the superconductive field coils 3 and the coil - carrying shaft 2 are in the form of a thin - walled hollow cylinder and the heat exchanger 12 is provided so that outside heat entering into the super - low temperature portion through the torque tubes 1 is substantially reduced . such an arrangement is common . furthermore the side radiation shields 13 are provided for reducing the entering heat due to the radiation from the side . on the other hand , the normal and low temperature dampers 4 and 5 shield the high frequency magnetic fields generated in the stator ( not shown ) and protect the superconductive field coils 3 therefrom . the dampers 4 and 5 have the further functions of attenuating the vibration of the rotor caused by the perturbations of the electrical system . the normal temperature damper 4 also functions as the outer cylinder of the vacuum portion 14 , and the low temperature damper 5 functions as the radiation shield which prevents radiation heat from entering into the helium container 15 . it should be noted that in fig4 the piping within the rotor for supplying liquid helium to the containers 15 and for exhausting helium therefrom , and the means for supplying and exhausting helium to and from the rotor are omitted . it is of paramount importance to securely mount the coils to the rotor , for the displacement of the superconductive field coils due to the movement of the rotor may generate frictional heat which destroys the superconductivity of the field coils . it is apparent from fig4 that the checking and repairing of the superconductive field coils 3 is difficult to carry out since the field coils 3 are triple - enclosed by the outer wall 6 , and low temperature and normal dampers 5 and 4 . in particular the superconductive magnetic field coils 3 should be securely mounted since a rotary electric machine requires high reliability . in fig5 showing a general arrangement for supporting the field coils 3 , reference numeral 2 denotes the coil - carrying shaft ; 17 grooves which are formed in an axial direction on the surface of the coil - carrying shaft 2 ; 3 the superconductive magnetic coils in the grooves 17 ; 20 insulators for wedges 19 . in fig5 the superconductive magnetic field coils 3 are wound around the line b -- b , and thus a strong magnetic field is established which has a polar axis corresponding to the line b -- b . the wedges 19 are fitted in the grooves 17 to firmly hold the superconductive magnetic field coils 3 therein . there are however the following disadvantages in the fabrication of the rotor having an arrangement where the ends of the superconductive magnetic field coils 3 are also held in the grooves by such wedges . fig6 is a perspective view showing one end of the coil - carrying shaft 2 . in this figure , reference numeral 2 denotes the coil - carrying shaft ; 19 the wedges for the straight portions of the superconductive magnetic field coils 3 ; and 191 the wedges for the ends of the superconductive magnetic field coils 3 . it is apparent from the fig6 that the wedges 191 should have a curved cross - section since the end portions of the superconductive magnetic field coils 3 are curved to run in the circumferential direction of the coil - carrying shaft 2 . furthermore the grooves under the curved wedges 191 have the form of portions of an annulus , which is impossible to machine lathe . the fact that the end portions of the wedges 191 and the grooves have more complicated forms in comparison to the straight portions of the superconductive magnetic field coils 3 not only results in an increase in the time and cost required in machining , but also decreases the precision thereof , thereby endangering the secureness of the mounting of the superconductive field coil 3 on the coil - carrying shaft 2 . the arrangements shown in fig1 to 3 which have been proposed in order to overcome with disadvantage , however still have the disadvantages which have been described . the present invention seeks to provide means to securely hold the curved end portions of the superconductive coils , which is a weak point of the conventional structure . an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the fig7 and 8 . in these figures , electrically insulative filler sheets 23c which are made of elastic material such as felt and the like are inserted between the superconductive field coil 3 and the electrically insulative padding plates 23a . for assembly , the electrically insulating filler sheets 23c are first applied to the sides of the superconductive field coils 3 after the coils 3 have been mounted on the coil - carrying shaft 2 . the padding plates 23a are then applied to the filler sheets 23c . finally the filler portions 23b are inserted between spaced opposed padding plates . the electrically insulative filler sheets 23c may have an irregular contour at the side thereof corresponding to the side of the superconductive magnetic field coils 3 as shown in fig8 . felt which has been impregnated with a resin may be used as electrically insulating filler sheets 23c , which make it possible to more firmly secure the superconductive magnetic field coils 3 to the coil - carrying shaft 2 . as described above , the present invention provides a rotor in which the superconductive field coils which are formed in a longitudinal direction of the coil - carrying shaft are bent at an angle normal thereto at the end thereof , electrically insulating padding plates are applied over insulating filler sheets on the opposite sides of the coils and electrically insulating fillers are inserted between spaced opposed passing plates to prevent the formation of a gap within the keeper sleeve which is mounted over the end of the coils . | 7 |
the present invention provides a system for providing video and / or telephonic visitation between inmates incarcerated in a prison , and visitors located remotely from the prison . visitors each have an authorized , internet connected computer or other internet appliance including voice over internet protocol ( voip ) capability . visitation may be initiated by either the inmate or the remote visitor . as used herein the term voip refers to a specific method of packaging voice signals for transmission over an internet connection . however , the applicant believes that other methods , protocols , etc . for packaging voice signals for internet transmission may exist or may emerge in the future . consequently , as used herein the term voip is intended to include any and all existing or emerging voice transmission methods or protocols in addition to the specific method chosen for purposes of disclosure ( i . e ., voip ). referring first to fig1 a and 1 b there are shown top plan schematic views of two possible form factors for a device in accordance with the present invention . fig1 a shows a device 100 a in the form factor of a so - called tablet computer while fig1 b shows a device in the form factor of a so - called “ smart ” phone . it will be recognized that devices may be provided in a wide range of form factors and , consequently , the invention is not considered limited to the form factors chosen for purposes of disclosure . each device 100 a , 100 b has four fundamental elements depicted . each device 100 a , 100 b has a forward - facing camera 102 a , 102 b ; a screen 104 a , 104 b ; a built - in microphone shown schematically at reference numbers 106 a , 106 b , respectively ; and a headphone jack 108 a , 108 b , respectively . each device 100 a , 100 b has a wireless communications interface . for purposes of disclosure , a so - called “ wi - fi ” interface has been chosen as a communications interface . it will be recognized by those of skill in the art that other wireless interfaces currently exist and that the pace of development in wireless digital communication is rapid . consequently , the invention is not considered limited to a particular wireless communications interface . rather , the invention is intended to include any suitable wireless interface whether known or yet to be developed in addition to the wi - fi interface chosen for purposes of disclosure . each device 100 a , 100 b has a unique identifier that may be transmitted by the wireless interface to identify a particular device 100 a , 100 b . such unique identifiers include but are not limited to a media access control address (“ mac ” address ) or the like . mac addresses are most often assigned by the manufacturer of the wireless interface included within a device 100 a , 100 b and are typically stored in the device &# 39 ; s hardware , not specifically identified , for example , in read - only memory , or some other firmware mechanism . such mac addresses are referred to as burned - in addresses . it will be recognized that exemplary devices 100 a , 100 b contain electronic support circuitry and a power supply ( e . g ., a rechargeable battery ). such devices 100 a , 100 b are considered to be well known and may be purchased as off - the - shelf devices . optionally , such devices 100 a , 100 b may be custom built for the application and may contain security features , not specifically identified , designed to allow more secure operation in a correctional facility environment . in a prison , any communication apparatus for use by inmates has heretofore been an apparatus constructed using “ prison hardened ” techniques and materials . inmates have used such apparatus for all communications with the outside world . the present invention supplements or replaces such apparatus with the devices 100 a , 100 b individually “ owned ” ( i . e ., purchased , rented , or leased ) by individual inmates from the prison or from the system operator of the prison visitation system . the homewav web access visitation for correctional facilities by homewav , llc of virginia beach , va . usa , hereinafter the homewav system or simply the system , is assumed to be the system operator for purposes of disclosure . referring now to fig2 , there is shown a greatly simplified block diagram of the novel homewav , llc prison visitation system in accordance with the invention , generally at reference number 200 . hereinafter , for purposes of brevity , the homewav prison visitation system is referred to as “ the homewav system ”. the homewav system 200 provides “ gate keeping ” security functions that assure only valid , authorized devices 100 a , 100 b are allowed to communicate with the homewav system 200 . further , the homewav system 200 ensures that inmates may communicate only with authorized visitors as approved and controlled by the prison . as used herein , reference number 100 x is used to generically refer to any and all devices for example , devices 100 a , 100 b . using the devices 100 x with the system 200 and methods of the present invention , inmates may communicate only with the homewav system . each device 100 x is pre - programmed such that it can only access the homewav system . as used herein , the term pre - programmed refers to either software or hardware modifications or add - ons that limit an off - the - shelf device to exclusive communication with the homewav system . prisoners are allowed access to only those applications and programs on the homewav system that have been approved by the prison . specifically , device 100 x is pre - programmed to prevent uncontrolled access to the internet . more specifically , each device 100 x may be pre - programmed so that it will only link with a particular wireless 202 router located within the prison . it is especially important to note that no two devices 100 x are allowed to communicate directly with one another , and each device will only be allowed to communicate with visitors who have been approved to visit with the inmate to whom the particular device has been assigned . communication capabilities usually associated with an off - the - shelf electronic appliance such as cell phones , smart phones , or tablet computers , etc . may be modified . in device 100 x , any existing cellular network communications or open wireless network communication ( i . e ., wi - fi ) is typically disabled . homewav system 200 incorporates security features that make it practical for an individual inmate to posses his or her own device 100 x . for example , each device 100 x may require biometric input from a particular inmate for the device to be activated . in most embodiments , a unique prisoner - generated personal identification number ( pin ) may be required for device 100 x activation . further , homewav system 200 limits each device 100 x to communicating with the ip addresses of a particular inmate &# 39 ; s approved visitors &# 39 ; equipment as controlled by the homewav , llc website 210 via portion 208 a of the “ cloud ”. it will be recognized that while three “ cloud portions ” 208 a , 208 b , 208 c are shown on fig2 , that representation is done for clarity in depicting the flow of information in the homewav prison visitation system . there is , of course , only a single “ cloud ” representing the entire internet . three devices 100 x , representative of any number of such devices 100 x found in a prison , are shown communicating with a wireless router 202 via communications paths 204 a , 204 b . . . 204 n using a built - in wi - fi communications interface , not specifically identified , within devices 100 x . router 202 may have an integrated server , for example , an interface device shown schematically at reference number 220 , or it may be connected , along with other routers , not shown , with a server , not shown , located elsewhere in the prison . the prison &# 39 ; s routers , servers , and associated connections , none of which are shown , constitute the prison &# 39 ; s local area network ( lan ), not specifically identified . the prison &# 39 ; s lan is , in turn connected to the wide area network ( wan ) outside of the prison via a communications portion 206 that may include the prison &# 39 ; s internet service provider ( isp ), not specifically identified . the prison &# 39 ; s lan is thereby connected to the internet , shown schematically as cloud portion 208 a . a prison administration workstation , not shown , but described in detail in the &# 39 ; 498 copending application is connected to the homewav website 210 via another internet connection shown schematically as portion 208 b of the cloud . outside visitors communicate with the homewav website 210 , via the internet , shown schematically as cloud portion 208 c . the homewav website 210 maintains and accesses databases of visitors 216 and of inmates and prisons 218 . using information from databases , the homewav visitation system 200 acts as a gate keeper whereby only registered visitors are connected to registered inmates with whom that visitor is specifically authorized to visit . based on input from prison administration 212 all or selective portions of an inmate &# 39 ; s communication may be disabled . single , identified groups ( e . g ., a cell block , etc . ), or all devices 100 x may be disabled by prison administration 214 . in addition to complete disabling of devices 100 x , hours of operation may be imposed on a device by device basis at the discretion of prison administration 214 . additional control may be exercised by prison administration 212 as also described in detail in the copending &# 39 ; 498 application . the homewav system 200 of fig2 relates only to prison visitation system using devices 100 x in possession of individual inmates . in the co - pending &# 39 ; 498 application , there is disclosed a system for video visitation that allows inmates to initiate video visitation calls from secure terminals within the prison during allowed hours to pre - approved outside visitors equipped with an internet enabled computer or other similar appliance . these prisoner - initiated video visitations do not rely on prison personnel to either establish , schedule , or monitor these visitations . all visits , unless excepted by attorney - client or clergy privilege , are recorded for security purposes . the system of the &# 39 ; 498 application , however , has no provision for video or telephone visitation originated by an approved outside visitor to an inmate . the homewav system 200 of fig2 is assumed to have all necessary security enhancements to allow outside visitor originated video or telephonic visitation . such system enhancements are discussed in detail hereinbelow . the novel concept of letting inmates have individual communications devices under their own control opens numerous possibilities for enhanced visitation via voip telephone and / or video visitation . fig3 a , shows a “ wakeup ” screen shot 300 of device 100 x that is displayed when device 100 x is turned on , and assuming that device 100 x is a touch screen device and the screen is touched . a field 301 shows where the inmate may enter his or her inmate id no . an “ enter ” button 302 is also shown . fig3 b shows a screen 310 that appears after “ wakeup ” screen 300 and displays a touch screen keyboard 303 and field 301 into which an inmate has typed his or her inmate id number , 312 . once the inmate has entered his or her id number 312 , a status message 314 that indicates that the information is being validated is displayed . in addition , a rotating icon 316 indicates that the device 100 x is processing the information . the entered inmate id number 312 is checked against a list of authorized inmate numbers possibly stored in device identification database 208 . in addition , the mac address or similar unique id of the device 100 x is checked against a list of authorized devices 100 x . in some cases , the mac address is checked against the inmate id number 312 to ensure that the correct inmate is using the device 100 x . assuming that the mac address etc . is valid and the inmate has entered a valid inmate id number 312 , one of two screens will be displayed to the inmate . if this is the first time signing into the homewav system from device 100 x , a new screen 320 ( fig3 c ) is displayed . on screen 320 , the inmate is instructed to create a 4 digit pin in a field 322 . after the inmate enters a 4 digit pin 324 , the system informs the inmate that the pin 324 is being created ( screen 330 , fig3 d ). if , however , it is not the first time the inmate has logged into the homewav system from device 100 x , then screens 320 and 330 ( fig3 c and 3 d ) are not displayed . instead , screen 340 ( fig3 e ) is displayed and the inmate is instructed to enter his or her pin 324 in window 322 using virtual keyboard 303 . once the pin 324 is entered , screen 350 ( fig3 f ) is displayed and a status message 354 indicates that the pin 324 is being validated . again , rotating icon 316 indicates that the device 100 x is processing the information . once the pin 324 is validated , a new screen 360 ( fig3 g ) is displayed that indicates to the inmate that the “ application ” ( i . e ., the homewav system ) is loading . when the loading is complete , the inmate sees screen 370 ( fig3 h ). this is the home screen from which all inmate initiated homewav visitation tasks are managed . the device 100 x is constrained via hardware , software , firmware , or by other means believed to be known to those of skill in the art such that the only options that an inmate may choose are displayed on screen 370 . the four options are : 1 ) viewing received video messages 388 ; 2 ) creating and sending a video message 390 ; 3 ) initiating a video visit with an authorized visitor 392 ; and 4 ) initiating a voip phone call to an authorized visitor 394 . the inmate selects the desired action by touching the appropriate controls on the screen of device 100 x . screen 370 presents the inmate a list of visitors 386 who have registered and prepaid for minutes for visitation with that particular inmate . the co - pending &# 39 ; 498 application includes a complete discussion of visitor registration and payment procedure . consequently , neither visitor registration nor payment procedures are further discussed herein . an “ indicator key ” link 372 , when selected , produces pop - up box 374 . pop - up box 374 shows the definitions of all possible colors of indicator ( s ) 376 . selecting control 378 removes pop - up box 374 from the screen . the message “ welcome “ john doe ” ( the actual inmate name is displayed ) 380 is displayed at the top of the screen 370 . a logout control 382 near the upper right corner of screen 370 , when activated , logs the inmate out of the homewav system . a “ test your audio and video ” button 396 allows the inmate to test the operational readiness of his or her device 100 x and to ensure that audio volume is properly adjusted . one or more lines of information 384 ( only one line shown for simplicity ) give the inmate the current status of all potential ( i . e ., registered ) visitors . when multiple potential visitors are registered , a line for each such visitor is displayed . the scrolling functions of device 100 x are used to select and highlight the desired visitor with whom the inmate wishes to communicate . the visitor name 386 is shown adjacent status indicator 376 . four option buttons 388 , 390 , 392 , 394 allow the inmate to “ view messages ”, “ send message ”, “ send video call ”, and “ send audio call ”, respectively . a message 398 , typically provided in both english and spanish , reminds the inmate that any audio call or video visit may be monitored and / or recorded . selecting “ view messages ” control 388 causes screen 400 ( fig3 i ) to be displayed . a status line 406 displays which of the saved messages is currently being displayed . a central portion of screen 400 displays an image 408 originated by the person leaving the message being viewed . play button 412 , pause button 414 , and next message button 416 each perform the indicated action . pressing exit button 404 returns the inmate to home screen 370 . another action selectable from home screen 370 is to record and send a video message . this is accomplished using the send messages button 390 . pressing send messages button 390 causes screen 420 ( fig3 j ) to be displayed . it should be noted that the message will be sent to the visitor previously selected on screen 370 . the name 422 of the visitor to whom the inmate is sending a message is displayed near the top of screen 420 . again , exit button 404 returns the inmate to home screen 370 . an image 424 of the inmate creating the message is displayed in a central portion of screen 420 . two action buttons , cancel 426 and record 428 are used to control the recording of a message to be sent . selecting record button 428 causes screen 430 ( fig3 k ) to be displayed . most of screen 430 needs no additional explanation as it is in large part a replication of screen 420 previously discussed . a status message 436 indicates the amount of recording time remaining during which the inmate must complete his or her recording . two action buttons , stop recording 432 and cancel 434 perform the indicated functions . selection of the stop recording button 432 causes screen 440 ( fig3 l ) to be displayed . screen 440 allows the inmate to select several functions related to the just - recorded message . he or she may choose to re - record the message by selecting re - record button 442 . when selected , re - record button 442 returns the inmate back to screen 420 where he or she may re - record his or her message . send button 444 sends the message to the selected visitor and , once sent , the inmate is returned to home screen 370 . review button 446 allows the inmate to play back his or her message . cancel button 448 discards any recorded message and return the inmate to home screen 370 . once back at home screen 370 the inmate may select another action . the inmate may initiate a video visit to the selected visitor by pressing send video call control 392 . when send video call control 392 is selected , screen 450 ( fig3 m ) is displayed and the call to the selected visitor is initiated . the status message 452 indicates that the visit is started . message 454 indicates the name of the visitor being called 456 and the number of rings 460 . assuming the visitor being called 456 answers , screen 470 ( fig3 n ) is then displayed . a hang up control 472 is used to terminate the call . video 474 captured by camera 102 a ( fig1 ) of device 100 x is displayed in a left panel of screen 470 . visitor originated video 476 is displayed in a right panel of screen 470 . the maximum time remaining for the visit 478 is displayed above the upper right hand corner of visitor originated video 476 . the maximum time for a visit may be a prison - imposed time maximum or may indicate the number of prepaid minutes remaining in an inmate &# 39 ; s account . at the conclusion of the call , either the inmate or the visitor may hang up , control 472 . the inmate is then returned to home screen 370 . finally , an inmate may initiate a voip call to a selected visitor by selecting “ send audio call ” button 394 . selecting button 394 causes screen 480 ( fig3 o ) to be displayed . a message 484 calling “ jane smith ” ( actual visitor &# 39 ; s name is shown ) 486 and a count of the rings 490 is also displayed . a cancel button 488 is used to terminate the calling process . when the visitor being called answers , screen 500 ( fig3 p ) is displayed . the telephone icon 504 remains on the screen for the duration of the call . a hang up control 502 is used to terminate the voice call . call time remaining 506 is displayed on screen 500 under telephone icon 504 . inmate originated video messages , voip phone calls or video visits have been described hereinabove . device 100 x is also adapted and configured to directly receive visitor originated voip telecommunications and video visitations . such video visitations and / or voip telecommunications are received directly by the inmate without any intervention by prison personnel . a visitor who has been registered by the prison and who has placed funds in an account associated with the inmate with whom he or she wishes to visit logs into the homewav system from his or her computer . as mentioned hereinabove , the term computer is used herein to represent any device capable of voip and / or video communication with the homewav system . the visitor station displays a login screen 510 ( fig4 a ) and is requested to enter his or her user name 512 and password 514 . user name and password were previously established during a visitor registration process described in the co - pending &# 39 ; 498 application . consequently , the registration process is not further described or discussed herein . once the user name 512 and password 514 are entered , the visitor selects the login button 516 to log into the homewav system . alternately if the user wishes to terminate the process , he or she selects the exit button 518 . upon logging in , the user is presented with screen 530 ( fig4 b ), the registered inmates screen . all visitor actions are initiated from screen 530 . an “ indicator ” link 542 , when selected , causes a pop - up box 570 to appear . pop - up box is shown in fig4 c overlying screen 530 . pop - up box 570 provides definitions 574 of colors displayed in an indicator ( ind .) field 546 on screen 530 . a green indicator shows that an inmate is logged into the homewav system . a fuchsia indicator shows that the particular inmate has had his or her privileges suspended and is unavailable for either a video visit or voip telecommunication . a red indicator shows that the particular inmate is currently not logged into the homewav system . pop - up screen 570 is closed by selecting the close button 572 . one of the selectable actions available to the registered visitor is to view messages received from an inmate . a “ new messages ” shows a count 540 of messages received but not yet viewed by the visitor . pressing the “ view messages ” button 544 causes a “ view incoming messages ” screen 580 ( fig4 d ) to be displayed . screen 580 shows a list 582 of received messages . each message has a date & amp ; time stamp 584 , an inmate name 586 , and an associated “ play ” button 588 . selecting a “ play ” button 588 associated with the message desired to be played displays the message in a display window 590 . a playback control panel 590 controls playback control using standard symbols believed to be universally known . playback control panel 592 typically contains “ stop ” and “ play ” control , a “ speaker volume control ”, and “ elapsed time display ”, etc . none of these playback controls are individually identified . it will be recognized that other control may be added or some existing controls may be removed . consequently , the invention is not considered limited to a particular set of playback controls . rather , the invention is intended to include any combination of playback controls . each video message received may be viewed a predetermined number of times after which it will be automatically erased from the system . the number of times is typically chosen by the system operator ( i . e ., homewav ). when a visitor has played all messages of interest , selecting “ return to registered inmates ” control 594 returns the user to registered inmates screen 530 . for each inmate name 548 , four action buttons are provided : “ send message ”, “ send video call ”, “ send audio call ”, and “ add minutes ”. when the visitor selects the “ send message ” button 554 , screen 600 ( fig4 e ) is presented . an image 602 of the visitor is displayed and two recording controls “ record message ” 604 and “ review message ” 606 may be selected by the visitor . when “ record message ” button 604 is selected , screen 620 ( fig4 f ) replaces screen 600 . screen 620 is similar to screen 600 except that the recording controls now consist of “ stop recording ” 622 and “ review recording ” 606 . a status line 624 displays a message that a recording is in process and the time remaining for the recorded message . upon selecting the “ stop recording ” control 622 , a third screen , screen 640 ( fig4 g ) is displayed . screen 640 is similar to both screen 600 and 620 . recording controls again consist of “ record message ” 604 and “ review recording ” 606 . a status line 642 shows that the recording process is stopped . all of the screens 600 , 620 , and 640 have a message details box 616 that displays the name of the inmate selected to receive the message , 610 . in addition , a “ send ” button is included to actually send the message to the inmate 610 . however , before the message is sent , the visitor must acknowledge that the cost of sending the message will be the cost of one video minute . the user acknowledges this by clicking check box 612 . once acknowledged , the message is sent when the “ send ” button is selected . once the message is sent , the visitor is returned to the registered inmates screen 530 . if the visitor wishes to initiate a video visit , he or she selects “ send video call ” 556 and a new screen 660 ( fig4 h ) is presented . screen 660 displays a status message “ visit started ” 662 . in addition , another status message 666 displays the name of the inmate being called . a cancel button 666 may be selected to cancel the establishment of a video visit . an additional control 668 likewise cancels the establishment of a video visit . if cancelled , the visitor is returned to the registered inmates screen 530 . if the device 100 x in possession of the inmate being called is turned on and , assuming that the inmate &# 39 ; s privileges have not been suspended , inmate &# 39 ; s device 100 x displays screen 680 ( fig4 i ). screen 680 displays the message “ start visit ” 682 . a message “ mary smith is calling . connect ?” 684 is also displayed . the inmate must use either “ yes ” button 686 or “ no ” button 688 to either accept or reject the visit , respectively . a control 670 also declines the visit and returns the inmate &# 39 ; s device to its home screen 370 ( fig3 h ). if the inmate chooses to accept the visit by selecting the “ yes ” button 686 screen 700 ( fig4 j ) is displayed on the visitors screen . screen 6700 displays images of the inmate being called and the visitor at reference numbers 702 , 704 , respectively . the maximum time remaining for the visit 708 is also displayed . the visit may be terminated by the visitor by selecting the “ hang up ” control 706 . when the video visit is complete , the visitor is returned to the “ registered inmates screen ” 530 . a visitor may initiate a voip telecommunication with the selected inmate by selecting a “ send audio call ” button 558 associated with the desired inmate from the registered inmates screen 530 . upon selecting the “ send audio call ” button 558 , screen 720 ( fig4 k ) is presented . screen 720 indicates that the call is started 722 . a message “ calling smith , john ” 724 is also displayed . a ring count 728 shows the number of times the inmate &# 39 ; s phone has rung . a “ cancel ” button 726 may be used by the visitor to terminate the call . another control 730 also terminates the calling attempt and returns the visitor to the “ registered inmates screen ” 530 . if the device 100 x in possession of the inmate being called is turned on and , assuming that the inmate &# 39 ; s privileges have not been suspended , screen 104 of inmate &# 39 ; s device 100 x displays screen 740 ( fig4 l ). screen 740 displays the message “ start call ? 742 . a message “ mary smith is calling . connect ?” 744 is also displayed . the inmate must use either “ yes ” button 746 or “ no ” button 748 to either accept or reject the call , respectively . a control 750 also declines the call a returns the inmate &# 39 ; s device to its home screen 370 ( fig3 h ). if the inmate chooses to accept the call by selecting the “ yes ” button 746 screen 760 ( fig4 m ) is displayed on the visitors screen . a telephone icon 762 remains on the visitor &# 39 ; s screen for the duration of the call . the call duration 764 is displayed on the visitor &# 39 ; s screen 760 . an “ end call ” button 766 provides a mechanism whereby the visitor may terminate the call . when the voip call is ended , the visitor is returned to the registered inmate screen 530 . finally , the visitor may add funds to an account associated with a particular inmate . by selecting the “ add minutes ” button 560 associated with the particular inmate , the new screen 780 is displayed on the visitor &# 39 ; s screen . screen 780 has two portions , a homewav order portion 782 and a paypal payment portion 784 . screen 784 displays “ minutes to visit with smith , john ” 786 . the price per minute ( i . e ., item price ) 788 , usually set by the system operator , is also displayed . the visitor enters the number of minutes he or she wishes to purchase in a quantity box 790 . selecting the “ update ” link 792 updates the item total 793 . a shipping and handling charge 794 may be imposed by the system operator . in the case chosen for purposes of disclosure , the shipping and handling charge 794 is $ 0 . 50 . the only way to add funds to an inmate &# 39 ; s visitation account is by using an on - line payment service . the well known paypal ® has been chosen for purposes of disclosure . those of skill in the art will recognize that other on - line payment services exist , any suitable one of which may be substituted for paypal ®. consequently , the invention is intended to include any suitable on - line payment service . consequently , the invention is not considered limited to the paypal ® on - line payment service chosen for purposes of disclosure . assuming the visitor has previously set up a paypal account , he or she enters an e - mail address 800 and a password 802 , and selects the login button to sign in to their paypal ® account . once signed in the financial transaction is completed . if the user does not already have a paypal ® account set up , the “ don &# 39 ; t have a paypal account ?” link 808 is selected . a “ cancel and return to homewav , llc ”. link 810 terminates the add minutes operation . at the conclusion of the “ add minutes ” process , the user is returned to the registered inmates screen ” 530 . the operation of the novel inmate visitation system of the present invention wherein either inmates or visitors may originate video visitations or voip telecommunications has been described in detail hereinabove . it will be recognized that the operation of the inventive system depends upon “ infrastructure ” described in detail in the &# 39 ; 498 application . for that reason , some points regarding the information described and claimed in the &# 39 ; 498 application are reiterated below . as has been described in detail in the co - pending &# 39 ; 498 application a prison administrator workstation ( paws ) may be located within the prison and also connected to either a network or directly to a network controller and / or switch . in alternate embodiments , the paws may have its own modem associated and connected directly to the internet . also the paws may be located outside the prison when desired . an internet connection is typically provided between internet interface / modem and the internet “ cloud ” represented schematically at reference number 214 in fig2 of the &# 39 ; 498 application . a visitor workstation or internet “ appliance ” also described in detail in the &# 39 ; 498 application is also connected to internet by a suitable internet connection . a homewav , llc website supports a web server . the web server runs application code that implements the applications of the novel remote web - based visitation system of the invention . in the embodiment chosen for purposes of disclosure , the applications , discussed in detail hereinbelow , are implemented in either java or php ( http :// www . php . net ). php is a server - side html embedded scripting language that provides web developers with a full suite of tools for building dynamic websites . in addition , some custom adobe ® flash ® actionscript codes are provided to interact with flash . homeway . com discussed in detail in the &# 39 ; 498 application . actionscript is a dialect of ecmascript ( i . e ., it is a superset of the syntax and semantics of the language more widely known javascript ), and is used primarily for the development of websites and software targeting the adobe flash player platform . ecmascript is the scripting language standardized by ecma international in the ecma - 262 specification and iso / iec 16262 specifications . the language is widely used for client - side scripting on the web . it will be recognized that website design and implementation is believed to be well known to those of skill in the art . consequently , alternate web development tools / languages may be utilized to develop similar applications . consequently , the invention is not considered limited to the development tools and / or languages chosen for purposes of disclosure . rather , the invention is intended to include any suitable languages , scripts , etc . the homewav , llc website also embodies and supports storage provided to contain application code and the databases necessary to implement the remote web - based visitation system of the invention . a second website associated with the remote web - based visitation system of the invention is flash . homewav . com website . flash . homewav . com website records and stores all audio / video ( a / v ) visits . as discussed in detail in the &# 39 ; 498 application , certain a / v visits by clergy or legal representatives may be exempt from recording . typically , all other a / v visits are recorded by one or more a / v servers . storage devices retain a / v transcripts of all visits not exempt from the recording requirement . finally , one or more homewav administrators at workstations that include a computer and a modem that are connected to the internet through an internet connection provide certain gate keeping and administrative functions by interacting with homewav website . such gate keeping and administrative functions are also discussed in detail in the &# 39 ; 498 application . since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in the art , the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure , and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention . having thus described the invention , what is desired to be protected by letters patent is presented in the subsequently appended claims . | 7 |
fig1 is a photographic representation of a main circuit board 100 of a specific illustrative embodiment of the invention . as shown in this figure , main circuit board 100 of a data logging system ( not specifically designated ) constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention has a data channel selector control 110 . the selection of the appropriate data channel is facilitated by a liquid crystal display (“ lcd ”) 112 . lcd 112 additionally serves to facilitate the setting of system start and stop times , as will be discussed hereinbelow , and the calibration the selected channels . other controls that are useful in relation to a stand - alone embodiment of the invention , such as data incrementation control 114 and data decrementation control 116 , are also installed on main circuit board 100 . the collected data is stored in an appropriate storage medium . in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , there is provided a data card holder 120 that accommodates a conventional secure digital (“ sd ”) data storage card 122 and interconnects same to main circuit board 100 . a further sd data storage card 124 is shown in this figure to facilitate visualization of the dimensions of main circuit board 100 . more specifically , the physical size of main circuit board 100 in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention is approximately 1 . 9 ″ by 5 ″. fig2 is a representation of a screen print of a data logging software system that is useful in the practice of the present invention . as shown in this screen print , data channels 01 through 07 are correlated with various positions and parameters to be 3 0 measured of “ north a vent ,” which may , for example , be an undersea volcanic vent ( not shown ). of course , other positions and parameters to be measured are accommodated in this software system , but are not shown in the illustrative screen print of this figure . in this figure it is shown that , for example , data channels 01 , 04 , and 05 carry data related to the temperature , flow rate , and ph , respectively , at north a vent position 1 . data channels 06 and 07 , for example , carry data related to the conductivity and resistance , respectively , at north a vent position 2 . various other features of this data logging software system are shown in the specific illustrative embodiment of the invention of fig2 , such as the selectability of start and stop times for the measurements desired to be taken . fig3 is a simplified representation of various applications of the present invention in an aquatic environment . there is shown in this figure a sea surface 200 having a sea floor 210 that is formed of sediment . this figure shows as a specific illustrative embodiment of the invention a data logging arrangement 220 that is constructed in accordance with the invention . data logging arrangement 220 is somewhat buoyant and can be displaced along the height of the sea as illustrated by arrows 222 and 224 . this data logging arrangement , therefore , is configured to take data readings at various levels in the sea . a further data logging arrangement 230 that is constructed in accordance with the invention is shown to be embedded in the sediment of the sea floor . this data logging arrangement is anchored to the sea floor by an anchoring arrangement 232 that also is embedded in the sediment . data reading are obtained that identify the various characteristics of the sea floor sediment . still another data logging arrangement 240 that is constructed in accordance with the invention is shown to be in communication with undersea plant life 242 . this data logging arrangement is useful , inter alia , to determined the manner in which plant life is affected by the aquatic environment , including the effluent from volcanic vents . data logging arrangement 250 , which also is constructed in accordance with the invention , is shown to float on the sea surface 200 . as described in relation to the other embodiments of the invention , this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention can log data relating to the quality of the sea water , as well as wave heights and current , illustratively with the use of an on - board gps system ( not shown ). the data is collected by plural sensors 252 , and such collected data , in this embodiment , is transmitted to a remote receiving station ( not shown ) via antenna 254 . as can be seen in this figure , data logging arrangements 220 , 230 , 240 , and 250 are each enclosed within a housing ( not specifically designated ) that is configured to achieve a desired buoyancy . for example , data logging arrangement 250 is fully flotaional , while data logging arrangement 240 is not . data logging arrangement 220 , as previously noted , is partially buoyant . fig4 is a block and line representation of a smart sensor system 300 configured in accordance with the principles of the invention . smart sensor system 300 constitutes a specific illustrative embodiment of the invention that is based on a microprocessor 310 . in this embodiment , there is optionally provided a co - processor 312 . microprocessor 310 operates in conjunction with a memory system 314 that contains in an associated memory location ( not specifically designated ) data that uniquely identifies the particular smart sensor system , which may be a data logging arrangement as previously discussed . other information that is stored in the memory system of various embodiments of the invention include system position , system time , sensor and transducer calibration curves , calibration points , etc . some of the data that is stored in memory system 314 is obtained from sensors , such as sensors 320 to 328 . in this embodiment , sensor 320 includes sensors or transducers that provide temperature data . these include , in various embodiments , thermocouples , thermistors , resistance temperature detectors , infrared detectors , and the like . sensor probes and transducers 322 provide pressure information and include , in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , strain gages , load cells , force sensors , pressure sensors , differential pressure sensors , linear voltage differential transformers , etc . sensor probes and transducers 324 provide flow and level data , and include , for example , magnetic sensors , pneumatic sensors , thermal flow sensors , rotometers , air velocity sensors , gas mass flow detectors , and mechanical flow detectors . sensor probes and transducers 326 provide , in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , chemical data . such chemical data is obtained , for example , from potentiometric sensors , voltammetric sensors , specific ion sensors , gas sensors , vapor sensors , liquid sensors , as well as the output from instruments , such as mass spectroscopy instruments , liquid chromatography , gas chromatography , infrared chromatography , ultraviolet and visual light analyzers , nuclear magnetic resonance , electrochemical potentiometer reactivation , etc . in addition to the foregoing , there is provided in some embodiments of the invention a global positioning system 328 that provides to microprocessor 310 position information . in some embodiments , global positioning system 328 also provides three - dimensional data that can include tidal and wave height information . fig5 is a simplified representation of a data logging system in the form of a micro - observatory system 400 configured in accordance with the principles of the invention . elements of structure that have previously been discussed are similarly designated . micro - observatory system 400 is configured around a microprocessor 410 , that in some embodiments operates with a co - processor 412 . microprocessor 410 can , in some embodiments , be controlled via an ethernet network 414 that is itself coupled to a further network 416 . further network 416 can , in various embodiments of the invention , be a wireless network , a satellite network , a serial link , etc . the further network serves to couple microprocessor 410 to an external computer 418 . in some embodiments of micro - observatory system 400 , there is provided a display 420 that facilitates the viewing of data , setting of the system time , calibration of various system parameters , etc . the resulting data is , in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , stored in a storage medium 422 , which may constitute secure digital or compact flash form of memory . as shown , some embodiments of micro - observatory system 400 employ the data that is issued by smart sensor system 300 , described hereinabove . in still further embodiments , microprocessor 410 receives external triggering signals at external triggering input 430 . such external triggering can , in some embodiments , constitute transistor - transistor switching arrangements ( not specifically designated ), switch contacts , timers , etc . such external triggers are useful to start and stop the operation of the system at desired points in time , including determination of timing gates to facilitate the capture of transient information . similarly , microprocessor 410 can issue triggering signals at trigger output 432 that will control the operation of external equipment or systems ( not shown ). in some embodiments , the signals obtained at trigger output 432 are used to control the operation of cameras , pumps , or other equipment . fig6 is a simplified schematic representation of a further embodiment micro - observatory system 500 constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention . elements of structure that have previously been discussed are similarly designated . in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , a micro - observatory 510 issues data to a data output arrangement 520 , which can include any combination of a secure digital card ( not shown in this figure ), a compact flash card ( not shown ), wireless radio ( not shown ), satellite radio ( not shown ), cellular transceiver ( nor shown ), etc . data is supplied to micro - observatory 510 from a plurality of sensors and transducers , including , for example , temperature sensors 530 a to 530 d , voltammetric sensors 532 a to 532 d , industrial sensors 534 , potentiometric sensors 536 , water sensors 538 , atmospheric sensors 540 , amperometric sensors 542 , light sensors 544 , and ph sensors 546 . although the invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments and applications , persons skilled in the art may , in light of this teaching , generate additional embodiments without exceeding the scope or departing from the spirit of the invention described and claimed herein . accordingly , it is to be understood that the drawing and description in this disclosure are proffered to facilitate comprehension of the invention , and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof . | 6 |
fig1 a , 1 b , 4 and 5 show different embodiments of a laser amplifier arrangement 19 , which comprise a pump source 21 and a laser oscillator / amplifier configuration 24 . fig2 a , 2 b and 3 show different configurations of pump radiation guide devices 26 for introducing the pump radiation generated by the pump source 21 into the laser oscillator / amplifier configuration 24 . in all the embodiments of the laser amplifier arrangement 19 , the radiation from at least two or more beam sources is used for pumping the collinear laser oscillator / amplifier configuration 24 . the longitudinal pump configuration is used in this case , which offers particular advantages with respect to efficiency and beam quality , as mentioned in detail in p . peuser , n . p . schmitt , diodengepumpte festkörperlaser , springer verlag 1995 . suitable laser - active materials are , for example , the well known nd : yag and nd : ylf crystals or crystals comprising doping with yb , tm or ho . in the embodiments of the laser amplifier arrangement 19 which are represented , at least two or more high - power fiber - coupled diode lasers 1 a , 2 a , 2 b are used as beam sources for the pump source 21 . the first embodiment of the laser amplifier arrangement 19 , as represented in fig1 a , shows a pump source 21 in which a first diode laser 1 is used as a first beam source for the first pump radiation and at least one second diode laser 2 , here in the form of a high - power diode laser having a higher power than the first diode laser 1 , is used as a second beam source for the second pump radiation 6 . the pump radiation guide device 26 comprises a plurality of optical fibers 3 , 4 for guiding the first and second pump radiations to the laser oscillator / amplifier configuration 24 . a first optical fiber 3 is used for pumping a miniaturized laser oscillator 9 , while the majority of the pump power available overall is provided by one or more second fibers 4 in order to optically excite an amplifier crystal 14 . the laser oscillator / amplifier configuration 24 comprises the laser oscillator 9 and a laser amplifier 23 . an optical deviation device 22 is furthermore provided , by means of which the second pump radiation 6 is collimated so that the second pump radiation 6 travels quasi - parallel over a particular defined path length 20 of from several millimeters to several centimeters — in this case parallel to the longitudinal axis 25 of the laser oscillator / amplifier configuration 24 . the laser oscillator 9 with a laser crystal 10 is located in an axial arrangement at the center of this second pump radiation 6 travelling along this path 20 . the laser crystal 10 is held by a mount 11 comprising bars so that as much of the second pump radiation 6 as possible can pass through the mount 11 , in order to be guided past the laser crystal 10 and then subsequently focused onto the amplifier crystal 14 of the laser amplifier 23 . in this way , the second pump radiation 6 is used for optical excitation of the laser amplifier 23 . in the embodiments represented in fig1 a and 1 b , the laser crystal 10 is connected to a passive q - switch ( q - switch crystal ) 9 a . the laser crystal 10 with the q - switch 9 a is located centrally in the mount 11 . the laser crystal 10 may be in optical contact with the passive q - switch crystal 9 a ( so - called quasi - monolithic laser ), the exit face of this crystal configuration being coated partially reflectively for the laser wavelength so that a laser beam 13 is emitted in the form of short laser pulses having a pulse width of typically a few nanoseconds . for further details of the fundamentals of the physical processes , reference is made to p . peuser , n . p . schmitt : diodengepumpte festkörperlaser , springer verlag 1995 . in the embodiments according to fig1 a and 1 b , a first ( smaller ) focusing lens 8 a for the first pump radiation is provided on a mount 8 in front of the laser oscillator 9 . in this way , the pump geometry of the laser oscillator 9 can be configured optimally . the smaller focusing lens 8 a has a substantially smaller cross - section compared with the diameter of the pump radiation 6 along the path 20 . the first focusing lens 8 a is placed in front of the input coupling face of the laser crystal 10 , so that the first pump radiation to be introduced into the laser oscillator 9 is focused into the laser crystal 10 . the mount 8 for the first focusing lens 8 a may be configured adjustably , so that the distance from the first focusing lens 8 a to the laser crystal 10 is variable . in this way , the pump geometry for the laser oscillator 9 can be optimized and , in particular , the efficiency and the pulse energy can be determined . the optical deviation device 22 comprises a collimator / lens device which — as represented — may be formed by a collimator lens 7 or by an entry face , acting as a collimator lens , of a lens unit ( not represented ). the collimator / lens device is used for collimating the second pump radiation 6 . the optical deviation device 22 furthermore comprises a second focusing lens 12 for focusing the second pump radiation 6 , guided past the laser oscillator 9 , into the laser crystal 14 at the end of the path 20 . the collimator lens 7 is provided with a first aperture 27 so that the first pump radiation can be guided to the laser oscillator 9 without being influenced by the optical deviation device 22 . the second focusing lens 12 is provided with a second aperture 28 in order to guide the laser beam 13 , uninfluenced by the optical deviation device 22 , to the laser crystal 14 . in the laser crystal 14 , excited by the second pump radiation 6 , the laser beam 13 is amplified so that an amplified laser beam 15 emerges . the first embodiment of the laser amplifier arrangement 19 according to fig1 a and the second embodiment of the laser amplifier arrangement 19 according to fig1 b differ essentially by the pump source 21 . in the first embodiment , the pump source comprises the first diode laser 1 as a first beam source for generating the first pump radiation and the high - power diode laser as a second diode laser 2 for generating the second pump radiation . in the second embodiment , instead of the high - power diode laser , a group of diode laser beam sources 2 b is provided , which is composed of a plurality of individual second diode lasers 2 . different configurations of the pump radiation guide device 26 will be explained in more detail below with the aid of the representations in fig2 a , 2 b and 3 . in the embodiment of the pump radiation guide device 26 as represented in fig2 a , the first optical fiber 3 for guiding the first pump radiation for the laser oscillator lies at the center of another fiber , forming the second optical fiber 4 , which guides the pump energy for the subsequent amplifier . the radiation provided by the central first fiber 3 is used to pump the miniaturized pulse laser oscillator 9 so that the laser beam 13 is generated , the energy of which is increased in the subsequent laser amplifier 23 . the second pump radiation for the laser amplifier 23 , guided in the second optical fiber 4 arranged by the annularly around the central first optical fiber 3 , is collimated by means of the optical deviation device 22 so that it is guided around the laser oscillator 9 and finally focused into the axially arranged amplifier crystal 14 . in the further embodiment of the pump radiation guide device 26 as represented in fig2 b , the two pump fibers for the laser oscillator 9 and the laser amplifier 23 — i . e . the first optical fiber 3 and the second optical fiber 4 — are arranged closely next to one another . in this case , the second focusing lens 12 for the second pump radiation 6 ( pump radiation of the amplifier crystal 14 ) is arranged slightly displaced transversely , so that the laser beam 13 and the pump beam lie above one another in the amplifier crystal 14 . the pump radiation guide devices represented in fig2 a and 2 b are suitable in particular for the first embodiment of the laser amplifier arrangement 19 as represented in fig1 a . in the alternative configuration of the pump radiation guide device 26 as represented in fig3 , which is suitable in particular for the second embodiment of the laser amplifier arrangement 19 , the first optical fiber 3 which forms the pump fiber for the laser oscillator 9 is surrounded by a fiber bundle 4 a consisting of a plurality of second optical fibers 4 , which together convey the pump radiation for the laser amplifier 23 . in this way , even higher pump powers can be provided for the laser amplifier 23 , since the radiation of the plurality of diode laser beam sources 2 b can be used for the optical excitation of the laser amplifier 23 . fig4 represents a third embodiment of the laser amplifier arrangement 19 , which constitutes a refinement of the first embodiment as shown in fig1 a or of the second embodiment as shown in fig2 a . the particularly compact arrangement of the laser oscillator / amplifier configuration 24 comprising the laser oscillator 9 and the axial laser amplifier 23 may also be used , according to this third embodiment , to produce an actively q - switched laser amplifier arrangement 19 . to this end , the passive q - switch crystal 9 a of the first or second embodiment is replaced by an electro - optical arrangement , known per se , consisting of a polarizer 17 , an electro - optical q - switch 16 and an analyzer 17 a , which are installed in the resonator of the laser oscillator 9 . a condition for this is that the electro - optical q - switch 16 has a relatively small cross - section , so that the second pump radiation 6 can be guided past it . for example , to this end the q - switch 16 is selected so that its diameter lies in the range of about one centimeter . owing to the small diameter , it is possible to guide the collimated second pump radiation 6 past externally . such miniaturized electro - optical q - switches 16 are already known per se . fig5 represents yet another embodiment of the laser amplifier arrangement 19 , which makes do without the optical deviation device 22 . in this case the fiber bundle 4 a , which conveys the pump radiation for the laser amplifier 23 , is extended so that the second optical fibers 4 can be led around the laser oscillator 9 . the emerging second pump radiation 6 can then be focused by collimator / focusing optics 29 into the laser amplifier 23 . the collimator / focusing optics 29 comprise a collimator lens 12 a and the second focusing lens 12 . through holes present at the center of the collimator / focusing optics 29 , the laser beam 13 generated in the laser oscillator 9 enters the excited amplifier crystal 16 , where it is amplified — amplified laser beam 15 . like the exemplary embodiment of the laser amplifier arrangement 19 as represented in fig4 , the exemplary embodiment represented according to fig5 uses the active q - switch comprising the electro - optical q - switch 16 as well as the polarizer 16 and analyzer 17 a . the q - switch 16 is held centrally here in a mount , which is configured in a similar way to the mount 11 . in the exemplary embodiment represented in fig5 , an output coupling mirror 18 is placed in the region of the hole of the collimator lens 12 a . as well as for the generation of short laser pulses , the configurations of the laser amplifier arrangement 19 as described with the aid of fig1 a to 5 may in principle also be used as an oscillator / amplifier arrangement for the generation of continuous - wave or quasi continuous - wave laser radiation , or single - frequency laser radiation , if the q - switch crystal 9 a is not used or the laser oscillator 9 is configured as a single - frequency laser . in this case the essential properties of the laser beam 13 , 15 , except for the power of the overall system , are determined by the laser oscillator 9 . here as well , it is advantageous that the power of the laser oscillator 9 can be controlled independently of the gain , so that the optimal beam properties can be achieved in the range of low output powers of the laser oscillator 9 . the effect achieved with the embodiments described above is that a high - power laser with high beam quality and a high efficiency can be achieved with a high degree of miniaturization . further particular advantages , especially in comparison with the miniaturized laser amplifier arrangement known from the prior art according to u . s . pat . no . 6 , 512 , 630 b1 , are : the laser oscillator 9 and the laser amplifier 23 can be optimized independently of one another ; the laser beam 13 generated in the laser oscillator 9 is amplified without being affected by optical components ; the number of laser pulses emitted per pump pulse can be adjusted independently of the amplifier power ; the resonator of the laser oscillator 9 can be extended so that a high beam quality becomes achievable due to a separate arrangement of the output coupling mirror 18 ; and passive or active q - switching is possible . the foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting . since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art , the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof . 2 second diode laser ( for second pump radiation , preferably high - power diode laser ) 2 a diode laser beam sources ( for second pump radiation ) 4 a fiber bundle ( consisting of a plurality of second optical fibers ) 8 a first ( smaller ) focusing lens for first pump radiation ( from first diode laser ) | 7 |
embodiment 1 of the present invention is explained hereinbelow , with reference to fig1 to 7 . a base plate connector 10 comprises a connector housing 11 , a plurality of terminal pins 20 and an alignment plate 30 . a base face of the connector housing 11 that faces a circuit base plate p has a pair of foot members 12 formed thereon so as to protrude from the left and right sides . in the state where the foot members 12 make contact with the surface of the circuit base plate p , this connector housing 11 is fixed in a specified position on the surface of the circuit base plate p by means of a position fixing means such as the mutual fitting of a pin and a hole ( not shown ). furthermore , the foot members 12 are fixed to the circuit base plate p by means of machine screws ( not shown ) that are screwed in to the base face of the foot members 12 , the machine screws passing through the circuit base plate p . the mutually facing inner side faces of the foot members 12 have alignment stopping grooves 13 and release stopping grooves 14 which are triangular when seen cross - sectionally . these grooves 13 , 14 are mutually parallel and extend in the anterior - posterior direction , from edge to edge . the alignment stopping groove 13 is located below the release stopping groove 14 . protrusions 33 of the alignment plate 30 , to be described later , can be fitted into and removed from the alignment stopping grooves 13 and the release stopping grooves 14 . a temporary supporting means 15 consists of the alignment stopping grooves 13 and protrusions 33 of the alignment plate 30 , and a supporting means 16 consists of the release stopping grooves 14 and the protrusions 33 . a plurality of terminal pins 20 are provided on the connector housing 11 . each terminal pin 20 protrudes from the rear face of the connector housing 11 and is bent in a downward direction . the anterior end of each terminal forms a right angle with respect to the base face of the connector housing 11 , and is of such a length as to extend downwards beyond the base face . the anterior ends of these terminal pins 20 are inserted simultaneously into connecting holes h of the circuit base plate p . accordingly , the anterior ends of the terminal pins 20 should be mutually parallel , and all the end portions of the terminal pins 20 aligned so as to correspond to the alignment of the connecting holes h . the cross - sectional shape of the anterior ends of the terminal pins 20 is rectangular , as shown in fig6 . further , movement permitting recesses 21 are formed ( see fig2 ) on the anterior ends of the terminal pins 20 by cutting and narrowing the width . the length of these recesses 21 is slightly greater than the thickness of the alignment plate 30 . a portion of the terminal that is located at the anterior end forms a support 22 . the boundary between the recess 21 and the support 22 is located approximately at the same height as the base face of the foot member 12 . when the supports 22 are fitted into the position fixing holes 31 of the alignment plate 30 , to be described later , the terminal pins 20 are held in a proper position for aligning with holes h in plate p . when the recesses 21 are fitted loosely into the position fixing holes 31 , movement of the terminal pins 20 with respect to the alignment plate 30 is possible . the alignment plate 30 is attached to the connector housing 11 , to ensure the alignment of the anterior ends of the terminal pins 20 , with a high degree of accuracy , with of the connecting holes h . the alignment plate 30 has a plurality of position fixing holes 31 that correspond to the same arrangement as the connecting holes h in the circuit base plate p . the position fixing holes 31 vertically extend through the alignment plate 30 and have a rectangular shape . as shown in fig6 the dimensions in the anterior - posterior direction and the left - right direction are such as to allow the supports 22 of terminals 20 to fit tightly therein . the position fixing holes 31 correspond with a high degree of accuracy to the alignment of the connecting holes h . when the supports 22 are fitted into the position fixing holes 31 , the anterior ends of all the terminal pins 20 are aligned with the connecting holes h . in the state where the recesses 21 are fitted in the position fixing holes 31 , as shown in fig7 a space is provided between the anterior - posterior edges of the position fixing holes 31 . the dimension of this anterior - posterior space is set after taking into consideration the difference in the rate of thermal expansion of the circuit base plate p and the alignment plate 30 , so that the terminal does not make contact with the edge of the position fixing hole 31 when such relative movement occurs . there is almost no space between the edges of the position fixing holes 31 and the terminal along the left - right edges ( the upper and lower edges in fig6 and 7 ). this arrangement is a consequence of having taken into account the direction of the fibres and the direction of flow of the mould during the moulding process of the circuit base plate p and the connector housing 11 , and has no significance beyond the fact that it is a consequence of the materials of the present embodiment . by providing a space , even if terminal pins 20 move in an anterior - posterior direction along the circuit base plate p due to a difference , described further on , in the amount of thermal expansion between the circuit base plate p and the alignment plate 30 , there is no possibility of the terminal pins 20 being distorted by contact with the edges of the position fixing holes 31 . a pair of wall members 32 are formed along both the side edges of the alignment plate 30 , the wall members 32 protruding outwards . these wall members 32 are adapted to be engaged between the foot members 12 of the connector housing 11 , the outer side faces of the wall members 32 and the inner side faces of the foot members 12 making contact with each other . due to the fitting of the wall members 32 and the foot members 12 , movement in the left - right direction is prevented and the position in the left - direction of the alignment plate 30 with respect to the connector housing 11 is relatively fixed . the outer side faces of the wall members 32 have protrusions 33 formed so as to extend in an anterior - posterior direction , the protrusions 33 being triangular when seen in cross - section , these protrusions 33 being engageable in the alignment stopping grooves 13 and the release stopping grooves 14 . the wall members 32 are capable of bending inwards elastically , and when the force of the alignment plate 30 is applied in an up - down direction , the protrusions 33 move between the alignment stopping grooves 13 and the release stopping grooves 14 . when the protrusions 33 are in the alignment grooves 13 , the alignment plate 30 protrudes below and beyond the base face of the foot members 12 and is temporarily supported in an alignment position whereby the support 22 of the terminal pins 20 are fitted into the position fixing holes 31 . when the protrusions 33 are in the release grooves 14 , the lower face of the alignment plate 30 comes to correspond with the base face of the foot members 12 and the alignment plate 30 is supported so that the position fixing holes 31 correspond to the recesses 21 . the anterior and posterior edges of the wall members 32 have a pair of anterior and posterior stoppers 34 that extend outwards . these stoppers 34 make contact with the anterior and posterior end faces of the foot members 12 . this restricts the anterior - posterior movement of the wall members 32 with respect to the foot members 12 . next , the operation of the present embodiment is explained . before attachment to the circuit base plate p is carried out , the alignment plate 30 is connected to the connector housing 11 . in order to carry out the attachment , first the anterior ends of the terminal pins 20 are passed through the respective position fixing holes 31 . at this juncture , if the hole edge on the upper face side of the position fixing hole 31 has a taper shaped guiding face ( not shown ) formed thereon , even if a misaligned terminal pin 20 exists , such a terminal pin 20 is realigned towards the centre due to the alignment face and fits smoothly into the position fixing hole 31 . once all the terminal pins 20 have been inserted into the position fixing holes 31 , the wall members 32 are fitted between the foot members 12 and the protrusions 33 are engaged in the alignment stopping grooves 13 to place the alignment plate 30 in a temporarily supported position . the supports 22 fit tightly in the position fixing holes 31 . accordingly , the terminal pins 20 comes to correspond with a high degree of accuracy with the alignment of the connecting holes h . next , the base plate connector 10 is attached to the circuit base plate p . in order to carry out the attachment , first the anterior ends of the terminal pins 20 , aligned according to the alignment plate 30 , are inserted into the connecting holes h of the circuit base plate p . since all the terminal pins 20 are aligned so as to correspond to the alignment of the connecting holes h , all the terminal pins 20 enter the connecting holes h smoothly and simultaneously . when the terminal pins 20 are inserted , as shown in fig2 and 4 , the alignment plate 30 makes contact with the upper face of the circuit base plate p , and the foot members 12 of the connector housing 11 float above the circuit base plate p . from this state , when the connector housing 11 is pushed towards the circuit base plate p , the wall members 32 bend elastically and the protrusions 33 separate from the alignment grooves 13 . then , the connector housing 11 and the terminal pins 20 move downwards , the supports 22 separating from the position fixing holes 31 and the recesses 21 entering the position fixing holes 31 from above . when the foot members 12 of the connector housing 11 make contact with the circuit base plate p , as shown in fig3 and 5 , the protrusions 33 engage the release grooves 14 and the alignment plate 30 is supported in the release position . at the same time , due to the recesses 21 , the terminal pins 20 become capable of moving freely relative to each other in an anterior - posterior direction along the circuit base plate p . after that , the connector housing 11 is fixed to the circuit base plate p by means of machine screws , not shown , the portions of the terminal pins 20 that are fitted in the connecting holes h being fixed by means of solder m . in this manner , the attachment operation of the base plate connector 10 of the present embodiment to the circuit base plate p is completed . in the attached state there is a space in the anterior - posterior direction between the position fixing holes 31 and the terminal pins 20 of the base plate p . when the alignment plate 30 expands thermally , the position fixing holes 31 can move in an anterior - posterior direction with respect to the terminal pins 20 . accordingly , there is no possibility of the terminal pins 20 being pushed in the anterior - posterior direction by the hole edges of the position fixing holes 31 . as a result , an increase in stress on the soldered portion m is prevented . moreover , in the attached state , the movement of the alignment plate 30 with respect to the connector housing 11 in either the anterior - posterior direction or the left - right direction is prevented due to the fitting of the wall members 32 with the foot members 12 and the fitting of the foot members 12 with the stoppers 34 . as a result , there is no possibility of the hole edges of the position fixing holes 31 pressing in a sideways direction against the terminal pins 20 due to movement of the alignment plate 30 , and increase in stress on the soldered portion m due to movement of the alignment plate 30 is prevented . in addition , the alignment plate 30 is supported in the release position due to the fitting of the protrusions 33 with the release grooves 14 , and the alignment plate 30 makes contact with the upper face of the circuit base plate p . accordingly , there is no possibility at all of the alignment plate 30 moving back to the alignment position . further , in the present embodiment , after the insertion of the terminal pins 20 , along with the attachment operation of the connector housing 11 with the circuit base plate p , the alignment plate 30 is forced to move towards the release position from the alignment position . consequently , not only is superior operability achieved compared to the case where the attachment operation of the connector housing 11 and the movement operation of the alignment plate 30 are carried out as separate processes , but also the movement of the alignment plate 30 in the release direction is carried out with certainty . next , embodiments 2 to 9 of the present invention are described below . however , in these embodiments only those components which differ from embodiment 1 are described , the same reference numeral being accorded to parts that have the same configuration . embodiment 2 is described hereinbelow , with reference to fig8 . an alignment plate 40 has concave recesses 42 formed by cutting away the entire peripheral edges of position fixing holes 41 . these recesses 42 are tapered so as to extend outwards in the downward direction . by forming this additional space , when terminal pins 20 are soldered , the solder ( not shown ) that passes through the connecting holes h from the lower face of the circuit base plate p collects in a sufficient quantity to give a superior connection . embodiment 3 of the present invention is described next , with reference to fig9 . as in embodiment 2 , an alignment plate 45 of the present embodiment also has cut away concave recesses 46 formed thereon in order to create an extra space . however , the recesses 46 are not tapered but have perpendicular sides when seen cross - sectionally . as in embodiment 2 , superior soldering is achieved . embodiment 4 of the present invention is described next , with reference to fig1 and fig1 . a support member 51 of a terminal pin 50 is formed by making specified locations protrude on the left and right sides as shown in the diagram . the dimensions of the support members 51 of the present embodiment are arranged to be greater than the basic dimensions of the terminal pins 50 . furthermore , the portion located above the support member 51 is a movement permitting region 52 . the lower face of an alignment plate 53 has protrusions 55 on either side of position fixing holes 54 . due to these protrusions 55 the alignment plate 53 is attached to a circuit base plate p while maintaining a space between it and the upper face of the circuit base plate p . in the attached state , support members 51 , which separate from the position fixing holes 54 , come to be located within the space between the alignment plate 53 and the circuit base plate p , so permitting relative lateral movement ( fig1 ). embodiment 5 of the present invention is described next , with reference to fig1 , and is a variation of embodiment 4 . cut away portions 56 are formed in support members 51 of terminal pins 50 . by forming these cut away portions 56 , the support members 51 are raised up from the circuit base plate p . this arrangement gives a recess for solder and results in a superior connection . embodiment 6 of the present invention is described next , with reference to fig1 . a terminal pin 60 has a shape whereby the width of the anterior end portion is widened in a stepped manner . a stepped portion 61 serves as a boundary between a movement permitting recess 62 located above and a support 63 located below . embodiment 7 of the present invention is described next , with reference to fig1 . a terminal pin 65 is formed into a double layer by folding both side edges inwards . in a specified location , a folded over portion 66 is partially cut away , giving a simple plate shape . this plate shaped portion constitutes a movement permitting recess 67 , a two layered portion located below constituting a support member 68 . the terminal pin 65 can also move relative to a position fixing hole ( not shown ) in a direction that is at a right angle with respect to the width - wise direction of the terminal pin 65 . embodiment 8 of the present invention is described next , with reference to fig1 . a terminal pin 70 approximately forms a square when seen cross - sectionally . at a specified location on the terminal pin 70 , a movement permitting recess 71 is formed by cutting the anterior , posterior , left and right faces so as to reduce the diameter of the terminal pin 70 . further , a support member 72 is defined below the recess 71 . according to the present embodiment , the terminal pin 70 can move relative to a position fixing hole ( not shown in fig1 ) in the anterior , posterior , left and right directions . embodiment 9 of the present invention is described next , with reference to fig1 . a terminal pin 80 of the present embodiment has a circular shape along its entire length when seen in cross - section . at a specified location on the terminal pin 80 , a recess 81 is formed by creating a smaller diameter concentrically . the lower side of this recess 81 constitutes a support 82 . the terminal pin 80 is capable of moving not only in the anterior , posterior , left and right directions with respect to a position fixing hole with a circular opening ( not shown in fig1 ), but in any other direction as well . moreover , the recess 81 is concentrically formed with respect to the support member 82 and the space between the recess and the edges of position fixing holes is the same along the entire circumference . in this way , embodiment 9 has no restrictions on the direction of movement of the terminal pin 80 with respect to the position fixing hole . moreover , since the relative movement stroke is the same in all directions , this embodiment is the most desirable among the embodiments described in the present application . the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with the aid of figures . for example , the possibilities described below also lie within the technical range of the present invention . moreover , the present invention may be embodied in various ways other than those described below without deviating from the scope thereof . ( 1 ) although in the above embodiments the alignment plate is arranged to move in the direction of increasing proximity to the circuit base plate when the alignment plate moves from the support position to the release position , it may equally be arranged so that it moves in the direction of increasing distance from the circuit base plate . ( 2 ) the attachment of the connector housing to the circuit base plate and the movement of the alignment plate from the alignment position to the release position can equally be carried out using different operations . ( 3 ) in the attached state to the circuit base plate , the alignment plate is supported in the release position in the above embodiments by means of the fitting of the alignment plate and the connector housing . however , it may equally be arranged so that this is carried out by fitting the alignment plate to the circuit base plate . | 7 |
in fig1 an electronic yarn clearer comprises , among others the parts 1 through 5 , and is operatively connected with monitoring circuit 6 . the latter has three outputs f &# 39 ;, k &# 39 ; and q &# 39 ; to which are connected three commanding devices , i . e . an alarm device 13 , a knotter control device 14 and a stage 15 controlling the clutch of a winding station which is part of the automatic yarn winding machine ( not shown in the figures ). briefly , knotter control device 14 will be called control device , and stage 15 control stage . the electronic yarn clearer comprises a device 1 for sensing a transverse dimension , e . g . the diameter , of a traveling yarn , which sensing device may be of the opto - electrical kind known in the art . an electronic evaluation circuit 2 is connected operatively to the sensing device 1 and has first and second output stages , namely a cutting signal output stage 4 and a thread signal output stage 3 . a yarn cutting device 5 is operatively connected to the cutting signal output stage 4 . the thread signal output stage 3 generates continuous yarn travel signals indicative of the presence of a traveling yarn in the sensing device 1 , or continuous failure signals of another magnitude in the case where no yarn is present , or when the yarn is at a standstill in the sensing device 1 . the cutting signal output stage 4 generates a cutting pulse in response to an incorrect yarn transverse dimension , e . g . when the local diameter of the yarn section passing the sensing head goes beyond an upper and / or lower threshold which deviates by a predetermined amount from a nominal value of the yarn diameter . the generation in an electronic yarn clearer of continuous yarn travel signals , yarn failure signals when no yarn is present and signals indicative of yarn standstill , i . e ., yarn present but not traveling , based on measurement of yarn transverse dimension is accomplished by apparatus known in the art as exemplified by the apparatus disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 122 , 956 and 3 , 043 , 991 . the output stages 3 and 4 may each comprise a controllable device , e . g . a relay , a controllable rectifier device or a transistor which is controlled by the output signals of evaluation circuit 2 . it may be assumed that during the winding operation the yarn travels in the direction from cutting device 5 to sensing device 1 . as shown in fig2 the cutting pulse s &# 39 ; generated by output stage 4 in cooperation with evaluation circuit 2 is of predetermined duration t . cutting pulse s &# 39 ; causes normally , that is to say when cutting device 5 operates correctly , the yarn to be severed . as long as the yarn is traveling , thread signal output stage 3 furnishes a continuous signal f &# 39 ; indicative of yarn travel , the signal being in the present case a positive dc - signal or logic l signal as shown in fig2 at a ). severing the yarn causes the yarn travel signal f &# 39 ; to drop to zero which represents a failure signal fe &# 39 ; or logic o signal . the continuous failure signal fe &# 39 ; which appears immediately after the outset of the cutting pulse s &# 39 ; serves as a criterion for the orderly operation of cutting device 5 . in the case that the cutting device is arranged downstream of the sensing device with respect to the yarn travel , one yarn end may remain in the sensing device after severing , in which case the failure signal may be delayed by a small time interval . the monitoring circuit or logic circuit 6 serves for combining logically the cutting pulses s &# 39 ; and continuous signals f &# 39 ;. logic circuit 6 generates logic output signals o &# 39 ;, k &# 39 ; and f &# 39 ; which serve as control and alarm signals for the commanding devices 13 , 14 and 15 , respectively . logic circuit 6 comprises first and second gating means , each consisting of a negation gate 9 or 11 , respectively , and an and - gate 7 or 10 , respectively , and further comprises a bistable circuit 8 arranged as a rs - flipflop , and a push button 12 for resetting the rs - flipflop . as long as logic o signals are present at the inputs r and s of rs - flipflop 8 , the output signal o &# 39 ; thereof is also a logic o signal . rs - flipflop 8 is set by a logic l signal at input s , whereby o &# 39 ; becomes logic l . by a logic l signal at input r the rs - flipflop 8 is reset , and o &# 39 ; becomes logic o again . alarm device 13 may be an acoustical or optical alarm apparatus . it can be assumed that an alarm is caused by a positive or logic l - signal of predetermined minimum duration . control device 14 affecting the knotting device of the yarn winding machine has a trigger input a and an inhibit input b . a knotting operation is initiated by a positive or logic l control signal f &# 39 ; of a predetermined minimum duration appearing at input a , whereas a positive control or logic l signal o &# 39 ; of predetermined minimum duration occurring at input b inhibits the knotting operation . control stage 15 which has first and second inputs acts upon the clutch of the winding station with which there is operatively associated the sensing device . the winding station is operative as long as a positive logic or l - signal is present at the input of controlstage 15 and is rendered inoperative by a logic o - signal . control signal q &# 39 ; produced by logic circuit 6 is supplied to alarm device 13 and inhibit input b of control device 14 . the negated or inversed yarn travel signal f &# 39 ; is fed to trigger input a of control device 14 , and control signal k &# 39 ; is passed to the first input of control stage 15 . between control device 14 and second input of control stage 15 there is provided an operational connection t . by this connection , a positive pulse from control stage 14 triggers control stage 15 during a short time interval after completion of a knotting operation to put the winding procedure into operation . in logic circuit 6 , set input s of rs - flipflop 8 is connected to the output of cutting signal output stage 4 of the electronic yarn clearer , so that the cutting pulse s &# 39 ; is delivered to set input s . reset input r of rs - flipflop 8 is connected to the output of first and - gate 7 which generates conjunction signal r &# 39 ;. the negated yarn travel signal f &# 39 ; from first negation gate 9 and cutting pulse s &# 39 ; are supplied to the first and second inputs of and - gate 7 . output signal o &# 39 ; from output o of rs - flipflop 8 is passed through second negation gate 11 to one of the inputs of second and - gate 10 whose other input receives continuous yarn travel signal f &# 39 ;. and - gate 10 furnishes control signal k &# 39 ;. now the mode of operation of the embodiment shown in fig1 will be described with reference to fig2 in the event that during the occurence of a cutting pulse s &# 39 ; ( a ) a failure signal appears indicating correct operation of the cutting device 5 , and ( b ) no such failure signal appears , which means that the cutting device 5 does not work orderly . when the winding operation proceeds normally , i . e . with s &# 39 ; = o , f &# 39 ; = l , f &# 39 ; = o , control stage 15 keeps the clutch of the winding station in its working position . in this event , control signal k &# 39 ; is logic l . in fig2 cutting pulse s &# 39 ; is shown as a positive rectangular pulse . the duration of this pulse is generally at least 20 milliseconds and may be substantially longer . according to fig2 a ) yarn travel signal f &# 39 ; = l turns into a failure signal fe &# 39 ;, i . e . a o - signal , immediately , that means a few milliseconds after the start of the cutting pulse s &# 39 ;. the conjunction of s &# 39 ; and the negated failure signal fe &# 39 ; in first and - gate 7 furnishes a positive rectangular conjunction pulse r &# 39 ;. when rs - flipflop 8 is set by cutting pulse s &# 39 ; and reset by conjunction pulse r &# 39 ; a short rectangular pulse q &# 39 ; appears at output q of rs - flipflop 8 . the conjunction of negated pulse q &# 39 ; and yarn travel signal f &# 39 ; in second and - gate 10 furnishes an output signal k &# 39 ; which jumps from logic l to logic o with the commencement of cutting pulse s &# 39 ;. logic output pulse o &# 39 ; because of its short duration of some milliseconds does not affect alarm device 13 and control device 14 so that the latter is not locked . thus , the knotting device is actuated by negated failure signal fe &# 39 ; acting upon trigger input a of control device 14 after the winding operation is stopped by control signal k &# 39 ; acting on control stage 15 . after completion of the knotting operation control stage 15 is triggered through operational connection t so that the winding station is put in operation again . with the now appearing yarn travel signal f &# 39 ; = l the winding station continues to operate after triggering . this is the regular operation following a successful cutting operation . as illustrated in fig2 under ( b ) no failure signal appears during the period of cutting pulse s &# 39 ;, and conjunction signal r &# 39 ; continues to be o . rs - flipflop 8 is set by cutting pulse s &# 39 ; but is not reset by conjunction signal r &# 39 ; so that output signal o &# 39 ; jumps from o to l when cutting pulse s &# 39 ; commences , and continues to be l . in this case , control signal k &# 39 ; has the same shape as under ( a ) and causes the winding operation to be stopped . upon such stopping a delayed failure signal fe &# 39 ; appears in the place of yarn travel signal f &# 39 ; which failure signal does not modify control signals q &# 39 ; and k &# 39 ;. by the positive going section of control signal q &# 39 ; control device 14 and the thereby controlled knotting device are locked , and alarm device 13 is actuated . since now the knotter control device 14 is not operated , winding control stage 15 is not actuated through operational connection t , and the winding station is not put into operation as in case ( a ). however , the actuation of alarm device 13 advises the operator of the winding machine to rapair the defect . after rs - flipflop 8 is manually reset by pressing push button 12 , control device 14 is unlocked , and the winding operation can be started again . it is noted that with the normally running winding operation when no cutting pulse occurs ( f &# 39 ; = l , s &# 39 ; = o ) control signal k &# 39 ; is l . when in this case the yarn breaks without intervention of the electronic yarn clearer , a failure signal fe &# 39 ; = o or fe &# 39 ; = o appears depending upon whether the yarn breaks upstream or downstream of the stream sensing device 1 , and control signal k &# 39 ; goes to o , whereas control signal q &# 39 ; is and continues to be o . as in case ( a ) knotter control device 14 is not locked , winding control stage 15 is triggered to stop the winding operation , and the knotting device is actuated . with reference to fig3 the parts 1 through 5 of the yarn clearer are not shown in this figure . they may be construed to be and to operate in a similar way as illustrated with reference to fig1 . the monitoring circuit 16 shown in fig3 comprises similar components as monitoring circuit 6 of fig1 i . e . first and second negation gates 9 , 11 , a rs - flipflop 8 , first and second and - gates 7 , 10 and a push button 12 . the components 7 , 8 , 9 and 10 are interconnected as in fig1 . however , contrary to fig1 the second negation gate 11 is connected to the s &# 39 ; output of the electronic yarn clearer , and the two inputs of second and - gate 10 are connected to output o of rs - flipflop 8 and the output of negation gate 11 , respectively . the logic output signal k &# 34 ; of the second and - gate 10 serves as control signal acting on the commanding devices 13 , 14 and 15 &# 39 ;. monitoring circuit 16 generates only two control signals f &# 39 ; and k &# 34 ; in place of the three control signals f &# 39 ;, k &# 39 ; and q &# 39 ; of monitoring circuit 6 , fig1 . now control signal k &# 34 ; takes over the functions of the two control signals k &# 39 ; and q &# 39 ;. knotter control device 14 and alarm device 13 may be construed as described with reference to fig1 . thus , these devices are not affected by a o - signal , however , are actuated by a l - signal . contrary to control stage 15 of fig1 control stage 15 &# 39 ; of the winding station has two inputs c and d receiving control signals f &# 39 ; and k &# 34 ;, respectively . also , an operational connection t exists from control device 14 to control stage 15 &# 39 ;. contrary to control stage 15 of fig1 control stage 15 &# 39 ; is not affected by a o - signal , that means the winding station continues to operate with such a signal and is stopped when a l - signal appears . fig4 serves for illustrating the mode of operation of the equipment shown in fig3 for the working sequences ( a ) and ( b ) of the winding station and yarn clearer already discussed with reference to fig1 and 2 . the shape of signals s &# 39 ; and f &# 39 ; is assumed to be similar to the one shown in fig2 thus resulting in similar shapes of control signals r &# 39 ; and q &# 39 ;. however , control signal k &# 34 ; is of a shape different from the one of control signal k &# 39 ;. according to case ( a ), fig4 i . e . when a cutting pulse s &# 39 ; is followed by a successful severing action and thus a failure signal fe &# 39 ;, control signal k &# 34 ; is and continues to be o , which o - signal does not influence commanding devices 13 , 14 and 15 . however , since failure signal fe &# 39 ; is l , the winding station is stopped through control stage 15 , and a knotting operation is triggered over control device 14 . as in case ( a ), fig2 winding control stage 15 is triggered through operational connection t after completion of the knotting operation , whereby the winding station is restarted . in case ( b ), i . e . if cutting pulse s &# 39 ; does not result in a yarn severing action , control signal k &# 34 ; jumps from o to l at the end of cutting pulse s &# 39 ;. thereby , the winding station is stopped by control stage 15 &# 39 ;, the knotter is locked through inhibit input b of control device 14 , and alarm device 13 is triggered as in case ( b ), fig2 . thereafter , the defect may be eliminated as described with reference to fig2 . during a normal winding operation when no cutting pulse occurs , the two control signals f &# 39 ; and k &# 34 ; are o . when in this case the yarn breaks without action of cutting device 5 , a failure signal fe &# 39 ; = l appears so that the further actions are initiated as described with reference to case ( a ), by controls 14 and 15 . control signal k &# 34 ; remains o an has no action in this case . fig5 shows an electronic monitoring circuit 6 construed like the one of fig1 and connected to an electronic yarn clearer as described with reference to that figure . control device 14 has two inputs a and b as in fig1 and control stage 15 has first and second inputs for receiving signals k &# 39 ; and t1 , respectively . the k &# 39 ;- output of logic circuit 6 is connected directly to the first input of control stage 15 , however , the logic output signals f &# 39 ; and q &# 39 ;, fig1 are not used as control signals . output e of control stage 15 is connected to trigger input a of control device 14 . the latter has a first output t1 for triggering control stage 15 through the second input thereof , and a second output t2 for generating counting pulses for counter 17 . output t3 of counter 17 is connected to inhibit input b of control device 14 . this embodiment is advantageous with respect to its using only a single connection between logic circuit 6 and the controls of the winding machine . in case ( a ) when a severing operation was successful , the winding station is stopped through control stage 15 , as described in connection with fig1 and 2 , further on the knotting device is operated through control device 14 being actuated from output e , and control stage 15 triggered temporarily over connection t1 , thus putting the winding station into operation for a short time interval . with a successful knotting operation , yarn travel signal f &# 39 ; appears as a l - signal , and also control signal k &# 39 ; becomes l so that the winding operation continues after the end of the trigger pulse from t1 . with an unsuccessful knotting operation , a failure signal fe &# 39 ; = o appears . in this event , k &# 39 ; becomes o and the winding station ceases operating after termination of the trigger pulse . thereon , the knotting device is actuated again . on completion of a predetermined number of unsuccessful knotting operations counter 17 generates an inhibit signal supplied over connection t3 to input b of control device 14 which is no longer actuated and thus does not trigger control stage 15 over operational connection t1 . in case ( b ), i . e . when cutting pulse s &# 39 ; is not followed by a failure signal fe &# 39 ;, the winding operation is also stopped in the manner already described with reference to fig2 . further on , the knotting device is operated and control stage 15 triggered as in case ( a ). though a yarn travel signal f &# 39 ; = l appears now , the output signal k &# 39 ; remains o since rs - flipflop 8 is set as demonstrated with reference to fig2 case ( b ), and the input signal o &# 39 ; of and - gate 10 is o . thus , the winding operation is not maintained upon triggering , so that the defect must be repaired by the operator of the winding machine and rs - flipflop 8 reset by pressing key 12 , before the winding station can be put into operation again . with respect to the practicability of the invention the polarity of the signals f &# 39 ; and s &# 39 ; generated by the signal output stages 3 and 4 , respectively , is not important since those signals may be changed into signals of inverse polarity by negation gates . with the embodiments described with reference to fig1 - 4 it is assumed that in case ( a ) of a successful cutting operation yarn travel signal f &# 39 ; = l must disappear during the duration t of cutting pulse s &# 39 ;, in order to stop the winding operation and operate the knotting device . however , when the cutting device 5 is arranged a considerable distance downstream of the sensing device and the cutting pulse s &# 39 ; is of short duration , it may occur that after a successful severing operation failure signal fe &# 39 ; appears only after termination of cutting pulse s &# 39 ;. in this event , a delayed or extended pulse derived from the cutting pulse should be used . such a pulse may be gained e . g . by providing a flipflop in the s &# 39 ; input connection of logic circuit 6 or 16 . while there is shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention , it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto , but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims . | 8 |
referring now to fig1 , a preferred embodiment of a system 10 for creating and manipulating information containers with dynamic interactive registers in a computer , media , or publishing network 201 in order to manufacture information on , upgrade the utility of , and develop intelligence in that network 201 , is shown . the system 10 preferably comprises an input device 24 , an output device 16 , a processor 18 , a memory unit 22 , a data storage device 20 , and a communication device 26 operating on a network 201 . the input device 24 , an output device 16 , a processor 18 , a memory unit 22 , a data storage device 20 , are preferably coupled together by a bus 12 in a von neumann architecture . those skilled in the art will realize that these components 24 , 16 , 18 , 22 , 20 , and 26 may be coupled together according to various other computer architectures including any physical distribution of components linked together by the communication device 26 without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention , and may be infinitely nested or chained , both as computer systems within a network 202 , and as networks within networks 201 . the output device 16 preferably comprises a computer monitor for displaying high - resolution graphics and speakers for outputting high fidelity audio signals . the output device 16 is used to display various user interfaces 110 , 125 , 210 , 300 , 510 , 610 , 710 , as will be described below , for searching for and containerizing information , and editing the container gateways , containers , container registers , the data reporting means and the data collection means , and the search , analysis and execution engines . the author uses the input device 24 to manipulate icons , text , charts or graphs , or to select objects or text , in the process of packaging , searching or editing in a conventional manner such as in the macintosh of windows operating systems . the processor 18 preferably executes programmed instruction steps , generates commands , stores data and analyzes data configurations according to programmed instruction steps that are stored in the memory unit 22 and in the data storage device 20 . the processor 22 is preferably a microprocessor such as the motorola 680 ( x ) 0 , the intel 80 ( x ) 86 or pentium , pentium ii , and successors , or processors made by amd , or cyrix cpu of the any class . the memory unit 22 is preferably a predetermined amount of dynamic random access memory , a read - only memory , or both . the memory unit 22 stores data , operating systems , and programmed instructions steps , and manages the operations of all hardware and software components in the system 10 and on the network 201 , utilizing the communication device 26 whenever necessary or expeditious to link multiple computer systems 202 within the network 201 . the data storage device 20 is preferably a disk storage device for storing data and programmed instruction steps . in the exemplary embodiment , the data storage device 20 is a hard disk drive . historical recordings of network usage are stored on distributed and centralized data storage devices 20 . the preferred embodiment of the input device 24 comprises a keyboard , microphone , and mouse type controller . data and commands to the system 10 are input through the input device 24 . the present invention also includes a communication device 26 . the communication device 26 underlies and sustains the operations of , referring now also to fig2 the analysis 400 and execution 500 engines , the data reporting 600 and collection 700 means , the container editor 110 , the search interface 300 , and the search engine 320 , providing the means to search , access , move , copy , utilize or otherwise perform operations with and on data . the communication device 26 utilizes one or more of the following technologies : modem , infrared , microwave , laser , photons , electrons , wave phenomena , cellular carrier , satellite , laser , router hub , direct cabling , physical transport , radio , broadcast or cable tv or other to communicate with other computers , digital - supported television , computer networks , or digital - based or supported public or published media , or physical media forms , on any a local , wide area , public , or any computer - based computer supported , or computer interfaced network , including but not limited to the internet . it also allows for the functioning and distribution of any container 100 or container component herein described to reside anywhere on any computer system in any configuration on that local , wide area , public , or corporate computer - based or computer related network , or digital - based or supported media form . referring now to fig2 a , a preferred embodiment of the memory unit 22 is shown . the memory unit includes : an interactive information container 100 , a container editor 110 , container registers 120 , a container register editor 125 , system - wide hierarchical container gateways 200 , gateway storage 205 , gateway editors 210 , engine editors 510 , a search interface 300 , search engine 320 , analysis engine 400 , execution engine 500 , a data reporting module , 600 , a data reporting editor 610 , a data collection module 700 , a data collection editor 710 , screen interfaces ( gui &# 39 ; s ) 936 , menu or access buttons from generic computer programs 937 , and databases 900 , all residing in memory optimized between a data storage means 20 such as magnetic , optical , laser , or other fixed storage , and a memory means 22 such as ram . the memory unit 22 functions by operating on communications network 12 with a communication device 26 on multiple computer systems 202 within the network 201 . these components will be described first briefly in the following paragraphs , then in more detail with reference to fig3 a through 17 . those skilled in the art will realize that these components might also be stored in contiguous blocks of memory , and that software components or portions thereof may reside in the memory unit 22 or the data storage means 20 . the present invention includes information containers 100 as noted above . the information container 100 is a logically defined data enclosure which encapsulates any element or digital segment ( text , graphic , photograph , audio , video , or other ), or set of digital segments , or referring now to fig3 c , any system component or process , or other containers or sets of containers . a container 100 at minimum includes in its construction a logically encapsulated portion of cyberspace , a register and a gateway . a container 100 at minimum encapsulates a single digital bit , a single natural number or the logical description of another container , and at maximum all defined cyberspace , existing , growing and to be discovered , including but not limited to all containers , defined and to be defined in cyberspace . a container 100 contains the code to enable it to interact with the components enumerated in 2 a , and to reconstruct itself internally and manage itself on the network 201 . the container 100 also includes container registers 120 . container registers 120 are interactive dynamic values appended to the logical enclosure of an information container 100 , and serve to govern the interaction of that container 100 with other containers 100 , container gateways 200 and the system 10 , and to record the historical interaction of that container 100 on the system 10 . container registers 120 may be values alone or contain code to establish certain parameters in interaction with other containers 100 or gateways 200 . the present invention also includes container gateways 200 . container gateways 200 are logically defined gateways residing both on containers 100 and independently in the system 10 . gateways 200 govern the interactions of containers 100 within their domain , and alter the registers 120 of transiting containers 100 upon ingress and egress . the present invention also includes container gateway storage 205 to hold the data collected from registers 120 of transient containers 100 in order to make it available to the data collection means 700 and the data reporting means 600 , and to store the rules governing the operations of its particular gateway 200 , governing transiting containers upon ingress and egress , and governing the interactive behavior of containers 100 within the container 100 to which that gateway 200 is attached . gateway storage 205 may be located on gateways 200 themselves , containers 100 or anywhere on the network 202 , 201 , including but not limited to internet , intranet , lan , wan , according to best analysis and use . the memory unit 22 also includes an execution engine 500 to perform the functions on the system 10 as directed by the analysis engine after its analysis of data from the data reporting means 600 , the data collection means 700 , and the search interface 300 . the memory unit 22 also includes a search interface 300 , by which the user enters , selects or edits search phrases or digital strings to be used by the search engine 320 to locate containers 100 . the memory unit 22 also includes an analysis engine 400 which performs rules based or other analysis upon the data collected from the search interface 300 and the data collection 700 and data reporting 600 means . the memory unit 22 also includes a data reporting means 600 , by which means the information collected by gateways 200 from transient containers 100 is sent to the analysis engine 400 . the memory unit 22 also includes a data collection means 700 , by which means the analysis engine 400 gathers the information collected by gateways 200 from transient containers 100 . the memory unit 22 also includes a container editor 110 for creating , selecting , acquiring , modifying and appending registers 120 and gateways 200 to containers 100 , for creating , selecting , acquiring , and modifying containers , and for selecting content 01 to encapsulate . the memory unit 22 also includes a register editor 125 , for creating , selecting , acquiring and modifying container registers 120 and establishing and adjusting the values therein . the memory unit 22 also includes a gateway editor 210 , by which means the user determines the rules governing the interaction of a given gateway 210 with the registers 120 of transient containers 100 , governing transiting containers upon ingress and egress , and governing the interactive behavior of containers within the container to which that gateway is attached . the memory unit 22 also includes databases 900 , by which means the analysis engine 400 , the execution engine 500 , the gateways 100 , the editors 110 , 125 , 210 , 510 , 610 , 710 , and the search interface 300 , store information for later use . the memory unit 22 present invention also includes a search engine 320 by which means the user is able to locate containers 100 and , referring now to fig4 , containerized elements 01 . the memory unit 22 present invention also includes an engine editor 510 , by which means the user establishes the rules and operating procedures for the analysis engine 400 and the execution engine 500 . the memory unit 22 present invention also includes a reporting means editor 610 , by which means the user establishes the rules and schedule under which the information collected by gateways 200 from transient containers 100 will be sent to the analysis engine 400 . the memory unit 22 present invention also includes a collection means editor 710 , by which means the user establishes the rules and schedule under which the analysis engine 400 will gathers the information collected by gateways 200 from transient containers 100 . the memory unit 22 present invention also includes screen interfaces ( gui &# 39 ; s ) 936 , specifically designed to simplify and enhance the operations of the container editor 110 , the gateway editor 210 , and the search interface 300 . the present invention also includes a menu or button access 937 , by which a user utilizing any generic computer program may access the system 10 or the container editor 110 from a menu selection ( s ) or button ( s ) within that program . the present invention also includes a computer , media or publishing network 201 , comprising computers , digital devices and digital media 202 and a communication device 26 , within which the components enumerated in fig2 a interact , compiling , analyzing , and altering containers 100 and the network 201 according to information gathered from container registers 120 . the memory unit 22 also includes one or more computers 202 , by which means the components of fig1 sustain the operations described in fig2 a . the memory unit 22 also includes flat or relational databases 900 , used where , and as required . databases are used to store search phrases , search templates , system history for the analysis engine and execution engine , container levels and container , sites and digital elements , or any and all storage required to operate the system . referring now to fig2 b , a drawing of a computer network 201 as a system 10 , showing a possible placement of nested containers 100 , computer servers , gateways 200 , on the sites described below . ( note : fig2 b utilizes in parts the same numbering scheme as fig1 a , 13 b , 13 c , 13 d and as fig2 a .) in fig2 b various exemplary sites are shown , any or all of which might interact dynamically within the system . site 1 shows a single workstation with a container and gateway connected to an intranet . ( individual containers may be a floppy or cd - rom to be downloaded or inserted .) site 2 shows a server with a gateway in relationship to various containers . site 3 shows an internet web page with a container residing on it . site 4 shows a personal computer with containers and a gateway connected to the internet . site 5 shows a configuration of multiple servers and containers on a wide area network . site 6 shows a workstations with a gateway and containers within a container connected to a wide area network . site 7 shows an independent gateway , capable of acting as a data collection and data reporting site as it gathers data from the registers of transiting containers , and as an agent of the execution engine as it alters the registers of transient containers . a container 100 contains the code to enable it to interact with the components enumerated in 2 a , and to reconstruct itself internally and manage itself on the network 201 . the code resides in and with the container in its registers and gateway definitions and controls . additional system code resides in all sites to manage the individual and collective operation and oversight of the components enumerated in 2 a , with the specific components distributed amongst the sites according to the requirements of optimization . referring now to fig2 b 1 various exemplary sites are shown as described above in fig2 b , with the addition of possible location of one or more gateway storage 205 locations . referring now to fig2 c through 2h , various exemplary sites with one or more of the logical components of the system 10 in relationship are shown . site 1 comprises an interactive information container 100 , a container editor 110 , container registers 120 , a container register editor 125 , system - wide hierarchical container gateways 200 , gateway storage 205 , gateway editors 210 , engine editors 510 , a search interface 300 , search engine 320 , analysis engine 400 , execution engine 500 , a data reporting means 600 , a data reporting means editor 610 , a data collection means 700 , a data collection means editor 710 , and databases 900 , all residing on data storage means 20 , utilizing the memory unit to function 22 , operating on communications network 12 with a communication device 26 . site 2 comprises an interactive information container 100 , a container editor 110 , container registers 120 , a container register editor 125 , system - wide hierarchical container gateways 200 , gateway storage 205 , gateway editors 210 , engine editors 510 , search engine 320 , analysis engine 400 , execution engine 500 , a data reporting means 600 , a data reporting means editor 610 , a data collection means 700 , a data collection means editor 710 , and databases 900 , all residing on data storage means 20 , utilizing the memory unit to function 22 , operating on communications network 12 with a communication device 26 . site 3 comprises an interactive information container 100 , a container editor 110 , container registers 120 , a container register editor 125 , hierarchical container gateways 200 , gateway storage 205 , gateway editors 210 , and databases 900 , all residing on data storage means 20 , utilizing the memory unit to function 22 , operating on communications network 12 with a communication device 26 . site 4 comprises an interactive information container 100 , a container editor 110 , container registers 120 , a container register editor 125 , hierarchical container gateways 200 , gateway storage 205 , gateway editors 210 , a search interface 300 , and databases 900 , all residing on data storage means 20 , utilizing the memory unit to function 22 , operating on communications network 12 with a communication device 26 . site 5 comprises an interactive information container 100 , container registers 120 , a container register editor 125 , hierarchical container gateways 200 , gateway storage 205 , and databases 900 , all residing on data storage means 20 , accessed and utilized by non - resident memory unit 22 , operating on communications network 12 with a communication device 26 . site 6 includes an independent analysis engine 400 , execution engine 500 , data collection means 700 , and data reporting means 600 gateway editors 210 , engine editors 510 , a data reporting means editor 610 , a data collection means 700 , a data collection means editor 710 , and databases 900 , all residing on data storage means 20 , utilizing the memory unit to function 22 , operating on communications network 12 with a communication device 26 . referring now to fig3 a and fig3 b , a block diagram of several nested information containers is shown , including examples of elements , e . g ., code 1100 , text 1200 , audio 1300 , video 1400 , photograph 1500 , graphic images 1600 , and examples of possible container level classifications in increasing size , e . g ., element 10900000 , document 10800000 , database 10700000 , warehouse 10600000 , domain 10500000 , and continuing increasingly larger on fig3 ( b ), subject 10400000 , field 10300000 , master field 10200000 , species 10100000 . containers may be infinitely nested and assigned any class , super class or sub class scheme and description by the creator of the container to govern nesting within that container . in addition to digital elements , containers may also include system process and components , including containerization itself . referring now to fig3 c , a block diagram of an information container system is shown , listing , without any relationship indicated , some of the possible system components and processes , or sets thereof , that may be encapsulated as elements 01 in an information container 100 . an information container 100 may include one or more of the following : any unique , container 100 , gateway 200 , output device 16 , input device 24 , output device process 160 , input device process 240 , data storage device 20 , data storage device process 2000 , processor 18 , bus 12 , content 01 , search process 02 , interface 04 , memory unit 22 , communication device 26 , search interface 300 , search process 98 , network 201 , class of device , process or content 999 , class of process at any unique class of device 990 , process at any unique device 99 , editor 110 , 125 , 210 , 510 , 610 , 710 , engine 320 , 400 , 500 , containerization process 1098 , or process 08 . any container may include ( n ) other containers , to infinity . the use of value evolving container registers 120 in conjunction with gateways 200 , data reporting modules 600 , data collection modules 700 , the analysis engine 400 , and the execution engine 500 provides the information container 100 with extensive knowledge of the use , operation of its internal contents , prior to , during and after those contents &# 39 ; residence within that container 100 , and extensive knowledge of the use , operation and contents of the system 10 external to itself , and allows the container 100 to establish and evolve its own identity and course of interaction on the system 10 . further , containers 100 , as logical enclosures , can exist and operate independent of their digital contents , whether encapsulating audio , video , text , graphic , or other . referring now to fig4 , a block diagram of an information container 100 is shown . the information container 100 is a logically defined data enclosure which encapsulates any element , digital segment ( text , graphic , photograph , audio , video , or other ), set of digital segments as described above with reference to fig3 ( c ) , any system component or process , or other containers or sets of containers . the container 100 comprises the containerized elements 01 , registers 120 and a gateway 200 . registers 120 appended to an information container 110 are unique in that they operate independently of the encapsulated contents , providing rules of interaction , history of interaction , identity and interactive life to that container 100 through the duration of its existence on a network 201 , without requiring reference to , or interaction with , its specific contents . they enable a container 100 to establish an identity independent of its contents . additionally , registers 120 are unique in that their internal values evolve through interaction with other containers 100 , gateways 200 , the analysis engine 400 , the execution engine 500 , and the choices made by the users in the search interface 300 , the container editor 110 , the register editor 125 , the gateway editor 210 , the engine editor 510 . registers 120 are also unique in that they can interact with any register of a similar definition on any container 100 residing on the network 201 , independent of that container &# 39 ; s contents . registers 120 , once constructed , may be copied and appended to other containers 100 with their internal values reset , to form new containers . register values , when collected at gateways 200 and made available to the analysis engine 400 through the data collection means 700 and the data reporting means 600 , provide an entirely new layer of network observation and analysis and operational control through the execution engine 500 . registers 120 accomplish not only a real time information about information system , but also a real time information about information usage on a network . further , because the user base of a network determines usage , the system 10 , in gathering information about information usage , is observing the choices of the human mind . when these choices are submitted to the analysis of a rules - based or other analysis engine 400 , the system 10 becomes capable of becoming progressively more responsive to the need of the user base , in effect , learning to become more useful by utilizing the execution engine 500 to create system - wide changes by altering the rules of gateway 200 interaction and thereby altering the registers 120 of transient containers 100 and establishing a complete evolutionary cycle of enhanced utility . further , in establishing the pre - defined registers as described in the following four paragraphs , the following unique aspects of information about information are utilized for the first time : 1 ) the dynamic governance of information according to its utility through time , in active , passive and neutral aspects , as explained below ; 2 ) the dynamic governance of information according to its utility through space in active , passive and neutral aspects , as explained below ; 3 ) the dynamic governance of information according to its ownership , as explained below ; 4 ) the dynamic governance of information according to its unique history of interaction as an identity on a network , as explained below ; 5 ) the dynamic governance of information according to the history of the system on which it exists , as explained below ; 6 ) the dynamic governance of information according to established rules of interaction , in active , passive and neutral aspects , as explained below ; 7 ) the dynamic governance of information according to the profile of its creator , as explained below ; 8 ) the dynamic governance of information according to the value established by its ongoing usage , as explained below ; 9 ) the dynamic governance of information according to it distributed ownership , as explained below ; 10 ) the dynamic governance of information according to what class of information it might be incorporated into , and according to what class of information container it might incorporate , as explained below ; 11 ) the dynamic governance of information according to self - reporting , as explained below . referring now to fig4 , registers 120 may be ( 1 ) pre - defined , ( 2 ) created by the user or acquired by the user , or ( 3 ) system - defined or system - created . pre - defined registers 120 are those immediately available for selection by the user within a given container editor as part of that container editor , in order that the user may append any of those registers 120 to a container 100 and define values for those registers 120 where required . registers 120 created by the user are those conceived and created by a specific user or user group and made immediately available for selection by the user or user group in conjunction with any of a wide number of container editors , in order that the user may append any of those registers 120 to a container 100 and define values for those registers 120 where required . registers 120 acquired by the user are those registers existing network - wide 201 , created by the user base , that might be located and acquired by the user in order that the user may append any of those registers 120 to a container 100 and define values for those registers 120 where required . system - defined registers are those registers whose values are set and / or controlled by the system 10 . system - created registers are those registers created by the system 10 . registers 120 are user or user - base created or system - created values or ranges made available by the system 10 to attach to a unique container , and hold system - set , user - set , or system - evolved values . values may be numeric , may describe domains of time or space , or may provide information about the container 100 , the user , or the system 10 . registers 120 may be active , passive or interactive and may evolve with system use . pre - defined registers include , but are not limited to , system history 110000 , container history 101000 , active time 102000 , passive time 103000 , neutral time 104000 , active space 111000 , passive space 112000 , neutral space 113000 , containment 105000 , inclusion 106000 , identity 114000 , value 115000 , ownership 107000 , ownership addresses 116000 , proportionate ownership 117000 , creator profile 108000 , receptivity 118000 , influence 119000 , points 109000 , others 120000 , reporting 121000 , neutrality 122000 , acquire 123000 , create 124000 , content title 125000 , content key phrase ( s ) 126000 , and content description 127000 , security 12800 , and parent rules 129000 . pre - defined registers comprise an historical container register 101000 , logging the history of the interaction of that container 100 with other containers , events and processes on the network 201 , an historical system register 110000 , logging the history of pertinent critical and processes on the network , a point register 109000 accumulating points based upon a hierarchically rated history of usage , an identity register 114000 maintaining a unique network wide identification and access location for a given container specifying a unique time and place of origin and original residence , a proportionate ownership register 117000 maintaining a record of ownership percentage and economic values , and others 120000 . user - defined registers include a report register 121000 setting trigger levels for report sequences , content determination and delivery target , three time registers , consisting of a range , map , graph , list , curve or other designating time relevance , 102000 assigning the time characteristics by which that container will act upon another container or process , 103000 assigning the time characteristics by which that container be acted upon by another container or process , and 104000 assigning the time characteristics by which that container will interact with another container or process , three space registers , consisting of a range , map , graph , list , curve or other designating the domain and determinants of space relevance , 111000 assigning the space characteristics by which that content will act upon another container or process , 112000 assigning the space , characteristics by which that content will be acted upon by another container or process , and 113000 assigning the space characteristics by which that container will interact with another container or process , a domain of influence register 119000 , determining the set , class and range of containers upon which that container will act , a domain of receptivity register 118000 , determining the set , class and range of containers allowed to act upon that container , a domain of neutrality register 122000 , determining the set , class and range of containers with which that container will interact , a domain of containment register 105000 , determining the set , class and range of containers which that container may logically encompass , a domain of inclusion 106000 register , determining the set , class and range of containers by which that container might be encapsulated , an ownership register 107000 , recording the original ownership of that containers , a creator profile register 108000 , describing the creator or creators of that container , an ownership address register 116000 , maintaining the address of the creator or creators of that container , a value register 115000 , assigning a monetary or credit value to that container , other registers 120000 created by users or the system , a reporting register 121000 , determining the content , scheduling and recipients of information about that container , a neutrality register 122000 , an acquire register 123000 , enabling the user to search and utilize other registers residing on the network , a create register 124000 , enabling the user to construct a new register , a content title register 125000 , naming the contents of the container , a content key register , 126000 , identifying the container contents with a key phrase generated by the user and / or the system based upon successful usage of that phrase in conjunction with the utilization of the information within that container 100 , a content description register 127000 , identifying the container contents with additional description , a security register 128000 , controlling container security , and a parent container register 129000 , storing the rules governing container interaction as dictated by the parent ( encapsulating ) container . the container also includes a gateway 200 and gateway storage 205 . gateways 200 are logically defined passageways residing both on containers 100 and independently in the system 10 . gateways 200 govern the interactions of containers 100 encapsulated within their domain by reading and storing register 120 information of containers entering and exiting that container 100 . the present invention also includes container gateway storage 205 . gateway storage 205 stores information regarding the residence , absence , transience , and alteration of encapsulated and encapsulating containers 100 , and their attached registers 120 , holding the data collected from registers 120 of transient containers 100 in order to make it available to the data collection means 700 and the data reporting means 600 , and storing the rules governing the operations of its particular gateway 200 . referring now to fig5 , a flow chart of the preferred method for creating a container 100 is shown . input is received from the user selecting a container level through use of a drop - down menu 10100 . a menu of all possible container classes within the subset and superset scheme of multiple hierarchically nested containers , i . e . ; element , document , file , database , warehouse , domain , and more , is displayed on the output device 10200 . input is received from the user selecting a class 10300 . a graphic representation of a container in that class , with registers common to all containers as well as registers unique to its class is displayed 10301 . input is received from the user choosing to “ create ” 10400 , “ edit ” 10500 , or “ locate ” 10600 . when the input of “ create ” 10400 is received from the user , a container template in that class appears 10410 . input from the user is then received adding or selecting a register 10540 to append to that container template . when input is received from the user adding a register , a list of registers that might be added to that class of container is made available to select 10550 . input is received from the user selecting a register 10560 and editing it 10570 . the menu returns to “ add or select ” 10540 . if the input of “ locate ” 10600 is received from the user , the system prompts the user to enter the identity of the container or class of containers 10605 . the system locates the container ( s ) 10610 . input is received from the user selecting a container 10620 . the system prompts the user for a security code for permission to access the container for template use , or to alter its registers , or to alter its content 10630 . input is received from the user entering a name and password providing access to one of the security levels 10640 . input is received from the user editing the container accordingly by transition to step 10500 and performing the steps for editing . if the input of “ edit ” 10500 is received , a list of containers available to edit at that level is shown 10510 . input is received from the user selecting a container 10520 . that container appears , available to edit 10530 . input is received from the user selecting “ add ” or “ select ” registers 10540 by the user clicking on the graphically depicted register , or from a drop down menu . input is received from the user selecting the register to edit 10560 . input is received from the user selecting “ modify ” or “ delete ” for that register 10565 . if input is received from the user to “ delete ,” that register is severed from the container . if input is received from the user to “ modify ”, the register editor 10570 screen appropriate to that register appears , i . e ., an x - y type graph to define a curve of relevant active time , in which the user manipulates the x - y termini , scale and curve , or a global map in which input is received from the user selecting the locale of active space , whether zip code , city , county , state , country , continent , plant or other . when input is received from the user saving the definition , the screen returns to the main container screen to make another selection available . input is received from the user defining as many registers as he chooses . one of the registers may be named “ new register .” input is received from the user selecting the new register , and if chosen by the user , defining a wholly unique and new kind of register by the user entering input into the register editor 125 . when the input is received from the user choosing to add a register , a list of registers that might be added to that class of container are made available to select 10550 . input is received from the user selecting a register 10560 and editing it 10570 . the menu returns to “ add or select ” 10540 , and in turn to input - select container . input may then be received from the user choosing to add , modify , or delete the container contents 10700 . once the registers are defined , input is received from the user indicating completion and the interface reverts to the container editor . when input is received from the user choosing “ select component ” ( to select the component to containerize ) from the main menu bar 10700 , a window appears allowing the user to select any file , component , or other container . if for example , the user were creating a warehouse container , and wishes to incorporate several databases into that container , input would then be received from the user selecting “ database .” the program would prompt the user for the location ( directory ) of that database or container . if the requested selection is not containerized , input may then be received from the user choosing to containerize the element at that time , after which the program returns to “ select component .” once input is received from the user defining the database location , the program logically encases the directory or directories in the defined container . the above procedure may be repeated as many times as desired to include multiple databases within a single container . while logical simplicity would dictate that all containers within a container be of the same subset , it would be possible for input to be received from the user choosing containers of any subset to include in the container . when input is received from the user choosing “ finished ,” the container is created with a unique network identity , preferably through some combination of exact time and digital device serial number , or centralized numbering system , or other means . the container 100 contains all digital code , including data and program software from the selected items or containers . input may then be received from the user to publish the container 11100 at a user - identified or system suggested location 11200 to be selected 11400 . input is received from the user to “ publish ”, from the main menu bar 11100 . input is received from the user choosing to leave the container where it was created , move or copy it to another drive , directory , computer , or network the user designates , or select the location from location options offered by the system 11200 , or submit , or duplicate and submit , the container to the analysis engine 400 for intelligent inclusion in other containers , thus allowing the system to publish the container as instructed or choose the residence of the container 11400 . if input is received from the user to choosing to “ move ,” or “ copy ” a browse function allows the user to name the new location or browse a list of possible locations . if input is received from the user choosing to “ submit ,” a browser function allows the user to name the analysis search engine 310 or browse a list of possible analyses engines . when input is received from the user choosing the residence of the container 11300 , the program restores the search interface screen . referring now to fig6 , a flow chart of the method for searching for containers 100 . when input is received from the user selecting “ search interface ” from the main title bar , the search interface screen appears . the user is given the choice of containerizing selected content or requesting that container levels be displayed 30100 . from a drop down menu another menu appears allowing input to be received from the user selecting the container level 30200 . input is received from the user selecting the container level ( from the smallest component to the whole system ) 30300 . input is received 30310 from the user selecting the phrases , containers or components , which then are re - submitted to the same process , until the input is received from the user selecting a specific site or container . the search phrase , whether containerized or not , is submitted simultaneously to the search engine 30400 and the analysis engine 30500 . the screen then reports in a selection menu , the number of applicable sites found by the search engine 30410 , the number of historically proven applicable sites found by the analysis engine 30410 , the number of historically proven applicable containers at the selected container level or any container level found by the analysis engine 30410 , and the number of historically proven new search phrases or digital segments found by the analysis engine 30320 . input is received from the user selecting one of the named sets above 30330 . if input is received from the user choosing the search engine , the search interface lists the applicable site titles with a brief description 30410 . if input is received from the user choosing the site list of the analysis , the search interface lists the applicable site titles with a brief description 30410 . if input is received from the user choosing the container list of the analysis engine , the search interface lists the applicable container titles with a brief description 30410 . if input is received from the user selecting a container 30420 , the system offers the means to view titles and descriptions of sub - containers at any chosen class level . if input is received from the user choosing the phrase list of the analysis engine , the search interface lists the applicable phrases or digital segments with a brief description 30320 . the search and search result cycle repeats until input is received from the user choosing to go to an individual container or site . input is received from the user entering text or any digital string describing his search objectives into a text or search box . when input is received from the user submitting the search string , the system provides the option of containerizing the search through the container editor 10 . once the search container 101 is created , the system restores the search interface 300 screen the user . input is received from the user selecting “ search ”, “ supported search ” or “ both ” from another drop - down menu and from submitting the search . when input is received from the user selecting “ search ” 30310 , the search phrase is submitted to the search engine 30400 , which searches both content and the appropriate container registers , as pre - indexed in the search engine , and returns a list of appropriate locations , components or containers . when input is received from the selecting “ supported search ”, the search phrase is submitted to the analysis engine search support , which returns a list , in a drop - down menu , of search phrases or individual containers , for any and all container levels , used by other users or created by the system and known to be historically successful for the described effort and the described searching user , as per the results of the analysis search engine . input is received from the user selecting a new search phrase or specific container from the drop down menu 30330 . when input is received from the user choosing a new search phrase , that phrase is also submitted to the analysis engine 30500 which returns a list of pre - compiled historically proven sites , components or containers associated with that search phrase 30320 . input is received from the user choosing a selection 30420 and the system calls up that specific site , container or component . if input is received from the user selecting a specific site , container or component at any time during the search process , that element is called up by the system 30440 . input is received from the user choosing to containerize a search or select a container level in which to search 30100 . when input is received from the user choosing to containerize the search , the software moves to the container editor as described in fig5 , and then returns the user to the search interface screen . input is received from the user selecting to search a specific container level or the whole network . the system shows the available levels 30200 . input is received from the user selecting a container level 30300 , and entering the text or digital component comprising the search string 30310 . the system searches the containers 30400 while simultaneously submitting the search string to the analysis engine 30500 . while the system is accessing containers , sites or templates 30700 , the analysis engine 30500 inquires of the appropriate database 30600 to access historically successful containers , sites or search templates corresponding to the search request 30700 , which is then shown on another portion or option of the search interface , either as available containers or sites 30410 or as search template options 30320 . on one portion or option of the search interface screen the corresponding containers or sites are listed and / or previewed for selection 30410 . input is received from the user selecting the container to access 30420 . the system accesses that container 30430 and shows it on the screen 30440 for user review . input is received from the user selecting an operation , i . e ., preview , read , purchase , move , copy , lease , in any composed schedule with operations assigned specific values 30460 , and the system obtains the specified result 30470 . the selection of the operation including any interaction with any uniquely defined container 100 is recorded 30800 by the container gateway ( fig2 a , 200 ), stored in the gateway storage 205 and made available to the analysis engine ( fig9 ) by the data collection and reporting means ( fig8 ). reporting and collection occurs on a regular basis according to user determined times or rules . the analysis engine compiles and analyzes selections according to various rules - based systems applicable to the particular container area of residence in cyberspace . input is received from the user selecting the container or site 30410 , proceeding as described above , or selecting a search template 30330 , and editing it to re - enter the search 30310 . all operations on fig6 utilize the communication device 26 whenever necessary or expeditious . referring now to fig7 , a flow chart of the search process is shown . steps in fig7 repeated from fig6 are given the same reference number as in fig6 for convenience and ease of understanding . fig7 commences with “ search transits gateway 32100 ”, continuing from fig6 , “ system searches containers 30400 ”. the submitted search 32100 transits the gateway 200 . the gateway 200 interacts with the container registers 32200 . the gateways 200 store the information downloaded from the registers 32300 , and the container registers are altered 32500 . the container registers 120 then interact with the registers 120 of the encapsulated search , which registers , and the values set within , have been constructed and appended to the search through the search interface 32600 . values are exchanged and compared and operations performed under the rules governing both interacting containers 100 , and the rules governing the search container 100 and any gateway 200 . the search engine 320 , operating under the principles and means of search engines presently existing as described elsewhere , then provides to the search interface 32600 a list of containers 100 meeting the requirements of the search and its appended registers , as well as additional search options 32900 . the gateway 200 reports and makes available for collection to the analysis engine 400 the information obtained from the interaction 32400 . on a periodic basis defined by the user or a rules - based system , the analysis engine 400 ( fig9 ) stores in databases 900 , analyzes and instructs the execution engine 500 , and the execution engine 500 executes changes in the system components as defined below ( fig1 ). all operations on fig7 utilize the communication device 26 whenever necessary or expeditious . on the remaining figures , shapes referring to other figures , to operations external to the scope of the present figures , or to the subject of the present drawing , are indicated with dashed lines , and are shown only to place the described operations in the context of continuous and continual operations external to the drawing . referring now to fig8 , a flow chart of the preferred process for collecting and reporting information on containers is shown . the data reporting 600 and data collection 700 means utilizes subroutines within the analysis engines 400 and gateways 200 to submit and collect register information and sub level analysis to other analysis engines 400 or other gateways 200 of a higher ( larger ) logical set in a set pattern and frequency defined by the administrator . input is received from the user selecting “ data reporting ” 70100 from the “ edit gateway ” drop - down menu . container levels are displayed 70200 . input is received from the user selecting container level 70300 . a menu of all possible gateways 70320 and analysis engines 70330 residing on gateways on the above defined container class appears , depicted graphically as a tree of analysis engines and gateways at that container level . input is received from the user selecting “ source ” from “ source or destination .” input is received from the user 70400 selecting a container , containers , or class of container by clicking on the graphically depicted container ( s ) or container level on a display device . input is received from the user 70410 selecting “ destination ” from “ source or destination ” input is received from the user 70500 selecting an analysis engine , analysis engines , or class of analysis engine by clicking on the graphically depicted analysis engine ( s ) or analysis engine level on a display device . a time scheduler is displayed . input is received from the user 70510 selecting the reporting frequency for the selected gateways to report data to the selected engines . the data from the gateways is thenceforth continuously moved or copied to the analysis engines by the system 10 utilizing the execution engine 500 according to the defined schedule , rules and pattern 70420 , 70520 . input is received from the user selecting “ choose container level ” 70300 from the gateway editor drop - down menu . a menu 70320 appears listing the classes of containers on the system within the defined subset and superset scheme of multiple hierarchically nested containers , i . e . ; element , document , file , database , warehouse , domain , appears . input is received from the user selecting the class of containers . a graphic representation of that container level throughout the system appears . input 70300 is received from the user selecting individual containers or all the containers in that class . from the gateway editor drop - down menu input 70100 is received from the user selecting “ data collecting ” a menu of all possible gateways and analysis engines residing on gateways on the above defined container class appears , depicted graphically as a tree of analysis engines , and gateways at that container level . input 70510 is received from the user selecting “ source ” from “ source or destination .” input is received from the user selecting a container , containers , or class of container by clicking on the graphically depicted container ( s ) or container level . input 70510 is received from the user selecting “ destination ” from “ source or destination .” input 70510 is received from the user selecting an analysis engine , analysis engines , or class of analysis engine by clicking on the graphically depicted analysis engine ( s ) or analysis engine level . a time scheduler appears . input 70510 is received from the user selecting the collecting frequency for the selected engines to collect data from the selected gateways . the data from the gateways is thenceforth continuously moved or copied to the analysis engines by the system 10 utilizing the execution engine 500 according to the defined schedule , rules and pattern . the data collection 700 means , utilizing the communication device 26 and an execution engine 500 , comprises one or more subroutines or agents programmed to travel through the network collecting the accumulated data and analyses from selected analysis engines , gateways or selected subset level of analysis engines or gateways ( as above ) in a pattern and frequency defined by the gateway administrator at a given container level . input 70510 is received from the user or administrator , defining the collection and reporting of data , thus controlling permission within his gateway , and being subject to permission levels defined by others beyond his gateway . input is received from the user or gateway administrator selecting collection or reporting 70100 and the system shows the container levels available 70200 . input is received from the user selecting a container level 70300 . input is received from the user selecting “ gateway ” 70400 or “ engine ” 70500 . the system shows gateways 70320 or engines 70330 associated with that level . input is received from the user editing the reporting parameters associated with a gateway or a class of gateways 70410 or an engine or class of engines 70510 . input is received from the user selecting the collecting frequency for the chosen engines . when input is received from the user choosing to user save the definition , the screen returns to the main container screen , step 70100 to make another selection available . input is received from the user choosing to repeat the cycle , choosing “ destination ” to describe the destination analysis engines and the data collecting frequency from those destination analysis engines . the data collection means 700 collects the accumulated gateway information in a pattern and frequency defined by the gateway administrator or user at a given container level . the system utilizing the execution engine ( see fig1 ) distributes the new parameters to the gateways 70420 or engines 70520 by the communication device 26 . using the new parameters the gateways report to the analysis engines 70430 after , in some cases , conducting sub - analysis 70440 , or using sub - analysis 70440 to submit directly to specified gateways under certain conditions and parameters , and the analysis engines collect from the gateways 70530 . the analysis engine uploads , downloads and utilizes information to databases 900 to conducts its analysis . the invention includes an analysis engine 400 . through the data reporting 600 means and data collection 700 the analysis engine 400 receives data and sub - analysis from the search interface and the gateways . data includes , for each gateway 200 , the frequency and grade of access , the description of the user accessing , the identity of the container 100 accessing , the register parameters , and the historically accumulated register data . referring now to fig9 , a flow chart of the operation of the analysis engine 400 is shown . analysis engines 400 may reside at any gateway or anywhere in the system 10 . the analysis engine 400 , operating under its own programmed sequence , utilizing the communication device 26 , works , by means of programmed rules of logical , mathematical , statistical or other analysis upon gateway and register information , in continuous interaction with the search process 410 and the data collection and reporting process 420 to analyze , determine and compile instructions 40100 on container construction 40110 to containerize in an automated process 40115 , on container contents 40120 to move , copy or delete containers 40125 , on storage schemes 40130 to move or copy containers to new storage 40135 , on access routes 40140 to alter gateway pointers to sought information 40145 , on search templates 40150 to add , delete or change search phrases and the referenced objects indicated by those search phrases 40155 and on gateway instructions 40160 to alter gateway registers and pointers 40165 . thus , analyses might include , but are not limited to , the physical locus of the users accessing , the demographic classification of the users accessing , the access frequency for a given container , the range or curve of time relevance affecting a container , the range or region of space relevance affecting a container 100 , the number or number of a specific type of container 100 transiting a gateway 200 , the hierarchically graded usage of containers 100 or container contents 01 compared with the demographic of those users accessing the container , the hierarchically graded usage of containers 100 or container contents 01 compared with search phrases entered into the search interface 300 , the hierarchically graded usage of containers 100 or container contents 01 compared with search phrases entered into the search interface 300 compared with the demographic of the users accessing , the number of pertinent containers nested within a given container 100 . once an analysis is accomplished , the result is compared to pre - programmed rules triggering instruction sets ( such as moving a container to nest within another container ). instructions are then sent to the execution engine 40200 , which utilizes the communication device 26 to execute the instructions derived from the analyses . these containerized instructions transit the gateways 40300 and are utilized in the gateway process ( fig1 ) referring now to fig1 , a flow chart of the operation of the execution engine is shown . the execution engine 400 , operating under its own programmed sequence in response to the instructions from the analysis engine 50100 , utilizing the communication device 26 , works in continuous process as its containerized execution instructions transit the gateways 50200 to create containers 50210 in an automated containerization process 50215 , alter container contents 50230 by moving or copying containers to new containers 50235 , to alter storage 50240 by moving or copying containers to new storage 50245 , to alter access routes 50250 by altering gateway pointers 50255 , to alter search templates 50260 by adding , changing and deleting search phrases and the referenced objects indicated by those search phrases 50265 , to alter gateway instructions 50270 by altering gateway registers and pointers 50275 . the execution works in a continuous loop with the gateway process 50300 , the data collection and reporting process 50400 and the analysis engine process 50300 . the invention includes gateways 200 . gateways may be placed and reside anywhere on the network where containers transit . gateways also reside on any or all containers . the gateway reads and stores the chosen register information from transient containers entering or exiting its logical boundaries . the resident analysis search engine , if any , performs the specified level of analysis . data and analysis is both held for the collection means according to the pattern and timing specified in the data reporting 600 editor and submitted according to the pattern and timing specified in the data collection means editor 700 . the gateways are network - wide , hierarchical , and nestable , and reside with a container encompassing any component , digital code , file , search string , set , database , network , event or process and maintaining a unique lifelong network wide identity and unique in all the universe historical identity , or may be strategically placed at such container transit points to gather and store register information attached to any such container , according to system - defined , system - generated , or user determined rules residing in its registers defining the behavior of those containers and components as they exit and enter one another , or interact with one another or any system process or system component within the logical domain of that container , or after exiting and entering that container , or defining how they interact with that unique gateway . gateway &# 39 ; s registers comprise both system - defined and user - defined registers , alterable by author , duration , location , network - wide history , individual container history and / or interaction with other containers , gateways , networks or media , and evolve according to that gateway &# 39 ; s history on a computer network , or according to the network history of events and processes , or according to that information component &# 39 ; s interaction with other information containers , components , system components , network events or processes . referring now to fig1 , a flow chart of the gateway editor is shown . from the main title bar input is received from the user selecting “ containerize ” or “ gateway level ” 20100 . when input is received from the user selecting “ containerize ” the system enters the container editor process 110 . when input is received from the user selecting “ gateway ,” the system shows the gateway levels available 20200 . a menu of all possible gateways within the subset and superset scheme of defined multiple hierarchically nested gateways appears . input is received from the user selecting the gateway level 20300 . the system searches the gateways 20500 to locate the available gateway templates 20700 and the available gateways 20600 . input is received from the user selecting the gateway 20610 or gateway level template 20720 . the system goes to the gateway 20620 or to the template 20720 . a graphic representation of the chosen gateway 20630 or template 20730 appears . input is received from the user to edit 20640 or create a gateway 20740 . once completed , input may be received from the user selecting “ analysis level ” from the gateway 200 drop - down menu , to select the level of analysis in a multi - level analysis sequence to be accomplished at the local level by a gateway - resident analysis engine . the user accesses the container editor to containerize ( fig5 ). input is received from the user selecting the registers by clicking on the graphically depicted register , or from a drop down menu . input is received from the user setting the registers as described elsewhere in (“ container registers ”). input is received from the user selecting or defining the rules governing the interaction of that gateway with transient containers . input is received from the user selecting or defining the rules governing the interaction of containers existing within the logical domain of the container 100 to which that gateway is attached . the user publishes the gateway ( fig5 ). input is received from the user selecting “ residence ” from the main menu bar .). input is received from the user choosing to leave the gateway where it was created , move it to container on another drive , directory , computer , or network . if the user chooses “ move ,” a browse function allows the user to name the new location or browse a list of possible locations . once input is received from the user choosing the residence of the gateway , the program restores the search interface screen . the invention includes a data reporting means editor 610 , and a data collection means editor 710 , fig2 a , as a menu option under the gateway editor 210 . referring now to fig1 , a flow chart of the gateway process is shown . a system operation , search process or element container or process container is shown in transit 21100 passing through a gateway 21200 . the container , operation or process interacts with the gateway 21300 , uploading , downloading and exchanging information with the container , operation or process . the gateway stores container information 21400 and the container registers are altered 21500 . the container registers also interact with the search interface 21600 . the gateways report the register information or make it available for collection by the data reporting and collection means ( fig8 ) operating on the communication device 26 to provide the information to the analysis engine 21800 , which stores 90100 , analyzes and instructs the execution engine 21900 , which processes and instructions are also stored 90100 by the execution engine upon receipt . all operations in fig1 utilize the communication device 26 whenever necessary or expeditious . referring now to fig1 a , a drawing of nested containers 100 prior to the container modification process on a network 201 is shown . ( note : the same container numbering scheme is used in fig1 a , 13 b , 13 c , 13 d and in 2 b .) information containers 505 and 909 , residing within container 908 , operating under the rules governing container interaction within that container 908 downloaded to container 505 and 909 from gateway 9081 upon their entrance to container 908 , which rules had been downloaded from execution engine 500 acting under the direction of analysis engine 400 , and under the rules programmed into their own registers 404120 , 909120 , compare the specified ( by those rules ) set of registers 404120 , 909120 , i . e ., time and space , and determine a container 404 encapsulated within 505 would be more appropriately encapsulated within container 909 . referring now to fig1 b a drawing of nested containers during a container modification process on a network 201 is shown . container 404 is moved to reside with container 909 . as the container 404 exits container 505 , the gateway of container 505 , being gateway 5051 , operating under the rules governing container interaction with a gateway 5051 upon egress or egress as programmed in the gateway editor 210 and modified by the execution engine 500 executing the instructions of the analysis engine 400 , or any greater logical analysis engine 408 providing execution instructions to an execution engine 508 operating in a larger encompassing container 108 entering through that container &# 39 ; s gateway 208 or an independent gateway 707 , or sub - analysis engine operating at any gateway level , records the register information of container 404 . the gateway 5051 reports the transaction to the gateway 9081 of container 908 , being the next higher logical container . gateway 9081 holds in gateway storage 205 the information until collected by one or more data collection processes 700 , or reported to one or more data reporting processes 600 , serving one or more analysis engines 400 residing independently on the system 10 or an analysis engine at higher logical container 303 . the analysis engine 400 , comparing reports of user hierarchically graded usage under the operations of the search engine 320 and the search interface 300 , on information container 808 after receiving reports from the data reporting means of container 404 being moved to container 909 determines , i . e ., that the number of time and space relevant containers residing within container 909 is sufficient to warrant an action , and directs the execution engine 500 to copy container 909 , nested within container 908 , to a third information container 808 . as the copy instruction from execution engine 500 transits the gateway of container 908 , the gateway 9081 records the instruction . the copy instruction interacts with the registers 909120 of container 909 regarding the rules governing its copying to another location . once approved by the governing rules of registers 909120 appended to container 909 , container 909 is duplicated . as the duplicate container 909 exits the container 908 , the gateway records the register information 909120 of container 909 , and the registers 909120 of container 909 are altered by special instructions from gateway 9081 under the rules residing in gateway 9081 regarding ingress and egress and the rules residing in the registers 909120 of container 909 regarding alteration by gateways upon ingress and egress . passing through independent gateway 707 , the register information 909120 is recorded , and awaits data collection or reporting 700 , 600 . as container 909 enters container 808 , the gateway records the register information 909120 of container 909 , the registers 909120 of 909 are altered by special instructions from gateway 8081 , operating under the rules as described in the paragraph above , and container 909 takes up residence within container 808 . referring now to fig1 c , a drawing of nested containers after the container modification process on a network 201 process is shown . container 909 , now also logically residing within container 808 , commences to interact with other containers 606 in 808 under the rules governing container interaction within container 808 as received from gateway 8081 upon transiting that gateway , and under the rules of registers 606120 , 909120 of the interacting containers 606 , 909 , operating under the rules as described in the paragraph above . through data collection and reporting 700 , 600 , analysis engine is appraised of container &# 39 ; s 909 new duplicate residence . i . e ., operating under the registers of space relevance , a body of law pertaining to boston municipal tax law may be housed in a container holding massachusetts tax law , but it would be more appropriately located in a container holding boston tax law , with only a pointer to that location residing in the massachusetts tax law container . in this example , such an analysis could be accomplished by comparison of zip code information in the space registers , or logical rules - based analysis , with “ state ” being a larger set than “ city ”. or , i . e ., operating under the registers of time relevance , the curve of time relevance for a concert might follow an ascending curve for the months prior , hit a brief plateau , and then reach a precipitous decline , at which time certain pertinent information only might be moved to an archival container of city events or rock concerts of that year . in this example , once the curve is mapped into a register , that map would cause an increasing frequency of pointers to that container in other containers or gateways , or inclusion of that container in other containers , as the analysis engine compares that curve with increasing user inquiry . referring now to fig1 d , a flowchart of the reconstruction process is shown . information containers 505 and 909 , residing within container 908 , operating under the rules governing container interaction within that container 908 downloaded 888103 to container 505 and 909 from gateway 9081 upon their entrance to container 908 , which rules had been downloaded 888102 from execution engine 500 acting under the direction 888101 of analysis engine 400 , and under the rules programmed into their own registers 404120 , 909120 , compare 888104 the specified ( by those rules ) set of registers 404120 , 909120 , i . e ., time and space , and determine 888105 a container 404 encapsulated within 505 would be more appropriately encapsulated within container 909 . container 404 is moved 888106 to reside with container 909 . as the container 404 exits container 505 , the gateway of container 505 , being gateway 5051 , operating under the rules governing container interaction with a gateway 5051 upon egress or egress as programmed in the gateway editor 210 and modified 888108 by the execution engine 500 executing the instructions of the analysis engine 400 , or any greater logical analysis engine 408 providing execution instructions 888107 to an execution engine 508 operating in a larger encompassing container 108 entering through that container &# 39 ; s gateway 208 or an independent gateway 707 , or sub - analysis engine operating at any gateway level , records 888109 the register information of container 404 , and alters the register information of container 404 . the gateway 5051 reports 888110 the transaction to the gateway 9081 of container 908 , being the next higher logical container . gateway 9081 holds 888111 in gateway storage 205 the information until collected by one or more data collection processes 700 , or reported to one or more data reporting processes 600 , serving 888112 one or more analysis engines 400 residing independently on the system 10 or an analysis engine at higher logical container 303 . the analysis engine 400 , comparing 888114 reports of user hierarchically graded usage on information container 808 under the operations of the search engine 320 and the search interface 300 , after receiving 888113 reports from the data reporting means of container 404 being moved to container 909 , determines 888115 , i . e ., that the number of time and space relevant containers residing within container 909 is sufficient to warrant an action , and directs 888115 the execution engine 500 to copy container 909 , nested within container 908 , to a third information container 808 . as the copy instruction from execution engine 500 transits the gateway of container 908 , the gateway 9081 records 888116 the instruction . the copy instruction interacts 888117 with the registers 909120 of container 909 regarding the rules governing its copying to another location . once approved 888118 by the governing rules of registers 909120 appended to container 909 , container 909 is duplicated 888118 . as the duplicate container 909 exits the container 908 , the gateway records 888119 the register information 909120 of container 909 , and the registers 909120 of container 909 are altered 888120 by special instructions from gateway 9081 under the rules residing in gateway 9081 regarding ingress and egress and the rules residing in the registers 909120 of container 909 regarding alteration by gateways upon ingress and egress . passing through independent gateway 707 , the register information 909120 is recorded 888121 , and awaits 888122 data collection or reporting 700 , 600 . as container 909 enters container 808 , the gateway records 888123 the register information 909120 of container 909 , the registers 909120 of 909 are altered 888124 by special instructions from gateway 8081 , operating under the rules as described in the paragraph above , and container 909 takes up residence 888125 within container 808 . container 909 , now also logically residing ( in addition to its original container residence ) within container 808 , commences to interact 888126 with other containers 606 in 808 under the rules governing container interaction within container 808 as received from gateway 8081 upon transiting that gateway , and under the rules of registers 606120 , 909120 of the interacting containers 606 , 909 , operating under the rules as described in the paragraph above . through data collection and reporting 700 , 600 , analysis engine is appraised 888127 of container &# 39 ; s 909 new duplicate residence . referring now to fig1 , the screen interface of the container editor is shown . this interface is a process wherein input is received by the user using the main menu 78 or drop down menu 1419 , or using an input device to “ drag and drop ” or click , causing the system 10 to acquire 1409 , edit 1410 or create 1411 a file 1407 , container 1408 or digital content 01 , to search for 1412 , acquire 1413 , edit 1414 or create 1415 , print 1416 , or containerize 1417 a container 100 , to select 1402 , ( or by clicking on register ), search 1403 , acquire 1404 , edit 1405 , or create a register 1406 to append or detach registers 120 to those containers , to set register values in those registers 120 , to utilize the register editor 125 through 1405 to create new registers , or to 1418 add , detach , acquire a gateway 200 to append or detach to those containers , and utilize the gateway editor 210 through 1418 . ( see detailed description referring to fig5 ) referring now to fig1 , the screen interface of the gateway editor is shown . this interface is a process wherein input is received by the user using the main menu 1501 or drop down menu 1513 , or using an input device to “ drag and drop ” or click , causing the system 10 to search for 1507 , acquire 1508 , edit 1509 create 1510 , print 1511 or containerize 1512 gateways , and causing the system 10 to establish rules by which an individual gateway governs the transiting 1502 , entering 1503 , exiting 1504 of containers and the interaction of containers within its domain 1505 , and external of its domain 1506 . ( see detailed description referring to fig1 ). referring now to fig1 , the screen interface of the search interface . this interface is a process wherein input is received by the user using the main menu 1625 or drop down menu 1624 , or using an input device to “ drag and drop ” or click , or by entering text , causing the system 10 to select 1615 , search for 1616 , acquire 1617 , edit 1618 create 1619 , print 1620 , containerize 1621 ( by accessing the container editor 110 ) or insert 1622 digital search strings into the search box 1623 in order to submit that string to the search engine 320 , or causing the system 10 to select 1602 , search for 1603 , acquire 1604 , edit 1605 , create 1612 , containerize 1613 ( by accessing the container editor 110 ), or insert 1614 search keys ( templates that comprise search scope in geographic range , container level , and specific key words or digital strings ), or containerized searches ( containers 110 ), into the search box 1623 in order to submit that string to the search engine 320 , or causing the system 10 to set a search range by geographic range 1607 , container level 1608 , or acquire 1609 , edit 1610 or create 1611 a scope template . ( templates that comprise search scope in geographic range and , container level .) ( see detailed description referring to fig6 ). referring now to fig1 , a drawing showing , on an input device or computer screen 24 , in any generic ( dashed lines ) software application program , a drop - down menu link 1403 on a drop down menu 1402 dropping down from a main menu 1401 , and a free - floating button link 1404 , is shown . when input is received at 1402 or 1403 , the system 10 makes available to the user the containerization process or container editor 110 . when input is received at drop - down menu link 1405 or a button link 1406 , the system 10 makes available to the user the means to enter and interact with this system 10 or this network 201 in any of their aspects . the interfaces 1403 , 1404 show a process wherein input is received causing the system 10 to encapsulate content or access the container editor 110 . the link also allows the user to encapsulate the page or file on which he is currently working , without selecting content , and if so desired , without accessing the container editor . the interfaces 1405 , 1406 show a process wherein input is received causing the system 10 to access or interact with the system 10 or the network 201 . the present invention also includes a search engine 320 . once the key word ( s ), phrase or digital segment is entered into the search interface 300 , or an offered selection chosen on the menu , it is utilized by the search engine 320 to locate the desired site or data . the search engine employed may be any industry standard search engine such as verity “ topic ”, or personal library software , as used in dow jones news retrieval , or internet search engines such as webcrawler , yahoo , excite , infoseek , alexa or any internet search engine , or any new engines to be developed capable of searching for and locating digital segments , whether text , audio , video or graphic . the present invention also includes an analysis engine 400 . utilizing rules - based analysis , the analysis engine determines the class of storage medium upon which containers reside , the subsets and supersets by which and in which containers encompass and reside within one another , the routes of access to those containers , the historically successful search parameters by which those containers are accessed based upon the identity of the user accessing the containers , and the grade of access chosen by the user in accessing that container 100 . utilizing a pre - programmed sequence of compilation , and inductive , deductive and derivative analysis , the analysis engine manufactures instructions based upon the analysis of the information submitted by the gateways and the search interface , and submits those instructions to the appropriate execution engine 500 in order to create new information containers , content assemblages , storage schemes , access routes , search templates , and gateway instructions , and others , and to provide informed search options through the search interface to the inquiring user . the present invention also includes an engine editor 510 , that provides a system administrator with a means of editing the operating principles of that search engine , and search template loading in the search interface 300 , a reporting and collection means editor 610 , 710 , governing data reporting 600 and data collection 700 at the gateways 200 as defined by the gateway editor 210 and the register editor 125 , a container editor 110 for creating and modifying containers and appending registers to containers , a register editor 125 for creating and modifying container registers and establishing and adjusting the values therein , container gateways 200 with their own storage 205 , information containers 100 for holding information and container registers for holding information about specific containers and their history on the network . the present invention also includes an execution engine 300 . based upon instructions received from the analysis engine 400 utilizing the communication device 26 , the execution engine 500 provides search phrases to the search interface 300 based upon initially received inquiries , relocates containers including their programs , data and registers to other directories , drives , computers , networks on other classes of storage mediums , i . e ., tape drive , optical drive , cd - rom , deletes , copies , moves containers to nest within or encompass other containers on other directories , drives , computers , networks to nest within other containers , alters the class of storage medium upon which containers reside , the subsets and supersets by which and in which containers encompass and reside within one another , the routes of access to those containers , and the historically successful search parameters by which those containers are accessed based upon the identity of the user accessing the container and the grade of access chosen by the user in accessing that container . the execution engine 400 fulfills the instructions of the analysis search engine 500 , to create new information containers , content sub and superset assemblages , storage schemes , access routes , search templates , gateway 200 instructions and other system functions . the execution engine includes an editor 510 that provides a system manager with a means of editing the operating principles of that search engine , governing data reporting , data collection 700 , search template loading , gateway instructions , and other functions . the present invention also includes flat or relational databases 900 , used where , and as required . the present invention also includes a communication device 26 supporting all operations on a network wide basis . the present invention also includes a search engine 300 to locate the desired site or data . the present invention also includes databases 900 , flat or relational , to serve the other components of the system as needed and where needed . the present invention also includes editors , by which the user may alter the governing aspects of the system . editors include , but are not limited to , a container editor 110 , a register editor 125 , a gateway editor 210 , an engine editor 510 , a reporting means editor 610 , a search interface 300 , and a collection means editor 710 . the present invention also includes specific screen interfaces for the editors , as described in fig1 , fig1 . and fig1 . the present invention also includes a means for this system 10 and network 201 or container editor 110 to be accessed from a menu or button selection within any program , as described in fig1 . while the present invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications may be provided . for example , both analysis engine and execution engine may be duplicated or modified for distribution at various locations and hierarchical positions in the gateway and container system throughout the network and designed to work in concert . also , the physical computing infrastructure may be mainframe , mini , client server or other with various network and distributed computing designs , including digitally supported or based physical or public media , and the components of the system 10 , as described in fig1 may be physically distributed through space . even the contents of a single container may be logically referenced but be physically distributed through the network and reside at multiple storage locations . the whole system may be hierarchically nested within other systems to the nth degree . whole systems may also be encapsulated within containers . a single container may also encompass a single physical media , such as a cd - rom disk , programmed with the container , gateway and register design . gateways may be strategically placed on containers at ingress and / or egress points or may be placed strategically throughout the system for optimal collection and reporting output and gateway system control . also , the loop of gateway data collection and reporting , analysis engine analysis , instruction , and gateway modification , and execution engine operations may be infinitely nested , from the smallest container of two sub - containers to whole networks holding millions of containers and thousands of levels , with analysis itself nested within the multiple levels . gateways may be established at both logical and physical junctures such as a satellite uplink point . also , the provision to establish a unique network identity might be designed to include as of yet unknown computer networks as they arise . the analysis and execution engines may operate on a rules - based , fuzzy logic , artificial intelligence , neural net , or other system not yet devised . other variations upon and modifications to the preferred embodiments are provided for by the present invention , which is limited only by the following claims . also , the classification scheme of nested containers , while designated by the container creators , may transform , be utilized otherwise , or be wholly discarded according to usage . also , hardware configurations , such as the use of ram or hard drives for storage or lasers for communication may assume myriad forms without altering the essential operation of this invention . | 6 |
referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first , particularly , to fig9 thereof , there is seen a diagrammatic illustration of cylinders in a printing unit of an offset printing press in a plane perpendicular to axes of the cylinders . reference symbol plz designates a so - called plate cylinder , on which a printing plate inked by rolls of an inking unit fw is fixed through mountings in a clamping channel . during rotation of the cylinders , a printing image on the printing plate is transferred to a blanket gt , which is clamped on a blanket cylinder gtz illustrated therebelow . reference symbol pb designates a paper sheet , which is led through between the blanket cylinder gtz and an impression cylinder gdz and , in the process , is printed with ink by the blanket gt . in order to wash the blanket , as is customary in offset printing presses , a blanket washing device gtw is provided , which , during a job change , can be set onto the blanket cylinder gtz along the direction of an arrow p after the end of a printing operation . this washing device gtw normally contains a washing cloth 10 which , under cyclic clock control , is unwound from a first storage coil 11 a and wound up on a second take - up coil 11 b having a drive . in between , the washing cloth 10 is pressed by a pressing element 11 against the surface of the blanket gt to be cleaned . such blanket washing devices normally operate in such a way that the cylinder surface to be cleaned is rotated past under the washing cloth which is pressed thereon and the latter is cycled onward repeatedly step by step during one revolution in order to convey the inked strip - like region of the washing cloth repeatedly onward in the direction of the take - up coil 11 b . the washing device further contains a drive for the movement of the washing cloth and a device for the supply of washing liquid , if the storage or supply roll 11 a is not already impregnated with washing liquid . fig1 shows , in more detail , in a section perpendicular to the cylinder axes , a first exemplary embodiment of a modified pressing element 11 according to the invention , which is part of the blanket washing device gtw . in the exemplary embodiment according to fig1 , the pressing element 11 includes a u - shaped aluminum profiled part 12 which is provided with a longitudinal slot on a side with which it presses the washing cloth 10 against the blanket gt . located in the interior of the profiled part 12 is an elongated sonotrode 13 having a structure illustrated in fig1 a . the sonotrode 13 includes two strip - like masses 13 a and 13 b , between which there is disposed a piezo - ceramic layer 13 c , which has metal electrodes vapor - deposited on both sides . the lower mass or part 13 b of the sonotrode 13 , facing the washing cloth 10 , is shaped concavely on its underside 14 and focuses the ultrasonic power emitted onto a narrow , substantially linear focus region on the surface of the blanket gt . the sonotrode 13 is pressed by springs 16 against a seat provided with a seal 18 on inner sides of two limbs of the u - shaped profiled part 12 . strips 12 a in the profiled part 12 are used for positional fixing in the upper region of the part 13 a of the sonotrode 13 . as is illustrated in fig1 , the two rounded u - shaped limbs of the profiled part 12 press the washing cloth 10 against the surface of the blanket gt . in order to wet the washing cloth with washing liquid , small feed pipes 15 are provided along the profiled part 12 and open into channels 17 , through which the washing liquid travels into a space between the washing cloth 10 and the concave surface 14 of the sonotrodes 13 and fills that space . through the use of the washing liquid , ultrasonic energy is led effectively to the surface of the blanket gt while avoiding excessive reflections and there it is able to loosen dirt and ink residues adhering to the blanket surface , due to establishing cavitation of gas bubbles that are produced in the liquid in a focus region . of course , it is also possible to place a plurality of individual shorter sonotrodes in the profiled part 12 instead of a single sonotrode 13 . the sonotrodes are then expediently driven with the same phase during the operation of the washing device , in order to avoid destructive interferences . in this case , it can also be expedient to provide webs between the two limbs of the u - shaped profiled part 12 , which permit sealing between the individual sonotrodes against the penetration of washing water into the interior of the housing or part 12 . in this case , the individual sonotrodes will expediently be inserted through closable openings on the top of the profiled part 12 . fig2 shows an alternative , second exemplary embodiment of the modified pressing element 11 according to the invention , which is part of the blanket washing device gtw . in the exemplary embodiment according to fig2 , identical or similar parts are provided with a designation that is higher by 10 , as compared with fig1 , for ease of understanding . in contrast to the exemplary embodiment according to fig1 , a plurality of individual sonotrodes 23 are disposed one after another in the hollow u - shaped aluminum profiled part 22 which serves as a pressing element . for example , twenty pieces may be provided having a length of about 5 cm for the blanket cylinder of a printing press in the 105 cm format . these sonotrodes are pressed by springs 26 against the rear side of a concave cylindrical lens 29 made of plastic , which is pushed into the aluminum profiled part 22 over the length of the latter along grooves 22 b . the concave cylindrical lens 29 is also shown in fig2 a . the sonotrodes 23 are secured against lateral displacement by strips 22 a in the interior of the profiled part 22 . a diaphragm 20 made of plastic , rubber or a porous ceramic , which limits the flow of liquid , is located over an opening 21 matched to an ultrasonic beam lobe between the two u - shaped limbs of the profiled part 22 . when choosing the material , the density of the diaphragm is expediently matched to the density of the washing liquid , in order to avoid undesired reflections of the ultrasonic energy at the interface with the diaphragm 20 . the diaphragm 20 limits the flow of the washing liquid from the small feed pipes 25 into the washing cloth 10 and ensures that no washing liquid emerges when the washing process has been completed and the pressure in the small feed pipes 25 is switched off . the cylindrical plastic lens 29 is formed of plexiglass ®, which is polymethyl methacrylate . since the speed of sound in this material is virtually twice as high as in water , the planoconcave cylindrical lens acts as a converging lens and concentrates the ultrasonic power in a very narrow linear region , as is indicated by arrows . of course , given appropriate dimensioning of the radius of the cylindrical lens and its distance from the surface of the blanket , it is also possible to use other plastics such as polyacrylate , etc . the use of a plurality of individual sonotrodes results in the advantage that the length of the pressing element of the blanket washing device can be matched to different format widths without specific individual sonotrodes having to be fabricated for the format in each case . in the same way , instead of the cylindrical lens made of plastic , a number of individual toroidal or cylindrical individual lenses can be provided , each being assigned to the individual sonotrodes . in this case , a toroidal form of the individual lenses assists the uniformity of the propagation of sound along the cylinder surface beyond regions switched off by webs . fig3 shows a third exemplary embodiment of the modified pressing element 11 according to the invention , which is part of the blanket washing device gtw . in the exemplary embodiment according to fig3 , the cubical sonotrodes are replaced by ultrasonic generators 33 a , 33 b . . . with a circular cross section . such ultrasonic generators can be procured inexpensively as bought in parts , since they are used in high numbers in other applications . in the present case , the ultrasonic generators 33 a , 33 b . . . are not disposed one after another in a line but packed closely against one another with an offset and in each case inclined alternately with respect to one another , as is illustrated in fig3 a . springs 36 a , 36 b . . . respectively assigned to the ultrasonic generators press the ultrasonic generators 33 a , 33 b . . . onto a prismatic strip 38 , which is adhesively bonded to the rear of a cylindrical lens 39 . the prismatic strip 38 is composed of the same material as the cylindrical lens 39 , so that impedance steps , such as otherwise occur at the transition into another medium , are avoided . fig4 shows a fourth exemplary embodiment of the modified pressing element 11 according to the invention , which is part of the blanket washing device gtw . in the exemplary embodiment according to fig4 , simple , inexpensive , cylindrical ultrasonic generators 43 are likewise used , but they are inserted one after another with their axes parallel to one another into circular recesses in lower and upper slides 41 a , 41 b , as shown in fig4 a . the array of cylindrical ultrasonic generators formed in this way is inserted at the end into an aluminum profiled part 42 illustrated in fig4 . the lower slide 41 a , facing the blanket gt , rests on a shoulder 42 a in the interior of the profiled part 42 over a sealing strip 48 . the interior of the profiled part 42 above the part 41 a is filled with oil , which is used to dissipate the heat produced in the ultrasonic generators 43 . a lower side 44 of the ultrasonic generators 43 , facing the washing cloth 10 , is shaped cylindrically concavely , as shown in fig4 b . axes k of the cylindrically concave recesses of all of the ultrasonic generators 43 accommodated behind one another in the slides 41 a , 41 b are aligned in a line parallel to the axis of the blanket cylinder gtz . in this way , the ultrasonic energy emitted by the ultrasonic generators 43 , as illustrated by arrows in fig4 , is focused substantially onto a narrow linear region parallel to the cylinder axis on the surface of the blanket gt , given a suitable choice of the radius of curvature of the concavely cylindrical recess 44 in the ultrasonic generators 43 and the spacing of the ultrasonic generators from the washing cloth . fig5 shows a fifth exemplary embodiment of the modified pressing element 11 according to the invention , which is part of the blanket washing device gtw . in the exemplary embodiment according to fig5 , as opposed to that according to fig4 , the aluminum profiled part 42 has been replaced by a plastic profiled part 52 . the profiled part 52 has a u - shaped cross section and , on its side facing the washing cloth 10 , is closed like a trough , while its two limbs having a u - shaped cross section on the opposite side are closed at the top by a cover 57 . on the outside , for the purpose of reinforcement and to dissipate heat , the plastic profiled part 52 bears a plurality of ribs 51 extending over its entire length . the outer circular cross section of the profiled part 52 on the side toward the washing cloth is flattened and matched to the radius of the blanket gt . in this way , in the region in which it rests on the washing cloth 10 , the wall of the profiled part 52 is already given the shape of a concave cylindrical lens , which once more focuses the ultrasonic energy emitted from the underside of the ultrasonic generators 53 inserted into the profiled part before the energy strikes the blanket , and focuses it in a linear region of a blanket surface . the ultrasonic generators 53 are the same as those according to fig4 but are placed from above in the plastic profiled part 52 with the cover 57 removed , on strips 52 a in the profiled part 52 . pins 58 in conjunction with a longitudinal groove 59 in the ultrasonic generators act as an anti - rotation safeguard and hold the generators 53 in their place . the interior of the profiled part 52 is filled with a nonconductive liquid which has a considerably lower density than the material of the plastic profiled part 52 . in this way , a biconvex liquid rod 60 between the concave undersides of the ultrasonic generators and the concave inner side of the profiled part 52 acts as a cylindrical converging lens , by which the ultrasonic power is focused on a linear region . the nonconductive liquid additionally serves to absorb the heat loss produced during the operation of the ultrasonic generators 53 , in order to ensure that the generators 53 do not heat up excessively . in this exemplary embodiment , the washing liquid is sprayed onto the washing cloth 10 by separate spray nozzles 55 beside the pressing element . the washing cloth 10 is moved at a slow speed past the pressing element during the washing , while at the same time the cylinder gtz having the blanket gt moves the blanket gt under the pressing element and the washing cloth 10 in the opposite direction . fig6 shows a sixth exemplary embodiment of the modified pressing element 11 in accordance with the invention , which is part of the blanket washing device gtw . in the exemplary embodiment according to fig6 , the housing of the pressing element includes a stable metal housing with an h - shaped cross section which is open at the top and bottom . holes are provided close together in a cross strut 62 c of a profiled part 62 connecting two limbs 62 a and 62 b , to accommodate cylindrical ultrasonic generators 63 , which are plugged into the holes . a lower region of the limbs 62 a and 62 b tapers somewhat toward the center . a plastic tube 69 , which is inserted into this region , is made of a material having a very much higher density than the washing liquid , such as polyethylene . this plastic tube is flattened at the top and bottom on both sides . flat undersides of the ultrasonic generators 63 are placed on the upper flattened portion , while the plastic tube 69 is placed with its lower flattened portion on the washing cloth 10 and is pressed onto the latter by springs 66 acting through the ultrasonic generators 63 when the washing device with the profiled part 62 is fed in the direction of the blanket gt . capillaries 67 , through which the washing liquid emerges under appropriate pressure and wets the washing cloth 10 , are introduced into the tube in the region of the lower flattened portion . in this exemplary embodiment , the cylindrical liquid rod of the washing liquid , in conjunction with the planoconcave cylindrical lenses of the flattened portions of the plastic tube 69 , focuses the ultrasonic energy in the desired way onto a narrow linear region . in addition , in this exemplary embodiment , the springs 66 perform a dual function : they press the ultrasonic generators 63 firmly onto their seat and they press the tube part 69 of the pressing element firmly against the washing cloth 10 . fig7 shows a seventh exemplary embodiment of the modified pressing element 11 in accordance with the invention , which is part of the blanket washing device gtw . in the exemplary embodiment according to fig7 , the pressing element for the washing cloth 10 is composed overall of a thick - walled plastic tube 79 , that is closed on both sides and , as is seen from the view according to fig7 , is provided on respective sides with an inlet connecting piece 78 a and an outlet connecting piece 78 b for the washing liquid . the tube 79 is connected to a cooling unit , through which the heat loss arising during the washing operation is dissipated through the ultrasonic generators . the plastic tube 79 is composed of the same material as the tube 69 of fig6 and likewise bears a flattened portion on its underside , which is provided with capillaries 77 for the passage of the washing liquid . a metal profiled part 72 is pushed into the plastic tube 79 and is held there by two projections 71 a and 71 b in corresponding grooves in the plastic tube 79 . a plurality of ultrasonic generators 73 having a rectangular cross section in encapsulated form are accommodated close together in the metal profile 72 , with their undersides being cylindrically concavely shaped as in the exemplary embodiment according to fig1 . due to this concave shape , a wedge of the washing liquid 70 between the undersides of the ultrasonic generators 73 and the concave inner side of the tube 79 becomes a “ thick cylindrical lens ” and focuses the ultrasonic waves on a linear region . in this exemplary embodiment , the washing liquid 70 also serves simultaneously to cool the ultrasonic generators . | 1 |
for simplicity and illustrative purposes , the principles of the present invention are described by referring mainly to the embodiment as intended to be employed by the amex . however , one of ordinary skill in the art would readily recognize that the embodiments of the invention are equally applicable to , and can be implemented in , many types of organized exchange processing systems , and that any such variations do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the present invention . moreover , while in the following detailed description , references are made to the accompanying figures , which illustrate specific embodiments , changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . the following detailed description is , therefore , not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . an embodiment of the invention generally relates to the trading of a fro financial product , i . e ., a type of derivative security commonly known as a binary option , in a standardized format on an organized exchange . in one embodiment , the performance or payoff of the fro financial product is based on the predicted performance of an underlying security over a predetermined amount of time . in various embodiments , the underlying security may be stock , security indexes , exchange - traded funds , bonds , commodities , or other types of financial instruments , assets or any other item of economic significance . fros are unique compared to existing standardized options trading on national securities exchanges due to their non - linear , fixed amount payout structure . no existing standardized option currently trading on organized exchanges has such structure . instead , existing standardized put and call options on securities have a linear payout structure linked to the difference between the option &# 39 ; s strike price and the value of the underlying security . in some embodiments , the fro financial products of the invention have three broad types or classes of products based on the predicted performance of the underlying security . first , as illustrated in fig5 , “ finish - high ” sm 510 is a class of fro financial products in which the writer pays a predetermined amount of cash 550 when the settlement value of an underlying security exceeds a predetermined fixed value , i . e ., strike price on a predetermined expiration date 530 . if the settlement value is less than the strike price , the writer pays nothing 540 . on or before the purchase of the “ finish - high ” fro , the predetermined payoff value , the strike price , and the expiration date are set ( 520 ). a second example of an embodiment of the fro financial product class , illustrated in fig6 , is the “ finish - low ”™ fro product 610 . on or before the sale of the “ finish - low ” fro , a predetermined payoff value , the strike price , and the expiration date are set ( 620 ). a writer of the “ finish - low ” fro financial product pays a predetermined amount of cash ( 650 ) when the settlement value of an underlying security falls below the strike price on the expiration date ( 630 ). if the settlement price of the underlying security is greater than the strike price , the writer pays nothing ( 640 ). a third example of an embodiment of the fro financial product class , illustrated in fig7 , is the “ target ” fro financial product 710 . in this embodiment , the “ target ” fro financial product pays a fixed amount of cash when the settlement value of the underlying security is within a range of two strike prices at the expiration date . on or before the sale of the “ target ” fro , two predetermined strike prices , a first lower strike price and a second upper strike price , are set , along with the expiration date 720 . if , on the expiration date , the settlement value of the underlying security is greater than the first strike price 730 , and is less than the second strike price 750 , then the writer pays the payoff price 770 . if either of those conditions is not met , however , the writer pays nothing ( 740 , 760 ). in some embodiments , the strike prices for the fro financial product may be quoted based on existing exchange - traded options intervals with a minimum price variation ( mpv ) expected at $ 0 . 05 . the current mpv for standardized options is set by exchange rule approved by the sec to accommodate a finite trading capacity . while not limited to such , strike prices may be initially established at levels up to 10 % to 20 % above or below the price of the underlying security , e . g ., a stock , exchange - traded fund share , trust issued receipt , index or the like . such a limitation is practical to avoid creating options for which there would be very little demand because of the small likelihood that much greater price fluctuations would occur . in one aspect of an embodiment of the invention , the occ will issue and clear transactions in fros as it currently does for all existing standardized options . as a result , the occ will revise the options disclosure document to include a description of fros and amend its rules and by - laws to reflect the non - linear , fixed amount payout structure of fros . in order to allow the fro financial product to trade on secondary markets , one embodiment of the invention is a method for listing the fro financial product , and having the product recognized by the various systems used currently for the listing , trading , transmitting , clearing and settling of standardized options , including those systems utilized by the occ . systems used by the occ and other parties to give proper routing and accounting treatment to particular financial products , such as systems that recognize various product types and calculate appropriate margin amounts for particular products , must be adapted to recognize the fro instruments as separate and distinct . to that end , a mapping algorithm may be utilized to create symbols that represent the underlying security , the fact that the option is a binary option or fro as opposed to a typical put or call option , the expiration date and the strike price , where the symbols are then listed for trading on an exchange . in some embodiments , a computer means may be used to execute the mapping algorithm to create fro symbols . as illustrated in fig8 , when implemented by an individual and / or a computer program , the mapping algorithm assigns a root symbol for the underlying security 810 . the root symbol may comprise up to three characters . the root symbol will be unique , and specifically must be different from the root symbol for the non - fro related to the same underlying asset . an expiration symbol is generated for the expiration date of the fro product and concatenated to the root symbol 820 . subsequently , a strike price symbol is generated for the strike price for the underlying security and concatenated to the existing combination of the root symbol and expiration symbol 830 . thus , a new finish - high fro financial product , for example , with symbol “ xyzls ” ( where “ xyz ” has been assigned as a root symbol defining “ fro root for underlying asset pqr ”) will now be recognized as a standardized binary option — specifically the pqr december 95 finish high . in this embodiment , the “ xyz ” characters in the fro symbol denote two elements of the instrument — that the instrument is a fro as well as the underlying asset . in one embodiment , the mapping algorithm may be implemented as a computer program module to be integrated with an existing exchange , e . g ., the amex . in other embodiments , the expiration symbol and strike price symbols utilize the existing option contract symbol library for their respective symbol . it is within the scope of the invention that other symbol libraries may be used for the root , expiration , and strike price symbols . for example , in the case of the “ target ” fro , a new library of barrier ranges may be defined to correlate to the 26 character choices for the last strike price character in the traditional five ( 5 ) character symbol chain . more specifically , in one embodiment , the symbology scheme for the last two characters of standardized exchange traded options is set forth in table iii ( below ) and table ii ( above ), respectively . in yet other embodiments , the “ finish high ” fro financial product is processed as a call option and the “ finish low ” fro financial product is processed as a put option . in other embodiments involving a “ target ” fro , the root symbol may indicate that the option is a “ target ” fro , the identity of the underlying security , and the expiration month . this leaves the remaining two characters to indicate the lower and upper strike prices . a benefit of the fro financial product is that the purchaser and writer of the fro financial product know the expected return at the time of purchase if the underlying security performs as expected . in contrast , the “ traditional ” option does not typically have a known return at the time of purchase , i . e ., the return cannot be accurately determined until the option is nearing expiration due to price movements . in addition , because the return on the fro financial product is a “ fixed amount ,” a buyer of the fro financial product does not need to determine the absolute magnitude of the underlying security &# 39 ; s price movement relative to the strike price as is the case with traditional options . yet another benefit of the fro financial product is the limited risk / return to the writer / purchaser because of the payout being a fixed dollar amount . a systemic benefit provided by the fro financial product versus their otc binary option counterpart is that standardized clearing and settlement systems may be programmed to recognize fros based on their unique underlying symbols and segregation for particular treatment by systems used for calculating permissible margin as well as final payout amounts due at settlement . thus , existing clearing and settlement systems may easily be adapted to handle transactions in fros without any structural changes to the systems , and with only minimal effort . in various embodiments of the invention , the fixed return amount for fros may be set for all fros at some standard price . for example , the fixed return amount in cash for all such options may be fixed at $ 100 . 00 , but the price of the options will vary according to the supply and demand forces of the marketplace . in some embodiments of the invention , the multiplier of the fro may be 100 as with traditional standardized options . with respect to traditional options , the 100 multiplier indicates that 100 shares of the underlying security are represented by a single option . as a result , the quoted price is multiplied by 100 to derive the actual contract purchase price or premium in dollars . while the payoff amount of fros will not necessarily depend on this multiplier like standard options &# 39 ; payoff amounts do , it may be convenient to adopt the standard 100 multiplier in order to more easily adapt existing options trading systems to trading in fros . in other embodiments of the invention , the fro financial product may employ a different multiplier that the existing convention of “ 100 .” in these embodiments , the systems and processes for trading conventional options may then simply use the different multiplier code as an additional or distinct method for identifying options as fros and , therefore , segregating them for appropriate routing and processing . in one embodiment of the invention , a different processing method may be utilized for calculating the “ closing ” or “ settlement ” price of the underlying asset than that used for typical exchange - traded options with the same underlying asset . thus , whereas typical exchange - traded equity options have a settlement price determined by the occ based on a “ composite price ,” i . e ., the last reported sale price of the security during regular trading hours , the settlement price for fros may be based on either the occ &# 39 ; s composite price , or on some other measure of the price of the underlying asset . thus , in some embodiments of the invention , calculation of a volume weighted average price ( vwap ) for the underlying asset over some designated time period ( e . g . the last 15 minutes of trading ) may be utilized to calculate and disseminate a discrete closing or settlement value for the fro financial product . this embodiment protects against any potential price manipulation that could occur at expiration motivated by the non - linear or “ all - or - nothing ” nature of fros . thus , whereas the standard composite pricing mechanism used by the occ is subject to manipulation by unscrupulous options traders by last - minute , small volume trading , the vwap pricing mechanism makes it much less practical to manipulate the price of the underlying securities in order to meet the strike price . calculation of the vwap may be accomplished using the following algorithm , for example , a computer means with pricing inputs from one or more exchanges or markets . an amount of time prior to the market close at expiration is selected , for example , 15 minutes . during that time , each transaction involving the underlying security is recorded as a number of shares sold and a selling price for those shares . for each transaction involving the underlying security during the preselected time , the number of shares is multiplied by the selling price for those shares to calculate a transaction price . the transaction price for each transaction involving the underlying security during the preselected time is added , and the total is divided by the total number of underlying securities sold during the preselected time : where n i is the number of shares of the underlying sold in transaction i ( which occurred during the predetermined time before market close ), p i is the price of those shares , and the index i includes all transactions involving the underlying security during the preselected time before market close . in one embodiment , the vwap settlement price may be disseminated by the exchanges that list the fro as the official settlement price for the fro , and may be made publicly available through various market data vendors as well as on the exchanges &# 39 ; websites . in one embodiment , certain trade types reported during the vwap period , such as “ out - of - sequence ” trades , may be excluded from the vwap calculation . in yet another embodiment of the invention , where processing systems have distinct fields for identifying product types , product classes ; or product codes , or for identifying product sub - types , sub - classifications or sub - codes for segregating and various distinct processing of different products , a unique product type , class , code or any other unique identifier may be attached to fros so that they may be recognized as such by systems and individuals for appropriate processing . | 6 |
reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts . according to the foregoing description , it can be known that when a data receiving unit , such as central processing unit ( cpu ), executes a reading operation from a memory unit of ddr sdram modules , time of the data return from the memory unit and time of the data strobe signal may be asynchronous , which causes a difficulty of the data receiving unit to detecting data receiving timing . therefore , the embodiment according to the present invention , the data receiving timing is not a constant . contrarily , data reading latency is counted and stored at first when the system operates . then the arrival timing of the preamble of the data strobe signal can be predicted in accordance with the latency . after the data strobe signal is accurately detected , the data in the memory unit can be efficiently read . fig2 illustrates an embodiment according to the present method . the purposes and the operations of a system clock clk , a read command signal rc , data lines dq and a data strobe dqs all are corresponding with the foregoing description . the present method is to obtain a latency 202 in data reading operation . in this embodiment , a tndqs signal is defined at first , which can be enabled at high logic state or at low logic state . it is assumed that the tndqs signal is enabled at high logic state herein . when the reading command signal rc is asserted , driving a rising edge 208 of the tndqs signal simultaneously . and then the first raising edge 206 of the dqs signal drives a falling edge 210 of the tndqs signal . that is to say , the enable duration of the tndqs signal is as similar as the latency 202 . furthermore , a zix signal is defined due to a delay between the falling edge 210 of the tndqs signal and the first rising edge 206 of the dqs signal . similarly , the zix signal can be enabled at a high logic state or at a low logic state . it is assumed that the zix signal is enabled at a low logic state herein . when the tndqs signal is at low logic state ( e . g . disable state ), the zix signal is at high logic state ( e . g . disable state ). when the tndqs signal is at high logic state ( e . g . enable state ), the zix signal is synchronous with the data strobe signal dqs . otherwise , the high impedance state of the dqs signal causes the zix signal to be transited at high logic state ( e . g . disable state ). this transition can be implemented by a voltage comparative method which is popularly known by those skilled in the art . for example , a reference voltage , which voltage value is between the low logic state and the high impedance level , can be used to compare with the voltage of the dqs signal . because the voltage of the dqs signal is higher than the reference voltage , thus a high logic state voltage is outputted and causes the zix signal to be transited at high logic state ( e . g . disable state ). thus it can be seen from fig2 , rising edge 212 of the zix signal almostly synchronizes with the first rising edge 206 of the dqs signal . as a result , the duration between the rising edge 208 of the tndqs signal and the rising edge 212 of the zix signal is identical with the latency 202 of data reading . therefore , rising edge 208 of the tndqs signal counts a counter register count , which initial value is zero , and a counter register phase ; and then rising edge 212 of the zix signal stops them . the counting value is then respectively latched in the accordingly to the counter register count and phase . the counter register phase can provide higher timing resolution than counter register count , because the counting rate of the counter register phase is four times of the system clock clk , however , the counting rate of the counter register count is two times of clk . in practice , the counting rate can be designed according to the requirements and is not limited by the embodiment . according to the counting value stored in counter register count or phase , the input enable signal tni shown in fig1 can detect preamble of subsequent reading data . for example , when the data receiving unit issues a reading command signal , a reference counter register identical with the count register count is simultaneously counted . if the counting value counted by the reference counter register is same as the counting value latched in the counter register count , the input enable signal tni is enabled for reading the data lines dq and the data strobe signal dqs . otherwise , when the data receiving unit issues a reading command signal , another reference count register identical with the count register phase is counted . if the counting value counted by the reference counter register is same as the counting value latched in the counter register phase , the input enable signal tni is enabled for reading the data lines dq and the data strobe signal dqs . obviously , a higher timing resolution is provided in this example . fig3 shows a flow chart of the method for evaluating latency in accordance with the present invention . in step 310 , respectively initialing both signal tndqs and zix to its own initial state . in step 320 , enabling the signal tndqs ( high logic state ) and counting a counter when a reading command is asserted . in step 330 , determining the logic state of the zix signal by comparing the voltage level of data strobe signal dqs with a reference voltage . if the voltage level of dqs is higher than the reference voltage , the zix signal is regarded as being in the disable state ( high logic state ); on the contrary , the zix signal is regarded as being in the enable state ( low logic state ). in step 340 , stopping counting when the zix signal transits from enable state to the disable state . in step 350 , storing a counting value counted by the counter , wherein the counting value is regarded as the latency . fig4 shows a flow chart of the method for detecting preamble of data strobe signal dqs in accordance with the present invention . in step 410 using the foregoing method to evaluate the latency . in step 420 , a counter starts to count when a reading command ( ex . reading command signal rc as shown in fig1 and fig2 ) is asserted to a memory unit . in step 430 , indicating the preamble by asserting a tni signal when the counting value reaches to the latency . the present method can be implemented in any time , for example when the system is initializing or when the system is operating , to usually update the latency and make sure the most reading efficiency is obtained . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . in view of the foregoing , it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
referring to fig1 a first embodiment of the improved glove bag hazardous waste removal system of the invention is designated generally by the reference character 10 . the bag 10 is illustrated mounted onto a pipe 12 , which pipe generally will have a hazardous material , most generally asbestos , covering thereon , such as for insulation . it can be desirable to move the bag 10 along the pipe 12 for repairing the pipe 12 or to remove the hazardous waste / insulation therefrom . to facilitate the installation , sliding and removal of the bag 10 on or from the pipe 12 , the bag includes a pair of shoulder extensions 14 and 16 . the shoulder extensions 14 and 16 preferably include respective heavy duty straps 18 and 20 with respective securing buckles 22 and 24 for securing the extensions 14 and 16 and hence the bag 10 to the pipe 12 in any desired location . further , to aid in the self containment of the bag system 10 , the straps 18 and 20 are retained on the extensions 18 and 20 and hence the bag 10 by respective belt loops 26 and 28 formed integrally with the bag 10 . the bag 10 preferably is formed from a heavy gauge , optically clear pvc material to aid the worker in seeing into the bag 10 and further to have sufficient strength and body to hold the waste in the bag 10 and to form the extensions 14 and 16 . to further aid in the easy mounting and demounting of the bag 10 , the bag 10 includes an endless top zipper 30 , which includes one or more zipper pulls 32 . the endless zipper 30 is closed to secure and seal the bag 10 to the pipe 12 . the zipper 30 can include one or more sealing flaps ( not illustrated ) to ensure no leakage of the hazardous waste therethrough . the endless zipper 30 can accomodate valves or cross pipes ( not illustrated ) merely by utilizing a pull on each side of the valve or cross pipe . tape additionally can be utilized if desired or necessary due to the particular structure upon which the bag 10 is mounted . once the bag 10 is secured to the pipe 12 , in the proper location , the worker generally will insert a water spray probe ( not illustrated ) into the interior of the bag 10 to wet down the pipe 12 and hazardous material thereon . the probe is inserted and removed through a self - sealing access sleeve 34 to avoid the release of contaminants . a negative pressure or vacuum probe ( not illustrated ) then is inserted into the bag 10 , also through the access sleeve 34 . the access sleeve 34 includes a pair of ties or tabs 36 , 38 which are utilized to secure the vacuum probe in the bag 10 . the details of the sleeve 34 will be more fully described with respect to fig4 . the worker will have placed the necessary tools ( not illustrated ) into a self - closing tool pouch 40 , the details of which are more fully illustrated with respect to fig3 . the worker will manipulate the spray probe and grasp the tools to work on the pipe 12 by utilizing a pair of glove sleeves 42 and 44 , which allow the worker free access to the interior of the bag 10 without releasing any contaminants therefrom . the glove sleeves 42 and 44 can include respective rigid cuffs 43 and 45 , preferably made from plastic , pvc or metal materials . the cuffs 43 and 45 can be secured , welded or otherwise sealingly attached to the sleeves 42 and 44 . this keeps the glove portions open for easy access and allows the glove portions to be separate replaceable parts . once the repair or removal operation is completed , the waste and water being retained in a bottom portion 46 of the bag 10 , the worker removes the bag 10 from the pipe 12 for sealing and disposal . the portion 46 , being formed from pvc material , does not have a bottom seal and hence does not have a tendency to rupture . the worker will remove the tools from the self - closing pouch 40 , which has remained closed avoiding the trapping of water and contaminants therein . a second embodiment of the improved glove bag hazardous waste removal system of the invention is designated generally by the reference character 48 , mounted onto the pipe 12 . identical numerals are utilized for the same structure as that utilized with the bag 10 . the bag 48 includes a pair of generally identical access sleeves 34 & amp ; 34 &# 39 ;, with respective ties 36 , 38 and 36 &# 39 ;, 38 &# 39 ;. the bag 48 therefore , can accomodate more than one probe at a time , such as the spray probe inserted and secured into the access sleeve 34 and the vacuum probe inserted and secured into the access sleeve 34 &# 39 ;. the vacuum probe maintains the interior of the bag at a negative pressure in a conventional manner to ensure that the airborne contaminants are captured and removed by the vacuum probe , which is connected to a conventional filter unit ( also not illustrated ). by forming the bag 48 ( and 10 ) from pvc material , the bags 10 and 48 have sufficient strength and body to also accomodate a larger bottom or waste catch basin 46 . respective sides or ends 50 and 52 can be formed to flare out to accomodate a greater amount of waste . further , the bag 48 includes a sealing assembly 54 , which can be utilized to completely seal in the accumulated hazardous waste and water prior to removing the bag 48 from the pipe 12 . the details of the sealing assembly are best illustrated with respect to the description of fig5 . referring now to fig3 the pouch 40 is formed in or on a first wall 56 of the bag 48 . the self - closing pouch 40 can be formed from a separate piece of pvc material and then electronically welded to the wall 56 . in a like manner , each of the seams of the bags 10 and 48 preferably are heat sealed or welded electronically . the tool pouch 40 includes a first bottom pocket 58 and includes a top flap 60 folded over the pocket 58 and formed preferably integrally therewith . the worker easily can access the tools in the pouch 58 and when the pouch 58 is not being accessed , the flap 60 will self - close the pouch 58 . in this manner water or other waste material passing downward inside the bag 10 or 48 will not enter into the pouch 58 and hence will not further contaminate the pouch 58 and the tools therein and thus will not cause the release of further waste when the tools are later removed . the penetration self - sealing access sleeve 34 &# 39 ; is best illustrated in fig4 . the sleeve 34 &# 39 ; includes a tapered inner tube 62 which open into the bag 48 and is tapered to form a seal with the probe inserted therein . the tube 62 is welded to the wall 56 . the sleeve 34 &# 39 ; has a cross seal structure 64 , which ensures the self - sealing of the sleeve 34 &# 39 ; to avoid contaminants escaping therethrough . the structure 64 includes a first flexible diaphragm 66 having a first cross slit 68 therein . a second flexible diaphragm 70 has a second cross slit 72 therein and the structure 64 is welded to the wall 56 and the sleeve 34 &# 39 ; along with the ends of the tubes 36 &# 39 ; and 38 &# 39 ;. the cross slits 68 and 72 are oriented orthogonal to and preferably perpendicular to one another . the sealing assembly 54 is best illustrated with respect to fig5 . the sealing assembly 54 is welded on one side to the wall 56 and on the opposite side to a second or back wall 74 of the bag 48 . the assembly 54 includes a lower spiral zipper assembly 76 , which is closed to pull the two walls 56 and 74 together to enclose the waste catch basin 46 . the bottoms or glove portions of the glove sleeves 42 and 44 are of course utilized to close the zipper 76 by manipulating one or more slides 78 . the glove sleeves 42 and 44 are thus outside of the sealed basin 46 . to complete the sealing of the basin 46 , a second so - called zip - lock zipper assembly 80 is sealed by manipulating a zipper slide 82 . the assembly 80 preferably also is formed from pvc material which completely seals the basin 46 . the bag 48 then can be removed from the pipe 12 and the tools removed from the closed pouch 40 , without releasing any contaminants from the sealed catch basin 46 . many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . clearly the size , shape and spacing of the bag and openings therein can be varied depending upon the application . it is , therefore , to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . | 6 |
the following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention . the description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention , since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims . various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features . broadly , embodiments of the present invention generally provide a golf towel transport and retrieval apparatus that may help a golfer to more easily and quickly clean his golf ball on a golf course in the course of playing a golf game than by transporting a towel by hand . embodiments of the present invention may be marketed under the name greenscaddy ™. with reference to fig1 to 3 , a golf towel transport and retrieval apparatus 10 may have a towel 14 attached to it , and the apparatus may be attachable to the club head of a golf club 12 , such as a putter , wood , iron , wedge , driver , or any other type of golf club . a golfer that wishes to clean his golf ball on the putting green may simply attach the head of his golf club 12 to the apparatus 10 to conveniently take the towel 14 attached to the apparatus 10 to his golf ball on the putting green . when the golfer reaches his ball on the green , the golfer may mark the ball , lift the ball to allow his playing partners an unobstructed shot , and use the towel 14 attached to the apparatus 10 to clean any dirt or debris on the surface of his ball . when it is the golfer &# 39 ; s turn to putt , he may place the ball back where he had marked it , he may detach the apparatus 10 from the golf club 12 , he may place , drop , or throw the apparatus 10 onto the playing surface , and he may putt his ball using the now - freed golf club 12 . after the golfer has finished his or her putt , the golfer may easily retrieve the apparatus 10 , without needing the golfer to bend or squat down , by engaging the apparatus 10 with the putter 12 and subsequently reattaching the putter 12 to the apparatus 10 with the strap 16 , or alternatively reinserting the putter 12 into the club head cover 28 if so equipped . the golf towel transport and retrieval apparatus 10 may include four stringers 22 that connect a pair of end panels 20 to create a structure , such as a rectangular box structure , that acts as a receptacle 30 between the pair of end panels 20 and one or more of the stringers 22 that may accommodate a club head of a golf club 12 . a strap 16 may also be attached to each end panel 16 so that the strap 16 may be used to secure the apparatus 10 with a club head of a golf club 16 inserted into the receptacle 30 in the apparatus 10 . one or more of the ends of the strap 16 may be a hook and loop fastener 18 , such as velcro ™, so that one or more ends of the strap 16 may be detachable from and re - attachable to the end panels 20 . the apparatus 10 may also include one or more eye screws 24 attached , such as by screws and bolts , to one or more of the end panels 20 . the eye screws 24 may be used as attachment points to attach the towel 14 to the apparatus 10 via a pin 26 that may fasten the towel 14 to one of the eye screws 24 . to attach a golf club 12 to the apparatus 10 , the strap 16 may be disconnected from one of the end panels 20 . the club head of the golf club 12 may be inserted into the receptacle 30 on the apparatus 10 between the end panels 20 . the strap 16 may then be reattached to the previously disconnected one of the end panels 20 to secure the club head of the golf cub 12 to the apparatus 10 . to disengage the golf club 12 from the apparatus 10 , the strap 16 may be disconnected from one of the end panels 20 , and the club head of the golf club 12 may be removed from the receptacle 30 of the apparatus 10 . with reference to fig4 - 6 , a golf club head cover 28 may also be attached to the apparatus 10 via a pin 26 that may fasten the golf club head cover 28 to one of the eye screws 24 . thus , an apparatus 10 may have a towel 14 attached to one end panel 20 and a golf club head cover 28 to another end panel 20 . the golf club head cover 28 may be used as an alternative way to attach a golf club 12 to the apparatus 10 by inserting the club head of the golf club 12 into the golf club head cover 28 . the components of the apparatus 10 may be made of any material that is of suitable strength , weather resistance , and club head abrasion protection . the stringers 22 may be square or may be of any cross sectional design , such as but not limited to a circular or oval shape . the end plates 20 may be square , but may not be limited to a circular or triangular design . the end plates 20 may be attached to the stringers 22 via adhesives , screws , or any other suitable method . alternatively , the stringers 22 and the end plates 20 may be formed in one piece such as , but is not limited to , injection molding or any other forming techniques . the apparatus 10 may be made by forming a receptacle 30 from the end plates 20 and the stringers 22 so that the end plates 20 and the stringers 22 may govern the depth of entry of a club head of the golf club 12 into the formed receptacle 30 . the eyelet screws 24 may be mounted to the end plates 20 so that they are near the center of each end plate 20 . the strap 16 may be attached to the end plates 20 . the towel 14 and the golf club head cover 28 may be attached to the eyelet screws 24 via pins 26 . it should be understood , of course , that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims . | 0 |
what follows is a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention in which the invention may be practiced . the specific preferred embodiments of the invention , which will be described herein , are presented for exemplification purposes , and not for limitation purposes . it should be understood that structural and / or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skills in the art without departing from the scope and essence of the invention . in an embodiment , a fire and smoke prevention composition is disclosed . the composition includes sodium polyacrylate ( c 3 h 3 nao 2 ), distilled water and a color agent ( e . g ., food red dye # 5 and / or yellow dye # 5 ). the sodium polyacrylate compound is known to be an excellent water absorbent . the united states department of agriculture ( usda ) has developed sodium polyacrylate in the 1960s as a water absorbent for agriculture . with its ability to store water at up to 400 times its weight , this property made it very effective in low rainfall areas . sodium polyacrylate , which may be best known as superabsorbent polymer ( sap ), has several other uses , including the manufacturing of diapers and adult hygiene products . distilled water is a well - known substance . distilled water is better than tap water for use with the composition because , as it will be explained later , when describing the experiments conducted , with distilled water the composition does not break down . the color agent may be for example a food red dye , a food yellow dye , or even better , a mixture of red and yellow ( e . g ., 50 % red and 50 % yellow ) dye , so that the fire and smoke prevention composition has a dark orange color . when the composition has a dark orange color , a flashlight pointed on it appears to cause the reflection of an easy - to - spot , neon - like light . this may help firefighters more easily locate trapped persons behind doors , the gaps 306 of which were treated with the composition . it should be noted that the fire and smoke prevention composition would work well ( i . e ., sealing the door gaps 306 ) without the color agent . however , the adding color to the composition makes the composition even more beneficial as explained above . the resulting composition ( i . e ., sodium polyacrylate plus distilled water , with or without the color agent ) is a gelatin - like substance that is effective ( e . g ., will not run ) at sealing door gaps in order to prevent smoke and fire from entering the room , suppress the fire , and to obtain other beneficial outcomes , as described herein . to apply the gelatinous composition , a ⅜ ″ ( three eighths of an inch ) for example nozzle ( on a squeezable bottle for example ) may be used , which is optimum for most door gaps . to make the fire and smoke prevention composition without the color or flow agents , the following process may be followed . first , preferably 2 ( two ) grams of sodium polyacrylate is added to preferably 400 ( four hundred ) grams of distilled water of 70 - 80 degrees fahrenheit . the mixture is then stirred with for example a whisk , until the mixture becomes a gel . it may take for example 5 - 6 seconds of stirring to obtain the gel through manual stirring . next , the gel is allowed to dehydrate , preferably at room temperature ( 70 - 80 degrees fahrenheit ) and preferably for 4 ( four ) days . next , the evaporated distilled water is replaced . next , the gel may be placed into a container ( e . g ., a plastic bottle ) with a spout or nozzle ready for use . fig2 shows a colored gel embodiment 203 of the polyacrylate composition . to make the same fire and smoke prevention gel as described above but colored , preferably 1 . 5 ( one and a half ) grams of color agent ( e . g ., 50 % red food dye and 50 % yellow food dye ) is added first to the distilled water , and the mixture is stirred to mix before adding the sodium polyacrylate . during experimentation , the product was easy to fill into the water bottle with the use of a funnel and chopstick . once the bottle was filled , it flowed out of the nozzle with a moderate squeeze . in an alternative embodiment , a flow agent , such as magnesium stearate , may be added . by adding this component to the fire and smoke prevention composition , the composition becomes a somehow heavy viscous liquid , and thus , it has the ability to flow better through pipes , hoses , nozzles ( e . g ., a medium spray nozzle ) and the like . as such , the composition may be used as superior replacement of often toxic and / or hard to clean halon - type compositions , to suppress and extinguish fires , through a similar application ( e . g ., spraying it on the fire through a medium spray nozzle ). also , in this liquid form , the composition may be easier used to cool , for example , hot metal parts , such as parts subjected to welding . to make the viscous fire and smoke prevention composition , preferably 100 ( one hundred ) milligrams of magnesium stearate powder is added first to the distilled water , and the mixture is stirred to mix before adding the sodium polyacrylate . the dehydration and water replacement steps are the same . to make the viscous fire and smoke prevention composition colored , preferably the 1 . 5 ( one and a half ) grams of color agent ( e . g ., 50 % red food dye and 50 % yellow food dye ) and the 100 ( one hundred ) milligrams of magnesium stearate powder are both added first to the distilled water , and the mixture is stirred to mix before adding the sodium polyacrylate . the dehydration and water replacement steps are the same . what follows is a succinct presentation of the experiments conducted to arrive at the compositions and processes disclosed above . sodium polyacrylate from a diaper was first mixed and stirred with tap water to form a gel , which was found to be fire resistant . next , 10 grams of sodium polyacrylate was extracted from diapers and tests were conducted to find the proper balance of water to sodium polyacrylate to use a fire barrier . it was noticed that all of the mixes started to break down ( water separated from gel ). next , distilled water was used instead of tap water . it was discovered that more distilled water was needed to achieve the same desired composition consistency , than tap water . it was observed that the distilled water mixture was stable , with no visible breakdown . next , testing of composition &# 39 ; s sealing and fire suppression properties were conducted by using 1 / 10 scale doors 304 . it was found that the composition was highly fire resistant . however , when deployed into door gaps 306 ( on top , sides , and bottom of the door between door , door jambs and floor ) small amounts of air pockets formed allowing fire and smoke to penetrate . next , different minerals were added to the composition to see if a more gelatinous consistency can be reached . it was found that the composition was highly sensitive to all acids causing immediate breakdowns . a control batch of the gelatinous composition ( distilled water plus sodium polyacrylate mixed as described earlier ) was left uncovered for four days causing partial dehydration . distilled water was then added to compensate for lost water . the composition quickly hydrated , but with no significant air pockets . testing began again , and the seal around the door , door jambs and floor gap was airtight . no smoke or fire penetrated the gel seal . next , a dye was added to help first responders locate trapped victims . orange was chosen based on its reflective value in the presence of a flashlight . next , testing began on the composition to see any limitations that can be foreseen in real life scenarios . the composition was found to be airtight and able to smother a fire in an enclosed room . when a fire in a room with no other substantial access to oxygen ( air ) other than the doorway , the gel can be deployed around the gaps 306 between the door 305 and door jambs 307 and between the door 305 and floor 307 - a to seal the fire in the room ; in other words , to contain the fire in that room . the seal will keep oxygen ( air ) from entering the room and the result will be the smothering of the fire from lack of oxygen . next , while testing a control burn of an untreated door 304 , the composition was used as a fire extinguisher . the results were that less quantity of the composition was needed to extinguish the same amount of fire than water would be needed . since it was believed that water is what was keeping the polymer cool to the touch , another experiment was conducted to see if the heat absorption is the same for water as for the mixture / composition ( distilled water plus sodium polyacrylate mixed as described earlier ). this experiment would eventually show the evaporation rate of water as well as of the composition . the evaporation test was conducted on both , the composition , then on plain water . the water test was the control . 100 grams of composition was put in a pie pan . 100 grams of water was put in another , same type of pie pan . the heat source was a propane torch held 3 inches away from both items ( water and composition ). the experiment was to last 20 minutes . the heat of the pan was to be measured by a digital laser thermometer set in fahrenheit degrees . the measuring point was the edge of the pie pan . the results are as follows . in the pie pan with water , the water was completely evaporated after 8 minutes and 34 seconds . the heat of the pan never passed 150 degrees until the 4 minute mark , and then it went up to 223 degrees ; by then the water was fully evaporated . in the pie pan with the gel composition , after 20 ( twenty ) minutes , the remaining , dehydrated composition weighed only 17 grams . the composition never burned or melted even though at the point it was only 17 grams . the pie pan never passed the 120 degrees mark even after twenty minutes . the results actually raised the question whether or not the dehydrated composition ( after losing the water in this manner ) can re - hydrate . 83 grams of distilled water was added to the dehydrated composition in the pan . the dehydrated composition did not reabsorb the water . this finding appears to disprove previous findings that the composition without water would not be affected by direct flame . it turns out that , under certain conditions , it may , by losing the ability to absorb water . the ability of the composition to re - hydrate after a prolonged exposure to fire may be affected . meaning that the flame , after a prolonged exposure , may break down the sodium polyacrylate . previous findings showed that , in short flame exposure ( 10 minutes ) or prolonged low level heat exposure ( under 550 f for 20 min ) the composition will re - hydrate . the gel composition 203 was tested as a fire repellent several times and it performed equally the same every time . it never , during the 10 minutes test , let any smoke or fire to penetrate the door gaps . fig3 a - b show a side perspective view and a front perspective view , respectively , of a 1 / 10 ( one tenth ) scale door and frame unit 304 built and used to simulate an actual room door to conduct the experiments described herein . the scale door and frame 304 was used to test how fast the fire would pass through the door gaps 306 and set fire to the opposite side of the door 305 if no fire and smoke prevention gel composition was used to seal the door gaps 306 ( between door 304 , door jambs 307 and floor 307 - a ). the results were as follows . the propane torch flame immediately passed through the door 305 and fully ignited the door 305 on both sides after 2 minutes and 18 seconds . even though the door 305 had a fire rating of twenty minutes , it did not protect the corners of the door 305 from igniting . the door corner was fully engulfed in fire and the fire was beginning to spread . this was a control test to see how a standard interior door would perform in the same test conditions without the composition . the fire and smoke immediately ( within 5 seconds ) came through the door gaps 306 and jambs 307 . the fire that penetrated the door 305 caught the edges and corners of the door 305 on fire within three minutes . after five minutes the fire fully engulfed the 1 / 10 scale door 304 . the door frame ( jambs ) 307 was also fully engulfed in flames . again , after 5 minutes , the 1 / 10 scale door 304 was fully engulfed in flames . the door 305 temperature was at that time 820 degrees fahrenheit , and the fire was having large growing flames . the fire extinguishment ability of the gel composition 203 was then tested . about 4 ounces ( oz ) of the composition 203 that was used as a door sealant ( non - magnesium ) was thrown at the door . the temperature of the door 305 went from 820 f to 210 f within 5 seconds and it lowered it to 120 f after 2 minutes later , with no further composition added . additionally , when the test was done with the magnesium composition the results were the same as with the non - magnesium composition . thus , the conclusion was that the composition 203 would be equally effective at putting out a fire that already had passed under a door or through door gaps 306 , and thus , at stopping any further advance of the fire into the room . the gel embodiment 203 of the disclosed composition adhered well to the door jambs 307 on the top and sides of the door 305 , penetrating easily into the ⅛ inch door gaps 306 , without moving . it did not run down or out . it formed a solid seal without any air gaps . even though the excess material fell off the door jamb 307 , the material in the gap 306 did not move . the bottom door gap 306 filled easily and held its shape up to 2 inches high without running . while dispersing the product , enough mixture flowed to the other side of the door 304 ( about 1 inch out ). this had a dual purpose . the spill over provided a type of fire proofing for the outside of the door edge and floor . it prevented the floor from burning near the door . it also served as a signal to first responders that someone was in the room and needed help . using a 1 / 10 scale door 304 in a box , a smoke test was conducted , as briefly described hereinafter . the door gaps 306 ( top , left , right and bottom ) were sealed with the gel composition 203 by placing the nozzle of the plastic bottle close to the gaps 306 and squeezing the mixture thereto . fig4 shows smoke 408 used for a fire test with the scale door 304 of fig3 a - b . smoke 408 was created by adding 1 oz . wet shredded newspaper to the six ignited briquettes in a pot . next , the smoke pot was placed on a pie tin in the side of the box that did not have the mixture squirted on the door gaps 306 , to create the smoke as shown in fig4 . next , the opening of the box was covered with a shield ( e . g ., wooden sheet ), and towels were placed over the covered opening to seal in the smoke 408 . a stop watch was started . a smoke alarm that was placed on the side that had the mixture was monitored . the test went on the full 10 minutes . the smoke alarm did not go off as no smoke 408 passed through the sealed door gaps 306 . for the fire test a 1 / 10 scale door 304 as shown in fig3 a - b in a box was used as well . the door gaps 306 again ( top , left , right and bottom ) were sealed with the gel composition 203 by placing the nozzle of the plastic bottle close to the gaps and squeezing the mixture thereto . fig5 shows a propane torch flame 509 held 3 to 4 inches from the bottom of the door 505 and floor gap 506 of the scale door of fig3 a - b . simultaneously , a stop watch and a propane torch were started , the propane torch being held 3 to 4 inches away from bottom of the door 505 and floor gap 506 . at 30 second intervals , the temperature of the gel composition 503 was taken with a laser digital thermometer by aiming the laser at the opposite location of where the fire was being dispensed from . temperature readings were also taken of the part of the door that was closest to the mixture , but not covered by it , to see how hot door was . this was done to demonstrate that the heat from fire ( propane torch ) was intense . when door 505 started to ignite , the focus of the torch flame 509 was moved slightly to the right , and temperature readings continued to be taken . fig6 is a line graph 610 showing the change in temperature in degrees fahrenheit over the course of the ten minutes , in seconds , of various parts of the scale door 504 of fig3 a - b . it was observed that the gel composition 503 did not burn . there was only a slight singe . although the outside door 504 caught on fire , the composition 503 did not melt nor was there any visible change in its consistency . at any time during the 10 minutes period , including when the torch flame 509 was directly aimed at the door gaps 506 one inch away , no flames penetrated the door gap nor did the product in the gap 506 allow any flame to pass to the other side of the door 505 . when temperature of the door 505 reached 1100 degrees ( outside door , where the flame / fire was ) and the outside excess gel composition 503 reached 400 degrees , the interior door 505 reached only 110 degrees and the interior gel 503 did not pass 66 degrees ( see fig5 ), and again , no flame penetrated . also , there was no visible evaporation from the gel composition 503 and anything that the gel composition 503 came in contact with did not burn . even after the 10 minute mark , the interior door 505 showed no signs of fire . the same smoke and fire tests were also conducted for other mixtures . it should be noted the superiority of the disclosed composition . fig7 shows table 1 summarizing the results and observations of smoke and fire tests conducted for various other mixtures . fig8 shows table 2 , listing the time in seconds that it took for fire or smoke to penetrate to the other side of the door within a 10 minute time frame of the smoke and fire experiments . 600 + seconds indicate that no penetration occurred within 600 seconds ( i . e ., 10 minutes ). again , it should be noted the superiority of the disclosed composition . fig9 shows a bar graph 911 depicting the data from table 2 of fig8 . it should be noted the superior performance of the disclosed polymer . another experiment was conducted , using carpet because many rooms in a house are carpeted . the purpose was to see if the fire would burn the carpet underneath the door bypassing the gel composition . fig1 shows the 1 / 10 scale door 1005 of fig3 a - b in a box , with a piece of carpet 1013 stapled and glued to the floor ( i . e ., the upper side of the bottom of the box 304 as shown by 307 - a of fig3 ) of the box 304 . again , a torch flame 509 and a 1 / 10 scale door in a box was used as shown in fig3 - 4 . surprisingly , the results were the same as in the fire test described earlier with no carpet 1013 . an added benefit of the disclosed gel composition 1003 is that the carpet 1013 that had the gel composition 1003 on it was unchanged . when the gel composition 1003 was removed from the carpet 1013 , it left no residue on the carpet 1013 . the carpet 1013 that was under the gel composition 1003 was not wet to the touch once the gel 1003 was removed . the carpet 1013 under the gel composition 1003 was protected from the fire by denying oxygen to the advancing fire . thus , a nontoxic , flame and smoke resistant mixture 1003 that is easy to use and have a long shelf life was disclosed herein . the disclosed composition , even in the gel form 1003 , can be easily squirted out of plastic water bottle for example . it is watery enough to be injected into door gaps 306 and firm enough to keep its shape and not melt when exposed to direct flame from a propane torch 509 . it is an effective sealant for smoke and fumes as well . the disclosed composition may be a lifesaving tool by injecting it into door gaps 306 , thus , ( in the gel form ) sealing the door from advancing fire and smoke . when a bright colored dye is added to the mixture , it works as a signal to rescuers that there are people inside the room who need to be saved . when a flow agent is added to the mixture as described earlier , it may be sprayed as a fire extinguisher . in another exemplary embodiment , a material for a fire shelter , for example , with the fire and smoke prevention composition incorporated therein is provided . to make a hydrated polyacrylate fire blanket , the following process may be followed . polyacrylate filling may be wrapped with cheesecloth or any other suitable similar material . the polyacrylate filling may be encased by the cheesecloth or other material by stitching them together with , for example , cotton string , or any other suitable material . the blanket may then be activated by hydration with water by for example pouring water over the blanket or submerging the blanket in water or any other suitable method . sodium polyacrylate may also be suspended in loose fibers of any suitable material and water soluble glue may be used to make small compartments , such that the sodium polyacrylate crystals are equally distributed throughout the material to be used as a blanket or fire shelter or other fire and smoke prevention device . the blanket or fire shelter or other device may then by activated by hydration with water using any method suitable . the material with sodium polyacrylate crystals may be , for example , carried by any person while the material is unhydrated so as to decrease the overall weight of the object , and then activated by hydration when its use becomes necessary . for example , firefighters may carry dry polyacrylate fire shelters , and if the use of a fire shelter becomes necessary , the firefighters may , for example , use the liquid on their packs to quickly activate the polymer and seek protection inside of the hydrated polyacrylate fire shelter . what follows is a succinct presentation of the experiments conducted to arrive at the compositions and processes disclosed above . fig1 a shows a fire shelter frame 1114 built using pine wood strips to simulate actual fire shelters 101 in the experiments described herein . five fire shelter frames 1114 were built . two 8 ″ wood strips were parallel , 4 ″ apart , and stapled together . two 4 ″ wood strips were used to connect the 8 ″ strips , forming a rectangle . another rectangle was made in the same manner , and the two rectangles were connected by stapling four additional wood strips , forming a box 1114 . fig1 b shows an example of a dry polyacrylate blanket 1115 used for the experiments described herein . a 14 inch by 40 inch cheesecloth was used , and polyacrylate filling ( not shown , underneath the visible cloth of fig1 b ) was placed on top . the cloth was folded over the polyacrylate filling and stitched to form a 14 inch by 20 inch blanket 1115 . a dry polyacrylate fire shelter with aluminum foil as a reflective shield was used to perform a convection test . fig1 c shows the polyacrylate blanket 1115 of fig1 b wrapped around the fire shelter frame 1114 of fig1 a . the blanket 1115 was placed lengthwise , and the wood frame 1114 was placed widthwise on top of the blanket 1115 . an extra - large room temperature raw egg 1116 was placed in the middle of the frame 1114 . a thermometer probe 1117 was placed alongside the egg 1116 , making sure that the wire stuck out of the frame 1114 . fig1 d shows the blanket and fire shelter frame of fig1 c wrapped in aluminum foil 1118 to create a fire shelter 1120 , with a thermometer probe 1117 inside of the frame 1114 . the foil was placed with its shiny , reflective side down on the table . next , the frame 1114 wrapped in the blanket 1115 was placed on top , and the foil 1118 was wrapped around the frame 1114 and blanket 1115 , with its shiny , reflective side facing outwards , allowing the wire of the thermometer probe 1117 to protrude from the wrapping , creating a dry polyacrylate fire shelter with a reflective shield 1120 . the thermometer was programmed with an alarm to read 130 degrees fahrenheit maximum , to gauge when physical harm might begin to occur to an individual . the fire shelter 1120 was placed in an oven ( not shown ), preheated to 550 degrees fahrenheit . the temperature inside of the fire shelter 1120 was recorded every minute for 30 minutes . at the end of the 30 minutes , the fire shelter 1120 was removed from the oven , and the aluminum foil 1118 and blanket 1115 were unwrapped . a laser thermometer ( not shown ) was used to verify the reading of the thermometer probe 1117 . the egg 1116 was removed from the fire shelter 1120 and placed in a pie tin , and cut in half lengthwise . the starting temperature inside of the fire shelter 1120 was 67 degrees fahrenheit . the heat transfer occurred immediately . the temperature rose at a very high rate , reaching 136 degrees fahrenheit in 8 minutes ( see fig1 a ). this would be considered deadly in a wildfire . the average rate of increase was ten degrees per minute . at 15 minutes , the smell of burning cloth filled the kitchen where the experiment was taking place . the temperature was 191 degrees , which meant that the heat convection temperature was much higher . after the 30 minutes , the internal temperature was 255 degrees fahrenheit . upon removal of the fire shelter 1120 from the oven , it was observed that the framework 1114 had sap leaking out of a knot hole . the laser thermometer reading where the polyacrylate 1115 was touching the foil 1118 was 354 degrees fahrenheit , the internal polyacrylate 1115 facing the egg 1116 was 288 degrees fahrenheit , and the egg 1116 when cracked open was 185 degrees fahrenheit on the inside . the egg 1816 - a was cooked all the way through ( see fig1 a ). the overall performance of the dry polyacrylate 1115 in the test was observed to be low . the main ingredient of the insulation in the shelter 1120 was the air pockets in the polyacrylate blanket 1115 . the foil 1118 wrapped around the blanket 1115 trapped air pockets , giving some protection from the heat . although the fire shelter 1120 reached 136 degrees fahrenheit in 8 minutes , it still offered some protection for a short - term situation . the convection heat of an oven will penetrate through aluminum foil 1118 quickly as the foil 1118 absorbs the heat and converts it into radiant heat . the heat then passes through the cloth &# 39 ; s 1115 air pockets , passing it to the inner shelter and then converting it back into convection heat . what occurs is the air trapped in the shelter 1120 in the air gap begin to rotate , creating current spreading the hot air in the top and bottom of the shelter . the air gap provides substantial protection , about a 40 degree difference between the interior surface temperature of the shelter and the egg 1116 surface temperature , solely due to the air gap . since the conduction heat passing through the cloth 1115 is broken up by the air gap , the energy has to then be converted back to convection , and this lowers the overall temperature . a hydrated polyacrylate fire shelter 1123 with aluminum foil as a reflective shield was used to perform a convection test . a fire shelter frame 1114 as shown in fig1 a was used , and a polyacrylate blanket as shown in fig1 b was used . the experimental set up was the same as described above for the dry polyacrylate fire shelter with a reflective shield 1120 , with the following additional steps . before wrapping with foil 1118 , the blanket 1115 was wrapped around the fire shelter frame 1114 and then stitched together to prevent it from opening up around the frame , and then placed in a large mixing bowl . next , water 1119 was poured over it . fig1 e shows a fire shelter frame wrapped with a polyacrylate blanket 1123 being hydrated with tap water 1119 poured over it . 71 . 1 oz of tap water 1119 was poured over the polyacrylate 1123 . then , after wrapping the fire shelter frame 1114 and blanket 1115 with foil 1118 , with its shiny , reflective side facing outwards , the procedure was the same as the previously described experiment . after removing the fire shelter 1120 from the oven , the foil 1118 was unwrapped and the stitching on the blanket 1115 was cut in order to verify the temperature inside of the frame and to remove and cut the egg 1116 . the starting temperature inside the fire shelter 112 was 67 degrees fahrenheit . there was no change in temperature observed until the fourteenth minute . from there , the temperature rose by one degree every four minutes . at 22 minutes , the rise in temperature became one degree every two minutes . the last four minutes of the experiment , the rise in temperature became one degree every minute . at the end of the 30 minutes , the temperature was 78 degrees fahrenheit ( see fig1 a ). unlike the dry polyacrylate experiment , there was no noticeable odor . after removal of the fire shelter 1120 from the oven , the outside temperature of the polyacrylate 1115 touching the foil 1118 was 146 degrees , the temperature of the polyacrylate 1115 facing the framework 1114 was 90 degrees , and the outside of the egg 1116 was 78 degrees . the internal temperature of the egg 1116 was 77 degrees . when cracked open , the egg 1816 - b was observed to be raw ( see fig1 b ). the observed slow rise in temperature in this experiment was due to the second law of thermodynamics , stating that heat will flow from a higher temperature to a lower temperature until equilibrium is reached . because of the density of the water in sodium polyacrylate &# 39 ; s polymer cells , the slow rise in temperature showed that heat takes a much longer time to travel through it . heat can travel faster through air cells or pockets since air much less dense than water , and less energy may be spent so that more heat can pass through . another reason for the heat taking longer to pass through the hydrated polymer is that there is a layering effect . heat must raise the temperature in each individual pocket before passing onto the next pocket through conduction heat . when the polyacrylate polymer 1115 is hydrated 1123 , it forms thousands of cells , which form individual layers . the sodium that surrounds the hydrated polymer cells act similarly to a foil wrapping , providing another layer of insulation . thus , the density of the water 1119 gives insulation properties , the individual cells of water formed by the polymer makes many layers , and the sodium keeps the water 1119 from dehydrating from the polymer . a u . s . forestry fire shelter blanket 1121 was used to perform a convection test . the u . s . forestry fire shelter was cut to form a 14 inch by 20 inch sample blanket , which was wrapped around a fire shelter frame 1114 containing an egg 1116 and thermometer probe 1117 and placed in an oven . the experimental procedure then was the same as the above described experiment with a dry polyacrylate blanket 1115 . the starting temperature inside of the fire shelter was 67 degrees fahrenheit . after one minute , it rose to 118 degrees , roughly one degree per second . at one minute and 13 seconds , the internal temperature reached 130 degrees fahrenheit , the temperature at which physical harm might occur to an individual . the temperature rise remained steady , at a rate of 1 degree for every 2 - 3 seconds , with no temperature spikes . the smell of burning wood and burning glue filled the kitchen . the maximum temperature of 390 degrees fahrenheit was reached on the thermometer probe before the 15 minute mark . no more reliable data could be collected , so the experiment was stopped at this point ( see fig1 a ). after removal from the oven , the temperature of the egg 1816 - c was 221 degrees fahrenheit and fully cooked ( see fig1 c ), and the shell was cracked . the results of the u . s . forestry fire shelter 1121 convection test showed the importance of having an additional form of insulation . in the oven , the shelter quickly rose to the maximum temperature that the thermometer probe could measure , 390 degrees fahrenheit , in under 15 minutes , and the experiment had to be stopped prematurely . upon removal from the oven , it was observed that the shelter 1121 had begun to come apart . the glue which held the two foil sheets and silica weave together had failed , and during the test , the smell of burning glue had been observed . fig1 f shows that the silica weave 1122 of the u . s . forestry ( u . s . f .) fire shelter 1121 had turned a light brown color , indicating that it had burned . in researching the prior art , it was found that silica weave 1122 can withstand 2400 degrees fahrenheit before breaking down . therefore , it was concluded that it was the glue that had failed . the glue of the u . s . f . fire shelter 1121 was known to have failed at 500 degrees fahrenheit previously , and these test results confirmed this finding . upon removing the silica weave 1122 from the shelter 1121 , it was observed under a magnifying glass that the weave 1122 was transparent and its fibers had open space between them . previous experiments disclosed herein using the fire and smoke prevention composition showed that the best way to keep fire and smoke from penetrating a door jamb or gap was to fill it with something that has a strong bond with itself ( see fig5 , fig1 ). the silica weave 1122 of the u . s . f . fire shelter 1121 depended solely on the foil to complete its air pocket or air cell . as in the previous experiment which relied on air pockets , the heat passed through quickly . the u . s . f . fire shelter performed worse than the dry polyacrylate cloth 1115 , which may have been due to the size of the air pockets . the polyacrylate cloth had more air pockets , because it was thicker than the u . s . f . fire shelter 1121 material . additionally , because the u . s . f . fire shelter 1121 had two sheets of aluminum , the transfer of heat through conduction was much greater , since metal conducts heat better than cloth . fig1 a shows table 3 summarizing the results of the 30 minute convection tests using the hydrated polyacrylate 1123 , dry polyacrylate 1115 , and u . s . forestry 1121 fire shelters . fig1 b shows a line graph 1224 illustrating the results of the 30 minute convection tests using the hydrated polyacrylate 1123 , dry polyacrylate 1115 , and u . s . forestry 1121 fire shelters . it should be noted the superior performance of the hydrated polyacrylate fire shelter 1123 . to test a hydrated polyacrylate fire shelter with no reflective shield , the experimental procedure was followed for the hydrated polyacrylate fire shelter described above , but without the aluminum foil . the starting temperature inside the fire shelter was 71 degrees fahrenheit . unlike the experiment with a reflective shield , the polyacrylate 1123 had a steady climb in temperature . the temperature rose between 1 - 2 degrees every minute until it reached 120 degrees fahrenheit . there were no spikes or plateaus as there were in other experiments . at the end of the experiment , the temperature of the outside of the polyacrylate 1123 was 214 degrees , the temperature of the polacrylate facing the egg was 152 degrees , and the egg was 119 degrees . the egg 1816 - e was observed to have a soft boiled texture , with mostly uncooked egg whites mixed with some cooked egg whites , and runny yolk ( see fig1 e ). these results showed that the foil or reflective shield does delay the heat transfer . with the foil , the hydrated polacrylate 1123 started to heat up at the 14 minute mark . without the foil , the heat began rising immediately . it was a slow , steady rise , unlike the experiments using the dry polyacrylate 1115 or the u . s . f . 1121 fire shelters , which showed a steep rise in temperature ( see fig1 a ). there was a nearly 50 degree climb in temperature ; however , the end result of the experiment still suggested a survivable condition at 120 degrees after 30 minutes . foil was found to work as a reflective barrier , but not a conduction barrier . it does not retain heat at all once the heat source is removed . the foil 1118 may not be keeping the heat out as much as it is keeping the cool hydrated polymer 1123 from heating up through direct convection heat . thus , this test shows how the reflective insulator delays the heat by providing another barrier . since the foil reflects some heat , it also reflects the cooler temperature of the hydrated polymer into itself . without the foil , the hydrated polymer immediately started its temperature rise . although at a much slower rate , it still rose steadily , possibly due to the convection heat turning into conduction heat much quicker without the reflective insulation . fig1 a shows table 4 summarizing the results of the experiments testing the hydrated polyacrylate 1123 fire shelter with and without a reflective shield . fig1 b shows a line graph 1325 illustrating the results of the 30 minute test of the hydrated polyacrylate with and without a reflective shield . it should be noted the superior performance of the hydrated polyacrylate with a reflective shield . to test open flame radiation with a u . s . forestry fire shelter , a 14 inch by 18 inch sheet was cut from a u . s . forestry fire shelter to make a sample blanket . one extra - large room temperature raw egg was placed in the middle of the sheet , with a thermometer probe . the fire shelter blanket was wrapped around the egg and probe to make an 11 inch by 4 inch by 3 inch shelter . fig1 a shows a u . s . forestry fire shelter 1426 blanket wrapped around an egg and thermometer probe , with a lit propane torch 1409 applying flame about four inches from the fire shelter 1426 . the experiment proceeded for 15 minutes , with temperature readings being recorded every minute . the shelter 1426 was then opened and the egg was cut in half . the starting temperature inside of the fire shelter 1426 was 82 degrees fahrenheit . there was an approximately 1 inch air gap separating the egg from the inner lining of the u . s . f . fire shelter . the foil immediately bubbled and separated exposing the silica weave 1122 , which turned a glowing red . after one minute , the temperature reached 123 degrees . after three minutes , it reached 222 degrees , at a steep incline . at four minutes , it reached 236 degrees and it plateaued until the eighth minute , when it rose to 239 . by the eleventh minute , it reached 244 degrees and remained there until the end of the 15 minute test . when the wrapping was opened , the egg shell was cracked , with egg white seeping out . the egg shell was 140 degrees and the internal egg temperature was 103 degrees . there was a very slight amount of egg white that was cooked ; otherwise , the egg 1816 - g was raw ( see fig1 g ). the results of this test helped to understand how a u . s . f . fire shelter 1426 would perform under extreme direct heat from a propane torch 1409 . the torch flame 1409 can reach a temperature of 2400 degrees fahrenheit . the shelter 1426 was built into a small scale shelter , but with the same principle of how a firefighter may use it . as the fire was directed onto the foil 1426 , the foil 1426 quickly flaked away . this supported the research that was done on the foil , which suggested that foil may only be able to reach 1400 degrees before it melts . after the foil was flaked away , the flame 1409 was directly aimed at the silica weave 1122 from four inches away . the weave 1122 immediately glowed red under the direct flame , and the internal temperature of the wrapping quickly rose to 123 degrees after one minute and continued to rise until 244 degrees was reached after 11 minutes . the temperature remained the same until the end of the 15 minute test . the observation of the exposed silica weave 1122 glowing but not burning led to the suggestion that the flame was under 2400 degrees , which would cause a breakdown of the silica weave at its melting point . as previously noted , the silica weave 1122 was very loose in its construction , with many air gaps , so that heat transferred easily into the inner shelter . the next observation is why the temperature rise stopped at 244 degrees . it is known that the internal temperature of the u . s . f . fire shelter can reach 200 degrees , which supports the idea that the silica weave has an ability to reflect and insulate very high radiation heat , but not high convection heat . to test open flame radiation with a hydrated polyacrylate fire shelter , aluminum foil was laid with its shiny , reflective side down , and a polyacrylate blanket was placed on top . 6 oz of water was poured evenly over the blanket . an extra - large room temperature raw egg was placed in the middle of the blanket , alongside a thermometer probe . the blanket and foil were wrapped around the egg and probe , to make an 11 inch by 4 inch by 3 inch fire shelter . fig1 b shows a propane torch 1409 lit and the flame held about 4 inches away from a hydrated polyacrylate fire shelter 1427 . the experiment proceeded for 15 minutes , with temperature readings being recorded every minute . the shelter 1427 was then opened and the egg was cut in half . the starting temperature inside of the fire shelter 1427 was 82 degrees fahrenheit . the foil burned away immediately as in the previous experiment . however , while the hydrated polymer blanket interior did char slightly , no other breakdowns occurred and there were no other visible effects . during the 15 minute test , the temperature inside the shelter 1427 did not rise . these results supported the findings of the convection heat test . when the egg 1816 - f was removed and cracked open at the end of the experiment , it was observed to be completely raw and still at the same temperature of 82 degrees ( see fig1 f ). these results supported the idea that the hydrated polymer reflects the direct heat from the flame because of the sodium that surrounds the individual cells . although there was some charring to inidicate that the polymer did break down and burn , it also formed an insulation with that resulting carbon , which may be what stopped the polymer from continuing to break down . previous experiments had shown that in longer experiments , the polymer may break down . fig1 a shows table 5 summarizing the results of the experiments testing open flame radiation on a hydrated polyacrylate fire shelter and a u . s . forestry fire shelter . fig1 b shows a line graph 1528 illustrating the results of the 15 minute open flame radiation tests using a hydrated polyacrylate 1427 and u . s . f . 1426 fire shelter . it should be noted the superior performance of the hydrated polyacrylate fire shelter 1427 , which did not allow any change in temperature on the inside . to test the endothermic response of water with no reflective shield , a raw egg was placed in a corningware bowl . fig1 a shows a raw egg in a corningware bowl completely submerged in 24 oz of tap water 1619 , with a thermometer probe also placed in the water . the starting temperature was recorded . next , the bowl was placed into an oven . the experiment proceeded for 30 minutes , with temperature readings being recorded every minute . the bowl was then removed from the oven and the egg was cut in half . the starting temperature of the egg in water was 73 degrees fahrenheit . there was an overall steady climb in temperature of 5 - 8 degrees per minute with no heavy spikes or plateaus . once the experiment had proceeded for 20 minutes , the temperature reached 210 degrees and the water had a steady boil . this continued until the end of the 30 minutes . upon removal of the egg 1816 - i , it was observed that it had been hard - boiled ( see fig1 i ). these results showed that the water without a foil barrier or an air gap had a quick and steady increase in temperature . the boiling point of the water was reached at the 20 minute mark . to test the endothermic response of water with a reflective shield , a raw egg 1616 was submerged in 24 oz of water 1619 in a corningware bowl 1629 with a thermometer probe 1617 . fig1 b shows a bowl 1629 wrapped in aluminum foil 1618 with the shiny , reflective side facing outwards . the starting temperature was recorded . next , the wrapped bowl 1629 was placed into an oven . the experiment proceeded for 30 minutes , with temperature readings being recorded every minute . the bowl 1629 was then removed from the oven and the egg 1616 was cut in half . the starting temperature was 73 degrees fahrenheit . there was a steady climb in temperature during the experiment , generally 2 - 3 every minute . it reached 152 degrees at the end of the 30 minutes , and did not reach the boiling point of 210 degrees during the test even though the oven temperature had been set to 550 degrees . when the bowl 1629 was removed from the oven and the foil was pulled back , small bubbles of air on the side of the bowl 1629 were observed , although the water had not begun boiling . when the egg 1816 - h was removed and cut into , its internal temperature was 150 degrees . parts of the egg were still soft , and overall was mostly cooked ( see fig1 h ). these two endothermic response test results strongly suggested that a reflective shield does form an insulation barrier . the foil shield worked well to reflect some heat and delay the second endothermic law . additionally , although the foil did act as a shield , it is likely that the air gap that formed in the area between the foil and the water played a greater role in these results . the two tests described herein suggested strongly that having a foil barrier and maintaining an air gap are beneficial in insulation . fig1 a shows table 6 summarizing the results of the experiments testing the endothermic response of water with and without a reflective shield . fig1 b shows a line graph 1730 illustrating the results of the experiments testing the endothermic response of water with ( fig1 a ) and without a reflective shield ( fig1 b ). it should be noted the superior performance of the reflective shield ( fig1 a ) in maintaining a lower temperature of water 1619 . to test thermal conductivity of a hydrated polyacrylate blanket with a reflective shield and with no air gap , a raw egg and hydrated polyacrylate blanket were used as in previously described experiments , but no fire shelter frame was used . a sheet of 16 inch by 14 inch aluminum foil was laid out and a 3 inch by 12 inch polyacrylate blanket was laid on top of the foil . room temperature water was poured over the polyacrylate blanket . a raw egg was placed in the middle of the blanket and wrapped with the blanket and foil with the foil &# 39 ; s shiny , reflective side facing outwards . this wrapping was placed in an oven for 30 minutes , and then removed and cut in half . the starting temperature inside of the wrapping was 71 degrees fahrenheit . after the 30 minutes , the temperature of the outside of the foil was 92 degrees , the temperature of the polyacrylate touching the foil was 175 degrees , and the temperature of the polymer facing the egg was 160 degrees . the egg &# 39 ; s temperature was 140 degrees . when the egg 1816 - j was cracked , it was observed to look like a soft - boiled egg , with some runny egg white and some runny yolk ( see fig1 j ). there was observed to be a large amount of heat transference between the foil and the polyacrylate blanket . these results strongly suggested the importance of an air gap in the fire shelter . there was a nearly 70 degree rise in temperature compared to the test that was performed with an air gap , using the fire shelter frame with blanket wrapped around the frame ( see fig1 a ), which rose only 11 degrees . in analyzing the results , it was observed that the air gap works by breaking up the conductive heat , meaning that contact between two objects of different temperatures will follow the second law of thermodynamics . the object of greater temperature will pass heat to that of the lesser temperature . with contact , the heat transfer is very effective . even though the polymer is an effective insulator , it still passes some conductive heat through the contact of polymer cells , which may be why the insulator passed the heat onto the egg . with an air gap , heat may pass onto the inner shelter no matter what insulator is in place . fig1 a - j show the status of the eggs used after each experiment . it should be noted the superiority of the conditions that resulted in uncooked , raw eggs . to test the shiny and dull sides of aluminum foil for their insulation value , two potatoes ( not shown ) of nearly the exact same weight , length , and girth were used . the temperatures of the potatoes were taken and each were wrapped with enough foil to cover the potatoes in one layer of foil . one potato was wrapped with the foil &# 39 ; s shiny , reflective side facing outwards , and the other was wrapped with the foil &# 39 ; s dull side facing outwards . both wrapped potatoes were placed in an oven that had been preheated to 400 degrees fahrenheit . the potatoes were placed in the oven for 30 minutes . the potatoes were then removed and a laser thermometer was used to measure the outside temperature of the aluminum foil of both wrapped potatoes . a thermometer probe was then used to measure the internal temperatures of both potatoes by inserting the probe one inch deep into the potatoes . the experiment was repeated for other sets of exact same weight potatoes . the starting temperature of the potatoes was 72 degrees fahrenheit . after the 30 minutes , the potatoes were removed from the oven and their temperatures were measured using a laser thermometer . fig1 shows a bar graph 1931 illustrating the rests of the aluminum foil shiny and dull side comparison test . when the test was performed using sets of potatoes having different weights , the temperature of the potato that had the dull side of the foil facing outwards was consistently approximately 5 degrees higher than that of the potato that had the shiny side of the foil facing outwards . it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document . all temperature degrees in this disclosure are fahrenheit degrees , unless otherwise indicated . all length units are inches , unless otherwise indicated . all eggs were extra - large and raw , and at room temperature at the start of each experiment . all experiments using an oven had the oven preheated to 550 degrees fahrenheit unless otherwise indicated . the terms “ include ” and “ comprise ,” as well as derivatives thereof , mean inclusion without limitation . the term “ or ” is inclusive , meaning and / or . the phrases “ associated with ” and “ associated therewith ,” as well as derivatives thereof , may mean to include , be included within , interconnect with , contain , be contained within , connect to or with , couple to or with , be communicable with , cooperate with , interleave , juxtapose , be proximate to , be bound to or with , have , have a property of , or the like . although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for the purpose of disclosing the preferred embodiments , someone of ordinary skills in the art will easily detect alternate embodiments and / or equivalent variations , which may be capable of achieving the same results , and which may be substituted for the specific embodiments illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention . therefore , the scope of this application is intended to cover alternate embodiments and / or equivalent variations of the specific embodiments illustrated and / or described herein . | 0 |
referring to fig1 the present invention , a bow hanger 1 in the preferred embodiment , includes a cord 2 , a cleat 3 , a lanyard 4 , a positioning pin 5 , a hanger pivot pin 6 , an arm pivot pin 7 , a bracket 10 , utility hooks 12 , clearances 13 , a main hook 14 , an arm 15 , a brace 16 , a hanger 17 , a saddle 18 , and a coating 20 . the bracket 10 , in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , includes , clearances 13 , and an optional utility hook 11 . the arm 15 , in the preferred embodiment of the invention , includes light utility hooks 12 and a saddle 18 as well as the previously mentioned cleat 3 . the hanger 17 is pinned to the bracket 10 by the hanger pivot pin 6 and held in position by the positioning pin 5 which is inserted through the clearances 13 of the bracket 10 and through an aperture 19 contained in the hanger 17 . also , the main hook 14 and a portion of the hanger 17 are dipped in a coating 20 . the coating 20 serves as protection for a bow or other item to avoid damage from the main hook 14 or the hanger 17 . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the coating can be either rubber or plastic , although , as obvious to anyone skilled in the art , other coatings serve the same purpose . as the bracket 10 has multiple clearances 13 , the hanger 17 can be raised or lowered to a variety of positions . in the preferred embodiment of the invention , seven sets of clearances , 11 degrees apart are used , but as obvious to anyone skilled in the art , a different number of clearances or angle degrees can be used . the pin 5 goes through the hanger 17 so the hanger 17 is held in position , so the hanger 17 does not go up as an item such as a bow 9 as shown in fig3 is removed from the main hook 14 . the lanyard 4 is used as a safety line securing the positioning pin 5 to the bow hanger 1 to avoid losing said positioning pin 5 . as shown in fig1 the hanger pivot pin 6 pins the hanger 17 in the bracket 10 . except when limited by the positioning pin 5 , or the brace 16 , the hanger arm 17 is rotatable within the bracket 10 . similarly , the arm 15 is pinned to the bracket 10 by the arm pivot pin 7 . the arm 15 is rotatable within the bracket 10 except as limited by the brace 16 . in the operation of the bow hanger 1 , in the preferred embodiment of the invention , as indicated in fig3 the saddle 18 is placed against a tree 8 , with the brace 16 also against the tree 8 . in the preferred embodiment of the invention , the brace 16 is forked as shown in fig1 so as to diffuse the load on the tree 8 . the cord 2 is wrapped around the tree 8 , and then is secured to the cleat 3 . the one end of the cord 2 is secured to the cleat 3 while the other end of the cord is secured to the saddle 18 , kept from coming off the saddle 18 by the utility hook 12 located near that end of the cord 2 . the cord 1 secures the arm 15 to the tree 8 . a bow 9 can be hung off the main hook 14 . other items can be held by the utility hook 11 or the light utility hooks 12 . the arm 15 is in tension , serving as a tension member . the cord 2 will also be in tension , securing the arm 15 to the tree 8 . the brace 16 is held in compression by gravity , said brace 16 serving as a compression member . obviously , to anyone skilled in the state of the art of bow hangers , additional hooks can be attached or located as desired . fig3 shows the bow 9 hanging on the main hook 14 of the hanger 17 , said bow 9 aligned with and positioned in front of the bow hunter so that the bow 9 is easily accessible with a minimum of movement by the bow hunter . the bow hanger 1 can be collapsed , as shown in fig2 for ease of transport and storage . the positioning pin 5 is removed from the bracket 10 and then the hanger 17 is rotated until it abuts the brace 16 . the arm 15 is rotated until it abuts the brace 16 . in the preferred embodiment of the invention , the materials of construction are steel , except for the cord 2 , which is nylon and the lanyard 4 which is a flexible steel cable , and the coating 20 . however , as obvious to anyone skilled in the state of the art , other materials , such as fiberglass , plastics , aluminum , as examples , can serve the same purpose . while the present invention is intended for hanging bows for bow hunters , it also serves other purposes . other items hung from the bow hanger 1 as limited only by the imagination . for example , the bow hanger 1 can be used to hang a planter , a flower pot , or a bird feeder from a tree in a back yard when not required for hunting purposes . although the description above contains many specificities , these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention . for example , additional hooks could be added or the optional utility hook 11 removed . also , a ratchet head could be used instead of pin 5 through the clearances 13 for positioning the hanger 17 . or , a projection and groove combination combined with a bolt and a wing nut could be used to secure the hanger 17 within the bracket 10 . also , instead of the cord 2 , a flat strap , or a rope , or a chain , or a wire , or any flexible means that could be fastened to the saddle 18 then wrapped around the tree 8 and then secured to the saddle 18 to secure the saddle 18 , and thus the arm 15 to the tree would serve the same purpose . while the brace 16 is not shown as pivotable within the bracket 10 , and the hanger 17 and the arm 15 are shown as pivotable within the bracket 10 , it is obvious to anyone skilled in the state of the art that the brace 16 could also be pivotable within the bracket 10 . as long as any two of the arm 15 , brace 16 , and hanger 17 are pivotable , the bow hanger 1 is collapsible , which is desirable for transport and storage . while a rod is indicated in the drawing for each of the arm 15 , brace 16 , and hanger 17 , pipe , or channel , or tubing , or some other structural shape would serve the same purpose . thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents , rather than by the examples given . | 5 |
fig1 shows the cylinder 1 which consists of a cylindrical wall 2 and a radial flange 3 . at that end face 4 remote from the flange 3 is secured a backing member 5 in the form of a substantially rectangular plate . within the cylinder 1 is located an axially symmetrical pressure ring 6 , the outer surface of which consists of two cylindrical faces 7 and 8 of different diameters , between which is disposed an annular face 9 which forms the actual operating face of an annular piston which is formed by the pressure ring 6 . the chamber 10 within the cylinder 2 is sealed off from the exterior by two o - rings 11 and 12 . the cylinder chamber 10 communicates with a pressure - medium drive 15 by way of a bore 13 and a hydraulic pipe 14 . on its outer side the pressure ring 6 is provided with a radial flange 16 , which for assembly purposes is , of course , separated from the pressure ring 6 . extending through the flange 16 are guide pins 17 which are secured in the flange 3 . a sliding movement of the flange 16 on the guide pins 17 is promoted by a bush 18 in the flange 16 , a bush being provided for each guide pin . compression springs 19 , guided on guide pins 20 , are located between the backing member 5 and the flange 16 at all four corners . the compression springs 19 retain the pressure ring 6 in the position illustrated in the lower half of fig1 when the hydraulic fluid is not under pressure . the pressure ring 6 has an inner surface which is made up of surface parts 21 and 22 having a sharp setting angle β and of surface parts 23 and 24 having a wide setting angle α . the surface parts 23 are located at the end face 25 of the pressure ring 6 , whereas the surface part 24 is located substantially midway between the surface parts 21 and 22 , so that the generatrices of the surface parts 21 and 22 are of substantially the same length . co - operating with the surface parts 21 to 24 are eight pressing tools 26 which are uniformly distributed along the periphery and which at their outer surfaces consist of complementary surface parts 27 and 28 having a wide generating angle α and of surface parts 29 and 30 having a sharp setting angle β . the surface part 27 is located at the end faces 31 of the pressing tools 26 , whereas the surface part 28 is located approximately midway between the surface parts 29 and 30 . the pressing tools 26 will have been produced from a suitably shaped ring by cutting out gaps 32 of such dimensions that the pressing tools 26 can be brought sufficiently close to each other as shown in fig2 . as shown in fig1 the pressing tools 26 are secured to the backing member 5 by way of radially extending dovetail guides 33 which consist of t - shaped recesses 34 and of complementary t - shaped side blocks 35 which are attached to the backing member 5 by screws . the axis of the radial press which coincides with the axis of the cylindrical outer surface of the workpiece , not illustrated , is designated by the letters a -- a . it can be seen from fig1 that the length of construction in the axial direction a -- a is extremely small . fig2 shows the following further details . between each pair of adjacent pressing tools 26 is fitted a return spring 36 designed as a compression spring whereby the pressing tools are moved radially outwards as far as is permitted by the position of the pressure ring 6 . fitted on each pressing tool is a tool attachment 37 having end face 38 , shown in dash - dot lines ; these attachments are replaceable and are adapted to the size and shape of the workpiece . it is however possible to form each tool 26 and attachment 37 in a single piece . the mode of operation of the apparatus shown in fig1 and 2 is as follows : initially the pressure ring 6 is in the position illustrated in the lower half of the figs . and bears against the flange 3 under the action of the compression springs 19 . the pressing tools 26 are then in their extreme outer position in which the gaps 32 between each pair of pressing tools are of maximum width because of the action of the return springs 36 . in this position , a pressure hose with a fitting of complicated shape can be readily introduced into the cylindrical gap between the tool attachments 37 , this gap forming , as it were , the envelope surface of the end faces 38 of the tool attachments 37 . if the pressure - medium drive now sets up line pressure in the bore 13 , this pressure also acts on the annular surface 9 and begins to displace the pressure ring 6 to the left . as this happens , the surface parts 23 and 28 having a wide setting angle α then become effective as do the surface parts 24 and 27 if required . expediently , the surface parts 24 and 27 are stepped from each other to a somewhat greater extent , so that contact between the surface parts 23 and 28 occurs . as this happens , the pressing tools 26 move inwards at a high speed and practically under no power , and the stroke of the pressure ring 6 corresponds only to the axial gap between the inner edge and the outer edge of the surface part 23 . following this , the surface parts 21 and 22 of the pressure ring 6 , which have a sharp setting angle β , start to co - operate with the complementary surface parts 29 and 30 as illustrated in the upper half of fig1 . when these surfaces begin to touch , or shortly thereafter , the actual power stroke occurs , i . e . a relatively long distance of travel of the pressure ring 6 is required to move the pressure tools 26 radially inwards to a corresponding extent . the end position of the pressure ring 6 and the pressing tools 26 is shown in the upper half of fig1 and 2 . it can be seen , particularly from fig2 that the end faces 38 of the tool attachments 37 here enclose a practically closed cylinder which corresponds to the final dimensions of the workpiece , not illustrated . the spaces 32 between adjacent pairs of pressing tools 26 have thus been reduced to narrow gaps . as soon as the pressure in the drive 15 slackens off , the pressure ring 6 returns to the position illustrated in the lower half of fig1 under the action of the compression springs 19 , and the pressing tools 26 follow up the pressure ring under the action of the return springs 36 . because of the shape , as proposed in the invention , of the inner surface of the pressure ring 6 as well as of the outer surfaces of the pressing tools 26 , the setting angles of these surfaces are ideally suited to the power requirements for the pressing tools . this is seen by plotting the radial pressing force against the stroke of the pressure ring 6 since the graph so obtained exhibits a sudden change in direction . the subject - matter of the invention is not limited to the arrangement illustrated , in which the pressure ring and the hydraulic piston are one and the same component , and which is characterized by a particularly compact construction in the axial direction . it is readily possible to provide an external piston drive , and to connect the piston and / or cylinder to the pressure ring by way of distance pieces such as rods , or a pressure sleeve . a modified arrangement of this kind is illustrated in fig3 . the pressure ring 6a illustrated therein has , over its inner surface , the same geometrical shape as the pressure ring 6 shown in fig1 and 2 ; consequently , it is provided with the same form of pressing tools 26 as in the preceding figures . therefore , for the sake of clarity , the individual surface parts of the pressure ring 6a and pressure tools 26 have not again been provided with reference numerals . the important difference resides in the fact that the pressure ring 6a is not formed as a hollow piston . instead , the backing member 5a and the pressure ring 6a are connected by distance pieces 39 and 40 to a piston drive 41 which consists of a cylinder 42 and a piston 43 . the cylinder 42 has an outer flange 44 which is connected to the backing member 5a by way of distance pieces 40 acting as tie rods . the piston 43 is connected by a piston rod 45 to a flange plate 46 which in turn is connected to the pressure ring 6a by distance pieces 39 acting as plunger rods . fig4 shows a modified form of the system illustrated in fig1 and 3 . in the fig4 arrangement the principles of the construction and action have been reversed . however , where parts that are the same as those in fig1 and 3 are used , the previous reference numerals have been retained . here again the cylinder 1 consists of a cylindrical body 2 and a radial flange 3 . here however , at that end face 4 remote from the flange 3 , is secured the pressure ring 6b ; the surface parts 21 / 22 and 23 / 24 correspond to those of fig1 as regards position and setting angle . provided within the cylinder 1 is an axially symmetrical backing member 5b which is connected to a hollow cylinder 5c . the two parts form an annular piston , which , together with the flange 3 , delimit a cylindrical space 10 , the volume of which is zero in the end position illustrated . the surfaces of contact between the cylinder body 2 and the backing member 5b are of the same cylindrical form as the surfaces of contact between the flange 3 and the hollow cylinder 5c . two o - rings 11 and 12 seal off the system against the exterior . a plurality of pressing tools 26 uniformly distributed along the circumference co - operate with the surface parts 21 to 24 , these tools having on their outer surfaces complementary surface parts 27 to 30 as in fig1 . as shown in fig4 the pressing tools 26 , only one of which is illustrated , are secured to the backing member 5b by way of radial dovetail guides 33 which consist of t - shaped recesses 34 and of complementary t - shaped slide blocks 35 which are secured to the pressing tools 26 by screws . the axis of the system is again designated by the letters a -- a . the mode of operation of the apparatus of fig4 is as follows : initially , the backing member 5b is in the illustrated position in which the pressing tools 26 are in the extreme outer position indicated by shading . in this position a pressure hose and a fitting of complicated shape can be readily inserted into the cylindrical space defined by the pressing tools . then , as soon as pressure is set up in the cylindrical space 10 , this pressure acts on the annular face of the piston - like backing member 5b and begins to move it outwardly towards the pressure ring 6b . as this happens , the surface parts 24 and 28 having a wide setting angle then become effective as do the surface parts 23 and 27 if required . during this phase , the pressing tools 26 move inwards at high speed and virtually without applying force , the stroke of the backing member 5b corresponding only to the axial distance x . this distance corresponds to the axial distance between the inner edge and outer edge of the surface parts 24 and 28 . on completion of this stroke , all the pressing tools 26 will have reached the position shown in broken lines . thereafter , the surface parts 21 and 22 of the pressure ring 6b that have a sharp setting angle begin to co - operate with the complementary surface parts 29 and 30 , starting from the position shown by the broken lines . the actual power stroke occurs at this instant , i . e . a relatively long distance of travel of the backing member 5b is required in order to move the pressing tools 26 radially inwards to a corresponding extent . as soon as the pressure in the cylindrical space 10 slackens off , the backing member 5b returns to the illustrated position under the action of compression springs , not illustrated . | 8 |
in fig1 a and 1b , first and second embodiments , respectively , are shown of a pill crusher according to the invention , which is indicated generally by reference 10 and which has a housing 12 . in fig1 a of the first embodiment there is shown a cylindrically - curved paper cup holder 14 at a rear corner of the housing 12 . in fig1 b of the second embodiment there is shown a drop handle 11 on the side of the housing 12 . there is also a second drop handle ( not shown ) located on the opposite side of the housing 12 . referring now to fig2 a and 2b , which show pill crusher 10 with housing 12 removed , it can be seen that the pill crusher has a pair of parallel vertical side walls 16 , between which extends a platform 18 . in fig2 a of the first embodiment platform 18 projects forwardly from the side walls 16 and is supported on a pair of posts 20 and 21 at opposite front corners of the pill crusher . at the rear of the pill crusher , there is provided a low noise electric motor 22 ( as seen in fig3 a ) having a vertical axis . in fig2 b of the second embodiment there is provided a low noise electric motor 22 ( as seen in fig3 b ) having a vertical axis , at the front of the pill crusher . as shown in fig3 a and 3 a ( i ) of the first embodiment , the electric motor 22 has a drive shaft 24 , which carries a gear 26 meshing with a gear 28 mounted on a vertical shaft 30 , which is journaled at its lower end in a base plate 32 and , at its upper end , in a platform 34 on which the motor 22 is mounted . a further gear 36 on the shaft 30 meshes with a gear 38 on a shaft 40 , which is also journaled at opposite ends in the base plate 32 and platform 52 . a gear 42 on the shaft 40 meshes , in turn , with a gear 44 mounted on the lower end of a vertical shaft 46 . the shaft 46 is journaled at opposite ends in bearings 48 and 50 . the bearings 48 are mounted in the platform 34 and 52 at the lower end of the shaft 46 , and the bearings 50 are mounted in a pair of vertically spaced platforms 54 , which extend between the side walls 16 . the upper end of the vertical shaft 46 is connected by a chain and sprocket drive , indicated generally by reference numeral 56 , to a square - sectioned upper end portion 55 of a shaft 57 at the upper end of a worm gear 58 , which has a vertical axis parallel to that of the shaft 46 . the worm gear 58 meshes with a threaded nut 60 , which is fixed to the platform 18 , and at its lower end carries a plunger which is indicated generally by reference numeral 62 and which is made of nylon or other suitable plastic material . as shown in fig3 b of the second embodiment , the electric motor 22 has a drive input 24 . inserted into drive input 24 is a drive shaft 25 , which carries a gear 26 , which is journaled at opposite ends in bearings 48 , which are mounted at its lower end in a base plate 32 on which the motor 22 is mounted and , at its upper end , in a platform 34 . the gear 26 is connected by a grooved belt pulley drive 56 ( as seen in fig2 b ), to a second gear 36 , which is journaled at opposite ends in bearings 50 , which are mounted at its lower end in a base plate 33 and , at its upper end , in a platform 35 . the gear 36 is carried on shaft 57 at the upper end of a worm gear 58 , which has a vertical axis parallel to that of shaft 25 . the worm gear 58 meshes with a threaded nut 60 , which is fixed to the platform 18 , and at its lower end carries a plunger 62 which is made of stainless steel or other suitable metal material . as shown in fig3 a and 3b , the plunger 62 co - operates with a receptacle indicated generally by reference numeral 64 , which is pivotally mounted on the post 20 as described in greater detail below . the receptacle 64 has an upwardly - open , frusto - conical recess 66 ( as seen in fig2 a and 2b ), in which a pair of paper cups 68 and 69 , are inserted one into the other ( as seen in fig4 a and 4b ); a body portion 70 , which forms the wall of the recess 66 ; and a circular plate 72 , which is secured by screws ( not shown ) in the underside of the body portion 70 and which forms the bottom of the recess 66 . the plunger 62 has a frusto - conical surface 73 , which is complementary in shape to the frusto - conical recess 66 , and an undersurface 74 . the undersurface 74 of the plunger 62 and the opposed upper surface 75 of the plate 72 forming the bottom of the recess 66 are both dimpled . referring now to fig6 a of the first embodiment , the body 70 of the receptacle 64 has an upstanding front wall 78 , an upstanding sidewall 80 , which is spaced from the wall 78 by a gap 82 , and a cylindrically curved wall 84 connecting inner surfaces of the walls 78 and 80 . a lower end 88 of the post 20 is formed with flat opposite sides 86 so as to enable the lower end 88 to slide through the gap 82 into and out of a cylindrical space within the curved wall 84 . normally , the lower end 88 of the post 20 is located within this cylindrical space , so that the cylindrical wall 84 and the lower end 88 of the post 20 form a readily releasable pivotal connection between the receptacle 64 and the pill crusher 10 . by pivoting the receptacle 64 about the post 20 into the relative positions in which they are shown in fig6 a of the first embodiment , the receptacle 64 can be released from the post 20 and , thus , from the pill crusher 10 to enable the receptacle 64 to be thoroughly cleaned . referring now to fig6 b of the second embodiment , the body 70 of the receptacle 64 has an upstanding front wall 78 , with a cylindrically curved end 84 . an opening located on the undersurface of the upstanding front wall 78 at the cylindrically curved end 84 slides onto post 20 to form a readily releasable pivotal connection between the receptacle 64 and the pill crusher 10 . by pivoting the receptacle 64 about the post 20 into the relative positions in which they are shown in fig6 b of the second embodiment , the receptacle 64 can be released from the post 20 and , thus , from the pill crusher 10 to enable the receptacle 64 to be thoroughly cleaned . in fig1 a and 1b , the receptacle 64 is shown in its closed position , in which the body 70 of the receptacle 64 , with the recess 66 , is located within and concealed within the housing 12 . by pivotation about the post 20 , the receptacle 64 can be displaced into an opened position , in which it is shown in fig2 a and 2b and in which the recess 66 is accessible at the exterior of the housing 12 . the walls 78 ( and 80 in the first embodiment ) close the opening in the housing 12 when the receptacle 64 is in its closed position during the crushing of the pill , and therefore airborne dust levels are reduced during the crushing operation and , also , the operator of the pill crusher 10 is prevented from inserting his or her fingers inside the housing 12 . while the pill crusher is in use , it can , for convenience , be mounted on the working surface of a medication cart , which is pushed from room to room by a nurse and used for preparing medications for administration to patients . for that purpose , the pill 91 is placed between the two paper cups 68 and 69 , as seen in fig4 a and 4b , in order to minimize contamination of the plunger 62 . the pill is then pulverized , as described below , and the top cup 69 is then removed from the bottom cup 68 to allow the powder produced by the pulverization to be mixed with juice or food for consumption by the patient . to initiate the grinding operation in the first embodiment , the operator is required to simultaneously press buttons 90 which are located at opposite sides of the housing 12 . the operator is therefore required to use both hands to press these buttons 90 , so that the operator &# 39 ; s hands must be located away from the vicinity in which the crushing operation occurs . as a further safety measure , the electric motor 22 cannot be energized unless the receptacle 64 is in its closed position , in which the recess 66 is located below the plunger 62 and the opening in the housing 12 , through which the receptacle 64 pivots between its closed and opened positions , is closed by the walls 78 and 80 of the receptacle 64 , thereby preventing access to the interior of the housing 12 and , in particular , at the region of the plunger 62 . to initiate the grinding operation in the second embodiment , the operator is required to press button 90 which is located at the top of the front of the housing 12 . as a safety measure , the electric motor 22 cannot be energized unless the receptacle 64 is in its closed position , in which the recess 66 is located below the plunger 62 ; and the opening in the housing 12 , through which the receptacle 64 pivots between its closed and opened positions , is closed by the wall 78 of the receptacle 64 , thereby preventing access to the interior of the housing 12 and , in particular , at the region of the plunger 62 . in the first embodiment , to ensure effective pulverization with the pill 91 located between the paper cups 68 and 69 , the plunger 62 is first moved downwardly to initiate the crushing of the pill 91 as seen in fig4 a . the plunger 62 is then raised by a small distance , as seen in fig5 a ( i ), in which this distance has been exaggerated to facilitate the illustration of the operation , after which the plunger 62 is then twice lowered again , as seen in fig5 a ( ii ), and raised again , to pulverize the pill 91 . as the plunger 62 is lowered , it is simultaneously rotated . finally , the plunger is raised into a “ park ” position , in which it is shown in fig3 a , to enable the paper cups 68 and 69 to be withdrawn from the pill crusher 10 . in the second embodiment , to ensure effective pulverization of the pill 91 located between the paper cups 68 and 69 , the plunger 62 is moved downwardly to initiate the crushing of the pill 91 as seen in fig4 b . as the plunger 62 is lowered , it is simultaneously rotated . the plunger is raised into a “ park ” position , in which it is shown in fig3 b , to enable the paper cups 68 and 69 to be withdrawn from the pill crusher 10 . the grinding of the pill is promoted by the rotation of the plunger 62 and by the dimpling of the opposed surfaces of the bottom of the receptacle 64 and the underside of the plunger 62 . the operation of the first embodiment of the pill crusher 10 is controlled by a control circuit shown in fig9 a ( i ) and 9 a ( ii ), which includes a microprocessor 100 which is a pic 16 f 870 microprocessor sold by microchip corporation , a voltage regulator 101 and a lcd 102 provided with a negative voltage generator 104 . through gates g 1 , g 2 and g 3 , and through an h - circuit comprising transistors t 1 - t 6 , the microprocessor 100 controls operation of the motor 22 , as described below . when this circuit is energized by connection to its battery , the microprocessor 100 performs the routine shown in fig1 a of the first embodiment by setting up its internal functions and then initializing the lcd 102 , which then displays the word “ initializing ”. leds t 9 and t 10 are then energized . the leds t 9 and t 10 are provided on a post 92 ( as seen in fig2 a ) and co - operate with a pair of photodiodes d 2 and d 3 for sensing the vertical position of the top of the shaft , the photodiodes d 2 and d 3 being provided on a post 93 parallel to the post 92 . if the plunger 62 is not in its fully raised or “ rest ” position , the motor 22 is energized to raise the plunger 62 into this position . after a one - second delay , a bicolour led d 1 , which is visible at the front of the housing 12 , is changed to green , and the lcd 102 displays the word “ ready ”. the microprocessor 100 then cycles through the loop shown in fig1 a until the pill crusher is operated . when the pill 91 is inserted with the paper cups 68 and 69 into the receptacle 64 , the receptacle 64 must be moved into its closed position , in which it closes a magnetically operated switch s 3 , to prevent access to the interior of the housing 12 and to counteract the escape of dust from the housing during the crushing of the pill 91 . the operator then presses the two buttons 90 on opposite sides of the housing 12 to close switches s 1 and s 2 , which are connected in series with the switch s 3 . the closure of the three switches s 1 - s 3 initiates the routine shown in fig1 a of the first embodiment by changing the led d 1 to red and performing a battery health routine , illustrated in fig1 a ( iv ), to ensure that the voltage of the battery remains sufficiently high . the led 102 is then changed to display the word “ crushing ” and the vertical position of the plunger 62 is then checked as described above . if the plunger 62 is not in its fully raised position , the led d 1 is changed to yellow , the motor 22 is started with a soft start as shown by the subroutine of fig1 a ( ii ) and the plunger 62 is raised to the fully raised position , the subroutine of fig1 a ( i ) being employed to brake the motor 22 . the led d 1 is then changed back to green . with the plunger 62 located in its fully raised position , the motor 22 is energized by a soft start as illustrated in the subroutine of fig1 a ( iii ), to move the plunger downward , as described above , to initiate the crushing of the pill . when the photodiode d 3 senses that the plunger 62 has reached its lower position , the subroutine of fig1 a ( ii ) is again initiated , after a one - second delay , to raise the plunger 62 . as shown in fig1 a , the plunger 62 is then lowered and raised again twice , so that the pill 91 is pulverized by three downward strokes of the plunger 62 . however , it has been found that in some cases , two downward strokes of the plunger 62 are sufficient , and the programming of the microprocessor 100 can be readily modified to omit one of the three strokes . when the crushing of the pill has been completed , the lcd 102 is changed to display the word “ ready ” again , and the led d 1 is again changed to green . the operation of the second embodiment of the pill crusher 10 is controlled by a control circuit shown in fig9 b ( i ), 9 b ( ii ), and 9 b ( iii ), which includes a microprocessor 100 which is a pic 18 f 458 microprocessor sold by microchip corporation , a voltage regulator 101 and a lcd 102 . through the motor control board ( as seen in fig9 b ( ii )), which consists of a h - bridge controller , power mosfets , and related discrete components , the microprocessor 100 controls operation of the motor 22 , as described below . when this circuit is energized by connection to its battery , the microprocessor 100 performs the routine shown in fig1 b by setting up its internal functions and then initializing the lcd 102 , which then displays the word “ initializing ”. the photo - reflective infrared sensor 63 is then energized which allows the detection of the position of the plunger . if the plunger 62 is not in its fully raised or “ rest ” position , the motor 22 is energized to raise the plunger 62 into this position . after a one - second delay , a bicolour led d 1 , which is visible at the front of the housing 12 , is changed to green , and the lcd 102 displays the word “ ready ” as shown by the subroutine in fig1 b ( iv ), and also displays the battery power with the words “ battery : xx %” as shown by the subroutine in fig1 b ( iii ), where ‘ xx %’ equals ‘ 100 %’, ‘ 75 %’, ‘ 50 %’, or ‘ 25 %’. the microprocessor 100 then cycles through the loop shown in fig1 b until the pill crusher is operated . when the pill 91 is inserted with the paper cups 68 and 69 into the receptacle 64 , the receptacle 64 must be moved into its closed position , in which it closes a magnetically operated switch s 2 , to prevent access to the interior of the housing 12 and to counteract the escape of dust from the housing during the crushing of the pill 91 . the operator then presses the button 90 on the top of the front of the housing 12 to close switch s 1 . the closure of the switch s 1 initiates the routine shown in fig1 b by changing the led d 1 to red . the led 102 is then changed to display the words “ crushing ; please wait ” and the receptacle 64 is verified to be in the closed position , and if so , the door lock solenoid 65 is energized to lock the receptacle 64 into position and prevent opening . if the receptacle 64 has been moved to the open position , the crushing sequence is halted , and the lcd 102 is changed to display “ door open ”. only when the receptacle 64 is in the closed position will the crushing sequence be allowed to begin again . upon the success of the above operations , the vertical position of the plunger 62 is then checked as described above . if the plunger 62 is not in the raised position , a homing sequence is initiated to bring the plunger 62 into position . with the plunger 62 located in its fully raised position , the motor 22 is energized by a plunger down routine as illustrated in the subroutine of fig1 b ( ii ), to move the plunger downward , as described above , to initiate the crushing of the pill . when the pressure sensor d 4 ( as seen in fig4 b ) senses that the plunger 62 has reached the first predetermined pressure , the motor 22 is energized by a plunger up routine as illustrated in the subroutine of fig1 b ( i ), after a one - second delay , to raise the plunger 62 . when the crushing of the pill has been completed , the lcd 102 is changed to display the word “ complete ”, and the led d 1 is again changed to green . although the particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes , it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus lie within the scope of the present invention . | 1 |
referring to fig1 of the drawing , the primary elements of an archival storage system according to the present invention include a laser 2 for writing on a storage medium 4 under control of a central control 5 which may be , for example , a data processing system . a beam 6 of spatially - coherent light is generated by the laser 2 and directed through a modulator 7 to a two - dimensional deflector 8 . the modulator 7 , in response to signals on a line 9 from the central control 5 , controls the pulse duration and amplitude of the beam to record data on the storage medium 4 . the central control 5 also supplies control signals via a line 10 to a deflection control 11 which in turn supplies control signals via a line 12 to the deflector 8 . the deflector 8 deflects the beam within a predefined field and passes the deflected beam 13 to a beam - transmission system 14 . the beam - transmission system 14 includes an area deflection system 15 which directs the beam via a beam splitter 16 and a collimating lens 17 to a multiple lens array 18 . the storage medium 4 is disposed intermediate the multiple lens array 18 and an illumination source 19 which may be a two - dimensional array of light - emitting diodes . during a read operation an x , y selection means 20 in response to control signals applied thereto via a line 21 from the central control 5 selects a predetermined storage field of the storage medium 4 for illumination and readout . thus , assuming illumination of an exemplary area 22 of the array 19 , light passes through a corresponding area 23 of the storage medium 4 and a corresponding lenslet 24 of the multiple lens array 18 . an image of the storage field 23 is projected through the lenslet 24 , the collimating lens 17 and the beam splitter 16 to a detector array 25 . the information recorded on the storage field 23 is optically sensed by the array 25 and thus made available via a line 26 to information utilization apparatus such as the central control 5 . the area deflection system 15 in response to x and y control signals applied , respectively , via lines 27 and 28 from the deflection control 11 , directs the beam 13 to a selected one the lenslets such as lenslet 30 of the multiple lens array 18 . the field deflector 8 selects a particular storage location or spot within the storage field corresponding with the lenslet 30 of fig1 for recording a discrete data item . in this regard , it is noted that writing and reading may occur simultaneously in either the same or two different storage fields of the storage medium 4 . a deflection control suitable for use with the present invention is described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 448 , 458 which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention . attention is now directed to fig2 which illustrates a multiple lens array 18 . the multiple lens array 18 is a fundamental component of the system such that a brief description of its characteristics is deemed useful to a complete understanding of the invention . briefly , the multiple lens array 18 comprises similar planar elements 32 , 32 &# 39 ; each formed from a plastic substrate and having parallel corrugations or cylindroidal elements 33 on one face thereof . the array elements 32 , 32 &# 39 ; are oriented with the faces carrying the corrugations 33 crossed at 90 ° in relation to one another , and brought together to form a square lenslet at each intersection of the corrugations . twenty - five parallel corrugations per centimeter , a conservative density at the state - of - the - art , provides 625 lenslets per square centimeter . each lenslet has a speed in the range of f - 2 . 7 to f - 3 . 2 with resolution capability of 400 - 500 lines per millimeter . thus , for example , three micrometer diameter spot sizes may be worked with comfortably to achieve a discrete spot density on the order of 10 7 per square centimeter . the array elements 32 , 32 &# 39 ; are very uniform as a consequence of the fabrication technique employed . a metal negative master can be prepared with a linear or a bonnet rotary ruling engine , and array elements are then cast from the master . at the state - of - the - art , the center - to - center accuracy of lenslets is better than 0 . 01 millimeters per 50 centimeters , and the focal - length tolerance is better than 1 / 10 of 1 percent . this uniform accuracy provides the basis for the recording precision necessary to enable read apparatus ( which employs the same or an identical multiple lens array ) to access the stored data . referring now to fig3 the optical elements of fig1 are shown in more detail . the storage medium 4 is shown having a plurality of storage fields 34 including the centrally disposed storage field 34 &# 39 ; within the bounds of a storage area 35 . the multiple lens array 18 comprises a plurality of lenslets 30 including the centrally disposed lenslet 30 &# 39 ;. the laser 2 may be a conventional continuous - wave laser , oscillating in a single transverse mode . the beam 6 emitted by the laser has a divergence that is preferably diffraction limited so as to permit a gaussian distribution of power through the cross - sectional area of the beam 6 . a laser of this type which is commercially available is a model 125 helium - neon gas laser manufactured by spectra - physics , inc ., of mountain view , cal . the model 125 laser has a power output of approximately 50 - 90 milliwatts , and generates a beam having a wavelength of 6328 angstroms and a divergence of approximately 0 . 7 milliradians . the modulator 7 may be of conventional form ; for example , a pockels cell , which rotates the plane of polarization of the beam in response to a signal applied thereto from the central control 5 ( fig1 ) in combination with an analyzer which converts the change in polarization to amplitude modulation . one such modulator is the spectra - physics model 320 electro - optic modulator with a polarization analyzer . the modulated laser beam passes through the x , y deflector 8 which may be , for example , a zenith model d - 150r acousto - optic , 1000 - spot deflector . the beam then passes through a relay lens 39 within the bounds of a deflection field 38 shown as a dashed outline centrally disposed on the relay lens 39 . the plural lines of fig1 and 3 such as the divergent lines 13 emanating from the deflector 8 do not depict a beam having any substantial width , but illustrate only the peripheral bounds within which the highly concentrated beam of coherent light may be deflected . the laser beam , after passing through the x , y deflector 8 , is said to be &# 34 ; field deflected &# 34 ; within the bounds of the field 38 . the term field deflection is utilized herein to describe deflection imparted to the laser beam by the x , y deflector 8 , as distinguished from &# 34 ; area deflection &# 34 ; which is imparted to the beam in order to select a particular one of the plurality of storage fields 34 of the storage medium 4 . the area - deflection system 15 ( fig1 ) which directs the field - deflected beam to a selected one of the plurality of storage fields 34 is described hereinafter with reference to fig3 . a spot - forming or field lens 42 focuses the beam after the beam is reflected from a first mirror 44 . the mirror 44 is rotatable about its vertically disposed axis 46 , as by energizing an x servo - motor 48 in response to control signals applied thereto from the deflection control 11 ( fig1 ). the mirror 44 serves to position the beam 40 horizontally on the field lens 42 along a line indicated by reference number 50 . a spot 52 is representative of the focal point of the beam 40 at the field lens 42 . fig3 shows the spot 52 centrally located on the field lens 42 indicating that the mirror 44 is centrally positioned and no area deflection is imparted to the beam 40 by the mirror 44 . the beam 40 passes through a second relay lens 54 and is spot - focused at a second field lens 56 after being reflected from a second mirror 58 which functions as a vertical deflector . the vertical deflector 58 is rotatable about its horizontally disposed axis 60 , as by energizing a y servo - motor 62 in response to control signals applied thereto from the deflection control 11 ( fig1 ). devices other than the x and y servo - motors 48 , 62 shown in fig3 may be utilized to rotate the deflectors 44 , 58 . for example , galvanometer units similar to those used in seismographic recorders may be used instead of the above mentioned servo - motors . the axes 46 , 60 of the respective mirrors 44 , 58 are arranged at right angles with one another as viewed from the optical path so that the area deflection imparted to the light beam is represented in terms of x and y coordinates , rotation of the mirror 44 imparting the x - coordinate deflection , and rotation of the deflector 58 imparting the y - coordinate deflection . upon respective discrete rotations of the two deflectors 44 , 58 , the area deflected beam 64 is focused as a spot within an area 66 of the field lens 56 . a spot 65 , shown centrally disposed in the area 66 of field lens 56 , has no area deflection component , i . e ., fig3 illustrates the mirrors 44 , 58 centrally positioned to direct the beam to the central storage area 34 &# 39 ;. after passing through a third relay lens 70 , the beam 68 is reflected from the beam splitter 16 through the collimating lens 17 and the centrally disposed lenslet 30 &# 39 ; of the multiple lens array 18 to impinge on the corresponding storage field 34 &# 39 ; of the storage medium 4 . the field - deflected beam 13 thus addresses the storage field 34 &# 39 ; for recording information thereon . the high storage density of a system in accordance with the invention can be appreciated by reference to fig4 and 5 which illustrate an exemplary recording medium 4 having a storage area 35 typically 3 centimeters on a side . within the bounds of the area 35 are 9216 ( 96 × 96 ) storage fields 34 , each typically 0 . 3125 millimeters square , and each field 34 capable of being accessed either by raster scanning or randomly by a 2 - 3 micrometer spot as typically illustrated for the storage field 34 in fig5 . serial or scanned access may be achieved by utilizing a field deflection system 8 ( fig1 ) generating a field scan pattern , as for example , by a rotating and oscillating mirrored polygon system described in commonly assigned u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 701 , 999 ; 3 , 529 , 884 ; and 3 , 465 , 352 . the preferred system of the present invention utilizes random field deflection . referring still to fig4 and 5 , each storage field 34 may typically store 1 , 280 bits of data ; for example , the presence of a recorded spot at a bit storage location 72 in fig5 may indicate one binary digit , and the absence of a recorded spot at another storage location such as illustrated by reference number 73 in fig5 may indicate the other binary digit . each storage field 34 of the exemplary embodiment contains 32 words of 40 bits per word for a storage capacity of 1 , 280 bits per field . a preferred system having a storage density less conservative than the exemplary embodiment stores 4096 bits in a 64 × 64 bit field of the same size as described for the exemplary embodiment , a bit density well within the resolution capability of the components described . at the more conservative storage density of the exemplary embodiment ( see fig4 ), a storage area 35 having 9 , 216 fields 34 is capable of storing in excess of 10 7 bits of information without repositioning the storage medium 4 to another storage area such as the area 35 . this represents a storage density of 1 . 31 × 10 6 bits per square centimeter . the exemplary system is capable of access time ( latency plus transfer time ) within a storage area having 10 7 bits of less than 5 milliseconds for write , and about 100 nanoseconds for read operations . with the storage medium 4 in strip or reel form , 10 7 bit blocks of data can be selected typically in less than one second . a strip of the storage medium 4 , 35 millimeters wide and 26 meters long can store over 10 10 bits of information , any portion thereof accessable in less than 5 seconds . the storage medium 4 is shown typically in fig3 to be a moveable tape or strip which may be for example a heat sensitive material on a flexible plastic substrate . the preferred embodiment of my invention utilizes a recording medium as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 787 , 210 entitled laser recording technique using combustible blow - off , issued to the undersigned and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention . a mechanical driving arrangement 74 for the storage medium may be similar to those utilized in magnetic tape or photographic film drives . considering the recording medium 4 , it is understood that because the present invention makes it possible to convert substantially the entire output of a laser into a reduced , controllably positionable spot of 2 - 3 micrometers or less , the spot contains sufficient laser energy to effect a wide variety of changes in materials appropriately chosen for the recording medium 4 . not only can photosensitive materials such as silver halide and other low - energy responsive materials be used for the recording medium 4 , but also , relatively high - energy responsive materials ( e . g . photochromic materials ) can be used . silver halide media require the development of a latent image , and thus are not suitable for applications involving simultaneous writing and reading operations , as for example , in the preferred embodiment of an archival storage system . in the preferred embodiment of the invention the recording medium comprises a low - energy responsive material utilizing a transparent substrate coated with heat absorbing particles dispersed in a self - oxidizing binder . this medium is capable of the desired resolution and therefore permits unusually high recording speeds . utilizing the gaussian distribution of the energy in the laser beam to record with the &# 34 ; tip &# 34 ; of the beam , spot sizes of less than one micrometer have been achieved with regularity . referring now to fig6 and 7 , the deflection system imparting area deflection to the field - deflected laser beam 13 is shown in greater detail . fig6 illustrates x - coordinate deflection of the beam 13 wherein the first mirror 44 is rotated slightly clockwise from its central position ( indicated for reference by dashed lines 45 ) to position the beam at a spot 75 along the line 50 of the field lens 42 . the spot 75 is deflected away from the center 52 of the lens 42 in an x - coordinate direction ( laterally ). the path of a centrally disposed beam is shown for reference purposes by dashed lines bearing reference number 76 in fig6 . a centrally disposed beam , i . e ., a beam having no area deflection , impinges on the centrally disposed storage field 34 &# 39 ; as previously described with reference to fig3 . the deflected beam 77 is then passed through the relay lens 54 ; reflected from the second mirror 58 ( which remains centrally positioned ) through the field lens 56 and the relay lens 70 ; and reflected from the beam splitter 16 through the collimating lens 17 to a selected lenslet 78 of the multiple lens array 18 . the selected lenslet 78 is displaced from the centrally disposed lenslet 34 &# 39 ; in an x - coordinate direction and is selected in response to a predetermined discrete rotation of the mirror 44 . a storage field 79 corresponding with the selected lenslet 78 is thus selected for a write operation by deflecting the laser beam for impingement thereon . individual storage locations within the storage field 79 are selected as previously described with reference to fig5 . fig7 illustrates y - coordinate deflection of the laser beam 13 wherein the second mirror 58 is rotated slightly clockwise from its central position ( indicated for reference by dashed lines 59 ) to position the beam at a spot 80 within the deflection area 66 of field lens 56 . the spot 80 is deflected away from the center 65 of lens 56 in a y - coordinate direction ( vertically ). the path of a centrally disposed beam is shown for reference purposes by dashed lines bearing reference number 76 in fig7 . the deflected beam 82 is then passed through the relay lens 70 , reflected from the beam splitter 16 through the collimating lens 17 to a selected lenslet 84 of the multiple lens array 18 . the selected lenslet 84 is displaced from the centrally disposed lenslet 30 &# 39 ; in a y - coordinate direction and is selected in response to a predetermined discrete rotation of the mirror 58 . a storage field 85 corresponding with the selected lenslet 84 is thus selected for a write operation by deflecting the laser beam for impingement thereon . individual storage locations within the storage field 85 are selected as previously described with reference to fig5 . referring now to fig1 and 3 the illumination source 19 comprises a plurality of elements such as the element 22 , each individually selectable for illumination under control of the x , y selection means 20 . the illumination elements which may be , for example , light - emitting diodes , are arranged in a two - dimensional matrix , each element corresponding with at least one of the storage fields of the storage medium 4 . the multiple lens array 18 is positioned intermediate the storage medium 4 and the detector array 25 . light issued from the selected element 22 of the illumination array 19 passes through the information bearing field 23 of the storage medium 4 . the information bearing beam then passes through the lenslet 24 of the multiple lens array 18 , the collimating lens 17 and the beam splitter 16 . the information bearing beam is expanded by the lens system 24 , 17 to impinge upon the active area of the detector array 25 . thus , one field or &# 34 ; page &# 34 ; of information stored in the information bearing field 23 of the storage medium 4 may be accessed by the detector array 25 as a consequence of energizing the selected element 22 of the illumination array 19 . any other selected page of information carried by the storage medium 4 within the area 35 may similarly be projected onto and sensed by the detector array 25 by energizing the corresponding illumination element ; for example , the centrally disposed storage field 34 &# 39 ; ( fig3 ) may be accessed for reading the information stored therein by energizing the central illumination element 89 . a diode detector array suitable for use with the preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 855 , 582 , entitled parallel biased photodetector matrix which issued to the undersigned on dec . 17 , 1974 and is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention . it may be noted in fig1 as well as the other figures , that the arrays and matrices are depicted as 7 × 7 grids . it is understood that , as a practical matter , the grid density is typically on the order of 25 × 25 or 32 × 32 per square centimeter as previously described . it is further noted that the multiple lens array 18 and the storage medium 4 are juxtaposed quite closely to one another . more specifically , the storage medium 4 is positioned in the focal plane of the multiple lens array 18 . the collimating lens 17 is employed to direct the light from a selected lenslet to the detector array 25 such that the light passes symmetrically about the optic axis of the lenslet and consequently , upon being refracted by lens 17 , is directed to the detector array 25 through the beam splitter 16 . the distance between the lens 17 and the sense face of the detector array 25 should therefore be equal to the focal length of lens 17 . in practice , this distance is preferably made adjustable to permit accommodation of uniform dimensional changes of the storage medium 4 resulting from temperature variations , water absorption , imperfect duplication , etc . otherwise , a change in dimension of the storage medium could result in a shifting of some of the projected storage field images at the detector means 25 whereby the bits of the projected image would not register with the corresponding cells of the detector array 25 . the magnification of the read system is determined by the distance between the lens 17 and the face of the detector array 25 divided by the focal length of the lenslets of the multiple lens array 18 . this magnification , and therefore the distance between lens 17 and the detector means 25 , must remain substantially constant ; however , so long as the detector array remains within the depth of focus of the projected image , the focal length of lens 17 can be varied by a zoom process . thus , correction to accommodate specific storage media can be performed after the media have been inserted into the system by , for example , altering the focal length of lens 17 in accordance with alignment information provided in predetermined storage fields of the storage medium 4 . it appears that subsequent realignment need only be carried out if extreme environmental changes are encountered . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed optical mass memory may be modified in numerous ways and may assume many embodiments other than the preferred form specifically set out and described above . for example , the illumination means and the detector means utilized for read operations may be implemented , respectively , with a cathode ray tube and a tv camera tube . further , the preferred embodiment describes a storage area having a capacity of 10 7 bits . it is obvious that by increasing the size , i . e ., the number of lenslets of the multiple lens array , the memory storage capacity ( exclusive of media movement ) may be significantly increased . the capacity of the storage area 35 should not be taken as a limiting factor of the invention . accordingly , the appended claims are intended to cover all modifications of my invention which fall within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
the raw mixture according to the present invention makes it possible to reduce the calcination temperature to 1 , 000 ° to 1 , 100 ° c . and to obtain , as a result , a high - activity cement ( thus , ultimate compression strength for samples consisting of 1 part by weight of cement , 3 parts by weight of quartz sand and 0 . 5 part by weight of water after 28 days of hardening in water at the temperature of 20 °± 2 ° c . is within the range of from 500 to 650 kgf / cm 2 . the samples have a beam - like configuration with the dimensions of 4 × 4 × 16 cm ). due to the presence of calcium chloride in the raw mixture in an amount of from 6 to 20 % by weight , processes of clinker formation occur in a salt melt and are completed at a temperature within the range of from 1 , 000 ° to 1 , 100 ° c . the presence of a magnesium - component in the raw mixture ensures stabilization of the highly - basic calcium silicate , resulting from calcination of the raw mixture , in the form possessing a high hydration activity . the raw mixture for the production of cement is prepared by separate or combined grinding of the starting components and homogenization thereof ( in the case of separate grinding ). the grinding can be performed both in the presence of water ( wet grinding ) and without water ( dry grinding ). in wet grinding , water is added in an amount of from 25 to 35 % of the total weight of the starting components . in the case of wet grinding of the starting components , calcium chloride can be used as a dry product or as an aqueous solution of a required concentration . after dry grinding the resulting raw mixture can be granulated with the addition of water in an amount of from 6 to 9 % to pellets of a 5 to 20 mm diameter . a cement clinker is produced from the thus - prepared raw mixture which may be in the form of raw flour , granules , or slurry in admixture with water which is delivered into a thermal unit , wherein calcination is performed at a temperature within the range of from 1 , 000 ° to 1 , 100 ° c . to produce cement , the clinker is discharged from the thermal unit and ground . during the grinding stage , said clinker might be incorporated with certain additives such as gypsum , an active mineral additive , to impart to the cement some specific properties . calcium chloride which is a component of the raw mixture according to the present invention can be used both in pure form and in the form of a calcium chloride containing components . this component can be introduced into the raw mixture either at the stage of grinding of the components or fed into the calcination thermal unit separately from the other raw mixture components being charged into the thermal unit ; in doing so , said feed of calcium chloride and that of a mixture of other starting components is effected continuously . for a better understanding of the present invention , the following specific examples illustrating preparation of the raw mixture and production of cement therefrom are given hereinbelow . in all the examples activity of cement is characterized by an ultimate tensile strength upon bending and compression strength as defined for samples with the dimensions of 4 × 4 × 16 cm consisting of 1 part by weight of cement , 3 parts by weight of quartz sand and 0 . 5 part by weight of water , after 28 days of water - hardening at the temperature of 20 ° ± 2 ° c . a raw mixture of the following composition is prepared , percent by weight : ______________________________________calcite ( calculated for cao ) 30quartz sand ( calculated for sio . sub . 2 ) 16commercial alumina ( calculated for al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 ) 2 . 4hematite ( calculated for fe . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 ) 0 . 6chemically pure calcium chloride 18 . 8magnesite ( calculated for mgo ) 8losses at calcination 24 . 2 . ______________________________________ the above - mentioned components are ground together to give a residue of not more than 10 % by weight on a sieve with the hole diameter of 80 mcm . the resulting raw mixture is granulated to pellets with a diameter of from 10 to 15 mm . the granulated raw mixture is fed into a furnace , herein calcination is performed at the temperature of 1 , 100 ° c . till the clinker - formation process is completed . to produce cement , the clinker is discharged from the furnace and ground together with an additive of gypsum dihydrate ( 3 % by weight of the clinker as calculated for so 3 ). the fineness of the ground product is characterized by a residue of not more than 15 % by weight on a sieve with the hole diameter of 80 mcm . ______________________________________ultimate tensile strength upon bending , kgf / cm . sup . 2 59ultimate compression strength , kgf / cm . sup . 2 442 . ______________________________________ a raw mixture is prepared having the following composition , percent by weight : ______________________________________marbled lime ( calculated for cao ) 33 . 26diatomaceous earth ( calculated for sio . sub . 2 ) 13 . 84china clay ( calculated for al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 ) 6 . 99pyrite cinders ( calculated for fe . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 ) 2 . 99commercial calcium chloride ( calculated for cacl . sub . 2 ) 10 . 0magnesite ( calculated for mgo ) 4losses at calcination 28 . 92 . ______________________________________ grinding of the above - mentioned components , granulation of the resulting raw mixture , calcination thereof and grinding of cement clinker are effected in a manner similar to that described in the foregoing example 1 . ______________________________________ultimate tensile strength upon bending , kgf / cm . sup . 2 72ultimate compression strength , kgf / cm . sup . 2 573 . ______________________________________ a raw mixture is prepared having the following composition , percent by weight : ______________________________________chalk ( calculated for cao ) 42 . 3quartz sand ( calculated for sio . sub . 2 ) 12 . 5china clay ( calculated for al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 ) 12 . 4high - iron content slag from coppersmelting ( calculated for fe . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 ) 4 . 4commercial calcium chloride ( calculated for cacl . sub . 2 ) 6 . 0periclase ( mgo ) 1 . 5losses at calcination 20 . 9 . ______________________________________ these components are subjected to wet grinding ; in doing so , calcium chloride is fed to the grinding stage in the form of a 20 % aqueous solution . the ground product is charged into a rotating furnace , wherein calcination of the raw mixture is performed at the temperature of 1 , 000 ° c . for one hour . the resulting cement clinker is discharged from the furnace and subjected to grinding . the final cement has the following properties : ______________________________________ultimate tensile strength upon bending , kgf / cm . sup . 2 72ultimate compression strength , kgf / cm . sup . 2 612 . ______________________________________ cement produced for the purpose of comparison from the same raw mixture but without periclase following the same procedure has the following characteristics : ______________________________________ultimate tensile strength upon bending , kgf / cm . sup . 2 27ultimate compression strength , kgf / cm . sup . 2 312 . ______________________________________ a raw mixture having the following composition is prepared , percent by weight : ______________________________________magnesial lime , calculated for cao 30 . 5 calculated for mgo 3 . 6loess loam , calculated : for sio . sub . 2 17 . 5 for al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 4 . 1 for fe . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 1 . 6 ; commercial calcium chloride ( calculated for cacl . sub . 2 ) 20 . 0losses at calcination 22 . 7 . ______________________________________ grinding of the above - mentioned components , granulation of the raw mixture , calcination thereof and grinding of the resulting cement clinker are performed following the procedure described in example 1 hereinbefore . ______________________________________ultimate tensile strength upon bending , kgf / cm . sup . 2 69ultimate compression strength , kgf / cm . sup . 2 517 . ______________________________________ | 2 |
the seeds resulting from the controlled hybridization of wsu 991 × wsu 608 were germinated in a greenhouse during the winter of 1988 - 1989 . resulting seedlings were planted in the spring of 1989 at puyallup , wash . the seedlings fruited in 1991 and one , designated wsu 1068 , was selected for its early fruit , good flavor and apparent productivity . during 1991 - 1992 , the original plant selection was propagated asexually in a greenhouse at puyallup , wash ., by rooting cuttings derived from root material . a replicated planting of four replications of three plants each was established in spring 1992 at puyallup , wash . subsequently , additional test plantings were established from asexually propagated plants that were propagated from root cuttings or micropropagated using meristem cultures from axillary buds of primocanes . plantings were established in burlington , mt . vernon , puyallup , and vancouver , wash . all asexually propagated plants have been observed to be true to type during all asexual multiplication and the vegetative and fruit characteristics of the original plants have been maintained . plants fruited in the second or third season of growth after planting . test plantings have shown this new variety to be adapted to all tested locations in western washington . there has been no observed winter damage , but winter hardiness is unknown . plants of the new variety have vigorous growth with long fruiting laterals . when objects could be accurately measured with an 8 mm diameter measuring opening ( leaves and fruit ), color was measured with a minolta chroma meter cr - 200b , which measures color in l *, a *, b * color coordinates . calibration was performed using a standard white plate supplied by the manufacturer . these l *, a *, b * coordinates were converted and presented in munsell color notation . for all other color measurements , color was compared with royal horticultural society colour chart color plates and presented as royal horticultural society colour chart designations . the descriptions reported herein are from specimens grown at puyallup , wash ., unless otherwise noted . the number of canes per hill , diameter , cane length , number of nodes , internode length , and color are given in comparison to ‘ malahat ’ and ‘ willamette ’ in table 1 . ‘ cascade dawn ’ produced many canes and was very vigorous . ‘ cascade dawn ’ produced more primocanes than either ‘ malahat ’ or ‘ willamette ’. the internode length for ‘ cascade dawn ’ was longer than either ‘ malahat ’ or ‘ willamette ’ for both primocanes and floricanes . plants have been grown in the hill system with 10 - 12 canes retained per hill and the primocanes pruned to 1 . 2 m in winter . the following summer , fruiting plots were 180 cm tall with a width of 120 cm . primocane emergence for ‘ cascade dawn ’ occurred approximately mar . 8 , 2002 and was earlier than for ‘ willamette ’ ( non - patented ), approximately mar . 18 , 2002 . when the floricanes were observed feb . 28 , 2002 the canes appeared greed orange group ( 166a ). the color of the bud scales were grayed purple group ( 183a ). the midwinter color of canes is shown in fig1 . in midsummer ( jul . 22 , 2002 ) the cane color was much greener , yellow - green group ( 145a ). at about 30 cm in height the canes had 20 - 40 spines per cm of cane ( fig2 ). the spines are straight and pointed toward the base of the canes . there are pigmented spots at the base of the spine that are similar or slightly lighter in color as the spines . the spine color is similar to ‘ malahat ’ and ‘ willamette ’, red purple group ( 59a ). the spines at 20 cm were 2 . 6 mm long and the basal spot at the base of the spine was 2 . 8 mm long . the canes are glabrous . the canes of ‘ cascade dawn ’ are distinct from wsu 991 , by the color and frequency of spines ( fig3 ). the canes of ‘ cascade dawn ’ are similar to those of wsu 608 ( fig4 ). the upper surface of the leaves is glabrous with some pubescence at the leaf margin . the leaves are pubescent on the lower surface . the leaflets are generally flat in cross - section . the petioles are pubescent and also have spines that are similar ( but smaller ) to those on the canes . characteristics of primocane leaves are given in table 2 . the primocane leaves are pinnately compound with 5 leaflets ( fig5 ). the leaves have 2 stipules . the distal lateral leaflets and the terminal leaflet overlap slightly on some leaves and the basal lateral leaflets and the distal lateral leaflets overlap slightly on some leaves . the leaflets are doubly serrated . the leaflets are generally ovate . the tips of all leaflets are acuminate the acute . the base of the terminal leaflet is rounded to cordate . the petiolule for the basal lateral leaflet was longer than for ‘ malahat ’, ‘ willamette ’, and both parents . the bases are rounded and asymmetrical . the petiolule for the distal lateral leaflet was longer than wsu 991 . ‘ malahat ’, ‘ willamette ’ and wsu 608 all had sessile leaflets with relatively symmetrical leaf bases . the presence of a petiolule over 1 mm for the distal lateral leaflet is unusual for raspberries . the upper surfaces of leaves of a primocane of ‘ cascade dawn ’ are compared to wsu 991 and wsu 608 in fig6 . characteristics of floricane leaves are given in table 3 . the floricane leaves have 3 leaflets that do not overlap . the leaves have 2 stipules . the leaflets are generally ovate . the leaflet tips are acuminate to acute . the leaflet base for the terminal leaflet is cordate and the lateral leaflets are rounded . fruit of this variety ripens early in the season , with the midpoint of harvest averaging july 3 for four plantings on sites where plants of other cultivars showed obvious root rot symptoms and july 6 on sites for 9 harvest seasons without obvious root rot symptoms . ‘ willamette ’ ripened 3 days after ‘ cascade dawn ’. the length of the fruiting season averaged 24 days at puyallup , wash . fruit production has not been observed on primocanes . fruit releases easily from the receptacle when the fruit is fully ripe . it does not release easily at earlier stages of maturity . the fruit is large on sites with no obvious root rot symptoms , averaging 4 . 1 g over the season , similar in size to ‘ tulameen ’. on sites with obvious root rot symptoms , the fruit averaged 3 . 67 g , not differing significantly from ‘ meeker ’ and ‘ willamette ’. although variable from year to year and among locations , may 25 , 2002 was the date for the first open flowers of ‘ cascade dawn ’ at puyallup , wash ., and a few days after ‘ prelude ’, may 21 , 2002 . flowers of ‘ willamette ’ opened with ‘ cascade dawn ’ or slightly afterward . the lateral length , number of nodes , number of flowers , flower diameter and color are given in table 4 . ‘ cascade dawn ’ had more flowers per lateral than ‘ willamette ’ and ‘ malahat ’ and more nodes and flowering nodes per lateral than ‘ willamette ’. ‘ cascade dawn ’ had more flowers per flowering node than ‘ malahat ’. flower morphology is typical of most red raspberry cultivars and is not useful to identify ‘ cascade dawn ’. the petals are white group ( 155d ), sepals yellow - green group ( 147d ) and pedicels are yellow - green group ( 144a ) and for portions of the pedicels exposed to full light greyed - purple group ( 183a ). the flowers are perfect with generally 5 sepals , 5 petals and numerous stamens ( approximately 120 ) and pistils ( approximately 135 based on the number of developed drupelets ). the flowers are self - fertile . the flowering trusses are cymose in elongate clusters and at each node on the fruiting lateral the flowers are predominantly borne singly , or sometimes in clusters of two or more . the flowers have no discernable fragrance . the pedicel length , number of fruit and number of fruiting nodes are given in table 5 . the pedicel length was similar in ‘ cascade dawn ’, ‘ malahat ’ and ‘ willamette ’. differences between the number of flowers ( table 4 ) and number of fruit ( table 5 ) are within sampling errors . fruit morphological characteristics are given in table 6 . fruit is long conic in shape ( fig7 ). the fruit weight of ‘ cascade dawn ’ on jul . 3 , 2002 was larger than that of ‘ malahat ’ and ‘ prelude ’, and also has longer fruit . the weight of the fruit early in the season on jul . 3 , 2002 ( 5 . 99 g ) is much larger than the average fruit weight for the season ( 3 . 61 g for 2002 harvest of 1999 planting ). the length / width ratio was 1 . 29 , greater than ‘ prelude ’, 0 . 98 . the number of drupelets for ‘ cascade dawn ’ was much more than ‘ malahat ’ and ‘ prelude ’. the weight of individual seed was significantly less than that for ‘ prelude ’. fruit of the parents of ‘ cascade dawn ’, wsu 991 and wsu 608 , were analyzed in 1992 . wsu 991 had 85 . 6 drupelets / fruit , with a drupelet weight of 76 mg and an average seed weight of 2 . 04 mg . wsu 608 had 103 . 5 drupelets per fruit , drupelet weight of 40 . 6 mg and an average seed weight of 1 . 74 mg . ‘ cascade dawn ’ has more drupelets per fruit , and smaller average seed weight than both of its parents . ‘ cascade dawn ’ had a smaller drupelet weight than wsu 991 . the ph , titratable acidity , soluble solids and anthocyanin concentration of processing ripe fruit are given in table 7 . soluble solids content of ‘ cascade dawn ’ fruit was less than ‘ tulameen ’, but did not differ from the other cultivars to which it was compared . the titratable acidity of ‘ cascade dawn ’ had the lowest value , but was only significantly different from ‘ chemainus ’. with the relatively low soluble solids and low titratable acidity , the flavor of ‘ cascade dawn ’ fruit is mild and well balanced . the anthocyanin content of ‘ cascade dawn ’ fruit was only significantly different from ‘ cascade delight ’ and ‘ chemainus ’. the flavor of ‘ cascade dawn ’ is very pleasant and should be well suited to fresh market use . because of the difficulty in picking fruit of ‘ cascade dawn ’ at the fresh market stage of maturity , most times it will be harvested at a slightly riper stage of development . this riper fruit is best suited for local ( short distance ) fresh market . fruit of ‘ cascade dawn ’, ‘ malahat ’ and ‘ prelude ’ were harvested at a fresh market stage and stored at 4 ° c . for 6 days and then at room temperature ( approximately 20 ° c .) for 4 hours . firmness and color was measured prior to storage and after storage ( table 8 ). fruit at harvest of ‘ cascade dawn ’ and malahat were similar in firmness and firmer than prelude . after storage , ‘ cascade dawn ’ was firmer than ‘ malahat ’ and ‘ prelude ’. color of all of the cultivars was acceptable after storage . fruit production was measured in eight plantings at puyallup , vancouver and mt . vernon , wash . in replicated plots that were hand harvested ( table 9 ). the plantings represent 13 harvest seasons . for four of the harvest seasons , there were plants of other cultivars that showed obvious root rot symptoms . for the other nine harvest seasons there were no obvious root rot symptoms . ‘ meeker ’, ‘ tulameen ’ and ‘ willamette ’ were the only cultivars that were included in all of the plantings . on sites with no obvious symptoms of root rot , the yield of ‘ cascade dawn ’ was equivalent to ‘ meeker ’ and had large fruit , similar in weight to ‘ tulameen ’. the dates of 5 %, 50 % and 95 % of harvest are given in table 9 . the dates for the start the harvest season , the midpoint of harvest and end of the season for ‘ cascade dawn ’ were earlier than for the other cultivars . on the four sites with obvious symptoms of root rot , the yield of ‘ cascade dawn ’ was significantly greater than the other cultivars . the harvest season for ‘ cascade dawn ’ was earlier than for the other cultivars . ‘ malahat ’ was included in three of the plantings with obvious symptoms of root rot . ‘ malahat ’ did not survive in any of these plantings . harvest data for ‘ cascade dawn ’ has not been collected from a planting where its parents , wsu 991 and wsu 608 , were harvested . wsu 991 was harvested in 1990 and 1991 from a 1988 planting . wsu 991 had a midpoint of harvest one day after ‘ willamette ’ in 1990 and two days after ‘ willamette ’ in 1991 . wsu 608 was harvested from 1984 through 1987 from a 1982 planting . the midpoint of harvest averaged six days after ‘ willamette ’ and four days before ‘ meeker ’. ‘ cascade dawn ’ with a midpoint of harvest significantly before ‘ willamette ’ differs from both of its parents . ‘ cascade dawn ’ was also subjectively evaluated in plots established in 2003 that were machine harvested at burlington , wash . ‘ cascade dawn ’ machine harvested did not release from the receptacle until overripe . ‘ cascade dawn ’ does not appear to be suited to machine harvesting . ‘ cascade dawn ’ is susceptible to the large raspberry aphid ( amphorophora agathonica ) the vector for the mosaic virus complex . it appears to be resistant to raspberry bushy dwarf virus ( rbdv ) via pollen transmission . in unsprayed plots , the canes had spur blight ( didymella applanata [ niesel ] sacc .) infections at a moderate incidence . ‘ cascade dawn ’ has been planted in areas with high levels of root rot ( phytophthora fragariae var rubi wilcox & amp ; duncan ) and has survived well . ‘ cascade dawn ’ appears to have some field resistance to root rot . while the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof , it will be understood that it is capable of further modification , and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention following , in general , the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth , and as fall within the scope of the invention and the limits of the appended claims . | 0 |
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 the general principals of the invention . the scope and breadth of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims . turning now to the drawings and particularly to fig1 there is shown a schematic representation of an aqueous fuel emulsion blending system 12 having a plurality of ingredient inlets and an aqueous fuel emulsion outlet 14 . as seen therein , the preferred embodiment of the fuel blending system 12 comprises a first fluid circuit 16 adapted for receiving hydrocarbon fuel at a first ingredient inlet 18 from a source of hydrocarbon fuel ( not shown ) and a second fluid circuit 20 adapted for receiving fuel emulsion additives at a second ingredient inlet 22 from an additive storage tank 24 or similar such source of fuel emulsion additives . the first fluid circuit 16 includes a fuel pump 26 for transferring the hydrocarbon fuel , preferably a diesel fuel ( although other hydrocarbon fuels can be used ), from the source of hydrocarbon fuel to the blending system 12 at a selected flow rate , a 2 to 10 micron filter 28 , and a flow measurement device 30 adapted to measure the flow rate of the incoming hydrocarbon fuel stream . the second fluid circuit 20 also includes a pump 32 for transferring the additives from the storage tank 24 to the blending system 12 at prescribed flow rates . the fuel additive flow rate within the second fluid circuit 20 is controlled by a flow control valve 34 interposed between the additive storage tank 24 and the pump 32 . as with the first fluid circuit 16 , the second fluid circuit 20 also includes a 2 to 10 micron filter 36 and a flow measurement device 38 adapted to measure the controlled flow rate of the incoming additive stream . the signals 40 , 42 generated from the flow measurement devices 30 , 38 associated with the first and second fluid circuits are further coupled as inputs to a blending system controller 44 . the first fluid circuit 16 transporting the hydrocarbon fuel and the second fluid circuit 20 adapted for supplying the fuel additives are coupled together and subsequently mixed together using a first in - line mixer 46 . the resulting mixture of hydrocarbon fuel and fuel additives is then joined with a purified water stream supplied via a third fluid circuit 50 and subsequently mixed together using a second in - line mixer 52 . the third fluid circuit 50 includes a water pump 54 for transferring the purified water from a source of clean or purified water ( not shown ) at a selected flow rate to the blending system 12 , a particulate filter 56 and a flow measurement device 58 adapted to measure the flow rate of the incoming purified water stream . the water pump 54 , filter 56 and flow measurement device 58 are serially arranged within the third fluid circuit 50 . the water flow rate within the third fluid circuit 50 is preferably controlled using a flow control valve 60 interposed between the clean water source and the water pump 54 proximate the third or water inlet 62 . the third fluid circuit 50 also includes a specific conductance measurement device 64 disposed downstream of the flow measurement device 58 and adapted to monitor the quality of the water supplied to the blending system 12 . the signals 66 , 68 generated from the flow measurement device 58 and the specific conductance measurement device 64 or other suitable measurement device in the third fluid circuit 50 are provided as inputs to the blending system controller 44 . if the water quality is too poor or below a prescribed threshold , the blending system controller 44 disables the blending system 12 until corrective measures are taken . in the preferred embodiment , the water quality threshold , as measured using the specific conductance measurement device 64 , should be no greater than 20 microsiemens per centimeter . as indicated above , the purified water from the third fluid circuit 50 is joined with the hydrocarbon fuel and fuel additive mixture and subsequently re - mixed using the second in - line mixer 52 or equivalent blending station equipment . the resulting mixture or combination of hydrocarbon fuel , fuel emulsion additives , and purified water are fed into an emulsification station 70 . the emulsification station 70 includes an aging reservoir 72 and high shear mixing apparatus . the aging reservoir 72 includes an inlet 74 , an outlet 76 and a high volume chamber 78 or reservoir . the preferred embodiment of the blending system 12 operates using an aging time that is a function of emulsion temperature . for example , a three minute aging time would be appropriate for room temperature mixture of the aqueous fuel emulsion . thus , in the three minute aging time a blending system operating at an output flow rate of about 15 gallons per minute would utilize a 45 gallon tank as an aging reservoir . the incoming stream of hydrocarbon fuel , fuel emulsion additives , and purified water are fed into the aging reservoir 72 at a location that preferably provides continuous agitation to the reservoir . alternatively , the aging reservoir could include a mechanical mixing device associated therewith . the preferred embodiment of the blending system 12 also includes a continuous rotor - stator dispersion mill 81 , such as the kady infinity model manufactured by kady international in scarborough , me ., disposed downstream of the aging reservoir 72 which provides the final fuel emulsion at the blending system outlet 14 . for optimum viscosity and stability in a water continuous fuel emulsion , a prescribed percentage of the fuel mixture flow ( i . e . 10 - 50 %) should bypass the dispersion mill 81 . such bypass flow can be accomplished using a bypass conduit 80 and associated valve 82 located within or near the emulsification station 70 . bypassing a prescribed percentage of the mixture flow around the dispersion mill 81 yields a final fuel emulsion having a bi - modal droplet size distribution , as generally represented in fig2 . conversely , to achieve optimum viscosity and stability in an oil continuous fuel emulsion , all of the fuel mixture flow should be directed through the dispersion mill 81 or similar such high shear mixing device , such as a ross x - series mixer emulsifier . which results in the final fuel emulsion having a droplet size distribution , as generally represented in fig3 . as indicated above , the blending system controller 44 accepts as inputs the signals generated by the various flow measurement devices in the first , second and third fluid circuits , as well as any signals generated by the water quality measurement device together with various operator inputs such as prescribed fuel mix ratios and provides control signals for the flow control valve in the second fluid circuit and the flow control valve in the third fluid circuit . the illustrated embodiment of the blending system is preferably configured such that the hydrocarbon fuel stream is not precisely controlled but is precisely measured . conversely , the purified water feed line and the fuel additive feed line are precisely controlled and precisely measured to yield a prescribed water blend fuel mix . the illustrated embodiment also shows the hydrocarbon fuel , purified water and fuel additive streams to be continuous feed so that the proper fuel blend ratio is continuously delivered to the shear pump . alternatively , however , it may be desirable to configure the blending system such that the purified water stream is precisely measured but not precisely controlled while precisely controlling and measuring the hydrocarbon fuel feed line and the fuel additive feed line to yield a prescribed water blend fuel mix . the above - described blending system is particularly suited for preparing a water blend fuel or aqueous fuel emulsion that uses a hydrocarbon fuel having a specific gravity in the range of about 0 . 70to 0 . 90 and a viscosity in the range of about 1 . 0 to 30 . 0 cst . the preferred volumetric ratio of hydrocarbon fuel is between about 50 % to 90 % of the total volume of the aqueous fuel emulsion . accordingly , the preferred volumetric ratio of purified water is between about 10 % to 50 % of the total volume of the aqueous fuel emulsion whereas the volumetric ratio of additives is between about 0 . 5 % to 10 . 3 % of the total volume of aqueous fuel emulsion . as indicated above , hydrocarbon fuel is preferably a diesel fuel although alternative hydrocarbon fuels such as naphtha , gasoline , synthetic fuels or combinations thereof could also be used as the base hydrocarbon fuel . the fuel emulsion additives used in the above described blending system may include one or more of the following ingredients including surfactants , emulsifiers , detergents , defoamers , lubricants , corrosion inhibitors , and anti - freeze inhibitors such as methanol . collectively , the additives have a specific gravity in the range of about 0 . 80 to 0 . 90 and a viscosity of about 0 . 8 cst . turning now to fig4 there is shown a schematic representation of an alternate embodiment of the fuel emulsion blending system 84 . in many respects the embodiment of fig4 is similar to the embodiment of fig1 except for the inclusion of a fourth fluid circuit 86 and several other features of the fuel emulsion blending system 84 described herein . much of the detailed description of many of the components or elements common to both embodiments are provided above with reference to fig1 and thus will not be repeated here . the fuel emulsion blending system 84 illustrated in fig4 includes four fluid circuits inlets 18 , 22 , 62 , 88 and a fuel emulsion outlet 14 . as described with reference to fig1 the first fluid circuit 16 is adapted for receiving hydrocarbon fuel at the first ingredient inlet 18 from a source of hydrocarbon fuel ( not shown ) while the second fluid circuit 20 is adapted for receiving fuel emulsion additives at a second ingredient inlet 22 from an additive storage tank 24 &# 39 ;, preferably a heated source of fuel emulsion additives . the third fluid circuit 50 is adapted for receiving water at the third ingredient inlet 62 from a source of water ( not shown ) while the fourth fluid circuit 86 is adapted for receiving methanol at the fourth ingredient inlet 88 from an appropriate source of methanol ( not shown ). as described above , the first fluid circuit 16 includes a fuel pump 26 for transferring the hydrocarbon fuel , preferably a diesel fuel , from the source of hydrocarbon fuel to the blending system 84 at a selected flow rate , a filter 28 , and a flow measurement device 30 adapted to measure the flow rate of the incoming hydrocarbon fuel stream . in addition , the first fluid circuit 16 includes a heater 90 or other means for heating the hydrocarbon fuel component to a specified minimum temperature ( e . g . 10 degrees c .). likewise , the second fluid circuit 20 also includes a pump 32 for transferring the fuel emulsion additives from the storage tank 24 &# 39 ; where the additives are maintained at a specified minimum temperature to the blending system 84 at a prescribed flow rate . the fuel additive flow rate within the second fluid circuit 20 is controlled by a flow control valve 34 interposed between the additive storage tank 24 &# 39 ; and the fuel emulsion additive pump 32 . as with the first fluid circuit 16 , the second fluid circuit 20 also includes a filter 36 and a flow measurement device 38 adapted to measure the flow rate of the incoming additive stream . the fourth fluid circuit 86 includes a pump 92 and flow control valve 94 , filter 96 , heating element 98 and a flow measurement device 100 . the pump 92 , filter 96 , heater 98 , and flow measurement device 100 are serially arranged within the fourth fluid circuit 86 . the methanol , ethanol or other antifreeze flow rate within the fourth fluid circuit 86 is preferably controlled using the flow control valve 94 which is interposed between the methanol source ( not shown ) and the pump 92 proximate the fourth ingredient inlet 88 . the final or third fluid circuit 50 is the water fluid circuit which preferably includes a water purification system 102 such as a reverse osmosis purification system that heats and purifies the supplied water to prescribed temperatures and levels of purity , respectively . this third fluid circuit 50 also includes a water pump 54 and water flow control valve 60 for transferring the purified water at a selected flow rate to the blending system 84 . as with the earlier described embodiment , the third fluid circuit 50 also includes a flow measurement device 58 adapted to measure the flow rate of the incoming purified water stream and a specific conductance measurement device 64 or other suitable measurement devices adapted to monitor the quality of the water supplied to the blending system 84 . the operation of the fuel emulsion blending system 84 illustrated in fig4 involves selective mixing of the ingredients from each of the fluid circuits . specifically , the fourth fluid circuit 86 transporting the methanol and the second fluid circuit 20 adapted for supplying the fuel additives are coupled together and subsequently mixed together using an in - line mixer 104 . the resulting mixture of methanol and fuel additives is then joined with the first fluid circuit 16 supplying the hydrocarbon fuel component . another in - line mixer 46 is used to mix the hydrocarbon fuel , fuel additives and methanol together . the purified water stream supplied via a third fluid circuit 50 is then added to the mixture and subsequently mixed together using yet another in - line mixer 52 . the resulting mixture or combination of hydrocarbon fuel , fuel emulsion additives , methanol and purified water are fed into an emulsification station 70 . the emulsification station 70 includes the aging reservoir 72 , and also includes a continuous rotor - stator dispersion mill 81 , such as the kady infinity dispersion mill disposed downstream of the aging reservoir 72 which provides the final aqueous fuel emulsion at the blending system outlet 14 . proximate the fuel emulsion outlet 14 , there is disposed a final fuel emulsion density , viscosity , conductivity and / or opacity measurement device 106 which monitors the density and / or viscosity of the final fuel blend . the signals 40 , 42 , 66 , 108 generated from the flow measurement devices associated with the four fluid circuits together with the signals 68 , 110 generated by the specific conductance measurement device 64 in the third fluid circuit 50 and the final emulsion density , opacity , conductance and / or viscosity measurement device 106 are provided as inputs to the blending system controller 44 . the blending system controller 44 also accepts various operator inputs 112 such as prescribed fuel mix ratios and provides output control signals 114 for the flow control valves 34 , 60 , 94 in the second , third and fourth fluid circuits and , if appropriate the emulsification station 70 . from the foregoing , it should be appreciated that the present invention thus provides a fuel emulsion blending system for blending an aqueous fuel emulsion from a source of hydrocarbon fuel , a source of water , and a source of fuel emulsion additives , including methanol . while the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and processes associated therewith , numerous modifications and variations can be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims or sacrificing all its material advantages . | 1 |
since timing advance in a tdd system is different from that in an fdd system , embodiments of the present invention provide a solution for implementing indication of uplink transmission timing advance in the tdd system . the solution can satisfy practical requirements of the tdd system while remaining within the framework of implementation of uplink transmission timing advance of the fdd system . the present invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to accompanying drawings to make the technical solution and merits therein clearer . a first embodiment : an enodeb side performs the same processing with that in an fdd system while ta is adjusted at a ue side to satisfy the requirements of the tdd system . in this embodiment , a ta indication is transmitted by the enodeb side in the same manner as in the fdd system , i . e ., a ta dynamic range , a ta granularity , a ta command , and a value represented by each item are the same as their counterparts in the fdd system . t ud may be configured in the ue as a static parameter . the value of t ud may be obtained according to equation ( 2 ) and a time template , e . g . table 2 , defined in specifications . and the t ud , is stored in the ue as a static value . after receiving a ta from the enodeb , the ue adds the ta and t ud to obtain ta ′= ta + t ud , and takes the ta ′ obtained as the practical uplink transmission ta for determining the start time of the uplink transmission . fig3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for implementing indication of uplink transmission timing advance in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention , including the following steps . step 301 , respectively configure a ta adjustment indicating table in an enodeb and a ue of a tdd system in advance , wherein the ta adjustment indicating table includes a relationship between a ta command and a ta value . table 2 shows an exemplary ta adjustment indicating table . each item in table 2 may be configured the same with that in the fdd system , i . e ., the quantification level , the granularity , the dynamic range and ta adjustment value corresponding to each ta command are the same with those in the fdd system . for a ue at the edge of a cell in the fdd system , a maximum timing advance ta — max — fdd = t rtt — max is required . suppose the ta adjustment granularity is delta_ta , a command of m =┌( log 2 ┌ 1 + ta — max — fdd / delta_ta ┐)┐ bits is required for quantifying and indicating all ta values within a dynamic range of the ta [ 0 , ta — max — fdd ], where the symbol ┌ ┐ denotes a round - up function . for example , a maximum cell radius of 100 km supported by lte has t rtt — max = 2 * 100 km / c = 666 . 67 us , that is to say , the maximum ta of ue in this cell is ta — max — fdd = t rtt — max = 666 . 67 us . if the ta adjustment granularity is delta_ta = 0 . 52 us ( i . e ., 16 ts ), then m = 11 . the enodeb may configure uplink transmission ta for ues locating at different positions in the cell through different ta commands . step 302 , pre - configure a ta adjusting offset t ud at the ue side . the ta adjusting offset t ud , is the uplink - to - downlink guard period t ud of the tdd system and may be determined by an equation t ud = max ( t ue , tx - rx , t enodeb , rx - tx ) or may be directly transmitted to the ue by the enodeb . the above steps 301 and 302 are initiation steps which are performed only once in the initiation phase of the system . step 303 , the enodeb in the tdd system performs a synchronization detection on uplink data transmitted by the ue and determines a ta required by the ue for transmitting uplink data . step 304 , the enodeb of the tdd system maps the value of the ta into an m - bit ta command according to the ta adjustment indicating table such as table 2 , and notifies the ue of the ta command . step 305 , the ue receives the m - bit ta command , and maps the ta command into a ta value according to the ta adjustment indicating table such as table 2 . step 306 , the ue generates a practical uplink transmission ta ′ by adding the ta value corresponding to the ta command and the ta adjusting offset t ud , i . e ., ta ′= ta + t ud . step 307 , the ue transmits uplink data according to ta ′, and then returns to step 303 . the ue implementing the process of the above embodiment may be obtained by modifying an existing ue . specifically , the ue may be as shown in fig4 , including the following modules : a ta adjustment indicating module 401 , adapted to configure and store a ta adjustment indicating table , wherein the ta adjustment indicating table includes a relationship between a ta command and a ta value ; a command receiving module 402 , adapted to receive the ta command from an enodeb ; a mapping module 403 , adapted to search the ta adjustment indicating table in the ta adjustment indicating module for a ta value corresponding to the ta command received by the command receiving module ; an offset adjusting module 403 , adapted to configure and store an uplink - to - downlink guard period t ud , and add the ta value obtained by the mapping module 403 and the guard period t ud to obtain an uplink transmission ta ′= ta + t ud ; and an uplink data transmitting module 405 , adapted to transmit uplink data according to the ta ′ obtained by the offset adjusting module 404 . a second embodiment : a ta adjustment indicating table commonly - used by the fdd system and the tdd system is configured in an enodeb and a ue . the enodeb in the fdd system and the enodeb in the tdd system utilize different sub - sets of the ta adjustment indicating table to indicate uplink transmission ta for their respective ues , i . e ., the tdd system and the fdd system use some items of the ta adjustment indicating table in common . the ues of the fdd system and the tdd system perform the same timing advance operations according to the ta indicated . the ue of the tdd system performs the same processing with that of the fdd system , i . e ., transmits uplink data according to the ta received . in order to guarantee a same ta granularity between the fdd and the tdd systems , the ta adjustment indicating table commonly - used by the tdd and the fdd systems is designed according to a maximum ta dynamic range of the tdd system . the maximum ta in the tdd system ta — max — tdd and the maximum ta in the fdd system ta — max — fdd meet a following relationship : a command of m ′=┌( log 2 ┌ 1 +( ta — max — fdd + t ud )/ delta_ta ┐)┐ bits is required for indicating all ta values within the ta dynamic range [ 0 , ta — max — tdd ]. since the ta adjustment indicating table is designed according to the ta dynamic range , it can be used by the fdd system and the tdd system in common . the enodeb of the fdd system utilizes items 0 to ┌ ta — max — fdd / delta_ta ┐ of the ta adjustment indicating table for indicating ta values in the fdd system . the enodeb of the tdd system utilizes items ┌ t ud / delta_ta ┐ to ┌ ta — max — fdd + t ud / delta_ta ┐ of the ta adjustment indicating table for indicating ta values in the tdd system . in other words , the tdd system and the fdd system utilize different sets of items of the same ta adjustment indicating table for indicating their respective ta values . for example , suppose a value of t ud obtained from table 2 and equation ( 2 ) is 20 us , then ta — max — tdd = ta — max — fdd + t ud = 666 . 67 us + 20 us = 686 . 67 us . still suppose that the ta adjustment granularity is 0 . 52 us ( 16t s ), then a command of m ′= 11 bits is required for quantifying and indicating the ta , and a ta adjustment indicating table as shown in the following may be obtained . the fdd system utilizes items 0 to 1283 for indicating different ta adjustments , while the tdd system utilizes the items 39 to 1321 for indicating different ta adjustments . rows 39 to 1283 are ta adjustment values commonly - used by the fdd system and the tdd system . fig5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for implementing indication of uplink transmission ta in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention . the process may include the following steps . step 501 , respectively configure a ta adjustment indicating table in an enodeb and a ue of a tdd system in advance . the ta adjustment indicating table may be as shown in table 3 . the ta adjustment granularity of the tdd system is the same with that of the fdd system . but the tdd system uses a different set of items with the fdd system for indicating ta adjustment values . step 502 , the enodeb in the tdd system performs a synchronization detection on uplink data transmitted by the ue , and determines an uplink transmission ta required by the ue for transmitting uplink data next time . step 503 , the enodeb of the tdd system maps the value of the uplink transmission ta determined to an m - bit command according to a relationship in the set of items used by the tdd system in the ta adjustment indicating table such as table 3 , and informs the ue of the command . step 504 , the ue receives the command , and maps the command to a specific ta adjustment value according to the relationship in the set of items used by the tdd system in the ta adjustment indicating table such as table 3 . step 505 , the ue transmits uplink data according to the ta adjustment value and returns to step 502 . fig6 is a schematic diagram illustrating modules of an enodeb implementing the process of the second embodiment . the enodeb may include : a ta adjustment indicating module 601 , adapted to configure and store a ta adjustment indicating table , wherein the ta adjustment indicating table includes a relationship between a ta command and a ta value , and some items of the ta adjustment indicating table are commonly - used by the tdd system and the fdd system ; a synchronization detecting module 602 , adapted to perform a synchronization detection on uplink data received , and determine a ta value for a next uplink transmission of the ue based on a detected result ; a mapping module 603 , adapted to search the ta adjustment indicating table in the ta adjustment indicating module for a ta command corresponding to the ta value determined by the synchronization detecting module 602 ; and a ta indicating module 604 , adapted to transmit the ta command obtained by the mapping module 603 to the ue . the structure of the ue may be as shown in fig7 , which includes : a ta adjustment indicating module 701 , adapted to configure and store a ta adjustment indicating table , wherein the ta adjustment indicating table includes a relationship between a ta command and a ta value , and some items of the ta adjustment indicating table are commonly - used by the tdd system and the fdd system ; a command receiving module 702 , adapted to receive a ta command from an enodeb ; a mapping module 703 , adapted to search the ta adjustment indicating table in the ta adjustment indicating module 701 for a ta value corresponding to the ta command received by the command receiving module 702 ; and an uplink data transmitting module 704 , adapted to transmit uplink data according to the ta value obtained by the mapping module 703 . embodiments of the present invention provide a specific solution for implementing indication of uplink transmission ta in the tdd system , which fills the blank area of the specifications . the solution achieves coherence of the designs of the tdd system and the fdd system to the largest extent , facilitates the migration of mature processing procedures of the fdd system into the tdd system , and is easy to be implemented in the tdd system . the structure of the ue may be as shown in fig7 , which includes : a ta adjustment indicating module 701 , adapted to configure and store a ta adjustment indicating table , wherein the ta adjustment indicating table includes a relationship between a ta command and a ta value , and some items of the ta adjustment indicating table are commonly - used by the tdd system and the tdd system ; a command receiving module 702 , adapted to receive a ta command from an enodeb ; a mapping module 703 , adapted to search the ta adjustment indicating table in the ta adjustment indicating module 701 for a ta value corresponding to the ta command received by the command receiving module 702 ; and an uplink data transmitting module 704 , adapted to transmit uplink data according to the ta value obtained by the mapping module 703 . embodiments of the present invention provide a specific solution for implementing uplink transmission ta in the tdd system , which fills the blank area of the specifications . the solution achieves coherence of the designs of the tdd system and the fdd system to the largest extent , facilitates the migration of mature processing procedures of the fdd system into the tdd system , and is easy to be implemented in the tdd system . the foregoing description is only preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not for use in limiting the protection scope thereof . all the modifications , equivalent replacements or improvements in the scope of the present invention &# 39 ; s principles shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention . | 7 |
referring now to the drawings , fig1 is a perspective view of the filter 10 of the present invention . the filter 10 is preferably an open - celled foam material , such as foamed polyethylene , polyurethane , or the like . the filter 10 comprises an inlet surface 12 and an outlet surface 14 , walls 30 which define a plurality of passages 40 extend from the inlet surface 12 to the outlet surface 14 , and filtration means 60 for removing the impurities from the fluid . the inlet surface 12 , walls 30 , and a plurality of protruding members 70 which extend into the passages 40 , are preferably areodynamically designed and contoured to streamline the flow of the fluid through the filter 10 . the walls 30 define a labryinth of curvilinear passages 40 , each passage 40 extending from the inlet surface 12 to the outlet surface 14 . each passage 40a is in fluid communication with a series of other curvilinear passages 40b . each pasage 40 has a generally symmetrical configuration . fluid entering each passage 40a is routed into a series of adjacent passages 40b , and the fluid in passages 40a is rejoined by fluid from other adjacent passages 40b ( see fig8 ). although the diameter of the walls 30 vary throughout the passages 40 , the surface area about the passages 40 remains substantially the same throughout the length of the passages 40 . the walls 30 surrounding the passages 40 comprise a plurality of cells 50 . each cell 50 has a chute 52 extending therethrough , which is in fluid communication with a portion of an associated cell 50 disposed on an adjacent layer 20 . more particularly , and as shown in fig4 and 5 , each cell 50 is defined by a toroidal portion 54 and a chute 52 integrally formed therewith . in accordance with this construction , each cell 50 is , thus , divided into a plurality of sections 55 . each section 55 , thus , is in fluid communication with a plurality of cells 50 contiguously disposed . as shown in these drawings , any one cell 50 , thus , is placed in fluid communication with four cells 50 , since there is depicted therein , four section 55 in association with each cell 50 . it is understood that the number of sections 55 into which each cell 50 is divided is dictated by flow requirements , but optimally the cell 50 is divided into a least three and , preferably four sections 55 . the filter 10 formed from the foam material , preferably is divisible into a plurality of layers 20 , including the inlet surface layer 12 , at least one intermediate layer 22 , and an outlet layer 14 . the fluid approaches the inlet layer 12 , progresses through the intermediate layer 22 , and departs from the filter through the outlet layer 14 . each cell 50 is preferably disposed along a layer 20 . each of the cells 50 on the same layer 20 are similar in shape . in the preferred embodiment of the filter 10 of the present invention , there are three basic cell configurations . a cell 50a disposed on the inlet layer 12 is depicted in fig4 . a cell 50b disposed on any of the intermediate layers is depicted in fig5 . a cell 50c disposed on the outlet layer 14 is similar to the cell depicted in fig4 except that there is no protruding member 70 within the cell 50c . the layer 20 of each cell 50 is generally normal to the axis 59 of the cell 50 . the cells 50 are generally evenly spaced on each of several layers 30 . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , all of the cells 50 are disposed on four layers 20 , as shown in fig1 . the walls 30 of the filter 10 have a generally curvilinear shape . a cell wall 30 disposed on the inlet layer 12 has an inlet portion 53 and an outlet portion 56 . the inlet portion 53 is tapered inwardly , and the outlet portion 56 is tapered outwardly . for cells 50b disposed downstream of the inlet surface 12 , the inlet portion 53 is co - extensive with the outlet poriton 56 of the upstream cell . fig2 depicts a first pair of cells 50a disposed on the inlet surface 12 , portions of a second pair of contiguous cells 50b aligned on a first intermediate layer 20a , and portions of a third pair of contiguous cells 50b aligned on a second intermediate layer 20b . the cells 50a disposed on the inlet surface 12 have both an inlet portion 53a and an outlet portion 56a , whereas the downstream cells have an inlet portion 55b which is coextensive with the outlet portion 56a of the upstream contiguous cell 50a . fig3 depicts a cell 50a disposed on the inlet layer 12 and a contiguous cell 50b disposed on an intermediate layer 20b . each cell 50 is in fluid communication with preferably either three , four , or six cells 50 contiguously disposed along an adjacent layer 20 , although all of the drawings depict a cell 50a adjoining four contiguous cells 50b . the filter 10 preferably has a 36 % porosity and 0 . 35 inch layer spacing . preferably , the filter 10 has four layers , the inlet surface layer 12 , the intermediate layer 13 and the outlet surface layer ; being substantially of the same thickness , and the filter 10 having a total thickness of between one and one - and - a - half inches . a chute 52 extends through each cell 50 , and a central axis 59 extends through each chute 52 . the axis 59 of each cell is preferably normal to the inlet surface 12 and the outlet surface 14 , enabling a tangential flow of air through each of the passages 40 . each cell 50 , except for those cells 50c disposed on the outlet layer , has a contoured protruding member 70 extending therein . the protruding member 70 is generally symmetrical about the cell axis 59 . the tip 74 of the protruding member 70 extends into the proximate center of the cell 50 . as shown in fig4 the cell wall 30 has a generally curvilinear cross - section . since each cell 50a feeds four contiguous cells 50b , the protruding member 70 is formed by four edges 72 which divide the chute 52 into four quadrants which peak at the center of the cell 50 . the protruding member 70 deflects the fluid through the outlet portion 56a of the cell 50a , and into the inlet portion 55b of the contiguous cells 50b . fig7 is a top view of the filter 10 , the view depicting the symmetry of the inlet layer 12 and an adjacent intermediate layer 20a , the placement of the contiguous cells 50 on the intermediate layer 20a being depicted as hidden lines . the filtration means 60 for removing the impurities from the fluid flowing through the passages 40 is disposed along the walls 30 . the impurities are retained within the filtration means 60 , as the filtration means 60 enables fluid to flow through the passages 40 essentially unrestrited even with the filtration means 60 is saturated with impurities . the filtration means 60 is a surface filtration media which may be either wet or dry if the media is wet , it is preferred that an open - faced foam be used , such a polyurethane , which is commonly impregnated with a non - toxic , non - reactive viscous solution . the wet media treats the incoming fluid that is heavily laden with dust particles , pollutants , pollen , and other foreign particles . if the media is dry , charged fibers are affixed to the side walls of the filtration means 60 . the airborne particles are attracted to the surface of the fiber , and are trapped by a magnetic - like action to the fiber . the function of the filtration means 60 is to capture the contaminants and not allow them to rebound back into the fluid stream after striking the media . most of the filtration occurs between the outlet portion 56a of one cell 50 and the inlet portion 55b of a contiguous cell 50 . the contoured wall 30 of cell 50 guides the flow of air into the contoured inlet portion of the contiguous cells . the air tends to cling to the contoured cell walls 30 of each cell , much as juice clings to the surface of a pitcher as it is poured therefrom . this phoenomenon is well known in avionics as the coanda effect . hence , the contoured cell walls 30 guide the fluid through the passages 40 . the filter 10 does not pass the fluid through the media , as &# 34 ; surface filtration &# 34 ; is more dominant than &# 34 ; depth filtration &# 34 ;. the primary mechanisms involved in the filtration through the filter of the subject invention are &# 34 ; inertial impaction &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; flowline interception &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; diffusion deposition &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; electrostatic deposition &# 34 ;, and &# 34 ; london - van der waals deposition &# 34 ;, all of which are well - known phenomena to one skilled in the art . &# 34 ; inertial impaction &# 34 ; is caused by the fluid changing flow direction , which results in a curvature of the streamlines . the inertia of the particles prevents the particles from passing through the passages 40 unimpeded . the inertia thrusts the particles into the contoured walls 30 , where the particles are deposited . the intensity of this mechanism increases with increasing paticle size and increasing flow rates . particles are also collected by &# 34 ; flowing interception &# 34 ;. the particle may follow the streamline of the fluid and be collected without &# 34 ; inertial impaction &# 34 ; if the streamline is within close proximity to the collecting body . the trajectories of individual small particles do not coincide with the streamlines of the fluid because of &# 34 ; brownian motion &# 34 ;. with decreasing particle size the intensity of &# 34 ; brownian motion &# 34 ; increases and , as a consequence , so does the intensity of &# 34 ; diffusion deposition &# 34 ;. aerosol particles and the fibers of a filtration media 60 generally carry electrostatic charges that considerably influence particle deposition . charged fibers and particles influence the filtration process by altering particle trajectories and by alternating particle adherence to filter media surfaces . when the distance between a particle and the collecting body is small , deposition is influenced by london - van der waals intermolecular forces . if the media is wet , it is preferred that an open - faced foam be used , such as polyurethane , which is commonly impregnated with a non - toxic , non - reactive viscous solution such as glycerine , petrolatum , grease , ethylene glycols , or edible oils . the wet media treats the incoming fluid , preferably air , that is heavily laden with dust particles , pollutants , pollen , an other foreign particles . to trap smaller particles from the fluid stream , silicon dioxide , aluminum oxide , zeolite , diatomaceous earth may be added to the viscous solution . chemisorption masses like citric acid , tartaric acid , calcium chlrodie , sodium carbonate may also be added to remove odors and harmful acidic and alkaline contaminants . the preferred dry media is fibers which have positive and negative embedded charges . the preferred fibrous material if filtrete . sub .®, which is a registered trademark of the 3m company . the fibrous material may be sprayed or molded onto the contoured side walls . airborne particles under 5 microns are naturally attracted to the surface of the fiber , and are trapped by a magnetic - like action to the fiber . the filter 10 is a laminated structure , which may be precision molded , or formed by any other similar manner . the layers 20 are secured together by any of a variety of chemical adhesives that are well known in the art . the cells 50 disposed on each layer 20 would require a separate mold . alternate layers 20a are out of phase with adjacent layers 20b ( see fig6 ), and the alternate layers can be formed by the same molds . typically , air approaches the filter 10 at a flow rate of about 20 to 30 feet per second , and the air leaves the filter 10 at from 50 to 70 feet per second . the pressure loss through the filter 10 is independent of the number of layers 20 , but is primarily dependent upon the velocity of the air departing from the filter 10 . the number of layers 20 is not limited by pressure drop , but is limited by the space for the filter 10 in the fluid line , and the duration that the filter 10 is to remain in the line until it will be replaced . the tangential flow through the cells 50 serves to accelerate the air . typical pressure drop through the filter 10 varies from 2 to 3 percent . the impurities are retained within the filter 10 , and purified air flows out from the outlet surface 14 of the filter 10 . while the aerodynamic filter 10 has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications , and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure herein . it is intended that all such alternatives , modifications , and variations are included herein that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 8 |
the system and method integrate several well - known technologies via an application server and one or more computer networks , as shown in figures presented herein . in one possible embodiment , the system is realized as an extension to the anticipatory services brokering and planning technology disclosed in the related patent application . this variety of embodiment will be discussed in detail in order to illustrate a use of the invention . however , it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention extends to many other uses and applications of our new technology . the following technologies and terminologies are used within this disclosure : location based services (“ lbs ”)— a set of services which are associated with and driven by the location of a device such as a wireless telephone , personal digital assistant , or other computer . lbs may use one of several available technologies to determine the geographic location of a device , including but not limited to gps , the federal communication commission &# 39 ; s enhanced 911 (“ e911 ”) or micro - networks such as open - standard bluetooth . global positioning system (“ gps ”)— any one of several available technologies for determining geographic position electronically , including most prevalently use of a network of satellites in geosynchronous orbit and a receiver to pinpoint the receiver &# 39 ; s location . older systems , such as loran and transit , may be used , as well . regional positioning may be determined using signal triangulation or other methods commonly employed to determine in which cell in a cellular system a transceiver is located . computer network — most preferably the internet , but also possibly local area networks (“ lan ”), wireless area networks (“ wan ”), private networks and intranets . wireless network — any suitable communications network for data transmission and reception including personal communications systems (“ pcs ”), wireless lan , light wave ( e . g . infrared ) networks , and radio - based data links , all of which may be of proprietary nature or may conform to one of many well - known wireless standards . mobile system — used generally to refer to any system which is able to diagnose its own faults and failures and which may be transported , and especially , but not limited to , the control and diagnostic computers for vehicles such as automotive electronic control modules (“ ecm ”). a mobile system , however , does not have to be part of a vehicle , but may be vehicle - born , such as certain electronic systems carried in aircraft and ships which may need maintenance actions . enterprise resource planning (“ erp ”)— broadly , a set of activities and technologies employed by businesses to effectively plan and use their resources , including materials ordering , order receipt and fulfillment , billing and accounts payable , personnel scheduling and the like . supply chain management (“ scm ”)— a group of technologies and methods for coordinating the activities of multiple suppliers to achieve a goal such as delivering a service with certain materials . scm includes the computer systems used to receive orders and requests for quotes , systems for determining current and future inventories , methods for calculating labor times and values , automated quote generation systems , and systems for executing orders and deliveries of materials . mobile system diagnostic system — any system used to diagnose a mobile system such as a vehicle or other system which can be transported . we will use terms conventional to the automotive industry for this disclosure to broadly encompass similar terms from other mobile systems industries such as aviation , rail and maritime shipping . for example , we will refer to records regarding detected failures and potentially diagnosed root causes as diagnostic trouble codes (“ dtc ”), and the computer which performs the monitoring of sensors , recording of failures and conditions , and transmission of dtc records as an electronic control module (“ ecm ”). it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not related to an automotive implementation , and that the use of these terms from automotive parlance is for understandability and presentation of a preferred embodiment only . the invention of the related patent application integrates the on - board diagnostics capabilities of mobile systems such as vehicles , location based services technologies , and networked supply chain management technologies to provide anticipatory arrangement of required services and maintenance actions . based upon real - time fault condition detection in a mobile system and upon the system &# 39 ; s location and direction of travel , one or more potential geographic points of service , preferably within the scheduled itinerary of travel , is determined . the fault or trouble indicators are then analyzed to determine minimum service provider characteristics ( e . g . hours of operation , staff qualifications , equipment and parts on - hand , etc . ), and quotes or estimates for expected service actions are solicited and collected from partner provider systems . these quotes are analyzed and presented to the mobile system operator for selection , either manually or automatically , based upon user preferences . if a service provider is selected , the service is scheduled according to an estimated time of arrival of the mobile system , including arranging for parts to be procured in advance such that there is minimal delay to the travel itinerary for the completion of the service . if no service provider is found or selected , a second wider search for potential providers may be made to minimize deviation from the itinerary , including solicitation of quotes and estimates , selection and scheduling of the service actions . turning now to fig1 , the general system organization ( 10 ) of the invention is shown . a mobile system , such as a car ecm , initially is a location or position p 0 at an initial time t 0 when a fault , failure or out - of - range condition is detected within a monitored system . using a gps or lbs subsystem such as a gps receiver , the initial position p 0 is recorded with the dtc regarding the detected conditions , as well as with any dtc &# 39 ; s which are the result of diagnostic analysis to determine the root cause of the detected condition . for example , if a low fuel pressure level is detected , the ecm may record the position of the vehicle at the time the condition is detected in a first dtc , and may check other sensors for indications to assist in diagnosing the root cause of the failure . it may be diagnosed that the fuel filler cap may need to be checked or replaced . this diagnosis may be recorded in a second dtc , in typical ecm systems . according to one available embodiment , dtc &# 39 ; s are recorded in a format commonly understood by automotive diagnostic computers , such as the international standards organization &# 39 ; s controller - area network (“ can ”) or society of automotive engineers &# 39 ; j1850 format . any format which records this information , however , may be equally well employed to realize the invention , especially for non - automotive applications as previously discussed . these dtc &# 39 ; s are then transmitted to an opportunity server ( 17 ), via a first wireless network , and secondly by a computer network ( 12 ). in one possible embodiment , the wireless network interface is an ibm enetworks wireless switch coupled with convention wireless data communications facilities such as a personal communications system (“ pcs ”) transceiver . other wireless network solutions , such as motorola &# 39 ; s ricochet network , may be employed as well . the computer network is preferrably the well - known internet , but may be a proprietary or private network ( e . g . lan , wan , etc .). the opportunity server receives the dtc &# 39 ; s , consults a set of user profiles to 4 determine any user preferences ( 19 ) known for the driver ( e . g . preference to take his or her car to dealers only ), and then determines if there are any potential providers in the future vicinity of the mobile system ( e . g . next or previous town on the travel route ). those potential providers ( 16 ) are then issued a bid request using erp and / or electronic data interchange (“ edi ”) types of communications . to respond to the request for bid , each provider preferably certifies that they have ( or will have ) stock of necessary components , qualified staff on hand , and the necessary equipment to complete the maintenance action at the time of estimated arrival of the mobile system . providers may be eliminated or sorted according to the user preferences , such as manufacturer dealers , automobile association ratings , etc . one or more providers ( 16 ), then , may respond with quotes and estimates , which are then coalesced by the opportunity server ( 15 ) for downloading and presenting to the mobile system operator ( e . g . car driver ) via the computer network ( 12 ) and wireless interface ( 14 ). presentation of the operator &# 39 ; s options may be made graphically using a display on the vehicle &# 39 ; s control panel ( e . g . a tft or lcd display on a car dashboard , computer display on a ship &# 39 ; s helm , etc . ), or audibly via a speakerphone or stereo system . the vehicle operator may then select a provider , which causes the opportunity server to confirm the bid and appointment to the winning provider . when the mobile system arrives at the anticipated location pi on or about the anticipated time of arrival t 1 , the service action may be made without unnecessary delays waiting for parts , personnel , or shopping for an acceptable cost or price . if no provider is selected or no acceptable bid is made in the first search , the opportunity server ( 17 ) may repeat the search and offer process for a subsequent location p 2 and expected time of arrival t 2 which is either part of the operator &# 39 ; s desired itinerary or within an acceptable deviation from the desired itinerary . turning to fig2 , details of the enhanced ecm ( 20 ) of the mobile system according to one possible embodiment are shown . the ecm ( 21 ), which includes a microprocessor or microcontroller , is interfaced ( 22 ) to a plurality of sensors and other subsystem monitors ( e . g . controllers in a transmission , fuel injectors , etc .) via a bus such as the aforementioned j1850 or can bus , or appropriate proprietary or standard bus according to an alternate embodiment and vehicle application . through this interface ( 22 ), the ecm receives information regarding detected failures , faults and out - of - range conditions , which are recorded in dtcs in the ecm memory ( 24 ). the enhanced ecm ( 20 ) is also provided with location means , such as a gps receiver or lbs - enabled wireless interface ( 25 , 26 ), as well as a real - time clock ( 200 ). the location of the vehicle at the time of the detected event is recorded either with each dtc or in a separate dtc associated with the first dtc . contact is then initiated through a wireless network interface ( 28 , 29 ), such as a pcs interface , to the remote opportunity server , and the dtc &# 39 ; s are transmitted or uploaded to the server . using the wireless network interface ( 28 , 29 ), the enhanced ecm ( 20 ) may receive the coalesced opportunities ( e . g . collected and qualified bids or offers from the providers ) from the opportunity server , display or present them through the user interface ( 201 ), and receive a user selection . presentation may be through a visual display , such as using an lcd or tft display , or audibly using text - to - speech or telephone audio channels . the user &# 39 ; s selection , such as a speech - recognized “ yes ” or “ no ” or input from a touch screen , may be transmitted back to the opportunity server via the wireless interface . some of these functions may be provided in combination with each other . for example , gps operates on transmission of time - based signals from satellites to the gps receivers , and as such , a gps receiver includes a real - time clock . also , a pcs phone which is lbs - enabled can also be employed as the wireless network interface . fig3 provides more details of the opportunity server ( 17 ), which includes a common web server computing hardware platform ( 31 ) and operating system ( 32 ). the computing platform is preferrably an ibm eserver such as the ibm i - series , or any other suitable computer platform such as an ibm - compatible personal computer , sun microsystem &# 39 ; s server , or other capable computer . the hardware platform is also preferrably equipped with a network interface (“ nic ”) ( 34 ) for communication with the computer network ( 12 ) such as the internet . the nic ( 34 ) may be as simple as a modem , or as sophisticated as a high bandwidth digital subscriber loop (“ dsl ) or t - 1 interface ( or better ). the hardware platform is also preferrably provided with a set of user interface devices ( 35 ) such as a display , keyboard and mouse , for administration and configuration activities . the operating system is preferrably ibm &# 39 ; s aix operating system , which is well adapted to web server applications , but may also be any other suitable operating system including but not limited to ibm &# 39 ; s os / 2 , sun microsystem &# 39 ; s solaris , unix , linux , or microsoft &# 39 ; s windows . the opportunity server is also preferrably provided with one or more persistent storage devices ( 33 ) such as a disk array . to realize the invention in the opportunity server , a web server suite , preferrably ibm &# 39 ; s websphere everyplace suite , is provided with a number of application programs or scripts to implement the logical processes of the invention , as described in the preceding paragraphs and in more detail in the following paragraphs . the websphere product is well known in the industry , and methods and tools for implementing custom logical processes for networked business solutions are commonplace as the websphere product is widely in use by businesses , financial institutions , and government agencies around the world . other suitable a capable software programs and / or suites may be utilized in place of the websphere product without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . the logical processes are preferrably implemented in part in the mobile system &# 39 ; s enhanced ecm ( e . g . firmware or software ), in part in the customizable logical processes ( e . g . java , scripts , etc .) on the opportunity server , and in part by the provider &# 39 ; s servers . these logical processes are shown in fig4 with their cooperative interactions . when the enhanced ecm detects a fault condition , failure , or out - of - range measurement ( 41 ) on the mobile system , it produces ( 42 ) one or more dtcs , and transmits those with the mobile system &# 39 ; s time and location to the opportunity server , preferrably via a wireless network . the opportunity server then receives ( 43 ) the dtc &# 39 ; s , and proceeds to check the user &# 39 ; s profile and the provider profiles ( 18 , 19 ) which are in the area of the next expected point of service ( e . g . next or closest town , port , airport , etc .). then , the dtc &# 39 ; s are processed ( 45 ) to create requests for bids for the needed service repair , and are transmitted via the computer network to one or more provider servers . each provider servers receive ( 46 ) the requests , prepares ( 47 ) one or more offers if the provider is able to perform the maintenance service , and transmits these back to the opportunity server . the opportunity server “ coalesces ” ( e . g . modifies and combines ) these offers by first screening them to meet the user &# 39 ; s preferences , followed by organizing them into a format which is easily and uniformly presented to the mobile system operator . this may include performing text - to - speech conversion to allow for audible presentation via a telephone channel , adjusting and filtering graphics for presentation on a dashboard display which has limited capabilities , and minimizing text for quicker reading . the coalesced offers are then transmitted preferably on the wireless network to the enhanced ecm , where they are presented to the mobile system operator ( 49 ) through display , audio , or both . the user can then accept an offer ( 400 ), such as by making a verbal election or touching an icon on a touchscreen , which results in the selection being transmitted to the opportunity server , which in turn performs a confirmation transaction ( 400 ) with the winning provider server . the selected provider server then performs enterprise resource planning functions ( 403 ) to order and deliver replacement parts to the point of service , schedule appropriately skilled personnel to be on call at the expected time of arrival , and to reserve an appointment for service . if the mobile system operator declines all offers ( 402 ), then the opportunity server may widen the “ bid pool ” to include service providers which are located at a subsequent point of service ( e . g . two towns away , two ports away , etc . ), and / or which do not completely meet the user &# 39 ; s preferences . for example , if the user prefers to have his car repaired at dealer - owned shops but no dealers are found , the bid pool is widened to include any qualified shops for the user &# 39 ; s make of car . to annotate fig4 by way of example , suppose a car modified according to the present invention in route from dallas to austin , tex ., undergoes a failure in the fuel system . the ecm detects that fuel pressure is abnormally low , but that sensors on the fuel injectors indicate acceptable fuel flow . this causes a first dtc to be created for a low fuel pressure , and a second dtc to be created for a potential root cause of a loose or damaged fuel filler cap ( 42 ). additionally , the location of the vehicle is determined using gps , and a third time - location dtc is created . when the opportunity server receives ( 43 ) these 3 dtc records , it immediately consults the user &# 39 ; s profile and finds that he prefers to have his car repaired by the dealers associated with the manufacturer of his vehicle . so , using the location information , a database of providers is searched looking for dealers in the next town where the vehicle will be arriving , perhaps waco , tex ., and towns which the vehicle has recently passed , perhaps temple , tex . this determination of points of service within the vehicle &# 39 ; s vicinity can be made several ways . in its simplest form , the user may input the towns on the ecm &# 39 ; s user interface , which can be included in the third dtc . alternately , two successive gps measurements can be made , which can be used to calculate vehicle direction and velocity , which can also be included in the dtc and used by the opportunity in conjunction with a digital map to determine upcoming towns on the vehicle &# 39 ; s path . an estimated time of arrival can also be either calculated using this information , or provided directly by the vehicle operator . once a set of qualified providers has been determined , requests for bids can be transmitted to the provider &# 39 ; s servers online , through means such as edi , email , fax , etc . the providers &# 39 ; servers receive the requests , and in this example , determine if they can have parts ( e . g . a fuel cap for the user &# 39 ; s make and model of car ) and skilled staff on hand at the estimated time of arrival of the vehicle . an offer can be generated , if desired , and transmitted back to the opportunity server , again using e - mail , edi , fax , etc . the opportunity server collects all of the returned offers , formats and filters ( e . g . “ coalesces ”) them for presentation to the user , and sends them to the vehicle using the wireless network . in our example , let &# 39 ; s assume that the quote price from two dealers is too high for the driver to accept , so he rejects ( 102 ) all of the offers , which allows the opportunity server to search for dealers in the next farther towns , perhaps austin , tex ., and grand prairie , tex ., as well as for non - dealer service shops in waco capable of performing the repairs . requests for bids are produced and transmitted ( 45 ), and offers from 2 dealers in austin and a pep boys store in waco are received , coalesced ( 48 ), and presented ( 49 ) to the driver . the driver then may select a lower priced dealer offer in austin , if available , or a closer offer from pep boys if it is less expensive , which then results in the scheduling ( 403 ) of the service at the selected provider &# 39 ; s facilities . turning now to the present invention , we will use the foregoing scenario and system configuration to illustrate the methods and processes provided by the invention . in fig5 , a data flow and revenue flow arrangement or perspective of the system is shown . an opportunity server is configured to serve as the primary contact between other service providers , data aggregators , and as a revenue and cost sharing clearinghouse . thus , the opportunity server acts in the role of ivis primary service provider and primary aggregator (“ primary spa ”) ( 51 ), and communicates directly ( 504 , 505 ) with the customer and vehicle ivis ( 52 ) via one or more communications networks ( e . g . internet , wan , pcs cellular , blue tooth , etc .). initially , the vehicle ( 52 ) is provided ( 501 ) with required ivis hardware and software by an original equipment manufacturer (“ oem ”) ( 54 ). the customer may pay ( 500 ) the oem ( 54 ) for the equipment in part or full , depending on the business model adopted by the oem ( 54 ). the oem ( 54 ) may choose to receive partial payment from the customer , and to participate ( 503 ) in revenue sharing with the rest of the participants of the system ( 50 ). the primary spa ( 51 ), then , provides direct communication of all services , web pages , information , etc ., to the ivis ( 52 ), and thus is in a position to measure and record usage in terms of data amount ( bytes , megabytes , pages ) and / or time . the primary spa ( 51 ) randomly assigns an available session id for the duration of an activity by the customer such as brokering and scheduling a car repair , or such as traveling on a tollway . by using a random id value , storing the session id without the customer &# 39 ; s id , and reusing the id value for a subsequent customer , the session data is disassociated with the customer &# 39 ; s true identity while maintaining information useful for marketing , analysis , and aggregation into statistical data sets . as a form of an opportunity server , the pspa ( 51 ) can broker ( 509 ) for services to one or more subsidiary service providers and aggregators (“ subsidiary spa ”) ( 57 ). as each subsidiary spa ( 57 ) responds ( 508 ) to requests for quotes , data or information proxied from the ivis ( 52 ), the primary spa ( 51 ) receives these responses ( 509 ), and can measure their usage parameters ( size , time , etc .). the primary spa ( 51 ) may then transmit these to the ivis , and record ( 550 ) in the current session the amount of data or time consumed for the transaction associated with the temporary anonymous session id . after a provider has been selected by the customer , the “ winning ” provider may be charged ( 509 ) for the value of the usage aggregated from all of the responding ( 508 ) providers . additionally , a credit for the same amount can be posted ( 510 ) to the network access provider such as a pcs telephone company who provided the metered communications link between the primary spa ( 51 ) and the ivis ( 52 ), thus negating any cost to the customer to have used the system . in one embodiment , the primary spa ( 51 ) may also charge a fee to the network access provider ( 53 ) and or the subsidiary spa ( 57 ) for handling the transaction which resulted in network usage and service purchase . in yet another embodiment option , the oem ( 54 ) may participate in revenue sharing to offset its own cost of providing the ivis platform by receiving payment ( 503 ) directed by the primary spa ( 51 ) on a per usage basis , percentage of transaction value basis , or other sharing model . this provides the ability of the oem to supply the ivis platform at a lower - than - actual cost or no cost at all to the customer , thereby enabling the selling of services by the subsidiary providers ( 57 ). at the end of a session , the primary spa ( 51 ) may store all the session information with the temporary id , but does not store the true customer &# 39 ; s identity so that the session data is customer - agnostic . this insures privacy of each customer and alleviates concerns that the service or product which has been provided ( e . g . “ free ” ivis data services ) has not resulted in a profile of the customer being created and sold . in this example , the primary spa ( 51 ) acted also as a primary aggregator of information by collecting the session information and storing it ( 550 ). in other scenarios and applications , the subsidiary spas ( 57 ) may also aggregate information , albeit in a different manner , typically . each subsidiary spa ( 57 ) can collect information from one session to another and form new pools of information and statistics . as the base information collected from each session is disassociated with the customers true identities , the aggregated information is by default also disassociated with any customer identities , although just as useful . the customer - agnostic aggregated information can then be provided ( 512 , 506 ) to clients ( 56 ) for such group , marketing and demographic information . such information may include driving patterns and speeds needed by departments of transportation , safety bureaus and insurance companies . it might include numbers of cars and average speeds in certain corridors and roadways needed for urban planners . just as well , it might represent usage information regarding features of hardware and software most often operated by vehicle drivers , to be used by oem &# 39 ; s and service providers for future product planning . other companies , such as fuel suppliers , music and entertainment , as well as travel industry members can find useful aggregated information including where travelers stop and how long , how much they spend and on what , etc . in return for such accurate and useful information , the aggregated information clients ( 56 ) may make payment to the primary spa ( 51 ) and / or subsidiary spa ( s ) ( 57 ), which can then be applied to oem costs ( 503 ) and network access costs ( 510 ) in some embodiments . in general , as can be seen from this figure , the more consumers of the data , the wider spread the costs of operating the system can be . this allows the cost to the customer to be minimized , which will enable the consumer behavior to approach that of the flat - rate model ( e . g . unlimited , apparently free use without sacrificing personal privacy ). fig6 provides a specific example of such uses . in this example , a vehicle ( 61 ) equipped with an ivis as previously described travels along a tollway which is within a network capable of communicating with the ivis . as the primary spa and subsidiary spa &# 39 ; s may be geographically located close to or far from the actual wireless network interfaces to the vehicle , there is no requirement that the rest of the infrastructure previously described be near the tollway . as the vehicle ( 61 ) enters the tollway at t 0 , p 0 , equipment such as a blue tooth transmitter or an lbs server make contact with the ivis , thereby triggering an anonymous session id to be associated ( 68 ) with a new session record set . as the vehicle travels along the tollway and within a cell tower ( 63 ) range at p 1 , a record can be created ( 69 ) in the session indicating the time t 1 at which the vehicle arrived at this point , and other information can be recorded as available from the vehicle ( e . g . speed , failure alerts , radio station tuned , etc .). as the vehicle ( 61 ) continues to travel on the tollway , it may also pass a gas station ( 64 ), a midway tollbooth , a restaurant and gift shop , and eventually a tollway exit booth ( 67 ), each time creating a record within the session . upon exit of the tollway , the session data is stored associated with the anonymous id , and the id value is made available for association with another vehicle . table 1 shows an example data set which may have been collected during the vehicle &# 39 ; s travel on our hypothetical tollway . in post processing of the session data , the speed of the vehicle at each point of contact can be determined , which can yield interesting aggregated data for transportation departments , urban planners , and the travel industry . if the vehicle reported which radio station was being played , that too can be analyzed for patterns interesting to the entertainment industry . if the operator brokered services such as hotel reservations or a car repair , certain industries may find this aggregated information useful . as such , each session record set provides useful , actual information regarding a consumer &# 39 ; s activities , preferences and habits , albeit anonymous data . multiple session record sets may be average and further analyzed to yield larger interpretations about consumer classes , groups , and strata . the invention presented herein meets the objectives and needs not presently met by systems and methods currently available . it allows an operator of a mobile system or vehicle to effectively use online services without the undesirable and prohibitive costs to do so . it also allows for cost and revenue sharing , and mining of consumer behavior information disassociated with specific users , thereby ensuring privacy of use . it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that certain details in the example embodiments have been disclosed for the purpose of illustration , and do not represent limitations or restrictions to the scope of the present invention . rather , many variations in embodiment , features , and uses may be made without departing from the scope of the invention . as such , the scope of the present invention is determined by the following claims . | 6 |
in referring to the drawings , and in particular fig1 the stair simulator of this invention 1 is disclosed . it includes a frame means , as at 2 , which is configured having a pair of inclined hand gripping members 3 and 4 , that connect into the housing or cover 5 , at its upper end , while extending downwardly , integrally , as at 6 and 7 , into base supporting frames 8 and 9 , as noted . the frontal ends of the base frames 8 and 9 connect into the housing 5 . the concept of this invention is to provide for stair simulating , during exercising . thus , a pair of foot platforms , 10 and 11 , are pivotally disposed by means of pivot arms , as at 12 and 13 , into the operating mechanism of this invention . thus , as one undertaking exercises stands upon the foot platforms , and pivots the platforms downwardly against their resisting movements , during usage , this simulator provides a duplication of the effort that is related to either the ascending of stairs , or climbing of a ladder , as aforesaid , both with some degree of resistance . in referring to fig2 the frame means 2 of this invention , without any housing or cover 5 , is disclosed . in this particular embodiment , the construction of the device is slightly revised , as to be explained , although the principle to be obtained from its usage and application remains the same . as disclosed , the frame means includes the hand gripping inclined members 14 and 15 , which have downwardly depending structural members , at their front and back ends , as can be seen at 16 through 19 , and which respectively connect with their floor or base frames 20 and 21 , as noted . provided centrally of the frame means is a column member 22 , which at its upper end provides means for furnishing a visual display , and read - out , of various data , whether it be indigital or analog form , providing information that may be relevant to the rate of usage of the exercising device , the degree of force encountered upon manipulation of its platforms , and the like . this type of information may be supplied electrically , or even mechanically , from the operative components of this invention , to be subsequently described . such displays are relatively disclosed in the art . the column means 22 , in this particular instance shown as vertically disposed , interconnects by means of bracing 23 to the supports 18 and 19 , while the column extends further downwardly , as at 24 , for interconnecting with bracing 25 at the lowermost frontal position of the frame means 2 . a cross bracing 26 is provided , for further stability . while the column means 22 of this invention is disclosed as being arranged vertically aligned , in the preferred embodiment , it is preferred that the column have an inclined disposition , as can be seen at 22 within fig3 and 4 . pivot axes 27 and 28 are pivotally mounted to the pivot assembly 29 , and which pivot assembly is disposed for shifting movement , vertically , or approximately vertically , upon the column portion 24 , as can be seen . the pivot assembly , in this instance , may undertake the configuration of a sleeve , as can also be seen in fig3 and 4 . connecting for pivotal movement upon the axes 27 and 28 are a pair of pivot arms , or links , 30 and 31 , with one of each link connecting to each of the left and right foot platforms 32 and 33 , respectively . as can be seen , each of the arms 30 and 31 are likewise pivotally connected by means of the pins 34 to the riser portion 35 of each of the platforms . the purpose for this is that the platforms 32 and 33 will remain horizontal with the surface , regardless of the disposition of the platform along the arc elevation of movement during their manipulation while exercising . means are provided for furnishing a resistance to the downward movement of the foot platforms during their manipulation . this is provided by means of a force biasing means , which in this particular instance comprises a pair of springs 36 , which may connect to one of the axes 27 or 28 , or even to the side of the pivot assembly 29 . the opposite end of the springs 36 have a belt 37 connected thereto , and which are disposed over pulleys 38 , as noted , and which will be subsequently defined . thus , resistance is provided to the downward movement of the foot platforms 32 and 33 , initially , by means of the force of the tension springs 36 , because of their connection , at their belt ends , to the shown risers 35 . in addition , adjustable resistance may be provided to the movement of the foot platforms , by means of any form of mechanically adjustable resistance means . in the preferred embodiment , it includes a flywheel 39 that interconnects through a gear reducer 40 , with a shaft 41 interconnecting through the gear reducer to the aforesaid pulleys 38 . the belt 37 extends over the pulleys 38 , and through adjusting of the flywheel 39 , the degree of resistance required to pull the belt 37 over the pulleys 38 may be controlled , in order to vary the amount of force required to attain a downward shifting of the platforms 32 and 33 , during undertaking of an exercising function . obviously , other forms of force reducing means , of an equivalent structure , or which provide an equivalent result , and that is for varying the force required to attain movement of the foot platforms , may be embodied in this invention . see also fig5 . as can be further seen in fig2 the pivot assembly 29 has connecting to it a threaded screw 42 and which is operatively associated with a motor means 43 , which may be of the reversing type , with the screw 42 threadedly engaging within a sleeve 44 , and with said sleeve being connected to the pivot assembly 29 . hence , when the motor 43 is energized , in one direction or the other , the screw 42 is rotated , providing for its threaded engagement within the threaded sleeve 44 , to raise or lower the pivot assembly 29 , as can be understood . obviously , once again , other equivalent mechanical or electrical means for raising or lowering of the pivot assembly 29 , may be considered . in referring to fig3 and 4 , the principle of this invention , and what is desired to be attained through the usage , manipulation , and application of this invention , can be readily discerned . for example , it is to be noted in fig3 that the pivot assembly is arranged at its uppermost position upon the lower column 24 . when in this position , and due to the rearward incline in the disposition of the column 22 , as can be noted , the arc angle of pivot for the foot platforms 32 and 33 is upon an arc that is nearly vertically disposed , as can be noted by the directional arrow 45 . on the other hand , as can be seen in fig4 when the pivot assembly 29 is lowered , through the energization of the motor means 43 , in an opposite direction , the foot platforms , while having a similar arc angle pivot range , in this condition , provides a reorientation in its arc of movement , in a forwardly disposed direction as the foot platforms move upwardly , as can be noted by the directional angle 46 . thus , as disclosed in fig3 the arc angle of movement of the foot platforms during their manipulation , while exercising , is generally in a vertical direction , and therefore , exercising upon the platforms when adjusted into such position is equivalent or similar to the exertion undertaken when climbing a ladder . on the other hand , and alternatively , when the pivot assembly is lowered with respect to the column 24 , as can be seen in fig4 the arc angle of pivot of the foot platforms is angulated forwardly of the structure , such that when one exercises upon the device when adjusted into this condition , the exercises undertaken simulate that of ascending stairs , and therefore , may exert stress and exercise upon different muscles , or from a different angle , upon the muscles , than from the adjusted position as shown in fig3 . these are examples of the dexterity in usage of this particular invention , as a result of the various adjustment features built into it . as can be further seen in fig5 the column 22 , and more particularly its bottom segment 24 , mounts for sliding movement of the pivot assembly 29 thereon . the pivot assembly 29 may have integrally formed rearwardly thereof , some pivot mounts , for mounting of the shafts 27 and 28 , for supporting of the level arms 30 and 31 , as previously explained . thus , the actuation of the motor means 43 , turns its threaded screw 42 , within the sleeve 44 , for raising or lowering of the pivot assembly 29 , as previously explained . in addition , the flywheel 39 may include , by way of example , a flywheel therein , and have a friction strap , as noted at 46 , which may be adjusted by means of a servo motor 47 , or the like , and which also may be actuated or adjusted by means of some push button control provided upon the control panel 48 . thus , the degree of resistance offered by the flywheel means 46 , through its shaft 49 , and into the gear reducer 40 , may provide further adjustment to the degree of resistance offered by the foot platforms 32 and 33 , when manipulated by the exerciser . a proximity sensor 50 that cooperates with magnets 51 , may provide for an indication as to the speed of operations of the device , or the rate at which the foot platforms are depressed , so as to provide an indication , and readout , as to the climbing speed encountered by the exerciser , during usage of the device . these are just examples as to how the stair simulator of this invention , may incorporate operative components , to achieve its intended results . variations or modifications upon the subject matter of this invention may occur to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the subject matter of this invention . such variations , if within the spirit of this invention , are intended to be encompassed within the scope of any claims to patent protection issuing upon this development . the description of the preferred embodiment set forth herein is done so for illustrative purposes only . | 0 |
the combine harvester designated generally by numeral 1 and only partly shown in fig1 is of rather conventional design and for this reason neither the function nor the construction of the combine harvester will be described in any detail herein . the combine harvester 1 is , among other things , provided with a cutter 2 in the form of a straw chopper , preferably a flail chopper , of prior - art design . in the conventional manner the cutter 2 is placed at the rear end of the combine harvester 1 as seen in the direction of travel a of the latter . the cutter 2 is formed with an inlet , not shown , for reception of threshed but not yet chopped crop residues , usually straw emanating from such crops as wheat , barley , rye and oats a well as from oil - producing plants and maize , sunflower , etc , and with an outlet , not shown either , for chopped and comminuted crop residues 4 . the main task of a spreader 5 located at the rear or downstream from the cutter 2 is to spread the chopped crop residues 4 , discharged from the cutter 2 through the outlet thereof , over a ground 6 , in this case a field , across the desired spreading width b , the maximum width of which may amount to 9 meters or more , i . e . considerably wider than the width c of the combine harvester 1 itself and of the spreader 5 , which usually amounts to 2 . 6 meters . more precisely , the spreader 5 is configured essentially as a spreading nozzle 7 , which is directed rearwards and is open in a downwards - rearwards direction . the nozzle 7 has an upper essentially horizontal wall 8 and two essentially vertical end walls 9 . below the upper wall 8 and intermediate the end walls 9 a plurality of spreader wings 10 are arranged , said wings being positioned essentially in juxtaposed parallel relationship and being pivotally mounted in the upper wall 8 for adjustment of the spreader wings 10 in the transverse direction of the spreader 5 as required by the desired spreading width and pattern . a wind deflector in accordance with the first preferred embodiment , designated generally in fig1 - 9 by numeral 11 , is connected to the spreader 5 . however , it could equally well be positioned on the rear end 3 of the combine harvester 1 or at some other suitable place . the essential is that the wind deflector be able to fulfil its main task , which is to prevent , during movement of the combine harvester 1 and consequently also that of the spreader 5 in the direction of travel a , headwinds or upwind acting essentially counter to the direction of travel a and / or the lateral winds acting more or less crosswise to the direction of travel a , from affecting the spreading of the crop residues 4 across the desired spreading width as determined by the setting of the spreader wings 10 , particularly when they are set for maximum spreading width b . more precisely , the wind deflector 11 projects essentially horizontally laterally , either obliquely or substantially at right angles to the direction of travel a , from at least one direction away from the spreader 5 ( or the combine harvester 1 ). in the embodiment shown in fig1 - 9 , the wind deflector 11 comprises two sections 12 and 13 arranged essentially in mirror - image relationship , said sections being connected to the spreader 5 on either side of the latter and projecting laterally as mentioned above in opposite directions from either side of the spreader . in this case , each section 12 , 13 comprises a metal - tube frame 14 of a construction suitable for its purpose , and on the frame an essentially rectangular screen 15 made from sheet metal or some other suitable material is mounted by means of fasteners of a prior - art kind , not shown . by means of its tubular frame 14 , each section 12 , 13 is pivotally connected to the corresponding side of the spreader 5 by means of a pivot joint 16 , which also allows the section to be mounted on / dismounted from the spreader in a quick and simple manner without any tools being required . via the pivot joints 16 the sections 12 , 13 may be controlled jointly ( fig5 and 6 ) or individually ( fig7 ) between an operative position d ( fig1 - 5 , 8 and 9 ), wherein they project in the lateral direction essentially horizontally above the ground 6 and a position e of rest or transportation ( fig6 and 7 ), wherein they do not project laterally . according to fig5 and 6 , the sections 12 , 13 may be controlled by means of one single winch or by means of one winch each , not shown , or similar means arranged on the rear end 3 of the combine harvester 1 in a manner ensuring that they may be folded essentially vertically between their essentially horizontal , lower operative position d as shown in fig5 and the essentially vertically upright position e of rest and transportation as shown in fig6 . alternatively , the sections 12 , 13 may be controlled as shown in fig7 by arranging them in such a manner that they may pivot essentially horizontally about the pivot points 16 between the operative position d and the position e of rest and transportation . in the position e of rest and transportation shown on the left - hand side of fig7 , the section is shown extending essentially in parallel with the direction of travel a , adjacent one of the lengthwise sides of the combine harvester , not shown in the drawing figure , whereas in the position of rest and transportation shown on the right - hand side of fig7 the section is shown as folded inwards behind the spreader 5 and extending essentially at right angles to the direction of travel a . further additional positions e of rest and transportation of the sections 12 , 13 , even of dismounted sections as mentioned previously , are of course possible . in some cases , for example when the sections 12 , 13 are very long ( up to 2 - 3 meters ) and comparatively heavy , it may be advisable to support the sections in their operative position d as shown in fig8 and 9 by provision at their outer free ends or at a point spaced from these ends , of support wheels 17 ( fig8 ), preferably swivels or slide runners 18 ( fig9 ). obviously , differently designed supports are possible ; the essential is that the sections are not in direct contact with or strike the ground 6 . if the sections 12 , 13 , whether or not supported by means 17 , 18 as defined above , should strike an obstacle , such as a stone , some other implement or any other hard object , preferably the joints 16 may be equipped with break - pins , not shown , yielding springs or the like . in this manner the section that strikes an obstacle may yield and be deflected to prevent it from being damaged by the obstacle or from causing damage to the latter . in the second preferred embodiments of the wind deflector 19 as shown in fig1 and 11 , this deflector like the wind deflector 11 according to the first embodiment shown in fig1 - 9 is connected to the spreader 5 but alternatively it could be connected to the rear end 3 of the combine harvester or elsewhere . the wind deflector 19 operates principally in the same manner as the wind deflector 11 but differs somewhat construction - wise from the latter . the wind deflector 19 comprises three sections 20 , 21 , and 22 , of which sections 20 , 21 on the whole are identical to sections 12 , 13 of wind deflector 11 . section 22 , which may be made from sheet metal or some other rigid material , interconnects sections 20 , 21 and in the operative position d it extends essentially horizontally intermediate sections 20 , 21 , forming a roof . in this manner the wind deflector 19 assumes the shape of a funnel - like , hood - shaped extension of the spreader 5 . the control of the wind deflector 19 may be effected by pivoting it like a unit about a horizontal axis , which extends crosswise relative to the direction of travel a , between the downwards folded operative position d shown in fig1 and 11 and the upper position , not shown , of rest and transportation e . in practical terms , the control may be effected with the aid of such means as winches or equivalent means , not shown , arranged at the rear end 3 of the combine harvester 1 . according to the two embodiments shown herein and any other possible embodiments of the wind deflector 11 , 19 it is possible to effect the control , in addition to manually by means of winches and the like , by hydraulically , pneumatically or electrically operated means or in some other way . preferably , control of this kind is effected via lines and cables in order to facilitate operations by the driver from the driver &# 39 ; s cabin of the combine harvester or , if the spreader 5 is not connected to a combine harvester but is a separated , driven or self - propelled unit , from the driver &# 39 ; s cabin of the propelling vehicle or of the spreader . as will be realised the invention should not be regarded as limited to the embodiments described herein and shown in the drawings but it may be varied optionally within the scope of protection as defined in the appended claims . | 0 |
fig1 is a perspective view of a vehicle including a trainable transmitter ( or transceiver ) in accordance with an embodiment . a vehicle 10 , which may be an automobile , truck , sport utility vehicle ( suv ), mini - van , or other vehicle , includes a trainable transmitter 16 . in alternative embodiments , a trainable transmitter may be embodied in other systems such as a portable housing , key fob , key chain , or other hand - held device . in fig1 , trainable transmitter 16 is illustrated mounted to an overhead console of vehicle 10 . alternatively , one or more of the elements of trainable transmitter 16 may be mounted to other vehicle interior elements such as a visor 17 , an instrument panel 18 , a rearview mirror ( not shown ), a dashboard seat , center console , door panel , or other appropriate location in the vehicle . trainable transmitter 16 may be configured to control a remote control system 14 , such as a garage door opener , home security system , home lighting system , gate controller , etc . trainable transmitter 16 is trained using an original transmitter 12 used to control remote control system 14 . original transmitter 12 is a transmitter , typically a hand - held transmitter , which is sold with remote control system 14 or as an after - market item , and which is configured to transmit an activation signal at a predetermined carrier frequency and having control data configured to actuate remote control system 14 . for example , original transmitter 12 can be a hand - held garage door opener transmitter configured to transmit a garage door opener signal at a frequency , such as 355 megahertz ( mhz ), wherein the activation signal has control data , which can be fixed code or cryptographically - encoded code ( e . g ., a rolling code ). in this example , remote control system 14 may be a garage door opener system configured to open a garage door in response to receiving the activation signal from original transmitter 12 . accordingly , remote control system 14 includes an antenna ( not shown ) for receiving wireless signals including control data which would control remote control system 14 . to train trainable transmitter 16 , an activation or control signal a is transmitted from original transmitter 12 to trainable transmitter 16 in the vehicle 10 . trainable transmitter 16 receives the control signal , identifies the control data ( e . g ., the fixed or rolling code data ) and carrier frequency of the control signal and stores this information . trainable transmitter 16 may then be used to selectively generate a control signal t based on the learned frequency and control data and to transmit the control signal t to the remote control system 14 , such as a garage door opener , that is responsive to the control signal . the training and operation of trainable transmitter 16 is discussed in further detail below . fig2 is a schematic block diagram of a trainable transmitter in accordance with an embodiment . transmitter 16 includes a transmitter circuit 20 and a receiver 21 that are coupled to an antenna 38 . in another embodiment , a single dual function transceiver having transmit and receive circuitry may be provided in place of a separate receiver and transmitter . transmitter circuit 20 and receiver 21 are also coupled to a control circuit 22 . control circuit 22 may include various types of control circuitry , digital and / or analog , and may include a microprocessor , microcontroller , application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), or other digital and / or analog circuitry configured to perform various input / output , control , analysis and other functions to be described herein . a switch interface 24 is coupled to a plurality of buttons or switches . alternatively , other user input devices such as knobs , dials , etc ., or a voice actuated input control circuit configured to receive voice signals from a vehicle occupant may be provided to receive user input . in an exemplary embodiment , switch interface is coupled to one terminal of each of three push button switches 26 , 28 and 30 , which have their remaining terminal connected to ground . switches 26 , 28 and 30 may each be associated with a separate remote control system to be controlled , each of which may have its own unique operating rf frequency , modulation scheme , and / or control data . thus , switches 26 , 28 , and 30 each correspond to a different radio frequency channel for transmitter circuit 20 . it should be understood , however , that each channel may be trained to the same original transmitter , if desired , or to different original transmitters . interface circuit 24 couples signal information from switches 26 , 28 and 30 to the input terminals of control circuit 22 . control circuit 22 includes data input terminals for receiving signals from the switch interface 24 indicative of the closure states of switches 26 , 28 and 30 . a power supply 32 is conventionally coupled to the various components for supplying the necessary operating power in a conventional manner . control circuit 22 is also coupled to a display 36 which may include a display element such as a light emitting diode ( led ). display 36 may alternatively include , for example , a liquid crystal display ( lcd ), a vacuum fluorescent display ( vfd ), or other display elements . control circuit 22 includes a memory 34 including volatile and / or non - volatile memory to , for example , store a computer program or other software to perform the functions described herein . memory 34 is configured to store learned information such as control data and carrier frequency information that may be associated with switches 26 , 28 and 30 . in addition , for rolling code or other cryptographically encoded remote control systems , information regarding the rolling code or cryptographic algorithms for each system may be pre - stored and associated with frequencies and control data that may be used to identify a particular type of remote control system and , therefore , the appropriate cryptographic algorithm for the remote control system . as discussed previously , each switch or button 26 , 28 and 30 may be associated with a separate remote control system , such as different garage door openers , electronically operated access gates , house lighting controls and other remote control systems , each which may have its own unique operating rf frequency , modulation scheme , encryption ( or cryptographic ) algorithm and control data . transmitter circuit 20 and receiver 21 communicate with remote control system 14 and original transmitter 12 via antenna 38 . receiver 21 may be used to receive signals via antenna 38 and transmitter circuit 20 may be used to transmit signals via antenna 38 . in an alternative embodiment , a separate antenna may be used with transmitter 20 and with receiver 21 ( e . g ., separate transmit and receive antennas may be provided in the trainable transmitter ). remote control system 14 includes a receiver ( not shown ) to receive signals such as an rf control signal from , for example , original transmitter 12 or trainable transmitter 16 . once a channel of trainable transmitter 16 has been trained , trainable transmitter 16 is configured to transmit a wireless control signal having control data that will control remote control system 14 . for example , in response to actuation of a switch , such as switch 26 , transmitter circuit 20 is configured , under control from control circuit 22 , to generate a control signal having a carrier frequency and control data associated with the particular trained channel . the control data may be modulated onto the control signal using , for example , frequency shift key ( fsk ) modulation , amplitude shift key ( ask ) modulation or other modulation technique . the control data on the control signal may be a rolling code or other cryptographically encoded control code suitable for use with remote control system 14 . as mentioned previously , the rolling code or cryptographic algorithm , for remote control system 14 may be identified by trainable transmitter 16 using one or more characteristics of the control signal ( e . g ., the carrier frequency and control data ) of original transmitter 12 . fig3 illustrates a method for training a trainable transmitter in accordance with an embodiment . the trainable transmitter and the original transmitter are brought within range of each other . at block 40 , a request to enter a training mode is received from a user at the trainable transmitter . for example , a user may provide a request by actuating a pushbutton ( e . g ., pushbutton 26 in fig2 ) of the trainable transmitter . in one embodiment , the user holds the pushbutton until feedback is provided that the training of the channel is complete . alternatively , the user may hold the pushbutton for a predetermined amount of time ( e . g ., 3 seconds , 10 seconds , etc .). a display may be used to indicate to the user that a training mode was initiated , for example , a display element such as an led indicator may flash to provide feedback to a user . in addition , the display element may be used to indicate that the channel is trained ( e . g ., a led may flash rapidly ). in alternative embodiments , a request to enter a training mode may be provided by a combination of key presses using input devices of the trainable transmitter , by receiving a message on a vehicle bus , upon receipt of a control signal from the original transmitter or by selecting a menu item on a display . at block 42 , the trainable transmitter enters a training mode and begins looking for a control signal to train the channel . in an exemplary embodiment , an original transmitter for a remote control system ( e . g ., original transmitter 12 in fig2 ) is brought within the vicinity of the trainable transmitter and activated ( e . g ., a user input device of the original transmitter is actuated ) to send an rf control signal , for example , a control signal with a rolling code . at block 44 , the trainable transmitter receives the rf control signal from the original transmitter . the trainable transmitter detects and identifies a carrier frequency and / or control data of the received rf control signal at block 48 . for example , the trainable transmitter may receive the rolling code signal from the original transmitter , demodulate the control signal and identify the control data and carrier frequency of the control signal . at block 48 , the identified carrier frequency and control data are stored in temporary memory ( e . g ., volatile memory ). for a rolling code signal , the control data may include a transmitter identifier ( e . g ., a serial number ) and an encrypted counter value ( or a hop code ). a counter value in the original transmitter increments each time the button is pressed and is encrypted using an encryption algorithm to generate the encrypted counter value of the control signal . at block 50 , the characteristics of the control signal ( e . g ., the identified carrier frequency and / or control data , etc .) may be used to identify the type of remote control system ( e . g ., the manufacturer ) associated with the original transmitter and whether the control data is fixed or rolling code . if the remote control system is a fixed code system at block 52 , the fixed code and carrier frequency are stored in non - volatile memory at block 54 for later retransmission . in addition , the fixed code and carrier frequency are associated with an input device ( e . g ., pushbuttons 26 , 28 and 30 of the trainable transmitter . if the control signal is a rolling code signal at block 52 , the identified frequency of the original transmitter control signal is compared to a list of rolling code carrier frequencies at block 56 . the list of rolling code carrier frequencies includes known frequencies for a plurality of rolling code remote control systems ( or manufacturers ). the list of known frequencies for rolling code systems is stored in memory of the trainable transmitter . in one embodiment , a range of frequencies and a system ( s ) or manufacturer ( s ) are associated with each known frequency as shown in fig4 . for example , in list 400 frequency 300 mhz ( 402 ) has an associated frequency range 404 of 297 mhz to 303 mhz and is associated with remote control system a ( 406 ). if the identified frequency of the original transmitter control signal falls within a frequency range 404 associated with a particular known carrier frequency 408 , the identified frequency is shifted , “ snapped ” or changed to the frequency from the frequency list 400 associated with the frequency range 404 at block 58 . the frequencies in list 400 represent known or intended frequencies for particular rolling code systems or rolling code system manufacturers . returning to fig3 , the shifted frequency is then stored in non - volatile memory at block 60 . in addition , at block 63 , rolling code data ( e . g ., an encryption algorithm and carrier frequency or frequencies ) may be retrieved from memory based on the type of remote control system ( i . e ., as identified in block 50 ) and associated with the channel being trained at block 62 for later retransmission . once a trainable transmitter channel is trained , a user initiates a training mode for the receiver of the remote control system at block 64 . for example , a user may actuate an input device such as a button coupled to the receiver . at block 66 , the receiver is trained by , for example , learning an identifier of the trainable transmitter and synchronizing the counters of the trainable transmitter and the remote control system receiver . in an exemplary embodiment , a button on the trainable transmitter may be pressed , for example , two to three times , to transmit signals from the trainable transmitter to the receiver so that the receiver may learn the transmitter identifier , complete the synchronization of the receiver and trainable transmitter an conform that training was successful . once the training process is complete , this information may be used to generate appropriate control signals ( e . g ., an appropriate rolling code signal ) in response to subsequent actuation of an input device of the trainable transmitter associated with the trained channel . while the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figs . and described above are presently preferred , it should be understood that these embodiments are offered by way of example only . for example , alternative embodiments may be suitable for use in the commercial markets , wherein office lights or security systems or parking garage doors are controlled . accordingly , the present invention is not limited to a particular embodiment , but extends to various modifications that nevertheless fall within the scope of the appended claims . the order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re - sequenced according to alternative embodiments . | 6 |
in the following description , numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention . however , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible . fig1 illustrates a well tool 2 having a control line ( or cable ) 4 extending therethrough and a seal 10 of the present invention providing a fluidic seal therebetween . although the seal 10 of the present invention is described herein as sealing between a well tool 2 ( or housing ) and a control line 4 , the seal 10 may be used in other applications and other downhole applications that require a reliable seal . the seal 10 is formed of an assembly of cooperating components . the seal 10 comprises a seal member 12 that is formed of a thermoplastic material . ferrules 14 a - b are provided on each side of the seal member 12 . ferrule 14 b abuts a shoulder 16 provided in the well tool 2 . a mandrel 18 ( e . g ., a screw ) threadably mates with the well tool 2 and abuts ferrule 14 a . as the mandrel 18 is screwed into the well tool , the mandrel 18 applies a force to ferrule 14 a and squeezes ferrule 14 a , seal member 12 , and ferrule 14 b between the mandrel 18 and the shoulder 16 . although primarily described herein as a stand - alone piece , the ferrule 14 may be integrated into a piece to be sealed . fig2 illustrates a seal 10 of the present invention . in this embodiment of the seal 10 , the thermoplastic seal member 12 forms slots 13 a - b ( e . g ., a v - slot ) in each end . each of the ferrules 14 a - b have a protruding , tapered end 15 a - b that abut the seal member 12 and extend into its respective slotted end 13 a - b . fig3 illustrates another seal 10 of the present invention . this embodiment of the seal 10 has a thermoplastic seal member ( 12 a - b ) positioned on each side of an intermediate ferrule 22 . the ferrule 22 has protruding , tapered ends 15 a - b that abut and extend into slotted ends 13 a - b of each of the seal members 12 a - b . washers 20 a - b are placed on the respective opposite ends of the seal members 12 a - b from the ferrule 22 . the assembly shown in fig3 has a spring 24 , such as a bellville washer , placed between the seal 10 and the mandrel 18 . with the seal 10 in place , a preload is applied thereto by , for example , tightening the mandrel 18 to squeeze the seal 10 as discussed above . the mandrel 18 is referred to generally herein along with other ways of applying a preload to the seal 10 as a “ preload member .” when the thermoplastic seal member 12 is subjected to the preload , the end 13 of the seal member 12 will spread over the protruding , tapered end 15 of the ferrule 14 and fill the gap or annulus 6 between the parts to be sealed . the seal 10 of the present invention is subjected to a sufficient preload to induce a cold flow of the thermoplastic material into the gap between the ferrule 14 and the parts to create the seal . fig4 illustrates the seal 10 after it has been subjected to a sufficient preload . as shown in fig4 , the seal member 12 deforms to fill the gap 6 and create the seal . if desired , the assembly may incorporate a spring 24 ( fig3 ) to maintain a force on the seal 10 . however , once the preload is applied and the seal member 12 has undergone cold flow , the preload may relax or be removed in some applications without affecting the sealing capability of the seal 10 . the ferrule ( s ) 14 and washers 20 is formed of a relatively hard material suitable for the environment , such as a metal material . the seal member 12 is formed of a thermoplastic material that is capable of cold flow . thermoplastic materials having a tensile modulus equal to or greater than 500 , 000 psi at room temperature are suitable for many downhole applications . similarly , thermoplastic materials having a flexural modulus that is equal to or greater than 500 , 000 psi at room temperature are suitable for many downhole applications . particular thermoplastic materials that exhibit the desired cold flow characteristics for the seal 10 of the present invention are polyetheretherketone ( peek ), polypheneline sulfide ( pps ), polyetherketone ( pek ), polyetherketoneetherketoneketone ( pekekk ), polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ), and similar materials . fig5 shows a seal 10 for sealing around a control line ( or cable ) 4 . the control line 4 extends through a housing 8 . the seal has a thermoplastic seal member 12 inside the housing 8 . the seal and seal member have tapered mating surfaces . mandrel 18 threadably mates with the housing 8 . when the mandrel 18 is screwed into the housing 8 , the mandrel 18 applies a force to the seal member 12 causing it to deform ( and cold flow ) into the gap between the control line 4 and the housing 8 . the deformed seal member 12 creates the seal between the control line 4 and the housing 8 . fig6 illustrates a seal 10 having two seal members 12 and mandrels 18 , one on each side of housing 8 . each of the seal members operates as described in connection with fig5 . the housing 8 defines a void within which two cables 4 are connected ( connection 30 ) and , therefore , defines a connector housing . fig7 illustrates another type of seal 10 of the present invention . in the seal of fig7 , the seal member 12 is placed around the control line 4 within the housing 8 . the housing 8 is then crimped to deform the housing 8 as well as the thermoplastic seal member 12 . the deformation of the seal member 12 creates the seal between the housing 8 and the control line 4 . note the connection 30 of cables 4 formed between seals 10 of the assembly . also note that the housing 8 and seal member 12 may be deformed at multiple spaced locations to create multiple seals . fig8 illustrates a system for testing a seal 10 of the present invention . the testing system 40 comprises pump ( s ) 42 communicating with ports 44 in the housing 8 between adjacent seals . by applying a pressurized fluid between the seals 10 and monitoring the pressure , leaks are detected as pressure drops . also the testing system 40 may comprise a power source 46 used to apply a voltage to the control line 4 and the housing 8 to detect current leakage . fig9 and 10 illustrate another embodiment for the seal 10 of the present invention . in this embodiment the seal member 12 is placed over the control line 4 in housing 8 . then , a squeezing force is applied to the thermoplastic seal member 12 by tightening screws 50 in the housing 8 to clamp on the seal member 12 . the clamp force applied by the housing 8 causes the seal member 12 to deform and create the desired seal around the cable ( s ) 4 . note the connection 30 in the housing 8 . in each of the above seals 10 , the seal member 12 is subjected to a preload force ( e . g ., by squeezing , crimping , clamping , etc .) that causes the seal member 12 to deform and create a seal . although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above , 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 . for example , although discussed primarily in connection with a control line and a well tool , the seal 10 may be used with other downhole tools and in other applications . similarly , the shapes of the seal member 12 and the ferrules 14 ( e . g ., the slots 13 and protruding , tapered ends 15 ) may be replaced with other features , or omitted depending upon the application . for example , the ends of one or both pieces may be flat or have a small chamfer , etc . depending upon the particular application , materials , preload , and other factors . additionally , the seal member 12 and other components may have other shapes and features . further , the seal member 12 may formed integrally with other components or applied to components in various manners . accordingly , all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims . in the claims , means - plus - function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents , but also equivalent structures . thus , although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together , whereas a screw employs a helical surface , in the environment of fastening wooden parts , a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures . it is the express intention of the applicant not to invoke 35 u . s . c . § 112 , paragraph 6 for any limitations of any of the claims herein , except for those in which the claim expressly uses the words ‘ means for ’ together with an associated function . | 4 |
fig3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fuel cell system including a power conversion apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure . as shown in fig3 , a fuel cell system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is made up of a fuel cell 310 , a power conversion apparatus 320 , and a load 370 . the power conversion apparatus 320 includes a dc / dc converter 330 ( hereinafter , referred to as “ converter ”), a dc / ac inverter 340 ( hereinafter , referred to as “ inverter ”), a converter control module 350 that generates a control signal of the converter 330 , a first sensor module 352 that measures a voltage and a current to be inputted to the converter 330 , an inverter control module 360 that generates a control signal of the inverter 340 , a second sensor module 362 that measures a voltage to be inputted to the inverter 340 , and a third sensor module 364 that measures a current to be outputted from the inverter 340 . as described above , the power conversion apparatus 320 receives a power from the fuel cell 310 , suitably converts the power , and supplies the converted power to the load 370 . in this process , the converter 330 boosts and outputs a dc voltage generated from the fuel cell 310 . then , the inverter 340 converts the dc voltage outputted from the converter 330 into an ac voltage and applies the ac voltage to each load . since the configurations of the converter 330 and the inverter 340 will be easily understood by those skilled in the art , detailed descriptions thereof are omitted . hereinafter , the voltage and the current outputted from the converter and to be inputted into the inverter 340 will be referred to as a dc link voltage and a dc link current , respectively . in the present disclosure , the converter control module 350 controls the converter 330 so that the low frequency ripple current can not be generated from the fuel cell 310 . to be specific , the converter control module 350 receives a power instruction value p * from a user . then , a converter input voltage value v fc r is measured by the first sensor module 352 . thereafter , a current instruction value i * is calculated by dividing the power instruction value p * by the converter input voltage value v fc r . subsequently , the converter control module 350 measures a converter input current value i fc r by using the first sensor module 352 . based on an error value between the current instruction value i * and the converter input current value i fc r , a pi controller 354 generates a control signal pwm_con . the control signal pwm_con is compared to a reference voltage v ref1 through a comparison unit 354 and a value of the compared result is then transmitted to a switch ( not shown ) of the converter 330 . that is , in response to the control signal pwm_con , it is possible to control the switch ( not shown ) of the converter 330 , whereby the converter input current value i fc r can be kept to correspond to the current instruction value i *. resultantly , the low frequency ripple current components can be eliminated . then , the inverter control module 360 performs a dual - loop control for controlling an inverter input voltage and an inverter output current . to be specific , a pi controller of the inverter control module 360 performs a control action based on an error value between a dc link voltage instruction value v dc * inputted by the user and a dc link voltage v dc r measured by the second sensor module 362 . that is , pi controller 361 controls an error value between the dc link voltage instruction value v dc * and the dc link voltage v dc r to be zero . and , pi controller 361 calculates a first current instruction value i * _prev which makes the error value zero . further , a feed - forward term p */ v grid is obtained by dividing the power instruction value p * by a load voltage value v grid and a second current instruction value i * is obtained by multiplying the obtained feed - forward term p */ v grid by an estimation phase value generated from the general electric power system . then , based on an error value between a final current instruction value i * _fin obtained by adding the first current instruction value i * _prev to the second current instruction value i * and an inverter output current value i out r measured by the third sensor module 364 , a pi controller 363 generates a control signal pwm_inv . the control signal pwm_inv is compared to a reference voltage v ref2 through a comparison unit 365 and a value of the compared result is then transmitted to a switch ( not illustrated ) of the inverter 340 . that is , in response to the control signal pwm_inv , it is possible to control the switch ( not illustrated ) of the inverter 340 . the inverter control module 360 performs a dual - loop control for controlling a dc link voltage and the inverter output current . unlike conventional power conversion apparatuses , the present power conversion apparatus 320 using the converter control module 330 and the inverter control module 340 removes the low frequency ripple current through the converter 330 , keeps the inverter output current constant , and also controls an output power to be outputted to the load ( general electric power system ) as desired by the user . a method of controlling the converter control module 350 and the inverter control module 360 will be described in detail with reference to fig4 and 5 . fig4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a converter in a power conversion apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure . firstly , a user inputs a power instruction value p * ( step s 400 ). then , a first sensor module measures a converter input voltage value v fc r and a converter input current value i fc r ( step s 410 ). subsequently , a current instruction value i * is calculated by dividing the power instruction value p * by the converter input voltage value v fc r ( step s 420 ). thereafter , by comparing the converter input current value i fc r measured by the first sensor module 352 to the current instruction value i * calculated in step s 420 , an error value therebetween is obtained ( step s 430 ). based on the error value , the control signal pwm_con is generated ( step s 440 ). in response to the control signal pwm_con , it is possible to control a switch of the converter 330 , whereby the converter input current value i fc r can be kept to correspond to the current instruction value i *. resultantly , the low frequency ripple current components can be eliminated . fig5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an inverter in a power conversion apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure . the converter control module 350 performs a single - loop control for controlling the converter input current value i fc r , whereas the inverter control module 360 performs a dual - loop control for controlling the dc link voltage value v dc r and the inverter output current value i out r . firstly , the inverter voltage instruction value v dc * is inputted ( step s 500 ). then , the dc link voltage value v dc r and the inverter output current value i out r are measured . subsequently , based on an error value between the dc link voltage instruction value v dc * and the dc link voltage value v dc r measured by the second sensor module 362 , the first current instruction value i * _prev is calculated ( step s 520 ). thereafter , a feed - forward term is calculated by dividing a power instruction value p * inputted into the converter 330 by a load voltage value v grid , and a second current instruction value i * is obtained by multiplying the obtained feed - forward term by an estimation phase generated from the general electric power system ( step s 530 ). an error value between the final current instruction value i * _fin obtained by adding the first current instruction value i * _prev obtained in step s 520 to the second current instruction value i * and the inverter output current value i out r measured by the third sensor module 364 is calculated ( step s 540 ). then , based on the error value , a control signal pwm_inv is generated ( step s 550 ). in response to the control signal pwm_inv , it is possible to control a switch of the inverter 340 and perform a dual - loop control for controlling the dc link voltage and the inverter output current . fig6 a is a view showing an actually measured waveform of a generated low frequency ripple current in case of using a conventional power conversion apparatus . as shown in fig6 a , it can be seen that a ripple occurs in an inputted current in case of using the conventional power conversion apparatus . the ripple current has a bad influence upon a fuel cell . fig6 b and 6c are views showing an actually measured waveform in case of using a power conversion apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure . here , fig6 b shows a waveform in case that a load level is increased from about 300 [ w ] to about 1000 [ w ], and fig6 c shows a waveform in case that a load level is decreased from about 1000 [ w ] to about 300 [ w ]. as can be seen from these drawings , in case of using the power conversion apparatus of the present disclosure , a low frequency ripple current is completely eliminated . further , it can be seen from the waveforms that even though the load is rapidly changed , its dynamic characteristics are excellent and the dc link voltage and the output power are controlled in normal order . in the present embodiment , there has been described a configuration in which the converter control module and the inverter control module are installed independently and separately from the converter and the inverter , respectively . however , such a description is merely provided as an example for the convenience of illustration . the converter control module and the inverter control module may be included in the converter and the inverter , respectively . further , the converter control module and the inverter control module may be configured as a single control module . the present disclosure can be applied to any configuration or arrangement of these control modules . furthermore , in the present embodiment , the fuel cell is provided as an example of an external input power supply , but the present disclosure can be applied to any kind of a power supply apparatus , other than the fuel cell , suitable for the power conversion apparatus . while the present disclosure has been described with respect to the embodiments , it is not limited to the above - described embodiments . further , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made in the cope of the claims without changing essential features of the present disclosure , and such changes and modifications shall not be understood independently of technical conception or prospect of the present disclosure . | 7 |
the invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures , in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout . for purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention , proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures . the following detailed description of the invention references specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced . the embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention . other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . the present invention is defined by the appended claims and the description is , therefore , not to be taken in a limiting sense and shall not limit the scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled . fig1 and 2 show a side and a plan view of one embodiment of the lid ( 1 ). this lid comprises an essentially horizontal top wall ( 2 ) and a side wall ( 3 ), which extends from the rim of the top wall ( 2 ). at its lower end , the side wall comprises a mounting portion ( 4 ) with an annular flange ( 4 . 1 ) and a skirt ( 4 . 2 ). in its closed stage , the annular flange ( 4 . 1 ) fits on the rim of a container , e . g . a cup to be closed , while the skirt extends below the rim of the container and secures the lid on the container . depressions ( 4 . 3 ), which are optional , improve the attachment of the lid to the container . on its upper surface ( 2 . 1 ) the inventive lid comprises an opening ( 5 ) for the removal of the fluid in the container . furthermore , the inventive lid comprises a convexity ( 9 ), e . g . a boss or a spigot , for the connection of a slider to the lid . optionally , the inventive lid comprises a first recess in the center of the lid . due to this first recession , an annular ring at the outer circumference of the top wall is formed . in this first recession spilled fluid can be captured . optionally , the lid comprises a second recess , which extends from the first recess . the second recess can be utilized to rotate content indicators ( 11 ) as e . g . shown in fig1 from a remote - into an indicating position . preferably , the inventive lid comprises a vent hole ( 8 ) which is more preferably located on the convexity ( 9 ) and even more preferably located in the center of the convexity ( 9 ). a vent hole can be utilized to discharge a gas from the closed container or to drag air into the closed container . fig3 and 4 show the lid according to fig1 and 2 in combination with the slider ( 10 ). while fig3 is a top view , fig4 is a side view of the inventive lid . the slider ( 10 ) comprises a first end ( 10 . 1 ) and a second end ( 10 . 2 ). by means of the second end ( 10 . 2 ), the slider ( 10 ) is connected to the lid ( 1 ) as will be described in detail later on . in the vicinity of the second end ( 10 . 2 ) a multitude of different content indicators ( 11 ) may be arranged , which are utilized to indicate the consumer the content of the closed container . each content indicator ( 11 ) can be connected via a hinge ( 15 ) to the slider ( 10 ) around which it can be rotated from a remote position into an indicating position . the content indicators with the letters “ b ”, “ c ”, “ d ” are in their remote position while the content indicator with the letter “ s ” is in the indicating position . the content indicators ( 11 ) are rotated manually from their remote to their indicating position by , for example , moving the tip of a finger under the respective content indicator ( 11 ). this movement is facilitated by the second recess ( 7 ). furthermore , the connection between the first end ( 10 . 1 ) and the second end ( 10 . 2 ) of the slider ( 10 ) can be utilized by a branding . at its first end ( 10 . 1 ), the slider ( 10 ) comprises sealing means ( 12 ) e . g . a plug , which seals the opening ( 5 ) in case that no liquid shall be removed from the container . in order to open the opening ( 5 ), the slider ( 10 ) can be , as indicated by the large arrows , rotated clockwise or counter - clockwise , if desired by 360 °. furthermore , the first end ( 10 . 1 ) of the slider ( 10 ) comprises a handle ( 13 ) to facilitate the rotation of the slider ( 10 ). as can be particularly seen from fig4 and 8 , the slider ( 10 ) may be u - shaped at its first end ( 10 . 1 ). the sealing means ( 12 ) are arranged at the base of the u . together with the two flanks , the u at least partially encompasses the annular ring ( 22 ) of the top wall ( 2 ). in order to improve the stiffness of the slider ( 10 ), the slider ( 10 ) may comprise stiffening means ( 14 ). as can be particularly seen from fig4 , the outer flank is preferably arrow - shaped , so that it can provide indication about the rotational position of the slider . fig5 and 6 show details of the design of the slider at its second end ( 10 . 2 ). at this second end ( 10 . 2 ), the slider comprises an aperture or opening ( 23 ), which may be a circle . the diameter of the aperture or circle ( 23 ) is slightly smaller than the upper , outer circumference of the convexity ( 9 ) which is , in the present case , shaped as a truncated cone . in order to attach the slider ( 10 ) to the lid ( 1 ), the circle ( 23 ) is pushed over the convexity ( 9 ). subsequently , as can be particularly seen from fig5 , one content indicator ( 11 ), here the content indicator ( 11 ) with the embossment “ s ”, has been rotated from its remote position into its indicating position , in which it is fixed by fastening means ( 16 ), here a rebound and / or a groove , into which the circumference of the content indicator ( 11 ) is partially inserted . fig6 shows details of the second end ( 10 . 2 ). as can be clearly seen , at the circumference of the opening ( 23 ) a groove ( 16 ) is arranged into which the circumference of the content indicator ( 11 ) is inserted . in order to facilitate this insertion , the circumference ( 17 ) of the content indicator ( 11 ) can be at least partially tapered . a person skilled in the art understands , that the symbol on each content indicator ( 11 ) is located on both surfaces so that it can be seen in the remote and in the indicating position . fig7 and 8 show the opening ( 5 ) for the removal , e . g . the drinking , of the fluid in the container . this opening ( 5 ) can be opened and closed by rotating the slider ( 10 ) clockwise or anti - clockwise around the fastening means ( 9 ). in order to close the opening ( 5 ), the slider may comprise at its first end ( 10 . 1 ) sealing means ( 12 ), e . g . a sealing plug . as can be particularly seen from fig8 , the opening ( 5 ) is arranged in an indentation ( 19 ), which is e . g . located in the annular ring ( 22 ) of the inventive lid . this indentation is e . g . implemented by forming particularly deep drawing . first , the indentation ( 19 ) is formed and then the opening ( 5 ) is inserted , for example stamped , into this indentation ( 19 ). according to one embodiment of the present invention , the sealing means ( 12 ) are now not , as taught in the state of the art , inserted into hole ( 5 ), but seal the hole ( 5 ) in a sealing plane ( 19 . 1 ), which lies above the hole ( 5 ); i . e . the sealing area ( 12 . 1 ) of the sealing means ( 12 ) seal hole ( 5 ) in a sealing plane ( 19 . 1 ) which is located on the upper surface ( 2 . 1 ) of the lid ( 2 ). this embodiment of the present invention has the advantage , that larger production tolerances can be allowed , because the sealing means ( 12 ) need not sealingly fit into the opening ( 5 ). as can be also seen from fig8 , the first end ( 10 . 1 ) of the slider ( 10 ) is u - shaped . while the base of the u comprises the sealing means , the flanks of the u encompass the annular ring ( 22 ). as indicated by arrow ( 21 ), the slider is connected to the lid such that the first end ( 10 . 1 ) of the slider may be pre - stressed against the lid . this preferred embodiment of the present invention improves the sealing between sealing means ( 12 ) and the sealing area ( 19 . 1 ). fig9 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention . in the present case , the annular ring ( 22 ) can be tapered towards the center of the lid by the angle ( α ). this embodiment of the present invention assures that liquid that is spilled on the ring ( 22 ) flows towards the center of the lid . fig1 shows details of the convexity ( 9 ). this convexity ( 9 ) is in the present case a truncated cone with a draft angle ( β ). in the center of the truncated cone , a vent hole ( 8 ) may be arranged . fig1 shows details of the connection of the slider ( 10 ) to the lid ( 1 ). as can be seen , the convexity ( 9 ) is shaped , preferably deep drawn , as a hollow truncated cone , whose diameter increases with its height . i . e . its extension away from the container . the inner diameter of the opening is preferably slightly smaller than the largest outer diameter of the cone , i . e . its outer diameter at its top . in order to connect the slider ( 10 ) with the lid ( 1 ), opening ( 23 ) is first pushed over the truncated cone ( 9 ), which results in a first form - fit and / or force - fit - connection between the slider ( 10 ) and the lid ( 1 ). subsequently , as indicated by arrow ( 18 ), the content indicator ( 11 ) is rotated from its remote into its indicating position and fixed with its circumference at the rebound ( 16 ). during this rotation , the convexity ( 9 ) is slightly , preferably elastically , compressed in its height , which results in an enlargement of the diameter of the convexity ( 9 ) as indicated by arrow ( 20 ). the deformation forces the upper part of the convexity ( 9 ) at least partially into the rebound or groove ( 16 ) which improves the connection between the slider ( 10 ) and the lid ( 1 ). even though , the content indicator ( 11 ) has been rotated into its indicating position , the vent hole ( 8 ) remains open so that the content of the closed container can be still vented via this opening from the foregoing , it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure . it will be understood that certain features and sub combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub combinations . this is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims . since many possible embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof , it is also to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting . the constructions and methods described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts and principles of the present invention . thus , there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel invention . as is evident from the foregoing description , certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein , and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications , or equivalents thereof , will occur to those skilled in the art . the terms “ having ” and “ including ” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “ optional ” or “ may include ” and not as “ required ”. many changes , modifications , variations and other uses and applications of the present construction will , however , become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings all such changes , modifications , variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow . 16 fastening means for the content indicator 11 , rebound , groove | 1 |
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended . any alterations and further modifications of the inventive feature illustrated herein , and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein , which would normally occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure , are to be considered within the scope of the invention claimed . the term ‘ ski ’ as used herein refers to any ski or snowboard with metal edges designed to be sharpened . the term ‘ skier ’ as used herein refers to the user of the skis or snowboard . the term ‘ operator ’ as used herein refers to the user of the ski edge sharpener . the components of the ski edge sharpener may be made of any suitable material including , but not limited to , metals , alloys , composites , polymers and combinations thereof . the components of the ski edge sharpener may be fabricated using any suitable technique including , but not limited to , molding , casting , machining , additive processes and combinations thereof . as shown in fig1 , ski edge sharpener 5 comprises a drive and battery case 10 , drive assembly 15 , battery pack assembly 20 , base plate 25 , tilt plate assembly 30 , edge guide assembly 35 , arbor assembly 40 , grinding wheel guard and vacuum assembly 45 , handles 50 and 55 and on - off switch 60 . drive and battery case or housing 10 comprises a drive and battery case front plate 65 , drive and battery case rear plate 70 , drive and battery case left plate 75 , drive and battery case right plate 80 , drive case top plate 85 and battery case top cover 90 . drive and battery case plates 65 , 70 , 75 , 80 and drive case top plate 85 are rigidly affixed to one another . the case may completely or partially contain the components , such as the drive assembly 15 , battery pack assembly 20 and motor 105 , etc . battery case top cover 90 , which affords easy access for replacement or charging battery pack assembly 20 , is attached to the top of drive and battery case 10 by top cover attachment screws 95 and 97 . battery pack assembly 20 sits on top of drive case top plate 85 . two wires ( not shown ) pass from battery pack assembly 20 through wire hole 100 in drive case top plate 85 and connect to motor 105 . one of the wires ( not shown ) is connected in series through on - off switch 60 prior to connecting to motor 105 . on - off switch 60 , when in the on position , completes the electric circuit from battery pack assembly 20 to motor 105 . now referring to fig2 - 4 which each show internal aspects of the ski edge sharpener 5 , motor 105 is rigidly attached to motor mount 110 . attached to the motor shaft ( not shown ) is motor shaft bushing 120 . attached to motor shaft bushing 120 is motor pulley 125 . motor mount bearing 130 is press fit into motor mount 110 . motor shaft bushing 120 passes through and is supported by motor mount bearing 130 which absorbs transverse loads placed on motor shaft 115 by drive belt 135 , preventing the transverse loads from being placed on the motor shaft internal bushing ( not shown ). ‘ 0 ’ rings ( not shown ) are placed in recesses ( not shown ) along motor mount top surface 140 and motor mount bottom surface 145 . such an arrangement allows for vibration dampening caused by the rotation of motor 105 . as best shown in fig3 , rear bearing 150 is press fit into arbor shaft rear bearing support 155 . front bearing 160 is press fit into drive and battery case front plate 65 . arbor shaft 165 is supported by rear bearing 150 and front bearing 160 . attached to arbor shaft 165 is arbor pulley 170 . drive belt 135 goes around motor pulley 125 and arbor pulley 170 and transmits the counter - clockwise rotational drive , as depicted by arrow 172 , from motor 105 to arbor pulley 170 . the counter - clockwise rotational speed difference between motor 105 and arbor shaft 165 is controlled by the relative size differences between motor pulley 125 and arbor pulley 170 . as best shown in fig4 , arbor 175 is mounted on arbor shaft 165 . arbor front bolt 180 passes through arbor washer 185 and threads into arbor shaft proximal end 190 . arbor washer 185 presses against arbor inner shoulder 195 . at arbor shaft distal end 200 , arbor shaft rear bolt 205 passes through arbor shaft rear washer 210 and threads into arbor shaft distal end 200 . the tightening of the arbor shaft rear bolt 205 causes arbor outer shoulder 215 to come in contact with front bearing inner race 220 and arbor shaft rear washer 210 to come in contact with rear bearing inner race 225 . additional tightening of the arbor shaft rear bolt 205 causes bearing inner races 220 and 225 to be drawn toward one another thereby removing any horizontal movement in arbor shaft 165 . when all undesirable horizontal movement in arbor shaft 165 has been removed , the adjustment is complete . once horizontal movement of arbor shaft 165 is eliminated , arbor 175 is then rigidly affixed to arbor shaft 165 by arbor set screw 230 . grinding wheel 235 is then rigidly attached to arbor 175 by grinding wheel attachment bolt 240 passing through fender washer 245 and screwing into arbor 175 . now referring to fig7 , tilt plate 250 is connected to base plate 25 by leaf spring hinges 255 and 260 . leaf spring hinges 255 and 260 are rigidly attached to tilt plate 250 and rigidly attached to base plate 25 . with such an arrangement , tilt plate 250 is rigidly attached to base plate 25 except for rotational movement allowed by leaf spring hinges 255 and 260 around leaf spring hinge flex points 265 and 270 . as best shown in fig8 , left edge guide hinge 325 is attached to base plate 25 by left edge guide hinge retaining screw 330 . right edge guide hinge 335 is attached to base plate 25 by right edge guide hinge retaining screw 340 . in one embodiment , left edge guide hinge 325 and right edge guide hinge 335 are identical . left edge guide hinge 325 is attached to edge guide 345 by left edge guide hinge retaining screw 350 . right edge guide hinge 335 is attached to edge guide slide 355 by right edge guide hinge retaining screw 360 . left edge guide hinge 325 is allowed to rotate around retaining screws 330 and 350 . right guide hinge is allowed to rotate around retaining screws 340 and 360 . based on this arrangement , the fixed angle between base plate surface 365 and edge guide surfaces 370 and 375 , which are coplanar with each other , remains constant throughout the range of motion of edge guide 345 . the angle between base plate surface 365 and edge guide surfaces 370 and 375 can be adjusted by changing the position of edge guide slide 355 in edge guide slot 380 . this adjustment is held in place by edge guide slide adjustment screw 385 passing through slot 390 in edge guide slide 355 and threading into edge guide 345 . now referring to fig9 , edge guide adjustment screw 405 is threaded through edge guide 345 and contacts base plate surface 365 . adjusting edge guide adjustment screw 405 moves edge guide 345 toward or away from base plate 25 . left hinge return spring 410 is attached to left edge guide hinge 325 at 415 and to base plate 25 at 420 . right hinge return spring 425 is attached to right edge guide hinge 335 at 430 and to base plate 25 at 435 . hinge return springs 410 and 425 pull edge guide hinges 325 and 335 , respectively , closing the gap between edge guide surfaces 370 and 375 and base plate surface 365 . edge guide adjustment screw 405 works against the pull of return springs 410 and 425 giving edge guide adjustment screw 405 control over the distance between edge guide surfaces 370 and 375 and base plate surface 365 . this adjustment controls the depth of cut grinding wheel 235 will make on ski edge 440 . when edge guide 345 is in the proper position , both left edge guide hinge clamp screw 445 and right edge guide hinge clamp screw 450 are tightened locking edge guide 345 into the selected position . in operation , grinding wheel 235 can be tilted from a vertical orientation by tilt adjustment screw 275 and locked in the selected tilt position by tilt plate lock down screw 310 . grinding wheel 235 can be rotated horizontally in relation to ski edge 440 by adjusting the location of edge guide slide 355 . the cut depth of grinding wheel 235 on ski edge 440 can be adjusted by adjusting edge guide adjustment screw 405 and locked in the selected cut depth position by edge guide clamp screws 445 and 450 . surrounding grinding wheel 235 is grinding wheel guard and vacuum assembly 45 . grinding wheel guard and vacuum assembly lower section 470 is rigidly attached to drive and battery case front plate 65 . as best shown in fig6 , inserted into the end of fan 485 is grinding wheel attachment bolt 240 which passes through fender washer 245 and screws into arbor 175 , thus securing both grinding wheel 235 and fan 485 in place . since fan 485 and grinding wheel 235 are attached to each other , they rotate together . the rotation and design of fan 485 creates a vacuum around grinding wheel 240 and expels air through grinding wheel guard assembly 45 and out nozzle 495 . the air flowing around grinding wheel 235 and into grinding wheel guard assembly 45 captures the residue from the grinding operation and expels it out through nozzle 495 into an attached collection bag ( not shown ). grinding wheel guard and vacuum assembly upper section 500 , when attached to grinding wheel guard and vacuum assembly lower section by grinding wheel guard and vacuum assembly hold down screws 505 and 510 , close the grinding wheel guard and vacuum assembly . removing grinding wheel guard and vacuum assembly upper section 500 by loosening upper section hold down screws 505 and 510 gives access to fan 485 and grinding wheel 235 . unscrewing fan 485 from grinding wheel 235 allows for the removal and replacement of grinding wheel 235 . in operation , tilt adjustment screw 275 is placed in the desired tilt adjustment hole 280 and seated . tilt plate lock down screw 310 is then seated in a hole of tilt plate lockdown 315 thereby fixing the tilt angle of tilt plate 250 in relation to base plate 25 . adjusting the position of edge guide slide 355 fixes the horizontal angle between edge guide surfaces 370 and 375 and base plate surface 365 . adjusting edge guide adjustment screw 405 determines the depth of cut of grinding wheel 235 . with the ski bottom surface 460 facing up and held in a horizontal position , the bottom surface 455 of base plate 25 slides along the ski bottom surface 460 , edge guide surfaces 370 and 375 contact and slide along ski edge 440 , and grinding wheel surface 465 is in contact with ski edge 440 at the proper vertical and transverse angles and at the proper depth . handles 50 and 55 allow the operator to easily grip ski edge sharpener 5 during operation . because of the counter - clockwise - direction of rotation of grinding wheel 235 , grinding induced burr creation has been and is greatly reduced . the absence of burrs reduces friction generated by the ski edge contacting the snow or ice and prevents jagged sections on the ski edges from forming when a burr breaks or chips off during ski use . in addition , the grinding wheel rotational speed , grinding wheel grit size and grinding wheel material combine to surface harden ski edge 440 , thus prolonging and reducing the action of the snow or ice in dulling the edge sharpness . while counter - clockwise rotation is shown to greatly reduce grinding induced burrs , it is conceivable that in other embodiments , clockwise rotation may be used . while the foregoing written description of the embodiments of the present invention enable one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof , those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations , combinations , and equivalents of the specific embodiment , method , and examples herein . the invention herein should therefore not be limited by the above - described embodiments , methods , and examples , but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed . | 1 |
stud guns are generally noisy devices owing to the burning of the propellant used to drive the stud . some stud guns require the use of hearing protection . these devices are typically designed to be used more than once and often are rather large and heavy sometimes weighing several pounds or more . stud guns generally expel the stud , or other fastening device , completely from the barrel . the stud expulsion feature can lead to a safety hazard because stud guns have been known to have rather minimal safing mechanisms , such that they can be accidentally discharged by dropping the gun or otherwise impacting the initiation or safing means . current stud gun designs are generally unsuitable for use by special forces of the military due to the noted limitations . this invention avoids or minimizes the shortcoming noted above by a unique combination of elements to provide a silent , relatively lightweight , small and safe attachment device . the invention also can be practiced by utilization of a number of commercially available components as demonstrated by the fact that fig1 through 4 indicate the use of a number of such components . referring now to the drawings , and particularly to fig1 a , the arrangement of one embodiment of a silent stud gun attachment device , in the unfired condition , is further explained . the stud gun attachment device includes a barrel or , as it may otherwise be referred to , a housing 1 , the barrel 1 has a cartridge chamber end 2 and a stud ejection end 3 . the barrel may be manufactured from any structural materials capable of meeting the requirements of a particular attachment mission . aluminum has been utilized in one particular reduction to practice , but should not be considered to be a limitation . the cartridge chamber end 2 and the stud ejection end 3 are connected by an elongate bore 4 running between them . the bore 4 runs substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis 5 of the barrel 1 . the bore 4 is cylindrical in one embodiment of the invention , but other bore 4 shapes are also possible . one reduction to practice features a shoulder 6 at the stud ejection end 3 of the bore 4 . the shoulder 6 is thought to assist in sealing the bore 4 and orienting the stud 7 when the stud gun is fired . the shoulder 6 also provides a smooth transition into the stud ejection opening 8 . the stud 7 , or similar attachment projectile 7 , is positioned in the bore 4 with penetration end 9 engaged in the stud ejection opening 8 of the barrel 1 . the stud 7 may be made from a number of materials , in a variety of sizes or shapes depending on the exact method of propulsion , the nature of the structure to be penetrated , and other related factors . in one reduction to practice , a standard masonry nail was utilized as the stud 7 . when fired into a concrete or concrete block structure , this embodiment of the invention required over 1 , 000 pounds of force to remove the attachment device from the structure . the penetration end 9 of the stud 7 is able to pass through the stud ejection opening 8 , however , the head 10 , or piston contact end 10 , of the stud 7 is not able to pass through the stud ejection opening 8 . this prevents the stud 7 from being expelled from the gun , thereby greatly increasing the overall operational safety of the gun . as can be seen from fig1 a , the combination of length of the stud 7 and the thickness of the stud ejection end 3 determine the maximum possible penetration depth of the stud 7 . a gas - tight seal is thought to be necessary or at least quite desirable between the stud 7 and the wall of the bore 4 . in one reduction to practice , this seal was provided by an o - ring seal 11 placed around the shank 12 of the stud 7 between the shank 12 and the bore 4 . the use of a gas - tight seal prevents propellant gases 43 from escaping to the external environment when the stud driver is fired . the stud ejection opening 8 is also sealed from the external environment in order to prevent dirt , moisture or other foreign materials from entering the stud ejection opening 8 or the bore 4 . one embodiment utilizes an adhesive sealant 13 to seal the stud ejection opening 8 . the adhesive sealant 13 also locks the stud in place and prevents it from falling into said bore 4 if the gun is dropped , jarred or otherwise subjected to forces or vibrations during use and handling . a propulsion means is necessary to propel the stud 7 into the target structure . such means may include , without limitation , loose or compressed propellants located directly in the bore 4 , or in a container positioned in the bore 4 , explosives whether placed directly in the bore 4 or in a container , and other materials which can be induced to generate a propulsion thrust . one particular embodiment of this invention utilizes a . 357 magnum cartridge as the propulsion means . fig1 a shows the orientation of the a cartridge assembly 14 , or shell case assembly , in the bore 4 at the cartridge chamber end 2 . fig3 a also depicts the cartridge assembly 14 in greater detail . the cartridge assembly 14 utilizes a standard commercial cartridge case 15 such as a . 357 magnum case having generally a base 16 , a sidewall 17 and a rim 18 . the base 16 is recessed and contains a through - hole 19 into the interior of the case . the primer 20 is located in the recessed area 21 of the base 16 . the propellant 22 is located adjacent to the primer 20 within the sidewall 17 . in one embodiment the piston 23 is crimped within the casing 15 at the rim 18 of the sidewall 17 . the crimp 24 maintains the relative positions of the casing 15 and the piston 23 . this is an important feature because this feature combined with the length of the barrel 1 and the location of the stud 7 also fixes the spacing of the stud 7 and the piston 23 . this spacing effects the amount of force ultimately supplied to the stud 7 when the device is fired . in one reduction to practice , the piston 23 was made from sintered tungsten in an effort to further maximize the force supplied to the stud 7 when the stud gun is fired . the piston 23 has a gas - tight seal with respect to the casing 15 , and upon firing , with respect to the bore 4 . in one preferred embodiment , the seal is accomplished by using an o - ring 25 attached to a necked - down end 26 of the piston 23 facing the propellant 22 . other methods of attaching the o - ring 25 to the piston 23 are also possible . the purpose of o - ring 25 is to prevent gases generated by the burning of propellant 22 from escaping from the bore 4 . by containing the gas generated by propellant 22 , o - rings 11 and 25 greatly reduce , or even silence , the noise which would otherwise be generated by the burning of propellant 22 . returning to fig1 a , an initiation means is required to initiate the propulsion means . one embodiment which has been reduced to practice utilizes a stored - energy spring initiation device 27 , however , many types of initiation devices are possible , this embodiment is not intended to be limiting . the stored - energy spring initiation device utilizes a housing 28 which has been reduced to practice using aluminum , but is not limited to aluminum . the housing 28 has a hammer end 29 and a firing pin end 30 . the hammer end 29 and firing pin end 30 are connected by a bore 33 . the housing 28 is attached to the barrel 1 at the cartridge chamber end 2 . several methods of attachment are possible . one preferred embodiment has utilized screw threads 31 on the housing 28 and the cartridge chamber end 2 of the barrel 1 . a seal 32 in the attachment region is also necessary to prevent the escape of gases caused by burning the propellant 22 . one embodiment has utilized the screw threads 31 to provide this seal 32 . at the hammer end 29 , the hammer 34 is located in the bore 33 . the hammer 34 may slide through an opening in the hammer end 29 . the hammer 34 extends through a spring 35 . the hammer 34 is compressed against the spring 35 of fig1 a to store the energy necessary to initiate the primer 20 . the hammer is held in place by a safety pin 36 which can be inserted through an opening perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 5 at the external end of the hammer 34 . the locked safety pin 36 can be used with a split ring 37 to provide a double safing mechanism so as to guard against accidental discharge of the device . on the firing pin end 30 , a firing pin 38 , which is aligned with the primer 20 , extends through an opening in the housing 28 . the firing pin 38 is able to slide in this opening in housing 28 in response to the impact of the hammer 34 . referring now to fig2 a and 4b , a description is given of one embodiment of the operation of the silent stud gun attachment device . referring to one embodiment of an article for attachment illustrated in fig4 a and 4b , once the contour 39 at the stud ejection end 3 of stud gun 40 has been engaged in the mating contour 41 of the article 42 to be attached , the stud gun is ready for operation . referring to fig2 the safety pin 36 may then be unlocked and the split ring 37 may be used to pull the safety pin 36 through the opening in the hammer 34 , thereby allowing the spring 35 to thrust the hammer 34 into the firing pin 38 . the firing pin 38 strikes the primer 20 , thereby denting the primer 20 and causing the primer 20 to detonate into the propellant 22 . the detonation of the primer 20 causes the propellant 22 to burn creating propellant gases 43 . the pressure created by the propellant gas 43 drives the piston 23 down the bore 4 into the stud 7 . the force of the impact of the piston 23 drives the stud 7 partially through the stud ejection opening 8 and into the structure of interest . the only sound generated is the sound of the piston 23 striking the stud 7 and the stud 7 striking the structure . from a distance of several feet , the sound is barely perceptible to a human . | 1 |
the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 - 12 of the drawings . identical elements in the various figures are designated with the same reference numerals . fig1 illustrates the front of the fillable , sealable pouch for a beverage according to the present invention , shown generally at 1 . the back of the pouch is illustrated in fig2 . the pouch comprises a front wall , 2 , with an upper portion , 2 a , and a lower portion , 2 b ; and a back wall , 3 , comprising an upper portion , 3 a , and a lower portion 3 b . the front and back walls have side edges , 4 , which may be secured by heat sealing or adhesive , or a combination thereof . the front and back walls are connected by connecting bottom wall , forming a bottom stabilizing surface , 5 . the front and back walls , and the connecting bottom wall , are made of plastic and / or foil laminates . a liquid receiving opening is created in the upper portion of the front and back walls . a bottom stabilizing surface is formed by a generally flat bottom wall , or a pleated or legged stabilizing surface , described in detail below , enables the pouch to stand up , and the liquid receiving opening to maintain an effective diameter while liquid is poured through the opening , 9 , in fig4 . to seal the liquid in the pouch , a liquid - tight seal , such as the ziploc closure , or mating channel closure , shown at 8 , in fig3 may be provided on the inside surfaces of the upper portion of the front and back walls . if desired , a secondary closure , 7 , may be created by folding the upper portion of the pouch along fold line , 10 , and securing the fold with an adhesive strip , 11 , located on the outside surface of the upper portion of the front wall , above and or below the fold line , 10 . if the laminar material of the front and back walls make it difficult to fold the top of the pouch , initial fold lines , 10 a in the front wall , and 10 b , in the back wall may be scored during manufacture to facilitate folding to create the secondary seal . as shown in fig4 , the mating channel closure , 8 , comprises mating channels , 8 a in the front wall , and 8 b in the back wall . in an alternative construction , shown in fig6 , the initial fluid - tight seal may comprise one or both adhesive surfaces , 16 a and 16 b , on the inner surface of the upper portions of the front and back walls . shown at 12 in fig5 are means for creating a hole in the front wall of the pouch container , created by a hole , 15 , in the front wall , beneath the upper portion ; and a removable tab , 14 , temporarily , but firmly secured over the hole , 15 . to reduce liter , the tab may be permanently secured to the front wall at region , 13 . as shown in fig5 , either the front or back wall may be reinforced at lines , 25 , generally perpendicular to the bottom surface , to assist in maintaining the pouch in an upright position for filling . also shown in fig5 is an alternative form of the means for creating a hole in the front wall of the container , comprising a circular mating channel closure , 12 ′. as shown in fig1 , and 4 , the bottom surface may be formed by a pleat , 6 , the edges of which maybe heat sealed to each other and to the side edges of the bottom portion of the front and back walls . the inverted pleat created a stabile bottom surface for filling the container . fig5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the bottom stabilizing surface , comprising a two - legged gusset , created by pleating the connecting bottom wall , and sealing the edges of the pleat to each other , but not to the side edge of the lower portion of the front and back walls . fig7 illustrates another alternative embodiment of the beverage pouch container according to the present invention , in which the bottom stabilizing surface comprises a generally flat bottom surface , 5 ′, comprising a generally ovate , or tear - shaped blank . fig8 illustrates another embodiment of the fillable , sealable beverage pouch container of the present invention , wherein the upper portions of the front and back wall meet at a fold line or top seal , 17 , and a liquid receiving opening , with a fluid - tight seal , such as a ziploc closure or mated channel closure 18 provided about the opening in the upper portion of the front wall . opening the closure 18 , permits one to fill the pouch with a liquid , and seal it therein with the fluid tight seal of the mated channel closure , 18 . if desired a secondary seal may be made by folding the upper portion of the front and back walls over the front surface of the front wall and securing the fold with adhesive strips , 19 , and / or , 20 , on the front wall , above and below the closure , 18 . referring again to fig8 , the lower channel 18 a , may be provided with a score line , 21 , permitting the lower channel , 18 a , to be folded at the score line , projecting the lower channel away from the front wall , to increase the effective pouring diameter of the opening , as illustrated in fig1 . in addition , the lower channel , 18 b , may also be provided with a score line , 22 , permitting the upper channel to be folded , so as to project inwardly of the front wall , further increasing the effective pouring diameter of the opening , as illustrated in fig1 a . fig1 illustrates a blank of fluid impervious material from which one can form the container of fig1 . the upper surface of the blank will become the inner surface of the container , and whose lower surface will become the outer surface of the container . as illustrated in fig1 , the front wall 2 , has an upper portion 2 a and a lower portion 2 b , and the back wall 3 also has an upper portion 3 a and a lower portion 3 b . the blank also has a length , l , and a width , w . the width comprises the height of the front and back walls , and the connecting bottom wall . in continuous high - speed production , it is anticipated that the blanks will be cut from a continuous web of fluid impervious material running in the lengthwise direction . cutting the blank from the running web creates the side edges 4 . to construct the container , the blank must be reverse folded along the center line , 26 , of the bottom connecting wall , and forward folding the sheet at the line , 30 , between the front wall and the bottom connecting wall , and forward folding the sheet at the line , 28 , between the back wall and the bottom connecting wall ; to form a pleat in the bottom connecting wall , bringing the inside surfaces of the front and back walls together , and aligning the side edges of the front wall and the back wall . when the liquid retaining means is a line of adhesive , extending lengthwise of the blank , it may be advantageously provided on the upper ( inside ) surface of the blank ( container ) before folding the blank . to complete the container , the side edges must be sealed , preferably by heat sealing . heat - sealing the side edges secures the pleat along the side edges of the lower portion of the front and back walls . to facilitate the user in creating a straw hole in the front wall , below the liquid retaining seal ; the web may be scored , or otherwise provided with a defined line of weakening , preferably before the web is folded . if the liquid retaining seal is to be a mating channel closure , to create a re - closeable seal , an edging sheet of fluid impervious material , carrying one half of a mating channel closure may be provided along one the length of the web , and the other half of the mating channel closure provided on an edging sheet along the other length of the web , and the edging sheets secured to the lengthwise edges of the web . similarly , if the straw hole is to be re - closeable , one half of a mating channel closure may be provided and attached to the outer surface of the front wall , 2 , ( under surface of the web ), with the other half of the mating channel closure preferably provided in atop the first half , and secured thereto by closing the channel . the attachment is preferably done after the web is folded along line 30 , bringing the outer surface of the front wall to an “ up ” position . in another embodiment of the container it may be desired to create a two - legged gusset at the bottom surface , rather than a pleat . this may be accomplished by heat sealing the side edges of the lower portion of the front and back walls to the edge between lines 26 & amp ; 30 , and lines 28 & amp ; 30 , respectively . as with the pleat , this may be accomplished before or after the heat - sealing of the remainder of the side edges of the front and back walls . in certain embodiments of the invention , it may be desirable to provide a transparent material as at least a portion of the back wall . preferably , a fill line may be provided at the transparent portion , to indicate the maximum height of liquid that can be easily sealed in the container by the fluid retaining seal . fig1 illustrates a sample blank for forming the container of fig7 . the blank may be folded and sealed as the blank in fig1 , to form the bottom stabilizing surface , however , the liquid receiving opening in this container is not between upper portions of the front and back walls , but in the upper portion of the front wall . the liquid retaining seal in this embodiment is a mating channel closure , such as a “ zip lock ™ closure . a section of the mating channel closure may be attached to the upper portion of the front wall , on either the inside surface ( upper surface of the web ) or the outside surface ( underside of the web ) of the front wall . preferably a line of weakening is provided in the front wall , along the section of the closure , and a midsection tab may also be provided to assist in opening the closure and creating the liquid receiving opening within the opened mating channel closure section . the front and back walls must be secured , as by heat sealing , to form the container with opening in the upper front wall . as it may be advantageous to perform these steps nearer the lengthwise edge of the web , the lines , 26 , 28 & amp ; 30 may be off - set toward the right edge of the web , creating a flap , 32 , between the top edge , 10 , of the container , and the left edge of the blank . following folding of the blank , the flap 32 may be brought adjacent the upper portion of the front wall ( inside or outside surface ), and attached thereto , as by heat - sealing along the edge , 34 , of the flap , 32 . it can be readily understood that the containers of the present invention will provide an inexpensive alternative to pre - packaged juice boxes , generally considered to be manufactured for children . the container of the present invention will provide the convenience of a prepackaged drink for adults . this is of increasing importance as adults increasingly commute to work and / or school , and work “ flex - hours ”, requiring them to get meals away from home , on a train , in the car , and at odd hours . the container of the present invention can provide “ a cup of milk ” to pour into the makeshift cereal bowls made from boxes of individual servings of cereal . in addition , larger volume containers can be used to supply the favorite sports drink , when needed , whether or no the manufacturer had seen fit to so package the drink , and the local store carries that size , or is open at the hour the container of favored beverage is desires . for many yet undiscovered uses , the container of the present invention may be used to substitute those beverages of choice , required for health maintenance , or for a particular diet , for adults or their children . there has thus been shown and described a novel disposable seal and lock foil beverage pouch ; and the operating machinery to manufacture such product which fulfills all the objects and advantages sought therefore . many changes , modifications , variations and other uses and applications of the subject invention will , however , become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawings which disclose the preferred embodiments thereof . all such changes , modifications , variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention , which is to be limited only by the claims which follow . | 1 |
fig1 shows an upper end of a prior art filter bag 101 mounted in an opening 102 in an partition wall 103 in a filter device comprising a dust chamber 104 and a clean - air chamber 105 . the filter bag 101 comprises a tubular , flexible , air - penetrable filter body 106 made of e . g . felt , and it has an upper end that is folded about an annular ring consisting of a metal ring 107 and two axially spaced apart bead rings 108 with a layer of filter material between the metal ring 107 and the two bead rings 108 . the back - folded end of the filter body 106 is sewn to the main part of the filter body 106 below the annular ring as indicated with stitching 109 . the filter body material between the to bead rings 108 forms a sealing between the filter bag 101 and the partition wall 103 such that dust particles cannot pass from the dust chamber 104 to the clean - air chamber 105 between the filter bag 101 and the partition wall 103 . fig2 shows an upper end of a first embodiment of a filter bag a according to the invention mounted in an opening 2 in an partition wall 3 in a filter device comprising a dust chamber 4 and a clean - air chamber 5 . the filter device is not shown in detail since a person skilled in the art knows the structure of a filter device incorporating one or more filter bags . the filter bag 1 comprises a tubular , flexible , air - penetrable filter body 6 made of e . g . felt and a rigid ring element 7 . the ring element 7 is at its lower end provided with small holes 8 by means of which the upper unfolded end of the filter body 6 is sewn as indicated with stitching 9 . the filter body 6 surrounds the lower end of the ring element 7 , i . e . the ring element is located fully within the inner surface of the filter body 6 . the ring element 7 is provided with outwardly protruding members 10 for suspending the filter bag 1 at discrete points on the top surface of the partition wall 3 as shown . when the filter bag 1 is mounted in the opening 2 in the partition wall 3 the ring element 7 as well as the filter body 6 extends through the opening 2 . the size of the opening 2 in the partition wall 3 corresponds essentially to the size of the filter bag 1 , i . e . the filter body 6 abuts circumferentially on the edge of the opening 2 . in order to ensure that no gaps appear between the filter body 6 and the partition wall 3 the size of the opening 2 is preferably a little smaller than the outer size of the filter bag 1 , such that a slight compression of the filter body 6 in this area appears . thereby the filter body 6 forms a sealing between the edge of the opening 2 and the rigid ring element 2 . the sealing , however , does not influence the filtering efficiency of the filter bag , and — more importantly — a cleaning liquid used in a cip process can easily penetrate the filter body 6 and dissolve and remove any undesired material therefrom . fig3 shows an upper end of a second embodiment of a filter bag 11 according to the invention mounted in an opening 2 in an partition wall 3 in a filter device comprising a dust chamber 4 and a clean - air chamber 5 . again , the filter device is not shown in detail since a person skilled in the art knows the structure of a filter device incorporating one or more filter bags . furthermore , the same reference numerals are used for the same parts of the filter device as those used in fig2 , since these parts may be identical . the filter bag 11 comprises a tubular , flexible , air - penetrable filter body 16 made of e . g . felt and a rigid ring element 17 . the ring element 17 is at its lower end provided with small holes 18 by means of which the upper unfolded end of the filter body 16 is sewn as indicated with stitching 19 . the filter body 16 surrounds the lower end of the ring element 17 , i . e . the ring element is located fully within the inner surface of the filter body 16 . the ring element 17 is provided with outwardly protruding members 20 for suspending the filter bag 11 at discrete points on the top surface of the partition wall 3 as shown . when the filter bag 11 is mounted in the opening 2 in the partition wall 3 only the ring element 17 extends through the opening 2 , whereas the filter body 16 ends at a distance below the intermediate wall 3 . a sealing member 12 is arranged between the edge of the opening 2 and the ring element 17 in order to ensure that no gap exists between the ring element 17 and the partition wall 3 . the sealing member 12 is preferably made of a flexible material that is slightly compressed when the filter bag 11 is mounted in the opening 2 . therefore , in this embodiment no air can flow between the filter bag 11 and the edge of the opening 2 in the partition wall 3 . an advantage of this embodiment in relation to the first embodiment shown in fig2 is that the filter body 16 is not compressed at all , which means that a liquid used in a cip process easily penetrates the filter body 16 and dissolves and removes any undesired material therefrom . the sealing member 12 shown in fig3 can of course be dispensed with if the outer surface of the ring element 17 is arranged to form a sealing contact with the edge of the opening 2 in the partition wall 3 , which in fact is the case in the third embodiment shown in fig4 . fig4 shows an upper end of a third embodiment of a filter bag 21 according to the invention mounted in an opening 2 in an partition wall 3 in a filter device comprising a dust chamber 4 and a clean air chamber 5 . again , the filter device is not shown in detail since a person skilled in the art knows the structure of a filter device incorporating one or more filter bags . furthermore , the same reference numerals are used for the same parts of the filter device as those used in fig2 and 3 , since these parts may be identical . the filter bag 21 comprises a tubular , flexible , air - penetrable filter body 26 made of e . g . felt and a rigid ring element 27 . in this embodiment the filter body 26 and the ring element 27 are not sewn together as in the embodiments shown in fig2 and 3 . in this embodiment the filter body 26 and the ring element 27 are assembled during a moulding process of the ring element 27 . this means that the filter body 26 is provided first , and the end of the filter body 26 is then placed in a mould . the ring element 27 is then moulded in the mould with some of the ring element material penetrating into the filter body 26 as indicated in fig4 to create a firm interconnection between the moulded ring element 27 and the filter body 26 . like in the first two embodiments the ring element 27 is provided with outwardly protruding members 30 for suspending the filter bag 21 at discrete points on the top surface of the partition wall 3 as shown . when the filter bag 21 is mounted in the opening 2 in the partition wall 3 , only the ring element 27 extends through the opening 2 , whereas the filter body 16 ends at a distance below the intermediate wall 3 . as mentioned above the outer surface of the ring element 27 fits sealingly into the opening 2 of the partition wall 3 such that no gap exists between the ring element 27 and the partition wall 3 . also in this embodiment any undesired material can easily be dissolved and / or removed from the filter body 26 by means of a liquid used in a cip process . the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments shown in fig2 - 4 . however , the various features shown in these embodiments may be combined differently than shown , and other features may be added to the filter bag . also , the filter body and the ring element may be interconnected by other means than by sewing or moulding . the filter body and the ring element can for instance by welded together , especially if they are made of the same weldable material . in this case all interconnections of the filter body can advantageously be welded whereby overlapping filter material can be avoided . alternatively the filter body and the ring element can be glued together . the term “ unfolded ”, when used in this specification , is intended to stress that the filter body material does not overlap . it is directed solely to the end of the filter body that is connected to the ring element and does not refer to any other part of the filter body . despite this fact , other parts of the filter body are preferably also unfolded in order to ensure that the filter body can be thoroughly cleaned . | 1 |
referring now to the drawings , wherein like characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views , there is shown in fig1 a typical steam chest 10 of the internal bar type which incorporates a crosstie system 12 according to one embodiment of the present invention . such internal bar type steam chests 10 , as is well known , receive motive steam from a source ( e . g ., a nuclear reactor or other heat source not shown ) and include a plurality of valves 14 linearly arranged and attached by respective valve stems 16 to a bar 18 located internally of the steam chest 10 for regulation of the flow of motive steam to the turbine . as is shown in fig1 and as will be referred to herein after , the linearly arranged valves 14 include &# 34 ; outboard &# 34 ; valves at each end of the line and &# 34 ; inboard &# 34 ; valves disposed between the outboard valves . each of the valves 14 further comprise a height adjustment nut 20 , accessible through threaded plugs 22 , for varying the point at which the respective valve 14 is opened or closed . the bar 18 thus serves to actuate the valves 14 through a pair of lift rods 24 connected to a lifting yoke 26 operable by a conventional servomotor 28 and pressure balance cylinder 30 . other steam chest configurations , such as the end bar or external type steam chest ( not shown ), as well as a method and apparatus for adjusting their valves to achieve a minimum admission of 50 % are shown and described in the above referenced u . s . ser . no . 107 , 735 . since a detailed description of such steam chest configurations is not deemed to be necessary for a full appreciation of the advantages of the present invention , they will not be discussed specifically herein . it should be appreciated that the steam chest 10 shown in fig1 represents only half of a typical eight - valve turbine installation . that is , another separate steam chest 10 having four valves 14 is coupled to the nozzle chambers of a turbine ( not shown ) by respective turbine inlet pipes 32 . in accordance with one important aspect of the present invention , individual pairs of the turbine inlet pipes 32 are further coupled together by crosstie piping 34 having a valve 36 installed therein . the valves 36 may be either modulating or non - modulating . depending upon the availability of space for retrofit , the crosstie piping 34 joins the turbine inlet pipe 32 of an inboard valve 14 with the turbine inlet pipe 32 of the more remote outboard valve 14 ( within the same steam chest 10 ) where space is limited as shown in fig1 . alternatively where space permits , the crosstie piping 34 joins the turbine inlet pipe 32 of an inboard valve 14 with the turbine inlet pipe 32 of its adjacent outboard valve 14 . in conventional six - valve turbines with two separate steam chests each having three linearly arranged valves , on the other hand , where the outboard valves ( i . e ., valves as conventionally - numbered 1 and 3 or 4 and 6 ) of one steam chest open simultaneously with the inboard valve ( i . e ., valve 2 or 5 ) of the other steam chest in order to provide 50 % minimum admission , only three sets of crosstie piping 34 and crosstie valves 36 are required as is obvious . the first crosstie piping 34 , according to the present invention , connects the turbine inlet pipes 32 of valves 2 and 4 , while the second and third sets of crosstie piping 34 and crosstie valves 36 connect valves 3 and 5 and 1 and 6 , respectively . likewise , in four - valve turbines such as the westinghouse models bb0144 and bb144 , only a pair of sets of crosstie piping 34 and crosstie valves 36 are necessary to connect the turbine inlet piping 32 of valves conventionally - numbered 1 and 3 and valves 2 and 4 , respectively . operation of such crosstying arrangements is discussed in detail herein below . a second embodiment of a crosstying arrangement , especially suitable for use with steam chests of the integral type ( i . e ., steam chests which are attached directly to the turbine shell ) will now be described with reference to fig2 and 3 . an integral type steam chest 40 , such as the kind employed in a conventional 44 megawatt turbine - generator installation known as model ht646 , manufactured by westinghouse , is integral to or attached to the high pressure turbine shell 42 . the steam chest 40 includes a plurality of linearly arranged valves 14 operable through a bar 18 in a similar manner as described herein above with reference to the steam chest 10 of fig1 . in such typical integral or top - mounted steam chests 40 , the outboard valves 14a and 14b are first to open , each of the remaining valves 14 being in an inactive ( or closed ) state . one problem with such steam chests 40 , however , is the temperature differential which is experienced across the ligaments 44 between each of the nozzle chambers 46 controlled by the inactive valves 14 . cracking , related to startup , has frequently occured in such ligaments 44 primarily because of this temperature differential . a crosstie system 48 according to a second embodiment of the present invention includes a manifold 50 which provides auxiliary heating steam from a source ( not shown ) to the inactive nozzle chambers 46 upon activation of the outboard valves 14a and 14b . each of the nozzle chambers 46 located between the outboard valves 14a and 14b are coupled to the manifold 50 by lines 52 having installed therein respective crosstie valves 54 . upon activation of the outboard valves 14a and 14b , each of the normally closed crosstie valves 54 are activated ( i . e ., opened ) sequentially ( from right to left as shown in fig2 ), thereby reducing the temperature differential across the ligaments 44 and permitting the steam chest 40 to achieve 50 % minimum admission without excessive thermal stress . another method of operating a steam chest which provides for full - arc operation from startup to a predetermined level of load below 100 %, a transfer to partial - arc ( preferably at 50 % minimum admission ), and a subsequent loading in the aforedescribed hybrid mode when the steam chest does not include separate actuators for its valves will now be explained with reference again to fig1 . at startup with the steam chest 10 of fig1 each of the inboard valves 14 are adjusted to be opened simultaneously ( i . e ., a total of four valves in the eight - valve , two steam chest turbine configuration ). each of the crosstie valves 36 is likewise opened to permit steam flow through all eight turbine inlet pipes 32 . the turbine ( not shown ) would thus be operating in a full - arc admission mode at startup . in order to transfer from the full - arc admission mode to a partial - arc admission mode as is desired , all of the crosstie valves 36 are necessarily closed . if all such crosstie valves 36 were to be closed simultaneously , however , a change of about 105 degrees fahrenheit ( for a typical eight - valve turbine ) in first stage temperature would be experienced . such an extreme change in first stage temperature is undesirable because of thermal stress . therefore , in accordance with another important aspect of the present invention , only two of the crosstie valves ( i . e ., one on each steam chest ) 36 are closed simultaneously , and then only under such circumstances which would prevent the aforedescribed double shock . an acceptable step change of only about 40 degrees fahrenheit ( in a typical eight - valve turbine ) is experienced in first stage temperature , and an effective admission of 75 % is achieved . as the load continues to increase , the third crosstie valve 36 is closed , thereby decreasing first stage temperature by about an additional 30 degrees fahrenheit with an effective admission of 62 . 5 %. thereafter , as the load further increases , the final crosstie valve 36 would be closed , achieving an effective admission of 50 % at a first stage temperature change of about 35 degrees fahrenheit . for transfers from the above described partial - arc admission mode to the full - arc admission mode , the crosstie valves 36 are opened in the reverse sequence . in a similar manner , the crosstie valves 36 employed in the aforedescribed six - valve and four - valve turbines are sequentially closed in order to effectively transfer from full - arc to partial - arc admission modes without risk of excessive thermal stress , or sequentially opened to transfer from partial - arc to full - arc admission . for typical six - valve turbines , a steam temperature change of about 35 degrees fahrenheit is expected as each crosstie valve 36 is closed . obviously , many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings . for example , the methods and apparatus described above each provide the capability to increase the initial arc of admission into a steam turbine . along with the benefits associated with cyclic duty cycles , such capability is desirable on units that have control stage blading problems or concerns . that is , since shock stresses on the control stage blading are decreased through an enlarged initial arc of admission , benefits would be seen in units with known histories of control stage problems where the configuration of the existing steam chest would have otherwise prevented such enlargement of the arc of admission . it is , therefore , to be understood that within the scope and spirit of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . | 5 |
in the above general formulas , m is selected from elements of groups 3 - 15 of the periodic table . it is preferably al , b , v , ti , si , zr , ge , sn , cu , y , zn , ga , nb , ta , bi , p , as , sc , hf or sb . a a + is a metal ion , hydrogen ion or onium ion . preferably , a a + is a lithium ion , quaternary alkylammonium ion or hydrogen ion . specific examples of a a + include lithium ion , sodium ion , potassium ion , magnesium ion , calcium ion , barium ion , cesium ion , silver ion , zinc ion , copper ion , cobalt ion , iron ion , nickel ion , manganese ion , titanium ion , lead ion , chromium ion , vanadium ion , ruthenium ion , yttrium ion , lanthanoid ion , actinoid ion , tetrabutylammonium ion , tetraethylammonium ion , tetramethylammonium ion , triethylmethylammonium ion , triethylammonium ion , pyridinium ion , imidazolium ion , hydrogen ion , tetraethylphosphonium ion , tetramethylphosphonium ion , tetraphenylphosphonium ion , triphenylsulfonium ion , triethylsulfonium ion and triphenylmethyl ion . valency ( valence ) of the a a + cation is preferably from 1 to 3 . if the valency is larger than 3 , the problem occurs in which it becomes difficult to dissolve the ionic metal complex in solvent due to the increase in crystal lattice energy . consequently , in the case of requiring solubility of the ionic metal complex , a valency of 1 is preferable . as shown in the general formulas ( 1 ) and ( 5 ), the valency ( b − ) of the anion is similarly preferably from 1 to 3 , and a valency of 1 is particularly preferable . the constant p expresses the ratio of the valency of the anion to the valency of the cation , namely b / a . in the above general formulas , r 3 is selected from c 1 - c 10 alkylene groups , c 1 - c 10 halogenated alkylene groups , c 4 - c 20 arylene groups and c 4 - c 20 halogenated arylene groups . these alkylene and arylene groups may have substituents and hetero atoms in their structures . for example , the alkylene and arylene groups may have structures in which hydrogen has been replaced with a substituent selected from halogens , chain - like or cyclic alkyl groups , aryl groups , alkenyl groups , alkoxy groups , aryloxy groups , sulfonyl groups , amino groups , cyano groups , carbonyl groups , acyl groups , amide groups , hydroxyl group and oxo group (═ o ). furthermore , they may have structures in which carbon has been replaced with a substituent selected from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen . when r 3 exist in the plural number , they may be bonded together . for example , a ligand such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid can be cited . r 3 is preferably one that forms a 5 to 10 - membered ring when a chelate ring is formed with the central m . the case of a ring having more than 10 members is not preferable , since advantageous chelating effects are reduced . in addition , in the case that r 3 has a portion of hydroxyl group or carboxyl group , it is possible to form a bond between the central m and this portion . in the above general formulas , r 4 is selected from halogens , c 1 - c 10 alkyl groups , c 1 - c 10 halogenated alkyl groups , c 4 - c 20 aryl groups , c 4 - c 20 halogenated aryl groups and x 2 r 7 . similar to r 3 , these alkyl and aryl groups may have substituents and hetero atoms in their structures . when r 4 exist in the plural number , they may be bonded together to form a ring . r 4 is preferably an electron attracting group , particularly fluorine . when r 4 is fluorine , the degree of dissociation of the electrolyte is improved due to its strong electron attraction . furthermore , mobility of the electrolyte is also improved due to the reduced size of the anionic moiety of the electrolyte . therefore , the ionic conductivity becomes very high when r 4 is fluorine . as mentioned above , each of x 1 , x 2 and x 3 in the above general formulas independently represents o , s , nr 5 or nr 5 r 6 . thus , the ligands are bonded to m with an interposal of these hetero atoms ( o , s and n ) therebetween . although the bonding of an atom other than o , s or n is not impossible , the synthesis becomes extremely bothersome . the ionic metal complex represented by the general formula ( 1 ) is characterized by these ligands forming a chelate structure with m since there is bonding with m by x 1 and x 3 within the same ligand . as a result of this chelation , the heat resistance , chemical stability and hydrolysis resistance of the ionic metal complex are improved . although constant q in this ligand is either 0 or 1 , in the case of 0 in particular , since the chelate ring becomes a five - member ring , chelating effects are demonstrated most prominently , making this preferable due to the resulting increase in stability . in the above general formulas , each of r 5 , r 6 and r 7 independently represents a hydrogen , c 1 - c 10 alkyl group , c 1 - c 10 halogenated alkyl group , c 4 - c 20 aryl group , or c 4 - c 20 halogenated aryl group . these alkyl and aryl groups optionally have substituents and hetero atoms . when r 5 , r 6 and r 7 are each exist in the plural number , each of r 5 , r 6 and r 7 may be formed into a ring . each of r 5 and r 6 differs from other groups ( e . g ., r 1 and r 2 ) in that the former is not required to be an electron attracting group . in the case of introducing an electron attracting group as r 5 or r 6 , the electron density on n of nr 5 r 6 decreases , thereby preventing coordination on the central m . r 7 is preferably a c 1 - c 10 fluorinated alkyl group . due to the presence of an electron - attracting halogenated alkyl group as r 7 , the negative charge of the central m is dissipated . since this increases the electrical stability of the anion of the general formula ( 1 ) or ( 5 ), ion dissociation becomes extremely easy resulting in an increase of the ionic metal complex in solvent solubility , ion conductivity and catalyst activity . in addition , other properties of heat resistance , chemical stability and hydrolysis resistance are also improved . the case in which the halogenated alkyl group as r 7 is a fluorinated alkyl group in particular results in even greater advantageous effects . for example , the alkyl and aryl groups of r 7 may have structures in which hydrogen has been replaced with a substituent selected from halogens , chain - like or cyclic alkyl groups , aryl groups , alkenyl groups , alkoxy groups , aryloxy groups , sulfonyl groups , amino groups , cyano groups , carbonyl groups , acyl groups , amide groups , hydroxyl group and oxo group (═ o ). furthermore , they may have structures in which carbon has been replaced with a substituent selected from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen . in the above general formulas , the values of the constants m and n relating to the number of the above - mentioned ligands depend on the type of the central m . in fact , m is preferably from 1 to 4 , while n is preferably from 0 to 8 . specific examples of the ionic metal complex represented by the general formula ( 1 ) are as follows . in the general formulas ( 5 ) and ( 6 ), each of r 1 and r 2 is independently selected from h , halogen , c 1 - c 10 alkyl groups and c 1 - c 10 halogenated alkyl groups . at least one of r 1 and r 2 is preferably a fluorinated alkyl group , and more preferably , at least one of r 1 and r 2 is a trifluoromethyl group . due to the presence of an electron - attracting halogen and / or a halogenated alkyl group for r 1 and r 2 , the negative charge of the central m is dissipated . this results in an increase of the anion of the general formula ( 5 ) in electrical stability . with this , the ion dissociation becomes extremely easy resulting in an increase of the ionic metal complex in solvent solubility , ion conductivity , catalyst activity and so forth . in addition , other properties of heat resistance , chemical stability and hydrolysis resistance are also improved . the case in which the halogen is fluorine in particular has significant advantageous effects , while the case of a trifluoromethyl group has the greatest advantageous effect . specific examples of the ionic metal complex represented by the general formula ( 5 ) are as follows . the first or second process for synthesizing the ionic metal complex according to the present invention will be further explained in the following . the first or second process is characterized in that a compound represented by the general formula ( 2 ) or ( 6 ) ( corresponding to ligand of the complex ) is reacted with a halogen - containing compound represented by the general formula ( 3 ) or ( 4 ) ( a source of the central element m of the complex ) in an organic solvent in the presence of a special reaction aid . the compound represented by the general formula ( 2 ) or ( 6 ) contains e 1 and e 2 each independently being an active hydrogen or alkali metal , for bonding the halogen r 8 of the halogen - containing compound with e 1 and e 2 and then for eliminating the halogen r 8 . this compound may be classified as an alcohol , metal alkoxide , carboxylic acid , carboxylate , sulfonic acid , sulfonate , sulfinic acid , or sulfinate . in the halogen - containing compound , at least one halogen is bonded with the central element m . in fact , this central element may be bonded with only halogens or with at least one halogen and at least one other substituent . r 8 is preferably fluorine . specific examples of the halogen - containing compound are lipf 6 , libf 4 , lialcl 4 , lipf 3 ( cf 3 ) 3 , libf 3 ( ph ), bf 3 , and pf 5 , where ph represents a phenyl group . as stated above , the reaction aid used in the first and second processes contains an element selected from the group consisting of elements of groups 1 - 4 and 11 - 14 of the periodic table , preferably the elements being al , b , si , alkali metals and alkali earth metals . due to a strong bond between the element of the reaction aid and the halogen , the reaction aid can accelerate the reactions of the first and second processes . the reaction aid is a compound preferably selected from chlorides , bromides , iodides , alkoxides and carboxy compounds , more preferably selected from alcl 3 , bcl 3 and sicl 4 . when the compound represented by the general formula ( 2 ) or ( 6 ) ( hereinafter the compound ( 2 ) or ( 6 ); other compounds may also be referred to similarly ) is mixed with the halogen - containing compound ( 3 ) or ( 4 ), small amounts of e 1 r 8 and e 2 r 8 ( by - products ) are generated . it is possible to remove these e 1 r 8 and e 2 r 8 by the reaction aid . with this , the chemical equilibrium of the reactions of the first and second processes changes towards the production of the target product . in other words , the reaction aid can accelerate these reactions . it is preferable to suitably select the compound ( 2 ) or ( 6 ) ( corresponding to the ligand of the complex ), the halogen - containing compound ( 3 ) or ( 4 ) ( a source of the central atom m ) and the reaction aid such that the by - products are smoothly precipitated or smoothly removed as a high - vapor - pressure component from the system . relative amounts of the reagents used in the reactions of the first and second processes are not particularly limited . it is possible to use the compound ( 2 ) or ( 6 ) in an amount of 1 - 8 moles and the reaction aid in an amount of 0 . 1 - 10 moles , per mol of the halogen - containing compound ( 3 ) or ( 4 ). it is preferable to use a solvent in the reactions of the first and second processes . this solvent is preferably one that is capable of dissolving at least very small amounts of the raw materials and that does not react with the compounds in the system . it is more preferable that such solvent has a dielectric constant of 2 or greater . it is not preferable to use a solvent having no such dissolving capacity , since such solvent lowers the reaction rate . the reactions can proceed very smoothly by using a solvent that is capable of dissolving at least very small amounts of the raw materials , since the target ionic metal complexes ( 1 ) and ( 5 ) have very high solubilities . the solvent can be selected from carbonates , esters , ethers , lactones , nitrites , amides , sulfones , alcohols , aromatic compounds , and mixtures of these . its specific examples are propylene carbonate , ethylene carbonate , diethyl carbonate , dimethyl carbonate , methyl ethyl carbonate , dimethoxyethane , acetonitrile , propionitrile , tetrahydrofuran , 2 - methyltetrahydrofuran , dioxane , nitromethane , n , n - dimethylformamide , dimethylsulfoxide , sulfolane , γ - butyrolactone , toluene , ethanol , and methanol . the reaction temperature of the first and second processes may be in a range of − 80 to 100 ° c ., preferably 0 to 80 ° c . the reaction may not proceed sufficiently with a reaction temperature lower than − 80 ° c . the solvent and the raw materials may be decomposed with a reaction temperature higher than 100 ° c . the reaction can proceed with a sufficient reaction rate without no such decomposition , if the reaction temperature is in a range of 0 to 80 ° c . some of the raw materials used in the first and second processes may have a property to be hydrolyzed . therefore , it is preferable to conduct the first and second processes in an atmosphere ( e . g ., air , nitrogen and argon ) of low moisture content . it is possible to purify the ionic metal complex , for example , by a recrystallization in which the reaction solution is concentrated to precipitate the crystals or by a reprecipitation in which a large amount of a poor solvent is added to the reaction solution and then by washing the resulting solid . the following nonlimitative examples are illustrative of the present invention . examples 1 - 1 to 1 - 6 are illustrative of the first process of the present invention , and examples 2 - 1 to 2 - 4 are illustrative of the second process of the present invention . in a glove box having an atmosphere of a dew point of − 50 ° c ., 1 . 31 g of oxalic acid , 1 . 37 g of lithium tetrafluoroborate ( libf 4 ), and 20 ml of dimethylcarbonate were mixed together , followed by stirring sufficiently . with this , lithium tetrafluoroborate was dissolved completely , but oxalic acid was not . therefore , the mixture became in the form of slurry . then , 1 . 38 g of silicon tetrachloride ( reaction aid ) were slowly added to the mixture at room temperature with stirring . at the same time when this addition was started , a gas was generated violently . with this , the undissolved oxalic acid was dissolved , and the reaction proceeded . after the addition of silicon tetrachloride , stirring was continued for 3 hr . it was judged that the reaction had terminated by confirming that the generation of the gas stopped completely . dimethyl carbonate was removed from the resulting reaction liquid at 40 ° c . under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining 2 . 09 g of a white solid as a product . this product was washed with 20 ml of dimethyl ether , followed by solid separation with filtration and then drying of the filtrate at 120 ° c . for 24 hr under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining 2 . 09 g of lithium difluoro ( oxalato ) borate ( yield : 99 . 5 %) represented by the following formula . in a glove box having an atmosphere of a dew point of − 50 ° c ., 1 . 31 g of oxalic acid , 1 . 37 g of lithium tetrafluoroborate ( libf 4 ), and 20 ml of dimethylcarbonate were mixed together , followed by stirring sufficiently . with this , lithium tetrafluoroborate was dissolved completely , but oxalic acid was not . therefore , the mixture became in the form of slurry . then , 1 . 30 g of aluminum trichloride ( reaction aid ) were slowly added to the mixture at room temperature with stirring . at the same time when this addition was started , a precipitate of a milky color was generated . after the addition of aluminum trichloride , stirring was continued for 3 hr . then , the precipitate was separated from the reaction liquid by filtration . dimethyl carbonate was removed from the resulting reaction liquid at 40 ° c . under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining 2 . 09 g of lithium difluoro ( oxalato ) borate ( yield : 99 . 5 %). in a glove box having an atmosphere of a dew point of − 50 ° c ., 3 . 93 g of oxalic acid , 1 . 37 g of lithium tetrafluoroborate ( libf 4 ), 0 . 76 g of lithium fluoride , and 50 ml of ethyl methyl carbonate were mixed together , followed by stirring sufficiently . with this , lithium tetrafluoroborate was dissolved completely , but oxalic acid and lithium fluoride were not . therefore , the mixture became in the form of slurry . then , 3 . 03 g of trimethoxyborane (( ch 3 o ) 3 b ; reaction aid ) were slowly added to the mixture at 0 ° c . with stirring . at the same time when this addition was started , the undissolved component started to dissolve . at the time when all the reagents were dissolved after the addition of trimethoxyborane , ethyl methyl carbonate was removed from the resulting reaction liquid at 0 ° c . under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining 6 . 28 g of lithium difluoro ( oxalato ) borate ( yield : 99 . 9 %). in a glove box having an atmosphere of a dew point of − 50 ° c ., 3 . 93 g of oxalic acid , 1 . 37 g of lithium tetrafluoroborate ( libf 4 ), 0 . 76 g of lithium fluoride , and 50 ml of ethyl methyl carbonate were mixed together , followed by stirring sufficiently . with this , lithium tetrafluoroborate was dissolved completely , but oxalic acid and lithium fluoride were not . therefore , the mixture became in the form of slurry . then , 3 . 43 g of boron trichloride ( bcl 3 ; reaction aid ) were slowly added to the mixture at 0 ° c . with stirring . at the same time when this addition was started , the undissolved component started to dissolve and hcl gas started to form . at the time when all the reagents were dissolved after the addition of trimethoxyborane , ethyl methyl carbonate was removed from the resulting reaction liquid at 30 ° c . under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining 6 . 28 g of lithium difluoro ( oxalato ) borate ( yield : 99 . 9 %). in a glove box having an atmosphere of a dew point of − 50 ° c ., 1 . 31 g of oxalic acid , 2 . 21 g of lithium hexafluorophosphate ( lipf 6 ), and 20 ml of diethyl ether were mixed together , followed by stirring sufficiently . with this , oxalic acid and lithium hexafluorophosphate were dissolved completely . then , 1 . 38 g of silicon tetrachloride ( reaction aid ) were slowly added to the mixture at room temperature with stirring . at the same time when this addition was started , a gas was generated violently and the reaction proceeded . after the addition of silicon tetrachloride , stirring was continued for 5 hr . it was judged that the reaction had terminated by confirming that the generation of the gas stopped completely and by confirming with nmr that the raw materials disappeared . the obtained reaction liquid was filtrated , and then diethyl ether was removed from the resulting filtrate at 60 ° c . under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining 2 . 93 g of lithium tetrafluoro ( oxalato ) phosphate represented by the following formula . in a glove box having an atmosphere of a dew point of − 50 ° c ., 2 . 62 g of oxalic acid , 1 . 37 g of lithium tetrafluoroborate ( libf 4 ), and 50 ml of γ - butyrolactone were mixed together , followed by stirring sufficiently . with this , lithium tetrafluoroborate and oxalic acid were dissolved completely . then , 2 . 75 g of silicon tetrachloride ( reaction aid ) were slowly added to the mixture at room temperature with stirring . at the same time when this addition was started , a gas was generated violently and the reaction proceeded . after the addition of silicon tetrachloride , stirring was continued for 3 hr . it was judged that the reaction had terminated by confirming that the generation of the gas stopped completely . then , γ - butyrolactone was removed from the resulting reaction liquid at 60 ° c . under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining a white solid as a product . this product was washed with 50 ml of dimethyl carbonate , followed by solid separation with filtration and then drying of the filtrate at 120 ° c . for 24 hr under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining 2 . 81 g of lithium bis ( oxalato ) borate ( yield : 99 . 3 %) represented by the following formula . in a glove box having an atmosphere of a dew point of − 50 ° c ., 3 . 09 g of hexafluoro - 2 - hydroxyisobutyric acid ( hoc ( cf 3 ) 2 cooh ), 1 . 37 g of lithium tetrafluoroborate ( libf 4 ), and 20 ml of dimethyl carbonate were mixed together , followed by stirring sufficiently to dissolve the reagents . then , 1 . 38 g of silicon tetrachloride ( reaction aid ) were slowly added to the mixture at room temperature with stirring . at the same time when this addition was started , a gas was generated violently and the reaction proceeded . after the addition of silicon tetrachloride , stirring was continued for 3 hr . it was judged that the reaction had terminated by confirming that the generation of the gas stopped completely . dimethyl carbonate was removed from the resulting reaction liquid at 60 ° c . under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining 3 . 87 g of a white solid as a product . this product is a lithium borate derivative represented by the following formula . in a glove box having an atmosphere of a dew point of − 50 ° c ., 3 . 09 g of hexafluoro - 2 - hydroxyisobutyric acid ( hoc ( cf 3 ) 2 cooh ), 1 . 37 g of lithium tetrafluoroborate ( libf 4 ), and 20 ml of diethyl carbonate were mixed together , followed by stirring sufficiently to dissolve the reagents . then , 1 . 30 g of aluminum trichloride ( reaction aid ) were slowly added to the mixture at room temperature with stirring . at the same time when this addition was started , a precipitate of a milky color was generated . after the addition of aluminum trichloride , stirring was continued for 3 hr . then , the precipitate was separated from the reaction liquid by filtration . diethyl carbonate was removed from the resulting reaction liquid at 80 ° c . under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining 3 . 79 g of the same lithium borate derivative as that of example 2 - 1 . in a glove box having an atmosphere of a dew point of − 50 ° c ., 3 . 08 g of hexafluoro - 2 - hydroxyisobutyric acid ( hoc ( cf 3 ) 2 cooh ), 2 . 21 g of lithium hexafluorophosphate ( lipf 6 ), and 20 ml of dimethyl carbonate were mixed together , followed by stirring sufficiently to dissolve the reagents . then , 1 . 38 g of silicon tetrachloride ( reaction aid ) were slowly added to the mixture at room temperature with stirring . at the same time when this addition was started , a gas was generated violently and the reaction proceeded . after the addition of silicon tetrachloride , stirring was continued for 5 hr . it was judged that the reaction had terminated by confirming that the generation of the gas stopped completely and by confirming with nmr that the raw materials disappeared . the obtained reaction liquid was filtrated , and the resulting filtrate was dried at 60 ° c . under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining 2 . 93 g of a lithium phosphate derivative represented by the following formula . in a glove box having an atmosphere of a dew point of − 50 ° c ., 6 . 18 g of hexafluoro - 2 - hydroxyisobutyric acid ( hoc ( cf 3 ) 2 cooh ), 1 . 37 g of lithium tetrafluoroborate ( libf 4 ), and 50 ml of acetonitrile were mixed together , followed by stirring sufficiently to dissolve the reagents . then , 2 . 75 g of silicon tetrachloride ( reaction aid ) were slowly added to the mixture at room temperature with stirring . at the same time when this addition was started , a gas was generated violently and the reaction proceeded . after the addition of silicon tetrachloride , stirring was continued for 3 hr . it was judged that the reaction had terminated by confirming that the generation of the gas stopped completely . acetonitrile was removed from the obtained reaction liquid at 60 ° c . under a reduced pressure of 133 pa , thereby obtaining a lithium borate derivative represented by the following formula . | 2 |
fig1 depicts in simplified form a clutch actuating system 1 for an automated clutch , in particular an automated dual clutch . the clutch actuating system 1 is assigned to a friction clutch 10 designed as a dual clutch in a drivetrain of a motor vehicle , and includes a master cylinder 4 , which is connected to a slave cylinder 6 via a hydraulic line 5 , also referred to as a pressure line . movable back and forth in the slave cylinder 6 is a slave piston 7 , which actuates a friction clutch 10 designed as a dual clutch , by means of actuating component 8 and with the inclusion of bearing 9 . the master cylinder 4 is connected to an equalizing container 12 through a connecting aperture . a master piston 14 is movable back and forth in the master cylinder 4 . a piston rod 15 , which is movable linearly in the longitudinal direction together with the master piston 14 , extends from the master piston 14 . the master piston 14 and the piston rod 15 are parts of an actuator 19 , which is coupled with an electric motor positioning drive 20 . using the electric motor positioning drive 20 , the actuator 19 carries out longitudinal movements depending on control signals of a control system , which movements are transmitted through the master piston 14 to the hydrostatic or hydraulic link , which includes the master cylinder 4 and the slave cylinder 6 . the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic or hydrostatic link is detected by means of a pressure sensor 30 , which is attached to the master cylinder 4 . the pressure sensor 30 supplies a pressure signal , which is also referred to as an actuator pressure signal . if the clutch actuator 19 is moved from a completely disengaged position in the direction “ clutch engaged ,” the so - called air gap of the clutch 10 must first be surmounted . as soon as the air gap has been surmounted and the drive - side and output - side elements of the clutch 10 are pressed against each other , the pressure in the hydrostatic link of the clutch actuator 19 will increase tremendously . the position of the beginning pressure increase then correlates with the touch point of the clutch 10 . if the clutch 10 is engaged beyond the touch point , the clamping force within the clutch 10 , and thus the torque which it can transmit , is increased corresponding to the elasticity in the clutch 10 and the engaging system or actuating system . the transmissible clutch torque is described approximately by a proportional factor , which is also referred to as the coefficient of friction . the solution according to the invention can be implemented in various control algorithms . for example , with no gear engaged slow position ramps can be used in order to obtain the position of a beginning significant pressure increase from the course of the pressure signal . however , the pressure signal can also be evaluated during normal driving operation for the purpose of adapting the clutch . along with the named characteristic values , touch point and coefficient of friction , additional parameters can also be taken into account in the control algorithms for the automated clutch system , in order to enable better adaptation of the models within the control system to the individually different real clutches . | 8 |
the present invention is directed towards improving the quality and functionality of both implantable cardioverter defibrillators ( icds ) and implantable atrial defibrillators ( iads ). all such devices need to have a method and mechanism for accurately distinguishing sinus tachycardia ( st ) form non - st , such as atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter . this method and mechanism should be conservative , biased towards not initiating therapy unless non - st is clearly indicated . it should also require as few machine computational cycles as possible to reduce icd and iad battery drain . the principle underlying the present invention is that st and non - st can be distinguished by studying and measuring the atrial electrogram morphology to detect aberrant conduction in the atria . thus , by comparing normal st waveforms to a series of newly - occurring waveforms , st is indicated by abnormal atrial waveform morphology which signals aberrant conduction within the atria improper electrical patterns of depolarization . this will show up in the signal potentials captured by a bipolar atrial lead . with reference to fig1 the present invention can be implemented in an icd 100 ( which could be an iad ) that is implanted in the chest of a patient who suffers from unpleasant and possibly life - threatening irregularities in heart operation due to improper electrical stimulation of the heart muscle cells . during normal heart action , the heart &# 39 ; s electrical impulses originate in the sino - atrial node as an action potential that is transmitted smoothly to all portions of the atria , causing contraction of the atrial chambers . the electrical impulse continues in its path to a cluster of conduction fibrils known as the atrioventricular node . after a delay of about one - tenth of a second , an action potential flows over the ventricles and causes them to contract in synchronism with and following shortly after the atrial contraction . in this manner , the heart pumps blood to the lungs and from the lungs to the body . a bipolar lead 102 is implanted within the atria 104 of a heart 103 to measure the electrical potential between nearby cells of the atria . as the action potential actively passes from cell to cell past the two electrodes of the lead 102 , an oscillating signal potential is developed across the two electrodes and is conveyed by the bipolar lead 102 to the icd 100 where the signal is sampled about 1000 times per second and is digitized , with the sequential samples stored within a ram memory within the icd 100 for further analysis . another bipolar lead 105 may extend to the ventricle ( not shown ) of the heart 103 to measure the action potentials generated within the ventricles . these same leads , or other leads , may be used by the icd for administering various types of therapy , such as pacing or defibrillation shock therapy . the data samples collected from within the atria are now analyzed . first , with reference to data gathered from the ventricles , if some event in the ventricle , such as a mis - timed depolarization event that partially overlaps the atria &# 39 ; s p wave , could leak across to the atria and distort the measurement of the potentials for a given atrial depolarization , then the data for that particular heartbeat is discarded and is not used in further analyses . such distortion can also be found simply because a given heartbeat set of data gathered from the atria is itself badly distorted , and this approach must be taken in the case of an iad having no ventricular lead . the remaining data is retained for further processing . in preparation for further processing , the data for individual heartbeats is identified and gathered . the position within the gathered data of the negative spike to the atrial p depolarization waveform is determined and is selected as the center of the waveform for each beat . then , since data close to this p - wave is to be analyzed , and since data further away may be distorted to some degree by ventricular activity or by variations in the p - to - p interval , 32 sequential data samples are selected for each heartbeat such that the negative spike of the p - wave becomes signal potential sample number 16 of the 32 sequential samples selected for further analyses . these samples for a normal heartbeat appear at 302 in fig3 and at 502 in fig5 where the amplitude of the atrial signal potential is plotted against time over the 32 sampled values , with the negative p - wave spike positioned as signal sample number 16 . likewise , the samples for an abnormal heartbeat appear at 504 in fig5 . straightforward correlation ( cwa ) of the 32 samples against a template containing a typical or normal pattern could be performed at this juncture , as taught on page 563 ( equation ( 1 )) of the article by thorne , cited in the introductory portion of this specification . but the performance of such a cross correlation at repeated regular intervals would generate numerous computations and would drain the icd &# 39 ; s battery more rapidly than is desirable . in addition , provision would have to be made for a full template waveform that can be stored within the icd to be used as a comparison reference . in addition , such templates generally need to be patient specific , and they are more susceptible to normal changes in shape . accordingly , to reduce the mathematical complexity of the cross correlation computations , it is desirable to reduce the number of data points from 32 down to some much lower number through the use of some form of transformation into a different set of values . for example , the data could be transformed using the karhunen - loeve transformation described in the morris article cited at the beginning of this specification . but that transformation is fairly computationally intensive . computationally , a fast fourier transformation would be more efficient , but any such transformation into the frequency domain , where variable frequency sine and cosine wave amplitudes result from the transformation , does not match itself well to the morphology of atrial heart waveforms , which tend to be formed from large , ringing , spike - like representations of p - wave depolarization events travelling as moving action potential fronts past the pair of electrodes attached to the bipolar lead , and not as steady harmonics extending across time . accordingly , fourier - class transforms do not adequately reduce the number of significant data values that must be considered . and in addition , when the “ window ” size for a fourier analysis is selected , if it is wide , then the frequency values are not time - specific , but represent average signal harmonic content over the entire window time duration . and if the window is narrow , then the harmonics are too spread out in frequency , and the frequency - domain data generated by the transform does not resolve things finely enough in the frequency domain . for all of the above reasons , the present invention analyzes the waveforms using a discrete wavelet transform . this has the advantage that while low frequency wavelets are broad in time , high frequency wavelets have a much narrower timeslot focus . thus , for example , with 32 data samples taken sequentially over time , a wavelet transformation generates a d . c . wavelet that spans the entire set of 32 points ; a first reversing wavelet that also spans the entire set of points ; two second harmonic wavelets that each focus upon only one - half of the 32 data points ; four third harmonic wavelets that each focus upon only one - fourth of the 32 data points ; eight fourth harmonic wavelets that each focus upon four of the 32 data points ; and 16 fifth harmonic wavelets that each focuses upon only two of the 32 data points . accordingly , the higher - frequency wavelet amplitudes are quite time specific , unlike fourier sinusoidal amplitudes , while the lower - frequency and d . c . wavelet amplitudes give one broad information about the whole set of 32 points . and like the fourier transform , the discrete wavelet transform preserves all of the information of the original atrial signal , such that the transformation is fully reversible . 32 discrete wavelet transform values may be reverse transformed back into 32 values indicating the atrial signal potentials at 32 sequential points in time . in essence , the haar function is performing multiple digital filtering operations , at variable positions and utilizing varying - width windowing functions , to develop component values that represent varying types of heartbeat activity , at varying frequencies , spread over varying widths , and located at varying positions . these component values can be studied to see which subset of these component values are good at distinguishing st from non - st , or ( more generally ) which subset of these component values are good at distinguishing one type of heartbeat waveform from another . further study of such a selected subset can further determine which of the subset of components are relatively invariant from one individual &# 39 ; s heart to another . one preferably selects component values that are suitable from both of these two perspectives . the particular wavelet transformation to choose can be tailored to the nature of the data , with the wavelets chosen to resemble somewhat the values to be found within the data so that some transformed values are of much larger amplitude than others , and such that the low amplitude transformed values may be disregarded . of particular importance with an atrial p waveform of the type being analyzed here are wavelets having frequency values roughly comparable to and timed to coincide with the ringing of the atrial depolarization . this tailoring can minimize the number of transformed data values that are significant and that are candidates for full participation in the correlation analyses to determine if there has been a substantial change in waveform morphology . another factor in selecting a particular wavelet transformation is reducing the number of computations that must be performed to carry out the transformation . yet another factor is selecting a wavelet transformation where some of the transformed component values vary from normal to abnormal heart rhythms in much the same over a population of individuals so that a generic template of these component values may be derived that can be used with many individuals , rather than with just one individual . these factors suggest that the haar transformation would be a suitable candidate for use in analysis of atrial waveforms and possibly other waveforms as well . with reference to fig3 in the case of 32 voltage values sampled over time , the 32 applicable haar discrete transform wavelets appear as shown in this figure . other discrete wavelet transforms based upon wavelets having triangular or other shapes may also prove usable . the haar transform wavelets , in particular , have the shape of a square waveform , as will be described , and this can simplify the computations required . in fig3 time increases from left to right . a scale 304 indicates the 32 points in time at which the atrial waveform is sampled , and an analog atrial waveform ( before digitization ) is shown at 302 . the p wave negative notch 303 is shown centered at the 16 th timeslot so that the signal potential of the atria waveform sampled at this point in time becomes the 16 th data value in the set of 32 data values that are to be subjected to the haar transformation . a haar wavelet is simply one cycle of a square waveform that starts at zero , then swings positive ( to “+ 1 ”), then swings negative ( to “− 1 ”), and then swings back to zero . the wavelet w 2 , shown at 308 in fig3 for example , is at “+ 1 ” at points in time 1 to 16 and is at “− 1 ” at points in time 17 to 32 . the shorter waveform w 6 , shown at 316 in fig3 is at “+ 1 ” at points in time 9 to 12 and is at “− 1 ” at points in time 13 to 16 , and is at “ 0 ” at all other points in time . the waveform w 1 , shown at 306 in fig3 is so slow to fluctuate in time that its “− 1 ” portion is off of the chart ( in fig3 ) to the right , and is ignored ; and accordingly , it has the value “+ 1 ” for all 32 of the points in time shown in fig3 . it thus represents the average , or d . c ., component of the atrial signal potential . the lowest frequency wavelets w 1 and w 2 encompass the entire set of 32 points in time . the higher frequency wavelets w 3 and w 4 each encompasses only half of the points in time , and the two wavelets taken together encompass all the points in time . the four wavelets w 5 , w 6 , w 7 , and w 8 each encompasses only eight points in time , and the four wavelets taken together encompass all points in time . the eight wavelets w 9 . . . w 16 each encompasses only four points in time , and together all eight wavelets encompass all points in time . and finally , the wavelets w 17 . . . w 32 each encompass only two points in time , but the sixteen wavelets together encompass all points in time . thus , each wavelet has a characteristic time span and position as well as a characteristic frequency , with higher - frequency wavelets having a narrower and more specific time span and position than lower - frequency wavelets . this is advantageous with an impulse - type , ringing signal such as the atrial depolarization waveform considered here , since many higher - frequency transform values that correspond to haar wavelets positioned in time away from the p waveform or that do not correspond to its frequency of ringing may be low in amplitude such that they may safely be ignored during the analysis steps , thereby reducing the data that must be processed during the correlation steps . ( the above , while presented in the context of the haar wavelet , is also applicable to other wavelet shapes that may used to perform a discrete wavelet transform ( dwt )). each of the 32 haar transformed values is computed as follows : multiply each of the 32 sampled and digitized voltage values representing the analog atrial waveform 302 by the correspondingly - positioned -( in - time ) amplitude values of one of the 32 haar wavelets ( shown in fig3 ); then sum the resulting products ; and then multiply the resulting sums by a discrete wavelet transform scaling factor 2 − j / 2 , where j equals 1 for the wavelets w 17 to w 32 , 2 for w 9 to w 16 , 3 for w 5 to w 8 , 4 for w 3 to w 4 , and 5 for w 1 and w 2 . for example , and referring to fig3 : the first wavelet w 1 is always + 1 , so the atrial signal potential values are simply summed and then multiplied by 2 − 5 / 2 ; the second wavelet is + 1 for time points 1 to 16 and − 1 for time points 17 to 32 , so the first 16 values are summed , the second 16 values are summed , the difference between the first and second sums is computed , and the result is multiplied by 2 − 5 / 2 ; and so on until all the transformed values have been computed , one for each haar wavelet . the 32 time - sequential atrial signal potential values are thus transformed into 32 haar wavelet amplitude values which may be called “ transformed values ” and which may be assigned the numbers 1 to 32 corresponding to the subscript numbers of the haar wavelets to which they each correspond and whose amplitudes they represent . the above description of how to compute the haar wavelet transformed values is accurate , but it is not the most efficient way to proceed in the case of haar wavelets . like the fourier transform , which has a corresponding fast fourier transform that saves intermediate results and thereby avoids re - computing them and thus reduces substantially the number of computations , the haar transformation also may be carried out in a manner that saves intermediate sums and re - uses them to reduce substantially the number of computations . this is described below at the point where fig4 is described , since fig4 illustrates graphically how this can be done . the illustrative program listing presented below is also an implementation of the fast haar wavelet transformation algorithm . the haar transformation can readily be carried out by any digital computer . as an example of how the haar transformation can be carried out on 32 values , the following program , written in the language c , is illustrative of many possible programs that may be written . in the exemplary program that follows , a 32 - element array yy contains 32 data values representing the 32 sampled atrial signal potential values representing the fluctuations over time of the signal supplied by the bipolar lead 102 . the analog atrial signal is sampled , digitized , broken into separate beat data sets , pre - processed ( to remove waveforms distorted by ventricular activity ), centered ( with the negative depolarization spike at data point 16 ), and fed into the subroutine presented below . this subroutine is compiled ( or assembled , if rewritten in assembly language ) and installed in the rom of the icd &# 39 ; s embedded microprocessor . this subroutine returns , contained within the same array yy , the 32 transformed haar wavelet amplitude values described above . ( the constant value “ recipsqrttwo ” is the reciprocal of the square root of two ). an illustrative version of the subroutine for computing all 32 of the haar transformed values in an efficient manner is presented here : void haar ( double yy []) { int i , j , l ; double zz [ 32 ]; for ( i = 5 ; i & gt ; 0 ; i −−) { l = 1 ; for ( j = 1 ; j & lt ;= i ; ++ j ) l = 2 * l ; for ( j = 0 ; j & lt ; l ; ++ j ) zz [ j ] = yy [ j ]; for ( j = 0 ; j & lt ; l − 1 ; j = j + 2 ) ( yy [ j / 2 ] = recipsqrttwo * ( zz [ j ] + zz [ j + 1 ]); yy [( j + l )/ 2 ] = rcipsqrttwo * ( zz [ j ] − zz [ j + 1 ]); } } return ; } the above program computes the 32 haar transformed values 1 to 32 from the 32 atrial signal potential time - sequenced input values . it does so with only 31 additions , 31 subtractions , and 62 multiplications . it is carefully designed to compute each value in a systematic way , making multiple use of intermediate results . first , the program computes sixteen sums of and sixteen differences between eight adjacent pairs of the 16 time sequenced atrial signal potential values , and the sixteen difference values become the haar transformed values 17 to 32 , reflecting the strength of the highest frequency haar wavelets positioned at 16 different positions in time , corresponding to the wavelets w 17 to w 32 shown in fig3 . all the sum and difference values are scaled by multiplication by 2 − 1 / 2 . next , taking the 16 sums of atrial signal potential values as an intermediate result , the above algorithm generates eight sums of and eight differences between adjacent pairs of these sixteen intermediate values that resulted from the first sixteen additions , and the eight newly - computed difference values become the haar transformed values 9 to 16 , reflecting the strength of the second to the highest frequency values at eight different points in time , corresponding to wavelets w 9 to w 16 in fig3 . all of these eight sum and eight difference values are again scaled by 2 − 1 / 2 so that the wavelets w 9 to w 16 are scaled by ½ ( 2 − 2 / 2 or 2 − 1 / 2 times 2 − 1 / 2 ). next , taking these eight sums of sums of adjacent atrial signal potential values as an intermediate result , the above algorithm generates four sum and four difference values , again scaling by 2 − 1 / 2 , and the four difference values become haar transformed values 5 to 8 , reflecting the strength of the middle frequency wavelets at four different points in time , and corresponding to wavelets w 5 to w 8 in fig3 . next , taking these four sums of sums of sums of adjacent atrial signal potential values , the above algorithm generates two sum and two difference values , again scaling by 2 − 1 / 2 , and the two difference values become haar transformed values 3 and 4 , reflecting the strength of the second to the lowest frequency wavelets only two of which encompass all the time domain data , corresponding to the wavelets w 3 and w 4 shown in fig3 . and finally , the algorithm generates the sum of and the difference between the final remaining two sums of sums of sums of sums of atrial signal potential values , again scaling by 2 − 1 / 2 . the difference value is then the haar transformed value 2 , representing the strength of the lowest - frequency wavelet , the one corresponding to the wavelet w 2 in fig3 the wavelet that extends the full length of the time scale . the sum value is then the first , or d . c ., transformed value , representing the average signal potential level over the 32 sampled points in time , which corresponds to the wavelet w 1 in fig3 . another way of viewing this computation is illustrated in fig4 a and 4b . the 32 atrial signal potential values are shown at the top of fig4 a and are identified as c 0 5 through c 31 5 . the superscript “ 5 ” indicates that these values are processed when the index value “ n ” in the above computer program is equal to “ 5 ”— that is , during the first pass through the data generating intermediary sums and differences . during subsequent passes , the value of n is decremented to 4 , 3 , 2 , and finally to 1 . during each pass through the data , the computer generates sums c n - 1 and differences d n - 1 , as shown in fig4 b , between adjacent pairs of the values c 0 n and c 1 n ; c 2 n and c 3 n ; and so on , so that the number of newly - generated c n - 1 and d n - 1 terms is reduced by half with each computer pass through the intermediary results . at the end of all these computations , the value c 0 0 is the first , or d . c ., haar transformed value ; and the values d 0 0 ; d 0 1 and d 1 1 ; d 0 2 , d 1 2 , d 2 2 , and d 3 2 ; d 0 3 , d 1 3 , . . . and d 7 3 ; and d 0 4 , d 1 4 , and d 15 4 are , respectively , the remaining haar transform values 2 through 32 . fig4 thus illustrates quite succinctly how all the transform computations are carried out , and how the intermediary “ c ” sum values , such as c 0 4 , are used to compute multiple haar values , such as the values d 0 3 , d 0 2 , d 0 1 , d 0 0 , and c 0 0 all of which are computed from the intermediary value c 0 4 . saving and reusing these intermediary “ c ” values saves much computational time . fig4 b indicates the precise addition and subtraction operations that are carried out at each level to compute the values in the next lower level , proceeding down through the chart presented in fig4 a . but in any given application to heart waveform analysis , all of these computations may not be needed , and accordingly the number of computations may be reduced much further . since the present invention teaches that only a small number of these haar transformed values need actually be considered , a far less computationally intensive transform can be developed which only generates the intermediate and final transformed values that are actually needed to generate the specific haar transformed values which have proved to be significant in discriminating between sinus tachycardia ( or st ) and non - st conditions . all others need not be computed , and the above program may be reduced to a special algorithm that omits as many sums , differences , and multiplications as possible . for example , if only the transformed values 1 , 5 , 9 , and 24 are significant , then 31 additions are required to compute the first transformed value ( the d . c . value — the simple sum of all the time domain signal values ); six additions and one subtraction are required to compute the fifth transformed value ( in fig3 the difference between the sums of time domain values under each half of the wavelet w 5 at 314 in fig3 ); two additions and one subtraction are required to compute the ninth transformed value ( in fig3 the difference between the sums of the time domain values under each half of the wavelet w9 at 322 in fig3 ); and only one subtraction is required to compute the 24 th transformed value ( in fig3 the difference between the two time domain values under the respective halves of the wavelet w 24 ( not shown ) which is the same size as , but differently positioned in time than , the wavelet w 18 at 330 ( fig3 ). accordingly , if only the transformed values 1 , 5 , 9 , and 24 actually evaluated , then only 42 additions and subtractions are required . but even this number can be reduced further . if the computational algorithm set forth in the above illustrative computer program is followed as a guide , then the intermediary sums used in computing the haar first , or d . c ., transformed value can be re - used to compute the sums for the haar transformed values 5 and 9 , assuming these intermediary results are saved in the manner described in the above program example . then 31 additions are still required to compute the first transformed value , but only one subtraction is required to compute each of the transformed values 5 , 9 , and 24 , giving a total of additions and subtraction of only 34 operations . and if only transformed values 1 , 5 , and 9 are computed , the number of additions and subtractions is reduced to 33 . and if the first transformed value is omitted and if transformed values 5 , 9 , and 24 are selected , then the 31 additions needed to compute the first transformed value are not required . then the number of computations for transformed value 5 is 8 additions and one subtraction ; the number of computations for transformed value 9 is 2 additions and one subtraction ; and the number of computations for transformed value 24 is still just one subtraction . so the total number of additions and subtractions is just 13 . but even this number can be reduced to 11 when it is realized that the two additions done for the transformed value 9 are also done ( in the above computational algorithm ) when computing the transformed value 5 . so the number of additions and subtractions can be reduced to 11 . also , when computing such a small number of transformed values , the number of multiplications can be reduced as well by postponing the multiplications until a transformed value is actually computed . with reference to fig4 a , instead of dividing every sum and difference by the square root of two ( as shown in fig4 b ), several vertical sums of “ c ” values in different rows of the fig4 a table can be formed , and then a “ d ” value can be computed by subtraction , and then the resulting unscaled transformed value can be scaled with a single multiplication by 2 − j / 2 where j is the number of rows in the table of fig4 a traversed by the one or more sum and the one difference computations . thus , the number of scaling multiplications can sometimes be equal to the number of transformed values that are computed , typically 3 or 4 . accordingly , by using wavelet analysis and transformation , instead of fourier or discrete cosine or other sinusoid analysis and transformation , a highly useful and highly frequency - specific result can be achieved with a very small number of computations , thereby conserving power and battery life , and yet achieving a high degree of precision in recognizing changes in morphology . in our tests , we have selected certain transformed values as being much more significant than other values in distinguishing between st and non - st . we focused upon those transform values whose “+ 1 ” and “− 1 ” scope included the middle 8 time points most significant to analysis of the peak of the atrial depolarization . working across test data samples obtained from patients who had dual chamber icds , we computed the variance of each transformed value for st and non - st events using the standard statistical formula for computing variance . we then calculated the ratio of the variance of non - st events to the variance of st events , and selected those terms with the highest variance ratios for further consideration . in this manner , we reduced the number of transformed values that were included in the cwa or correlation process while always maintaining or improving the performance achieved . ultimately we settled upon the three or four transformed values having the highest ratios . these were the transform values 1 , 5 , 9 , and 24 . we tested 1 , 5 , and 24 together ; 5 , 9 , and 24 together ; and 1 , 5 , 9 , and 24 together . these selected haar transform values , when used in these combinations , required minimal computations and thereby produced a savings in battery power , and that also gave better performance at distinguishing st from non - st than did all of the transformed values used together . so an increase in accuracy was achieved as well as a decrease in computational complexity by this approach to atrial waveform analysis . [ 0054 ] fig5 for example , illustrates actual plots of digital information illustrating the effect of using only the three coefficients 1 , 5 , and 24 . at 502 , a normal waveform is shown , with amplitude plotted against sample numbers from 1 to 32 . at 504 , an abnormal waveform is shown , again with amplitude plotted against sample numbers . after the haar transformation , at 506 and 508 , the wavelet coefficient amplitude values are indicated for the coefficients 1 to 32 . at 506 , the coefficients generated by the normal waveform 502 are shown , and at 508 , the coefficients generated by the abnormal waveform 504 are shown . one may directly compare these component values and verify that the coefficients 1 , 5 , and 24 at 506 and at 508 vary significantly in amplitude . comparison of this same information among different patients ( not shown in this figure ) also indicated that this variation is relatively constant from one patient to another . at 510 and 512 , using only the coefficients 1 , 5 , and 24 , the heartbeat waveforms are reconstructed by a reverse transformation , the normal reconstructed waveform shown at 510 and the abnormal reconstructed waveform shown at 512 . the marked differences between these two reconstructed waveforms highlights the way in which these three coefficients can signal an abnormal condition with less computation . in a practical system , a small number of transform values are selected , in the manner just described . the algorithm for computing these values is then refined , as explained above , to reduce the number of additions , subtractions , and multiplications to the minimum possible while preserving the accuracy of the computations . we first compute a value ρ , which is the correlation between these values with the corresponding values in a template that represents the values for an average normal population . we then compare this value ρ to a threshold correlation value β that is chosen to give optimal results on experimental data . ( see the examples in the tables presented below .) for each waveform analyzed , a test is made to determine whether ρ is greater than β . if so , then this waveform is placed into the buffer marked “ st ” at step 210 . if not , then this waveform is placed into the buffer marked “ non - st ” at step 211 . finally , after ten waveforms have been analyzed , a count of st and non - st marked waveforms is made to see if the count of non - st waveforms is greater than some threshold value x ( at step 212 ), where x can be , for example , 7 . if more than seven waveforms are non - st , then therapy is delivered at step 214 . the buffers at steps 210 and 211 in fig2 are buffers that hold the last ten decision values . these buffers can be pictured as sliding windows revealing the most recent ten values to permit the decision at 212 to be continuously updated . the buffers thus function as a nonlinear filter preventing irregular values from delivering therapy improperly . in developing a working prototype of this system , we used a development data set consisting of 20 episodes of st taken from 4 patients and 18 episodes of af taken from 7 patients . patient number episodes of st episodes of af 1 2 6 2 12 0 13 0 1 4 0 2 5 5 1 6 0 3 7 0 3 8 0 2 9 1 0 total 20 18 we used this data to optimize our choice of ρ and β and also the particular coefficients that we chose to examine . next , we tested our prototype using a set of 16 episodes of st obtained from 4 patients together with 17 episodes of af obtained from 7 patients . patient number episodes of st episodes of af 1 8 0 2 3 1 3 3 0 4 2 0 5 0 4 6 0 4 7 0 3 8 0 3 9 0 1 10 0 1 total 16 17 x out threshold coefficients of 10 ( β ) sensitivity specificity 1 , 5 , 9 , & amp ; 24 3 0 . 808 76 % 94 % 1 , 5 , 9 , & amp ; 24 5 0 . 975 88 % 94 % 1 , 5 , 9 , & amp ; 24 6 0 . 976 82 % 94 % 1 , 5 , 9 , & amp ; 24 7 0 . 983 88 % 94 % 1 , 5 , & amp ; 24 3 0 . 815 82 % 94 % 1 , 5 , & amp ; 24 4 0 . 943 88 % 94 % 1 , 5 , & amp ; 24 5 0 . 956 82 % 94 % 1 , 5 , & amp ; 24 7 0 . 991 94 % 94 % 5 , 9 , & amp ; 24 8 0 . 9993 82 % 94 % 5 , 9 , & amp ; 24 9 0 . 9997 76 % 81 % the quality of the selected subset of transformed values for characterizing changes in morphology may be demonstrated graphically , as indicated in fig5 by performing a reverse haar transform using only the three or four or so selected transformed values . as can be seen ( at 510 and 512 in fig5 ), the inverse transformations produce distorted representations of the original atrial waveforms which illustrate how the choice of transform values can emphasize the changes . this is another useful way to assist one in selecting which transformed values are most useful . one feature of the invention is its ability to use a template derived from an average normal population , rather than deriving a patient customized average normal template for each individual patient . prior systems have required each new patient to be monitored while in a normal state , and the captured data was then averaged to form a patient specific normal template . contrary to this , the present invention achieved the results shown above using the same template for all patients . accordingly , the invention may be used with a new patient without the necessity of such preliminary testing of each patient and without a new customized template necessarily having to be created for each patient . one reason why the present invention can function using a template that represents average values for a normal population is because the specific coefficients selected in the transform domain , in addition to having been selected to emphasize the difference between normal and abnormal values , are also preferably chosen to minimize the differences between different patients . in some cases , values that were good at distinguishing between normal and abnormal rhythms for one patient were not as good at doing so for some other patient . these values are preferably not selected for use in implementing the present invention . for example , the transform coefficients may be selected such that all ( or most of ) the normal values of a particular coefficient gathered from many patients had the same sign ( positive or negative ) and similar amplitudes ( or if they varied in sign , they were near to zero ). in addition , the abnormal coefficients are significantly different in value from the normal coefficients for each particular patient . [ 0068 ] fig6 at 600 , illustrates one way in which this may be done . first , at step 602 , one gathers a large number of st and non - st data samples . next , all of this data is transformed , generating coefficients for every waveform set of data ( step 604 ). the variance of each coefficient is then computed first for the st samples ( step 606 ) and then for the non - st samples . then , for each coefficient , the ratio of the variance of the non - st samples to that of the st samples is computed ( step 608 ). finally , those coefficients whose variance ratio was large may be selected a coefficients for use in creating a population template and in testing patients ( step 612 ). in addition , at step 614 , the number of coefficients retained may be further reduced to reduce the number of computations that need to be performed , as explained above . in the version of the invention that was used to generate the data shown above , the population template was computed as follows , using the 20 st episodes in the development data set ( also used in the first of the two tables presented above ). this is illustrated at 700 in fig7 . first , the coefficients were selected as was explained above and as shown in fig6 . next , for each patient episode of st ( step 702 ), the recorded heartbeats were broken up into groups of ten consecutive heartbeats ( step 704 ). for each group ( step 706 ), the selected coefficients of the haar transform were computed ( step 708 ) for each of the ten heartbeats and the median value was then selected ( step 710 ) for each coefficient to form a proto - template . if these median values correlated well with the coefficient values for each of the ten heartbeats , the proto - template was retained ( step 714 ). otherwise , it was discarded . in this manner , a whole bunch of proto - templates were obtained from each patient episode . next , median values of the coefficients from all of the proto - templates ( step 716 ) were computed ( step 718 ). these values were then used as the population template for distinguishing st from non - st events ( step 720 ). while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above , it is to be understood that numerous modifications and changes will occur to those who are skilled in the art to which the invention pertains . accordingly , the following claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification are intended to define the true spirit and scope of the invention — that is , what is new and what is desired to be secured by letters patent of the united states . | 0 |
a preferred embodiment of the method disclosed in the invention is illustrated as follows . please refer to fig1 , which shows a flow chart of the traditional materials picking operation . first , the system would settle a minimum job unit , define all the electrical paths and the minimum picking area , and then start to receive orders ( step 100 ). the warehouse staff would then gather the orders together , and check whether the inventory was sufficient ( step 120 ). if the inventory was insufficient , the warehouse staff would mobilize or order goods ( step 130 ). otherwise , they would assign the picking lists according to the minimum job unit . the staff would then continue picking materials after receiving the picking lists ( step 150 ). after the materials picking operation was finished , the staff went to the shipment area to sort goods ( step 160 ), and then process shipment ( step 170 ). please refer to fig2 , which shows a flow chart of the dynamic materials picking method of the invention . the figure describes the whole process from picking list inputting to materials picking . first , the system adopts an assignment mechanism to generate a new picking list ( step 200 ), and then sends the picking data ( step 210 ). the picking list then shows on the terminal ( step 220 ). the staff picks the materials according to the serial number of the goods and the picking data on the radio frequency terminal . after finishing the materials picking operation , the staff enters the result into the terminal , and then the terminal links to the warehouse system via a wireless network , and the system updates the warehouse data ( step 230 ). the staff checks the loading of as / rs and the safety inventory ( step 240 ). if the quantity of the inventory is less than that of the safety inventory ( step 250 ), the staff orders new materials and goods ( step 260 ). if the quantity of the inventory is greater than that of the safety inventory and the materials picking is completed ( step 270 ), the system processes shipment after the goods or materials are sorted . now refer to fig3 , which shows the process of generating a picking list of the dynamic materials picking method disclosed in the invention , for illustrating the assigning mechanism in detail . the method disclosed in the invention is achieved by dividing the original picking list into sub picking lists . then the sub picking lists are delivered to different picking staff such that the picking operation is performed simultaneously . the method fastens the picking operation . before dividing the original picking list , the available personnel and the waiting quantity of picking are first input ( step 300 and step 310 ). then the minimum job unit , the electrical path and the minimum picking area are also determined ( step 320 ). the number of sub picking lists is dependent on the quantity receiving strategy of the distribution center . after the above - mentioned conditions are all set , the original picking list is divided ( step 330 ). the sub picking lists are combined to a new picking list and the new picking list is re - assigned ( step 340 ). the orders are gathered as one group and are summed according to the commodity classification or the clients . finally , the warehouse system processes the picking operation . compared with the traditional picking method , the dynamic materials picking method of the invention is more flexible , so the production capacity can be temporarily adjusted together with the automated warehouse information system . the method of the invention is suitable for diversified orders , various quantities of orders , and more complicated distribution centers . there are many advantages of the dynamic materials picking method of the invention , which are summarized as follows : 1 . optimizing staff usage . 2 . averaging the loading of the picking staff . 3 . improving materials picking efficiency . 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 . | 6 |
as used herein , the term &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; denotes straight or branched hydrocarbons having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms . typical groups are methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , undecyl , dodecyl and the like . the term &# 34 ; lower alkyl &# 34 ; denotes hydrocarbon , as defined above , having from 1 - 6 carbon atoms . the term &# 34 ; halo &# 34 ; as used herein , denotes the four halogens , fluorine , chlorine , bromine and iodine . the term &# 34 ; alkali metal &# 34 ;, denotes sodium , potassium , and lithium . the term &# 34 ; mineral acid &# 34 ;, denotes sulfuric , nitric and phosphoric acids . the term hydrohalic acid , as used herein , denotes hydrofluoric , hydrochloric , hydrobromic and hydroidic acids . the term &# 34 ; aryl &# 34 ; as used herein , denotes mononuclear aryl groups such as phenyl , tolyl , ethylbenzyl and the like and polynuclear aryl groups such as naphthyl , anthryl , phenanthryl and the like . the term &# 34 ; lower alkylene &# 34 ;, as used herein , denotes straight or branched alkylene groups having from 1 - 6 carbon atoms , such as methylene , ethylene , isopropylene and the like . the term &# 34 ; lower alkanol &# 34 ;, as used herein , denotes straight or branched chain alkanols having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms such as methanol , ethanol , propanol , isopropanol and the like . the process provided by the present invention for the manufacture of di - nor - canthaxanthin comprises ( i ) condensing , with an organo - phosphorus compound as condensing agents , an aldehyde or halide of the formula : ## spc8 ## in which formulae one of a and b is the formyl group and the other is a halomethyl group and wherein the broken line denotes an optional carbon - carbon bond ; said condensation being carried out by reacting an aldehyde or halide of formula iv in which m and n are both zero and a halide or aldehyde of formula v in which o and p are both 1 , an aldehyde or halide of formula iv in which m is 1 and n is zero and a halide or aldehyde of formula v in which o and p are both zero ; or ( ii ) condensing , with an organo - phosphorus compound as condensing agent , a compound of formula iv in which m and n are both 1 and a is the formyl group with a second paragraph of formula iva in which m &# 39 ; and n &# 39 ; are both 1 and a &# 39 ; is a halomethyl group , said second compound having the formula : ## spc10 ## and ( iii ) hydrogenating any triple bond present in the product obtained to a double bond . of the aforementioned organo - phosphorus condensation reactions used in the manufacture of di - nor - canthaxanthin of formula i , the wittig reaction is preferred . such a reaction is advantageously carried out by condensing a compound of the formula : ## spc11 ## wherein the symbols m , n , o and p and the broken line are as previously defined and one of c and d represents the formyl group and the other is a triarylphosphoniummethyl group of the formula : wherein x is an aryl group and y is an anion of an acid selected from the group consisting of cl - , br - , so 4 = , r 9 coo - , wherein r 9 is lower alkyl or phenyl ; or by condensing a compound of formula vi which is oxo substituted and where m and n are both 1 with a second compound of formula vi which is substituted by a triarylphosphoniummethyl group and where m and n are both 1 . the wittig reagents that may be employed are the well known phosphonium compounds . typical wittig reagents used herein are triphenyl phosphonium chloride , triphenylphosphonium bromide , tributylphosphonium chloride or bromide , tribenzyl phosphonium chloride or bromide . mixed aryl and alkyl phosphonium halides may be employed as well . of the aforementioned procedures for the manufacture of di - nor - canthaxanthin of formula i , the following procedures denoted as ( a ), ( b ), ( c ) and ( d ) have been found to be especially advantageous : the condensation components are reacted according to the wittig procedure in the presence of an acid - binding agent such as an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide , lithium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide or an alkali metal lower alkyl alcoholate potassium ethylate , sodium methylate and the like or lower alkylene oxide which may be lower alkyl - substituted , especially ethylene oxide or butylene oxide , in the presence or absence of a solvent . if a solvent is employed , any inert solvent such as lower alkanols , chlorinated hydrocarbon such as methylene chloride , carbon tetrachloride , chlorobenzene and the like . amides such as dimethylformamide ( dmf ) tetramethylurea and hexamethylphosphoric acid triamide at a temperature between room temperature and the boiling point of the mixture . di - nor - canthaxanthin of formula i , which is novel , is a cherry - red colored substance and the novel di - nor - isozeaxanthin of formula iia obtainable therefrom by reduction is an intensively orange - red colored substance . di - nor - astacin [ violerythrin ] of formula iib , a known compound obtainable from di - nor - canthaxanthin of formula i by oxidation , has a deep - blue color , the red di - nor - astaxanthin [ actinioerythrol ] of formula iic , obtainable from di - nor - astacin by reduction , is also known as is the orange - colored di - nor - crustaxanthin [ violerythrol ] of formula iid which is obtainable from iic by reduction violerythrin of formula iib has previously been produced in micro amounts starting from actinioerythriin [ actinioerythrol diester ], a coloring material isolated from sea - anemones , by saponification to actinioerythrol and subsequent oxidation . violerythrin can also be obtained in a semi - synthetic manner by the ring - contraction of astacin , the yield being only about 10 %. the process in accordance with the present invention now provides a technically feasible approach to the foregoing coloring substances which are eminently suitable for the coloring and improving of , inter alia , foods and beverages . the cyclopentyl derivatives used as the condensation components in procedures ( a ), ( b ), ( c ) and ( d ) hereinbefore are novel and can be prepared from novel starting materials via various methods . the methyl -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl ) triarylphosphonium halide of formula viiia used in procedure ( a ) can be prepared according to any of the following known procedures : a 1 . 2 , 4 , 4 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 2 - en - 1 - one is reacted with nitromethane to give 2 , 4 , 4 - trimethyl - 3 - nitromethyl - cyclopentanone which , after treatment with a base , is converted into 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane either with the aid of an oxidizing agent , such as potassium permanganate , ozone , or with a hydrohalic acid , a mineral acid or titanium trichloride . the aldehyde obtained is subsequently dehydrogenated with the aid of a dehydrogenating agent , such as 2 , 3 - dichloro - 5 , 6 - dicyanobenzoquinone , sulfuryl chloride or selenium dioxide , to the corresponding 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethylcyclopent - 1 - ene which is subsequently reduced to 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene by treatment with a chemical reducing agent such as sodium or lithium aluminum hydride , sodium or lithium borohydride , lower alkyl aluminum hydrides such as diisobutylaluminum hydride , diethyl aluminum hydride and the like . the alcohol obtained is then converted by treatment with a halogenating agent such as phosphorus pentachloride , phosphorus tribromide , thionyl chloride or phosgene phosphorus trichloride , into a 1 - halomethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene which is converted by reaction with a triarylphosphine ( e . g . triphenylphosphine ) into a methyl -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- triarylphosphonium halide of formula viiia . a 2 . 1 - methoxycarbonyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane is reacted with ethanedithiol in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate to give 7 - methoxycarbonyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithiaspiro [ 4 , 4 ] nonane which is reduced to 7 - hydroxymethyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithia - spiro [ 4 , 4 ] nonane by treatment with a reducing agent . the reducing agents that may be employed may be selected from those mentioned hereinbefore . the alcohol obtained is subsequently converted by treatment with desulfurizing agent [ e . g cadmium carbonate and mercury ( ii ) chloride ] into 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane which is oxidized to 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane by treatment with an oxidizing agent e . g . with chromium ( iii ) oxide , manganese dioxide or silver ( i ) oxide . the aldehyde obtained is subsequently converted into a phosphonium salt of formula viia via the intermediate stage described in method ( a 1 ) above . a 3 . 1 - carboxy - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane is first dehydrogenated and halogenated and subsequently esterified by treatment with thionyl chloride / sulphuryl chloride followed by the addition of methanol . the 1 - methoxycarbonyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene obtained is then reduced with the aid of a reducing agent ( e . g . sodium borohydride ) firstly to 1 - methoxycarbonyl - 3 - hydroxy - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene and subsequently with the aid of diisobutyl aluminum hydride to 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - hydroxy - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene . the diol obtained is oxidised to 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene by treatment with an oxidising agent [ e . g . manganese dioxide , silver ( i ) oxide or nickel peroxide ]. the aldehyde obtained is subsequently converted into a phosphonium salt of formula viiia via the intermediate stage described in method ( a 1 ) hereinbefore . a 4 . the 1 - methoxycarbonyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene mentioned as the &# 34 ; building brick &# 34 ; in method ( a 3 ) is reacted with ethanedithiol in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate to give 7 - methoxycarbonyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithia - spiro [ 4 , 4 ] non - 6 - ene which is reduced to 7 - hydroxymethyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithia - spiro [ 4 , 4 ] non - 6 - ene by treatment with a reducing agent ( e . g . diisobutylaluminum hydride ). the alcohol obtained is subsequently converted into 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene by treatment with a desulphurising agent [ e . g . by the action of cadium carbonate and mercury ( ii ) chloride ]. the alcohol obtained is subsequently converted into a phosphonium salt of formula viiia via the intermediate stage previously described in method ( a 1 ) hereinbefore . a 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methylpenta - 2 , 4 - diene - 1 - triarylphosphonium halide of formula viiiaa used in method ( b ) can be prepared in a manner known per se ; for example , as follows : b 1 . a 1 - halomethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene used as the &# 34 ; building brick &# 34 ; in method ( a 1 ) is reacted with a sulphinic acid or with an alkali salt thereof , preferably with an alkyl - sulphinic acid or an aryl - sulphinic acid in which the aryl group may carry one or more alkyl groups or one or more electron - repelling or weakly electron - attracting substituents . the sulphone obtained , for example methyl -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- phenylsulphone , is reacted with 1 - acetoxy - 4 - chloro - 3 - methyl - but - 2 - ene to give 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulphonyl - 3 - methylpent 2 - en - 1 - ol which is oxidised to the corresponding aldehyde by treatment with an oxidising agent [ e . g . manganese dioxide or silver ( i ) oxide ]. the sulphone group of the resulting 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulphonyl - 3 - methylpent 2 - en - 1 - al is subsequently eliminated by the action of a basic agent , especially an alkali hydroxide , alcoholate or amide , to form an additional carbon - carbon bond . the 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al of formula viiibb obtained is subsequently reduced to 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - ol by treatment with a reducing agent ( e . g . sodium borohydride ) or by catalytic means . the alcohol obtained is converted by treatment with a halogenating agent ( e . g . phosphorus tribromide ) into a 1 - halo - 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethylcyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - diene which , by reaction with a triarylphosphine ( e . g . triphenylphosphine ) is converted into a 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - diene - 1 - triarylphosphonium halide of formula viiiaa which is used in procedure ( b ). the 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al of formula viiibb used in procedure ( c ) can be prepared according to any of the following known procedures . c 1 . the 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane mentioned in the method ( a 1 ) is condensed with a 1 , 1 - dialkoxy - 3 - methyl - but - 2 - ene - 4 - triarylphosphonium halide to give 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al . the aldehyde obtained is immediately converted with the aid of a dehydrogenating agent ( e . g . 2 , 3 - dichloro - 5 , 6 - dicyano - 1 , 4 - benzoquinone , sulphuryl chloride or selenium dioxide ) into 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al of formula viiibb which is used in procedure ( c ). the compounds of formulae viiiaaa and viiibbb used in procedure ( d ) can be prepared according to the following procedure : the aldehyde required for carrying out procedure ( d ), namely all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al of formula viiibbb can be prepared according to the following procedure : d 1 . a 1 - halomethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene mentioned in method ( b 1 ) is condensed with 8 -( p - tolysulfonyl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - octa - 2 , 4 , 6 - trien - 1 - al to give 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al of formula viiibbb which is used in procedure ( d ). the 8 -( p - tolysulfonyl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - octa - 2 , 4 , 6 - trien - 1 - al , mentioned above , can be prepared in the following manner : 1 - ethoxycarbonyl - 6 - hydroxymethyl - 2 - methyl - hepta - 1 , 3 , 5 - triene is halogenated by treatment with a halogenating agent , selected from those mentioned above . the halide obtained is subsequently reacted with the sodium salt of p - toluenesulfinic acid . the 1 - ethoxycarbonyl - 7 - tolysulfonyl )- 2 , 6 - diimethylhepta - 1 , 3 , 5 - triene obtained is reduced to 1 - hydroxymethyl - 7 - p - tolysulfonyl - 2 , 6 - dimethyl - hepta - 1 , 3 , 5 - triene with the aid of a reducing agent selected from those previously mentioned . the alcohol obtained is then oxidized to 8 -( p - tolylsulfonyl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - octa - 2 , 4 , 6 - trien - 1 - al by treatment with an oxidizing agent selected from those mentioned above . the resulting aldehyde is subsequently condensed with a 1 - halo - methyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene in the manner previously described . d 2 . 5 -( 3 - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl - 3 - methyl - pent - 2 - en - 1 - ol previously mentioned in method ( b 1 ) is converted by treatment with a halogenating agent selected from those mentioned above , into a 1 - halo - 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl - 3 - methyl - pent - 2 - ene which , by reaction with a triarylphosphine ( e . g . triphenylphosphin ), is converted into a 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl - 3 - methyl - pent - 2 - ene - 1 - triarylphosphonium halide . the phosphonium salt obtained is subsequently condensed with 1 - acetoxy - 3 - methyl - but - 2 - en - 4 - al to give 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nora - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - ol which is converted by treatment with an oxidizing agent , selected from those previously set forth , into all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nonal - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al of formula viiibbb which is used in procedure ( d ). d 3 . 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl - 3 - methyl - pent - 2 - en - 1 - al previously mentioned in ( b 1 ) is reacted with a 1 , 1 - dialkoxy - 3 - methyl - but - 2 - ene - 4 - triarylphosphonium halide to form directly all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al of formula viiibbb which is used in procedure ( d ). d 4 . 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al of formula viiibb previously mentioned in method ( b 1 ), is reacted with a 1 , 1 - dialkoxy - 3 - methyl - but - 2 - ene - 4 - triarylphosphonium halide to form directly all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al of formula viiibbb which is used in procedure ( d ). the phosphonium salt required for carrying out procedure ( d ), namely an all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraene - 1 - triarylphosphonium halide of formula viiiaaa , can be obtained in the following manner : d 5 . 9 -( 3 - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - ol mentioned in method ( d 2 ) is halogenated by treatment with a halogenating agent selected from those set forth above , and subsequently converted by reaction with a triarylphosphine ( e . g . triphenylphosphine ) into a 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraene - 1 - triarylphosphonium halide of formula viiiaaa which is used in procedure ( d ). d 6 . the aforementioned phosphonium salt of formula viiiaaa required for procedure d ) can also be prepared starting from the aldehyde of formula viiibbb as follows : all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclohex - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al is converted by treatment with a reducing agent , selected from those previously set forth , into 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclohex - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - ol which is converted into a phosphonium salt of formula viiiaaa required for procedure ( d ) as described in method ( d 5 ). di - nor - canthaxanthin of formula i , which can be manufactured in accordance with this invention according to procedures ( a ), ( b ), ( c ) and ( d ), can , as mentioned earlier , be reduced to di - nor - isozeaxanthin of formula iia . the reduction is carried out according to known procedures as , for example , the use of a metal hydride or an alkyl metal hydride in an inert solvent . suitable metal hydrides are mixed metal hydrides ( e . g . lithium aluminum hydride ) and non - mixed metal hydrides ( e . g . diisobutylaluminum hydride ). useful solvents are , in particular , aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene , toluene , xylene , ethylbenzene and the like . di - nor - canthaxanthin of formula i can , as mentioned earlier also be oxidized to di - nor - astacin ( vilerythrin ) of formula iib . selenium dioxide is a preferred oxidizing agent . dioxane and aqueous acetic acid have also been found to be suitable . the oxidations are generally carried out in an aromatic organic solvent such as benzene and toluene . also suitable are dioxane and aqueous acetic acid . the resulting violerthrin of formula iib can be reduced in a step - wise fashion . treatment with sodium borohydride results in selective reduction of the oxo groups in the 4 - position of the cyclopentene rings . treatment with diisobutylaluminum hydride reduces the oxo groups in the 3 - and 4 - positions of the cyclopentene rings . in the first case there is obtained di - nor - astaxanthin [ actininoerythrol ] of formula iic and in the second case there is obtained di - nor - crustaxanthin [ violerythrol ] of formula iid . the polyene compounds manufactured according to the process of the present invention can be used either in the original crystalline form or in a special water - soluble form for coloring foods , pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations . in the crystalline form , the polyene compounds can be used principally for coloring fat - containing substances such as , for example , marzipan , suppositories and lipsticks . for coloring fat - free substances or substances having a low fat content , a water - soluble form is preferably used . this form can be produced , for example , by dissolving the particular polyene compound in an organic solvent , homogenizing the solution , optionally together with a stabilizer and a solubilizing and / or emulsifying agent , with water in the presence of a protective colloid and evaporating the emulsion formed to dryness under reduced pressure . especially suitable solvents are volatile halogenated hydrocarbons such as chloroform , carbon tetrachloride and methylene chloride . suitable stabilizers having an antioxidant activity are for example , tocopherols , 2 , 6 - di - tert . butyl - 4 - hydroxy - toluene [ bht ] and butyl . hydroxy - anisole [ bha ]. effective solubilizing agents are , inter alia , salts of fatty acid esters of ascorbic acid , e . g ., the sodium salt of ascorbyl palmitate . suitable emulsifers are , for example , polyoxyethylene derivatives of sorbitol anhydrides partially esterified with fatty acids [ tweeds ]. suitable protective colloids are , inter alia , gelatins , dextrin , pectin and tragacanth . apart from the coloring of foods and pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations , di - nor - canthaxanthin is also suitable for the pigmentation of egg yolks . surprisingly , it has been found that , although di - nor - canthaxanthin has a cherry - red color , hens fed with this compound produce eggs having deep yellow - orange pigmented egg yolks which are particularly desired by consumers in the preparation of various egg dishes . a particular advantage in using di - nor - canthaxanthin in contrast to canthaxanthin , capsanthin / capsorubin [ paprika ] and citranaxanthin , the coloring materials hitherto used for egg yolk pigmenting resides in the fact that in the case of di - nor - canthaxanthin only a fraction , namely 1 / 4 to 1 / 6 , of the amount of the previously mentioned carotenoids is necessary in order to produce the same color effect in the egg yolks . it will accordingly be appreciated that the invention includes within its scope a . an agent for the coloring of foods , pharmaceutical , and cosmetic preparations which contains as an essential color - imparting ingredient a polyene compound of formula iii , and b . a method of imparting a color to foods , pharmaceutical , and cosmetic preparations comprising incorporating into said foods , pharmaceutical , and cosmetic preparations an effective amount of a polyene compound of formula iii . 0 . 96 g . of methyl -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- triphenylphosphonium bromide are suspended in 40 ml . of toluene . the suspension is treated dropwise with a solution of 1 ml . of 2 - n sodium methylate in methanol and , after the addition of 0 . 24 g . of crocetin dialdehyde , heated to boiling for 24 hours under reflux conditions . after cooling , the mixture is evaporated under reduced pressure . there is obtained all - trans di - nor - canthaxanthin [ all trans 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- di - nor - β - carotene - 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- dione ] which , after purification by adsorption on silica gel , has a melting point of 233 °- 235 ° c . 124 g . of 2 , 4 , 4 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 2 - en1 - one are introduced into 67 g . of nitromethane and , after the addition of 10 ml . of a 40 % solution of benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide in methanol , stirred at 70 ° c . for 3 days . the mixture is then taken up in ether the ether solution is washed with 10 % sulfuric acid , dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated under reduced presssure . the remaining 2 , 4 , 4 - trimethyl - 3 - nitromethyl - cyclopentanone boils after rectification in a high vacuum at 97 °- 100 ° c / 0 . 2 mmhg . 83 g . of the 2 , 4 , 4 - trimethyl - 3 - nitromethyl - cyclopentanone are treated with 36 g . of sodium hydroxide in 600 ml . of water . after the addition of 300 ml . of a saturated aqueous magnesium sulfate solution , the mixture is stirred for 30 minutes , then treated dropwise at 0 ° c . within 1 hour with a solution of 49 . 7 g . of potassium permanganate in 800 ml . of water and subsequently filtered . the filtrate is extracted with methylene chloride . the extract is dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated under reduced pressure . there is obtained 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane , whose 2 , 4 - dinitrophenylhydrazone has a melting point of 174 °- 177 ° c . the 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane can alternatively be prepared according to the following method . 37 g . of 2 , 4 , 4 - trimethyl - 3 - nitromethyl - cyclopentanone are introduced into a solution of 4 . 6 g . of sodium in 800 ml . of methanol and ozonolized at - 70 ° c . after the addition of 15 ml . of dimethyl sulfate , the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 16 hours , subsequently introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is dried and evaporated under reduced pressure . 42 g . of 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane , prepared according to either example 2 or 3 are heated to boiling together with 2 . 1 g . of p - toluenesulfonic acid , 60 g . of 2 , 3 - dichloro - 5 , 6 - dicyano - 1 , 4 - benzoquinone and 600 ml . of toluene for 4 hours under reflux conditions . after cooling , the mixture is filtered . the filtrate is washed with an aqueous saturated sodium bicarbonate solution , dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated under reduced pressure . there is obtained crude 1 - formly - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1ene as an oil , whose 2 , 4 - dinitrophenylhydrazone has a melting point of 216 °- 218 ° c . 38 g . of the crude 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene are dissolved in 1000 ml . of ethanol . the solution is treated at 0 °- 5 ° c . within 1 hour with 2 . 1 g . of sodium borohydride , stirred for a further 30 minutes , introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether is dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated under reduced pressure . there is obtained 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene which , after recrystallization from hexane , has a melting point of 38 °- 39 ° c . 8 . 3 g . of the 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene are dissolved in 170 ml . of ether . after the addition of 1 ml . of pyridine , the solution is treated dropwise at 0 ° c . with a solution of 2 . 21 ml . of phosphorus tribromide in 30 ml . of ether , stirred for 1 hour , introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is dried and evaporated . the residue is taken up in 120 ml . of ethyl acetate . the solution is treated dropwise with 14 . 4 g . of triphenylphosphine in 120 ml . of ethyl acetate and heated to boiling for 1 hour under reflux conditions . the methyl -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl - triphenylphosphonium bromide which crystallizes out in the cold has a melting point of 264 ° c . 4 g . of 1 - methoxycarbonyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane are dissolved in 60 ml . of chloroform . after the addition of 10 ml . of ethane dithiol , the solution is treated with 1 . 5 ml . of boron trifluoride etherate , stirred for 2 hours at room temperature , introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is evaporated . the remaining 7 - methoxycarbonyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithia - spiro [ 4 , 4 ] nonane is purified by adsorption on silica gel . the oil obtained has the following i . r . absorption spectrum : 1737 cm . sup . - 1 [ ester co ]; 1434 cm . sup . - 1 [-- ch 2 -- s --]; 1254 and 1173 cm . sup . - 1 [ ester ]. 3 . 1 g . of the 7 - methoxycarbonyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithiaspiro [ 4 , 4 ] nonane are dissolved in 30 ml . of toluene . the solution is treated at 0 ° c . with 28 ml . of a 1 . 12 - m solution of diisobutylaluminum hydride in benzene , stirred for 4 hours and , after the addition of ethyl acetate , introduced into water . the organic phase is separated and evaporated . there is obtained 7 - hydroxymethyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithia - spiro [ 4 , 4 ] nonane which , after recrystallization from ether / hexane , has a melting point of 72 °- 74 ° c . 2 g . of the 7 - hydroxymethyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithia - spiro -[ 4 , 4 ] nonane are dissolved in 280 ml . of acetone and 14 ml of water . after the addition of 3 . 5 g . of cadmium carbonate and 3 . 5 g . of mercury ( ii ) chloride , the solution is stirred for 24 hours at room temperature . the mixture is subsequently filtered and and the filtrate evaporated . there is obtained 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane as an oil , whose 2 , 4 - dinitrophenlhydrazone has a melting point of 144 °- 146 ° c . a solution of 9 . 5 g of pyridine in 150 ml of methylene chloride is treated with 6 , 0 g of chromium trioxide , stirred for 15 minutes at room temperature and , after the solution of 1 . 56 g of the 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane dissolved in a small amount of methylene chloride , stirred for a further 15 minutes at room temperature . the mixture is then introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is evaporated . the remaining 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane is purified by adsorption on silica gel and converted into the desired methyl -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- triphenylphosphonium bromide via the intermediate steps described in example 2 . 3 . 4 g . of 1 - carboxy - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane are treated with 6 ml . of thionyl chloride . the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 2 hours and , after the addition of 2 ml . of sulfuryl chloride , stirred for a further 45 minutes and then evaporated . the remaining 1 - chlorocarbonyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene is taken up in 20 ml . of methanol . after 24 hours , the solution is evaporated . the remaining , oily 1 - methoxycarbonyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethylcyclopent - 1 - ene boils at 123 °- 128 ° c / 18 mmhg . 1 . 5 g . of 1 - methoxycarbonyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene are dissolved in 10 ml of ethanol . after the additiion of 90 mg . of sodium borohydride , the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 2 hours , then introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is evaporated . the remaining 1 - methoxycarbonyl - 3 - hydroxy - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene boils at 90 °- 95 ° c / 0 . 2 mmhg . 3 . 3 g of 1 - methoxycarbonyl - 3 - hydroxy - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene are dissolved in 70 ml . of benzene . the solution is treated at 10 ° c . with 35 ml . of a 1 . 2 - m solution of diisobutylaluminum hydride in benzene , stirred for 5 hours and , after the addition of ethyl acetate , introduced into water . the organic phase is separated and evaporated . the remaining , oily 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - hydroxy - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene is purified by adsorption on silica gel ; i . r . spectrum : 3450 cm . sup . - 1 [ oh ]. 3 g . of 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - hydroxy - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene are dissolved in 100 ml . of methylene chloride . after the addition of 30 g . of manganese dioxide , the mixture is stirred for 24 hours and then filtered . the filtrate is evaporated . the remaining 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene is subsequently converted into the desired methyl -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- triphenylphosphonium bromide via the intermediate steps described in example 2 . 3 . 1 g . of 1 - methoxycarbonyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene are dissolved in 60 ml . of ether and 10 ml . of ethane dithiol . after the addition of 2 . 5 ml . of boron trifluoride etherate , the mixture is stirred for 2 months at room temperature , then introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is evaporated . the remaining , oily 7 - methoxycarbonyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithia - spiro [ 4 , 4 ] non - 6 - ene is purified by absorption on silica gel ; i . r . spectrum : 1710 cm . sup . - 1 [ ester co ]; 1625 cm . sup . - 1 [ olefin ]; 1294 cm . sup . - 1 [ ester ]. 2 . 8 g . of the 7 - methoxycarbonyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithia - spiro [ 4 , 4 ] non - 6 - ene are dissolved in 30 ml . of tetrahydrofuran . after the addition of a 1 . 12 - m solution of diisobutylaluminum hydride in benzene , the solution is stirred for 3 hours at 0 ° c . after dilution with 15 ml . of ethyl acetate , the mixture is introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is evaporated . there is obtained 7 - hydroxymethyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithiaspior [ 4 , 4 ] non - 6 - ene which , after recrystallization from ethyl acetate , has a melting point of 59 ° c . 0 . 5 g . of the 7 - hydroxymethyl - 6 , 8 , 8 - trimethyl - 1 , 4 - dithia - spiro [ 4 , 4 ] non - 6 - ene are dissolved in 5 ml . of acetone and 2 ml . of water . after the addition of 700 mg . of cadmium carbonate and 650 mg . of mercury ( ii ) chloride , the mixture is stirred for 24 hours , then introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is evaporated . the 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene formed is subsequently converted into the desired methyl -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethylcyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- triphenylphosphonium bromide via the intermediate steps described in example 2 . 6 . 85 g . of 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - diene - 1 - triphenylphosphonium bromide and 0 . 78 g of 2 , 7 - dimethyl - octa - 2 , 6 - dien - 4 - yne - 1 , 8 - dial are dissolved in 70 ml . of ethanol . to the resulting solution there are added dropwise at 0 ° c . 6 . 25 ml . of a 2 - n sodium methylate solution in methanol . the mixture is stirred for 1 hour at 0 ° c ., then for 1 hour at room temperature and finally for 1 hour at 70 ° c . after cooling , the mixture is introduced into water and extracted with chloroform . the residue remaining after evaporation of the chloroform extract is taken up in 70 ml . of methanol / water ( 80 : 20 ). the solution is heated to boiling for 2 hours under reflux conditions . the 15 , 15 &# 39 ;- dehydro - di - nor - canthaxanthin [ 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- di - nor - 15 , 15 &# 39 ;- dehydro - β - carotene - 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- dione ] which precipitates in the cold , has a melting point of 220 ° c . 1 . 98 g . of the 15 , 15 &# 39 ;- dehydro - di - nor - canthaxanthin are dissolved in 75 ml . of methylene chloride and 50 ml . of methanol . after the addition of 0 . 5 ml . of triethylamine , the solution is hydrogenated in the presence of a partially inactivated palladium catalyst at room temperature and atmospheric pressure until 1 mole equivalent of hydrogen has been taken up . the catalyst is filtered off and the solution evaporated . the remaining all - trans di - nor - canthaxanthin has a melting point of 233 °- 235 ° c . 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - diene - 1 - triphenylphosphonium bromide is prepared according to the following method . 10 g . of 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene are dissolved in 200 ml . of ether . after the addition of 1 . 2 ml . of pyridine , the solution is treated dropwise at - 20 ° c . with a solution of 2 . 9 ml . of phosphorus tribromide in 40 ml . of ether , stirred for 1 hour , introduced into water and then extracted with ether . the ether extract is evaporated . the remaining 1 - bromomethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene is taken up in dimethylformamide . after the addition of 11 . 5 g . of sodium phenylsulfinate , the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 90 minutes , then introduced into water and extracted with ether . after evaporation of the ether extract , there is obtained methyl -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethylcyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- phenylsulfone of melting point 116 °- 118 ° c . 23 . 5 g . of the methyl -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- phenylsulfone are dissolved in 60 ml . of dimethylformamide . after the addition of 23 g . of potassium tert . butylate , the mixture is stirred at 0 ° c . for 30 minutes and then treated dropwise with 25 g . of 1 - acetoxy - 4 - chloro - 3 - methyl - but - 2 - ene dissolved in 50 ml . of dimethylformamide . the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 16 hours , then introduced into water and extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic phase is separated and evaporated . the residue is taken up in methanol . after the addition of 45 g . of potassium carbonate in 150 ml . of water , the mixture is stirred for 2 hours , then introduced into water and extracted with ethyl acetate . after evaporation of the extract , there is obtained 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl3 - methyl - pent - 2 - en - 1 - ol which , after recrystallization from hexane , has a melting point of 149 °- 153 ° c . 17 . 6 g . of the 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl - 3 - methyl - pent - 2 - en - 1 - ol are dissolved in 1000 ml of methylene chloride . after the addition of 300 g . of manganese dioxide , the mixture is stirred for 16 hours and then filtered . after evaporation of the filtrate , there is obtained 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl - 3 - methylpent - 2 - en - 1 - al which , after recrystallization from ether , has a melting point of 132 °- 134 ° c . 16 . 4 g . of the 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl - 3 - methyl - pent - 2 - en - 1 - al are dissolved in 300 ml . of tetrahydrofuran and 300 ml . of isopropanol . the solution is treated dropwise at 0 ° c . with 5 ml . of a 50 % aqueous potassium hydroxide solution . the mixture is stirred for 1 hour , then introduced into water and extracted with ether . after evaporation of the ether extract , there is obtained 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethylcyclopent - 1 - en1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al which , after recrystallization from methylene chloride / hexane ( 1 : 1 ), has a melting point of 91 °- 93 ° c . 6 . 4 g . of the 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al are dissolved in 120 ml . of ethanol . after the addition of 285 mg . of sodium borohydride , the mixture is stirred at 0 ° c . for 90 minutes . the mixture is then introduced into water and extracted with ether . after evaporation of the ether extract , there is obtained 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - ol which , after recrystallization from ether , has a melting point of 116 °- 118 ° c . 5 g . of the 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - ol are dissolved in 20 ml . of methylene chloride and 3 ml . of dimethylformamide . the solution is treated dropwise at - 20 ° c . with 2 ml . of phosphorus tribromide . the mixture is stirred for 1 hour at 0 ° c ., then introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is evaporated . the remaining 1 - bromo - 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - diene is dissolved in ethyl acetate . the solution is treated dropwise with 7 g . of triphenylphosphine in 40 ml . of ethyl acetate , stirred for 2 hours and then filtered . the filtrate is evaporated . there is obtained 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - diene - 1 - triphenylphosphonium bromide ; i . r . spectrum : 1690 cm - 1 [ ketone ]; 742 , 723 , 690 cm - 1 [ mono - substituted benzene ]. 80 g . of 2 , 7 - dimethyl - octa - 2 , 6 - dien - yne - 1 , 8 - bis - triphenylphosphonium bromide are introduced in the course of 30 minutes into a solution of 0 , 22 mol . of phenyl lithium in 300 ml . of ether . the mixture is then treated dropwise with a solution of 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al in 200 ml . of ether . the mixture is heated to boiling for 16 hours under reflux conditions and , after cooling , then evaporated . the residue is washed with aqueous methanol to yield 15 , 15 &# 39 ;- dehydro - di - nor - canthaxanthin [ 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- di - nor - 15 , 15 &# 39 ;- dehydro - β - carotene - 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- dione ] of melting point 220 ° c , which is converted into di - nor - canthaxanthin as described in example 8 ; melting point 233 °- 235 ° c . 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al can be prepared as described in example 9 or also in accordance with the following method . 2 . 8 g . of the 1 - formyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopentane are dissolved in 200 ml . of isopropanol . the solution is treated first with 6 . 4 g . of 1 , 1 - diethoxy - 3 - methyl - but - 2 - ene - 4 - triphenylphosphonium bromide and then with 1 . 5 ml . of a 50 % aqueous potassium hydroxide solution . the mixture is stirred for 2 hours and , after the dropwise addition of 15 ml . of 2 - n sulfuric acid , introduced into water and extracted with ether . after evaporation of the the ether extract , there is obtained 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al as an oil ; i . r . spectrum : 1750 cm - 1 [ ketone ]; 1670 cm - 1 [ aldehyde ]. 2 g . of the 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al , 50 mg . of p - toluenesulfonic acid , 2 . 5 g . of 2 , 3 - dichloro - 5 , 6 - dicyano - 1 , 4 - benzoquinone and 40 ml . of toluene was heated to boiling for 5 hours under reflux conditions . after cooling , the mixture is filtered . after evaporation of the filtrate , there is obtained 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al which , after purification by adsorption on silica gel , has a melting point of 91 °- 93 ° c . a mixture of 5 . 72 g . of all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl ) 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - ol , 5 . 76 g . of triphenylphosphine , 2 . 16 g . of sulfuric acid and 100 ml . of methanol is stirred for 20 hours . after the addition of 2 . 7 ml . of a 50 % aqueous potassium hydroxide solution , the mixture is treated with 6 . 5 g . of all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al . the mixture is stirred for 4 hours , then introduced into water and extracted with chloroform . the chloroform extract is evaporated and the residue obtained heated to boiling in methanol / water ( 80 : 20 ) for 20 hours under reflux conditions . by cooling , there is precipitated all - trans di - nor - canthaxanthin [ 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- di - nor - β - carotene - 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- dione ] which , after recrystallization from chloroform / hexane , has a melting point of 233 °- 235 ° c . 1 . 8 g . of the 1 - hydroxymethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene are dissolved in 30 ml . of ether . after the addition of 0 . 2 ml . of pyridine , the solution is treated dropwise at - 20 ° c . with a solution of 0 . 3 ml . of phosphorus tribromide in 5 ml . of ether . the mixture is stirred for 1 hour , then introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is evaporated . the remaining 1 - bromomethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene is taken up in 10 ml . of dimethylformamide . after the addition of 2 gram equivalents of potassium tert . butylate , the mixture is stirred for 30 minutes at 0 ° c ., treated with 3 . 5 g . of 8 -( p - tolylsulphonyl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - octa - 2 , 4 , 6 - trien - 1 - al , stirred for 16 hours at room temperature , introduced into water and then extracted with ether . after evaporation of the ether extract , there is obtained 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al which , after purification by adsorption on silica gel , has a mass spectrum m / e of 284 . 8 -( p - tolylsulfonyl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - octa - 2 , 4 , 6 - trien - 1 - al used as the condensation component in the foregoing example , can be prepared according to the following method . 12 . 8 g . of 1 - ethoxycarbonyl - 6 - hydroxymethyl - 2 - methyl - hepta - 1 , 3 , 5 - triene are dissolved in 40 ml . of methylene chloride . the solution is treated dropwise at - 20 ° c . with a solution of 5 . 5 ml . of phosphorus tribromide in 40 ml . of methylene chloride . after 2 hours , the mixture is introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is evaporated . the remaining bromide is taken up in 140 ml . of dimethylformamide . the solution is subsequently treated with 15 g . of sodium p - tolylsulphinate , stirred for 2 hours and then introduced into water . there precipitates 1 - ethoxycarbonyl - 7 -( p - tolylsulfonyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - hepta - 1 , 3 , 5 - triene which , after recrystallization from ethyl acetate , has a melting point of 154 °- 156 ° c . 16 . 8 g . of the 1 - ethoxycarbonyl - 7 -( p - tolylsulfonyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - hepta - 1 , 3 , 5 - triene are dissolved in 600 ml . of tetrahydrofuran . after the dropwise addition of 110 ml . of a 1 . 12 - m solution of diisobutylaluminum hydride in hexane , the solution is stirred for 2 hours at - 20 ° c . the mixture is then diluted with methanol , treated dropwise with 2 - n hydrochloric acid , introduced into water and extracted with ether . after evaporation of the ether extract , there is obtained 1 - hydroxymethyl - 7 -( p - tolylsulfonyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - hepta - 1 , 3 , 5 - triene which , after recrystallization from methylene chloride , has a melting point of 129 °- 131 ° c . 14 . 6 g . of 1 - hydroxymethyl - 7 -( p - tolylsulfonyl )- 2 , 6 - dimethyl - hepta - 1 , 3 , 5 ,- triene are dissolved in 700 ml . of methylene chloride . after the addition of 250 g . of manganese dioxide , the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 8 hours and then filtered . after evaporation of the filtrate , there is obtained 8 -( p - tolylsulfonyl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - octa - 2 , 4 , 6 - trien - 1 - al which , after recrystallization from methylene chloride / hexane , has a melting point of 140 °- 142 ° c . this compound is then condensed with 1 - bromomethyl - 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - ene as previously described to form 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al . 5 g . of 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl - 3 - methyl - pent - 2 - en - 1 - ol are dissolved in 200 ml . of toluene . after the addition of 0 . 5 ml . of pyridine , the solution is treated dropwise at 0 ° c . with 0 . 7 ml . of phosphorus tribromide and then stirred for 2 hours . the mixture is subsequently introduced into water and extracted with toluene . the toluene phase is concentrated to 100 ml ., treated with 4 g . of triphenylphosphine and stirred for 24 hours at 60 ° c . the 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl - 3 - methyl - pent - 2 - ene - 1 - triphenylphosphonium bromide which crystallizes in the cold , has a melting point of 107 °- 110 ° c . 0 . 7 g . of the 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl - 3 - methyl - pent - 2 - ene - 1 - triphenylphosphonium bromide are dissolved in 25 ml . of tetrahydrofuran . the solution is treated dropwise at 0 ° c . with 1 ml . of 2 - n sodium methylate in methanol , stirred for 10 minutes and , after the addition of 150 mg . of 1 - acetoxy - 3 - methyl - but - 2 - en - 4 - al , stirred for a further 20 hours . the mixture is then introduced into water and extracted with ether . the ether extract is evaporated . there is obtained all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - ol which has a mass spectrum m / e of 286 . this compound is purified by adsorption on silica gel . 2 g . of the all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - ol are then dissolved in 100 ml . of methylene chloride . after the addition of 20 g . of manganese dioxide , the mixture is stirred for 24 hours and then filtered . after evaporation of the filtrate , there is obtained 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al which has a mass spectrum m / e of 284 . 4 . 6 g . of 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 5 - phenylsulfonyl - 3 - methyl - pent - 2 - en - 1 - al and 9 g . of 1 , 1 - diethoxy - 3 - methyl - but - 2 - ene - 4 - triphenylphosphonium bromide are dissolved in 100 ml . of isopropanol . the mixture is treated dropwise at - 30 ° c . with 3 . 5 ml . of a 50 % aqueous potassium hydroxide solution , stirred for 1 hour and , after the addition of 10 ml . of 5 - n sulfuric acid , stirred for a further 20 minutes . after the addition of 5 ml . of 50 % potassium hydroxide solution , the mixture is introduced into water and extracted with ether . after evaporation of the ether extract , there is obtained all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al . 2 . 18 g . of 5 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 - methyl - penta - 2 , 4 - dien - 1 - al are dissolved in 100 ml . of isopropanol . the solution is treated first with 5 g . of 1 , 1 - diethoxy - 3 - methyl - but - 2 - ene - 4 - triphenylphosphonium bromide and then with 1 . 2 ml . of a 50 % aqueous potassium hydroxide solution . the mixture is stirred for 1 hour and , after the dropwise addition of 10 ml . of 2 - n sulfuric acid , then introduced into water and extracted with ether . after evaporation of the ether extract , there is obtained all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al . 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - ol can also be prepared from the corresponding aldehyde . 1 g . of all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - al are dissolved in 80 ml . of ethanol . the solution is treated with 1 mole equivalent of sodium borohydride , stirred for 1 hour at room temperature , then introduced into water and extracted with ether . after evaporation of the ether extract , there is obtained all - trans 9 -( 3 - oxo - 2 , 5 , 5 - trimethyl - cyclopent - 1 - en - 1 - yl )- 3 , 7 - dimethyl - nona - 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 - tetraen - 1 - ol , which can be converted into the phosphonium sulfate and subsequently condensed as described hereinbefore . 0 . 28 g . of all - trans di - nor - canthaxanthin are dissolved in 30 ml . of toluene . the solution is treated with 1 . 5 ml . of a 1 . 12 - m solution of diisobutylaluminum hydride in benzene and stirred for 1 hour . the mixture is then introduced into water and extracted with benzene . after evaporation of the benzene extract , there is obtained di - nor - isozexanthin [ 2 , 2 - di - nor - β - carotene - 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diol ] which , after recrystallization from ether / hexane , has a melting point of 163 °- 165 ° c . 0 . 3 g . of all - trans di - nor - canthaxanthin are dissolved in 50 ml . of toluene . after the addition of 10 . 2 g . of selenium dioxide and 0 . 7 ml . of water , the mixture is heated to boiling for 16 hours under reflux conditions . the mixture is then introduced into water and extracted with toluene . after evaporation of the toluene extract , there is obtained di - nor - astacin [ 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- di - nor - β - carotene - 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- tetraone ; violerythrin ] which , after recrystallization by adsorption on silica gel , has a mass spectrum m / e of 564 . the following examples illustrate typical coloring agents provided by this invention and their application . a food coloring preparation is prepared according to the following method . 1 . 0 g . of di - nor - canthaxanthin , 0 . 1 g . of d , 1 - α - tocopherol , 0 . 4 g . of arachis oil and 1 . 0 g . of ascorbyl palmitate are dissolved in 50 ml . of hot chloroform . the solution is homogenized with 5 . 0 g . of gelatine , 2 . 5 g . of sugar and 0 . 2 g . of sodium carbonate dissolved in 50 ml . of water . the homogenate is poured onto a plate , dried in vacuo until free of chloroform and triturated . 10 - 100 g . of the coloring preparation obtained according to example 20 are dissolved in 100 - 1000 ml . of warm water . the solution is added to 100 kg of bonbon mass , either towards the end of the cooking process or during the addition of aromas succeeding same . there is obtained a scarlet - colored bonbon mass , which can be treated with stawberry , redcurrent and / or raspberry aromas . 200 mg . of the coloring preparation obtained according to example 20 , containing 20 mg . of di - nor - canthaxanthin , are added to that amount of pudding powder required for 1 liter of ready - prepared pudding . the pudding mass obtained after the usual preparation ( mixing , possible boiling up with milk ) is cherry - red . 200 mg . of the coloring preparation obtained according to example 20 , containing 20 mg . of di - nor - canthaxanthin , are dissolved in 5 ml . of warm water . the solution is mixed with those ingredients required for 1 liter of ice - cream ( cream , milk , sugar , gelatine , aromas ). there is obtained a strawberry - red ice - cream . | 2 |
the breath pacing apparatus 10 in fig1 is provided to pace the respiration of a person by determining a sequence of desired respiration cycles , each cycle comprising an inhale phase and a subsequent exhale phase . this sequence of desired respiration cycles is represented by an output signal that is haptically perceivable by the person , so that she / he can follow the respiration cycles easily . the output signal changes periodically between a maximum value and a minimum value , each period corresponding to one cycle , as will be further explained with reference to fig2 and 3 . the person can feel the periodic change between the maximum and minimum values and adjust her / his own breath to the respiration rate generated by the breath pacing apparatus 10 . the breath pacing apparatus 10 comprises a controlling unit 12 and a haptic output unit 14 controlled by the controlling unit 12 . the controlling unit 12 is disposed inside a casing and comprises a respiration cycle determining unit 16 and an actuating unit 18 . the respiration cycle determining unit 16 determines a sequence of desired respiration cycles , each cycle comprising an inhale phase and a subsequent exhale phase . for this purpose the respiration cycle determining unit 16 may comprise a suitable electronic computing unit , storing means for storing a program for calculating the sequence , an electric output signal generation unit for generating an electric output signal corresponding to the predetermined or calculated respiration cycles , or the like . the actuating unit 18 comprises means for generating a pneumatic pressure according to the electric signals received by the respiration cycle determining unit 16 . that is , the actuating unit 18 converts the electric signals corresponding to the desired respiration cycles into pressure output signals . the pressure generated by the actuating unit 18 is applied to the haptic output unit 14 that is represented by a pad with a generally flat ellipsoid shape . this pad can be inflated by applying the pneumatic pressure generated by the actuating unit 18 so that the pad increases its size , especially its thickness in the vertical direction in fig1 . the inflated state is indicated by a dashed line in fig1 , while the deflated state is indicated by the continuous elliptical line showing the cross section of the haptic output unit 14 . the air pressure is transferred from the actuating unit 18 to the haptic output unit 14 by a flexible hose 20 connecting the actuating unit 18 and the haptic output unit 14 . the resulting thickness of the haptic output unit 14 is a feature representing an output signal that can be haptically perceived by a user . in use of the breath pacing apparatus 10 in a bedroom situation , the haptic output unit 14 will be disposed in bed so that it can be easily reached by a person lying therein and putting her / his hand on the pad to feel the change of its size according to the sequence of desired respiration cycles , while the controlling unit 12 will be disposed at another suitable place next to the bed . it is easily understood that the hose 20 should be long and flexible enough to place the haptic output unit 14 relatively independent from the controlling unit 12 . the operation of the breath pacing apparatus 10 in fig1 will be explained in the following in view of fig2 . the diagram in fig2 represents a sequence of desired respiration cycles as generated by the controlling unit 12 in fig1 . the horizontal x - axis in fig2 represents the time t , while the vertical y - axis represents the value a of the output signal , i . e . the thickness of the haptic output unit 14 . the elevation of the top surface of the haptic output unit 14 is indicated schematically at some points of time to illustrate the “ up ” and “ down ” of the top surface of the pad representing the haptic output unit 14 . this movement can be perceived by a user putting her / his hand on the pad . the sequence of desired respiration cycles is indicated below the axis of time t . fig2 shows three subsequent respiration cycles r 1 , r 2 , r 3 . in this embodiment , each respiration cycle r 1 , r 2 , r 3 comprises an inhale phase i 1 , i 2 , i 3 , followed by an exhale phase e 1 , e 2 , e 3 . at the beginning of each respiration cycle r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , the haptic output unit 14 has its minimal thickness , i . e . the output signal a has a minimal value . during the inhale phase i 1 , i 2 , i 3 , the thickness increases up to a maximum value at the transition from the inhale phase i 1 , i 2 , i 3 to exhale phase e 1 , e 2 , e 3 . during the following exhale phase e 1 , e 2 , e 3 , the thickness decreases again to a minimal value of thickness . in the diagram the line connecting the maxima and minima of the output signal a in time t indicates the development of the output signal a that changes periodically between maximum and minimum values , each period corresponding to one respiration cycle r 1 , r 2 , r 3 . for the sake of completeness it should be noted that the role of the phases i 1 , i 2 , i 3 and e 1 , e 2 , e 3 can be reversed within the scope of the present invention , in the sense that phases i 1 , i 2 , i 3 with increasing thickness are interpreted as exhale phases , while phases e 1 , e 2 , e 3 with decreasing thickness are interpreted as inhale phases . to achieve a relaxing effect , the breathing sequence displayed by the desired respiration cycles r 1 , r 2 , r 3 should mimic the breathing sequence of a relaxed person as good as possible . for this reason it is advantageous that the respiration cycles r 1 , r 2 , r 3 do not have the same length but the length increases with each subsequent cycle , i . e . r 1 & lt ; r 2 & lt ; r 3 and so on , or to put it more generally : r n & lt ; r n + 1 , with n being a positive integer . with increasing length of the respiration cycles r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , the length of the respective inhale phases i 1 , i 2 , i 3 and exhale phases e 1 , e 2 , e 3 also increases . with increasing length of the respiration cycles r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and constant difference of the minimum and maximum values of the output signal a over the whole sequence , i . e . within all respiration cycles r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and following , the problem arises that it becomes more difficult for a person to feel the periodic change of the output signal a . this is mainly due to the fact that the output signal variation per time unit becomes smaller and the user has the feeling that the amplitude changes very “ slow ”. it is particularly relevant not to miss the transitions between the inhale phases i 1 , i 2 , i 3 and the exhale phases e 1 , e 2 , e 3 to adapt the own respiration rate to the respiration cycles determined by the breath pacing apparatus 10 , and consequently it is elementary for the pacing result to feel when the output signal a reaches its maximum values and minimum values . for this reason the present invention proposes to relate one characteristic of the change of the output signal a to the length of the respiration cycles r 1 , r 2 , r 3 . in the present embodiment shown in fig2 , this characteristic is represented by the difference between the maximum values and the minimum values of the output signal a . for example , in fig2 , the maximum values max 1 , max 2 , max 3 within each respiration cycle r 1 , r 2 , r 3 of the output signal a increase with each respiration cycle r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , so that max 1 & lt ; max 2 & lt ; max 3 . in the present example the minimum values min 1 , min 2 , min 3 stay the same for each respiration cycle r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , i . e . min 1 = min 2 = min 3 , so that the differences between the maximum values and the minimum values increase , and max 1 − min 1 & lt ; max 2 − min 2 , and so on . this increase of the difference between the maximum values max 1 , max 2 , max 3 and the minimum values min 1 , min 2 , min 3 can be haptically perceived easily by a person . one further effect is that the haptic output unit 14 mimics the natural respiration rate of a relaxing human more naturally and the differences between the maximum values and the minimum values of the output signal a are increased so that the respiration becomes “ deeper ”. it is noted that the difference between the maximum value max and the minimum value min n of the output signal a , that represents the thickness as one haptically perceivable feature of the haptic output unit 14 , is only one possible characteristic of the change of this haptically perceivable feature that can be linked to the length of the respiration cycles r 1 , r 2 , r 3 . however , there are other possibilities and examples of characteristics of the change of this feature . in fig2 , one can see that the steepness of the ascending slope from min n to max in each respiration cycle r n , n = 1 to 3 , only slightly increases , as well as the descending slope from max n to min n + 1 during the exhale phase e n , although the length of the respiration cycles increases . however , it is possible to further increase the steepness of the ascending slope and the descending slope so that the magnitude of change of the haptically perceivable feature ( or the output signal ) per time unit can be easier perceived by a person , getting the impression that the thickness of the haptic output unit changes “ faster ”. in this embodiment the change between the maximum values and minimum values may still be linear , as in fig2 . fig3 shows another possibility to change the haptically perceivable feature ( or output signal ) of the haptic output unit 14 . the operation mode shown in fig3 can be another operation mode of the breath pacing apparatus 10 in fig1 , or can be processed by another breath pacing apparatus . in this embodiment the magnitude of change of the output signal is varied within each respiration cycle r 1 , r 2 , r 3 so that there is a non - linear change between the minimum value and the maximum value , respectively . at the begin beginning of each cycle r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , the thickness of the haptic output unit 14 is increased with a stronger rate to higher values , and after that instant increase of thickness , it increases slower to reach the maximum value at the end of the inhale phase i 1 , i 2 , i 3 . after reaching the maximum , the thickness instantly becomes smaller , then developing slower towards the minimum value of the next respiration cycle again . in other words , the magnitude of change of the thickness as the haptically perceivable feature ( or output signal ) of the haptic output unit 14 increases immediately after reaching a minimum value or a maximum value , respectively . this behavior of the haptic output unit 14 can be perceived easier than a “ smooth ” and linear development of the thickness , especially at the transition points between the inhale phases i 1 , i 2 , i 3 and the exhale phases e 1 , e 2 , e 3 that determine the respiration rhythm . in the example of fig3 , the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the thickness also increases with each respiration cycle r 1 , r 2 , r 3 . however , it is possible to keep this difference constant and only to increase the magnitude of change per time unit within each respiration cycle r 1 , r 2 , r 3 . this should be considered especially in view of the fact that the volume of an inflatable pad , like in the embodiment of fig1 , is limited , and the increase in the variation of thickness of the pad is limited to some extent . there are other possibilities to change the variation of thickness within the respiration cycles r 1 , r 2 , r 3 . for example , the “ smoothness ” of the variation can be further influenced by introducing small changes of the thickness variation around a generally smooth curve , like they are represented in fig2 and 3 . these variations could be felt as small vibrations of the pad . the intensity of these vibrations can also be varied to indicate a transition between different phases within the respiration cycle r 1 , r 2 , r 3 . it is understood that other haptically perceivable features of the haptic output unit 14 can be used as output signals than the thickness of the pad used in this embodiment . for example , the general size , i . e . the outer diameter represents another perceivable feature . it could also be considered to change the shape of the haptic output unit between different shapes that represent “ maximum ” values and “ minimum ” values of the output signal . for example , the haptic output unit 14 could comprise a certain curvature that increases and decreases periodically between a maximum curvature and a minimum curvature , or the like . other examples of haptically perceivable features of the haptic output unit 14 that can be used in this context are its weight ( varying between “ light ” and “ heavy ”), its hardness ( varying between “ hard ” and “ soft ”) and its surface texture ( varying between “ smooth ” and “ rough ”). while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive ; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention , from a study of the drawings , the disclosure , and the appended claims . in the claims , the word “ comprising ” does not exclude other elements or steps , and the indefinite article “ a ” or “ an ” does not exclude a plurality . the mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage . any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope . | 0 |
fig1 a is the top view of one embodiment of the outer retaining strap assembly 1 . in fig1 a , the outer retaining strap 1 , is a thin flexible strap of leather , vinyl , fabric or similar material that can be repeatedly bent and straightened out without fracturing . the outer retaining strap 1 , has an outer face 2 a ( fig1 a ). at one longitudinal end of the outer face 2 a or the outer retaining strap 1 , a decorative charm 3 is attached . in the present embodiment ( fig1 a ) the decorative charm 3 , is a plastic and crystal decorative stud type charm . however , various types of charms of metal , plastic , fiber , e . g ., fabric , mineral , gemstone , or other compositions are suitable to serve the decorative function . in fig1 a , a closure here comprising a section of hook and loop type material 4 , is sewn , adhered , fused , or laminated to the outer face 2 a of the outer retaining strap 1 , opposite the longitudinal end with the attached charm 3 . the hook and loop section 4 used as a closure is but one of several closures that can be used with the invention and is therefore non - limiting . various alternative closure embodiments can include , but are not limited to , a snap closure mechanism or a magnetic closure , both commercially available . fig1 b shows side view of the outer retaining strap 1 . the outer retaining strap 1 , which has an outer face 2 a and an inner face 2 b . on one longitudinal end of the outer face 2 a is located the decorative charm 3 , at the other longitudinal end of the outer face is the closure of hook and loop type material 4 . in this embodiment there is a section of hook and loop type material 4 that is suitably affixed , e . g ., sewn , adhered , fused , or laminated to the inner face 2 b of the outer retaining strap . the outer retaining strap assembly typically has a thickness of ½ mm to several millimeters and has a length sufficient to wrap around two purse or handbag handles configured to be grasped with a normally formed human hand . fig1 c depicts the side view of the inner retaining strap assembly 5 , made from a thin flexible material such as leather , vinyl , fiber or fabric or other similar material that can be repeatedly bent and straightened out without fracturing . the inner retaining strap has an outer face 5 a and an inner face 5 b . in this embodiment , the inner retaining strap assembly has a closure comprising a section of hook and loop type material 4 , suitably attached , e . g ., sewn , adhered , fused , or laminated at one longitudinal end of the outer face 5 a , and another section of hook and loop material 4 , suitably attached to the inner face 5 b of the opposing longitudinal end . alternatively , the inner retaining strap can comprise a unitary strip of hook and loop material . the strap portion of the inner retaining strap assembly 5 , is typically from ½ mm to several millimeters thick and has a length typically from 2 ″ to 8 ″, or otherwise sufficient to accommodate the circumference of a typical two handled purse or handbag handle configured to be grasped in a normally formed human hand . the width and length of the inner retaining strap assembly 5 , is preferably narrower and shorter than the outer retaining strap assembly ; therefore , when fully closed the inner retaining strap assembly is typically not visible as it is covered or occluded by the longer and wider outer retaining strap assembly . fig1 d depicts the side view of one embodiment of the entire present invention . a portion of the inner retaining strap assembly 5 , is attached by an attachment , e . g ., sewn , fused , mechanically fastened , or laminated , to the outer retaining strap assembly 1 . the attached portions of the inner and outer retaining strap are near the midsection of each strap and the attachment is configured in a manner to leave the two longitudinal ends of the each strap independent of one another as illustrated . operation — fig1 b - d , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 — operation involves wrapping the inner retaining strap 5 ( fig1 d ) around one of the purse or handbag handles and securing it with the closure method , e . g ., engaging the hook and loop material closure . the second purse or handbag handle is now brought alongside the first and the outer retaining strap 1 ( fig1 d ) is closed as a loop around both purse or handbag handles and secured by the closure of that strap , thus holding the handles together . a more detailed description of the operation follows : fig2 shows a perspective view of the present invention attached to one handle of a purse prior to closure . to use the invention both the inner retaining strap and outer retaining strap are opened in a flaccid manner and in a position that is upside down or exposing the inner face 5 b ( fig1 c ) of the inner retaining strap 5 up . one of the purse or handbag handles is placed roughly in the longitudinal center of the inner retaining strap in this position . the two ends of the inner retaining strap are wrapped around the circumference of the purse handle engaging the hook and loop material 4 ( fig1 c ) until it forms a closure . fig2 shows the inner retaining strap 5 closed around one purse handle . the function of the inner retaining strap is to secure the invention to one of the purse handles so that during operation of securing or releasing the second purse handle there is less risk of the invention falling off the purse or handbag handle . once the inner retaining strap 5 is secured in the manner depicted in fig2 , the second purse or handbag handle is brought alongside the first and over the inner face 2 b ( fig1 b ) of the outer retaining strap . fig3 indicates how the two handles of the purse are brought next to each other , the user wraps the longitudinal ends of the outer retaining strap 1 ( fig1 b ) together engaging the hook and loop material 4 , on the outer face 2 a ( fig1 b ) with the hook and loop material on the inner face 2 b ( fig1 b ) of the outer retaining strap effecting a full closure around both purse or handbag handles . the weight of the charm 3 assists in the closure . that is , if the two handles are brought together , one end of the outer retaining strap can be held by a finger or the hand against the purse handles , and the other put in motion by a simple flipping or sweeping action of the hand or finger in a direction for engaging or closing the associated closure , and the weight of the charm 3 will aid in engaging the closure . thus , it can be envisioned that as an easy and convenient manner of operation , the device can be closed by holding the two handles together and with a simple and quick flipping or sweeping movement with a hand or finger against a free end of the outer retaining strap , imparting or exerting a force thereagainst as denoted by arrow f in fig3 , propelling that end toward the other end of that strap to engage the outer closure . this is particularly easily accomplished if the closure is a hook and loop fastener or magnetic . fig4 shows a perspective view of the present invention in the fully closed position . the outer retaining strap 1 is fully enclosed around the purse handles and the decorative charm 3 is visible along the outer face of the outer retaining strap . fig5 is a perspective view of the user opening the outer retaining strap in order to release one of the purse or handbag handles . to accomplish this is a simple procedure that can generally be done with one hand . the user can grasp the purse straps , e . g ., with the fingertips and use the thumb to push against the end of the underside of the outer retaining strap including the decorative charm . a sufficient force , denoted by arrow f , exerted by a finger or a hand in the direction for disengaging the closure will disengage the closure connecting the ends of the outer retaining strap and the weight of the charm 3 will assist in the outer retaining strap falling under force of gravity as denoted by arrow g to an open position similar to that depicted in fig3 . this can be done with a quick flipping or sweeping action of the hand or finger to exert the force against the closure in the disengaging direction to disengage it , and this action can be imparted with a quick finger or hand movement against the now free end of the outer retaining strap such that gravity will act to move it in a downward direction away from the other end of that strap . one of the handles is now free to also fall under force of gravity away from the other handle , and this can be initiated with the same hand or finger action . alternate embodiments — in broad embodiment , the invention is a device for the purpose of holding the handles of a handbag or purse together . however , in any embodiment the apparatus allows the release of one purse or handbag handle while staying attached to the other ; therefore reducing the risk of loss of the invention itself and without having to completely remove the invention in order to gain access to the interior of the handbag or purse by releasing one of the handles . many variations of aspects of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art . some variations include , color , closure methods , choice of materials , the type and design of various charms and decorative items . all such variations are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the invention . although some embodiments are shown to include certain features , the applicant ( s ) specifically contemplate that any feature disclosed herein may be used together or in combination with any other feature on any embodiment of the invention . it is also contemplated that any feature may be specifically excluded from any embodiment of an invention . fig1 shows an embodiment with a hook and loop closure ; however , many other suitable closure embodiments may take form , such as a snap system , buckle , or magnet . fig6 shows an alternative embodiment with a metallic or plastic snap closure mechanism . fig7 shows an alternative embodiment with a magnetic closure . fig4 and fig5 depict varying charm elements 3 . | 8 |
while the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below , it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts . the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention . in fig1 is shown a prior art block diagram of a terminal site of an optical communications network . in fig1 is shown long haul fiber pair 122 , terminal 110 , terminal 112 and long haul fiber pair 124 . long haul fiber pair 122 and long haul fiber pair 124 are realized by cabled optical fiber such as smf - 28 or leaf and provide media for transmitting long haul optical signals to adjacent network elements such as terminal sites , oadm sites , or amplifier sites . terminal 110 and terminal 112 comprise a set of line cards including transceiver cards , amplifier cards , dispersion compensation cards multiplexer - demultiplexer cards , and other functional line cards . terminal 110 provides optical to electrical termination of optical signals from long haul fiber pair 122 . terminal 110 also provides electrical to optical generation for electrical signals sent on long haul fiber pair 122 . terminal 112 provides optical to electrical termination from long haul fiber pair 124 . terminal 112 also provides electrical to optical generation for electrical signals sent on long haul fiber pair 124 . also shown in fig1 is local fiber patch cord pair 126 and local node element 114 . local node element 114 may comprise a local terminal that is part of a short haul , or metro system , or it may be a switch or router . local fiber patch cord pair 126 is realized by a pair of connectorized jacketed optical fibers . a non - limiting representative length range of local fiber patch cord pair 126 is 10 m - 10 km . local fiber patch cord pair 126 provides the transmission media for optical signals between terminal 110 and local node element 114 . also shown in fig1 are pass through fiber patch cord pair 130 , pass through fiber patch cord pair 132 , pass through fiber patch cord pair 134 , pass through fiber patch cord pair 136 , and pass through fiber patch cord pair 138 . pass through fiber patch cord pair 130 is realized by a pair of connectorized jacketed optical fibers . a non - limiting representative length range of pass through fiber patch cord pair 130 is 10 - 100 m . pass through fiber patch cord pair 132 is realized by a pair of connectorized jacketed optical fibers . a non - limiting representative length range of pass through fiber patch cord pair 132 is 10 - 100 m . pass through fiber patch cord pair 134 is realized by a pair of connectorized jacketed optical fibers . a non - limiting representative length range of pass through fiber patch cord pair 134 is 10 - 100 m . pass through fiber patch cord pair 136 is realized by a pair of connectorized jacketed optical fibers . a non - limiting representative length range of pass through fiber patch cord pair 136 is 10 - 100 m . pass through fiber patch cord pair 138 is realized by a pair of connectorized jacketed optical fibers . a non - limiting representative length range of pass through fiber patch cord pair 138 is 10 - 100 m . the exact number of local fiber patch cord pairs and pass through fiber patch cord pairs is merely representative and non - limiting . the relative number of local fiber patch cord pairs to pass through fiber patch cord pairs is merely representative and non - limiting . further , the number of local fiber patch cord pairs and pass through fiber patch cord pairs will change as the traffic in the network changes , over the lifetime of the system . initially , terminal 110 will drop and add more traffic to local node element 114 , than will be patched through to terminal 112 . as the network grows , however , much of the traffic will end up patched through from terminal 110 to terminal 112 . modem transport equipment can support as many as 200 channels so the cost , management and routing of patch cords becomes problematic . the invention seeks to eliminate pass through fiber patch cords in a network traffic flexible manner with no impact on the initial cost of the system . further , since each fiber patch cord pair is connected to a transceiver card , the cost of said card will also be reduced or eliminated due to the benefits of the invention . in fig2 is shown a schematic illustration of a terminal site with pass through traffic managed by an optical bypass switch in accordance with one aspect of the invention . shown in fig2 are optical splitter 202 , optical combiner 204 , optical combiner 206 and optical splitter 208 . in a preferred embodiment , optical splitter 202 is realized by a thin film optical decoupler . in an alternate embodiment , optical splitter 202 is realized by a fused optical fiber decoupler . in a preferred embodiment , optical combiner 204 is realized by a thin film optical coupler . in an alternate embodiment , optical combiner 204 is realized by a fused optical fiber coupler . in a preferred embodiment , optical combiner 206 is realized by a thin film optical coupler . in an alternate embodiment , optical combiner 206 is realized by a fused optical fiber coupler . in a preferred embodiment , optical splitter 208 is realized by a thin film optical decoupler . in an alternate embodiment , optical splitter 208 is realized by a fused optical fiber decoupler . also shown in fig2 is optical bypass switch 210 and optical bypass switch 212 . in a preferred embodiment , optical bypass switch 210 is realized by a dynamic spectral equalizer . in a preferred embodiment , optical bypass switch 212 is realized by a dynamic spectral equalizer . dynamic spectral equalizers are commercially available and perform three basic functions . firstly , dynamic spectral equalizers spectrally decompose the dwdm wavelengths ( channels ) on the input fiber into physically separate paths . secondly , dynamic spectral equalizers provide channel by channel attenuation or extinguishing on a programmable and changeable basis . thirdly , dynamic spectral equalizers spectrally recombine the non - extinguished channels onto a single output fiber . the signal flow path of the invention may now be understood in reference to fig2 . an input dwdm signal propagating in long haul fiber pair 122 towards terminal 110 is split by optical splitter 202 so that a portion of the signal continues to propagate towards terminal 110 and the remaining portion propagates into optical bypass switch 210 . within optical bypass switch 210 , the dwdm signal is decomposed by a diffraction grating or other spectral decomposition device . the separated channels are subsequently attenuated . the attenuation is set so that channel powers will be compatible with those channels that will be combined from the terminal in optical combiner 206 . if a particular channel is to be transmitted from terminal 112 , optical bypass switch 210 extinguishes that channel &# 39 ; s wavelength . in normal mode of operation , if a particular channel is to be received in terminal 110 optical bypass switch 210 extinguishes that channel &# 39 ; s wavelength . in broadcast mode of operation , if a particular channel is to be received in terminal 110 optical bypass switch 210 does not extinguish that channel &# 39 ; s wavelength , however in this mode , terminal 112 may not transmit at this wavelength . the remaining channels are then recombined in optical bypass switch 210 and output optical bypass switch 210 . the output signal is combined with the transmitted signals from terminal 112 in optical combiner 206 . the reverse signal flow is similar , and will now be disclosed explicitly . an input dwdm signal propagating in long haul fiber pair 124 towards terminal 112 is split by optical splitter 208 so that a portion of the signal continues to propagate towards terminal 112 and the remaining portion propagates into optical bypass switch 212 . within optical bypass switch 212 , the dwdm signal is decomposed by a diffraction grating or other spectral decomposition device . the separated channels are subsequently attenuated . the attenuation is set so that channel powers will be compatible with those channels that will be combined from the terminal in optical combiner 204 . if a particular channel is to be transmitted from terminal 110 , optical bypass switch 212 extinguishes that channel &# 39 ; s wavelength . in normal mode of operation , if a particular channel is to be received in terminal 112 optical bypass switch 212 extinguishes that channel &# 39 ; s wavelength . in broadcast mode of operation , if a particular channel is to be received in terminal 112 optical bypass switch 212 does not extinguish that channel &# 39 ; s wavelength , however in this mode , terminal 110 may not transmit at this wavelength . the remaining channels are then recombined in optical bypass switch 212 and output optical bypass switch 212 . the output signal is combined with the transmitted signals from terminal 110 in optical combiner 204 . in a preferred embodiment optical bypass switch 210 and optical bypass switch 212 are combined in a single bidirectional optical bypass switch commercially sold as a bidirectional dynamic spectral equalizer . this architecture and method of creating optical bypass of a terminal node allows for the recovery of expensive transceivers at a terminal site , regardless of when the terminal was deployed . the optical bypass architecture may be designed and deployed for a wide variety of existing equipment in current networks . the programmability of optical bypass switch 210 and optical bypass switch 212 eliminates detailed pre - planning of a network which leads to inefficiency . an important aspect of this invention is that only optical splitter 202 , optical combiner 204 , optical combiner 206 and optical splitter 208 need be installed with the system at initial deployment . in this manner , optical bypass switch 210 and optical bypass switch 212 can be deployed in a non - traffic effecting manner at the point in time when a sufficient amount of bypass traffic exists . in fig3 is shown a block diagram of certain components of terminal 110 and their arrangement relative to long haul optical fiber pair 122 , optical splitter 202 and optical combiner 204 . shown in fig3 are input first stage optical amplifier 310 , input dispersion compensator 320 , input second stage optical amplifier 312 , demultiplexer 324 , optical receiver 332 and optical receiver 334 . together , input first stage optical amplifier 310 , input dispersion compensator 320 , input second stage optical amplifier 312 , demultiplexer 324 , optical receiver 332 and optical receiver 334 comprise the receiving portion of terminal 110 . also shown in fig3 are output first stage optical amplifier 316 , output dispersion compensator 322 , output second stage optical amplifier 314 , multiplexer 326 , optical transmitter 336 and optical transmitter 338 . together , output first stage optical amplifier 316 , output dispersion compensator 322 , output second stage optical amplifier 314 , multiplexer 326 , optical transmitter 336 and optical transmitter 338 comprise the transmitting portion of terminal 110 . in a preferred embodiment input first stage optical amplifier 310 , input second stage optical amplifier 312 , output first stage optical amplifier 316 and output second stage optical amplifier 314 are realized by erbium doped fiber amplifiers ( edfas ). input first stage optical amplifier 310 , input second stage optical amplifier 312 , output first stage optical amplifier 316 and output second stage optical amplifier 314 function to combat the impairment of attenuation that the optical signals encounter in long haul fiber pair 122 . in a preferred embodiment , input dispersion compensator 320 and output dispersion compensator 322 are realized by specialty dispersion compensating fiber . input dispersion compensator 320 and output dispersion compensator 322 function to combat the impairment of dispersion that the optical signals encounter in fiber pair 122 . in a preferred embodiment optical receiver 332 and optical receiver 334 are realized with semiconductor photodetectors and high speed amplifying , filtering and decision electronics , as is well known in the art . in a preferred embodiment optical transmitter 336 and optical transmitter 338 are realized with semiconductor lasers modulators , biasing and drive electronics , as is well known in the art . the number of optical receivers and optical transmitters in fig1 is not meant to be restrictive . modern optical transport systems may comprise 200 optical receivers and the same number of optical transmitters . further , as channel counts become high , additional optical amplifiers may also be deployed . it should also be noted that if optical splitter 202 and optical combiner 204 are applied to an existing terminal 110 , then the internal arrangement of terminal 110 and even the presence of the components within terminal 110 may vary . in fig3 , optical splitter 202 and optical combiner 204 are located outside and in close proximity to terminal 110 . this location offers logistical advantages including ease of operation and installation . in alternate embodiments of this invention , alternate locations provide alternate advantages . referring now to fig4 for an alternate preferred embodiment of the invention , optical splitter 202 and optical combiner 204 are located in alternate locations internal to terminal 110 . in this embodiment of the invention , input first stage optical amplifier 310 , input second stage optical amplifier 312 , output first stage optical amplifier 316 and output second stage optical amplifier 314 function to combat the approximate 3 db loss associated with optical splitter 202 and optical combiner 204 . referring now to fig5 for an alternate preferred embodiment of the invention , optical splitter 202 is located internal to terminal 110 after input first stage optical amplifier 310 , input second stage optical amplifier 312 to allow input first stage optical amplifier 310 , input second stage optical amplifier 312 to amplify the weak input optical signal arriving at terminal 110 . optical combiner 204 is located after output second stage optical amplifier 314 . this embodiment allows for the correct dispersion compensation amount to be applied to the optical signals . referring now to fig6 for an alternate preferred embodiment of the invention , optical splitter 202 is located internal to terminal 110 after input dispersion compensator 320 and before input second stage optical amplifier 312 . in this embodiment optical combiner 204 is located internal to terminal 110 after output dispersion compensator 320 and before output second stage optical amplifier 312 . this embodiment allows for the correct dispersion compensation amount to be applied to the optical signals , with the smallest impact to system performance and no impact to terminal optical loss budget . in fig7 is shown a flow chart of a method for optically bypassing a terminal site is taught in accordance with the invention . in step 710 , terminal 110 is installed at a terminal site in an optical network . in step 715 , optical splitter 202 and optical combiner 204 are installed in or in close proximity to terminal 110 . in step 720 , add channels to the network as traffic demand grows . in step 725 , the decision is made whether optical bypass switch 210 and optical bypass switch 212 are justified economically . this decision is based on capital costs and discounted operational costs at the time of the decision . if the decision is negative , then no bypass switch is installed , until additional channels are added . if the decision is positive , then optical bypass switch 210 and optical bypass switch 212 are installed in step 730 . in step 735 , transceiver and other hardware may be recovered and redeployed elsewhere in the network . fig8 shows a flow chart of a method for evaluating the need for installing optical splitters at a terminal site in accordance with the invention for which optical bypass was not originally envisioned . in step 810 , terminal 110 is installed at a terminal site on an optical network . in step 815 , channels are added in the normal course to the optical network as traffic grows . at step 820 an evaluation is made of the necessity for a splitter and optical bypass system . the decision is based on capital costs and discounted operational costs at the time of the decision . if the decision is negative , then no splitter is installed , until additional channels are added . if the decision is positive , then the splitter and optical combiner are installed in step 830 . in step 835 , the optical bypass switch is installed . in step 840 transceiver and other hardware may be recovered and redeployed elsewhere in the network . while this invention has been described in reference to illustrative embodiments , this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments , as well as other embodiments of the invention , will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description . it is therefore intended that the appended claims encompass any such modifications or embodiments . | 7 |
in describing and claiming the present invention , the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments of the invention only and is not intended to be limiting . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains . the terms “ predominantly ” and “ substantially ” as used herein shall mean comprising more than 50 % by weight , unless otherwise indicated . other than in the operating examples , or where otherwise indicated , all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients or reaction conditions used herein are to be understood as modified in all instances by the term “ about ”. the examples are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . in what follows , or where otherwise indicated , “%” will mean “ weight %”, “ ratio ” will mean “ weight ratio ” and “ parts ” will mean “ weight parts ”. the recitation of a numerical range using endpoints includes all numbers subsumed within that range ( e . g ., 1 to 5 includes 1 , 1 . 5 , 2 , 2 . 75 , 3 , 3 . 80 , 4 , 5 , etc .). the term “ board ” refers to a generally planar component suitable for attachment to a building exterior surface , including but not limited to lap siding , vertical siding , soffit panels , trim boards , shingle replicas , stone replicas and stucco replicas . the terms “ preferred ” and “ preferably ” refer to embodiments of the invention that may afford certain benefits , under certain circumstances . however , other embodiments may also be preferred , under the same or other circumstances . furthermore , the recitation of one or more preferred embodiments does not imply that other embodiments are not useful , and is not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the invention . the enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive . the enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are collectively exhaustive of anything , unless expressly specified otherwise . the enumerated listing of items does not imply that the items are ordered in any manner according to the order in which they are enumerated . unless the context clearly requires otherwise , throughout the description and the claims , the words “ comprise ”, “ comprising ”, and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense ; that is to say , in the sense of “ including , but not limited to ”. the terms “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ” mean “ one or more ”, unless expressly specified otherwise . headings of sections provided in this patent application and the title of this patent application are for convenience only , and are not to be taken as limiting the disclosure in any way . throughout the figures presented herein like features have been given like reference numerals . the present invention will now be described with reference to the following examples which should be considered in all respects as illustrative and non - restrictive . autoclaved fibre cement sheets were irradiated with a co 2 laser ( see fig3 , 4 and 6 ) and various surface patterns and markings were inscribed . the sheet shown in fig3 was coated with a water based decorative surface paint coating and the resulting watermark can be seen in fig4 . the depth of the etching was up to 300 micron and since the coating thickness was approximately 100 micron the depth of the resulting watermark was up to 200 micron . the depth of etching may be controlled by varying the combination of laser type , the laser power , and marking speed of the beam . referring now to fig6 , a coated sheet was laser treated to produce visible markings . the sheet shown in fig6 had a water based paint composition applied as a surface coating and cured or dried to form a surface layer of approximately 100 microns thickness . the coated sheet was exposed to a predetermined combination of laser power and marking speed . the power ranges were 100 w / cm 2 , 80 w / cm 2 , 60 w / cm 2 , 50 w / cm 2 , 25 w / cm 2 and 10 w / cm 2 . the marking speed ranged from 10 to 100 meters / minute . this was accomplished by moving the sheet past the laser at a predetermined linear speed . a combination of relatively low power , below 25 w / cm 2 , and high marking speed , above 60 m / minute , produced visible markings in the applied coating , without creating any substantial damage to the coating integrity or quality . without wishing to be bound by theory , it is believed that this colour change is the result of radiation effects on the pigments , dyes or fillers within the paint composition itself . by varying the combination of laser type , laser power and marking speed , a combined effect of marking and ablation can be produced . an increased laser power of 100 w / cm2 in combination with a lower marking speed of approximately 40 m / minute produced ablation of the paint coating during the marking process . the use of a yag laser instead of a co2 laser also improves the marking effectiveness . although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms . in particular features of any one of the various described examples may be provided in any combination in any of the other described examples . | 8 |
microwave plasma has been developed to achieve higher plasma densities ( e . g . ˜ 10 12 ions / cm 3 ) and higher deposition rates , as a result of improved power coupling and absorption at higher microwave frequency ranging from 1 ghz to 10 ghz , when compared to a typical radio frequency ( rf ) coupled plasma sources at 13 . 56 mhz , for example , commonly 2 . 45 ghz . in addition , a higher frequency of 5 . 8 ghz is often used when power requirement is not as critical . the benefit of using a higher frequency source is that it has smaller size ( about half size ) of the lower frequency source of 2 . 45 ghz . one drawback of the rf plasma is that a large portion of the input power is dropped across a plasma sheath ( dark space ). by using microwave plasma , a narrow plasma sheath is formed and more power can be absorbed by the plasma for creation of radical and ion species , which increases the plasma density and reduces collision broadening of the ion energy distribution to achieve a narrow energy distribution . microwave plasma also has other advantages such as lower ion energies with a narrow energy distribution . for instance , microwave plasma may have low ion energy of 1 - 25 ev , which leads to lower damage when compared to rf plasma . in contrast , standard planar discharge would result in high ion energy of 100 ev with a broader distribution in ion energy , which would lead to higher damage , as the ion energy exceeds the binding energy for most materials of interest . this ultimately inhibits the formation of high quality crystalline thin films through introduction of intrinsic defects . with low ion energy and narrow energy distribution , microwave plasma helps in surface modification and improves coating properties . in addition , a lower substrate temperature ( e . g . lower than 200 ° c ., for instance at 100 ° c .) is achieved , as a result of increased plasma density at lower ion energy with narrow energy distribution . such a lower temperature allows better microcrystalline growth in kinetically limited conditions . also , standard planar discharge without magnetron normally requires pressure greater than about 50 mtorr to maintain self - sustained discharge , as plasma becomes unstable at pressure lower than about 50 mtorr . the microwave plasma technology described herein allows the pressure to range from about 10 − 6 torr to 1 atmospheric pressure . the processing windows such as temperature and pressure are therefore extended by using a microwave source . in the past , one drawback associated with microwave source technology in the vacuum coating industry was the difficulty in maintaining homogeneity during the scale up from small wafer processing to very large area processing . microwave reactor designs in accordance with embodiments of the invention address these problems . arrays of coaxial plasma linear sources have been developed to deposit substantially uniform coatings of ultra large area ( greater than 1 m 2 ) at high deposition rate to form dense and thick films ( e . g . 5 - 25 μm thick ). an advanced pulsing technique has been developed to control the microwave power for generating plasma , and thus to control the plasma density and plasma temperature . this advanced pulsing technique may reduce the thermal load disposed over the substrate , as the average power may remain low . this feature is relevant when the substrate has a low melting point or a low glass transition temperature , such as in the case of a polymer substrate . the advanced pulsing technique allows high power pulsing into plasma with off times in between pulses , which reduces the need for continuous heating of the substrate . another aspect of the pulsing technique is significant improvement in plasma efficiency compared to continuous microwave power . microstrip is a type of electrical transmission line which can be fabricated using printing circuit board ( pcb ) technology and is used to convey microwave - frequency signals . it consists of a conducting strip separated from a ground plane by a dielectric layer or a substrate . microwave antennas can be formed from microstrips comprising metals . microstrip is thus much cheaper than traditional waveguide technology , such as coaxial microwave line sources that are described in several related patent applications : u . s . patent application ser . no . ______ , entitled “ coaxial microwave assisted deposition and etch system ,” filed by michael w . stowell , net krishna , ralf hofman , and joe griffith ( attorney docket no . a12659 / t83600 ); u . s . patent application ser . no . ______ , entitled “ microwave rotatable sputtering deposition ,” filed by michael w . stowell , net krishna ( attorney docket no . a012144 / t82800 ); u . s . patent application ser . no . ______ , entitled “ microwave - assisted rotatable pvd ,” filed by michael w . stowell , net krishna ( attorney docket no . a012151 / t86000 ); and u . s . patent application ser . no . ______ , entitled “ microwave plasma containment shielding ,” filed by michael w . stowell ( attorney docket no . a011869 / t082600 ). the entire contents of each of the foregoing patent applications are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes . plasmas that are excited by propagation of electromagnetic surface waves are called surface wave - sustained plasmas . the surface wave may allow to generate uniform plasma in volumes that have lateral dimensions extending to a few wavelengths of the electromagnetic waves , for example , a microwave of 2 . 45 ghz in vacuum , the wavelength is about 12 . 2 cm . however , electromagnetic waves cannot propagate in over - dense plasmas , such as a plasma density of 10 12 ions / cm 3 or higher . the electromagnetic waves are reflected at the plasma surface because of a skin effect . the skin or penetration depth 6 may be in an order of a few microns . instead of electromagnetic waves traversing the plasma , the conductivity of the plasma enables the electromagnetic waves to propagate along the plasma surface . the electromagnetic wave energy is then transferred to the plasma by an evanescent wave that enters the plasma perpendicularly to the surface of the plasma and decays exponentially with the skin depth . hence , the plasma is heated so that plasma density is increased . this invention is an extension of the microstrip application to thin film processing by using a microstrip antenna to radiate surface microwaves between a sputtering target and a cathode plasma sheath or dark space which is further explained below . the microwaves generated from the microstrip antenna near the sputtering target may help enhance plasma density . the microstrip antenna may have lower power and higher losses than the coaxial microwave line source . surface wave - sustained plasmas may be operated in various geometries . the pressure range depends upon the chamber size . the larger the chamber size , the lower the minimum pressure required for the surface wave - sustained plasmas . the electromagnetic waves carried by a microstrip exist partially in a dielectric substrate and partially in the air above it or a vacuum chamber . the microstrip does not support a true transverse electromagnetic ( tem ) wave , which means that the electric and magnetic fields are both perpendicular to the direction of propagation . instead , the microstrip supports a quasi - tem wave , i . e . both the e and m fields have longitudinal components . this is different from the coaxial microwave line source , where the coaxial line behaves as a waveguide above a cutoff frequency . the electromagnetic waves generated from the coaxial lines are in a tem mode , which means that the electromagnetic waves or microwaves above the cutoff frequency have no longitudinal components . referring to fig1 , target 116 in sputtering system 100 may be made of metal , dielectric material , or semiconductor . for a metal target such as aluminum , copper , titanium , or tantalum , a dc voltage may be applied to the target to make the target a cathode and the substrate an anode . the dc voltage would help accelerate free electrons . the free electrons collide with sputtering agents such as argon ( ar ) atoms from argon gas to cause excitation and ionization of ar atoms . the excitation of ar results in gas glow . the ionization of ar generates ar + and secondary electrons . the secondary electrons repeat the excitation and ionization process to sustain the plasma discharge . near the cathode , positive charges build up as the electrons move much faster than ions due to their smaller mass . therefore , fewer electrons collide with ar so that fewer collisions with the high energy electrons result in mostly ionization rather than excitation . a cathode dark space that is also called crookes dark space is formed near the cathode . positive ions entering the cathode dark space are accelerated toward the cathode or target and bombard the target so that atoms are knocked out from the target and then transported to the substrate and also secondary electrons are generated to sustain the plasma discharge . if the distance between cathode to anode is less than the dark space , few excitations occur and discharge can not be sustained . on the other hand , if the ar pressure in a chamber is too low , there would be a larger electron mean free path such that secondary electrons would reach anode before colliding with ar atoms . in this case , discharge also can not be sustained . therefore , a condition for sustaining the plasma is where l is the electrode spacing and p is the chamber pressure . for instance , if a spacing between the target and the substrate is 10 cm , p should be greater than 50 mtorr . the mean free path λ of an atom in a gas is given by : if p is 50 mtorr , λ is about 0 . 1 cm . this means that sputtered atoms or ions typically have hundreds of collisions before reaching the substrate . this reduces the deposition rate significantly . in fact , the sputtering rate r is inversely proportional to the chamber pressure and the spacing between target and substrate . therefore , lowering required chamber pressure for sustaining discharge increases deposition rate . with a secondary microwave source near the sputtering cathode , the sputtering system allows the cathode to run at a lower pressure , lower voltage and possibly higher deposition rate . by decreasing operational voltage , atoms or ions have lower energy so that damage to the substrate is reduced . with the high plasma density and lower energy plasma from microwave assist , high deposition rate can be achieved along with lower damage to the substrate . referring to fig1 again , the target 116 in the sputtering system 100 may be made of dielectric material , such as silicon oxide , aluminum oxide , or titanium oxide . the target 106 may be subjected to ac , rf , or pulsing power to accelerate free electrons . fig1 depicts a simplified schematic , cross - sectional diagram of a physical vapor deposition ( pvd ) system 100 assisted with a microstrip microwave antenna 110 . the system may be used to practice embodiments of the invention . the system 100 includes a vacuum chamber 148 , a target 116 , a microstrip antenna 110 positioned near the target 116 , a substrate supporting member 124 , a vacuum pump system 126 , a controller 128 , gas supply system 140 , and a shield 154 for protecting the chamber walls and the sides of the substrate supporting member from sputtering deposition . the following references , i . e . u . s . pat . no . 6 , 620 , 296 b2 , u . s . patent application pub . no . us 2007 / 0045103 a1 , and u . s . patent application pub . no . us2003 / 0209422 a1 , are cited here for exemplary pvd systems used by applied materials and others and are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes . target 116 is a material to form plasma 150 and to be deposited on a substrate 120 to form a film 118 . the target 116 may comprise dielectric materials or metals . the target is typically structured for removable insertion into the corresponding pvd system 100 . targets 116 are periodically replaced with new targets given that the pvd process erodes away the target material . both dc power supply 138 and the high frequency or pulsing power supply 132 are coupled through a device to the target 116 . the device may be a switch 136 . the switch 136 selects power from either the dc power supply 138 or the power from the ac , rf or pulsing power supply 132 . a dc power supply 138 provides a dc cathode voltage of a few hundred volts . the specific cathode voltage varies with design . as the target can act as a source of negatively charged particles , the target may also be referred to as the cathode . those skilled in the art will realize that there may be many ways for switching dc and rf power that would fulfill the function . furthermore , in some embodiments , it may be advantageous to have both dc and rf power coupled to the target simultaneously . the microwaves input energy into the plasma and the plasma is heated to enhance ionization and thus increase plasma density . one of the advantages of the microstrip antenna 110 is to provide a homogeneous discharge adjacent to sputtering cathode or target 116 . this allows substantially uniform deposition of a large area over substrate 120 . the antenna 110 may be subjected to a pulsing power 170 or continuous power ( not shown ). the microstrip antenna 110 is simpler and easier to be fabricated than a coaxial microwave line source and thus has lower cost than the coaxial microwave line source . for the purpose of controlling the deposition of sputtered layer or film 118 on substrate 120 , the substrate 120 may be biased by an rf power 130 coupled to the substrate supporting member 124 which is provided centrally below and spaced apart from the target 116 , usually within the interior of the shield 154 . the bias power may have a typical frequency of 13 . 56 mhz , or more generally between 400 khz to about 500 mhz . the supporting member is electrically conductive and is generally coupled to ground or to another relatively positive reference voltage so as to define a further electrical field between the target 116 and the supporting member 124 . the substrate 120 may be a wafer , such as a silicon wafer , or a polymer substrate . the substrate 120 may be heated or cooled during sputtering , as a particular application requires . a power supply 162 may provide current to a resistive heater 164 embedded in the substrate supporting member 124 , commonly referred to as a pedestal , to thereby heat the substrate 120 . a controllable chiller 160 may circulate chilled water or other coolants to a cooling channel formed in the pedestal . it is desirable that the deposition of film 118 be uniform across the entire top surface of the substrate 120 . vacuum pump 126 can pump the chamber 148 to a very low base pressure in the range of 10 − 8 torr . a gas supply system 140 connected to the chamber 148 through a mass flow controller 142 supplies inert gases such as argon ( ar ), helium ( he ), xenon ( xe ), and / or combinations thereof . the gases may be flowed into the chamber near the top of the chamber as illustrated in fig1 above target 116 , or in the middle of the chamber ( not shown ) between the substrate 120 and target 116 . the pressure of the sputtering gases inside the chamber is typically maintained between 0 . 2 mtorr and 100 mtorr . a microprocessor controller 128 controls the position of the microstrip antenna 110 , a pulsing power or continuous power supply 170 for microwave , mass flow controller 142 , a high frequency power supply 132 , a dc power supply 138 , a bias power supply 130 , a resistive heater 164 and a chiller 160 . the controller 128 may include , for example , a memory such as random access memory , read only memory , a hard disk drive , a floppy disk drive , or any other form of digital storage , local or remote , and a card rack coupled to a general purpose computer processor ( cpu ). the controller operates under the control of a computer program stored on the hard disk or through other computer programs , such as stored on a removable disk . the computer program dictates , for example , the timing , mixture of gases , pulsing or continuous power to the microwave antenna , dc or rf power applied on targets , biased rf power for substrate , substrate temperature , and other parameters of a particular process . fig2 a is a cross sectional view of an exemplary microstrip antenna attached to a dielectric substrate outside a generally circular sputtering target . the sputtering target 202 ( inside line 202 a ) has the center positioned along centerline 210 . the dielectric substrate 206 between lines 206 a and 206 b surrounds the sputtering target 202 and is symmetric to the centerline 210 . a microstrip antenna 204 is attached to a top of the dielectric substrate 206 between lines 206 a and 206 b . a ground plane 208 is attached to a bottom of the dielectric substrate 206 . the microstrip antenna 204 radiates microwaves as pointed by arrow 214 into a cathode plasma sheath or dark space 212 . the microwaves thus enhance plasma density near the cathode or sputtering target . fig2 b is a top view of the microstrip antenna attached to a dielectric substrate outside the generally circular sputtering target shown in fig2 a . note that the target 202 inside line 202 a is generally circular in the center . the microstrip 204 is generally annular attached to the dielectric substrate that is also generally annular . the ground plane 208 ( not shown ) overlaps with the dielectric substrate 206 between lines 206 a and 206 b . the microstrip antenna 204 may comprise a dielectric coated metal . the metal may comprise , among others , copper , aluminum , silver , or gold . the dielectric coating may comprise , but not limited to , al 2 o 3 , sio 2 etc . the microstrip antenna 204 may be attached to the dielectric substrate 206 by using an adhesive . although fig2 a and 2b show a space between the sputtering target 202 and the dielectric substrate 206 , the dielectric substrate 206 may also contact the sputtering target 202 ( not shown ). referring to fig3 a now , it shows a cross sectional view of an exemplary microstrip antenna attached to a dielectric substrate outside a sputtering target of generally a rectangle . the sputtering target 302 within boundary line 302 a is positioned in centerline 310 . the dielectric substrate 306 between lines 302 a and 302 b surrounds the sputtering target 302 and is symmetric to centerline 310 . a microstrip antenna 304 is attached to a top of the dielectric substrate 306 . a ground plane 308 is attached to a bottom of the dielectric substrate 306 . the microstrip antenna 304 radiates microwaves as pointed by arrow 316 into a cathode plasma sheath or dark space 312 . the microwaves thus enhance plasma density near the cathode or sputtering target . fig3 b is a top view of the microstrip antenna attached to a dielectric substrate outside the sputtering target of generally a rectangle shown in fig3 a . note that the target 302 is of generally a rectangle positioned in centerlines 312 and 314 . the microstrip 304 is of generally a strip shape attached to the dielectric substrate 306 between lines 306 a and 306 b . the dielectric substrate is of generally a strip shape and is symmetric to the centerlines 312 and 314 . the ground plane 308 overlaps with the dielectric substrate 306 ( not shown ). those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that various configurations or geometries may be modified from the exemplary microstrips shown in fig2 a - 2b and 3 a and 3 b without departing from the spirit of the invention . other variations will also be apparent to persons of skill in the art . these equivalents and alternatives are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention . therefore , the scope of this invention should not be limited to the embodiments described . various geometries or dimensions of microstrip antennas are also discussed in u . s . patents , such as u . s . pat . no . 4 , 185 , 252 , u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 424 , 298 , 6 , 424 , 298 . each of the foregoing patents is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes . for purposes of illustration , fig4 provides a flow diagram of a process that may be used to form a film on a substrate . first , a substrate is loaded into a processing chamber as indicated at block 404 . a microstrip antenna that is attached to a dielectric layer is positioned near a sputtering target at block 406 . the microwave power is modulated at block 408 , for instance , by a power supply using a pulsing power or a continuous power . film deposition is initiated by flowing gases , such as sputtering agents , at block 410 . the carrier gases may act as a sputtering agent . for example , the carrier gas may be provided with a flow of h 2 or with a flow of inert gas , including a flow of he or even a flow of a heavier inert gas such as ar . the level of sputtering provided by the different carrier gases is inversely related to their atomic mass . flow may sometimes be provided of multiple gases , such as by providing both a flow of h 2 and a flow of he , which mix in the processing chamber . alternatively , multiple gases may sometimes be used to provide the carrier gases , such as when a flow of h 2 / he is provided into the processing chamber . as indicated at block 412 , a plasma is formed from the gases by microwave at a frequency ranging from 1 ghz to 10 ghz , for example , commonly at 2 . 45 ghz ( a wavelength of 12 . 24 cm ). in addition , a higher frequency of 5 . 8 ghz is often used when power requirement is not as critical . the benefit of using a higher frequency source is that it has smaller size ( about half size ) of the lower frequency source of 2 . 45 ghz . in some embodiments , the plasma may be a high - density plasma having an ion density that exceeds 10 12 ions / cm 3 . also , in some instances the deposition characteristics may be affected by applying an electrical bias to the substrate at block 414 . application of such a bias causes the ionic species of the plasma to be attracted to the substrate , sometimes resulting in increased sputtering . the environment within the processing chamber may also be regulated in other ways in some embodiments , such as controlling the pressure within the processing chamber , controlling the flow rates of the gases and where they enter the processing chamber , controlling the power used in generating the plasma , controlling the power used in biasing the substrate and the like . under the conditions defined for processing a particular substrate , material is thus deposited over the substrate as indicated at block 416 . pulsing frequency may affect the microwave pulsing power into plasma . fig5 shows the frequency effect of the microwave pulsing power 504 on the light signal of plasma 502 . the light signal of plasma 502 reflects the average radical concentration . as shown in fig5 , at a low pulsing frequency such as 10 hz , in the event that all radicals are consumed , the light signal from plasma 502 decreases and extinguishes before the next power pulse comes in . as pulsing frequency increases to higher frequency such as 10 , 000 hz , the average radical concentration is higher above the baseline 506 and becomes more stable . fig6 shows the plasma density versus continuous microwave power . note that when plasma density increases to above 2 . 2 × 10 11 / cm 3 , the plasma density starts to saturate with increasing microwave power . the reason for this saturation is that the microwave radiation is reflected more once the plasma density becomes dense . due to the limited power in available microwave sources , microwave plasma linear sources of any substantial length may not achieve optimal plasma conditions , i . e . very dense plasma . pulsing microwave power allows for much higher peak energy into the antenna than continuous microwaves , such that the optimal plasma condition can be approached . fig7 shows a graph which illustrates the improved plasma efficiency of pulsing microwaves over continuous microwaves , assuming that the pulsing microwaves have the same average power as the continuous microwaves . note that continuous microwaves result in less disassociation as measured by the ratio of nitrogen radical n 2 + over neutral n 2 . a 31 % increase in plasma efficiency can be achieved by using pulsing microwave power . while the above is a complete description of specific embodiments of the present invention , various modifications , variations and alternatives may be employed . moreover , other techniques for varying the parameters of deposition could be employed in conjunction with the microstrip antennas . examples of the possible variations include but are not limited to different geometries of the microstrip antennas or sputtering targets , variations in dimensions and configurations of the microstrip antennas , different waveforms for pulsing power applied to the microstrip antennas , dc , rf or pulsing power to the target , the rf bias condition for the substrate , the temperature of the substrate , the pressure of deposition , and the flow rate of inert gases and the like . having described several embodiments , it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that various modifications , alternative constructions , and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention . additionally , a number of well known processes and elements have not been described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention . accordingly , the above description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention . | 7 |
a cooling module 100 shown in perspective from the front in fig1 and from the back in fig2 for a motor vehicle ( not shown here ) is composed of a plurality of cooling and frame components and shows in particular adapter elements 121 , 122 of a pair of adapters 120 . the terms , front , back , top , bottom , laterally , centrally , left and right refer to the viewing direction of a motor vehicle ( not shown here ) in which the cooling module is installed . in fig1 a low - temperature cooler 110 is shown , which is attached in front of a condenser frame 130 . in addition to the low - temperature cooler , the condenser frame 130 also bears a condenser module shown in fig3 . the condenser frame 130 is provided on the left and right with respectively one laterally projecting flange 131 , which respectively has an opening 132 . the condenser frame 130 is held by a clip connection , not shown in further detail here , in the lower region with the pair of adapters or the radiator unit . in the upper region for connection a bolt 123 with bolt groove with the adapters 121 , 122 and connected and secured via a securing clip ( not shown here ). fig2 shows in particular a fan shroud 140 for bearing a fan with electric motor ( not shown here ). the fan shroud has respectively two laterally projecting rectangular shrouds 141 on the left and on the right . these shrouds 141 are sunk from above into corresponding shroud receptacles 124 , open at the top , of the adapter elements 121 , 122 . to improve the stability of the shroud connection , the shroud receptacles 124 are reinforced at the bottom in that the part located under the shroud 141 is thickened towards the adapter element 121 , 122 . furthermore , the lower shroud receptacles also have respectively one click - stop element in the form of a snap - on bracket 125 , which prevents the lower shrouds from springing out of the shroud receptacle . each snap - on bracket 125 is arranged such that a lower edge lies above the top of the shroud in the clicked - in or snapped - in condition . the snap - on brackets can be elastically deformed in that , during the assembly of a radiator component on the adapter elements 121 , 122 , they can be moved towards these adapter elements and spring back when the assembly is completed . fig3 and 4 show the cooling module 100 in a perspective view from the front ( fig3 ) and from the back ( fig4 ). the low - temperature cooler 110 , the condenser frame 130 , a condenser module 133 , an upper air baffle 150 that can be optionally mounted for air guidance , a lower attachment sheet 160 , the two adapter elements 121 , 122 and the fan shroud 140 , which is shown without an opening for greater clarity , are shown . air flows into the air intake plane 170 in the direction of the arrow 171 . a free space 180 between the two adapter elements 121 , 122 should be pointed out , which free space remains if , as in the case shown , a radiator unit for internal combustion engines is not used . the pair of adapters shown in fig3 and 4 cannot be flowed through by fluid due to the interior lattice structure that is used for reinforcement , and is thus not suitable for holding or for connection of a radiator unit , but can instead take over all of the holding , bearing and connecting functions of an assembly of this type without replacing the cooling function . in contrast to fig3 and 4 , fig5 and 6 show a further cooling component in the form of a radiator unit 190 that is flowed through by air and engine fluid of an internal combustion engine , such as is necessary for cooling internal combustion engines . the radiator unit 190 in this case has two adapter elements in the form of fluid - conveyable boxes 191 , 192 of plastic that are connected with a so - called network ( a soldered aluminum component composed of tubes , ribs , bases and side parts ), not shown in detail here , of the radiator unit 190 . optionally , these adapter elements 191 , 192 can be used either to hold a radiator unit flowed through by air and engine fluid of an internal combustion engine or to create a free space and to take over or replace all of the holding , bearing and connecting functions of the radiator unit . fig7 shows again the adapter elements 121 , 122 , which are unsuitable for connection to a radiator unit . plug - in pins 126 can be seen clearly here , arranged on the top of the adapter elements , which plug - in pins render possible a plug - in connection with further cooling components , such as with the upper air baffle . furthermore , the interior reinforcement of an adapter element by a lattice structure 128 is shown . fig8 shows again a radiator unit 190 with the adapter elements 191 , 192 . the adapter elements are respectively surrounded by a full perimeter collar 127 of aluminum projecting inwards . fig9 shows the fan shroud preassembled with the two adapter elements 121 , 122 , in this condition it is still possible for the fan shroud to be moveable to the left and to the right , that is , in the y direction 172 . this is definitely desirable for an assembly , but is to be avoided in an operating condition . a corresponding subsequent fixing by fixing elements is necessary for this purpose . fig1 shows diagrammatically a possible fixing by a screw , not shown , which is screwed into a bore indicated by a cross 129 . the screw head can thereby press the shroud receptacle onto the shroud and fix it there free from play . fig1 shows a further pair of adapters 120 in the two upper views from the front and in the two lower view from the back . of course , this pair of adapters is not suitable for use with a radiator unit either , but provides a material - saving way of omitting the radiator unit and of taking over the carrying , holding and connecting functions thereof inside a cooling module . the two side walls of the pair of adapters are connected to one another in an l - shaped manner and reinforced by interior ribs . 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 . | 8 |
in the embodiment of fig1 a household freezer 10 has an access door 12 and a cabinet 14 forming a sealable food storage compartment . the freezer 10 also has a door - alarm system ( not shown ) which has a switch 16 mounted on the cabinet 14 and actuatable in response to opening and closing the door 12 , as is known in the art . as the door 12 of the freezer 10 is opened , a plunger of the switch 16 moves outwardly and electrical contacts are closed which actuates the alarm system . the alarm system may have a delay mechanism associated therewith for delaying the sounding of an alarm of the system for a preselected period of time , for example 30 seconds , after the door 12 is opened . as is further known , as the door 12 is closed , the plunger of the switch 16 is moved inwardly , thereby opening the electrical contacts and deactivating the alarm system . if the door 12 is closed prior to running of the delay time , the alarm is not sounded . in the embodiment of fig2 - 4 , the switch 16 has a housing 18 that is connected to the face 20 of the freezer cabinet 14 . in the installed position , an electrical plug 22 ( fig2 ) is connected to the alarm system , as is known in the art . an example of the switch of this type is a rocker switch , model no . 780102 , manufactured by littlefuse , inc ., which is located at 800 east northwest highway , des plaines , illinois . the switch 16 has a plunger 24 pivotally connected to the housing 18 for movement between a switch - closed position ( fig1 - 3 ) at which the plunger 24 extends outwardly from the cabinet face 20 and a switch - open position ( fig4 ) at which a face 26 of the plunger 24 substantially lies in a plane of the cabinet face 20 . a biasing means 28 , such as a spring , is associated with the housing 18 and the plunger 24 for biasing the plunger 24 to the switch - closed position , as shown by solid lines in fig3 . the plunger 24 is at the switch - closed position in response to opening the freezer door 12 . at this position , the alarm system is actuated . the plunger 24 is at the switch - open position in response to closing the cabinet door 12 . at this position , as shown in fig4 the alarm circuit is open in response to opening a pair of electrical contacts 29 , 30 of the switch 16 , the contact 29 being fixed and mounted to the switch housing 18 and the contact 30 being movable . to provide an operative connection between the plunger 24 and the contacts 29 , 30 , a square shaft 31 passes through a corresponding square opening in the plunger 24 along the pivotal axis thereof and extends to the right and through a square opening in an arm member 32 . when the plunger 24 is depressed , the shaft 31 rotates clockwise ( viewed from the right side as in fig4 ) and the arm member 32 moves the movable contact 30 away from the fixed contact 29 . the holding element 34 , as best seen in fig3 is formed of wire and is pivotally connected to the housing 18 for movement between a free position , shown by solid lines , and a holding position , shown by broken lines . at the free position of the holding element 34 , the plunger 24 is free to move between the switch - open and switch - closed positions in response to closing and opening the freezer door 12 . as shown , in the free position the holding element 34 is substantially entirely within the switch housing 18 , thereby precluding any possibility of interference with the door 12 upon closing . at the holding position , the holding element 34 is contacting and releasably maintaining the plunger 24 at a deactivated position , shown by broken lines in fig3 . at the deactivated position , the plunger is positioned between switch - open and switch - closed positions , the electrical contacts 29 , 30 are spaced one from the other , and the alarm circuit is open . the holding element 34 is mechanically movable by a user from the free position to the holding position when it is desirable that the alarm not sound during a period when the door is open . the plunger 24 can be maintained at the deactivated position by frictional forces between the holding element 34 and the plunger face 26 . in order to assure maintaining the plunger 24 at the deactivated position , it is preferred that a groove 36 be formed across the plunger face 26 at a position for receiving and releasably maintaining the holding element 34 in the groove 36 . the groove 36 is configured to release the holding element 34 when the plunger 24 is further depressed toward the switch - open position , such as when the door 12 is closed . spring means is associated with the holding element 34 , as will be hereafter more fully described , for biasing the holding element 34 from the holding position toward the free position for automatically resetting the alarm system in response to closing the freezer door 12 . the holding element 34 is of a generally &# 34 ; u &# 34 ; configuration , extends about the plunger 24 , and has first and second legs 38 , 40 positioned on opposed sides of the plunger 24 , as better seen in fig2 . the &# 34 ; u &# 34 ; configured holding element 34 further includes a bight portion 37 ( fig2 and 3 ) for engaging the groove 36 . each leg has outwardly extending protrusions 48 , 50 for insertion into respective openings 42 , 44 of the housing 18 for pivotally connecting the holding element 34 to the housing 18 . it will be apparent that the pivotal connections of the protrusions 48 , 50 to the openings 42 , 44 are completely within the housing 18 and the entire arrangement and construction of the holding element 34 permits the holding element 34 to be substantially entirely within the housing 18 when in the free position , thereby precluding interference with normal closing of the door 12 . the means for biasing the holding element from the holding position toward the free position is a spring portion 46 which extends from one of the protrusions 50 and into contact with the housing 18 . here the spring portion 46 extends into contact with ledge 52 of the housing 18 . the ledge 52 maintains the spring portion 46 against downward movement during moving of the holding element to the holding position , thereby causing the element 34 to bend . the holding element 34 and / or the spring portion is resilient and thereby urges the holding element 34 from the holding position toward the free position . it should be understood that the spring portion 46 can be a separate element , an extension of the holding element 34 , or other biasing means . as shown in fig3 the spring portion 46 is an extension of the holding element 34 which forms an acute angle with leg 40 . in the embodiment of fig5 the plunger 24 &# 39 ; is slidably movable relative to the housing 18 &# 39 ; as opposed to pivotally movable as in the embodiment of fig2 - 4 . the apparatus of this embodiment functions in substantially the same manner as set forth above . however , in this embodiment , the spring portion of the holding element 34 is a helical spring 53 which has first and second legs 54 , 56 and the groove 36 &# 39 ; is formed on a side of plunger 24 &# 39 ; for releasably receiving the holding element 34 &# 39 ;. in the operation of the apparatus of this invention , the alarm system is actuated each time the freezer door is opened and the alarm circuit is opened each time the freezer door is closed . when a user desires to clean the freezer or perform a function which will require the door to remain open for a considerable length of time , the user manually depresses the plunger 24 to the deactuation position and inserts the bight portion 37 of the holding element 34 in the groove 36 for maintaining the electrical contacts 29 , 30 spaced one from the other . at this position , the alarm system circuit is open . when the user is finished , the action of closing the freezer door causes the plunger 24 to be further depressed thereby freeing the holding element 34 which is biased to the free position . by the use of the apparatus of this invention , the alarm system is manually deactivated and thereafter automatically reset in response to closing the freezer door . this apparatus , therefore , prevents a user from failing to reset the alarm system which could result in the loss of food where the freezer door is subsequently left open and the alarm system remains deactivated . other modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing discussion , and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited thereto . | 7 |
in the following description , color references are made to the royal horticultural society colour chart , 2007 edition , except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used . plants used for the description were grown in 11 . 8 l containers under 50 % shade under outdoor conditions in a nursery in watkinsville , ga . plants were about 2 years old when the description was recorded . two groups of plants were used for the description to describe the flower colors with and without aluminum . the first group was grown in a medium consisting of composted pine bark , with no aluminum present and a ph of 5 . 7 . the second group was grown in a medium consisting of composted pine bark that was amended with 45 grams of aluminum sulphate and a ph of 5 . 7 . aluminum only affects flower color . therefore , colors with and without aluminum are only specified for floral parts . botanical classification : ‘ piihm - ii ’ is a cultivar of hydrangea macrophylla . parentage : the current variety is a progeny from an open pollination of hydrangea macrophylla ‘ piihm - i ’ ( u . s . plant pat . no . 20 , 176 ). propagation : vegetatively by stem cuttings . plant description : the claimed variety is a compact , rounded and spreading deciduous shrub . the original plant , now about 4 - years - old in the ground , is about 91 cm in height from the soil level to the top of the inflorescences , and about 109 cm in diameter . freely branching . the plant is cold hardy in usda zones 5 to 9 . stems .— first year stems have a diameter of about 4 mm , a round shape , and a stout and lustrous texture with very fine pubescence . exfoliation .— on second year and older stems , flaky and stringy , color 161a . internodes have a length of about 4 . 1 cm . the stem color is 178a . second year stems have a diameter of about 6 mm or more and are n199d in color . vegetative buds .— arrangement : opposite . shape : ovoid . size : about 2 mm in length , about 1 mm in width . color : 178a . size .— about 10 cm in length and about 5 . 9 cm in width . shape .— ovate , with acuminate apex , cuneate base and serrate margin . texture .— upper surface is thick and leathery covered with a fine pubescence , 155a in color ; lower surface is thick and leathery with tuffs of pubescence , 155a in color , in the axils of the secondary veins . color .— emerging leaves are 139a on the upper surface and 147b on the lower surface ; mature leaves on the upper surface are 147a , and 147b on the lower surface . winter leaf color .— on the upper and lower surface 53c . venation .— pinnate , veins are 182a at the base of the leaf changing to 146d in color on the majority of the upper and lower surfaces . petiole .— about 1 . 3 cm in length and about 2 . 5 mm in diameter , upper and lower surface smooth and glabrous , and 183b in color . petiole is grooved on upper side and crescent - shaped in cross section . inflorescence bloom period .— early summer to first frost in fall . an inflorescence contains about 68 individual fertile flowers . an inflorescence contains about 443 individual sterile florets . inflorescence shape and size .— mophead , about 7 . 5 cm in height and about 13 cm in diameter . the inflorescence is effective for about 8 weeks . the peduncle is about 5 . 1 cm in length , is finely pubescent , and is n77d in color with aluminum and 61b in color without aluminum . the pedicels are about 1 . 2 cm in length , finely pubescent , and n77d in color with aluminum and 61b in color without aluminum . flower bud size .— about 2 mm in length , about 2 mm in diameter . flower bud shape .— round . color .— 86b when grown with aluminum , and n74c when grown without aluminum . sterile florets .— are about 2 . 1 cm in diameter . each floret contains 4 sepals about 1 cm in length and about 9 mm in width . sterile floret shape : ovoid with obtuse apex , acute base , and entire margin . texture : smooth with no pubescence . color at maturity : with aluminum , the upper surface is n82a and the lower surface is n82c . without aluminum , the upper surface is 71b and lower surface is n74d . color of aged sepals : with aluminum , the upper and lower surfaces are 185b . without aluminum , the upper and lower surfaces are 184c . petals ( fertile flowers ).— size : 5 petals per flower , about 3 mm in length and about 1 . 5 mm in width . shape : ovate , with acuminate apex , truncate base , and entire margin . texture : smooth with no pubescence . color : at peak of bloom the upper surface of the petals is n88a and the lower surface is n88b with aluminum . when grown without aluminum the upper surface of the petals is n74c and the lower surface is n74d . sepals .— 5 per flower , 1 . 5 mm in length and 0 . 75 mm in width . color of sepal : on upper and lower surface with aluminum n88b . color of sepal : on upper and lower surface 62b without aluminum . number of stamens .— 6 to 10 . anthers .— about 1 mm in length and about 0 . 5 mm in width . n88a in color with aluminum and n80b in color without aluminum . filaments .— about 3 mm in length and n88b in color with aluminum and n80a in color without aluminum . pollen .— 155d in color , produced in moderate quantities . pistil .— superior , about 3 mm in length and about 1 . 5 mm in width , n88a in color with aluminum and n74b in color without aluminum . stigma .— usually 2 but sometimes 3 per pistil , round in shape and n88b in color with aluminum and 76a in color without aluminum . style .— about 2 mm in length and tubular in shape , n88a in color with aluminum and 71d in color without aluminum . fruit : the capsule fruit is ovoid , about 3 mm in length and about 2 mm in width . the color during early ripening is close to 54b and at maturity is close to 200c . the number of fruit per infructescence varies widely . seed .— the seeds are round , about 0 . 5 mm in length and about 0 . 5 mm in width , close to 199b , and each capsule contains about 50 seeds . disease / pest resistance : resistant to powdery mildew . no other pest or disease resistance / susceptibility has been observed . | 0 |
embodiments of the present invention will be explained hereinafter in reference to the attached drawings , fig1 - 9 . fig1 shows a system illustrating one embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 the reference numeral 11 denotes a digital oscillating circuit . in the digital oscillating circuit 11 , a master clock fclk is generated by connecting one quartz oscillator 13 to an analog system clock generator 12 . an analog control signal is input to the clock generator 12 through a frequency control terminal 14 . the master clock fclk is supplied to a digital oscillator 15 , and a color subcarrier signal fsc is introduced from the digital oscillator 15 to an output terminal 16 . a control signal for changing the oscillating color subcarrier signal fsc associated with a particular television system is input to the digital oscillator 15 through a control terminal 17 . a detailed explanation of the digital oscillating circuit 11 will be provided later . the digital oscillating circuit 11 does not have an input of comparison result data δsa shown in fig1 ; thus , it also does not have an adder 127 like the one shown in fig1 . since the master clock fclk changes in analog operations to obtain a desirable frequency , it will be unnecessary to consider the bit resolution in the digital oscillating circuit 11 . besides , since the frequency jump corresponding to one bit of data does not occur by the complete phase synchronization , it is also unnecessary to discuss the color phase difference detection limit at the one line ending time . fig2 shows an example of when the system in fig1 is used as an apc circuit of a tv receiver . the same components as those shown in fig1 are assigned the same reference numerals . a burst signal obtained from a composite video signal is applied to an input terminal 22 of an analog phase detector 21 . here , the output of the digital oscillating circuit 11 is phase - compared with the analog conversion signal via an analog converter 23 . an output signal having its low frequency band extracted by a loop filter 24 is connected to a frequency control terminal 14 of a clock generator 12 . the clock generator 12 changes the oscillation frequency using a frequency control signal . the oscillation signal obtained from the clock generator 12 is input to an accumulated data generator 15a in the digital oscillator 15 as a master clock fclk . on the other hand , a signal for changing the frequency of the color subcarrier signal fsc is input to an initial data generator 15b in the digital oscillator 15 from a changing terminal 17 . the initial data for defining the initial oscillation frequency of the color subcarrier signal fsc changes the initial data δso , which is equal to a given sum data δs according to the changing signal . since the comparison result data δsa is not in the accumulated data of the accumulated data generator 15a , the initial data δso is equal to the given sum data δs . as explained in the conventional example , in the accumulated data generator 15a , the sum data δs is added at each master clock fclk . since the amount of data steadily rises toward overflow , a sawtooth waveform data sequence is obtained and a data sequence output having a least distortion is obtained by converting the sawtooth waveform data sequence into a sinusoidal waveform . an analog output signal obtained from the burst signal and the output of the digital oscillator 15 via an analog converter 23 is phase - compared in a phase detector 21 , and a comparison result is obtained by the analog converter 23 . the signal is passed through the loop filter 24 to extract the low components and is supplied to the clock generator 12 as an analog signal . in the clock generator 12 , the frequency changes very little due to the signal ; as a result , it changes the output frequency of the digital oscillator 15 very little . at the end , the phase detector 21 drives the oscillation frequency of the digital oscillator 15 and phase - synchronizes the digital oscillator 15 with the burst signal completely . the sum data δs only controls the initial oscillation frequency . since the controlling of phase detection is operated by the master clock fclk , the controlling parameter is divided into two parts , making it unnecessary to add apc controlling information on the sum data δs . generally speaking , the fsc changing terminal 17 is provided for coarse adjustment of the oscillation frequency of the digital oscillator 15 , while the frequency control terminal 14 is operated for finer adjustment . in the conventional system shown in fig1 , the frequency band of the quartz oscillator circuit 103 ranges from + 500 to + 700 hz compared with that of the color subcarrier signal fsc . if the clock generator 12 in fig2 has the same ratio , for instance , the master clock fclk is 16 mhz , which is four times the frequency of the color subcarrier fsc , it can have a frequency band from about ± 2 to ± 3 khz . the setup is enough to be corresponded by the analog circuit . since the master clock is varied in the digital oscillator 15 , the error from the frequency of the color subcarrier signal fsc of the initial oscillator caused by δs can be large . if anything , it may be an initial oscillation frequency error to the extent of the conventional oscillator in fig9 ranging from 0 to 100 hz , ± 5 hz . if the bit length of the accumulated data generator has an m bit size ( m is an integer ) for a certain master clock fclk , the oscillation frequency fosc of the digital oscillator 15 can be expressed by the following equation ; since the sum data δs is an integer , if m is within ± 100 hz of the frequency of the color subcarrier fsc of the four television standards , m will be 15 when the master clock fclk is 16 mhz . the fosc precision will not be changed even if the bit length is lengthened about 2 or 3 bits . this is because an integral error which arises when the sum data δs sought is contained . accordingly , if the bit length is 15 , it will be possible to decrease the bit length by about 7 or 9 bits from the conventional device without sacrificing precision , a reduction of about two - thirds the number of bits from the conventional device . of course , the latch steps are also decreased in proportion to the bit length . the initial data δso in the conventional system , as shown in fig1 , will be m = 22 and sum data δs = 1162247 when it is calculated from equation ( 1 ) in the case of a bg - pal system . the initial data needs almost the same bit length as the accumulating addition of the accumulated data generator 128 . however , in this embodiment , the adder is not necessary so , it can get almost the half of the scale reducing effect as a whole system of the digital oscillation circuit 11 . since the output of the analog phase detector 21 does not have a element of the clock delay , the output can be obtained in real - time . further , since the analog phase detector 21 does not have the clock delay factor , which was needed for synchronizing the timing of the comparison result data δsa and the initial data δso in the adder 127 in the conventional fig1 , the same pull - in time as the apc in fig1 can be obtained . accordingly the operation which took eight fields in fig1 can be done with four fields in this embodiment , greatly reducing the visual delays caused by long cycles . here , the construction of the accumulated data generator 15a in fig2 is the same as an accumulated data generator 128 in fig1 and the construction example is the same as fig1 . a detailed explanation of the accumulated data generator 15a will be omitted here , but since the bit length in the circuit is different , it can not be regarded in the same light as the construction example in fig1 . next , the embodiment of the analog converter 23 in fig2 is explained by using fig3 . the analog converter 23 ia a circuit which inputs the data sequence from the accumulated data generator 15a and converts the data into an analog signal . the data sequence from the accumulated data generator 15a is sent to the input terminal 16 . the input data sequence is converted into an analog signal by a d / a converter 23a . however , since the output signal is still involved in sampling , the output signal is just converted into a voltage signal . accordingly ; it leaves a lot of spurious components containing an alias which must be removed . the spurious components are removed in a spurious noise rejection circuit 23b . an analog color subcarrier fsc is output to an output terminal 31 from the spurious noise rejection circuit 23b . the conventional circuit shown in fig1 does not have the analog converter 23 , but the analog output is necessary to connect an oscillator 114 in fig1 into the analog system as a matter of course , and thus the analog converter is necessary as well in the conventional circuit . fig4 shows another system of the apc circuit according to the present invention which incorporates a digital phase detector without using the analog phase detector . a burst signal of the digital data , which is converted in the a / d converter ( not shown ), is sent through an input terminal 41 to one input of a digital phase detector 42 . a digital output from the output terminal 16 of a digital oscillating circuit 11 is applied to the other input of the digital phase detector 42 for phase detection . the detected output data is supplied to an analog converter 44 via a loop filter 43 . the analog conversion signal is supplied to a frequency control input terminal 14 of the oscillating circuit 11 to control the oscillation frequency of the clock generator 12 . according to the above configuration , the clock is controlled by analog operations . thus , it is possible to reduce the bit length of the oscillating circuit 11 and thus decrease the cost of the oscillating circuit 11 . however , in the case of fig4 since the phase - detection output represents a digital signal , the frequency jump corresponding to one bit of data as explained in reference to fig1 occurs . the degree of the frequency jump depends on the bit size of the analog conversion or phase - detection output . but , those matters can be improved by changing the positional order of the loop filter 43 and the analog conversion circuit 44 through configuring the loop filter 43 in analog operations or properly adjusting the characteristics of the loop filter 43 . since delays , such as those caused in the adder 127 in the conventional system shown in fig1 , do not occur in the system shown in fig4 the apc pull - in time is improved compared to that in the conventional system of fig1 . thus , the apc circuits according to the present invention do not lower the essential effect of the circuits even though there is a slight difference in the digital or analog configuration of the phase detector . referring now to fig5 still another system of the apc circuit according to the present invention will be explained . the system shown in fig5 is a modification in which a phase controller 51 is added for processing the control signal to the analog phase detector 21 shown in fig2 . in some applications , it is desirable to make the phase of the signal supplied to the phase detector different from the phase of the signal used in other circuits . in this case , the phase controller 51 receives the analog conversion signal output from the analog converter 23 . an output of the phase controller 51 is fed back to the phase detector 21 . the phase controller 51 consequently outputs another phase - controlled signal as the color subcarrier signal fsc . here , when a phase controller , such as the phase controller 51 , is used in the system shown in fig4 the phase controller can be inserted between the output terminal 16 of the oscillating circuit 11 and the phase detector 42 . referring now to fig6 the system shown in fig5 in cooperation with the television standard discriminating system will be described . further , the function of the fsc changing terminal 17 in television receivers will be also explained . accordingly , in fig6 the analog phase detector is illustrated based the circuit configuration of analog phase detectors . in fig6 the output of the oscillator 11 is converted into analog signals in the analog converter 23 and then input to the phase controller 51 . one output of the phase controller 51 is fed back to the analog phase detector 21 . a television standard discrimination system 61 is provided for receiving the output signal from the phase controller 51 , the input burst signal on the input terminal 22 , and a clock signal ck through a clock input terminal 62 . the output of the discrimination system 61 , i . e ., an fsc changing signal , is fed back to the control terminal 17 of the oscillator 11 . the television standard discrimination system 61 is provided with an ntsc killer circuit 63 and a pal killer circuit 64 which both receive the burst signal . the phase detector 51 provides the ntsc killer circuit 63 and the pal killer circuit 64 with respective suitably phase - controlled color subcarrier signals fsc . the outputs of the killer circuits 63 and 64 are supplied to a television standard discrimination circuit 65 for discriminating the standard of the presently received signal . the ntsc killer circuit 63 discriminates whether the presently received signal is an ntsc signal or not by processing the phase - controlled color subcarrier fsc and the burst signal . the pal killer circuit 64 discriminates in the same manner as the ntsc killer circuit 63 . however , since the burst signal at the pal system has different phases at each line , the pal killer circuit 64 provides color subcarrier signals fsc which are suitably phase - controlled in synchronism with the phase change of the burst signal . since the phase control as mentioned above is needed for the processing of the color subcarrier signal fsc of the tv receiver , the phase controller is located between the oscillating circuit 11 and the phase detector 21 . such a phase control is also needed for the color subcarrier signal fsc supplied to demodulators . the clock signal ck input to the television standard discrimination circuit 65 is a four field cycle clock signal . thus , the television standard discrimination circuit 65 generates the fsc changing signal based on the unit of the four field cycle . for instance , when a signal is neither associated with the ntsc system nor the pal system , the frequency of the color subcarrier signal fsc is changed every four fields . in the initial data generator 15b , the value of the sum data δs is changed based on the changes of the color subcarrier signal fsc every four fields . thus , the television standard of the presently received chrominance signal is discriminated . here , if the pal standard signal is received , the pal killer circuit 64 outputs a signal corresponding to the pal standard signal . the television standard discrimination circuit 65 discriminates the output signal of the pal killer circuit 64 as a pal system signal when referring the output of the ntsc killer circuit 63 or the color subcarrier signal fsc . at the time , the fsc changing signal is deactivated and the current frequency of the color subcarrier signal fsc is maintained . further , a pal demodulating circuit ( not shown ) is activated for reproducing a pal demodulating color difference signal . similar operations are also carried out when receiving the ntsc standard signal . since the secam standard system processes signals in a different manner from the pal and the ntsc standard systems , the operation for receiving a secam standard signal is basically not related to the oscillation of the color subcarrier signal fsc . however , if the fsc oscillating circuit 11 changes the oscillation frequency at the secam receiving time , the chrominance signal displayed on a screen is affected by a leakage signal of the color subcarrier fsc . so , during the secam receiving time , the color subcarrier signal fsc is usually fixed with that of the pal or the ntsc system . thus , monitoring of killer information of the secam system at the television standard discrimination circuit 65 is usually required . when the receiver is fully adapted to receive the secam system , the killer information of the secam killer circuit 66 is input to the television standard discrimination circuit 65 and the comprehensive television standard discrimination is carried out . even if such a full multi standards - ready color television receiver is adapted for all standards including the secam standard , the presently received standards is sure to be automatically discriminated by cyclically performing the change of the color subcarrier signal fsc . in the case of a television receiver for use in south america , the sum data δs can be prepared for the ntsc system and the m - pal and n - pal systems , and in case of a television receiver for use in europe , asia , or other countries , the pal and ntsc systems can be changed . on the other hand , in the case of the pal system , its color subcarrier is interleaved between horizontal frequencies by means of so - called 1 / 4 line offset techniques . since the burst signal is phase - controlled to 90 degrees every line , apparent frequencies are not unified . since sideband components caused by the operation are combined on a frequency axis , if the pull - in frequency range of the color subcarrier signal fsc at the receiving side is wide , the sideband components cause a fault - locking malfunction to the sideband components . so , to oscillate the color subcarrier signal fsc , a device such as a quartz oscillator having a stable reference frequency , a high degree of q , and an order of around 10 6 ( i . e , ppm ) in errors of the frequency variable limits and the initial oscillation frequency could be used . in the case of the conventional quartz oscillator circuit 103 in fig1 , the damping resistance on the terminal provided for connecting the quartz oscillators to the pal system is lowered to decrease the q of the circuit , and the frequency band is made wide enough so that the variable limits will not expand to the frequencies causing the fault - locking . hereinafter , some measures applied in the present invention will be described in detail . in the digital oscillating circuit of the present invention , the oscillation frequency of the clock generator 12 is fixed , i . e ., the oscillation frequency is unchanged even if it generates any frequency needed for the color subcarrier signals fsc of the above - mentioned four standards . however , since the δs of an initial data generator 15b is controlled by a television standard discriminator 65 , the oscillated frequency can be discriminated between that used in the pal standard and the other standards . accordingly , the frequency band of the oscillating circuit 11 in the case of the pal standard is narrower than that of the other standards so that it is able to carry out an adaptive control . generally , the frequency band of the oscillating circuit 11 is defined by not only a damping resistance but also a vector composition ratio . by making the vector composition ratio small , the frequency variable limits can be controlled from outside . so , when the signal is oscillated with a pal frequency , the vector composition ratio may be controlled or changed to become small . of course , when the signal is oscillated with a pal frequency , specific variable limits are set up , and when it is oscillated with the other color subcarrier signals fsc , the variable limits can be widened . the embodiment mentioned above explains a case where the system in fig1 is input to the pll loop . the case of a system that is not input to the pll loop will explained hereinafter . in some applications , the oscillation frequency of the oscillator can be changed in a step - wise manner so that frequency - locking is not required . for instance , there is an application using sif ( sound intermediate frequency ) handling in the multi - standards - ready color television receiver . there are four television standards for sif handling in television signals . in japan , 4 . 5 mhz is used for the sif , while other countries also use 5 . 5 mhz , 6 . 0 mhz and 6 . 5 mhz for the sif . when these sif signals are received in one television receiver , they are frequency - converted to a single if so that the signal can be processed by only one audio signal detection circuit . there are many ways to set up the in the frequency arrangement . for instance , if the second if next to the first frequency conversion is set to 500 khz , the television receiver is required to accommodate four local oscillation frequencies of 4 . 0 mhz , 5 . 0 mhz , 5 . 5 mhz and 6 . 0 mhz for conversion of the 4 . 5 mhz sif , the 5 . 5 mhz sif , the 6 . 0 mhz sif and the 6 . 5 mhz sif . the present invention is suitable for application in such an sif local oscillator . for the second if , it will be sufficient to have a tracking efficiency of 0 . 1 % for converting the frequency of the received signal to about 500 khz . generally , a reference oscillator is provided for this usage . some of integer - times frequencies are then produced from the reference frequency by using a frequency synthesizer , and the produced frequencies are used as respective local oscillation signals . in this case , many frequency dividers and a loop filter are required since the frequency synthesizer is itself arranged in a pll configuration . on the other hand , the oscillator according to the present invention can generate arbitrary frequencies from the reference signal and without requiring such a loop filter . in the conventional system , the pll technique is used for overcoming the unstableness of the oscillation frequency due to the dispersion of time constants obtained in the ic configuration . by contrast , the present invention can provide good precision of the reference frequency without using the pll technique . further , since a spectrum of the signal obtained from the digital oscillating circuit 11 has the same precision as the clock generator 12 for the reference signal , it provides an extremely pure color presentation with less spurious noise . although the present invention does not require the apc ( pll ) loop , the initial oscillation error in the clock generator 12 or the initial oscillation data error caused by controlling the bit length of the accumulated data generator 15a may cause a slight aberration in the tracking frequency . referring now to fig7 and 8 , a method for compensating for the aberration will be described . the choice of the receptions , which will determine the frequency among the above - mentioned four television standard sifs , is selected by a microcomputer . so , if proper compensations corresponding to these four television standards are conducted it is possible to cancel the initial oscillation error . in fig7 compensation data are provided from a microcomputer 71 to a memory 72 . an output of the memory 72 is supplied to a d / a converter 73 . an analog output from the d / a converter 73 is supplied to a frequency control terminal 14 of the oscillator 11 . in this case , the clock frequency is controlled by an analog voltage or a current signal converted from the compensation data from the microcomputer 71 . the memory 72 can be of either a ram or a rom . the compensation data can be prepared by adjusting the data once and then applying it to the microcomputer every time it is needed , or the compensation data can be stored in a rom in advance and then selectively read from the rom in response to a changing signal of the four standard sifs . further , when the sif frequency is changed using the changing terminal 17 with a sufficient precision , control data from the microcomputer 71 can be used for adjusting the master clock fclk . thus , it can output different frequencies with high precision and high purity . in manufacturing lines , since the data is managed by microcomputers the adjustment process does not need any skill to execute , making it simple to use . when the master clock fclk or the aberration cannot be adjusted with the aid of microcomputers , the adjustment can be done manually as shown in fig8 . in this case , the aberration to each frequency or the master clock fclk is adjusted by using a variable resistor 81 . the adjusted data are then applied from the variable resistor 81 to the frequency terminal 14 of the oscillator 11 through a dc -- dc converter 82 . here , when the clock generator 12 can be directly controlled , the dc -- dc converter 82 can be omitted . in this case , there is also an advantage that the adjusting range is arbitrarily set up and that a capacitive element involved in the oscillation is not directly operated . further , the quartz oscillator is employed as the resonant element in the clock generator 12 for use in television receivers . however , any other element may be used as long as it has good frequency selectivity . one example of such an element is shown in fig9 . a parallel lc resonant circuit 91 is used in the example of fig9 . of course , it can be a series resonant circuit . it may well be that a certain resonant element is used in the clock generator 15 and its oscillation frequency is changed by the internal circuit according to the control signal provided through the control terminal 14 . in the above descriptions , since the present invention is explained in reference to television receivers , the accumulated data generator 15a is employed for these illustrative examples . however , the accumulated data generator is not always necessary in other applications . although it is normal for the color subcarrier signal fsc of the television signal to differ between different television standards , the frequency of the color subcarrier signal fsc is inherently off - set to avoid having an integer ratio correlating with a horizontal frequency . thus , there is normally no correlating integer ratio among the color subcarrier signals fsc of the different television standards . however , there may be a case of having such a correlation occurs . in such a case , the accumulated data generator can be replaced with a counter 1501 such as the one shown in fig1 and 16 . as mentioned in the document , &# 34 ; digital television standard waveform generator &# 34 ;, pp . 295 - 304 , the master clock fclk can be counted for reading out the waveform data as addresses so that the same effect will be obtained . that is , if the data sequence changing in the sawtooth - waveform state is in either the digital oscillator or the counter , the same result as mentioned above will be obtained for both cases . there are two ways to use such counters . one way is to change the frequency dividing ratio for changing the maximum value , i . e ., the amplitude of the generated data sequence . in this case , since the frequency dividing ratio can be arbitrarily changed , a very low frequency can be set up . the other way is to fix the count cycle of the data sequence but change the bit to be read - out . in this case , the counter is a 2 l ( l is an integer ) binary counter which fixes the generating cycle of the data sequence . when the counter output is read out starting from the msb , the data sequence at the lowest frequency is obtained , while twice the frequency is obtained when the data sequence is read out starting from the next bit of the msb . accordingly , the above construction is limited to generating a frequency which will change at a ratio of 2 k ( k is a whole number ). when generating a frequency sequence having a ratio very close but slightly different from the 2 k ratio , it may be enough to widen the frequency variable limits of the clock generator corresponding to the errors to obtain the same effect without using accumulators . further , the present invention can be used to generate many frequencies from one master clock with high precision . such a circuit will need a circuit for determining which frequency among the many frequencies is used for an end oscillation frequency . in television receivers , killer circuits are used for the determination , while in general , circuits for detecting a phase detecting state are used for the determination . furthermore , the determining element differs according to the type of function required for devices using the present invention . here , the term &# 34 ; determining element &# 34 ; will be defined to include circuits for detecting the phase detecting state . according to the present invention , a digital oscillating circuit having reduced circuit scale and low cost can be realized . also , by using an oscillator for the apc ( pll ) circuit , the apc pull - in time can be shortened . as described above , the present invention can provide an extremely preferable oscillating circuit . while there have been illustrated and described what are at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention , it will he understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the present invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teaching of the present invention without departing from the central scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention , but that the present invention includes all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims . the foregoing description and the drawings are regarded by the applicant as including a variety of individually inventive concepts , some of which may lie partially or wholly outside the scope of some or all of the following claims . the fact that the applicant has chosen at the time of filing of the present application to restrict the claimed scope of protection in accordance with the following claims is not to be taken as a disclaimer or alternative inventive concepts that are included in the contents of the application and could be defined by claims differing in scope from the following claims , which different claims may be adopted subsequently during prosecution , for example , for the purposes of a divisional application . | 7 |
referring to fig1 the oil cooled compressor according to the invention comprises a compressor member 1 driven by an electric motor 2 . the compressor may be of a screw type including intermeshing male and female rotors or of a vane type including a rotor having thereon a plurality of vanes . the compressor member 1 includes a casing or housing 1 &# 34 ; rotatably receiving therein the rotors or the rotor 1 &# 39 ;. it will be understood that the compressor member 1 as identified in the specification denotes not only the rotors or the rotor 1 &# 39 ; but also to the casing or the housing 1 &# 34 ;. a suction filter 4 which opens to the atmosphere or source of gas to be compressed is connected through an electromagnetic valve 3 ( explained hereinafter in detail ) to a suction side of the compressor member 1 . a discharge circuit 5 extends from a discharge side of the compressor member 1 to open in the oil tank 6 and above the level of the oil in the oil tank 6 . an oil separator 7 is incorporated in the oil tank 6 and is located above the oil level in the oil tank 6 . the oil separator 7 is connected through a conduit 9 with a storage tank 8 for the compressed gas . in the conduit 9 there are sequentially from the side of the oil separator 7 a pressure retaining valve 10 and a check valve 11 . an oil pipe 12 extends from the bottom portion of the oil tank 6 to the suction side of the compressor member 1 , and includes sequentially from the side of the oil tank 6 a temperature regulating valve 13 , an oil cooler 14 and an oil filter 15 . a by - pass conduit 16 by - passing the oil cooler 14 is connected to the temperature regulating valve 13 and to the downstream side of the oil cooler 14 . the downstream side of the oil filter 15 is connected with the oil separator 7 through an oil returning pipe 18 having a throttling member 17 . a pressure switch 19 connected to the storage tank 8 is actuatable in response to the pressure of the gas in the storage tank 8 . the pressure switch 19 is of a type which is normally closed and opens at a predetermined high pressure p 1 and close again at a predetermined return pressure p 1 &# 39 ; wherein p 1 & gt ; p 1 &# 39 ;. a release valve 20 is connected to the oil tank 6 to release the pressure therein , and the release valve 20 may be an electromagnetic valve which is normally open and closes when energized . further , a first temperature detector 21 according to the invention is provided in the oil tank 6 to detect the oil temperature . the electromagnetic valve 3 housing a coil 3 &# 39 ; provided in the suction side of the compressor member 1 is connected also with the interior of the oil tank 6 through a conduit 22 , so that the valve 3 can selectively connect the suction side of the compressor member 1 with the suction filter 4 ( and accordingly with the atmospheric air or other source of gas to be compressed ), or with the interior of the oil tank 6 . when the pressure in the oil tank 6 exceeds a predetermined pressure p 2 which is higher than the pressure p 1 that actuates the pressure switch 19 , the valve 3 is by pressure switch 31 to connect the suction side of the compressor member 1 with the interior of the oil tank 6 . the valve 3 returns to the initial condition to connect the suction side of the compressor member 1 with the suction filter 4 when the pressure in the oil tank 6 decreases to a predetermined return pressure p 2 &# 39 ; which is lower than the pressure p 2 and is higher than the actuating pressure p 1 of the pressure switch 19 . thus , the relationship between these pressures is p 1 &# 39 ;& lt ; p 1 & lt ; p 2 &# 39 ;& lt ; p 2 . a second temperature detector 23 according to the invention is provided adjacent to the suction filter 4 to detect the temperature of the gas being sucked into the compressor member 1 or the room temperature . the first and second temperature detectors 21 and 23 cooperate with the pressure switch 19 to control the operation of the motor 2 , and to control the release valve 20 in response to the operation of the motor 2 . fig2 shows one example of a wiring diagram connecting the motor 2 , the pressure switch 19 , the release valve 20 and the temperature switches 21 and 23 . in fig2 the motor 2 is 3 - phase ac type with the first , second and third lines 2a , 2b and 2c being connected with the power source 24 through normally open contacts 25a , 25b and 25c of an electromagnetic switch 25 , respectively . between the contacts 25c and 25b and the power source 24 , the main switch 26 , the pressure switch 19 and a coil 25d of the electromagnetic switch 25 are connected in series . a self retaining contact 25e is provided for the electromagnetic switch 25 and is connected in series with a relay 27 to by - pass the pressure switch 19 . the relay 27 is controlled through an amplifier 29 and a comparator 30 depending on the electromotive force of a thermo - couple 28 which consists of the first and second temperature detectors 21 and 23 . between the first and second lines 2a and 2b of the motor 2 and on the downstream side of the electromagnetic switch 25 , a coil 20a of the release valve 20 is connected . incidentally , the relay 27 opens when the electromotive force of the thermo - couple 28 is large , i . e . when the difference between the temperature detectors 21 and 23 is larger than a predetermined value t o such as 50 °, and the relay 27 closes when the electromotive force of the thermo - couple 28 is small . operation of the embodiment will now be explained . firstly , it is assumed that the temperature of the oil in the oil tank 6 is approximately equal to the room temperature , and that the storage tank 8 is empty . since the pressure switch 19 is closed , the coil 25d of the electromagnetic switch 25 is energized to close the contacts 25a , 25b and 25c by closing the main switch 26 . thus , the motor 2 is started , and the coil 20a is energized to close the release valve 20 . the compressor member 1 sucks through the filter 4 the gas to be compressed e . g . the atmospheric air , and also the oil from the oil tank 6 . it will be noted that the valve 3 is not actuated , so the suction side of the compressor member 1 is connected with the filter 4 . the compressor member 1 performs the compressing action , and the gas compressed is discharged into the upper portion of the oil tank 6 together with the oil being heated by the compression heat , and the oil is separated from the gas in the oil separator 7 . the gas is introduced into the storage tank 8 , and the oil separated from the gas is collected in the oil tank 6 and is reused through the oil pipe 12 to cool and lubricate the compressor member 1 . when the temperature of the oil in the oil tank 6 is relatively low , the oil in the oil pipe 12 by - passes the oil cooler 14 . by continuing the operation , the oil temperature in the oil tank 6 increases and the pressure in the tanks 6 and 8 also increases . when the pressure in the tanks 6 and 8 increases to the pressure p 1 , the pressure switch 19 opens . however , when the difference between the oil temperature and the room temperature is smaller than the predetermined temperature t o , the relay 27 is maintained closed . since the self - retaining switch 25e is also closed , the motor 2 continues to be energized and the pressure in the storage tank 8 increases further . when the pressure in the oil tank 6 reaches the predetermined pressure p 2 , the pressure switch 31 energizes coil 3 &# 39 ; to open the electro - magnetic valve 3 to connect the suction side of the compressor member 1 with the oil tank 6 , consequently , the compressor member 1 operates in a closed circuit operation with the pressure in the tanks 6 and 8 being substantially maintained at p 2 . the oil temperature increases at a high rate since the energy for operating the motor is connected solely into heat . when the oil temperature increases such that the difference between the temperatures detected by the detectors 21 and 23 exceeds the predetermined value t o , the relay 27 opens , thereby stopping the power supply to the motor 2 and , as a result , the release valve 20 opens and the pressure in the oil tank 6 is released . when the pressure in the storage tank 8 decreases to the pressure p 1 &# 39 ; by consuming the compressed gas in the storage tank 8 , the pressure switch 19 closes to start the motor 2 . since the oil temperature has sufficiently to suppress the generation of drain water , the operation of the motor 2 is controlled solely by the pressure switch 19 acting between the pressures p 1 and p 1 &# 39 ;. the above describes the operation of the invention when the pressure in the tanks 6 and 8 increases to the pressure p 2 with the difference between the oil temperature and the room temperature being less than t o . however , when the temperature difference exceeds t o with the pressure in the tanks 6 and 8 being higher than p 1 and less than p 2 , then , the relay 27 acts to stop the operation of the motor 2 , the pressure in the tanks 6 and 8 will not increase further and , thereafter , the pressure responsive operation of the motor 2 is performed by the pressure switch 19 . in such case the time of the oil temperature elevating operation or the unload operation of the motor 2 can be reduced . fig3 shows a wiring diagram of another embodiment of the present invention . in the embodiment , the first temperature detector 21 is a switch of the type which is a normally closed and which closes at a predetermined temperature t 3 = t 1 + t 0 wherein t 1 is the maximum room temperature in the normal operating condition e . g . about 40 ° c ., and t 0 is the predetermined temperature difference for suppressing the generation of the drain water when the room temperature is at a maximum level , e . g . 50 ° c . the second temperature detector 23 is a switch which opens when the temperature exceeds a predetermined low temperature t 2 at which the generation of the drain water is very low since the absolute humidity is very low , as shown in fig4 ( e . g . about 10 ° c . ), and closes and opens when the temperature is below t 2 . the detectors 21 and 23 are connected in series with the self retaining contact 25e of the electromagnetic switch 25 . thus , in the embodiment , when the room temperature is lower than t 2 or the oil temperature is higher than t 3 , the operation of the motor 2 is controlled solely by the pressure switch 19 that is , the pressure responsive operation of the compressor is performed . when the room temperature is higher than t 2 and the oil temperature is lower than t 3 , the oil temperature elevating operation of the compressor performed with the pressure in the tanks 6 and 8 being substantially prevented from exceeding the predetermined pressure p 2 by the action of the valve 3 . in the embodiments , the valve 3 or a change over valve is utilized to control the pressure in the tanks 6 and 8 during the oil temperature elevating operation of the compressor . however , the change over valve 3 may be replaced by a suction throttling valve . alternatively , a release valve may be provided in the tank 6 or in the tank 8 to release a portion of the compressed gas to the outside . further , in the embodiments , the gas to be compressed is atmospheric air , and the second temperature detector detects the room temperature . however , the invention may be applied to compressors compressing any suitable gas . it will be appreciated from the foregoing that , according to the invention , it is possible to minimize the operation time of oil temperature elevating of the compressor and to prevent the generation of drain water . | 5 |
fig1 , the only figure in this application , shows a projection exposure apparatus indicated in its entirety by 10 . projection exposure apparatus 10 comprises an illumination optical system 12 that contains a light source 14 emitting an exposure light beam 16 having a wavelength in the extreme ultraviolet , e . g . 13 nm . illumination optical system 12 further comprises an imaging system indicated by 18 for directing light beam 16 onto a reticle 20 . illumination optical system 12 is known in the art as such , for example from ep 1 123 195 a1 , and will therefore not be described in further detail . light reflected from reticle 20 enters a projection optical system 22 that comprises six imaging mirrors m 1 , m 2 , . . . , m 6 . each mirror m 1 to m 6 has a mirror support 241 , 242 , . . . , 245 and 246 , respectively , on which a reflective stack of layers ( not shown ) is deposited . these layers are made of alternating materials , for example mo and si . projection optical system 22 produces a reduced image of reticle 20 on a light sensitive layer 26 disposed on a wafer 28 . the general arrangement of projection optical system 22 is known , for example , from u . s . pat . no . 6 , 353 , 470 b1 , the contents of which being incorporated herein by reference . each mirror support 241 to 246 is made of a material that is selected according to criteria that will in the following be described in more detail . table 1 shows an array of functions that shall indicate the amount of different aberrations present in projection optical system 22 . these functions depend on the coefficient of thermal expansion α j of the respective mirror m j . for example , d 1 = d 1 ( α 1 ), a 1 = a 1 ( α 1 ), . . . , and d 2 = d 2 ( α 2 ), a 2 = a 2 ( α 2 ), . . . , and correspondingly for the other mirrors m 3 to m 6 . it will be readily appreciated that the selection of aberrations shown in table 1 is arbitrarily and does not restrict the scope of the invention . the functions given in table 1 may depend on the thermal coefficient of expansion and may correspond to zernike coefficients , or to combinations thereof , that are characteristic for a particular aberration . for example , the functions c i for coma aberration may correspond to zernike coefficient z7 / 8 , whereas function d i for spherical aberration may correspond to zernike coefficient z9 . these functions , however , could also represent other values that are selected to characterize the amount of the particular aberration . these functions can be derived from theoretical considerations or , if the figures in table 1 are determined by measurements , from appropriate series of measurements carried out for different coefficients of expansion . in the last line in table 1 the sum of the figures of each column is given . this sum represents the overall amount of the respective aberration for the whole arrangement of mirrors m 1 to m 6 and is therefore characteristic for the performance of the projection optical system 22 . in an ideal system , all these sums equal zero . it should be noted that , depending of the kind of mirror , the values of the functions given in table 1 may have different signs for a given set of coefficients of thermal expansion . as a result , the sum d of functions d i , for example , is in general smaller than the sum of the absolute values of d i , i . e . d ( α 1 , α 2 , α 3 , α 4 , α 5 , α 6 )= σ d i & lt ; σ | d i | ( 1 ) in a next step a merit function mf is determined that characterizes a desired thermally induced aberration or combination of several such aberrations . in the simplest case in which only one type of the aberrations exemplarily enumerated in table 1 is of particular concern , the merit function mf is the sum for this aberration functions as shown in the last line of table 1 . if , for example , projection optical system 22 is used in an application in which even the smallest distortion is to be avoided whereas other types of aberrations can be tolerated at least to a certain degree , the merit function mf could be defined as since the aberration figures d i depend on the coefficient of thermal expansion α i , mf is itself a function of these coefficients . if no distortion shall be present in projection optical system 22 , mf has to be zero . from this condition a set of values for the coefficient of thermal expansion α i can be determined such that mf ( α 1 , α 2 , α 3 , α 4 , α 5 , α 6 )= 0 . a solution for this equation may be found by numerical methods as are contained in standard mathematical software libraries . the materials for the mirror supports 241 to 246 of mirrors m 1 to m 6 are then selected according to this solution . this means that the material of support 241 of mirror m 1 is selected to have α 1 as coefficient of thermal expansion , the material of support 242 of mirror m 2 is selected so to have α 2 as coefficient of thermal expansion and so on . if more than one type of aberration shall be minimized , the merit function mf can be defined as a weighed sum of different aberration functions , i . e . mf = w i σd i ( α i )+ w 2 σa i ( α i )+ w 3 σc i ( α i )+ w 4 σs i ( α i ) ( 3 ) with w j , j = 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 being weighing coefficients that may be selected according to the weight the respective aberration has for the overall performance of projection optical system 22 . since in general not all aberrations can be completely eliminated ( this would correspond to mf = 0 ), a set of values for the coefficients of thermal expansion has to be numerically determined such that another way of defining the merit function mf is to determine for each mirror m 1 to m 6 a mean aberration function r i , for example the rms r i =√{ square root over ( d i 2 + a i 2 + c i 2 + s i 2 )}, ( 5 ) it is to be understood that not all mirrors m 1 to m 6 contained in optical projection system 22 have to be included into the method of selecting materials for mirror supports 241 to 246 . it is also possible to optimize only a restricted number of mirrors , e . g . three mirrors out of six . this simplifies the numerical solution of equation ( 4 ) and often yields a sufficiently high reduction of aberrations . furthermore , the computation as explained above can be considerably simplified if the values given in table 1 are not to represent functions but merely values for the aberrations , e . g . zernike coefficients . it is then assumed that each mirror is heated up to an elevated temperature that can be determined by computing the heat dissipation in each mirror m 1 to m 6 , and that , in a first place , all coefficients of thermal expansion are equal , i . e . α j = α 0 with j = 1 , 2 , . . . , 6 indicating the mirrors m 1 to m 6 . if furthermore a linear dependence of the aberration values upon the coefficients of thermal expansion is assumed , the merit function can be defined as a linear combination of aberration vectors v i that are given by v i ( d i , a i , c i , s i ) for mirror m i and do not depend on the coefficient of thermal expansion : these coefficients can be interpreted as factors for the preset coefficient of thermal expansion α 0 . for example , if the solution of equation ( 4 ) gives a set of 6 values for the coefficients k i , the material for mirror support 241 of mirror m 1 has to be selected such that its coefficient of thermal expansion equals the same applies , mutatis mutandis , for the remaining mirrors m 2 to m 6 . such a selection ensures that the absolute value of the linear combination of equation ( 7 ) is minimal . an even better compensation of thermally induced aberrations can be achieved if an additional degree of freedom is introduced by mounting some or all mirrors displaceably in at least one direction . this makes it possible to compensate thermally induced first order aberrations such as radius variations or translational movements of the mirrors . in the figure mirror m 5 is exemplarily attached to a manipulator 30 that allows to precisely move mirror m 5 along a z direction indicated by arrow 32 . this direction substantially coincides with the propagation direction of light beam 14 . it is readily understood that not only mirror m 5 but also some or all of the other mirrors m 1 to m 6 can be displacably mounted correspondingly . it should be further understood that the mirrors m 1 to m 6 can also be mounted so as to be displaceably in other directions , particularly the x and y direction being perpendicular to the z direction . the above detailed description has been given by way of example . from the disclosure given , those skilled in the art will not only understand the present invention and its attendant advantages , but will also find apparent various changes and modifications to the structures and methods disclosed . the applicant seeks , therefore , to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention , as defined by the appended claims , and equivalents thereof . | 6 |
referring to fig1 , a first embodiment of an integrated chip package 10 in accordance with the principles of the invention is shown . the integrated chip package 10 is a modified fcbga that can advantageously dissipate approximately the same amount of heat as a flip chip package at a much lower cost . in addition , the thermal path of the integrated chip package 10 extends away from the circuit board to reduce the heat load on the circuit board . the integrated chip package 10 includes a semiconductor chip 12 configured for flip chip mounting that is attached to an intermediate substrate 14 . a first surface 16 of the semiconductor chip 12 is electrically connected to the intermediate substrate 14 via conductive bumps 18 . the conductive bumps 18 may be formed from any electrically conductive material such as pb / sn solder , au , ag , alloys of au and ag , and metallic coated polymeric studs . in addition , an epoxy 13 or other suitable material formed between the conductive bumps 18 may be used as an embedding material for the conductive bumps 18 to provide mechanical support and moisture protection . the semiconductor chip 12 may be attached to the intermediate substrate 14 using any flip chip compatible bonding method such as thermocompression , soldering , encapsulation , and adhesives . the other surface 20 of the semiconductor chip 12 is attached to a heat sink 22 for coupling heat away from the semiconductor chip 12 . the heat sink 22 may be made of any thermally conductive material such as copper and thermally conductive plastic . the semiconductor chip 12 may be attached to the heat sink 22 by any attachment item 24 that does not thermally isolate the semiconductor chip 12 such as adhesive , solder , and press - fitting by applying a mechanical force to the first surface of the semiconductor chip 12 or the intermediate substrate 14 . for example , a thermally conductive epoxy may be used as the attachment item 24 . the intermediate substrate 14 is electrically connected to conductors on a package substrate 26 via several bonding wires 28 . the intermediate substrate 14 converts flip chip mounting of the semiconductor chip 12 into wire bond mounting to combine and exceed the advantages of fcbga and pbga . similar to fcbga , the integrated chip package 10 provides a low resistance thermal path for heat generated in the semiconductor chip 12 so that power dissipation exceeding 20 watts may be accommodated . in addition , the thermal path of the integrated chip package 10 extends to the heat sink 22 , away from the package substrate 26 , thereby reducing the heat load of the circuit board or circuit substrate to which the integrated chip package 10 is connected . also , the integrated chip package may employ a substrate that is as inexpensive as substrates used for pbga packages . additionally , using the intermediate substrate 14 reduces the wiring pitch requirements on bonding wire equipment used for attaching the bonding wires 28 . referring to fig1 and 2 , the intermediate substrate 14 may be made from any substrate material such as normal silicon wafer ( either low or high quality ), polysilicon , and glass . circuit planes such as power planes , ground planes , and interconnect planes may be added to the intermediate substrate 14 . the process technology used for the circuit planes is not limited to the technology used for the semiconductor chip 12 . instead , other process technologies including lower cost technologies such as 1 micron technology may be employed to reduce the cost of the package 10 . the circuit planes may provide interconnect within the semiconductor chip 12 as well as to the package substrate 26 through the bonding wires 28 . including circuit planes in the intermediate substrate 14 may reduce the requirement for expensive power and ground grids on the semiconductor chip . for example at 0 . 13 um , each layer of metalization costs about 10 times more than the cost of providing the same function on the intermediate substrate 14 . moreover , the semiconductor chip 12 may employ distributed power and ground conductive bumps to achieve substantially lower impedance . decoupling capacitors 32 may be included on the intermediate substrate to provide local filtering of power and ground signals . providing local filtering is particularly advantageous in view of the high dc and ac currents that may flow between the intermediate substrate 18 and the semiconductor chip 12 . for example , in a 20 watt device operated with 1 volt supply voltage , the dc current is 20 amps with an ac current that may be 150 amps . in view of such high magnitude ac currents , providing local filtering with low inductance paths is crucial to maintain a relatively constant supply voltage . the decoupling capacitors 32 may include one or more small capacitors as well as a single large parallel plate capacitor 31 covering the whole substrate . the values of the capacitors may be controlled by varying the thickness and area of the dielectric . for example , the value of a parallel plate capacitor 31 may be controlled by varying the thickness of a layer of silicon between the metallized plates . additional capacitor materials may be used that otherwise are generally not used in advanced wafer fabrication because of concerns with contaminating the wafer . examples of capacitor materials include standard oxides and nitride oxides . in addition , trench capacitors 33 may be formed on the intermediate substrate 14 . trench capacitors advantageously provide higher volumetric efficiency than parallel plate capacitors . practically one entire side of the intermediate substrate 14 may be used for decoupling capacitors 32 , as well as portions of the other side of the intermediate substrate 14 . the package substrate 26 may be made of any substrate material suitable for ball grid array mounting to a device such as a circuit board or substrate . additionally , a support layer 25 such as an epoxy or other suitable material may be inserted between the intermediate substrate 18 and the package 26 to provide addition mechanical support . shown in fig3 a is an expanded view of the interface of the intermediate substrate 14 to the semiconductor chip 12 via the conductive bumps 18 . the intermediate substrate 14 may include several metalization layers 27 separated by insulation layers 28 . the conductive bumps 18 are aligned with the metalization layers 27 to provide an electrical connection between the intermediate substrate 14 and the semiconductor chip 12 . the metalization layers 27 and insulation layers 28 may be configured to form local decoupling capacitors . shown in fig3 b is a circuit diagram illustrating the interface shown in fig3 a . capacitors 29 a and 29 b represent the capacitance formed between the metalization layers 27 . shown in fig4 is a second embodiment of an integrated chip package 40 in accordance with the principles of the invention is shown . the integrated chip package 40 is similar in function to the integrated chip package 10 , with corresponding elements numbered in the range 40 – 60 , except that the integrated chip package 40 includes several semiconductor chips 42 a and 42 b attached to each intermediate substrate 44 to form a multichip module ( mcm ). in this embodiment , semiconductor chip 42 a may be a logic circuit and semiconductor chip 42 b may be a power device . any combination of semiconductor chips 42 may be used including all logic devices , all power devices , or a mix of logic devices and power devices . in addition , the quantity of semiconductor chips that may be mounted within the integrated chip package 40 is not limited to merely two . the intermediate substrate 44 may be used to provide interconnects within the semiconductor chips 42 a and 42 b , among the semiconductor chips 42 a and 42 b , and from the semiconductor chips 42 a and 42 b to the conductive bumps 60 . thousands of bonding wires may be provided between the intermediate substrate 14 and the package substrate 56 for very low cost . since many of the interconnects between the semiconductor chips 44 are made on the intermediate substrate 44 , the quantity of bonding wire interconnects within the integrated chip package 40 may be significantly reduced . this is particularly advantageous with system on a package ( sop ), where the power dissipation of devices within the package 40 exceeds 20 watts . shown in fig5 is a method of manufacturing an integrated chip package 10 in accordance with the principles of the invention . at block 70 a semiconductor chip to be packaged is provided . the semiconductor chip is flip chip mounted to an intermediate substrate , block 72 . the semiconductor chip is then thermally attached to a heat sink , block 74 . at block 76 , bonding wires are connected between the intermediate substrate and a package substrate . at block 78 , conductors that are suitable for ball gate array mounting are formed on the package substrate . referring to fig6 , an alternative embodiment of an integrated chip package 600 in accordance with the principles of the invention is shown . according to the alternative exemplary embodiment , the heat sink 22 is substantially thermally isolated from the package substrate 26 . for purposes of illustration and not limitation , thermal isolation members 605 can be used to thermally isolate the heat sink 22 from the package substrate 26 . each of the thermal isolation members 605 can be made of any suitable material that is capable of thermally isolating the heat sink 22 from the package substrate 26 or otherwise substantially blocking or preventing the transfer of heat from the heat sink to the package substrate 26 . a number of embodiments of the invention have been described . it is expressly intended that the foregoing description and accompanying drawings are illustrative of preferred embodiments only , not limiting , and that the true spirit and scope of the present invention will be determined by reference to the appended claims and their legal equivalent . it will be equally apparent and is contemplated that various modifications and / or changes may be made in the illustrated embodiments without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , the steps of the method of manufacturing may be performed in numerous different sequences . accordingly , other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims . | 7 |
in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the invention . however , it is understood that the invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known software , circuits , structures and techniques have not been described or shown in detail in order not to obscure the invention . the term data processing system is used herein to refer to any machine for processing data , including the computer systems and network arrangements described herein . in the drawings , like numerals refer to like structures or processes . referring to fig3 there is shown a block diagram illustrating a data structure for product cataloguing in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . in fig3 the data structure is shown generally by numeral 300 . the data structure 300 is has been optimized to store only the data required by the product catalog of the present invention . the simplicity of the data structure 300 is apparent when compared to that of the prior art as illustrated in fig2 . referring to fig4 there is shown a screen capture of an exemplary product catalogue display 400 for a casement window in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . all of the configurations of a product may be selected using a single display 400 . the display 400 includes an image 410 of a currently selected configuration , the unit price 420 , the number of units required 430 , minimum order amount 440 , and pull down menus for the casement window &# 39 ; s width 450 , height 451 , opening 452 , colour 453 , glazing 454 , grilles 455 , and extrusions 456 . now , xml ( extensible markup language ) is a set of rules for designing text fonnats that allow users to structure data . this enables computers to output , read and interpret the data more easily . like html ( hypertext mark - up langage ), xml uses tags to delimit and define pieces of text and data in a document or file . a key difference , however , is that what the tag means is defined . for example , a & lt ; title & gt ; tag in html is always used the same way in all html documents , but a similar tag in xml could be used to store the name of a book , a vehicle title number or even somebody &# 39 ; s professional status . the specific meaning is defined by the application reading the data through a data . type definition or an xml schema format . the tagged xml data is stored in a plain text file , unlike standard databases that use binary and other proprietary formats . the benefit of text being that any type of computer operating system can read a plain text file . referring to fig5 there is shown a flow chart 500 illustrating a method for creating and viewing product cataloguing in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . input data sources are of two types : menu 501 and product 502 . input data sources 501 , 502 may include a data input screen , xml via the internet , or another data format . menu data 501 is used to build 503 the structure for drilling down to the end product grouping . product data 502 describes the configured product 504 that is found at the end of the selected menu . the menu can be of any structure including tree data , mouse over menu , and selection boxes . the menu structure is variable as the invention simply describes and stores the data independent of the display medium . likewise , with respect to product data , the invention only describes and stores the data for product display . how that data is actually displayed is immaterial . fig4 illustrates one display option . according to the cataloguing method , menu and product data 501 , 502 from various sources is received and is converted into a series of xml data documents 503 , 504 the menu xml 503 contains all menu levels and sublevels , with link elements to the product in references . the product xml 504 contains the data for all configurations of that product . once completed , the menu and product xml documents are then linked 505 and stored 506 , 507 in a common relational database , as xml is a data description language only , the catalog output is filly configurable 508 , 509 . again , fig4 illustrates a sample internet web page display . the catalogue may be viewed 508 using an internet application , web page , standalone software , or as an xml document 509 . the catalogue can incorporated into client - server software , a wap enabled cell phone , or shopping mall kiosk system . referring to fig6 there is shown a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data processing system 600 for implementing the product cataloging method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . the data processing system is suitable for use as a product cataloging system . the data processing system 600 includes an input device 610 , a central processing unit or cpu 620 , memory 630 , and an output device 640 . the input device 610 may include a keyboard , a mouse , a trackball , a network connection , an internet connection , or similar device . the cpu 620 may include dedicated coprocessors and memory devices . the memory 630 may include ram , rom , databases , or disk devices . the output device 640 may include a computer screen , a terminal device , a television , a cd - rom , a floppy disk , a printer , a network connection , an internet connection , or similar device . the data processing system 600 has stored therein data representing sequences of instructions which when executed cause the method described herein to be performed . of course , the data processing system 600 may contain additional software and hardware a description of which is not necessary for understanding the invention . in addition , the sequences of instructions which when executed cause the method described herein to be performed by the exemplary data processing system of fig6 can be contained in a computer software product according to one embodiment of the invention . this computer software product can be loaded into and run by the exemplary data processing system of fig6 . moreover , the sequences of instructions which when executed cause the method described herein to be performed by the exemplary data processing system of fig6 can be contained in an integrated circuit product including a coprocessor or memory according to one embodiment of the invention . this integrated circuit product can be installed in the exemplary data processing system of fig6 . having provided a high level description of the invention , in the following a more detailed description of the primary software applications for implementing the product cataloguing method is provided . these applications include the following : category administration , xml menu specification , and product specification . process flow . the category administration application can be written in many platform languages . the treeview control is just one way to view the category xml structure ( see below ). at the same time , a consistent interface would be chosen to handle either csi format or pcm format category classifications . a user may select the type of category from the menu bar , and then he may edit the contents within the same gui . referring to fig7 there is shown a flowchart illustrating a category administration method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . screens . referring to fig8 there is shown a screen capture illustrating a category administration screen in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig9 there is shown a table listing controls used in the administration screen of fig8 . middle tier objects . middle tier objects for the category administration application include the following : clsdivision : serves to hold information of every division , it will include a collection of clsdivision object recursively if in need . clsxmlcategory : provides method to return the first root clsdivision object from category xml structure stored in database . clscategoryxml : provides method to generate xml structure from the current clsdivision object and save it in database . with respect to object dependence , clsxmlcategory and clscategoryxml are based on the existence of clsdivision . the clsdivision and clsxmlcategory are described below in relation to the production classification application . the clscategoryxml object provides a method to generate the xml structure from a group of clsdivision objects and save it in the database . it returns the executing status . with respect to topology , this com object just provides one public method as its entrance . with two parameters including the root clsdivision object and the primary id of category record , the method populates the category xml structure by calling other private subroutines and functions , then saves the xml structure in table “ categories ” and returns executing status as its result . with respect to constraints , the purpose of this com object is to save an xml structure in the database . it cm be destroyed after its method is called . therefore it can be placed in the mts . referring to fig1 , there is shown an entity diagram illustrating a clscategoryxml com object in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig1 , there is shown a table listing api interface descriptors for the clscategoryxml com object of fig1 . database tables . referring to fig1 , there is shown an entity relationship diagram ( erd ) illustrating tables related to the category administration application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig1 , there is shown a table listing table and field descriptions corresponding to fig1 . xml structure . according to the present invention , the xml data structure is used to store all categories data and structure . xml ( extensible markup language ) is a markup language for documents containing structured information . xml is advantageous as it describes treemode structures very well . in addition , it also handles unknown level data structures well . according to the present invention , categories data is organized as a multi - level hierarchy or tree structure . no restrictions are put on the number of levels or number of divisions per level . as mentioned above , an entire material breakdown structure ( mbs ) product classification is stored as an xml document , one xml document per mbs . the xml documents are stored as records in a table entitled “ categories ”. referring to fig1 , there is shown a block diagram illustrating a dtd ( document type definition ) schema describing xml documents for mbs classifications in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . the dtd schema is used to validate editing of the xml document . the categories xml is based on the dtd structure illustrated in fig1 . referring to fig1 , there is shown a table listing tag descriptions for the dtd of fig1 . referring to fig1 , there is shown a listing illustrating an exemplary categories xml document in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . process flow . in the following , the category selection application is described . this application allows users of the web page to find products by navigating one of two possible category classification indexes or material breakdown structures ( mbs ) and to then choose a product from the tabs and expanding lists . the classification indexes are csi master format and the applicant &# 39 ; s proprietary format ( see above ). other indexes may also be implemented . the mbs indexes are displayed on the web page as a cascading multi - level hierarchy of categories and subcategories . the user interface may appear as a cascading menu . each index or classification entry may be referred to as a division as in csi . all divisions and their arbutes are placed in an xml string and stored in the database . a com object is provided for storing a single division . all divisions can be saved in a group of this type of com objects . these com objects can be linked by collection . hence , a com objects linked list is produced from which all the branches from the root com object can be browsed . another com object is provided which has an interface returning the root division entity com object ( see below ). referring to fig1 , there is shown a flowchart illustrating a category selection method for a first page including cascading menu in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig1 , there is shown a flowchart illustrating a category selection method for a selection page in accordance wit one embodiment of the invention . screens . in the following , a description is provided for screen design , position and purpose of controls , and how the controls on a screen interact with middle - tier objects ( see below ). two screens are described : the first page screen and the selection page screen . referring to fig1 , there is shown a screen capture illustrating a first page screen in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . preferring to fig2 , there is shown a table listing controls used in the first page screen of fig1 . the first page includes a cascading menu and introduction to the catalog provider . the cascading , menu is generated from the xml data and its final leaf links to the next selection page . referring to fig2 , there is shown a screen capture illustrating a selection page screen in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig2 , there is shown a table listing controls used in the selection page screen of fig2 . the selection page is generally the next page displayed after the first page ( fig1 ). when a final leaf of the cascading menu is chosen ( i . e . clicked by a user ), values related to that leaf are generally sent the selection page as parameters . related products list , tabs and expanding lists would be displayed by these parameters . the final leaf of the expanding list can be a hyperlink to a pdp , if it has a corresponding product , or it can be a text string if it does not have a related product each item of the related products can be a hyperlink to another selection page . middle tier objects . middle tier objects for the xls menu application include the following : clsdivision : serves to hold information of every division , it will include a collection of clsdivision object recursively if in need . clsxmlcategory : provides method to return the first root clsdivision object from category xml structure stored in database . with respect to object dependence , the clsdivision object with its collection of sub clsdivision objects recursively exists to be populated by the clsxmlcategory object and to be passed back to the asp page for cascading menu displaying . the clsdivision object serves to hold information for every division . it includes a collection of clsdivision objects recursively if required . consequently , the items entire categories structure , cascading menu , tabs and expanding lists , will be captured when browsing through this object and its children . with respect to topology , the clsdivision object is a recursive object . this means that it can include a collection of objects with the same structure as itself . so any level of division and any numbers of divisions in the same level will be available via this topology . with respect to constraints , the clsdivision holds required information . referring to fig2 , there is shown an entity diagram illustrating a clsdivision com object in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig2 , there is shown a table listing api interface descriptors for the clsdivision com object of fig2 . the clsxmlcategory object provides a method to generate a group of clsdivision objects related to every branch of the category division tree from the category xml structure stored in the database . it returns the first root clsdivision object . with respect to topology , this com object provides one public method as its entrance . with only one parameter pointing to the primary key of the category record in the categories table , the method parses the category xml structure by calling other private subroutines and functions . it then passes the first clsdivision object back as its result . with respect to constraints , the purpose of this com object is to parse an xml structure and return a clsdivision object . it can be destroyed after its method is called . therefore it can be placed in the mts . for persisting the clsdivision objects , a condition tester is placed at the beginning of the function . that is , if the com objects cannot be found in a typical file , it will be populated from the database and put it in the file ; but if the con objects can be found in that file , then the com objects are obtained from the file . the latter is case being more efficient . referring to fig2 , there is shown an entity diagram illustrating a clsxmlcategory com object in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig2 , there is shown a table listing api interface descriptors for the clsxmlcategory com object of fig2 . database tables . referring to fig2 , there is shown an entity relationship diagram ( erd ) illustrating tables related to the xml menu specification application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig2 , there is shown a table listing table and field descriptions corresponding to fig2 . interfaces . referring to fig2 , there is shown a table listing interfaces to a selection page for the xml menu specification application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig3 , there is shown a table listing interfaces to a product display page ( pdp ) for the xml menu specification application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . process flow . in the following , the product specification application is described . in the application , a product is specified or described as follows : a product is described with a number of characteristics ( i . e . domains ), each of which can have multiple values . for example , a product of class “ garage door ” may have different variations in length ( e . g . 5 ′, 6 ′ and 7 ) and color ( e . g . white , almond , etc .). a product is described and its other information ( ie : warranty , image displayed ) is populated by selecting an option from each of the domains that describe the product . for example , if a garage door has 6 domains ( e . g . height , width , number of panels , color , and headroom ), 1 characteristic from each of the 6 domains is selected to determine what the garage door will look like and what the price will be . unit price is determined after an item from each of the domains has been selected . this unit price can be calculated by one of two methods : ( 1 ) by adding the option price that may be attached to each of the domain items and ( 2 ) by looking up an overriding price or sale price . referring to fig3 , there is shown a flowchart illustrating a product specification method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . screens . in the following , a description is provided for screen design , position and purpose of controls , and how the controls on a screen interact with middle - tier objects ( see below ). two screens are described : a product screen and an additional information screen . referring to fig3 , there is shown a screen capture illustrating a product screen in accordance with one embodiment of the invention referring to fig3 , there is shown a table listing controls used in the first page screen of fig3 . the product screen can include a “ manufacturer &# 39 ; s profile ” box which can be placed in the upper left - hand corner of the screen , using the manufacturer &# 39 ; s trademark graphic . activating this box will provide an information page about the manufacturer ( i . e . text and pictures may be provided by the manufacturer ). below the manufacturer &# 39 ; s profile box , a box for a short promotional statement about the manufacturer may be included . referring to fig3 , there is shown a screen capture illustrating an additional product information screen in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig3 , there is shown a table listing controls used in the additional product information screen of fig3 . middle tier object . middle tier objects for the product specification application include the following : cproductentityobject : used to hold state when selecting or building a product . cproductbroker : methods used to load the product entity object and provide pricing data . cpricinginfoentityobject : used to hold unit pricing information when pricing update function is selected . with respect to object dependence , the entity object , productentity , and pricinginfoentity exist to be populated by productbroker and to be passed back to the page for display . the product entity object is used to hold the state when selecting or building a product for display . referring to fig3 , there is shown an entity diagram illustrating a product entity object in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig3 , there is shown a table listing api interface descriptors for the product entity object of fig3 . the product broker object is the method used to load the product entity object and to retrieve pricing information from the database . referring to fig3 , there is shown an entity diagram illustrating a product broker object in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig3 , there is shown a table listing api interface descriptors for the product broker object of fig3 . referring to fig4 , there is shown a uml diagram for the product broker object of fig3 . the pricing info entity object is used to hold the unit price and the total price of a product from the product display form . referring to fig4 , there is shown an entity diagram illustrating a pricing info entity object in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig4 , there is shown a table listing api interface descriptors for the pricing info entity object of fig4 . database tables . referring to fig4 , there is shown an entity relationship diagram ( erd ) illustrating tables related to the product specification application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . referring to fig4 , there is shown a table listing table and field descriptions corresponding to fig4 . the design can also be convert into an relational database to produce the same results . interfaces . referring to fig4 , there is shown a table listing interfaces to a worksheet for the product specification application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments , various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto . | 6 |
referring now to fig2 , a block diagram is shown of a switched - mode power amplifier . a switch 201 is coupled to a resonant network 205 and to power control logic 215 , which is coupled in turn to a dc supply 203 . the resonant network is coupled to a load 207 . control of the switch 201 is accomplished using a control signal 209 , applied to an amplifier 211 . the amplifier 211 produces a switch control signal 219 , which is applied to the switch 201 . as the switch 201 is opened and closed responsive to the control signal 209 , the resonant network 205 shapes the switch voltage to produce a desired output signal 213 . in the amplifier of fig2 , the signals 209 and 219 are constant - amplitude ( ca ) signals ( i . e ., oscillatory signals having a constant peak amplitude ) that may be phase - modulated . the amplitude of the switch control signal 219 is set by the power control logic 215 . the power control logic 215 also controls a dc supply voltage 216 produced by the dc supply 203 and supplied to the switch 201 . as the power control logic 215 causes the dc supply voltage 216 to increase , the peak voltage of the oscillatory signals developed within the resonant network 205 and subsequently delivered to the load 207 also increases . similarly , as the power control logic 215 causes the dc supply voltage 216 to decrease , the peak voltage of the oscillatory signals developed within the resonant network 205 and subsequently delivered to the load 207 also decreases . further details of the amplifier chain of fig2 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention are described in the foregoing copending u . s . patent applications . in addition , a bias control arrangement may be used to achieve optimal bias of the switch 201 under various conditions as described more fully in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 684 , 496 now u . s . pat . no . 6 , 323 , 731 , filed on even date herewith and incorporated herein by reference . in accordance with one aspect of the invention , a signal 218 is used to control the amplitude of the switch control signal 219 in a coordinated manner with control of the dc supply voltage 216 , thereby avoiding excess leakage of the switch control signal 219 through the switch 201 and into the resonant network 205 . more particularly , in any physical embodiment , a stray ( unintended ) capacitance 212 around the switch 201 is unavoidably present . this stray capacitance provides a leakage path for the switch control signal 219 to leak into the resonant network 205 , where it mixes with the desired switch output signal . since the switch control signal 219 is out - of - phase with the desired switch output signal , a large phase shift will occur at the switch output when the desired output signal magnitude is near to or smaller than that of the leakage signal . this effect is shown in fig3 , which depicts output phase and output magnitude as parametric functions of desired magnitude ( i . e ., as desired magnitude decreases , the curves of fig3 are traced out in the counter - clockwise direction ). in the illustrated case , signal leakage is assumed to be 35 db below the maximum output signal ( 1 . 7 %), at a relative phase shift of − 170 degrees . if the switch control signal is not reduced ( line a ), then the amplifier output signal suffers severe am - pm ( and am — am ) distortion when the desired output magnitude is less than 10 % of the peak output magnitude . this effect may be counteracted , for lower amplitude output signals ( e . g ., less than 10 % of the peak output magnitude ), by correspondingly reducing the switch control signal ( e . g ., to 10 % of its original value ). as fig3 shows , this measure essentially removes the am - pm and am — am distortion from the desired output signal ( line b ). in principle , this technique can be extended to arbitrarily low desired output signal magnitudes . for illustration purposes , consider the need to produce a constant - amplitude rf signal in a time - slotted network , in which the output power may vary from slot to slot . in the amplifier of fig2 , this manner of operation may be achieved by holding the supply voltage 216 constant during a given time slot , and by holding the peak amplitude of the control signal constant during the time slot as illustrated in fig4 . as a result , the peak amplitude of the output signal 213 is constant during a given time slot . note that when the supply voltage 216 is at a low level , the control signal 219 is also at a correspondingly low level ( e . g ., time slot ( n )). in this manner , the low - distortion characteristic of line b of fig3 is achieved . various specific circuits that may be used within the power control logic 215 of fig2 to control the application of power to the amplifier stages are shown in fig5 , fig6 , and fig7 , respectively . referring first to fig5 , a dc supply voltage v supply is applied to the emitter of a pnp bipolar transistor q in common - emitter configuration . the dc supply voltage may be unregulated or , alternatively , may have been regulated / conditioned to an appropriate dc level for a desired instantaneous output power using , for example , a switching power supply in combination with a linear regulator as described in greater detail in the aforementioned patent applications . the collector of the transistor q is connected through a resistive divider network r 1 , r 2 to ground . an operational amplifier 501 is connected to receive a power - setting command signal 523 on a negative input and to receive on its positive input a voltage developed at the junction of the resistors r 1 and r 2 . the operational amplifier 501 produces an output signal that is applied to the base of the transistor q . in operation , the transistor functions as a controlled resistance , under control of the operational amplifier 501 , to deliver a precisely - controlled voltage to multiple amplifier stages , including , for example , a driver stage 503 ( responsive to an rf signal 509 analogous to signal 209 of fig2 ) and a final stage 505 . in the case of the driver stage 503 , the controlled voltage from the transistor q is applied through a resistor r 3 to account for the sizing of the driver amplifier relative to the final amplifier . the foregoing circuit realizes fast control and may be used in conjunction with or in lieu of separate dc regulation circuitry . one or more additional driver stages may be provided as shown , for example , in fig6 . in fig6 , the supply voltage of an initial stage 607 is controlled less stringently . a number of discrete supply voltages ( v 1 , v 2 , . . . , v n ) are applied to a switch 609 , which is controlled to select a desired one of the discrete voltages . control of the final stage 605 and the immediately preceding driver stage 603 may remain as previously described . if a desired output signal has a large dynamic range , common control of the driver and final stages may prove insufficient . referring to fig7 , separate control is provided for each of multiple amplifier stages . this arrangement may be extended to any arbitrary number of stages . referring again to fig2 , in the case of constant amplitude output signals , the amplifier as shown is effective to provide efficient amplification and power control . however , it does not provide for amplitude modulation . referring now to fig8 , a generalized efficient power amplifier structure is shown , enabling control of multiple stages to achieve complex control , including amplitude modulation , of an amplifier output signal . in fig8 , an rf input signal , rf in , is applied to an amplifier chain including n stages . the amplifier chain produces an rf output signal , rf out . supply voltages for each of the stages are independently controlled . one or more control blocks receive a dc supply voltage and , responsive to control signals from a controller ( not shown ), produce separate power supply voltages for each of the n amplifier stages . in the example of fig8 , two control blocks are shown , a power / burst control block 801 and a modulation control block 803 . however , the functions of the control blocks may be readily consolidated or sub - divided as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . optionally , independent bias signals may be supplied to each one of the stages . in one embodiment , possible values of the bias signal include a value that turns the stage off , e . g ., places the active element of the stage in a high - impedance state . in addition , each stage may optionally include a controlled bypass element or network , shown in fig8 as a resistor connecting the input and output terminals of a stage . such a bypass may allow performance of an amplifier stage at low input signal levels to be more completely characterized and controlled . in particular , since circuit parasitics unavoidably create the effect of a bypass , by explicitly providing a bypass , it may be designed in such a manner as to dominate parasitic effects . a particular case of the generalized amplifier structure of fig8 will now be described in detail . referring to fig9 , an amplifier is shown that provides the advantages of the amplifier of fig2 and additionally provides for amplitude modulation . in fig9 , there is provided a switch 901 , a dc supply 903 , a resonant network 905 , a load 907 , a control signal 909 , a control signal amplifier 911 , an output signal 913 and power control logic 915 , corresponding generally to and given like designations as elements in fig2 . the control signal amplifier 911 is responsive to a drive control signal 918 to produce a switch control signal 919 in fig9 , however , there is additionally provided an amplitude modulator 917 responsive to an am signal 923 . instead of the power control logic 915 controlling the control signal amplifier 911 directly ( as in fig2 ), the power control logic 915 is coupled to the amplitude modulator 917 , which is responsive to the power control logic 915 to control the control signal amplifier 911 . under the control of the amplitude modulator 917 , the control signal amplifier 911 produces a switch control signal 919 that is applied to the switch 901 . the dc supply 903 is coupled to the amplitude modulator 917 , which is responsive to the am signal 923 to modify the supply voltage appropriately and apply a resulting switch supply signal 921 to the switch 901 . two cases of operation of the amplifier of fig9 may be distinguished . one case is shown in fig1 , in which amplitude modulation is achieved solely through variation of the switch supply signal 921 , and power control is achieved jointly through variation of the dc supply 903 and variation of the switch control signal 919 ( via signal 918 ). during a timeslot ( n − 1 ), the peak amplitude of the switch control signal 919 remains constant . during this time , the peak amplitude of the control signal 909 also remains constant . the switch supply signal 921 , on the other hand , has impressed upon it amplitude modulation signal variations . as a result , the output signal 913 exhibits corresponding amplitude variations . during timeslot ( n ), the amplitudes of the control signal 909 and the switch control signal 919 are constant at a lower level , and a dc supply voltage 904 ( not shown in fig1 ) is also constant at a lower level , indicative of a lower desired output power level . different amplitude modulation signal variations are impressed upon the switch supply signal 921 and are manifest in the amplitude of the output signal 913 . during timeslot ( n + 1 ), the level of the control signal 909 and the switch control signal 919 are raised back up , as is the dc supply voltage 904 , corresponding to a higher desired output power level . the constant peak amplitude of the switch control signal 919 is set higher for higher desired output power levels , and set lower for lower desired output power levels , so that the switch 901 is successfully turned on and off as needed while minimizing the undesirable leakage of the switch control signal 919 through the switch 901 and into the resonant network 905 . at lower power levels , to avoid excess leakage of the switch control signal 919 into the output signal 913 , it may be necessary to achieve amplitude modulation of the output signal through coordinated variation of both the switch supply signal 921 and the switch control signal 919 . this represents the second case of operation previously referred to , and is illustrated in fig1 . in particular , fig1 shows examples of different relationships between amplitude modulation of the switch supply signal 921 and amplitude modulation of the switch control signal 919 . power control and amplitude modulation of both the switch supply signal 921 and the switch control signal 919 are applied as needed to extend the dynamic range of the output signal 913 . in an exemplary embodiment , amplitude modulation of the switch control signal 919 is applied only when the am signal 923 dips below a threshold that is power - level dependent . timeslot ( n − 1 ) illustrates the case in which the am signal 923 is below the power - level - dependent threshold ( indicated in dashed lines in the upper frame of the fig1 ) for the duration of the timeslot . hence , the switch control signal 919 is amplitude modulated along with the switch supply signal 921 throughout the duration of the timeslot . in timeslot ( n ), during both an initial portion of the timeslot and during a final portion of the timeslot , the am signal 923 is assumed to be above the threshold . hence , during these portions of the timeslot , the switch control signal 919 is not amplitude modulated . ( in the middle frame of fig1 , the dashed lines indicate the nominal amplitude of the switch control signal 919 when the am signal 923 is above the threshold .) during an intermediate portion of the timeslot , however , the am signal 923 is assumed to be below the threshold . during this portion of the timeslot , the switch control signal 919 is amplitude modulated along with the switch supply signal 921 . finally , in timeslot ( n + 1 ), the am signal 923 is assumed to be above the threshold throughout the duration of the timeslot . the amplitude ( peak - to - peak ) of the switch control signal 919 is therefore held constant throughout the duration of the timeslot . note that the actual amplitude modulation is still solely impressed on the output signal 913 by switch supply signal 921 . variation of signal 918 and the resulting variation of signal 919 in concert with signal 921 is performed soley to reduce leakage . as such , the precision required of signal 918 is greatly reduced from that required of signal 921 . referring now to fig1 , a more detailed diagram is shown of an amplifier in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention , in which like elements are assigned like reference numerals as in fig9 . in the embodiment of fig1 , the control signal amplifier 1211 and the switch 1201 are provided as first and second amplifier stages , a “ gain ” stage and a “ switch ” stage , respectively . the gain stage 211 may be implemented in a variety of ways . one implementation is a conventional gain - controlled linear ccs ( controlled current source ) amplifier of widely - understood classes a , ab , b and c . an alternative implementation is a smaller - scale switch - mode stage of a type described in the aforementioned copending u . s . applications . within dashed line block 917 are shown further details of one embodiment of the amplitude modulator 917 of fig9 . in response to am signal samples 1223 and to a signal 1232 from the power control logic 1215 , the am logic 1231 calculates appropriate supply levels for the first amplifier stage 1211 and the second amplifier stage 1201 . in the case of the first amplifier stage 1211 , a dc supply voltage is supplied through a transistor 1235 - 1 . base drive to the transistor 1235 - 1 is controlled by the am logic 1231 through a dac ( digital to analog converter ) 1233 - 1 . hence the dac 1233 - 1 sets the level of the switch control signal 1219 seen by the second amplifier stage 1201 . similarly , in the case of the second amplifier stage 1201 , a dc supply voltage is supplied through a transistor 1235 - 2 . base drive to the transistor 1235 - 2 is controlled by the am logic 1231 through a dac 1233 - 2 . in an exemplary embodiment , the output of the dac 1233 - 1 is given by the following rule : dac 1 ( t ) = v ( p ) , for a ( t ) ≥ m ( p ) = v ( p ) · a ( t ) m ( p ) , for a ( t ) & lt ; m ( p ) where a ( t ) is the am signal at time t , m ( p ) is a threshold dependent on the power level p , and v ( p ) is the nominal output voltage of dac 1 , for power level p . operation of the amplifier of fig1 in accordance with the foregoing rule is illustrated in fig1 . as seen therein , as the signal a ( t ) ( the amplitude of the am signal at time t ) fluctuates , for a first period of time , the signal exceeds the threshold m ( p ) for the current power level p . during this period , the voltage dac 1 ( t ) is set to the nominal level v ( p ). thereafter , the signal a ( t ) dips below the threshold for a period of time . during this period of time , the voltage dac 1 ( t ) is amplitude modulated in accordance with the fluctuations of the signal a ( t ). when the signal a ( t ) again rises above the threshold , the voltage dac 1 ( t ) is again set to the nominal level . thus , there has been described an efficient amplifier for rf signals that provides for amplitude modulation over a wide dynamic range . the amplitude of the switch control signal is adjusted to reduce the undesirable leakage effect . as a result , it becomes possible to produce output signals having average power anywhere within a wide - range , or to greatly increase the dynamic range over which amplitude modulation may be produced at a given average power level , or both . it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential character thereof . the described embodiments are therefore intended to be in all respects illustrative and not restrictive . the scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims , rather than the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalents thereof are intended to be embraced therein . | 7 |
referring now to fig1 and 2 a gear housing subassembly 10 from a conventional inboard / outboard motor ( e . g ., a mercruiser ) is secured in a bracket 12 . bracket 12 comprises an upper vertical member 14 , a lower member 16 depending downwardly and outwardly from the lower end of vertical member 14 , mounting means 18 disposed on the upper end of vertical member 14 , upper support means 20 disposed on vertical member 14 and lower support means 22 disposed on the lower end of lower member 16 . lower member 16 depends from vertical member 14 so as to generally follow the contour of housing 10 . as will be noted , the mounting means 18 comprises an inverted u - shaped portion 24 for mounting the bracket 12 on a rail 26 . portion 24 is comprised of the upper end of vertical member 14 , a vertical section 28 and a horizontal section 30 therebetween . the upper support means 20 is disposed on the upper portion of vertical member 14 and is comprised of a v - shape bracket 31 which is affixed ( preferably welded ) to vertical member 14 at the base of the v - shape . legs 32 forming the v - shaped bracket 31 extend horizontally outward from vertical member 14 and terminate in ears 34 which are provided with apertures 36 . legs 32 extended so as to be receptive to a mounting area of gear housing 10 . apertures 36 provide means for mounting gear housing 10 to bracket 12 . the lower support means 22 comprises a base member 38 which extends horizontally outward from the lower end of lower member 16 and an upturned vertical leg 40 disposed at the outer end of base member 38 . base member 38 and upturned vertical leg 40 provide support for the lower portion 42 of housing 10 . vertical leg 40 prohibits portion 42 of housing 10 from sliding away from bracket 12 . support rails 44 are affixed ( preferably welded ) to each side of leg 40 and to each side of lower member 16 . support rails 44 prohibit lateral movement of portion 42 of housing 10 . rail 26 may be affixed to a stand sufficient in size for supporting the weight of gear housing 10 . further rail 26 may be affixed to any surface sufficient in height to allow clearance of bracket 12 from the floor or ground and capable of supporting the weight of gear housing 10 . inverted u - shaped portion 24 , vertical member 14 , lower member 16 , base member 38 and vertical leg 40 are preferably a continuous piece of flat metal stock bent to form the above portions . however , each portion may be individually connected ( e . g ., welded ) without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention . during use , portion 42 of gear housing 10 is disposed between support rails 44 and supported by base member 38 and vertical leg 40 . the upper portion 46 of housing 10 is disposed between legs 32 of v - shaped bracket 31 to prohibit lateral movement of portion 46 . gear housing 10 may be mounted by a pair of nut and bolt assemblies 48 through apertures 36 to ears 34 , thus prohibiting forward movement of housing 10 . housing 10 is now secured in bracket 12 . referring now to fig3 and 4 in a second embodiment of the present invention , wherein like elements to the first embodiment are numbered alike and reference should be made thereto for a description thereof , a gear housing subassembly 50 from a conventional inboard / outboard motor ( e . g ., a johnson or evinrude , model years 1982 and up ) is secured in a bracket 52 . bracket 52 is essentially the same as bracket 12 ( fig1 and 2 ) with the exception of the upper support means 20 . bracket 52 eliminates the ears 34 of bracket 12 ( fig1 and 2 ). during use , the lower portion 54 of gear housing 50 is disposed between support rails 44 and supported by base member 38 and vertical leg 40 . the upper portion 56 of housing 50 is disposed between legs 32 of v - shaped bracket 31 to prohibit lateral movement of portion 56 . housing 50 is now secured in bracket 50 . referring now to fig5 and 6 in a third embodiment of the invention , wherein like elements to the first and second embodiments are numbered alike and reference should be made thereto for a description thereof , a gear housing subassembly 56 from a conventional inboard / outboard motor ( e . g ., a mercruiser ) is secured in a bracket 58 . bracket 58 is essentially the same as bracket 12 ( fig1 and 2 ) and bracket 52 ( fig3 and 4 ) again with the exception of the upper support means 20 . bracket 58 also eliminates the ears 24 of bracket 12 ( fig1 and 2 ). further , bracket 58 includes a ledge 60 which is disposed on the upper portion of vertical member 14 at a predetermined distance above v - shape bracket 31 . ledge 60 is normally affixed ( preferably welded ) to vertical member 14 . a pin 62 is normally affixed ( also preferably welded ) at about the center of ledge 60 to provide means for mounting gear housing 56 to bracket 58 . during use , the lower portion 64 of gear housing 56 is disposed between support rails 44 and supported by base member 38 and vertical leg 40 . the upper portion 66 of housing 56 is disposed between legs 32 of v - shaped bracket 31 to prohibit lateral movement of portion 66 . referring also to fig7 a collar 68 prohibits forward movement of housing 56 when collar 68 is disposed over pin 62 and a stud 70 of gear housing assembly 56 . pin 62 may be threaded to provide other means of securing a gear housing . housing 56 is now secured in bracket 58 . referring now to fig8 in a fourth embodiment of the present invention , a bracket for securing a complete stern drive subassembly from a conventional inboard / outboard motor ( e . g ., mercury stern drive from 1966 to date r and mr units ) is shown generally at 72 . bracket 72 comprises vertical member 74 , mounting means 76 disposed on the upper end of vertical member 74 , upper support means 78 disposed on vertical member 74 and lower support means 80 disposed on the lower end of vertical member 74 . as will be noted , the mounting means 76 comprises an inverted u - shaped portion 82 for mounting the bracket 72 on a rail ( not shown ), the rail is the same as rail 26 described in the earlier embodiments . portion 82 is comprised of the upper end of vertical member 74 , a vertical section 84 and a horizontal section 86 therebetween . the upper support means 78 is disposed on the upper portion of vertical member 74 and is comprised of a v - shaped bracket 88 which is affixed ( preferably welded ) to vertical member 74 at the base of the v - shape . legs 90 forming the v - shaped bracket 88 extend horizontally outward from vertical member 74 and terminate in ears 92 which are provided with apertures 94 . legs 90 extended so as to be receptive to a mounting area of the stern drive ( not shown ). apertures 94 provide means for mounting the stern drive to bracket 72 . the lower support means 80 comprises a base member 96 which extends horizontally outward from the lower end of vertical member 74 and terminates in a v - shape at 98 . base member 96 provides support for the lower portion of the stern drive . inverted u - shaped portion 82 , vertical member 74 and base member 80 are preferably a continuous piece of flat metal stock bent to form the above portions . however , each portion may be individually connected ( e . g ., welded ) without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention . during use , the lower portion of the stern drive is supported by base member 96 and the upper portion of the stern drive is disposed between legs 90 of v - shaped bracket 88 to prohibit lateral movement of the stern drive . the stern drive may be mounted by a pair of nut and bolt assemblies ( not shown ) through apertures 94 to ears 92 , thus prohibiting forward movement of the stern drive . the stern drive is now secured in bracket 72 . referring now to fig9 in a fifth embodiment of the invention , wherein like elements to the fourth embodiment are numbered alike and reference should be made thereto for a description thereof , a bracket for securing a complete stern drive subassembly from a conventional inboard / outboard motor ( e . g ., electric shift 400 and 800 , stern drive and upper case only ) is shown generally at 100 . bracket 100 is essentially the same as bracket 72 ( fig8 ) with the exception of the upper support means 78 and the lower support means 80 . the upper support means 78 is disposed on the upper portion of vertical member 74 and is comprised of an elongated member 102 having offset end portions 104 which is affixed ( preferably welded ) to vertical member 74 at about the center of member 102 . a u - shaped member 106 having legs 108 is attached ( preferably welded ), at one of its legs 108 , to each end portion 104 . members 106 each have apertures 110 near the end of each leg 108 . legs 108 extended so as to be receptive to a mounting area of the stern drive ( not shown ). members 106 with apertures 110 provide means for mounting the stern drive to bracket 100 . the lower support means 80 comprises a base member 112 which extends horizontally outward from the lower end of vertical member 74 and an upturned vertical leg 114 disposed at the outer end of base member 112 . base member 112 and upturned vertical leg 114 provide support for the lower portion of the stern drive . during use , the lower portion of the stern drive is supported by base member 112 and vertical leg 114 . an upper portion of the stern drive is disposed between legs 108 of member 106 to prohibit lateral and forward movement of the stern drive . the stern drive may be mounted by a pair of nut and bolt assemblies ( not shown ) through apertures 110 to members 106 , thus securing the stern drive in members 106 . the stern drive is now secured in bracket 100 . while preferred embodiments have been shown and described , various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustrations and not limitations . | 5 |
the following description is of the best - contemplated mode of carrying out the invention . this description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense . the scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appended claims . fig2 a is a diagram showing a display panel 200 a according to a first embodiment of the invention . it includes a data driver 21 , a scan driver 22 , an auxiliary driver 23 , a timing controller 24 , and a pixel matrix composed of six ( for example ) display cells p 1 ˜ p 6 , and three switches st 1 , st 2 and st 3 . for example , the display panel 200 a can be a liquid crystal display panel , a plasma display panel or an organic light emitting display panel , but is not limited thereto . the data driver 21 outputs the desired data signals ( not shown ) for the six display cells p 1 ˜ p 6 through the data line dl . for example , the data driver 21 can be a data driving integrated circuit ( ic ) formed by single - crystal si transistors , but is not limited thereto . the scan driver 22 outputs scan signals s 1 ˜ s 3 in sequence through the scan lines sl 1 ˜ sl 3 . for example , the scan driver 22 can also be a scan driving integrated circuit ( ic ) formed by single - crystal si transistors . the auxiliary driver 23 outputs auxiliary signals sw 1 ˜ sw 3 through auxiliary signal lines al 1 ˜ al 3 . in the embodiment , the auxiliary driver 23 is a driving integrated circuit ( ic ) formed by a - si transistors on the display panel rather than single - crystal si transistors , and the data driver 21 , the scan driver 22 and the auxiliary driver 23 are controlled by the timing controller 24 . the display cells p 1 and p 2 receive the scan signal 51 through the scan line sl 1 simultaneously , the display cells p 3 and p 4 receive the scan signal s 2 through the scan line sl 2 simultaneously , and the display cells p 5 and p 6 receive the scan signal s 3 through the scan line sl 3 simultaneously . the display cells p 1 , p 3 and p 5 receive corresponding data signals respectively through the data line dl simultaneously , the display cells p 2 , p 4 and p 6 coupled to the switches st 1 , st 2 and st 3 respectively , receiving corresponding data signals respectively through the data line dl simultaneously . the switches st 1 , st 2 and st 3 are coupled between the data line dl and the display cell p 2 , between the data line dl and the display cell p 4 and between the data line dl and the display cell p 6 respectively . as shown , the display cell p 1 comprises a transistor m 1 and a capacitor cs 1 , the display cell p 2 comprises a transistor m 2 and a capacitor cs 2 , and the display cells p 3 ˜ p 6 are similar to the display cells p 1 and p 2 . gates of the transistor m 1 , m 3 and m 5 are coupled to the scan lines sl 1 , sl 2 and sl 3 respectively , drains of which are coupled to the data line dl , and sources of which are coupled to capacitors cs 1 , cs 3 and cs 5 respectively . gates of the transistors m 2 , m 4 and m 6 are coupled to the scan lines sl 1 , sl 2 and sl 3 respectively , drains of which are coupled to the data line dl , and sources of which are coupled to capacitors cs 2 , cs 4 and cs 6 respectively . the switches st 1 ˜ st 3 are formed by transistors m 7 ˜ m 9 , gates of the transistors m 7 ˜ m 9 are coupled to the auxiliary signals sw 1 ˜ sw 3 respectively , drains of which are coupled to the data line dl , sources of which are coupled to the display cells p 2 , p 4 and p 6 respectively . in the embodiment , the transistors m 1 ˜ m 9 are a - si transistors , but are not limited thereto . fig2 b is a timing chart of the display panel shown in fig2 a . the scan period when the scan signal s 1 is applied ( the scan signal s 1 is asserted and has a logic high level ) is divided into two sub - periods t 1 and t 2 . the auxiliary signal sw 1 turns on the transistor m 7 ( closes the switch st 1 ) and turns off the transistor m 7 ( the switch st 1 is opened ) in sequence during the sub - periods t 1 and t 2 respectively , when the scan signal s 1 is applied . during the sub - period t 1 , during which the transistor m 7 is turned on , the display cell p 2 in the even column of the pixel matrix receives the data signal from the data driver 21 through the data line dl , and the display cell p 1 in the odd column of the pixel matrix receives the data signal from the data driver 21 through the data line dl during the sub - period t 2 , during which the transistor m 7 is turned off . for example , the data signal from the data driver 21 during the sub - period t 1 can be a data signal with a positive polarity , and the data signal from the data driver 21 during the sub - period t 2 can be a data signal with negative polarity , but are not limited thereto . it should be noted that the display cell p 1 can also receive the data signal for the display cell p 2 during sub - period t 1 , but the data signal received by the display cell p 1 is updated by the data signal on the data line dl during the sub - period t 2 . further , during the period ( t 1 and t 2 ), during which the scan signal s 1 is applied , the switch st 1 only turns on and off once according to the auxiliary signal sw 1 until the scan signal s 1 is applied thereto again . namely , the transistor m 7 is turned off during the sub - period t 2 and on again when the auxiliary signal sw 1 is applied thereto again . next , when the scan signal s 1 is de - asserted and the scan signal s 2 is applied ( has a logic high level ), the transistors m 1 , m 2 and m 7 are turned off . the scan period when the scan signal s 2 is applied and divided into two sub - periods t 3 and t 4 . the auxiliary signal sw 2 turns on the transistor m 8 ( closes the switch st 2 ) and turns off the transistor m 8 ( the switch st 2 is opened ) in sequence during the sub - periods t 3 and t 4 respectively , when the scan signal s 2 is applied . during the sub - period t 3 , during which the transistor m 8 is turned on , the display cell p 4 in the even column of the pixel matrix receives the data signal from the data driver 21 through the data line dl , and the display cell p 3 in the odd column of the pixel matrix receives the data signal from the data driver 21 through the data line dl during the sub - period t 4 , during which the transistor m 8 is turned off . for example , the data signal from the data driver 21 during the sub - period t 3 can be a data signal with a positive polarity , and the data signal from the data driver 21 during the sub - period t 4 can be a data signal with negative polarity , but are not limited thereto . it should be noted that the display cell p 3 can also receive the data signal for the display cell p 4 during sub - period t 3 , but the data signal received by the display cell p 3 is updated by the data signal on the data line dl during the sub - period t 4 . further , during the period ( t 3 and t 4 ), during which the scan signal s 2 is applied , the switch st 2 only turns on and off once according to the auxiliary signal sw 2 until the scan signal s 2 is applied thereto again . namely , the transistor m 8 is turned off during the sub - period t 4 and on again when the auxiliary signal sw 2 is applied thereto again . similarly , when the scan signal s 2 is de - asserted and the scan signal s 3 is applied ( has a logic high level ), the transistors m 3 , m 4 and m 8 are turned off . the scan period when the scan signal s 3 is applied is divided into two sub - periods t 5 and t 6 . the auxiliary signal sw 3 turns on the transistor m 9 ( closes the switch st 3 ) and turns off the transistor m 9 ( the switch st 3 is opened ) in sequence during the sub - periods t 5 and t 6 respectively , when the scan signal s 3 is applied . during the sub - period t 5 , during which the transistor m 9 is turned on , the display cell p 6 in the even column of the pixel matrix receives the data signal from the data driver 21 through the data line dl , and the display cell p 5 in the odd column of the pixel matrix receives the data signal from the data driver 21 through the data line dl during the sub - period t 6 , during which the transistor m 9 is turned off . for example , the data signal from the data driver 21 during the sub - period t 5 can be a data signal with a positive polarity , and the data signal from the data driver 21 during the sub - period t 6 can be a data signal with negative polarity , but are not limited thereto . it should be noted that the display cell p 5 can also receive the data signal for the display cell p 6 during sub - period t 5 , but the data signal received by the display cell p 5 is updated by the data signal on the data line dl during the sub - period t 6 . further , during the period ( t 5 and t 6 ), during which the scan signal s 3 is applied , the switch st 3 only turns on and off once according to the auxiliary signal sw 3 until the scan signal s 3 is applied thereto again . namely , the transistor m 9 is turned off during the sub - period t 6 and would be turned on again when the auxiliary signal sw 3 is applied thereto again . namely , during a frame period , during which all the scan lines are scanned in sequence once , the auxiliary signals sw 1 ˜ sw 3 are only applied in sequence once such that switches st 1 ˜ st 3 are each switched once . thus , the switching frequency of the switches st 1 ˜ st 3 is lowered to the frame rate , which eliminates the reliability issue in the conventional display panel . the invention also provides a driving method for the display panel shown in fig2 a . during a period t 1 , an auxiliary signal sw 1 is applied to turn on a switch st 1 such that a data signal from a data line dl is transferred to display cells p 1 and p 2 and a scan signal s 1 is applied to enable the display cells p 1 and p 2 to receive the data signal on the data line dl . during a period t 2 , the auxiliary signal sw 1 is de - asserted to turn off the switch st 1 such that the display cell p 2 is electrically separated from the data line dl and the display cell p 1 receives a data signal from the data line dl according to the scan signal s 1 , in which the witch st 1 is turned off until the scan signal s 1 and the auxiliary signal sw 1 are applied thereto again . during a period t 3 , an auxiliary signal sw 2 is applied to turn on a switch st 2 such that a data signal from the data line dl is transferred to display cells p 3 and p 4 and a scan signal s 2 is applied to enable the display cells p 3 and p 4 to receive the data signal on the data line dl . during a period t 4 , the auxiliary signal sw 2 is de - asserted to turn off the switch st 2 such that the display cell p 4 is electrically separated from the data line dl and the display cell p 3 receives a data signal from the data line dl according to the scan signal s 2 , in which the switch st 2 is turned off until the scan signal s 2 and the auxiliary signal sw 2 are applied thereto again . during a period t 5 , an auxiliary signal sw 3 is applied to turn on a switch st 3 such that a data signal from the data line dl is transferred to display cells p 5 and p 6 and a scan signal s 3 is applied to enable the display cells p 5 and p 6 to receive the data signal on the data line dl . during a period t 6 , the auxiliary signal sw 3 is de - asserted to turn off the switch st 3 such that the display cell p 6 is electrically separated from the data line dl and the display cell p 5 receives a data signal from the data line dl according to the scan signal s 3 , in which the switch st 3 is turned off until the scan signal s 3 and the auxiliary signal sw 3 are applied thereto again . namely , during a frame period , during which all the scan lines are scanned in sequence once , the auxiliary signals sw 1 ˜ sw 3 are only applied in sequence once such that the switches are st 1 ˜ st 3 each switched once . thus , the switching frequency of the switches st 1 ˜ st 3 is lowered to the frame rate , which eliminates the reliability issue in the conventional display panel . fig3 a shows another embodiment of a display panel 200 b of the invention . it comprises a data driver 41 , two scan driver 42 a and 42 b , a timing controller 43 , and a pixel matrix composed of eight ( for example ) display cells p 21 ˜ p 28 . for example , the display panel 200 b can be a liquid crystal display panel , a plasma display panel or an organic light emitting display panel , but it is not limited thereto . the data driver 41 outputs the desired data signals ( not shown ) for the eight display cells p 21 ˜ p 28 through data lines dl 1 and dl 2 . for example , the data driver 41 can be a data driving integrated circuit ( ic ) formed by single - crystal si transistors , but it is not limited thereto . the data driver 41 , the two scan drivers 42 a and 42 b are controlled by the timing controller 43 . for example , the timing controller 43 provides a first set of control signals such as clock signals ck 1 and / ck 1 and enabling signal ds 1 ( as shown in fig3 b ) to the scan driver 42 a and a second set of controls signals such as clock signals ck 2 and / ck 2 and enabling signal ds 2 ( as shown in fig3 b ) to the scan driver 42 b . the scan drivers 42 a and 42 b generate scan signals s 1 ˜ s 4 in sequence according to the first and second sets of control signals , and the scan driver 42 a outputs the scan signals 51 and s 3 through the scan lines sl 1 and sl 3 respectively and the scan driver 42 b outputs the scan signals s 2 and s 4 through the scan lines sl 2 and sl 4 respectively . namely , the scan signals s 2 and s 4 are not generated according to the scan signals 51 and s 3 , but generated by different scan drivers . in the embodiment , the scan driver 42 a and 42 b can also be a driving integrated circuit ( ic ) formed by a - si transistors on the display panel rather than single - crystal si transistors . the display cells p 21 and p 22 receive the scan signal 51 through the scan line sl 1 simultaneously , the display cells p 23 and p 24 receive the scan signal s 2 through the scan line sl 2 simultaneously , the display cells p 25 and p 26 receive the scan signal s 3 through the scan line sl 3 simultaneously , and the display cells p 27 and p 28 receive the scan signal s 4 through the scan line sl 4 simultaneously . the display cells p 21 , p 23 , p 25 and p 27 receive corresponding data signals respectively through the data line dl 1 simultaneously , the display cells p 22 , p 24 , p 26 and p 28 receive corresponding data signals respectively through the data line dl 2 simultaneously . as shown , each display cell p 21 ˜ p 28 comprises a transistor , a storage capacitor and a liquid element , and the transistors in the display cells p 21 ˜ p 28 can be a - si transistors , but are not limited thereto . fig3 b is a timing chart of the display panel shown in fig3 a . during a period t 21 , a scan signal 51 is applied ( the scan signal is asserted and has a logic high level ), and the display cells p 21 and p 22 in the odd column of the pixel matrix receives the data signals from the data driver 41 through the data lines dl 1 and dl 2 . during a period t 22 , a scan signal s 2 is applied , and the display cells p 23 and p 24 in the even column of the pixel matrix receives the data signals from the data driver 41 through the data lines dl 1 and dl 2 . during a period t 23 , a scan signal s 3 is applied , and the display cells p 25 and p 26 in the odd column of the pixel matrix receive the data signals from the data driver 41 through the data lines dl 1 and dl 2 . during a period t 24 , a scan signal s 4 is applied , and the display cells p 27 and p 28 in the even column of the pixel matrix receive the data signals from the data driver 41 through the data lines dl 1 and dl 2 . for example , the data signals output from the data driver 41 during the periods t 21 and t 23 can be data signals with a positive polarity and that output from the data driver 41 during the period t 22 and t 24 can be data signals with a negative polarity , but are not limited thereto . namely , all scan lines of the display panel 200 b are scanned in sequence by the scan drivers 42 a and 42 b , and display cells in two columns share one data line to receive data signals from the data driver . as the switching frequency of the switches st 1 ˜ st 3 is lowered to the frame rate , the reliability issue in the conventional display panel can be eliminated . fig4 is a schematic view showing an electronic device using display systems shown in fig2 a and 3a . as shown , the electronic device 300 comprises a housing 210 , the display panel 200 a / 200 b , and power supply 220 . the power supply 220 is operationally coupled to the display panels 200 a / 200 b to powers the display panel 200 a / 200 b to display images . for example , the display panel 200 a / 200 b can be a liquid crystal display panel , a plasma display panel or an organic light emitting display panel , and the electronic device 300 can be a pda , a display monitor , a notebook computer , a table computer or a cellular phone . while the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto . to the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements ( as would be apparent to those skilled in the art ). therefore , the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements . | 6 |
fig2 illustrates the main steps of a measurement method according to an embodiment of the invention . in step 21 , a periodic control signal is applied in order to rotate the geometric position of vibration in a first direction , during a portion of the period of the periodic control signal . due to this control signal , the geometric position of vibration of the vibrating gyroscope rotates in a first direction , at a speed which may vary over time according to a first profile . thus the vibrating gyroscope moves from a first geometric position of vibration to a second geometric position of vibration . this first speed profile may also correspond to a constant speed , in which case the geometric position of vibration then varies in a continuous manner over the concerned portion of the time period . then in step 22 , a control signal is applied in order to rotate the geometric position of vibration in a second direction opposite the first direction , during the other time period of the control signal . here the control signal causes the position of the gyroscope vibration to change from the second geometric position of vibration to a third geometric position of vibration ( which may correspond to the first position ), this change occurring at a speed which may vary over time according to a second speed profile . the control signal has a zero mean over the period of the periodic control signal . in one embodiment , the second speed profile corresponds to the first speed profile inverted , as a function of time . thus the first and second speed profiles are symmetrical to each other relative to the center of the time period . the vibrating gyroscope may then be in the initial geometric position of vibration , i . e ., the first geometric position of vibration after step 22 , when the vibrating gyroscope is only subjected to the control signal according to an embodiment of the invention . it should be noted that in an embodiment of the invention , the first and second speed profiles indicate a constant speed over time , therefore with a zero variation , which means that the position of vibration turns at a constant speed in both the first direction and the second direction . this control signal is therefore a periodic precession signal adapted to apply an alternating precession to the vibrating gyroscope . steps 21 and 22 are then repeated to obtain measurements from the vibrating gyroscope concerned over a certain time period while the gyroscope is precessing . in another step , the control signal is subtracted from the original measurement signal . a corrected signal 25 can then be obtained that is based on an average of the errors as a function of the precession applied , for example in the manner described in fr2925669 ( measurement by gyroscopic system ). in a possible embodiment , the method applies a rapid precession , meaning a control signal of a high frequency with respect to the frequency of the output signal . this is the same as saying that the change of orientation of the carrier ( supporting the gyroscopic system ) is slow relative to the precession frequency . however , if the carrier is very slow ( or even immobile ), a rapid precession ( compared to the movements of the carrier ) may seem slow to a human observer . if a carrier is not moving much ( boat ), the method may use frequencies on the order of a hertz , for example . for an airplane parked at an airport , initializing its inertial unit ( containing the gyroscopic system which is the object of the method ), the alignment time ( initialization phase ) of the inertial unit may be 300 seconds , for example . the precession frequency may then be on the order of a hundredth of a hertz for example , meaning that the precession period can be counted in minutes . under such conditions , as the movement of the carrier is slow at the scale of the precession period , one can expect a substantially constant measurement from the gyroscope ( once the control signal is deducted ) at the scale of the precession period ( there is no movement or at least negligible movement at this scale ), and thus any measured deviation relative to the constant can be considered as needing to be corrected ( this may be the case during the alignment of an inertial unit of an airplane in particular ). for example , for an hrg gyroscope , in some embodiments this can go up to precession frequencies on the order of about 0 . 1 hz . for a mems gyroscope , precession frequencies on the order of 10 hz ( several tens of hertz for example ) could be used in certain embodiments . the method may use a frequency control signal of an order of magnitude that can correspond in certain cases to that of a frequency of the output signal . this can correspond , for example , to a case of an isolated and very rapid change of orientation of the carrier ( in the presence of a rapid precession ), or a slow movement of the carrier ( boat in calm water , parked aircraft , etc .) but with a precession of slow frequency as well . it is thus possible to use a control signal frequency inducing a rotation corresponding , for example , to the equivalent of one rotation per second ( 360 ° per second ) in the case where the control signal represents an angular value . such a frequency is a relatively high control frequency for the typical devices likely to make use of a method according to the invention ( such as satellites , submarines , ships , airplanes , space probes , oil drilling equipment , etc .). however , such frequencies ( corresponding to abrupt movements ) may occasionally be reached or even exceeded by the output signal from the gyroscope , for example after a sudden air pocket for an aircraft , a very high wave for a ship , etc . in step 24 , errors in this original measurement signal are identified during observation periods , meaning periods during which the control signal presents a high frequency with regard to the frequency of the output signal , or relative to the movement of the carrier of the gyroscopic system . a corrected signal can thus be obtained under such conditions , due to the precession applied by the control signal which allowed averaging the errors from the vibrating gyroscope , and also due to the identification of residual errors which it was possible to determine when the control signal could be distinguished in the original measurement signal . this type of residual error is represented in fig3 . more specifically , the residual errors are identified by comparing the corrected signal according to an embodiment ( received in the feedback loop 26 ) with the control signal during the error “ observability ” periods . the method may temporarily accommodate , during an identification error , a precession frequency near or even less than that of the movement of the carrier , because the error identification implemented by the method can be iterative . it is then possible to occasionally tolerate the method temporarily causing an error estimate to diverge ( or at least not contribute to causing it to converge ). when a change in orientation is measured that is as fast or faster than the precession , a possible implementation of the method can also ignore the corrections issuing from the error identification , which are potentially no longer relevant because the output signal is likely to have varied quite a bit during the precession period . a possible implementation may also consist of stopping the estimations and only correcting the measured signal on the basis of the previously estimated error . in order to detect that an error estimate is no longer reliable , for example due to too large a carrier movement frequency relative to the precession , the method may , after several successive error estimations , measure the standard deviation of these estimates and if the standard deviation exceeds a certain threshold , the method can assume that the conditions are not met for a reliable error estimate . this can be linked , for example , to an overly large movement of the carrier , which adversely affects the estimate . in such a case , it is no longer possible to separate the control signal and the signal reflecting the movement of the carrier ( there are no longer two frequency domains but only one issuing from two overlapping domains ), and an assumption of a frequency separation which can be advantageous for the method is no longer true , as the error estimates are then very noisy . for example , in certain embodiments , a standard deviation that exceeds three times the standard deviation encountered under normal frequency separation conditions is a sign that the error estimation is no longer to be considered reliable . a gyroscope is not necessarily perfect , and a given control signal does not necessarily produce the exact rotation requested by the control signal . the residual errors may therefore be due , for example , to the difference between the precession actually performed and the theoretical precession which would correspond to the control signal . these residual errors can be added to the error between the precession actually performed and the measured precession with its possible measurement errors . in this case , the gyroscope measurement gives access only to the sum of the errors , and the sum of the errors is therefore averaged . it may be appropriate not to apply precession continuously . for example , during certain phases of operation there is no need to correct the error estimate to ensure stability , for example if the temperature remains substantially constant and there are no major external excitations ( low vibrations , etc . ), while in certain embodiments one can consider the errors as remaining stable ( precession then being superfluous ). if the method still makes use of precession , this precession could be counterproductive when there are no instabilities to be corrected , as the presence of a precession can itself induce defects ( for example by causing instabilities ) and cause errors to appear which otherwise would not necessarily have been present and their correction would have been unnecessary . in a possible embodiment , the correction of residual errors is based on a measurement supplied by an external element such as another gyroscope or any other means of angular measurement , such as optical , laser , etc . another significant source of error may be the scale factor between the applied control and the rotation actually induced . for example , the rotation could be only 98 % ( purely illustrative value ) of what was ordered , and when subtracting the control signal from the measured signal a residual 2 % of the control signal would be observed . control signal is understood here to mean a signal indicating a variation in angle values over time . in this case , when the measurement signal from the gyroscope corresponds to angular velocity values , the subtraction between signals can be done directly , and when the measurement signal corresponds to angle values , then the integral of the control signal is determined in order to obtain the control signal in the form of angle values to be able to subtract it from the measurement signal . it should be noted that the another step can be carried out continuously while steps 21 and 22 are successively performed . the measurements supplied by the gyroscopic system may then be based on this corrected signal which represents a variation in the geometric position of vibration values of the gyroscope . fig4 - a illustrates a schematic architecture of a gyroscopic system according to an embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , such a gyroscopic system 40 comprises three accelerometers 401 , as well as three vibrating gyroscopes 402 according to an embodiment of the invention . in the gyroscopic system 40 illustrated here , an acceleration 403 is measured by the accelerometers 401 and a rotation speed 404 is measured by the vibrating gyroscopes 402 . as an example , the system considered here comprises three vibrating gyroscopes , but it is easy to deduce from the following sections an embodiment of the invention in which such a system contains only one . a navigation unit nav 405 is responsible for processing the measurement signals from the accelerometers and from the vibrating gyroscopes , ultimately outputting 406 gyroscopic measurements such as an attitude value , a position value , and a speed value , in the form of an output signal . in an embodiment of the invention , a control signal cp ( precession control ) is applied to each of the vibrating gyroscopes in addition to the rotation speed that each vibrating gyroscope of the system is experiencing . as a result , it should be noted that each vibrating gyroscope of the system supplies a measurement signal 407 that represents both the rotation speed it is experiencing within the system ( related to the motion of the carrier ) and the precession control cp or control signal applied according to an embodiment . an error identification unit 450 is adapted to identify the errors in the measurement signal 407 ( or original measurement signal ). the control signal and the identified errors are subtracted from the original measurement signal from a vibrating gyroscope of the system , in a subtractor 409 . a corrected signal 408 is output from the subtractor 409 . this corrected signal is then supplied to the navigation entity 405 which is then able to provide reliable gyroscopic measurements on the basis of the corrected signals for each vibrating gyroscope . the control signal which was applied to it ; and the corrected signal received in the feedback loop 460 . on the basis of the precession , it is thus possible in the error identification unit to average the errors in the measurement signal from the vibrating gyroscope . then , on the basis of a comparison of the original measurement signal from which the control signal has been subtracted , with the corrected signal ( feedback loop ), during the periods in which the control signal is high frequency relative to the output signal , one can identify the residual errors still affecting the original measurement signal ( after averaging the errors by alternating precession ). fig4 - b illustrates another diagram of the architecture of a gyroscopic system according to an embodiment of the invention . this gyroscopic system 40 corresponds to the one illustrated in fig4 - a , additionally comprising an additional error identification unit 410 . this additional error identification unit is responsible for identifying errors in the corrected signal 460 as a function of a portion of the corrected signal 460 and of the output signal 406 ultimately supplied by the gyroscopic system and received at the additional error identification unit 410 via a feedback loop 420 . the method may , for example , replace the measured data with the external data if these data are deemed more reliable ( for example data issuing from another gyroscope to which no precession is applied , the difference then being representative of the errors from the gyroscope that is the object of precession via the control signal ). advantageously , a feedback loop 460 supplies the error identification unit 410 with the measurements 406 output from the gyroscopic system . this system also comprises a reference measurement entity 470 adapted to supply reference measurements of the carrier movement . these reference measurements may correspond to zero movement . such is the case in an alignment phase of a navigation unit . this reference measurement entity may correspond to a gps , for example , particularly when applying the measurement method during movement of the carrier to which the gyroscopic system is attached . this error identification unit additionally receives the partially corrected signal 408 from the vibrating gyroscope concerned . this error identification unit 410 is then responsible for comparing these signals with reference measurements supplied by a reference measurement entity 470 , in order to further reduce residual errors according to an embodiment of the invention . fig5 illustrates an arrangement of a gyroscopic system according to an embodiment of the invention . more specifically , the axes x , y and z represent the axes of the triad of three vibrating gyroscopes in a gyroscopic system according to an embodiment of the invention . the trisection of this triad x , y , and z is then advantageously oriented vertically , unlike the other triad x ′, y ′ and z ′ also represented in this fig5 . fig6 illustrates an application of modulated control signals according to an embodiment of the invention . such a difference advantageously allows decorrelating the respective errors connected to the measurement signals supplied by the vibrating gyroscopes . fig7 illustrates an application of phase - shifted control signals applied according to an embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , the control signals respectively applied to the different vibrating gyroscopes are not in phase with each other . such a difference also advantageously allows decorrelating the respective errors connected to the measurement signals supplied by the vibrating gyroscopes . no limitation is placed on the difference that can be introduced between the control signals to be applied to the vibrating gyroscopes in order to be able to separate the respective errors connected to the measurements supplied by the vibrating gyroscopes . fig8 illustrates first and second speed profiles according to an embodiment of the invention . fig8 illustrates the control signal over time , meaning the variation in the angular velocity ω over time . here , the angular velocity corresponding to the control signal for changing the geometric position of vibration of the gyroscope increases continuously over the first portion of the control signal and decreases , symmetrically and in the same manner as it increased , over the second portion of the period of the control signal . thus portion 801 illustrates the first speed profile and portion 802 illustrates the second speed profile , these two speed profiles being temporally inverted relative to each other . then , for illustrative purposes only , the first and second speed profiles indicate a zero speed variation over time , or in other words a constant speed value . | 6 |
in view of the foregoing difficulties and propensity for inaccurate results due to possible carry - over and / or dilution , there is an unmet need to improve the effectiveness of existing rinsing and drying apparatus and systems ( drain stations ) in terms of effectiveness of rinsing and / or drying of a sample probe . to address this need , embodiments according to aspects of the present invention provide improved nozzles , improved rinsing and drying apparatus , improved sample probe rinsing and drying systems , and improved rinsing and drying methods . the rinsing and drying apparatus and system may improve dilution by up to about 15 times , and may improve results &# 39 ; precision by at least about 2 times as compared to prior clinical chemistry analyzers . fig1 illustrates a portion of a clinical analyzer 100 according to the prior art that includes a conventional rinsing and drying apparatus 102 ( otherwise referred to as a “ drain station ”). the rinsing and drying apparatus 102 has two locations for the probe 104 to enter , namely a cleansing well 106 and the rinsing well 108 . each well 106 , 108 is bottom - fed from respective cleansing liquid source 110 and rinsing liquid source 112 . cleansing liquid is supplied to cleansing well 106 from the cleansing liquid source 110 through distributor 111 and passage 114 formed in the drain station body 116 to provide a static cleansing bath . rinsing liquid is supplied to the rinsing well 108 from rinsing liquid source 112 through distributor 111 and passage 118 to provide a rinsing bath . a vacuum overflow feature is provided that maintains predetermined fluid height within the wells 106 , 108 , removes waste , and exhausts all air and liquid entering the wells 106 , 108 . a suitable vacuum source 120 is coupled to ( coupling is not shown ) exhaust ports 122 , 124 interfacing with each of the wells 106 , 108 at a predetermined well height and carries the exhausted liquids , other materials , and air to a drain . the cleansing well 106 may typically hold either sodium hypochlorite or sodium hydroxide cleaning liquids , and the rinsing well 108 may hold water . a robot 126 causes the sample probe 104 to move in two or more coordinate directions ( e . g ., vertical and horizontal ). accordingly , the probe 104 may aspirate sample , reagent , or other liquid at a first location with an aspirator / dispenser unit 128 and move the sample , reagent , or other liquid contained in the probe 104 to a second location and dispense the sample , reagent , or other liquid . optionally , or in addition , rinsing liquid from the rinsing liquid source 112 may be dispensed by the aspirator / dispenser 128 through the sample probe 104 to rinse an interior of the sample probe 104 . at the top end of the rinsing well 108 , a nozzle assembly 130 is provided . the nozzle assembly 130 has two sets of nozzle features therein . the features are an air - knife feature 132 and a shower feature 134 . the nozzle features 132 , 134 direct multiple air and water jets to wash and dry the sample probe 104 received in the rinsing well 108 , respectively . the geometry and structure of the nozzle features 132 , 134 of a conventional nozzle coupled with the geometry of the rinsing well 108 of the rinsing and drying apparatus 102 produces a high degree of turbulent recirculation . consequently , this results in unpredictable behavior of water droplet trajectories and water droplet deposition onto the surface of the sample probe 104 during the process of withdrawing and drying the probe 104 after rinsing well immersion . the rinsing and drying apparatus 102 functions within the following typical sequence . the sample probe 104 is lowered by robot 126 into the cleansing well 106 to soak the exterior surfaces thereof . cleansing solution may be aspirated by aspirator / dispenser 128 into the probe 104 to soak the interior surfaces of the probe 104 . the probe 104 is withdrawn from the cleansing well 106 by robot 126 and repositioned over the rinsing well 108 . the probe 104 is lowered by robot 126 into the rinsing well 108 . the probe 104 and the upper section of the rinse well 108 may be showered with water ( via shower feature 134 ) from rinsing liquid source 112 . rinsing solution may be flushed through the interior of the probe 104 using aspirator / dispenser 128 . rinsing solution is pumped into the bottom of the rinsing well 108 to flush and replenish the static rinsing bath . the probe 104 is withdrawn by robot 126 from the rinsing well 108 while the air - knife jets attempt to wipe away remaining water droplets from the outer surface of the probe 104 ( via air - knife feature 132 ). however , the inventors herein have discovered that rinsing liquid “ carryout ” and “ spitting ” effects occur in the operation of such conventional rinsing and drying apparatus and systems . such effects are a consequence of the turbulence induced by internal cavity geometry of the rinsing well 108 , as well as air - jet nozzle design and configuration . fig2 a and 2b illustrate the geometry of the cavities and fluid - containing passages of the shower feature 134 and the air - knife feature 132 with the body 116 not being shown for clarity . passages 136 a , 136 b provide air from an air supply 136 ( fig1 ) to the air - knife feature 132 . the air - knife feature 132 includes a first air knife 132 a and a second air knife 132 b positioned at the right and left sides of the upper portion of the rinsing well 108 . the rectangular - shaped reservoir 138 of the rinsing well 108 includes a generally rectangular cross section at various horizontal cross - sections thereof . the first air knife 132 a and second air knife 132 b are oriented to pass respective opposing planar air jets onto the exterior surface of the probe 104 as the probe 104 is withdrawn from the upper portion 138 of the rinsing well 108 by the robot 126 . this is intended to strip away any rinsing liquid or sample material remaining on the sample probe 104 . however , as will be seen below , this stripping action may be less then optimal . shower feature 134 is positioned below the air - knife feature 132 and includes generally - orthogonal passages 134 a , 134 b , etc . that generally surround the upper portion of the rinsing well 108 . the shower feature 134 is operable to spray jets of water from a plurality of rinse jet passages positioned in fluid communication with the passages 134 a , 134 b , etc . onto the exterior surface of the probe 104 and onto the interior of the rectangular - shaped reservoir 138 of the rinsing well 108 . the rinsing liquid is collected into a rectangular - shaped reservoir 138 of the rinsing well 108 that is located below the shower feature 134 . the rinsing liquid ejected from the shower feature 134 and any material removed from the probe 104 is evacuated through the vacuum exhaust port 122 . during the idle mode of operation when the shower feature 134 and air - knife feature 132 are not operating and only flow to the vacuum port 122 is provided , air entering the sudden expansion of the rectangular - shaped reservoir 138 of the rinsing well 108 from atmosphere re - circulates in the rectangular - shaped reservoir 138 , principally as a pair of large , standing , counter - rotating vortices . these counter - rotating vortices entrain any remaining water from the well walls , shower feature 134 , and the rinsing well bath of the rectangular - shaped reservoir 138 of the rinsing well 108 . this effect is amplified when the air - knife feature 132 is operable due to the increased volumetric air flow and velocity from the two opposed , inclined planar air - knife jets used to dry the sample probe 104 . moreover , as the sample probe 104 is withdrawn , the air - knife jets may merge ; directly impacting the surface of the rinsing well static bath to create an up - wash of rinsing liquid ( e . g ., water ) into the vertical flow field . this liquid is propelled into the underside of the jets of the air - knife feature 132 and then onto the probe 104 . these fluid flow dynamics lead to a high propensity for ejection of rinsing liquid droplets from the drain system ( spitting ), carryout of the rinsing liquid on the probe 104 , and , consequently , sample and / or reagent dilution and propensity for less accurate analytical results because of such dilution . thus , there remains a need for a structure of a rinsing and drying apparatus ( e . g ., drain station ) that produces more effective fluid dynamical behavior , such as controlled fluid - to - structure interaction and jet - to - probe impingement interaction for probe drying operations . in particular , it is desired that a fluid flow is created in the upper portion of the rinsing well so that the above - mentioned problems of spitting and / or carryout are minimized or eliminated . these and other aspects and features of the invention will be described with reference to fig3 a - 7b herein . referring now to fig3 a , an improved rinsing and drying system 300 is illustrated according to embodiments of the invention . the invention provides improved geometry of the upper portion of the rinsing well and / or of the air - knife feature that may enable relatively more efficient execution of the final drying step of the rinsing and drying sequence . the reservoir geometry within the upper portion of the rinsing well and the improved geometry / configuration of the air - knife feature of the present invention improve the overall fluid dynamics and fluid - structure interaction to enable relatively more effective probe drying , as well as direct removal of all liquids and other material to a vacuum exhaust port . more specifically , to generate reliable fluid - structure interaction for probe - drying operations ( planar jet - to - probe impingement ) and stabilized internal fluid dynamics ( e . g ., little or no recirculation ) for an improved rinsing and drying apparatus , specific geometrical features were developed . in a first aspect , a group of two or more nozzles ( e . g ., inclined nozzles ) are oriented with a horizontal offset from a longitudinal axis of a probe passage that is adapted to receive the sample probe . in a second aspect , the probe passage shape is improved . in another aspect , a shape of the reservoir below the probe passage is improved . one or more of these features may produce improved dynamic fluid motion that functions to produce a relatively more stable swirling flow field and improve the gas - jet wiping of the liquid from the probe for effective sample probe drying . referring now to fig3 a - 3n , an embodiment of the present invention will now be described . according to an aspect of the invention , a sample probe rinsing and drying apparatus 300 is provided . the sample probe rinsing and drying apparatus 300 includes a drain station body 302 defining a rinsing well 304 adapted to contain a rinsing liquid 305 ( depth of the rinsing liquid 305 shown dotted ), and a nozzle recess 306 . the nozzle recess 306 may include a number of steps at different diameters . the drain station body 302 may be manufactured from any suitable polymeric material , such as an acrylic material . other suitable materials may be used . a nozzle insert 308 is received in the nozzle recess 306 , and the structure of the nozzle insert 308 and recess 306 cooperate to form a first annulus 310 . the nozzle insert 308 has a probe passage 312 formed along , and preferably centered on , a longitudinal axis 314 . the probe passage 312 is adapted to receive a sample probe 316 therein ( sample probe 316 shown in phantom lines ). the apparatus 300 further includes at least two nozzles 318 , 320 having entries 318 a , 320 a , at the first annulus 310 and exits 318 b , 320 b at the probe passage 312 . each of the nozzles 318 , 320 includes a central axis 318 c , 320 c located at the geometrical center thereof that is offset from the longitudinal axis 314 in a horizontal direction 321 a ( see fig3 h ). the nozzles 318 , 320 and the first annulus 310 make up the air knife feature 325 . in the depicted embodiment , the rinsing well 304 includes a lower well portion 304 l having a substantially cylindrical shape ; the lower well portion 304 l extending in an orientation that is substantially vertical and substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis 314 . the rinsing well 304 may include an upper well portion 304 u below the nozzle recess 306 , having at least a portion that has a larger transverse dimension than a transverse dimension ( e . g ., diameter ) of the lower well portion 304 l . in the depicted embodiment , the upper well portion 304 u has a frustoconical shape providing a smooth transition to the substantially cylindrical lower well portion 304 l . in the illustrated embodiment , an exhaust port 322 is coupled to the lower well portion 304 l just below the upper well portion 304 u ( see fig3 b ). the exhaust port 322 has a central axis 322 c that may be oriented substantially tangentially to an outer wall of the lower well portion 304 l as shown in fig3 a , 3 b , and 3 f - 3 i . the drain station body 302 may also include a cleansing well 323 that is positioned next to the rinsing well 304 and may contain a cleansing liquid . a cleansing well exhaust port 323 a may be provided adjacent to the cleansing well 323 . as with the exhaust port 322 , the exhaust port 323 a is used to evacuate used cleansing fluid and control the cleansing bath level . in more detail , each nozzle 318 , 320 may be configured in a downwardly - angled orientation from the entries 318 a , 320 a with the central axis 318 c , 320 c of each nozzle 318 , 320 being nonparallel with a substantially horizontal second axis 321 b that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 314 as shown in fig3 g and 3h and also perpendicular to horizontal axis 321 a shown in fig3 h . for example , the angle ø between the longitudinal axis 314 and each respective central axis 318 c , 320 c may be between about 30 degrees and 75 degrees , or even between about 45 degrees and 75 degrees , for example . preferably , the angle ø for each nozzle 318 , 320 is about equal . other angles may be used . at the exits 318 b , 320 b of the nozzles 318 , 320 , the probe passage 312 may be substantially cylindrical . in the depicted embodiment , the first annulus 310 comprises a cylindrical annulus . the cross - sectional shape of the annulus 310 may be square , rectangular , triangular , round , half round , or of other polygonal shapes . in the depicted embodiment , a v - shaped point is provided on the inner portion of the first annulus 310 . the nozzles 318 , 320 are preferably rectangular in cross section and have a width of about 2 mm to about 4 mm and a thickness of about 0 . 1 mm to about 0 . 3 mm in cross section . in the depicted apparatus 300 , the fluid inlet port 324 to the annulus 310 has a central axis 324 c that is oriented substantially tangential to the annulus 310 ( see fig3 f - 3h ). in this way , the pressurized fluid is provided into the annulus 310 with relatively low fluid restriction . the nozzle insert 308 may also include first and second o - rings 326 a , 326 b received in grooves positioned above and below the annulus 310 ( see fig3 b ). the nozzle insert 308 , which may be manufactured from a titanium material or other corrosion - resistant material , may be inserted into the nozzle recess 306 in the drain station body 302 . the nozzle insert 308 may be retained in the nozzle recess 306 by pins 328 received through holes 329 and engaged with upper groove 330 ( see fig3 c and 3e ). pins 328 may be secured in holes 329 by a press fit or otherwise retained in holes 329 by mechanical fasteners , set screws , adhesive , weld , etc . the rinsing and drying apparatus 300 may include a second annulus 332 positioned below the first annulus 310 . the second annulus 332 may be formed by the cooperation of the geometry of the nozzle insert 308 and the nozzle recess 306 ( fig3 a ). the second annulus 332 is fluidly coupled to a plurality of shower passages 334 extending from the second annulus 332 to a lower portion 312 l of the probe passage 312 at a lower portion of the nozzle insert 308 ( see fig3 b ). the plurality of shower passages 334 and second annulus 332 make up the shower feature 335 . the lower portion 312 l may include a frustoconical portion . as installed , the upper portion of the rinsing well 304 and the lower portion 312 l of the probe passage 312 may cooperate to form a reservoir 336 into which the shower of rinsing liquid from the shower feature 335 may be directed . in the depicted embodiment , opposed frustoconical portions 312 l , 304 u form the reservoir 336 . however , other circular reservoir shapes without sudden expansion may be used . the frustocone angle should be no greater than about 45 degrees from the longitudinal axis 314 , for example . fig3 i illustrates implementation of a swirling flow path produced around the sample probe 316 ( shown in phantom lines ) according to aspects of the invention . the geometry of the probe passage 312 may be generally cylindrical at the nozzle exits , and the fluid ( e . g ., air ) may be introduced into the space between the outer wall 312 w of the probe passage 312 and the sample probe 316 by the first and second nozzles 318 , 320 . the nozzles 318 , 320 may be oriented to provide for fluid - jet trajectories that are generally tangential to the cylindrical wall 312 w of the probe passage 312 . the jets from the nozzles 318 , 320 are not directly opposed , but are offset ( e . g ., equally offset ) from the longitudinal axis 314 ( shown as a dot ) to cause the flows from each to swirl , interleave , and follow roughly parallel helical paths . as the fluid ( e . g ., air ) exits the nozzles 318 , 320 , a portion of each fluid jet impinges onto the sample probe 316 , while the remaining portion of each jet contributes mutually to the generation of a generally stable , swirling flow field around the sample probe 316 . thus , the fluid flow has relatively high momentum and entrains any liquid on the surface of the sample probe 316 and any surrounding liquid ( e . g ., any liquid on the wall surface 312 w of the passage 312 ). a vacuum from a vacuum source 510 ( fig5 ) is applied at the exhaust port 322 to collect and exhaust any liquid or other material swept from the sample probe 316 and walls 312 w . for example , the fluid ( e . g ., air ) flow generally tangentially enters the first annulus 310 from the fluid inlet port 324 and may circle around the annulus 310 in a counterclockwise direction , for example . the fluid may then enter into the nozzles 318 , 320 at their respective entries and then exit at their respective exits into the space between the wall 312 w and the sample probe 316 . within the space , the fluid flow is swirling around the probe 316 at a relatively high rate of speed . the fluid ( e . g ., air ) velocity in the space may be between about 10 m / s and about 50 m / s , for example . the flow rate may be about 10 to 20 liters per minute , for example . to the extent that the nozzles 318 , 320 may include a downward orientation at their exits , the fluid flow may be both swirling about the sample probe 316 , and also downwardly oriented to produce a generally helical flow pattern . fig4 illustrates another embodiment of a rinsing and drying apparatus 400 according to aspects of the invention . the geometry of the probe passage 412 , first annulus 410 , inlet port 424 , and exhaust port 422 are the same as before described . however , this embodiment includes three nozzles 418 , 420 , 421 that may be oriented to provide for fluid - jet trajectories that are generally tangential to the cylindrical wall 412 w of the probe passage 412 . as before , the central geometrical axes of each of the jets from the nozzles 418 , 420 , 421 are not directly opposed , but are offset ( e . g ., equally offset ) from the longitudinal axis 414 ( shown as a dot ) to cause the flows from each nozzle to swirl , interleave , and follow roughly parallel helical paths . as the fluid ( e . g ., air ) exits the nozzles 418 , 420 , 421 , a portion of each fluid jet impinges onto the sample probe 316 , while the remaining portion of each jet contributes mutually to a generally stable , swirling flow field around the sample probe 316 . thus , the function is as heretofore described . each of the nozzles 418 , 420 , 421 may be downwardly oriented as above described and , thus , may impart a substantially helical flow trajectory around the probe 316 . now referring to fig5 , a rinsing and drying system 500 according to another aspect of the invention is disclosed . the system 500 includes a pressurized fluid source 502 , such as pressurized air . the air may be provided at a pressure of about 20 psi , for example . other pressures may be used . suitable conduits may connect to a distributor 504 and , thus , pressurized air may be provided to the air - knife feature 325 , 425 ( see fig3 b and 4 ) of the rinsing and drying apparatus 300 , 400 in conduit 505 . the distributor 504 may be a suitable series of valves and passages adapted to selectively cause flow of the fluids and liquids to the various annulus and wells . the system 500 includes a drain station body 302 , and a nozzle insert 308 , 408 as described above . as also before described , the nozzle insert 308 , 408 includes a probe passage 312 , 412 adapted to receive the sample probe 316 . in operation , the system 500 may include any suitable moving component ( s ) such as robot 506 for carrying out motion of the sample probe 316 . the robot 506 may include suitable robot components ( e . g ., one or more robot arms , beams , or gantries ) to which the sample probe 316 may be mounted . suitable motion may be imparted to the probe 316 by the robot 506 , such as one - axis , two - axis , or three - axis motion . the robot 506 may be actuated by commands from suitable controls 507 . in one embodiment , the sample probe 316 is first moved above and lowered into , and is at least partially immersed in , a cleansing well 323 by robot 506 . while immersed in the cleansing well 323 , the aspirator / dispenser 508 may draw some of the cleansing liquid into the interior of the probe 316 to cleanse same . aspirator / dispenser 508 may be adapted , and operational , to control a level of pressure to draw in a desired amount of the sample fluid , reagent , cleansing liquid , etc . into the probe 316 , and also to control the dispensing operations performed by the probe 316 . the aspirator / dispenser 508 may include suitable pressure sensor ( s ), valve ( s ), accumulator ( s ), or other pneumatic or hydraulic components ( not shown ) to effectuate the liquid aspirating / dispensing action . any suitable apparatus for drawing the fluid into the probe 316 may be used . for example , aspirating and dispensing systems that may be used with the present invention are described in u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 634 , 378 ; 7 , 477 , 997 ; and 7 , 150 , 190 , which are hereby incorporated by reference herein . after cleansing the tip , the sample probe 316 may be withdrawn to the position of the exhaust port 323 a ( fig3 a ), and the cleansing liquid may be dispensed by aspirator / dispenser 508 into the exhaust port 323 a . the used cleansing liquid may then be exhausted in conduit 512 to a drain 510 a , for example . after cleansing , the cleansing liquid may be replenished from cleansing liquid source 507 through distributor 504 and conduit 513 . following cleansing , the sample probe 316 may be moved above and lowered by the robot 506 through the probe passage 312 , 412 and into the rinsing well 304 ( fig3 a ). the sample probe 316 may be either centrally located or slightly misaligned in the probe passage 312 , 412 . in some embodiments , when the tip of the probe 316 is positioned adjacent to the exhaust port 322 , rinsing liquid from rinsing liquid source 509 may be dispensed by aspirator / dispenser 508 to rinse the interior of the probe 316 . the vacuum source 510 evacuates the used rinsing liquid into exhaust port 322 through conduit 512 and to drain 510 a . in some embodiments , the shower feature ( e . g ., 335 , 435 ) of the apparatus 300 , 400 may be employed to receive rinsing liquid in conduit 511 from rinsing liquid source 509 and distributor 504 to rinse an exterior of the probe 316 as the probe 316 enters or is withdrawn from the probe passage 312 , 412 . suitable conduits 515 , 513 may provide supplies of rinsing liquid and cleansing liquid from rinsing liquid source 509 and cleansing liquid source 507 , respectively , to the bottoms of the rinsing and cleansing wells 304 , 323 ( see fig3 a ). after the probe 316 is rinsed , the probe 316 may be withdrawn from the rinsing well 304 and a flow of fluid ( e . g ., air ) is provided in conduit 505 from pressurized fluid ( air ) source 502 through distributor 504 and conduit 505 to produce swirling fluid jets ( e . g ., air jets ) onto the exterior of the probe 316 . during the fluid - jet ( e . g ., air - jet ) drying operation , the fluid dynamics are substantially that of a turbulent swirling ( helical ) flow in the annular space between the probe 316 and the walls of the probe passage 312 , 412 . fluid motion during an idle mode of operation is also substantially stable ; following a substantially direct trajectory from the probe passage 312 , 412 to the exhaust port 322 with substantially little or no fluid - vortex ( e . g ., air - vortex ) recirculation or rinsing liquid up - wash . thus , in summary , the method of rinsing and drying a sample probe includes , as best represented in fig6 , lowering the sample probe through a probe passage and into a rinsing well in 602 , providing a substantially helical flow of fluid to the probe passage and around the sample probe in 604 , and withdrawing the sample probe from the rinsing well wherein rinsing liquid is removed from the sample probe by gas - jet impingement and the substantially helical flow in 606 . fig7 a is a graph illustrating performance of a method according to the prior art . more specifically , the graph represents a plot of % dilution vs . sample replicates . the scattered and somewhat randomly distributed analytical results show that the behavior of rinsing liquid droplet trajectories and deposition onto the sample probe using conventional methods is typically unpredictable and includes wide disparities in % dilution from test to test . additionally , the illustrated % dilution is nominally between about 2 % and about 6 %. in operation , the described apparatus 300 , 400 and system 500 produces a significant reduction in the unpredictable behavior of rinsing liquid droplet trajectories and deposition , which is reflected in more even and narrowly distributed analytical results ( see fig7 b ). observed impact in controlled experiments is illustrated by the data in fig7 b , which illustrates a plot of % dilution vs . sample replicates . as is shown , sample / reagent dilution is reduced by up to about 15 times as compared to the prior art and , as a result , precision is increased by at about least 2 times . in particular , the % dilution utilizing the improved apparatus 300 , 400 and system 500 including a generally helical flow and improved air knife is dramatically reduced to a nominal % dilution ranging between about 0 . 5 % and about 1 %. moreover , the effect on % dilution is amplified by the fact that most clinical analyzers may have multiple sample - reagent drains . the present invention may be advantageously utilized in connection with clinical analyzers , and is particularly useful for those having a semi - flexible sample probe that may require adequate rinsing passage clearance to accommodate uncertainty in robotic positioning . as will be appreciated , the present invention accommodates for probe offset in addition to producing a stable , generally helical flow field that improves probe drying . having shown the preferred embodiment , those skilled in the art will realize many variations are possible that will still be within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention . therefore , it is the intention to limit the invention only as indicated by the scope of the claims . | 6 |
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